The Kind of Gain One Doesn't Like ...

I stopped smoking at the end of April, at which time I weighed right at 220 pounds.

I was pleased to see at the end of May that, rather than gaining weight, I'd lost two pounds.

But then yesterday I weighed in at 228 -- erasing that initial loss and putting on eight more pounds. I was kind of surprised, because I seem to have been visibly losing belly and "love handle" fat.

I've been putting in a minimum of 10,000 walking steps a day, and doing a little bit of kettlebell stuff. So I suppose part of the gain could be putting on muscle mass, which weighs more than fat.

But I guess I'm going to have to get back to seriously watching my diet. I didn't think I was overdoing it or anything, but I did run out of "meal replacement" shakes (my usual lunch) a couple of weeks ago and hadn't bought a new case yet. I'll be remedying that ASAP.

I feel like I'm at least close to having the energy to get back on the bicycle, which will help as well.

And I pulled my old manual reel mower out of storage the other day, rather than continuing to futz with the fritzy electric mower. Using the reel mower will mean more regular mowing and harder work, which is actually a good thing from a fitness standpoint.