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Recently, life has afforded me some pretty amazing opportunities. My husband, father and me spent Thanksgiving in Ireland. (See recent Instagram Reel for some examples until I get an album up). I love this country more than words can say. It is similar to my home in West Virginia - artsy, folksy, historical, and most of all green! The people I encountered lived a lifestyle of "no worries," and personified kindness. They're hearty people. They appear to look a cold day in the face and smile saying, "bring on the braughts." In other words, while away I ate way, WAY too much food. Nothing wrong with that, it's vacation, right? However, I have noticed a steady gain (again) since starting up the new school year. Teachers, I don't know how you don't gain weight!? Every other day someone, group, student, etc. is trying to stuff us full of yummy cakes, pastries, lunches or other delicacies we don't need! That sounds all well and good, but those of us who really know, understand the hardship gaining weight can be on our critters as well as our own bodies. More recently, my dear friend Liz was at it again with her amazing photography skills. She took the photo at the top of the page. It is so wonderful! The colors, the composition, the lighting all make us look like a fall fashion model. That said, I notice I am the biggest I've been in . . . well maybe ever - at least since owning Jean-Luc. I mean ... I can see a pooch! There's a belly pooch! No one wants a pooch in their belly (maybe a furry puppy pooch - but not on your stomach). I understand I'm not exactly overweight, but I will say that I am just not comfortable where I'm at. I carry my weight in my core and though that helps hide things some, it makes riding difficult. "It is CHA's recommendation that the weight of the rider does not exceed 20% of the weight of the horse." I still meet CHA guidelines (thank the Lord), but I could exceed them if I'm not careful and don't change the amount of schnitzel I am inhaling this holiday season. My questions are simple:
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts out there horse people! Talley-ho! Kissing the Blarney Stone - an act that will also make you question your weight, when you're asked to flip upside down, scoot out to the edge of a rock, hang 7 stories in the air while suspended from 2 poles and an Irishman to lock lips with a rock people have been locking lips with since the 1700's. Needless to say a person begins to question their life choices during moments like these.
8 Comments
Liz
12/18/2018 07:41:19 am
Kissing that stone looks super intense!!!! I didn't realize you had to go through so many acrobatics to do that.
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Chelsey
12/18/2018 01:52:38 pm
Well, I am happy to report that since writing this I am down 10 lbs. Making a contentious effort is the key. You aren't kidding about it being hard to say, "no" to food here. Kids feel hurt if you don't try their food, teachers bake amazing food, and the cooks totally step up their game. We even have parents bringing things in. All that to say, paying attention to calories is how I've done it. Fingers crossed I keep this up and I'll be where I want to be by mid January. Then, it's all about maintaining. Regardless less, seeing results is nice.
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that blarney stone pic is intense! good luck with the diet too. idk a whole lot about the anatomical implications of the rider-to-horse weight ratios, but have heard that it can vary widely depending on the build of horse. for instance, horses with narrower weaker backs are a different question from heavier, more broadly built breeds. in other words, it's not one size fits all! still tho, it's never a bad idea to try to make adjustments for better health haha. my biggest weakness is eating out at restaurants vs making my own food at home lol....
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Chelsey
1/17/2019 08:26:20 am
Emma,
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For me, it's definitely a comfort thing. I hate feeling "jiggly" when I'm riding, so I make a big effort to eat well, and keep busy so that I don't have to worry about weight. That said, baby #2 was much harder to recover from, and I'm still dragging around a few extra pounds, which I do not love.
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Chelsey
1/17/2019 08:28:46 am
Genny,
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First of all, I have to say you look BEAUTIFUL and that photo and I don't think you NEED to lose weight. With that said, I understand not being happy in your body, even if others don't seem to think it's an issue. I lost 32lb. in 2017 after seeing a ride photo of myself. I knew I'd gained weight, but didn't realize how MUCH. It just sort of snuck up on me after I broke my leg and quit my super active day job. What worked for me was straight up calorie counting (I used My Fitness Pal to track my intake). I set myself a 1500 calorie per day goal and then gave myself an extra 300 calories on weekend days so I could feel like I was "cheating" while still losing weight. I got into macros a little bit, too, which helped speed up the process but probably wasn't strictly necessary. After I lost the weight, I got a FitBit so I can track my daily burn and make sure I just eat less than I burn to maintain. What DIDN'T work for me was any kind of diet that banned anything... like no sugars or no carbs or no fat or no meat or whatever... the second you tell me I can't have something, it's all I want to eat, even if it's not something I'm normally a big fan of.
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Dom,
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AuthorMy name is Chelsey. HorseGenerator's Cuevo Gold, or as he's known around this barn, "Jean-Luc Ponycard", was foaled in 2004 from Generator's Hurricane & Cheyenne's Little Bit. Top 10 Blog Favs.Archives
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