Been sick...

Wow! 9 days - I did not realize it'd been so long since I'd last posted.

The weekend, again, did not go well. Well, it went fine, until Saturday, when I let it all go, which is what I seem to always do. I was back on track Tuesday, then I got sick. I spent half of Tuesday, All day Wednesday and most of today either in bed, or with my head over the toilet. I weighed myself this morning and I'd lost 6 lbs since Tuesday - being sick does wonders for the weight loss! I'm determined not to gain that weight back, which may not be a problem, since the thought of food still makes me sick, and each time I eat I get terrible pains in my stomach.

It's kind of sick, but I'm actually enjoying not having an appetite!

I do have a couple of events this weekend, which because I've been sick, I do not foresee as problems.

Tomorrow, is my Boss's going away party, she's moving to another branch. We're going out for drinks after work - I'll stick to diet pop, and no food. I'm sure restaurant food would play hell with my stomach.

Saturday is my very good friend Jaimie's 23rd Birthday. We're set to be going to a bar. I'll likely offer to Drive. I really don't think alcohol would be a good idea.

That's my weekend plan - lets hope it works!

I hope everyone else is doing well. I'm heading off to bed early, to get ready for a long Friday.

I'm proud of me!

This rarely happens, but I'm proud of myself! I packed my lunch - and remembered to take it to work, then, when asked by a group of co-workers to join them for lunch, I declined! I chose to eat the healthy lunch that I'd brought, instead of eating god-knows-what at a restaurant. I'm weak at restaurants. I need to have a plan, with several options before even walking in. I had no plan, so I avoided disaster. I'm glad that I did.

My mom, Don & I went to Indiana Jones tonight. I quite enjoyed it. Who knew movies at the first run theaters were only $5 on Tuesdays!? I'll have to go more often! Snacks at the movie have never been a big issue for me. I used to work at a theater in high school, since then, I can barely stomach the greasy popcorn there. I do usually sneak in a small snack in my purse, which I did to tonight - a box of chewy gobstoppers (my guilty pleasure).

I've found the last two days extremely easy to get through. I've had something to do at night, which I think has helped me. Having an activity to keep me busy. It's also kept me happier. The last few weeks since school's been over, I feel like I come home, eat, eat more, and eat more, then watch tv... while eating, then go to bed. Every day, day after day. The weather hasn't been super here either, so it makes it difficult to motivate myself to go outside and be active.

I'm also proud of myself for another reason. I had 5 points remaining when I got home from the movie, and my plan was to have a serving of tostitos with some salsa. Well.. I got home, only to realize someone has eaten them! GAH. I ended up having a pudding cup and a fibre 1 bar, which really didn't give me what I was looking for. I thought of using some flex points, but then decided I really didn't need it. So that's proud x 2 today! Two days in and not a flex point used! I'm on a roll!

I got my weight watchers magazine tonight, so I'll spend the remainder of the evening reading that. I hope everyone else is having a wonderful weight loss day!

New Beginnings

Appropriately titled, today was, yet again, a new beginning. My hope is that one day, I will no longer be labeling my blog entries as beginnings, rather as stepping stones along my weight loss journey. I suppose that everyday is another step towards that final goal, however, my steps seem to be going one forward, two back, and the saga continues.

I weighed myself this morning, fully expecting to have gained several pounds this past week, and was surprised to see I'd only gained .4 - I actually wish I'd gained more, because I sure did deserve to. I am, however, grateful that I did not, but I'm going to count my blessings and move on with life. I've "started over" again today, and if it kills me, I'm going to rough out the week. Everyday that I waste is another day closer to my wedding, my ultimate goal.

I did quite well today, I rarely even thought of food, which is great! When I got home this evening, I still had 5 points left for a small bowl of tostitos - my recent guilty pleasure.

This evening was quite enjoyable. My friend, Jaimie, is a Mary Kay consultant, well, she's just starting out. Anyway, she invited me to a foot spa night that the consultants were hosting. It's amazing what some products can do to your feet - they feel all wonderful and beautiful right now. I need to keep them this way! I have my own bubbling foot spa thing, that I need to use more. I've really been wanting a pedicure lately too, so I think when I finally break through the 200 lb mark, I'm going to reward myself! I'm going to stick to my goal of breaking that by September 1st!

On another note, I am really missing the meetings right now, and cannot wait to go back, which may end up being sooner rather than later, as I've gotten a new job! It's still at the same place, but it pays quite a bit more, so it's all good! As soon as that kicks in, I'm getting back to meetings! I need them!

Disaster averted

The last few days have been a struggle. As most days, I started today with a fresh slate, and although it too proved to be a struggle - I got through it.

It's weird, because I want to lose this weight so bad, so I can be smaller for my wedding, yet I don't want to put forth the effort it requires. It's painful.

I did go to Sobeys with a friend at lunch, because she needed to get something. Usually when I do this, I end up buying something I shouldn't eat, even though I've brought a perfectly good lunch, and not eating what I've brought. Today, all I bought was some unsweetened apple sauce and a chocolate milk (Which gave me my milk servings!) so I was proud of myself for that.

After dinner, all I wanted was to eat again. So we went out for frozen yogurt. Disaster was averted.

I did end up using a few flex points, but it sure could have been a whole lot worse!

Someone posted a website on the message boards where you can put in your height and weight and it will generate a model that looks something like you - you can tweek it to make it more so. You can put a side-by-side of this model and the same model at your goal weight. It's quite neat. Puts it into perspective. I've printed this off, I'm going to post it somewhere where I look often.

Good Intentions

So yesterday I had every intention of being good. I started the day with some instant mashed potatoes, as I'd learned the previous day that they were easy to eat (12 points, including the margarine & 1 c. Milk).

Mid-afternoon Don and I decided to go for a frozen yogurt, which was good (only 2 points) and a small walk. At this point I still had zero energy, and was quite whiny, the poor guy! I'm really becoming quite frustrated of not being able to eat anything substantial, in addition to feeling like utter crap. We came home and I laid around and whined a whole lot more, finally decided to have a nap for an hour, at Don's recommendation (once again, poor guy).

I woke up to make dinner, we were having Chicken Tacos - mine in soft taco shells. It was at this point that I decided I needed more energy to heal than the potatoes and yogurt had given me - or perhaps it was my way of saying "#&*$ it... I'm eating what I want." I had a couple of very soft chocolate cookies (3 points), and a glass of chocolate milk (3 points), along with some cheese (2 points). This did make me feel better, whether it was just psychological or I really did need it, I'm not sure. I then proceeded to eat my two soft tacos, which, by the way took forever and I'm also wishing I never ate, because it hurt! That ended up being another 10 points.

Later in the evening we went for slurpees, which really do make my mouth feel better. I only had a small one though. In the end I did end up writing everything down, which I'm proud of myself for - used 12 flex points. I'm also proud of myself for pushing and going for a small walk mid-afternoon, which was my intention. So now that I look back at it, it wasn't an overly wasted day.

Today, I'm really wanting Sushi, but I don't think my mouth could stand it yet. I'd also likely get very frustrated if I did try eating it. I'm disappointed to say it'll probably be another day of mashed potatoes and zoodles.

I'm also to return to work tomorrow, which I'm not looking forward to. I should push myself today to get out of bed and do something, so I don't feel like I've completely wasted my 4-day weekend.

I do have a few things to look forward to in the upcoming weeks. This weekend is Mosaic in the city. It is a festival of cultures, where you buy a passport and can visit as many different cultures as you please. At each stop there is food, drinks and entertainment from the different cultures - it's always a good time.

The following weekend is my annual "Girls Camping Trip" which I'm quite looking forward to - I'm even going to refrain from burning off all the skin from my face this year!

Wishing everyone a successful day!

One day at a time...

Hello World.

As you may or may not have noticed, it's been awhile since my last post. Although I was not posting, I was doing well until 3-4 weeks ago, then it all went out the window.

For many years I have struggled with depression, which I will momentarily blame for the current demise of my weight-loss efforts.

This past semester in school was a struggle. It was a struggle to get out of bed each morning, and an even greater struggle not to jump back into bed when I got home each evening. About halfway through the semester I sought medical attention, allowing me to drop one of my classes, which did help, to a degree. At that time, I also decided that I needed to spend more of my efforts, what little they were at that point, on what I wanted, not what the people around me wanted. This is when I decided I would discontinue my studies, for the time being. I did finish what was left of the semester, with no intent of returning in the fall. I couldn't bring myself to put forth the effort required to succeed, and my grades reflected that. I didn't want to be there, not in the least. I am only a few short classes away from graduating, so I will return, even if only for night classes.

By the time the end of April rolled around, I was becoming optimistic, I was only a couple of final exams away from freedom. I had a full time job all lined up to start on the 28th, things were looking good. I also had a week of holidays lined up for the end of May!

April 24th, the day of my last final, I got a call from my Fiance Don mid-afternoon. He'd crashed his semi-trailer unit. Although he managed to walk away with only a few scrapes and bruises, it would prove to be a long period of waiting before he was able to go back to work. In the few days following the accident, we learned that he would have to go through many medical exams before being cleared back to work, and because he wasn't working, he wasn't being paid. Well there went more than two-thirds of our income! To date - he still hasn't returned back to work. He attended his last medical exam this past Thursday, so we do expect him to be back to work hopefully by June 10th, but there are still no written in stone answers.

At the beginning of April I started my summer job - working at an Ice Cream & Candy store. I have been doing well. I have given up eating ice cream entirely, I will live on frozen yogurt, which we don't sell, so I'm good. So here I am working more hours than I'm used to at the bank, as well as many hours at the Ice Cream store - and Don is sitting at home playing Playstation. This is when my weigh loss efforts deteriorated. I discovered Wal-Mart brand Kettle Cooked Chips, and that was it! I'd sit and eat bags and bags of them. And that is the story of why I've gained 10 pounds in one month.

Each week I've started out well, doing good until about Saturday evening, and then blow it. Considering my weigh-ins were Mondays... It wasn't good.

I've given up going to meetings for now, and I do intend on returning once Don is back to work. With the help of e-tools, I believe I can do this. I've weighed myself this morning, and come in at 220.8 pounds, which I've marked down. I've chosen Sundays as my weigh-in day for the time being. I'm hoping that will help me to stay more honest on Saturday nights.

My goal for this month is to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.

My challenge this week is staying on track. I had 3 wisdom teeth pulled on May 30th, and am still feeling the effects, therefore eating only soft foods - Mashed Potatoes are my best friend!

I also intend on posting more regularly. So world, get used to hearing from me - the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Things are looking up

I wrote my Quantitative Analysis Midterm today. Finally. It seems like I've been studying FOREVER! I'm glad to have it over with, although, nervous to get my mark back. Fingers Crossed!

I thought that my second Accounting midterm was next Wednesday, although, it's not until the Wednesday after Easter, so I'm glad for that. Don and I are going to Saskatoon this Saturday, to see some friends. I'm glad to know I can actually afford the night away from studying.

The people we are going to see are getting married this summer, and Don is in the wedding party, so he'll be going to try on a suit this weekend while we're there. Alyeska, the bride, is also in school, so her and I are looking forward to drinking our midterm blues away! Haha! I've got a 40 of Long Island I bought at Duty Free with my name on it! Cheap booze is all the better.

I'm trying to save my Flex points for the weekend, as I'll be doing some drinking, and likely eating out a couple times. I did use 6 last night, but I'm going to try my very best to save the remaining 29 for the weekend!

My mom's cousin, and her daughter are in from St. Albert this week. Last night we went to my Grandma's (where they are staying) for dinner. I thought I was very good - avoided the gravy, buns & dessert. I only had a small helping of mashed potatoes, and the smallest, leanest piece of beef roast that I could find, as well as some vegetables. I was quite proud of myself. Although, I did go home and eat 4 perogies, a DQ Sandwich and a bun. At least I knew how many points those things were!

Tonight, Don and I have our meeting with Father, at the Church, regarding our Wedding. I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen at this meeting, as we're not getting married for another year and a half. I am hoping though that we get an answer on whether or not we'll be able to use the church hall for the reception.

Everyone else (Mom, her Cousin & Daughter, My brother & Grandparents) are going to Brewsters for dinner. Don and I are going to eat before our meeting and then join them after, for a drink & to visit. That is my way of avoiding the menu that I am unable to find the NI for, as much as I love their food. On a week like this, when I know that I'll have other challenges coming, I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

I need to get to the gym, too! Ugh. Why is it so easy to avoid? I don't know. It's getting really nice outside - above zero all week so far. I'm going to focus on getting outside now, instead of getting to the gym. I really do enjoy walking, whereas the gym, I enjoy being there, just find it awfully difficult to GET there.

70 POUNDS GONE!

For... the second time! But that doesn't matter! It's gone, and I'm going to make darn sure it doesn't come back!

I was really needing to see those numbers again, and I have. I'm so glad. It was like a hurdle I needed to get past. My lowest was about 77 lbs lost, and now, I can almost see it again. It's like it's so close I can almost touch it. I love it!

How great is it that when you actually stick to the program - it works! Who knew! I'm so excited for next week. I'm also more determined than ever to make it through easter without a gain.

I still didn't make it to the gym this week. I've been studying all week for my Quantitative Analysis Midterm on Wednesday. I'm hoping to get there on Wednesday, though. I'm actually starting to understand it though, so that's good.

Anyway, going to cut this post short, because I need to study.

Mom comes home tomorrow! I'm quite excited! I've cleaned the house, minus the basement from the party my brother "attempted" to have, I told him he better clean that up. It's really in his best interest to clean it up, I'd think.

Today was another successful day.

My Lunch wasn't really that great. Wednesdays I pack my lunch for school (ie No Microwave) and I'm usually at a loss. Last week I took a salad and a can of premixed tuna to mix into it, that was good. This week the lettuce was going bad so I opted for:

2 Source Vanilla Tango Yogurts - 1 point
Chips Ahoy Pudding Cup - 2 points
100 Calorie Party Mix (from the States) - 2 points
Apple - 1 point

So my lunch was about the same amount of points I usually eat for lunch, but just a lot less boring. I'm going to have to work on that. Heidi suggested that I purchase a thermos to take with me to school. I'll have to look into that.

I pulled out some pork chops from the freezer last night, and put them to marinade in some honey garlic marinade for the day - we ended up cooking them on the George Foreman. They were quite good, and I'm not much for pork chops. I also roasted up some potatoes with the Foccacia Spices again, as well as some Cajun Seasoning. They were alright, but I'm thinking next time I'll try something different. I'm thinking something a little spicier. I served them with corn, it went over well.

Tomorrow I'll be taking the lunch I made the other day. It's a pasta dish, with tomato sauce, and is chalked full of mushrooms and zucchini. I've even mixed my two teaspoons of oil into it.

I've been taking 2 of these Source yogurts for lunch lately. They each have 35 calories, 0 fat, and 0 fibre in them. So two of the 100g yogurt cups is 1 point!

I went to the pop machine at school to try and get a Diet Sprite, which they had none of, and glanced into the candy/chip machine next to it. I noticed they had these new Old Dutch Baked Creamy Dill Chips. In the 32g bag it had 130 calories, 2.5g fat, 1g fibre, so a very low 3 points! I bought the bag and took them home to eat for my evening snack (I've discontinued eating between meals, only an evening snack). They were wonderful and creamy. I loved them, very satisfying. A friend told me you can get them almost anywhere.

After dinner I had 8 points left, so I used 3 on my bag of chips. I had to pick my brother up from work at 9, so we stopped at Tim Hortons so he could get dinner. I got a dipped yeast donut (5 points) and a Large Decaf Coffee (0 points) and did NOT win anything. Damn Tim Hortons. Better Luck Next Time!

I'm working on my 3rd liter of water right now, and am hoping to get to bed before midnight tonight. My brother has been staying up late, thus making me stay up late, to make sure he ACTUALLY goes to bed. I'm so glad mom is home tomorrow!

Weigh-In Monday: March 3 Edition

Our Feature Story: I've attended my new Monday Evening meeting, and am pleased to report that I not only thoroughly enjoyed it - the leader there is awesome, but I lost 3.2 lbs, putting me at a total of 18.8 lbs lost since January 2nd! Yahoo! That means I'm just past the 50% mark of my short term goal to lose 37.2 lbs by May 19th - which puts me at 199 lbs!

February wasn't an overly successful month, compared to January. I only lost 3.4 lbs in February, opposed to the 12.2 I lost in January. However! It's still 3.4 lbs I no longer have on my body, so it's still progress. I'm hoping that I do lose more in March. Heck! I'm already 94% there. Easter is going to be my biggest challenge this month, but I'm up for it. I think I may offer to bring dessert this year. In past years we've gone for a large brunch on easter mornings, I'm hoping that's not the case this year. I can't really justify eating all that terrible food, or not eating it and spending $20 to stare at my family. Maybe I should offer to make everyone breakfast. I'll have to see if they'll go for that. That way I'll know exactly what I'm eating.

In other news: Today was my school day. I actually didn't mind sitting through my Quantitative Analysis class today - which is strange. I need to work harder at this class though, cause I really have absolutely no idea what is going and the midterm is next week. Gah!

During my "lunch break" Don and I went to Chapters. I wanted to get Sophia Kinsella's new book and the Eat, Shrink & Be Merry cookbook. I did get the cookbook, which I can't wait to try. I hear there are many marvelous recipes in there. I'm thinking possibly Saturday, if not Sunday, I'll give it a shot! I didn't end up getting the Sophia Kinsella book, because it was cheaper at Wal-Mart, so I'll get it there later this week. I also looked at Wedding Planning books. There are so many, it was hard to choose, so I left them. I'm hoping to go back with my mom in the near future, so she can help.

Speaking of Mothers - Don's Mother and I e-mailed back and forth quite a bit today regarding the wedding. I'm excited that she's so eager to help, even from a distance - they're in Edmonton. I shared a lot of my ideas with her, and she said she may take a day off work to go to some craft and hobby stores with us to get ideas for center pieces. Sounds good to me!

Dinner tonight was an M&M Meats Cannenelli. For 1/3 of the tray, it was 6 points. Which worked out great, considering there were 3 of us, and 6 tubes of Cannenelli. I really enjoyed it. We ate it with a bun with Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar to dip it in (Needed those Oil Servings!) and fresh veggies, with my 3 Onion Epicure Dip Mix (My new favorite!) I also had another of the fantastic Nestle Caramel Nut Drumsticks (50% less fat) that I bought on the weekend. I love those things. I think I may make them my WI night treat. It was usually a DQ Sandwich, previously. I also ate a chocolate bar later in the evening.

The greatest part? I had exactly enough points for everything, and still got in all my oils, milks & veggies! No guilt - love it!

Here's to next week!
Cheers!

Sunday Evening

I've never been so glad that a weekend was over. Although it means that I have to return to a week packed full of school and work, it also means that my brother will have school every day, thus have to go to bed at a "decent" time, and QUIT HAVING FRIENDS OVER. My mother left for the Dominican on Thursday, so it's become my job to "mother" him. He's really putting me in a difficult situation, because I don't want to say no to him, because he really doesn't like me to begin with, although, I need to be responsible. He's 6 years younger, and we've never really seen eye-to-eye. It's been one of the more difficult weekends I've had in awhile. That being said, I'm not looking forward to having my own teenagers, although, I may have more control over them. Only 4 more sleeps until Mom comes home - then I leave on my vacation (I wish, although, I think I seriously need one now.) I'm really glad that she did go on this vacation though, because she deals with this everyday, and she really needed it, that being said, I can't wait for her to come home!

Anyway, so I think today went well WW wise. I made a point of drinking as much water as I could today, as my weigh in is tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. Don and I have decided to go to the Monday evening meetings until School is over. It's a little further drive to go to the evening meeting, than the afternoon one, but to be honest, we can't really stand the leader at the afternoon one. Come summer, we're going to go to the Tuesday night meetings, which are closer to where we live (at the same place as the Monday afternoon meeting) and we can walk. Right now I'm going to an exercise class on Tuesday evenings, so it's kind of out of the question.

For brunch we made our own Bagel B.E.L.Ts (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato). We used WW bagels, toasted, then used one slice of turkey bacon, and some Egg Creations, a slice of tomato and a bit of lettuce. One Sandwich turned out to be 4 points, and they were very filling. I ate them with fresh vegetables. Last night I made a huge veggie try with some of my new Epicure Roasted Red Pepper dip. It was great. I used the rest of that between lunch and dinner today.

We had to eat an earlier dinner today because we were going to the Regina Pats game tonight (WHL). I made some home made oven roasted potatoes that I spiced with my Epicure Foccacia Bread spices and olive oil. I also made some fresh bruchetta, on sourdough bread. We then george formaned some chicken. It was a wonderful meal. I love all the spices I got from Epicure! That bruchetta was amazing! I kind of had to scarf the meal down though, because we were going to be late for the game.

My grandpa won an all expense paid trip to the Memorial Cup from Sobeys. Because he and my grandma are in the Dominican with my Mom, and they had to present the prize at this game, I had to accept it on his behalf. I just wish I was one of the 4 people he was taking! Grandma, Grandpa, Mom & My aunt are going - not fair! Oh well, I did get to go to the game for free. It was good. Regina won 3-1 against Calgary. I'll have to add the picture of us accepting the award on here soon.

TGIF!

And that's about it! It's the end of the month, and the last day of RSP season - so work was nuts! I guess that was to be expected though, however, it was worse than it's been in awhile.. but truth be told - I love it that way. My day goes by so much faster than when it's slow. It's great. The complaining customers I could live without, but what can ya do.

I had ordered some Epicure spices about a month ago, and finally got them today - I'm really excited to use them. I got a whole bunch of dip mixes (which I tend to use more in the summer for fresh fruit/veggies) and a Brushetta mix, which I'm hoping to use in the next few days with fresh tomatoes (Yum!). I also got some Foccacia spices, which they suggested using with root vegetables. I might have to do some roasted potatoes with them in the next few days. I also got a Chipolte Ranch popcorn seasoning that I can't wait to try!

My mom is in the Dominican for a week, she left yesterday. I can't trust my brother (He's 16) to not throw a party if I go out in the evening. He already tried to throw one last night (On a freaking THURSDAY - long story). It's going to be a long week. Anyway, so that kind of cuts out going to the gym in the evenings, which I had planned for tonight. I'm glad I've got the movie Hairspray borrowed from someone to watch tomorrow night, so I'm not too bored. I'm hoping to get to the gym tomorrow after work, and be home before 7. I hate to have to live like this, I just can't trust him, as much as I wish I could.

Tonight, I didn't get home til about 7, and Don didn't get here til after 8. We were going to go out for dinner, but I couldn't go out (GRR) and honestly didn't feel like it after last night. He went to Boston Pizza and grabbed us food, after we consulted the NI on their website. I usually have something from the delicious alternatives menu, such as the Thai Chicken Wrap, which is my favorite. I had 16 points left at this point, so I opted for the Buffalo Chicken Fingers and Fries, which was 18 points. So I used my first 2 FP of the week.

I'm going to a Regina Pats hockey game on Sunday - looking forward to that. I usually have a soft pretzel when I go there (It's the Austrian in me - gotta have them soft pretzels!) but I have my WI on Monday, so I think I'm going to skip it this time. They're too salty!

Oh! It just occurred to me that tomorrow is March 1 so I'll have to take my measurements. I'm glad that I'm keeping track of that this time around. I lost 9 1/2 inches in January. I'm doubting that February was that successful, but we'll see tomorrow!

Here's to March!

Hairmixer Fun!

I was having some fun on Hairmixer this afternoon. I did this one.. and I think I look hot! :-p My face on Scarlett Johannson's body! I could totally pull off blond! My facebook is packed with comments on how good I look - I love it!

This one is me at the premiere of the Mask of Zorro.. or Catherine Zeta Jones. :(

My "Aha" Moment

My fiancee Don, and I often get Subs, or Pitas following our weekly weigh in. As I'm eating mine today, I'm thinking how much I really do enjoy eating healthy. I was really enjoying my sub today, and that enjoyment wasn't immediately followed by guilt, which was an even greater feeling. It's several hours later now, and I'm still feeling great, because I made that awesome, healthy, tasty choice for lunch.

When I eat off plan, I feel good for the time that I'm eating, which is immediately followed by guilt that I've eaten something I shouldn't, then bloating, cramps from my full stomach, and other unpleasant things.

I'm really starting to love my new lifestyle. It's really new, as weight watchers has been a part of my life for nearly two years, but it's new in the sense that I have a new attitude toward it. I'm accepting this challenge with open arms, and loving every moment of it. I am accepting that this is now my life, and is the best choice I could ever make for myself.

Our weigh-in went great, by the way. Don lost an amazing 3.8 pounds, which I'm very proud of him for, as he's been struggling lately. I just hope for him to keep it up, and I know that he'll be truly happy with himself if he does. I lost 1.0 which isn't super, but I'm willing to accept. It's only been 5 days since my last weigh in, and I am still recovering from my pig out last week. Also, I didn't get to the gym at all.

I'm committing to putting forth the extra effort this next week, and getting to the gym. The weather is also starting to warm up, so I'm hoping to get out for more walks - something I truly enjoy doing.

I also realized today that while Don & I are away in May we'll be missing our weekly meeting. We have decided to attend one in Edmonton while we're there, which I'm quite excited about. I will be better at staying on track, knowing I need to be accountable mid-trip. We're also staying with his family, so I'm hoping that we will be able to cook for them once or twice while we're there, which I'm sure his mother won't mind!

Oh, I also ordered my wedding favors last night! Heart-shaped tins with clear tops! I'm quite excited. We're hoping to fill them with M&M's as both our last names start with M - I thought it was cute! We're also going to either make, or have made some stickers with our names and the date printed on them to put on either the top of the bottom of the tin. I'm thinking the bottom right now, so you can still see what's in the tin. We'll see though when I get them.

Anyway, I'm posting a picture of what they look like. I ordered them from e-Bay, so I should have them in a few weeks.

Back to School Monday

Well, reading week is officially over and I'm officially sad. It was very difficult to get out of bed this morning. Well, actually, I've been having great difficulty getting out of bed most mornings lately. Yesterday I decided that I wasn't setting my alarm and just going to get up when I woke up - 11:25am! I haven't slept that late in a long time! It was wonderful, however, this morning, I was back to the difficult getting out of bed.

I don't have any classes for another two hours, and I should be studying - but I'm not! I'm just so tired... or lazy, I'm not sure. I just can't seem to find it in myself to study lately. I'm looking forward to this semester being over.


Don and I usually go to weigh in during my class break between 12:45 and 2:30, however, he's working again today so we're going to the meeting this evening. We only weighed in last Wednesday, so it hasn't been a whole week. I'm hoping to be down a pound, but we'll see. I weighed myself this morning on Don's new scale he bought yesterday but I'm not sure how close it is to mine or the ones at the meetings - but it looked positive! I'm hoping to not be disappointed!

I need to start going to the gym again. I went really good leading up to my Minot trip, however, failed to go at all last week. I should go to Body Blast tomorrow, but I may have to skip it to study for my midterm on Wednesday. Darn school, getting all up in my life. Heh... ugh. I don't know how I'll ever survive another three years of it! I wonder how many more business classes I need to have a Business Diploma? I'll have to look into that. At least it'll be something. Then I could finish my degree with night classes, over a longer period of time. Or maybe I should quit working and just go to school full time. Ugh, I don't know. This just isn't working. I'm so not into life right now. Work is such a drag too. It's like I need to really push myself to do anything right about now. This needs to stop, of I'm going to flunk right out of school!

Anyway... I haven't got much else to say right now. Stay posted for the WI update tonight!

Back Home

Well.. I'd like to pretend the last two days didn't happen.

My last night in Minot I kind of made a pig of myself. We went back to Applebee's and I ate what I wanted... probably not so good for me. It was good, but I immediately felt guilty.

On the drive home, we stopped in Estevan for lunch, where I also ate what was not on the plan. I did write it all down though. Tomorrow I'm starting a new tracker. I don't want to look at that all week - it's depressing. I do not intend on using Flex Points until next week though.

Don got a gift certificate for the Keg from his work for Christmas, and said we should go out this Saturday night and use it. I suggested we save it for the following weekend, as we've eaten out quite a bit lately. He said that was fine.

Today I worked at the BMO trade booth at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (Curling) at the Brandt Centre. It was a lot of fun. I worked it with another girl who also works at my branch. Minus the sub-zero temperature of the room we were in, it was a good time. We were then treated to a free lunch for sponsors - Chili in a bread bowl. I didn't eat it all, and counted it as about 20 points.

I finally went for my weigh-in tonight. I'm up .8 of a pound. I deserved to gain, the way I pigged out the other night. I'm just glad I was so good in the days leading up to the trip, and the first part of the trip. As I learned over Christmas (10 pound gain in a week) it could have been a whole lot worse!

This week is reading week, so I'm enjoying not having to go to class. I'm working Thursday & Friday yet this week, then Saturday I'm back at the Scotties working the Trade Booth (Yay, I get out of work again!!). Should be fun. I'm hoping to take in some Curling after my shift on Saturday.

Here's to a new week! I'm going to lose this week!

:)

Minot: Day 2

Another great day!

We weren't able to go shopping til about noon today, because everything was closed until then. It was a nice morning of sitting around doing nothing.

We did get up and go to the Hotel's Continental breakfast. I got 2 cups of milk there, that was it. Back in the room I ate a Lemon Cream Pie WW Yogurt - VERY YUMMY, and a 100 Calorie Pack of Mini Hostess Blueberry muffins, which were also great.

Just before noon we all left the hotel and stopped at Taco Bell on our way to the mall. I had a Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco, and a Steak Soft Taco, both from their Fresco Menu - meaning they were only 3 points each.

At the mall, April & I went off on our own to begin with. I found a few stores that I like, where the clothes are starting to fit me, but I'd be more comfortable in them when I lose some weight. Then I can come back! We also went to Victoria's Secret. I was kind of disappointed. I checked the website before going and the prices were cheaper there, and the sizes were bigger. In the store the biggest underwear they had were a large, and on the site they sold up to an extra large. The bras were all about 45 dollars in the store, and only about 20 on the website. False advertising I tell ya!

I had more luck at Old Navy. I grabbed a pair of size 16 and size 18 jeans to try on, not thinking I'd have much luck, because I rarely do with jeans. I decided to try on the 16's first - and they fit.. perfectly! It was great! That's all I got there.

I did wander off on my own for awhile, while everyone else was at a sporting goods store. I found a couple nice tops for work at Sears (40% off to boot so they were less than 20 bucks each) they look hot!

After the mall we headed to K-mart. I got a sweater with Grumpy on it for ten bucks. I just really needed a sweater. I forgot to bring one and I was freezing all day. It's cute though.

We went to Applebee's for dinner tonight. We got there before the dinner rush... at persicely the right time. A crowd followed us in!
I had the WW French Onion Soup (3 points) and the WW Steak and Shrimp Skewers, which was served with Broccoli on a bed of rice. I was quite impressed. I figured the portions would be small, and maybe not fill me up. But they were perfect, and I left full. It was a great meal.

After dinner we went to Wal-mart. I got some more clothes there. I got some sweat pants that are like capri's - they're really cute. I also got another shirt for work and a couple of t-shirts. The prices for the clothes down here is definatly cheaper than at home. Don ended up buying 12 shirts between Target, Old Navy and Wal-mart!

I also got a few more groceries at Wal-mart. I got some Fat Free Chef Boyardee Ravioli, and some Fat Free Turkey Chili. I'm looking forward to trying those. I also found some 100 calorie Twix and 3 Muskateer bars, as well as Oreo and Chips Ahoy Candy bites.

Tomorrow our plan is to go to the waterpark, and to a movie in the evening, so it should give my credit card a good rest!

Oh - I got a new bathing suit today too at Wal-mart. It's a one peice, but kind of has an empire waist with a skirt that covers my ugly thighs :) It's really cute.. maybe I'll post a picture one day. I haven't worn a one piece in years, but this one looks great. Or so everyone else assured me!

I'm off to bed now. My feet ache. :)

Off to Minot!

Today we left Regina for Minot. We ended up leaving the city just after 11 am. As planned, I got up about 7:30 this morning and went to the gym, where I did 45 Minutes on the tredmill!

I didn't have anything to eat until I was in the car, where I drank my 500 ml of Chocolate milk and 2 Chocolate Bran Muffins I'd made earlier in the week. It worked well that way, because I don't really have a problem not eating in the morning, but seem to have a great problem with not eating in the car - I made it work!

By the time we got to Estevan we were all hungry for lunch. We ended up stopping at a place called Eddie's. After browsing the menu, I thought I might have a Shrimp Salad, then I found out the Shrimp was Sauteed in Oil, so opted for a Tossed Salad with Creamy Cucumber Dressing on the side. I did the dip the fork thing and barely used any dressing - whole meal ended up being 2 points!

When we got to Minot we checked into our hotel, then went to the Wal-Mart Super Center, where I got TONS of 100 Calorie packs of Hostess Cakes, Cheese Its, Butterfinger Bars, cookies, you name it - I got it! I also got some Crystal Lite - Ruby Red Grapefruit, Peach Iced Tea, Raspberry Lemonade & Pink Lemonade (Which I can't wait to try!). I did end up trying some of the 100 Calorie packs of Hostess Cakes - it's 3 mini cakes for 2 points - quite good.

I have been wanting a exercise DVD for awhile, and ended up getting the Dancing with the Stars Cardio DVD, so I can't wait to try that either!

For dinner we were going to go to Applebee's, which was super busy, so we opted to go elsewhere, but will go back to Applebee's another night. We went to a Buffet - which can be difficult on WW, however, I managed. I started with a salad, with Low-Fat Ranch Dressing (was quite pleased to see this) and some Cottage Cheese (I'm saying it was approximately a half cup) so that plate was 3 points. I then went back and found some broiled fish (No batter... right next to the battered ones and fried chicken, which I ignored) and some steamed vegetables. It was a smallish piece of fish, so I counted that plate as another 2 points. Total meal points - 5! They also had sugar free pudding and jello options for dessert, which pleased me. I had orange jello. I did however have to have a small portion of soft ice cream, which I tracked at an additional 5 points.

I'm quite proud of myself. I'm hoping I can stick with this my whole trip! It's really not difficult to be good while eating out if you pay attention.

Here's to tomorrow!

Here goes nothing..

Today was a pretty good day. As planned, I got up at 6:30am - with quite a bit of hesitation, let me tell you. I had to text Don to see how the weather was before I managed to get out of bed. I'm glad I did though. I love going to the gym at 7am. The early morning be-there-before-the-gym-even-opens crowd is gone and the school crowd hasn't shown up yet. It's great - I can get on a machine right away!

Work was surprisingly slow for a Friday the 15th.. before a long weekend. The day just seemed to drrrraaagggg on! But isn't it always like that the day before holidays? Speaking of which, I'm kind of worried about the drive. It's currently 3 degrees and RAINING... in February! Have to hope for the best though and hope the roads are good.

I truly am excited for this trip, and I'm determined to stay on track while I'm gone. I need to prove to myself that I can do it. I think we're going to go to Applebee's tomorrow for dinner - very stoked for the WW menu!

I threw some 100 calorie snacks in my bag too, and some smart pop for evening snacks in the hotel room. I also made sure to throw my digital points calculator in too.

We have decided to leave at 10am, so I will be getting up and going to the gym for 8.

Wish me luck this weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! On a day that it can be so easy to stray from my Weight Watchers lifestyle, I stuck to my guns and stayed on track!

I got up early, so I could give my mom the heart-shaped Bamboo that I got for her, before she went to work. She loved it. She said she was thinking that she needed more plants for her desk at work.

After her and my brother left the house. I went downstairs and did some abdominal exercises and arm exercises with my new hand weights. I also went on the Elliptical. I was quite proud of myself, because I usually feel that I need to go to the gym to get a good workout, but I just kept moving, and doing the things I do at my Body Blast class, and I felt that I had a great work out. I even earned 4 Activity Points, which would help out later in the evening.

I got to work to realize that we had an over-abundance of staff on today, and that it was quite slow. I ended up offering to go into the file room and pull files all day.. so my thighs are going to be sore tomorrow from all the squats!

After work, I went to Don's for our heart-shaped pizza Valentine's dinner. I have to admit - I was kind of disappointed. I'd been looking forward to the pizza all week, not so much because it was pizza, but more because of the heart shape.. as odd as that may sound. Anyway, you really had to use your imagination to see that the pizza was in the shape of a heart. It was the Schezuan. I thought it was really good - I ended up eating 4 slices! It's okay though, I had 12 points left for the day, and used my 4 Activity Points for the last slice. But boy, was I stuffed. I'm not sure why I even had that last slice. Live and learn. It's great to eat and not feel guilty!

Oh - Don got me a new Journal and the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus CD (I'm such a nerd - but I really like her!) for Valentine's Day. He's such a sweetheart.

Tomorrow I am planning on getting up early and going to the gym before 7am, so that I have time to get home and shower before going to work. I used to do that almost everyday, but it's been months and months and months since I've done that. I'm also hoping to go to the gym right when it opens at 8am on Saturday, so that I can get in some Activity Points for the day. That will only work if we leave at 10am or later for Minot. I'll know more tomorrow. I'm really trying to get as much activity in as I can this week, because of the extra points I may consume this weekend.

I'd also like to send out my condolences to the victims of the Northern Illinois University Shooting today. What a tragedy.

Snow, Snow, Go Away...

... and never come back! My lord, it wasn't snowing when I went to bed last night but boy, did it sure snow overnight.. and continued to snow until.. well, after 2:00 for sure. (I went to school then, and had no window to watch it from..)

I shoveled the front walk, and the sidewalk in front of the house this morning, so the mail man would come. I should say I dug it out.. probably a foot and a half deep! Took me about 15 minutes - but hey, that's an Activity Point!

I didn't end up going to my morning class, I figured it was more important to study for my midterm I had this afternoon. I think I did okay on the midterm, I may have messed up one question though, but I guess we'll see after reading week!

After my classes were over for the day Don and I went to the gym for about a half hour. It was super busy there! We weren't able to get on tredmills for awhile, so we used the recumbant bike instead, then walked the track. Wasn't the greatest workout ever, actually, it sucked... but.. another Activity Point!

I didn't have a dinner plan for tonight, which I usually do. I had no meat in my fridge, so I ended up cooking 3 small potatoes and topping them with some cauliflower, corn and cheddar cheese. That and a cup of milk, ended up being a 10 point meal - so much for a low-point dinner. It was okay though, because it was quite filling - and I got in lots of vegetables! Beats blowing my points for the day on something worse, right?

After dinner I went back out to shoveling. I was out there for over an hour this time. I gave myself another 2 activity points for this, so I've totaled 4 for the day. Not bad.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I work the late shift on Thursdays (12-8) so I probably won't be home until closer to nine, depending on the weather. Don is going to order a heart-shaped pizza from Boston Pizza. The past few years we said we would do that, then never did. He's going to order the Schezuan (sp?) which is 4 points a slice. We're going to make a salad too, and then take leftovers for lunch on Friday. No big pig out here! I'm still working at saving my Flex Points for my trip this weekend.

Speaking of my trip.. I started to do laundry a few hours ago, and seem to have forgotten about it. I better get at getting organized!

Just another Tuesday...

Nothing exciting happened today. I did go to Body Blast tonight though, and I'm glad. I really needed it. I do need to get going to the gym more. I'm going to go tomorrow after my Finance class... I do believe. No. I'm going to go. I WILL DO IT! No excuses! Haha!

I ended up going over my daily points by 3 today. I wasn't intending on doing it, but I ate my dinner before going to Body Blast, which I don't usually do and I ended up being super hungry afterwards, of course! I did however, earn 4 activity points, so it's okay!

I have an Accounting midterm tomorrow. I'm not quite ready for it yet, but I do intend on getting up early in the morning to study before my lab at 10 am. I also have time between classes in the afternoon, so I should be fine.

Wednesdays I haven't taken much care packing my lunches. I'm used to being able to bring "warm-up" lunches to work, and not having access to a microwave when I'm at School on Wednesdays is difficult!

So my goals for tomorrow are to pack a good, healthy lunch, and go to the gym! I think I'm going to hit the tredmill!

Back to studying!

Saskatchewan Roughriders -- 2007 Grey Cup Champs!

Winnipeg Mayor, Sam Katz showing his Rider Pride today at Noon on the corner of Albert Street & Victoria Avenue.

A truly wonderful moment for any Rider Fan!

Go Riders!

February 11th Weigh-In

I'm down 2.6 for a total of 15.4 since January 2nd. Very pleased. I'm going to Minot, ND this weekend for 3 nights. This is going to be a challenge because I tend to just say "whatever" when I'm not at home and eat as I please.

I was thinking that I should get some snacks for the road trip, then I thought, Why? I mean.. I don't snack between meals (only an evening snack) now.. why do I need to snack just because I'm in a vehicle? So my plan is when we leave on Saturday morning I'm going to take a 500ml bottle of chocolate milk (thus getting in my milk servings for the day) and that will be my "car treat".

I'm also going to be buying some breakfast to have in the room, and thus not eating greesy McDonalds or something of the sort. I've checked that the room also has a fridge and a microwave, so I'll be purchasing some Smart Ones at the Grocery Store down there (I've also already check that they have them) and eating those for my lunches, saving more points for my evening meals.

We intend on going to Applebees too, and they have the WW menu there! I'm quite excited to try that!

I am GOING to have a great weekend, I'm NOT going to be deprived, and I WILL lose! :)

A New Beginning

Well! I've decided to start my own blog. Who knows how long this is going to last, but I'm going to try!

In this blog I'm going to showcase my weight loss journey.

When I first joined Weight Watchers June 21, 2006 I weighed 284.2 pounds. At 5'9'' tall my goal weight is approximately 150 pounds. I'm presently sitting at 223.4 pounds.

My first 7 months or so on the program were great. I lost alot of weight. I hit my 75 pound loss in January of 2007. After that, I seemed to have lost my determination, and gained and lost the same 5 pounds countless times until the middle of July, 2007. At this point I quit going to the Weight Watchers meetings, which is probably one of the biggest mistakes I could have made. I thought I could do it on my own, if it only meant that I'd be maintaining the loss I'd already achieved. Boy, was I wrong! I believe in July I was at about 207 or 208 pounds, when I finally went back to meetings on September 27, 2007 I weighed in at 238 pounds. I'd GAINED 30 POUNDS in 2 1/2 months. That's disgusting - nearly a pound a day! (Well, not quite, but gross none the less.)

When I re-joined in September I lost about 10 pounds right away, then as Christmas approached I did the gain 5 - lose 5 thing again, then gained 10 pounds over the week and a half of Christmas.

I made a conscious decision to make 2008 my year - the year that I would hit my goal, and start to maintain my healthy weight loss. January 2nd was the day I chose as day one. I weighed myself at home (it wasn't my regular weigh in day) and I weighed 236.2 pounds and had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 - grossly overweight. I took all my measurements (Calves, Thighs, Hips, Waist, Bust & Arms) and decided that I would re-take them the first of every month thereafter.

I decided to set goals for myself, and rewards for when I reached those goals. My short term goal is to get under 200 pounds. I honestly cannot remember a time in my life when I actually weighed under 200 pounds. My goal is to get to this point by May 19th (It's really, just a random date I chose, nothing special) and when I get there I'm going to purchase a pair of black shoes with white polka dots that I saw in the Sears Catalogue.

I had purchased a dress early last summer that I had intended to wear to a friend's wedding in August. I bought the dress with the intention of losing 20 pounds and it looking fabulous, however, that never happened. It's a cute black with white polka dots halter top dress, and it is my intention to wear it and actually look great this August 16, 2009, when different friends get married. My Fiance, Don is standing up in the wedding. I don't have an actual weight goal to wear this dress, I just know that if I don't feel 100% comfortable in it, I won't wear it. But WHEN I do, I'll have the shoes to match!

February 1st, I weighed myself. In January I'd lost 12.2 pounds, and my BMI had gone down 2 points. I didn't have a single week where I gained, in a matter of fact, I had great losses! I even lost a total of 9 1/2 inches from my entire body! On February 4, I weighed-in and lost another .6, putting me at a total YTD loss off 12.8 pounds.

My weigh-in meeting days are Mondays. I have been going in the afternoons, and am really enjoying it. This week, however I'm going to a Monday evening meeting, because of other conflicts. I will post this evening with my results!

I know that with life comes it's challenges, and for me this is one of the biggest challenges I will have to overcome. I'm getting married August 15, 2009. I'm using that as my main source of motivation right now. I would like to be at goal by November or December of this year, when I'll have to order my wedding dress.

Everyday is a new day, and I'm not going to let my actions one day affect the next. This is my beginning.





Here is a picture of me May Long Weekend 2006 and Christmas 2006.








This one is more recent. Summer 2007. More to come shortly!