Getting Back on the Horse

It's discouraging to look back and see promises I made, only to know I didn't follow through.  And there's no making up the time or anything.  It's now March 7--two weeks to Spring and CCCC in St. Louis, then Spring Quarter.  So three months, essentially, to swimsuit weather and wanting to be back in shape.  But I feel very out of shape.  And so . . . .

Just ran and walked, and walked the other day for over an hour.  Haven't been doing strength training or other "shaping" exercises, but I keep trying to not let too many days go by without exercise.  I am finding myself eating or drinking far too much at home, so I think the calorie counting is absolutely necessary.  Male friend lost 20 pounds in, like, a month from treadmill every day for an hour and counting calories.  Ha!  Couldn't do that last summer while doing essentially the same thing.  Young male vs. middle-aged female.  Yeah, there is a difference.

So---calorie counting and exercise tallying.  If that's what it takes . . . .
Wed; March 7--20 minute walk/ 20 minutes running
TO DO:
Th; March 8--1/2 hour yoga/pilates before work
Fri; March 9--1 hour strength training

I want to be at 162 by next week Friday, 16th (2 pound loss)
At 160 by Wednesday, the 21st.  Let's see if that's possible . . . . . Bwahahahahahahahahaha . . . . . . .  (as Greg would say--and probably do).

I could still get down under 150 by Padre Island week.  YES!!  I'm not sure it's a good thing to emphasize weight.  I know I need to really think exercise and calories.  I really am discouraged when I think that I got down as low as I did (I'd forgotten already that the scale, on one October day, granted, after being sick, I was 7 pounds less than I am on today's scale, though generally I was hovering at about 4 pounds less than today.  Still.  I've essentially put on more than a pound a month since then.  So I'm taking in enough calories, or not exercising enough, to gain 1/4 of a pound a week.  A pound is 3500 calories, divided by 7 days, that means I need to burn off an additional 250 calories a day and eat 250 calories a day less.  Thinking about it that way, that's not so bad.  I know partly it's not drinking wine or beer during the week.  It's also not eating what seems like all the time when I'm home.  Cutting back on meals.  And at least going out for a walk every day.  An hour just of walking = 350 calories a day.  Okay, lady; what are you waiting for?  At least thinking about it this way makes me realize that maybe I should set my sights on less than I did last summer--a pace I couldn't keep up.