Progress!

 I did it! I made it to 50 pounds lost since last year! I'm 205.5 as of two days ago. Probably back up to 206.5 since that was yesterday. Either way I made it to the goal despite having five months of stagnation. I call that a win! Now I just have at least twenty more to go, preferably fifty more to get down to 150 ish. Not sure if that is going to happen, but I'll figure it out once I get to 180, then 165 before 150. I will need to exercise more to get that far, and that should include more strength training. I could unbury the weight machine in my bedroom at Mom's and use that, which would be a good idea. Or at least the pushups and planks and such. And more hikes.

July 17th, 2020                  June 27, 2021

And on the subject of those hikes, I need to remember that I can still go hiking even if I am not camping. Haven't decided if I have gotten scared of the bear or just wary that he is going to be there, especially if I leave the food and trash out while hiking or sleeping. At least he left in a huff rather than advancing. Good thing to look up on the interwebs. Not sure. But oh, the trees! And the hiking on uneven ground is ideal for shaking up my routine and increasing my ankle strength, despite my boots acting like a crutch sometimes, which is a good thing. So yeah. Time for more hiking, perhaps hitting the national forests that actually have greenery. I'm fine with driving, and the dog is always happy to go for a ride. Have to wait for his foot to heal first though, and that means no more chance of dislocated toe and no more sore. Lots of paw wrapping for the next while until it is no longer itchy otherwise he will keep licking it and getting it back to a raw sore. Till then, no walks. Hell, the rain makes the darn bandage wet, which then transfers to the bandage. Need to leave it on though, and reapply as necessary. Which means no camping until it is all healed up. Probably will be bald on that spot after this, but that's okay so long as it heals.

I think I'm starting to realize portion sizes and figuring out why I am ravenous after dinner--lack of water and boredom, with a little mix of pain thrown in there for a good mix. I can take care of two of those quickly, and the boredom is easy to fix as well if I start another project like the book, which has been languishing in limbo for a while now. And now that the state is opening back up on the 2nd, I can go back to taking up space in a restaurant that has extra tables like Flying Star, or even Starbucks. That is if I can keep my portions to a minimum and just put away the extra for later, especially if I go for something like the strawberry and banana French toast at Flying Star. At least if I go to Starbucks the tea is minimal calories other than the bit of milk and sugar, and the coffee cake is 300 some calories. That could easily count as lunch some Monday or Friday. I wonder if there will be a run on restaurants like Starbucks that have social spaces. Most likely. We shall see. 

Of Dog, Goals, and Choices

Let's just start off by saying that I have a contortionist dog. He got put into the Cone of Shame to nights ago for continually licking a hot spot on his front paw. I thought all was well and no big deal for it to continue to heal. HA! Dog manages to streeeeetch his front paw just far enough to lick the sore while in the cone. But it at least slows him down and it is on its way to healing fairly quickly. And no walking for another week anyway since the joint is still sore. Scritchies inside will just have to do. 

In other news: I'm making progress. I am happy to announce that I am 47 pounds down from where I was in late July last year. I want to use that arbitrary date to hit 50 down so far. I know that it doesn't mean anything for me to hit it, but it is a goal--not something that I have had as of late other than the long-term wish. And it is starting to show, though it amazes me how much it took for me to notice (not just other people) the changes in my body. I don't mind people commenting on how healthy I am looking, or how happy I am looking after I (sometimes) ditch my muumuu tunics and put on a fitted-ish shirt. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside. So I have something to work towards--205.6--then onward to the magical so-called One-derland. Little bits at a time.

And finally, I just may be able to take some time off in the beginning/middle of August/September. Thinking of rolling the health dice for a cruise if the pocketbook can handle it. Being a solo traveler is almost, if not more expensive than two people booking. But I'm not sure I want those dice or the sizeable chunk of cash required. Choices choices. For now, my break time is up. Have fun!

Poor Pooch (and less pooch for me)

 

Yup, that's a bandage on Link's paw. Yesterday I got a call from Mom while I was at work. One of the pooch's front toes was splayed out at an odd angle. He didn't seem in pain and didn't whine when it was touched, but there was something very wrong. So I got the goahead from my boss to bail on work early and get back to my hometown and to the vet there. They were wonderful and worked him in between appointments within two hours of dropping him off. 

In short:
Dislocated toe.

So he has the bandage on his leg for the next four days and then gentle movement after that. Try telling that dog to slow down when he want's to do otherwise. Tearing out around the yard is probably what caused it to dislocate in the first place! But he seems to have taken to the bandage easily and hasn't tried to lick or nibble it off. He is, however, pretty much limping along on three feet now instead of ignoring it. I may need to give him some pain meds left over from one of his previous injuries. I just looked at his other paw and found that his dew claw is partially cracked, hence his licking there. Dang dog just seems to have been looking for trouble as of late.

I've lost 49 pounds since July last year. Forty. Nine. And yet I have trouble seeing it, other than noticing that now I have loose rolls of skin instead of full-flub rolls. I have lost one clothing size in that time (or maybe two if you include that I wasn't wearing the right size at that high end). In almost fifty pounds you would think there would be more movement in visible changes. But I want to be better NOW!

Ahem.

My knees are still unhappy with my weight, despite starting to exercise and working on strengthening everything. But I'm impatient. I want it all now, and with none of the work. Somehow I don't think that it works that way. But my cholesterol has decreased, I guess. That and being a little less easily winded seem to be the only things I see. But apparently other people are noticing.

Last week (week before?) my coworker mentioned that I was looking particularly healthy and was shrinking away (and she said it in a good way). I mentioned that I had been working on it for some time, so I was glad that she noticed. Some people take offense when others mention that they have lost weight--I am not one of those people. I revel in it since I am a people-pleaser. Probably not a healthy way of looking at things. Sort of like losing weight to make others think better of myself. Which is partially true. But I want my body to work better, move easier. So a bit of A, bit of B. 

But my food intake has been erratic. Not hungry much while out camping, then eating all the things during the week. I was 207 when I got back from camping last Sunday, but I was incredibly dehydrated and not much food in me. But it was 207! I have been stuck at 210ish since January, so that was a nice thing to run into. May be I can keep up the momentum and get that last pound before July 23rd when I started this whole thing. It would be nice.

And I'm rambling. So I may need to think about med-time and a snack to round out the night's eating and let everything settle easier.

Back at it!

 I'm back at it again, this time in 2021. Quite the jump, if I do say so myself.

So let me give an overview of the past four years. 

2017

--I got a help for my brains after a solid case of sheer insanity.

--I got official editing done on the book (number 1)

--Started donating platelets regularly (every two weeks-ish)

2018

--I started another book, this time in the vein of the monster hunter trope.

--Went to Alaska with Mom and cruised back down to Bellingham, then flew home.

--Started looking for work in earnest

2019

--Got a new job! A job I love.A job Tuesday through Thursday. Just what I needed!

--Wrote most of the second book

--Got Loki, the brand new Subaru Forester

--Grandpa and Grandma got in a bad wreck. (Grandma still having issues, and probably always will.)

2020

--Pandemic. Nuff said.

--Dad stayed here for a good three months and we ate a little too well.

--Started weight loss in July after hitting 256.5 lbs at a max 

--Took some of the extra time off to go camping in the fall.

2021 so far

--Continuing to lose weight: down to 210lbs as of today

--Pandemic is slowing: got my vaccine in January 

--Been busy camping on a few weekends that I am not giving platelets

Have a photo from the view on the cruise start in Seward. Something I may not be able to do for some time.

So that pretty much sums up what has happened between then and now. I'll post more here later, of course.