What's new?

Hello there.

So, here I am, fairly settled in my new home, in my new city, in my new job. In the new 10-20 pounds I think I've gained (haven't weighed myself for awhile...).

I have lots of news to share with you! As you may or may not know, I moved to Waterloo at the end of August to start a new job. I really LOVE my job. I have my own office, I like my coworkers, and I have benefits... and I'm still not over the novelty of getting a paycheque every two weeks. I've never had a "real" full-time job - when I worked as a contract college math instructor, there would be long breaks without pay between semesters, and once it took almost a year of me badgering them to be paid for some work I'd done.

The beginning of the Fall semester was extremely busy, and I had to work a lot of overtime. As the semester progressed, though, I got more settled in and things ran more smoothly. Now, I've made it through my first term, and I'm getting ready for January. My second semester should be much better than my first, although I will be coordinating an extra course - and it's a course that I never took. Even though I have a Masters degree in math, I never encountered the material I'll be covering... Anyone out there have experience with Fourier transforms? :D

In other news, my mother has also moved out of Toronto - all the way to Bobcaygeon, Ontario (near Peterborough)! It is an adjustment not having my "home base" in Toronto. My sister is still there, but it's strange not having my parents there. Happily, my mom seems to be thriving in her new home (and I love it, too). It's a bit of a trek for me to get there from Waterloo: I have to take a bus from Kitchener to Toronto, then another bus to Peterborough, and then be picked up and driven to Bobcaygeon. (Now that I'm out of Toronto, I am REALLY feeling the need to get my driver's licence!)

And the most exciting piece of news for me right now is that my family is going away for Christmas! My mother, sister, and I are going to Cancun this Friday. We have been wanting to go on a trip together, and we felt it would be good for us to do something new and different over Christmas. It will be our first Christmas without my father, who passed away last January.

I haven't really travelled outside of Canada (aside from New York) and I am beyond excited. I bought a couple of new bathing suits online that I am actually comfortable in, and I am desperately in need for a week of lounging on the beach and not doing anything.

So, that concludes my life news... I will be back with another post about what's been happening with my exercise and eating habits, and what I am thinking about for the future (I'm a sucker for good set of New Year's Resolutions...)

Exciting times ahead!

We interrupt our regular scheduled programming (blurry pictures of plant-based, oil-free food) for the following news: I got the job in Waterloo! I have no doubt it is largely in part to all the good vibes sent out by my wonderful readers and friends. :)

This means that I am now frantically trying to find an apartment (I'll be starting work in two weeks or so). I don't think it will be too hard - there are two universities and a college in Waterloo, so lots of housing to be found.

I am honestly so, so, SO ecstatic that I got the job. I can't remember the last time I was this happy and excited. I have NEVER had a permanent, full-time job before. I am used to living paycheque to paycheque (or OSAP installment to OSAP installment), and I hope I can finally make a realistic budget and start paying off my student debt. Plus, I think I'll love the job. I'll be working at a university where I used to be a student. I used to work in the math department as an undergraduate TA, and now I'll be coordinating the math labs and TAs. :)

In other news, I am going up to the cottage tonight for the long weekend. I haven't been up to my family's cottage all summer, and this might be my only chance. I'm going to do a lot of knitting, sleeping, and relaxing. However, this means I will not be able to blog again until Monday or Tuesday... and, for those of you keeping track, this Sunday is the last day of my 6-week Eat to Live challenge!

I will find a way to stay on track while at the cottage, and report back to you when I return. I am also packing the scale for my final weigh-in on Monday morning...

I have to finish packing and head out, but I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Good News and a Good Start

Remember that job interview I had last week? Well, I guess it went well... I've been hired as a supply teacher for the school board I want to work in! I am SO excited (and surprised that I found out so quickly!). I have to bring in a lot of paperwork next week (trancripts, police checks, and the like), so I hope that all goes smoothly.

As for easing into summer? I have not been eating well at all... until today. I've been doing a lot of reading and a LOT of thinking the past few weeks, and I have decided that I need to do something more extreme. I have real trouble with moderation. I have gained back most of the weight I worked so hard to lose. I think that sugar and junk food have a strong hold over me, and I feel certain that if I don't make some serious changes in my eating habits, diabetes and heart disease are in my future (not to mention the fact that I already have gallstones and suffer occasionally from painful gallbladder attacks).

Some of the books I've been reading (mostly from the library) are Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes by Dr. Neal Barnard, The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Veganist by Kathy Freston, and Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. All of these books advocate a plant-based diet (quite convincingly).

I've actually thought for a long time about one day trying to transition to a more plant-based diet. A little over a year ago, I read Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet and Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet, which are the books that first put the idea in my mind.

After all of this thinking, I've decided to try Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live program. There is a good description of the plan here, but essentially I will be cutting out animal products (meat and dairy), sugar, salt (as much as possible), coffee, and oil for six weeks. I will be eating tons (and tons and tons) of veggies, fruit, and beans, as well as whole grains.

After the six weeks, the goal is to try and eat this way 90% of the time, and eat other foods (like meat, dairy, sugar, or oil) 10% of the time. If I make it that far, I'll assess how I'm feeling and what I want to do next.

I don't think I will ever become 100% vegan... I don't even know if I'll make it through the six weeks! I just have to do something, and this feels right for me right now.

This weekend, I'm planning to eat mostly Eat to Live-style (I had pizza for dinner tonight, and I'm going to a barbecue on Sunday), and begin the plan in earnest on Monday. I'm also planning to blog about it all (maybe not every day or every meal, like with Joshi, but fairly frequently!). Here are some of today's eats:

For breakfast, I had a green smoothie with almond milk, bananas, strawberries, flaxseed, and lettuce, along with some walnuts.

I had lunch in a food court - a delicious salad with avocado, tomato, red onion, kidney beans, and chickpeas, followed by some fruit salad.

I also went grocery shopping. I don't think I've ever bought so many vegetables at the same time before!

All those groceries meant lots of food prep could be done. I'm planning on making soup tomorrow that calls for two bunches of kale, three leeks, five pounds of carrots, two bunches of celery, and four onions. I got it ALL washed, chopped, and ready to go. I also got some dried beans soaking. (You should know that I did all of this with a crazy caffeine-withdrawal headache.)

Will there be room in the fridge for all this kale?!

We also listed our condo for sale this week, and the showings have begun. The next few weeks will be interesting, to say the least!

I will absolutely be posting again soon with more on Eat to Live. I'm very excited!

Exciting Times

In my last post, I mentioned that I had some big news about this fall...

I'm going back to school!

Andrea, you were right. You win... a mention on my blog! ;)

This fall, I am going to teacher's college... in Thunder Bay! I have been teaching at the college level for a couple of years, and I've realized how much I love teaching. To increase my chances of one day getting a full-time job, I made a last-minute decision to apply to teacher's college (although I know it's not exactly easy to get a high school teaching job at this time...). There were only two Ontario schools still accepting applications in April, when all this happened, so that's how I arrived at Lakehead University way, way, way up in Thunder Bay.

I am super excited (and only slightly nervous) about this decision. I am ready for a change. The program is set up so I have 9 weeks of classes, come home to Toronto for my practicum and Christmas holidays, go back for 9 more weeks of classes, then come home for practicum again. My main concern is finding housing in Thunder Bay without actually going there to scope it out (which isn't really feasible for me this summer, moneywise and timewise).

Anyone familiar with Thunder Bay that might have some advice?

I am very motivated to use this summer to get closer to my goal. I want to be happy, healthy, and confident for this next chapter of my life! :)