Bringing in the New Year

My body has been going through all sorts of changes lately. One thing I've noticed is that my back has been aching quite often.  I realized that I've been slouching more than normal.  When I was bigger my stomach literally held up my spine and the upper half of my body.  I felt propped up by all the fat.  Now without as much stomach my torso feels weird.  Like I could just fold in half at the waist and that would be more comfortable.  I have to re-learn how to sit properly.  I find myself wondering what to do with my hands, and my shoulders droop because now my arms aren't resting on my stomach. When I sleep on my side at night, it's like my rib cage folds in on itself and I get terrible aches in my ribs.  Who knew losing weight would be painful?

The sad part is, is that now my back is aching all the time!  I plan on going to either a walk-in clinic next week (New Years + Weekend , means no places are open except for Emergency) or trying to make a doctors appointment for sometime in the next few weeks.  I keep getting tingling in my arms and my left foot and leg.  It could have something to do with my back being achy or maybe not.  Best to get it checked out.  I also had a wicked foot cramp at work on Boxing day, so bad that my toes where all splayed in different directions and my foot still aches and feels like it wants to cramp up to this day.  Not very much fun at all!

I know my body really dislikes the cold.  With the more weight I lose, the more and more cold I feel.  With the cold snap we had I had a really hard time keeping warm, especially my hands and feet.  I would have a hot shower and after getting out my feet still ached from the cold.  This never happened when I was bigger, so maybe it's because I've lost some insulation?

No sense in trying to figure out what it can be on my own.  I will just have to wait and see what a doctor says later in the week and in the mean time, eat healthily and drink lots of water.   Needless to say, I haven't been able to run at all.  I really don't want to run on a foot that is tingling and feels like it wants to cramp up. However, after going to bed early last night and sleeping in this morning I find that I feel much better.  I walked around the mall for a bit and I'm starting to feel a lot better.  If I still feel fine by supper, maybe I'll sneak in a run.

My morning breakfast lately.  I picked up almond butter from Safeway.  I'm totally addicted to nut and seed butters! When this is done, I want to try cashew butter.

Today was the first day that I've slept in, in weeks!  Usually I'm up by 7AM, but today I kept hitting snooze and slept in until 8:30!  Usually I hate sleeping in, but it doesn't feel too bad in the winter time.  I was still up before the sun was!  I did a really great job of lounging around the house and by 10 I was absolutely bored.  Go figures, my first day home alone in ages and I'm bored before noon!

I had decided that today I was going to go to the mall and buy some sale jeans.  Later in the week a few of us are heading to Calgary to go wedding dress shopping with my sister-in-law.  I only have one pair of jeans that fit properly, so I wanted one extra pair so I didn't have to suffer from saggy-bottom-itis for most of my time there! The mall didn't open until noon so I puttered around the house doing laundry and and other odds and ends and still ended up leaving the house just a little after 11!

Once the mall opened I went right to Ricki's, I get their emails and knew they where still having boxing week sales.  I also had a birthday coupon that I wanted to use.  I ended up getting a pair of dark blue jeans, a red sweater and two white cami's for only $86!  I saved over $50 by going in today, when she told me the total I really had to resist buying more!  There's not much point though, I shrink out of clothes too quickly to buy too many at once.

Can you believe, the sweater is an XL!! I know it's a knit, so it stretches and fits bigger, but still, it wasn't an XXL which is what I normally wear there (if the XXL even fits!).  I was quite pleased.

Afterwards I went to David's Tea to pick up some loose leaf tea for my new teapot that I got for Christmas. I told the lady that I was looking for "something with no caffeine and spicy like Chai Tea".  So she handed me caffeine free Chai Tea! I haven't tried it yet, but I can't wait!  I will probably have a cup tonight after supper.

The past little while I've been trying to avoid sweeteners (like Sucrolose, Aspartame etc).  Not totally, but it's  something I want to have less-regularly in my diet.  I still have the occasional diet-caffeine free soda as a "treat" but tea has been a really great (and surprising) alternative. I usually have it with no sweeteners or sugar at all now.  It's tough kicking out sweeteners out of your diet, however.  Aspartame is everywhere! In gum, yogurt, all sorts of stuff have additives.  Even "healthy" stuff.  I try to go by the rule of not buying anything that has ingredients that I can't pronounce, but sometimes the lower calories win over the no-additive alternative.

I was checking out and updating my Spark Page the other day, and I came across my weight loss ticker and wanted to show it.  I usually only focus on the next 2lbs, so to see the ticker moved so far to the right was pretty cool to see!  The last time I actually looked at it, I was at about 70lbs lost, so it was still on the left.

I've set another mini goal. I want to get under 100kgs!  It's a big deal to go from 3-digit weight number to a 2-digit number.  It's equivalent to 218lbs, so I have about 5 lbs to go to be under 100kg.  Not far off now!  After that my goal will be 200lbs, because then I'll have a BMI of 29.5 and be considered just "overweight" instead of that other ugly word (obese).

Today was weigh in day.  To be honest I was a bit afraid of what the scale would say.  I haven't been able to run all week and I know I've gone over on my calories.  I'm happy to say that my weight stayed exactly the same!  I'm not sure how I pulled it off, but I'm happy!  Maybe my intuitive eating did much better than I thought?  I'm not going to complain, most people gain weight over the holidays and I didn't gain a single pound.  Victory!

So I wanted to leave you all with a thought.  This is something that I've been saying over and over to other people.  I think that most people who have lost significant amounts of weight would agree.  Weight loss isn't about restriction, weight loss is about figuring out and understanding your body.  This body that was given to you, and you alone.  Only you understand your body and it's quirks.  Learn and understand your cravings, your desires.  Embrace what is you and love it.  Indulge yourself.  If you love food, then have food, have food wisely.

I absolutely love pizza, chips, burgers, fries, steak and all sorts of food that can be "bad".  I know that about myself and I have chosen to embrace it and accept it.  I am not weak because I love pizza and just because I eat chocolate doesn't mean that I have no willpower.  It just means that I like food!

I now know when I want to binge, and when I can safely eat these foods. If I am having a craving for burgers, then I will make turkey burgers.  If I'm craving pizza, then I'll make tortilla pizzas.  If I want some wine, then I'll re-arrange my calories so I can have wine.  Living healthy doesn't mean restricting and eating only gross salads, or un-filling shakes or microwave foods.  It means finding out who you are, what you like, and making that person the best they can be.

Happy New Years folks!

Christmastime

Christmas Eve and Christmas day where so relaxing, I'm so sad that they're already over!  Dan and I left the house Christmas Eve morning and headed out of town to his parents place.  It was a really beautiful, but cold day.  The sun was shining both days we where up, but overnight it hit -34C, (-29F) which was absolutely frigid.  Needless to say that we didn't go outside much.

We did a lot of relaxing and a lot of visiting.  We don't see Daniels siblings except for a handful of times a year, if that. So visiting with them was fantastic!  It was also nice to have a Christmas with just adults and no kids.  It makes it really easy to enjoy each others company, and it wasn't too loud.

I got some really great presents!  The biggest one was an iPad! It's fantastic, it does everything I need to plus more.

 I also got this lovely peppermint green tea set.  It's a little teapot that sits on a teacup from David's Tea. Plus Dan got me some blooming tea for my glass teapot. Very nice stuff!

Blooming tea. This one was "Lychee" tea.  There was also strawberry and peach tea.

Since I L-O-V-E The Game of Thrones books and show, Dan got me a Ned Stark bobble head and Game of Thrones pins.  The bobble went in my office on a shelf with other nerdy things I've collected over the years, and the pins went on my lanyard at work.  I wore my Game of Thrones t-shirt yesterday at work with the pins on the lanyard.  Fan girl or what?!  

On Christmas Eve Dan and I like to open one present each.  He woke up that morning, and after he was up for about 10 minutes he said, "can we open presents now?" Haha!  So we opened one present each that morning.  He got me a beautiful necklace.  It was a complete shock to me, since he told me he'd never pick out jewelry for me.  I'm very picky about jewelry, but I think he did a fantastic job!

I also got two surprise gifts! Dan, his dad and brother all collaborated to give me their old .22!  Yup, I officially unofficially have a gun.  I don't have a firearms license, so it's not technically mine.  But it's mine to use whenever I want when Dan goes out.  It totally shocked me, since Dan is the one into guns and I just occasionally go to watch.  I don't usually use his guns much.  I'm very honored though that they gave me one that has been in the family for years.  Now the weather needs to warm up so I can use it.  The other gift where a pair of slippers.  My sister-in-law (or Sister-in-love as she calls it!) and I both got a pair to match my mother-in-laws. They're so soft and warm, the best pair of slippers I've ever had! Plus they don't "flop" around or slip off. 

For Christmas, I got Dan a scope for one of his guns, The complete Bond box set (I had no idea there where over 20 movies!), a few books, The John Carter movie, a 1/2 lb Reese's peanut butter cup, and a portable DVD player for his work truck.

Christmas afternoon we had our turkey meal, and the biggest pie I've ever seen!  Have you seen Costco pies?  They're massive! Just looking at one will give you a sugar headache!

Look at that pie!

I decided not to count calories since I wasn't making any of the food this year.  I instead ate by intuition, or at least did my best to!  I filled my plate with mostly veggies, then lots of protein.  Then the rest of the plate I squished on stuffing, potato and a touch of gravy (okay, I ended up spilling gravy on everything accidently.  So I had lots of gravy).

Dan and I ended up  having a conversation about food on the way home Christmas Day.  He noticed that I wasn't tracking my food, and that I had some treats (Pie, chocolates, crackers, etc).  He asked me if I was okay emotionally, and he expressed his concern for me not tracking those days.  Here is where my head is at for these past few days.  Normally, I track my food no matter what.  No "ifs, and's or but's" about it.  But here's the thing.  The reason I track is to get on course with a healthy relationship with food.  It's to keep me in line with my goals as well as to help me lose weight.  It's a tool, and one that is a key for my future success.

The reason I did not track on those two days is pretty simple.  First off, tracking 3 meals a day of foods I don't know would be ridiculous.  I didn't have a food scale, nor nutrition information.  Secondly, at this time I felt like I was in a great place mentally.  That is to say, I feel like I have a good relationship with food at the moment.  I knew I would most likely eat over my calorie goal every day, so instead of writing it down and getting stressed over it, I decided to eat intuitively and see how I did mentally making mindful decisions about each bite instead of obsessing over how many calories I was consuming and getting upset that I "couldn't" have what everyone else was having.  I suspended my calorie tracking for two days so I wouldn't get hung up on the logistics of it.  I decided to eat and behave like someone who had a healthy relationship with food, and it worked.  I didn't obsess over snacks I "couldn't" eat, and it worked out well.  I'm sure I"ll have a small gain on the scale this week, but that's okay.  I did not overeat, I did not binge.  Those are huge goals that I met.  I would rather tackle Christmas and be well mentally afterwards, than to go crazy and lose one pound.

The reason Dan was concerned was because it was a slippery slope I was treading.  How easy is it to use Christmas as an excuse to eat whatever you want, and then to fail to get back on track afterwards?  You might think that you will eat perfectly every day afterwards, but once you stop it's so easy to find excuses to keep eating poorly.  Maybe there's still pie in the fridge and cookies on the plate in the living room.  Maybe you're going to a New Year's party.  There was a legitimate reason for Dan to be concerned.  When you're an over eater, a binge eater and a food addict it's so easy to slip down the slope once you've had a taste of glorious sweets and sinful fatty foods.

I'm so thankful for my rough journey.  I know that I can make it through phases like this and come out unscathed.  I just need to believe in myself and listen to my body.

Here are a few photos of Christmas Day:

I love dogs, we had 2 Pugs and 1 Boston Terrier. Love those pooches!

Me trying out the camera on my iPad for the first time. Both of us with weird faces!

The Christmas tree!

This was taken at around 3:40 PM Christmas Day. The sun was already starting to set!

It was a very beautiful Christmas sunset.

One of the outdoor kitties. He/She was enthralled with the strap dangling on the camera, see it watching it with wide eyes?

Yesterday was a pretty hectic day at work, not too much to write about. The store was absolutely crazy all day, and probably will be busy until the New Year since we have sales all week.  I found out yesterday that someone ran into our store front with their truck and now our door doesn't close all the way.  The store was absolutely frigid all day, today I plan on wearing thick socks to work and a sweater since it's colder out today.

We also had a large statue shipped to our store.  If you're familiar with the game Assasin's Creed, then you'll know whom and what I'm talking about.  We got a life-sized (more like, larger than life) Connor statue.  We had several customers ask to buy it, and I had to help quite a few take pictures with it.  There where only 3 given away in Canada and we got one!  It's a very cool addition to our store.

This morning we where listed as the second coldest place on Earth.  I'm really surprised Dan is working today, since he's working outside.  But he is not being sent out anywhere, he is working in the yard at work I assume.  I really wish we could close down the store on cold days like today, especially with a door that doesn't close properly!  It was -39C here this morning (-38F) but is supposed to warm up to -29C (-20F) by this afternoon.  I think anything colder than -25C and it all feels the same anyways, I suppose!

I was supposed to have a run scheduled for yesterday but I had to skip it.  My feet got so cold at work they kept cramping up, and then they ached all night. I find that with the more weight I lose the colder I always feel.  I used to be a furnace and would walk around the house with shorts in the winter, now I need to always wear a sweater and thick socks, what a change!  I could barely walk when I got home from work yesterday, I really need to invest in good winter boots!  So I'll have to do my run tomorrow after work instead.

How was your Christmas?  What did you get?

Christmas day accountability

Well Christmas is right around the corner, and I couldn't be more excited!  We will be heading out of town tomorrow to visit Daniels relatives.  We're not going far, but we've heard the roads are bad, so here's hoping things get cleared up by tomorrow morning! Dan wasn't sure if he'd get Christmas Eve off (since you have to book off  all days off, otherwise he's on call 24-7, 7days a week).  But they had him work a long shift today, so he will have tomorrow off.  Very exciting!

This morning I was cleaning off my car to go grocery shopping, and the snow is piled up so high beside my car that the roof of my car was waist high on me! It's ridiculous  I mean, snow at Christmastime is great, but I think mother nature went a little snow crazy this season.

I headed out to Safeway for groceries.  I kind of toyed in my head with not going at all since I figured it'd be busy.  But it was either go today, or go after work on boxing day.  Neither day is ideal, so I figured I'd just get it out of the way.  The store was really busy, but not frustrating at all! I swear all of the customers had smiles on their faces.  When I was standing in line to be checked out, the cashier was talking to a little boy and his mom about Santa.  It was absolutely adorable!  So many people could be in a bad mood for so many reasons, but I'm happy to see that people are still trying to be happy with all the hustle and bustle.

The other day I was out an about and ran into someone I haven't seen in years and they commented on my weight loss.  And at work I had a customer stop dead in her tracks and say, "You've changed.  WHAT did you do??"  I told her I lost weight, and we chatted a bit about that for awhile before I finished ringing her through the register.  It's weird, I had no idea who she was.  It's neat that she remembered me though!  I've been getting a few comments from customers, only one asked if I lost weight (he then asked if that was rude to ask), but mostly they mention that I look different and ask what it is.  Hah! I find it kind of funny.  Like I want to throw up my hands and say, YOU CAN'T TELL?!  But I think most are just trying to be polite.

When I got back I made some lunch and pretty much just vegged around the house.  It's so nice to not have to do laundry, dishes, or anything else.. well not yet.  I still have to pack tonight!  I had a run scheduled for this afternoon too.

This run started out okay, I was doing 5 mph but my right knee suddenly started shooting pain.  Normally if it aches I just run through it or lower my speed, but this was more than an ache.  So I slowed down to a walk and walked off the pain.  I started back out at 4.5 mph and slowly increased my speed to 4.8 mph but I still felt a little off.  Over the past few runs my stomach on the right side has been aching too.  Well, it's in the hip/lower abdomen area.  It's kind of hard to tell why it's hurting.  I have a feeling it's because of excess skin+running makes my muscles hurt, or something to that nature, since it only hurts when I run.  Either way I decided to cut the run short.  In fact I didn't even run the whole time.  I did a run/walk of 2.25 miles.  Better than nothing, but not what I was hoping for either.  I don't have runs planned for the next two days, so hopefully my knee sorts itself out in those two days.  It doesn't hurt now anymore, so maybe I just psyched myself out.

After my run I made supper.  It was ground turkey with peppers, mushrooms, onion, garlic, Chili powder, salt, rice, cheese and sour cream.  SO good!

I need a light box in my house, so I can take pictures without them looking so dark!  Anyways, supper was so yummy  I had to share.

For the past two days I've been wanting to do Christmas baking badly.  I mean, I had on my Christmas apron yesterday and I was flipping through all of my cookbooks to see what I could whip up quickly that wasn't too bad in calories.  I determined that there really wasn't anything that I could make that would fit the bill.  Sure I could just portion out the cookies so I only eat X amount of calories, but I know myself too well.  One cookie leads to another, and another and so on.  Once a binge eater, always a binge eater.  So instead I've been making myself the hot chocolate I got from my secret santa (last night was Rolo, tonight is After Eight!), and making the single serve cookies I shared here.  I added a few walnuts to make it.. different!

I realized afterwards that I was just craving sugar.  I thought that I was just trying to get into the Christmas spirit by baking, but after having the cookie and hot chocolate I just realized that I was craving sweets.  Afterwards I had absolutely NO inkling to bake.  I'm glad I didn't make a whole batch of cookies, I'm sure they'd be all eaten by now!

So now the Christmas season is totally in swing.  I wanted to share something that Kate at Runs for Cookies wrote last Christmas.  Her post (found here) is about people waiting until the New Year to begin their journey, or Boxing Day, or whatever.  At any other time of year, it's "I'll start on Monday".  It's an excellent read, please check it out.

Here is a motivational story I want to share with you guys.  It's a bit long, but I promise I have a reason for posting it!

The Elephant Rope

As a man was walking down a road, he passed some Elephants.  He suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg.  No chains, no cages.  It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.  "Well," the trainer said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them.  As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away.  They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."

The man was amazed.  These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a b belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

How many times have we tried to do something, and quit because we got hung up on something?  I know I've "quit" dieting a dozen times because of stupid reasons, because I thought I was a failure and that I just wasn't strong enough to do it.  There where so many times where I thought I had no willpower and that I was destined to be fat forever.  I defined myself by that.  Fat.  I am fat, that's who I am, the fat girl.

There where a few days last weekend where I had trouble controlling my eating.  I followed the rules I had put in place for this month, but I still ate badly.  In one night I had over 3100 calories(at least I had the sense to track it, even if I did gorge).  That's more than double my normal amount of calories for one day.  Then the next day I was so upset with myself, I ended up eating 2000 calories that day.  500 more than my normal day.  I was upset with myself, but I knew this wasn't the end of the game.  I slipped up, it happens.  It doesn't mean I'm a failure, or that I have no willpower.  It just means that I was greatly tempted all weekend and I chose to eat what was tempting me.

And you know what?  I still lost 3 lbs this past week.  If I had given up like I wanted to, if I had thrown in the towel and over eaten on Monday (like I wanted so desperately to), then I would have NEVER known that I lost 3 lbs that week.  I would not have weighed myself like normal, and I would have binged every day, because who cares, right?  I would have just dropped the diet, but now here I am exactly a week later and I'm down 3 lbs and I hit 110 lbs lost.

I have lost over 110 lbs, and I still have bad days.  I had TWO very bad days.  Bad enough that for a short time I wanted to quit.  Thankfully I pulled my head out of the fog and came to my senses.

In my eyes this wasn't "failure".  In a  year I probably wont even remember that binge.  How unfair would it be to throw in the towel because of some binge I don't even remember?  At the worst, this hurt me mentally. It brought up the dark recesses of my brain where I used to hide.  Where I told myself that I was a failure, and ugly and I even thought, "How dare I write a blog about weight loss?  What gives me the right?"  Afterwards I realized THAT is why I do the blog.  Because this is real, this is hard and be damned I'm doing it!   You know, at the best, it was a lesson that I can make it out of it and get back on track right away.

So what does this have to do with Christmas?  Well everything!  I know eating mindfully at Christmas is hard.  I have decided not to plan my meals this Christmas, but instead eat intuitively.  That is, gauge how I feel and eat accordingly.  Normally I wouldn't do that, but I will be eating in a place where I feel very safe.  There isn't the same emphasis on food that you might find at some places on Christmas, so I feel fine eating that way.  There is no pressure to overeat.

What can you do?  Well I'm sure you already know the answer.  You can count calories all day, or try eating mindfully.  Whatever works best for you.  Remember that veggies are your friend, and to eat until you're 80% full.  Remember that sugary foods, drinks and alcohol all skyrocket in calories.  But most of all, remember that Christmas isn't about trying all the foods that are around you.  Sure you can enjoy yourself and have a few treats, but just know when you're going overboard and stop yourself.

Remember, there is no good reason to binge.

Christmas is not a good enough reason to binge.  There is a difference between enjoying a treat here and there, and bingeing.

Now on a lighter note, I wont be blogging until after Christmas day.  We will be travelling both tomorrow and Christmas day, then I work hell day boxing day.  I sincerely hope that everyone enjoys their Christmas, and spends time having fun, enjoying company and relaxing.

110 lbs lost! Photos!

This week has been less stressful for some reason, but utterly chaotic at the same time.  I have been busy busy busy all week but not as stressed out about it as I have been in the past few weeks.  Maybe because Christmas is right around the corner and I've been counting down the days until I had a bit of time off.

In fact I've been running around in life so much, that I didn't run ALL week.  Not because I made excuses, but because I would have so much to do and just fall into bed at night and wonder where my day went.  I really started feeling sluggish these past few days, which is a pretty big sign that I need to go for a run and not delay it any longer.

This was another run that just flew by! I ran 4.8 mph for the majority of the run and for the last 8 minutes I pumped it up to 5.0 mph!  I felt like I was flying!  Or maybe like I expected my feet to be taken out from under me.  It was great to do it though and to know that I really can run that fast!

---

My mom came in one morning for a quick visit before I had to head into work. (She drove over an hour and a half to visit me before work! Yay to moms!)  She also dropped off some Christmtas gifts.  She had some of her wedding photos framed for us.  They're so beautiful, and I'm so happy to have them.  I have pretty bare walls so they'll be a great addition. 

My moms dog, Daisy. She actually posed for once!

Which brings me to some pretty great news! I'm at 110 lbs lost!  I had a few stubborn weeks where the weight seemed to just trickle off and then come back which was frustrating.  But for some reason my body kicked into gear this month.  I wasn't going to take pictures just yet I'm waiting to lose another 10-15 lbs, but I wanted to show you a few comparisons anyways.

Dan and I at my moms wedding this summer. 20 lbs ago.

My 100lbs lost face photo. 10 lbs ago.

Me today! 110lbs lost.

I know that the photos are all taken at slightly different angles, but I don't think it's enough of an angle difference to account for how much my face has changed since August. In case you missed it, I have one pointy chin now, instead of two pillowy chins!

So because I love statistics and numbers, here are a few for you!  To date, I have lost 33% of my original weight.  Yes, I currently weigh 67% of my starting weight!  I can't wait until I'm half my starting size!  

So when I was 335 lbs you can imagine that my BMI was sky high. Here is a quick BMI chart for reference:

BMI (In Canada, this might be different for other countries)

25- 29.9 and you're considered Overweight

30-34.9 and you're Obese Class I

35-39.9 and you're Obese Class II (Morbid obesity)

>40 and you're Obese Class III  (Super Obesity)

At 335 lbs, my BMI was 49.5!! Not only was I considered "Obese" I was even beyond Morbid obesity! I was in the Super Obesity category. I wasn't even a little bit into that category, I was wwaaaayyyy into it.  As in, I was a poster child for Super Obesity. I was in the same category as the people on those weight loss shows.   You know, "My 600 lb life" and so on.  Yup, I was grouped with those people too, and I probably should have been.  

Well now my BMI is 33.1, so I'm still in the Obesity range but I think that I've done pretty well and dropped a few rungs.  

And now a few statistics for the year.  I re-started my weight loss journey in January of this year.  Since then I have dropped 65.4 lbs.  That was 49 weeks ago, which works out to 1.33 lbs lost per week this year.  I think that's a phenomenal number and I'm pleased! I honestly thought that the number would be lower.  I know that early this summer I had a weight loss dry spell, and not to mention the dry spell I had the past few weeks. I'm glad I'm "average" with my weight loss.  I couldn't be happier!

Awkward photo is awkward!!

Now my goal for the next week is to make it through Christmas day (which I have no worries about) and the following week so I can bring in the New Year healthy and happy.  

Healthy living survey

Well I am just two months into blogging and I have over 5k pageviews.  Thank you to whomever keeps stopping by.  My posts aren't always interesting, but I'm glad some of you keep coming back!

So twelve months and 4 days ago I accomplished something I never thought I could do.  I got my drivers license!  When I was a teen I was soooo ready to get my learners permit.  A few months after my 14th birthday (the age in Alberta where you can get your learners permit) I did my test and scored 100%!  I had almost the entire drivers instructors manual memorized.  THAT'S how badly I wanted to drive!  Then somewhere in my teens I ended up getting really anxious about driving.  I remember trying to learn on my moms Cavalier, and for the life of me I couldn't drive a standard.  I felt like a complete idiot and maybe I just quit believing in myself?

Well last December I finally went in to get my road test done, and of course I passed!  (And the lady who tested me made a big deal out of pointing out that I didn't look both ways at one abandoned railway crossing when I passed over it... which was right NEXT to a major intersection that I was watching out for, oh and she had me changing lanes so I could make the next turn.  She said she "passed me anyways" PAH!)  Anyways, I've been driving all year and I'm not too bad at it!

Isn't she b-e-a-utiful?  Her name is Genova the G6.

I own a 2006 G6 GT, it's a beautiful gutsy little car.  I was merging into some traffic yesterday, and my power steering decided to cut out as I was turning on the icy roads on the way to work!  I pulled over and called Dan since I had no idea what was going on.  Apparently it's one of those "turn the car off and on" deals, I guess it's a problem with the electronics??  He said that if it happens again to let him know, and that he received a repair notice from GM about this awhile ago so we might have to take my car in. I hope it's not expensive, a week before Christmas is not a good time for things to happen to your car!

I still have lots of work days left this week, and lots to do so this might be my last post until Saturday or Sunday. So I will leave you with this:

I found this survey on the blog Defying Lupus.  I thought the questions where pretty great and I figured I'd give them a shot.  Feel free to "steal" the survey and link back to here.

1. What did you eat for breakfast?
Usually I eat whole wheat toast and natural peanut butter for breakfast.  Sometimes I have whole grain English muffins with poached eggs too.  If I'm out of either of those I will occasionally have Shredded wheat with skim milk or oatmeal (not instant, yuck!).  And always coffee!

2. How much water do you drink a day?
I aim for 8+ glasses of water a day. My goal would be closer to 10, or 12 if I'm working out.

3. What is your least favorite “healthy” food?
I usually like most healthier foods that I come across, or I can usually prepare them in a way that I like them.  Some leafy greens (Arugula I think?) I really don't like and some granola bars can be pretty bland and cardboard-like.

4. What is your favorite fruit?
Blueberries!! I just LOVE me some blueberries. You can put blueberries on anything! You can make a sauce out of them and use it on Salmon or Chicken, or stick them in a smoothie, or cereal, or oatmeal or in your yogurt. Blueberries are just AMAZING.  After Blueberries, I love bananas, then apples.

5. What is your favorite vegetable?
Do mashed potatoes count??
Probably red and orange peppers and grape tomatoes.  Next would be spinach because it's so versatile.

6. How many calories do you burn a week?
Probably around 800-1350 a week as an approximation.

7. How many calories do you eat a day?
My goal is 1500 a day, up to 1700 if I work out.

8. What are your favorite healthy snacks?
Hummus and veggies, Oatmeal with mixins, Frozen yogurt, Greek yogurt with mixins,  and anything with cheese on it!

9. What do you usually eat for lunch?
Depends on the day.  If I'm at home I might have soup and a sandwich, or salad.  Sometimes tortilla pizzas or eggs and toast.  If I'm working I usually have left overs from supper or odds and ends. Like granola bars, yogurt, salad, raw fruits and veggies, tuna and so on.  I usually grab whatever is around me and throw it into my lunch bag!

10. What is usually for dinner?
Usually anything with Chicken breast, tuna, frozen fish, ground turkey or eggs. I tend to eat a lot of mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and spinach too.  There are so many combinations! 

11. What is your favorite body part to strength train?
My arms, because I have weights at home and it's super easy to do.

12. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?
My stomach/core muscles. Who really likes doing sit ups, like really??

13. What is your least favorite exercise?
Usually aerobics. Or anything that involves dance/coordination/jumping.  I'd rather run on the treadmill than bounce around.

14. What is your favorite exercise?
Running!  Soon I'll be trying Yoga too.

15. What is your “bad” food cravings?
I generally crave salty snacks or foods.  Like chips, dips, cheeses, or fried foods.  Sometimes I crave chocolate, but not too often.

16. What is your go to workout song?
First of the Year- Skrillex  Dont ask me why, I just sync with this song when I'm running.

17. Do you take vitamins or supplements?
I take a multi-vitamin that has Magnesium, Calcium and D3 as well as Folate. I can't take any with Iron in it since Iron gives me nasty headaches.

18. How often do you eat out?
Up to several times a week.  I try to keep it to 1-3 times a week maximum.

19. Do you eat fast food?
Yes. My fast food of choice is Edo, and Subway and local sandwich shops.  I don't eat fast food like McDonalds, A&W, Wendy's, KFC etc however.

20. How do you stay motivated?
In the beginning it was hard.  I just made small goals like focusing on the next 3 lbs.  Or making it through one meal successfully.  Now it's a lot easier and everything I do comes more naturally than at the beginning.  I suppose just feeling good and knowing this is best is my motivation to keep going.

21. Who is your biggest supporter?
Dan is my biggest supporter and fan.  He asks me every day how I'm doing emotionally and diet wise and is ready to help me if I'm having a down day.  My family are big fans as well, and without their praise I'd be lost.

22. How much weight have you lost?
As of today I've lost 109.8lbs

23. How did you determine your goal weight?
I haven't set a goal weight yet.  I like to just focus on what's right in front of me.  I'd like to see myself at 200 lbs.  Really, I'd like to be around 140 lbs but that's not something I'll cry over if I don't hit that in the next 12 months.  I will probably decide a goal weight when I'm smaller.

24. Do you have a gym membership?
No

25. How often do you work out?
Depending on the week, anywhere from 2-4 times a week.  The average probably being 2.5 times a week.

26. What is your favorite gym equipment to use?
My treadmill!  Besides that I have hand weights that I use as well.

27. How much sleep do you get a night?
I usually get 9 hours of sleep a night.

28. Are you a morning or night workout person?
I'm a late-morning workout person.  My favourite time to workout is right before lunchtime.

29. Do you have a “cheat” day?
No, that would be a really great reason for me to binge and to start the negative cycle of bingeing and looking forward to bingeing.  If I want a treat I will incorporate it into my diet just like anything else I eat.

30. Do you drink soda?
I have been cutting back lately. If I do, I try to drink caffeine-free diet soda or clear sodas.

31. Do you drink alcohol? How much?
It depends on what's going on.  Usually no I don't.  If I'm at an event where there is alcohol I'll usually have wine or some rum.  Usually less than 5 drinks.

32. Any other vices?
I'm a sucker for low calorie chips.  Like Special K chips, Pepperidge farm cracker chips and Lays baked chips.  None of which are clean eating, which would be how I would prefer to eat.

33. What do you not like about your body? What do you love about your body?
What a nasty question!  You can't lose a lot of weight without having issues.  I have loads of loose skin which lately has been making it hard for me to buy clothing, especially bras.  Shirts and jeans have been hard to find too.  My skin is getting wrinkles too, partly from the weight loss and partly because.. well I'm getting older!

I love my eyes, and my legs.  The rest can have a makeover! ;D

34. Do you have a workout buddy?
No. I used to work out with Dan, but we tend to bicker when we workout together.  Or I tend to turn into a wimp around him.  When I workout by myself I feel more "true" to myself if that makes sense.

35. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to this Healthy Lifestyle?
There are so many things! I feel so much happier mentally, my body feels great and now I have goals and a purpose to my life.  What more could I ask for?

---

I hope everyone has a great week, only 6 more days until Christmas!!  Are you done your Christmas shopping yet?

Busy Weekend with loads of Chocolate!

Saturday night was our store Christmas party.  It was decided much earlier that I most likely had the biggest living room, so party at my place!  Unfortunately the store doesn't close until 9pm so it was a pretty late party.  Dan managed to get the evening off for the party, but he was back on call for midnight.  (Since when you book a day off it goes from 12am-12am)  So he couldn't stay up too late since he had to be up for 5AM to head off to work.

I had ordered pizzas for all of us (9 of us in total) and had a few drinks available too.  I didn't want everyone waiting around for pizza when it was so late already so I ordered 4 large pizzas. I hadn't eaten pizza in a long time, I was quite shocked by how big a large was.  I ended up buying myself a thin crust Chicken Arbiritta pizza, but it ended up being really spicy!  So I ended up nibbling on the other pizzas there.

It was really strange. I didn't really care for the pizzas at all. They where incredibly bland, and I found that I like my own homemade pizzas better.  But the weird thing is, is that I had trouble stopping eating them anyways.  It felt great to eat them and I just didn't want to stop.  I felt the immediate elation of eating bad foods, and it felt like "going home".  I only ended up with a few slices, thank goodness!  And in the morning I felt terrible. My stomach hurt and I was lethargic all day.  I had trouble wanting to do anything productive.  I didn't think that having a few slices would have such an immediate effect, but it did.  No more pizza for me, not worth it.

The rest of the party was an absolute blast!  We ended up doing some talking and taking turns playing 360 and PS3.  We exchanged our secret Santa gifts too.  I forgot to take pictures of what I gave away.  I picked our Managers name, so I got him a few Simpsons items, a pocket knife and rubber "brass" knuckles. You know.. to keep us in line!  

The gifts I received where really awesome!  I got two coffee mugs, two bags of Lindt Lindor Chocolates, 6 candy canes, Tim Tams, two different kinds of Chai tea, and a variety pack of hot chocolate.  Dan said he did a mental facepalm when he saw my gift, but I was actually really okay with it!  I got it from a new employee who doesn't know about my diet, so it's not their fault for not knowing about how I eat. But even so, I don't mind getting food for a gift occasionally.  I told myself that I'd just portion out the chocolate and not binge.  It was really hard to not eat all of the Tim Tams, and I had one portion of Lindt's (and the rest went to Dan because I realized I wouldn't stop at one portion!).

The picture turned sideways and wont go back :(  Silly blogger!

The hot chocolate was a pretty cool gift too.  They're only 120 calories a cup, too! Score!  I love all of these flavours, so this really was an awesome gift.

Snowman coaster!

I made a cup of the Coffee Crisp hot chocolate today, and it was really really satisfying.  I usually horde Hot chocolate and have maybe one cup a winter, so this is a really great gift to get.

Sunday was a day off and a great day to recover from a food hangover (hah!).  Dan and I where supposed to go to the drive-thru Christmas light show, followed by going out of town to view the Geminid meteor shower but he ended up getting home really late from work.  We missed the meteor shower this year, but we have until Christmas Eve to see the light show at least.

Yesterday Daniels brother came into town (he's up for the holidays) to visit.  We ended up going to see The Hobbit last night together.  We where supposed to see it as a family, but Dan figures he will be working late every day until Christmas Day so we decided to see it last night since he had a day off.

It was really fantastic!  I haven't read the book yet (I like reading the book after the movie), but either way I found the movie to be spectacular.  It was a bit slow in places, but I suppose that's what happens when you split one book into three movies!  In fact I liked the movie so much I downloaded the soundtrack today.  I'm a big fan girl of fantasy movies so this movie is totally right up my alley.  The visuals had my heart racing too, it was overall really beautifully filmed.

Today is a late work day, I just work an evening shift and close up the store.  We have a TV in the store and head office sends us a disc to play every month.  Well we've received two copies of the disc and neither work, so now we're "stuck" watching Christmas movies. (heh heh)  I'm bringing in the only Christmas movies I have.  "The Muppet Christmas Carol", and "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie."  I also have "Hogfather" (based on a Terry Pratchett novel) but I doubt anyone will want to watch it at work so I'll leave that one at home.

---

A few days ago I asked my Facebook friends for new interesting foods to try out in the New Year.  I've decided that next year I'm going to start trying new foods (namely veggies, but other foods too) and posting them on here.

Some foods I've come up with so far:

Broccolini

Beets

Various squashes

Kale

Chard

Barley

Artichoke

Avocado

Goji Berries

Duck

Goose

Wild meats

Brie (and other cheeses)

Lamp

Parsnips

Okra

Different Flours, almond, rice etc.

Dragon fruit

Star fruit

Foods that friends came up with:

Ground bison

Quinoa

Coconut oil

Dry roasted soy beans

Turkey Pepperoni

Haddock and other fish

White beans

Lentils

Edamame beans

Fiddle heads

Sauerkraut

If you have any that you think I should try then please leave a comment and let me know!  And please leave ideas for recipes too!  I work less in the early part of the New Year so I want to try some new food ideas.  Baking isn't out of the question either!

What to look for in a diet plan, especially to keep weight off for life

It's interesting how I get a lot of questions asking "how" I lost weight.  I mean, for me it's pretty plain and simple. I changed my diet and I added exercise.

Are people out there looking for a magic pill? Maybe. But I think that people are looking for something more than an answer of "diet and exercise."  I mean, everybody knows that diet and exercise leads to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle if done right.  So why aren't more people doing it to lose weight? 

When I was at my heaviest I worked in a plus sized women's clothing store.  I was helping a lady pick out some clothing and I asked her what size I should be grabbing for her.  She said, "I'm not sure, I've lost weight recently and I don't know what size I am."  So of course I asked her how much she had lost.  "50 lbs" she said.  I was blown away. FIFTY pounds!  To me that was unfathomable.  All I knew was that fifty pounds was heavy.  I used to work at an office supply store, and one large case of paper was 50 lbs and if you've ever tried carrying one, then you'll know how much 50 lbs weighs. I thought to myself that I would do anything to lose 5 lbs, let alone 50.  Of course in the back of my head I said to myself, "not anything, Daphne. Otherwise you'd be skinny."

So I asked her what she was doing.  "Diet and exercise" is what she said.  My heart sank.  It was an obvious answer, but I was looking for something more.  Maybe she would mention a weight loss group, or a really great book.  Or maybe an easy to follow menu plan.  Nope, what she mentioned was anything but easy.  I wanted something with structure, and something easy to follow.  Maybe even something fun to do.

Now I know that losing weight isn't easy, and almost everything I know is self taught.  It's something I had to do for myself and something that I had to force myself to continue when I didn't want to.  However the great thing about doing this myself is that everything I do is done my way.  I craved a structured plan where I could journal my food daily to hold myself accountable.  So I did it.  I craved camaraderie so I signed up with SparkPeople and joined teams and talked to people I could relate to.  But I had to do it myself, there was no one else doing it for me.  I made myself fat, I can damn well make myself healthy too.

If you're still craving a more structured plan I understand.  Sometimes it's incredibly hard to get a diet plan off the ground and to stick wit it, especially if you're self motivated.  I cannot tell you which diet plan is for you because there are as many diet plans under the sun as there are snowflakes in the sky.  There is a plan out there that will work for you and most likely only you.  I do however have some pointers that I've learned that I can pass on.  These are things I've learned from my own experiences and from watching others as well.

When you're looking into a new diet plan, whether it be a group, book, online program or other form of diet these same ideas apply.

-Does the plan include a maintenance program?

What is the point of losing weight if you have no plan to keep it off?  Losing weight is great, and very satisfying but the way you eat to lose weight is different from the way you will eat after you lose weight.  You cannot eat the same as you did before otherwise the weight will come back on.  Think of it this way.. let's say you're 180lbs and you try this quick new diet plan and you lose 30 lbs in 4 months. GREAT!! But now what?  You cannot eat the same as before, because before you where eating to maintain the weight of a 180lb person.  Now you need to eat to maintain the weight of a 150 lb person.  Does the plan teach you to do that, or just expect you to "wing it?"

-Does the plan encourage healthy eating for life?

Does the plan encourage you to change your habits so you can live healthy for life, or only to eat a certain way for X amount of time?  A good diet plan will teach you how to be healthy for life and how to incorporate it into your life.

-Is there a support group or support system?

For some people losing weight can be a very private matter.  For others it's a great way to bond with others who have the same struggles as you.  Having a support system is a great way to help you meet your goals.  Also, if you have questions or concerns then you have somewhere to present them.

-Is the focus for short term for long term success?

Does the plan only ask for a certain amount of your time? For example only one week?  Or a few months?  Or is it a plan to help you achieve long term success? The problem with short plans is once you try it, sure you lose 5 lbs in a week, but then you gain it back because there was no long term plan to keep it off.  Then once you're unhappy that you regained that 5lbs (and probably more) they rely on you to come back to them and use their diet plan again, because, "hey I lost weight with this plan last time".  This is a very common dieting plan gimmick to get you to keep coming back and a big indicator that they do not care for your health.

-Ask yourself, are you willing to live the lifestyle they suggest for life?

If you want to be healthy then you need to continue with healthy lifestyle changes for life, not just until the weight is gone.

-Does the program teach you about body health and how to eat properly? Does the plan completely cut out a food group or is too restrictive?

Always be wary of programs that don't teach you anything.  If the program doesn't teach you how to eat properly or to create healthy meals that you can use everyday then there really is no point to the program. Losing weight is about creating a healthy body not about cutting out a food group or worse only eating one type of food group in order to lose weight quickly.  If a plan is too restrictive it can be catastrophic.  If you're cutting out a lot of foods you'll start to feel deprived which leads to stress.  Then one day you have one thing you're "not" allowed to have and the whole thing can quickly cave in on you.

-Does the program use "gimmicky" terms?

Does it promise weight loss results using terms you've never heard of before?  Does it say things like, "blast away fat with fat blocker technology?"  What does that even mean?? Or "Lose 21 lbs in 8 weeks!".  If you're eating right then the weight will literally fall off, they shouldn't have to pull you in with bogus promises.

-Does it encourage a healthy relationship with food?

This one is important, very very important.  You cannot be overweight or obese and still deny the fact that you have an unhealthy relationship with food.  Losing weight is fantastic, but if you do not learn how to have a healthy relationship with food then what?  You cannot assume that you will just "do better" with your eating once you lose weight. That's unrealistic and poor planning.

-Does the plan expect you to buy anything?

Besides membership fees and basic supplies be wary of having to actually buy anything.  You don't need specific foods, pills or equipment in order to keep a membership or to lose weight.  Losing weight is as easy as eating right and exercise. So your money should go towards healthy foods and what ever you need to exercise.  Of course paying membership fees and so on is your own decision but you absolutely don't NEED to buy things to lose weight.

-Does the plan encourage you to have an active lifestyle or to exercise?

If the plan says that you can lose weight with no exercise they might be right. But exercise helps you to create a healthy body. Even a little bit of exercise can go a long way to help reduce your chances of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and a myriad of other health problems. Also be wary of plans that state that everyday activities count as exercise, such as mowing the lawn or house cleaning.  These don't count as exercise for a normal person.

Not all diet plans are completely bogus, there are definitively some out there that work really well.  The reason I don't follow a specific plan is because I found something that works for me and it works well.  I am self motivated and I am completely self taught.  However, if I where thinking of joining a group or diet plan then these are the guidelines *I* would follow.  Remember the dieting industry is huge and people are so willing to throw away money for a chance of losing "21 lbs in 8 weeks!".  Just remember this is about creating a healthy and beautiful body for life. Not just to be 21 lbs lighter for a few days.  

I've heard lots of great things about Weight Watchers, My Fitness Pal, and of course my favourite is still Spark People.  There are lots of options out there.  Just remember that you're not alone.

Now this list is created for people who wish to lose weight and to keep it off. Sure you can lose weight doing almost anything, but this is about doing it in a healthy way and for long term weight loss.  A lot of people will say that "I only lost weight doing this plan! and watching what I eat/calories did nothing! I lost X in 2 months!"  Yes that's probably true, but did that person keep it off for life? Most likely not.  If you want to lose weight long term you have to be diligent and do it like it's your JOB.  Any old Joe can lose weight, but it takes someone with dedication and strength to adopt a new healthy lifestyle to lose weight for life.

My new rings are in and Christmas party prep

Last night after work I rushed down to the mall to pick up my wedding ring set that I had sized and soldered together.  When she pulled out the little baggy with my rings my heart sank. I looked at the rings and thought, "those are WAY too small, they're not going to fit!"  She pulled them out for me to try on, and I just held them in the palm of my hand for a minute just to see the size. They are tiny, very very tiny.  I slowly pushed the rings onto my ring finger and... they fit!  An absolute perfect fit.  Not too tight and not too loose.  I had the biggest grin on my face when I left!  My ring size went from 7.5 to 5.5!  (No wonder my hands are always cold, I have stick fingers now!)  

I haven't worn my rings in so long that it's weird to wear them again.  I probably haven't been able to wear my rings for a year now.  Plus now that they're all put together they're much easier to wear than when they where separate.  Dan will be happy, I've been hit on a handful of times at work lately and he figures me wearing my rings again will stop them all in their tracks! ;D

---

Well I survived working a Saturday right before Christmas while working in retail.  I thought it would be crazier, but we had an extra cash register brought in for the holidays and it really seems to make a huge difference!  Plus so many of the customers where in a cheery mood that it was just an overall fantastic day!  I'm so happy that customers where in a decent mood, or if they weren't they most likely left in a decent mood.  It really makes a difference this time of year.

At noon we where so busy that I didn't think I'd get a lunch break.  Being hungry and knowing that I can't eat sometimes puts me in panic mode.  It's kind of a residual mode I sometimes slip  into from my former eating habits. If it was meal time and I was hungry and I wasn't getting food I would get really panicky.  Sometimes I would cry, or get really angry.  If I was hungry and shaky then it was the absolute end of the world.  Dan had to hold me so  many times when I would lay in bed bawling my eyes out because I was so hungry and it wasn't quite dinner time yet. (I didn't want to eat too early because then I knew I'd get hungry again before bed and I wouldn't have calories left, thus I'd be a bawling fit again before bedtime).  Yes I threw hissy fits because I wanted to eat but I shouldn't yet.  

Now I know how to schedule my calories to avoid getting shaky, and to avoid the panic that sets in.  Today however we where so busy I was afraid I'd have to delay my lunch break by a few hours.  Fortunately, right when the panic was setting in, the waves of customers slowed down and I ran out to order and gulp down food a few doors down from work.  In hindsight I should have packed a lunch for such a busy day.

When I got home from work I threw off my work clothes and jumped right into my running clothes and onto the treadmill.  It was an absolutely fantastic run, daresay.. I LIKED it!  I had a bounce in my step and didn't get tired until the very end.  Usually about halfway through I get tired.

I was up at 5:45 AM to get ready for work.  I hustled my butt all day at work, ran home from work and hopped onto the treadmill before suppertime.  If I can do that and still be obese, then you can too!  I ran 3 miles which is 4.8km.  FOUR POINT EIGHT KILOMETERS before supper time! There you have it folks, if this obese food addict on little sleep can run almost 5 kilometers after a hectic day at work, then you can too.

The run like I said was really great.  I think I was still on a high from running around work and that transferred itself into the run.  I ran at 4.6 mph and for the last minute and a half I ran at FIVE mph! I've never gone that fast and decided to give it a go.  It was surprisingly easy!  This might mean that I have to increase my speed the next time I run! (inner groan).

I really like pushing my limits because I keep surprising myself.  I had such low self esteem before, that I would never EVER in a million years believe that I would still be running.  HECK that I would be running 4-5 kilometers several times a week!  I thought that I would quit, like I quit everything else.  Now it's interesting to see how fast I can go each week and I'm confident that I will reach any goals I set.  My mini goal is to do a whole run at 5 mph.  Breaking 5 seems to be a big mental hurdle for me. (Just like how breaking 4 was a mental hurdle two months ago!).

Tonight Dan and I have the evening off.  We will be hosting my work Christmas party at my home.  Our company doesn't sponsor Christmas parties so we pooled our money together to get Pizzas and secret Santa gifts for each other.  This is the first time in years that we've gotten together for Christmas and I'm so excited.  I work with a really really fantastic group of people (friends!!) and I think we're going to have a fantastic night.

That being said, we're all typical gamers and nerds so this party is not going to have especially healthy food.  People are bringing Egg Nog and Spinach Dip to go along with the Pizza! (Yikes I know!).  Normally I'd offer to have a veggie platter of sorts for a party but this I doubt is a group that'll go for a veggie platter.  So what I decided to do is use all of the calories I burned from my run and add it to the calories I have left after supper.  Normally I don't allow myself so many calories, but I think I'll need it tonight.  I'll be surrounded by three really triggering food items.  I know I have Dan there to keep me in check, but I want a REALLY big buffer, just in case!  I'm also contemplating adding a run tomorrow for extra buffer even though it's a scheduled rest day.  I haven't decided yet if I will however.

Do you have a favourite Christmas party food?  I love dips, chips, cheeses and of course cookies! (And wine to water wash it down!) I am always more attracted to the salty foods than the sweet foods.  Which is actually okay, that means that I really like veggie platters with a little bit of dip!