Not too shabby (HJ)

And so this was Christmas *humming and swaying gently*

Even though I seem to have had a low spot, there were three days I didn't row and the not-so-brilliant eating has continued. I've also turned the whole house into a factory for a specific on-going project (that I will blog about elsewhere when I'm done - if it's ever done) and there isn't room in my loungeroom to Zumba right now.

It is with great relief that I announce the following results:

Weight:
This week: 77.0kg
Last week: 77.0kg
Change: Approximately nothing
Total Loss: 4.0kg

Waist:
This week: 94cm
Last week: 93.5cm
Change: 0.5cm GAIN made up of corn chips, ice cream and caramel fudge
Total Loss: 5.0cm

I'm happy not to have put on anything since my last official weigh-in, and it's not a bad place to start for the new year. I reckon at a rate of about 1kg a month, I should get back to 68kg by the end of September. 9kg = 9 months. *Big sigh*

So, I will row. I will generally eat better (and I really ought to get myself a specific eating plan - it might help). And those are not New Year's resolutions, because I've already been doing them. Hopefully this means I won't fail in the first 2 weeks!

howdy girls Le

So here we are and 2011 is about to be a reality. I applaud all your efforts. Mine have been sporadic in the few 'good times' and dismal non existent majority. But today I went for a walk ... in the morning. It was nice. So with 12 months and 28 days before I turn 45 I am going to have to get jiggy and move my butt. Best to you all, Le

Not a weigh in LLL

As you see this is not a weigh in. I know what damage my eating has done. OK. I am today 700g heavier and going down. You see it is going down, now that I am back to almost normal eating. I still have that much to lose but the food was good and the company was good. The extra blow out didn't happen, as the family party was washed out and none of the travellers could get here, so that was a non event.

All that over and now back to the grind of going down.

I do allow myself a little of what I shouldn't eat and it seems to be forgiving and I still lose. So that is all for today, we are still deciding if we are going away today.

Til next time.

What the? (HJ)

Just had to post this.

Checked my weight to see what the damage was for the last couple of days.

76.8kg

Like a loss of 200g from Friday.

Not game to make it best out of three.

Sorry to make you all ill, but I've had so little success overall that I need to brag about SOMETHING!

Glowing like a pig (HJ)

I don't know if anyone else was raised on old fashioned sayings.

Ever heard the one, "Horses sweat, men perspire, and ladies glow"?

Definitely glowing like a pig, here.

I've been doing my 40mins base exercise on the rowing machine each day.

I've been slotting in Zumba afterwards when I have time.

My exercise clothes are almost wringing wet at the end of that little session.

TMI?

I have also walked the LBD a couple of times.

And I've eaten lots of chocolate.

So with my luck of late I wasn't anticipating great things.

Weight:
Last week: 77.7kg
This week: 77.0kg
Change: 700g LOSS
Change when ignoring last week's spike: 400g LOSS
Total loss: 4.0kg LOSS

Waist:
Last week: 94.5cm
This week: 93.5cm
Change: 1.0cm LOSS
Total loss: 5.0cm LOSS

...and tomorrow is Christmas Day.

Chance for a loss next week?

Err... oops (Emily Sue)

Yeah, so remember that awesome exercise routine I had going?

And remember the weeks of healthy eating?

Remember that?

Oh, you DO remember? That's great...

...because I don't.
.

Darn (GdeE)

I am totally failing at this cheese thing.  I might adopt Jen's policy and say that it's healthy.  Only that's what got me in my current Cheese Predicament - hopelessly addicted to cheese.

The year that was. LLL

I will be away next week so this is my only chance for a review. I started the year weighing about 72.5kg, you notice the about, the numbers were too bad and the measurements that went with it were equally bad, so I didn't record or plan to remember them.

As holidays were approaching I planned to get fit. So many times I had tried to lose weight and only managed to add more, so this was a change. I started getting fit to climb 282 steps, that was the challenge. Well I had lost approx 1.5kg and could climb 300 steps and was doing well, when I encountered a dog. Gone were any steps let alone 282 and I spent about 5 months sitting. I tried to watch what I ate and hoped to maintain the loss. I did.

When I started exercising my leg slowly at first I found to my surprise that again my weight was going down. I did have a couple of trips away that messed it up but by the time I joined you skinny cows I had lost another 1kg. So for the year that gave me a 2.5kg approx start.

I know you have been watching my loss since then, so today the scales played my game. They read today 66.7kg. That is a loss of .8kg in 2 weeks. That also explains why the scales had trouble last week, I have had 2 losses so that means a bounce up also.

So for this year I have lost about 5 1/2kg. I am surprised and happy with that as I spent so much time sitting.(and I still am, my leg is presently up on the chair beside me).

I would like to think that this time next year I will be where I want to be. I know I had said that I would think about 60kg, but I have now decided that I should aim for 55kg.

So that is me for the year. I am not going to allow Christmas to blow me out although a trip away for a few days may be bad, the family load on carbs and that is bad for me. So I may have to keep off the carby food and stay hungry.

I wish you all the best of the season, and may you not have heavy problems in the next week. Think skinny and see if it works.

I will see you all again in the new year.

Christmas Food (GdeE)

Hey Skinny Cowgirls!

What are you planning for Christmas lunch?  By the sounds of my family Christmas on the 25th and the in-laws' Christmas on the 26th, it won't be a huge blowout like I've been expecting.

Cold chicken and ham, salads, breads, fruit, BBQ chicken & veggie kebabs, warm pasta salad and a packet of licorice - that's what my two families have been promising.  Sounds manageable!

What are you planning?  Healthy stuff, unhealthy stuff, half-and-half, or a huge blowout and hang the consequences?  All approaches are fine by me!  I'd be  interested to hear!

Cheeseless (GdeE)

This all-or-nothing thing is working pretty well!  I think if someone offered me some dip right now, I'd feel ill.  I was thinking of a cheese ball the other day (usually I can't get enough of the cheese ball!) and I thought, "Yuck.  No way."  For someone with no self-control, suddenly finding that you don't like food like dip and cheese balls is a huge boost to the diet!

My recent decision not to have sugar in my tea was prompted because in the week leading up to the decision, I had rapidly increased my cups of tea to maybe five per day.  This was previously unheard of for me, and I think the rapid increase in tea-chugging was due to a strong desire for the sugar.  As soon as I cut sugar out, I didn't feel like tea much.  Now, I am having a cup every two or three days and the rest of the time I am enjoying more water.

I know that this was never a choice I'd make for ever.  I only said I'd do it for the six weeks leading up to Christmas, but that time is nearly over and that makes me sad.  I've enjoyed these changes!

But I might not enjoy yesterday's new rule!

Take my affinity for dip, and multiply it by a Big Number.  That's my affinity for cheese.  I've always loved cheese.  I eat too much cheese, particularly on crackers for morning or afternoon tea (curse morning and afternoon tea!  I never used to chug calories mid-morning and mid-afternoon the way I do now!  I reluctantly introduced M & A Tea because of my children's need to eat more often, but it's not good for me!)

I am half a step away from having an all-or-nothing rule allowing myself only Zero-Points Weight Watchers food only.  We have heaps growing in our garden and it tastes great!

For this last week leading up to Christmas however, I am going to have no cheese on crackers or bread.  I don't think it's reasonable to cut it out of cooking altogether (imagine a risotto without parmesan!) but I will certainly have no cheese in those high calorie, high-fat M & A Tea snacks.

Today I gave my girl crackers with cheese and tomato.  There was a time when I would have thought that without the cheese, it wasn't worth eating, but today I had crackers and tomato only, and yum!  Less cheese is totally doable.  So I shall do it.

Maybe after Christmas, I'll have a Zero-Points Morning and Afternoon Tea Policy?  The Christmas Elf is giving me some bathroom scales that work, and I'd be interested to see if they record any change in the future, despite my insistent unbelief in the myth of weight loss.

Onwards and cheeseless.

And so it goes (HJ)

This week I had a secret exercise plan.

I bought the Zumba videos (largely with my play money), and have backed a session onto the 40 mins rowing on at least three occasions this week.

I figured backing them on meant that my heart-rate was already at fat burning stage, so that I would be doing wonders for weightloss this week.

And despite missing one row this week, I figured I'd done enough to cover for the few naughties that snuck in due to shopping trips to neighbouring large centres.

Plus if there is any week in the month I'm likely to have a big drop, this was it. So it was with great hopefullness that I stepped on the scales this week.

Weight
Last week: 77.4kg
This week: 77.7kg
Change: 0.3kg GAIN
Total Loss: 3.4kg

Waist
Last week: 95cm
This week: 94.5cm
Change: 0.5cm LOSS
Total Loss: 4.5cm (and my clothes were so tight when I started that they're not even falling down yet, although they are getting a little loose.)

I'm a bit peeved. But although I've been regular with me exercise, I haven't been particularly good with what I've been eating. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised, right?

Trying to hold onto the fact that I'm feeling stronger, and I can touch my toes more easily than I could at 16. That's got to be an improvement.

And one day the muscle I've been working on will start burning fat while I'm at rest, right? (Although at this point I'd like it if it would burn fat while I was exercising.)

Love to you all,
One seriously irritated equine-lover.

Confusion, Loony Lace Lady

I am confused with what my scales are telling me. Today they couldn't make up their tiny electronics what I weighed. It flashed from .1 to .4 with of course a 67 in front. So all I can say is that I will claim a loss. Yesterday they were quite sure it was .1 and I know that my weight fluctuates so who knows. Maybe next week they will be more sure. What I do know is that I am eating less and exercising more and My Man is losing weight, so he tells me it is working and I should keep up the good work. How fair is that?

I have also noticed now that my 20 min walk now takes me 16 mins, so maybe that needs to be lengthened, I can add another 3 sides of a block and that is the limit. I have no desire to walk around twice.

One more weigh in before the eating blow out called Christmas, although we are not planning a big eat fest, we decided that we all need to watch what we eat so healthy food will be on the menu with just a few extras.

I am also at the end of parties etc and so for the next week I should be able to eat what I choose. Oh I just remembered, we are taking a mobile birthday party to Toowoomba tomorrow. Oh boy.

A Strategy for Christmas Parties (GdeE)

Oops, I forgot to post last Saturday.  Not because I'd had a massive blowout and was ashamed, just because I couldn't think of anything to completely cut out until Christmas.

Since last weekend though I have had blowouts and I blame that horrid guy in the red suit.  Usually described as fat and jolly, he will stop at nothing to make me fat and grumpy.

Since 13 Nov I have had no dip, since 20 Nov I have had no sugary drinks and since 27 Nov I have had no sugar in my tea.  (I can't handle coffee without sugar, so I've pretty much cut out coffee altogether.)

Then this Tuesday there was a break-up at Playgroup.  I ate some party food (not in contravention of my recent policies) but I still felt bad.

The next day, a small person had a birthday party and I felt a bit like a failure from the day before, so I ate dip.  Dammit.  Lots and lots and lots of yummy dip.  Do you recall how I said I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to dip?  Uh.  Yeah.  Man, it was good dip.

Now, I hear you thinking that one day of blowing out on dip wasn't all that bad, but the whole idea of short-term, hard-line rules is that I have none (it's only until Christmas for goodness' sake!) and since the blowout, I have been craving food that my body had previously forgotten to crave!

So.  Bad.

But also: good!  I have unwittingly given up my nightly ritual of sitting at my computer consuming a cup of tea (with sugar) and a few (too many) pieces of chocolate.  This has come about since Emily Sue recommended Lipton's Cranberry, Raspberry and Strawberry herbal tea.  I usually can't stand herbals but this one has a lovely aroma and a not-all-that-poisonous taste, so I've been enjoying that instead.  And when I have the tang of the cranberry in my mouth and that nice warm full feeling of a cuppa in my tummy, I really don't feel like putting chocolate through my system.  I currently have Toblerone, Double-Coat TimTams and Mint Slice biscuits in my fridge (darn that man in red) but I'm not eating any.  I just don't feel like it.

Who knew that would happen?

So.  It's Saturday again.  Today I will re-instate a rule that worked very well for me at a party once.  Since there are celebrations and parties springing up everywhere, each holding kilograms of temptation for me, I will allow myself to eat ANYTHING ... but only one of each thing on the table.  A plate of Tim Tams?  Sure, but only one.  Some delicious quichey thing topped with cheese?  Great, but only one.  A bowl of chips?  Poor baby, only one.  I am sure I will live.

I wish I'd made that rule LAST Saturday.  Many Cheezels wouldn't have been eaten by me.

--------------------------------------------------
A word about my scales: A few months ago, they were zeroing at anywhere between 2kg and 10kg, giving me inflated readings.  Now, they are zeroing at 11kg to 20kg, which gives one quite a shock when one steps on.  I believe I weigh about 67kg, having been 64kg after the baby Joseph was born.  The scales can give readings of, for example, 84kg on a Skinny Day.  I have spoken to a Christmas Elf about it (not the man in red himself, we're hardly on speaking terms after this blog post.)

Weigh in (Emily Sue)

Before getting to the actual weight details I'd like to brag about the exercise I've been doing. I have done some exercise every single day for the past 23 days. Most days this has involved getting out of bed at 5.30am. Admittedly, on Friday I only managed 5 minutes of a workout before my body decided it wasn't going to happen, but I did go for a walk later in the day.

I have also just re-started C25K with a friend. We finished Week 1 this morning. When I did it last time (although I only got to Week 5 before injury struck) I was doing it on my treadmill. Now I'm doing it outside and it's a whole different ball game. Harder in some ways, easier in others. Definitely easier to be doing it with a friend.

So, today's weigh in:

Last week: 70.2kg
Today: 69.7kg
Difference: 500g
Running total: 7.3kg... which means I only have 400g to go before I've lost 10% of my starting weight. Hopefully that will be next week... fingers and toes crossed.

I don't think I've been under 70kg in about 5 years at least (probably more) so I am feeling very happy today. I know I'm only JUST under it but who cares? Under is under.
.

shock, Loony Lace Lady

Well this has been a bad week. Saturday night was a 3 course meal, when you have already paid a high price you must eat everything and not waste any money. It was a good meal and lovely company so that was an accounted for blowout.

Monday morning we heard that we had (at last 8 days late) a new granddaughter. Well we had to visit as soon as possible. So Tuesday we headed up there for a visit. We met No1 granddaughter and son for lunch, a treat for Miss Muffett at McDonalds, now there isn't much that a wheat intolerant person can eat. So fries it was and coffee. Then for dinner we had never had the gourmet pizza. So that was the menu, remember I watch carbs. So that was overload for the day. Oh I didn't mention gelati did I? Caloundra has the best place we have ever found so it is a must for each visit.

Wednesday night was a wonderful Thai place with noodles and of course the gelati shop followed, so you can see that my week has been a food nightmare. To counteract all that the exercise has been non-existant. Unless you count walking to the gelati shop.

I thought a couple of days to settle before weighing would be good, but decided this a.m. to see how much settling was needed. This is where the shock comes in, I have, would you believe, LOST 200g for the week. Now how did that happen? Must have been left over from the previous exercise.

So that takes me to 67.5kg. Walking will resume as of today. My leg has also been telling me that I haven't walked and has been sore again.

So that is where I am for this week.

I want my armpits back! (HJ)

Do you remember being a kid and how your armpits used to be... well... pit-like? There used to be a hollow there, I'm certain.

So I'm a little irritated that despite the amount of work I've been doing, there is a hanging bulge of soft flesh under my arms instead of a hollow. I want my armpits back!

This was the week that my rowing got back up to 40 mins. This is my goal, to row for 40 mins as many mornings as I can. There was one morning I needed to stop at 30 due to needing to get to something on time, and not having been able to drag myself out of bed early enough to achieve a full 40 mins. But apart from Sunday (the designated no-row day) I have rowed each morning.

I was particularly proud of myself yesterday morning, because I felt grotty and didn't want to row. I told myself I'd just do 20 mins of easy rowing and see if I loosened up. Although I didn't hit my record stroke rate, I did end up doing the whole 40 mins - and felt better for having done it.

It's interesting that I'm more proud of my performance on Thursday, when Wednesday was really the highlight in so far as rowing acheivement. It was Wednesday I managed to complete 1400 strokes in my 40 mins (okay, so I did an extra 20 seconds in order to get the round number!), and I hit an all time high in one of my scramble-as-fast-as-I-can-go-for-5-mins of 51 strokes per minute. (Light/easy rowing for me is 30-33. Scramble usually sits around the 38-40. 51 is very impressive indeed, even if it was only for a few strokes).

If the rowing has been up, the walking hasn't been. Most of my trips out have been piggy-backed onto other things where walking was not an option. I've had things I needed to be at in my afternoon LBD walking time. The weather hasn't been as cool, either.

I have been reasonably restrained with my eating, given the time of the year. I might need to come up with a strategy like Givinya to help me make decisions over the Christmas Season, but working in the church does lead to some politeness-based food decisions (which worked in my favour yesterday when I drank my first ever sugar-less cup of tea - the conversation was too serious and important to interrupt it to ask for sugar. They don't cover that in pastoral care training!)

I have been feeling firmer, and clothes are a not as tight, but I'm not noticing any significant change to my size and shape (unlike some who have had to take in all their skirts 4cm!). The only things that are really loose are my ridiculously large pants that I mentioned last week. So I'm still waiting on any real size/weight advantage from my hard work.

In a moment of despair I actually asked my Beloved whether I was looking any trimmer? He immediately answered, "Absolutely!".

It would have been more reassuring if he'd actually looked first.


So I was interested to see what my results would be for this week.

Weight
Last week: 77.7kg
This week: 77.4kg
Loss: 300g
Total Loss: 3.6kg
Distance to next goal: 1.4kg

Waist
Last week: 95cm
This week: 95cm
Loss: 0cm
Total Loss: 4cm

So it is as I suspected. Nothing huge happening here, but 300g is much better than last week's results. Slow results, but I'm feeling much better for the rowing, which is not measurable, but is good.

I'm off to row, then have a look at the Zumba DVDs I've borrowed to see if they will be as fun as an actual class.

Postscript: Since posting I was at Mum & Dad's to see their photos of the new arrival. There were photos on Mum's computer of me on our Malaysia trip from after Easter. It might be possible that I am now more trim than I was then. Then again, a camera adds 5kg (Chandler: "How many cameras were ON you?"). Maybe, just maybe I'm getting somewhere.

Weigh In (Emily Sue)

Once again I followed the new WW program - even when I had a blowout at the staff dinner I counted the points - and I have exercised every day. Aside from daily routines on the Wii Fit I also jogged on the treadmill three days this week. Usually I can only manage 6 or so minutes of jogging in between walking, but this week I amped it up - on Sunday I jogged for 20 minutes (5 minutes at 6.5km/h and 15 minutes at 6km/h), Thursday I jogged for 25 minutes (12 minutes at 6.5km/h and 13 minutes at 6km/h) and today I jogged for 25 minutes, ALL of it at 6.5km/h. I am definitely getting fitter and I'm very happy about that.

So, on to the weigh in...

Last week: 70.8kg
Today: 70.2kg
Difference: 600g loss
Running total: 6.8kg loss

I was kind of hoping for a spectacular weight loss this week after all the exercise, especially given that I've been getting up at 5.30am every day. I feel like I should be rewarded for the early mornings. :) However, I'm not going to complain about losing weight. Next week I'm hoping to crack the 70kg mark.
.

I want a recount! (HJ)

This week has been pretty full of exercise. I've been doing lots of walking to places as well as 30mins rowing each morning. I've got back to a good clip as I walk by myself, and yesterday I took the LBD and he was limping along behind by the time we turned into our street, so I slowed down. I'm sorry, LBD, I didn't realise it was too fast for you until you couldn't keep up (but you were using your leg, though - good dog!). I'll go slower with you next time, I promise.

You might have noticed that Zumba didn't get a mention. The local lady I was going to lost most of her numbers when one of the local gyms that has just changed hands started advertising ridiculously low weekly rates and also offer Zumba. She was also offered full-time work in her 'day job'. So she closed down the classes she was offering here in town and only goes to her tiny little towns around here that are still getting good classes. I was going out to one for a bit, but it takes too much time. I'm not a gym person, but I considered going to one of the two gyms here that offer Zumba, but they are still not as cheap and/or have their classes at inconvenient times.

There's also a trip overseas that I want to save up for, and so I've been seeking my exercise in other places that are free. I'm considering buying the videos, particularly since you can now buy them at Target and my credit card points (free money! - I pay it out each month and only use it for things I'd buy anyway) will get me a $100 Target voucher, which means that I can get Zumba at convenient times in my own home as many times a week as I want, for years and years to come for only $49. Or I could buy some clothes that fit. Hmmm.

I had one of those bad days this week where my one pair of presentable 'fat' pants are way too big, need gathering in at the waist with a belt (but my skinny pants are still too tight to be presentable). At the same time I needed a presentable 'good casual' top, and the one I selected was too tight around my waist and spare tyre. Truly uncomfortable, and no in-between options that were suitable (or ironed). In fact, I only have my church pants and one pair of shorts that fit (and look nice) at the moment. Everything else is either too big, too small, or noticeably worn.

But I'm feeling more trim. My muscles are feeling as if they can do things, holding themselves tense and ready for more work (particularly my shoulders, back, buttocks and thighs). My spare tyre, tummy and hips seem to be getting softer, though. Hopefully that means the fat cells are emptying and soon there'll be less Jen in those areas.

So I was looking forward to weighing in this morning, despite the fact that my eating hasn't been the best - there have been parties, cakey things and an inability to say 'no'. I'm cranky I didn't leave half the slice of plum pudding at the luncheon yesterday because it was too liquor-y for my taste and I didn't enjoy it. I did, however, avoid the lollies that were on the tables, so that's got to count for something.

So the results:
Last week: 77.7kg
This week: 77.7kg
Loss: 0. Nada. Nuffin'.
Total Loss (since August): 3.3kg. In 4 months.

Waist last week: 95.5cm
Waist this week: 95cm
Loss: 0.5cm
Total Loss (since August): 4cm

And the truly depressing thought:
Total Loss (since we started this game in October 2008): 1.7kg GAIN
Waist Loss (since we started this game in October 2008): 2cm GAIN

So I'm working hard to get back to where I used to be when I first took fright and decided that I needed to get fitter and slimmer. It will be interesting when I get back to 76kg to compare my measurements, because I would have to be fitter now, despite being heavier. Surely?

Sorry for the essay. I'm hoping for better things next week. I will try to eat better, as well as keeping up the exercise.

Happy skinnier cow Loony Lace Lady

The title speaks for itself. HJ was concerned when I claimed a low spot of Friday, well today I have lost a further 200g, I really want to claim yesterday with an extra 100g. Some people are never satisfied. So it looks at the moment that my exercise is working. I can count in that the 5 sets of double hung windows that got cleaned yesterday. I had to do that as I had a break up party in the morning followed by lunch out. So you see some extra activity was called for to even things up. Today I am cleaning louvres and so far 4 banks have been done and now I am watching the misty rain approach while the washing is nearly dry and having a rest to get going again . My leg has been sore again this week, but I have still been walking and some more slight bruising has come out. So surely that must be close to all the bruising and it must feel better shortly.

So to sum up present weight 67.7 with a total of 2.4kg gone hopefully for ever. If you really want to know my fat stores are soft, so more must be on the way out.