I'm baaaaaackkkkkkkkkkkk.. with good news!

I know, I know, I've been an inconsistent blogger. I guess I've felt a little more hands on than theoretical. Good news is that it's paying off.

Guess who's lost 75 lbs? You stand correct. It be me.

Just another 25 to go before I hit goal!!!!!!!!!!

I've been spending quite some time thinking about what I'd like to do career-wise. While I'm willing to return to school, I haven't quite found the direct route to what I want to do. Ideally, I'd like to be somewhat of a Weight Watcher leader but not contracted to Weight Watchers and more on an individual level. I'd really like to work with people that have struggled with food issues and help them towards a happier and healthier life. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears and eyes.

Happy Labour Day everyone!!!

I'm back and pumped!

I realize it's been a little while since my last post. Last weeks' w.i had me down .06, todays' had me up 3 lbs. This is a result of too much partying, laryngittis, a back injury that had me out of the gym for a week ( I took a little tumble) and eating birthday cake for breakfast. Todays' meeting was all about motivation and remembering why we signed up and where we want to be. Our homework was to write out a list of Top 10 Reasons You Want to Lose Weight. Here's mine, in no order of importance:

1. To have a positive self-image

2. To be one of those girls with a 'rockin bod

3. To finally have my permanent clothing and not just transition pieces

4. Top of my physical fitness, to truly be the best I can be

5. To have an added abundance of energy

6. To complete what I've started and not give up 75% of the way there

7. To not be the fat girl

8. To not fear rejection because of my body size

9. To say buh-bye to thigh chaffing

10. To feel good in my skin

I might come back and modify some of these reasons, but for now this is what I'll hold myself to to make sure I get there. If I can do it, anyone can. 

Welcome to the 70's

I decided to switch things up this week and it worked.  Even though the foods I was eating were within my points range, my body was used to the daily menu. I also changed my workout schedule to going after work instead. I went to the gym three times this week instead of five.

I was down 4.8 lbs this week, so after a lonnnnnnnnggggggggggggg time in the 80's, I weighed in at 177 this morning. Goal is getting so much closer!

The only thing that comes to mind that I'm not too thrilled with is the thought of losing another food point. Somehow doesn't feel rewarding: " Hey, you lost weight and now you get to eat even less!". I cancelled out this thought with the fact that dropping a dress size as being the huge reward.

I'm a very tired and happy camper and am off to take a nap. The long week end has resulted in a lot of nights out and time with family. I'm running on three hours sleep right now and I'm feeling it!

Happy Passover & Happy Easter everyone!

Gimme a pound!

Another -.04 for this weigh in. I'll take it. Anytime I lose while Tom is in town is a great one for me. I had two birthday dinners this week and went to the gym 3 times instead of my usual 5. Next week will be a very very good weigh in. I am 2 lbs away from getting out of this "decade" and I'm going to do it. I was kind of hoping that yesterdays' meeting would have been free to make up for the lack of a leader last Saturday. They gave us vacation vouchers, which is nice enough. Apparently now you only get two vacation coupons when you first sign up and that's it. If I'm not mistaken, you used to get one every eight weeks.

I made some delicious 2 point muffins. I took a box of lemon cake mix, 1 can of diet sprite, and a cup of blueberries. Mixed all together, baked in the oven, and voila- deliciousness. I had quite the productive Sunday. I went to the gym in the morning, cleaned up my place, did 3 loads of laundry and ran errands with friends. On our way around town, we all came to the conclusion that we were starving. The driver opts for Burger King. After reading the menus and the caloric information, my friend and I shared a combo. I forget what they're called, but they're these mini-burgers. One combo gives you four, a fry, and a drink. We split it and it was plenty. I might have had all of 6 fries and my two two-bite burgers so all in all could not have been more than six points.

It has probably been over a year since the last time I ate Burger King, and will most likely be another until the next visit. Wasn't all that delicious as I remembered, and I could think of many,many other things I'd like to have in the place of BK.

Off to catch up on my blog reading!

I want to be a leader

I was down .04 lbs this week. I'm kind of frustrated with these miniscule gains and losses. I'm tracking, eating the right stuff, and am going to the gym religiously. Why can't I lose a normal amount of weight? I know I know, muscle mass. Everyone keeps telling me "muscle weighs more than fat, you know".

A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks. The size of one pound of feathers in contrast to a pound of bricks is different, so essentially what I'm doing is just condensing my mass.

I'd really like to get out of the 80's. It's so close I can taste it. I'm just fed up of teetering around the same numbers. I'm going to try shaking up my diet this week to see if that will help.

On another note, this week's meeting was quite "interesting". The leader never showed up. Our regular leader has taken some time off and we've had a replacement for the last few weeks. The "weigh in" ladies did not know who the leader was supposed to be and were just as surprised as we were.

Instead of leaving, we made our own meeting and it was a lot more entertaining than the last few weeks with the replacement. I already knew what this weeks' topic would be from a friend of mine who goes to the Thursday night meeting so we just spoke about triggers, what to do when you don't have the tools that you need, and the best: what would you eat for the rest of your life if you could not eat anything else. The meeting actually ran a half hour longer just because of that topic alone.

One of the women there got pretty emotional when we finally realized that a leader would not be showing up. Her eyes welled up with tears and she said " You know, we all get up so early in the morning to come here and do something better for ourselves. We do this to improve our health, our general well-being, and we pay for this. We rely on this meetings to keep us going. I'm not concerned about being compensated for the lack of meeting, but am simply discouraged that I didn't have my weekly motivation".

Hopefully the meeting that we improvised helped. It made me realize all the more how it would be something I'd love to do once I reach goal. I would love to work for Weight Watchers part-time and help other people. That is definitely an added incentive to get there!

The Hungry Monster won't mess with Blueberry

Very impressed with Miss Blueberry @ http://aberryblueberryblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/777-gone.html

Looks like the scale rolled in some lucky numbers for her and she deserves an applause.

Please stop by her blog and spread some cheer. She's so very humble & honest and I read every post.

All better

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post- I'm getting sloppy! I`ve been thinking about everyone here and wondering how you`ve been doing weight loss/workout/motivation/everything-wise.

It took me a full week to get over my bug. I dragged my congested head in to WW last Saturday and was mildly surprised (relieved may actually be a better adjective) to find out that I was only up 1 lb. The freakishly alarming #'s that I spoke of earlier appeared to be around the 5+ range. I figured this could just be due to the added weight I was carrying around in my sinuses. I seemed to have been going through a box of tissue every day. I'm so thankful that's over!

Went to Weight Watchers at lunch today to weigh in and was down 2 lbs. I'm very happy and am inching my way closer to being out of this weight "decade". I've got a mild case of the when-will-winter-end blues and have been feeling kind of bummy. My workload is getting lighter and although I'm grateful for this, not to mention the fact that I work in the financial sector and I still have a job, but I still feel a little glum. I don't feel appreciated at the office. I've been putting in a ton of extra hours and I've been pretty much carrying the workload of five people. I do this because I care about what I do and I want to make sure our clients are well taken care of, but at the same time it would be really nice to get a mere thank you from my manager or some sort of acknowledgement for my efforts. Something as simple as "your hard work is appreciated" is all it takes. I'm not asking for a raise, or a big song and dance, but just a little appreciation would make all the difference.

To some extent, I feel like because I've shown them just how much I can do and am a constant over-achiever that I've somehow set this expectation from management. Even though others can get away with doing the bare minimum, I'm depended on to exceed and carry the weight. If one day I'm working at 190% instead of my average 200, eyebrows are raised.

Ah, I'll stop whining. The grass is pretty green on my side, I've just got to stop looking at everything in black and white.

Springs around the corner, I'll start to feel alive again. The countdown to flip flops begins!

Still truckin'

I've been a terrible blogger lately. I work such long hours and send about 100 e-mails a day out that I hardly feel like writing at the end of it. Thankfully, the workload seems to be lessening and I'm starting to see the light.

I was down 1.8 on Saturday which is just great. I've lost more weight in the last two weeks than I have December/January combined. I'm definitely officially back in the groove of things and I'm pumped. I've been thinking a lot lately about where I am in my life and where I want to be. I'm going to really buckle down and keep focused. I wanted to be at goal by May. I've now realized that May is really just around the corner, and it while it is possible, losing another 40 lbs by then is just unrealistic and unhealthy.

My goals aren't really all about the number on the scale anymore. I'm focused on challenging myself physically to be in the best shape my body can be, as well as eliminating a large percentage of processed foods and eating a more natural diet. Sugar substitues and 100 calorie packs have been a great crutch for getting me where I am today, but again, they're crutches and I want to eliminate them from my diet. I've got to rid myself of the training wheels!

Still going to the gym Mon-Thur in the morning, and then again on Saturdays. Feels great. Been doing a lot of cardio and really working the triceps. I don't want to have flappy arms so I'm doing what I can to eliminate the dammage I've done and prevent any further. I can already see definition in my biceps. Who knew there were muscles under there!

And bless this machine: Wave . Wanna have some killer thighs & buns? This baby will do it!

Ok, I'm seriously going to go catch up on my blog reading.

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A... SING IT WITH ME!

My mojo has been returned- in better condition! Oh how I missed it! I joined the Y on Saturday, and have been every day since! I went both Sat & Sunday and have gone before work yesterday and today as well. I plan to continue for the rest of the week.

Waking up before the paper hits the door is a challenge, but I'm up for it. I haven't seen 5:00 a.m. since New Year's and that's only because I went to bed at that time! I've only been doing cardio so far as I haven't met with the trainer yet to set up a plan. Unfortunately joining the gym in January has me lumped in with all of the New Year resolutioners so getting an apt with someone was difficult. Luckily there was a cancellation for this Saturday or I would have had to wait until March!

What I love about the Y is that the trainers are included in the membership. I don't have to pay thousands of dollars extra to get assistance. I also love the "technogym". The machines operate by a smartkey system. Once you've met with a trainer, they input the plan on the smartkey. When you go to workout, you simply plug the key in and the machines adjust the speed/resistance for you as input by the trainer. Everything is mapped out. The machine will tell you when it's time to switch machines and all so it's a mindless routine. I love it. If I find that I'm not being challenged enough, I simply shoot the trainer an e-mail and that way it'll be adjusted for the next time I'm there. I'm very excited to meet with them and have a course of action.

So far I've been trying to get in as much gym time before work as possible. I start work at 8 and the gym opens at 6 so doesn't give me that much time but I'm able to get in a 45 min workout. I warm up on the treadmill for 10 mins, 15 minutes on the bike, and then 15 mins on the elliptical.

Feels great!

I think my mojo was brought back simply from the wonderful comments and support I've received from my bloggies!!

Can you see it in my face?

Here I am on the left holding a delicious tray of fruit at girls night last week end. On the right is me in NYC June 2007 post-Sbarro pizza!

On the left: size 12. On the right: size 20

On the left: healthy food and happy me. On the right: pizza-stuffed & angry for eating it.

I dread looking at old photos of myself. At the time I didn't realize just how unhappy I was. I see it now and it makes me all wishy washy. I'm glad I stopped when I did.

Food for Thought

I love food and I love thought. Combining the two-fantastic.

Mark Salinas of http://blog.marksalinas.com/ really hit the nail on the head for me this morning. I wish I was had seen this quote yesterday to use as a rebuttal when a colleague commented on my food journaling.

I'm all about self-improvement. Notice the word self. Tracking what I eat is a necessity for me. It keeps me accountable and aware of what I'm putting in my mouth. "Forgetting" what I ate is what led me to become 100 lbs overweight to begin with. If journaling helps me stay on track, who's business is it but my own? One of my colleagues (who knows everything about weight loss since she lost more weight than I have in a shorter time frame on the Smart for Life Diet), once again had her two cents to give on what I'm doing. She peers over my desk at lunch hour and says " Oh wow, you still write down everything you eat. Don't you get tired of it? See that's why I didn't do Weight Watchers. It's too much work all the counting and writing down everything. I prefer to just eat and not have to think about it". I retorted with a simple " It's part of the plan and I like to be accountable".

"Oh, that's just too much work for me. It's crazy to be obsessed like that with writing everything you eat". She replies. Well then.Normally I'd have something to reply to that, but this time I just turned around and said nothing. It's not worth it. One of the most evident changes I've noted in myself is my self-worth. I don't look at taking care of my health as "too much work for me". I need my body to be in tip top shape to do the things that my brain wants me to do. I don't want to be held hostage in a body that can't keep up with my mind.

Mark's quote said it perfectly: "Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe dedicated." Had I had this, I might have said something instead of replying with silence.

Next time I'll tell her to keep the change.

Welcome 2009

I don't typically set resolutions with a deadline of December 31st but they always have a start date of January 1st. The focus seems to taper off somewhere around the 7th of January.

What I am just thrilled with is that I had no clue I would be where I am this time this year. I said I would lose weight and be able to run for more than 5 mins. I said this, but as we all know actions speak louder than words. Call it procrastination, lack of determination, desire, and faith combined. I underestimated myself.

The difference in 2008 from previous years was that I acted. This alone surpassed any expectations that I had for myself. I didn’t actually believe that I would lose weight. I’ve always frustrated myself with my lack of consistency and drive to finish things through. 2008 was my year- I said I was going to do something and I did it. I did not say ‘this year I will lose x amount of lbs”. This could be interpreted as me not wanting to set myself up for disappointment but when I look at the big picture I was just working in baby steps. This could very well be the reason why I was successful. Celebrate each and every NSV and SV because they all add up.

This year I’d like to focus more on life goals. I don’t want to obsess over objectives/habits that I promised resolve to accomplish/nix.

My goal (not resolution) is to continue on my path and keep up the momentum. I’d like to reach my weigh loss goal this year, but just as anything else goals change along the way. I want to keep living a healthy lifestyle. I want 2009 to be the year of consistency.

Blogging has played a major role in my success as well. The initial intention was to journal my thoughts. I am continuously amazed with the tremendous amount of support and encouragement I’ve received. It’s truly refreshing to know that complete strangers can be genuinely kind and encouraging. I thank Blogland for connecting me with so many people that I can relate to. Thank you all so much for your unconditional support.

What have you set out for 2009?

Still alive, barely

Yay, I've been nominated! I'll post the link and picky my ladies/gents later on today. I'm really honored to have been thought of. I'm touched.

I was up at 4:00 a.m. this morning and I'm not sure why! I've been complaining to myself all week that I haven't been getting enough sleep. I've been running around shopping, working late, going to parties-it's been non-stop action around here! Saturday's W.I had me up 1.6. Thanks to the parties, and a lot,a lot a lot of booze on Friday. I was not on track to say the least. I did exercise but it definitely wasn't enough to offset the damage. The office party on Friday was kick-ass! I had chicken parmigiana with about a half a bottle of wine and a rum & coke. We ended up later at an Irish pub where I had the most delicious Black Velvet (Guiness & Cider combo) and about 3-4 Smirnoff Ice. We then continued the party on to another bar where I had 2 more smirnoff ice & a vodka cran. Had a lot of fun and ended up at home at 4:00 a.m.

Believe it or not, I made it to my W.I for 9:00 a.m. I was up at 8 and still drunk. Unfortunately Saturday was the meeting where we went over the new Momentum plan and as you can imagine I was willing the time to pass by. People were loud, I was in another world, and my mouth felt like sand paper. I could not drink enough water!
I'm not usually such a lush and I got to pay for it all day Saturday! I spent the rest of the day entertaining a friend from out of town and stayed in Saturday night to try to recover. Yesterday was another busy day of shopping and entertaining my friend so I have still not fully recovered from Friday's night of insanity.

Met a nice guy on Friday. Too bad I was feeling a little too good to remember a lot of what he told me. I know we laughed a lot, he walked me home and was very gentlemanly with a simple kiss on the cheek good night. Thumbs Up.

I did hear back from dude from a month ago. Funny how they take so long to call. I'm not impressed. Told him that it was nice of him to call but I'm no longer interested. You snooze, you lose.

I'm off to the dentist now. Broke two fillings on tostitos yesterday and I'm not a happy camper. Broke one on each side. That'll teach me to eat chips!

And another weigh in

Yesterdays' W.I was a lot better than I thought it would end up being. I stayed the same. This is a woooo hoo moment that's for sure! I barely tracked, I ate whatever I wanted (Ristorante spinach pizza TO MY SELF on Tues) lots of wine, and only one day of exercise. I must also mention that TOM is in the house. Staying the same is more than I could ask for, considering that I had office party #1 of 3 the night before and still had a seven course meal in my tummy.

This is a picture of me on Friday night. A friend of mine loaned me the dress. Yes that's right. Loaned. I can't remember the last time I ever borrowed clothes from anyone and I probably never did! I've always been many sizes above the rest so I was just thrilled when I tried it on and found that it fit. I must also announce that it's a size MEDIUM. A medium I tell you!! I've only ever know XL or XXL. I was just getting used to fitting in larges and poof- out comes my bod in a size "M". I'm in shock. I probably told at least 6 of the girls at the party (thank you white wine).

I also have to share that after Saturday's W.I my leader told me that she's counting on me as being her second 100 lb loser. She's had one before in her "leading" career, and told me that once one of their members loses 100 lbs, they get a necklace. She told me that she feels the person who should get the necklace should be the 100 lb loser, not the leader so she's excited to give this to me. This is some motivation! I'm not going to lose another 38 lbs just to get a necklace, but it's an added incentive to be her second in time working there. This is something I was planning on doing to begin with, so it is an added incentive. I'm pretty stoked.

Time for me to go catch up on some blog reading & commenting. I've been really bussyyyy this week- not just stuffing my face,LOL.

Hot Date and Lost Weight...

Ok,so not what you're all thinking!! I realized that the title may be a little misleading. Date was awesome. He actually had to bail on me on Thursday, so we went out last night instead. I completely understand him bailing despite everyone else's opinion (everyone being my group of girlfriends). We both work in finance, however he is in sales. If one client is late, it bumps the next appointment and the next and so on.

What can I say about the dude. Well to start, he was 15 minutes late. I was sitting alone at the bar, and the bartender asked me if I was waiting for someone. I said yes and that they were running late. The bartender got quite feisty and started going on and on about how that so isn't cool on a first date and that it's a complete lack of respect, yadda,yadda,yadda... I did fully agree, but again in this industry you're totally dependant on your clients times.

When he walked in, my jaw hit the floor. He belongs on the cover of a harlequin complete with horse & beach. Total Mr. McDreamy. I was already on my second drink when he got there so I was completely relaxed. We did not stop talking. It was absolutely fantastic. We spoke about everything under the sun and I was completely at ease with him. I did make sure to take some mental notes though. Not much passes under my radar!

First note that I found strange: He paid for his beer by debit. Don't ask me why I found this strange, but at happy hour 2 beer cost $6.00. Why did he not have $6.00 in cash? Second note: We had spoken before about skiing as he is an avid skier and I mentioned that I hadn't gone skiing since elementary school but intended on making it a goal this winter. He did not suggest ever taking me or going together. We spoke about it again last night, no mention. There was no mention of a second date. I look for that. When he finished his two beer, he explained that he wanted another beer, but not 2 as he was driving. He then asked me how much my drink had cost and if for the happy hour 2 for one special he could order one of my drinks and one beer. This caught me slightly off guard. I told him that I actually wouldn't mind having a beer and so he orders and pulls out the debit card once again. Now, I had my wallet stolen last January so I am extremely hesitant to walk around with cash. $200.00 - I won't do. $20, not an issue.

So we finished up our drinks and he had to get going. He asked me what what I was going to do that evening and I told him that I was going to stick around because a lot of my colleagues were at the bar and I was going to hang out with them for a bit. His parting words were " It was really great to meet you. I had a great time. We'll be in touch. I have a lot to do this week end but I'll give you a call yadda,yadda,yadda". I told him that it was great to meet him as well and that he was really entertaining. We parted ways and he headed for the washroom. I walked over to see some of the girls from work who saw me but didn't interrupt and were dying to know who I was talking to. On his way out he puts his hand on my shoulder and says bye once again. Pretty cute.

All this being said, I'm not sure if he was that interested. When a guy is interested, there usually isn't any confusion and it's pretty clear. This guy, not so sure. I'd love to see him again in a different setting, but frankly I'm not so sure it was mutual.

On a concrete and non-uncertain note, I was down 2.2 at this mornings' weigh in bringing me in to total of 61.4 lbs!! YAY!!!

The Santa Claus Parade is going on right outside my door. I'm not really in the mood for French Christmas carols right now so I'm going to blast my own music to drown out the outside and clean my place.

Have a great weekend everyone!

6 Week Challenge is On, and other random thoughts

Alright, seems that my group of girls are on a mission to shed 10 lbs by Dec 27, 2008!

If anyone wants to follow along "virtually" please,please do! Feel free to: Right Click on the image on the right, save as, and post to your blog.

On a higher note, the Smart For Life fainting girl did have an awakening. She's finishing off her 7 packs of cookies and she's decided to, guess what... join Weight Watchers. She asked me today if sushi was allowed on Weight Watchers. I responded with an enthusiastic " Girlfriend, you can eat a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g you want". This is about fixing what's between your ears and then transforming your body. Weight Watchers teaches us what thin people already know: moderation. A great example: my mother. I can remember years back going for breakfast with my parents and this particular moment was permanently etched in my mind. I ordered breakfast with the works. One of those "construction worker" combos. My mother ordered a bagel with cream cheese. As I'm writing this I'm picturing the waitress placing the bagel in front of my mom. The bagel had about an inch and a half of cream cheese in between. I drooled. My mother? no no. My mothers exact words were " Oh my, this is far too much". She then proceeded to start scraping off the cream cheese! If it were me, I would have said Woo-hoo in a very Homer Simpson'esque way and devoured it. How could there be such a thing as too much cream cheese?

One of my friends who is also a WW member told me about an incident the other night where she made dinner for her boyfriend. Just as she set his place in front of him, his eyes popped out of his head. " Oh, there's way too much on my plate" he explained. How have I never in my life sincerely thought that there was too much on my plate? Why, if it's on my plate it's meant to be eaten of course.

How after years of watching my mothers eating habits did I not catch on? How did I not learn this? Both of my parents eat like birds. They never finish what is on their plates. It's always too much. It's always so rich. How did I not learn moderation from the same people that taught me how to eat,speak,walk,read etc etc??

Whenever people would refuse cake at a birthday, I sincerely believed that they were full. My aunts will always say " I'm so stuffed, I'll just have the tiniest of the tiniest piece". As a kid I just assumed that grown-ups didn't like icing. Little did I know that they probably secretly fantasized about licking the inside of the Betty Crocker frosting container just as much as I did. I truly believed that they just either didn't like sweets, or they had stomachs the same size as those of grasshoppers. I, on the other hand, had the food storing capabilities of a cross between a camel and a hamster and would never turn down a second slice or two.

I'm learning

Saturday Morning Weigh In Results & Last Nights Dinner Horror Story

Going out for dinner last night was quite an adventure. The menu made me cringe. Every item seemed to have the words drenched, battered, glazed,crispy,smothered,tantalizing,melt in your mouth, Oh the list goes on.

I settled on the most WW friendly item on the menu: a chicken brochette with salad and rice. Not an entirely terrible choice. Thankfully the waiter quickly came to take our orders so I didn't have time to change my mind. We were minding our own business waiting for the food to arrive when the waiter came to see us. " A large group has just come in and we're going to need for you to change tables" he says. " My manager is offering each of you an appetizer on the house". I cringed. I wanted to crawl under the table.

My friends agreed to accept the appetizers. I just said that I didn't want to spoil my appetite for my dish because I was really looking forward to it. I gave myself a mental pat on the back and watched them devour the cheesy potato skins, garlic bread, calamari, and the spinach dip with nachos.

No sooner had we finished our plates, the waiter is back at our table. "I'm sorry to bother you again ladies. We will need to move you to another table. The manager has offered coffee and dessert for your trouble" He explains. "We're terribly sorry for the inconvenience" He continues to take our plates away and moves us to our new table.

The dessert options are posted on some sort of flip card that sits in the middle of the table. Sweets are my kryptonite so it was my mission to make all of the desserts sound revolting. " The carrot cake is probably dry.The cheese cake probably has that gross skin on the outside from sitting in a rotating display case. Eew, can you imagine how over-sweet the chocolate cake is? Ice cream, puh-lease. It's probably been sitting in a bin in a freezer somewhere underneath ten layers of ice crystals".

My remarks didn't steer my friends away from the choices, but I am proud to say that I did not give in. I had a coffee and that was it. Funny how when things are free we suddenly want them. No one had voluntarily ordered a starter and no one was even considering ordering dessert. Insert the words free or on the house and suddenly we're all singing a different tune. If I wasn't planning on having it, I won't.

My WI was not so terrible considering my eating habits & lack of exercise this week. I was up .06 and was pretty shocked about it. I was expecting a 2 lb gain. I'm going to kick some serious ass this week.

It'sssssssssssssssss ooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnn!

I've been Weighed, oh and Tagged!

This mornings' W.I has me down 1.8 lbs to 185. Yahoo! I'm starting to see the light. Within the next 2 weeks I'll be out of the 180's for sure. Yay! I haven't seen these #'s for about 10 yrs, and I'm only 25. I look at pictures of me in high school when I thought I was fat and I just want to go back in time and shake myself.

The lovely Jordanna has tagged me. I will now list 6 Interesting things about myself (or at least I think are interesting if not quirky or odd). My "tag" victims will appear at the bottom & I best see this copied =)

1. Jordanna and I have something in common. We're both in finance. Oddly enough, I graduated with a degree in graphic design and somehow ended up in retirement planning.

2. I'm a restless sleeper. I envy those that sleep like the dead. Making my bed in the morning would be so much easier if I didn't have to put the sheets back on! I don't mind too much... activity points while in R.E.M? Ha!

3. My favorite condiment is ketchup. Always has been. I buy the family-sized tub & I live alone if that offers any insight. Heinz only though. You can't fool me. I can tell the difference just like Coke & Pepsi.

4. I'm half Polish/half Irish. Now with this mix-matched ethnic composition you'd assume that I have alcohol for blood and potatoes for eyes. Unfortunately I am allergic to sulfites and since many, many different types of alcohols contain sulfites, I break out in hives when I drink. A Pol that is allergic to Vodka? That is I. Do I ignore the symptoms? We'll leave that to another post.

5. I hate socks but am an avid shoe collector . If I could live in a world/climate where being bare foot was the norm I'd be set. In summer months I'm in flip flops 90 % of the time- it's the closest thing to being bare foot!

6. I am a neat freak. I'm comparable to Monica on Friends. OCD, anyone?

This was the best I could do for a lazy and rainy Saturday afternoon!

Who have I chosen to tag you ask?

1.Amy
2.Jen
3.True Heart Girl
4.Natalia
5.Mandy31

Butterfly Out (Ha, Take that Seacrest!)

Election Day

I had a weekend full of turkey and I went to vote for one today too.

I was in one of those " my vote won't even count so why should I bother" moods when I woke up, but I did it. It's my right as a citizen, and all the votes add up. Just like a 1lb loss X 50 adds up! Every vote does count. I almost opted to turn around and run when I got to the voting station though: It was in the basement a.k.a MORGUE of a retirement home!!! Why I had to go to there and my neighbour was sent to vote at the university next door is beyond me. I made my decision as to who I was voting for only once I had the voting card in my hand. It seems I'm not confident in any politician. I have no faith in any of them. One of the politicians in my riding is a former astronaut, another a former broadcaster. Hmm.... space vs. media... LOL

Hopefully things will change this election & people will start to realize that the Bloc Quebecois is a JOKE. Woops, I let out a political view. Oh well, my blog, my rights =) It's just sad when I think that I disagree with 50% of the population in my province. Scary statistic. Can't wait to see the outcome!!

Thanksgiving was just fantastic. What could be better than great food & time with my family?

The crappy mobile pic above is my plate from dinner at my moms. Ham, Squash,yams,turkey,mashed potatoes,cranberry sauce, and sttufffffinnnggggggg. YUM!

Happy Turkey!!!!!!!!!!!

Just got back from my W.I and I'm down 2.2- YAY! 187 lbs doesn't feel too shabby! I worked for it this week though. It was my TOM, and I usually gain regardless of what I do (or so it seemed). I was determined to fight it. ran every night this week and made sure to keep myself busy. I'd usually gain 2.2 during my TOM, but NOT THIS TIME. I didn't want to be pushed back into the other "decade".

This week was all about the squash. I ate about 3 medium-sized butternut squash this week. I just couldn't get enough. When I read up on the nutritional information, I decided that this has to be the best thing out there. 1 cup of butternut squash has something like 300% of the Vitamin A you need in a day. It has anti-inflamatory agents, fights & prevents cancer, is full of fiber- the list goes on! I also made a spaghetti squash caserole and it was simply to die for.

I have two Thanksgiving dinners to go to this week end. Scary I know! Tonights won't be so bad as it's at another WW members' house and she's got everything under control. I'm more worried about dinner at my moms tomorrow. The WW meeting today was all about Thanksgiving and being prepared for it. We created a mock menu and even then the total point amount was astounding. Our menu was even all about being careful and it was still insanely high in points. We just have to remind ourselves that we didn't get to our high weights by eating pumpkin pie once per year and to enjoy ourselves. I'm already drooling thinking about the potatoe casserole that my aunt is bringing tomorrow. I think there's about 10 different cheeses in it and it is what I would describe as Heaven On Earth.

Time for the treadmill.

Happy Thanksgiving my fellow Canadians!!!