Back in the Saddle

Today I Was able to get in 6 miles of walking (4 for Reggie), I planned out my meals for the week and I will do the majority of the cooking tomorrow and my daily calorie intake should be pretty low.  I am hoping to keep it up and to really get my program re-booted a bit.  I want to introduce some weight training into my program as I am not happy with the progress of weight loss and I would like to build up more muscle to boost my metabolism a bit.

Also, I am experimenting with a new system for the management and presentation of recipe data so that it is a cleaner, and more logical, process to cook multiple foods at once.  Sort of a fun side project :-)

Now, after doing 6 miles today, and not getting in much walking over the last week, I have to point out that my feet and calves hurt again.  So, it just goes to show that you shouldn't let life get in the way of the program :-)

So easy to slip...

Business travel has a serious impact on my attempts to change my lifestyle as it pertains to eating well and exercising.  Long days of meetings, documents to get done, airport food, lots of time sitting, no time to get in some exercise, lack of sleep, sitting in an airplane breathing recycled air...

Then, you get home and you have to re-establish habits, or try to.  It is all such a pain in the foot.  Due to business travel and needing to stay home over the weekend with the little one, it has been 6 days since I have gotten onto the trail, and my diet hasn't been the greatest.  I am hoping to restart everything tomorrow.  Planning would probably be a better word...

On Bathroom Scales and Trust

I woke up this morning and proceeded through the traditional morning rituals.  Reggie was a little slower coming out of this crate this morning as I think we wore him out yesterday.  Anyway, I decided to step on the scale to see the differential between just before I went to sleep and just after I woke up.

Oh my...

According to my high-tech digital weight measurement system (calling it a scale is so pedestrian), I lost 12 lbs overnight and 16 lbs in the past week.

I don't think I trust the scale.  However, if we consider water weight (I am staying hydrated now, so less hoarding by the body) I guess it might be accurate.  However, I think this illustrates why weighing yourself daily isn't a good idea.  Your weight fluctuates, so it could either give you a false sense of accomplishment (like today), or crush your spirit by telling you that you gained a couple pounds.

Weigh yourself once a week, or every 3 or 4 days.  Do it at the same time (in my case, first thing in the morning) and wearing the same amount of clothing.  Also, don't be a slave to the actual pounds lost (or gained, muscle weighs more than fat), instead, use the scale as just another data point in your suite of body composition self-analysis tools.  Consider that if you are working out and eating better, you will be building muscle and losing fat in concert with each other.  So the scale can tell you overall trending on weight loss, but you should also look at your body fat percentage, see how your clothes fit and assess how you actually feel.  Pay attention to your body and note where you are firming up or developing muscle tone.

Undoing years of neglect takes time, but you will notice the nuanced changes.  I know I am.

Oh yeah, and don't trust the scale (it hasn't earned the title of "digital weight measurement system" yet).