More Thrust, Less Drag: an update. And a few other random bits.

Perhaps you recall project "more thrust, less drag" that I began back in June. The truth is, that project really never got off the ground. I lost a couple pounds. I got a bit stronger. In August I was strong enough to ride every last mile of Dalmac (except the stinkin' wall -- I'll get you Wall, next time you will not beat me!) without significant suffering. When I got off the bike in late October, the tiny bit of progress I'd been making came to a screeching halt. The holidays hit me like a ton of sweet buttery brick shaped Christmas cookies. The project had utterly failed.

[A side note: This is NOT, I repeat, NOT, a new year's resolution. I don't believe in that fiddle faddle. Those silly things last until February at best when the resolutioner looks around and says, "eh, this is hard, I gave it a whirl, maybe next year!" As a rule I do not make new year's resolutions. I just decide to do stuff whenever it is I decide it should be done.]

Well, ladies and gents, I'm back in the saddle and this time I ain't kiddin' around. I headed back to Weight Watcher meetings because that's what works for me. Each week I have to step on that scale and, under the watchful eye of the WW receptionists, I have to face the numbers. I know better than to think this game is all about numbers on a scale, but there's no easy/cheep way to measure a human's thrust to drag ratio (or, more properly, strength to weight ratio which, side by side with my overall health, is what I'm ultimately concerned about).

Let's throw some numbers out there so we've all got a good picture of where I'm at and where I'm headed. I'm actually hoping to achieve what I will call "wedding weight". That would be the weight I was when Buster and I got married in September of 2006. Here's a picture:

I wasn't tiny. I was actually 13lbs heavier than the highest weight WW recommends for my height. That's ok. I was comfortable and healthy and I was able to maintain that weight for several months. Wedding weight is my long term goal.

When I signed up for WW a couple weeks ago I weighed exactly 65lbs (Yikes!) over wedding weight. That first week I was on my ultimate best behavior because I really wanted to start off with a bang. I dropped 6.2 lbs. That would be a bang. The goal is actually to lose 1 to 2 lbs per week, but the first week is often an aberration. We'll see how it goes from here. Next weigh-in is Wednesday evening. 58.8lbs to wedding weight.

With that business out of the way I will move on to the other tidbits. First, Dad wanted me to know that he also loves his scarf. I'm told he wears it when he goes out to clear snow off the driveway.
He looks a little ominous in that photo. Don't let him fool you. He's actually a very nice guy (but he probably wouldn't want me to tell everyone that). I hope the scarf keeps him nice and warm while he's clearing snow because it's been downright frigid here lately.

While I'm waiting for my soldier socks kit to arrive I've been doing a bit more selfish knitting. Leftover from Christmas projects I had one more ball of that wonderful Shepard's Wool yarn from Stonehedge Fiber Mills in northern lower Michigan. From deep in the recesses of the hall closet I could hear it calling to me: "Sara, you really must knit me into something wonderful for yourself. Don't knit me up just to give me away! You lost 6lbs and you deserve something nice!". I had to agree with it.

Through this cold snap I've been wearing a very nice scarf that my mom knit for me years ago. I love it, but it's on the bulky side and it's a bit too much to fuss with when I'm grocery shopping and running other such errands where I have to carry it around with me. But it's just too cold around here to NOT wear something around my neck. Poking around on ravelry I found a cowl pattern that looked interesting and I knew the Shepard's Wool would be perfect for it.

I wasn't sure I would like a cowl, but it turns out I LOVE it. The pattern makes a big loose cowl so it doesn't cling to my neck uncomfortably (some cowls are like too tight turtle necks) and I can put it on and take it off without making my hair all staticky. I finished it late last night and I've been wearing it around the house all day today. It's warm without being bulky and the Shepard's Wool is super soft and not the slightest bit itchy.

Here it is, laid out flat on the table:


And here it is on my neck. It would look quite dressy with a shawl pin...

Kinda funny looking picture, but you get the idea.

And that's all the tidbits I've got today. Time to head for spinning class!