197 pounds! Elfkins be damned!

Jan. 24, 2013

Good grief, did I swallow a whale in my sleep or what?

Today I am 197.2 pounds of rolling blubber. 

The scale gremlins have been at it once again. I must be retaining water.

OK, busted! Late-night cookie binging has caught up with me. But darn if those Elfkins weren't 99 cents a bag the other day, so I bought three. Now, those curious little guys from the hollow tree with their elfin magic haunt me.

This week that weight curve has been on an upswing, but normally I don't worry too much about a few pound swings either way. Much of it is due to eating, exercise intensity and the time of day I work out. And of course the scale gremlins.

Yesterday was a good one to hit the streets. It wasn't bitter cold, and the sun was shining. My time was a bit limited (OK, that's where the weight gain came from -- sorry Elfkins), so I cut my time down to 45 minutes of running/walking but I made sure to hit a couple of good hills.

I also worked out in the morning, which is a change of pace for me. I seem to do better with midday or late afternoon workouts. That could also contribute to the scales going up this morning.

E.L. Fudge: Uncommonly Good

My back is feeling better and better, so now it's a matter of getting my lungs back in agreement with the rest of my body. By the end of the fall I was doing 5- and 6-mile loops without stopping. But this back thing has thrown me off my game a bit.

But there's no need to give up and fall into the mid-winter funk that seems to have a firm grasp on people these days. I can still get up and move, and that's the blessing in all this. Even if it is a blubberous blessing, I'll take it.

Today is extra cold outside, so I think it will be a cross-training day, which means back on the bike. Hopefully, the scale gremlins will slip in during the night and reset that sucker -- Elfkins be damned.

My Scale Must Be Broken!

Jan. 9, 2013

Today, I just know my scale is broken. How can I be 195.2 pounds of rolling thunder? How indeed?

I'm still amazed how many people in my extended circle of friends have resolved in the new year to lose weight. Yeah, I'm sure it's one of my resolutions, too, but I've resolved not to have resolutions this year so that darn scale just has to be broken.

I am, however, going to try to eat more healthy food, drink more water and less diet soda and generally skip late-night snacking.

I don't know about the rest of you runners, joggers, walkers and mere mortals, but cookies call to me at night. I hear their little voices telling me they won't survive the night alone in the cold, dark kitchen.

So, to put them out of their misery, I eat them. It would be a shame to let them suffer like that in fear all night, so why not help myself and the cookies out by having a little snack while watching yet another CSI rerun before shutting things down for the night?

I admit it, I'm a stress eater, and sugary snacks are my nemesis. I know this because sugary carbs are my friend. They help me fight off the late-night worries and they keep my belly pleasantly plumb. 

So the goal is to limit those little critters from calling my name, drink more water and eat real foods and not just things that you have no idea where they came from.

Oh, and exercise. Now I've done a pretty good job of incorporating some form of cardio workout into my daily routine. Otherwise those little late-night carb critters would have my BMI somewhere in the jumbo range.

Yesterday, I hit the road again for my walk. The winter has once again gone on an upswing and the day was great to get out and grind the miles. No inside bike. No NordicTrack. No stair stepper. Just me concentrating on keeping a strong pace with arms swinging at my sides.

It was a good hour and a half walk followed by a quick bowl of steel-cut oats and yogurt for a snack. I've heard a lot about steel-cut oats, but this is my first chance at trying them for myself -- the jury is still out. To be fair, I mixed them raw into my yogurt and it was a bit like eating Grape-Nuts. So I'll reserve judgment until I've eaten them properly cooked.

The great thing is I got out and moved. Now if I could just get my scale fixed, I just know the weight will melt away like snow on a 60-degree winter day.

Good luck to all of us non-resolutionists.