Daily Bread #58

A flock of turkeys flew up to our neighbor’s roof this morning.  Sometimes one can look out at a distant horizon, and feel that they are all alone.  But very nearby (gobble, gobble, look to your right) there just might be a whole flock of friends.

Much of this work is solitary.  Counting calories, exercising, just staying on track. I look at my stats everyday.

My resting heart rate up, which is good as it was depressed below normal by the medication I no longer have to take.  Figuring out how to adjust the various goals based upon my changing weight is, for me at least, necessary mental work.  Doing the math, I realized that I needed to change my calorie burn goal.  The old one was becoming impossible to meet as my resting metabolic rate was decreasing.  Larger bodies use more calories just by being alive. The step goal is hard, with my knee crumbling, but I still increased my daily goal by 900 steps. The cortisone shot I will get tomorrow will help.  Surgery will most likely be in October.  I am getting ready to dance!

This week I moved from Obese Class II down to Obese Class I.  I hate those charts, but will take every chance to celebrate that I can get.  30 more pounds and the charts will show me as merely overweight. I will see where to go from there once I get there.  If it stays this easy, I made continue to lose.   I might even become “normal”.  Nah, not a chance on that, no matter how thin I might become.

We had 10 people in group last night, which felt like a crowd after all the skimpy  turnouts.  The facilitator asked us to rate on a scale of 1-10 what we felt was our most successful time in the program and also where we are now.  The answers varied, with most feeling like they were more successful when on the full meal replacements.  The meal replacements were easier, it is true; no thought was required.  During that phase I was, as it says on the tee shirts my cohort gave me,”100% compliant. ”  Last night, however, I said I feel more successful now, because I don’t have to be as regimented.  I can have an occasional dessert – or a martini.  It feels more real, and I enjoy eating actual food rather than only chemical constructions.

I did go on a rant last night about Nestle being an “evil corporation.”  I mentioned the boycott that started in the 70’s because of their aggressive marketing of baby formula in poor countries, to the detriment of babies and their families.  Information about that boycott is here.

Another article about Nestle is more varied, has some positives about them, and also includes the concerns about their bottled water business practices. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestlé

All that said, no judgment on those who still need the Nestle’s products to stay successful.  We all do what we need to do.  (I feel like my body needs meat, although my ethics tell me than being a vegetarian or vegan would be better for the world.)  I am just glad I don’t need to use the Nestle’s stuff anymore.  Most evenings I have either a Kind Bar (5 grams of protein) or a Pure Protein Bar (20 grams of protein), which are a sweet treat for me at 200 calories.  I also carry them in my purse if I get caught hungry somewhere with limited food options available.

We each have to look toward our individual horizons, and figure out how we can get to where we want to go, but it is also wonderful to be part of a whole flock of friends!  Let’s fly above the rooftops!

L’Chaim!

(My stats for the last week – down 2.4 pounds, drank at least 7 gallons of water and exercised for over 745 minutes.  My cumulative weight loss so far is more than 112.7 pounds.)