Nat talks about weight changes

Safety assurance, I’m not talking about calorie restriction, diets or weight loss as a goal. I am talking about my weight changing, up and down, over the past year.

A year ago I was in New Brunswick unexpectedly. My dad was ill. I was really stressed out. I was not exercising. I was driving a minimum of 4 hours a day. I was eating on the run. I rapidly gained 20 pounds over a few weeks. I was surprised how much the circumstances affected me and my weight stayed at that level until May of this year.

In May I retired and refocused on my strength training and walking. I’ve sustained 20% more daily steps, up from 9,500 to 12,000. Yay! I’ve been more consistent with my strength training and I’m feeling jacked. Yay!

I do track my weight, as well as my pulse and blood pressure, and I started noticing a slight downward trend since I retired. Interesting! I wondered what was going on as unexplained weight loss means I need to talk to my doctor.

Daytime activity

I’m surprised how much movement is in my day now that I’m not in meetings from 9-5. It’s small things but I’m almost always on the move. I suspect that I’m using more energy each day than I did before I retired.

Lunch

When I was in the office I had lunch at the cafeteria. I always picked from the grill. Now that I’m home, I’m making lunch. It could be a salad with protein, soup and a sandwich or a big bowl of pasta. It’s never fried foods though and I think even the same foods prepared at home are less calorically dense.

Clean hands for crafting

My daily activities, like knitting and writing, mean my hands are busy and need to stay clean. It’s meant less snacking. It feels good. I am also very likely to get into flow and not snack as the hours fly by as I do things.

Intuitive eating?

The morning smoothie has stayed the same over the past year. What has changed is when I feel hungry I grab a quick snack right away. A cliff bar, banana or sardines seem to be what I reach for. I don’t wait until I’m ravenous.

I continue to go out for nice dinners and regularly have pastries. I’m feeling good. It’s also been a month of birthday cakes and my favourite flavour of cake is cake!

Slowly trending

My weight has slowly trended downward at a steady rate. It’s not dramatic. I don’t look smaller and my clothes fit the same. That small change over 5 months means the “sad about my dad” uptick in my weight is gone.

Slow changes

This week during our strength training I pointed out to Michel I no longer use a chair to assist me getting up off the floor. I’m feeling more balanced and flexible. These are not instagramworthy moments but they are small victories in my flexibility, balance and mobility.

Homeostasis

I’m curious to see where my body settles out with my new routines. I’m grateful that leaving paid work behind is helping me be more active.I don’t have a goal weight, I’m working on how much I can lift and how far I can hike. Those are my meaningful goals as they help me in my life. I do trust that my body craves homeostasis.