Maude marks six months on the weight loss trail. The 2020 Twenty: Entry Fourteen.
July 24, 2021
Today marks 180 days since I hit the Big Twenty. And the results of 180 days are . . .
After months of fluctuations from six pounds under the Twenty to four pounds over (at one point, the Big 24), I am currently holding two or three pounds under the Twenty, and determined to reach my latest goal by the end of August. As covered in my last entry, right now I’m just trying to get beyond that six-pound mark it seems so easy to “bounce back” from. And since I don’t have any fabulous food fests planned in the near future, I don’t anticipate bouncing back up.
So how have things gone into that goal so far?
Well, after I posted my last entry I went for my first four-mile hike in a month, on a brand new stretch of trail in my small city. Though I’ve declared and scheduled a daily window for walking after I get work done, I’ve missed a couple chances to take thirty-minute walks around the smaller town neighborhood where I’m still living with my parents. However, I did do strength training those days instead. I’ve done planks most mornings (a minute thirty the other day) and some squats. Also, new life developments are promising to put me closer to that trail and a lot of other important things. And that will make a huge difference. I am very excited about that!
I’ve also been drinking a little more water and a little less alcohol, and avoiding sweets (though I did indulge in a mangonada while swimming at the lake the other day). I’m feeling noticeably better, of course. And I’ve established a little meal formula I can stick to. My calorie goal each day is 1,270 calories. If I can keep my main meals under 400 calories each, eat low calorie snacks, and walk for thirty minutes most days, then I’m doing a phenomenal and effective job. And with discipline, it’s doable. I can’t say discipline didn’t get me where I was the first time. I wouldn’t have gotten the same results without it. The end goal is to be able to indulge occasionally without so much cost. But it takes work to get there, and it will ultimately take work to stay there. I’m not nearly as hardcore about fitness and nutrition as some, but I can’t sell any easy routes here (just rewarding ones).
Speaking of work, as I’ve noted before, I do better with that discipline when I’m working. Routine and hustle work well in my favor, and I am far better at being accountable to others than I am to myself. So I’m hoping, in this case, I can get that to work for me. As I now work in public education, this month is not routine and hustle time. But it’s about to be.
My July A1C? Still a mystery! Three weeks after my doctor’s appointment, I haven’t been able to get my blood test results, because of problems with the “patient portal” (to what . . . ?). A recent attempt to get them over the phone was also unsuccessful. So, still working on that question.
To conclude, these three months haven’t been the most eventful of the weight loss journey. And I’m only willing to document this adventure as long as it takes to lose the Twenty (maybe a little more?), or until a year after I found it. It’s been six months. Almost a year ago, I was six months in to gaining twenty pounds. It’s hard to believe it was that long ago, and it’s hard to believe it was only a year ago too.
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.