CDCC Update: Finally crawled my way back to my lowest weight again....and lower! Vera Bradley goodies, here I come! And some asthma/steroid/gluten experimentation stuff...and using the FitBit for motivation.

• Tanita-san: 180.4
• fasting blood sugar: 78
• Blood pressure: 125/66
• Pulse: 50

Holy cow. I'm so happy.

I was 181 lbs on September 3, regained some, and have been fighting to get back there. Nice to make it and make MORE progress. New low.

I have visual motivation. I need to make it under 180 to use the purse and tote I bought from the Vera Bradley store. It's been sitting on the La-Z-Boy, taunting me. Unused. Spanking new. So close!

Such a relief to see tangible proof my hard work this week is working.

I struggled like mad again during this week. I exceeded calories by 100 or 200 almost every day. Sucks, huh? I was doing 1400 to 1600, not 1200 to 1400, like I stated in my goal.

Fluids have been fine.  Have barely been reading my books for the challenge this week, and I need to get back to that. It will probably help with the caloric limit mojo!

Now, because I ate more, I had to make sure to exercise more to balance that out. Instead of 3x a week as my challenge goal, I've walked every day from Monday through Thursday and had my regular 2 hour long sessions with my trainer. 

I'll add that exercising has been harder, too, off the steroids. Yes, I'm experimenting with no inhaled steroids, the drugs I've been on for 2 decades for my asthma. Breathing is less nimble without them, but when I'm just sitting or doing regular chores and errands, I'm fine.

It's when I do exertion or am around allergens (walk by a blossoming tree that I'm sensitive to or am around pets) that it goes funky on me. BUT....I haven't been able to be off them since age 29. I had read that getting off gluten could help the asthma, and I had noticed that when I reduced my steroid dosage, I still felt fine. Hence, the no-steroid experiment. Been nearly a month. In the worst allergy season for me. December is the next hurdle--blossoming mango trees kill me!

If I find that I can't handle it, well, I'll go back. But for now...we're testing it out.

It's hard walking in the heat/humidity/pollens, but I just adjust my pace.

I've been wearing my FitBit to encourage me to walk MORE. On my non-exercise days, I can easily NOT walk more than 1000 steps. Seriously. It's sad.  The first time I used a pedometer years ago, when still ill and sedentary and morbidly obese, my steps averaged in the 800s. Lord in Heaven!

I'm so glad I won it from Cranky Fitness. I'd have balked spending 99 bucks for an upscale pedometer...but it's very small, light, fits nicely on my bra and keeps me accountable. Accountability is GOOD. Motivation is GOOD.

I've made it to 7000+ steps days this week, but that's with intentional movement--shopping often--ie, more trips, more walking in parking lot and around store--planned challenge walking for 30+ minutes at a briskish pace. Being more active means I have to plan for it. It doesn't JUST happen. I like to sit and read and watch anime and websurf. That's bupkis calorie-burn. .


And yet...I have not made it once to 10,000. Sad huh?

Granted, I don't work. When I worked last time, I had to walk to and from the car, to and from the train station, a few blocks to the office, a few blocks back to the train, and in-between all the up and down stairs, around the hospital campus (huge hospital), and it was easily a couple blocks from the satellite cubicle on the oncology ward to the main medical records office. Stairs, city blocks, walking to eat lunch, it adds up. HOme, sitting at the computer, doing dishes, not much moving. ; )

I am so looking forward to our first cold front. I'm gonna be a walking, sightseeing -the-city fool when it's cooler.

Happy Friday, folks. Move, eat real food...be well.

ETA: Just gonna make this post my CDCC update, as the weekend will be busy! Changed title and added about fluids and book, hah.