Not much to report from Mazatlán! Hot. Humid. Occasional rain. It’s summer!
On my last walk I noticed that the green vbike bicycles were gone from the malecón. Not sure if the Mayor made good his statement that he was going to get rid of them, or if they’re just off being serviced/???. Will have to keep an eye out and keep updated! You would think he’d want them – they’re expanding the bicycle lane on the Avenida del Mar. More proof that government doesn’t always make sense, no matter what country you’re in!
My gas ran out faster than normal, but I’ve been expecting it for a couple of weeks. When I got up this morning there was a Gaspasa truck parked at the corner and I *almost* ran down and bought a new cylinder. I should have because when I went to cook dinner there was nada! Only took them a half hour to arrive after I called so I’m back in business AND have cooked and eaten dinner! Just a little side note – if you live on anything but the ground floor as I do, please be sure to tip your gas delivery person. I have 35 steps to my apartment and there’s a few with an overhang that people two inches taller than I am bump their head into. Those cylinders are heavy, and even more so when you have to duck to avoid smashing your head and the tank! I usually round the bill up to the next hundred pesos and then throw another hundred in. Gets them a torta and a beer and the extra five/six bucks is well worth it to me.
I’m in week five of a diet. There was a time that I was almost 60 lbs. heavier than I am now, and I’d already shaved over 50 of it off a few years back. I’d told myself that my new weight was fine, but I was still experiencing the occasional thighs rubbing together just from walking, shoulders jiggling when using stairs, and extra belly padding. It’s been a good 17 years since I’ve been below 140 lbs. but I’m there again – and only have three more pounds to go to hit my goal of 135! The news reports about Covid-19 have been saying that being overweight is a big risk factor, and that also prompted me to go on the wagon again.
If you’re overweight and would like the one diet proven time and time again to work, here it is … Eat fewer calories than you burn. Ok, yes, that’s a little simple. First you need to calculate your ‘resting metabolic rate’. This is the amount of calories that you burn just by being alive. There are several websites that will calculate this number for you. Once you have that number, subtract 500. That gives you the number of calories you can eat in a day to lose a pound of fat in a week. It’s always shockingly low. Then you need to track the calories of EVERY single thing you put into your mouth. You don’t turn this in to anyone, it’s private – so don’t cheat. Weigh yourself once a week, on the same day and keep track. If you don’t lose, or if you’re losing more it means your resting metabolic rate calculation was off – make an adjustment to your daily calorie allowance and keep going. As you progress you’re going to be needing less calories a day to stay alive, so you’ll have to drop your daily calorie allowance every once in a while.
You want a low and slow weight loss as this allows you to get a good understanding of calories in food and modifies your eating behavior. For example, broccoli is under 10 calories an ounce. Beans are surprisingly high in calories. Oil is crazy high – it really pays to use a spray oil to minimize the amount you need to cook.
Ok, off my weight loss soapbox! Have a good weekend and take a little time to enjoy the … videos of Mazatlán you find on YouTube!
