Holiday Card Photos, Exercise, and Weekly Update

Greetings! We had the most strange and wonderful weather lately: clear days and temps in the mid-70s! It was downright balmy by the coast this past weekend, so we did our holiday card photos at the beach. Things 1 & 2 romped around in swim suits, but the icy ocean water (and dearth of palm trees) reminded us that no, we had not been magically transported to Hawaii. Then--WHOMP!--today we're back to the fog and cold.

When we looked at the photos later, I felt pretty darn happy, and not just because we were all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. (My Mr. Handsome-and-Handy tends to look tense in photos, but even his smile was looking sincere.) I'm not quite halfway to goal, and I still have the "obese" BMI label, but I was happy to be looking much healthier in our family photos. I was especially tickled by a little bit of definition in my forearm that didn't used to be there.

It made me glad that I overcame my resistance to exercise and work on fitness as well as fat loss. The whole body change thing is a fascinating process overall. Sure, some parts are, alas, looking a bit "deflated" when I do the full mirror check (loose skin in the neck...what is happening to my inner thighs?!?! and--*sigh*--the poor girls). Some parts still need a lot of work (tummy? nothin' new there). But some parts are looking stronger and better (go arms and legs!).

I've been seeing a lot of "exercise doesn't help weight loss" articles lately. That has not yet been my experience; although, sure, if I respond to increased appetite, it tends to slow my loss. But I like what it does for me: Improves my blood glucose control. Makes me feel good physically. And the label "runner" or "athlete" sure as heck takes the sting out of the label "obese."

So, for progress this week, I'm absolutely delighted by my blood glucose numbers. This is the FIRST week that I have had ALL my fasting numbers below 120!!! Woo HOOO!!! On the weight side, I maintained. I'm finding that this whole process is like rehearsing maintenance, because this is the process for the rest of my life: the process of being aware, of analyzing what's working now and figuring out what needs to change to get to where I want to be. Of balancing the slips (um...last night's nut-binge comes to mind) with doing better at the very next meal. (Flax bread french toast with sugar-free jam & almond butter and a side of non-fat cottage cheese, anyone?)

Progress this week:
7-day blood glucose average: 112 (met goal of 120 or lower)
Fasting blood glucose: 100% of the last 7 days were less than 120; average was 111. (met goal of below 120)
Weight: Maintained (met goal of maintain or lose)
Food: 4 meatless low-fat, 3 fish meals. (met goal)
Exercise: 30+ minutes cardio 5 days, including 3 runs; 2 days of arms and abs strength training (met cardio goals; missed strength by one workout)
Misc: Whoops. I forgot to track my sleep, but I felt pretty well-rested and it did not impact blood glucose levels.

Goals for next week:
7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or lose.
Food goals: 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals. Lighter eating if dinner is after 7 p.m.
Exercise goals: At least 30 minutes of cardio 5 days; 3 days of arms & abs strength training workouts; do at least 3 runs (weather-permitting).
Misc. goals: 7 or more hours sleep/night (which means being in bed before 10 p.m.)