Swank Girl Goes Skinny

Girls can be lame.

2009-01-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

Ren. Boy is going on a men’s vacation this weekend to go skiing/snowboarding in the U.S. I am being left behind because the women folk I hang around never do anything quite as fun and Ren. Boy’s men folk. The plan for the girls is to go see Bride Wars on Friday night and maybe hit the art gallery on Saturday.

These plans do sound like fun to me, but they sound like regular weekend activities that I would do anyway. I want to do something that is unique and extraordinary and causes me to have to spend close to $400 like Ren. Boy gets to spend. And he ALWAYS gets to go on these types of trips. This summer he is going on a big canoe trip, again with more men folk, and I, once again, will be left behind my female friends.

So this is what I want to know – why is it that men always go on these great adventures? Or is it my lame friends. No offence girls – I love you all, you laugh and cry with me and support me in every way possible, but honestly, can’t we do something other than drive to a spa?!! So I’ve decided to plan a trip this summer that is going to be extraordinary – but I need ideas.

I don’t even think anyone is really reading this blog… but on the off chance that SOMEONE is out there… PLEASE give me some suggestions! I’m open to anything at this point.. and it should be something that can be done in a weekend and is somewhat “city girl” friendly, because well, most of my gal pals are city girls. But I’m willing to break the mold and do something crazy too… so just throw anything out at me. I might just have to do it all by my lonesome.

Lattes, Jamaican Patties and Ice Cream, oh my!

2009-01-14T06:14:00.000-08:00

This morning for breakfast I chose the healthy option of a Starbucks nonfat latte.

Okay, okay, I know. Not a healthy option. But is it better than not having any breakfast at all?

Through my weight loss struggle, I have become more and more aware of my unhealthy eating habits. For instance, yesterday, I was doing quite well. I came into work and made a bowl of oatmeal. For lunch I had brought a turkey wrap, and an apple. I also had one of those delectable double chocolate cookies, but let’s forget about that.

But then, for dinner at home, I had to run out to Pilates almost immediately, so I needed something that would take only about 2 minutes to cook and 5 minutes to eat. So what did I make? A frozen Jamaican patty. Yeah, I know! Disgusting!

And THEN, when I got home from Pilates, I had a bowl of ice cream. Now when I say bowl, I really mean about ½ cup of ice cream – so I think I get some points for portion control… right? Please affirm me!

So I’ve just been wondering to myself – what is this all about? Why do I eat such junk? Laziness? Cravings? Poor discipline? Probably all of the above. But how do I stop myself. Better discipline I guess.

So that’s me – all laid out. I have the best intentions – but I am failing miserably at this healthy eating thing. I’m not completely discouraged at this point – but there will come a point when I am. Because I’ve been there before. Ugh – don’t let me get there again. Hopefully the rest of this day will look a bit more healthy by the time it is over.

My Struggles and Successes #1

2009-01-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today is success/struggle Tuesday as per the group online I’ve joined to lose weight! So I thought I would post my recent successes and struggles today. I will start with the bad.

Struggles: My eating habits suck. AND… as many of my close friends know, I love my wine. My love for wine has been a long and intimate relationship and has grown increasingly over the years. My preference is for reds, rich ones that are full-bodied and spicy. A good Amarone puts me in exactly the right mood! And to top things off, Renaissance boy’s mama works for a fairly prestigious Ontario wine grower and gives us free bottles all the time. So taking all alcohol out of my diet is not happening. I’m not saying I drink a bottle a day – FAR from it! However, a glass a day for me is not uncommon and wine truly is a part of my (almost daily) diet… and don’t doctors say that one glass a day is okay?! So I know that my a lot of calories come from this.

And eating during the day is tough for me too. People at work tend to bring in lots of delicious snacks and I have very little will power. So that is my main struggle I would say right now (since giving up drinking wine is pretty much out of the question, as you’ve already read!). I love sweets. So I’m trying to bring my lunch every day and eat much more fruit. So far this week though, my colleague made these delicious double chocolate chip cookies, and I had TWO, yes TWO, yesterday and one today. I think they are gone now, so they will not be a struggle tomorrow! But it seems that every day after lunch, I have this huge craving for sweets. Does anyone know what this is from or how I curb it?

Successes: I’ve had several successes this week and last. Last week I was at the gym 4 days! It felt great! So far this week, I’ve yet to go, but I’m going to Pilates tonight. Also, I joined this great new gym in our area – I was searching for awhile. My friend Ginger was joining and asked if I would join with her. Ginger’s boyfriend, Timmy and Renaissance Boy also joined to work out together – so I think that will be encouraging for us to get active together!

FYI – Renaissance Boy is 6’ and weighs about 155lbs. He doesn’t look as skinny as he sounds (although, his waist is a 28!!) because he used to swim and has an excellent V-shaped body, but he feels the need to bulk up a bit.

And my last success was that on Sunday, I went ice skating for the first time in at least 10 years! It was great! Ginger and Timmy have a huge outdoor rink in their backyard, and Renaissance Boy just got hockey skates for Christmas, so we were all out there on Sunday night playing some “hockey”. Not quite as good as those World Junior games, but close!

Week in Review

2009-01-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

So it is the end of the week and I have my weekly weigh-in. Unfortunately, I forgot to weigh myself in this morning, so I will have to wait until tomorrow – but my starting weigh-in on Tuesday was 150.4lbs! My highest weight ever. I was very disappointed. Before the holidays I was at 146.8. I have never weighed at 150lbs. But at the same time I find this very motivating.

Here is my progress for the week:

Exercise: I’ve had a great week of exercise. Monday started with going to the gym and I ran and walked for 6km. I was pretty sore on Tuesday, but I haven’t felt that muscle soreness in such a long time, so I welcomed the feeling. Tuesday night I went to a Pilates class that I’ve signed up for with 3 other friends. So I know that every Tuesday I will always hit the gym for that. It is a good reminder of being healthy! Wednesday I did an all over resistance training program, that included rows, squats, lunges, bicep curls, abs, etc. It took about 40mins in total, but really wasn’t that challenging. I don’t know if it was the weights I was using or reps, but something needs to change with it. And last night, I was back at the gym running/walking for 6km. I would really like to do a 10km this fall with Renaissance Boy – so that is what I’m going to try for!

Food: NO GOOD! I need to figure out some way to eat healthier at work. The problem is, I want to go out with everyone to eat, but the choices around our office are so unhealthy. Lots of fried food. And it is expensive. So I think next week I will limit myself to eating out only once. Which will suck in terms of social time with my work peeps, but will be better for my waistline and right now, I’m focusing on that!

Enjoy the weekend! I have a busy one planned!

Not a New Year's Resolution

2009-01-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

I will say it again. I am back. Who knows how long it will be for this time? With me, you can never tell. But buckle up because my life has settled down or at least I feel more settled down since I last wrote in October. I can’t believe I only included three posts the last time when I said “I’m back”. And I can’t believe that I tried to get into a new exercise regime and diet plan when I was in the middle starting a new job, moving and I had packed up all of my dishes. Takeout food does not equal good diet. Here is what has happened since October:

1) Renaissance Boy and I bought a house, bought new furniture, painted, moved and decorated our house in time for…
2) Celebrating my 27th birthday (Nov. 20) in the form of a house party with our family and friends on November 27.
3) My sister-in-law announced that she is pregnant with her second child!
4) I won my first trial!
5) Renaissance Boy had another art exhibition and sold some pieces. He also scheduled a solo exhibition in February and is displaying at a charity event later this month!
6) Our first family Christmas on Christmas Eve at the house and our first Christmas morning!
7) New Years Eve Party at the house!

So now for a new year. I’m pumped for 2009 because I feel like life is settling down a bit. I am happy about this. I know that my life with Ren. Boy is never going to be boring because we love celebrating life and being young… and at this point in our lives we are pretty free to pick up and go whenever we please (aside from when work calls) because we are children free. And we try to do that when we can because this situation will likely change over the next few years. Don’t tell Ren. Boy, I’m pretty certain he would be happy with holding children off until we’re in our 40s.

And with having moved into the house, I feel less like the nomad I once was. I have a home! And, it feels like home. And I have a job that I love and that keeps me on a more regular schedule.

Having this regular schedule means that I can plan out my days with more consistency. And with no (planned) upcoming transitions I feel better able to make a plan of attack on the 25lbs I have gained over the course of law school, articling and my first 5 months as a lawyer.

FYI: This is NOT a new year’s resolution. I have made those in the past and failed miserably. It just so happens that the timing coincides with the new year. Purely coincidental – I swear.
I will be posting at least once a week on my progress because I am joining a group of fellow “Losers” (see http://www.not2us.net/losers) who will be weighing-in on a weekly basis (Fridays). I hope to continue to use my blog to post my frustrations, successes and anxieties about losing this weight. Hopefully with everyone’s support, I will be able to FINALLY reach my goal of 125lbs! Oh to be that weight again!

Moving and P90x

2008-10-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

So I survived another P90x workout - Legs & Back. I was able to do it when I got home last night before going out with friends for the night. The workout was an hour and focused a lot on squats and lunge-type movements. The back component was mainly pull-ups/chin ups. No, I cannot do unassisted pull ups, but I can do them with the assistance of a chair that I stretch out in front of me. I can put as much or as little weight as I want on the chair and in the past when I done them, I've definitely felt sore the next day, so I know I'm still getting a workout from it. I think if at the end of this three months I can do even 2 pull ups unassisted, I will feel like I've made tons of progress. Overall the workout was not that bad. I hate wall squats and the one legged wall squats - they are so painful! And I'm pretty sure that my bum and thighs are going to be in so much pain later today - usually I feel the ache after 24 hours or more.

So as I mentioned yesterday, Ren. Boy and I bought a house. We're doing our final walk through of the house this evening since we take ownership of it in less than a week! The sellers just put a new roof on the house, which is wonderful. I guess it was damaged in one of the many hail storms that we had this past summer - which is great for us, because now we have a brand new roof! The house is on the edge of east-end Toronto and the burbs right down by the lake. It is so quiet and peaceful - I LOVE it. There is a TON of green space and beaches because it is close to the lake. In fact, there is a huge walking trail along the lake, which will be great for getting outside more.

Right now my apartment is FILLED with boxes - but I still feel like we are no where close to being totally packed. There is SO much left to do! If anyone has any tips on smooth transitioning into a new house, I'd love to hear it! We already have a party planned for my 27th bday later in November, so I want to get this place up and running pretty quick!! I do not want to be living in boxes for the next couple of months... it will feel so good to be all settled in!

Anyway, it is gorgeous outside today, and I'm only in my midtown Toronto neighbourhood for a little bit longer. I need to get outside and enjoy it while it lasts! I'm so going to miss this place.

Feeling the ache...

2008-10-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

After aching for the past two days from the YogaX, I’m back with an update. I completed the remaining 30 minutes on the YogaX on Tuesday night and overall it was pretty good. The workout expects a lot of you. Fortunately, I have some background in yoga and am fairly flexible, so it wasn’t too bad. But for a person with no yoga training or flexibility, I think this workout would be incredibly difficult. With the workout being 90 minutes with next to no breaks, it was tough. And I’ve paid for it over this week. My body ached in places I didn’t even know could ache – but the upside is, at least I know it worked something!

Wednesday I was supposed to do the Legs & Back, and Ab Ripper workouts. This did not happen because I had to be at work very early that day and had a meeting that night, so I didn’t get home until close to midnight. So I switched my day of rest from Friday (today) to Wednesday.

Yesterday, Thursday, I did the Kenpo X. At the time I think I had a good reason for not going in the order suggested by P90x, but I can’t remember what it is now. But tonight when I get home I’m going to do the Legs & Back and Ab Ripper workouts.

KenpoX is best described as a kick-boxing type workout. There is a lot of stretching at the beginning and then you start by doing jabs, crosses, and undercuts. There is also kicking incorporated later on in the video. The workout is just under an hour and I was surprised that I didn’t find it to be very intense. I have to admit that some of the arm sequences I was HORRIBLE at, but overall, I found Kenpo to be pretty manageable. However, I was definitely sweating and getting my heart rate up, I just wasn’t exhausted.

So the plan now is this:
Friday night: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper
Saturday: Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper (doing the Ab ripper two days in a row may be too intense, but we’ll see)
Sunday: Plyometrics,
Monday: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Tuesday: Yoga X

…and then for next week, I’m going to try to get back to the P90x schedule, rather than my own confusing schedule!

This was a pretty boring post – sorry! I promise to post on more interesting life events later this weekend or week, such as my move next week with Ren. Boy (the hubby) into our NEW HOUSE!!

I'm back

2008-10-14T06:20:00.001-07:00

After almost 6 months of non-posting and next to zero exercising, I'm back and with an agenda.

I know, I know... you've heard it from me before. But I promise this time it will be different. This time I have a better schedule and I'm newly motivated. And there is nothing holding me back. That includes no self-pity!

So what's the plan you ask?

p90x.

I'm sure many have heard about this program. It is pretty extreme and exhausting. I was going to start with the simple p90, but I found it too easy. And I don't think it will provide the same results in 3 months that p90x will.

Let's get right into it!

Starting weight: 147.4
Starting exercise: YogaX

Now you are supposed to start with Chest and Back, but I started with Yoga, thinking that I could do it before work and it wouldn't make me all sweaty. First of all, that assumption couldn't have been further from the truth. I sweated my ass off. I knew yoga was hard, but this yoga was intense!! There are pretty much no rests, unless you press the pause button and you are in and out of the positions pretty quickly. I was sweating a lot! Also, the YogaX is 90minutes (I did not know this), and so I did not have time to finish all of it this morning. My plan is to finish the last 30 minutes (all balance poses) this evening.

So that's where I'm at. I feel pretty good this morning having started the day that way. Breakfast this morning was 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt and a sprinkling of granola on top. Probably about 150 cals in total. I'd like to get some protein in my diet for the morning, but I don't have much time to cook eggs. We'll have to see what we can do. I'll definitely try to get some protein in my lunch.

So that's it. I'm back. Join me for the ride if you want. Sorry for being so MIA.

"No no, Mr. Usher, I always bring water in an Absolut glass bottle. You know, I'm worried about plastics, and stuff..."

2008-05-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Whoa, long title!

This weekend is going to be a busy one, but I've always loved having a billion things to do on weekends. I'm not feeling so awful anymore about the, you know, bad news, so I think the weekend will help even more for that.

Last night I went to see Sex and the City. Beforehand we went to a friend's condo for cosmos and then we went to the theatre. Has anyone else seen it? I won't spoil it for people, but it was a movie experience of many firsts for me. It was the first movie where I've :

1) seen numerous women/girls wearing dresses fancy enough to be at a wedding,
2) heard women hurl insults at the male characters when they do something shady,
3) heard clapping after a good movie trailer preview,
4) heard clapping for any good kiss, sexual position, comeback or fabulous outfit,
5) seen so many digital camera flashes going off as people took pictures of themselves and their friends at the theatre,
6) heard the sound of a fairly full glass bottle of what I'm assuming is alcohol break in the middle of the movie after which the girl stands up and says to the entire theatre - "don't worry, I've got more!", or
7) been totally buzzed off of cosmopolitans and fairly certain that everyone else in the theatre was feeling exactly the same way.

It was awesome.

The rest of the weekend will look like this:

- catch up on blogs on Saturday A.M. and go for a quick run.

- get ready for wedding for law school friend midday Saturday. Many friends are coming to get ready at my place from out of town and then we are going up to Markham together. I can't wait for my mini-reunion with everyone. In first year law, I lived in a house with a bunch of people that included the guy getting married.

- attend wedding reception - my first Catholic wedding ever... I've heard they are LONG and boring and there is a lot of standing and sitting.

- check into hotel and then cab it to wedding at Angus Glen for law school friend.

- recover from wedding Sunday A.M. and have brunch with the law girls.

- meet up with friend who has lost 27lbs over the last three months! Way to go girlie! She's an inspiration!

- and then I'm in court all next week. watch out all you criminals!!

Not so Swanky...

2008-05-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

So last night I received some not so good news. I’ve mentioned that I’m an articling student in the area of Criminal Law. For those from the United States, articling is sort of like interning to become a doctor. It’s the final stage in the licensing process after writing my bar ad exams. Yesterday I found out that I will not be hired back. There are 10 students here and only 3 are hired every year, so I knew that the competition was tough. And unfortunately, I didn’t make the cut. I’m disappointed, but right now I have to be positive and focus on getting a job. So that will be my focus for the next little while.

And I would have always said that I don’t eat from stress, but last night, I was definitely consoled by my McDonald’s french fries and chocolate milkshake. I haven’t had those in SO long and I craved for them hard. And this morning, I got a GRANDE Starbucks non-fat latte. So bad. And also, last night I was in no mood to go to my training session, so I cancelled it. So I feel a bit like a slug. I’m hoping that I can get my ass back into gear with some hardcore dragon boating tonight. I’m going to kick Lake Ontario’s ass tonight! So I’m sorry if I’m a bit of downer for the next little while, but I will try to remain positive.

And I will try to remain on track with this weight loss thing. I’m worried about weighing in next week (which I’ll do on Monday morning). Especially since I have wedding this weekend that is also a reunion of old law school friends. The booze will be running, that’s for sure!! However, now that I will be unemployed as of June 17, I will have plenty of time to get to the gym!

TODAY'S MENU:

Breakfast - Starbucks grande non-fat latte w/ Splenda
Lunch - it's a mystery... I'm going out with a girlfriend update: went to Swiss Chalet (mmmm!) - had a quarter chicken with white meat, and a garden salad with chalet dressing
Dinner - also a mystery... another dinner out after dragon boat (I should cut down on this eating out... since I am unemployed!)

The hair is cut.

2008-05-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

So the hair is cut.

Thankfully it's still long! Now I'm rocking a long but heavily layered style that I think will look sweet with beach hair in the summer. And all the damaged pieces seem to be gone. My stylist thinks it was damaged because in Nov. 2006 I went from blonde to very dark brunette. I sported that for 6 months and then last summer started to slowly go back to the blonde. Not slow enough apparently because there was a ton breakage in my hair. Sucks because before that my hair was uber healthy. So I just have to be diligent with taking my fish oil and multivitamins and eating loads of lean protein.

I'm still trying to decide if I want to post pics or not. I have this fear that because I'm a lawyer (or will be in like 3 weeks) that I should protect my identity. I'm particularly nervous about it because of the area of law I practice - criminal law. It sort of doesn't go hand in hand with people knowing a lot about my personal life.. so I'll just have to see about that!

Tonight I have training with my model boy trainer. I'm pretty sure he is going to kick my ass tonight because I totally stood him up last week while at the conference. (oops!)

Oh and does anyone have any tips for getting rid of or avoiding shin splints? I'm totally prone to them, but I love running. I'm not sure if it is the way I run or my shoes or if I'm just stuck with it... but any suggestions would be fabulous. Merci.

TODAY'S MENU:

Breakfast - so today I actually measured my breakfast and realized that I was eating 3/4 cup of Special K w/ berries cereal and only 1/8 cup of 1% milk. But totally satisfying! (I'd like to get back to my egg whites though, but I love the carbs in the morning).
Lunch - mixed greens with grilled chicken breast, pumpkin seeds and raisins
Dinner - unknown... ooo.. perplexing isn't it? It'll be whatever Renaissance Boy whips up. He's my master hottie chef.
Snacks - today I brought to work raspberries, carrots and leftover hummus. mmm hummus.

On a Roll

2008-05-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

I woke up early again this morning to go for a run. It felt great! And I did the same distance as yesterday in less time. I love quick progress. I'm going to have to lengthen the distance now, because a 20 minute run in the morning is just not going to cut it.

I didn't, however, make it to the gym last night. I ended up working late and so after a late dinner at home, Renaissance Boy and I hit the streets and went for a walk for just over an hour and a half. I think that is pretty good, although not the same as lifting weights for an hour.

Today is another day at the office and tonight I am getting my hair cut. I've had blunt heavy bangs for over three months now, and while they are super cute, I'm pretty tired of them. And it would be nice to look my own age for a change. Lately as well, I've been noticing that my hair has been doing this weird "christmas tree" effect... so that when I blow dry it all these little ends flip out all over my head. It is a crisis people!!

I have no idea what my hairdresser is going to suggest, but it might involve going much shorter. Right now I have long hair that goes past my shoulders. Short hair makes me look like I'm a twelve year old, so I'm scared.

That's it for now... there might be some drama later today (long story), so check in for an update.

TODAY'S MENU:

Breakfast - 1 cup of Special K w/ berries, 1/4 1% milk
Snack - vegan cupcake (brought in by a colleague who NEVER bakes... it was pretty tiny... i know, I know, excuses, excuses...)
Lunch - salad w/ raisins and soy nuts, hummus and whole wheat pita
Dinner - unknown... update to come

And She's Back...

2008-05-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

So here I am, as promised. I’m fairly good at keeping my promises… although I still need to post those “before” photos… they are coming. Hopefully by the end of this week I will be able to get it together enough to post them.

I have some good excuses for my absence. First, I had a huge file that I was working on that pretty much put everything, including my social life, on hold. Second, I was in the middle of planning a small coffeehouse/art auction fundraiser for a new gallery opening in Durham. We managed to raise $2500, which was about $2000 more than I had expected! I had no idea how much work it would take to get this thing off the ground! Third, last week I was at a conference at Blue Mountain in Collingwood. Also very busy due to an surprise work assignment that I was required to hand in on Friday, even though I was at the conference all week. NOT FUN!

But enough complaining, onto the good stuff that I really should be sharing, like, how am I doing?

Surprisingly, even after the conference which served only buffet style food (in other words there were next to zero non-carb, non-fat, non-greasy, non-smothered in some sort of cream sauce options), I still managed to keep my weight at 145.4lbs. Not exactly where I want to be since I thought I would have been at least 5-7 lbs lighter at this point. However, considering my horrible eating and my inability to get any exercise into my daily/weekly/monthly routine, I think a 2 ½ lbs loss is pretty good!

But this morning, something glorious happened. I actually woke up and went for a morning run. It was fairly short – only about 25 minutes, but it was a start. And I proved to myself that I could do it. AND… Renaissance Boy even joined me – so sweet! I should credit Alli for inspiring me to do the early morning workout. She's been rocking it for a few weeks now!!

My plan for later this evening is to go to the gym and do some weights and maybe another 30 minutes of cardio.

I’ve also decided to keep my food journal on my blog instead of in a journal – which I keep losing or forgetting at home or at work. This way I can log it as I need to.

So here goes:

TODAY’S MENU:

Breakfast – orange and 2 egg whites
Lunch – Indian Buffet for M.A.’s birthday… stuck to one plate of food, and avoided naan and rice. I think I mainly ate some veggie masala, curried lentils and curried cauliflower. It was delicious.
Snack – tall nonfat latte with Splenda
Dinner – grilled chicken breast, grilled peppers and salad

I'm here

2008-05-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

I am here... barely!

Just hang out a little longer.. the last few weeks have been INTENSE at work... but I'm here and alive and kicking! I will write something soon... stay tuned!

Weekend Recap

2008-05-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Weekend exhibition went well for Renaissance Boy. He sold one painting of five. Pretty good for someone who just started showing in February! Two of his works were kept by the gallery to be sold in their rentals and sale shop… And he was offered an exhibition to show from June 1 to July 11 again at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. ALL good things. He is incredibly happy, as am I.

And all around the weekend was great. Spent time with his family. Including my lovely niece who is just the most adorable like 18 month old. Unbelievably, I managed to stay away from carbs, and I got some exercise in by taking my niece for a walk in her stroller and playing with her at the park. Not too intense, but still active.

Renaissance Boy hits the Big-Time

2008-05-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

So since yesterday's post was such a downer, I thought I would write about some good news that is going on in my life.

So I haven't said too much about Renaissance Boy, my hubby. He's pretty amazing... to be fully truthful. Perhaps you're wondering why I call him Renaissance Boy. There are two reasons. The first is that he truly is a "renaissance man". He excels in many areas, is quite educated and embraces learning new things whenever he can.

The second, and not quite as interesting reason is that he's an artist. And a darn good one too. He does have a "real" full-time job as well to pay the bills... because man, we've got bills! But his real dream has always been to just do his art. And I would love that for him.

Recently some pretty great things have been going on for him. He's been doing a series that has received considerable attention from Toronto galleries. He had an exhibition in February/March with this new stuff and was even able to sell! Currently, he is being showcased at the Art Sale at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. This is pretty big.

When we were driving to the reception the other night, we sort of were looking at one another and asking, "is this really happening??" "Is this for real?" I mean, the AGH is internationally reknowned. Hopefully it will only get better from this point on.

So yeah, I'm pretty proud. Hopefully this weekend won't thwart my renewed efforts of eating healthy and exercising. We will likely be in Hamilton the whole time in his parents' house, where they don't believe in fruit or vegetables. seriously. his dad hates fruit. it's a carb and meat world over there.

Downer

2008-05-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I last posted. I am brutal at this blogging thing. Gotta get my act together for sure.

Part of the problem is that I feel like I am making zero progress. Work has been crazy lately. I haven't mentioned this before, but I am currently an articling student and I'll be called to the bar in 6 weeks! For the last two weeks, my work load has been insane, so getting to the gym is impossible. Eating healthy is also hard when you are strapped to a desk all day and there are a billion temptations lying around. I was doing so well at saying no, but under the stress of work, I've competely faltered.

And I have a wedding at the end of the month where I will see all my law school friends, and I want to look thinner, not fatter than I was in school. This year of articling has added about 15 pounds to my frame... not good.

So I'm just annoyed and disappointed in myself.

I am so tired of all of my clothes fitting too tightly. I'm tired of thinking about another summer at the cottage and feeling gross in a bathing suit and shorts. I'm tired of worry about whether or not I have a double-chin in pictures. I am tired of comparing myself to everyone else to see if I am bigger than they are.

Sorry for being a downer, maybe it's the bad weather today, but I just feel junky.

I feel lopsided

2008-04-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is nicer outside, I feel so much more inspired to be active and eat well. There is definitely something to be said about sunshine making you feel great. Last night I attended my first dragonboat practice. I admit, I was pretty nervous to start since the practices have been running since March, so I worried that I would be pretty behind.

But I impressed my fabulous self! Our coach said that he was surprised I’d never paddled before. I was gracious and said “thank you”, but inside I was giving myself the biggest mental high five and about a million pats on the back (and now I’m mental curtseying!). Okay, okay, enough gloating. Can you tell I’m pumped! Next week we start out on the water and that will be a whole different situation.

Today my left side is sore and tired and my right side is completely normal. It’s a pretty weird feeling, but apparently it gets better as the weeks go on.

So here are my plans for the weekend:

1) Get out in that sun! Saturday I have ballet in the morning, and I do need to do some work from home, but I hope to do some hiking with Renaissance Boy and maybe even attempt a run outside. The treadmill is so much easier, which is exactly why I need to get my butt outside!

2) Buy a scale! (cue the duhn duhn dahh scary music) I randomly weigh myself at the gym, but I’d like to get on a weekly system that can be done in the comfort of my own home.

3) Take some before pictures of myself to post on the blog for motivation and to track my progress down the road.

4) NO CARBS! I don’t think I’ve ever made it through an entire weekend without eating carbs – that’s my challenge to myself for this weekend and I’ll report on Monday.
Well that’s all. Have a great weekend and GET OUTSIDE!

Not an athlete

2008-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight is dragonboat practice numero uno.

I'm pretty pumped for it. The last time I was involved in a team sportwas in high school when I played field hockey. Of course, since a skirt was part of the uniform, I signed up pretty quick. I had never really thought of myself as an athlete, but a few of my friends played field hockey, so I decided to try out. It was a surprise to me when I made the team, and even more surprising that they let me play! I even ended up being starter.

So now I find myself having all the same feelings with this whole dragonboat team experience. It is even harder to view myself as an athlete now that I am not as thin (aka: fatter!) and out of shape. So I just hope it goes well and that I am not totally behind everyone else in terms of athleticism. I wonder if I will ever view myself as an athlete... even as I shed the pounds and build muscle. It is such a mental thing.

What a downer I am!

I AM excited, however, to be part of a team again. Nothing is more motivating than having that kind of support. Update to follow tomorrow!

No self-control

2008-04-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

I bought a muffin this morning.

I told you – no self-control. This MUST stop!

On a more positive note, last night I made it to the gym. I have a cold right now, so I was still pretty impressed with myself when I RAN for 15 whole minutes. Last week I ran for 20, so this is a step down – but considering the sickness, still pretty decent.

I think that’s all I’ve got for today, but tonight I have a personal training session with Model Boy. Why do I call him that? Because… well… my trainer is actually a MODEL. He has done ads with some pretty big companies such as Ripcurl. So I might have a mini-crush. But of course, I am married to the wonderful Renaissance Boy whom I love and cherish. But it is definitely nice to be trained by someone as pretty as Model Boy. I will try to post a pic of him tonight. You will thank me.

Swank Girl was MIA

2008-04-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I start a blog and then I go MIA. Not exactly a good start.

Fortunately, my start to being healthier has gone MUCH better and now that I’m more disciplined in that area, hopefully that will rub off on other areas, such as this blog!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have managed to go to the gym at least twice a week and to a ballet bootcamp class on Saturdays. For lazy ol’ me, three times a week, ain’t that bad. On top of that, I’ve been doing yoga a few times a week in my apartment living room. Not. Ideal. BUT… it’s been worth it, especially the few times that Renaissance Boy has joined in. Oh how I love him. He is so NOT flexible, but he tries sooo hard. I think he has actually started to pick it up a bit. And, in addition to all of that, I’ve been trying to walk in the evenings with Renaissance Boy as well. My fitness level is definitely UP!

Diet-wise is where the challenges begin. I managed to go the entire week last week with NO chocolate chip muffins to start my day. I always used to buy one for breakfast from Tim Horton’s. I know, I know. They have close to 500 calories in them. But I love them. So last week, was a good week for me. But now, this week, my cravings are totally back up and I. Just. Can’t. Help. It. I MUST HAVE A MUFFIN!

So guess what I had for breakfast today? A muffin. I have no self-control.

I need help. I have a problem. But I don’t think there are help groups for people who eat one muffin daily. I don’t think that qualifies as being bizarre enough. I guess we’ll see how tomorrow goes.

The Skinny on being Skinny

2008-04-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

The truth is, I've never been one of those stick skinny girls, but there was definitely a time when I came close. That time is long gone.

Then I went to school. And got married. And started working. And now - I'm about 30lbs more than where I should be. This, my friends, is not acceptable.

How can one be swank, posh, glamorous.. and chubby?! I can tell you, the combination is not desirable. So, I've started my quest for thin, slim, skinny - whatever you want to call it. Just smaller than I am!

I will post pics for progress shortly. Hopefully it will be motivating.

Diet Log:
Silhouette yogurt
3 chocolate eggs
Swiss Chalet chicken w/ sauce
salad with chalet dressing
cadbury thin chocolate bar (can you tell I love my chocolate?)