I've been running pretty hard with the harvest the last week or so. I haven't been around here much. I'm trying to keep up with my reading list, but aside from my occasional comment I'm almost absent here. Sorry for that, I'd like to do more writing and try to get better at if I could. Seems I have this crazy germ of an idea, slowly growing somewhere in the back of my mind, that I'd like to be some sort of writer. A better one. So who knows?
Anyways, It's week 3 of The Pish Posh 8 Week challenge. If you remember my post from way last week, I spit and sputtered my way out of the starting gate and fell flat on my face. Then I got a lot of support and encouragement from Pish, as well as the others in the challenge and I told myself that I'd see big changes in week three.
So.......were there big changes? OH YA Baby! Big changes. Thursday morning I got up, excited to see what the scale would tell me. I grabbed my phone to take a picture of the scale to document my progress. I gained THREE pounds! What the hell? GAINED three fricken pounds? It rather discouraged me and I didn't take the picture. So no monkey toes this week. Sorry.
I wish I could be doing some exercise but the truth is, there just isn't time. If I'm not in the cab of my combine these days, I'm running off to town to get parts. When I get in at night, it's generally closer to midnight that not. I wake up in the morning with my eyes glued shut from grain dust, have coffee and breakfast, then do it all over. But I though I could do a little better on controlling my diet.
I think I've been better at healthy choices. I've been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. Every day my lunch includes a couple of tomatoes from the garden. I eat a sandwich, but it's on whole wheat bread packed full of grain and seedy things. And my snacks, which tide me over between meals, (and I don't snack a lot) are all granola, apples, and pistachios. I don't drink pop. I always have water. Occasionally, I'll have water with a squirt of Mio, but that has relatively nothing in it if the label is telling the truth. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I'm going to try smaller portions......any ideas?
What's the only reasonable thing to do when you get disappointed by the scale? While I was in town for parts, I stopped and bought new pants. Seems my view of myself may be a little different than what I am actually blessed with. I started with 32X36 pants. Probably should have gotten the 36X32's. Opted for the 34X34's because I'm going to diet into them, and I'm also imagining myself taller that I really am.
Week 3 of the challenge is about music playlists. The tunes that give you a little get up and go, when you think that your get up and go, got up and left. I have a playlist. I listen to it when I go to the indoor track in town in the winter. It seems that a lot of the swell people in this challenge are working toward doing a 5K marathon. I think I'm going to try that at some point, by myself, at the track, when I get back to running after my farming slows down a bit.
So what's on my playlist? Here's a few.
Rember the name by Fort Minor
Faster by Matt Nathenson
Sail by AWALNATION
Drink in my Hand by Eric Church
My Body by Young the Giant
Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf
Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
Here's a song that isn't on my track playlist, but it's the only combining song that I know about.
If there's anything positive to take from week three, is that at 189 pounds, I'm back at a pound away from 190, which I said I'd never be at again. I've been close twice before and both times, it's been motivation to make big changes. Look out Week 4......I'm coming for you!
Pistachios are a relatively high-calorie, high-fat snack. You might want to be careful with those.
ReplyDeleteAlso, remember that not all weight is created equal. There's fat-weight, water-weight, and muscle-weight, all of which can fluctuate a bit. You might lose some fat or water-weight only to gain muscle weight (and muscle really does weigh more than fat).
You're going to have some ups and downs along the way, but as long as you're going in the right general direction most of the time I'd say don't sweat it too much. Just keep on keepin' on.
Thanks Mike.
DeleteI know that overall, I'm not too bad. I seem to get into stretches of making bad decisions that add a few pounds. I have a goal that I'd like to be at and stay there. I'm afraid that without that goal, things would get out of hand and I'd live off of beer and pastries.
Good luck with your diet. I hope you can lose the weight and fit into the pants you bought. With myself, I have learned that I am never going back. I will just by the bigger pants.
ReplyDeleteHey Holly. :)
DeleteI have this unrealistic vision of looking like the hot guy in the Cialis commercial. Which, of course is a flawed fantasy, because nobody wants to be a Cialis commercial.
Hey friend!
ReplyDeleteI am reading this and posting this from the backseat of a vehicle! Way cool! My bro has portable wifi from his phone - sweet!!
I am struggling as well to get my exercise in these days. I had grand plans but it takes all my spare minutes, it seems, just to stay a step ahead of my students. I am averaging about a day a week on exercise and that's not good. Honestly, I hate to say it - and I am speaking for myself as well, dear friend, that at our age range, exercise is probably necessary in combination with the healthier eating. That, and calorie intake probably needs to be less than what we really think we need. I'm with you though - it is so frustrating to not get exercise in, especially when I NEED to get up and move. I am tired of sitting so much!
Love the playlist!!! Always love to learn what folks I like listen to! There are a few on your list that I would like to check out. Not familiar with a few. Thanks for sharing!
You can do it! Keep trying! :)
Hello, my friend!
DeleteIt's cool how we find ways to stay connected with everybody here. I'm pretty happy to have wifi on my phone as well. It's made it a lot easier to post from unique places.
I had hoped that I would be able to get at least a little exercise in over this challenge. It looks like things are moving along quite nicely here though, so my fingers are crossed that I might get some time to do at least something before the end of October.
Have fun at the fireworks competition. It sounds like an epic road trip. Did you bring along a mix tape? :)
Posted about the fireworks trip! Go check it out!!!! I video'd Canada for you and my other Canada followers! :)
DeleteMixed tape! Love it!! We actually just rolled through satellite channels and my Bro and I won by majority to keep it on the 80s channel the longest!
First of all, you are already a writer. I love your style, so there's no question you can be as good of a writer as you want to be. I'll read whatever you put out.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you might just have to focus on the eating part until after the harvest. It's okay, you can go full force once that's over. As far as food choices, I hate to say it, but granola can be really high in calories. Also, pistachios are great, but only a small handful, unfortunately.
I love cut up veggies. If those are too bland for you, what I like to do is take low fat greek yogurt and make it into a ranch dip with seasonings. Then I dip the veggies in that. It's really tasty and healthier than a traditional dip.
Good luck this week!
Thanks Kianwi. I want to try to get back at writing more. I never really intended this whole thing to be about my writing. It was just supposed to be someplace to spill my thoughts. It never occurred to me that the actual writing part would be something that interested me as well. Go figure?
DeleteI like your veggie dip idea. Sounds like it would be awesome to have with a movie night. I do keep my pistachios to about a cup full for the day. It's not like I'm eating a bag a day or anything.
I guess I need to pay more attention to the calorie bar on the packaging. I was looking at the seeds and stuff type of snack bar, thinking they look so healthy, yet they had more calories that the peanut butter ones. And the peanut butter ones taste better.
People are giving you the right idea about calories here. Some of what might be healthy is also so high-calorie that you need to watch out right now.
ReplyDeleteFind foods with decent amounts of fiber in them -- check your bread labels. It varies a LOT, even in whole-grain/multigrain products.
Eat with plenty of water, and you'll be less hungry and snack less. Try to not snack at all. Work up SLOWLY to a higher fiber balance.
Keeping an upper limit is really good if you can adjust that downward as you go. Buying smaller pants early might be frustrating.
Good luck.
I know the pants were a poor choice. Such is my life.
DeleteI do try to drink a lot of water. Other than coffee, it's about the only thing I drink all day. Other than beer. But I'm working on keeping that to maybe a couple on the weekend.
There is a lot of helpful advice here. I'm trying to watch the wrappers a little better as well.
I only seem to snack when I'm stuck in a tractor cab all day. (or combine in this case.) When I'm out and about doing actual physical things, it's never an issue. Just sitting there all day tends to make me snacky. I'm working on that as well.
High Valley--great Alberta band, excellent in concert. As for your pants...replace one meal with salad. It's working for me right now. And here's a riddle for you...what's the one word I never said to my Dad during harvest? No.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much had the same standard during harvest while I was growing up. I seem to be a little easier than my dad was. However, the weather is good and things are going rather nicely. If the snow was threatening and there was a load of crop still out, my mood may be a little more intense.
DeleteWhen I can, I try to have a salad for lunch. I had planned to try during harvest but it seems that salad is a 2 handed meal and I only have one free at the best of times.
A thirty-four inch waist. Oh, to be twelve again.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 12 I was more worried about the next episode of Happy Days than my pants size, Stephen. :)
DeleteI think any healthy change is positive so I say - good for you Ken!! This challenge is coming up at a rough time for you, try not to be hard on yourself and keep on doing what you're doing - eating healthy.
ReplyDeleteif you've been pretty good at food choices this week than it might be mostly water weight. You are sitting all day and going to bed late. Portion sizes are a big thing. I got smaller plates recently because our plates are ridiculously large and I always feel the need to fill it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your pants goal! Thats a great idea!
Geez, why not just shit on yourself a little more, Ken? Seriously, if you fail at getting taller this week, you're a total loser.
ReplyDeleteGiven the incredible amount of work you're doing, mixed with lack of sleep and stress, I can't imagine you've got good weight-loss hormones on your side right now.
You know you're ultimately going to succeed because you're staying conscious of everything that goes into your body. Maybe next week you'll switch out nuts and granola for celery and cucumber. You will reach your goals... except maybe that height thing.
Well first of all, Ken-jamin, you are working your butt off. That's amazing and don't be discouraged! Adding healthy stuff to your diet is great! Maybe some free weights at home for the first 15 minutes of your day?
ReplyDeleteYou're doing wonderful! I know you will succeed!
Proud of you! One hour, one day, one week at a time, you're doing great! Stick with it, my friend. :)
ReplyDelete