Running: A Fever

Here we are 28 episodes into the Shattering-the-Yoyo series. I'm not sure how, in episode 56, I got from saying I'm going to stay the same weight for six months, to "I need to ease down". Seems kind of like I was cheating. I was already in really good shape at this point. There should have not been a lot of urgency to lose weight, and the battle for metabolism was in full swing. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/291 Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

I am starting to notice my step count now that I've started back to working in the office and wearing my fitness watch. It's a great reminder of how stagnant I can be. I have been eating yogurt again, sometimes have the oatmeal for breakfast, though I really like the Bicak breakfast, the "Egg McMuffin". I got a little burned out on oatmeal, and chili as well. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/290 Photo by Farhad Ibrahimzade on Unsplash

Welcome to 2022! And happy new year to everyone! In episode 54 I sought medical advice for the first time for my neck problem. I still have the problem, but the arm pain has not returned since I had my physical therapy back then. I have also gained back the weight and that can't be good for my spine. I do notice that there are a bunch of aches and pains that go with being heavy. My knee and feet hurt more. I have occasional back pain, but not often. Anyway, I eventually found out the true nature of my problem and got treatment for it, and that's the real message here. If I hadn't gone to the doctor about the pain, I would never have known how to eliminate it. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/289 Image by Dr. Manuel González Reyes from Pixabay

I had my biometric screening recently for 2021. This is when the company "incentivizes" me to come in and get weighed, and swabbed and stuck, and measured. Like anything, you can look at it as punishment or reward. Just doing the screening gets me $10 per payday, testing tobacco-free gets me some more, and more for a low enough blood pressure and BMI. I still do have a blood pressure issue in addition to my high BMI. Regular exercise helps lower blood pressure, so I'm starting to do some of that, need to do more. And reducing stress also. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/288 Image by VSRao from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/users/vsrao-8105725/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3168269  

I think the calorie log is really important. Not that writing the stuff down in itself is valuable, but by doing that, yes, we learn how many calories are in the foods we eat. Write them down even if you know you're going off diet. That way, the next time you get those 20 chicken nugget's you'll know how many calories that is. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/287 Theme music "Drivin' Into Town" by Repo Man http://RepoManBand.com Photo by Sourav Mishra from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/@photosbymishra?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels  

I've eaten a lot of oatmeal in my dieting in the last few years and I've learned a lot about the different types. Many instant oatmeal products contain sugar. And steel-cut oats have more calories than plain instant, but because they have a lower glycemic index they are a better use of those calories. And I can still get variety by adding my own flavors like cinnamon or adding a little fruit just for flavor. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/284  

Episode 50 is a really good example of adapting to circumstances in order to stay on my health journey and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have a tendency to want to not do something if I can't do it the same way I always do. But I was able to break out of this by finding a place to exercise. In this case, I got on a treadmill, which I had rarely done in the past. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/285 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels  

Continuing to battle metabolic slow down due to rapid weight loss. I don't want to dismiss the constant mentions of the beauty of nature that I find in these episodes when I was spending a lot of time walking outside in the beautiful park near my home. I have thought about getting a bike, but I'm still hoping I'll get my foot back in shape quickly. But I think that is a big psychological boost, taking in the beauty of nature as much as I can living in a city. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/284 Image by vegan lifts on pexels.com.

Welcome to the 5th year of Running: A FEVER! Several episodes discuss the importance of water and how much you need. Currently, I'm not being very intentional about that. Should be easier since I am working from home still most of the time. I am drinking, but usually, it's coffee or soda. The standard menu during this time is oatmeal, yogurt, chili, jerky. Metabolism continues to be an issue, which is why I am now trying to be very deliberate and patient about the rate of my weight loss. UPDATE 10/2/21 - Well after 4 weeks I was at the same weight as when I started. And though I have usually been patient about this, it's starting to seem like I shouldn't be returning to that initial number. I'm falling down on the job in several respects in the last few days, in how I'm eating, how I'm exercising, and how I am keeping track (or not) of my daily caloric intake. So now I am faced with the discomfort period again which I have discussed before as the starting point for establishing a new good habit. So I'm on i

The period when I was consulting with a dietician on a regular basis was a good learning time for me. That was really what it was about, so after a while, I really felt like the sessions were not as valuable to me. If you're taking lessons on doing anything, there comes a time when you have to evaluate whether you're using your time valuably -- is that a word? I think I may have just made it up. I am still using smart balance and olive oil mayonnaise. Every now and then I find a healthier food alternative that costs me nothing in flavor at all, these are 2 examples. Recently I tried some sugar-free Reese's peanut butter cups. And they taste just as good as the real thing. I haven't checked the calorie difference though, so need more research. One valuable thing I have learned from this episode is another exercise I can do at home. I think at this time I still did not have a gym membership, so it's a good point in the series for that. So I'm going to try some of the ab exercises. UPDATE 9/25/21. This week I

Welcome to the 18th in our series shattering the yoyo. Episode 46 was really about the external factor, motivation. And that's important to what I'm doing now, but the key word is DOING. So the philosophy is great, but what I am really interested in now is the action I was taking. I recommend if you haven't heard the episode, that you go back and listen, that's RunningAFEVER.com/46, IF you want to hear some great motivational philosophy. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/281 Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/photos/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1245920  

It's interesting to hear this, and I remember how good it felt to fit into those clothes. I felt pretty good, and you can tell I was really enjoying life, I was commenting on the beauty all around me, the spillway, the water, ducks, dogs.   Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/280 Photo: "Duck at Lake Fayetteville" by Michael Davis

I feel like I really am learning as I listen to this, even though it was the tail end of the Biggest Loser contest. At that point, I was talking the talk but not yet walking the walk. I couldn't resist starving myself for the contest. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/279 Image by truthseeker08 from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/users/truthseeker08-2411480/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1917895  

So here is the problem. You can hear by the sound of my voice, though I am trying to speak to myself with this rational idea of losing weight slowly, gaining health, not losing weight, etc. There is still a kind of pride there. And you know the old saying 'pride goeth before a fall'? Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/278   Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash

At this point in my fitness journey, I did not have my own biometric impedance analyzer. I could get that measurement at my dietician, otherwise, I was just using BMI to estimate my body fat. Since then I have acquired a scale that gives me BIA as well. And right now, I don't have a body fat number because I just started using my scale again and that function is currently not working. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/277 Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

When I recorded this episode I had lost 50 pounds, more than ever, and I had a goal of losing 100 total within the year. That's probably twice as much as I should have lost. I think when I spoke with my cardiologist a few weeks ago, he said something like 3 or 4 pounds a month. So my goal of a pound a week is right in there. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com  

Being reasonable, having patience is a recurring theme in my diet and exercise work. I've been on both ends of each. Eating too much or too little, exercising too much or too little. You might say I am an expert at impatience. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/275 Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay https://tinyurl.com/robin275  

One of the things you notice I'm doing is counting calories. I have not been doing this very accurately this time, and I need to have that done by the next time I do an episode. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/274   Image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay https://tinyurl.com/venita100  

In episode 38 I met with Tom and we talked about our goals and priorities. At the time I had set the specific goal of running two complete laps at Lake Fayetteville in a day. I wound up meeting the goal, adjusting for the fact that by November of 2018 I had decided that running was not a healthy option, so I walked the 10.5 miles instead. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/273 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Closing music courtesy of the band Repo Man

In episode 37 I took advantage of a rainy day to start weight training which I continued to great success. So far this year I have rejoined my gym. I didn't work out much at home, including strength training. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/272 Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay Closing music courtesy of the band Repo Man