Measurements and Weight

I forgot to do this when I started. So I took my measurements a couple of days ago, and I am going to post my most recent WI *gulp*...when I re-started WW about a month ago, I dropped from 147 to 143 in a cpl weeks...ya, I gained all that back and then some. Frig. So here's my most current data as promised for the Tommy Europe 10 Pound Shred. I gotta say, I (so far) love his workouts. It really is what you put into it. Its difficult without being torture, and the intervals keep things moving. Cardio is killer, but also, the intervals make it less "oh, dear god kill me now" feeling :)

Measurements (taken in a lulu sports bra and lulu yoga pants):

Chest: 33.5 (hmm, smaller in that area than I realised, though some of that is the sports bra)
Waist: 29
Hips: 43 (THIS is my problem....seriously, I can't wear skirts cause of the disparity between my hips and my waist, it's insane)
Thighs: 25
Weight: *sigh* 148...frickin eating out


All measurements are in inches. I have a 2 week check point at the end of this week where I take new measurements. I am not expecting that much, to be honest. I got about 5 of the 6 workouts from the first week, but my eating Thurs-Saturday was not good. Too much eating out and weekend indulging. We shall see.

New Reward System!!

I suck at rewards..seriously. I never do them. I set goals, and when I reach them, I don't follow through on the rewards. Mainly a financial thing. I have expensive tastes...massages, facials, lululemon, etc, not really cheap stuff here. So my goals feel anti-climatic most of the time.

Anyway...I have been lusting over the Michael Kors white ceramic glitz watch for a year now (see above, pretty right??), but it's like $400. *gulp*...anyway...I was thinking today, what if I made like a type of weight loss savings plan? Put a certain amount of money away so that when I get to the reward stage, I can actually do it. I am going to try this for a month...put $10/day for every day I am OP. And I mean, really OP, with food AND exercise. As I was sitting here cramming chips into my mouth, because my next WI seems so far away, I got to thinking that I need my goals to be a little more present. And, I am not gonna go out and spend $400 on a watch that I don't deserve. At the end of the month I could have $280 in my savings...that's half way to my reward :) And think of how much closer I would be to my goal with all that OP-ness?

My ultimate goal is 130. When I reach 130 I will buy myself the Michael Kors white ceramic glitz watch, with the money I saved. I will follow my 10PS to the letter and stop frickin slacking on the weekends. I am in the only person standing in the way of my goals...time to remove that obstacle.

Time to throw out my impulse buy chips and get back on the wagon...even with 2 more days of weekend left :)

up up up

*sigh*

Up again. What is my excuse this week? There was the dinner at East Side Mario's at 10 pm last night (Thursday), cause my bf is going away for the long weekend, and he just won his soccer playoffs from his winter league, so we were celebrating I suppose. This is in addition to everything I ate throughout the day...tim bits, tiramisu, bread and cheese (my school had a world trade fair, we had lots of food from different parts of the world, it was really fun :) ), oh and then chips that a co worker brought me, and then the spicy crispy chicken sandwich combo from Wendy's that my amazing receptionist bought for me cause it was my last day at my current job. Oh, and then the chips I had at home while waiting for the dinner with my bf.

Well, holy ever loving crap....I just wrote a PARAGRAPH about what I ate in ONE day. Wow. I was OP for M-W, but Thursday was a gong show. I also only did day 1 and 2 of the Tommy Europe 10PS. See previous post about pain, lol.

But, I turned it around. I did TWO of the 10PS workouts today. The cardio I missed from Wednesday, and the resistance I missed from Thursday. Just gotta hit my resistance from what should have been today, and I will be back on track. I felt amazing during and after my workout. The pain from my legs went away (for the most part), and I was sweating, and grunting, but I felt great. This is good news :)

But seeing a 3lb gain on my scale this morning still frickin sucked. Lots of sodium high food and not a lot of water, and a very late high carb saucy dinner will result in a gain. Gotta pull it together for the weekend. My problem is snacking...especially at night. Movies and crunchy salty things seem to go hand in hand. Plus, my bf is away, so I have no one to curtail me...which means I have to use my own determination....ya, let's see how that goes, lol.

Happy long weekend :)

Pain is Fear Leaving the Body...

I have to believe this. My legs are KILLING me!! I did the 10PS day two yesterday. Meal plan and work out. The workout wasn't that bad actually. You have to do 3 sets of 8 exercises. There are even breaks built in. I didn't use the breaks until half way through the 2nd set. I think my legs are still smarting from the emphasis on squats from the fitness test. Today is supposed to be my cardio day...but I huuuuuuuuurt. I know it's just a build up of lactic acid, and that movement helps, but it's really hard getting that knowledge to my aching muscles.

I just ate dinner (chicken quesadilla and veggies), so in like an hour and a half I'll see how I feel and maybe cram it in. I can't fall off the wagon 2 days in!! The cardio I think is only like 30 mins. So either I do it tonight, or I pull on my big girl panties and go tomorrow morning before work, and then hit my resistance work out tomorrow after work. There...my plan is out there...someone hold me to it!!

OH...I also need to do my measurements. Before this gets any farther. That and some pictures. Gotta get on that.

Ugh...have to make tiramisu. We're having like a world trade fair at my school tomorrow, and each class is a different country. Guess which one is mine? btw, $20 for marscapone cheese??? Not cool.

10PS Day 1

Yesterday I completed the fitness test for the 10PS. I almost died. Stupid, over-confident, brainless me, decides NOT to bring water. Huge mistake. And the gym in my condo doesn't have a fountain (that I could see). My legs were like jello after, I had trouble getting my muscles to move to walk back to the elevator!

Today is day 2, but day 1 of the real workouts. I have eaten my regularly scheduled breakfast a la the meal plan, and I'm feeling good. It's a lot of food, but a lot of good food ya know? Also, and major NSV for me, I completely prepped my lunch the night before. Normally I will do it in the morning, but I quite often don't have time, and just end up buying something. Not today. So proud of myself.

Gonna have to rush home after work...my gym gets major crowded at 6ish (as I am sure ppl are aware). Maybe if I can get in there before 5, it'll be ok.

Have a great Tuesday!!

Friday WI

I gained. Up 1 lb. That is the second gain in two weeks. Of course I know the cause. I am not going to feign ignorance here. I have been creative in using my points, and I haven't exercised. But, I am having a problem with my WW plan right now, and this is something that I have seen echoed (repeatedly) on the boards.

Just because something is "within points" does not mean we (ok, I) should be eating it. Along with many other things, this is one of my issues with my weight loss and with WW. I know that WW is a lifestyle, and therefore you have to learn about moderation, because you're not honestly going to forswear chocolate cake, or ice cream, or fried food. However, I am beginning to think that there is way too much flexibility on WW. My journey is taking forever, because there is no fear anymore. I slip and hit up McDonalds? No biggie, I have the points for that.

I need the fear again. When I first started I tracked everything. I was so stringent. As I am sure most/all people are when they first start. But now, especially since I get 29 points, and that's the lowest I can go, there is so much freedom that I can slip up HUGE and still be within my daily points. And when that happens two or three days a week, it doesn't frickin matter that I am "OP" by being within my dailies, or weeklies, I am still shoving crappy food in my mouth and I am not going to lose weight that way.

I have to go back to the beginning. I am still going to follow Points+....for now. To be honest, I didn't have a problem with momentum...I still ate fruit, because I realised (on my own, gasp) that those little 1 point cakes and 100 calorie packs were a waste of points. I may have fudged a little when I was tracking it though. Like, tracking a small banana when I was probably eating a medium or something. So really, my points values didn't really change. Except for grains. That went up, but now I have the points for it, so I don't even try to curtail it like I did before. I'm not going to reduce my points the way some people have (to very bad results). But I am going to pull my old mentality back. Time to say good bye to fast food, and eating whatever I want when I eat out.

Just because I have the points DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO USE THEM....at least not in that way. Time to go back to restricting myself. Cause this flexibility is not working for me.

In an update to my 10 Pound Shred (10PS) commitment, I have made my first week's shopping list. Big trip to No Frills on Sunday! (cause the sobey's in my building is FRICKIN expensive, wow). Need to plan out my workouts, and I'm ready to go.

Tommy Europe Challenge/Commitment!

So I was thinking today that I really need to advertise my fitness and meal plan that I am starting next week. I am going to do Tommy Europe's 10 Pound Shred for the full 31 days, and I am going to post weekly status reports, including (as soon as I figure out how) before, during, and after pictures, and pictures of my meals (that's going to take some planning...not sure the bf knows I have a blog, and it might look weird if I start taking pictures of our food!) I always start these challenges (I was on a 30 DS one not too long ago), but there was zero accountability. From the beginning I said that this blog would be about accountability...so here it is.

Sometime this weekend I will post my "before" stats. I will also post reviews on the workouts and the meal plan.

My biggest commitment for this challenge? Making sure I get in my workouts. This is my pledge...if I can't do it after work, I will suck it up and get up early and do it in the morning (gah, that one stings a bit). My biggest problem in fulfilling this challenge? Being hungry when I get home from work (that and my 45 min+ commute that kills me). So it's going to require some extra planning, and I need to make time for that.

Here goes nothing :) Anybody else interested in doing a fitness challenge for the next 31 days?? Let me know!

Needing some Inspiration

I was totally on track prior to my big condo move. I tracked everyday, and made conscious decisions about what I put in my body. I let life interrupt my best laid plans. Again. This is my pattern. I am stopping it now. I am not going to let it continue. Today I essentially had 3 dinners (2 already eaten, with one planned later when bf comes home). I was hungry, so I had a snack. But I didn't listen to my hunger signs, I only listened to that little chubby girl inside me saying "mmmmm, nachos, go for it! you can track it!" I am going to track it (I even weighed out my cheese), but I didn't stop there. I also had a piece of pizza. Vegetarian, but still. I ate so fast that I didn't realise that I wasn't even hungry anymore. But I was "craving" and I gave in. Now, because I had that junk, I am going to have to pass on the good dinner that I have planned for then the bf comes home. I am really really full now, and as a punishment, I am forgoing my Moroccan chicken tagine :(

Stupid patterns that I totally recognise and then fail to do anything about. Not this time. All that junk is going in my tracker, and I am going to accept it, and I am going to start fresh, not tomorrow, but tonight. I am going to brush my teeth, drink LOTS of water, and close my kitchen for the evening.

I bought Tommy Europe's new 10 Pound Shred (or something close to that)...and I gotta say, it looks totally doable. I also have Jillian Michael's Making the Cut, but I found her meals waaaaaay too hard to follow. Especially for someone like myself and my intense pickiness. Tommy's meals look filling, and uses ingredients I recognise. Maybe cause his show is based in Canada? Some of the other meal plans etc. are really hard to follow because they are based on American ingredients that we just can't get here. The workouts also look doable. Intense, but after Jillian, he should easy! ok, maybe not easy, but at least I know the moves he's showing.

Anyone else hear of this book? I love his show...if it wasn't based in Vancouver, I totally would have applied.

Off the brush my teeth...then track...then finish my marking...*sigh* I can't wait until the holiday next week!

Yup...just as I expected...

Up 1 lb. I knew it was coming. I haven't gone to the gym since I moved, and my tracking hasn't been stellar. I was reading another blog (Grande Skinny Latte), and she said that WW wasn't really working for her because of the attitude that, well, if it fits, I can eat it (I'm paraphrasing here). That's my kind of thinking with WW, especially as I get closer to goal. I am not as strict with my food, cause I'm like, well, it fits in my points, why not. Instead of looking at how to properly fuel my body. I know we're supposed to be following the good health guidelines, but I think sometimes the flexibility is TOO much, you know? Last night I went to Jack Astor's with a friend...I had the 8 oz steak, their amazing! baked potato, and caesar salad. I had 16 dailies left when I went there, and I was over by 11 when I tracked it that night. At least I tracked? That's all I have to say. But when I looked at my tracker, I was like, well, so I used up some of my weeklies, oh well. I'm like a 17 yr old kid who's just gone to university for the first time, and has too much freedom! Does anyone else feel this way?

I think, since the moving chaos is winding down (still have to finish painting), that I will make the GHG my priority. That will be my goal for next week. To eat my fruit and veggies (veggies more, sigh, cause I need them), drink my water, and get in my minimum 2 days of exercise (which has fallen by the wayside since I moved).

I am trying to use this week as motivation, and not beat myself up about it, because normally what happens is I'll get all discouraged and quit. But I said in a previous post that I wouldn't take this week as an indicator of my total progress. I knew it wasn't going to be good, so I just need to get back on track.

Plan for next week:

1) Plan and shop for my meals on Sunday - this helps out the bf too :)
2) Take at least 30 minutes to exercise at least twice next week
3) Follow the GHG
4) Keep going with the water.

I am also going to work really hard to finish my painting this weekend, so can finish unpacking my apartment, and get my life back :)

Have a great weekend!

Stress and the Resulting Gain

I am having a rough couple of days. On the good news front, I got a new job. Well, this is supposed to be good news. However, now I am stressing out over giving notice. I have never given notice before. Jobs have always ended naturally for me. Yes, on a couple occasions it wasn't MY decision, lol...but usually I have left jobs because they ended, or I went back to school, etc. I have never changed jobs. I am a certified ESL teacher (I have to put certified, because people erroneously think that being an ESL teacher is somehow easier than being an elementary/high school teacher, but we do the same level of education to prepare)...and I really like my job/career. I chose it because I love English (I'm a dork), and originally I wanted to be a university professor in English literature. Doing my Master's degree killed that ambition...another 6 years with no guarantee of a stable future? HELL NO. So I took my TESL (teaching English as a second language). Now I have marketable skills.

Anyway...I got hired right out of school at an international language school in Toronto. I was very very lucky. ESL jobs are just as hard to come by as elem/high school jobs. I have stayed with the same school since then (so, like a year and 3 months-ish). I love my students, they are great. I love the program I teach (academic English, preparing them for Canadian college), and I love my coworkers (usually! no one is perfect). My school has some issues, but I've learned to roll with it. Several months ago I started actively looking. My hours got cut in January (along with everyone else's) and I went from making $3000-3500 a month to $2200!! Ouch. That stung. So I needed something else. Well, I found a position that was half teacher, half academic director. So rather than just teaching, I would also be responsible for hiring/firing teachers, creating programs, assessment etc. basically everything my current supervisor does. The pay is ok. The school is in the process of rebranding after a partner ran it into the ground, and so the salary doesn't really indicate my experience or education, but I guess the important thing here is potential. There is huge potential as the school grows, and for me to become the director of the school. But, and this is HUGE in ESL teaching...there are benefits, AND paid vacation. That is like the holy grail for ESL teaching, lol. That, along with the potential, and the slight salary increase, made my decision for me. I am at the top where I am now. I am the head of my program, I make the most of the ESL teachers...there is nowhere else to go.

Sooooo, short story long, lol, I am completely torn up about leaving. I know what my departure is going to mean...please don't think I'm being egotistic! I don't mean to sound arrogant, but my leaving is going to cause some huge problems, because it will be hard to find someone qualified to teach my program. Plus, I'm really going to miss my students.

Also, there is so much uncertainty...I am leaving something that I am completely comfortable with, for the unknown. Ask anyone who knows me...I don't deal well with change. What if I fail? What if I am a good teacher, but I suck at the director stuff? What if the new boss, who sounded so nice during the interviews, turns out to be like Miranda, a la The Devil Wears Prada? Ugh...I hate the unknown!

Now, I don't know if I'm going to gain this week. It seems likely, cause with the painting going on in my new condo, I haven't hit the gym, and I haven't been a diligent tracker this week :( That and a little bit of stress eating does not spell scale success. But I am trying to remind myself that one week is one week. It's not my whole life. It will get better. *sigh* Not to mention other stuff going on right now...I got cussed out in Portuguese this morning because my school has a strict English only policy. When students speak another language, they get this little tickets, and they have to do some sort of punishment. So I caught a girl, and as I was walking away, she cussed me out in her language. Our receptionist, who speaks Spanish, understood what she was saying, and told me. Doesn't make you feel good. If you break the rules, you get a punishment...no exceptions.

So that's my very long sob story for today! Sorry for the rambling. Had to get it out there :) Any suggestions to feel better??

Busy Week!

This has been a crazy week. My bf and I moved into our condo yesterday...holy cr@p....do we have a lot of stuff!! We spent like 6 hours packing the truck on Wednesday, and then like 4 hours moving it in on Thursday My muscles are soooooo sore today! And I can't see my living room/kitchen floor, which means lots more work ahead :S

On another good point...down 2.6 this week!! Grand total is 143.2. Super super excited! I need to get below the 140 barrier and break this mental issue I've had with the 130s. Bring it on!! Wow...this post has a lot of exclamations! in it, but I'm just too excited from everything that has been going on (moving wise, and getting told that I'm looking slimmer).

I am also excited to keep unpacking....cause somewhere in all that chaos is my toothbrush, and I miss it!! Had to buy one of those cheap travel ones on the way to work this morning, lol.

Anyway, gotta get back to work. Have a great weekend!! :)