Year in review: the top ten things learned or earned

Today being the last day of 2007, I thought I'd spend some time reflecting on the things I've learned this year and on the victories I've achieved. So here's my top-ten, in no particular order.

1. Life has more zest when you don't have fifty extra pounds to lug around.
2. I can achieve goals I set for myself.
3. I walked a half-marathon.
4. Pantyhose is still difficult to put on.
   
5. I no longer have to shop in plus-sized stores.
6. I learned to take pride in myself again.
7. Rum is not my friend.
8. Healthy food can be filling AND tasty.
9. I crave Kraft Dinner when I'm sick.
   
10. I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of my husband as well as my online friends. Without the kind words, the help, the gentle remonstrations and suggestions, I'd be lost somewhere in Denmark, looking for a vending machine full of chips and chocolate. I love you all!
    

Okay, so now it's your turn! Post your top ten on your blog, I'd love to read it!

The goose is back (a.k.a. Forty-seventh "weigh-in")

My apologies for the delay in writing. It's been so busy these past few weeks I've barely had time to sleep! But I'm back now and ready to get into the swing of things again. As you can see, I had a great time on my ski vacation. That's me in my new pirate toque, showing off my mad ski skills. If ever you get a chance to go skiing for Christmas instead of dealing with the dysfunctional mess of family and inlaws, I highly recommend it.

So, where to start? My "free food pass" plan backfired. I was so off plan, it was like I was doing some sort of twilight zone ass-backwards version of Weight Watchers. Haha! But the thing is, I don't feel guilty. Well, I do sorta feel guilty...for not feeling guilty! Hehe. Well, really, I gave myself permission to go to it. And I did. And then some! So much so, that my home scale says I've gained five pounds. It's amazing just how quickly it goes back on, doesn't it?

Although I did go to my meeting today, I didn't actually weigh-in. I used one of those "No Weigh-in" passes I've been hoarding. I'm okay with gaining, but I didn't want to hear a lecture that would make me feel not okay with it, you know?

And while we're on the subject of confessions, here's another one: I haven't been to Curves in over six months. I guess I just fell out of habit with it and once one month went by, the next month went by just as quick. However, in the spirit of getting back at things and removing the extra five pounds of english toffee, tarts, turkey, and pudding I've accumulated, I finally dragged my butt in there this morning after the meeting. As usual, I'm glad I went.

There was a new girl there (who didn't bug me, just the kind of girl I like!) and it was easy to slip back into the routine. While I was on the leg push machine, I came to two realizations: first, I haven't shaved my legs for awhile. Second, somewhere along the way, my legs have gotten skinnier. So much so, I kept staring at them all through the workout even when it was safer to keep my eyes on the task at hand. When a muscle would start to kink, my brain would kick in gear and drag my eyes away from my legs. Even now I keep staring at that picture of me up above. Even with the ski pants, my legs are looking distinctly skinnier!

Anyways, I hope everyone's holidays went well and I wish you all a belated Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and bright blessings on the solstice :)

Forty-sixth weigh-in

I actually didn't make it in to weigh-in on this day. I was too busy with packing and prepping for my vacation! I'm recording it anyways so that I know how many weeks I've been on Weight Watchers :)

Christmas is coming and the goose is...

Well, the goose is having problems. As I mentioned way back when, I have family issues when it comes to food. At Christmas time, these issues are much more pronounced. More than any time of the year, Christmas was when the treats came out. Christmas was when, for a small period of time, our family didn't feel so poor. We'd have mincemeat tarts, cookies, chips, dip, foil-covered chocolate balls, and lots of other treats that we didn't get any other time of the year.

In short, for me, Christmas is intertwined with food. And so far this year, I'm having no great success in untangling it. The nearer the day gets, the more deprived I've been feeling. I've been letting off the steam in small barely-managed bursts of treat eating. Sunday afternoon, the dam burst. There was a plate of cookies, a bowl of foil-covered chocolate balls, and...well...it snowballed from there.

Today I'm feeling equally rebellious. I've eaten some chocolates that a client brought in as a gift. I also didn't say "no" to the Hazelnut Lindt ball that my coworker saved for me. I even encouraged my manager to bring in her famous rumballs. If you're thinking this is sounding like an imminent train wreck, you'd be right. The brakes aren't working and the engineer is talking on her cel phone.

So I'm making a deal with myself today. Since separating food from Christmas is just about nigh impossible for me right now, I'm giving myself permission to go ahead and eat treats from now until the day I get back from skiing. Yes, a free food pass. However...and there's the big however right there...I also have to do something for my physical well-being in return. Here's what I'm going to do to keep it together:

• Have a nutritious breakfast every morning
• Take my multivitamin
• Drink at least 6 glasses of water each day
• Exercise every day
• Practice moderation as much as possible

I am also going to continue to do what I've been trying to do. And that's to find fun Christmasy things to do that don't involve food. All of this is damage control to be sure. And yes, there's a whole lot more that I could be doing. But it's a start and better than letting the train tumble into the canyon.

I also realize that weight gain is likely. I'm hoping though that with permission given, a sense of responsibility will prevail. As they say in the movies, with great foil-covered chocolate eating power comes great responsibility.

Curling at Christmas

Last night was my husband's office party. He works with a lot of extroverted people who tend to be focused on appearances. They're what I'd call the "popular" crowd in high school. With my weight ballooning over the years, I hated going to the party and being the only overweight socially-inept wallflower there. For the last couple of years, I managed to avoid going altogether.

However, the party this year was a learn-to-curl party. And being the curious gal I am, I decided that learning to curl sounded too much fun to pass up despite my social ineptitude. The desire to learn even trumped my trepidation at having my weight loss noticed. Though my weight loss has given me more confidence, some of these people can be catty. I'd just as soon as melt into the wall than be noticed by them.

But I sucked it up, put on a nice sweater and went anyways. I felt a little like a bug under a microscope. I could tell some people had noticed just by their expressions, but blissfully they didn't say anything to my face.

However, when we finally got on the ice, I knew that I'd made a huge mistake. The last thing in the world I wanted was to wipe out on the ice in front of all these people. But then a funny thing happened...one of the fellows on our team who seemed to be about as inept as I was (at curling and at social functions), fell as he tried sliding the rock for the first time. I could see he felt badly and embarrassed so I made a decision right then and there that I'd show him it was okay to fall. So, after he went, I went. I slid, I threw the rock, and then I fell on my bum rather spectacularly. He started laughing which is what I had hoped for.

The rest of the lesson went well and sooner than we knew it, we had won our first round and were playing another team. I knew the people on the other team as they were longtime employees. One of them, a good coworker and friend of my husband's stopped me mid-ice. He hadn't seen me for awhile and was blown away at how good I was looking what with my weight loss. He even touched my chin as he said it. I guess he wanted to point out just how thin I was looking. It was a little weird, but cool at the same time as he isn't one of the catty people and isn't normally a touchy-feely person.

For the rest of the night, I had a blast. I learned to curl, hurry-hard, and not be too intimidated by all these extroverted people. And towards the end of the evening, my husband's coworker again approached me, again complimented me and said that I looked like a shadow of my former self. I found out later that his wife also mentioned how good I was looking to my husband.

This morning my knee hurts, my head hurts, and I have "ice" throat. However, I'm feeling happy and accomplished. The night I learned to curl will go down as one of my better Christmas memories.

Forty-fifth Weigh-in

This week, I managed to lose what I gained last week – 1.4 lbs. This means I'm back over the 50 lb mark. Yay! Hehe, I'm a bit more confident in this loss as I know it wasn't entirely due to sickness.

At the meeting today, our leader went over the new 2008 materials as well as a small change to the Core plan. We received a revised Week 1 booklet (one small change that only affects Core), a "KickStart Your Success" booklet, a smaller points finder (thank goodness), and another No Weigh-in Pass.

Of the new materials, the KickStart booklet is the one I'm most excited about. It's been designed for people new to the plan, but it's also a good way to get back on track if you've been at it for a while. There's meal plans, recipes, wallet-sized quick reference cards (with snack ideas and restaurant "best bets"), and a shopping list. I'm hoping I'll find time this week to try some of it out!

Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone who was kind enough to leave such wonderful and encouraging comments on my progress pic. I really wouldn't be where I am right now without the inspiration that I receive from each and everyone of you. So thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means so much to me :)

Progress pictures: 50 lbs

As promised, a photo from my fancy night out in my new duds. After all my protestations, I wound up getting an almost sleeveless shirt, haha.



Anyways, the one on the left is me at my heaviest (sorry it's a repeat; there's not many of me when I was heavy) and the one on the right is after 50 lbs gone.

Oh, and thanks again everyone for your fashion help. I'm sorry I wasn't able to order the winning dress. Next year I need to start earlier!

Festive Sunday

Last night went really well and I think I even looked pretty darned good! I have pics taken but I need to format them still. However, I'll be heading out shortly to help some friends with Christmas shopping so it'll have to wait.

It started to snow this morning so husband and I went out for a walk. Which is fortunate because I'm spending my APs on some hot mini-mincemeat tarts fresh from the oven right now. I made them as point-friendly as I could by using mini-tart shells and only two teaspoons of filling. They work out to 1.5 points each which is quite reasonable. Yummy!

Forty-fourth Weigh-in

My wish was granted! I've regained some of the weight I lost when I was sick. Teehee, I never thought I'd be happy to regain a little weight. Yep, I'm up 1.4 lbs this week and couldn't be happier. While this does inch me back under 50 lbs lost, I'm celebrating anyways as I've still come a long way. Hehe, the receptionist couldn't figure out why I was so pleased when she recorded my gain :)

I'm still planning on posting pics later with me all dressed up. Here's hoping for a good hair day!

Concert and a coupon

Since I'm still feeling better (touch wood!), I took the plunge and just now ordered some tickets for my sweetie and I. I'm taking us to a Christmas music concert tomorrow night. I was going to just dress as nice as I could with what I have, but then someone on the WeightWatchers.ca board shared out that there's a 20% off coupon on Reitmans' site. Woot! I'm definitely going to check out what they have tonight or tomorrow.

I wub coupons and so am passing it on to the rest of you. Get out there and shop for something special, you deserve it! :)

• Reitmans 20% off coupon (valid December 6, 7, and 8)

Thanks to perkyhappygirl for finding it!

UPDATE:
I just got back from shopping. Success! Reitmans has a lot of really pretty holiday tops right now and at very good prices. Little black dresses not so much. But, I found a sparkly black top, some black dress pants (that fit!!) and two necklaces. I even saved about $18 with the coupon.

Tomorrow I'll post some pics of my new ensemble. It's about time for some progress pics :)

Honey from my honey

As I was preparing for bed last night, my husband magically appeared beside me with a spoon and a squeeze bottle of honey. Apparently, he'd read about the study that found honey soothes kids' coughs better than cough medicine. He wanted to make sure I had a better sleep and so brought me some honey. Awwwww!

I dutifully had a spoonful* and I'm happy to say I had a solid nights sleep. Whether or not it worked or was just a happy coincidence, I'm feeling much more awake this morning than I have all week. *takes an experimental sniff* And I can still breathe out of both nostrils. Bonus! Three cheers for nostrils.

I'm still going to take it easy. If there's one thing I've learned with this cold is that if I overdo it (like on Wednesday night when I went Christmas shopping) I'll wipe myself out. I might just forgo dress shopping and go straight to a night out. A night out with my honey is a special reward with or without a dress :)

* A teaspoon of honey is roughly half a point. And yes, I calculated that before I had it. Haha, the life of someone on Weight Watchers!

Breathing is awesome

Despite a rough night last night, I think I'm finally on the mend. I woke up last night in a fit of coughing which turned into a fit of dry heaving when my stomach felt left out of the action. I'm dead tired today as a result, but I gotta say...breathing through your nose is seriously awesome. It should be right up there in the top ten list of Bodily Functions That Rock.

Planwise, well...it's not been totally out the window while I've been sick, but it hasn't been great. According to my home scale, I've gained a bit of weight since last week. I'm not fretting about it in the least though. Right now all I want is to get better and regaining some "sick" weight is fine by me.

I still have my eye on getting a little black dress. I'm hoping tomorrow I'll be bright eyed, bushy tailed, still breathing out of both nostrils, and up for clothes shopping. There's a Christmas concert on Saturday night that would be lovely to go to.

The little black dress continued

Thanks everyone for casting your votes! I like "A" the most, too. However, I should've checked inventory before setting my heart on it. All they have left is red and a size 8. Boo! I did visit my local Sears to see if they had anything similar and had no luck. All the nice looking dresses are sleeveless which is a pity*.

I'm hoping that I'll get better soon and can make it out to a mall. Right now I'm so dead tired I can hardly make it through the day.


* Call me old fashioned, but I just hate going sleeveless. Not only do my underarm bulges hang out, but going sleeveless means something much much worse: having to buy a suitable bra to go with it. I know plenty of people would say "so what?" If it weren't for the fact that I despise bra shopping, I'd agree with them. But no...I loathe bra shopping with the very fibre of my being. I'd rather be strapped to a chair and forced to listen to "achy breaky heart" over and over again than go bra shopping.

Blog update

My apologies to anyone who might've been lurking around while I was messing with the template. I'm finished for now, but I still have my eye on a few things that I'd like to tweak. Please let me know if you've any problems viewing the new layout. I've tested it in Firefox and IE6 but can't speak for Netscape, Opera, or IE7.

Oh, and please do let me know how you like the new header!

The little black dress

First of all, thanks everyone for your kind words! You guys really do keep me going :)

Second of all, I'm thinking I might buy a little black dress as my 50 lb loss reward. Although there's no special parties to go this season, I think it'd be really nice to have a night on the town with my husband. A theatre show and a (points-friendly) dinner would be so nice. However, I haven't owned a nice dress since oh...I got married seven years ago.

I went over to Sears.ca to poke around their dress selection and guess what? They finally got around to adding a MyVirtualModel feature to it! Best of all, if you've created an MVM account before, you can sign in using it so you don't have to redo your model. So far, Sears.ca only has dresses and swimsuits, but it's a good start.

So here's where I need your help. I'm fashion-challenged, so I've no idea what looks good, is in style, or anything like that. Here's my choices courtesy of Sears.ca. What do you think? What looks the nicest for a night on the town? A, B, C, or D?

Forty-third Weigh-in

Wow. Well. I don't know how to say it, but here goes: I lost 2.2 lbs this week. This means I've now lost over 50 lbs. And yes, it's in part to being sick this week, but I'll take it. Oh boy oh boy oh boy will I take it!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

And check out my new WW charm. It's another dumbbell/washer, but copper-coloured this time. It's hard to make out, but it says "50lbs." It's so purdy! I also received another star for my bookmark. That makes 10 of those shiny little guys and I couldn't be prouder of them!


Once I'm feeling better, I'll think of a suitable reward and what my next Italian bracelet charm will be. Right now, I'm too tired to celebrate properly except to say....

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!