Hermitage diet plan -- revisited

Who would think that it would take leaving the hills and dales of the forest and moving into a luxurious home in the countryside would be what it took to finally make the belly fat start to melt away?!? Sure surprised me, but yesterday morning when my pj's kept falling down as I walked around getting my coffee (nobody here but me, so I hadn't needed to 'dress'), I came back up and whisked out the old tape measure.

Sure enough, since my last entry here back in early June, I've lost two inches of fat around my waist, and almost that much on the abdomen! I've been here almost 3 weeks, so it must have something to do with the change.

Interestingly, while the living is harder at the hermitage, the actual work is easier, by comparison. Here, living is easy in this lovely house (running water and everything!), but there is more work and often, harder work. Such as: every Thursday (today!) three large trash bins need to go out to the road. Not the end of our driveway, but the end of the private road where it hits the main road, which is a good 1/4 mile away and up/down a couple of steep hilly sections. The first week I had help. Last week, and today, I will need to haul each of them to the street, one at a time. They get pretty heavy going up that final hill! Then tomorrow they need to come back, but will at least be empty by then. And, clothes need to be taken down a hill to a clothesline for drying, hanging out on the lines. I try to do as much of that for the bhikkhunis as I can, as neither of them is physically strong at the moment. Both try to do for themselves, but I generally intercept.

So -- I'm working hard, going up and down the stairs a lot, sometimes carrying a heavy tray. Thought I'd die the first week, but then the body began to grow accustomed and it's gotten easier. As far as the garbage goes, I did it last week, so I should be able to do it easily enough this week. And all that burned off fat is great motivation, I must say! Keep it going, since I only have one more week here. I'll need to find the same level of activity in Eugene -- some of which will no doubt be spent working in the garden, since it's the handiest form of activity and since it's something I enjoy. I refuse to let all that fat come back on this body, as I did last year.

The winters are what get me. I kept the fat off for a couple of months without even trying, then cold weather came, which makes me want to bake, which makes me need to eat what I've baked, and which for me, generally calls for heartier and therefore more fattening foods. Gotta see what I can do about that this winter, and in fact need to keep the fat burning, since I have a long way to go before I'm down to a healthier level.