Summer15 Update

I am sooooo close to being the lightest I have been in a long time. I am .2 pounds off my previous lightest weight of 158.5. I know I can do this!

So this puts me 9.3 pounds since January 1st, 3.9 pounds down since the start of Summer15 and 0.9 pounds down form last week. Rocking!

Some of the food choice changes I have been making are obviously working very well, as much as I grumble about them. I haven't done much exercise, and I have made some poor food choices this week, but overall I think I did really really good, and I guess it shows!

I have really started enjoying preparing some healthier meals ahead of time for work. My favourites are the breakfast grains from The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps: 100 Easy Changes to Start Living a Healthier Lifestyle and the Tabbouleh from The Low GI Handbook: The New Glucose Revolution Guide to the Long-Term Health Benefits of Low GI Eating (New Glucose Revolutions).

After having a week off from exercise due to illness I went super hardcore when I went back to the gym Tuesday (after having a long holiday weekend). I went a little too hard...not only did I raise my heart rate over the point where the treadmill could read it (it screamed at me 199%+) but I also damaged my knee. I should have known better. I really wrecked it back when I was 16 and doing parades with my Drum Corps. I was told since I refused surgery that it would always be sensitive and I would have to take care of it. And here I go jogging out super hard on a treadmill with about 50-60 extra pounds on me from when I originally hurt it (I was maybe a good 90 pounds soaking wet back when I was that age).

So yeah...duh...and hence the no further workouts for that week. I was in agony just walking up some stairs to get to work. Ugh.

I also sucked out at my goals. I had only 3 goals this weekend, and I didn't complete even one. But on the other side I did spend quite a few hours shopping with the other half to help him put together some nice new ensembles for work (more updates on that soon, just waiting for the official news). I'm telling you, men complain about shopping with women...but shopping with a picky man is no picnic either!

I also had a nice conversation with the other half about my education and am pleased he agreed to let me go back to taking two courses at once since I really only raid once a night now. There were of course some specifications:

1) No more costly extensions.

2) Course must be staggered so as not to have their finals close to one another.

3) Only one of the course may have both a final and a midtem, the complimentary course must be all assignments or assignments with a final only (so as to avoid overlapping of exams).

I am quite happy with this. I will be signing up for my next course (Computers and Management Information Systems) on Wednesday. It is an assignment only course. I can't wait! This will give me some brain breaks from the hideous Taxation course (which has to be completed my November - ugh).

Summer15 Week Six

Well that sort of worked out better. Odd considering the week I have had, but I'll take it as it comes.

Last week if you remember I posted I weighed in at 162.4. I am down 2.8 pounds!

I didn't go to the gym at all this week! This is so weird. I always seem to lose weight when I DON'T go to the gym? Is it just a coincidence?

My food choices were not always the greatest either. My son was out of town for the week and this left me the option of eating crappy dinners (which I did most nights). But I was really really good with my lunches, following the food list as best as possible. So maybe that is what helped.

Hopefully this week I can add in better dinners too. The other half wants to start improving his diet as well, so hopefully with us both feeling the urge to be better we can encourage one another.

I have started reading The Low GI Handbook: The New Glucose Revolution Guide to the Long-Term Health Benefits of Low GI Eating (New Glucose Revolutions) and it has some really great low GI recipes included, together with full weekly diet plans. This week alone I have already tried 2 of the recipes. I especially enjoyed the tabbouleh (pics to follow soon).

I am still interested to learn what everyone else does to stay on track with eating and avoid all the yummy temptations out there. So don't be shy! Leave a comment and let me know, because I am still having way too many weak craving moments.

Family Fun, Frustration and a Weigh In

Wednesday was an interesting day.

Everything started off pretty normal with work. It's starting to get pretty busy at my office (it's tax season and I work in accounting) so I was pretty focused on getting things done so as not to let items stack up.

We don't have cable at home. We canceled it after my father-in-law passed away as he was the only one to really watch television. It's been a challenge, especially now with the Olympics because I really wanted to watch Canada's progression. So when I slid into the van at the subway station (where my other half is so nice as to pick me up so I don't have to take the bus home) and he asked me if I wanted to go to Shoeless Joe's for dinner, I immediately said yes. I didn't even stop to think about the extra calories that would come with such a dinner. All I could think about was the Canadian men's hockey team playing against Russia - and Shoeless Joe's has television sets everywhere, even in the booths!

So as most of you know, it was a great game. I really enjoyed it (and I'm not a big sports person). Even the boy liked it. It freaked him out the first time Canada scored and the restaurant went nuts, but he smiled, cheered along with them, and was fine for the rest of the night. We ordered a bunch of appetizers and desserts afterward and just shared everything. It was a nice bonding experience, made all the better by Canada winning (sorry to any Russian fans out there, close your eyes now).


Ok, I'm done now...

After all that I came home, and in no mood to eat (because I was soooo full and happy) I stripped down and stepped on the scale.


I'm up...0.7 pounds...of course after a meal like that who wouldn't be?

But it's not just that...

I only worked out one time this week, and I ate pretty horribly most of the week. I do really well at lunch, but I always blow dinner. I get home so late I just don't feel like doing anything except picking up fast food.

I also have fallen out of love with the Wii EA Active challenge. It's not the workouts themselves, I love them. It's mostly because of the scheduling feature. My schedule rarely stays the same, so picking your days a head of time and sticking to them is really hard for me. So as hard as I try, I often miss workouts. It's wouldn't be so bad if you could make them up, but there's this horrible irritating statement at the top of the screen that shows X workouts missed. I am sure that is supposed to be motivating...but to me it's the opposite. I just don't want to look at it. It makes me sick. And damned if I am going to restart every single time I miss a workout. I would never finish the challenge!

So instead for a while I think I am going to stick to DVD programs until I can get my motivation back up. I'm kind of in a funk right now. I ordered ChaLEAN Extreme to see if that helps. I like the though of the weight training. Until it gets here though I guess I will mess around with Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred or Biggest Loser Boot Camp until ChaLEAN gets here. Or maybe I'll just keep using the weight loss programs on my elliptical. Maybe I'll just sit around, read, write and play video games.

/shrug

Who knows...

Books Read in 2010

As mentioned in my previous entry, one of my goals was to read at least 50 books in 2010. I will be keeping this entry updated and re-link to it every time I finish a new book (versus making a new post).

1) Men of the Otherworld ~ Kelley Armstrong
384 pages ~ AWESOME 4/5

2) A Touch Of Dead ~ Charlaine Harris
208 pages ~ GOOD 3/5

3) Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4) ~ Richelle Mead
480 pages ~ AWESOME 4/5

4) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) [Adult Edition] ~ J.K. Rowling ~ 332 pages ~ AMAZING 5/5

5) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) [Adult Edition] ~ J.K. Rowling ~ 368 pages ~ AMAZING 5/5

6) Running: Getting Started, 2E ~ Jeff Galloway ~ 231 pages ~ GOOD 3/5

7) Ash ~ Malinda Lo ~ 272 pages ~ AWESOME 4/5

*
Goal #1 ~ Read 50 books or more in 2010.

7 / 50 books read. 14% done!

**
Goal #2 ~ Read 15,000 pages or more in 2010.

2,275 / 15,000 pages read. 15% done!

***
Ranking:
1 ~ POOR
2 ~ OK
3 ~ GOOD
4 ~ AWESOME
5 ~ AMAZING

And So It Begins...

This is my first entry here on my new blog, Everything Gwenny. I'm guessing it would make sense to let you know why I have decided to start blogging.

Mostly, it's for me. It will help me keep myself accountable as I start on this journey to rediscover who I am, the me that makes me happy. I welcome you to come along if you like. I'll try not to bore you too much. I'll even throw in some reviews and other fun stuff every now and then to break of the monotony of my life. I also plan on incorporating a lot of polls to let people have their say over what I should do next.

So what do I need to discover? What am I unhappy with? There is much I could tell you, but this is only the first entry after all, so let's start with the most important issue nagging at the back of my brain (and getting closer to encompassing the whole thing with every passing day). My physical appearance.

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Up until recently I have been pretty satisfied (sometimes ecstatic) about how I look, and how people react to the way I look. It started many, many years ago when I discovered colourguard - also referred to as flag spinning (now there's a story or two in itself). Basically it can be described as a mixture of weaving various styles of dance together with the "spinning" of various pieces of equipment such as flags, sabers and rifles. It was something I highly enjoyed. I practiced almost every day, and my body showed it. I was thin, toned, full of energy...everything I am not today.

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I can't blame it on childbirth either. This is me about 18 months after the birth of my son. I doubt there is an ounce of fat on me.

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This picture was taken 3-4 years after that. Still looking pretty good I must say!

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Two marriages, and two divorces later...I was still very happy with the way I looked and the impression I tended to make on the others around me.

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So when did it all go wrong?

I believe a combination of finally quitting smoking (3 years clean now) and being hired to a "cushy" desk job helped to initiate my downward slide.

My friends all say, "There's nothing wrong with the way you look. You look fine!" But then why does that quiet nice Chinese lady who works in the corner office always get the urge to rub my tummy when she is standing beside me?

I can see it. That's all that really matters. That's me....and I'm not happy.

I'm not saying I'm obese. I'm not even saying I'm fat. What I am saying is that I'm overweight. Even my wii thinks so and makes my little mii look pudgy!

Some people might roll their eyes at me and tell me I am being ridiculous, but when a woman who used to range between 100 and 115 pounds gets on a scale and looks down to see the numbers creeping over the 160 pound mark, I think she has every right to feel upset with herself if she wants to. It's so bad (to me at least) that I don't even let people take pictures of me anymore.

And that's where I am now. I'm upset. I'm depressed. And I'm pissed off! I'm pissed off at myself for letting it go this far. I am the only one to blame, and now I am the only one who can make a change for the better.

But I do need your support and encouragement. Give me shit when I slack off, slap me a virtual high-five when I accomplish a goal. Share your tears and triumphs with me so we can experience this journey together.

The journey starts today. Will you join me? I hope so!

Step One: Choose an initial workout program.

Here's where the first poll comes in. Help me choose which wii related fitness program to try. I will track my workouts and even write a review of the system after two weeks. After that we can choose a new system, or keep on trucking along with the current system if we are really enjoying ourselves.


Have your say! Thank you in advance for making this journey with me!