It's Accountability Time

     It's update and picture time. Which as the title denotes, it is also accountability time. That is the real reason I do these posts that could seem more like a vanity post of "look at me". As long as I have this in writing and pictures, I can't fall back on myself, or at least I hope I won't.

     With that in mind, here are the numbers. I weighed in yesterday morning which is technically day 31, but I wanted a full 30 days on this one, so thats why I went for a Wednesday weigh in. That came in at 130, which was jut a touch less than when I started, and as you remember, this is no longer about weight loss, but fat loss. My waist to height measurement remained exactly the same, and the body fat calipers ticked in at slight less, but it was such a small amount I'm reading it as staying the same. That means that although I really had no changes, I have found two ways of eating that are good for maintenance. One ideal (the one I'm doing now), and one that is not exactly ideal, but can work (the carb cycling).

     One big difference I've noticed is my strength level, or at least my perceived strength level. Pull-ups have been increasingly easy, as well as the new push-ups I've been doing. They aren't your standard pushups. I've been using paralettes, so that I get an insane stretch at the bottom which makes them quite a bit harder. I feel that this has also been improving my shoulder pain. Yeah it's still there.

     It's picture time now. There is some difference from the last time, that could be from lighting or actually body change. I did take these picture early in the morning when the house is better lit than at night like I usually do. Anyway, here comes the vanity part.

     The top picture is from yesterday while the bottom one is from right before starting my current way of eating. You can definitely see more definition, but there are also still those glaring flaws. There is also the issue of my quarantine sweats. I do feel that I'm on the right path, and I will hit my new goal of 10% body fat. It's just going to take some time.

     I forgot to post a back photo last time, so this one is going back a few months, and maybe the beginning of the year. I think better lighting is definitely making the difference on this one, but there is signs of better definition. Now for the glamor shots, The first one will be the proof that I'm not flexing or "sucking it in" on the other photos.

     I see those shots, and I'm happy, but not at all satisfied. I have such a long way to go, but I can't lose sight of how much further along this path that I have come. That is what you always have to look at when you are trying to lose weight or improve your physical appearance. You have a bad day and eat terribly, it's not the end of the world. It's one day. It took you years to get to the point that made you change your eating habits. After that bad day you have a decision to make, was it worth it to put all that time to get you where you are now, or do you want to give up and go back to how you were? For me, the answer is clear. I have put far too much time in this to fall to the bottom.

     On a vastly different subject, I received a surprise in the mail today. Quite some time ago, I wrote about the time I went on a kind of date with a friend of mine, but it was all in an effort to set her up with a friend of mine. It wasn't until after that date when I was driving home, that I had the best date I've ever had, and that maybe I made a mistake. I won't go into all the details on why it could or couldn't have been, if you want to know more you can look for it, and no I don't remember the title of that post. Anyway, I got a handmade postcard in the mail from her today, and it put a huge smile on my face.

     Also in the mail was the prequel to the Hunger Games, which I devoured. It seems fitting that the post card came on the same day as that book, since she is a huge fan of reading. The postcard is not going to be the bookmark for the new book. Not only will I smile while reading, but I'll smile because of the postcard. It was truly a special thing for her to do and I greatly appreciate it.

     I could do a series of garden photos, but there really isn't anything new, except for the new seedlings that sprouted this week. It was a shock since I planted them on Sunday. It only took them a few days to sprout. It's all herbs that sprouted, so no new peppers yet. I expect them to take another week at the very least. All these herbs are more of the flowering variety, so they are mostly for appearance. I need to up the beauty factor of the garden and bring just a little more biodiversity into my life.

     That's all I got for you tonight. Peace in and goodnight.