I am a runner and a yoga practitioner. By all accounts, I am pretty fit. I try to eat whole foods and for the most part, I eat plant-based. All of the above is true. 

What is also true is that I love wine. Typically I save that for the weekends, but during quarantine every day has been a weekend, right? I also really LOVE dark chocolate (vegan) and my ultimate vice is potato chips. I won’t even tell you how much of those I consume, but it’s bad. 

When we lived in Portugal I walked a lot: to the kids’ school, to the shops, to the beach and if I needed to go further, I would often walk to the train station to get myself to whatever destination. This, plus a more flexible schedule allowed me to keep my weight down 7-10lbs lighter than what I have weighed since my return to the United States. Since coming back, my work schedule combined with the kids’ manic activity schedules gave me a perfect excuse for missed workouts, quick snacks and some less healthy, but quick meals for the family. 

Now, flash forward to quarantine. I am one of the lucky ones who still has a job. It’s different, but I am still able to do my work from home and get paid for it. What I also now have is a few more hours that I no longer use to commute to work or drive my son around. Yesterday I decided that I needed to take advantage of this time to get my weight back on track. 

If you go to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website you can calculate your BMI. This allows you to see what weight category you are in: 

BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

I won’t tell you how much I weigh, but I will tell you that my BMI is currently 26.6 which puts me just in the overweight range. Now please, I am in no panic about this. I know that I have a lot of muscle mass. I know that I am a good person and that I am loved. But, I also know that I have a few pounds to lose. So I am going to lose them and I am going to keep them off!

I am also lucky in that I have been able to get some guidance from an Ayurvedic practitioner. I had sought Kathy out not because of a need to lose weight but because I had been having some medical issues since January. I was also worried about not getting restful sleep and having very low energy. I signed up for a 5 week online course and I am already feeling better. This idea to lose weight had nothing to do with my wanting to learn more about Ayurveda, but as I considered what I was putting in my body, I had to acknowledge that not all I consume is benefitting my health. 

I assure you I will still be having wine with my dear friends on our zoom chats, and ice cream with my kids some evenings, but this time is a gift of sorts. And I am silly to not make the most of it. 

God bless anyone reading this and my wish for you is that you stay safe and healthy.

XOXO