No Scale This Week

I was able to attend my Tuesday morning WW meeting with my favorite group of members and one of my favorite leaders.  I’ll tell ya, it was so good for my soul.  I really enjoy the Monday and Tuesday WW meetings.  It was wonderful to see Donna and visit with her a bit on what has been going on and how I have been feeling.  I also loved hearing all the comments from meeting members; “we missed you” ; “good to see you”; and “I’ve been thinking about you."  It always feels like coming home when I can attend my Tuesday meeting.  I still have a few weeks until I will be back there permanently. 

I didn’t step on the scale this week.  I am feeling pretty low about my weight gain and I don’t feel I need to be reminded by stepping on the scale and seeing the ugly number.  I know this might not be the best way of thinking but it was the decision I made.  While I have good days and bad days, my self-talk has not been very kind. 

I know I need to make changes.  I was telling Donna it feels as though that drive I once had for exercise and healthy eating is gone.  I don’t go overboard every day but I do eat more than necessary and I eat foods that don’t fuel my body.  My thinking needs some adjusting and my resistance muscle needs to be strengthened.  In a weird way it feels like I’m trying to push the boundaries to see how far I can go.  I don’t know why.  Am I waiting for somebody to say, “slow down on the weight gain?”  Am I waiting for somebody to mention that it looks like I’ve put on some weight?  How would I even react to honest and caring concern?

I’m sorry this blog has taken a bit of a turn in the health and fitness topics.  I’m trying to work my way through all this.

Call Me Queen Lindsay

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day!

I am still on cloud nine from getting my new iPhone 6 Plus yesterday.  I’ll tell you more about that on another day.  Today I’ll fill you in on my recent dentist appointment.

I have not been to the dentist in a very long time.  I had braces put on my teeth when I was in 7^th grade and after a few years of poking and pulling and sore teeth I wasn’t in any hurry to visit the dentist.  I had to get my wisdom teeth out to protect the investment my mother and father had made on my smile but other than that, not much.

The tooth on my lower left molar, second from the back, has been hurting me for a few years now.  It has a hole in it and when something gets in that hole and I bite down it hurts.  I have such a fear of the dentist and I am equally afraid I’d get a lecture for not flossing, even though I brush twice a day.  I finally decided enough was enough and I needed to get my tooth looked at.  I was a ball of nerves that morning and really wanted to cancel.  What if I needed a root canal?  I think that is what scared me the most.

The staff at Emerald West Family Dentistry was great.  I had such a nice time chatting with the hygienist (why do they insist on talking with stuff in your mouth?) and Dr. Hess was also really nice.  The hygienist complimented my teeth saying it “wasn’t that bad” but she would have to “chisel some of the stuff off.”  Then Dr. Hess swoops in and rattles off tooth number this and tooth number that.  The next thing I know I’m being told I need one crown and six fillings.  Oy!

The temporary crown and the filling in the tooth next to it were done on Monday.  Thank goodness for Care Credit and no-interest financing.  I got back for my permanent crown this coming Monday.  I am also slow to feel the numbness and after an extra dose, it took several hours for my mouth and lip to go back to feeling normal.  When the dental assistant pulled out the color matching scale to match the color of the crown to my tooh I asked if I could get a purple crown.  She said no.  Wouldn’t that have been fun?

I will be honest.  I don’t love to floss and it takes forever.  But, I am going to try and be better at keeping my teeth in good shape.  Maybe next cleaning there will be less to chisel.

Week 3: Camp II - Mt. Everest Challenge

The information below is from the Thrive Idaho website. I am participating in the Mt. Everest Challenge to walk 250,000 total steps over five weeks.

Elevation: 22,234 feet – Your view from Camp 2 is breathtaking, as is the altitude. Climbers acclimate to the thin air on Everest by climbing to Camps 1, 2 and 3 and descending back to Base Camp (or below) multiple times before they attempt to summit.

Everest Fact: Climbers burn more than 10,000 calories each day, and double that on the summit climb.

Health Fact: You burn 300-400 calories in 60 minutes during low intensity workouts—bump up the intensity and burn the same amount in 45 minutes.

Weight Loss: Climbers lose 10-50 pounds when they climb Mt. Everest. One pound is approximately 3,500 calories. At its most basic, losing weight is about burning more calories than you eat. Too often we take drastic measures to see quick results; fad diets, pills or very drastic changes that won’t last. The real secret to long term weight loss is to forget about instant results and settle in for long term lifestyle change. Exercise is an important weight loss tool. Aim for at least 250 minutes of exercise each week – that’s about 50 minutes, five days a week. If you’re a beginner, start small, gradually adding time each week to give your body time to adapt. Good nutrition is even more important than exercise. Professionals say that proper nutrition is 80 percent of successful weight loss. Your calorie needs change with age, activity level, and lifestyle. There is no one size fits all for calorie intake and nutrition.

Healthy Eating Tips:

• Control your portion and serving sizes

• Eat whole grain breads and pastas – remember one serving is about one half cup

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables – they should take up at least half of your plate

• For your protein source, eat one serving of fish, lean meat, or beans

• Drink plenty of water

Save Some Calories:

• Instead of an afternoon soda, drink a glass of water (saves 97 calories and 39 grams of sugar)

• Instead of an Egg McMuffin, eat a whole wheat English muffin with one tablespoon of peanut butter (saves 185 calories)

• Instead of reaching in the candy dish on break, walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes (burns 100 calories)

• Instead of hitting the snooze button, get up 10 minutes early and go for a brisk walk or stretch (burns 50-100 calories)

• Instead of an hour of TV after work, hit the gym or go for a jog (burns 400-600 calories)

I knew week three would be my easiest week of the challenge as I had the FitOne 10K scheduled.  I also got in some extra steps with Dawny in town.

Monday: 6,069 steps and 2.62 miles

Tuesday: 9,161 steps and 4.66 miles

Wednesday: 3,495 steps and 1.51 miles

Thursday: 8,592 steps and 3.70 miles

Friday: 15,752 steps and 6.79 miles

Saturday: 22,699 steps and 10.9 miles

Sunday: 6,851 steps and 2.95 miles

Weekly Three Total: 72,619 steps and 33.13 miles

Mt. Everest Challenge Total: 190,704 of 250,000 steps

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