'E' is for egg!

I'm an egg lover.  I would be lost without them, and there's not a day or two that goes by without an egg or two!

So for breakfast today I had a scrambled egg on multigrain bread for 6 pro-points. I have them in omelettes, fried, poached, in a frittata, in a quiche, stirred through in fried rice, and boiled. Have I left any other way of cooking them out?

I'd like to have chickens roaming around in my backyard except for the clucking, the poo, and the cat! :O

My Winter Goal

I'm going to New Zealand on the 3rd of July, and it's a skiing holiday.  There's only about 5 weeks left and I need to get fitter...I'm thinking of going apres-skiing this year and not doing the skiing bit, hehe. But that is a rather lousy option, I should be making the most of the next 5 weeks and getting ski-ready!

On the way to Perisher, Australia July 2011

Last year when we went skiing, I weighed around 105kg, and was going to the gym (which I still pay for and never go to).  I'd love to be able to get to 105kg and get to the gym, but everything in me says, "arggghhh"! That would be a loss of 4.5kg and then the embarrassment of having to face the gym staff after such a long absence.

I'd have to seriously get over myself...truth is, I don't like gyms.  So I'll keep working on the 4.5kg before we get to NZ, and get Tready going while the TV is on...and maybe I'll feel OK about the gym sometime soon!

Brent and I having a hot chocolate break, Perisher 2011

The best weigh-in! Going under 110kg!

Woohoooooo!

It's not the best weigh-in because of the actual amount in grams/kilos.  But because of the goals I reached today.


Today's weigh-in showed an 800gm loss which means I went under 110kg! Also, I now weigh 109.5kg which means I reached my 5% goal! And I reached my May goal to get to 110kg. So three goals in one weigh-in!!! And 6kg gone so far in this journey!

I'm doing the happy dance!

A variation on pumpkin soup

Yesterday I made pumpkin soup but with a slight variation.

I made it with fresh ginger and coconut light carnation milk instead of coconut cream.

I had mixed reactions from the family.  My niece Hannah and I really liked it, and hubby and daughter liked it, but prefer the original recipe, and son whom doesn't like soup didn't say anything. :P

It had a chilli in it as well, but I deseeded it and there wasn't much heat in it at all.

I'm a big ginger fan, so it was right up my alley!

Photo update - 5kg gone

I finally took a photo (just of my top half), more to come later!  Look at those bags under my eyes!

This is me, 5kg less than when I started...a sneak peek on the scales this morning showed that I am under 110kg for the first time in ages, so I just need to hold on over the weekend till Tuesday, then it'll be official!

Photo to come

Now that I reached my first milestone - 5kg done and dusted - I think I'll take the first photo in my photo journey. Not a huge difference, but I think my face is not as round, and my clothes are fitting better...

I'll take one very soon!

Almost a habit...

I could almost say I'm developing a habit!  And it's a good one...

I've been walking the last two mornings with hubby...just around the block which is fairly big, and it was only for 25 minutes, but it's a beginning! If we can get out of bed a bit earlier we can go a bit longer - harder to do when it's cold though :)

So it's almost a habit...how many days are you supposed to do something before it's considered a habit?

Week 5 Weigh-In Results! Woohoo!

Woohoooo! I had my fifth weigh-in today, and the scales tell me I've lost 900gms, which means I get my

5kg star!

I'm very happy with that, and not suprised that I didn't make it under 110kg this week. It gives me something to work towards for next week.  Also, next week I could easily get my 10% goal which is at 109.7kg. So week 6 should be a goodie on this journey!

My total loss is 5.2kg and I'm also on track for my May goal to get to 110kg.

Oh, I nearly forgot...I went for a walk with Brent at 6.30am, and when I got back I was 200gms lighter, haha!

So close to going under 110kg!

Well, I won't really know until tomorrow, but I only have 500gm to lose to go under 110kg.  I'm so close.  To be realistic I don't know if I'll lose that much in one day.  But it IS POSSIBLE if I keep to a low salt diet and stay within my points, or try to do a 29 point day.  All will be revealed tomorrow!

     So close…

It's easier to be anti-social, but not as much fun!

Haha, I thought I was going to have a party-free, social-free week! Just stay at home and be healthy...no dinners out etc...I don't know why I even think this because my week is never social-free. I should never depend on a 'normal' week at home eating soup (jokes), and should just learn to accommodate the social occasions in my life as the norm.

As a matter of fact, I've only cooked once all week as we've had something on every night of the week:

• Tuesday we got back from piano lessons at 7.30pm, so I bought Chinese takeaway (as healthy as possible).
• Wednesday ended up being a date night and we ate at one of my favourite fusion restaurants in Balmain.
• Thursday was sports training night and we got home at 7.45pm, so I bought chicken and salads.
• Friday night we celebrated a friend's birthday and went to an Indian restaurant.
• Saturday (last night) I cooked a healthy chicken and vegetable curry as we had some friends over, and they bought dessert over...I had a tiny bit.

I've got two days to go before weigh-in on Tuesday.  I might as well drop this notion that a 'normal' week exists, and learn to work around our busy family schedule and busy social life.  I've got to make better choices...and perhaps get better organised with our meals by putting on the slow cooker before piano lessons and sports training.  It could be done cooking by the time we finish if I get it on straight away after work. Yummy, healthy, and cheaper too!

A Sporting Saturday

I was up early today to get Ben off to his soccer game by 8.30am. It was a bit of a drive to get there, but it was a lovely day and lovely drive. My hubby and I had to push our kids to play a team sport because we thought it would be good for them.

Sarah just started playing netball this year which she is enjoying, but we had to keep encouraging her to give it a go...it soooo good for them both in many aspects.  It's not about the winning - although it's nice to win occasionally. They're getting some exercise a few times a week, learn to work with others in their team, and learn about sportsmanship.

What a relief!

I have new batteries for my scales and now I can weigh myself again! Hooray!

So I'm back to my normal routine, and I weighed myself this morning and saw a new number.  I've gone from the 111s to the 110s (as in kilos), so I'm inching closer to going under 110kg. It might not happen by the next weigh-in but I will hopefully get my 5kg star at least.

I'd better make some more soup, it's such a great back-up and so filling. So will it be pumpkin again or a new one?

I have a confession

Yes, I do have a confession.  It's a Weight Watchers no-no.

I am a daily weigher...and my scales have run out of batteries!
I feel so lost and incomplete! When do the shops open so I can get some more batteries?

I know it's a no-no but I find it helps me stay on track better during the week.  I can clearly see the effect of too much salt in my weight the next day.

Is it so wrong for me to be a daily weigher?

First few milestones approaching

I see stars...as from today's sneak peek, I am 500gm away from scoring my first 5kg star, AND I am only 1kg away from going under 110kg, AND I am 1.4kg away from my 10% goal!  So there's lots to look forward to in the next week. I really want to get under 110kg by next Tuesday when I weigh in. Yay! It's not my first time going under 110kg, but it'll be just as exciting as the first time!



More soup...more vegies...more exercise...what exercise?
Going skiing in NZ in about 6 weeks time, so I've gotta step up the fitness big time!

Week 4 Weigh-in...wooohooo!

I'm happy today! It was looking really bad on the scales yesterday after Mother's Day, and I had a vegie and healthy day yesterday - no social events!





Yesterday's menu was:

• Mushroom and tomato omelette
• Banana smoothie
• Broccoli, leek and potato soup
• Apple
• Cabbage and bacon
• Broccoli, leek and potato soup
• Lamb with garlic and herbs
• Wasabi peas
• Halva

And I wasn't hungry because the soup really filled me up and was 1 PP per ladle.

So I lost 1.1kg which brings my total loss to 4.3kg.
My current weight is 111.2kg, only 1.3kg to go under 110kg.
Bring it on!

Happy Mothers' Day!

Happy Mothers' Day to all the mums out there!

Did you have a nice day?  We had a lovely day. I didn't have breakfast in bed (because we had a late night on Saturday, and I said "you don't need to give me breakfast in bed, you can sleep in"). After church we went to see 'The Avengers' and got sushi seconds before the movie started. Yum! Great movie if you like super hero movies which we do.  

I got some lovely pressies but they included 2 boxes of chocolates! Yikes again.  Now, I'm not a chocoholic, but if they're there then I will eat them! I shared them around everyone, but still ate five choccies! My broccoli soup was yummo and certainly helped with healthy options, but not enough! So I'm feeling frustrated with myself this morning! At least a new week starts tomorrow, but I'm going to try and reverse the damage as much as possible today!

The secret is in the...

...SOUP!

I haven't made any soup for over a week, so I think it's time for another pot of something healthy. It works because it keeps me filled up on vegies instead of other stuff  which is always higher in Pro-points!

I went to Harris Farm yesterday and bought  heaps of broccoli and leeks for nothing other than broccoli, leek and potato soup!  I love it, and it has less points than pumpkin soup which was the last pot.  I might put some bacon in it for flavour...we'll see how I feel!

Today I will make good choices!

Today I will be resolute and make great choices!

Yesterday I bought fish and chips for dinner because it was 'one of those days'...too busy, nothing to cook, driving kids from A to B at night, Brent had to leave work early because of a back spasm...oh, what other excuse can I find?

I actually walked into the fish n chip shop thinking that I'd order some grilled fish. But  my eyes darted to the kids pack which was cheaper but less healthy.  The kids pack was quite substantial...so I bought it, ate it, tracked it, and then kicked myself!

So today! Good choices, healthy choices, exercise choices.

I'm starting the day with a banana smoothie.

NO to rubbish after netball and soccer!
NO to convenience

YES to fresh and healthy!
YES to movement!

Yikes! I've been invited to a Sri Lankan feast!

It's friend's birthday dinner tomorrow night, and I've just lost the weight I'd gained while away for the weekend (plus a bit more), so I'm not looking forward to the challenge of navigating my way through this dinner.  The birthday boy is Sri Lankan, and there's always a feast of food, and I don't have too many weeklies left!

I've been asked to take a salad so I'll make it Heather friendly and huge so I can be happy eating that rather than everything else. A Caesar salad is what the occasion calls for I think...although not Sri Lankan at all :P

It might have to be a soup making day today so I can have a low point day in lieu of a possibly high point day tomorrow.

2 Mothers' Day Breakfasts done and dusted! You should see the spread!

I'm so relieved that the two Mothers' Day breakfasts that I organised are over now, and that they went off really smoothly.

I always do my little "is there enough food" fret, and then there's always a bit of food left over.  Anyway, I'm going to sleep well tonight, and I didn't eat too much today...had some muesli and yoghurt and some breadstick...no croissant or pastries for me!

Week 3 Weigh-in: It could have been worse

Had a huge day organising a Mothers' Day breakfast for 300+ people at one of schools I'm Chaplain at. I was so worried that I wouldn't have enough food...but of course, I had more than enough...I was counting croissants in my sleep! It was a really early start but I had lots of helpers, and the mums and kids loved it.  Just got to do it again on Thursday morning at the other school I'm at. :D

Weigh-in result: Let's get it over and done with! Week 3, which included the big weekend away, showed a 700gm gain.  It actually could have been worse, but it was a lovely time, and there's no point living in regret. We had a very social time eating all weekend, and now I'm back to 'regular' life.





Tonight's dinner is chicken salad, baked potatoes, and omelette. I was good, I felt like takeaway but thought better of it!

Must remember to plan for weekends away!

We have some very dear friends who are heading off to Africa for a few years soon.  They're going to start up a school in Arusha, Tanzania, and it's going to be an exciting and rich experience for them and their three kids.  It's sad for us who stay behind, but we decided to take them away for the weekend to Port Stephens, which is about 2.5 hours drive from Sydney.

It was a tad wet on Saturday, but we managed to do a few things between showers (and during showers), and hit the coffee shops.  Actually the whole weekend was full of food! From beginning to end.  Very nice food. French toast and bacon for breakfast, coffee and French cakes for morning tea, gourmet pies for lunch, seafood BBQ and salads and baked potatoes for dinner, And then scrambled eggs and bacon with left-overs for breakfast, devonshire tea for morning tea, etc... And then, don't forget the wine and nibbles...Get the picture?

Unfortunately I didn't plan very well earlier on in the week, and forgot to save up my weeklies for the weekend. So I'll just consider it a lesson learned, and cop the gain on the chin. Or perhaps on the butt :P

I have one day to lessen the lesson, but it's still going to be a massive gain. Oh well, these weekends don't happen too often and I can't live in the world of regret.  Keep pressing on towards the goal...Paris, I'm still coming!

Must remember to hide the peanut butter!

Late nights when I can't get to sleep and am feeling cranky, plus peanut butter in the cupboard are a bad combo!

It's a goal!

I made an exercise goal to walk around the soccer park this morning, and did it tonight.  I walked for almost an hour with my niece Hannah, and we were so busy talking that I didn't notice how long we'd been walking for.

Yet to get Tready in action.

The elusive 'E' word!

The elusive 'E' and I need to get better acquainted.

We're like not talking at the moment, although I did go for little walk with my niece Hannah the other day at Bi-Centennial Park. It was more of a stroll than anything but I guess better than nothing. The silence is killing me.  So before 'E' completely turns away from me and disappears from my life altogether, I'd better getting reacquainted with him.

So my goals for this week:



1. Put Tready back down into 'walking position', compared to 'clothes hanging position'.

2. Walk on Tready for 5 minutes on first day (don't want to overdo it).  ;P

3. Increase walking by a minute each day.

4. Start today!


EXTRA:     Walk around soccer park (which is huge)!

HAHA!  Did I really say 5 minutes on Tready - may just have to re-evaluate that one.

New goals, new photos, new inspiration! What works for me...

There are several things I did on my last
Weight Watchers journey in 2008

which made a difference to me and how well I did. 

1. Doing WW online worked for me because I had young kids, and hubby worked late, therefore, getting to meetings was a real challenge.

2. Going onto the WW community threads. I posted almost daily on  one of the Going Under threads and the lovely ladies there became my group meeting.  Except I had access to them every day.  I still go there, and they are a huge support.

3. Setting small achievable goals; monthly goals of 2kg gave me a feeling of success because I often lost more than 2kg a month to begin with.

4. Starting a blog. This blog also helped me a lot because it was fun and was a journal of how the journey was going. I was competitive enough (with myself) to do well and as I was posting my weekly weigh-ins, felt that I needed to achieve what I set out to achieve.

5. Having a weigh-in buddy.  My friend Joy was a joy to me.  She came once a week to weigh-in and she was whom I was accountable to.  I don't have a weigh-in buddy any more, but it's not too hard to jump on the scales...except I have a tendency to shift them about until I get a more favorable reading ; P

6. I should write something about exercise, but I was and am pretty terrible with exercise.  The only thing I really enjoy is walking, and at least it's free! I love that now it's autumn and cool enough to get out and about. I do have a good treadmill which is rather neglected, so I might just have to pay some attention to it.

I have posted new monthly goals,
and new family photos...
it all helps me feel motivated
as I can see clearly
how far I've fallen
and that I can do it
as I've done it before and succeeded.

My kids and hubby inspire me.

And so does the Paris backdrop - I'm going to get there!

Having a blog is really motivating,

 and reading other people's blogs is inspiring.

So I'm feeling all geared up and ready to go, maybe I'll pack my bags for Paris soon.

Woohoo! Week 2 Weigh-In!

It was my second weigh-in today and I knew I was going to lose - but how much? I jumped on the scales several times and shifted the scales about, and had a shower, and jumped back on again. Eventually the scales settled on 111.6kg which is a 2.1kg loss which I'm really happy about.  I'm so looking forward to going under 100kg again.  My first milestone (5% loss) is 109.7kg, so can't wait for my first star.