On Track: New Year, New Challenge - Day 1 of 30.

I'm back! And with a New Years Challenge!

Since I last blogged, I probably gained about 14 lbs. I was on Weight Watchers this time last year, with my starting weight at 174lbs. I lost enough to get to me to my lowest at 148lbs which was around June. I hit a plateau, changed my diet, then summer happened - patio season, birthdays, weddings, vacations etc. Then BOOM.. Christmas! Where did that come from?!

Anyways, my current weight is 162lbs. Slightly ashamed but not surprised as I knew this was coming. I did it to myself. Can't necessarily say I regret gaining that 14lbs because everything I put into my body was delicious LOL. So, now time to get back on the swing of things. My best friend is getting married in August and I have a gorgeous dress that I thought I bought one size smaller.. of course ended up being two sizes smaller (damn online shopping!). Here is goal #1.

30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels
End: February 10 - Goal weight: 150lbs.

I did Day 1 of 30 on Level 1 today and man, was I out of shape. Workouts I could totally kick ass in at the gym were so trying now. Hopefully, after a couple of days, I can rock this again (once the initial pain of "OMG what am I getting myself into?" subsides).

"You want me to do that?.. Pfft.. no problem."

#fingerscrossed
-E

fashionably friday: cette semain

About two summers ago, I spent a lovely 6 weeks in "Montreal" (you must read that in your best/worst french accent). I took a french class while out there (well, that was the point of being out there) and just thought I would brush up on my days of the week on the blog today. 

Lundi - 

Tunic: H&M | Skirt: Primark | Belt: XXI Forever 

Mardi - 

Blazer& Dress: H&M | Necklace: Sweet {Jolie}

Mercredi -

Blazer: Vero Moda from Simons | Shirt: Joe Fresh | Capris: Old Navy | Necklace: J.Crew

Jeudi - 

Tunic: J.Crew | Belt: Susana Erazo from My Filososphy

Vendredi - 

Blazer: Zara | Shirt: pre-loved from Red Pony 

Looking back, I could have listed all of the clothing in french too. Meh. 

 xx - E

i heart: cherries and chickpeas

1. Sweet {Jolie} | If you love jewelry as much as I do, then you'll love Sweet {Jolie}. Handmade jewelry made right here in Edmonton. She does everything from subtle pieces to grand statement pieces. The red bib necklace was my first {Jolie} purchase and I'm going back for more! Check out their Facebook page! They do custom orders and have tons of weekly giveaways. 2. Roasted chickpeas | Since starting Weight Watchers again, I've been scouring Pinterest for new and inventive snacks to satisfy my cravings. Trending on Pinterest - roasted chickpeas. Easy to make and quite delish. Of course.. the worst thing you can do is eat the whole can in one sitting which kind of defeats the purpose (guilty) but better than chips nonetheless.3.Sakura Allure Green Tea | I decided to check out Teavana at WEM since I've managed to walk by that store everyday and not go in. I wanted something fruity and green. After smell testing at least half a dozen different green teas, I fell in love with the Sakura Allure. If you love cherries, this is the one for you. Open up the bag and it's like a package of Starburst exploded in your face. Yes, it's that awesome. 4.Creamsicle Shoes | I stopped by My Filosophy a couple of weeks ago to visit some old coworkers. Fell in love with these Cole Haan peep toe wedges. Loved the color, loved the feel of them, loved the cork, loved it all. It's a great shoe for work since it's stylish enough for the office yet comfortable for my Mall runs. 5. Nine Inch Nails | Can't stress how excited I am that NIN is coming to yeg on November 24th. More excited for C and the fact that his absolute favourite band is back from the hiatus and not only making music again but touring!!

meal: tomato, turkey and asparagus puff pastry with a poached egg

 I love weekends.. mostly because breakfast and brunch are some of my favourite meals to make. I had some extra puffed pastry from a dinner party we had a couple of nights ago and I wanted something crunchy and buttery for breakfast. I bought some lovely cocktail tomatoes from the farmers market and had a craving for a gooey poached egg. With a few other leftover ingredients in my fridge (grilled asparagus, deli turkey and a couple of balls of bocconccini). It's quick, easy, healthy and super tasty. Just layer the ingredients over the puff pastry (making sure to squeeze out any excess water from the cheese) and sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan on top. About 5 minutes before it comes out of the oven, get poaching on your eggs. I poached mine in a vinegar and salt bath for about 3 minutes depending on how gooey (or not) you want your eggs. I've never not poached my eggs without vinegar so not sure how it would turn out without it. When the pastry is golden brown and the cheesy starts to bubble, it's done! Squeeze a little bit of lemon over top and finish up with some fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper. YUM! Perfect way to start off a Sunday.

running as fast as I can

Day 1 (yesterday) of running program complete. I pretty much felt like this after only 4 minutes.. not gonna lie.

 

               
 I think the fact that I did this after a strength training class didn't help. Need to rearrange my schedule a bit. I'm not a runner (I think we've established that) so I'm taking baby steps. I've done my research and found a number of great training schedules for newbie's like me. The one I am using is from Womens Health Mag. Lots of great tips on this website. 

I'm quite sore today. Not sure if it's from the metacon class I did on Monday, strength training class I did yesterday, or the running. Maybe it's all of it? No pain, no gain right? 

 Anybody have some tips on what to eat before/after running? I'd love some help! :)

patiently weighting.

I don't think I've really spoken about my current weight loss journey so let me take the time to divulge. 

December 31 - getting ready to ring in the New Year and I thought to myself, "Let's weigh in". DONG! 174.3 lbs?!? Well, this was rather shocking. I hadn't been this weight since I was on my first weight loss journey but back then I was 193 lbs. "Okay," I said to myself, "Get through this night, even though you might look a giant disco ball (I was wearing sequin pants from Simons), and in 2013... you'll start fresh."

January 1 - Okay, well I didn't say I would start RIGHT on the first day of 2013. I was hung over and only wanted iHop pancakes with my lovely family. Sue me. 

January 2 - For realz this time. When I was doing this for the first time in 2006, as I mentioned, I was 193 lbs. With the help of the old Weight Watchers program and attending the weekly meetings, I got myself down to 146lbs in a matter of 6 months or so. My sister KJ ((Many Sides of Karyna) was a huge advocate for Weight Watchers so it helped to have her on my side. This time around, with technology being where it is today and my time so short with (at the time of starting this) a second job, I decided to do Weight Watchers online. Once I signed up, it was pretty easy to navigate. I downloaded the app for my iPad and for my smartphone and I was on my way. 

My favourite part about being on this plan is that it is made for people who love food... all kinds of food! I am still able to eat out, have a treat day here or there but still have enough of the healthy foods to keep my satisfied throughout the day. I don't think I have ever felt like I was dissatisfied, starving or deprived at all. I also loved going to the gym.... okay maybe not loved, but loved what it felt like after kicking some butt in one of the classes. I finally put my Spalady membership to good use going to conditioning classes, kickboxing, metacon clases and of course, Zumba. Looove Zumba! I would make it a point to go at least 2-3 times a week. If I was feeling extra inspired.. maybe 4. 

Finally, end of March/beginning of April rolls around and I reach my 10% target which puts me at 156.9 lbs. I had been dreading this moment since the beginning because typically when I reach my 10%, that usually means a plateau is not far. Sure enough, I was right. I was teetering between 156 and 155 for a few weeks and started to get frustrated. I made the decision to do WW part time and take a break from the gym. It kind of worked. I went down to 150 in the next month to come. 

Now, my body has re-adjusted to the break and I'm ready to get back into the game. I'm starting off slow.. a couple of classes at the gym here and there and integrated all of the good foods into my diet again. I bookmarked a wackload of recipes from Skinnytaste and some other great snack ideas from Pinterest. 

Today, I am 150.2lbs. Starting my running program and working my way up to a 5K. 

It's okay to fall off the wagon as long as you hop right back up. I've come the realization that I'm not alone in this and millions of other women go through weight issues. Most important thing to remember, however, is that you gotta love your body no matter what. 

jeepers, peepers

Haha what a fail. One month into a blog and I neglect it already. I managed to miss the entire month of May. Sorry folks.
Anyways, got some new specs in the mail from Zenni Optical. Thanks Dajana (All Kinds of Lovely) for the recommendation. 5 pairs of spectacles for $125 including two pairs of prescription sunglasses.
I've wanted to be one of those people who could pull off the "Wayfarer" style so I picked up a few pairs.

It was quite easy to order once you have the prescription and know what you want. Mind you, I had about 20 pairs on my favourites list and whenever I would narrow it down to at least 5, I found another 10 that I liked. Finally, I just bit the bullet and went for it. I've only had them for a couple of days but I'm quite happy with them. It was still a bit of a gamble especially since I have literally had the same one pair of glasses for 5 years and those were from a store that fitted me and everything.

Here are my new glassses!

Either way, I recommend it to those who have very basic vision needs.
-E