December 1, 217.5

This morning it was pretty exciting. As I drifted awake, for some reason I ran my hands over my body and could just tell that the scale would show a reduction. Sure enough, I am now a ridiculous 217.5. It is hard to believe that I now weigh about as much as I did when I graduated high school, and significantly less than I have weighed for almost my entire adult life (excluding one brief period when I got down to 207). I don't really feel different enough for that. In fact, now, stuffed with all the dinner I could manage to force into me, I feel pudgy and every bit as fat as ever. I feel like I should look better than I do, but it only shows that I have more to lose and so I'm glad the scale has shown a reduction.

Following the meal plan is second nature to me now, so that I don't really feel like I'm dieting anymore, honestly. Tomorrow night I'm going to dinner with a friend, so that will be a restaurant meal. 9 months ago I never had food in the house and always ate restaurant meals, and now my fridge and cabinets are packed and I never eat at restaurants. That's a complete reversal.

The only question is still - how am I going to keep it up for life. When left on my own, I don't have the right triggers that tell me when to eat, how much to eat, and when not to eat - I sort of realized today that none of that machinery works right for me - I have a bad gauge. I'll have to consider that a handicap or a disease and work with it.

But anyway, this is all just about being happy to have lost even more weight now that I'm not suffering for it.

As for my exercise goals (as long as I'm posting) yesterday I went to the gym and it was a cold day and I became inspired by the sight of the pool to swim instead of get on the elliptical, so I swam 30 minutes. I'm not a fantastic swimmer by any stretch. I just keep going back and forth, doing different strokes to break up the monotony and to moderate my heart rate - doing the crawl brings my heart rate up. I try to keep my heart rate at a cardiovascular level and to really pull myself through the water with my arms and to keep kicking with my legs. It's hard for me to feel like I'm getting the same kind of workout from swimming that I get other cardio ways.

And today I made it all the way through Bryan Kest's Power Yoga 1 - all 45-50 minutes. First time ever!! Now I still have a lot of improving to do. There's really a lot I don't do well - straightening my legs is, surprisingly to me, very difficult; prayer twist just wasn't happening for me today; I can't maintain a lunge - my thigh gives out. The new territory at the end of the video introduces some ab stuff (boat pose) and backbend stuff. On the other hand, I am doing much better at tree pose, as previously I have not been able to keep my foot on my thigh, and I am seeing great improvements at Reverse Triangle!!

So one of my yoga goals for December - to make it through the video - is done. Now to improve through the rest of December while doing that yoga workout twice per week. To improve the mind-body connection, strength, flexibility, grace, and a can-do attitude.

My other exercise goal for December is to do elliptical twice a week, building up to a stamina of 450 calories in 30 minutes. I have yet to see improvement, but I have only done 2 workouts since I set that goal.

Along with the elliptical I'm also supposed to be doing upper body weights. I STILL haven't. Monday I didn't do it because I fatigued my arms swimming. I will do it tomorrow, though.

Getting to exercise 4 times a week is still tough for me. I'm glad I have the inspiration of my Facebook group.