I just finished getting dressed and I'm thinking about body sizes. I'm a small boned person. For most of my life my weight has been in the low 100's, except in times of stress when it dips below 100.
But now I have the double edged sword hanging over my head: aging and stopping smoking so the low 100's are gone. I'm in the 115 range.
Apparently smokers heartbeat can have an extra 10 to 20 beats per minute, hence the higher metabolism.
Stop smoking and your heartbeat slows down and your chance of a heart attack lessens but the chance of weight gain doubles.
Now you all know I've been working my tail off both in the gym, at Zumba and on my daily walks. Actually my tail isn't a problem, my abdomen is.
I have never had a diet so full of greens and more greens. I pull out a carrot to snack on as naturally as I used to light up a Camel. I do eats nuts daily but I believe their goodness overcomes their caloric intake.
My breakfast is my homemade granola, fruit and yogurt. I bring a salad for lunch, mixed greens or spinach, a touch of goat cheese or feta, some of those nuts and maybe a avocado half. I dress it with a splash of olive oil and a salt. This is accompanied by a half sandwich on whole grain toast with maybe a bite of turkey and cheese and a scraping of mayo. Dinner is often another salad but with the addition of garbanzo beans, tomato, perhaps an apple or a mango, toasted walnuts and avocado served with a few slices of that very grainy bread toasted.
Writing all this down is making me very hungry but also putting some perspective on my life.
I have probably never been this healthy. The end of this month will be 7 months without a cigarette except in my smoking dreams. I guess a few extra pounds and a larger waistline are a small price to pay for the ability to breathe deeply and move quickly.
But sometimes when you're trying on a pair of shorts you've worn for years and you have to squeeeeeze to zip them up? You wish the glass of health was a little less full.
Right?
