Perennially Yours page

[perennialpam]

I figured it was about time I posted since I've been lurking and following PB nutritionally since the end of January. I have been very happy with the weight loss which equals about a half a pound a week.

As you read more and more, your ideas of how 80/20 you are following the PB does change. I have begun eating many more vegetables and cooking some great meat-based meals besides. I did give up Diet Coke after my sponsor from work noticed me buying one from the machine. I also gave up sugar-free gum and anything fat-free and sugar free.

I mostly eat meat, vegetables and fruits with a tad dairy, dark chocolate and minimal alcohol. I have now begun to include small portions of potatoes, yams and rice in my regular eating but only a few times a week.

I, thankfully, did take a before picture. I have taken progress pictures also. Unfortunately I did not take any measurements and I only say that because I know my body composition has changed dramatically even with only a 13 lb. loss.

I feel great and notice that my core seems stronger even though I have not been following the exercises suggested. I have always picked up heavy things, have never sprinted but do keep moving most months of the year with winter being my downfall.

Since I feel I have made great progress and feel this sense of good muscle tone occurring naturally, I have made a commitment to begin following the exercise plan connected with this way of life.

Once I feel better about my image, I promise to post before and after pictures.

I am a 63 year old female.
I currently weight 132 lbs.
BMI in the healthy range now (24.81?) I think
5'2".

Thanks to Mark and all the other posters.

Pam

[perennialpam]

Changes that I have noticed so far:

Skin feels different, a tad more oily, which is a good thing.

I am finally sleeping soundly through the night. This is a huge change that took about 3 months before I realized it. I don't know if it is the diet change or the stress change. Whatever.

The weight loss area on my body is totally different with this diet change. The core area is where it is coming off which is a good thing since I have always stored my fat there. I am having fun with fitting into old jeans that even seemed tight when I lost my weight doing Weight Watchers.

The change in fat loss area has triggered my interest in following the PB work outs now. Since the diet change worked - I need to try out the work outs.

I am hoping for my nasal congestion to improve (I think it already has somewhat) and also that the psoraisis either goes away or is changed. It developed in my eyebrows over the last few years and I only found out recently what it was. Another hope is that I can eventually get off my thyroid meds although I don't know if that is even possible.

I am fully committed to the diet change. I IF for breakfast and have found that is fine. I can go even longer and not feel hungry which is a change and helps keep me on target.

My friends and family just have this negative tone in their voice when referring to this diet. They don't even know a thing about it besides the fact that I'm not eating grains. I can't wait for the day when someone asks what I'm doing.

13 lbs down; only weigh myself every 2 weeks on a drs. office scale for consistency and accuracy; my hairdresser says it is time for some new clothes. Makes me smile.

[perennialpam]

Saturday was the first time I've gone to breakfast with my hiking friends in about one month. Never expect people to notice your weight loss. Questions about my diet came up but no one noticed that I dropped weight. I was bummed in some ways. Someone even asked if I had had any success with this diet and another person mentioned that the diet seems opposite of the conventional wisdom about grains. I said that I used to be a huge grain eater and really loved my bread but that, surprisingly, I don't miss it now. I have adopted to this life choice and I'm happy to report that most weight is coming off my mid-section. Soon they will see me in summer clothes (if it EVER warms up in Michigan, that is) and I know they will notice the body change.

I am not a shopper but there were some undergarments I was in bad need of. So, after breakfast, went to buy them after I picked up some more unrefined, unprocessed, coconut oil. I just love that stuff and am considering eating spoonfulls daily. I hope that it would help my hair and fingernails. I'm on thyroid meds and my fingernails are weak, ridged, and look terrible. That also has something to do with the time spent in the garden.

I spent my afternoon working in the garden barefoot. My first leap into the PB workout part of this plan. Like I had mentioned prior, I always have picked up heavy things and kept moving. I didn't sprint yesterday but will do so today. And, I plan on climbing a tree. I have a good sized apple tree to accomplish that task.

My PB mentor (an upstanding computer user ala Wild Movement) had suggested I try jumping up onto something in my yard. I decided that perhaps my steps would work as the tree stumps are too high and I don't want to end up injuring myself the first try.

The gardens still need work and I've got 2 more days to do as I please. I will honor our fallen military folks with a flag today as I didn't think about doing so yesterday.

[perennialpam]

Put the flag up in honor of our veterans and their loved ones.

Ate much more than necessary yesterday. Must be the self-inflicted non-social weekend. Had much to do to wrap up from the long weekend in TN and the rain soaked equipment.

Managed to follow-thru on one of my proposed assignments - that of walking around barefoot for much of the day. I love being bare-footed but don't like the dirty feet and entering into the house that way. Decided the tracking in of dirt it is not much different than when I remove my shoes, though. I ended up with a tick yesterday around my waist. I was not in any high grass or where I felt I would get one but it was sure difficult to remove. Small little thing. When one appears on my granddog, up the hill from me, the kids always make sure they get the head. I was worried I would break it off due to the tugging it took to remove it. It must have been biting into me quite a while. This morning the site looks fine although there is a bump - but no redness.

Today will be the jump up day since I kept thinking about it yesterday but never attempted. Geesh.

Planning a float boat ride for next Monday with the Wednesday Night Worm Whipping Group of women. We have such a grand time whenever we gather. Fish Camp is the weekend after Father's Day. Can't wait to show up at Hodenpyle Pond and Mesick, Michigan, the Morel Mushroom Capital of the state.

Time to get out of doors; move continuously and jump. Climbing a tree should occur also - why do I simply keep thinking about doing these things? Can't answer that. However, I honestly should be convinced since Mark's food suggestions work, why not his activity ones?

Have a great day!

[belinda]

You're off to a great start!

Re. the tick, does your local health authority require you to report tick bites? Ours does (I'm in London, Ontario). I guess they want to get a handle on any incidences of ticks carrying Lyme.

[perennialpam]

Belinda: I really don't know about the tick reporting requirements and will check that out. I'm not even sure it was a tick as it was so small. The ones I've seen on my granddog are when they are full of blood, so that may be why it looked different.

Well, I finally jumped up using both feet. My mentor has been suggesting trying it out. I have tree stumps in my yard but they are much higher than the steps up to my front door. So I decided to be careful in my approach to this since I honestly don't know the reason behind it. Putting your head around jumping with both feet took some courage believe it or not. Now for jumping up 2 steps.

I did try to climb a tree but found no easy way to do so. I need a booster step. Of course, if I was doing the other exercises my arms would get stronger. I need to read up on the Whole 30 challenge.

As far as my nutritional intake is concerned, I need to incorporate more meat again. I notice that I have begun eating less meat and more fruit. That will halt my weight loss if I don't pay attention. Plus I need to eat more fat again. Another week until my next weigh in.

Finally bought some needed undergarments. Always a struggle to find the right sizes and spend the money for them.

[perennialpam]

Have not honestly followed through with the workouts. Kept walking around barefoot and will continue that route through the weekend.

Picked up heavy things last night but no jumping off two feet or climbing a tree.

Must take time to investigate the PB exercises again. I skimmed through that part of the book as my initial interest was weight loss. That being achieved on a slow but steady basis, it is time to add the actual moves suggested in the exercise portion of the book.

Sleeping well once again regardless of the stressful news I received upon listening to my voice messages at home. Funny how you can be feeling wonderful and something totally out of your control blind sides ya and changes your mood. Mowed the lawn which takes 2 hours and that provided enough time to put the news aside and proceed with my evening. Probably also helped that I could think about the issue while mowing.

The weather has been beautiful all week long. Lots of gardening accomplished - dahlias planted, 4 o'clock seeds in the ground, Calla lilies also planted. Time to finish pruning the huge forsythia bush and then a campfire this evening. Perhaps a cocktail while relaxing around the fire.

Nothing like living in the country - adding in a lake too ain't too shabby. Happy as a clam!

[Nion]

Good on you for sticking with it. I know a lot of people in their sixties who think eating healthy 'isn't worth it' at 'their age'. Seriously? :P
I'd rather be as you said, happy as a clam and running around!

[perennialpam]

Thanks for your comment Nion.

I hope to be an inspiration to all my friends especially the ones close to my age. However, they are already so suspicious of my weight loss (is it a woman's thing?) that I doubt I can get them to realize how easy the workouts can be just as long as they are followed.

Lots of hiking up and down hills this weekend in addition to heavy lifting. Read the suggested workouts and realize I'm not as on-board as I had hoped I would be. While I do exert myself often, I don't lift weights, do pull ups, push ups. The sprinting I can handle although not for 10 minutes as suggested. But something is always better than nothing.

Thought I'd run down to the local store for my paper Friday night and soon realized I'm not much for stamina either. I never have liked running and changing my attitude on that will be rough.

I was to do a barefoot run in July but after Friday night's experience I'm not wasting my money. I'll just help with the registration table and whatever else is needed. Perhaps I'll do that barefoot though.

[perennialpam]

Had to go to the dr. today due to a spider bite over the weekend. Seems to be the biting season as I have already been bitten by chiggers the last week in May, then a tick on Memorial Weekend, and now a spider in my shoe last weekend. My friends all thought it was a brown recluse spider bite which is very serious. The dr. says - not so, just a regular spider bite. Thank goodness.

Since I was at the drs. office where I weigh myself every 2 weeks, and tomorrow is normal weigh-in day, I got weighed. Unfortunately I have gained pound over the last 2 weeks! Boo Hoo.

Yes, I have a feeling I know why - more fruit, hey cherries are now in season here and alcohol, it is summer and I live on a lake - geesh.

Looks like I'll need to watch my intake once again. I have not been logging and that seems to be a good motivator for staying on my plan. I have had more rice and potatoes over this time period too. I thought I had a handle on that - but, again, seems to be my MOP.

I believe I need more protein and fat too which I will haippily increase today.

Onward and downward...