Taking it down a peg

330lbs! Down 8lbs since I returned from Idaho. 

Trying not to congratulate myself too much. There's halloween candy lurking about. 

I have been doing a bit better on portion control. Boyfriend has been really helping out... much to my grumpiness and surliness. But he knows that I appreciate it and that he is helping a LOT. 

Also, I have hit the gym 3x in the last 4 days. I have committed to 9:00pm - 9:45pm being gym time (it's in the apartment building - seriously, what's my excuse?!) 

Doing better all around. Been spending money on makeup and nail polish instead of food stuffs. 

Have my first NYC voice lesson this Thursday. It sends me into moments of panic. But it's a good thing, really. 

Moving forward... 

- Be better about remembering to wear my fitbit. 

- Hit 10,000 steps every day. 

- Gym from 9:00 - 9:45 every day (exceptions being the two nights a week that are freelance work nights). 

- Cut out sugar. Just cut it out. No halloween candy. No ice cream. No. Just no. Stop it. 

Big fat love,

Nanette N. 

gah! My chins are coming back! Get on this, Nanette! 

Step it up...

Okay so since Monday 3/5 days I have hit the 10,000 mark. Which is an improvement. But I don't feel like it's necessarily a congratulations worthy improvement. I'm struggling to meet the minimum that I've set for myself.

But we are on the up and up. I won't dog on myself for not being there. I will just be a better version of myself today. The last few days that I've hit 10,000 steps, I've done so in birkenstocks. While comfortable, it's not the best footwear decision for a 3 mile walk.

Today I have laced up my trainers and made a commitment to meet my friend, Lee, in Central Park. I've sorta pre-mapped out my walk and I think I will be able to get a 5 mile walk in before I get home tonight. I should be able to surpass the 10,000 and maybe makeup for yesterday's measly 4,500 (lower than an F if I were being graded).

I have also made a pact with boyfriend. I will no longer eat ice cream. I don't need it. I've eaten enough ice cream for a lifetime. And I'm replacing starches and calorie dense foods like cheese when I make meal decisions. Skip the potatoes, go for some grilled zucchini. Skip the bun, go for  a wrap. Skip the cheese add extra tomato. When the sweet tooth hits, reach for some fruit. Want to go out? Get that delicious looking chicken... in a salad. Or fish... with greens. Or the turkey burger instead of the sirloin.

We're revamping the contents of the house a bit. He loves pasta. That is going to be around. I have to adjust. But we have pre-cooked some beans and meat for wraps. We are pre-making some fruit salads in small containers that are satisfactory for when I tell myself "a little something." I have pre-bagged cheese in half cups (all of this plastic is terrible for the environment) so I don't go overboard when I make a sandwich, or put some on salad, or on top of steamed veggies.

It's a little frustrating to have to go back to square one with all this but it's needed. I obviously have not been flexing my self-control lately and as a result even that has gotten flabby and weak.

I am so damn proud of myself this week though. It is day 5 of not buying any sort of sweet... and yesterday I fought that pretty hard. Walking past 8 duane reades/drugstores on the way home... all of them carrying those chocolate covered peanuts that are only like... $3.50 a bag. This is how we whip that self-control and discipline back into shape. Small positive and consistent decisions add up.

Big Fat Love,
Nanette

Doin' Better

Special birthday brunch for a friend... hats required. 

Hurrah!

I kept all of my promises.

2 days in a row of 10,000 steps.

I didn't do the gym, but I did do a workout in my house.

Tomorrow (Monday), marks work week starting. Gotta figure out how to get 10,000 on a work day. If it means walking home most of the way, I will.

I promise myself that tomorrow I will...

get 10,000 steps.
finish my art piece.
eat a salad.
refrain from buying any more beauty products.

Big Fat Love,
Nanette

Consistency.

I know how to eat right.

I know how to exercise.

I know I am capable of pushing myself.

I have just been so damn inconsistent.

I've been staying with the boy at his place for the last month and some. Fat and happy? In love and blind to the time passing by. I'm home this weekend. I have ambitions for working out every morning. Productive lists are made. It's nice to have that even though I'm still split into two different worlds, a suitcase/closet at each.

My trip to Idaho was great. It was a food fest. I also maintained a decent amount of activity while I was out there. Getting back, my fitbit told me I was lazy for about 3 days and since then it's been the usual varying levels of activity... a day of 14,000 steps, 3 days of 5,000 - 7,000. The goal being 10,000. Really, again, consistency. How hard is it to go outside and take a short 30 min walk if you haven't reached your steps at the end of the day!? You'd think I was climbing a mountain or writing a dissertation or something with the avoidance and excuses I make.

Consistency. Make a commitment and stick to it, Nanette.

I commit tomorrow to accomplish the following...
- Go to the laundromat and get everything cleaned.
- Go to the drugstore and buy a new toothbrush.
- Go to the gym and do 30 min on the elliptical.
- Buy a USB to USB cable and save my old computer info.
- Go to the acupuncture appointment on time.
- REACH 10,000 steps.

Big Fat Love,
Nanette

P.s. New Headshots in Idaho.

Great for Opera

Umm... I think this is hilarious.

If I wrote a book, I'd put this on the jacket. 

An Intoxicating Week...

So right about Monday I woke up feeling drunk. No alcohol involved. Just sorta one cocktail too many, you want to lie down and let the room spin a little. Everything was super surreal. White noise was louder, harder to focus on one thing, or listen to someone pontificate with the same accuracy as before (see: boss).

I thought, whoa, dehydration? Sugar levels? I researched it a little on my own and thought, "Well, if you can get home and take a nap, I'm sure you'll wake up feeling much better." Wrong. We're going on day 6 of the spins.

I told the Doc/Boss. He did his weird applied kinesiology thing and says it's my blood sugar. Now the dizziness has not changed no matter what I've consumed. I said "Are you sure it's not inner ear?" Arm bouncing... pointing at my face, pointing at my ears... "No. Nothing wrong with your ears. I'm going to give you a blood test requisition."

"Doc, I can't afford that. I have my vacation coming up and our insurance said they won't insure me until December 1."

"Whoa... It's been more than three months since your first day, right?"

"Yeah. We're going on 4.5 - 5 months now and I guess I have to wait until December. So really, I can't afford any labs right now."

"If I use Shiel Labs, they have a 70% discount for the uninsured. Let me see what I can do."

Low and behold... he wants me to run a glucose panel and it'll only be like $37.50. But I can't get in there until Tuesday. Still dizzy.

I go to the other quack in our office who practices "Body Talk," Chinese herbs and acupuncture. She pulls at my skin a little and asks me questions. Then she pulls at my skin a little and points at little tiny tincture bottles. She checks and triple checks her results... It seems to be a problem with my kidneys, thyroid and gut flora. So she gives me the remedies for wholesale (hell, I'll try whatever I can get my hands on at this point since I can't go to a real doctor about this probable ear infection).

I've been taking the remedies for 3 days now. They haven't touched it. Everything is so surreal still... I feel like I'm outside my body and inside a fishbowl all at the same time. Like being drunk. Like adjusting to new glasses for the first time. Like going through a fog that you can concentrate on very well.

I keep seeing things that I'm doing, automatic reactions and interactions with people and things. While I feel absolutely nauseated, I am damn proud of my autopilot. Still charming. Still productive. Still full of absolute bullshit. It is amazing.

It's Sunday... 6 days. And I think the dizziness has calmed down. I'm still getting the blood work done, because, let's face it. I need to keep an eye on potential diabetes. And I may talk to the RN in the office and get her opinion next... she can also write prescriptions for things like... and antibiotic.

In the food and diet news..  

Steps
Monday: 5226
Tuesday: 5303
Wednesday: 14361
Thursday: 4605
Friday: 4513
Saturday: 9865

Food: No all you can eat sushi. Had pizza once. Lots of seaweed salad and fresh fruit. Trying to keep sugar sorta level. Lots of protein and many days of not eating until absolutely needed because I've been feeling funny.

Big Fat Love,
Nanette

Also... I bought new makeup! 

Time Flies...

And I realize how out of habit I am with this blogging every day thing.

I worked out last night. 25 min elliptical and then 3 rounds of 10 on the chest press, shoulder machine, biceps and tricep machines. Then a good 5-10 minute stretch afterward.

My legs felt so good this morning! Lithe. After sleeping, it felt good to stretch against sheets. Flex.

I had sugar yesterday. But I am still watching it. I am not doing so amazing at logging food this week. These things ebb and flow. Any day that I get 1) a work out, 2) a blog post written, 3) my food logged, 4) no sugar and 5) a good attitude... I consider a MASSIVE success. Those seem like such small tasks. But the day just slips away. Sand through fingers, water through a colander.

I suppose that it says lots about my mindfulness lately. I may have landed here and got my feet planted, but my head is still spinning. My focus is splayed.

I tell people back home that the city brings out a different element. They aren't kidding about "concrete jungle." It brings out the animal in people. Not because you have to be mean, but you are constantly inundated by stimuli. While in Idaho, you just wait... and then something happens... and you turn it into something enormous and important to you. Here, so much is happening that you can barely process anything before reacting. I suppose that's how I'd explain my emotions being so much nearer the surface and the hyper-sensitivity to other people and absolutely ignoring what is going on in myself.

It's a whole lot of robbing Peter to pay Paul as far as time and attention goes. Work is stressful, moving moving moving, Commuting is stressful, moving, transfer, moving. Get home and with all the noise still buzzing around your head you try to unwind and make great health decisions... or just get engulfed in the brain noise that you completely ignore that part of you that gives such a damn about your well being and just wants to lay down, watch netflix and let someone else bring you dinner.

And all that is without this live-with-the-boyfriend trial thing. Which I have got to say, has slowed down my life some. But it is still distracting from the whole "self" thing. I guess it's all ultimately balance.

Idaho was game of balance level 3
NYC is game of balance level 25. Catch up, Nanette. 2 lives left before you have to start the whole thing over. sheeeesh.

Big Fat DIZZY Love,
Nanette

Challenge is the right word...

Yesterday was a success. 100% no added sugar. I avoided the ice cream trap. I avoided the chocolate covered peanuts trap. I avoided the OMG GIVE ME EVERYTHING SWEET trap.

So I've done 2 days of no sugar. I didn't do the green smoothie yet. I don't have all the ingredients. But I did have a kick ass salad.

Yesterday was a sushi night... and I can't get over how filling that is. And it sneaks up on you... like.. you think you may still be a little hungry. Eat the rest of the roll and wham, the rice hits the water you've been sipping on and INSTA-EXPAND. woof. But I don't feel so bad about sushi. This time I ordered a lot more sashimi and a lot less rice packed rolls.

Today is off to a good food start. Blueberries, banana... not much by way of protein. I'm going out with boyfriend and other friend for a goodbye dinner. I don't know where we're going, but it'll be good. Correction. I will be good. I'm thinking something like asian shrimp salad or something.

I left my fitbit on my other bra yesterday and didn't get any steps recorded. Trying to rectify that today. Gotta get this step on!

(also, 2nd pair of running/walking shoes I've worn through since January)...   I need to get new shoes.

Big Fat Love,
Nanette

Day one of no sugar... and Day one of no sugar.

My steps this week... 

Monday: 7576

Tuesday: 9055

Wednesday: 8911

Thursday: 7395

Friday: 8498

Not one day of over 10,000. LAME! I could get those extra 2000, in some cases, by walking to the train station instead of taking the bus that's MUCH closer to the boy's house. 

My steps last week... 

Monday: 7917

Tuesday: 5557

Wednesday:15,554

Thursday: 6077

Friday: 7649

So I have increased my average, but I haven't crossed that 10,000 line. I did get 26 flights of stairs today though. I've exceeded 10 flights of stairs every day. 

Food... 

Let's talk about food. 

Day one of no sugar was such a fail. I had a smoothie that I thought was made from the plain greek yogurt. Boyfriend used the french vanilla... sugar. 

I had lunch with coworkers and forgot the challenge completely. I had a chicken salad sandwich... and then we had cake to celebrate a coworkers birthday... and then they ordered lemon pie too...   I helped along with that. fail fail. 

Got home and then boyfriend and I made nice wraps (sugar) and I didn't even think of the sugar content. Then we had a little ice cream. SUGAR. 

So Maybe it wasn't a fail. Maybe it was an eye opener. 

Today I tried again. 

Breakfast: egg muffin

Lunch: seaweed salad. 

Dinner: the insides of 2 chicken tacos... and the toppings off a really amazing nacho plate. 

Sweet craving: raspberries... and a bite of the balsamic salad that bf has in the kitchen right now. 

Today I succeeded. Tomorrow I add no sugar + green smoothie. 

Big Fat Love, 

Nanette 

I Owe You...

A post for yesterday!

Goal: 10,000 steps
Actual: 9,600 steps

I'm getting closer. I have about a 3,000 step debt to myself that I still would like to catch up on.

A good friend of mine introduced me to Betty Rocker a couple weeks ago. And I bought into the membership only stuff... I know, I know, I can do it for free. I just like that she even plans out the meal prep, like what order to prepare your stuff in and full grocery lists. I need easy right now.

But this week is a 5 day challenge that builds on itself.

Day one (today): No added sugar.
Day two: No added sugar + green smoothie
Day three: No added sugar + green smoothie + 100oz of water
Day four: No added sugar + green smoothie + 100oz of water + pack all your food for the day (no buying).
Day five: No added sugar + green smoothie + 100oz of water + pack your food + Make a new recipe.

I've done stuff like this before. It worked then, it should be a little easier this time around. So here we are today.. day one, no added sugar. I'm excited for day five. I found a really good recipe for raspberry french toast that has no added sugar, and no gluten.

Breakfast: smoothie (rasp, blueberries, strawberries, plain yogurt, dash of vanilla).
Lunch: TBD
Dinner: TBD.

AND I'll get back here to post... with my updated steps for the day. 1483 so far (pathetic).

Big Fat Gonna Get Moving Love,
Nanette

SUSHI!!!

Goal: 10,000 Steps.
Today: 9,005 Steps. (Hey, I still have an hour of wandering around the house).

I was pretty active today. Just sorta running errands and etc.

Food
Breakfast : egg + veggie muffins (no actual muffin, mini quiche?) 60 calories.
Lunch: Tuna salad on an English Muffin, 380 calories.
Dinner: All you can eat sushi, one bajillion calories.

So yeah... maybe all you can eat anything is a bad idea. I am full beyond comfort. And dang was it delicious. Boyfriend loves the place. So we will be returning. Next time, He can get all you can eat sushi and I will get a seaweed salad (a new favorite) and sashimi (sushi minus the rice). It'll probably be cheaper.

Tomorrow's goal:

1. 10,000 steps, 
2. go swimming in the pool or do 30 min on the elliptical, 
3. log my food into my fitnesspal 
4. write another blog. 

Big Fat Love, 

Nanette

The Recent Effort...

Okay.

Last month I worked out 4x a week for 4 weeks and earned a fitbit from my little challenge.

This month, I aimed for 5x a week for 4 weeks. I did it for 2 weeks and then bombed. Now I'm at the boyfriend's house... with a gym IN THE BUILDING. I did the elliptical yesterday.

Despite my obvious lack of dedicated workout, this fitbit is a great thing.. It has a really great way of tracking daily activity. There are days when I am all over the place and have a bunch of steps and the activity score is through the roof. My fatigue by the end of those days feels justified. P.s. I climb so many stairs every day. Over 10 flights consistently... every day. The subways, I tell you... they give you a great slow and quiet workout.

I am logging my food more consistently.

I am living sort of at the boyfriend's place. Away from my scale. So I have a month of no weigh ins.

I am fatter these days. Funny how that works... the more you semi-concentrate on weight without fully committing, the faster you gain weight. And funny how not caring and sorta just eating what is enough and not thinking about food every waking second, the longer you can maintain and not gain. Drives me freaking nuts.

My weight is shifting around my body... my legs are slimming (all that NY walking)... more lumps around my middle. Funny how stress shifts things. And sedentary lifestyle or different types of foods collect in different areas.

My successes recently... walking more every day. Going further before getting on the subway on my way home. On my fitbit, I am trying to hit 10,000 steps every day. The average person does 5,000... Average... like the average family is 2.5 kids. Just a number. But it's a good baseline. When I started with the fitbit, I felt good when I hit 5,000 steps...

5000 steps was my starting average.
7,892 steps now - lifetime average.

Here we are Monday... perfect day for setting a goal.
10,000 steps a day.
Track calories every day.
Write on this blog every day.

Also, I'm considering getting lapband. I need the reminder. Food control too often slips to the back of my mind when I'm presented with food. And let's be real, I want to lose some of this weight quicker so that working out is easier, less stressful on my back and knees. I know it's not a quick or easy fix. I also know that it doesn't mean I have a free pass to eat whatever I want. Waiting for my insurance to kick in... then I'll consult a physician about it... and then I'm sure I have to do a special diet before hand, nutrition counseling, psych eval and then maybe, the actual procedure. I've been speaking to some of my friends who have acquired one... One is pregnant and has lapband, the other got it her first year in college, etc, etc. They are both my age and similar sizes. I'm technically more healthy and have had more success with losing my weight on my own.

This just in... I told boyfriend that I'm fat blogging again. He's happy for me. We're talking about a celebration for when I lose 100lbs. (down to 220lbs)...  Apparently there are some really great roller coasters out here... disney world? Hershey, PA has good ones... Six flags... I told him we should do something I couldn't do while fat. Fly somewhere, scuba dive, roller coasters, buy a shirt in a regular store... I dunno... anything really.

Big Fat Love,
Nanette

P.S. Where I've been and How Largely...

Most Recently - In the ocean at Coney Island. 

Going Away Parties With Friends

Outside of Kidville Carroll Gardens with the gal pals. 

Realizing it turned into a no scooter zone at the NYC google offices. 

Picnic with friends underneath the Manhattan Bridge. 

Regain.

Hey guys!

Stuck with the low carb thing for a couple of weeks and worked off the vacation weight...  

Then didn't keep track for a while, but kept going to the gym...

Then went to a wedding weekend that was all food all the time.

Hit my highest regain weight at 330lbs. Freaked out... again.. Still? That was last week after the wedding/boozefest 2013

Been in touch with my cousin and we're doing emails back and forth. We've got a challenge going where if we both meet our goals this month consistently, we buy each other a fit bit. My goal is a month of going to the gym 4x a week. She's going to the gym 3x a week.

Week one has been a success. I really want a Fit Bit... It's a little pedometer that monitors your sleep cycles, flights of stairs climbed, calories burned and of course, steps.

This week I've done about an hour on the elliptical, an hour on the bikes and about an hour of weight lifting (mostly upper body to balance out the cardio/resistance on lower body). I'm seeing the numbers go down accordingly. I'm down to 327.

I don't trust it though. 3lbs? That's a decent sized poop and that's about it. So I'm going to try and refrain from weighing in all the time and driving myself crazy. And see what the damage is at the end of the month.

I am not restricting my eating in anyway... I'm not tracking calories. I'm just trying to eat more veggies and eat more consistently throughout the day. I'm also drinking a lot more water. Summer is here and the sweating is on. I know I won't last a minute trying to workout while dehydrated. Not to mention the retention and inflammation that happen with dehydration.

And this is me on a boat at the wedding.

I'm pretty insecure about that photo. I feel like a total butterball. When it's bigger you can see all the cellulite and dimples of the pudge. Seeing the positive... I got in a boat. No fear of tipping it over. No size fear of sinking it. I just got in and went. Also, it was a great 2 hours of exercise. 

Big Fat Love, 

Nanette

Still Alive

and my silence hasn't been indulgent!

Down to 309.

Switching jobs again.

It's all gooooood! Sticking to moderately low carb (80g) and drinking lots more water.

Also reducing how much dairy I eat.

Big Fat Quick Update,
Nanette

Day 3 - Low Carb

Today I am 318

The low carb thing is paying off! I failed a little today. Boyfriend had some sweet potato fries. But I'm still under 50g of carbs. I'm trying to drink a glass of water every time I feel snacky... and distract myself with something else before I finish it. 

Lately, I've been distracting myself with this... 

I'm trying to envision what I eat per week...   like a week worth of breakfast looks like what? 
A week worth of lunch? Dinner?   

I also love seeing people stripped down to their undies and then being told how much they weigh. I really don't understand how large I am in comparison to others. I don't know if I'm bigger in my head... thinner? I'm pretty big in my mind. When I see a subway seat and wonder if I can fit there, the answer is usually no. I don't want to bother anyone else with my size. But other times, I feel so much smaller... like in bed with the bf, or at my apartment, or in the bathtub. Hell, even standing in front of a mirror naked...   It's like a different brand of body dismorphia. I certainly don't look thin... It's just difficult to grasp HOW large. 

Low Carb has really cut my caloric intake. Even though I'm eating things like... bacon, and peanut butter and avocados, It's replacing the other calorically dense things like bread and sugar. 

I'm looking forward to the morning weigh ins as I've been lower and lower each time. I'm dreading the day that stops. Until then...  I shall continue my efforts to keep carbs between 40-50g. 

Big Fat Supersized vs. Superskinny Love, 
Nanette

We all know what silence means...

Weight gain. Plain and simple.

I was all the way up to 327 after my friend Sarah came to visit. We toured NYC with our maws wide open. Also, why I haven't blogged in a little bit. I've been overwhelmed.

Today I'm at 321. 

I've been doing about 4 days of research. Because this weight gain has freaked me out. I can't undo everything I've done. I can't. I REFUSE...

What I know about my relationship with food right now... 
I love sugar.
I love carbs.
I love cheese.
I love meat.
I love some veggies.
I love all fruits.

I can motivate myself (realistically) 3 times a week to get to the gym for cardio and a short weight session.

I can track calories on the MFP app on the train.

I know that carbs = instant fat.

I know that dad is a type-2 diabete.

I know that mom has a penchant for breads and sweets as well.

I know that I can give up sugar - I've done it before.

I know that I can give up white death - I've done it before.

I started the weightloss thing last time with something extreme as a juice fast. With the support of one of my roommates and my boyfriend. I am going to do the low carb - ketosis thing. I am aiming for carbs between 25-35g per day.

It will require incessant tracking. I have already grocery shopped. I have already prepped all the meats. I have already pre-bagged my veggie snacks. I put my bread and clif bars in the freezer, where they shall stay until a higher carb day.

How I understand the whole ketosis plan works is that your body stores a certain amount of sugar based energy (glycogen) in your body (liver, I think) for power/energy. So when you are going about your daily to-do, you use that to power you through. If you can deplete the store of glycogen in the body, you can get your body to use fat as an energy source instead.

The pattern of this way of eating is that you spend two weeks doing the super low carb thing. Then allow yourself one day of healthy carbs (see: potatoes, fruit, etc, not candy, or brownies, or pizza). After the initial two weeks, you continue 6 days low carb, 1 day carb, 6 days low carb, 1 day carb. Also after the first two weeks you can readjust the carb levels to suit your needs.

From friends/family that have had diabetes, I know that you wind up having to live this way. And from the nutritionist's office, I know that it's usually recommended that carbs should stay between 75-80g for a person with diabetes. Breads, sweets, things that raise the blood sugar levels are things that you have to keep limited and paced throughout the day.

Mentally, this is a challenge for me to see if I can play out how life would be if I actually had diabetes. Each time I log a meal, it's like checking my blood sugar. It's keeping an eye on my carbs and fiber (as much as I'd like to just eat my entire day in cheese, I rather enjoy pooping). I know that if I continue to gain weight... or even maintain the weight I am currently at, I am on the road for diabetes, knee surgery, back pain, poor circulation, worsening vision, hair loss...   not to mention the emotional baggage and guilt that comes with all of that.

I am finanically stable. I am in a stable relationship. I have a stable housing situation. I have established routine. There is always an the element of "unexpected" in life... and that's consistent too. So here we go.

I have completed day one...

I didn't starve myself today. I had cheese cubes, lunch meat, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, celery, dressing, a small steak, and some seed nuggets. I can honestly say, I don't really feel hungry. But my mouth feels greasy. Majority of my calories came from cheese and meat - obviously, hence the fat and protein being over "normal." I expect that may happen a bit these next two weeks.

What I expect will happen with my body and weight... 

I anticipate that the next 3 days will go really well. The fridge is stocked for success.
There will be fatigue and sluggishness as my body is switching to a different energy source.
That I will see the scale start moving in the downwards direction.
That I will be able to stay under 1700 calories a day.
That I will make excuses to cheat, or find ways to undermine myself... I know you, Nanette. You do that. And just so you know, Motivated Nanette will be ready to fight dirty.
That I will encounter people that find what I'm doing unhealthy... or will ask me to consume something different than what I said I would and that I will stay strong in my decision for myself.


Big Fat Don't Care if You Agree Love,
Nanette

Check in... late

I'm sad to check in late because Sundays weigh in number was better.

Weight: 316.2 (-.8).
Water: 3/7 over 100oz days.
Workouts: 2 hours dog walking, an extra 30 min walk and two hours at the gym (1.5 hours bikes, .5 weights).
Calories: Tracking 100% every day. I'm getting more accurate. It's amazing how much you forget if you don't record it immediately. I'm sticking to 1980 calories a day. Some days I go over (pizza at work days) and some days I'm really under (packed my lunch for work days).

I've got a workout buddy on Wednesdays and I'm scheduling social work outs with friends. Because that's a commitment I always keep... I always keep my social plans. Gonna run with it.

Food...  When I start eating, I don't really stop. So I take lunches packed with baby carrots or cherry tomatoes so I can eat one at a time through out the day. I've also begun a habit of grinding my teeth (that started months ago). I'm sure that these things are related.

The future... This upcoming week, Laura (losing for her wedding) and I are going to try break that habit together by brushing our teeth as soon as each meal is over. Everything afterwards will taste gross for a while and who couldn't use a little more tooth brushing in their lives?

I'm planning my success with fitness...  

Wednesday - gym with Laura
Thursday - gym with Cat.
Friday - gym with Sarah.
Saturday - work work work.
Sunday - work work work.
Monday - gym on my own - because I need to have independent discipline.
Tuesday - DATE DAY - aka: I'll be getting a non-gym work out.

Planning a menu...   it's going to be rough this week because I've got a guest staying with me. But I'm going to keep packing my work lunches. I may be going out for dinner more. So I'll have to make the best decisions I can. I'm trying to steer us towards seafood and japanese food (non-fried). We'll see how it goes.

Big Fat Future Love,
Nanette

Good morning!

Hit the bikes at the gym yesterday. 30 minutes at a moderate difficulty... Working on building my quad muscles. The gym...   was absolutely packed. I was lucky enough to hit someone transitioning off the bikes and that left their water bottle on the machine, so people thought it was taken. I'm hoping that as the gym gets less new, that the machines open up a bit more. Granted, it was 6:00pm and everyone was doing the same thing as me and stopping in after work.

Yesterday's eating...
Breakfast: yogurt
Snack: avocado
Lunch: half a slice of pizza, .5 cup blueberries, a whole cucumber sliced.
Snack: Clif bar
Dinner: Steak (4oz), baked potato, handful of spinach and a pinch of blue cheese.
Snack: spoonful of peanut butter (non-sweetened, non-salted). and two slices of turkey.

Reflecting on the G Train

So I would say it's the first pretty good day in a long while. And even then, the food, not amazing. But half a slice instead of half a pie = improvement. Getting both fruit, veg and protein... not just carbs and cheese = improvement. 30 minutes on the gym instead of just sitting at home trying to decide to cook or order in... = IMPROVEMENT.

I'm off and running today. Lots of errands. Post office, dog walking, love my roommate's cat thoroughly while she's out of town, gym, laundry, figure out the bills, scrub the bathroom and take a hot hot bath. ROUGH LIFE!

This is the first week of my new hours. So I have two days off in a row. I don't even know what I'm going to do with all this time. But I'm doing my darndest to make sure it's not just eating. Take advantage of the gym... two days of motion... Since desk work is my life the other 5 days a week.

Big Fat Had Time To Update Love,
Nanette

Just realized...

That it's been more than a week since I've checked in.

Weight has been fluctuating like crazy. As low as 307 and as high as 320 in the past two weeks. And I've tried that on two different scales (one at the doc's office and one at my house).

Today's weight is 317.

And I hit panic mode the past couple of days. I did a revamp of my fridge. I threw out all and any foods that I shouldn't even HAVE in my house (candy, brownie mix, pasta). I bought enough frozen chicken breasts for a small army so no matter what happens. I can ALWAYS cook at home. Loaded up on fruit and veg.

Despite my previous crappy experience with Bally Total Fitness, I have joined another gym. Bally Total Fitness is a total bitch to quit. You basically have to die to get out of that contract. Luckily, the chiropractor would lie for me and tell them that I have a lower lumbar disorder.

I joined Planet Fitness yesterday. Black card member. I can go to any of the locations in the city (there are many), plus the one I go to is DIRECTLY outside of a subway stop right off my line. It's $20 a month. $1 membership sign up. I can bring a guest for free each time if I need moral support. I signed up for 12 months. If I can afford to spend $30 for a meal with a friend. one. one single meal. One SINGLE meal... I can afford a $20 a month fee for something I can use as often as I would like.

I took the tour and plugged my ipod in. I biked for 30 min. It was so much harder than the last time I biked at the gym.

I'm trying to stop comparing... There is only forward. I haven't accomplished anything yet. I lost a bunch of weight that I'm slowly regaining. How many times to I have to tell myself that it's a new start? Stop holding myself to previous standards...   Meanwhile, if I say "restart" one more time I'm going to vomit. So here's the deal...

Every day is another chance to do better. Every bite is a choice. Every time I decide to stay in because of the gross weather, or because this show on netflix is too good, or my day was too long... I am making a choice to stay fat.

Gotta improve my ratio of Fat Choices vs. Healthy Choices. Gotta improve my acuity of observation... Gotta see when I'm MAKING those decisions too. Improve the self awareness. Have some internal quietude so I can step back and watch.

Last week was my last week at the Doc's. I'm starting new. Afresh. Getting to move forward with fewer work obligations by only having one job. Let's hope I can keep it simple. :)

Big Fat New Gym Member Love,
Nanette

Self Challenge... AAAAnnnnd good news.

Weigh in: 310.2 (-.2)
Water: not enough.
Workouts: not enough.
etc. etc. etc...

Been working my face off this past week planning and negotiating and scheduling...   AAAAnnnnnd.. dun-da-da-dunnnn!

I've been promoted to full time at Kidville. I will have 40 hours a week at a higher wage.

This means. No more 60 hour work weeks. No more doctor's office with the accidental penis pictures, or never recovering patients, or watching a "nutritionist" trying to make exorbitant amounts of money off of the ill health of others.

I write my two week notice tomorrow... and then I will be on to having an additional 20 hours a week for my own pursuits. I did the books and it looks like I'll be able to pay all my bills and my debts off by this upcoming december (student loans, aside) and the current relationship is good.

20 additional hours a week means I will be HOME by 6 or 7 every night and I will have two days off a week... IN A ROW. It means that I can spend more time cooking and shopping for healthy eating... no more excuses about stress and running late and needing to order in. And no more "too busy" excuses when it comes to fitness and exercise.

I've been doing my PT exercises and I feel like my quad is getting stronger. I'm going to continue the PT stuff until I get done with this 60 hour a week stuff and get back down to 40 hours a week. Then get my jiggling bits in more motion.

Hard work is paying off and building a lifestyle that can support and maintain healthy choices. (I believe it, and if I say it enough, it will come true).

Self Challenge and The Upside.

Woof. Late again.

Weigh in: 310.4 (+2.8)
Water: 150 oz 2/7
Tracking: 2/7
Workouts: 3 hours of extra walking + PT knee exercises.

This week hasn't been particularly crazy. It's been TOM and I'm probably going to spend the next 3 days peeing my face off (AKA: retained water). I'm not super worried about the gain.

I have been cooking at home every day. Lots of salad. Lots of chicken breasts. Lots of veggies. I've been packing my lunches for work and everything. Health-wise, I'm eating much more nutritiously than I was before.

The last time I ate out was wednesday. (No ordering in this week at all!) I have a standing dinner date on Wednesdays with a friend. I wouldn't even say that it was a calorie overload. Octopus salad and a glass of sangria.

I can't even be down about the whole up on the scale thing. So many great things have happened this week... Confrontation with the boss who flashed the entire office (on accident, love dropbox automatic uploader)... We aired all the dirty laundry. I was able to tell him that I'm on the verge of quitting if things don't change. Which, I'm probably going to leave anyway and help my friend get a job there so they can build their resume and move on to bigger and brighter things.

I was put into the new location at the other job (the one that's going to put me full time and I'm going to quit the crappy aforementioned job anyway). It will have it's challenges, but I know that I'm supported by my staff and friends. The new location was owned and run by corporate, now it's becoming a franchise. I'm 100% franchise trained and the other manager is 100% corporate trained so we're going to both be doing some compromising. I kinda look forward to the challenge of getting us both onto the same page.  (I may regret that statement later).

Things are good with the boy right now. He's sick. But he's consistent still. A phone call every night. Time together every Tuesday. He'll hopefully be getting a job with the doc. Then getting his own apartment (Rent prices in the city, I really don't blame him for living at home during college). And then we can move forward as grown ups in a relationship.

Big Fat Good Spirited Love,
Nanette

Self Challenge Check In...

Weight: 308 (-1.1)
Water: 150 oz 5/7 days.
Workouts: PT exercises every day. + 2 hours of extra walking.
Tracking: 5/7 days.

I've still been bummed out about everything. I talked to the PT in our doc office after I sprained my ankle and she asked what kind of exercises I like doing. I told her about my workouts of choice. The fast HIIT stuff. 50 seconds of squats, 50 seconds of lunges on one leg, then the next. Stuff like that. She had me show her. Aside from a form correction on the squats, they were good. She had me lay down and was feelin' around my knees and ankles and stuff. Apparently, my quad on the left side is weakened and has left my kneecap to float about. That's causing some wear and tear on the cartilage... which could potentially lead to knee surgery.

So she gave me some non-weight bearing exercises to do to build muscle. I should be back in better shape there shortly. She also recommended swim workouts - which is probably why I was able to do all the stuff I was doing before. Thank god for Aquacise back in Idaho or else I could have really screwed things up.

On the GOOD side of things...

I'm SO close to only working one job. 40 hours a week. Two day weekends. My boss talked to me about it... I'm thinking it may be like... one more month or so. Before May.

No more 60 hour weeks!!! It's so close! I can taste it! And I think they may have a gym thing as a benefit. Which would be great... I've started shopping around for places with a pool.

Didn't get a fasting day in. Didn't go to an OA meeting. Just been running on empty.

Trying again this week...

Goals
Track Calories EVERY DAY. 100%.
Do one fasting day.
Keep doing PT stuff.

Big Fat LOOKING FORWARD Love,
Nanette

Late Check In... Self Challenge

Weight: 309.1 (+1.3)
Water: no idea.
Walking/Workouts: 4.5 hours of walking
Tracking: 3/7 days. Lame.

Been a turd about accountability this week. Everything was going golden then I sprained my ankle and used it as an excuse to be lazy and eat-y. Stupid. But true.

Having a hard time not being ridiculously grumpy. Not sure if I'm PMS-ing. I don't think it is. I think it's a repercussion of working too much (54 hours a week + 13 hours of commute) and the recent undoing of all my progress on paying off personal debt. Alas...  flexibility is the sign of positive mental health. Roll with change, Nanette.

Didn't make it to an OA meeting. I'm still really halfway in the door on that one. Having a hard time committing. I'm intimidated by it, really. Again, time to buck up and just do it. What are am I afraid of? Admitting my problems to myself...   being ready to face them... etc. etc. etc.

New week. New problems to face.

GOALS
150 oz of water daily
Track Calories
One day of fasting.

Big Fat Mildly Depressed Love,
Nanette N.

Something's Afoot.

I've been getting the hour of walking in a day. Yesterday I got lost. Went above and beyond. Also tripped in a damned pothole on a cobble stone street and sprained my ankle. At least, I hope it's just a sprain. There's not a whole lot of swelling. Some movement restriction. Slight bruising. I'm thinking I need an x-ray. 

I am obsessed with breaking my feet/ankles. I broke one of the bones mid-foot when I started college and it put me in a freakin' cast/boot for more than half a semester. I'm very careful on stairs now. And any small injury is pretty bleak in my head. So I'm probably blowing this out of proportion. But I'm still going to get an x-ray. Because when I broke one of the mid-foot bones, I was able to let it heal without surgery because I didn't walk around on it and disturb the fracture. I am about 25% worried. 

Also, yesterday I fell into a pit of carbs. As far as calories are concerned, I was probably just over 2000. (I had dinner at a restaurant with my friend Laura, so the count is not really precise). So the number isn't terrible, but the quality of those calories.. not the greatest. 

So yesterday was a fail on the eating. Today is going to be much better. Started off with a bunch of cherry tomatoes (one of my favorite health foods)... packed my lunch today tuna salad. Going to go home for dinner and make chicken cutlet/ feta/spinach pitas. 

I haven't made it to an OA meeting yet. But I still have until Sunday... maybe a Friday night date with myself.

Big Fat X-Ray Love, 

Nanette 

Self Challenge and a Techno wave

Weight: 307.8 (-2.5) GOOD FREAKIN' MORNING!
Water: no idea.
Work outs: 1 yoga session, 10 squats every morning and all the walking and stairs that go with being a New Yorker.
No Going Out/In: 7/7 days!!!  100%.
No Breads: 4/7 days.

Okay. So I can easily affiliate the number on the scale with how much I've been ordering out/in.

WHEN I COOK, I LOSE WEIGHT. 

A big no-duh, right? Well, sometimes if you're obstinate, you have to figure it out the hard way. And I would say I didn't even cook that clean or healthily. Burgers without bread. Homemade chicken pizzas on pitas. Black bean and veg burritos. A huge salad here and there. In the morning, Q'ia or a small protein shake w/ hazelnut milk.

I've created my weekly grocery shopping template - and only buy when I run out. 

Shopping List...
Q'ia
Vanilla Shake
Hazelnut milk
Apples
Spinach or kale... something green and leafy, preferably on sale.
Shredded carrots
Cucumbers
Baby tomatoes
Sprouts.
Boiled eggs (buying 'em fresh obviously).
Oranges or kiwis or berries depending on sales.
Protein bar (from doc's office).
Meats - chicken cutlets, small steaks, pork chops (morton williams)
Cheeses - Shredded/crumbled Feta, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, or Parmesan. 
Cottage Cheese
String cheese 
Fresh Garlic
Basil Red Sauce or pesto sauce.
Black beans.
Pitas. 
Peanut butter

Yeah... there's space for trimming that back to an even healthier list. Good room to grow. It's definitely better and more affordable than the Order In Every Other Night Diet.

Despite my reservations, I'm going to attend an Over-eaters Anon meeting this upcoming week. Because I seriously need a social life aside from my roommates and the boys I've dated... and because I have a serious issue with food, emotions, control and satiety. I have a hard time with the 12 step idea. Because as much as it says it's not a religious thing, it's constantly referring to Higher Power... etc. etc. etc. Due my naturally contrary nature, I can see that being an obstacle. Also, I'm deeply NOT a spiritual person. It's a thing.

On the only-sort-relevant-to-weight-loss front...  

• The kitty knocked my laptop off the end table and broke it. 
• My smart phone came in (I'm back on myfitnesspal daily now). 
• And I financed a new laptop yesterday - normally not something I do, but since freelance is a source of income, I justified it. 

So I'm riding a new technology wave. Do you guys have any favorite apps? C25k? Runtracker? 

THIS WEEK...
7 hours of walking (1 hour per day hopefully).
Track Calories

Big Fat Walk It Off Love,
Nanette

Weigh in: Week 3

Weight: 310.3 (+.3)
Waist: 46.5" (-0)
Hydration: 100oz 4/7 days
No White Death: 4/7 days. 
Yoga: 2/3 days.

Current Frustration: How fickle my willpower has been. AKA: My ability to take control, to take responsibility and make good choices for my body...   FICKLE.

It's not food. It's not situational. It's just that I am incredibly weak at making goals and following through right now. I also know that I have the ability to change that for myself.

My pattern...

Breakfast: The day starts off great. Supplements: E (skin), EFAs (heart), D (mood/energy) and Zinc (immunity). Always a healthy breakfast, Q'ia (buckwheat, hemp, chia) with vanilla almond milk. Throw an apple and and orange in my bag for "hold you over" snacks.

Mid morning. Eat a fruit. Drink a lot of water.

Lunchtime: Keep working.. or commuting. Thinking "I'll grab something when I get off the train." or "I'll take my lunch when it slows down."

Mid afternoon: REALLY hungry. Eat a fruit (blood sugar spike, anyone?). Start contemplating what I'm going to eat when I get home or off work. If I'm at the doc's office (2 days a week), I buy a protein bar. If I'm at kidville, I just bite the bullet. Sometimes the birthday parties at kidville have left over pizza. I'll eat a slice. Or the toppings off a slice when I'm trying to satiate the smart inner person that's already mad at me for the pizza decision.

Dinner: Healthy Decision Day - Eat something from the fridge... salad or tuna sandwich (extra fiber, buckwheat bread) or cottage cheese. Sometimes I'll make a burger or pasta, then feel pride for making something and apathy for the weight I know it will prevent me from shedding.

Most Other Days - Order something in. Sometimes a salad. But too often a sandwich, or pizza. 

Post Dinner:  Still "hungry," at this point I'm sure I'm just excited to be able to eat. Make a snack. Sometimes a few nuts. Sometimes some cheese. Sometimes the rest of the pizza...

Hour later still...   Too full. Drink a bunch of water - probably what I needed about an hour earlier.

I can see where I digress. I can see my rationale. I recognize my laziness. And the morning self gets so mad at me for shifting my accountability mid-day. I recognize that I need to keep focused after 12:00pm and commit to the goals I set for myself. 

On the positive side, my trains haven't been working properly so I'm getting 2 miles of walking on Saturdays and Sundays.

GOALS
No ordering in/out. I will prepare all the food that goes in my mouth.
No breads/pastas.
Yoga 3x.
Blog more...   it keeps your brain in the game.

And a reminder... 

This isn't about anyone but you, Nanette. This is about feeling great. This is about building yourself UP by building positive habits and lifestyle. You will only benefit from these rules and goals. There is NO DOWN SIDE. Stop fighting your own success.

Big Fat STUBBORN Love,
Nanette N.

Looking For Recipes!

I failed miserably at the no bread/white death challenge. I'm extending it on top of the next challenge. Not ordering out/in.

Before I grocery shop, I wanted to throw out a question to you guys...

What are your favorite, healthy quick-fix meals/snacks?

I usually wind up just eating the same boring salad (spinach, carrots, mushrooms, baby tomatoes, cheese and oil/vinegar), cottage cheese or nuts. Do you guys have any favorite 5-10 minute meals?

Weigh in tonight (terrified that I don't get to do it naked in the AM after a good poop). We'll see what's been going on in this body this week.

Big Fat Curious Love,
Nanette

An Unexpected Evening

My second shift was cancelled today... So I had an early afternoon home time.

The no bread thing is so much harder. This morning I was offered a free bagel breakfast sandwich. I declined. On my way home from work, I stopped into the CVS to grab tampons... Instantly..

"I want candy!"
"no."
"Okay! Cookies"
"no."
"Man, I could go for.."
"SHUT UP ALREADY AND THINK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE INTERESTING THAN WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR FACE NEXT."

I made it to the train with just my tampons... and a couple bottles of nail polish. If I must treat myself, it doesn't need to be with food. And I really don't like collecting a whole lot of things, so this may be more fiscally responsible in the long run.

Between the train and home, I stopped by a different store so I could pick up something that would resemble carb-less lunch. Beef Jerky, Tuna, Green beans, String cheese (not to be consumed all at once).

Got home. Crashed. Ate the jerky, fell asleep... for 3 hours. I haven't had a nap since throat infection days at the sublet. I only felt about 10% bad about sleeping my time off away. I woke up and watched "LBS" on netflix. I recommend it...

It's about this Italian family guy who has to isolate himself pretty much to lose weight. He binges like a champion. And eventually picks up a healthier lifestyle and returns to the city. It's neat because the actor/character actually loses the weight during the filming process. No fat suits. Nothing like that.

But at the same time, I didn't like that it's telling me that I need isolation to lose weight. I mean... Idaho was kind of that way. And I isolated myself from friends and any food related social behaviors (aka the majority of them). So I guess that's true. It just makes me feel a touch hopeless in the roommate situation and not being able to remove myself from temptation, but actually face it 24 hours a day. There's no protective place of only good choices.

I took a walk after and went to a grocery store so I could load up on salad fixin's for the next few days. Just needed to get a body in motion. It's a good way to catch up on the podcasts - WHERE THEY TALK ABOUT THINGS BESIDES FOOD and are advertisement free. I'd say the walk is the closest thing I have to temptation free time. Podcast. House keys and no debit/cash.

When I got home, the roommates had ordered in Italian food. Bread, pasta, pizza, calamari and one roommate had baked "boyfriend" cookies... aka candy held together by just enough pudding mix laden dough to deem it a cookie.

I put the salad away. I drank some water. Water sends the signal we're full, right? I ate a couple things of string cheese. Played with the cats. Isolated myself to my room...   drawing, reading, listening to stuff. Eventually I gave in and ate one of the cookies. Savored it, really. But it's not a good start to the No White Death Goal...

On the up (technically down) side, The unbloat is happening! whoo-hooo!!!

Big Fat Typing instead of eating an entire tray of cookies Love,
Nanette

10:59 and all is... stationary.

Weight: 310 (-0)
Waist: (in the A.M.)
Hips: (in the A.M.)
Hydration: Avg - 80oz per day
Workouts: Two 30 min interval runs 3 min run, 1.5 min walk.

BLOATED... SO BLOATED.

Didn't eat sugar. Definitely ate a whole ton of salt and carbs. To which I say BLOAT (and probably fat).

Sugar wasn't much of a challenge. I did a single fasting day... Okay...   not 100% fasting. I had two shot glasses of chia seed w/ almond milk. It's supposed to help move things along on the digestive track. Not that I'm having any problems, but I'm sure it could use a little spring cleaning.

I got as far down as 309.2lbs this week. Not a huge victory there.

I did not do the band workouts. My new shoes came in and I was really excited to run them around. So I'm going to commit to three band workouts this week in addition to a run.

GOAL
3 arm workouts.
1 run.
1 yoga.

Minimum. 


GOAL
No White Death (aka: white carbs like breads, pastas, etc).

This week's food goal is going to be tough. It's targeting my favorite food group. Pasta. Lasagna. Pizza. (yes. I'm garfield apparently - Incidentally, I also hate Mondays). Bagels. Sandwiches.

It's going to be a whole lot of yogurt, cheese, lunch meat, veggies, seeds and fruits. Like it should always be, right? I know of a good salad bar near both my places of work. One of them even has a great juice bar... Beet, Carrot and Apple. mmm.

Baby steps i'm not sure is 100% working for me, but this week I've gone from the wobbly shuffle of a toddler to the leap of a ballet dancer... this no sugar vs. no grain carbs. Let's see what this does to the weight.

I'm absolutely positive that I need to get back to calorie tracking just to see exactly the kind of damage I've been doing with my diet habits as of late. Next week, I get my smart phone and that will become 100% easier to update constantly and honestly.

Big Fat NO WHITE DEATH Love,
Nanette N.

Self Challenge Week 1

Weight: 310 (-1.4)
Waist: 46.5" (-0.5) The un-bloat!
Hips: 63.5 (0.5)
Hydration: 150 oz. 2/7...   over 100oz 7/7. Still working on the water consumption.
Workouts: Three 30 min sessions of yoga.

This week's goal: NO SWEETS & STRENGTH BUILDING

The holidays were a huge candyfest. Which has led to a huge cravingfest. The plan... Went shopping last night. The house is clear of sweets. Sweets aren't a big huge battle for me, but I'm expecting that this will help sweep the sugar from the edges of my eating.

I'm going to try again on the hydration thing. Since doing it, my weight has been consistent... it's fluctuating less dramatically. It feels like I can trust the progress on the scale when it's fluctuating less.

Non-Scale Victory has been getting back to yoga. Been feeling it in my shoulders and arms the most. Flexibility is improving slightly. I feel like a sissy from where I was with fitness to where I am today. And those self-defeating thoughts are not how I'm going to get it back. I've unpacked my elastic tubing and I'll be working the arm/shoulder area this week (at least 3 times).

Bicep 3x 15 reps.
Tricep 3x 15 reps
Chest Press 3x 15 reps, 30 sec hold
Lat Lifts 3x 15 reps, 30 sec hold.
Plank 60 seconds

It should make Downward Facing Dog a little easier and more fluid.

Hoping to get my smartphone this week! Soon I'll be able to carry the myfitnesspal app with me and track food more easily for the upcoming weeks.

Big Fat Love,
Nanette

Self-Challenge Begins. Stats.

I've deleted all my old stats so I can't look at them and think, "Oh how far I've fallen." Because I'm definitely thinking it. I just don't want the constant reminder.

Starting anew.

Weight: 311.4 -------------> Goal: 250 (-61.4)
Waist: 47" ------------------>Goal: 41"
Hips: 63" ------------------->Goal: 58"

First Month Photos...

I'm on Day Two of 150oz of water.

Yesterday, I made it to 116oz. Today to ensure my success, I've started off with 48oz. I've also bleached out my nalgene bottle for the week.

I did 15 min of yoga this morning. I am going to do another 15 min before bed. Working at a desk for 8+ hours a day and then having built different muscles from all the NYC-style walking... I've developed some serious stiffness.

When I was in swim class, for our final we had to do reports on the weekly health articles the teacher assigned for us to read. One of them was the importance of spinal flexibility with aging. It then quoted some study about seated forward bends. You know, the ones where you sit with your legs straight in front of you and you reach for your toes...   something about that is supposed to be indicative of how well your spine will age. (I'm screwed, I've never been able to do that). I like the standing forward bends. I need gravity to help push me around.

Having sorta lost a lot of the flexibility I worked on gaining this last year, I can definitely say I feel 10 years older. Time to get it back.

When I am fatter... I feel OLDER.

This week I'm concentrating on HYDRATION and FLEXIBILITY.

Big Fat Floaty and Floppy Love,
Nanette