Last Saturday, I bought three pairs of shorts/capris and they were all a size smaller than I’ve been wearing, and it felt fantastic! It’s one thing to see numbers decreasing on the scale regularly, and it’s another thing entirely to actually feel as though I’m losing weight by wearing different clothes. I wore one of my favorite t-shirts and it felt too big, and that hasn’t been true in years. Then I went to an orthopedic surgeon about the pain I’m having in my knee and was reminded that although I’m making progress, the arthritis in both knees and lack of cartilage means I have done damage and I have a long way to go.
But there’s that whole “I’m making progress” thing. :)
So when someone asks me, “What are you doing to lose weight?” I don’t have a quick or easy answer. Part of it, to be sure, is working part-time in a greenhouse where it’s hot and where I do a lot of walking. But there’s more to it than that. I exercise daily. I’ve cut way, way back on junk food; we eat so little fast food like Arby’s or McDonald’s that when we have occasionally eaten Arby’s it has lost its appeal. (Also? For long road trips, I’m going prepared with my own sandwiches from now on.) Chocolate (usually dark!) is a more occasional than regular treat. I drink more water or juice or tea or coffee than Coke or Pepsi. I watch portion control and try to eat less at meals. Between meals I’ll snack more on fruit or granola bars than candy bars or chips. I park farther away when I have to walk places, even when my knee is really grumpy about it. (Although hopefully a cortisone shot I received recently will help the knee be less grumpy for a while!) I focus on my philosophy of making positive, sustainable changes, and doing them one at a time so I don’t get discouraged. (Honestly? Sometimes even I get discouraged. I’m only human!)
So there’s what’s up in my corner of the world! Progress? Definitely? More to do? Absolutely! Cheers! Here’s to your health!