Angie All The Way

Knock Knock Knock!

2012-02-03T07:31:00.000-04:00

For any of you who don't follow me on twitter or instagram, rather than let any more time pass before posting anything at ALL, someone wanted to say hello!

P.S. I am 100000000% head over heels in love with this kid.

Merry Christmas Bloggies :-)

2011-12-23T20:25:00.000-04:00

I simply cannot wait to see his little "Ooooh" face Christmas morning! :-)

Christmas Cake Pops

2011-12-04T20:01:00.001-04:00

I participated in a Christmas cookie exchange this year and since I'm a Pinterest addict and it brings out the "oh I want to make that!" in me, I figured I'd try my hand at the oh so coveted cake pops that you see all over the internet.

Well one thing's for sure, while they are easy in "theory," they are oh soooooo time consuming!!! I had to make 6 dozen and two cake mixes only got me 5, so I didn't have an extra dozen for sampling. The time consuming part is the dipping in chocolate and tapping them and letting them drip and start to dry before moving on to the next. Thank goodness I enlisted The Husband to help me in my make shift cake pop factory because without him it would have taken wayyyyy longer than the 5 total hours it took already! Yup.

With all of that said, Phase 2 of the process was a special kind of fun, because I had a special little helper by my side:

I want IN that bowl!

One day, I will get an entire fist in there

Much better than the broccoli Mommy

The cookie exchange was a hit, the goodies I brought home are delicious and I think the other girls took pity on me and gave me the prize for "most original cookie" simply because I spent so much time on the damn things :-D

50 lbs, Yo!

2011-11-29T20:16:00.001-04:00

Happy to have hit the 50 lbs lost post-baby milestone! Lately I've been in "off season" mode not exercising much or tracking diligently, but I'm happy that I'm still losing - it shows I'm on this track to stay :-) I'm not even worried about it. I will get there when I get there! On a related note, the Santa Shuffle is this weekend and I've only run ONCE since the wine run a few weeks ago! Ah well, it's for fun and I'm just going to wing it. No Biggie!

In the meantime, I've been focusing a lot of my time and interest in getting to know my camera and learning some editing skills. I'm a total amateur, but so far I'm truly enjoying learning more about photography and capturing my little guy growing up. My goal is to create a digital scrap book every year for him and our family because ever since the digital photo world has taken over, I really haven't made an effort to put them to print and we all just keep getting buried further and further with more and more pictures and no printed product! I think now is as good a time as any to just jump in and commit to transforming them in a tangeable form. I bought a TeamBuy ticket for Album Pro last year and used it to do Cameron's first year. The only problem is that I didn't read the fine print that the ticket was for only 24 pages and my end product was 118! Let's just say, the price tag STUNG big time, but after all of the time and effort I put into making it and in consideration of it being our first year with our first baby, there really wasn't a price tag for that. I still don't have wedding photos and regret that I never got those edited and done (next project!), so I wasn't going to let that happen again!

Most of you haven't seen many recent photos of our little guy who is now 15.5 months old (I know!), so I thought I would share with you a few from the last month.

Mid-October, Thanksgiving weekend at the park

Wearing one of Mommy's hats

Out for a stroll in his wagon

Helping Grampie & Daddy string up the Christmas lights

I think it's obvious where he gets his eyes :-)

Feeling excited to sit at his table like a big boy for his lunch

Silly boy :-)

Have you made a digital scrapbook or photo album before? If so, what product did you use and did you like it? I'm thinking about using iPhoto for the next one. Thoughts?

P.S. I am going to be reviewing a cook book in the near future, so stay tuned if you're interested!

Pre-2012 Brain Dump

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

I went for a run on Sunday. The first one since the Wine Run which was two weeks ago. Just a slow "see how I'm feeling" run with the pootch. It's amazing how easily you can put running (or any exercise) on the back burner in favour of running errands and all the other goings ons of life. While my training plan leading me up to my first 10k definitely had me running more frequently than I ever have before, I loved the experience. I loved the discipline that it required and I loved succeeding at following it through. I did the best I could in my own circumstances and it did amazing things for me.

I also meant to blog that I've returned back to "onederland" with my weight loss! Yayyyy!!!! In fact, I'm within 10 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight and 25lbs back to my goal of 170lbs. Overall I feel back to "me" again! I can honestly say that should there ever be any future babies, I will no doubt, without question be keeping close tabs on my calorie intake and counting my way through. I can also say, however, that this journey getting "back" to my goal weight is bringing with it something I don't think I had before. I don't know if it's a natural new perspective with being a mother, the new distraction and natural re-prioritizing of being a Mom, or maybe it's because my husband and I are on the same page getting ourselves in a healthy place, but I feel so much more at peace with listening to my body now. My appetite is completely in control and I listen to my body. I indulge and of course have my moments where food choices could be better, but expecting perfection from yourself is setting yourself up for failure. I'm ok with not being on par with my calorie deficit as long as I'm under my maintenance and so far it's working. It's of course a slower weight loss process which can be painstaking when you don't see "significant" losses regularly, but since my mind is focused on being a Mom, I hardly even notice the time passing. In fact, it's when you have a baby growing and developing before your very eyes that you realize how quickly time passes. I'm very close to hitting 50 lbs lost and this is why.

I let go of any guilt that goes along with going "off the wagon" because that's only a slippery slope. Guilt does nothing but perpetuate rebellion against staying on track. I feel like I've been through enough to honour myself and give myself grace when needed. I'm not perfect and trying to be is a losing battle. The truth is that you can be successful losing weight if you are reasonable, realistic and allow yourself the grace you deserve. Not confusing that with excuses is the tricky part ;-)

It is no secret that my journey to health has taken me to a place that has me yearning to achieve more with my running shoes. My biggest goal I wish to achieve is running a half marathon. I had been brave enough to agree to register to run the Bluenose Half Marathon right before I found out we were expecting our little guy and who knows if I would have been able to keep up with the training, but I was brave enough to want to go for it "out loud." I still do want to go for it, but that's another story for another day...

I'm not sure what 2012 will bring in the running department, but I'm excited to be doing the Santa Shuffle in a few weeks (remember when I did it the year before last and didn't even know I was pregnant then?) and I'm also signed up to do the Resolution Run on New Years Eve. All I know is that I want to be either signed up for an event or in training for one in 2012! I love how it feels being a part of the running community and getting out there and being active. I've proven to myself that I can handle the 10k distance if I listen to my body and have tons of room for improvement, so I want to at least keep my running fitness "in 10k shape" through 2012. I've already gotten my sights set on quite a few events, but of course will always have to be mindful of my physical limitations and play it by ear as I go along.

Truth be told, I can't quite put into words how it feels to have injuries that sometimes hold you back from being able to do what you know your mind wants to do. And I will just leave it at that for now because that's another story for yet another day too. I promise that some day when the time is right, I will shed more light on that area a bit more because I have LOADS I want to say on various topics related to it, but for now, it's best I leave it out of the blog for the most part [insert legal disclaimer here].

I do not write about this often for various reasons, but one of them is that this blog is a positive place for me - a place I created to harness all of the positive things I have proven I can do for myself.

And that's what she said...

Muir Murray 10k Wine Run: Race Recap

2011-11-05T16:45:00.000-03:00

Today, I got out there and I did my first "10k" ~~race~~ fun run at the Muir Murray Estate Winery in Wolfville. It was only a fun run and a chance to run and drink wine, but to me, it was all business and I trained for 10 weeks following this plan to get my base training into 10k running shape. Because it was a "fun run" I wasn't intimidated to get started and to go for it. Sometimes that's the hardest part ;-)

I car pooled with Conny & Jessica and we arrived right at 9:00 and scored a great parking spot right at the winery. It.was.cold. We had to heard into the distillery to get our race bibs and I was starting to worry about how flipping cold the wind was. I didn't feel like I was prepared for the cold run. I had no ear warmers or hat, no gloves or anything that everyone else seemed to be wearing around me. Uh oh. Dudes, it was COLD.

So we decided to head on inside and wait in the longer line for the "warm bathroom" while we waited for the time to pass:

I'm not frightened, I swear!

Then we decided we'd head to the car to get our Garmins and whatever we needed (and stay warm) and since we scored such a great spot, it was literally a hop, skip and a jump from the start line. There were still lots of people getting their bibs, so we were pretty sure the 10:00 start time was just a "guide" as to when we'd start, but sure enough as we're sitting in the car, off goes the gun to start the race! lol It was no big deal because the race wasn't timed, but it was our cue to get going and get our run on!

The run was at the winery, so as you can imagine it was rustic:

The first pit stop was at the 2.5 kms mark (half way for the 5k runners) and you had the chance to drink some of their white wine (and water too), but I only stopped for a split second to take a picture and I was on my way. I couldn't imagine being able to drink wine and run! lol

I said it was rustic!

The wind was so cold at times it took your breath away

Once you got accustomed to the freezing cold wind & cow poop, it's all good


The second (and last) pit stop - no way I was waiting in line during my "race"

I found my stride fairly early in the run right where I wanted to be. I had always taken walking breaks in my training runs, but today I felt like I didn't "need" them. My goal was to finish 10k in 1:15 which is an average pace of 7:30/km, so I felt good keeping my pace in the 7:20 range for the most part. But I have to say, I don't think I saved very much time by not stopping (I stopped very briefly only a few times to take a drink). I think throughout the duration of the run, my overall pace averaged out and if I kept to a 10:1 plan or give myself 1 minute walking breaks intermittently, I think I would have been able to run faster at some parts. But instead, I kept my pace pretty steady the whole time which was fine too because it was a pretty comfortable pace. By the last 2 kms, I was definitely losing a bit of steam and I wonder if doing the 10:1's would have made a difference there.

Our one lonely spectator

I really do love my Garmin. I love being able to pace myself and to see what distance is yet to come. There were no distance markers on this race (at least none that I could see), so unless you had a GPS, you had no idea! If there is only one thing I would give feedback to them about this, it would be to stick up some distance markers because it's nice to see as you're going by, especially when spectators are lacking ;-)

I knew that I was getting close, but was expecting another 5 minutes of running ahead of me when I approached the spirit crushing rocky hill at the end that was near the start line. I knew there was still supposed to be another 0.7 left to go, but there was our speedy gonzalas Conny standing there taking my photo (and the spirit crushing hill that slowed me down BIG time):

This was the "easy" part of the hill

We of course took a sweaty/foggy "I'm finished" self-photo:

Yes I stick my iphone in my sports bra and it makes the camera steamy

Not far behind was Jess! That girl is awesome!

First 10k Everrr!

And sure enough, the Garmin doesn't lie, it was quite short of 10k and we finished in around 9.29kms

Must be a gift from the spirit crushing hill

Next up was to go and grab your swag bag and into the winery for boozin'.

We decided to forgo the boozin and gave our drink tickets to a friend of Conny's in favour of going to get a hot meal and it was off to Paddy's Pub!

Love the swag!

There was of course a t-shirt too, but I love the wine glass etched with the Muir Murray logo and snack tray that holds your glass! #genius

All in all, it truly was a "fun" run and I'm glad I did it. It was so relaxed that truly anyone could have participated and enjoyed themselves. You could run if you wanted to or walk and mingle at the rest stops as much as you pleased. In all honesty, I would have truly appreciated the route to be the full 10k because well, it's a "10k!", but I guess I'll just have to make up for it in another "real" race :-)

Bitten

2011-10-07T07:10:00.002-03:00

I'm surprised how going back to work has worked to my advantage in ways that I didn't see coming. For instance, while lots of people manage to run and train with jogging strollers, I really don't think I'd be able to pull off my training schedule for my first 10k if I wasn't back to work and fitting in the weekday training runs during my lunch hour. I truly need to have that time to focus on my form, my breathing and not worry about pushing a stroller and keeping Cameron contented all at the same time. Right now I'm really just building up my base training and it feels wonderful that I'm doing it. Maybe when I feel like my base training is more solid, I'll invest in a jogging stroller, but for now, this is working out great! I do my Saturday LSD (long slow distance) run during his morning nap so I don't even miss any extra time with him.

I am loving it so much so that I can honestly say that I don't think I have EVER committed to any form of exercise or exercise program for this long before EVER and the reason why it is sticking is because...

I.freaking.LOVE.IT.

I have been bitten by the running bug so hard that I actually look FORWARD to my next run and am all bubbling and beaming inside just thinking about it. It didn't happen right away, but sometime in the first few weeks and now that I have five weeks of consistent training under my belt, I feel like I don't ever want to stop.

"Hello, my name is Angela and this is actually me speaking - for realzies."

All the cool runners know this.

Exercise was never part of the deal that I ever fully embraced or accepted for any significant consistent period of time and I've always done it begrudgingly. I hated nearly every minute of it in the past and I think it stems from how difficult it is to exercise when you are morbidly obese. Sure, it's difficult to exercise in general in the sense that it causes you "discomfort" but doing it carrying about 150 lbs of excess weight is another thing all together. I watch those Biggest Loser contestants giving it every single thing they have and listen to them groan and screech and cry at how hard they are pushing and while I've never had anyone pushing me to that extent, it makes me cringe because I feel like I remember what it was like trying to run one telephone pole to the next when I was 270lbs. I don't even have to think hard to remember how it felt and how far that telephone poll seemed in front of me.

Not.anymore.

I have run at times in the past and have loved the entire racing experience, but there was never a point in time that I "trained" and followed through with a program to prepare me like I am now. Before I just tried to make sure I could keep up for 5k. I am respecting my body, not pushing it beyond the "gradual build" plan because the truth is, my body is damaged goods and I need to be extra careful. I have a pretty extensive list of previous injuries that involve every major joint there is in the body and are enough to scare you off from even trying (ACL/meniscus tear & repair, dislocated/broken hip, broken foot in multiple places and a bum shoulder). The way I see it is I'm going to get arthritis as a result of these injuries some day eventually and exercise is GOOD for your joints too and I'd rather enjoy my life and get myself in good physical shape and enjoy the process and enjoy my chosen form of physical activity and truly BE a physically active Mommy for my son. I want him to see and remember me crossing many finish lines as he grows up :-)

P.S. I feel all giddy because Heather Armstrong is now friends with me on Daily Mile - DOOCE and I are now BFF, right? I mean she only has 24 friends on Daily Mile and yet has a million and a half twitter followers yet I'm only 1 of 24 elite people who get to follow her runs on Daily Mile - now THAT, my friends says it all right there, doesn't it?! lol

Milestones

2011-09-21T07:21:00.000-03:00

I feel like there's so much to update you on. Maybe it's because I haven't been updating the blog as often as I used to. Rest assured that it is NOT indicative of falling off course or anything close to that. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Things are going remarkably well!!

My First 10k Race:

I am sticking to my 10k training plan getting ready to run my first 10k on November 5th. I almost think that I have been sticking to my training plan and not faltering because I haven't been blogging about it! There is definitely an accountability push to blogging, but there's also an intimidation factor to it also. It can sometimes backfire for me. I have been known to get a "stage fright" when I put myself out there to climb mountains I am afraid to set foot on so I waited until I felt comfortable in my new back to work/day care routine to share. This time I'm doing it and I'm far enough into my training that I feel confident to say that nothing is going to stop me from crossing that 10k finish line. Barring an injury of course, but we won't speak of that sort of stuff, now will we?

I was VERY intimidated to start. In fact I hadn't run in weeks before starting my program and was afraid I'd have to start from scratch which I quickly discovered was not the case. I know that I chose the right program for me. To lessen the intimidation factor of running my first 10k while fitting in training as I have returned to work, I have decided to follow a "gradual build - to finish" program. It's as easy as a 10k training program can get, I would imagine. I run 4 times a week, 3 of which are during the work week and if you look at the plan, you can see that they are relatively short distances (3-5k) that I am able to fit into my lunch hour! There really wasn't another way for me to make it work. I'm a working mama now and after a day's work, picking up my son from day care, getting him fed, bathed and into bed, it's nearing 7:30 before the opportunity even arises to fit it in. By then, it's turning dark and I'm tired! So I'm very happy that I'm able to work my training runs during my lunch hour. The benefits to this are very worth it:

Endorphins are a great way to get through the second half of the work day
It feels great knowing I've gotten it out of the way and done!
I get to run in the city where there's many different routes/streets to explore - Halifax is green & scenic with arcs of trees overhead on every side street.
It's time for me and only me to do something for myself. As a Mom, it becomes second nature to do anything and everything for your child that they need and in the early months/year(s), it can become easy to toss yourself aside because it's very easy to toss your own needs/goals aside. Now that I'm back to work, having a lunch hour to myself has an entirely different meaning and purpose. As something I took for granted before, it's now an hour I get to myself where I can't "do dishes, laundry..fill in the blank" - it's time for me to work toward training my body and getting better each day. What a boost.
It's at at time of day that motivation is high and I'm actually "excited" to do it. Even more exciting is that each and every time I have been getting faster and doing better. Big boost!

I still have to update the exact stats from the one I have on my fridge with the one I have on google docs, but I have made it available for you to view and/or comment. I think it's a good idea because I want people to see that you don't have to be anything close to a speed demon or 130lbs to be able to run and train for something like a 10k. Crossing that finish line is what you make it out to be. You can do it for yourself and be proud of yourself. Anyone else's acheivements have no bearing on yours. Your circumstances are different from mine and are different from people who run 10k's in their sleep. It's important to see that you can do it if you want to. I'm not a fast runner, but I'll cross the finish line running.

Post Partum Weight Loss:

Check it!

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

FORTY POUNDS, YO!

(as of the time of this post, but this ticker will change because it is linked to my account on My Fitness Pal).

I cannot say enough good things about My Fitness Pal. It has everything I would ever want from a weight loss site. Still can't believe it's FREE and has an amazing iPhone app where you can actually scan barcodes from your food packages to track your food! Friend me if you are a member or decide to sign up! We can encourage each other all the way :-)

My goal is to be at 195 by race day which will only be 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight and 25 lbs to get be back to my goal. Totally doable! I weighed-in at 204lbs last weekend, so it's totally doable methinks. Either way, I have to say, focusing my efforts on running and this race has taken my mind off of the scale. I feel like I'm just going with the flow of life, eating approximately 1500 calories a day (a very sustainable number for me), following my running program and living my life to the fullest with my little family that I love.

P.S. The Husband is getting teeny tiny! He's close to 50 lbs lost now! I wish he would let me share his photo with you. Maybe I can talk him into letting me share one, we shall see!

Working Mama:

I am happy to say that on our third week into our new routine of Cameron going to day care, he is looooving it! He no longer cries or whines and reaches for me when I drop him off in the morning. Instead he crawls down off of my lap, starts playing with this little friends and waves "bye bye Mama" to me as I leave for the day. This couldn't make a working Mama happier than to know that he's enjoying his days at day care.

Along with this little development has come a new phase in the sleeping routine where he has decided to cut ME off from rocking him to sleep anymore! I never thought it would happen this way, but it's the way I always dreamed it would happen. It makes me sad in many ways, especially since I no longer have all day with him and it was kind of nice to be able to give him extra snuggles as he drifted off peacefully to sleep, but this is all a part of growing up, right?! *sniffs*

My baby still isn't completely ready to completely take off on two feet and still a little tentative about walking. He gets the biggest thrill of standing up on his own, but he's not quite ready to take flight yet!

Take all the time you need, my sweet little boy ;-) Thank you for not growing up tooooooo fast for Mama!

Big Day Downtown - The Video!

2011-09-05T19:53:00.010-03:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was a Halifax blogger selected by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission in their "Big Day Downtown" campaign. The rules were simple: here's a $100 prepaid Visa card and have fun downtown and "try something new" and blog about it.

Yes please!

So since my buddy Lynn was also selected to participate again this year, we thought we could use the opportunity to have a fun day together. For me it was the perfect way for me to spend one of my last days off before returning back to work full time while Cameron was in his first transition week at day care.

Once we started brain storming ideas of things to do, I quickly realized that this assignment was going to be an easy one for me because I never really get much opportunity to really go and enjoy downtown much at all and there was plenty that I had never experienced before. I will let the video speak for itself and you can head on over to Lynn's blog for some more beautiful photos from our adventures :-)

(Don't you love where my face freezes frame? Hot I tell you)

Cheers!

My 100 Pound Heart

2011-09-02T13:52:00.001-03:00

Being a mother is 100% the best thing I have ever experienced, but I have to say there are times when I feel like it's this dichotomy of supreme love and supreme angst/guilt. It's back to work time for this Mom and while I knew it would be difficult leaving him to go to day care (of course it would be, that's a given!) and to go back to work, it completely caught me off guard just how intense the difficulty would be to leave him at day care. Heart wrenching to say the least.

I'm in finishing up week 2 of day care and week 1 of work and I can honestly say that it's getting better, but had I written a post last week, I think the tone of it would have been much different. Last Monday I was an emotional roller coaster. Kind of like what you feel like when you are grieving something, when one minute you're fine and the next you burst into tears. And just the thought of that makes me guilty because I have a healthy and vibrant child and therefore I have the world, so if it hurts this much to put him in day care, in a place where he will most likely thrive after he's adjusted, I simply cannot imagine or even fathom the thought of having a child who has an illness or worse and I won't even say it.

See where my mind goes? Isn't that dramatic?? My child is "just" going to daycare and I'm "just" going back to work and 204829347429348234 other babies and moms (and dads) have done this before me but our first week during this transition just tore me to pieces. Thankfully it's getting better every day.

His first day was last Monday and I had a week to help him transition before going back to work, so we showed up later than he would normally be there and I stuck around a little later and showed up for pick up a little bit early.

I try to be a positive person and I have focused on all of the pros of going back to work. I enjoy working as a professional and using my brain in that way that isn't a part of my daily life at home as a mom. I enjoy the challenges of my job. I work in the legal field and I have always loved law and I went to school for a long time! It's nice to know that I have that aspect of my life too. Cameron will be proud of me for this some day.

But!

BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT!!!

Leaving my baby with a stranger in a place he is unfamiliar and hearing him cry and having someone else put him down for a nap in a room full of other babies and knowing that he us only used to my comfort has just about killed me on his first day.

Oh my heart.

Now that we are coming to the end of week two, while he still clings onto me with all of the might of his little arms not wanting to let go of his Mommy when I take him to day care still kills me, he is having good days there and sleeps well and he's doing better. Every day that goes by he seems more at ease when I pick him up which helps me relax just a bit.

I'm doing better too.

I was lucky to get a few decent shots of him playing outside at day care last week before I went back to work. Mama needs a photo for her desk, no?

Moms go around with their hearts walking around outside of their bodies apparently and I never realized how vulnerable loving another human being as much as your child can make you feel when they are out of your arms reach being influenced by a part of the world that you aren't a part of. It's like nothing else.

It still bothers me that someone else is getting to see him all day long and watch him learn new things and reports to me how he's pushing along things and walking behind them while I missed it. But that's how it is in a dual income family. Upon this long weekend I will soak up every single second of him.

Baby/Toddler Food

2011-08-21T08:36:00.000-03:00

As someone who has been through some pretty drastic physical transformations and changes, if there is one very important thing that I insist on doing for my son, is putting in whatever effort and creativity as is necessary to make healthy eating a normal part of his life. I'm not opposed to him having yummy treats that kids should be able to enjoy and will never be "forbidden," but he will grow up knowing those are "sometimes" treats and not a normal part of your diet.

So far Cameron has been a pretty normal baby where he likes things some days, doesn't care for them another and I wanted to share with you some of the foods that he is served on a fairly regular basis. My philosophy is that even though plenty of kids prefer plain foods, I'm not going to only give him plain foods "just because." If he prefers plain foods as we go along, that's fine, but right now, he only knows what I give him to try and I've walked the line of slowly introducing lots of flavour into this food while not offending his developing little palette. Texture seems to be the biggest challenge, but like anything else, it depends on the day.

So here we go...

Cameron has fed himself from about 8 months+ on most things. I will spoon feed him things like yogurt or soupy things and if we were out and about, I would still often bring along a homemade puree that includes a bean or a chicken protein simply because it's easier and less messy when we're out and about, but we seem to be getting away from any spoon fed puree combinations now. He always wants to have something to feed himself at the same time too and I'll just offer him spoonfuls as he goes. The purees could be a combo of:

navy beans, sweet potato, apple
chicken, sweet potato, apple (cooked together in a slow cooker)
chickpea, garlic, broccoli, butternut squash
kidney beans, quinoa, apple
lentils, banana, avocado

Breakfast

My boy LOVES eggs, just like his Mama! Breakfast is the one meal of the day I can count on that he'll eat the most of and I don't worry he's "not eating enough" for the day if he only eats a few bits of his lunch and/or supper. I believe he'll eat if he's hungry, but you know Mamas worry just a little if they hardly touch their food ;-). If he's not already tugging at my pant legs when I'm making him his eggs, he makes a beeline for his highchair when he sees me putting it on his tray. Although now that he's teething his molars coming in, I do notice that his appetite for solids is gone down and milk back up but I'm sure it's temporary.

For a while I was playing it cautious only giving him a scrambled egg yolk avoiding the potentially allergenic egg white, but one day I decided it was time to try the white and it was a success (I think he was around 10 months when I did that). Phew! It makes for much fluffier scrambled eggs and easier for him to pick up. I usually also add some old cheddar & some sort of sneaky green like slivered baby spinach or leftover broccoli cut up finely:

Egg, milk, spinach, old cheddar, toast spread with apple sauce & cut up banana

Cheesy scrambled egg, Pomegran waffle with apple sauce

"Cheerios" (I normally buy "Whole O's" instead) are more of a snack food, but occasionally I'll give him a handful of them while I'm preparing whatever else. And this particular morning, for example, he had cheerios and I made him oatmeal with apple sauce & cinnamon (no picture).

I call them "Cheerios" anyway

Are these REALLY Cheerios Mommy?

Whole O's and banana

I have no reason to believe that he will have an allergy to nuts, but I've so far been too chicken to try him on it. I dunno, something about anaphalactic shock scares me, so you can bet we'll be in a public place nearby emergency medical care when I do! (crazy mom alert!) Until then, I have given him sunflower seed butter which to my knowledge is an alternative for people with nut allergies? Either way, he loves it.

Whole O's, Pomegran waffle with Sunflower butter

Lunch

Hmmmm, I'm thinking Italian today Mommy...

In general, lunch and supper are pretty interchangeable, but I often give him more "sandwich" type foods at lunch. He's a big fan of hummus sandwiches (sometimes I sprinkle cheese on the hummus)

Whole wheat bread, roasted red pepper hummus, old cheddar & avocado

and....wait for it....sardine sandwiches! Before you all go "ewwwww," sardines are an extremely rich source of Omega 3's (brain development) and are a VERY safe source with very little mercury risk. If you like tuna, you most likely will like sardines. Don't knock it til you try it. ;-) It's one of his favourite lunches! I just make sure to buy the sardines packed in water and there is very little sodium in those.

Sardines (packed in water) mashed with cream cheese on a thin bun & avocado

And some strawberries too

I also smeared guacamole on his sardine sandwich (in between 2 slices of whole wheat bread) and he gobbled it up like it was going out of style.

Even though he feeds himself, I still keep pureed bean/lentil cubes on hand in the freezer (I prepare them from dried about once a month and freeze them into cubes) and I use them as "pasta sauce" as a protein source. I suppose you could use any cube combinations for this purpose too, but I find the bean ones are thick enough to be just right. I just melt a few cubes & stir into the pasta (chickpea+garlic+EVOO is a combo I find is a really great one). I like to use vegetable pastas that are colourful and "fun" (Eden Organic Vegetable Spirals are a good one) but I didn't get a photo of that for this post.

Spirals, chickpea+garlic+EVOO puree, peas, cherry tomatoes, parm, cheddar

Spirals, spinach, roasted red pepper, navy bean puree, old cheddar

Spirals, kidney bean puree, spinach, cherry tomatoes, cheese

I finally decided to try making kale chips because I've heard about them countless times and I never in a million years thought they would be good and the thought of them had NEVER appealed to me, but for some reason one day I thought what the hell I like living on the edge :-P and threw a bunch of kale in my cart. It is a superfood afterall, I told myself. All I can say is I'm in LOVE! "I loooove kale chips and I don't care who knows it!" :-D They actually do get super crispy and I could sit there with a bowl full of kale chips watching a movie! lol Totally serious. So I figured I'd put a few on Cameron's plate to see what he thought of it.

Really Mommy?

Crunchy, yet melts in your mouth = ideal for babies!

I think he's a fan too!

They are super easy to make, just remove the leafy part from the tough stem, wash, pat dry, tear into bite size pieces and place on a baking sheet sprayed with oil (make sure not to crowd them on the sheet), drizzle some EVOO over top and sprinkle with sea salt (the sea salt makes ALL the difference). Bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes until the edges are brownish. I figured out that I like them pretty crispy and the crispier they are (and less chewy), the less bitterness there is. And surprisingly, dipping them in ketchup is pretty good too. (I can't believe I am one of "those" people who eats kale chips. lol)

He almost always gets some sort of fruit and/or yogurt for dessert, whatever is in season: strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, roasted apples with cinnamon or mandarin oranges from a can/jar (one of his favourites), peaches, pears, bananas etc. In general I make a serious effort to buy as much organic as possible so most of the foods Cameron eats are organic for the most part, but if it's not available in organic, I will buy the conventional.

Watermelon

Mandarin Oranges

All the hardcore babies eat mandarin oranges

Supper

As I mentioned, I often will serve him the same types of things for lunch/supper, but more typically, I try to get more veggies in too. I made this chili.

Beef, garlic, red/green peppers, onion, spinach, tomato sauce, seasonings

What, chili isn't a finger food?

The funny thing about the chili is that he ate it all up the first time, but then wasn't a fan with the frozen leftovers. I tasted it and it tasted just as good as when it was fresh, but he doesn't tolerate the textures of meat very well at all. So I'm back to doing some creative experimentation on serving him meat. Do you have any suggestions for me? Even though he ate tons of slow cooker chicken + sweet potato + apple purees, no luck on having him eat the chicken whole yet, but for a very few select tiny bites of my food.

Slow cooker chicken & sweet potatoes

He also isn't a huge fan of whole beans. He didn't eat much of this dinner if I remember correctly.

Quinoa, black beans, avocado, buttered bread

I made a batch of Mama Peas Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna and he gobbled it right up the first night, but didn't want much to do with it the next day.

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

One of my own favourite "healthified" comfort foods is Annie's Mac & Cheese and what kid doesn't love mac & cheese? I throw in some broccoli in with the pasta while it's cooking and stir in a dab of butter, plain greek yogurt & a splash of milk with the cheese packet and it makes it all creamy good and packs much more nutrition than straight from the box:

He was quite skeptical about fresh ravioli but he warmed up to it after a few bites.

What are you making me eat this time Mommy?

I will usually make a cheese sauce or just sprinkle old cheddar on top of it while it's warm.


Olivieri nutriwise broccoli & cheese ravioli + old cheddar

Snacks

Other than his three meals, he'll have a few snacks too. I'll usually fill his snack cup with "cheerios" or some cookie type snacks (baby graham crackers etc) that will fit in his cup and he can sit on the floor and eat (unless Lucy hears his cup shaking and then you know what happens :-D). He likes these Wellington crackers (like Breton but organic and multigrain), cereal bars (any kind). If we're out and about I'll give him a Baby Mum Mum or a Toddler Mum Mum as a treat in his stroller.

I bought the Annie's brand of "goldfish" yesterday and gave him one to try expecting it to be no problem at all and he choked on one and scared the bejeezus out of us. I had to turn him over and was about to pound his back over my knee when it came flying out on the floor. THANK GOD. Mother's worst fear right there! I was all business while it was happening, but I couldn't shake the nervous jitters for a while after that! So I think we'll hold off on giving him those until his back molars come in?

Do you have any suggestions for baby/toddler meal/snack ideas? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Big Day Downtown!

2011-08-19T22:16:00.001-03:00

There are a million reasons why I love living in Halifax and here's another reason why it's fun to be a blogger living in Halifax!

I am honoured to be participating this year in Downtown Halifax Business Commission's "Big Day Downtown" campaign where they have invited local bloggers, columnists, journalists and media personalities the opportunity to spend $100 in the downtown area in the form of a pre-paid Visa card in to explore and "try something new" and of course, blog & tell you guys all about it. It sounds fun, right?! Yes!! Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a free staycation day in our beautiful city to me! Halifax is such a beautiful city with loads and loads of character and fun things to do, so this will be FUN!

We were invited to the launch party that was held at The Middle Spoon to watch a few videos of a few bloggers who have already participated (I feel the need to mention the The Feisty Chef got inked! Going to be hard to top that I think! lol)

Executive Director, Paul MacKinnon, DHBC

Wine and a cake pop? Yes please!!

There was an ice cream cookie sandwich in there too - The Middle Spoon is a bar and desserterie after all! ;-) Best cake pop everrrrr

One Year

2011-08-18T22:08:00.003-03:00

A lot can happen in one year. I have experienced more in this last year that I could have ever dreamed. My life was about to change forever:

Photo Credit to Shelagh Duffet

Photo credit: Shelagh Duffett

Be still my heart...

Fast forward a year and we're smack dab in the middle of all the fun of throwing our little boy his first birthday party! I've been eyeing many fun ideas on Pinterest and ended up with a "rainbow balloon" kind of party which I thought was fun!

Many of my family members from my home town made it up for his birthday which meant so much to us! My side of the family are really the only relatives nearby (other than his Nan on his Daddy's side) and it made it extra special to spend his first birthday with them :-)

Great Grammie

Nanny B

A round of applause for the birthday boy

Icing + hot weather + humidity = ummm....yeah

I decided to make Cameron's smash cake myself and while I wanted to make a "rainbow" cake, I wasn't crazy about using lots of artificial colourings (lame Mama?) so instead I made the layers with real fruit and while it wasn't "vibrant" in colour, he had a lemon layer, strawberry layer and blueberry layer. Then I went and defeated the purpose and slathered colourful icing all over it to try to make a "wooden block" Mama fail?

Tastes good to me, Mommy

Nom nom nom

Oh to be one year old...

Cameron's friend Charlotte and her beautiful blue eyes

Grampie & Nanny B

Great Grammie & Nanny

"Mommy, books are for bed time, can I go back to playing with my truck?"

4 Generations

All in all his birthday went off without a hitch, we had a house full, good weather, good food, BBQ, cake, punch, smiles and a happy birthday boy. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

Oh and the husband has been hounding me to make sure I update you on the FINAL results of our weight loss challenge. And for a guy who doesn't like to be mentioned on my blog, he sure doesn't mind me mentioning this! I humbly proclaim that Mr. Alltheway (aka "the rookie") has beaten me! He lost 17.06% (41.8lbs) and I lost 14.75% (36lbs). We both kicked ass though and couldn't be happier!! Happy Birthday to our little boy!!!! :-)

Challenge Update

2011-08-03T19:59:00.000-03:00

I really need to be doing this more often. The weight loss challenge between The Husband and I will soon be up! Our little boy turns ONE in 10 days. TEN! That is our "finish" day for our challenge. And I have to say, my husband is whoopin my behind! Even though we are going by total percentage of weight lost, our start weights were only a pound apart and he's got about 8 pounds on me right now and has hit his 40 lbs lost mark! I'm so proud of him!

We loved having this little challenge with each other so much and found it so motivating that we've decided to have a "Part 2" running from September 1 - December 1. The stakes have yet to be determined because we don't want to make ourselves go broke allowing ourselves to spend too much reward money! So we are toying with the idea that since we plan on having the main floor of our house repainted this Fall, the winner gets to choose the colours.

Now this is exciting for me if I WIN because I get to get play and have fun redecorating because we never really did put our own personal stamp on our new house since we moved in and we've been here for 2 years now. The colour scheme currently is very neutral beige and is all ONE colour on the main floor - BORING! My latest online obsession is Pinterest and I can hardly wait to put some of the ideas I've pinned to use. Loooooove Pinterest!

The downside is that if I LOSE the next challenge, he pretty much will repaint the entire place the same colour only a shade or two darker ----> BORING!!! I simply cannot let that happen!

I'm very happy with my progress to date and my next goal is to return to my pre-pregnancy weight by Christmas time (185lbs), which is fitting since I found out I was preggers on Boxing Day in what will be two years ago this Christmas. Ummm...whoa...

I have a post in draft about baby finger foods. I've gotten a few questions from people asking me about what my little guy eats so I'll have a post soon on that. I find it helpful to get ideas from other Moms, so I hope it helps give some ideas to anyone who's looking for some!

30-20-10

2011-07-12T21:43:00.000-03:00

and with shedding 30 lbs has come melting away 21 inches. As a part of the X-Weighted challenge that begin in January (which I kind of drifted away from), taking measurements was a part of the start up process. Today was the last day of the challenge and I got an email prompting me to take my measurements again and low and behold I lost lots of inches!

Chest -7.5 inches
Waist -7.5 inches
Hips -6 inches

= -21 inches

That's a nice extra boost that certainly helps fuel the fat burning fire! You always hear people recommend taking measurements and I'm really glad I did. I did take some pretty horrid "before" pictures at the time too and maybe when I get back to my goal I'll post them up with my new after pictures.

And to celebrate, I think I've gained enough confidence in hitting the pavement that I've signed up for a 10k on November 5th.

It can't be all bad, there will be WINE offered at all the rest stations :-D

-30 lbs

2011-07-09T09:09:00.001-03:00

A funny thing happens when you establish the "right" mindset to committing to lose weight and it's kind of ironic.

The entire time it takes you to moan and groan about how hard it is (going to be) and how much you are dreading it and "wish" your mindset was where it needs to be to actually commit is the actual hard part. It's not apparent until the mindset actually takes root and you realize that the time seems to be flying by as the pounds are dropping and it's apparent that the hard part is not the actual act of staying on track like you were dreading at all! I agonized over this for months and months as a new Mom and I cannot quite tell you how great it feels to feel like I finally have it together and getting this deed done already.

I'm running again. RUNNING. And it's glorious. I'm still much heavier than I was when I was running before and I didn't think I "could" run at this weight (currently 213.8 lbs), but I'm doing it and I have to say that I don't think I'm that far off of where I was before. I still have a bit more work to match my old speed (I use the term "speed" very lightly because I'm NOT a fast runner by ANY stretch of the imagination!), but I honestly think that it's just the extra pounds holding me back and as they continue to shed, I feel like conditioning myself at this stage as I return to my goal weight will only make me a better runner when I get there. It's like running with a weighted vest and getting to run the race without one.

10-15 pounds ago it was too much impact for my knees to handle (I've had knee surgery in the past for an ACL/Meniscus repair), but I'm happy that I'm back to a place where I can run again. I've decided to sign up for a few races - nothing big or nothing to get me into a tizzy over, just something to keep moving toward. Something to push me through my runs and some finish line to picture in my head, ya know?

I'm totally digging Katy Perry "Firework" as my "power song" and I love it.

What is your favourite running songs? What is your "power song" for running or working out?

Will Friend for Snacks

2011-07-07T21:35:00.001-03:00

If you only watch one video today, let it be this. So far Lucy pretty much wants nothing to do with Cameron. She avoids him at all costs and runs away when he tries to chase her around. She of course hovers around him at his highchair during meal time and I started letting him eat some snacks in his snack cup on the floor and it was quite the scene when he figured out how to make Lucy his friend!

If it stops playing after a few seconds, replay & it should work after it buffers. I hope you enjoyed!

Tiny Toes

2011-07-05T14:24:00.002-03:00

You know when you're a new Mom and you're sleep deprived and there are days when you feel like you might actually be losing your sanity from lack of sleep? It's not cliche, it's actually a real thing. I'm not joking.

While it was the most challenging thing I have ever done in my entire life, I think somehow it only amplified my excitement for every tiny little development he would make, every tiny little stride forward and I took every second of it in and inhaled it because it was those little tiny things that I would thrive on that kept me going. The first real smiles. I still remember those as plain as day and I hung on to those with everything I had and waited with baited breath waiting for him to giggle and smile at me in the morning. That, my friends was worth the world. I remember crying when that happened. It was like being thrown my first bone.

Thankfully (and I emphasize the THANKFULLY), my little Peanut started sleeping through the night 11ish hours around the 8 mth mark and it changed my life completely. Now that he's rounding the corner into an ELEVEN month old, he's going down to sleep completely on his own (no rocking or wakings!) and even though we are currently going through an extra early wake up in the 5 o'clock hour, I'll gladly take it.

All of that was a precursor for my photo above. Why the strange segue you ask? The best part about being a Mother is the new perspective of rewards you thrive on in your day to day life. An entirely new perspective of the world and what brings me joy. While any Mom can appreciate pretty shoes or hats or spa treatments (not knockin' because Mama can always use a nice hat or a spa treatment!), there's one thing that sticks out in my head about what got me through eight straight months of interrupted sleep and it was feeling of his incredibly soft, warm, tiny little hands brushing across my cheeks in the dark. It sounds so cliche & corney, but it was the most gratifying feeling in the world. There was just something about his chubby, soft little hands. No matter how tired I was, no matter how frustrated and tired I felt during that time, he' d touch my face with that little hand and I always knew I was making the right choices for him. I just wish I could go back in time just to reassure myself that was the case the whole way through. I agonized over if I was making the right decisions about nurturing sleep habits and I can honestly say that having that reassurance back then would have helped me a lot, but I guess that's all a part of the learning process of motherhood.

So now my little baby is resembling more and more like my little boy as he turns the corner on his twelfth month and even his tiny little toes are starting to show me that he's turning into a little boy, poking their way through his footie pyjamas...

Whooopaaa 10%!

2011-06-25T09:28:00.000-03:00

That's right, "whooopaaa" as in "see ya lata foreva"!!! After being in the 9.X% of weight lost for the last 3 weeks, today's weigh-in finally put me over the 10% lost milestone to 10.5%. I know that I'm not following weight watchers, but it's still a significant milestone to me :-)

And I have to say, my joints are thanking me and I got a major runner's high the other night doing 2:2 intervals for an hour. I think I see some new race bibs in my future :-)

In Support of a Bloggie

2011-06-23T10:24:00.001-03:00

Most of you out there are aware of what an incredibly supportive online community there is in the blogosphere, whether you blog or just enjoy reading them. There comes a time in many of our lives that we know someone who has been affected by cancer. It's a horrible horrible disease. This is the first time that this has happened directly to a blogger friend. Not that there's ever an acceptable time to be diagnosed with cancer, but being 25 and doing "everything right" to be fit and healthy just makes it all the more shocking to me. It doesn't seem that long ago that we had the chance to have lunch and meet while she visited Halifax last summer. I'm sure that Susan would really appreciate your comments in support of this long and hard road she has ahead of her...

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

2011-06-18T11:21:00.000-03:00

I have to say bloggies, no matter how much weight was lost in the past, I still continue to learn so much along this journey of weight loss. I had been a POINTS counter in the past and I had flip flopped many times trying to count calories instead but for some reason it never stuck. But this time bloggies, THIS time, it has stuck. And it's working.

The lessons I have learned so far this time around is not about calories in v. calories out. That part is obvious. And it's not about learning how to eat healthy because I was already there. But even though I somehow managed to keep up the pace to lose an entire person the first time around, I still always struggled with being "thrown off" course due to a single circumstance, meal or day. The proverbial "wrench" that inevitably gets thrown in the way. You know, life. Getting discouraged and feeling like my day or week was somehow "wrote off" due to some particular reason was a common occurrence.

I have learned how to accept less than perfect, to be more realistic about life as a mother trying to balance healthy eating & activity conducive to weight loss and to realize that any day where I've stayed under my maintenance calorie range is still progress. It doesn't have to be 1200 net calories because in general, I have been in the 1500-1600 range and if that is more realistic for me, then I'm ok with a slower rate of loss because this is where it has gotten me so far:

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

At the time of posting this, the ticker says 25 lbs! Since it is dynamic, it will change as my progress changes even a year from now. I'm on my way "all the way" again and that's a fact.

However, I'm not so sure I'm going to beat my husband in this competition we're having because he, my friends, is a force to be wreckoned with. He's doing amazing and at tomorrow's weigh-in, he expects to hit is 30 lbs lost milestone which I couldn't possibly express to you how happy that makes me. He's really taken his health seriously and has 100% committed himself to getting healthy. He's feeling wonderful, has lost at least half of his "beer belly" where he carries 80% of his weight (a very dangerous place to carry extra weight!) and notices huge changes in his stamina and fitness level. This is MY HUSBAND we are talking about! I'm floored and extremely happy & proud :-)

I'm not even sure who still reads this little blog, but whoever is still out there, I appreciate your readership and not giving up on me and my sparse blogging. I can't explain why I haven't been blogging regularly other than the good ol' "busy mom" excuse, but maybe that's best left for another day...

Seaport Shenanigans

2011-06-11T17:06:00.002-03:00

Down about 23 lbs now and feeling great :-) The husband is approaching 30! I think he might be kicking my butt in this one and I couldn’t be happier! Counting calories on My Fitness Pal is really working for us.

We took LO to the Farmer’s Market today and it was a nice bright and sunny day here (finally) and we went on the Seaport rooftop to give him his lunch. It was also fun to get a few photos goofing around :-) The Moms usually NEVER get IN the pictures, because we’re always the ones taking them!

“Oh, what’s that flying around your head Mommy? You usually don’t have any of this stuff flying around!”

Yoink!

Ah, the “sunglasses headband" trick! Should have thought of that earlier!

I am finally updating my blog as we speak, so please don't mind the mess! In addition to no longer being “with one on the way”, every time I post pictures, they end up looking grainy and low quality regardless compression. Not sure if it’s a blogger thing or my template? No one else’s pictures seem to do that so hopefully updating the template etc. will take care of that. We’ll see how these ones turn out!

Mount 5k

2011-05-22T16:19:00.002-03:00

Four years ago, I accomplished my very first 5k and that day will forever be one of my favourite days of my life for so many reasons I'm sure I've spoke about many times here before. In short, I fell in love with running and I fell in love with my new life. It represented something to me that you shouldn't put limits on yourself. Technically, to me, I had already accomplished the "marathon," it was just a different kind of marathon.

I met a very special girl in person for the first time that day and I learned that you don't need a speedy time or a 10k or a Half Marathon or a Full Marathon under your belt to feel accomplished. All you need is action and a positive attitude.

And while I didn't get to train and run the Half Marathon last year as originally planned since the Little Peanut was on this way into this world, I knew that there was really only one place to start to conquer myself again in this "post-pregnancy weight loss marathon" and it was the Bluenose 5k, of course! I made a promise to myself that I was doing it again this year, regardless of where I was in my post-pregnancy weight loss because the very least I could do was walk it. Just being there and getting out there and being a part of all of the positive energy and electricity that radiates through everyone and the enthusiasm of the participants and the supporters is enough to lift you up high in the sky.Those people are amazing. It truly does show you that you are capable of more than you know.

This year I got to share this day with my son. I decided not to go to California after all and the husband is there right now. It was a risky move taking him because he's a baby that needs his naps and this would mean that he'd have to nap in the car on the way there. I left early trying to give him some semblance of a nap, but he only napped for about 40 minutes so I knew things probably weren't going to be a bit challenging. Not to mention the speakers are LOUD & they were jazzing everyone up before the race.

But it wasn't just us! We had the PLEASURE of walking this event with these other lovely people: Julie, Tammi, Lynn & Lynn's hubby Jason (not pictured)

He did really well until the 3 kms point where he started to fuss and wanted OUT of the stroller. Awesome.

Thankfully I brought an Ergo with me that I borrowed from a friend because the next thing ya know we had to stop and Lynn & Jason are helping me get strapped up & re-positioning my race bib. Jason pushed the stroller and I huffed along trying to settle a cranky baby! Note: "If you're happy and you know it" is a real hit with babies, even when they are in the back seat crying in the car wanting out of the car seat. So that bought us a few extra minutes singing songs which was a funny turn of events. He seemed pretty good by the time we got to the homestretch and the positive note was that it made me feel extra hard core doing the 5k with my baby strapped to me :-D It was hard work!

We crossed the finish line walking in 56:58.4 which I think we can be very proud of. It's a far cry from the last time when I ran it (31:11). Cameron even got his very own medal from one of the nice ladies at the finish line.

Can't you tell he's just as jazzed as I was? lol

You would think this was his very "first" 5k, but really it wasn't! Little did I know that I took him along for the Santa Shuffle in 2009 too :-) He's in there unbeknownst to me at the time:

And speaking of "post pregnancy weight loss," check my ticker on the side of the blog! I'm very excited about my progress. Slowly but surely I'm on my way back "all the way."

Joie de Vivre

2011-05-20T22:25:00.001-03:00

Isn't there something so absolutely perfect about the sight of a child experiencing pure joy? I know I'm his Mama, but I could stare at these pictures all day long. They make me happy just by looking at them.

"But I don't wanna go home!"

Wax On!

2011-05-05T13:11:00.001-03:00

First of all, I'd like to show off how awesome my husband and I did in the month of April with our exercise calendar! The top half of each day is my exercise and the bottom half is The Husband. Little stars represent 30 minutes and big stars represent 60 minutes. We had to upgrade our system when we realized we're running short of stars and most of our workouts end up being 60 minutes! < ----how awesome is that?!

If you remember, the husband and I have a weight loss competition that we are rocking and we have completed TWO full months of regular exercise! Holla!!!!! I can't express my excitement enough about this because regardless of how much weight I had lost "before," and even though I had taken up running, I can honestly say that I have never in my life committed to making exercise such a regular part of my life for such a long period of time! My MFP exercise goal is to exercise 30 minutes 3 times per week and I don't think there has been a week that I haven't far exceeded this goal so it feels great. But of course there have been weeks when I really wasn't feeling my exercise mojo at all.

Which brings me to my next point. Motivation waxes and wanes. I know I wouldn't be getting my buns down to the basement to workout if it weren't for the incredible resolve that my husband has dedicated to his efforts. He's seeing great results and it's fueling his fire. I can't get over the changes in him. Every way he moves and every angle I look at him he looks significantly smaller and it's very exciting. I'm willing to bet at this weekend's weigh-in he will hit his 20 lbs lost mark! There is just NO stopping him and that benefits me significantly because I don't like the sideways glance he gives me as he heads on down to the basement to workout when I'm lacking in the mojo department so eventually my wanes always wax again in a much quicker fashion than they would have in the past.

Motivation waxes and wanes for everyone and it's an inevitable component of adopting any healthy living regime, you just have to find ways to make it wax without letting the wane throw you off too much! Don't let it deflate you and get you down! Remember it doesn't mean that you've "failed." I hate that "F" word when you are trying to make a positive change for yourself. Make a decision. Get back at it! Why on Monday? What is so special about Monday? Because it will allow you to give yourself permission to overindulge and put yourself further behind and you will have to work harder to get back! Don't do that to yourself!

This journey already takes X amount of weeks/months so just do it and get it over with! The way I look at it is that I am not going to be happy until I get back to my goal, so why prolong the process more than I already have? Another way I've started looking at this is a little opposite from the "one day at a time" approach. Yes you have to take one day at a time and thinking of it that way helps you give yourself permission to press the re-start button whenever you need it, BUT looking at this from a logical "grand scheme" standpoint, it is going to take me approximately 8 months to get back to my goal weight - period. Fact. So if I didn't have a great week either on the scale or in the exercise department which has happened the last few weeks, I'm just chalking it up to a minuscule part of the grand scheme, instead of looking at this like a "weekly" thing. The reason I started bring this perspective forward is because it helps me put an "end" date to the day I achieve my goal, rather than some arbitrary, possibly "non-existent" date in the future. Know what I mean?

It helps to remember that it's an inevitable part of the process. I remember when I was steam rolling the pounds during my MVA recovery and it was all so new to me and exciting that I felt motivated for a VERY long time before losing some steam, despite my physical limitations at the time. Now, the "no matter what" motivation doesn't last nearly as long because I've been at this for sooooo unbelievably long for one, and I'm a Mom now which is exhausting! But I'm finding ways to bring it back and right now I think it's my husband's resolve. It's like night and day having him dedicated to his healthier lifestyle. While our food preferences are still very different, it makes it MUCH easier to eat well yourself when your partner is doing the same. No resisting frozen pizza in favour of steamed broccoli which I can say was a temptation I'd be faced with quite often in the past!

Of course, it certainly doesn't hurt that we both have the very same source of motivation behind us both :-):