Remember this picture from my birthday ride last fall?
There was a [brave] guy braced between the two halves about 30 feet off the ground, supporting his weight with his feet, bolting the sides of the form in place while it dangles from the crane over his head. I went riding today, and this is what it looks like now.
Pretty amazing, isn’t it?
Goals? First, let’s talk about the overall goal: the end number. I have become increasingly frustrated with my ongoing efforts to lose the last few pounds. I’ve maintained this weight plus or minus a few pounds for almost a year now. I’m not willing to starve, let up on my exercise or give up weightlifting just to get down to the number that Weight Watchers says I am supposed to be without consideration of my age, fitness level and mental stability. I’m at my ‘goal’ dress pant size, and have been for a while. Heck. I even brought a note from my Doctor to WW stating that my body fat is in a good range, my bones are very dense (no osteoporosis for me!), that my muscle mass is in the high range and that my weight is Just Right Thank You Very Much. The lady at weigh in basically said “That’s nice Sweetie. You still have 10 pounds to go.” So. I said goodbye to WW, and declared myself to be at goal. I’m good with maintenance.
BTW, just in case you’re wondering, the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that the optimal body fat percentage is between 21.6 percent and 25.6 percent for a 50-year-old woman. In reality, the average body fat percentage for a 50-year-old American women is between 30.1 and 33.4. A body fat percentage above 32 percent is considered to be obese. My body fat is 23.7.
My goals are going to remain the same from now on. I’ll just provide a weekly update!
- Weight loss – Persist and Maintain: This is going well, as stated above. I’m the size I want to be and haven’t gained or lost an ounce. I am going to focus a bit more on tracking actual calories instead of WW points.
- NSV – Eight Hours of Sleep minimum every night: Ooooh. This one was easy the past few weeks while Mr. Pea and I were under the weather. I was basically crashing in a prone position the moment the last plate from dinner was washed and not waking up until the next morning. Now that I’m feeling better, it’s easier to convince myself to stay up and do one more thing. I need to rein in my enthusiasm.
- Exercise – Four days of cardio and two days of weight training. Done. Lots of miles last week, weight training/CrossFit squeezed in as well as stretching and such.
- Nutrition – Eat more Veggies, Dump the Carbs: Done. Summer is easy, as there are plenty of veggie available. I tried Massaged Kale salad, and it was YUM!!!
Say Goodbye to things you need to say goodbye to. Keep the Faith.
Keeping the Faith 
I think you have the right idea for maintenance. We have come this far. We are feeling good. We are active and know our food limits. Let’s just lighten up and enjoy it!
I think one knows when they are at a good weight. Sounds like you are in a very good place! So happy for you! I like you goals, they are all great. I especially like the 8 hours minimum of sleep!
Thanks for your kind comment on my blog earlier. I am interested in your thoughts and ideas. It’s nice to find others who really do “understand” what it’s like. I replied to your comment on my blog as well.
Thanks for visiting.
Keep up the great work!
Good for you Angela. Sometimes I think those WW folks want to “maintain” a client revenue stream and simply set hard-to-reach goals on your behalf. Sounds like your body is saying “you’re OK”…and you are! Now, go take a nap.