WOW...Part 2

Well yesterday was a great day for me and I was amazed and somewhat humbled by a couple of the day's events , which I mentioned in yesterday's post. Well, the "wow-ness " continues today. I made a HUGE decision regarding my career today and feel really good about it! I am generally a very pensive individual...I usually mull things over for days on end, going over all possible scenarios and creating numerous "pros" and "cons" lists.

Well, of late I've been thinking and thinking and re-thinking about making a change regarding my career and today I just went for it!! I through caution to the wind and made a decision!! I listened to my gut (for once) and just went with it, whatever is left over will be worked out as time goes by. Can't say much more than that for now, but I just feel good and excited.....

MORE DETAILS WILL FOLLOW!!!! :)

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

Wow....

Hey guys...

First off, thanks for all the nice comments on my last post. I'm amazed at the differences in the pix.


Anyway, I had a very interested day today!! It started off with one of my friends at work. She came to visit me in my office and presented me with a little silver star that had the word "Bravo" written on it (See pic below). She recently joined weight watchers and had lost a total of 7 pounds thus far!! "Awesome!!" I exclaimed, "Keep it up!!" She'd been given this star as a result of her hard work and weight loss and decided to give it TO ME, because she thought I was a good support to her....We always talk about my journey, she follows my blog and always compliments me on how I'm doing!! IF anyone is supportive, IT'S HER!!! Anyway, she wanted to show her appreciation for supporting her!! I was so touched...I mean, I know it's a little silver sticker but the thought and sentiment behind it just means so much. So I wanted to say THANKS DEBBIE!! Keep up the great work and you know I'm rooting for ya!! :)
Okay, so the sticker is a cute little thing - I really tried hard to get a clear shot of it, but my photography skills aren't the best. It does say "BRAVO" on it (in red). :)


Later on that day, I had a very interesting conversation with another friend. This conversation had more to do with me and life and trying to figure out what exactly I want out of life. It was quite fascinating and shed some light on a lot of things I've been pondering of late, specifically as it relates to my career and life in general. You see, I'm going through a lot of very important changes in my life right now, number one being this journey. For the first time, I've decided to invest the time and effort required to assist me in being the best I can be. I'm investing in my health and well-being which will also greatly benefit my family!! So with that, of course, I find myself re-evaluating various other aspects of my life...just an interesting time for me right now and the conversation just captured that.

Anyway, I came home and check my emails (as usual). I received and email titled, "You Can Cross This Off Your Bucket List". I was intrigued. If you notice at the bottom right side of my blog, I have a section titled, "Top Items From My Bucket List" and I've listed certain things I'd like to try at least once before leaving this wonderful earth!! I don't know if I'll ever get to do all of them but I plan to try and I'm certain I will be adding more items to this list as I go along in life - I hope to cross off quite a few as well! :) Anyway, back to the email.

This person started off by saying, "YOU SAVED MY LIFE - Well improved the quality!!"...those words immediately brought chills to my body. I was a bit nervous to read on because I didn't really know what to expect. I continued reading and to sum up what was said, this individual recently found my blog and decided to read every post from the start. Well she read my post I wrote on FIBROIDS and my experiences with it. She's been having some lower abdominal pain and for the past couple of years have just disregarded the pain thinking it had to do with her obesity. Anyway, after reading my post, she recognized a lot of the symptoms that I described and decided to go to the doctor. She was diagnosed with numerous, large fibroid and eventually received treatment. Her pain is now gone and she too has embarked on a weightloss journey of her own!!

I am so very flattered. I don't believe I saved her life -I'm awaiting her response for more details - however, I'm very happy the information from my experiences could help her to resolve her own. This is great and I'm thrilled that I am able to positively affect people and help them out. So thank you for that email and I look forword to your response.

Anyway, today was a good day regarding my food but I DID NOT workout today...I was running late this morning and did not get a chance this evening. I will be up first thing in the morning sweating it up...no worries...

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

CHANGES: Before and After Shots

Hi guys,


My friends from ParticipACTION sent me a few pix today taken from the ParticipACTION SunLife Inspire the Nation Tour. (Thanks Katherine!)


As I looked at one of the pics, I thought it looked really nice. It's one of my son and I. I decided to pull up an older (before) pic of my son and I taken in December 2008. WOW!! I can really see a difference. I will be going through some old pics as I think it would be cool to see the changes.


Anyway, here they are...let me know what you think. The photo on the top was taken Dec 2008. The photo on the bottom was taken July 2009. My son is still as sweet as ever but I really notice the difference in my face, cheeks, chin, neck, shoulders etc....
















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

Saruday Weigh-In ~ Week 36...That's What I'm Talking About!!!

Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 198 lbs (Aug 15/09)
Current Weight: 196 lbs
This Week's Loss: 2 POUNDS GONE!

Total pounds lossed to date: 62!!!

MUCH BETTER!! The scale is moving on the downward again!! Thank goodness. Very happy to report a loss today!! Fabulous. This was a great week food wise and exercise wise. Got a busy day today so I will keep this post short...just wanted to report the progress and let you guys know that I am back on track...

Have a great one!!


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

So You Think You Can RUN???

When I started this journey, I set a few goals...certain things I wanted to do...milestones, if you will. One of those milestones was to eventually run a 5K race. That's right, A 5K or 3.1 miles!! Yikes!! What the crap was I thinking???

Anyway a couple of months ago, I made the decision that I would start officially training for this run. I even started a seperate blog to keep track of my "5K run" training etc. I decided I would take part in The CIBC Run For The Cure on Sunday October 4, 2009!!

Well, October 4th is right around the corner and I AM SO NERVOUS!! I don't feel like I'm ready. I have been following the C25K or "Couch to 5 K" training plan. I found it tough as nails but effective. Even after 4 weeks of training, I am still a "struggling runner". Truth be told, I haven't been as disciplined as I should have been with the training. I really dislike running - maybe I haven't yet found my groove where running is concerned. It is tough, but I've committed, so I'm sticking with it!!

One of my girlfriends volunteered to help me get set up and registered for the run. I was very excited to get started. now I'm full of nerves. Gotta get it together! With the upcoming race only about 5/6 weeks away, the doubts are "TRYING" to creep in - but I won't let them.


So why this post?


I put this out there before and a few of you had expressed interest in running as a team and/or running the 5K with me. If any of you are interested or still interested, please send me an email to journey2kmine@live.com or leave a comment on this post with your contact (email address) info. I just want to get as much info as possible before setting things up (registration etc.) with my girlfriend. PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY FRIDAY AUGUST 28, 2009!! Thanks!!


That's it for now...thanks.

Until next time....

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

NO PLAN, NO SPECIAL DIET...Just Trying To Live & Enjoy Life..

Hi everyone,

Well, I never anticipated the number of responses (especially via email) my last post would illicit. So many questions about what I am eating and how the food is prepared, which diet plan I'm following, etc., etc. So I decided that I would use this post to address all those questions and some of the comments.

As some or most of you may know, I LOVE TO EAT!! Let's face it, I wouldn't be in this predicament of needing to lose this amount of weight if I didn't truly ENJOY my food!! When I first starting talking to my trainer/nutritionist (Rob), prior to embarking on this journey, one of the things that I stressed to him was just how much I loved eating and enjoyed my food. I did not want to do yet another fad diet, where I had to deprive myself of certain things and would leave me feeling guilty if I ate certain foods. I didn't want any crazy restrictions and/or rules. I just knew I wouldn't be able to stick with it! I'm really glad my trainer listened to my requests and provided me with guidelines that would work for my situation and gave me proper tools to address the real issues I have with food, like portion control and just overall irresponsible eating!!

Being overweight all my adult life, I had tried pretty well every diet under the sun and quickly (as well as after a lot of disappointment) came to the realization that all these quickie diets DON'T WORK. The only thing that will work is eating sensibly and responsibly while incorporating proper exercise and taking care of yourself mentally and spiritually. With regards to food, it would be more about control and balance than anything else. I wanted to feel free to eat whatever I'd like. Of course I realized that I wouldn't be successful on this journey if I ate burgers and fries with pop, seven days a week; yet at the same time, if I felt like having a burger, I wanted the freedom to plan and incorporate that meal into my lifestyle.

I want to be successful on this journey and for me, success doesn't only mean achieving my goal of losing 101 pounds in 1 year following a set plan and then when I get there - "start eating real foods again!!". That's garbage. Success for me is changing the way I view foods, my habits and overall, my lifestyle. I want to be able to control my food portions and intake for THE REST OF MY LIFE!! Not just during this one year timeframe!!

I really don't believe I can achieve that following any fad "diet" or "plan". Don't get me wrong, I know that a lot of people have had success with some of those prescibed plans and I am happy for them but I just know that those won't work for me. If it works for you, then great. I just didn't want anything too restrictive with crazy rules like no eating after 7pm, for example. I don't think there's a be all and end all plan. I think it's more about living your life, enjoying your food BUT making smart, responsible choices and not beating yourself up when you "slip up". I wanted to eat normal foods; I didn't want to always be cooking seperate meals for myself than I would for the rest of my family!

My trainer provided very clear guidlines of what to eat, but everything I eat is what I'd normally eat anyway. So what's the difference? How am I losing weight now and not before eating pretty much the same foods? A few answers:

1. PORTION CONTROL & FREQUENCY -I eat much smaller portions than I used to. One of my meals pre-journey could have been split up to make 3 of my current meals!! No kidding or exageration!! I am also eating more often (I eat about 5 small meals a day!). In the past, for example, I would bake a whole chicken (the same way I do today), the difference is that back then I would it most of that chicken in one serving whereas now, I have the breast or the leg with my meal. It makes a huge difference.
2. WATER CONSUMPTION - I am drinking about 3-4 litres of water everyday. That helps a lot and has also improved my skin!! (bonus).
3. EXERCISE - I am following a progressive exercise plan which is helping to keep my body strong and healthy.
4. SMART CHOICES - sticking to whole foods, very little to no process food.
5. PREPARATION - everything I eat doesn't have to me super creamy, or buttered or sugared!!!

To me, there is a huge difference between deprivation and moderation. I don't believe you have to deprive yourself of something to learn that moderation is the key. Maybe we wouldn't feel the need to eat something in excess if it wasn't "restricted" from our "plans" in the first place. Just my thoughts on this!!

I know that I have "scale" issues. YES, i like to see the number decrease on a weekly basis and when that doesn't happen, it angers me a bit. I just need to accept that it will take a bit longer to fall off than if I followed a more "super clean" or even a more "restrictive" diet. My overall goal is to have long lasting success and I think that can only be achieved if I work on training my mindset as well.

So to answer those initial questions, I am following the guidelines of my trainer/nutritionist in the gym and the kitchen BUT, I am also trying to exercise common sense by making more sensible and responsible choices about my food as well as exercising that ever-important portion control. Most of my foods come from the whole food group. Rob told me to avoid processed foods altogether because they have little to no nutritonal value!! Once in a while, I will have something from the processed food group, but not too often at all!

Anyway, hope that answers the questions. Remember that these are just my personal views on the matter and I know some or maybe all of you would disagree but so far it's working for me. It's not perfect, but what is???

Looking forward to your comments!!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!)

Let's Check Out My Food...

Hi guys,

I have been really trying these past few days to take pictures of my meals - I find that it truly does help me to say on track and let me tell you, I can use all the help I can get. So here we go...

Dinner: this is baked chicken breast (with onions, garlic, mushrooms and red peppers) with mixed veggies (broccoli, spinach, red pepper, mushrooms, onions, skim milk, seasonned with pepper, curry, garlic & onion powder) with a very small amount of whole wheat spaghettini. It was delicious. I don't usually have pasta but I splurged. It really wasn't a lot (maybe 1/4 cup); more veggies than pasta!

Close-up... The following was for lunch one day. A simple garden salad (spring mix & cherry tomatoes) with left over roasted chicken breast shredded on top. About 1 Tbsp of home-made dressing (EVOO, pepper, vinegar). It was great, quick, tasty and more importantly - filling! :)

Close-up... (you can see...very, very light on the dressing).

Dinner: My husband cooked this one. He was the grillmaster on the BBQ...Salmon skewers with grilled zucchini. There was also corn on the cob which he prepared on the grill but I didn't have any.

The following was another quick lunch. Sliced cucumbers with canned sardines (in water). I literally sliced up about 1/2 of an English cucumber, opened the can of sardines and poured it in the same bowl, added pepper, mixed it all up and ate it!!! No dressing required as the water from the sardines did the job. It was yummy - I've always liked sardines.

Close up...

Dinner: Roasted chicken leg with steamed broccoli and sweet potato mash! I baked a whole chicken (seasonned with pepper, garlic & onion powder, cayenne pepper). I baked the sweet potato in the oven, once it was done, scooped out the potato from skin and mashed it up in a bowl. It was quite moist. That's it!! This was a very filling meal and I had a lot of chicken left over to use in salads and for another dinner. Below is a close-up. So that's it so far. I have also been drinking between 3-4 litres of water each day. Hoping I can continue taking these pics. Just knowing that I have to take a picture helps me to plan what exactly I will be eating! Anyway, that's it for now, just a "food pic" post.

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

SCALE ALMIGHTY - Harmful or Hurtful?

**** I just noticed something....THE TITLE of this post...when I wrote this yesterday, I could have sworn I wrote "Scale Almighty - Helpful or Hurtful"....looking at the post today, I noticed it's actually "Harmful or Hurtful"!! Well, if that isn't a subliminal message, I don't know what is!! LOL****

What is it about this little thing, that barely takes up any space in the corner of your bathroom, yet, it has the power to make you cry and/or do a backflip with happiness (or at least attempt to)?? Do scales or more specifically, weighing oneself, cause more harm than good??? What does that number on the scale tell you about yourself? It may as well just read "you are good" or "you are bad" once you step on it based on the way it makes you feel...

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the word "scale"?? For me, when I think of the word "scale", I usually think success or failure. How do you feel when you think of weighing yourself and how do you feel in that very moment prior to stepping on that scale? Personally, I sometimes I wish I could go without weighing myself or maybe just weigh myself every 2 to 3 months!!

How do you feel after? The results of the scale holds so much power. If it's a loss, I usually feel great and just on top of the w orld, even if it's only a small loss. If it's a gain, I start questionning whether or not I should continue on the journey and start asking myself stupid questions like, "what's the point of this journey anyway?" or even the ever too common, "why am I doing this anyway?" - it's crazy!!! I then have to calm myself down, give my head a shake and let logic sink back in.

If you never weighed yourself again and only had indicators like the way your clothes fit or whether or not you could run up and down a flight of stairs without gasping for air, would stepping on that scale really matter? I don't THINK it should but IT DOES matter to me and my new goal is to take away from the importance of that number on the scale.

I truly began to give this some thought based on the way I felt this past Saturday. I woke up with great anticipation as I had a great week of healthy eating and exercise. I was so looking forward to the number on the scale as I felt it would some how validate my hard work and I was quite confident that it would be a nice loss. Well, to my surprise and complete disappointment, the dreaded scale showed that I gained 1 pound and in that second, I was disheartened!

It's absolutely insane when you think about it logically. I have been on this amazing weight loss/getting healthy journey since Dec 2008. I'm down 60 pounds and in arguably the best shape of my life, yet in that moment of looking at that weight gain, none of that mattered. Somehow, I quickly forgot about all of my success thus far and focussed solely on that weight gain. Why do we (I) do this? Why does or why should that number matter so much?? Well, I've decided that I don't want it to matter that much and I WILL NO LONGER LET IT MATTER AS MUCH!!

I thought this would be a good time to share these feelings and take a look at the whole issue of using the scale to measure our success. There are all sorts of alternate ways to measure success when on a journey as such but for some reason I (we) seem to put the bulk of the "weight" on the results of the scale.

Our weight normally fluctuates somewhat from day-to-day, and daily weighing can lead to discouragement and potential diet sabotage if you see a higher number on the scale than you saw the day before. From what I've read and from what my trainer (Rob) has told me, a once-every two weeks or even monthly weigh-in is a more accurate reflection of weight control progress.

That being said, there are a few studies that show that overweight and obese adults who were trying to lose weight as well as overweight adults who were trying to prevent weight gain found that those who weighed themselves more often lost more weight and prevented more weight gain over two years than those who weighed themselves less frequently. Some potential advantages of daily weighing include recognition of slow patterns of weight gain that may not be immediately apparent and the chance to modify lifestyle habits before the total weight gain becomes extreme and difficult to control.

I guess if you research hard enough you can find a study to support almost anything. I think the above study is true for some but not all. This issue of using solely or mainly the scale to measure or monitor weight loss will have to be an individual one. For me, I think weighing myself every 2 weeks might present a more accurate measurement of my progress however, part of me still wants to see that weekly or more frequent result (good or bad). I guess I just have to work on how I process those results.

I must remember that the female body is quite complex on a regular day and I will look to a few indicators prior to reacting to those results. Some of the alternate measurements I will use to measure my success on this journey are:

• How I feel (energetic, good, happy, strong, healthy, lean)
• How my clothes fit (getting looser or tighter)
• My fitness levels (how far I can run/walk without needing to stop, how much weight I can lift, etc.)

Sorry for such a lengthy post, I just need to get this off my chest. Blogging is quite carthatic!!

Until next time...

Joania (2KMINE!!!)

VERY, HOT Power Walk...

Hi guys,

First off, thank you all for the wonderfully supportive comments on my last post!! I have put the 1-pound gain behind me and moving forward full force! As one of my girlfriend's said, "the body is weird - this could be muscle gain, water or poop and stuff!!"...hehee..thanks Fran. I've got to keep reminding myself to celebrate and not forget my accomplishments. As a few of you stated in your comments, "60 pounds is a huge amount of weight lost!!" I should be...I AM VERY PROUD of that and just need to not lose site of that. Thanks guys.

Anyway, continuing on, I had a fabulous cucumber salad with sardines for lunch yesterday...it was yummy and a grilled hamburger patty (homemade with extra lean ground beef) and a salad. Of course lots of water accompanied both meals.

This morning, I woke up and had two boiled eggs with a turkey sausage and water for breakfast. I then got my son, set him up in the stroller and went for an hour long 5+K Power Walk in the blazing heat!! It was awesome! I feel great...feel even better being indoors in my air conditionned living room :)

My husband grilled salmon skewers and veggies on the BBQ for lunch...

So far, today's been wonderful...

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

Saturday Weigh-In ~ Week 35...WTF????

Starting Weight: 258 lbs (Dec 10/08)
Last Weigh In: 197 lbs (Aug 8/09)
Current Weight: 198 lbs
This Week's Loss: 1 POUND GAIN...WTF????

Total pounds lossed to date: 60!!!


Okay, I'm pissed off with this week's weigh-in, in addition to being frustrated and baffled. I stuck to my diet like you wouldn't believe with the exception of Wednesday, when I had a late breakfast and a multi-grain bagel for lunch. I never missed a work out, so WTF??? Why am I gaining weight!! I'm heading in the wrong direction, according to this feking scale!!!!


Okay, now that I got that off my chest...I realize that these things happen and the body does some weird and crazy things at times so I just need to keep my focus and move on!! A 1 pound gain is not that bad, I will bounce back. One of my friends told me that the weather has an impact as well. The last few days have been extremely hot and humid so this could just be my body holding on to some of that extra water/fluids I've been drinking - I don't know...whatever it is, IT SUCKS!! But I digress.


I will move forward. After this post, I will go and do my workout. This evening, I plan to go for my run. I've also decided to start taking pix of my food again (it takes a lot of effort to take those pix and load them) but I think it helped me to be that much more disciplined... I took pictures of my dinner last night and this mornings breakfast (see below).


So today, I'm not too thrilled with the results but this will just make me push harder.

Last nights dinner (curried chicken breast (roasted) with broccoli (lightly curried) and of course...WATER!!!

This morning's breakfast was a 3-egg (2 egg whites, 1 whole egg) omlet with spinach and green onions:

That's all for now...I don't know what I'm having for lunch as yet, but I will take a pic and post it maybe later on.

Until next time...

Joania(2KMINE!!)