Me Bad! Another Update

I have been just terrible at sitting down and writing any posts! My intentions are good, but I never get a moment to just write and not worry about the content!

And I just wanted to say hello to some of my new followers -- Hello! -- as I meant to say hi earlier but just haven't had the time to do so.

And one of my favourite things to pass the time is going through Google Reader and catching up on blogs posts I follow (and there are a lot!), but I just never have the time these days.

But if it matters, I had started a few blog posts....but just didn't finish them. Is there a still a point of posting them. Hmmm.....

So, in a nutshell, I've been dealing with:

1. Kindergarten Registration: my 4 year old is going to school in the Fall and I had to register him last month. I registered him at his (English) catchment school, which he'll default to if no one else accepts him, and I registered him at the French Immersion catchment school, at which there is currently a lottery underway to see who'll get in.

One of my blog entries I never posted was my take on the whole French Immersion issue, so I won't discuss it here right now.

I also registered him at an out-of-catchment (English) school, a process which included me lining up in front of the school at 5 am, in the dark, until the school opened at 8 am, to secure that possible availability of accepting out-of-bounds students. There's nothing particular terrific about the school, 'cept that it does have a lower ESL (English as a Second Language) percentage than our regular catchment school, and that my next door neighbour has been on the PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) for years, and is currently the Chair. My take is that an excellent PAC that works well with the school administration is a school that takes pride in where it's going in the years ahead and makes for a pleasant school experience.

I'm waiting word this week if we get accepted into French Immersion. My next choice would be that out-of-catchment school I just mentioned, but we won't know if there's any space at the school until about March 1st.

2. Half-Marathon My 12 Weeks training starts tomorrow. I've built up a 100 mile base since October 2009, of which 48 miles were run in the past 4 weeks alone. I'll be following Hal Higdon's Half Marathon - Novice like I did in 2003. The schedule totally works, as I was able to complete my first half marathon in '03 in 2:16:27, and that was just running 3 days/week, not 4 as the schedule suggests. I'm planning on continuing to run 4 days a week, as long as the shins stay injury free, so I'm hoping to break my Personal Best. Here goes!

3. Weight Watchers I officially quit my WW Online subscription, after 8 months. The weight loss has stayed off (35 lbs - yay!) and I've been having trouble tracking my foods for the past 2-3 months. I've been burning over 1200 calories per week for a month now, and I'm eating for fuel for my runs. Again, I have a post I'm in the middle of editing, that shows how you can try WW without having to shell out any money like I did (which wasn't too much, and since it totally worked for me, was so worth the money).

I could babble for longer, but I won't. I'll be back soon, I hope!

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Weight Loss Journey: Complete! Next Challenge...

I finally did it! As of October 1st, I officially weighed-in at 120lbs, a 33-lb loss from when I started Weight Watchers on May 28, 18 weeks earlier.

I had been about 2-3 lbs within Goal for about 5 weeks straight, and I was certain that I would have another week at 122 lb. Without much resentment, I stimulated my metabolism by eating more than I usually would and, lo and behold, that seemed to have done the trick!

I'm currently on what's called Maintenance, where I get a few more extra points each day (5 pts), to up my caloric intake. Funny, after one week of Maintenance, I happened to lose ANOTHER 2 lbs, so that I now sit at 118. Apparently it may take a while for my body to re-stabilize, so a weight loss here and there may occur.

So, what's next, you ask? Now that I've reached my weight-loss goal, what do I do next? Other than go shopping (which I soooo have to do. I kid you not: the size 8 jeans I have are swimming on me that I can literally pull them down to my knees without unbuckling them! I'm now fitting my size 4 Gap khakis once again!), I'm concentrating on developing a good, solid running base so that I can train for that half marathon I've been raving about recently.

I had been taking kickboxing classes since the beginning of July and decided that for the month of October, I'd quit for a while and go invest in another pair of runners. My last pair has definitely seen 500 miles and would never see me through another training season. So, I hit up my local running store with a friend and bought these pretty little toe-covers:

Hot Pink! The NB 769's. Love them! Going for a run in them is awesome. They feel a bit different than the other New Balance shoes I used to use, the 1022's from six years ago.

(Technical notes: 769 is for mild overpronators, a cushioning, moderate stability shoe. Not as technical as the 1224's in terms of cushioning, but remains reponsive.)

So, with these, I'm hoping to run 3-4x a week, logging between 10-13 miles. I figure the next 12 weeks will take me into the New Year with a good conditioning base on which to start my Half Mara training. I probably have an extra 5 weeks in the New Year before the "official" training schedule gets followed, so I still have a buffer, should I need to repeat some training weeks if my body needs it.

I started running outdoors this week, and have only ran about 6 miles so far. Plotting my run routes, logging my miles and strength training (lunges, pushups, squats, etc) is occupying much of my time now. Not to mention that I had to figure out my plan-of-attack when it came to deciding when to run and how far and how often. I don't want to over-train (nor under-train!) or not schedule my runs in at all (since how likely will I go out and do them, then?).

I'm feeling sleek and fast, even though I'm still a snail by a racer's standards. I'm enjoying myself, in my own skin, more aware than ever how my body moves as I walk, run. My larger clothes serve as a reminder of the miracle that has occurred; my depression has lifted. I can move around my bedroom without banging my hips against the footboard and howling in pain and crying about not clearing it. I am less concerned about the once-apparent muffin top I carried and more concerned about which muffin recipe to try out.

I'm happy.

Now, I'm a happy, running fool.

"Run, Forrest, Run"

My Weight Loss Journey So Far

I'm not going to lie to you...I was fat.

But, all things considered, I was not terribly obese, at 153 lbs, having just had my second baby 5.5 months earlier, I was considered "normal", dodging comments like "you'll lose the weight soon" and "you just had a baby".

But, I kid you not, I felt fat, and was.

My hips made me waddle, my thighs rubbed together a lot more than I recalled, I had sandbags for biceps. It wasn't good.

So, after being 153 for a few months, having not shed a pound (ok, I wasn't eating properly, it's a wonder I didn't GAIN), I thought I'd take it into my own hands.

I had to do something!

I decided to join Weight Watchers Online on May 28, 2009. I didn't want to pay for meetings that I couldn't attend, with being a mom of two after all, and despite the fact I didn't want to pay for something online that I didn't know what I was getting in return, I was hesitant.

But I did it anyway, and this is where it got me...

I weighed in last Thursday, July 23, at 132 lbs. I'd lost 21 pounds in 8 weeks.

How did I manage to lose this much, in a relatively short amount of time?

One: I'm a perfectionist. I like rules. I follow them.

There are no hard rules on the Weight Watcher's program. You're given a total daily points value, each food has points, add them up, make sure you're not over your daily points. You get extra weekly points to use as you see fit during the week, to use up daily or in one shot. You get activity points for the exercise you do during the week, which you can also exchange for food points. Not using up all your WP or AP doesn't guarantee you'll lose more weight but it is encouraged to use them up.

I've been pretty good at using up my WP, with all the summer BBQs and gatherings this summer, but I do try to mostly use up only my DP, as I know I can get carried away with eating if I "let go".

I've been pretty happy with what I'm eating day to day. Lots of fruits and salads, whole grains. I do need to add more veggies than I'm currently eating, but that will come in time. Hydrating is challenging and is a contant battle to up my water intake. I've had to limit my starch intake (I love rice and breads!) and cut out butter in my diet (so sad...). I'm working on slowly adding back in limited amounts of guilty desserts, but I don't want to tempt myself, so I'm happy to just cut them out for now.

My ultimate goal is to return to my 120 lb frame -- my "blushing bride" days, if you will. Here's a pic to remind myself what I mean:


Right now, I'm working my way, slowly, to 130lb, when I promised I would buy myself a netbook, a little gift for losing 23 pounds and breaking through the 140's and arriving at the bottom 130's/top 120's.

I'm almost there. I few more kickboxing classes and some more time on my treadmill will help me, as well as supportive family.

I recently tried on an old pair of size 8 jeans, which magically fit me! My size 12 jeans now hang in my closet, collecting dust.

I may not return to my size 4, but I'll be giving it all I've got!

An Update: Random Musings

I haven't had the time to blog much, and although I've been tweeting occasionally, it's not nearly enough to feed my online addiction.

What has been happening recently?

1) I recently bought a webcam a couple of days ago so that I can Skype with out-of-town family members. I really wanted to use it to Skype with my brother but turns out his own computer is infected and he hasn't had it looked at yet, and he can't download anything onto his Work laptop. So the only person I've Skyped with is my cousin and daughter who happen to only live 10 blocks away! At least I know the darn thing works!

This webcam will at least tie me over until I buy that netbook I've been craving the past few weeks.

2) I officially weighed in at 138 lbs this morning, marking a 15-lb weight loss since going on this Weight Watchers journey 5 weeks ago. I have this weekly ritual when I weigh myself each Thursday: I nurse the Mr. B when he starts to squawk at 6:30ish, use the washroom, strip down naked (my wristwatch included!) and then weigh myself, crossing my fingers hoping I somehow learned to magically levitate on the scale even for a brief second.

I've had a few BBQs to go to recently, with a couple this week alone (Happy Canada Day yesterday!), and I managed to eat healthy or at least portion control each time. I'm pretty damn proud of myself, if I do say so. After months of not losing anything, being on this program has really made me realize that I don't need food when I'm bored or stressed, the two occasions that happen to often overlap each other often several times a day. I'm trying to think of food as fuel, paying attention to my satiety signals and eating more fibrous foods to give me that "full" feeling. Also helps that I'm exercising more, which brings me to my next update...

3) I'm able to run a lot better on my treadmill compared to when I started. I used to be able to run for 45 min continuously at an average 6.2 mi/hr but found it disappointing when I could only run for 1 minute at 5.0 mi/hr! I'm now up to a 3 min run with a 1 min walk in between sets. My goal right now is to be able to run 30 min straight, then I'll work on speed. I'm trying to work my way back to road running, and perhaps next year get a few more races under my belt.

4) Meanwhile, I've started my kickboxing class this past Monday and it was great! The warm up was a killer, and I could definitely see the classes helping me tone up. Today is the first day that I can't feel my glutes tightening up as I walk! My back muscles is still sore, as are my arms, but the pain is subsiding...in time for tomorrow's workout!

5) My microwave blew last Friday, and I had to wait 4 days before getting another one that was going on sale. Those days were brutal! You really just don't know how much you depend on quick, hot food until your microwave is gone! I had to resort to pan-heating or toaster-oven-heating or double-boiling all our foods. And the leftovers that went wasted in the meantime? Don't get me started on that...a perfectly good steak down the tube (really...how do you reheat steak without a microwave and not cooking it past well-done? )

6) I went shopping for a birthday gift on the weekend and ended up stopping by Reitman's and bought a cute summer tank that, admittedly, fits awesome. Tried it on in the changing room: hangs nicely? Check. No noticeable flab poking through? Check. Machine washable? Check. Universal colour pattern? Check. Sold!

I have to go do more shopping, now that I can at least camouflage whatever flab I've still got going on! I've got a wedding to attend in a month, and hope to find something good!

So, that's it for now! Now you're up-to-date!

Success, One Pound At A Time

As you may have read, I joined Weight Watchers last week, in an attempt to lose the 33 pounds I gained over 2 pregnancies. Every week, I'm supposed to weigh in (WI) and record it. Today marked my first WI.

I lost 6 pounds! I'm sure most of it is water or cleansing of some sort. I'm actually eating better while on WW, getting in my fruits and vegetables (extra fiber, hence cleansing), cutting out the unhealthy starches I used to consume. I don't imagine that I'll be losing as much each week, but at least it's working for now!

Now that I'm no longer exclusively breastfeeding, but supplementing with solid foods and formula, my Points Allowance got reduced by 5...that's like a whole meal! With any luck, this week will be as easy and encouraging as the last.

Little successes at a time, right?

Weight Watching

So, I took the plunge!


I'm done "whale" watching and now am Weight Watching.

Enter: Weight Watchers Online!

Why, oh, why?

Well, I've been thinking about it for a while (registering, not the losing weight part) and I decided, "to hell with it!". I'm done trying to lose weight on my own. It ain't working! I used to be able to eat what I want, whenever I wanted, and I wouldn't gain weight. Although my metabolism wasn't the best on it's own (I exercised, at times like crazy), I still was able to maintain a 125 lb body.

Not anymore.

After having two kids, I'm so fed up with what I'm working with. I'm not talking about wider hips because of childbirth, but a wider butt that I don't recognize in the mirror. For crying out loud, I was a size 4 and now I'm an 11/12! That's just not acceptable!

TMI but, naked, I have a huge dimple in my right thigh. WTF?

So I signed up with WW Online and for $79 CDN for 3 months, I get:

* a tracking journal, for entering all my foods
* WW database of foods and their points
*a Points calculator to calculate points on foods they don't have recorded
* an online community for support
* a resource of articles
* a recipe builder, to calculate points for my own recipes

and a number of other things I haven't figured out yet. But it's a start...I've got to get moving on this!

First things first: gotta buy a new battery for my scale.

A few weeks ago, I tweeted that I broke my scale. It wouldn't go past 149 lbs! In fact, I didn't break it (phew!) but it just needed a new battery (For you Canadians: the President's Choice "Long Life" 9V battery lasted almost 7 years! pick some up!). Now I can confirm again with ridiculous glee that I am in fact 153 pounds of staggering blubber.


So, I'll be playing around online with my fancy, schmancy new tools to help me on my way to a beautiful, more slimmer me.

Oh, so help me, God!

Photos:

Puerto Madryn 2 by flash_mx
Scale 1 by peter_w