Monday, June 28, 2010

Down 1 more pound!

Yeah! I'm down 1 more pound. Maybe not my best week but it's heading in the right direction!

I did my first set of week 5 of C25k yesterday and it went well. Tomorrow will be the challenge though...i've never run for 8 minutes before. I'll give it my best!

Food has been going well. I'm trying to liven up my menu a little, not eat the same thing every day...though i do have my faves that i pretty much do eat every day. I just need to make sure i have variety so i don't get bored.

When i get bored with my food, i start getting sulky, start having negative thoughts like "it's not fair! why can't i eat what i want!"...you know, that inner voice that loves to whine and sabotage! I just have to make sure that i can find a way to deal with that voice. Right now my silencer is a white halter dress that i just bought to wear in Mexico! I've never owned anything like it! It's so pretty and feminine! The only thing is that it's a tad tight. It fits, but it's pretty snug across the midsection. My goal is to lose 10lbs by the time i go to Mexico (just over 2 months), and i know that the dress will fit perfectly then. So, i have a mini-goal to work towards. If i was at home for the next 2 months i know it wouldn't be a problem, but i'm going to Halifax for 2 weeks on vacation at the beginning of August, and this will make it a bit trickier. I'm going to have to be pretty careful with my eating and exercising. Still, i think it's a reasonable goal and i'm going to give it my all!

Stay strong my friends!
S :-)

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Starting week 5 of C25k

Hey all! Had a very fun weekend so far! Went out with the girls Friday night to a great restaurant/bar i've never been to before, then off to another pub for some music and dancing. I definitely went over my calories that day, had a few drinks, but i'm not going to beat myself up about it. I had a nice time, and i probably won't do it again for a while, so no biggy. I like that i can treat myself/slip up once in a while and it doesn't send me into a panicky depressed tailspin. I just do better the next day! :-)

My working out is coming along. For my exercising yesterday i went for a walk along the ocean with a friend. We walked for about an hour and a half, soaked up some sun, but i was wearing the totally wrong shoes and parts of my foot are rubbed raw. I'm pretty sure i will have big blisters on each of my big toes. Note to self...wear appropriate footwear!!!

I think i need to step up my upper body workouts cuz i'm really not noticing any difference in my arms, they are still pretty big and i really want to firm them up. I'm going to start week 5 of my C25k today, and i'm kind of excited and freaked out. I just checked out the amount of time i will be running this week and it's quite a jump up...by the third session this week i'm supposed to be able to run for 20 minutes!! Ok, some people may not think that this is too big of a deal, but i am someone who has never run for that long in my life! Even in school when we had to do manadatory runs, i'd walk most of it. Running was something healthy thin people did, not overweight out of shape smokers! Well, i don't smoke anymore, it'll be 4 years this July :-) I may not be "thin" but i'm pretty healthy and i'm getting stronger every day! I'm going to do what i did last week, get on my treadmill and tell myself to just try it. And if i don't feel ready for it, then the worst that will happen is i repeat week 4. I'm still exercising and burning calories! No pressure!

Have a great day and keep up the incredible work you are doing! Remember, one day at a time!

S :-)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Still plugging away...

Wow! It's amazing how tired you can get from working one extra hour a day! Granted, I work 9 hour days to begin with so 10 hours a day will eventually catch up to me. I pretty much work, come home and work out, have something to eat, and then watch a little TV before i fall asleep. I fell asleep at 8:30 last night!!

I missed a workout on Tuesday, my ankle was still bugging me a little so i thought i'd give it a rest. I still get in my 6 days a week though :-)

I went and saw the A-Team on Tuesday night...what a great flick! Yes it's cheesy...but i loved the series and i don't think i missed a single episode. They did a great job...very action packed and funny! And YES i had popcorn...that was my dinner! LOL! I figured i'd eat it as my dinner rather than eat my dinner and have popcorn on top of it. I absolutely cannot go to the movies without having my popcorn! Maybe one of these days i'll say no to the butter though! I felt pretty gross after eating half a bag!

More good news, i've decided to go to Mexico with my friends! The deal that they found is just too good to pass up. I'm soooooooo excited! I feel so spoiled! First I get to go out to Halifax, Nova Scotia for 2 weeks to visit friends i haven't seen in over 5 years and the guy i'm currently having a long-distance relationship with :-) and then 3 weeks after i get back i head to Mexico for a week! AND...it's my birthday while we're down in Mexico...i can't imagine a better way to spend my birthday!

All in all life is pretty good right now. I'm keeping fairly good with the food, though i do have the odd slip up once in a while. I'm loving being in the 180s...it just motivates me that much more! It's been 5 years since i was in the 170s so that's the next goal! :-)

Hope all is well with you guys, keep talking with each other, it helps so much!!

Night night!
S :-)

Monday, June 21, 2010

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

I'm in the 180's!! Woo hoo! I busted my butt this past week and i was really hoping i could do it...and i did!

I don't know which i'm more happier/proud of...getting into the 180's or doing week 4 of the C25k! They both were great accomplishments for me.

Now i just have to remember this positive attitude and how good it made me feel on those days where i'm having a tough go of it.

This week will be a bit of a challenge as i'm working OT every day this week. Which means i won't be getting home til 6 or 7:00 at night. They don't offer OT very often so when it comes up you have to grab it. But i'll just make sure i add an extra snack to eat before i leave work so i won't be starving for dinner the second i get home and i can just jump on my treadmill right away. Planning is the key!

Just about to eat dinner now, then i'm going to go for a leisurly walk tonight...nothing too strenuous cuz i 've had a pain in my side most of the day. Nothing too bad, more like a stitch, but i think i'd better take it easy tonight. I'll still move my body for an hour, just gently :-)

Later!
S :-)

Sunday, June 20, 2010

My first Blog Award!



This is my first Blog Award! Thank you so much Shae!! This is awesome!





I'm supposed to list 10 things that i love.

1. I love my parents. May i have many more years with them :-)
2. I love my sister. She lives 3 hours away and we don't see enough of each other.
3. I love my nephew. He just turned 12 today!
4. I love Buster, my cat. He is my baby...but i don't dress him up! LOL!
5. I love food...seriously, you can't be surprised!
6. I love my friends, they keep me sane!
7. I love music, it is a very big part of my life.
8. I love to play pool. Only wish i was much much better :-)
9. I love to travel. Can't wait to go to Italy and Greece, hopefully within the next couple of years.
10. I love the ocean. The smell, the sound...it soothes me.

Now i have to pass this on to 10 people. I will do this tomorrow as it's late and i'm getting pretty tired.

I'm still jazzed about how well i did on week 4 of C25k! I'm a bit sore, but happy!

Night!
S :-)

Woo hoo! Did week 4 of C25k!!

I'm sooooo proud of myself! I just did the first day of week 4 of the C25k!! It was definitely a big jump up from week 3, and i had to push myself...but I did it!!

This is my second go around of weeks 2 & 3. Just over a month ago i had finished week 3, and found that i couldn't push myself through week 4 so i created my own "week 3 1/2". Then i lost my focus for about 10 days, i wasn't exercising and eating well. But i picked myself up off the ground and started refocusing. I had to start over at week 2, and in no time i found it quite easy. I felt good doing week 3 and instead of doing my week 3 1/2 i thought to myself "just try week 4". Worst case scenario is you can't finish it and you step back and do week 3 1/2. No big deal. So i jumped on my treadmill with a "whats the worst that could happen" attitude...and i finished it!

Made me realize something:

My body is capable of far more than i give it credit for!

Once you get yourself moving on a regular basis, your body starts running efficiently, it starts being able to do so much more than you think it can. And that is the key word...THINK! My problem is mental, not physical. I THINK i can't do something, i give myself limits, i set myself up for failure. My body CAN do these things. It's my mind holding me back.

I need to start believing in myself.

I need to push myself mentally.

I need to realize that i can do ANYTHING i set my mind too!

This has been a very good day. And i'm actually looking forward to my weigh-in tomorrow morning. I've exercised every day and i've stayed on track with my eating. I'm feeling great!

Til tomorrow!
Sandy :-)

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Feeling really good!

I'm really feeling positive right now, i'm feeling that i can do anything!!

I know that i'll have days where i'll feel like crap, that's normal and i will deal with it when the time comes...but right now i'm just feeling amazing! I'm slowly seeing results, i just looked at my calves in the mirror, flexed them and wow! I bent down to touch them...yup...i have some serious muscle definition going on!

One of my friends mentioned seeing a difference in my face, not so sure that i can see it, but i'll take the compliment!

When i'm exercising, i find i'm pushing myself more. When i'm just walking on my treadmill, i've been playing with the incline, trying to get more of a workout with just walking...and it's working. I did a one hour walk 2 days ago that left me a sweaty achy mess...and i LOVED it!!!

My eating is going well. I went out to the pub last night for a friend's birthday, and i didn't indulge. I had a diet pop and water. I made sure i had a healthy dinner before i went out so i wouldn't be tempted to eat anything there. Someone was eating hot wings next to me...and i have to admit they happen to be one of my biggest weaknesses. But i wasn't even tempted! Might have something to do with the fact that a bunch of my friends are planning a trip to Mexico in September, and have invited me along. I'm not sure if i can go, i have to look into it more, but if there's a possibility of me going, then all i have to do is picture myself in my bathing suit and that seems to do the trick. It makes me want to bust my ass over the next 2 months and drop some more pounds! I'll keep you posted on what i decide...though i have to admit, spending my birthday in Mexico would be an awesome present to myself!

Hope everyone is doing fabulous and feeling as awesome as I am!

Ciao!
S :-)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Sorry for another short one

I've been working more overtime, so that doesn't leave me a whole lotta time in the evening. But i'm still making working out a priority. I came home, had a bite to eat, and now i'm going to get on my treadmill and then do some strength training.

Keeping this short, but i just wanted to let my fellow bloggers know that i'm doing good and am staying on track...making sure that i find the time to read your blogs to help me do that!

Thanks Cara for passing along the fabulous idea of the self-preservation kit. I'm going to start finding things to put in mine!

Til next time!
S :-)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Just a quickie!

Did my one hour of exercise and ate well today. It's really easy to jump on the treadmill in front of the TV...especially motivating when you are watching "Losing it with Jillian" :-)

Night all!
S :-)

Monday, June 14, 2010

Here's hoping it's just water-weight!

I gained a lb this week. This sucks! I exercised every day for an hour, and ate really well...except for on Saturday. I indulged. I didn't eat very much, but i did treat myself to some wings, tortillas and cheese/spinach dip. AND...i did have quite a few beer. I knew i would be over my calories for the day, but i didn't think i would gain weight. Mind you, i'm pretty sure it's water-weight as my face feels kind of puffy and i couldn't get one of my rings on this morning. Sigh...it's all about making choices.

I'm not going to dwell on it though, i had a fantastic weekend out with my friends! I just had something to eat, i'm gonna do some chores and then i'm gonna hit my treadmill. Week 3 of C25k.

This week will see some results!

Here's to persevering!
Sandy :-)

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Going outside

The last few days i've been taking my exercising outside...it's been great! I did the hike with my friends a couple of days ago, and then last night i went for a nice long walk with some friends. The city i live in, Victoria, is the home of Canada's west coast navy. This year is the Canadian Navy's 100th anniversary and we have a bunch of ships from France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the USA here in Victoria for the celebrations. So last night we walked to another scenic park, Fort Rodd Hill, and watched some fireworks. They were awesome! We had front row seats...sitting on a log right on the beach...was a great way to spend the evening!

There are alot more things going on this weekend...and for once mother nature is being totally cooperative and it's gorgeous outside right now! So i'm going to leave shortly and spend the day in the sun :-) I just finished my C25k, which is about a half hour's exercise, but i'll be walking all over downtown today so i'll definitely get in my hour of exercise!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Ciao!
Sandy :-)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

It's getting easier

Today was a good day :-)

Today was the first day that I didn't have to push myself to do my one hour of exercise, i only questioned what i would do for my exercise. I ended up just walking on my treadmill, cuz by the time i got home from work and had something to eat it was already 8:00 and i was running out of time. But it's a good feeling that it's starting to become just another part of my day...like working, sleeping and eating. It's not a matter of "if" it's a matter of "what and when".

I think if i could do anything differently, it would be the time of day i work out. I know it's better to work out earlier in the day, but i get up at 5:00 am to get ready for work and i have tried getting up at 4:00 am to work out and i just couldn't keep it up. Waaaay too early for me.

My eating is going well. I track my food and i stay under my calorie limit each day. I do allow myself treats now and again. I know that if i cut myself off totally from everything i like, i will fall off the wagon and binge. I find if i allow myself to eat the odd "not so healthy" item i don't feel so deprived. As long as my calories and fat for the day don't exceed my limit it's all good!

On a different note, i've been watching season 7 of So You Think You Can Dance. I've never watched it before and all i have to say is WOW! I can't even imagine my body doing the things that they do! But it's so beautiful, and the workout you would get from it! Hmmmm...maybe if i lose a little more weight i'd consider taking up ballroom...learn how to salsa and tango! Something to think about!

Night night!

Sandy :-)

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Just a quick one tonight

Tried something different for my one hour of exercise today. I went for a hike with two friends of mine at a place called Mill Hill. Its a 20 minute hike straight up...wow! It was hard, definitely not used to that! We had to stop a few times, but when we got to the top, the view was worth it! You could see for miles! It was almost harder coming down, harder on my knees anyways! It worked out perfectly though, i got my one hour in with the walk from their house to the park, the hike, and then the walk back.

As far as my eating goes, I had a couple of small treats today, but i still stayed under my calorie goal :-)

Very tired, time to call it a night.

Talk later friends!
S :-)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

It's all about making choices

I was really tired today. It was a long day at work, and i just didn't have alot of energy, we were all feeling rather blah today. I got home, sat in front of my computer and pretty much had made up my mind that i wasn't going to workout today. I thought "one day won't kill me".

And then i read some of your blogs, and the wonderful comments left on my last post. And guess what? That totally did the trick! I got up, and jumped on my treadmill, and did my 1 hour. I did my C25k, lower body workout, and finished it up with walking.

Every day, i have choices to make. I choose what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and i choose to exercise, or not exercise, every day. It's not easy, that goes without saying. It's something that i will have to do the rest of my life. I just hope that before too long it becomes habit, that it becomes easier :-)

So, my tips for the day:
  • Definitely keep track of the food you eat!
  • Make short term goals for yourself.
  • Find a support group, friends, people who know what you are going through to help you through the rough patches!
Right now my short term goals are to complete Chris's challenge of 1 hour of exercise every day for the month of June and to lose 12 more lbs so i can look fabulous in the summer dresses i bought on my shopping trip! Trust me, i keep thinking about how i want to look in those dresses and that spurs me on!

Night all!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Lost 3 lbs!

Yeah!! I've lost 3 lbs! What a great way to get back into the swing of things! Tracking my food and exercise really helps...not to mention doing Chris's challenge of 1 hour of exercise every day. I worked some overtime today, and didn't get home til late. After i had some dinner and chatted with a friend, it was just after 8:00, and i just wanted to crawl onto my couch with my book. But I knew i had to get my 1 hour in today...so i did an upper body workout and jumped on my treadmill for a walk.

I also decided to start tracking my weight once a week, instead of once every two weeks, keeps me a little more accountable.

So i have a short term goal...i am going on vacation July 31, to visit some friends out east, most of whom i haven't seen in over 5 years. So my goal is to lose another 12 lbs by the time i leave. That would put me at 180 lbs...i would be really happy with that :-) I think the amount is realistic, it would have me losing about 1 1/2 lbs per week, which is a healthy reasonable amount. Baby steps!

Night all! Keep on keeping on!!

S :-)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Another hour of exercise down!

Had a good workout today. Got my 1 hour in:

week 2 of C25k (had to start there again)
lower body workout
15 more minutes of walking

Food's on track, i think because i had that 10 day "falling out", i'm kind of in the "fresh start" state of mind, and i just hope i can keep it rolling.

I'm pooped! Off to bed soon...but just wanted to say thank you to my support group, you are a big part of what keeps me going!

Night!
S :-)

Saturday, June 5, 2010

What a Beautiful Day!

What a gorgeous day outside! I went for a walk down by the ocean, it was just what i needed. It was sunny, warm, beautiful blue sky...a nice breeze coming off the ocean, the scent of flowers everywhere...i need to do this more often! And even though i didn't run, i walked at a pretty good pace..enough that at the end of my hour and half walk my legs were a tad sore!

So i did my hour of exercise today, and I have to say that it beat the heck out of my treadmill! But I'm not going to knock my treadmill, when it's cold and dark and wet outside i love that i can just put some music on and go. No excuses!

Then i made myself a smoothie, man was it good! It's so easy to throw a few things in a blender and ta-da! Instant meal! I usually put in banana, frozen blueberries, yogourt and juice, either orange or apple. It's very refreshing. But I would like to try some different ones out...so it's time to google some new recipes. If anyone has any favourites let me know!

All in all, today was a good day :-)
Ciao!

So far so good...

I did my 1 hour of exercising yesterday, 10 minutes of upper body weights and 50 minutes of walking.

My food has been great for the last few days, i've been under my calorie total each day and i feel satisfied. (I track my food on "my fitness pal" to track my calories so that's why i dont' do it on my post)

Today i'm going to get outside and go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine! The weather's been unusually cool and overcast lately, but the sun has decided to make an appearance today so i'm taking advantage of it. Think i'm going to go for a walk on a boardwalk down by the ocean.

Outta here!

:-)

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Doing the "I refuse to balloon in June" challenge!

Chris from a Deliberate Life is doing an "unofficial" challenge..."I refuse to Balloon in June". She has challenged us to do one hour of exercise every single day. I'm going to jump on board, but i'm only starting today because i haven't been on-line for a while, but i'm going to give it my all.

I did a 20 minute lower body workout and 40 minutes on the treadmill, alternating running and walking. Even if i just end up going for a brisk walk for an hour, i'm going to do this challenge! It's great to have mini-goals!

S :-)

Getting back on track

It's been almost 3 weeks since my last post...and it's been about 2 weeks since i stopped exercising and eating well.

It's wierd, i had a really stressful time a few weeks ago, with my dad being sick and a friend passing away...and i still managed to keep on exercising and making good choices with my eating. But then the following week, when i had a great weekend away with a friend, i let myself go! My friend and i went on a shopping trip to the US (we're from Canada), down to Tulalip Washington to the Seattle Premium Outlet stores, which i have to say was amazing! We had been planning this trip for a while, saving our money for some serious shopping. I knew that my options would be limited food-wise, so i gave myself permission to not worry about what i was eating for those 2 days. The funny thing is, i didn't want most of what they had to offer, it was all fast food. But as i didn't come prepared with fruit and healthy snacks (which in hindsight i should have) i didn't have much choice. It was only for 2 days and i knew i could get back on track when i got home. The only thing is, i didn't.

I kept telling myself that i would start tomorrow. You all know that game...well it went on for 2 weeks. This morning when i got up i just decided that enough was enough. No more "starting tomorrow" and no more excuses. I had been sick yesterday, really feeling under the weather, and i didn't feel that great when i got up today. But i made myself a healthy breakfast and i sat in front of my computer reading your blogs for inspirations. It's amazing how much that helps. I'm going to get on my treadmill in about an hour and even if i have to take it slow, i'm going to move my body. I was doing the couch to 5k...almost got to week 4, and then i reverted back to the couch. I don't think that's what they had in mind when they created this program! LOL! I'm not sure what level i'll be at after 2 weeks of no running, but i'll do what i can and if i have to repeat a week or two, so be it.

AND...i finally got up the courage to climb on my scale. I honestly thought that i gained most of my weight back...i started at 201 and was at 195...well, believe it or not, i'm at 195! Granted, i'm sure i've lost some muscle and gained some fat, so i'm not going to be too overjoyed...but it did my mind some good. It's amazing how we can imagine things to be so much worse than they actually are. It's not like i sat and binged for 2 solid weeks...had i done that then yes i would have gained it all back, but i ate the same amount of meals i normally eat in a day, i just ate the wrong things.

You can have bad days, or bad weeks, but you can always take control back at any time. It's not easy...i know this...you just have to regroup, find your focus again. Remember the reasons why you are doing this. You did it once, you can do it again!

Cheers!
Sandy