"I'm very lucky, I've got one of those constitutions where I never put on weight"

A quote from Colin's character Jamie in one of my all time favourite movies "Love Actually" - and as Jamie wishes that to be true of himself, so do I...if only!

I had a pretty good weekend, went out to see comedy with some friends on Saturday night and nursed my new signature drink - water with a slice of lemon!  When life gives you lemons...add water is my new motto!

On Sunday after church the 5 of us went to the track to run some laps.  We are doing this as a family now and last weekend I thought I'd be doing well if I could finish one lap without stopping, and surprised myself by completing 3 laps!  So this weekend I endeavoured to do more and I ran 4 laps without stopping and then pleaded (I mean walked!) the 5th!  I probably could have done some more but didn't want to overdue it when I had a soccer game later that night.  Our team, the Ravens, were playing for 3rd place in the league and the game ended in a draw - since 3rd and 4th place teams got the same prize, we decided not to go into penalty shots - so end result - everyone was a winner!!!!

So, now my outdoor soccer is done for the season and I'm about to begin my 2nd indoor season after nearly a 20 year hiatus as I hadn't played since highschool.

And, now the update on the Colin Firth Diet Plan - the reason we are all here, right!  Well, this morning I went to Curves and had my measurements taken.  It's been a week now since I got the disturbing news from the nurse regarding cholesterol and blood pressure.  Do you want the good news or the bad news first?  Well, the good news is that I now weigh 152 lbs and I have lost an inch of rubber tire, muffin top or whatever other name you have for it!  The bad news is that my body fat has gone from 35.1% to 36.1%.  That's one whole percentage of my body which frankly sounds bad, bad, BAD.  Now, I'm trying to be positive about this and realize that the 35.1 was taken a few months ago and my body fat probably increased over the summer as I was developing new cake flavours and had to taste test them.  For those of you who don't know, I decorate cakes as a side business out of my house.  OK, I admit it, I may have tested more than was absolutely necessary -these numbers don't lie!  Hey, Mama Mia was playing again while I was working out - I think it's a sign that Colin is helping me get into the groove and step it up!

Last night I took the three kids with me to get groceries.  I wanted them to take an active part in our new healthy lifestyle and have them make healthier choices in the snacks they choose etc.  Since they have been somewhat deprived of some of their favourite snacks I bought us all an ice cream cone first.  We then proceeded through the isles investigating food items, comparing nutritional values, sodium levels and more.  We were there for over 2 hours!  But by the time we were ready to check out, all three of my kids were learning how to read the nutrition values and picking items that were better for them.  I also spent more than I usually do on groceries, and where in the past the buggy would be filled with more processed prepackaged items, it was shocking to see all the fresh produce I was unloading onto the counter - there seemed to be no end to it all!

You want to know what one of the healthy things I bought was?  - Brussel Sprouts!!!!  My husband John once told me that there would be NO WAY that I could ever, ever get him to eat Brussel Sprouts!  Well, the jokes on him, because tonight for dinner, he did just that.  He he he (insert evil laugh here!)
Now, I may have led him astray as to what he was eating in the beginning.  You see, my boys love bacon - I mean love it!  Two years ago for Mother's Day, my middle child Jacob gave me a card that said he loved me more than bacon - which if you know Jacob, that says alot!!!  So I kind of tricked everyone.  I cut off the bottoms and separated all the leaves.  I then steamed them for a bit.  Then I cut up some green onion, took a couple pieces of bacon I had cooked last night and added it to the frying pan along with some sesame oil, and then added the steamed Brussel sprouts.  John came home from work as I was finishing it up and asked what I was making and I told him it was cabbage.  He said it looked interesting!  Well, Brussel sprouts do happen to look like little baby cabbages!  So, we had this lovely green Brussel Sprout dish to go along with some organic salmon and boiled potatoes.  Luckily for me, Jacob didn't spill the beans about what we were really eating until John had finished his Brussel Sprouts!  It was too funny - guess you had to be there!!!

I said, "See, that wasn't so bad - I think we could have this on a weekly basis!" and John said maybe every other week - so that, to me, sounds like a small victory!

I do realize that at the end of this journey of mine, I may not reach the numbers I want to regardless of how hard I try, and I may have to succumb to the idea of taking medication to control the blood pressure and cholesterol.  However, this has become more than just decreasing some unpleasant numbers - it's become a whole lifestyle change, not just for me, but for my whole family.  After all, I want them all to be healthy and happy and life a long, meaningful life.  To think back on how we all ate even a week ago, kind of makes me feel like a neglectful parent at times, and this I vow to change!

My headaches are easing up a little bit, I have ups and downs - but I am still determined to work through this with a smile if I can!

...Goodnight Jamie, "It's the saddest part of my day, leaving you."