Sobering

Monday night the husband and I were watching the news and a story caught my attention. 

Apparently the majority of adult overweight/obese Canadians that were a healthy weight during adolescence either do not lose weight and keep it off or, if they do, they lose a small amount.  The average being 6lbs.

Pretty damn sobering don't ya think?

That is one group of statistics I want to remain in the minority of!  I'm also extra proud of the 40+ lbs I've lost so far.  This has re-motivated me right when I needed it.

I think I want to write *6LBS!!!* on a sticky note and put it on the treadmill and fridge.

Holiday Weight Gain?

So many people find the holidays a hard time to lose or maintain weight.  I think part of the reason people often gain over the holidays is they feel obligated to have what's offered to them.  So my game plan was to have a little of whatever I wanted, but only if I really wanted it.
I am quite happy to be able to say I didn't gain weight over the holidays, in fact I lost a *teeny* bit more.  And I indulged myself, sometimes a bit too much lol.  I made sure that I also kept myself busy and moving when possible.  Sometimes that's part of the challenge... traveling to visit often involves lots of sedentary time and then when you are out there is often lots of sitting involved as well (playing cards & games, watching movies with the fam, etc)

I went for a massage on Monday, I usually go monthly for maintenance, and when we were doing the usual Q & A about any health changes or pain I told MK that I've now lost 40 lbs :) 
She looked at my sheet and said, "Wow that's another 10 lbs since your last appointment 6 weeks ago!"
(My December appointment had to be missed, and yep I could feel it!)

Now I can happily say I've hit one of my milestone goals, 40 lbs down, but it's not the big one I've been looking forward to.  That one is *soooclose* I can taste it (haha taste it, food, weight loss... yeah sorry weird/dorky sense of humour here) I'm really hoping my next blog post will be about that!

One thing I've really noticed, as my weight goes down my chronic pain is more manageable (for the most part.  I won't lie, I've had a couple bad flare ups) 
OH!  One more exciting bit of news... I sold my Pozzi saddle and started shopping for a "new" saddle.  I found a Lynn McKenzie and tried it out, my mare likes it and I liked how I rode in it AND it's a 14.5 seat!  I've always ridden in a 15 or bigger, I never thought I'd see the day I was in something smaller than a 15! :)

So how have y'all fared over the holiday season?

Maybe I'm Crazy

I've been thinking about running.  The thing is I used to run track in school (long jump, high jump, sprints & relays).  I wasn't great at it but I did okay, but most of all it was fun. 
However after the car accidents and putting on weight running was no longer fun.  My joints hurt and I have shin splints.  But running is still in my mind.
After losing the 30lbs I've found that I can run short distances.  Even something as easy as running across the yard to the barn used to leave me winded and now it's nothing.  And those little sprints have rekindled that "I love to run" feeling.
I know that to start really running again it will take time and I'm hoping that by taking it easy I won't have as much trouble with the shin splints.  I'm pretty certain that losing weight and getting in shape will help with the joint problems too.
Holy heck though, running has gotten technical!  All the discussion about stride & form, different clothing options, etc etc... kinda makes my head spin. 
My goal isn't to run a marathon or even a half, so maybe my goal isn't to be a "real runner".  I'd like to try a 5K though, and if that goes well maybe move up to a 10K.
I'm going to look at some C25K plans (Couch to 5 K) and also see if I might be able to get into a learn to run program at a local runner's store (which will really depend on if it fits my work schedule.)
I've got a treadmill plus miles of roads at home, plus beautiful trails along the river in the city if I'm brave enough to "go public".
Is there anything you used to do when you were younger/fitter that you'd like to try again?

-20

You read that right, -20.  Yep in July.  Because that's -20LBs baby!!

I'm feeling pretty confident that it will stick too, or rather that I'll keep making progress because 20 is about 1/3 of my rather loosely created goal.  I know I'm due for a plateau, and I know it will suck, but I'm still hopeful.

Really a lot of it is due to my little Fitbit.  Four months later and I still faithfully log in anything I eat/drink.  I wear it (almost) all the time.  One thing that was a bit discouraging... I switched my settings from "normal" to "sensitive" for the sleep tracking.  Watching my average drop like a stone and looking at that little blue sleep bar which now had big chunks of red.  Oh heck yeah, now I know why I feel tired so often! 

I still eat "junk" at times, but I'm developing more will power than I've ever had before (even with my darn sweet tooth!)

According to the settings I've put on my Fitbit I should be hitting my next big milestone before the end of the year! 

It's been all too quiet over here lately... what's up with y'all?