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!!

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!

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.

I’m a Happy Mom

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. to all the moms out there, “Happy Mother’s Day”

What a great weekend!

On Saturday I got out for my first long walk in over a week. K and I woke up early and took Frances for our usual walk around the neighbourhood, about 3 km. Then we picked up some champagne and drove to our daughter’s and son-in-law’s apartment, where my other daughter and her partner joined us for a special Mother’s Day brunch.

I was a little worried about what might be on the menu but my children are such good cooks that I knew I would have to try a little bit of everything. We started with half a glass of champagne topped with orange juice. There were lots of things to choose from and I certainly didn’t feel pressured into having to try everything. I started with fruit salad, topped with yogurt and a little bit of granola. Daughter G made a wonderful egg strata and served it with bacon. A cup of good coffee and I was a happy mom. I passed on the homemade muffins.

For the rest of the day my other daughter and I did a little bit of shopping for the gardens, after dropping K off at the house. It took us longer than planned so I ended up picking up ready made chicken and salad for dinner.

…. more success on the scale

This morning I had a pleasant surprise when I weighed myself. I thought I might be up slightly after Saturday’s brunch or at least be the same. I am actually down another 1/2 pound for a grand total of 9 pounds in just under 3 weeks. Hooray!

This morning, K and I and Frances went for another walk but we went further today, 5.8 km. I haven’t started to add any running yet to my walks. So far my knee hasn’t given me any more grief.

… a new challenge!

Tomorrow, I leave for 3 days with 56 grade 5 students for Mono Cliffs, an outdoor education centre. I’m not worried about getting enough exercise because we’re outside for about 6 to 8 hours (rain or shine) everyday. The food there is amazing but it is somewhat geared for kids. The good thing is you can take as little or as much as you want and there are always lots of choices.

The evenings are a little worrisome for me because I won’t be eating the snack they provide. The cook there makes the most amazing cookies and muffins and I know they will be hard to resist. I think I’ll have to pack some veggies and dip to take with me.

Wish me luck!

I’m Back!

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. the worst is over (for now)

The week is over and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Last Monday was my breaking point. I started crying the moment I pulled into the parking lot at school and I finished crying as I left school at 8:45 in the evening (working on timetables for next year). The good thing about allowing yourself to cry is that all the frustrations and emotions are purged from your body. I need that occasionally because I tend to internalize everything.

The next morning when I weighed myself the weight fluctuations had ceased and I was finally down another 1 1/ 2 pounds for a total of 7 1/2 pounds in the last 2 weeks and a day. It may not seem like a lot to some of you but for me it signified my first milestone. First of all I’ve shed all the weight I’d gained over the winter and secondly I was down 1/2 pound more than I was at my daughter’s wedding last September.

The irony of weighing less than I did for the wedding is that it took me all summer to lose the same amount of weight and I didn’t have the stress of school on my back. I know some of you may counter with the argument that weddings can be very stressful as well but my daughter did all the planning and I was pretty much ‘hands off’.

People are starting to notice that the weight is coming off. In fact one of my colleagues commented on my size when I had only lost 3 pounds. Earlier this week one of our supply teachers who hadn’t seen me in a few weeks told me that I was ‘wasting away’ and was I ‘okay?’.

Yesterday when I weighed myself I was down another pound and today I started walking again. I’m feeling good and can’t wait till I start running again. The knee feels ‘normal’ again so I’m going to slowly start doing some interval running.

Lot’s more to share. Off to my daughter’s for an early Mother’s Day brunch.

Cheers

I Love to Create

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. today I needed to make art.

Whether it’s photography, painting or stitching, I find comfort and solace

in the act of creating something beautiful. I needed that today and found it while teaching my grade five students how to make unique flags that depicted their favourite books from the Forest of Reading program. They were encouraged to think outside the box, be creative, experiment and love what they were making. Their creations are wonderful.

Some took my lead and tried some of the new techniques that I demonstrated and others were more thoughtful and careful in their approach. Children who are normally cautious and uncertain about their artistic ability created some of their best art today. It turned out to be a great stress reliever for me. I only wish it could have lasted the entire day.

I’ve brought the projects home for the weekend to stitch the casing on the sewing machine. I will take pictures of the ones that are finished or close to it and post them later.

….. advised to take it easy this weekend

My knee continues to give me grief. It’s definitely on the mend but it has been suggested that I give it a good rest before I start my walking/running again.

In my last post I wrote about how stress affects my weight. Despite walking a fair bit, going to yoga for 1 1/2 hours and eating well (1250 calories) I was up 1 1/2 pounds the next day. I’ve learned not to give in when this happens and I continued to make good food choices (even when I went out for dinner). This morning when I got on the scale I dropped 1 of those pounds.

It’s the start of the weekend and I want to do so much. My garden needs a little TLC, a few books are calling to be read and I’d love to find some new recipes to test out. Those are some of the fun things. Maybe getting on my bike won’t aggravate the knee. I’m already anxious about NOT exercising. Do you think I can forgo some of the ‘not so fun’ things, like housework and school work?

I’d love to do some painting and I don’t mean house painting (although some of that should be done as well).

Any words of advice are always greatly appreciated. TTFN

Yoga, a great way to combat Stress

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. that nagging pain in the knee was back again today

It amazes me how much a little discomfort in your knee can affect your mood. I had a good night’s sleep but I was rushed this morning to get to soccer practice. Arriving a little late and then getting side tracked by my colleagues didn’t help. Most of the morning I spent on the field with students supervising the long jump so most of my planned lessons for the morning didn’t happen.

I think walking on the uneven grass for hours aggravated my knee. Every movement in the afternoon seemed like a chore. The worst part of my day though was trying to deal with all the planning and work that needs to be done in the next two weeks. I’m also the go to person when things go wrong with the computers in the school and when people need a sounding board.

So my biggest fear and nemesis on my weight loss journey is Stress and I’m about to experience a lot of it. Years ago I regularly visited a naturopathic doctor to give me advice on weight loss. After months of sessions my doctor concluded that all my significant weight gains over the years happened when I experienced a lot of stress, i.e. my mother’s death, dealing with a difficult principal, conflict with an angry colleague, my husband losing his job, etc.. I think you get the picture.

Tonight I could easily have backed out of going to yoga but I knew in my heart of hearts that it would do me a world of good. It did. I was able to completely relax and stretch out some tired muscles. Even my knee cooperated and it only complained once over one of tonight’s moves.

Sorry Frances, but no walk tonight. We’ll see how the knee feels tomorrow. No point in ‘stressing out’ about not walking. Besides I walked a lot of steps this morning on the field and I did just complete an hour and a quarter of yoga.

Cheers

Love and Weight Loss

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…… maybe I should have said “new” love

The first time I experienced ‘love’ the weight came off effortlessly. It was actually puppy love because I was all of 13. I remember having no appetite and food was the last thing on my mind. My mother was amazed at how I was changing. I couldn’t wait to leave the dinner table and meet my secret beau at the park. It was so innocent. We never did more than hold hands. But alas it was short-lived. It just wasn’t cool for a boy in grade 11 to date a girl in grade 9. Yes it’s true I was dating ‘an older man’.

Over the years I had crushes but I didn’t experience true love until I met my husband. Even today I get ‘butterflies’ when he walks into a room when I’m not expecting him. So why don’t we stay thin when we’re in love? I think it’s because people get comfortable with each other and are free to be themselves. In our case we both loved food and enjoyed cooking together. The only time I remember my husband expressing concern over my weight was just before our wedding and I quickly lost 10 pounds.

My husband loves me no matter what. He likes women with a ‘little meat’ on their bones. He wasn’t being mean when he brought up my weight before our wedding. He knew I wasn’t happy and he has always supported my attempts at weight loss.

A lot of people love food and love to cook and don’t have a weight problem. Why is that? I know that genetics plays a large role in how we metabolize food but a few years ago I discovered that for me a huge contributor towards my weight gain had to do with stress. To be continued…….

Taking a break to nurse my knee…..

Last night and today I experienced a lot of pain in my knee. I decided to take it easy today. The fact that the weather was cold and wet when I got home from work made that decision easy.

After one week of successes on the scale I have decided to share my results with you. I’m pleased to tell you that I’ve dropped 5 pounds. I’ve made some positive changes with my eating habits but I have a way to go. I’m drinking more water but I haven’t reached 8 glasses a day yet. I am definitely snacking less and when I do have a snack it isn’t something I grab when I’m on the run or sitting in the car.

Even though I know that taking a rest from running today was probably for the best I do feel like something was missing today. I hope I can get out and at least walk tomorrow. Thanks for following along.

Till next time, cheers!

Best Day Yet!

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. in running/walking

I started off with my husband and the dog this morning and when we got to the rugby pitch I continued to the high school track. I surprised myself by running an entire 400 m lap without stopping and then I continued to walk another lap and half way around it I started to run again and finished another 200 m without stopping.

I left the school and continued following my new route. About 1 km from home I started to run/walk again. I figured in total I walked/ran about 5.5 km today and in that distance I ran at least 20% of it. I feel great.

I think I’ll time myself next time and then set a goal for myself for completing the 5km in June.

I just hope I don’t injure myself before then. My right knee is a little sore after today’s activity. Any suggestions?