Weigh In and finding my inner ninja

Yesterday as I was getting ready to head out to weigh in I was watching a music channel and this video came on.

Here are some snippet from the lyrics:

I read the rules before I broke 'em 
I broke the chains before they choked me out 
Now I pay close attention 
Really learn the code 
I learned to read the map before I hit the road 

Hey yo, I've been high and I've been real low 
I've been beaten and broken but I healed though 
So many ups and downs, roughed up & clowned 
We all got problems, but we deal though 
I'm tryin' to do better now, find my inner peace 
Learn my art form, and find my energy 
When my backs on the wall, I don't freeze up 
Nah, I find my inner strength and I re-up 
Here we go, I know I've never been the smartest or wisest 
But I realize what it takes 
Never dwell in the dark cause the sun always rises 
But gotta make it to the next day 
It's a feeling that you get in your lungs when you run 
Like you're runnin' outta air and your breath won't come 
And you (uh) wheezin', gotta keep it movin' 
Find that extra (uhn) and push your way through it Nobody's gonna see me comin' 

Nobody's gonna hear a sound 
No matter how hard they tryin' 
No stoppin' me since I've found 
My inner ninja 

I've had bad habits but I dropped em 
I've had opponents but I knocked them out 
I climbed the highest mountains 
I Swum the coldest seas 
There ain't a thing I've faced thats been too much for me
That's my mantra for 2013 and finding my inner ninja! This song just spoke to me and I kept thinking about in terms my weight loss journey. I downloaded it from iTunes and must have listened to it 20 times yesterday.

Well this ninja had a good weigh in this week as I was down 2.2lbs. Whoo hoo, I tracked for all 7 days and it wasn't all that pretty either but I documented all of it.

So I'm going to keep that up this week as well. If you're on twitter and looking for a tracking challenge check out #PNPtrackstar, you create your own goal and the amazing Dani came up with it. She's Weight Watchers leader in Boston, I met her a Fitbloggin and she's super positive and fun. I so wish she was my leader. It's called the Progress not Perfection tracking challenge for 8 weeks. It's up to 97 people so far.

The other thing I did yesterday was go see The Hobbit, a little slow in parts but I now have a crush on a Middle Earth Dwarf - Thorin Oakenshield aka Richard Armitage. I've thought the actor was sort of cute but as Thorin,..hubba hubba.

I knew I was going to have pop corn (no butter) but at the last minute I also got a bag of Aero Mint Bubbles, I had full intentions of just having a few and tossing that bag. After 2hrs and 45minutes of movie I ate the whole bag of Aero Bubbles, I stopped at the half way mark of the small pop corn. The damage of the Aero Bubbles was 20 pts. Yeah, awesome so I used weekly points to compensate. Today is sticking to my 27pts. I also survived the 3D, I had a wicked headache after I watched Avatar and thought it might be the 3D apparently not. Though I have to admit I think I prefer the normal 2D.

Though last night it was hard, I was itching for ice cream. I knew I had some mini Haagen Das in the freezer but I muscled through and distracted myself with a cup of tea and read a book. I consider that a major victory for me. It would have easy to just say "screw it, I'm already over" but nope I stopped it in it's tracks. Today is all mapped out and good to go.

On Friday I went to the Running Room to pick up my Brita Resolution 5K Run kit. This picture isn't great as I was trying to show the jacket but it's a nice jacket this year. The back and side panels are all black.

Not sure if I'll wear this one or my other jacket. The weather is looking pretty stable for the 31st and should be no colder then -3c  (without wind chill so could be cooler) and scattered flurries during the day.

I have another conundrum about the Hypothermia Half Marathon on Feb. 9. My training has been non existent with all the snow and holidays. My friend's baby shower is the same day and they do overlap each other. Well the Half starts at 10am, I know if I do it it will be slow race so I'm guessing no later then 3:45hrs. However that would mean I would have to miss the baby shower as I need a ride and they'd all be there by then.

The easy decision would be don't do the half but I'm not leaning that way. I'm leaning more towards do my best from now till then, do the race and then that will fuel me to be even better for the Scotiabank Half in May.

I'm also thinking of doing the Dumbo Double Dare challenge at the Disneyland Half Marathon in August. The Dumbo Double Dare challenge is a 10K on one day and then the Half the next day. It's a popular half so let's see if I can register when it opens.

That's all I got for today.

Hugs!!!

Weight Watchers 360 Kit - it arrived

I have been diligently watching for the delivery of the Weight Watchers 360 kit I got on eBay. I got it on eBay as the owners of the meetings in Alberta and Saskatchewan will not be carrying it and I'm not going anywhere that will carry it for awhile. Yes I can be quite determined when I really want something.

Isn't it pretty. I love jewel tone color so the red spoke to me.

Here's what's in it. A 3-Month tracker, Exercise DVD, What to Eat Now - cookbook, points stickers, collapsible measuring cups, measuring tape, PointsPlus calculator and the Success Handbook.

I admit the thing I was really after was the Success Handbook, written by Jennifer Hudson's leader Liz Josefsburg. It's a collection of things Liz has learned as a leader for 10 years plus the Director of Brand Advocacy. Can you imagine all the things you've heard and learned as a leader for 10 years? Right now I'm reading it from cover to cover and then will go back and do the exercises. I'll share that process with ya. Yes it's a work book as well as a handbook. As I have yet to hear about the Canadian kits not sure if this book will be in there or not. The one thing missing from if I were to buy it at a US location is the skin cover for the points calculator. There are a few to pick from but I'll wait to see if I'm interested in one of those when I get to Portland in June. I don't really take my calculator with me as I use my phone for that so not sure I really need one.

I can definitely use everything else that's in the kit though. I love the pouch itself as I can keep all my Weight Watchers things in there from my weigh in book to the weekly newsletters.

On the weight loss front I've been tracking diligently and definitely see the scale heading in the right direction. This morning I was actually .6 less then my last weigh in two weeks ago.

Tomorrow I have a wee challenge as I'm meeting friends for lunch at Earl's, however I have already scoped out the menu and found some options that will stick with my points.

2 sleeps till my next weigh in.

Hugs!!!

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Fröhliche Weihnachten, С Рождеством, Felix Navidad, God Jul

Me at around 3 years old, like how I color coordinated with Santa?

I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and very Happy 2013! If you don't celebrate Christmas I wish you joy, happiness and success none the less.

May 2013 benefit from the lessons we learned in 2012 and that we achieve what we set our hearts and minds to.

Hugs!!!!

Expect Amazing

It's very cold again today and I'm still in my PJs as today has turned into a stay comfy kind of day.

I'm definitely heading out tomorrow as I'm meeting a friend for coffee, I'm heading downtown for that so I'll go early but it won't be zoo like the suburban malls and it will be my first time trying the new West C-Train and new shuttle bus that's in my neighbourhood.

My comfy day is also brought on by feeling meh lately and the cold weather isn't helping.

Thinking back over the last year and feeling a little disappointed in myself as I'm 12lbs higher then last year at this time. While I do have plans I still can't help but think another year down the drain and another New Year's resolution to lose weight.

However it is just a little meh and the weather will be improving over the next few days in the meantime I'm coming across inspiration everywhere lately.

Have you met The Daily Mel? She wrote a great post the other day "The Dawn of New Day - Expect Amazing" I encourage you to go read it. She posts a Weight Watcher Daily on twitter, I'm always so honored when a post of mine is included.

Expect Amazing is new phrase Weight Watchers is using with the new Weight Watchers 360 plan and I've been watching all the links to the new commercials. These spots are filled with amazing stories of success but what I truly love it they are real people heck you can find most of  them have blogs or who are on twitter. I'm reminded over and over that I can do this. I just need to get out of own way.

Some of these  links can be found on Daily Mel's post too but thought I'd share them (also so I can easily go back and find them when I need a little oomph in my inspiration).


My favourite is the one below, I avoid cameras like the plague and I miss out on memories when I do that.


I like this one too, as I also love bread and chocolate...


Happy Christmas Eve Eve and Expect Amazing :)

Hugs!!

Home and dusting off Wendie Plan

The forecast called for snow in Calgary so I wasn't so sure I'd be coming home today. My Dad and I were keeping a close eye on the weather.

Calgary is covered in snow and pretty packed snow that's morphed into ice. Then add fresh snow on top and shazaam slippery sections. The news was showing fender benders as of 8 am. At first we thought we'd drive back on Sunday then at around 11 am Dad said let's go now.

The trip is about 1 hr and 15-30 min from his house to mine so not too bad. The highways were fine but when we hit city limits it was a wee slick.

As it was after noon when we arrived in the city we opted not to do any shopping as the mall would be a zoo. My original plan was to just go to Walmart but they'd be a zoo too. I just dropped by the local convenience store for milk as I was completely out of that.

Dad went home right after dropping me off so I unpacked and did laundry. Then had nothing planned for dinner so I ordered pizza. Yeah probably not the wisest choice but it's all tracked and points are counted. I guess I'm doing a bit of Wendie Plan this week. Never heard of the Wendie Plan? It's been around for a long time essentially you take your daily points plus weekly points and arrange your week by mixing it up and not eating the same amount of points each day so for example I get 27 pts per day. So on Wendie Plan my week looks like this. You pick what day you want the high point day, that's today for me due to the pizza.

Sunday 27
Monday 37
Tuesday 34
Wednesday 27
Thursday 35
Friday 29
Saturday 47 - 49

The purpose of this was to break a plateau discovered by Wendie for more info go here and you can also read the story on how it all began. Now this isn't endorsed by Weight Watchers it was just someone who found something that worked for them and shared it. In the past I've used it to break a plateau and it worked for me. I'm not looking to break a plateau this week but I'll definitely stick to my base daily points tomorrow. 

It's super cold right now it's -20c/ -4F and with the windchill -26c/-15F. Yes we Canadians are a hearty people. The only plus is it's a dry cold so as long as bundle up you'll be o.k.

However that's not making me super excited about going grocery shopping tomorrow. Before I go grocery shopping I need to meal plan as I will be home for the whole week and I'm bound and determined to see a loss on Saturday. I think my plan will be to plan a few days at a time. My gym is right next door to the grocery store however the gym will be closed on the 24th, 25th and 26th. So maybe I'll plan up to Boxing Day and then plan the last half of the week.

The theme of 2013 is planning for sure.

Hope all of you enjoyed your Saturday.

Hugs!!!

Looking back on 2012 and forward to 2013

It's my last day at Dad's and I head home tomorrow. I adore my father but I'm looking forward to being back in my space and getting back to routine.

I've tracked every day I've been at Dad's but didn't write down points just what we had. As I didn't really have a choice (it's just me and him) I didn't see a point. When I get home then I'll start adding points and tracking properly. I will miss weigh in tomorrow as the plan is to be back in Calgary after the last meeting but I'll go back to weighing myself daily. No scale at Dad's house.

Next week will be dedicated to undoing the damage of this week. It's not that it's been all bad. I've probably had more protein this week then I have in a long time. My butt has been on the couch for a week to. There's too much snow to walk or run outside.

I will technically be spending Christmas by myself but that doesn't bother me I've been thinking of this past week being Christmas.

To be honest I'm kind of over Christmas as I've hit over saturation. Yet I'm planning on going to the mall this weekend. Yeah I know makes no sense at all.

I've been thinking about 2012 and rather then focus on what didn't happen I thought I'd list some highlights.

Going back to Half Marathons - after a 5 year absence I did the Tinkerbell Half in January and The Disney Wine and Dine Half in November.

Sending my raging introvert self out there - that was Fitbloggin for me. Who was I this little blogger to go to this? While I was overwhelmed for the bulk of it, I'm so happy I went. I met some amazing people who inspire me every day. Going to Orlando was kind of big to as that was one week by myself in Disney World.

I just went back and read my New Year's post from 2012. That's one good thing about having a blog as you have a record of all that you've said.

Making new friends both in real life and virtual. I met some amazing people this year.

So now let me look forward to 2013.

I have so often had the goal to get to goal weight. I was watching a morning show where a trainer was giving advice on goals and said to be specific.

Goal #1 - Lose 54lbs and reach 137

I do spend a lot of time by myself in my house and I'm thinking I'm missing out on life a little.

Goal #2 - Get out more and experience things I want to with or without someone to go with me. For example got to the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and Cirque de Soleil.

Goal #3 - Continue with half marathons. Now my next one is Feb 9 which I pretty much threw training out the window. There will be no speed goals here. However the next one is in May.

Now I'm going to stop there as it's not good to go to crazy with goals. You want to keep a manageable list.

The next step is to have a plan for each goal.

Goal #1 - I know Weight Watchers works for me. I need to put in more effort. Sort of following is sort of succeeding. I need to track every day, go to my weekly meetings and reward the efforts. I want to reward myself for every 5% loss. My first goal is 181 and for that it will be a mani & pedi at a spa.

Goal #2 - When I get home I'll buy a pass to the Calgary Expo.

Goal #3- in reality this goal goes with goal #1 as well. I need to focus on more cross training. I want to start a yoga practice again. I talk about this but don't do it. Yet I know the benefits. Weight training is a big one to. Let's face it I'm 40 and if I want age gracefully and fighting every step along the way I need to treat fitness like a job.

I have more work to do on plans and i'll write more about that later. I'm going to reevaluate this list quarterly. I need to keep an eye on them to stay on track.

Alright one more goal - to become a maintenance blogger in 2013. I found that on Go Goggy Go's blog and it struck a chord with me.


What are your goals for 2013?

Hugs!

Thinking about goals and reading books

In the past I've been quick to come up with goals around the start of a new year.

The problem with that is goals need thought and a plan.

I find myself facing a new year with getting to goal weight still on the list. While at my Dad's I've been reading and re-reading some books to prepare myself to get this done. I thought I'd share a few with you. As I'm blogging with an app and have lousy inserting picture capabilities I've included Amazon links.

Foodaholics by Irene Rumbaum- Keller

Interesting no nonsense advice, not a diet plan but good exercises to make you think about where you've been and where you're going. I enjoyed it as it was a good refresher.

Weight Loss Boss by David Kirschhoff

I'm a little biased on this one as it's written by the CEO of Weight Watchers but it's not a Weight Watchers book. This was a re-read for me and what I love about this book is the features on real people at the end of each chapter, the tale of taking longer to get to goal (like me) and the other books it's turned me on to.

Nudge by Thaler and Sustain

Just started this one based on reading Weight Loss Boss. It's about behavioral science (in a very readable way) and how we make choices.

Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink

Love this book and it has some funny moments as well. It's all about how we are pretty bad at eyeing portions. They do these great experiments like a re-fillable soup bowl to show how we can mindlessly eat and severely underestimate what we've consumed. Also found this one via Mr. Kirchhoff.

The End of Overeating by David Kessler

Also found via Mr. Kirchhoff. This book talks about how we respond to salt, sugar and fat = hyper palability. If those three things are combined look out it's nirvana to our taste buds and nutritional disaster. It's very eye opening as to how products are designed to suck us in. I need to re-read this one.

If you do have down time this Christmas and need a book to read check theses out.

Hope your Wednesday is awesome.

Hugs!!!

Holiday Routine Disruptions

First off thank you for the comments and twitter conversation on my last post about my leader.

As I said I'll keep going to this meeting for now, when I do get transferred back to Calgary and my routine changes perhaps I'll check some other meetings out. However I do love that group so I'll also hope for an improved leader or perhaps the current one will improve.

I'm pleased that I got a fast response on my email to Weight Watchers Alberta. They won't be offering the Ultimate 360 kit in Alberta and Saskatchewan so not so pleased about that and i can't order one through them either. I also asked about Activelink and there wasn't a definitive answer so we'll wait and see.

I might be looking for a Canadian WW buddy who's meeting has them when they launch here if my meeting doesn't.

Since I figured my meeting wouldn't carry the kit I checked out eBay and there's loads on there at a variety of prices. I'm fairly certain they're $39.99 US in a US meeting. I will be going to FitBloggin in June and it's in Portland. There are a few of us WW bloggers that will go to a meeting there. I couldn't wait till June so I checked eBay for the best price I could find. I wound up paying $59.80 plus $20 shipping US. Some were going for $90 without shipping - crazy. It pays to shop around folks. I was particularly after a kit with the Success Handbook and I heard (not confirmed) that Canadian kits don't have this book. It's on it's way to my house. I'll consider it a Christmas present to myself.

I remember an old leader handing out ribbons at this time of year. Green for if you planned on still losing through the holiday season, gold if you planned on maintaining and red if your plan was to just let it go. I always picked green but it didn't always pan out that way.

If I were to choose a color this year it would be red and green.

This week is red as I'm at my Dad's on an acreage in the middle of nowhere. I also planned to relax this week. Dad will not let me cook and I get all my stubbornness from him. I don't want to disrupt his routine. I am tracking everything though.

Next week when I'm back in Calgary it would be the green ribbon. I don't know if I'll get home in time to weigh in, however I have my book with me just in case. When I'm home I'll go to the gym and be in control of my own food. My gym doesn't have any group classes that week and will be closed for a few days but no harm done there's always outside and DVDs. Goals are shaping in my head right now so when I get home I'll lock them down.

Hope your Monday is going well.

Hugs!!!

Some leaders need a muzzle

I try to keep a positive attitude on my blog but today I need to rant a little.

I really like my Weight Watchers meeting for 3 reasons: the location, time of meeting and the group who also attends that meeting. The group is awesome as they contribute and inspire. I love the program because I know it works for me.

The leader on the other hand is driving me a little bonkers.

Today we talked about Week 2 of Weight Watchers 360, which was more or less about did we pack snacks or not. Lorraine realized she forgot to hand out stickers last week so we took care of that. Then we went through a recipe (I thought they didn't do that anymore). It was a recipe for crockpot stuffing that would feed a whack of people. There was no nutritional info or points as it would depend on what bread you use. This wasn't a WW recipe.

On a flip chart was a picture of the App. I just updated to the new app the day before.

Lorraine then starts to really bug me.

She picks up the flip chart says she knows nothing about the app then asks who uses it. About 10 people put up their hand. She then starts talking about how she needs to do the meeting as per the guidelines and says she could be audited. If you say things you shouldn't you might have a new leader (I can only hope). She then says she'll continue to push the envelope. In my head I think how? Talk about Dr. Oz or pretend you're a registered nutritionist. Then she says she thinks Weight Watchers is putting more in to technology because it's cheaper "over there". She then said something about hoping the meetings don't stop.

At this point I put up my hand. I said the app is a tool and won't replace meetings. I like it as a points calculator. It's a subtle way to look up points. I also said I tried WW online and it wasn't for me as I need the accountability of someone else's scale.

Not to say WW online isn't absolutely fantastic for others. The success stories talk about meetings and online. As human beings we like choice.

Now what bugs me is if you know you need to talk about the app why not ask someone if you don't use it. The whole point of this is finding what works for you. Maybe someone didn't know about e-tools and the app. I'm not saying it should be the meeting topic but 5min on why people like it would have made sense. As I'm guessing she was supposed to talk about it. If pen and paper works for you awesome (WW also sells journals) tell us why you like it. You like to do it in crayon fantastic. Isn't the point of a meeting to also learn from each other. In a past meeting Lorraine has also said you should only use pen and paper. Insert eye rolling.

If I was the leader I would have asked one of the 10 people who put up there hand. Then maybe broaden it to what tips have others learned to track consistently. If I was a leader my job is to support the plan and to facilitate discussion, not be a school teacher lecturing the class.

At the beginning of the meeting she told us about a "cougar" and much younger husband (i couldn't believe my ears) This is when she started out as a leader. She was working reception and asked the man if his mother was coming next meeting. This was brought up today as an example when sometimes no apology works.

At the end of the day I'll still go to this meeting as the 3 things I like is what I'm focusing on. I sent an email to the owners of my meeting to see if the 360 kits and active link are coming.

Oh I was down .4, now my week of relaxing/retreat begins and Fred the cat totally remembers me.

Hugs

Christmas Vacation begins

This week has been a bit crazy, just busy at work and knowing I'd be off on Christmas vacation and not going back to work until January 1, 2013. Yes, it's a holiday but after almost two weeks off I don't need an extra day and I get a day in lieu and figured it would a nice quiet week to get sorted with limited distractions.

My New Year's eve plans are the Brita Resolution 5K so there will be no partying till the wee hours for me. One really good thing is my flight doesn't leave at 6 am like usual, it's closer to noon so at least I don't need to get up at 3:30 am. Calgary is totally sold out for the run so it should be a good time.

I'm off to my Dad's tomorrow or I like to call it a retreat. He lives on a small acreage so there's no traffic, no neighbors (the closest ones are on the next property). Of course I'll have to reintroduce myself to the cats. I've loaded my Kobo and updated all my Zinio magazines.

I'm using this week to relax as I've been super stressed lately. I'm also using this week to focus on some goals, not just the goals but the plans behind them. I downloaded the new Weight Watchers app today and I was scrolling through my weigh ins. Last Christmas I hit my 10%, this Christmas is 15lbs above that. Le sigh, it's my fault no blame can be put anywhere else. However, I know what to do.

Today was mission baking.

First up was Whipped Shortbread, years ago someone gave me some of these and then I searched high and low for the recipe. I make them every Christmas now and they always get rave reviews. Their light and practically melt in your mouth. My Dad loves them so I baked these for him.

Next up German marble cake, now it's German because it's denser almost like pound cake. My Mom used to make this all the time but I don't where the recipe is so I found this on All Recipes. There's rum in the chocolate part.. I obviously didn't mix it that well to truly marble it.  This is also going to Dad's house as it freezes really well.

Yeah I didn't just talk about locking down some goals and plans to get me to goal weight and then leave baking in my house.

Tomorrow's it's off to weigh in.

I'll sign off with my heart and prayers going out to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut.

Hugs :(

Well Hello Weight Watchers 360

I finally met the new plan on Saturday and I like it, and my leader is definitely super excited about it.

This is the one who sometimes sounds like Dr. Oz or references things from the 1950s, and can come off as a school teacher.

What I did appreciate about her on Saturday was when she started talking she said many of you have probably heard there are no changes to the plan i.e. points. Then she said you couldn't be more wrong. She referenced past plans where the information packs where big and you had quite a few bit of info to go through. She thinks this plan is more focused. I have to agree.

I know some are confused or don't see the point about the focus on spaces and routines. This is how I see it, we may think establishing routines and prepping spaces (get the candy out of your desk) might just be common sense and while it is to some I bet there's a whack of us that hasn't quite mastered it. Certainly past routines may have caused us to join Weight Watchers. I think I'll benefit from turning some attention back to routines and minding my spaces.

There was a time when I completely rocked the plan and that was all about routine. Life changes and I've lost some of those routines it's time to bring them back.

On Saturday we talked about making packing a snack a routine. Not a bad idea if you hear the call of the donut at 2pm in the office or are wandering the mall and tempted by coffee store after coffee store. Plus it's Christmas Party season so prepping is huge. At camp I'm much better at this as I make sure to pack a healthy snack when I pack my lunch in the morning.

I couldn't resist the new tracker, it's bigger then the old one but it has some additions that were never there before. Every week starts with a Weekly Plan with a place to plan your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, plan your workouts for the week, note the routines you want to focus on and an easy check off section for Weekly Points and Activity Points.

The Eat Out and Shop books look pretty expanded as well.

I was disappointed to not see see the Ultimate Weight Watchers 360 Kit, which I've seen on American blogs. Now my meeting is owned by a franchisee that owns all the meetings in Alberta and Saskatchewan and they have a history of not bringing everything to their members. They were a big topic of discussion in the meeting last week and someone said they were from the dinosaur age.

Though I did hear a rumour the kits and Activelink  might be here in January when the plan really launches (New Year's Resolution Season).

Worst case scenario when I got to Portland in June I will definitely find a meeting to weigh in at and maybe pick up stuff we don't have.

I was down .8 this week which totally surprised me as last week was 3 planes in 3 days.

I have 4 days of work until I'm on Christmas Vacation, they will be busy days I'm sure of that but it will be so nice to have a 2 week break. I'm going to spend one week at my Dad's and one week at home. My plan for my week at home is to organize my spaces like go through the cupboards and organize.

So I do hope you all had a great weekend.

Hugs!!!

Crazy week comes to an end

I did finally make it back to my normal work location on Wednesday and then I hit the ground running from there. The two days went by so fast and I feel like next week is going to be super busy as well. I go on Christmas vacation after next week and then won't be back till Jan. 1.


I work in an environment that runs 24/7 so there will be people working on Christmas and I can go back to work on Jan. 1 as I'll just get a day in lieu to use another day. I have a strategy behind that, my group should all be back by Jan 7 so that gives me time to get sorted and organized for 2013.

What I do appreciate about work is there are attempts to celebrate all the holidays.

The Santa and the tree are in the main lobby of camp so everyone walks past them at least twice a day. There was also giant inflatable snow man but I didn't get a picture.

Of course I try to do my best to bring cheer myself, this is my office door on Thursday.

Now in my "amazing race" week of being all over the place I forgot my tracker, watch and Nike fuel band on Wednesday when I headed to work so I had two days of checking my wrist.

Today I headed downtown for a meeting and my "manager once removed" meeting. This morning everything got turned around as meetings got rearranged so my coffee with uber boss wound up being lunch on him. I felt really good after that meeting.

I recently got a new boss who couldn't be more different from my old boss so I'm trying to feel the situation out. A few things happened that had me thinking this might be not so fun but it's early days and again don't know this person all that well. Discussion with uber boss had me feeling even better about it though so bring on 2013.

I'm super pumped to go to weigh in not because of the actually weigh in part as it's been a rough week and I didn't handle it well food wise. I'm looking forward to a new plan. I've checked out a bit online and a little disappointed that it looks like Activelink won't come to Canada till 2013 but still happy it's coming. I am thinking of this as a bit of a fresh start, not to discount successes of the past but to keep the train going.

Tomorrow is also an open house for the new C-Train (light rail transit). The west side of Calgary has never had a train, it goes north, south and east so this is kind of cool as it should make trips downtown even faster then the bus and give me easy access further west there's a cool rec centre and market up there. I don't have a car as quite frankly it would be parked in front of my house all the time so I'm cool with transit.

I found an information booklet in my mailbox today as it officially launches on the 10th, they included 2 free tickets too that you can use before Jan. 31. I might check the open house out.

I do hope all of you had a great Friday.

Hugs!!!

Adventures in Air Travel

Well it's been an unusual week. As I already told you I worked in the city on Monday and Tuesday which was fun. It made me realize things I missed about working downtown. Things like going for coffee and having a choice like Starbucks or Tim Horton's.

I miss the food court and the variety of the food court. At site it's pretty much the same thing every day and bad coffee. However I do have a Keurig in my office.

I did discover that I have one more year at site and then will transfer back to Calgary. I think I sensed that somehow as my thoughts have been straying to working in a corporate environment again. Like that professional shopper service I talked about. Heck it will be nice to cook for myself more often.

This will also mean a different client group or different job. While I'll miss the group I have now I think of this as a chance at re-invention.

New WW plan that I officially meet on Saturday and a chance to re-invent myself. I even find myself noting people's styles like patterned hose. This also means extra motivation to get to goal.

The other day I managed to recertify for my CHRP designation. That stands for Certified Human Resources Professional. This is the first time I've recertified so I had to earn 100 credits in HR type of endeavors over 3 years. I did learn leaving the form till a week before it was due was a dumb idea. Super fun to try to remember what you've done for 3 years. I will be more organized next time around.

So back to my title, my adventure in air travel was I tried to fly back to work last night. We couldn't land due to wind shear so we went to Edmonton. We landed but stayed on the plane as they figured out what to do seriously confusing the ground crew as they kept waiting for them to open the door. Then we were off back to Calgary. I got home at about 9:30pm. I rebooked my flight for 10:30am today and thought I can sleep till 7am. I woke up at 4am and checked my blackberry to discover I had been rebooked on a 7am flight. Ha good thing I woke up.

Now my Calgary Transit bus was 20min late on Tuesday so maybe I should have called today's blog Adventures in Travel.

I hope all of you are having a great week

Slightly different routine today

I worked in the city today as opposed to getting on a plane at 6am.

Instead I was on a city bus at 6am that was remarkably on time (it snowed yesterday which can cause issues).

Stopped off at Starbucks on got a Grande Non Fat Caramel Macchiato and headed into an all day meeting.

This morning I had to put my corporate on meaning dress pants and office appropriate clothing as opposed to my site wardrobe of jeans and t-shirt.

I also put on a full face of make-up which included PUR foundation, Benefit eye concealer, Cover Girl eye shadow, Maybelline eye line, PUR blush and Maybelline clear mascara for brows and Maybelline mascara. At site it's BB cream, under eye concealer, lip balm and some clear mascara for my brows.

I've been at site for 2 years now so it's been a long time since I had to put my corporate on. I think it's been about a year since I've even been in the corporate office for a meeting. Before that I've worked my entire life downtown. First it was retail for 10 years, then an office job for 7 years.

I do know I'll be sent back to Calgary and I'm guessing I might have one year or a little less left a site. I need to rebuild my corporate self. I recently found out the downtown mall offers a personal shopper and style assistant service. I'm totally getting that when it comes time. I despise shopping for clothes and have no clue what works for me. I love shopping for everything else. I love the idea of having help with that.

The all day meeting went stupendously well and I admit I wasn't so sure about that. Lunch was a Montreal smoked meat sandwich from Ollie's which was highly disappointing. Incredibly fatty which turns me right off.

After work I headed to the Bay as I'm in search of a new Christmas table cloth. I tried Walmart on the weekend and they had nothing. The Bay was a mega disappointment as well. I think I might look online. As I was walking to The Bay I saw that a building was in the process of being torn down. Not too long ago I noticed the downtown WW meeting was moved to a church, now I know why as they used to be in that building that's being torn down.

After the Bay I wanted to go to Shoppers to get bus tickets. I walked past a calendar store and decided to check it out. I usually wait to buy calendars till after boxing day as they get cheaper but I noticed last year that this particular store didn't have a great sale last year and it was fairly picked over.

I decided to buy some stuff now mainly for my office now.

The wall calendar and desk page a day calendar are for work, the notebook is my 2013 training book. I love Dilbert, especially the Evil HR Director, have I mentioned I work in HR. I know Dilbert is very popular and the odds of this stuff making it to sale day were seriously slim.

Tomorrow I'm in the corporate office for most of the day and will leave from there for a plane to site. When I get to site I seriously need to do site laundry and that was my day today.

Hope all of you had a super amazing Monday.

2nd post today but had to share this

I was reading through my blog lists and I do enjoy David Kirchhoff's blog (CEO of Weight Watchers)  and you can see it here. He posted the video below the other day. I have never heard of Brene Brown before now but it is so worth looking at it. It gave me chills and I promptly bought her book.
 

December 1 and the new plan is coming

Ok not an original title but I got to open the first window of my advent calendar. This year I didn't have time to run down to the Edelweiss (German store in Calgary) so I went with a Lindt one that I found in Walmart. My German heritage makes me a chocolate snob. Advent calendars are a apart of my Christmas traditions and I think it's perfectly acceptable to have one no matter how old you are.

It's a very mini Lindt ball and so adorable, I have it sitting on a Mead Fat Lil'  notebook and you can see it just fits between the coils.

Tomorrow I can light the first candle on my advent candles

The above is on my dining table, a very straight forward version.

This one is my absolute favourite and very traditional, the middle piece is one piece of wood that has been carved and when the candles are lit it spins.

In terms of Christmas decorations I didn't put up that many as I'm not home very often. This is the second year I haven't put up a tree. Most of friends and I no longer exchange gifts and I have a super small family so I really didn't see the point.

Instead I just put up what had meaning to me.

My Mom made this for me when I was little, I would never describe my Mom as crafty and I have thought about replacing it but I just can't do it. Maybe next year I'll just add to it.

I saw this tea light holder in a Canadian Tire flyer many years ago and it drew me in. I remember searching high and low in the store for it. I also have a thing for Angels.

So I did head to weigh in today and it was bit a chilly walk. Calgary can get pretty foggy and it causes hoare frost (yes that is what it's called) it's awfully pretty how it coats and entire tree and every branch.

I knew I'd be up and I was but I'm glad I went. It was an interesting meeting as Lorraine revealed that the "new" plan would be introduced next meeting. She called it a conversion and said we wouldn't have to weigh in.

She then asked us what we like about Points Plus. Right off the bat a few people said the "free" fruit, I said I liked that the formula factored in protein, carbs, fat and fibre not just calories.

She also asked us what we didn't like about Points Plus and the majority of comments had nothing to do with Weight Watchers but the franchisees that own the meetings in Alberta and Saskatchewan. For example monthly pass - we don't get it. A charm for your key ring for the Weight Watchers 5K - we don't get it. Pedometers - we don't get it. I admit it's a wee frustrating when you see things on weightwatchers.ca that we don't have access to. One member asked the leader to bring that feedback to the owners as it seems like they are from the dinosaur age.

Now I have iffy feeling about Lorraine as I find she can be a wee preachy. She then launched into a lecture on how it's best to write things down when tracking as opposed to using a computer. My thoughts are use what works for you, some will prefer pen and paper and some prefer the app or tracking on a spreadsheet. Does it really matter as long as it works for you?

Now I did ask her if we'd be getting Activelink and she said wait till next week. That makes me think that it's a possibility, if it wasn't happening why tell me to wait. Now all my Canadian friends keep me posted if you're going to earlier weigh ins next week as I won't be going till Saturday.

Now while waiting for the meeting I started reading "The First 20 Minutes - Surprising Science Reveals  How We Exercise Better, Train Smarter and Live Longer" by Gretchen Reynolds.  Now I'm just at the beginning of the book but so far I enjoy her writing style. I know I'm pretty terrible at posting book reviews but I promise to try.

That's all I got for today, enjoy your Saturday.

Hugs!!

Face the scale

This has been a crazy week, filled with stress and long hours (averaged 13hrs a day this week), losing a day off today as I had to be in Fort McMurray for a meeting and did not walk in my front door till 7:40pm.

Summoned to work in Calgary for two days next week which also required a monster amount of pre-work. Still need to do a bit of that over the next two days.

Forgot my Weight Watchers tracker on my coffee table and while I could of used the app on my phone I did not. Those 13hr days led to no time in the gym.

Lugged what felt like a 400lb computer bag around today as I wasn't expecting to work in Calgary next week and needed to take my computer with me but did not have laptop backpack with me. I had to beg IT for an extra computer bag.

I didn't follow any of my pre-weigh in habits (all food and drink cut off by 7pm) as I got home late and needed dinner. I also had a cup of hot chocolate with Bailey's as well.

Drank water when I remembered which wasn't as often as it should have been.

You know what I'm going to weigh in tomorrow and just face the scale. Blips happen, no use burying one's head in the sand just face it head on.

Hope your week went well.

Hugs!!!

Can't believe it's been a week

Wow does time fly by or what.

I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted.

Well this time of year is super busy for me as the HR cycles for my company start ramping up now. I had a big meeting on Monday hence why I flew up Sunday afternoon and that went well.

I got a new boss a few weeks ago and while we're still getting to know each other I get the feeling she will keep me on my toes on top of it being the busiest time of year. I had an all day meeting I was supposed to go to tomorrow but a project will keep from a least a part of it.

On Friday I need to be in Fort McMurray for a morning meeting so I'll be flying home from there instead of home on Thursday. Gosh it's funny as I had to think about liquids. On the company plane we're not restricted as to what we can carry on and of course whole different story when you fly commercial.

I think my Nike Sports Watch is a piece of junk. Mind you I haven't used it in awhile but I dusted it off on Monday and it would not pick up the HR monitor. I thought maybe the battery was dead so I brought it home with me and got a new battery. I find I prefer Garmin. I know my pace is way lower on the Nike then a Garmin and they're both using foot pods on the treadmill.

I use a Garmin Forerunner 610 when I'm at home and I love it. However I couldn't get it to pair with my computer. Yesterday I was just on my computer and shazaam it paired. I'm going to bring it with me to site and carry it back and forth so I can truly compare my data for awhile and see how that works.

I haven't even created my training plan for the Hypothermic Half on February 9th. I'm doing that tonight so I can get on track.

On the scale front I had to do a drive by weigh in on Saturday as I was heading to a Christmas fair with friends. I was down .2.

I'm super curious about the upcoming plan changes and I'm figuring Canada will be a few weeks behind the US but I do hope we get the Activelink. We shall see.

Today was all about house cleaning as I have avoided it a little too much lately. I vacuumed floor and furniture, dusted, cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom, changed bed clothes, steam cleaned pillows and comforter and now I'm just finishing laundry. The only thing I didn't get done was the kitchen but I left my steam mop right where I can see it so when I get home on Friday I'll do it.

Apologies for the scattered post I just wanted to drop by and wish everyone a great week.

Hugs!!!

Operation Success Day 2

Back to blogging from my iPad as I'm too lazy to boot up the computer in my camp room.

Let me go back to yesterday.

I went to weigh in and was up .8 which I'll take as admirable after a week at Disney World. This is my starting weight for my Operation Success.

We had a sub leader who was delightful at the start of the meeting she had as all pick a straw.

She then asked us what was the last straw that brought you in to WeightWatchers. Whoa I knew at that moment this would be a good meeting.

We talked about goals external vs internal.

Boy do I know a lot about goals from my job. As I've mentioned before I work in HR and every year we go through goal translation and developmental goals. I've become a bit of a goal whisperer helping coworkers create goals that follow SMART.

S- simple
M - measurable
A- achievable
R- realistic
T- timely

So I was a bit more vocal in this meeting then I typically am. I sit by myself in the back.

I talked about external vs internal. For me an external goal is a carrot like I want to be at goal by my birthday. An internal goal is something that will keep you going including past that "birthday" like I want to lower my blood pressure or cholesterol. It's kind of like frivolous vs serious. I strongly believe you need both.

For me an external goal is to rock a swimsuit with confidence.

My internal goals are to have a positive impact and responsibility for my health. At one point I said I felt like if I don't get this done I'm essentially committing suicide. A little dramatic perhaps but so many diseases are linked to obesity.

My last straw was I knew I couldn't successfully lose and keep off the weight without help. I was tired of dressing for camouflage and being a passenger in my life.

The whole meeting was just an amazing kick off to Operation Success.

I have now tracked for 2 days.

I decide to fly to work tonight as opposed to tomorrow morning as I need to prepare for a meeting tomorrow and this way I can get into the office early.

What was your last straw?

I took that straw home and pinned it on my wall just above my race medal rack.

Hugs!

Operation Success (OS)

It's so nice to be blogging from a computer after a week on an iPad. I will never take a proper keyboard for granted again.

Got home at 10pm last night which of course felt like midnight as I was still on Eastern Standard Time. I woke up at 6am and thought heck no and then woke up at 10am which is so unlike me.

I unpacked and then headed to the grocery store as I was out of a few things. Left the grocery store with only what was on the list. I then pretty much cleaned off my pvr.

Not an exciting today but mildly productive.

This trip to the Wine and Dine Half Marathon was the longest I've gone away by myself. I've done weekends before but this was a full week on my own. I was pleased that I stuck to my plan to ride rides and explore the parks.

It also gave me loads of time to think.

Tomorrow I go to weigh in and I'll be starting a new weigh in book, very fitting in my mind.

I've done "operations" before like Operation Hottie, and Operation Enough 1and 2. Well I have new operation and I'm calling it Operation Success. A more positive spin on "enough" and a focus on behaviour and lifestyle as opposed to "hottie". Mind you Operation Hottie was all about Vegas.

It's a very simple operation with very simple steps.

1. Track everything and stay on plan
2. Follow my training plan (as I've now booked a half marathon every 3-4 months it's all about those including yoga and strength training).
3. Drink 2L of water per day

Very simple but focusing on the positive.

As I was approaching that finish line at the Wine and Dine Half I had a huge smile on my face, also unusual as I tend to look like I'm about to pass out.

The reason I was smiling is because I was thinking on how much better I'll do at my next race. I'm not disappointed with my 6 min slower time then my last race. I know I can do better and better.

Tomorrow I'll go to weigh in and the meeting, then return to Zumba and Iron Reps. After that I need to go vote on the Federal By-Election at advanced voting as I won't be here for the actual date.

I hope all of you had a great Friday

Hugs

Official last few hours at Disney World

Alas I do have time to blog today. Check out is at 11am but I have express checkout so I don't need to physically check out - awesome.

It's funny everyday since I've been here the forecast has said it might rain but it hasn't until this morning. I'll chill in the room till I need to vacate and find somewhere to wait for 2hrs.

I need to take the shuttle 4hrs before departure time as I'm on an international flight. I didn't get the ticket attached to my door this morning which is normal process but I got a printed one from the baggage desk with no problem. Had I taken the shuttle to the hotel from the airport I probably would have had it on my door.

Disney does have awesome customer service that's for sure.

I figured I'd share some shots of my hotel. I chose to stay at the All Star Music Resort as it was one of the hotels that provided race transportation and it was a value property. I figured save money on the room and spend it in the park instead. I got a reduced park ticket with the race registration. I'm glad I went with the park hopper option as for a few days I did go to 2 parks. The parks have a different feel during the day and night. As it's Christmas season at Disney going in the evening means you can see all the fabulous lights.

The All Star properties have all the basics. I booked it on Orbitz as I got a better deal then with the transportation provider for the race. I chose a preferred room which is one level up. It wasn't clear how it was better based on room description. What it meant was that I was in a wing closer to the main building where the food court, front desk, gift shop and bus transportation. It's also closer to the big pool actually right across from the pool. At All Star Music Calypso 1& 10 are the closest.

I got a King bed, there's a little table with two chairs, armoire with shelving, drawers and there's a bar fridge in there too. Bathroom has bath and shower. A iron, ironing board, in room safe and hair dryer were all provided. In terms of toiletries it's a bottle of shampoo/conditioner and bar soap. An abundance of towels are provided as you can't get towels at the pool instead you bring from your room.

Free Wifi is provided in the room and in the main building. It's a little iffy as it's super slow during peak time. First thing in the morning up till 8am is great and then usually after 5pm. In between those hours are hit and miss.

Best thing I bought was the refillable mug. It cost $15.49, I think it's included if you go with a dining plan. I got a lot of use out of this thing with the free refills this includes pop, tea, coffee, and cocoa. It handles both cold and hot beverages really well. I could refill this mug at any of the All Star Resorts. I mostly ate at the resort.

Of course there are kids everywhere but I wasn't the only person sitting at a table on their own.

The housekeepers put these little face cloth critters in all the windows. I'm thinking it's a system of some sort but I thought he was cute.

I would definitely stay here again. With the bus transportation every park and water park was one bus away with maybe one stop at All Star Sports to pick people up or drop them off.

So I'm now chilling on the patio off the food court as I wait for the shuttle. Moments ago I was in the lobby and they decorated overnight for Christmas. I swear that tree wasn't there yesterday. Note the musical accents - it's that Disney detail.

The next time I write to you will be from home so enjoy your Thursday.

Last day at Disney World

Feeling a little melancholy today and it's not about going home tomorrow.

I got the email from Brightroom today that race photos were posted. When I looked at my photos I felt disappointment and it was all about how I had all this time to prepare for this race, heck it's not even about the race. I look at these photos and I see how much work I need to do as all I see is fat. I think about January to now and where I could be in terms of weight loss.

I will buy a few of them as I think it will serve as good motivation.

I know it's not wise to dwell on woulda, coulda, shoulda. I need the fire within to reignite. It sort of has on this trip. So enough and let me spin more to the positive.

I was looking at my Run Disney lanyard and thought it needed a lanyard medal. The lanyards do look a little funny with nothing attached. I'm going to hang it next to my medal rack as an anchor. I saw this dragon and it spoke to me - it's that fire within. I thought it might have been for Chinese New Year but nope no special occasion. To me that made it even more special.

Now on the weight loss front I haven't tracked at all on this trip. I have tried to stick to eating when hungry and stopping before the plate was clean which I've done. I've certainly been moving a lot walking around all those parks.

I will deal with the scale at weigh in on Saturday and it's 100% on plan to get this show on the road. I am happy I have 3 days off before I return to work to grocery shop and meal plan.

Today is essentially my last day here. I confirmed my spot on the Disney Airport shuttle and I'll be heading out at 1:30pm. So after check out at 11am I'll just read next to the pool. Today I went to Downtown Disney and went to see Skyfall. I am a big James Bond fan. I was going to see this movie this weekend with friends but due to Twilight frenzy the thought is to not go. Now due to everyone's schedules we were now looking at the end of November. I couldn't wait. I'll see it again with them though, it was awesome. I can honestly say one of the best Bond films in the 50 year history.

Is it just me are American movie theaters better? I did find it funny that it cost $6 yet the Canadian dollar is at par and it will cost $13 at home.

I do hope you all enjoyed your day. I will most likely blog again on Friday.

Hugs!

Day 6 continued - Disney Hollywood Studios

When I get home I'm going to look for a new camera perhaps via airmiles so free. The iPhone was not designed for action shots. I apologize for some of the blurry photos I've been posting.

I got to Disney Hollywood Studios just before 4pm and there were no lines at all. I arrived just in time for a parade. It was fun the dog from Up! was running around where I was but I wasn't fast enough to get a shot - another example where a camera might have been handy.

I then went to the Indiana Jones' Epic Stunt Spectacular it was very entertaining. They acted out some stunts from the movies while explaining what went in to it. The real Indiana Jones and Karen Allen stunt doubles were in it. The best part was the audience extras as they were pretty funny background villagers.

From there I went to Star Tours as I am a big Star Wars fan. It was good but I have to admit I'm not a fan of 3D. I prefer my onscreen entertainment to be 2D.

Two things I really wanted to check out we're closed :( That was Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show and the Studio Backlot Tour. Alas I think I'll be back more on that further down.

As I wandered around I could pick up parts were we ran through. It looks a lot different filled with people and in daylight. I do remember running past the Tower of Terror and thinking how ominous it looked.

I waited patiently for the light festivities start. I so wish I had shots from when we ran by. They were all lit up and the street was empty. You get the idea from the photos below. It is a sight to be seen and I love the hidden Mickey's.

I do find myself a little park(ed) out after 4 days of parks. I'm now thinking about going to a movie tomorrow (half price compared to home) and spend time at the pool.

As I was having dinner tonight I was thinking how I kind of want to do all of the RunDisney runs. The Disneyland Half is in August which lines up with my "a half marathon every 3-4 months. I might put the Princess Half on the 2014 schedule as that looks like so much fun. If I do decide to do a marathon again ( I did swear never again after Honolulu in 2006) why not a Disney one? Now that wouldn't be anytime soon I want a few years to prep and make sure it's something I want. I do think the Goofy (half marathon, followed by a marathon the next day) would be one heck of a challenge to work towards.

On the bus to the half I was talking to a girl who had done the Vegas Rock n' Roll Half and said it was poorly organized. I have a co- worker doing it this December. That one intrigued me too.

All this time to myself gives me loads of time to think.

Hugs from Disney World.