Post Holiday Pounds January 17, 2009

I just realised how long it had been since my last post, and feel like I’ve been neglecting my blog.  But so much has happened since my last post, that it’s understandable that I’ve put that aside temporarily.

The last time i posted, I had gone down to 148lbs, which was very short lived, as it went back to 150lbs the day after and pretty much stayed there for a while.  I must have been dehydrated or something when i hit the 148, because I haven’t seen that number on the scale since.  The holidays came and went and although I cheated several times with the food thing, I managed to get back down to 149-150 lbs.  It was so hard to stick to my diet and 1500 calories/day during the holidays, all that delicious Italian food and my god, those Italian desserts…I just couldn’t resist.   Luckily I still managed to somewhat control my portions and get a few workouts here and there, and I think that’s why I was able to get rid of those extra couple of pounds I put on.  The key to any weight loss truly is to be physically active.  I’ve heard that for years, but until I’ve had to live it myself, I never believed it.

My boyfriend and I bought a new piece of exercise equipment called the Ab Rocket and all I can say is WOW!!  This is the best little invention ever!  We kept seeing the infomercials for it on tv and thought we should check it out and see if it really works….and  it does!!  This thing is AWESOME!!  Not only does it give you an awesome Ab workout, but it comes with a DVD to help get you started with different exercises you can do, and different levels too, which is great.  So far i’ve only managed to get through the beginner and the intermediate workout because holy crap it is a pretty intense Ab workout…you feel it all over the ab area, which is exactly what I needed.  This is the perfect tool for toning up my mid section, because since I’ve lost 86 pounds, i have a tiny bit of flab left in the stomach area, and this will tone that up in no time.  So combine my exercise bike and the Ab Rocket, I get myself an excellent workout…I just need to push myself harder to do it more often.  As it stands now, I workout once or twice a week when I really should be doing it at least 3 times a week.  Especially since I only have about 4 lbs left to lose before I get to my goal weight, but I’m sure i’ll get there.  Already I think that 150 lbs is a very respectable, healthy weight for me, and I am very happy with the way I look now.  I just want to get to 145lbs to prove to myself that I can and that I didn’t give up on reaching my goal.

Exercise Bikes ROCK! December 1, 2008

Yipee, I bought myself an exercise bike this weekend (on sale no less) to get myself back into my regular workout routine and by George it worked!  I absolutely LOVE IT!  As soon as i got home with it, I put it together and I ended up doing a 21 minute cardio workout with it and it felt awesome!  I hadn’t done any intense Cardio in a while…a good 2 or 3 months now…and man i just felt alive after I was done!  I was kicking myself for not getting this bike sooner.

I had stopped using my Elliptical a long time ago back in the spring, because I started running instead…well that and the fact that I was getting a bit bored with the elliptical after almost a year, and the one I had made so much noise that it drove me crazy (my neighbours too!).  I changed things up with the running and I loved it, because I need variety in my exercise routine, otherwise i get bored and that’s when i just stop.  The running was awesome, but then it got quite cold here not too long ago, and I’m just not a fan of running outdoors when it’s cold…Yes, that’s right, I’m a wuss when it comes to the weather.

But now, with my new exercise bike, I have regained my momentum for regular workouts and have finally found my little something new to get me motivated again.  I am already looking forward to getting home tonight so I can hop on again and go for another 20…maybe even 30 minute workout.  With this new motivation I will kick those last 5 lbs out of the park, and who knows, maybe even lose a few more than the 5…time will tell!

No changes yet! November 28, 2008

OK, so I haven’t kept up with my blog very much lately, but I guess i just felt that since the numbers on the scale haven’t moved in a while, I had nothing very inspiring to write about.

But I am thinking that my blog is about more than just my weight loss but about health and healthy living which at least THAT I have definitely kept up with and intend to stay healthy for the rest of my life. As I have said before, this whole weight loss journey was not just a diet to lose weight fast, the whole point was to change my entire lifestyle forever and to lose weight and KEEP IT OFF which is the key to this journey succeeding.

I haven’t worked out much lately which is why I still haven’t lost those last pesky 5 pounds. I don’t even have a good excuse, except that I’ve just been kind of on hiatus in the workout department. The few times that I have worked out were awesome and I loved it, but I seem to be having trouble with keeping it as regular as i did throughout the last year. Part of me is kind of just saying that I deserve a bit of a break after all the hard work i put in, but the other part of me keeps saying that i have to keep up with my regular workouts because that is the only way that I’ll lose the rest of the weight, keep it off and stay healthy.

But as of this weekend, I am officially getting back into a regular, 2-3 days a week workout regimen because I am going to buy myself an Exercise bike tomorrow. I got rid of my Elliptical machine because a) it took up too much space in my apartment, and b) i got everything i needed out of it and i need something different now, I’ve done the elliptical to death, so it’s time for me to move on to something else. With the exercise bike I’ll be able to get my cardio workouts back on track and do spinning which i have never done before. I know that this will totally inspire me for my workouts, as I need variety to keep me interested, and this is just what i need.

As far as food goes, I’ve still kept up with my 1500 calories a day give or take a couple of calories. I’ve discovered so many new lower calorie treats, that it has felt like I’ve been cheating, but it hasn’t really been big cheats. For example, I have just discovered these 100 calorie Ice Cream cups from Breyers (http://www.breyersicecream.ca/canada/products/product.cfm?u=58779-77833&b=1&lang=en) and my god what a treat!! I can’t even believe that something this decadent has only 100 calories. It is the best 100 calorie dessert I have tried thus far and i am now hooked! I still have it in moderation, as there is still sugar in there and I try to keep my sugar consumption to a minimum, but every time I have it, I enjoy every last drop of it and don’t even feel guilty about eating it!

So see, the key is not to deprive yourself, but to find a better alternative to the fatty treats that you know and love and eat them in moderation! Stay tuned for more low fat recipes, tips & tricks, I got plenty up my sleeve!

Yay, another magazine article! November 7, 2008

Once again, it is a proud moment in my life.  Not only did Best Health Magazine do an article about me and my weight loss succes, but now a quebec magazine has alos published an article about me in their latest December 2008 issue.  Here is an image version of this article (in french only) with my latest photo:

Astonishing day October 17, 2008

Today is a good day…no, correction, today is a FANTASTIC day!  As i painfully crawled out of bed this morning, with the sun barely up, I hopped on the scale not really expecting to see a lower number, since i had a couple of drinks last night and thought for sure the number would be higher, but much to my delight, the scale said 150 on the nose!!  This just totally made my day.

I haven’t been working out much lately so i can’t say I’m surprised that i haven’t lost my last 6 lbs, but to see 150 this morning just made me so happy and just inspired me to really get back into my workout routine to lose those last 5 lbs.  Imagine how fast they’ll go when i start working out again?  If i managed to lose weight (very slowly mind you) just by eating right and doing litlle things like always taking stairs instead of escalators, then I know that with a good solid 2 or 3 weeks of intense workouts, i’ll just blast those 5 lbs out of the park!

Now that I have reached the 1 year mark since I started this whole weight loss journey, I am truly happy and proud of myself for the results that i’ve achieved.  Losing any amount of weight is not easy, but to have lost 86 pounds in 1 year is really impressive for me and I am even prouder of the fact that not only did i shed all that weight but I did it the healthy way.  I worked hard and changed my lifestyle…I wasn’t looking for a quick fix, because I know that that would never have worked.  So it really does prove the fact that with a lot of hard work and determination anyone can do this!  And what is 1 year out of your life when you can add so many more years to your life…Isn’t it worth it to live a long, healthy life, I think so.

The light at the end of a long tunnel! September 11, 2008

I can hardly believe that we are approaching mid September, which means that in just over 1 month, it will have been 1 year since I started my whole weight loss journey…and what a journey it has been!  There were times where I felt it was long and that it would take forever to reach my goal, but now that I am only 8 lbs away from my goal, I feel like it actually went pretty fast.  It’s nice to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Throughout this whole process I’ve gone through so many emotions and I continually discovered some strengths in me that I never knew I had.  Just the discipline and hard work it took to lose all this weight and to stick to my program was such a challenge, but I never backed down, and even though there were times when it was really difficult and i felt a bit discouraged because I had reached a plateau and wasn’t losing any weight or hardly losing any, I persevered and the results are phenomenal to me.  I am extremely proud of everything I have accomplished and even more so after this past weekend.

My boyfriend was folding his laundry and looked at a pair of his jeans and said “you know, I bet these would fit you now”…to which I responded “are you crazy??”  Keep in mind, he is a very thin man and wears a size 30 in pants!  So just for kicks and giggles, I decided to humour him and try the jeans on.  Well! I never thought in a million years that i could even get my legs through there, never mind actually put them on, but low and behold, THEY FIT!!  They were a tiny bit snug, but i could do them up and everything!  I was (and still am) in shock by that.  I always saw him as really thin, and I still see myself through fat girl eyes and still have trouble seeing myself as a thinner person.  But fitting into his size 30 jeans just blew me away and I think this has finally helped me see myself through different eyes and I can actually see myself as a fit person.  I’m sure I’ll still have “fat days”, but now, in general i feel thinner and I see myself as such which is a huge thing for me.

What a Whirlwind! September 4, 2008

Phew, the last couple of weeks have been so busy, I almost feel dizzy!  But it’s all been so worth it.  I have finally moved into my new place with my boyfriend and I couldn’t be happier.  We love our home and so far, being shacked up together is awesome!

My only issue now, is because of all this moving and going back and forth and packing and un-packing, I haven’t been able to do my workout in 2 weeks now and I am starting to feel it.  Thankfully, I’ve still been somewhat active, just going up and down the stairs at my old place and my new place…Who needs a stairmaster, when you can just go up and down a 3rd floor staircase about 50 times….There’s a workout!  But this past weekend, I wasn’t able to stick to my diet as well as I would have liked, and it shows, because I ended up gaining a couple of pounds.  But as of this morning, thankfully I am back down to my 155…Woohoo!

My plan tonight is to either go for a run and find a nice park in my new neighborhood that I can go running in, or go for a nice long bike ride.  I’d prefer the running, because I’ll get a much better cardio workout, but if that doesn’t happen, then I’ll definitely combine my weight training with the bike ride.  I so desperately want to get rid of these last 10 pounds, and I am realising that they really are the hardest to get rid of, but I have faith, I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of time.

I call this a Good Friday! August 22, 2008

Today is a good Friday….no wait, correction, today is a GREAT Friday!  I hopped on the scale this morning, and jumped up for joy…I am at 156 pounds!  Which means, that I have now lost a total of 80 pounds!  Wow, I can hardly believe that.  And even though I still have 11 lbs left to lose to reach my target, I am so excited about having lost 80 lbs…I realise that it is a huge accomplishment, and the fact that I did it all on my own, makes it that much more of an exploit.

And as if that wasn’t happy enough news, A friend of mine works for a magazine here in Montreal, and they are doing a story on 5 women that have a good reason to celebrate in 2008, and she submitted my name for the weight loss category of that story, and they actually picked me!!  So not only were my accomplishments underlined in Best Health magazine, but now, they will be in print as well.  I can’t put into words how I feel right now, but I am buzzing with pride and excitement.  I was already very proud of myself for achieving such great results with my weight loss, but now to actually be in a magazine, just really emphasises my pride even more.

If I would have known what a huge impact losing all this weight would have on my life, I would have done it sooner!  It literally has changed my life and me forever…and for the better.  I am 35 years old, and I have never felt this good about myself and I know that it’s all uphill from here!

Suprising discovery August 21, 2008

So last night, I got home and i didn’t know what to make for dinner, I didn’t really have all that much to choose from, so I had to improvise with what I could find.  I had some Frozen Shrimp and Calamari (non breaded of course) and some Quinoa.  So I just threw together the shrimp and calamari and grilled them with a splash of olive oil and lots of garlic.  I also grilled some spinach to have my veggie fix and my iron fix.  I only made 1/2 cup of Quinoa because I knew that there was a lot of carbs in there, but I wasn’t exactly sure about how many calories it had.

Well, much to my surprise, I checked on that today, and I was very surprised by the results.  For 1/2 cup of Quinoa, there are about 318 calories!!  I couldn’t believe that, I thought it was maybe half that.  All in all, it wasn’t so bad, because even with that, I still managed to stay pretty much within my 500 calorie meal.  But it just goes to show, that if you are counting calories to lose weight, really look at everything, because sometimes, you’ll eat something healthy (like Quinoa), but the calories contained in some of these foods can come as big surprise and add up really fast.

I found an awesome recipe on http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/recipe/grilled-vegetable-and-bulgur-salad.  They suggest using Bulgur, but i replaced that with Quinoa instead and it was AWESOME!  I also threw in some grilled Shrimp in there for added protein and deliciousness.

Finally, new numbers on the scale! August 15, 2008

Woohoo!  Finally, i have seen a new number on the scale today, and may I say it’s about bloody time!  I got so used to seeing the same number on there, that i began having doubts about it ever going down again…But alas, I have renewed my faith!

A friend of mine told me yesterday that maybe the fact that my weight hasn’t gone down in over 2 weeks now, is that possibly my body is just storing everything because this the weight that I am supposed to be.  But I refuse to believe that, I know in my heart of hearts (and after a lot of research) that my body can still stand to lose more weight, and I am sure that 157 pounds is NOT the weight that I am supposed to be.  I’ve been 138 before, so I know that it’s not impossible to go lower than 157.  I am not aiming to be 138 at this point, but 145 lbs i think would be my ideal, healthy weight and I know that i can get there.

I guess I just have to be a bit patient, because since I don’t have as much weight to lose now, my body is slowing down in the burning of the fat and losing the weight.  I know that If I stepped up my Cardio workouts, I would probably see more results faster, but right now in my workouts, I am really concentrating a lot on toning exercises, because now that I have lost all this weight, I still have a bit of flab in the stomach area, and i really don’t want to have this excess skin hanging off of me.  Luckily i don’t have much, because I have done a lot of toning throughout the whole process, it’s not even visible to anyone but me, but i see it every day and now I’ve really stepped it up and I’m really giving my abs a good workout, so as to avoid any hanging, flabby nastiness around my tummy area.  I am always looking for new Ab exercises, so if anyone out there has anything new they’d like to share with me, then by all means, pass it along, I’d love to hear from you.