What part of "Forever" do I not understand?

Well, you remember how this whole Skinny Cow thing started?

I had blogged on my site that I really needed to do something about my weight. I was going to slowly but surely get fitter and start eating less of the right kind of food (and obviously much less - or approximately none - of the wrong kind of food). It struck a chord with a number of people and so the Skinny Cow Co-operative was born.

And I was doing really well until Christmas time, where I started to bounce and bit and then the wheels fell off for me entirely in about March. *sigh*

So here I go again - only 0.6 of a kilo off my original starting weight. I've put myself back into First Grade Weighloss and am trying to summon up the strength to get back on the wagon.

The fact that I'm trying to summon up that strength does not bode well. You see, I will need to be entirely committed if I'm to get back into shape. I'm wondering if the thought of being a model for our Church's Fashion Parade in October is sufficient to get me back to 68kg.

I want to get back to 68kg.

At this point I'm not aiming for much beyond that, because that is the weight the wheels always fall off. Between now and then I need to get my head around it, but it's a good starting aim because it is achievable.

I will have to ignore the winter allure of custard and steamed pudding desserts every night, and the temptation to eat more because it's cold.

I'm guessing that in the week following the 19th August I might manage to lose heaps of weight. That's the date I'm getting all four wisdom teeth out and I'm guessing that eating is not going to be pleasurable for a bit.

So enough of the whinging!

This week I will:
1. Allow myself two desserts and two other naughties.
2. I will row three times
3. I will do a half-hour walk three times.

Weigh-In Wednesday! (Eizelby)

Last time: 70kg
Today: 67.25kg
So: a loss of 2.75kg!

The last time I weighed in was over two months ago, so the amount is not impressive, but my lack of commitment to posting here reflects lack of commitment to weight management.

May and June were tumultuous months. I spent a few days sick in bed eating nothing but ice chips which helped with weight loss in May (I got to a little less than I am now), but once I got back onto food I dropped the ball and didn't care what I ate, walked less due to the cool and rainy weather, and generally wasn't living in a healthy way.

However, inexplicably, in the past few weeks I have been WANTING to eat better. I have been CRAVING vegetables and fruits more than ice cream! That never happens. I think my body has finally gotten fed up with my terrible eating habits and has decided to teach me good eating habits itself! Awesome! Weather has also been better and, due to my healthier diet, I have more energy to walk.

I am also finally getting on top of my low GI eating. I love that I can eat what I want: no cutting out chocolate, I eat it almost every day, just in little doses. That way, I avoid the sugar cravings. Cutting stuff out that I really love and crave always ends up doing more damage later on.

The end is in sight!

A Moment of Weightlessness / Moment of Truth

It must be my turn to hold the fort for a bit, I just hope that someone comes home soon!

My gain since last week equals zero.

Unfortunately my loss since last week also equals zero, and I'm hoping that this is the moment of weightlessness before my weight plummets to the floor.

I was looking at my trendy spreadsheet again. So many goals (good, achievable goals) that I've let slide by pretty much since Christmas. I know that if I go back to my 'normal' eating pattern I will slowly climb back up into the mid 70s. Am I okay with that? Not really.

So:-
1. I will row three times this week. Started off already with 25 minutes this morning.

2. I will walk three times this week. The LBD will be very glad about that, and it does do wonders for my mental health.

3. I will allow myself 2 desserts and 2 other miscellaneous naughties during the week.

4. I will try to eat more good food despite the apparent conflict between the government's 2 & 5 programme and avoiding itchy spots (i.e. fruit apart from pears is pretty much out on a daily basis).

To a certain extent, it is the conflicts between all the different schools of thought that trips me up with respect to good eating. Food apparently needs to be low in sugar, fat, salt, and carbs. It needs to have no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. Fresh may indeed be best, but it also needs to be low in the naturally occurring food chemicals that cause itchy spots. It needs to be Australian grown/made/owned, but also inexpensive. Also, apparently one serve of meat is plenty, four serves of grains are necessary, and 2 serves of fruit and 5 of vegetables are what we should have each day.

Is it any wonder that I am going through a phase of hating food shopping?

It doesn't help that my herb and shallot garden is struggling through the cold weather. I need these to make food at all interesting without going to the shops every two days. Maybe I need to bring the pots inside?

Off to make chicken soup... and a sponge cake (oops). I'm trying to get my sponge-making ability consistent. It has egg in it, so it must be healthy, yes?

The Good News Is...

... in the last few weeks of no exercise and not the best (a.k.a. spectacularly dreadful) eating pattern I have not put on 7234.8 kilos.

How would I have put on 7234.8 kilos (which, by the way, is actually 7.2 tonnes!)?

Well, I hit the zero instead of the decimal place when I was entering today's data into my trendy spreadsheet.

The resulting answer didn't look quite right to me.

Let's just say that it really puts the 1.5 kilos that I really put on into perspective.

Weigh In Wednesday (Femina)

Last time: 72.3kg
Today: 71.9kg
Difference: 400g

This means that the enormous amount of Maltesers I ate yesterday hasn't hit the system yet. Maybe they won't... they were fundraising Maltesers after all and it seems wrong that my generosity should cause me to put on weight!

That's it from me today. No plans, no goals for the moment. I'm concentrating on other things in my life for a little while so any weight loss or gain will be by accident, not design. I guess it's a good experiment to see what happens when I eat reasonably normally (apart from the Maltesers) and don't exercise. I'll be able to find out if my 'normal' food regime is too much.

Manda is forgetful and sorry

So, given all your activity of late, I doubt you'll remember one of the things I said in my last post: "I'll keep you updated on my progress." I certainly forgot it completely!

I've been chugging along, splurging more than I should but still less than I used to. I've got a nice winter-belly-baby going, but the rest of me is the same. So, let's pretend I haven't neglected my posting promise for the last few months, and start over.

Last time, I weighed: 71.1
Current Weight: 71.6
Weight change since last time: a gain of 500 grams
What I'll do now: Stop being such a food pushover.

You know when you finally learn that
when your housemate/husband/girlfriends offer you that piece of cake/chocolate ice cream/Cadbury creme egg, you are within your legal rights to turn it down
and you feel liberated, like suddenly it's actually your decision?
I learned that two years ago, and instituted a No Sugar in Public Rule (NSPR), which basically meant all my sweet things were sweet things I actually wanted to eat, and fit into my food points. It worked wonders (the decision being already made for me) and I lost more weight than usual. But I seem to have forgotten again.

But now I remember. This week, when my housemates offer me junk, I have often turned it down. Watch this:
Georgeous housemate: I'm going to have a crunchie.
Other georgeous housemate: Oooh, me too! Manda, do you want one?
Me: No thanks.
O.G.Housemate (cheerfully): Yeah, I thought you wouldn't.

WHAT?!
What just happened? Are things turning around? Am I finally getting to a point where I'm actually going to do something about my Winterbaby?

(Note: this is the first step of many that must occur for me to get to my goal. It doesn't matter how much I turn down from others if I pig out alone.)

Oh, and one more thing:
Modified, realistic goal for winter: 68 kilos. That means I have to lose just under three kilos over the next two months.

Whoops, and one more note: I am holding off on the NSPR for the moment - just turning down more of the 10 desserts offered to me in an average week.

I'm baaaaaack

Hello everyone!

So impressed to see so many of you here and powering on!

I, on the other hand, have not been powering on.

But it's time for (another) fresh start, I even bought scales this week!!

I am reasonably pleased with the fact that I weigh about the same as I did when I stopped all this, haven't lost anything but haven't really gained either...that's good.

Let's see where I am at on Wednesday, hey?! Wish me luck :)

I don't want to talk about it!

I did weigh-in this morning. Now at 72.2kg.

I'm claiming that I built muscle mass this week. I rowed 4 times.

I'm claiming that sawdust has a high calorific content, because I've been madly sanding.

However, it is possibly due to a couple of days eating my head off. I need to stop eating (well, okay, slow down with what I'm eating - not stop altogether).

New week, new start. Going to a child's birthday party tomorrow. Chances that any good intentions that are floating around my brain will be transformed into actual self-control at a party?

... Mmmmm?

Weigh In Wednesday (Femina)

Yes, I know, it's not Wednesday but I did weigh myself on Wednesday; I just didn't get around to posting.

Last week: 72.3kg
This week: 72.3kg

Difference.... zero, which means NO GAIN. Nope, it's not weight loss but maintaining my weight for one week is a bit of a win for me right now.  It's all good.

Bustin' Outta the Fat Pants

On Sunday I decided that maybe, with the baby so jolly big now, I might try my old Fat Pants on. Lovely tailored black slacks in a gorgeous fabric: large size. I haven't worn them for ever so long, because they sailed off me and hit the floor about two years ago. And I've believed that my girth hasn't changed all that much since then.

I wasn't prepared for the fact that they would be so tight on me. Okay, so of course I was going to find the zipper a bit tight with Thingamababy sitting large and unmoveable down there, but it was the butt and thighs that shocked me. Squeezy fit, with no chance for the zip to go up at all.

And yet, my overall weight sits around 71kg.

So I guess I'm still losing unwanted pieces of me from my upper arms and around my neck (yay!) while all things baby-related continue to blossom at a frightening rate. I currently look to be about full-term. I am 26 weeks tomorrow.

I'm not dieting at all, and am eating quite well for the baby, trying to stick to healthy foods and limit bad foods. In order to do this I cook up a vegetarian meal for dinner about 4 nights a week, and have lean meats the other 3 nights. This hasn't been working well. Adding a bit of bacon or chicken does not a vegetarian meal make. (But - "Yum!")

I have also had NOTHING sweet in the house except a packet each of Ginger Nuts, Scotch Fingers and Shredded Wheatmeals. You know you're trying to wean yourself off sweet stuff when you leave Shredded Wheatmeals as one of the final biscuits in the house. However this has only driven me to consume much more Milo than reasonable, and we've nearly run out of the Ginger Nuts and Scotch Fingers.

The children have been very challenging so tonight I decided to self-medicate with chocolate. We did a quick trip to Woollies for chocolate and the behaviour there was so appalling that I think I will never go back. Even when they're having a treat bought for them, they carry on like they are King and Queen of the World and they have passed an edict outlawing discipline in all forms. Disgraceful.

But good news here: after not-much sweet stuff for a while, a small chocolate binge was all I needed. It helped.

Weigh-In Woe (Femina)

I was all prepared to avoid the weigh-in indefinitely but decided to put on my Big Girl Pants and be brave. Hmmm... "big girl pants" has a different connotation on a weight loss blog, doesn't it? I meant my "grown up girl pants" but that doesn't have the same ring to it. Anyway, I digress...

Last time: 71.0kg
Today: 72.3kg
Difference: 1.3kg gain

Ouch.  What can I say? I have eaten lavishly of things that should be eaten sparingly and eaten sparingly of things that are good and healthy and should sustain me.  This feels like real weight gain too, not one of those "gosh, I'm heavier this week - I wonder why?" gains.  I haven't exercised - heck, I've barely moved at all unless it's vital. Even when I don't go to the gym I usually walk a fair bit but it's been cold and rainy and I've been lazy... and I'm feeling the difference in my body, which might be an incentive to start moving again.

After today I have 6 days off work. At least one of those days will be spent catching up on sleep but for the others I am planning a couple of day trips here and there and lots of walking.  And maybe I'll cut down on the hot chocolates too.  Maybe....

Weigh-In Wednesday (Eizelby)

Last time: 69.5
Today: 70
So: a gain of .5kg

Blurg.

Okay, this might look bad, as my last two have been gains, but on the bright side I've been eating like a teenage boy and I've only gained half a kilo in three weeks.

Somehow this number gives me hope! I'm not going to list a bunch of promises I probably won't keep, not for now at least, but instead will just say this: last night I had a light dinner after a heavy breakfast and lunch, and went to bed with the strongest desire to eat the bag of cookies stashed in my cupboard. I was awake for two hours thinking about those cookies. At one stage I even had my hands on the bag ... but I woke up this morning having not let even one pass my lips. Hooray for slight progress!

Weigh-In - Why Not? (HJ)

Last week may have been a little bit of a scales blip. Or that I did eat less and certainly less bad stuff (or at least less frequently). Or the fact that I only rowed once lead to atrophy of the huge muscle mass I acquired last week. Take your pick.

Last week: 72.2
This week: 71.0
Loss for the week: 1.2 kg (which is pretty impressive for very little work and a tad of self-control)
Total Loss: 5.0 kg

I must get back into rowing. It makes a difference.

And the LBD would appreciate the odd walk, too.

Interesting phenomenon (Givinya)

So I haven't been posting here at Skinny Cow for a bit because I'm embarrassed that you are all trying so hard and I'm not, because I'm pregnant. I guess though, that I owe the baby not to pig out too much and turn into a blimp.

Anyway, I'm about 23 weeks along now, and my weight is only about 1-2 kilos more than before Thingamababy. See how this works? My tummy is getting bigger and bigger, Thingamababy is growing nicely, I'm putting on all the right baby weight in all the right places, and at the same time I seem to be losing fat from over the tummy, on my arms, and hopefully the more Major Defects below like butt and thighs.

Pregnancy agrees with me.

What happens afterwards? I get hungry and things go wrong.

Please promise me you'll be around for me after Thingamababy makes an appearance, and promise me you won't excuse my indiscretions by saying that I'm breastfeeding. It hasn't cancelled out my pigging-out the last two times!

Love you girls, I live in weekly awe of your hard work and general downwards-moving numbers.

I don't want to play this game anymore...

Okay, so I do want the results of this game, I just don't want to report a week that really wasn't the best.

Last week - 70kg
This week - 72.2kg
Gain of - 2.2 kg

How did I put on more than the weight of the naughty food that I ate?

HOW?

Creeeaaaak, groan... (HJ)

So I'm not a Wednesday weigh-in-er, but I thought I'd share my current state of being with you all.

I rowed yesterday for the first time in... a little while.

I only did 20 minutes because I thought I'd be out of condition.

I was right.

I am creaking and groaning my way through life today. I'd forgotten that rowing uses so many muscles.

I'm sure I once thought it was worth it.

Wednesday again already?? (Eizelby)

Last time: 68.6
Today: 69.5
So: a gain of .9kgs

Okay, so this is not great. BUT it's been two weeks and I thought I would have weighed in at at least a kilogram more than this, given my recent chocolate bonanza - and that was BEFORE Easter.

But no concessions! I'm setting some rules now because I don't seem to respond to my own leniency very well.

So this week I will:
- Go to the pool AT LEAST ONCE!
- Go for half hour walks plus the regular walking I do every day.
- Write down everything I eat, an idea "borrowed" from Femina, which hopefully makes me deal with my horrible eating habits once and for all! No more continuous stream of chocolate while playing computer games for me!

Wussy Wednesday (Femina)

Yeah, not weighing in today. I had a great Easter though... if "great" can be defined as "was largely inert and ate a LOT of chocolate and hot cross buns"!

So... see you in another week... :)

The Lamington and Hot Cross Bun Diet (HJ)

I was a tad fearful about weighing in this morning, but I had promised Femina that I would, and I was hoping that the shame of reporting yet another bad week would help spur me on to greater effort (or indeed any effort whatsoever).

My church should be banned from having Lamington Drives. Particularly in the same week as Easter (can you guess we don't generally give up stuff for lent in my church?). So possibly not the best eating pattern this week.

But it does seemed to have worked...
Last weigh-in (two weeks ago)... 70.6 kg
Today... 70.0 kg
Total Loss... 6 kg
Loss since last time... 0.6 kg in which time I ate my head off and did absolutely no exercise.

Do you think I should continue this novel weight loss plan to see if it has any scientific merit?

Plan for this week-
Row three times
Walk the poor LBD at least three times (hoping that I can hold him because he hasn't had a w.a.l.k. for a few weeks which means that he'll be very... enthusiastic, let's just say)

I really need to start eliminating again to find out for certain what causes itchy-spots (and possibly hay fever type symptoms - I'm noticing some links between bad food and hay fever now that I'm mostly avoiding the worst of the culprits), but maybe after I've conducted a scientific binge (I mean significant dose) of chocolate on Sunday? I will need to set myself a date, because I keep putting it off due to weddings and Easter and other non-elimination diet food times. Can you tell that I'm not yet committed to it?

Thanks, Kevin! (Love from Manda)

I'm starting again. I'm ready to get back on the weightloss plan, and should admit I don't really like being "off" it yet. (I had a little bit of trouble staying at the right amount of food - I either ate a little too much, or just felt like I was... either way, next time I stop losing and start maintaining my weight, I'll change my eating amount g r a d u a l l y ).

But, you ask, why am I so thankful to Kevin?
While I haven't received my stimulus money yet, my housemate has - and she bought a Wii and WiiFit! I can't believe how much fun it is, I'm looking forward to working on the goal it suggested for me: losing 4.2 kilos in 3 months.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Meanwhile, let's get the stats going:
Current Weight: 71.1
Weight change since last time: a gain of 600 grams
What I'll do now: Keep excercising and WiiFitting, hold back a little on the Easter Eggs!