Monthly check-in

So this month was really slow-going. Part of that is that I lost a little steam. After I got my back straightened out again, it's been hard to get back into the gym. Also having the trampoline means I can watch whatever I want while working out. I just need to step up the workouts some. And I need to watch the eating. Having one or two meals that are a little more "out there" a week is fine. But I can't let it turn into a whole day, or several days.

I have set a challenge for myself for April. I'd like to lose 10 pounds. That's a little aggressive, and would be even more weight than I lost the first month. But I'd like to give it a go.

Yesterday I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. At first I thought this came on suddenly, but going back through my previous labs from a year and a half ago, it turns out I had it then, too. Not sure why the doc didn't make a big deal about it. It explains a lot. Weight gain, being exhausted all the time. So I started Synthroid today and we'll retest in 6 weeks. Hopefully, this will make the journey a little easier. I also was told I have a vitamin D deficiency. Both of these things can cause depression, which is interesting. I've always said that for me, depression is more like exhaustion. I don't actually have feelings of sadness, I just feel like doing things takes a lot of effort. Between the Synthroid and the vitamin D supplements, it would be nice to see a change in the energy levels.

So, now I weigh 173. Which means I lost 5 pounds in March. Which, hey...it's weight lost, right?

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!

I've got friends in high places

I think I mentioned in the post about walking, pedometers and 10,000 steps that 12,500 is considered "very active," according to some "they" out there (I linked to a medical journal article, so that's who "they" are. I'm just too lazy to look).

So, with the fitbit, there's a whole "community" section, with message boards and people making "friends." You can compete with them on your personal page; it displays a leaderboard to show you how you're stacking up with the people you've "friended." So after having the thing for a month, I decided to give it a go. I added a few people who were new and seeking friends. No matter how many people I added, though, I still was #1 on my leaderboard.

I decided I needed a little competition, so I made a special request in the forums for "very active" people. People who get at least 10k steps a day. And the friend requests started to trickle in. At first it was still people who weren't beating me on the leaderboards, and then the heavy hitters started to show up. Some of these people AVERAGE 20k a day (10 miles!!!) Two of them AVERAGE 25-30k per day. Ummmm......

Wow. And what's more, some of these people are older than me. By more than just a little. So last night that got me on the trampoline--oh! I forgot to mention I got a mini trampoline and it's awesome. I can now jump around like a rabid hyena for hours while watching trashy television and not feel too guilty! Okay, where was I? Yes, that got me on the trampoline and putting in more than just my usual 12.5k steps. Last night I cleared 20k, and tonight, I cranked out a total of 25k for the day. Which is beyond awesome.

So, I'd like to thank all the awesomely fit strangers who are now my friends and competitors on fitbit. I'd also like to acknowledge that the fitbit has tapped into some kind of OCD, and made it so I'm constantly thinking about how I can fit (hehe) more walking (or leaping majestically, like a unicorn on my trampoline!) into my life.

Hooray for OCD! Hooray for psychotically athletic old people!

Helicopter!

Oh, I forgot this one:

Achievements!

I think I mentioned before that Fitbit gives you badges for different achievements. Previously, my best ones were 50 flights of stairs and 20,000 steps.

So, yesterday I'm out walking. My favorite local parks is hilly and has a ton of trails. The longest trail takes more than 2 hours, but you can stay in there forever, by looping around, or picking up new trails. When I first started out, I got to around 4000 steps, and was like, "This sucks. I don't feel so great. I want to go home!" I think I ate breakfast too late and just felt weak and crappy. I noticed that I had also done the equivalent of 11 flights of stairs. 

I figured if I got to 10k steps, I'd leave. By the time I got to 10k, I felt better, and kept going. When I got closer to 20k, I was ready to cash it in, but then I noticed that I had logged 77 flights of stairs. So of course I had to keep going until 100. When I had 100 flights, I also had 25k steps. Woo hoo! Click below to see my fabulous badges!