Are people really THAT clueless?

You've probably heard me talking about a my friend K. who is a size 2. Probably more like a zero, but who's counting? She's actually the one I do bootcamp with. It can be a little intimidating at times, but what can you do? Recently, there have been a few instances where I've silently questioned her intentions. The first time was when we took our friend S. shopping. S. had an interview to go to and wanted our help picking out an interview outfit. She was trying on different things in sizes 6 and 8. At one point when she was in the change room, K. turned to me and said "wow, I never realized she was so big". Are you kidding me? First of all, I don't consider either of those sizes to be big and secondly I'm a size 10. I mean, she has to know that I'm bigger than S. Needless to say, I didn't really know how to react so, I just shrugged it off.  It still baffles me.

Then, just a few days ago, she brought me a skirt from a couple years ago. It's a size 6. She said "here, you can have this, it's WAY too big for me". The next day, she asked me if it fit. 

I can't quite decide if it's cluelessness. If she wasn't such a nice girl, I'd think it was mean...but I'm just not sure.

Anyway, today was another BUSY day. Slowly getting moved in to the new place. It'll all be official on Saturday when the furniture gets moved. Can't wait to just be done with it so that I can focus all my energy on this weight loss thing. Although, I still managed to cook dinner and avoid takeout. Very proud of myself for that. I also intend to make it to bootcamp both nights this week.

Speaking of bootcamp, I decided that my 5 week session was the perfect thing to initiate my reward system. Like I mentioned, I really don't want to reward myself for pounds lost. I'm trying hard to stay away from goals or incentives that involve the scale. I decided that I would reward myself if I had perfect attendance at bootcamp. There are 10 sessions in total. So far I've been to the first 2. If I can manage the next 8 then I will have earned my first reward. I've chosen to have a facial if I meet this goal. I know I can do it.

Alright, back to packing. Don't forget to enter my Ellie Krieger cookbook giveaway if you haven't already. Winner will be selected tomorrow evening when I return from bootcamp. You have until a little after 7:00 p.m. EST to enter. 

Missing link

What a weekend it has been. This weekend was one of those weekends where I felt like if it could go wrong, it did. On the bright side, it had nothing to do with health or weight loss. In fact, I had an NSV in that department. More on that later. All the craziness revolved around the new house. The worst of it was a legal issue that delayed us taking possession. We couldn't really afford the delay since we had contractors scheduled to go in and do stuff. In the end we got it all straightened out. It was just stressful. To add to that, my dad ended up in the E.R. for an accident on the squash court. He was in excruciating pain. I'm hoping the worst of it is behind him.

I don't know about you guys, but for me moving has always involved a lot of takeout food. When you're constantly on the go, it seems easier to just grab a sub, pizza or a quick snack. I decided that I didn't want to rely on convenience food this time around. The last thing I wanted was to just "give up" during the move. So, even though we had a hectic weekend I managed to cook all weekend. Last night was crockpot chicken and mashed potatoes and tonight was homemade chicken fajitas. Yum!

Somehow, I even managed to bake a batch of blueberry muffins. I'm not suggesting that they were the healthiest muffins ever, but at 3 points per muffin, I'd say it's a heck of a lot better than grabbing a chocolate bar or something. 

The last few months I've really been struggling with weight loss. It seems that for one or two weeks I'm on a roll and then all of a sudden something comes up and derails my efforts. Then I spend a week or two making half hearted attempts to get back to it. It's the same cycle over and over again. I'm not really sure why it happens. It just does. Is it that I am not motivated enough? Do I not want it bad enough? I feel like I have maintenance mastered. If only I wanted to stay at 165, I'd have it made.

I think it's time to up my game. And I think exercise is the answer. When it comes to weight loss, I've often heard people say it's 80% what you eat and 20% exercise. I've always kinda believed that until recently. I'm no longer convinced. Sure, if you eat well and don't exercise, you will still lose weight. Conversely, if you eat poorly and exercise, you probably won't lose weight. If your lucky you'll maintain. So, yes in that sense the philosophy probably holds some truth. 

Since starting bootcamp, I've realized that for me, exercise is what makes me want to eat healthier. On the days that I go to bootcamp my food intake is pristine. It motivates me to go that extra mile. I've spent the last few months barely exercising. At first it was because of my ankle, but then it was laziness. Looking back at my entries over the last few months, I noticed that I've had the most success on the weeks that exercise was a regular part of my week. It's not because I burned thousands of calories, it's because doing the exercise pushed me to make better eating choices. Is it really that simple? I'm going to test the theory. I'm going to engage in exercise on a regular basis and see if my losses are more consistent. I really think that making exercise a part of my daily life is the missing link.

I never did weigh-in last week. I wasn't able to get to the meeting and then just got caught up in everything else. We'll have to see what the scale has to say this Wednesday.

Hurts So Good

Wow, I can't believe how many great tips we got in yesterday's giveaway post. You guys ROCK! There's a lot of good information. Once the contest closes, I'll compile the info and populate the tab. It's going to be a great resource. Thanks to all of you.

Tonight was session number two of bootcamp. When I got up this morning, I realized that I was sore in places I never knew possible. I was DREADING the thought of having to go again. As it so happens, we take possession of our new home tomorrow. Right away I started coming up with all the things I had to do in preparation (read: excuses to skip the class). In reality, there is a lot of stuff to do, but it shouldn't interfere with my health. I'm also heading to Toronto on Saturday morning to go through some of the stuff that we have in my in-laws storage. Not really looking forward to that. On the bright side, I'll be rewarded with Saturday night's GTA Blogger get together. Can't wait to see everyone! Anyway - I'm getting way off topic. The bottom line is that despite all the excuses I tried to make to avoid going to bootcamp, I sucked it up and went. It was INTENSE. At times I felt like puking. My body is screaming. And you know what? It feels great. The hardest part is getting there. It's a mental barrier. It's so worth it. 

I have a tendency to associate exercise with weight loss. But, really it's so much more than that. Regardless of pounds lost, I'm gaining strength. My core and upper body is already showing improvement in strength. But even more than that it's good for the soul. There's something about getting through a grueling workout that feels empowering. Maybe it's just me, but once the class is over, I have this feeling that I can do anything I set my mind to. I love that feeling. 

I am a little worried that I'll barely be able to move when I wake up in the morning. So, in an effort to prevent that, I stocked up on my secret weapon to get me through these next few weeks of bootcamp:

On that note, I'm off to soak in a nice hot epsom salt bath.

My 1st Giveaway

You may have noticed that one of the tabs at the top of my blog is called "tips". My intention for this tab was to make it a collaborative effort. I thought it would be a really good resource if everyone shared their favorite weight loss/health tip.

What better incentive than a giveaway? What am I giving away? Well, you've all heard me talk about how much I love Ellie Krieger's cookbooks. They're all about balance and healthy living. So, I thought, why not share the wealth? 

The winner of this giveaway can choose between either of these two cookbooks. And yes, it will be a brand new copy. I'm certainly not parting with mine. :)

                                               Option 1 - So Easy

                                          

                                         Option 2 - The Food you Crave
The rules? Write a comment on this post sharing your best weight loss/health tip. That's pretty much it. If you'd like to link the contest on your blog go ahead. It's not necessary though. I just figure the more people who know about it, the more tips we'll have and the better resource it becomes.  I'm limiting it to one entry per person to give everyone a fair shot.

Once I've collected all the tips, I'll populate the tab and I will give you credit for your tip, by linking your blog. It is a group effort after all. If you don't have a blog, I'll just write your name.

The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere.

Winner will be chosen by random generator on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:00 p.m. EST. 

Look forward to reading your tips.

Hope I've covered everything.

It's gonna be a good day

It's just a little after 8:00 and I can tell it's going to be a good day:

• 20 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill - check
• Fruit basket loaded - check
• Yummy green monster breakfast - check
• Dinner for tonight ready - check
• Good mood - check

How can I go wrong?

It's all about the grey

First off, lets talk boot camp. Tonight was the first night of my 5 week session. We started with a fitness test that involved running, jumping rope, push-ups, sit ups, 2 minute planks, sprints, etc. There are 10 of us in the class and I fell somewhere in the middle. I should also add that I'm doing this with a friend who wanted to start at level 2 of boot camp. Level 1 is on Mondays and Wednesdays. Once we were finished the fitness test we did circuits. There were 10 stations, most of which were pretty difficult. In between stations we did jumping jacks and other cardio. End result? Well, lets just say that it made me feel like the 30 day shred is a breeze. The instructor warned us that tonight's class was easier than normal because we had the fitness test. I can just imagine what she has in store for us Thursday. I'm bringing my HRM to see how many calories I burn. It better be good. Turns out boot camp was/is exactly what I needed/need to regain focus. I'm feeling back on top of my game. SWEET!

Banana and almond butter makes a good post workout snack. Good for muscle repair and tasty too. 

I find that once I've worked out, I don't have much of an appetite. I wonder why that is?

I learned something about myself today. When it comes to weight loss, I have an all or nothing attitude. It's very black or white. I can't seem to find a comfortable grey area. If I eat poorly, I tend to say "screw it, might as well keep splurging" Also, I never seem to do exercise just for the love of it. It's always associated with trying to drop the extra pounds. Yet, whenever I exercise I love it. So, why wouldn't I want that feeling all the time? 

I'm slowly learning that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. The problem is that If you always aim for “all” or “nothing”, you end up with “nothing” a lot. At least that has been my experience. I'm discovering that there are many shades of grey and that they are worth exploring.  Balance is key to creating a life that’s worth living now.

On that note, I'm off to watch the biggest loser. Can't wait to see the makeovers.

Temporary Insanity

Sorry I've been MIA the last few days. I kinda had a mini breakdown on Friday and just needed some time to re-group. 

I don't ever really talk much about my job on here, but this last week it's been the source of my frustration. When I got hired with the federal government I took a job that I didn't really want so that I could get my foot in the door. This past year I got an opportunity to do something different. It was just a temporary contract, but was supposed to go until the end of March. It got cancelled on Friday. They're currently looking for another opportunity for me, but in the meantime I have to go back to my old job. That just sucks. It also means less money. I shouldn't complain because as a government employee I get paid well, but regardless it's still difficult when you have to take a pay cut. Especially when you're husband is a student. Le sigh....

Unfortunately, the stress of it all was enough to derail my weight loss efforts a bit. Since Thursday, I have not tracked. AT ALL! The good thing though is that I haven't been pigging out. I've made some bad choices, but in my opinion they have been portion controlled. It's all so stupid. When will I learn that compounding a bad situation with destructive behaviour is a bad idea? It just makes me feel crappier.

I'm chalking it all up to temporary insanity. At one point I'd even convinced myself that I didn't care what I looked like and that I was done with weight loss. I'm happy to say that my saner side has prevailed and I'm ready to get back in ass kick mode. I'm signed up for boot camp and my first session is tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. Can't wait.

I have a lot of catching up to do on other blogs. I better get started.