Day 3 (Still here)

I did it! I came back for day 3 (technically on day 2 but we talked about this, remember?) of exercise/diet punishment.

Today I ate a handful of tator tots, a few chicken wings, and had a coffee spiked with hot chocolate again. Not sure what's for dinner yet but I probably need protein & carbs, along with veggies. I have a little bit of a headache starting and I think it's a lack of nutrients. It's all right. I'll eat something and down an Emergen-C with a bottle of water. All will be good. I hope. 

Anyway, Day 3: Just got back from the gym and have to say I did a fine job of torturing myself with a make you sweat treadmill incline workout from Body for Life.

Check out that incline. ^^ Not sure my lower back appreciated it but we'll see how it feels tomorrow.

To help with my back issue, I'll hop on my inversion table for a few minutes later and finish the night with 15 minutes of heating pad. Btw, if you've never used an inversion table, you are missing out on one of the greatest contraptions for spine/back pain sufferers ever invented. You seriously hang upside down like a bat. That's it. When you come off the table you are about an inch taller and every kink has been pulled straight. 

Beyond the incline treadmill routine, I spent 5 minutes on the stairmaster, climbing a total of 16 flights. I want to make a goal of 20 flights then add a flight each week. Seems doable. Maybe. 

I finished with ab work doing 5-30 second planks and 6-12 rep russian twists. My back cracked with each one. Maybe I don't need the inversion table time. Nah. I definitely do. 

Tomorrow is technically, kind of, most definitely, a holiday. I know what you're thinking. The 4th of January is not a holiday on any calendar, but... A birthday is always a holiday. Therefore, remember my rule about not having to do stupid diet/exercise on holidays? So... Basically I'm telling you early, tomorrow, I may not participate in this hocus pocus I've started. But... I still may. The day just might involve cake. 🍰 🥳 And, probably a Guinness. Both of those equal large calories. Both well cherished. Hence why I would enjoy them on a birthday. We shall see. 

Adios Muchachas,

Mel

Day 2 (Wait? No Day 1?)

Day 2 of 2021 and I've decided to make myself hit the gym and start a diet.

Again.

Not starting on day 1 because:

A) Hello? New Year's Day diet. New year, New You. So cliché. Those never work. So, I figure, why not on Day 2? It HAS to be better than the first. 

And, B) Hello? The first was a holiday. New rule: All holidays are gym/diet free. Off limits to this ridiculous diet and workout life. Because... If I have to live this stupid diet/excercise life, I get to make the rules. Enough said. 

So... Day 2. Being honest here. Yes, I ate some mixed carmel/cheddar/plain popcorn from a Christmas tin. It was pretty good too as far as commercial popcorn goes. I also threw a couple spoonfuls of hot chocolate in my coffee. So what? I plan on eating grilled chicken for dinner and possibly a handful of almonds. That should work, right? Remember, I get to call the shots this time.

What does me calling the shots look like? Well... Mostly, I'd like to make healthy choices. No gimmicks. No "Eat this to look like that." It doesn't work. At least, not for me. 

What does work for me? So far? Not much I've enjoyed. I like to eat bad food. Pizza, POTATOES, CAKE, nachos, anything Mexican, and whatever else has obvious carbs. Horribly bad carbs. Basically, bad decisions I end up feeling worse about later. KETO was a good diet, until it wasn't. Eventually, I grew bored. I can still see how great I felt while following the diet, but... I need more. 

This new "try" will be different. Not because I have renewed faith and strength in enjoying my newfound diet/exercise. I don't. However, I'm committing to making myself. 

Yep. You read that right. I'm going to "fake it" until I "make it." Can't wait. (Can you hear my sarcasm?) If not, re-read the 3rd and 4th sentences. 

I might even blog it daily. At least in the beginning. I always forget to take a picture and think of something to write but what if I set an alarm every evening and MAKE myself? Will I hold myself accountable?

While being completely and nakedly (is that a real word?) honest, let me tell you something. When I stepped on the scale today and saw the horrendous numbers staring back at me... I'll admit I flipped my switch a little. 

How am I almost right back to where I was 3 years ago? Before Keto? Is it age as well as bad choices? Lack of exercise? The Oldness? (Definitely blaming The Oldness. It's a real condition. Basiclly, everyone over 40 probably suffers from The Oldness.) Whatever it is, IT got me. It's up to me to do something about IT. Even though I don't want to do a darn thing, I'm faking it til I make it. 

I told you what I ate today. Day 2.

My gym choice:

5 min warm-up on row machine. (I like the overall warm-up the rowing machine gives my entire body.)

Body for Life weights:

Flys, Lunges, & Presses.

Weights alternated: 5, 8, 10, 12, & 15.

Abs: Total Gym core sliding. 3X15

I think that is all I can do for Day 2. Come back and see more on Day 3 if you are bored. I'll try to keep it entertaining. 🙄😂

Adios Muchachas,

Mel

P.S. Still not giving up my coffee for any diet. Ever. Period. 

P.P.S. That's a Planet Fitness in the first photo if you can't figure it out through the dirty windshield. 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Did Someone Say Potato Diet???

Seriously...


I read where a man from Australia lost 114 pounds from eating only potatoes.


Potatoes are my absolute favorite food. (Sorry cake).


I bet you can't guess what my next diet attempt is going to be?


The potato diet, duh!


I guess it's actually called a mono-food diet. Meaning, you eat solely from one food source. The Aussie chose potatoes. He ate only potatoes for an entire year. I read his blog and fell into a potato coma somewhere around him losing 22 pounds the first thirty days without exercising. (Okay, he was over 300 pounds and eating junk to begin with so any attempt at a new diet would grant him these results, but still...22 pounds in a month with no exercise? Sign me up!) He did add in exercise over time, eventually making it to 90 minutes a day, but I currently get 30 minutes a day in now and have no plans to give it up. Maybe I'll add to what I already am doing. Hey...I said maybe!


So...I'm reading through his story and the more I read the more excited I am to begin. Then it dawns on me what eating only potatoes means...no cake.


I love cake.


And, my youngest clover is having a birthday in a couple of days. Which entails cake. Golden cake for his golden birthday.


All right, I'll begin the potato diet the day after his birthday. Hopefully I can continue it until December (the next birthday in our family). In my dreamland, I'll have lost my 22 pounds by then and be allowed to have a sliver of birthday cake again. Right?


So...Potatoes will become my life in 3 days. Coffee and tea are allowed as long as unsweetened, which is how I drink both. Beer on occasion, again, how I drink it and of course, water. Tons of water. Add it together with my women's Day vitamin with added B12 and B6 and I should be all set. Well, we shall see, I'm not the greatest at following through with these types of plans. But potatoes? Favorite. Food. End. Of. Story.


Adios Muchachas,

Mel



If you've miraculously found this blog and want to read the original spud dieter's blog, here is the link:

http://www.spudfit.com/f-a-q

Back Surgery Recovery [part 2+++]

I suppose I forgot about updating my weight loss journey blog with the progress after back surgery. This is the promised [part 2].

Because I'm completely over anything to do with back pain or recovery, in a literal sense, here is the quick version:

1. Went to PT for a month and it helped me tremendously. Thank you Chris at Advanced Physical Therapy.
2. I was right about having piriformis syndrome and it causing my sciatica pain after surgery.
3. PT fixed the issue.
4. I had a follow up with my surgeon where they took new X-rays and everything seems to be doing great.
5. I still live with back pain, but it's not near as horrible as before surgery.

Throughout this journey, from healthy back to locked-up, something is wrong back to surgery and post surgery, I've learned one thing. Take good care of your body.

My next step is focusing entirely on losing weight and exercise. I believe it is the only way to eventually feel better all over. I'll be pushing for a loss of 75 pounds, but I think I'll begin with 5...

More to come on how I plan to accomplish this feat.

Adios Muchachas,

Mel

Where do I go from here??

Okay, so I have no problem admitting I have no idea what to do about getting in shape. Well, okay, I actually have an idea, but I don't know how I am going to accomplish it. I'm not very good at losing weight, apparently. :(

I have a couple of friends that have had amazing results eating 1500 calories a day. But it's soooooo boring!!!!! I want variety, flavor, chocolate, bread, pasta, chocolate, red meat and did I mention chocolate?!?!

So, what do I do? I know so many people say to "be happy with your own body" or "just be glad you're healthy" or "love yourself, even if you don't like how you look on the outside." But, I don't want to be happy with how I look because I'm not happy with how I look so why would that make me happy with how I look?!? Got that? Probably not. I don't know if I even got it!

So, again. What do I do?

Well, I guess it's back to the drawing board for me. Or, in this case, the weight loss journals.

Until next blog, where hopefully I'll have figured out how to lose weight and get back into "the shape of my life!"