Tuesday, March 08, 2016

The Big Bay and his Ghost Rider, plus a bit on diets and weight loss




Yesterday I got myself organized, fed midday tubs, groomed the Big Bay, and tacked him up for the first ride we've had in awhile. I groomed him in the barnyard and when I was done I walked to the barn and called him in. He walked to the barn aisle and put his head in the halter. I had to wipe down the bridle and my helmet to clear the dust! 

It was warm, there was a breeze blowing, and the neighbors had been in and out of the woods behind their house, so Keil was very alert and a little "up." I decided prior to even approaching the mounting block that I was going to step up and get right on, leaving out my usual fidgeting and testing of stirrup, etc. One two three and not one hitch and we were off at a nice walk.

We had a good ride with no surprises. Keil's the same as he always is. I'm happy to report that I'm a little bit different.

With the throat stuff I've struggled with since January and a few weeks at that time of eating only soups and puréed vegetables, I lost 10 pounds. Then did a lot of research about my symptoms and the ENT's thoughts on what was going on (LPR, or silent reflux), and decided it was time to get serious about the healthy diet I tend to eat but manage to deviate from as the year progresses. I figured at best, the throat thing set off a perfect storm that ended up in LPR (somewhat common if you read peoples' accounts of it) and at worst, my body was telling me it was time to make a stronger commitment to healthy eating and a need for rebooting my weight.

I first went on a low acid diet to give the tissue in my throat and esophagus time to heal, then combined that with a low fermentation diet to address a different theory of what happens with LPR in the digestive tract. Both these diets recommend healthy meals and reasonable portions, and one is close to the Paleo diet which I'm very familiar with already. 

I've been eating good food and healthy portions. I've cut out all alcohol for now and also sugar. On my birthday I went out and had dinner and a piece of tres leches cake. And I'll continue to celebrate special occasions with some leniency but I'm committed to keeping my daily diet a healthy one. 

The great news is that as of today I've lost 32 pounds. I really felt that loss as I mounted yesterday and I'm sure Keil Bay felt the difference too. I'm looking forward to more rides and hopefully the loss of a few more pounds. 

Note on the photo: Keil was not terribly impressed with my idea to insert a selfie between the end of our ride and his post-ride Chaffhaye serving but he went along with it anyway. After untacking he walked off with his usual self-satisfied demeanor. He's back to work and his job was done. Time to find the greenery in the barnyard and celebrate spring! 

6 comments:

Grey Horse Matters said...

Wow! 32 pounds! That's wonderful. I'm sure you look and feel great. Congratulations!

Great ride on the big Bay. So glad for you that you just got on and it went well. I could never do that with Dusty but I can with Blue. It's a treat not having to worry about him moving off in the middle of mounting.

billie said...

Thank you! We had another good ride late this evening - so nice that it's staying light longer. Lots of walking and halting, turns on forehand and haunches, a little shoulder in, a little backing. He is so good. We halted at the spooky spots and sat for a few minutes, then did turns in a square to face away from the spooky spots. He knows how symmetrical I am so of course predicted that if we did it this way, we'll do it that way, etc. I feel lucky to still be riding him at age 26 and even luckier that I can take breaks when I need to and know he'll still be steady when I get back on again.

Looking forward to reading about your ride on Blue. :)

Grey Horse Matters said...

He's such a great horse! I didn't get to ride Blue this weekend. I worked with Donnie and was planning on riding Blue the next day but it was really windy. I don't ride when it's windy anymore because that's when I had two serious wrecks, one on Erik and one on Blue. I'm not comfortable with taking chances in the wind these days :)

billie said...

I totally get it wrt wind - if we have serious gusting wind I don't ride either. I can handle a stiff breeze but I have no qualms about getting off if I feel like Keil is working himself up to a big spook. Usually if I can ask him to flick his ear back and he does it I know we're okay. It's not worth an accident. Donnie! You're a busy gal! :)

Matthew said...

Great to see you and the Big Bay after a lovely ride!

billie said...

He's pretty amazing!!