Happy Labor Day

Even though I took early retirement four years ago, I still remember the feeling of having an extra day off.  I don't miss working AT ALL and I encourage anyone who can swing it, to either work from home or don't work at all. It is wonderful.  Anyway, I can relate to a nationwide Day Off.  Especially from work.

Speaking of work, I promised myself that I would start Slim in Six today.  The hubby has been doing it off and on for several months now and while he hasn't lost that much weight, his tummy is shrinking.  I hadn't done this workout (or any for that matter) for a couple years, so I took it slow thinking I would be miserable.  Actually I wasn't.  I finished the 27 minute workout with only minimal breaks, but I took them when I needed them.  I know if I push myself too far, I will get discouraged and quit.  The second and third stage of the program are actually quite intense and I never really mastered the third stage at all.  Three years later and 20 pounds more will make working out a bit different for me, but I have been walking some and hopefully I have a bit of endurance built up.  I'm just not used to sweating.

I'm struggling to do this, but I've decided to post my before picture.  I took this picture last month using the self-timer and I look a bit goofy because I kept having to run back in place to pose.  I would like to think that this picture shows me as chunkier than I really am, but alas, that is probably not the case.

So here I am at 190.8, 5'3-3/4" and having to put an extender on a size 38 "over-the-shoulder boulder holder".  I want to get healthier so I can enjoy these years of early retirement.  Hope these photos motivate you to see yourself as you really are and keep plugging away at healthy habits.

Love ya all and Happy Labor Day!

The never ending saga

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think I'm ready to try again. I went to Kroger's this evening to get a rotisserie chicken. They are always very tasty, and I use them for salads with bagged greens, a hard cooked egg, some shredded cheese and grapes or strawberries.  While waiting for the birds to be cooked to perfection, I was chatting with a lady that was telling me she has lost 12 pounds and I asked her age.  She said she is 61 and that it is working.  Drinking lots of water and has cut out most sugar, especially sodas and especially junk.  She gave me a thumbs up and said age shouldn't be a factor.  I know from personal experience that it is much more difficult to lose weight now that I'm older,  but I actually feel hopeful.  In other words, yes... I'm ready to try again.

I'm wearing a pedometer now and am trying to get in more motion.  I'm going to get back on track.
So once again, I'm going to try to lose, actually lose some weight.  I'll keep you posted.

Another quick post...

Sorry for such brief posts recently, but I just don't want to bore you with details of my life that do apply to weight loss and good health.  Now if you want me too, believe me I can go on and on. Just let me know.  Any hoo, if you haven't done so, get a pedometer.  It is such a fun tool to have.  While not an athlete at all, I am really get a kick out of competing with myself each day to see how many more steps I have added.  I am finding that if I don't get on the treadmill I'm very low on my step count. As an artist, I sit for hours at a time, so that makes sense. There is not much research on counting steps and what is best for us.  Most of the info is from a Japanese study from a few years back, but I don't think obesity is a problem in Japan, so that's ok by me.at

So that's it for now. Make sure you have an accurate scale, and get a step counter.  According to my new scales, I am down five pounds.  I'm not telling anyone but you, cause I don't want to jinx it, but I think I'm on my way...finally.  YaY for me!

Do you really know how to use a treadmill???

This may sound like an insulting question, but it's not.  This is an excellent article, though pretty long, so for those of you that use a treadmill (or are considering one)  you may want to save it to your desktop and go back to it.  For me, I realize that there are several things that I am doing incorrectly.

Whatever exercise we choose, let's get moving!




p.s. I got new scales yesterday, ugh...the truth hurts. 194 not 190.  DagNabIt!!

Back on track...

I'm trying to get back on track. Got a new diet journal to keep track of everything in. Check it out...

It's got lots of tips, as well as two pages per day to record your food, water and exercise. There is plenty of room for a bit of journaling and reflection. There is a fold out spreadsheet, a pocket sized journal and best of all...gold star shaped stickers that you give yourself when you meet a daily goal. Plus I like the title.

Well, that's all for today. Hang in there, bloggie friends, Friday's coming!


Enjoy your weekend, when it gets here and have fun and stay safe!

Another week has passed

Another week has passed and I just got around to getting back on the treadmill. There a couple weeks that I didn't update my stats, so they are off and I'll probably remove that from my sidebar. I have skipped my exercising for about three weeks. I am still trying to accept the fact that if I eat anything salty, my feet swell like crazy. If I exercise and drink plenty of water and stay away from chips, peanuts and such, I seem to be ok. I really think it is a temporary thing, but I am having to be mindful of it.

Not much going on here on the home front. I'm still overweight, but I take no medications, my blood pressure is good as are my cholesterol levels. I feel really good. Imagine how great I would feel if I lost forty pounds. I'm not going to ever give up on this quest, but man it is an ongoing struggle and sometimes it's a bit tedious to know that you "need" to lose weight.

I know you all struggle with these same feelings, otherwise you would not follow my journey. I am very proud of my friends that have lost weight, especially Tina. She has really worked hard and she is looking and feeling great. She and I met through our blog surfing and she has become an inspiration in several ways. Let's give Tina an "Atta Girl". Stop by her blog and see her and her art and maybe you'll make a new friend today.

That's it for me. Take care and enjoy your weekend.

I'm still here

Just popping in to let you know that I'm still around. I've been doing a lot of art lately, and have sort of let my blogging here sag. Sorry about that. I have no weight loss to report, but I will mention that I'm dealing with swelling. I have periodically had a problem with swelling of my fingers, especially if I sleep a long time. This happened as a teen quite often as I loved to sleep in. Now I'm noticing that my left foot is swelling if I nosh down on salty snacks. So for the next few days, weeks, etc. I'm going to really be monitoring my salt and sodium intake. What about you? Do any of you have to deal with this? What's your take on it?

Have a great weekend, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and watch that sodium. Read your labels carefully and make good choices.

Talk soon.