"Stabilization"

So I'm on stabilization and lost 1 pound! LOL! Always a good thing though. Went out shopping, ready to drop big bucks...and came home with one top!! I'm getting a good collection of tops, but I really need some pants and soon!! I bought a pair of jeans (finally) when I went out on Monday and I actually exchanged them today for a smaller size as I felt that they would stretch too much. But other than that, I can't find any pants that I like in any store!!! I may just get another couple pairs of jeans?! Well, I suppose this is a nice dilema to have! ;o)

Before & After

Ok, I am getting brave here! Tonight I tried on many different outfits to test out my "after" photo that I will be getting taken at the weight-loss centre tomorrow. So I thought I'd share my before & after photos here for you. Thank you so much to everyone who has contacted me and commented, I am so thankful that I am able to provide inspiration to you all! :o)

Goal Date Is Here!!

Wow! I can't believe that my goal date was yesterday! I am 2lb shy of my goal weight, but I'm trying not to fret over it. It all happened so fast when I checked in with the weight-loss centre yesterday, I am officially on the "Stabilization" program. Which means that I am slowly given more food to eat over a period of 6 weeks. So now I get an extra serving of starch & fruit! YAY!

However, I still have a problem seeing the overweight girl I once was. :( I'm not sure whether to try to continue losing more weight or just try to be happy where I am at now. It's funny, but I've never been happy with my body. So even if I lose an extra 5-10lb, I may still feel this way?! Ugh! Why can't I just be happy with the way I am?! Must go on a shopping spree so I feel better! LOL! Really...when I try on all those size 9/10 clothes, I do feel MUCH better and it's then that I can tell my body has changed!! :o) I have my eye on a few nice things I saw at the mall yesterday. BTW, what's with DD being obsessed with spiders?! We go to the pet store and she just loves to look at the spiders! YUCK!

Will keep you posted on my stabilization progress. :o)

Just 2.2lb to go!!!

WOW! Some days it feels so unbelievable that I am so close to my goal weight! Just over 2lb to go. What a journey it has been and I sure learned a lot, about myself & food. I must admit the last couple of weeks have been frustrating and slow moving. Sometimes I worry that I am too complacent and worry what that will do over time. But one step at a time, I suppose.

:o)

Officially 5.4lb to go!!!

Wow! I'm almost down to the last 5lb!! This is extremely exciting and I am just thrilled with the way things have gone. In fact, I'm so thrilled that I am probably going to try and lose another 5-10lb once I reach my goal, but I don't want to push it. The last 10lb have been so hard to lose. Though the holidays/birthdays/colds haven't helped! But I seem to be back on track finally! I actually can't wait to get into more of a routine next week when DD's classes & such start up again.

I've been alternating between two jeans (both purchased at the thrift store for $4.99), nothing else fits me now. Even they are starting to get a bit baggy now! I filled up two huge garbage bags full of clothes that I will take to the local consignment store in hopes they can sell them for me. I, of course, kept two pants for my "after" photos! :o) It felt great to fill those bags up, however, sad about all of the money I spent getting new clothes last summer because I gained so much weight. Some of the clothes I never even wore!!!

I got some money for clothes for my birthday and Christmas, so once I'm at my goal weight a shopping I will go! WHOO, HOO! It's a hoot trying things on now. I can actually walk into almost any store now to buy clothes and they usually have my size stocked! I finally went bra shopping and was pleased to find a very comfortable, flattering bra! So I bought two! :o)

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We've all been battling the cold in this house, as well as my family! It's been going on for weeks now. I think me & DD are finally feeling a bit better, but DH seems to be fighting it still. :o(

I have totally cleaned up my craft room, so I was actually able to sit down and work on a layout. The first one I used my sewing machine on! Looks awesome! Though I couldn't finish it as I am waiting for some buttons & ribbon in the mail and will go to the LSS to cut out a title. I have soooo many different ideas for layouts and albums, sometimes it's a little overwhelming. Can't wait to get more scrapping time!

:o)

8lb TO GO!

Whoo, hoo! Made it through the silly season without gaining!! However, I didn't lose much in the last little while. :o( Feel like I've hit a slump, but still feeling great about my new body!! I'm so ready to lose that last 8lb, and my goal date is approaching fast.

My birthday & Christmas went by fast. I got lots of goodies including a large MIMI rolling tote to take on my scrapbook retreats (have two booked for this Spring!), a subscription to Scrapbookers Etc., lots of books, some clothes, a sewing machine (for those scrapbook pages! Hee, hee. Guess I should learn how to sew! LOL!), and so many other great things!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas & have a safe and happy new year.

:o)

Down 30lb!

OMG! That seemed like the hardest time to get down to the 30lb mark!! Another 10lb to go, so that will probably be even harder! Must think positive though! I've been thinking that once I lose the final 10lb, I will maybe try to lose another 5-10lb more. That would be super!! I am still ahead of my goal date & there's nothing stopping me! :o)

It's unbelievable how much more confident I feel about myself. I used to be the quiet mouse hiding in the corner! What I've gone through in the last three months has forever changed me, and I can only hope that I am forever changed. I still have to get started on my mini scrapbook album about my whole journey I've been through with this. I think that when I have that done it will serve as a reminder of just how I felt and why I chose to start this life change and why I don't want to go back!!

I am totally noticing that it is easier to move & I am far more comfortable. I actually went out bra shopping the other day and am so happy that I can fit into a "regular size" bra! It is so exciting!

:o)

Slowly But Surely

I feel like I'm dragging my feet over the last 15lb! I'm going slow motion here and not sure what's going on. I think I'm just complacent to be where I am at right now, but am anxious to just lose the rest of the weight!!

I'm at exactly 26lb lost and almost 31" lost. Who wouldn't be happy about that?! I am ecstatic of course and I have seen & felt so many changes. I went dress shopping with my Mum and I went from a size 18 to 10 since last year!! :o) Then I went into Reitmans to just try stuff on and had a ball!!

I am hoping to lose 8lb before my birthday!

Brrrr...it's so cold out there tonight!

:o)

Been a While

I feel like it's been so long since I last posted! I am having a bit of a struggle as of late with watching what I eat. I am still doing good, still ahead of the game, but I feel that I could be doing much better. I am still tempted with some foods and worry I will break down and eat a lifetime of desserts all in one sitting!! I keep telling myself that once I am on maintenance, I can give myself the odd treat and not feel guilty. I love my fat-free treats of mango sorbet, popcorn, chocolate/vanilla pudding, & ice cream sandwiches; without those, I would be lost. LOL!

At present, I've lost 23.4lb and have 16.6lb left to lose!!! WHOO HOO! I am hoping that I can lose 10lb by my birthday, December 23rd. :o) That would be the best present!!

The silly season has started. I was looking at our calendar and we have something on every weekend from now until Christmas. We are also hoping to get our kitchen renovations started soon. The interior designer will bring in a kitchen designer to measure up our kitchen and draw us a few 3-D plans. Then it is just depends on how busy he is as to when we will start ripping things out. It's so exciting!

I have been feverishly de-cluttering our home. Including all of the closets! DH was at Ikea and bought a great storage system for DD's toys. So it will be so nice to get those all organized and out of the kitchen. It's hard to believe how much clutter we had!! And it feels so good to let it all go and organize the house. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an organizational nut, so it was killing me not having the place organized. DH has hundreds of vintage toys he's been buying and they were all over the place, mainly beside our bed! I finally had enough and boxed them up. Until we get a proper display unit there is no sense in having them sit in boxes all over the house. I still have a lot of de-cluttering left to do, but I was ill for a while. I'll be back at it soon enough. Once we have a designated space for everything (mainly DH's papers) then we should be able to keep it organized.

This is all thanks to Debby from SSS for posting on her blog the book "Too Much Stuff: De-Cluttering Your Heart And Home" by Katheryn Porter. I started de-cluttering even before I received the book, but loved reading it. She has some great perspectives on clutter and it was a great read.

:o)

HALF WAY MARK!! TOTAL 20.8lb LOST!!

What an exciting day! I hit the half way mark today and am just thrilled!! My emotions just took over when I realized that I'm half way through the road to weight-loss :o)

I've felt so different lately, and it's wonderful changes. I've been going through my closet putting away my clothes that I bought after I'd gained all of my weight (I'm going to keep them until I've reached my goal weight and do some after photos with them!), and trying to find something I can still fit into. I gave away all of my clothes that were too small a while back save one pair of pants, so let's hope they see me through the next 20lb loss. I don't want to buy anything until I've lost the rest of my weight, 19.2lb to go. But not sure how long I'll be able to hold out buying new clothes!

I've also noticed changes with my body. First off, I hardly ever wake up to numb fingers & hands, there must have been lots of pressure on my nerves before. Secondly, I can SEE a huge difference when I look in the mirror. And now I do not shy away from the camera like I used to and rather enjoy posing again and seeing myself in photos :o) I'm actually asking DH to take my photo!! LOL! It feels so great and I can't imagine how I will feel in two more months.

I have taken a photo at 0lb lost, 10lb lost &18lb lost and love to look at them often and see the differences and how far I've come! [But those won't get posted until I have reached my goal weight ;o) ]

Here I am 20.8lb lighter with DD on Hallowe'en:




As for my "treat" when I've reached my goal weight...I think I will arrange a professional photo shoot! That would be so much fun :o) But something only for me & DH's eyes! LOL! ;o

Hope you all had a Happy Hallowe'en!

:o)

Back from Retreat

Well, I am back from the scrapbooking retreat at Harrison Hot Springs. Managed to spend a small fortune, but it was so much fun!! Didn't get a lot of scrapping done, but fun nonetheless.

I was such a good girl with my diet (I thought so anyways). (Even though I didn't bring enough of my supplement pills with me. Grrr!). I brought a few things myself like sandwiches for the drive, fruit, yogurt, snack bars, etc. That said, I didn't lose much weight over the 4 days - .4lb - but I didn't gain either!! :o)

The lady I saw at the diet centre (the "strict" one) made it clear that she was disappointed with my food diary, but I am trying not to take anything she says to heart. But that was the first time I left not feeling happy :o( I am supposed to lose 2lb a week, but I am a full two weeks ahead of my "schedule" yet she seems to still want to chastize me. I think I probably read into it all wrong, but I felt I tried so hard with my food this weekend!!!!!!!!!

I hope that once I get back on schedule I will drop lots this week. I kind of want to do it as an "I'll show you" type of thing, but I am doing it for myself. I just want to lose all of the weight and be done with it!! Argh! I guess I'm just feeling a bit frustrated. But I have to look at the whole picture (in my case my weight-loss chart, LOL!) and see that things are progressing just nicely.

:o)

Over the 15lb mark!!

I finally made it to the 15lb mark!! YAY! Total lost to date is 15.6lb and a whopping 18 inches!! I must say, I am getting so excited about losing all of this weight!! I feel so much better about myself and really feel different physically. I can't imagine what losing 24.4 more pounds will feel like!!!!!!!!! WOW!

I literally can't wear most of my pants anymore, they just fall right off. I don't want to buy any new clothes yet though. I'm wearing my "skinny pants" right now that I salvaged from my closet a while back when I was throwing most of my smaller clothes away! ROFL!

Some days I can't believe I've lost over 15lb already. I can't wait until I am half way there at 20lb! YAY, ME!

:o)

14.2lb lost 25.8lb to go!!

WOO HOO! Slowly but surely this fat is melting off! LOL! I am so close to the half way mark and am sooo excited :o)

I leave for my scrapbook retreat one week from today! Spending the night in Vancouver with a friend, then we're driving up to Harrison Hot Springs together on Friday. There is a scavenger hunt at a few of the scrapbook stores along the way, so that will be fun for sure!! Not looking forward to driving in all of the traffic, but once I'm there it'll be so great! I am so hoping to lose a little more weight before the retreat :o) I'm not looking forward to eating out :( I'll just be chanting "everything in moderation." LOL!

:o)

So Happy!!!!!!!

Wow! Today I am exactly what I weighed before I put on all of my weight in those 6 months. I still have a long way to go, but this was a sort of benchmark so to speek. The weight I lose from now on will be those extra pounds I've been carrying for all these years!! I'm so excited :o)

I am down 13.8 lb now! Tonight is a huge challenge for me...dessert will be served at the midnight crop. I am bringing my own snack and drink, and hope I don't fall for temptation! I am so better than that!! :o)

Thanksgiving is this weekend as well, so that is going to be my other great challenge. Though, strangely, I think I'll do alright. A little bit of everything in moderation sure doesn't hurt.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your long weekend! I'll check-in again on Tuesday.

:o)

WOO, HOO! 13 1/4 inches lost so far!

Got measured today and I've lost 13.25 inches!! Wow! Goodbye double chin! LOL! I'm also proudly wearing my black cords that I dug out of my "small clothes" box.

I've cut down on my free exchanges since my slow second week. I may actually have "legal" popcorn tonight while I watch my favorite TV show, Lost! :o)

I'm going to a midnight Crop for the Cure this Friday at the new local scrapbook store in Parksville to support breast cancer. I'm really looking forward to it, yet not!! Let me explain...she's serving dessert!!! Oh my! This is my big test prior to Thanksgiving dinner...will have to bring my own snack. I have tons of photos printed and ready to get cropping! I'll hopefully get two two-page layouts done plus start those mini books I've been meaning to get done! LOL!

:o)

Recovering from Weekend...

I ended up getting a mild case of my vertigo back again yesterday. :*( I was in the middle of an on-line crop and just couldn't scrapbook for another second! I had been looking forward to this for quite some time, too. So I have been slightly nausiated, but feeling a bit better today. Ella is in daycare for the day, so that gives me some recouperating time, hopefully naptime as well!! LOL!

I'm down another .4 lb, which brings me to an even 11 lb loss. I'm just so thrilled!! Though I won't really be celebrating until I'm under what I was in March. I've managed the same weight for years, even after Ella was born. Then in six months I gained close to 15lb!! So, until I get under the weight I was in March I'll be ecstatic!!! :o)

YIPPEE! I've hit the 10lb mark :o)

This is a major milestone for me! I'm now down 10.4 lb!! I am just thrilled and to celebrate I am spending the whole weekend doing an on-line scrapbooking crop! :o) It's so much fun! Tim will take Ella out and about so I can get some scrapbooking done.

I feel just great, my pants are so loose now I will have to dig out my old pants. Though I think I gave up a while back and threw all but one pair out. I'll have to check. I do have pants that I've been squeezing into, so I can now wear those comfortably.

Life is good :o)

Down a size!

I am now officially down a size! My pants are falling from my waist - I can pull them down without unzipping them!! And I can fit into an old pair of black cords, which were my favorite! My tops are looking like tents and I can fit into some that were too snug before. It is such a good feeling.

I am down 8.8 lb overall and 6.5 inches lost. Friday will be my third week mark and I am still ahead of my projected weight loss. Yippee! This is so exciting!

I'm still finding yummy meals in the diet centre's cookbook and DH is loving all these home cooked meals with veggies! LOL!

I'm back to seeing my craniosacral therapist, I'm still dealing with my head injury and this seems to relieve it for a little while anyways . I am waiting to see a specialist, but not until the end of October. I definately find that the more sleep I get the better my head feels, but nighttime is the only time to myself. DD does not nap anymore, much to my dismay!! She's just 2, but full of energy. I know she is tired, but she just won't go down for a nap. Grrr! She also doesn't sleep well during the night, we never know when she's going to sleep through the night. It's tough to recover with that disruption. But I do my best. I'm sure that losing all my weight will help with my energy levels so I can make it through the day (and nighttime disruptions!).

:o)

Made it to the Two Week Mark!

However, I am up .6 lb!! Geesh, I'm at a standstill already???? I know, I know, I've lost 7 lb so far so that is good - but not losing any MORE weight - not good. My optional "free exchange" has been taken away for a few days - what do you mean I don't really NEED those fat-free chocolate puddings and mango sorbet?! LOL! I did kind of slack off there when I was sick, but I hope to jump back on now that I'm feeling a little better :o) They've also given me a Glycemic Index, huh?! Guess some "good" foods aren't necessarily "good." (i.e. watermelon - who knew it had a high glycemic index rating?!). So I need to avoid those foods for the time being until I get back on track. I think I slacked off on measuring, too. You think you have it down pat, then you measure just to see and you're way off! LOL!

Had a declicious crab salad for lunch today and made an awesome taco salad for dinner. I baked a few tortillas in the oven and they are just like chips, yummy. I crushed them up and put them in the taco salad. It gets the nod from DH :o)

I have an option of going in to the weight-loss centre tomorrow, as she thought I may be worrying about my .6 lb increase. Me, worry? No...ok maybe...yeah I suppose it's a bit frustrating. But I won't be in to weigh myself. I'm giving myself the whole weekend. As I mentioned previously, I hate being weighed every day, yuck! Next week I start going 3x/week instead of daily. Wednesday I have the option of being measured yet again. I prefer to do that monthly, but we'll see if they let me hold out for that long! LOL!

I used to weigh myself every few months or so and record it on the calendar. So I thought I'd just check back to see when I weighed myself last. It was March 2006, and holy smokes, I had gained almost 15 lb in 6 (SIX) months!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I was just so disgusted, where was I headed???? I am so glad I took that step through the HM doors when I did!

Well, DD has finally chosen to sleep and DH has gone out sooooo - it's time for some scrappin' fun. Maybe I can start on my mini album about my journey to health :o) Make sure you check my scrapbook gallery over there ----------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>> to see my wonderful creations! LOL!

Have a great weekend!

:o)

Feeling Better

Well I'm finally feeling a bit better today. My tummy is still a bit iffy, but I'm not as dizzy. Whew!

I need to get back on track with meal planning, etc. Because I was sick for a few days I didn't worry so much about that and admittedly have not been watching my portions as well as I should. Gained about .2 lb today, but not a big gain at all. I don't like the fact that they weigh you every visit (and daily for the first two weeks, 3x/week thereafter). I like being weighed weekly and am keeping a graph chart to show my weekly progress. I love doing this, as even when I gain a little, overall the chart is pointing downwards and that's all that matters.

Many thanks to all of the emails of support! They are greatly appreciated :o) (Also doesn't make me feel that I'm just blabbing to myself here!! ROFL!!)

:o)