So I need to post pictures soon, but the girls have all begun their extra curricular activities for the year and love them. With 4 kids all old enough to participate in things now, we kept it really simple this year and only put them in 2 things each, basketball and piano. And we are still super busy!
This is a typical week for our family:
Monday -- Lily bball practice 6:00-7:30 Ben is helping to assist coach, until the real assistant coach comes back from out of the country in November. I hate having stuff on Mondays, because that should be FHE night, but we literally have no choice in what night we get when it comes to basketball. So this year, we will be doing FHE on Sunday evening, or Tuesdays after piano if we want to go swimming or do some activity like that that isn't appropriate for Sunday.
Tuesday -- Piano from 4:30-6:30 for all 4 girls. Olivia has started this year and she loves it. It is so nice that our teacher comes right to our home, it makes it soooo convenient. She only charges $15 a lesson, which is cheaper than most I've seen or heard about.
Wednesday -- This is our church activity night 6:30-8:00 pm. Ben for YM (he's still the 1st Counselor), Izzy for YW, and Lily and Chloe for Activity Days (1st and 3rd Wed of each month.) It's quite handy, actually, to have Ben go out, because then he can just drive them all there and back each time. Olivia and I get some one on one time at home!
Thursday -- Chloe and Olivia bball practice 6:00-7:30 pm. They are on the same Mite team, and it is great! I am actually helping to coach them this year! There are lots of kids from church on this team too, fun fun!
Friday -- Izzy bball practice 7:30-9:00 pm. Sigh!!!! We are not happy with this being on a Friday, but the other team her age was also on Friday night, and so we had no other option. She loves it though, and it is important to her to go.
Saturdays -- games for Izzy and Lily. And different times and places. So far, no conflicts, and they are all close enough that they won't take up the whole Saturday. This past week, they both did awesome! Izzy got a basket, and drew a foul and so she got to take a foul shot too. Lily got about 6 baskets and several blocks and rebounds. I love my basketball girls.
Sunday -- church! And family time. FHE is done on this night this year. We will do a lesson (or one of the girls will) and play a game, or make a craft together. Maybe even some service together. I love Sundays.
It seems crazy, but their school gets out at 3, and so they do have quite a lot of time to do homework, and just play too. And really, they're not ALL busy every night of the week, it's a different kid and activity each night.
As they grow older, I realize more and more how important it is that we eat dinner together every night, and have that time together. So far, we are able to do that! Family scripture time and prayer together is so important too. We do it every night together, and pray every morning before school. Even Ben is able to be there most mornings. I'm happy its something we started doing with them a long time ago, and now has become just so second nature to us.
I still get up every morning at 5:30 to sweat it out for an hour! I don't think I will ever want to give that up. It just wakes me up, gets me energized and ready to get my kids up and out for school. It helps me to be in a better mood in the morning as I help them get ready, and also frees up the rest of my time throughout the day for other things. My body is finally used to it again, after the summer of sleeping in. I am actually waking up naturally a few minutes before my alarm goes off.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Good Job Ben!
Ben has been doing so well at work lately. His company loves to motivate the salesman with prizes, and whenever there is a competition of any sort, Ben gets motivated! He has won nice shirts, a really nice pair of Keen shoes, tickets to an Oilers game (row 7!) and most recently...an iPad! He is a rookie employee, but he gets placed in the same category as seasoned employees because he's so great at selling. He is on track to win the upcoming company trip, which will be to either an all inclusive resort in Mexico, or a Baha California cruise. If he hits a certain number of sales a month, he will be with the group to go that gets to bring a plus one.
I am really proud of him, and honestly, these prizes are all just a bonus. His earnings and income have improved and grown with these prize earnings too, which is more important than prizes. I am grateful he works so hard and that he has found his talent and uses it well to support us. Remember this post? He's always been good at sales! He is a people person, and knows how to talk to people very well. He said there was this older gentleman who was speaking at some conference or meeting with them, and afterwards he said, "That Ben, he really knows his stuff." He learns quickly, and has good ideas and opinions. Good job Ben!
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Back into the swing of things...
So my "job" as a Lunchroom Supervisor has started. I've been doing it for about 3 weeks now. I can't believe how much I actually love it! I thought it would be a little annoying, especially having to go right in the middle of the day. Maybe I will feel like that down the road, but for now, that doesn't bother me at all! But, it's like I forgot how much I really love being around children. I supervise a grade 3 class (not Chloe's. They actually don't let you be in the same class as your own children) and they are just the sweetest, funnest kids. One little girl said to me the other day, "Do you have any of your own children?" I told her yes, I have 4! Her eyes got big and she said with a surprised tone, "Really? You don't look old enough to have ANY!" The whole hour that I'm there just flies by. All I really have to do is take attendance, hand out spoons to kids who forgot one at home, help them tie their shoes, stuff like that! Really, it is so easy and fun. And chat with them, which is what I love. They are always so eager to tell me about their lives and random things. They are old enough that they already know what is expected of them behavior wise, and they already have a routine down, and so it's so easy and nice to just be there and watch over them. The other ladies who supervise are super nice too. The one who trained me is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. She told me she is over 50, but has no children of her own, just a nephew that goes to the school. So she considers these kids her kids. Her name is Mrs Rose....perfect name for such a sweet gal! I love to see my kids at lunch too! Chloe's classroom is just across the hall from where I go, and so she loves to walk around with me at her recess! Her and her two friends Chloe C. and Alysha. I tell them, you should go play while you can! Chloe said,"All who want to go play raise their hand! (no one raised their hand.) And all who want to walk around with my mom, raise their hand!" (and they all raised their hand and laughed.) It is fun to chat with them, and have them tell me all about their day and happenings. I see Olivia out there too, and even Lily who is in the higher division, comes out once in a while for things. I love to see all my primary kids too! I had to fill in for some other classes the other day, and a couple of primary kids were in there. They are happy to see me too. I have also been assigned the Grade 3 Running Club on Tues/Thurs and there are a lot of kids I know there too. So far, it's just been great. I find myself actually looking forward to going everyday. The only other kind of paid work I ever did before in my life was work in a science lab. Which I enjoyed, but it was so solitary, and so repetitive and almost mundane, and so I got soooooo bored with it so quickly. I didn't have chances to chat to other people very often. Where as this is more interactive, and it's different everyday. And the fact that its only an hour a day is a big factor too! Maybe one day it will help lead to something else. I think I would love to be an EA, Educational Assistant, where I could work one on one with some students or just help a teacher out with odd jobs. But then I was looking into Diagnostic Sonography too. (Ultrasound tech) I think that is something I would like to do too! That would take 3 years of tough schooling though, so that is not the right thing for me or my family right now. Maybe when the kids have all grown up and don't need me as much. I don't know! I like to help and work with people though. And I really love to be around children. Oh well! I have time to think about all of that some more.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
First Day of School 2015
The girls had their first day of school today. Grades 7,5,3, and 1! It all went great! It was a great summer, but we are happy to have routine and structure again.
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| Breakfast of champions, oatmeal and hot chocolate. Perfect for this chilly autumn morning. |
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Surprisingly, Lily was quite nervous for today! My carefree, happy go-lucky girl had some nerves today. She found out before hand that she didn't have any girls from church in her class, just 3 boys, who she is friends with, but it's not the same as her girlfriends. And she found out beforehand that her teacher was the same teacher Izzy had last year! Izzy sometimes talked about the annoying things he did last year, and so Lily was worried that he was going to be bad and mean. But at the end of the day she was all smiles and had so many good things to say. She has some other girl friends in her class from last year, and she likes her teacher! He loves Star Wars, and so the first thing he said when he saw her wearing that shirt was, "You and I are going to be best friends." She loved that they just got to do fun things and ask him fun questions all day, and apparently he may perform a rap song for them tomorrow that she is excited about. She came home and said, "Izzy, Mr McCaw just likes to be organized, he is not mean!" Izzy's class last year only had 7 girls in it and like 22 boys, and it was quite a wild class, and so I think Mr McCaw HAD to be mean sometimes. I think it won't be like that this year with it being more balanced out. I also think that Lily is a different kind of student than Izzy. School work seems to come easier to Lily, and so I think she may find him very different than how Izzy did.
Striking a pose, what a goof!
I think Izzy was by far the most nervous one of the bunch! She was worried about Junior High, not being in any classes with friends, not being able to open her lock (even though she's been practicing opening it for a couple weeks), she even said she was worried she would drop all of her books everywhere. I too, remember being so nervous for my first day of Junior High. I remember not sleeping a wink the night before and then being exhausted the next day, and also finding out it wasn't so bad after all. Well, Izzy found the same today! She has Sydney from church in her homeroom, as well as about 4 other girl friends from past years, her neighbour friend Kate who lives just down the street, and a boy from church she knows well too. She really likes her teacher, Mr Bone. She says he is nice. She said she had no trouble with her lock. She took a picture of her locker set up with the shelf she bought for it and the things to decorate it with. She is thinking about trying out for the soccer team this year, as well as the volleyball, badminton, and basketball teams too. She asked me to get her up at 6:30 so she would have time to get ready and not feel tired and be more awake by the time she got to school. She had a great first day! I hope I can help support her this year in the ways she needs.
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| It was quite chilly out this morning! Our hands and ears got cold on the bike ride. I'll have to get out the mittens and toques tomorrow. The girls were grateful for the trailer to hold their heavy backpacks and extra bags. |
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| The sun did come out and warmed up the air a bit. |
So this is a new chapter for me! All of my kids in school all day long. I have such mixed emotions about that! I love that they are growing up, but I miss those baby days too. I have signed up to do the Lunchroom Supervision job. It will just be about an hour a day, and will pay about $400 a month. Not a ton, but a nice amount still! I am just waiting for my police check clearance to come through and then I can officially start. I am grateful for the time being to settle my family into school. The 6 hours today went by really fast, and I was able to get a lot done and I just felt rested and ready to have them home again. Maybe as time goes on I will think about other part time work, but for now, this is good. Here's to another school year!
Sunday, September 6, 2015
My Weight Loss Journey
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| In the first photo, I am actually already down about 30 pounds. Each photo, I am down a further 15-17 pounds. The photo on the right was just taken the other week. I LOVE to see the progress. I love before and after photos. You can see my belly, hips, and even boobs just shrinking away! There isn't enough room in the photos to really show it, but even my arms are getting skinnier, and my face and neck. You can slowly start to see my collarbone. |
So, let's start at the beginning. My whole life I was always a taller, bigger gal, but not fat. I was never a stick figure, and I never will be, but I wasn't overweight. As long as I can remember, whenever I looked at that BMI chart, I always fell within the normal weight range. At 5'11" and a 1/4, so just 3/4" shy of 6 feet tall, my weight as a full grown person, as far as I can remember, was always around roughly 165 pounds. I remember being super sick in one of my pregnancies and my weight dropping to 155, and my doctor being so concerned. I know that this sounds crazy to a lot of women out there, because for most women 165 pounds is overweight for them. But remember, that I am almost 6 feet tall, and large in stature! Lots of muscle and big bones.
I played a lot of sports. My first time on a real basketball team was when I was 10 years old. From grades 7 until 12, I played on the school volleyball, basketball, cross country running, and track and field teams. I loved playing sports and being physically active. I learned how to push myself physically and the benefits of exercise from this young age.
When I started having kids, I thought my weight would change, that I would be heavier from then on, but to my pleasant surprise, it wasn't like that. After I had Isabelle, it was a mere 3 weeks until I was able to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I didn't have to do a second of exercise either....I swear it was the breastfeeding! I felt like it sucked all the fat from out of me and gave it to my baby! I loved it. I was 21 almost 22 years old when I had her. After I had Lily, same thing. I lost the baby weight quickly and practically effortlessly. I was 23 almost 24. After I had Chloe, things were a little different. I had an internal injury in my abdomen from the delivery, and so it was actually quite painful for me to even just walk or move a little. So, in that case, it took me about 3 months to get back to my old self again. I think it was the fact that I didn't move much for those first couple months. I was a couple years older, 25 years old. After I had Olivia, things were very different! First off, I had put on a lot more weight during the pregnancy. I think it was the whole moving to Calgary during that time, maybe the stress of it, and maybe, too, it was that I didn't watch very carefully what I ate, assuming that I would just lose the weight within a few months after I had her. I was so wrong! About 4 months after she was born, I had not only NOT lost any of the weight from my pregnancy, but I had gained more! She was born 3 days before my 28th birthday, and so maybe it had to do with getting a little older too, I don't know.
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| Spring 2004, me with baby Izzy. I am almost 23 years old here and about 165 pounds. |
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| Ben looks sooooo young haha! |
I found myself 40-50 pounds overweight. You can read about my work at losing that weight here. By the time Olivia turned one, I had lost all of that weight. So, 6 months. It was an incredible journey and experience, and actually really helped me in this weight loss journey.
I was so naive and stupid though! It was like I thought, oh I'm back at 165, so I can be done now! No more watching what I eat or exercise, and everything will stay the same. *rolls eyes* I don't know why I ever thought that way either. Even when my older kids were babies and little, it wasn't like I did zero exercise or never watched what I ate. I did! I remember often waiting until Ben got home from work and going to the YMCA gym that was close by, or loading everyone up in the van and going to the Kinsmen Center, and Ben taking the girls to the indoor playground while I went to run around the track and lift weights at the gym. When I was in university and at NAIT, I remember getting up early and working out before class, or staying late to work out with a friend. My time at NAIT was when I first discovered weight lifting, and I did the Body for Life program. I also played on various recreational volleyball and basketball leagues after high school. I was always physically active in some way, so for me to suddenly stop like that was a terrible mistake.
Within the next 3-4 years, I had not only gained back that 40 pounds, but I had gained another 40! For every pound I lost, I gained 2 back. So sad. There are so many stories on Instagram and the internet where they always say their weight gain was due to some injury, illness, or some trauma that happened like someone close to them passing away. It's so embarrassing to me because I have no reasons like that. It was purely just me being lazy and sedentary. I'm not saying I haven't had any kind of stress or hard things happen to me in my life these years. I mean, moving my family (rather suddenly) back up to Edmonton, being called as the primary president in a ward where I knew no one, Ben getting laid off after 12 years of continuous employment...these are some of the stressful things that took place in my life during this time. But these aren't even the hardest things I have ever gone through in life. In the past, I have had hard things happen and still managed to exercise and be more watchful with what I ate. For some reason, during this time, I just let myself go...
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| Last summer, August 2014, on our vacation at Hayden Lake. This was right before I started my weight loss journey, tipping the scales at 244.5 pounds. |
During these years I tried DOZENS of times to lose the weight. For whatever reason, I would start, and then always give up. Either something stressful in my life would take place and I'd quit, I'd say I'm too busy, I would grow bored of the exercise or it would be too hard to resist the treats. Especially if there was a birthday or some holiday that came (which by the way, is every single month of the year!) For example, I remember once I got down about 20 pounds, and then Ben got laid off. I used that as an excuse to stop the exercising and eating well, thinking well now we are stressed with money and work, I can't handle anything extra, and it all came back.
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| Blurry picture but you can see my pudgy face! |
I remember the scale reading 211 and thinking ok I need to get it down. I would try for a bit, and then quit, and then step on the scale again weeks or months later. I remember stepping on it again one day and it reading 225, and being in total shock that it was so high. I remember working hard to lose weight, and getting it down to 215, but then quitting because it was SO much work to lose just 10 pounds. I felt discouraged and felt like it was taking too long. This kind of cycle happened over and over. I remember the scale reading 234, and being freaked out and trying to lose and failing and then months going by before trying again. The real, light bulb moment for me though, was when I stepped on the scale one day and it read 244.5 pounds. I was completely shocked. In that moment I knew that if I didn't change and do something now, that that number would just continue to go up. I knew I would see 260, then 280. I knew if I didn't stop the way I was living, I would wake up one day and be 300 pounds or more.
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| On my 33rd birthday last year. Hiding behind my kids. Always hiding... |
So, I was determined to change. To be serious, and to lose this weight! I knew I had a long journey ahead of me. I wanted to see 165 on the scale again, and so that was 79.5 pounds. That is an enormous amount! I remember how daunting a feeling it was, I mean, remember how I said it was hard to just lose those 10 pounds? But I was determined. I think when I finally wrapped my head around the fact that this was going to take a long time, that it would be hard, and that it would take consistency, I finally started to make progress. I didn't care if it would take a year, a year and a half, 2 years...whatever....I was determined to do this for as long as it would take.
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| This picture was taken in Sept 2014 one day while I was volunteering in Olivia's class. I never saw this picture until the end of June 2015, while looking through her scrapbook. I was completely shocked and stunned, because by the end of June I had already lost about 70 pounds and no longer looked like this. I couldn't believe this is what I used to look like. |
And this was about 10 or 11 months ago. I am so happy and proud to report that I have completed my goal! Well, almost. The lowest I have ever seen on the scale is 166. That is 78.5 pounds baby!!!! But this is a work in progress. I am still going. I want to see 165 and have that be the number that my body kind of levels off at. I also am well aware and fully know that maintaining this weight will be something that I will need to do forever. I will forever have to be watchful and careful with what I eat and exercise regularly. I read a quote once that said, "Losing weight is hard. Maintaining weight is hard. Being overweight is hard. Choose your hard." I LOVE that. It is oh so true. Sure it will be hard and annoying, but what is the other option? Going back to 245 pounds, or higher? To being obese and unhappy? Feeling sluggish and having no energy to play with my kids, or feel good about how I look? No, so me being watchful and exercising regularly is my future and that is ok!
So, how did I do it? That is always everyone's first question. Well, the first 25 pounds I lost through riding my stationary bike in my basement every morning. 30 min using the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) method. That is where you go hard for a minute, then easy for a minute, hard for a minute, easy for a minute, and continue on like that for 30 min at least. It gets your heart pumping hard, you breathing hard, and gets a real sweat going. So every morning, I would get up at 5:30 and work hard and then have time to get ready and then get the kids up and ready for school. I also changed my eating. I ate less of everything, but also better of everything too. I cut out processed and refined junk and really focused on eating fresh food. Mostly vegetables, lean meats, other protein like quinoa and cottage cheese. I ate mindfully, meaning that I knew what I was putting into my mouth and when. Gone were the days of me stuffing my face while watching a movie, kind of thing.
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| Yucky pictures of me working out on the bike, but oh well, who cares! No one looks good while sweating it out right? On the left I am about 220 pounds, the middle about 200 pounds and on the right I am about 175 pounds. I'm smiling because I love the progress made ;) You can see my face thinning out.... |
But then I hit a major plateau. I knew I needed more than just cardio. I knew I needed strength training too. I had looked up some workouts and ideas on Pinterest and tried adding them in, but I wasn't doing well at it. I didn't really know how many to do, how many reps or for how long, etc. I knew I needed more structure. That was when the 21 Day Fix program came into play. I had heard great things about it, and knew a couple of people who had completed it and had lost a lot of weight with it. I saw an infomercial about it and was sold! I loved the idea of a new workout every day, and her eating plan. I ordered it by phone and anxiously awaited its arrival.
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| One morning after doing Upper Body Fix (weights with 21 Day Fix) A sweaty mess. I am down about 70 pounds in both of these photos. |
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| Don't mind our messy computer desk in the background.... |
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| This exercise is my most FAVORITE exercise of all the workouts in the entire 21 Day Fix Program. Above is part 1, below is part 2. |
It arrived on a Friday, and so I tried it out the next day on Saturday. Wow, the workout was so hard I couldn't even finish it. And it made me incredibly sore! I remember that Sunday at church barely being able to sit down, stand up, and walk around, my legs especially were so sore. I loved it though! It was a good sore! A sore that I missed actually. That feeling of knowing that your body is in the process of rebuilding muscle and making them stronger is such a good feeling. So I continued on Monday, and went from there, doing the workouts in the order she recommended. The weight just seemed to literally melt off! And it wasn't just the weight coming off, it was that there was muscle being built along the way as well. I think I have completed about 8 rounds total of the 21 Day Fix program. I will continue to use it too. It is so great, I just can't say enough good things about it. If it starts to get too easy, then you go out and purchase heavier weights at Wal Mart for not too much money. I can do all of the workouts now, from beginning to end. They still make me sweat like crazy, breathe hard and get my heart pumping. And, just last week I was able to complete the full 60 seconds of the fore arm plank. It took me this long to be able to do that.
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| The pic on the left is the WORST picture in the UNIVERSE of me, but.....it was my reality. I love love LOVE these series of before and after pics. They show so much. There is about an 80 pound difference between each one. The ones on the left were taken Aug 2014, and the ones on the right were taken Aug 2015. |
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| I LOVE this one. And the reason isn't because my face looks so awesome in it....haha. It's because you can SEE the muscle that I have worked SO hard for this past year. On the right, you can see my bicep, my quadricep, even my calf muscle is showing a bit. On the left, whatever muscle I had, if any, was hidden beneath layers of fat. |
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| The differences between the two are shocking, stunning and amazing all at the same time! |
I've gotten to the point now where I try to complete a full hour of working out each and every day, except Sunday, that is my one day of rest. But, yes, even Saturdays I get up and work out. I do one of the 21 Day Fix workouts, and then I do 30 min HIIT on the bike. Or, Ben and I recently (about 3 weeks ago) started running stairs 3x a week. I count that as some cardio. That is an amazing workout! The stairs we go to have 230 stairs. When we started, I struggled to complete 3.5 flights. Now I do 7.5 flights! That's 1725 stairs. It's awesome. Sometimes we will even take our kids to the Beaumont chapel and play basketball and tag with them in the gym. Have you ever played tag with children, where you are IT? It is SO hard and such a good cardio workout. Especially because you're laughing the entire time too. So fun. I am always looking for new ways to workout to keep it interesting. I don't want to stop because I'm bored, and slip back into my old ways.
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| Another before and after, Sept 2014 vs June 2015 |
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| 20 pounds lost here... |
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| About 35 pounds lost here.. |
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| These are some of my "during" pictures. This was a great day for me. I finally fit back into my favorite blue skirt that I hadn't worn for years. NSV!!!!! It's a little snug here, but it fits! I am at my half way point here, roughly 40 pounds lost. This day at church was one of the first days where a lot of people stopped to comment or question my weight loss. |
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| In the pics on the left I am about 15 pounds heavier than the pics on the right |
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| About 70 pounds lost here...the skirt fits a lot better, and is even slightly big. Still wearable! |
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| And now here I am at 166 pounds. Nearly 80 pounds lighter. |
Sometimes I will let myself indulge a little, have a treat or a cheat meal. The thing is though, is that they are just that, a treat. A special thing. It is not an everyday occurrence. That helps me to more fully enjoy it. I'm also careful to make sure that if I'm going to cheat, it's going to be something that I really enjoy. Ben is an ice cream fiend. Me, not so much. I like ice cream, but I'm not CRAZY about it like Ben is. I can't tell you the number of times I would be sitting there eating ice cream, thinking to myself, I don't even like this, but I'll keep eating it anyway. Another stupid behavior! Something I don't do anymore. When I do indulge, I don't feel guilty doing it. I feel like I earned it almost, and it helps me to enjoy it even more.
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| Loving my new outfit, but mostly loving the way I feel |
One of the best things about the weight loss journey are the NSV's. Non Scale Victories. This is a term used all over Instagram. For me, there are 3 big ones. The first, is that my wedding rings fit again! When you gain weight, you gain it all over, and when you lose it, you lose it all over, even in your hands and feet. I had gotten so big I couldn't wear my rings anymore. They had become way too tight. I love that I can wear them again. The second, are the favorite old clothes that fit again! I had saved a few of my most favorite items of clothing, hoping that one day I would wear them again. This one blue skirt especially, was one I had bought when Ben and I were dating. I wore it every Mother's Day, but for the last 4 years I couldn't fit into it. Well, it fits again! I love it. I had a whole bunch of shorts and summer clothes too that I wanted to be able to wear again, and now I can! I was able to wear them all summer, it was so great. The third and biggest NSV for me is the fact that my knees no longer ache when I play basketball or go running. Before, if I did those things, they would ache for days, especially going up and down any stairs. But since dropping those 80 pounds, they no longer hurt. They no longer have to carry that extra weight around. I have also gained a lot of muscle in my legs, and so that extra muscle helps to support my knees. All those squats, lunges, stairs, and leg days really paid off! Every single one was worth it.
My biggest regret in this journey? Not taking more "before" photos! I wish I had taken more photos in the same outfit to see the comparison as I went along. I think I was a little superstitious or something, afraid that I would quit again and then I would just be stuck with these ugly photos of myself forever. Nothing was more motivating than looking at two photos and actually SEEING the difference in them. You quickly forget what you used to look like, and so you think, ya I think there is a change happening, but you're not totally sure. When you see two pictures side by side you can see everything and it is so encouraging.
Other people's comments and questions were the best! It made me feel like it wasn't just all in my head that I was making progress with the weight loss. I know I always felt awkward congratulating someone on their weight loss, kind of afraid they would find it rude or something. As someone on the receiving end of it though, I can say that it is not rude or offensive in any way! I loved when people said something about it.
It was so funny, because it was when I hit that 40 pounds lost mark that EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, people at church, at the kids' school, my kids' teachers, friends I saw often, even my next door neighbours, started making some comment or asking me if I had lost weight. I thought, this is so weird. A couple weeks ago when I was at 37 pounds lost, or 35 pounds lost, no one said a thing or noticed anything, why suddenly at 40 pounds? Ben (he can be so smart sometimes) said it was the clothes! At 40 pounds lost was when I finally said to myself that my clothes were all just too big and I started wearing my smaller clothes. And that was it! That made a huge difference. Big, baggy clothes make you look bigger. When you wear clothes that fit you properly, people can actually SEE the weight you've lost. I am also so surprised at how easy it was to answer people's questions and talk to them about it. Even a lot of men in my ward at church would ask me flat out questions like, "How have you lost so much weight lately?" and I was ok to talk to them about it. The only thing I was reluctant to share was the actual amount I lost. And actually, only about 3 people out of dozens, actually flat out asked how much I had lost. I was embarrassed to say because it is almost shameful that I allowed myself to get that big in the first place. But, I've gotten to a point now, where I don't care about that! It is what it is, I allowed myself to gain a ton of weight, but I also allowed myself to lose it.
Now my biggest challenge is maintaining this weight. Shifting the focus from losing to maintenance. It will be tough, and like I said before, it will be something I will have to be careful with for the rest of my life, but that is ok. I know from past experience how quickly and almost effortlessly one can gain the weight back. It is actually kind of scary. But last time, when I gained it all back (x2), I was thoughtless and stupid about it. I stopped moving and being active, I stopped watching what I ate. I know better now, and I know I can do it! I will re read this blog post when I feel weak with that ;) This insanely long blog post, haha.
Some tips and lessons I learned along the way:
- Seek out others who have lost weight and let them inspire you! Some of my favorite accounts I follow on Instagram are mygirlishwhims, fittmom_fittbritt, kellicutler85, and steffleb_. I think mygirlishwhims is my favorite though. She is just SO real, and down to earth and says it like it is, and works SO hard. She has lost 90 pounds so far and is amazing.
-Keep a journal/record of your progress! Record numbers (on the scale, measurements, etc) record how you're feeling that day, what workouts you did, mini successes, mini failures, everything! Reading back on them will help you in your tough times. When I hit 200 lbs I also hit a major plateau. I was stuck there for like a MONTH, even though I was working my butt off everyday and eating well. I almost wanted to give up, but reading back on my records where I felt stuck before and then made progress because I kept at it, helped me to keep at it then too!
-Keep other measurements other than just the scale. When I hit plateaus I would often re-measure myself, and I always found that my body measurements were shrinking! The scale doesn't tell all, and it is NOT the be all and end all. When I was stuck at 200 lbs for 4 weeks, my waist, arms, and legs were still shrinking and growing muscle.
-Wrap your head around the fact that this will take a long time, that it will NOT happen overnight, and that it will be hard work. Once you really understand and get this, you can let yourself take a long time without worrying about that! We live in this day and age where things happen instantly...you can send a message to someone across the world in a matter of seconds, you can cook food in mere minutes. So it is hard to remember that changing your body takes time, and it is a slow process. It WILL happen, but you have to just stick with it.
-That leads me to my last point...STICK WITH IT! Don't give up! Encourage yourself every single day to just keep going. When you slip up, get right back up the next day, the next hour, the next minute and just keep going! You will hit many plateaus during a weight loss journey and have many set backs. DON'T LET THEM STOP YOU, KEEP GOING! Be your biggest encouragement! Be positive! Don't let life get in your way or stop you or take you off course. Be committed to do the work involved no matter what else is happening in your life. Remember that YOU CAN DO THIS!
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| At Olivia's bday party, Aug 2014 vs Aug 2105, 80 pound difference between these two days. |
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| At Olivia's bday party Aug 2015 |
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| At Turtle Lake July 2015. |
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| Sometimes I don't recognize myself in photos now a days! |
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| With my hubby dearest who has supported and loved me through thick and thin....literally! He always thought I was beautiful regardless of my weight. |
Thursday, August 13, 2015
34!!!
34 things about me on my 34th birthday....
1. I am a morning person. Always have been and always will be. Afternoons are my
worst time of day. If I could sleep away every afternoon, I would.
2. I love good surprises.
3. I am a very good actress! I got 10/10 on my monologue in drama class, and I won Actress of the Year Award in my school when I was in grade 8. I still have the plaque to prove it.
4. You wouldn't believe the number of times I have been asked the question,"Do you ever get angry?" It makes me angry every time. ;)
5. I love me a good scalp massage. Foot rubs are nice too.
6. I have 4 brothers, 3 sisters, 9 sisters-in-law, 10 brothers-in-law, 48 nieces and nephews, 4 beautiful daughters, 1 smokin hot husband and more cousins than I have time to count out. Having a BIG family has always been one of my greatest blessings.
7. I'm very fond of walking. (Name the movie!)
8. I love playing "Name the Movie."
9. I stand almost 6 feet tall. When I was 11 years old, I hated being tall. My teacher told me I would like it when I got older. She was right!
10. I love suspense/action/thriller type movies. NOT horror movies. Even just the commercials of horror movies freak me out.
11. My favorite and best subject in school was chemistry, hence why I became a Chemical Technologist. I only worked as one for one year though, and then went on to fulfill my greatest experience in life.....to become a mother!
12. I love children and babies and love to work with them. I feel like I am in my element when I am with them.
13. I don't think my desire to have children will ever go away. I predict I will be 75 years old and still wanting another baby!
14. One of my worst fears is being trapped in a car under water and not being able to get my children out in time.
15. I am a textbook introvert. Everything you have ever read of or heard about introverts is me.
16. On a scale of 1-10 on how ticklish I am, I would have to say I am a 15.
17. I am an excellent speller. I won the school spelling bee when I was in grade 3.
18. I had laser eye surgery 7 years ago, and I love how it has changed my life. It was worth every penny.
19. I think beards on men are sexy.
20. I wish I was born in the 1800's. I love that era of women always wearing dresses, and people living simple lives, and no technology. And then my husband reminds me of the diseases that were rampant and the lack of good medicine and vaccinations, and I am ever so grateful I am alive in today's day and age.
21. I'm a very spiritual person. I remember being under 5 years old and thinking to myself, "Where did I come from? Where did I live before I lived in this body?"
22. Olives make me gag.
23. Cardigans are my favorite article of clothing.
24. I have never dyed my hair, but I know the time is soon coming. At what point do you stop plucking the grey hairs and start dying them?
25. I sleep best when I have socks on my feet.
26. I've recently lost weight. 80 pounds! (Yes, eighty!!!) It was done through good eating and exercise. I usually sweat it out through cardio and weight lifting between the hours of 6-7 am every morning.
27. My favorite colors are always a tie between red and purple.
28. The best vacation I ever went on was when my family took a road trip to Disneyland and Sea World (and Vegas and SLC along the way) followed by a close second to when my husband and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary in the Dominican Republic.
29. I don't like to be the center of attention or stand out. Maybe it stems from literally standing out my whole life. (See no 9)
30. The best (and....strangest) compliment I ever received was when a complete stranger told me he thought I was the most pure person he had ever seen in his life. 😳
31. I love sports and being active. I was once told that because I was so tall I would be good at rowing, so one spring I joined the ERC (Edmonton Rowing Club) intro class, and I loved it! I was surrounded by super tall people like myself. I got busy with taking care of my little kids, but I hope to re-join the club and row again one day.
32. When I was 2 years old I slipped on some ice and smashed my face into a thin cement block, breaking the cement block in half. My parents thought my 2 front teeth had been knocked out. They searched for them but could never find them. The dental X-ray later showed that they had been pushed back up into my gums. I am so glad I don't remember any of that, including what I assume was excruciating pain!
33. Summer is my favorite of all the seasons. Life in general is just easier in the summer.
34. My favorite treat of all time are the Brookside Dark Chocolate covered Acai berries and Blueberries. YUM.
My birthday this year was wonderful. Ben had to work, but he graciously got up at 5:30 am with me to go run stairs! On my request of course haha. I LOVE being up early. I know I feel tired, and I don't love that, but I just love the early mornings, and the feeling that you are one of the first people awake. Weird, I know.
I came down to this...
So sweet of Ben. There was really nothing I wanted as a wrapped gift this year, but he still went and got me some things he thought I'd like, which I did. A necklace, my favorite body spray that I'm running low on, and some movies he knows I like.
When we were first married, we lived on the south end of 124st, close to downtown. It was a one bedroom apartment, in a small, old building, but we loved it! We would sometimes walk to these long stairs close by and run up and down them for exercise. I remember doing it by myself too a few times after work. That whole part of my life brings me good memories. So naturally, those were the stairs I asked him to go run with me that morning. The weather was gorgeous that morning, and the views were spectacular...
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| The U of A across the river |
Bracing ourselves...
So the stairs are broken up by a road we have to cross. I don't know how many stairs in total, but I think about 200.
Legs are on fire in this pic!
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| Smiling...on the outside |
This was after a couple of flights. Oh what magic an instagram filter can do for the red face after exercising!
And this was when we were done. Only 3 flights. I was not used to running stairs on this day! Since then (yes I am completing this blog post about 3 weeks late) we have been running stairs at a closer location 3x a week, and we have both greatly improved.
We walked around for a bit after...Ben hates selfies as this pic clearly shows haha! He let me take a ton that day... it WAS my birthday after all. It was one of his many gifts to me :)
So Ben went to work for the day. My friend Kali and I and our kids went to Fred Broadstock Pool for the afternoon. It was fun but SO crowded and busy. Makes me grateful for our beach. But it was a fun change of scenery, and the kids loved that diving board! There is Lily...
Ready to hit the town! Another of Ben's sweet gifts to me was him shaving his beard off! I love beards, but sometimes I just want him clean shaven again.
We went to Julio's Barrio on Whyte for dinner. I specifically went there for the DFIC (Deep fried ice cream)!
I think we earned this....
It was SO hot that night, but lovely at the same time. We got good seats in the restaurant, not outside, but not quite inside either. Just inside enough to feel the AC! So we got some great people watching in haha. The folks walking Whyte Ave that night did not disappoint! We saw interesting and random things including a woman carrying a bumblebee piñata and a couple riding a tandem bicycle.
I love the Whyte Ave area, the Strathcona farmers market area and the University area, which is kind of where we were all night. 3 of my favorite parts of all of Edmonton.
The Fringe started that night, and it was fun to walk around and check out the street performers that were there. Because of the Fringe, they were running the High Level Streetcar at night. I love the Trolley ride! We go every year. So this was our annual trip. First time at night and first time without kids!
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| The train conductor took our picture and then put his hat on my head for another pic! |
We got off at the ledge and wandered around for a bit. Checked out the new fountains. Then got caught in the rain! The rain was short lived so it was ok.
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| Ben cooling his feet |
Thank you Ben, my love, for a wonderful day! Wonderful from dawn until dusk!
The girls (minus Izzy, who was at Girls Camp) did a great job baking me this cake the next day.
And made a glorious mess in the kitchen in the process...
It was delicious! Thank you girls!
Here's to being 34!
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