Christmas Parties...PART TWO!!! :)

So yesterday (Thursday), I had an awesome day of eating and exercise...I had two boiled eggs and 1/2 a grapefruit for breakfast...yum! I consumed approximately 3 litres of water for the day. I had a nice grilled chicken breast wrap (chicken breast, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, green & red pepper..no sauce/mayo) on whole wheat tortilla for lunch. It was delicious. It was so big that I only had half for lunch and saved the other half for dinner. I went to my Jiu-jitsu class at lunch time ..which was awesome..learned lots of self-defense moves, including quite a few variations of "take-downs"!! IT 'S AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

So here comes the "Christmas Parties" part....

It really is the festive time of the year. Everywhere I turn, it's some sort of luncheon, party, celebration, dinner, drinks, etc. I have refused a few parties but this year I certainly plan to enjoy a few of them - especially after missing out last year. My plan is to keep up with my workouts EVERYDAY and eat healthy foods as much as I can, but have fun and enjoy myself as well! So far, sooooooooooooooo good!! :)

I was invited to my former team's Christmas Party (remember I only changed teams in late September - so I'd spent a good portion of this past year with these colleagues/friends). I didn't want to intrude on their "teambuilding" activities even though I know they would not have minded in the least. Plus I had just celebrated with my current team the day before and it was great fun.

Anyway, I did agree to come out for a drink with them later on in the evening. I made certain to
eat the other half of my wrap (from lunch) to ensure that I wouldn't feel the need to order any unhealthy foods at the restaurant. I also had a great deal of water as well. I walked in to a wonderful welcome from my old team and I too was very happy to see them. It was nice. I had a drink (Heineken) and it was on from that moment on!!! Well the drinks just kept coming (heinekens and shooters!!) I was feeling really good and more importantly having an amazing time, laughing and socializing with friends.

Although, I didn't EAT any unhealthy foods, I did consume quite a bit of alcohol - EMPTY, EMPTY CALORIES!!!! I got home pretty late that evening or should I say, pretty early in the morning, however, I woke up this morning, feeling like crap but still dragged my butt to the basement for my weight-training session!! You PLAY, you PAY!! I felt really yucky throughout but pushed through. I had to sweat out the toxins!! LOL!!!

For breakfast, I had some scrambled eggs (3 egg whites, 1 whole egg) and drank lots and lots of water! :) I went off to work and felt very tired throughout the day (I was only going on about 3 hours of sleep). Well today, I would normally attend my 4:30pm 1-hour long kickboxing (KB) class. The way I was feeling today, I knew that wouldn't happen...BUT GUESS WHAT????????????????? I WENT TO THE CLASS, thanks in part to two of my colleagues (K & D) who went to the class as well!! After that KB session, I WAS DONE!! I did not even want to get off the mat!!!!LOL

I feel great that I was able to enjoy the parties yet still made the effort to work out (even though I really did not want to - especially TODAY!!!) I also made certain to get right back on track with my eating!! NO GUILT here, just making sure to continue with the journey!! I'm feeling amazingly fabulous! :)

So here I am, my son and I just finished dinner and I'm just writing this quick post so that we can BOTH go to bed!!! Tomorrow, Christmas Shopping - that should be a work out in itself!!

That's it for now...going to bed...sweet dreams!

Until next time
Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Weigh-in Saturday ~ Week 43

Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 192 lbs (Oct 3/09)
Current Weight: 191 lbs (Oct 10/09)
This Week's Loss: 1 lb

Another pound gone and out of my way!! YES!!! I am happy with the loss this week for a couple of reasons. First, a loss is a loss and is ALWAYS better than a gain!!! :) Secondly, it was one of my girlfriend's birthday so we celebrated by going to dinner at Moxie's and had a great time. To be honest, I was a bit worried that I would have had a gain this week so I am truly pleased!!

I've lost 67 pounds in total so far!!! 67 pounds!!!! I am 1 pound away from another reward (weekend getaway) and I "only" have 34 pounds left to go in order to achieve my 101 pound weight loss goal!! I can't believe how far I've come, I am so proud of myself!! As I was updating my blog, I also noticed that there are 9 weigh-ins left until the big one year weigh-in on December 10th!! Incredible!! Only 9 weeks left! :) This is just great! I think that birthday dinner celebration/planned cheat meal will be my last one for awhile. I may not have another one until my big final celebration in 9 weeks!!!!! I'll think about it and decide!! I'm pretty sure I'll do it!

This week, exercising was awesome - as always my weight training is challenging and effective and I'm really starting to get into the kickboxing and Jiu-jitsu classes for my cardio. I stuck to my eating hardcore...very healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks and ensured I kept properly hydrated by consuming enough water. The only exception with my eating was the birthday dinner I mentioned above. I decided that I was going to have whatever I wanted and I did!!! It was amazing! I didn't feel any guilt because it was planned and it was only one meal and also, I got right back to business the following morning with an intense workout and right back on the nutrition plan. So here's what I had for my cheat meal session:

I started off with a couple of nibbles from a nacho plate...yum..yum...crunch..crunch!!More appetizers came out (dried ribs, sweet potato fries, sauteed mushrooms)....these were all shared but I know I consumed a lot of it....everything was delicious!! OH I almost forgot, I had a huge bellini (slushy type drink with alcohol - holy sugar!!) but it was yummy!!

My meal... I decided to go for the "fall off the bone" succulent slow roasted ribs with a loaded baked potato and a side of steamed broccoli (had to have some semblance of health on the plate)!! I then finished off the night with a sticky toffee pudding cake served with one scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled in caramel. Everything was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!!!!! I also had 3 shooters!! These things were amazing and I wanted more!! The ingredients: red bull, red sour and something else - I forgot what's in it but it's called a "FLORIDA TRACKSUIT"!! I don't know why, but it is GOOOD!!! My new favorite shooter!!

I had a fabulous time and what I'm starting to realize is that every now and then, this is exactly what I need. That whole "moderation" thing. After all it was only one meal! Not like in the past when I would eat like this every couple of days and not to mention all the other unhealthy stuff in between!! So it was a great time with great friends and great food! :)

Now, time for the food porn...at first site of the appetizers, I just started eating, then it later came to me to take some pics...lol. I took the pix with my cell phone so the quality is not the best, but here they are:
My Bellini: Slushy sweet alcohol drink! Yum! By the time I took the pic, the slush had melted (and half of it was gone, lol). I told you it was big.









Dinner: slow roasted ribs, loaded potato and broccoli. It was delicious!














Dessert: Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce - TO DIE FOR!!

Saturday Weigh-In ~ Week 41 (Confessions)

Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 192 lbs (Sep 19/09)
Current Weight: 195 lbs
This Week's Loss: 3 POUND GAIN...

Hi guys,

Well unfortunately I have a gain to report this week... a 3 POUND gain!!! I can't be upset or even disappointed because I totally caused this gain. I wasn't at all careful with my eating and I missed a 3 days of exercise. I didn't fall off the wagon, I literally pulled it over, parked it and jumped off!!

As you know, I've been away on business this past couple of weeks. I also wrapped up phase one of my project at one of my pilot locations which in itself was a cause for celebration. I celebrated freely by eating cake (2 pieces) and rice krispies squares....yum-oh!!! I even had 1/2 a glass of Coca-cola (way too sweet btw - didn't really enjoy it) but the cake and squares were to die for!! I knew the scale would have no love to give this week. I also had "not so healthy" dinners, like spring rolls (fried), dried ribs, chicken wings and sweet potato fries. In addition to the bad foods, I accompanied my meals with a beverage or two or three (Heineken beer, wine and bellinis!!) I think the only thing I did right this week was my water consumption!! :)

So there, my confessions!! Forgive me Rob (my trainer) for I have sinned!! BUT THE FUN is over. This morning, I woke up and got right back on my wagon and going full force. I've just returned from my 5K walk with my son (stroller and all). I plan to do a weight training session later this evening as well. I had a 3-egg white omlette with spinach and broccoli for breakfast. So far I've had about 2 litres of water for the day. So it's all good.

Today is a new day and the past is in the past. So that's the update for today. I'm going to do some reading, catching up on my blog buddies and to get some inspiration!! Have a good day y'all.

Until next time...
Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Had A Good Week

Hi guys,

Just wanted to pop on quickly to tell you all that yesterday (Thursday) was a great day!! I ate very well for the ENTIRE day (including dinner at a restaurant with colleagues).

THURSDAY

For breakfast I had:
2 boiled eggs (egg whites only)
about 1/2 cup of fresh fruit (oranges, apples and cantaloupe)
yogurt
3 cups of water

Morning Snack
Small banana

Lunch
green salad
2 thinly sliced pieces of roast beef
a few pieces of raw broccoli
750ml bottle of water

Dinner
1/4 chicken (BBQ'd, sauce on the side)
Steamed veggies (mix of broccoli, red onions, zuccini, red peppers and carrots)
1 glass of iced tea (unsweetened-and not a very big glass I might add - it was one of those slim, sleek ones)
several glasses of water

FRIDAY

This morning I had a pretty good breakfast...
2 eggs with a sprinkle of grated cheddar and about 2 teaspoons of salsa
1/2 cup of fruit
2 cups of water

Lunch
grilled chicken, onions, red & green pepper wrap (ww tortilla) with a salad
591ml bottle of water

Dinner
Roasted curried chicken breast
2cups broccoli
3 cups water

It was difficult sticking to those choices, temptation was so strong but in the end I am so happy that I stuck with it!! I did not have one drop of alcohol of any kind!! Usually, when I travel, especially if I go out to dinner with colleagues, I tend to have a beer or a glass of wine. I think it's the whole social aspect connected to it however, this time around I made a point of not having a drink...it was tough but obviously it's do-able!

On the exercise front, I hit the treadmill hard and for the first time since starting to train for my upcoming 5k (October 4 - CIBC Run For The Cure - check out my training blog for details here.) I was able to run continuously for 10 minutes (at level 5.6 on the treadmill) and did the walk/run combination for the remaining 25 minutes. I felt awesome!! Tomorrow, I will try to go for 11 minutes! I did my weight training routine on Wednesday evening and it was awesome (still working on those pull-ups!!). Tonight, I will do my weight training routine and continue on.

Weigh in tomorrow...very interested to see the results especially because I really tried hard to stick to the program.

So overall, it wasn't a bad week with a few exceptions which I mentionned in my last post.

Until tomorrow...
Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Weigh-In...Week 29 ~ ONEderland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)

Last Weigh In: 201 lbs (June 27/09)

Current Weight: 199 lbs

This Week's Loss: 2lbs!!!

Total pounds lossed to date: 59

Well...this is my GOOD NEWS!!! I have FINALLY made it to ONEDERLAND!!! The actual weight on the scale read 199.4 yesterday. It could have read 199.9999999 and it would still be awesome to me!!! I was out of TWOterville!!! YEAH!!! It was fabulous!! I've done it and I feel great about it!! I am down 59 pounds!!! This is amazing!! Starting this journey back in December, I remember saying to myself, "If I could lose 50 pounds and weigh around 208lbs, I'll be happy!!" Well now I WEIGH 199lbs!!! This is only the half!! I have no doubts that I will lose the rest of the weight and reach my overall goal of losing 101lbs!! I can't wait 'til that day!!:) I feel great!! That picture on the left is exactly how I feel, crazy hair and all!! :))

Another reward level accomplished!!! My reward for reaching this level (58lbs lost) is a "C'est La Vie" eat-whatever-I-want-day!!! Well, yesterday, I ate very healthy all day. At the wedding reception I had steamed veggies and fish and a salad. It was delicious. I had a small piece of cake. HOWEVER, I thoroughly enjoyed the wine (both red and white) in addition to a "few" rye and gingers and a shooter!! :) Hence the reason why this post did not go up last night nor early this morning :))) I wouldn't have been able to type my name last night, if you paid me lol!! So although it wasn't an "eat-whatever-I-want" DAY, I think that qualified as my reward. It worked out better this way, plus I don't really want to eat badly ALL day. The cake and alcohol were good enough rewards!! It was a great wedding, fun...I danced all night....it was wonderful!

Anyway, that's it for now...signing off very happy today. Off to get my cardio workout in for the day.

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!)

Saturday Weigh-In ~ Week 26

Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)

Last Weigh In: 205 lbs (June 3/09)

Current Weight: 204 lbs

This Week's Loss: 1lb!!!

Considering the week I've had....I WILL HAPPILY TAKE THIS ONE POUND LOSS!!!


This week was so very busy for me work wise. Staying in a hotel and eating out for every meal as well as long demanding days, makes it very difficult to stay on track! For the most part I stayed on track with some of my eating, but I did let myself go when it came to dinner. I had perfectly healthy breakfasts and lunches but dinners were a problem for me. One evening I had one slice of pizza, another night I had chicken quesadillas and another, I had lasagna. The one good thing was that I found that I could not eat a lot. In the past, I could polish off a medium pizza all to myself. However after eating about 3 quarters of the slice, I was full. The lasagna was a small order which I shared with colleagues - so not so bad and same thing for the quesadillas...I only ate half. So all in all it wasn't that bad.


SO What Was Bad???

1. In 4 days, I only managed to get one workout in...which is really sad. As I metionned, my days were very long and tiring, I got to bed late pretty well every night. I didn't get much sleep. Anyway, I don't want to sound like I'm providing excuses. I sucked when it came to working out.


2. I enjoyed the "liquid" diet a little more than I should. I did not resist on the alcohol. When it came to the pizza, it was accompanied by beer, I had some wine with my lasagna and more beer with my quesadillas and when it came to the last night (closing ceremonies), lets just say I enjoyed a nice variety from the liquid menu selection! :) I had a great time!!

Anyway, it's over. I will need to get in touch with my trainer to get my new program. Then get moving. When my photographer (husband) gets home, I will take my monthly pix and post them for your perusal.

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

OH, What a Night!!!

Well y'all, I've got a lot to say today, the good, the good, the alcohol!!! :)

The Good

Last night was my mini high school reunion; I believe I mentionned it briefly in a previous post. Now it wasn't a full blown reunion, just a group of friends (about 25) from the same graduating year, getting together after not seeing each other since high school (in this case, since 1992), at a nice restaurant to share food, drinks, memories, fabulous conversation and to have a great time!! It was wonderful, I had such an amazing time. Seeing everyone brought back memories, great stories and lots and lots of laughs!! It was such great fun. We hope to do it again next year!!

The Good

My trainer actually gave me carte blanche, well "carte grey" actually , to enjoy myself. I emailed him prior to tell him that I would be attending and I had all intentions of enjoying myself that evening with little to no restrictions. He responded, "Have a great time at your reunion, BUT, if you're going to drink, stay away from fatty foods!" So I took that as one or the other, but not both. Initially, I thought to myself , "Oh man, I'm going to this fabulous Italian restaurant and I could either have a nice pasta dish but no alcohol or vice versa!" I didn't know if I was going to listen to my trainer last night! Do I delete his email and pretend it got lost in cyber space so that I could eat whatever I wanted to? Do I eat and drink what I want and just apologize later?? Oh what to do?? Well I decided to listen to my trainer and just have one or the other!! I worked out that morning and ate all healthy meals throughout the day with the exception of dinner, which I had prior to going to the restaurant...I had 2 small beef fajita's with onions, mushrooms and broccoli and a little shredded cheddar cheese....should've had whole wheat tortilla shells but I didn't...

The Alcohol

I decided to drink y'all AND BOY DID I EVER!! I had a nice buzz going from very early on in the evening. I had a strawberry daquiri with my dinner and drank vodka spiked grape KoolAid prior to leaving my house. My girlfriend was with me so it made it way more fun!! When we finally got to the restaurant for the reunion (around 830pm), I started with a glass of red wine and asked the waiter what his name was, as I knew I'd be calling on him often!!! Once that red wine hit my tongue, it was almost magical and I just couldn't wait to have another - GUILT FREE!! It was awesome!! My best friend from high school was my drinking buddy last night and we fell right back into our old highschool ways ...it felt great....free....fun and no inhibitions..okay, okay, I was toasted all night. There was a smile as big and bright as the moon across my face and I just remember giggling the entire night. See pic below with my BF on the left and a friend from high school who btw, has not aged one second since then!!!! We had such fun last night.

It was amazing!! We had such a blast. I had wine, white russians, and shooters of all kinds (i don't even remember the cute names that went along with each different one I tried that night - I'm referring to the shooters here!!). I felt like a crazy teenager again....Such a fun night and I really did not miss the fatty foods at all....maybe it's because there's was never a moment that I didn't have a drink in my hand!! LOL!!!

I have lots more to write but unfortunately, I have to sign off...will be back later. I am leaving again for another business trip and I need to get packed and prepped, but my laptop will be with me, so I will continue posting later.

BTW, please note that I am wearing a new top that actually shows my arms (I would have never worn that before) there is some definition (probably not visible), the top is an XL...no more 3x, 2x or 1x!!!! I'm also wearing another pair of size 16 jeans!!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!!)

ST. PATTY'S & MY GIRLFRIEND JB....

This individual has been my friend for 20+ years and together, we've done a lot of fun and crazy things which will bring us to tears as we laugh about it, to this day!! It doesn't take much to get us going! I cannot imagine my life without her...anyway, this is not intended to be a sappy post. I can just see her face as she reads this laughing to herself and probably saying, "I can't believe she's writing about me and our craziness in her blog!!" or something to that effect!

Anyway, JB and I absolutely LOVE St. Patrick's Day!!! Well, maybe it's more the festivities that we like because if any one of us were quizzed on the history or origin of St. Patty's - we'd fail miserably!! I'm certain all of our responses would include either "leprechaun" or "green beer"!! It has been our longstanding tradition of just getting together and "doing it up right" on St. Patty's Day. For us, the festivities usually starts very early in the afternoon and goes strong until the wee hours of the morning!!

In the past, this involved the consumption of "a few" beverages, followed by a few more and so on and so on until very early the following morning where we'd ALWAYS end up asking the taxi driver to take us to the 24-hour drive thru McDonalds, where we ordered a massive amount of greasy, fatty food. I'm talking, double Big Macs, Supersize Fries, Coke and Apple Pies!!! I swear, it's the only thing we wanted to eat after a day on the "liquid diet" and it was just AMAZING! Can anyone relate to this, or are we just nuts?? Anyway, that's how we would normally spend St. Patty's Day, in the past!

This Year...

I will be in Edmonton on business on St. Patty's Day!! This year, on St. Patty's Day, I will have just completed my third straight month on this wonderful journey following a highly effective, customized diet and exercise plan which does not include my traditional "St. Patty's Day Food and Beverage Choices"!!!! THIS YEAR, on St. Patty's Day, although I will be in Edmonton, SO WILL MY GIRLFRIEND JB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know if was fate or if it was planned (I WILL never tell!!) but we will BOTH be in Edmonton on St Patty's Day and I think it was meant to be...

Oh, what to do????

First off, my girlfriend in no way wants to sabbotage my journey and has been extremely supportive from the very beginning and even before!! So "what I do" will be totally my decision...we could have a good time either way..Honestly, there is no pressure from her at all!! I just don't want anyone thinking that she's sabbotaging me in anyway!!!

So here are some facts:

1. I have been just amazing on this diet and exercise plan, and for the most part (except those 4 choc eggs recently), I've stayed true.
   
2. I didn't have cake or alcohol on my 35th birthday!!
   
3. I didn't have any chocolate on Valentine's Day!!
   
4. So far this year I've done very well and 3 months is a very long time.
   
5. I have all intentions of remaining on this journey and reaching my goals by Dec 2009!

I've always said that I don't want this new lifestyle to consume me and I also don't want to miss out on my life and things I enjoy doing because of it even though I realize and accept that I do have to make a lot of sacrifices and give up certain things....so I'm in yet another position where I have to make a huge decision regarding either food, chocolate, alcohol or all of the above!!! I also don't want to always have to be in these types of positions. I want to be able to just live and enjoy my life while respecting the boundaries of my program. It's all about finding that balance and learning how to live within it....I think that's a bigger struggle than losing the weight, itself - for me anyway!

So that's it for now....as always, I will be honest in whatever I do; with whatever decision I make regarding St. Patty's Day!! You will be informed...either way!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

I'm 35 and Feeling FINE!!

What an interesting birthday!! I must share all...I must come clean...I must be honest....so here we go....



What did you eat Joania??????????


Well, we all have only one life to live and my philosophy is, "You better enjoy it!!"


Below you will find a list of statements of events that occured on my birthday. At the end of the post, you will find whether these statements are true or false.....

1. I started off my day by skipping my morning workout - slept in an extra hour


2. I had my regular healthy breakfast.


3. I had a special birthday lunch with my colleagues at work (including my friend Kim who was "BORN TO BAKE").


4. At work, I ate a piece of cake so large, it could qualify as a small cake to some.


5. I went to my favourite restaurant for dinner and "went wild".


6. I had more cake (this time DQ Icecream cake) when I got home.


7. I worked out in the evening!


8. I cracked a bottle of wine, had a few glasses and went to bed drunk!


9. I decided that a chocolate bar wouldn't hurt..yummmy.


10. I ENJOYED my day!

So what do you think? How did I do? Well here are the facts.

1. TRUE - I did skip my morning work out...one of my birthday gifts to my self was to sleep in and it felt awesome. I gave myself a one day break...back on schedule though, just finished my workout.


2. TRUE - I did have a healthy breakfast - I figure, why not start the day right!


3. TRUE - Now, although I did have lunch with my girls, and Kim did bake this chocolate chip, cream, graham cracker crumb number which looked amazing and smelled even better, and there was also some sort of poppy seed with cream icing cake, I RESISTED!!!! I had a grilled chicken wrap with a bit of gralic sauce and water for lunch - it was delicious! I still can't believe I resisted those desserts, but I did - it wasn't easy.


4. This one could be TRUE and FALSE. Had I eaten a piece of cake, it WOULD have been as large as a small cake. I did not have any cake at work!!!


5. My favourite (well one of) is a little Italian restaurant on Preston (Trattoria Cafe). The lasagna made fresh daily with home made pasta and sauces is to die for. 1 half order of lasagna, 1 half order of creamy fettuccine alfredo, warm freshly baked bread, a glass of white wine and chocolate mousse for dessert - is what I would have ordered had I gone there for supper but I didn't so the answer is FALSE!!!!


6. FALSE - I HAD NO CAKE!!!!!!!( yes, i am a bit pissy about it - but whatever!:0(


7. FALSE - I decided..no working out on my birthday..I already wasn't having any cake so no working out!!!


8. I FRIGGIN WISH!!! FALSE - Not only did I not have any cake, I ALSO had no alcohol!! I'm making all impossibilities seem possible. I know a few of my friends were betting against me on this one!!


9. TRUE -I had a creamy, gooey Caramilk and it was awesome...THEN I WOKE UP FROM MY DREAM!!!!I had NO CHOCOLATE!!


10. TRUE - Even without my usual vices of chocolate, cake and alcohol, I still enjoyed my day. I received so many wonderful birthay wishes and hugzzz, it was great. My team at work took me to lunch on Thursday (where I had a wonderful meal- grilled chicken breast over salad), great company and just a nice time -all in my honour - thanks guys. I also enjoyed lunch with my lunch girls yesterday - as always, wonderful conversation and great company. My husband and son were the first to wish me happy birthday and give me my cards and gifts...what's sweeter than a two year old singing "Happy Birthday to Mummy", it was awesome. I received my birthday telephone calls from my friends and family abroad -spoke on the phone for 2 hours with one of them - we laughed so much. It was great. It was relatively warm for a February Winter day! I have no complaints..truly enjoyed my day! Different, but enjoyable nonetheless!

So there it is. I'm a woman of my word. I put up the Birthday Poll two weeks ago and said that majority would rule and it did. 42% of you wanted me to stay true to the journey and I did and it felt great doing it. But, more importantly, I did it for myself. I really feel that I am at a point where I no longer feel the need to sabbotage my progress - it takes a whole lot of effort and determination, but also wonderful support and encouragement!!

So I am 35!!!!!!!! 35!!!! I feel amazing and happy to be going full force on this journey.

Until next time.

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

My Birthday Poll

Only 4 days left until the poll closes. Friday is my 35th birthday and I put up this poll for suggestions on how to celebrate or not. As with all polls, majority will rule!! So far, it's a very tight race and "staying true to the journey" has a very slim lead.

Keep those votes coming!!

Thanks!

Joania (2KMINE!!)

Wow..Time Surely Flies...

I originally contacted my trainer Rob on October 24, 2008 asking questions about his services. When I finally decided to start the program with him on December 10, 2008, one of the things I told him was that I would be turning 35 on February 27, 2009 and I want to have a handle on getting in shape and finally losing this weight by then. I wanted to be well on my way to doing that. Back then, February seemed soooooo far away!

Well, my 35th birthday is 10 DAYS away and I really feel that I am truly on my way. I've lost 25 pounds, a ton of inches and I am much healthier than I was at this time last year. Can't wait to turn 36!

Now birthdays have always been about the cake and good times (good times usually include some "special juices") for me!! I have always looked at birthdays as a time to celebrate and live it up!! Never cared that I was getting older - always felt that each year would be better than the last! This year, I'm turning 35, very excited and really believe the next phase of my life will be the best yet, especially with this new lifestyle I've adopted! So, lets get back to the cake and special juice. I have three choices:

1. It's my birthday, do it up right (that would include cake, special juice and whatever else I feel like having on that day!!
2. Have a piece of cake OR one drink! One or the other and be satisfied with that!
3. Have NO CAKE, NO DRINKS, just stay true to your program and do it up right at my half way mark (a couple of months!!)

Oh, what to do....we'll have to see how I feel. I don't plan on stressing about it. It's just when it comes to BIRTHDAY CAKE (well cake in general - oh, just got a memory flash of my friend's mom's carrot cake with cream cheese icing...oh my yumness), needless to say, I have a serious weakness - and quite a few of my friends can attest to this fact!! I think I may have to figure new ways to "celebrate" and "live it up" that do not necessarily include excess calories!!

Ideas and suggestions always welcomed...

Please take a minute to fill out the poll on the right (top). Thanks!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)