How I Lost My Muffin Top

My mother used to call it a midriff bulge.

Now it's called a muffin top.

In August, after a summer of bagels, granola, and ice cream,

(among other things)

I had a sizeable muffin top.

In fact, I had reached my highest weight EVER.

135 lbs

Being only 5'2" tall, I was definitely overweight.

I could have hidden beneath loose tops, but I wasn't willing to accept

this as "me".  I've always been pretty slim, and at 56 years of age

I knew if I didn't make a big change now, it would only get 

more difficult to lose as time went on.

On August 15, after wearing a tight pair of Spanx under my dress

 to a wedding, I knew this was enough.

I put my husband's Jawbone UP24 on my wrist to

begin measuring my steps.  

I set my goal to 10,000 steps/day.

I also began using the Jawbone app on my iphone to keep track 

my food intake.  Not just calories.  For my height, it suggested

a 1200 calories per day including a max of 100 carbs 

and at least 20g of fiber each day.  It also tracks unsaturated fat,

protein, sugar, saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol.

Calculating these totals was easy with the barcode scanner option

in the app.  I just had to measure/weigh the portions.

I believe tracking my food intake was the single most valuable

tool that helped me lose weight.  It was very eye-opening.

I was consuming so many excess calories, and way too many carbs.

It forced me to be creative in my food options.

I never went hungry. But I needed to make different choices.

Becoming more active was also very important.

I have walked 4 - 5 miles every day with my dogs,

rain or shine.  I biked 3-4 times per week until it got too cold.

In the past month,  I've begun to run 2-3 miles almost daily.

On a recent vacation,  I hiked at least 2 hours each day.

And my friend Karen introduced me to the sport of "pickle ball".

Taking weekly pictures of my body helped me to "see"

my progress and be encouraged.

The progression of my weight loss is shown here:

I'm not done yet.  My goal is 115 lbs. 

I have some toning to work on too.  

But I no longer track my food because I now

have a good idea of what/how much I can eat.

I am MUCH more active now than I've been in the last 15 years,

and this helps me eat normally without gaining weight.

I FEEL GREAT!

Here are the changes in my measurements:

      Weight:  -16 lbs

               Waist:  -4.4 inches

                 Hips:  -3.2 inches

           Thighs:  -2 inches

                 Arms:  -1.5 inches

              Neck:  - 3/4 inch

I don't think I've been at this weight for 20 years

and it feels wonderful.  I am enjoying being able

to tuck shirts in and still have room to breathe!

I feel younger.  I feel strong. 

I have so much energy.

As a final note,  my intention of this post is not to boast.

It is to show what can be done when you really work

 and put your mind and heart in it.  

So many women, including me,

have complained how impossible it is to lose weight 

after menopause.  That, and my "slow metabolism" 

because of hypothyroidism, were my scapegoats.

These past few months are proof that I simply ate too much 

and was too sedentary.

Period.  

Heaven Under the Earth

A few years ago,  I clicked on a Facebook link with photos of the most colorful natural wonders in the world.  When I saw a picture of Antelope Canyon in Arizona,  I stared at it in amazement, trying to figure out what I was looking at.  It was abstract and beautiful - and yes, very colorful!

When I discovered that Antelope Canyon was only a few hours away from the Grand Canyon,  I told my husband we need to visit there while we were in Arizona.   We did!

There are two different canyons which offer tours - Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon.   They are both on Navajo land.  To the Navajo people, entering the canyon is like entering a cathedral.  The canyons are named "Antelope" because this area is a place where antelope used to graze in the winter.

We chose "Ken's Tours".  Vance chatted with our tour guide, Thurman, as we walked over the sandstone with our group of only 12 people toward the opening of the canyon.

To enter the canyon,  it was necessary 

to descend a series of steep metal staircases.

It was already so cool!

The Antelope canyons are "slot" canyons.  

Slot canyons are formed by the erosion

 of soft sandstone by flash flooding,

 sculpting natural corridors in the stone.  

The sunlight, shining through the openings in the canyon,

illuminated the rock formations in truly magical ways.

I couldn't help but think 

that beauty like this 

can't happen by accident.

I understand why the Navajo see this like a cathedral.

God is so wonderfully creative and imaginative!

Vance liked it :)

Thurman pointed out rock formations, like this one of an Indian chief.

Whenever we rounded a corner,  we were in awe.

It kept getting more and more beautiful!

All shades of orange, yellow, red, pink and purple 

could be seen in the swirls of sandstone.

It took about an hour and 15 minutes to go through the canyon.

There were times we needed to climb stairs to different levels.

At the end of the tour, there were quite a few steps to climb.

Stepping out into the sunlight, we were literally

 walking out of a crack in the stone!

This was almost unbelievable! 

This is what the landscape near the exit looked like.  

You would never know that such a remarkable place

exists below all of this barrenness!

This dreamy, magical canyon 

- though small in size - 

was very grand.

Gotta Love Those Buttes!

After hiking the Grand Canyon in the morning, 

we had lunch and headed 2 hours north

to our next destination.  

I very much wanted to visit Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ.

The road was long, flat and mostly straight 

with long stretches of nothing with very few cars,

so Vance took this opportunity to see 

how fast the rental car could accelerate.

The landscape was barren with many buttes and mesas.

It was nice to visit,  but I wouldn't want to live there!

The brilliant blue sky against the red stone was very striking.

When we got to the hotel, one of the first things I did 

was find out where to go to see the sunset and sunrise.

I was very excited when the woman at the desk told me

about Horseshoe Bend for sunset.  I have seen pictures

before, but I didn't realize it was here!

It was getting close to sunset, and my very special husband
 came with me.We needed to hike for about 15 minutes 
on a sand and sandstone path to get there.

There were lots of other people with the same idea. 

Horseshoe Bend is a place where the Colorado River 
flows arounda sharp bend in the shape of a horse shoe.

I didn't realize the viewing area was on the edge of the cliffs 
surrounding the bend.  Photographers with tripods lined the cliffs, 
sometimes so close to the edge that I would have feared 
my camera would get accidentally knocked into the abyss.

You HAD TO  get on the edge in order to see the river.  

I didn't feel safe standing up, but sitting was fine.

Vance chose to stand back on solid ground.

The sunset wasn't very colorful, but I loved being here in this lovely spot!

As we were walking back to the car,  I loved watching

 this person posing on one of the rocks!

The town of Page is not a very busy place this time of year.

We had dinner at the motel restaurant and went to bed early.

I set my alarm to get up for sunrise.

The buttes and mesas made for a very beautiful sunrise.  

Navajo Mountain is in the background.

I was driving on Lake Shore Drive along the shores of Lake Powell.

The rock formations are so interesting in silouette.

As the sun rose over Navajo Mountain,  the smoke 

from the stacks turned from grey to a deep orange!

The boats in the water are all houseboats waiting 
to be rented to cruise on gorgeous Lake Powell, 
which is the 2nd largest man-made lake in the country.

Lake Powell is the reservoir of the Glen Canyon Dam.

As I observed the changing light and shadows on the buttes and mesas,

I felt a true appreciation for their beauty!

And with the sun fully risen,  I headed back for breakfast with my husband

before heading to Lower Antelope Canyon!