 What a wonderful time of the year... surrounded with Family and Friends and just a touch of winter. The cold and damp has kept me from exercising as much as I would like. Michele and I did manage to walk the Reindeer 5K on December 18th. Even though I improved my overall time by 6 minutes I still managed to finish last. For me I keep trying to improve distance and time. I only have 10 weeks before the Capital 10K and so far the furthest I have walked is 5.6 K. I have barely built myself up to half the distance. But I have been able to cut my time for a 5K. Keep in mind I am walking…the first time I walked a 5 K my time was 1:21 and the Reindeer Run 5 K was 1:02. At this pace it will take me more than two hours to finish the Capital 10K. However I am beginning to feel a sense of accomplishment when we participate in an event like this. I have never felt like I was really accomplishing anything when I exercised. Or felt a sense of pride. I am still missing that sense of urgency to push myself more physically. But back to the weigh in…zero gain zero loss. I am a bit more nervous about next Thursday’s weigh in. This Christmas weekend had some serious challenges. I won some and lost some. Meanwhile I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and you are looking forward to a Happy New Year! 
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 The last five weeks weight loss has been very interesting. I am very pleased with an average minus 2.0 per week loss over the last five weeks.
This week’s minus 2.4 following last week’s break even is very satisfying. I know I am not supposed to focus on the scale. However, with all the previous ups and downs this type of steady decline is very positive. This is the kind of progress that reinforces my determination when I have a gain. In case you haven’t already heard this before….the average American gains 8 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Years. All I have to do is take on every day with a new dedication and keep ducking and weaving my way through and around the holiday food. Total weight loss to date…minus 52.2 pounds. PS: I will get back to you soon with Pictures from the Reindeer Run 5K. Yes Michele and I both managed to cross the finish line.  Not a bad week….plus 0.8 pounds. I have really settled into this whole process.
When I first started it was two steps forward and one step back. It seemed a bit disappointing when I would lose weight for a couple of weeks and then gain weight the next. Now I am really comfortable with the process of gently dropping weight over time. So for me to lose 9.0 pounds in four weeks only to have gained 0.8 pounds this last week is not that big a deal. Maybe it was turkey day catching up with me. Losing 3.0 pounds last week after thanksgiving seemed like a miracle. Besides it is all cold weather weight. What do I mean? It is too cold for my sensitive body to get out and walk. The ATX 100 group I belong to is going off the charts walking and exercising in the cold and or wet weather. I am going to have to buckle up and follow their lead. And now it is time to hit the gym. I would much rather be walking along the town lake trail, but the treadmill at the gym will just have to do for now. AND for now 0.8 gain is a draw and I will take it.  Another benchmark and proof that sticking with the plan works.
When we got back from our weekend in Cleveland, I HAD gained 2.6 pounds. All in all I wasn’t too upset by the gain. I enjoyed the time with family and friends. I did a pretty good job of making better choices and certainly ate better than I would have a year ago. Then I got right back into the swing of things and over the last four weeks I have lost 9 pounds and reached another check mark along the way. For a total of minus 50 pounds! And the other benefits are showing up every day. Two sizes smaller in my jeans, moved three more notches on my NEW belt, giving away clothes that are too big and finding clothes in the closet that were too small…and now they fit. And my ability to get around and move is vastly improved. Yesterday evening I volunteered to do the grocery shopping. (Well actually I traded the shopping for an as of yet realized foot rub) Six months ago I would not have been able to get around the Super Store without sitting down for a rest. Not yesterday, I breezed through. I still have over a hundred pounds to lose…but for now I will take this day and enjoy being 50 pounds lighter. And know that I have the ability to succeed at changing my body and becoming healthier. |
Joe Bacon
Happily Married to Michele and living in central Texas. Archives
January 2020
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