Hot and Healthy - Thriving Through Menopause, One Pound at a Time. Day 13 (2/23/24)
I woke up about 8am, hubby was running a little late for work. There are a few things I need to take care of, so I put on the Fitbit and start my day. It is impossible for me to sleep with it on so those stats will be nil.
First things first, my one inch by one inch marijuana brownie that I make at home, and eat 4 times a day, to calm my menopausal nausea. I do enter one whole brownie serving into the tracker. My 1 x 1 is essentially ¼ of a regular brownie serving which is about 237 calories. I mess with the recipe though. Less sugar, more fruit, added cayenne, vegan butter and coconut oil are all replacement ingredients. I have been trying other sugars but balancing the sweetness it tough. Still working on it though.
It takes me a bit to get going, but I then ran to the market for a few things, then came home to start the day.
Today is Friday so it is weigh in day. The bathroom has been utilized, I have not eaten (brownie not included) or drank anything yet. I strip down to socks and hop on the scale. 129.2. Not bad but I cannot wait to see 128. Any number but 129 which I am hovering at. BUT I do know why.
So along with two to three sets of exercises a day, building muscle, I have added protein shakes twice a day as I simply do not eat enough protein. I’m a small meals throughout the day person, not a strict three meals per day, and I prefer fruit. Not a ton of protein in fruit. Guava and avocado have the most, but they are not always readily available. So any fat weight loss is made up my muscle gain at this point. At least that is what they tell me. It’s now called “recomposition”. Here’s an adjusted quote from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/health/fitness/lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/
“Gaining muscle while losing fat, also known as body recomposition, is possible... Resistance training and protein intake are key to successful body recomposition... Eating a maintenance number of calories or at a slight calorie deficit is also key...”
Then this explains recomposition in a bit more detail.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/body-recomposition
So I am “recompositioning” my body. It is such a pain in the ass.
Not kidding, tracking your food, I think, is essential to weight loss so I have a few ways I am tracking mine.
One of the apps I am using to track stuff is actually a Safeway app. They have this whole Health section where if you meet your goals, you earn money off groceries. Adding more whole grains and beans are some of the goals and the hardest for me to keep. Along with salads for a meal. That is tougher than it used to be. So I have missed a few goals but have done really well with others like Fruit in Sight, Take Water with You, and Exercise Daily. I have 14,000 points so far. When I hit 50,000, I get $50 off groceries. I see that as paying for my Fitbit and the other workout supplies, I bought for this journey.
When I got home from the market and after weighing myself, I ate a thin slice of whole wheat bread with organic peanut butter and a cup of seedless grapes. I had the protein shake on the side.
Time to let that settle, get some work done and then off to the workout.
The one I did today was a 30 Min Cardio Workout at Home [LOW IMPACT STEADY STATE] LISS workout.
Here is the link: Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImI63BUUPwU
Again, I had to modify some stuff. Not much, but with a torn rotator cuff, the side planks as well as burpees are really tough, so I do other stuff that is similar that keeps my heart rate in the right place.
Back to work for a while and I get a chocolate snack. I’m a big fan of Lily’s Sea Sat Dark Chocolate, 70% Cocoa and Stevia Sweetened. I’m not a fan of Stevia and I hate fake sugar, but I eat so little of it that I am hoping there is no impact on my health because of it. Dark chocolate in itself has health benefits, so I have 1/6th of a bar daily. That’s it, that is my daily splurge. Well, besides the brownie and booze. Apparently I splurge more than I should, but I do limit the amount I take in. It still sounds like a lot though.
Water...I drink lots and lots of water all throughout the day. This is important when you are working out a lot.
I passed on lunch as I wasn’t hungry. The protein shake really fills you up. Dinner is leftover pork – 3 ounces, some smoked paprika rice, and broccoli with one more protein shake.
The second and last exercise I did tonight was step aerobics cardio. You can find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUxAzQ8SKUU
I added my wrist and ankle weights for extra burn.
Let me tell you, just because it says low impact, does not mean it won’t get you going.
Everything I do is beginner level because I really am starting over. I don’t jump and low impact is a must.
Well, that is the end of day 13. See you tomorrow and get some sleep!
You can find all the videos I workout to on my YouTube Channel.