Daily Bread #99

What a week it has been.  My cold got better and now it is worse again.  I flew to Arizona for a retreat for retired Unitarian Universalist Ministers and their partners, and flew back in time for the wedding of one of my sons the next day.  It was a small wedding (ten people) at our house.  I officiated, but my son and his wife did all the decorating and hired a caterer.  They will have a larger celebration in another year or so when her family from China can be here.

The retreat was a retrospective of the last 50 years, stimulating and moving as we listened to panels including ones on the Viet Nam war,  technology, anti-racism work, and the entrance of women in the ministry.  The talent show was particularly fun and I also celebrated my 70th birthday while we were there.

The food was challenging at the retreat center, just as I expected, but I did a lot of walking, including on the labyrinth above.  I came back at basically the same weight, which actually surprised me as I did indulge some in desserts and there was a killer snack table with wine.  With no scale, I did not weigh myself, so the average weight for the week is likely not as accurate as usual.

The food at the wedding was also challenging, and I did over indulge, but a son’s wedding is a very good excuse I think.  Wine, champagne, a four course meal, and wedding cake, it was all wonderful. Between the wedding and the retreat food, I think I consumed about 2000 more calories last week than usual.  Not too terribly far off.

I love walking a labyrinth.  This one was gorgeous and it is always a meditative journey walking around in what seems like circles until you suddenly find yourself in the center.

This one, like most, has an altar in the center, a place to leave something that symbolizes the journey.  There were even a couple of candy wrappers tucked underneath the stones which made me smile.  This journey has been a strenuous uphill climb for a couple of years now.  Maybe it is time to adopt a more meditative approach, circling around toward my goal of continued good health, finding progress in a way that can feel like an accident, but is instead purposeful and deliberate.

I am living my life, I am feeling good and strong, except for this cold and sore throat which got a lot worse yesterday.  Airplanes and weddings are not the best prescription for virus recovery.  I will rest today, eat sensibly, and hope to exercise more in another day or two.

L’Chaim!  This week’s stats: My Fitbit report shows 58288 steps last week for 24.5 miles.   I ate approximately 12348 calories and burned 13769 for a deficit of 1421. My average weight this week is down  .7 pounds from last week’s average for a total loss of 164.2.

Daily Bread #98

My weight is starting to flatline, hovering just below 160.  No worries.  160 is just fine, it feels like a healthy weight for me and some of the weight is just loose skin (they don’t talk about that much).  Stabilizing may even mean I can get some new clothes that will fit me longer term.  I am glad I did not buy very many earlier on.

I signed up to take a new resting metabolic rate (RMR) test in another few weeks so I will have a more accurate picture of my normal calorie burn without exercise.  It will help some with the math I think.  I wanted to wait until my weight stabilized before doing it again, as larger bodies burn more calories than smaller ones at the same activity level so your RMR keeps changeing with your weight.  At this point it probably won’t tell me much that I don’t already know, but it is free for program participants who reach their “goal weight” and free is good.  I can go one morning with delayed caffeine in order to take the test.  For the test, you breathe into a tube which then calculates the calories you burn while resting.

I  got sick this week.  Nothing serious, just a bad cold, but it definitely slowed me down on my exercise routines.  I thought of applying the old adage of “feed a cold and starve a fever” but decided not to stuff myself and instead have been drinking a lot of soup, herbal tea, and liquid cold medicine at night, “so I can sleep” as the commercial says.   That and rest seems to be doing the trick. I fly off to a conference in Arizona soon.  Hopefully people on the plane won’t think I have the plague, which is not an unreasonable fear these days. Food will be a bit more complicated at the conference with shared meals, but again no worries.  This is all a habit for me by now.  I am really looking forward to the conference which is for retired Unitarian Universalist ministers and their partners.  Usually it has excellent programming and worship services and seeing old friends and colleagues is always wonderful.

L’Chaim!  This week’s stats: My Fitbit report shows 49574 steps last week for 20.9 miles.   I ate approximately 9618 calories and burned 12668 for a deficit of 3050. My average weight this week is up  .4 pounds from last week’s average for a total loss of 163.5.

Daily Bread #97

I guess maybe I am a shadow of my former self….

And better in so many ways.  I went on a actual hike this week, only a couple of miles, but it was my first time on an actual trail with my new knee.  The weather was glorious and the knee held up just fine.  I am still trying to take a bit easy every other day so as not to over stress it again.

I need to renew my passport – one never knows these days if one will have to leave the country quickly.  The Nazis put people like me in camps so the descent of our country into fascism makes me nervous on a very deep level.  Then again, we also like to travel and have a trip to Europe planned next fall.

Since it is a passport renewal, I should only need to mail the old one in with current pictures and, of course, a fee.  It was startling to see the difference in my two pictures taken ten years apart.  I am concerned that they will think I am a completely different person, maybe a cousin of the old me.  I called the 800# and asked about it, but the man who answered said it shouldn’t be a problem.  We will see.  I sent in a copy of my drivers license with the renewal so at least they can see an official picture of me at an “in-between” weight.  My smile is the same in all 3 pics anyway.

It is important to keep smiling no matter what happens.  It is joy and laughter that gets us through the challenges of life.

L’Chaim!  This week’s stats: My Fitbit report shows 57110 steps last week for 23.4miles.   I ate approximately 11074 calories and burned 13674 for a deficit of 26004. My average weight this week is down .6 pounds from last week’s average for a total loss of 163.9.

Daily Bread#96

I was a little worried this week because our daughter gave us a wine and chocolate tasting for Anne’s birthday.  No worries as it turned out – it was fabulous, but there wasn’t all that much chocolate or wine involved.  It fit well with my new lifestyle – a taste is enough.  Savoring the flavors of food and drink – and life itself – the warm sun, the colors of the sky, the pleasures of friendship and good company are all so wonderful in themselves.  There is no need to overdo any of it.

I did my favorite walk this week for the first time since my knee surgery.  Roughly 7000 steps downhill to the local marina and back uphill home.  It felt good, and the knee is still doing well.

My weight seems to have stabilized and I have been hovering in the same 1-2 pound range every day for the last 2-3 weeks.  This may be where I end up which is just fine.  I am having fun and enjoying life.  I feel healthy and strong.  I am trying not to let the fact that a criminal president will stay in office bring me too far down.

This song (Lead with Love) helps me keep my courage up.

L’Chaim!  This week’s stats: My Fitbit report shows 54965 steps last week for 23.2miles.   I ate approximately 10374 calories and burned 13608 for a deficit of 3234. My average weight this week is down .1 pounds from last week’s average for a total loss of 163.3.