www: Waist, Weight, Weekend

Updates all around today!

I have been so bloated and yucky feeling since before Christmas and all that bloat sits right at my waist! I can finally see my waist again. There’s still a long way to go but I can see the hour glass under the fat again instead of the fishbowl. 

Weigh in today (April 30) was 201.5 lbs.

Friday night we hit a Bruce Trail side trail (3.3 km each way) which was fairly flat and wound through huge open fields. We saw a beautiful doe and cardinals and robins. It was still quite muddy but it was a wide, partially gravel trail so it was not a hike but really a walk. 

I spent Saturday catching up on housework and laundry. My feet and thighs were sore and I was feeling very fatigued and achy as well so I made sure to hit my step goal but didn’t hike or walk. I am cautious not to trigger a fibro flare up but exercise definitely helps me feel better and less symptomatic over  time.  It was also a rainy and dreary day with no incentive to go outside. 

Sunday was a glorious cusp-of-summer day. We checked another 5km off the Bruce Trail map (10 km round trip hike).   It was another hilly, rocky trail full of tree roots and my friend slipped on some mud going up one of the hills and rolled part way down the escarpment.  It was a scary moment, but she was unhurt (just a few bruises) and we laughed about it afterwards. Some of the drops along the hills were quite steep so I had to go down on my butt to scrabble down and coming up go on hands and knees. It was a lot of fun though. This is my favourite way to be outdoors.

We have this week's hikes/walks planned out and just need the weather to cooperate.

Walk this way

...and that way too!

It's a sure sign of Spring when I am out and about more than I am in!  I am so happy that Spring is finally here.  

I see these pair of swans every year making their nest at the same place and then watch their little ones emerge from the nest and next Spring those little ones are beautiful swans.  The circle of life.  Even the water is starting to look blu-ish.

A friend and I are going to start conquering the Bruce Trail this year. It will take several years to complete.  So far we've done some very short legs to local waterfalls in our City.  Tonight we chose Devil’s Punchbowl. There were a lot of hills, mudslides and fallen trees! This is the along the trail to Devil's Punchbowl and the waterfall itself. 6.6 km of the Bruce Trail and side trails. 

My hiking shoes are broken in now! 

Waiting for the Whoosh

This week is looking up!  The scale has nudged past the 203 mark to 202.1 lbs.  Waiting to see where I end up at the end of April.

Usually when I start to "lose weight" the first few weeks are very slow and then around week 3 or 4, there's a sudden drop in weight of 3-4 lbs that cannot be explained as I've been doing the same thing for 3-4 weeks.  I've been waiting for that whoosh!  This feels excruciatingly slow but there's no choice but to continue to plod along! 

I seem to have broken the mood of defeat and feel much more optimistic and energized about weight loss, exercise and life in general. 

My (adult) sons are fighting and not speaking to each other for the last month. This is so stressful for me as since their father passed away, and my sister has moved away - we really only have each other here.  I am practicing my mantra - not my circus not my monkeys - although they really are MY monkeys!!  Hopefully they will sort it out soon.  It is heartbreaking to see them so angry at each other.

My jaw is still a problem but I've either raised my tolerance levels or it is starting to bother me less.  The MRI I had was inconclusive so we are just waiting now. My doctor suggested steroids to reduce the inflammation but that makes me nervous because of the weight gain and the effect it will have on my blood sugar. So...I'm going to give it another month and see if time really does heal all things!

I still weigh in every day although I only count my Friday or Saturday weigh in as my "official" weekly weigh in.  I use an app called "Happy Scale" which lets you enter daily weights then does a running seven day average so it's easier to see losses over time despite the daily fluctuations. 


The friend I do road races with (we walk) has moved to night shifts and works most weekends so I won't be doing as many this year, I hope to get in a few though.

I have a new hiking / walking partner though. One of my co-workers (Lorna) lives quite close to me and grew up in the city we live in so she knows all the trails much better than I do and she has a large dog  that needs long walks so we had started last Fall to go out 2-3 nights a week for about 2 hours. We started that up again last week and last night even did 7km in the drizzly, cold rain.

Lorna and I are also planning a road trip to Alexandria, VA in May so we can do all the touristy things in D.C.  Then I'll be off to PA sometime in July and then, hopefully, to England in October to visit my sister and nephews.  

I like plans :)

Some photos from our walk the last two nights.  In a few weeks all this dreary grey and brown will be lush green! Stay tuned :)

My Toronto

I went out for a hike after work last night and came home to devastating news. 

Toronto is my city. Where I grew up and lived almost my whole life. 

I ❤️ TO. 

Tonight my heart is broken for my city that always felt so safe. 

Time keeps passing by....

I didn't realise it was so long since I posted.

April has been so busy, we had an out of town funeral to attend, work is ramping up for our Annual General Meeting and Winter has been stubborn with two weekends in a row of snow and ice.  

Although I think Spring has finally appeared as of this past weekend.

I have been going along and am struggling with my weight. I keep bouncing up and down the same 3  lbs between 203 and 206 and cannot seen to break it. I should be able to with following the plan and getting my steps in every day.  

Just have to keep pushing.

There's really nothing new going on in my life and nothing worthy of taking your time to read, to be honest.

I'll check in at the end of April with a new weight for April 30.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

For the past two and half weeks I've been diligently tracking. Some days I am over, some days I am under but I am striving for a healthy balance and the "blue dot" range of points on the Weight Watchers plan.

Thanks for checking in with me :) I just didn't feel I had anything to post about while I was trying to get my motivation and determination back.  I can't say it's 100% back. It's work. It feels like work. I wish it could always be effortless and come naturally, but it doesn't and when I stop "working at it", I fall hard.  I have periods (like early last year) where it did seem easier although the work was still required.

It always has to be all consuming for me, if I don't think about what I eat, or plan what I eat, or plan exercise - weight loss doesn't happen.  

I don't know if this is true for everyone. I don't know if there are people who don't have to make every single decision a conscious one to be successful.  

I just know this is how it has to be for me.


Here's a quick rundown of my weights over the last two and a half weeks.

March 7 (Diabetic Clinic)     207
March 8 (at home)             206.5
March 22 (Diabetic Clinic)    205.7 (-1.3)
March 31 (at home)            204.6 (-2.4) 

Total loss:      2.4 lbs  

Even accounting for different scales, it seems I have had a small loss since I started being intentional and tracking again.  With warmer weather, I'll be out walking more so April should be a more successful month.