no time to post

but I have to for the challenge. I was 136.0 this morning, so should be 135 tomorrow :) Mission accomplished, and my challenge ends tomorrow after work yay!

But my hunt for a dress continues, sigh.

...

So I was exactly 137.0 this morning, which means I'll be 136ish tomorrow, which means that if I behave tomorrow, I should be 135ish by Friday, for a grand total loss of 7 lbs during the entire challenge. More important is the 1 inch off my waist, since it proved that I was losing fat even when the scale wasn't budging, and I am definitely more toned and muscular.

I am off work tomorrow for a visit from a friend who lives in Sweden. I will try to stick to the diet at least for my breakfast and two snacks, but my other two meals may have to deviate (and I will deduct points for that). But I'll try to eat lightly so I still lose the weight needed for the bonus points, and since I'll be partying this weekend and surely putting back on a few.

Like I said, I might sort of extend the challenge alone by a week to get back into shape for the wedding next weekend. I still haven't found a dress, but tomorrow will be a big day of dress and shoe shopping!

Okay, off to a sculpt class in about an hour, then some much-needed downtime with my namorado...

:)

I was back to 137 this morning, which means (if I don't get my period right before weigh-in) that I will get to 135 by Friday.

In any case, yesterday I felt my body looked different, and great (though I tend to feel great about myself when PMSing, unlike most women). My abs, not just the middle ones, but the lower sides near my hip bones are becoming defined. This is the moment I've been waiting for: the days I will feel good walking around in a bikini on the beach, or playing beach volleyball in a short top, if I happen to feel like it. For now, I have some loose skin from the weight loss. Luckily, standing up you cannot tell that I have loose skin, it's only when I bend down, etc., which is why I'd avoid playing sports when everything will be jiggling around hahha! I will wait until I have firmed up.

I am considering even continuing with the diet for this challenge for a week after it ends. I am going away for a girls' weekend soon, and I will undoubtedly put on a few, so in order to stay the same size for whatever dress I buy for the wedding, it will be good to get back to the same weight as when I buy it...

Tonight I think I am going to a boxing class. Last night I played volleyball from 6:30-9:30... I will enjoy the challenge ending only because this is way too much working out, but for now I am liking what it's doing to my body. Next week I'll probably slim down a bit when I start running.

Okay peeeeepuul, have a great day! I am bracing myself for another horrible day, but just today and then it should all calm down :)

good news

I may have started yesterday at 141 following my weekend off, the very same weight at which I've started every week of this challenge, BUT, I was 138.6 this morning already, which means one less annoying day (at 139), and one day closer to my original 136. It's really too bad I didn't even make it past 135, but it's nice getting close!


I need it because I am taking off on a cottage weekend Friday that will no doubt have the scale way up again, and I'll have to start over, outside the challenge. And Thursday I have a guest from Sweden here, and since I've taken the day off work, I might just accept meal penalties and eat out with her, but it will depend. I may be able to get in a couple "sanctioned" meals and just take a penalty for my lunch and/or dinner.


This week will be extremely chaotic, and my posts may end up brief and to-the-point. But I'll be back at it next week when things slow down. Have a great day off to most people, and a nice day at work to the others like me!

Bunnies and rainbows

Happy Easter! Or for those like me who are non-believers, happy cheap chocolate indulgence day!

For Erika the Ice Queen, my favourite are Cadbury Mini Eggs... or the Laura Secord dark chocolate bunny.

So all I am doing for easter is going for a jog with a friend, running errands at any place that happens to be open, and doing freelance work... My long weekend has been surprisingly relaxing even though I've been running around like a headless chicken. Alone time is a precious and rare commodity ces jours ci.

I'm still frustrated at my performance in this Game On challenge. I'm only in it half-heartedly, and everyone else is really into it. I am just waiting for it to be done. That is not good. That being said, I am not finding it very hard in itself, it's just watching everyone else get full points while I don't and yet I am working so hard... it's my competitive side that loses motivation easily.

In any case, motivated or not, I am doing it. I am kicking butt from a fitness perspective and going for a jog in about 15 minutes with a friend of mine. I did a sculpt class yesterday and tomorrow I'll be playing volleyball.

I have to get going since my buddy will be here shortly, so I should get ready! Happy eating!

my battle

So I didn't lose enough weight to get the bonus points, which basically boots my team out of the running, BUTTTTTTT, I took my measurements and I have made great progress in that department. I have lost 0.5 inches off my butt, thighs and neck, and a full inch off my waist. The rest remained the same, but if I continue to run I will lose more fat I am sure.





Overall I have lost 6 inches of my chest, hips and butt respectively, 1.5 off my neck, 3 off my ribs, 4.5 off my thighs and a whopping 7 inches off my waist. That all took about 1.25 years, and I am still going strong, stronger than ever. I am starting to become quite muscular, but in a very "soft" looking way, not over the top althletic. But I feel I need to lose a little bit more fat and gain a bit more muscle in certain areas. Now that I know my thighs can actually look much smaller, I'd like to fine tune these things. I've never felt better about my body, and I know the work pays off.





Today I will get some "administrative" stuff done on my day off, and tomorrow too, but I'll probably go check out Bestey Johnson dresses, and BCBG outlet tomorrow. I bought a stunning dress already, but I still want to just check other stores to see if I can find something more summery.





My boyfriend is away for the weekend, and I will be away next weekend, so it's important for me to get everything done now. My life is hectic, but I am managing well and it's hectic with social events and work, so that's nothing to complain about.





Okay, I'm rambling now. Have a great day everyone!

ch-ch-changes!

Well, after all my griping about being at 140, I must point out a few positives. Thanks to a reminder from a previously unknown blog follower, Drazil (whose blog I will start to discover on the weekend), I have to be happy right now with what I've got.

First off, even though the scale is stuck roughly between 136-141 at any given point, my measurements have not changed. In fact, I am seeing muscles emerge that were previously non-existent, and I am much happier with my body these days. My bum and stomach and thighs (the bane of every woman's existence) are looking better and better thanks to the running.

The fact that I have achieved my mission of giving myself a body that would be prepared for any challenge, whether just fighting the common cold or running a marathon, is worthy of a pat on the back, and took a lot of very hard work. THAT, alone, was probably the toughest part of all this, but by far more fun than trying to lose fat by eating well hahah!

My eating habits are very healthy now, and even when I have such prized days off from this challenge, I don't overindulge like I may have done any day of the week before.

My mental health is much more under control, partly thanks to working out, eating and sleeping well, and partly due to having a new, loving and supportive relationship.

The scale is only controlling my thoughts at the moment because I know if I don't get the bonus points for losing 1% of my body weight this week, there is absolutely no chance of me and my friend winning haha! In theory, my mind would be at ease at 125-130 lbs, which would give me from 130-135 as a threshold for knowing when I need to ramp up my efforts over time, but if I can make it to 135 and hold that for a while, my body looks great here and I should just shut it and be happy.

I bought a "little black dress" today, and much to my amazement, it was a size 4. This, too, is fairly insignificant, especially since it's a stretchy dress, but the point is that I've made it, and the dress flatters my figure completely and is super sexy. I am so pleased. eeeee!

Sorry for going on and on loving myself, but I need to remind myself sometimes of what I am accomplishing, so that I slow down on being so hard on me.

Much courage to those killer ladies out there trying to lose 25, 50, 100 or 200 lbs... It takes great mental strength, sustained for life.

the saga continues

I was 140 this morning, still. grunt.

It is cold outside, in April, grunt.

I am eating a delicious smoothie: pecans, maple syrup, strawberries, blackberries, banana, Greek yogurt, water, a little bit of basil and loads of hidden spinach. Yum!

If it warms up I will run tonight, otherwise I'll go do a boxing class indoors. Yay.

I have pork tenderloin and quinoa for one meal, and salmon and asparagus and peppers to use for two meals, so that's the most elaborate day of meals I've had yet. Way to go me.

Okay, off to work. Aaaaaand, grunt!

the much anticipated disappointment

at looking at the scale after the Friday night and Saturday off the diet, when I inevitably start another week over 140. I can't believe I am stuck over 140. Technically, I should be at 139, which would be the standard post-weekend off weight gain, but no, for three weeks in a row I am starting at 141ish. grr. I don't really feel like saying much more. I payed wicked vball tonight, and tomorrow and Wednesday I'll be heading to some classes because it will likely be too cold to run outside. nuts to that. boo.

days off

I didn't weigh myself today, but I'm pretty sure I've waved goodbye to 136 again, for another long week. Friday was my meal off, and I enjoyed an oversized club sandwich (though I took whole wheat bread anyway and only ate half the ridiculous mountain of fries they gave me). The mayonnaise took care of the colon cleansing hahah! It doesn't sit well with me. Saturday, I ate a healthy bowl of cereal, Greek yogurt, fruit (abundantly) with a few nuts and some syrup. The only difference from a Game-sanctioned meal was my organic oatmeal cereal, which has dried raisins in it. For my very late lunch I treated myself to a large cafe moka at Vasco da gama, along with a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese and a small side Greek salad. I knew I was going for a sushi dinner so I kept room. Little did I know I'd have to gorge myself on sushi to avoid paying for the pieces we couldnt eat (at many all you can eat places they charge for the pieces left, and apparently this place isn't "all talk" like most of them, so we literally had to hide pieces in places, pretend to swallow then go to the bathroom to dispose, and for the rest, stuff ourselves silly). I felt so bloated and fat all night and most of today. So now that it's week 3 beginning, my meals were super light. I can proudly say though that I finally actually started a week by preparing something in advance: pork tenderloin mmmmmm. I also made quinoa and enough Swiss chard for one meal anyway. I have enough pork for 4 meals. That, my friend, is progress. Yesterday I went to a "sculpt" class, where we do just that, sculpt our bodies with mellow versions of bootcamp moves. Today I did hot yoga since I woke up too late for the boxing class. I enjoyed a nice mellow weekend with good people, and I got all my chores done, so I feel refreshed enough to start the week. Ugh. Oh, and I went to a tanning salon (I probably will never go back again once this round is over, it's just for a particular event that I am aiming to look slightly less ghostly in May). I got a sunburn!!! hahaha so ridiculous! Serves me I guess. Anyway, I tried on an absolutely beautiful dress yesterday, which I am considering buying to attend the wedding, but I must try on others. I am so pleased that my new body fits easily into dresses of an average size now, yay! Alright, off to get a few more things done before settling down for the evening. Happy Sunday evening everyone!

did it!

I made it to 136.2 this morning, that's 0.4 less than I was before leaving for Rome, and my lowest weight in about 15 years. I am looking fit and healthy, and trust me, nowhere close to too thin, so this is a happy moment. And though I have repeated countless times that the BMI chart is not particularly helpful for people like me, who are muscle-bulky and not small-framed, I have used it as just one tool (along with the scale and measurements, the latter being imperative to stay positive when the scale isn't moving) during the process of getting healthy. BUTTTTTTTT, at today's weight, I officially enter the NORMAL WEIGHT category. That means that by ALL standards, I am a healthy weight. And exactly 50 lbs less than I weighed at the beginning of 2010. It's a celebration!!!

finally

137.4 this morning. I really hope to be 136 tomorrow so next week I can just move on already! Two more weeks of working THIS hard to get down only about 4 real pounds by the end is starting to get old.

I have a feeling that if I keep the running up after the challenge (and slow down on all the intense bootcamps and boxing, etc., that I will start losing a few more pounds as I become leaner... at least that's what I hope and what seems plausible.

I had a delicious smoothie this morning, filled with hidden spinach as is now my routine for the challenge.

I discovered that my recent volleyball injury (I damaged my pinky with a straight-on ball that bent it back by the nail) has turned into what is known as a mallet finger (an injury common in baseball, volleyball and basketball from getting hit on the tip of the finger), which means a permanent deformity unless I go see a doctor pronto... ugh. I guess I will have to go. grumble.

Aside from always pointing to my frustrations at not losing much weight at this point, blogging daily was a good choice for my "good habit". I always feel like I'm writing my posts in a mad rush though, giving little insight into what's actually going on in my weight loss world. I think it would be more productive to go back to noting down some of my meals and the types of exercise I do, at least to give tips to anyone reading, or even as a record for myself so I can go back and see what I did right and wrong.

I have to get going now, so have a vundahvul dzay pumpkins.

mixed feelings.

Frustration and pride. I ran 5 km in under 30 mins, and it's my second time, and this time a few months back I wouldn't have been able to do that. I have now set a goal of making it all the way to Lachine harbour by the end of the summer, which would be about 10 km. My ultimate goal, be able to run to Dairy Queen from here, ha! The frustrator: being at 138.2 and NOT at least 137 by mid-week. It means I may only drop down by a pound or so by the end of the week... perhaps not even making it to 136. This means next week will once again be a painstaking struggle to get closer to 130, and eventually 125. And I am working my arse off. Tonight I have volleyball, and tomorrow as well. Friday night will be my night off exercise, and my meal off most likely, with Saturday being my full day off as usual. My meals have improved this week, so the diet is getting a bit easier. My morning smoothies (in whcih I can sneak a huge helping of spinach without tasting it) have been fantastic!!! Alright, off to work now...

progress

So I am back to 138 this morning, same place I was at this time last week I believe...it feels as though I'm not making any headway, but I suppose I will get there, eventually. 125 seems so far away. I actually cooked food yesterday, and prepared what will be tasty meals for today, so that puts a little spring in my step. Volleyball was great, aside from me playing really badly part of the time, but I'll be playing both Wednesday and Thursday this week, and that is great news! Tonight I'll be going for a run with my new running buddy, a longtime friend I'll call G. Can't wait to be done work for the day and going out running in this gorgeous weather, eeee! Mood-wise, I am feeling extremely overwhelmed. I wont get into it right now, and perhaps not at all. I am considering starting an anonymous blog where I can vent the more personal, intimate thoughts on my life, to help me cope with some of the non-weight-related issues. It's not that I have 'issues' actually, just need to vent. Need NO FEEDBACK, just a sounding board. Have a great day... I think I will!

bleh.

So my mood remained odd all day yesterday, but I'm pleased to announce I feel normal today. I was soooo spacey yesterday I not only left water boiling while I took a nap, I also left an empty pan on a lit burner for 10 minutes, in addition to many other mess-ups. I was 139 this morning. Still not thrilled, but it's early in the week and the scale MUST move. In any case, my measurements haven't changed and my body is looking tighter, so I realyl shouldn't care so much about the scale. But for the sake of accomplishing my goals, I do. Food is still quite thrown-together, but tasty at least. Soooooo not into cooking right now... I wish hot dogs and Mac'n'cheese were made of fish and veggies and olive oil, etc (but still tasted like hotdogs and Mac'n'Cheese) so I could just nuke my food. Mind you, I don't own a microwave, so I'd still have to cook that stuff the right way....ugh.

my strange brain

Happy sunny Sunday bunnies. It is gorgeous outside, and it's Day 1 of Week 2 of Game On! for moi. I am doing relatively well, but the cooking is still feeling about as pleasant as discussing mortgages with the bank. I am working out alllll over the place, and I imagine I'm losing weight (though after my my meal off on Friday and day off yesterday, the scale's back to 140 this morning). But that's normal and it should drop below 139 at least by Friday (though that's really annoying and I hope it actually gets to 136 or less). But my secret indicator of fitness is actually my bum. It will show me if I haven't worked out in a few days, and will reward me with a big, plump smile when I am taking good care of my body, and right now my bum is looking esctatic (though my quads are crying). I actually ran for 30 minutes (5 km) on Friday, and did an outdoor bootcamp yesterday where I almost did the entire thing non-stop, and was ahead of the crowd, which is a good indication of the progress I've made in fitness over the last year. There's no shame in stopping mid-workout when it hurts or you feel like puking, but the fact I can now get these things done with only minimal pain is rewarding. I'm feeling down and I don't know why. I think it will pass the minute I actually get outside, so I am going to do that...have a great day!

since I don't want to cheap out...

... I figured I should add more flesh to my posts. First of all, unless I add line breaks in HTML tags, my blogs are all in block text now, which is getting really annoying. I may have to change my beautiful background. For now though, too lazy for line breaks. I am on track with the diet, but not super enthused about it as you can tell. I just need to push myself a bit more, but my ultimate objective was to get back to exercising, which has been accomplished. Now I just need to be a little bit more inventive and excited in the kitchen. Maybe if my boyfriend would stand naked next to me while I cook that would help... not too close to frying pans though. ;) Okay, that's all I can muster for now, will post more on the weekend!

bleh

still 138 today, bleh. am not super into this game, but am doing it. tonight is my meal off and tomorrow, my day off, yeeeeeaaaaaaahhh!!!

short update

back up to 138.2 this morning. Notttttt excited. Is this my reward for going to an outdoor bootcamp in the freezing cold last night, guess so! hmmfff!

eee

137.6 this morning. Ecstatic. No time to write more right now, boo. On track with everything. Did a great workout despite myself yesterday. Wish me luck getting through the rest of the week!

Game On day 3 begins

with a smoothie, a delicious one. Thanks to the Magic Bullet my man-friend generously offered me, I made a banana, raspberry, spinach, pecan, greek yogurt, maple syrup, water smoothie! That's right, I got in a whole serving of spinach! It was rich, creamy, delicious and super healthy.

I have a lunch of turkey breast with asparagus and brocoli mixed with bell peppers and a couple slices of potato (I managed to get that in as a carb, but in very small doses because veggies also count as carbs and you're only allowed a certain amount... and I wouldn't want to skip out on my veggies now would I?

Weighed in exactly the same this morning, even after 2 hours of volleyball, but that's okay. I will get there, I will!!!

Off to work on this depressing, grey, rainy day... hoping desperately for more days like we had on the weekend! bisous!

Game On Day 2

I am starting to crave junk food. Yesterday was a breeze, and honestly today hasn't been very hard, but I try not to think of the fact I'm doing this for four whole weeks... even though most of it is second nature to me now anyhow.

I weighed in at 139.4 this morning, so I am already 2 lbs down from my start weight. I have a feeling I'll be close to 137 or 136 even by the end of the week, which would be spectacular, since it would mean there's a good chance of me breaking 130 by the end of the challenge.

I need to focus on balancing my meals a bit more, since I'm not eating enough calories to sustain the activity I'm into. Speaking of which, my thighs are killllllllling me from my run yesterday, but it's a good feeling in a way. I am proud of myself. Very. This is probably the most shocking achievement of everything I've done this year. Of course, losing 50lbs and completely turning my life around is no small accomplishment, but in terms of pure shock value, being able to run is tops. Especially since, at the peak of my health in high school, on two soccer teams, slim and eating at home, so relatively well, I was unable to make it once around a track even though I could run for hours chasing a ball.
,br> Alright, have to cut this short to go prepare my last meal, which I need to load up big time with veggies and greens and protein in order to play volleyball tonight.

Let the games begin

It's on. The Game On! Diet Challenge that is.

In case you weren't following when I did it in the summer, it can be summed up as follows:

5 meals a day (there are rules about portions of fat/carb/protein, etc.)
No sugar or white flour, no pop whatsoever, no alcohol (except you get a day off from every rule in the diet, and one other meal off per week, along with 100 calories of anything you want every day, except alcohol and pop)

at least 7 hours of sleep a night
20 minutes of exercise (vigorous) 6 days a week
give up one bad habit: mine is cursing.
take on one good habit: I am resuming blogging daily since it's great for me and my progress.
you also have to stay in touch with your opponents/teammates on a daily basis and can only weigh yourself 1 a day.

By doing this, you will lose at least 1% of your body weight per week, which is what will earn you bonus points. You do not lose points for NOT losing weight, since you can play this game to become more fit as opposed to losing pounds too.

So day one, I weigh in at 141.4. Last night I went to this shi-shi-ooh-la-la sushi place that turned out to be a total bust. After getting horrible service in an empty restaurant, where the food was great but sized for ants and priced for Trump, we actually did a 'crawl' of sorts to an all-you-can eat sushi place for a top-up. Now THAT is a first.

Speaking of firsts, here are two other remarkable ones. Their appearance at the end of my post is no indication of how ecstatic I am about them both.

1. My man friend professed his love to me yesterday and I melted inside. I am madly in love.

2. I HAVE to exercise for this challenge, and I don't have a gym. I decided (long story short) to do interval jogging. So not only did I manage to do 20 minutes of 2:1 jogging/walking, but I finished it off by running another full 20 minutes straight from my volleyball place to home. This is a first in my entire life. NEVER have I managed to run more than 7 minutes outdoors without stopping in agonizing pain (from cold air, injury, boobs, etc.).

Renewed hope

First things first: my last post was on a very bad day. I have been having extremely difficult PMS-related mood swings that run the gamut from elation to excitement to rage and depression. Work has been stenuous, and of course I have no filter around the darker moments, so I get myself into tense situations that I otherwise would have kept civil, at the very least. I was over it by the time my day ended and am okay now, but have not enjoyed my last 3 PMS cycles and am trying to come up with some strategies. It has been difficult getting back to any semblance of routine on my return from vacation (not that I had a particularly organized schedule and any motivation prior to leaving), and I am still at 140-141. I did have a surge of motivation this week and started taking lunch walks, but more intensely than usual. I was also careful in my 'takeout' choices, but less careful at home. I decided to get a few women together and do the Game On Diet again. It's the push I need to get used to cooking home food again and doing regular exercise. This month was as good a time as any to do it, since I have no big plans, it's not summer yet, i have the time and can try to manage the money thing (the diet costs quite a bit in veggies), and I have a wedding and a reunion-ish thing in May. I would like to have lost ALL the weight I want to lose before summer, so that I can focus on maintenance. But I need the Game On thing first and foremost to get me into cooking and preparing meals and exercising, not just for losing pounds. As part of the challenge I need one good habit to build, and have to drop one bad. I am going to try to drop swearing, again. My good habit will be blogging daily, since that is something that definitely helps me. So beginning tomorrow (or today, I suppose), you'll be hearing a lot more from me than lately. Have a great Saturday!