Strike a pose

I strive to have this form one day:)

Today was my first gentle yoga class.  I thought that the hour flew by.  I surprised myself because when I attempted to do yoga on my own, I found that I could barely do any poses. Forget about holding them.  The instructor was good and I found her voice to be soothing, in a very non-annoying way.  This is a good thing because I get put off so easily by stupid stuff, like voices...or laughter (ie: the nervous kind).  You know, stuff that people have absolutely no control over!

I think that yoga will help me with my running.  I need more flexibility and to become more aware of my breathing.  My premonition did not come true.  I pictured me and Enz in a class with 10 seniors in different stages of immobility.  Truth be told, that would have been amusing and maybe I was just a little disappointed there was not one senior there.  We weren't even the youngest ones there!  There were women of all shapes, sizes, ages and skill level there.  I'm definitely looking forward to going back.

Last night I ran...in the snow, sleet and rain.  Talk about dedication!  We did 3 and 1's and ran/walked for a total of 3k.  I was soooooo relieved I could run for 3minutes straight and not fall over.  I actually did pretty good, if I do say so myself.  I kept right up with Beverly who had recently broken her tail bone.  In my defense, she's a pretty fast runner.  But on the downside...she broke her tailbone less than a week ago.  Hey, I say that slow and steady wins the race!  I'm a hare, but I'll get faster as I drop more weight.

I found this recipe that I'm gonna be trying out.  I need to purchase a whole chicken on my shopping trip tomorrow.  If you have a few minutes, check out this guy's website.  He's developed Paleo recipes, but I find that several of them can be easily altered to become either phase 1 or 2 Dr. Poon approved.  I'm still mostly on phase 1, so I'll not be returning the chicken to the crock pot after it's been shredded.  I'll likely just serve it with a phase 1 friendly vegetable and use the leftovers for salads.  I think it will still be VERY flavourful.  I'll get back to you after I make it.

To briefly revisit my last post where I talked about "why now".  I had the dream again.  The dream first happened last summer.  I dreamt that I was in good physical shape and I could feel my muscle and bones without the barrier of any excess fat.  It was this dream that also triggered my desire to get in shape.  I felt so good in the dream and it felt so real, that I definitely wanted to strive for that feeling again. I had the dream several times and had it again this past week.  I'm not a particularly spiritual or religious person, but maybe it was a premonition.  Only time will tell.  I'm currently not "fit" like I am in the dream, but that is what I aspire for.  To be fit, flexible and able to run 5k.

Seasons change and so do I

So close....but I'm officially at 69 pounds lost.  I was hoping to get to 70 at today's weigh-in, but alas, it will have to wait until my next visit to Dr. Pitt on the 19th of April.  That's just over three weeks away.  Needless to say, it appears as though my weight-loss is slowing a bit.  I'm not doing anything differently eating wise (mostly phase 1, some phase 2 on running days), but I am running three times a week.  I remember my good friend Enz telling me that when she started running last summer, her weight didn't change, but her clothing size got smaller.  I'm not concerned about the numbers on the scale, I'm more focused on learning to run and preparing for my first 5k at the end of April.

That's right, I signed up for the Chocolate Race in Port Dalhousie on April 29th.  By that time I should be running 8 and 1's.  So that is likely how I will run the 5k.   The weekend after I'm doing the Starbucks Coffee Hazel 5k in Mississauga.  Then I think there's one in Burlington at the end of May...I'm becoming a bit of an addict here.  I run with a great group of supportive ladies and we're signing up for these races together.  That's what I love about the Running Room.  There's a lot of support and a real social aspect to it.  Makes me feel included.  In a sport no less!  Such a change from always being the fat kid never picked during sports in gym class.

So I did something this past weekend I have been doing regularly.  Purging my old clothes.  Once they no longer fit, I get rid of them.  I refuse to give myself permission to "grow" back into bigger clothes again.  In the past, I have held onto various sizes of clothing.  They may not have been in my closet, but they were in tupperwear somewhere in my house.  It's so freeing for me to give away my old clothes.  I feel like I'm shedding my skin and being reborn.  That's a bit corny, but you know what I mean.  I've pretty much purged all of my winter clothes.  Got rid of all the regular and plus-size 18's.  The only depressing thing is I'm passing them onto a client who has gained a substantial amount of weight in a short period of time.

The weather here has been unstable to say the least.  It was shorts and t-shirt weather a week ago, and this morning it was minus 1 when I left for work.  I really want to unload my winter coat.  It's a 3x and looks a bit big on me.  Okay, it looks a lot big on me, but damn it,  I was too cheap to buy a new one this winter hoping knowing that I would only be wearing it for one winter.  By next winter, I hope to be at goal or at the very least, painfully close to goal.

Last week, a co-worker asked me a very fair question about my weight-loss.  Why now?  Why now indeed. Why didn't I do this before I got married? (I did, but gained the weight back super fast.  Starvation diets do not work Dr. Bernstein.)  Why didn't I do this before I got pregnant?  Why didn't I do this after I had my son?  Well the only straight answer I can give is, because I wasn't ready.  I've always wanted to lose weight, but I wasn't ready to.  I wasn't ready to put in the hard work and determination.  My son, of course, has been motivation for me as well.  By remaining morbidly obese, I increase my risk of so many things.  You all know this so I'm not going to bore you with "the list".  Bottom line, I could die young and it's not fair to my son to have to lose me at a young age when I have total control over this.  He deserves to have a mother till he's a grown man and a grandmother for his children.  I'll settle for nothing less.

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing

So cute...reminds me of my Finn when he was a pup:)

Well, I have finally done it.  I have made it all the way from P3 to the 4th floor of my office without stopping once.  I know, I know, you're probably thinking what the big deal is, but...read this.  This may be the first read for some, a refresher for others.  I wrote that post about three and a half months ago.  At that time I was dying while doing something as simple as walking up the stairs.  Incidentally, I haven't taken the elevator since late November (except on a few occasions when I had to because I had clients with me).

Tonight I ran over 2K by doing 2 and 1 (run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute) intervals.  For those of you who run, I know you were me at one time.  Feeling really proud of yourself as you build your endurance every week.  I'm in my third week of my learn to run clinic now and went from doing 1 minute running and 2 minutes walking, to what I was running tonight.  I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but for someone like me who loathed exercise and avoided it at all costs, I think I have found a physical activity I can stick to. I'm actually doing it and being successful!  Every single week I'm amazed that I lived through a whole week of doing that particular interval, so I know I can do this.  I can just imagine how I'll feel when I make it to 10 and 1's.  Like a million bucks, that's how.  Thanks again Enz for doing this with me:)

Yesterday I took a client clothing shopping.  There's an outlet area in Toronto on Orfus Rd. where you can find great deals on clothing.  I have been there many times in the past and stood around quietly while clients shopped and then I simply paid for their purchases.  The prices there are insanely cheap and you can get a lot of stuff for little money.  So I'm standing around waiting for my client, and I'm in the same mindset I've always been in while on Orfus Rd.  I never looked at anything too closely because nothing there would fit me.

Well I'm bored so I venture around and start looking at some things.  I'm holding stuff up wondering if it will fit me and decide that since it's so cheap, I'll get some stuff, hopeful I'll fit into it in a couple of months.  I spend $70, get a pair of jeans ($7.50), a bunch of tops for $2 - $5, five pairs of shoes for $25, and a bunch of hair accessories for $10.  Today I'm pondering over what to wear so I try on the jeans and a top...and they fit!  I wore my $14.50 (jeans, top and tank top) outfit to work today.

I have never been able to shop at Orfus Rd. before.  It's a bit of a crap shoot there because you cannot try anything on.  You just grab and buy.  Since I have zero spring/summer clothes, I need to start buying stuff that will see me through this season.  I can't spend a lot either because, although I'm not putting a time limit on my weight-loss, I could reach my goal weight by the fall.  If not, I will be at goal by next spring/summer.  Not to shabby for a former plus sized shopper!  I'm just so tickled that I was able to buy cheap clothes like everyone else!!!!!!

There are so many changes happening in my life due to my weight loss, and I'm taking none of it for granted.  Last weekend I did something I haven't done since I was in my late teens.  I swung on a swing with my son.  When I was a girl, I used to love the swings.  I haven't been able to fit in one for a very long time.  While swinging at the park with my son and two nieces, three things crossed my mind.  I couldn't believe I comfortably fit into a swing, I loved the feeling of the wind blowing in my hair, and if I closed my eyes one more time, I was gonna throw up.  Man getting old sucks!  I definitely don't have the stomach I used to.  I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to the amusement parks this summer which equally sucks.  This will be the first time in a very long time where I won't have to worry about whether or not I'll fit on a ride.