Monday, May 31, 2010

Planting on Zee Farm!

Yes, folks, it's that time again! Planting season...which is why I have been MIA.

This year, I made some changes.....I planted my GARDENS instead of the fields. I was the "support crew" for the field crew, which means I made and brought out morning coffee breaks......and I sat on the planter only three times for about 1-2 hours at a time.....instead, I played in my house and in my gardens.

Not quite where I want them to be yet....and I'm thinking I should take photos and share some of them with all of you! If it's not raining tonight, I'll get that done.

Planting season on the farm is worth a ton of informal, yet challenging workouts! Lots of water - it's been sweltering hot in south-western Ontario! Sweltering!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

...some inspiration

Thanks to Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit - his post this week on the stages of dieting are so, well, bang on!

Hope you don't mind if I adopt your words and tailor them to fit me......


Sunshine’s Stages of Dieting

Denial - At my heaviest, I remember that I could look at myself in the mirror and, at certain angles and with the proper lighting, convince myself that I looked pretty much all right. Sure I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I didn’t look half-bad, even though I felt like day-old crap most mornings. I felt like I was okay… and then I’d see a snapshot taken of me at a picnic or party and my self-image would deflate like a soufflé during an earthquake. I do remember the AHA moment, March 28th, 2005, when I finally said ENOUGH! I joined WW on-line and lost 28 lbs in 8 months and kept it off for almost 2 years! Now, the frustrating thing for me is that until I hit my 40s, the only weight problem I had was that I was under weight….and could basically eat anything I wanted!

Anger - I can’t tell you how many of my attempts at eating healthy were initially fueled by feverish anger… getting mad at myself, at my weakness, at my inability to get my act together – I was great at starting, but it never stuck. But here’s the thing about anger: it burns white-hot for a short period, but it’s simply not sustainable, not something that can carry you over the long haul. Anger is an all-out sprint from the starting gate of a marathon…..and right now I’m finally through the anger, again….

Bargaining – I’ll just have one more reckless weekend, one more bust-a-gut free-for-all before I really, really and I mean really get serious about it. That's what I told myself over and over and over since the end of last November….somehow or other I’ve managed to regain 15 lbs….mostly around my mid-section. Funny how those “last meal” gorge-fests don’t really get the job done as a diet booster… well, not all the funny when you stop and think about it……and right now I’m over this too!

Depression - Overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and crushing levels of frustration, bitterness and self pity. That’s what a lifetime of not being able to get the deal done generally brings about. You feel like there’s nothing you can do to engineer a U-turn on the healthy living highway. You feel down and out, lower than low. This is the darkness before the dawn……..and the sun came out for me yesterday – it’s been peeking through the storm clouds for a few days even weeks, but not been brilliant the way it is now!

Acceptance - I doubt that there’s a single one of us that doesn’t know exactly what we need to do to lose weight and get more fit. We know it. We know it like we know our own names, yet we stumble and struggle to eat the right things, do the right things. Then one day (if we’re very lucky) it clicks – did you all hear it click yesterday? It was a LOUD click! in our heads and in our hearts, and we realize how all the parts and pieces fit together, how energy, effort and enthusiasm can come together to create extraordinary circumstances. That is when the magic happens...

I don’t really know how appropriate it is to appropriate the “stages of grief” idea for a discussion about losing weight and getting more healthy, but I will use anything I can get my hands on–rants, rhymes, riddles or rabid rambling–to help drive these points home. I’ll use anything and everything at my disposal to keep pushing myself (and you, I hope) to a better place. Thanks for these words, Jack, I can definitely relate to this.

Wherever you are on this journey, I hope you’re finding yourself making progress. I hope you've left behind your anger and self-doubt. I pray you’re done with the bad bargains and the pity parties. I am so over it….I am ready to re-embrace MYSELF!

I hope you’re in a good place, ready to face your challenges, your opportunities and your future head-on, with courage and conviction.

You can do this. I KNOW I CAN!

Accept that fact and let’s go. GOING, GOING…….WIP - stay tuned!

NOTHING is going to stop me now!

That's it.....something clicked yesterday - I had a great day. Very little mindless eating (okay, so it was day 1 and the mindless part happens....but I noticed and stopped!)....and it gave me the boost I need to get back to it.

Back to basics for this lady.

Today, I've had my vitamins....and my afternoon dose of calcium and vit D are on my computer screen stand right in front of my face so I can take them after lunch.

Today, I have planned AND tracked my food intake for today - GRIN!

Today, my water bottle, and back-up bottle, are filled and on my desk - and I've already started drinking.

Today, I go for my favourite walk around UWO's campus at lunchtime (note to self, bring kleenex - yes, it's allergy season for me, but I'm not going to use it as an excuse not to go!)




Today, is truly the first day of the rest of my life. Back to basics, back to taking time to take care of myself. Today is day 1 of MY success story!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Reorganizing my Thoughts - AGAIN!

There's no shame in starting over again.....the shame would be to sit back and NOT put any effort in!

Rebooting, restarting, reorganizing, refocusing, whatever you want to label it.....

bottom line is still the same......

ENOUGH already!

I make horrible food choices.....actually I don't choose, lately, I just binge.

I've never actually written the word binge down when referring to me before - well it's out there.....I don't eat to the point of discomfort, but I make horrible choices and eat lots of crap and this has got to stop.

TODAY is the first day of the rest of my life.

Found out about 10 days ago that I am officially PAST menopause.....PAST? I don't really remember starting it.....nevermind going through it......my blood work states emphatically that I am officially on the "other side."

So, I need to be cognizant of genetic issues.......women in my family have osteoperosis and osteoarthritis......I have the latter and have had it for many years, so I need to start doing things to stop any progression....the arthritis is degenerative and not debilitating for me right now, so I just need to listen to my body. If I was in better physical shape, I'd suffer less........

Anyway, I've finally written it down....and will make plans to figure out how to work through this and get my mind around things.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Saturday

I walked 5+ km in the wind this morning!

Go Syl, Go Linsey!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Two 5Ks - Back to Back this Weekend!

I am not a runner due to osteoarthritis. Finally acknowledging that I will never be a runner....I've tried many times but invariably after a week, or several weeks, I start paying the price with my hips/spine/ankle and it's just not worth it.

I will; however, support both Linsey and Syl this weekend in their 5Kms and walk with them on Saturday and Sunday!

Sneak peek at the scale this morning shows that following WW consistently, even for a short period of time, actually works! Who'd have thunk it!?

Monday, May 3, 2010

I was late for work today....

....on purpose. I got on the bathroom scale this morning......I haven't been on it in about a month....it told me the truth. 173 (no decimals). It hasn't shown me to be over 168 since 2004........at first I couldn't believe it....I moved it across the floor and tried again, but invariable, there it was.

THUMP!

Reality check......yes, I have regained a lot of weight in a short period of time....okay, maybe only 8 lbs, but in 2.5 months? NOT good.

THUD! That's me smacking myself upside the head. I knew I was eating out of control....I knew it. I didn't seem to care.

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE.

I'm owning the 173....and I have planned and tracked ALL food intake for the next 3 days. Will stay 2-3 days ahead of the game to ensure I have what I need in the fridge.

Yesterday, when I went into the grocery store, I consciously shopped around the perimeter of the store. I had a list of things I needed from the internal parts of the store (flour, sugar, cereal) and I stuck to the list like it was a lifeline.

1L down the hatch already.....lemon/lime slices in my purple water bottle to make it that much more appealing....




....I was late for work because I decided to STOP what I was doing midlessly and sit down and make a plan.

I have now tracked my food for today, planned my exercise and I'm offffffff...........on my way to a successful weight-loss and a healthy body!

Off for a 30 minute walk around campus in a few minutes......will be doing my favourite journey - hills and stairs!

Tonight - gardening is on deck.....a gazillion WW APs in that.....I'm expanding one of my flower beds which means lots of shovelling and digging and hauling dirt in the wheelbarrow.

Later gators!

Tracker