Wednesday 29 August 2012

Still kickin'!

I'm still here! Sorry for the lack of posts...
I've been busy, but I also just wasn't in the mood to write. My parents got here Monday and I've been staying at my sisters all week so I haven't been on the computer much. I had like a bazillion blog posts to catch up on today!

I didn't lose any weight last week, but I didn't gain any either. However, my weight has been fluctuating between 249-251 all week... not cool! It doesn't help that my mom works in a chocolate store and brought a bunch of goodies with her - shoot me! Yeah, so I'm going running after work today and hope to get another one in friday morning. I need to keep running while my parents are here because I think that will be my savour for not gaining weight while they're here.

This weekend is a long weekend here in Canada and it's also my birthday! The big 2-5 ;)
We'll be celebrating at my sisters with some family and friends. We're going to have homemade pizza and later that night some friends and I are going out on the town! I haven't been out with these friends in forever so I'm really looking forward to it. I somehow need to stay on track this weekend... it should be interesting.

I've also been slacking in the running department as of late. My second official 5k race is on September 29th at the Toronto zoo (how cool is that!?) and I realllllly want to run the entire thing without stopping. This course is going to be more challenging because there are hills and I haven't been training for hills. For the next 30 days I MUST get in 3 runs per week and at least 3 practice 5k runs.

I love that my parents are here. I haven't seen my dad since Christmas. I wish they lived much closer instead of 42 hours away... It's tough saying bye to them every time they leave.

One thing that I am looking forward to is leading a normal schedule now that summer is winding down (tear!). Hopefully my weight loss will get back on track too :)

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Re-Evaluate

Yesterday I received the weekly newsletter for the Lose a Marathon Challenge. In it, Jess discussed the struggle that a lot of people are dealing with - not losing weight. There's only four weeks left of the challenge and it sounds like a lot of participants (including myself) are a far way from losing the 26.2 lbs. Instead of aiming for an unrealistic goal, she suggested that we aim for half a marathon instead - 13.1 lbs. 

I've lost just over 8lbs since this challenge started back in June. That's not a lot of weight lost in a little over 2 months. However, my summer has been so busy with parties, bbq's, trips etc and the fact that I've lost weight and not gained is a victory for me. I also believe that switching my weigh in days from friday to monday has helped tremendously. Weekends were always a write-off in the past and now I have weekends where I actually lose weight. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to continue with Monday WI's after the challenge is over. 

I've decided to readjust my goal for the Lose a Marathon Challenge and aim for half a marathon, 13.1 lbs. Which means I have 4 weeks to lose 5lbs... totally doable! That would also bring be to the 35 lost mark. I would love to lose 8 more (2lbs/week) but we'll see how things go. 

The next 4 weeks are going to be the toughest ones yet! On Monday my parents arrive for a 2 week visit. They'll be staying between mine and my sisters house and when they're not at my place, I'll likely be at my sisters.. so meal planning will be difficult. Not to mention that during these 2 weeks it's my birthday and my sister's baby shower.. so the food will be flowing! I always gain weight when I'm with my parents. We tend to cook larger meals, more snacks and more dining out. However, the last time my mom came to visit I managed to maintain my weight. We still ate out, cooked bigger dinners and had events to go to, but I tracked my food and exercised as much as I could. 

I'm excited for the coming weeks, but I don't want them to be a set back. My goal is to run 3x per week and save the calorie splurges for the days that really matter (my birthday and sister's baby shower). 

Monday 20 August 2012

Vacation Round Up {& a weigh in}

I woke up feeling pretty tired this morning and that tiredness has turned into a headache. The kind of headache you normally have after a night of drinking, but I wasn't drinking. Perhaps it's my body detoxing from my mini vaca? Who knows, but I don't like it. On Thursday morning the boyfriend and I headed up north for a little getaway. I had the best intentions to stay on track over this vacation, I didn't do horrible, but I didn't do great either. 

Thursday started off with a two hour drive up north. We couldn't check into our B&B until 4pm, but there are a little towns in the area so we went to check them out. The area is beautiful and surrounded by lakes. We stopped for lunch at a little pub next to some waterfalls. The place didn't look the best, but actually had really good food. I ordered a buffalo chicken wrap that came with fresh cut fries (bad choice #1) and Ross got chicken fingers and fries, which were awsome! The chicken fingers were clearly homemade and not frozen, they were excellent!


checking out the falls
After lunch we wandered around the town and relaxed at the waterfront for a bit. Afterwards we headed back towards the town where the B&B was and headed to Boston Pizza that's located right on wharf and had a drink. Eventually it was time to check in and we were anxious to check out the amenities so we headed right over. 
Beauty!
The place was gorgeous and all the reviews were dead on! It was right on the lake, the hosts were SO welcoming and the surroundings were great. We got a tour of the place then quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed to the water. We took the paddle boat out for a quick jaunt, but I was more excited for the Kayak. I've been wanting to try kayaking for so long and they had two! Once we docked the boat I excitedly launched the kayak and away I went. I stuck close to shore because I didn't know the area and I wasn't sure how busy the lake was. Since it was my first kayak experience I wanted to get used to paddling before I hit the waves from the boats. Luckily it was pretty quiet so I could enjoy the view. 



We had only been there for about 2 hours when we deiced to hit up the hot tub. We both love hot tubs (and will hopefully own one at some point) and this one didn't disappoint! It was the best tub either of us had been in. Each seat had different massaging jets to work different areas.. it was like a massage chair - heaven! We were in it at least 10 times over the 3 days. That night we headed into town for some pizza (bad choice #2) and ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. 

The temperature dropped a lot on friday. We went out for a boat cruise and they supplied us with blankets. It was chilly! There was only 4 of us on the cruise, so it was actually really nice and peaceful. The rest of the day we were in and out of the hot tub and relaxed by the fire that evening. For dinner, we opted to have the host cook us dinner ($30 for a 3 course meal). It was by far the best meal I've had in ages! Roasted red pepper soup, her famous Kalhuha chicken, and boston cream pie for dessert. The soup and chicken were so good, I ate until I was uncomfortably full. It was so worth it though! I wish I took pictures. 



Saturday we woke up to the sun shining again. We enjoyed another delicious breakfast from the host then headed out for a kayak (which I love by the way!). We really didn't want to leave. We enjoyed every single minute and we will definitely be back! Here are some more pictures....



Love. 




Can I help you??



The view

My new favourite activity

Painted turtles :)

This place reminds me so much of home...well the home I grew up in. I would never move back to my hometown due to the serious lack of jobs and the fact that it's in the middle of nowhere, but I really can't blame the people that think it's an amazing place to live. Places like this make me miss it so much. Ross has never been, so next year a trip there will be in order :)

My diet wasn't horrible while away, but it could've been better. After we left the B&B, we headed to our friends trailer at a nearby beach. This is where my diet went out the window. We didn't have any food with us (except for chips), so I knew my options would be limited. I ended up eating way too many chips, a beer, Dairy Queen ice cream, and hot dogs... what a diet!

Needless to say, I was expecting the worst this morning. I honestly thought I was going to see around a 3lb gain. I've gone away for a night and gained that much before...

Previous weight: 249
Today's weight: 249.5
+ .5

I shouldn't be happy with a gain, but this made me happy. I wasn't looking forward to seeing the 250's again and I was pleasantly surprised to see the 240's still :) I was able to enjoy myself this weekend and now I just need to work a little harder this week to make up for the very small set-back. 

It was all worth it!







Wednesday 15 August 2012

Happy Hump Day!

Today is my friday and I am pretty stoked about that!

I'm hoping today goes by quickly. I have a few things to get done at work, shopping with a friend tonight then home to pack for our weekend away. I'm really looking forward to our getaway, I think the boyfriend and I really need it. The weather is holding up so far. August has been a mixed bag... we got dumped on with rain all weekend (to make up for the lack of rain all summer?) and the temperatures have been all over the place! All I'm hoping for is that the rain holds off for the next 4 days.. I can handle chillier temperatures as long as there is no rain :)

**

This week's mini challenge for the Lose a Marathon Challenge  is to give up soda pop for the week. I've never been addicted to it, but I do enjoy an occasional diet pop.. typically when I'm eating out. I've been drinking diet pop since back in high school when I started worrying about my weight and the only time I drink regular pop is if I'm at a bar and order a rum and coke (or something along those lines). I hate wasting calories on drinks when I don't need to. My boyfriend on the other hand loves sugar pop and when we actually have it in our house, he drinks a lot of it! Luckily, we only have it in the house when there's a good sale on. The only pop that I may waste some calories on are Grape, Orange, Cream Soda, Root Beer and Lime (basically all the flavoured ones! lol), that being said.. a sip or two is satisfying enough for me :)

**

So my second official 5k race is on September 29th at the Toronto Zoo (how cool!?). I went to this zoo for the first time a couple weeks ago and it turns out it's pretty hilly and it made me realize that I really need to train better for this one. I've been consistent with running twice a week, but I've been struggling to get in a third run. Not to mention that the heat has been almost unbearable all summer which has made my running experience not very enjoyable. The forecast is showing much cooler temperatures for the week ahead and I'm secretly hoping that they stick around so my running will be easier. This morning I printed off a running schedule that has bee running 3 times a week with my "long" runs on saturdays. My goal is to do every single run up until my race day. My long-term goal is to continue running throughout the winter and possibly start training for a 10k come October (crazytalk!!). 


I hope everyone has a great end of week/weekend. Hopefully I'll have a great weekend recap and equally great weigh-in (fingers crossed!) on Monday!


View for the weekend :)

Monday 13 August 2012

Monday Weigh In

First things first, I lost 1lb this week. Normally I would be wishing that it was more (ok, I still wish it was more) BUT I'm finally at the 30lb mark! :D My starting weight back in the winter was 279lbs. I still can't believe that I got back up to that weight.. I was in such denial! This morning, I weighed in at 249lbs! I'm so happy to be in the 240's, but I'm super anxious to be in the 230's. I know that once I hit the 230's I'll really start to notice the change in my body and that is exciting! 

My weekend was very low-key. It was nice and relaxing, but I was starting to get a little stir-crazy by sunday. Luckily I had some freelance work to get done, which kept my busy. The fall-like weather over the weekend also had me in the mood for soup. I love making soup in the fall! So I gathered all the ingredients for one of my favourites, chicken pot pie soup from Skinny Taste. This soup is the best! It tastes like you're eating the inside of  pot pie and it's healthy :) It will be my lunch for the week. 

It's an extra-short week for me (3 days!). Since we weren't really taking any holidays this summer (besides the occasional day off), ross and I decided to go on a mini vaca to Cottage Country. "Cottage Country" is a couple hours north of Toronto where all the city folk go on the weekends during the summer to get away. It really is gorgeous there, but I grew up in Northern Ontario where I was 5 minutes from a lake in any direction and all my friends had camps, NOT "cottages". The word cottage seems so pretentious.. I actually hate saying it, but everyone down here looks at me funny when I say "camp". 
Anyway, we're heading to a Bed and Breakfast that's right on the lake and is the top rated BnB in Muskoka. It looks gorgeous and I'm excited to get away for a few days. We have are own private suite, access to a hot tub, kayaks, boats, paddle boats, a beach etc. I really want to stay in the 240's so I'm going to try my best to stay on track and get lots of activities in :)

This is where we're going :)  source

I'm not sure if I'll be checking in before we leave, so incase I don't... have a great week!


Friday 10 August 2012

Friday Ramblings

I give props to the bloggers out there who right a post every single day. I honestly don't know how they do it. I struggle to write 2-3 posts a week because I have no idea what to write about and I don't want to bore my readers. 

**

It's a dreary day here and that's kind of how I'm feeling myself. For the first time pretty much all summer, we're in for a few days straight of rain and cool temperatures. I'm OK with this since we do need it, but man does it ever put a damper on your mood! I so wish I was at home snuggled in a blanket right now. I even got an extra hour of sleep this morning, but I feel like I barely slept. I am enjoying the cooler temperature though. It will make for great running conditions this weekend and I absolutely LOVE Autumn. It's by far my favourite season and I embrace the Fall weather... if only we could bypass Winter and I'd be a happy girl. That being said.. it's only August so there's still at least 5-6 weeks of hot, summer weather left. 

This is one of the few weekends all summer that I don't really have anything planned. I'm staying at my sisters tonight and Ross and I will likely catch a movie. Ross is going to a bachelor party tomorrow evening and I'm invited to "Taste of the Danforth",  a Greek festival in Toronto, but I was actually looking forward to having the night to myself... so I may pass on the festival. My goal is to scratch a bunch of items off my baby shower/gift list this weekend.. so some shopping is in order as well. I'm kinda looking forward to my low-key weekend :)

My weight has been hovering around 250 for the past 2 weeks and I desperately want to see the 240's STAT! I'm hoping this low-key weekend will help with that.. I need to make sure to get a run in and maybe some walks AND maybe even the gym (this is highly questionable). Low-key weekends can also be bad for the diet.. gives me too much time on my hands to snack all day. I think maybe I'll cook myself a nice meal on saturday and keep myself satisfied. 


Anywho.. that's enough rambling for today. Enjoy your weekend everybody!


And because I'm in a Fall-kinda-mood, I leave with one of my favourite pictures that I took a few years ago :)




Monday 6 August 2012

Monday Weigh In

Today is a day off for us here in Canada. I had a crappy sleep last night and was awake at about 7:30 this morning and I've had a headache all morning. I think some fresh air will do me good.. a walk is in order later today. 


As for my monday weight in, it wasn't too bad!


Today's weight: 250lbs (-1.5lbs)


I was reallllllly hoping to see 249, but I'm happy that the scale moved in the right direction especially since we had company all weekend. 


I actually did pretty good all weekend. Saturday we went to the Toronto Zoo and it was hotter than hell! Seriously, we were all dripping sweat and we  were just walking! Even the kiddies were sweating!  I felt bad for a lot of the animals. We were there for about 4 hours, so we got in a lot of walking! I managed to stay away from the fast food as well. I had a snow cone, a skinny cow ice cream, a few sweet potato fries and a homemade blueberry muffin that I brought in. It was so hot, I was mostly thirsty. I did eat two slices of pizza later that night, but I figured it would be OK because of all the walking sweating. 


On Sunday we headed to Candyland which is an indoor play area that's around the corner from us. It was such a cool place and the kids loved it! My friends had a great time and they're already planning a trip back. It was really great to see them. 


I don't have much more to add, so I'll just leave you with some pictures :)








looking for Pumba



This guy was happy to see us... :s





We were so jealous of this guy!

Candyland!

Friday 3 August 2012

Progress, Progress, Progress!

Morning everyone!

It's a great today. Not only am I off work today, but it's a long weekend here in Canada (Civic Holiday!) so I also have Monday off..Woot! :) My morning started out with some homemade blueberry muffins, a workout and some Bon Jovi ;)


As you all know I'm partaking in the Lose a Marathon Challenge  and this week was the half way mark! I'm not doing as good as I could be, but I'm still happy with my progress. My summer has been super busy with friends, bbq's, parties, trips, etc and if it wasn't for this challenge I think I would be gaining weight or at least hovering in the 260's still. Instead, I'm losing slowly and almost in the 240's. I'm pretty happy with that :)

This week's challenge was to take more progress pictures and measurements, so that's what I did! I'm so glad that I started doing this because it really puts things into perspective when the scale isn't moving quickly. 

As of today, I'm down another 4 inches since June 18th and 16.5 inches since I started on this journey again. You can see the full breakdown on my Lose a Marathon page. 

Every time I look at my "before" pictures, I can't believe how big I was. It's amazing how your brain tricks you into thinking your a lot smaller than you are. When I lost weight back in college, I lost it from my face down and I can see that happening again. I think my face is getting slimmer, I can see my collar bones again (yay!) and my boobs are shrinking (boo!). I'm just so happy to see the progress!! The weight may be creeping off, but at least it's moving! 

I also decided to try on some clothes today. Back in the winter I had one pair of jeans that i wore all the time and another that were back up and the rest were folded up because they either didn't fit or gave me bad muffin top. Well, this morning they all fit! My go-to pair are almost too big, I think I would need a belt. There is a pair of 16's in there that just barely got on and gave me bad muffin top, so those will be my goal jeans. I haven't worn jeans in probably 3 months because of the heat and I likely won't be wearing any for another 2 months. I'm hoping that I will fit into the 16's by the time jean weather rolls around again :) 

I also tried on 2 winter jackets that I love, but haven't been able to wear the past 2 winters. They're a size XL from Suzy Shier (which is a normal size store btw) and they're more dressy, fitted jackets. This morning, they both fit! They're snug in the arms (they always were), but in order for them to fit nicely, I need to lose an inch or so in the arms. This should be doable before winter. I'm thinking that maybe I should start a arm workout routine at night. I've always been extremely self-concious about my arms, so  a few inches gone would be great. 

Overall, it's been a pretty good morning! Except for the run that I just got back from. This heat is seriously killing me. I honestly feel like my running is regressing instead progressing. My run this morning and on Wednesday were horrible, I've never felt so overheated in my life and I've run in hotter weather.. it sucks! I was only able to run half the route both days. My legs were fine, they could've continued, but my face felt like it was going to explode, my breathing sucks, and i feel nauseous. That's the best way I can explain it.. it's a weird feeling and it makes me unbelievably anxious to finish. I have a 5k race at the end of September and I'm just praying that the weather cools down a bit. 

One of my best friends from college, her boyfriend and their two kids are coming from up north tonight and they're staying for the weekend. I haven't seen them since November, so I'm excited! Tomorrow we're going to the Toronto Zoo, it's one of the largest zoos in the world and I've never been.. I can't wait! Apparently it's a ton of walking and it's supposed to be around 100 degrees (shocking!) so I'll be getting my workout in there :)


A lot of you commented about the nasty giant slugs. I can honestly say that I've never seen slugs this size in my life! I don't believe that they're common here... it makes me wonder what kind of shells they live in??? And just because you guys seemed to like them so much, here's another picture :)
Have a great weekend!

Slimey the Slug.