Diet and Exercise

The good news is that I'm home.

The bad news is that there is a scale at home.

The really bad news is that I got on the scale this morning.

The really, really bad news is that I gained 15 pounds while I was away. Yup, I ate my way through Cambridge and Boston, and now my favorite jeans are uncomfortable.

So, it's back to low carb, high protein, low fat, portion control, everything in moderation diet. You know. The way I'm supposed to eat.

Oh, and an hour of exercise a day - something else I didn't do when I was in Cambridge. I walked. A lot. But, I never really broke a sweat.

So, I "jogged" for 30 minutes this morning on my exercise trampoline and then did another 15 minutes of weight resistance and exercises that target the . . . um. . . "problem areas" on my body.

Let's just say that, with my Portuguese heritage, I am a woman with "a lot behind her".

I just cleaned out my cupboard of all the snacks I'm going to be off for the summer - kettle corn, potato chips, cookies (I love Oreo Cookies and Pecan Sandies and for some reason that defies all reason and logic, those really cheap vanilla creme wafers), nuts, chocolate (Ugh, my heart is breaking!) and - yes - even a whole box of those amazing Drum Stick Ice Cream Cones.

Someone at the local food pantry is going to be Very Happy. I threw in some cans of soup and some unopened boxes of cereal, too.

I'm off to the market now to get some fresh fruit and veggies, eggs, and fish. I'm off chicken and beef - just a preference, is all. No processed food. No sugar. No starches.

Oh, and lots of sparkling water, and lots of fresh lemon and lime. That will help when what I really want is a proper summer G&T - which I'll allow myself to have once or twice a week. You know. So I don't feel totally deprived.

If the Weight Loss Goddess is on my side, I'll be back in my favorite jeans by August 1. That's my goal, anyway.

I find that keeping a daily diary helps - writing down everything I've had for the day and keeping track so on those days I'm planning to have a proper G&T I can factor that in.

I've also found that the exercise is absolutely essential to weight loss. In fact, I've discovered that no diet works well without it. Fortunately, the summer sunshine helps to keep me motivated. That, and my jeans. And, my bathing suit.

So, I'm motivated and committed to get back into shape. I've lived long enough to know that I'll never look like I did when I was 25. That is just not going to happen. I'm pretty realistic about that.

I just want to look good - and feel good - in my clothes again.

I don't regret having eaten my way through Cambridge and Boston. Nope. Not one morsel. It was, every bit of it, totally delicious.

I am disappointed that I couldn't find a gym in the Boston area that was affordable, but it actually feels pretty good to get back into a routine again.

When it gets a little cooler this afternoon (It's been in the high 90s - a Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 PM tonight), I may even get my bike out of the shed, fill up the tires with air, and put some WD40 on the chains (No gears. It's an old fashioned Schwinn.) I have an old fashioned basket on the front and may even take 'er out for a ride tonight down to Massey's Landing.

There's something magical about being on a bike that makes me feel like I'm nine years old again and able to conquer the world.

When I was a kid, my mother used to let me go grocery shopping on my bike.  I would get milk and eggs and bread and whatever else she needed, paying for them carefully with the dollar bills and coins I had rolled into the shopping list and tucked into my sock, load them up in the basket on the front of my bike, and ride like the wind all the way home.

I would love to hear my mother say, "Well, that was fast!"

You bet it was! I was the absolute Queen of Schwinn. I could even out-ride most of the boys in my neighborhood.

I only hope I'm able to say "Well, that was fast!" come August 1st after I've lost these 15 extra pounds.

"Fast" will happen, soon enough.

It always does.

One day at a time.