Yo Yo!!

Yes, it's true. I'm a giant Yoyo....

Here's my confession: I have gained 30 pounds in one year. Last year at this time, I was just getting home from a beach vacation and looking and feeling great. But then I got off the plane and immediately the dreaded gloom of January smacked me in the face. Hard. Really hard.

So I basically ate my way through the worst month of the year (in my opinion), and perhaps had too many glasses of vino while sitting on my couch, by the fire, eating chips. Perhaps! :-) Anyway, the crappy eating/no exercise spilled into February, then March, then the world got brighter and I celebrated by eating! And then my favourite time arrived... Summer!! Sunny skies, warmth, vacations, camping, road trips... happy hour! Anyway, you get the point.

And now I am walking around in stretchy pants and long tunic tops every day because my clothes don't fit. And I mean, REALLY don't fit. So once again I am trying to lose the weight again so I can fit into my clothes. Again. (I think I'm using that word too much, but AGAIN!! seems to be the theme here.)

I dusted off my Jillian Michaels "90 Day Body Revolution" DVD program, which I know w gets good results because I've done it before. The great thing about this program is that it's only 30 minutes of exercise every day for 6 days... 30 minutes of really intense "you may cry occasionally and get sweat dripping into your eyes" kind of workout. And I love it!! I love it even more that my buddy Stacey, has decided to join me most mornings. And that has been super helpful and motivating for me. We are almost done week #2 and feeling great! YAY TEAM B.S.!!! (I also have an annual pass to the Rec. Centre which I am using fairly regularly, to go on the treadmill and read my book.)

Okay, so now I have my exercise routine back on track and I'm actually enjoying it most days. But for me, the hardest part is getting my eating under control. I am a grazer who, unfortunately, has access to a fully stocked fridge and pantry all day. Not good. But I'm working on it with the help of MyfitnessPal.com. It's a free online program where you can track your food and exercise so you can keep track of what you are stuffing into your face. So for the last 10 days I've been logging everything and it's been pretty helpful.

So... have I lost any weight?? Nope. I think I've actually gained 2 pounds. Seriously! But I will not be discouraged. I will keep plugging away!! This weight thing has been a constant battle for as long as I can remember. I go up. I go down. I go up again. My goal is to find out why I am a big Yo Yo and to find a way to get back on the wagon before I turn into a stuffed sausage who can't do up her coat!!

And before I get on my workout gear and get sweaty this morning, I feel the need to say this.... and it's important to remind myself of this: It doesn't matter what size I am. I don't need to be a single-digit girl. If I stayed a size 16 for the rest of my life - and actually maintained that - and I was eating healthy, exercising and felt good about myself... so be it! That's okay. But this up/down thing is ridiculous and not healthy. I am not healthy. I am not happy about it.

Okay, I am done with this rambling post. Gotta go, I have a date with Stacey and "Jillian"!

My List!!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged! This is going to be a quick, random kind of post, with the intention to write down my "To Do" list for 2014.

I'm not really into making new year's resolutions but it is good to think about what I want to accomplish this year... and put it down on "paper" so I don't forget! :-) So, in no particular order, here is my list (and it's definitely a work in progress... I'm sure I'll forget many things!!)

1. Make a Photo Book of our trip to Hawaii
2. Make a Photo Book of our Road Trip (Summer 2013)
3. Organize School Photos into albums for each child. Just stick them in a book!
4. Finish Simon's quilt
5. Scrapbook more!
6. Lose 25 pounds!! Again.(Seriously, why must it be "again"?? You big Yo Yo!)
7. Organize my side of the walk-in closet
8. Research renovations for upstairs playroom... come up with a plan for the boys.
9.
10.
11.
12.

As you can see, it's a work in progress. I'm sure I will add a few more things to the list as I go along, or as I think of them. I am trying to put a list together that is achievable....

Right now I am currently working on #1, #4 and #6. Not bad for a dreary January!!

Anyway, just posting this to remind myself what I want to accomplish this year. Hit "POST"!! Done.