Office Space

Dillypoo returned to her office today!

It's been almost eight weeks since I last stepped foot here. That's two months, folks!

Working remotely was weird. On the plus side, I got a lot of work done with fewer interruptions and I was able to monitor my projects better with my print vendor (in whose office space I invaded):

On the negative side, I missed my co-workers and the team spirit that gets the office through our crazy Fall workload. I also missed my wand and snitches:

Seems like I spent a lot of this year working outside the office. This summer I worked for a little bit each day when I was in Germany. From a barn:

So it's good to be back, even if it will take me another month to catch up on filing and stuff.

And as a Halloween gag, I borrowed a work shirt from my vendor friends and wore it to work today:

The effect was a little too realistic, though. I was called "sir" when I went to lunch at Subway. But my co-workers enjoyed the joke.

Random Updates

Dillypoo is trying to get her blog mojo back. Writer's block is a terrible thing!

Knee Update

I started running again yesterday and the knee is feeling pretty good. I self-diagnosed the problem as Tendinitis. WebMD confirmed that my instinct to cut back activity was a good one.

I'm gradually increasing my activity again but I may skip the stadium stair climb for another week just to be on the safe side.

Weigh Day Update

I've gained 1.2 pounds since hurting my knee, proving that movement is key to keeping the weight off. Good thing I've decided I like exercise! The old Dillypoo would've used the injury as an excuse to curl up on the couch permanently.

Doggie Do

The Professor is ready to find another dog. We've been checking out pooches on-line at various adoption organizations. We're looking for a medium sized mutt who's about 1-3 years old. Shouldn't be too difficult to find her!

Work Update

My hours are beginning to wind down. I've made it home during daylight hours three times in the past week and a half! I'm still working remotely but should be able to make it to my office later this week.

I hope.

It's been seven weeks since I last saw my desk. The potato I left in my fruit basket has probably sprouted by now.

Ouch

Dillypoo has a bum knee. I felt something pop Tuesday morning just as I finished my two-miler.

I've been trying to take it easy so that it doesn't get really bad. I skipped my workouts on Wednesday and Friday, and just went for walks instead of running on Thursday and today.

But I'm bummed and just a bit nervous. I've heard lots of horror stories about knee injuries, and I really don't like horror stories.

I'm more of a fantasy and historical fiction fan.

I know, I know. That was lame. Ha! Get it? "Lame?"

Man, I crack myself up sometimes.

Anyhoo...I think I'll skip the stadium tomorrow. The knee feels pretty good until I have to climb stairs.

Keep your fingers crossed that a week of low-intensity exercise keeps my weight balanced and my knee on the mend.

Project Runway Babies

This is freaking hilarious if you're a fan of Project Runway. Which I am.

My Big Fat Phobia

Dillypoo is fearful.

It's not spiders or ugly bugs scaring me. Not this time, at least.

And it's not the spooky Halloween things popping up all over the neighborhood. Although the giant spider web on the house down the street is a bit unnerving.

No, now that I've made goal, I'm afraid of not being able to maintain my weight and physique.

I look at my new wardrobe of doll clothes and worry that they won't fit in a few months. Dillypoo has been a size 6 only once before, and I didn't stay there for very long.

I know that exercise is the key to staying fit and at goal, and I'm scared that I'll stop working out regularly. I've never been this active and I'm afraid that if I stop, I won't start again.

The moon and stars were not aligned properly Friday and Saturday. I didn't get to work out either day, and I mentally beat myself up about it all weekend.

My legs crave my two mile run/walk each morning, but the inner child that I battle so frequently whines when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m.

Now that the weight is gone, I realize that losing it was the easy part. The hard part is going to be keeping it off.

And that scares me.

Tag! I'm It

So Fiona over at A Reader's Random Ramblings tagged me a while back to answer eight questions. My unintentional blogging hiatus because of overwork means I'm just now getting around to answering.

My apologies for the delay, dear Fiona, but here goes...

1. What's your favourite thing to cook?
I like to cook BIG. Like holiday meal big. Thanksgiving dinner with a turkey, dressing and a dozen side dishes big. I like it when I can spend three days in the kitchen planning the menu, baking pies, chopping, dicing, sauteing and cooking. I crank up the volume on the radio, open a bottle of wine and go to it. It's relaxing and fun and I love the reactions I get from family and friends when they sit down to eat.

I also love to bake, although I don't get to do much these days. I used to do a little cake decorating, and still do for family and friends on special occasions.

2. Do you play an instrument? Which one? How well?

Dillypoo is musically challenged. I took piano and flute lessons as a kid and hated every lesson. I actually crushed my flute during a temper tantrum about practising. Mother wasn't impressed.

I like listening to other, more talented folks play instruments. Like The Professor. He plays guitar.

3. What's something that you've always wanted to try, but were too afraid?
It used to be running. I was terrified of exercise! Overcoming that fear this year has been thrilling and empowering, not to mention good for me.

Have I mentioned I've lost 55 pounds?

4. What's your opinion on natural therapies? Do you use any?
I think natural therapies are fine and should be used responsibly and thoughtfully. I take a little cocktail of vitamins and supplements every night, along with a teaspoon of olive oil twice a day. I consider them a key part of my weight loss journey.

5. If you had $100 and could go out and buy yourself anything, what would you buy?
Wizard's robes! It's the Harry Potter nerd in me. I want dress robes!

6. Do you have any siblings? Brothers or sisters? Do you get on?
I have a baby brother, and I love him to pieces even though we're as different as night and day. I'm artsy, he's business. I live downtown, he lives in the suburbs. I have hair, he doesn't.

7. Do you support any charities? Which one(s)? Why?
The Professor and I support several charities, including our local food bank, St. Jude's and The Salvation Army. I'm also on the steering committee of an organization that supports visual artists in my community. You can learn more about it here.

8. Why do you blog?
Because I can't stop! I started this as a way to work out issues about my weight and discovered that I love writing. Blogging has become my new creative outlet. Years ago I used to paint. Then I decorated cakes. Now I blog.

Tanks

Dillypoo hasn't given up blogging just because she reached her goal weight. I'm just too freaking busy with work to do anything besides sleep when I'm not at the office.

I'll leave you with this quick observation about how typos happen when you're going too fast for too long on too little sleep. Here's a list of all the different ways to spell "thanks" in an instant message with colleagues:

tanks
thahkns
tjanks
thans
htanks
thnaks
thamks
thakns
thjanks

I shoud be back to regluar blogging sooon....

Early Birthday Gift to Myself

If it's Tuesday and I'm wearing girl clothes, then it must be Weigh Day. And guess what?

I reached goal!

I started this journey 91 weeks ago, fat, miserable and discouraged.

I couldn't go up the office stairs without getting winded.

My back ached if I had to stand for long periods.

My clothes were tight.

My boobs were big.

I snored. Loudly. (Just ask The Professor.)

In January 2009, I ate foods that weren't healthy and the most exercise I got was bringing groceries in from the car.

But today I am thin, fit and empowered!

I can climb 1330 stadium stairs in 30 minutes.

I can carry more weight than I've lost without hurting myself.

My clothes are five sizes smaller!

My boobs no longer get in the way when I drive.

And I only snore occasionally. (Just ask The Professor.)

There are many things I learned over the past 22 months.

I learned that it's not about what I can or can't eat, but what I should eat to be fit and healthy. It's a subtle difference because I can eat anything. "Can't" is a negative and leads to deprivation, which causes want which leads to sulking and making bad choices that soothe the deprived inner child. "Should" is the positive choice between want and need, and allows the grown up in me to take charge and make responsible decisions.

I learned that getting rid of the clutter within and around me is empowering. When I cleaned out closets this summer, I found an outfit I wore to a special event in 2007:

I saved it just so I could take these pictures!

I learned to stop making excuses and start doing. Dreaming about your goals isn't how you reach them. It's taking action that make them happen.

The turning point in my weight loss journey happened after I got off the couch and started walking. I got over my fear of sweat and learned to love moving my body, feeling muscles I didn't know I had and watching my body change shape.

I learned to connect what I was putting into my body to how it performed. I learned to see food as fuel, not a comfort or indulgence.

I learned that there are no shortcuts to losing weight, only tools that can help you along the way if you want to use them. My tools were Weight Watchers and blogging.

Club WW taught me how to make better choices and encouraged me to change my attitudes about food and exercise.

This blog gave me a venue to talk out loud while I figured it all out.

The first part of this journey is over. I lost the weight! I reached my goal.

The next part of the journey is staying active, fit and healthy, and it's just begun.

Another Six to Consider

Life came at me head on last week. I worked more than 80 hours, including 18 on Thursday, and I went two full days without seeing The Professor.

Well, I saw him. He was curled up in bed dreaming about lesson plans and student shenanigans. But I went two full days without speaking to him live and in person.

It should be no surprise, then, that keeping to my six part plan for meeting goal has been more difficult than expected. Finding time to eat - much less cook - was a challenge last week.

I tried to make good choices under pressure, however. I packed my lunches and brought snacks to work, and I managed to rise early almost every day to get in some exercise. But I succumbed to restaurant food that was brought in more than twice, and on Friday I skipped my two mile run/walk in exchange for sleep (did I mention I worked 18 hours on Thursday?).

All of this is my way of psyching myself out for the scale this week. As much as I want to see 148 by my birthday, I'm just not sure it's going to happen. Midnight chili dogs and vending machine crackers are not part of a good losing plan.

So this weekend I decided to relax and take my mind off things with a little retail therapy. Mom and I went shopping together for the first time in a very long while, and she was the first to see me zip myself into size 6 pants!

I immediately went home and cleaned out my closet again to make room for yet another wardrobe in a size smaller.

So even if I don't make goal this week, I can thumb my nose at the scale while wearing skinny jeans. Or a new sweater dress. Or maybe leggings and a tunic.

I'll take my victories where I can!