Here's To Our Health in 2022, Part II

Wow, has the response to this thread idea been phenomenal! Thank you all for taking part and even more importantly, being proactive in your health journey! Let's continue to uplift and encourage each other!

>1 alcottacre: And it is surely helping a goodly number of us.

Just broken my fast with a nice chicken sandwich.

Happy New Thread, us!

>2 PaulCranswick: I am so glad that it is helping! I know that in my case, just having the daily end of day reports with the number of steps and how I am eating for the day is making me accountable, something that I need to do.

End of day report -

Steps today: 17,113 (6.92 miles)

Food today: I did pretty well despite the Impossible Whopper and small fries at lunch. I had plenty of veggies (broccoli, caulilflower, lettuce, tomatoes) thanks to vegetables for breakfast and a Veggie Power bowl for dinner.

I am giving Noom a try, and hopefully I will be feeling better next week and can up my exercise. : )

Ooh, new thread. Well, I haven't properly committed to a plan of action yet and the graph on my scales meanders between flat and very slightly down. On Friday I returned to volunteering with Riding for the Disabled (we've had a lot of time off because of covid) which usually gives me about 30-45 minutes brisk walking (occasionally also pulling a horse) but my rider this week doesn't hold on so (as I was leading the horse) I actually had to walk more slowly and keep the horse from forging ahead. Despite that, I am now aware of muscles in my legs that I didn't know existed - although the arm exercises seem to be paying off because I really thought I would feel that the next day but I haven't (yet!).

The kids are still on holiday so we're all taking it very easy, especially as my husband has been working from home - even though he's cloistered in one room it feels very relaxed. Time, I think, to start getting back into routine.

I haven’t been posting as my mother was admitted into the hospital last monday. She had pneumonia, is doing a bit better, but very confused and having problems eating. We are visiting every afternoon and evening (family together) as thanks to the Covid epidemic nurses don’t have enough time for properly helping her eat. 😒
You can understand how stressful this is at the moment. It’s been hard to take good care of my own health, though I am trying to take time for walking.

Keep up the good work everyone, you are still an inspiration.

I’m still exercising three times a week, but not always on the treadmill - we moved furniture around to get ready to paint our bedroom yesterday. Apple Watch still says I met my time and calorie goals for the day, though!

Happy new thread to all of us! This was a brilliant idea, Stasia. We're all benefiting.

>7 EllaTim: Ella, I'm sorry about your mother's pneumonia and subsequent confusion and eating problems.

>7 EllaTim: Oh, so sorry about your mother's pneumonia. I hope the confusion lifts as she gets better.

Today I ate early because of a scheduled walk from 33rd St. and 8th Ave in Manhattan, up the west side of the island to 125th St., for those sturdy enough to make it. I was waylaid by a broken blister, but still pleased to see I made it to 100th St! Didn't think I'd get there. By the time I got home, I'd clocked 14000 steps. Whew!

And I did observe, after a light eating day yesterday, that I started off below 136 for only the second time this year. Hold that line!

I think I have something called patellofemoral pain syndrome (a.k.a. runner’s knee). I am definitely not a runner but I started having the symptoms when I was a teenager - and I danced back then. It means my knees hurt like #&$! whenever I sit down for longer periods of time. And I sit down nearly all day long.
I’ve started doing a couple of exercises a physics therapist suggested some years ago (she said I have weak muscles in my knees which I suspect is part of the problem). I’ve been doing them for the past three days and my legs are SO SORE! I’ll keep doing them and see if it makes a difference, and maybe adding a few exercises suggested online. If it doesn’t get better I’ll have to get some medical help, which I’m not too keen on during there covid times. But I can’t keep going like this - my knees hurt so much this week that I could hardly get any work done.

Regarding my steps things have been going better than than I thought they would. Being back at work full time after the holidays means a lot of sitting down (I have a desk job and work from home, I barely move all day). But I’ve been getting up and pacing around the room now and then and I’ve made a point of going for a walk during my lunch break so I’ve managed to hit my 10 000+ steps every day, and even managed to hit a record of 13 000+ steps on Thursday- the day I thought was going to be the toughest.
We’ll see what next week brings, as it’s full of meetings and I can’t get up and walk around then.

On my “walk to Venice” I’ve made it about halfway to my parents’s house. If I keep this pace I’ll probably be in the vicinity of out summerhouse next week. This first part of the “journey” is not terribly interesting as it’s just the same road I normally travel. It’ll be more exciting when I’ve passed Stockholm, and definitely when I’ve made it abroad (but that’s not until the second half of the journey).

>4 alcottacre: Wow that step count keeps amazing me!

My intermittent fasting safely survived the weekend and Belle's birthday. It will soon be my lifestyle permanently perhaps as it can't really be fasting if I am doing it all the time right?

>12 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. Congratulations on surviving Belle's birthday! I wish I could say that I did as well for Catey's :)

>7 EllaTim: I am so sorry to hear this, but glad you are able to visit her. (So many medical institutions seem to have been restricting visitors.)

I'm crossing my fingers that she recovers.

End of day report (yes, I know it is early):

Steps today - Complete and utter failure. I was on my way, but then I had an appointment for my booster shot and it completely knocked me out - I slept for almost 5 hours after getting it and feel like a truck ran over me.

Food today - I did well today as far as fruits and veggies go. Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans - and then a multitude of vegetables in the leftover Vegetable Soup for lunch. I had Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas for dinner. Stuck to plan with food today!

>7 EllaTim: I'm sorry to hear that. I hope your mum is doing better.

I'm not someone who cooks every day and I'm not good at planning ahead. And, as I said, I want to do something I can maintain. We tend to have dinner as our main meal because that's when everyone is at home at the same time but I want to try and change that, at least during holidays. So last night was a chicken satay salad for dinner and today's lunch was roast chicken with a roast butternut squash salad (both salads from the same book as the Lebanese salad in the previous thread).

Only, I had to send my son out to the mini-supermarket down the road for the salad ingredients and he couldn't get butternut squash but came back with something labelled 'golden melon'. Fortunately, when we opened it up, it did look like it's from the pumpkin/ squash family but I overcooked it a bit and it ended up more like a mash. Still tasted nice, though. Oh - and I did take Jasper out for a quick walk while the chicken was in the oven. So, a reduction in carbs (I think?) - and I may have to skip my traditional choccy digestive today because I'm still full from lunch :0/

Planning on trying a yoga class today and hoping to drag at least one son along - so I'm off!

I am doing a meditation course via the Ten Percent Happier app. It is focused on intuitive eating as promoted by Christy Harrison. It is fascinating to listen to her talk about rebuilding our relationship to food. Based on her conversations with Dan Harris and her guided meditations, I may add her book to the TBR list: Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating.

After wrenching my back putting Christmas rubbermaids in the basement cubby hole in early January, I'm finally back to Yoga with Adriene and her new (as of January first) MOVE- a 30 Day Yoga Journey. Hopefully, I'm on the right track with no more back pain.

Hang in there everybody, trying is half the battle!

>18 Carmenere: After having a wry neck six times in a seven months, I haven’t had any since I started doing Yoga with Adriene every day 16 months ago.

>19 PawsforThought: That's great news! I love her because she doesn't force poses or shame the viewer. She recognizes that we all issues and is just happy we tune in to give it a try.

>20 Carmenere: Yeah, she’s an angel. I recommend her to anyone who wants to try yoga, and especially people who aren’t used to it or have issues they need to work around.

>21 PawsforThought: & >20 Carmenere: I love Yoga with Adriene!! I never thought I could do yoga until I found her. I have had back pain in the past and when I found her it helped me so much. And even when I have days of an achy back or my hip and I just do some of her videos for those areas and I feel so much better!

I haven't checked in here regularly like I wanted to. I have been trying to reach a step goal of at least 5,000 steps a day. I haven't been making it on the weekends but most of the weekdays I have been hitting it.

I plan to get back to the gym this week. I had been exposed to Covid over the holiday and also while at work so I have been avoiding going out in public too much if I didn't have to.

End of day report:

Steps today - Unlike the last 2 days in which I have been mainly sleeping due to the effects of the booster shot, I made my steps today - 17, 151 (6.93 miles)

Food today - After 2 days of eating not a lot, I did well today with my fruits and veggies. Blueberries in my Blueberry Oat Groats, tons of veggies in my leftover Vegetable Stew (mushrooms, potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic) and more veggies in my Mushroom Enchiladas.

However, when I woke up this morning and weighed myself, I found I had gained 2+ pounds overnight. How is that possible when for 2 days i was basically sleeping, had diarrhea, and was not eating a bunch? It makes no sense to me at all! The only thing I can think of is that I was not getting any exercise other than walking to the kitchen and the bathroom.

>24 alcottacre: It's always a puzzle to me too. And I also have had a hiatus from walking, because of this huge broken blister on my ankle. I can just about get my shoe on to run local errands (very local). It's getting better, but really slowly. And I'm up a pound or two. I'll do more video exercises today, which I can do barefoot.

>24 alcottacre: and >25 ffortsa: I was told to start weighing myself every day after I came home from the hospital, something I have never done. I am still not doing it, but am getting weighed 3x a week at rehab, where I've actually started looking at the scale when they weigh me, and at home, where I have my delta scale, which only shows how much gained or lost since the point where you set it to zero. I'm good with this - it's 'way' more (get it? ha!) than I've ever weighed myself and keeps me from fretting.

>25 ffortsa: If you can find hydrocolloid bandages at your pharmacy they are perfect for helping blisters heal more quickly while protecting the wound. Most recently I treated a nasty burned area on the back of my hand and fingers and I was able to use the hand normally and it healed cleanly and very quickly.

>25 ffortsa: >26 karenmarie: Well, when I weighed myself this morning, I had lost the 2 pounds that I supposedly gained, lol. Crazy!

End of day report:

Steps today - 17,536 (7.03 miles)

Food today - I did not do as well on fruits and veggies today as I would have liked. I had leftover Blueberry Oat Groats - the recipe I make allows for 4 servings - so I had blueberries and lunch was a Japanese sweet potato along with 12-ounce packages of both broccoli and cauliflower. Dinner was a Black Bean Soup, but there were hardly any vegetables in it, only onions and garlic, and I did not have any veggies alongside.

>27 quondame: Thanks, I'll look for them. this is taking forever to heal, and it's just at the point where pressure is impossible to avoid.

Had my weekly weigh in this morning and I have trimmed off another three pounds this week.
Overall I have gone from 124 kgs (273 lbs) on 1 January to 117 kgs (257 lbs) in three weeks - a loss of 7 kgs or 16lbs.

Not too shabby but I am a little bit disappointed as I had hoped to be 2kgs lighter by this stage.

Intermittent fasting still maintained comfortably.

Happy weekend, everyone. I have one of Leslie Ransome's videos ready to pick up at the library and I am excited to try yoga with Adriene. I need to move. I even broke out some of my old hip PT exercises and they felt really good.

End of day report:

I suffered all day with sinuses, so unfortunately I did not make my 16,000 steps today. I only got in 13,355 (5.33 miles).

Food was pretty good today - until dinner time. I let my husband pick what we ate for dinner tonight and he wanted pizza. *sigh* Pizza is my downfall!

I'm enjoying everyone's comments and think I will join in, too.

Since the snow fell in mid December I have been doing a lot of nothing. It's been very icy outside and with the uptick of Covid in this area, I have been staying in a lot, struggling with getting the outside horse chores done each day, and watching the house get messier and messier.

I need at least 10 minutes/1 mile on my exercise bike each day to keep my knee mobile - it also has arm movements like an eliptical.

I've also been relying mostly on packaged dinners instead of cooking.

I'll start with those two. Hopefully, I'll lose a bit of weight and feel more motivated to do house cleaning and decluttering.

And hoooray! Just having the very slightly longer days and the ice melting is making me feel more upbeat.

>33 streamsong: Welcome, Janet! Glad to have you join us!

End of day report:

Steps today: I was able to get my 16,000 steps in today, which is difficult for me to do on Saturdays since Kerry is home. I got in 17,514 (7.06 miles)

Food today: I did well today with my food. Blueberries, salad fixings (mixed greens), broccoli, and cauliflower all hit my plate today. I also splurged a little and had some guacamole, which I love but try not to eat overmuch.

Last week was a serious problem with knees. I went to a walk-in ortho clinic, thank goodness it was only a $25/copay. The PA diagnosed arthritic flare, not unexpected since I've been using a treadmill 3x a week since early december. Had x-rays of both knees and got steroid shots in both knees. Miracle of miracles, no cortisone flare, and by that night was almost pain free. There were some interesting results from the x-rays.

Here's what I posted on my thread: in March (of 2021) I had an x-ray of my right knee. The tech and my GP thought it was a loose body, the Dr. of Osteopathic Medicine interpreted it as a fabella. I then had cortisone shots, meloxicam, celebrex, and hyaluronic acid injections on both knees, none of which worked. More x-rays in August, no indication of a loose body. Now, the PA has interepreted today's x-rays as a loose body in my right knee. I'll have to get in touch with her Monday to see what this may or may not mean. I'm going to be really pissed if the DO misdiagnosed me and some of the pain in my right knee could have been alleviated with arthroscopic surgery last August.

But on the upside I've lost another pound or so.

>36 karenmarie: That would be highly annoying, Karen, if that previous doctor misdiagnosed you.
On the brighter side, ther might be a way to alleviate (some of) the pain.

Glad the steroid shots did help this time.

>29 ffortsa: My ankle finally felt comfortable enough for me to get on the treadmill, but at the 25 minute point it reminded me I hadn't gotten the hydrocolloid bandages yet, and I did a cool down and walked over to CVS. No damage done, just a case of the stupids. Glad to get moving again, though.

And while not walking, we celebrated my birthday at a favorite restaurant with prosecco, delicious bread, spicy seafood pasta (truly more seafood than pasta, but still...) and a comp chocolate dessert. The predictable happened, but I've been pretty good this weekend, so maybe all will be reasonably well by tomorrow.

Karen, I hope the medical profession finds reasonable solutions to your knee problems. Pain is very debilitating, and it would be great if you could get rid of it permanently.

Stasia, your walking continues to amaze me.

I wanted to share a couple of our new favorite vegetarian meals: this farro with greens and tahini sauce - we make this exactly as is, except I use an entire (5 oz, I think) clamshell of "power greens" (spinach, kale, and something else). It's delicious.

The other is the quinoa and roasted veggie grain bowl. I made this with broccoli instead of broccolini, cauliflower, parsnips, and turnip. I love roasted Brussels sprouts but the sprouts didn't look very good. Also I could not find decent-looking sauerkraut so we left it off.

>39 AMQS: Thanks for sharing those, Anne! I eat exclusively vegetarian & vegan meals and am constantly on the lookout for something new to try.

The past week was tough, as I knew it would be. It was jam-packed with meetings, which not only takes a mental toll but also forces me to sit town a lot for long periods of time, which is a nightmare on my knees. And it's also made it difficult to go for my daily mid-day walk and get my 10000+ steps in. But I did it. I've gone for a walk every day and I've walked more than 10 000 steps every day. Some days I did it by pacing back and forth between the bedroom and hallway before bedtime.
I didn't keep up with my exercises regarding knee strength, however ( I guess I should be calling it physical therapy because that's what it is, really). I need to get better at that because I could immediately feel that it was hurting more when I hadn't done them for a couple of days.

On my walk to Venice, I have walked another 38 km adding up to a cumulative 108 km overall. I have now officially reached my parents' house (virtually, that it). If I keep going at this pace I'll reach Venice one year from now - but the plan is to reach it no later than the end of the year, and preferably before that. But I'm usually more active during the warmer months so I should be able to kick my daily step count up when the snow melts and the sun stays up longer.

I fear I over-indulged this week. At my weigh-in this morning, I had gained, rather than lost, pounds this week. I'm distressed and depressed about this and vow to persevere to lose 2 lbs this week . .

I actually got up early today and did a video stretch class for the first time. Kept me away from the refrigerator with its siren song. Then two appointments back to back, and I didn't get home to eat until 2:30. That would have been great if I hadn't gone to the deli to get my favorite coconut and chocolate macaroon afterward. Oh well, dinner was very light. Maybe I'll get rewarded tomorrow.

The hydrocolloid bandage is really comfortable, and I think the ankle blister is almost ready for prime time. I clocked 5800 steps today just going from one appointment to another, and only felt the blistered area late in the evening. I recommend that bandage to anyone who needs to shelter a small wound - and it's see-through! On the shelf at CVS, no problem.

I was out and about today. Three libraries, a Party City (no interesting balloons have arrived since I last looked) and TJs. So for me that was a lot of activity. I picked up green beans, cauliflower, cucumbers, and celery to have some vegetables in the house and even ate a cucumber.

End of day report:

Steps today - 17,557 (7.11 miles), making my goal of 16,000 steps

Food today - Lots of veggies today including broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans and sweet potatotes

I weighed the same today as I did last Monday, but I am still down 8 pounds since I started.

>43 ffortsa: Hydrocolloid plasters (bandages) are great. I always make sure I have a couple in my on-the-go-apothecary (a small purse I keep in my handbag or backpack) wherever I go.

>39 AMQS: Thanks for that recipe. It looks great!

My mum is doing better, going to a nursing home today. Maybe temporary, it depends on how she’ll be doing. I hope she likes it.

I am trying to make a habit of walking every day. Not aiming for doing too much, but for a steady daily habit. Aiming for 3000 steps. (Backpain is making walking more difficult).

>47 EllaTim: Glad to hear that your mother is doing better, Ella. I hope she does not have to stay in the nursing home long.

When I started out walking, I was trying for 6000 steps a day. 3000 is a good start! Back it down if you need to. The big thing is just doing it.

I reached my step goal today and I went to the gym after work! I felt good after my gym visit. I plan to go again tomorrow after work. So far my steps are 6, 039. I am heading to bed so not sure what my final total will be. Today was a behind the desk at work day so I was afraid I wouldn't reach my goal of 5,000.

I will get on the scale tomorrow morning. I am trying to weigh myself once a week and on Wednesday since it is the middle of the week.

The reading on the scales finally started slipping downwards for me although my interactive scales didn't talk to my tablet for a few days so I didn't get the analysis. I have finally! come back to the weight I was when I first started using the scales in May; there was a sudden spike for no reason I could identify around July but even after it came down, my weight was higher than it had been previous to that.

I've put a couple of salads on the table for dinner but I've got to balance the nutritional needs of my 13 year old - although he's happy to copy his 18 year old brother who is watching his weight and eats quite sparsely. (Mind you, the 18yo often compensates with a fast food binge - but he's done well getting trim over the last few months).

The weird thing is, though my weight is going down, my body fat percentage initially went down but now seems to be going up. I do need to pick up on the exercise front; this week has been a bit slow because my leg got hurt but the arm exercises do seem to be having an effect.

My knees are not getting any better, rather they're getting worse. Previously they've only really hurt when I've been sitting down, especially for longer periods, and when I've got up and moved around it's stopped hurting. But it hurt all day yesterday and it's hurting today. It's hurts less when I move (or lie down) but it never quite goes away.
I think I'll have to call the health centre tomorrow and try to get an appointment with a physical therapist or something. This isn't normal. I worry that it might be some form of arthritis, which runs in the family (as does several other autoimmune disorders that are connected with joint problems).

>51 PawsforThought: Paws, I'm really sorry about your knees. I do hope you can get x-rays or other diagnostic measures, which should give an accurate diagnosis. Once you know via diagnosis what's wrong with your knees, the appropriate therapies can be given.

And on a separate note, I've lost 20 lbs since my heart attack in November. I am continuing with rehab. My BP is good, especially with the low-sodium diet. My energy levels are up and down.

I don't know whether it was the 80 mg of atorvastatin or just continuing degeneration of my knees due to arthritis, but it reached a head a week ago when I could hardly walk without Bill's Grandmother's old cane, and I went to a walk in ortho clinic affiliated with my hospital/doctors. I got a steroid shot in each knee and the improvement was dramatic and almost 100%. Sometimes steroid shots take a while to kick in, but not this time. It's making my cardio rehab treadmill workouts much, MUCH easier.

>52 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. I do hope they can figure out what’s going on.

And well done on losing 20 lbs! Sorry to hear you were in so much pain but thank goodness the steroid shots worked so fast.

>53 karenmarie: All the treadmill time they've had you put in can't be good for your knees however much your heart needs the activity. Don't those people have an elliptical trainer? It makes a huge difference. If they destroy your ability to walk it won't do your circulation any good at all.

I am checking in to see how everyone is doing. Glad to see the movement of the scale for some! Also glad to see all the activity we are all trying to do!!

>53 karenmarie: Awesome job on the 20 lbs. down! I am glad to see you are doing better after your heart attack.

>51 PawsforThought: I hope you get help with your knees and they are able to figure out what is going on.

I went to the gym 3 days in a row this week! I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and then did some strength exercises. I feel so good after doing this.

I read an article today about thyroid disease. I have Hashimotos and I learned that January is Thyroid Awareness month! It was an interesting article. I learned a few things about all the different thyroid issues people can have. I also learned that it is more common among women than men.

Cheering everyone on! Yay, Karen! Yay, Nina! Yay, Monica!

Sorry that I am not getting my steps in this week. Stupid COVID.

>56 crazy4reading: And now that January is almost over, I am now aware that it is Thyroid Awareness month. I'm hypo, which may account for my laid-back-ness.

Sorry to hear about the knees. I can empathise, though apparently I don't have any medical issue. It is in my dad's family but my GP only advised me to lose weight - a bit swings and roundabouts, that, since I look for exercises that don't impact the knees but you need them even for just walking.

>56 crazy4reading: Thank you. I have an appointment on Monday so we'll see what they say.

>55 quondame: According to what I read (I think one of the articles was from Healthline) walking is not more taxing on the knees than using an elliptical. Running and jogging are of course more taxing, but walking is encouraged - treadmill or not.

>54 PawsforThought: and >59 PawsforThought: Best wishes, Paws! Thanks re the weight loss, and I’m beyond grateful that I can walk without pain again.

>55 quondame: They do have elliptical trainers, ones that you sit down on. I keep meaning to ask them about trying one but keep forgetting. I just made a cell phone reminder to myself and it will go off when I am there on Monday. Thanks, Susan!

>53 karenmarie: 20 lbs! That's terrific.

>59 PawsforThought: Mike, who has had knee issues for decades and now has recovered from his knee replacement surgery, prefers the elliptical. You never pick up and put down your feet, so the impacts just don't happen.

>53 karenmarie: That is great, Karen.

I am pleased to report that my weight has fallen from 124 kgs on 1 January to 115.5 kgs today or from 273 to 254 (19 lbs). I am keeping up the intermittent fasting without any fails and have still not eaten any cakes, cookies, processed foods, carbonated drinks, potato/corn chips or ice cream in 2022.

I feel so much more energetic and I enjoy the walk to work now instead of dreading it. My aim is still to lose 42 kgs in 2022 (20+22 =44) which would take me down to 82 kgs a loss in total of 93 lbs (273 lbs to 180 lbs). I am 20% there.

Congrats, Paul!

...
Well, the low-sodium buttermilk biscuits I made this morning were chewy rather than tender and flaky. I'll be creating my own low-sodium self-rising flour and trying my regular buttermilk biscuits recipe sometime soon.

I successfully created a low-sodium version of my Vegetable Beef Soup that pleased both of us, and I'm looking forward to having more for supper tonight.

>63 PaulCranswick: Gosh, that's dedication; if I'd lost 8.5 kg, I'd be most of the way towards my goal. I'm going with a more gentle approach, though I'm finding that by not 'forbidding' myself things like, say, ice cream I don't crave them and then if I think about having them I can say 'It'd be nice to have but I don't NEED to have it ... and the scales have (generally) been moving downwards so it's not a lost cause' and I usually manage to persuade myself out of gratuitous calories.

Well, my scales tell me that I'm back down to where I was when I started using the scales with their corresponding app in May last year after a sudden blip in about July for no rhyme or reason I could find. I've put a few salads on the table this week - although my husband has countered by bringing home a lot of fast food. The upshot has been the scales wavering slightly up and down with the trend (hopefully) down. Dinner today was 'rescued roast vegetable soup'; I roasted a heap of veggies that were looking a bit bedraggled and blitzed them (I tend to get enthusiastic about buying vegetables to eat healthily but don't follow up by using them) to make a quite filling soup. The upside has been to increase our veg and decrease our meat which is a direction I've been wanting to move my family's nutrition in (again, against strenuous resistance from hubby - who thinks that if there are potatoes and eggs on the table they count as the vegetable component).

ETA >64 karenmarie: I've been watching the Great British Bake Off 2021 (which finally reached me this month - I shall be watching the final in a few minutes): did you overwork the dough? use enough shortening? Don't mind me; my cooking expertise is such that I'm chuffed to bits that dinner last night was Caesar salad with a dressing that I made from scratch ... and my husband said was very tasty!

>65 humouress: I know that back and forth on the scale very well! Also, I'm interested in your rescued roast vegetable soup. Do you include any raw veggies, or only one that you cook? I really need to do that, although it will probably be for my (experimental) lunch until I get it to where I like it spiced.

Well, I've been in pain this week, but fortunately it hasn't had a negative impact on my walking since moving make it hurt less. I'm not walking quite as much as I'd like to, but I'm making sure to always hit at least 10 000
steps every day.
Feeling good otherwise, and today is the last day of 30 Days of Yoga on the Yoga with Adriene Youtube channel. This year has been one of my favourite 30 Days of Yoga so I'm feeling a little sad about that, but there will still be daily yoga. The theme for February is Blossom.

I've walked 37,5 km this and have now made it past the national park in my virtual walk to Venice. This means I've made it about 1/4 of the way from home to Stockholm. Or, 7% of the total way.

Update re: knees.

I've been to the physiotherapist, who could see no indication of rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis (phew!). Apparently I have "nice and soft joints".
The issue seems to be some form of irritation behind the patella. She gave me some movements to try, and commended me on doing exactly the right thing in walking a lot and trying to get up and move around regularly during working hours.
I have a new appointment in two weeks - we'll see what happens then.

>68 PawsforThought: Sounds like a big relief, Paws! I hope you can now fix the issue, with her help.

>62 quondame: I like the elliptical trainer as well. It is very easy on the joints, and the back. But at the moment I’m avoiding the fitness centre, I don’t want to get infected.

>62 quondame: and >69 EllaTim: I'm resolved to try out the elliptical trainer at rehab today, even have the alarm set on my cell phone for it! I've timed it to be just about the time I walk into the treadmill/elliptical room. Since I'm now taking my cell phone and ear buds to use while on the treadmill, I'll definitely hear it!

>69 EllaTim: Yes, it's a big relief. I hope it'll get better with this. But knowing that my job is directly having a negative impact on my physical health is definitely fueling my search for a different job.

>66 ffortsa: I didn't include any raw veggies in my soup.

I had half of something that was labelled 'golden melon' which looks very pumpkin-like and a lot of different types of tomatoes so I adapted a recipe I googled (and turned out to be a subscriber's recipe on Nigella.com), adding in other vegetables (actually, I think only carrots) that needed to be used up. Essentially I just spread them all on an oven tray, added a red onion (cut into 8 wedges), about 6 cloves of garlic and a couple of rosemary sprigs, sprinkled with olive oil and roasted them for about half an hour and then (in my case, the next day) took the skins off the garlic cloves and pumpkin slices, removed the rosemary and blitzed it in the blender (and reheated it in a pan). It was a bit thick so I thinned it down with some stock.

I really liked it but it wasn't a huge hit with the kids. My older boy is on a bit of a health kick so I think he appreciated it a bit more - or at least the effort I put in. You can spice it up, of course, but I like the flavour of roast vegetables and garlic anyway and adding stock gave it enough saltiness.

>68 PawsforThought: Yay!

ETA: link.
Oh - just realised the original recipe called for 2 pints of stock but I probably used no more than half a litre in the end. Depends what texture you like your soup, really.

>39 AMQS: Farro is such an interesting grain, Anne! My daughter-in-law introduced me to it recently. I then tried it in a recipe I found and liked it. I'd never even heard of it before. :D

>53 karenmarie: Karen, I am thoroughly surprised at the low sodium diet. Since my husband had his heart attack in october, 2021, I've also been following that diet since I cook for him. I have diagnosed white coat syndrome (a blood pressure that spikes whenever going into a medical office. Seriously.) My blood pressure which usually runs in the 120s and 130s systolic has been running in the 100s and 110s to the point that I sometimes even have orthostatic hypotension upon rising in the morning. I'm not complaining. I rise with care and delight in seeing those lower blood pressure numbers as my mom had hypertension, her sister had a stroke, and my paternal grandmother died of a stroke before I was born.

I freaked out in the beginning of this low sodium diet because everythign tasted terrible without salt. Now I no longer avoid salt, but I cut it way down and actuall measure the sodium content of foods as I cook so I can keep the sodium content less than or about 500mg per meal (with another 500mg allotted for snacks) . That works so much better. I've now gone back to my recipe cards and started revising the ingredients in my favorite recipes. We're going back to eating the foods we love! :D

My husband has arthritic knees as well. However, unbeknownst to us, he also suffered from gout (which I suspected from his once complaining of toe pain). At one point he, too, was hobbling on a cane. However, with omission of trigger foods (red meat, red, wine, turkey, etc.) and addition of ten cherries a day, his knees are fine. Now he complains of hip pains when he's out on his cardiac rehab walks! It's always something! :)

>73 SqueakyChu: It is interesting, isn't it? I had seen it before but hadn't really known what to do with it. Then it was on the menu for my brother's wedding, and I was hooked. We'll be having the farro with greens and tahini tonight.

The past two nights we've had a sweet potato hash I've been fiddling with since eating one at a restaurant in PA while on a college visit. Components of the hash (highly customizable, of course):
Roasted sweet potatoes - I cut into 1/2 pieces and roast at 425 for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. I toss with a little olive oil, and whatever seasoning grabs me. This weekend it was smoked Spanish paprika, a little bit of chipotle powder for some heat, a little brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. I use 3-4 sweet potatoes.
Caramelized onions - I usually do 1 red and 1 yellow. Slow-cook on the stove while the sweet potatoes are roasting. Saute in a little olive oil, add salt and a little sugar after about 10 minutes, and continue sautéing until soft and brown, adding water if the pan gets too dry.
Chicken-apple sausage - we use Aidell's. Brown in skillet after onions are done (and leave off if you want vegetarian).
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in water.

We toss this all together and serve over mixed greens (lightly dressed if desired), then top with a little crumbled goat cheese, and some kind of toasted nut. Pecans are good, but this weekend we used pepitas.

>74 AMQS: That sounds great!

>74 AMQS: Could you just chuck the onions in to roast with the potatoes? In the interest of less effort and less washing up (you can see why I don't cook as much as I should).

>75 ffortsa: Thanks! Hope you enjoy and customize away!

>76 humouress: *mind blown* Yes, indeed! I googled it and sure enough! That should make things easier the next time I make it! What I'll do is roast them on a separate sheet. So together in the oven but not together in the pan. Thanks!

Updating since it's somehow February already:

Current weight: 175.4 pounds (down 4.6 from last month)
Current resting heart rate: 65 bpm (up 1)
Current fitbit "cardio fitness" estimate: 31-35 (up 1 from 30-34)
Current pants size roughly 16/XL (unchanged)

I haven't done a 5k recently, so I can't compare it to my previous time of 38:36. But I have gone to the gym a couple of times, so I can start tracking that instead/as well.

Leg press: 90 pounds plus whatever the weight of the sled is
Dumbbell bench press: 22.5 pounds
1-arm dumbbell row: 25 pounds

I've also continued to maintain my 10,000+ step streak uninterrupted since October 6.

I'm not losing weight as quickly as many of you, but I'm happy with my progress despite the slight increase in heart rate. The winter is always challenging, and even more so with the pandemic: I was basically hiding in the house for most of January, and only went back to the gym last week once I had resumed teaching in person anyway. So I'm glad I can still see some progress, and I think it should be sustainable.

>78 _Zoe_: Well done you! Losing weight is a marathon so better to go a bit slower but getting there in the end.

>73 SqueakyChu: I had my own variant of white coat syndrome, while undergoing cancer treatment last year. (The cancer is gone now, hopefully never to return.)

Every time I went in for an infusion, I had a high blood pressure reading, before they'd started anything. Every time I went in for anything else .. a consult or some such .. my blood pressure reading was at its normal decently low level.

That was the first time I ever heard of white coat syndrome - one of the medical people suggested it on the first or second bad reading, given that I had nothing similar in my history.

>80 ArlieS: White Coat Syndrome is very interesting. I don't think my doctor believed me that my blood pressure was normal at home. She ordered 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for me. It's an apparatus that I wore for 24 hours which checked my blood pressure every fifteen minutes. It verified that my blood pressure was normal at home. My blood pressure has spiked to over 180 systolic in medical offices...even when I felt that I was somewhat calm. It almost stopped my second cataract operation. They refused (rightly so) to take me into surgery with a blood pressure reading like that. I now use 4-7-8 breathing to bring it down. That really works. I tell whoever is monitoring my blood pressure to let me deep breathe before taking it so that I can get the reading under control.

I first used 4-7-8 breathing when I was suffering from anxiety during the onset of the pandemic. I use it whenever I feel my body react with a physical symptom of fear or anxiety. Again, it really works. I was able to bring my pre-surgery BP down from 181 systolic to 159 systolic in a matter of minutes with deep breathing alone. That allowed me to go into surgery!

>80 ArlieS: >81 SqueakyChu: I find the blood pressure cuff so painful that I'm sure it has some effect on the reading. I went in for a series of readings over about 1/2 hour and managed my breathing and relaxing as best I could and the readings were much lower.

>81 SqueakyChu: My GP measured my blood pressure in her office. It turned out rather high. She took a step back, and measured it again. Second attempt significantly lower. I’ve got severe white coat syndrome I guess, and most when they are standing too close, not giving me space. Fortunately she understood what was going on.

>82 quondame: >83 EllaTim: I have also found that people telling me to relax and deep breathe don’t cut it. I have to focus and do the breathing according to the counts in order for the 4-7-8 breathing to work effectively. It also helps me fall asleep. Since it’s only done four times in a row, the relaxation takes effect quickly. It’s basically engaging your parasympathetic nervous system to take over.

>82 quondame: I’m not sure why you are experiencing pain with a blood pressure reading. When the cuff compresses, it feels tight with pressure, but is not painful to me. Pain can definitely cause an increase in blood pressure.

Just checking in! I am still not up to 16,000 steps a day - right now I cannot even make 10,000 - but am hopeful that I will be able to do so in the next few days.

>84 SqueakyChu: I think it's fat arms requiring more pressure and my arms are riddled with small lipomas which can't help.

>86 quondame: That's rough to have pain during your blood pressure checks. That can't help the readings. :(

A gorgeous day in NYC and new boots - so I walked up to 40th St. to pick up my new glasses (old glasses, new lens), taking a somewhat roundabout path, and got more than 11,000 steps in. But my feet weren't happy. I may have to figure out some extra cushioning under the meditarsals that doesn't make the shoe too tight.

Still, got my steps in.

My November hospital stay required lots of BP checks, and for two of the four nights I spent there they kept the cuff on overnight and woke me up constantly by starting it remotely. That sucker was painful and disrupted my sleep almost as much as my bad back in the horrible hospital bed.

Even today at rehab, for some reason the BP cuff was more than usually tight and painful.

Well, in the month of January my weight graph has fluctuated but with a general downward trend; if you take the specific values on 1st January and 1st February, there’s a difference (downwards!) of 1.2kg so it’s moving in the right direction without a drastic change but usually making good choices.

>90 humouress: Good going!

This is the first day in almost 2 weeks that I have felt "well," so I am hopeful of getting some steps in today. Not shooting for my usual 16,000 a day yet, but I am hopeful of 10,000 today.

>90 humouress: Sounds like you are on the right track, Nina! Good going!!

I think my knee pain is something that comes and goes because the past week has mostly been fine, even though I've been more still than the week before.

I have manged to walk quite a bit - more than 77 000 steps which equals a little under 39 km. This means I've walked a cumulative 185 km of the walk to Venice and have now gone passed our summerhouse.

This is most likely the last week I'll be working from home as restrictions are being lifted and we're probably going to go back to working on site from next week. My contract is being renewed and it's part of my contract to work on site (if restrictions allow) for 5 days a week. Since I have not yet found a place to live in the city I work, I have to commute and the combination of the commute and work means I'll have 12-13 hour days. I'm worried about what this will mean for my health since it'll be harder to walk around as much as I have been when working from home.

>93 PawsforThought: I hope you can find some place to live in the city that you work soon, Paws! That commute is a killer.

>94 alcottacre: Thank you!
The commute itself is fine - only an hour - but getting to and from town (I live in the 'burbs) when the bus schedule doesn't align with the train schedule is soul-deadening.

>95 PawsforThought: It sounds terrible!

Today my right bunion was getting obstreperous so I zapped with the suggested gout medication and it seems to be calming nicely. My thumb joints too. Maybe I should get more of that stuff.

End of day report:

Steps today: 12,591 steps (5.08 miles)

Food today: Lots of fruit and veggies today including broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, cabbage, onions, bananas, pineapple, baby spinach, oranges. Very pleased to be back in train after 2 weeks of disastrous eating since I did not cook while I was sick!

>95 PawsforThought: When I was growing up even if the schedules aligned, the buses didn't. You know that old saying about London buses: you get none for ages and then three come at once? Literally happened a few times - even though there was only one service that stopped at the station and the buses were supposed to be 20 minutes apart.

Well, it's good exercise? (We often gave up and walked.)

>99 humouress: I've grown up in (and still live in) a small town in a rural area, where buses are an afterthought. For a long time, it was impossible to get into town between about 3 in the afternoon on Saturday and around 6 in the morning on Monday. Then they gave us Saturday evening buses and Sunday buses. And then the Sunday buses were revoked again.
And everyone drives instead because you can't walk 30 km to go to the cinema.

When I lived in London the public transportation service felt like a dream!

>100 PawsforThought: I suspected it would be too far to walk. But (in keeping with the theme of the thread) it would be excellent exercise :0)

>101 humouress: Oh, it definitely would be. And if I had the time to walk that far, and the roads were pedestrian-friendly enough I wouldn't be opposed to it. I've walked to and from town a few times in the summer, and that's about 7 km each way.

Speaking of walking, I managed over 11,000 steps on Sunday in a lovely park walk, ending up with a Park Ranger tree id lesson. Food, not so good. I had a guest over yesterday and bought guest-y things to nibble on, which we did to excess, of course. I put the leftovers on the highest shelf in the kitchen, so that if I really want them I have to get out the ladder!

While organizing this weekend I found a pair of pants that I'd bought at the end of August, still with the tags on. They're now too big :D.

Fortunately the store has a generous 180-day return policy.

>104 _Zoe_: Well done you! Must be a very gratifying feeling to have such obvious proof of your progress.

>100 PawsforThought: There was no public transportation beyond school buses on the military base where I grew up. At least not for civilians. Of course the whole area wasn't large, and there was the town outside the gates which had some stores, and everything was within bicycling distance.
But we were more than 30 miles from any city. And I think Greyhound Bus was the only way to get to a city if you couldn't drive. I did that a few times as a college student and while I had my first job in LA.

I'm doing better on the eating front, as evidenced by the amount of frozen nukeables still in my freezer, 2 days before our every-three-week grocery delivery order. And the frozen entrees now tend to taste far too salty, and generally wrong; I guess I'm getting used to real food.

I've been experimenting with my new Instant Pot, and a supply of 16 varieties of legumes, ranging from some found in every grocery store, to others I couldn't resist ordering from a heirloom beans vendor.

I've had a couple of notable successes with bean soup/stews, but as I type this I'm eating beets and potatoes baked with garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Sweet by my sugar-avoiding pre-diabetic standards, and very yummy. Even my dog wants to eat them ;-)

{Edit to add: the dog won't be getting any. IIRC, garlic is on the "don't feed to dogs" list.}

I had the inspiration to only make 1/2 the tuna melt I usually do. Why didn't this occur to me before? Very good with sliced tomatoes. Maybe only eating 1/2 my delivery orders the last few times has cleared my head out.

So last night, my interactive scales said I'd lost 3kg - but they'd actually confused my younger son with me since we seem to be quite close in weight. He's going to get a shock the next time he uses them - his reading went up by 2.7kg :0) Usually it asks me to choose the name before it gives readings but I had to reset it for it to do that. So now I have a little downwards blip on the graph on my iPad.

We had leftovers from the tacos I'd made the previous day. I just had one and supplemented it with a salad which I cobbled together and added pine nuts, cashew nuts and a couple of crumbled tostadas for crunch together with a drizzle of kewpie dressing - very moreish. But then, because my husband had brought home a box of baklava from a pop-up because he knows I love it, I had dessert. Then again, that's my plan; good choices and allowing for the occasional treat.

And today I did a boxing trial class with my younger son. Of course, he doesn't want to do any more classes with his mum and he's really keen but it's something I might continue with (although not sharing a class with him). We learned the technique of two punches and then 'cooled down' with some fitness workouts like sit ups, which I've avoided for years but it was quite a good workout.

It has the added benefit of keeping the kids in line ... ;0)

Another long week at work but no real knee pain to speak of. I have a follow-up appointment with the physiotherapist tomorrow and want to talk to her about my feet, as she made a comment last time that threw me and made me think of something that hadn't crossed my mind before.
The weekend has been amazing and I managed to walk 12 000 steps every day Friday-Sunday and even managed to get over 14 000 steps on Saturday. If only I could have a weekend all the time... Altogether I've walked over 80 000 steps this week, which I think is a first.

I've walked another 40 km on my walk to Venice, and have now made it 225 km altogether. Another couple of weeks and I'll be halfway to Stockholm.

>111 PawsforThought: That’s great, Paws. Knees doing better, and your walking going so well. Your physiotherapist is really helping you?

>112 EllaTim: Well, she hasn’t done much as I’ve only seen her once and she couldn’t say exactly what the problem might be. I think it might be something that comes and goes because I’ve had bouts of knee pain before, but this was the longest. I was supposed to have a follow-up appointment tomorrow but she’s cancelled so it’s not until next week.

>113 PawsforThought: I saw my GP a few years ago for knee pain. One of my aunts has had knee replacement surgery so I thought it might be linked but it wasn't (thank goodness). He suggested some over the counter remedies, so I'm taking cod liver oil and glucosamine capsules. In my case, losing weight also helps.

Best of luck sorting out your issues.

I suspect I might be joining the knee pain association soon. I have no trouble walking, but going down stairs on some days is not fun. I should see someone about it.

>115 ffortsa: Oh, no! I don’t want anyone joining me. Do go and see someone about it if it doesn’t improve - early intervention is often key to living pain free.

>115 ffortsa: Going downwards was the last thing to improve for me, after I messed up my knees falling on cobblestones. So I can easily imagine it being an early warning sign of a new problem.

>115 ffortsa: I know how that feels. Don't lean forwards; keep your weight backwards and your head up. I did a theatre class for adults a few years ago and the teacher advised kind of starting a 'sitting' motion as you step. Does that make sense? Because it does help.

>115 ffortsa: I'll give that a try the next time I'm heading downstairs. Thanks.

Eek, the stories about knee pain are making me nervous! I did a quarter-marathon this past weekend (6.55 miles), and it was definitely more than my knees were ready for. They're feeling better now, but I hope I haven't done any lasting damage.

>118 humouress: Come to think of it, the advice may have been more for back than for knees but I think it does help. Whichever, I find bracing my core and keeping my weight centred helps.

>118 humouress: I've been told the same thing about walking downstairs/downhill. Keep your knees bent the whole time and lean slightly backwards.

>120 _Zoe_: I don't think you need to worry. Knees take a bit of a told from running (especially on asphalt and other hard surfaces so would recommend running on softer surfaces if possible) but unless you do the same kind of running on a regular basis they should heal and be better soon.
But hard surfaces are not great for the knees.
Well done on the half-marathon! I am such a poor runner than I can only dream of accomplishing something like that.

So my weight went below another kilo mark! I thought I should note it because chances are it'll swing up again, especially since I stood on the scales first thing in the morning instead of last thing at night, as I usually do.

Slow and steady ...

>123 humouress: Oh, I never weigh myself at night. Always first thing in the morning, for consistency. The scale was kind to me this morning, and I'll try not to mess it up with optimism!

A late update on last week.

I managed to walk my steps every day last week, despite being back at work. I still stake a walk during my lunch - otherwise it'd never work.
Altogether I walked a little over 37 km last week, making my total 262 km. This means I'm near the home of family friends and getting close to halfway to Stockholm.

I have a follow-up appointment with the physiotherapist tomorrow, and we'll primarily discuss my feet this time (I suspect they're partially to blame for the issue with my knees). We'll see what she says. I suspect I'll leave with new insoles, and wouldn't be surprised if I end up needing surgery when I get older.

>125 PawsforThought: Well done, Paws.

I hope you don’t need surgery! Looking at the way you move could help, couldn’t it? Pain in the knees could be linked to your feet, or your back for instance.

>126 EllaTim: I seem to be developing flat feet and hammer/mallet toes (it's genetic). Insoles will help with that but if it's enough - who knows? But if surgery ends up being needed, it's probably a fairly long way into the future. My mum and aunt (and probably more relatives) have the same thing and my aunt's had to have surgery. I'm fairly sure it's related to my knees, and probably also my worsened sense of balance (it's not terrible, but it used to be better, and considering that I do yoga every day with a lot of balancing poses, it shouldn't be getting worse).

Last week say the first time I failed to walk at least 10 000 steps every day since I started keeping count. On Thursday I only walked a bit over 8 000 steps, because I fell asleep while watching TV and when I woke up it was past midnight and I was so exhausted the idea of walking made be want to cry. So there's that. Otherwise I've been doing well. Altogether I walked over 38 km, and am making steady progress on my way down towards Stockholm. If my calculations are correct, I've walked a little over 14 % of the route to Venice. That pace will not see me reach the goal before the end of the year, but I'm pleased as it's still very wintery here and I'll be able to walk more once a) I've moved and don't need to commute and b) the snow is gone. I'm really looking forward to the warmer months and all the walking (and hiking) I'll be able to do.

Knee and foot update:
I saw the physiotherapist again on Wednesday and she wants me to continue the exercises I've been doing (well, somewhat doing) for my knees and we'll check in again in about 1,5 months. I haven't had as much pain lately and she wants to know if it's a temporary improvement or a result of the exercises. Foot-wise she wasn't concerned with my partially flat foot (it's apparently only one foot and only when I'm standing) nor my crooked toes but she reiterated that she's not a foot expert and if I wanted advise I should seek out a foot clinic. I may do that later. She did suggest another exercise for the foot, which is meant to strengthen the muscles and tendons (I think?) in the arch of the foot to keep it from collapsing. It's quite tiring.

>128 PawsforThought: That sounds mostly upbeat. Your warmer months do sound like something to look forward to.

My weight graph is still showing a downward trend, however slow. The fat percentage that the interactive scales show fluctuates a bit and doesn't tend to correlate with the days I do (more) exercise and from something my younger son said, I seem to have twice as much as he does. But then, I'm older and female so that makes sense. Really.

My BMI is rather higher than I want it, too, though I understand that it is a flawed measure. I'm hoping I'll grow taller (but I've been hoping that for a few decades now and I'm still waiting). But, since both my boys are out of action with pulled hamstrings, I'm walking the dog so that does help.

>129 humouress: A slow decrease is better than no decrease (and sometimes better than a fast decrease as very rapid weight loos can be dangerous).
And walks are great exercise, and I'm sure your dogs is very happy about that. I have an old and frail cat who usually doesn't venture beyond the front steps so I have to walk myself.

>128 PawsforThought: You’re doing great Paws! But that one day when you felt too tired, rest is good for the body as well! You can overtrain when you push yourself too much.

>129 humouress: Walking the dog is great exercise. I finally realized I do better when I don’t try to walk a distance in one go, but take shorter walks over the day, just like walking a dog, but I don’t have one.

On saturday I walked nearly 10.000 steps, a working day at the allotment. First really nice sunny day of the year. And I biked a small distance, yuck, I felt I had to drag the bike forward, is it my bike or what?

>131 EllaTim: Yeah, I definitely needed the sleep. There's a lot going on in my life right now, and combined with long days and well, the world, it's taking a toll. It'll get better with time.

Is there enough air in your tires? That's usually the problem for me. Or it could be that the wheels need a bit of oil. Maybe take it to get serviced? (I'm doing that with mine when the snow melts.)

>122 PawsforThought: Oh, it was only a quarter marathon! Half of a half. I hope I'll be healthy enough to do half marathons again one day, but I'm nowhere near that point yet.

Meanwhile, here's my monthly update:

Current weight: 174.4 pounds (down 1 from last month)
Current resting heart rate: 61 (down 4)
Current fitbit "cardio fitness" estimate: 32-36 (up 1 from 31-35)
Current pants size roughly 16/XL (unchanged)

Running: Quarter Marathon (6.55 mi) in 1:34:50. This is the longest I've done in ages, even if there was lots of walking involved, so I have nothing to compare it to.

Leg press: 130 pounds plus sled (up 40)
Dumbbell bench press: 25 pounds (up 2.5)
1-arm dumbbell row: 27.5 pounds (up 2.5)

For lifting numbers I'm using the best from any point during the month (and will do similar with running), whereas weight and fitbit numbers are from today. I went to the gym five times this month, and the most recent dumbbell rows were only with 25 pounds, but I think that's because I've been focusing on slow and controlled movements and I could lift more if I wanted to. I also haven't tried testing my one-rep max for any of these; they're all weights that I can use for a full set of 5-8.

So, it hasn't been a big month for weight loss, but I can definitely tell that I'm making progress in my overall fitness.

I did notice that one of my shirts was overly loose, so I bought a similar shirt in a size L rather than XL, even if most of my XL shirts still fit. And I bought a pair of L running shorts that are currently tight, but do fit, anticipating that they'll be the right size in a few months when it's time for shorts again. I'm keeping the tags on just in case, but I'm feeling encouraged.

>133 _Zoe_: Well, I can barely run around the house so it’s incredible to me either way.

And starting to drop dress sizes? That’s great! Even if the scale does show the same kind of change, remember that muscle mass weights more than fat so dress sizes is really a better measurement.

After having an absolutely awful February due to COVID, I am trying to get back on track so I have set a low step count to get back going again. For the next couple of weeks, I am going to try for 6000 a day on my way back up to 16,000. My step count today was 6,394 (plus a few more while my Fitbit was charging).

I also need to get back to eating correctly since I did not cook in February and I just got back from Las Vegas. Today went pretty well, so I am hoping to get some consistency there again.

I'm sadly looking forward to having my diet progress temporarily derailed thank to an upcoming routine colonoscopy. I'm supposed to spend 7 day avoiding not just seeds and kernels that could get caught in my large intestine and be mistaken for polyps, but fiber in general.

Prep week starts this Friday, so yesterday I made a huge pot of beans, barley, fennel, and spinach, with ground beef for added protein - basically a cross between a stew and a soup - and will be happily eating leftovers for the next 3 days.

But the week after that will involve foods I don't expect my body to appreciate. I feel healthier on lots of fiber, and anything with a high glycemic index encourages the pre-diabetes.

Well, I failed completely at getting even 6000 steps in today. Every time I walk around I get nauseated. I have no idea what is causing it, but at least the vomiting and diarrhea that I have had since last Friday are gone - I hope. I am almost afraid to say it.

Food wise, I did pretty well today, starting off with a green smoothie (Orange Julius: baby spinach, almond milk, oranges, banana), baked sweet potatoes with steamed broccoli for lunch, and then a stir fry (baby corn, red pepper, broccoli, shallots, garlic, ginger, cabbage, carrots, and brown rice) with tons of veggies for dinner.

>136 ArlieS: Arlie, I hope the colonoscopy goes well for you. The stew you fixed sounds wonderful!

A late update of last week.

I walked just under 80 000 steps, which means just under 40 km. The main reason for this is that I (and my mum) went on an extra-long walk on Sunday. The weather was lovely and despite it being that time of year, it wasn't very icy and slippery.

I'm still feeling some occasional pain in my knees, but I haven't been good at doing my exercises so I only have myself to blame.
And I'm incredibly tired. Commuting is really taking a toll.

>137 alcottacre: Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Being sick can be so gloomy.

>138 PawsforThought: and sorry to hear you are commuting. I don't think people who have commuted for years understand the physical drain it causes, which is why the Covid work-at-home arrangements were so eye-opening.

I picked up a friend after an endoscopy today, walking to the clinic and back, and managed to get in over 10,000 steps before 3PM. But my weight is going nowhere, even though I've been very careful about when and what I eat. Discouraged at the moment. Ideally, I'd like to lose another 20 lbs, but that might be unrealistic. I'd settle for another 12. The momentum has definitely stalled.

>139 ffortsa: Yep; the scales are definitely climbing again - and I only slacked a little bit, honest. Maybe it's an indication that I need to step it up a gear.

Since I have been sick since the end of January, I have managed to gain almost 10 pounds - no exercise and a lot of eating out have done me in, so today i decided to get after it again:

Steps today - 17, 395 (7.12 miles), which is over my daily goal of 16,000

Food today included 12 ounces each of broccoli and cauliflower for breakfast, Vegan Quinoa Porridge with Strawberries for second breakfast, and mushroom enchiladas with refried beans and Mexican rice for dinner. I did not have any lunch today as I was not hungry. Because it is my birthday, I had homemade Blueberry Cobbler for dessert - there is a minimal amount of fat in this particular recipe.

Last week wasn't a great week, walking-wise. On Saturday, I failed (for the second time) to reach my step goal, only got in just over 8 000 steps. My brother's family came over for the weekend so I couldn't just go off for a long walk by myself.
This meant I was below 70 000 steps for the week, which isn't good. I need to try to get more steps in every day or it'll be very difficult to reach my target, even if I do walk more in the summertime.
I've now walked a cumulative 374 km (ish). This means that halfway through next week I should have made it far enough that I'll no longer be in the North.

I'm still exhausted most days - it's a very stressful period at work - and the commuting isn't helping. Hopefully things will improve.

definitely time for me to re-commit to my fiitness program.
Did well in Jan.
Spent Feb in Florida where my husband seemed to want to try every one of about 40 restaurants on Amelia Island. We ate out usually once a day, but I balanced that with walking and biking most days.
Home again in March with the novel situation of having my niece and family and dog staying with us while their home remodeling is going on. Their contractors seem to show up only when they feel like it, so they may be here a few more weeks. They are great and helpful guests and it's my own fault that I have slacked off.
So - starting again with:
intermittent fasting which was working well for me.
Limited or no sugar, alcohol, fried food; reduced carbs, red meat.
Watch portion size.
Resume long daily walks; add yoga and other exercise.

Starting today. Wish me well!
A nice day here - sunny, high of 69 F. for an auspicious re- launch!

>142 PawsforThought: I do hope that things improve for you soon, Paws!

>143 nrmay: Good luck with starting again. I am doing the same.

Steps today: 17,160 (6.97 miles)

Food today: I did not eat breakfast today, a rarity for me, but I was working on our taxes and just never got to it. I had 2 bowls of "Healy" soup for lunch (tons of veggies here: onions, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage, cranberry beans, corn) and for dinner I made Puerto Rican beans (pinto beans, garlic, onions, red and green pepper) served over polenta with vegetables on the side.

Since I am just getting back into the swing of things, I have decided to go back to the 2 days off in a week that I did back when I originally started concentrating on walking, so today was a day "off" for me. I am taking Wednesdays and Sundays off, but I still want to get 8-10,000 steps in on Wednesdays. Sundays I have no step count to reach at all.

Steps today: 10, 625 (4.29 miles)

Food today: Veggies for breakfast (cauliflower and broccoli), leftover quinoa porridge with strawberries for second breakfast, baked sweet potatoes and leftover veggies from last night's dinner for lunch, and Lemon-Pepper Pasta (using a pasta made from palm hearts) and veggies for dinner tonight.

Well, my body is telling me that 16,000 steps right off the bat is too much, so I am cutting back to 10-12,000 every day except Sundays and Wednesdays.

Steps today: 11, 362 (4.58 miles)

Food today: For breakfast, I had Lemon-Blueberry Oatmeal, for lunch Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup with cantaloupe, and for dinner I made Colcannon, black bread (gluten free and vegan) as well as peas and carrots. I need to get more veggies in tomorrow!

Steps today: 13,839 (5.58 miles)

Food today: For breakfast I had a Strawberry Ginger Zinger Green Smoothie (baby spinach, strawberries, bananas) and for second breakfast I had 12 ounces each of cauliflower and broccoli. For lunch, I had a huge salad with romaine lettuce, baby spinach, shredded cabbage, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, chopped mini peppers, and shredded carrots, along with a slice of the black bread I made yesterday. Dinner was leftover healy soup.

>147 alcottacre: Your menu is making me hungry. I had my colonoscopy yesterday (no polyps! Yay!), so I'm only just back to being allowed to eat food with a decent amount of fiber, and I'm taking it somewhat slowly. But I'll be back to my high fiber habits soon.

>148 ArlieS: Sorry, Arlie, I do not mean to make you hungry! I am concentrating a lot these days on eating veggies, especially dark leafy greens. Glad to hear that you do not have any polyps!

>148 ArlieS: Yay for no polyps. I joke about getting a warranty when I get a clean bill of health - I currently am on year 2 of my most recent 10-year warranty.

>149 alcottacre: Your walking and high vegetable intake are admirable, Stasia.

You mention dark leafy greens - I've had two sets of kidney stones (2012, 2015), and do not want a 3rd set. That meant giving up dark colas (I was a diet Dr. Pepper addict) and cutting way back on dark leafy greens because of the type of stones - calcium oxylate. I just looked online to see what current thinking is on the correct type of diet, don't see dark colas, but won't start drinking them again. Most sites only say stay away from spinach, too, but kale and etc. don't appeal anyway.

>149 alcottacre: Making me hungry is good; I sometimes need motivation to cook, rather than eating something handy but probably unhealthy.

>150 karenmarie: I do not blame you for not wanting more kidney stones, Karen! I do not drink colas any more - I gave them up a couple of years back although I do occasionally back slide - most of my drinking these days is tea and water. I eat a ton of baby spinach and do eat other leafy greens as well such as kale and arugula.

>151 ArlieS: I understand that completely, Arlie.

I am doing a salad challenge for the next couple of weeks that is sponsored by SimpleGreenSmoothies.com, the place I get a lot of my green smoothie recipes from. It will be interesting to see how this goes for me since I really do not like lettuce, lol.

Another tiring week, this time compounded by the fact that I've managed to contract the flu, which I haven't had for a good decade or so (and I've taken my flu shot). I did get tested for covid to make sure and got a negative result, so it most likely isn't that. But I've read that a lot of people have been catching the flu (it's apparently an unusually late flu season) so I'm betting on that. Very typical symptoms and no typical covid symptons.
Feeling a bit better today, thankfully. I've been drinking a lot of hot drinks to relieve my sore throat - I'm a firm believer that chocolate is a cure-all.

Despite the flue I've managed to reach my walking goal every day totalling 39 km for the week. That means I've walked a cumulative 413 km and am now officially in Southern Sweden.

>153 PawsforThought: Sorry to hear you have the flu, but glad it isn't covid. And I'm impressed with your walking; mine isn't anywhere near that good.

>153 PawsforThought: Sorry to hear about the flu, Paws, but like Arlie, I am glad you do not have COVID!

Steps today: 16,208 (6.54 miles)

Food today: Veggies for breakfast (12 ounces each of broccoli and cauliflower), Lunch was sauteed mushrooms and spinach over baked potatoes with marinara sauce along with Strawberry Mixed Greens. Dinner was TVP Tacos with corn.

Sorry to hear you have the flu, Paws. I think a lot of it was delayed in the same way Covid was partially avoided, with masks and hand-washing. But it doesn't mean it's gone, of course. My doc always warns me not to get the flu shot too soon, because it has to last through March.

Stasia, you're a champ! I can't recall a 16000 step day at all - I think my top was 14000 and did I feel it! And your vegetarian meals sound really good.

Karen, kidney stones are awful. Sorry you had that experience twice!

As for me, my low iron count is being attacked with supplements, and I should probably eat MORE leafy greens than I get to these days. I'm sort of embarrassed by the iron situation - I've always been a blood donor and now I have to wait until the next review to see if I have gained enough absorption to qualify again.

>156 ffortsa: Thank you, Judy. Trust me, I do not feel like a champ, lol.

I understand about the low iron levels, which is one of the reasons that I am trying to get more leafy greens in my diet.

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes with my flu. I’ve been feeling good - no fever - and the worst symptom has been a very sore throat. I’m almost back to normal now. I think my easy time with it is due to having taken the flu shot (which I got in early December, I think). And also self-medicating with endless cups of tea and a lot of chocolate.
I commute to and from work every day on fairly busy trains so I’m betting that’s were I caught it. None of my close co-workers have been ill.

>158 PawsforThought: chocolate is always called for.

>158 PawsforThought: Yay for almost being back to normal. Hopefully by the time you read this, you will be 100%, Paws.

I forgot to post my stuff for yesterday -

Steps - 14,487 (5.84 miles)

Food - Yesterday's breakfast was veggies (16 oz broccoli and 12 oz cauliflower). For lunch, I had my veggie version of a taco salad with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, corn, avocado, green olives, black beans, red bell pepper, and scallions. Dinner last night was a Vegan Chickpea Cauliflower Curry served over brown rice with naan on the side.

Steps today - 17, 221 (6.95 miles)

Food today - Savoury Oatmeal for breakfast (Oats, Black Beans, Peas and Corn). For lunch, I had Vegan Potato Salad (Gold Potatoes, Scallions, Dill Pickles, Green Olives, Celery and Garlic dressed with California Balsamic Garden Dill Vinegar). For dinner tonight, we had Lentil Bolognese over Tinkyada Brown Rice Penne, California Blend Vegetables, and multigrain French Bread. For dessert, I made Strawberry Shortcake Bars (no oil in these!)

Steps today - 16,131 (6.5 miles)

Food today - Breakfast was 16 ounces broccoli and 12 ounces cauliflower. For lunch, I had baked sweet potatoes and Cranberry-Pear Salad (4 ounces mixed greens, diced pear, 1/4 fruit-sweetened dried cranberries, and a tablespoon of chopped walnuts dressed with California Balsamic Raspberry Vinegar). Dinner was a bit of a slip - Impossible Whopper and Onion Rings from Burger King. However, I have lost 8 pounds at this point since I restarted last Monday, so I do not think this one slip will hurt me overmuch.

>158 PawsforThought: I’m glad your symptoms have been mild, Paws, although I’m the biggest baby in the world if I have a sore throat. Tea and chocolate are absolutely essential for recovery.

>162 alcottacre: Stasia, losing 8 pounds of the 10 you had gained while being sick is fantastic!!! And one slip up is nothing in the long run. And your steps. Inconceivable to me, and marvelous for you.

...
I graduated from cardio rehab on March 3rd. I registered with the Senior Center in late February and have been using their treadmill 3 times a week since graduating. I've gone twice this week so far and will go today. I do not like treadmills. I do not like exercise. My knees do not like exercise, but my heart does. Speaking of which...

I got a fabulous result on my echocardiogram 2 weeks ago - my heart ejection fraction was at 40% after my heart attack. Not good, but they would have worried much more if it had been 35%. Normal is 55 - 70%. Mine is now described as "> 55%", whatever that exactly means. There is a bit of weakness in one of the walls and a few other minor things, but overall my cardiologist was very pleased. I don't have to see her 'til May. Cardio rehab, low-sodium diet, and losing 30 pounds all contributed to the good result.

>163 karenmarie: Yeah, a sore throat is the pits. I have not been particularly happy the past couple of weeks.

Good to hear your heart health is improving - going from 40% to 50% is great, especially if you're now almost at "normal" levels. Exercising can be so excruciatingly boring - especially if you're told to do a form of exercise you don't like. I would have a hard time with treadmills, just as I can't get into using exercise bikes. I wish I could be a runner, but I think I have to admit I'm just not made for that. Dancing is the best cardio in my world.
Well done!

>163 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen. I am working hard on both the food and the walking. My grandmother used to love to walk and I think I inherited my love of it from her. The only other exercise I like is swimming, but I have no pool nor access to one. If I did, I would be in it!

Congratulations on pleasing your cardio doctor! Your results are wonderful!!

Steps today: 17,085 (6.88 miles)

Food today: Ancient Grains (millet, amaranth, quinoa) and 12-ounces cauliflower for breakfast. Lunch was Sweet & Crunch Salad (baby spinach, baby kale, chickpeas, cucumber, carrots, red pepper, sunflower seeds and pepitas with an orange juice-based dressing). Dinner was *sigh* pizza. Kerry got home late and he wanted it, so I gave in.

A decent week this time, with just over 73 000 steps. We had some stormy weather this weekend and some late snow yesterday. Apparently the snowy weather is supposed to remain most of this week too, so we'll see how that affects my walking. Hopefully not too much.

I'm now up to 450 km in total which means I'm now nearing Uppsala. I was in Uppsala for work at the end of last year - it's a beautiful city though sadly I didn't have time to enjoy it much.

>167 PawsforThought: They are forecasting snow here for Thursday morning. Very unusual for so late in March (not that we ever get much snow).

>168 SandDune: Yeah, I can imagine it must be a bit weird for you. More normal here, even though I wasn't prepared because it's been so warm lately.

>Congratulations, Paws! That is a very good week of walking. I should start posting my weekly steps too, I guess.

Steps today: 17,054 (6.88 miles)

Food today: Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal Waffles for breakfast, Strawberry Arugula Salad for lunch (lots of fruits and veggies in this: arugula, mixed greens, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, Meyer lemon, oranges) and for dinner I had leftover brown rice pasta and Lentil Bolognese along with 24 ounces of brussels sprouts.

Steps today: 17,130 (6.91 miles)

Food today: Veggies for breakfast (16 ounces broccoli and 12 ounces cauliflower). Second breakfast was Cinnamon Pear Oatmeal. Lunch was Lemon Arugula Salad (Arugula, fennel, barley, sugar snap peas, scallions with a Lemon-Tarragon Dressing). For dinner tonight I had mixed vegetables and Vegan Broccoli Cheese Casserole.

My stats from March 21-27: 91,503 total steps, which is 36.89 miles. I had 309 active zone minutes for the week.

>172 alcottacre: Stasia, your menus are really interesting and I might try some of it later on. Right now I'm on a 7 day protein shake and dinner regimen, with exercise (which I haven't really been doing). I'll probably do some indoor biking today, because biking minimizes lateral movement in my knee, and I don't start PT until April 7.

>163 karenmarie: Karen, great applause for your continued workouts and 30 lbs lost! Sensational!

>168 SandDune: and >169 PawsforThought: Yeah, March can mess us up in the outdoor exercise department. We've had no snow, but a couple of suddenly cold, windy days that don't inspire long walks. I did get to the library and back - about a mile and a half round trip, I think, but I was a bit frozen.

>173 ffortsa: I have found that if I do not prepare my own meals then I have difficulties. I have to plan for going out to eat as well. One of my weekend duties is doing meal plans and grocery lists so that I make sure I have a plan and can stick to it.

I forgot to post my stuff before I went to bed last night:

Steps yesterday - 17,177 (6.92 miles)

Food yesterday - Breakfast yesterday was a green smoothie, Cashew Caramel Delight, made with baby spinach, pears, dates, cashews. Lunch was a Crunchy Carrot Salad made with carrots and sunflower seeds (it is also supposed to have cilantro, but I am not a fan) and dressed with a mixture of orange and lemon juices. I also had Air-Fried Eggplant in Garlic Sauce which had garlic and eggplant as the main veggies. Dinner was Loaded Cowboy Potatoes (baked potatoes, salsa verde, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes) with a large tossed salad and broccoli.

April update! It was such a hectic morning that I forgot to weigh myself, so that's from yesterday.

Current weight: 173.2 pounds (down 1.2)
Current resting heart rate: 64 (up 3)
Current fitbit "cardio fitness" estimate: 31-35 (down 1 from 32-36)
Current pants size roughly 16/XL (unchanged)

Running: 3.14 mi in 38:44 (12:20 pace, an improvement from my 12:25 5k in December)

Leg press: 140 pounds plus sled (up 10)
Dumbbell bench press: 27.5 pounds (up 2.5)
1-arm dumbbell row: 27.5 pounds (unchanged)
Deadlift: 95 pounds (new)

It's been a sort of mixed month, but on the whole I'm getting faster and stronger, so I'm confident that the other numbers will follow eventually.

I did manage to injure my foot a bit, so I haven't done any running since that 3.14 mi race halfway through the month, which might account for my worsened cardio numbers. But my heart rate does also vary quite a bit throughout the month anyway, and last month was an unusual drop. I've continued walking roughly 10,000-12,000 steps per day, which might not be the best idea for healing, but I didn't want to give it up entirely. And today my foot felt slightly better, so I've done 13,700 steps so far.

In terms of lifting, the foot pain caused me to avoid leg press as well for the second half of the month. But I'm happy with my other progress; I switched over from dumbbell rows to deadlifts, and it feels like I'm accomplishing much more. I'm pretty sure I recorded the deadlift weight incorrectly and it was actually 100 pounds, but I don't want to get into the habit of second-guessing my gym notes after I've left.

I also bought more size L shirts.

>176 _Zoe_: Sorry to hear about the foot issues, Zoe! I hope that it heals up quickly for you.

My daily report:

Steps today - 18,186 (7.33 miles)

Food today - Veggies for breakfast today (16 ounces broccoli and 12 ounces cauliflower). Lunch was Slow Simmered Collard Greens and dinner tonight was pizza (Kerry was once again running late).

Steps today - 17,673 (7.29 miles)

Food today - Veggies for breakfast today (16 ounces broccoli and 12 ounces cauliflower). Lunch was leftover Vegan Broccoli Cheese Casserole with a cucumber salad (English cucumber, grape tomatoes, and chopped scallions dresser with California Balsamic 7 Herb Italian vinegar). Dinner was a veggie power bowl (tomatoes, lettuce, black beans, and rice) with homemade tortilla chips and guacamole.

Steps today - 17,306 (6.98 miles)

Food today - Cauliflower and Pumpkin Spice Brown Rice for breakfast. I had Strawberry Arugula Salad (arugula, strawberries, oranges, blueberries, raspberries, Meyer lemon dressed with a Meyer Lemon dressing) and leftover Vegan Cheesy Broccoli casserole. Dinner was baked potatoes covered in leftover Red Lentil Chili and green beans.

Late update because yesterday was *busy*.

I walked over 10 000 steps every day last week, even though it was very close on Saturday (brother's family came to visit so no long walk). Overall just over 73 000 steps, which translates to 36 and a bit km. This means I've walked a cumulative 487 km and I've officially reached the suburbs of Stockholm.

I had a phone update with my physiotherapist yesterday and since I haven't had any pain in my knees for weeks, I'm officially fine now. I think the solution has been standing at my desk rather than sitting. Sitting down clearly isn't good for me.

>180 PawsforThought: Great job, Paws! I am glad to hear that the knee pain has gone and hope it continues to be.

Steps today - 19,237 (7.87 miles)

Food today - Breakfast was Butternut Blueberry Breakfast (butternut squash, apples, blueberries) and lunch was leftover Two-Handed Sloppy Joes along with dill pickles, sliced cucumbers and baby carrots. Dinner tonight was Fluffy Flourless Pumpkin Pancakes.

I got my weekly progress report from Fitbit yesterday and forgot to post it:

My best day last week I had in 18,231 steps. Total steps for the week were 99,471, walking 40.27 miles. I had 434 total active zone minutes.

Steps today: 18,371 (7.41 miles)

Food today: Breakfast today was Creamy Purple Cauliflower Porridge (oatmeal, riced cauliflower, banana, apple, blueberries) and to continue the purple theme, I had baked purple sweet potatoes and a vegetable mix for lunch. Dinner tonight was Vegan African Peanut Sauce served over millet with broccoli on the side.

As of Tuesday, I've reached my 10,000-a-day step goal for six months!

>185 _Zoe_: Congratulations, Zoe! Good going!!

>186 alcottacre: Thank you!

>185 _Zoe_: That's amazing consistency!

I have forgotten to post my steps for the past couple of days: 14,516 (5.86 miles) on Thursday and 16,530 steps (6.66 miles) yesterday. I am taking a break over the weekend as I am dealing with a balky left hip, which is also the reason for fewer steps Thursday.

>189 alcottacre: ok. Here's a question. How long does that number of steps take you?

>190 ffortsa: I am not really sure, Judy, to be honest. I walk every hour during the day - 1600 steps per hour, which takes between 15-20 minutes - and then at night when Kerry is home, I walk at leat 250 steps an hour, which takes maybe 3 minutes. So, I am guessing, close to 2.5-3 hours a day?

>188 ffortsa: Thank you! I'm hoping I can keep it going for another six months.

I typically estimate 10 minutes for 1000 steps.

>191 alcottacre: and >192 _Zoe_: Oh, good ideas! I tend to walk all at once, but my nutritionist is in your camp, taking small bites to keep the body's activity level up throughout the day. I live in 720 sq. feet of apartment, but I can walk the halls, the stairs, the sidewalks, run errands in small batches. Thanks.

>193 ffortsa: I definitely couldn't do it all at once! I find it much easier to fit in multiple short walks, whenever I need a break. And one key for me was realizing that I could walk indoors even in unpleasant weather; it's much easier to walk for five or ten minutes when I don't have to worry about putting on shoes, a coat, etc. I'm fortunate to be able to walk a small circle in my house, but maybe your halls could serve a similar purpose.

>193 ffortsa: >194 _Zoe_: 99% of my walking is done indoors. I make occasional trips to the library - maybe once or twice a week - but other than that, I walk through my house.

Steps today: 17,289 (6.98 miles)

Food today: For breakfast, I had a green smoothie (baby spinach, strawberries, raspberries, banana). For lunch, I had Black Bean-Sweet Potato Stew along with some cauliflower. For dinner, I had Creamy Macaroni Casserole - I was disappointed in this recipe - and Spiced Green Beans, which I really like.

I received my weekly stats for last week from Fitbit today:

100,418 steps (40.60 miles)
356 total zone minutes

My best day was 19,269 steps. This was on one of my days that I walked to the library, so unlikely to happen this week between the rain and the wind.

Steps today: 17, 328 (7.01 miles)

Food today: Breakfast was Strawberry Arugula Salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing. For lunch I had leftover Vegan African Peanut Stew with cauliflower and for dinner I made Fluffy Vegan Blueberry Pancakes, just because I felt like pancakes.

I'm finally back on my feet again, and racked up a modest 6000 steps both yesterday and today. The weather was lovely, which helped, and I just ran my errands and did some shopping and didn't push it. Tomorrow is supposed to be unpleasant, so I might get on the treadmill at the gym again to keep going.

I've maintained my weight loss, but trying on clothes which should have fit at this weight revealed that not much has moved from my waistline. That, I understand, is a byproduct of not moving enough, among other things.

As for the rest of me, the PCR came back positive, which sent Jim and me scurrying to our MD, who told us PCRs are notoriously hypersensitive after a bout of covid. Any particles of virus will create a positive test, and we shouldn't let it worry us. My brother said the same thing; in his part-time GI practice, if a patient has had covid in the prior three months, they don't even bother to get a PCR test. Sigh. Confusing. I revealed all to my Seder hosts, and they will consider their options.

>199 ffortsa: Glad you are back on your feet, Judy! Congratulations on the 6000 steps on consecutive days! Sorry to hear that your Seder my be ruined.

Steps today: 18, 723 (7.55 miles)

Food today: For breakfast, I had 16 ounces broccoli and 12 ounces cauliflower. Lunch was a Roasted Sweet Potato Salad (baby spinach, sweet potato, wild rice, diced apple, raisins) and for dinner, I had black-eyed peas with brown rice and leftover Spiced Green Beans.

Well, my relaxed approach to losing weight has seen me lose about 3.7kg for the first three months of the year. Despite the down-up-down graph, the line of best fit is (so far) an almost straight line downward. I do need to increase my exercising though but I’m generally loathe to get moving (once I’ve got going, I’m fine) and with all the pandemic rules, I’m even less inclined. I still have a bit to go before I fall into my ‘ideal’ BMI range (and, yes, I know it’s not the best measure, but…)

>202 humouress: Congratulations, Nina!

Steps today: 16,632 (6.71 miles)

Food today: For breakfast I had a green smoothie (baby spinach, banana, blueberries) and lunch was Slow-Simmered Collard Greens. For dinner, I had a Savory Bean Casserole and brussels sprouts. For dessert, I had Vegan Caramel Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce. Yum!

Steps today: 18, 131 (7.34 miles)

Food today: Breakfast was a banana, second breakfast was my veggies (broccoli and cauliflower). For lunch I had a huge salad (romaine lettuce, cabbage, baby spinach, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, corn, black beans, salsa, guacamole). Dinner was pizza as Kerry was once again running late after heading over to my father's after work.

Ooops, haven't updated the past two weeks. I was very busy at work and then it was Easter, so I have something to blame.
Spring has (finally!) arrived so the temperatures are rising and the snow is melting fast, making it much nicer to go for walks. I've even stopped wearing thermals, and ditched both my winter boots and my warm spring coat this weekend.

The week before last I went on a work trip, which meant that on the Friday (when I'd got home) I has completely exhausted and only managed 8 000 steps. That was the only "bad" day, though, and the day before I'd done 14 000 steps (it's incredible how much walking you do in airports) so it's fine. For the whole week I managed a little under 75 000 steps, while takes my cumulative walked distance up to 524 km.

Last week I managed to walk more than 10 000 steps every day. All in all I walked over 81 000 steps and the cumulative walked distance is now 565 km. This means I've almost made it to Trosa, which is a very picturesque little town that I have great memories of from a holiday eons ago. I've only walked about 1/4 of the distance to Venice and we're almost 1/3 of the way through the year so I really ought to start picking up the pace if I want to make it. Now that the sun is up late I might go for an additional short walk after dinner. We'll see.

>205 PawsforThought: Sounds like you are doing great, Paws! Congratulations!!

So I got a new scale today which gives me all kinds of numbers - weight, BMI, fat, muscle mass, etc. The only good number that I have is my Bone Mass, which is excellent. Like I told my kids, at least I have a place to start.

Steps today: 17,115 (6.91 miles)

Food today: Breakfast was baked potatoes with Vegan Mushroom Gravy and green beans. Lunch was leftover Jumpin' John and cauliflower. For dinner, I cooked Quick and Easy Green Curry Vegetables with brown rice.

>205 PawsforThought: Thanks Stasia! I'm doing okay considering my circumstances (8 hours work + 2 hours commuting per day).

>206 alcottacre: Good bone mass numbers is great! Especially since it's something you can't really do much about. The rest you can work at. And you're doing so well with your walking and your diet. I'm constantly impressed by your menus.

>209 PawsforThought: I do not think I would be doing nearly as well with my walking if I had your circumstances, Paws. You are to be commended!

I plan all of my meals as much as I can so that I have control. Sometimes - like Monday when Kerry was running late - there is not much I can do about it.

Steps today: 17,005 (6.99 miles)

Food today: Breakfast was Cinnamon Pear Oatmeal and for lunch I had Slow Cooker Autumn Quinoa Pilaf (beets, broccoli, cranberries, quinoa, wild rice, vegetable broth, orange juice, and spices). Dinner was Vegan Shaksuka (roasted red pepper, garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, chickpeas and spices), tossed salad and multigrain bread.

Steps today: 18,083 (7.3 miles)

Food today: For breakfast I had Strawberry Arugula Salad, which I have had a few times lately. Obviously, I really like it! For lunch, I had baked purple sweet potatoes and cauliflower. For dinner, I had leftover Slow Cooker Autumn Quinoa Pilaf from yesterday.

Once again, I forgot to post my numbers for last week. Here they are for April 11-17:

Total steps: 106,586 (42.99 miles)
346 total active zone minutes

Steps today: 17,662 (7.15 miles)

Food today: Breakfast was Sorghum Berry Vegan Breakfast, while lunch was leftover brown rice, Vegan Shaksuka, and a pound of air-fried mini peppers. For dinner, I had One Skillet Quinoa with Black Beans, steamed broccoli, and masa cakes.

Stasia, your number of steps each day is absolutely stunning. Congrats.

I, too, am admiring your menus from afar. And I, too, have one of those scales which gives you all kinds of numbers (it does the weather too, but I'm not totally convinced. Though it is raining now, which it had predicted for last night and today. I think.)

I weighed myself last night (or, in my case, early morning) and then after my walk this morning and I'd lost 1.1kg! Mainly water, I suspect. I know I ought to weigh every morning but for my own quirky reasons, I do it last thing at night. I'm just tracking my weight, so as long as I'm consistent I'm sure it's fine. I think I've mentioned I'm trying the 8/12 intermittent fasting thingy but I've decided to change my timings a bit because 12 noon to 8pm (to try and coordinate having dinner with everyone after school/ activities/ work) is a bit late.

And I want to do more home cooking, which has been one of my resolutions for ages. Which reminds me - better go and see about prepping the tomato soup for dinner ...

Well.

I mentioned, somewhat offhand, last week that I might start taking another walk after work/dinner and since the weather was so lovely last week I decided to do it. So I walked an extra 1.5-2 km every day which has done wonders both for my step count and for my energy levels in the evening. Normally I'd be fairly exhausted after a full day of work, and then sitting on the train for an hour (or more) and then dinner makes you more sluggish. Going for a short walk after dinner, especially since the sun stays up long now and I get to bask in the evening rays as I walk, has helped refuel my batteries. And for the first time, I've walked more than 100 000 steps in a week. Almost 108 000, actually. That makes for just under 54 km, and I've now cumulatively walked 619 km on my way to Venice.

Hopefully I'll be able to keep this up even as the weather turns again this week (April...).

>216 PawsforThought: Good for you!

(Now, if I can only encourage my son and husband to do the same ...)

>216 PawsforThought: That's fantastic! Congratulations.

>214 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen.

>215 humouress: Glad you are liking my menus, Nina.

>216 PawsforThought: Good going, Paws! Keep it up!

Steps today: 17,843 (7.38 miles)

Food today: I had a green smoothie for breakfast (banana, blackberries, baby spinach) and just veggies for lunch because Kerry and I were going out for dinner. For dinner, I had mushroom enchiladas (with tomatillo sauce and no cheese), refried beans and Spanish rice.

I have finally dropped down below 170 for the first time in a while. Despite the number of daily steps I am doing, my weight is being recalcitrant.

>220 alcottacre: Extremely well done Stasia dropping below 170. You are an inspiration!

>216 PawsforThought: >217 humouress: >218 _Zoe_: Thanks for the kind words and cheerleading.

>220 alcottacre: Well done on dropping below 170. And don’t worry if things aren’t moving as fast as you’d like - you’re doing really well.

>221 mdoris: >222 PawsforThought: Thank you, Mary and Paws!

This week is not being good to me. I am struggling with some kind of stomach virus and my steps have been greatly reduced because of it. Kerry is home from work today which is not helping either, so my weekly report for next week is going to be awful :(

My weekly stats for April 18-24:

105,754 steps (42.82 miles)
321 total active zone minutes

>220 alcottacre: Well done! I'm hovering above 60kg but every time I get within touching distance my weight goes up again. (Maybe I get too optimistic and treat myself to dessert or something.)

I'm trying to swap things around and, for example, switch my big meal of the day to lunch rather than dinner; I hear that it's better for you that way. I attempted to make my mum's curry, which I had a yen for, and even though I switched from white rice to brown (or, rather, red which is available here) my weight still went up. So I did a bit of research and today I bought quinoa which is an almost carbohydrate-free substitute for rice. I've tasted it once before in a salad I bought and wasn't too impressed but it does seem to work instead of rice. I just tasted it myself and will have it for lunch tomorrow but my husband had it for dinner. Though he was initially suspicious because it looked different, he was quite happy to eat it - so that's an endorsement/ hurdle crossed :0)

>220 alcottacre: Yay for your husband's endorsement! I hope you have luck switching things around.

Time flies, and somehow it's May! It's been a pretty good month.

Current weight: 171.8 pounds (down 1.4)
Current resting heart rate: 59 (down 5)
Current fitbit "cardio fitness" estimate: 32-36 (up 1 from 31-35)
Current pants size roughly 16/XL (unchanged)

Running: 5k in 35:57 (down 2:54 from December; pace of 11:34 is down 0:46 from last month's Pi Day Run)

Leg press: 180 pounds plus sled (up 40)
Dumbbell bench press: 27.5 pounds (unchanged)
Barbell bench press: 60 pounds (new, but up 5 compared to dumbbell version)
Deadlift: 125 pounds (up 25)
Pulldown: 40+5 pounds/side (up 5)

I'm definitely getting faster and stronger! And I've decided that's more of a priority than weight loss, though I still want to lose weight as well. So I've started drinking protein shakes on/around gym days (30g of protein and 160 calories), whereas before I would have avoided drinking calories.

My foot has mostly healed from last month's injury, though I may have overdone things as soon as it felt better, leading to some slight soreness again. Now I have some strange discomfort in my right hip too. But on the whole I'm feeling good, especially seeing how much progress I'm making. For the first time my fitbit says my cardio fitness is "average to good"—maybe not significant given how much my heart rate seems to vary throughout the month, but it's still something.

I've actually started thinking that I could become faster than I ever was—my best 5k time from ten years ago was 29:38. My strength is probably at its absolute highest right now, but it's harder to compare in a meaningful way because my weight is so much higher too.

A ex-boyfriend/acquaintance of many years is organizing his FB followers in an experiment to gauge whether doing morning and evening sun salutations and 5-1 minute belly breathing breaks spread throughout the day will make a noticeable health/attitude/activity level improvement. He's been deeply involved in martial arts and self improvement for the decades I've known him and has had some pretty significant life successes. He can also be at total pain, but well.
So I'm doing the breathing and some arthritis adapted, abbreviated, chair supported versions of sun salutations. From what he's mentioned previously any real improvements come from extending the active periods once the practitioner had take step 0 - get off your ass.

Last week was good - I kept up my new routine of taking an extra walk after dinner and managed to reach nearly 105 000 steps, which is just over 52 km. This takes my total up to 671 km and means I'm now well into Southern Sweden, but not currently near any larger town or city.

I bought a new hula hoop a few weeks ago, the weighted kind that's meant for exercise, but I haven't got around to using it yet. I should probably start implementing that into my routine soon. I'm not really doing enough cardio or strength training and hula hooping could at least help with the latter.

>227 quondame: step 0 - get off your ass The absolute hardest one to do. I still grumble and occasionally curse about using the treadmill 3 times a week at the Senior Center, but am determined to keep it up.

>228 PawsforThought: Congrats, Paws! Wow. And I haven't heard of a weighted exercise hula hoop. Something to check out, for sure.

>229 karenmarie: Sometimes when I get off my ass, my body fights back. I'm currently sidelined with knee pain - short gentle walks with a knee support bandage are my current limit, and when I thought I was recovered enough to skip the knee support yesterday, I promptly had a relapse.

I really need to find a pool somewhere, to do cardio exercise without pressure on my joints, but IIRC they aren't plentiful around here, and doubly so if I want an indoor one.

After a week of dealing with a stomach virus (which has still not completely left me) and a broken Fitbit (the replacement came today), I am back in the swing of things.

Steps today: 16,565 (6.68 miles)

Food today: I had a green smoothie for breakfast (baby kale, banana, blueberries, pineapple, and almond butter). Then for lunch, I just stuck with veggies (broccoli and cauliflower) and dinner was baked potatoes and green beans.

Good news yesterday: I finished the Grand Canyon walking challenge that I started March 15th of this year - 280 miles. I am still working on the Pacific Crest Trail challenge, but that one is 2485.5 miles long, so it is going to be a while before I am done - although I am slightly over 40% complete now.

I am thinking of starting another challenge. I like them and they encourage me to get my steps in every day. Speaking of which, despite Kerry being home yesterday (he is still home sick again today), I managed to get in 17,600 steps (7.34 miles).

>232 alcottacre: Congratulations!

>232 alcottacre: That’s great! Well done, you!

>233 _Zoe_: >234 PawsforThought: Thanks!

Well, today it feels like I'm walking through water. When I arrived at work today I was met with the news that one of my coworkers died in an accident over the weekend, and we're all trying to get the news to sink in. Some of us walked together to the flower shop to get a bouquet for the remembrance room and it was really nice to get outside. We also sat outside and ate lunch, even though the winds were a little too chilly for it to be really comfortable. It was nice to be outside anyway. I was supposed to stay late for a meeting today but think I might go home early instead. I can't get anything worthwhile done anyway, and I think a nice long walk in the woods would be nice after this.
We were talking among ourselves about how good it feels to be outdoors when your emotions are running amok.

In less important news, I walked just over 100 000 steps last week, equaling almost 51 km. This means I've now walked a cumulative 721 km, and I have almost reached Sandhamn, Gotland.

>236 PawsforThought: what awful news. My condolences to you and your co-workers.

>236 PawsforThought: So sorry to hear that.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Paws. What a shock.

Thank you all. It’s going to be difficult to deal with, but I’m blessed to work for an organisation that cares for its employees and with coworkers who care for each other.

>236 PawsforThought: I am so sorry that you and your coworkers are going through such a rough time, Paws, but I am glad you all care enough about each other to share the load.

Congratulations on the steps last week!

>236 PawsforThought: I am so sorry to hear that. Thinking of you all.

>241 alcottacre: and >242 _Zoe_: Thank you.

>236 PawsforThought: Condolences for the loss of your coworker.

I finally broke below the 60kg barrier! I'm posting this for posterity because it may not last. I weighed this morning after my walk and before breakfast or water (so a lot of it was probably water loss) but I'm taking it. I usually weigh at night but I also weigh after my walk, if I go on one, so my weight graph shows a nice little zig-zag. So my weight graph has generally been tending downwards but recently the trend has slowed somewhat. Looks like I need to pick up on the exercise.

>245 humouress: Yay! Congratulations, Nina!!

After Kerry being home from work for almost a week, I got back on track yesterday, getting in 16,530 steps (6.72 miles). He is going to be gone this next weekend - multiple graduations going on in the next week - so I should be able to get some good walking in all of this week.

>246 alcottacre: Thank you!

Sometimes, husbands being away is a good thing when it comes to us focussing on our health. When the kids and I were in Australia, I made a determined effort to lose weight and it did work - except whenever my husband came over for the school holidays, when it climbed back up again.

>236 PawsforThought: I'm sorry to hear that.

>245 humouress: Ha! I'm a kilo behind you (and maybe that's where it is). This conversion will get me more comfy with kilo measurements, as I'm in such a backward nation.

It is hard to hold onto that last lovely number. I hit it the beginning of last week and promptly went on as much of an eating binge as I could without sweets and bread. My set point was insulted. Then we went up to Massachusetts to visit some friends, and fine meals were had by all, with predictable results. Back on track now, I hope.

>249 ffortsa: That’s the problem; I tend to celebrate and undo the good work. Last night it was up above 60 again but this morning, a second reading below 60kg (despite pasta for dinner because I hadn’t planned ahead).

Good for you for getting back on track.

>250 humouress: Yeah, the scale was predictably high this morning. Rats. I do have to get more exercise, but working on my cranky right knee has triggered my periformis syndrome in my left butt, so exercise options are limited for the moment. No stairs, thank you, but I can get in a good walk. And that keeps me out of the kitchen!

I have been remiss in posting here this week because my left hip is up in arms these days. I got my 16,000+ steps in Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday barely got over 15,000 in and Thursday just nudged over 13,000 steps. Hopefully my hip will leave me alone over the weekend so I can do better!

>252 alcottacre: I'm sorry about your hip. That can be no fun at all. To me 13,000 is a lot of steps.

>252 alcottacre: Our left hips are rebelling together. Aggravating, since it's interfering with my knee exercises (and maybe is a reaction to them). I see the physiatrist on Wednesday - very glad of that.

>253 quondame: The hip, despite being balky again today, performed admirably.

>254 ffortsa: I hope going to the doctor helps, Judy!

I was a busy girl today and got a lot of walking in - the most I have ever done in a day, a little over 23,000 steps (9.2 miles). Tomorrow will not be so good as I have a project that I want to get done before Kerry comes home Sunday and there is not a lot of walking involved in it.

Well, I got more steps in today than I had anticipated: 11,087 (4.47 miles). If I get in between 10-12,000 steps on a Saturday, I consider that a win! Tomorrow is my rest day, so I will not be getting anywhere close to that many steps in then.

Last week was all-a-tumble but thanks to incredible co-workers and a very supportive department heads it somehow worked. There has been much crying and many hugs. And my daily walks have been life-saving. Just walking for 20 minutes has made the weight of it all feel a little lighter.

I managed just over 104 000 steps, which is approximately 52 km. That means my total distance covered is now 773 km, and I'm nearing Mönsterås - deep in the glassblowing region of Småland. It shouldn't be more than about a month and a half before I'm out of Sweden, and that's halfway to the goal.

>257 PawsforThought: I am glad to hear that the walking has helped, Paws! I find it does for me too - it takes my mind off things.

I managed to get in over 12,000 steps today, which is great since Kerry was home and I tend not to walk as much when he is here. He will be leaving for a return trip to Arkansas and not be back until Friday, so hopefully I can get back to my 16,000 steps a day while he is gone.

Steps today: 16,728 (6.73 miles)

Last week's report (May 9-15):
103,587 total steps (41.88 miles)
281 total active zone minutes

The number of steps you all are getting in is staggering. Congratulations. I've never figured out how many steps I get in by using the treadmill 3x a week. Perhaps I'll try to remember to count one minute's worth at my fastest speed today to get some kind of benchmark.

I was majorly exposed to Covid at the Friends of the Library Audio Visual Sale on May 7th - 3 hours, sitting next to the Friends webmaster/membership volunteer although we were both masked (he said he was having allergy problems and a sinus infection but tested positive the next day) - and thus couldn't use the treadmill at the senior center last week. I tested negative on Friday and will be going to use the treadmill today, tomorrow, AND Friday to get my regimen started again.

I've also now lost 41 lbs since my heart attack. My 'secret' is my low-sodium diet and, upon reflection, intermittent fasting. The last thing I have at night is a small snack when I take my meds at 9 p.m., a glass of OJ at 9 a.m. when I take my meds, and then no food until I feel like it. That's usually not before 11 am, sometimes as late as noon or 1 p.m. I'm hungry right now because I only had one meal yesterday and a few snacks, but I'm not hungry enough to go to the kitchen to get something.

On the low-sodium regimen, I have, without consciously thinking about it, pretty much given up

1. anything using chicken or beef broth, even 'unsalted', because they're still sodium loaded. I do need to start making my own chicken broth, though, for some Instant Pot recipes that I've been missing
2. cheese
3. Italian food because of cheese and high-sodium tomato sauce or canned tomatoes
4. rich dairy (cream and half and half in recipes
5. bacon, sausage, and other high-sodium processed meats
6. frozen dinners except for Cafe Steamers Honey Glazed Turkey and Potatoes. I've tried other Cafe Steamers and some Power Bowls, but none appeal.
7. full salt snacks (but I just bought 2 bags of lightly salted potato chips yesterday. A small handful is only 60 mg of sodium, and sometimes I must have a salty snack.)

I'm not feeling deprived, because I am taking care of my heart.

I have a pedometer, otherwise I'd never be able to figure out how many steps I take.

If you want to convert other activities into steps, this chart seems pretty good: https://collier.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/wellness-programs/health...

I have a free app on my phone that counts steps, and I always carry it in a fanny pack when I use a treadmill.

Wow, everyone is doing really well here.

>258 alcottacre: It's sad to say, but sometimes partners get in the way of our goals ;0) I finally gave up on waiting for my husband to join me on walks and went out myself but I took the dog for company - he loves any excuse to get out. I did manage to drag my son out with me (therapy for his damaged hamstring) this morning but we did have to keep stopping to wait for him to catch up.

>260 karenmarie: Yay!

>262 ffortsa: Maybe I should start using that and counting my steps. But I won't do that when I swim; it sounds impressive when I say 'I swam 100 laps this morning' but our pool is quite small so a lap is only about 5 metres :0)

>257 PawsforThought: Wait - isn't Småland in Ikea?

>263 humouress: Småland is the name of the part of the country (county-ish) where IKEA is founded! There are many IKEA products that are named after places in Sweden. It’s also known for people there (supposedly) being a bit tight with their money, which explains the existence of IKEA.

>260 karenmarie: Congratulations on losing 41 pounds, Karen. That is so wonderful! I am sure your heart appreciates all you are doing for it. I use a Fitbit to track my steps or otherwise, I would not have a clue.

>261 PawsforThought: Thanks for sharing that, Paws!

>262 ffortsa: Good suggestion, Judy!

>263 humouress: Yeah, Nina, my husband has no interest in either fitness or nutrition so I am pretty much on my own in that regard. Glad to hear that your dog enjoys your company!

>264 PawsforThought: Oh, I see. The Ikeas here have a section labelled Småland where you can drop kids off while you shop (I think - I’ve never needed to) so I thought it was a pun. I suppose it’s actually a double pun.

>266 humouress: Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten about that (don’t have kids and rarely go to IKEA so it’s not on my mind much). Småland in that sense is a pun as well as a reference, because “små” means small/little and land means “land/country” so it’s the land of the little ones (in this case, when it comes to the province of Småland it means “the land made up of small counties”.