Feb 29, 2012

Leap Day

  Goal Actual
Calories 1540 1185
WW Points Plus 26-29 26
Carbs (net) <50 54
Fluids/Water 120 oz 136 oz

 

Spring Chick Check In

Nothing to new to report, still going along, walking, trying to eat right, trying to keep carbs low, trying to get enough sleep, trying to be a good mom, friend, sister, employee, daughter – sometimes there’s not enough hours in a day to be all of them to all people, is there?

Love having a buddy!

Feb 28, 2012

A Good Day Feels Good

EAYGWC – Day 2 – SUCCESS

image

Feb 28 – EAYGWC – Day 2

  Goal Actual
Calories 1540 1210
WW Points Plus 26-29 27
Carbs (net) <50 66
Fluids/Water 120 oz 128 oz

A much more typical week day for me. Monday to Friday when I’m working, I tend to have a protein shake for breakfast because I get up so early and my endocrinologist has instilled in me that I should eat something within an hour of getting up.  I just can’t stomach food so early in the morning or so soon after waking, and I don’t want to get up earlier to take time to eat something either. So I make the shake the night before and normally drink it on the way to the train station.  My carbs were a bit high as I had three servings (1/2 cup each) of fruit compared to 0 or 1 for the past few weeks so I need to make sure rising carbs don’t become a habit again, the Thai chili sauce also is high in sugar. The good thing since I started counting carbs though, is that I actually measure out fruit. It is 0 points on WW - that doesn’t mean unlimited, all you can eat – so there was no real difference if I had 1/2  cup of strawberries or a whole cup to my points at the end of the day but the carbs add up quickly so measuring is definitely important for me when it comes to fruit.

Reducing the carbs so drastically has definitely cut down on the “hungries”. I did have an attack of the sugar monster the other night which resulted in eating a box of Junior Mints (they are truly my weakness and after that box I have decided I can’t keep them in the apartment or my desk), but that was mostly related to PMS and I am confident that as time goes by on a low carb diet, even those attacks will diminish. Although they were empty calories (albeit delicious) they did fit into my calorie budget  and because I did stop at the one box of Junior Mints and not use it as an excuse to go into a sugar frenzy – it also didn’t snowball into hours or days of sugar cravings as has happened in the past.

We had a little bit of the roast left from Sunday so I made a hearty soup for the boys with some fresh crusty bread and I had some beef stir fried with  broccoli and red onions used 1 tbsp of Thai chili sauce (really high in sugar, hence the tiny bit) to spice it up a bit. I always said I would never cook two sets of meals, but really when the base of the meals is the same, just prepared differently, it’s not so hard. I’m in the kitchen anyway, I’m already chopping the same vegetables for the soup (I added potatoes and carrots to the soup) – it’s not that hard to throw mine in a skillet and stir fry while the soup simmers.

I’m "downwardtrenz” on My Fitness Pal if anyone wants to be friends.

Exercise

Fibre 1 Chill Challenge tomorrow night. Although I did register, it starts at 6 p.m. and the train schedules have been whacky because of a rail disaster on my train line so I am not sure I can make it there by 6 p.m. but I’m going to try.  I want the toque to match my running shell and it’s 20 minutes of good exercise – I’ll most likely run and will wear my heart rate monitor and Garmin so I can have a calorie burn reading to put into My Fitness Pal.

Running Room Clinic starts next Friday and I am getting more and more excited about it as the day comes closer. Leigh and I are going to be running rock stars. It will also help me train for the Round the Bay 5k at the end of March.

A look at progress

image image
250 + lbs
New Years 2009
202 lbs
Feb 2012

Other Randomness

Thanks for all your input on the heart rate monitor, BodyMedia, BodyBugg and FitBit. I’m definitely leaning towards a FitBit especially since I found out it syncs with My Fitness Pal.

Feb 27, 2012

Eat at Your Goal Weight Challenge (EAYGWC) - Day One Epic Fail

Feb 27 2012 - Day 1 EAYGWC


Today is day one and I logged all my eats in My Fitness Pal.


Rules of the challenge for me:
1540 calories per day based on my goal weight of 140 - logged into My Fitness Pal account
120 ounces of water

My final reason for joining was that it's for 4 months and if nothing else, it will keep me focused on tracking and logging my food for that amount of time and being mindful of how much I'm eating as well as keep me focused on my carb intake.

The prize is kinda nifty too and that would be icing on the cake - I mean peanut butter on the celery stick ;)

In true, nothing ever goes to plan in Enz's world fashion,  today is an odd eating day for me and not at all typical - which if you could see my MFP account, you would see - I decided to take a vacation day to take care of a bunch of personal stuff that's been sitting on my To Do list for a few weeks.

First thing, I had to go get fasting bloodwork done. The last time I fasted for a medical test, I was extremely ill all day. Guess what? Same thing happened today. So although I did log what I ate, let's just say it didn't stay with me.

I finished the rest of my stuff - car stuff, Costco run, laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, sorting my closet and some books and then had a 2 hour nap.

Thankfully the boys were happy with leftovers from last night for dinner so I didn't have to face cooking.

I'm just having a cup of tea, going to make the boys' lunches and then going to bed early. I do not want this to turn into a GERD attack lasting a week again like last time and I'm not going to force myself to eat again today.

So of the 1540 calories I am allowed, I logged 531 calories. Not usual and not a good way to start a new challenge - but I'm sure the rest of the week will be normal. Normal for me Mon-Fri is about 1200 calories and a bit higher on the weekends as thats when I tend to use my Weekly WW points. Oh yes, still counting points as well and being mindful of carbs. It's not as complicated as it sounds.

I got in about  100 oz of fluids and I'm calling it done for today. See this is why I don't like challenges like this, I start to feel like I need to defend myself or make excuses and I don't - no one is making me feel that way but me! Anyway - like I said, not a good day - onward and downward tomorrow.


Feb 26, 2012

Sunday Ramblings

I had a really quiet weekend which was nice. I had housework to do, some reading I wanted to catch up on, grocery shopping and food prep for the week and a visit with Leigh and her adorable little guy.

I decided to not join this challenge after thinking about it for a few days. I'm already following WW, counting points and now trying to find the right carb level where I can lose weight but still sustain for the rest of my life. I felt it was just too much to then add counting calories to that. I have no doubt the plan itself works and I am looking forward to being the Challengers' biggest cheerleader and having some new successful blogs to follow.

I am looking forward to March! Leigh and I will have Running Room Clinic - Learn to Run three times a week and Gentle Yoga once a week and I'm trying to see if I can still fit swimming lessons in there somewhere.  I am determined that 2012 is the year I learn to swim!

Tonight's dinner was a sirloin beef roast done in the crockpot with steamed cabbage and gravy. There was also steamed carrots and mashed potatoes for the boys; a very traditional Sunday dinner.

I have everything prepped to take to work tomorrow so I can stay on target and the weather is supposed to be really nice - 7 C in the GTA - so my lunchtime walk will be quite enjoyable. I work in an area where there are a lot of buildings. That means my walk is mostly in a wind tunnel and it gets quite blustery and cold in the Winter, so hopefully that will be non existent tomorrow.

Question: If I wear my Garmin heart monitor while walking or running, is that an accurate calorie burn for that exercise? I know nothing is exact, but what do you think? I'm toying with the idea of getting a Fitbit because I just love data :) I know some of my readers have one, KatieJ, Melissa....do you love it...or what?

I hope you all have an awesome - SUCCESSFUL - week :)

Feb 25, 2012

Spring Chick Challenge–Week 8 Review

 

image  
Start – Week 1 213.8
Week 2 213.4
Week 3 210.3
Week 4 210.3
Week 5 206.8
Week 6 204.3
Week 7 No weigh in
Week 8 202.3
Total Loss 11.5

 

I weighed in for a 2lb loss this morning, so that’s 2lbs over 2 weeks. Not great, but still going in the right direction.

Here’s a recap of my goals from the start of the challenge: 

Goal: Run 5K twice a week (outside or treadmill)

Not happening yet and I think this may have been too lofty. I will start running regularly again as of March 9.

 Goal: Track and stay within WWP+ every day/week (27 per day + 49 per week)

Yes!!!! To be honest this one was easy as I’ve been doing it so long. I’m now down to 26 points per day and I think since the challenge started, I went over my total points on one day.

Goal: Run 2x a week either inside or treadmill. Do some kind of workout 5x a week

No running to speak of, but I have been walking every day

Goal: My check in day will be Wednesdays as that’s my WW Weigh-In day. I’ll blog at least 4x a week about progress and life in general.

I’m averaging about 3x a week but always do my weekly update!

Goal: Following a whole bunch people doing the challenge.

I’m following about half the challengers and I try to comment at least once a week on each of their blogs.  I also have Cowgirl Warrior as my motivation buddy and it’s great checking in with her just about every day.

I’ve been doing well with eating, not exactly following the metabolic diet but going in and out of Phase 1 and 2 and keeping track of carbs. I’ve noticed that I have cut way back on fruit as well as the starchy/high carb vegetables and also am drinking a whole lot more water than I was before.

Goals for Week 9:

  • Keep walking
  • Keep eating the way I’m eating now
  • Keep tracking
  • Keep in touch with my buddy

Feb 23, 2012

Just Thursday

Tonight’s dinner was pork schnitzel – cooked in the oven, steamed green beans with a bacon cream sauce and there was rice and corn for the boys as well.  I made the cream sauce using evaporated skim milk, garlic cloves and cornstarch and stirred in very crispy bacon bits. It was really, really good. The schnitzel was lightly breaded but it was so light that I’m not worried about it and I counted the carbs for it.  I could have done a plain pork chop for myself but I didn’t feel like opening another package of meat to take out one chop.  I’ve been keeping my carbs between 25-50 grams and most times they are under 35, the odd day it goes a bit higher.

I’m experimenting with what the right level is for me. I’ve tried to do as much reading as I can on low carb diets/lifestyles and they all seem to say the thing for a quick weight loss is maximum 25 g but that should only be for a few weeks then I find varying info from under 50 g to 50-100g for ongoing weight loss. It’s not difficult to stay under 50 so I think if I can keep losing at that level and get my head around the fact that this is not a temporary thing, I have to eat this way forever – I think I can do it!  Most of the reading I’ve done says that 150g or more is not recommended for weight loss and definitely not for anyone with any kind of metabolic disorder.

The trick for me has been to make sure that I eat enough at each meal so I don’t get low blood sugar because if I do, all bets are off, and I start to crave any kind of carb that will quickly turn to sugar and make me feel better.  The other part is to find ways to still have meals I enjoy and are not repetitive. Like I said, I’m not at the “food for fuel” stage yet and I don’t want to get bored eating the same things every day and then go crazy because I want pasta – dammit! 

I bought yam noodles today too at Loblaws. Never tried them, but read about them on someone’s blog – wish I could remember whose – and I’ll try those one night this week to see if I like them. Have any of you ever tried them?  Recommendations?

I have not talked about exercise in a long time. I’ve been walking 30-45 min every day either at lunch or when I get home in the evening but I have not been running or doing anything else. My gym membership expires tomorrow and I have no desire or inclination to renew it. I am getting more and more interested in cross fit from hearing about through Guenther, illiterate and CarbTripper but I am very intimidated at the thought of trying it and I can guarantee I won’t go by myself while I feel that way. The good news is that our weather is staying mild and in a few weeks it should be lighter longer and I can run at the park near my apartment after work again and Leigh and I start our Running Room Clinic on March 9. I am really excited about starting to run regularly again and I think I will do better with a group than on my own – I did so much better when I ran with Guenther regularly.

The Spring Chick Challenge is really keeping me focused on my goals and it surprises me because I normally hate challenges!  But whatever works, right?

While I’m on that, I just want to give Stormy a big shout out for all the work she has put into this challenge, her encouragement, her mini challenges and her organization at keeping us all on track. Thanks Stormy!

I’m flirting with the idea of taking up this challenge too…but am a bit scared….I have a couple of days to think about it before I make up my mind. The theory itself is one I believe in, I know a lot of people have lost weight following it, I just need to be sure I want to and can commit to it.  I’m tracking my calories for the next few days (before I let Allan know I want in) so I can see how close I am to my calorie allotment right now (1540 for me , goal weight is 140) because I do not want to set myself up for failure or take on something I can’t stick to.

Yeah, I get it’s a challenge and it’s not supposed to be easy – but at the same time – I don’t need to add more stress to this process.

Feb 22, 2012

Another day, another dinner.

Another day of eating well and not being sick. Yes!!!  

There must be a bad bug going around though because now my youngest son, Liam, is sick with it and some friends of mine were sick over the weekend as well. ‘Tis the season for flu?

I got a good night’s rest last night and the world seemed like a much nicer place this morning except for the political situation with Toronto’s mayor (and I am actually embarrassed to call myself a Toronto girl today), today was a good day.

I still had some zucchini left in the fridge that had to be used so I made zucchini lasagne for dinner tonight. Basically I used my mandolin to slice zucchini really thin and used it in place of the pasta noodles. I used extra lean ground beef, crushed tomatoes and low fat cheese and all my normal Italian seasonings (oregano, basil, garlic, green onion and green pepper) and it was delicious. I made regular lasagne for the boys.  This meal isn’t Phase 1 of the diet I’m following but it does fall nicely into Phase 2 (because of the tomatoes) so I’m still happy with it.  I put leftovers in the freezer for the weekend when the boys are away and I hate cooking for one.

My scale showed a drop this morning from my “sick weight” so I’m hoping it will all be gone by Saturday. This is the week I would normally have a small gain or stay the same so I’m not stressing over weigh in too much. I try to look at my weight loss as an average over 4 weeks rather than a week to week thing – it helps keep me sane!

I’ve tried to do low carb many times over the years but I don’t think I ever actually embraced it rather than fought it before. This time I am not making it so strict that I can’t stick to it, and I’m being flexible with Phase 1 and 2 rather than all or nothing and I’m looking for opportunities to make changes rather than seeing it as a short term goal.  This is my fourth week – I’ve never stuck to it more than 7 days before – although I did have some bread and chicken noodle soup while I had the stomach bug, it didn’t derail me or set off any carb cravings so I think this is a good sign. It’s not so much moderation as it is having really rigid guidelines. I know I will never tame the sugar monster so it’s easier to just say no than to have one taste and stop.  And having sugar almost always triggers the “I want more sugar” craving so it’s stupid to keep starting the cycle over and over. I am not saying I will never have sugar, or pasta or bread again – but I think for the first time, I’m accepting how bad they really are (for me) and realizing that moderation will not work in my case.

I’m just going with and taking it one day at a time. 

Feb 21, 2012

Pancake Tuesday

Today I got back on track, eating three meals and one snack. My stomach had a few iffy moments, but everything stayed down…so this is a good thing!

I’m following the metabolic diet I mentioned a few weeks ago and also counting net carbs just to get an idea of where I’m sitting. This week I am keeping track of WW points as well, to make sure my gain last week wasn’t from overeating the previous week – you never know til you check it out, right? 

It seems a bit convoluted  but I'm a data girl so it makes sense to me. The "what to eat part" is easy enough except I struggle with eating animal protein of any kind and I can only eat so many egg whites!  Really it’s all just changing habits and cutting out those foods that are not good for me. I know that processed carbs and even some of the healthy carbs aren’t good for me. Eventually, they’ll kill me or do irreparable damage so I need to fix this now while I’m healthy enough to do so.

Today is Pancake Day and Pancake Days of years gone by included incredibly fluffy and huge pancakes smothered with maple syrup, whip cream and strawberries (to make them healthier….you know!).  My boys actually don’t like pancakes but I still wanted some so I made up my own recipe. They came out pretty good! Topped with just one sliced strawberry  and some sugar free syrup and a side of peameal bacon – this was a great meal that fit into my plan and is low in carbs. The recipe makes four small  pancakes, about 2-3 inches across.

I really have to learn to look at food differently – as fuel so I can live a long life, so I can exercise better, so I can feel better. These pancakes are good fuel – full of protein, some healthy carbs and a reasonable portion size.

This is a big change in mindset and it’s going to take some time, but it is a change that I need to make.

Recipe

2 egg whites
¼ cup wheat bran
¼ cup non fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup shredded zucchini (squeeze to remove water)
1/8 tsp baking powder
juice of half a lemon and zest

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites. Stir in yogurt.
In separate bowl, mix wheat bran and baking powder.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
Stir in zucchini.
Stir in lemon juice and zest.
 
Heat a non stick skillet until very, very hot and drop mixture using a large tablespoon.
Cook until lightly browned on each side.

Feb 20, 2012

Sick of Being Sick

Since September, there has been SOMETHING wrong with me. I seem to go a few days, a week maybe and then something else happens!

I am sick of it. And I'm mad that everytime I get two steps ahead something happens that puts me one (or three) steps back.

I'm tired of writing about something being wrong.

Most of these things were out of my control and not all of them are related to being obese - believe it or not, not every illness/injury is a direct cause of being obese!

Today I managed to eat some soup and toast again and have it stay down. Tomorrow I'm going to go back to my metabolic diet and hope all is well and I can start eating three meals again and taking all my meds and hopefully losing weight again. 

My scale is showing a 4lb gain since last week (using my WW weight)  - it's a pound or two heavier than the WW scale, I can never remember exactly how much since I try not to weigh at home too often else I get scale-obsession.  Considering I've eaten very little, and for two days most of it didn't even stay down - it's very annoying and frustrating. Hopefully by the time I weigh in officially at WW next week, I will have at least lost these pounds.

So..all I can do is keep on, keepin' on. I'm not giving up.

Feb 19, 2012

Spring Chick Challenge–Week 7 Recap

I really feel like Week 7 was a waste of a week in weight loss land.

I was doing well following my metabolic diet up until Tuesday night. Then Wednesday morning I had to go for some upper G.I. tests, which meant fasting and then drinking that awful barium chalky drink.

From then, the entire week went downhill and I am hoping the slide ends today. First, after I left the clinic I knew I had to eat, I was shaky, sweaty, dizzy – all signs of low blood sugar – so I went to Tim’s and got a breakfast sandwich. Still determined to follow my diet as close as possible but knowing I needed carbs quickly, I took off half the English muffin and ate the bottom half, the egg and the ham (didn’t get the cheese). I drank my tea and within 15 minutes I felt better. I got on the subway and two stops later had to get off because I knew I was going to throw up.

Thankfully I know Union Station like the back of my hand so I was able to sprint to the washrooms.

The day and the week just kept getting worse from then. I don’t know if I was sick because of GERD, the barium swallow, low blood sugar or some other random configuration – but it lasted all day. The nausea, the shaking, the fever/chills. That night I was so tired I went to bed early.

The next day I decided to go easy on my stomach and just eat some toast and chamomille tea and forget about the metabolic diet for a day until my stomach could stomach real food. I made it til lunch time and then it hit again.

Friday was the same. I did go out for dinner with some friends on Friday night but it was more for the company and because I had cancelled a few weeks ago and didn’t want to again. I did order food but picked at it and only ate some toast and coffee.

Saturday I pretty much stayed in bed until 3 p.m. and when I got up I made some homemade chicken soup for me and Liam and had a piece of rye toast. There were a few iffy moments where I didn’t think it was going to stay down…but so far so good.

I didn’t get to WW yesterday as they close at noon. My scale yesterday afternoon showed an increase that isn’t possible by any laws of physics, so I’m hoping its a combination of being ill and not eating properly for 4 days and extra sodium.

This morning I am feeling more human. No fever, no chills and no stomach problems. So I’ll eat lightly today and hopefully tomorrow can try eating properly again and lose these pounds that shouldn’t really be there.

Like I said, Week 7 – no progress – a complete waste in the weight loss world. Let’s hope Week 8 is a bit more productive.

Feb 12, 2012

Spring Chick Challenge–Week 6 Recap

downwardtrenzheader-1 Weigh in this week – 204.3 which is 2.5 down. Total down for the challenge is 9.5.
image My eye continues to heal. Some days are better than others, but overall, it’s getting better and better.
image My new way of eating this week was following a metabolic diet which is very low carb. Although I’ve been low-processed-carbs for several years, I realised I was still eating too many natural carbs – fruit, brown rice, oatmeal, root vegetables and decided to try something different. My biggest challenge was replacing the carb calories with protein calories so I wouldn’t be hungry. For a non-carnivore, this was hard…but I’m getting there! The  diet is very close to Atkins Phase 1.

I’ll write more about it  and how I”m making it work for me, in a separate post.
i-love-running That’s my joke for the day!

The weather is not cooperating with me and I am not cooperating with myself by pushing myself to the treadmill.

Between my eye and the “just not feeling like it” mood this week, exercise was non existent.

This is a good tip – I’ve been doing this for years, it also makes you very conscious of when you go for seconds so you have a better idea of how much you’re actually eating. So I’ll keep doing this!

My goals for this week are pretty much the same:

  • Stick to the metabolic diet for another week before going to Phase 2
  • Exercise
  • Water, water, water, water
  • Check in with my SCC buddy once a day
  • Read blogs and be supportive

I had all kinds of plans for today but woke up with a sinus cold and was coughing most of the night so I cancelled everything in favour of sleeping in, which did help a little. I am going to go back to bed for a few hours before my eldest son comes home and I have to start the food/work/school prep stuff for the week ahead. I swear the clocks from Friday night to Sunday night go at double time…do you ever feel that way?

I need to review my goals from the beginning of the challenge and see where I am at half way point – but not today.

Feb 11, 2012

Snowy Saturday

Winter has hit the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) full force today. I had to clear about 3 inches of snow off my car before I could leave to go to WW this morning. I'm only 5 feet tall which means I can't reach to the middle of my windshields without leaning right across my car - I was frozen and feeling very snowmanish by the time I was done.

The weigh in was good. I was down 2.5 lbs. The receptionist said I lost 3.5 and I was thrilled to bits, but when I got to my car and did the math, it's actually only 2.5 which brings my weight to 204.3. Closer and closer to Onederland. I was really disappointed at first but the wonderful Tiffany reminded me that 2.5 is an excellent loss. I also reminded myself that last week's loss was a bonus because I had really eaten badly the days leading up to it, so 6 lbs in two weeks is actually pretty awesome. Also, there was no exercise at all this week.

I had hoped to get a run in today but unless I can convince myself to treadmill it  - its not happening. Funnily enough I had a snowshoeing class scheduled for this morning and the company cancelled it yesterday afternoon due to "lack of snow". I don't know if there would have been enough packed snow to actually do it today - but I thought it was funny. I'm hoping to still be able to do that this Winter.


Feb 8, 2012

Spring Chick Challenge–Week 6 Check In

imageMy word for this week is "submersed".

I have submersed myself in a whole new way of eating.  Today is Day 4 and I am committed to two weeks. Today I was a little more creative in my cooking and enjoyed my dinner more than I have the first three nights, so it's all about relearning how to cook and what makes a meal.

I am scouring blogs and recipe sites for ideas and inspiration. I would like to get to the point where it's not about food - it's about fuel for my body -but I'm not there yet. Right now, it's about the food.

My scale is showing a slight drop since last Friday's weigh in - keeping my fingers crossed it carries through to Saturday morning.

I realised driving home tonight that it is Valentine's Weekend coming up and although I survived my first Valentine's Day alone last year, the thought of it this year is a bit depressing. Not that I expected to have a new love of my life yet, but I miss Couplehood, you know?

Feb 6, 2012

Monday Mash

072 Eye Update 
Thankfully my baby blues are well on the road to recovery, not 100% there yet but getting closer. The opthomologist took out the contact lens bandage and although I did feel some slight irritation, it wasn’t painful and every day it should get better. I am going to miss my contacts for the next month or so. I hate glasses!
image Cross Fit Workout
My trial class was  Kettlebell class. Well.. that was a story. I thought it was tonight but turns out its next week. Now after driving to a scary (to me) part of Hamilton in the dark to an area I’ve never been to, you would think I would have just gone in and asked if I could do today instead since I was there. I didn’t.
1. I am really not good at asking for stuff like that when I committed to a different day.
2. I admit it did look a bit scary and intimidating inside.
3. My eye was hurting me on the way there from the lights and when I realised the mix up, I thought maybe it was for the best anyway.
image Food
I am changing up my routine this week. Will tell you all about it (success or epic fail) on the weekend when I do my Spring Chick weekly check in.
image Random Otherness
I could really get used to not working. Although I wasn’t really well the last few days, not working was really nice and because it was unplanned, it was really, really nice to just go with the flow of the day and have no plans.  I need to win the lottery or find a sugar daddy so I can keep living the lifestyle I’d like to become accustomed to.
image Health
I am feeling very much better. I think we’ve licked the breathing issues, I’m sleeping better, have way more energy than I did a month ago and feel so much less stressed.

image Blessed
I am reminded again this week how very lucky I am to have amazing people in my life who love me, take care of me, encourage and support me, teach me and make me smile.
image Here’s to a great week ahead for all of us!
Now my eye really is hurting so I am going to take T3 and go to bed because tomorrow is back to work.

Feb 4, 2012

Spring Chick Challenge–Week 5 Update

 

image

What a cute badge! Thanks Stormy!

My 5 week total loss is 7 lbs. I am back on the path to Onederland and this time I need to find the formula to keep me below that 200 number and keep going down. I’m working on a plan in my head, not quite ready to share though.

Week 4/5 – Had a bit of setback with my eye injury in both exercising and food but the worst is over and I am back on track and going full strength. I managed to be caffeine free for 14 days and had limited sugar to once a week, but now I am starting my count over as the last three days have been very much off plan and off track.

My next eye check up is on Monday and if all goes well, and the contact lens bandage is removed, I have a cross fit class at 6:15 that night – a kettle bell class! I am a bit scared but at the same time, am looking forward to something new. Once my eye has healed I will be back to running and my Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun schedule of exercise like I planned last week.

At the start of the challenge I was aiming for 1lb a week so I am a bit ahead of schedule, but not getting cocky as I know my pattern of weight loss. I would love to be back under 200 by the end of the challenge…that’s my goal and I’m working towards it.

Best moment so far was running those 30 min last week after so long of not being able to. I don’t think there’s been a “worst moment” yet. I’m trudging along. There have been lots of great moments, meeting Leigh, signing up for two more races,  the boxfit class, the smallest size in my favourite plus size store (Avenue) being too big, being  called Skinny Minny by a coworker (who is a real skinny minny herself)….realising I can live without sugar and caffeine every day!

So this week ahead I’m focusing on getting back to exercising, tightening up my food choices and generally working on getting as healthy as I can. Stuff is gonna happen, stuff I can’t control – it’s what I choose to do NEXT that is important.

Would love a buddy!!!! I am always available by text/email or MSN messenger because they are on my iPhone but any other kind of chat is iffy because I am not on my laptop much anymore and my evenings are usually full of domesticity or trying to fit in exercise or sleep! So Stormy if you’re coordinating, I’d be glad to send you my contact info, just let me know!

Hope you all have a great week 6.

Feb 3, 2012

Eye’m back.

My eye is so much better today. Truly, our bodies are amazing creations capable of so much more than we think or give them credit for.

Even up to last night, I was in a huge amount of pain and could barely keep my eye open at all and light was extremely painful. Less than 24 hours later,  although my vision is blurred in that eye, the pain is so much less and the light is just annoying rather than painful. I am sincerely hoping by Monday to be completely as good as new. I am still babying it until the contact lens bandage comes off on Monday so I am trying to keep it dry, out of the wind/elements and as clean as possible to speed up healing.

I don’t actually know what the cause was, whether I tore it trying to take out a contact lens or whether the lens itself was the cause – either way, it is extremely painful and I truly hope none of you ever experience it.

Thanks so much for your well wishes and concern. It meant a lot to me.  I have to say I have amazing friends. My friend Shelley and her husband Kevin took awesome care of me for two days - letting me live in their home and driving me to medical appointments and making sure I was fed and comfortable. I am so blessed to know them.

I did get to WW today to weigh in and lost 3.5 lbs...which is a bit of miracle considering since Tuesday I have eaten out meals because of this injury and being away from home.  And I’ve been unable to exercise.  I am working diligently to make sure I don't have a regain next week. This is also a carryover from last week which was PMS week....but regardless...I'll take it!!! Onederland is in sight again!

I’m going to say this is my Week 5 weigh in for the challenge as I am so skewed in the timeline and just continue along with the weeks as set out by Stormy so I don’t get all mixed up and don’t have confusing posts! I’ll do a proper Week 5 recap on the weekend.

Feb 2, 2012

Quickie

Just a quick post. I have not abandoned the challenge! I tore the cornea of my right eye on Tuesday and have been pretty much out of commission since then. Although today the pain is much less my vision is very blurred. Have not gone to WW but hoping I can see well enough to go on Saturday. I am touch typing and can't read the screen so hopefully this makes sense. Will be back in a few days!