Eat to Live Days 16-20

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I can't believe I've almost finished THREE weeks on the Eat to Live program!

I had kind of a hectic week (hence the lack of posts), and was seriously tempted to give in and just order a pizza. But, thankfully, I didn't!

My eats this week included some cream of broccoli soup (recipe courtesy of Meghan Telpner's blog):

I also attempted to make some tahini dressing from the Refresh cookbook, which I had over some greens.

I found it a bit too garlicky, unfortunately.

One of my favourite meals of the week:

You just can't go wrong with a toasted tomato and avocado sandwich!

I also ate out a couple of times this week. I ended up at Milestone's on Friday. I ordered a salad that came with red onions, glazed pecans, strawberries, and goat cheese. I got it without the goat cheese and pecans (which I assumed had sugar and/or oil).

I didn't eat any of the dressing, either. The salad was pretty good, but a bit too oniony.

I went to the movies today (to see Magic Mike), and I was actually able to find something Eat to Live-friendly! And really, if I can find food that works at the MOVIES, then I can find food that works ANYWHERE, am I right? I ordered a greek salad without olives, feta cheese, or dressing (so, not really a greek salad at all). In the condiments area, I put on some vinegar and chili flakes.

It was decent! I was quite pleased with myself for choosing a super healthy option while surrounded by the smell of popcorn (which I love).

Before seeing Magic Mike, I dusted off my old Booty Camp DVD and brought it to my friend's house for a workout! We managed to do the Booty Booster, the Ab-Salute! Core workout, and the Seaside Serenity Stretch. It was tough! My muscles felt like jelly afterwards. But it's great to be exercising again. :)

Toodles!

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!

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. :)

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!

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!

Super Sore!

Man, my body has been EXHAUSTED (in a good way) this week. I've been pretty busy with various things, and I still managed to exercise the past 5 days in a row!

I was extremely stiff all day today... it was hard to say how much was from Tuesday's Booty Camp class, and how much was from yesterday's Body Combat class. It was a perfect storm of muscle aches! But I had to suck it up and go to my Booty Camp class again tonight - it was time for measurements!

I was pretty pleased with my 4-week results. Apparently I lost 2.5 inches around my waist (although I was wearing an extra layer last time I was measured, and maybe I was sucking it in this time or something), and 5 pounds! I don't take most of the measurements too seriously (I often question their accuracy), but I'm definitely calling this a success.

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a very early wake-up today (5:10 am). I had a hot bath last night to try and relax, but I still could not fall asleep when I wanted to. I think I was anxious about getting up so early - do you know the feeling? Panic that you won't get enough sleep or that you'll sleep through your alarm?

I did manage to get out of bed this morning though! My exam went very smoothly, and I promptly came home and slept for a couple of hours. Now I just have a huge pile of marking to look forward to! :)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Saturday's weigh-in! COME ON, 10%!!!!!

Operation: Buff Week 3

It's hard to believe that 3 weeks of Booty Camp have already gone by! I've been sticking to Operation: Buff really well, in my opinion! :)

How did I do this week?

Well, my goals are to have 2 workouts in addition to my 2 booty camp classes, as well as have some greens every day. This week, I had a smoothie or salad every day except today (I'll make up for it tomorrow, I swear)! Here are my workouts from the past week:

• 15 minute run + 15 minute speedwalk on an incline (Monday)
• 2 Booty Camp sessions (Tuesday & Thursday)
• Zumba class (Wednesday)
• 60-minute At-Home Booty Camp-style workout with a friend (today, described below)

I think I'm really kicking some ass with my activity! I would call this week a TOTAL success.

Today, I visited the friend that takes Booty Camp with me. We had planned to do the DVD together, but then she had the brilliant idea to design our OWN Booty Camp-style workout. It was great (and intense)!

We did a few minutes each of squats, lunges, upper body (with MANY tricep dips), butt, abs, and various cardio bits thrown in. We timed things a la Booty Camp as well. Coming up with it ourselves, and doing it together, was much more fun than doing the DVD on our own.

After our intense workout, she made a batch of cornbread and we finished the whole thing ourselves... but I'm sure it all balanced out. ;)

This week, I have plans for lots more fun activity, including some new classes at my new gym! I'll keep you all posted!

Old Fears & New Strengths

Have any of you ever played Mario Kart on Nintendo 64? That game has the option of racing yourself: after you drive a course once, you can drive it again, and race against your former performance. At some point, a ghostly version of you (I was always Toad, if possible) breaks away and repeats exactly what you did last time so you have a visual aid while trying to beat yourself.

Last night in Booty Camp, when we reached the point where we were repeating an exercise for far too long and I wanted to stop (I can't remember exactly which move it was, but it's safe to say it was probably a squat), I imagined that I was competing against my former self. I imagined a ghostly Katie (maybe Katie at the beginning of Booty Camp) who was a little less strong than I am now. Maybe she doesn't go as deep into the squat, or maybe she gives up a little sooner. I willed myself to hold the move a little bit longer than her.

Visualizing how much stronger I have become in this way was a great help to me! It inspired me to keep going, even when I didn't want to, and push harder. Rather than compare myself to other people (which can be discouraging!), I have to remember how far I've come.

When I think back further, say, to a former Katie who would have been too afraid to even TAKE a Booty Camp class, I feel even prouder.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that I used to be afraid all the time. I was afraid to try new things. I was afraid to go shopping for clothes with friends because nothing would fit me. I was afraid to go swimming because everyone would see me in a bathing suit. I was afraid to go to an amusement park in case I didn't fit on a ride (which never actually happened, but sometimes it was a tight squeeze). I was afraid to go to the doctor and find out that I had diabetes or heart disease or something along those lines. I was afraid to eat too much in public. I was afraid to eat too little in public (people might think I was dieting, and then deduce that I was fat... from that). I was afraid to ask for help.

The list could go on and on. I don't have those feelings of fear anymore (for the most part). I no longer put so much value on what others think - and I've realized that people aren't actually thinking that much about how I look or what I'm doing/eating/wearing. My self-confidence is MUCH higher than it used to be (sometimes I'm downright vain!).

On a somewhat related note, I was brave enough to join the gym this week! This morning I tried my very first Zumba class. It was something different, which I think my body liked, and it was fun! Not very intense, but I've got enough intensity in my routine already.

I'm off to find some dinner and get to bed! I have an early day tomorrow. :)

Has getting healthier helped you shed any old fears? Did my Mario Kart analogy make any sense at all?!

Operation: Buff Week 1

Hello! Well, even though I only began this challenge on Thursday, the first week of Booty Camp is coming to an end... so also ends the first week of Operation: Buff!

How did I do? Well, I KILLED it!

My goals were to do 1 strength workout and 1 cardio workout in addition to my 2 Booty Camp classes. I also wanted to have a green smoothie or salad every day.

Here are my workouts from the week:

• 15 minute run + 45 minutes on the elliptical (Monday)
• 2 Booty Camp classes (Tuesday & Thursday)
• Beginner workout from the Booty Camp dvd (Saturday)
• 37-minute run (today - Sunday)

So I exceeded my exercise goals for the week! I also had a green smoothie (they've been purple, actually, because I'm using blueberries lately) every day since I started the challenge on Thursday.

I'm also feeling very accomplished, exercise-wise, because today I had my best run ever. Up until now, I've always run a certain amount of time (not a certain distance). The most I'd ever run was 30 minutes without stopping (that I can recall... maybe I've done a couple minutes extra once or twice in the past).

Today, I decided to try and run 5k without stopping and see how long it took me. I went to the track near my house and ran 13 laps! This is about 3.25 miles (if it's a standard track, which I'm assuming it is...), which is about 5.2 km!!! It took me 37 minutes.

So, not only did I run more than 5k, but I ran 7 minutes longer than I ever have before! And it was not impossible! I felt pretty good for most of it. :)

When I started this challenge, I was undecided on what my reward for completion should be. I had been thinking along the lines of a magazine subscription, but as I was walking home the other day (with sore muscles), I started fantasizing about getting a massage. I've NEVER had a massage before, and I think after 4 (or 8) weeks of Booty Camp, I'll definitely deserve one. SO, I declare my reward to be such!

I hope you all have a fabulous week! I know that I'm planning to! :)

Buff It Up

I started Booty Camp again on Tuesday. My friend and I went in feeling cocky: "It's only the first class, it won't be that hard." "I hope it's not too easy." We were expecting something along the lines of the first class back in January, and after being through 8 weeks of Booty Camp (and then one month off), we thought we would be fine.

Well, my friends, it was NOT too easy. It was brutal! I was beyond sweaty by the end of it. My butt and thighs are still super sore, two days later.

Our instructor reminded us that to see the results we want, we need to do the DVD once a week, as well. I started thinking about this. During my last session of Booty Camp, I did the DVD a few times, but not regularly. I usually did work out at least one extra time each week (besides Booty Camp), but not as much as I could have. So, I challenged my friend to do the third DVD workout each week with me (but not physically... our schedules don't sync up THAT well).

I want to kick it up a notch! I really need to push myself out of my comfort/lazy zone. Here is my plan:

• 2 Booty Camp sessions per week (Tuesday & Thursday)
• 1 at-home strength workout (Booty Camp DVD or 30-Day Shred), at least 40 minutes per week (Saturday or Sunday)
• 1 cardio workout, at least 30 minutes per week
• green monster OR a big salad every day (if I get my greens in, much of my diet seems to fall into place...)

I finish this session of Booty Camp in four weeks, on April 29. I may continue for the second four weeks (I would like to), but I'm not sure yet if my schedule will permit it. So I will say, for now, that this challenge ends on Sunday, May 2. I will call it...

My rewards for completing this challenge:

• probably a magazine subscription (I've never had one but always wanted one)
• ultimate buffness

If you want to come up with your own Operation: Buff and join me, feel free!

Cookin' (and Lookin') Good!

I am a proud Weight Watcher! I wore my name tag from Saturday's meeting all the way home (under my jacket...):

Do you ever forget that you live alone and buy enough groceries throughout the week to feed a small army? I do. Often. So I've been doing some cooking & baking (which means I pick recipes that necessitate me picking up a few MORE groceries, and the cycle continues...). Here are some of my eats from the past couple of days:

Loaf Potion # 9 from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry! It has cranberries, walnuts, carrots, and zucchini in it. SO DELICIOUS!

I made it a double-loaf day with some banana bread.

(I know, I know... it doesn't really look like banana bread. It's a weird recipe, I think). The recipe is from The Duke Diet. I think the best part is the brown sugar and walnuts on top.

I brought some of each loaf to my parents & my sister and froze some more. As I mentioned above, I live alone (and as much as I'd like to, I probably shouldn't eat vast quantities of baked goods in short periods of time).

One of my impulse grocery buys was some fat-free ham. I hemmed and hawed over the high sodium content, but decided to treat myself (in small portions). And so the past couple of mornings I've been enjoying a healthified egg mcmuffin for breakie (with egg whites, light cheddar cheese, and a whole wheat english muffin! And the ham, of course).

And today's lunch creation:

My first time making cream of broccoli soup! It was pretty good. I got to use my immersion blender, which is always a good time. :)

I had it with some black beans, corn, and cheese on a tortilla (with greek yogourt)!

Tonight: pad thai! Seriously! More cooking!

I've also already gotten TWO workouts out of the way this week! Yesterday I went for an awesome treadmill run. I reached NEW SPEEDS (I think). I definitely had some (short) intervals that were around level 6.5. I covered 2.75 miles in 30 minutes. I don't think I've ever run that much before in that time period! It felt great!

This morning I started my day with the Intermediate workout from my Booty Camp dvd. Does anyone else find it easier than the Beginner workout, or am I just getting stronger? ;)

In other news, apparently I look great:

• Last week, one of my students from last semester noticed I'd lost weight.
• Today, I went to a coffee shop where I like to work sometimes, and the girl working there said I look really good and I should keep doing whatever I'm doing! I didn't even know she knew who I was!

I'm used to people who haven't seen me in a couple of years telling me I look different, but I'm not used to people who only know the "new me" noticing new changes (does that sentence make sense?).

I haven't lost much weight in the past couple of months, but I think my body composition has changed (thanks to Booty Camp!) and that must be what they're noticing. Yay! My clothes are fitting pretty well.

I have a cockeyed idea that I'm going to get up at 5 am tomorrow to squeeze a workout in before work... yeah, wish me luck with that. (Don't worry, if I can't do it, I'll work out sometime in the afternoon instead).

Have a nice night, all!

Last Booty Camp Tonight!

Sunday was a bit of a write-off.

I tried to go for a run to take advantage of the beautiful weather, but instead I took a nap in my running clothes (seriously). Then I kind of pigged out during the Oscars.

Thankfully, it was back down to business on Monday! Yesterday, Kate mentioned that she had a sugar hangover... so did I. After I eat a bunch of junk, I feel really gross the next morning. It takes awhile for my stomach to get back to normal.

I never used to feel horrible after eating junk food (back when I would eat it all the time)... unless I did feel horrible, but didn't notice because I felt like that all the time? My body really notices now when I give it junk to eat. I guess it's gotten used to the good stuff!

I had a green smoothie to try and fool my stomach into feeling better, and then I managed to actually get out the door in my running clothes! I ran for half an hour, but I was struggling by the end. I barely made it home. I definitely needed more than a green smoothie before my run... I had slept in, so my blood sugar was running pretty low.

I had a huge pile of marking to contend with when I got home,

so I settled in with a coffee and one of Jess's two-minute flax muffins - you make them in the microwave! It was so easy to make, but I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about them. I'll probably keep making them just because they're so fast and healthy! Here are the ingredients all lined up (as you can see, I do a lot of shopping at bulk food stores):

And mixed up in my mug:

And the final product (I never said it would be pretty!):

I had it with some jam.

I barely made a dent in my marking, so that's what's on the agenda for today (good thing I'm up bright and early!). I also need to do some planning. I will be away from home (mostly in a car, and packing/unpacking) with my mom from Wednesday-Thursday, and I am DETERMINED to stay on-plan! I will let you know how it goes!

I also have my LAST Booty Camp session tonight. Wow, I can't believe it's been 8 weeks since I started. I really want to sign up again (and probably will). I'm pretty curious as to what my measurements will be tonight... hopefully I won't have gained weight again like I had at the 4-week mark! At any rate, I feel MUCH stronger and fitter than I did 8 weeks ago. I will let you know how the measurements go... probably. ;)

Last night was my last Pilates class, too... what will I do without these pre-paid classes to keep me motivated?!

Hodge-Podge

Booty Camp tonight was the brutalest workout OF ALL TIME. Yes. Brutalest. We did a series of timed intervals, so it was just insane brutality (for 1 minute? an eternity? I'm not sure) followed by 15 seconds of rest. Repeat.

There were jumping squats (hopping forwards and backwards). There were burpees. There was some psychotic tricep-dip-meets-marching-in-the-air move.

There were leg lifts. There were jumping jacks. There were mountain climbers. There were pushups. There were these crazy flutter kicks that sound cute & fun, but were literally impossible to do for longer than 3 seconds at a time. And the lunges... My God, the lunges.

While I definitely feel way stronger than I did at the beginning of Booty Camp, this workout made me see how much more fit I could be! haha. So now I really want to sign up for another session. I'll have to see if my finances allow it!

I know that I "could" workout without spending the money, but let's be serious: if I wasn't taking this Booty Camp class, I would not have worked out nearly as often in the past 8 weeks (and there's no way I would have worked out as hard). Plus, it's fun! I really look forward to it every Tuesday and Thursday.

So far, I've been sticking to all of my pre-planned meals for the week (with a few extra added snacks). I think I'm going to some kind of charity event (with food, I'm sure) tomorrow night, and I'm going out for lunch on Thursday, but I should be able to... no, I will be able to still eat reasonably and keep this nice, healthy feeling. :)

In other news, Lynn over at Life, Health & Fitness is having a giveaway for HoneyBars! If you would like to win a box of assorted HoneyBars (do I even need to tell you what they are? Has the name not already convinced you you want one?), go check out this post. (Not gonna lie, I really want to win this...)

Hope you're all having a happy, peaceful Tuesday night!

(Worst) Weigh-In (in the history of Weight Watchers)

Despite what the title of this post may lead you to believe, today was a very good day.

Let's start from the beginning.

I had my Weight Watchers meeting today. I knew that I would be up. My eating has been very out-of-control lately. I stepped on the scale this morning, wondering what the damage would be. Last week, I weighed in at 187.8. This morning, as usual, I read upside-down while the receptionist recorded my weight. He wrote a 1... then a 9... Oh dear, I thought. Back in the 190's. Then the next digit was...

A seven.

Yes. I gained 9.2 lbs this week. That's over 10 lbs in 2 weeks.

I am almost back in the 200's.

Thankfully, the receptionist didn't make any comments (although I wonder what he might have been thinking!). I slowly walked over to my seat for the meeting, in a bit of a daze.

Ashley, my wonderful leader, came and sat next to me and asked how it was going. I am so grateful she did! I admitted that I was struggling, and we had an amazing talk. It was so good to be honest with someone about how I've been feeling, and how much I've been eating. She gave me some excellent advice, and after the chat (still before the meeting even started!), I was feeling much better.

Then we had one of the BEST MEETINGS EVER! A couple of members got their 10%'s, and one member reached his goal! This man, Dave, is an amazing inspiration at my meeting. He has lost a crazy amount of weight (I think around 140 pounds), and he always has something wise to say. When he raised his hand and told us he got to goal, I think everyone at the meeting (myself included) got a tear (or several) in their eye.

The meeting also included a lot of laughs, especially when one woman (who got her 10% today!) told us that her husband works in "chocolate development" (she got a whole string of Bravo! stickers).

I left the meeting feeling, as usual, motivated and excited for an on-plan week. I love my Weight Watchers meeting.

I came home to quickly tidy up for the open house my landlord is having today and get ready to go to a family function I had. There was a lot of food at this function, but I think I definitely exercised some willpower (to be honest, I wasn't even very hungry). I tracked everything as accurately as I could.

At the event, I saw a lot of family members that I hadn't seen in a couple of years (or more)... I got quite a few comments on how amazing/different I looked. A couple of cousins asked what my secret was, and I told them how I'd been following Weight Watchers. It was a nice boost to be reminded of how far I've come!

I came home around 4:30 and got down to business:

The stage was set for some serious me-time. I bought the new issue of Best Health (my fave) a couple of days ago, and I pulled out some of my Weight Watchers booklets and cookbooks to get my motivation in gear. I had just started reading the Week 4 book (Habits of Successful Members), when I decided to get a workout out of the way RIGHT THEN AND THERE. I cleared my furniture out of the way...

... and popped in the Booty Camp Fitness DVD to do the Beginner Workout!

It was TOUGH (but less tough than when I did this workout a few weeks ago! Yay progress!).

Afterwards I gave the Liberte Greek Yogourt another shot. With an orange and some frozen berries:

Delicious! It's a winner! :)

I didn't get the meal planning done tonight like I'd wanted to (I'm totally exhausted) (Edit @ 11:15 p.m. - I got a second wind after writing this post & planned them!), but I have a full day tomorrow to plan my meals, buy some groceries, maybe go for a swim, and do some pre-cooking for the week!

Even though I've been floundering for a few weeks, never once have I seriously thought about giving up. It simply isn't an option. When I started going to Weight Watchers meetings in November, I made a commitment to myself that I am not going to break.

Today, while I was talking to Ashley, she asked me if I was being kind to myself. It was funny, because in some ways I'd been thinking that I've been being TOO kind to myself--i.e., thinking things like "oh, it's okay if you reward yourself with some cereal, you're doing so well!" When I described this to her, Ashley reminded me that being kind to yourself isn't the same as being a pushover!

That really resonated with me. And really, the way I've been treating myself isn't kind. Sometimes, what we really need is some tough love. We have to say no. Eating too much isn't rewarding myself, it's punishing myself, even if it feels good at the time (which it doesn't even, to be honest).

How is your weekend going?

Look what I found...

At Shoppers Drug Mart of all places!

I'm still undecided on how I feel about it. It was exactly what I was hoping/expecting it to be--very thick yogurt. But I'm realizing that maybe I don't like very thick yogurt?? I had it today with some sliced banana, and I'm unsure how I feel about it, haha. I'll get back to you.

Yesterday I had an AMAZING booty camp class. We had a different instructor this week. Last night, we did circuits that were called "cha-battas" (or something that sounds like that??? I'm trying to google various things but am getting NOWHERE), where we would do a move for 20 seconds, rest for 10, and repeat for 3 minutes. We did that with squat jumps, planks, and pushups. I really liked it!

I think I liked it because I can actually hold a plank for 20 seconds (unlike... any longer period of time), so it was less demoralizing than usual for me. ;)

So I'm feeling good about exercise lately but I'm really struggling with food. For some reason, I CAN'T STOP EATING!!! Even knowing I am weighing in tomorrow doesn't seem to matter! I do have faith that this will pass, and I'll be back in my groove, but it's annoying. I have no middle ground--as soon as I veer from the plan a little bit, it's like I'm trying to eat as horribly as possible "while I still can," before I'm back to eating healthily. I really need to work on eating in moderation all the time.

I DO have a plan to get back on track this coming week. I want to plan all of my meals, and, if I can manage, pre-prepare a lot of them on Sunday really thoroughly--for example, put together all my lunches, dinners, and snacks and label them all so I can just grab and eat all week.

I'm not 100% sure I'll have a chance to do so much prep this weekend-- my landlord has suddenly decided to put my house up for sale (my house has three apartments in it). He doesn't think it will sell, he's just listing it for two weeks to see if he can get a crazy-high price for it, but there are open houses tomorrow and Sunday.

I probably don't want to be making multiple meals and pre-packing them while strangers traipse through my house. Plus the added stress of the possibility that he MIGHT sell my house is not helping matters. I know that I can stay until September, but I really like my current landlord, and I'm afraid of a new one.

The good news is that when my landlord called me to tell me about putting the house up for sale, I told him to buy me a new fridge. And he's going to! I'm very, very excited about that.

So, in sum...

Booty Camp: Good.

Food Plan: Needed.

Fridge: Coming Soon.

Greek Yogourt: Undecided.

Obligation-Free Day!

Today I had no obligations! No work! No anything!

This morning, I was tempted to "give up" on trying to eat well because I've "failed" this week already and will surely gain weight on Saturday. I devoured a granola bar just to have something sweet with my coffee, which is what triggered my near-derailment. I came very close to eating the pizza pockets I have in my freezer (why do I have pizza pockets in my freezer????), but I didn't!

I haven't yet made the list of ways to avoid emotional eating that was suggested at my weight watchers meeting last Saturday. But I can share with you the things I did with this day off to avoid eating everything in the cupboard!

I decided to really have a good start to my day by trying some yoga (I do not have much yoga experience). I found a free beginner video on yogadownload.com, moved my coffee table, and got my mat out. But then I didn't really like it (um, well actually, it was more strenuous than I was expecting and I didn't want to "use up" my strength before boot camp haha) so I stopped after a few minutes and just did some stretching on my own.

Then I went for a walk around the block! Do I look refreshed?

(I took four pictures and that was the best one...)

I came home with a plan to make some chocolate chip banana muffins from one of my fave cookbooks: Rose Reisman's The Complete Light Kitchen.

But to my shock and dismay, I had no white flour! I was not in the mood for substituting whole wheat flour (I'm not a pro baker, and I didn't really want to experiment today), so the muffins went on hold. I had intended on making a green smoothie while the muffins were in the oven. I had to go straight to the smoothie:

It featured cooked spinach, half a banana, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and frozen strawberries. Yum!

I phoned my mom to see if she wanted to go to Canadian Tire with me to get an immersion blender and coffee pot (my coffee pot works, but each time I use it I risk electrocution. My mom says I'm not allowed to use it anymore). She was free, and also had some white flour to bring me! While I was waiting for her to show up, I watched some clips of Say Yes to the Dress online and had another snack.

It just looked so delicious I had to take a picture! Plain yogurt with an orange. Lately I've been having fruit mixed in plain yogurt a LOT. It feels like such a treat!

After going to TWO Canadian Tires and a Zellers (and a Home Depot, but they didn't even have small appliances), I ended up with zero coffee pots. I did however, get this:

I am SO SO SO excited about this. It's still in the box though, because when I finally got home from the shopping expedition, it was time to get to Booty Camp! I went early to get my measurements taken again. The muffins will have to wait until tomorrow.

Booty Camp was great tonight! I really pushed myself. Also, I was particularly happy about one of my measurements - they used calipers to measure the body fat on my upper arm, and it had gone down by 5... units... I don't really know what those numbers mean, and I feel like my original measurement may have been inaccurate (because that seems like an impossibly big difference), but I feel good about it all the same. My weight was higher though, haha.

Booty Camp Update!

Tonight I had my fourth Booty Camp class... so far, so good! I'm actually kind of... impressed with how I'm doing?? Haha, is that allowed?

I'm proud of how strong I am!

There, I said it!!!

It's really tough, and I struggle to keep up sometimes, but I also know that I have come a long way from 2-and-a-half-years-ago-Katie. At one point, the leader told us to find our second wind... and I actually had one! I was able to keep going.

Now, I was a bit distracted during the class, because I was pretty sure I recognized a fellow blogger across the room...

When the teacher took attendance, I got confirmation: it was definitely Andrea! (At least, I was almost positively absolutely sure).

After class, I was on the verge of leaving and perhaps leaving her a lame comment later ("Um, I think I was at your Booty Camp class tonight, I was wearing a green shirt and I probably kept looking at you funny"), but I worked up the nerve to go say hello. And I'm so glad I did! Andrea was so nice, and it was so cool to meet her (I really love her blog!).

All in all, a very exciting night!