Guess who's back... back again...

I really should have posted sooner.. but I've been really busy and there has been a lot going on.

I wasn't able to complete my challenge. This makes me really sad :(. If you follow me on facebook you may already know that I injured myself pretty badly about 2 weeks ago and I am still recovering.

I fell in the shower and injured my ribs. It was a really shitty feeling. I did the "dont fall" dance which probably resulted in me falling in the worst position possible. I fell directly onto the side of the tub and then fell back and bashed my head on the back of the faucet.

This hurt like hell.

I had to take two days off work because I was in so much pain and even the slightest movement killed me. I am a lot better now but I am not rushing to get back into my regular fitness regimen until I feel 100%. The only thing I've been able to do is power-walking which me and my hunny have been doing more often lately :).

Thursday I have a massage therapy session planned with my amazing massage therapist and hopefully that will help. I'm so pumped! I always look forward to my massages with her.

Anyways I figured it was time for an update :) So here it is.

I'm feeling really good lately and have been on the ball with my lifestyle change this past week. I had a rough beginning in the month of August and emotionally ate my way through my feelings. This resulted in me gaining everything I had lost in the previous three weeks in one week. Yes.. that freakin' sucked and I felt like a fat ass. Then I fell in the shower and things didn't really get better and I continued to emotionally eat (but not as badly.. I didn't gain thankfully). I decided this past week that I needed to make some changes in my life and have since lost 3 LBS!!!

I've consistently stayed within my points and have even had a bit of trouble eating them all which is rare. I wanted to get back to where I was when I was the most determined to lose weight... and I am back there!! It actually feels very refreshing.  I'm really proud of myself.

Anyways me and my lover are about to go power walking so I should go and enjoy this beautiful day. You should too!

Toodles!!

xo

Stephie

Day 1! New Challenge starts NOW!!

So I thought to myself.. Why wait for monday to start this challenge? I've since decided to start TODAY.

I have planned out my entire 30 days of work outs. I'd like to add that these workouts are only tentative. I will DEFINITELY be working out the day I had planned on doing so but if it's down-pouring on a day I planned to power walk outside.. guess what. I'm jumping on the treadmill. I've also downloaded a bunch of apps on my iPhone for working out specific parts of your body so I may opt to do one of those too. I'd also like to point out that if it says I am only on the treadmill for 30 mins on a certain day.. and if that day comes and I hit that 30 mins and want to keep powering through.. I'm going to keep going.

Also, Mondays I don't workout as I work 9-6 and then volunteer 6-10:30 so fitting something in there is just exhausting so I choose to have that as an off day (forever).

Here is the calendar:

Think positive thoughts for me!

:)

Toodles!
Steph

Another success!

Is it really August already?? How did the year fly by soooooooo quickly??  I really just can't believe it.

Anyways.. what a busy week! It's been insane. Which has made it a tad bit hard to stick 100% to my challenge. I did go off a bit but still stayed within my daily points allowance and didn't use any activity or extra 49 points. I had difficulty getting my activity in every day but I was also out of town for two days last week.

With all that said.. I weighed in this morning and lost more than I did last week! I'm trying to figure out how but I really have no idea lol. It has to be me sticking to plan and not going over my points allowance. Being strict.

Feels good though :). I really feel as though I am powering through and am SOO motivated.

I feel like the upcoming week may be a bit harder as it is a long weekend as well as mine and Pete's 1 year anniversary. (hehehe ahhhh!!!! This is super exciting) We're going to one of my favourite restaurants so it will be hard to be careful that day but I think I can do it! No.. I KNOW I can do it. How am I going to do this? I am going to plan my day ahead of time. I am going to look at their menu and decide beforehand what I am ordering and will calculate that before hand. This is one of the easiest things to do when you are trying to lose weight and are going out to eat. ALWAYS be prepared. You don't want any surprises when you calculate after the meal and find out the entree you ordered was actually 50+ points.

That would be no good at all. Always plan.

Plan, plan, plan!!

I've been thinking about the challenge I want to do this week. I think I am going to aim to get at least 25 activity points in this week. This is very attainable and shouldn't be too hard if I plan my workouts ahead of time to ensure next Tuesday I don't have to work out for 3 hours straight (just kidding.. i'd probably pass out ha!)

This brings me to my next "30 day challenge". Which I think I will start on Monday. This is my idea.. to pre-plan my workouts week by week for an entire month (30 days) to get into the habit of planning 4-5 workouts per week every week in my schedule. I love working out so this shouldn't be TOO hard. When I say 4-5 workouts per week I mean WORKOUTS not "gaining activity points". These are two very different things. When I say working out I mean working my ass off until I can barely walk anymore and am dripping in sweat. Gaining activity points can be things such as power walking, washing the car, zumba, cleaning, chopping wood etc. Most of my activity points are earned via workouts but I do accumulate the odd point or so by doing things such as cleaning and washing my car.

Anyways I must take off!

Thank you all for your support!

xo

Steph

Best Week I've had

I can honestly say this has been THE BEST Weight Watchers week I've had in awhile.

 I've stuck to my plan.. made good choices, haven't used extra points and have been feeling much better about myself. MUCH better about myself. 

 I've had multiple people come up to me this week and tell me how amazing I'm looking and that whatever I am doing is working. I've had people tell me that I am their inspiration.. that they read my blog and immediately become inspired to change the bad habits in their lives. I can't believe that people consider ME their motivation! It feels sooo good :) 

It feels so good being able to go to bed with a few points left.. to be able to say "I'm bored.. But I AM NOT hungry!" to think "Just because there is chocolate available doesn't mean I NEED to eat it". To be able to think "If I eat this now I won't be able to eat that later".

I've been planning entire days ahead. I've been figuring out how to fit activity into my life. I've been eating healthy lunches.. I haven't been snacking throughout the day.

All of these changes by setting a single challenge. 

This week I re-realized what TRUE dedication feels like. and DAMN IT FEELS GOOD!

I started with small changes early on in the week and they stuck. It feels natural again. I have absolutely no desire to stuff my face.. no desire to have a "cheat day".. cheat days are for people on diets ;). I have no desire or cravings for greasy or fatty foods. I actually CRAVE fruit. I would choose fruit over a big mac any day because I KNOW after I ate the big mac I would have wished I had made the opposite decision.

Small changes erupt into bigger lifelong changes. 

With that said .. I've decided to make this a 2 week challenge and continue on for another week. This week will be a bit trickier as I am heading out of town for Friday and Saturday. I enjoy the challenge so it will be fun!

Anyways.. I must go. I will be announcing my new challenge at some point over the next week. Really excited to start it!

Toodles!

xo

Stephie

Setting Goals & Making Better Choices

Guess what I did in 2011? Made better choices which resulted in me completely turning my life around. 

And what did those choices result in? Me basically losing the equivalent to an entire human leg off my body. That's right.. the amount of weight I have lost equals out to an entire leg.. or a 5 gallon jug of water but I think the leg comparison is much cooler.

I think back and wonder.. how could I have carried around that much extra weight? I pick up 40 lbs and I think.. "This is how much I lost? This is what was on my body?" I don't think I could walk around all day with 4 bags of potatoes now.

It completely reels me.  I feel so happy and content with the progress I have made in the last year and a half. 

In a year and a half I went from an unhappy, obese, moody person to someone who can't stop smiling, feels good about herself and absolutely loves the idea of change. Loves life.. and the people I have CHOSEN to keep in my life. 

How did this happen? Because I set a goal. I told myself that if I wanted things to be different in my life I needed to make better choices and I was the only person able to do that. ME. JUST ME.

For once in my life I set out to focus on just myself. To stop caring about what other people thought I should do and to change my life the way I wanted to. To make this a slow but steady journey of success.

You guys think I succeeded?

I do :)

See how happy I am? It's because I did it for me.. I lost the weight for me. I didn't have an asshole boyfriend telling me to lose weight.. I did it for ME. 

Me, Myself, AND I.

I've been having flashbacks lately to how things were with my ex. How unhappy I was and how large I was. I wonder if things would have been different had I stayed? Would I have chosen this journey? Would I have gained more weight and tipped the scale at 300 lbs?

Who knows... All I can say is I chose the right path. I have a boyfriend who would NEVER try to tell me to lose weight and I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life. 

It makes me so sad when I see females saying "I'm trying to lose weight to make my boyfriend happy" or "My boyfriend is unhappy with my weight even though I wear a size 4" or "My mom/dad makes fun of me for being fat" . Yes this happens.. check reddit. I read that shit every day and wish I could find the men who say that to knock them upside the head. 

If you want to change yourself for someone else you're making a mistake. Do it for you.. real change happens when you're doing it for yourself. Set goals, tiny or small. They will help you get to where you want to go. 

Joining weight watchers and turning my life around was the BEST choice I made in 2011. 

Make better choices.. it's a simple step to a lifetime of good changes. 

Cheers!

xox

Stephie

Making Changes

Oh boy.. has it been a crazy week.

A hard one too..I had a pretty nasty blister on the ball of my foot so it made even putting the slightest bit of pressure on my foot painful. Working out was out of the question.

Boy .. does working out make a difference in my life. I've really noticed it this past week. Last week I felt like shit.. which resulted in me eating like shit. I was not very careful at all. It did open my eyes though.. it's like I had an eyeopening experience where it just hit me. "What the fudge am I doing?! I need change and I need to get back into that mindset I was in when I first started Weight Watchers!"

I woke up Monday feeling like absolute shit and I thought "Today is going to be different". I planned my lunch.. planned my day and stayed within my points. I ate healthy and when I went to refill my water bottle at 11:30PM I tossed that "snack" thought out of my head and thought "you just want to eat because you're stressed and lazy" and guess what? I didn't eat. I wen't back to my room and did my nails.

Good for me.

*Pats self on back*

That is an achievement for me.

You know what? Today I feel better.. I feel healthier and less bloated and less pissy. I am in a good mood with a clear mind and I am looking forward to going home tonight and jumping on that treadmill. I am getting back into the right mindset.

Just because I have the points available to eat that chocolate bar or the fries from McDonald's does not mean I'm going to. Just because I could doesn't mean I should. Just because I want that burger does not mean I NEED that burger. Just because I have 17 points left for dinner does NOT mean I need to fill those 17 points with crap that will make me feel like crap after.

I need to be in weight-loss mode.. not maintenance mode. This is my journey.

Today I craved chocolate. I could have had chocolate as I had 13 points left over after all my planned meals. Did I? Nope. Why? Because I knew better.. I needed to make a point to myself and need to start retraining myself to NOT eat crap. What did I do instead? I waited for the craving to pass.. after 30 mins I was still hungry so I opted to have a bowl of popcorn. Much more filling and much healthier for you.

Another achievement.

I have a challenge set up for myself and my motivation buddies starting tomorrow. Getting 100% back on track. This means I WILL NOT be eating junk and sugary foods. This means I will ensure I am getting the correct amount of everything I need everyday. This means once I've used all of my 34 points I am done.. there will be no more snacking. If I need something I can eat some fruits or veggies. This means I will be getting on that treadmill more often throughout the week.. that I will be getting the 10 activity minutes every day that weight watchers requires.

This week I am also going to come up with a set plan on how I will move forward for the rest of the summer.
I am going to reread all of my weight watchers material to refresh my memory.

This will be good :)

I need this.

Anyways.. I must go!

Thanks for reading.

Stephie

Are You Happy?

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 18!

You may have noticed that I haven't been updating on my new challenge. Why? Do you really want to hear about my experience reading on a daily basis? didn't think so...

Anyways.. I'm about 1/2 way through the 2nd book in the 50 Shades of Grey series. It's sooo good! I'm really, really into it too. I never want to put it down.. but the guys at work make fun of me for reading it. Meanies!!

Oh well.. it makes me happy :)

I have read for at least an hour every single day of this challenge. I guess I have found my joy of reading again!

This weeks weigh in was OK. Not great but not bad. I dropped .4 lbs. I kinda want to reweigh in tomorrow to see what the weight says then as I stupidly snacked late last night. I had a busy weekend and I struggled with tracking. I found I was tracking after I ate and on those days I went 10+ points over my daily allowance. That isn't okay.

How am I going to change that?

This week I've set a goal for myself to track everything I eat before I eat it. Hopefully that helps me get back into the groove of things.

I'm also doing a challenge with my motivation buddy Autumn. We're going to work out 4 x's this week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time. I've been slacking at working out too lately with only doing it 2-3 times instead of my usual 3-4. Need to get back in the groove there too!

Anyways.. I must head off.

Ciao!

Steph

Stop Drinking Pop!

Hey all,

Found this and thought it would be a good share. I don't drink pop anymore as it was something I decided to give up in my lifestyle change. I quit in December 2010 and I feel sooo much better now. I now only drink water, tea and coffee.

Say goodbye to pop!

Learning to Love YOU

Hating on yourself is self destructive. When you only point out your flaws.. that is the only thing you will ever see. How can you be happy if you constantly say "I'm not good enough", "I'm too fat", "I hate myself", "I wish I was prettier", "I will always be single" or "LIFE SUCKS". etc, etc, etc.

If you do this you need to change your attitude. Let me tell you.. if you believe those things..  your life WILL suck and the only thing that is making your life suck is YOURSELF.

Learning to love yourself is not an easy task when you are surrounded by nothing but negativity and darkness. I know because I've been there. I am a success story. I was depressed, unhappy.. I cried almost every single day but everyone who knew me thought I was fine because I smiled all the time. They never understood what was going on underneath my "happy exterior". Here is an quote from my past personal blog (which I deleted as it was only negative and held horrible, horrible memories):

and now .. I am the girl who hates her self.. who hates mirrors and is always disguising my emotions because I hurt so bad. Sure, I am always smiling but that's what I have to do to not have to explain why I'm so sad. There are few things that make me happy anymore.. FEW..


Do you think I am that person today? HELL NO! I LOVE myself. I think I am BEAUTIFUL, smart.. sexy even! I smile non stop because I am radiating happiness inside and out.. I want to share my smile and have people see me at my best. I really am a success story. (AND I love mirrors :)) To think I thought those things just over a year ago.. to think I was in a place where I didn't want to move forward.. where I didn't think I'd be okay.. where I didn't think I'd find happiness ever again.

I believe in the power of thought.. most people who know me well already know this. I really do believe that if you focus on the positives in your life and focus on the things that matter instead of the shitty, negative things... Good things will come. Happiness will follow. I believe that YOU choose your own destiny. If your life sucks.. you are the only one who will be able to change that. If you are in a bad spot and you want things to be different.. you have to change that. Sometimes it might take a bit of time but it will happen!

How can you start? Learn to LOVE YOURSELF!

Loving yourself is key to being happy. Loving yourself does not make you conceited or an asshole. It is having self-respect .. unconditional self acceptance. When someone puts you down it doesn't mean that you shouldn't love yourself.. it means they need help.. that they have no personal self respect. When someone can go as low as to put another individual down do you think they are happy inside? Nope. Don't sit around waiting for approval from others because the most important thing in life is that you accept yourself.  Loving yourself is a beautiful thing!

If you don't love yourself.. why would anybody else?

Everyone is allowed to have a bad day.. every woman is allowed to have PMS and cry because she feels like shit.(its pretty natural right?) But when this happens every single day you really need to re-evaluate the way you are living your life and the way you see yourself.

What can you do to learn to appreciate and love yourself more?

• Look at yourself in the mirrow and repeat "You are beautiful.. you are fabulous.. you are loved." Do this every time you look in the mirror and repeat that ten times! (You can change the words but say something positive!)
• Work on being the best YOU
• Post notes around your room/work space/car with positive affirmations or positive quotes. Surrounding yourself with these things creates a positive environment. 
• Take care of yourself-- mind, body, and soul.
• Do random good deeds for others. When you do good things for others it really makes you feel good about yourself ( Plus I truly believe that karma exists!)
• DO NOT rely on other people to make you happy. 
• Let go of the past and the negative. Cherish what you have learned from those events but focus on the present and the positive.
• Create goals and work hard to achieve them. No matter how many times you do not succeed you are only a failure if you give up. 
• Don't let your past define who you currently are or who you intend to be.
• Be yourself and don't care what others think. Laugh, sing, dance.. just do you!
• Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend
• DON'T compare yourself to others. Being unique is fun.
• Misery loves company. Surround yourself with loving and positive people.
• Don't change yourself based on what other people think. Do this for YOU.
• Look at yourself through the eyes of those that love you. They know who you are and they CHOOSE to love you. 

I read this in my book (B is for Beauty) : " It's so funny: when you feel strong and happy, everybody wants to hang out with you, but when you allow yourself to feel miserable and lonely nobody will touch you with a ten foot pole"

Ain't that the truth?

Anyways I must take off.

Have a fantastic Thursday! Weekend is ALMOST here :)

xo

Steph

Quote of the week!

Sitting on your couch thinking about getting in shape isn't going to get you anywhere. Saying "oh I'll start next week.. next month.. or even tomorrow" isn't going to work. You need to start right now! Live in the moment. Change your life for good. Go to the next level!

SOOO many times in my life I have said "next month I'll diet" or "I'll be good next week" or "I'll buy these pants and hopefully lose 10 lbs to fit into them". Do you think I ever fit into those pants? NOPE. They sat in my closet for YEARS. YEARS.

Now I can wear them! Why? Because I decided to make the change. One day I decided to change my life for good and I joined weight watchers and everything changed. I transformed my life with this wonderful thing I call my lifestyle change. My whole life turned around. I bought a size 14 pair of jeans from the Gap about 3-4 years ago. I knew I loved them and had previously owned a pair of size 16 jeans which I later wore so much they were ruined. I tried them on and they were tight.. I thought someday I would be able to fit into them. I couldn't.. not until late last year. Even after losing 30 lbs I still couldn't fit into them. Now I wear them often and they are BIG on me.

It is a good feeling.

If you are feeling bad about yourself because you are "bigger" or are feeling unhealthy or just want to make a change in your life.. START TODAY!! What else do you have to lose? A day of being healthy?

You can do it! If I can do it.. you can do it! I was the laziest couch potato in the world 14 months ago. THAT IS A FACT. I had a treadmill, stair climber, exercise bike, full weight lifting area and never used it. Look how far I've come.

Wanna see how far I can go?? Just keep reading...

:)

Thanks!

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

Before/After

Hello again!

If you have me on facebook you've probably already seen this but I wanted to submit a more recent before/after pic.. and here it is!!

Note how bland my wardrobe was? Feels so good that the majority of my closet is filled with bright colours and things that make me happy :)! I feel (and look) soooo much happier!

Thank you Weight Watchers!!

Steph

Weighing In

Well I did it! I didn't want to do it but I still did it :). That .8 lb that I gained last week is officially gone! And it feels DAMN good!! But honestly I don't think that I would have been bothered if I had gained..

Things have been going well for me lately. Working out HAS become a habit for me now and I have learned to love it. I fell in love with getting in shape. I feel in love with the way my body has changed. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't change the way I thought about working out. I used to DREAD working out.. I used to come up with every single excuse in the book. I could have written the book on not working out excuses.

Instead I did a 30 day challenge.

A challenge to work out for 30 days straight. It wasn't easy at first.. it was actually quite hard. I remember thinking on day 10 how I didn't want to go on .. I could have quit right then but I didn't. I continued. Eventually working out just became a daily routine and I learned to love it.

I did my measurements last weekend. I gained last week so I just wanted to check.

Here is what has changed in the last month

Arms: -1cm
Hips: -..5cms
Bust: -2cm
Waist: -2cm
Thighs: -.5cm (they're now hard as hell... no jiggle!!)
Dress size: -2 (Now a 12!)

It feels good to SEE the results. to FEEL the results The scale is not that great of a judge.. It helps but it isn't everything. Most people can lose weight quickly. They can eat right and only eat certain things and the scale shows. Whatever works for them, right? That isn't how I do it. I do eat very healthy for the most part but i will NEVER, EVER cut any kind of food out of my life. Weight Watchers rule: NEVER DEPRIVE YOURSELF. And I won't! I ate cake this weekend and it was DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN good! I will never give up cake.

EVER.

I'm kind of rambling now but wanted to update :)

Gonna go.

Stephie

Your weight does NOT define who you are

Good Afternoon my amazing readers

I hope you are enjoying this AMAZING friday! It is soo nice out! 22C. Can't complain :)

I wanted to write about the scale and your weight and how it does NOT define who you are.

Today my friend Gus told me that I have lost A LOT of weight since January.. and he emphasized the word A LOT. It made me feel great! I love receiving compliments and it gives me quite the ego boost. He went on about how it was inches from each side. THAT is what I lost.. inches. 

In reality my weight has fluctuated a lot over the last 4 months. I weigh the EXACT same I did on January 4th. I have gained a few lbs (from stupidity) and I am back down to my Jan 4th weight. Am I upset? No. Why? Because I can SEE the difference. I am working hard to shed those inches. I am gaining muscle! I am working out a minimum of 3 times per week (even that seems like it isn't enough now.. I'm on a roll!) and am watching what I eat. The Scale does NOT define who I am! I DO. The scale helps.. obviously if I get on the scale one day and see a gain of 10 lbs I'd probably shit myself.. but that is very unlikely to happen. This is why I love the term "lifestyle change". Not once in the last year have I told anyone that I am on a diet.. I have said I have changed my lifestyle. These tiny changes that I have made in the last year have made a huge difference! Come on.. I went from a size 18 to a 12!

The most important thing about being healthy is actually living the healthy lifestyle. This is why I hate the word diet.. to me diets are temporary. A diet is a quick fix. Do you just quit your diet when you get to where you want to be? When you eat SO strictly based on your "diet" how do you learn to incorporate your own lifestyle into your life? What are you going to do when someone throw's you a curveball and stops at McDonalds or another restaurant? What are you going to do when you're craving that peanut butter cup or those Munchos.. but they aren't part of your diet? I've been there.. I've done the "diet"... MULTIPLE TIMES. It didn't work. I lost the weight.. I gained it back.. why!?? Because I didn't know how to eat AFTER the fact. I eventually went back to the way I was eating before and almost hit 250 lbs.

I see soo many females who get upset because the number on the scale isn't dropping. But that isn't everything. Its those measurements, its the way your clothes are fitting, the way your body is tightening.. its the way YOU feel about yourself. THAT is what is important. 

Don't get upset when those numbers aren't showing you what you want to see.. eventually it will come. Focus on how your new healthy lifestyle is making you feel. Focus on the POSITIVE in your life.. everything else will follow.

I promise :)

Gotta run!

Toodles,

Stephie

Zumba, Zumba, Zumba!!

Does anyone else want to yell/sing out ZUMBA ZUMBA ZUMBA!!! (and possibly jump up and down) when they hear someone talking about Zumba? You'd have to actually do zumba to understand what I'm talking about but it is a fun feeling :). As you can see by the title.. I will be talking about Zumba (and other things of course). I did Zumba for the 2nd day in a row and I feel FANTASTIC!! It's so much fun and the time flies by when you are doing it! I really do recommend trying out a class if you get a chance. It is for people of all shapes, sizes and ages. Plus a 45 minute class you can gain 11 activity points!! HOLY CRAP right? The most fun form of exercise around. hahah. Anyways.. This week was a bit harder than usual. It always is when there is a holiday. I stayed on track and tracked EVERY SINGLE THING I ate. I may not have eaten the healthiest I ever have but I stayed within my points and only used some of the activity points I earned.

 Friday morning Pete and I drove to Kingston to spend time with his family.. we returned late Saturday evening. During that time I had Mcdonalds (I know! but I only ate half a meal), Fish and Chips (good friday) and an Easter dinner. And may I say I DON'T REGRET A THING! Why? Because I tracked and had fun! This is a lifestyle change not a lifestyle bootcamp. If that makes any sense.. haha.

I earned 27 activity points this week and only used 10 of those. I didn't touch any of my 49 points. I preplanned every single meal I ate(this weekend) and I didn't eat past 9pm. It was easy. I stayed on track. I planned. I succeeded.

Sunday was Easter dinner with my family and we had turkey (as usual). It was fantastic!! Once again I planned in advance so was able to enjoy myself.. ANDDD I had 3 points left at the end of the day :) It feels good to be in control.

Tomorrow is my weigh in day. I have to admit that I am not expecting a loss as 3.5 lbs in one week is a lot! I feel as though no matter how hard I tried I probably wouldn't drop but we will see. As long as I didn't gain! lol. Everyone keeps saying how they are noticing a difference and my friend Sam told me today that everytime she sees me I look so much smaller! Such a great thing to hear!!

 Anyways, I am going to go.. Ringer is back on and I am addicted!!! Gotta go.

 Steph

3.5 lbs down and I feeeel GOOOOD!!!

Hi all,

I am going to start off by saying that this week was a HUGE success with a HUGE loss! I am down a total of 3.5 lbs!!! I really can't believe it! It's such a great feeling. 3.5 lbs in 7 days!! That blows me away. Normally I would think "whoa! That's not healthy" but you have to keep in mind I have barely lost this year. My body has shrunk (FOR SURE) but the scale has not shown it. It is really nice to see that my hard work is paying off :).

I was actually surprised to see a loss as there is this female type thing that usually prevents me from losing at this point and time and blah blah blah (sorry guys).

I actually had a pretty stressful week and am very happy I was able to stick to my weight watchers goal. I did not eat any food (except 0 pt food) after 9pm all week. I really think this is why I had such a good week. I stuck to my plan.. I worked out.. I didn't use any of my extra 49 points and I succeeded! Yesterday was the worst. I ripped my pants (in the knee), got a cold sore and was PMSing like crazy. I was also having a bad day. I came home.. ate dinner, did Zumba, abreva'd the shit out of my lip and watched ringer.

I can already tell today is going to be a better day! HALLELUJAH!!

I would like to thank Autumn for helping me out SOO much this week and for motivating me to do better. She really helped me to stay on track! It's nice to have someone like this in your life! I really do encourage everybody who is trying to lose weight to have a motivation buddy. It really helps get things moving!

So what did I do this week to help me lose 3.5 lbs?

• I tracked every single thing I ate.. no matter how big or how small
• I didn't eat past 9pm (except for 0 pt foods)
• I didn't use any of my extra 49 points (I don't really agree with those anyways)
• I gained 30 activity points (holy crap! I just realized that one)
• I didn't eat just because I felt emotional or upset.
• I made sure to follow the Weight Watchers plan and ate the right amount of fruits, protein and dairy every single day
• I didn't stress out or overthink :) I made do with what I had!

Those are sooo very simple! And I did it :)

This week for my Weight Watchers goal I am going to keep doing what I was doing and am not going to eat past 9pm unless it is a fruit or a veggie. I really would like to cut back on how much I eat at night and like I said before.. it takes 30 days to develop a habit and that is what I am going for :)

It's time I put the pedal to the metal and speed this process up. YES I CAN eat whatever I want. Am I going to? NO. I wan't to lose weight not maintain or have a small drop every week. I am going to stick to my plan and get the mentality I had when I first started weight watchers back. Time to cut back on junk, eating out and emotional eating. I joined weight watchers originally saying I could afford it if I cut out all of the fast food and eating out. Slowly I started forgetting about that and now I'm not going to anymore. Why waste money on food that is bad for you? It doesn't make sense when you're spending money to lose weight. Yeah I'd love to eat McDonalds or Harvey's or Taco Bell every week but for me and my personal weight loss this won't be an option anymore :).There are other healthy options I could go for instead of eating fast food... like a pita or a salad. I'm not saying this is a "forever" thing but for right now this is what I need to do for myself. Once and a while is okay but even weekly is too often. 

Heres to my new-new beginning!

Cheers!

Steph

Quote of the Week & update!

It's been two weeks since I last posted a Quote of the Week. So here is this one that I've really enjoyed the last week or so.

Easy is boring. Challenge yourself.

I feel like this relates to me making my weight watchers related goals. I COULD just follow the plan and do what weight watchers says to do.. but that's not me! I enjoy challenging myself! Last week I made the goal of earning 25 activity points.. and I did it.. I actually got 26 points. :) This week I've challenged myself to not eat past 9pm (unless it is a 0 point item). Which I have done for 4 going on 5 days straight! Whoot!!! I feel like I'm on a roll. I think only two of those nights I ate a bit of fruit past 9. It feels good and it keeps me on plan when I make these little goals for myself. I also feel better in the morning because I'm not waking up with an upset stomach or feeling rotten because of the junk I've eaten the night before. I am really digging this feeling!

I've also been talking to my new motivation buddy a lot lately and she also helps me stay on track. She gives me good ideas throughout the day and asks me how I'm doing which helps :) It's nice to have that!!

I feel like I'm finally going to see a drop in the scale this week :). I had to throw out my favourite pair of jeans because they're too big already :( Bittersweet. Feels good because they constantly fall down. but I will miss them. I remember buying them last summer and feeling sooo sexy in them because they were sooo tight. I had also told myself I could never wear skinny jeans.. welll I can!! I really need to get new pants.. 1/2 of my work pants fit fairly big and I'd love a new pair of skinny jeans :). haha.. that can wait until next month! I've been working out a ton lately and am hoping to go down a size.. we shall see!

Anyone going to be watching Game of Thrones tonight? I cannnnnnot waitttt!!! ahh *screamed a little inside there*.  I love this show and have been awaiting the return. If you haven't already checked it out.. YA SHOULD!

:)

Anyways gonna get back to making dinner. Baked sweet potato fries, chicken breast, and greek salad! Num! With honeydew melon for dessert.

Take care!

Steph