Day 1 of the 10-week challenge

Lori said to drink 16 oz. water before my feet touch the floor in the morning, and another 16 oz. by breakfast...what if I sleep in?

Okay, I learned from my time in Vermont that black and white thinking never did me any good when it comes diet and exercise. So, I'm not judging myself for not having had enough water earlier in my day today. I can catch up plus make plans and get it right later. The point is to drink water, a lot more water than I've been drinking.

(I bought a lot of toilet paper last night, one of those 9-roll packages. We'll see how my 50-year-old bladder is going to fare today. Or rather, those pelvic floor muscles. It seems that no matter how much I exercise them in class, I still need a Poise pad in place when I sneeze!)

So, am I supposed to be drinking 20 8-oz. glasses of water a day, because of my size? I've never had more than 14, and probably usually drink 8-12 a day. I decided to quit at 14. I was eating a lot of food with more water in it (that's what I'd tell myself). And why can't I just trust my thirst mechanism? Well, the thirst mechanism was working fine. I was just confusing it with the hunger mechanism, I guess. Maybe when my back teeth are floating it'll be easier to cut calories to 1500.

Talked with Lori about the source of my visceral fat. Elevated levels of blood sugar. Damn that type 2 diabetes! Those fat cells in the abdomen are the ones that produce the hormones affecting insulin resistance. MUST BE RID OF THEM! It's my number 1 goal for the year!

(Forgive me for being redundant about the belly fat, but I'm psyching myself up to get this done!)

My plan of attack:

1. Moderate-intensity exercise...walking on the treadmill every day, (Lori says) 40 minutes a day. I'm doing a modified interval training on the treadmill. Not too intense, so my knees are safe.
2. Weight training...twice a week, for now. Biceps and triceps. No lateral raises, because it doesn't help my shoulder.
3. Pilates...five days a week. That takes care of all the abs, plus strengthening the shoulders and knees.
4. Diet...keeping the carb sources complex and eating the right fats. Half the plate is vegetables at every meal. Keep away from bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, even if they're whole grain, for now. No legumes either! Plus, sticking with monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Okay, I gotta go...rented water coming through!



PS) Almost midnight. Not a good time of the day to be awake. Have had the munchies since 10 pm and I ate my way through a few hundred calories. So, drinking extra water didn't make me less hungry today. I also flaked on exercise today. Or rather, Pilates. I did use the treadmill. Maybe that's why I'm still up and why I had the munchies. Because any sort of cardio keeps me up later at night. Messes with my circadian rhythms.