Weigh-in Saturday ~ Week 47

Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 187 lbs (Oct 31/09)
Current Weight: 185 lbs (Nov 7/09)
This Week: 2 more pounds Down!!!

Total Loss: 73 pounds!!

I lost 2 pounds this week!! Yeah!! Next week I KNOW that I will lose more than two pounds!! I'm going to WILL it and put in the work to make it happen. This was my first week with the new weight training program and although I gave 100%, it's a new program so I was focused on ensuring that I had the correct form and adjust my weight as necessary. I've done it 3 times now, so I'm GOOD TO GO for next week!! I'm going to ROCK it out!! I'm excited!

ONLY 5 Weigh-ins LEFT!! 28 POUNDS TO GO!!! 5 Weeks of intense, hardcore, bad ass training and clean eating!!!! 2 more pounds to shed until the big 75 pound loss!!! This is awesome! This journey is almost over, but the lifestyle has JUST BEGUN!! :)

WOW!! I am truly amazed at how quickly this year has gone by, especially the last few months!! It's incredible how far I've come on this journey and all the amazing things that have happened to me!I still can't believe I got to work with ParticipACTION and it's amazing staff (especially Katherine)!!! I met and hung out with an Olympian (Sue Hollaway), ParticipACTION President and CEO Kelly Murumets and Vice President of Sun Life Financial (Josée Dixon)!!! Insane!! I'm starring in a national television commercial that's running currently!! Crazy!! I've been featured in several major newspapers (see links on the right side of my blog - under "I Made The Papers")!!NUTS!!! I made the list for Ottawa Life Magazine's TOP50 People in the Capital!!! I've been on the radio (Live 88.5) talking about ME and MY journey!! Madness!!!!!

Most importantly, this blog/website has afforded me the opportunity to "meet" so many wonderful and inspiring people who have shown me such immense support over the past 10 months - it's just amazing!!In my wildest dreams, I never anticipated all of this would happen, just by me making the decision to get healthy!! I can truly say that I am different person and well on my way to continuing to do great things!

I am so pumped...had an amazing workout this morning...tons of squats and lunges. I'm really working hard on trimming my thighs as they are my most "troubled" areas! My trainer ROB really put together a great routine that will not only strengthen my entire body, but targets my legs as well!! I'm really going to push my body to the max the next 5 weeks!! Leave everything out there. I don't want my last weigh-in to come around with me regretting that I hadn't pushed myself hard enough in some workouts!! THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!! I plan to make EVERY WORKOUT COUNT!!!

For breakfast this morning, I had a soft boiled egg, a medium tomato (sliced), two turkey sausages and an 8oz protein drink (8oz of water & 1 heaping scoop of vanilla whey protein) right after my workout!! Also drank about a litre of water! For lunch, I'm having a cucumber and tomato salad with sardines for lunch and about a litre of water. Not sure what's for dinner as yet, but I'm leaning towards roasted chicken breast and roasted veggies (broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes and onions). YUM!!☻

Tomorrow is my "rest day" but I'll probably get a yoga session in, just to help relax the muscles or take a nice walk with my son.

That's it for now...hanging in strong!

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

I'm Struggling and a bit Frustrated, Y'ALL....

First off, let me just say that I have been on point (100%) with my exercising/workouts. I love it. So that part of the journey is not a problem.

HOWEVER, when it comes to EATING and FOOD.....I'm struggling!!!!!!! I knew this journey would be a challenge and I think I've been handling this challenge very well since I've started. Here I sit, in what should be the home stretch, having lost more that half of my goal and I'm struggling with stinking food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew I would have a tough time with the food aspect of this journey, but I was really starting to believe that I had a good handle on it and that I was well on my way to permanently incorporating this new and healthy nutritional lifestyle into my everday routine. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself....I dunno, I just feel like I'm slipping and I want to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand.

Don't get me wrong, I have not totally fallen off the wagon (not even half off the wagon) but I do realize that I am not nearly as diligent as I have been in the past 6-7 months. I've been slipping a "little something sweet" in with my meals every other day. Today for example, I had a piece of carrot cake...loaded with icing!! It was delicious - I didn't and DO NOT feel guilty about eating it, but maybe I should have just had half of what I ate. It was a pretty big slice. I had a glass of red wine the night before and just little nibbles and tastes here and there of things I KNOW that I SHOULD NOT BE EATING! Thankfully I haven't had a major pig-out session...YET!!!

This is what the whole sabbotaging of the progress is all about. I mentioned before that this journey will be as much mental as it is physical, if not more and I'm really started to see that. So this just reminds me that I need to make that extra effort to work out and strengthen those "mental muscles" and not just the physical ones. I have to figure out the reason why I feel the need to eat these foods, especially now. You know, I've heard and read a lot of different theories as it relates to this issue and I've never been able to find anything that "fits" my personal situation. I've just always believed that I JUST LOVE food. I know some people overeat when they're happy, some when they're sad, others when they're angry or frustrated or stressed or even depressed!! To me, I eat when I'm hungry and the problem is that I always seem to be hungry...my issue is just conditionning my brain to eat the right foods.

The nutritional plan that I am currently following (created by my trainer Rob ) allows me to eat a lot of food throughout the day. In fact, he stresses to me repeatedly, the importance of eating and not skipping meals, or starving myself with crazy dieting, if I want to be successful on this journey. It's just ensuring that I eat the right things -- whole foods--healthy foods. I feel that I've made that connection and I understand what I need to eat to be successful, however I am struggling with sticking with it and I just need to understand why!! This is so frustrating!! I'm in a weird, strange place right now when it comes to my eating. I find myself wanting to rationalize to myself why it would be okay to have that Big Mac Combo with a Supersized Chocolate Shake....I find myself saying things like, "I deserve this, I've been working so hard!!" I have been working hard and that's more reason why I shouldn't go there...I dunno....just a bit frustrated and just really need to figure things out!!

I knew this journey was not going to be filled with ONLY nice smoothly paved roads along the way, I was fully aware that I'd eventually get to the roads that are still under construction or just full of pot holes. I just need to ensure that my vehicle is strong enough and doesn't fall apart going over those bumps and potholes!!! I have had a baby, after 16 hours of natural labour - that was tough!!! I am starting to believe that this journey may indeed be a more difficult task!!

Anyway, I had to get all that off my chest. Thanks for listening. I'm fighting hard to handle this. As always, thanks for your support! Weigh-in on Saturday morning.

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

Scale Neglect...and Loving IT!!

Hey guys,

First I just need to say how much I've missed blogging and reading other blogs this past week or so....I feel like part of my routine is missing and I can't wait to get back to it. I plan to spend all of Saturday (or as much as I need) reading blogs and catching up on what I've been missing. I will also be back to posting regularly...I've really missed it! :)

Anyhoo, it's been 2 weeks since my last weigh in. Right now, I have no idea if I've gained or lossed weight. All I know is that I feel great and really that should be all that matters!!:) I haven't seen the scale and I don't miss it one bit. For the purposes of this journey, I will continue to weigh my self regularly to be able to chart my progress but once I reach my set goals and I get to the point of just maintaining a healthy lifestyle, one of the first things I'm going to do is host a SCALE-SMASHING party!! YEAH!!! I'll invite people over with their respective scales and at some pivotal point in the evening, we'll gather in my backyard and smash away!! We may even do it to music - maybe somethng by ACDC (Thunderstruck, maybe) Sounds like fun eh?? :D

Seriously, I'm pretty certain that I haven't gained any weight because I've been working out regularly, including regular "pullup" attempts - still the most difficult exercise EVER and so far I still can only complete ONE full pull-up!!! My eating hasn't been perfect but it hasn't been terrible either. I would say, overall it's about 80-85%! So that's not so bad...

I will weigh myself on Saturday morning (July 25th --omg, that's my husband's birthday - must plan something fun- he's been so amazing through all this) and post the results and get back to business 100%.

On another note, I saw one of my colleagues today, who I haven't seen in about 3 weeks and I must say that he looked fabulous. He has been extremely supportive of my journey, and we often speak of my struggles, triumphs, etc. He was inspired to start losing weight and he has. I believe he's down about 30 pounds since April - just by making some healthy changes (including exercising and nutritious foods). He is also training for a 5K run. I'm so happy for him and could see the difference in him (both physically and mentally). It's awesome....he inspires me to keep going. I just wanted to say, "GO Rob Go!!!"

It's funny, just a short few months ago, I could barely climb my stairs in my home and now I'm training for a 5K run...it's amazing to me how quickly your body adapts to healthy changes and how strong one can get...

Anyway, that's all the ramblings for today.

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

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!!!)

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!!!)

Off to Edmonton AND Vancouver Next Week!

Hi guys,

I am sooooooooo glad it's Friday. TGIF!!!!!!!! This has been such a busy week for me. I was on course for work. It was 3 days at a different building downtown (downtown traffic stinks!) but anyway, it's over. I've also been busy prepping for another business trip. I'm off to Edmonton on Monday morning, then Vancouver on Wednesday and back home on Friday. It will be a very quick stop in both cities. Another busy week, but I plan to stay on track.

This time, I am not even phased at the thought of going away and worrying about my new lifestyle. Not the slightest regarding what I will eat or if I will exercise. Last month, prior to my trip to Halifax, I was losing sleep worrying if I would sabbotage my journey. But not now!!! I have my game plan. Both hotels are equipped with top of the line fitness facilities (and swimming pools) so I have no excuse when it comes to working out and I KNOW I will make healthy choices when it comes to eating. Don't get me wrong, I'm not over confident...I mean, temptation is temptation and I will have to be on my toes, but I am not worried like I was last time.

Anyway, looking forward to getting the trips out of the way. My only concern -and it's not even really a concern because he will be with his Daddy - but I always feel so sad when I leave my little munchkin...I must admit it is a nice break....even though I'm working, I'm not cooking, cleaning or picking up etc....it's a nice chance for me to get away from the routine and just re-boot... but I couldn't do it too often...I miss my sweet little hugs and kisses and all the crazy and wonderful moments!! My husband is really a great support which allows me the opportunity to this every now and then. Anyway, so I'll be gone for a week.

Just wanted to fill you in. Also, i will take picks of what I eat (it really helps to keep me on track). This time I will have my colleagues take the pics as PROOF THAT I ACTUALLY ATE THOSE MEALS (I received that as a suggestion after posting the food pix from my last trip)!! I may even take pix of me working up a sweat!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

Two Month Anniversary Pics

Hi everyone,

It's been TWO MONTHS!!!! Two Months and 25 POUNDS less!!! That's more than 10 pounds per month AND I'm doing it the right way with proper nutrition and exercise - no quick tricks, just hard work and dedication. There is NO turning back now. I am so pleased and proud that I have been able to last this long and I have no doubt I will make it to the end!! This is the longest I've ever TRULY and HONESTLY committed to losing weight and getting healthy!!! I really feel like I am on my way to making this a permanent lifestyle change. The longer I do this, the harder it will be for me to go back to my old ways and I'm thrilled about that because I DO NOT want to go back!!

I feel amazing, full of energy!! I'm feeling so much stronger especially during and after my workouts! It's awesome!

To be totally honest, I don't see a huge difference like in the last pics but I do feel smaller and stronger and for now that's important to me.

What I've Noticed...

The Front Shots: My stomach, hips and legs are a bit smaller, less fat on my chest, under my neck area

The Side Shots: My stomach (especially the lower abs area), less rolls, butt's smaller, thighs just a bit smaller

The Back Shots: My waist and hips are a bit smaller, things feel different, I feel like everything is falling down wards! My legs appear bigger this month - I dunno!!

The Fun Shots: My arms seem smaller and shoulders more defined, thigh is smaller and starting to get some definition, my butt is definitely getting smaller.

Anyway, really anxious to hear what you guys think. I'm hoping that next month's pics will show much Bigger changes!

Anyway, here are the pics. I've posted last month's to compare to this month's!

FRONT (Top: Jan 10/09 - 242 lbs, Bottom: Feb 13/09 - 233 lbs)

SIDE: (Top: Jan 10/09 - 242 lbs, Bottom: Feb 13/09 - 233 lbs)

BACK (Top: Jan 10/09 - 242 lbs, Bottom: Feb 13/09 - 233 lbs)

FUN (Top: Jan 10/09 - 242 lbs, Bottom: Feb 13/09 - 233 lbs)

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)