Down 16 lbs.

I’m proud of myself.

I’ve been going to the gym almost every day, and I’m feeling fantastic. Going first thing in the morning gives me an incredible boost of energy for the whole day, and I’ve been coming into work feeling like I can take on the world. I shared the goal I came up with with Travis – my June, I want to be jogging on the treadmill and by December, I want to be running. I’ve been starting off slowly to get my body reacquainted with physical activity and so far, so good. An old friend recently started working at CYKL, and I mentioned to Travis that once I start getting into better shape, I would like to start taking classes at their studio. I think I’ve set some really positive fitness goals for myself.

We also discussed some personal goals that I want to reach this year and what steps I have to take to get there. Travis mentioned that I need to get over my fear of starting something new and he’s right. I haven’t recognized it as fear, but rather as just being uneducated in certain aspects of the project I want to tackle. Travis is right. I just have to start doing something, get moving, researching and seeking out. In other words, just do it.

In other news, yesterday was my mom’s retirement party – lots of friends and family, tears and laughter, and of course food. I’m so proud of myself because I didn’t overeat like I have done in the past. I didn’t stuff my face to the point where I feel sick. I didn’t even have dessert! My aunts bought my mom a birthday cake (her birthday was on Saturday) and when she insisted that I bring some home, I declined and told her I wasn’t eating any more junk food. I think Travis really wanted some cake, but he kindly declined on the offer too.

I’ve managed to avoid junk food yesterday and even when we went grocery shopping – this is a good start. Even today, there was a big gift basket of chocolates, candies and cookies in my department’s area, and I declined every offer for some. I’m not going to lie, I could taste the chocolate and really wanted some, but I stood my ground. Right now, I have to work on eating correct portions since my whole life, there was no such thing as portion control. This, I think, will be the hardest part of my journey to get healthy.

So here’s what I’m going to resolve. I’m going to make a list of ongoing tasks and opportunities for myself in order to get on the right track.

1. Read more books. I want to become a better copywriter, and Travis has countless books about this field, so why not take advantage of my resources. I also got a Kindle for Christmas and have yet to use it – reading any types of books will be a lot easier for me now.

2. Get more sleep. Since moving to Toronto, I haven’t been sleeping well or been getting enough sleep. I like to stay up late, and sometimes don’t go to bed until 3 a.m. on the weekends, and by Sunday night, I’m wide awake and can’t get to sleep, leaving me zombie-like Monday morning.

3. Start eating healthier. I like to eat healthy in waves: one week I’ll eat great, no junk or fatty foods, but the next week I’m back to my regular eating habits. We order in or go to restaurants more than we need to, so that is also adding to the bad eating habits. I need to establish a healthy eating schedule and start using my cook books.

4. Get back on track with working out. Yesterday was the first time I went to the gym since the beginning of September, and you know what, it felt great! I set up a daily alarm to remind and motivate me to go to the gym during the week too. The gym was packed, probably with people making their resolutions, but the numbers will fade as the weeks go by. I will not be one of those vanishing numbers.

5. Take time for myself (and Travis.) Last year I waited too long to take my vacation time at work. I would like to spread out my alloted time throughout the year, beginning, middle and end, even if I can only spend two of my three weeks with Travis. Taking a week off for myself, by myself will definitely help me to recharge and help to lower some of the stress I have that comes along with my job.

6. Become a better cook and baker. I have mountains of cook books at home just waiting to be used, but all I seem to do is flip through them thinking about how delicious the meals look. I’d like to make a least one recipe a week to start, then make my way up to two, three, and eventually everyday.

7. Drop some lbs. I’ve gained a ridiculous amount of weight over the past two and a half years and my body is giving up on itself. I’m out of shape and lumpy. I used to love having my picture taken, but now I decline and when I can’t get out of it, I cringe at the picture because it’s not someone I recognize. My weight gain has also played a part in some not-so-nice health issues, mainly an awakening and increase of acid reflux and other stomach pains.

Right now, I’m not as happy as I should be. I want to make my life the best it can be, so this list, although very short, will help me get on the right track and onto a better and happier me. I have a lot of work to do, but I’m really excited to take on this challenge.

I never paid attention when my mom made Thanksgiving dinner, so it was pretty much Greek to me, but honestly, the hardest part was cleaning the bird, and it wasn’t even that hard. Travis and I made such a great cooking team, and I couldn’t have been happier with the end result.

Dinner was great – turkey, mashed and roasted potatoes, corn, stuffing and gravy – both from scratch. And for dessert – pumpkin pie, apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

I’m well on my way of becoming a Domestic Goddess.

Photo credit goes to Travis and the Instagram app.

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I’ve been listening to The Strokes a lot lately, which is weird because I usually only listen to them when I’m feeling down and need cheering up. I fine, I swear.

Not eating meat and working out everyday made a world of difference. I was eating very healthy meals and working my butt off at the gym that by the time summer was over and it was time to go back to school, I had lost all the weight I had gained, plus a bit more. The best part about it was that people noticed.

Back to yesterday – I’m not going to lie, I had been putting off working out since May. MAY. And last week, I finally smartened up. Yesterday was a bit challenging and it felt like the fist day at a new school – new gym, new faces, new machines. I tried to not let that bother me and I went at it. Mind you, I cursed at the elliptical machine in my head and I wanted to quit not even half way into my work out, but I didn’t. That’s the old me. The old me always takes the easy way out of a situation, and I can’t keep doing that because I’ll never get anywhere and I’ll never reach my goals.

I have a weight loss goal in my mind (and my BMI and weight loss apps), but it’s going to take a long time and a lot of hard work to get there. I’m finally ready for the challenge. A bit late, but better late than never.

I’ve decided to smarten up and start moving and getting excited about life. A few weeks ago I did a detox cleanse and I felt fantastic after it was finished. Since the cleanse was accompanied by a strict diet plan, I lost a few pounds and found out which foods I can and cannot eat. Both made me really happy.

My friend Kathy and I decided to go on vacation together. A beach vacation. Since I’ve gained so much weight in the last year and a half, and I haven’t put on a bathing suit in just as long, I’ve decided that enough is enough, and that I needed to start working out again. On Monday, I (along with the best boyfriend in the world) started using Hip Hop Abs, and boy oh boy is it a good workout. We both look like the biggest tools, but my body is getting a good workout regardless of how silly I look or feel. In addition to the at-home workout, I think I’ll be using my condo’s gym facilities. Might as well use it since it’s included in my rent.

To go along with feeling better physically, I need to start feeling better emotionally. I finally realized that those who I thought were friends are really not, and I need to stop worrying about them and just focus on me and those who matter the most. Yesterday, I went on a mass Facebook friend delete and removed the people that don’t play an important role in my life, and I’ll be doing it again later. Over the past two months, I’ve reconnected with my childhood friends, and honestly, it was the best feeling in the world. I never realized just how much I had missed them and what a bad friend I had been over the years. I haven’t been this happy in a really long time, and I hope things stays this way.

During this time off, I decided that my site needs a revamp, a face lift, a new look. I’m bored with the pink and brown – it just doesn’t appeal to me as much as it did when Travis and I first designed it.

Over the past couple of weeks, Travis has been talking about making the switch to Tumblr from WordPress and last weekend, he took the plunge. His site looks great c/o a beautiful theme he found (and paid for), so now he wants me to switch too.

I’m not sure what to do, mainly because I don’t want to turn my back on WordPress since I already know how to use it and this is where my first real blog lived. However I did find a theme I like on Tumblr that would probably get me more interested in posting and sharing. So this is where I’m stuck.

Do I stick to what I know and what I’m used to, or do I try something completely new and different to me?

The lack of sleep comes courtesy of my lovely cat, Danka. The first couple of nights she was very scared of her new surroundings and just slept for two and a half days straight. But when she finally got used to everything, the peace and quiet stopped. Because our place is open concept, I can hear everything, and I mean everything. Our windows face the city, so I can hear all of the traffic, sirens, city sweepers and drunks girls on the weekend. I can also hear everything that little Danka does; use the litter box, jump on the desk, eat her food, try to flip over the mat under her dishes, and most annoying, I can hear her opening the sliding closet doors in the hallway and our bedroom. Needless to say, I’m getting no sleep, and when I do sleep, I’m having the most strange and bizarre dreams.

I can’t remember them all, but I do remember a few. One I had last week was I had an itchy wrist, presumably from allergies, so I started scratching. Well, my wrist started bleeding, a lot. So much that I managed to open it and have blood spuing all over the place. The second one I remember was (I think) a continuation of the first dream. Same itchy wrist, same scratching, but this time, there was no blood. My wrist opened up like a flap and I could see inside – it was hollow.

The dream I had last night was really random. I was talking to Jim Carrey and he was talking about how he bought a heritage house and turn it into a massive, fully functional tea pot. There was a giant thought bubble (like in cartoons) over his head and I could see into it. I could see this giant water wheel turning to heat up the water, the tea steeping inside and then the house pouring a cup of tea. He was serious about this renovation, and the thought of a tea house sounded pretty awesome to me. And then I woke up.

I have no idea what these dreams mean, but they are by far some of the strangest ones I’ve ever had.

If anyone has any clue what these dreams mean or why I may be having them, I’d love to know!

Is this real life?

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