Whew!

The ounces that jumped on the other day bailed after about a day of heavy walking and sweating, so I feel cheerier. When that little bit of fat rejoined the party, I began walking twice a day, and while that may not have been enough to lose the weight, I think determination and intent are definitely worth something, and the early evenings have even been more beautiful than the mornings. 

The past two evenings, a lovely doe has delicately stepped out of the yard across the street, crossed, and then skipped up my daughter's driveway and into the back woods. A sight of something so beautiful and wild makes you hold your breath, her presence an honor in the pale twilight.

My daughter is in every way a critter whisperer, and I fully expect to see the doe paying her a call before heading into the woodsy night, but so far the most she has done is munch some ivy and gaze at my daughter as she watched from a window. Only a matter of time, I expect.

I've missed so much these years, remaining inside in the early evenings. A family of rabbits lives in a good sized stand of yuccas down the street and comes out to play in the grass when the sun is slanted low. My gardening neighbor is out tending his magically mixed crop of flowers and vegetables, pleased to report on the latest reading of the rain gauge, and the lady who has worked at my local Kroger's for twenty some years is walking her  elderly little dogs, one nearly blind but  thrilled to be petted and then sniff her way along the street.

The half year mark (coming in three days) of this fierce attack on my weight is making me assess my next six months very intently. Can I really lose fifty-five pounds in that time? I lost forty-five pounds in the first six, and some of that was easy, water weight. Really, I wanted to lose the remainder in four months, not six - reunion time - but I don't think that is realistic, now.  Maybe not realistic in six.

Harder exercise would help, but although exercise helps rheumatoid arthritis, that disease limits a lot . No floor exercises, for one thing. And no  impact. The yoga I did at one time would help, I suppose, but I can't find the balance or the nerve. Tai chi sounds like just the ticket, and maybe I can find someplace near where it is taught, but I don't think it does much for weight loss.

The twenty-four hour gym near me will probably get me as a member once more.  I was a drop-out long ago, because my weight was just too exhausting to haul on a treadmill, but now that I am walking outdoors, walking inside in some air conditioning in the middle of the day might be OK, as long as I don't abandon my little street morning and night. Exercising three times a day means I may have to cut out a few other things, but they probably aren't so important right now, any way. The gym is cheap and plain, my criterion for an OK gym, and nobody wears stylish exercise clothes, another important element. I am going to give it some thought.