Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Here we go!!

Alrighty!  It's September tomorrow and I'm hardcore back on the weight loss bandwagon.  I had my WW weigh in today and the results weren't pretty - 150.  Still a free month because I am within two pounds of my goal weight (149) but more than I want to be.  I got a jump start on my exercise goals and counted yesterday and today as part of September.  I am going to weigh in (at home) each Tuesday and will update my weight stats then.

I borrowed 2 of the Hungry Girl cookbooks from the library.  M is out of town for the weekend so I'm gonna chef it up and freeze some meals.

Here are September's Stat - will update on October 1

weight - 150 lbs
waist - 33 inches
hips - 40 inches
r thigh - 22. 5 inches
r arm - 10 inches
bust - 34 inches
underbust - 31 inches

Talk soon
J

Sunday, August 29, 2010

And then there was one

Well, this is it.  Summer vacation is over.  Tomorrow is back to work.  I am excited, and will pick out my outfit later.  I'm saving my new outfits for the "real" first day of school on Thursday.

Last night we went to a dinner party at M's colleagues house.  The food was fantastic and dessert was Crave Cupcakes.  Sometimes I honestly want to be fat so I could eat a Crave Cupcake everyday :P

It's freezing here in Calgary today.  I am bundled up on the couch with no motivation to move and I'm downing peppermint tea like it's going out of style!  Since I'm not leaving the house I have been mulling over what my September goals will be.  I weigh in on Tuesday at WW and will use that as my starting weight.  Some other goals for the month:


  • track and be accountable every day (even the bad days)
  • take my lunch to work almost everyday - and poutine is not a good cafeteria choice!!
  • make some headway in my "last 10 pounds" - long term goal is to have them gone by Christmas
  • Arms of Steel + Buns of Steel + 30 minutes bike twice a week (10 total)
  • Legs of Steel + Abs of Steel + 30 minutes bike twice a week (10 total)
  • 60 minutes bike once a week (5 total)
Talk soon
J

Friday, August 27, 2010

TGIF

So today is my last day of summer vacation.  Back to work on Monday.  I'll admit I'm excited - it will be nice to be back.

So my new work out dvds arrived from Amazon and I LOVE THEM!  I ordered Legs of Steel, Abs of Steel and Buns of Steel.  They are 35 minutes each and I think they are a good workout.  I was in the best shape of my life after a year of bootcamp and lots of the exercises are very similar to ones we did.  I like the "leader" and she doesn't annoy me (like a certain someone, lol)

I tried out two new recipes this morning.  Hungry Girl's Death by Chocolate Cupcakes  I tried one and they are really yummy.  Each cupcake was about 1/3 cup of the batter (I like to use a measuring cup from bowl to pan because it makes them all even).  I had to bake them for about 25 minutes before they were done. Edited to add - make sure to use liners.  I didn't have enough and the 4 cupcakes without liners would not come out of the pan, despite me spraying with Pam before using.

I also have White Bean and Ground Turkey Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili in the slow cooker.  It's not quite done but it smells delicious!  If I like it, I plan to portion and freeze it to take for lunch at work.  Edited to add - it was delicious!  Next time I am going to up the spices as it was a bit bland.




A big part of my weight loss has been drinking tons of water.  WW recommends 6 glasses a day but I try to get at least 9, sometimes more.  The downside of this is I have to pee sooooo often, but it's worth it.  If I've got the munchies I have a big drink first, then get a snack if I need one.  My skin is also a lot clearer. One way to make this easier is to have a bottle / glass that you know the amount it holds, making it easier to track.  At work I have a stainless steel water bottle that holds 2 cups of water.  At home I use a cup with a straw (I really like drinking through a straw, apparently I am a toddler).  It holds 3 cups of water.  I got it at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas and it was 18$ with a margarita in it.  My brothers exact words to me when I bought it "That is ridiculous to spend that much on a glass, you better use it everyday and I will not talk to you for an hour because I think you're being dumb".  Well it was well worth the 18$ and I do use it everyday (and he didn't talk to me for an hour).  I keep it beside me pretty much all the time, which makes it easy to sip throughout the day.



  Talk Soon

J

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Happy Hump Day!

Well it's almost back to work time!  I stopped by my school yesterday to pick up my keys and it's sinking in that summer is over.  One thing I love about going back to work is getting back into the routine.  It helps me feel productive and also helps in my weight loss journey.  Summer time can be a challenge because of all the free time and sometimes mindless snacking!  I've almost gotten rid of the few pounds I packed on during vacation (thank you wine, chocolate and fried food - worth every calorie).  I have to weigh - in by the end of the month and I'm back in my goal range (149 - 151) so it should be another free month.  I am really tracking so that I can make my way to my personal goal of 140.

Another exciting thing about back to school is some new outfits and a hair cut / color.  I got some great deals at Reitmans and this afternoon I have an appointment at the salon.  I am thinking about going a bit darker.  I love my blonde but I really think it's "summer hair" and might change it up a bit, at least for the winter.

I had a notice from UPS that my dvds from Amazon are here - hopefully they deliver while I am home today or tomorrow.  I can't wait to try them out!

Talk soon
J

Sunday, August 22, 2010

No so sunny Sunday

This weather is really starting to get my down!  Where is the sun?  I was very lucky to spend almost 4 weeks in Kelowna where it was hot hot hot but now that I'm back in Calgary I am sick of this dreary cold weather!

It's been a busy few days and my knee is very sore.  Thursday we went rafting and learned a very important lesson - if the forecast is for thundershowers, don't get into a raft to float down the river!  We were 3/4 the way down when it started pouring rain and hailing.  We managed to huddle under a bridge while someone ran for the car.  Despite us being the Griswolds (again) I still love rafting!

Yesterday we headed out to Banff to do a little hiking.  We did the lower and upper falls at Johnston Canyon which was very nice.  We also checked out Banff Springs Hotel - beautiful!



Trying hard to stay on track with WW.  I'm tracking every little thing (even the Taco Bell feast I had on Friday!)  Hopefully the scale starts to budge from it's stuck position!  My new workout videos should be here this week and I'm looking forward to trying them all out.

Talk soon
J

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Rollin' Down the River

So I have recently discovered my favorite summer activity in Calgary - rafting on the Elbow River!  Our first rafting experience was like "The Griswolds Rafting Adventure"!  We didn't know where to park, where to launch, and M's raft sank!!  We had two small (8$) boats and were each in our own (with the cooler in mine).  Well much to the entertainment of the people watching us in the park we ended up both in my little digny (not meant for two adults!) with the cooler in the sinking raft.  Despite almost getting hypothermia we kept doing it (and got a bigger and sturdier raft)  It's so much fun and is essentially free now that we have a raft, lifejackets and a cooler :)  As summer winds down today might be one of our last rafting adventures of the season

I've also been test driving various work out dvds (from my collection - some that are collecting dust and from the library)  I like to work out at home because then I can do it when I feel like it.  Some days it's hard to find the motivation but I've just got to get it done (bonus  - I work out in my sports bra and underwear half the time, haha)

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred
This video is an excellent deal.  It has 3 levels of a 30 minute full body workout.  It is very challenging and I found the levels to be good variations.  What I don't like about it is Jillian gets very annoying, talks alot and "gives advice" instead of coaching through the exercises (which could totally be my preference)

Biggest Loser Cardio Max
I did not like the video at all (it was free with the 30 Day Shred).  It has past participants from the Biggest Loser who didn't seem to know the routines so I found it hard to concentrate on the Bob, Jillian or Kim with them in the background

Jillian Michaels Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
I must admit I've never done this video.  It came also free with the 30 Day Shred.  Given my dislike of Jillian I'm in no hurry to give it a try

Dancing with the Stars (Dance Body Tone & Dance off the Pounds)
I really like these videos.  I like to dance (like nobody's watching :P)  I have zero rhythm and limited coordination so I'm sure I look crazy doing them but that's the beauty of being in the privacy of my living room!  They are fun cardio workouts and get easier as you learn the routines.

Dance with Julianne - Cardio Ballroom
Very similar to the DWTS videos.  Lots of fun and good cardio.  There is an option in the menu to take the "private lesson with Julianne" where she breaks down the steps and it's very helpful.

Kathy Smith Lift Weights to Lose Weight
I picked this up at the library and am glad I didn't buy it.  It was a good workout but I didn't care for Kathy as an instructor and there are so many people working out in the background.

Arms of Steel with Leisa Hart
Another library find.  I did the 4 workouts (which target the arms, chest and back) that total 35 minutes (3 x 10 and 1 x 5)  I really liked this workout.  It was challenging and I can see myself doing it on a regular basis.  I enjoyed Leisa and there are only two other people working out to show the variations.  Based on how much I enjoyed it I've ordered Buns of Steel, Legs of Steel and Abs of Steel from Amazon.  Hopefully they're as good as this one.  

Talk soon
J

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Write it all down! Even that bite of cheese!

My summer vacation is winding down and I'm starting to look forward to getting back into a routine.  I really like routines - I like to plan, schedule and make lists.  During the summer I take a break from tracking and counting points and try to make good food choices.  I got back from 4.5 weeks of holidays on Saturday and got out my trusty food notebook and points calculator so that I could start tracking on Sunday.  And I've tracked every bite since and love it!  I am trying to get to my personal goal so I'm back in "losing mode" (as opposed to "maintenance" where I get more points per day).  It's almost like a game to me, seeing how much I can get for my daily points!  I truly think my success with weight loss is due to tracking absolutely everything.  I look back in my food journals and most days I am on track but there are some days where I eat double (and once and awhile even more) my daily allowance.  But that's life!  And that's the beauty of the program - you can eat whatever you want, as long as you portion, track and move on.  I love to eat, but unfortunately don't love to eat vegetables  - so for me it's all about planning.  I would rather eat smaller portions of things that I enjoy than eat salad everyday (I hate lettuce - you don't make friends with salad!)

Since my knee injury I really can't do much physical activity, so I have to be even more diligent in my tracking.  When I was doing bootcamp 3 times a week I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted, but now that I'm a couch potato things have changed!  The only cardio that is (relatively) pain free is riding my stationary bike - which I love since I can watch TV at the same time!  I'm also trying out different weight training dvds from the library.  I will hopefully be back at bootcamp by March and don't want to be completely out of shape.  When I first started bootcamp it was the worst hour of my day - it hurt so bad and was so hard and I never want to feel that again!

Talk soon

J

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Who's this girl?

This is my second foray into the blogging world.  I kept a travel blog while backpacking in Africa and Europe in 2007.  Just looking for a place to put my thoughts down, and who writes on paper anymore :P


I am a 25 year old Alberta girl currently living in Calgary.  I have an awesome job (teacher), own a great condo and have a wonderful boyfriend.


I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers.  I struggled with my weight my entire life and hit my breaking point in October 2008.  I joined Weight Watchers and slowly but surely reached my goal in June 2009.  I have been at or under goal for over a year now!  I love food and I love to eat.  Everyday is a challenge.  Starting weight - 179  WW Goal - 149  Current weight - 149  Personal Goal - 140


I like to run but am definitely built for distance, not speed!  I have been skiing since I was 4 and can't get enough.  I am on the bootcamp bandwagon and it's the best workout I have every done.


Currently my journey has hit a bump as I have severely damaged my right knee.  I have a bone disorder called Scoliosis (severe curvature of the spine) that was surgically corrected in 2000.  As a result things aren't so straight in the back and I favor my right leg.  That combined with a fall in February 2010 has left me with ligament damage and an unhappy kneecap.  I am super bummed not to be able to participate in anything active and I have a lot of pain, but my MRI is on October 7 and surgery is scheduled for October 25.  It will be better soon - there's always a bright side!! 


Talk Soon
J