Good News!

Hooray, I have some good news. I weighed myself this morning, and was more surprised than anyone to see that I actually lost a little bit – down to 298.2. Wow. PHEW. I'm not sure how it happened considering the damage that I was certain I did on Wednesday, but I will take it.

Yesterday I ended up changing plans a little bit. Instead of straight fasting I ended up doing 16/8 (well, it was more like 18/6), and eating very low carb – my net carbs ended up at around 37 grams, well within the 20-50 gram range for VLC. I had a Panera Green Goddess salad and a fruit cup for lunch – I even walked there and back for a nice and easy 1.5 miles! I decided that I wanted to grab some olives and salami to go with some of the delicious cheese we've been accumulating, and had that as a light dinner.

One thing I must always remember, though, is that I cannot take walks without having the proper footwear. I had sneakers on yesterday, but they were a vintage-styled Nike that just doesn't have the support I need when I go out for anything more than a stroll. Plan: Always have a decent pair of sneakers at my desk at work from now on. I have plenty of retired running sneakers that will do the trick. Unfortunately, today my left foot hurts a little bit but hopefully that will go away.

So, wow – second day this week that I got a little exercise in! On Election Day, I actually ran the half mile to my polling place and back. It was my first run since I started getting sick, and it was pretty OK, especially since I had a little respite while I voted. I did take it pretty slowly since I wasn't sure how my body would react, coughing and sniffling-wise. I was fine during the run, but once I was done, I did have a little bit of a coughing fit. It wasn't bad. I'm hoping to get another short run in over the weekend.

Today I am going out with a friend after work for a much-needed and long overdue catching up. I think I am going to fast throughout the day and then just enjoy whatever I want to eat for dinner, as opposed to VLC. I am still considering that – I can get chicken wings and a salad, for instance – but we're going to a place I've never been and I'd kind of like to not feel restricted. I guess I'll see how I feel later, but it looks like it'll turn into a 22/4 kind of day, which is fine by me. I'm hydrating lots and feeling pretty OK.

It's time for some for gratitude!

Day 11: What holiday are you most grateful for?

This one is super easy – it's Thanksgiving! I love all the anticipation for a much more extravagant meal than we usually have, with special foods that we wait most of the year to eat again! I also quite enjoy the shopping and prep for the meal. It's a lot of work, but after so many years I have my routine down pretty well, not to mention, since losing the weight I have, makes the activity SO MUCH easier. It doesn't exhaust me and make me sweat like it used to! Usually, it's just my partner and I celebrating together, but once in a while we'll have a special guest or two. Either way, I like to do everything myself and take immense pride in my Thanksgiving skills. Last but not least, I am extremely grateful that we have the ability to indulge in such a meal in the first place. I know that not everyone can. That's the biggest thing.

If you are interested, here's what's on the menu so far (everything homemade, of course):

• farm-raised turkey (we get ours from a local place and their birds are amazeballs)
• sausage stuffing (recipe/technique passed down from my mom and grandma)
• mashed potatoes
• orange-ginger cranberry sauce
• cheese bread
• southern-style green beans (simmered all day with ham hocks)
• broccoli-cheese casserole
• a NEW side dish, as yet undecided
• apple pie with cheddar crust
• a NEW dessert, as yet undecided
• cranberry juice and ginger ale mocktail

I already have my grocery list started! Really looking forward to it, as always. I also want to revive a tradition of my very own 5K walk/run/whatever later in the day... I skipped it last year.