Success!

Hey all,

Hope you are thoroughly enjoying this thrilling Thursday! I know I am :)

I must say that pushing myself and doing well on my challenge really paid off. I weighed in and I am down 1 lb! On a week that for most women it seems impossible to NOT gain. If ya know what I'm sayin'. I stuck to weight watchers and stayed within my point and activity point allowance and was still able to enjoy myself. On Saturday I went to the beach with some friends and decided to actually ENJOY myself and splurge a little. Let me tell you that on weight watchers.. you absolutely can splurge on meals.. as long as you stay within your points.

This is what I ate for lunch:




























My god it was good! Then I had:



























Yup! Yummmy! That was followed by a thin crust pizza for dinner. ALL WITHIN MY POINTS :). I went over my daily points allowance but because I was such a good girl and actually worked my butt out I had enough activity points to splurge.

To those who say counting points is a dumb idea.. I say bite me!! Cause I can bite anything I damn well please hehehe.

Anyways.. It makes me feel FANTASTIC! I feel sooo good. I have so much support and many of you reading are my supporters so THANK YOU.

I am soo proud of my best friend who decided to join weight watchers on Friday.. and in only 5 days had a major drop! Why? Because she has been making better choices.. has been exercising more. Weight Watchers makes losing weight so much easier than the average program. It truly is a life changer.

This week I've decided to embark on a few (weekly) challenges with some of my motivation buddies (Autumn & Jenn). They are:

1. No eatting past 9pm unless it is a 0 pt food
2. Working out 4 times this week for 30-40 minutes each time.

Well last night I got my first workout in.. Zumba! Tonight I am supposed to go for a 40 minute power walk with Jenn. That means I'm already 1/2 way done in my first 2 days! HUZZAH!!!

:)

Anyways must run.. my break is over! Toodles!
xox

Stephie

Different ways to measure

Hey all!

Hope you are having a fantastic weekend. Mine has been fairly good so far.. I went hiking/trail walking with Amber on Saturday and then just hung out with the family today. It was great!

So I realized this month I have only lost .4lbs. That's not a lot. I'm not too bothered by it as I am feeling pretty comfortable with myself. I decided to do my measurements and I was VERY happy that I did! I am down 7cms this month alone. Holy shit!! That makes a total of 60 cms (and I started tracking measurements 3 months after I started losing weight.. dummy!)

That is a lot for a month. The hard work is paying off :). It feels damn good! The lack of eating out and the consistent working out and zumba is making a difference.

I am happy about that.

I also feel pretty good wearing shorter shorts than I am used to. I've never been able to wear shorts this short! I hate the look of shorts bunching up in your crotch so I was always afraid. And guess what... that didn't happen!! Makes me feel fantastic!!

My challenge is going.. okay. I have forgot to track before I ate a few things but I remember while I was eatting and pulled a "oh shit!" and tracked right away. At least I'm not forgetting and am tracking everything!

My other challenge with Autumn is going well. I am 3/4 for my workouts this week. On Wednesday Jenn and I went for an hour long walk with Noah which was fantastic.. Saturday I went hiking with Amber.. Today I did a 30 min workout on the treadmill.

Next workout will be Tuesday.. Zumba!

Should work out well and finish with a great success!!

Anyways.. It's almost 9 and that means True Blood time!! YES!!!!!

Gonna run.. toodles!

Steph

Day 19-24

Once again I had a busy, busy week/weekend and was unable to post. Thought it was worth it. I got to spend time with the people I love and also got to spend quality time with my family.

Day 19-Wednesday
Zumba, Zumba, Zumba!! My favourite activity to do. I put in my short 25 minute DVD and shook my booty until I was dripping in sweat.. DAMN IT FELT GOOD!!

Day 20-Thursday-

Thursday I didn't get up to TOO much. Mom and I went to visit Jenn, Brandin and baby Noah. He's so perfect. I love him soooooo much already. Didn't have too much time to spare so I just did a 20 minute leisurely walk with my mom over the lunch hour :) It was nice


Day 21- Friday
I look forward to Friday's SOO much. Especially fridays of a long weekend! Of course I dance down the steps at the end of the day and sing as I walk to my car :). I went home and mom and I went for a 55 minute power walk. It felt SOOOO good! I then went to Pete's house that evening and we chilled out and watched a few of our shows :).


Day 22- Saturday

Saturday was INSANELY hot. It was soo hot even just sitting in the sun made me drip in sweat. I decided to wait until the evening to do any exercise and even then Pete and I just did a leisurely stroll to the aquarium and then to Pita Pita to get dinner. I was still hot after that :| I also did about 20 minutes of cleaning that day. Felt good to be able to move indoors without feeling hot as heck.

Day 23- Sunday

I told Pete on Saturday I was going to be doing zumba this day. And he said .. and what if you DON'T do Zumba? My reply "There is no NOT doing zumba.. there is only doing!" And that is what I did. I zumba'd for exactly 45 minutes! And it felt great!! I also got to enjoy some family time as it was my Omi's birthday which is ALWAYS fun. I'm so lucky to have such a fabulous family.

Day 24- Monday

I was really bad yesterday. I did not eat very well at all. Everyone on weight watchers has bad days. If it wasn't for those bad days we wouldn't really be able to get back on track and realize what needs to be done.

Pete and I went to Booster Juice yesterday and then went for a 30-40 minute stroll in Waterloo Park which was nice. Always love spending time with him <3


Overall it was a good weekend. I could have been a bit better in the healthy eatting department but eh, oh well!

What can I do now but improve??

:)

Have a good week. I'll update after I do Zumba tonight!

Steph

Day 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 AND 17

Day 12- Wednesday

I felt like poop on Wednesday.. I was let down from my gain and didn't feel like doing anything. Mom and I went to Costco and then to Fairview mall..(had fun OF COURSE). I got home and was exhausted. I knew I could have counted what I had done in walking as my activity of the day but I didn't. I forced myself to work out.  I must have whined (internally) at least 20 times how I didn't want to work out and one day wouldn't kill me and how I should just be lazy and watch TV.

Did I?

NOPE. I got off my ass.. got on my runners and got my ass on that treadmill and powered through for 30 minutes. I then put my ass on that exercise ball and worked out for another 15. And how did I feel after that? FANTASTIC!!!!!! GREAT SUCCESS!!! Don't expect results from excuses!

I was sooo happy I pushed myself to do that because I know the next day I would have regretted not doing it.

Day 13- Thursday

Thursday was a pretty busy day for me. I knew I wouldn't have time after work to do my workout as I was going straight to Jenns and there was a chance I would have to stay the night. I decided to get my activity in at work. I carried a bunch of books over to the opposite side of the office and rearranged and cleaned this bookshelf. I also got rid of about 200 magazines. Wasn't much but it still took me 40 mins :).

Thursday night I hung out with my bestie and we had a fabulous time (as always!) She is the best friend a girl could ever have :)

Day 14- Friday-

Friday was another crazy busy day :). I rushed to Jenns house immediately after work to dog sit her dogs for a few hours as she was in the hospital having a BABY!! Yes Friday was the day Jenn gave birth to Noah. He is so precious and beautiful. I love him sooo much already! I was sooo lucky to be able to see him. I went in with her parents so was one of the very first (I am so blessed). Jenn is such a champ!!! So happy for her and Brandin. They are going to make the most amazing parents ever :)

Friday I got in my activity at work by setting up our lunch room for the potluck and carrying food back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. This was the one AND ONLY time I have been happy that no one offered to help.. gave me more time to build up activity points lol I'm so lame. It was a great time though and everybody enjoyed themselves. And they enjoyed my mango/avocado salsa which was a huge hit!

Day 15- Saturday

Saturday I was pretty exhausted so I had a slow day. I woke up.. had breakfast and relaxed a bit. I ended up doing my zumba video which made me feel great :) (as per usual). I was also very lazy for the rest of the day and mainly watched Mad Men haha. I'm a bum.

Day 16- Sunday

Sunday was great! I woke up.. gave mom her Mother's Day presents and made her a crepe breakfast. It was great! I then took my doggy for a 35 minute power walk down the road. I also ended up going for a 20 minute stroll with Pete later that day.

It was such a beautiful day and it was really nice to sit out in the sun with my lovely family. I enjoy their company sooo much :). They are so special to me.

Went to Pete's house after dinner and watched Game of Thrones which was INSANE and then Mad Men which was pretty awesome as well :). Kinda sucks I have no episodes to catch up on :P

Day 17- Monday
Monday was stressful and busy. I counted my activity as my grocery shopping and lugging a shit load of groceries up the stairs.. That is always a fun job!! :|

Volunteering was okay. Crazy at first but I ended up having a very fun time.

Anyways.. there is my update :)

I will post tonight again.

Toodles

xo

Stephie

My week: update!

OK! I am going to sit here and write a blog post from beginning to end! I have started soooooo many in the last few days and have been too busy to finish.

So I weighed in yesterday and didn't lose anything.. but I did stay the same which is okay. Although I do want to lose instead of maintaining.. a gain did not happen :) So it's okay! Plus I've been fairly active lately so it doesn't bug me as I feel I may still be gaining muscle.

A lot has happened over the last week starting with last friday my beautiful cousin Becky got married and it was an amazing event. She looked so beautiful and I'd be lying if I said I didnt cry at least 3 times during the ceremony. YES I AM A BABY AT WEDDINGS. hehe It was so nice to be able to spend time with my family but dammmmmn I am learning how much I hate walking in heels. They're so pretty but the next day my feet hate me! OH WELL :)

On Saturday I decided not to get a workout in as I was feeling crappy and a bit hungover and I was in pain (because of my shoes). Though I did go for a 15 minute walk with my man that evening.. at least something! :)

I honestly can't remember much about Sunday but it was a beautiful day and I got to spend time with my bestie which is always awesome :)

Monday was good.. I wasn't able to get in much of a workout as I work 9-5:30 and then leave to go to ROOF and am there until 10:30. I came home and decided to do a 15 minute work out on my exercise ball. I did situps, butt lifts (?) and the ones where I pass the ball up between my arms and legs (that ones the hardest). I felt good knowing I was able to get a workout in though.

Tuesday night mom and I decided to do our new Zumba DVD and we had a lot of fun! I recognized a lot of the moves from the classes which was good :) The only difference was that we didn't have 6 huge fans blasting us from above so I was sweaty as hell! Nothing feels as good as the feeling you get after pushing yourself in a workout. That feeling afterwards is unreal :).

I also got to watch my show Ringer which is sooo amazing and I HIGHLY recommend you watch it. It's seriously addicting and I can't seem to get enough!

Wednesday was interesting. I tried something I had never done before and was mildly scared to try. Most of the people who know me pretty well know that I HATE and am afraid of ice.. especially falling. I had a bad experience growing up. Anyways, I got on the ice and tried it and may have spazzed out a bit but finally got the hang of it and had fun! AND I only fell twice.. ! hehe

We played for about 2.5 hours which was fun. I calculated it as a low impact activity and got 8 pts (I calculated 2 hours for that). I was surprised and happy.. but man do my thighs hurt today lol. I'm happy I did it and am even happier that I actually had fun! I did have a great, supportive team which made a WORLD of a difference. Thanks Bart and Nadiya if you are reading this :)

I got to spend time with my bestest friend last night :). It was a great time as usual. I splurged for dinner last night and had Harveys. Seems bad but I did make the better choice. I got a original burger and fries which I believe was 18 or 19 points instead of a poutine which would have been 22 points ALONE. It seems like a lot but I did have a lot of points left over :) And had extra activity points. It was sooooooooooooooooooo worth it to :)

It was a great evening and I am looking forward to our hangouts tonight.

I wanted to ask.. does anyone else notice 11:11 on the clock? I've gone weeks with seeing it every single day.. weird...

Anyways.. I wanted to add I want to start making a weekly WW goal. This week I want to earn at least 25 activity points :). I've already earned 8 and am doing Zumba again tomorrow so we shall see.

I will keep you updated :)

Stephie

My clothes feel looser!

I just wanted to say that I am feeling great this week!

Twice I've heard that my clothes are looking looser! A male coworker told me my pants are fitting a lot looser and last night Jenn said one of my hoodies looked so much bigger!

It's true. I had those pants before and couldn't even button them up let alone zip them up all the way. Now they're my "comfy work pants" lol. They fit very loose.

And the hoodie used to be very tight!! Now it fits me in a completely different way and I love it :)

hehe

Just wanted to send a quick update! Almost time to go home and I can't WAIT to work out :) Think I'll do treadmill and exercise ball tonight :)

Day 21

I can't believe I've been working out for 3 weeks STRAIGHT!! Its such a nice feeling :).

Hope you were able to get out on this beautiful, sunny day! I was inspired to go shopping for some spring clothes by the warm temperatures. Plus it's a great de-stressing activity :). ooooh the great things I learn from my mother! :)

I love how neon colours are in! I bought a neon pink tank and am going to go back for the yellow one next month. I looked like a highlighter and it makes me happy ahahah. I'll post a pic when I buy it :). I feel like I need to do a photoshoot or something soon as I havent posted any before/after pics in awhile. Last pic was in October?? Time for an update!! haaha I'll see if I can work up the courage in the next few weeks to do that. I hate full length body pics.

Today I have already worked out. I took Brady for a walk when I got home from breakfast with Jenn.. (which was awesome). We went for a walk to the end of my road and back which was 20 mins or so. He's so funny lol. I laughed at him so many times.

Anyways I'm hanging out with Pete right now so I should get going!

Adios!

Steph

Day 11 & 12

Hey all,

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but I was soooooooooo busy. I was literally running around all day and then was with my bestie all night :) I only got a quick 5 minute power walk around the block yesterday.. bare minimum but I still squeezed it in :)

I had a great time with Jenn last night (as usual). We had salads for dinner.. watched our shows.. I did my nails and then we watched Jersey Shore which is ALWAYS fun ahaha.

Today I booked off so I will have an EXTRA long weekend! I slept in until 8:45 and then woke up and had breakfast. After that I got in my workout and finished watching the Bachelor. oooh those females are sooo ridiculous lol. I hopped on the treadmill for 35 minutes which felt good :). I could have gone longer but had plans to meet up with my friend Shannon. I had an amazing time :)! It was soooo good to catch up! It had been months! After that I went and got my eyebrows threaded. I feel so much better now :)

Tonight Mom and I are going to go see the movie the Vow. I am sooo looking forward to it! I have a thing for Channing Tatum.. hes yummy lookin! hahaha

Anyways.. I should get going. Just wanted to make sure I updated!

Steph

Day 9!

Holy Crap!! It's day 9!! Honestly it feels like day 3-4 haha.. I can't believe I am almost 1/3 of the way through!! Thats kinda crazy!

Anyways.. I've had a rough time lately. I dumped a friend.. which was a hard decision but the right one. I'm so happy I have great friends to keep my mind occupied. Last night I got some pretty bad news. Someone I had worked with in the past (they were my immediate supervisor) passed away in a horrible way which I don't even want to go into :(. It's very sad and upsetting and I've been emotional and confused all day. I feel like I'm still in shock.

I feel like because of a lot of the things going on in my life lately my eating habits have been kind of off because I was emotional eating. I came home last night and ate 3/4 of a box of mike and ikes and almost 1/2 a bad of coffee crisp minis. I was really upset. I counted my points though.

Today was hard and only one person really noticed something was wrong. I'm kind of happy no one else noticed as I didn't really want to explain why. It was my closest friend at work and I'm happy he was there to listen to me vent. I knew that when I got home I needed to get on that treadmill and push myself. I needed to clear my mind. I was on there for 41 minutes.. I could have gone longer but I knew I needed to come see Pete (which is where I'm at now).

Also meaning I should go spend some time with my man. Happy Valentines Day all! Today we're not really doing anything. I told Pete that I wanted to just chill out. In reality.. Pete makes me feel good and feel happy every single day of the year so I don't need some fake holiday to reassure me that he loves me :) I know it!

Anyways.. Toodles!

Steph

Day 4!

I can't believe it's lunchtime and I've already completed my workout! :) Kind of a good feeling!

Today I took it a bit easier and just went for a 20 minute speed walk around the block. I went by myself today as I wanted to just clear my mind and listen to music. I am feeling much better and the nausea from last night didn't last too long :).

I'm really excited for my night. Its Jersdaayyyy so I'm going to spend time with my bestie Jenn :)! We always have a blast even though.. we don't really do anything lol. We truly rock :)

Today I made a huge step and deleted my old blog. I've kind of being reorganizing my life and recycling the bits that just don't fit anymore.. if that makes ANY sense at all. I don't need that negative reminder around of my past anymore. I don't really want anyone to read that and see the horror stories from my past. I am a completely different person now. A stronger person. I like this me :)

I hope you do too :)

Time to get back to work!

Later!

Steph

Quote of the week

Hey all,

Hope you are having a great weekend!! I had an awesome day yesterday with my bestie. We went shopping in Burlington and I tried to go dress shopping. TRIED being the main word in that sentence. hahah I must have tried on like 20 dresses and EVERY single one looked bad :( (except two at H&M which I need to think about). Honestly it was very frustrating because I couldnt find a dress that fit my large chest properly. Why does this have to be the issue?! Argh!! Almost every single dress fit well everywhere else except in my chest.

The good part of the day?? While trying on jeans I no longer needed a size 14!! I AM NOW A SIZE 12!!!!!!! Man its been awhile.. I don't think I've been a size twelve since I was a teenager! This is a hugggeee deal for me and has shown me that my hard work is paying off!!! 18 to a 12 is a huge accomplishment! :) I was also happy that one of the dresses I liked was in a size 12!

Ah well.. the positives sure outweigh the negatives on this one. I have lots of time to find a dress and really.. I didn't look THAT hard.

Anyways... here is my quote of the week!

Never, never, never, never give up - Winston Churchill

No matter what happens.. DONT give up.

I must get going.

Toodles :)

xox

Steph

Motivation has been returned!

As you can see by my title I am feeling GREAT!

Honestly last week I was feeling so crappy because I was eatting late at night and I'd wake up and would feel like vomiting. It was not a fun feeling! On Wednesday I decided to have a one week challenge of not eating past 8pm unless it was fruit. It was kind of difficult at first but I resisted! I think I only ate past 8pm twice :). I even went out of my way to make sure I had fruit available to snack on. I planned it out and in the end I was okay :)!

Tomorrow is my weigh in day and I'm hoping for a loss! I feel like my pants aren't AS tight as they were last week which is a very nice feeling!!

Anyways..

This should be a good week! Tonight is my band practice which I am looking forward to! Always fun to jam! After that is my TV lineup.. Parenthood, Ringer and then Storage Wars. Why does everyone make fun of me when they hear this? :P

Thursday night is Jersday with my bestest friend Jenn. Can't wait to just chill out and relax! Then the next day her and I are taking the day off work to do a shopping trip! I can't wait to go to Forever21! My favourite thing about this weight loss is that I don't have to shop in plus sized only stores! I can wear clothes from ANYWHERE!!!! :D ANNNNDDDD I need to get new jeans because my size 14's are getting too loose!!! *HAPPY DANCE HAPPY DANCE*

I know some people think *size 14.. thats huge!!* To me it feels wonderful.. I started out my weight loss journey where a size 18 was too tight! Now I'm fitting into some size 12's.. I did not see that happening :)

LOVE IT!

Pete's birthday is coming up on the weekend which should be nice! I think we're heading up to Kingston and then on Sunday I'm going to take him out for Thai food :)!

Should be a good week!

I'll post tomorrow about my weigh in and let you guys know about my new 30 day challenge that is coming up!!

Take care!

Stephie

Happiness List

So I got this idea from a blog I follow.. to create a happiness list :)! As most of you know I am a very happy person so this list could be pretty long! Here goes...

The best thing that happened to me over the past year was finally getting together with Pete! Most of my friend know that I had liked him for a very, very long time so for me it was basically the best thing that could have ever happened! I've never been happier with anyone else in my ENTIRE life! Being with him feels so natural and right. He's like my best friend and my boyfriend all wrapped into one. He makes me soo happy!

My Parents :) - I've always had a good relationship with my parents (mainly in my adult years). I am especially close with my mom as we can talk about anything and everything :) It's great! She's one of my best friends.

Jenn- She is the one who makes me the happiest out of everything in this entire universe. She is the most incredible person I know and without her in my life I would be very unhappy. This September will be our 10 year friendiversary.. Yes .. we have a friendiversary. She understands me like no one else ever has and we can even have a full on conversation with just our eyes. We can sit on the couch for 3 hours straight and say 10 words and still have the greatest time ever. Without my best friend I would not be the person I am today. She is giving and she is smart and beautiful and is the most amazing person I've ever known. Thank you Jenn for being such an excellent friend and person :) The world is a better place because of you!

Ahhh, my Steelers. In General football makes me very happy. Every Sunday I sit on the couch like a lazy bum for hours and watch football. I love it. Watching my Steelers play is awesome.. I get so into it and scream at my TV with joy (and sometimes disappointment). Next year will be our year! We made it into the playoffs with 1/2 our team injured.. I am very impressed!

My beautiful dog Brady. whom I named after the best looking football player in the NFL. He makes me smile every day and when I'm sad and crying this guy snuggles up to me and it almost seems like he gets it. I love my boo!

Music in general makes me very happy. As you know I am part of a band and that is also a big part of my happiness. One thing I really love is Mashups. When you love two songs and they are mixed together it is rad!

Sunsets- They are just so gorgeous. This is my place in the winter :)

Yes I enjoy Jersday. To be honest I'm getting a bit sick of the show but every "Jersday" I get together with my bestie Jenn and we have dinner, watch our shows, do our nails, have girl chats and relax! My favourite day of the week!

When there is NOTHING else in the world that can make me smile.. THIS movie cheers me up.. It has worked so many times and I love it. I grew up watching this movie with my grandparents and now I know almost every word :)

"MAGGGGGGGNAAA!" I'll never forget the first time I had this drink lol. Saysha kept saying "MAGNA" in her awesome south african accent. Its hard for me to call it MagnERS now and when I get too drunk sometimes I call it Magna.. *SMH* This is a treat for me and it is so tasty!

Cofffffeeeeeee! No need to explain!!! I LOVE ME SOME COFFEEE!!

With that said.. There is my list for today! There are many things that make me happy but in reality.. I don't have all day to talk about them or enough room!

I must go.

Toodles!

Steph

Day 10!

Hey all,

I'm on day 10 of my reading challenge and I have already finished one book and am onto the 2nd book in the series :) It's gotten pretty addicting.. :) I want to slap myself when I forget my book at home because I can't read over lunch :(.

What can ya do, eh?

Anyways.. things otherwise are going really well and I'm LOVING life! I seriously couldn't be better. I'm struggling a bit on the weight loss but I think a large part of that is me not working out. I'm going to start slowly incorporating activity into my routine over the weekend. I am seriously getting stir crazy and want to jump back onto the work out wagon badly! I downloaded this app on my phone called Nike Training. Its a free app on my iPhone and it tracks your workouts and even supplies your workouts for you! I haven't tried it yet but I'm looking forward to starting. I think I will try that out tomorrow morning. Let's see if I fall over or stride through it.. I will definitely let you know!

I've been hearing "you've lost more weight!!!" lately when the reality is that I havent.. at all. It's kind of upsetting but I know it's not REALLY my fault. I had a major set back with the mono and it came at a WOOOOONDERFUL time when I was soooooooo motivated!!

When I get down about it I just say to myself "Stephanie you're not going to gain 40 lbs over night.. you've come a long way and you're moving forward not backwards so snap the f**k out of it!!"

haahah

I'm a loser.

So on Tuesday we had another band practice. First of this year! With a few members on vacay it was a tiny turnout but we have 2 of our new coops joining which is awesome!!! Lots of talent coming out :) Have I mentioned how much I love my job??

Last night I hung out with my best friend, Jenn. She is truly an amazing person.. I love her sooo much! She makes me feel so comfortable and I can talk to her about ANYTHING .. even laughing hysterically about how the ultrasound technician had said in an asian (??) accent "ooooooh SOOO much gaaaaaas". Yes!! I had beans the night before.. but didn't really want to admit it. TMI?

Anyways.. it is time for me to go :)

Later!

Stephie

Reading Challenge & Life

Hi all,

I'm on day 3 of my reading challenge and I've dug my nose into a new book :). I borrowed this book from my cousin and so far so good! I'm reading The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J smith.. it's very intriguing! I admit I watched a bit of the first and second season on TV but missed a lot and so far the book isn't really the same as the TV show but we shall see! I am about to go and continue reading (when I'm done writing of course) :)

So I wanted to update you on some things going on in my life. The weight loss is still going well! I gained 2 lbs over Christmas but lost 1.5 of it last week. I will work that off (and more) in no time :). Just gotta stick to it and believe in myself! Also, I was finally able to fit into a new size of pants!! Its amazing and I feel sooooooo good!!!!

Things otherwise are going really well. I've been spending a lot of time with Pete which is always fun! We've been watching the show The Wire which is sooo addicting. I LOVE IT!!! In about a month we've watched the first 4 season lol. Just one left! Can't wait!

I've also been spending a lot of time with my best friend Jenn. I don't know if I've mentioned but she's having a baby! I'm going to be an aunty!!! heheh She found out last week that she is going to be having a baby boy! I'm so happy for her and Brandin (her hubby). I went over last night and we had our Jersday which involves dinner (we went out for greek), watching Drop Dead Diva (highly recommend that to all you ladies!), and Jersey Shore!! Did anyone else want to bitch slap Snooki!? She acts so pathetic when she's drunk.. hasn't she learned her lesson yet?! UGH hahah

Anyways.. I'm gonna get to reading so I can go hang out with my baby <3

Adios!!

Stephie

Changes of 2011

I really can't believe it when I think of all the changes that occured for me in 2011. There are so many and I can honestly say that I am SO, SO proud of myself.

I have completely changed my life around and am EXACTLY where I want to be :)

Some of the things that changed in 2011

• I lost 40 lbs!!- Yes I finally hit my 40 lb mark and am sooo happy!! It's been quite the journey but I think losing 40 lbs in one year is remarkable :) I posted some pics below to show me last Christmas and then pictures from this Christmas.
  
  
• I rediscovered myself- This time last year I was lost. I was broken. I had just gotten out of a 4.5 year abusive relationship(in every single way.. mostly emotional) and I honestly thought I would never be happy again. I didn't think I'd be able to move on or be able to REALLY smile again. I got so used to putting up a front around people that they never thought I was hurting inside. I guess it was a way of protecting myself. In 2011 I started out the year keeping myself busy and making sure I was surrounded by people who loved me. I started losing weight and eventually found my confidence again. I realized that I am a good person and that I am loveable. I found my sense of humour.. didn't worry about what other people thought of me and started being myself again. I am a giving, kind hearted person and that person will NEVER, EVER go away.
  
  
• I got a promotion!- I started working at Primal in September 2009 part time. I instantly loved my job and knew that I wanted to stay there for awhile. I was only getting about 25 hours a week and needed more money to pay the bills so I was working another part time job. This didn't really bother me as I LOVE working :) In January I started full time and was able to quit my part time job! I couldn't be happier.. its like a have a work family :)
  
  
• Fell in love- This one is the most important one to me :) I had been into Pete for a very long time. Pretty much since we started hanging out during our lunch breaks (we met at Primal). I was instantly attracted to his sense of humour, his smile and his kind eyes :). We talked every single day at work over MSN. He'd send me songs and we had pretty much the same music taste.. I loved that! He quickly became one of my closest friends and I was terrified to tell him I liked him because A) we worked together.. could become awkward, B)Fear of rejection and C) I didn't want to lose the friendship if he didn't feel the same way. He quit in June of this year and we still talked every single day over FB chat :) I finally decided to tell him and it was the best thing I've ever done!! It took a few days for him to come around and admit it too but we hung out one night and watched True Blood and Breaking bad and have been inseparable ever since. I've never felt something like this and really hope this lasts forever!!! Jan 5th will be 5 months for us :). I finally found someone who I can be myself with in every single way.. and he makes me feel beautiful everyday.. even when I look like a bum and am wearing no makeup :) SOOO HAPPY <3<3<3
  
  
• Dumped shitty friends- I decided that if being a good friend was a priority for me.. I deserved the same! I had many people treat me like shit in 2010 and wasn't going to let that happen in 2011. When the red flags started showing.. I kicked them to the curb. No need for that!
  
  
• Became closer to my closest friends- One in particular. My best friend Jenn. She is my one and only and gets me better than anybody ever has. We can talk about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING and I think we could gross out most guys by our conversations. haha. She is the best person I've ever met and we've been best friends for 9 years now! She truly gets me and would do anything to fix any problem I have. I love her so much.
  I've also become a lot closer to some of my other friends including Amber who has been amazing. I've known her since I was in grade 10 and we're closer than we've ever been. She's one of my closest friends and I'd do anything for her! Another friend is Stef :) She is amazing and so beautiful inside and out. We have gone through a lot of the same struggles so it's nice having a buddy to go through it with. I know you'll be the first one to read this.. love you soooo much girl!!! Another friend I've become close to is Sam. We met when she was a co-op at Primal last year and she quickly became my go to coworker for everything.. she has been an amazing friend and always offered me the best advice and was always there to listen to me when I was down and needed to be lifted up. :) She is one of the most amazing people I have EVER met.
  
  
• Bought a brand new car! - Got my new car! My lovely madza3 that I love soooooo much!
  
  
• Stopped drinking pop- I love pop.. maybe a little bit too much. It was really hard to give up at first but I knew it was one thing I needed to kick to have a healthier lifestyle. In 2010 I drank 3-4 cans of pop a DAY and no water.. no joke. I was a Canada Dry addict!! mmm gingerale. This year I kicked the habit and now only drink water (and coffee.. a bit of an addict on that one though)
  
  
• Discovered my love of snowmobiling- One thing I quickly became addicted to in early 2011 was going snowmobiling with my dad. I usually hate winter but this year that has changed! It became one of my favourite past times and cannot wait for there to be a heavier snowfall so we can go out and hit the trails!
  
  
• I started volunteering at a homeless youth drop in centre- This one makes me feel great. In May I started Volunteering at a place called ROOF. This place has seriously changed my life. Seeing the progress in some of the youth and the bonds I have developed with soo many of them is amazing. This has made me question my path in life and I'm seriously considering going back to school to go into this field.
  
  
• Joined a band- Many of my friends and family know that I LOVE to sing.. I feel like I am quite good at it. After filling in for the singer of the Primal band "Bog Ferret" it became a permanant thing in 2011 :). We meet every tuesday night and jam out at the office :) Love it so much and my band mates are awesome!!!
  
  
• Changed my view on working out- I used to HATE .. HATE working out. It was pretty much a chore for me and I never did it. This year I discovered that I actually love to be active and it has really helped me in this weight loss. I haven't been able to work out for the last month as I have mono but in 2012 it is going to be a HUGE thing for me. Gonna incorporate activity into my daily routine.

Here are the pictures I talked about earlier in this post.

Christmas 2010

Pictures from Christmas 2011

I feel like I even look happier! hehe

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts in 2012!

xo

Stephie

Missed 2 weeks.. but I'm back!

Sorry for being a crappy blogger :(. I've been very stressed out these last two weeks.

My parents went on vacation for a week to Jamaica and left me in charge which meant I spent every night at home, cleaned up the house (including cleaning up after my slob of a brother). I was basically a housewife for a week! haha I did get in a bit of exercise as I walked brady twice a day every day. so that was good!

We had the Primal Holiday party which was a blast!! Bog Ferret rocked the house! I love our band!! WE ROCK!! We performed 15 songs.. it was a lot of fun. The only thing that was not fun about it was the hangover the next day :|. I needed to have some "bravery juice" to be able to get onto the stage and then within the last hour a group of 7-8 of us did like 10-15 shots. Yes I repeat.. 10-15 shots within AN HOUR!!!! it was kind of ridiculous but awesome at the same time! The room was definitely spinny that night! I'm so lucky I have a supportive boyfriend who overlooks my drunken stupidity. At one point in the night I came and sat beside him with a drink and he put his hand on my leg and said "whats that?". I said "my leg" hes like.. "what... whats that?" I said "my leg" he goes "..............what are you drinking?" I go "ooooooooooooohhhhhhh ahahah .......a white freezie" Yep.. Im wack! That was at about 1/2 way through our set. :| I also spilled A LOT of popcorn in his car.. sorry Pete! :)

My parents came home on Wednesday and I could not have been happier!! I missed them soo much! ( I also missed sleeping in).

Wednesday was also my weigh in day and I was down a lb!! Whoot Whoot I was very happy.. I'm the lowest weight I've been in over 2 years!! :)

(I also kind of cheated and got on the scale today and was down 1 more lb.. kinda happy about that but I'm also sick.. which I will get into)

Thursday night I was able to spend time with my best friend Jenn. We ate dinner, went for a 30 min walk and then watched our show "Drop Dead Diva" for the rest of the night. Thats when I started to feel like arse. I was starting to feel the pain!

Friday came and went.. it was a hectic work day (as the last week had been.. ugh!!). I was happy when 5pm rolled around as I went and picked up Pete and then we went with my parents to our family friends house for dinner and gingerbread making. We had a great time and Pete and I made an amazing gingerbread house! It was crappy we left a bit early because I was sick.. but I really wanted to go to bed.

Next day I felt like I had been hit in the neck with a brick. It hurts so badly to swallow.. Had the chills for 2 days straight.. raging headache.. pain in my neck/back, swollen glands lymph nodes. ughh

Now I am getting the sweats andd I have white spots on my throat and the pain has completely moved over to my left side. It really, really sucks. It's also extremely painful and NOTHING helps. I've tried 4 kinds of lozenges, 2 sprays that numb the throat, advil and aleve.. its just insanely painful. The only thing that kinda helps is putting a cold pack on it and camomile tea :(

Bah.. I hate being sick!

Hopefully I can get in to see my doctor tomorrow. I went for a drop in appointment at my doctors office on Sunday and one of the doctors there took 5 mins with me. She swabbed my throat.. left.. came back with results (no strep) and told me to drink lots of fluids and left..

THANKS!!!! VERY helpful!

*SMH!!!*

Anyways I'm going to try and get some sleep.

Steph

Day 20 & 21

Hi all,

Sorry for the late post again! I'm a mad slacker!! :P

Tuesday I jumped on the treadmill for a 25 minute power walk and was dripping in sweat towards the end.. GAH!!! It was exhausting. I was going to go visit my man after but the freezing rain was a bit intense and I didn't even make it to the end of my road before having to turn back.. made me sad!

Wednesday me and my best friend went for a 30 minute walk with her dog Ace. It was rather cold but we made it through :).

Anyways.. This is going to be a short one as I'm about to head off to go meet my mom :). We're going to go see Breaking Dawn tonight with the girls!! YAY!!

Can't wait!!

Steph

Day 9!

So today was a crazy, busy day. A LOT of running around at work and I was sweating like a mofo!

I knew that right after work I would be heading over to Jenns and then to Ambers for dinner so knew I needed to get in a workout during my lunch break. I asked one of my work pal's to go for a walk and he said yes :). We went for a very brisk power walk.. It felt great! hahaa I was sooo out of breath by the time we got back to the office but it was sooo worth it! We're going to go for another one tomorrow :)

I'm so lucky to have such supportive friends! All through my weight lose hes been supporting me and motivating me to continue! It really helps :) On wednesday he told me that it looked like I was losing again! Also, one of my other coworkers Georgina told me today that she can't believe how "slim" I am getting (i love that word!) ahahah! Sometimes I need the ego boost.

So this morning I woke up and could barely move.. gonna rest off the taebo for a few days lol. Im still achy.. :( It even hurt to laugh.. and if you know me you know I'm always happy and positive and laughing!

Anyways it's getting late and I'm gonna crash!

later!

Steph

Day 2

Hey all,

Today has been a good day! I'm feeling motivated and excited about this challenge.. Today for my exercise challenge I went walking with my best friend Jenn. We went for a brisk 20 minute walk around the block.. it was great. I love walking in the fall :)

Today I resisted a lot of temptation at the office. There is still a lot of candy and chocolate and it was reallly hard to resist. Instead of eating chocolate I opted for a snack of frozen grapes. SOO GOOD! ehehehe it's such a nice treat! I also decided on eatting a vegetable black bean and barley soup instead of chowder! Also, with lunch I had a banana and an apple :).

I should mention that I also follow the weight watchers plan. So far I've lost 35 lbs!! :D I feel sooo great! I've been plateauing for a bit (hence the blog) so really need to get back on track! It's been really easy for the most part.. but temptation can sometimes be a bitch!

I'll talk some more about that in my next blog post :). I'll also post some before and after pictures.

Anyways.. Gonna get back to my hangouts with the bestie and will write more later.

I have so much to share!!

xoxo

Steph