Back at it again!

So, once again I’m starting a post with “wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything here!”  Literally, my last 20 posts probably started with that.  But anyways, I’m back for the duration.

What’s going on lately, you might ask?  Well, my fitness is still meh, and my running is meh, and my stupid heel/Achilles is still meh. 

Having said all that, I started a wellbeing class at my gym recently, so I’m getting a good bit more consistent with my workouts than I had been previously.  Also, as part of the class, I had a biometric screening done that included a body composition test – and now that I have a breakdown of lean mass vs non-lean mass, I have an accurate resting metabolic rate, which allowed me to set an accurate calorie goal for the day.  That in and of itself was a real breakthrough on the food side of things – it gave me an achievable target to shoot for every day with my food and calorie tracking on MyFitnessPal (food tracker).  And on days when I’m more active, I know to fuel appropriately.

Where I’m a bit confused is with my fitbit (activity tracker, for those who don’t use one).  I have it synching with MyFitnessPal, and MFP automatically adjusts my calorie goal depending on how active I am that day.  However, I think MFP is giving me too many calories for the level of activity I’m doing.  For instance, just because I get a good number of steps from parking far out in the parking lot, or going the long way to the bathroom during the workday, doesn’t mean I should get an extra 500 calories to eat that day.  So I’m thinking to unsynch my fitbit and MFP, and adjust my calorie goal only for intentional exercise, like a 30 minute power walk or a 2 hour hike or a 20 minute walk at lunchtime, that sort of thing.

Because absolutely positively, I’m convinced that my long-standing Achilles/heel problem is exacerbated by my carrying an extra 30 pounds.  No doubt about it.  So although I’m getting more consistent with my exercise, I need to get the food in line too.  Some people say you can’t outrun a bad diet, and although that’s true, for me, it has always helped to get the exercise consistent and then better eating follows.  Because when you know how many miles it takes to burn off a Snickers bar, it’s a lot easier to resist them.  Says the girl who's had 2 snickers minis today (damn colleagues bringing Halloween candy to work already?!!).