Long time!

I kept putting off posting until I had something to report. The entire month was spent gaining and losing the same 6 pounds. It's infuriating! Currently I'm down 4 for the month, and have been for two consecutive days, but the scale is a cruel mistress. For reals.

I haven't eaten perfectly, but I've logged every single thing I've eaten, and when I've eaten more, I've exercised more to compensate. But the hip kept me from trying to run again, and the back/neck thing kept me from trying to lift any weights (except for the 5-pounders I have at home). I had two decent adjustments at the chiropractor, so I've been easing my way back into the gym routine. And by easing, I mean, I've been twice all month! Once last week and once today.

Besides general walking around, making a more concerted effort to get up frequently from my desk at work, and taking the stairs, I got a trampoline. At first I got a cheap model from Walmart, but then I took it back when  friend generously lent me the use of hers...a much nicer model. Pretty much anytime I want to watch trashy television shows, I just bounce around on that thing. It helps me get all my steps in at home, no matter what the weather and it's pretty low impact, so no hip problems or shin splints or anything. I pretty much just bounce, do jumping jacks, throw punches, twisty type things, jog in place--whatever I feel like doing. It came with actual workout routines, which I may or may not attempt. We'll see!

Also, I got a Kinect for the X-box, and that allowed me to get this game. It's pretty awesome. It's got yoga, different kinds of dance, strength training, and different activities. You can set goals and work toward them, and it gives you pointers for your form or if you're not doing a move properly. I love it.

So even though I've been to the gym less, I haven't exactly been slacking off. Unfortunately, the scale just doesn't care. I think part of it is that I do have to watch what I eat more carefully. One fattening, high sodium meal sets me back a week. It's not fair, but it's just what happens. So I have to stick with the plan. Portion control, make as much of my own food as possible and eat every 4 hours. Another part is probably that I traded a workout routine that included some pretty intense strength training for one that's very heavy on the cardio. Cardio just takes a lot longer to see good results.

I think that's about it. There's another week left in the month, so there could still be a little progress, but even if I end up with 4 pounds, it's 4 in the right direction.

Oh, what's that?

Oh, what do you know? I seem to have walked 26.2 miles yesterday. Or, to be more accurate, I half-walked, half-hiked it. I also ran some intervals for a little while. Yeah, that's a marathon. Yes, it took forever. (Actually, I stumbled across a really good sale partway through, so I had to slow down for a bit and acquire cheap stuff!)

By the end, my ankles were killing me and I was very, very tired. But overall, it was pretty great. The best part about walking 26.2 miles? Burning nearly 5000 calories. Being able to eat almost 3000 calories and STILL having a 2000 calorie deficit! (That's pretty much my new rule. You walk/hike 26.2 miles in a day, and you get to eat whatever you want.)

It really did help me readjust my feelings about food some. Sure, 1600 calories is a worthwhile goal to shoot for most of the time, but if I'm spending more and more time being more and more active, then yeah, I get to eat more food. I just need to always track both food and activity to keep it all in check.

Also, at some point during the walk, I think I hallucinated a car in the middle of the woods. And a little later I began thinking how much easier the walk would be if I had a pterodactyl to fly me around the park. But all in all, a totally worthwhile experience. I'm thinking I need at least one crazy challenge like this each month. I'm thinking next time I might go for like 300 flights of stairs (hiking, not actual stairs), or something crazy.

Monthly weigh-in

All right, so I lost 9 pounds in January, and suspected February would be less impressive. I was right, but it was still pretty good. I lost 7, so I'm 178. That's down 16 lbs for the year.

I know that sounds decent, and any loss should be awesome, but I saw 178 on the scale like, three times and then it would bounce back up to 180 and take days to come back off.

Anyway.....

178


Yay!