Healthy You Check In

Like my new bling? I'm really quite fond of it myself :)

Things seem to be going quite well on both the exercise and eating fronts lately and finally I had a loss that shows it (3.8lbs). What can I say? Love does a body good! ;)

Now that I'm down 40 lbs, the compliments have been rolling in from people around me and while they are of course lovely to hear, I still find myself doubting what they are saying. Yes, I do feel MUCH better than I did 40 lbs heavier. But when I look in the mirror, I really don't see the difference. Ugh! I had read in other blogs about people feeling this way but I never thought it would happen to me. I mean yes, I feel that my thighs and butt are way more firm and I've really just noticed the last few weeks how my tummy feels smaller. But I look in the mirror and what I see is still very unappealing. And it doesn't seem to look any different than it did 5 months ago. But it must!! I don't know why our minds do this to us but it's making me understand (just a little bit) how the mind of an anorexic works. If I went by how I saw myself in the mirror, do you think I'd ever think I was thin enough or firm enough? I really don't know. My clothes tell me I'm smaller, my measurements tell me I'm smaller, my scale tells me I'm lighter... so why don't I see it? I think maybe it's time to do another full length pic of myself to compare to my first one. I've been dreading doing that but I think it's time.

On another note, here's the last update on my May goals:
1- At the beginning of April I set the goal of losing 10 lbs by Mother's Day. I did it, actually 10.8/10
2- Run 5K on Mother's Day without stopping. Did it!
3- Lose 5 lbs by May 21 (that's the day I'm going to see M) I ended up at 5.8/5!!
4- Lose 8 lbs by June 2. 7.8/8
5- Get 1200 minutes of cardio this month. 817 so far.. not quite sure if I'm going to reach this one. I'm out of town starting Thursday and only have one workout left before I go.
6- Run 3 times a week. Only twice last week.. missed Thursday's run because I was out of town

Weigh in #20 & Measurements

Wow.. it's hard to believe that 20 weeks have gone by already and that I've stuck to it the majority of that time. Well, I finally saw a decent loss this week. In fact, it's quite an awesome loss if I do say so myself LOL. I'm down 3.8 lbs, which takes me over the 40lbs gone mark. Can't wait for my new bling tomorrow! The thing is, I barely tracked my food intake this last week. But I know that I didn't over-do it and I really did watch what I ate. And I also can recognize that I really didn't do much boredom eating and snacking, which is what usually kills me. It was a busy week! This week is another busy one as I'm getting ready to take the girls up north to M's house. We are leaving on Thursday and not coming back until next Monday. This means I probably won't be super great at tracking my food again but it should also mean that once again I'm too busy for the boredom munchies. Hopefully I can report a good loss again next week!

It's also been 4 weeks since my last measurements so here we go...

4 weeks ago:
231 lbs
41" waist
45.5" hips
44.25" bust

Today:
223.2 lbs
39" waist (woohoooooooooo!!!!!)
45" hips
43"bust

Total difference this month: 3.75" and 7.8lbs
Total difference since the start: 22" and 40.4lbs

The craziest thing is that 12 of those inches have come off my waist. That is a crazy thought!! I can only imagine how much healthier my body now is compared to 4.5 short months ago. I'm SO glad I made the decision to start upon this journey and made THIS the year to make the change.

Shiny happy people...

Can you tell I'm a happy girl today? LOL Just LOOK! A little closer.... SEE what M gave me yesterday????? Well, that, amongst many other things would explain the happy (yes, that's crazy goofy happy, not psycho scary freaky) look on my face. (Have you ever noticed how hard it is to take a pic of yourself where you have a half normal looking expression on your face?!? but that's a whole other post LOL). I am not normally a jewellery person, but I may have to make an exception because it seems as though M has every intention of spoiling me. I'm a very lucky girl!!!!

I got back last night from my trip up to Edmonton to see M and the whole thing was just... well, bliss. There was so much makin' out that I felt like a teenager LOL. But I rationalize that by saying that the last time I dated anyone, I WAS a teenager! It was just awesome to spend time with him and just to have him hold me. Oh oh oh oh and a certain "L" word was used. He's been alluding to feeling that word for a while now but I've always hushed him and told him not to say it. I've told him that it's too soon for that, he's crazy, he's blind, etc etc. But he said it and I didn't stop him. Actually, it felt really nice to hear it. Really. Nice. I feel like I'm walking on clouds... I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

And, to top off my happy news, I totally met my goal of losing 5 lbs by yesterday. In fact, I lost closer to 6. Hopefully it all stays off (and then some) until my official WI on Monday!

Healthy You Check In

After a less than stellar eating weekend and a minimal loss yesterday, I am seriously kicking up the activity so that I can have a hope of reaching my goal of losing 5lbs by this Thursday. After my WI yesterday, I still had 1lb to go but I did a kick arse 7km run yesterday morning plus a 30 min. brisk walk last night, and pretty much 2 hours of cardio this morning (I ran to the Y, worked out on the elliptical and w/weights and than walked home - all uphill of course). At the moment I'm feeling a little beat but once I eat I should hopefully feel better.

So.. I'm really excited. I get to see M tomorrow night!!!!! I'm driving up to Edmonton after I get the girls to bed (yep, solo) and not coming home until Thursday night. And no, it's not an overnight date LOL! My cousin happens to live quite conveniently close to M's parent's house and that's where I'll be staying. I guess technically it's only our second date but really, it's much beyond that seeing as we spend hours on the phone daily (only a slight exaggeration). If you missed it before, here's how M and I met. So this afternoon I need to go shopping to find something to wear. I did find a pair of capris on the weekend but I'd really like to find a cute skirt if I can.

Actually that talk about shopping leads me to a NSV I had this weekend. First of all, I bought 2 pairs of workout capris in get this, a size large!!!! I seriously don't ever remember buying a size large before. Granted, they run a little big but STILL, a large! Not a XXL or 2X or whatever. WOOHOO! And even cooler, my mom wore a pair and they fit her. I am finally back to the same size (well, pretty much) as my mom. Holy crap! I'm finding that I am on the borderline of being able to shop in many regular stores instead of just the plus stores, for bottoms anyways. I thought I would be thrilled about that but honestly, it's a little overwhelming. Way too many stores to look in and way too many choices. I need some serious shopping time WITHOUT 2 screaming kids in tow.

Anyhow, on to my weekly update on my monthly goals..

1- At the beginning of April I set the goal of losing 10 lbs by Mother's Day. I did it, actually 10.8/10
2- Run 5K on Mother's Day without stopping. Did it!
3- Lose 5 lbs by May 21 (that's the day I'm going to see M) I'm at 4.0/5
4- Lose 8 lbs by June 2. That's one month from today and that's on an offical WI day. 4.0/8
5- Get 1200 minutes of cardio this month. 702 so far..
6- Run 3 times a week. Only twice last week, plus one day of other cardio... umm cuz I got lazy

I can't wait to check in with all of you later today!!

Weigh In #19

I reaaaaallllly didn't want to weigh in today. I'll admit it, I've been a bad girl the last few days and have indulged in some foods that I shouldn't have. Actually, for most of last week I found it really difficult to keep my eating under control. It wasn't all "bad" foods, just too much in general. And I didn't get in an extra run this weekend like I'd been planning either. By the time I had the chance to do it on Saturday, it was 33 degrees (Celsius) and waaaaaaay to hot.

So I think I'm down 0.2. Way better than a gain! My scale was being just plain cruel to me though as when I first weighed myself prior to my shower, it was telling me 222.6, three times in a row! I KNEW there was no way that was accurate. By the time I was done my shower and did my hair, I had somehow magically "gained" and was back up at 227. LOL Same floor, same spot, same foot position. I'm going with the higher number, just to be safe. As much as I'd LOVE to claim the lower number as that would take me over the awesome 40lb mark, I'd just be setting myself up for disapointment for the rest of the week when the scale is more normal.

As far as activity goes, I've had a hard time just DOING IT. My mom literally had to push me out the door this morning to go for my run (and I'm SO thankful she did). I knew I just had to get going and would be good once I did. It was the most beautiful weather for running so while pushing baby K in the jogging stroller, we ran for a total of 6.94 km! My pace is slow and steady .. we ran for 56 minutes. I feel so much better now!

A little bummed..

Today has been a little crappy. I had been hoping to enter into a dental assisting program in August but just found out the program is completely full with a mile long waiting list. The student advisor said I should still apply and get on the list and I may get in during the February intake. So why didn't I find this out earlier? The course calendar said that registration for the program didn't begin until three months prior to the program start date (which has not yet passed). The program is already full because these are the people that have been on the waitlist for last February's intake. OMG!!!! So... I'm feeling very discouraged. I'm so sick of waiting... I just want to get on with life!

Oh, and my 83 year old Grandma got into a car accident last night. Nothing serious (thank god!!) but it was her fault and now dealing with all of that is pretty stressful. In all honesty, she probably shouldn't be driving anyways...

So.. food-wise I didn't do so hot. Too much snacky type stuff, not enough healthy meal type stuff. But tomorrow is a new day.. I'll start it out with a workout at the Y, get my pedicure and make sure I eat better.

Healthy You Check In

As I sit here typing this, I'm still sweaty and recovering this morning's run but all I could think about while I was running was getting back and posting here that

I ran 6K this morning!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm a little proud of myself. I may not be very fast (it took me about 46 minutes) but I did it. It was just such a beautiful morning outside that I decided not to make my typical trip to the Y, where I've been struggling to stay motivated to run on the gerbil wheel most of us call the treadmill. The 6K really flew by this morning so I've decided that it may be a good idea to mix up my routine and perhaps run outside 2X per week and workout at the Y with other cardio and weights 2X per week. We'll see how that goes.

Anyways, for my run today and for my 5K run on Sunday, I'm awarding myself this shiny new bling:


(Thank you Diana for the awesome new buttons you made!!)

And, due to my loss of 2.2 lbs this week, I get more new bling:



My mantra this month has been "Motivated in May" and it seems to be working!!

1- At the beginning of April I set the goal of losing 10 lbs by Mother's Day. I did it!! Actually I lost 10.8 lbs!
2- Run 5K on Mother's Day without stopping. Done!!
3- Lose 5 lbs by May 21 (that's the day I'm going to see M) I'm at 3.8/5
4- Lose 8 lbs by June 2. That's one month from today and that's on an offical WI day. 3.8/8
5- Get 1200 minutes of cardio this month. 427 so far..
6- Run 3 times a week. Done!!

I look forward to checking in with everyone today!!

Mother's Day Run Update and WI #18

I meant to get on here last night to give my little update about the run but I couldn't find my USB cable to get the pics from my camera. Anyways, first things first. The run was incredible!!!!! Even though I had had an awful sleep the night before (I was waking up every 10-15 minutes, afraid I would sleep in), I woke up and was totally pumped! Baby K and I headed downtown by 8am and my mom and T were going to find their way to a spot along the race route to cheer us on. Baby K and I were a team... she rode along in the jogging stroller and loved every second of it.

I would say that the waiting before the race began was the worst/best part. There were over 13,000 of us down there and becaue I had a stroller, I had to be at the back of the pack (although I did manage to get my way in front of all the people walking). As we waited.... and waited... I felt like such an idiot. The whole realization of what I was doing was overwhelming. I was going to run a REAL 5K! Me?!?! I wasn't worried about the run itself as I've run 5K several times now the last few weeks but the emotions and the excitement of actually being there and doing it was almost too much for me to handle. While the crowd around me was laughing and happy, I was making my feable attempts at holding back the tears. Yes, I was going to do it. I made a goal and I was now prepared to kick it's ass. Part of me also felt a little sad that I was doing it alone (well, except for baby K). I had been trying to get some of my family members to do it with me, but to no avail. Everyone just thought I was crazy. *sigh* Maybe next year.

Anyways.. here we are, inching our way to the start line.. the gun had already gone off at this point and we are almost there!


Here's what I saw when I looked straight up! We were lucky to have perfect running weather!


And looking straight down... hehe notice the bottle - it kept her occupied the entire run!


The run itself was great. The first 10 minutes or so kinda sucked, as the first 10 minutes of any run sucks (for me anyways) and I was trying to get out of the crowds and get by people so I was running faster than my regular pace. But I got into my groove eventually and the run literally flew by! When I was approaching the finish line, I could not believe we were already done!

Here we are right after.


And me and my girls once we finally met up again.


And the best news is that I'm not sore today!! No actually, I have more good news. I'm down 2.2lbs!! Which means that I reached my goal of losing 10 lbs by Mother's Day. So for now, I'm definitely sticking with the Wendie plan. It seems to be working!

Counting down to the big 5K

And I'm so excited!! I went and picked up my race package this morning at the Fitness Fair, which is making it seem so very real. I never in my life would have imagined myself actually doing something like this!!! Even back a few months ago when I first thought of the idea of running this race, I was saying rather jokingly. But I am ready and very excited!!

And just about exciting as all that, I got new running shoes!! The Tech Shop had a bunch of stuff there and I managed to find a great pair of Mizuno runners for more than half price. Never could I imagine paying over $150 for shoes but $80 seemed reasonable, especially since I use them so much now. Hurray!

Anyways, so far the Wendie plan seems to be going well. I ate a few more points yesterday than I was supposed to but I'm okay with that. I may be over by a few today too... but I'll try not to be. The most important thing that I see happening with me doing this is that I am actually tracking EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth. The good, the bad and the really bad. And that my friends, is a victory in and of itself because up until now, I was only semi-tracking... meaning if I ate a bunch of bad stuff, I didn't even bother to try and track it. And peeking at the scale shows me that it's paying off. I'm not sure if my WI last Monday was a fluke or what but by the next day, I was back up 2lbs.. and for the last couple days I've been back down to what I WI at on Monday, and even a little lower. I'm hoping to show a loss of at least 1lb (hopefully 1.4 so I can meet my goal!!) by Monday.

Anywho, I hope all you mommy's out there get truly spoiled tomorrow!! Enjoy your day and give your family some extra hugs (unless they forget all about Mother's Day - then you can tell them off LOL). I just feel so grateful right now for my health, my family, my new man, my new shoes... ahhhh life is good :)

Going to try Wendi...

As I mentioned a few days ago, I thought I might try to mix things up a bit with the Wendie plan.The plan says that you can will shake up your weight loss by not consuming the same amount of points each day but instead following something like this: low, high, low, very high, very low, high and medium high. So, my week will look like this:

Monday: 30 points
Tuesday: 34 points
Wednesday: 29
Thursday: 44
Friday: 28
Saturday: 34
Sunday: 32

Basically you just take your daily points allowance and multiply it by 7, then add your 35 flex points. For me it was 28X7+35=231. I'll see how this goes.. I may have to play with those numbers a little bit to figure out what works best. Basically, I'm just hoping this does something!! I feel like I've been stuck around 230-231lbs forever (well maybe a month anyways). Yes, I did WI with a loss on Monday down to 229.4 but was back up yesterday and today (yes, I weigh myself daily). And there is no reason for me to be up this week at all as I've been 100% OP. So when I get all these kind and glowing comments about how great I'm doing, I don't really feel like it. I feel like a fraud! But in all actuality, I shouldn't just be focused on the scale and the numbers but should spend more time acknowledging the improved health and fitness that I'm experiencing.

On that note, I'm my abs are SORE today! After my workout yesterday I did about 100 different kinds of crunches on the ball. At the time I felt fine and even wondered if I was doing something wrong because I just wasn't feeling it but today, I'm hurting. But it's a good hurt :)

Healthy You Check In

Today is going to be a quickie check in as I'm rushing off to go along with T's preschool class on a field trip.

I had a great workout this morning... I ran 5k in 35:10. My previous quickest time was 35:38 so I'm thinking that was pretty good. With the Mother's Day run less than a week away, my ultimate time goal for it would be anything under 35 min but I've been told that it's not a race you can run very fast at...too many people. So my goal will just be (and has always been) to run the full course - no walking.

Anyways, here's a recap of my May goals. (Woohoo! Motivated in May - my mantra for the month)

1- At the beginning of April I set the goal of losing 10 lbs by Mother's Day. Right now I am at 8.6/10.
2- Run 5K on Mother's Day without stopping.
3- Lose 5 lbs by May 21 (that's the day I'm going to see M) I'm at 1.6/5
4- Lose 8 lbs by June 2. That's one month from today and that's on an offical WI day. 1.6/8
5- Get 1200 minutes of cardio this month. 210 so far..
6- Run 3 times a week. Done!!

That's all for now.. I'm planning on checking out everyone's blogs this evening! Can't wait to see how you all are doing!

Weigh In #17

Very very pleased today...I weighed in with a loss of 1.6lbs! That takes me below the 230 mark!!!! I have no idea when the last time was that I weighed in the 220s.. probably at least 8.5 years ago. So yes, I'm a happy girl today.

My weekend was busy but good.. I made decent food choices but didn't track everything. Today is a new week though and my goal is to make it through, tracking everything. I was thinking today about flex points.. and how I allow myself indulgences (without tracking most times) because "I know I have the FP for them". Mentally for me, FPs seem to be this big buffer that somehow swallow up the extra points that I eat. It's like an excuse for extra treats. I do think though, if FPs are used properly, they are great. But I'm not able to do that. So, I'm going to divide them up and use some daily. Maybe like the Wendi plan? I'm not very familiar with the Wendi method but I'll do some reading up on it and get it figured out. I just think that if they are divied up like that, I won't be able to use them as an excuse. Plus, this works in with my JOLT plan of mixing things up and staying motivated.

My workout today was cut a little short. I biked for 15 and ran for 35 - almost didn't make it though because towards the end, these awful cramps started up... and I had to run to the washroom. Sorry if thats TMI! After that, I felt terrible and decided not to do my 35 on the elliptical and went home instead. Not sure if a bit of a virus is passing through or what... but I hope it's gone soon.

Anyhow, that's all for now.. I'm enjoying blogging from my bed this afternoon as we recently installed a wireless router. I've decided that a bit of a restful afternoon is in order for me today!

I think it's back..

Don't want to jinx myself or anything but both yesterday and today I am feeling great! It really was just an "all of a sudden" thing, which leads me to believe that my lack of mojo was related to hormones. But it's strange because I still haven't gotten TOM (and no, it's completely impossible for me to be pregnant!!!). It seems as though my cycles are getting more and more irregular because I could swear that I should have had it by now. Which leads me to my first goal: keep track of monthly cycle.

So yes... it is May! I wanted badly to post yesterday but ran out of time. The good news is that I got my horrendous work project finished and submitted it.... at 12:36 am last night! If it's at all possible this month, I'm going to try not to take on too many contracts. I need to catch up on some other things this month like registering for school, finding out about financial assistance, seeing a lawyer... etc. Oh, and I'm going to visit my man in a little less than 3 weeks from now! YAY!

There are several goals that I will fail to meet this month if I do not stay on track... thus I have officially decided that the key word for the month of may is MOTIVATION. I am going to put effort into finding new things to motivate myself and I am going to stay motivated all month long. There, I wrote it down. That means it must come to pass (haha! if only it were that simple).

Now on to those goals...
1- At the beginning of April I set the goal of losing 10 lbs by Mother's Day. Right now I am at 7/10.
2- Run 5K on Mother's Day without stopping.
3- Lose 5 lbs by May 21 (that's the day I'm going to see M)
4- Lose 8 lbs by June 2. That's one month from today and that's on an offical WI day.
5- Get 1200 minutes of cardio this month.
6- Run 3 times a week.

There we go. It's all out there for everyone to see... now it's time to get my butt in action!

(Sidenote: Thank you to those who commented the last few days..I don't think I would have re-found my motivation without your help!!!)