BEGINNING AGAIN
Yes, I'm back, and I'm starting over again as if I've never done this before. So much has happened, and I sort of dropped out for quite a while. During that time, I never really gave up. I just stopped keeping notes and doing the work required to makes the scales go down and stay down.
I weighed in at TOPS last Thursday night a 253.0 pounds, so I am going to use that as my new starting weight.
In spite of not really trying very hard to lose weight and getting very little exercise of any kind, I have made SOME progress. I am an admitted sugarholic, and one of my weaknesses was eating a bag of Tootsie Roll Midgets once a week, either all in one evening or over a two-day period.
In an effort to stop eating them, I decided to envision the little brown rolls as constipated dog poop. It must have worked, because I haven't had any now going on three weeks!
Sadly, I'm still eating sugar now and then (the latest a bag of bite-size York Peppermint Patties over a multi-day period), but mostly I'm keeping it to expensive, thin, dark chocolate bars with at least 70% cacao, and eating only one serving (4 thin squares or 1 0z.) a day.
I'm happy to report that the bulk of my sugar cravings have subsided, and I'm drinking far less Diet Coke also, as I have been slowly replacing it with LaCroix Sparkling Water in various flavors.
A TOPS friend has suggested that I join the YMCA near my house and offered to meet me there 2-3 times a week for the Silver Sneakers classes. I will probably do that, since my Medicare supplemental insurance covers the cost of the Silver Sneakers program.
I've always been sort of reluctant to go to the YMCA as I feel clumsy and stupid when it comes to knowing how to use the machines and stuff, but if I have a friend there with me, perhaps it won't be so bad.
Because of my bad hip, there's a lot I still can't do, and I'm still sleeping in a recliner. But I recently got a new car (Toyota RAV4) that is much more accommodating to my needs and is easier and less painful for me to get in and out of.
Other changes I've made is to visit local farms and farmers markets to buy fresh produce and fruits in season. What a different that makes to my taste buds!
There are more changes to come. The only thing that has not changed, is my passion for photography. It's one thing that keeps me going and makes me truly happy.