I Got It!!!

I got my brand new treadmill!  I am sooooo excited... (can't you tell!  lol )  I found one for 1/3 the price at Canadian Tire at their Saturday Special with a great warranty.  We showed up for 7 am and stood in line for one.  I must say that I was VERY impressed on how they handled everything.  It was the first time that a place actually brought enough stock in to cover the need as they brought in over 225 of them.  When you paid for it you were given a chit and then drove to just behind with your vehicle where they had two lines going; one guy to check the chit and then 4 guys to load each treadmill up in the vehicles.  It went fast and smooth and I was quite happy about the whole thing...  then we got home! lol  This treadmill is WAY bigger than any of the others I have had and with just my hubby and I to bring it in, it was an experience to say the least.  Hubby ended up hurting his back a bit but we made it.  Last night I put it all together and gave it a spin..... All I can say is oooooooooo.... :D  So nice and quiet and love everything about it for the money!  The fan is so nice to have so I don't have to rig one up for my really long runs.  It is set back up in the living room like I used to before I had everything set up downstairs before we got tenants again.   I even have a special blanket for it to cover it up afterwards to help with the animal fur not getting all over it badly.  lol  My son even insisted that he had a go on it!

So last night I did about 3.5 k (it is in miles which I have to get used to again) and today I am going to do about 45 mins worth.  I downloaded a widget for my computer to convert things for me so I have an idea of what I have done when finished.  I may just have to switch right over to miles here again!

So, that's my big news!  I still have not been able to start anyone's homework yet or groceries and cleaning!  Yesterday's activities did go well though as my son did better in his bowling and he was surprised at how much fun he had at my union's x-mas party - I should have taken him before but never really felt like going... I guess who you work with can really make a difference on many things.  Next year he will be too old to go. :(  

I hope all are doing well and I will try to catch up later this evening when I have a bit more time.

Yeah!

I am back to 133 lbs!  I have now hit my first goal milestone like the picture beside.... now to hit the next one. ;)

Things are going really great and my mind set is soooo stable!  I don't have anymore of my up and downs mood swings or blood sugar drops that I had before.  My co-workers even commented on how I am really coming up with good ideas at work lately and how great of mood I have been in.  the one thing that I have found easier also is getting over the little things that would normally set me off for a whole day.  Now it is just the really bad things that keep me flustered. lol  (not many of them!)

Well I was supposed to go and pick up a treadmill from my aunt's house last night and my cousin decided he was going to use it so I am now going to go looking for one this weekend.  It is working out because there are sooooo many sales going on right now that there are some good deals to be had - also makes a GREAT X-mas gift for me! :D  I will just get to use it earlier. :)

I had a great run last night and just went around the area with some good ol' tunes on with nothing else to worry about.  Felt great!

This weekend is going to be pretty busy here as we are moving my youngest sister in to her first place with her new baby, my son's bowling, my union's kid's x-mas party, help my son finish and assignment for Monday, do 2 assignments of my own, and the rest of the normal weekend stuff around here like cleaning, laundry, groceries, etc., and I still would like to get a good run in on Sunday morning!  Whew!  I get tired just looking at it all. lol  (kidding)  :D

So, I hope everyone is having a great day where ever you are and not getting too snowed in.  We lost all ours, and I am really hoping for a dumping here at some pt.... (I know crazy talk) :)

Things Are Right On Track!

Well I have not been around the last bit because we have been so busy around here with everything.  Between daily chores, homework (my son's and mine), getting all meals done and ready for the next day including breakies, I rarely am getting a break!

I have some GREAT news amongst all of this though... My hubby got a job with the sheriff's here!  So as long as he likes it, we are staying where we are and not moving. :D  So, next week my application will go back in to the RN program here and hopefully I will be accepted again and NOT have to drop out before it starts because of finances.

In the wt. loss depart things are going AWESOME and I could not be happier with it.  I get a great night's sleep every night and fall asleep hard.  I have no cravings still what so ever and I am finding new recipes all the time to try.  The one thing that I thought was the neatest was making mock mashed potatoes with cauliflower!  I never would have thought of that one.

Running is still about 3 times a week right now and just taking it easy.  This weekend I finally get to bring the treadmill from my aunt's house over here to use.  I am sooooooo excited!!!! lol

Well, time to catch up with everyone to see how everyone is doing.

So When is The Snow REALLY Arriving?

You know, I woke up and still... only a scattering of snow on the ground.  I am not super gung ho about winter and all, but could it at least give us a dumping so I can have a real excuse to wear a winter jacket? lol  Some days I feel real silly with my mitts and that because there is nothing on the ground!  Just doesn't feel right to me.

Thanks to all who comment on my previous post.  It really is quite hard trying to go through everything again as I tend to get some flashbacks.   The main point why I do share though is for the motivation for others.  Even if only just one person 'gets' it, then I have done my job.

Well, I was so busy working on my homework here that I forgot to report my wi.... 135.4 lbs! :D  Down 0.6 lbs and I am quite happy about that as I did have a hot wing fest on Thursday night. lol  I only ate about 12 of them... but they do contain a bit of what I don't want to eat right now.  They sure tasted pretty good though and in another family night 'what's for supper' pickle... I just may do it again.  ;)   (there wasn't that much of the other stuff - at least they were not breaded)

I did manage to head out for a couple of small runs this week and I am realizing that it is time to get another treadmill here.  I HATE ice and those ice grippers only do so much as I still feel quite unsafe.  I contemplated asking for one for x-mass... but I do have one ready to come over here already - just have to find a truck.  My aunt has one in her basement and said I could have it and just haven't found a way to get it over here yet.  Mind you, she only lives about 5 blocks away... I wonder if it has some small wheels at the bottom and I could just roll it over here.....  

Anyways, x-mass is around the corner here and this is the first year that I am at a complete loss on what to get everyone!  Usually I have ideas up the wazoo but this time... nope, nadda.  I serious have to get cracking on this.  My son is in that still likes toys age but becoming a teenager... my hubby?  Well, who knows... I think he'll like something and be totally wrong about it or never use it.  I am at just a complete loss here.

Since I worked on homework from 8:30 am yesterday to 1 am last night (and handed in two assignments), I think today is house cleaning, laundry, groceries, and plan the week day.  My goal is to get as much as I can get done now and then hopefully tonight I can just sit back and relax.

Have a great day!

My Life

Ok... you are going to have to bear with me here as I go through all this. It hasn't been an easy life and I have had my share of the hospitals. lol Right now I will share the stuff that I share with people about me. I have had the usual kid bumps, bruises, and have grabbed the odd curling iron or placed my hand on the hot stove as a kid, but the rest have made me who I am today.

I have had a bit of a rough life to start. Born with huge dumbo ears and had the 'old way' of correction using the pins. I basically had a football helmet of bandages on my head and lost my balance all the time - something to do with the surgery affecting my inner ear? So that was fun. At the age of two and just getting my bearings to begin with, not something that a kid looks forward to. Things did work out in the end though. :)

At the age of 3, I tripped over a cord attached to a kettle and burned my body from the neck down all over my arms and torso, both front and back. A lot of complications arouse and I was in the hospital for six months dealing with all kinds of stuff including pneumonia and physical therapy. I was not eligible for skin grafting as I was too skinny and under weight. It has taken me till after high school to wear a tank top as I was too self-conscious of my scars. I do not have much left except one that goes from over one shoulder, down my arm a bit, and across my chest.

As the years progressed, I started to have seizures that my mom noticed. She did take me to the doc and they did not really look into it far. It was not until things got bad enough at school that one teacher finally got involved - it was then that I was diagnosed with juvenile epilepsy. I would either have the grande mals or the petite sensory ones, as it depended on the circumstance I was in. I had to actually laugh at this because I was always sent to the principal's office from a different teacher because she thought I was being a smart ass and not paying attention to her. She was kinda silent too me after the verdict came in. :) So, the pills they had me on I swear could knock out a horse. It is nothing to actually have to sit in a chair to take a pill because I would be a walking zombe with them and out of it. Physical exercise was a no go because I just had such a hard time with it. I am lucky today that I have grown out of this but it will always be a constant worry to me if they start to occur again.

Now, if I didn't think I had it bad already... on July 7th, 1992, the world for me came to a halt.

I was in a serious car accident that took them almost an hour to get me out of the car. I was hit by a truck doing about 80 kms/hr and pushed in to another truck. I was the driver and was embedded under the steering column and the clutch went in to my right foot. They could not use the jaws of life because it would have caused more damage to me so they had to take the car apart from the back, across the top, to the front and get to me that way. I was taken to one hospital and stabilized till I was ready to transport to another city. The family was called in as they did not expect me to make it.

It was touch and go for a while there as I coded a few times and they had to cut the surgery short because I was not doing too well. In the end I ended up breaking numerous ribs, right humerous, shattering my left femur (they had to put a rod in), hip, both scapulas, shoulder bones that I can not remember the names of :), fractured left skull by my ear (head injury), completely severed radial right nerve by the broken humerous, severe contusions to both my lungs, and spleen (they were going to remove this), damaged the right ventricle of my heart, and fractured my neck. Yep, you read it right... my neck. There were some other things but, these were the main ones that I can remember.

I had no feeling from my neck down for a while and until the swelling went down, they were unsure of the full extent of it. Luckily, things worked out well that I did not have as much damage as they thought I may have and I did end up getting feeling back. Well... that is except for my arm... the whole top of my arm that is connected to the radial nerve that was severed that does things like being able to lift your fingers or open your hand.

So, throughout my almost couple months stay in the hospital, I was told many things. First of all I was told I would not be able to walk again, and then I could walk - but would always need a cane... as I would always have a severe limp. I was told I would never be able to run, have kids, and would never have the full use of my arm and hand. Now each time I would have a success, they would always shoot me down with another one of there downer comments. I will never forget the first day that they put me in a wheel chair... it took almost five people to put me in because everywhere they touched, I was broken. lol As time moved on and through physical therapy, I was shown how to get in myself with help and told myself I can't live like this. I won't accept it!

The last bit I was in there, I insisted that I needed to live as normally as I could with what I had. My family and boyfriend at the time came in every morning to get me dressed, do my hair and help feed me. I HATED my hospital room and any chance I could get I would sneak around in my wheel chair using my right toes and my left hand to move the chair. I was finally transported back to my home because the nurses said I was too stubborn and refused all their help as I insisted I did everything my way and that as long as I continued my physical and occupational therapy, I could go... with home care visiting me everyday of course.

It took over a year of physical therapy and a couple of years of occupational therapy to see remarkable improvement. Yes, I did walk again (obviously) as I graduated from the chair, to a modified walker (because of the limited use of my arm/hand) to a cane, to walking and now running. The limp was hard to get rid of but I found the more active I became the better things went. To this day, if I do not stay active, my limp may show up. I still have a hard time sitting in some chairs for a length of time because it hurts too much. Sometimes I would have a hard time just sitting in a university class. Going to watch a movie at a theatre was torture. Thank god for when the Galaxy Cinema came - much better. :)

Now the arm took quite a long time. Around the 1.5 year mark, they sent me for a test to see if any nerve signals were coming to my hand yet. If they did not see one, they were going to put a fake part in to attach it together again. Thank goodness a signal finally showed up! The nerve naturally healed itself. :D

A few years later, when I could finally be like almost nothing happened, I met a man, got married 6 months later, and he insisted on kids. Now I tried to tell him what had happened but he did not believe me. I told him that I was advised that I would not be able to carry a child safely full term. He won. He soon learned that I really couldn't. I spent one month in the hospital before my son was born, and he was born one month early. There were complications and my heart really could not handle everything. They were close to losing us both in the delivery room.

Today my son has Asperger's, ADHD, Tourette's and Asthma. Whether or not these are related to the pregnancy or not, I don't know. But I love him even more for them. I will never be able to carry children again as the doctor's made sure of this a couple of yrs ago. It just is not safe. Oh ya, and that man is no longer my husband. ;) I have had problems with my blood pressure and wt and have managed to get myself off of meds and down in wt to make things better. My arm/hand will never be 100% like it used to be as I still have some weird feelings and tingles on the top, but you'll never know how proud I was when I could finally give a thumbs up to my doc! I also have some memory problems and have lost part of my life memories due to head injury form the accident. My neck gives me grief now and again too.

Now, the question is... why do I run? Because I can! I was told I would never be able to do anything that the doctor said. Grant it he was right in some things, but I just knew that I could do more. I am a very stubborn person that loves and searches for new challenges all the time. It is by this stubbornness and all the prayers to god that family and friends made that I am here today. It was on my persistence and love on continuing on going to the gym how ever I could and did what I could. I am not going to give up. If I do... I know I will end up like the last words that the doctor had told me - you will most probably using a cane by the mid 30's and in a chair in the 40's. I need to continue to stay active to keep my mobility or I seize up. I need to stay active to keep my heart in the best shape it can. I need to stay active so I can be there for my son and husband. I need to stay active for me.

So there you go, a kind of run down on my life and why I run. Every time I go out I think about what I have accomplished in my life and what I have overcome. I know if life was different and I was still in a chair, I still would have the determination to get out there and do what I could. I also know that if I did not experience all the trials that my life has given me, I may not have been as strong. I used these to fuel myself to move on and get past many obstacles that were there.

I am not the fastest runner out there by any means, but I am out there doing what I can. So when I get to that 'wall' in running, I think to myself... this is just a walk in the park.

Splenda

It was a great relationship while it lasted.... but I am sorry to say we must part our ways.  You have allowed me to indulge in things that would normally be bland or bitter, giving it your sweet kisses to make it all better.

You see, you cause headaches with me.  I never realized this before but have now pinpointed the cause and you are it.  I know we may cross paths now and again, perhaps in some baking some day, but you will never be the first choice I reach for anymore.  Good-bye.

The past couple of weeks I would get headaches at certain times of the day and luckily I hope I have figured it out.  I believe Splenda was causing me some grief and did not notice it before because I went in between using a couple of different things.  Some days it would have been some fat-free stuff or something else.  The past four weeks I have just been using the packets of Splenda for some sweetener.  I tried something else for a couple of days and boom no headache!!! (this was while eating the exact same things - just without spenda)  Now a new search for something I can use safely!  I hear about Stevia is not too bad so I am going to pick some up today to try.

Oh, I was not dehydrated if any of you may think of that one... I have drank almost 3 L/day here. lol

Other than that things have been going very well here and the rt calf has no problems at all. :)  So, after a bit of time here after eating, I am heading out for another run!  :D

Last night I gave a speech on motivation at an RR clinic using my life experience in what I have been through, overcome, and what I have accomplished to this day.  I have given this speech 4 times now in front of a small crowd and each time I still get the jitters and uneasy feeling of talking about it.  But, I think I am ready to share with all... so next post will be about that.

Have a great day everyone!

My Run

Well I finally made it out there again!  My first cold weather run.  The last time I managed to get out it was a bit warmer out.   The wind was terrible and boy oh boy you could smell that snow in the air.  I know its coming and I think sooner than later. :(

The run felt WONDERFUL and NO problems with the knee at all.  I stretched and had some macadamia nuts after with my water and then went to stand up... rt calf cramp....  wth????  NEVER have had a problem on that side before.  I just finished icing as a precaution and going through what may have happened.  Conclusion - jumped in to fast for the workout today.  I didn't think I was pushing it at all as I took a good warm up walk and did not go out too fast, then a good cool down walk.  I didn't even do a total distance of 5k!  I am glad that I chose the nuts after though... a good dose of protein, carbs, fat and salt (which helps me with the cramping - since I tend to lose a lot of sodium). :)

So... a couple of days taking it easy and I will see about heading out on Tuesday night for an EASY run... maybe even some run/walk intervals to back up a bit. ;)

But I do feel wonderful and just love that feeling after a good run.  Total distance was 4.73k in 38 mins... see, told ya I took it easy. lol

Warning: Contains talking about greasy food!

Tried something new to eat this morning with my bacon and eggs: Fried Cabbage.  It is not the deep fried crispy stuff (which I have not tried) but you cook it in the bacon grease that is left over.  You can add some bacon pcs to it but since I wanted my bacon in larger pcs, I added some mushrooms to it.  I added just a bit of butter near the end of cooking and boy oh boy was it nummies!  Let's just say that I ate at 9 a.m., had just my nuts after my run, and it is now 1:30 and I am NOT hungry in the least bit!  In fact I have to have something here soon just so I am not going too long in between eating. :)

Warning over.

Now for the rest of today.... HOMEWORK!!!! lol  I have to get that done already...

This week will be a short work week as I work tomorrow (but no students) and with Tuesday off, my Tuesday will now be my Sunday while I will be watching Remembrance Day Ceremonies also.

Well I hope all have had a great weekend!

Update:  The SNOW has arrived!!!  We had a couple of hours here of little visibility and then some sleet afterwards - making it VERY slippery out there.  Don't know if it is going to stick around or not since this is our first but it sure was interesting trying to drive from one end of the city to the other.... I swear the city shuts down because of all the traffic when the snow first comes... ARGH!  lol

Hairspray!

Sorry I did not get back to blogin' like I was going to last night but I got a call from my aunt.  She had an extra ticket to go see the musical Hairspray because my Nanny was to sick to go so of course I jump on it!  ;)  It was excellent and really got my feet tapping.  It was funny because I had saw the movie and I could not believe how close it was.  You know it always seems that they change so many things but the dialogue alone...  I guess my family had bought tickets for it just before we went to England... it sold out fast.  So for anyone who love a good laugh and a toe stomping good time.... This is a must see! 

Now for a little rant... I love my cell phone and use it lots to talk and text and take those sudden pics of when I don't have my camera around... but when you are enjoying something in a dark theatre watching a play... I don't feel kindly about someone in front of me, in my direct view of the play, using theirs to text and take pics!!!!  The whole first half of the musical, this girl was taking pics and texting!  At one pt she did lower the brightness but still, VERY distracting. :(  At the intermission, I went and reported her seat.  All they did was warn her.  The second half was not as bad, she tried to hide what she was doing and not as much.  We paid $58 for each of our seats and this was not appreciated in the least.

There rant over.

As for some good news... I am down another pound!!!! Yeah! :) 136 lbs!  It is funny because I still have not had any flour of any kind, avoided sugar, no popcorn, potatoes, corn, carrots, bananas, and most fruit for 3 weeks!!!!  I can't believe that there are no cravings what so ever still.  I must say counting the carbs is way easier than ww and I find I am eating less calories to make me satisfied.  Caloric range is between 1400 and 1700 a day. :)  And still losing wt. *wink*

 Man I love this!!!  Counting the net carbs was a bit confusing at the beginning and it took a couple of days to figure it out, not really hard.... but to me I still think I made the best choice for myself and sticking to it.

Exercise wise, running, did not happen this week, but lots of walking and at work I was breaking out in to a sweat everyday because we were so busy.  My son and I also played around with the Wi Fit and Wi Music a few good times.  So no shortage of exercise here. lol

Well, my plans for the weekend are to get caught up on my chemistry and pack away my summer clothes.  It has cooled off here quite a bit now.

As for moving, we still have no clue and just when we have our hopes up, it doesn't happen. :(  Soooooooo frustrating!!!!  Oh well, life moves on and I will just make the best of how things are now. :)

Now off to catch up on some blogs. ;)

Busy Week.

I don' really I think I sit and stop from the time I get up in the morning till the time I go to bed! lol I have been getting better and getting things ready the night before like making lunches, preparing what's for breakie, clothes and such, but man oh man I still run out of time in the morning and I get up at 6:30!!!! (my son and I leave the house at 8:30) I have not really done my hair nicely in a while and have just stuck it in a pony tail...

So, this weekend I am going to try to get more things done on the Sunday to make my weekdays easier. During the week I just don't have much time to focus on homework like I would like. My son's homework is getting more and more and there are the problems that come with that. We have spent on average this week at least 2 hours a night on it. It is getting more and more frustrating for him.

Well things are going quite well still and I am very happy about the results. The last two days I have wore some nice dress pants to work that I was not able to wear because I my wt gain. So feeling great about that one! ;) I still am walking to work everyday but have not had time to run. :( Just have not had the time. :( :( *pouting*

Well it was great to hear from all of you! I will check on you all tomorrow when I have a bit more of time. ;) Take care!!!

Why am I Doing This?

Well I know some may disagree with about in the last post about ww just not doing it for me anymore. Yes... I can have as much veggies that I am comfortable on core with and meats... the problem was that I was still having some craving issues on some days. It was just like I still seemed out of control with my carbs and wants. The freeness (is that even a word? lol ) would seem to get to me and I was taking advantage of my flex pts and APs and still not looking at controlling them for a life time. Yes, ww worked for me and I know I can stick with it and lose everything again... but... a big BUT here... I was going back again and wondering if this just isn't me for the long run.

Looking at my family's habits of eating and everything that I want, the Atkins just fits better with me. Yes at the beginning it is a bit daunting it seems, but I really felt all the withdrawals from the carbs I was eating. It kinda makes me wonder really what is happening in my body. I know I re-signed up again online with ww, but I am canceling it again here. I am using www.fitday.com to record all my food to keep track. This is nice because it is free and then the cost of the small paperback book and carb counter is all that this has cost me. Much cheaper than ww.

Another thing that seems to work for me is the thought of eating more back to the basics of how we used to eat many years ago when obesity was not an issue as it is today. I am feeling more and more strongly that all these things that we have like the low-fat foods are making us fatter. The same goes with the processed stuff. As far as I am concerned, the real tastes better and I do not need as much of it. Like cheese for example: one oz of this of the low fat stuff and there is not much taste, but the real chedder? You don't need very much and you get that lovely taste. :)

As for running and doing this with controlling the carbs, I eat LOTS of veggies and eat as I am hungry without worry (as long as I am eating the right foods). As my distance increases, so do the carbs and I adjust accordingly.

Now I am not trying to convert anyone here at all. Everyone must do what works for them because everyone is different.

Enough of all this now. lol I will just update about my progress. ;)

Well, this weekend I have not done as much as I would have like here but I still have today to get some of it done. So... wish me luck as I move on and conquer. :D

Happy for a Loss Again!

I did it! I moved the scale. :D I am at 137 lbs which is still almost 13 lbs from where I was at in the spring but I will take what I can get. lol

It would have been a larger loss I believe if I hadn't cooked a huge ham (bone in) on Sunday that took us just over 3 days to finish eating! I was wondering why I was feeling a bit blah still and then realized about the sodium content.... hmmmm... now that would affect things wouldn't it. ;) Then when I didn't eat it, things went much better. So I learned a new thing this past week.

Another good thing is that it has been almost two weeks since I have touched bread, potatoes, carrots, and corn! I really thought the bread thing would do me in but I am quite happy about that. Not a craving in sight and yesterday at the school, there was cookies, cake and rootbeer or orange floats and I didn't feel like having anything!!!! I am soooooo happy right now and very proud of myself - usually I would have said ah... I could have it now and make up for it later or start again tomorrow... NOPE! not this time. ;)

Javachick... I have you to thank for all of this right now because of your challenge to yourself not to touch sugar. I thought about it myself and figured why not, but went a bit further with it. So right now I am avoiding sugar, most dairy, wheat, and rice just to name a bit. I was happy on ww but thought I am still not quite GETTING IT! Something is just not right and I need to find something that will work for me and my tastes.

So... the jig is up. I am doing Atkins... not the old one... but the new one that is way better and more to my tastes of food. I like my meat, butter and things that are more fattening. What I have read makes so much more sense and I am eating way more veggies than I was on ww - which I think is a better thing. I have no cravings and lots of energy. It is extremely close to core which I compare it to to make sure I am not going over the edge too much. lol

So there you have it. Now let's see what next week will bring. ;)

Running? 3 times this week. I have also been walking to work and back and lots of moving around at work so I am definitely getting my exercise in.

I feel fabulous!!!!