Saturday, November 20, 2010

Proud!

Hey folks!

So, despite the fact that I was up 1.2 lbs at my meeting today, I'm feeling really good for the following reasons:
  • I worked out four times last week (much more than I had been in prior weeks)
  • I ate well and tracked for 5 days out of 7, and partially tracked the other 2
  • I went to Swiss Chalet for dinner tonight, and actually ordered something reasonably healthy (i.e. not french fries)! And not only that, I stopped eating before I was uncomfortably full. I actually left food on my plate. I bet I could count on one hand the number of times in my life I've done this before at a restaurant. And now I feel good, not overstuffed. :)
I think part of the reason I was up this morning is that I indulged a bit last night... mainly in some (er, quite a few) potato chips. I'm confident this week's hard work will show up on the scale next Saturday. In the mean time, I'll keep on trucking... and tracking!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

I don't know what's gotten into me...

But it's making me do crazy things like exercise twice in the same day! :D

I was down 4.4 lbs at my meeting on Saturday (embarrassed to say that I was still 0.2 lbs above my joining weight over a year ago...) and I really want to be down again this week. I've been gaining weight for so long and trying so hard to regain control of my eating habits that I don't want to lose this momentum.

I've had a couple of non-tracking moments so far this week (including a big potluck craft party... let's just say I did way more eating than crafting), but I've been trying to make up for it with LOTS of exercise. I went for a run on Saturday and to a Newbody class on Sunday (for the first time).

I thought I was going to have to miss my usual BodyCombat class tonight, so I went to a spinning class before work this morning... but then I ended up being free for BodyCombat! Usually I would have skipped it anyway, but my friend wanted to go, and I really want to push myself this week... so I did! So it was a double workout day for me. :)

After all that, I'm freaking exhausted, so I think I'll have a hot bath and get to bed early. Good night!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Super Early Workout!

Just stopping in to inform you that I am officially back in an exercising groove.

That's the only possible explanation for my whereabouts at 5:00 this morning--the gym.

I was at the gym at 5 am, which means I got out of my warm, comfy bed at 4:40 am! Craziness!

And that's not all. This is the third time I've worked out in three days! Tuesday was BodyFlow, Wednesday was BodyCombat, and this morning I did 30 minutes on the stairmaster. Booyah!

I was out of town last weekend and missed my Weight Watchers meeting, but I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about this Saturday. I think I'm finally starting to settle back into my old healthy ways. :)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Pad Thai Time

Happy Wednesday!

I do hope to get back into the groove of frequent posts... fingers crossed! The past week has been filled with marking an endless pile of tests. Thankfully, I wrapped that up yesterday, and now I have about three weeks before I have to mark again! :D

Last Friday, a dear friend was visiting from Ottawa! She came over for dinner and I wanted to make her something special.

I chose the pad thai from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry!, which I've made once before. I prepped all the ingredients before my friend came over. I felt like I was ready to shoot my own cooking show!


After all the prep was done, the meal came together quite quickly.


It was delicious! We both thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

I've also been rocking the stir fries lately, and I've gone back to an old standby: steel cut oats with brown sugar! I need something to keep me warm, since I try to keep the heat as low as possible.

I'm off to watch some Sex and the City on DVD and knit!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Still hanging in there

I'm still here, and as you may have guessed, my eating has been far from perfect lately.

Thanksgiving threw me off, followed by my birthday (which was honestly more of a birthweek and then some), and I was definitely up at my meeting this Saturday.

But I have some good news! This is my third day in a row of tracking (it's still early in the morning, but I've pre-tracked my lunch and dinner already), and I still have been exercising (albeit not as much as I should be).

Last night, I actually cooked dinner! I haven't been in the mood for cooking for a long time. There's been a lot of microwaving, assembling, and convenience meals, but not much cooking from scratch. But yesterday, I thawed some chicken breast, and actually whipped up a pretty darn delicious stir fry with lots of veggies and brown rice. Could I be back in the cooking groove? Only time will tell. :)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Midweek Weigh-In

Yesterday evening, I found myself at loose ends. Since I'm going to miss my Weight Watchers meeting this coming Saturday, I went to one last night instead.

I wasn't expecting a loss, since I usually weigh in in the mornings, and my last weigh-in was only a few days ago. But to my surprise (and delight), I was down 0.8 to 198.6 lbs! :)

I have some potentially difficult (eating-wise) events coming up - Thanksgiving and my birthday. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving weekend at the cottage with my parents, and I'm hoping that I can enjoy a yummy Thanksgiving dinner and not let it affect the rest of my week. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Great week ... finally!

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I wanted to wait until I had some proof (for you and for myself) that I am re-committed.

For months, I've been all "action plan" this and "back on the wagon" that, but it was not leading to anything -- I pretty much just gained and gained and gained all summer.

But check this out:

That's right.

I tracked ALL WEEK. All seven days, baby. This in and of itself is a HUGE accomplishment for me.

But wait, it gets better. Not only did I track all week, but I actually STAYED WITHIN my points (exactly). It has been months, people. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a week like this. I feel great.

In addition, I worked out three times! I'm glad my gym membership is actually getting used again. I also tried playing squash recently (for the first time), which was a lot of fun! I'm not usually into sports (due to gym class related traumas in my childhood), so this was definitely a little out of my comfort zone. Plus, I didn't suck as much as I was expecting, which was a bonus.

So, did all my hard work pay off in the meeting room this morning? I'll say! I was down 7.8 pounds to 199.4! Out of the 200's! Hopefully for good this time. :)

I think one reason I was able to stick to my points was that I did very well on the weekend (my tracking week starts on Saturday). I got through Saturday and Sunday only using 1.5 of my weekly points. Usually, I use all of my weekly points (if not more) immediately, which makes the rest of the week feel impossible. My plan is to aim for a great weekend again!

OH! I also went to that wedding, in the new dress I mentioned. I think it's rather fetching! And it has pockets! I wish my feet weren't cut off in this pic because then you could see my silver shoes.


Well, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my weekend... and by "enjoy," I mean finish marking approximately 100 math tests. Yay!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Weigh-In

I was up 0.8 on Saturday! I guess it could be worse, but I'm frustrated. Last week, I tried really hard (honestly), but I still went over my points (and ate an entire pizza for dinner Friday night - not a huge pizza, to be fair, but still).

Hmm, I just read what I wrote, and I really couldn't have been trying all that hard. I think I'm in a bit of denial. I am still happy to be back in my school routine, though. All it's missing is the gym! I'm working on it. :)

In other news, I bought a new dress for the wedding I'm going to on Saturday! I think I could squeeze the zipper shut on my old dress, but I wouldn't want it popping open at an inopportune time. I'll show you a picture of me all glammed up after the fact!

Sorry for the short post - I'm off to get my beauty sleep!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Back to school!

And I'm loving the structure & routine already--even though my first class hasn't happened yet!

I went into school yesterday to get some prep done, and I started my day off well with a healthy breakfast (eaten at the table, not on the couch with my laptop!) and packed a healthy lunch (including homemade date coconut bars - I'll blog about them soon, hopefully!) to bring in with me. I came home and made a healthy dinner (ALSO eaten at the table) and got to bed at a somewhat decent hour.

I was teaching in the summer, but only two days a week. I'm back to four days a week, and teaching a course I've never taught before, so it will be much busier (in a good way).

My last week of holiday (I had a tiny bit of time off between the summer & fall semesters) was very relaxing and fun! I went to Ontario Place & the CNE (don't worry, I avoided the deep-fried butter... although I was very tempted), among other things.

Go Banana!

I also couldn't make it to my meeting on Saturday morning, which is why there was no weigh-in this weekend. I have a good feeling about this coming Saturday, though! I'm going to a wedding in less than two weeks, and when I tried on the dress I want to wear (pictured below), it wouldn't quite zip up.


It ALMOST fits, so I'm determined to get into it! Although I might pretend it still doesn't fit so I have an excuse to buy a new dress. ;)

I'm off to school now! Wish me luck for my first class of the term!

P.S. Sheryl (aka Bitch Cakes), one of my favourite bloggers, just got lifetime! I'm so excited for her!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Long Walk & Weigh-In

On Thursday, I had big plans for a bike ride.

I rarely go for bike rides, so I was pretty excited about it.


I packed up some healthy bike snacks and I was ready to go!


Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. My back tire was flat and I have a feeling it has a puncture. I moped a little about the turn of events, but then decided to walk through Taylor Creek Park instead.


Luckily, the beautiful weather cheered me up after my bike let-down.

I stopped for a picnic and to read a bit. I picked up a sub on the way for a treat!

I had a delicious peach for dessert.


On my way home, I stopped at one of my favourite bulk food stores, Better Bulk, as well as the East Lynn Farmers Market. I picked up lots of goodies, including almonds, dates, kale, raspberries, bagels, and edamame!



All my walking must have paid off, because I was FINALLY down for my weigh-in on Saturday morning. I was down 2 pounds exactly, to 200.2 pounds. Here's hoping it's the last time I'm in the 200's EVER. :)

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Birthday Challenge!

My 25th birthday is in about 8 weeks (October 18). This seems like the perfect opportunity to combine my action plan for getting back on track with some goal-setting!

I'd love to lose 25 pounds by my 25th birthday (and it would be so darn catchy), but 25 pounds in 8 weeks is a bit unrealistic, I think.

So, I am going to aim to lose 15 pounds by my birthday! 15 pounds in 8 weeks is totally doable, right? ESPECIALLY considering they are 15 pounds I have already lost before.

So how am I going to do this? I think I will take it one week at a time. My action plan for the rest of this week (until Friday) is:
  • be active every day
  • have a salad for one meal every day
  • track, track, track!
So far, so good! I've been faithfully tracking (including the, um, 5 beers, 2 shots, champagne, chips, and pizza consumed at a party on Saturday night), and I've been rocking the big salads.

Today, my friend Martina came over and we worked out at an outdoor track near my house. We were Booty Camp buddies, so we did some Booty Camp style drills that included running laps, skipping, lunges, squats, tricep dips, and more. We're also considering signing up for a 5k together!

This will be more than just big talk - I will follow through! I actually feel good enough about where I am now to declare this to all of you, rather than just fumble along hoping it happens.

Have a great week!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

The ugly truth.

202.2 pounds.

That's what I weighed in at this morning. This is not really surprising to me, but it's still hard to accept.

When I joined Weight Watchers meetings on November 7, 2009, I weighed 201.8 pounds. On May 1, 2010, I reached my 10% goal, and an all-time low of 181.6 pounds. So I've regained just over 20 pounds.

This has to stop. I can't let it go any further than this, and I won't.

I'll report back in the next couple of days with my action plan! It may or may not involve signing up with a friend to run a 5k.

Toodles!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Grocery Haul

Happy Friday!

In an effort to offset the damage of 1.5 weeks of gluttony before my weigh-in tomorrow morning, I bought some healthy groceries yesterday (it's been awhile!).

I included some "treats" to help motivate me.


Yum, watermelon!

I don't have high hopes for my weigh-in tomorrow morning. I have a strong feeling I will be at least as much as (if not higher than) what I weighed when I started going to meetings in November. Yes, folks, it's that bad. I've regained about 20 pounds!

But it's never too late to get back in the swing of things! Do I spot a pink Green Smoothie in my lunch from today?


Alongside chicken & avocado on a pita and some raw cauliflower. :)

I will report my weigh-in tomorrow morning, no matter how ugly. It's time to start being accountable for my unhealthy ways!

In other news, my dad is home from the hospital! I really have NO EXCUSES to be eating junk.

Have a lovely weekend!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Back in business.

I've missed you, dearest blog of mine!

I've had a few things on my mind lately that have kept me very busy.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been in the process of interviewing for a pretty exciting job. I had a phone interview, a written test, and an in-person interview (for which I had to prepare a 3 hour lesson plan).

It was all on the stressful side, but it's over now and I know I did my best. I don't know yet if I got the job (and I'm really trying not to get my hopes up), but no matter what, it was a good experience and I'll be that much more prepared the next time 'round!

Through all of that, my dad has still been in the hospital recovering from his heart attack. He had a defibrillator implanted on Friday and will hopefully be returning home soon. I've been visiting him most days.

I wish I could say that I've been 100% on-plan and exercising through all of this, but that's frankly just not true. I also missed my meeting yesterday because I was out of town. However, the week before was mostly good and I was actually down at my last meeting! I'm hoping to start fresh NOW and make up for some lost time this week, now that my life seems to be getting somewhat back in order.

It's also the end of the semester for the courses I'm currently teaching. On Friday, I taught the last class of the term, and now I have a little break until their final exam on Wednesday (which I have the joy of marking).

With my rare bit of free time, I visited with a couple of university friends this weekend in the country. The visit involved, among other things, a corn maze (that I danced through at times):

baby goats:

and Saved by the Bell:


All in all, a much-needed weekend of fun. :)

Hopefully, I will start blogging more frequently and, more importantly, taking care of myself with healthy eating and exercise. I know in my head that's a better way to deal with stress than, say, ordering Chinese food, but sometimes my actions don't reflect that.

I am relaxing now with So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Good night, all!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Hill fun!

Tonight brought back painful (er, I mean fond) memories of bear-crawling up this hill multiple times:


Yes, that's right. I was back at Booty Camp. After a nightmarishly slow ride on the Bathurst streetcar, I was a few minutes late, but made it for most of the class.

Aside from bear-crawling up the hill, and running up and down it, at the end we used it to do all kinds of crunches on an incline. I can only assume this made them more effective, as I couldn't really get my feet up off of the ground like we were supposed to. I think I should stick to flatter territory for awhile, still.

I really miss Booty Camp! True, I was way too hot, and it was very tough, but it was nice to be back. But I could really tell that I have NOT been working as hard lately as I was during Operation: Buff.

Unfortunately, it's not feasible for me to be going to Booty Camp right now, grrr! I'll just have to start making better use of my gym membership. Body Combat tomorrow night?! I think so!

Monday, July 26, 2010

New Fridge!

Since last September, this is what I've been dealing with in the fridge department:



But wait, it gets worse. Here's the freezer (you may want to lead small children out of the room for this one):


I know it really needs defrosting, but even when I defrost it, it frosts back up again very quickly because the door does not shut properly. Basically, I've been very limited when it comes to frozen items. This has definitely put a cramp in my cooking!

Thankfully, last Thursday, my prayers were answered and a new fridge has shown up! AND, I don't think I've mentioned that I probably don't have to move out of my apartment after all! :D

I had to put all my food out on the counter during the switch.

Behold:


I am very excited about this. Lots of new, thrilling freezer things are in my future. Frozen peas, I'm looking at you!

In other news, I've been on-track for three whole days now! I went to Zumba yesterday, and tomorrow I'm going to a Booty Camp class with a friend of mine. I'm a bit afraid about how I'll do, it's been so long!

I'm off now to do some marking and other school work. Have a great night, friends!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

keep on keepin' on

Sometimes I feel too grown-up for my own good.

I have my own apartment, I pay my own bills, I cook my own meals, I do my own laundry. Although no one has done any of these things for me for years, occasionally I wish I didn't have to be so responsible. While I like having complete control over my own life, and I do think that has helped me immensely with becoming healthier, sometimes I miss the days where I "didn't have" to care so much about what I ate. When times get tough, and I can cheer myself up by buying a danish with my morning coffee, then I'll invariably do that. My healthy routine is often the first thing to go.

I've had some stressors and changes in my life over the past few months, and while I don't think they are excuses for my slight weight gain of late, they are definitely factors. I started my first real job in September, and was living alone for the first time in my life. While these were both really good things for me, being solely responsible for things like rent and hydro was a big change.

I haven't mentioned on the blog that I had a difficult break-up a few months ago. This definitely took its toll on me. For several weeks, I felt I should take every opportunity to eat some delicious food. I think the last few weeks (or maybe even months) of that relationship was when my current plateau began.

Recently, I've begun seeing someone new. This has been a big change, as well. This is only the second person I've dated in my life, so it's all very new to me. And even though it doesn't feel stressful, it's shaking up my routine, and sometimes eating healthy and exercising can fall by the wayside.

On Saturday, I got the new Weight Watchers monthly pass, which includes unlimited meetings and e-tools! I was super-excited to be able to track online again (I was an online member before I started going to meetings). Saturday and Sunday, I tracked diligently. Surely, here was the ticket out of my slump! I thought.

Then, on Sunday night, my dad had a second heart attack (his first one was 10 years ago). He's doing well now, thankfully. Understandably, I've had a stressful few days. I think I've tracked one meal since then.

But am I unable to track because I'm distraught, or do I latch onto any bad thing that happens as an excuse to let everything go? Obviously, things happen, and it's important not to beat yourself up if you're not perfect all the time. But I've been consistently imperfect for months now. And I'm afraid that this is how the weight comes back: one excuse turns into another, and before you know it, you weigh more than when you started.

Ashley put it best: she told me one day that you have to be kind to yourself, but you shouldn't be a pushover!

I think I need to be a grown-up about this, too. It's time for some tough self-love.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Plateau?

I never really thought of my "poor" weight-loss performance from the past little while as a plateau, because I knew exactly why I wasn't succeeding: I was eating too much and exercising too little!

But I just read a great post by Sheryl about plateaus, and how sometimes they are mental: you follow the plan just enough to maintain your weight within a few pounds, but not lose anything significant. I think this is where I've been for the past couple of months.

I could be disappointed that I weigh about the same right now as I did a year ago, or I could be happy about the fact that I've maintained a near 90-pound loss for that entire time.

I think that's definitely something to celebrate, don't you?

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Slump Officially Over!?

I recently posted about being back on track.

Unfortunately, I spoke too soon! It only lasted a couple of days.

But now, I'm REALLY back on track, I swear!

I know it sounds like The Girl Who Cried Back On Track, but this time it's been four full days of tracking and exercising. Hmmm, four days isn't very many, but it's more than half of a week! And I'm determined to keep it going and have a great weigh-in this Saturday!

On Sunday, I mixed things up a bit with a brand new vegetable. It was spilling out of my bag!

Can you guess what it is?

It's red swiss chard! Isn't it beautiful? I'd never had it before, so I threw it in some soup. I also tried some sauteed in chicken broth, and I still have tons left. Dare I try it in a smoothie??

I'm ALSO back on the exercising train. Folks, I don't think you realize what an exercise desert I've been in. It reached scary levels.

Each time I work out, I give myself a star on my wicked-cool Where's Waldo calendar.


And now let's look at June:


Isn't that PATHETIC?! I'm really embarrassed by that, but I've already turned things around for July. The past three days, I've been to three different classes at three different Goodlife locations (I'm really making my membership work for me)!

On Sunday, I went to an amazing Zumba class (and ran into the amazing Ashley). Yesterday, I tried my first ever Goodlife spinning class. Today, I made it out to Body Combat!

I also picked up Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth last weekend. I've wanted to read her books for a long time and I'm really excited!


But it will have to wait until I finish my current book - The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. Once I get to it I'll let you know!

In other news, I am HATING the heat. I finally bought a fan today, which is helping.

I'm off to make my lunch for tomorrow now! Peace out, homies.

Friday, July 2, 2010

I love my apartment.

And I just found out I have to move!

Last August, I moved into my first big-girl apartment. I was living with my parents at the time (just for the summer), and had only ever lived with roommates. I found a great one-bedroom in East York.

My apartment is the main floor of a house. I have my own little balcony, AND on-site laundry. I was able to pick paint colours, and I found a bunch of great (and cheap) furniture and such.

Anyway, my landlord sold the house fairly recently. I didn't think it would impact me much, but apparently my new landlord wants to move into my unit. I can move into the basement if I want, and he's in the process of renovating it, but I don't know.

So I'm pretty sad about that!

In other news, I am going to have a roommate for the month of July! My friend Krystal is taking a course in Toronto, and will be staying with me. We were roommates for 3 years in university (as well as being floormates for 1 year), so I know we can live together without any problems. I'm also very excited to have a workout/healthy eating buddy!

I've still been struggling with tracking/exercising (which maybe explains the lack of posting lately)... I have a big grocery shop planned for today, though, and I'm determined to go back to my healthy ways. :)

Monday, June 21, 2010

Weigh-In & Back on Track!

Guess what, guys!

This girl has been TRACKING! :D

It all started on Saturday.

I haven't been mentioning my weigh-ins lately... I'm sure you can guess why! But let's come clean. On Saturday, I weighed in at 191.6 lbs, exactly 10 lbs higher than my lowest weight. On May 1, when I got my 10%, I was 181.6. I know I can drop these new 10 pounds really quickly, because I put them on quickly while eating total garbage.

Saturday's meeting topic was falling in love with your tracker! How fitting! I picked up a paper tracker to use this week (I have a 3-month tracker right now, but it has so many empty pages, it depresses me). I told Ashley, my leader, that I would give it to her next week as a little extra incentive.

Off to a good start:


I also rekindled my love affair with my Weight Watchers food scale (I swear, one of these days I'll devote a post to how wonderful it is). And have I mentioned how much I love Silver Hills Little Big Bread? These two slices (they must have been small end-slices) worked out to be 1 point total!


I've been keeping my meals pretty simple. Some PC Blue Menu Encrusted Wild Keta Salmon and a salad with tons o' avocado:


Homemade hummus, Mary's crackers, and tomato soup:


On Sunday, I even managed to sneak in a green smoothie! I'm sure my body was thanking me.

As for exercise? On Sunday morning, I dragged myself out of bed before 8 am for my first run in many weeks. I managed to go for about 25 minutes. I'm quite happy with that. I'm also planning to hit up BodyStep tomorrow morning.

It's good to be back! 100 pounds lost, here I come!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Checking In!

Hey lovelies!

I'm still alive, I swear. As you may have guessed, my lack of posting means a lack of healthy living lately. But I haven't given up yet. :)

I've had some changes in my life lately and I'm still trying to find a new routine. I'm happier than I've been in awhile, even though my "weight watching" is suffering right now.

I'm rockin' some clothes from the clothing swap! I still haven't found room for them all in my closet though... not that I'm complaining!

Here's someone's (maybe Kate's?) sweater, which I wore to a wedding (the dress used to belong to my SISTER. I never imagined I would ever fit into my sister's clothes in a million years.):


And I LOVE this shirt, also Kate's! Forgive the weird pose. It's hard to get good shots of yourself when you live alone.

I'm planning another week of hard-core meal planning, a la the week I had back in March. Stay tuned! I WILL get back on the healthy living train, I promise!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

New Friends & Old Problems.

Hey folks!

On Friday night, I had the honour of attending a clothing swap with some of my fellow GTA bloggers! I definitely cleaned up. I ended up bringing home two full bags of clothes. Apparently I was just the right size to benefit from everyone's cast-offs! Maybe it's a good thing I've been so spotty with tracking lately, hehe...

I'll try to get some pics of the new clothes soon. Some highlights include:
  • a lululemon hoodie
  • a pair of size 12 jeans (I think they were Andrea's?) that I grabbed for future use. Um, turns out, they fit right now!
  • many summer skirts!
Thanks for inviting me, guys! I had a great time!

As for the old problems - I have NOT been motivated lately. On the bright side, I haven't been necessarily driven to eat tons of crap. I'm just not motivated to eat particularly well, either. I don't feel like cooking, I don't feel like chopping vegetables, and I don't feel like going grocery shopping. I have to snap out of it! Maybe I need to take small steps, like forcing myself to make a green smoothie every morning, and then build from there. Any suggestions?

I also must confess that I have not been working out lately. That changes TODAY. I'm off to take a long walk (I know it's not the most intense workout possible, but it's what I'm in the mood for).

Have a great night! :)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Operation: Buff Week 8

Eek! I am a week late in reporting back on the final week of...


In April, I challenged myself to really push myself for my 8-week Booty Camp session. I wanted to complete at least one cardio workout and one Booty Camp-style workout each week in addition to my two Booty Camp classes. How did I do in Week 8? Here are my workouts:
  • 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Thursday)
  • BodyCombat class (Wednesday)
  • Booty Camp DVD - Advanced workout (Sunday)
Phew, just barely squeezed those workouts in!

Do you know what this means?!?!?!

I get that massage I promised myself! I've never had a massage before. And I have not yet booked it. But it's going on my to-do list!

I took before and after pictures too, but to be honest, there was not much difference. I also didn't lose weight, overall, during Booty Camp (*cough* I haven't been tracking). BUT I did lose 3.25 inches off my waist (yay!), 1 inch off my chest (boo!), 1 inch off my butt, and 3 inches off my hips. Not too shabby!

So yes, I have not been tracking. The scale has been up and down, but up overall. I AM tracking today, though (and will continue to). Please feel free to yell at me and keep me accountable. :)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

What's Your Support System?

It's easy to dwell on all of the "saboteurs" in your life. But what about the supporters? It's much more important to focus on them.

This is me and my friend Krystal:

We lived on the same floor in residence in first-year, and then were roommates for three years after that.

Lately, I've been really struggling food-wise. I've been following the plan for a few days, and then going crazy and overeating for a few days. On Friday night, I called Krystal and casually mentioned that I was thinking of skipping my Weight Watchers meeting the next morning. I explained that I would have to go to the early meeting, and I really needed to get some sleep, and I could get back on track the following week.

I expected Krystal to say something like "do what's best for you." Instead, she did what was actually best for me, and insisted I go to my meeting. "You always feel so much better after a meeting! You love your meetings!" she reminded me.

Did I mention that Krystal doesn't follow Weight Watchers? She doesn't necessarily "know" what I'm going through - but she supports me wholeheartedly. When she came to visit me for a weekend, she offered to track points too to help me stick to the plan. Now that is support!!

On Saturday (after my Weight Watchers meeting, which I am so glad I went to), I went with some friends (Krystal included) to visit the Elora Gorge. It was lots of fun, and also included some reminders of how far I've come.

When we were walking along the trail, we came to a somewhat rocky and steep area. My first instinct was fear: would I slip on the rocks? Would I get out of breath climbing the stairs? But then I remembered that I am not the same person I used to be.

I'm doing my best to get back to my happy-zone with food, but in the meantime, I will keep working out (Operation: Buff results are coming soon), recognize how far I've come, and not skip any Weight Watchers meetings! And when I feel the urge to run out to McDonald's, I will give Krystal a call instead.

Who are the supporters in your life?

Monday, May 24, 2010

Operation: Buff Week 7

I can't believe I'm on my last week of Operation: Buff!

Week 7 was as buffalicious as weeks 1 through 6, I'm happy to say. Here are my workouts from last week:
  • BodyFlow class (Monday)
  • three Booty Camp classes (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
  • BodyCombat class (Sunday)
Somehow I made it through three Booty Camp classes in a row (well... three days in a row. Not three in a row on the same day).

Thursday's class involved a lot of running up and down this super-steep hill (I'll try to get a pic of it this week for you). We ran up it at least 3 times, and bear-crawled up it a few more times for good measure. The bear-crawling drills were amidst skipping and burpee intervals. I brought two large, full water bottles to class that night and finished them BOTH and then some!

Today I started off my final week of Operation: Buff with no "real" exercise, but I walked a little bit while running errands, etc. I know you are all dying to know the results of this Operation, which will be announced in approximately one week (give or take a day).

Will I make it through my final week? Will I earn my reward - a massage? Will I ever get around to finding a massage place and booking said massage? Only time will tell.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Afraid. Very afraid.

... for Booty Camp class tonight!

During Tuesday's class, our instructor warned us to take it easy on Wednesday because she was going to KILL us on Tuesday. This frightened me because I was planning to do a make-up Booty Camp class on Wednesday night... and I did.

Last night, she worked us super-hard (it was one of the toughest classes I've had in a long time) and I'm pretty sore today. And so I'm pretty afraid for tonight - I know it will involve lots of running up a huge hill.

However, since next week is my last week of Booty Camp (I haven't signed up for summer), I'm really going to give it my all! I'm going to be very sad when it's over (but, to be honest, happy to have more evenings free during the week).

I'm also still in my pyjamas today... I've just been lounging around my house thus far, trying to gear up to do some work. I'd better get to it!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Weekend Wrap-Up & Operation: Buff Week 6

Happy Monday!

This Saturday I had the honour of getting together with some of my fellow bloggers at Fresh restaurant. Check out Kat's blog for a recap & some pictures! It was a blast! Everyone was super nice and welcoming, and I'm so happy that I got to meet them all and make some new friends. :)

This weekend also concluded Week 6 of this session of Booty Camp, and Week 6 of Operation: Buff. I'm happy to say I'm still on the workout wagon!

Here are my workouts from last week:
  • 20 minutes on the elliptical (Monday)
  • 2 BodyFlow classes (Monday & Sunday)
  • 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Wednesday)
  • BodyStep (Tuesday)
  • BodyAttack (Sunday)
I also did some dancing while out with my friends on Friday night. Let's just say my weigh-in on Saturday was less than stellar after drinking & snacking late into the night on Friday, and chugging back water on Saturday morning BEFORE my meeting so I wouldn't be too hungover for the GTG... yeah. Up 11 pounds. My body is capable of some crazy fluctuations, as you may have noticed, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was all gone again next Saturday.

I've managed to stick to my dairy-free experiment for an entire week now! I think my sinuses are a lot clearer, but I'm not sure yet how much of an effect the no-dairy is having. I think I'll be able to tell better when I try reintroducing it. I'm using these guidelines on the World's Healthiest Foods site (one of my faves) for testing for a dairy allergy.

Now it's time to finish my homework for my class tonight! Leaving things to the last minute, as usual...

Thursday, May 13, 2010

A little catching up

I haven't posted in a few days, and I know you've all been DYING to know what I've been up to, so here's a recap of my week so far...

Monday

I semi-spontaneously decided to eliminate dairy for two weeks. My nose is chronically stuffed up (and has been for years), and I've been wondering lately if dairy is the culprit. I also went to a great BodyFlow class.

I started the course I'm taking - it was okay, and hopefully it won't be TOO much extra work. That night I had some bad dreams that always crop up right before a new semester starts (both as a student and a teacher). They always consist of me not having the right room number or schedule or being late or missing class altogether or not having the right notes with me... etc.

Tuesday

I shook off the bad dreams and got up early (ish) for my first BodyStep class! The class was pretty good, except I will always compare step classes to the ones I used to go to at my school gym with my favourite instructor. I miss them, and I doubt any new step classes could live up to them!

I also went to Booty Camp on Tuesday night, despite the pouring rain... it was FREEZING. I felt pretty hard-core, but it also sucked being wet & cold for the 45 minute trek home on the TTC.

I tried some Solgurt and found it DISGUSTING. I was really sad because yogurt has been my go-to snack lately. Perhaps I shouldn't have started with unsweetened solgurt?! I'll try it again soon blended with fruit... I tried some soy cheese too and did NOT like it. I've had soy cheese before that I didn't mind, but that kind has casein (a milk product) in it. Grrrrr!

Wednesday

First day of school! Of course, everything went fine and all my silly bad dreams were for nothing. I had some students that I've had before, and it made such a difference having familiar faces staring up at me at the front of the class.

Also, on the bus on the way to school, I overheard a student saying she signed up for a certain teacher's math class because she had heard from other students how good she was at explaining things... I made a mental note of what the girl looked like and, sure enough, she was in MY class! I think/hope they were talking about ME! :)

I rushed home from school on Wednesday to go to a make-up Booty Camp class. In restrospect, I don't know if this was wise. I'd worked out on Monday and TWICE on Tuesday already... Anyway, somehow I made it through the class which brings us to...

Thursday

Today has been tough! I'm feeling really worn-down and tired, confirming my thoughts that Booty Camp last night wasn't wise. In fact, I'm missing tonight's session. It's rainy out and I really tried to psych myself up to going. I got all dressed in my workout gear and left the house, but when I was about a block out, I turned around and came home. I'm feeling kind of bummed and guilty because I've never just skipped a session like this, but I really don't think I could have done it. I'm going to get to bed early and get ready for my early teaching day tomorrow instead.

Despite my blah day, I'm very excited for the GTA Blogger Get-together on Saturday! I can't wait to meet everyone! I'm also a littttle bit nervous, to be honest... I'm pretty shy! You'll all be hearing how it went, I'm sure, on my blog and various others... ;)

Have a good night & a great Friday!

P.S. I got Twitter! I don't tweet too often (yet), but feel free to follow me.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Operation: Buff Week 5


I cannot BELIEVE I have already completed 5 weeks of this session of Booty Camp. It's really flown by. And I'm happy to say that I've been sticking to my goals for Operation: Buff. This week's workouts consisted of:
  • one Booty Camp class (Tuesday - I was out of town for Thursday's class)
  • at-home Booty Camp style workout for 40 minutes: I wrote down a bunch of exercises and got someone else to pick them in random order and time me (Thursday)
  • 20-minute run (Friday)
  • Booty Camp DVD: Intermediate Workout and Bring the Heat Cardio (Saturday)
So even though I missed Booty Camp class, and was at the cottage for a few days (i.e. no gym), I managed to get in my workouts! True, I had to bring a whistle on my run to frighten away any possibly-lurking bears, and when I tried doing boot camp-style drills outside I was attacked by swarms of mosquitos, but I made it work!

It's a good thing I got a mini run in on Friday because on Saturday, we awoke to SNOW:


I was ill-prepared, clothing-wise.

On the drive home today, we encountered some interesting sculptures in a field around Burk's Falls, Ontario (next to a castle-like house with more stone sculptures/statues):


It was all on a very large-scale! All of those huge ghostly faces creeped me out a little bit... but it was very impressive all the same.

Tomorrow night, I will be a student again! I registered to take a college course on Monday nights in a Teacher/Trainer of Adults program. I'm looking forward to it (as long as there isn't too much group work/necessary participation/making presentations).

I also start a new teaching semester this week. I'm always extra-nervous for the first few days of a new class, so wish me luck! I'm sure all the exercise I'm planning on this week (like three booty camp classes...) will help keep my stress levels down.

I'm off to make a grocery list and maybe watch Lost! I lead a very exciting life, wouldn't you agree? ;)