Healthy at Home

Dearest Rachel –

I think part of the problem with this past weekend was that, when I previously would attempt to fast for the entire length of a given Sunday, I would grab a reasonable lunch on Saturday before showing up at church for rehearsal. This time around, I basically had breakfast – a bowl of crisp rice and a slice of toast – at about the same time some of the guys in the Bible study were getting together at the pancake house, and that was the end of it… for only thirty hours or so.

By seven o’clock yesterday evening, I’d just about had it with the lack of food, and prepared myself another slice of toast – thereby coming somewhat full circle – slathered with peanut butter and sharp cheddar cheese. And if that had been it, it would have still resulted in a caloric deficit, with a decent amount of protein consumed to make the lapse worthwhile. Unfortunately, I also snacked on some uncooked ramen noodles, and caramel popcorn for ‘dessert,’ so… yeah, the weekend wasn’t exactly a rousing success.

To be fair, I’d actually considered breaking my fast that much sooner, and with that much more food, but that’s a whole other story that I’ll have to tell you about separately, because there’s more to it than just hunger. So things could have been worse, at least from a weight loss standpoint (although if it had worked out, it could have been so much better from another perspective, but alas).

I’d also gotten a delivery I wasn’t expecting until later in the week: a new treadmill that I’d ordered on sale for something less than the price of a year’s membership at the gym:

It also doesn’t have nearly the same incline to it as the gym treadmills, as it only rises 2½ inches from one end of the walking surface to the other. There was a moment where I thought I could prop it up higher, but it collapsed rather quickly (I got off of it quickly and safely, but I learned my lesson not to push it so hard). And I do think I benefit from pushing weights around now and again, even though my left shoulder is still a little sore from my workout last Friday. But in any event, I don’t think I’ll be giving up on my membership straightaway.

I will mention that it doesn’t force one to come to a stop after using it for an hour; this morning, I put in ninety minutes straight on it – and with the lower incline, I wasn’t working up quite the sweat where I’d need to doff my glasses about twenty minutes in, so I wasn’t having the same need to end my session, either. Basically, an hour and a half here kind of makes up for the time at the gym plus the walk to and from, which, while not quite equivalent in terms of calorie burn, isn’t too bad.

So you can see how, once it got late last night, and I started to get hungry, I felt like I could let myself relax a little more, rather than try to power my way through until this morning. It’s a little disappointing in terms of raw willpower, but at least I made it well past another full twenty-four hours.

And in fact, I actually started the day back under not only the two-twenty-five mark, but under two-twenty as well, for the first time this year. And yes, I realize how little that is, time wise, but considering where I started when the new year broke, it’s that much more impressive. By the time I washed off from this morning’s exercise, I had essentially lost nearly ten pounds from when I was sleeping through the fireworks going off at Navy Pier last week. I’m sure I won’t stay there, necessarily, but who knows? Most of the rich goodies of the holiday season are starting to drop from availability (grocery stores are already putting up Valentine’s Day displays, which is a whole other level of annoyance for one in my position, but whatever), so perhaps with less temptation, and more persuasion, I’ll be doing more towards keeping myself healthy at home.

That is, if I can keep the treadmill to myself. Logan was the one who brought the delivery to my attention yesterday in the first place. I’ve mentioned that he’s half-again the man I am, and now I’ve actually got proof; apparently he weighed himself when he was visiting his folks over the weekend, having been concerned that since his current job keeps him at a desk as opposed to stocking shelves at his local grocery store, he might have gained weight since he moved in with Daniel and myself. The good news is, he actually hasn’t; it’s basically been kept more or less the same. The bad news is, it still might be a bit much for him to use the treadmill, which he’s expressed an interest in.

To be sure, it’s meant to be portable, and I can move it from the bedroom so he can use it – maybe the sunroom on some days when I plan to hit the gym instead? Heck, even moving it around could be a bit of a workout in itself. However, I’m going to have to check its rating, as it might not be strong enough to hold him. Ironically, he may have to lose weight in order to use it to lose weight, which is a bit of a pity. But I’ll have to confirm that at some point.

In the meantime, honey, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m pretty sure I’m going to need it.