Healthy New Year!

So it's January once again.  Clean slate.  Fresh start.  Detox.  Holiday weight.  Ugh.

We were away this year down in Florida, and as usual, I gained my typical 4 lb (or so).  I wanted to weigh myself as soon as I got home, but my husband put a stop to it, and told me that our bathroom scale is only good for one thing....weighing our luggage before a trip.  Well, I have to agree, but today I did it.  I stepped on that frickin' scale.  I am not sure why I was surprised, as it was exactly where I thought that vile number would be.  The good news is that I have probably lost a little of my holiday weight by doing simple things (i.e., not consuming alcohol every day, resuming my 6 am bootie camp, not having dessert on a daily basis, etc..).  But the problem is, there always seems to be a.....Cling-on (no, not Klingon) that won't go away.  Every time I gain, there is a little bit that clings.  Even looking at the definition, it seems icky....attach oneself to, hang on to....

So...what's the answer?  I can't just lose some of the holiday weight...I have to lose all of it (and then some???) or all those Cling-on's will add up!  I have to try and get back to my best weight for me (and also come to terms with the fact that my best weight post 2 kids at age 44 is NOT 130 lb).   I wish it could be, but it just can't.  I would love 155, but may have to be okay with with 160-ish.  The reason I say that is I know that in the past few years, I was able to get down to 161, and felt great, but it was very difficult to maintain there.  I ended up consistently around 165 and have more or less been able to maintain this weight.

Then I think...all these numbers.....arg!   Just ditch the numbers, eat healthy, be healthy, mind, body and soul!  I work out 2 times per week at my bootcamp (which I have stuck with for over a year!), I eat healthy (mostly), drink moderately (sometimes), and do not eat fast food (that's the honest truth!).  Shouldn't that be enough?  I do have temptations though...cheese, cheese and cheese (and the occasional piece of cheese).  So....I guess there's that (and wine, and appies with friends, etc...).

Or the answer lies somewhere in between.  Weighing myself could be deflating, as we know that it is more than just the number on the scale, but weighing can also keep me on track, and make me accountable.

So here it is...the truth.

Today, January 13, 2014 my buck-naked morning weight was 169 lb.  My plan....eat healthy, make good choices most of the time, watch my portion sizes (my least favourite thing to do), exercise in a way I enjoy, and to above all else, to be good to me, and to love my body no matter what (not as easy as it sounds).

That is my pledge.  I will weigh in and report (from time to time).

Post Thanksgiving Weight

Question:  Why would I weigh in the day after eating turkey and stuffing and pie all weekend?

Answer: Because sometimes I think that maybe...just maybe this time I did not gain weight.  Yeah, right!

Oh well, so I was up 3 pounds after our double turkey feast, but I did my duty, and weighed myself, if for no other reason than to keep on track instead of derailing completely!  I weighed myself again today, and the 3 pounds is miraculously gone.  Okay, it's no miracle, because I was good with my eating this week, instead of cramming double helpings of pie and stuffing in my face!


So what have I learned?

• My weight fluctuates.  Not new information, but it helps me to write it down

• When I overeat, I gain weight.  When I indulge in too much booze, I gain weight.   (duh...kind of a no brain-er, but again, helps to write it out!).  

• Weight fluctuates due to many things, not just overeating.  Fluid shifts, time of the month, amount of salt you eat,  amount of carbs you eat.  Total calories you eat, the exercise you do (or don't do!), etc... 

• Did you know that 1 gram of carbohydrate holds 3 grams of water?   That means if you ate 400 grams of carbs,  you would be holding  an extra 1200 grams (that's 1.2 kg!!!) of water!   EEK!   And no, I don't agree with a Paleo-no-carb-diet, but really, this just puts it in perspective.  Does my body need carbs?  Yes!  Does it need 400 grams of carbs? NO!  Everybody need carbs.  We just need to choose the good carbs, and choose not-to-much-carbs.  There's my sermon on carbs!

So....the moral of this week's weight loss tale?  Don't be so hard on yourself, enjoy the special occasions, but maybe not the double-double of pie and ice cream.   

How many weeks til Christmas season starts?   Time to get moving!

Weight Motivation

So back on the horse I go.  After Monday's weigh-in (which was shocking, depressing, but not really surprising considering how much I "consumed"), it's back to working out, making healthier food choices and drinking less, (blah!).  My motivation ?  No, not to stay healthy, but to get a Coach bag (or two!), and maybe, just maybe when I reach my goal weight, I can go to Las Vegas to celebrate the new and improved,  toned and  hot, me.  My plan is simple;  I am going to bribe myself  into the 150 - 155 lb range.  My mantra?

Ok...imagine...me at 150 lb, on the strip with.....

Me. Coach. Vegas.  

Me. Coach. Vegas.   

Me. Coach Vegas. 

...this BAG!!!!

Okay, I am half serious.  The real reason of course for me to shed this final 10 - 15 lb is really to be healthy, to sustain a lifestyle that I love, enjoying food and wine (but not too much), and to really maintain my weight in my 150's range.  But, my mantra is really could motivate me this time...right?  I know, you have to want to change and all that, but I could do it this time.  I could just set some small attainable goals, and set myself up for success.



So....this week I have worked out already 2 times, for about 45 minutes each.  And, my food choices have been better.  And, I have not had any wine or gin since Saturday (it's only Wednesday!).  So....already a number of things to celebrate!












Just gotta keep my mantra going in my head....(and keep up with eating healthy, small portions, and all that exercise stuff, blah blah blah).....but the mantra!  Don't forget the mantra!


Me. Coach. Vegas. Me. Coach. Vegas. Me. Coach. Vegas.

Tell me why (I don't like Mondays...)

Like the song says....I don't like Mondays.   Particularly today!

I work part time, and Monday is MY day at home....so no, not sitting eating bon-bons watching soaps, but my day to do some cleaning, meal planning, going through last weeks mail, organizing etc...But today, many little things have happened already, and it's only 9 am.

• Our son has a bad cold and cough today, so he is at home in the hopes that we will nip this in the bud.  While I am all for taking care of my kids, it changes my plans for MY Monday.  Selfish of me?  A bit.  
• My weigh in the morning was NOT good (could it be all the wine I drank over the past two weekends?)  While I am not surprised at this more-than-2 lb-less-than-5 lb-gain, I am pissed off at myself for letting it go...again.   Back on the horse for me.  blah.
• My daughter just called from the school, and forgot her agenda.   My response for this was to just write down her homework on a piece of paper, but no!  That wouldn't do, as she stated "mom, i really need the agenda because I have to pass in my Entertainment Book money and the field trip forms!".  Well, okay honey, I'll get right to it!  Then I thought in my head that if she had packed her bag last night, as I had asked, we wouldn't be here, now would we????

I saw a magnet on my mother-in-law's fridge this weekend, and it is very fitting for today.  It reads something like:

"Hold on, and let ME drop everything so I can work on YOUR problem" 

or something like that.    

Yep.  That's about the size of it.  But I suppose when you look at my list of Monday complaints, it is all minor stuff that is fixable and solvable, and I guess if you're going to have problems, it's best to have these types of problems (except the weight thing, which really REALLY sucks!).

Happy Monday everyone!

It's Official!

A quick happy blog entry to say that I am proud to be working at Health Stand Nutrition!   Check out the website and our bios!

Cheers!

www.healthstandnutrition.com

Week 4 Update....

So end of week 4, and today was my day....but it was not meant to be.

I was 162.6 lb this morning...but....am I surprised?  Not really.   Factor in Stampede foods, going out to dinner twice (lucky me!) and only exercising twice, it's not hard to figure out why!

Well, there's always week 5.

Breaking the Barrier...

End of week 3.   Post-routine weight is..........

161.4 pounds!

So while I am not exactly where I wanted to be at the end of week 3, I did manage to shave off a pound this week.  So that IS something to celebrate for many reasons:

1.  As you get older, every ounce, every gram that you lose needs to be celebrated.

2.  Today is the day that we go to the Calgary Stampede, and I have my list of foods that I will be indulging in and have the whole week to work my off the deep fried cheese, pulled pork poutine, jalapeno corn dog and deep fried pickles (okay, I may not go that crazy, but it's good to have a dream.

3.  I am closer to my goal this week than I was last week

4.  I feel great, even though up until yesterday it was tough to lower myself down on the toilet for any kind of activity down there....needed those rails on my wall.  All signs of a good workout, I am told!

So what are my next steps for this final week in my weight loss challenge?  I have to first keep telling myself that there is a bigger picture here...a "global goal", which is that this has to be a lifestyle and not a phase, or I will end up back where I started.  Next, I need to be okay with the fact that my goal initially set 3 weeks ago may not be reached.  And I am okay with that.  Perhaps my new goal could be just to squeak by that 160 lb mark, and go ever so slightly into the 150's.  This is adventurous, especially as I am indulging today!  I will have to do at least 2 bootcamps next week, plus may have to (sigh) do ADDITIONAL exercise (eek) to compensate.

So...the goal for this week....break that barrier, and head into the 150's with style, grace and a little bit of pulled pork poutine!

Boot Camp, Baby!

It sounds so simple....

...yet its just do darned hard to do!

So I finally did it.

I added exercise to my routine (today).   A friend of mine is a Certified Fitness Trainer and had a great summer deal to stay in shape (in my case...to GET in shape).  I "ebb and flow" with my exercise.  There are times when I am very regimented and work out regularly with my yoga, and my zumba (the mighty flow) and then it just stops because I don't make the effort to make the time (alas, the ebb).

That's really problem though, isn't it?  To make the time for ourselves to BE healthy and to feel and look great, and ultimately defy the aging process!   I think about my day today and it was busy even though I was not at work.  I unpacked from our weekend camping trip, did some camping laundry, cleaned some bathrooms, took kids to their annual eye doctor appointment, drove to pick up my daughters friend (who is lovely!), prepped dinner......and I decided that my "me-time" today would be boot camp.  I don't like exercise, I am not good at it, but I can say that right now, I feel great!  And we even did burpies and I survived!

The result?  I am proud of myself for joining the summer boot camp, I took an hour of "me-time" today, and am happy that my exercise routine is no longer in the ebb phase, but in the flow...now if I could just keep it there!

Win Some, Lose Some :-(

End of week 2 for my weight loss challenge.....there's good news and bad news.   The bad news first...I gained 1 pound this week.  My weight this morning, after my "routine" was 162.4 lb.    Up one pound since last week.   The good news is that my "net" loss is still down.

The challenges this week
Summer is here, drinks on the patio, my mom was visiting (so we ate out a few times), trips to the Farmers Market, ate a few too many desserts, wine, etc...

Challenges for the week to come
The main challenge this week is that the Calgary Stampede starts today.  While we are not avid stampede go-er's, we will go once to the grounds and will have to enjoy some of the Stampede foods.  I have my eye and stomach on the Wisconsin deep fried cheese and Big T's BBQ and Smokehouse (our friends own that place, and its AMAZING!  Best new food at the Calgary Stampede 2 years ago!).   Deep fried cheese?  I know, sinful, but I missed it last year!  So really, it would be a sin NOT to have it, right?   And Big T's....well, that's easy, my friends own that restaurant, and I am being  a good friend by supporting them, so it would be wrong NOT to go there....right?  

My plan
I will have to avoid all processed and sugary foods EXCEPT on the day I go to stampede!  While it is probably best to avoid the whole thing altogether, regarding the food at stampede, for me this is a bit unrealistic.  My compromise is to choose two things, and I choose the deep fried cheese and to enjoy something at Big T's (hey, it could be worse...I could just say to hell with it and go for all of it...the deep fried wagon wheels, the bacon sundae funnel cake, the jalapeno corn dogs.....)

We'll see how this week goes, but I am determined to enjoy myself AND work my way down a bit more towards my goal of being in the 150's-zone!




http://www.bigtsbbq.com/

http://cs.calgarystampede.com/fun-food/food.html

The Sherene Special!

  

Last week when I weighed myself, I was pleased to see the progress with my weight loss, which was just over 2 lb.  Then came Finger Food Friday, followed by a trip to Banff and a Canmore bakery on Saturday, followed by a Sunday trip to CFM (Calgary Farmer's Market).  The list goes on.  Every day could be a special occasion, and you can always make an excuse as to why you could eat something you really shouldn't.  

The Sherene Special...available at Rea's

Today was time to get back to it, and it turned out to be a pretty good day for me.  I had a healthy day, didn't eat too much, ate foods from all four food groups, and even though we went out for dinner at one of my favourite Italian restaurants, I did well!  We went to Rea's Italian Cucina (formerly known as Sandro's Restaurant).  My mom is visiting this week, and she wanted to take us all out for dinner.  For those of you who know me, you know that I am a bit of a high maintenance foodie (okay, okay, I am just high maintenance!).   I am constantly looking at the menu, asking our server questions and never know what to order.   My dilemma today?  I really really REALLY love pasta, but really really REALLY wanted to be good and not eat too much.  But I also wanted to feel satisfied and happy with my meal and my entire restaurant experience.    This was not easy for me to do.  I decided to focus on the things that I really LOVE at this restaurant.  We shared a few appies (bruschetta and calamari adriatica).  I had half a piece of the bruschetta and some of the calamari, which I love!  It's not deep fried, but is in a tomato-lemon sauce and is just so so yummy.  I asked our server if they would make me up a plate of the calamari for dinner, with  a side of their caprese salad.  What an amazing presentation for my dinner.  The food was phenomenal, and I was 100 percent satisfied.

I did of course pick a little at my daughters gnocchi, and my husband's fettuccini, but all in all, it was much better than what I would have normally eaten, which would have been a full plate of pasta with cream sauce and at least 2 pieces of the bread they bring to the table.  All in all, I truly enjoyed my meal, which was followed by no dessert, but just a cappucino...and yes, of course I had wine (it lowers the bad cholesterol, you know).    The moral of my story today?  If I can go to an Italian restaurant, and be completely satisfied without eating pasta...anything is possible!


http://www.reasrestaurant.com/

http://www.calgaryfarmersmarket.ca/

Weigh-In Week One!

OK!  So I am one week into my weight challenge!   I weighed myself on June 28th, and did it with my "routine"...you know, pre-breakfast, post-bowel movement, pre-shower.  I was up and down on the scale 3 times in a row (yes, I know...crazy).  The results?   161 lb, followed by 161.4 lb, followed by 161.2 lb.....SOLD!  for 161.2 lb!  Total loss after week 1 was 2.4 lb!

Yah me!   Now, if you'll excuse me, its Finger Food Friday, and my day off for weight loss.

You bite it, you write it....

That's one of the things they used to talk about in Weight Watchers...you bite it, you write it.   So, here was my day today:

Breakfast:  Activia yogurt, berries and coffee

Snack:  home-made trail mix with raw pecans and 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips.  Chocolate makes my morning nicer.

Lunch:  Salad with lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers and some pecans from my morning snack.  Salad dressing was Paul Newman's Sesame Thai; 1 more Activia yogurt

Dinner:  BBQ salmon, chickpea and tomato salad and 1/2 an avocado and a glass of milk

Dessert:  1 glass of red wine (good for lowering cholesterol, you know!)

Bedtime snack: a bit more red wine (but only a bit).

What was good today?  I ate a fairly good quantity of fruits and veggies, had a good amount of dairy, had lean protein sources, and included some healthy fats like the avocado and the pecans. 

So all in all, today was a pretty good day.  We'll see how I do tomorrow when it's Finger Food Friday....I will have to be pretty creative to at least attempt to continue with this weight loss challenge!  Stay tuned!

Weight Loss Challenge!

It's June 20, 2012, and in one month we are going to a family reunion on my husband's side.  That means lots of fun visiting and lots of good food (have I ever blogged when I don't talk about food??). But that also means that I have 4 weeks to lose a bit of weight (two reasons...lose weight to have people say..."oooh....you look great!" AND...lose weight to eat more).

I have done Weight Watchers countless times, and it worked for the most part, but like a lot of people, I just didn't stick to it afterwards.  The first time I did Weight Watchers was when my now-10 year old daughter was 6 months old.  I was just under 180 lb, and went down to 160 lb!  Not bad!  Since that time, my weight has fluctuated, and a few years ago, I found myself at up again at 175 lb when I went for my annual physical.   A friend of mine and I decided to help each other out with a "Biggest Loser Challenge", and even though HE won, we both lost weight, which was fantastic -- I went down to 161 lb!   But, every time I do this, I can never crack the160 lb barrier.  And now...its time to crack that barrier.

My goal:  155 lb or less by July 20 by eating healthy and and I'll have to throw in some exercise.

My Stats: pre-breakfast, post bowel-movement nude weight today: 163.6 lb.  Not bad considering we went camping this past weekend!

But now, its time to own my weight!  Challenge myself into the 150's!  Bring it!!!

Weight a Minute!

I am always trying to lose 10 lb, though this year it seems the "10" turned into 15 as I gained 5 at Christmas time. As I get older, it just gets harder and harder to do. Food is such a big part of my life, and I have no off switch! I eat if I am happy, sad, mad, angry....you name the emotion, and I can pretty much guarantee that I can find a food to make me feel better! Cheese, wine, cheese, cheese, wine....the list goes on.

But this time I feel I can do it, and maintain the loss (frick, I better, or I might get all depressed and eat a large bag of Ms. Vickies Salt and Malt Chips.......oh crap...why did I have to write that????)

OK...seriously, here are some tips for my 4th attempt at weight loss:

• I limit all white foods...white rice, white bread, cakes, pastries
• I include chocolate daily. Just a few chocolate chips in my home made trail mix of raw pecans and Thompson raisins....helps take the edge off.
• I have been trying to drink my water...this will be day 5
• I eat brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice or pasta
• I always make enough supper so I can have a good lunch the next day
• Yes, I am trying really hard to eat my fruits and vegetables
• Meatless meals.....try it once in a while.
• I don't typically snack after supper, though will allow myself to cheat once in a while
• Exercise...well...I started hot yoga, didn't I???

OK...that's enough for today. All this writing about food is making me hungry. Frick!!!!