Confession is Good for the Soul

Posted on September 22, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…..and for quick results on the scale

Earlier in the week I confessed that over the weekend or at least since I’ve been back to school I regained 3 1/2 pounds. Today I’m happy to report that I’ve lost all of it.

I think sharing my ups and downs helps keep me honest and on track. Not only did I admit to the weight gain but I was able to analyze why it happened. One thing that I’ve learned about my body after all these years is that certain foods trigger my urge to eat. Pasta is a killer for me. I also love corn and pork but my digestive system doesn’t and they tend to slow down my metabolism.

Everything in moderation but when I’m trying to lose weight I know that I have to avoid some foods altogether. Years ago, Weight Watchers used to call these foods ‘red light foods’.

I’ve also gotten more sleep in the last few days. I start getting ready for bed by 11:00 and I’m in bed well before midnight. A huge improvement for me. I’m getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night and slightly more on the weekend. The benefits of course are that I’m far more rested and I have a lot more energy.

My new job at school, this week has kept me hopping as well. I’m doing “Art on a Cart” and this week it involved painting. I’ll explain more in a future post but bottom line is I’m on the move in the afternoon more than ever.

Today I made a list of things I wanted to do with my husband. We decided to check out some farmers’ markets in the Niagara region. On our way we stopped at a few wineries as well and I came across this sign. At first I thought how nice it was that they allowed dogs on the premises but I didn’t the get the humour because I only read the top portion. My husband had to direct my eyes to the signature in the bottom corner.

Sometimes choices come with limitations but as this sign points out there are reasons why!

A Little Yoga, a Little Running

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….life is good!

The day started with a run and ended with a 75 minute yoga class. Any stress I experienced this week just vanished during Savasana.

http://sp.life123.com/bm.pix/poweryoga1

A number of colleagues at work lost weight over the summer. The difficult part for most of us is keeping it off and continuing to lose more. The problem is stress. I personally knew that the first few weeks back at work would be difficult. It’s not eating that’s the problem and I’ve continued to exercise.

So what’s the difference? For starters I know I’m not drinking enough water. I’m also not moving as much (despite running). A good part of my day is reading to children and sitting in front of a computer. Another factor is that I’m not getting enough sleep. Also the political climate for teachers in Ontario is very contentious.

It’s difficult going to work everyday when the media paints all teachers with the same black brush. Even though we continue to offer extracurricular activities at our school many teachers are angry with the government and some schools have collectively decided to cancel all or some of their extracurricular programs.

At our school council meeting yesterday the parents put me on the spot and asked me during the meeting what my take was on the status of extracurricular programs at our school and elsewhere. I assured them that for the time being at our school programs were running but if other schools opted out there wouldn’t be any teams to play against.

The bottom line is that extracurricular activities have always been voluntary. Ontario teachers do not get paid to run these programs and there’s nothing in the Education Act that says teachers have to offer extracurricular programs. Since our right to negotiate our contract has been taken away from us, teachers feel betrayed by their government. We normally settle contracts with our school board.

I didn’t plan on making this into a political rant. I felt you needed some background as to why school is so stressful for me right now. I literally gained 3 1/2 pounds over the weekend. I know that I didn’t eat 12 000 more calories than I should have in 2 days. When I’m under a lot of stress my body hangs on to water and my metabolism slows down.

So why did I say “life is good”? Because I feel like I’m back on the right path with my weight loss journey. At yoga tonight I could feel the stress leave my body. During Savasana I was seconds away from falling asleep. That’s how relaxed I was.

So I’m making a conscious effort to drink more water. I’m planning and packing my lunches before I go to bed. I continue to avoid all sweets (except the odd piece of dark chocolate). I’ve asked my husband not to prepare any pasta dishes for at least a couple of weeks. I’m continuing to run with my students 3 times a week and plan to ride my bike at least once on the weekends.

One of the most important changes I need to make is getting to bed no later than 11:00. So on that note I need to sign off so that I can get a big glass of water and get into my PJs. Positive thoughts!

Cheers!

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Who Looks Forward to Going to the Doctor?

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. apparently I do!

It took me over a year to find a new doctor when the last one I had decided to retire. Not that I begrudge anyone the decision to retire. Quite the contrary but when both your doctor and your husband’s doctor decide to leave the medical profession at the same time (no relation to each other) it makes the search doubly hard.

My husband was definite about wanting a male doctor and I didn’t care one way or the other. My former doctor had her own business but for some reason no one wanted to buy it from her and consequently all her patients had to look elsewhere for a new medical facility to meet their needs.

My husband’s former doctor on the other hand was quite young and we’re not quite sure why he left the profession. His office was in a clinic shared by numerous physicians. It was always curious to me why his patients weren’t divided up amongst the other partners.

More than a year after losing our family doctors I went into a tail spin and started to panic about not having my own personal physician. I know that the walk in clinic up the road would do in a pinch but there’s nothing like having a doctor that knows your personal history and recognizes you when you walk in the door.

You may recall my experience of having a feeling of dread the day after my first 5 k race. I felt like I was about to die. It turned out to be an anxiety attack but it spurred me on to find a doctor for each of us.

I called the clinic where my husband used to go on the off chance that someone in the office had taken on some of Dr. S’s former patients. They hadn’t but they did have a new doctor that was taking on new patients and another clinic down the road was also taking new patients. I couldn’t believe my luck.

My husband got his male doctor and I chose to see the female doctor in the other clinic. We both had appointments the following week. Our experiences were quite different, even though both clinics were part of the same organization. We were interviewed by our new doctors and my doctor arranged for me to see a specialist right away for a minor problem that I’ve had in the past. My husband was given numerous tests right away while I had to make another appointment for a full physical.

After one cancellation by my doctor I finally made arrangements to take the day off for 2 separate appointments that were to take place today. When I got home last night there was a message on the phone from the medical clinic’s head office. Not a good sign.

I couldn’t believe my luck. Not only was my appointment cancelled again but this time it happened because the clinic closed down on the weekend for good. No one could tell me if my doctor was relocating or even continuing to practise medicine. After voicing my disappointment I made some inquiries as to whether my husband’s doctor was still taking patients. Apparently he was so I booked another appointment with him for later in the day.

I called my principal and we decided to cancel my supply teacher. I still had my second appointment with the specialist but it was scheduled over the lunch hour and I could easily get to that appointment and back again without too much disruption in my school day. The new appointment was after school hours.

At the end of the school day I attended a budget meeting and then I headed over to meet my newest doctor. I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t get my physical today but I knew that I had to get the process started again.

Dr. V is very young. I’ve always felt that the next doctor should be younger than me so that I wouldn’t have to worry about him or her retiring as I enter into my twilight years. Did I really say that? Anyway the first words out of his mouth were that he wouldn’t be staying at that location for much longer. I was gobsmacked but the good news according to him was that with this organization I could go to any of their clinics and would be looked at by anyone of their doctors.

I was and still am dismayed. The whole reason for this journey to find a new doctor was to establish a personal relationship with one individual who would know me as a person, not as data on a medical chart. The other kicker was that before I can make an appointment with him I have to find my old medical records and bring them with me to my next appointment…. if he’s still there.

What am I to do????????????

Up to Our Elbows in Tomatoes

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….that motorized food mill looks better all the time

After spending 12 hours with daughter number one on Saturday, I felt I had to extend the same courtesy to my second daughter, G.

I called G, early Sunday morning to see if she would be interested in making tomato sauce and learning how to use the pressure canner that she helped pay for. It was a Father’s Day gift for my husband who is becoming more and more conscious of the food we eat.

It took a bit of coaxing but G’s husband was away and she needed to do laundry. Being able to use my washing machine and having her father pick her up clinched the deal. G lives about 35 minutes from us, when the traffic is good. Luckily it was.

After putting a load of laundry into the machine we started the process of making our own sauce about 12 noon. A bushel of tomatoes is a lot of tomatoes. Until you start cutting them up and putting them through the hand operated food mill you don’t realize how big a job it’s going to be.

While one person fed the tomatoes into the food mill, another one turned the handle to grind them and the third person scraped the sauce from the screening and the slide into a shallow bowl. The advantage of using a food mill is that the skins and seeds are separated and deposited from a separate orifice and you can eliminate the blanching and peeling and straining steps.

This is only the beginning. We had tomatoes next to the food mill and there are more tomatoes hidden behind this pot.

We started to fill the large pot that you see behind the smaller one in the picture. After preparing one bushel of tomatoes we ended up filling that pot about 3/4 full with sauce.

Our fancy new food mill.

Once we were ready to start cooking the sauce we realized that we didn’t have enough propane for the new burner outside. I volunteered to head out to Costco to purchase a new tank and have it filled. Nobody said that making your own sauce is economical.

My trip to Costco was a nightmare. You would have thought it was Christmas. I searched the entire parking lot before finally finding a spot to park and the line-ups to pay for your purchases literally snaked halfway through the store. I wish I had taken a picture of that. The girl at the checkout said that it was just as crazy the day before.

By the time I got home it was almost 5:00 and G and my husband got tired of waiting for the propane so they started cooking the sauce on top of the stove. Now you might wonder why we didn’t do that in the first place but I think when you see the next picture you’ll see why cooking inside isn’t the most ideal place.

K standing on the ladder so that he can stir the tomato sauce.

As you can see from the picture, K literally has tomato sauce up to his elbow. Another purchase that we need to invest in is a much larger wooden spoon.

After cutting, grinding and simmering tomatoes for 7 hours we were too tired to cook dinner so we ordered in. After regaining our stamina we started the canning process. Having never used the pressure canner before we did a lot of checking on the internet and watching youtube videos to make sure we didn’t end up with tomato sauce erupting over the entire kitchen.

The process was relatively simple but time consuming. We only managed to process 7 jars last night. By 10:30 G packed up her dog, Lucy, her laundry and 3 large jars of sauce and I drove her home. By the time I got back it was going on midnight and I had no energy left to write about our experience.

“The fruit of our labour”, 20 jars minus the 3 our daughter took.

Today K processed 7 more jars and hopefully he’ll finish the rest tonight or we’ll be eating a lot of sauce this week. Is canning your own sauce economical? We figured it will take us years before we recoup what we spent on equipment but the time spent with family is priceless.

Will we do it again? Absolutely!

Cheers

P.S. By the way for those of you who are following my fitness journey, I got out this morning and ran 2.4 k with the kids at school. Feels good!

Two Days of Running and the Pounds Gained are Again Lost

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. plus a yoga class and a more balanced diet

Well I’m back to where I was on my Birthday. One pound from my 30 pound goal.

It feels good to be running. Every time I go out it seems to get easier. Yesterday I ran 3 loops of the cross country course (814 m per loop) without stopping. I started well ahead of the kids but in the end I was pretty much the last one to finish. But that’s okay because I’m more concerned about my endurance than my speed for now.

The one downside of running before school is that there are no showers and on these hot days it takes me awhile to cool down and stop sweating. Thank goodness for baby wipes and a change of clothes.

I decided to have a rest day today. I’m hoping that I can run 4 to 6 times a week, three to four days at school and the rest on the weekend.

The one bad habit that I’ve returned to is staying up late and not getting enough sleep during the week. In the summer I was getting anywhere from 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. Studies have shown that too little sleep can also slow down your weight loss. So my new goal is to get to bed by 11:00 or earlier every night. I usually get up at 6:30 so that would give me a minimum of 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night. A lot better than the 5 hours I got last night.

What ever I’m doing seems to be working for my overall health. I certainly feel better and people tell me I have more energy and a healthy glow radiating from my core.

I don’t want to jinx myself but I think that I might, in fact I’m certain that I will reach my 30 pound goal sometime this weekend. Positive thoughts, please.

Cheers!

The Benefits of Losing Almost 30 Pounds

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…..looking better is only one small part of it

Today I ran with the kids who came out for cross country. I love running with them. Most of them are faster than me but when I do pass some of them they miraculously find the energy to pass me. Many of them sent me encouraging words along the route and I think many of the parents were surprised to see me out there running with their children.

After school I went to yoga class. It was my first time back since May. Why was it so much easier today? It turns out that a lot of the moves are much easier to do when your belly fat doesn’t get in the way. My balance had improved and I could actually do the archer pose, hug my legs and do the tree pose without falling over. Maybe I’ll go back to Bikram hot yoga and try it again. Many of the moves in this hot yoga are next to impossible to do when you weigh as much as I did.

It’s been a great day! Here are the benefits of losing almost 30 pounds:

1. I can run without feeling like a bowl of jello.

2. I can complete 3 k without looking like I’m about to die.

3. My stomach and thighs don’t get in the way of basic yoga moves.

4. My thighs don’t rub together when I run.

5. My wedding rings are looser.

6. I have less joint pain.

7. I sleep better.

8. I look better in my clothes.

9. I don’t have to buy plus size clothes.

10. I have more confidence and don’t worry about how other people see me.

There are a few more that are too personal to share.

Today’s activities have strengthened my resolve to continue on this weight loss journey. I’m excited about the positive benefits yet to come.

Cheers!

A New Week, A New Start

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. I must confess that after my birthday I let things slide

I was so close. Probably only 1/2 pound off of my 30 pound goal. Now I’m 3 1/2 pounds away.

It’s amazing how quickly I put weight back on. A glass of wine here, a serving of pasta, a couple of slices of bread and a few pieces of dark chocolate and the spiral begins. This wasn’t all in one day but over the course of the week I wasn’t as diligent about what and how much I put into my body. I haven’t been getting as much exercise either.

All this changes now. Calorie wise my day wasn’t bad but some of my food choices involved foods that I have avoided for most of the summer. Food combinations is critical for me. Years ago I remember thinking that this theory was ridiculous until I tried it. It worked.

Tomorrow morning, cross country running starts at school. I’ve already made a commitment to run everyday with the kids. I’m actually looking forward to it.

Now that I’m back to work I need to plan out our meals for the week. Coming home tonight without a plan could have been disastrous but I pulled together a meal of oven baked salmon, braised onions, celery and portabello mushrooms with a small side of whole wheat pasta in a pesto sauce. I probably could have done without the pesto but I did limit myself to a small portion.

One of my ‘red light’ foods has always been pasta. I love it but I can never seem to get enough of it once I start. Tonight I packed the leftovers away immediately after finishing the food on my plate. It will be a long time before I allow myself pasta again. It is definitely one of those foods that I can only allow myself once in blue moon.

The last time I reached this weight I became complacent about continuing on my weight loss journey. I felt good, people complimented me on my appearance and my clothes fit well. I can’t let this happen again. I want to fit into smaller clothes, continue to feel well and stay as active as possible as I get older. This won’t happen if the weight goes back on.

The best part of being back at school today was interacting with all the kids. None of them said anything about how I looked but I could tell that they all noticed that something was different about about Mrs. C..

Until next time, cheers!

Three Days of Summer Left

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. and I’m already starting to feel the stress of returning to work

I’ve been at school for 4 out of 5 days this week, anywhere from a couple of hours to 6 hours, trying to remove or organize my belongings in one room and find a place for these belongings in my new room (the library office to be exact). Today I found out that the superintendent is coming to the school to observe our opening day. Even though the library won’t be used the first day I felt the pressure to tidy it up in case she decided to visit my space.

I haven’t been getting enough sleep this week. I’m slipping back into my old pattern of staying up late and getting up early. I know this plays havoc with my weight and with the added stress I’m looking at double jeopardy.

When K and I woke up this morning neither of us had the energy to drive to the cottage. We decided to leave tomorrow morning. I wish I was there now. I would already be in bed getting at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

The beach is calling me.

The heat was oppressive today. I put off my bike ride because it was just too hot. Our house is not air conditioned and sleeping in this weather is difficult. Thank goodness that I got out for one of our long walks this morning.

I feel like I’m coming off a ‘high’ after celebrating my birthday and visiting with old friends two days later. What a difference a couple of days can make. I seem to be in a daze and can’t make the simplest of decisions. This post makes me sound like I’m depressed. I probably am.

I started to write about other things that are weighing heavily on my mind right now but I’ve deleted most of it. It’s just too much of a downer. I know that all these feelings will pass in a day or so or after a good night’s sleep. No point in making my readers feel bad. I’m not looking for sympathy.

Things that were positive today:

I bought a brand new pair of sandals that were on sale and I had an additional $15.00 off coupon to use.

I bought 2 new flowering plants to brighten up my garden

I discovered that the cabbage that I thought had bolted is actually a brussels sprout plant and is still producing little brussels sprouts.

The main part of my library is tidy and ready for visitors.

I had a good food day today and am back on track with my eating.

I’m getting to bed before midnight so that I can enjoy my trip to the cottage tomorrow.

On that note I’m bidding you all a good night. Sleep well!

Reflections on Turning 60

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….time to slow down? I don’t think so….

Turning Sixty

Today I’m 60

A new milestone in my life

What does it mean?

Retirement?, maybe, eventually

I still love what I do

Teaching doesn’t allow me to slow down

There’s too much to do

Too much I want to do

I’ve only just started running

Blogging and writing

and experimenting with photography

Time to slow down?

I don’t have time to shift into low gear

I want to take more art classes

and improve my painting craft

I love teaching art to children and

sharing books and reading to them in the library

I’m becoming more techno literate and

want to take more computer classes and

experiment with apps and new programs

Time to give my brain a rest?

I don’t think so

I want to read good literature

and focus on my writing

I love playing with words and

have started playing Scrabble again

both on the traditional board and on-line

Is it time to become less physical?

I don’t think so

I need to keep up my strength

to work the soil in the garden, mow the lawn

and prune the hedges

My dog needs her exercise

and gets me out for long walks

I want to run and I mean really run more 5 k races

Is it time to care less about my appearance?

I’m too vain for that

I need to cover the grey in my hair

and apply day cream and night cream

to slow down the wrinkles

I like the new thinner me and want

to take it further

I feel better, younger and more alive

than when I was 50

Retirement?

It is near and I look forward to

more travel

I want to see the world and

spend more time with my sisters

in Calgary and Merlin

I need to spend more time with my Dad

who will soon be 86

His new goal is to live to be 100

but I need to enjoy his company now

I want to give back to the community

and volunteer my time

I just don’t know how

I need to continue learning

Taking another university course is a possibility

or maybe

a photography class or two

and a cooking class with my husband

and maybe, just maybe enjoy the company

of some grandchildren

Is it time to retire to the couch?

I couldn’t even if I wanted to

There’s too much to do

Too much I want to do

Carol Cormier / August 28, 2012

Down 2, 1 More to Go

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. to reach my goal of 30 pounds by tomorrow

I’m not sure I can reach my 30 pound goal by my birthday but I do know that 30 pounds is inevitable. It might be tomorrow or the next day or maybe not until next week but that’s okay.

The compliments I received today when I returned to school have made all the hard work worthwhile. This is only the beginning. I’ve been here before and I know how easy it is to put it all back on. I can’t afford to become complacent.

Today I spent a couple of hours at school but I didn’t get very much done. I spent a lot of time catching up with colleagues and helping others with ideas and approaches for the upcoming year.

At around noon my husband called me to remind me of my aunt’s doctor’s appointment. I hurried to my car, grabbed a coffee at the Tim Horton’s drive through and made my way to the hospital. Luckily I found parking on the street. K had already dropped my aunt off at the hospital and I looked in all the usual places before finally locating her in the blood lab waiting to have samples drawn from her arm.

She looked relieved when I walked in because things were moving a lot faster today than in the past. After her blood work was completed we headed up the elevator to a floor we hadn’t been on before and were quickly ushered into another waiting room.

To make a long story short we were seen by four more people, including a new doctor that my aunt adores…. thank goodness…..and put through numerous interviews, questions and other tests. After two hours we were set free but not until we arranged for another appointment for a stress test that will take four hours to administer.

The next appointment is in four weeks unless we hear otherwise. After taking my aunt home she invited me inside where she made me a strong coffee and we had a nice visit for about 1 1/2 hours.

This entire time I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. When I got home I was starving. I heated up some leftover homemade curry which K and I enjoyed for dinner. I hope missing a meal doesn’t play havoc with my weight loss. I’m very full and will probably not eat again till tomorrow.

I’m about to head out the door for a nice long walk with Frances. If I see anything of interest I might add it to this post when I get back.

Cheers!