My "Aha! Moment" (and what the heck to do about it)

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Here comes a long post. I apologize; I don't do blogs, so what you see is what you get! Here is my aha moment: I'm currently on a visit to Antigua Guatemala where I used to live - my first time back in 4 years and very happy to be here!(waving at everyone as I type and look out at my favorite volcano) I arrived late Friday night and am staying at a friend's house where I will be able to cook for myself which is the way to go for eating with D! My plan Saturday morning was to go out for breakfast then shop for groceries to start cooking for myself. I couldn't resist ordering the "Tipica" breakfast which is eggs with tomatoes and onions, black beans, fried platanos, and tortillas. I ate every bite of the black beans which I've missed, pretended the platanos were invisible and limited myself to one homemade tortilla. I bolused for it of course, but figured I would be high later since I rarely eat that many carbs at breakfast anymore. I went shopping and forgot I didn't have a car in the parking lot so bought way too much stuff and left with a full backpack plus a full box to carry. I walked back over the uneven sidewalks and cobblestone streets, getting lost and having to stop every block or so to catch my breath. I was exhausted when I finally got home. I took my blood sugar ready to treat a high and..you guessed it...I was 52! From the walking of course!

Onward with the "aha's": For quite awhile I have struggled with slow but steady weight gain despite eating moderate low carb which made me insanely frustrated and anxious. I've always found it hard to lose weight despite having no insulin resistance to speak of. I searched my brain for the cause and just kept eliminating foods and lowering carbs and general intake. Finally, I've begun to slowly lose weight. Sure, I knew that if I exercised I wouldn't have to limit my intake so tightly, but it was a trade-off I was willing to make because I DON'T DO EXERCISE! Sorry to yell but I really don't do exercise! It's something I've never been into, find boring and a waste of time that I'd rather spend lying in my hammock with a good book! My answer has always been "I'm 65 years old and if I haven't gotten into exercise, I'm not going to start now! " When the exercise part of the Big Blue Test became mandatory I was really annoyed. My feeling is, "some of us are exercisers, some of us are not" like some have blue eyes/some brown; some are night people, some day people, etc. - a fixed point of reference!(I'm also a night person and that didn't change despite years of having to be at work early.) I'm a stubborn person!

Now here comes the REAL "aha" moment: From 2007-2009 I lived here in Antigua which is a small town you can walk the length of - and there's so much to see and do! On returning to the states I lived in Berkeley, California from 2009-2011. Berkeley is also a place that you can live in without owning a car and walk practically everywhere which I did....happily! I like to walk...with a purpose. I don't consider it exercising at all, but just going from point A to point B. I even enjoy it, and sometimes walked randomly but there were always lots of places to stop and visit a friend, browse a bookstore, have a cappuccino, etc. Since November, 2011 I have lived in the mountains of Northern California in a rural area where I can't walk TO anywhere. So I drive everywhere. HMMMMMMMMM...when did I start gaining weight? Was it by chance... November 2011? How could I not have thought of that when I was wracking my brain about why I was gaining weight? Denial is an amazing thing, isn't it?

I am a very stubborn person.

I will be interested in looking at my list of weight gain dates when I get home in August! So now the question is, what to do about it? I like to walk when I have somewhere to walk TO, but where I live, there is nowhere to go. Oh, there are lots of lovely hiking trails but that, walking without a destination is the dread "E" word and I don't curse on TuD.

Have I told you I'm a very stubborn person? So what to do? When I was diagnosed I was 40 pounds overweight and I lost exactly 40 pounds. I was so happy! As many of you know I have an eating disorder, though I've been in recovery for 18 years. I loved having the body back I hadn't seen in so many years! It was a gift..a nice compensation for the face getting old! I got to a total of 19 pounds regained and now am back down by 8. I want it all gone. I don't mind working for it, but it would be nice if it was a bit easier and a bit quicker, and if it stayed off! Any thoughts? I'd especially love to hear from those of you who like me hate exercise and never did it or wanted to do it! Thanks for spending time reading my diatribe. You may now go back to your regularly scheduled weekend.

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I'd disagree with the assertion that "some of us are exercisers, some of us are not." I think that the benefits of exercise, which can be dangerous when mixed up with injected/ pumped insulin, are pretty much hard-wired into us. It seems like for you, if you live somewhere walkable (Antigua, Berkeley), you'll walk and get the benefits and, when you don't, you don't.

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Great insight! I love to walk, too, and don't mind doing it as exercise. Since your weight gain coincides with your move to a less walkable lifestyle, I think you're on to something.

If you don't want to walk for exercise, perhaps finding a different living situation would suit you better. Moving is not easy, however, maybe it would just be easier to adopt a different take on exercise.

Is your location in Guatemala at any significant altitude? I find that altitudes over 5000 feet lower my insulin needs. Enjoy your nice change of scene.

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So are you saying that you think I'm unlikely to start to walk where I live now? I have changed a lot of things in my life, some of them well into middle age. I had absolutely no desire to change this one, but do react when people say "you can't change at your age". Or was that your sneaky intention?!

You bring up another thing which I forgot to mention, AR: Whenever people talk about their issues with BG and exercise..sometimes high, sometimes low it makes me think "who needs it, another variable!". Sometimes I jokingly list that as a "good excuse not to exercise" but it is nonetheless true!

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I’d be a bit leery walking where you live, aren’t there mountain lions up there?

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Thanks, Terry. It's just short of that, 4800 feet. I haven't noticed any general lowering since I've been here.

"Moving" is actually a dangerous word for me! When my cat died last year at age 18 I calculated that Lula had lived in 13 different places! I'm addicted to moving! I get restless and off I go! Not good on the Pension funds, especially leaving and returning to the country (when you need to replace practically everything). I decided to finally stop looking for things I don't like (which is true of anyplace, really) and stay put! I think I better just go with a different take on exercise.

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There are, but they generally avoid people, as do the bears. Hey, I don't need more excuses..lol

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Find a hobby, grow a garden, do something artistic, like wood carving with a chain saw...just kidding...or not...:-)...get a dog he or she will give you a destination.

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Thanks, John. I was fixated on walking, and though I hate gardening (and my back would hate it more) you got me thinking that there could be some other type of activity that I would find enjoyable. Also the dog is a big hmmmmmm. I'm very much a cat person and have been planning to get a new cat soon. I hadn't been considering a dog, but I do like them as well (as long as they're not little yappy ones!) So that is something I will definitely have to consider! The chain saw thing....not so much!

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Ahh, the joys & surprises of travel! Sounds like you should be careful as you get (re)acclimated to Antigua.
That's great that you have discovered a pattern/trigger for your weight gain. If you enjoy walking, it sounds like you're in good shape.
You might re-frame your notions of "Exercise". Since hiking happens outside in beautiful places, with wildflowers, vistas, etc, why not go out a couple times each week & enjoy a walk? Maybe find a friend or neighbor to join you--and it becomes a social activity.

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Thanks, Deborah. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm in "good shape" but neither am I falling apart..lol.

I actually do have plans with a friend to go for a hike and a picnic when I return, but we do that only very occasionally as a "catching up thing". I'll have to see if she is interested in a regular walk date and maybe knows a few others who'd like to join us.

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I, like you, am not a natural exerciser. I enjoy it enough once I get started (especially swimming), usually, but it's not something that is an ingrained part of me like with an athlete ...

... however ...

I've come to the conclusion that exercise is important, for everyone. I like reading non-fiction books, and based on everything I've read, exercises is always considered one of the best things you can do for your body and your health. Above diet, and meditation, and all those other "healthy" things. Not to mention, it makes a MASSIVE difference in blood sugar control (at least for me).

So, I am in the process of trying to incorporate daily exercise into my everyday life. It's something I need to work hard at, and don't always enjoy. I was somewhat athletic during elementary and high school, I participated in swimming and downhill skiing for most of those years and was at a level where I could have competed in either had I been inclined to (but I wasn't, which I sort of regret). Then, near the end of high school I stopped exercising for about ten years. I walked places, since I don't drive, but otherwise did very little exercise. I gained a lot of weight over those years (my BMI is in the "obese" range) and am now finding it very challenging to lose weight, partly because exercise is even more unpleasant when you are not skinny and athletic-looking.

Unfortunately, I don't think there are any quick fixes or shortcuts. I recently read a book about exercise, and it said even people eating a low-carbohydrate diet need to incorporate some exercise into their daily lives to lose weight. I know that seems to be proving true for me.

I agree with others, about finding types of exercise that you like, whether walking or something else. For me, those are swimming and biking, both of which are not the easiest types of exercise. I wish I liked walking, because that's so easy. For me, I find turning exercise into a social thing also makes it easier, since you're getting to see a friend and not just exercising for "no reason." I also try and do other things while I exercise, like listening to an audio book, both to pass the time quicker and to "multitask" and get two things done at once.

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Thanks Lots and Jen; I really wanted to hear from those for whom it isn't second nature! I'd rather shoot myself in the head than go to a gym, but I do love to dance. I went to clubs every weekend into my 50's. I do get up and dance when I like music I hear so maybe listening to the music channels would make it a habit.

I do have a bike and used to love to ride, but it's very hilly where I live. Maybe I can find some reasonable spots and work up to it.

I live in an incredibly beautiful place so at least until winter I should try and get out. Maybe I can drive somewhere and then make a destination like the lake or a waterfall or whatever. I adore books on tape when I drive, Jen, dumb question, I don't have any modern technology, what do you listen to it on?

Still thinking about the dog.

I knew I could count on this community; it's like one big brainstorm!

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You can listen to audio books on any MP3 player (they range in price from about $30 to $150+ depending on what you get). Or, the other week I learned that some libraries have a type of unit that's a self-contained audio book. You check them out, plug in headphones, and then return them when you are done listening to them. The player and buttons are all built into the unit that you check out (it's small, about the size of a pump, so can easily fit in a pocket).

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A dog is a built-in commitment to at least going outside a few times each day, rain or shine. Once you're out, it doesn't seem so much of a stretch to just walk a few blocks or so. The hardest part of sticking with an exercise routine is just getting out and getting started. With me, it usually turns into "once around the loop," a one mile bayside paved trail that takes me about 15-20 minutes.

I never had a dog until three years ago and I appreciate the exercise component of the whole routine. There's very little that I don't like about having a dog.

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Oh, yeah, I saw those things at the library, Jen; I was wondering what they were! I'll check it out when I get home. Books on tape help me through long boring highway drives so they might be just the thing. I'm an avid reader, but have better taste in regular books; the ones on CD I'll listen to just about anything that holds my attention!

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I have a a regular ipod and an ipod shuffle (3rd gen, a little chip thing...it's great but I use it for a few months and then the volume locks and won't adjust...argh...) and I like them both a lot. I use an amphipod belt and have 2, one for shorter excursions, with one pocket, and one for long ones that has 3 for carbs, keys and gizmos. I totally like music but I could see that books on tape could be useful too.

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Hmmm, maybe a dog is a better idea in theory, lots..lol. I recently gave away a cat I'd gotten at the shelter after my 18-year old love, Lula, died. I should never have gotten a kitten, because he wanted to play all the time and I just wanted to have him sit in my lap and look at me adoringly as I pet him! By the time I figured it out we were both frustrated with each other. (Looking at the dress I'm wearing which, like many of my clothes, has holes ripped on the bottom!). But I found him a great family with a young boy to play. I live in the woods so I could just let a dog out to pee (which would defeat my purpose) and he'd probably get frustrated that I didn't play or walk enough. I forgot that adult dogs still need to play. Better stick with a cuddly feline, but thanks! I hope you get a dog in time and he and your cat get along great!!

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Zoe- Over the weekend I went to a birthday party for an 88 year old gentleman who had been in medical care for 6 months for a hip replacement. One of the other party guests was an 89 year old woman who had the mobility of a 40 year old. The guest of honor couldn't pick himself up to get into his wheelchair. The 89 year old woman was walking at a fast clip. I asked her how she did it. She told me she had been walking for 45 minutes every morning for 23 years. She was well invested in keeping her body moving.

The message- especially to my sedentary husband- was get moving. The alternative is not pleasant. The way I see it, just like food choices, we make decisions every day to decide to stay healthy. I would like to eat high carb food too, but I don't. I walk because I have better BG control. (However, I do choose to walk in a shaded area.)

Start with a little at a time. Find a friend to walk with. Count the miles or the walking time to gain a sense of accomplishment. Try a video dance or Wii. Good luck.

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I do not like exercise and am also trying to force myself to do it. I am making barely observable progress. I walk in a mall with a couple of acquaintances but realize you may not have that option nearby. Am trying to get to 5x a week but now am at 2 and sometimes 3x. It helps me to have an appointed time where other people are expecting me. One time around all the inside of the mall is 0.6 mile. The max rounds I can do right now is 4.

I have not tried the wii but I do read good things about the exercises available on that-- and no danger of falling on the mountainside! And I am sure there are some dancer type exercise DVDs.
In addition, for variation, I know a couple people who swear by the series of chair exercises for seniors (you don't have to be decrepit!) led by Anne Pringle Burnell. She actually provides a good workout on a chair! And no, I have no connections to the business though I wish I did! She has a group of "regular" people doing the exercises and it feels like you are part of the group. She has one for core exercises and others for other exercise goals.

I hope you will keep us posted on your decision and progress.