So long 180's!

I had a good weigh in today!  Down 1.6!  I've been losing a pound or so for the past few weeks and needed a bigger loss!  This loss FINALLY brought me officially out of the 180's!  This is a huge milestone for me because For most of my 20's I was in the 180's.  I'd gain, try to lose weight and couldn't get below the 180's, or I'd finally get back down below, then pop back up into the 180's!

It's been a struggle for me through this decade.  Losing a little bit at a time, it took me 12 weeks to get through it.  Mentally, this decade was playing head games with me!

But I'm past it, I weighed in officially at Weight Watchers tonight at a cool 179.2!

My next goal isn't far away, 75 pounds lost is only 0.8 lbs away!

I've been nominated for a Liebster award!

Bailey over at Bailey's Blog! nominated me for a Liebster award!!!  I'm so touched!  People really do read my blog! :P  Really, I'm touched and flabbergasted!  Bailey you're such a sweetheart!  And thank you!

Here are the stolen details :)

Basically it's an award where you nominate bloggers that you enjoy reading. It's an award for bloggers with less than 200 followers, but who (in the person who nominates yous opinion) deserve way more! :)

Rules is rules!
- Once you're nominated, write 11 facts about yourself
- Then take a look at the 11 questions the person who nominated you asked and answer them
- Get your thinking cap on and come up with 11 questions of your own for your nominees to answer
- Then choose the 11 bloggers you want to nominate (they must have less than 200 followers)
- Let them know they've been nominated and remember there's no tag backs, i.e. you can't nominate the person who nominated you.

11 facts about me

1.  My nickname PhoenixBlaise is a tribute to my two biggest fans, my daughters Lara Blaise and Zaryah Phoenix!

2.  I eat snack pack puddings probably 3-4 times a week and have this entire weight loss journey!

3.  My favourite pudding flavours are Chocolate and Butterscotch.  I love both equally!

4.  I am a Diabetic Educator and a lot of my motivation to lose weight is that I keep telling myself my patients wouldn't listen to nutrition advice from an obese Nurse!

5.  I weigh 55 pounds less than I did on my wedding day and I still haven't tried my wedding dress on for fear it wouldn't go on!

6.  I do squats/lunges etc in the bathroom at work most days!

7.  I'm more than a foot shorter than my husband!

8.  Up until a few days before my husband and I started dating, I swore I wasn't interested in him!  I found out on our first date that he'd had a crush on me since we were kids!  We are so in love now!

9.  W had a small budget for our wedding and I still wanted it all!  So I learned how to do everything myself!  Right down to my wedding cake, bouquets, boutonnières  corsages, decorations, table dressings, jewelry, gifts for the guests etc...

10.  Right now, I can fit my entire wardrobe of clothes that fit and that I wear in one drawer!

11.  I'm very anal about a lot of things.  Right down to where dishes go in the dishwasher, how towels get folded, so much so that I'll correct it after my husband does it :)  I'm so lucky he loves me so much!


My questions from Bailey!

1. What is your favorite exercise?

I'm starting to really love running!  Although 

I don't always get the opportunity and my body doesn't give me the chance sometimes.

2. Who is your fitness idol?

Katie at Runs For Cookies  Her starting weight and mine were the same and she has lost over 100 pounds and has just run her 2nd marathon!  I only home I can share her enthusiasm for running that she does someday!

3. What is the coolest thing that you've seen this week?

My 3 1/2 year old daughter going on about Spiderman and the Avengers.  She is a little fricking sponge!!!  The details she remembers about comic characters!  Amazing!

4. What's your favorite type of volunteering?

Anything that supports a small town organization.  It's amazing to see our small town pull together for a cause!  It's suck a moving experience!

5. What are you going to be for Halloween?

Sadly nothing this year.  Next year however, I should be at goal with a new set of boobs and my husband has a few ideas up his sleeve that will show off my new figure :P  Can I see a "sexy Nurse" in his future???

6. If you have $500 to spend on workout/fitness stuff, what would you get?

New shoes, a Garmin or something like that, proper running clothes and a new sports bra.  Gotta look the part right?

7. What is your biggest milestone?

One of my huge ones was being under 200.  My most recent one was getting out of the obese category yesterday!  I was overweight on one calculator but on another I was 0.4 pounds off and still obese, hence why I haven't blogged about it yet :)

8. What is your next big goal?

75 pounds is right around the corner!  

9. Do you travel? If so, where?

I've been to florida a dozen times or so, a couple driving trips in the states, Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and eastern Canada.  If I could I'd travel the world!  I love visiting new places and learning the history of the area!

10. Do you like to read? If so, what's the last book you read?

To be honest I love to read!  But I hardly get the chance to these days.  Currently I'm reading Weight Loss Boss.  By David Kirchoff, the CEO of Weight Watchers.  Good book!

11. What trend are you currently loving?

Scarves!  Up until recently I hated scarves and the way they ee so bulky around my neck!  I've since realized it wasn't the scarf!  It was my neck fat!  Now that I have a skinny neck the scarves don't bother me!  Now I want to wear scarves all the time!  Not that I have a lot of them :/  Weird huh!

Here are my picks!

I confess I cheated a little, the rules say you must pick blogs with less than 200 followers.  A couple of these the number of followers weren't listed.  So I chose them anyways :)  I'mm notify them all tomorrow :)

Life in crisis, I mean, Fitness
Czesia Lives
Onederland or Bust
Minus One Hundred
Pound Per Pound
Losing It
Emilio's Weight Loss
Downward TrENZ
Overhauling-me
Can I Borrow That?
A Merry Life

My questions for these wonderful people are:

1.  What made you start blogging?
2.  Where is your ultimate dream vacation?
3.  What is your favorite exercise accessory or equipment and why?
4.  Is there someone in your life, past or present, that you wish to model yourself after?  Who and why?
5.  What is the stupidest thing you've ever done?
6.  If you could change career paths, what would you do?
7.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
8.  What is your favourite kind of clothing you have?
9.  What is your favourite type of music, musician?
10.  Are you a morning person or a night hawk?  (Or both like me!)
11.  What is your "red light" food?  Something that if you had one bite it would send you into eating an entire bag full?

Thanks again Bailey!

Opinions

I'm a Nurse in a doctors office and yesterday I asked around for opinions about Dr. Shortt.  I'm happy to say that the doctors I work with think highly of him and he is the one they like to refer to as well!  So that makes me happy :)  I'm really fortunate to have professional and off the record opinions at my disposal where I work!  One of the girls that works with me is having a breast reconstruction with him in January!  She was only referred to him in June, so it shouldn't be a really long wait to get in with him!

As for another opinion that was given recently... I was nominated for a Liebster award!  I'm working on my questions and my own nominations, with a fulltime job and 2 small kiddies, it'll probably be the weekend before that post goes out!  Thanks Bailey!  You are amazing!

The promise of smaller tata's and a new pic!

Hey!

Today I went to my doctor to discuss a breast reduction and get a referral to a plastic surgeon.  I've been thinking about this for literally years and I think it's finally time.  My doctor knows I've been thinking about it for a long time and was really good in the appointment.  He outlined reasons I should get it and explained the procedure and different surgical techniques etc...  He suggested a colleague of his who will do surgery in our own little hospital and he could probably be the anaesthesiologist on the surgery! He said I won't have any trouble having it covered by OHIP (our provincial insurance program).

He didn't say anything about needing to lose more weight first, even though I still have about 35 left to lose and in the referral letter all I could read was "blah blah blah... significant weight loss... blah blah blah" !!!


Weigh in was today and I'm down 1.2 pounds!  Happy it's over a pound!  That means I'm down 72.6 lbs!  It was a good meeting, I have two new recruits!  A woman I work with and her daughter have joined up!

So yesterday I was asked in a facebook weight loss group to tell my story :D  It's amazing to me that people admire me for losing so much weight!  It surprises me!  I took a new picture to post on there.  I think I look pretty good!

Man those tatas are huge!!!

Easy saturday

I went first thing this morning to Value Village to get more clothes.  I had intended to get more work pants, but I couldn't find anything I like in the 13-14's.  I did look at the 12's for a minute or two, but I just couldn't bring myself to try them on!  One day my brain will catch up with my weight loss!

I did get a couple of sweet American Eagle skinny jeans!  Size 32 thank you very much!  I have a serious muffin top in just about everything, but that's going to shrink then disappear at some point!  Stupid loose extra skin!

I sent the pic of the new jeans to my hubby and this was his response, lol!

I think he likes them!

I did get a few shirts and a really cute sweater too, a pair of running pants and a running room hydration belt!  

I went for a run this afternoon, didn't go as well as my last one, but I haven't been taking my celebrex religiously this week like I should be doing...  I only ran a little over a half a kilometer.  I stopped and walked a bit then tried to run again, but my knee was hurting so I walked back home.  I'll try again in a couple of days, and faithfully take my celebrex until then!

A test in self control!

My nephew Jordan is babysitting my girls while I'm at work and Tom is at school.  He's totally amazing with them and they love him to bits!  He loves to cook and bake and every day this week I've come home to fresh home baked goods!  Cookies, banana cake, homemade portuguese rice pudding...  HE EVEN TOOK THE TIME TO FIGURE OUT THE POINTS yesterday for the rice pudding and portioned it out for me!  It was soooo good!

I'm not going to begrudge him the chance to bake, I LOVE to bake and my kitchen is outfitted with everything he needs to make some awesome stuff!  But I can't have baked goods everyday!  So I do my best to ignore it on the counter :P

He's really a sweet man!  Going to make an awesome husband someday!  And my girls are so loving baking with Jordan!

Slow and steady wins the race.

Well I lost 0.8 lbs last night.  Again!  I'm nickel and diming these days.  For a long time 180's were my "comfort zone" and at meetings I've been in the 180's for 11 weeks!  Still have 2 pounds to go to get out of it officially!  Thankfully we have NO PLANS for this weekend!  So I can have a carefully planned week and lose 2.2 pounds and get out of this god forsaken decade!  Right!  Lol!

I was so mad last night when I got home I went for a run, I had to do something!  And I ran over a km all in one shot!  I just wish my ankle would behave so I could make this a regular thing!  It feels good today though.  I'm hoping to get out again on the weekend.  Maybe taking it slow is the way to go...

Date night

Tom and I had a wonderful day yesterday!  We left the house so fast once my sister got there that we didn't even have a plan!  Dinner was at 6 and we were out of the house before 2!  So we got coffee and a bite to eat, went for a drive, ended up at a Dodge dealership and test drove a Journey!  We're not in the market for a new car quite yet, but once Tom is done school, we'll probably start looking!

We went for another drive then went to dinner at Stonehouse.  Fancy schmancy!  Linen table cloths, upscale kinda place (well, middle class upscale :P ).

They had a great buffet with seafood, prime rib and a ton of other stuff.  They gave us a choice of Lobster or crab to go along with the meal, I had crab, Tom had lobster (big surprise there!)  There wasn't a lot of veggie choices, which was disappointing, but it was good nonetheless.  I had planned on just enjoying myself, trying to make smart choices and not tracking, but I just couldn't not track!  I've tracked for 112 days, I couldn't just stop!  So I estimated (probably overestimated) what I had and tracked it as best I could and used all of my daily, weekly and activity points!  Holy crap!  I pretty well ate whatever, we never get out for a date so it was so worth it!

Here's what I wore, sorry about the crappy picture, I was on the run!

Water Water Everywhere!

I slept in until around 8:15 this morning, lazed around in bed for a bit then decided to get up and make some coffee and have some time to myself before the girls woke up.  Sat up, put my feet down and SPLASH!  An inch of water on our bedroom floor!  Not what I wanted to do this Sunday morning!

We live in my Moms house, in the basement right now until she's ready to move into a retirement place and we're ready to buy the house.  Although this morning I think I'm not too sure I WANT to buy this house!  It's in a great neighbourhood and a close walk to everything, but work keeps needing done!  I know that happens with most houses, but aren't you supposed to be blissfully ignorant of those problems before you buy it?

That won't wreck my day though, Date day and night with my hubby!  We're spending the day together then going out for a fancy dinner then a movie!  I'm so excited!!!  I'm even wearing a DRESS!

K, my turn to get ready, I'll post a pic later!!!

One year ago I changed my life!

October 11th 2011 I woke up after thanksgiving weekend and stepped on the scale.  253 pounds.  I was closer to 300 pounds than I was to 200 pounds!  How the hell did that happen???  When my sister came  in from work I said "Do you want to go back to Weight Watchers with me?  I'm doing this this time".  She said "Yes. "  and we signed up that night.  Since then I haven't looked back!  

This past year has flown!  I'd say I worked my butt off to lose this weight, which is true, I had to change my entire pattern of living.  Actually eat breakfast, actually eat vegetables and fruit, adjust my portions, not buy two chocolate bars, or donuts, or cheeseburgers, or double rye and gingers, but it really has been easy!  Yes I've changed everything, but the success I've had has made it so easy to change all of that!  And we've not been eating bird food either!  I LOVE food!  And that isn't going to change at goal!  So food had to be good.  And plenty.  I have messed around with most of my recipes or found awesome new ones, cut down my portion sizes (and instances) when I want something more calorie dense.  There's nothing "off plan".  

Since October 11th 2011 I've lost 70.6 lbs, countless inches and 6 clothing sizes.  It's unbelievable to think that!

I was hoping this post would be profound!  But, I'm not a great writer, loL!  And I'm tired :D

Here's me today.  Pardon the crocs.  And the messy hair.  And the too big clothes...

Weigh in

Well I wasn't down as much as I'd hoped, but I guess at this point I should be happy to lose a pound a week!  I was down 0.8 lbs last night for a total of 70.6 pounds down!

I was a bit sorry for myself for a bit and binged on the packet of pop chips they handed out at the meeting ( the whole bag!  2 points worth!  Gasp!).  Then instead of the soup I had planned, Got a 6 inch meatball sub (no veggies) from subway and ate every last morsel!  Bad girl!

I'm still very proud of myself for doing so well over the weekend.  It really could have been such a train wreck!

I tried on my goal jacket for the Christmas challenge I'm heading up on the 100+ board on Weightwatchers.ca and it slips on easily and feels good, but I can't do it up yet.  11 weeks until Christmas... It should be good by then, a lot can happen in 11 weeks...  Right???

Thanksgiving success!

Happy thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!  Thanksgiving last year sparked my weight loss journey when I woke up on the Tuesday morning after 3 Thanksgiving gorgefests and weigh an all time high of 253 lbs!  I just couldn't believe that I had let it get that far out of hand!  That day I asked my sister when she got off work if she would join Weight Watchers with me again and she said "Yes." The rest is history and I haven't looked back!  Well, except for before picture inspiration :P

I was in the kitchen at my sisters on Saturday and I said to her (she just started Weight Watchers a couple of months ago and has had great success!)  "Thanksgiving last year I weighed 250 pounds".  Then a big smile on my face.  I was getting compliments from family members all day!  It was awesome!  And if kept me totally on plan!

I don't have any pics of myself from that Thanksgiving, or any from this one for that matter.  But here's a few before and afters...

The most embarassing pic on facebook...

 I'm on the left.

I can't believe that's me in this pic!

And recently.

I'm on the right.

OH MY GAD!  STOP THE PRESS!!!!

I went into my closet to put something on for a current pic for this post 

AND LOOK WHAT ZIPS UP???

I haven't worn my leather jacket since college!  Over 10 years ago!  It even did up over my BOOBS!

Well, you've seen it here!  My biggest NSV yet!  Wahoo!!!

(pardon the gay pigtails, stay at home day and my hair was all over the place!)

100 days tracked!

As of last night, I've tracked the last 100 days straight!  I started a challenge a few months ago because I was only half heartedly tracking and not going anywhere weight loss wise.  So I decided a tracking challenge is just what I needed to shake things up a bit!  I'm glad I did too!

In the past 100 days I've lost a little over a pound a week, 15.2 pounds lost in total.  Doesn't sound like a lot, but that included the WHOLE TEMPTING SUMMER!  And all it's BBQ's, birthday's and most recently, 3 weekends straight of wedding celebrations for a wedding I'm in in November!

On the weight loss note, I was down another pound yesterday for a total now of 69.8 lbs lost!  I was stressing a couple of weeks ago about the bridesmaids dress I have to wear in November and the stress of it was stopping my weight loss in it's tracks!  Since I've made the decision to not worry about the dress (it does do up, just is a bit snug in the tummy area), I've lost 2 pounds in 2 weeks!

Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend and thankfully I've mastered the family gathering and don't anticipate overeating.  I'm bringing veggies and my awesome pumpkin pie phyllo pastries!  They are SERIOUSLY to die for and only a point a piece! (3 points for 2 pieces).

I'm really trying to pay attention to what I'm eating again.  Now that I'm in the 170's on the home scale, I'm only 5 pounds away from being out of the obese catergory!!!  When I started Weight Watchers almost a year ago my BMI was 43, morbidly obese class 3.  Now I'm 30.79.  Nearly there!  I'm only 33 pounds away from being in the "normal" catergory!