What I have learned over the past few years...

is the quick fixes do not work for me. I am finding that making lifestyle changes, sustainable changes is what I need to do.

I mean how many times are we bombarded by the claims of various products that "you can lose 10 pounds in 7 days" "lose 20 inches in 10 days" "lose 30 pounds in 30 days" "lose weight without exercising" "lose weight while eating your favorite foods"....

I have fallen for many of these claims in the past and many times actually lost weight but would always gain it back....and more. So, I ended up poorer and fatter. In 2007, when I finally hit my critical mass point, I knew that I couldn't just look for a quick fix. I needed to figure out how to change things in my lifestyle in order to first lose weight but more importantly be healthy and sustain my weight loss.

Now, it has not always been easy but I am definitely more focused on real food and trying to find the right combination of macro nutrients is right for me...of course, that is also something that seems to change over time as well. I am more focused on the impact of certain foods on my body. For example, eggs and soy are two things that had to be eliminated from my diet as they seem to be inflammatory to me. The one thing that has not changed over the years is that I am sticking with real foods and not looking for a quick fix.

This has meant that my losses have not been quick but my blood work has been great. My losses have not been quick but I am strong and getting stronger. My losses have not been quick but I have learned a lot about my body and my health. My losses have not been quick but I have been able to accomplish things that I never thought I would. My losses have not been quick but I am losing fat and gaining/maintain muscle.

It is not always easy and I do get frustrated but I am not giving up and not giving in no matter how tempting the claims may appear....even those that are "clinically proven"...I am in this for the long run...my lifetime....

Rambling thoughts on a Sunday evening....

So, things continue to go well. My attitude about life in general seems to be holding. I realized that climbing that mountain was a big thing for me and I definitely feel like I no longer am living with a chip on my shoulder. I no longer feel ashamed of how unhealthy I was at one point in my life. I will not be going back to that lifestyle because I really like my new lifestyle and feel good about things.

What have I been up to? Well, I hit 1,000,000 steps in two months on my fitbit. I started using the fitbit on July 28th and this was my achievement the morning of August 28th. When you consider that most of my cardio is done in the gym and gym cardio machines do not register well on the fitbit, I am really happy with the progress. In addition, I had a goal of 15,000 steps every day in August. I missed one day, which was the day after the climb up Mount Bierstadt. I am good with that.

I went back to the Manitou Incline on Labor Day. I climbed by myself. The last time I went, I only went to the bail out (about 2/3rds the way up) as I felt like I was so much slower than others and I didn't want them to wait for me. This time, I made it to the top. It was my second time at the top but this time it was HOT HOT HOT. I sweated so much but it was worth it.

The incline in background from the town of Manitou Springs

The starting point

At the false summit

 

What remains after the false summit

Sweaty and happy and at the top

I am still working out with my trainer and feel like I am seeing some results. It feels good to lift weights. I would like to lift heavier and will need to talk to him about that but overall it is a good workout. Oh, I also won this 8-week weight loss thing with my nutritionist. I think that my new attitude helped a lot as well as the fact that I loved the workout challenges she gave us. It was probably good that we sent in our food logs each week as well. It is kind of nice to accomplish something like this. I have joined other "contests" but always end up stressing myself out and never finish...so even though I officially "won", I feel like the weight loss and the fact that I stuck with it were prizes that cannot be equaled. Thanks, Fuel for Life, for the motivation and accountability you gave me over the past couple of months.

Triathlon training is something I am likely going to start doing. While I thought about trying to do one in Florida or California later this year, I am not sure I want to travel to my first triathlon so instead I am going to train and do my own at the gym as an indoor triathlon. It is kind of a crazy idea but it is something that I think will be motivating to me. I will then do an outdoor triathlon around here next summer.

I am also planning on a couple of half marathons next year but right now I am a little nervous about running outside. I am running on the treadmill at the gym but I worry about my ankle/foot outdoors. I will need to get over this soon and start training.

Today was the first Sunday of NFL games. It also made it easy to do food prep as I watched or listened to the games. I used a lot of things from my garden. I am ready for lunches this week.

Wednesday is the September 11th stair climb. It is an event I did last year and the same charity that I did the stair climb in Green Bay this summer. This climb is 10 times around the Red Rocks amphitheater and equals the steps of 110 floors. It is not a timed event...it is a memorial. It is a time to show that we have not forgotten.

I guess that is enough rambling thoughts for one post. Hope everyone is well!