Here Goes Heather

A new digit

2010-05-24T09:31:00.005+10:00

I love it when I see a new digit on the scales. This week it was a '6' as in 96.9kg. I was really pleased to lose 700gm this week. But wouldn't have if we hadn't gone for a walk on Saturday...where did we go? We went on my favourite walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge with my family and our nephew and his girlfriend visiting from the UK. We then meandered through the Rocks Markets and tried as much as possible to avoid the rain while walking down to Darling Harbour.

We ate all day but not large quantities. Brent, the kids and I shared food everywhere we went. I love sharing food, then you get a taste of a lot of things and not too much of one thing. It was a very international taste experience starting with a Japanese pancake in Kirribilli, corn at the Rocks, Turkish Gozleme at the Rocks, sushi at Pitt Street, and Pearl Milk tea at Pitt Street. All very yummy and all shared except for the sushi, all mine! It was my first time drinking pearl milk tea, also known as bubble tea. A milky sweet Chinese tea with tapioca balls at the bottom of it - very filling! You should give it a go.

Winter is great for soup!

2010-05-17T11:45:00.002+10:00

One thing I love about winter, is that I can fill up on soup. This week I made pumpkin and sweet potato soup (very yummy), and also my favourite cauliflower, potato and bacon soup. It saved me from a possible gain cos I had splurged early on in the week, and soup definitely helped me to stay fuller for longer, and with less points. I managed to save a few points every day.

My other low point filler this week was the skim milk milkshakes. I had 2 a day! It might sound like a lot of milk, but I only had 1.5 cups of skim milk in total each day. They whip up to be really thick and frothy, and lots better than full cream milk. The milkshakes really satisfied me, and kept me going through those moments when I would normally start snacking on rubbish.

This week I lost 1.9kg, so soup and skim milk saved me!

Nothing is as good as exercise feels

2010-05-10T15:35:00.002+10:00

I've been struggling with time and inclination when it comes to exercise since starting back on WW, but at last we went on a big walk across the bridge and onto Darling Harbour yesterday. Yeah, it was great fun and even better cos it was Mother's Day and I got to choose what we did.

The weather was beautiful and had a lovely time as a family...we all shared a gozleme from the Turkish food stall at the Milson's Point Market, and then shared a Korean pancake (or was it Japanese?), and shared some nuts at the Rocks Market, and shared a strawberry with chocolate dip platter (1 strawberry each, 2 for Mum) at the Lindt Cafe...my Mother's Day treat for the family. Not so bad when everything is shared :).

But nothing is as good as exercise feels. And it felt good to walking about on such a beautiful day.

Happy Mother's day to all the Mums out there!

Reposting a favourite soup recipe: Cauliflower, Potato and Bacon Soup = yummy!

2010-05-01T12:38:00.002+10:00

I've just made some yummy Cauliflower, Potato and Bacon Soup...and it's really good. So good I thought I'd share it with you. If you have a large bowl it's about 1.5 -2 pts. 2 pts if you add a splash of milk.

Ingredients:
1 Cauliflower
3-4 potatoes
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 large onion
125gm low-fat bacon
olive oil spray

1. Dice the onion, bacon, and potato. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces.

2. Lightly spray a medium to large pot with olive oil spray and gently cook the onions until soft, then add the bacon to finish cooking with the onions.

3. Add the diced potatoes, cauliflower and stock to the onions and bacon.

4. Cook until cauliflower is completely soft.

5. Blend the soup and add milk if desired.

If the soup is too thick, add more water or milk to thin it.

Planning ahead works

2010-04-30T08:19:00.002+10:00

Yesterday I planned what I was going to eat for the day.

You know what? I didn't feel hungry and stayed within my points for the day. I didn't have a lot of choice as to what I was going to take for lunch. And the staff at school found it amusing when I brought out my cans of tuna and asparagus with my cruskits, and then ate the lot! But all within points!

I went shopping last night and now have food in the house again! Yippee! Yahoo! Stocked full of healthy options. Just got to get the exercise side of things sorted.

Also, I went to bed earlier last night, so no late night nibbling for me.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

2010-04-29T08:41:00.003+10:00

Breakfast: I'm eating weetbix with cold skim milk and a sprinkle of sugar. I just can't do weetbix without sugar. Our secret weapon is breakfast so I'm told, so I'm off to a good start. 2.5 points.

Morning tea: small apple...o.5 points

Lunch: Light cruskits, a can of tuna, tinned asparagus, and a WW fruit and jelly cup. 4.5 points

Afternoon tea: WW apple crumble bar, popcorn. 4.5 points

Dinner: Mixed Salad, cherry tomatoes, avocado, boiled eggs, bean sprouts, a little bit of feta, dressing. 4.5 points

Supper: jelly cup. 0 points

Total = 16.5

Takeaway 2 nights in a row = gain

2010-04-28T07:53:00.002+10:00

Oops, I had Thai on Monday night, and then Chinese last night. I was quite careful to eat the low fat options and counted it all, but sometimes I just had to guess the points. I chose the fish for the Thai, lean pork for the Chinese, and picked out lots of vegies both nights with just a small portion of rice. This morning I jumped onto the scales for my daily peek (something you're not supposed to do but I'm addicted), and found that I had gained a kilo since my WI on Monday morning.

Now, I know that it was probably the salt causing some fluid retention, but it just goes to show what a couple of takeaway days can do! But the major downfall for me was going to bed late last night, and then snacking on some rubbish. But I've tracked it all, and have 5 days to make amends. Man, my body responds to salt and going over in points so quickly!

I think I'll plan out my day's food now so nothing unexpected creeps up on me. And tonight I go to bed much earlier!

Brrrrrrrr, it's getting cooler!

2010-04-27T08:10:00.003+10:00

Even though it's getting cooler with winter approaching, I don't mind it too much as it makes exercising a lot easier to do. Summer is pretty difficult for me to get outside and exert myself in the heat, so autumn and winter are good for exercise. So I'm fast running out of excuses.

Im just curious what you do for exercise, I need some inspiration...the only thing like doing is walking at the moment. Not keen to get into that swimming suit right now, maybe in 5kg time. :)

Week 1: Weigh-In

2010-04-26T09:24:00.003+10:00

Yes, it's weigh in day, and I knew I was going to lose some weight as it was the first week back. But how much was it going to be?

The first thing I did was jump on the scales this morning to reveal a loss of 2.2kg! So I was pretty thrilled with that, and am motivated for another week of tracking, blogging, posting, exercise and water. I'm sure the daily blogging and posting on the WW boards has kept me accountable.

Starting Weight: 100.5kg
This week: 98.3kg
Loss: 2.2kg

I went out for drinkies at the Park Hyatt with my friends Caroline, Beth and Mariani last night, and I was the self-imposed designated driver. I didn't have any alcohol at all, but did have a Virgin Mary (a spicy one) - like a Bloody Mary without the alcohol. I did eat a large handful of almonds but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I tracked it. Cashews, however, would have been a different story.

Today we're going out for brunch, and getting up very slowly...so it will be a late brunch for sure! I'm going to have eggs florentine with the sauce on the side. Yummo!

Better get dressed for the day. See ya!

Happy ANZAC Day: One day to go till Weigh-In

2010-04-25T09:14:00.003+10:00

Happy ANZAC Day. I feel blessed to live in such a great country and to have the freedom that the brave ANZACS fought for. Just watching it on the telly is quite amazing.

Well I know I'll lose weight this week, but how much will it be?

Tomorrow I'll assess my goals for the week, but I'm happy to have made some good choices; restarting, blogging and posting on the WW community boards daily, tracking, and drinking 3 bottles of water, ooops and I nearly forgot about my exercise goals. I think I'll need to change my exercise goals to begin with or else I'll feel like an absolute failure!

We had a day out at Manly yesterday. We had fish n chips, but I ate just a few chips and bought a garden salad, and some prawns. We jumped onto the Manly ferry to Circular Quay, and instead of having a gelato like everyone else, I got a bottle of Coke Zero. Then I remembered afterwards that I was having a caffeine free day...oh well, I'll make it today. And then last night we had a BBQ at our place, and I bought fish and ate that instead of all the sausages and red meat, but did have a tiny bit of lamb. No potatoes, but heaps of salad. There was a yummy dessert, and I did have a tiny taste of that. But even though I was being so careful, it all added up over the day - little tastes DO COUNT.

Well gotta get going and get dressed - we're off to church and I don't want to be the one that holds us all up. Have a great day!

Just one piece of cake

2010-04-24T08:32:00.005+10:00

As a naughty daily weigher, the scales say I've lost 1.5kg since restarting 5 days ago. OK, we have the weekend to get through!

I had a list of goals yesterday. Mmmmmm....

I did quite well on the domestic side - got the room ready for our visitors, did the shopping, and cleaned the house. I had several cups of tea cos I had people popping in all day but not sure if I drank enough water, probably not, so I'm starting the day with a bottle beside me...and hope to finish it before I finish blogging...hehe. I'm going to go caffeine free today!

I went to a 30th birthday party last night, and our visitors had come from NZ to surprise the birthday boy. They're his family and it was so cool, he had no idea they were coming. I ate some food before we left...unfortunately it was nibbly stuff while we were trying to get ready for the party - dress up time - and someone just opened the cheese and stuff (which I asked them to do) and I had some of that, mostly a few crackers, and some turkish bread with hummous, and a little bit of brie, not a lot. Then we went to the party, not any low point food as to be expected, but not too bad. But then there was the chocolate mud cake, and I was a bit hungry, so I had some, a small piece at least, but 6 points later...oh well, it was probably actually worth it this time, but today will have to be a low point day. Drank only water at the party.

Tracked it all. Oh, lots more points than I thought it would be - just goes to show! I need to plan ahead better, and I didn't allow for the party beforehand. Lesson learned!

Sad day for exercise as I just had one job to do, and one person arriving after another all day. All that rushing around probably burnt off some calories...I hope. So today is another day. Going to do something out-and-about in Sydney town, and burn off some of that cake.

We have a BBQ here at our house tonight. I am in control!

1. I drink water only!
2. I go on a walk somewhere -probably do something touristy with our visitors
3. I don't nibble on any cheese and crackers tonight, just carrot sticks!
4. Salad
6. Prawns
7. No dessert - fruit for me
8. Plan ahead

glug glug...1 bottle of water down the hatch...2 to go

The keys to success

2010-04-23T07:50:00.003+10:00

First of all! Happy birthday to my darling Brent! I've known him practically most of my life and have loved him since we were young at school. 45 today...and I was actually organised enough to get him a present, lol.

Here's a thought for today:
We all know about the keys to success don't we? As a WWer for many years off and on, we know that tracking, exercise and water are the main ingredients to weightloss. I know it works, it worked for me, it still works for me. If I don't track it's amazing what I've forgotten that I've eaten that day...and then it all snowballs from there - downhill and before you know it - whaaaattt, I've gained 15kg!

One other thing that leads to my failure is when there isn't the right food in the cupboards.

Shopping (which I don't enjoy doing) is definitely another key to losing weight for me. And I need to go shopping very soon. I need to have the low point snacks, the low point treats, the vegies (and heaps of them) etc...or I get bored really quickly. I probably need to get a few new recipes under my belt that are quick and easy (and low points) to keep the recipe repertoire interesting. Maybe I need to go and make something new and yummy - after all I DO have a shelf full of cookbooks that I just look at the pictures of.

So yesterday's effort:
Tracking - yes, and went over by 1 point.
Water - nah, forgot to take my water bottles with me to work so didn't drink as much as normal.
Exercise - yes, walked around the (large) field at Ben's soccer (just once - should have done it twice, but at least it's a start)

I've got a big day today. House work, visitor's coming to stay tonight for the weekend, get visitor's room ready, did I say house work?, shopping (ewww), tradesmen coming, exercise to do, go to a 30th birthday party tonight (we're going as Darth Maul and Luke Skywalker), and get kids sorted for tonight while we're at the party.

So goals for today:
1. Go shopping!
2. Track! (I tend to 'forget' to track after Thursdays, so Friday's a critical day in the world of tracking)
3. Drink 3 bottles of water!
4. Run/walk around our street OR
5. Go onto the Wii for 15 minutes (keeping it short)!
6. Be strong at the party tonight!
7. Oops, nearly forgot the housework, lol!

Day 4: Going strong

2010-04-22T08:55:00.004+10:00

Still going strong. No major blowouts which is so good in comparison to the Easter period. We went to the movies last night and saw 'Date Night' -hehe on our date night. It was quite funny.

Before the movie we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant to have a hotpot - which is vegies and meat cooked in soup which you cook yourself. But alas, no vegies left! So we had the BBQ, heaps of meat, but also had salad. Still it was pretty healthy even though I ate more meat than I had planned.

Going to run/walk around the soccer field tonight while Ben goes to soccer training. It's dark enough to hide, lol.

Day 3: Woohoo! Back under 100 kg!

2010-04-21T07:30:00.006+10:00

Happy happy! I must have one of those bodies that responds very quickly to food intake. I can put on weight very quickly and lose weight very quickly! That's both good and bad, obviously depending which way the scales are going.

After just 2 days back on track, I've gone back under 100kg. According to my digital scales - which can be a tad variable depending on the day - I now weigh 99.1 kg which is a loss of 1.4 kg in 2 days. It's OK, I know it's just the initial fluid loss etc..., but all the same, it's a lovely encouragement for restarting.

Daily goals:
Yesterday I drank 3 bottles of water, ate 1 Lindor Ball (my favourite chocolate, but at least I stopped at 1 ball, and ate strawberries instead), tracked everything, blogged here and posted on the WW boards, and about to jog around the street...but might just walk/jog it to begin with. So far, so good, except for the exercise! Now that I've said that I'd better go and do it!

Looked at some photos of 'moi' taken just a couple of months ago, I can see the difference a few short weeks of NOT TRYING can make. Amazing what can happen in a few months let alone a year. Anyway, it inspired me to try again!

JOG REPORT:
Did it, survived it, waved at neighbours, got my heart rate going!

Day 2: Fresh starts are helpful!

2010-04-20T06:52:00.005+10:00

I think it was a good move restarting my stats on my WW profile and wiping out my weight tracker from the previous 2 years. It was difficult to see those milestone stars get wiped away (the ones you get for losing the first 5kg, then 10%, etc...). But on the positive side, I can now get some more stars!

After 1 day I've managed to fufill my daily goals of drinking 3 bottles of water (=1800ml), track, blog, post on the WW boards, what else was there? Oh, I must run around the street circuit - I sent my kids off on a jog around it yesterday (and didn't go myself as I was cooking dinner), so maybe I'll do it with them after school, I'm not going jogging now, I'm so NOT awake right now. It's probably something we could all do together as a family, well me and the kids - the kids will leave me for dust.

PHASE 3!

2010-04-19T11:43:00.004+10:00

Here goes Heather again!

I am starting PHASE 3 of my WW journey!

Phase 1 was year 1 - and I lost 35kg
Phase 2 was year 2 - and I gained 15kg
Phase 3 is year 3 - and I have restarted today!

I currently weigh 100.5kg and I have stopped trying this year, except not totally or else I could have put on 35kg and not just 15kg. Yr 2 was the bad year, and I really did eat my emotions - I am still learning about my emotions obviously as I think they sort of caught me unawares.

Easter this year was rather chocolate filled and I did seem to have a lot of the dreaded brown stuff all around me. My excuse is that we had visitors staying, and you have to have chocolate when you have visitors and it's Easter! Isn't that right? Well no, it's not a rule, and even if others are eating it, it doesn't mean I have to join in to the same degree....mmmm, must have forgotten that at the time.

Well, Easter is over, and I'm depressed about my 15kg gain, depressed about going back over 100kg, depressed about not fitting my jeans.

New goal for April - go back under 100kg!

Other goals by end of the year:

Lose 2 kg each month
Be back at 85kg by New Year's Day 2011
Fit my jeans by end of winter

Shorter term goals:

Track every day
Drink 3 bottles of water/day (600ml)
go on a walk 2+km/week (yes, only 2km- well it's a start)
jog around my street 3 times a week (it's a 300m loop)
blog every day to keep accountable to myself - nothing like denial
post on the WW boards every day - they're great girls

Time to update all my goals everywhere else! I totally restarted my WW tracker. Looking forward to getting new stars and milestones!

See you around a lot more..... xx

Hanging in there

2009-12-10T23:54:00.002+11:00

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!

2009-11-16T16:20:00.005+11:00

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!

2009-10-27T07:57:00.002+11:00

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...

2009-09-14T11:44:00.004+10:00

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!

2009-09-09T16:16:00.003+10:00

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?

2009-09-07T10:41:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-08-31T09:50:00.004+10:00

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!

2009-08-24T10:31:00.002+10:00

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

2009-08-17T10:55:00.002+10:00

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!

2009-08-12T08:59:00.003+10:00

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

2009-07-08T08:51:00.006+10:00

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

2009-06-29T11:07:00.003+10:00

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

2009-06-22T10:26:00.003+10:00

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!

2009-06-09T21:28:00.003+10:00

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

2009-06-03T22:09:00.003+10:00

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!

2009-05-18T10:47:00.016+10:00

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

2009-05-04T16:20:00.009+10:00

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

2009-04-16T16:57:00.004+10:00

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?

2009-04-07T07:23:00.003+10:00

"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!

2009-03-30T10:15:00.004+11:00

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:

Go on exercise bike for at least 5 minutes on 4 days.
Go on 1 major walk - over 45 minutes
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!

2009-03-23T16:05:00.007+11:00

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!

2009-03-16T14:24:00.002+11:00

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

2009-03-11T17:40:00.010+11:00

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!

2009-03-09T08:14:00.004+11:00

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!

2009-03-02T07:56:00.013+11:00

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!

2009-02-16T10:27:00.004+11:00

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!

2009-02-09T10:12:00.002+11:00

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

2009-02-02T22:08:00.004+11:00

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

2009-02-01T09:27:00.017+11:00

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

2009-01-14T21:31:00.004+11:00

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!

2009-01-06T09:29:00.005+11:00

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

2009-01-04T10:05:00.004+11:00

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.

Oh my goodness I found a really bad photo

2008-12-30T17:02:00.004+11:00

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!

2008-12-29T10:00:00.007+11:00

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...

2008-12-22T10:06:00.027+11:00

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!

2008-12-16T14:00:00.006+11:00

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

2008-12-10T08:18:00.011+11:00

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!

2008-12-07T08:27:00.005+11:00

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!

2008-12-07T08:11:00.003+11:00

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

2008-12-06T11:50:00.003+11:00

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?

2008-12-03T07:27:00.004+11:00

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!

2008-12-02T12:16:00.003+11:00

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!

Still heading the right way

2008-11-25T19:13:00.002+11:00

I lost 900 gm this week, so was really happy about that! I went over by 13 pts this week (I think), but I'm glad it hasn't made an impact on the scales...however next week may be a different story!

So this morning Joy and I both lost. I officially weighed 91.1 kg and have lost a total of 29.1 kg! Can't wait till I get to 30 kg!

It's been great having my niece Hannah here as we plan what we eat...and we keep each other on track. We've discovered Skinny Cow icecream which is yummy and low in points. I made stewed apples last night which was also really yummy.

Now we're waiting for the Chinese takeaway to arrive and I ordered steamed vegies and a fish dish. I might just have one little piece of honey chicken.

Minutes later....well that's the Chinese dinner finished...I had about 4 bits of honey chicken, the fish, vegies, some rice but the bad bit was probably the satay chicken....Now to work out the points. But I've eaten it on purpose as I figure I've got to have some 'higher point' foods sometimes...just happens to be today!

A yippee-yahoo week!

2008-11-17T10:53:00.003+11:00

It was a goodie this week! I weighed-in this morning and lost 1.8kg. So I lost what I gained last week (1.4kg) and then some more. So now I weigh 92kg and made my GWEN today. I just hope to keep it off and not lose the plot and reward myself with food. I don't think I will.

My niece Hannah and I had a big salad week, and we counted our points religiously, but it worked. I went for a walk this morning before my WI and that also worked as it looked like I wasn't going to lose THAT much. Surprising what a difference a walk made to the scales - but then my scales could be weird.

Anyway, I'm happy!

A Boo-Hoo-Hoo week!

2008-11-12T17:31:00.003+11:00

Yes, it must've been a baddie cos I haven't even posted how bad it was till today! I jumped onto the scales on Monday for my home WI, and I gained 1.4 kg! So, I weighed in at 93.8 kg this week. Yeah, that's why I'm boo-hooing...but it's not all bad, it's been the kick up the pants that I've needed as I've managed to get away with heaps of extras till now. I still feel positive about where I'm at. It's not every week where I'm blowing it.

I went over by about 35 points last week...and just had too much rubbish around. I've been meaning to get back to last week's tracker to see where I went wrong as I didn't think I was THAT bad. I did go a bit snack mad and there was a lot of high point food around. Uncle Jim sadly passed away last Monday - he's my MIL's brother, and so my ILs were back from NZ for the funeral. So I think I compensated for the sadness with lots of treats. Maybe a week of treats = 35 points!

I've been really good this week, and my wonderful niece Hannah is here from Dunedin for 4 months - we're doing the WW journey together which makes it really fun. I know we'll be good for each other and we're eating heaps of salad this week, and counting our points religiously. I've even got points saved up! I've lost some of that 1.4 kg gain already, and maybe I'll lose all the 1.4 kg plus more by my next weigh-in.

Today I went for a walk across the Harbour Bridge to the Opera House with Hannah, Mallory and Jason (cousins all from NZ), it was a beautiful day, and I really notice the extra energy I have. So keeping positive, and staying on track this week.

Week 29 Weigh-in and New Measurements

2008-11-03T10:20:00.019+11:00

Weigh-in this week was better than I thought it would be be. Maybe the chockies I ate and the extra points will catch up with me next week. So I'll have to be diligent on the ex-bike in advance.

I lost 1 kg this week, weighing in at 92.4 kg - woohoo! Which brings the overall total since April to 27.8 kg. In my mind I feel that the goal of 68 kg will be achievable once I have less than 20 kg to go. So, when I get to 87.9 kg there'll be only 19.9 kg to go - only 19.9 kg, lol!

I keep forgetting to take my measurements but remembered today! So here are the stats for the last 2 months. Today's measurements are in yellow.

After 20 weeks
Neck: 39.5 cm
Bust: 110 cm
Waist: 102 cm
Hips: 127 cm
Thigh: 70 cm
Upper Arm: 45 cm
Calf: 48 cm

After 29 Weeks - measured today 3.11.08
Neck: 38 cm
Bust: 105.5 cm
Waist: 96 cm
Hips: 119 cm
Thigh: 68 cm
Upper Arm: 44 cm
Calf: 45 cm

That's a total of 26 cm in the last 2 months. I notice it the most from my tummy area - I think I have a waist developing! Wow! It's amazing!

Beach Wedding Outfit + Halfway to goal

2008-10-31T16:40:00.005+11:00

Here I am wearing the outfit I wore to our friends' wedding last Saturday. It also marks the half-way point of my WW journey - I've lost just over 27 kg...and I've got 25 kg to go.

What do I notice at half-way?

I notice that lots of people are noticing I've lost weight and comment on it.

I notice that it's heaps easier to get dressed in the morning.

I notice that my back doesn't hurt any more.

I notice that I exercise on purpose.
I notice that it's not as painful to exercise.
I notice that I eat so many more vegies.
I notice my salt intake going down.

I notice that my portion sizes are getting smaller.

I notice my kids can hug me and their arms go all the way around me.
I notice my husband doesn't complain about me snoring any more.

I notice that I can still eat what I like but not as much or as often as before.
I notice that I don't mind eating less rubbish.

Good News Week

2008-10-27T15:27:00.002+11:00

Well, it was good news on the scales this week. I lost 1.7 kg and now I weigh 93.4 kg with a total of 26.8 kg down since April. So I'm really happy about that. Joy did really well too and lost over 1 and a half kilos...yay! We did the dance of joy - so funny.

So that weigh-in takes me over the half way mark to my goal weight of 68 kg.

So I tell myself:

It's not a diet - it's a change of lifestyle
It's not a diet - it's for the rest of my life
It's not a diet - so I don't need to think about how long I can keep this up for
It's not a diet - it's the way me and my family need to eat
It's not a diet - I can have anything I want as long as I count it
It's not a diet - it's about healthiness and living life to the full

A plus week!

2008-10-21T09:49:00.002+11:00

This week's WI was a plus - yeah +400 gms, not a plus in the 'happy' sense of the word. So all those weeks where I was getting away with going over in pts finally caught up with me this week. It's also TTOTM and I didn't do much exercise either. So will have to rectify that this week. Back on the bike!

Unfortunately I had a bad start to the new week by eating a rather huge *monster* Anzac biscuit - and it was worth 12pts! So now I know they're evil, lol...just kidding, so now I know I can't eat a whole one, I won't buy them unless there are heaps of people to share them with.

I've just held onto the 25 kg total by the skin of my teeth. Week 27 WI was 95.1 kg, total lost is 25.1 kg. My GWEO is 94 kg, so get cracking to get to that target in 9 days.

I've been doing the WW journey for 6 months!

2008-10-14T08:13:00.003+11:00

I've just realised that I've been following WW for 6 mths - 26wks! It doesn't feel like 6 months at all, but I'm so glad I started this journey with my friend Joy. She just happened to say she wanted to do WW - and I said *muttering under my breath* that I'd do it with her. So ever since that day, she's come around every Monday morning to weigh-in at my place and is my accountability. She's been a wonderful friend and support to me by just being there and encouraging me. So thank you so much Joy, you've saved my life...a bit dramatic, but I think it's actually true!

It's funny that in my head doing WW was such a hard journey to be on, but the truth is that WW is a hard journey to begin. Once I started it was actually really easy, and even though there are weeks that are difficult to stay on track and not to go off on a tangent, it's been a great journey. I have some other friends Lisa and David who kept telling me how easy it was - and I owe to them for simplifying the whole 'going on WW thing' for me...so thanks to them too! And of course, my very generous friend Gail is such a blessing - she has passed her clothes to me as she shrinks! I haven't bought a single item of clothing in 6 mths!

I've done WW before - lots of times, and this time is the easiest - don't really know why! But I buy all the WW items in the supermarket, and do stick to low-fat items when shopping. It used to take me ages to go shopping cos I'd read all the labels, but I'm quicker now that I know what I like and need. Also, I love the WW on-line site! The girls on the community message boards are amazing people and so supportive...we keep each other going, and they've become my friends.

I weighed in yesterday - and I lost 500gms. It was looking really dodgey the night before, but it just seemed to melt away overnight - weird body! But I don't mind my body being weird, lol. So I weighed in at 94.7kg and have lost a total of 25.5 kg. I can't wait to get to 30kg as that's the most I've lost doing WW previously (in 1992-1994).

I'm sure the whole loss journey is all in our heads.

Some new reno pics

2008-10-08T11:47:00.003+11:00

This has been my form of exercise for the last month - painting, painting and more painting. It's not that strenuous all the time but sometimes it's exhausting...especially the ceilings.

The kitchen still has a couple of doors to arrive...so is 99% finished...
...and the lounge/dining is getting refurnished soon...

Here's a pic of the front doors...

...and everything got put into the new family room while the floor was being sanded and lacquered.
Still got to paint the outside, but we might pay someone to do that task!

25kg this week!!!

2008-10-06T09:33:00.004+11:00

Hehe! No I didn't lose 25kg this week, but my loss of 400gm got me to the 25kg milestone. Exactly! Wooooohoooo! Today I weighed in at 95.2kg...after walking off last night's dinner this morning before weighing in. But it seems to have worked!

And I got a purple star on my WW weight loss chart. Ooooohhhhh!

I'm doing a happy dance!

Week 24 - another woohoo week!

2008-09-29T10:01:00.002+10:00

I'm happy again! I lost 1.1kg this week so it's been a good 2 weeks. I now weigh 95.6kg and I've lost a total of 24.6 kg since April. So happy happy happy.

I also made it to my GWES (96kg) and hopefully next week I'll made it to my 25kg milestone.

Week 23 - a woohoo week!

2008-09-22T09:45:00.002+10:00

I wasn't expecting it, but I lost 1.1 kg this morning. Weighed-in at 96.7 kg, and this makes it a total of 23.5 kg in total since I started 23 weeks ago. Woohoo!

Week 22 Weigh-In

2008-09-15T15:38:00.003+10:00

Week 22 already, almost half a year on WW! I lost 400gms this week, a bit pathetic....but that's what happens when you eat chocolate and don't do much exercise. I'm now 97.8 kg and have lost a total of 22.4 kg.

August was a slow month

2008-09-12T08:06:00.003+10:00

Well it was a tricky month without a kitchen in August...but now we have one in operation at last and I'm happy! After eating out a friends' houses and eating frozen dinners (WW ones at least), I still managed to lose a couple of kilos, so I should be happy about it. But instead I feel annoyed that I didn't lose as much as I'd like to have lost. Ridiculous isn't it?

I haven't been on the exercise bike for weeks, but have done heaps of painting, so I think it has balanced out the lack of cycling. This week is looking better...but have to be careful over the next few days before weigh-in on Monday.

Week 21 loss was 400gm...and it was TTOTM. So total loss is 22 kg since April.

End of August Measurements

2008-09-04T10:11:00.002+10:00

Last time - After 15 weeks
Neck: 40.5 cm
Bust: 111.5 cm
Waist: 104 cm
Hips: 127 cm
Thigh: 74 cm
Upper Arm: 47.5 cm
Calf: 48 cm

After 20 weeks - on the 4th September 2008
Neck: 39.5 cm (-1 cm)
Bust: 110 cm (-1.5 cm)
Waist: 102 cm (-2 cm)
Hips: 127 cm (same)
Thigh: 70 cm (-4 cm)
Upper Arm: 45 cm (-2.5 cm)
Calf (standing): 48 cm (same)

That's a total loss of 11 cm in August. Cool!

The new me after 20 weeks on WW

2008-08-31T12:06:00.006+10:00

Here I am modelling some of the great new clothes Gail has given me.

There are heaps of pants I could have put on too...but couldn't really be bothered doing that...then it would be too much like a photo shoot, lol.

After wearing black, black and more black with the odd splash of colour, it's lovely to wear some colour again without looking like a huge beacon. Well, black is more slimming and often shops don't have larger sizes with other colours with the right cut. Why is that? Or is it just that you feel even bigger in brighter colours?

These photos were taken today (by my DD11 - Sarah).

This week I weighed in at 98.6 kg, a loss of 1 kg, and a total loss of 21.6 kg. Woohoo!

Renovation photos

2008-08-30T08:52:00.004+10:00

Here are the latest pictures of the kitchen...still need the benchtops and the glass splashback to go in. I'm so excited that I'll be able to use it soon. The oven now works, so maybe I'll roast something in it tonight...just need to find that manual.

And the ensuite is nearly finished too. Just the grouting and the fittings to go in. So our guests will be very happy (cos it's not for me and Brent). :)

Week 19: Kitchen and normality will return

2008-08-25T21:22:00.002+10:00

It's been a real topsy turvy kind of week. We've been going to many of our friends' houses for dinner all through the week. They've been really supportive and have cooked healthy meals, and are wonderful friends...soooo lovely and generous. BUT, of course I nibble before every meal, and eat dessert after the mains. So over the course of a week, it all adds up to a 300gm gain this week. It's not too bad I know, and I'm still under 100kg, so that's all that matters, lol.

Today the new kitchen arrived! Woohoo!!! And so it won't be long before normality returns to our household, and I can stock up on food that I can eat (as food storage is rather limited in the lounge room). I'll be able to cook vegies even!

So I weighed in at 99.6 kg...Joy did well and lost, yippee! Total lost so far is 20.6 kg.

I made it to double digits! Woohooooo!

2008-08-18T10:57:00.002+10:00

I weighed in today and am amazed and ecstatic to announce that I've made it to double digits! It must be the first time in 8 yrs I've been under 100 kg.

My current weight is 99.3kg which makes it a loss of 1.5kg this week.
Total lost so far is 20.9kg.

Winter is the time for skiing

2008-08-13T22:30:00.003+10:00

If it's going to be cold in winter you might as well enjoy it. We headed off to the snow and just got back from the cold, white, powdery slopes of Mt Hotham and Falls Creek. We had heaps of fun and the skiing was great (even if it was freezing and snowing). I really noticed that I wasn't as tired as last time, and felt a bit more courageous because I'm fitter...but still I like to take things slow and easy.

I had a 100gm gain this week, weighing 100.8 kg today, but that's nothing really. I'll make a special effort for the rest of the week to get on the treadmill despite the builders and other tradesmen wafting in and out my house at the moment.

Had a lovely lunch with Brent today (who took a day off work). We went to Balmoral - to the Bather's Pavilion Cafe, and I had rainbow trout on mashed peas and broad beans. Very yummy!

Week 16 Weigh-In

2008-08-04T10:07:00.002+10:00

I really didn't think I'd lose much this week...so I was ecstatic to lose 800 gm this week. Still going down. I'm now at 100.7 kg and have lost a total of 19.5 kg. Almost at the 100 kg mark, almost at double digits!

We're going skiing this week, so as long as I don't eat too much chocolate while skiing I should be able to have a good result for next week :)

Gorgeous Gail

2008-08-04T08:07:00.003+10:00

I have a beautiful-thoughtful-generous friend called Gail. She has saved me so many times during my weightloss journey...with clothes! Last week she arrived with more clothes that will get me through the next size. I haven't had to buy any clothes since I started because Gail keeps drip feeding me the clothes I need just at right time. What a great blessing!

I love you Gail! You're gorgeous on the inside and the outside!
xx

Renovation photos

2008-07-31T17:10:00.003+10:00

Here are some pictures of our house in renovation mode. Most of the exterior walling is up but not finished off. There are some before and after photos of the back of the house. The front hasn't been touched.

I made my GWEJ

2008-07-28T10:54:00.002+10:00

It's week 15 and the end of the month. My goal weight for the end of July (GWEJ) was 102kg, and I made it today! I weighed in at 101.5kg, a loss of 1kg so I'm very happy about that.

My next goal is to be under 100kg by the end of August which I hopefully should be able to do if I stay on track. Need to vary the exercise more. So that's my exercise goal for August - to do exercise other than just walking. We go skiing in about 12 days time so I'll be certainly varying the exercise when we get to the slopes.

End of July Measurements

2008-07-27T09:10:00.006+10:00

After 9 weeks
Neck: 41 cm
Bust: 116 cm
Waist: 114 cm
Hips: 136 cm
Thigh: 75 cm
Upper Arm: 48 cm

After 11.5 weeks - End of June
Neck: 40.5 cm
Bust: 114.5 cm
Waist: 109.5 cm
Hips: 132 cm
Thigh: 75 cm
Upper Arm: 48 cm
Calf: 47 cm

After 15 weeks - End of July
Neck: 40.5 cm
Bust: 111.5 cm
Waist: 104 cm
Hips: 127 cm
Thigh: 74 cm
Upper Arm: 47.5 cm
Calf: 48 cm

Measured in the morning with no food in my tummy. That's a loss of 14cm in July. Woohoo!

So what do I notice?
1. My clothes are feeling loose now, and I keep hitching up my jeans. But I'm still putting off buying new clothes until spring (cos it'll be my b'day in September). Also, I don't want to buy any winter clothes now as they won't fit me next winter. Well, that's the plan :)

2. I can cross my legs more easily. I can actually get my leg over my knee now whereas I could only do the men's cross-over method (ie. with my ankle on my knee)

3. I can walk faster for longer.

4. People are randomly commenting about my weight loss especially this week

5. I can run 100m (and probably further) but haven't tried to do that till today.

6. I eat a lot more fish, and fish is more expensive than wedges.

7. Wedges are really not worth it - 9.5pts for 6 wedges - you've got to be kidding!

8. I hate to admit it, but I feel more confident.

9. I spend more time cooking.

10. The whole family eats more healthily.

Yummy Cauliflower, Potato and Bacon Soup

2008-07-22T12:50:00.003+10:00

Week 14 Weigh-In

2008-07-21T15:29:00.002+10:00

I lost 1.4kg at this morning's weigh in. I'm happy with that especially with all the eating we've been doing. But then we've done a lot of walking as well which I know makes a difference. So my grand total is now 17.7kg...I weighed in at 102.5kg so only 2.5 kg to get to 100kg.

I've just discovered the joys of popcorn. A mini bag of reduced fat popcorn is only 1.5pts.

What a big week!

2008-07-17T09:39:00.006+10:00

We've had my SIL and her hubby staying for the week, which makes him my BIL. It was great to have them here and we went to Shoal Bay for a few days, and did some stuff around the city. We went for a trip on the Rivercat from Meadowbank to Circular Quay, looked around the Opera House, then walked down Pitt Street and George Street to Chinatown and had Yum Cha. Then went to Darling Harbour to catch the Rivercat back to Meadowbank. A big day!

There were crowds of people from all the nations here for the World Youth Day. The atmosphere was amazing with people singing, praying in the streets, waving banners and flags around, and having heaps of fun. Great to see and be in the midst of the buzz. Here's a photo of me, my DD Sarah, and SIL Megan from NZ - we're just going past the Town Hall, and I'm wearing a denim jacket that my friend Gail gave me. It's the first time I've worn a denim jacket in ages!

On Monday (wk 13) I actually lost 600gm, so that was good cos I thought it could have been a gain...this week has been difficult cos of all the extra eating out. But I've been on the treadmill to try and balance things out. Need to get more food...running out of the good stuff in the pantry and fridge!

Week 12 Weigh-In

2008-07-07T13:14:00.006+10:00

I weighed in today with Joy...and we both lost again. I lost 1 kg and now the grand total is 15.7 kg. I got a star today for losing another 5 kg...cool ay?

The Journey in Measurement

2008-07-04T10:45:00.003+10:00

Here are my latest stats in measurement.

After 9 weeks
Neck: 41 cm
Bust: 116 cm
Waist: 114 cm
Hips: 136 cm
Thigh: 75 cm
Upper Arm: 48cm

After 11.5 weeks (present)
Neck: 40.5 cm
Bust: 114.5 cm
Waist: 109.5 cm
Hips: 132 cm
Thigh: 75 cm
Upper Arm: 48 cm
Calf (while standing): 47 cm

According to my calculations thats a lost of 10.5 cm in total in 2 and a half weeks. I guess that's good...I've added my calf measurement in there too this week.

I wonder if I subconciously held the tape measure a bit slacker the first time I measured and pulled it a bit tighter this time, lol.

I'll take my measurements once a month at the end of the month from now on...once a month's more sustainable I think.

Week 11 Weigh-in

2008-06-30T12:02:00.002+10:00

Yay! I lost 1.1 kgs this morning! And Joy lost 0.5 kgs. We did a little dance of joy. Joy for Joy! Her daughter Lauren just smirked at us jumping about - she's so cute.

Now I weigh 105.5 kg and have lost a total of 14.7 kg...almost 15 kg!

Just a bit of virtual fun

2008-06-26T22:02:00.004+10:00

Now - 106 kg

At goal - 68kg

Week 10 Weigh-in

2008-06-23T10:12:00.007+10:00

Well now I can tell you officially that I've reached my 10% goal of 108 kg this week! (Even though I had already announced it unofficially this week).

I weighed in today and my scales read 106.6 kg which makes it a loss of 2.5 kg since last Monday! I know it sounds like a lot - and I guess it is...but I know that last week's WI was inflated due to the arrival of TTOM...so this week's WI balances it out a bit more.

Now a total loss of 13.6 kg in 10 weeks...I'm really happy with that.

10% Milestone

2008-06-19T14:00:00.004+10:00

Yesterday I reached my 10% loss milestone of 108 kg. Yahoo! It's been under 108 kg for the last 2 days, so I'm taking a gamble and posting it like it's official. Probably should have waited till weigh in day... but I'm too impatient.

This morning I weighed 107.9 kg. Close enough! It also means I have less than 40 kg to get to my goal weight, and my BMI is now under 40.

I also finally took my measurements which are:

After 9 weeks

Neck: 41 cm
Bust: 116 cm
Waist: 114 cm
Hips: 136 cm
Thigh: 75 cm
Upper Arm: 48cm

Our pre-renovation photos

2008-06-17T11:57:00.001+10:00

Week 9 Weigh-in

2008-06-17T11:49:00.002+10:00

Well, it's TTOM and I didn't lose on weigh-in day. I had Chinese-salty-takeaway in the weekend, but didn't really overeat...think it was water retention from the salt. I only gained 100 gm, so officially I was 109.1 kg this week on Monday. But today (Tuesday), I am 108.5 kg, so that makes more sense to me and I'm ignoring the WI result (well in my head I am), but I'll be all official and record the proper figure on my results here.

I'm avoiding Chinese now and will opt for Thai if possible.

All things new

2008-06-14T15:59:00.003+10:00

Here's a pic of my new haircut...I've cheated and added effects to the rather ordinary photo. It makes me look younger and slimmer than I really am. But I can live with that :) It's all a part of the new me...and I said to my hairdresser, "you can do whatever you like" - they love it when we say that.

Going under 110

2008-06-09T09:26:00.007+10:00

Woohoo! I made it under 110 kg today. I'm stoked, and I've been keeping within my points this week and even spending time on the treadmill - must be paying off. Scales read 109 kg, so a loss of 1.4 kg since last week! I'm going to blitz my GWEJ of 108 kg (I hope, since there's 3 weeks to go this month). I've lost 11.2 kg in 8 weeks.

Week 7 Weigh-in

2008-06-02T09:32:00.007+10:00

I just weighed in this morning with Joy. I was all prepared for no loss, even a gain today because last night when I jumped on the scales they read 112.2 kg. I weighed in this morning at 110.4 kg, a loss of 1.1 kg for the week. Woohoo! So sometime between last night and this morning I lost 1.8 kg! And all I did was sleep! I won't complain, but how does that happen? Can it really all be fluid? Or should I get a some new digital scales?

Grand total 9.8 kg - almost at 10 kg, almost under 110 kg.

Do you like prawns, shitake mushrooms and Chinese cabbage?

2008-05-28T23:45:00.036+10:00

If you like prawns,

shitake mushrooms

and Chinese cabbage

(wong nga buk)

then here's a yummy dish.

Ingredients:
300gm green prawns (shelled)
quarter Chinese cabbage (or more)
6-8 Shitake mushrooms thinly sliced
2 slices root ginger 1 mm wide (then thinly sliced again into skinny strips)
oyster sauce

Instructions:
Stir fry in 1 tbs olive oil the shitake mushrooms and root ginger, add prawns, when prawns nearly cooked add 1/2 cup water and cabbage, cover to steam. Stir and add 2 tbs oyster sauce. Add salt to taste. Stir until cooked.

Serve as a veggie dish with rice or on top of noodles.

How to lose weight without even trying

2008-05-26T22:07:00.003+10:00

I have to tell you that Brent has lost 3 kg since I started WW. How hilarious...he now weighs 70kg, not that he needed to lose weight - but the love handles are harder to grab onto now, lol.

Here's another first

2008-05-24T16:00:00.006+10:00

First in exercise for about 5 years:

I went for a bike ride for the first time in years today.

My hubby Brent bought me a nice comfy-padded-made-for-women-bike-seat and put it on a bike I was given years ago. So we initiated it today. Boy did my bum still hurt! He's into mountain biking - the type that injures people. It was great to go on a family ride around the neighbourhood (the neighbours did notice)...only 2km, but had a slight gradient in places and I had to go down to bottom gear...thigh burn ouch.

A few clothing firsts:

I'm wearing a bra today that I bought years ago that was way too small for me, and now it fits although a little bit snug. And I'm wearing trousers that I haven't worn in years because they were too tight - and now they're not. I went out for dinner on Wednesday and wore an outfit that I liked but never wore because my bum stuck out too much (goodness knows why I even bought it), but now it fits me! I don't need to buy a whole new wardrobe, how good is that? Might go and try other too small things - it's quite motivating!