Under the Weather...

This week took an interesting turn for me. My family got exposed to influenza and we were slowly taken down by it, one by one. I was able to hold out the longest and I almost thought that I might be able to avoid getting it. But I woke up Wednesday morning with the chills, and things went downhill from there. The past two days have been miserable! I spent 99% of my day either laying/sitting on the couch or in bed. I am so sick of being inactive! My back side is sore and uncomfortable from sitting for so long. What I used to enjoy (a good excuse to be inactive) now drives me crazy!
Now thankfully, this wasn't the stomach flu, so even though I've had to deal with high temps, headaches, and an achy body, I still have a small appetite. But I get full really fast, so I make sure and eat my favorite stuff first. =) Like last night, I ate my "dessert" of banana, fresh strawberries, and plain yogurt before my salad. It was probably 1/2 the size of what I would normally eat, and I was almost full before I finished. So, I waited a little longer and then ate my salad.

I think often times people view sickness as an excuse to eat whatever they feel like eating, whether it's healthy or not. Especially when your throat hurts, and you just want to live on ice cream, popsicles, and jello! It's tempting to eat your favorite "comfort foods" when you're not feeling good. But the truth is, we need to be eating the most healthy we can while we're sick! How is our body going to recover quickly when we're giving it junk? This blonde can figure that out, y'all.

It was amazing to see the impact that a fever has on our bodies. I can't remember that last time I was this sick (PTL!) and I was never this active before, so I didn't notice such a dramatic difference in my strength and energy levels. On Tuesday, I was on the treadmill for an hour and then downstairs on the Norditrack for 20 minutes. I felt great. But about 15 hours later, I was laying in bed struggling to keep warm and feeling totally weak and helpless. I could barely move. It has made me all the more grateful for the overall healthy life the Lord has blessed me with!

Now, about the weigh in. I had no idea what to expect this week. I was assuming that simply because in the past 2 days I've eaten about 1/2 the amount of food I normally eat, that would produce some weight loss. I had diligently exercised Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, so I knew that would help, too. I used a new cardio DVD I purchased for myself on Monday, and it must have worked some different muscles, because I was a little sore on Tuesday!
But, I still had spent two days glued to the couch, which doesn't burn many calories. So, I stepped on this morning assuming there would be maybe 1 to 2 pounds lost. What a shock I got! The scale read 165 - a four pound loss. What do ya know? The best way to lose weight is to get sick, I guess. LOL

So I haven't a clue what next week will bring. I still have to take it slow and not push myself too hard yet. I'm going to go for a short walk and get some fresh air today, but I doubt that I'll be able to do any serious exercise before Monday. That makes me wonder if I'll end up gaining a little weight back as my appetite returns. I've probably only eaten between 900 and 1000 calories the past two days, and that's not enough to keep an active, healthy body fueled. But I'm not stressing about the next week. I'm just enjoying my mind-blowing 4 pound loss today!

Taking it slow and trying to recover ~ Bekah