Erin's Journal

Hello!

I'm not sure what the protocol is over here, but I'm planning to use this discussion thread as my fitness journal. I hope that's ok. I've seen this kind of thing done on other forums/community boards successfully, and I think it could really help me with accountability.

I'm 53, and have been working from home since 2011. I gained a bunch of weight with the switch to remote work and have been struggling to get control of it ever since.

I found FitnessBlender on a Youtube search about 2+ years ago. Love the company - Daniel and Kelly are great - big fan. Happy to see them doing so well.

My highest weight was about 185 maybe 3 years ago. (?) (I'm 5'7") A year ago I was down to 157, and I'm fairly certain I'm back in the mid 170s. Frankly, I don't want to even weigh myself right now, I'm so disappointed in the weight gain.

I struggle with consistency and managing food/exercise when there's a break in routine. "If I could just have a normal month..." There isn't one, and I need to figure out how to manage all that. I eat better at home, but it all seems to go out the window when I get in the car. :)

A very good friend of mine who's lost a ton of weight gave me some inspiration and a big pep talk over the weekend and I decided to jump back in with both feet. I promised her I would weigh myself on Friday and report back. I will report that here as well.

Yesterday I started the "FB Low Impact - Fat Loss Program" and did the fitness test.

1 Mile Run: 12:15 (I've never been fast. :) )

Half push ups: 16

Squats: 21, no weight

Half plank: 1 minute 3 seconds

Sit and reach: I didn't have a measuring tape, but I can get the bottom of my fingers to sit on my toes. Not real far.

As far as food goes, I lose when I track calories, but I DO NOT want to track calories. I would love to hit my goal without having to track every single calorie. It's just not sustainable for me. Happy to hear suggestions from folks there.

I know what to do. Eat more veggies and fruit, move more. But I struggle with consistency. Sugar is my arch enemy. I can't keep it in the house, or I'll eat it all. I can't have one cookie or a bowl of ice cream. I overeat every time, so I try to avoid having that stuff in.

For exercise, I walk a LOT. I have a dog and walk him faithfully twice a day, probably between 60-90 minutes of walking. About two months ago, I started running one mile after our morning walks. That gave me a little cardio boost to start the day.

Goals:

- I would love to be under 150.

- I want to feel strong.

- I want hills to be easier.

- I want to find more vegetable recipes that I can go to instead of low value carbs and sugar.

I would be happy to hear from anyone with similar struggles. I would like this next year the year I finally get consistency and reach these goals.

Feel free to say hello and ask questions!

~Erin