Still no movement! August 12, 2008

Even though the numbers on the scale have not budged in over 2 weeks now, I am not feeling as discouraged as I was in my last blog entry.  I only have myself to blame for the lack of weight loss, as I haven’t worked out as often or as vigorously as I should have.  Plus i just came back from a 4 day vacation in New York, which was awesome!  As difficult as it was to stick to my diet while on vacation, I did really well and I am very impressed at how disciplined I was food wise, even on vacation.  And we did so much walking, that I think that is a big part of why I haven’t gained any weight during my time there.  I was pleased about that, because I drank alcohol pretty much every night I was there…this was my only cheat during the vacation…so i thought for sure I’d be gaining weight…but alas, walking saved the day once again!

I worked out yesterday, but didn’t do much cardio, I really concentrated on my abs and legs and just toning exercises in general and it felt great!  That is my favorite part of my workouts, it always makes me feel alive!  I really do enjoy the running, when i actually go out and run, but i find myself lacking the motivation to do it sometimes.  But I will get back into my regular, 3 days a week workouts, because I know that once i get back into it, I am sure to continue losing weight and achieving my goal weight.  Since I am only 13 pounds away from that, If i stick to  my program, I should be able to reach my target in the next 2 or 3 months…Wish me luck!!

Stagnating! July 25, 2008

I am trying not to get discouraged right now, but I am finding it a little difficult.  I haven’t lost any weight at all this week….zero, zilch, zip, NADA!  And yes, I haven’t been so intense with my workouts lately and have done a lot less cardio and concentrated more on weight training and ab and leg exercises.  But I walk to and from work every single day, which is no small task.  It totals up to 7 kilometers every day and I walk at a very quick pace, so it’s not like I’m just dragging along at a leisurley pace.  And I’ve been really good food wise, as always, that is something that I never give up.  I never cheat, and even on the days where I will allow myself to be a bit less regimented, I am still very reasonable and always stay within my allotted 1500 calories per day…sometimes even less.

I guess I really have to get back into the more intense workouts, and doing a lot of cardio, because as it is now, those pesky last 14 pounds I have left to lose are just sticking to me like flies to sh*t.  And with my upcoming trip to New York, I won’t be able to do any of my workouts…although I will be doing a lot of walking, so at least that will somewhat save me.  I was really hoping to get to New York weighing 155 lbs, but the way my weight is going now, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen…Time will tell.

But on a happier note, my Best Health article is finally online! You can check it out here: http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/article/i-lost-76-pounds

Spaghetti Squash instead of Pasta July 19, 2008

In a previous blog I mentioned that I had found a great alternative to pasta…Spaghetti Squash!  Today I thought I’d share my favorite recipe using spaghetti squash with all of you out there getting bored with what you are eating and running out of ideas on what to make for dinner.

The preparation is slightly long, because you have to cook the squash first, let it cool, and then prepare it the way you like, but once this is done, the possibilities are endless.

To prepare:

- Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.

- Cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out all the seeds and gunk in the center.

- In a lasagna pan (or any other pan that will fit the squash and go in the oven), fill the bottom with about an inch of water.

- Place the spaghetti squash, flat, cut part facing down in the pan

- Bake for 1 hour

- After that, take it out and let it cool.

Once cooled, just take a spoon or a fork and just start scraping out the squash, and it will come out in strings, looking like spaghetti. 

Put all of it in a dish that goes in the oven.  Now here is where you can experiment with a lot of different alternatives as to what to put in there.  My favorite one is as follows:

- About 1 cup of shrimp (fresh or frozen, but thawed)

- About 1 cup of scallops (fresh or frozen, but thawed)

- About 2 cups of Tomato sauce (of your choice) (the measurement is approximate, i just eye it and make sure that there is enough sauce to cover all the squash in the dish).

- For garlic lovers like me, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic

- About 1 cup of shredded Low Fat Mozzarella

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

Take the sauce and dump in the dish and mix it in with the squash really well.  Make sure it is all coated and covered.

Throw in the Shrimp, the scallops, the garlic salt & pepper.

Cover with the Mozzarella cheese.

Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, or until you see it bubbling at the sides and the cheese turns a golden color on top.

 And Voila!  That’s it, this is a simple recipe, and it is so tasty and really low in fat and calories.  I love pasta, but there are so many calories for so little pasta, that this was a great alternative for me.  You can eat much more of it and still have the sensation that you are eating pasta, without all the calories.  Plus you can mix it up in so many different ways, and experiment with different ingredients which is a big advantage for me as I am always seeking a bit of variety in my meals.

So if you want a meal that is nutritious AND delicious, then go out and buy yourself a spaghetti squash and experiment with it, you will see how versatile and tasty it is and you will barely even miss eating pasta…Bon Appétit!!

Finally some movement on the scale! July 12, 2008

Hooray, today is a good day!  After having reached this plateau for about 2 weeks now, and not losing anything, I weighed myself this morning and I have finally lost some weight!  As of this morning I weight exactly 160 pounds…Yipee!

It’s funny because originally when I started this whole weight loss journey, my goal was to get down to 160 pounds.  I’ve since revised that goal, because after reading several articles on ideal, healthy weight, i realised that 160 was still a bit too much, and that because of my height of 5′ 7”, I should ideally weigh about 145 pounds.  So my new goal was to get to that 145.  But just the fact that I have finally made it to my first original goal of 160, I am absolutely thrilled!  So this means that in the Span of about 9 months, I have lost 76 pounds!   I can’t believe that!  I am so very proud of myself I really can’t even put that into words.  And to think that I am only 15 pounds away from my goal and being at a healthy weight just fuels me to keep going and work hard to reach my goal.

So many things have inspired me and encouraged me along the way like my friends and family, but also the fact that I have gone down 8 dress sizes is phenomenal to me.  I am finally able to look at myself in the mirror and see that i look good and I’m even starting to be proud of my body.  And for the first time in years, I actually feel sexy!  That is something that I honestly never thought I could feel, but now with all this excess flab gone, a much more toned body, I am not afraid to show myself anymore.  Gone are the days of wearing baggy, over-sized clothes that make me look even bigger than I am, and here to stay are the days of dressing appropriately for my body type and age (Thank you What Not to Wear!) and feeling really good about myself and the way I look.

Those darn Plateau’s July 9, 2008

I can’t believe that after all this time, I am still somewhat surprised when i reach certain plateau’s in my weight loss journey.  I haven’t lost any weight in about a week and a half now.  This has happened before, and I used to get so discouraged, but this time I know that it’s just temporary.  And I have to admit, I haven’t been as rigorous with my workouts lately, so that probably has a huge part to play.  I’ve been very busy lately and it’s been extremely hot here lately too.  The heat really affects me, it gives me headaches and my energy levels are way down, so i find it hard to get up and do a vigorous workout when i have zero energy.  But I pushed myself to do it anyway yesterday, regardless of the 38 degrees Celsius temperature!

At least I am still keeping up with my good eating habits, so not all is lost!  In fact i’m eating less nowadays, because it’s jsut so hot that i don’t feel as hungry.  I’ve been eating mostly salads, but i always make sure that I have my protein in there.  I either put tuna, hard boiled eggs or chicken in there as well as my classics tomatoes, cucumber, a few black olives, marinated eggplant (when i have) and a bit of corn niblets.  The dressing is usually the same, just a bit of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar.  It’s actually very filling for a salad, and packed with all the stuff i love.  I just discovered a new dressing, i can’t remember what company makes it, but it’s a simple vinaigrette type dressing with roasted garlic and it’s only 6 calories per tablespoon…Hooray!  A salad dressing that is delicious and low fat and calorie, I’m sold!

Hopefully in my next entry I’ll have lost a few pounds and this pesky plateau will have subsided…Stay tuned.

Proud Moment! July 1, 2008

Wow, It’s truly amazing how my life has changed in just 8 1/2 months, I can hardly believe it.  Not only have I succeeded in losing all this weight, but now my success will be immortalised of sorts because Best Health Magazine has contacted me and is officially going to do a story on me and my weight loss success story!

If someone would have told me a year ago that I would lose 73 pounds and that a Health Magazine would be doing a story on me, I would have thought they were crazy!  But here I am, sharing my success story with thousands of people, and maybe even inspire people to do the same.  This is a very proud moment in my life.  I was already beaming with pride at my accomplishments so far, but now, to have my success in print, well that is just the icing on the cake…Low calorie cake of course! Ha Ha Ha!

I went shopping yesterday, and once again I was in shock!  I tried on a bunch of different clothes, and I still have a hard time believing that I am such a smaller size, that I always take a size bigger in the dressing room with me.  Well not only am I officially a size 10 now, but I tried on a skirt at Tommy Hilfiger and the size 10 was actually TOO BIG!  I was completely floored by this!  Not only am i now 8 dress sizes smaller than I was 8 1/2 months ago, but now I would have required a size 8!  I haven’t been a size 8 since High School.

Yesterday was also a big moment for me, I actually put on a bathing suit in public and went swimming!!  I haven’t put on a bathing suit in front of people (other than my best friend a month ago) in about 15 years let alone go swimming!  I have been embarassed about my size for so long, that i didn’t even own a bathing suit for 15 years because i refused to show myself in public looking the way I did.  It was still difficult for me to be so exposed yesterday, but I just let it go and just enjoyed myself and just enjoyed the moment.

So this week is an extremely proud week for me and I look forward to many more to come!

Before and After June 24, 2008

I thought I’d share a picture with everyone to show that hard work and discipline really do pay off.  As of today, I have lost 71.5 lbs, and this is the result!

This is my inspiration to just keep going and work hard to reach my final goal, and if this helps even just 1 person out there, that would make me very happy.

What to eat? June 21, 2008

I’ve received such an outpouring of positive responses and feedback from so many people and I am still shocked at just how many people I have reached and inspired with my weight loss.  I never thought in a million years that I could ever inspire ANYONE to lose weight, let alone give people advice about it.

Most people’s first question is ”What’s your secret?” and the second one is inevitably ”What do you eat?”.  My response to the first question is the same…there is no secret…I just completely changed my eating habits, cut down portion sizes, started counting calories (1500/day), cut out unnecessary fats and carbs and the pièce de résistance…Exercising 3 times a week!  And yes, that’s all it is!  The key is to stick to it, no matter what.  I’ve completely changed my life style and have committed myself 100% to this.  Discipline, determination and hard work are all you need to lose weight.  I was told that for years, but until I actually started doing it, I refused to believe it.  I’m not going to sit here and make you believe that it’s easy, because it really isn’t! There are times where yes, I’d love to go out and have more drinks with my friends, but because I limit myself to about 2 or 3 glasses of wine a week, this can sometimes be a challenge.  But I’ve managed to really stick to my guns…I’ll have 1 drink sometimes, and then stick to club soda after that.  Because technically, the act of going out for a drink with friends is not necessarily to drink, but to spend time with your friends.

As for what i eat, Weekdays and week-ends are slightly different, but i still pretty much stick to a routine & a schedule on weekdays and it works out great.  Here’s just 1 example of what I eat on any given weekday:

Breakfast:

- Nutribar, meal replacement bar (260 calories)

- Glass of Grapefruit juice (100 calories give or take)

- and of course COFFEE (with a splash of milk, NOT cream, and no sugar!)

Snack:

- Apple (approx. 70 calories)

Lunch:

- Grilled chicken and vegetable wrap (this is really just grilled chicken and grilled veggies inside, NO MAYO)

-Shredded carrot salad (about 1/2 cup) made with carrots, a few raisins, a splash of olive oil and lemon juice.

- Either 1/2 cup of Spinach salad (spinach, tomatoes, splash of olive oil and lemon juice) OR 1/2 cup of fruit salad (mostly contains melon and a few grapes)

I’m not sure how many calories this all contains, but i guess it’s around 450 to 500 calories.

 

Snack: (this really varies a lot, as i don’t always have a snack)

- 6 Kalamata olives OR 2 tbsp of Marinated Eggplant OR baby carrots OR cherry tomatoes with 2 tblsp of Hummus (These are approximately 70 calories each…except for the carrots, those you can eat tons of them)

 

Dinner: (This varies a lot, as i like to change things up, but this is just 1 example of 1 dinner)

- Grilled Tuna Burger WITHOUT the bun (180 calories) (Grilled either on the BBQ or in a grilling pan using 10 calorie cooking spray)

- 1 cup (or more) of steamed vegetables (most of the time it’s broccoli or Asparagus) (approximately 30 calories)

- 1/2 cup of Non-Fat Yogurt (my favorite one is Source by Yoplait) (40 to 50 calories)

- 10-12 grapes

And There you have it, this is a perfect example of what I eat.  Someone asked me if I ever get hungry eating so little, and my answer to that is no, I can honestly say that throughout this whole process, I have never felt hunger pains or anything like that.  I drink TONS of water every day as well, and you would be surprised how much just a glass of water can help you not feel hungry.  Plus as you start losing the weight and get your stomach used to eating this way, your stomach shrinks and doesn’t require as much food to be full anymore.  I used to eat portions that were 3 times the size of what i eat now, and even if i felt full, i would still continue eating until i finished my plate…This may have stemmed from my childhood being told that if i didn’t finish my plate, i wouldn’t get any dessert! ha ha ha.  No but seriously, now I’ve learned to really only eat until i feel full, there is no need to stuff yourself. 

So if i can lose 70 lbs eating this way, so can you!  Just be very conscious about what you eat, try as much as you can to eliminate processed foods, incorporate lots of water and fresh fruits and veggies in your diet, and you’ll be A-OK.

Coming along nicely June 11, 2008

Wow, i didn’t realise it had been so long since my last blog entry!  Time really does fly.  I’ve been a little bit crazed for the last few weeks, I’ve had my condo up for sale by owner for 3 months, and then I reluctantly decided to give it to a real estate agent and in less than 2 weeks it SOLD!!  I am ecstatic about that, because now I can finally move on to the next step in my life which is moving in with my boyfriend!

And in the midst of all this condo selling craziness my birthday came and went which was a lot of fun.  I was anxious to see how my diet would hold up during that time, with all the restaurant dinners, desserts and booze and surprisingly it wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be.  Ok granted, after the first weekend of celebrations i gained 1 1/2 lbs which I was not impressed about at all, but it was my birthday and I deserved a little treat after being so disciplined for 7 months.  It shocked me to see though how easy it is to gain back weight…it’s a lot easier to gain it than to lose it.  But thankfully I have lost those extra pounds and another 1/2 lb on top of that, which brings my total weight loss so far to 68 pounds…Hooray.

There are so many elements that have helped me keep this up and not give up if i didn’t lose enough weight or any at all, but the top 3 would be:

1) The support & encouragement of my friends and Family.  Without that I don’t know where I’d be today.

2) My health! It has improved dramatically since i started this journey.  My blood pressure is back down to a normal level, my resistance is way up and my energy levels have gone through  the roof.

3) The confidence that I have gained.  I just feel so much better about the way I look now, it’s incredible…I don’t feel like the (fat) ugly duckling anymore, and that is priceless.

A few weeks ago I went to my friends parents chalet and they have a Jacuzzi there.  My friend said that I should bring my bathing suit so we could have a nice relaxing jacuzzi.  Now seeing as I haven’t worn a bathing suit in about 14 years and I don’t even own one, this was going to be difficult.  My friend said well, I have one I could lend you because I don’t wear it anymore.  So I said OK.  Well, for the first time in 14 years, i put on a bathing suit…a size 12 nonetheless, and it was actually a bit too big!  This was a very defining moment for me and it just makes me even more proud of everything I’ve accomplished so far.  And it’s not over yet, I am only 18 pounds or so away from my ideal healthy weight, so stay tuned for the progress report.

 

Pounds lost and confidence gained May 8, 2008

It’s really amazing to me how just losing weight can have such an impact on my life.  Not only do I feel better physically and mentally, but i have regained the self confidence that I had lost along the way.

Although I’ve only lost 1 pound so far this week, I still feel great!  I keep telling myself that 1 pound is still 1 pound and it’s nothing to sneeze at!  I used to feel so discouraged when i would only lose 1 pound or half a pound, but now I realise that it’s OK, because it may only be a small amount, but at least the pounds are still coming off and that is what matters most.

I think that a huge motivation for me to keep going has been the amazing positive responses I have been getting from all of my friends, family and co-workers!  Everybody is just amazed at my transformation and everybody has been giving me incredible compliments!  I’ve even had people tell me that I am an inspiration!  Wow, imagine ME being an inspiration to other people, that is extremely flattering and so rewarding.  I never anticipated such a huge outpouring of encouragement,  but I am so appreciative of it, I can hardly put it into words.

Another big motivation for me is the fact that I can now shop in regular stores again…Not so good for my wallet, but SO good for my confidence!  Just to be able to go into any store i want and try on anything i want and have it actually fit, is one of the most exciting results of all this weight loss.  A friend of mine introduced me to Banana Republic a few weeks ago, and I fell in love!  I have never set foot in that store before because I knew that I would never fit into anything in there.  I was amazed at all the lovely things they had, and that I was able to try on!  I even tried on a skirt and it was surprisingly too big!  I think that was a first for me in about 15 years!  Not only that, but i ended up buying a top and the size is a Medium!!  Again, the last time i fit into anything medium i was in my late teens!  All that was a total confidence booster for me and just fueled me to not give up and keep going and pushing myself to reach my goal.

So for all you people out there looking for motivation or inspiration to lose weight, look around, it’s everywhere.  Even if it’s just to be able to go shopping and buy cute clothes or just to have more variety in your choices of clothes, that alone is a big help…Happy Shopping!