Activity & Weight Tracking

Activity & Weight Tracking is part of a Healthy Lifestyle Plan that I am adopting. I want to emphasize, I am not on a diet. I do not believe in diets as a pathway to getting to and maintaining a healthy weight or lifestyle. I do believe that enjoying a healthy lifestyle as we age is far easier if, all things considered, we are close to our own individual optimal personal body weight.

On May 29, 2022 I began daily intermittent fasting, 16-hours, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 am. Over the course of the coming weeks and months I’ll track activities I see as promoting my personal desired lifestyle. One very important measure is allowing my body to tell me when I have reached my optimal personal body weight.

Specifics and references can be found in Notes at the bottom of this post. Comments are very much welcome, thank you.

Daily Tracking

Week 1 of 4 Weeks of Intermittent Fasting

June 1, 2022

Weight: 194.0
Steps: 4050/7600
Daily Calm: 20
Wm’s Yoga: 1:00
BP: 126/70 HR: 62

Start of what I hope will be a full month dedicated to establishing a better overall health. I’ll look for improvements in weight – bmi=24.9 –, blood pressure, average steps/day, strength, flexibility, balance and mobility. I’ll have feedback on a lung infection and get a good set of blood tests when possible.

June 2, 2022

Weight: 192.4
Steps: 5316/7600
Daily Calm: 0:20

June 3, 2022

Weight: 190.4
Steps: 1868/7600
Daily Calm: 20
Wm’s Yoga: 1:00

This morning, after about 3 weeks of significant swelling of both ankles, but most especially the right ankle, I see no swelling in either area. I gave myself a pretty good foot massage.

June 4, 2022

Weight: 190.8
Steps: 2848/7600
Daily Calm: 0:30

I’m going slowly on some goals, steps will come. With all parts, it’s important to remain kind to yourself.

One thing I notice is that I rarely feel hungry during my ~18 hr fasting period. Much more, I need to resist the urge to ’snack’. No cheese and triscuits, nachos, cookies, dish of ice cream… I do allow myself something very high fiber, low calories, such as a bowl of popcorn with my nonalcoholic beer. I pop my corn with an excess amount of organic avocado oil. The fat from the oil, for me, makes it unnecessary to add any butter. Very light salt is okay, but I don’t even need it. The high fiber aids digestion and my body feels very satisfied.

I’m in training during the fasting period, Yes, I can resist snacking. Good job, Wm.

June 5, 2022

Weight: 188.6
Steps: 3378/7600
Daily Calm: 20
Wm’s Yoga: 1:10

I’m not on a diet, I pay no attention whatsoever to calories. Two high quality meals a day. Baked or grilled salmon, cod, organic chicken breast, brown rice, leafy green salads, pastas, etc. If I decide I want a dessert, that’s fine. Homemade pie, B&J pistachio, but only a single reasonable serving and never during fasting time.

I scanned Nutritional Facts for my typical daily meals. comes out good. I am restarting 2 vitamin supplements: magnetism caps: 100% daily value; Super B Complex with Vitamin C: overkill as I see it, but smarter minds than mine suggest this is a healthy choice.

June 6, 2022

Weight: 189.0
Steps: 4036/7600
Daily Calm: 20
Wm’s Yoga: 1:10
Foot & Body massage: 1:00

I’ve been dog & cat sitting, taking short morning walks — afternoon heat has been oppressive — before yoga. This morning Sasha joined me.

June 7, 2022

Weight: 190.4
Steps: 2508/7600
Daily Calm: 20
Wm’s Yoga: 1:00

Essential part of a healthy lifestyle is good nutrition.

Week 1 – Summary 6/1 to 6/7

Weight Start: 194.0 End: 189.6
Steps Avg: 3707/day Goal: 7600/day 49% of goal
Daily Calm Meditation: 27 min/day
Wm’s Yoga: 5 days 5 hrs 20 min
Foot & Body massage: 1 hr
BP: 129/68 HR: 73 [6/8 reading fairly typical]

Week 2 of 4 Weeks of Intermittent Fasting

June 8, 2022

Weight: 189.6
Steps: 1945/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40
BP: 129/68 HR: 73

This morning marks the first full week of tracking I’ll focus on to see how key activities are trending. On my weight graph I’ll also be looking for what I call Base Lines. These are detailed in my Notes below. Starting today, in addition to a morning meditation, I’ll add and evening one.

June 9, 2022

Weight: 191.4
Steps: 2121/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40
HR: 124 @ 6:00 am

Took 80mg of sotalol to try to get my heart rate down.

June 10, 2022

Weight: 191.8
Steps: 2617/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40

Typical breakfast is a little different. Along with my eggs I’m likely to include a fermented probiotic, such as the organic sauerkraut. Cottage cheese is good, but I would like to find cultured cottage cheese from raw milk.

June 11, 2022

Weight: 190.8
Steps: 1968/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40
Yoga Light: 0:20
BP: 132/73 HR: 79

Grandson Antonio Alexander Villalobos McHone graduates today!

Very dry mouth again at 1:00 am, with HR: 88. I did both the inhalers and I believe, with this new acapella vibratory PEP device supplying far greater volume of the inhalants that that is what I causing the dry mouth.

I’m adding a tracking for I’ll call Yoga Light. On June 5-7 I did 3 consecutive days of Wm’s yoga. Even with being very gentle, I had pulled muscles in my lower back. I intended to give it a couple days, then restart, skipping days between full sessions. I can still feel tenderness in the lower back. Listening to my body.

June 12, 2022

Weight: 191.8
Steps: 2293/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40
BP: 139/70 HR: 66

I’m concerned about BP. For most of the past few years my Blood Pressure has consistently been between 105/65 to 119/75 or there about.

The photo of me is one I snagged on my a short walk this morning, before temperatures again sore to +100º. I have spots I use along a loop to do stretches, toe reps, etc, like interval training loops, just not sophisticated.

On a 2nd, shorter walk, I felt out of breath and could not continue. Fortunately, I could call my brother. Even though I was no more than 150 yards from my cabin, he drove me to the door.

Things happen, being in this fasting period can help sort things out.

June 13, 2022

Weight: 193.0
Steps: 3500/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40

The 193 lbs this morning is obviously out of the norm. Obviously, the increase is due to retaining body fluids. My lower legs and ankles are noticeably swollen.

Fortunately, I was scheduled to see my gemologist’s nurse practitioner.

Kim Slimane, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, gave me a thorough exam and reviewed my current medications. An earlier CT scan showed no significant changes in a lung infection. My breath test was good.

Kim’s review of my medications revealed issues. She felt strongly the dosages had to change. I was taking 20mg of Prednisone – prescribed by my phonologist – twice/day. She reduced this to 10mg twice/day. I was taking 20mg of Furosemide twice/day. This was increased to 40mg twice/day.

Onward…

June 14, 2022

Weight: 190.0
Steps: 2470/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40

Week 2 – Summary 6/6 to 6/14

Weight Start: 189.6 End: 190.0
Base Line: 190.0 [maybe, see Base Line section of Note on Activity & Weight Tracking]
Steps Avg: 2406/day Goal: 7600/day 32% of goal
Daily Calm Meditation: 40 min/day
Light Yoga: 20 min
BP: 135/68 HR: 72

Week 3 of 4 Weeks of Intermittent Fasting

June 15, 2022

Weight: 188.2
Steps: 3880/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40

June 16, 2022

Weight: 189.2
Steps: 5399/7600
Daily Calm: 0:35

June 17, 2022

Weight: 189.8
Steps: 4144/7600
Daily Calm: 0:35

June 18, 2022

Weight: 188.8
Steps: 1232/7600
Daily Calm: 0:35
BP: 135/77 HR:85

June 19, 2022

Weight: 189.2
Steps: 2323/7600
Daily Calm: 0:35

June 20, 2022

Weight: 189.6
Steps: 1932/7600
Daily Calm: 0:35
Wm’s Yoga: 0:45

Trying to get back into some yoga and walking. I think I’m at a Base Line just under 190 lbs. With some strength, extra steps and yoga, I’m expecting to see a slight trending down in weight during week 4.

June 21, 2022

Weight: 190.2
Steps: 1632/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40
Free Weights: 0:30

Adding free weights 2-3 times per week. I overdid my Wm’s Yoga and pulled a muscle that disrupted my routine. This time I am being very cautious, starting with very low weights and taking days between.

Week 3 – Summary 6/15 to 6/21

Weight Start: 188.2 End: 190.2
Base Line: 190.0 {sticking right around 190}
Steps Avg: 2933/day Goal: 7600/day 39% of goal
Daily Calm Meditation: 32 min/day
Light Yoga: 20 min
Free weights: 30 min
BP: 135/77 HR:85

Week 4 of 4 Weeks of Intermittent Fasting

June 22, 2022

Weight: 192.0
Steps: 2656/7600
Daily Calm: 0:30

I wasn’t prepared to see 192 lbs this morning. However, there is significant swelling in my feet, indicating I am again retaining fluids. I thought I was not getting enough sodium in my diet, but I may have overdone it adding too much salt. I’ll cut that out completely for the bext few days and see if that is the culprit.

June 23, 2022

Weight: 189.2
Steps: 1968/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40

My Grandniece, Ruby Franklin, is now both a driver and high school graduate. She can rightfully look forward to a bright future ahead.

June 24, 2022

Weight: 189.2
Steps: 2382/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40
BP: 133/76 HR: 80

Nice baked fresh Gulf Coast redfish for lunch.

June 25, 2022

Weight: 188.2
Steps: 2621/7600
Daily Calm: 0:20
BP: 130/74 HR: 65
Free Weights & Gentle Stretch: 0:30

Back to the low weight for the month. Too soon to know if this will become part of a trend to a lower base line. I’ll be ending the fast after 6/28, but continuing to track, so we’ll see.

I haven’t followed through on nearly as much walking, yoga and strength hours as I feel are strongly needed. However, we all have challenges in our day to day lives, I believe even more strongly in Arthur Ashe’s famous quote:

“Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can.”

As I’ve stated before, this month is not primarily about weight lose, it is about developing and making a healthy lifestyle plan part of our ongoing day to day lives.

June 26, 2022

Weight: 189.0
Steps: 3666/7600
Daily Calm: 0:35

The little guy was at an afternoon music event, in constant motion, running in 100º heat. Not part of my goals just yet, but I’d sure like to know how many steps he logged in the 2 hours he was there.

I pay attention to, in a learning sort of way, not a concerning way, to small up/down changes in weight from day to day. Yesterday morning was a pancake morning, pretty sizable. Lunch included some leftover pasta. I had an uptick of 0.8 lbs. On 6/25 I weighed in at 188.2, a full 1 lb lower than the previous morning. That was after a more normal breakfast and a nice baked fish for lunch. None of this is enough to change a trend line. However, when I end my fasting it is good to note. I’ll continue some things in moderation, going all in on others.

June 27, 2022

Weight: 188.6
Steps: 4214/7600
Daily Calm: 0:40

Spending the last 2 days of intermittent fasting at Mustang Island State Park, Corpus Christi. I love fresh seafood, so before checking in at my campsite I found a very nice restaurant, Pompanos Seafood House, and had a large lunch. A catch of the day was Black Drum, I chose blackened.