It's a Lifetime

In the right corner, we have Candace weighing in at 147.2 lbs, 2.8 UNNNNDER GOAL!!! In the left corner, we have a series of supporters, including Weight Watcher leader, workers and members, Blog friends and motivators, and PnP drill sergent, moderators ANNNND members. Finally, ther is family and friend supporters.

Last night I officially made lifetime status. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! Thank you all for helping me along this fat loss journey to build a healthier me.

As you're aware, the journey doesn't end here. Now it's maintenance and continued loss until I feel I am in the right 'place', physically, for me. 150 is arbitrary and designed for a lifetime, but for today I want more. Also, as you will see in the coming weeks, I am expanding my weight loss knowledge into other areas of my life to achieve thinner stress (at work), thinner clutter (at home) and thinner debt. All in all, I believe I have gained enough confidence in myself to take other steps to improve my life. I look forward to sharing my continued Journey to Thin with you.

Weekly Goals

I used to list out a bunch of goals that I would then forget I listed until the end of the week or month. Sometimes it helped and sometimes it didn't. These are a little different than the "I should" goal lists of several months ago. This is more of an action plan.

GOAL #1: Spend more time with family
GOAL #2: Work towards feeling more supported at work

Lofty goals - and long-term in many cases. What am I going to do this week towards moving towards these goals?

GOAL #1
Action #1: Set alarm on work computer and leave at 5pm
Action #2: Schedule workouts during other 'interrupted' evenings (i.e. after WW meeting) or when family has other activities (i.e. during kids dance classes).
Action #3: Get kids to bed at reasonable time so that when we are together we're rested and can enjoy each other.
Action #4: Engage family in household chores. (i.e. instead of cuddling with Jess on the couch, explore/clean her room together. Take time and play games as we go - there's no hurry since it's been a mess for weeks) (i.e. #2 - help Ci with new baking/cooking recipes)

GOAL #2
Action #1: Complete Feb monthly FS and submit with notes by end of Monday (almost done)
Action #2: Request 'annual' evaluation be sceduled this week (I've been here for 16.5 months and have received little to no constructive criticism, but also no positive reinforcement - this has lead to extreme frustration on my part).
Action #3: Request mentor to guide on how to become more efficient/effective (this had also been requested at interview in Oct 2006).

We'll call this stuff mental health improvement. The physical health reserve has taken a nose-dive the past couple of weeks. What is WRONG with me? Wait - Don't answer that.

So, the nasty scale is up again this morning. Swiss Chalet on Saturday night may not have been the right choice. I must check points on chicken soup and chicken pot pie. Good news: no BLTs of french fries, pizza or fried chicken from the other 4 at the table. FF (full fat) ice cream for dessert last night, even though in a tiny bowl, may have also been the wrong choice. Husband packed lunch this morning and told me it was ONLY 1C rice and 1.5-2C chili right after I got off the scale. He got a quick and dirty lesson in rice and chili points and re-packed my lunch ASAP. I MAY have been a little over-the-top with my explanation, but after what I'd just witnessed on the scale, I think my reaction was justified. ONLY 1C - HA! 1/2C is a splurge for me, big boy!

We were visiting mil this weekend. She did enjoy dinner Saturday evening, but later took an angina attack. It was a late night and the ambulance took her to the hospital around midnight. She is fine now and came home around noon Sunday. Very tired when we left last night. Ci is worried for her and thinks someone needs to move in. I told her Aunt E is trying to sell her house so she can do just that. I realized if we weren't there that she may not have remembered to press the emergency button or would have been in too much pain to get to the phone to call E. I'm glad we were there as it was a last-minute decision to go up for the night. She is no longer in the beginning stages of dimentia, but does still know everyone. It makes me grateful for all that we have and determined to get the most out of life.

Take care and have a healthful week.

OP Weekend (And I feel Great)

What an awesome weekend. Didn't get into the office like I had planned, but maybe that's why it was so great, lol.

1st - After my ST session and some great smoothies, Hubby took kids to J's dance class. Another set of sissy's goes and the big girls get together and play for the hour while the little ones dance. They scored a 'sleeping play date' according to the 4yo. I spent half the time reading Roni's Women's World and the other half straightening the kitchen.
2nd - Once they got home we got ready to go to my staff Christmas party. A good time was had by all. My three cuties rode the mechanical bull, played outside, ate hamburgers, fries and hot chocolate. Mommy brought a protein bar and had a hot dog leaving most of the bun behind and a coffee. We petted some horses and headed home.
3rd - Shopping in Bedford. After a trip through a couple of stores I took them to McDonald's to eat. I tried to order a grilled chicken salad - no go, so I ordered the chicken wraps. Surprised to realize these were the snack wraps and not the fajita ones, so I only ate 1 and left the other for hubby later. It's getting late and we had to head home.
4th - Kids at sleepover. They should sleep well after the day they've had. Hubby and I began some culling in the basement. I think we tossed well over half of the area we cleaned. The garbage is piled on the back deck and will need to go to the curb in segments. We also burned a bunch of wood and cardboard in the back yard - good riddance to bad rubbish. Time to clean up and hit the sack at 11pm. It's been a long night.
5th - Sunday we were still alone and began cleaning the living room. Serious wall washing stuff. At 11am hubby headed out to pick up the kids and my Mom calls to say she's leaving home and heading our way. She'll be hear in around 2 hours. I also began to haul out the Christmas stuff.
6th - I can't wait any longer for Mom. J and I need to get to a birthday party at the rink. She's never skated before. Mom arrives just as we're heading to the car, but she won't be staying as she's taking Ci shopping. After getting skates sharpened and watching the zamboni, J and I hit the ice. It was great to be back on blades again and J did great - she's a natural I tells ya.
7th - The party food. I piled a plate for J and just took some veggies and a small piece of cheese. When the plates were handed around I opted for just a piece of brocolli. Yeah me. Um, well, then J have me a piece of her cake - she had removed all of the icing, and I (gulp) at it.
8th - Home to continue with some Christmas stuff. Hubby bought a lasagna (8pts for 1/4 of the thing - I had 1/4 + 1/8, or 12pts - call it my splurge day). I whipped up some salad (read - I opened a bag of salad) and enjoyed. Mom and Ci landed home and, after I secured the TV for 30 minutes of exercise tapes, we popped in "Three Fugitives" - a blast from the past with Nick Nolte and Martin Short. Nighty-night little ones.

I feel great about the weekend. It was not a lazy weekend, but so much fun. Hubby and I had a great work-out Saturday night cleaning out that basement. It felt great to purge ourselves of so much garbage, and we found a few things we'd been looking for in the process. We also filled a few bags for donation. And we were focused on only the work shop area. Amazing what 5 evening hours without the kids can accomplish.

Happy Monday,

WI - Sucks Arse Sometimes

Crap, I've been reading the Mouse's blog too much lately, LOL. However, it is true - weigh-ins sometimes suck arse.

I didn't make WI last night and, instead went today at lunch. The digital devil said I gained 0.2lbs this week. Now, I know you're saying, "That's nothing, blah, blah." But I was really hoping to see some downward movement this week. Let's review: On Oct 3rd my WI was 160.4 - Today - 7 WEEKS later, it is 159. Farrrk! 1.4lbs in 7 freakin' weeks!!!

Discouraged? YES! Frustrated? YES! Pissed? NO!, well, maybe - but mostly at myself for letting the ball drop in October. What the heck happened? Did I get to this size and become complacent for a while? Well - that sucks arse, too.

So, I chatted with the leader and we took a look at things and she says my tracker looks good, even with occassional indulgences. What's different? I'm exercising again, but....ahhh...Light bulb moment...

I used to walk every lunch break for 20-30 mins. I go to my class for 90 mins on Thursday evenings now, but gave up my daily walks. I suspect that just 'moving' daily has benefits other than the time spent moving. So, I need to find something that I enjoy and continue my focus on DAILY exercise. I've talked about joining the gym, so we'll see what happens next week.

Also, there could be a component of 'what I've been doing has taken me this far - now I need to step it up'.

Meanwhile, I am going to strive for a minimum of 10 APs this week - to be obtained over 6 days. That means, walking the dog for 30 mins (1AP), etc. I will NOT count my cleaning. Let's see if this helps. I am also thinking to add some strength training in a couple of times a week. I know this will affect weight via retained water, so I will be posting my measurements as well once I take them at home. I am also going to review the Goal component of all of this and come up with some quantifiable numbers, like 10 APs this week, and limit FPs to 25, and some not so quantifiable, like write before you bite (do you really think I would have eaten 2 bags of popcorn had I known they were 5pts each - that's CRAZY).

I Got a Secret

No Where to Run asked what some of my secrets to weight loss were. Heck, like most of us who have had some success with this - I just don't know. I also feel silly posting any advice I may have when faced with the amazing women in my blog community - Steph the big loser, Swizz the scientist, Randi the iron-woman, and everyone else who I turn to daily for motivation. Regardless, I've decided tonight to play 'Randi' and pretend I'm a know-it-all, LOL. Anyone reading this ought to keep in mind that my loss is quite slow, averaging just over 1lb/week since I started this in May.

The beginning: It was recognizing a disgust I had with my body. Staring at my stomach and thinking "I hate this." I go back to this image whenever I feel myself becoming too complacent. Several things lead me to the end of the beginning.

What is the end of the beginning? For me it was walking into a Weight Watchers meeting, but any program will do, even your own. I didn't know about food - I was a thin kid who ate like a man - correction, a working man. Until I was 29 this worked quite nicely for me, but then it stopped - my metabolism suddenly slowed down. WW taught me things about food that I had no idea about. And for the first time in my life I became aware of what I was eating.

In the months since this journey began I have 'trained' my family to be supportive. At first my children were especially upset because they like the built-in pillow. Supportive doesn't mean that they will eat everything I eat - yet - but it does mean that they're more sensitive, they don't try to de-rail my efforts ('Let's eat out tonight - you've been working so hard' is NOT supportive). For everyone this support is different. For me, it is having my 4yo be the first to ask me how my meeting was, my 9yo to smile at my successes and give me a hug, and my husband to try to make point-friendly meals and ask when I can work in a meal out.

Then I discovered blogland. I found Roni who lead me to: Colette who makes me laugh and Steph who makes me laugh and cry at the same time and Becky who is a sweety through and through and Swizz with her crazy graphs and crazier heels. I started my blog - and this community gives me support and information that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I have expanded my blog weight-loss support group, revising my daily reads as I 'meet' new people and discover that others have stopped posting (runnergirl, melody, gone).

Through a blog-friend I discovered Sparks and found a lot of exercise tips there. At around the same time I 'met' Randi who expanded my horizons regarding strenght-training. I still struggle with the exercise thing, but trying and trying again - that's the biggest thing there.

Weight-loss, they say is made up of calories in and calories out, but it is so much more. It is food, it is exercise, and sometimes it's weighing-in after a pee, lol. But it's also your support system. Only you can decide who you will turn to for support. You need support in real life and, for me, in cyber-space.

The only other thing I can say is definately required is attitude. Each person can look at an event and take different steps: you weigh-in today and gain 3.2lbs (uh, yeah, let's not do that again). Do you: a) get depressed, say you blew it, and eat like crazy for a couple of days, b) re-focus, evaluate and move forward, while staying on-plan. This attitude, this perception, is going to be your success.

Other tips:

• Take measurements so you have another tool to measure success other than the demon scale. These should be taken every 1-2 months, or when you hit a plateau
• Attempt activity - do what you are comfortable with. Every little bit helps
• Journal your food (it's amazing what we 'forget' we ate)
• Pack lunches often - make your own frozen dinners
• Eat whole foods whenever possible, including whole grains such as brown rice and fresh fruit vs. dried. They are more filling
• Drink lots of water
• Share successes so others can celebrate with you
• Share challenges so others can offer their support to you
• Stock up on frozen fruits & veggies, and keep fresh stock at reasonable quantities to avoid feeding the composter
• Some protein, such as cheese and crackers or almonds while you're waiting for dinner will keep you full longer and you only need a bit
• I also try to get a dairy and a fruit in every morning at breakfast to get these servings under my belt, so to speak. It gives a great start to the day
• Remember, this is not a diet. It is your life and there's no rush. Take time to develope good habits and love yourself.

PS - I lost 1lb this week and decided to stick withthe cords as my weigh-in clothes. I also bought the 9-week holiday super-saver plan, so I'm good until Christmas.

Exercise, Gain - Reasons revealed

None of this is stuff we don't really already know, but to have it spelled out and put together so tight was a real revelation.

I would love to write this stuff and claim it as my own creation, but instead I'm going to tell you to go here (um, read the rest of my post first): http://phitnphat.wordpress.com/i-started-exercisingwhy-am-i-gaining-weight/, which explains, amongst other things, why it may take up to 6 weeks to see scale results after beginning to exercise. This lady also promotes the notion of strength training which I don't disagree with, but I personally need to build up slowly. As a side, I am very pleased with the amount of push-ups, crunches, and leg lifts (lay on side, lift top leg up, heel into thigh, down, repeat - 40 on each side, then later another 25) I can do after only a few weeks. I feel that I am adding muscle and trying to incorporate as many muscle groups as possible. Currently my resistance weight is just my own self, but that's good enough - for now. This site is awesome and full of information. I have added her link to the left: http://phitnphat.wordpress.com/

And, on top of that, here is an excerpt from her most recent post which I found most interesting. I took my measurements 8 weeks ago. I will post the results of inches lost tomorrow after I can take new measurements - kiddo's decided that the tape was a toy and I have NO idea where it got.

I endlessly discuss how you cannot live by the scale. It is such an inaccurate way to see weightloss success.

1. It doesn’t tell you what type of weight you are losing. Plenty of people who burn, burn, burn on the cardio neglect to add in strength training to their routine. These people lose a combination of fat and MUSCLE. Losing muscle may drop the scale numbers, but it also drops your ability to burn calories. Your goal in weightloss is to maintain or slightly build your muscle tissues while focusing on burning the fat off your body.
2. The numbers on the scale are faulty at times. Day to day you can gain and lose up to three to four pounds. Factors that influence the scale are stress, sodium, water retention from weight training, dehydration, hormones and so on. Even weighing once a week can be deceptive and that’s why I look at four weeks of numbers before casting judgment on the success of an eating and exercising plan.

Inches on the other hand…ahhh…this is a good sign of successful weightloss. Let’s say you in month one you lose 5lbs. After the first month you take your measurements and see you have lost 8 inches. Wow! That means you are losing fluffy fat and people are noticing. Now, take an identical person who just dieted and didn’t really exercise much. They lose 8lbs but only lost 2.5 inches overall. This person likely lost a lot of muscle and some fat. Not only is their appearance to other people just about the same as it was 8lbs. ago, but they lost their lean, metabolically active muscle tissue in the process. What does this mean to you? Less food you can eat when you hit your goal weight, the risk of developing osteoporosis, and a flabby appearance.

Oh - and woohoo - the yoga room is upstairs from dance class (2 different businesses) and this year they have teamed up and are offering a 90 minute combo class (45/45). I talked to hubby and get to take it. I am sooooo excited as I don't have to choose;-))

Bought a 3-month pool membership last night. Open swim on Tuesday nights is out for 9yo as it conflicts with her competitive dance class, but there's still swims on weekends plus discounts on lessons.

Finally, I'm doing week 1, day 3 of C25K at noon. I brought a change of clothes and scoped out my route. Weigh-in is tonight, so will report weight and measurement results tomorrow.

Cheers, and Happy Hump Day!!!

BMI - An indication of Health

Because of Weight Watchers, I knew that 160 was the top of my healthy range for my height range, but never paid much attention to the detail of this until coming across http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/weights-poids/guide-ld-adult/bmi_chart_java-graph_imc_java_e.html, a government website. I like this site because the other 'trackers' always want to round your height. WW says I'm 5'7", Ticker factory says I'm 5'6", but I know I'm in between these - at least I used to be 5'6.5". If anything, I'm more likely to have lost some height and will need to measure to be sure.
According to the site, and using 5'6.5", at my highest non-pregnancy weight (around 189 before I joined WW) I was just at 30BMI, which is considered Obese Class 1. By the time I joined WW, I had dropped to 29.6, the top of the overweight range (Ticker, above, still had me at 30, shorter, and technically obese). 24.9 is considered 'normal'. If I am currently 26.6, still 1.7 BMI to go. In terms of weight that is anything under 157lbs. So, I think that after I reach 160, I will need another mini-goal of 156.8.
One other thing, healthy is anything 18.5 and over. WW has the bottom of my range as 128 and, even at 5'7" appears to be using 20, vs 18.5, as the cut-off. This gives an extra 2.5lbs to my height. But should I REALLY worry about whether or not the low range is 128 or 125.5? Not likely.
Of course, all of this excludes other health factors such as muscle vs fat, bone structure, etc. and knowing that 130 was too thin for me when I was 18 and likely still is (that involved 8 hour shifts over a fryer for 2 months at KFC and is another story).

Maybe I should just concentrate on staying OP today, plan for the weekend, and see what happens next Wednesday. 160! AND BEYOND!

Have a great long weekend!