Now THAT'S more like it (HJ)

I've been pretty good this week.

When I say "pretty good" I don't mean that I've been eating nothing bad, I mean that I have had bad things, but not every time I could have had bad things. I have said "no" to food, whilst having a tiny slice of chocolate Bavarian at church Sunday night, a Lime thickshake at a girls' morning tea on Tuesday, a slice of a sponge roll at Minister's Association on Tuesday (aren't I glad I didn't have a cakey thing at morning tea?), a moderate slice of carrot cake at another meeting on Wednesday, and a Gaiety chocky biscuit at a pastoral visit yesterday. That's many "yes"es, and I'm not listing all the "no"s for you, but there were times when takeaway would have been easy and I cooked instead.

I enjoyed all the naughties I ate, and that is fine, because I need to look on weightloss as a whole of lifestyle change forever, so I will have occasional naughties (and I didn't realise I'd had so many this week until I was listing them here).

I also branched out into some fruit and veg that are on the suspect list, and am paying the price with a belly full of itchy-spots (and when I say itchy, I mean it!). I'd better scale back, but I enjoyed having a little capsicum in my salad or stirfry. And the super-scrambled eggs with mushrooms was very enjoyable. They wouldn't have made me stack on weight, though.

The most important factor was probably exercise. I've done 30mins on the rowing machine 5 days this week (not Sunday and Thursday). I've been to 2 Zumba sessions, one followed up with 20mins of aerobics because our instructor needs to record some for assessment. I've also been walking the dog more.


These are all good things. And the results?
(Drumroll please)

Loss of 1.5kg this week.
Total loss of 3.1 kg

Waist loss of 1.5 cm
Total loss 4.5 cm


I think the exercise is doing what it's supposed to do. That is, letting me eat some naughties and still be on the downward track.

This gets me to a lovely number, leaving me 10 kg to go to be back in my healthy weight range, and 1.9kgs to my first reward weight.

It also only leaves me 300 gms heavier than my Beloved.

It will be a good day when I am lighter than my Beloved.

Now to keep everything under control at the lolly-making working bee tomorrow.

The hip-hop look (Emily Sue)

It was quite chilly here in Melbourne today, so I wore a long sleeved thermal top under my clothes. All day it's been bugging me - I feel like I've had to tuck in back in about 50 times. I've been cursing the cheap make and the fact that it's shrunk in the wash and become shorter and less elasticised than it was when new.

Then it occurred to me that I've also been hitching my jeans up all day, because they keep creeping down and giving me the teenage boy hip-hop look.

Could it be...? Could it be that I have actually (*gasp*) lost some millimeters? I don't know for sure because I didn't measure myself before starting Weight Watchers but the evidence is starting to point that way. And the most exciting thing about it is that these jeans are the ones I bought - reluctantly - in the next size up from where I was because I could no longer comfortably squeeze myself into the others.

Please please please let it be true...

Encouraging, but unofficial (HJ)

I only weigh myself once a week.

More frequently than that is only going to end in heartbreak with the little blips (or blimps?) that occur. I want to see the trend that is heading downwards. Monthly would probably be better, but there's no way I have the patience and motivation to sustain a healthy life for a month with no feedback.

But this morning I couldn't help myself. Partially frustration after last Friday's non-event, partially because this morning I was going to morning tea and needed to know precisely how much I could afford to eat, partially because I've been rowing each day and refusing food and that should be making a difference, surely???

900 grams. Gone. Yaaaaaaaay!

Now to hold onto it until Friday's official weigh-in.

And as if that wasn't enough (HJ)

I caught sight of the scales as my Beloved weighed himself this morning.

He is just over 6 feet tall.

He does manual work (so has lots of heavy muscle).

He eats lots.

And he weighs 1.8 kilos less than me.

Bathroom Scales: Givinya d'Huge Fright

This week has been GREAT according to me, but it's been pretty dismal for my weight.

My husband directed a secondary schools camp so we all went to the Sunshine Coast with 77 teenagers where we combined with another similar camp.  150ish teenagers, mostly skinny, eating total crap.  Humph.

I sometimes wonder about the TV show "How to look good naked."  What's that all about?  I should try to find out - a quick trip to Wikipedia or IMDb would sort it out for me, but for now I'm content to wonder.  Because due to the configuration of the bathroom in our ensuite cabin, one could catch sight of the top 75% of oneself naked and from that humiliating position, one could quite clearly see that one looks positively AWFUL naked, and one wonders whose body she is inhabiting.  One also wonders how one's husband puts up with it.

During the week, I ate like a... like a... like a woman who is having nice food cooked for her and who doesn't have to wash up.  My meals were awesome, and so were the leftovers belonging to all three of my children.  And the extra bread and butter I purloined "for the children" etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  And the celebratory McDonalds after camp. Etcetera.

My comfy Size 12 bootleg jeans started feeling tight across the girth.  Here comes the post-baby blimp-up.

And to add insult to serious body-image injury, this morning I stepped on my scales a few times and after working out a quick average (for my scales are cantankerous at best) it appeared that I was 5 kilograms heavier than I was before the week began.


Say what?

I know I ate a lot, but I don't think I even CONSUMED 5 kilos of food during the week.

I wanted to say WTF, but I didn't as I'm reliably told that WTF stands for Wow That's Funny and I'm telling you that a 5 kg gain in a week is not funny.  More like WTHHIGOH.  (The lesser-known Internet acronym for "What The Holy Heck Is Going On Here?")

Well.  It turns out that if you step on the scales to switch them on, then step off to let them 'zero', they go to 0.0kg, then they flutter around, finally settling on a figure that's sometimes around 3.5kg, sometimes around 4kg, and sometimes around 5kg.

Phew.  Scales not zeroed.  Weight not exponentially ballooning in a medically concerning fashion.

Time for new scales.

Also time for:

• coming back to Skinny Cow
• drinking more water before meals so I don't eat so much
• doing appetite-suppressing things between meals so I don't snack, e.g., brushing my teeth, getting out of the kitchen, keeping busy, and drinking water instead.  You thought I was going to say 'take up smoking.'  I am not going to take up smoking.  Anything.
• getting back on the bread policy - two slices of that thick yummy grainy stuff a day and thinking outside the breadbox (ha!) for the rest of the day.

My weight, while not where it would be if I didn't have this flabby tummy problem, is not high on my list of priorities so following menu plans, counting points and hiring babysitters so I can walk with the dog would fly out the window at this stage of my life.  Seriously.  I WANT to do all those things, I think they're great, but I just know that at 11am on any given day I'd say to myself, "Shoot.  I've forgotten to [insert weight loss strategy] ... since last Thursday."  And then where would I be?

Just as heavy and twice as depressed.

So I'm back at OSC now, I'm drinking water today, not eating between meals tomorrow, and starting the bread thing on Monday.

Dammit, I'm not ballooning up 5 legitimate kilos before I blink, not this time!

Weigh-in (Emily Sue)

I've had a great week. I've been getting up early (6am-ish) and working out on the treadmill - today was my seventh day in a row of getting red-faced, sweaty and exhausted. Plus, I've been sticking faithfully to my Weight Watchers points. Awesome.

So imagine my surprise when today's weigh-in revealed a 300g GAIN. I mean, I do get that the last time I weighed in I was stressed and not eating, so the 1.8kg I lost was partly due to temporary fasting, but still... it's very discouraging to see a gain, albeit a tiny one, after all those early mornings and all that sweating and sore muscles. Hmph.

I am a Winner! (HJ)

Well, I'm certainly not losing, so I must be winning. Surely?

I've put on 1.1 kilos over two weeks. It seems last week's odd reading was truth, and this week I've not managed to get rid of any of it. This is despite three Zumba sessions and two rows, and sundry slow walks with a recuperating puppy. I have indulged in some desserts and the odd chocolate, though.

I'm trying not to go with the old line, "I'm gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat." Mainly because my waist measurement has also gone up. Zumba seems to be sculpting me from the view of my front elevation, but not in profile. I need to do more rowing, me thinks. And maybe fewer desserts.

Definitely fewer desserts.

But I am feeling stronger, more oxygenated, and more flexible. All of these are good things.

No weigh here either (Emily Sue)

Yesterday I had plans to attend the Melbourne Show with a friend so I decided to skip Weight Watchers in case we wanted an early start. As it turns out we didn't want an early start but I decided to sleep late anyway, and still missed my weigh-in. I did weigh myself at home and according to my scales I'm the same as last week. I'm conveniently ignoring the fact that last week I weighed myself wearing clothes and shoes and yesterday it was done without either, which indicates I've probably gained. Hm. In truth I was expecting a gain since my last weight loss was partly attributable to anxiety - on weigh in day I had barely eaten for four days. I finally started eating relatively normally yesterday (first time in 11 days) so I am back on track now with Weight Watchers... and we'll see what next week brings...

I am back on track with exercise too, now that I'm eating enough to stop me passing out when I exert myself. I just did a 20 minute walk/run on the treadmill, which is not as much as I normally do but given that I haven't exercised at all in nearly a fortnight I reckon it's not bad. Onward and upward!
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No weigh (HJ)

This week has been a bit bad from an eating perspective. There was a luncheon AND a church dinner in a week that I had already had a few food incidents.

The weekend and beginning of the week weren't good from an exercise perspective either.

So when my scales gave me two different readings, I chose not to believe either of them, and shall allow the week to disappear into the ether without recording anything.

I shall also be a little better with the exercise and eating in this coming week.

It should be easier with no assignment looming.

Then again, I could record the 1.2kg loss I made in 5mins. That was pretty impressive.

Weigh in (Emily Sue)

Last week: 74.4kg
Today: 72.6kg
Difference: 1.8kg loss
Running total: 4.4kg loss

Woo hoo! This means I've lost a bit more than 5% of my original body weight. I'm stoked.

And today I went for a walk with a friend. Just a small walk... from the suburbs into the city, and then around the city for a while. Four hours of walking; about 12km in total. Yep, just a small walk.

My legs hurt.
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A Little Further (HJ)

So the 200g has gone and taken another 100g with it. That's got to be good news, showing a total loss of 2.7kg to date. Getting back towards where I was when this whole Skinny Cow thing started. The possibility of getting rid of another 2.3kg within the month is looking doubtful, but one needs a plan.

Zumbaed Monday and have had a few rowing sessions to keep up the exercise.

Generally eating well, but a little chocolate incident yesterday probably doesn't help the weight to drop.

So really it's pretty average here in hippomanic territory. Must do better in this coming week.

Weigh In (Emily Sue)

Last week: 74.2kg
Today: 74.4kg
Difference: 200g gain
Total loss: 2.6kg

Err... oops. Oh, excuses. I haz them. I regularly take strong iron tablets and in the last few days I've been taking codeine for a sore tooth (and will continue to do so until my appt on Tuesday). These two things combined have had the effect of backing things up somewhat, if you know what I mean. And my period is due soon.

These things are true. But I also know I wasn't quite as careful about what I ate and even though I was within my points I wasn't making good food choices. And all exercise was incidental, not deliberate. And now I'm starting all my sentences with conjunctions...

Anyway, not to worry. It would have been good to see a loss but 200g isn't much and I'll be back on track this coming week.
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An Unexpected Burst of Energy (HJ)

Is it that it is Spring?

Is it that the vitamins and supplements that the doctor has put me on have had a couple of weeks to kick in?

Is it that the cold I've been fighting for months has finally died?

Is it that my brain is feeling stimulated by the reading I'm doing for my next assignment?

Is it that I've been able to do more rowing than just the 5min warm-up, 5 min warm-down that has been all I could manage while suffering with the dreadful cold?

Is it that I've been having fun at Zumba?



Whatever it is, I like it!

What if I became a gym junkie? (HJ)

Okay, it's not that likely.

But yesterday I went and did a Zumba class in the morning.

Visiting at the hospital has some advantages. One is that little ol' ladies talk about their daughters and the fact she "goes to a Zoom-something-or-other class that is sort of like aerobics, but fun and dancing and they wriggle their hips and she's really trimmed down (but she shouldn't lose anymore weight, or there'll be nothing of her)."

So I found out that there are Thursday morning sessions at the local Anglican church hall; that they cost $8.50 per session; and it's a small class so that it is more fun and less embarrassing.

My usual Thursday morning event was not on this week, so I went.

I'm quite comfortable in church halls.

Unlike gyms.

Had a ball. Can't really do it at all, but that's okay, no-one else can either.

And every 10th session is free - just like coffee!

And they have classes at night, too.

And no mirrors so that I can fool myself into thinking that I look exactly like the instructor, even if I have much more to jiggle.

And whilst I found I could not do THAT with my hips at the same time as doing THAT with my feet and it was absolutely impossible to do THAT with my arms at the same time as both of the above, it has done something to my hips.

They are released.

I can't keep them still.

They keep moving everytime I hear music...

...and sometimes when I don't - because my head sometimes runs music that only I can hear.

This could get embarrassing.

But I want to go again, embarrassment or not.



On another note, I did not weigh-in last week.

There was a reason.

I did today, though and I've put on 200 grams for the fortnight.

And while I'd be excited to lose 200g, I'm not that excited to have put on 200g - but I'm not going to slit my wrists about it.

I just need to row more.

And ZUMBA!!!

Weigh In (Emily Sue)

Last week: 75.5kg
Today: 74.2kg
Difference: 1.3kg loss
Running total: 2.8kg loss

The bods on The Biggest Loser would be devastated with such a 'tiny' weight loss. I, however, am living in the real world and I think it's pretty darn awesome. :D

And she doesn't even know she can do this...

Okay, I've got a confession to make.

It's actually Hippomanic Jen here, but I've just been setting up a profile and permissions for my Mum to exist on line and be able to comment.

And she could post too, if she can get past the technology. We'll have to see about that.

Now I just need to let her know her username, password and profile name, and show her how it all works.

Preferably before she next logs on to see what's happening in the world of Skinny Cow.

The good thing is that she's now getting over the dog bite she acquired before Easter, so that she is starting to exercise again. So we'll have to see how things go.

Weigh In (Emily Sue)

My first weigh in after my first week of Weight Watchers...

Last week: 77kg
Today: 75.5kg
Difference: 1.5kg loss

Woo hoo! Now I was going to qualify it and say that last week when I weighed in I had my period and so I was heavier anyway and it's the first week and you always lose more in the first week blah blah blah, but a friend pointed out the other day that every time I talk about an achievement or something positive I then downplay it with something negative. So I'm just going to say, "I lost 1.5kg this week" and leave it at that.

I also rediscovered exercise this week and have been on the treadmill three or four times. It's not so bad, really... okay, I don't love it yet but I do feel better for it. Perhaps one day I'll be able to exercise without having to force myself, but hey... whatever. Just so long as I do it.

Well, you see, there was this camp... (HJ)

Actually was pretty good, though. Didn't have seconds. Refused cakey-things and bickies until lunchtime Sunday when I accidentally ate two pieces of cake (I got one for my Beloved, then it disappeared - I presume I ate it).

This week's loss is 300grams. I'm not complaining, it is a step in the right direction and came with an additional centimeter off my waist - that's got to be good.

I've been reflecting on a time in my life when I lost weight without trying. I was sick and the doctor told me to avoid sugar, artificial colours and flavours, preservatives, white flour products and some fruits like citrus, pineapple and tomatoes. I probably took it further because I was not keen on grainy or wholemeal flour, therefore why would I bother eating them?

I probably ended up the skinniest I've been since I turned into an adult. I don't know, though, because I didn't possess scales and wasn't aiming at losing weight - I was aiming at gaining energy to exist. However, my interview suit skirt (that I haven't been able to wear for many, many years - not even when I got married 18 kg ago) was big on me.

And that's the marvel. I was doing approximately no exercise, because walking from the letterbox or up the stairs at work was almost too much for me at the time.

So really, if I cancel out rubbish food my weight should slide down.

So why do I eat rubbish?

THAT, my friends, holds the key to this whole thing.

Sometimes good intentions are not enough (Emily Sue)

So don't get me wrong - Operation Skinny Cow is great and I have no intention of leaving. However, I'm realising that posting every three months and never actually changing my habits is - for some bizarre reason - not really working for me. Go figure.

This morning, inspired by a friend who did the same thing last Thursday, I joined Weight Watchers. It's not that I don't know how to eat properly, nor do I want to give up on the OSC support, but given that it will be TWO YEARS in October since we started this blog and I am now heavier than when I started... well, it seems I'm not doing so well on the 'motivating oneself' thing.

Today's weigh in: 77kg
Healthy weight range: 66-53kg
Goal weight: 64kg (that may change, but it's what I got to last time and it was a good weight for my body shape and height)
Motivation: pretty high... well, it's Day 1! :D

I'm going to meetings on Saturdays so I'll update after I get home each time.
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What the? (HJ)

I have been pretty good this week eating-wise. There have been a number of times (make that lots and lots of times) that I have said an internal "no" to food I did not need.

I've also been back into the Weet Bix and fruit for brekky, rather than toast (the problem being what I put on the toast - plus the fact that Weet Bix is better fibre) and trying to make all the food I eat reasonably healthy (except the Smith's Original chips - They are the splurge I have allowed myself in small doses when I could be going for something worse).

There were a couple of factors involved in this motivation-wise:

1. I recently went over the nasty number I'd been wanting to avoid. Thereby reaching my heaviest ever (and I've been doing that consistently over the last little while - getting to my heaviest ever, that is. And there's plenty more kilograms on the scales to keep increasing that little number if I so choose.)

2. On the 9th October I'm down to be a model in the fashion parade for our church Spring Fair. I would like to avoid wearing clothes with a one and an eight in their size. It would also be good if they looked okay. (Not holding my breath on that as the lady at the shop who does the choosing doesn't always manage to find flattering colours and styles for me. Apparently everyone under the age of 40 looks good in black, whereas I possibly at a stretch could have got away with it at 20, but mid-way through my 30s my skin simply does not want to play with borderline shades, and I turn into a ghost. I need the soft, clear colours that she doesn't stock. But moving right along...)

3. I found out that next year some of the girls from my year at school are planning a reunion. So by an unspecified time next year there needs to be a lot less of Jen.

4. Hubs has recently had some health investigations that have made me wonder if I would do so well. Perhaps I could be little healthier in my exercise and eating patterns.

So my plan was to take off 1.1 kg in a week to get back under the hideous number.

Then next goal to loose 4 kg (preferably before the Fashion Parade - a little under 2 months. Possible?).

Then another 4 kg before the end of the year.

Then another 4 kg before easter next year.

That will get me back to "stalling weight" where I was before loosing my weightloss mojo. It also gets me out of the "overweight" scores for BMI. I will try to maintain this for a few months, then decide whether I should try for another 4 kg. (That's still 4 kg off my original goal of wedding weight, but I'm willing to revise that goal in light of the fact that I bounced last time, and the time before that, and the time before that...)

So imagine my surprise when I got on the scales this morning and had lost 2.3 kilograms?!! 2.3. That's a whole lot more than I was planning! That means I only have 2.8 kg to go before the week of the Spring Fair, making it more possibly possible. Possibly.

The even better thing is that I've taken off 2.5 cm off my waist. That means that clothes will fit so much better, my risk for heart disease and diabetes are heading down, and it will be less likely that people will accuse me of pregnancy.

I think this has put me in an excellent head-space to head off to our Youth and Family Camp. I will be healthy. I will refuse seconds. I will try to be good at snack-times and for dessert. Try? Now there's a recipe for success!