Exercise and Weight Management

I dislike the thought of exercising to lose weight. I prefer eating to lose weight. Because you don't HAVE to exercise, but we do have to eat. Injuries, fatigue, bad weather, etc. can all cause decreased exercise, but we still eat. Plus, exercising causes an increase in hunger and the perception that we can eat more. By eating to lose weight, you learn about food, you learn about your body, and you practice and form habits of what to eat, how often, how much, etc. Learning to eat is necessary for weight management, because we will continue to eat forever, and if we don't know how, we'll gain the weight again.
However, exercise and weight management are perfect for each other. Studies show that people who exercise regularly maintain their weight loss with much more success than those who don't. I didn't used to believe this... But now I do. I have been on maintenance for a while now, and I'm doing very well. I have been doing 80% of my commuting via bicycle, plus my 1-2 additional fun rides. I haven't been counting points. I haven't been eating perfectly either. I think that the reason I haven't gained any weight despite my eating habits is because of the cycling. I think it's jump-starting my metabolism in the mornings, and then creating afterburn (when your metabolism continues to work harder post-exercise).

Guest Post: "Heartbreaking"

Mark,

I started to write this email on the 22^nd: the last day that I ever talked to you. I have waited until now to send it, because I wanted to make sure that I got it just right, and I hope that you have cooled off enough to read it.

I want you to know that this is not some “4th quarter Hail Mary.” One thing that you failed to consider when you said that our friendship may never be again- perhaps I don’t want it. You are not the person that I met all those months ago. Stop and take a good hard look at your life. Are you happy with where it is and where it is going? If so then I am better off not coming along for the ride. You have some serious soul searching to do. You have always known how I felt about you, and for a long time you played along, always leaving the door open to possibility. I am not sure if you really did think it was a possibility or if you were just playing along for the fun of it. I will probably never know. I don’t know if you are gay or straight or bi or a prostitute for that matter. I know that you are one of those things, but I am not even sure that you know which one. When you decide, and I mean really decide what you are and what you want, then we can talk.
When I saw you last night with her, that was pretty much the nail in the coffin. You have never fought so hard to see me, nor been as excited. In fact for the past month I have not felt loved or wanted merely tolerated as a necessary evil.

Ever since you told me about the “lists” that you give to people I often wondered what would be on mine. Today I found out. I listened to your list, I hope you will take the time to read mine.

I am sad that it is over, yet glad that it is resolved. That is what was really upsetting me. Not knowing and me are just not good together. I feel like you always left the door open just a crack. Even in the car just last week you told me that the reason you shut the door (you know what door I am talking about) was because of stress and once you were through that stress it might open again.
I am not sure why you always left the door open a little, maybe you were just telling me what I wanted to hear, or maybe the door really was still open and you were scared or unsure. It would not really matter anyway, because I could no longer take the unknown. I said it once before, I always felt like I was not looking for anyone else, but you were.

I took a slightly different approach to my list than you did, I learned it from you. You told me that you are always telling others to look for positives in the situation. That is what I chose to do.

I believe that you can choose how and what to remember.

This is what I am taking from our time together.

First, I felt connected to you the first time that I saw you. I remember that you came in right before close and wanted to tan. I had just turned someone else away because we were closing, but I let you tan. I could not turn you away. I remember one time where you kept letting people tan before you so that we could visit longer. That made me feel special.

I felt wanted in a way that I never had before when you accepted my friend request on facebook. Probably the highlight of my year was when you out of the blue friended me on foursquare. You sought me out. We both used it religiously until you finally asked for my number. Never in my life has someone that I so desperately wanted to ask for my number actually asked for it. I don’t know if you noticed but after we exchanged numbers we both stopped using foursquare. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe you were just tired of using it, or maybe you were trying to connect with me further.
When we went to Owl Bar and we talked about the gay/straight issue and you just said, “I am straight, but willing to see where this goes” I don’t think that I have ever been that happy in my life. You kept asking me to ask you questions over and over again. I can only think that there must have been one particular question in your mind and you were trying to get me to ask it. I will never know what that question was.

All I know is that on the way back to your house you hung up on her multiple times and ignored her calls and texts. In that moment I felt like I was all that mattered to you. That same car ride you pointed out multiple times that you had kissed to guys. I remember your comment that you were giving me ammunition for later.

When we got to your house you lingered in the car. You got out twice and came back, you hugged me, and the second time you came back you shook my hand. I think that if I would have asked you to come back to Salt Lake with me you would have. I also think if I would have asked to kiss you, you would have let me. Maybe that was the question you were trying to get me to ask, I will never know.

I don’t know if I will ever have as perfect a night as that night was again. I cannot imagine a better first date, even if it were only a date in my eyes and not yours. I remember that is when you told me you were going to take me on the full moon chair lift. It sounded so perfect.
There were many other such nights. I remember when we just drove around and you showed me where you used to work and the amphitheater. I remember another night when you were taking me back to my car and at the last minute you made a detour and we went to that park with the swings and sat there swinging and talking for a while. I felt that neither of us wanted that night to end.
Those nights were all great but nothing will ever compare to the Owl Bar. Everything was fresh and new and good. We started to make plans for the future, we talked about you moving in. That night things were perfect and happy, life and not actually become part of our relationship yet.

We had so many great adventures in the beginning. I still remember the first time that we drove through the alpine loop. You told me about how the trees were one of the largest living organisms because they were all basically one tree. I still have those silly pictures that we took when it was way too dark to actually see anything. You mentioned the peace gardens and that was something great to share with you as was the sculpture garden. It was always so cool to me to introduce you to new things that you had never done before. Remember the restaurants? Faustina, Frida Bistro? The Chalk Art Festival? All of those experiences were so amazing.

I remember the night of the wedding you wanted so badly to go to habits with that girl and she certainly wanted you to go. She even came back to get you. You asked me to give you just one night and I told you that you were free to do as you pleased. I remember sitting in the car with her standing outside waiting for you. I knew that you were going to leave, but you stayed. You told me that going home with me went against everything that you had ever been taught about being happy. But, yet I made you happy, so we went home.

I remember one of the nights that she came over before she got there you gave me a kiss on the cheek for recognizing a line from the Princess Bride. You did not have to do that, but you did. In fact every single time I kissed you on the neck, you never once tried to stop me. You initiated just as many hugs as I did. And you always let me cuddle. When you stayed in my bed I slept so well. We did not do anything but just having you there meant so much to me.
I remember watching Step Brothers with you and her. She was lying on the floor and you laid down beside her. You told me to come over too and I did. I laid next to you and we were about as close as you can be. In that moment I felt loved and important. I think that honestly that night might have been the last time that you chose me over a girl.
I think that same night, before she got there, you told me that you could not be gay because you wanted a family. You quickly added, “Well I guess we could adopt”. I would like to think that at that moment you were actually considering a life with me, even for a moment. Up until that point every time the subject came up it was never because you did not want it. It was always some other reason: family, kids, the church, your friends, etc… It was not long after that when you started with the definite it is not going to happen, I am straight.
The only negative thing from our time together that I am going to choose to remember is the night that it all went to hell. It was the first night that I met Whitney and it was only a few days after you got your license back. You drove to my house drunk.

I could not believe how irresponsible it was of you. From that night on it became all about girls and partying. I tried to be part of that world with you, but it just did not work. It was not me, and honestly I do not think that it is the you that you want to be, but it is so easy to be that person.

I once commented that I wished I had known you in your wilder days. You told me that you were a different person and that I would not like that person. We probably would not even be friends.

That is what I was referring to when I made the comment about irresponsible unemployed Mark. When I met you, you had goals and dreams. We even built goals and dreams together. That was the Mark that I fell in love with, and I try to believe that Mark loved me at least a little too. You are not that Mark anymore. And you are right, that Mark and I will not be friends.

I feel like you are starting to slide back into that person, how many times have you said I am not drinking anymore, yet every night what did we do?

I remember the first time that “you’re my favorite” became “I love you”. I am not sure I will ever know what you meant when you told me you loved me, but I know that you know what I meant when I said it.

I almost forgot our last two adventures. The cascade springs and bridal veil falls day was amazing. I loved it when you told me stories of your childhood. It made me feel like things were going back to normal. Our Tuesday hike up to the waterfall was also amazing. Out there when it was just us things were perfect. There was no one for us to worry about, we could just be. I know that I will visit those places often. They will always be happy memories for me. Perhaps, one day I will find you there.

I know that in the end, I could not give you what you needed. I don’t know what changed. I think that it really scared you when Whitney made the comments about you being gay over text message. I think that for the first time it really occurred to you how other people saw us. It does not really matter if you are gay, straight, bisexual, or asexual. The answer to that question does not really matter. What I do know is that we were closer than you would probably be with any other guy. I think that scared you. I think that you felt that I was forcing you to make a decision that might change your life forever and you just did not want to make a decision like that. It created a lot of tension between us. Maybe I am wrong, but it is easier for me to think that than the alternative.

We have both changed. I am not sure that either of us changed for the better, but I know that we will both pull through this, albeit apart. I would have spent the past few months trying to make you happy, but I am not sure that I would have ever succeeded.
In the end none of that even really matters, what it all comes down to is that when I am hurt or sad I want connection. When you are hurt or sad you want seclusion. Most of the time that is fine, except if we both happen to be hurt and sad, then our needs are mutually exclusive and neither of us really gets what we want.

I think that it is kind of ironic. You wrote me off because you needed space and I could not give it to you. I gave you an ultimatum and you did not like it. I don’t know if you realize that you gave me the very same ultimatum when you said, “when someone tells you that they need space and the friendship is on the line, you have to respect that”. I do not really see how that is any different than what I told you about needing you, the main difference is that I would have never followed through and you did.
I don’t even know if you are reading this or not, maybe I wrote it more for my benefit than yours.
I just wanted you to see my take on the situation. And, I wanted you to know what I am taking from the past few months.

I would rather remember the good times than the bad and so I will. I hope that someday you can look back at the time that we spent together and pull out something positive.
I truly hope that this message has come across the way that I intended it. I do not regret my time with you. I am a better person for the time that I spent with you. I would like to regret some of my actions, but that does not really gain anything for either of us, so I see no reason to.

I hope the best for you. I truly hope that someday you will find someone who makes you happy. Someone who will drive and support you to achieve your dreams and goals. Most of all I hope that you can find someone that you can love as much as I love you. I say “love” not “loved” because I gave you part of my heart and you can never really give it back. I will always have a connection to you no matter what.

I don’t think that you will ever speak to me again, but I am sure that I will see you around. I don’t expect you to acknowledge me at all. That makes me sad, but I accept it.

We started our relationship with a game of questions so I think that it is fitting that we should end with one.

How do you really feel about me?

I don’t think that I will ever know how you truly felt about me. I know that you are mad, but I know that you don’t hate me. I am not even sure that you yourself know the answer to how you truly feel about me. I think that is sad. I can’t help but feel that things started falling apart when people you cared about started to wonder about us, and believe me they did. I think it scared the shit out of you.

Perhaps it is better not to know, I am not sure that I would like either answer. Either you did really love me, but are now gone… sad. Or you never really loved me or cared about me and I was just a stupid boy in love with someone that they could never have… sad

Why Exercise Can Make You Gain Weight

So, I made it to the top of Emigration Canyon for the first time on Sunday, after having tried and failed on two previous attempts. (Woot woot!) and then we went to the Olive Garden. and then I ate a jelly filled donut. and then I ate a cream filled donut. ...Yeah. I went crazy because I "earned" it. Well, eating like that basically ruined the weight loss benefits of my ride. (Note, it was still good for my heart health to ride, but I overate and ate garbage to compensate for it.) I think this might explain why people who are "working out" and "exercising a lot" see little movement on the scale.

Or, you might think you're exercising when you're really not? ;)

Another reason could be that you're losing pounds of body fat, and replacing it with muscle. However, because people use this as a cop-out excuse, you should actually measure your body fat before you make that claim. I suggest getting a scale that does it for you.
 

Also, I reached my original weight goal (135). I want to lose more fat, but I do not want to lose more weight. I don't think that losing 10 more pounds is necessarily good for me, Instead, I am going to maintain this weight, and lose 14% more of my body fat (hopefully). I also want to add 20 more pounds of muscle to my body. I have decided to go on maintenance so that I can eat more, because it's very hard to add muscle mass when you're calorie restricting. (and I have a really hard time wasting 40% of my points on protein shakes).

I have signed up for "The Toughest Century in Utah." If I complete it, it will be my first full century (91.5 mi is the most I've done). The beginning of this ride is Emigration Canyon or "Little Mountain" as Jake calls it. Then there's going up and down "Big Mountain." and then you go for a few more miles, and then you turn around, and go BACK up and down "Big Mountain" and then back and up "Little Mountain" again. It's going to be hard. So we're going to practice.

Also, the Trax schedules just changed, so I'm going to have to leave work downtown a little earlier than I had been to make it to the halfway house in time. In that case, I might as well leave with enough time to ride my bike all the way. (It takes me about 35 minutes to ride my bike from one job to the other.) I'm going to try to see if I can do that. It'll mean I have to get up earlier in the morning to pack my clothes and lunch and get my bike set up, so it might take a toll on how I feel since I'm already pretty sleep-deprived some days. But let's be honest, I want bragging rights. Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to say that I've ridden my bike to work for the last 30 days, 60 days, etc. until it snows? Also, if I ride every day, I'll be getting my 30 minutes of cardio daily. :-) I wonder what affect that will have on my body?

Our family has also decided to do an "Abs Competition." We're going to do sit-ups every day until Christmas, and then at Christmas we'll compare. There really is no prize, except it keeps us accountable, and we all want to out-do each other, so the competition is also a motivator. Today is day 3. My bro-in-law says that the 1st week is the hardest. I'm excited to keep going though.

I wonder how fast I can build my muscle mass? I hope that I can continue to increase my exercising and fitness. One day at a time.

To what would you attribute your weight loss success?

Yesterday, I was posed that question by someone who's been trying to lose weight and is working out like crazy, but seeing minimal results.

Have I been successful because of Weight Watchers? Cycling? or Something Else?

My instant answer is I am successful because I tried. Because I wanted to be. But let's be honest, I desperately needed the tools provided by Weight Watchers to be successful. I would have never been successful without it. Weight Watchers all the way. Cycling just allows me to eat REALLY bad stuff on occasion (such as the golden pastrami burger at the busy bee- Yowzas).

The next question was do I pay for weight watchers? Yes, it's $20 a month after the introductory period. and it is VERY worth that $20. Very. I went from a size 12 to a 4. (Though in honesty, my clothes range in size from 4-6, depending on brand, style, and fit.) I am loving being a size 4. I refuse to ever stop being a size 4. :-)

Then, is it hard to stay on track? No. It was easy until summer hit. Then my routine changed and I got lazy/had excuses, and I'm pretty close to my goal, so I've gotten more lax and am taking it less seriously than I was. WW has an app for smartphones (which I don't have), but I think it would be super awesome if I did. I love that you can input recipes and it will give a points value. They also have a database of foods like cheese etc. so even if you don't know the exact nutrition facts for the cheese in your deli sandwich, you can still calculate the points for it.

But do you feel like you're starving or robbing yourself of things you love? No. Never. Not at all. I still eat pizza and cake and whatever else I want. I'm just smarter and more informed about it. We go out to eat way too much, and I'm still losing weight. A lot of it is listening to my body, and thinking about it. I "feel" hungry, but is it because I'm bored, or sad, or stressed, or tired? Do I really need to eat, or am I still full from the last time I ate? I have definitely had to change my eating habits and I've learned to like different foods, but I know that I can still have "bad stuff" (I don't really like to label things "good" or "bad" more like, sometimes foods, rarely foods, and as much as you want foods.) if I want it. I just choose not to want the "bad stuff" most of the time. Or I know different brands/ways of eating it that makes it not quite as bad as it could be, or the mainstream. Honestly, I don't really miss eating the way I used to eat. I don't feel deprived at all. If I want something, I eat it (like the 37 point sandwich I had a few Fridays ago). I just make up for it later (by not eating dinner, because I was till stuffed from my super-sandwich, or by riding my bike to work the next day. It was totally delicious and worth it, by the way.) For me, if I don't see it, I don't think about it and I don't miss it. However, I do suffer from food-envy. If you're eating an ice cream bar, I want one too (so I choose a WW or Skinny Cow one). I can successfully avoid the donuts at staff meetings when I've eaten before-hand. I cannot avoid the donuts when I'm hungry, and they're sitting in the office calling to me for 8 hours.

Honestly, maybe the secret to weight loss is mindful eating. Be aware of what you're eating (it has That many calories?!) and why. If you know you have trouble eating junk food, and that junk food will be available, come up with a plan (like being so super stuffed (on fruits and veggies) that the sound of a donut is not appetizing, or having my WW or Skinny Cow options).

My question to him/her was: Are you using your fancy scale? Maybe you're gaining muscle weight? Is the body composition changing, even if the weight remains the same? I highly recommend that everyone get a fancy scale. There is much more to health than your weight. For example, many obese people actually suffer from malnutrition because they're eating all the wrong things and they're bodies are not getting what it needs. And then there's me:

I have lost over 30 lbs. I weigh under 135. My healthy weight range is 120-150. My BMI is 22.3 (healthy is between 18.5-24.9) In April I had 95 lbs of muscle... I'm down to 92. So, I guess it's not a huge drop considering I've lost 15 lbs since April. I don't have enough good cholesterol and the ratio of good cholesterol to total cholesterol could be better. My blood pressure is also too close to borderline for my comfort. I STILL am 30% body fat (Healthy 21-31%) , so yes, still healthy, but a little too close to the borderline for my comfort. 30% of my weight is roughly 40lbs of body fat. Where the hell is it all? My face is much thinner than I'd like it to be. I've lost what little boobs I had... But I still have my thunderthighs. I had thought that maybe I was "destined" to have thunderthighs, since I'm very near my goal weight and still have them... but seeing that 30% tells me that I still have some work to do. I have spent the day researching how to build muscle mass. It requires weight training, which I have 0 motivation to do alone. It's boring. Give me my bike, please? Did you know that having more muscles protects against osteoporosis? My bones aren't quite as dense as they should be (5lbs, vs 5.3). It's also hard for me to put 4 points into a protein shake... but I'm probably going to start drinking more and more of them again. I'm going to experiment with working out every single day, and see if my muscle mass starts going up...

Also, while I'm giving weight loss advice: Don't do it alone. Being able to talk to others about food ideas, struggles, and tracking your progress with thier's is really good. Weight is contagious. Seriously. The behaviors and habits of the people around you become your own. If your family eats garbage, you're more likely to eat garbage. If one family member starts a diet, the others are likely going to start eating healthier too, even if they're not counting calories, or points or anything else. Look at the families of the people on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, they lose weight too. My husband has lost over 10 lbs, without "trying" or concentrating on it to the same extent that I have. :-)

Is there a universal answer to weightloss?

So, I get a lot of questions about what my secret for weight loss is, or advice, etc. For the post part, it's "just buckle down and do it." Because that's what most of the problem is. People are stuck in the wanting to lose weight stage, without wanting to do anything to change it... Uh... Yeah.

But once you're out of that stage, there are TONS of tiny things to learn and remember to help along the way... To increase your success and to keep you motivated. These are my oft-repeated tips in a nutshell:

Expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week (or roughly 5 lbs per month). If you lose more than that consistently WW will actually increase your points target so you lose the weight in a safer manner.

The most important things are to remember that it's a marathon and not a sprint, and that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. Even if you only lose .5 lbs in a certain week, every .5 adds up. and the longer you take to lose it, the more ingrained the habits will be, and the longer the weight will stay off. So if I have a milkshake or hot dog or something, I'm living and enjoying my life, and I'll be more successful in the long-run because I won't go off my "diet." Also, it might be beneficial to compare your new habits, with the old ones. So instead of beating yourself up over having some pizza, realize that you ate fewer pieces than maybe you would have in the past, and that's progress.

You have to track everything. It's actually pretty easy because you can just google food items or restaurants if you don't have the nutrition info handy. WW also has points values in their database for lots of stuff. It will teach you so much about food that you may not have known before. It definitely did for me. I didn't pay attention to what I ate at all.

Another great thing was that I had another friend that was doing WW, and my mom was too. None of us "joined together," but it was good to be able to ask for advice on food/brag about progress. I think that having other people around is a great motivator.

I've also noticed a pattern that every 100 calorie pack I've looked the points up on is 3 points. It's not 100% firm that 33 calories is 1 point, but it's a useful tool if I'm away from my computer and wondering the points of something.

At the same time, who am I to give YOU advice on your weight loss? What works for me, might not be what works for you. Or, the difficulties that I have might not be the difficulties that you have...

When to ask for help

No man is an island. Social support is the key to human survival. Studies have shown time and again how important other people are to our lives.

Months ago, I had to sit my husband down and have a talk with him about my feelings about how he eats. I think I've written about it before, so I'll be brief. I felt really deprived when I was watching the way he was eating. He was putting temptation in front of me, and I'm really bad at abstaining from junk when I have easy-access. I had to tell him that I needed his support to lose my weight, and that his eating habits were making it really hard for me, and that it was also putting added strain on our relationship. Since then, I've been trying to redirect him to get him to lose "Mike": our baby that he's carrying. Because he looks like he's pregnant, and Mike talks. It's kinda funny. You can never force someone to do anything, they have to make the decisions for themselves, but you can give them enough encouragement, that eventually they make the decision. My husband is finally there. He said that Mike is going to be gone by Christmas. Then he said by August. I am doubtful about August, but Christmas is nice. He's already lost 10 lbs, without counting points, but by snacking less in the middle of the night.

We've been watching the Tour de France, which is really encouraging for our cycling, because it makes us want to ride more and harder and faster. Which I love. We haven't done an organized ride since May. :-( I gotta get back in the saddle. I haven't ridden in 7 days. :-(

A coworker of mine joined WW a few months ago, and for the first few weeks, she did really well, even getting to her pre-pregnancy weight. But after that milestone, she started gaining weight again. Her life is really hectic right now (divorce), so that's making it even harder. Additionally, half of our coworkers are Islanders. Islanders EAT. They eat and they make enough for everybody. They force you to take their food. It is a LOT of peer/cultural pressure to EAT. One of her best friends is an Islander. So they eat. How can you turn down free-food? Especially when your stress and depression says, "It'll make you feel better?" We've started running laps around the building again, and I rode it with my odometer to determine how many laps to a mile (about 7). When we run, we have the privacy to talk about our stress and our issues. She also asked me to text her every morning to remind her to track her points and what she eats. Right now she says she's barely eating though.

Another woman I know (who is a compulsive/emotional eater and over 350 lbs) has decided to lose weight too. She's started reading the labels of her foods. She's reading the blog for help and inspiration. and she told her boss. Who now makes her take walks around the building on her breaks. and takes the salt shaker away from her when they take lunch breaks. She reports that the more people she tells, the better she's doing. Because they're there to help her. To push, and motivate, and hold her accountable. I am a lot more likely to jog around the building when I have a partner, then when I'm alone. I feel less silly. and we both know we should do it so we force both of us to do it. Instead of it having to be me alone motivating myself. It also gives this woman a great sense of pride because she has people checking in on her. Instead of beating herself up and calling herself names and being depressed about where she is, she has people saying to her "Good job! Great decisions! I'm so proud of you." and she has people that she can talk to, and brag to about how well she's doing. It has done so much for her self-esteem. To take control of her life, to be self-sufficient. She had the opportunity in April to work with a personal trainer for free, and she didn't. :-( But she's taking the help she can get now. Better late than never.

Another reminder why there's more to health than weight

We had our health fair at work yesterday. They did blood draws, etc. We also took an online health assessment survey. Apparently I am too stressed, and my nutrition is bad. Still. Really, my nutrition is bad? Grrr. I'm just not as consistent as I should be. I prefer fruits to veggies. Some days I don't eat any, and some days they're all I eat. and I still love my sweets. Can't get rid of my sweets. As I have changed my eating habits, I have become VERY particular and picky about what I eat. I prefer this brand/type of frozen veggies or meals to that one. and I get grumpy if I'm stuck with the wrong brand. :-(

Coincidentally, Thursdays are my weigh in days, so yesterday I weighed in and I've lost a total of 30 lbs! Yay! 30 lbs! 30 was my original weight loss goal. I think I'm going to lose 5-10 more pounds. After I got home, we went on a bike ride too. My health fair said that I'm still not getting enough exercise, or the right kind of exercise. My HDL levels are extremely low. My overall cholesterol is good, but I have very little of the good kind of cholesterol (like, I have less than half of what I should have.) But there's an easy way to fix that, keep my heart-rate in the target range when I work out (my heart rate typically goes EXTREMELY high when I work out.) and I need to get more healthy fats (like flax seed or fish oil, and I have supplements of both of those, I just haven't been taking them).

I am getting acupuncture done next weekend and I've never done it before. So we'll see how that goes. and hopefully by next year, I can get my numbers even lower!

When I had my screening, a coworker was like, "you're the healthiest you've ever been, aren't you?" Which is pretty much true. and then he pointed out that I'm the only person in the company who is at a healthy weight. (Which isn't true. There's 2-4 other people who don't appear to be overweight... but when there are 20ish others who are CLEARLY overweight... Yeah. Very unhealthy workplace unfortunately. :-( ) Just because I'm the healthiest I've ever been, doesn't mean I'm done with taking care of my health. It doesn't mean that there isn't more progress to be made. and just because I may be healthier than my peers, doesn't mean that I'm not still unhealthy in some respects.