Week 12 Weigh In

November Recap

This post is a week late. I had this post and the previous one sitting in draft and hadn't realised they hand't published until this morning!

November was another good month at this weight loss game. I'm at 21.5 lbs down so far.

My November goals were to hit 11,000 steps every day - which I did! Some days I really didn't want to go to the Y after work for a number of reasons; tired, crappy weather, crappy mood, other plans....yadda yadda yadda but I made sure I got those steps in. There were still quite a few warm and Fall-like days in November so I was able to walk outside quite a few days which broke up the monotony of the treadmill. 

The days that are closer to 11,000 on the nose, I also did 15 minutes of the recumbent cycle which doesn't show on the step graph.  

Aquafit was cancelled last Saturday so I'm aiming for this Saturday.

I'm still struggling with water intake but it is better than it was in October.

I did track every day; the good, the bad and the ugly!  Most days were good :)

My brother has been with us just over a week and I am trying to navigate his cooking with some success.  I may end up having to just let him cook for himself and Liam and I will make my own meals as even with portion control, it's hard to eat heavy food every day and I don't expect to see losses if I continue that. Heavy as in cheesy and fried and carb-loaded!

Week 11 Weigh In

I forgot to post this last week!

Week 10 Weigh In

November is going well.

I am unexplainably tired the last few days but I am sure it will pass. I am still getting my steps in and have been to the YMCA 5/7 days the last three weeks so I am pleased with that.  I'm increasing my minutes/distance on the recumbent cycle as well as my treadmill walking speed and experimenting with the ellipitcal! I say experimenting because I have yet to figure out how to not feel like I am going to fall off with every movement!

I  hit the 20 lb goal I wanted for the end of November and my next goal is to be under 200 by January 6. That's my first weigh-in in January and I think far enough away from Christmas/New Years to have lost the sodium / water retention from Christmas Dinner and New Year's Celebrations.

I had promised myself a full mani/pedi for my 10 lbs loss and I haven't done it yet. So I will carry that to my 20 lbs loss and do that this weekend.  I am also going to try Aquafit this Saturday morning.

My brother has arrived from England and his first day here, he cooked a lovely meal. Rich, decadent and fried!  I loaded my plate with salad and took small portions of the chicken, cheeses and bread.  I think if I stick to my points during breakfast and lunch and take small portions of his cooking and keep eating lots of vegetables, I should be fine while he's here. 

As yet, we don't know how long he's staying.....so keep your fingers crossed that I can hang in there!

In other news, our lovely Fall has finally departed and Winter has arrived. There was ice on the roads this morning and I actually skidded on some black ice and had to swerve to avoid hitting a car in front of me. Thankfully I have good reflexes and good brakes!  Snow tires go on this evening - just in the nick of time!

Week 9 Weigh In

Hoping to hit 20 lbs loss next week - and under 200 by Jan 1, 2017. Might not be doable, but I'm going to do my best to make it happen!

The Y is going well. I've been riding the recumbent bike as well and am up to 15 minutes (just over 3 miles).  I started at barely being able to do 5 minutes after my hour on the treadmill. I also tried the elliptical a few times, but I just don't feel "safe" on it. I always feel like I am going to fall off and I am so tense that within a few minutes my shoulders and back are aching, so that's going to take a few more goes and increasing slowly before I can say it's any kind of benefit.

My swim suit did arrive. I will never be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but it fits and covers what it's meant to and I don't look like a sausage - so....Aquafit up next week.

My brother is coming from England to move to Canada tomorrow night and staying with us for 8 weeks so I am not sure how that is going to affect our lives (me and Liam) just yet.  I will continue to take it one day at a time and see how it all plays out.

Week 8 Weigh In

What's new this week?

I joined the Y.

We used to belong as a family when our boys were little; they did swimming/karate/summer camps/basketball....the list is long. I did Aquafit and used the treadmill and Den used to swim and do Tai Chi and karate.  The Y is a great community for families and I love the inclusiveness.

As single person, the fees are much more than one of the chain gyms but I do like the no-pressure to buy personal training sessions or "health" supplements and I like that all sizes, shapes and ages can be found there at all times.

I have not been to the Y in a good 5-6 years so I don't think there are words to express my happiness at discovering that every treadmill has an individual TV with cable!  And a fan!   It was like the cherry on my sundae when I saw that. I was so thrilled. Last night I walked for an hour watching Criminal Minds while the fan blew on me :)  How much better than that can it get?

I'm going to be mostly using the treadmill as we go into Winter to keep up with my hour a day of walking and will try and get back into Aquafit if I can conjure up courage to be seen in public in a bathing suit!  I have ordered a tankini top and board shorts from Sears so if they fit - I promise to give it a go!

I have heard a lot of friends extolling the praises of Zumba and this Y offers Zumba and AquaZumba so I might try those out too. 

Although work and my classes keep me busy, I do find I have a lot of time on my hands now that Iain has left home and Liam works.  So hopefully this will be a productive way to fill it!

It has been a good week since last weigh-in and I am still feeling positive about WW and sticking to it. Don't get me wrong, there are some days I really want to say F-It-All but I haven't actually said yet!  I had a moderate fibromyalgia flare up this past week that lasted three days and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a hot water bottle and sleep, but I got up, went work, made my meals and got my steps in. Was I miserable? Yep.  But it's over now and it wasn't THAT hard. It's always harder to think about doing something you don't want to do than just doing it.  Those are my words of wisdom for today. Use them as you will!

Week 7 Weigh In

The scale is creeping down slowly but I am losing inches. My pants that fit comfortably last week need a belt and are falling down today.  I am still feeling good about the program and my motivation is high. I've upped my steps to 11,000 a day and although we're only 3 days into the month, I have exceeded that goal every day.

November Goals

I'm sticking with what works and adding a reminder to drink more water. 

Day 1 and over 11,000 steps! 

Stay tuned! 

October Recap & Birthday Blues

October Goals and Recap

October was a great month! I hit 10,000 steps EVERY day and tracked every day. I had lots of blue dots and the days I missed were an equal mix of being under points and over points those days.  I had a pretty consistent weight loss and am feeling very motivated by my success so far. I lost 8lbs in October. I am very pleased with that number. 

I'm ready to rock November!

Niagara Falls 5k 

This is one of my favourite events each year and there are a lot of walkers so it's also fun. I never tire of the beauty of the Falls! 

Birthday Blues

This was probably the worst birthday I've had in a very long time. I was feeling very lonely, and missing many people. I have been for some time but I think the introspective nature of the day made me feel it more.  I was also disappointed by my walk time for the Niagara 5k. Last year's time was 54:30 and this year 55:49 (chip time). I felt like I was walking faster and at a good clip but the clock doesn't lie. On the good side, it was a great day for walking and I got a lot of steps in.

I went for lunch with a friend and his girlfriend but it made me feel more lonely plus my lunch was awful :(. I went to bed at 8 pm and tried to sleep off my mood - it didn't work but I am only allowing myself today (Oct 31) to wallow. November is a new month with new plans and goals. 

Life is far from perfect but I have many blessings to be grateful for and can make the most of the gifts I have. 

November goals will be posted soon! 

Week 6 Weigh In

Week 5 Weigh In

This was a rough week. TOM and long days at work made getting all my steps challenging. I did it though.  (My WW week is Thursday to Wednesday). 

Persistence is the key to this game! 

More later. I just wanted to get this posted! 

Week 4 Weigh In

Feeling good, I can't lie!

2.1 lbs down after Thanksgiving and two meals out is pretty awesome. That's 10.8 lbs down in total.

A picture is worth a thousand words? Here's a few thousand to mull over.

I love those WW blue dots :)  10,000 steps or more every day this week and my view on my lunch time walk this week.

Week 3 Weigh In

Week 3 was a loss of 2.5 lbs for a total of 8.7 lbs this time around.

A great week that included a catered meal and a restaurant meal.  The restaurant meal was easier because I could choose what I wanted, the catered meal I just had small portions.  

10,000 steps every day since last Thursday.  Some days I really had to push to just pass that 10,000 line. Last night I was walking up and down my driveway at 11 p.m. to get in the last 1,000 steps.  One day I did well over 16,000.

Now to repeat!!! 

This weekend is Thanksgiving and also my wedding anniversary, so it will be bittersweet. 

With only my sons around (all extended family has moved away) for dinner, I won't be cooking the 20 lbs turkey and 10 lbs of potatoes like in previous years; we're going to get a small turkey breast, a bunch of vegetables to steam and I will make our favourite roast potatoes and homemade sage and onion stuffing (which the "boys" will scarf down so there will be no leftovers!) in much smaller portions and enjoy.  This is the one time a year we have pumpkin pie but neither Iain nor I are a fan and Liam will only have one slice, so I think we'll skip it and I'll make pumpkin lattes at home for after dinner. The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend so we can sit in the backyard with our lattes and watch the fireflies and the stars.

I am looking forward to the three day weekend though.  

Shame as a Motivator

My goal for October is 10,000 steps a day.  

Saturday, I headed out and walked around my neighbourhood for 64 minutes and got just over 10,000 steps.  Sunday was pouring rain and a yucky day and I was tired and had a ton of coursework to catch up on and blah blah blah.  I did not want to go out and walk.  I kept telling myself to break it up into two half hour walks.  Didn't do it. By 2 p.m. I had pretty much convinced myself that the day was a write off and I wasn't going out.

Just after that, two friends shamed me (unintentionally and unbeknownst to them) into going out for the hour and getting those $&*^ steps - rain be damned.

My friend Guenther (who I used to run with back in the days I ran) texted to tell me he was going out for a 20km run as part of his training for the Niagara Half Marathon.  Then my walking buddy Judy, texted me to tell me she was going to get her 60,000 steps that day.

What the &*^&% is wrong with me that I can't make myself walk for a &^&(* hour????  So, off I went.  I ended the day with 11,200 + steps.

Eating wise, the weekend was much better than last. I stuck to my points and pre-planned meal. And when I met my friends for coffee in the late afternoon, I just had coffee - no bakery treat to go with it.  I did splurge 3 points on a non-fat, sugar free vanilla latte though  and enjoyed it.

October Goals

Can I just say I ❤️ October!!

This photo was taken when I was hiking 4-5x week on the Bruce Trail and Niagara Escarpment. 

The photo a day challenge is from the WW Connect site (below). 

Week 2 Weigh In

 

Week 2 went well. I'm down 6.2 lbs in two weeks. I lose weight soooooo slowly and I know that's what discourages me and makes me lose motivation. 

How I think quitting and regaining is going to make the process faster, I am not sure!

I used more weekly points this week, ending the week with just 1 left over but I earned 86 fit points and got in close to 10,000 steps every day.  This week's goal is 7,500 steps each day and I surpassed that yesterday (day 1 of my week).  I even went out for a walk in the cold, drizzly rain at lunch time.

I have no plans for the weekend.  Housework, read, some coursework, and walk :)

Riding the high tide

Week 2 is almost in the bag. Weigh in day is Thursday. Week 2 went fairly well.

I had a not so great eating day on Saturday and used about half my weekly points on top of my regular points for the day just snacking throughout the day rather than eating real meals which is always my downfall on the weekend because I have no real schedule.  I managed to reign it in on Sunday and have stayed right on points or  2-3 points below my daily points since then so I’m hoping it all balances out.  Either way it was a reminder that complacency NEVER works with weight loss. It is constant diligence and persistence and consistency that win.  

Yes, I know this in my head…in practice not so much! 

The snacking was not terrible food, but it wasn’t necessary and by the end of the day I had eaten more food than I would have if I had just stuck to three meals.  That’s my challenge to work on going forward.

I am not expecting another big loss like last week and I have to learn to accept small losses and not get discouraged or lose motivation.  I remember my endocrinologist telling me years ago that if I lost on average, 1 lb, a week, in two years I’d be at goal and that was way, way longer than two years ago!  

Some lessons take a long time to sink in apparently.

I am loving this Fall weather after the heatwave we had through all of August.  I am loving walking again and am looking forward to the very short season of Fall colours that have already started.  Its amazing how once you get out of a habit it feels like a chore and then when you get back into it, you can’t remember why you ever stopped doing something you loved so much.   

As you might guess, I seem to be in a really good place right now and to be truthful I am.  A lot in my life is right.  I have a great job that is just challenging enough to keep me interested but no real stress; financially stable and no debt; my boys have grown into great young men that I love to spend time with and have adult conversations with; and I have a lot of time to myself to read, walk, hike – do whatever I want.  Sometimes I do get a bit lonely and I do have days where everything seems to remind me of Den and I am very sad but those days are fewer than they were a few months ago so I feel like I’ve turned a corner on that grief.

But I know this feeling won't last forever so I'm making the most of it!

Feeling Fine Monday!

Halfway through my second week of WW and so far so good.  I’ve hit my goal of 5,000 steps every day and exceeded it most days this week.  On Thursday I’ll up it to 7,500.  Most days I am exceeding even that, but I am setting realistic goals instead of lofty goals then disappointing myself and feeling like a failure.  I know it’s all in my mind and that’s my biggest enemy!

I did meet with my friend yesterday who recently had WLS. She looks great- not just weight wise, but her skin and eyes and hair are glowing. I’ve never seen her looking so healthy and happy. I am so thrilled for her.  We talked a lot about the process, the surgery and expectations.

I did meet with my own doctor last week and he is getting me a referral to the bariatric program at the local hospital for both the surgical and medical bariatric program.  He has said I likely won’t qualify for surgery so not to get my hopes up (but honestly, I haven’t even made up my mind one way or the other – I am still in the information stage) but he feels that some support would be helpful since I manage to lose weight but can’t seem to maintain the loss. He is a wonderful doctor, he did say that I can’t take all the blame – some of it is genetics, some of it is metabolic syndrome (PCOS, hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia) but maybe with more support and someone following me closely medically, I may have more success with maintenance even if I don’t get to my goal weight.   

We also talked about ‘goal weight’ and because I am only 5 feet tall, the charts say I should be 130-135 at the top end of the scale.  He thinks 150-160 is more realistic at my age and body type and health issues. Of course, he said don’t settle if you can do better, but don’t kill yourself trying to get there either. If I can maintain at 160 and all my blood work is good, although still overweight, I will be in a better place than I am at 220+. 

I am open to any and all suggestions because this pattern is old and making me wonder why I bother.  Not to mention that I am not a failure, in other areas of my life and this weight loss – non-success makes me feel like one.

I do have the support of some very good friends so I can’t say I am alone in this and I know how fortunate I am to have that.

Today is a good day. I am feeling strong, confident and ready to take on the world.  Let’s hold on to that!

Week 1 Weigh In

That's 4.6 lbs down in week 1.

I ended with 14 Weekly Points remaining and earned 45 Fit Points.

Sunday Funday

Some good news to start the day off!

I had some blood work last week and today was able to look up the results.  My A1C is back under 7. (It says HIGH because 6.0 % or higher is a diagnosis of diabetes, but for someone with diabetes, 6.8% is quite good - not great...but it is good control).

This means that the last three months of being so careful to watch what I eat is working and has paid off. It's an never ending battle and this result is with oral medications. My goal is to get here with just diet and exercise. I did it before and I can do it again. It takes three things: 1. Focus 2. Time and 3. One day at a time.





Today's plans changed when a friend showed up from out of town and we ended up going for lunch....20 points later - well I did bring half home for dinner so that's sorted and my points for the day are still good.  

Restaurant food is always so hard to track and then it's loaded with sodium!  I managed to find more or less what I ate on the WW app so hopefully I've tracked it fairly closely. The good thing is that I eat at home and pack my lunch during the week so I won't need to use any more weekly points, even though I have more than half left with three days of my WW week to go.

I am all set for tomorrow, lunch packed, smoothie ingredients ready to go for breakfast and my Skechers in my bag for a lunch time walk.

The new app gives A LOT of points for fit bit activity. Way too many I think. So far, in 4 days, I've earned 32 activity points just from walking 6,000-7,000 steps a day.  Thankfully, I have no intention of eating those points.  That has always seemed like defeating the purpose to me. Maybe when one is fit and healthy, one can exercise a little more to cover a calorie-laden meal or an ice cream cone, but let's face it, my walks are not burning that many extra calories and I really feel it's one of the misleading things about WW, that they really advocate that you can exercise away a bad food choice.

I took a sneak peek at the scale this morning and hoping all goes well for my first weigh in on Thursday morning.

Open to the Public

I reopened my blog to the public.  I think I am ready to get some of that awesome support that I know exists out there!

Today was Day 3 of WW and all is good so far. I committed to 5,000 steps a day for the first week and I have surpassed that every day. Tonight I went for a short walk around my "new" neighbourhood (Liam and I moved back in February so I don't have my beautiful Mountain Brow right outside my door anymore) and it's quite a cute little place. Some beautiful homes and properties and I ran into a lot of other people out walking. It is a gorgeous night for walking. It rained all day so the humidity of the last few weeks has broken and there was a cool breeze. Fall is definitely rearing it's lovely head; it was dark by 8 p.m. and leaves are already swirling from the trees.  Fall has always signalled a time of renewal for me and I am so glad to be welcoming it :)

Foodwise, WW has been going well. The point structure is much more .... strict....if I can say that. Processed foods, carbs and high fat foods are much much higher in points than my last go - round with the Points system.

It does take some planning to stay on track.

I hope to hear from some of my old blogging friends as I have been following them all along and tried to keep up with them.

Hi Chris (NZ), Anne (TX), Diva (ON)....and all you others out there!

Do Something

The last few weeks I seem to have been in a bit of a paralysis of not knowing what to do and feeling like everything is hopeless.  Not so much a pity party as just not knowing how to make this work for the long term. I've lost 50 or so pounds several times in my adult life and then regain, thankfully never going higher and higher but losing below 185 seems to be my downfall and then I regain.

Yesterday I signed up for WW on line with my good friend, who I met through blogging, Tiffany.  She is struggling right now as well and I think we can support each other.  I am not sure I like the new app but the program seems more geared towards healthy eating which I think is a huge improvement.

I am allotted 30 points per day and 42 flex points per week.  Yesterday I used 34 points. I would have ended the day at 28 but mid-afternoon I was in my car and my blood sugar dropped and all I had with me was a granola bar (6 points!). I will have to plan better. The new meds I am on for Type II Diabetes seem to give me lows quite often, I've never experienced them like this before. I do have a Dr. appointment next week and will talk to him about that.

I am also going to talk to him about WLS.  I went through the process back in 2008 when I was around 260 lbs and did most of the preliminary classes and the psychological tests.  Then Dennis had an aneurysm and I put it all on hold and never went back.  I am sitting at 229 lbs as of today and definitely in better health than I was then so I am not sure if I would still qualify since once I do the pre-op diet, I would be under 200 lbs.  I honestly have mixed ideas about this but I think I should investigate further. The wait list in Ontario is so long that just looking into it and restarting the steps will take about a year.

I am working on wearing my FitBit more consistently and yesterday did over 7000 steps which is pretty much a high for me lately.  I'm committing to 5,000 a day for this week (Thurs  - Thurs) and see where I go from there.

Got through the day

...and that was the goal after all.

I was very sad and withdrawn. I stayed home, watched TV, cooked, cleaned, completely turned off my phone and only talked to my sons.  It was a day.

I tried to focus on happy memories and I did for much of the day.

I keep telling myself it will get better.

On a good note, my blood sugar was perfect yesterday and I ate really well, despite baking cookies (I had one) and making cheese and onion pie for dinner.

I forgot to weigh myself this morning.  Will do that tomorrow and am also having my thyroid blood work done tomorrow which is good as I am feeling 'off'. Not sure if it's the heat wave we've been experiencing or the change in thyroid meds 2 months ago but I am feeling heavy, tired and lethargic in general.  Changing my diet did help tremendously and I am sleeping better than I was before both of these changes.

I'll keep you posted.

Running after the wagon

I was doing great - in a groove! Then got thrown off the wagon by a few overly stressful days and now I am desperately running trying to catch up to the wagon...I am almost there - can touch it with the tips of my fingers - just got to get a strong hold and  I can jump back on.

Tomorrow is the 2nd anniversary of Den's death. This second year was much harder than the first year. The second Christmas, the second birthday, the second Father's Day - all without him were unbearably sad and bleak.  I think the first year, we (myself and our boys) were numb and just going through the motions. This year, the reality set in. He's gone. He's really and truly gone.

I booked tomorrow off work. I am not sure what I will do. I would like to do something to celebrate his life.  I don't want to spend all day sad in memories and crying like last year. He would never want that for any of us.

I guess I won't know what I want to do until I wake up tomorrow morning..,...but not having a plan is dangerous for me. I have been withdrawing, albeit slowly, from life. Hardly go out, hardly see anyone, given up on my hiking and walking ..... and although I know rationally that this is not a good thing I can't seem to find the impetus to JUST DO IT.

My weight is holding steady - 228-230....and although my blood sugar has been higher the last few days (due to being off the wagon), today is the first day that it is back in the normal range and I am being conscious about what I'm eating, so it should come back down in a day or two.

One day at a time. Tomorrow's goal is just that - get through the day.

Argh

Where does the time go?

This weekend flew by. I was out most of the day Saturday with a friend. We drove out of town to a small beach and walked a bit, then had lunch in a new pub and went to some bazaars/garage sales. It was a gorgeous day to be out and about. Not too hot, but lots of sunshine and blue skies.

Sunday was mostly housework and prep for the week ahead. Sunday was a bad eating day for me. I was very stressed and did a lot of emotional eating. I am back on track today though with my protein shake for breakfast and no wheat/sugar in sight. One day at a time. Repeat.

Weight this morning was 229.1 which is where I've been hovering the last week (228.5-229.5) so  I think I need to look at my calories and see where I can make some cuts.  Not eating wheat and sugar is great but I still need to be mindful of overall calories.

I'll keep you posted!

Friday again

In some ways this week flew by, in others it dragged.

After sleeping really well for several weeks, this week I am plagued by restlessness and insomnia and I am feeling it today!  I have a meeting from 2-3 but then I will be going home right after and hopefully napping.

No major plans for the weekend - rest, housework, yadda yadda yadda.

Forgot to weigh myself this morning so I will check tomorrow but I am wearing a shirt that at Easter was too tight in the arms and shoulders and now fits very well, so I know I've lost some weight since then!

Good eating day yesterday.  Fish (with the batter pulled off) and a handful of french fries and a protein shake for dinner.  

Even though I had little sleep, I woke up feeling less lethargic and bloated than the past two days.

I've got the food down, now I need to start the walking again and make use of my fancy schmancy FitBit Blaze!

Pizza Regret

I left my lunch at home yesterday and was in an all day meeting with lunch provided - pizza and chicken wings. I hate wings. Uck. Fatty, gross, chicken skin, dark meat -ugh ugh ugh. Pizza on the other hand, I love!  I had one slice and ate the apple and almond butter I had brought as a snack. One slice of a medium pizza.  Dinner did not include grains or sugar.

This morning I woke up with brain fog and an upset stomach.  I feel awful.

I had my protein shake for breakfast and I will have a salad with chicken for lunch. Dinner will be something light, maybe leftover salad or some vegetable soup.  I cannot tell you in enough detail how upset my stomach is right now.

Later: Stomach still upset. I had a salad for lunch with chicken, feta cheese, quinoa (which I tried to pick around) and lots of greens and some walnuts. It was good. My stomach doesn't think so though. Ugh. I hate feeling like this.

Really just want to go home and crash for a few hours. I also didn't sleep well last night for the first time in several weeks. I tossed and turned all night; too hot, too cold, not comfortable...on and on.  I might just have a nap when I get home if Liam isn't home and I am not making dinner right away. I had a late lunch and with my stomach like this can hold off for dinner or not even cook at all, maybe just have some fruit.

Not much else happening in my world.

Since my last post, Liam and I have moved into a small, but cozy, basement apartment with washer/dryer, dishwasher and central A/C.  This is a huge step up from where we used to live and although we compromised on space in some areas, it is nice to have these amenities as well as a huge kitchen with lots and lots of counter space and a double sink. If you have ever lived with a galley kitchen and one sink, then you know how overjoyed our new kitchen makes me :)  IT is actually nice to cook and have room to do so without tripping over each other. We only run the dishwasher twice a week at most but it is nice to have. It is such a luxury not to have to haul laundry up and down 4 flights of stairs AND this apartment is cheaper than the other one.  I park right outside our door and our landlady is awesome. She just replaced our stove because it broke (yes, I know she's responsible for the stove, but a lot of landlords would have tried to fix it or stalled, she replaced it within a week).

All in all, life is good.

Weekend Over

I had a really nice weekend. Relaxing, quiet, yet productive!

I spent most of Saturday with my youngest son, Liam (19) which hardly ever happens so it was very nice. He came with me to the farmer's market and grocery store and then we went out for an early dinner and to see Star Trek: Beyond. Movie was awesome! The day with my boy was even awesome-r :)

I got lots of housework and minor chores done. I became enamoured with "House of Cards" and "Kevin Spacey" on Netflix.

Food wise, I did well. Avoided grains most of the time and sugar all of the time.  I did have 1/2 cup of rice with dinner on Sunday and my blood sugar was higher than normal after, so definitely rice is something I will have to cut out now as well.

Tonight's dinner is bunless burgers and homemade oven fries.

No new weight loss as of this morning. Still holding at 228-230 (daily fluctuations).  Hopefully, I will see some movement this week.

Off to Market

I had a lovely lie-in this morning after my extra early mornings and late evenings for the past week. I woke to the rain slamming against my window and just lay there listening to the rain and the wind for half an hour before I got up

I am just waiting for Liam to finish his "breakfast" and then we are going to the Market Outlet to pick up vegetables, fruits and eggs and then to the grocery store. I like this market, not just because the produce is local this time of year, but because it is so much less expensive and better quality than the grocery store. Then we will go to the grocery store and get the rest of the stuff.  

We're planning on going to see the Star Trek movie this afternoon and then I will prep and meal plan for the week.  Nice, easy, day.

It occurred to me as I was making my shake this morning that one of the reasons I like eating this way is because I don't have to measure and weigh my food. If I stick to whole foods and cut out the wheat and sugar, it's very hard to overeat carrots and strawberries.  Yes, I know its possible, but these are not the type of foods that "I can't stop" or "I'll have just one more" with.  As well, with the sugar and wheat gone, there are no wild blood sugar swings and cravings and I have actually over the last week, a few times.......wait for it.....forgotten to eat!

It does take some planning. For example, last night I thought I would be ok until around 9 when Liam got home from work to have dinner, but by 7 I found myself wanting "something".  Sure enough my blood sugar was low and the easy fix is something sweet or bready. But I made myself a small snack of walnuts, goat cheese and a drizzle of honey and it was enough to see me through til dinner.  I wanted to have a handful of crackers or chips or cookies, but I stopped and thought first.

I'll check back in later!

Freakin' Friday- Finally

So I did make it through yesterday without giving into mindless carbs or junk food and I did get to leave right at 3:30 and was home by 5.  I can't believe I used to commute farther than that for so long, I am definitely spoiled now, just being 10 min from work!

Anyway, the healthy dinner went out the window as I took my son and his friends to "Hutch's" which is a diner at the waterfront. They are famous for their fish and chips, so I picked up a small order and brought it home for dinner. Of course, it was delicious.   My blood sugar was at a good level 2 hours after eating so although it wasn't healthy, it didn't negatively affect my blood sugar - because there was no sugar or wheat !! (I took the batter off the fish). Potatoes and other grains do not affect my blood sugar the same way processed sugar and wheat do - those two are the worst and put them together and it is a disaster.

Today is my last day working away from my office and I am glad. It will be another long day - not out of here until 5 - hope to be home by 6, but it is the start of a three day weekend so I am looking forward to the R & R. I have to get groceries and meal plan/prep this weekend as both my fridge and pantry are down to bare bones.  I let it get really low every few months so I can clean out the cupboards and fridge and freezer and use up the stuff that gets pushed to the back.

My son is working tonight so I'm not sure what I'll do for dinner, I tend to not cook when he's working and just have a protein shake or throw together a salad or some kind of stir fry.  But then I do cook for him when he gets home, although it's later than I like to eat so it's usually just for him.

I am rambling. Not much to say today, I guess. Mostly just want to keep the habit of blogging daily.

Later: So I ended up leaving at lunch to get some fresh air and pick up a few groceries for tonight's dinner until I can do the big grocery shop tomorrow at the vegetable market and grocery store.  I picked up a BLT wrap from Metro and some grapes for lunch. I ate half the wrap and about half the grapes (I tore off the folded over part of the tortilla wrap - so much bread, so ended up eating about 1/4 of the tortilla in total.  I'll eat the rest around 4:00 before I go home if my blood sugar gets too low to see me through til dinner time.

Tonight's dinner is stirfry with lots of vegetables, beef and cilantro/lime rice. The rice is more for Liam but I will have probably half a cup.

No other plans for tonight.  Relax, finish the book I've been trying to read for weeks; catch up on some laundry and meal plan for next week so I can do some prep and cooking on Sunday for the upcoming week.  I am hoping this will help Liam too so he will stop buying crappy takeout when I'm not home to cook - saving both his health and his money!  

Day in my life

Today is one of those days, from when I woke up - nothing has gone right.  Woke up late, couldn't find my phone or keys, couldn't make my protein shake this morning because my son (and his friends) left my kitchen an absolute mess and I didn't have time to clean it up to make room to use the sink and counter because...yeah I woke up late.

Grabbed some high protein cereal and some milk and rushed out the door thinking I'd eat that when I got to work. The milk leaked all over the seat of my car so now it smells like sour milk on this 35 C day. Awesome.

Realise I left without my wallet so I'm counting change at McD's drive thru to get a Coke Zero and coffee (when I really want a bacon muffin with extra cheese) and a hashbrown.

So...for breakfast I had a coffee, Coke Zero and a handful of almonds. Go me.

For lunch (which may end up being a morning snack if I get hungry) I have an apple with almond butter and an egg.

Hopefully I am working til 3:30 and should be home by 5. Hopefully my kitchen will be righted by then (else all hell will break loose) and I can make something healthy and delicious for dinner.

Did I mention its 35 C?  I am working off site today and in office in a town house and it is very hot even with the portable A/C going full tilt.

I have contractors, painters and cleaners to deal with.

Give me strength. On the good side, there is no junk food here and the closest place is a 10 min drive which I don't have time to make as I am supposed to be here with the office open all day.

Wish me luck.

Today can only get better.

Here we go again

It has been really hard since Den died to pull myself together.

It was only when I went to an endocrinologist appointment and saw the cumulative effect on my health that almost two years of crappy eating and no exercise has done to me (through bloodwork) that I realised how crappy I had been feeling, emotionally and physically for so very long.

It has only been just over a month but I am down over 10 lbs and my fasting blood sugar is below 7 most days.  I am tracking my blood sugar very carefully and watching to see which foods send it high - of course - sugar and wheat! Which I have known all along.

I wanted to do a Whole30 but honestly, didn't want to set myself up for failure, so I am waking up each morning with intentions to not eat sugar/wheat/grains all day and so far, with only 2 days of non-success it is working. With a fresh start each day, I can see the differences.  I am already sleeping better and waking up refreshed rather than exhausted and achey. I am already finding that I am not craving sugar mid-afternoon and am able to eat three meals a day and only an occasional snack (apple and almond butter) in the afternoons.

One day at a time has always been my mantra and it is only when I get away from that, that I completely lose the plot.

I have one child out of the house now, one who is pretty much independent, a great job, a paid for car, no debt - this is the time to take care of me.  My life has never, ever been easier and as stress-free as it is now.  So...I need to do this.

Stay tuned.

Weight: 228.8