February was a challenging month. Calorie counting may be a habit now, but it never truly becomes easy.
Early on in the month I was feeling run down. I had to miss a couple of days of walking and, when I started again, I scaled it back to a more manageable three miles for a while. In hindsight, five miles a day alongside a full time job and family life was probably a bit ambitious to sustain every single day. It became clear that I needed to ease off and recover properly.
The positive is that feeling exhausted is now unusual for me. My overall fitness is significantly better than it used to be, particularly compared to the period after my stem cell transplant nearly seven years ago, when fatigue was far more common. I am fitter now, no question, but I had undoubtedly been pushing myself quite hard in recent months.
My VO2 max was also in good shape, peaking at 32.9 for the month. It dipped slightly after I caught a cold, but by mid month I was back to walking five miles a day. On the final day of the month I managed a particularly long walk at 9.5 miles which felt good to achieve.
What has surprised me most is how challenging maintenance can be. Holding steady on calories and weight is arguably harder than losing it. I suppose it comes down to awareness. There is always the temptation to relax and eat a little more, and the discipline lies in staying mindful without undoing the progress already made.
A pleasant end of month surprise was rediscovering some t-shirts I was given a couple of years ago. They now fit perfectly.
Here’s to a good month in March and keeping the weight off.
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