Little Moments

Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that bring me joy. Like packing up my work eats in a new lunch bag.

Oooh! And there were lots of goodies inside :D

Chocolate & PB breakfast cookie.

VitaMuffin, applesauce, cheese.

Last VitaMuffin :( Gotta say, I think I like them best straight up, unheated. They taste just like brownies that way, and you don’t mess with brownies :P I see myself forking out another $5 for a pack of four again. I’m a sucka like that.

Cinnamon raisin bagel with egg white pillows.

I love how my egg whites microwaved into the shape of the bagel. It’s like they knew! Unfortunately I did not dig the sweetness of the raisin bagel with the eggs. Not my favourite combo.

Oh yes, apparently California has run out of oranges and South Africa had to step in.

I put in a little overtime today so I could watch the crazy mountain climb of the Tour de France. It must have been a steep and windy climb, because they were pulling Susan speeds for much of it. I’m not a huge Lance fan, but I give him props for today. I definitely appreciate his sheer skill in the sport. They need to have an “old guy” jersey!

When not watching the Tour, eating African oranges and reading the news, I also visited the New Brunswick Highland Games Festival at Old Government House.

Our Lieutenant Governor lives here!! It’s absolutely gorgeous inside, the most beautiful library I’ve ever seen (better than Parliament).

I walked over at 9am to do interviews, so there weren’t many people out. Mostly just kilts and bagpipes.

 

And um, poutine?

 
Definitely a sign of a Canadian Scottish festival :P I wanted haggis, but they weren’t serving it at that hour. Apparently people prefer scones and shortcake over sheep organs in the morning.

I ended up interviewing the nicest lady doing genealogy. Sometimes my job is a lot of stress and hard work. But getting to sit down and chat with people like her always reminds me of why I love it. I’m not a naturally outgoing person, but I love meeting interesting people. She took down my name and said she’d look it up for me. My Papa’s family was from Scotland and I feel like I connect with my Scottish background the most. Although, that may just be the pasty skin and frizzy hair talking…

I pulled a Polly and had a peach and almond butter when I got home.

With some cinnamon toast popcorn.

Munchmunchmunch.

My afternoon was unproductive. Hey, I don’t need to be productive every day!!

Dinner featured something rare for me – canned soup.

I don’t buy it a lot because of the insane amounts of sodium. Even the “low sodium” stuff is too much, especially if I want to have more than one serving. But this can was on sale super cheap, and looked safe.

  
I wanted to add tofu for extra protein, but the package I had in the fridge expired :( That always happens to me! So I added some frozen edamame and a couple spoonfuls of Eden Organic Caribbean rice & beans to “beef” it up a little.

 
The rice and beans added a little spice, but it was still missing a little somethin, so I stirred in a laughing cow cheese. Works every time!

 

Okay, I’ve been debating about whether or not to post a pic of what I wore today. It was nothing fancy, new or special. But while getting dressed this morning I had a huge moment.

In the past 13 months, I have lost 30 lbs, and around 14 inches from my waist, hips and chest. It’s been a slow process as I cleaned up my eating and got more active. Only those closest to me have really noticed. Sometimes, I can’t even notice.

Seeing as I’m a busy person with a low income, I have very few clothes that are actually my size. Only a handful of tops and bottoms fit me properly, the rest are belted and safety-pinned items bought before the weight loss.

I don’t put much thought into my clothes for my morning shifts. I usually just aim for something somewhat professional and warm for my cold office. I threw on these brown pants that I bought during a brief “weight loss” stint in 2004. I couldn’t wear them for years after because they didn’t button up. I held on to them because they were nice pants, and some days, during a good period, I could just barely squeeze them on. Now, they go over my hips fully buttoned.

I bought this cardigan to wear over a dress at a New Year’s ‘06 party. It was a small, and too tight back then. But it matched my dress perfectly, so I bought it anyways. I continued to wear it for years, despite not being able to button it over my belly, or that the material looked like a second skin over my arms. This morning, I buttoned it up with ease, and with room left over.

I can see how people haven’t noticed my weight loss. Looking back, besides a bit of belly chub, I don’t really look that different. If they have noticed, they probably just assume it’s from all the crazy triathlon training :P

I always forget just how far I’ve come. I especially never take the time to realize how amazing it is that I’ve kept it up. I now have more enthusiasm and passion towards my new lifestyle than ever before. But for some reason, little reminders like today’s clothes always take me by surprise.

Most importantly, it reminds me that having a good relationship with food and my body is perfectly possible. I obsess about food as much as anyone else (hello, I blog what I eat). But I think I’m starting to settle into a good place with both food and exercise.

That being said, I’m not 100 per cent there yet. When I started losing weight last summer, I think the pendulum swung a little too far in the other direction. I’m trying to get it somewhere in the middle now. There’s also the cereal munching thing… but that’s a whole other post!!!

Hope you’re having a great weekend!!! :D