Hanging in there

Just posting to keep the dream alive! I'm hanging in there this year, and it's not a complete disaster as other weight loss attempts have been. I'm still exercising and still tracking. I lose the plot every now and again, but thankfully I do get back on the wagon.

We had a visitor stay here for a couple of weeks and I didn't exactly make the meals WW friendly. It was very social around food...and not low point food. So the gain was quite substantial - but since Monday I've lost a couple of kilos and might still make it under 90kg before we get to NZ.

We're going to NZ on the 18th December and the plan was to be at 85kg by Christmas. Well that goal is virtually impossible, but the going under 90kg dream before heading to NZ is still alive.

I'm looking forward to sharing the journey with my niece Hannah who is really inspiring. She has done exceptionally well following the plan at home, and has taken up jogging and kickboxing. I don't know about jogging but a good walk around the streets of Mosgiel with my ipod pumping comes close. Just got to get some music to walk to...dance music is about the right speed, lol.

It's a hattrick!

Yes, I've lost 3 weeks in a row which is a big deal these days. I've been up and down a bit the last 6 months but still hanging in there. I know if I let myself go, then I'll let myself go completely and I'll be back to where I started from, and probably heavier than before I started the journey. I'm glad to say I'm still here and I'm still losing.

This week I lost 800gm and that is after a big weekend in the Hunter Valley tasting wine, eating good food, and having lots of laughs. I laughed mostly at myself and my feeble attempts to serve properly and return backhand shots while playing tennis. I did try to make good choices but didn't always do that well....but I got a bit of heatstroke on Saturday and got sick in the tummy with it...and the rest is too yucky to blog about...needless to say it was probably good for the scales today. Lol....

As for getting to 85kg by Christmas...mmmm, it's a lovely thought. But I'd be happy just getting under 90kg again for starters... there's still 5 weeks to go till Christmas so it's still possible...

Back again and ready to knuckle down!

It's been so long since I posted here, and I've obviously been struggling with the journey as I've gone into hiding. It's been a rough month with a very good friend in NZ dying from motor neurons which resulted in a bit of comfort eating. Brent and I went to NZ for the funeral and I spent most of my time my friend's house where there was a constant flow of tea and cakes every time a visitor arrived...and then I kept the bad eating going when we got back to Sydney.

Officially today I weigh 92.7kg (yesterday was 93.1kg) and I had gained 2.1kg since last week and that was a gain from the week before which was a gain from the week before....get the picture?

But yesterday I had a new lease of life - and got the fight back in me again....I tracked all day, went shopping for low point foods and put the slow cooker on. I'm going for the goal of 85kg by Christmas which was my lowest weight since starting WW. Last week I walked every morning but it's been raining the last 2 mornings, so yesterday I went on the Wii Fit for 30 minutes. So if I keep up the exercise I should make a dent in that goal!

So Christmas and 85kg - here I come!

Ten years ago...

One of my best friends just celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary with her husband (who is also my friend, lol). I was her matron of honour, and we looked at the wedding photos on Saturday night after a lovely roast dinner. But boy oh boy, I look so much younger now than I did 10 years ago because I was carrying so much extra weight at the time.

I remember when I first started losing weight last year, that I was looking forward to the day I could fit the MOH dress I wore for the wedding. And now seeing the photos, I can't believe how far I've come in over a year - and can't believe I just wanted to get into that dress. It's a really good wake up call for me to continue pressing on towards the goal. I don't want to go back to that place of denial and false happiness. I say it was false happiness because I told everyone I was happy about myself - and even convinced myself I was happy with myself. I don't think I actually was all that happy though...amazing how you can fool yourself...

Today at WI I lost 800 gms so I'm happy with that especially with all the cheese I ate over the weekend. I had a few sessions on the Wii Fit, and then went for a big walk on Saturday. One of our family faves is to go across the Harbour Bridge and get corn on the cob at the Rocks Market. We continued on to walk to Darling Harbour, catch the ferry to Luna Park, and then walk back to the car at Kirribilli. We were going to have a ride at Luna Park but each ride was $10 so we turned up our noses in disgust at the price!

So, I'm back under 90 kg - yet again. And am aiming to get to 88kg by the end of the month. I think I can do it easily especially if I keep those wedding photos in my mind. Back onto the Wii Fit for another session.

A great day for a birthday!

I just had to post as it's my birthday today. I normally try to keep as low key as possible about my birthday - some sort of denial thing. But today is quite special as it's the 9th of September 2009, 09/09/09! Cool eh? Wouldn't it be amazing if I was turning 9, or 99? But I'm 44 this year and am not happy that I'm slowly creeping towards 50...argh! I'm hoping to be fitter at 50 than I was when I was 40, and so far so good...

Do you eat your emotions?

Yes, I do. I eat my emotions...I did that this week. It was a big week with 2 Father's Day brekkys that I had organised for the 2 schools I'm chaplain at. They went really well and were successful as far as building community within the schools, and the food was also fantastic. But I admit I was stressed about the catering quantites as the numbers kept going up (which was what we wanted). I was so focussed on getting it right for the brekkys that I neglected shopping for my own family and didn't have the 'right food' in my pantry and fridge for me to eat healthily. So, of course, I got right off track eating anything that was there. Plan for the week - go shopping!

I consider my 1.2kg gain getting off lightly...it could have been a lot worse.

But, we went shopping on Thursday night and bought our family a Nintendo Wii. The package came with a Wii Fit and board, so my goal for the week is to go onto Wii Fit 5 times and spend 30 minutes on the exercises which are quite tough for moi. The muscle strengthening exercises are particularly tough! Press-ups! Abdominals! My arm and tummy muscles are pathetic!

Thank God it's Monday and I have a fresh start....I love Mondays!

2 wins this week..actually 3!

I had 2 wins this week. Today I lost 800 gms, and Joy lost a kilo (yay for Joy), both of which I'm very very happy about. But the best thing about my week was going for a family bike ride. And.....I went up a hill without stopping. And....my bum hurt but didn't kill like it did last time....ages and ages ago. So I think we'll be going on more family outings on bikes. We just need to get Sarah one that fits her - she's grown heaps since the last ride.

Yay, 2 wins!

Oh I nearly forgot...1 more win, I'm back under 90 kg. Woohoo!

Yahoo another kilo down!

Yeah, that's right! Another kilo lost this week. So I'm happy that the scales are going in the right direction again.

We went for a big walk on Saturday across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, through the Rocks market, ate corn cobs (no nuts this time), and continued towards Town Hall Station. Then we caught the train back to the car at Kirribilli.

My darling husband cooked a huge pot of yummy stir fried vegies (to help me stay on track), and so foodwise I've been doing better, although there is heaps of room for improvement still.

This week I weighed-in at 90.1kg, which is a loss of 1kg since last week. I've made it back to a total loss of 30.1kg since April last year when I first started WW.

Week 1 Weigh-In & Bay Walk

Thank you for yor encouragement and lovely comments ladies - I'm feeling the love :).

It was really good to restart last week - I think it was just what I needed to get my head back into a better space. This week was heaps better, and there was still plenty of room for improvement. Tracking started well, and then dropped away by the weekend. So this week, I'm going to track every day and take a notebook around with me - just need to find a notebook!

I went on the Bay Walk on Saturday with 2 great friends of mine, Linda and Jenny. Along the way I noticed it is actually called the Bay Run, lol. We joked that we could run it sometime - well I was really joking, but Jenny could actually be serious. Mmmm, let me think about that a bit more. Jenny's got longer legs than me so she went faster than me, that's my excuse anyway. But we finished it in about 80 minutes which was quite a steady pace. I'm sure the walk saved me from the weekend's BBQs and parties.

I weighed-in this week with 91.1kg which is a 1kg loss after 5 days. I restarted last Wednesday, but I'm going to keep Mondays as my WI day...so I'm happy with that and am hoping to go under 90kg by next Monday.

Starting Afresh Today!

Time to come clean with myself and you all and tell you I've put on 7.1kg since my lowest weight of 85kg. Seems I couldn't maintain 85 kg once I got there, and have slowly crept up in weight over the winter months. But enough is enough!

I reset my WW goals and profile with a restart from today.

So at present - my weight is 92.1 kg and I'm starting afresh from today!
Winter is gone - spring is around the corner!

A day of healthy cooking

There have been nasty bugs in our place this week. This is a family first - to have everyone sick at once! I've been bored silly. So yesterday I was feeling OK enough to cook. And I cooked healthy food.

I made roasted vegies with eggplant, spanish onion, pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, a generous spray of olive oil, a sprinkle of cummin seeds, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Then I made pumpkin soup. I put too much stock into the pot so had to add some potato to it which was good as the stock was quite salty. So actually it was pumpkin, potato and garlic soup. Yummy but potent! The whole pot came to 17 points.

Then I made diet jelly and stewed apples...

So being at home sick wasn't as detrimental to my eating plan as it could have been as it was all pretty low in points. But, now there are hardly any vegies left in the house. Oh no, what am I going to eat today?

There is a bit of soup left from yesterday....

...3 hours later...which I've eaten...

So now I've made some broccoli, potato and bacon soup. Very yummy too, and only 8 points for the whole pot. How good is that?

Down she goes

Yay! I lost 1.1 kg this week which is great. But I could have lost even more if I'd kept tracking for the whole 7 days. I weighed in at 87.2 kg which is what I weighed back in February, so I'm sort of ticked that progress has been so slow this winter. But from what I've been noticing others saying on the WW community boards and other bloggers; winter has been difficult for many of us.

This morning I walked the kids all the way to school (5 minutes up and 5 minutes back, lol). My inlaws went back to NZ yesterday so maybe there'll be less temptation around. I loved having them here and they are always so helpful around the house - cooking, washing, painting, gardening, babysitting etc...but there are definitely more cakes in the house too.

So now I have no more excuses, no inlaws to buy cakes for, the sun is shining and I can go outside for a walk....and I can track all 7 days instead of five.

My GWEJ (goal weight end of July) is 85 kg, which is my all time lowest since starting WW last year. I am determined and annoyed enough to make it back to 85 kg and beyond!

The good, the bad and the ugly

Well, I'm a believer of being transparent. No point hiding from the truth - the truth will find you out. So, I'm going to just announce my 1.7kg gain this week. I didn't blog last week either...sometimes you just want to hang your head in shame, or hide...I kind of feel like doing that...but there's no point. I think everyone struggles at some point. And I'm struggling right now...but today's WI was a real reality check for me.

I realise that I start the week OK, go over a few pts a day... but blow out in the weekend. There have been quite a few social occasions lately...and way too much dessert happening in the house in the evenings. Normally there's nothing naughty around, but we've had my ILs here, and there's just a bit more hi point food around than usual. But no-one is forcing me to eat it...I've been doing that all by myself.

So now I weigh 88.3kg and I'm thoroughly ticked off. Annoyed enough to get my head in the game? I think so! After all, it really is all in the head.

It's a great feeling - exercise!

Firstly, thank you for your kind thoughts during this sad time, it was really lovely to read your comments. It was also good to be reminded to take the time to remember my dad...life has certainly returned to busy-ness while I'm desperately trying to catch up with work. But I've been purposely talking about him with my friends and people at work so I've been taking the time to think about him even though I'm busy.

As far as my exercise goal went this went - yay, I finally went on a biggish walk on Saturday. I went from home to the shopping centre which took 35 minutes, and then walked around the centre for about an hour, then walked home again. I felt good afterwards, and what's more I actually saved some points that day! And I also satisfied my need to buy a new bag for work, filled it with lollies for Sarah's birthday party, and carried it home - extra workout! Then later that day, we went to Darling Harbour on the rivercat ferry and went to the Jazz and Blues Festival...walked around Darling Harbour a bit but had a (skim milk) hot chocolate at Lindt Cafe...ah well, you can't win them all.

On Tuesday I weighed in and lost 200gm, so despite the rubbish I ate, I didn't gain this week which is such a relief. Phew!

So I'm presently weighing 85.8kg - my lowest weight was 85kg, so not too far from getting back to my lowest weight. I'm feeling really full after eating a huge dinner - healthy soup and salad with chicken...but I didn't need to go for the extra helping just because it was low in points. Still have yet to acknowledge the satisfied signal in my tummy. At least I'm too full to eat the banana and chocolate cake that my friend made for us...so maybe not such a bad thing being full of vegies...

A sad 2 weeks

I just have some sad news to share with you...It's been a sad two weeks for me and my family with my dad suddenly passing away on the 19th of May from a heart attack . It's been really surreal actually and I think about him at random moments, but especially in the early early morning - too early, but then I can't get back to sleep...ah well, I know this will pass...but I do think back to the good memories and some not so good - like when he was in a car accident, and he ended up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I was just 6 years old at the time. He really was a most generous dad, and he loved our family. I'll miss him.

So, my family all went with me to NZ straight away for the funeral and to support my mum...pretty crazy, hectic time for us all. I suppose that's why I'm waking up early in the morning thinking about Dad. Cos I've been too busy to find the space to do it during the day.

I didn't totally pig out in NZ, but did resort to some comfort eating - but careful comfort eating. And not chocolate. I gained 200 gm in 2 weeks so I guess that's pretty good in the circumstances. On Monday I weighed 86kg - coming down a bit over the last few days. But have tried really hard to track this week. Shock, horror, only Wednesday and I'm nearly 20+ pts over already (that's in 3 days). So have to get busy with some exercise.

Got heaps of work to catch up with *huge sigh*, so to get my head down and tail up...

I'm on the other side of a plateau!

A quick status update:
WI today gained 100gm, last week gained 700gm. Now weigh 85.8kg. Feeling annoyed but determined to get back to basics of tracking, water and exercise - pretty simple when I put it like that. So I am determined that the plateau is over and that I'm going to get to my 83kg goal by the end of May! It'll be a real push but I can do it. This is my week of determination like some others in my WW community thread.

I realise I can't really get anywhere unless I am determined. I've become content, and contentment leads to distraction and laziness. I don't want to sound like an obsessed person, but I know that if you want to get anywhere in life, you have to put some effort into it and be determined.

I just saw this article in the weekly e-newsletter from WW. I'm posting it here so I can remind myself of some strategies to get myself out of the plateau I've experienced the last couple of months. My first plateau since starting WW.

Power through plateaus
Article By: Laurie Greenwald Saloman

It's a phenomenon familiar to most people who've tried to shed excess kilos: You're finally close to your Goal weight but suddenly the numbers on the scale refuse to budge.

You've hit a weight-loss plateau, and you're wondering what's causing the stall. Is there something you're doing (possibly unwittingly) to sabotage your own efforts? Or is it an inevitable physiological part of the weight-loss process? The answer probably lies somewhere in between.

Ain't misbehavin'?

As much as we may not like to believe it, our actions are probably at the root of most weight-loss plateaus. "Probably about 90 percent of our plateaus are due to 'loosening up,' meaning the half-hour walk, seven days a week becomes a 20-minute walk, four days a week," says Weight Watchers' chief scientist, Karen Miller-Kovach, MS, RD. "It's the little relaxing that does people in."

Before you start berating yourself, give yourself a break. Recognise that you may have gotten a little too comfortable with aspects of the programme. But you can still keep moving toward your weight goal. Simply reaffirm your commitment to your weight-loss plan, and move forward. Try a new recipe, eat more fruits and veggies, or add some jogging intervals to your daily walk. By mixing up your routine, eating and exercise will be fresh and enjoyable again.

The body at work

Although less-than-faithful adherence to an eating and exercise plan is usually the culprit of a plateau, there are times when something going on within the body is causing the kilos to hang on. According to Michael Lowe, PhD, a professor of clinical and health psychology, about one-quarter of the weight you lose is actually lean tissue. Lean-tissue loss means you burn fewer kilojoules. "This effect is relatively minor, but combined with other factors, it can contribute to a plateau," Lowe says.

Lowe also points out that because kilos shed in the first few weeks of weight loss tend to be made up of about half water, people are often fooled into thinking they are reaching a plateau when, in fact, they're really just approaching a normal (read: slower) rate of weight loss.

Five ways to tip the scale

The good news: Whether the cause is behavioural, physiological or both, there are steps you can take to move past a plateau. First, strengthen your resolve to keep losing, then:

1. Increase your physical activity.

This may be the best way to get the weight off, according to experts. Look for simple ways to get core activity in: Take your dog for an afternoon walk. Park the car farther away, or get off the bus a stop or two away from your destination.

2. Eat right and write.

Research has shown that people routinely underestimate the number of kilojoules they consume daily. Keep track of what you eat. Enjoy seeing that you've stayed within your daily POINTS® allowance.

3. Eat fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with a variety of vitamin and minerals and are typically low in kilojoules. Including them at meal time will help keep you satisfied and contribute to your health.

4. Spice things up.

Forgo your usual ham sandwich for a more exotic water-packed tuna with dill and lemon juice on toasted pita bread. This might stimulate your taste buds enough to keep you satisfied.

5. Get busy.

Join an after-work volleyball league, attend art openings or just chase your kids around outside. The less you're in the kitchen, the less tempted you'll be to eat.

Losing slowly but still losing

Wow. It's been a slow WW journey since Easter. I've been so nonchalant about the whole WW thing since then. It doesn't surprise me because I've been at this point before. In the past when I've lost a significant amount of weight I've ended up putting it all back on because I've started eating rubbish again.

I've been doing really well for a year, and I've made it to some major milestones and then I've relaxed. I'm not surprised that I've let my hair down a bit this month - but it's not a good excuse. In fact if I'm not persistent I could put it all back on because old habits could come springing back. I've felt better about myself so I've rewarded myself by eating things I wouldn't normally have. Mmmmm, ye olde reward yourself with high calorie food...doesn't really make sense.

But, I'm not going to relax THAT much again. Last week I lost 1 kg, and this week I lost 200 gm. So the weight is coming down again and I'm going to be diligent in my tracking this week. I would have called myself the tracking queen...but I've let it slip the last few weeks which is very strange. I think it's because I've had the kids home for school holidays and they've been on the computer so much that I haven't managed to get on there myself.

But now we're back into routine of work, and school, and I finally went fruit and vegie shopping which makes a huge difference to staying on track.

So now I weigh 85kg and have lost a total of 35.2kg, and I'm off to enter my points into the tracker!



But major news:
I went running with Sarah on Saturday! It's probably 350 m around our street (a double-ended cul-de-sac), so a nice circuit for cross-country training. Sarah's got her cross-country run tomorrow at school - not her thing, but everyone has to do it. But to encourage her to do SOME training, we went for a jog around our 400 m street. Running is not my forte (at all), so I managed to jog for 300m and walk, then jog, then walk etc...I was huffing and puffing for the 3 laps I did. I guess we've all got to start somewhere ;)

Caught off guard by the Easter Bunny

Did anyone else get caught off-guard by the cute little Easter Bunny? So cute, so fluffly, so deceiving! I can't really blame an innocent little rabbit who only serves to mark this amazing season with the dreaded brown temptation...sounds pretty yucky (brown temptation - could be mud by that description). But it's just as well that I'm not a chocaholic or my week would have been even worse on the scales.

I gained again this week - 300 gms, so not too devastating, but the plan was to lose the 1 kg I'd put on last week. I weighed-in on Monday and 86.3 kg came up on the screen , but since then the scales have been coming back down again into the 85s...phew!

I've finally been fruit and vegie shopping this week as they were very low in our house over the last 2 weeks.

No vegies = weight gain for Heather

But my vegie supply is dwindling again, so I'd bettter go and do some shopping soon.

But on a fun note. I went clothes shopping yesterday as I don't have many winter clothes that fit me. This time last year I was almost 35 kg heavier and a size 24-26. Now I'm a size 14 and can buy clothes in shops I wouldn't have even stepped foot into. I bought my very first pair of knee-high boots, a skirt, a two pairs of pants. I haven't bought a skirt in years either! So I had heaps of fun spending some of the stimulus money I'm hoping to get soon. Brent liked my purchases so that was good!

May be some photos to come...

What do Brittany Spears and I have in common?

"Whoops, I did it again..." by Brittany Spears - my theme song for the week. Now what was I saying last week about not letting the 35 kg milestone go to my head, and letting my hair down...etc....? Thank goodness I still have a week to go before my year is up. I have one week to get rid of what I gained this week. And I gained 1 kg!

We have had some dear friends staying with us this week who left for NZ for 3 years this morning. There have been several parties and dinners over the course of the week, and I didn't track as diligently as I normally do. So what did I learn? Track, track, track ....exercise, exercise, exercise.... and buy plenty of fruit and vegies. Well, I might as well learn something.... I let the busy-ness of the week dictate my responses to how I ate this week. Too busy to cook, too busy to shop, too busy to exercise...excuses, excuses, excuses...

So this week, I'm determined to take off what I gained...I will still make my annual goal if I stick to the basics.

The scales told me that I now weigh 86 kg, which is a gain of 1 kg from last week. I need to lose 800 gm to attain my goal of losing 35 kg in a year - the goal is to get to 85.2 kg. I can do it! Grrrrrrr! *That's me gritting my teeth*

Wow! Made my annual goal - 35 kg gone forever!

Yay! I'm so happy this week!!! *Heather bounces around the room*. I achieved my first year goal to lose 35 kg in a year, and with 2 weeks to spare! So, I'm aiming to keep it that way and not let it go to my head. I'm not going to let my hair down as I have done occasionally in the past, and then reward myself with food, although I did have Special K chocolatey flakes with a whole banana for breakfast (5 pts), lol.

This morning Joy and I both lost! Joy lost 800 gm (woohoo) and I lost 500 gm! So I now weigh 85 kg and have lost a total of 35.2 kg.

Today I reached my GWEM (goal weight end of March) of 85 kg, and my first year goal to lose 35 kg. I even ran up the hill on the way to school with the kids and bet them....mind you they were carrying bags. I think I need to also start some exercise goals as I've never really done that since being on WW.

For this week:

1. Go on exercise bike for at least 5 minutes on 4 days.
2. Go on 1 major walk - over 45 minutes
3. Go on 1 smaller walk - 10 to 20 minutes

That will do for now - don't want to make it impossible for myself...lol.

Getting closer to First Year Goal!

I can't believe that I lost 900gm this week! I'm so doing a happy dance *Heather jumps around the scales 3 times, jumps onto her bed and does a somersault*! I'd gone over by 20 points this week, so thought it would be marginal whether I lost or gained. But imagine my surprise when I'd nearly lost a kilo!

I'm only 300 gm off making it to my first year goal - which is to lose 35 kg by mid-April. My total loss is now 34.7 kg and I now weigh 85.5 kg.

Another first this week - my 21 year old niece from NZ gave me some jeans (cos they were too big for her - size 14), and they now fit me - yippeeeeee! They feel snug - but apparently look alright on me - I'll have to trust that people aren't just trying to make me feel good and are telling me the truth. But here's a sneak peek at me in them. I think Triny and Sussanah would say I should wear full length jeans...but I'll wait till winter to get another pair of jeans.

Howzat!

I lost again again this week - this made it 3 losses in a row. It may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but the way the week was going, I thought it was going to be a huge gain. I started off OK this week, but then after visiting a good friend who'd made the most delicious cakes....I'd gone over by 25 points in one day!!! Well, make that 2 days, as he'd given me cake to take home (for the kids, HA!) and of course, I helped them eat it too cos it was too much for them to eat on their own! I did save a big bit for Brent...

So, I tried really hard to be good for the rest of the week...and I was really good. How good was I? Well, we had a b'day party at our house for a good friend on Saturday. It was a pizza night, but I didn't have any pizza! I just ate heaps and heaps of smoked salmon salad and had a small sliver of birthday cake. I did munch on nibbles before hand, but had made pita bread crackers to have with dip, so not too high in points compared with cheese and crackers.

So I weighed in at home today, and I was expecting a small gain, but actually lost 400gm! Woohoo - howzat! So total loss is now 33.8 kg, and I weighed in at 86.4 kg. My goal of losing 35 kg by mid-April is looking do-able. Yay!

I've been tagged: Seven things you've always wanted to know about me

I've been tagged by Katy @ http://beekaty.blogspot.com/ to post seven things about myself...

So I thought I'd give it a go...hey, why not? :)

The Rules:
1. List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tell 7 unspectacular quirks about you.
4. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
5.Link the person who tagged you.
6.Leave a comment for each blogger.

It could be nice if you post a personal photo with this post.

Seven Facts about me:

1. My favourite place in the world is the Cinqueterra region in Tuscanny, Italy.

2. I'm married to Brent whom I've known since I was about 4 years old, and had a crush on since I was 12! We've been married for 19 years...ahhhh.

3. I play the piano and sing...la la la.

4. I have a fear of creatures with more than 4 legs and this can be very embarrassing as I tend to scream uncontrollably when a bug is too close.

5. I also hate walking on grass in my bare feet...especially Australian grass, NZ grass is less hateable, lol. (Probably something to do with my bug phobia)

6. My favourite type of food is Yum Cha - love the steamed seafood and vegie dumplings.

7. I have a teaching background and have just started working as a Chaplain in 2 local schools, and am really enjoying it.




Seven Unspectacular Quirks about me:

1. I can flare my nostrils.

2. I have size 10 feet.

3. My favourite TV programme is NCIS.

4. I don't like melon of any sort.

5. I'm into savoury more than sweet - but still like sweet things.

6. I have a new phone that I still can't use properly.

7. I cannot waterski but can snow ski.


I don't know how to put links to other people's blogs so I'll just have to copy their URLs...


So, I'm Tagging these great bloggers:

1. Natalie @ http://natalie-gettinghealthy.blogspot.com/

2. Carlton @ http://carlton1968.blogspot.com/

3. Lisa @ http://www.pinky-itsallaboutme.blogspot.com/

4. Jo @ http://littlepiggysjourney.blogspot.com/

5. Kathie @ http://kathiejourney.blogspot.com/

6. Lyn @ http://spikelet.blogspot.com/

7. Bec @ http://becsadventure2009.blogspot.com/

My 1st year goal - 35 kg lighter in 1 year!

I started this WW journey mid-April 08...and was happy just to lose 20 kg because I didn't want to put myself under any pressure to lose or not lose - the ye olde attitude of "don't start something, in case it doesn't work anyway, and then you won't be disappointed".

But almost a year later, I'm amazed to find myself still on track and in the right headspace. I do think journalling or blogging (or whatever helps you remember where you've come from) really has helped me stay motivated. And of course the great friends like Joy, my WW online buddies, and other bloggy friends - you are all are so encouraging. We keep each other going.

My 1st year goal is to lose 35 kg - then I'd weigh 85.2 (a further loss of 1.6kg). I'll actually aim for 37 kg though (the preferred goal, lol) - then I'd be at 83.2 kg (a further loss of 3.6 kg) by the 14th of April. So 2 goals not just 1!

This week (week 46) - I lost 400 gm which was good considering I lost a biggie the week before. I really wanted to hang onto last week's loss! I now weigh 86.8 kg and have lost a total of 33.4 kg.

I think I'm shrinking!

Well this title has a double meaning! Just to be really tricky...I think I'm shrinking in weight (yay) and in height (boo)! I'm too young to be shrinking in height!

I used to be 165 cm tall, but now I'm 163 cm in height! Oh that can't be right - and that means I'll have to change my weight loss goal range...drats! But I might just have my measurements checked again, it could have been the measuring tape (even though it was made of metal and not likely to have stretched like the plastic ones we also have, lol). Brent says I'm too young to be shrinking and wants me to take calcium supplements as I'm not drinking enough milk or consuming enough dairy in general...too many points eh?

On a happier note, I did shrink in weight this week and am going to take my measurements in a tick. It's been ages since I measured myself so I'm looking forward to seeing the difference. I think my tummy will be interesting.

I weighed-in this morning and lost 1.7 kg! So I'm thrilled. But I had gained 1.4 kg last week and was so annoyed with myself that I didn't even post all of last week. So now I weigh 87.2 kg and have lost a total of 33 kg. I'm aiming for a loss of 35 kg by mid-April as that would be a year since I started WW.



Here's an picture update with my sporty clothes on taken today at 87.2 kg:

I'll be back with some measurements soon...

Previously After 33 Weeks
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

Now in Week 45
Neck: 36.5 cm (-1 cm)
Bust: 102.5 cm (-2 cm)
Waist: 82 cm (- 12.5 cm)
Hips: 118 cm (-1 cm)
Thigh: 66 cm (-2 cm)
Upper Arm: 41 cm (- 1 cm)
Calf: 43 cm (-1.5 cm)

It's been a slow 11 weeks over the whole Christmas/New Year period and I'm still getting back into weight loss mode. I must've have made a mistake with the waist measurement (- 12.5 cm!!!), that's quite a lot compared to everywhere else. But I do notice that I have waist now and thought it might have been a signicant difference since I last measured myself. So maybe it's right....sort of strange don't you think? But cool, I'm shrinking....

I think I can make it to goal!

This week's weigh-in takes me below the 20kg-left-to-lose mark. I lost 1.8kg today! Woohoo! And now weigh 87.5kg losing a total of 32.7kg since April 08. I think (if my maths is right) that I have 19.5kg left till I reach goal!

I've told myself that when I have less than 20kg left to lose I could actually make it to goal. I've never, in the history of following WW (several times), believed that my goal weight of 68kg was actually achieveable. But now that I've come this far, I'm aiming to get to my healthy recommended weight. I think I can make it this time. I'm also being realistic as I know it gets harder to lose larger amounts the closer I get to goal. So the final 10kg will require more exercise than I've been doing (which is not a whole lot this week).

Thx Joyflower!

xx

This is more like it!

Joy and I both had a good weigh-in today despite partying this weekend. We both lost good amounts though I suspect the scales were a bit too kind to me, so I'll have to keep on their good side for the rest of the week, lol. I lost 800gm and now am back under 90kg again. I weighed in at 89.3kg which brings my total loss to date as being 30.9kg since April last year. It would be good to make it 35kg in a year by April 09.

Joy had her sister and mum here in Sydney and had a lovely social time with them, and I had our Waitangi Day party at our place and have been eating left overs ever since...yikes! But we both exercised this week which must have made up for the overeating done in the weekend. I went swimming again on Saturday - so I'm feeling more confident about going out in public with my swimmers on. That must be progress, even if it's in my head. I guess that's where the battle starts. And I did 10 lengths of a 50m pool, but have yet to swim it continuously. It's been too hot to get onto the bike lately, so the pool has been a lovely alternative.

I'm having trouble shifting my post-baby tummy, so will have to target that area I think. Not sure what exercises are effective in toning the lower abdominal area....does anyone have any ideas? I did some tummy crunches (if you can call them that), and could barely lift my shoulders off the bed towards my knees. I think crunches are designed more for the upper tummy area (is that right?) - well that's where I feel the muscles working. I am not known for my determination when it comes to exercise, so I'd love to hear what anyone is doing for exercise - go ahead, inspire me, lol.

xx

Post-NZ Weigh-in

I weighed in this morning and gained 900gm since my last WI 2 weeks ago. If I try to make myself feel better, I've put on 300gm since I've gone on holiday to NZ. I weighed-in once while on holiday (as I took my scales, lol), and was trying to keep some exercise going and eat well. I think I did pretty well most of the time except didn't track (that was my downfall), and it was only the last week of our 3 week holiday that was a tad off track. There was cream, icecream, lolly cake, homemade bread, muesli, desserts, multiple dinners out...get the picture? But even with those evils I was better than I would have been before being on WW. Normally I put on 3-4 kg from a trip to NZ, so 300gm over 3 weeks is a huge improvement.

So now I weigh 90.1kg, and I'm back over the 90kg mark, but still hang onto my 30kg milestone. I am determined that this week will be a goodie! I just went on a 30 min walk around the neigbourhood which was actually really great.

Back on track for 09!

Back from the Land-of-the-long-white-cloud

We're back from NZ. We had a really great holiday and did a fair bit of tripping around the South Island - it really was beautiful. But the last week of our 3 week holiday was a bit disastrous for weight loss so it's good to be back to some form of routine. But hey, I was pretty good otherwise, so I'm not too bothered. However, I am looking forward to getting back into 'normal' life, being able to track on the computer, and being able to post on the WW community boards again.

I did manage to score some firsts while away.

My first time to the West Coast of NZ,

and my first time walking to the Rob Roy Glacier viewing spot (which was a 4 hour trek over rocks and uphill and down again).

I WI officially tomorrow but know that I've put on as I have been weighing-in unofficially and I'm back over the 90kg mark, sigh. But still have today to try and bring it down as much as I can.

So I'm feeling good about starting the year with a fresh start...bring on 09! I guess some of us start the year more slowly than others, lol.

Here are just a few pics of our NZ holiday - the scenery was spectacular! And Brent and I also had our wedding anniversary while away.

Franz Josef Glacier - with my friend Fi

Sarah and I going up a chair lift at Coronet Peak - near Queenstown

View from the summit of Coronet Peak

View from the car park at Coronet peak - Ben mesmerised

Brent and I celebrating our 19 years of marriage

Missing everyone while in NZ

I've been in NZ for 5 days and I miss everyone already. I've been trying to get to the boards as much as I can but it's been very brief each time. I must be addicted!

Anyway, I weighed in on Monday and lost 600 gm, so that was good, but am not looking forward to the next WI as I've been eating and not doing as much exercise (as we've been travelling a fair bit...so just sitting on my bum for hours and eating cos I'm bored leads to ???? next week).

But we've had a great time catching up with our great friends Ross and Fi and their 3 boys. And we're going to see the sights on the West Coast with them....

Gotta go to bed. Cya soon.

The next day:
Now it's Thursday...and we're organised to go to the West Coast. So all ready for a quick departure in the morning. We're going to leave at 7am! Now, that's really early for our family...none of us are morning people, lol.

But I've been good today, went for a walk, ate within my points, and have been eating cherry tomatoes like they're going out of fashion. On Monday when I weighed in I was 89.2 kg. So that's a total loss of 31 kg since April 08. I'll be really happy to maintain that loss by next Monday...mmmm, not looking good at the moment but 3 days to walk it all off.

Off to bed again. Cyas all soon.

xx

Wooohoooo I cracked the 90 kg barrier!

Just weighed in with Joy and the elusive 90 kg has been cracked at last! I weighed in this morning at 89.8 kg which is a loss of 300 gms. Not much, but enough to get me over the line. Earlier in the morning it was looking ominous but when Joy arrived it was all roses.

Even if I hadn't lost anything I've had a great week. I went bought a new pair of swimmers and went swimming twice in a public pool! Feeling great just for exercising! Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to post a photo of myself in my swimmers. Lol. And I was much better with my point tracking this week, although I still went over in points but not as much as the week before (Christmas).

I haven't been this weight for 12 years so it's a great feeling. After a very slow December, it's great to start the year off with a loss. Woohooooo!

Healthy Thickshakes are possible

I just had to tell you about the latest discovery in healthy thickshakes! It may not be new to you but was a wonderful discovery to me. Actually my niece Hannah showed me.

If you get skim milk and whip it up (like in a milkshake maker) then it goes so thick and creamy. It doesn't work if you put a whole lot of other stuff into it. But if you use very fine chocolate powder (ie. drinking chocolate) it still holds it thickness. But doesn't work if you use Milo.

Hannah likes it with some vanilla essence and a teaspoon of sugar. I'm happy with nothing added. But try it, it's amazing!

Warning: It does double/triple in size so don't fill up the cup too full before beating! Half a cup of skim milk goes a long way.