Quiet Please

I feel like I have been a bit too quiet. I recall (I think from Russ and Jeff of Fat 2 Fit fame) once hearing them say that a blog they were following had a guy who was quite successful at losing weight. Then he stopped posting. Sure enough, they found out that he had started gaining weight again and was no longer living a healthy lifestyle. He was too ashamed to continue. I have felt the same way. I admit, it is much harder to write when one isn't as successful as one has been in the past. Who wants to hear about failures? Or whining? And isn't it boring if there aren't any changes happening?

If it is boring to read of such things, then prepare yourself to be bored (or just skip reading this blog right now). In no particular order, here is what has been going on: Summer break has been going on for two weeks now. I am still not in a regular groove of exercises. My 11 year old son and I have gone to Yoga together. (He tolerated it) We also tried Zumba. (We both hated it) Yesterday we paid the dues for the summer of swimming at the local community pool. I am still doing two days of Yoga on my own and trying to get a walk in when the weather isn't too oppressive. However, the weather HAS been tricky! It has been sticky and humid early in the mornings. I go for a walk and am drenched with sweat by the time I get home. I also do not stop and shop after Yoga class like I used to. I would often spend an hour or more shopping for a bargain at the local thrift shop. SO, what this all means is I don't feel like I am exercising hard enough!

I have been saying to myself, "Self, you really should do more resistance work to build up those muscles." I am hoping that the increased time in the pool will do just that. If this summer's pool time proves to be a muscle building thing, I will have to get back into the pool at the center this fall and winter!

In other concerns...I have not lost any weight since the end of April. In fact, I have gained a few pounds. I have been going up and down and up and down and up again, a pound or two at a time. Now true, I WAS smoking in April and that probably contributed to my weight loss then. I have since quit and have been smoke-free for well over a month now. I looked at my caloric intake and I am right on track there. What has changed? My wonderful husband and best friend and I talked about it a bit today. (my husband and best friend are one in the same, in case you didn't know)

Let me back up a step...I have also been listening to several podcasts and TV programs that are currently talking about sugar and carbs being so bad. Like the fat craze that started in the 70's, now the sugar craze is trying to take hold.

I thought perhaps I should be eating fewer carbs to keep losing weight. I have 30-40 more pounds that I would LIKE to lose. I also do not want to change much more in the type of lifestyle I am now leading. I would maybe consider changing up the carb thing and cutting back on sugar, but all throughout this 'adventure' I said I would do what I felt I could do the rest of my life. I do NOT want to exercise two hours a day till I drop. The foods I eat are pretty good. I like eating healthier. But was I, am I, missing something here? Do I go the way of eating like the caveman, or the Paleo diet folks, or the Vegans, or the Vegetarians? That isn't me. I am omnivore. I like being omnivorey. (that isn't a real word though) I am a real person. I enjoy all kinds of foods. I like trying new ones. I have NO issue giving up or severely limiting fast foods, processed foods, or fake foods. The closer I get to a food's origins, the better it tastes to me. That is the example I want to set for my child too. I want him to know what real food tastes like. I want him to be as miffed with processed foods as I am. I want him to not have the weight problems I've had.

Ok, back to talking about my husband's and my thoughts on why I've stalled out on the weight loss thing. What has changed besides exercising? And truly, the weight losing stalled out long before the exercise changes. What AM I doing different now? Ok, I have not been eating my oatmeal/yogurt/banana breakfasts, six to seven mornings a week. In fact, I haven't eaten breakfasts until several hours after waking up. I need to eat breakfasts again...early again. You might want to ask me why I had quit. I got it into my head that I wouldn't make it until the next meal to eat and would starve and then binge. I feared that I would lose control and eat too much...too many calories....I feared losing control. I need to conquer that fear again.

What else has changed? Well, I am not eating as much yogurt as I was and I am eating 2% low fat yogurt instead of 0% fat yogurt. Should I go back to the lower calories? I am not sure about that. Let me think on it some before deciding.

Anything else? Well, there has been a bit of chocolate consumed at bedtime. Yes, I have had one of those miniature candy bars around bedtime for a chocolate hit. It is only 40 calories and I had calories to spare, but could that have stalled out the weight loss?

We couldn't come up with any other concrete changes. I guess I will see what happens if I just start eating breakfast again. Damn the carbs, full steam(ed oatmeal) ahead!