I'm feeling a little horse...

Chomping at the bit and ready to go!

In addition the #allgooddays challenge, I set a bunch of goals on my food journaling app, and decided to start a 30 cardio challenge, a 30 day abs challenge, a 30 day arm challenge, a 30 day butt challenge, a 30 day pushup challenge, and a 30 day squat challenge (all of which were miraculously already on my smart phone from resolutions ago).  Yes, that may have been overkill...but I am nothing if not enthusiastic.  Planning is the fun part...and lists are great too, along with these apps, and lest we forget count down clocks!  Ooohhhh...the excitement of it all!  I may have over done the screen time.  I seemed to be viewing the world through blue coloured glasses.

Time to disconnect from all devices.

First night, Full moon:  Unplugged, I did what any normal person would do on this night and began to shuffle a fairly large deck of cards.  Why?  Because I didn't have an extra daruma on hand to wish upon and colour in an eye.  And, because you have to forecast your spirit animal guides for each month of the new year, you know?  Haha...maybe you don't.  For me, it's a way to focus.  It gives me an idea of what to work on over the next year as I return to my healthy happy active place.  And also, PONIES! 

All oracle cards are from THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT deck.

Horse was the overall theme of 2018 and what an inspiring card it was!  Horse represents momentum, freedom, expansive energy and force - I like the way this is going!  A horse to ride through the rest of the year towards my goal.  Also, I grew up riding horses...so hopefully, it's like muscle memory. 

"Building physical stamina (exercise) and mental focus (meditation) are the secret weapons behind the horse's legacy." - All quotations from Kim Krans' THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT GUIDEBOOK

Oh, so everyone and their horse is telling me to get back to exercising.  I guess I had better pay attention.  But it's true, when's the last time that you saw a fat horse?  They are few and far between.  Before I even started this #ALLGOODDAYS challenge, I signed up for a SHE RECOVERS: Sacred Pause Saturday workshop facilitated by my yogini guru, Taryn Strong.  I used to go to Taryn's yoga for recovery every Tuesday night.  It was my hour to disconnect and just be in my body.  I remember loving it...and being surprised at what my body would do.  I also remember joining up about a month into a pretty insane training regimen and about 15 pounds lost.  So this time it's going to be different.  It may just be my reintroduction to moving my body, but more importantly I am ready for the spiritual side of yoga.  The side that has been sorely lacking in my life as of late.  Since stopping regular exercise, I feel like I have gotten waaay more bitter and judgemental, and I don't want to be that way.  I want to be more present and mindful...and you know...nice.  When I don't practice self-love and self-care, I seem to stop projecting love and care towards others.  Oh gods, all the clichés are true!  Whatever, this is me trotting towards  better place for my mind, body, and spirit.

As for January, I pulled the bear.  The beginning of the year, a perfect time for waking from spiritual hibernation, and for starting anew.

"At first the movement and effort is difficult, but the bear knows it's time to awaken and move toward the dawning light.  The bear card represents an individual on the cusp of new directions and personal transformation."   

I have already said that these cards are a way for me to focus, I see bear as a metaphor for my seeing the light.  My recovery from unhealthy habits, mindsets, and self sabotage.  Time to walk a different path, time to find my purpose again.  I am a stereotype...here we go again.

Namaste on track this time.

SIDE NOTE:  When I turned out all the lights and tucked myself into bed, there was this noticeable red glow around me.  Oh my gods, I was seeing my aura!  No, wait!  I opened my eyes, looked up, and I had forgotten to turn off one single light...my red resin Buddha head.  Buddha the enlightened one was shining down upon me.  Coincidence?  I think not.

All hail the new TIMES COLONIST HEALTH CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS 2015 (of which Stéphane is not one.)

The Times Colonist Health Challenge changed my life and subsequently changed the life of my husband.  In 2013, he hopped on board the health and fitness bandwagon with me and thereafter got a gym membership at the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre to support me.  He ate the meals I prepared, honoured my extensive new rules...such as, "No junk food in the house!"  Stéffi put up with my griping about delayed onset muscle soreness and being hungry all the time.  And, without too much effort except for the grueling workouts he set for himself at least 3 times a week and our almost nightly walks through Victoria, he lost weight.  He started 2013 at 217 pounds and by April he was down to a svelte 187 or so...he continued to lose, as I did, and managed to lose 40 pounds in the time it took me to lose 100.  He was the perfect partner in crime, not only did he back me mentally, but he also took on the responsibility of assisting me financially.  Throughout my weight loss he congratulated my success, but reminded me that it never really mattered how much I weighed because he had always loved me and would continue to love me no matter what the future had in store.  That's just the kind of guy he is.  Insert "AWWWWW" here.

In theory, the 2013 Health Challenge afforded me 2 fitness assessments complete with skin fold tests (before and after the 3 months), a basal metabolic reading, a personal trainer twice a week for 12 weeks (though I saw Jonathan much more than that), 2 nutritional consults with a dietitian, a group session and a one-on-one with a psychologist/mental coach, and a free pair of sneakers - a prize valued at over $2000.  Of course, there was also the accountability that comes with being featured from time to time in the paper - priceless!  That, my friends, was a pretty good deal considering I was off work on unpaid medical leave (I'll share that story with y'all later, it's a doozy).

After the Health Challenge was over for me...I kept going, kept up with my training sessions with the MIJO Sport ninja twice a week, did at least an hour of morning cardio 6 days a week, and supplemented with once or twice weekly yoga and taekwondo classes.  I dedicated pretty much a year and a half of my life to getting fit and healthy.  And so did the man of the house, Stéphane.  But, it wasn't only about getting into shape for me (and the weight loss that came from all that exercise and healthy eating), but it was about getting well-conditioned, mentally and physically.  Over the course of a year, I regularly saw my family doctor, had a session with a psychiatrist, attended the Eating Disorders Programme weekly, went to my usual physio appointments, and pretty much took the best care of myself ever...full stop.  Fabulous for me, not so fabulous for my partner-in-crime.  Stéphane went a year and a half paying for absolutely everything.  He took no vacations nor could he spend his money frivolously as he was now the only bread winner in the family (mmmmm bread).  How do you pay a man back for that?  Well, I can tell you how I tried.    

I have always been proud and will always be proud of Stéphane.  He is fun, hilarious, enthusiastic, handsome, goofy, clever, artsy, and a bunch of other adjectives as well.  I have always seen him as "L'homme de ma vie" - he and I are true kindred spirits...so how do I reciprocate?  Well, hopefully my clever writing could do something, especially now when I am again on an unpaid medical leave (because of ACL replacement surgery).  I decided I would fill in an application, on his behalf, to be a participant in the TC Health Challenge.  This is what I wrote:

My name is Stéphane Gagnon.  I am a mild-mannered project technician for a local company by day:  I get up way too early in the dark, drive to work with a brown-bagged lunch, and begin my coffee drinking.  I come home (again in the dark) after 8 hours of sitting in front of a computer and have every intention of going to the gym.  Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I just drive my wife to and from.  And if that's the case, I know I can get away with eating 2 packs of ramen for dinner before I have to pick her up.  I like noodles...a lot.  Almost as much as I like poutine.  This is what my weekdays look like, for the most part. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad life.  But, I feel like I need more...where's my energy, vitality, and joie de vivre?  

Enter the weekends.

Come Friday?  Well, I shuffle off this weekday mortal coil and become Deejay Cheeky Tiki - a garage punk spinner with an encyclopaedic knowledge of music that you don't even know you like yet.  Or I pick up my pen and paper and step into the role of Stéffi G - a drawer of pictures and writer of words for my own form of "bande dessinée" - I like to think of it as graphic poetry.  I read voraciously, I get up early on Saturdays and Sundays to sit on the couch with the cat and pour over the countless novels I have stashed in my E-reader.  And then, batteries charged and healthy breakfast eaten, I hit the gym.  I attack the treadmill, the elliptical, I do sit-ups, and push-ups.  I give it my all.  I return from the gym high on endorphins and ready to conquer the world!  I need more of that in my life.

I am the everyman.  I am 47 years old, 5'7", and about 207 pounds, which means I have about 50 pounds to lose, but don't most people?  When I look at myself in the mirror, I see a keg and not a 6-pack and as much as I like beer, I know that has to change for my life to be healthy and happy.  I have it in me to transform from fat to fit, I am determined.  After all, I lost 100 pounds years ago going from obese to manorexic in a matter of months.  But this time, I want to do it right.  I want to eat clean and train dirty, as my wife calls it.  I need the accountability, the resources, the community, and the guidance that the TC Health Challenge provides - I know the effects this challenge has on its participants first-hand, and I want in!  I had a supporting role a couple years ago in HC 2013, but 2015 is my time to audition for something bigger than back stage!  

Guess I should use my stage name for this one.

"Good afternoon.  My name is Stéffi Spitfyre and I will be auditioning for the role of 'Health Challenge participant 2015.'" 

In my experience, the Health Challenge is what you make it.  Stéffi wasn't chosen, and he didn't expect to be, he told me later.  Simply put, he didn't think he had enough to lose.  Don't most middle-aged men have a few pounds to drop?  I guess that doesn't make for as interesting a story, or does it?  We'll see.  In the weeks that follow, I'll post updates on Stéffi's progress...because, frankly, a lot of us out there are challenged with losing around 40ish pounds, and it isn't easier because the number is smaller.  Sometimes it's harder, it's easier to take more liberties when you are faced with a smaller amount.  I buckled down and lost 150 odd pounds in just under a year and a half, but trying to lose the last 10 pounds was the hardest, and it's easy to get complacent.  My husband has regained the 40 pounds that he lost in 2013, and I am currently 20 pounds up from my lowest weight in June of 2014 - in the next 3 months, we will embrace the spirit of the challenge and commit to being losers again.

Let the countdown begin!

Good morning, Weed Wacker!

I'm up, I'm up!  

Well, it appears to be that day in summer where the city sends people in orange suits to my front yard (or the grassy knoll directly in front of my building) to cull the overgrown grass, blackberry bushes, and other extremely dry vegetation.  Great in the prevention of wildfires, also great in the waking of Spitfyres.  

I know, they're allowed to start city works at 7:30 AM...but c'mon...can't I have another 5 minutes of sleep?!  

Oh, wait...my lovely husband has just produced a skinny latte and placed it down on my bedside table.  I suppose I can face the morning.  I'm just happy I didn't get out of bed and walk around the place nekkid as a jaybird only to find weed wacking workers looking up through my living room window in disbelief. 

It's been quite some time since I have put fingers to keyboard and tapped out a blog post...why is this?  Am I lacking in inspiration?!  Quite the opposite, I have many an unfinished manuscript...or at least there are posts suspended in cyberspace describing situations here and there that have hindered, helped, hijacked, and heartened my journey towards health and fitness...so what gives?!  Truth be told, I don't know.  Perhaps I have just fallen out of the habit of writing.  I certainly haven't lost my sense of humour about what goes on in my life...and I am always up for a good laugh, even if it is at my own expense.  Ha!  So, I will attempt to pick up where I left off.  And...that was all the way back in May...wow.

May was my birthday month...and the one good thing about getting older, is that I seem to be getting wiser, or perhaps become more of a wise-ass - you decide. 

Birthdays used to always mean a bit of reckless abandon when it came to diet and exercise, but this year I was determined that May would be different.  In the beginning, I made a conscious effort to cut back on portion sizes and to stop capitulating when I got a hankering for something savoury after dinner.  Must remember to not eat all of those peanuts in the fridge that are reserved for fancy salads and/or the popcorn on the shelf that ended up there because I finished the last of the kernels and then my lovely husband replaced it with a whole new batch!  Seriously, I need a locked cupboard that only opens when a recipe requires it to, and not if I get peckish before or after dinner.  Also, must remember to eat enough throughout the day so that I don't mindlessly eat dry ingredients in the pantry out of sheer desperation...dry soy beans, I'm looking at you.  Seriously.

So how'd my May go?  Well, pretty much the same way the first 4 months of the year have gone...it's been a bit of a bumpy road, but I'm learning to ride out the rough spots.  And...most of the time?  I was comfortable in the saddle.

Starting weight - January 16th, 2013 - 294lbs
53rd weigh-in - January 22th, 2014 - 151.8lbs

54th weigh-in - January 29th, 2014 - 144.3lbs

55th weigh-in - February 5th, 2014 - 154.8lbs

56th weigh-in - February 12th, 2014 - 146.1lbs

57th weigh-in - February 19th, 2014 - 143.7lbs

58th weigh-in - February 26th, 2014 - 145.7lbs

59th weigh-in - March 5th, 2014 - 141.4lbs

60th weigh-in - March 12th, 2014 - 145.1lbs

61st weigh-in - March19th, 2014 - 149.4lbs

62nd weigh-in - March  26th, 2014 - 143.3lbs

63rd weigh-in - April 2nd, 2014 - 147.1lbs

64th weigh-in - April 9th, 2014 - 147.4lbs

65th weigh-in - April 16th, 2014 - 140.7lbs

66th weigh-in - April 23rd, 2014 - 141lbs

67th weigh-in - April 30th, 2014 - 149.3lbs

68th weigh-in - May 7th, 2014 - 144.1lbs

And the weigh-in after my birthday week?  

69th weigh-in - May 14th, 2014 - 140.5lbs

140.5 pounds!?  That's a bloody miracle because after weigh-in Wednesday #68, I headed to Vancouver for a couple days away with the folks.  How did I approach eating and exercising in a different city without my "normal" routine?!  Well, I tried to get in at least 3 square a day and walked all over town for cardio.  Despite eating at Vij's, downing a cocktail or two whilst on "vacation," and eating mini cupcakes for breakfast on my birthday, skipping lunch in order to clean the loft, and having wine for dinner that night, I survived.  And, lost 3.6 pounds...woot...back to 140 point something!

Happy Birthday to me.

But that was then...and this is now.  So how am I faring at this point in time?!  I don't want to talk about it.  But, I also don't want to make excuses and gripe about how I have gone back to work and it's harder to find time to exercise now that I'm back to being gainfully employed...because it's not been the exercise that's been the problem.  It's been the food.  In fact, making excuses as to why it is impossible to get off the couch and head to the gym, is just that...and excuse, and I haven't got time for those.  I haven't really slipped on the exercise thing, still working out with the ninja (Jonathan Carpenter of MIJO Sport) twice a week and still heading to the gym 5-6 days a week with other activities thrown in...one of my favourites being yoga with Taryn Strong.  Om.  

And, speaking of om...as in "om nom nom"... that's what I have been doing a lot of lately.  

It is said that to achieve a healthy weight it is 20% exercise and 80% diet...and I believe it.  It doesn't make a difference how much I exercise if my food choices thwart my weight loss efforts.  That is not to say that a distinction should be made between acceptable and unacceptable foods, but that I, Miss Spitfyre, need to rein it in a little  Oh summer, not only do you come with weed-wacking-workers, but you also bring with you backyard barbeques, burgers n' buns, and a whole lotta beer.

Instant karma's gonna get you...

Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin'
Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see
Laughin' at fools like me
Who in the hell d'you think you are
A super star
Well, right you are

- John Lennon

Satya - truthfulness - was the underlying theme of my Yoga for Recovery class on Tuesday.  It made perfect sense to me, Taryn has this knack for creating content in her classes that totally aligns with what's going on in my life.  Or, it could just be that weird coincidence thing that happens when I listen to music at the gym.  I start to think:

"Hey, this song was totally written for me!  How did INSERT ARTIST'S NAME HERE know?  My gods, it's almost karmic, you put something out there into the universe and it comes back to you in song and winds up on your playlist!  Oh, no wait, I guess I chose this playlist...and this song, and it has nothing to do with the universe, except for maybe it does?"  

I suspect that in yoga, it is just that I am always up for a good think, I enjoy eastern philosophies, I am a student of the cosmos (or at least a space cadet some of the time), and I believe that all things happen for a reason...so if Taryn decides satya, or truthfulness, is what we are focusing on in class, then I had better pay attention...because I could learn something...and perhaps I need to face my truth or something.  You get out what you put in, right?  Well, I'm all in.

Satya, one of the 5 moral restrains that yogis practice, means truthfulness...but it's so much more, which is the case for all of the yamas.  Honesty isn't as easy as going around telling the truth, it's as complicated as living honestly in conformity with fact or reality...being true to yourself as you exist within the universe.  This leads me to speculate that satya may also correlate with my perception of reality.

re·al·i·ty 

noun \rē-ˈa-lə-tē\

: the true situation that exists : the real situation

: something that actually exists or happens : a real event, occurrence, situation, etc.

So that means...

That satya has a direct correlation with cognition.  Which makes me think...do I really know what's going on?  Really?  I am confident in the knowledge that I do not.  Am I seeing the world as it truly is, or am I looking at it in a way that is dictated by my cognition of it?  This is some pretty heavy shit.  So how does this relate to my ninja training, healthy eating, lifestyle change, emotional well-being, eating disorder etc. etc. etc.?  What does it have to do with my sporadic return to binge and restrict behaviour?  How is it affecting how I deal with things?  Well, I reckon that there's something that I don't really want to deal with or acknowledge...and that's what's pushing me towards my self-sabotaging ways.    

Now, about those coincidences...a mere 5 days before yoga, I went to my Thursday group session (Eating Disorders Programme) on distress tolerance and discussion was largely focused on acceptance and awareness.  Acceptance = I don't like it, I can't change it, but I accept it.  In order to practice accepting reality, it is important to be aware that it is in fact a choice to accept it.  Satya, or truthfulness, plays into this big time.  In my case, regarding the binging and restricting, I accept the fact that in times of distress I have the choice to capitulate and enter eating disordered behaviour or turn my mind.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right?!  Well, no.  Difficult difficult lemon difficult.  But, by turning the mind I go from, "The only thing I can do in this situation is use food" to "hey, there are other things I can do in this state."  Being aware that I have more choices, well that's accepting reality.  And, what of satya?  Well, satya is making decisions that align with my true self.  After all, I am a changed woman...one who has waaaay too many skills to resort to eating disordered behaviours.  

What seems to be the trouble anyway?  What is leading me down that very familiar slippery slope?

After yoga...things always become clearer.  It's similar to when people say, "maybe you should sleep on it," I guess savasana has the same affect on me.  It's a mindfulness thing.  I go in being mind full...and leave being mindful.  Yoga is all about awareness.  Consiousness of breathing, of positions of the body, and of connection to the universe.  Of course, it helps that Taryn specialises in yoga for recovery - the woman is nothing short of amazing.  Her talking points are relevant, enlightening, and always eerily timely, as I mentioned before.  Satya.

What is my truth at this very moment?  This entire blog is based on my journey from fat to fit, and now that I am nearly at my goal...I am obviously afraid of what happens next.  What if my train goes off track, am I trying to prolong the trip, what happens if I get delayed and miss my connection?!  In my last post I spoke of letting go of fear and enjoying the ride...well, I am...I guess, I just don't want get off when I get to the station.  Subconsciously, I see everything passing by...consciously, I have hurried along to reach my final destination...and now I'm realising that Robert J. Hastings was right all along, it's not all happily ever after when you get there.  The terminal is an illusion, true living is found in the the voyage.  Ain't that the truth!

Just another manic Monday...or is it?

Good Monday morning!  

It's a beautiful start to the day here in our fair city of Victoria, British Columbia.  I woke up a little late, but I am excited for the start of this new week...Why you ask?  Well, it's manic Monday - rewritten.

So why are Mondays good?  Let's see...it's the start of a new week...and this week is particularly important because it's the week after the end of TC Health Challenge 2014.  So rather than throw in the towel a mere 3 months after-Christmas and after celebrating Troy T-Bone Wilson's 70lbs lost during the challenge...I, like many other readers I'm sure, will be starting the week out right just as we've been doing for the last 12 weeks.  I declare my outright commitment to this healthy lifestyle.  Generally I do this on Weigh-in Wednesdays, but Monday is better than Wednesday, because it's sooner...and it's now...and there's no time like the present. 

It's good to reboot from time to time, set the bod and brain back to factory settings.  

My  hard-wire for diet is caveman-inspired, with a bit of agricultural revolution thrown in.  What's that they say?!  The archaeologist is always right?  Haha...whatever...I try not to eat processed food, I love lean animal-proteins (former vegetarian turned omnivore...woopsy), I munch on nuts and seeds for their good fats, I enjoy unlimited amounts of fruits and veg (I like eating A LOT...so these add bulk to my meals), I have portioned whole grains - it's pretty much that simple.  I shop for groceries every few days, and always have fresh produce in the house for spur-of-the-moment stir-fries and gorgeous gargantuan salads.  I do my best to eat cleanly, and mechanically.  I pretty much have set "feeding times" so that I am never too ravenous...that lessens the chance that I will over-eat.  I still have a tendency to do that, even after 15 months on programme, but I am learning.  For this reason, I still journal EVERYTHING...even when I indulge in a treat or two.  I also try to be prepared, carrying food in my bag at all times and taking a few minutes on Sundays to plan my dinners for the week.  That keeps me in check.

My fitness regimen does not include running away from sabre-toothed tigers and/or mammoths...though that is great exercise...it remains almost exactly the same as when I started with the TC Health Challenge.  I do slow-burn cardio in the mornings 6 days a week - Monday through Friday I also walk to and from the Crystal Pool, or at least I try to do so, I sometimes ride my bike.  My double-up days are Monday (MIJO Sport Taekwondo), Tuesday (evening cardio followed by Taryn Strong's Anahata Moon Yoga for Recovery at MokSana), Wednesdays (MIJO Sport Taekwondo) and sometimes Thursdays (Taryn Strong's Anahata Moon Yoga - Hatha class at Hemma) and Saturdays off...two of my morning workouts are ninja training sessions i.e. personal training sessions with Jonathan Carpenter of MIJO Sport.  I love my gym time.  It is a time when I disconnect with my kinetic monkey-mind and just sweat everything out.  When I'm done, even after all that hard work, I feel recharged, refocused, refreshed.        

After a fabulous weekend where I may have imbibed some BEvERages and eaten some bacon on Friday evening, quite possibly had a Dynamite Roll lunch with T-Bone Troy and Korean BBQ for dinner with a bunch of ninjas on Saturday, and had a Sunday Funday supper of rustic French food, including 3 gorgeous slices of whole wheat crusty baguette and drunken beef stew (yes, I ate bread and there may have been a smidgeon of butter on each piece)...after all that, I, SUZIE SPITFYRE, commit to clean.  Eating that is, I still believe in training dirty...and it's probably the only reason that I am not beating myself up mentally for the treats I had this weekend - I hit the gym every day this past week. 

Monday, oh Monday...you and I used to have such a sordid relationship.  I would have wild weekends and then I would promise to never stray again.  Then I would break my word and cheat on you...numerous times.  And then I would swear up and down that the next time you came round I would stick with it, but it never happened.  Until January of 2013 when I embarked on a brand new love affair with health and fitness, what a threesome we make!  We've only been together for 15 months, but it's been really working out.  We spend almost all our time together and I have gotten a lot of really nice meals out of it.  So today, I'm going to make some similar statements, Monday...but, this time it's more of an affirmation that after a year and 3 months of eating a healthy diet and getting lots of exercise, I can do this...even after a bit of mild flirtation on the weekend.  I know, I know just as long as not every Thursday is thirsty, every Friday is fitness-free, every Saturday is saturated-fat-filled, and every Sunday is sugary.  Monday, I'm using you to reboot...you are now Moderation Monday instead of Manic Monday.

And then this happened yesterday...

Victoria's Suzie Spitfyre sheds more than 100 pounds in health challenge plus

Sandra McCulloch / Times Colonist
August 13, 2013

Suzie Spitfyre, who has lost 100 lbs, poses at her home  Photograph by: ADRIAN LAM, Times Colonist.

As Suzie Spitfyre sits down at her dining room table of her Vic West condo to talk about life since she completed the Times Colonist Health Challenge earlier this year, a couple of things are immediately apparent. Spitfyre, at 38, is much smaller, and much happier, than she used to be.

The challenge offered six participants 12 sessions with a personal trainer as well as advice from nutritionists, mental coaches and financial advisers.

Losing more than 100 pounds has profoundly improved her life, she said.

“I feel like I’m the same person but I have to say, I’m way happier and less judgmental of everything,” she said. “I think it’s because I’m more comfortable in my skin and I’m doing something that I’m really proud of.”

She lost 52 pounds during the 12-week Times Colonist Health Challenge that ended in April, and has lost another 50 since.

At five feet, two inches tall, she has become something of a local celebrity. Even now, more than three months after the challenge concluded, Spitfyre is recognized on the street by Times Colonist readers who praise her efforts to get in shape and get healthy.

The idea that she’s become an inspiration to people means a lot, she said.

She had a friend visit from Montreal and as they walked down the street, Spitfyre was greeted by three different strangers.

“It’s a small town!” Spitfyre offered as explanation to her friend.

She can do so many things that she couldn’t do before — such as hike up Mount Douglas, go kayaking with her parents and go cycling on the Galloping Goose Trail.

After summiting Mount Doug, Spitfyre thought she might take on Mount Fuji next spring, which at 12,000 feet is the highest mountain in Japan.

“But then I thought, maybe that’s too easy.”

On Jan. 15, Spitfyre weighed in at 292 pounds. On Aug. 7, she tipped the scales at 190. Her waist has shrunk to 38 inches from 54, and her hips to 46 inches from 59.

Her goal is to be healthy and fit, and to be at a weight she can maintain.

She’s lost the weight by focusing on “clean” eating of whole foods — whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and lean meats.

Her exercise regime is intense and includes brisk walking, spinning, kick-boxing, circuit training, spinning, cycling and hiking. She walks everywhere in town, including to and from her personal-training sessions at Crystal Pool — a round trip of six kilometres.

She’s added yoga to her routine, and says it has given her a new sense of calmness.

Her trainer says Spitfyre can reach 140 pounds, a number that she can’t quite wrap her mind around.

“It’s totally mental, like 99 per cent mental,” Spitfyre said. “It doesn’t kill me to eat healthy food. It’s ridiculous how excited I get about breakfast.”

A high-fibre cereal is just the start, she said. She adds skim milk and maybe a banana, “and maybe some strawberries and possibly a handful of blueberries, so it looks like fruit with a glaze on it.”

“It’s so rewarding that I can eat this nutritious meal and it makes me feel good, and I don’t get heartburn at all,” she said.

She fills up on fruit or vegetables, and only limits her intake of fat, protein and complex carbohydrates.

She laughs that she “sacrificed junk food and it made me feel awesome.”

What used to challenge her in workouts has now become much easier.

“The weight has lifted in so many ways,” she said. “Now I don’t think, ‘Oh, hopefully I can do that.’ It’s ‘Why can’t I do that?’ The confidence definitely is there.”

Her parents are thrilled to see their daughter lose the weight. They pay for the personal training sessions and join her on fun outings like kayaking.

Her husband Stéphane has lost 40 pounds and is enjoying a new outlook on life as well.

“We keep each other on track, and it’s quite hilarious,” she said.

“We go out and we don’t go to a restaurant; we go out on our bicycles and find ourselves in Langford.”

Right now, she just wants to stay the course and keep losing weight. But a goal for the not-too-distant future is to have a baby. By then, Spitfyre will have worked out how to keep her health as the top priority as she juggles both family and fitness.

smcculloch@timescolonist.com
 
Applications for the next Times Colonist Health Challenge will be accepted starting in December. Watch the Times Colonist for details.
 
SUZIE’S MANTRAS
 
• Progress is progress — whether it’s a one-pound loss or 100 pounds, it’s something of which to be proud.
• Exercise in the morning, before your brain figures out what you’re doing.
• I may not be the strongest, I may not be the fastest, but I’ll be damned if I'm not trying my hardest.
• You aren’t going to get the butt you want by sitting on the one you have.
• You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy or fake.
• Strength: A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but its persistence.
• Go do something that makes you sweat.
 
Advice
• Set a reachable goal, such as losing 20 pounds, and once you reach it, set another one.
• Fill your diet with healthy foods — fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains.
• Journal everything.
• Get a personal trainer to help keep you focused.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up. Nobody is perfect, so move on.
• Get friends and family behind you — you’ll need their support.
• Believe in yourself!

Suzie’s blog is at timescolonist.com

© Copyright 2013

Weigh-in Wednesday #16 & #17 - Time to catch up!

Seeing as how I just weighed-in this morning for WIW #19, I think it's about time to blog about my previous forays onto the scale.

Weigh in Wednesday #16 - May 8th, 2013   

Starting weight:  292.1

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

Happy early birthday to me!  Down a colossal 7.7 pounds this week!  What happened?  After looking through my food journals, apparently I drank mostly wine and ate mostly salads.  Interesting.  And, I treadmilled, ellipticalled, walked, spun and ninja sessioned (strength training & kick boxing) my way through workouts, with some yoga thrown in for good measure.  So, my conclusion is...my body does what it wants sometimes...even if I make bad choices (like drinking a lot of wine).

Weigh-In Wednesday #17 - May 15th, 2013

16th weigh-in 227.7

17th weigh-in 223.5

Wow...down another 4.2 pounds...and I had a birthday party in there somewhere!  How is this even possible?  I lost 7.7 the week before...that's 12 pounds in the last two weeks...what is this, Biggest Loser?  So that brings my total up to 68.6 pounds lost in 4 months, that's not bad.  Actually, that's REALLY good (trying to keep things positive here because I know what's coming up).  I was pretty consistent with food until the Friday before my birthday, when I indulged in grapes for dinner...and the next day was my birthday, so I did it again.  Then on Sunday, for Mothers' Day, we hit a fancy fishy restaurant and I had lovely, gorgeous, sexy oysters and a piece of salmon with risotto.  I pretty much spent all my calories in that meal.  Though, I did not drink at dinner...or eat for the next couple of days.  Nasty habit of indulging on weekends and then strict veggies and fruit diet on Monday and Tuesday forming.  Must watch that.  As for exercise, equal parts treadmill and bike, with some walking and aerobics thrown in, and of course ninjaness with Jonathan...and Anahata Moon Yoga on Tuesdays with Taryn.  ॐ

Weigh-in Wednesday #14

Wednesday April 24th - 5 workouts in 9 days and I lose 6.3 pounds?  WTH?  I need to do this "active rest" thing more often!  Of course, Monday and Tuesday contained 2 stints on the treadmill, 2 aerobics classes, 2 sp!nn!ng sessions, and a yoga practice.  

Starting weight:  292.1
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

I suppose I shouldn't have been so melodramatic about eating that halibut and drinking all that wine.  Haha...when I told the ninja, he couldn't get over the loss...but I suppose it's because my body was fooled into thinking that I would be working out as hard as ever so it kept metabolizing food efficiently.  All hail, my body!  Or, all hail, our bodies!  They are amazing machines when we treat them the right way.

Weigh-In Wednesday #12

Can it be?  Are we already here?  Have I been postponing this last TC Health Challenge unofficial Wednesday Weigh-in blog post because I don't want this magical time to end?

Maybe...

Definitely.

Like leaving the swimming pool when I was 7...just 10 more minutes, puhleeeeze!!!  I promise to be good.  I'll clean my room, I'll empty the dishwasher...I'll do my homework! 

And I have been doing my homework, nothing like writing down your goals to hold you accountable...Christie was right.  I may have tripled up on my workouts too...mornings consisted of elliptical or treadmill then aerobics, at noon there was sp!nn!ng with Teresa, and I would return to the gym again in the evening with Stéphane, not to mention my nijnja workouts with Jonathan and yoga with Taryn.  I am officially a gym rat.

Was it worth it?

Yes...almost.

Starting weight:  292.1
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

One more frigggin' pound and I would have been able to round up to 50 pounds lost.  Ugh...48.5 pounds...if only there was another official, weigh-in.  Haha...oh, wait, there is...tomorrow.

Weigh-in Wednesday # 10

Weigh-in Wednesday - 9 days ago - Things were good.  Very good.  My best friend was in town from Montréal AND my workouts were on track.

Wednesday the 20th - Morning workout anticipating Del's arrival...an hour on the machines and an aerobics class, and I skipped the Crystal Fools at night and opted for cleaning-the-house-cardio instead.

Thursday the 21st - I did elliptical for an hour and an hour on the treadmill...kinda boring, but sweat-inducing nonetheless.  I had to get it over with, Del flew in at noon.

Friday the 22nd - Del and I warmed up for 1/2 an hour on the elliptical and then we joined the Ultimate Sculpt class...this means aerobics with weights.  I soldiered on for another 1/2 hour on the elliptical, because somehow I knew we would not be coming back for an evening workout.

Saturday the 23rd - Day off...for everyone.  And I dressed like a girl that day, instead of a gym rat.

Sunday the 24th - FIT camp with the ninja...haha...so just after I'd hopped off the elliptical for 1/2 an hour, I got back on it for another 1/2 hour of intervals.  And it is the first time in recent history that I felt like I was going to throw up all over myself...heart rate, meet 172 again.  Then as a group we did some core exercises and other body weight strength stuff...and then I had a ninja session on top of that.  Before supper at the famdam's we took the crazy Mexican (Pinta, the dog) for a walk on the beach.  Lovely.    

Monday the 25th - As you may have read,  was spin class..and before that the same sort of routine that we did on Friday.  

And finally...

Tuesday the 26th - Elliptical followed by a ninja session with Jonathan, and a lovely bendy Yoga for Recovery class with Taryn.  

So what did I learn this week?  Well, if you double up on your cardio, that you only have to go to the gym once and it's all done in one shot.  Also, that having a friend over doesn't mean that you abandon all your healthy new habits.  Del was game to tag along to the gym and to eat the food that I made for dinner.  We even went out to lunch a few times, and again I made good choices and the results...well....they speak for themselves.     

Good bye 40 + pounds.

Starting weight:  292.1
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

My 10th weigh-in was the 2nd most successful of the entire challenge.  My second week on programme (which happened to be the first week I worked out) I was down 6.7 pounds, and this week, I was down 6.3 pounds...yes please, I'll take it!  Grand total 40.7 pounds gone.  May have been the spinning, I know I only did it once, but it was intense!  Or it could have been all those good vibes that Del sent my way :-)