Feeling like my resolve is going to stick!

Work is still nuts - and will continue to be until end-of-day tomorrow. It's year-end AND we have a big event in our department tomorrow that I'm running. Not making excuses, just PLANNING my activity (and lack thereof) for the next few days. Means that if I want to earn a certain number of activity points (WW) over the next week, I will have barely any some days and more than usual on others. Same result....calories injested - calories burned = weight loss. Simple math!

Had a good day on program yesterday (though a bit low on veggies and fruit), but making up for it nicely today.....

Back Friday! Lovely weather is here - today's high is 15 already (Celcius, my US friends!), and the next four days will be bright sunshine and 20-22! The PERFECT weather for riding.....my bike, my horse, whatever I choose - heck, maybe both!

Later

L

Back to Weight Watchers Meetings for Me Today

Lunchtime, in my building.....12:30....be there! I'll be there!

13 weeks left, which brings us to: June 22!

I will be 15 lbs, at least, lighter by then! I WILL, MARK MY WORDS!

Now, back to the cr@p on my desk.

*********
Update: I went to my meeting

News: my home scale is too kind!

My Weight Watchers at Work Scale says 173.6, so 173.6 it is. I have mixed feelings about this.....I'm MAD at myself for letting myself go again, but at least I recognized it, acknowledged it, took ownership of it, and am planning and working on getting myself back out of it! Or back on track......today is day 1 all over again - AMEN!

It's Monday

Boy what a week ahead of me at work! One step at a time, so MANY deadlines and a big event on Thursday - than thankfully a three-day weekend. Phew!

Saturday I had an awesome workout! Awesome.......then I walked 4.5km on top of it up and down a bunch of hills.....felt WONDERFUL! Yesterday was a quieter day, but got lots of puttering done in and around the house.

Today, 12 hour work day, so not likely that I'll get any exercise at all, unless you can count "stressing out" as exercise!

Tomorrow, gym date for CARDIO! Yes, CARDIO. Funny, I had such a good week last week and got two really good workouts in (yes, only two, but you have to start somewhere, right?).....and I ate better and drank more water and I feel so much less bloated and "toxic" today!

Okay, so off I go....will check in tomorrow....and will track my food intake and drink LOTS of water today.

Do You Believe Things Happen for a Reason?

Weight Watchers: a lifestyle adjustment plan that works when you follow it - I know because in the past I have been a WW success.......at the end of March 2005, I joint WW online and lost 28 lbs in five months - and I kept it off for 2 years.......then I allowed life to happen (well, it does happen!) but didn't take any responsibility for the consequences of not taking care of myself. Fast forward another couple of years, I've recommitted, half-heartedly at best, and after losing maybe 5-8 lbs, I've continue to not commit fully and continued to fail to achieve.

I use the word fail - I'm not seeing myself as a failure, I'm just frustrated because I am a high achiever in my work life, I have a successful business on the farm with my partner and love of my life, but I just never seem to get the putting myself first part right!

As I posted the other day, I will be turning 50 in November this year. My new drive is a question: "Why can't I be fit, fabulous at fifty?" The answer is simple.....there is only ME standing in my own way. Our kids are all older now - one finishes her undergrad this year and has one year of grad school and she's off - she'll be working away from home most of the summer agian this year.......the second one is finishing up her firstyear in university and will be moving back home in a month - she has two jobs this summer and will likely be working 6-7 days a week - so she too won't be demanding too much time from us....my youngest daughter will be turning 16 shortly - she works on the farm in July and August pretty much every day, so she too will be busy......and this year, finally, my young stepson who just turned 14, has been working side by side with his dad in the greenhouses and I know he'll be asked to do a lot of the work that I have usually taken care of with his dad (I used to get home from the office, change clothes and go to work on the farm!). Sounds like NOW IS THE TIME FOR ME, doesn' t it?

So yesterday, was an interesting day....indeed, interesting. I had already made a commitment to myself to get back to the gym and stop making excuses about going. I have a girlfriend who I used to work with who has agreed to meet me there twice each week, so there's a great opportunity to get in a great workout while spending time catching up with each other. Yesterday we went for the first time in months......and I told her that I was going to kick her @ss and mine back into shape - and I told her the first two weeks were going to be about cardio and nothing else when we're at the gym and that she needed to get in a core/arm/leg workout on her own time in between. Yesterday, we did 30 minutes on the bike, and 25 minutes on the treadmill and I was in the "zone" for most of the 55 minutes (yes I did warm up and cool down)......it felt FABULOUS to be back......and the realization that I hadn't lost the touch, and wasn't in as bad a shape as I thought I was was incredibly motivating. Tonight when I get home from work, I have a date with my elliptical trainer at home, and Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred. Gym again tomorrow night, etc. I've even re-revamped my old workout calendar and have started using it again. Enough about that......

Yesterday, something else also happened. Last summer, while at the gym, I noticed that they had a WW meeting right next door, so after my workouts, I joined meetings. Unfortunately, I stopped going to the gym, which made it easy for me to stop going to meetings. The incredibly thing about the meetings is that the leader they had there was so motivating.......seriously the best leader I have ever had (I've been a WW-meeting-goer for years in Montreal, Brockville and close to home in London various times over the years). So yesterday, I tripped over a booking in a conference calendar that said there were WW meetings in my building at the university (HUGE campus) on Tuesdays at lunchtime. So I said to myself....hmmmmm.....in order to succeed I need motivation - so I e-mailed the person who booked the room - she forwarded me on to someone else, and ultimately I ended up being connected to the leader......the leader is my favourite leader from the other location from last summer! Coincidence - maybe, but inspiring enough for me that I'm joining next Tuesday.

I'm embracing the opportunities that have been laid out in front of me and I'm going to take responsibility for my actions (good and bad) and take ownership of self-care and going for broke with my new "Fit, Fabulous and Fifty!" goal.

boy that was a long post, but I just needed to put it out there.......!

Monday - looking back

I did not too badly at all yesterday. First day of focusing on me, putting ME first for a change. Went out with a girlfriend after working 12 hours - YIKES! I got home at 10pm (left at 7am!)...but it was nice to get out and talk.......

Today, back to tracking food, drinking at least 2.5L of water and going to the gym. I have a girlfriend who is as committed as I am so we're going to keep each other honest while we work through getting back into the groove.

I have already tracked my food intake for today - including a pancake supper I'm going to tonight. Lots of veggies today....before the event itself!

I'll be back tomorrow with an update on how today went......

I'm getting my mind around a lot of "stuff" right now

.....like I'm going to be 50 this year....wouldn't it be wonderful (and sensible) to be in the best shape and healthy when I turn 50?

Well, I will be.

I've devised a plan.......and I'm working on executing it.

It involves weight watchers - I'm going to track my food/exercise there.
It involves the gym - and visiting it on Tuesday and Thursday every week after work
It involves Jillian Michaels for the short-term and getting back to Shredding
It involves the nice elliptical machine in my living room and getting back on it and slowly increasing my time on it with each bonding experience!
It involves planning and tracking my food, and getting all of my water in.


Mostly, it involves taking care of me, focusing on the positive in my life and being the best that I can be!

Tomorrow.......gym after work with my friend Gail......

Survived The Weekend!

Went to a neighbor's for supper last night - she made every single one of my favourite dishes. I'm writing yesterday off.....what with wine, and food and dessert......and restarting again today!

Going for a walk at lunchtime today - it's cold out there, but as long as it's not raining, I'm walkin'!

Have an awesome day folks!

Good morning on this wonderful Saturday!

Off to the barn shortly to work all morning seeding trays for the greenhouse. I've already been into WW and tracked my breakfast, and planned activity for today, which includes barn work, yard work and either a power walk or elliptical/treadmill depending on the weather later on.

I feel like I've taken back control again - and it's about time. I had some sort of epiphany yesterday - it was gradual, but I want you all to know I'm back, going to kick the unwanted pounds to the curb for good this time, and am going to develop my body into a leaner and toned creature. So it is written, so it shall be done.

Welcome to the rest of my life!

(sneak peek at the scale this morning has me down 1 from yesterday - GRIN!....so I thought I'd start the -20 in 10 weeks drill again)

20 lbs in 10 weeks - started Friday, March 19th at 168
Day 1 -1 or 167

One more thing!

Words to live by: I borrowed this from Spark People - you can insert whatever "activity or distraction" you wish anywhere in the text to personalize it........but very much a huge hurdle for me:

Put Yourself First

Reach Other Goals by Starting With Your Self

You’re a parent, school volunteer, Little League coach, and trusted assistant to your boss. You’ve been up since 6 a.m., made breakfast, packed lunches, cleaned the house, chauffeured the neighborhood kids, helped with homework, read bedtime stories, and finished extra work from the office.It’s 11:30.You’re exhausted.And, in about six-and-a-half hours you’ll begin the whole 24-hour cycle…again.If you find yourself saying ‘Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off!’ you’re not alone. Most of us—especially women, but men too (hey, there are reasons that men die younger than women)—have at some time found ourselves at the bottom of the heap when it comes to taking care of our needs.The problem with that is that if we don’t take care of ourselves, sooner or later we won’t be of much use to anyone else—or to ourselves. Just as the airline attendant tells you to put on your own oxygen mask in an emergency before helping a child with theirs, you must take care of your own basic needs before you can attend to the needs of others. What’s more, being busy is not necessarily the same as being productive with meaningful activity. (Do the workaholics you know really accomplish that much more in proportion to the time they invest?)

If “putting yourself first” (a common admonition) sounds too selfish or too hard, try something simpler: put yourself on an equal footing with those you love and tend to. Do you insist that they get enough sleep? Start making that a priority for yourself too. Do you give them time for fun and socializing with friends? Then you do the same! Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: human beings must meet their basic needs before they can move on to higher-level goals. Since most of us already know that we should take care of ourselves—but often have trouble figuring out how to do it, here are some guidelines for getting there:

- Preserve your physical health with adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
- Value your emotional health as much as the physical, with a support system of friends and a willingness to laugh—especially at yourself.
- Schedule fun activities on a regular basis—it’s just as important to plan pleasure as it is to plan work.
- Identify “busy behaviors” (or people) that drain your time and energy but aren’t really important, then dump ‘em, or at least minimize their hold on you.
- Kill two birds with one stone, combining family time with exercise, for example, which benefits everyone involved.
- Try to look at the problems in your life with new eyes to find solutions. If you’re a new mom, for instance, see if you can trade childcare with another new mom to get some time for yourself.
- Learn to say “No!” Your “yes” is valuable and should not be automatic. Instead, reserve it for the things that are most important to you.
- Don’t try to change every problem area in your life all at once. Start with one or two items, then expand as you get things under control.

Your life should be like a checking account, balancing out on a regular basis so that you always have assets to draw upon. By making even small deposits—taking care of yourself with a 10-minute walk or a nutritious meal—you’ll be amazed at the interest you’ll reap.

NOT following the plan!

Excuses, excuses, excuses.....well, no not really this time. Just can't get my head around what I should be doing. Gone back to bad habits - eating everything in sight when I get home.

On the positive side, I've been working hard at home at night - lots of spring clean up to do in the horse's run, and the gardens and yard work - yikes! Last night I visited a friend in town before driving home and we went for a good walk up/down lots of hills. So at least I'm moving.

WILL get a grip on eating this weekend and turn over a new leaf with a firm plan on Monday. No more of this ridiculous behaviour for me.

Groceries and fridge clean out planned for Sunday, so will devise my plan around that.

Eeeesh...This time, I can't give up, I have to go for it.

GOOD MORNING! TGIF!

March break starts around here this afternoon......so I've decided to take two days off work next week Monday and Tuesday to do something with our two youngest kids (14 and almost 16)....maybe a movie, swimming......SOMETHING either way!

I'm peeking out from a snowdrift of priorities, papers and deadlines on my desk. Head down and plow through as much as I can today so I can be comfortably off on Monday and Tuesday!

I've been tracking for four straight days now again and doing well with it. This weekend, we are driving to Toronto (about 2 hours away) for a family wedding.....ceremony is at noon, reception starts at 5:30, so we're hoping to walk around Chinatown and pick up some amazing veggie deals and a few treats. We'll be driving home after the reception....into the wee hours of the morning, but there's something to be said for waking up in your own bed!

This weekend I'm going to make some time for me ... read some of a book I recently started, browse through a few magazines.......a pedicure......

I'm still here, honest!

Work has just been absolutely crazy and my sinuses are still bugging me.......going for my annual physical on Monday and will seek advise on how to manage arthritis and working out better and sticking to a weightloss program!

I'll get there eventually! Important thing is that I'm not saying "forget about it" - it's still very much front-of-mind.

Later!

Thursday

Sooooo........today, I go back to the gym! Yes, me......gym.

Not the gym I have been going to the past year, but my old gym......I'm going to see if my all-time-favourite PT is still there.....if she is, I'm going to hire her back to create a new workout for me and then meet up with her once a month of updating.......a commitment like that will have me AT the gym three times a week (done it before!).....I'm PUMPED!

I'm Climbing the CN Tower AGAIN!

1774 steps....144 flights....and yes, I'm doing it again on April 17th....this time it's a fundraiser for World Wildlife Federation....

Last time 43 minutes, 46 seconds

This time, I hope to make it in 35-38 minutes. I start training this week.

Work, as I may have indicated before, has been incredibly busy. I'm finally out of the woods and life can get back to normal again! I had a huge pile of crazy deadlines and today around 11am, I hit "send" on one of the big ones and things can now get back to normal...it's still busy, don't get me wrong, but I won't be up nights worrying about stuff any more!

So.........hopefully tomorrow morning I can remember to bring my camera to work. My window faces East and today, for the first time in I can't tell you how long, the sun was streaming in my window when I got here! It's SPRING!

Later gators!

A Beautiful Tuesday Morning!

Good morning! It's beautiful outside here this morning - okay, the thermometer on the van did say -8 (celcius), but it's crisp, clear and just beautiful outside! It was also light (well, getting there) when I got up at 6.......which gives me hope for a renewed season...spring is almost here, right? Can't wait for the snow go melt and to get out into my gardens once again!

So, work is crazy (budget season), so I won't be on a lot for the next few days....but wanted you all to know that I had an awesome WI last Sunday - I managed to lose 3.1 pounds last week.....which is 2.6 that I had gained the week before and then .5 on top of that. It was definitely a happy moment when I stepped on the scale last week! So, my plan now is to keep up with my clean eating (lots of great foods in my lunchbag today), keep the water going, even have sliced lemon in it today.....and make the most of the nice weather and likely go for a power walk at lunch, just to blow cobwebs out of my head! My "work" runners are under my desk and the sidewalks are finally clear so there's no reason not to go for it!

Here's to another successful week!

and starting today, I'll start posting how many days I've been on program: 8 for me, today will be 9!