Friday, June 29, 2007

It's Friday...AND a long weekend!

Happy Canada Day to all you fellow Canadians out there! Hope everyone's weekend is filled with fun!

Although I haven't been posting very much in the past few days, it is NOT because I fell off the wagon (which is my usual #1 reason for not posting) I have been doing great all week. I have gotten out for 3-45 min walks and have been following my meal plan down to a tee...well at least I have been after my Monday night affair with the Mini Wheats. This morning was WI and I was not disappointed. I know I would see a big number because when I jumped on the scale last Sunday I was up 7 lbs from my little trip to Toronto. This morning I was down 4.5 lbs. So I am only carrying around another 2.5 left over from last weeks gain. I'm sure it will come off this week though so I am not TOO stressed about it. But I would like to have this extra 2 or 3 lbs off by the wedding next Saturday.

As for my plans for the weekend and my weekend challenges. I don't have too much going on. All my friends seem to be working or out of town and my hubby Scott has been working overtime ALL week and is going to have to work at least Saturday, if not all weekend. So it looks like I am on my own! Tonight I plan on going out to order our new appliances as well as a new counter top for our new house. Tomorrow is still undecided and Sunday we are going to my Dad's in St. Stephen for a Canada Day BBQ. I know there will be plenty of temptation there but I'm going to try to keep my portions in check and choose the healthiest options possible. What does everyone else have planned for the weekend?

Happy Canada Day and/or Independence Day!!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Struggling.....

I haven't really fallen off the face of the earth, I promise. I have just been trying to catch up with work and life in general. Because we were in Toronto for most of the week last week, I came back to a pile of work on my desk. I have one of those jobs where if I don't do the work, it just piles up on my desk, no one else will do it for me. But I can't complain, I do really enjoy my job. I have been back on my meal plan since Monday but I did have a slip up on Monday night....grrr.

I came home from work with a massive headache so I took a few Advil and laid down for a power nap. I then woke up at 6:00 and headed to the fridge for supper, since hubby was out and I had just gotten back from Toronto, I didn't have that sense of accountability ingrained in my brain yet. I was still in "away from home, I can eat whatever I want" mode. Isn't it weird that when we are away form home we lose all accountability...or at least I do. Does anyone else do the same?? I knew I was supposed to have my 4 ounces of chicken and 2.5 cups of veggies but I looked at the fridge, contemplated the chicken and then threw caution to the wind. I decided to have a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (still trying to get my protein in) and then I went to reach for the salad and for some odd odd odd reason, turned around opened the cupboard and pulled out the Mini Wheats!!! These were a major weakness of mine before I started WW. I would eat a whole box in one sitting....and I almost did on Monday! I ate those mini wheats like they were going out of style. Handful after handful (I don't like milk on them, just straight form the box!) I ate at least 1/2 the box. Granted the boxes are pretty small BUT STILL!!! I'm sure it was about 50x the amount of calories that would have been in my salad. Another thing, after I have a headache and take Advil to get rid of it, for some weird reason, I always crave carby food...Is it just me?? I always want a bagel or toast or something. Maybe it's just a comfort thing

But I decided Tuesday that enough was enough, I had to start holding myself accountable again. I have been doing great since then and am hoping for some sort of a loss tomorrow morning, even a small one would be great at this point.

I am slowly catching up on all of your blogs...I feel like I have missed a year's worth! Hope everyone is getting ready for the big Canada Day Weekend (for you fellow Canadians anyway)!! Take care!

Monday, June 25, 2007

I'm Back!!!

Wow it's been almost a week since I have posted and my body can certainly tell. I will be catching up on all of your blogs throughout the day...I can't wait to see how you are all doing!

Last Monday night, there was an unexpected death in Scott's family so Tuesday night Scott and I hopped on a plane and headed for Toronto. We just got home Saturday night at around midnight so I have been trying to recover from the 17 hour drive home ever since! What a long week. So that is basically why I have been in hiding for the past week. The whole family basically picked up from New Brunswick and headed to Ontario so we were all cramped into Scott's aunt and uncle's place. My diet consisted of whatever they offered to feed me. The majority of it was egg salad sandwiches and hot dogs and hamburgers...thrown in with cookies, ice cream, jelly rolls and more cookies of course. It was a disaster diet wise. We had nothing to do since we didn't take our own car up so we basically ate and ate and ate. So I decided to face the music this morning and jump on the scale. I was NOT happy at all but I wasn't surprised either. 7 lb GAIN......7 lbs!!!!!!! I know some if it must be water retention so I am not too worried about it coming back off. Weight that comes on very quickly also tends to leave very quickly. I am back on my meal plan today and I am as devoted as ever. I have a wedding to go to on July 7 and I am gonna need to take off this 7 lbs to get into my dress!!

My plan for this week is to stick to my meal plan to a tee and also get in some cardio...it has been about 2 weeks since I have gotten a good round of cardio. I feel awful. I hate the mirror and I feel lazy and sluggish. It's so easy to get out of routine isn't it? But it's so hard to get back into it!!! Grrrr....why do I do this to myself??? I am just praying for a good weigh in on Saturday. I know I can do it, I just need to stay focused on my goal. I would love to see the 140s in the next few weeks but the way I have been going, I'm more likely to see the 160s!!

I need some motivation......anyone??

Monday, June 18, 2007

Weekend report...blah

Monday Monday. Here we go again.

This weekend I didn't stick with my plan...AT ALL. I splurged. Big time. What is it with those weekends? Why are they so hard? I guess it's probably because it is summer time and there are ALWAYS things going on during the weekends. Always get togethers, BBQs, nights out. Basically for the summer I have decided to just try to maintain my weight....hopefully lose a pound or two here and there but I'm not stressing out over it. Once the fall hits, it will be back on WW and I am hoping to get this last 10-15 lbs off.

I did however have a great NSV this weekend. My hubby and I participated in Rally of Hope fundraiser this year (I'm not sure how far this fundraiser spreads but it is a great fundraiser to help raise money for equipment for the local hospital.) We had a great time! My work also put in a team but this year Scott and I were on his work's team. This year they had a survivor theme and there was 25 stations that our team had to complete. Because there was so many people on our 'tribe' I only had to compete in one event which was great since I could sit back and relax and enjoy the festivities. The event I had to compete in was the "Wall Climb". There was a 12 foot wall that 8 people on our tribe had to climb over. We figured out early in the game that our best strategy would be for the two biggest guys on our team to stand at the bottom of the wall and hoist all of the other teams members up and over the wall. It was a lot of fun and I wasn't nervous at all. After I got over the wall, I was talking to Scott and I said....It's funny, that is something I NEVER would have done 71 lbs ago. I never would have let two men hoist me over a 12 foot wall. I just sat and thought about how I would have felt 71 lbs ago. I would have been nervous all morning, wondering what those two men would think when they tried to hoist me over and they couldn't lift me. I thought about how awful I would have felt. How self conscious I would have been.

This year though, 71 lbs lighter...I didn't even give my weight a second thought. I wasn't looking around my team wondering if I was the heaviest person. I wasn't nervous about the guys hoisting me over the wall. I wasn't worried about what people would think. I was excited and having a great time. It's just so amazing to me how your frame of mind is completely altered after losing 71 lbs.....or 50 lbs or even 15 lbs. The way you look at the world changes. I'm not living my life according to what other people think of my weight....I'm living it for me. I'm enjoying life. It's such a great feeling. I'm not afriad to go out and enjoy myself anymore. I'm not afraid of going to the beach, or camping, or anything else. 71 lbs ago, I was constantly afriad of what people were thinking. I'm just so happy, I feel like I have finally broken an awful spell that kept me from living my life.

Enough of my rant for now. I DID get out to see Knocked Up on Saturday night and Scott and I laughed the whole way through it. I usually don't go see comedy movies in the theatre but this one was totally worth it. I LOVED it. We were laughing all the way home. If you haven't seen it, GO SEE it.

How was everyone's weekend? Any successes? NSVs?

Friday, June 15, 2007

WI & new plan

It's Friday!! The weekend is almost here!!

So I jumped on the scale today. I know I have been doing really well all week so I was anxious to see if my hard work had paid off. Last weekend I did go a little overboard on the splurges but this weekend I think I have a new plan of action (it seems to change everyweek but maybe that's what my body needs...a little change every now and again.) I lost 3 lbs!!!! I couldn't believe it!! I am finally back down to my lowest weight ever. I made it down here in May but then got side tracked and gained about 4 lbs. Well now it's off again!!!! And I'm planning on keeping it off. I don't want to go back up to where I was last week. I'm really not even sure HOW I lost 3 lbs after all the junk I ate last weekend but like I said, this week, I have been SUPER strict and stuck to my plan full force. The past few weekends I have basically been eating my face off and not really watching what I eat, this weekend I'm going with a different approach. I'm going to enjoy a few splurges tomorrow and possibly tonight but Sunday is my back on track day. The last few weekends I have let my splurges take over Sunday but not this weekend. I'm getting back to my diet strict on Sunday. That gives me an extra day to be on my meal plan and an extra day to undo the damage that was done on Friday night and Saturday. I'm also going to TRY to ask myself before each splurge....the most feared question to all dieters...

"Do I really NEED this or am I just eating because I have the weekend off my mealplan???"

Here are my weekend challenges for this weekend:

Friday night:
Not too much. Scott and I are going to go out and price new appliances, countertop etc for our new house! (I don't even think I mentioned that Scott and I bought our FIRST home on Monday and we are absolutely in love with it!!! Move in date is July 20 so wish us luck!!)

I think we are planning on going for a coffee and then browsing the stores....although Scott did mention something this morning about going out to dinner tonight so I will let you know how that goes down.

Saturday:
We have a fundraiser to be at ALL day from 8:00-3:00 for Rally of Hope. We will be getting lots of exercise as there are TONS of obstacle courses and things like that. This year it is a Survivor theme and we are all in tribes and have to complete all these challenges. It should be fun actually and I am looking forward to it. As far as food goes, they are providing lunch so I'm thinking it will be a BBQ but it's anybody's guess. I'm just going to go and make the best choices I can.

Saturday Night:
I think we are having dinner and a movie night but if we do decide to go out to dinner tonight then tomorrow we'll be making dinner at home. Haven't decided what though...any suggestions? Then I think we are going to go see Knocked up...I've heard it is HILARIOUS!!!

Sunday:
BACK.......ON................TRACK

What does everyone have planned for the weekend??? any Friday weighers have success today???

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Thank you!

Thank you so much for the advice!! Right now I'm going to stick with what I am doing, stay very strict on my meal plan during the week and then relaxing a little on the weekend. I am going to NOT indulge SOO much on the weekend though like I have been the past few weekends. I have basically been maintaining my weight and not losing anything. I think during the week I probably lose a lb or two because I always feel so amazing on Friday and Saturday but then I end up blowing it on the weekend and basically eat my FACE OFF!

I didn't even realise how much I had eaten last weekend until I stopped over at my sister's place tonight and I listed it all off to or her. It was so spaced out though on the weekend that I didn't even notice. It's amazing how much JUNK we can eat and still justify it. Everything I ate last weekend (and there was A LOT of sugary greasy things) was totally justified in my mind because ...hey it was the weekend, I had done good ALL week, I deserved a treat (or 2 or 3 or 17) I need to get out of that mind set. I need to control myself better on the weekends

This weekend Scott and I are doing Rally for Hope on Saturday so I should be pretty occupied for most of the day and not thinking about food. They are providing lunch though in the form of a BBQ so that has me slightly worried but I'm just going to go, have fun and make the best choices I can make. Saturday night we are heading out on a date with some friends to dinner and a movie so I know I will be saving myself for that! (What a great idea you guys had about using the point system on the weekend and my meal plan during the week, I think that is a fabulous idea!!)

On another note, I FOUND MY SEXY JEANS!! You ladies ALL know what I'm talking about. Those dressy sexy jeans that make you feel hotter than hell! They are a dark wash and I found them at Bluenotes (Thrifty's). I was a little confused about the sizing because I am so used to shopping at Suzy Shier and stores that run 5,7,9,11,13 etc. These jeans were a 29...I'm not really sure what size that would translate too but there seemed to be a lot of size 26, and 25 and 27 on the table so maybe I don't want to know.....At least I feel great in them!! I will have to get a picture of me in them to add to my Before and After stack!

That's it for me ladies! Sarah and Ann...I love the talky blogs so much, I'm trying to work up the nerve to join in!!

Monday, June 11, 2007

Confused......

So.....about those weekend challenges.......
I didn't do INSANELY BAD but I definitely didn't do good either. Scott and I ended up going camping again on Friday so that was thrown out the window. I did have a good healthy supper though so I only munched on a few marshmallows and a Cinnamon bun. Other than that, Friday was good. Saturday morning we all went out to breakfast and that didn't sit so well but I didn't eat again until Supper time. What did I have for supper???? East Side Mario's!!! Did I order the veggie and chicken wrap like I planned on???? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They had 1/2 price pizza and appetizers so Scott and I just HAD to take advantage!!! We ordered the nachos and pizza and split. It tasted SOOOO GOOOD though. It was a nice little treat anyway. I'm back on track though today so it's all good. I figure if I can be super strict during the week and then live a little on the weekend, I'm doing ok. I'm actually thinking about starting back on WW on Monday. I think I may need a little more structure in my life. That way I can eat great all week and still have my flex points for the weekend! I tried this meal plan and I liked it a lot but I just couldn't stick to it. I was getting too out of control on the weekends. Just going crazy and eating all over the place on the weekends. I was eating just because it was the weekend and I had "weekends off". I think I am going to go back on WW. What does everyone think I should do? I do miss WW. I miss the freedom of it. And this present meal plan obviously isn't working too well because I have been eating and drinking my face off on the weekend. Yup I think I've convinced myself. I almost feel scared to go back to WW though. Like it is too much choice. Like I won't be as strict on it. But I could go back to posting my menu on here and that would help me to stay accountable. I'm confused.......

The thing I like about my current meal plan is they tell you exactly what to eat. You have to eat this...plain and simple. WW has so much choice, but I've also had so much success with it, so maybe I should g back to it. It's been about 6 weeks since I have been off of WW. But I haven't really been sticking to my current meal plan soooo.........

I'm stumped. Help!

Friday, June 8, 2007

Yay! It's FRIDAY!

Hey everyone, I know I say this every week but I am SOOO happy it's Friday! the sun is out, it's warm and I'm actually wearing a skirt to work today! Life is Good!

Thank you so much for all of your support through the roller coaster that is my weight loss journey! You have NO idea how much encouragement and support I get from each comment. You guys always have the best advice. The best thing about weight loss is finding people who are on the same road as you are. It just makes the journey so much easier to know that there are other people on the same path. That is one ting that I always thought I was lacking when I was on WW because I didn't ever attend a meeting so I didn't have that support group, cheering me on every week. Granted, I did have an insanely supportive husband, friends and family, but I didn't have that connection with other women who were going through the same things that I was. It's funny because on here I will talk about something that I am going through, whether it's chocolate cravings, or my hatred for exercising or anything else and there are always 5 other people who are going through the EXACT same thing and can relate to what I am saying. At the same time, while I get support form your comments (a BIG THANK YOU!) I also get LOADS of support from reading your blogs too!! Another BIG THANK YOU for sharing your experiences with me and allowing me to relate to what you're going through at the time.

Well here are my weekend challenges and goals:

Friday:
Shopping night with Hubby (YAY new clothes!!!)

Saturday:

1. Going out to St. Martins for the day to the sea caves so I will get loads of exercise walking around all day. But they do have a cute little ice cream parlour out there......Plan: I'm going to make a big lunch before we go and bring lots of fruit with us and water




2. Going out to Dinner...most likely at East Side Mario's

Plan: I'm going to try try try to order the Marboli wrap (Chicken and veggie wrap) but for some reason everytime I go there with these intentions, they always come back to the table with pizza...Maybe this it's because every time the waiter comes to take my order and I have decided on the healthy option, my last minute impulse is to order the pepperoni pizza or the Lotsa Cheese Capaletti (doesn't this one just sound fat free???) They are just both so good...maybe I'll get Scott to take me somewhere else for dinner....Any suggestions??

Sunday:
BBQ at a friend house
Plan: I'm bringing my own chicken to put on the BBQ and I know there will be tons of salad so that is my game plan there.

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend and I can't wait to read all about it!






Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Huge difference

I've said it so many times before but I'll say it again...It's AMAZING what a few good OP days can do to your attitude and your motivation! Monday I was pretty good but still hit a few bumps along the way but yesterday and today I have been 100% on plan and feeling GREAT!!! I think I found the zone again ladies. I feel good and I can tell my clothes are feeling looser. I have my size 7 pants hanging in my closet just waiting to be worn but they are a little tight around the butt and I am hoping to lose a few lbs before I wear them to work.

This weekend I've also decided to splurge and buy myself a new outfit. I need some good dressy jeans and a dressy top to wear out to dinners, out for drinks, just a good "I look Hot" outfit. Hope I find what I'm looking for!! Nothing better than buying new clothes.

After much self debate, I have decided to weigh in on Saturday morning. I was going to give myself an extra week off to get rid of any weight that may have been gained at the camping trip last weekend, but decided to face the music. Plus I want to have my 'treat' on Saturday night so the WI will help me to keep on track, if I see a bad number than it will motivate me to be good so that next week's WI goes extra well, if I see a bad number it will make me angry and not even want a treat. This picture is from camping last weekend. I wish I had taken more pictures of the sunset, it was so amazing. This one was taken as I was lounging around, bottle of wine in one hand and the camera in the other! The camp we were at was right on the water and the sunset was AMAZING! I should frame this picture and put it on my wall now that I think of it! I wish we could go back this weekend! Isn't is beautiful??? I took this picture from the deck of the camp. The weather was amazing all day too and I did have an NSV. I work my cute little jean skirt (SIZE 7!!) and a HALTER TOP! A HALTER TOP!! I couldn't even believe it until I had it on! I don't think I have ever worn one out in public besides maybe once at a bar. I didn't break my camera out until night time though so I don't have any pictures!!
Hope everyone is having a great week! Any other NSVs around???

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

What a weekend!!!

Well I am once again scared of the scale ladies. It has become an anxiety inducing monster...again. What happened to those days when I loved the scale and it was my best friend?? It didn't seem like too long ago. Now I am avoiding the scale like the bubonic plague. I know I need to face the music, I overate this week and that probably took my 1.5 lbs loss (which I saw last Friday morning) and threw it out the window. I didn't do TOO bad on the weekend but I could have done a lot better. I did splurge and have hot dogs for both lunch and dinner on Saturday and I also managed to polish off a bottle of wine or two. There may have been some crispy minis involved too. But I had a GREAT time camping, the weather was amazing. I also managed to have pizza and chocolate on Sunday without even a second thought. But the important thing is that I am back on track today.....right? I am biting the bullet and getting serious again. This is it. No more weekend binges!! Maybe I should go back on WW and give it a try to see if it can help me lose these last 15 lbs and still keep my sanity???? But I know in the back of my mind, the problem isn't my meal plan, it's my lack of loyalty to it. I can't blame my lack of losing on anyone but myself.

These past few weeks have been a roller coaster of high and lows in the eating department. During the week I am strict and right on track but once Friday night hits or Saturday, all my healthy eating goes out the window. This has been going on for about 3 weeks now but it is stoping today. I am going back to my original plan. I am going to stay on my meal plan all week and allow myself 1 treat on Saturday night...one treat. Not two, or three...just one. I can do it. I know I can. I just need to stick with it! I know I will feel so much better once I get back on track and stay back on track. I just need to get back in the zone. I miss the zone, I love the zone...I just can't seem to find it. But this is it. I am getting back on the wagon and holding on for dear life. I think a big part of the roller coaster has been that for the past 3 weekends, Scott and I have had plans to go out with friends and I know that once I have a few drinks, I throw caution to the wind. I need to get away from that. I am going to power walk at least 3 times per week for 45-50 mins and also I am going to squeeze in 2 weight training sessions (45 mins each) 2 times per week, one for upper body and one for lower. I know I can do this. I only have about 14 lbs to lose to get to my ultimate goal. Then I am on maintenance (which some say is the hardest part!!!! YIKES)


I know that I will get there eventually and I did get myself into a pair of size 7 pants last Wednesday at Suzy Shier so I know I am going in the right direction, I just need a little more focus and a little less wine on the weekends. :)