Another weight loss post

This is not the first and will not be the last time I will whine about this topic.

I am not losing weight. I now own a fit bit, so I'm able to accurately track and challenge myself to move more every day (a fit bit is a high tech pedometer which helps measure intensity of work out, steps take, etc. It's a wonderful tool and only about $100 at Amazon.com) I have figured my calories based on activity level using a BMR calculator. After listening to the podcasts at fat 2 fit radio and how they say weight watchers and so many other weight loss plans don't give you enough calories, I have been basing my daily calories off of my BMR. This means I should never eat less than 1830 calories per day since that's the number of calories it takes for someone with my build to live if I were being tube fed, in a coma.  I have checked other calorie calculators and this is the response I always get. If I exercise, I'm to increase the number of calories so that my body doesn't feel like it's starving. All the dieting I have done through the years has damaged my metabolism.  I have read other research on the subject and believe this is the true, healthy way to diet.  To lose weight reasonably, you alter the calories it would take to maintain your body at the new, desirable weight and that's only about 300 calories per day different. 

I also know that when I eat 1800-2000 calories per day of good, healthy food, I'm not hungry. I don't get that starving feeling a person gets when they eat badly and have too much sugar.  I have been choosing better food, though the last couple days I have cut myself some slack and eaten some things I like, but don't eat often anymore. With maggie becoming a vegetarian, we're eating less meat and more veggies at home as well.

So, why this rant? 10 days ago I weighed in at 222.8.. Woohoo I thought, I'm finally going down...then this week I weighed in at 225 and this was with good nutrition, proper exercise and lots and lots of steps taken.  My calorie deficit has been 500 or more each day. My fitness pal keeps saying "if every day were like today you'd weight 214, or 207, or 200, or whatever" in 5 weeks. But it's not happening. I drink tons of water...over 100 oz per day (can you imagine how much time I spend in the bathroom?) I'm fitter than I have ever been. I can go through long work outs and stay strong. It's awesome! But I am still obese.  I have talked to the doctor and he says that my thyroid is in order (not sure if there are other hormones I should be looking at) I think that perhaps I need to find someplace that does actual basal metabolic testing because I don't know how I can be eating right, exercising and still gaining. If it truly is a calories in, calories out game, then why is my pounds not going down?

Anyway, I know that the only answer is to keep plugging away and that eventually my body should relent and give up the weight. But it's so frustrating that 5 years ago I lost 18 pounds in 2 months without trying or exercising (of course, it came back the same way) I would give anything to be hyperthyroid for awhile and speed along my metabolism. 

Eating veggies

Maggie has given up meat.  This change in lifestyle will be interesting to watch as she moves in with her dad, who is a serious carnivore. She says she'll still eat fish and seafood, so that is good and so far she's not too worried about whether or not her soup has a chicken brother or a veggie broth. I keep hoping she'll give it up, but I'm supporting her in the mean time. She's going to a sleep over and I bought her veggie dogs and garden burgers in case they are grilling.

This week at Trace Trails

I arrived at Trace on Thursday about 9:30 and was on trail by 10:30. I rode the red trail with Liberty and my dog Frankie. We went slow, pulled old, faded ribbons that had turned white, and put up new red ribbons and freshened paint. I have a couple places close to camp to improve a little, but overall, I was pleased with the work we got done.

What was most amazing about my ride was how amazing Liberty was.  He was perfect! He just did everything I asked him to do. He opened gates, he hung ribbon, he never spooked. He cantered, he trotted. I had the best time. It reminded me when I was younger, with Rebel and how I would take Jasper and Lacie and just ride for hours all alone. I had forgotten how nice it was. I also thought how cool it would be if Liberty would do all the things he did for me at a ride, with judges watching. Of course, my nerves screw us up. It was fun though, because Annette had me do stuff and she watched me, which was kind of like having a judge watch me.  I'm concerned about Liberty because he is thin this summer. He always gets a little thin, but this year it's worse than usual.  I have been adding oil to his strategy healthy edge and I have added ultium to his diet, but not only is he looking thin, he's being picky about his food. He's not wanting to eat the higher calorie food.  I need to give him a break and not ride him so much, but Fiera is just not ready to trust on trail. On one hand, riding her will help her be more trustworthy, but I can't get a lot done if she's making me nervous...so I have a bit of a dilemma. I have a friend who wants to ride Oly so Liberty will just have to keep working...at least when I'm camping, i can give him more feed.

Anyway, Friday, Annette, Dana and I rode and adjusted blue. We found a pond we didn't know about before and that was welcome, but the trail was out in the open a lot and it was dry.  We were hoping to ride each of the trails and get a map to overlay, but I think that will have to happen next weekend.

Saturday morning we did half of pink before I had to call it a day and go home. Annette and other lady named Debbie finished marking pink again. So next week, we'll try to ride the trail and make maps. I'm getting a battery booster for my phone so I can use my iphone since I don't have that awesome garmin GPS I need/want ($35 for the booster, $179 for the GPS, easy choice)

I was happy to come home and hang out with Peter. Maggie came home from camp and we went out to dinner to the sushi/hibachi buffet Peter discovered.  Then I have had a nice, quiet day at home, surfing facebook...I feel like i have been busy, but I haven't really. I made breakfast...I'm getting ready to cook dinner.  It's been a good Sunday. And it might rain.