Maude works with new motivation and a new situation. The 2020 Twenty: Entry Six.
March 17, 2021
This week in March, I am on Spring Break!
As I recently began working for my first school district just before Spring Break, I am now, along with my kids, officially on it. And so far it has proven what I previously suspected: that I do a lot better with weight loss when I’m working.
This makes perfect sense, as I was overworking when I lost the forty, and not working when I gained back the Twenty. (Working on things, sure, but not moving around too much.) I also wasn’t packing lunches, or eating on a somewhat routine schedule, or hitting the trail on the way home from work, or on my weekdays off while my kids were in school. These were all great habits I had. So far, back at work, I’ve been able to do . . . some of that. I’ve packed lovely spinach and feta salads for quick and easy lunches, an old staple of mine, and I think that’s helped a lot. I even bought myself a nifty leak-proof salad bowl to go with my nifty school tote, which has an insulated compartment for my lunch. (Both special, splurge treats for me, because I’m old now.) Working with students makes it a little difficult to get snacks between meals. In the interest of taking care of my blood sugar, that may have to turn into something I just do, whether people are watching or not. An on-the-job observation: teachers have mini-fridges, microwaves, and coffee makers in their rooms for a reason. Hitting the trail on the way home isn’t really feasible with our current setup, but since I don’t work every single weekday, I can take advantage of any days off for walking or biking.
Esme Diaries
One day last week, I decided to go for a bicycle ride after school. I also decided to “stretch Esme’s legs” a little bit and venture out a little farther than I usually do. My little adventure took me (or rather I took myself) through the local school campus, which involves a rather steep hill at its exit. I knew this. But I didn’t think about it. So I found myself faced with two options: take the hill, or turn around and go back the whole way I came when I was two blocks from home. And I didn’t want to be seen granny-walking my bike up the hill, so I attempted to take the hill. This was a rookie mistake. I also didn’t bring water! I had to stop and rest about three quarters of the way up. Then I had to finish, worn out and dying of thirst. I pushed. And I made it. But by the time I got home, I was fairly sure I’d have jelly legs for the rest of the night.
It actually wasn’t too bad, that night, or even the next day. But a couple days later a soreness set in that had a noticeable effect on how I walked, for a couple more days. Only in the last couple days have I felt okay to walk any distance or get on the bike. Esme’s legs, of course, are fine.
And I haven’t been watching my meals too closely for the last few days either.
But today, feeling lucky, I stepped on the scale to find a one-pound drop! It should probably be more than that after two weeks, considering how much I have exercised and counted, but I’ll take it. That’s a total of six pounds, which puts me only fourteen pounds from where I was, eighteen pounds from where I wanted to be, and four pounds from my March goal. So on we go!
For St. Paddy’s Day, being not Irish, not in college, and on a weight loss journey, no beer, whiskey, or potatoes for me. Gin and diet tonic with lime, a nice, low-calorie bevvy my mom turned me onto, does sound nice though. In any case, Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you.
What do you think? I would like to hear from you, but you won’t find the typical Comments section here. If you have given the issue some thought or have an experience to share, please enter it here, or send your response to Maude@mauvereport.com. I would love to hear how the rest of America is doing with this in 2021.