Aug 29, 2012....Closer

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Onederland - that should be in big block italicized letters. For those of us that have been out of the 'ones' and into the 'twos', 'threes', 'fours', etc., that onederland goal is something that we all look forward to, even though at times
it may seem unattainable.

At 272, I didn't think much of getting into the 100s. I had tried so many diets and lost some and then regained some (lots of) pounds, over and over. Last summer, at 272, losing even 10 lbs, I knew I would start to feel better. My first BIG milestone goal was to get to 250. After that it was 225, and then 210. I was moving towards each goalpost in 10 lb increments because I knew if I looked at the big picture it would seem daunting and I would get discouraged. When I get discouraged, I eat. Didn't want that!

However, I am now, at last weigh in, 208 (will be getting weighed again
tomorrow). I am definitely NOW thinking of Onderland!! It is so close, that I can taste it, and it tastes better than any hot fudge sundae. It will probably take me most of September to be below 200, but I am really focusing on
that milestone at the moment. I will still have 40 - 50 lbs to lose once I am
there, but in my mind, for me anyway, it will feel like I am in the home stretch.

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Aug 22, 2012...And This Is Why...

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

I debated posting this entry, however over the last week or so, in my spare time,
I have been doing a lot of research on women's hair loss. I was surprised to learn just how many women suffer from this. Some reasons are cancer treatments, hormone irregularities, medications, diet defiencies, polycystic ovary syndrome, stress, skin/scalp conditions, and no none cause. Even more surprising is the number of women that fall into the "no none cause" category.

I always had thick hair, up until about 10 years ago when my hair started to thin, particularly on top and at the back. I have seen several specialists and none could come up with a concrete reason why I was losing my hair. It 'could' be one of the medications I was on, it could be PCOS, it could be stress....it 'could' be any number of things, but the general consensus is that
it is, just what it is. I've tried several remedies over the years. Vitamin/mineral supplements to help hair growth, certain medications that were supposed to promote hair growth, some lotions, bottom line was that my hair continued to thin and I spent a lot of money.

A woman with thin, wispy hair and balding pate is not a happy woman. In fact if she is like me, she is probably really depressed about her nonexistent 'growning glory'. If she is thin, she always has the option to shave her head and rock an edgy, trendy style. If she is overweight (okay, fat), as I am, she runs the risk of rocking the bowling ball on balloon look. Not terribly attractive.

What to do? The idea of wigs did not appeal to me at all, until my sis (in Vancouver) mentioned how she has several friends undergoing chemo and they wear wonderfully light and natural looking wigs - and they are synthetic.
So, I started looking into various wig companies online, watched many hours of
YouTube wig videos and read a lot of reviews. Last week I bit the bullet and ordered a wig that has a monofilament top (meaning the hair actually looks like it is growing from your scalp/part), in a style that I felt I'd be comfortable in.

Here is me au naturel (the back is the same or worse - totally crypt keeper hair!):



My wig arrived on Monday and I am so happy with it. The colour is very similar to my natural hair colour, however I think for the next one I will go just a touch lighter (I did just turn 60). It is a synthetic wig, which I decided on after reading the pros and cons of human hair vs. synthetic. It is extremely lightweight and cool and the fibres feel and move very realistically. Wigs have certainly come a long way in the past decade or so. I wore it all day yesterday
and so far, all day today, and I actually forget I have anything on my head. It is so wonderful returning to my car after going out and not seeing the top of my glowing head reflected in the car window. And, most of all not feeling self conscious about how my hair looks.

Here is me in my new wig....



As my weight is coming off, I am feeling much better about myself, however my lack of hair problem was taking away from this. Now for the first time in several years I feel totally good about myself. If wearing a wig promotes this, I will gladly do it - and have fun at the same time!

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Aug 21, 2012 ...Calm and Chaos

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

This was the morning view from the cottage we rented on Bark Lake near Algonquin Park just over a week ago. It was so beautiful. Gorgeous surroundings and very private. Paul, our two daughters, Keara and Nicole and new puppy Loki, had a wonderful time and the week went by way too fast.

There was no internet or tv, so we had a lot of very valuable, and much needed family time. Paul travels a lot and Keara and Nicole now live in Toronto, so having that week together was wonderful! It was just like old times when the girls were little and we would rent a cottage during the summer.

It was fun having our new little doggie (not so little, almost 50 lbs at 5 mos) Loki with us too. He went in water for the first time - I was so proud when after two days he decided to venture further than his chest and started to dog paddle. LOL

Here is Loki waiting on Monday morning to greet Paul, Keara and a friend of her's Andrea (who came up for 2 days), on return from their morning fishing
expedition. Not much was caught that day, but a couple of days later Paul caught a couple big fish that we had for dinner that night....nothing better than
fresh fish!



I was concerned before we left that I would follow old patterns/habits and fall into my previous 'vacation-eating' mindset, however I surprised myself. I did eat some foods that are no longer part of my day to day diet (like fresh bakery honey buns), but for the first time in many years, I stayed mindful of what I was eating and how much. I didn't deprive myself, I enjoyed what I ate but I watched my portions and amazingly when I weighed in the Monday after we got back I was down a lb! To know that I had achieved that control while
away, was a pretty awesome feeling.

The chaos? Nothing major or earth-shattering, just a lot of little things that
seemed to crop up in multiples each day since we have been back. One on one, everything is manageable, however when bunched together repeatedly,
it becomes rather chaotic. Suffice it to say that I sure am glad that we had
that week away!

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Aug 4, 2012.....Just Regained Spark Abilities and Now I am Off Again

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Hi Everyone,

We are leaving shortly for a week's holiday up near Algonquin Park and unfortunately there is no internet I'm going to try and track my food (or at least log it) the 'old fashioned' way - with pen and paper!

Our new puppy is going with us, so it should be quite an adventure!

I wanted to wish all my fellow Canadian Spark friends a safe and fun Canada Day Holiday and to everyone, a wonderful week! Will post again when I return.

Love to all!

Sue

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Aug 2, 2012..... Station Break

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Not going to post a regular blog entry tonight, but am thrilled to share another Spark member's very insightful powerful blog. Thank you Ricochetbear!

www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=4998012

Hugs

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