Ch-ch-ch-changes!

One of my goals for this year that I didn't state directly in my list of things is to say yes more. A lot of people have problems saying no but I have never been that person.

I've learned that when opportunities arise I need to take them and when I want something I need to go get it. Normally I think about things forever before I commit. I analyze every single detail; now, I am slowly learning to be a tad more impulsive (in a good way).

I was sitting at work thinking about some of the things I'd like to accomplish and started meandering around Google.

I made my way to the Can-Fit-Pro site and you know what? I signed myself up for a course and an exam! By the end of February I will be a certified Nutrition & Wellness Specialist. I've also signed up for the Zumba Instructors Course in March. I still plan to get my pilates instructor certification but there is a lot more that goes into that including a minimum number of hours of in class participation before you can take the course. I AM SO EXCITED!

I am making great strides in my overall well being.

Today I got my tush kicked during a lunch time romp with Cardio Kickboxing! My legs and butt are already sore. Tomorrow's going to be rough but I'm doing a PowerFlex class which is similar to a BodyPump kind of deal.

When I got home the UPS dude finally showed up with my bloody package.


My kettle bell dvds are FINALLY in. I can finally figure out how to use my kettle bells instead of just swinging them around like a mad woman.


There are 6 dvds in total and I plan to do them 3 times a week on top of my lunch workouts. I am so looking forward to shrinking my body.


ALL of my clothes are now loose. Even the ones I've had for years since I was last on WW are too big. I love it. I have some serious shopping to do but I'm going to wait until I get to goal. There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to be up this week when I weigh in. I didn't weigh in last week and regardless of how good I was this week my bender is definitely going to pop up on the scale. I'm not worried. I feel great so the number is just a number at this point. It'll get where I want it to go.

I am off... my body is KILLING ME... I'm going to be so sore tomorrow. Thank you Cardio Kickboxing!

I did it two days in a row...

Ahem!

I... Allie... had Oatmeal for breakfast 2 days in a row. This is also the second time I've done this. After a little more experimenting I can say that it's a good breakfast. I don't love it and if I had more time in the morning I probably wouldn't grab it automatically but it's working for my daily routine.

Yesterday morning:


Today:

I realized that my oatmeal has to be almost unsweetened. I've always loaded it with brown sugar and cinnamon in the hopes that the sweetness would do it for me but after accidentally making a batch that wasn't as sweet I found that I enjoyed it much more. Same thing goes for the toppings, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds add crunch and a bit of saltiness which I adore and Blue Diamond's crunchy almond butter isn't the least bit sweet. My new concoctions are definitely working for me.

For lunch today I had steamed veggies with flax seeds -- very yummy


I also had 1/2 a can of tuna with a drizzle of Italian dressing.


Dinner was courtesy of mama who prepared cheese tortellini, shrimp and more steamed veggies. I was too ravenous to wait for the veggies so they didn't make it into the pasta bowl.


Today I also committed to lunch workouts with a co-worker. I find that most people in the office head to the gym for lunch. We're lucky that we work at a University and as such have access to the gym for free. I decided to do a class today and did Zumba for the first time!

The verdict? Much better than I expected. I actually enjoyed it and can't wait to go back next Tuesday. I loved the whole dance aspect of it. I caught on really quick and had fun shaking my booty. I'm contemplating getting my Zumba training certificate so I can run my own funky class. Level one training is in March and I think I may just do it.

Tomorrow a few of us are heading to cardio kick-boxing during lunch. I expect to be in a lot of pain on Thursday and I can't wait!

Have a great night peoples!

Back at it!

After two blissful and sloth-like weeks off I am ready to get back to work. I actually kind of excited to get back to some sort of routine. I have been slacking majorly in every department there is.

This morning I noshed on 1/2 apple + 1 slice of Rye toast + 1 egg fried in 1 tsp of olive oil topped with a sprinkling of hot sauce + Peppermint yogi tea sweetened with agave.


I didn't capture a picture of lunch but I had 2 more slices of Rye toast topped with Blue Diamond crunchy almond butter and drizzled in agave. I also munched on a Ferrero Rocher and Doritos.

My mum made a delicious Sunday dinner of chicken, veggies and baked potatoes but I don't eat chicken thighs (it's a texture thing not a weight loss thing). I had an almost veggie dinner until I decided to top my potatoes with a bit of crumbled bacon. I also added cheese and sour cream.


My mama baked cookies for dessert so I had a small chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream. The ice cream wasn't jiving with me tonight so I just ate the cookie underneath.


AND... like a good girl, I packed my lunch for tomorrow. A turkey and spinach sandwich with organic hummus and dijon mustard + Activia Yogurt + Candy Cane Lane Green Tea + Animal Crackers + Grapes + Blueberries & Blackberries.


I haven't decided on what breakfast is going to be in the morning. We'll have to see how much time I have.

Hopefully I survive a full day of work tomorrow. My plan is to hit the University gym either during lunch or after work but we'll see how I feel.

She's gone off the deep end...

No, not another food bender... We left those back in 2009 remember?

Look at me! Notice anything... different...

Still can't see?

I got my nose pierced! It's still a little red around the ring since it's still fresh but it's so cute.

Oh no she didn't... Oh yes I did! I have been wanting to do this since I was in high school but never had the courage to do it. I decided on Wednesday when I was out to dinner with my mum that I was going to go first thing Saturday morning when the mall opened.

My confidence is soaring in 2010... I'm taking care of myself mentally, physically and emotionally. I've even starting prettying up... I painted my toes and fingers in a cute pink colour, slapped on some tights, a vest and a sparkly scarf and rouged my cheeks (after the pic was taken).


Did I mention that this is going to be a fabulous year?

It's a new day and a new year!

Let us wave farewell to 2009 and give it a swift kick in the pants! Is it weird that when the clock struck midnight I was overwhelmed with joy? Honestly, I couldn't stop myself from smiling at all of the great things that are in store for me this year.

We're going to take one more trip down memory lane to expose the perils of my final few days in 2009.

I've eaten my first home cooked meal today since Boxing Day... quite sad. No groceries here and my mum has gone on a self induced cooking strike. Her, my step-dad and brother went out for dinner again tonight. I politely declined. My tummy is PISSED OFF at me... majorly. We've eaten out every day this week. Disgusting.

So after the bests took me out for dinner on Tuesday, my mum took me out for more cheering up on Wednesday and subsequently Thursday as well. Love her.

I let her pick the restaurant on Thursday and she picked Red Lobster. I had a great meal and enjoyed every bite.

A biscuit (and a half not pictured)


3 stuffed mushrooms...


A salad (not pictured), garlic shrimp + broiled scallops + broccoli


We were supposed to go see It's Complicated afterward but the movie theatre was packed! So we decided to do the next best thing: shop and do dessert. My mother may have suckered me into a Bellini... this time I went for a small one. There was also more caramel, chocolately, cheescakey, roll thingy involved but I thought another picture would be redundant. Really, how many benders do you need to watch me have?


I've left all of that back in 2009. This morning I started fresh is 2010 with Candy Cane Lane Green Tea.


I also loaded up a 1.5 L bottle with water. Drink up!


Brunch was absolutely AMAZING and nothing special all at the same time. 1 Red Delicious Apple and 2 slices of light rye bread with crunchy almond butter and a drizzle of agave.


For dinner I scrounged around to see what I could make. I found a bit of Quinoa, Spinach and Goat Cheese and voila! Dinner!


Tomorrow I'm treating myself to something special and funky for 2010. I'll be back with pictures in the afternoon. Get ready for Allie... 2010 style!

This year I... (Farewell 2009)

I am SO excited for 2010. Good things are a commin'...

I'm going to try and recap my year in as succinct a manner as I can.

In January I...
Weighed myself at my highest weight ever (220) and made a commitment to myself to lose weight and get healthy.

In February I...
Changed my career path and decided to pursue a career in teaching (in whatever capacity) instead of being a big PR exec.

In March I...
Joined Weight Watchers meetings for the second time in a bid to solidify my weight loss efforts.

In April I...
Started Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants! I am so thankful for this blog and all of the wonderful blessings that have come along with it.

In May I...
Went to Jamaica and braved a bikini! I still cannot believe I bared my midriff at 190-some-odd pounds.

In June I...
Graduated from University with a honours degree AND a diploma. Not bad for 4 years!

In July I...
Turned 22 and realized that I was changing in a major way.

In August I...
Started a job as a liaison officer with the University that I graduated from. I stumbled across the position the last day it was posted and decided to give it a shot. Everything really does happen for a reason and this job was by far one of the best decisions I've made this year. I got to travel all over Ontario and speak with students in over 100 schools. I met fantastic new friends and even reconnected with some old ones (♥). I will never be able to express what this job has done for me. It's given me so much confidence and a new outlook on people and life overall.

In September I...
Applied for Bachelor of Education programs... (Eek!). Let's speak no more of this until I have word in 2010 that I'm in.

In October I...
Met the lovely T.O. blog ladies who have quickly become my big sisters... reminding me that I need to take care of myself and make decisions that are best for me.

In November I...
Went to Windsor! lol I know, not that exciting but it was a major turning point for me because I ate out the entire week, came home and lost 4.6 lbs! It showed me that there is no excuse for laziness... If I can do well while being out of my comfort zone then I sure as hell should be able to kick some tush while at home and having everything at my finger tips.

In December I...
Recorded my lowest weight in 3 years and made some tough decisions about the year ahead.

Overall, I had a FANTASTIC year. I think 2009 was a year of change for me and 2010 will be more action based.

As for GOALS and PLANS for the upcoming year, I do have a few:

1. Get to my Weight Watchers goal of 160 lbs by March 28, 2009 (the anniversary of the day I joined meetings again).
2. Get lifetime membership at Weight Watchers and become a leader.
3. Start dancing again (I AM GOING to do a few drop-in classes in Toronto on the weekends starting in January -- I've already put the money away)
4. Tone Up (I will be using my Kettle Bells 3X a week -- My dvds are coming in today!)
5. Run 3 races this year (5k in the Spring, 10k in the Summer and depending on how good I get either another 10k in the fall or a half marathon in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2010.
6. Get my pilates instructor certification.
7. Get out more... be social and active... I spent too long hiding away and it's time for me to become the butterfly and emerge from the cocoon (this won't be the last you hear of me being a butterfly).
8. Get back into music - I am signing myself up for piano and voice lessons so I can complete my RCM exams. (I somehow lost myself and all the things I used to love... I used to sing, write and produce and I plan to do a lot more of that in 2010).
9. Save $$$ (I did a really good job of this in 2009 but 2010 is going to be crucial as I may be starting school in September).
10. FIND AND LOVE MYSELF! This is the year to focus on me & find out who I am now and what I want in life.
    

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Last Night...

I actually should've titled this post Crash and Burn....

It's been a rough couple of days. Some personal stuff went down and I didn't handle it nearly as well as I expected to.

So my besties came by to pick me up and take me out for a ladies night.


We went to Moxies... to be quite honest I really didn't have much of an appetite to begin with so I decided on an app. actually two but only one was consumed.


I decided on a liquid entree... When the waitress came by I told her I needed a Bellini... A BIG ONE!


That was number 1... and this was number 2...


And because I'm so classy I had Ash take a pic.


The three of us decided it was definitely a dessert night so we split one...


I was already full and the dessert didn't help...

We ended the night with giggles and Bradley Cooper ala The Hangover... *drool*


I wanted to jump through my television when they were first in the hotel getting ready to go out and Bradley Cooper is in the all black suit... DELISH!

I've barely slept during the night these past few days and last night was no exception... I did however have the pleasure of nursing a terrible tummy ache... BIG THUMBS DOWN!

Sorry for the random post... I'm still kind of blah.