Lace em up...

Lace em up...

Saturday, October 29, 2016

A baby shower, training (always training), and I'm sick...

My week (October 23 - 29) in pictures from Instagram...

October 23rd...


Baby shower fun. A lovely brunch at Sunnybrook Estates today to welcome Marisa and Peter's baby boy who is due this January. Marisa is my sister's sister. I made out like a bandit on the shower games. I won 3 prizes. The one where you guess the circumference of the mommy-to-be's stomach? I put the yarn around my own waist and won! My only consolation is that Marisa is a size 0 when she's not pregnant.

My niece and I took some silly pictures for her Snap Chat and the group shot is of the fam jam. Afterwards I had dinner at my brother's girlfriend's home. My first time meeting her and she is lovely. Macros are a touch short in all categories. It's a heavy macro day and I'm just done eating. Lights out. I've a date with Tony bright and early...


October 24th...


It was a double workout day. First I met Tony early this morning. We did legs and I squatted 125. That's the most I've done so far. He says we keep going till we reach my body weight. He's loco. I'm no lightweight that's for sure. Squats are not my favourite thing to do, but when Tony tells me to do something, I don't question him. The reason they're not my fave is because I've squat repercussions for days afterwards. I feel all badass while doing them, but I'll be sore tomorrow and the next day, and maybe the next day. I also got up to 145 on RDL's. We'll just keep going up on those too.

I had athletic therapy with Megan today and she noticed much improvement in my shoulder. The clicking has dissipated and it doesn't grind like it used to. But it is still weaker then my left side and sore at times. My strength is increasing slowly. We're starting to up the weights.

And tonight I had a good session with Brodie. I don't believe I've ever seen him without a baseball cap on. We ended our session with me doing a round of sit ups in front of the punching bag. Each time I sat up, he'd give me a boxing sequence to punch. It was fecken hard and my abs will be aching tomorrow. Macros were good today. I left 1g of carb. That's it! Same drill. Bedtime because alarm is set. Gym time shall commence in T minus 8 hours...


October 25th...


I got absolutely nothing to share today except to show you that I ate a giant bowl of smoothie for breakfast following my workout today. It was too thick to drink, so I ate it like porridge. It was pretty gross but whey protein isolate is important after strength training. And I had a good workout by myself. I did more legs, shoulders and back.

I spent a lot of time in my car again, and I can report that my ass, abs and quads are sore. I already sent thank you texts to Brodie and Tony. Tony says that tomorrow we're going to do a heavy ab workout. I'm hoping he forgets because sometimes he does. But I likely just screwed myself because he follows me on here (Instagram). My abs are not in good shape today, so I'm not looking forward to it.

Tony and Brodie are in cahoots. All I hear from both of them is how I need to strengthen my core and upper body. You'd think I was going to be a professional boxer or something. I'm relying on my fancy footwork and cardio to get me through. Except, I'm not graceful and I'd look pretty stupid running around the boxing ring. So I do what my trainers tell me to. And with as little eye rolling as possible. Because that just makes workouts harder. Trust me. I know. Time to wind down. An early morning session with Tony and a late evening workout with Brodie to look forward to...


October 26th...


I'm tired and sore. And today was fecken cold. I got to wear my much loved leather biker jacket though. I just finished my second workout and drank my protein. You wanna know what's more gag worthy than fat free cottage cheese? Unflavoured protein. Who's the tool that bought that? I did.

did upper body with Tony this morning. He forgot about the ab workout. But Brodie made me do another round of abs and I hate him right now. Good overall workout tonight though. Lots of 1-2 jabs, which I hate, but it is the most used punch. My arms are sore, my wrists and hands are sore, my body is sore. But it hurts so good. I've a massage with Mark booked later tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to that (even though it will hurt), but first I sleep, then I go to the gym. Good eating day. Perfect macros all around...


October 27th...


I hate to admit defeat, but I'm sick. All week I've been denying what I knew was coming and it's here. That tickle in the back of my throat is a hacking cough. I still got up this morning and went to the gym, but my energy was way down. I struggled through an hour of strength training. I did have a massage with Mark later in the morning, but that wasn't relaxing. His massages never are. It amazes me that I pay him to torture me. It needs to be done though.

As the day went on I felt worse and worse. I feel like I just need to sleep. Here it is 730pm and I'm probably going to bed. I wanted to leave 800 calories and a bunch of macros unaccounted for, but I managed to eat them in rice cakes, peanut butter and protein powder. Only 1g of carb left. I should be going to the gym in the morning but I'll see how I feel at 5am. I've a very busy and late work day tomorrow...


October 29th...


I am alive and kicking. Thank you for the get well wishes. I didn't work out yesterday. I just needed to rest. But I worked a full day. I had little appetite and found myself having to consume almost 700 calories at 8pm. If I wasn't going to the gym this morning, I would have left them. But I persevered and ate them all knowing I'd need the energy to workout.

I got up at 6am to get my workout in as soon as the gym opened at 7. The good news is I had a good solid hour workout. The other good news is that my appetite is back in full force. And I'm thirsty. I'm drinking tons of water. I was going to get wine for my heavy macro day tomorrow, but I really want something bready. So I'm opting for a grilled chicken wrap from Harvey's instead. The only thing that sucks is I can't taste anything so the wine would be a waste anyway. I crave the texture of the wrap over the taste. I'm also a touch sleepy so maybe I'll nap. Julien's with his dad getting pumpkins. I've got some time. I can't remember the last time I napped. Happy Saturday all...

Sunday, October 23, 2016

A good macro week, a chaotic work week and my body is tired...

My week (October 17 - 22) in pictures from Instagram...

October 17th...


My favourite time of day has arrived. Second workout is done and I get my rice cake with peanut butter. I also ate a cup of egg whites. But the rice cake is what I look forward to. Had a good early morning workout earlier by myself and an awesome one on one with Brodie tonight. He ended my workout by telling me to do 40 1-2 punches. Then he said, "now do a hundred". Well fuck me that was not easy. Then he says that the most anyone has done is 200 and he thinks I can do that. Guess what I'm likely doing on Wednesday evening? Macros have been on point the past 2 days. Yesterday I only left 1g of protein, and today I leave 1g of carb and 1g of fat. Bedtime for this girl. I've a date with Tony in the morning.



October 18th...


What the? Wearing the summer frock I bought from Joe Fresh last month for $6.99 in the middle of October? I didn't think this dress would see the light of day till next spring. But here I was, dressed like it was summer while waiting for my yearly physical with Dr. Pitt. It's always fun to hang with Dr Pitt. He's known me since I was an infant and has my entire lifelong struggle with obesity documented. Today he asked how long I've maintained my weight loss and was surprised when I said it would be 4 years this December. He asked if I found maintenance easy and I told him the honest to God truth. It's the hardest and most time consuming thing I've ever done. Losing 140 pounds was the easy part.

That being said, keeping the weight off has just become my way of life. And the best way to keep moving forward is to always set new goals for myself. Boxing is my thing now and getting licensed means I might actually fight one day. In an attempt to NOT get the snot punched out of me by a strong hulking woman, I'm dropping as much fat as I can over the next year to fall into a different weight class. It's just less scary that way. Dr Pitt also mentioned that I had a nice and slow athletic resting heart rate. It was 45 bpm. That's the lowest it's ever been.

This morning I had an awesome leg workout with Tony. He came to work me out right after he left his workout with his trainer. Yep. My trainer has a trainer. I've seen Roger when Tony was on vacation and he's fecken tough. That's why Tony trains with him. I did the exact same workout Tony did this morning. Squats at the bar, RDL's, split squats, back extensions and single leg bridges. It might not sound like a lot but my legs were toast by the end. And Tony, who's not much of a praiser, told me my squats were the best I've ever done. I'm going to feel the ache tomorrow. Macros were good today. Only 2g of protein left and 1g of carb. Early gym tomorrow. Gotta be in the T-Dot for a 930am meeting.



October 19th...


I am exhausted. I was up at 4am and got to the gym by 4:45. I was back in my car and heading home by 5:53. I ate, showered, packed my food for the day and headed to Toronto for my 9:30 meeting, which I made on time. I did some paperwork after my 3 hour meeting and took some time to admire and photograph my new suede boots. I was back in Hamilton for 3:30 to pick Julien up from school.

He played soccer in the school yard for half an hour, then we went to my athletic therapy appointment where Megan did more deep tissue massage on my shoulder. It wasn't fun. After that we went to Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up a couple prescriptions then we went home and I made dinner. After dinner was home work and agenda stuff for school. Then at 7, we left the house to go to the boxing gym where I did a one on one with Brodie. When I got home I ate, made Julien's lunch and packed his school bag.

Alarm is set for 5:30am. I'm seeing Tony in the morning at 7am before spending the entire day and evening in my car. Hamilton to Richmond Hill to Ajax to Richmond Hill to Listowel to Hamilton. That's probably over 600k right there and that's what I'm doing tomorrow. One of my biggest pet peeves? Being told that eating healthy and having an active lifestyle is too time consuming. We're all busy but I make time for what's important to me. This is why goal setting is something that is crucial. It keeps me focused and driven. Good night...



October 20th...


It's 6:30pm and I'm sitting in the Cambridge ONroute eating the tuna, cucumber and tomato salad I packet for myself. I've still not made it to Listowel. I reckon I won't get home till 10pm. I've been in my car since 9:30 this morning. I'm fucked and this selfie reflects my mood. Miserable. But it's not all negative. I had an awesome workout with Tony this morning and did plank/crunch/plank/push up on the TRX this morning. Three sets of 10 reps. Didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I surprised myself. I also did pikes. Holding my own body weight is no joke yo! I'm no light weight. I bid you all a lovely evening. I've still got a few more hours in my car before I get home. Getting up in the morning for the gym will be a treat.



October 21st...


You wanna know what would be better in my glass than sparkling water? Wine. But alas, my macros would not allow it. Sunday. Sunday is when I shall have wine. I'll be going to a baby shower with my sister and step-niece. And Sunday is my heavy carb day.

This morning I could not get out of bed when my alarm went off. So I didn't go to the gym. That means I don't rest on Sunday anymore. I go to the gym bright and early. I felt exhausted today, my body was sore and my shoulder has been particularly achy. I think it's the weather. It's been raining here for the past 2 days and the damp has not been good for my injuries (hamstring and shoulder) or my hair. And I've had a headache for 2 days as well. It's cleared up and tomorrow's supposed to be sunny and cold. Perfect fall weather.

Today I wore my Levis 501 jeans with a tucked in shirt and a belt. I've not worn a tucked in shirt in ages. But I was feeling brave and confident. And it looked a touch western which went along with my new boots. Macros have been pretty damn good this week. Only a gram off here and there. Thank God it's the weekend. This week has been particularly busy and chaotic. Tomorrow will be hectic too. I'm not going anywhere except for the gym, but Julien's very rambunctious friend is coming over for the day. Maybe I should switch tomorrow to be my heavy carb day...



October 22nd...


These photos are 5 months apart but the way I looked on the left was how I looked when I started counting macros and on line training with Macfitness on September 1st. That was me at my starting weight. I tried to recreate the same pose and line the photos up the best I could. I think the right one is slightly smaller. Regardless, I can definitely see a difference in my mid section. That's what stands out to me the most. And that's where people in my everyday life say they notice the biggest change in me. My middle and my face. It's helpful for me to see comparisons because I know all the time, effort and organising I'm putting into workouts and meal planning is working. Not sure what you're all up to today, but I'm headed to the gym right about now. Then I've got chickens to roast and veggies to prep. Oh yeah. And I've got a couple nine year old boys to police. All day long...


October 22nd...


So this is how today went down. I put in 80 minutes at the gym because there was an available treadmill. If there is an open treadmill, I have to do HIIT. If there isn't, I just warm up for 10 mins and have a quicker workout. I've not gotten a treadmill only a few times. I do the majority of my workout in front of the crossfit gym. I watch them with wonderment, awe and think they're a little bit nuts. But that's mostly envy talking. The things those crazies can do! Makes me anxious and I can't help but notice that they have very little body fat. Their workouts last about an hour and they eat during. That's fucking hardcore! 

After the gym I ate, showered, watched the boys run amuck while I calmly sipped on my sparkling water and roasted a couple chickens. Then my brother texted me and asked me to have dinner tomorrow with him, his girlfriend that I've never met and my dad. So I said I'd come by after going to the baby shower with my sister and step-niece. 

This threw the rest of my day into a tailspin. This meant I had to enlist the help of Julien's dad to watch the boys while I went grocery shopping. I have to do my Sunday chores today. Groceries are done, food prep is done, laundry is started and my macros were perfect. Perfect yes, but at a price. Mashed turnip is gag worthy, but I choked it down. Note to self; turnip is awesome in stew, but not on its own. That is all. Alarm is set for 6am. Gym before all else...

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Thanksgiving, setting a couple PR's and a very special anniversary...

My week (October 8 - 16) in pictures from Instagram...

October 8th...


Sweater weather has come to southern Ontario. Today I contemplate my eating game. Julien and I are going to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family today. I love turkey and today is my heavy macro day. After breakfast and lunch I've still got 145g of protein left. I've a feeling I'll not have a problem meeting my protein goal today. I'm bringing my scale to my dad's house. Even though it's a holiday, I'm counting macros. I'm bringing tossed salad and wine. I'm a liar. I said I'd not have wine again till Halloween. I'm having some today. That will be my indulgence. That and the turkey of course. Today I took a rest day from the gym. Tomorrow will be my 8th workout this week. Then it starts all over again on Monday. I'm meeting Tony at 7am on Thanksgiving Day. Julien's spending the day with his dad's family so I've got a day to myself which will include meal prep, laundry and training 😆 Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends 🍗🍷🍗🍷



October 10...


I'm feeling pretty badass right now. Met Tony at 7 this am on a holiday Monday and had my best leg day to date. I was in the zone. Last week I trapped 205, today I did 225. I'm tied with his other female client for the most weight on trap bar right now. I had no idea we were in competition, but it is on! I also squatted 105 which is 35 pounds more than I did last week. And my sumo squats with the 53 pound kettlebell were on point today. I struggled getting low enough last week. I do them on boxes so the kettlebell can dip lower than the boxes I stand on. I also did single leg squats on the TRX. My legs are weary. Trap bar and squats at the bar took up 40 minutes of my workout alone. And someone once asked me what shoes I wear for lifting. I wear no shoes (photo bottom left). Tony likes to see if I'm lifting from my heels like I should be.

This weekend was a busy one. Saturday Julien and I had dinner with my family. Although I had intended to weigh everything I ate, I did not. I ate turkey, salad, asparagus and lots of raw veggies from a veggie tray I brought. I also drank a couple glasses of wine. Yesterday was business as usual. Julien and I went to Wonderland for the last time this year. It was cold! Today I weighed myself, but I still need to take my pics and measurements for my coach. My weight has stayed exactly the same. I sense that my macros are going to be switched up! Julien's with his dad's family today. I get to do laundry and meal prep for the week. Fun times. Enjoy your turkey if you're celebrating today. And congratulations to our boys in blue!!!!


October 10...


What to do when you have 6 carbs left and no fat and no protein? Why you eat a jujube fish! One fish has 5g of carbs, zero fat, zero protein. Some nights I get 2; today I only get the one. Chicken breast, squash, zucchini and eggplant are all done! And laundry is complete. Off to bed shortly. I'm solo at the gym bright and early. Tomorrow is a very special day. Stay tuned to see what's up! Good night friends.


October 11...



It's #TransformationTuesday, but more importantly it's the anniversary of the happiest day of my life. My peanut is nine today! We've both transformed over the years and my baby has grown into a beautiful boy with a caring and loving heart. I'm blessed to have such a wonderful child. I'm picking him up from school today and we're going out for a birthday dinner. Who's gonna be the loser at Tucker's Marketplace with their food scale? That will be me...


October 11...


Another double workout day in the books. And if I was really smart, I would have better planned out my vacation day today. Made the decision to take one at 5am this morning. Would have made more sense to not have set my alarm and gotten up for the gym so early just to decide that I'd have coffee instead and go to the gym after Julien went to school. C'est la vie. And I wore my Around the Bay race shirt this morning and began feeling all nostalgic. Like I should train for and run that race this spring. That's just fecken crazy. Only one sport at a time. After I've hung up my boxing gloves, I will run again.

The best part about fall? Tall boots, leggings and sweaters. Julien and I went to Tucker's Marketplace for his birthday dinner. I counted everything and ended up short on my macros. Protein and carbs. I don't believe. There's gotta be something I'm forgetting about. Either way I'm done eating today and I'm leaving 200 calories unaccounted for. After my one on one with Brodie tonight, the last thing I want to do is eat. Punching hard on a full stomach is no joke yo! Alarm is set for 5:30. Gotta hit the gym before heading out to Listowel tomorrow morning.


October 12...


Who knew boyfriend jeans were so comfy? I bought these size 10 jeans at Joe Fresh a month ago. They were tight in the legs and bum area but huge in the waist. Story of my life. They didn't exactly fit like they should, but today, they are baggy. So I compared my leg measurements between when I started counting macros to now and my upper thighs have gone down 1.5 inches each. Now my boyfriend jeans fit like man pants should and make me look like I have no bum. Just what I've always dreamt of.

This morning I was solo at my satellite gym. I'm not sure what that means. I've 3 gyms I go to. I suppose the satellite gym is the one I go to alone. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to avoid my former yoga instructor. Every time she sees me she asks when I'm coming back to class and the guilt sets in. I need yoga. I need better flexibility. But when? When would I take this magical class? I'd have to give up a day of strength and a day of boxing and I can't do that right now. So I keep hiding. She's quick on her feet though. Avoiding her could be a workout all on its own. My gym is not that big. Chicken breast for dinner, then I go punch the snot outta Brodie...


October 13...


There's three things I like about this photo. I'm wearing skinny jeans (Levis 311) that fit me like a glove and I like how my legs look in them. I'm wearing awesome boots that fit perfectly around my calves and they make my legs look long. And I've got a badass pose. What I didn't like was my facial expression so I cropped my head off!

In the time span of 12 hours, I got three separate compliments at the gym. That speaks to how much time I spend at the gym that only 12 hours pass between visits. The first was Wednesday night while I was training with Brodie. He told me he could really notice that I've trimmed down in my oblique area. Then to help me out with keeping that area toned, he had me throw tons of hooks and uppercuts. And I ended the workout with 70 one-two jabs. That's 140 punches in a row. Awesome workout and my hands and wrists were sore.

Then when I got to the gym this morning, a woman I've spoken to before in passing told me I was shrinking. She said she could really notice a difference in my appearance over the past month. While I was training with Tony, a woman I've never spoken to before came over and told Tony that she's been watching me and has noticed a difference in my strength and physique. Such nice compliments that really motivated me to work hard and plan my eating out well today. Macros were on point. When others notice changes, it inspires me to keep going forward. Tony told me not to get a big head. That he still thinks I'm ugly. I really love him. It's bedtime. Five o'clock alarm. The gym needs me...


October 14...


This morning I thought I'd post a most unflattering photo I could take of myself. My arm looks like I pump iron on the regular. It doesn't look like that in real life. I'm getting deep tissue massage by Megan, my athletic therapist. Sometimes she makes me fall asleep on that table. Not today. That fecken hurt! And you wanna know when the best time to go to the gym is? On the days you don't wanna go. That was me this morning. It was so cold and I felt sorry for myself as I drove there on deserted streets. But I had an awesome workout. Once I'm there I work hard. Getting there is the biggest struggle. One more gym day then I get a rest day along with a heavy carb day. Something to look forward to this weekend. Happy Friday y'all!!!!


October 16...


Good morning friends! Today is my rest day from all of my gyms. I completed 8 workouts this week and although I need to rest, I feel like I shoulda gone to the gym this morning. Today was also supposed to be my heavy macro day, but I ended up making that yesterday because a girlfriend invited me out for drinks and you know, red wine. I had a great chat with my online coach Shaun on Friday. Although I didn't drop any weight in my last check in, he's keeping my macros the same for now.

And I brought up the red wine. When you scan the bar code of my fave wine on My Fitness Pal, it says it has 3.5 carbs for 5oz and is 120 calories. Shaun said that's wrong. The macros have to add up to the calories. And he's right. There are 4 calories in 1 gram of carb. So you have to divide the calories by 4 and that's your carb count. That's 30 carbs per 5oz of wine. Starting now wine is only allowed on my high carb day. So all the alcohol entries I've found on My Fitness Pal are incorrect. And I've been counting wine wrong. Until last night. I had 40+ extra carbs to work with so I worked in a couple glasses. My girlfriend and I ended up at Turtle Jacks in Burlington. Her cousin joined us and they enjoyed half price appetizers. I was happy just to have the wine with shrimp and mixed veggies. Today is shopping, meal prep and laundry. Gotta get ready for the week ahead. I've another 8 workouts scheduled. Very early mornings every day...

Saturday, October 08, 2016

Hello, It's me...

My poor, long neglected blog. What happened? Life happened. I got busy and social media became an after thought. Summer was a busy time in my household. I appreciate the emails I got from readers who were wondering how I was. I honestly thought no one really read here anymore. My most asked question was whether or not I was struggling with my weight and is that why I went silent. Nope. I am currently the leanest I have ever been. Not the lightest, but the leanest. Case and point; the photo below. They're a year and a quarter apart. On the left I was running 5 days a week with no strength training. On the right I no longer run, I strength train 5 times per week and box 2-3 times per week. I'm a bit lighter in the photo on the left. So lighter does not always mean leaner.

Cardio (left) vs weights and cardio (right)

This is not easy for me to write so I'm only going to mention this one time. My husband and I have decided to end our marriage. We have been legally separated since January of this year and we decided to separate in the spring of 2015. No one gets married thinking it’s not going to last forever, but people change. Individual needs change and people grow. Sometimes not together. That is what happened in our case. Our number one priority is, and always will be, our son and his happiness. We will continue to co-parent Julien and display nothing but mutual respect for each other. How we treat each other is a direct reflection on how Julien views himself.



Just because our marriage is ending doesn't mean the love and caring does. It just changes into a different kind of affection. And Julien deserves to have parents who are happy and content. If that needs to happen separately, so be it. There's been some speculation about my marriage through private messaging and emails. This is nobody's business but ours and we will continue to work through this difficult time privately. We continue to support and encourage each other as friends as we enter this new phase in our relationship. After all we share an amazing bond that will always keep us together as a family; our incredibly beautiful son.


Summer was a crazy, busy time. I spent a lot of time at Canada's Wonderland with Julien. It was the first year I got season's passes for us and we definitely got our money's worth. We also went on our first solo trip together. We went to Ottawa for 4 days to explore some museums, Parliament Hill and do some white water rafting. And we went to an incredible water park called Calypso. Lots of awesome mother/son memories made this summer. 

Julien and I at Calypso Water Park in Ottawa.

Something else that made this summer memorable is that my sister got married. It was definitely the hottest day of the year and the venue was at a beautiful bed and breakfast (On the 6) in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Lots of beautiful moments and memories made. It was Julien's first wedding and he loved it. He had a fabulous time and even took the midnight dip with the bride and groom and many of the guests. I had the most handsome wedding date there, but I am biased.

My sister looked gorgeous and I cried when I first saw her. My mom would have
loved seeing her so happy.

 Summer did not end without some drama of course. I injured myself and I injured myself good. While training with Tony, I did an exercise on the cable machine that completely messed up my right shoulder. My shoulder was already bothering me and Tony said, "I don't think you'll be able to do this comfortably, but I want to gauge your strength". Well that's all he had to say for me to think, I'm gonna show him! I knew after the 1st rep I should stop, but I did 2 more and on the 3rd rep, I felt my shoulder pop. Shame on me. I know better. And Tony was not impressed.

Getting IFC (Interferential Current Therapy) at athletic therapy.

It was so bad, I actually went to Urgent Care and had my shoulder x-rayed and got an ultrasound. What we thought was a torn rotator cuff actually ended up being bursitis. I was not permitted to do any upper body (including boxing) for 6 weeks. I'm still being treated by an athletic therapist and through an acupuncturist/chiropractor. I was cleared for boxing 3 weeks ago and I'm back to doing full upper body. I'm working on getting my strength back to where it was pre-injury.

Boxing is going well. Being off for 6 weeks was a setback, but I'm working hard and I think I'm making improvement. Not as quickly as I'd like, but I have to remember that I'm still nursing an injury. And I need to really work on my defence. Brodie's a great coach and we're moving forward, but my biggest issue is protecting myself. My gloves do not always stay up where they should. Definitely lots of room for improvement. Lucky for me, I have a patient coach.

My first time back with Brodie following my injury.

Last week I attended the orientation/tryouts for the Fight to End Cancer. Such an emotional experience listening to the previous fighters talk about why they wanted to participate. Made me think of my mom of course. If I make the team this year, I've a lot of fundraising to do, and I've a lot of work ahead of me. It will be gruelling, but worth it to me. I'd have done anything for my mother when she was alive. I can't think of a better way to honour her memory.

On September 1st, I began working with an on-line coach. I had been watching his work on Instagram for a while and was amazed at how he transformed bodies. I knew that I did all I could do on my own and if I wanted to move forward with my fitness, I'd need professional help. Enter Shaun McAlevey the owner of Mac Fitness and macro specialist. In the first month that I worked with him, I dropped 11 pounds. That was huge for me because it seemed that no matter what I did, I couldn't drop weight on my own. I knew it had to do with my nutrition. I was still following Paleo and eating whole foods, but I'm a firm believer that percentages of carbs, protein and fat was my ticket outta remaining the same. I've seen it work wonders for others.

Shaun sends me macros (specific for me) and workouts to target my areas for improvement. This is very exciting for me. He's promised to help me get into a lower weight class for boxing and I believe he will. Definitely money well spent in my opinion. And I'm seeing changes in myself weekly. I've not experienced this feeling since I was actively losing weight. Exciting times ahead. I will not share my macros as this is a service I pay for and they are specific to my goals and body type. They wouldn't work for you.

And I'm not sharing my weight because no one should be comparing themselves to me. I see it happen all over the internet and we each need to work towards our own goals. Once I've reached the goal I've set with my macro coach, I'll tell my weight. It's not a secret or anything. I just don't want someone to say that we weigh the same but look completely different. I don't like how we (I do it to) compare ourselves to others. And I also don't like to focus on the sclae. I do weigh myself bi-weekly for check in with my coach. Prior to that I'd not weighed myself for ages.

A throwback to that time when I was 2x larger than the average person. The woman on the far leftt is
one of my best friends. She gave me hand-me-downs (both pants and tops) when I reached goal.

That's a lot of stuff that has been going on over the past 4 months. I will be writing frequently here again. I'll do a weekly update and touch on my boxing training and macro counting. Life continues to be crazy and hectic. My family is dealing with a difficult time. My brother's and I are having to make some tough decisions regarding my father. And one of my very good friends is dealing with a nightmare of her own. All of these things have affected me over the past couple of months and my sleeping has suffered and my anxiety has been very high. But still I move forward. Because life goes on and I need to take care of me the best I can. I've a young son to raise and he needs me to be healthy; mind, body and soul. Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!

Left: July 2011; the last full body photo of me before I began my lifestyle change.
Right: October 2016; almost 4 years on maintenance.