Sunday ramdon thoughts... goals and aspirations

I recently deactivated my Facebook (FB) account. I thought of permanently deleting FB permanently but I could not fathom losing all my ‘friends’, in other words family, friends and people who I met one time or another. Recently more than ever I found myself ‘lurking’ on FB, gazing at other people’s memories, reading rants and complaints and feeling disconnected with the people who matter the most. One reason why I love(d) FB was that I had many contacts that gave me the ‘low-down’ on issues that matter to me and my community that often is not reflected in mainstream media such as the blatant disregard for Indigenous peoples and their rights and freedoms to live freely in their territories, under their own laws, custom and governance – all in the name of ‘progress’ and ‘development’.

I was inspired to blog to help me document my weight-loss goals and strive to live mino-pimatisiwin (Inninuw concept of ‘living the good life’ or living in balance), which I have not blogged about and which I should in the near future. Thus far on this blogging journey, I have lost 56 lbs since November 2009. I have drastically changed my eating habits and I feel a lot lighter! (I still hover around 227-231) and this has been the case for about a year. I am not too concerned at this moment in time. I know I have lost weight per se by the size of my clothes. I am swimming in 1x size clothes, I can finally fit into some XL at Ricki’s and XXL at Reitman’s hug my curves in a good way ;P. It is exciting to finally fit into ‘regular people’ clothes and options on wardrobe are increasing almost every day.

This summer I have a goal not to reactivate FB. I want to limit my personal internet time to less than 90 minutes a day. Often when I get up in the morning, I make my coffee, catch up on FB, read blogs, the mainstream news, and check the weather. That takes about 20-30 minutes. Then I travel to work. If I can block off 45-60 minutes in the evening to blog, read blogs or research/surf would be an awesome step forward in the sense that I can organize my personal time to achieve aspired goals.

I want to spend this summer outside as much as possible, I want to read both fiction and more scholarly pieces, and finally I yearn to go on vacation with my partner, who has recently graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Education. Vacation requires money and thrifty living is essential for the next 8 weeks and frugal living is a priority.

Summer of 2012 will be a good one.

Me, 2011 - I really need to start using my camera more

Have a good night!

230

Yeah! Soon to be in the 20's.
I kinda find it a bit humorous stating that.
Oh how I would like to be in the 120's but I do not think that is feasible to my body type. All I can say I am looking forward to being in the 100's hopefully by November. Then I can proudly state that I have lost 100 lbs via decolonizing my diet and exercise. The past few weeks I been taking my workouts outside! I can run/jog for 4 min on the treadmill then back to a brisk walk and back to a run/jog. I am still self-conscious running/jogging outside and I am in a desperate need to acquire a new sports bra (I been surviving on wearing two bras) and new workout pants/shorts as I am swimming in them. As for attending hot yoga classes - I have not checked that off my list. Soon maybe tomorrow.

Walk/Jog/Run

It has been about a year and a half since I started to get serious about my health. Since November 2009 I have lost 50 lbs and went from a size 22/24 down to a size 16/18. I can lift heavier weights than ever before and I do not get winded after 20 minutes of cardio. I go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and when I am not giving into my cravings I eat very light. This past month I have been upping my cardio exercise by increasing my walking on treadmill to 4.0 mph to a light jog of 4.8-5.0 mph. I am excited that I am improving with both cardio endurance and the increasing weight in strength training. I am starting to 'swim' in my gym clothes and I am starting to notice that I have a 'waist'. It is pretty exciting to see this transformation and I am starting to feel 'more in control' of my life.

Summer 2011 goals

To start walking/jogging/running outside (1 x week)
Hot yoga once a week (1 x week)

238

Yeah in the 230's
Bye bye 240's
Not sad that I have to say good bye to size 20 and some 18 pants!

yeah me!

I heart blogs

I like to read healthy living blogs. I find them very motivating and often I get excited when my favorites post a new entry. The main purpose of this blog was to document my healthy living progress and to also document the weight loss that often comes with that. Since November 2009, I have lost 40 lbs and I feel great about that. Aside from losing some pounds, I been reflecting on the changes I made the past year. The changes were minor, for example, I eat less and I diligently watch my portion sizes. At first I used measuring cups and a food scale, but now I am pretty good at eyeballing. Michael and I eat a lot of veggies, whole grain carbs, and lean cuts of meat. We never buy white bread, white rice or regular pasta. The only white item we allow is homemade bannock. Michael’s granny makes the best Cree style bannock. It is a treat. She sends it home with me when I return from Gillam for work. Bannock has its roots from Scotland and over the decades or even centuries it has become a tradition in Cree people’s lives. I can argue that we should stop eating bannock for health reasons – but there are ways to make the bread healthier like using white wheat flour and eliminate the lard and use fat that is less evil.
Another factor I contribute my success to is exercise. Over the past 6 months or so I have taken up weight lifting in addition to cardio. I have read from numerous sources that weight lifting is essential to building lean muscle mass and assists with weight loss. I feel stronger and more confident.
Here is a list of blogs that I love to read! Some deal with weight loss, living a balanced lifestyle and humour. They are not categorized.

http://www.jennyfromdarock.com/
http://www.embracingbalance.com/
http://lynnsstylediaries.blogspot.com/
http://fattyfighter.blogspot.com/
http://hereontheprairies.blogspot.com/

Lost 35 lbs since Nov 2009

I do not think my aspiration to lose 50 lbs by end of November is achievable. Although I do exercise and eat right I feel I been lazy. However, I did manage lose 1 lb since my last post. Maybe a 50 lbs loss will happen for December 31, 2010? We shall see.

I like this blog

http://lynnslifeblog.wordpress.com/

She has been an inspiration since the summer of 2009!

Ouch Ouch... bye bye summer

I hurt my back a few weeks ago and was bedridden. Since I was not moving very much, I limited my food intake. Eating very light resulted in a two pound weight loss. I am kinda worried that it may be muscle deteriorating away.

Michael and I went to Minneapolis last weekend. It was great. Walked around Mall of America, visited the Zoo, and explored Macy's downtown. All the walking around paid off. I weighed in last night with another 2 lb loss. So, since November 2009 I lost 33 lbs.
Yeah me!!