Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Weigh-In Wednesday ~ Week 20

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Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 212 lbs (Apr 25/09)
Current Weight: 211 lbs
This Week's Loss: 1 lb!!!!!!!!

Another pound gone!! Whoooooooooohoooooooooooooooooo

I did not expect to see much movement on the scale since I just weighed in on Saturday!! But another pound, that's awesome!! I feel great about that!!

One more pound until my next reward!! YES!! I weigh 211 pounds!!! I'm slowly but SURELY approaching "Onderland" (weighing in the 100's) and can't remember the last time I was there!! Wow!!

I'm in a really good place!! It's awesome!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Monday, April 27, 2009

One of My Least Favourite "F" Words

I have quite a few "F" words which I don't like. For example, "fat", "fitness" "fake", "fengshui", "fecal", "fear" and I could go on for days (I'm a bit strange that way) but in this case, I'm talking about "FIBROIDS"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to state that the upcoming information is based on my own personal experience and research with fibroids. I am not a doctor or medical anything nor am I recommending anything. Just sharing my experience.

I've mentionned before that I have fibroids and let me tell you, of late, they've been getting on my "F'ing" (I don't mind that "F" word) nerves. So what are they???

Fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) tumors that grow in, on or outside of the wall of the uterus. They usually range in size from as small as a pea to as large as a grapefruit. In my case I have 3 large fibroids, each of them around the size of a small orange and numerous small (pea-sized) ones, currently living and growing inside of me. When I was pregnant with my son almost 4 years ago (can't believe he's going to be 3 in just a few months), anyway, some of the fibroids grew to the size of large grapefruits. In fact, I had a very difficult pregnancy and labor and delivery because of the fact that these tumors grew so much that my little boy was competing for space in my womb. After he was delivered, I was informed by the doctor that one of the fibroids was as big as my son's head. It was a very difficult and scary time.

Over the years (6 to be exact), I've seen numerous doctors, OB-GYN's and specialists regarding these tumors and here's some of what I've been told. Some Key Fibroid Facts:

Who can get fibroids?

  • I've been told that about 20-25% of all women have fibroids. Most don't even know it or know about it. The majority of the time, these tumors exist producing little to no symptoms what so ever. Supposedly, they are also very common in women over 30. I was 28 when I was first diagnosed. Women over the age of 35 have between a 20 and 40 % chance of having fibroids.
  • Supposedly black women are 3 times likelier than other women to have fibroids. I don't know how convinced I am of this fact, simply because whenever I've asked about this statistic and the possible rationale or reasonning behind it, I've never received a straight answer or at least one that makes sense! All I know for certain is that I am a black woman and I do have fibroids...whether or not I'm 3 times as likely to have it than a woman in any other race...I don't know.
  • Fibroids are more common in women who are significantly overweight. Significantly overweight?? What does that mean? 30 pounds? 50 pounds? 100 pounds?? Overweight by what standard? I'm not sure. All I know is that I did not maintain a healthy weight so that did not help.
  • Also, common in women who have never had children. Again, this was another one of the stats for which a rational possibility or explanation could not be provided but I suspect it's something to do with estrogen levels; and lastly,
  • Fibroids are more common in women towards the end of their reproductive years, and they often shrink after menopause.

So that pretty well takes care of the "who can get fibroids" question. My next question was and still is, "What causes these suckers?"

Well, as with a lot of illnesses and diseases, no one knows the exact cause of fibroids, however, their growth seems to be related to estrogen production. If you are pregnant or taking birth control pills or menopausal estrogens, fibroids may grow more quickly because of the increased estrogen level in your body. Hence the rapid growth of my fibroids while I was pregnant.

So how did I find out that I had fibroids? Well, I was at work one day (6 years ago) with a sore tummy and really thought nothing of it as it was that time of the month and as all of us women know, we get a little pain/soreness around that time - no biggie, right? Well, WRONG!!!! A couple hours later, I was keeled over on the floor in what at that time felt like the most excruciating, inexplicable pain I'd ever felt (hadn't gone through my 16-hours of labour yet)!!

Anyway, one of my supervisors drove me to the emergency, where my husband was waiting for me. We waited in the emergency room for upwards of 5 hours before I was seen, only to be told that I may have "eaten" something!! I don't know if it was because I wasn't a thin little thing that the doctor immediately thought that I must have "eaten" something, but I digress.

The next months, actually, couple of years, were followed with numerous doctor and similar hospital emergency room visits only to be sent home with Tylenol-3 prescriptions or nothing at all. Well finally I was referred to a specialist (#2) who ordered a few ultrasounds.

Two of the ultrasounds were like the one's you see on TV, on shows like "A Baby Story" where all you had to worry about was the cold gel on your warm stomach and holding your pee as you maintianed a ridiculously full bladder for as long as possible. Then came the "other" type of ultrasound! OMG!! Never knew it existed and although now I have one, twice a year, I still don't like it. It's a pelvic or "transvaginal" ultrasound - I don't need to provide an explanation and I mean if you really want details, GOOGLE IT!!! All you need to know is that it's uncomfortable.

So how do you find out if you have fibroids?

Your doctor might find one or more fibroids during a routine pelvic exam (hence the importance of those annual pap tests) or sometimes during a prenatal ultrasound. If this happens, the doctor may simply note this in your file, and perhaps monitor this during your regular check-ups because as I mentionned earlier, most women who have fibroids are not aware of them. Most fibroids cause minor or no symptoms and don't require treatment. They're just there!!

However, as in my case (Woman?...CHECK, Black Woman?...CHECK, Overweight?...CHECK, Over 30?...CHECK), I am among the estimated 1 in 4 women who have fibroid problems that affect my quality of life and require treatment. Some of the problems or symptoms that fibroids cause are:

  • long, heavy menstrual periods with excessive bleeding which, in some cases, cause anaemia; chronic pelvic pain (as in my case);
  • general pelvic discomfort (as in my case);
  • problems with urination or constipation, caused by large fibroids crowding the bladder or lower intestine (not in my case); and
  • pain during intercourse (not in my case - thank goodness ;).

In more severe cases, fibroids have been known to also cause problems with fertility (as in my case); and repeated miscarriage.

Anyway, all this to say that there are times when I am in excruciating pain and it's more frustrating than anything, and this is one of those times. It affects everything from my mood, energy level and ability to workout (at a 100% - give it my all, you know?).

There is good news though, because there are more treatments available than ever and you just need to speak to your doctor/specialist. In the past, doctors often recommended hysterectomies for women with fibroids that caused excessive bleeding. As a matter of fact, one of the doctors I first saw, recommended that I had a hysterectomy. My goodness, I was 30 years old, newly married, with no kids....I couldn't believe that was his recommendation. Anyway, obviously, there were other options like medications and other treatments.

Fibroids are the reason given for an estimated one-third of the 60,000 hysterectomies performed in Canada each year (took this from Statistics Canada website). Now there are options for treating fibroids other than hysterectomy, like;

  • hormone therapy which mimics menopause and helps to temporarily shrink the fibroids. Usually recommended for women close to menopause who can take treatment until their natural menopause sets in....side effects are same as menopause side effects
  • myomectomy - surgically remove tumors while leaving uterus in tact...side effects, it's major surgery, lengthy recovery time and the fibroids could return
  • Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) - use fibre optics to shrink fibroids by cutting off blood supply, little is known about its long-term effects, especially on future fertility.

I haven't made a decision yet as to how I will "treat" these (other than eating well and exercising) for a few different reasons. On the positive, I had my bi-annual check up last month and it does look like the fibroids are shrinking, nothing major, but they're shrinking...and it may be credited to my new healthy lifestyle and weight loss.

Anyway, I never intended to write so much when I sat infront of my laptop, but here we are. I said all along that my life is not only about this weightloss journey and this just shows that; even though it's all connected. Anyway, I hope this helps somebody or at the very least enlightens, or illicits discussion, even if just a little. I guess this is just another part of my honest rants during this journey of mine. Thanks for reading (especially when the posts are sooooo long!!)

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!)

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Week 19 Weigh-In......2 More Pounds!!!

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Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 214 lbs (Apr 15/09)
Current Weight: 212 lbs
This Week's Loss: 2 lbs!!!!!!!!

This week, due to my business trip, I weighed in this morning (Saturday) as opposed to my usual Wednesday scale love.

I AM THRILLED with this 2 pound loss!!!! I think I would have dropped a couple more had I not strayed with my diet this week but I'm still down and I must credit that to sticking with my workout 100%!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I have now lost a total of 46 pounds. I am 4.5 pounds away from my halfway mark of weighing 207.5 at which point I would have lost 50.5 lbs!! This is just incredible!! I AM ALSO 2 POUNDS AWAY from my next reward!!

I am feeling fabulous and plan to really push it to my limits in the next upcoming weeks!!

Until next time....

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

I'm BACK and I WAS BAD!!!

Hi everyone,


Another successful business trip done and over with (until the next one). I'm so glad to be home, very tired and thankfully the weather here is just beautiful (25 degrees celcius)!! I plan to sit in my back yard and veg today!! May go for a walk later this evening!

I tried so very hard to stay on track...didn't miss a workout...it's not too difficult when the hotels afford you top of the line fitness facilities, so that part was no problem....HOWEVER, those hotels and nearby RESTAURANTS also afford you top of the line FOODS!!! That's the problem!!!! My first two days, I did very well, stayed on track for MOST of the time, but I STRAYED a bit.

I don't know what it was, but this time I just found it so difficult to stay totally true to the diet....as I mentionned, I killed the workouts, but the diet got me!! As I said at the very beginning of this blog, I WILL BE HONEST and not only with successes but "slip-ups" as well. I do not consider this a failure and I've already put it behind me and after I finish this post, I will take it out of my mind altogether. So here comes the honesty - with pictures!!

Anyway, my flight was at 2:00pm that day. I woke up, did my exercises, had breakfast (3 scrambled egg whites with green peppers & onions), dropped my son off to daycare with and extra long hug and kiss, and went off to work. Left work for airport. I had a chicken wrap for lunch (which I grabbed at a restaurant at the airport)....wasn't good with my snacks. By the time I got checked into hotel, I was starving!! Here's a pic of my dinner on night 1.



This is steamed veggies (spinach, green and yellow beans, red peppers, olive oil, garlic) served with a fish called, "cobia". Never heard of this fish before but it was delicious - white, meaty and quite flavourful. I also had a glass of H2O with this meal. It was great ..restaurant was Canyon Creek! Sorry picture quality not so great...I didn't use flash - pretty good for my phone's camera, though.
The next morning we (my colleagues and I) had breakfast at the hotel restaurant and then checked out as we were off to a different city for more meetings. The breakfast was buffet style and offered lots of healthy options. I had just worked out and was very hungry!


A hard-boiled egg and a slice of cheese -which I wrapped up and put in my purse to eat as my morning snack a few hours later.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, two small turkey sausages, small bowl of fruit (did not eat grapes - extra sour) and a glass of water. Then went off to my conference meeting.

Lunch was provided so choice was limited however, I believe I made the best of it by having the following:




This is a garden salad, sprinkled with feta cheese (just a little, as you can see) with 1/2 of a whole wheat tortilla wrap (thinly sliced oven-roasted turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese) and about a litre of water.


After conference, we drove to our next destination and checked into our hotel, got settled and went out for dinner. We found this great restaurant where I had a steak with a salad and some baked sweet potato fries (sorry didn't get a pic) but it was goooooood!! Sometimes, I feel a little funny taking pix of my food depending on where I am and how packed the place is. Anyway, this is where the problems started. I shared some fried calamari with my colleagues...they were delicious!! I also had DESSERT!!!! There were three of us and we shared two desserts!! I know I should have been stronger but just reading the options on the menu made me want it so bad!! I just couldn't resist - well, I probably could resist but I didn't!! AND OMG, was it ever yummy!!! They were delicious - I did manage to get a pic of that (the restaurant had emptied at that time)....







This is one of them - no words can do this justice so I'll just let you look at it. All I need to say is CHOCOLATE!!





Here's the other dessert......




Cheesecake with Chocolate







As I mentionned earlier, these beauties were "shared".....I'm certain I had the most of my colleagues.....here's a pic, showing that we did share them - please take note of the THREE forks!






SIN-sharing!!
EVIL!!(but tasty)...





The next morning I woke up, feeling guilty but not as guilty as I thought I would and I don't know if that's good or bad but I decided to forget about it and get my workout done....and I did. Met with my colleagues and we went off to the Market Fresh for breakfast. I had an eggwhite and vegetable omlet with water. I was back on track!! :)
It was quite good (green pepp, mushrooms, onions)
Anyway, I am now back on track with my eating but I know that my "slip-ups" may have affected my weigh-in. I've just weighed in this morning as I wasn't able to on Wednesday. My next post will show the results of my sins! Stay tuned..
Until next time...
Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Monday, April 20, 2009

8 INCHES!!!!!!! 8 INCHES!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I've got your attention!!!! :)

I'm out of town again on business...just checked into my hotel room with the biggest smile on my face. What's the smile from, you may ask??? Well...um....8 INCHES!!!!!!

I must tell you that in the past, I did not look forward to travelling (business or pleasure) and mainly because of the plane ride necessary to get there. Airline travel for larger-than-"normal" people can often be a painful an uncomfortable experience. Airline seats are at times uncomfortable for even "normal-sized" persons; so for the "fabulously-sized" like yours truly, they could be torture.

One of the things I used to have to do to ease my airline travel pains and make my in-flight experience a bit more bearable was to request a Seat Belt Extender (see pic below).

Normally you'd ask the flight attendant for a pillow or blanket or even a snack, but in my case it was usually just to get the seatbelt extender. Then I wouldn't ask for anything else due to sheer embarassment.

Seat belts are not long enough for many "bigger persons". Usually, as I board the plane, I would quietly and discreetly inform the flight attendant who greets me at the door, that I would be needing a seat belt extender. They usually use the extenders to do their safety demo's before the flight takes off. The flight attendant would usually bring it over after he/she finished the demo. Sometimes they'd be discreet about it, but other times it's as if they attract the most amount of attention possible when bringing it to me!! I found it helpful to have a sense of humour about the whole thing; it just made the process easier.

I've had a few experiences where the flight attendant informed me that they did not have any more extenders or they couldn't locate them and what I did was "pretend" to buckle the belt and the attendant "pretended" not to notice! Although not the safest move but sometimes could not be avoided - plus it was only a 45 minute flight (still not safe).

Another time, I noticed one passenger pulled out his own extender from its very own carrying case!! Wow!! I guess he flew frequently enough that it was warranted - I don't know. Anyway, I seriously considered purchasing one of my own but thought better of it and promised myself that I would lose this weight instead (didn't know when, but I knew I would!).

ANYWAY....just wanted to report that I NO LONGER have this problem. So today, I boarded my plane, was greeted by the smiling attendant, I smiled back and said, "hello" and kept on walking to my seat. I sat in my seat, clicked that buckle and PULLED on that strap to tighten.....looking at that strap laying on my lap just brought a smile to my face....there must have been about 8 INCHES of strap; 8 inches of strap just laying on my leg!!! It was awesome!! What a great feeling. I no longer needed an extender nor did I have to lift and suck in my belly in order to see that little bitty piece of seat belt strap sticking out of the buckle!!
So I'm feeling good y'all!! Just thought I'd share that....
Until next time...
Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Reward # 1 ~ Isn't She Beautiful???








REWARD # 1 - 28 Pounds Gone ~ A Beautiful Handbag!
Okay, I'm a bit late (very late) picking up this reward but, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!! I've already written about my "Reward # 2- An Hour Long Massage". I never realized how picky I was when it came to choosing a bag....anyway.....

You may or may not know, but, I decided to set up a reward system for myself as another means of keeping me motivated. See, "Rewards - Weigh This, Get That!" on the right side of the home page of my blog. I figure, I should reward myself when I accomplish a certain goal weight. That can only help to keep me on track and also, I get GOODIES!!!:)
My first goal weight on this reward system was to reach 230 pounds (lose 28 pounds). I accomplished this goal at February 25th's weigh in. For my hard work, I will be purchasing a new handbag and not any old handbag, I want a beautiful, fancy one; an investment piece (lol).
My next reward will be when I weigh 220 pounds and would have lost 38 pounds!!! I will then reward myself with a very long massage (minimum 1 hour). It was great!!

So, here's a picture of her (my new bag, that is)....







Isn't she beautiful????








A closer look...
A side view....
A little closer...
Until next time....

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Saturday Blog Love - Support and Gratitude

Hi everyone

I've mentioned this topic before, but I feel it necessary to discuss it again. Blogging about this journey has been such a motivating factor to me, specifically in terms of me staying on track and reaching my goals. The amount of inspiration and support that I receive from the blogging community is nothing short of amazing. I truly appreciate the support and I honestly believe it to be one of the main reasons for my success thus far.

There are days when I feel like I just can't do this anymore; this journey does take daily and continuous effort. It's a constant mental struggle. I wake up having to remind myself everyday of the importance of and reasons for my journey. Some days (like yesterday, for example) I felt like doing absolutely nothing, especially having to do with exercising, and that's what I did ...NOTHING - no work out at all!!!! Not only did I feel it, as I was low in energy and somewhat lathargic for most of the day, but I felt it necessary to blog about it. There's something about writing your thoughts and feelings down on a regular basis that helps you regain focus and stay on track.

So this morning I woke up, ready to get started on my workout and decided to check my blog first. I do that sometimes and then think of things to write about while working out. Anyway, today I received a comment from someone (Anonymous) who bestowed and amazing compliment, telling me that "I was the epitome of hard work!" WOW!! Thank you so very much...that just made my morning and gave me an instant boost of energy!!! AND that was not all....this individual also advised me that another blogger had written an entire post about me and my journey. CHECK IT OUT HERE!!!!

I went to the site (http://gpwebdiary.blogspot.com/) and checked it out!! WOW!! It was an amazing post!! I am so flattered. Thank you so much, Raju!! I really appreciate that. I felt awesome after reading it and went right down to my basement and totally killed that workout...I think I smiled right through most of it. This type of support is incredible to me and definitely keeps me accountable.

This is what I mean about the support that you receive from the blogging community...the encouragement and warm comments!! It's just wonderful!!

So I'm back on track and feeling EXTRA great today!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!!)

Friday, April 17, 2009

NO WORKOUT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone,

Do you ever have one of those days where you just don't feel like doing anything at all? Where you just want to veg the whole day?? Well that was me today. My alarm went off this morning, summoning me to get moving, start my workout. I literally got out of bed and sat right back down, then tucked my feet back under my warm covers and hit snooze!!! Mmmmmmmm, warm, comfy covers!!! Almost as good as a warm chocolate brownie (with ice cream)!!
I slept for another hour (and boy did I enjoy it) and then HAD to wake up to get my son ready for daycare and myself ready for work!!

Well I paid for it at work today, I felt the difference in my energy level right around 1:00pm, after my lunch - which today was a green salad with chicken and a bit of parm cheese. It's like I just started to shut down...it was crazy and just really hard for me to keep going. I had no choice but to go on because today was one of those crazy busy days at work!! That extra hour of sleep just messed with me the whole day. No worries, I'll just get back on track tomorrow, just can't believe the difference in my energy today.

Well that's it for now....I thought I'd come on for a bit since I haven't been on in a couple of days!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Week 18 Weigh-In...2 Pounds Down!!!

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Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 216 lbs (Apr 8/09)
Current Weight: 214 lbs
This Week's Loss: 2 lbs!!!!!!!!

Another 2 POUNDS GONE!!!!!!!!!! Yes!! I weigh 214 lbs!!! I cannot remember the last time I weighed that amount!!! This is great. I'm so happy with the progress thusfar.....can't get over it!!

I must tell you guys a quick story. I was talking to my girlfriend Coco today and she brought something to my attention. Lately, I've pulled out my heels (heeled boots, shoes, wedges etc.)...so we were talking and she mentioned to me that she noticed I'm wearing some sexy shoes lately (she used to bug me 'cause I ALWAYS wore these blue boots before...comfy, very comfy, but not at all fashion forward) anyway, my response to her was that my shoes are now comfy again.....my feet use to kill me whenever I wore heels before I started this journey...I guess losing these 44 pounds is helping to improve my fashion style, right Coco???!!!

That's it for now...

Signing off 44 pounds lighter!!!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

ParticipACTION Commercial...Update!!

Just a quick post before I go to bed!!

I just have to tell you all. I recorded my voice over for the ParticipACTION television commercial today!! It was so much fun!!! The producer/voice coach/angel sent to help me out, named Kerri or Terry (goodness I was so excited, I can't even remember his name)!!! He was so nice, full of energy and made me laugh!!

I was sent a script for a 30 second voice over. It was literally 6 sentences! I did take after take until they got the perfect one...it was so interesting and just a really fun experience! It was really fun being coached to "sound surprised" or put a "smile in my voice", "energy"!! It was awesome!! It took a little while for me to get the hang of it and get through it all, but overall it was a great experience.

Anyway, the commercial is scheduled to run sometime in mid May..I will keep you all posted with more details as it comes!!

Until then...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Monday, April 13, 2009

My Workout Plan

Hey guys,

First off, thank you all so very much for the wonderful feedback/comments on my recently posted anniversary pics!! THANK YOU GUYS!! IT MEANS A LOT!!!!! I always look forward to your comments.

After looking at those 4-month pics and noting all the changes/progress from Day 1 to now, I'm motivated like crazy to just keep pushing through!! I don't want to lose momentum. I am so very excited for what's to come. I've been feeling good, really good actually.

The next few weeks I plan to really give it a 110 percent with each workout and with my eating as well. I want to stay true and clean to both the meal and exercise plans!! Optimal results!!! I feel like I'm in a zone and I just want to stay there!!! Fitting into those size 16 jeans may have a lot to do with this attitude!!:))

Working It Out

I am currently working out 6 days a week...rest on Sunday....Rob (trainer) now has me doing Cardio 5 times a week instead of 3 days a week and my strength routine 3 times a week. Here's the breakdown:

Monday - Strength Routine (1 hour) and 30 minutes of Cardio
Tuesday - Spinning Class (45 mins to 1 hr)
Wednesday - Strength Routine (1 hour) and 30 minutes of Cardio
Thursday - Spinning Class (45 mins to 1hr)
Friday - Strength Routine (1 hour) and 30 minutes of Cardio

Saturday - My own day of exercise fun - either I go for a walk/jog outdoors, do yoga, swim or any new fitness thing that I want to try - SAMPLE SATURDAY!! This is something I wanted to do, my program calls for me working out 5 days a week. I think it's important in regards to maintaining this new lifestyle for me to try new things; for example in the summer time, I think it will be just as simple as putting my son his stroller and taking a long walk - we'd then end up at one of the many parks in the area where we'd play (you'd be surprised at the workout you can get running around and climbing up and down those play structures!!!) Healthy FUN!!

I've always wanted to take tennis lessons, so this may be something I will try in the very near future!! Maybe I'll join a recreational sports team (like soccer, or football)...who knows???The options are endless!!
Sunday - I'M OFF BABY!!! Rest, Worship, Family and REST some more!!!!!

Then continue strong on Monday!!!

So this is my plan for the next few weeks. I look forward to the weigh-ins on Wednesdays to see what happens next!!

Until then...

Joania(2KMINE!!!)

Saturday, April 11, 2009

FOUR MONTH ANNIVERSARY PICS!!!!!!

Hi everyone,
Sorry for the delay with the pics - busy weekend! Anyway, I've included my start pics for comparison...day 1 to now. I also threw in a couple shots to show a pair of my pants and how they fit (or don't fit) :))) HERE WE GO.....







Front: Dec 10, 2008
258 lbs!!!








Front: April 10, 2009
216 lbs!!!







Side: Dec 10, 2009
258 lbs!!!






Side: April 10, 2009
216 lbs!!!






Back: Dec 10, 2008
258 lbs!!







Back: April 10, 2009
216 lbs!!!









Fun: Dec 10, 2008
258 lbs!!!







Fun: April 10, 2009
216 lbs!!!
Here's just another "fun" shot - I'm feeling good!!



















What I noticed in this month's pics:

This month, I'm starting to notice a change in my legs....they're actually starting to shrink (THANK GOODNESS!!) My new routine does incorporate a few new and difficult exercises (lunges and squats) targeting those good old thighs so I anticipate that there will be a more visible difference in next month's pics. Overall, I'm losing inches - I could tell by my clothes and although the scale says I'm down 42 POUNDS, it sure feels like a whole lot more!! I'm so pleased and can't wait for next month. I feel strong and awesome.
I decided to take a couple extra shots showing how some of my clothes are fitting or should I say, NOT FITTING!!! Yeah!!:)) When I started this journey, I wore these pants to work practically every week. They used to be a perfect fit....THESE PANTS ARE A SIZE 22!!!





I can "ALMOST" fit my body in one of the pant legs!!!
PLUS size 22!!!!!!!
The pants are now too big and too long (guess my booty used to hold it up!)
This is me in a PAIR OF SIZE 16 JEANS!!!!!!!!!!! Size 16!! I can't believe I fit into them. I didn't even have to do that wiggle dance to get it to go up!! Incredible!!
Now I know I still have a ways to go, but I really feel that I'm well on my way and I feel great about it...please let me know what you think and as always, your support is very much appreciated..it has really helped me to stay on track.
Until next time...
Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Friday, April 10, 2009

Today is PICTURE DAY!!

Just wanted to let you all know that my 4 month anniversary pics will be posted later this evening. I did not forget! I'm just awaiting my photographer (waiting for my husband to get home)...hehehhe

As soon as he gets here, I'll take the shots and post them....

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Week 17 Weigh-In......3 POUNDS DOWN!!!!!!!

ImageChef Custom Images
Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 219 lbs (Apr 1/09)
Current Weight: 216 lbs
This Week's Loss: 3 lbs!!!!!!!!

I can't believe I've lost another 3 POUNDS!!! That's 7 pounds in only two weeks....I lost 8 pounds total last month....this is awesome. This new program is really burning the calories!! Thanks ROB!!! I also can't get over the fact that I only (well not only, but only) have 59 pounds left to reach my what-once-seemed-impossible goal of 101 pounds!!

WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I've lost 42 POUNDS!!!! I'm so thrilled!! I feel fabulous and most of my clothes are loose. I will be taking some pics of me in my loose clothes - will post shortly.

Also, Friday is PICTURE DAY for month 4...already!! I'm hoping the results will be visible, I do find my legs are getting smaller!! It's awesome!!!

Anyway, that's it for now...very happy with my loss!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Reward # 2 - mmmmmm....Massage!!!!!!!!!!



REWARD # 2 - 38 Pounds Gone ~ An Hour Long Massage!


Okay, so this is reward number 2 and I have not yet posted reward # 1 (still searching for that handbag/purse). It's got to be the right one!! Anyway, here's what happened with Reward #2!!!

I am now referring to Alice Tracey (my new massage therapist) as "Angel" Tracey!! I had a full body massage on Saturday morning which lasted for a little more than an hour and OH MY GOODNESS!! It was amazing. I felt fantastic!!

This was my reward for losing 38 pounds (I actually lost 39!!!) and boy was it worth it...so much so that I've decided from this moment on, I will "reward" myself with a massage on a monthly basis. EVERY MONTH, I will get a massage...yes..I'm worth it!!!

Her hands are magic!! I literally felt like mush when I walked or should I say "floated" out of there. My muscles were so relaxed and just limber...it was awesome. I slept like a baby last night. She's really great at what she does, very professional and just overall a very fasinating and interesting individual. Great conversation. I really enjoyed it. This was a great idea for a reward!!

Alice works out of the west end of Ottawa (centrepointe dr). Her prices are very reasonable and she's an amazing masseuse/massage therapist. Check her out, if you're looking for a great massage. You could even book/reserve on-line.

Here's her website.

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Living in the Present

My life is a journey, not a destination. This weight loss journey that I am on is just one of the MANY things I'm doing with my life. I've said it so many times before in prior posts, "although, this weight loss journey is very important to me, I don't want it to consume me, there's so much more to me than just this - as encompassing as it is!!" From the very beginning it has been important to me that I do not miss out on life as I attempt to get healthy. I'm at a good place (very good place) in my life and now is the right time for me to be on this journey but at the same time, I am also enjoying life as I go along! I certainly will not let life just pass me by!!! I don't want to put anything on hold so that I achieve these goals. Because if I was to do that, what would I do when I achieved those goals? Where would I start? I'd be lost!!!

Don't get me wrong, I realize that I will have to make some major changes to my lifestyle, particularly with regards to my nutrition and physical activity and committment to this (and I HAVE) and I will continue to make those sacrifices BUT I won't sacrifice living.....I am enjoying my life, my family and my friends and my work, even as I go through this journey!! It's great! No regrets. I certainly don't want to look back in 7-8 months time, having reached my goals and be miserable due to the things I've missed out on!! What brought these thoughts on, you may ask? Well I'll tell you.

I bumped into one of my old friends today; haven't seen her in about 2 years! She was so pleasantly surprised when she saw the change in my physical appearance...she complimented me over and over and wanted to know what I was doing. We grabbed a seat and I proceeded to fill her in about the whole journey/blog experience. It was really nice. We were having such a good time. Anyway, we started talking about old times. I asked how her sister was and it's then that the mood of our conversation changed. "Oh crap", I thought to myself...."something's wrong, I hope her sister is okay!"

She then started filling me in that her sister (who was always a bigger girl, like me) had lost all of the weight!! She did it using the South Beach Diet and running (she ran 5K's, 10K's and was even training for a half marathon). "WOW", I exclaimed, "that's amazing". "So why so glum", I asked. Well she continued to fill me in.

In her words, her sister had become so obsessed with losing the weight that it was all she did, spoke of and lived. She cut off ties with many of her friends and even some family members. She stopped attending functions etc. This was all that she was about, losing the weight. Anyway, in a nut shell, this went on for about 9 months or so. It has been a little over year since her sister lost the weight and has now been battling depression. She even attempted suicide ...she said that she felt that after she lost the weight, it's almost like there was nothing else and at first it wasn't so bad but she just slipped further and further into depression. she's currently on medication and showing signs of things getting better.

I was truly stunned to hear all of this. I realize that this may be an extreme case (or maybe not, I don't know) but I just found it so sad. This is exactly what I don't want to happen to me and I don't think it would with me because I love life and people (especially my family and friends) and although I want to lose this weight, I really want to lose this weight, I DO NOT want to cut off my friends and family to do it. This does take a lot of time, effort, dedication, sacrifices and resources and I can see how it can get the best of you but I do not intend to let it!! I'm trying to get fit so that I can ENJOY LIVING even more than I currently do.

I always think back to a comment one of my new Facebook friends sent me, "Joania, if your head is right, your ass will follow!" It really is all about finding that balance and if you don't, you might get lost in the end, as was the case with my friend's sister.

Sorry for such a downer post but I really think it's important that I shared this with all of you, especially those of you on this journey with me or on journeys of your own and even those thinking of starting a journey. Stay true to who you are and live in the moment, enjoy the small accomplishments no matter what. I don't know, I'm no expert but it just makes sense to me that this weight loss thing (and everything else for that matter) should be about balance. I mean we all make mistakes but it's that big picture that matters in the end. Your overall accomplishment, right???

I would really love to hear your thoughts on this one, please feel free to post comments!

Thanks.

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Week 16 Weigh- In......4 POUNDS DOWN!!!!!!

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Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 223 lbs (Mar 25/09)
Current Weight: 219 lbs
This Week's Loss: 4 lbs!!!!!!!!

I am so happy with this week's loss!!! 4 Friggin' POUNDS!!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO!!!

Today is April 1st, or more commonly known as April Fool's Day!! Well, when I stepped on that scale today, i thought it was a joke ...but NO FOOLING Y'ALL, THIS IS FOR REAL!!!!! I'm down another 4 pounds!!! 4 pounds!!!!4 pounds!!!! I've got 62 more pounds to go!!I can't believe I lost 4 pounds this week. That's 39 pounds in total GONE for good!! 39 POUNDS!!!!!!

I ate well and worked out hard...no, I worked out VERY HARD!! My new routine is a killer - those lunges and one-legged push ups are kicking my butt, big time!! AND I LOVE IT!!! The extra cardio and spinning is helping too....Can't wait till next weigh-in; just the thought that at my next weigh-in, I could possibly break the 40 pound loss mark....that's awesome. I am out of the 220's!!! I weigh 219 pounds!!!I am so happy, I don't even know what to do with myself!!!!!!!!!!

This also means, I've reached another reward level!! YES!! I needed to lose 3 pounds and I managed to do 1 better - friggin awesome!! On Saturday I get my long and wonderful massage - can't wait!!!!

Until next time....

Signing off 39 POUNDS LIGHTER!!!!!!!

Joania (2KMINE!!!)