Plugging along

Made a huge pot of Chili yesterday, mostly veggies, but with a bit of extra lean ground beef. Points work out to 2.5 points per cup, which isn't bad at all as I find it very filling with all of the veg.... I should be able to get by on 1.5 cups for lunches this week. I am missing fruit this week. I cannot wait to get to the grocery store next weekend and buy some fruit. I still do not miss the carbs too much, and the weird thing is that food is not constantly on my mind like it used to be.

What was on my mind yesterday was Hurricane Tomas that was scheduled to hit the tiny island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines yesterday afternoon. You see, my father was born and raised there and while I do not have any immediate family living there, I have a lot of relatives there. I know how tiny the island is and the thought of it being hit by this hurricane had me pretty upset. Many cousins who live there were posting on facebook yesterday morning and then the posting just stopped. I later found out that the Government shut down all of the power on the island as a safety precaution.

This morning we have received word that everyone seems to be ok. Apparently there is millions of dollars worth of damage, roofs torn off, trees crashed into houses, but thankfully the centre of the storm passed just between them and the island of St. Lucia. This could have been much worse. They say the storm is now picking up intensity as it moves towards Haiti. Hopefully it will not hit them, they have already had to deal with so much.

Here is a picture of the spectacular island of St. Vincent(If anyone saw the movie Pirates of the Caribbean - much of it was filmed in St.Vincent )

Official weigh in (weight watchers)

I was down 3.4lbs, which is great, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't dissapointed. Anyway, as long as I keep losing, I am happy.... Here are my stats to date:

After Meeting Update-
Start weight - 250 lbs
Current weight - 239
Weekly loss- 3.4
Loss to date- 11

Off to do some cooking for the week.

Had a weigh in at the gym this morning and......

I was down 6.5 lbs since my last weigh in at w.w. two weeks ago. Hurrah, I have moved well into the 230's which I have been trying to do for over a year. Tomorrow morning is my official weigh in but I'm quite sure the scale there weighs me lighter than the gym.

Onward and Downward.....

Carb Free day 4 - scale woes and progress pic

Today I was worried about being able to stay on program with a pot luck lunch at work. Well I am very happy to say that I stayed carb free.... Mind you I had a small piece of KFC chicken, just made sure to remove all traces of the skin and coating, had a black bean and corn salad, which i separated out the corn and pushed them to the side with the chicken skin... There were lots of great looking things including lots of desserts, but I mananged to keep my eye on the prize.

I have a pair of dress pants I bought about 6 years ago when I reached 228lbs (on a previous weight loss attempt) I never actually fit into before I gained back all of my weight. Today I wore them to work and they fit perfectly. i know I am nowhere near 228 yet, but I must have lost a bit for them to fit..... they are a size 16 .... Now I have written before about ditching my scale into the trunck of my car so I couldn't obsess over the scale right.... well tonight I grabbed it from the truck to take a peek at how far I have come.... well I dropped the scale on the parking lot (concrete) floor plus it has been pretty cold out which I assume would play havoc with my scale. Well I hope so because it is weighing me 10lbs heavier than I was at my last weigh in two weeks ago... Arrrrrrgh, the damn scale is going back into the truck tomorrow..... after I check my weight one more time in the morning.

I have notices a change in my arms and shoulders recently, and I find myself staring at them when I am drying my hair or looking in the mirror... Tonight I took a picture of what it is that I am seeing and I am just loving the definition I am getting in my arms and shoulders. Here is a picture (please don't mind the bags under my eyes or the ratty tank top I am wearing lol...

Day 3 Carb Free and Fitness Test part Deux

Still hanging in with the no carbs. I feel strangely satisfied today. No hunger pains, no cravings and still within my weight watchers points for the day. Tomorrow is a huge challenge as we are having a pot luck at work. I glanced at the list of things and there are not very many good choices... In fact I may end up eating a small piece of KFC chicken (I know it's a potluck, but the lawyers always bring KFC) with the skin removed and some salad and veggies. Other than that not much to report. I am feeling lighter and am tempted to retrieve my scale from the trunk of my car to see what I weigh in at..... but I will wait until Saturday and my official weigh in.

So today at the gym was part two of my fitness test. This one dealt with strength exercises. I can remember all so I will just make note of a few things. Pull up (on a pull up machine) last time I did 11, this time I did 25...leg press -I topped it out at 290lbs, which is what I did last time, although because my back was hurting me we didn't hit "muscle beach" and the big boy weight machines to see what I could do.... finally, we hit the arm press( which I think is equivalent to doing a bench press only you are pushing the weight out in front of you) So last time I did 135, and this time I did 185..... Now I thought that seemed like a decent amount and a pretty good weight so I asked my trainer if that was good.... his response" ah yes it's good, how many girls do you know who can press 185lbs" hehehe, finally redemption from my less than stellar cardio day!

Feeling good about everything right now, just trying to find my groove and I know there will be no stopping me...... "the real me" is so close now, I can feel it

Onward and downward

Day 2 carb free

Still within my weight watchers points ( used 2 weekly ponts) and still carb free. I am feeling a little bit of the effects of withdrawing from carbs- cranky, slight headache, a bit tired, but then it is rainy and yuky here so that could also be the reason.

Food wise - today was a pretty much a repeat of yesterday except instead of eating lettuce or spinach, I ate brocoli slaw. Not bad. I am giving myself some time to get used to this new way of eating and can't wait to start trying some recipes.... My co-worker has already opened my eyes to how much better roasted almonds are to regular almonds, as well as the fact that tzaziki sauce is very tasty as well as being carb free and low in points.

Last night or this morning I woke up recalling a dream that I was having.... I was at a market and was lining up to buy a raspberry pie and beef patties.... the line up was around the block, but I didn't care, I just wanted me some carbs.... lol Dreaming about them is ok, as long as I stay away from them while awake....

Does anyone have any experience with the South Beach diet- either good or bad? Somebody told me that it is a bad idea and that I will be forced into a state of ketosis and basically my body will start to eat my mucle mass. I truly think that doing no carbs for only two weeks will not cause any damage and it it gets rid of the cravings and binges, then I am all for it. Any thoughts are welcome (as always)

Monday Update

So this morning at the gym, my trainer surprised me with a fitness test. Damn, I didn't have time to worry about it all weekend... haha. After my 1/2 mile run to warm up we hit the rowing machine. I have not been on this since my last fitness test 8 mos ago. The goal is to do 1000m in 2 minutes or less. Last time I did it in 2 min 14 sec and was totally exhausted. Today I did it in just under 2 minutes. I was tired i.e breathing hard, but had energy to spare. Next step ups. The dreaded step ups. In two minutes I did 41 step ups. Last year I did 51, and the benchmark is 71- blarge, that sucked. Next back to the treadmill to do a 1 mile run...after th step up disaster I kicked it up a notch- or tried to anyway. I finished 1 mile in 14 minutes flat.... previous time was just over 17 minutes. I was disappointed in this simply because I have workes so hard on building my cardio.

I told my trainer that I was feeling discouraged that I only beat my time by 3 minutes and then he told me what my time was the very first fitness test I did two years ago.... wait for it......40+ minutes. So in the last 8 months I shaved off 3 minutes, but in the last two years I shaved off a mere 26 minutes. WOW, I like that a lot better.

Next it was on to pushups which I totally suck at. Could only do 11 vs 17 last time. And finally I did the plank position for 46 seconds vs 31 last time(these are just approximate as I totally forget the times)

Today was also day 1 incorporating South Beach into my weight watchers plan. So far so good. I was actually on target for my daily points and felt like I ate a ton of food. Here is a breakdown without the portion sizes (cause I'm too lazy to look them up)

m1: two egg omelette with canadian bacon and shallots

m2: cheese string

m3: spinach leaves, cucumber and tomatoes with grilled chicken on top with a drizzle of oil and balsamic vinegar.

m4: 15 almonds

m5: taco salad - extra lean beef with mushrooms and taco seasoning, over a bed of spinach leaves and fresh tomatoes. Add a couple dollops of low fat sour cream and 1/4 c of low fat cheese. I just finished this and feel full, full full.

Now I am off to the gym to do some stationary bike riding. My goal is to burn 3000 calories per day and I need a second workout to be able to push me over that mark

Biggest Loser 7 - Bob's Freakout Extended

My favorite Biggest Loser moment

Changing things up again

I am continuing on my never ending quest to find out what works for me. I feel like my eating "problems" stem from not finding the right balance of foods for my body. I have been thinking a lot about one of my fellow bloggers (and friend) CD Blueberry, who has been on a mission over the last few years to figure out some things going on in her life. She has recently stopped eating gluten, along with other things, but for me, gluten and carbs are the biggies. I tend to eat a lot of white pasta, and wraps and constantly crave sugar etc. I also have a co-worker who is following the South Beach diet and has lost about 80lbs since the beginning of the year. Now I have no desire to stop following weight watchers but I have decided to incorporate some of the South Beach diet into my weight watchers plan. i.e. lower the carb intake. I have started to read a book outling this diet and am ready to incorporate phase 1 into my life - So for the next two weeks I am on a very limited diet - no fruit or fruit juices, and no carbs, of any kind. This is supposed to get rid of cravings to sugar and carbs. I will still follow the point totals of weight watchers and continue to track etc, I will just be choosing my foods differently. I guess it can't hurt and the book says you will lose up to 16lbs, mostly off your tummy in the first two weeks (and then it slows to 2lbs per week) I am not looking for a quick fix here, I am just looking to unlock the key to this weight loss puzzle.

So, today I went grocery shopping and bought all of my food for the week - things like chicken, shrimp, and steak, as well as Canadian bacon. I can have eggs and lots of fresh veggies and fish and low fat cuts of meat. I am excited to see how this plays out. I cannot imagine not craving donuts and baked goods and chips and chocolate, but I will give it a try.

As a final note I just wanted to make note of my calorie burn last week and attempt to do a little bit better this week:

Sunday: 5k on treadmill 49 mins = 640 calories burned
Monday: cardio day 1hr 10 mins = 661 calories burned
Wednesday: kickboxing 1 hr 20 mins = 695 calories burned
Wednesday night: hill walking on treadmill 45 mins =323
Note: on Wednesday my total calorie burn for the day was 3066!
Onward and Downward

5k update and tales from the scale

So today I was supposed to do a 5k race in Downtown Toronto, but due to a nagging knee injury, I backed out. I promised my trainer I would give the 5k a go at the gym today so at least I could stop or slow down to a slow walk if my knee was hurting.

Anyway off I go I was doing ok for the first mile, and slowed down a lot for the second mile and while starting the third mile I realized I was pretty close to being able to catch last years 5k time, so I started to really push myself by alternating sprints at 5.5mph and then a fast walk at 3.7mph to catch my breath. I was so focused I did not notice anyone around me I was just pushing myself. Sweat was dripping off of my face and my face was red my shirt drenched.

It came down to the wire but I ran out the last 0.10 miles at 6mph and as soon as I reached the 5k mark on the treadmill counter, I slammed my hand down on the stop button and was doubled over trying deparately to catch my breath. I lifted my beet red, dripping sweat face up only to see the woman two treadmills down, looking at me with a mixture of concern and awe!

I just lookd at her and said" Thank God that is over with" and we both cracked up with laughter...

Oh and I shaved just over a minute off of last years time... my time was 48 minutes and 12 seconds.

Yesterday I went back to weight watchers after a two week "falter". I was up 0.4 which I take as a victory really. I am starting again, I pulled out my bodybugg and hit the gym and have been cooking up a storm so I am prepared for the week and I will give it another whirl..... one day this is all gonna come together :)

Survived High Cardio day! Phew

So I am battered and bruised (literally) but I made it through high cardio day! My day consisded of a series of high bursts of speed running and then 2 min rests in between. At one point I had to jog across a room while holding my arms straight out in front of me holding on to those stretchy bands...... my trainer was behind me adding tension to the bands- ummmmm lots of tension. I felt like I was running on a 45 degree angle leaning forward. The worst part was when I had to have the stretchy bands aroung my waist with my trainer providing the tension behind me. I had to jump out and down and touch a cone on the floor, then move laterally to the next cone. This just about killed me it was so hard and I had to do it over and over and over again..... In fact last night I was changing and noticed a huge black bruise on my stomach from where the band was digging into me. I didn't do very good today, but that is normal the first time I do something new, I hold back a bit, so I know I will be better next week :)

Off to do some shopping today and going to visit an old friend tonight that I haven't seen in ages. Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends.

Boxing update and truly scared about Friday's workout

Yesterday I had boxing training... I really need to get some video footage of my workouts because it is hard to describe in writing. Today I did lots of combos jab, cross hook, then my trainer would take a swipe at me (I had to make sure my hands were up to block or risk getting clocked in the face) And I did lots of footwork today. If you've ever watched boxing there feet are always moving. I started doing that yesterday and it made me feel like fricken Mohammad Ali - lol.... So much so that I totally forgot what hand combo I was supposed to be doing and just started throwing random punches at my trainer..... hahaha I had to stop and apologize and tell he I got a bit carried away with all the footwork.

Now tomorrow begins my first HIGH cardio session. I truly am worried because my regular cardio session that I do on Mondays are killers. I am not sure what I could possibly do to make my cardio session HIGH- I have a feeling there are going to be some yelling, and possibly some tears tomorrow, but I have to admit, I am also a little bit excited because I know I will get through it and be stronger and faster and a few steps closer to my goal once it is done. The best part will be knowing that I looked at the fear that I am feeling straight in the eye and had enough faith in myself to know I can do it. This is probably the biggest change I have made so far.

Speaking of change, I am off to cut my hair tonight - finally. Still undecided on whether to cut it all off short(shoulder length) or to leave it long.... hhhhhhmmmmm I'll see what my stylist thinks.

Gym update

Do you ever have those days when you say to yourself "who the hell are you anyway"? I had one of those days today.... Perhaps it's because I was looking through pictures of my journey so far and remembering all the pain associated with my life a few years ago. Both internal and external pain. I can see the sadness in my face, my body is twisted because of the back issues that left me in constant pain... and at my lowest point almost killed me, when I lay in my bed after hurting the disc in my back and then not being strong enough to pull my body up and out of my bed. I lay there for three days with no food, no water before I had to finally call my father to come and break into my condo to help me.

Today I was driving to work after my morning work out and was thinking about my workout today. My warm up consisted of a quick 1/2 mile run on the treadmill, followed by a full ab cycle and then a full running cycle. This cycle is done bootcamp style so you are runing around cones up and down, forward and backward etc. Each cycle is 2 mins with a 30 sec break in between sets..... It left me sweating and gasping for air and physically exhausted.... I had a 2 minute break and then went back to the treadmill to finish the day..... Now this is where the "who the hell are you anyway" part cames in... Somewhere deep inside of me there was this competitive spirit pushing up through me. I turned to my trainer and said - "I'm gonna run this sub 7 minutes" which has never been done before (by me obviously lol) My fastest time was 7:06, which was at the beginning of the session while my energy level is high and my average time is about 7:30... So what did I do today

6:30 baby..... It took every last ouce of energy, but I did it and it was yet another reminder that I am moving forward on this journey and I am finding out the the real me is strong, and fit and healthy and can do absolutely anything that she puts her mind too.

Life is good!

Week in review -weight watchers missed meeting

Wow, it's been a bit of a crazy week. Tuesday I was out of town giving a training session to a group at a law firm we deal with. I am absolutely terrified of speaking in front of a group and I have to say, the day went amazingly well. On Wednesday, I pulled something in my back while warming up and preparing to kick box. At first I was devastated but quickly turned it into a positive when after two days the pain was virtually gone and I am back at 100%. In the past, this injury would have resulted in months of pain, barely being able to move, on the onset of depression over my never ending back issues. I believe that the strength I have built up in my back and core is the reason for the quick recovery and this gives me lots of hope.

Now yesterday was to be my weight watchers weigh in day. To be honest, my week was not very good food wise. I ate out at restaurants two days (still watched what I ate mind you) but didn't really track all week. Yesterday I was feeling really bloated and just didn't want to face a gain on the scale so I gave myself a pass. This is my one and only pass for the next 3 months, I promised myself I would not miss another meeting between now and the end of the year.

Instead of going to weight watchers, I met up with a good friend of mine and had a girls day. You see I generally go out to her place on the weeks (she lives in a different city) and go cycling with her husband. By the time we get back I am so exhausted I just want to come home so I thought it would be nice to just have a girls day. The funny thing is that when I got there, her husband had to bring me downstairs to see the boxing equipment he set up and show me a few boxing moves on the heavy bag before we left. haha I had make up on and my hair was all nice and the biggest thing (literally-lol) is that I wasn't wearing a sports bra so it was difficult to do anything....

We hit some stores, and actually for the first time in many years, I hit up a store that does not carry plus sizes at all - Ricki's has amazing clothes that range in sizes 0 - 18 meaning it is a "NORMAL" store. Yay. The bottoms still don't fit but I did buy 3 new tops all in size xxl, plus I bought a pair of pants, a sweater and a workout top at winners. I think I should be set for fall and winter now.

We finished our girls night out at a nice Italian restaurant where I had a pasta dish that was penne in a tomato sauce and lots of seafood, scallops, clams and squid, plus the two of us shared a bottle of red. We decided that from now on instead of spending money on crappy food at chain restaurants all the time, we would go out only once in a while and eat real, good, fresh food at nice restaurants for a treat. Both her and her husband have been very supportive of my weight loss efforts and I am glad to have them as friends.

Now today is my restock and prepare day. I have made a large pot of Pasta Fagioli (bean soup) which is 5 or 6 pts for two cups and very filling, which I will take for my lunch this week, as well as a pumpkin butter which is cooking right now and smells wonderful. I will add this to my oatmeal in the mornings and also put it on toast instead of butter.

This week I am going to try and make it to the gym 5 days this week. My training is upping the cardio from once to 2 times this week in preparation for my upcoming 5k race in a few weeks. Monday will be cardio, Wednesday will be kickboxing and Friday will be "intense" cardio. I'm not sure what the "intense" part entails but it sounds like it is going to be brutal!

Onward and Downward.