Winning At Trimming -- For Now

Congratulations to me for sticking to my current exercise regimen. I'm down about 12 pounds in the last six or seven weeks, and15 or 16 from my high fatter mark of 304 earlier in the year. I'm now either 289 ( bathroom scale) or 286 1/2 (Wii Fit Platform); I have no idea which is the more accurate source. My exercise centerpiece is Wii Fit Plus, and I'm back on it full time for the first time in, what, 2-3 years? In fact, most days I use it for two half-hour-plus periods -- once after my morning shower, and again after clocking out from work at 5. This way, I've been able to achieve gradual weight loss and cut down a small portion of my calorie in-take: I'm keeping away from most of my chocolate snacks, but I get to "pig out" at least one meal a day, usually lunch. Thus I avoid feeling food-deprived, which is a primary reason why many diet regimes ultimately fail. 

Of course, I have a history, like most people, of not sticking to these regimens for the long term. Either I get bored with the routines. or I get ill or otherwise time-hampered and my rhythm is thrown off. There is no guarantee that I will not get sick and tired of Wii Fit in time. But there are a couple of key differences. 

• For the first time in my life, I understand that my age requires daily physical maintenance. I can no longer get away with not exercising. I sense that a steep physical decline is coming, maybe soon, if I don't get into the habit.
• For the first time in my life, my goal is not just weight loss. I am really digging how exercising makes my body feel! Be it the endorphins, or the improved muscle tone, or the increasing energy level, I haven't felt this good in my body since my conditioning went into a tailspin after the BACDS Fall Frolic camp -- was that in 2009? Must have been. The key moment this time was realizing that the feeling was worth just as much as the weight loss, and even when I go through phases of zero weight loss, or even a gain, it's just temporary, and the good feeling is nice by itself, and keeping at it will take care of the weight loss. It's a piece of wisdom I wish I had after the Fall Frolic weekend, when I danced my tushie off (and snacked on a good deal of sweets) and came home to find I hadn't lost any of the weight I had hoped for.

I doubt that I will get as low as the 260s like I did in 2004-05, in the Weight Watchers program and dancing two-three times a week. For one, I'm not as absorbed in the County Dance world these days (although we did go to the English Berkeley dance last night and I marveled at how well my body met the challenge); for another, a couple of stomach illnesses helped me along to that 30+ pounds of weight loss I enjoyed then. I will not set such lofty goals any more! I hope that if I ever do have the opportunity to set my weight goal to the 260s, it will be when I'm just a few pounds shy of that range.

Now it's 10:30 PM this Thursday evening and time for a huge hot-fudge sundae before bed. (Ha ha, although I will be reading a Judy Blume Fudge book to Karen at bed-time.)