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?

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.

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!

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...

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.

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? ;)

First Outdoor Booty Camp!

And it was super tough! We're lucky (or unlucky...) enough that the park we're in has a big-ass hill. We ran up it. Several times. Once on all fours. It was BRUTAL! Even worse than running up was running back down. It was really steep and kind of scary. But it's all about getting out of your comfort zone, right??

We also didn't have music during our class, thanks to yours truly. Yep. I stepped on the stereo cable right before class (in my defense, I was walking next to the instructor and the cord was trailing on the ground) and broke it. Oops!

I can tell the next four weeks are going to be tough. :)

In other news, I have to confess: I have not been on-plan the past couple of days. I don't want to make excuses, but I will anyway (hehe). I've been feeling emotional lately and trying to deal with various stressors that all seemed to hit me at the same time. Luckily, I'm going to the cottage tomorrow for some much needed r & r! I plan to rejuvenate (and exercise!) and get back to my cheery, motivated self. I have finished marking my exams, submitted the grades, and tied up all the loose ends (I think!).

I won't be able to make my meeting this weekend either (maybe subconsciously this was contributing to going off-track - knowing I'm not weighing in on Saturday. I would just go to another meeting, but there don't seem to be any where I'll be). This will be the very first meeting I've missed since I joined in November, and I'm sad that my perfect streak has to end!

But I will go BACK on plan. I do NOT want to "lose" the 10% milestone I worked so hard for (will the Weight Watchers police come take my key ring away???), so I will suck it up and stick with the program!

When I got my new 3-month tracker a couple of weeks ago, you may recall that I vowed to be on plan for 10 of those 12 weeks. I can still easily reach that goal!! I was feeling like a failure, but I'm picking myself back up again. Truly, the only reason I'm no longer this girl is because I will never give up, despite the inevitable setbacks:

I will have very limited internet while out of town, so I will be catching up with you all on Sunday when I return! Enjoy the rest of your week & weekend!

Operation: Buff Week 4

I'm halfway through my Operation: Buff challenge! How did I do this week? Well, my goals during this challenge are to have at least one cardio & one strength workout in addition to my two booty camp classes. Here are my workouts from this week:

• Body Flow class (Monday)
• 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Thursday)
• Body Combat class (Wednesday)
• Booty Camp dvd - Advanced workout (Saturday)

Not too shabby! I've also been getting in lots of greens, through green monster smoothies & salads.

I'm having a pretty boring weekend, full of marking, so I've been having a bit too many snacks... I'm trying my hardest to conserve some weekly points for the rest of the week. I think that I'm going up to the cottage from around Wednesday or Thursday until Sunday... which means I'll miss my Saturday morning meeting (boo!), and perhaps have some trouble staying on plan. I'll also be, most likely, missing Thursday's Booty Camp class, so I will have to ensure I do an extra at-home strength workout.

But I keep reminding myself that I am always in total control of what I eat - so even though I'm not following my usual routine (classes don't start up again for another week), and I will not be in my usual environment, there is NO REASON why I can't rock this week.

Have a great week, everyone!

What's in the Box?

Could it be?!

Yes!!! I reached my Weight Watchers 10% today!

On November 7, 2009, I switched from Weight Watchers online to meetings, with a starting weight of 201.8 pounds. This morning, I weighed in at 181.6! I'm down 20.2 pounds (and 94 pounds in total)!

I have had 3 weeks in a row of staying completely on plan, which is a huge deal for me. I'm not really sure what led to my recent change in mindset: I have been totally motivated, and not succumbing to crazy bouts of emotional eating. I've been focusing on staying relaxed and easing stress. I think all of the exercise of late is definitely helping, too!

Joining Weight Watchers meetings was exactly what I needed (I only wish I had done it sooner). Last summer, I slowly gained back about 10 pounds that I'd lost, and I knew I needed to shake things up. I owe so much to my wonderful leader, Ashley, and the wonderful members at my meeting! Here I am with (the always-fashionable) Ashley this morning:

After the meeting, I went straight to Second Cup to enjoy a latte while getting some of my massive pile of exam marking out of the way.

I got hungry, and decided I needed a snack... I saw a packaged "Breakfast Cookie" that looked reasonably healthy - and only 100 calories! I bought it before I realized something... I had almost been taken in by the oldest trick in the book... the portion size on the nutrition info!

Apparently, each package contained TWO portions, not one. I would have bought it either way (and I did eat it, and enjoy it), but it was a bit irritating. Since when is half of a cookie one portion!? This is why you must be VIGILANT at all times, people! Although I must admit, I almost wish I hadn't noticed, so I would have two more points available to eat. ;)

Now I'm off to do the Booty Camp Fitness DVD... I'm going to attempt the ADVANCED workout. Yikes!