Starting Afresh Today!

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

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

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

A day of healthy cooking

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

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

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

Then I made diet jelly and stewed apples...

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

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

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

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

Down she goes

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

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

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

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

The good, the bad and the ugly

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

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

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

It's a great feeling - exercise!

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

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

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

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

A sad 2 weeks

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

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

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

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

I'm on the other side of a plateau!

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

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

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

Power through plateaus
Article By: Laurie Greenwald Saloman

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

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

Ain't misbehavin'?

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

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

The body at work

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

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

Five ways to tip the scale

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

1. Increase your physical activity.

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

2. Eat right and write.

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

3. Eat fruits and vegetables.

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

4. Spice things up.

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

5. Get busy.

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

Losing slowly but still losing

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

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

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

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

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



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

Caught off guard by the Easter Bunny

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

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

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

No vegies = weight gain for Heather

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

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

May be some photos to come...

What do Brittany Spears and I have in common?

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

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

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

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