Plateauing

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Mama Cormier

… is there such a word?

I’ve been up and down all week and I’m feeling like I’ve hit a plateau. I’m sure that a lot of it has to do with that “stress” thing I’ve written about in the past but I’m not going to let it get me down.

Tomorrow I’ll be doing a lot of sitting as I keep K company during his final chemo round. I’ll probably read and maybe even mark school assignments when he sleeps. When we get home I’ll make sure that I take Frances out for an extra long walk and maybe if I get up early enough I can take her out in the morning as well.

Yesterday I made a wonderful low GI chicken bake with salsa. I regret that I didn’t take pictures of it before we consumed it but I have leftovers and I’ll be sure to post pictures and the recipe sometime this week. I served it with a dhal that I made from scratch and it was delicious as well. I’m wondering if the legumes played havoc with my weight loss totals this week. Beans don’t always fit into the low GI category. Oh well, no point in crying over spilt milk. What’s done is done. Moving on……

Cheers

A New Week With Many Challenges

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. bigger class, EQAO testing, report cards, more soccer practices, Girls on the Run, and K’s last round of chemo

I’ve probably forgot some things but I have to take one day at a time and one task at a time. Of course on top of all of this I’m trying to to get through the curriculum and I’ve assigned more projects to keep the kids engaged.

Today was a good activity and food day. I started the morning off with a nice walk/run with K and Frances. About 3 km. I spent about 3 hours working in the garden, cutting grass, trimming the edges, pulling weeds from the brick work on the patio and washing down the deck. We have birds nesting in our tree and our neighbour’s bird feeders attrack pigeons, so we have a lot of “fall out”, so to speak, to clean up.

Later in the afternoon I did a little bit of shopping and then I went to a “NOT a book launch” party. Unfortunately the word NOT did not come up in conversation when I was told about it and I expected to go there and buy a book. I stayed away from the usual party food and nibbled on some turkey and vegetables. No wine, chips, nachos, spring rolls, etc.. Feels good to be in control.

Till tomorrow!

Making a Splash!

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. yes I went to the Fun Fair!

All week my weight has slowly been creeping up but today it all came off again. I know when I lose a large amount of weight quickly it’s not always my true weight. A little too much salt, and pork products tend to make me retain water. Anyway I’m going in the right direction again and hopefully I can add another pound to my total for the week.

Early this morning I decided to attend the Fun Fair at school and I told Coach P that I was going to post pictures of her going into the dunk tank. Here they are. Enjoy!!

Jumping into the Weekend!

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Mama Cormier

Attempting to skip “double Dutch”. Not a very pretty sight. Made me laugh when I saw it.

We set record temperatures today in Toronto. It went up to 30 degrees celcius. It was also our Jump Rope for Heart day. The entire school went outside and skipped for an hour to music. As you can see from the picture I attempted to relive my youth and tried to skip some double Dutch.

For the last few years I haven’t even attempted skipping. At one of these events about 5 or 6 years ago I ran and skipped with the kids but I wasn’t wearing proper shoes and I paid for it all summer with an injured foot. Even though my participation was short lived I think I’ll try it again sometime. The feet and the knees don’t seem to be bothered.

Despite the hot weather the kids enjoyed themselves and we’ve raised awareness and money for the Heart and Stroke Association in the process. Hopefully next week the rest of the pledges will come in and I can check off one more thing that needs to be done before the end of the year.

Tomorrow is the Fun Fair at school. I usually go but this year I was going to give it a pass but a certain somebody is trying to make me feel guilty. If I go she’s going to have to let me post pictures of her going into the Dunk Tank.

Stay tuned…… do I go or not!

Feeling Better About Myself

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. all the compliments don’t hurt either!

Today was photo day for the grade five students that will be leaving us at the end of June. Traditionally the girls get all dressed up and the boys not so much (but there’s always one or two who wear a suit). This year I decided to wear a dress that I had bought at the end of last summer. I don’t very often wear dresses but I thought I should go the extra mile this year.

When I got to school I had a lot of compliments about how good I looked and some of my friends even noticed that the dress was a little bit too big. I’ve only worn it one other time. I think I’ll invest in getting it altered but I’m going to wait until I lose some more weight.

It’s interesting that I didn’t say “if I lose some more weight”. The difference on this weight loss journey is that there’s no question in my mind about my success. I am going to lose more weight.

After school the girls in Girls on the Run had their first 5 km run. I was worried about the heat today but everyone of them did it. As a coach I can’t always run with the girls because one of us has to stay behind and make sure all the girls drink their water and keep moving. Today we took turns running with the girls. I’m pleased to announce that I actually ran today and walked/ran at least 2 km.

I know that I can walk 5 km pretty easily. My goal is to run a little farther everyday until I’m running 50% of the time. I have 3 weeks and 3 days before our 5 km race to reach my goal, barring any more injuries.

Cheers!

No Pain Today

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. first day without pain and only 6 days before the next round of chemo.

When I came home tonight I knew something was different about my husband. He had a glass of wine in his hand and he was actually in a good mood. He was celebrating the fact that he felt no pain today.

We had a very pleasant conversation at dinner and he wanted to come for a walk with Frances and me. We didn’t go as far as I would normally but 2 km is better than none.

Tomorrow, at school, The Girls on the Run are going to do their first 5 km without stopping. I’m not sure if I’ll do the whole thing but I think I’m ready to start running for part of it. Wish me luck. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

How important is it?

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. I just can’t do it!

Disclosing my starting weight doesn’t sit right with me. I’ve never shared the number on the scale with anyone, other than my doctors. Not even my husband knows how much I weigh.

Why is that? Probably because I don’t want to be judged and the number itself embarrasses me. Every doctor and nurse who have ever weighed me are always shocked by the number they see. I’ve often moved the weights up on the scale when I’ve been weighed on the old fashion scales because the person weighing me always starts too low.

Years ago when I had lost a lot of weight and I was no longer obese a nurse didn’t believe me when I told her I weighed 138 pounds. She thought that number was too high and she kept pinching my arms and asking me where all that weight was hiding.

I finally asked my doctor why people thought that I weighed considerably less. Her answer was that I had “heavy bones”. I always thought that was a myth but I have scored above average on my bone density scans. Maybe there’s something to that theory after all.

I read a lot of blogs where people are very open about their starting weight and where they eventually want to be. I’m just not there yet. Do people judge me negatively because I don’t share that information? Does it make my blog less credible? I’m interested in hearing what people have to say on the subject.

I’m happy to share my weight loss and my short-term goals. I know that eventually I will share where I am on the scale but probably not for another 30 pounds. My only regret is that I didn’t take a before picture but I’m sure I can find a photo from my collection that shows me 12 pounds heavier than I am today.

I am starting to notice that my clothes are looser and I even had to tighten the belt on my pants today. Food at the moment isn’t an issue for me, however, I still have to push myself to find time to exercise. I’m still feeling the effects of yesterday’s walk and hours of gardening. I’ve convinced myself that I need a day off. My husband is convinced that weight loss is 80% food and 20% exercise. From my own personal experiences I’d have to agree.

Cheers!

Beginning of Week 5

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Mama Cormier

… 4 weeks down

I can’t believe that I’ve been doing this for 4 solid weeks. When I weighed myself this morning I was down another 2 1/2 pounds since yesterday. That makes a total of 12 1/2 pounds. My goal was to lose 20 pounds before the 5 km race on Father’s Day. That leaves me 4 more weeks. I think it’s very possible.

Today I spent hours in the garden, weeding and planting. My husband managed to start his vegetable garden but his energy levels are very low these days. When he says “he’s done”, he means it. I’ll be glad when his last round of chemo is done at the end of the month. I’m not sure when he’ll start feeling better. Each round has been different but it has taken him longer each time before he feels somewhat normal again. When K doesn’t have the energy to take Frances for a walk you know he’s not feeling well.

It looks like it’s just you and me again, tonight, Frances!

Raised vegetable bed, ready for planting

Vegetable plants waiting to be planted.

Trying something new, celeriac.

A little colour in the front yard!

More colour!

: One of the air-plants that I bought on Saturday.

4.6 km Walk

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. Frances wouldn’t go any farther

I shouldn’t blame the dog for not wanting to carry on but she was pulling in the wrong direction and frequently put on the brakes.

It felt good to get in a long walk today. So far the knee feels good. I really thought I had done at least 5 km but according to gmap-pedometer it was only 4.6 km. I’ve posted the map.

gmap-pedometer.com

Hand-Made Books

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Mama Cormier

… I found a few books that students forgot to pick up

Last week when I wrote about the book making workshop I did at school I said my only regret was not taking pictures of the finished projects. When I returned to school last Monday I noticed that several books had not been picked up. After coming back from our trip to Mono Cliffs I took the books home and photographed them to share with you.

If anyone is interested in knowing how to make them I’d be happy to post a DIY page. Let me know through this blog.