diet report from covid jail

 

After my wake-up call I joined Noom. I rationalized spending the money because I succeed at things if I have someone else with me. Eating, walking, exercising, whatever. The more the merrier. I lack support at home, and family and friends are difficult to connect with for support with all the social distancing. Support was one of today's motivations. It suggested you take pictures of yourself (hell no!) Take pics of your food. Take pics of you exercising. This is why Instagram is full of this stuff. My second problem isn't really losing weight. It is keeping it off. I've lost the same forty pounds probably 10 times in the past 30 years. I always gain it back plus a little more.

So my goal today is to share my "journey". I feel sorry for you dear readers. But it will be once in a while. Not all the time. I don't want to write it. You don't want to read it. 

If you're curious I went up several pounds and ten days into it, I'm finally back at my starting point.

I'm logging my food -- the app claims there are no bad choices but honestly when the color coding is a stop light it's pretty ducking clear. I go over my red calories every day. By 1 pm today I had two meals logged and they were all red calories. Plus I've used my calories for the day! First time that has happened. I anticipated that would happen since I drove thru McDs for a breakfast sandwich on my way to the contactless grocery pick-up. If there was a Panera close by it would have been a better choice. But I had to drive thru with my mask and shield. It will get worse. Pat asked for spaghetti for dinner. She never asks for anything. I usually get a shoulder shrug. More red calories!

McD's aside, the bulk of my calories are always red. Occasionally yellow. Very little green. I have found out that if I log things individually I get the same calories but my color breakdown is slightly better. Everything that I think is healthy like eggs, nuts, beans, chicken, etc. comes up as red or yellow.  Fish comes up as green. It's the odd ball. But what's funny is that these are the things they are telling you to eat. I do not understand. I'm pretty sure you have to be vegan to get green calories. Because green foods are not calorie dense. Red food, are very calorie dense.

So far the app has told me nothing that I didn't already know, and in fact I find it's perky attitude and hashtags, and acronyms annoying. One of today's eating tips was to should cook at home. I'm shocked. Let's take that one step further and freeze, can, make double portions ... you get the idea ... to save money, control what you are eating and eat healthier. This family has been doing that since the 1930s. Probably earlier. There have been a lot of days where as adults we have stood around crafting food and dividing it between the participants. Please, please tell me something I don't know. 

The motivation segments are like cheerleaders on steroids. It makes me want to vomit.

Exercise. I have to log that as well. I have my Fitbit synced for the pedometer. Goal is 10K a day plus 4 days of exercise. The app assumes you are a couch potato and starts from there. I'm more of a Zoom potato. This online work has reduced my step count dramatically. I could get 3k steps in during one class, and that didn't include walking from the parking lot. Even before the app I was motivated to get back to walking so this blog would have some interesting content. 

Speaking of interesting content, the Montco challenge started a couple days ago. I signed up. That will be Pam and my challenge for this summer.  I haven't done it since 2017. There is also a water trail this time. They are having a group 10 mile paddle June 5th that I considered but I already have a commitment that day. Bummer. So I don't really

Getting back to serious walking will have to wait until the 28th when I'm out of Covid jail. I was woken up and raring to go and then had to stop. Being C19+ I can not go to parks and trails and things. (Wait, not allowed to use that word.) Instead, I'm taking a 5 minute walk around the block and crossing the street if I encounter people. I've been going up to Sioux and around but today I went down the alley. I really big, loud dog has moved in. When he stands up on the fence he could easily go over. Alley is off limits. I went to go out Itaska and Violet was coming out of her house. I turned around and headed back to Fiot. No way I could walk past Violet and not chat or be asked to go for cancer sticks.

 I really didn't want to walk on Broadway, it's really hard to avoid people. So I went thru Mary Liz's alley. The people who bought her house added a parking pad. I'm sending her a pic. As I rounded the corner, the twin on the corner is condemned. I'll let her know that as well.

The app has you doing a step count and they started you at 1500. Adding 300 every day till you get to 10K. I'm close to 3K now as my goal. Plus they are all about setting baby goals to achieve the big goal (199 pounds). They want you to mix up your exercise routine -- my choices were running, weightlifting, and yoga. I picked yoga. But I haven't done it. I have zero interest in yoga alone in my living room. But it was the only one of the three choices that I'd even attempt.

But the app is keeping me accountable. I'm drinking a lot less soda, and since I have to write it down, I'm eating a lot less. I also have weeded out most of the food that lacks nutritional value ... the empty calories. But it doesn't stop me from searching for them at the end of the day. I could live on water from the time I get up until I'm trying to settle down for bed because I'm busy. Then I could eat everything in the house that isn't nailed down. Not because I'm hungry but because I'm bored. Or stressed. Especially this week. It was hell. Or emotional. I have made mindless eating an Olympic sport.Maybe I should join Overeaters Anonymous instead. Of course we'd have serious issue when we get to the step about higher powers. News flash, there isn't one.

I'm only 10 days into it, so maybe later it will give me useful information. But I'm in for the long haul. My mother taught me that if you signed up for something you had to see it thru no matter how much you didn't like it. 

My goal for the last 10 years has been 199 pounds. It says that in my bio. The closest I've come is 230. 220's would be nice. Hell, 230 would be okay if it just stayed off. We'll see.