Yesterday was the first time this spring that I mowed my yard. Even though it was over 80 degrees outside, mowing the yard didn't take much effort. I was not at all out of breath when finished. I can remember mowing the yard last fall, when I weighted 75 pounds more than I do today. Back then, I had to stop mowing half way to drink water and take a break. I was in such terrible shape. I feel so good and healthy right now. But, I'm still obese. I can only imagine how much better still I will feel after losing the remaining 25 to 30 pounds.
But, the 75 pounds was not all fat. I have likely lost around 10 to 15 pounds of lean mass since last August. I say "likely" because there is no perfect way to calculate lean body mass. The formula that I am using has room for error. The muscle loss is not likely a direct result of the diet. Rather, it is the result of weighing 75 pounds less than I did last year. Due to my drastic weight loss, I am not getting as much exercise from simple day-to-day activities. Sometimes, I contemplate what it would be like to lug around my old 75 pounds. It's hard to remember what it felt like. My 11 month old son only weighs about 25 pounds and he's very heavy. I can't imagine lugging around three of him!
In an effort to prevent muscle loss and to perhaps get the pounds falling off more quickly, I have decided to walk. This morning, I woke up early (I hate waking up early) and pushed my son's stroller 1 mile to his day-care. And then, I walked back home. I plan to do the same this afternoon. If I do this each sunny day when I am not traveling, I can easily get 4 miles of walking per day. I work from home now and the walking time isn't much more than my old car commute time. On the down side, I may be out of town on business 4 days a week for most of the summer... so I'm not sure how consistent my "work-outs" will be. I just can't bring myself to walk the treadmill at the hotel. Treadmills are hopelessly boring.
Yesterday was the first time this spring that I mowed my yard. Even though it was over 80 degrees outside, mowing the yard didn't take much effort. I was not at all out of breath when finished. I can remember mowing the yard last fall, when I weighted 75 pounds more than I do today. Back then, I had to stop mowing half way to drink water and take a break. I was in such terrible shape. I feel so good and healthy right now. But, I'm still obese. I can only imagine how much better still I will feel after losing the remaining 25 to 30 pounds.
But, the 75 pounds was not all fat. I have likely lost around 10 to 15 pounds of lean mass since last August. I say "likely" because there is no perfect way to calculate lean body mass. The formula that I am using has room for error. The muscle loss is not likely a direct result of the diet. Rather, it is the result of weighing 75 pounds less than I did last year. Due to my drastic weight loss, I am not getting as much exercise from simple day-to-day activities. Sometimes, I contemplate what it would be like to lug around my old 75 pounds. It's hard to remember what it felt like. My 11 month old son only weighs about 25 pounds and he's very heavy. I can't imagine lugging around three of him!
In an effort to prevent muscle loss and to perhaps get the pounds falling off more quickly, I have decided to walk. This morning, I woke up early (I hate waking up early) and pushed my son's stroller 1 mile to his day-care. And then, I walked back home. I plan to do the same this afternoon. If I do this each sunny day when I am not traveling, I can easily get 4 miles of walking per day. I work from home now and the walking time isn't much more than my old car commute time. On the down side, I may be out of town on business 4 days a week for most of the summer... so I'm not sure how consistent my "work-outs" will be. I just can't bring myself to walk the treadmill at the hotel. Treadmills are hopelessly boring.