Week 33 – Maui – 148 lbs – June 3, 2012

MAUI NO KA OI! This means Maui is the Best! We love all of the islands and we love that they are all different from each other, but we have to admit, Maui has been beautiful this past week. Our condo here has a 180-degree view overlooking the ocean in South Kihei, and the skies and ocean have been about as blue and sparkling in the sun as I can ever remember. The trade winds are warm and the sunsets each night are magical. I even laid out by the pool a couple of times (very unusual for me!) but so relaxing.

 

I just borrowed a scale from a neighbor and for the first time since high school I am under 150 lbs, weighing in at 148.7! I’m happy about this because I’ve had a few mai tais and that could have been the wild card this week. I’m noticing a shift in my eating which is interesting: the first 6 months after surgery, I paid attention to getting my protein in (the best I could, anyway-I’ve never been great at that), but beyond that, I didn’t say no to anything even if it was fattening, because I knew I would only eat a very small portion and my calorie intake was always around 800-1200 a day. Now I’m finding, I need to be a little more conscientious and say no to certain things (like any normal thin person would) because I know I could eat it and if I did, it would bump my daily intake up and I want to keep losing. The cool thing about this is it’s getting to be automatic; I don’t obsess over it and I don’t record my food anymore. If I stop losing weight though, I will immediately go back to logging what I eat every day. The point being, I think I’m starting to think like a normal person does, which is a good thing! It’s also nice to eat in mixed company without someone commenting on my eating so little; it’s barely noticeable. And I never, ever feel deprived, something I often felt when I was on a traditional diet.

Maui is warmer than our side of the Big Island so I’ve been able to wear a skimpy sundress (Ross, $9.99!) and a new pair of (drum roll please) size 10 shorts…..(hell, the fact that I’m wearing ANY shorts these days is new!). I went shopping with a friend the other day and while she bought several items, I bought nothing; I find myself being much more selective now that I am not so heavy. What I have works, unlike before when nothing looked good so I kept searching for something to look good on my huge body and my closet kept expanding, not to mention all the different sizes. Now, a smaller wardrobe is much more satisfying. Happy to be shopping at Ross and Target (read: CHEAP) because even some of the smaller things I have bought in the last few months are starting to look baggy on me and I doubt they will work by the end of the summer if things continue.

 

My regular exercise regime has been thrown off; I’ve walked every day, but I simply am unable to push myself when I’m not on a treadmill…..even though I’m walking 4 miles instead of 3. One day I went on a beautiful oceanside walk with my friends, one of whom recently had knee surgery, and after we had walked 1.5 miles he didn’t want to go any further, so I jogged back to get the car and picked them up. It felt good that I was able to do that, but I am looking forward to my regular routine when we get back to Hilo. Today however, I walked on my own along the beach and I was back to my slow sauntering…..I’d be surprised if I burned a hundred calories on my walk today.

 

Yoga; I must start doing this more. Today I woke up stiff and sore in my hips and legs; maybe it’s arthritis? It certainly is disappointing that one of my big incentives to lose this weight was because I was hobbling around, and now here I am 75 lbs lighter and (today anyway) I’m still walking like an invalid. I have no idea what brings it on, but I think yoga is an important activity as we get older.

So I leave you this week with 3 (different) tips you probably haven’t gotten before that you can quietly integrate into your daily living and help you achieve more balance in all aspects of your life!

 

1. When stopped at a stop light, do your Kegels! Good for your bladder and your partner will be happy too!
2. When you are in an elevator (alone) stand on one leg until the door opens to improve your balance. If you’re not alone, try to get everyone else to do it too so they won’t think you’re crazy!
3. If you want to come to Hawaii; let me know…..I will do whatever I can to help you experience this paradise as we have.

So with that, I will bid my aloha and a hui hou until next week!

QUEEN OF CROP