Wedding Weekend Away

This past weekend, Trevor and I went up to Saskatoon to a friend's wedding. It was really nice because we left the kids here with Leanne and got to have the drive alone and kind of a little getaway (even though we stayed at his parents' place!) :o) We had a lot of fun at the wedding (well, more so at the reception/dance!) and were really glad we could make it. I was looking through my pictures today and realized that I look thin - well specifically from behind!! I never see myself from the back, and so the pictures really surprised me! It was a nice reminder that I need to keep at this, even though its been tough lately. It was also fun to see some friends that we hadn't seen for a very long time and have them tell me I looked good and say things like "theres 1/2 of me missing" and stuff. I know its vain and stuff, but its hard work to be thin and so I like hearing stuff like that! If you know someone who has lost weight (OTHER THAN ME, I MEAN) its pretty safe to assume that they'd like to hear it if you think they look good. Sometimes people don't know whether or not to say anything, but I say its probably pretty safe to do it!

Now, I'm on to yet another new week - its gonna be a tough one - Leanne is leaving this week to move back to finish her last year of school. Boo boo boo. I really will have to work hard not to use food to comfort myself... Yesterday I ate 4 of my big double chocolate homemade cookies in the afternoon cuz our cat is sick and I was stressed out. Boo boo boo. And you know what? The food did make me feel a little better - at the time. But not today - now I just feel fat and out of control! ARGH. But, so far today, I'm eating better so that is all I can do for now - one step at a time.

Kay, thats enough journalling for me - I've gotta go get ready so we can go grocery shopping! Have a good Monday, friends!

WEEKLY Exercise Points Earned:3,4,3,3,0,1,2

WEEKLY Flex Points Used:2,5,10,1,?,?,?

WEEKLY Water Points Earned:0,0,1.1,1,0,0

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Progress Report

I just thought I'd show you all what my calendar looked like from last month! The stars were for if I wrote down my points that whole day and if I was staying within my limit (but still allowed to use my weekly flex points). Here it is:

Also, a few more recent pics of me - one on a day when I'm totally casual, and one just on my way to work at BPs...

I have a lot to write about what I've been thinking about lately, but I never seem to have the time!!! grr.... But I will one day.

For now, I'm at it again - in a contest with my sister for July - a point per day of writing down points, a point per day of exercise, and a point per week of staying within my flex points. We also added something new, with a point per day that we drink 32 oz of water. Fun times! But I can sure feel the difference these competitions have made in my habits and my size. Its good.

But I have to run - I'm off to my parents' place for a weenie roast/bonfire - first of the year!

I Finally Reached My WW Goal Weight!

Yep, so I've officially done it. After a 1.6 pound loss over the past 2 weeks, I've reached my offical goal weight. I got my little star charm to put on my WW key chain and everyone clapped for me yesterday. It was nice. It's slightly anti-climactic the second time around, because I don't have to do the 6 weeks maintenance now in order to become a life time member. I just am already there. And she didn't make nearly as big a deal about it the second time around (the leader that is)... but that's okay. My mom, sister, and kids were all there at the meeting too and Mom and Leanne did a great job of making me feel awesome. :o) Leanne also reached the 10 pound mark this week and got to put her hand up for the little stars, so that was fun too!

I now have 23 stickers on my calendar in a row. That is totally unprecidented. I've never been good for this long. The weight isn't coming off as quickly as I'd like for how hard I've been trying - but then they always say that it gets harder the closer you get to your goal. I'm thinking I might cut my flex points back even more this week to 25. We'll see.

Its the middle of the night right now. We're letting Elan "cry it out" (ONCE AGAIN) and so Trevor and I are both wide awake cuz we just finished listening to her cry off and on for about 35 minutes. She's done now and solidly back asleep, but now I'm stuck awake! :o) Oh well. Its worth it because hopefully, in a few days, she'll be sleeping through the night (again).

Anyway, my next mini goal is to get to my 50 pound loss - that is only 0.8 pounds away, so hopefully it won't take too long!! :o)

And my totals for this week are:
WEEKLY Activity Points Earned: 2,2,0,0,0,1,1
WEEKLY Flex Points Used: 7,2,1,11,5,1,1

p.s. Elan is crying again now... its been 55 minutes since she first woke up. ARGH. I think its gonna be a fun night...

Okay, The Celebration Is Over

I have enjoyed very much eating a lot of junk over the past 4 days - partly because my tummy is finally feeling better and food looks good again and Ive been really hungry since feeling better too. And partly because I've been celebrating a little for achieving my goal (Note: this is never a good idea to do as soon as you've reached a weight loss goal because the next week you'll be heavier and you'll have to "re-reach" that goal again in a couple of weeks!!! Boo.

But, my celebration is done. You may have noticed that instead of posting my points in a post every day, I've been (pathetically so far) trying to post them in a little box at the top of the blog here. That way I won't totally be annoying those of you who have Google Reader or some such thing that notifies you everytime I post anything!

So, I am now done with the cookies, brownies, icecream, rum & coke, and mayonaise. At least for a while again. Back to work - I want to still be free next time I go to the WW meeting.

I DID IT!!! (and the flu probably helped...)

:o)
After 14 months, I have finally reached the first goal I set for myself - that was reaching 152 pounds. That meant a loss of 46.2 pounds and that I can now go to WW for free each week because I'm within 2 pounds of my offical WW target weight (which is 150 lbs). This week, I worked hard at it, plus I also had the flu for a while, and so I surpassed that goal (partly due to being dehydrated I'm sure!) My challenge will be to maintain that loss this week as I start to feel better and eat real foods again... we'll see how much of that loss was actually fat!

So, my next goals are:
1. to weigh less than Trevor, who has been 150 pounds since I met him almost 13 years ago. The lowest I've seen him was 145 when he was really sick one time, and the highest I've seen him is 155 - at which point he quickly proceeded to do situps and pushups every night for a week, and lost those extra pounds to get back to his normal weight. So, yeah, he's consistent. And I've always wanted to weigh less than him because doesn't every girl want to be smaller than her man? I've only weighed less than him once before (in the summer of 2007 just when I got pregnant with Elan) and it lasted for all of a couple of months. SO, that is my next goal - to get below whatever he weighs.

2. To get to 150 officially - since that is my official WW goal weight. When I do that, they'll have a little celebration for me at the meeting and I'll get the little charm for my keychain that you get when you reach your goal weight at WW.

3. To reach 148.2 - which will mean a loss of 50 pounds, which is more than I've ever lost before (I lost only 47 pounds the first time around on WW). When you reach 50 pounds, you get a little prize in the meeting at WW as well.

4. My ultimate goal is 138.2 - a loss of 60 pounds and my final destination weight. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to get there, but I'll plug away at it and get there one day.

So, there you have it - my goals for the next while. Thanks for sticking with me over the past 14 months as I've worked toward this first one - I appreciate the accountability you all give me with this here blog. It really really helps to know that someone/anyone is watching what I'm doing. So, thank you! And YAY!

Thursday, May 21st (HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEANNE!)

Its my sister's bday today so I have to say Happy Birthday to her! :o) She's awesome. I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you this or not, but she recently joined WW and I'm proud of her for doing so. She was only about 10 pounds above where she usually is, but decided that she wanted to lose it now, rather than wait till she'd gained even more! I told her (as i'm sure you've heard me say before) that it is better to join WW and lose a little to become a lifetime member than to wait till you have a lot to lose! Its SO much cheaper when you're a lifetime member to lose weight than if you're not - so now she'll be a lifetime member forever! I know she's not planning to ever gain weight again, but these things happen (i.e. a pregnancy)/illness, and you never know what will happen!) but now she'll have the financial advantage of being a Lifetime member if any of that happens and she wants to lose the weight!
Side note? Leanne only actually had to lose 5 pounds in order to reach an acceptable WW goal weight, and she did it in the first week!! :o) Yay Leanne. So, now she's on her 6 weeks of maintenance and after that she'll be a lifetime member and go for free as long as she doesn't go more than 2 pounds above her goal weight.

ANYWAY, enough about all that...

Today:
cereal -3
latte -1
brownie -1
safeway chips -1
lunch -5
fruit & crackers snack: -2
more snack -1
snitches of icing -1
spaghetti and bread and chicken -9
cake, icing, and ice cream -??? I'm guessing 12???
punch -1
Total = -14

A Little Bragging

Well. Today my dad, grandma, and sister came to visit and we had some birthday cake after lunch. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD AND ELAN!!) Anyway, the cake was a lot more points than I am allowed at the noon meal ever. Well, I thought to myself "Today is thrown out the window! Oh Well!!" But after they left, I FELT LIKE JOGGING, so I got on the treadmill and did my daily jog.
Then, we went to BK for supper, and I have to tell you - I wasn't hungry, so I DIDN'T ORDER ANYTHING. Yeah. I just had a coffee while my family ate burgers and fries. Yeah.
Then, when we got home later, I was getting hungry so I had a WW version of PB&J for 3 points and that was that. I have to say I think I might have made up for my lunch!!
I'm just astonished at myself.

Wow, that was a boastful post. Sorry. But I had to share.
:o)

40 Pounds Down

Yay, I did it - I'm now down 40.2 lbs. And now I still have 6 pounds to lose till my next goal. My original plan was to try to do that by March 17th. However, I've been realizing lately that setting a numerical goal like that is setting me up for failure - because I've been doing everything I can but haven't been maintaining the loss I'd hoped for. Well, that makes me feel bad, when really I shouldn't because I've been doing everything I can!!! So, I'm going to continue with my jogging and start again tomorrow with the tracking of my points (I've had a few slack days here) and drink my water and that's the best I can do! And it is working. And that's all I can ask for!

(but if I lost 6 pounds in the next 5 weeks, I would be very happy with myself too)

:o)

Tuesday Weigh In

Yes, I weighed in yesterday, and I lost 0.6 this week! And I'm impressed with that - because this week is my heaviest week of the month, if you know what I mean. Also, I started exercising this week and a lot of people don't show a loss the week that they start exercising, so I was satisfied with my 0.6.
Today I haven't been on the treadmill yet - William is sick - possibly with croup, the doctor thought - and so I've been busy with him and stuff - but I'm hoping to get on again soon cuz I'm actually starting to enjoy it (ahem) (i can't believe i just said that).
So, I now have 8.8 pounds to lose in 8 weeks - but I'm not worried, cuz I know I can do it.

See My Stickers??!!

Look at this!!!! I started this business on the 5th - and since then, 11 days out of 14 were where I wrote down my points and stayed within them (without flexpoints even) and the little stickers are for exercise, so 5 out of the last 7 days, I have also exercised!! Yay. I love stickers. They motivate me. (for now, at least!) So, I'll keep using them until they don't anymore, I guess.

On another note, my friend Shayne did this on her blog this morning, and so I thought I'd copy her:
Copy this list and highlight the things you've done in your life...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (do perrenial green onions count - ones I didn't plant myself, but did eat?)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (does the one in banff count)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (I think the hutterites might be considered here)
36. Taught yourself a new language (well, i went to lessons, not so much taught myself...)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (i was in an ambulance - but techinically it was William being transported) (it was a 3 block ride...)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (with my husband as the instructor, but it was still a real class)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Squar
e74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life (whether or not I actually SAVED her life is questionable, but I did find my sister passed out in a bubble bath, which could have been really really bad if I hadn't shown up when I did)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I just have to say that they had like every country on there but Japan! or Thailand for that matter... oh well.
And now that I've wasted enough time for one day - I'm off to go clean up this house while Elan is still napping!