The baby has been born… time to get started on this goal. 2 years ago

I’ll pick up where I left off in 2010. I’m determined to reach my goal weight, but I think that it will take a bit of time. I think that I can do it by 2012.

(Just waiting for baby #2 to be born)... 2 years ago

Getting closer to reaching the goal weight! 2 years ago

My level of fitness has improved enough for me to be able to start P90X. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see the transformation at the end of the 90 days. I took “before” photos last year, and there was no shape to my body, but this year I am pear shape. I hope to be lean, and strong at the end of the 90 days, and be less pear shape. 3 years ago

It’s a New Year, and I’m actually getting closer to completing this goal!

I’m into my second year of trying to lose 100 lbs. I only a few more pounds to go so I hope to finish in a few weeks/ months. 3 years ago

I am getting stronger everyday. This weekend, I ran a half-marathon on my treadmill. It took me 2hrs35min to run it. I’m looking forward to the New Year 2010! 3 years ago

I’m getting closer to the 2 year mark of this goal… oh well! It’s going to take time… it’s a lot of weight to lose. I’m going to try to set a new goal to meet my goal of losing 100 lbs by June 2010 then it will be 2.5 years post-partum. I think that it should be a reasonable amount of time. Afterall, I only started exercising regularly in January 2008 (1 year post-partum). 3 years ago

Getting closer to reaching my goal weight! I’m so excited!

I’ve been keep close tabs on what I’ve been eating, and writing everything down in a food journal.

Last week, I lost 5 lbs in one week! I’ve never lost that much weight in one week!!! It will be interesting to see how much I can lose this week! I’m hoping for at least 2 pounds. 3 years ago

As of today, I am 38.8 lbs away from completing this goal! Whoo hoo! I’m so excited!

I can visualize myself reaching my goal weight! :-) 3 years ago

I’m quickly approaching the 22nd month of trying to complete the goal of losing 100 lbs postpartum, and I can’t believe that in a few more short weeks it will be 2 years! Wow! TWO years to lose 100 lbs seems like a long time, but then again it’s 100 lbs that I’m trying to lose, and it’s could be the weight of two small children combined.

Despite the relatively slow progress, I am optimistic that I will successfully achieve this goal. Perhaps it will take me more than 24 months to do it, but I’ll be so much healthier for doing it! :-)

This past weekend, I ran in a 5 mile race (8km) and it was the fastest race pace that I have ever run! I wasn’t really feeling up to even running in it, and there were literally so many obstacles standing in my way upon reaching the start line that I almost thought about not even doing it, but I managed to find some inner strength and found my place at the start line.

It is so rewarding to know that not only did I complete that race, but set a personal best time for myself. The whole time I ran it I tried to concentrate on my breathing, running posture, and other techniques that I have been learning. I was probably breathing so loudly, but somehow it worked to keep me going, and going.

I kept telling myself that “I am strong! I can do this” over and over until I saw the finish line. As I approached the finish line, I just gave it my all, and ran as fast as I could—it was probably the fastest that I ever ran in my life!

Just doing this race made me realize that I do have the strength, determination, and courage to tackle things when I think that I can’t. I feel like I might just be able to do a half-marathon in the new year!

There have been a few obstacles in my way, but once I realized that they’re just obstacles, and that there are ways around them the week got better. I have to start thinking more outside-of-the-box for solutions (be creative), and focused. I am so locked in on this goal that I will see it through!

I can do it! 3 years ago

I have now lost 60 lbs with another 40 lbs to go!

There are 87 days left until the New Year so I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish.

I bought P90X over the weekend so I should get started on it as there are just about enough days left in the year to correspond with the number of days in the program. (I’m short by 3 days, but that’s ok).

1. Do the P90X program (complete it by December 31, 2009);
2. Run a 5 km race in 30 minutes or less;
3. Do 1 full body chin-up/ pull-up (not assisted);
4. Do 10 full push-ups;
5. Do 10 full sit-ups (unassisted);
6. Hold the plank with 45 lbs for 30-45 seconds;
7. Lift 45 lbs;
8. Run a 10km distance in 1:05 (1 HR 5 minutes).

This is all that I can think of for now. It will be interesting to review this in a couple of months to see how I progress with my goals. 3 years ago

This is my 100th post for the goal to lose 100 lbs postpartum! Wow! I can’t believe that I’ve written 100 posts for this goal!

It’s been an amazing journey, and I’ve gone places that I never thought of going. In fact, I’m even thinking of doing a half-marathon next year… and in the future (maybe 3-5 years away) doing a half-ironman!

Each day, I get stronger, and feel like doing something new, different, and exciting. The stronger I get the more I want to challenge myself.

A new month is around the corner, so I will reflect on this goal, and plan new goals for the upcoming month.

I want to continue with strength training, and make sure that I increase the intensity of my workouts. I want to be consistent with my workouts, and continue to keep a food journal. I will count calories to stay within my calorie budget, and keep a positive outlook.

I will reach my targeted goal weight by December 31, 2009, and be my goal weight by mid-January 2010!

I can do it! 3 years ago

This 10 km race was probably one of the most physically challenging things that I have ever done (aside from giving birth).

I was so happy when I finally crossed the finish line! 3 years ago

In life, there is always the good, and the bad. I like to think of the good things, and focus on the good things, so perhaps that makes me naive.

I have been working very hard on this goal of losing 100 lbs, and it does take time to lose this much weight so it requires a lot of dedication, and mental strength.

Recently, I discovered the dark side of weight loss! I have read, and seen tv shows that talk about how a person who is successful in losing weight will often encounter negative people who don’t want them to change or to even succeed in losing weight: as a result, a lot of relationships are lost during the weight loss process.

I never realized that this was a possibility! I’ve been over weight for a long time, and have tried losing weight in the past. Losing about 20-30 lbs, but never reaching my goal weight. I suppose that I gave up, as soon as I got close to reaching the goal weight, but never thought that people would be trying to do things to sabotage my efforts.

About a month ago, I realized that no everyone is happy with me losing weight! In fact, a couple of people were so unhappy that they purposely went out of their way to make things difficult for me! At first, I was so angry! Actually, it was probably the most angry that I have ever been in my life! I treat my weight loss as a life or death goal, because of the health implications of being obese so when someone gets in the middle of me and my weight loss journey I’m going to get mad!

It was such an eye-opener to think that there were actually people wanting to see me fail! Anyways, I have tried really hard to stick to my plan without it trigging too much emotional eating. I have gained a bit of weight, but am determined to lose it, and more… but most importantly I WILL REACH MY GOAL WEIGHT NO MATTER WHAT!

So if that means dis-associating myself from these negative people then so be it! I don’t need them in my life! Actually, I don’t want them in my life knowing that they would do something like this to me—I can’t trust them.

It’s actually very sad, that they have to do this to me, and that they take focus off their own goals to do things to side-track me. I guess that it makes me stronger to have to deal with things like this, and more resolved to reach my goal, but I would prefer to do it without these obstacles.

Lessons I have learned from this particular experience:
1. Keep your weight loss journey protected! You WILL have to fight off negative people.

2. Drop negative people from your life, because you won’t reach your goals with them hanging around in the background, attempting to sabotage your efforts.

It’s hard enough to stay focused, disciplined, watch what you eat, make healthy food choices, create and maintain a healthy lifestyle, break bad habits, get out of your comfort zone, and actually lose the weight and reach your goal with people, on purpose, throwing additional roadblocks your way.

If your goal is this important to you, and they treat it like nothing, then why would you want them in your life? Also, it means that they can’t be trusted in other aspects of your life.

3. It was a super-loud wake-up call that someone would be so unhappy with themselves that they would try to make me equally unhappy, and actually do things to sabotage me! I don’t think that I’ve ever been sabotaged in my life! This is the first time.

It hurt to have someone whom I thought was my fried do something like this, and the decision to no longer be friends is something that I haven’t taken lightly.

I’m glad that I got this out there. Perhaps it will help someone in a similiar situation, and it will serve as a reminder to me to stay focused on my goal, and that there will probably ALWAYS be someone ready to steal my dream… but be strong!

I CAN, AND I WILL REACH MY GOAL WEIGHT NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!! 3 years ago

This is my weight loss update so far:

I am almost 20 months postpartum, and have 4 months to go before I reach the 2 year anniversary of starting this goal. I really want to complete this goal within the next 4 months!

1.) I am 2.6 lbs away from losing a total of 60 lbs! When I write this it just blows my mind! I can’t believe that I’ve lost nearly 60 lbs! Where did it go? It also makes me think of the potential damage it would have done to my body if I continued to stay 60 + lbs overweight, and even add weight to that amount. I already have issues with my hips, and back, because of being overweight so I’d hate to think of what it would have been like if I continued down the path of gaining weight! It really scares me!

2. I am 42.6 lbs away from reaching my ultimate goal of losing 100 lbs. This also blows me away! I can’t believe that I’m no longer in the 50-60 lbs weight to lose, and that I’m getting closer to the 40 lbs or even somewhere in the 30+lbs to lose.

I think that there are a lot of people who say that they have 20-40 lbs to lose so it feels like this is an average amount of weight to lose, and that by getting to this point I feel like I’m now “normal” like how everyone else just has a few pounds to go, and not in the extreme category of 100 lbs to lose.

While I’m getting close to the “average” weight loss amount, I still feel that I have 50+ lbs to lose. It’s hard to get that out of my mind. I don’t look at myself in the mirror that often, and I never go shopping for clothes so I don’t even have a mental image of what I look like now compared to where I started from. Moreover, I haven’t printed any photos of me for a few years, so again, I don’t have that comparison of “before” and “after”.

These are my honest accounts of what it is like to be on a weight loss journey of losing 100 lbs. I hope that someday it might help someone who is trying to lose this much weight, and give them encouragement. 3 years ago

Little by little, I’m getting closer to the 60 lb weight loss point, which means I’m 60% of the way done my goal. I love looking it at in percentages as it feels like I’m getting closer to the finish line.

I have 3.4 lbs to reach my 60 lb weight loss. Then the next milestone after that will be to reach my wedding weight. I’m doing the weight loss in little increments, and in increments that I can remember the last time that I was at that weight. It has probably been 3.5-4 years since I weighed this much (my current weight).

I feel like I’m going back in time, in a time machine.

I know that going for the slow, steady, long walks around the neighbourhood, pushing the stroller is really helping with my metabolism. I’m also being very conscious of my meal planning, and carefully watching what I’m eating, and trying very, very hard not to eat anything before I go to bed. I think that these little changes are helping me to drop the weight even faster. 3 years ago

Just walking around the neighbourhood pushing the stroller helps with my weight loss efforts. Today, I’m going to try to find a couple of hills to walk up, and down pushing the stroller. I want to work my leg muscles.

I think that once I start doing resistance workouts with actual weights the weight will come off faster than just doing cardio on its own. 3 years ago

Here are a few of the small changes that I made this week:

1. Recorded food intake (everything- being totally honest);
2. Try to stop eating after 7 p.m.;
3. If I’m hungry after 7 p.m. eat a few almonds, and 2 cups of hot peppermint tea;
4. Walking everyday with stroller;
5. Keeping a positive attitude that I will do this, and be able to reach my goal weight;
6. Keeping to my meal plan;
7. Cutting back on sugar, and carbs (challenging);
8. Cutting out fruit juice (and trying to eat more fruits instead);
9. Trying to eat more high fiber foods;
10. Trying to find “healthy desserts.”

Just doing a few small changes has really helped me to bust through my weight loss plateau. I think that I might just be able to reach that goal weight by December 2009! If not, then for sure by the 2 year anniversary!! :-)

I can do it! I will do it! I am doing it! 3 years ago

I have lost 55 lbs! So excited. It makes me feel really motivated, and want to work harder to get the weight off even faster!!!!!! :-) 3 years ago

I’m going to write a short entry here so that I have a benchmark date in time when I reflect on my journal entries for this goal. Basically, I want to know at what point in my journey did I do this?

My overall goal with the trainer is to lose 47 lbs by December 31, 2009. Then I will have a few days before I reach the 2 year mark of being post-partum, and losing 100 lbs!

Everytime I think about trying to lose 100 lbs, it just blows my mind!!! The amount, 100 lbs is basically like carrying an extra person on my body!! Now it’s like carrying 2 small toddlers on my hips!!!

My clothes are starting to get “baggy”, and this is a first for me!! It’s a strange feeling, because typically clothes have been snug or tight, and second of all I have always just increased the size to deal with clothes not fitting properly so be doing something on the opposite end feels odd.

I’ve been holding onto the old clothes…. “just in case”... which in itself is defeating: it suggests that I won’t be successful in my goal of losing weight, that I will eventually gain it all back, and that I’m shouldn’t buy new clothes.

I must get enough courage to get rid of the old clothes! It’s a part of breaking old habits, and if I get rid of it then I will be forced to stay on track. It’s very scary to take this action, and I sometimes I feel like it’s a lot easier said than done. Surprisingly, there are some articles of clothing that I really like, and will be sad to part with them. Part of me wants to keep them to get them altered, but I wonder if it’s worth it.

I feel like getting rid of the clothes is like getting rid of me! I know that it sounds strange, but this is what it feels like. If I get rid of the clothes, then what is my new idenitity? I haven’t thought about this too much… I guess that I’ve been avoiding it. It just seems like it will be too much work to put together a “look”... and once again another lifestyle change that I’m not ready for or I should say that I’m not willing to accept. It all comes down to choices, and excuses.

I should probably make this into a goal just so that I will be forced to see it constantly on my list, and want to do something about it!

By the way, it looks like the short entry ended up being longer, as I had more to say than I thought that I would.

I like that I’m actively writing about this goal again. I helps me to stay focused, and feel like I’m actually doing something to complete this goal!

I’m starting to see how changing your mind to change your body. There really is a mind-body connection. The body really does what your mind tells it to do. If you tell it not to change, it does exactly that.

That’s all for today! 3 years ago

Wow! Just writing 47.8 pounds to go until I can complete this goal, makes me really feel that the end is near in terms of completing this goal.

It really felt insurmountable when I started at 100 lbs, then it felt challenging at 50 lbs (mid-way point), but seeing the numbers in the 40s makes me think that I might just be able to do this by December. I’ll be absolutely thrilled when I reach that goal weight!

There are 4 months left in the year (including a few days left in August) so it’s actually humanly possible to lose 47.8 lbs by December 31,2009. I’ll just have to work really hard!

I can do it!!!! 3 years ago

I’m about to hire a personal trainer. Wow! This is actually a scary prospect for me, but I think that it will help a lot. I need to build strength, improve flexibility, and work on endurance. I have a lot of goals relating to this so I should start a seperate goal so that I can reflect on my experience, and to examine areas where I can, and have improved. 3 years ago

I bought a smaller size pants to encourage myself to work-out harder. I can button, and zipper the pants (size 12), but it’s a tight fit.

There is a little bit of a muffin top, but not as bad as it was when I made the transition to a size 14 so I guess that means I’m losing inches. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before I can actually start wearing the new size 12 pants.

I’m starting to see a bit of definition in my waist, and back from the exercises that I’ve been doing, but the mid-section is still a trouble spot. 3 years ago

Wow! It was really neat to be able to go back, and read the early journal entries. I know that lately I have been feeling like the weight isn’t coming off as quickly as I would like it to, but from reading the early entries I have discovered that I have come a long way.

It’s hard to believe that just walking around the block would be pushing my fitness boundaries to now where I’m registered to run a 10 km race!

Three months ago, I couldn’t do the playground workout, and now I can run up a slide without sliding down.

I have to remember that each day, every little change, adds up, and brings me closer to my goal of losing 100 pounds.

I will do it! 3 years ago

This has been something that I’ve always wanted to do, but never did until last week. I managed to climb it in 1 hour 40 minutes! I’m so happy that I could just do it. It was a bit scary, but once you are going up you have to continue to go up… there’s no turning back.

This weight loss journey has literally taken me place that I’ve never imagined. I’ve been having so many adventures, and it’s rewarding to see the progress.

People commented on how much weight I have lost so I guess that it’s starting to become noticeable. I think that losing 50 lbs is the point where it becomes noticeable to people.

I’m going to try to make a vision board for the second-half of this weight loss journey. I feel that losing the next 50 lbs is going to be a challenge! 3 years ago

When I reached the 50 lb weight loss, I thought that there would be this major transformation, and everything would suddenly change, and be totally awesome, and easy—but this is not the case!

It’s a constant day-to-day, work-in-progress, effort and I have to continue to do the hard work. In fact, I think that it gets harder once you reach the half-way point with this much weight to lose.

Some of the challenges that I currently face:
-Just believing in myself, that I can lose another 50 lbs;
-Maintaining the momentum of the workouts, journalling, and keeping a positive attitude;
-Sticking to the plan, and not being lazy about it;
-Really thinking inward, and focusing on myself, while things happen around me in my environment (that may cause distractions);
-Keeping my cravings in check;
-Breaking through weight loss plateaus;
-increasing the intensity of the workouts to break through weight loss plateaus;
-Resting so that I don’t get too tired;
-Trying to do the things that I need to get done during the day, and finding time to exercise, and not be too tired;
-Being a weight that I haven’t been in years!

Losing 50 lbs is not an easy task, but it’s manageable when you break it down into smaller goals, and work away at it consistently.

Gaining the weight was the result of doing little things or not doing little things. For instance, just eating a chocolate bar a day seems like a little thing, but it really adds when we you don’t exercise. A little thing such as not drinking pop results in weight loss. Surprisingly, it’s the little things that help you to lose a lot of weight. That is a relevation to me, and an “a-ha” moment… and it’s one of the ways that I stay on track.

I keep telling myself, when I feel discouraged, to keep doing the little things, because it will get me to my goal weight!

Some changes in my life since losing 50 lbs:
I can go up and down stairs without totally huffing, and puffing (I’ll huff if I run them quickly).

I can bend over to pick things up, without a lot of effort (I need to work on my flexibility in regards to my hamstrings), but the excess weight isn’t as much as a problem as it used to be.

I have more energy! This is major. I can’t believe some of the things that I have been able to do since losing weight. I can now physically run 8 km. I never thought of doing this before. I can do playground workouts, and participate in bootcamps.

I’m starting to feel better about myself, and have been taking steps to buy make-up, and try to remember to put some make-up on occassionally. I’m even going to get a new hairstyle soon.

It takes a lot of work, but it’s totally worth doing. It might take a long time to lose the weight, but in the end, when I’m down to my goal weight I will be so happy, and proud to say that I stuck to it, and actually did it! 3 years ago

Finally under 50 lbs to lose! I’m very happy. It’s still a lot of weight, but it feels more manageable than 50 lbs +. I can, and I will do it. I am determined.

It’s probably one of the hardest things that I have had to work at, but it will feel so good when I finally achieve this goal. It’s going to feel weird to say “I lost 100 lbs”! I am going to look so diffrent. I’ll probably have to get a different driver’s license photo.

My jeans are getting baggy. I’m wearing a size 14, but want to wait before buying a smaller size. I’m kind of hoping to skip size 12, and just buy a size 10. It’s been years since I fit into a size 10. 3 years ago

I have lost 50 lbs as of today! It has taken me 17.5 months to do it! I am so happy!

It’s the half-way point… another 50 lbs to go!!!!!!

I can do it!!!!!!! 3 years ago

This week was hard, but I managed to stick to some of my goals so that was good. I’m disappointed that I gained some weight this week, but I guess that’s life; there are always going to be ups, and downs so just have to roll with it, and try to keep things on schedule as much as I can.

My eating plan was terrible this week! I have to admit to it so that I can stay accountable, and committed to my plan. Today, I will make myself plan out a week’s worth of meals. This is something that I must do.

I’m really starting to believe that nutrition plays about 80% of the equation in losing weight. The other 10% is from exercising, and 10% is from committing to something, and sticking to it. Just realizing how important nutrition is I will report back next week to see how well it helped with my overall goal of losing 100lbs.

I still haven’t hit that 50 lbs (half-way) point yet, and I’m feeling discouraged. Not to mention that the weight I am currently at is a weight that I have be at prior to being pregnant, and it’s a “comfortable” weight in that if I don’t do much I can stay at this weight, however, it’s not a “comfortable” weight to continue to be so I have to really zone in on my behaviours to make modifications.

I suppose that I haven’t been focusing on the nutrition so much, because I don’t want to make any more lifestyle changes, but I have to if I’m ever going to reach my goal weight.

Another thing that triggered the emotional eating this week was watching a tv show where people lost weight really quickly.

One aspect of it, was that I felt like a failure because what I have achieved in 6 months is equivalent to what they did in one month (losing inches). Second, one of the contestants is the same height, as me, and I thought that she looked fine, and didn’t need to lose weight. In fact, she already weighed my goal weight so to see her trying to lose more weight (because of her height- BMI calculations) made me think that I might have to lose even more weight off my goal of 100 lbs, and all of it was very discouraging.

BUT… around Wednesday, I decided to take action…
I went for a run, then on Friday I went for another run, and today I went for my boxing workout. I have to remind myself, that there are going to be stumbling blocks, but I just have to dust myself off, and continue on the path to health, and well-being. I have to remind myself that I am capable of doing it, and if it takes me another 10 months to reach my goal then so be it! I will reach my ultimate goal. I will! 3 years ago

This weekend was difficult… I didn’t stick to my plan; I guess that I fell off the bandwagon so it’s time to pick myself up, and get back to being healthy.

I consumed waaaaay too many calories yesterday. I checked out the website today to see what the nutritional content was, and I nearly fell off the chair!

I can’t believe that I consumed that much, and I was trying to watch what I was eating. I went out for just one meal, plus dessert so in just that one meal it was about 2 days worth of calories! Good thing that I rarely dine in a restaurant. There should be an advisory sticker on the front door when you walk in!

Aaah, a few deep breaths, and I’ll be able to stick to my plan.

Another difficult thing for me is the concept of getting past the weight that I’m at right now… it seems like I can lose a little bit of weight, but then I get comfortable, and start to fall back into bad habits.

I must find the strength to keep up my plan even though it’s very hard right now! 3 years ago