Celebration Time

  So as I posted on Facebook earlier, I had a great week on the scale and lost 3 lbs.  What makes me happy about that, besides the simple fact of the weight loss, is that it brings me back to a total of 50 lbs lost.  For anyone who's been a reader before, this is a huge deal because I backslid for a while and gained back a lot of what I had once lost.  But I held on, stopped the slide, and started working my way back.  This benchmark is very important to me.
   Which means celebration time!  I already did one thing for myself, which is schedule a doctor's appointment.  I've been doing the very cliche thing and ducking the doc since my numbers weren't good.  Bad me!  So I went ahead and made the appointment, even though I'll still show a significant gain over the last time I was there, it's time to get back to doing the right things, and that includes getting new bloodwork and a checkup.
   But my real celebration will be more fun.  I'm going to go down to REI and get myself a really good and sturdy pair of hiking shoes. I usually go walking/hiking in my sneakers, and that just doesn't cut the mustard.   A 20% off coupon for the store just came in the mail, so it's like I get to celebrate and save money!
   It's my favorite time of year, and I've decided that since my stupid foots hurts whether I walk a lot or a little, I may as well feel the pain because I'm doing something I enjoy - I already have a few walks planned out in my head, so it's off to the store for me!

Home Again Home Again

I've been back from my San Francisco trip for a few days now, and most of the catch-up has been finished.  My husband and niece did a great job keeping up with the household chores, and kept my fledgling tomato plants alive and my outdoor birds fed.  Seymour the cat has been exceptionally snuggly since I've been home, and I've enjoyed every minute of it!
  So the trip itself... well I'm glad to report that I had no issues fitting into the seats on the airplane.  They were a bit snug, but not too tight or uncomfortable.  I still needed an extender, but the gap is closing, and I'd like to work on not needing one by the time I fly out to Vegas after Thanksgiving. 
  We were VERY active - the hills in the city are a good workout.  Walking anywhere included hills, and a brisk pace.  And when we weren't in the city we walked all over the place.  We went to the touristy areas like Pier 39, the Castro, Union Square and Alcatraz.  Then we went up north to spend 2 days in the Redwoods National Park areas and Muir Woods, and south to Monterey for whale watching and an aquarium visit.  On our last day we attended the Pride parade and walked around the many blocks of surrounding vendors.  I got great sleep at night, let me tell you.
   My food choices were varied - not entirely on or off plan.  I tried to be careful and make good choices where I could.  We went to the grocery store on our first day so I could stock up on healthful breakfast and snack options for the hotel room, which really helped.  I ate quite a  bit of seafood (although occasionally in the fish and chips form), and the produce out there was lovely.  I ate some of the best strawberries I ever tasted, and the overall emphasis on organic and healthy eating (especially up north) were a good influence. 
   I'll be weighing in tomorrow to see what the net result is.  I am expecting some gain, because 12 days is a long time to be out of my food "comfort zone", but hoping it will be small due to the large increase in activity.  Now July 1 is upon me, and it's time to set my mid to end year goals.  But that's another post!