This is me in grade 9 baby

I had a great week 2 of my new attitude and new weight loss goal.

Monday: Spinning 60 min

Tuesday: Running 30 min with dogs, Swimming 60 min with Masters club

Wednesday: Rest day working 12 hours

Thursday: Running 30 min at dark o’ clock, work 12 hours, Swimming 60  min with Master SO TIRED!

Friday: Rest day working 12 hours

Saturday: Cycling outside 40 km rode to OK falls via Maclean Creek Rd. 2 hours of riding (harsh headwind)

Sunday: Running 45 min didn’t feel too bad.

My eating was great while I was on the U turn plan and then for a couple of days after too. Come Friday I ate healthy all day and then at night a gave in to soft serve ice cream and apple pie. After our killer ride I gave in to sourdough bread and spinach dip but managed to have only one slice of pizza and a huge salad.

The key is to regroup from the small indiscretions and move forward with a plan. I was down to 178 which still leaves me 10 to lose in 3 weeks. I wonder what I will have to do to lose this weight. Obviously I am doing enough exercise! Just keep eating well and maybe kick up the intensity of the workouts. I don’t know…

Keep on keep’n on.

Cheers

Betty

cycling, fitness, goals, nutrition, running, swimming, triathlon, weight loss diet, fitness, goals, health, running, triathlon, weight loss rewards

Geocaching and having a giggle. Haven't tried geocaching? Google it, It's super fun.

I took things up a notch this week. I am using a system called U-turn from u weight loss, it consists of a kinda yucky shake (they warned me it would be yucky) sort of tastes like I might imagine infant formula tastes. I am also taking their kickstart product which is a supplement that helps the body flush toxins. I have to admit my energy has been much improved. I have also been much more diligent about taking my calcium, omega, vit D, and fiber as well. Is it annoying to take these supplements? Yes in a way but it is much more annoying to have no energy, be depressed and worry that an airplane seatbelt might not fit.

I don’t think that I will be taking these things forever. I will find the right balance of vitamins, minerals, supplements that work for me health wise, financially, time management.

My eating has been right on track. I am following the U turn recipes to a T. I am following a certain schedule and calorie level for the week and then I will gradually increase my calories over the next month to six weeks until I am at a maintenance level. Hopefully my weight will stabilize and I will be able to eat a normal, healthy amount of food while being active. I really am loving these recipes. I am running the risk of turning in to a chicken again so I am balancing it out with some shrimp too.

Exercise has been off the hook!

Monday: Spinning

Tuesday:Masters swimming (didn’t really like it but I did it)

Wednesday: Working days, walked to work

Thursday: Spinning at noon (testing day,hard!) Met with Olly and set up some triathlon coaching.

Friday: Rest day, thank goodness because I worked nights last night and tonight too

Saturday: 90 min swim with the tri group (never, ever thought I could keep swimming that long)

Sunday: 45 min  run with Mark, good a bit achy but not too bad once warmed up, geocaching with the girls FUN!

This chick is gonna be busy. I am going to have to make friends with 5:30 am to get my short run in during the week. I do not like getting up earlier than 6:00.

I am hoping to be at my new goal weight by the end of Feb. I lost 7 lbs the first week which I am sure was lot of water weight but at least it is off my body. I am going to weigh in tomorrow so I will let you know.

cycling, fitness, goals, nutrition, running, triathlon, weight loss body image, diet, fitness, nutrition, triathlon, weight loss

I am trying a new product called U-turn from uweightloss. This is the clinic I have been going to for the past year and a bit. I have had great success with the program. Food  logging, coaching, healthy homemade meal plans, natropathic supplements, step counting. Alas I have hit a plateau. I am trying U-turn and I think it will work, it involves a very filling supplement smoothie for snacks several times per day, three higher protein meals, and  a detox supplement.

I have adjusted my goal weight to be 168 which will give me 80 lbs lost, you can do the math to figure out my highest weight I think that will also help me mentally. My original goal was 160 which I think that I will eventually reach, especially if I keep up with the triathlon training. But for now 80 lbs gone will be a great achievement. Then I can get my tattoo, I have only been blabbing about it for 6 months or so. I think I might get three small stars on my left inner wrist and 5 stars on my right foot. That will be a star for each 10 lb lost and the three stars can represent my hubby and my two girls as well, reminding me to be a good example for them.

goals, nutrition, triathlon, weight loss, weight loss rewards blogging, diet, family, meal plans, nutrition, star tattoos, tattoo, weight loss, weight loss rewards

So my first goal was a bit side swiped by three long 12 hour night shifts. Golly the overnights and lack of sleep really mess with my metabolism. That being said…

Jan 15th I was down 4.25 lbs

My goal being 5lbs so not too bad at all. During that goal time I went down 3 and then up 4 and then down another 4. These ups and downs are driving me crazy. Water weight I suppose. Oh well moving in the right direction!

My second goal was to be down 10 lbs total (so 5.75 more)  from my new starting weight by Feb 1. I have 2 weeks and I should be able to do it. I am swimming 2-3 times per week, spinning 2 times per week, maybe a run or two in there as well. Go away weight.

I am trying a new vegan smoothie for breakfast that my friend Carly recommended. It is quite good, a bit sweet with the stevia content but I mixed in some frozen berries to cut the sweetness and it goes down well. We will see how it goes.

Vega health food optimizer

goals, nutrition, weight loss goals, nutrition, weight loss

I had considered just sitting down and writing out my feelings in a journal but then I thought there might be a helpful blog post in the middle of all of my angsting.

Last week I was 177 lbs and hanging on by my fingernails and then a series of unfortunate events happened and I went on a bit of a bender. I will lay them out for you and myself so I might learn, forgive and move on.

Too much work: I worked my normal amount of shifts plus a couple of early morning short shifts and I switched a couple so the compliment of days made it seem like I was constantly at work. I even scheduled myself so that I worked until 11 pm one night and then had to be at work the next morning at 6 am. Not recommended. I only had to work for three hours that morning mind you, but I am really starting to accept that fatigue is a huge influence in my weight loss/gain.

Giving in to temptation: At work while I was tired I decide it wouldn’t be so bad if I had a cranberry bliss  bar, well that set off a cascade of poor eating choices. It is almost like I have tunnel vision and I can only see the object of my desire and I will not rest until it is consumed therefore it can not longer be mocking me, tempting me. I need to accept that I do have a problem with moderation. If I start with a single treat I usually can not stop I end up spiraling downward. I know so dramatic but it is true. Most likely similar to all other addictions, craving the immediate rush from the object of your affection, be it alcohol, gambling, or food.

The flu shots: I know this might sound like a cop-out but I seriously felt awful after the shots. For the first two days it was just sore arms and a bit of a headache.  As time went on I developed chest pain and a racing heart, very sore joints, fatigue. The heart rate was most disturbing, I could actually feel my pulse bounding through my whole body and it was giving me a horrible anxious feeling. To be fair to the flu shots, Mark was feeling similarly and he didn’t have the flu shots so perhaps we both had a different flu going through us.

Halloween candy: For the first 3 days I didn’t touch the stuff. Then I started feeling really tired (see first excuse) and needed a bit of a pick me up. So I had a couple and then you know what happened (see excuse # 2). Moderation is not really something I am good at. Kind of an all or nothing kind of girl. Working on it.

Gloomy weather: I find that I am very affected by the grey sky, it intensifies my poor mood, makes me more tired, I tend to seek out simple carbs to elevate my mood.

Lack of quality sleep: With all of the strange shift work and my innate desire to stay up late (it is my time for me) I believe that I have not been getting a enough quality sleep and that is throwing off my hormone level and surely causing me to crave things that elevate my alertness and mood.

Indecision: I have a few ideas that I am working on in my mind and some I have control over and some I do not. I find went I am unable to control a situation I seek out something to control and that is usually food. I can quickly choose something, prepare it and then eat it. Oh and it has the side effect of temporarily elevating my mood with the simple carb content. Then there will be the inevitable crash and subsequent need for more simple carb fuel,sending me in to a tailspin.

Lack of success this past 8 weeks: I set a lofty goal of being finished my weight loss by Nov 9th. I was fairly doable but I have found it so hard to budge these last 17 or so lbs. I feel like I may have wasted the money I put in to the last 8 weeks, and with that comes guilt…Guilt breeds self-destruction. Enter bender.

What can I do starting today

1. Control my work life a bit better. This is tough because I am always seeking a new challenge and I have never had trouble finding work. Balance needs to be attained.
2. Realize my limits when it comes to treats. I really can not have just one.
3. Not much to do about the flu shot/ mystery flu, but to accept that I was not feeling well and that it was okay to rest and get better. This feeling will not persist
4. Put the Halloween candy out of eyesight. Done…put in sealed containers in the pantry. Out of sight out of mouth.
5. Can’t control the weather but it is sunny right now and I will take advantage of it and take the doggies for a big walk.
6. Sleep… I have been better the last couple of days, I refrained from too much TV last night and chose to go to bed at a decent time and read for a few minutes.
7. Re: Decisions, If I have learned anything in my lifetime is that I should not rush in to decisions that I am not totally convinced of. Leaky condo is big reminder of not rushing in to buying something if you are not sure. That being said sometimes risky decisions are the ones that pay off the most. This topic still needs some work.
8. Re:Failure/Lack of success and wasted money. Let it go and move on. This is something I often tel my kids. Let it go and move on. If I let the guilt and anxiety about wasted money weigh me down the whole process could become invalid. MOVE ON.

I am going to go to my meeting at the U weight loss clinic (I have been avoiding their calls) and make a plan for how they can help me succeed.

XOXO

Betty

fitness, nutrition, ponderings, weight loss blogging, body image, diet, Mental health, sleep, weight loss

My future is so bright...

I have a tonne of ideas swirling around in my head right now. All good things. As my last post indicates I need to find some focus. I do tend to overwhelm myself with projects, jobs, and new ideas. I don’t like to miss out on things and I think that can be to my detriment sometimes and to my advantage as well.

Some people might think I am crazy to have a family, full-time job, 2 casual jobs, write a blog, losing weight, trying to be a bit of an athlete, and an affectionate wife (no snickering Mark). I do have a natural tendency towards the lazy so I suppose I tend to over do it a bit in an attempt to override that tendency.

I am reading Jillian Michaels’ Master your Metabolism book right now (thanks Andrea)  and it really jives with the learning and supplements at U weight loss.I really ought to start getting a commission from Jillian, at least 4 or 5 people I know have bought her video now. Oh well good for her she must be putting out the right vibes to generate such wonderful success. Once I am finished losing the weight forever, I truly believe that I will have a better understanding of my body and how to better maintain it at a healthy weight.

I have found that when the time is right things just fall in to place for me. When I push things too hard and try to force outcomes, I always fall flat and end up seriously disappointed. I am struggling with the fact that I really want to get a website up and running that incorporates all of the things I talk about in the blog and a few more as well. It seems like a big undertaking but I believe that it is my calling and I am meant to provide a service to others trying to find their way to health and happiness. So I am putting it out there universe, let me know when the time is right and send a web designer to my door step.

Read more…

family, fitness, nutrition, ponderings, weight loss blogging, body image, health, Mental health, triathlon, weight loss

I have been really getting aggravated by being stuck in the high 170″s. I have been eating extremely well for 85-90% of the time and exercising like a freak. What is going on? Perhaps I need to give the food plan 110% attention. I wonder if I have not been eating enough at some times and my body is hanging on to fat because it is worried about starving, and then I get tired from working stupid hours and exercising alot…which makes me crave carbs big time.

A large part of my weight loss journey is learning why I gain weight. I have identified some key components. Stress, Chaos, Fatigue, Boredom, Hunger, Anger (I am going to show you…I will eat and make my self fat and that’ll fix you, hmmm).

I do feel that I have some really good skills and habits now to deal with life as it comes. I do hope that once I am finished losing I will be able to modulate my eating and exercise to maintain an ideal balance. Perhaps it looks something like this…Go for a 3 hour bike ride and then enjoy a yummy peanut butter/chocolate ice cream waffle cone.

We are going to go to indoor spinning classes this fall at Team Impact Multisport Mark and I went for some “testing” before the classes start. It was a really interesting experience. You have your bike set up on a trainer (so you can ride your bike inside), the coach gets you to warm up and then starts asking you what your perceive effort is as he continually increases the tension on the trainer, every 5 min or so they poke your finger to take a blood sample to test for lactate.

See betty get her lactate tested

I wasn’t sure how I was going to do at first because my legs were burning in the warm up. As I got warmer I felt a lot better and was able to maintain a good cadence. I think I might have surprised the coach due to my lack of cycling experience and that I am not yet in optimal condition. I was able to take it to my max and get my heart rate up to 174 bpm and complete the time in my max zone he requested of me.  The coach was a very encouraging  fellow named Olly Piggen I think I am going to dig these classes.

The last 18 lbs should just melt off and if they don’t I don’t know what will work? I still can believe I only have 18 lbs to go. I have been looking at 80 + lbs to lose for so many years I can’t believe that I am almost there. What will life be like when I am not the chubbiest girls in the room always? Guess what I am now? I am an athlete. I like that label better.

cycling, fitness, nutrition, triathlon, weight loss diet, fitness, meal plans, nutrition, triathlon, weight loss

Me with my beautiful girls on their 11th birthday

I am closing in on  my weigh loss goal and I am finding myself swinging between being totally on plan, focused and being chaotic and bingey. I think that I have reconciled with the fact that I will be exercising frequently,with intensity for the rest of my life. Exercise is not just for weight loss it is for creating and maintaining a healthy body. There I said it. I used to often wonder why “skinny people” were wasting their time in the gym. Hmm they want a healthy body.

I found myself in to the 170’s (barely but I was there) and then the weekend happened and then a week of 12 hour shifts slammed me in the face. The key to my success is preparedness. Easy enough said….I would love to make a weekly plan and then just stick to it, but alas my schedule is different every week and then there are kids, activities, weather changes, sick family members,commitments , extra work…. The planning and scheduling needs to be a consistent effort.  Some times I just want to stomp my feet and pout, but alas I must go on.

Goals for the week:

Exercise daily, 15 min walk upon waking and then 45-60 min at the or running or cycling.

Have meals planned and food purchased

Family doing their part

Setting boundaries re: extra work

I am going to set the timer for 20 min for house cleaning then off to the gym then eat lunch, then rest before the kids get home., then food shop, make dinner, then go to work for 12 hour night shift.

family, fitness, nutrition, organizing, ponderings, weight loss blogging, diet, meal plans, nutrition, organizing, weight loss

Balfour ferry 2009

It has taken me a long time to get excited about camping, especially with kids and dogs. You may wonder why I wouldn’t like to enjoy the great outdoors in all of it’s glory…I do not like to be dirty, there I said it. I do not like chaos. We went camping in the Kootenay’s for 4 nights and it was bloody awful, it rained and rained, the mosquitoes were having a population boom. Golly we were troopers, running from the tents to the shelter of the car and back again. Our big boy Chocolate lab Hoha was so afraid of the thunder he had to sleep in the back of the car, he is a bit of a princess.

 As I am trying to be and optomist, the great part of the trip were visiting family and seeing the really cool location for the Shambhala festival http://www.shambhalamusicfestival.com/  my little sister Amanda is feeding all of the hard working volunteers and coordination the vendors.

wicked artwork at the festival site

Camping can be fun and it can be awful… for the most part I tried to make good choices but it is really difficult to avoid the chips and marshmallows. I do not like being deprived. I come back to the main lesson I have learned in this weight loss journey. Try to make good choices, if you slip pull up your socks and move on …get your ass to the gym, go for a run. It is not possible to gain 60 lbs over a weekend.

I have eaten really well for the past three days and I have my meals planned for the week. I had a killer workout last night. I am ready to kick some ass.

Uncategorized, family, fitness, nutrition, organizing, weight loss family, fitness, health, meal plans, weight loss

Is it fear of success or fear of failure that causes us to sneak things that are not part of our eating plan? A lot of people would say, “you can’t be so restrictive for the rest of your life, you need to have a treat every once in a while”. That might be true in the future after I am finished losing the weight. Every time I decide to take a little detour I send myself down the cravings pathway. I need to stay on track while I am trying to lose weight.

I do exercise frequently with intensity so it is not as if I can cheat a little bit and then work out more. This is an approach I might take once I am finished losing weight I think I can maintain my weight on a 80/20 plan where I eat very well for 80% of the time and have the opportunity to deviate for 20% of the time. If my weight goes up a bit or I indulge more than usual I will be able to kick up the exercise a notch and get things under control.

So why do I fear succeeding. Am I worried about being able to keep up the weight loss? Am I worried about unwanted attention? When I have a protective blanket of fat and unflattering clothing covering me up nobody can see me, or at least they can’t see the real me.

I have noticed that people are treating me with more respect. I know it is not fair but it is a fact of life. PEOPLE PERCEIVE FAT PEOPLE TO BE OUT OF CONTROL, UNORGANIZED, NOT AS SMART.  As I said not fair but true. I wonder if it is the fact that people see you respecting yourself and in turn they feel that they owe you the respect you are showing yourself.

Things that make me go hmmmmm…..

fitness, nutrition, ponderings, weight loss body image, nutrition, weight loss