Wednesday, January 29, 2014

My complicated relationship with gravity.

Just when you think everything is easy peasy and you can't lose (or can...as the case may be)...you go up.  Gravity sucks.

Weigh-in Wednesday #53 was on January 22nd, 2014 and I went up - first weigh-in of year 2 on the programme too!

Went up 5 pounds.  Exactly.  Not good.  But, not the end of the world either.

It sucked.  And, I don't know why it happened.  But, I do know this:  I worked out hard, I ate properly, and I gained weight.  It happens.

So what next?  Well, business as usual of course...and by that I mean hitting the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre hard and eating healthily.  No emergency juice cleanse for me, I don't believe in that.  Only thing fancy cleanses do is clear out your wallet.  Perhaps I should amp up the cardio a bit...morning and night workouts, do something that I haven't been doing lately...enter indoor and outdoor cycling...and public speaking.  That'll make me sweat.

I was invited by a certain amazing friend to attend one of his Weight Watchers meetings last Saturday.  Hadn't been to a group session since I lived in Montreal.  I remember my first weigh-in in that creepy old building on Ste-Catherine's, I cleverly wore a thick leather studded belt with my jeans and checked in at 226 pounds.  The following week, I wore leggings...see what I did there?  Haha...9 pounds gone and all I had to do was change my clothes. 

Even though I was up 5 pounds as of last Wednesday, I didn't feel like a failure at the meeting.  I went in feeling confident in the knowledge that I had lost 142 pounds...and no one could take that success away from me.  Sure, I wasn't at 147 pounds lost like the previous week, no...but I was still a loser!  I will not let one single weigh-in define me.  And, I still had tonnes of insight and experience to share with people on a similar journey to my own.  That's one thing I love about Weight Watchers meetings...there is an almost overwhelming sense of community.  There we were all fighting the same fight, and ever story that was shared was relatable.  Very inspiring!

Okay, piping up at a WW meeting last Saturday isn't exactly public speaking...but I have been invited to talk about my health, fitness, and weight loss experience again today.  It seems that there are groups of people all over the place trying to shed a few pounds and adopt a healthy lifestyle...and one of those groups gets to hear my musings at 3PM today - I even got "Special Guest Speaker" status in the email that was sent out.  Now that just got my heart rate up...I didn't even have to step on a treadmill!

Wish me luck.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Lost in translation...

2013 Viva Glam Suzie
Where have I been?  Certainly not blogging...that's for sure.  It's been 12 days since my last post.  

Yikes.

Well, I've been scratching out ideas for blog posts on sticky tabs, plugging notes in the memo section of my smart phone, and jotting stuff down on random opened envelopes around the loft.  I've been talking about things I want to share on OMG with my fellow ninjas-in-training, getting pumped up by the new Times Colonist Health Challenge peeps, and yet nothing got posted on the interweb.

2014 Viva Glam Suzie
What has prevented me from writing?  I have been working out to the point of exhaustion and nausea - but what else is new?  I have been eating healthily - again, same ol', same ol'.  A-ha!  I have not been drinking alcohol!  That could be it...right?  No, wait.  My evenings have been freed up a bit, so I should have had more time to blog.

Who cares?  Why do I always try and find a reason or an excuse?  There is no excuse...I just haven't been at it.  It's as if my thoughts have been lost in translation...or something like that.  There, floating around my brain, but not expressed in type.

Time for some type-casting!  

Thursday, January 16, 2014

I'd like to make a toast...

...to me.  

Realistically, I would like to make some toast for me...but bread is so 2012.

I am raising that proverbial glass in celebration of 1 full year of healthy lifestyling.  It was exactly 52 weigh-ins ago that I started this journey, and what a ride it has been!   

Starting weight:  292.1 - January 16th, 2013
1st weigh-in:  286.8
2nd weigh-in:  280.1
3rd weigh-in:  276.4
4th weigh-in:  274.1


5th weigh-in:  270.6
6th weigh-in:  266.2
7th weigh-in:  262
8th weigh-in:  261.4
9th weigh-in:  257.7
10th weigh-in 251.4
11th weigh-in 247.3
12th weigh-in 243.6
13th weigh-in 241.7
14th weigh-in 235.4
15th weigh-in 235.4
16th weigh-in 227.7
17th weigh-in 223.5
18th weigh-in 223.5


19th weigh-in 221.6 
20th weigh-in 221.6
21st weigh-in 215.6
22nd weigh-in 213.2
23rd weigh-in 207.9
24th weigh-in 206.6
25th weigh-in 200.1
26th weigh-in 199.7
27th weigh-in 197
28th weigh-in 191.3
29th weigh-in 189.9
30th weigh-in 180.7
31st weigh-in 183.4 
32nd weigh-in 186.4 
33rd weigh-in 186.3
34th weigh-in 174.8
35th weigh-in 174.8
36th weigh-in 170.1
37th weigh-in 169
38th weigh-in 170.2
39th weigh-in 174.7
40th weigh-in 166.4 
41st weigh-in 162.8
42nd weigh-in 159.9
43rd weigh-in 166
44th weigh-in 161.7
45th weigh-in 158.5
46th weigh-in 156.5


47th weigh-in 154.1 
48th weigh-in 153.4
49th weigh-in ???
50th weigh-in 151
51st weigh-in 148.7 - January 8th, 2014
52nd wiegh-in 146.8 - January 15th, 2014

In celebration of this accomplishment, what did I do?  Well, I'm not going to lie, if there is a treat to be had - though nowadays it is usually something like 100g of red meat with chimichurri sauce for dinner rather than an an assortment of classic savoury junk food to be had throughout the day- I'm going to indulge on a Weigh-in Wednesday.  So, what did I Weigh-in Wednesday do?  Well, I Weigh-in Wednesday went to the gym.
I power walked from my place to the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre...searched out the other ninjas-in-training who had already worked out, chatted for far too long (long enough to cool down completely), and then caught a really bad case of lazy.  My internal monologue went something like this:
Why do I have to work out on a Wednesday, of all days, that should be my day off...shouldn't it?  What if I took today off and then worked out on Saturday (which actually is my 1 day off a week).  I have already worked out, I have walked...and walking is cardio, I mean I was sweating when I got here.  And I'm hungry now, I've run out of carbs.  I can't work out right now...but I could power walk home and then have some lunch.  Tha'd be an hour of working out...though I wouldn't be doing it at the gym...but it still counts, right?  
And then I remembered a habit I adopted back in Montreal when I was going to Marc Gagnon's (speed skater Olympian guy) gym...I made a promise to myself that come Hell or highwater, I would always go to the gym.  I would go, and I would do 10 minutes of working out...and if that was all I could muster, then I would allow myself to stop and do whatever else it was that I needed to do.  But, you know what?  More often than not, if you do 10 minutes, you can do an hour, and if you can do an hour, then you have just tricked yourself into completing a cardio workout...so that's exactly what I did.  It may have also helped that I met a wonderful woman yesterday who stopped for a wee chat as soon as she recognised me from the TC.  Her name was Verna, and she told me that she and her friends had been following my progress.  She then proceeded to call me a goofball and said that goofballs could talk their way out of anything...including exercise.  Little did she know what was going on in my head...so then I really had to work out.  Can't let Verna, who was shopping around for an appropriate rec centre in which to work out herself, down...could I?

No.

In the morning I posted my Weigh-in Wednesday results on Twitter (@suziespitfyre):


Weigh-in Wednesday #52 -1 year later- I am down to 146.8 from 294, that's 147lbs lost! Feeling , , & .

Then I posted this:

Now, how am I going to celebrate my 1 year anniversary? Well, by going to the gym of course..still have 10lbs to go. No rest for the wicked!

Then I had one of those "A-ha" moments:

Lightbulb: I just realised..I now weigh less than the amount of weight that I have lost. Whoa.
 
Which lead eventually to this:

2 celebrate my being 1/2 the size I used 2 B & my 52nd weigh-in..I ran 6.6K in a row..without stopping. Yup, I know how 2 party.  

And with that, I say...PARTY ON, good time girl!  (By the way, when I raised my glass earlier, it was full of water.)
 

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Changeology 101

At present, I am blogging in the lobby of the Crystal Pool.  The room is not busy as the early morning coffee-drinking-chatty-cathys have dispersed; however, there is a steady flow of people through the automatic doors.  I have been displaced by someone with their head down on the table in "my office" - several people have pointed this out, I have told them I like to mix it up.  Truth be told, I would rather have sat in my cosy corner tucked away in the darkened alcove.

Change is hard.

Having said that, change is also the only constant in life.  So why do we find it so difficult?  Shouldn't we be used to it by now?  Shouldn't we embrace new perspectives?  Meet challenges with open arms and courage?  Yes.  But do we?  No, not necessarily.  This is something a lot of people, including myself, have to work on.  I'm an archaeologist and a reminiscer going on futurist and forward thinker.  Oh, I still want to sit at "my table," but I am content in the knowledge that all things happen for a reason.

Change.  Evolution.  Adaptation.

It's a good thing I'm seated at another table, because the Heart and Stroke Foundation has surprised the front desk staff and started setting up a blood pressure checking station in the now brightly lit cranny.  Interesting.  Maybe I should get my blood pressure checked.  Last year, I was on the higher side of normal, I wonder what I'm at now?  First, I had to fill out a form.  Name, birthday, etc. etc. etc.  Then the quizzy part:
 
Do you smoke? No, yes, how much?

Do you drink? No, yes, how much?

Do you eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veg a day? No, yes, sometimes.  More like 10!
Do you exercise? No, yes, how much? Can I have an extra piece of paper? Or should I just write this response on the back?
After I filled out the form, the woman behind the table said, "I thought it might be you."  Haha...recognition, I was in the TC again on Tuesday.  And, then she told me that I got all the questions right!  Oh goodie, I hadn't realised I was getting graded, but I'm glad I got 100%, might not have had a GPA of 4.0 if it had been a year ago.  My blood pressure certainly wasn't 103 over 65.  After I was done with my readings, I was told that I had the heart rate of a marathon runner.  WHAT?  Positive change.  Apparently, anyone who has a heart rate between 40-60 beats per minute is categorised as "adult athlete" - I'm at 45.  MIJO Sport athlete and ninja-in-training indeed!

Survival of the fittest. 

Though the last year has not been "a walk in the park" (more like many, in fact, wind sprints in the park), I have survived...and have acquired a level of fitness that I never thought possible.

1change

verb \ˈchānj\
 
: to become different
: to make (someone or something) different
: to become something else

2change 

noun \ˈchānj\

:  the act, process, or result of changing: as   

a :  alteration <a change in the weather> 

b :  transformation <a time of vast social change> <going through changes> 

c :  substitution <a change of scenery>

Over the last 51 weeks, I have become something different, I have transformed, and the scenery changed along the way.  Change became a good thing for me, despite the challenges it presented.  

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. - C. S. Lewis

 
 
 

Ready to take the stage...to change...to hatch and avoid being a bad egg?  

Apparently, there are 5 stages of change according to the transtheoretical model developed by James Rochaska and Carlo DiClemente.  At any given point in the process of change, individuals fall into 1 of the 5 stages.  Successful completion of each stage is dependent on implementation of various strategies.  Most of the research associated with this model has to do with addiction, though it is also applicable to substantial lifestyle changes...lucky for us! 
 
Stage 1 - Precontemplation - At this point, individuals are oblivious to the necessity of change.  They are not cognisant that there is a problem.  This could be due to failed attempts at amending certain behaviours or just a lack of awareness altogether.  In order to push past this stage, individuals must come to the realisation that change is needed in order to accomplish a goal.

Big Mama Spitfyre - Stage 1 - Eating deep fried alligator and drinking frozen margaritas in New Orleans, Louisiana, Suzie embraces soul food and laid back southern culture.  

Stage 2 - Contemplation - Now, individuals are aware that change is required and/or desired, but lack conviction.  Unwanted consequences of unhealthy behaviour are weighed against the challenges of lifestyle change.  Contemplation phase is marked by the individuals recognition of the problem and an openness to change.  It is the "list of pros and cons stage."  In order to graduate to the next level, rumination must turn into development.

Sprained Suzie - Stage 2 - Spraining her ankle on a deceptively level looking slab of flagstone while on vacation, Suzie returns to Canada unable to walk.  Various doctors cite body habitus as a reason for the severity of the injury.  Suzie finally realises her unhealthy lifestyle has lead to some dire consequences. 

Stage 3 - Preparation - This is the planning stage of things.  Individuals may research how to be successful in their attempt to change, small steps may be taken to decrease capitulating, and stimuli that trigger unhealthy behaviour will possibly be avoided.  Goals will be established during this phase - SMART goals, hopefully.       

TC Health Challenge participant Suzie Spitfyre - Stage 3 - Suzie amends her diet as a New Years resolution, applies for the Health Challenge and is chosen.  She has her first meeting with the ninja, and together they set some smart goals for the next 3 month period.     

Stage 4 - Action - Plans are followed at this stage of the game.  In order to affect the change desired, individuals apply strategies to ensure the successful cessation of unhealthy practices.  In order to maintain changed behaviour, temptations must be resisted and skills practiced in order to avoid slipping back into past habits.  Self generated and external reinforcement support systems put in place. 

Ninja-in-training Sujira - Stage 4 - Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, going to the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre 6 days a week to work out, training twice a week with a ninja, practicing yoga twice a week with Anahata Moon Yoga, Suzie follows doctors', trainers', and dietitian's orders and has no plans of stopping!  She loses 52 pounds during the health challenge and another 48 in the following 4 months.

Stage 5 - Maintenance - This stage begins 6 months after the termination of unhealthy behaviour when the individual's new routine is stalwart and consistent.  New lifestyle has been fully embraced and energy is now focused on fortifying strategies to prevent relapse.  The individual has essentially re-invented themselves through positive change.

Iron Goddess Spitfyre - Stage 5 - From August to January, Spitfyre uses her steely resolve and iron will power to overcome her demons.  She continues her journey to health by eating a balanced diet and leading a very active lifestyle.  Suzie commences taekwondo classes with MIJO Sport and enrolls in the Eating Disorder's Programme offered through HealthLink BC.  Group classes strengthen her commitment to a wholesome relationship with food, and taekwondo hones her physical health and fitness, while offering mental and spiritual development.  She continues to work on her blog, hoping that it may be the catalyst that readers need to start on their own journeys towards health.  (Yes, I'm talking directly to you guys.)

So, why the spiral diagram?  Well, don't expect change to be a linear and straightforward process.  Though all these steps are neatly laid out to flow one into the other life is rarely so forthright - expect a bit of lateral movement, no movement at all, or even reverse movement.  It is important to remember that even if there is some regression, if something can be learned from the experience then it is not all negative.  Occasionally, it takes a slip-up to protect against future vulnerabilities.  And, what's that cliché?  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!    

Suzie's advice to those wanting to adopt a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise: tips on how to ride the merry-go-round of change without spiraling out of control.
  • Ensure that you are self-motivated because only you can change your world - make sure you are committed to the process.  Change is largely a mental game. Practice mindfulness.
  • Surround yourself with role models, friends, family, and people who are supportive of your new lifestyle - build positive experiences.
  • Set SMART goals - Aspirations should be specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely.
  • Stop behaviour that interferes with a healthy lifestyle, avoid situations that could lead to capitulation, and decrease apparently irrelevant actions.  Use wise mind and coping strategies.
  • Stay positive, remember that one step forward followed by one step back isn't the end of the world, it's the cha-cha!
The road to good health is a long and sometimes arduous journey, but if you have a destination in mind, a good map, are not afraid to ask for directions, fill the car with good peeps, play some cool tunes, pack some wholesome snacks, stay hydrated, and positive...you will arrive safe and sound right where you expected.  If you veer off track, there's always GPS...and I assure you, it will not tell you:  "Stop, you've gone in the wrong direction.  All is lost, give up now."  No, it'll tell you to make a U-turn at the next available opportunity.  And, don't be afraid to change direction, you never know where you'll end up...and most of the time it's a much better place than where you started.  Trust me.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. - Charles Darwin

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Screw New Year's resolutions...set smart goals instead!

The only New Year's resolution I have ever kept to was the one I made last year:  Get healthy, get active - lose weight in process. 

    
According to a 2007 study from the University of Bristol, I succeeded where 88% of people fail.  Of course, I was involved in the Times Colonist Health Challenge and I had the support of my ninja and personal trainer, Jonathan Carpenter, the staff at the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre, my dietitian from Pure Nutrition, Heather Dueck, mental coach Christie Gialloreto from PISE, the other contestants, friends, family, readers of the TC, etc. etc. etc.  But, at the end of the day, even with all those people rallying behind me if I didn't commit myself fully to this healthy new lifestyle by eating a nutritious well-balanced diet and hitting the gym like an athlete, I wouldn't have had nearly the success that I have had.  So, I guess Nike was right all along...JUST DO IT.

And, I just did it for the last 11 1/2 months...and I continue to do it as I have done it for the last near year.  Perhaps it is time for some resolutions...though I never stick with those...so let's just call them New Year's goals.

goal noun \ˈgōl, ˈgül\ : something that you are trying to do or achieve

Now that I've defined goal properly, let's see what the University of Bristol's study says on the subject, shall we?  Well, apparently men were 22% more likely to achieve success with New Year's resolutions if they followed a system of "goal setting" and women were 10% more likely to triumph if they "made their goals public and got support from their friends."  Last year, I did both...and I'm going to do it again.

So, what's a good system of goal setting?  I'm glad you asked!  I have learned to set smart goals in life...and by that, I mean:
Specific - What, where, how? A specific goal is distinct & defines as much of the objective as possible.

Measurable - From what and to what? A measurable goal is one where progress can be tracked, and a final outcome agreed upon.

Actionable - Outline specific steps to achieve goal. Goals should be realisable though activity.

Realistic - Is goal feasible? Identify resources needed in order to attain goal, and keep reviewing and revising the plan to achieve goal.

Timely - When? What is the time frame associated with the goal, the start and the finish? Deadlines = commitment with accountability.
Get it?  Haha...it is kinda management speaky...so here's what I did last year.  My New Year's resolution was just a tad too vague, so I had to break it down.  Get healthy, get active - lose weight in process became pray to goddess that the Times Colonist picks me to be part of their health challenge.  After that happened (Thanks Universe!), I had a tête-à-tête with the ninja.  I told him that I just wanted to get fit and healthy, grow some muscles, climb stairs without nearly dying...in fact, let's just up the ante here, I want to climb Mount Fuji, and fit into sexy bondage pants...perhaps not simultaneously.  After my blah blah blahing he asked me at what weight I saw myself eventually, my answer was 150lbs.  Not skinny, I still wanted to be a curvy bombshell.  Then Jonathan broke it down even further, what were my goals for the Health Challenge?  Well, I knew that healthy weight loss was about 2 pounds a week, and so that would be 24 pounds in 12 weeks.  There ninja, take that...smart goal made...then Mr. Carpenter doubled it.  50 pounds in 3 months.  Ack!  Here are the logistics:     
Specific - Lose 50 pounds in 3 months.  Go from 292 (or 294 according to the ninja) to 242 pounds.  Follow a healthy eating plan, set out by dietition Healther Dueck and combine with exercise plan set out by JCarps It's black n' white thinking, but if you have a plan...follow it.  
(Here we go with the JUST DO IT reference again, but have you ever wondered why Nike is an extremely appropriate brand name to go with such a powerful trademarked slogan?  I haven't, because of my degree in Classical Archaeology - I knew that would come in handy at some point - Nike is Greek (Νίκη) for victory, pronounced [nǐːkɛː].  Mythological Nike was a goddess, often winged, who personified victory.  Wicked.) 
Measurable - Obviously, the number on the scale, my body measurements, fold tests, BMI, and clothing sizes would serve as benchmarks along my journey.  At PISE, Holly and Paula took my basal metabolic rate, and recorded a bunch of other fancy things taken while I had a tube strapped to my face.  Jonathan also mentioned something about me losing 30 pounds in my first month on programme...um...okay.  So my big goal had also been broken down into smaller goals for me.  Excellent. 

Actionable - For food:  Journal everything that goes into my mouth, and when it goes in there.  Commit to eating 6 times a day.  Eat fruits and veggies, lean proteins, whole grains - cut out processed crap.  (On a side note, deal with food issues - look into Eating Disorders Programme for binge eating).  For exercise:  Personal training with the ninja twice a week.  Do what he says.  Go to the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre 6 days a week, double up on cardio at least 3 times/week - yoga doesn't count as cardio...but it certainly helps me sort out all my mind chatter twice a week!
Realistic - I have a ninja, a foodie, a gym, a mental coach, 5 Health Challenge cronies, support from friends & family, and a plan...the only thing that can stop me from doing this is me, and I'm on board.  Is it going to be easy?  No.  Am I going to do it?  Yes.  For the next 3 months, I am going to dedicate myself to this wholly.  I am on a medical leave in order to deal with my health issues, so I am going to make the most of the next 3 months.  Nothing is going to stop me.  Also, there is some big time accountability because I will be documenting every step I take towards success in a blog entitled O.M.G...WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE A PRETTY FACE? and pretty much everyone who reads the Times Colonist will know what I'm doing.  Failure is not an option, at least not for me...not now.
Timely - Obviously, the TC Health Challenge is 3 months, so it's lose 50 pounds in 12 weeks.  Start of healthy eating: January 16th, 2013.  Start of working out:  January 21st, 2013.  Final weigh-in day at PISE:  Mid April, finale, and final photos the following Sunday.  And then what happens?  Make more SMART goals, of course!

There you have it.  I decided to REALLY do something about my weight after spraining my ankle in November 2012, I made that New Year's resolution on January 1st, 2013, I got chosen to participate in the TC Health Challenge shortly after that, and I wrote all of my goals down in front of someone...or at least the ninja did in front of me, then I blogged about them in front of you.  

What I learned from this experience is that first I needed to be in the right mindset to establish my goals, as well as to actually do what I needed to do to achieve them.  I had to be ready.  Mind-in-check, goals assigned, plan in place, supportive peeps around, sounds good so far, right?

I also needed someone aware of those goals to hold me accountable, to push me harder, and to not let me off the hook if I screwed something up...enter the ninja, my friends & family, the readership of the Times Colonist and followers of my blog O.M.G...what if I don't have a pretty face? 

Jonathan not only trained me twice a week one-on-one, but he also lead a Health Challenge group on Sundays that I attended.  He was pretty much at the gym every single time I entered it too...so, there was no slacking off for 3 months.  And, if he were around, I would do my best...hopefully he would notice and would get a nice pat on the head.  Good girl.  Though originally I thought his methods of encouragement were a bit on the cruel side (Praise?  What praise?  Positive reinforcement anyone?), I now realise that he was getting me to work arduously for verbal approval...so why congratulate me for working towards my goals?  Why not let me strive further to achieve them?  Clever ninja, I'm still toiling away under your tutelage looking forward to that elusive pat on the head.

So, University of Bristol Study, what else was I supposed to do?  Oh, yes...declare my goals publicly and get support from my friends.  Well, I'd say I successfully proclaimed my intentions via the Times Colonist and O.M.G...what if I don't have a pretty face?  And support from my friends?  My friends have always been supportive.  Why would they not support my goals of health and fitness?  Done and done.

And that my friends, is how it's done...well, the first 3 months of it anyway, but you get the picture.  I'm still chugging away at it, I have 1 pound left until I hit 150 pounds - my original final destination.  However, that goal has recently been revised.  All that's left to do now is write it down smart goal style, tell the ninja, let you guys in on it, and get my friends to back me up.  I think that's doable, don't you?

Now go forth and make your own goals for the New Year.  

Happy 2014!


Happy New Year from the Spitfyres (Papa, Mama, Pinta, Suzie, & Stéffi)

Thursday, January 02, 2014

Happy New Year! Weigh-in Wednesday #50

It's New Year's Eve...and I am bouncing on an exercise ball masquerading as a chair in front of my computer, sipping a cappuccino (best Christmas present ever...get your husband an espresso maker...he'll make you coffee every morning!), I am fresh out of the shower, dressed in a towel, and thinking about New Year's resolutions.

I certainly didn't expect 2013 to go the way it did...last year at this time, I was preparing the loft for a NYE party that was James Bond themed.  The next day, after looking at the Polaroid snapshots of the event, I told myself..."you've got to do something about your weight."  My first step was to committing myself to that idea...and believe me, it's not something that comes easily.  I mean, when I was big, I knew that I was big.  I wasn't an idiot, I wasn't in denial about it, but it was just too far out there to think that I could actually do something to change my life.  And, I know I'm not the only fat girl who thought/thinks that way.  Spraining my ankle lead to several doctors telling me that I was morbidly obese.  Thanks, really?  I kinda knew that already.  It was the truth, and the truth hurts.  In my case, it cuts to the bone...more specifically, my ankle.  Doctors in New Orleans told me to lose weight, doctors in Canada mentioned my weight in clinical notes, so I recommitted (for the umpteenth time) to eating healthily and getting more active in 2013. 

res·o·lu·tion
 
noun \ˌre-zə-ˈlü-shən\
: the act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc. : the act of resolving something

Suzie's 2013 New Year's Resolution - Get healthy, get active - lose weight in process.

I'd say it worked.  

Today is January 1st, 2014 and the first time I've weighed-in in two weeks.  I had a bit of a Christmas crisis and flat-out refused to weigh-in Xmas morning.  I know, I know...I should have, but there were celebrations that week, and I may have had a little extra to eat and drink.  So I opted out.  Gutless, though I think it made me even more determined to see a difference on the scale today.  This past week I buckled down.  The ninja took the week off, but left me with a handy dandy customised sheet filled with various exercises to do in combination, and I worked out every day (with the exception of Christmas and Boxing day) like a mad woman.  Yesterday, I even ran at 7.7 miles per hour on a treadmill for a bit...that's 12.4 kilometres per hour, thank you very much!  Funny how that turns my crank these days.

I wrote a blog post on Sunday, January 20, 2013 entitled Nothing happens until something moves.  I wrote that post after my first meeting with the ninja, and today on this first day of 2014 I look back at some of the goals I set for myself then:


And so I must move, because I want something to happen.


So...why do I want to move?  Well...Here's the reason I gave the paper: 


I want to rekindle my love affair with being active.  I used to swim, ski, mountain bike, ride horses, snowboard, kayak, hike, and dance up a storm...and I want to get back to all of that.  Heck, I'll be happy to climb up a flight of stairs without winding myself.  Ha!

That sounds really good, right?


Well, what if I said I also long to wear skinny, leather pants at some point...and pencil skirts, with Cuban-heeled stockings and high, high, high heels, and those pirate boots that go over your knee...haha...and dresses!?  Would you think me superficial?  Well, maybe I am a bit...and I don't care.  I miss fashion.  For the last 15 years, I have not been able to fully express myself through my clothes and I work for a fashion brand!  At least my make-up is trendy.


And so of course, at our meeting today...I told ALL of this to Jonathan Carpenter, my trainer..."oh, and also..muscles are sexy, sign me up for some of those."  *Cringe*  Luckily, he's super professional and has a plan.  Starting tomorrow I'll be doing cardio 6 days a week at the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre...and doubling up with added strength training on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I have Saturdays off...thank gods.  It worries me that Jonathan repeatedly said that this week would be the easiest.  I'm going to die.


Jonathan, you have your work cut out for you.




This morning I rang in the new year with a loss of 2.4 pounds.  That brings me to a total loss of 141.1 pounds.  I am very happy to report that this past year, I have gone swimming, ridden my mountain bike around town and on the Goose, kayaked off of Willows Beach with my folks, hiked up Mount Doug several times and Mount Finlayson once, I danced up a storm on several occasions, and I almost exclusively use the stairs, and I don't end up winding myself.  Haven't ridden yet because I haven't had access to a horse, and skiing and boarding will have to wait until after knee surgery...damn you lateral movement!  As for the skinny leather pants?  Well, I don't have leather pants, but I did buy a pair or polyurethane jeans the other day that are quite fitted...so they count, right?  And...I've worn dresses, Cuban-heeled stockings, and high, high, high heels.  Life is good.  I even have some of those sexy muscles that I signed up for...and even though it's been 50 weeks of hard work, I didn't die.  



I still think Jonathan has his work cut out for him, because I'm setting new goals for this year.

Just in case you missed it...this is what 2013 looked like for me:

Starting weight:  292.1 - January 16th, 2013
1st weigh-in:  286.8
2nd weigh-in:  280.1
3rd weigh-in:  276.4
4th weigh-in:  274.1


5th weigh-in:  270.6
6th weigh-in:  266.2
7th weigh-in:  262
8th weigh-in:  261.4
9th weigh-in:  257.7
10th weigh-in 251.4
11th weigh-in 247.3
12th weigh-in 243.6
13th weigh-in 241.7
14th weigh-in 235.4
15th weigh-in 235.4
16th weigh-in 227.7
17th weigh-in 223.5
18th weigh-in 223.5


19th weigh-in 221.6
20th weigh-in 221.6
21st weigh-in 215.6
22nd weigh-in 213.2
23rd weigh-in 207.9
24th weigh-in 206.6
25th weigh-in 200.1
26th weigh-in 199.7
27th weigh-in 197
28th weigh-in 191.3
29th weigh-in 189.9
30th weigh-in 180.7
31st weigh-in 183.4
32nd weigh-in 186.4
33rd weigh-in 186.3
34th weigh-in 174.8
35th weigh-in 174.8
36th weigh-in 170.1
37th weigh-in 169
38th weigh-in 170.2
39th weigh-in 174.7
40th weigh-in 166.4 
41st weigh-in 162.8

42nd weigh-in 159.9
43rd weigh-in 166
44th weigh-in 161.7
45th weigh-in 158.5
46th weigh-in 156.5


47th weigh-in 154.1 
48th weigh-in 153.4
49th weigh-in ??? Christmas Day (Didn't step on the scale.)
50th weigh-in 151 January 1st, 2014

And...this is what I look like today.  Haha...perhaps falling asleep in my make-up last night was not a good idea.  Oh yeah, I still know how to party.  Ugh!  My head.

January 1st, 2014