Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Oprah

I was sitting on the couch yesterday with the baby sleeping on me, surfing the internet when Oprah came on the tv. I love Oprah. I love her even more after watching yesterday's episode, which kicked off her "Live Your Best Life" week. Much of the show consisted of her sitting in front of a camera and talking about her struggles with her weight and her body image. She showed how the last year's O Magazine covers all showed her from the shoulders up (my preferred photography option, also) because she is so uncomfortable with her body and the weight she has gained. I love Oprah because she is a celebrity, yet she isn't afraid or ashamed to let herself be seen as a normal person with normal struggles. And I find that really inspiring, in this age of supermodels and celebrities who believe a size 8 is "plus-sized".

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Putting yourself back on your list

You know, as the weeks go by I'm starting to realize that this journey isn't just about weight loss. It's about finding myself, and learning to love what I find. While watching Oprah today (which I'm going to talk about more in tomorrow's post), she said something that really hit home for me. She said how important it is to put yourself back on your list. So that's my tip for today. Put yourself back on your list. Make time for yourself. Make yourself and your well-being a priority. Realize that you're worth a time investment. How many of us make time for our spouse, our children, our family, our careers... but don't make time for ourselves? If I can make it a priority to ensure that my children are eating healthy, balanced meals, why can't I do the same for myself? The answer is I Can, but I just don't make the time to do so, and that needs to stop being acceptable to me.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Monday Check-In

It's another Monday. Another week into this crazy ride. It's been a stressful week, but I woke up this morning feeling energized and ready to face the new day. I went out over the weekend and got a new haircut. It's shorter than I've ever had it cut before, and I'm still getting used to it, but I think I like it. It's much cooler for the summer, at least. Today while the baby was napping, I decided to colour it and put in some highlights, too. I usually just colour it close to my natural light brown, but this time around decided to lighten it up a bit for the summer months. Then, since my hair was looking all "gorgeois", as Mia from So You Think You Can Dance would say, I decided to put on some makeup. Now, putting on makeup isn't something I usually find the time to do unless I have plans to go out somewhere (and no, running to the grocery store doesn't usually count). But you know, maybe I should make more of an effort. Just because the kids are the only ones who are going to see me, doesn't mean I shouldn't look good, right?

So then, since I was all made up, I figured today was as good a day as any to set up my lights and try and get a new self-portrait for my photography site and new business cards. And then, since I was taking photos anyway, I invited the kids to jump in and get a few photos with mom. That is something I certainly don't do enough. Being a photographer, it's bad enough that I tend to always be the one behind the camera... but I'm guilty of avoiding being photographed because I don't like the way I look. Really, though, my kids don't care what I look like. They love me regardless, and I would hate for them to look back on their childhood and not have any photos to remind them of how much I loved them.

So, you can see the self-portrait I chose over there on my profile info, and here's me and my boys. That's all for today. Later!



Saturday, July 4, 2009

Just popping in

This past week has been crazy, man. Busy, stressful, tiring. This past week has tried my patience and threatened to steal my sanity, but I managed to make it to the weekend. At one point this week, when my kids were driving me batty, I called my husband and whined about how I've been praying for God to give me patience. His reply? "God doesn't give you patience, he makes you work for it" *sigh* So true, but not what I wanted to hear LOL

That said, I'm taking the weekend off to chill and relax and de-stress, so I'm ready to jump back into life on Monday morning. Hope all my fellow Canucks enjoyed Canada Day on Wednesday, and Happy 4th to all of my Americal Friends!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Phenomenal Woman

I want to share something that is very special to me. It's a beautiful piece of writing by a beautiful woman, Maya Angelou. I discovered this poem almost 12 years ago while away at University. I kept a copy tacked up to the mirror in my dorm room where I saw it every day, and I can now recite it by heart. There have been many times when my self-esteem has been lacking, or I feel like I'm failing at marriage or motherhood and these verses will come to mind and pick me up. Now, more than ever, as I'm on this weight loss journey, I find the words uplifting and inspirational.

Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Monday, June 22, 2009

mmmm... carbs

nother Monday (without a scale. I swear I'm such a scatterbrain. I wish it were as easy to forget to eat as it is to forget to buy batteries!)... it's been a pretty good week, overall. My oldest son has Vacation Bible Camp every evening this week, so getting to the gym will be a challenge, but I should be able to get in at least a 1/2 hour between dropping him off at church and picking him up again.

I did manage to get in a good bit of activity yesterday. I was scheduled to do an engagement session on Saturday but we got rained out. Even though it's supposed to rain every day this week, yesterday we braved the drizzle, took advantage of a short lull in the rain and managed to get in some great shots before the rain forced us to quit (we'll finish up our session hopefully next weekend). The couple decided to have their session at the Irving Nature Park. It's so beautiful there, and we did a lot of walking along trails and climbing rocks looking for the perfect photo opportunities.

In other news, I discovered a very tasty treat this weekend. I've mentioned before that I have a certain, shall we say, issue, with carbs. A love-hate relationship. A not-so-secret obsession. I have PCOS with a tendency towards insulan-resistance, so it's also an unhealthy obsession. I do my best to stick with healthy carbs like the kinds found in some fruits and veggies, and in whole grain pastas and breads. But sometimes a girl just wants some junk food (or at least something that resembles junk food). My biggest vice used to be chips. Potato chips, tortilla chips, corn chips. Yummy chippy goodness. Sitting in the evenings, watching tv, my husband and I could easily devour a half bag or more.

Enter my latest discovery on the Path to Healthy Eating: Quaker Crispy Tortillaz. I apologize for the "trendeigh" spelling, but I swear I had nothing to do with it. Am I the only one insanely annoyed by the marketing profession's incessant need to misspell words in a "cutesy" way, as though we wouldn't be able to remember their product's name otherwise? /end rant

Despite its unfortunate spelling, these tasty tortilla chips are a fantastic alternative to more unhealthy alternatives. There are several flavours available, but my favourite is the Santa Fe Ranch: They remind me of the Cool Ranch Doritos my friends and I used to eat by the truckload in Jr. High, back when I had the metabolism of a gnat. Each 8-chip serving has only 60 calories, 2 grams of fat and 1 gram of fibre, for just 1 Weight Watchers point. Two servings is a perfect snack size to satisfy both hunger and the need for something to much while surfing in tv land.

Well, I guess that's it for today. Later!


Monday, June 15, 2009

The Scale

I haven't had opportunity to post in a few days. It's just been crazy busy, and the baby's been crazy clingy. I had a pretty decent week, though, as far as the whole diet goes. Again, I have no idea where I am on the weight, as I keep forgetting to pick up batteries for the scale. I think I'm having scale withdrawl, actually. I'll admit that when I'm trying to lose weight I have to fight with myself to avoid stepping on the scale every day (or even multiple times a day). Even though I know that those little LCD numbers can very throughout the day, it's like a compulsion. Maybe it has to do with my lack of self-esteem, my need to constantly prove my worth to myself. Somehow, if that number goes down just a little bit, it means something profound. What, exactly? I'm not really sure. That I'm capable of accomplishing? That there really is a skinny person hiding underneath this fat person everyone sees? I think I need a scale intervention. Doyou think they'd let me have chocolate in rehab?

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Family

Our church community was devestated this week by the sudden death of a friend's baby girl, of menengitis. I'm just heartsick for this family, and thoughts of their sweet baby and the grief they're going through right now has occupied my thoughts since we got the news late Tuesday evening. It's made me more aware of my own children, more appreciative of the joys they bring me, more patient with those aspects of parenting I sometimes find frustrating, and has caused me to hug them just a little bit closer.

It's made me think, too, that I'm not on this journey of weight-loss and healthier living just for me. I'm doing it for them, too. So that they'll hopefully have a mom who's there for them well into their adulthood. So they'll have a mom who has the energy to jump in and play with them. While I think it's important to want to achieve lifestyle goals for our own well-being, it's also important to find inspiration in the people who mean the most in our lives.

So, this week's inspiration, for me, is my boys. My big kid, Josh, who turned 7 just yesterday. My little 4 year old man, Asher and my sweet baby boy Corban, who at a year old is just a few months older than little Miranda who has gone to be with Jesus this week.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hungry Girl

I have a really great website to share: Hungry Girl

Hungry Girl is an awesome, amazing, motivating and enabling (in a good way, I promise!) site, run by a cool chick named Lisa. She offers a daily newsletter that brings you the latest in new healthy food products, ways to survive the fast food experience without busting the scale and wonderful, yummy alternatives to your favourite not-so-healthy foods. She even has a recipe book available that's on my wish list. AND, she gives Weight Watchers points for all of her recipes! Sweet bonus! Check out her site, subscribe to her newsletter (it's so worth it, and a million times better than all that spam you usually see in your inbox!) and buy her book!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

It's Time

It's time. Time to lose the weight. Time to take back control of my body. Time to stop hating the way I look and the way my clothes fit. Time to stop worrying about my health. Time to get fit so that I can enjoy activities with my family. Time to get over my addiction to unhealthy foods. It's just time.

I'm starting this blog to give myself accountability, and so that when I reach my goals (and I will!) I can look back and see just how far I've come. Hopefully it will show me what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong. What works and what doesn't.

I've decided to name my blog "Making Skinny", but don't take that the wrong way. Not only do I want to get skinny, I want to get healthy and I want to get fit. But "Making Skinny" makes me smile, so "Making Skinny" it is! Trust me, I'm the last person to buy into all the Hollywood be-skinny-or-be-square type hype.

So here goes. This is the perfect time for me to start this weight loss journey. I left my job to be a stay at home mom. Our family is complete, so no more trying to deal with losing or maintaining weight around pregnancy. I've joined a gym and paid up the first 6 months. I've dusted off my Weight Watchers books and recipes. I've filled my cupboards with healthy food and I've enlisted my husband's help in controlling the amount of junk that comes into the house. There are no excuses... this is the time!