Oh my goodness I found a really bad photo

Look what else I found while I was going through some photos last night...some pre-WW shots...arrggghhhh! It was one of the 'light-bulb' moments when I realised I couldn't hide my excessive weight underneath my clothes. As though I could anyway! Who was I kidding?

This is a photo of me, Sarah and my mum in New Zealand - taken January 08. I always used to hide behind my kids in photos. Look at how slim my mum is! I was a size 24-26 in this photo...and my face was so puffy and round!

This is my gorgeous daughter Sarah and me today (about 11 months later), she's taller and her body shape has changed too.

Now I don't have to hide behind my kids any more. I'm a size 14-16 now (depending on the brand), and I can wear shorter tops now as I'm not trying to cover my bum with a long shirt. I don't want to go back to the person I used to be! So putting these photos up really help me see how far I've come... Loving life more and more

I've made it to 30 kg! Woohoooooo!

It's a big happy day for me for two reasons.

1. I managed to lose weight in the Christmas Week!

...and...

2. I've now lost a total of 30.1 kg!

So I'm a pretty happy girl. I didn't think I was going to lose anything, but I did have light weigh-in clothes on...but then again, I had the same clothes on last week when I weighed-in. It's been a very slow month for the journey of a life-time, which I had fully expected. So all I have to do is hold on for 2 more days, and lose 100 gms, and I'll make it to my goal weight for the end of December (90 kg). So no post-WI blow out for me...I'm just hoping to hold onto my 400 gm loss this week, and lose 100 gms more this year. I wonder if I'll even be able to make it under 90 by Wednesday morning!

Twas the week before Christmas...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Boy, December is a tough month for watching what you eat isn't it? But if I wasn't doing WW I would've put on 2-3 kg by now already, and then more after Christmas. Every year before WW I'd put on 4-6 kg in summer. Sometimes I'd lose it, and sometimes I wouldn't. So that's how I got to 120 kg after having my kids. Anyway, I am so glad to be doing WW even though it's tough this month. So here's to a happy, safe and healthy (lol) Christmas to you all this year!

I weighed in today and lost 100 gm....but I do confess to finding the lightest clothes possible to make it better than it would have been. I'm only a few hundred grams off from losing 30kg, and 500 gms off from making my GWED of 90kg. And only 600 gms off from going under 90 kg! What a week to try and make all those goals!

I misjudged the parties and dinners out this week and didn't allow for them, and whammo, 30+ points over for the week! So I'm amazed I lost this week...well with a little help from my light clothes, lol. I know that it'll probably catch up with me next WI, so I'm going to have to do pre-damage control this week ... yeah, yeah, I realise I've got to get through Christmas day first and the rest...hmmmmmm. Now I'm worried. So I'd better get shopping for fruit and vegies so there's something healthy to eat in the house.

My niece and I made hummous in the weekend...actually she made it, and I just put the ingredients on the bench and supported her while watching her make it. It was pretty yummy and healthier than the store bought stuff. So I took it to a party we went to and I tried to eat mostly that instead of the pastry stuff. I think I could probably make it myself next time.

We did some fun things this weekend as it was our niece Hannah's 21st on Saturday. She'd already had a 21st party in NZ before she came to Sydney, but on her actual b'day she wanted to go to a beach and have gelato. So we decided to go to Manly...

Me and Ben

Walking to Shelly Beach

After the beach went to a party...at our good friends Jenny and Andrew's place...and here's a glimspe of the gelato cake we got Hannah.

Hannah and Sarah and the yummy gelato cake

Going downhill...don't put the brakes on!

Well, I'm very pleased to report a loss of 1.1 kg this week. This puts me back under 91 kg...now I weigh 90.6 kg. Just 100 gm more and I would have lost all that I 'd put on last week. But I'm ecstatic to have lost that much in December! The one time I got onto the ex-bike this week really made a difference....so it baffles me why I don't get on it more often. Oh yeah, I remember why now...because it requires effort and discipline, lol. And I've been a bit busy, all the excuses under the sun...

I just got back from the kids' school presentation ceremonies. There was one after the other....a very long morning...My kids didn't get any special awards but they love that I was there. I took a video of Ben's class doing a dance to Mamma Mia - he looked so embarrassed especially when he had to dance with a girl! Lol. Very cute. They showed a DVD of Sarah's dance group's performance at the Opera House a few weeks ago - they did really well.

Back to the topic of the post...So now my goal is to grit my teeth and stay on track through the next few Christmas/New Year weeks. The ball is rolling down the hill and I want it to stay rolling...no brakes, no screeching of tyres, no rocks in the way. I would really like to go under 90 kg by the end of December. Heck that's such a polite way of putting it ...*I would really like to go under 90 kg...*, lol. I really want to go under 90 kg by the end of December. And I'm going to do it!!! After all it's only 600 gms.

Ah, found the wagon again...and a really fat photo to keep me on track

Look at that photo! It's a goodie eh? It makes me realise that one week of overeating is really quite insignificant and the overall journey is what matters.

That's right, I've found my wagon, in fact it never left me. I must have been looking in the wrong direction for it. All I needed to do was turn around! I think I spend too much of my time beating myself up and wallowing in my mistakes...but not as much as before. I've come too far to give up...that's the old me. The new me wants to get to my goal weight of 68kg.

But, the good news is that after my slip last week, I've been doing well this week. I faced the music yesterday and gained 1.2 kg, but already the scales are heading the right way again today. I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself every day, but I find it helps me stay on track. It's amazing that my body seems to respond so quickly to one day of staying on track. Is anyone else like that?


And here's a more recent photo of me...I think I look like a different person.

Help...the wagon has left me behind!

Yes that's right....I've fallen off the wagon and it's left me behind this week!

I jumped onto the scales and I've gained 2 kgs, and I'm s'posed to weighing in on Monday....or is it Tuesday this week? Either way, nothing is going to save me from some sort of gain. Not even the 35 minute walk I took this morning....although I'm sure that will help it from continuing to climb to 3 kgs.

So what made me fall off the wagon? What pushed me over the edge?

Me of course! And 5 parties this week!

I think I've told myself that it's OK to let my hair down since it's Christmas. And I've taken it to the extreme. I didn't think I was totally pigging out, but my tracker tells me otherwise. I've gone over by 35+ points...and that's a lot. So now I'm really ticked off with myself and have scolded myself for being so undisciplined. But realistically, it's the overall journey that matters. And this is just 1 week of the journey. I've got to look at the big picture don't I?

It just goes to show what a mind battle weight loss is. I had let my hair down and continued to let it down (cos I'd already let it down one day)...so it had got so long that I was tripping over it. Maybe the hair got tangled up in the wagon wheels...ouch! Now I feel like Rapunzel.

The other thing I think I did was reward myself with food. I bought myself size 14 clothes this week (totally shocked me in a good way), and it had an adverse affect on me - I ate! Oh how subtle it all is. I'm still getting used to the new me, and don't feel totally comfortable with myself. Don't get me wrong - I do love being almost 30 kg smaller, but I'm not there in my head yet! Just a matter of time I guess.

But, thank God for new beginnings, we get a fresh chance every week on WW to get back on the wagon. I think the wagon is slowing down and is giving me a chance to get back on it. So back to the basics I go: Water, Tracking, Exercise. That's the seat belt that keeps me strapped into the wagon. All I've been doing this week is the tracking so 1 out of 3 is not that great. The other thing I've learned is to save up my points for the parties (which I didn't do). I need to be planning ahead for the week, not just one day at a time. Mind you, we don't often have 5 parties in one week do we?

On a positive note: I don't think there are any parties next week... *huge sigh of relief*!

Free Personal signatures - cool!

Latest measurements after 33 weeks and down a size to...

I took my measurements today...they're not as spectacular as previous months but I do notice my clothing going down a size. It was so exciting going shopping yesterday as I bought size 14 clothes for the parties coming up this month. Woohoo! It was quite a pleasant surprise for me. I wasn't expecting to be a size 14 for quite a few kilos yet! I suppose it depends which brand you buy.

After 29 Weeks (last time)

Neck: 38 cm
Bust: 105.5 cm
Waist: 96 cm
Hips: 119 cm
Thigh: 68 cm
Upper Arm: 44 cm
Calf: 45 cm


After 33 Weeks (today)

Neck: 37.5 cm
Bust: 104.5 cm
Waist: 94.5 cm
Hips: 119 cm
Thigh: 68 cm
Upper Arm: 42 cm
Calf: 44.5 cm

Is there anything else besides weightloss?

Random Picture of a cow

I must say that the WW journey has been overall a great one for me this time. I've been on this journey several times before, and have lost every time - however, each time has been different and with varying degrees of success. Sometimes a few kilos, and sometimes 30 kg. The main difference is in my head...and support.

This is the first time I've tried the WW on-line thing, and I love it. I can just WI at home with my buddy Joy, and I've got to know some wonderful people on the WW boards. It's been so much easier to travel this journey with others who struggle with the same stuff as me, who can inspire me (especially to exercise), and are just there each day. I think it's better than a meeting! Not knocking meetings of course, but I always struggled with sitting through a meeting as sometimes they were just boring (depending on the lecturer).

So is there anything else besides weightloss? Sometimes it feels like some sort of obsession...but at least it's a healthy obsession, whereas before I didn't think about what I ate much at all. It was another form of obsession/denial, call it what you may, but it was probably going to kill me. So actually thinking about being healthy is a good thing - at times I wish I could have a whole massive bowl of chocolate mousse, but then 1 teaspoon of Brent's is almost as good. I'm not deprived, I still get to try things, and a taste is all I need these days.

Of course, there is more to life than losing weight...there's Brent and the kids, God, friends and family, fun in the sun/rain/snow, holidays in NZ (coming up soon)...and there's the house - how could I forget that other little obsession this year?

I'll take Monday's Weigh-In Thanks!

I weighed in on Monday and Tuesday this week. It's sort of cheating - Monday is my normal weigh in day but I've been working the last couple of Mondays, so Joy and I have weighed in on Tuesdays. However, Monday was heaps better than Tuesday, thus "I'll take Monday's weigh in".

So on Monday I lost 600 gms, weighing 90.5 kg. That's a total of 29.7 kg. So I was sort of cheating but then, not really! Only 300 gms to go and I'll have lost 30 kg. And only 600 gm to go and I'll be under 90 kg! I think it could be difficult to achieve in December but not impossible!