Stitch by Stitch 2

4 weeks in, 13 lbs down and loving the changes I am seeing...

The other day I felt my knee. The actual bone. I think it has been over a year since I could actually see it protruding from my jeans. The jacket I got for Christmas is getting a bit baggy. I've sinched up 2 belt notches and I have actually been enjoying morning runs (downhill to the next town - but we'll work on getting up the hill next month). My swim workouts have expanded from what was an exhausting 500m with pauses every 25m to 1000m with some sprints worked in between and pauses every 100m (to start but again will work on that next month). 

I still can't break my knitting habit but then again I'm not really trying. Instead I figured out a way to make it a little healthier. Yes - they look at me funny and No - I don't care. I spent an hour on the seated bike the other day and came home with fewer fat cells and a few more rows finished. LOVE IT!

I am very proud of myself for the major dietary changes I have made. I used to drink more Diet Coke in a day than water and it has now a month since I've had one. I have been allowing myself to indulge in one meal a week and I try to choose a food I've been craving all week. First it was Tex-Mex, then it was German Breakfast, last week it was Sushi. This week I haven't had a craving strong enough to splurge on. 

I used to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and snacking all the while. Now I go to bed early with plenty of energy in the morning and there is absolutely NO snacking after supper. 

My skin is clearer than it has been in years. All the water I've been drinking? 

With all these changes - I am still falling behind in the competition I entered. Another lady has taken a ridiculous lead in the local Lose2Win contest and has pretty much guaranteed that she'll be riding "my"  sweet BMW bike come March. 

In the next 6 weeks I may not be able to catch up but I am so excited about this new lifestyle that I have given myself. I have the money to buy my own bike but what I didn't have was the motivation to make the changes I knew I needed to make. 

Sitch-by-Stitch

I may not have been blogging much lately but I'm still knitting. A lot. I have moved from South Korea to Germany. I traded rice for bread and Soju for Bier. I can't take the train down to Dongdaemun fabric market on a whim but I can take the train to Pfaffenhofen to the Wollmeise Sale twice a year.

Wollmeise Sale 2015

I miss Korea's food and my family has made it a point to check out Korean BBQ restaruants in Nurnberg, Munich, and even Budapest. We have also tried our fair share of German bread and spatzel, and butter bretzen (pretzels), currywurst, oh lord - I'm going to miss the German food when I leave here. It is so good and fattening. I have finally decided that something must be done to counteract the effects of overeating in Germany.

Luckily the local gym has a Lose2Win program with a very nice BMW bike as the prize. I am determined that I'm going to win that bike! There are so many triails to explore in Germany and I don't think my cute beach cruiser bike will handle the trails that are yet to be discovered.


Must have this bike!

I am trying to enjoy the weight-loss journey but it does not come naturally to me. I loathe every exercise class, every meal that does not include German bread, and every evening that does not involve a Radler (yummy beer/lemonade mix). I do think I will enjoy the results. And along the way I'm hoping that I come to love the energy and abilities I will have with my new body.


I imagine a lot of my knitting students feel the same way when they start. They want to be able to finish a fabulous scarf every weekend and have a wardrobe full of impressive pieces that they have made. The problem is - they want to be able to have the skills to make their dream accessories RIGHT NOW. Those that enjoy the process, the challenge of learning new stitches, new techniques, new patterns; those are the students who will become life-long knitters. One day they will pause and realize that they no longer find lace patterns frustrating and stressfull as they once did. They will not loathe ribbing as I loathe running. They will turn to it for relaxation after a hard day.

At this moment I cannot imagine turning to a nice long run for relaxation. I try to tell my students that knitting and crochet is about the journey. It is not about the finished product. If you do not enjoy the process of making the hat/scarf/sweater/blanket then chances are you will not want to make another one no matter how beautiful it is when it is done.

I want to win this bike. But I am also working hard to make sure that I enjoy my process. I want to want to continue after I have reached my goal. Otherwise I will not be able to enjoy my beautiful goal for long.