Friday was a really good day :-)

I started my day off early.  I was at the cell phone store at 7:15 to get in line for my new iPhone.  I was the only one there!  Long story short, store opened at 9 and I was first in line.  There was very few distributed to each store so I was glad I went early.  I got a 32 gig white iPhone 4S and they told me they only got 3 of those in!  Then I went to yoga.  My favorite instructor Tonia was there!  I don't usually get to go to classes during the day so it was a treat.  During the song by Bruno Mars "Just the way you are" she said "this song's for you Kim because you are amazing.  Awe.  That made me feel so good.  I gave her a big hug after the class, it was nice.  Then I went to my Weight Watcher's meeting.  I really had no idea how much I had lost this week because I made Dean hide our scale.  Yes, I have finally admitted that I can't be weighing in daily for now.  Maybe when I'm at goal I can but not now.  It messes with my head too much.  So imagine my surprise when she said I was down 3.4 lbs for a total of 50.2 lbs!! I got a another hug, this time from my Weight Watchers leader Roz!   So I got my 50 lb award and she asked me to say a few words to the group.  I just told how great I feel and how so much of it is in your head.  You have to decide that you will do this and never doubt yourself for a second.  Also how it's all about choices.  Choosing to eat the right things when faced with a decision.  Or by choosing not to eat the wrong things too.  After the meeting I was walking out and a woman stopped me and said what I said really hit home for her.  She said she would think about what I said this week.  I inspired someone!  Wow!  I bought myself a Pandora bead for my necklace.  I now have 5 on there (I also have a bracelet but thought I would just put beads on the necklace, one for every 10 pounds lost).  I ended the day with a late supper out with my husband and a glass of wine.  It was a really, really good day.

Weigh In Day!

Down 0.4 lb for a total of 46.8 lbs!  Not a huge loss but a loss just the same.  I dusted off my treadmill this week at home.  It's in our basement which is a big mess, so this weekend I want to attempt to clean it out a bit so it's not such a nightmare to go down and use it.  I walked on it Thursday night and even did a bit of running.  Not much but just a few minutes at a time.  My ankle seemed to tolerate it pretty good.  I was in a bit of a funk last night (after a crappy day at work!!!!) so I decided to go for another walk on it.  I think the extra cardio will definitely help and even though the weather has been gorgeous here I think we all know what is coming whether we like it or NOT!  I'm a fair weather walker so once the snow and ice come, I will be inside at the gym or on the treadmill.  I'm glad I didn't end up selling it like I thought about so many times.  I also walked on my lunch break 2 days this week.  It's so pretty right now with all the fall leaves and I work at the University so it's great.  I just do a huge circle of campus and it takes around 40 minutes.  So I think with all my favorite classes at the gym and adding some extra cardio it will help get this weight off!  I have struggled recently with my rate of weight loss.  I feel like it's just going too slow.  When I went to write this post I had a look at the graph, my before picture and my ticker and I'm feeling better.  I have come a long way since January I need to remind myself of this.

I got this from pinterest.  Yes I am obsessed.  

Top ten weight loss tips! (and weigh in)

Weighed in yesterday!  I was down 1.8 lbs for a total of 46.4 lbs!  Pretty good for it being Thanksgiving and all :-)  I sometimes get frustrated by the little losses and the little gains but I guess it's bound to get slower the closer I get to my goal.  Only 17 lbs away now.  It hardly seems possible.  I WILL get there this time I have no doubt in my mind.  I've been thinking a lot about what it's taken to get to this point.  I wanted to share my top ten tips (advice).  I sometimes feel like no one is reading this but here goes.....

Kim's top ten weight loss tips

1. Never doubt that you can do it.  Believe in yourself.  I swear this is the best advice I can give.  It's not "if" I get to goal, it's "when" I get to goal.  You are your own biggest fan and biggest supporter.
2. Learn to deal with life's food situations in a healthy positive way.  By this I mean don't deny yourself something if you really want it.  Count it in your daily plan and balance it out by eating lighter that day or exercising more.  But, don't deny yourself!  That is what really get's you in the "diet" mode.  The old feelings of "I am on a diet, therefore I can't have that".  It truly makes you want "that" all the more.  It doesn't work.  Life goes on and there is going to be food related events for EVER.  Learning to deal with them now is what I believe is going to help me to have success in the future too.  
3. Get moving!  I can't explain how great it feels to be active.  I want to shout it from the rooftops!  I realize that not everyone can afford a gym membership but there are many other ways to become active.  And, when I think of the money I used to spend on junk food and fast food all the time I'm pretty sure it would be much more than $46/month.  That is what I pay for mine.  Go for a walk, get a DVD, but just DO IT.  I love this quote "a year from now you will wish you had started today".  So true.  Start slow....I sure did.  Jan 2011 I couldn't even walk after my surgery.  I had no choice but to start slow.  It's not "The Biggest Loser" here, we don't need to start with 4 hours of cardio and 2 hours of weight training a day!  Every little bit helps.
4. Tracking.  It's what us Weight Watcher's call "writing down everything you eat".  It really is the secret.  When it gets written down, you can see what you have eaten and what you still can eat for the day.  It may seem tedious but it really does work.  I found another cute saying "even if you don't write it down, your body knows you ate it".  So true.  Writing it down just puts it out there, keeps track and keeps you honest.
5. Drink lots of water.  I know it's a pain if you aren't a water drinker but it really does help.  Makes me feel fuller and I find in order to drink all my water I'm not drinking other drinks that aren't healthy.  I try to drink 2 liters a day.  500 mls at breakfast lunch and supper and then another when I work out.
6. Eat often.  I sometimes feel like I eat more now than I used to.  I am always snacking.  Of course now it's healthy snacks but I do eat often.  Stock up on healthy snacks like fresh fruit and veggies.  Also good are 100 calorie portions.  I have a hard time with a whole big bag of something but if it's in small portions I'm fine.  I usually have something to eat at every coffee break when I'm working and I always save something for an evening snack as well.  
7. Learn to love vegetables!  Enough said.
8. Watch less TV.  I have found lately that I am watching less and less TV.  I am busy being active.  The thing is, I don't really miss it.  I have a few shows that I really like so I DVR them and watch them when I have time.  This is advice from my very active friend Shauna :-)
9. Eat breakfast every day.  I eat a lot of oatmeal  I love it.  I have never really had a problem eating breakfast but I have certainly changed what I eat.  I was always a muffin and coffee at a drive through or a huge bowl of cereal girl.  It's true though, if you eat a healthy breakfast it leaves you less hungry later on and less likely to eat the wrong things when you do finally eat.  So get up and have a good breakfast every day!
10. Give yourself time to do this.  I have to take my own advice here.  It's been a slow journey but one that is so worth it!  You or I didn't gain this weight overnight nor will we lose it overnight.  Slow and steady is the best.  Be patient with your body.  Even if it takes a year or even two does it really matter?  No, what matters is getting healthy not how long it takes to get there.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I had a small gain this week.  0.4 lb.  It's a bummer for sure but here's the thing, the scale at home is showing a loss which is good.  Also, I think it may have been a clothes thing because I was wearing different jeans than last week.  In the end I can't let it get me down.  I had a great week in the food and exercise department so I'm happy with that.  The scale will catch up eventually.  My scale at home today said 175.2!  That is the lowest I have been since having the boys.  Feels great!

Today is the first of the 2 Thanksgiving feasts I will be attending.  How will I plan for this you may ask?  I ate light so far today so that helps and I will use a good portion of my 49 bonus points between today and tomorrow.  I love pumpkin pie so I will be having some.  I will just pick and choose the things I can't live without and leave the things that I don't LOVE!  I do love turkey though so that's good, it's low on points.  Also, I am planning on earning some activity points.  I am going for a walk of the bridges today and I've already done an hour of yoga.  Tomorrow there is a Body Pump class I am planning on going to.  It's one hour of weights, works every muscle in your body!  It's great.  Lots of squats and lunges, ab work....you name it.  I sweat in that one for sure!!

I am very thankful this year for my health.  I am amazed every day by this body of mine and what it can do.  I have come so far since January 12, 2011 when I had the second surgery on my ankle for tendon damage.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family :-)  "We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude" - Cynthia Ozick

Glass Jar progress

I thought I would post a couple of pics to show the "glass jar" progress.  It sits on my window sill and is a great reminder of how far I've come.  Just in the last month or so I added the "pounds left to lose" jar.  I really like that it's getting smaller :-)  I think in the beginning that would have been too overwhelming to look at for me.  The deal is that if you gain you have to remove from one jar and so on.  Luckily I haven't had to do that yet.  My gains have only ever been portions of pounds!  I present to you my jar pics!

first jar picture.....Feb 16/11 - 4.8 lbs down

added second "pounds left to lose" jar......Aug 18/11 - 37 lbs down

first jar broken (by son), new heart shaped jar (less than 2$ at Michaels)......Oct 1/11 - 45 lbs down! 

jackfit.blogspot.com

My W.I.D.T.H. (why I do this here) pic was posted today on Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit's blog!! Check it out, he is so funny and always has something interesting and amusing to say.  Thanks Jack!!