Switching from a chair to a Pilates Ball

You see it on TV. Office workers sitting on Pilates style balls instead of office chairs. I spend a lot of time in front of my computer, so I decided to give it a try. It looks like an easy way to shed some pounds--at least that is what I thought at first.

Writing while trying to balance on the ball is distracting. I have to remember to stay upright and not lean back! Sitting on this definitely slows down my production. I'll give this a week--only part-time--I cannot see doing this permanently. Today I used the ball for 2.5 hours. Then my back started hurting and I replaced the ball with my chair. I'll try for a longer time period tomorrow.

This should be an interesting week for me. I am hoping to drop a pound or two. Chemo interferes with my weight loss and diet big time. I am glad that my last treatment was on Tuesday and now I can focus on getting back to a somewhat normal life. Haven't eaten much this week since chemo. Most days my calorie count was under 1200 and my exercise was down to nothing.

I still managed to stay vegetarian this week. One of my new favorite recipes is Adobo beans and cilantro rice. Black bean chili with adobo is great too. It is very tasty over a sweet potato. Can't eat spicy stuff this week--it's a chemo thing. One of the things I like about switching to a vegetarian diet is that I am trying new foods. Sometimes, I am eating familiar foods prepared in a new way. I like to eat and this is an exciting adventure for me.

Waiting to see if this Pilates thing works out or if I end up falling off of it and breaking a bone or something.
--Lynda

Beginning Week Two

Last week was a roller coaster for me. I had great weight loss at the beginning of the week but gained most of it back by mid-week. Switching to a non-meat diet is easy for me. I have breast cancer. My treatment is close to being completed and I do not want to go through this again. This means that I must get my weight down. Overall weight loss for week one is 3 pounds. Not bad for a first week.

The way commercial cattle and poultry are raised is appalling. This too, plays a large part in my decision to go vegetarian. The basis for my new diet comes from the Vegetarian Times 28 Day Bootcamp. I am enjoying finding new foods to eat. A new favorite food for me is called "Trail Mix Baked Apples." All you do is mix raisins and chopped cashews together with cinnamon and nutmeg, then stuff the mixture into a cored apple and bake it for 4 minutes in the microwave. It is one of my new comfort foods.

I do not expect to exercise much this week. My last round of chemo was on Tuesday and it knocks me on my butt for about a week. I accomplished everything I could yesterday so that I could focus on dealing with the brain-fog and acute bone pain that accompanies chemo and the drugs they give me to combat the side-effects of the chemo drugs.

My usual exercise routine consists of walking anywhere from 3 to 5 miles a day. I base how far I walk on my energy levels. Walking the trails around the Crystal Bridges Museum is a great way to wind down after a busy day with the kids and it gives me quality time with my husband.

Hope this inspires you to lose weight and eat better.
--Lynda

The Adventure Begins

I have finally come to the decision that I need to lose weight. My goal is to lose 75 pounds within a year's time. After trying many diets, I have come to the decision that only a healthy diet combined with exercise is going to get me to my ideal weight. Going vegetarian seems to be the healthiest diet for me. It is also the most ethical as it will remove meat from my diet.

My diet will not include soy products. Because I have breast cancer, my physicians recommend that I avoid soy. Monsanto controls most of the soy production in the U.S. and I have huge ethical issues with Monsanto. Avoiding soy is not a problem for me--it just means reading labels.

This journey started for me on Monday. I have kicked my exercise routine into high gear by walking 3 to 5 miles per day. This may not seem like a lot to most people, but I am still receiving chemo treatment for cancer and it takes a lot of effort to exercise on a daily basis.

I am restricting my calorie intake to 1400 per day. I accomplished this on Monday. Tuesday I hit 1628. Since Monday I have dropped 5 pounds. Hopefully this blog will inspire others.

Weight loss to date: 5.4 pounds
Today's walking goal: 3.5 miles