….. tried to stay away from the traditional Christmas ornaments but I caved
It was a beautiful cold, crisp morning this first day of 2013. The sun shone brightly and reflected off the lake and snow causing them to ‘glitter’ and ‘shimmer’ for the camera.
If you want to see more glitter photos check out Word of the Week Photo Challenge – Glitter.
Thank you to all my followers and to everyone who took the time to post a comment. My goal was to reach 200 posts by the end of the year. I have today and tomorrow to reach that goal. Not bad for 9 months of blogging. I was hoping for 200 followers. I’m so close.Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and productive year in 2013.
Carol (mamacormier)
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 6,300 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 11 years to get that many views.
….. 3 hours on the picket line, 50 minutes on the elliptical machine and 2k to dinner and back
I tossed and turned in bed last night and had weird dreams about being accosted on the picket line by an angry parent.
None of it happened of course, in fact, the day was surprisingly civil and we were met with a lot of positive support. For those of you who are unaware of what I’m talking about, let me explain. In Ontario today, 30 000 teachers walked off the job for a one day legal strike to protest Bill 115. In a nutshell, this bill has taken away our right to negotiate a new contract with our employer, the school board, and gives the government the power to determine our wages, benefits and working conditions without consultation or discussion. The minister would disagree with this statement but she has predetermined the conditions of these so called negotiations.
This strike is NOT about money. We have said that we are willing to take a pay freeze. It is about losing our democratic rights and the erosion of The Human Rights Code and our Labour Relations laws. If you want to take the time to read the following letter, it explains it much better than I can.
A Letter by a Member of Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario
The media has said over and over again that teachers do not have the support of the public. After today I’m not so sure. Only one car in three hours gave us the thumbs down while dozens more honked in support. We had so many neighbours and parents come by with coffee, tea, water, soup and treats that our little cart was overflowing with the generosity and kindness of the ‘public’.
More food arrived after this picture was taken.
Even on the radio today, the media was extra tough on the Minister of Education by being more persistent in demanding that she answer their questions instead of side stepping the issues with pre-scripted statements that didn’t deal with the issue at hand. They are starting to put some of the blame for this mess into her court and are demanding that she take some responsibility for it.
I went to the gym today after walking for three hours, to work off the one Timbit, three homemade cookies and the 1/2 cup of hot chocolate I ingested. It doesn’t sound like much but when you haven’t eaten these things in a long time it seems like a huge indulgence. The scale shows that my weight is holding steady at a 32 to 34 pound loss.
We decided to go out for dinner tonight because neither of us felt like cooking. We walked to our favourite Indian restaurant and ordered and shared two vegetarian dishes, a plate of rice and an appetizer of chicken kabobs, nicely grilled and seasoned with lime juice. We had water as our beverage. We took the leftovers home and will probably add some of the sauce from the saag paneer to our eggs in the morning and one of us can probably have a light lunch from what’s left over. We walked home briskly after dinner to add about 2 more kilometres to my walking total for the day.
I have another appointment at the gym tomorrow for my last free personal training session and I also have an appointment for one more acupuncture treatment to see if it can alleviate my occasional bouts of dizziness. I’ll share my experience in a future a post.
Cheers!
….. the full length mirror at the gym is a painful reminder that I have a way to go on my weight loss journey
I’ve lost over 30 pounds and even with a high number of social events that I’ve attended in the last three weeks, surgery, and the stress of an impending strike I’ve managed to keep the weight off. The problem is I’ve become complacent and content with my new body and friends are beginning to tell me not to lose too much more weight. They fear my face will become drawn out and I’ll start to look my age.
I have to admit that I like how I look in my clothes; I like the compliments; I’m happier and I feel good. The reality, however, is that I’m far from my ideal weight and BMI and my waist measurement needs to decrease by at least six inches to be in the heart healthy zone.
Last week I started going to the gym on a regular basis and I’ve had 4 of my 6 sessions with a personal trainer. Over the years I’ve learned how to wear clothes; accentuate the positive and hide the bad. Workout clothes, however, show all the bumps and lumps and rolls of fat and with full lengths mirrors everywhere in the gym it’s plain to see that I’m not finished with my weight loss journey.
I know that my friends are well meaning but I think that I can lose more weight without looking haggard and drawn out. The last time I lost this much weight I stopped and gradually started to gain it all back despite a promise to myself that I would never regain those 40 pounds. I gained back 37 pounds before I started on this journey again.
Why is it different this time? My approach has been more balanced. I’m not only working on making healthy food choices but I’m also moving more. I’m more concerned about my overall health and fitness level. I don’t want to go into old age with aches and pains and weight related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. I’m already noticing differences. My tendinitis in my left ankle hardly ever bothers me anymore. I used to suffer daily and had to wear orthopaedic insoles. I haven’t worn them in months. Yoga is so much easier now, although I still don’t like child’s pose. The last pair of shoes I bought were a half size smaller than I normally wear and some of my size 16 pants are starting to look a little baggy. The last time I was this weight I was still a size 18 and the jeans that I bought back then are definitely too big.
Even though the weight is the same as it was 20 years ago, my body is smaller. I have to credit my walking and running for the difference. I definitely have more muscle and as we all know muscle weighs more than fat. My weight hasn’t moved much in the last two months but people constantly comment on how much smaller I appear to be.
The mirrors in the gym have given me the incentive I need to continue on my journey.
….it seemed like the longest week ever
I’m sure that the full moon had a lot to do with it. The students were unusually chatty and restless. For the first time it was a struggle to get them to finish their work. Our mayor was found guilty in a conflict of interest case by the courts and stripped of his position. The teachers’ union made work to rule official and is threatening rotating one day strikes across the province. The minister of education is trying to convince the media that the government is putting students first and that the teachers are bargaining in bad faith. City council was caught in the middle of a shouting match between the mayor, with the aid of his brother and a few councillors on issues that turned out to be non-issues. A crazy week, all in all.
So if the mayor’s appeal is denied we might be looking at a by-election and the same judge that found the mayor guilty clarified today that he could run again in the by-election. He’s convinced that he would win again but I’m not so sure and the polls aren’t in his favour at the moment.
I had my fitness test this week and signed up for 24 sessions with a personal trainer and then the next day I found out we are be in a strike position and could be walking the pavement. Yesterday I cancelled the sessions with the personal trainer until things are a little more settled at work.
Last Friday I discovered I have mice in my library office. They’re living under the sink and have been chewing through my paint mixing containers. All week I’ve been throwing away containers that have big holes in the bottom. I haven’t seen them but there’s lots of evidence that they’re around.
I started to mark some of the art projects. I have to use my time more wisely because as of December 10th we have to leave school 1/2 hour after the students leave. This will be a challenge for me and a few other teachers who regularly stay at school till 6:00 most days. After the 10th, no more field trips, sports teams, extracurricular activities, and anything that involves collecting money and administrative paperwork. I marked about 100 projects tonight. Only 320 to go.
Art classes will continue but displaying the work could prove challenging when I have to leave the building early every night. Some of the work may have to stay up longer than it would normally. Here’s what the halls look like at the moment.
Not everything was bad. At the school council meeting this week the parents put my new art cart on the top of the priority list of things to purchase. It was ordered the next day and arrived yesterday. It only has to be assembled.
On Thursday I went to the One of a Kind Show with my daughter and her partner. They made me a great dinner. I had a free pass into the show and parking was free (that’s never happened before).
The weekend looks promising. I’ll start the day with a walk with the dog, workout at the gym and then to an art show opening in the afternoon. My friend’s 91 year old father is exhibiting his work at the Moore Gallery in downtown Toronto. He is a very accomplished artist and has had many shows in his lifetime. Just a month ago he won another award for one of his pieces at the Watercolour Society.
On Sunday we may be taking a trip to the Niagara region and do some wine touring. This is what my daughter wanted for her birthday and it looks like it should be a nice day weather wise. With Christmas just around the corner and winter on our heels we need to make this trip sooner rather than later.
We had a dusting of snow today in the afternoon. By 4:15 it was already dark, partially due to the overcast sky. Of course for the next 21 days it will continue to get darker earlier in the day. How depressing but I can’t let the stress get to me.
….. no real surprises
Yesterday I had my fitness assessment done. I recently rejoined the gym that I had been a member of in years past. Like many people I was pretty hung ho and went pretty regularly in the beginning and then my visits were less frequent until I stopped going all together. I paid for an entire year and never stepped through the doors. What a waste of money.
So why did I return? Well I went back for a number of reasons. With the cold weather starting to invade our region I knew it would be more difficult to get in my daily walks and runs. The gym recently moved to a new location much closer to home and literally was on the way home from work.
I really have hit a plateau…at least on the scale at home. For some reason all the scales at the gym have me down another 2 pounds (fully dressed) but when I weigh myself at home (in my birthday suit) I’m five pounds heavier. Hmmmm…..?
At the fitness test I had my measurements taken for the first time since I started my weight loss journey. As of today my measurements are:
Height: 65 inches
Chest: 44 inches
Waist: 42 inches
Hips: 49 inches
Arms: 14 inches
BMI: 35
The goal at the gym is to lose my belly fat and get that waist measurement down to 36 inches and the BMI to 25. Tomorrow I’m going back for another meeting with my personal trainer. I’m hoping she will have a program designed for me. My personal goal is to go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week and continue getting out for walks 2 or 3 times a week.
The assessment showed that my blood pressure and heart rate were good. My endurance levels, balance, flexibility and strength were mostly above average. She believes that I could be down another 20 pounds in the next three to four months. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of routine she’ll design for me.
On the diet side of my journey I’m trying to incorporate more foods that boost your metabolism. I start the day with juice from a lemon in warm water, take my vitamins ( B complex, C, D, calcium, magnesium and a multi-vitamin) and either have oatmeal or a two egg omelet with lots of veggies. Lunch is usually homemade soup or a large salad with some kind of protein and dinner is either homemade vegetable soup (Dr. Furman) and a large salad or chicken or fish and salad or stir fried or roasted vegetables. For a snack I try to eat raw vegetables and humus, or raw almonds and a couple of dates or a small amount of cheese and 6 to 10 gluten free crackers. I allow myself a glass of wine once or twice a week and try to drink more tea.
One thing I still need to work on is getting to bed earlier. It’s almost 1:00 am. So on that note I bid you Good Night.
I’m about 6 pounds lighter since this picture was taken on my birthday
… I wasn’t worried until I got the phone call
I always feel that no news is good news. It had been two weeks since my surgery; I was feeling good; the doctor who did the surgery hadn’t call me.
Then on Tuesday night when I got home from work there was a message on the phone to call my family doctor. It could only be one of two things; something showed up in the pathology report after the surgery or something showed up after my mammogram.
The next day from my office at school I called the clinic to find out why I had to see the doctor. The problem, however, is that you don’t get to talk to the doctor or even a nurse for that matter when you call the number they give you. All appointments are routed through a main switchboard and you speak to a phone receptionist who is nowhere near the actual clinic.
I know that you shouldn’t “shoot the messenger” but it was so frustrating trying to get any information from the receptionist. I knew she didn’t have access to my files and all she could tell me was that the visit had something to do with reviewing the results of the surgery.
The next problem was setting up an appointment that didn’t require me taking off an entire day or even part of a day to see the doctor. As I’ve probably told you before I’ve lost all my accumulated sick days because of a provincial government bill and I’ve already used up 3 of my 10 days for the year. The other complication is that my so called family doctor has moved further away to an area that is a little sketchy and the clinic he did work from has shut down.
My frustration on the phone was obvious and the receptionist, to her credit, was trying to help me find a solution. Apparently it doesn’t matter which clinic you visit your records can be accessed by any of their doctors. After being close to tears, we finally figured out that there is a clinic much closer to home and that I was able to get an appointment on Friday after work.
When I hung up the phone I turned around to find a small group of my library helpers standing at my door looking a little concerned. They told me I sounded a little stressed. What an understatement. I smiled and assured them that I was fine and gave each of them a job to do.
On Friday I left school early (4:15 instead of 6:00) and drove to my appointment. My friend, L, made me promise to call her as soon as I found out what the problem was. I thought I had left myself plenty of time to make it to my appointment but I ran into some unexpected traffic and I arrived 15 minutes late. It didn’t seem to matter though because the doctor was running late as well.
I had made reservations to meet friends for dinner that night for 7:00 and when I still hadn’t gotten in to see the doctor by 6:00 I started to fret about being late. I tried to call my husband but my phone had died so I hooked it up to the doctor’s outlet while I waited. As soon as I had enough juice to make calls I started calling my husband but he wasn’t picking up anywhere. Another thing to worry about.
When the nurse came into the room to see me she asked me why I was there. I explained the phone message I had received and she looked through her records. She then asked me if the appointment was for the breast screening results. There had been no mention of that before, so now I started to worry that maybe something had shown up on the mammogram. She repeated the same question and when I told her that I didn’t think so she told me that the doctor would be in to see me after one more patient.
I think that the next 15 minutes were the longest 15 minutes of my life. It’s funny how you think the worst and how many bad scenarios take hold of your mind. What will I tell my friends at dinner that night? Will I have to take more time off of work or will I just retire early?
Finally when my ‘new’ doctor arrived he put me at ease immediately. He went through all my charts, the letters from my surgeon and the breast screening results and couldn’t find any reason for me being there. The surgery went well, the mammogram was clear and I appeared to be very healthy. He double checked everything and couldn’t figure out why my last doctor underlined and question marked some of the details of the surgery. He asked me if there was anything else he could do for me while I was there so I had him give me my flu shots.
When I finally left the office I had 10 minutes to get to the restaurant. There was no time to go home first so I called my husband for the 3rd time, still didn’t get through to him so I left another message and told him to meet me at the restaurant. When I got there our friends were already waiting and the restaurant owner offered to called K again. Still no answer. A new worry! Eventually we did connect with my husband and he finally joined us at the restaurant but that’s another story for another time.
At least I was able to enjoy the rest of the evening and I didn’t have to tell people that I had a new health issue. I’m not sure I could have stayed quiet if there had been a problem. Unfortunately I forgot to phone my friend L back and I caused her some stress for a good chunk of her evening. She did eventually reach me at the restaurant and she figured out that everything was okay.
So what did I learn? …..that no news is good news!
I wish I could have been as relaxed as this little guy was while sunning himself outside my kitchen window this morning.
….I’m feeling good about my current status
It’s been awhile since I’ve written about my weight loss journey. It’s been 7 months since I started on this journey. In the beginning the weight came off quickly and the visible results were amazing. I reached my first goal of 30 pounds after 4 months.
The Benefits of Losing Weight
I felt great. I liked how I looked. It was wonderful buying new clothes and wearing size 16 pants for the first time in over 20 years. My blood pressure is back to normal levels and I’m able to run without feeling pain or gasping for air. I used to hate running and now I look forward to doing more and improving my time and overall distance.
My Love Affair With Food
I still enjoy food and eating but now I eat to nourish my body and I don’t constantly think about my next meal. I no longer feel deprived or crave sweets and junk food. On special occasions I’ll allow myself a very small serving of dessert or I might have a bite of something just to taste. It seems to satisfy me. I might enjoy a glass of wine once a week. Before the journey I’d regularly drink 2 glasses 3 or 4 times a week.
How Stress Affects Me
When I started back to work in September I was really worried about gaining some of my weight back. Years ago a naturopathic doctor assessed that I was very much affected by stress in my life. I could gain 2 to 5 pounds over a weekend when I was confronted with a stressful situation or if I anticipated a stressful occurrence. For years I would take weight off in the summer (no stress) and when I went back to work in September the weight would come back in the first two weeks.
This year I worked hard not to gain weight when I went back to work. Not gaining weight was as big a success as actually losing weight. It’s been an extremely stressful start this year. With the negative political climate for teachers in Ontario, weeding the library, running a book fair for the first time, organizing art on a cart and living through a district review and having surgery, it really is quite an accomplishment that I didn’t gain some of the weight back.
Despite everything I still managed to lose some more weight. It’s been a slow process compared to the beginning of the journey but I’m not discouraged. That’s another change that I’ve experienced. I don’t turn to food when things go wrong or don’t go exactly as planned. If I fall off the wagon I don’t wait till Monday to start eating properly again. I fix the problem with the very next meal.
Becoming Vegetarian 80% of the Time
I enjoy eating healthy foods. In the last two weeks I’ve eaten mostly vegan meals. If someone had told me in April that I would almost be a vegetarian I would have scoffed at the idea. I’ve always needed my animal protein but my husband has been experimenting with more and more vegan meals. I think eating this way has actually kick started my weight loss again.
Joining a Gym
I joined a gym this month and started working out this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday I started the day with our traditional walk through the college grounds with Frances and then in the afternoon I went to the gym and ran/walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then the elliptical machine for another 10 minutes. Next weekend I’m going for a fitness assessment and the trainer will design a program for me. I’m looking forward to this new part of my fitness journey.
How Much Weight Have I Lost?
While at the gym I weighed myself and according to their scales I’m down another 2 pounds for a total of 36 pounds. I’m 4 pounds away from losing 40 pounds in total. I’m very excited about how close I am. There are going to be challenges this week. I’m definitely going back to the gym tomorrow and I have yoga on Wednesday. For the rest of the week I have a number of social commitments but I’m pretty confident that I can handle it.
Reaching My Next Goal
I’m hoping that I can reach my 40 pound goal by the end of the month and then set the next of goal of 50 pounds in total. I say next because I know that the journey will continue. I don’t know for how long. I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m hoping that at some point in this journey I’ll be able to share my actual weight. I’m still not ready to do that but I have a number in mind and I’m getting close. Life is good!
Cheers
…. sometimes I feel like my body enjoys tormenting me
I was very excited about my progress in the weight loss department. It seemed like I was finally moving in a positive direction again. The morning of my surgery I was down another 2 pounds for a total of 34 pounds. I actually thought I’d be down another pound or two after the surgery. Ha!
Wednesday morning I wasn’t allowed anything to eat or drink before being admitted to the hospital. The first food or drink that I had was about 5:00 that afternoon. I figured that I took in 800 calories for the whole day. Thursday morning I was up 2 pounds. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m the only person I know that gains weight when prepping for a colonoscopy.
I took it easy on Thursday. I had oatmeal and berries for breakfast, 2 slices of pizza and salad for lunch and for dinner I made spaghetti squash and a vegetable stew. The next day I was up another 2 1/2 pounds.
On Friday I picked up my activity level and walked 5k and continued to eat sensibly. Still up 4 1/2 pounds this morning. Oh my! What would any sensible person do? Why shop of course. That’s what I do when I’m feeling somewhat down.
First I went and had my hair cut. Great start. Then I discovered that a new Marshall’s opened up around the corner from my hairdresser’s salon. There’s nothing like retail therapy when you’re down because of your weight. The good thing about it was that trying on clothes wasn’t a chore but was actually fun. Not buying clothes from the Plus section is a huge boost for my ego. I’m actually trying on dresses these days and like how I look in them.
When I got home tonight I finally took 3 garbage bags of my ‘fat’ clothes to the Goodwill. There’s no going back now. I can’t afford it.
I’m looking forward to getting back into a routine with my fitness journey. It looks like tomorrow will be a nice day. Frances, K and I will start the day with a nice long walk and later in the afternoon the huge piles of leaves on my front lawn will be bagged and put on the curb. Today K took a great picture of the fallen leaves on the trail where we walk Frances.
Most of the leaves are down.
…. tired but not tempted by all the treats
Cupcakes, cookies, Rice Krispie squares, chips, chocolates, candy….. all these treats were in front of me today and I didn’t consume any of them. Well I did lick the icing from the cupcake and then threw the rest away. In years past I would have eaten a bag of chips, at least one cupcake, two or three mini chocolate bars and probably a cookie or two.
I find it difficult to say no to students who offer up their special treats. This year I said yes and graciously accepted their gifts and then put them in the staff room for others to enjoy. At home this evening I had a huge bowl of chocolate bars and another bowl with potato chips to shell out. Didn’t touch any of it. 
I always buy too much candy for Hallowe’en and invariably end up with lots of leftovers. This year was no different but I actually had more kids come to the door than I anticipated. It’s been raining all day and I really thought the turnout for Trick or Treating would be lower than normal.
So what am I going to do with the leftovers? My husband would have helped me with this problem in the past but he too is trying to eat healthier. I’ve decided to make up gift bags for my student helpers at school who have helped me with the book fair this week. I’ll throw in some pencils and erasers to balance it out so it’s not all candy and chips.
At school I’ve taken a lot of pictures of the staff and students in their costumes. I’ve selected a few that I’m able to share with you. Enjoy!
By the way, I’m still down 32 pounds. I’ve been up and down the last couple of weeks but I feel that my weight is on its way down again. After the weekend I was surprised that I was back down to my 32 pound loss. I also bit the bullet and joined the health club I used to belong to. I have 6 sessions with a personal trainer and am looking forward to seeing how much my fitness level has improved and where I can go from here. Stay tuned!
Mama Cormier 