RECIPES

Wednesday 29 January 2020

Easier Said Than Done

A favourite walk near Flagstaff, Arizona


Today I would like to make an update on the plan I started (see here) to help me lose weight and thus reduce my high risk of having a cardiac-related event.

Things have not been simple.  It was much easier to decide on a course than to actually follow it.

The pressure I have been feeling has ended up very stressful and depressing, especially when my weight continues to go up and down like a yo-yo with seeming little connection to what I do.

I feel like I am battling more than food intake and exercise.  Other factors I’ve been facing is my lack of continuing motivation, my habit of overeating when I feel stressed, and a slow metabolism from the two times I dramatically lost a lot of weight because of severe illness. 

I think I am also a little scared.  What benefit do I currently gain from being overweight?  Would I be happy if my appearance changed?  Then I tell myself that absolutely my whole life and lifestyle has changed completely in the last two years so why not add a new appearance?  But this idea is quickly followed by a return of that deadly feeling of pressure to conform, to be slim and trim like I used to be in my twenties.

Some prolonged deep thinking on this subject has brought me to the conclusion that what I really want to focus on is becoming healthier, more than losing weight per se. 

I personally know both healthy and unhealthy obese people and healthy and unhealthy skinny people, so good health is not dependent on body size.  However, I do feel that if my health was good then my weight would automatically adjust to what my body feels is healthiest for it – which may not be the same size as that of a model!

So what can I do to promote good health in my life?  Whatever I do needs to be simple, sustainable, and enjoyable.  I just need a few guidelines to push me in the right direction.

I have joined WW (Weightwatchers) to help me make better food choices, especially in regards to quantity eaten.  I began on the Green Plan but that involved so much tracking (especially as most of what I eat is prepared from scratch) that I have switched to their Purple Plan.  This allows me to eat healthy food and only track the things that really are not good for me (such as sugary stuff and wrong fats).

Our local swimming pool runs classes for aquacise and aqua-zumba, and I have begun attending those twice a week.  Yesterday was the first day I have done both (the two classes are 15 minutes apart) and came home feeling energised and on top of the world even if I was a bit sore.  Today I can barely walk!  But I know it is mostly muscle pain and should pass as I get more used to the exercises.

Walking is something I would like to do more of.  Not so much as exercise, but more as a way of maintaining the ability to move and as a means of promoting better mental health.  Strolling through a pleasant natural environment, with the opportunity for an occasional stop to contemplate my surrounds, is what I would call an ideal activity for me as I grow older.

Another movement issue I need to look into is balance, especially with osteoarthritis making itself more and more felt.  I have suffered the odd stumbling episode and a few months ago succeeded in giving myself concussion when I slipped over outside.

A few years ago I participated in a pilot course that taught, among other things, how to maintain good balance and suppleness to hopefully avoid having hip or knee replacement surgery.  I need to find my instruction book and get started on these stretches again.

It feels a bit funny making public my personal thoughts and decisions, but it is Life that I am writing about.  Who knows, someone somewhere might be encouraged by what I write and not feel like they are alone in their struggles to live a better life. 

Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope you enjoy your day.
Margaret.

12 comments:

  1. You are on the right track with WW and the exercise sessions. You're so right about the importance of being healthy and feeling good about yourself at the weight you are, even as you work toward the weight which is best for you.
    I find myself losing my balance more often as I get older. I should probably look up exercises I could do to lessen my chances of falling.
    I didn't get to congratulate you yesterday on your 100th post. I'm really enjoying your blog!!

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    1. I am so happy you enjoy my blog as I love visiting yours as well :)

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  2. I am encouraged by what you write, Margaret. I too, am on a lifestyle change journey to lose weight. I have found that sadly it is rue that as the years go by, it is harder to lose weight. If you friend me on Ratnamurti Saraswati (my yoga name) I can send you via messenger some flexibility exercises that can only help with the osteoarthritis. If you are interested. I get arthritis from eating nightshades and too much sugar.probably a different form of arthritis

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  3. I totally understand this post, as will loads of other ladies, the need to slim at our age is high, but we must remember we will never be the same size as we were aged 20. I have for the past 2 years said I need to lose weight and not done much, a small health scare late last year has given me the start I needed. It's not easy, here it's winter and I want comfort food, I do eat very healthy, but my portion sizes are to big and we snack too much. Exercize is my biggest problem, I don't want to do much. But I have started with food intake, and it's working, soon I will start walking and then more exicise, I hope you find the plan for you.

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    1. Best of luck Marlene, on your journey. It seems there are a lot of us in the same situation.

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  4. I can sympathize, Margaret. I feel the same struggles.

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    1. So many of us struggle with this weight thing, and that annoys me. Life should be for enjoyment not struggling - what is it that makes us feel so unhappy with ourselves?
      LOL if I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't be struggling!

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  5. I am so impressed by how carefully you are thinking about this. I think that "enjoyable" is absolutely key. I am "disabled" with rods and plates and screws holding my spine together. Since it happened more than a decade ago, I have learned that exercise is *the* key to keeping my body functional at all. One trick that I do is making a goal for a walk, like I am heading to a particular spot that I wanted to photograph. Or, I am going to look for a favorite flower. That really helps me to keep it fun! Good luck on this journey toward better health!

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    1. Thank-you KB for those great tips. I often stop while walking so I can take photos, but never thought of it as a way to make it more fun. That is really being mindful of what you are doing, and a walk to see something specific is way more interesting and fun than a walk because I feel I should be doing it.

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  6. I admire that you are trying things at least....I think about them a little bit and then do nothing. I like your wanting to be healthy, more than worrying about a certain weight loss. I think that is how we should look at it. Like you, I think walking would be so good for me, but no good place to walk here. I would love to have a walking trail where I could see a bit of wildlife. I just think being out in the fresh air would be so good for me. And actually think it is good for anyone.

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    1. When I had so many demands being made on my time (as you do now) it was very difficult to snatch some time away for a walk, although I used to try and get out into the garden for a few minutes every day just to have some fresh air. Like you, I think fresh air (and sunshine) is so necessary for our health.

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Thank-you for visiting my blog. I love it when you leave a comment so please feel free to have your say. Have a great day! Margaret xx