Reward & New Goal

I am so happy to have achieved my goal, if even a few days late - that still counts, right? I think so, and on the advice of MK, I am declaring this goal met!

Now to my reward:

This hoodie is currently winging it's way to me from Vancouver! I can't wait to see the colour, it looks so light and refreshing!

Now to my next goal. I'm glad to have made my first goal, but there's no time to waste!

Sunday, March 25 - weigh-in #12: 10 pound goal - 193.5 pounds

Reward: facial

That's what I'm working towards now. I already have a head start on it, but I'd like to keep at it this time, and not come down to the wire. It will be difficult for a couple of weeks with our move, but I have to find ways to still work out, and to eat healthy.

I also have a mini-goal for the month of February. MK is trying really hard to get into the 160's this month, so I decided that I should try to get into the 190's this month as well. Might was well crack into another set of digits, and make it to One-derland. Another mini-goal doesn't hurt!

Last night, John and I went for dinner. I had a glass of wine and pasta. I was thinking I was defeated. I worked out at lunch again, and watched what I ate. Turns out I gained half a pound, which is really no biggie. At this point, half a pound is really nothing to worry about. I could be down it tomorrow!

Anyway, should go and get ready for work. Have a great day everyone!

2012 - Bring It On

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012!

We didn't do anything this year to ring it in. We watched the IIHF Canada/USA game (Yay! Canada won, beating our biggest rival and keeping an undefeated title!) with Curt and Kristie, then watched some comedy before heading to bed well before midnight. Lame, right? Not really.

I've been sick for weeks now. I've actually been going to bed at 7 or 8 every night. One night last week I even went to bed at 6. I had the flu a few weeks ago, and I just haven't felt right since. I had a few good days, but then I've been battling indigestion and acid reflux and a massive headache. Yesterday, there was a large fire somewhere, and the smoke just hung around town (one of the problems when there is no wind to move it out) and it made breathing difficult. I think my body is just telling me to get my ass in gear and get healthy. So, I will! 2012 better be a good year for weight loss - much better than 2011!

As I told you in previous posts, I have set up some goals. I did weigh-in this morning, so here we go:

Sunday, January 1, 2012 - 213.5 pounds
GOAL: Sunday, February 12 - 203.5 pounds
REWARD: lululemon hoodie

Ok, so this first 10 pounds should be easy enough to get rid of. I have a detox that I'm going to do, and I'm going to do my best for this first week to cut out refined carbs. Might be easier said than done, but even if I can do it for most of the days this week, I should see something decent on the scale next week.

If, for some odd reason, I get those 10 pounds off before February 12, I'll start my next goal from that point. With my starting weight, and my current goal to lose 45 pounds by October, that should put me at 168.5 pounds, which is higher than my ultimate goal, but if I can get there by October, I should be able to lose that last 10 pounds and be in the 150s by December.

We'l see how it goes. I do NOT want to end 2012 as big as I am now. I don't want to see 213.5 or higher  on the scale ever again. In 2010 I lost the weight, and 2011 I gained it all back. No more of that. Time to get down there and stay there!

I hope 2012 is good to all of you. May all of your resolutions come to fruition!!

Plans

I don't know about you, but I am a planner. Whether it's going away for the weekend (I like to pre-book any hotels, or know exactly what we're doing), or camping (I print off info about any place we go to so that I know what there is to do), or what's going on in my house (I have lists of things to do all over the place - I make my own honey-do lists), I am always the planner.

So, why am I not planning my physical health? I've been letting that go right by the wayside lately, and it doesn't make any sense. I plan absolutely everything else in my life, but not one of the most important things. I did, and when I did, I achieved things. I lost weight. And I was eating healthier.

Last fall, my friend, Monika and I met through Jillian Michaels' website, and started emailing each day. We set goals, and talked each other through achieving those goals. We stopped emailing a while back (well, we still email each other, but not every day anymore) and while she went on to achieve a lot more goals (Go Monika!) I stopped. Now, it's no one's fault but my own, but I stopped making plans and having someone keep me accountable for those goals.

But, I think we're back!

I've been talking to Monika about how I want to get back to it, and she told me to make a plan.

So, that's what I'm going to do - this weekend. I've been so distracted the past few days that I haven't been able to put a concrete plan together, but I am going to take some time for myself while we camp this weekend and make a goal. Well, lots of goals. More attainable goals. Weekly, monthly. Weight loss, workout. Stuff like that.

I'm also going to start having a weigh in day (Mondays, I think) where I blog about my losses or gains, and what helped me achieve those results, good or bad. I think if I sit down once a week and think about what I'm doing right and wrong, I'll be so much better off.

Did I mention that John and I bought a Bow Flex and a Tread Climber? They should be here tomorrow or Monday, and we're setting up our own home gym! I hope that will help us get on track - both of us. Mostly me, but kind of him too.

Anyway. I should get back to work (Bad Kara, blogging at work!!).

Have a good day all! Hope it's as sunny where you are as it is here (for once!).

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #11)

So, apparently I missed week #10. I think I was more worried about my clothes not fitting!

Since I'm back to normal - no headaches! - I'm really only thinking about losing weight. Something. I don't know what I weigh right now since I haven't even looked at the scale since last week, but all I want is to lose some weight. Something, anything - I'll take it!

That's it folks! Simple and easy this week!

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #9)

Ok, simplicity is the name of the game this week. So, simple goal - lose weight. I think I'm doing ok, but today was a total write off. But, I still should show a loss. This week though, it's going to be a good one!

Lent

So, I'm thinking of giving up something for Lent. As a non-Catholic, it's never really occurred to me, but it does seem like something that would be quite symbolic of my weight loss journey. I'm thinking chocolate and Pop Chips are on the chopping block. What do you think?

I just read Bob Harper's blog about the last episode of the Biggest Loser. Check it out. He makes some good points about Arthur being kicked off, and why he needed to be there.

Now it's time to start a new Biggest Loser program on my Xbox. I've done basically nothing today, so I should get my ass in gear.

Have a good day all!

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #8) - ON MONDAY

Ok, so I forgot about this yesterday. But like I said, I was enjoying my time with John. I don't get a whole lot of time with him these days where he's relaxed enough to enjoy himself. So, we enjoyed it! Watching movies (Takers - which was good, Megamind - which was cute, and Unstoppable - which was AWESOME) and playing cards. It was good.

So, how did I do from last week? Well, I didn't lose too much - 2 pounds though! I'll take it. That puts me at 193 pounds. Not too shabby. At least it's a loss this week!

And, well, my goals were ok. I wanted to eat better, work out more, and write down what I eat. I did fairly well with this stuff. I can't say I did amazingly well, but I did ok. Obviously if I hadn't had those couple of really slack days I would have lost more, but it's ok. I need to not complain about 2 pounds. That's a healthy amount of weight to lose.

So, what are my goals for this week?

#1 - Keep writing all of my foods down

#2 - Maintain healthy eating

#3 - Workout, workout, workout

#4 - Drink lots of water

Should be easy goals, since the first 3 were fairly attainable last week.

Welcome to the first week of March everyone! It's currently -31 plus the windchill - can you tell how NOT excited I am to leave the house? I might not. I was going to go and apply for some jobs today, but I just don't want to leave the house. I might just stay home, workout with the Biggest Loser and walk on my treadmill. It'll be a test of will - being stuck in my house with food all day long is not preferable, but I have mostly healthy foods here anyway so it's not too bad. I made John take all the cookies I made this weekend to work so I won't eat them. I can't stop at one or two! Just can't!

Have a good Monday!

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #7)

Well, my first week of not working is over. Time to get back into losing weight!

I weighed in this morning - ready for the scary news? I weighed in at 195 pounds. I'm very disappointed with myself. I thought that I left the 190s behind last year, but nope, they're still present.

Now I have to start thinking realistic goals. What can I do to get this weight off? What was I doing back when it was working? First things first, I know I was writing down everything I was eating. Even if it wasn't something that I should have been eating, I was writing it down. And I was exercising more. So here are the goals (and I am damn well sticking with them this week!):

GOAL #1 - Write down the foods that I eat. That's really the first step in getting this weight off!

GOAL #2 - Work out more! I did ok this week, but I could do better, I know it!

GOAL #3 - No cheats this week! No junk food! No chocolate! Just the good stuff! And if I make it all week, maybe I'll go out and have an ice cream or something to celebrate. One ice cream isn't as bad as several chocolate bars or bags of chips!

I think, with a lot of hard work, I should be able to get to 190 this week. I'll take any loss, but I think I could do it! We'll see how this week pans out!

On a side note, my little niece, Teagan, turns 2 today! I can barely believe it! She was so little at my wedding less than 2 years ago! Just seems crazy. I'm sure I'll go through the same thing around her big sister, Tyhlar's birthday - she's going to be 6 this year! Nuts!

Frustration

So, I'm having a frustration day. I'm frustrated with the lack of weight loss that I'm seeing, even if I know it's my own fault. I'm just gaining and gaining, and even though I'm working out, it's not working. I might just be frustrated with myself, but I'm having a really had time motivating myself to do anything about it.

Yesterday I worked out quite a bit - an hour at the track, plus an hour of the Biggest Loser Ultimate workout and Zumba Fitness with my Xbox. But nothing. Just gain. I was really hoping to find my motivation since I'm not working, but I haven't found it yet. Yes, I'm only on day 4 of being officially off, but I don't know how many days off I'm going to have, and I was hoping to take advantage. Just not happening yet.

Mom and I are trying to figure something out, but so far, nothing.

I want to be able to get outside again, and go hiking, and walk the trails, and stuff like that, but it's -26 outside right now, and it's not an option. I want to get out on my snowshoes, but I still can't do that because it's too cold. Yes, that is an excuse, but seriously, there's a windchill warning for being out for more than 5 minutes. That's just impossible. It's supposed to get warmer out this weekend, so I want to take advantage, but I can't keep waiting for the warm weather.

Yesterday I went to the track even though I wasn't planning on leaving the house, which is good, but it's even getting monotonous. For me, it's just like going to the gym. Gets boring after a while. I mean, everything does. But I need to find a way to push through it.

I keep thinking about why I'm doing this. I'm actually pretty comfortable with my body right now, which is unusual. But I think that might be the slump that I'm in. Really, I need to start thinking more about WHY I'm doing this. WHY am I trying to lose weight.

1. To eventually have a baby. I know that you don't have to be skinny to have a baby - lots of overweight people have babies. But I want to be at my healthy weight when I have a baby to give it the best chance I can to be healthy. And, if I'm healthy while pregnant, it should be easier on me.

2. To be healthy. Not just for the reason I just said, but for myself. My family is riddled with health problems (on both sides - diabetes being the biggest on BOTH sides of my family, not just one) and I need to get my weight down to keep some of those things at bay.

3. Self esteem! HUGE! I was so much more confident when my weight was in the 160s. Right now, that's over 30 pounds away. So far. But, I felt so much better about myself. I know weight really doesn't matter to the people who matter, but you know how it is.

So, I know that there may be more reasons to want to get healthy, but these are mine. Now I need to figure out how I'm going to achieve it. I've tried Slim Fast, and had success. But I'm at home now. All the time. Slim Fast is not an option. I know that I should be trying to follow another diet, but the restrictions really get to me. My sister has told me about the Eat Clean Diet, and maybe today I'll stop in to Coles and pick up the book to see what it's like. I just don't know. If anyone out there has any tips for me, please message me! I'm just having a hell of a time. Need some ideas!

And I think support is an issue. John's too busy to really think about supporting me, and I get that, but maybe I need to sit down and have a chat with him about what I need from him. My mom is trying now, but it's hard too. She works a varying schedule, and right now it works for me, but once I'm back to work I'm pretty much on my own again. And that's really hard for me. That just means I need to figure this out on my own, I guess! Sigh.

Ok, time to get my butt in gear. John's expecting lunch (I forgot to make it for him last night so now I have to bring it to him) and I still haven't had a shower! Time to get my ass moving!

Have a good day all! If you have any ideas or inspiration for me, I'd love to hear it!

(PS: I did go to the bookstore today to look for the Eat Clean Diet book, but being as lame as usual, the bookstore did not have it, so I went back to my standby - The Biggest Loser. I bought the 30 Day Jump Start, so I'm going to take a read, figure it out, and make Monday the day everything changes. I'm still going to work out and things at home here and at the track, but I will definitely be changing it up - stay tuned!)

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #5)

So, I'm not really sure how this week's goal went - the goal of just losing weight. I totally forgot to weigh in. I know, silly me. But it was the first Sunday in a long time that John didn't have to go to work, so I enjoyed it. It's nice to wake up beside someone and start your day, you know? So, no weigh in. So, tomorrow I will weigh. Though, it won't be good. I did nothing today but work on crochet projects, bake, watch football and eat! I called it though - knowing nothing about the last season of football, I said at the beginning that the Green Bay Packers were going to win, and they did! Not that I had anything to do with it - I really only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and half-time show. I enjoyed BEP & Slash & Usher. Fun! Even if the sound was a bit off. Apparently Christina Agulera sang some of the wrong words to the US national anthem, but since I don't know the words, I can't be sure. I made my very first crochet doily today! I'll post a photo below. I actually really enjoyed my day today. Most weekends kind of suck, but John and I got to hang out all day. We sure didn't do much, but I still enjoyed it.

Hope you had a good weekend! I'm so looking forward to this week - Trish is back and it's my last week! Whoo hoo!

Check out my doily below!

Not your average old-lady doily!

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #4)

So, for once, I achieved my goal! I lost weight this week! At the beginning of the week, I was 192.5 pounds. This morning I was 191 pounds. Yay! Even though I gained a ton of weight since before Christmas, I'm slowly losing it now! I think it's due to a lot of my stress going away with quitting my job.

So, goal for this week? Same as last week. Just lose some weight. That's all. Get back into the 180s buy the end of the week. That's it. Gotta do it!

I had a nice lazy weekend. Not much happening. It was pretty nice. Lots of crochet. I'll post some pictures later!

Hope you all got a chance to relax this weekend!

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #3)

Week number 3 already! Wow!

So, I didn't even think about doing a weigh in today - for real. I know it's not going to be good, but I literally got up, sat down in front of the TV & had breakfast. I actually just remembered that I was supposed to weigh today. Oh well.

I bought snowshoes today. Super cool snowshoes. I figured since we're going to have snow for another 4 months, I better find something to do outside. So, snowshoes. The goal for this week is simple: use the snowshoes 2-3 times. John and I are thinking of going to Tumbler Ridge to go snowshoeing, but I think we might be able to just go from here. We started to go through the woods today, but damn. Snowshoeing is hard!

Another goal is to run twice this week. At the track, of course. And, the other 3 days of the work week, I will either walk with mom at the track, then come home and do a Biggest Loser workout, or do a Biggest Loser workout and then go on the treadmill. Easy goals.

Have a good week all!

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #2)

Back again for weekly goals! I notice that last week I didn't put in my weight - I wonder if I forgot? Who knows? And I forgot to weigh this morning before I ate, so that doesn't help matters much either. Oh well.

This week was a bit of a crap shoot. Didn't exercise much, and ate too much. I was so stressed out about work and trying to find a new job, it hasn't been easy. Hopefully this week is better.

I bought a daily planner before Christmas, and the plan was to write down everything I've been eating to try to figure out where I'm going wrong, and to try to make myself accountable. I did it for a couple of days, but it didn't work out so well. This week I WILL write in it every day. That's the goal this week. Start writing stuff down. I know I lost the most weight when I was writing things down. So, time to write and write and write.

I was talking with my mom a couple of days ago at the walking track. You know, people are always saying that it's so much easier to lose weight in the winter. I don't quite know if that applies to me. All I want to do in winter is curl up on the couch, crochet, knit, read and take baths. Hibernate, in other words. I had a much easier time in the summer, when I wanted to get outside and go for a walk and be out in the sun. Now that I'm just walking indoors, around the same old track, I have no motivation. But, I need to get it back. I have 2 big weddings to go to this summer - one in July in southern Alberta and one in September in Toronto. I want to look great! I want to be at least 160 by the July wedding, and 150 by the September one. That 5 pounds a month would make that happen. Now to get on it. Those are the motivators - I just have to keep remembering that. Those events should be enough to get me working out every day, and maybe putting down the food more often. It's worth a shot to keep thinking about that. Skinny dresses. That's the goal. Skinny dresses.

Hope you all have a good Sunday. John's off to play hockey so I have some time to veg out myself. Should be doing something, but I think I'll veg. I have to get in touch with mom to see if we are going to the track tomorrow. If not, I'll just have to go myself. Me and my music.

Sunday - Goals Day! (Week #1)

It's back! Sunday goals! I missed my Sunday goals. It was so nice to be able to sit down Sunday morning, think about the past week, and prepare for the coming week. I don't think I'm going to do a bunch of weekly goals, but just think about what I want to get done this week. What I want to achieve each month.

Basically, my goal is to lose 5 pounds each month. Pretty realistic. I don't want to break it down week by week anymore. It's too stressful for me. As long as I'm losing, that's the key. I think I can do 5 pounds each month. Easy. So, that means that means I want to weigh 182.5 pounds by the end of the month.

This week I'm going to focus everything on working out. I haven't done much at all in the past couple of weeks. So, this week I'm going to focus on that. Eating properly again will be a part of that too, but more focus will go into working out.

Yesterday, John and I went skiing. Pretty awesome, if you ask me. My boots were way too tight, and I lost all feeling in my feet, but it was worth it (note to self, buying my own equipment would be a good idea!). John wiped out pretty hard again, so we had a fairly short day. But it was still fun. The hill is rather small, but very nice. It feels more like a bunny hill, but anything is good. It would be nice if it were closer, but that's the sacrifice we make living up here.

Today, I have a feeling we're not going to be doing much. Just chilling out, mostly. We rented a few movies last night so that if John was too stiff today we wouldn't have to leave the house. We watched "The Other Guys" last night, and I have to say, it was the most disappointing movie I've seen in a long time. It was completely pointless. I wanted to get up half way through, but John wouldn't let me. I hope the other movies we rented are better. I'm watching "Sex & The City 2" right now, waiting for John to get up. He was snoring so bad I had to get out of bed (his neck is so sore he can only sleep on his back) so I'm just patiently waiting for him to get up. After I'm finished this I'll have to get crocheting, the baby blanket I'm working on won't finish itself!

Hope you all have a great Sunday!