I'm still here, and still on the road to optimum health. When last we spoke, I'd been checking in and out of Pilates class, struggling to find the right eating plan, as well as struggling with managing stress. I got a few comments (which I didn't post) about my musings...thanks for sharing, but I'm not here to promote a product. If it doesn't work for me, I'll write about it. If is does work for me, I'll do the same. And I don't post "snark".
Where have I been? I moved to a new house in July. It was a very spontaneous thing, but my doctor told me I needed a single story house so my knees would be happier, and it was a great decision. I can now fully participate in Pilates and not have to take time off because I wrenched my knees hauling laundry up and down the stairs.
Things have taken a turn for the worse for my father. His cancer is definitely in stage 4. Hospice is now involved since he's decided to stop all cancer treatment. Choosing to quit cancer treatment didn't mean he was going to pass on immediately, much to his chagrin. He's still hanging in there, and there's a lot more work my mother and I have to do in order to care for both their needs. It has been quite the learning curve for all of us. I'm exceptionally grateful to the local Hospic organization for everything they do for my parents, and in turn, for me as well. They're awesome! I encourage everyone to donate to Hospice.
So, once we settled in to our new home (I love this house so much!), and got the routine sort of under control with my parents, I was able to get back to Pilates again. I've been keeping up with it fairly consistently, and all my pants are now loose in the seat and through the thighs. Yippee! I'm feeling even stronger in my upper body. I can feel my muscles!
I've lost a total of five pounds and have kept it off over the holiday season. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I'm really happy about it. I switched up my eating plan, trying a wide variety of options, and I think I finally found the one that works. It's a modified low-carb diet for endomorphs, which means very lean proteins are important (but not over 90 gms), plenty of healthy fats (from wild-caught fish, avocados, flax), and no more than 135 gms of carbohydrates, sourced from vegetables. I keep my grain and legume consumption at a minimum, and only at dinner. And I'm not too obsessed with calories, as long as I don't go over 2000. Once I got into this groove, I started losing a steady .5 lbs/week. I know, it doesn't sound like a satisfying rate of loss, but I'm really happy with it. Because it's for life!
I've been playing with my food, trying new things. Since breakfast is the most carb-free meal of the day, I'm trying new things so I don't get stuck in an Atkins bacon and egg rut. This morning, I had braised collard greens and roast turkey chuncks in a turkey broth with lemon juice. I had braised the greens with garlic, shallots and bacon for New Year's, so I had some leftover. I know, there are those of you who are thinking "ick!" but I really loved them! I've been going a little nuts with the greens since Christmas. Swiss chard, young kale, dandelion greens, collards, mustard and turnip greens. And those collards are loaded with fiber! I have had braised greens with poached eggs for breakfast too. Yum!
Tonight I'm going for roasted asparagus, brocolli rabe and wild-caught Alaskan salmon for dinner. Maybe I'll have some oven-crisped sweet potato fries with garlic on the side.
Enough about food! Recently my Pilates instructor started a cardio Pilates class. At first, I tried going twice a week. That was too much for my knees. I cut back to once a week, but I still hurt my knees and wasn't inclined to get back to the regular Pilates class the next day, for the same reasons. I'm going to stick to Pilates three days a week and walking (60+ minutes) seven days a week. I can add some free weights at home, three times a week. I'm hoping I can get back to lunges after I lose another 30 lbs. Right now, it's just a little too much for me.
Until next time...
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