Day 365– New Year

The Resolution Run was today. The Universe loved me today because we had unseasonably high temperatures (+5), no wind, no snow and no rain. I could not have ordered better weather for the run.

It was a much bigger turnout than I expected and that panicked me a little as I really don't like crowds but once we started running and the runners pulled away and the walkers fell behind, Melissa and I were in our own little bubble most of the way.

I had decided I would start running and just see how I could do. My plan was to do 10's and 1's with Melissa for as long as I could and then walk the rest of the way.

Although I couldn't keep up with her, she was about 20 feet ahead of me almost the whole way - I did manage to keep the pace and ran 4 intervals of 10's and walked 3 intervals of 1's. It was hard. No lying - my breathing was all over the place and my legs felt like they had no momentum at all. But we did it.

Time was 43:04 which I am pretty pleased with considering how crappy I felt before and during and that I walked for 3 minutes. I loved my Garmin. It beeped every 500 metres like I wanted it too, and although I had set it for 10’s and 1’s, I don’t think it actually worked properly, so I need to recheck how that part works. I couldn’t figure out the backlight while I was running so I was using streetlights (when there were any) to read it as I went so I also need to look into that, and it also beeped when my pace went below the threshold I set. I really liked it.  All in all, it was worth the investment!

Thanks Melissa and Tiffany for their encouragement, support and running with me this week. Love you guys.

Pics to follow.

Day 363, New Year

The RUN

Pros

• Shoes were awesome.
• Tiffany was a great motivator and fun to run with (as much fun as I can have running..)
• It was cold but there was no wind.
• Legs held out for 4.75 km - no hamstring or knee issues.
• Loved the Garmin.

Cons

• My breathing made it really hard to get any kind of rhythym.
• This was my first experience in the cold - the cold air was brutal.
• It was a little icy and I was scared to death of slipping and reinjuring my tailbone.
• I couldn't run more than 5 min at a time and I only did that 2 times I think so I walked way more than I wanted to.

I am not sure I will be able to keep up my running over the winter, I may have to do another running clinic/program in the Spring to get back up to 5k.  I am worried about the Resolution Run and I think I am going to have to walk most, if not all, of it - even more so because it will be dark and I will not be able to see the ice, if there is any.

I'm trying to stay positive and just look at it as a point in time and that it will get better again.

Day 362, New Year

Just about to head to the gym. I went yesterday and walked 45 minutes. Tonight is the third "assessment" with the Personal Trainer  that I got for signing up at the gym. Tonight we are doing "arms". I hate my arms. I am not sure any amount work will make me love them, but the Personal Trainer is cute and funny and very encouraging, so its well worth the hour. I might actually learn something as well! You never know :)

While waiting for a friend at lunch today I popped into Factory Shoe and headed straight for their clearance rack and found the Asics I wanted before Christmas at the ridiculously low price of $64.99. I was so happy. They are comfy and fit perfectly and a pretty purple/silver colour to boot. Can't go wrong there.  I loved my previous Asics and although I experimented with a couple of other brands, I have to admit my heart (and feet) belong to Asics.

I will wear them tomorrow for the first time on my run with my friend Tiffany tomorrow...we're going to do a practice 5k.  I also picked up my race kit and Resolution Run jacket today and will wear it tomorrow and I will also use my new-to-me Garmin Forerunner 305 for the first time....actually a little psyched about this run tomorrow, for the first time in a long time, to be honest. Let's hope it goes well. Tiffany runs faster than I do and I don't want her to feel she has to hang back because of me (you listening Tiff...just go!!, I will see you at the end).  I'm also a little worried about my breathing lately, I am going for asthma tests in a few weeks but in the meantime breathing is sometimes very difficult.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Day 330 - 361

It's been a while!

Happy Almost New Year to all of you out there.

What have I been up to? Not a heck of a lot. The two weeks leading up to Christmas I was pretty much off the healthy living wagon, no tracking, not really counting anything, and exercise was very sporadic or irregular (like 4 days in a row, then nothing for a week - repeat). I have to admit the stress of the holidays always makes me forget everything but the cleaning, cooking, and shopping I have to do for that one day. Now that day is over I feel like life can go back to normal. I have the Resolution Run scheduled for New Year's Eve and I am fairly confident that I am not going to be able to run 5k straight, I haven't done it in over a month and the most I have run at one time was 4k a few weeks ago. In all fairness, I did go through three weeks of physio for strained hamstring muscles that definitely sidelined my running efforts and made me question whether someone my size should be running at all if its that much strain on my body.

I might just do intervals of 10/1 and see how that goes. I really don't enjoy running. I never seemed to get that runners high people talk about and I don't get a huge sense of accomplishment  or have the urge to "go further or faster". I just do it because its a form of exercise that I can do. I am somewhat disappointed because I really wanted to like running and so many people LOVE it, that I almost feel like there's something wrong with me for not loving it. The people who do love it, keep telling me to stick with it and eventually I will love it. But the problem is that because I don't love it, I have very little motivation or inclination to stick with it. On top of that, I run slowly, so running with other people is very demotivating and doesn’t encourage me at all.

I did manage to get hold of a used (and very cheap) Garmin Forerunner 305 that I am hoping will at least keep me interested. I also have my gym membership til the end of February to get through the end off the Winter because I really don't like the cold, conversely, I don't like running on the treadmill either. I know...stop whinging and just get on with it. I am considering doing a 10K Running Room clinic in January just to keep me focused and actually doing something.

Weight wise - I gained about 5lbs when I was away for my birthday at the end of October that I haven't been able to shake and then I've gained 3 more over Christmas, so I am feeling bloated and heavy and gross. So its definitely time to get my $hit together and get back on track. Part of that is to make more an effort to fit blogging into my schedule.

I am off to read your blogs and see how you’re all doing!

Day 313 - 329, New Year

I've not been writing much. I just feel like I have nothing to share lately. I'm still following Weight Watchers, I had a few weeks where I was only loosely following the program more out of  boredom and "fed up ness" than anything else, but this week I'm back on track and feeling good about it again.

I hurt my knee a few weeks ago so my running hasn't been great since the last event I did at the beginning of November, but I did do a 4K event with my friend Melissa yesterday, we ran/walk the 4K and it was a lot of fun. I actually enjoyed this event more than the last one, I think because I had someone to do it with and it was a much smaller event, I didn't feel so claustrophobic with less people around and it was at Hamilton Bayfront Park which is where I normally run anyway, so I felt like I was on home turf.

About half way and knee feeling good!

Since I ran/walk, my time wasn't great, but my focus was on finishing with no pain in my knee and being able to run all the intervals - so it was a success to me. I don't know my chip time yet as the results aren't posted but I am sure it was pretty close to the gun time (37:52) as we were fairly close to the front - for the start anyway :)

Crossing the finish line.

I also joined Premier Fitness on their $90 for 90 days promotion. I hope this will get me through the worst of the winter weather since it is getting far too cold and dark to run outside at night.  I've been twice and enjoyed it. I've tried the elliptical in the past and always felt like I was going to fall off, but it has been ok the last few days, a few moments of vertigo, but nothing major.  And what a sweat I worked  up! I really, really want a Garmin heart rate monitor now  to help with running and also to know how many calories I'm actually burning. Maybe Santa (me) will bring me one for Christmas :) I'll see if I can fit it in my budget after the boys and other gifts are taken care of.  I might also see if I can buy a used one.

I also did the stairmill to try and train better for the next CN Tower stair climb in April. I only did 10 minutes but I have 5 months to work up to 142 flights, so it's definitely a plan. When the weather permits, I will still run outside. I have an appointment for physio for my knee this week, but I had 6 days of complete rest and it felt so much better, so I'm hoping more rest and lower impact for another week or so will have it back to normal. They also have aquafit classes, which I used to love, so I'm going to try and make one class a week to throw in some variety and my running partner is going to show me how to use some weight machines so I can work on upper body strength.

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect headband!  The great people at Bondi bands are sending me a band to review and one to giveaway, so I'll let you all know as soon as I receive them!

I'm also still in the market for new running shoes. I am convinced part of my knee problem is not having proper shoes for my weight and running style.

I'm registered for the Running Room's Resolution Run on New Year's Eve, again with my friend Melissa, and am hoping I can run the complete 5k by then again.

Weight wise, I'm bouncing between 198 and 205, but I'm hoping the increased cardio and being back on plan 100% will help me bust through 198 for the New Year...stay tuned !!!

Day 308-312, New Year

Question for all my running friends?

Hat or headband and which specific type do you recommend?

I have shoulder length hair and bangs and although I put my hair in a pony tail, my bangs flap and sweat drips into my eyes - I hate it!!! So I need something to keep my hair out of my eyes and to stop sweat dripping into them, it really stings.

Advice please!!!

Day 270 - 307, New Year

My first 5K event. Chip time was 43:29. It was a beautiful day by the lake and I raised $420 for a great cause.

Day 269, New Year

Hey everyone,

I'm running my first 5K event on November 6 to support kids in Hamilton and in Haiti and would love your support. No pledge is too small to help kids.

http://hamiltonmarathon.ca/charities-supported/   - to find about the charities this run supports

http://www.onlineregistrations.ca/road2hopePledge/index.php?lname=Wall&fname=Vincenza - to make a pledge

Thanks,

Enz

Day 255–268, New Year

Since my last post I’ve….

Run 5K  two more times and took 2 min 40 seconds off my last time.
Had dinner at the Mandarin and decided it’s not worth the calories.
Bought these headphones and love them. (Jaybird F3)
Bought and wore size 16 jeans. Real size 16 not 16+.
Paid off the last of my consumer debt.
Decided to sign up for a   5K run in Hamilton on November 6.
Lost 3lbs and this is what 198 lbs looks like this.
Thinking about joining the YMCA and finally learning how to swim.
Stole this from Carbtripper and have it on my phone and my WW tracker.

Day 255, New Year

Just a short post to let you all know that we finished the C25K program  tonight. NIne weeks of 4 workouts (the plan calls for 3 a week but we repeated one workout each week) without missing one. We can consistently run 5k and we can easily run 30 min at a time. Over the last three weeks my pace has gone from more than ten minutes per km to about 8:30/km. My fastest pace per km is 7:19/km but I only maintained it for one kilometer.

Still not sure what the next plan is, but until I figure it out, I'm going to keep running 3-4 times a week and hiking at least once a week.

This Saturday, we're going to do 5k and push ourselves to get our best time yet. Later that day I'm hiking then going to Buffalo to go shopping. All my Winter/Fall clothes are too big and I am rewarding myself with bluetooth stereo headphones for running for completing the C25K program and my Swarovski crystal earrings for losing 50lbs. This weekend is all about me!!!

Will check in after weigh in on Saturday. The scale is not going to bring me down.

Day 247 - 254, New Year

Another week gone by. And another week where I am "stuck" at the scale. I'm trying to focus on the positive things.

• I can run 30 min straight pretty easily anytime.
• I can run 5km if I really try.
• My clothes are looser.
• I sleep better.
• I feel better.

But yet....I'm still carrying about an extra 60 lbs that needs to be gone.

7 weeks of bouncing the same 1.5 lbs is driving me crazy today. I did a ton of activity last week, and have been more active the last 8 weeks than I have been in about 15 years. I stay within my WW points and I eat about 80% clean.

This week, I'm going to try and add in more lean protein and add about 3 points a day from my Weekly Points. I try to save those for eating out or if I want something that's not in my usual eating plan, like ice cream or chocolate. But this week I'll intentionally use 3 extra day just for lean protein and see if this helps kick me off this plateau.

And, I'm going to try and up the activity. The days I don't run - I'm going to walk or do the Wentworth Stairs. Realistically, I know I can't keep up exercise 7 days a week forever and if I try to put that pressure on myself I'll just pack it all in.  But for a week....just to try and shake things up, I can do it.

So...let's see if this works.  I'll check back with you in a week or so.

On a good side - we have completed Week 8 of Couch to 5K. Last week coming up. I have been bouncing ideas about what to do about running when the 9 weeks is up - I haven't made a final decision yet.

Hope you are all having a great week!

Day 233 - 246, New Year

Hi everyone!

Hope most of you are enjoying the long weekend. I am so glad I have an extra day to not get up at 430 a.m.

Some exciting news to tell you all....last night I ran 5km straight. No stopping, no walking. Just running. It took me just over 46 minutes. I have to admit when I got to about 3.5 km  I started worry I wouldn't be able to make it and I slowed right down, but I finished and now I know I can do it, I'll aim to go a bit faster those last two kilometres next time.

That marked the end of Week 7 for Couch25K. 2 weeks to go. We start Week 8 tomorrow morning.

I have to come up with a plan to continue running after the program is over, and I've got some thoughts but haven't made a decision yet.

I've also been hiking three weekends in a row in different areas and am loving it. I am not an "outdoors girl". I hate bugs. I hate sleeping on the ground and I hate eating outside, but hiking is different, I love the trees, the colours, the sounds and the trails.

Weight. Well, the scale is not loving me. I am bouncing between 198 and 199.9 the last 7 weeks and am starting to get a bit fed up especially in light of all the activity I'm doing. I am just going to keep going on and try not to get discouraged. Whats the alternative?

Quitting and going back to 250 lbs. Not happening. No way.

Day 219 - 232, New Year

Wow..its been a while. I knew I hadn't posted in awhile, but didn't realise how long it had been.

What have I been up to? Just life in general. I'm hanging onto Onederland by the skin of my teeth but I know I am doing all the right things so I'm just keeping the faith that the scale will catch up in it's own time, as it always does!

We have finished Week 5 of Couch to 5K and are starting Week 6 tonight. I can honestly tell you that when I finished running 20 minutes straight for the first time, it was one of the most empowering and self confidence boosting moments of my life. It was pretty awesome.  I don't think I will ever be a speed runner, but the endurance is certainly coming along.

Yesterday I went on a 4km hike to Hilton Falls with my friend Tina and her dog, Sadie and then the same evening did C25K for another 3km. I felt pretty sore this morning, but a hot shower worked out the kinks and I think I am ready to start Week 6 tonight.

Foodwise, I'm still following Weight Watchers Points Plus program.

That's my world folks - hope yours is rocking :)

P.S. for any Blackberry users - do you know of a running app like Nike+ for the blackberry? One that uses the GPS to measure distance/speed etc? All suggestions appreciated.

Day 214 - 218, New Year

It felt like a long, long week.

I was very tired this week and came down with a cold on Thursday morning. It all seemed to catch up to me this morning when I just felt like I'd been run over by a truck. A combination of lack of sleep, eating a too heavy restaurant meal last night, dehydration, fighting a cold and TOM conspired to make me just want to stay in bed.

I eventually got up and went and weighed in....up 1.3 lbs. I'm not too worried, like I said  - TOM and a heavy restaurant meal the night before weigh in definitely contributed to the gain and I know it will be gone by next week.

Me and two friends, after WK1D1 of C25K

I napped this afternoon and although I had plans for Wk3D3 of C25K, I really didn't feel like doing it, but having a partner to do it with definitely makes a huge difference, so off we went. Week 3 is now done and Week 4 starts tomorrow night.  Week 4 is new territory for me and involves total jogging time of 16 minutes out of 31 and also 5 minute intervals. Keep your fingers crossed for me!  I have another friend who started Couch25K this week. Go Shelley!!!

Food wise, this past week was a carb fest - also normal this week of the month - and it was mostly whole wheat bread, which is a huge improvement over ice cream and cookies.  With the exception of last night's meal at the Pickle Barrel, my meals were balanced and healthy.

Tomorrow is prep for the week ahead. Not sure what that will look like just yet. I'll keep you posted.

Day 212 - 213, New Year

Feels like Sunday because of the holiday here in Ontario.

Tomorrow is back to work, I've thoroughly enjoyed three days off, even though they were busy and a little tiring.

My running partner, Guenther, and I tackled Week 3, Day 1 of Couch to 5K yesterday and did really well, he is struggling with some knee problems but he is determined to push through. The program for week three is:

5 minute warm up walk
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
5 minute cool down walk

We'll do Day 2 tomorrow and hopefully will do a little better in time and distance.

I have all my food prepped for the work week ahead.

Breakfasts - 1 cup milk, 1 package Carnation Instant Breakfast
Lunches - homemade vegetable chili, 1 oz skim mozzarella
Snacks - Royal Gala apples

Looking forward to another successful week on plan. How about you? How are you going to rock this week?

Day 205-207, New Year

So here’s my proper post about Onederland and reaching 50 lbs lost (50.1 to be exact….)
I went into the weigh in Saturday morning feeling “fat”, you know when you have those mornings? You wake up and your skin feels tight, your stomach looks bigger than usual and you are sure you must have eaten an elephant in your sleep? That’s how I felt. 
When I went up to the scale, the receptionist who is also my regular meeting leader, asked how my week was and I said, “Ok” and she said, “Just ok?” I nodded. Then she said, “Your OK is better than most people’s good – you lost 3.5 lbs!”  I did the mental math and just about screamed! I said, “So that’s 199.9?” and she nodded and smiled.  Then I told her it was also 50 lbs since my on line start date and you know what she did? She scratched out my start as 235.4 and put 250 and updated my loss from 35.5 to 50.1 and said I should stay for the meeting and celebrate and get my 50 lb charm…so I did. It was really an amazing moment.
I really didn’t think it would be this week, I thought by the end of August I would be in Onederland. It was totally unexpected. I had planned that I would ask them to take a picture of the scale read out for me, but in my surprise this morning I completely forgot.

Here’s my key ring.






  And here is me in size 22 pants now.

Day 208 - 211, New Year

Happy Long Weekend to my Ontario friends!

I have a busy weekend planned, but it's all good.


Weigh in today was another 1.9 lbs down so I'm happy and feel like I have my feet firmly planted in Onederland. Although I was thrilled to bits last week at hitting 199.9 - weighing in this week, it just felt a little too close for comfort and I was terrified I might go up just a smidge and I would get kicked off the island.

But I didn't...so all good.

Couch to 5K is going well. We just wrapped up Week 2 and Week 3 starts tomorrow. Week 3 jumps to 3 min of running...and although I have done it before, I have this nagging doubt that I might not be able to do it again.  Both our run and walking speeds are increasing and  it is very motivating to have someone to do this with, this time around.

That's all from me today.  Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Day 199–204, New Year (click on pic to enlarge)

Day 198, New Year

Sunday has always been the first day of the week in my mind. So it's the perfect day to prep for the week ahead. That's what I did last Sunday and it resulted in a perfect-eating week and a not-obsessing-about-food-all-the-time week which made a pleasant change.  It was easy to just grab and go each morning and not think about food again until supper time.  This week, I'm doing that again.

Breakfasts are super easy, 1 cup 1% milk and 1 pkg NSA Instant Carnation Breakfast. I mix it up the night before and then just shake it in the morning when I'm ready to drink it.

Last week's lunches were my cereal/yogurt mix, this week it's falafels in a pita. 4 falafel balls, 1/2 whole wheat pita, chopped onions and tomatoes and 1 tbsp of PC Blue Menu Tzatziki Dip.

Snacks will be apples again. Royal Gala are my favourite.  Aren't apples the most perfect snack food? They're portable, they last a long time, they are crispy and sweet, about 80 calories each and high fibre, low sugar.

And I'm good to go. The week is going to be a breeze for staying on plan. The nice thing about this is that I know how many points I'll use all day and there are plenty left over for dinner so I can have just about anything and make it fit, as well I'll have my 49 weekly points.

On the exercise front, some of you may remember I started C25K back in April, I got as far as Week 3 (I did it twice), then my self discipline fell by the wayside. Good news! A friend of mine wants to start it and he lives just a few blocks from me so it will work out well for scheduling. The other good thing is that he is very, very competitive and stubborn and he won't want to back down or skip a run, so this will keep me motivated as well because I won't want to be the one that lets us down either. Tonight's our first run! We're starting back at Week 1. He is also out of shape and wants to lose weight so he has lots of motivation to be active.

Wishing you all a great week :)

Update: Week 1, Day 1.

Day 195 - 197, New Year

Weigh in today: 2.1 lbs down.

Day 192 - 194, New Year

Just a bunch of random thoughts....

1. My newest favourite lunch is this:

1 cup of Kashi Almond Crunch (thanks Shelley!)
1/2 cup of President's Choice Non Fat Greek Yogurt
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp mini chocolate chips
1 tsp of maple syrup

Mix together and enjoy. So crunchy, so creamy...I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

2. I took off my wedding ring. Well to be more accurate, it keeps falling off and I really don't want to lose it.  I am not sure how I feel about it...yet.  I put on my "new" ring, the one I bought last summer, but it's also too big...so now my wedding ring finger is naked and yes, it feels strange.

3. I am seriously addicted to "Drop Dead Diva"...I watched season 1 and 2 in one weekend and am all caught up with season 3...can't they play an episode every day?  And.....Jane looks eerily like my friend Melissa, who is actually more beautiful than Jane - but still looks so much like her.

4. I want to go back and read all the Harry Potter books before I see the movie.

Day 185 - 191, New Year

Just checking in.

Since my last weigh in, I've had a lot of take out food and eating out and not much exercise. Life happens sometimes. This ended up with a 1.1 lb gain...and I'm ok with it. I did my best to control portions and make the best choices I could with what was on offer. Sometimes, it just works out that way.  It'll be gone soon enough.

The last few days I've been back on track, I went to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit on Friday and walked around for 2 hours, I prepped and packed all my lunches for next week and have my breakfasts ready to grab and go. Snacks will be apples. It will be a good week.

Some of you know my husband and I separated last year after 22 years of marriage.  This past Friday night is the first time I've felt lonely. My boys were away, I was at the Art Exhibit waiting for my friends to join me and I just sat at the fountain at Nathan Philips Square people watching.  So many couples, of all ages and description, holding hands and laughing and talking.   Parents with small children on their shoulders or in their arms. All of a sudden I felt really sad. My boys are growing up and there isn't anyone to hold hands with.  It made me think about what I want for the rest of my life.

Don't worry, I'm not brooding and a good nights sleep and I was pretty much over it :)  But it was an interesting introspection.

Day 177 - 184, New Year

It's been a whirlwind two weeks - my oldest son turned 17 and my youngest  graduated from grade 8 and will be in High School in September...honestly, some days it feels like I was just 17...where do the years go?

I weighed 204.4 at my last weigh in and this reminded me that the last time I weighed this low, Liam (my now 14 yr old) was 2 years old.

It's been a long, uphill road to go downhill in weight.

The long weekend was nice, relaxing, family time and no stress.   I managed to eat really well all week up until today, but am hoping it will balance out with the rest of the week.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post (the photos) it made me smile to read each of your comments and brightened my day. It validates for me that the most important thing about this journey is persistence. I know I can't be perfect forever, but I know I can always keep going and I hope that that is what will get me to goal and keep me there.

Have any of you ever broken your toe?  The middle toe on my right foot is swollen and bruised and very sore and hurts if I put weight on my foot a certain way - running is excruciating, going up and down stairs is extremely painful. At first I thought I broke it when I stubbed it against a cart a week or so ago, but then a few days later it seemed a lot better, then yesterday it got worse again. I don't think there's anything that can be done for a broken toe except let it heal, right? Maybe tape it to the next toe to stabilize it? But it's really swollen right now so I don't even think that would be a good idea. If it's not noticeably improved by tomorrow I'll try and go by a walk in clinic just to get it checked out...but I really don't think there's any treatment. Has this happened to any of you?

I hope you had a wonderful Canada Day and Happy 4th Of July to my American friends.

Den, Iain, Liam & Enz - Liam's Grade 8 Grad.

Day 172 - 176, New Year

September 2008 250+ lbs (size 24 dress)	June 2011 209 lbs (size 14/16 dress)

Day 171, New Year

I just decided. I'm going to write another post. Ya know why?

Cause life really does NOT suck right now. The damn scale sucks. I am feeling good most of the time, eating well, exercising when I can fit it in and having fun with friends and family. Work is tolerable, it's SUMMER in the best place in the world to live (no...not Hamilton - I still consider Toronto home) and I am HAPPY. Honestly, I am happier than I have been in such a long time. There are days I forget that. Tonight I'm choosing to remember it.

My summer has gotten off to a rocking start with a 5K walk, drinks and dinner on a lovely downtown patio with a really cute and amusing guy, gorgeous 3" inch heels that I can walk in and not topple over because my stomach is throwing off my balance, cute summer dresses that show off my not - so - fat - anymore legs, a girls' night with some amazing ladies in a backyard patio, my youngest son's middle school grad is in two days and I have to tell you, that boy is so handsome in a suit, friends that call or email me every single day to tell me they love me and believe in me.

And despite the scale not loving me lately - I went shopping with a friend in Buffalo and followed her around Banana Republic and tried on an XL top and it fit comfortably. And when I see pictures of me taken in the last few weeks, I look "normal". Don't get me wrong, at 209 lbs and only 5' tall, I have about 70 lbs to lose and am still morbidly obese but I don't look HUGE standing next to normal size people....just big...does that make sense?

I am going to post pics from my son's grad later this week. I know when I put them next to the pics taken at my sister's wedding just before I started this weight loss journey, I will see the difference and realise that although I've got a long, long way to go, I've also come a long way.

After talking to my friend Tiffany, I also decided to get something special for my 50 lbs lost goal which will be in 9.2 more pounds. I will get there. I would prefer sooner rather than later...but when I do get there - I'm thinking I want something special to wear every day that will be an anchor for me to remind me. I was looking at Swarovski crystal jewellery and although a necklace was my first choice, I really want to save that for when I reach goal. So maybe stud earrings? I can wear them all the time and they are reasonably priced and beautiful and I will see them every time I brush my teeth or put on make up or do my hair and they are easy to touch when I need to "anchor" myself.

I'll revisit this thought in 9.2 lbs.

Day 165 - 171, New Year

Hey there everyone...

Yeah I'm still floating around. Nothing new to report. Weight loss is going very, very, very S...L...O...W for me right now.

In other news - I received the Clean Eating cookbook I won awhile back from Patty over at 135 x 12 and I am psyched to start using it, it has 4 weeks of clean eating menus. What I love, love, love about Clean Eating magazine is their philosphy - changing your life, one meal at a time. It's really that simple.

As I go along, I'll share some recipes.

Thank you all for hanging in with me and a huge shout out to my two main supporters who never, ever let me give up - Shelley and Tiffany. Love you guys :)

Day 154 - 164, New Year

Can anyone see the yoyo in the sidebar to the left?
Yeah, me too.

Got nothing to say today, just trying to make this work.

Did the WW 5K on Sunday with my friends Shelley, Heather and Michele, it was a beautiful morning for a walk.

More...later.

Off to catch up with y'all.

Day 153, New Year

A is for Apple, what’s your favorite variety?Royal Gala.
B: is for Bread, regardless of nutrition, calories, or whole grains what is your favorite type to have a nice big piece of?
Italian bread.
C: is for Cereal what is your favorite kind currently (just one!)Don't like cereal.
D: is for Doughnuts, you might not currently be eating them but what kind do you fancy?Krispy Kreme, creme filled.
E: is for Eggs, how would you like yours prepared?Not fond of eggs, but if I have to eat one - soft boiled.
F: is for Fat Free, what is your favorite fat free product?Fat Free Cool Whip
G: is for Groceries, where do you purchase yours at?Fortinos, Loblaws, No Frills - whichever store has the best sales that week.
H: is for Hot Beverages, what is your favorite hot drink?Hot chocolate.
I: is for Ice Cream, pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.
Chocolate with peanut butter melted on top.
J: is for Jams or Jellies, do you eat them, and if so what kind and flavor?Raspberry jam on toast.
K: is for Kashi, name your favorite Kashi product?
None ;(
L: is for Lunch, what was yours today?Wendy's Pico Snack Wrap and Baked Potato?
M: is for microwave, what is your favorite microwave meal/snack?Vitatop with sugar free hot fudge sauce
N: is for nutrients, do you like carbs, fats, or proteins best?Carbs...all the way.
O: is for oil, what kind do you like to use?Olive oil.
P: is for protein, how do you get yours?Chicken mostly.
Q: is for Quaker, how do you like your oats?In cookies.
R: is for roasting, what is your favorite thing to roast?Chicken rubbed with olive oil.
S: is for sandwich, what’s your favorite kind?Grilled vegetables.
T: is for travel, how do you handle eating while traveling?Badly..
U: is for unique, what is one of your weirdest food combos?Can't think of any.....
V: is for vitamins, what kind do you take?
C, D and E
W: is for wasabi, yay or nay?Nay.
X: is for XRAY. if we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?
Chicken quesadilla, hummus and pita chips.
Y: is for youth, what food reminds you of your childhood?Turkey Christmas dinners and apple pie.
Z: is for zucchini, how do you prepare it?Brushed with olive oil and grilled.

Day 147 - 152, New Year

Weigh in tonight was up 0.2 lbs. I have to admit, today I just don't care. I am tired and have been feeling unwell for about a week and to be honest, weight loss hasn't been foremost in my mind. I know it needs to be. The only way I ever succeed and do well is when I live, breathe, eat and sleep in weight loss mode. It sucks...but it's the truth. The second I let my guard down, for whatever reason, I start to regain.  Even though I know this in my head and I have long ago accepted I will always, for the rest of my life, have to watch what I eat - there are times that other things take over the brain space and the emotional energy required to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

So...I am feeling much better this afternoon than I have the last 4-5 days so hopefully I am on the road to recovery and can get back into 100% full tilt weight loss mode frame of mind and body. This won't work if I don't.

I am going to the Toronto Zoo on Sunday - one of my all time favourite places - so there will be lots of walking and it will be a good mental break from the rest of my life.  Funnily enough, I am not a big "animal" person...but I love the Zoo.

That's all I got tonight folks :)

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Day 139 - 146, New Year

Went and weighed in last night,  I didn't think I'd be able to make my regular weigh in, but I did. While I was waiting to weigh in - and I waited a while longer because I wanted a different receptionist from last week - I opened my WW card - not my little one - the big one they keep. Our leader always pulls them and gives them to us while we're waiting in line. So...I opened it and started running down the list of weigh ins.

Whoa.

I am bad at math, seriously I suck at it. But even I could see there were some major problems between the record and my own card (both filled out by the receptionist at weigh in).  In some places the weights recorded for the same date didn't even match each other. One week my card said I had lost 0.4, yet the record showed a loss of 2.4.

And...all the mistakes were in the same handwriting - the receptionist I saw last week. I pointed it out to my favourite receptionist and my leader last night and they were both surprised and embarassed.  They said I should ask to have the display moved if I can't see it, that I should always see it unless I chose not to.  They said I can check the record any time I like. So..I weighed in and we took yesterday's weight and subtracted it from my starting weight and just ignored the mess in the middle.  I have no idea whether I lost or gained from last week because it was so f-ed up....we're going with I lost 0.8 if I really weighed 210 last week, which we don't know for sure because the record showed 210.6.....yeah go figure.  Anyway my total loss is 26.2 lbs and I'm going to check that scale and the math every week I go from now on!

Just a quick note to those of you that are Facebook friends - I deactivated my account for a bit so please don't think I defriended you!

Day 138, New Year

I need y'all talk me down off a ledge, or maybe the observation deck of the CN Tower. Especially you Anne (CarbTripper)!!!.

I did a week of the Dukan Diet - very low carb - in fact, low fat with low carb. I ate all my points every day but didn't use any of my extra points, I didn't exercise much, and I did drink a ton of water every day.

I went to weigh in tonight. The receptionist/weigh in woman says "You gained 3lbs this week, do you know what happenened?"  Seriously, I think it took me 10 seconds to find my voice.

I told her it was impossible, she did that sneer, "Well dear, that's what the scale says". Seriously, I was ready to rip the fucking scale off the shelf. I didn't actually look at the display myself. The way it's positioned  makes it hard to see at my height, I need to look over a stack of magazines to see it and I can't while I'm standing on it.

I left and called my friend Shelley and after she listened to me recover from my not-so-mini breakdown, I indulged in retail therapy. I needed a hair straightener for my new cut and I found some really cool belts at Talize.  Then I picked up dinner - and while sitting in the drive-through line in the pouring fucking rain (did I mention it is STILL raining????), I looked at my weigh in card.

Can you see this? What the receptionist wrote down?  Last week I weighed 207.8.  She writes this week's weight as 210.  Then says I gained 3, and my total loss is 28.2.  No way of working that math makes sense...so now I'm wondering if 210 is even right because it makes no sense at all, my own scale says I lost 4 lbs and my doctors scale last night showed a loss of 3 lbs.  I know it will all work itself out next week - when I will 1. not go to that receptionist and 2. look at the scale myself. 

Day 137, New Year

You know what losing almost 30 lbs gets me?

Let me share...

3" off my waist
A1C = 0.058
Cholesterol in the normal range

Probably a bunch of other stuff...but that's good for now :)

Day 136, New Year

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."— Albert Schweitzer

 

I have nothing new or inspirational to say today, but I wanted to take a minute and give a shout out to some awesome people who encourage me when I’m down, push me when I’m lazy and love me all the time.

Melissa      you inspire by your example to always push yourself and demand the best you can be.

Shelley        your sense of humour and your unconditional friendship mean the world to me and make my days lighter.

Tiffany     your constant support and common sense keep me going every day and remind me that quitting is not an option.

Karen       your unwavering belief in my confidence and my abilities makes me believe in myself.

Andrew        you make me face the things I don’t want to face, and I am always stronger for it.

And of course,  all my friends in the Blogosphere  that I’ve met in real life or just on line who make me laugh, smile, cry and most of all...THINK and DO.

At the end of the day, individually, we have to put in the work to get to our goals. This is one goal that really isn’t a team effort – only one person has the control - but having people who understand and are supportive makes the work easier.

Thank you!

Day 135, New Year

Today is day 5 of the Dukan Diet.  You know what...the texture of chicken is really bothering me this week, maybe it's because it's not paired with crunchy vegetables or smooth potatoes or rice? I don't know,  I just had some roasted chicken breast and literally had to gag it down.  The same thing happened on Friday.  Maybe I need a break from chicken?  Although I am holding strong with the Attack Phase,  I will be so glad to see these 7 days over.

I set up my Quantum scale last night and used it this morning for the first time. I think it will be great for when I get to maintenance because then all I will care about it staying within two pounds of my goal weight. But for losing weight, I think I like seeing the number - I will use it for the week and let you know my final thoughts and then do the giveaway - so stay tuned!  The only downside that comes to mind immediately is that only one person can use it at a time because it stores the starting weight and then calculates all the other weights based on that.

Today was another uneventful day - it poured rain.  Memo to Mother Nature: WTF????  So no run. I am going to have suck it up tomorrow if it rains again - I can't keep letting Mother Nature win this game.

No plans for this coming week. Work, home...repeat x 5. I've had a busy social life the last few weeks and I think I will welcome coming home every night and just chilling.

I lost my wedding ring today. It flew off my hand when I brushed my bangs away from my face and it took me a good 5 minutes outside to find where it had rolled to (under a Tim Horton's recycling / garbage bin).  I was in an absolute panic and was overjoyed when I found it. Probably I should stop wearing it - it's clearly too big and I've been separated a year so it doesn't make sense to have it resized and keep wearing it...does it?   I'm still wearing it, I just can't seem to go through the motion of pulling it off my finger and putting it away. I even have another ring to wear in it's place that I bought last summer - it's still sitting in it's little velvet box in my dresser.  Don't get me wrong - I have no illusions, delusions, fantasies or hopes that Den and I will reconcile. I am not sure what the ring is symbolising to me at this point and why I don't want to take it off.

Day 131- 134, New Year

Day 4 of the Dukan diet. This low-carb diet from Dr. Pierre Dukan from France is the newest "diet craze" in the low carb world. I read his book and found that it is even more stringent and restrictive than Atkins, but I decided to do the Attack Phase for 7 days to break my carb-cravings.  This is the fourth day and I'm still going strong.  I am not craving sugar or sweets at all. What I do "miss" is the texture of crunchy and crispy, so today I had some pickles on my bunless hamburger to get a crunchy mouth feel.

I don't think I could do even Phase 2 of the Dukan Diet for very long, it's still very restrictive, but I know after these 7 days I'll go back to my normal way of eating and I will feel better and I'll be able to stick with it again until I push myself back into carb overload. Hopefully these episodes will get fewer and farther between. I think since I started WW back in December 2010, it's happened 4 times and the first three times I was able to get myself back on track within a few days without drastic measures - this time it was dragging into 3 weeks of carb frenzy and I knew I had to stop it...hence trying the Dukan Diet.

It is rainy and overcast in Hamilton today. I was hoping to get back into running - but really, the rain does not inspire me!! And I pulled a muscle in my shoulder yesterday that is very very painful and even the jostling from walking is sending pain down my arm.  Tomorrow it should be a lot better and maybe I can convince myself to brave the rain. 

My Quantum Scale finally arrived! I haven't set it up yet, but will do so and let you know what I think of it very soon. Thank you Charlie at Quantum Scale for getting it all sorted out eventually.

A few weeks ago I ordered a GymBoss to help me with interval running. I also need to set that up and put it into use. 

All in all, life is good right now. Boys are doing well, work is steady, friends are awesome and I feel blessed. There's just enough drama in my life to stop me from being bored but not so much that I feel overwhelmed by it all.

Day 130, New Year

All day Sunday and yesterday I had a headache that would not quit. Last night I was up all night with fever then chills then fever then...you get the idea.  I took some Tylenol and slept for 4 hours straight and when I woke up I felt semi-human. No fever, no chills and no headache.  I had to go get bloodwork done today for my endocrinologist appointment next week so I took some more Tyelonol and off I went. Bloodwork done.

Then because I'm home today and I have a lot of running around to do tomorrow night I decided I would go weigh in. I was absolutely dreading it.

Can I get a drumroll?

3.3 lbs down. Not only did I hit the 25 lbs mark, I blew past it. And I got my cute little charm for my keyring.

This is the lowest weight I've been since I started back in January of 2009.  My previous lowest was last May when I briefly hit 209.4 and stayed there for all of a week. Next goal is 36lbs lost and I need 8.4 lbs to get there.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I won a cookbook from Patty over at 135 by 12.   Thanks Patty! I'm looking forward to it. Clean Eating is my favourite magazine and I'm hoping this cookbook will give me some more new ideas.  I like their philosophy of making changes one meal at a time.

That's all I got for now folks...hope all of you have as beautiful weather as we do here in the Toronto/Hamilton area.

Day 125 - 129, New Year

I've been fighting a headache all day. I think it's a combination of lack of sleep and eating too many carbs and not eating regularly over the last three days.

My week last week was crazy busy at work and then I went out Thursday night to see Ghost Stories and to a wonderful Italian bistro in downtown Toronto (Terroni) with a friend. We had a great night and laughed so much. He drove me back to my car in Aldershot so I didn't have to wait for the train so that made it a somewhat earlier night, but getting home at 11 p.m. when the alarm goes off at 430 a.m. is still late!! Although the food was delicious that night, it was a lot of processed meat and white pasta and not much protein and fresh vegetables.

Saturday I was up bright and early to go to Buffalo with two other friends and since neither of them drive, that was also a long day - which saw me driving her back to Toronto and then back home arriving home around midnight. A late phone call that I didn't want to deal with, made my night even later...so I ended up sleeping late Sunday morning which totally threw me off my game and left me with a splitting headache. Saturday's meals consisted of eating out all day. And Sunday I just grazed on whatever took my fancy. Today was not much better, but I did make a pot of homemade stew for supper and finally had some meat and vegetables!

I'm rambling, I know.

I downloaded The Dukan Diet for my iPhone. It's basically a low-carb diet and I know that low-carb (as in processed carbs) is the best for my body and my weight loss and when I lose sight of that and start letting processed carbs creep back in - I  not only feel like crap, but my skin looks dry and I get headaches.  I'm going to do the Attack Phase for 7 days to detox from the crappy carbs and then go back to "my" normal eating plan which is very limited processed carbs and lots of non-starchy vegetables and 2 pieces of fruit a day. I don't think I can sustain no pasta, rice, bread, sugar forever, but I can certainly do it for 7 days to get myself back on track.

Weigh in on Wednesday night and I have no idea what to expect. I have found myself obsessing over reaching the 25lb mark which is so dumb because from my all time high weight I am now at almost 40lbs but since joining WW in December, I've been fighting this number for the last month and want to win!  I have to keep reminding myself it's not about a number - its about how I feel, look and how healthy I am.

Day 122 - 124, New Year

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."
~ Aristotle

Keep going, keep making good choices, keep exercising. It will work.  This is my mantra this week.

1.4 lbs down for a total of 24.3 lbs. This week was better than the last; I tracked, I ate well, I did 30 min or more of some kind of activity 5/7 days.  Eventually, the scale has to catch up.

Speaking of - I haven't heard anything else about my Quantum Scale. And if I do get mine, I am a little concerned about doing a giveaway and am worried the lucky winner won't actually be lucking in receiving it.  I'll keep you posted.

Day 121, New Year

A completely unproductive weekend. I had plans to do so much "stuff" and ended up doing the absolute bare minimum.  But you know what? It was nice to just do nothing, to have no real plans, to just go with the flow and chill for a day or two.

Of course, reality will set in tomorrow night when I have to do laundry and clean the bathroom...but for tonight - that stuff can wait.

I had fully planned to get back into C25K tonight but it started raining around 4 p.m. and was even freezing rain for a bit...and although I did three days last week in the rain and wind - I am just not up to it tonight.

I had a nice visit with my friend Shelley at Starbucks and we laughed - well she laughed at me and a situation that I've put myself into - a lot. I find I am laughing more and more these days and that's a good thing right?

Eating wise, this weekend has been right on track and I'm all set for the week ahead. Hopefully Wednesday will see me kicking those 1.5 pounds to the curb...and with any luck, just a little more. We'll see. One day at a time, right?

Day 119 - 120, New Year

It is a beautiful Saturday in my little neighbourhood....it's about time after the all the rain and high winds we had all week.

Last night I went with some friends to see Calendar Girls at the The Royal Alexandra Theatre in downtown Toronto. The show was amazing...starring one of my all-time favourite Canadian actors, Fiona Reid.  We were in the Orchestra section, tenth row, centre. The cast was talented and the story was bittersweet, we laughed and cried.

Before the show we had dinner at Fred's Not Here on King Street in the theatre district.  Take my word for it, there is nothing point friendly on their menu!!! I had the Jump-up Spicy Vegetable Soup, 6-hour oven Slow Roasted Alberta “high river” region certified angus beef brisket w/ grilled portobello spinach risotto and the dark chocolate banana cake. Aside from being the most expensive meal I have had in a very long time, it was also one of the most delicious. The brisket melted in my mouth and the risotto was perfect.  I could have eaten a huge bowl of the soup and been happy. It was spicy and flavourful but not so hot that all you can taste is the heat. The banana cake was a very small portion, 3 very small bites, but it was so rich that it was just the right amount.

It was a difficult meal to "count" so I just allocated all of my weekly points (49) to it and will stick to my daily points for each day the rest of the week. This won't be a problem, I've done it many times and I also have activity points if I really need them.

I had planned yesterday to be a rest day from exercise but I ended up walking from the Eaton Centre at Yonge/Dundas to the Royal Alex which was about half an hour. Not a big deal except I was wearing very flimsy, non supportive galdiator sandals and today my feet are very, very sore. I had planned to redo Week 2 of C25K starting today but my feet were just too sore so I ended up walking to the Wentworth Stairs with my son's girlfriend and we did the stairs then walked back.

Still have a ton of housework and laundry to do. Just a normal weekend around here :) How's yours going?

Day 118, New Year

I struggled today. This was the last run of Week 2, but I am definitely redoing the week before I go to Week 3. Week 3 has 3 minutes straight of running. Not ready yet, the 90 seconds is a still a challenge, it's not as hard as it was the first time, but its not easy yet.

Funnily enough, even though I felt like I struggled today, I improved my speed for running by almost 2 min per mile over yesterday. My walking pace stayed the same. After the warm up walk, I don't push myself in the walk and try to focus on putting more energy into the running intervals and use the walking intervals for recovery.

When I was running into the wind and it was hard and I wanted to stop, I kept picturing 400 lb people on treadmills on Biggest Loser and told myself that if they could do that, I could certainly run for 90 seconds at my own pace.  And so I did.

It was very windy on our little mountain tonight and normally I pass lots of diehard runners, tonight it was just me out there.

I had a stellar eating day and feel firmly back in control of that now too. I went out for lunch and had a salad with grilled chicken and it was delicious.Restaurant meals are usually triggers for me, not to overeat, but to make unhealthy choices. I'm glad I did well today.

Tomorrow night I am eating dinner out - will make another good choice - and going to see Calendar Girls so it will be a rest day for exercise because I won't be home til really late but I will pick up C25K on Saturday.

Hope your day was wonderful!

Day 117, New Year

Week 2, Day 2 of C25K. I know the counter says its Day 3, but it got screwed up yesterday when the program turned off, so I have one more day of Week 2.

While I'm on the subject of C25K, there is a huge jump from Week 2 to Week 3. It goes from running 90 seconds to 3 minutes!! Seriously????? 

I also think the GPS on the C25K program cuts in and out because when I do the same route using my Nike+ it is more like 1.8 miles. It doesn't really matter as long as I can keep running longer and longer.

Ok..weigh in. Up 1.5 lbs which I was fully expecting. It's not "OK" though and I am determined to hit my 25lbs next week, that means losing 2.1lbs this week. It's not impossible. I've done it in other weeks and now I have added more activity so...it's doable. I did get my clapping hands charm for 16 weeks tonight though so thats my first charm to add to my shiny keyring.

I got a coupon for a free week of Curves and I'm going to give it a shot just for something different, when I checked them out a few years ago I thought they were very expensive considering what they offered, the hours they are open and that there are no shower facilities! But for free, I'm willing to give it a second look. Any of you go there regularly?

Day 116, New Year

Another rainy, cold day in the GTA folks. Ugh!!!

Went out tonight and did the Week 1 rep of C25K.  I got to the seventh running interval and my iPhone stopped  and when I restarted it, the C25K program was back at the beginning so I had to guesstimate the last walk/run and cool down walk.


I am tired tonight folks. I don't seem to be sleeping well since I came home last Friday and I didn't sleep well last week when I was away...and 430 seems impossible this week after a week of not getting up at 430.

Biggest Loser tonight, I missed last week so I'm looking forward to catching up.

Be back tomorrow with weigh in results....you might not want to stop by - I am promising nothing spectacular. That's exactly what I'm promising.

Day 115, New Year

Week 2, Day 1 of Couch to 5K. It was pouring rain, cold and very windy.  Determination or stupidity?

That was rhetorical..no need to respond.

Funnily enough – I got a response from Quantum Scale today saying my scale will be send early next week. Coincidence or web crawlers you think?

Day 104 - 114, New Year

Reset.
Reset.
Reset.


Ugh! I spent the last week away from home. Me and non-routine and weight loss = epic fail.

I ate out way too much over the last week and although I did my best to control portion sizes and kinds of foods...it was still way over what I would eat normally.

On the plus side I did go to the gym/pool every day, which is more than I would have done while I was at home.  I did miss my weigh in for the week though so I'll be back to my regular weigh in on Wednesday and hoping I was able to contain the damage, if not.....it's a just a moment in time and next weigh in will be better.

Eating crappy food makes me feel crappy. Yeah, I knew this already...but this week was a slap in the face reminder.

I'm home now and hitting reset.  This week will rock.

A few weeks ago I received an email from Susan at Quantum Scale to do a review and give away. I was told my scale would be received in a few days, I could review it then host my giveaway. To date, my scale hasn't arrived, despite several follow up emails and being told it was sent and that I would receive a tracking number. I'm really disappointed as I was looking forward to doing the giveaway and also having the scale.....I know some of other bloggers got their's without a hitch so that makes me even more disappointed.  If anyone has a contact other than Susan - would you shoot me the contact info? Maybe I can follow up that way.

Happy Easter and Passover.

Day 103, New Year

Today's post is brought to you by the letters: W T  and F and the ever useful ?

Weight Watchers weigh in was a loss of 0.4 lbs.

Seriously, that's all I can say about that without delving into the use of many non-alphabetic characters on my keyboard.

Went out at lunch today for a walk:

Day 102, New Year

Couch to 5K…continues. How come it measures in miles when it’s called Couch to 5K???? I cannot find the option to switch to km.

Day 101, New Year

I worked for the provincial government for 10 years, ending in 1998 and am now working for a company that although not really government, is governed by the City of Toronto and parts of the Ontario government. I am so bad at office politics. I have zero, zip, nada, zilch patience for the games that go on in bureaucracy. It is making for stressful work life right now, I had forgotten how bad it was when I was with GO and had hoped that with my own maturity and life experience it wouldn’t bother me so much returning to that environment…but it does.

Thankfully with Spring now upon us I’m able to get out of the office at lunch and enjoy the sunshine and have some time to think about something other than work. Today was a beautiful, beautiful day.

Today I walked 2.72 km at lunch and am feeling pretty tired…so it will be an early night for me tonight.

I’m planning to do Week 1, Day 2 of C25K tomorrow night and then enjoying The Biggest Loser.

I’ll be back on Wednesday with my weigh in results. I’m hoping for a new charm to add to my key ring :)

Day 100, New Year

Up	Down

 

Wentworth: The original wooden steps built in 1903 consisted of 6” to 7 ¼” risers. The stringers rested on cedar posts sunk 4-7’ in the ground. The original staircase had 570 steps. After a rock slide in March 1983 they were replaced with metal steps just east of the position of the original steps and now follow the path of the old East End Incline Railway. They have 498 steps.

That’s what I did today! It’s about a 6 min walk from my apartment building to the top of the stairs..then it’s straight down. Down was not too bad…as long as I didn’t look down or to either side of me and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.  But when people ran past me and the stairs shook, I did feel a little dizzy so I just went slower until they were well past me. 

Coming up…well I did stop a few times but I had to go back up, it was the quickest way back home! At the top my legs were like jello, I thought for sure I had left them back on the stairs. I rested for 3 minutes then started walking home and once I started walking, the jelliness disappeared.

Someone numbered the steps with a sharpie and there are actually 500 steps..that’s 500 all the way down and 500 all the way back up. And I did it!!!

Between yesterday and today, I should sleep well tonight.

Day 97 - 99, New Year

I did it.

Again.

Week 1, Day 1 of Couch to 5K. Inspired by my friends Melissa and Kat and encouraged by Tiffany, I thought it was worth another shot. Last year I made it to the end of Week 3 before my knees and hip hurt too much.

I ran outside, on asphalt for the most part, and in daylight!!!

And look what song I ended on...hahaha. That's me when it comes to running :)

Day 94 - 96, New Year

A loss of 1.3 lbs tonight to bring me to 24 lbs. I needed 23 to get this shiny trinket.

Next goal 25 lbs...I know it doesn't sound challenging, but WW will give me a shiny 25 charm to add to my keyring...so it's my next goal.

WW and the Running Room are hosting a 5km walk on June 12th. I'm signing up (and not JUST for the shiny 5km charm I'll get for completing it).

Day 90 - 93, New Year

I've had a productive weekend.

• Got an oil change and found my car needs a relatively costly repair.
• Cleaned the apartment.
• Went for two walks.
• Spent some time with a good friend.
• Watched two movies.
• Made this carrot soup - seriously the BEST carrot soup I've ever tasted, which is a good thing because this recipe makes a lot so I'll be eating it all week for lunch.

My head doesn't seem to be in the weight loss game the last few days, I'm going through the motions though and hope that counts for something and hope that sometime in the next day or so my thoughts will match my actions. 

I'm hoping Spring sticks around and I can go outside for walks on my lunch. There's a handy 2 km loop around my office building that is perfect to fit in some exercise and to clear my head mid-day.

Other than that, I'm hanging in - one day at a time.

Day 84 - 89, New Year

It has been one hell of a week.  Lots of roller coasters.

I didn't have a stellar week eating since last Wednesday. I was away for a few days and that meant restaurant meals, although I made pretty good choices, there's no way to really control the sodium or the hidden fats in seemingly innocent foods.  Actually, Applebee's in the US has a Weight Watchers menu and I ordered Paradise Salad, including dressing it was 9 points, since I never eat salad dressing, I know I over tracked that meal.  IHOP has a Slim and Fit menu with items under 400 calories and I ordered from that for breakfast the next day...but there was a lot more carbs than I would normally eat over the last week. Once I start the carb slide, it's a quick ride down to an all carb free for all.  This week was kinda like that, I did go over my total points by 5 for the week but I never count my activity points.....argh...somehow it all balanced out to a loss of 2.5 lbs this week.

That is 0.3 lbs away from 10%. Yeah, I know I'll get it next week...but damn....so close!!!

Total is 22.7 lbs, average is 1.75 lbs a week...still a great average, I think.

Plan for the week ahead is to count my activity points - just to see ;) and also to end the carb overload and get back to more balanced eating.

Day 76 - 83, New Year

That's my twelve week graph from Weight Watchers. The 10% line at 225lbs is from when I lost my first 10% from my highest weight of 250.  I didn't delete the old data. My new 10% line from my restart in December, 2010 is 212.  2.8 lbs to go as of today. This week I lost 1.1 lbs for a total of 20.2 lbs in 12 weeks.

This feels like it's been a long, long week. Yesterday was another monster snowstorm that made my commute horrendously long, but thankfully, I made it home safely, unlike many of the cars I saw spin out or flipped over. It was very scary.

Yesterday my right eye started hurting and watering. It was swollen and bloodshot within an hour and I could barely get my contact out. When I finally did, it did alleviate some of the pain but not all of it. This morning it was still swollen, bloodshot and very sore. Turns out I scratched the retina somehow. Thankfully, this is apparently very common and heals quickly on it's own in most cases. The only downside for me is having to wear glasses for 5- 7 days..UGH..it's only been one day and I already miss my contacts.

Hope you are all having an awesome week :)

Day 72 - 75, New Year

It has been a really crappy day. One of the worst days I've had in a very long time. I am both emotionally and physically tired tonight.

The topper to my crappy day was my weigh in. I gained 0.8 lb.  So now I am at 19.1 lbs lost and 3.9 to my 10%.

I am disappointed.  I am not devastated.  I don't know why I gained. I stayed within my points again this week. I did the same amount of physical activity. If I look over my tracker,  I can't see that my meals were wildly different from previous weeks. It's just one of those things. Could I have had a better week, eating and exercising? Sure. It's always possible to do better.

This weight loss is going to be my last time. It is going to take as long as it takes. I am not backing down or giving up. I am pushing forward and downward. Are you with me?