Try this class, you'll just LOVE it!!...??

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Why is it that people who don't even know you say this to you?  This happens to me all the time - try this, you'll love it, try that, you'll just adore it!  I have to say, I reluctantly went to Aqua Zumba (Zumba in the pool) tonight.  At the front desk the girl tells me "you, you'll just LOVE LOVE LOVE it!" and "you should come to the land Zumba class on Tuesday nights - you'd love that TOO!"  Ok, first of all, she's never even met me before this minute..how does she know??  Does everyone in the entire world love Zumba on land and in water?  Ummm, NO.  Not everyone.  I know of at least one person who does not love Zumba. ME.  I have to say, I was not a fan.  At least not the Aqua Zumba.  The instructor was fine - he was a character, I'll say that for sure.  From everything I've seen and heard, there is no skill required for Zumba.  I beg to differ.  You do require coordination and rhythm - I don't care WHAT "they" say.  If you ain't got rhythm, Zumba ain't for you!  On top of that, a lot of the moves were just too much for my poor tender shoulder - apparently my shoulder still doesn't like treading water (or moving in certain directions)...  Oh well, live and learn, right?

One of the girls in the class co-teaches the hydrorider class at the pool on Tuesday nights.  She told me that only two people showed up at the class last night (even though it had full registration...paid registration!)  She told me to pop in next Tues night to see if it was full and if not, she'd let me join in (even though I'm not registered)... I am a bit leery... she told me at the start of tonight's class that I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE it...apparently she and another girl there following this teacher to all of his Zumba classes...like groupies...  We'll have to see what Tuesday brings.

Happy Canada Day / 4th of July (to my American cousins and friends) long weekend if I'm not blogging to you before then.  Heading to Prince Edward Island for the long weekend to visit some family I haven't seen in ages...really looking forward to it!

The Wheels on the Bus

Pin It This is a bit off-topic - not weight loss or fitness related at all...

I've had a friend warn me in the past not to make "bus friends" (y'all probably know her as Anonymous "Ann").  Unfortunately / fortunately I have "one of those faces" that seems to make people want to talk to me.  Grocery clerks, people at bus stops, people in airports, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I have met some lovely people on the bus and would not give back the time I have had with them on my commutes over the years, but I have also met some wackadoodles on the bus - the guy with no teeth who all of a sudden starts calling me by name (huh???), the lady who screams at people who try and sit next to her, the stoned kid at the bus stop always asking for bus tickets or change - if you have a ticket, he'll give you change, if you have change, he'll give you a ticket...strange, wackadoodles.  Recently I have changed my working hours so I have also changed the buses I take.  I have to say, I am quite enjoying not having any bus friends.  I find I need that time in the morning to brace myself for the day and the time in the afternoon to unwind from the day.  I listen to music, podcasts or read a book/magazine...sometimes I just people watch.  The peace is nice.  I hate to say it, but I don't want to make any bus friends on my new buses.  I would like to remain anonymous.  Does that sound rude??  I don't mean to be stuck up.  I don't think I'm better than the other people on the bus... I am just enjoying the peace and quiet of it all. 

Are you an anonymous commuter?  Do you have a "talk to me" kinda face? 

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

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I'm still working on my 10 points of protein per day, so today's grand idea was to have an egg on toast for lunch.  I gingerly packed my raw egg in a nice little gladware container all safe and sound so as not to crack it.  Put my lunch bag in the fridge at work and low and behold, at lunchtime he was still in one piece!  I was going to scramble him up and put some cheese I had brought with me in it and pop him in the microwave for a minute.  I sprayed the mug (egg sticks big time!) with cooking spray and cracked my egg.... all over the counter NEXT to the mug!  In all my egg-cracking years, I have NEVER missed the bowl/mug!!!  So for lunch, I had a tiny bit of cheese on dry toast :(  Sad, I know ;-)  I would have had an egg when I got home from work for a bit of added protein, but, alas, that was the last one... Old Mother Hubbard's cupboards are bare...

Supper has turned out much better!  I am having shrimp "fried" "rice" (made with quinoa)...so yummy!  Also high in sodium, but, meh, who cares today?! 

Sorry this is upside down...computer is misbehaving!

There is no finish line

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This is a big truth that I think a lot of us need to accept.  In this journey of healthy living, weight loss, fitness - whatever your journey is - there is no finish line.  All too often I've started this journey with an end in sight... clearly not near-sight, but a definitive end nonetheless.  I think that's the difference with this time.  I finally had my "Oprah aha moment" and realized that there is no end.

There are goals along the road (one of them being getting to my ultimate healthy weight goal), but this is a continuous journey that I am on for the rest of my life.  Along the way I will set new goals - maybe running a 5K or trying new things (zip-lining has been intriguing me lately!), but ultimately I need to keep my eye on the prize and the prize is being healthy.  Living a healthy lifestyle is a daily choice I will make every day for the rest of my life - like putting on my seat belt in the car.  I don't just do it on long journeys and then hope for the best when I jot across town - I wear it every time.  The same can be said for healthy eating and exercise.  I can't just do these things until I get to my healthy weight goal and then stop.  That would be silly and counterproductive to say the least.

I've always chuckled when people say that such-and-such a diet doesn't work - the minute they go off it, they gain the weight back.  Well duh!  I think that's why it's important to choose a weight loss / healthy living regime that you can live with for the rest of your life.  Find one that works for you and gives you the flexibility to enjoy the things you love (um...chocolate?).  For me, that's Weight Watchers, but you have to choose the plan that works for you.  Brand-name programs aside, I do think it's crucial to find a program that demands accountability (weekly weigh ins) and that provides support (meetings, counselor, etc.).  Find others on a similar journey to run the race with you, but remember that you can't make anyone do this except YOU.  You can encourage others and others can encourage you, but ultimately it's a personal choice that only you can make for yourself.

For the love of quinoa!

Pin It Have you tried it yet?  You should.  This super grain is one I've blogged about before and I'll never stop singing it's praises!  Some people say it's bland, but really it's just like rice (only much better for you)...plain rice is bland too, but you have to spice it up.  Tonight I cooked it with some Pueblo Bean dip mix from Epicure and some Mrs. Dash spicy blend...yummm  Tonight's accompaniment is roasted vegetables and salmon (BIG piece of salmon...I'm still aiming for 10 points of protein per day...so far I've only had an egg!)  Check out some of the health benefits of quinoa here if you are interested.

Here is a picture of my super-hero grain and all its friends:

Why am I fat?

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It seems that on all of the weight loss programs, in all the books, on all the podcasts I listen to related to weight loss, there is one general theme I've noticed.  We are fat for a reason that doesn't have anything to do with food or lack of movement.  Why are we fat then?  I understand some people had terrible childhoods, come from dysfunctional families, have had serious tragedies in life.  I keep looking back on my childhood and wonder what my trigger point was that caused me to start gaining weight.  For the life of me, I can't figure it out!  I grew up with two loving parents and had a very normal (I think!) childhood.  No real tragedies that I can think of.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about not having tragedies, nor am I complaining that I had a normal childhood - believe me, I am very grateful for this!  My concern is that if I never figure out the WHY, that the weight could sneak back on.  Am I alone in this mystery?  Are there others out there who don't KNOW why they're fat?  I listen to Jillian Michaels and when she has callers on the phone she usually will ask them why they're fat... she never accepts the "I don't know" answer.... but really and truly, I DON'T know.  ..

Thoughts

The "onlys"

Pin It I have talked about this before, but feel the need to address it again.  This is more for me than anyone else, but I am hoping someone else out there will take something away from it.

How many times have you weighed in at your weekly meeting and "only" lost a pound?  "Only" lost two pounds?  You can insert your own "disappointing" number in that place, but you get the idea.  All too often I say to myself "one pound just isn't good enough" - this week, quite frankly, I was disappointed with 1.3 pounds.  Deep down I KNOW that 1.3 pounds is awesome, but sometimes I need to take a step back to see it.  Sometimes it takes someone else's "only" to put things in perspective for me.  I had a friend who started WW recently and in their first week they "only" lost four pounds.  I'd give my left arm to lose four pounds in a week!  So I thought it was time to bring out some logic (for me and my friend).  First of all, a healthy rate of loss is 0.5-1.5 pounds per week (after your first few weeks on program).  So my 1.3 pound loss (20+ months into the program) puts me up there as a high achiever I guess!  I tried to explain to my friend that she should be so proud of her four pound loss - anything more than that is not healthy.  I told her to go to the grocery store and pick up a package of meat that weighs four pounds... now is it "only" four pounds?  I'd be looking at my butt to figure out which cheek that roast fell off of!!

Do you beat yourself up over "onlys"?  Do you expect big losses every week?  I have to remind myself sometimes that I did not put the weight on five pounds at a time, so I can't logically expect to take it off that quickly either.  This weight of mine took over 20 years to put on... I should be proud that I'm almost done taking it off in under 2 years.  The next time you think of your "onlys", take a trip to the grocery store - a friend of mine made me do this when I'd lost "only" 50 pounds - she sent me to pick up a 50 pound bag of potatoes...which I couldn't even LIFT!  This past week I was disappointed to have only lost 0.7 pounds and that I hadn't hit the 110 pound marker yet... then at a family event on Friday night someone mentioned my Great Uncle Joe (who has been notoriously skinny all of his life...a strong wind would blow him over)... someone mentioned they thought he had lost weight, but his son piped up and said "Nope, Dad still only weighs 108 pounds"...that's when I realized...I've lost UNCLE JOE!!  An entire MAN!  OR an overweight supermodel (this one's for you Fiona!)

Have a great week everyone and don't let the seemingly small losses get you down.  I try to remind myself that a loss is a loss...it's better than a gain!

Can you do 30 minutes?

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Last night I really did not want to go for my walk.  I've been feeling off all week - had a rough night at physio Tuesday and since then had a sore rib that radiated to my back and I just didn't WANT to go...plus it was cold out.  Normally when I go for a walk, I aim for 63 minutes - that's how many minutes it takes me to earn 6 activity points (62 minutes gets me 5... what's one more minute, right?!).  I always feel that if I DO go out, I have to go for the full shot or it's not worth going.  Where in the world did that idea come from I wonder?  Last night I talked myself into going for 30 minutes.  Fifteen minutes out and 15 back.  That's all I was going to force myself to do.  I walked out the door and was promptly splattered with HUGE raindrops (and I'd chosen to wear my fleece over my rain jacket because it was cold out).  Nope, I'm gonna do it... 30 minutes, that's all I have to suffer through - I can have a hot shower when I get home and it'll all be good.  About 15 minutes into the walk my rib "popped" and the pain that had been with me since Tuesday was almost gone!  So I kept walking.  I ended up getting my 6 activity points.  Really for me, the toughest part is getting my sneakers on and walking out the door - once I'm out, I sometimes feel like I could go forever!  When I got home I realized that my speed is getting up there - I clocked the route to my office from home and it's only 8.7 kms... one of these days I'm going to walk to work, I promise you that (I'll have to leave at 5am so I can pop over to the gym next door to shower before work though!).  I figure I could walk to work in about 90 minutes or so... some day.

So... can you go for "half" of your typical workout routine and still feel like you've done something worthwhile?  Do you find that once you get going, you end up completing the whole thing in the end? 

Again with the mind games we play!

Slimmer this Summer update:

I lost 1.3 pounds this week to give me a grand total of 110.1
I ate all 49 weekly points again this week
I ate 10 points worth of pure protein (chicken, fish, eggs) each day (except yesterday, I was 1 point short)
I worked out 5/7 days
Sadly, due to my rib pain (never did figure out what it was), I only ran once.  I will repeat this "week" of my running schedule next week
Lots and lots of water

I think this week I might do 3-4 days of no sugary treats.... I'm not doing a full week as we're going away to PEI this weekend and I want to have SOMETHING (in moderation)....

"See" you all next week!

How much of this is mental?

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I was out for my walk tonight and on the way back I was approaching a hill and my first thought was "Great, another stupid hill... I can't do it, I'll be winded!"  Then I realized that I've walked up much greater hills than this in recent months without getting winded at all... Why did I look at this hill and all of a sudden revert back to the old me who would have been seriously winded?  How many other things is my "old mind" holding me back from accomplishing?  Sometimes I think that the trouble I have with running for any amount of time is mental - for some reason I think part of me is afraid...afraid I can't do it...I don't know.  How long does it take to really realize what I am capable of in my new body?  How do you conquer these old fears that creep up on you?  I know full well that I can walk up hills.  I can walk a kilometer in under 10 minutes on a good day.  I can run for up to 2 minutes, 30 seconds.  Most of me KNOWS I'm not the same person... but then there's that little devil sitting in my shoulder sometimes that says "Who do you think you are? You can't do THAT"...  Oh my...some days I really think this whole game is 95% mental and only 5% diet and exercise!

Happy Friday everyone...stay tuned for tomorrow's weigh in results - week two of eating all 49 points and week one of eating 10 points worth of true lean protein (chicken, fish, eggs)...the only day I didn't get 10 points worth was today....it's really TOUGH!  Not feeling any lighter this week, but we'll see what tomorrow brings.

It's official - I'm an outside runner!

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I hesitate to use the word "runner" when referring to myself, but hey, I'm not exactly standing still, now am I?  I was listening to a podcast over at The Blog Girls Podcast and they were talking about running.  Their take on things is that if you run at all (even if you are learning and only run 10 out of 30 minutes!), you should be able to call yourself a runner :-)  I have to say, if you are a podcast person, you should head over to their site and listen in - the three of them are so funny!  I listen to them on the way home from work sometimes (on the bus) and find myself almost laughing out loud... people are gonna start staring soon... anyway, I digress...back to running.  I know I have been trying to figure out if I like indoor, outdoor, track, treadmill, etc. as my favorite running place and I decided last night (in the rain, no less) that I would much rather run on a trail than on the treadmill.  Second choice I think is the track and last place is the treadmill.  I actually didn't mind running in the rain last night either!  I bought a rain coat (finally!) yesterday and really gave it a test run (no pun intended!).  I am convinced that it will never stop raining here in Nova Scotia, so I've given in... I now use an umbrella and I own a raincoat - two new things for me...next thing you know I'll be wearing rubber boots!!

Tomorrow night I start week 3 (technically this is my 4th week, but I had a repeat).  I will do the walk 3, jog 2 five times... wish me luck!

Ask Tanya

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I have to admit, I love when people ask me about my journey.  I've realized lately that some people are somewhat hesitant to ask me questions about my weight loss - some think it may be too personal to ask questions.  I am here to tell you that I don't mind questions at all!  Some questions might be too personal to answer here in a blog setting, but never hesitate to ask! 

Here is a brief rundown on my journey so far:

Start date:  October 3, 2009 (yes, almost 2 years ago!)
Total weight lost to date:  108.8 pounds (average of 1.2 pounds per week)
Starting pant/dress/top size: 24/26/3X
Current pant/dress/top size: 11/12/ medium or large (depending on the store)
Do I track my calories/food:  yes (points+), strictly
Do I weigh/measure my food: yes (I'm a bit lax with measuring peanut butter for some reason though...I think it's because it's hard to get out of a tablespoon!!)
What program do I follow:  Weight Watchers - started with the Momentum Plan and am now using the new Points Plus program
Do you attend meetings:  Yes, if I am in town, I attend a Saturday morning WW meeting - I've even gone to meetings out of town while traveling (have even scouted out meetings in the UK for my trip in the Fall).
Do I have a support system:  Like none other...you have no idea!
Do I exercise:  Yes - I didn't in the beginning, but have been fairly regular for the past year...it's still not something I love.  I'm OK with cardio, but HATE strength training.

So that's all I can think of  with respect to questions.  Do you have any questions for me?

With respect to my week... I was down 0.7 pounds.  Disappointing given my gain of 1.8 pounds last week, but onward and upward as they say.  My leader suggested I eat 10 points per day of PURE protein (chicken, fish, eggs, etc.) and that I give the eating 49 points another week and see how it goes.  Tonight for supper I am have a 9.5 oz chicken breast!!!!!  That's gonna be more like a turkey breast!  Here goes...

I'm off to run in the rain tonight.  I was convinced the rain was done - I've been searching for a rain coat I could wear walking/running for months now and finally found one today...I figured Murphy's Law would dictate that the rain would stop now that I'd found a rain coat!!

Happy Saturday everyone.

They're ALL GONE!!!

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My weekly points, that is.  Or at least they will be once I finish my planned food for today.  Today ends my trainer's experiment to prove that I'm not feeding my body enough fuel.  I ate EVERY SINGLE weekly point (49 in total) that I have... and I must admit, I'm nervous.  I'm somewhat (note the somewhat) OK with remaining the same this week, but another gain will NOT make me happy...  Oh well, tune in tomorrow to celebrate with me (or talk me down)...

Happy Friday everyone!

Reading between the lines

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Do you ever find yourself reading between the lines...when there really IS nothing to read?  As someone who relies on electronic communication for a large part of my life (personal and professional), all too often I find myself reading tone and intonation into emails, texts, Facebook posts, etc. that in reality just are NOT there.  Part of this is my insecurity.  I realize this and am working on not being so sensitive and not looking for the "hidden" message in someone else's message.  Does anyone else struggle with this?  Someone makes an innocent enough comment and you take it totally the wrong way...someone sends an email and it can be taken one of two ways, but you take it as the negative...

Sorry, nothing weight loss or fitness related to post today other than I did not go to the gym (I did do my run last night though).  I decided I am taking two days off from working out this week (Mon / Wed).  I can't take tomorrow off as I am going to try the hydrorider class at the gym and then doing my second run for the week (and hopefully throwing in some strength training...oh how I hate strength training) and Friday is my personal trainer appointment.  Oh, I almost forgot!  I asked my physiotherapist (physical therapist for those of you not from Canada...funny I just recently found out that we're the only ones who call it physiotherapy!) when he thought I would be able to give yoga another try and he thinks very SOON if I'm cautious...yay!!

Do you every find yourself not looking for sweets?

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This is an odd concept for me.  As you may recall, this is the week I committed to diving my 49 weekly points equally between all 7 days, thus using them all up (shocking for me!).  So each day I plan out 37 points.  In the past, I'd plan out about 30 points and then in the evenings I'd be reaching for some dark chocolate or some frozen yogurt (after all, I had the weekly points).  I realized today (day 4 of 7) that I have not had my usual volume of treats!  I've been concentrating so hard on making sure I plan for the 37 points that I didn't have any room (in my points OR my belly) for sweet treats!  That's not to say I haven't had any (Saturday I had a Skinny Cow and Sunday I had some bday cake), but I haven't gone LOOKING for them (those two found me).  I wonder if by not eating (regularly) my weekly points, my body has been looking for SOMETHING and I've interpreted it as a craving for something else?  Am I speaking a foreign language here?  Anyone know what I'm talking about? 

Unfortunately with all my eagerness in planning my food, I didn't plan my exercise well though - I missed planning in some weight training...back to the drawing board - will try and fit some in tonight after physio / running if there's time before the gym closes.  Speaking of running...I screwed up.  I thought I knew what I was supposed to run last week, so I didn't even look at my calendar...turns out I was wrong!  I was supposed to walk 3, run 2 FOUR times (not three).  So I am going to repeat last week this week and will be a week behind... that's OK though.  So many things to keep track of!  Work, food, cardio, learning to run, weight training, family, friends, etc.

Happy almost Hump Day everyone!

A Letter to My Skinny Self

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Before I started this journey (THIS time...remember, I'm a repeat offender...this is my last chance - after this they're locking me up and throwing away the WW keys) I would always look at the huge amount of weight that I had to lose and it seemed so insurmountable and overwhelming that I couldn't even begin to imagine getting even close to goal.  Now, here I am 20 months and 108 pounds later and I'm just over 27 pounds from my goal.  Wow.  I never thought I’d make it this far.  Part of me doesn’t even remember the “before” me.  This I find strange…especially since when I look in the mirror, I still don’t quite SEE what other people see (don’t worry, I’m working on this and it is getting better).

Do you ever wish you had written a letter to your "skinny" self or recorded a message to your "skinny" self before you began your journey like they do on Biggest Loser?  I sure wish I had.

 

If I can offer a piece of advice for those of you just starting out, please, please:

• Take your measurements (have someone help you), take photos before you begin (from all angles) - these don't have to be for public viewing, but you'll be surprised at how they will motivate you - I've seen some people do progression photos in the same outfit from start to finish, which is neat (so long as your pants don't fall off!).  I did not take measurements from the start, nor did I take a before shot.  I did find measurements from about 6 months before I began that I am using as my “starting point” and I’ve found photos from about 2 months before I began that I am using as my before shots.  Since beginning, I’ve been much better about letting people take my picture ;-)
• In addition to your food diary journal (yes, this is a must – otherwise it is TOO easy to lie to ourselves or forget something, no matter how good you think your memory is!), keep a diary (or blog) of your journey - you never know who YOU might inspire (even yourself); and
• Last, but not least, write a letter to the new you to come (or record a video...this might be more poignant) - in that letter/video tell your new self how you are feeling at your heaviest - the struggles you have, why you want to get healthy, what things you want to do then that you can't do now - remind yourself of where you've come from.  Seriously - if I had it to do over again (please, Lord, I don't REALLY want to go back!), that is one thing I would do. 

Again, these things never have to be for public viewing/reading, but do it for YOU.  YOU are worth it.  Do everything you can to encourage yourself through this journey.

Even though I’m almost “done” this journey, I am going to attempt to write a letter to my transitioning/future skinny self, thinking back to how I felt before I began (as best I can remember) and reminding myself of why I’m doing this, among other things.  You may think this letter is mean and ugly at times, but these are things I think I must remember to keep me from going back to this place again:

Dear Transitioning and Skinny Tanya,

Remember sitting on that plane in London headed to Dublin?  Remember how uncomfortable the seat was and how hard it was to buckle the seat belt?  It was hard.  You almost cried in front of a plane load of people in a strange country.  Don’t ever let yourself get to that point again.  Remember the fear you felt at going new places and trying new things?  What will people think of the fat girl walking into the room?  You want to try new things – hang-gliding maybe?  Zip lining?  But some of those things have weight restrictions (at the very LEAST you have to reveal your weight…up until this point, something between you and Dr. Val…)  Remember going shopping with your “skinny” friends and having to go to the fat girl store by yourself?  You are lucky that you have such great friends who are willing to shop with you in those stores, but still…remember how it feels to be the only one in a group who can’t fit into anything in a store.  Remember going for walks with your skinny friends and feeling like you were going to die from lack of oxygen?  Walking up that big hill from Kearney Lake Road to Dunbrack Street and your friend asking you if you were OK?  Remember sitting on that chair in Zellers and the legs buckling underneath you?  The chair was faulty, but still…remember that feeling – always.   Keep these feelings in mind when you want to reach for that chicken wing or extra piece of birthday cake (notice I said EXTRA – take the time to treat yourself, but just know your limits). 

 

Remember that this is a marathon – not a sprint.  You didn’t gain the weight overnight and you will not lose it overnight.  You’ve always figured you could lose this weight in about a year once you got started.  This will likely NOT be the case.  Aim for a healthy weight loss rate (1-2 pounds per week).  The slower you take it off, the longer it will stay off.  A longer weight loss journey will also give your body and mind more time to adjust.  Remember that this is a LIFESTYLE change, NOT a diet.  Remove the diet mentality from your mind.  You will be doing this forever.  This will not END when you reach your goal.  Find and develop a good support system.  Do not be afraid to ask for what you need – whether that’s from a waitress in a restaurant, your family or your friends and co-workers.  People DO want to see you succeed.  There may be naysayers out there, but in reality, remember this – they are just jealous or insecure themselves – YOU are not the problem, THEY are.  Those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.  

You will have ups and downs along the way.  Don’t let weight gains derail you, but rather make them inspire you to do more or examine your week to see what you did differently or what you could change for the upcoming week.  Everyone has a different rhythm to weight loss, so make sure you look at the BIG picture.

I am so proud of what you have accomplished so far.  You are doing awesome.  Your friends and family are proud of you and you are an inspiration to others.  I hope by the time you get to your goal weight you have stopped worrying about what people think of you.  I hope that you really ARE happy in your new body.  Enjoy the new clothes and the new stores you can now shop in.  Enjoy the compliments you are getting right now, but don’t let them go to your head J  Pay it forward.  You didn’t get here alone – you had so many people help you along the way - so many encouragers and supporters.  Take this journey and make something of it.  I hope that you DO something productive with this journey – I know you’re not much for public speaking, but I think you might have something to say to people.  Perhaps writing might be a more comfortable avenue for you, but whatever you do, don’t let this fade into the background.  Make a difference in people’s lives.  Encourage others like you’ve been encouraged.  

Remember that the only person you can change is yourself…and baby, you’ve done that in spades!  Live life as an example and hope and pray that others will follow.  Never forget where you’ve come from.  Don’t ever, EVER judge others by their appearance.  Don’t ever judge someone else’s journey – until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, you have no idea what their circumstances are.  Be grateful every day for the opportunities you have had – a workplace that offers a wellness credit that has helped you pay for WW, gym members and personal training over this journey – not everyone has these opportunities and without them, this would have been a much more difficult journey.  Be grateful for the WW class you found on Saturday mornings with an awesome group of men and women who encourage you.  

Now get out there and set some NEW goals.  Run a race, climb a mountain.  The possibilities are endless.  As your Mom often reminds you, you can do anything you set your mind to. 

Your fat unhealthy self,

Tanya

I'm not overweight!

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As most of you who've known me for a while know, I'm a charts and graphs and numbers kinda gal.  These things speak to me when it comes to viewing my weight loss.  They speak to me more than the mirror even sometimes.  While playing with the BMI calculator on the Live Strong website today I had a serious "aha moment" .  I realized that I am NOT overweight.  Awesome, right?  I am the perfect weight, but I just need to grow about 6 more inches to get to the normal BMI level!  Now which will be easier?  Losing 27 pounds or growing 6 inches I wonder?  If only I were 6' 2" tall... *sigh*

Some days I am really ready for this journey to be over, but when logic kicks in, I know that this is a lifestyle change and I will be on this journey forever.  Logic also reminds me that once I get to the "end" of this part of the journey (hopefully) the charts and graphs won't be moving much, if at all.  Then what?  I think I talked about this in another post recently, so forgive me if this is a re-hash :-) 

I am working on another post that I may get up later today - A Letter to My Skinny Self... stay tuned.

Well, I'm off to walk the WW 5K Challenge.  I was supposed to participate in Bedford, but I'm not sure that I'll know anyone there, so I'm going to do it myself in my own neighbourhood.  There's no rule that says you have to do it with the WW group - you just have to do 5K during the week in order to get the 5K charm (I do 5K quite a bit, so I'm sure I'll qualify either way).  I'm going to put on an inspiring Jillian Michaels podcast and walk my little heart out.

I failed

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Not entirely, mind you.  I did have a gain this week, which was disappointing.  Someone did remind me that I did lose five pounds this week, so it's not too bad.  I'm still down 108.1.  It feels sometimes like I take two steps forward and three steps back - that's gonna make for a long journey don't ya think?  Hahaha  On the plus side, I know it wasn't from something I did myself...stuck to program and worked out regularly...that's really all I can do, right?

As per my blog post the other day about my trainer and her advice about eating more, I started that today.  I have divided my 49 weekly points up between the 7 days and will eat them ALL this week.  If I am still hungry when they are gone, I will eat activity points.

Today I did day three of week two of learning to run.  Since I began this, I've run outside on a gravel trail, on a sidewalk, on two different kinds of treadmills and today on an indoor track.  Haven't decided yet which one I prefer :-)  Next week my run (really, more of a jog) time increases to THREE minutes.  EEEKS!!!  Oh well, that's what I thought of two minutes coming into this week!


Goals for the week:

• Get my three runs in (NINE minutes total running time)
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day
• Eat my 7 extra points every day 
• Plan for snacks (I'm not much of a daytime snacker, but need to eat more regularly)
• Lose 1.9 pounds (to reach 110)

PS - Flipper, the pics for you Buddy!

Eat more?

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I had a session with my personal trainer tonight (first time since she met with me at my own gym to set up a program...how awesome is she?!)  She's mentioned to me before that she thought part of my problem with my slowing weight loss was that I wasn't eating enough to compensate for the exercise I was doing.  As someone who still has the "diet" mentality to a certain degree, I found this odd.  I eat when I'm hungry, don't get me wrong - but I don't see the value in eating when I'm NOT hungry.  She pointed out to me tonight that last week I lost 5 pounds...AND I ate all but about 6 of my weekly 49 WW points!  Ok, so to see which one of us is right, I have agreed to start dividing my 49 points equally between the 7 days in the week (I'll start this next week). If I'm still hungry after those are gone, I'll dip into my activity points.  I'm skeptical.  I still think last week was a fluke (or they'll tell me this week that their scale was broken and I actually GAINED five pounds!!)...we'll see.  Tune in NEXT Saturday (not this one) to see who is right - Tanya or Kellie...

PS - did run #2 of my second week of learning to run.  Three sets of walk 3, jog 2 (plus one extra minute of jogging and a few extras of walking) - total treadmill workout of 27 minutes, then did some ball workouts (which I'm going to try at home).

Holy Purple Sweet Potatoes Batman!

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I picked up a couple Japanese Sweet Potatoes at the Superstore the other night.  I'd never seen these before, so decided to give 'em a try.  I was surprised when I washed them the "bled" purple (really just the water draining off them was purple tinged) and when I cut into them they were white!  I had planned for roasted potatoes and turnip fries and salmon.  Everything looked so bland that I had to toss some broccoli on the plate to liven things up a bit :-)  Here's my finished product:

Debunking dieting myths?

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Sometimes I listen to The Jillian Michaels podcast on the way to or from work.  I love her podcast, but am not always certain I agree with her (which is fine).  Today she stumped me.  She stated that in 99.9% of cases, people are not experiencing a plateau (even when they think they are).  She brought up some very valid points:  when we first start dieting we give up a bunch of stuff (soda/pop, chips, etc.) and basically our body gets excited and drops weight, but after a while, we have to change things up again; secondly, she said that typically if we examine what we're doing after a while, we are probably UNDER estimating our food intake (portion distortion) or OVER estimating our calorie burn - another valid point; the last thing I recall her saying was that if these don't apply, then you probably have some kind of hormone imbalance and should get it checked out.  If everything checks out, she states that if you have less than 25 pounds to lose, this could be your body's way of saying STOP - you're at a healthy weight (she calls this weight vanity weight).

What are your thoughts?:  Are plateaus real or do we create them ourselves?

Quick update

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It's past my bedtime, so I'll make this quick.  So far for my Slimmer This Summer challenge goals I've done not too badly.  I walk/ran on Saturday and did so again tonight - tonight was my first day of week 2 of my learn to run program, so I did the walk 3, run 2 routine 3.5 times (the half was a one minute run - I was only supposed to do 3 repetitions, but new I could eek out one more short run).  I found the two minute run WAY harder than the one minute one (I suppose that makes sense).  On Saturday when I was out, my only run was a 2 minute one at the end of my walk - I didn't find that too hard though...must be different on at treadmill. 

I also cooked tonight - first time in ages I've cooked a multi-meal meal (if you know what I mean).  I made a big pot of soup with the chicken/carcass of my Costco chicken that I got on the weekend.  I think this was my best soup ever - had two bowls of it for supper! 

I asked my physiotherapist (apparently in the US they call them physical therapists...hmm, who knew?) if he thought I might be ready for Aqua Zumba starting in late June...he thinks maybe YES!  Woohoo...I might actually graduate from physio sometime soon I hope!

Well, that's it for updates.  I'm off to bed - started working earlier hours recently and also started taking the bus to work, so am getting up earlier.  I don't mind the bus ride in in the mornings, but...sadly I forgot my iPod at work tonight :-(  That means I have to listen to the bus-gossip...great.

'night all!

Tanya (I have to figure out one of those fancy signatures I see everyone has...)

Best supporting actor

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This week's topic at WW was support systems.  What/who is your support system?  Do people's comments help or hinder your journey? 

At this point in my blog post, I would like to take the opportunity to thank my best supporting "actors" in my life.  There are so many of you that I hesitate to name names for fear that I may forget someone.  My immediate family has been amazing - Mom, Dad, Dean, Bren, Kayleigh and Kamryn.  No fear of forgetting any of these amazing people.  The last two on that list are my nieces (ages almost 11 and 7).  I love that I can get out with them in the nice weather and they can ride their bikes while I walk/run with them.  I hesitate to talk too much about weight in front of them as I think little girls are so impressionable and I NEVER want them to stress over their outward appearance.  I don't want them thinking they are fat (they are NOT...they are perfectly beautiful just as they are), but I do think it is important that kids know healthy food from junk food and I am happy to see that they learn these things in school (and at home too!) - I don't recall learning about this stuff when I was in school, which is unfortunate.  I am encouraged when they ask me questions, but still a bit nervous about dwelling on the topic with them, so I tend to try and change the subject...perhaps I should let the conversation flow so that they don't think the topic of health and fitness is taboo...

Ok, I digress - I was thanking the Academy and got sidetracked by something shiny (my family!)  I also have an amazing support system of friends (you know who you are!), colleagues and blogger buddies.  A huge support system for me is also my Saturday morning meeting crowd at Weight Watchers.  We have a fantastic leader (Fiona) and an amazing group of WW members.  It never fails to amaze when she asks how many lifetime members are in the class and all these hands raise up.  I think that this meeting is what has kept me going for the past 20 months (eek, it's been  that long?!!!)  As I mentioned before, I am a repeat offender when it comes to joining WW.  NEVER in my past stints at WW have I ever even noticed lifetime members in my group.  I would guess that my current meeting has at least 6-8 lifetime members who attend regularly.  This is so encouraging to me!  A couple people have mentioned to me that when I get to goal, I should make sure I still go to WW once a month to weigh in...  I don't know about the rest of you, but I plan on going every week!  That Saturday morning group has become like my second family and I would miss it tremendously if I were to stop going.  My leader actually asked me yesterday if I would consider coming to work for WW after I reached goal...hmmm, something to consider for sure!  Not full time, of course, but it would be a great part time job to keep me on track.

Ok, enough sap.  I do feel the need to thank my loyal supporters though - I never want you all to forget how much I appreciate you and how much I value your support.  The people who have encouraged me along the way have shocked and amazed me - people I don't really even know make comments.  Partners in my firm have made comments.  I was called an encouragement in my WW meeting yesterday - what they don't realize is the encouragement this gives me!

Now I'm done...off to make some soup for lunches for the week- busy week ahead with week 2 of my learn to run program, so I have to be prepared so I won't eat out :-)

Keep on keepin' on

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I don't know if it was the running this week or what, but I lost FIVE pounds!  In my nearly two years of this journey I have NEVER had a week with a loss that big!  I had to ask the lady to double check and see that we were seeing what we were seeing...sure enough, there it was :-)  I am choosing to believe it was the running - this is my incentive to keep going (only run twice so far - tonight is the third run for the week). 

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I have booked my flight to the UK for September.  Only 13 weeks from today I leave...I am so excited!  I was talking to my friend in the UK today and she told me about a new trail in her village that she will show me for walking and she also told me she has a bike I can use when I'm there...along with a hand-held GPS device so I don't get lost!  I have scouted out the nearest WW meetings and have found a time I think might work when we're in town.  It's a bit too far to bike, but I have the bus schedule figured out (I think) too.  I am not going to be as strict with my food while I am away - I told her today that I thought the 80/20 rule was a good rule of thumb.  Behave during the week and then splurge a bit on the weekends.  I can't wait for Thai food over in England...it's the best Thai food I've ever had (and I've been to Thailand!).  I need to realize that this trip is about the people and the scenery, NOT the food. 

I think I might try swimming tomorrow.  I haven't done laps in a pool in about 20 years or so.  I know I can swim, but I'm just not sure for how long.  I'm also a bit nervous about my shoulder with swimming.  I guess I can always bring my gym clothes and head to the gym if the pool doesn't work out ;-)

Well, I'm off to bake my BBQ'd supper...yes, I put it on the BBQ and poof, I ran out of propane :-(  I guess I shoulda brought my tank with me to Costco this morning...  Oh well...baked chicken ain't so bad! 

Great deprivation breeds great entitlement...and a summer challenge

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I heard this quote on the Jillian Michaels podcast yesterday (sorry, I don't recall who said it - it was either Jillian herself or Bob Harper who was making a guest appearance).  It really rung true with me.  I think all too often we look at dieting as deprivation.  No sweets, no fats, no carbs, etc.  Then we get cocky and start to think we DESERVE these things.  The same could be said for getting fed up with the whole diet mentality and, again, thinking we deserve these things.  We can justify any entitlement, can't we?  It amazes me more and more each day the sense of entitlement that we, as humans, have.  I think this is a world-wide problem that is growing in epic proportions.  Not just around food - we are entitled to things at work (pay, vacation, recognition, etc.), we are entitled to eat certain foods, we are entitled to the "right of way" on the road.  Ultimately the only person suffering from our sense of entitlement is us.  Am I making sense?

I think if we try to live a more balanced life this could help - allow treats on a somewhat regular (portioned) basis, be thankful we have a job that does offer us time off, instead of assuming we have the right away on the road, why not let someone else in (even if they don't signal!!)? 

OK, that's my rant on that subject.

Some of you may have noticed (if you're reading this on my blog vs google reader or similar) that I have joined a challenge.  Slimmer This Summer begins on Monday and runs until August 28th.  I'm super excited!  I decided this week that I need to really kick things up.  I'm in touch with Kelli, my trainer and am working on having more regular PT sessions with her.  I want her to kick my butt (hope you're reading this Kelli...I'm ready for you!!) 

Here are my goals:

1. Lose 20 pounds (ideally I would like to lose the 30.7 pounds to get to goal, but I want to be realistic)
2. Work out 5 days per week (my WW week starts on Saturday)
3. By the end of the challenge, I want to be able to run one full mile, not stopping to walk!
4. Drink 80-100 ounces per day (I'll need my floaties I think)
5. Challenge myself food-wise each week (sugar-free treat week, no artificial foods/sweeteners week, maybe even a vegetarian week!
6. I want to get that exercise high that I hear everyone talk about...does it really exist?  I want to CRAVE exercise.

Wish me luck!

Tanya