I was surprised

 Part of the 75 Hard challenge is to set up a diet plan for yourself and follow it religiously.   The term diet does not mean a diet in the negative weight loss connotation.  The rule to set up a diet plan is just saying to set up an eating plan for the time frame.   It does not have to be a plan that will encourage your body to lose weight.  It could be something as simple as limiting how much soda a person drinks, or cutting alcohol or going sugar free.  Anything!  I have one follower on my youtube channel that decided to do the 75 hard along with me and for her diet plan she simply made the rule that she has to track her food each and every day.  It doesn't matter WHAT she eats, she just has to track it. Sure she is trying to keep it under a certain caloric goal, but her plan is to TRACK.    For me though, I decided to set up a diet plan that would 'encourage' my body to lose weight.

I decided that my goal would be to stay under 1500 calories!   I could do that, no problem right?    Well let me tell you, at the beginning it was tight!  But I quickly settled down and got used to eating the fewer calories.  And the first week or so I lost big....I lost 5.5 pounds!   And then I hit a week where I actually gained! I gained 1.5 pounds!  What in the world?   I was working out, religiously.  I was drinking my water, religiously.   I was keeping my calories under 1500, religiously!  There should NOT have been a gain!  Yet, I was staring at the scales and seeing a gain!

I knew that something was dreadfully wrong so I looked deep and here is what I found.

1. I remembered that I typically do not lose at the 1500 calorie mark.   I tend to lose at 1400 and below but my calorie count that week was always JUST below the 1500 mark!  Yes, that seems low.  HOWEVER, I do not weigh my food all the time.  I do it here and there to 'recalibrate' my portion sizes.  But I don't do it all the time.  So I look at it as the lower caloric goal is my trade off for not having to be anal and weigh everything!  Plus, I share my food with pets.   Just this morning I had a banana and some peanut butter.   The dog ate a bite or two of banana and some of the peanut butter and the bird got a slice of banana and some peanut butter!    So my figures would be all skewed should I be weighing my food.  So I just figured out through trial and error where my calories need to be for my non weighed and animal shared meals.   (And man, now I feel guilty because I didn't give the crabs anything!) 

2.  Carbs.  I love them!  OH my word to I love my carbs!   However, I have long known that my body does not love carbs....or rather maybe my body loves carbs a little too much and those carbs stick with me! I have found that I can handle one serving of a complex carb each day.  That means ONE serving of a bread or potato.   Not two...not three.    In that week where I gained 1.5 pounds I was eating an undue amount of carbs.   Ok, maybe undue amount was a bit overdramatic, but I was eating  more than the one serving that my body 'allows.'    

So I was totally able to identify what the problem was that had led me to gaining weight that week and I vowed to make the changes for the upcoming week.  However.......

Yeah, the changes didn't happen.  I was drawn to the kitchen where I made homemade bread.  Then I made homemade English muffins.   And if that wasn't enough I then made homemade pretzels!  Of course I ate some of my baked goods!  Of course I did!   I was out of control!   Until I realized what was happening.  I was drowning in grief.   I was coming up on the first  anniversary of my mom's  death and subconsciously I had sought out comfort.  (You can read how I managed the week after her death and see a picture of my mama here.)  Comfort for me is baking.  Comfort for me is carbs.  In my grief as the anniversary approached, I was drowning myself in both.

I am proud to say that as soon as I realized what I was doing that I was able to turn it around.  The baking and carb-fests ended and I got back to the basics.    I weigh myself daily and I had seen the scales slide upward during those few days of grief laden indulgence.   I HOPED to turn it around enough to show a maintain on the scales for my official weigh in day (which is currently set at Wednesday).

I was SO surprised to step on the scale on Wednesday morning.  I didn't maintain.    But I didn't gain!   I actually LOST weight!   I lost 3.1 pounds!  I lost enough weight that I recouped my 1.5 pound gain from my official weigh in the week before AND added another 1.6 pounds to that loss!   GO me.

So a few things that I learned from this:

1.   The calorie thing that I talked about earlier in this post really does hold true.

2.  Carbs are the devil....for my body.  But thank heavens I CAN indulge once a day!

3.  Diet soda.........I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not....BUT, when I turned things I accidentally stopped drinking my diet soda in the evenings.   My plan has been to drink water during the day...and if I am done with my required amount of water at the end of the day then I can indulge in a glass of diet soda.  When I turned the ship around in terms of my eating, I somehow just stopped getting my glass of soda.  IT was accidental really.  I was just not finishing my required (for the 75 Hard challenge) water early enough to allow myself that glass of diet soda.  Could the diet soda be part of that amazing weight loss (because seriously....  I officially lost 3.1 pounds, but in reality I had gained an extra pound before I turned it around....a pound that never was counted in an official weigh in.   WE are talking substantial weight loss in just a few days.  Coincidental?   I am not sure....but stay tuned, I will be keeping an eye of it!  

75 Hard Week Three: The week of dread

 I have managed to make it through the third week of the 75 Hard.  It wasn't an easy week though!  I actually dreaded completing some (ok most) of my workouts!  I dreaded going outside.  I dreaded the early morning workouts.  I just was filled with dread.  But I pushed through and did what I needed to do!

75 Hard Day 15 

I had been super sore for a good portion of the previous week and had been choosing my indoor exercise carefully to allow my body to heal while still pushing forward.   But this day I decided that I would jump it up to a step aerobics workout.   My legs were tired when I was done, but I didn't have any of the pain that I had felt the week before.  That was a huge victory!   Jason and I went out with the dog and walked for about an hour and with that I was easily able to knock off my outdoor exercise. 

I got my reading in and drank my water with no problem.   I managed to end the day with 1393 Calories, so I was within my caloric goal range!  It was another successful day!

 75 Hard Day 16

On Monday, the 16th day of my 75 Hard Challenge I struggled with exercise.  It wasn't so much any pain but just an overwhelming sense of dread about completing it.  I was tired.  I was feeling lazy.  I just didn't want to do it.  My indoor exercise was a hodgepodge of things.  I literally started one exercise and then felt so dissatisfied that I swapped to something else.....and then swapped again!  I was so proud of completing my 45 minutes that I snapped a picture of my watch/tracker......but I even messed that up!  HAHAHA  But, blurry you can see I made it to 45 minutes and one second!  I'm telling you, it was rough indoor workout!

The outdoor workout came much later in the afternoon. I went out and worked in the yard sawing up wood (with a hand saw) and dragging limbs.  My heart rate was up and it was a gorgeous day.

The water was no problem.  My reading was done early in the morning.  I finished the book Estrogen Matters. (Amazon Affiliate Link)  It was a pretty decent read.  It was a bit dry at times with scads of data, but it got the point across!   However, the doctor still said "weigh the risks and the benefits' and then you can decide if hormone replacement therapy is right for you!  Good advice and one that I have followed pretty much all my adult life (which is why I don't take the medication for my Acid Reflux/GERD....it didn't really help me all that much and well, that made the risks outweigh the benefits...and yes when I talked to the doctor I have his blessing and support of that decision.)

 

 My calories were at 1486.  I was close to the top of my range, but managed to stay under the 1500 limit!

 75 Hard Day 17

I felt a little bit better with my indoor workout on this day.  I wasn't so wishy washy and chose one thing (Zumba) and completed my 45 minutes without becoming dissatisfied and having to switch.  At about 12:30 PM, I headed outside and went up to the bonfire pit where I had piles of down trees.  Some was stuff we cut late last fall and others were stuff that has come down this winter. (Like the wind storm from last week that brought a huge limb down right against our house.)  My in-laws came over and together we clipped, we cut, we saw and we stacked that wood!   I still have a pile brush that needs to be cut (it was too windy that day).  We finished about 3 hours later.  I wasn't cold while I was outside, even though I was only in a sweatshirt.  But when I came in I immediately felt cold, so I curled up under a blanket and read for a bit!    I was happy though....all my exercise was done for the day!

 The reading posed no problem, which is not surprising as lately I have been averaging about 4 books read a week.   The water was also no issue!  64 ounces done and dusted!  My calories were also in line with my grand total being 1383.  I checked each item off the 75 Hard challenge list and became eligible to move on to day 18 (if you mess up you have to restart at day 1).

75 Hard Day 18

I had to do a bit more planning today as I knew that I would be up and out the door by about 8:45.  The indoor exercise was no problem as I do that every morning at 5AM.   By 7:45 I was outside traipsing around with the dog to get my outdoor workout in. Ohhh, and my reading was done between the indoor workout and the outdoor workout.

Why I left the house was so that I could give my nephew a lesson in driving stick shift.  He did really well. (my aching neck...hahaha not really.  He listened to the car and was starting to get the hang of it pretty quickly!)  After that, my brother and my other nephew worked at my mom's house to get it ready to sell.  We have two bedrooms totally cleaned, emptied and the doors are closed.   We also scrubbed out all three bathrooms and they are ready to go also!  I did really good with my water through the day, sipping as the day went and drinking water while we ate lunch.  I was on a roll!   I had no problem finishing my water for the day.  The issue came into play with my food.  I had done well throughout the day but when it came time for dinner I just didn't have time to make our planned dinner that was on the menu!  I was way short on time.  So I pulled out my emergency frozen pizzas.  They were delicious, but I used way too many calories! I ended the day at 1755 calories.   That is sadly over my daily goal of 1500 calories.  BUT, all is not lost.  IF you remember the post where I talked about my personal 75 hard challenge I talked about my diet plan, which was to keep my calories under 1500 and NOT eat my earned calories, with one exception. I decided to allow myself the right to eat those earned calories once a week to allow myself to 'live'.     With my 45 minute indoor workout along with my 30 minute doggie walk time I was perfectly fine!  YAY!  
 

75 Hard Day 19

I seriously think I'm a bad ass!  I have to be!   This challenge has thrown snow at me, it's thrown wind at me, it's thrown single digit temps at me and it has thrown rain at me (and of course not a delightful warm summer rain...a cold winter rain).   But after day 18 of this 75 Hard challenge I can add another weather to my list or torture.  I was outside walking in an ice storm on this day.  Yes, it was precipitating and it was ice!  It was quite pretty, that's for sure!  Yeah, I'm a bad ass!

The water, the reading and the exercise was completed and I was at 1271 for my daily calories.  Therefore day 19 was a win and I was doing great!

 75 Hard Day 20

This was another day where I checked off all the boxes of my 75 Challenge requirements easily. Notice I said that I checked them all off easily.  Some of the things were still quite dreadful.  I just wasn't feeling the workouts!   But I did them.

As always, reading was easy and so was the water!   My calorie count came in at 1278.  So a day full of wins!

 75 Hard Day 21

It was Saturday and the last thing I wanted to do was exercise. I don't exercise at 5 AM on the weekends.  Typically I am awake before Jason and I mosey my way to the living room and relax while he sleeps in.  I don't exercise until after Jason AND the bird are awake.  I wouldn't dare interrupt the birds sleep by exercising in the next room!  But I had made it almost 3 complete weeks of the 75 hard challenge and I wasn't going to mess it up, so off I went!   45 minutes of step aerobics completed!

After a nap that lasted all morning and a whole lot of grogginess that followed; I got myself moving.  I folded some laundry, straightened the kitchen and of course fed Fred (my sourdough starter).   Then we headed out and walked for 45 minutes in the neighborhood behind us.   Zoey has developed a weird fear of storm drain/grates.  I don't recall any issues on previous walks by today she was petrified of them.  Weird!   But, that is off subject.  What is important is that my outdoor exercise is DONE!

I spent some time reading and finished my third non-fiction book of this challenge.  This book was To The Gorge . (Amazon Affiliate Link)  It is the story of a long distance runner whose mother dies of cancer. This runner decides to run the across Oregon on the PCT and try to set a record and do it in honor of her mother.   This book tells the story of this run and the mental fortitude needed for such a challenge, something that always interests me.   The book also walks the reader through the cancer diagnosis and and the whole way to the eventual death through 'flash back' memories interspersed in the running story.   It was a good read.  It was  a good reminder to live your life joyfully. (Like the mother, even though the daughter/runner was wracked with grief and was not joyful.)   It was a good book, but maybe a little hard to read considering I finished reading this book on  February 8th and February 9th would mark the 1 year anniversary of my mom's death.

 I was a little worried about my water considering I took a shower after exercising and was back on the recliner by 9AM and I then slept until Noon.  What does that mean?  Well I don't know about you, but I don't naturally drink water whilst asleep.  Ha.    But I  did remarkably well and my water was done by dinner time!   This was a Saturday and we go out to eat on Saturdays, but I planned my food well in advance and I ended the day with 1291 calories!  WIN WIN WIN all around.   And with that, I managed to complete week three of the 75 Hard Challenge!  

 

Reflections of 75 Hard To Date

After only 3 weeks I am finding the water so much easier to complete.  I am pretty impressed with that! I kid you not, before this challenge I was always trying to get my water consumption up to 64 ounces and I was lucky to make it to 30 ounces a day, and that was a struggle.   But I am doing it now!  I went from drinking pretty much nothing to consistently and easily drinking 64 ounces. 

Outdoor exercises are sometimes lame.  I sometimes go for a formal walk, but much of the time I find myself traipsing around outside with the dog....walking in place while she sniffs....or walking in place while I play fetch with her. I feel as if I am cheating.  Even though I am outside.  Even though I am moving.  I feel like I'm cheating because it's something I have been doing (maybe just not as long) and I feel as if I should be doing something 'new'.   I have to give this some food for thought!

The selfie a day?   I am doing it, maybe not a full body shot, but I am taking a selfie a day.  This is actually the one that I haven't felt particularly in love with.  I am not really seeing a need or purpose, but I am doing it regardless.  I think maybe the reason I don't feel the need and see the importance is that I am looking at myself on youtube all the time.  Afterall, I film almost daily for my weight loss and lifestyle youtube channel so I am seeing myself and have a record of my self through that.  Who knows.   And yes, I am filming and talking about my 75 hard challenge there too!  You can check it out the complete playlist here.    And  I will post the first video in the serious below.  (And if you don't want to check it out, no worries.  I don't blame you, I like a good blog post myself!)

 

 

 

365 Pictures: A picture a day // Day 97 to 102

I have been doing well with my picture a day venture.  It is neat to look back and see my pictures of what I have been doing.  I still want and plan to actually play with my photography skills and really better myself terms of my photography, but for the most part, they are still just simple snaps of my day!   This past week I actually had multiple pictures to choose from....so much fun!

Day 97 (2.2.25)

We got outside with the dog and took a nice long walk.  It was great for the dog as she REALLY needs to learn to calm down and practice makes perfect.  It was good for Jason and I because walks have always been our favorite place to really talk with no distractions.  And it was important for me to get in my 45 minutes of outdoor exercise for my 75 Hard Challenge! 

Day 98 (2.3.25)

If I am outside when it is about time for Jason to get home the dog will sit as close to the driveway  as her tether will allow her  and then she stares at the driveway willing Jason to get home.  Since it is winter and we are not outside waiting, she sits at the sliding glass door and stares at the driveway.  Just stares and waits!   Jason has gotten wiley and sometimes turns off his headlights when he pulls in so that he can sneak up on her in the dark and see her response to his arrival.

Day 99 (2.4.25)

I spent all afternoon outside working on all the branches and downed limbs that have been carted up to the burn pile.  It was too windy to burn, but I worked on cutting up the wood into 'manageable' pieces that can be used in our indoor fireplace as well as the bonfire pit.   It was cold and windy outside and I was only wearing a sweatshirt.  I was ok and felt warm as long as I was moving, but when I came inside the cold hit!  I curled up under a blanket and read a bit until it was time to make dinner!

Day 100 (2.5.25)

There is nothing better than a dog that curls up with you on the couch!  

Day 101 (2.6.25)

We had a small ice storm.   It was nasty outside.  When I opened the door for Zoey to go outside at 5AM she stopped dead and just watched the sleet and ice fall from the sky!  Eventually she picked her way outside to do her business.....but then she skedaddled right back inside.  (Big WIMP!)    It may have been cold and wet (still precipitating) when we went out at 7:30 for our morning walk, but it was sure beautiful!

Day 102 (2.7.25)

I had a busy day planned for the day.  I got up at 5AM and got my exercise done and then sat on the couch reading until Jason left for work.   The dog is so unlady like and fell asleep beside me....of course showing all her lady parts to the world!

What can I say, the dog is stealing the show!

The Hunt for A Job

 Job hunting kinda sucks!

Searching for a job is not for the faint at heart!  Seriously, it's disheartening and demoralizing.  And I've only been at it for a little over a month!  I probably have averaged 2 applications per each day that I have been unemployed.  I have had one phone interview and nothing else other than reject letters.  Yet I keep applying.  I keep tweaking my resume.  I write new cover letters and different follow up letters.  I continue to promote myself.  I spend a few hours a day on this.

Yet, I am filled with panic.  I know I shouldn't be.  I am receiving unemployment wages.  I'm not in any financial straits....yet.  Yet the panic is there.  

I am working to not give into the panic and stress.   I keep myself busy.   I have worked in the yard gathering all the downed limbs from thus far this winter and dragging them to the fire pit area.  I have then processed all of those along with what we cut in the fall.  By processing, I mean that I have cut them into small logs and stacked them.  I am waiting for a none windy day to actually light a fire to burn some of the brush and pine.  I have gone to my mom's house and worked alongside my brother to paint my mom's house.   Just yesterday we totally cleaned the bathrooms and two bedrooms....readying it to be put up for sale.    

I know I will get through this stage in life....but my word it's not fun!

 

Week Two, the Week of the Ouch

I can not believe it!  Seriously, I am in shock!   What is so shocking is the fact that I have actually successfully completed two weeks of the 75 hard challenge!  I know, you would have thought that I would have been confident in my ability when I started it, but I have failed so many times that I was a bit skeptical.  But I am 2 weeks down and my confidence in myself grows each and every day!  

Week two was not without it's own brand of difficulties!  It was a week where I was hurting.  It was a week where I was quite concerned that my body was not going to allow me to finish.   It was a week of perseverance.  But, instead of describing my week in a few words, let me just share it!

Day 8

Sunday marked the first day of week two of the 75 Hard challenge, officially Day 8!   I started the day off right with heading into the family room and completing a 45 minute indoor workout.  For this workout I chose to follow one of the Biggest Loser Workout DVD's that I had in my collection from years ago.   I know the controversy over that show, but seriously, the workouts are pretty solid!  (Amazon link for the DVD Here.)

 It was after this early morning workout that I had my first inkling of a problem.   I took a load of laundry to the basement and my knees were hurting (of late this is normal) on the way back up the steps my knee just gave out.  This hasn't happened in quite a few years.  Luckily I caught myself and when I sat down and rested, the pain subsided.  However, I was concerned!  

I didn't let my knee derail me though.  I counted my calories.  I read my book.  I did what I needed to do and later that afternoon I headed out with Jason and the dog in tow and we completed a nice long walk!

Day 9

My memory must be rather short because I didn't take my knee into consideration when I chose my indoor workout.  In my infinite un-wisdom, I chose a step aerobic workout!   In my defense it was listed as 'basic' but when the instructor was introducing it she gave the disclaimer that while it was basic it was FAST.   She was right.  But I completed it anyway!  My legs were toast afterward!

For my outdoor workout I decided to take a nice long walk!  I was out over an hour!  The sky was a brilliant blue and I actually had to unzip my coat AND my hoodie because the weather wasn't frigid cold! (Although that could be relative considering it was in the single digits less than a week earlier!)

The rest of the day was easy peasy and I was able to complete everything with no issues.

Day 10

This is the day that the pain was real.  I knew it as soon as I got out of bed.  My calves.  My Shins.  My oh my, I ached!  It was 5AM and I was so tempted to not do that indoor workout at my normal time and instead wait until later in the day.  But I did that once in the first week and it was just something I dreaded all day long and that day I did it at the final hour.  I didn't want a repeat of that!   So I choose a lighter workout.  I stayed away from the step aerobic workouts and I also chose something that had fewer squats and lunges.  For the outdoor workout I walked the dog and played with the dog in the yard.   I luckily didn't feel TERRIBLE, but my legs certainly didn't feel good!

Day 11

My legs were still feeling quite icky, but I didn't let it stop me.   While Jason was in the shower at 5AM I was stomping and gyrating around in the family room to get my indoor workout done.    For my outdoor workout I worked in the yard.  We had a slight ice rink appear.  It was about 5 in diameter.   Apparently a slight dip in the ground accumulated the melting snow.  It would melt during the day and freeze solid at night.....It was treacherous and I didn't want myself or Jason to slip NOR do I want Zoey to get hurt (seriously, no vet bills please!) I vowed to try to take care of the issue. (temporarily at least)  So, my outdoor exercise was after the sun warmed it enough to melt it and I went out and bailed the water from that pond.   I would fill a 5 gallon of bucket of water (using a shovel or a dust pan one scoop at a time) and then I carted the bucket to the field to dump it.....over and over.   I estimate that I bailed about 75-100 gallons of water (I stopped counting/lost count of  how many buckets I filled  at around 13 or 14).  But it worked!   The yard is still muddy but I don't have an ice rink anymore!  I am calling it an outdoor workout because I was moving the whole time and my heart rate while not super high was elevated.  The thing to note about this outdoor workout is that it was SUPER windy!

 The first picture shows the ice rink...it doesn't look big but it had more water than I expected.  The second picture is when I was done bailing!

I was craving a grilled cheese for lunch on this day.   I pulled everything out to make it and luckily stopped myself before I started preparing it.  I actually stopped so that I could look at my calories.   I was able to fiddle with my calories.....it required me to forego the second piece of cheese on my sandwich, and I had to count my grapes carefully, but I was able to adjust a few things (a few less grapes, a smaller serving at dinner, etc) to work it into my food budget.  I was super proud of myself!

 This was the day of my official weigh in!  I lost 5.5 pounds!  It felt good to post a great weigh in!  I won't go into details about it because I wrote about it in a previous post. (You can read about it here.) 

Day 12

My legs were still feeling it this day, but I could see a bit of improvement.  I nailed my morning workout and I had felt so good physically and mentally after being productive outside work from the day before that I decided to again combine my outdoor exercise with some yard work again.   Zoey and I took a 15 minute walk and then I decided to clean up some large tree branches that had come down the previous day in the wind storm.  They were big enough that when Jason came home and saw them moved he was like "how did you move them yourself".  We were super lucky that these branches  didn't do damage to the house.  They were literally laying against the house in some places!  We also had a lot of smaller limbs down in the yard so I went around gathering them. 

The interesting thing to note from this outdoor workout was the fact that I had gone out with hair that was still damp from my shower.  This alone is not abnormal.  I frequently do this, and I just make sure that my hoodie is pulled up over my head and all is well.  But with dragging this branches I got hot!  So without thinking my hood got pushed off of my head.   A bit later I went to push my hair back behind my ears and met with a unique situation.  My hair was HARD!   Yes hard!  It only took me a few seconds of confusion before I realized that my hair had frozen!!!!

I went out to lunch with my in-laws.   I tried to choose very carefully and I did not eat the potato chips that came with the meal.  I felt good with my choices, however I still wasn't very hungry when it came time for dinner.  Dinner was 'breakfast at dinner'.  I lowered my food intake drastically...two slices of bacon, one egg and a slice of toast.   I was satisfied and proud of my choices!

Day 13

There are two things to note about this day.  This was the first day of the week that my legs were not screaming at me!  YAY!   It was also the day where I made two tactical errors!

 I got my indoor workout done early.... 45 minutes of Zumba.   I went out with the dog but I didn't stay out long in the morning and therefore my outdoor workout was not completed in the morning.    I skedaddled inside to do my job hunt and then headed out to run some errands and do my grocery shopping.  

The first tactical error was in that I left too late and I was in the middle of my errands and it was lunch and I was HUNGRY!  I did really good.  I WANTED high calories/high fat foods. And I even pulled into the parking lot of one restaurant...but I then decided to pick up a 6 inch turkey sub from Subway instead (280 calories).  THAT was a victory.  It was the drink that  was the tactical error.  I had originally planned on simply drinking from my water that I was carrying around with me.  But when I made the decision to go to Subway I decided to get a drink.   I had been to that Subway a few weeks prior and they had Vitamin Water 'on tap'.  Delicious and even better is that  I WILL count vitamin water toward my water consumption.  I was all cocky while walking in thinking that "with the vitamin water I have the water consumption in the bag for today".  I ordered the large drink and paid for my order and then went to fill up my cup.  Only to find that they no longer had Vitamin Water.   I literally stood there for a long second debating.  Throw out the cup or go ahead and get a diet soda.   I opted for the diet soda.  But it was a tactical error because that meant that the rest of my errands I drank NO water from my cup.......and that is how I found myself getting home at 2PM having only about 16 ounces of water under my belt!

I am however proud to say that I was able to get my water done for the day! I kept drinking (WATER) steadily all afternoon and I finished my required water at about 7:30PM!  Go me!  But yeah, that goes to show me that I CAN drink a lot more water/liquid than I think I am capable of!

The second tactical error?   Well, while I was out and about the rain rolled in!   Yes, if I would have just done the outdoor exercise while I was with the dog it would have been damp but no rain!  But no, in my infinite wisdom I decided to wait until after my errands and ended up having to go out in the rain in the afternoon.    For my workout, I chose another outdoor yard activity.  I took a hand saw up to the burn pit where I drug those trees (and where we had other stuff that we drug for 'processing' and burning) and I started to cut them down....by hand!  Sure I could have taken up power equipment, but a hand saw is more exercise!  My heart rate was elevated....so I'm counting it as exercise!  I have a lot more wood to cut up and stack so I foresee more days with a hand saw!

Day 14

How has it been 2 weeks already????    I have found that I struggle more with keeping up my exercise on the weekend.  Jason is home and our schedule is all over the place with no routine whatsoever. But, that is not a valid excuse!  So I was there knocking out my indoor exercise at 7AM (I did wait until Jason was awake so that I didn't interrupt his sleep!)  After a good 45 minutes of kickboxing, I cooled down and then headed to the shower.   We had some banking to do in the morning and I swung by my brothers house to drop off birthday cards for my niece and nephew who were celebrating. I got to wish my nephew (18)  happy birthday in person while I was there but had to text my niece (22) her greeting as she is finishing her last year of college and was not there.  (Dang, they make me feel old!)  In the afternoon we headed out to Ice Fest.....a yearly event in the town we live in.   And I am counting that as my exercise as we didn't want to fight the crowded streets to find parking close to the downtown event and just parked quite a ways away and walked there, and then of course all the walking around at the event!   

It was the day of forgetting things.   I literally forgot to eat breakfast.....and just had a quick snack for lunch.  See what happens when I get busy?     I almost forgot to read out of my non-fiction book.  I was steadily reading from my current fiction book and luckily remembered before it was too late.

So I had a strong finish to my second week of my 75 hard!  Go me!  It wasn't an easy week. But lets talk about what I learned and discovered this week!

* I was really hurting at the beginning of the week!  The arthritis in my knees was bad and the aches and pains (calves and shins) were the pits.  But I kept pushing.  I didn't give up.  I pushed through the pain and made it work and midway through the week I started to feel better!  

*I am capable of drinking a whole lot more than I give myself credit for.  I made that tactical error with my water consumption on day 13 but my motivation pushed me and I still managed all of my water on top of that large soda! (Which I drank half of in the store and then refilled and drank the whole thing throughout the rest of the day......a large sized to boot.)  I wasn't sloshing or running to the bathroom constantly.  It was actually easy!    

*Last fall I finally came clean and talked about "the elephant in the room", which was the fact that I was struggling to walk anything over 5K steps without feeling quite a bit of pain for the rest of the day amongst some other issues (you can read about it here).   It wasn't until I got home from the ice fest on Saturday, day 14 that I realized that I had walked a lot with absolutely no issue.   On a week that started with a bunch of pain, I ended with a high note.  I ended with the realization that I had been on my feet walking for hours and my legs didn't feel horrible while I was walking.  My back didn't ache so much that I just wanted to lean on something and/or have the need to press my palms into my back.  I didn't get home and sit on the couch while my legs throbbed in pain.   I felt......absolutely fine after a day with a ton of steps and a ton of movement!  After just two short weeks of 75 hard I can see a difference in my stamina!   

As I write this I have officially begun week three.   I am feeling pretty confident that I can actually do this!  It blows my mind that I might actually complete 75 Hard!   Two weeks down.  It seems like it is going fast!  But I know that I still have a long way to go!  But I am ready and raring to go.   Bring it on!

 

My life in pictures: 365 Pictures Days 87 to 96

 I am still taking a picture a day.  I admittedly missed one day of a PICTURE for this batch, however I did film a video so I grabbed a screen shot!  It is neat to look back at my days!  I haven't done anything exciting in terms of photography skills and that was one of my main purposes of doing a photo a day.   But I'm ok with that.  It will happen when the time is right.  But for now I still have a good depiction of my life in photos!  So here we go....day 87 to 96

 

Day 87 (1.23.25)  

Just a typical day in my life, outside playing with the dog!  I had to try to capture her little frozen drool!

Day 88 (1.24.25)

A dogs life is so difficult!  I was busy looking for a job and the dog was sleeping soundly!

Day 89 (1.25.25)
 It was Saturday, but Jason had to work.  It was just a basic day for me here at home.   I had a nice healthy lunch though. 

Day 90 (1.26.25)

Jason and I went out for a walk with the dog!  It was still a bit cold outside, but it was an enjoyable walk!

Day 91 (1.27.25)

I had enjoyed my walk so much the day before that I decided to do a repeat the next day.  Jason was back to work so I went out solo and took a nice long walk through some local neighborhoods.

Day 92 (1.28.25)

Ok, I admit that I took no pictures of myself!  HOWEVER, I did film a video, so I took a screenshot of me with a funny expression!  It was a ho hum day....job hunt, exercise, and a few errands.

Day 93 (1.29.25)

 We somehow developed a slight pond in our back yard from the snow that melted and then refroze!

Day 94 (1.30.25)

We had some high winds and a huge limb came down off the tree that is beside the house.  We were lucky in that it totally missed the house.  We had no damage other than some limb clean up!

Day 95 (1.31.25)

I tried a new recipe and it was super delicious.  It was a cheesy hamburger tater tot casserole!

Day 96 (2.1.25)

Our town holds and Ice Fest each winter.  The block off the roads, have ice sculptures, events and street vendors.   I have always wanted to go but we always forgot or have something else happening!   Not this year!  

Another post where I have so much catching up.  I am vowing to post my pictures on Sundays from here on out!  :-)

Hopeful Once again

Well I did it!    I weighed in and boy did the number on the scales shock me!    And of course I am here to share my shock with you!

I weigh myself every day, but I count my Wednesday weigh in as my 'official' weekly weigh in.  I have swapped out what day of the week I use as official throughout the years.   When I was most successful with weight watchers I was weighing in on the first day of my work week.  That worked great for me simply because it kept me on the straight and narrow throughout my weekend!   In more recent years I defaulted to Friday as my weigh in day.  I will say that a Friday weigh in day was pure vanity as my weight is typically the lowest on Fridays.   But being honest I would then go crazy on the weekend with a 'free day' and the that free day would turn into a free weekend, because in the back of my mind I would say "Well I have a week to eat healthy', I can eat what I want now!  I would pull it together when I went back to work but then spent most of my week trying to negate the damage done during the weekend of eating.   When 2025 started, it started on a Wednesday.  So I stepped on the scales that day for my starting weight for the year.  It only seemed natural to make my first official weigh in the following Wednesday!   and then the next Wednesday came and well, it made sense again!   By accident I have found that I like it thus!   Week days are typically easier for me to watch my weight as I'm in a routine, we are not eating out and it is a less 'festive' atmosphere.  So it's less likely that I throw up my hands and say 'kitchens open' and allow myself to go crazy on a free day eat-a-palooza. 

The first Wednesday after I started my 75 Hard I stepped on the scales.   I had three days of the 75 Hard under my belt and I was sure that my weigh in was going to be fantastic.  It was not.  I showed a maintain.  I was not disappointed though.  I knew that I had just jumped from virtually no exercise to exercising 1.5 hours a day.  I had also gone from next to no water consumption a day to well over 64 ounces.  Those things along could cause the scales to be a bit skewed.  So I held steady with my efforts in the 75 Hard.   And this past Wednesday I stepped on the scales and Holy Cow was I shocked!

I lost 5.5 pounds!   I haven't seen a loss like that in YEARS!  I was blown away!   I am tickled.  I don't expect losses like that each week, but this success has made me once again hopeful that I really can do this!

 

A picture a day: My Life

 I have continued on with with picture a day.  I still enjoy it and it's fun to look back and see what my days entailed....so here we have the next week.

Day 80

It spent some lazy time on the couch with the dog!

Day 81

I finally cleaned out my office.  You could tell Zoey was relieved and happy to be back to 'normal' with ;me in the office and her at the gate. 

 

Day 82

We had chili for dinner, love the plate of spices!

 Day 83

We got about 6-8 inches of snow! 

Day 84

Jason ended up not working because of the condition of the roads.  Zoey was tickled to have her 'daddy' home!

Day 85

This dog is so spoiled!

Day 86

It is so darn cold!  I still go out to tromp around and play with the dog...so I bundle up!

75 Hard: Week One

 This may be a record for me on recent challenges and attempts at a restart, but I actually made it through the first week of the 75 Hard Challenge!   I will take that as a win!   Seriously, how many times have I babbled on about a new plan and then failed to get past the first week!  So I'll take 1 week as a win!   You can read more about this on my recent post. 

The Challenge Rules

     1.  Follow a Diet Plan

    2. Exercise 2 times a day one of which HAS to be outside. The indoor workout HAS to be 45 minutes or more.  The outdoor one is preferably 45 minutes or more but I can be as short as 30 minutes.  (Altered from the original 75 hard which is two 45 minute sessions)

    3. Drink 64 ounces of water (altered from the original 75 hard which required 1 gallon of water)

    4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily (I read digitally and have no pages....so I am aiming for 10 minutes a day)

    5.  Take a progress picture each day

But lets talk about the particulars of each day! 

Day 1of 75 Hard

I nailed this day. 100% slayed it!   For my indoor exercise I completed 45 minutes on the exercise bike.  I didn't ride like a bat out of hell, and my butt was so incredibly sore but I finished those 45 minutes like a champ!  My legs were a bit wobbly when it was done, but it was done with a smile.   It snowed all day and we ended up with about 6-8 inches.  It was still snowing toward evening, but I went outside and shoveled for my 45 minutes of exercise.  (Luckily we only got another half inch after I shoveled so I didn't have to redo much, just swept those areas.)  I felt like I was drowning but I managed to get my full gallon of water down my gullet and my calorie count was 1354!  For my reading, I started the book "The Diet Trap Solution: Train your Brain to Lose Weight and Keep it off for Good".  (Amazon Link)   It was a great start!

I started this on a whim and while I was determined, I was totally skeptical about the chances of my success due to my many failures!

Day 2 of 75 Hard

The snow had finally stopped and it was time to shovel ourselves out.  I manned the shovel, Jason used the snowblower. I went out two times and each time was just about an hour of shoveling (56 minutes and 51 minutes).  I am counting shoveling as my exercise.  I drank about 80 ounces of water, which is a win,  I continued reading the same non fiction book and I had 1446 calories.   For some reason I was just hungry. (Or maybe I imagined myself hungry, whichever the case may be.)  But even at the 1446, I was still under my goal of 1500!  So a win!

Day 3 of 75 Hard

This day took planning and thought.   I went into my mom's to work on painting the house with my brother.    I  didn't know what lunch would bring, so I tried to keep my breakfast lighter and spent some time looking at my dinner plans to see how much I could shave off of my dinner to create more calories if needed.  Therefore, when I did go out to eat for lunch with my brother, sister in law and two of their kids, I knew exactly how many calories I had available for lunch AND how many calories I could squeeze out of dinner.  (It was Taco Tuesday at our house and I swapped my meal from Tacos to a taco salad  which used less meat but more salad stuff.   Calories saved.  I also crunched up 2 taco shells instead of 3.  Calories saved.   And I also only ate 1/2 cup of the rice dish instead of 1 cup!)   I also intently looked at the menu when we arrived at the restaurant (thank heavens they had the calories listed on the board, it made it easier than pulling out my phone) and I chose wisely.  And honestly, was probably happier with my options than had I gotten the traditional burger and fries!  I ended the day with 1493 calories.  I did not finagle the numbers any more than making the above adjustments.   After I got home I went in and made the adjustments that I had planned and it came to 1493.   Squeezed that one out by the skin of my teeth!  I did drink a diet coke whilst out at lunch, but I pounded the water the rest of the day and got my required water done!

I also had to plan and think about my exercise and work to get it all done before I left the house at 9!   The planning of the exercise was the easy part.  It was the temps outside that made it yucky!  The outdoor temperatures took a nose dive and it was COLD.  I was dreading my 'outdoor' exercise!   I did it though.  I was out tramping around with the dog and my toes were frozen but I marked off 30 minutes outside!  I also got my indoor workout checked off by completing two different workouts back to back.  I did half with Body Groove and the other half with Zumba Sula.  I continued reading the same non fiction book and ended the day with a win!

Day 4 of 75 Hard

Day four was another day where I had to work on planning a bit more.  I had a lunch date with a friend and I wasn't sure where we would be going pretty much the last minute.  But knowing that, I did two things.  I had a simple banana for breakfast and for dinner I planned to make a meal that I do not eat but that Jason loves!  I knew that I could fill up on veggies and whatnot if I didn't have the calories for more. And if I did have the calories, I could make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (the ultimate sandwich) or a grilled cheese (second ultimate).    I also wanted to get my exercise completed early because my friend and I hadn't seen each other in ages and we expected to spend a few hours together catching up.    Therefore, by the time I headed out to meet her for lunch I had already completed 30 cold minutes outside with the dog and  45 minutes of cardio with the youtube channel, CDornerFitness.  I had taken my daily picture and read my 10 minutes of non-fiction.  The only thing I had left to worry about was drinking my water and eating within my calories. 

I ordered water with my lunch which helped me not get sidetracked from the water goal.  I  had them refill it three times.....so that on top of what I drank on the way to and from lunch and what I drank at home made getting my water to be a cinch!   The food.   I ordered a breakfast meal (we were at a diner) and carefully calculated and managed my calories the rest of the day. I ended the day at 1338 calories.   YAY!  Four days of success, can I really manage to do this?  It was at this point that I started to actually believe that I could do this!

Day 5 of 75 Hard

This was a day of just blah.  I was tired so I didn't do my indoor exercise at 5AM while Jason was in the shower.  I did get my 10 minutes of reading in during that time.  However, no exercise.  I told myself, that I had no plans the rest of the day so I had 'plenty' of time to get it done.   I settled in for the day and it would have been bad, but Zoey wanted to go out and play.  So I bundled up and out we went for our 30 minutes!  It was still earlier in the day so it was still cold!  (Although the temps are rising!)  Time kept passing the dog was sleeping so soundly and well, indoor exercise........................

Indoor exercise was done literally minutes before Jason got home from work at 6PM!    But I did it!  

I planned my food for the day and worked out my calories and I eat exactly what I had planned which equaled out to be 1354 calories.   Water was tough.  I was feeling super lazy all day.  So when I settled into the recliner and realized that I had forgotten my water in the kitchen I didn't feel like getting up......and I didn't get up for a few hours.  So I found myself at 1PM with having only drank 16 ounces.  But not to worry I may have been guzzling water at the last minute, but I finished it!  (I finished literally at the last minute, as in I was standing in the kitchen guzzling the rest and then went straight to bed!)

Day 6 of 75 Hard

One would think that I would learn my lesson with the water!   And I did, somewhat!  I remembered to take my water with me to where I was working.  I spent the morning on the computer doing some stuff that is required of my by the unemployment office, looking for jobs and whatnot.  It comes around to about 12:30 and I realized I had not taken a single sip of the water that I took with me.  That means that I only had drank the 16 ounces of water that I drank with my breakfast.....the one that I put my Trace Minerals into. (Amazon link here....seriously, this stuff is amazing!)

 I also learned the lesson and I got my indoor workout completed at 5AM.  I did my outdoor workout at about 8AM (with the dog of course) and I was doing great!   

There is nothing too exciting about the day.  I checked everything off the 75 hard list and rolled through my day like a champ.  I ended the day with 1379 calories.  So I was happy with that!

Day 7 of 75 Hard

It was Saturday, but Jason had to work so it felt like a week day.  That means that we were up at 5AM and I didn't let the fact that it was a Saturday derail me.  I got that 45 minutes of my first workout completed early!  By 6AM I was on the couch reading.  I read for a while on my non fiction book that I chose to start my 75 hard challenge.    I read that until Jason was leaving for work.   I got outside and got the dog walk and some time outside with me walking and moving to knock off another cold workout. (Dang it has warmed up but I was still cold!)

This day I actually sipped at my water all morning and therefore didn't hit the afternoon with very little water consumption under my belt!  I had a plan to get my water done early so that I could enjoy some diet soda in the evening, because I've been so behind the last few days that I haven't been able to enjoy that treat and I wanted it tonight!  I finished my water right before dinner so I was able to pour myself a glass of diet soda!  Woo hoo!  (And yes, I realize how lame it is to reward myself with a glass of diet soda, but them's the breaks!)

I kept my calories in check for the day and I feel like I had a fantastic day food wise!   My calorie count was 1297 so I was spot on where I wanted to be!  Go me!

Reflections on Week One of the 75 Hard

I was hopeful, but still skeptical at the beginning of the week.  But as the week progressed I started to feel a bit more confident that maybe, just maybe I could do it.  I started to think that maybe I could make it to day 75 and complete this!  In fact,   I actually feel a bit disgusted with myself for making the adjustments that I made.  I feel, well....  I feel guilty!  I feel guilty for lowering my goal from 1 gallon of water to the 64 ounces.  I also feel totally guilty about lowering that second workout to 30 minutes.  I feel like I am cheating!   However, I know that had I not made the changes, I probably would have missed the water by day three if not day two.   Furthermore, there is no way I would have made the 45 minutes outside in that un-heavenly cold!  So while I feel guilty, I know that I made the right decision in my alterations.  

I have been sleeping SO much more soundly. I have had next to no instances where I wake up at 2 in the morning wide awake and unable to get back to sleep.  I won't lie, I have woken up here and there but I'm right back to soundly sleeping in minutes if not seconds.   There was one day where I woke up and I honestly thought that I was going to be awake the rest of the night.  However, the next thing I knew the alarm was going off and I was waking up!   The issue?   Jason says that I have been snoring a lot more than normal this week.  He has tried to tell me that the dog kept coming to the bed to check on me and that the dog finally gave up and left the bedroom!  I have also been roused from sleep a few times while he is bumping me or whacking the bed to try to 'reset' me.   Is the snoring related to the 75 Hard?  Who knows!   We were talking about it this morning and I laughed and said this is the best I've slept in YEARS.  Maybe I'm just so sleep deprived from years of issues that I'm sleeping so deep that I'm snoring.   OK, I know that is not it!  But that is what I told him! 

I found myself wanting to dance a little, wiggle my butt a little and just move a bit more after my exercise.  Not every day, there were one or two days where I was just tired.  But most days it kinda rejuvenated me!  It kind of gave me a pep in my step!

So there you go....week one in the books.   Week two?   Ready.......Set....Go!

Revealing a Secret

 I have been keeping a secret!  I was going to say it's not a huge one...but you know, it has the potential to be huge!  Now I have to be honest, I've only been keeping this secret for a week!....or actually 5 days at this point.  Obviously I can't keep secrets, but it is what it is. 

I have hesitated about sharing this secret.  How many times have I come on here and had some grandiose plan or a wonderful challenge that I was gung-ho to start?   I don't have a number of how many times, and quite frankly I don't think I want to even KNOW the number.  Why?  Because if the number were ten  then I can pretty much guarantee that there would be at LEAST 9 corresponding failures. My success rate on these seemingly awesome plans is pretty much non existent!  (Just for the record, the number of grand ideas is MUCH higher than 10.)   So for me to come on and share my secret and spout off yet one more challenge that I am embarking upon is insanity at it's best.  Yet, here I am ready to embark upon another round with a new somewhat ludicrous idea for myself.

Years ago I had started to hear about the 75 Hard.  This is a challenge that lasts for 75 days (surprising right?) and involves some very specific actions that need to take place every day.  It's only five things, nothing to worry about right?   Hold onto your hat, until you see what the five things are!

    1.  Follow a Diet Plan

    2. Exercise 2 times a day (45 minutes each)...one of which HAS to be outside.

    3. Drink a gallon of water

    4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily

    5.  Take a progress picture each day

The rules are that if you miss a day, you go back to day 1 and start over.  Yeah, a bit all or nothing!  There is no room to fail in this challenge!

Easy right?    Maybe for some, but for me this sounds huge!  I've actually written about it before (you can read it here) but even then,  I shied away from the 75 hard challenge.  Instead I tried a Project 50 Challenge.  The project 50 had similar rules but the guidelines were a bit more relaxed.   So I tried the project 50 Challenge.   And of course, I failed.  Seriously, I don't even think I made it two weeks!  

So this past Sunday morning when I was messing around my computer and stumbled upon someones post about their successful 75 Hard journey I started watching.   Inspired, I decided right then and there to start the 75 Hard challenge.   No, I didn't wait until the next day or the next week.  I immediately hopped onto my IPad and downloaded a non fiction book from the library and within minutes I was in the office and riding the exercise bike!  Talk about starting something on a whim?

Oh yeah, and I started a plan that requires outdoor exercise for 45 minutes a day in the middle of a snow storm and at the beginning of a week where the temps were forecasted to be in the single digits.  I can't help but think of the parallel to my running adventures of 2013 when I started to run with the couch to 5K program in January and ran through some really cold days in those first few weeks!  (You can read about that time here.)   That was one of my rare successes...I completed the Couchto5K program and actually ran regularly for a few years.   Maybe suffering through hellish torture in the cold is what spurred me  to continue on when I wanted to quit, since I was able to  say to myself, "nothing is as bad as running on those really cold days".   Hmmm...maybe my VERY COLD beginning to the 75 hard will be a good thing!

I completed the first day of 75 hard 100% as the challenge is written...water, exercise, reading, picture and food! Check check check check and check.  But after the dust settled on my impulse decision I was able to realize that I DID want to institute a few minor changes in my plan.  SOOOO the 75 hard-ish that I am following is thus:

    1.  Follow a Diet Plan  -  I did not change this, but only cemented the 'rules of engagement' in my head.   My rules are that I need to keep my calories under 1,500 a day.  Since I do not historically lose at 1,500 calories, I will NOT be eating the calories that I "earn" via exercise.  With one exception.  I will allow myself to eat my earned calories one day each week.  That goes along with the plans and ideas that I have adopted throughout the last few years.  And that is that 100% restriction does NOT work!

    2. Exercise 2 times a day (45 minutes each)...one of which HAS to be outside.  Here is where one of the two major changes in the plan takes place.  The indoor 45 minute exercise is remaining as that.  However, the outdoor segment of exercise only has to be more than 30 minutes.   Seriously, it's dang cold out there. I heard them say on the news to not leave your dog out for more than 20-30 minutes.   So I am giving myself the grace to stop at 30 minutes.   There was one day that even my Newfoundland....the quintessential winter dog was done and ready to go inside at the 30 minute mark!

    3. Drink a gallon of water.   I actually made it to one gallon on day one.  But I am also giving myself grace on this one.  However, I NEED to be over 64 ounces of water each day!  My hope is that throughout the 75 days that I can build up to the gallon.   But honestly, going from near nothing to a gallon is a HUGE jump!  So 64 ounces it is!

    4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily.  Yeah, no problem!

    5.  Take a progress picture each day.   Easy, but just have to remember!

I am worried about one thing.....and that is when/if I get a job within this 75 Hard challenge.  Learning a new job will be exhausting enough...but to do so on top of trying to complete this challenge.  That might be hairy!   And part of me says "well if/when I get a job all bets are off".  But you know what, that is not HARD...and this challenges name is 75 HARD.  So Win...Lose...Draw, I'm going to attempt it!

So I am on day 5.    Stay tuned for an update on how my week one went!