One Step at a Time

[alligatorob]

Great pictures as always, thanks for those.

Time of day can have a significant influence on weight. I only count my first thing in the morning weight. I find that I can gain 2 to 3 pounds during the day and then lose it again overnight. Of course there are lots of other variables and that pattern is just general, not everyday. I think you either need to weigh often and take an average, what I do, or weigh infrequently enough to take some of the ups and downs out, what a lot of people here do. Just remember that so long as you burn more calories than you eat you are losing fat, absolutely. Water and other things will cause your weight to go up and down a bit, so seeing the fat loss as weight loss can take time.

I understand the fat legs thing, mine used to be very fat, they are still fatter than I'd like but a whole lot better. Makes a lot of things easier. Your's will slim down soon, I am sure!

 

[liza]

Hi Ann sorry you had a rough day and really sorry to hear your grandma's not well. I hope she can recover well at home and that she is feeling better quickly. Always hard to see people we love go through illness and pain.
I hope you have a good night's sleep and wake feeling well-rested and that things look better in the morning.

I'm glad you're injoying the updates and that I can bring you some joy from it. I love being with horses and if I can share that with someone else, it makes even better.

Thanks for that

 

[Llama]

I´m sorry to hear your gran is struggling so much. Hope she feels better soon even if the long-term prospects aren´t great.

Your animals are gorgeous as ever! I agree with Rob that time of day makes a big difference. Right after getting up and going to the toilet most people are... empty, and dehydrated, which makes for a lower (and easy-to-compare) number. Hormonal fluctuations can make a big difference as well, at least in women. I understand your frustration but if you keep going the way you have the scale is very, very likely to show a much nicer number next week.

 

[Cate]

I only ever weigh first thing in the morning & think Rob's idea of weighing 3 times a week and taking the average is a good idea. I'm sorry to hear about your Nan. Keep looking after yourself well, Ann. Illness in other people is always a good reminder to be as healthy as we can ourselves. Take care xo

 

[AnnSparks]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I appreciate it. I think just the fact my grandma had to go to the hospital and was doing so poorly really lowered my perspective on several things, especially my weight. She is doing better today, but it's still very obvious that she's not doing good. So we're just taking things day by day and hope for the best.


I also realized that I did take my weight at a different time than I normally do, plus the scale wasn't in its usual place. And my floor is very uneven so simply have the scale beside the spot it used to be will change the weight. So I've been keeping it in one place to stay as consistent as possible for weigh ins. So this morning, I put it back how it's supposed to be and weighed myself in the time that's more consistent of how I have previously and I'm at 206.5 lbs. So I think I'm still on track, it's just a few changes yesterday that threw things off.

As for today's activity, despite being tired, I managed to go for about a 15 - 20 min ride on Sam. So I did get some exercise in that way. I was also walking around the farm a bit so I guess I got some activity in that way too. But ya, I'm just glad I managed to push myself enough to actually hop on Sam despite not really wanting to do anything. And once I was one, it was all good.

Also, I'm not sure why, but I've been really wanting to eat a lot of oranges lately. Oranges and chocolate almonds. Really weird combination. So I've been eating plenty of oranges, no chocolates though. Maybe I'm low on something that the oranges are giving me and that's why I'm craving them. Not sure, but I'm enjoying them anyway.

 

[liza]

Good for you going riding despite not feeling much like it--I find a lot of the journey to better health is just being consistent. Getting out for our walks or whatever even when we might not feel like it, eating proper meals even when we don't feel like it etc. You are doing great.
Good for you sticking to the oranges and skipping the chocolate almonds!
I'm glad your grandma's a bit better today. I hope she continues to improve.

 

[Llama]

Do you like plain almonds? A piece of fruit with a measured amount of plain nuts (no sugar, no salt) is a good snack and easy to pack up and take with you. Glad your scsle saw sense!

 

[aiminglow]

An uneven floor can really throw out the accuracy of scales, for sure! Well done on the exercise, despite feeling a bit down - best wishes for your grandmother's health.

And by the way, I really like the look of Sheba - a really kind, humble face, I thought.

 

[AnnSparks]

So I haven't done much yesterday or today since I managed to somehow rub my thighs a little raw so it's been a little painful to move around. So I've just done what I've had to and not much more. But when I weighed myself this morning, I was at 205 so I think I'm definitely back on track for losing weight. I'm hoping it won't be much longer before I'll finally be under the 200 mark and stay below it. Some days I can tell I've lost weight and am not at 220 anymore, but other days I feel no different. So it'll be interesting to see how I feel and how I see myself once I hit around the 180 lb mark since I'll be 40 lbs down at that point.

Anyway, this was just a short update that I'm currently not moving around too much. I'm doing better now than I was last night or this morning so I think tomorrow I'll be able to move around more and if I'm lucky, I'll be good enough to hop on Sam for another ride as well. Oh, and one other little tidbit of exciting news is that I'm going to be getting that little filly I mentioned in the last post where I had pics of a 10 day old foal. I just have to sign a contract and give a down payment, and at that point, it'll be official that once she's weaned, she'll be coming to live with me and I'm super excited! So now I'm just kinda impatiently waiting to hear back from the lady as to when will be a good time to meet up to sign the contract and all that good stuff.

 

[Llama]

Oh, and one other little tidbit of exciting news is that I'm going to be getting that little filly I mentioned in the last post where I had pics of a 10 day old foal. I just have to sign a contract and give a down payment, and at that point, it'll be official that once she's weaned, she'll be coming to live with me and I'm super excited!

Congratulations, that IS exciting!
I just learned that the rawness that comes from the skin rubbing together is officially called intertrigo (intertriginous dermatitis). Around here people just call it Wolf. I used to get it as well and it´s super annoying! I hope you heal up soon.

 

[Cate]

That is wonderful news about the filly, Ann. Also well done on being down 15 lbs. The next five I think you will notice even more & onederland will be lovely. You are doing really well

 

[AnnSparks]

@LaMaria
Interesting, didn't know it was called that. And I'm already doing much better today! I'm sure in another day or so I'll be totally fine again

@Cate
Thanks and I'm hoping I'll notice the difference, though I can already tell I've lost some since my jeggings are wanting to fall down and I'm going to need a belt for them which is definitely a positive.

 

[AnnSparks]

A little update for today.

Doing better today so when I went to feed Sam his breakfast, I actually went for a bit of a ride. I think the ride was about 30 - 40 mins roughly and there was plenty of trotting involved. Apparently riding for 45 mins can burn 200+ calories so I guess I got a decent workout in. Here's a link to a calorie calculator I used for horse riding since it's a bit harder to figure that out vs how much you burn going for a jog or such.
Calories Burned Horseback Riding | Calculator & Formula | Captain Calculator

So I'm pretty happy with that as a workout. Going to try to ride once to twice a day to both get a workout, but also work on Sam's training since him and I both still have plenty we need to practice, but we're already making progress.
I also spent about 3 hours finishing painting my grandparents porch roof so my arms got a bit of a workout and I was on my feet for a while, so I guess that was also a very minor workout. Definitely got lots of sunshine today.

Oh! And as of today, the contract for the filly has been signed so she's officially mine Once she's weaned, she's coming home with me and I cannot wait! Also, I'm pretty sure I've decided on her name and it's Melody. All 3 foals got named after muscians and I didn't care much for her current name "Cline" (after Patsy Cline) but I wanted to stick with the music theme and Melody just seems to fit. So that's what I'm going to go with.

Pic of Sam wanting to take a nap after our morning ride plus enjoying a carrot and a pic of my time when I first met little Melody

 

[alligatorob]

The calculator is interesting, and it does sound like your riding is a good workout. Nice pictures as always, can't beat a pretty girl and her horses! I like the name Melody.

Keep up the good work, and keep the pictures coming!

 

[Llama]

I can already tell I've lost some since my jeggings are wanting to fall down and I'm going to need a belt for them which is definitely a positive.

Awesome, that´s the best confirmation you´re going in the right direction!
Sam looks so goofy in the carrot picture, I love it

 

[liza]

Great news about Melody That's a lovely name--i like it better than Cline too.

Yes your weight loss sounds like it's going great and its so great that you can get a good work out for you and Sam together doing what you love.

 

[Cate]

I can already tell I've lost some since my jeggings are wanting to fall down and I'm going to need a belt for them which is definitely a positive.

That is excellent.
Melody is a beautiful name, Ann & she is a beautiful filly. Love your photos & also love that you painted your grandparents' porch roof. Good for you!

 

[AnnSparks]

Well, alot has happened today.

1 - there was a kitten pretty much abandoned in the tack room at the stables with no food or water. Apparently he was there for roughly 24 -48 hours. The people who tend to the place had no idea where he came from and I got ahold of the stable owner and she said I was free to take him home to take care of him. So now, I basically have a 5-6 week old kitten added to my little family for the time being. And he was so thirsty that he nearly chugged down half a cup of water. But it didn't take long to befriend the little guy and he's become my little shadow.

Unfortunately, Tiger doesn't like him at all. Ivy will hiss but otherwise doesn't care. So I'm going to do a very slow and gradual introduction with them. But I'm not sure if I'll keep him long term anyway. If no one claims in the next week or two, then I'm most likely going to try to adopt him out to a family that actually wants him. In the meantime, I'm going to take care of him cause it's not right to leave a little kitten on their own without any food or water.

2 - I um...am getting another young horse.... xD
Basically with this one, a rescue I follow on FB posted a few days ago that they have a couple of yearlings (1 year old horses) that are in need of homes. If they don't find homes by Friday, then they're getting sent off to slaughter. Now, the rescue isn't sending them, they're mearly a messenger and trying to find them homes to prevent that from happening. Well, each little one is only $350 so I figured why not save a life? And ya, I bought a young filly today lol. She's going to be arriving in the next 2 weeks sometime.

Oh, and the kicker is, she's feral xD. So this is going to be an interesting training process. Definitely going to get a bit of a workout when it comes to working with her, but I'm excited for it! Also, I'm simply excited for the fact that I get save a life. Unfortunately it looks like that out of the 9 yearlings, only about 3 or 4 have found homes. So if no one claims any more tomorrow, then the rest all are going to get sent off to slaughter.


3 - My weight has stayed the same. I'm trying to do the thing that was suggested where I weigh myself multiple times and then take the average of it. But I'm also not going to rush weight loss. More like, lose weight, but also be happy to maintain so that it gives my body a chance to adjust to the fact that there's less weight and things are changing. And as long as I'm not gaining, I'm happy.

Workout for today was going for a short walk this morning with Sam and then lunged him a bit this evening before hopping on and going for about a 20-30 minute ride. Otherwise my day has just been full of taking care of the new furbaby and trying to organize transportation for my new filly.


So ya, today has been pretty eventful. But I'm excited for it all. And tomorrow I'm going to help my grandpa plant the garden so that'll be fun too. Anyway, here are the pics of Sam, new kitten, and the new filly. By the way, name suggestions for the kitten are welcome. I think it's a male but I'm not 100% positive lol. Also want to think of something besides Shadow.

(side note, this filly probably isn't palomino, but her real color is a bit of a mystery at the moment so it's a wait and see till she sheds out and gets older lol)

This little guy is solid black with blue eyes (which may change as he gets older) and loves to play and also enjoys getting lots of cuddles.

 

[liza]

Wow very eventful indeed!!
That is a lot to take on. Very commendable saving a couple of animals lives. Maybe one day you'll have a rescue farm, but for now seems like you have a pretty good start on that!
Will you still be taking on Melody along with the new filly? How much time does it take to train horses? Seems like you may have your hands very full for the next while!
Lovely little kitten

 

[AnnSparks]

@liza
I'm hoping to run a rescue one day, so ya, this is a pretty good start on that haha.
And yes, I will still be getting Melody. I signed a contract for her so there's no going back there but also she won't be arriving till September so it'll be a while yet and I'm still very excited for her.
As for how long it takes to train horses, it varies depending on what you're teaching them, their age, and their personality. Some horses take a long time to train, while others act like experts within a week or two. But for this feral filly, I think by the end of summer she'll know lots of things and have some pretty good basics figured out. It'll make more sense as I post updates and show what she can do as I go along.
And ya, my hands are definitely full but I'm loving it since it's with horses and I love working with them