Wow am I ever poor at counting

I don't know what my brain is on, but every time I count the days and weeks that have passed since the beginning of this journey, I seem to come up with a new total.

If my current calculations are correct, I was wrong last week and, in fact, today would officially mark week 16. At 18 lbs lost as of today, that would mean I have been losing just over one pound a week and should actually be able to get to 158 lbs by June 15 if I continue to lose at this rate. So instead of losing 16 pounds as planned, or the 20-22lbs I predicted last week, I should have lost 24 lbs by my birthday!

I don't want to get too excited, like I did this morning when I danced around so much I nearly revisited my cereal, but I am pretty FRICKING (that one's for you N) excited!!!!!! The lowest I ever reached when I lost weight in university (26 lbs in 8 months) was 162 lbs. I so want to pass that threshold and then some. I want to be 150, then I want to see if I need to keep going or I can stop there. I think I might want to push past 150 to give myself a little breathing room in preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas ha! By this time next year, I should be strutting my stuff on some beach in a bikini!

Alright, enough getting ahead of myself. I need to stay focused on the near future, one day at a time, not one year from now, or Thanksgiving, or even June 15. Today is all that matters.

Mission accomplished.

I finally found our first aid kit and I would like to show off my very first splint ever :) Yay me!

Not a total bust

Hey all!

So I've got great news and not-so-great news. Not-so-great news first.

I sprained my pinky playing volleyball yesterday. It sounds like nothing, except when you injure your pinky, you suddenly realize how much you actually use it. About two months ago I was thrown forward on a bus and sprained my other pinky. Not realizing it was a sprain (it wasn't as bad as this one), I kept poking at it, as we are wont to do with bruises...or at least I sure am. Of course it worsened, and only this week was feeling almost healed. Now that this one's healed, PAF! The other one is out and then some. So I've made a makeshift splint and am doing all the things the Internet told me to: putting it on ice a few times a day, keeping it elevated when I sleep and keeping in a splint. I will be okay hahaha!

Now for the great news: I weighed in at 164.0!! Today is my day off from the gym, so I can't even blame it secretly on water loss from sweating :) I do have to say that I didn't eat enough yesterday considering the amount of physical activity I did, but I'll explain. I ate my smoothie-cereal breakfast, leftovers for lunch, my sizeable nachos pre-volleyball (see picture, and note I tried my hands at hot peppers again, this time only jalapenos though and I did NOT burn my hands off!). After volleyball, after putting my hand in a splint and gettin gready to go out with my friend, it was 8 pm by the time we got to the cafe, and since you can't eat their meals in the shisha section, I just took a piece of marble cake and a mochaccino since that's all they have in the way of portable food. I felt satisfied, however, given the amount of activity I did yesterday, I should have had another meal with veggies and some fat and protein, but heck, that cake was yumsies!

I had crazy dreams that had me waking up at all hours of the night (thanks a lot caffeine!) I am feeling very happy and mellow though and am ecstatic about it being Friday! I am going to eat some cereal then head out to the pharmacy to get some medical tape and gauze for my splint - I am using half stir sticks from the coffee shop as the support for my finger and Band-Aids to hold it all together - that's right, call me McGiver.

Halas! I need to eat and dance around to Pitbull in my apartment before work. Bye guys!

Volleyball Thursdays

What up homies?

Are you excited for volleyball Thursdays? I know I am! I haven't played in two weeks so I am very much looking forward to it. I'm also so excited to start playing on a team, since that will change things up a bit. I like competition.

I have been missing zumba classes, so I think I'll go next week. I sometimes worry about my spending, but I don't feel an ounce of worry about paying for physical activities I like because this is what's contributing to my happiness and wellbeing. Plus, I get an hour of walking in when I go to zumba, so that's an added bonus.

I weighed in at 165.2 today :) I wasn't expecting to see 164 today because all I did was 30 minutes of biking (albeit intense), and some pathetic arm curls and a few other things I did about 5 times each and then couldn't be bothered to do any reps. I figured I will get a good workout at volleyball tonight so I don't need to push too hard. Instead I spent my time straightening my hair and doing other things I don't usually have time to do before I go to work. Another such thing was taking my measurements. I won't report them since it's not officially May, but I have lost 0.5 - 1 inch on every measure except my neck and another spot I can't recall.

I'm scarfing down a delicious breakfast. I made a smoothie (kiwi, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, plain and strawberry yogurt) and threw in some chunky granola cereal mmmmm.

Dinner, as you can see, was chicken, asparagus and quinoa. The quinoa was accented with ginger, butter and salt, the asparagus with garlic, and the chicken with maple syrup, lemon juice, ginger, salt and pepper. The chicken was surprisingly good. I think I am starting to get the knack of marinating and cooking chicken. I am better with fish and red meats, but I'm coming along. Since the chicken breast was too big for one person, I kept half for lunch and made extra quinoa and asparagus. I am actually looking forward to these leftovers :)

Last night my friend came over to finish off our Nurse Jackie marathon. This is a show that's on HBO that she had told me about. I highly recommend watching it. There is a character named Zoe who is fantastic, and Edie Falco is amazing! It's largely about a nurse who is unconventional is a bit like a modern-day, emotionally stunted Robin Hood, with more psychological problems.

On that note, I'm out.

...and going, and going...

Good morning, despite the cold, grey, nasty, disgusting weather.


Didn't get much sleep last night since all the power went out. Initially, the fire alarm beeped, but only briefly, so I didn't get out of bed. I was thinking "there is no way I am leaving my bed unless there's ACTUALLY fire in this horrendous weather." Eventually, curiosity got the better of me so I got up and went downstairs, but all I saw was my neighbourhood totally blacked out. By the time I hauled my breathless behind back up 4 flights of stairs, the power was back on.


So my weigh-in was great this morning: 165.0! I weighed in at 165.6 before working out, so I was sure I would get to get a glimpse of 164, but I only made it to 165 even. I am still pretty happy since it seems like I just skipped right over 166.

Last night's dinner was a very thin whole wheat crust pizza with pine nuts, red pepper, tomato, basil (from the tube, not fresh), chili peppers, chopped garlic, tomato sauce, Parmesan, salt/pepper and balsamic glaze. The salad was mixed greens, cucumber, bigger tomatoes, walnuts and a dressing I made (olive oil, balsamic, honey mustard, Dijon, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, basil). It was all delicious. I must also mention that a friend gave me some leftover sushi before leaving work, which I scarfed down in seconds. For some reason I was so hungry yesterday.

Just finished off a bowl of plain yogurt, kiwi and Jordan's cereal (chunky clusters with nuts, mmmmm). I have an apple but will be buying lunch. I am marinating chicken with lemon, ginger, salt and pepper now, so we'll see how that turns out tonight.

My workout was great since I was pushing for 164 :) I worked extra hard on the bike and did a variety of exercises to work different muscle groups. My new thing is that I don't work the same muscles two days in a row. I try to alternate so I don't injure myself or get too used to the same exact moves all the time.

Alright, I am off to reset all my clocks, quel bonheur! Have a fantastic day everyone. Let's think happy sunny thoughts to bring the Big Star back!

Still going strong

WTF everyone? It's snowing, ugh! Ah well, like all things, it will pass I suppose. For now it's supposed to be 22 next Monday, so hopefully everything will go back to the way it has been...

I am feeling a little better today. I am almost positive I had mild food poisoning and was probably dehydrated, because I was feeling so exhausted on Saturday and Sunday. In any case, I rested up yesterday and will be back to work today, still trying to eat mild enough foods to keep my stomach calm.

I still got up to go to the gym, and did a laborious 30 minutes of walking/running, push ups, dips, arm curls, side squats and lunges. I weighed in at 165.8 today. Even though it's a 0.8 move upward, I am still very pleased because this is the week I was supposed to hit 166 anyway, so 165 was merely a welcome side effect of food poisoning ha! I lacked the motivation I had Sunday and yesterday. It's funny, I am always way more pumped when I am suffering from something.

I just finished up a bowl of Raisin Bran, a spoonful of strawberry yogurt and a swig of pomegranate juice (I'll spare you the photos this time), and made a kid's lunch: peanut butter and banana sandwich with an apple. I think I will be making spaghetti squash for dinner, but I am not 100% decided.

So I want to keep working hard to get past 162 lbs because that's probably the lowest I'll have been since high school. If I make it to 150, that's about how much I weighed at 17 years old. These milestones are important to me, and keep me competitive (with myself :) Thank god for the blog to remind me every single day to be careful about what I eat and workout. I hope after June 15th I'll be able to maintain the same energy level without you guys watching over me...

Have a great day!

More pics, since some of you think my blog is painfully boring.

Hey again, here are some photos of my meals today since one of my loyal readers complained that my blog is so boring.



The first is lunch. The aim was to have something light and healthy that wouldn't irritate my stomach too much and would be easily digested. On one side are organic nacho chips with mild salsa. On the other side is a salad made with fresh basil, cucumber, orange pepper, grape tomatoes, goat cheese, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic glaze. It was fresh, filling and delicious.



The next is my dinner. I must add that I had a ginger cookie earlier as a snack, and a part of a slice of pizza, though I took off all the cheese and toppings and pretty much just ate the bread :) Dinner was a trout filet with a homemade glaze made with maple syrup, chopped ginger (the kind sold in tubes), Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and yeah, I think that's all. That was accompanied with yellow, red and orange peppers, and baked mixed potatoes with chopped fresh garlic, salt, pepper and canola oil. This was really yummy! And it's the first time I have made potatoes at home since starting this challenge, so it was very satisfying.

Enjoy!

Before and at the halfway mark

Hey all!

I don't have any recent body shots, so I will wait til I achieve my final goal to do a "body before and after"; however, I do have a face shot taken in January 2009 and one taken a few weeks back when I returned from Toronto. Check it out. It's not too drastic, but my face was a little bigger than that when I started working out this year, with more of a double chin. My face was the first big change I could notice.

Comme ci comme ca

Howdy!

So I am very excited to tell you that this morning I weighed in at 166.0 PRE-GYM, and a whopping 165.0 POST-GYM!!!!

This is great news, however, I have been feeling nauseous since last night and I think it's something I ate yesterday or the day before. So obviously part of my extra pound of weight loss is probably due to digestive issues. My stomach is burning this morning, so I am taking a sick day for fear of either infecting other people if it is a "gastro", or for other, more obvious reasons.

Since I'm trying to minimize any symptoms, I am having a smoothie this morning (kiwi, banana, raspberry, pomegranate juice and plain yogurt) and I had a spoonful of peanut butter. I will try to stick to mild, stomach pleasing foods today.

But yeah, I am extremely excited to see 165.0... And I totally forgot to mention yesterday that I did my calculations, and being 166 on the weekend, I have been losing 1 pound per week for 16 weeks now, which is better than I thought I was doing (I thought I was just under that). At this rate, I should be able to lose 20-22 pounds in total by my goal date assuming all goes well.

So it just goes to show that weight loss can be fun, easy enough and still be highly effective!

Revelations, hallelujah!

So just a quick one to share some great but minor news.

First, I just did probably my most intense workout since starting on this journey. I ran on the treadmill not much longer than in the past, but faster and more intensely.

Secondly, I was able to do 20 men's push-ups in one go.

Third: I can now touch my head to my knees when grabbing my toes (stretching)

And last but certainly not least, I weighed in at 165.6 just now. That is not to say I am officially at 165. I knew I was eating my friend's leftover pizza for dinner, not healthy pizza, so I worked extra hard to be able to absorb those calories. But this is the lowest I have been yet and it's the afternoon, so tomorrow I will probably be 166 (pray for me!)

I am thrilled to say the least for these little things. Oh also, I almost forgot, I've lost 0.5 inches off my ribcage and waist, though I have to do complete measurements in the morning...

Weekend wrap-up

YO!

The weekend has been great! How about yourself?

Here's the run-down:

Friday: A friend came back from vacation, so a bunch of girls went for dinner to catch up. I had an amazing meal: crispy grilled tilapia with rice and green vegetables. I can't explain it, but it was one of the best restaurant meals I have had in a long time. I even had a piece of cheesecake, some coffee and a few glasses of white wine.

Saturday: In the a.m., all the same girls met up pretty early for croissants and coffee on one of their balconys. I walked from my place to Premiere Moisson on Sherbrooke, and there began my day of walking. After relaxing over breakfast (to which I added a bowl of fruit: kiwi, banana and mango - and I ended up eating it all since no one else felt like fruit...), I walked to eat lunch (a low-fat sandwich from Quizno's, no combo) then to Santropol. (Total so far: 45 minutes of walking)

Once we loaded up our meals, we headed back to downtown west side around the AMC. With our deliveries done, and our asses and thighs throbbing, we headed back to Santropol (total walking time = approx. 2.5 hours I think). After that, we had planned to play soccer. We kicked the ball around for less than 10 minutes probably before deciding we were too tired for that, so we walked back downtown (25-20 mins) to meet another friend for shisha.

Total walking: 3.75 hours of walking. Needless to say, by the time we sat down on the couch, I could no longer stand up... With another friend meeting us, we went to eat sushi very late, and oh how we indulged. I think I ate less than I normally do, but I still came out extremely full.

This morning I weighed in at 166.2 :) I ate a plate with some grilled tomatoes with salt and pepper, two eggs, a small bowl of granola and plain yogurt and a kiwi. On the side, a glass of pomegranate juice. It was a big breakfast, but diverse and meant to keep me full til an early dinner, so I can spend my afternoon cleaning and running errands that desperately need to be done.

I started hanging up clothes and found a lot of stuff I am never going to wear, or shouldn't out of sheer respect for aesthetics, so I have made a bag that I will bring to the Salvation Army shortly. It's not too far so it's a quick walk for some fresh air. Later I might go to the gym, but I am undecided (it would be three days off, so I think I should at least do a bit of weight training to keep my muscles taight laike a tigah!

Alright, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

A demain!

My poll

Five votes people...seriously?! Come on, you can do better than that :)

Anyway, this post is mainly about how I am noticing how hard we are on ourselves and how this may be the source of people's health/weight problems.

While it's not good to be on either end of the spectrum (too lax or too stringent), people need to lay off the guilt about not being their ideal weight. I am speaking from my own experience only obviously, but only this time around did I leave all that negativity behind (as much as possible, as I have Catholic guilt in my whether I am Catholic or not).

It is working. I stopped punishing myself for eating bad foods and instead read all the ingredients so I know exactly what I am putting in me. This way, I look at food as a fine balance of things that keep me energized and functioning. The aim, for me, is to make sure at every meal or snack I think "have I had any protein today? (for example) and then eat something that contains protein. Or I think to myself "I've only eaten one vegetable today, how can I put more veggies into my meal today?". By focusing mostly on very basic concepts like this, I end up eating more often than usual, and therefore avoid most cravings for junk.

The other key for me was to not focus on long term. Focus exclusively on short term objectives like "I just finished dinner, maybe I'll go for a super quick walk." I prepare food right when I get home because once I am on my couch, it's a magnet. I congratulate myself when I see even 0.2 lbs less on the scale because it's better than nothing. It's hard to stay motivated for every pound, but it takes time to build motivation. You have to set the bar really low at first (like week 1: 10 minutes of walking every day, week 2: 20 minutes of walking every day, etc.)

Anything healthy is better than nothing. Keep telling yourself that until you get the motivation to treat your body and mind as well as it deserves to be treated. By focusing on healthy objectives (losing 1 pound instead of 20, eating 1 more fruit and one less piece of junk today, etc.), those small changes will really add up.

I hope this helps at least one of my friends feel better about themselves and stop feeling so guilty and instead just get up now and do something about it today. Then start over tomorrow, then the next day, and so on...

oh and ask for support from friends and people around you, and do NOT let anyone sabotage your objectives. Having supportive people around me has made a world of difference...

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank effin' god!

Well this one will be quick today because I am running late. I am eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich right now on whole wheat bread, and had a swig of pomegranate juice. Lunch is leftover soup, and I just made a tuna salad with tomatoes, fresh basil and pine nuts. I also made a mini fruit salad with strawberries, banana and kiwi. NO time to cut a mango...

As I said yesterday, I took this morning off. And though this may not sound like good news, I woke up at 167.0 pounds on the scale. I will tell you why that's good: because every day I weigh myself before and after the gym, and for the pas couple days I have been in the high 167s. Since I was at 167 even, that means if I had gone to the gym I'd likely be at 166 even. This also means that barring exceptional circumstances, I am still moving in the right direction to being for sure for sure permanently at 166. Anything but up...

Real quick, if you have a chance to pick up a bag of PatsyPie ginger cookies (gluten free and sold at Metro, IGA, PA, and organic food stores, etc.), they are really scrumptious! Especially with a hot cup of chai. I highly recommend them.

Have a great day everyone!

Energizer bunny

I'm still going! The scale was at 166.2 today, so I am getting closer and closer to being officially at 166 :)

I went to the gym this morning, half asleep. I even woke up practically sans alarm, and I had gone to bed early, but for some reason my heart felt very slow. So, even though I didn't bike as intensely as yesterday, I certainly broke a sweat... I was drenched!

I didn't do much in the way of weight training since yesterday I went all out on all my muscle groups. Today I just did some ab work that you'd all laugh at probably :) It was pretty weak, but I figure some is better than none, even if I don't get to "the burn" ha!

I think tomorrow will be my day off, a Friday treat. Then Saturday I'll be doing tons of walking and potentially playing soccer if I can find a pump for my ball and it doesn't rain.

Last night's dinner was a pizza on one of these thin whole wheat crusts that come in squares, in packs of 4. I had tomato sauce, garlic, fresh basil, grape tomatoes, turkey, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and then topped with balsamic glaze. Dessert was a ginger cookie mmmm. Today's breakfast was a bowl of Jordan's nuts and oats cereal, and lunch (for laziness' sake) is vegetable soup with an apple and a kiwi for a snack. I have rice crackers at work to eat with my soup.

Alright, have a great day everyone and I hope you are all taking good care of yourselves :)

FYI

I am loving this site these days... I hate surfing the Internet out of boredom, but this has become a favourite since there is so much information on the site:

http://www.realage.com

Also, if you look in the section about staying smart, you can sign up to the site Luminosity.com and play free brain games for a week... I like this kind of stuff.

Enjoy!

All smiles

Morning!

I wrote so much yesterday that I feel bad writing too much today, but I have great news. After much huffing and puffing at the scale all week, I hit 166.6 today! This means that by next week I should be stuck at 166 (if all goes well)... and Goal 1 accomplished!!

To celebrate, this morning I am treating myself to a delicious fruit salad made of kiwi, banana, mango and strawberries, all fresh. It is so good! I am also having a piece of toast with peanut butter for consistency's sake.

Lunch will be leftover veal and I even made some asparagus this morning to accompany it. Clearly this breakthrough has given me a boost. Even my workout was better. I rode the bike for an intense 30 minutes, getting my heart rate higher than usual.

Not sure what I'll have for dinner, but likely a small flatbread pizza since I have to use up that stuff sooner rather than later.

Alright, on that note, I will let you go. Please, for my sake, participate in my polls hahah! At least to congratulate me for reaching 166 for the first time :)

Have a great day!

oh and...

Though no one answered my question about weighing MORE after doing volleyball and then yoga, Dr. Oz just answered me!

Interestingly, an audience member had the exact same question. So here's what's what:

When you workout intensely, your muscles may swell and retain fluid. It goes away naturally, but is a sign that you've aggravated your muscles... Now I know why it helps sometimes to take a couple days off.

I have, by the way, begun to take 2 days off in the week since I feel like I may be doing too much. With all the workouts, volleyball, walking and occasional classes, I felt like I might be pushing myself too much. I would like to increase the amount of walking I do, and cut back on gym workouts, at least during the warm weather.

I signed up to be on a beach volleyball team for the summer, and am considering a kickboxing class, so I will definitely need to scale back on something :)

The joy of eating

In the midst of all my discouragement, I had a glimmer of light just now. Surprisingly, it came as I sit here watching Dr. Oz, just having finished dinner.

On today's show, three women want to get in shape for their high school reunion. Twenty years after graduating, they've all gained about 50-70 lbs. They showed clips of what they eat in a day and their lifestyles and I found myself feeling better... no, not necessarily that I am better than them (I have been in their position, as recently as three months ago), but because I realized what a joy it is to eat well.

Do not get me wrong, I still love all the processed crap I grew up on, I just avoid it as much as possible, in favour of fresh foods, even if they are fatty. For example, thanks to a recipe my friend gave me today, my veal was delicious and simple. I didn't make it exactly as described, but check out this site if you want some good recipes: http://www.750g.com/fiche_de_cuisine.2.123.3431.htm

I made my veal with a sauce made of plain yogurt, Dijon, yellow curry, salt, pepper and lemon juice. It took all of 5 minutes to make and was fantastic. I now have another piece for tomorrow's lunch. As my side, I made a mixed greens salad with roughly my regular dressing (balsamic, olive oil, pepper, chopped garlic, lemon juice and Dijon) and avocado, pine nuts and small tomatoes. This meal was amazing, and yet it was so basic. It's all about the freshness.

It took me years to acquire a taste for non-processed foods, and now I find eating such a pleasure. It's so easy to overeat on unhealthy food, yet so easy to be satisfied with healthy food. I still struggle with some foods in particular, like the quantity of baguette I am capable of eating in one sitting - which is why I never buy it haha - but overall I don't have to feel guilty about eating because when I indulge in something, I know that overall I am doing well and I am getting all the things I need to stay in good health.

So for all those people who have, like me, gained lots of weight over the years and now need to struggle to get rid of it, you should be warned that you may once again fall in love with eating as opposed to punishing yourself for indulging in processed foods...

Progress Report

Mornin'!

Well, since the scale is stuck again at 168.5, I thought I'd report some more positive numbers. I have been taking my measurements every couple of weeks and here I will present my starting measurements (though they were taken after about a month of working out) since there I have made much progress. The only problem (but not really), is that in some places, the fat and muscle has merely shifted into a better place, but the measure hasn't necessarily changed much (in my butt for example). I am nonetheless happy to see these figures:

FEBRUARY / APRIL
WAIST: 36* / 31 (-5 inches)
HIPS: 39 / 37 (-2 inches)
CHEST: 39.5 / 36 (-3.5 inches)
NECK: 13 / 12.5 (hasn't changed since initial loss)
RIBCAGE: 33 / 31.5 (-1.5 inches)
BUM: 43 / 40 (-3 inches)
THIGHS: 26.5 / 24.5 (2 inches)
*The Feb. measures for waist may be off by an inch or so because I am not 100% sure I was measuring the same spot as I am now. But I have been measuring the same spots for the past two and a half months and I have lost at least approximately what is stated here.

So, even though losing pounds has been more of a challenge, the shape of my body keeps getting healthier :)

This morning I reluctantly got up and went to the gym. I was uber groggy, but managed to get on the treadmill and walk. I did run about 5 times for about 20 seconds each time, just to get my heart pumping, but didn't have it in me to run run. I didn't do much else, throwing in some stretching and the plank.

I find it much easier to get up when the sun is out like this morning, but I am wayyyyy more pumped when I see weekly progress. I am going to stick with it though, even though my tendency is always to give up when it's not going well (which is why I never managed to keep weight off before). I just drank a smoothie with fresh banana and strawberries, frozen raspberries, pomegranate juice and plain yogurt. I had a spoonful of peanut butter as well.

Lunch will be vegetable soup and crackers, and I have an apple and a kiwi as a snack. Dinner will be veal with veggies, and the veal with probably just be lemon and pepper.

Alright, have a great day everyone and it's never too late to start doing something healthy today like taking a quick walk when you have 10 minutes to kill...

Latah!

Starting over

Hi everyone,

So I'm sorry I didn't write anything this weekend, but I definitely needed to unplug. Last week I was high strung, to say the least, and was feeling a little down and out. To top it off, I moved up from 167 to 168-169 on Friday, and it stuck all weekend. I think it had to do with eating a little too much cheese all week :)

In any case, this morning I pushed myself into a great sweat on the bike, and did some arm, leg and ab work to get myself back on track. Last week I had lost interest in the gym workouts, but this week I am back at it. Every pound is a hurdle that takes about a week or two of hard work and somewhat careful eating to overcome, so I need to stay very focused to keep the numbers going downward. Otherwise I will have to take more drastic measures in terms of food, and I just don't want to!

So Saturday I walked to meet a friend downtown, then walked with him to Santropol and did our walking route (this time it was downtown east so it was shorter and less hilly than westmount, which was okay because I was in a hurry to leave to my friend's cottage). My other friend picked me up and we went to her cottage where we spent a lot of time outdoors playing with her dogs in the forest and around the house. For dinner, we made a plate of shrimp and pasta with basic tomato and garlic sauce that was fresh and delish! As a side, we made an endive salad with grapefruit, orange, walnuts, avocado and a citrus dressing we concocted.

Sunday we started the day with some scrambled eggs and toast, and lunch was penne arrabiata with almost the same salad (sans orange, with lime instead). We headed back into town and went to play tennis on Nun's Island. I'm not great by any means, but I really love playing tennis, so I was a happy camper.

Today I just finished a bowl of Raisin Bran and a few strawberries. I need to buy lunch, so it may be a salad or a smoothie and wrap...not decided yet. In any case, which me less chunk this week, and more muscle :) Have a great week everyone!

:)

Morning everyone!

Well I was a little sad to see the sunny weather going away, especially since it was supposed to rain all week from this weekend on. However, I looked at the weather forecast and now it is supposed to be somewhat sunny tomorrow and that is great news. Since the forecast changes every 10 minutes though, I won't get my hopes up.

Last night's 5@7 was pretty calm, so we headed to Holder for dinner. I shared a side of fries with a friend (wo always encourages me to do the 'right' thing and eat well), as opposed to getting the fish and chips I really wanted. Instead I had an endive salad with grapes, blue cheese and I can't recall what else, but it was yummy.

Yesterday's lunch was the piece de resistance though. Whenever I have no food or don't know what to make at home, I make a childhood favourite: grilled cheese sandwich with ketchup. This time, I made my grilled cheese with grouda, 4-year aged white cheddar, walnuts, and instead of ketchup, mango chutney. It was delicious! Oh and a half-smoothie on the side.

I took a walk afterward through Old Montreal to relieve some work-related stress. My neck and head have been hurting and I need fresh air.

Today's lunch is a slice of bread with a slice of gouda and tuna. I also threw in a tomato to slice up and eat, as well as my last wedge of Vache Qui Rit. For dinner I will likely have smokey trout. I didn't workout this morning because I need a break and since the weather was bad I knew it would be harder to get up...oh and also because I felt I needed the extra hour of sleep before dealing with this work dy, which is bound to be a challenge today...

Alright, wish me patience and I will be counting down the hours until I can come home and relaxxxxx...

Confusion

I have a conundrum, maybe someone will be able to give me an answer:

In the morning, if I weigh myself before and after a workout, I am typically a pound or so lighter post-exercise. I attribute this to water loss from sweating, but who knows really, maybe you actually do lose weight that quickly. Yesterday though, after volleyball I weighed in at 167.0, so I was very excited that after yoga I might actually be like 166.5 or something. In fact, I weighed 168.2, and I didn't drink water during yoga, nor did I sweat. Can anyone explain why this might happen?

In any case, it's not like that bothers me because I know I am making progress and one or two pounds' difference is really not difficult to handle, I am just curious really.

Anyway, last night I ate very late because of my many physical activities, so naturally I didn't sleep well at all. I woke up about every hour or two thinking it was time to get up (at 11:15, 2:30, 5 am for example). Finalement, I got up at 6:10 for a light workout. I did 30 minutes of mostly walking, with a few jogs here and there. I did one set of push ups, the plank, one set of crunches and then decided to throw in the towel. I don't want to push too hard after yesterday's workouts.

Now I am eating a bowl of cereal, getting ready to work from home and cleaning my apartment a bit since building inspectors are coming in and out of people's apartments today. I will probably take a walk at lunch to get some sunshine and fresh air since the forecast for this week is depressing. Then tonight it's 5@7 time!!!

Alright, I am off to get set up to work, have a great day everyone!

Killing time

Hey, since I now have fans in Italy (a friend is reading my blog to her two friends over there) I feel so bad my blog isn't more interesting...scuse Valentina and Marco!

I any case, I thought I would kill time by writing a post rather than turning on the TV. I just got back from volleyball and am about to head down to the gym in the basement for a free yoga lesson offered by another Lowney loft owner. If I turn on the TV, there's no way I'll make it down there. So here I am, bugging you.

Volleyball was fun, though we weren't very good today, the music was bad (R.E.M.'s super upbeat song 'Everybody Hurts' kept playing, which makes you want to dive off a bridge rather than into the sand), and the courts were empty. We still broke a sweat and had some good laughs at ourselves.

I am going to make salmon with an avocado, tomato and mixed greens salad with pine nuts and goat cheese after yoga, and watch American Idol. I must admit, this year's lineup is pretty awful, but I am compelled to keep watching since there's nothing I love more than to watch people sing. I also bought myself a reasonable treat: a can of Diet Coke and sesame snaps mmmm...

Today I ate all my designated snacks, plus I still ended up eating two pieces of chocolate, and at breakfast I bought an espresso, but it was just one of those days. I left work tense and angry, and the thought of volleyball and being out of the office kept me going, along with excessive caffeine. I need this yoga class now to stretch out all my muscles, which are stiff from containing my angry grumbling at my people in my office. Anyone seen the movie "The Office"? yeah...

Anyway, I am off to get yogafied and then relax in front of el Tuber. A bientot!

Hump day!

I don't know about you, but having had two shorter work weeks in a row is making this week painfully long. I am very happy it is Wednesday though because volleyball is tonight instead of our usual Thursday. I have been dying to play all week. I think I am developing an addiction. Which is why I'll be signing up for 4x4 Co-ed recreational volleyball, which will start in late May...I can't get enough.

Last night I didn't go to Zumba. I tried to get a few people to come with me, and it was one of those days where not one person is available. So after returning home and eating my leftover pizza from the day prior, I had to decide whether I would walk to Zumba and do it alone...that is, until the warm sunshine beating down on my face as I lay on the couch had me falling asleep. I instead took a long nap then watched American Idol and eventually headed to bed.

I didn't work out this morning since I'm playing volleyball tonight and since my butt still aches from either biking or squatting/lunging, or both. I just finished up a bowl of Raisin Bran cereal and a banana, and lunch will be leftover quinoa and leftover vegetable soup from yesterday. I also brought an apple and another slice of Vache Qui Rit. Oh and I had a couple walnuts with my breakfast today too.

Yesterday I could not stop snacking. I think it's because most of what I ate was light. Smoothie, soup, apple, red pepper slices, a piece of Vache Qui Rit, smoked salmon and capers... So I ended up eating two pieces of Lindt Hot Chili dark chocolate, which is very yummy. Today my lunch will also be light, but I have brought a couple snacks and hope that will tide me over until dinner (honey mustard salmon and a side of I don't know yet).

Still feeling good, still at 167, and more and more motivated the more sunny days we have. Today I will possibly go for a walk at lunch as well. Yesterday I tried, but ran into a friend mid-walk and didn't get very far. Anyway, try to get outside at some point today to get some fresh air...later gators.

Phew!

Well I am still 168 before working out, but I am definitely 167 after working out. I am glad I haven't bounced back up to 169-170 because I am so excited about being one pound away from my goal. This is keeping me in a very happy mood.

So yesterday I had forgotten I was going out for lunch with my team at work to welcome the new guy. We went to a big-box American-sized plate restaurant: Guido & Angelina. The food is alright but it's hard to find anything low fat on the menu. I had a pizza with chicken, spinach, zucchini, pine nuts and sun dried tomato pesto. It was good but had far too much cheese (that's not a diet thing, more of a personal preference). I ate half and kept the other half for tonight's dinner.

For dinner last night I had a small steak with asparagus, red peppers and quinoa. he lunch I brought yesterday (having forgotten about our team lunch), will be my lunch today: vegetable potage, a tiny bit of smoked salmon with capers and lemon, and slices of red pepper and one piece of Vache Qui Rit.

I just got back from a decent workout. I hadn't been to the gym in a while before yesterday, so today my butt is aching from the lunges I did yesterday and the more intense biking I've been doing. I still managed to put in a lot of effort and do a lot of arm work, some squats with toes pointed out, obliques and some dips. I am thinking of maybe going to Zumba tonight, but my usual partners can't make it, so I may have to go it alone...we'll see. Tomorrow I have volleyball then there's a person in my building offering a free yoga class in our gym.

Overall, I have been feeling amazing. Especially since hitting 167, but also for other reasons. As insignificant as this may sound, plenty of small things have changed, like my hair is thicker and my wonky "dead" (aka half brown) nail -- which has been that way for about 6 years -- is now pink and normal. My pores are smaller and my clothes are loose. These are the things making me super happy these days :) Visible, tangible changes...

Okay, my smoothie is done (plain/coconut yogurt, apple juice, banana, raspberry and blueberry), so I am heading off to work. Hopefully it will be nice enough to take a walk at lunch.

One happy camper!

Hi and happy Monday!

I am sitting here, eating my toasted PB and banana sandwich and smiling from ear to ear. Not only did I get to bed early and wake up to actual almost sunlight, but I weighed in at a whopping 167 this morning!!! Of course, it could go back up but for now I am just enjoying this. I am 1-2 pounds from my initial goal! Though I may have set the bar low in terms of my timeline for losing 16 pounds, it makes it feel much more exciting and rewarding to accomplish it early (it is actually very healthy to lose 1 pound per week, but I didn't want to let myself down). I will basically continue with Goal 2 and keep blogging until June 15th, when I will celebrate turning 28 and feeling great about myself!

Other than the weight factor, my measurements have shrunk a little. My waist and chest have shrunk the most, which is just wonderful. And I think everything else has just shifted a little since all my pants are now very loose, but my measurements haven't changed much in my butt and thighs (the change is very slight). It is now time to buy some 'in between' clothes to tide me over until I lose more weight and can't wear any of my clothes anymore.

In terms of my mental and emotional wellness, I am feeling almost perfect. Of course I still have some issues to deal with in my life, but those cannot be resolved right now. Otherwise, I am full of energy, feeling healthy and spending lots of time with people I love and taking care of myself.

Again, I can't stress it enough how you guys reading this blog and making comments has kept me 'in the game' so to speak. I could have easily given up so many times, and almost did, and you guys would say one little thing that would remind me that this is a long-term process and to focus on the little steps. I still need your encouragement, as long as I have this blog, but I hope it also encourages you in some way. I want you guys to stay focused on whatever you decided to do for yourself in 2010 and really try to make this your best year ever.

Okay enough blabbering from me, have a great day and I send you sunshine :)

New lows

Great news everyone, I am down to 168.4!! I am so very happy about this surprising news I can't contain it hahaha!

Yesterday, I had my smoothie with a side of eggs and toast. Around lunchtime, just before going to volunteer, I ate a bit of smoked salmon with capers and lemon juice and a piece of Vache Qui Rit. Being as organized as we are, Hanafi and I BOTH got the time wrong for our delivery shift, showing up an hour early. But it worked out because they were short staffed in the kitchen and had too many delivery people. So, after walking there and only having had a small lunch (I thought my big breakfast would have tided me over until after my shift), I ate a sizeable bowl of apple crumble (they always save extra dessert for the volunteers).

I walked back downtown to hang out at a cafe with my volunteering buddy (no, we didn't play soccer, no ball that wasn't deflated), then headed home to get ready for a birthday dinner he's invited me to. At home, I weighed myself and I was already at 168, which took me by surprise. But as usual, I try not to get too excited because it takes a while for the pounds to stay off normally. So I went to a Mexican restaurant called Casa de Mateo in Old Montreal, with about 20 very nice people, and a few friends of friends. We ended up eating at 11 pm. Here's why: A 9 o'clock reservation + Mexicans/Arabs/Turks as guests = 1 hour delay hahaha!

I ordered a spicy shrimp dish with salad and rice and a halved avocado. It was very delicious and not too heavy. I also had a Diet Coke, but I have temporarily given up on my Diet Coke ban.

So this morning I was about to get ready to go to the gym, and weighed in at 168.4 again. So I decided instead to walk to my friend's house in the Plateau instead of pumping iron this morning. We are going to an event called Troc tes Trucs where you swap your stuff for other people's stuff, if you find anything you like. After that, possibly dinner with another friend in the Plateau, and then possibly a walk home.

Alright, just found out I need to get moving soon, to be on time forthat thing, so I'm gonna go scarf down a banana and cereal and talk to you guys later :)

Self-image is a funny thing (or, it must be something in the food)

Happy Saturday morning!

I just woke up to good news, I am back down to 169 this morning. Fantastic. However, I must say that one's perception of one's body is so subjective. The moment I got to Oakville/Toronto, every mirror I looked at had me thinking I was super fat and gross. Now, not ALL those mirrors can be unflattering ones, and there was no way I just got fat overnight on my flight out of Montreal... so what was it? I only gained back about 1.5 pounds over the whole weekend, and I ate well almost the entire time, with the exception of the excessive snacking on Mini Eggs.

Now, back in Montreal, where only today is my weight back to normal, I felt very thin all week. My clothes feel like they are falling off, too loose and needing replacement. I even felt physically light, extremely light.

What could it possibly be that makes my perception of my body change so drastically overnight, without reason? It's so odd.

Moving right along, yesterday, as you know, I didn't go to the gym in the morning. I had my chicken dinner (bland) with asparagus (yum) and a bit of leftover ciabatta with oil and vinegar (the highlight). I decided to go to the gym for a 30-minute light walk. I walked on a level 4 incline not too fast, not too slow. Then, being a little pumped, I threw in a few sets of pushups, oblique exercises and squats.

After my workout, I headed out to a friend's poetry reading. Bad poetry aside, the night was great. My friend is one of the very few talented presenters, and was very happy to see me (I didn't tell him I was coming), and I ended up running into a bunch of people I haven't seen in anywhere from two to six years. So I am glad I decided to go, albeit briefly.

I got to sleep in this morning (8:10 am :), and am going to veg out in front of the TV a bit then clean and make a smoothie and eggs for breakfast probably. This afternoon, the plan is: doing Santropol deliveries for a few hours, if it's nice out playing soccer with my delivery partner afterward, going to a local hangout downtown, then heading to Old Montreal for dinner. I will try to fit lunch in there somewhere... I am enthusiastic about today's plan :)

Alright, time to veg. I hope you all are still sleeping (aka actually sleeping in), and will get out and enjoy the sunshine when it gets a little warmer this afternoon.

TGIF

Coming back from vacation is always hard, the week always feels longer. I am very calmly happy it is Friday.

Unfortunately, I slept through my alarm this morning and didn't get to the gym, but I don't feel too bad because my volleyball last night was great. And also, I am volunteering tomorrow and will be walking for hours then possibly kicking a soccer ball around with my delivery partner :) I am so glad I found a friend to play soccer with, now all my wishes have come true.

At volleyball, we played 2 on 3, I was on the team of 2. Needless to say, we got a good workout, and I managed to get my serve back despite my arm and back problems. I was pretty happy about that.

For dinner last night I had half of a personal-size pizza with just cheese, and a salad. I will be having the other half for lunch, with some leftover avocado and tomatoes. Breakfast is a fruit smoothie and a handful of walnuts. Dinner will be chicken, which I am marinating in ginger, plain yogurt, salt and pepper, with a bit of lemon. I hope it turns out nicely... I will probably have that with asparagus on the side.

Alright, I am off to prepare my lunch and get to work, have a great day and pray that the sun smiles down on us today...I straightened my hair! hahaha

off track

Hello again!

Sorry, this is a little late. I stayed over at a friend's since we had a girls' dinner, which included wine and so I didn't feel like cabbing or walking home.

Our dinner was really yummy. We had surf'n'turf, but not the massive plates you normally see in restaurants, we were good. It was shrimp and beef marinated in a homemade sesame, honey, soy sauce, garlic, etc. marinade, accompanied with noodles that also came with a sesame mix.

Our entree was a plate of mixed small tomatoes, bocconcini, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic and red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, with bread. And to top it off, dessert was raspberries with cake (don't worry, it was one piece of chocolate mousse cake divided among four people, so we each had a tiny piece) with 'half-the-fat' dulce de lece ice cream. Aside from me eating too much bread, our meal was delicious, nutritious and we didn't overdo it on anything. Each of us had about 3-4 regular size shrimp with a very skinny piece of beef (mine was about the size of my palm and less than a centimetre thick), so it was just right to satisfy our palates.

That being said, I need to get back to minimizing the amount of bread I eat, particularly in the evening. I will never 'cut' anything, but lately I've been losing focus of my goal. I need to really focus on eating at home. I still think I am doing pretty well, but I am not satisfied staying at this weight, so I need to keep pushing myself just enough to see progress. I still don't feel the need to lose the weight super fast, which is why I don't diet, but I do want to keep to roughly 1 pound per week. Right now I am at just under that.

Okay, time to get back to work. Have a great day everyone!

Calling on Mother Nature for a little help

Could some of you do me a favour and ask Mother Nature for sunny mornings? Clearly, she's not taking me seriously!

I have been doing my part, hauling my chunky ass out of bed every morning for over three months now, trying to eat well and get to bed on time, and she can't even give me a decent morning to make it a little easier to get to the gym! The nerve!!

In any case, I did manage to wake up, which even shocked me. I had my eyes closed up until halfway through my bike ride. Needless to say it wasn't the most amazing workout, plus the machine itself is falling apart now. Someone must ride very vigourously because the seat is all ripped up, the bar that supports the seat is loose, and the hadlebars make the whole bike squeak when you hold them too tightly.

After 30 minutes of somewhat intense but mostly slow biking, I did some push ups, leg lifts, squats, obliques, dips and the plank. I also did lots of stretching for my whole body, especially my back. I am worried I might have to go see a sports therapist or physiotherapist if it doesn't start feeling better soon because it's an odd kind of pain. I don't feel it much anymore, except in very specific positions and when I breathe deeply.

Now I just polished off a bowl of Raisin Bran with skim milk and fresh raspberries. Lunch is a hearty vegetable soup and a small piece of ciabatta and an apple as a snack. I was back at 170 this morning, so I'm hoping after a few days of eating home food again I will drop back to 169, and get to 168 by next week.

Have a great day everyone and don't forget to speak to anyone you know who is "in" with Mother Nature...

Food, uncensored

Well, after a weekend of delicious food interspersed with mini eggs a profusion, I am back to preparing my own meals. I didn't eat particularly unhealthy food in Toronto, I just wasn't being balanced and obviously ate too much cheap chocolate.

I just went to do basic groceries and am eating a delicious salade repas. But first, I'll give you the lowdown on my other eats. This morning I went back to lat week's breakfast of a bowl of fruit, toast with butter and an espresso. For lunch, I took a walk to Anton & James to get some yummy roast chicken with herbs, wild rice and grilled red and yellow peppers and zucchini.

Now I have stocked up with about a week or two worth of groceries and made a nice fresh dinner. It's mixed greens, diced red pepper, tomato, flax seed, pine nuts, goat cheese and a dressing I made with: chopped garlic, raw sugar, honey mustard and dijon mustard, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper...mmmmmmm. I'm eating it with a small slice of ciabatta, and dessert will be a small amount of coconut yogurt with raspberries. Frankly I am just loving the pine nuts and goat cheese, two things I haven't eaten much of in the last little while.

So even though I've gained a pound or two back, I will be back down soon I am sure, and back to the gym tomorrow morning, perhaps even tonight. My back still aches so I need to take it a little easy. Also, I am very happy to have all my medical exams done, which was a MAJOR obstacle for me and I had been putting all of it off for three years to avoid all the bureaucracy.

Alright, I will finish enjoying this salad and watch a little tube before carrying on with my other chores and relaxing. Have great night everyone!

Back at it

Hello!

I am back. Got home around midnight, and just couldn't get up for the gym. I will likely go tonight though, since I think I put on a pound during my trip to Toronto... :) A minor setback thanks to me playing sports all weekend and doing a lot of walking.

I also need to buy groceries tonight because I am still out of food and I probably wont see progress until I start controlling my meals again.

I have a slight sunburn on my face, so even though it's gloomy outside and I have to go back to work, I have a warm glow and this makes me happy :)

Alright, I don't have much to say today, but I will get back on track this week and I hope you all had a really nice, relaxing weekend and spent lots of time outside.

Have a nice Tuesday!

Easter afternoon

Hi all!

I just thought I would wish you all a happy sunny weekend and I hope you are all with people you care about or relaxing.

I got back to Oakville and convinced my dad to play tennis with me. I'm no Venus Williams, but I'm not bad, and my serve was pretty good actually. Just have to learn the rules now hahah! We played for about 1.5 hours in the bright sunshine and cool breeze, then came home to eat some bruscetta I made, as a snack.

Now we are about to eat our ham and veggies and lemon meringue pie, then it's time to watch tv, chat and sleep. I am hoping for really nice weather tomorrow so I can perfect my tan. I got a little burned on Thursday, but I've been wearing protection ever since. However, I am trying to get my freckles to appear so I don't look as pale as I have this winter in particular. It's coming along...

Alright, have a great evening everyone. Me and my sore legs are going to kick back now...

Ah Toronto...

So, I finally got to spend some time in Toronto, and oh how wonderful it was.

After going out to a dinner with family friends on Friday and drinking excessive quantities of wine, I managed to get up at 7 am and go play squash for 1.5 hours at 8 am. I felt much better after playing though, and my back even feels better (in case I failed to mention it on my blog, I injured my back playing squash on Thursday, and was in wretched pain, but over a few days of much stretching and hot-cold packs, I am doing better).

After that, I headed in to Toronto where I caught up with my best friend and her two guests visiting from France. We gave them a tour of the city, including stops in Chinatown for sugar cane juice and bubble tea, Kensington for some taquitos and vintage shopping and Global Cheese, Yorkville for some drinks on a patio, a walk around the Annex and a brief stint on Queen St. to see Osgoode Hall and all that jazz. The two biggest changes I have seen since my last time here were that the chip truck lineup outside City Hall now includes shawarma trucks, and that Kensington has now developed into Little Mexico, with a strip of Mexican restaurants that are packed with people.

After another friend joined us, we moved uptown to a very nice condo, with a wrap-around balcony and a beautiful view. It was a night of cultural exchange as we all shared our favourite songs (via YouTube), such as Achy Breaky Heart, among many other gems. The night was finished off with some shawarma. I ate half a falafel shawarma since I was already loaded with liquids.

This morning we are going to have freshly baked bagels and garlic cream cheese from Global Cheese. The rest of my purchases there were my gift for my friend and her new home. They smelled, but we tasted and they were three delicious cheeses.

For exercise, aside fro the 1.5 hours of squash, we were on our feet walking for about 4-5 hours I think. Needless to say, sleep was well appreciated by my feet. Today, I will be heading back to Oakville for Easter dinner. It will be a very early dinner since I need to fast for 12 hours before I get blood tests done on Monday morning. This will be the final stage of my health goals, so it will be worth starving for. Luckily, I will have a delicious meal of ham and other fixins before that.

On Monday, I will come back to Toronto to spend a day outside (if it is nice out) probably at the Beaches. If it is not so sunny, perhaps a visit to the AGO would be in order, or spending an afternoon inside the apartment and going out for meals :) Essentially I want to take in as much of this city before I fly out late tonight from the Island. Then it will be back to reality.

101

Hey,

I forgot to mention yesterday that are going to charge me $62 for my blood tests here, as opposed to the $400 they wanted to charge at the clinic downtown Montreal...so that's fantastic!

In less happy news, I did something to my back during my squash game yesterday, and now I am paying the price. It only hurt a little at first, and surprisingly, my booster shot arm didn't hurt at all. But when I went to bed, I ended up in tears because it was extremely painful to move in certain positions and to breathe. I took two Tylenol and put on some A535 and went to sleep. I am still in pain this morning, but slightly less so. I am just hoping it's not my ribs (because of the trouble breathing), and that it's only a muscle sprain. I will have to see if the pain starts going away or not. It would just be too annoying that the day AFTER my long-awaited doctor's appointment I end up with a real injury.

For now, I am semi-hobbling around.

Otherwise, my mom made a delicious meal of salmon, quinoa and veggies last night, and I prepared some bruscetta for a dinner at their friends' tonight. Tomorrow morning, if I am up for it, I will be playing squash again... but for now the odds aren't looking good.

Alright, Im off to eat breakfast and go whine to mommy about my injury :)

Have a great day!!

My 100th post: Still acting on my objectives

Hi guys,

This is my 100th blog post, and I would like to thank you all, and especially my mom, and God. Hahahaha! But seriously folks, I took some big steps toward my overall health goals this week.

1. I went for a "woman's" appointment
2. I saw a family doctor in Oakville (the only place I could get someone to see me)
3. Monday I will probably get blood tests done for cholesterol and all that stuff.

According to everyone (though my blood work hasn't been done yet), I am in great health, my blood pressure is perfect, and my weight is actually lower by a pound or so on their scales. On the scale yesterday, I was 168.5 with clothes and shoes on. Today, after eating breakfast, I was just under 170 without shoes but with clothes. So all this means I am about 168-169 or less. In any case, I am tracking my weight loss progress on the scale at home, so I have still lost the same amount. I have lost the equivalent of about 1 pound per week since I started, so that is totally healthy.

I walked to and from the doctor's office today, and yesterday I walked a total of about 1 hour. I will be playing squash tonight with my dad, and the doctor told me I would need some Tylenol for my sore arm (since I also got a booster shot - for tetanus and diptheria - for the first time since I was about 5).

I feel like I am really getting to where I want to be now that this is almost done. I will know exactly where I stand health-wise, and will be able to keep illness at bay by maintaining healthy eating habits and exercising.

I must say though that most of this is weather related. It is 15 degrees here, going up to 19 this afternoon, and really sunny. As soon as the weather started improving, I began walking everywhere. This is a real lifestyle change. I walked a lot before also, but out of necessity. Now, I am choosing to walk most places, and really enjoying it because it is an opportunity to think, relax and see things.

Also, I have crossed the halfway mark of my challenge. I am at Day 83, with 75 more to go until June 15th I think. I have lost almost all the weight I was aiming for, at 12 lbs so far. I need to get to 166 lbs (3 more to lose) by June 15th, so I think that's pretty doable. I am thrilled.

I have never been able to imagine myself as a "thin" person, and still can't, but I am amazed that I've gotten this far and am still motivated to get myself to where I want to be. I've never managed to get to a weight that I consider healthy, so it's pretty emotional for me to think about actually being happy with my body soon. At the rate I am going, I think (anticipated plateaus included) I should be able to get to 150 by about September or at least within 2010, and maybe even lower. We'll see whether I feel comfortable at that weight, or if I want to go further. For now, I imagine myself being "juste bien" at 150, with curves and a bit of chub so I don't look hard. I certainly do not ever want to become a "hardbody" ha!

Alright, have a great weekend, and eat lots of chocolates for me!!