A support and encouragement blog for those of us aiming towards skinny cow-ness... or at least aiming towards being a bit thinner and/or healthier.
What on earth is Operation Skinny Cow?
Operation Skinny Cow was born after a few of us in Blogland decided it might be nice to lose some weight and/or get a bit fitter. We decided it would be even nicer if we encouraged each other along the way.
If you want to be part of the fun and add your own posts to this blog then send an e-mail to Emily Sue at reachingforgreen@gmail.com and she'll set you up as an author.
Sigh. Here's the thing... although I haven't mentioned it on this blog before, I have struggled for years with disordered-eating thinking. That doesn't quite work grammatically but it's what it's called, so I'm going with it. It's not technically an eating disorder although there have certainly been times when I've matched the criteria for an EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified). This is something I'm working on and have been for a while. (Working on getting better, I mean. Not working on developing an eating disorder. Just wanted to be clear, there...)
Anyway, I've realised lately that reporting my weight and exercise on here is not helping me at the moment. Ironic, given it was partially my idea in the first place, but there you go. Sadly, logging my food intake on My Fitness Pal is also not a great idea so I'm taking a break from that too - rather ungraciously, because I really liked it, but the things we like aren't always healthy.
So I'll still be reading, and encouraging you all (I'm saying "you ALL" optimistically, assuming that someone will join LLL eventually...) but I won't be posting for a while. .
The weeks are still flying by way too fast. After Sat post my weight bounced, which I expected after that drop. It stayed there til today when I weighed at 61.6kg so that is another 200g. Well very unexpected, but I will accept that.
What I really want to say is something quite different. As I have been walking lately, I have been thinking about where I am now as a comparison to where I was last Oct when I started here.
Now I can walk for my usual 22 mins at a brisk pace - when I started I strolled around one block and then had to stop frequently to let the pain in my leg subside. I had to push through the pain barrier to walk even 1 block and then I had to come home and rest my leg.
I can now do 16 sets of steps - then if I absolutely had to go upstairs I did, but it was often one leg doing the work.
I can now row for 5 mins - then I didn't even think about rowing. When I did start I would only use my legs for 1 min and then it was a push.
I can now see where I will probably be, after 15 months I don't expect much more improvement and I still have to rest at times. I am also using my leg warmer as the cold weather isn't helping the pain level.
On top of all this which I consider a long road there is also the weight loss and that stands at about 10kg.
So for me the last 9 months have been a good progress, and I will continue along this road and see where I end up.
30 April was the last time I actually reported anything, and that was that I'd bumped up to 76kg again.
Today, after a whole month of avoiding the scales, I am at 74.3 kg, which is a drop of 1.7 kg from there, and a 1.3 kg drop from my last recorded weight prior to the post-Lent splurge.
I'm happy.
I haven't yet got the elimination diet off the ground, despite reducing the usual suspects in a general fashion. Really need to get to the place I can commit to it for a few weeks, but there's so much going on and I've had a couple of "stuff it, I don't feel like cooking, let's get takeaway" moments.
I also got up early Wednesday morning to Zumba before the day hit me. Haven't managed any exercise since. Really need to borrow some motivation, if anyone has any spare.
I can't resist, maybe someone out there can tell me what is happening. It started 5 days ago, remember my last post, I hadn't been walking constantly and had started again. Well today is day 5 of strange happenings.
My weight had settled around 62.6ish, then on day 1 it dropped to 62.4, day 2 = 62.2, day 3 = 62.0, and that is where I reported. Since then day 4 =61.9 (yea I broke the kg barrier.), and today being day 5 = 61.8. How?
My weight has been stable for a couple of weeks, my eating has been the same, and my exercise has been the same maybe a little less. Don't get me wrong I am stoked but would like a reason for all this happening. The slacks that I found in my drawer (I thought I had thrown out long since) that I squeezed into are now loose.
Don't expect anything great next Thursday it has all happened for this couple of weeks.
Don't the weeks fly by fast! It seems every time I turn around it is time to report again.
I have had success this week. The scales tell me today that my weight is 62.0kg. That is a drop of 900 g in the week. I do know that last week it was up so the drop isn't that dramatic. However I wanted to be below 62 when we left for holidays and I should do that in time. I still have 3 weeks to go.
This is surprising as I have overeaten on 4 consecutive days, and on 3 of them didn't do any exercise, so I don't deserve the drop.
I have at last made my 2 tshirts that were the 5kg loss reward. These thing take time, but I have them now and that will be good for holidays in Austria in summer. I have made 4 long sleeve shirts for now and I still have a pair of slacks to go. I am making progress.
Well that is all for now, another week full of possibilities now starts and it will be interesting to see what I can do with that.
I have nothing to report. Weight 62.9 so up again. I will only claim to be in that hard spot a few weeks before an overdue holiday. We now leave in 3 1/2 weeks. I still have sewing to do for that and winter. At the moment winter is winning with the cold. I now have 3 new shirts as of today. I would like to make 2 short sleeved shirts and 1 pair of slacks in the next couple of weeks.
Life has been busy with various activities and filling in spots for some others, which just makes it harder.
I am in a place where weight doesn't matter. Having said that I am still walking daily, my leg isn't happy if I don't, so I do. I have started rowing again to help out, so maybe some of the gain is muscle rebuilding. I also have a toothache, I went to the dentist and he exrayed and drilled and couldn't find anything wrong, so the tooth has 1 week to settle down from no problem, and then the dentist wants to see me again and maybe take it out. Giving a little healing time before we go overseas.
When you add all this together, you can see why weight doesn't matter, but having said that I am still eating correctly, when I get really frustrated I eat 6 almonds.
That is all for this week. Generally I am happy and managing well.
Yeah, it's been a while. I can't even be bothered looking for the last time I weighed in... I think I was a bit under 69kg. And then stuff happened, which caused eating to happen. This was combined with a knee injury (which I still have) that made exercising pretty nigh impossible. Soooo.... there was weight gain. I got back up to 71kg, despite having assured myself that I would never be over 70kg again. Apparently I lied. I'm getting back on track now and have started to lose some of that weight.
Weight at about three weeks ago: 71kg
Today: 69.8 Difference: 1.2kg loss Running total (from a 77kg start weight): 7.2kg
I'm okay with that. 1.2kg in three weeks is great given that I can't exercise much. And given that I'm still kind of slackish with what I eat.
Goal this week is to fill my freezer with pre-cooked meals so I just have to heat them up at dinner time. When I get home from work is when everything falls apart because I don't feel like cooking but I'm usually very hungry, so I'll eat whatever rubbish I can find. Sometimes it's not actually rubbishy food, but I'll eat past the point where I'm full. That's not helpful. So, off I go to make some soup and casseroles. :) .
Exhaustion has set in but that is ok as the house is clean. The heavy stuff for this week.
I am not worried about the extra 100g that has found me this week. It was mothers day and my husband bought chinese for sunday lunch and my daughter made a delicious dessert, so that all added on and then I was given a chocolate by my daughter. It is delicious as well and is lasting not too long. So with choc each day I don't expect a drop as yet. However one more sitting and the choc will be gone. It is a long time since I was able to sit and eat choc when I wanted.
So this week is 62.8 and now I start another week with another chance to loose some more.
Well that time of the week has arrived again, doesn't time fly. I wasn't expecting much to happen this week as the diet went out the window. I have had cheesecake twice this week for different reason. Both times I could have said no, but didn't. Then yesterday the electricity man cut the power from 5.35 - 7.40 p.m. Now everyone knows that is tea time and they were saying it would come on again at 9 p.m. So that meant take away or starve. None of the above is good for a strict diet. Does that all sound like excuses?
I have weighed today and the total is 62.7kg and that is a drop of .2. Better than I expected or deserved. So I will continue slowly, my present aim is to be at or below 62 by the end of June when we go on holidays. It is possible.
For other activities my daughter pinned in some blouses for me to sew, which I have done and now have 5 blouses that fit, and feel much better. Tomorrow we are going away for the day and I will buy some t shirting material to make me 3 new long sleeve tops. I am in the process of new slacks.
So that is me for the week. I wish you all a good and healthy week to come.
But the good news for my weight loss is that I really need to check out the allergies again because life is getting ridiculous.
And I happen to know that elimination diets are really quite good for weight loss, even if I don't make the time to exercise!
Thinking about starting Monday, because I really need to see if the hayfevery nose and eyes, itchy inner ears and sore throatiness have anything to do with what I'm eating. I'm suspicious due to a couple of 30mins after eating chocolate mucous attack incidents.
That's entirely forgetting the itchy spots which are currently within the parameters of what I'm prepared to put up with, but are definitely present.
The other option, of course, would be to vacuum and dust the house and wash the dog.
That's also down for some action on Monday. I LOVE public holidays!
Last week I did get all my eating out of the way I even had some toasted Sultana Bread just to get the taste again. The Easter Bunny did bring me a Mars Bar which I ate, so by Monday a.m. I had no excuse not to start the diet again.
Tuesday we had a business trip away and we took lunch so I could control my eating. I felt on tuesday that the taste in my mouth had changed so maybe something was happening. Well was it.!!
I have redeemed April for loss. I had been around 64.2 for most of the month and last week was down a little. Well, drum roll please, today I am 62.9kg, having lost 1 kg in the last 2 days. This is what should happen with this diet but in Oct it didn't so I wasn't expecting it this time. I am doing more exercise now than I was then. So in April I lost 1.3 and that helps make up some that didn't happen in March.
I will stay on this phase of the diet for 2 weeks so I still have some time to go yet.
Yesterday I started looking at winter clothes, well my jumpers, of the 3 I regularly wore, 1 I have pulled apart and am reknitting SMALLER and the other 2 are out. But, I found in the bottom of my camphor chest a couple of jumpers that haven't been worn for years. So I can now sport a couple of new one, no one will remember them.
My blouses and slacks are still a sad story, til I get sewing.
So until next week all you Skinny Cow Girls, I am a very happy girl.
I've never been from a tradition where you give things up for lent.
But I do believe in trying different things that might put me in a space where I'm more open to what God might be doing, so I decided to give it a go. Now, I don't believe it has to be food. It's anything that we don't think we can live without: maybe reading or TV or buying things. Anything that could get in the road of a good relationship with God.
When I thought about it, though. I realised that for me at this time it is food. So I gave up added sugar for Lent. Not cheating with all the fake sugar products, but still allowing fruit and other naturally occurring sugar.
I survived my birthday, two conference/seminary things, two family get-togethers, and my niece's dedication without succumbing to temptation. I was doing quite well, really.
Yesterday I said 'no' to hot cross buns on the same principle, not going to break my Lenten fast with only two more sleeps to go, only to be informed by our former Minister (who has Catholic family members) that Lenten fasts finish on Palm Sunday.
Like, last Sunday.
So protestants can't be trusted with Lenten fasts. We really don't know what we do.
Oh, and I forgot to weigh-in. Next week. But I haven't put on any extra weight with all the activities above, so it shouldn't be too bad.
Six weeks ago I had a conversation with Emily Sue about food issues, and a few days later I had a conversation with another friend, B, about fashion issues. During both conversations, I found that I was unable to conjure up any issues.
I had to admit that although I have lumpy dumpy bits and would love them gone so I could start looking good in clothes, I'm not all hung up about it. I don't care about my appearance all that much, because I have an inherent belief in my worth, Fatty-Fatty-Boombah or not. I don't have emotional issues with weight, food, clothes, makeup, hair or anything. I just KNOW that I'm just fine with God, with my loved ones and with ME, whether I lose these kilos or not. Losing the wobbly bits would be icing on the cake.
The only reason why I'm so keen on doing it is because when I want to do something, I want to do it - no mucking around and failing.
SO. Six weeks holiday from OSC. Who have I been talking to during that time? I have a friend who has 4 children, and (by her accounts) puts on weight when pregnant. Each time her babies are weaned, she says, "Right, now I will lose the weight," and she does. She just does. ("Wha-?") She has got a lot of sensible, common-sense ideas, but the difference seems to be that it's more structured than my previous "It's healthy so I will eat it" approach. AND she is low-pressure. I need that.
What have I been reading? My friend gave me some books. She picks ideas from each of them and does what feels right. So I have done the same. I've focussed on how my body feels energetic with a bit of protein in it, and how my carbs really need to be sensible. This has meant switching to wholemeal bread and pasta, and not eating anything white. Yum! (No, seriously, yum!)
Other things I have read: This post made me think I was doing better than I'd previously thought. This post intrigued me. "Nothing more to see here." I thought I'd give it a go, and that brings me to:
What have I been eating? I have steadfastly maintained that one shouldn't need to count kilojoules and all that palaver but that second link above? It made me decide to give it a go. I will let you know how things work out. If the scales don't show any difference after a few weeks, I'll go and read that first link again and buy another pair of super-control Magic Knickers. Whatever.
What have I been doing? Well, as per the title of this post, the weather has been splendid! This, coupled with the fact that my husband sort of -oops- slightly smashed various parts of our car up (an unblogged experience because what do you say?) leaving me with some carless school pickups has had us out and about, huffing and puffing up and down hills with a heavy double stroller. Great exercise! We also have a park at the bottom of our hill, and have gone there and back with the stroller too in the lovely Autumn weather. I've been doing some weight resistance training with dumbbells and some modified situps as well.
I've also been spending some fantastic time in the water (which I love!) working up from 20 laps of our town's 50m pool (1km) going about 1.8km/h up to today's effort of 40 laps (2km) going about 2.4km/h, and finding that I've been needing fewer and shorter rests and breaks. Which one day is CERTAIN to be horribly and unintentionally spoonerised, causing me to announce to an acquaintance or an in-law that I require fewer breasts and rakes. I just know it is going to happen.
I can't go more than a few days with some exercise right now, and am loving it. Bathroom scales be damned, I won't mind all that much if I never lose any weight and am doomed to carry this 4-month-ish belly around on my non-pregnant frame forever. I am enjoying good nutrition and regular exercise, and that's good enough for me.
I know I wasn't going to report today, but I changed my mind. I did weigh today and the result is 63.9kg, that is down a bit, 500g on last week.
I have been trying to get myself into the right head space to start the diet all over again. In March I lost a little and for April practically nothing. It therefore seems to me that I have put myself out of the zone for weight loss although maintaining has been good. So I need to start again, which isn't bad after 7 months. So my plan is to start again on Monday. I just know the Easter Bunny will bring me a mars bar, so I can have that eaten, and today we went for home made cheesecake, the shop was flooded in Jan and has only reopened last week. So that fix is out of the way. So for 2 weeks I will need to be strict on eating and exercising.
Last weekend I knew I would over eat although not by much and to compensate for that I did no exercise the combination wasn't good.
So a new plan for May, but I will get a head start and we will see what happens from now on.
Well, you probably don't need to know all the ups and downs that have happened since the 14 January. I've just noticed that I don't have too many posts in between then and now. So, drumroll, please.....
Weight: 14 Jan 76kg - that was a goal. Then I totally lost the plot and have bounced lots. I was back to 76.2kg last week, but didn't report here Today 75.6kg Δ 400g LOSS (600g in a week) Total Δ 5.4kg
Waist: 14 Jan 93cm Today 94.5cm Δ 1.5cm gain Total Δ 4.5cm
And I have walked a couple of times this week, and this morning did 5 minutes rowing. I've been too tired to contemplate exercise of any kind for a couple of months. I'm starting again slowly and will see what happens. Here's to finding some time to exercise!
I have been working hard and increased exercise as the loss slowed almost to a stop and nothing has improved. My weight is 64.4kg and that is .2 up on last week. I did have a drop and a bounce. So I know that something can happen.
Nothing will happen this week, we have a family party on Saturday and this will entail a lot of yummy food and that will have to be eaten. So don't expect a report next week.
On the good side yesterday I walked home from town about 4km. I used to do it in 35 mins and yesterday I did it in 38 mins so not bad and my leg is feeling ok today. So all the exercise is paying off well.
See you all sometime, if anyone is out there anymore.
Another week has passed and I have had ups and downs. One really impressive down but it didn't last. Today my total is 64.2kg which is down .2 on last week. I really preferred the 1kg drop I had on Monday. Anyway I have added to my exercise this week with 5 mins rowing. This should be building muscle so I didn't expect a weight drop. My size has gone down, I have lost some fat lumps and for the first time in years I can feel my hip bones. They weren't lost after all.
My total for March was only .7kg which was disappointing, but never mind it is better than nothing.
Today is cooler and I decided that a long sleeve shirt would be good, and now I go through all the clothes drama again. No shirts fit and some are so old that they are not worth altering. So that leaves a dilemma. On the other hand I have found a pair of slacks that again fit. I will have to do something soon.
Today I went to Aldi and bought a folding walking stick, so I think this officially makes me an old lady. I want it for security while on holidays and doing a lot of walking and climbing.
It occurred to me today, as I stood up after a lengthy period of sitting and slowly limped my way across the room, that I have been limping for some time. Like... maybe six months. How is it possible that I can have been limping for so long? I've just become used to it, I think.
No, it's not the ankle I injured over a year ago (although it's the same leg); it's my knee. When I squat, or sit for too long, or stretch my leg, the back of my leg hurts behind the knee. As though I've torn a muscle, although I don't think that's it. And when I walk I get that pain as well as pain in the front of my knee. These may well be two unrelated pains. I don't know. Now that I'm thinking about it, this possibly explains why I have been reluctant to exercise. Walking makes it worse. Running makes it much worse.
Anyway, I now have an appointment to see my doctor, although of course I couldn't get an appointment for nearly two weeks. She's very popular and only works two days per week... therefore she's not the kind of doctor you can see when you're actually sick.
So what I'm saying is, don't expect an exercise update for a while. Weight updates may happen, but only if I'm feeling good about my weight. Yes, I'm really that fickle.
I hope you are all having a lovely day. We have had a little rain and today there are some clouds and some sunshine. Apart from that God gave us today to enjoy, so enjoy.
I have weighed today and I am 64.4kg which is up 400g. Now, in my house self inflicted wounds get no sympathy, so all this is self inflicted. We had a weekend away to the Coast and up there they have the most wonderful gelati shop. So wonderful that being there for part of 3 days we managed to fit in 3 trips to this wonderful shop. I am thankful that the shop isn't closer. To compensate for this I didn't walk any day. My weight was much higher when I got home so a natural drop is happening slowly.
This week will be back to normal so may the downwards resume.
Have a lovely week one and all, and I will check in again next week.
I am today celebrating 12 months since the dog bite. I have survived all the complications, and best of all, God has been with me and had granted healing. Now what is better than that. The way my leg is now is probably how it will be and in the last 6 months I have come along way. Today I have spent a lot of the day on my feet and just now my leg is quite sore. It does tell me when to rest and I do try to.
Now for the point of this blog, today I weigh 64.0kg I do like round numbers. That is down 300g on last week. Not bad even if I say so. I have been walking daily and I have been doing 8 sets of steps except the day I forgot. I got into bed and remembered, and didn't get up to do it. I don't think it will happen today.
So I am happy with progress, but with parties this weekend next week will be a challenge and probably higher. My asthma is still gone. Yay.
Another week has passed and I am still trying. I seemed to be stuck around the same numbers for about a month now. So today I have succeeded in changing. I today weigh 64.3kg which isn't much down but a little bit.
I have still be walking, but trying to go faster and for the last couple of days I have wondered if my faster walking is taking me over my weight loss area, so I slowed down to a swift walk and I am still doing 7 sets of stairs. So that seems to have helped, I do know that starting the stairs I probably built muscle so that if fine. Today is the first day of 8 sets, I am gradually going to build that up and see what I can get to. My leg has been sore still so I am pushing the boundaries.
The best of all news is that with my weight down from the starting point, I noticed that my lungs felt really clear. I do have asthma and had been taking a fair wack of meds. So for the last 10 days I haven't taken any preventive meds and I am fine. So that is the best thing for me to celebrate, I have been waiting to see if I could manage to stay off at this stage. So rejoice with me, I feel good and feel I can do more and of course the meds cost a wack so it will also help the hip pocket. I do pray that the improvement will continue.
At last I am on top of things again and may the improvement continue.
6km / 67 minutes on the treadmill. Walking at a variable speed between 4.5kmh and 6kmh (mostly at 5.5kmh).
Feeling good because this is the first bit of deliberate exercise, other than a gentle walk outside every now and then, in about two months. I sweated and everything. Speaking of which... I think I'll go have a shower now.
Last week: 69kg
Today: 68.9kg Difference: 100g loss Running total: 8.1kg
I'm happy with 100g. I was... a tad hormonal... this week, and so had a couple of not-so-great eating days. Mostly I was on track though so 100g is a good loss in light of the caramel Mars Bars. :)
Exercise is still not really happening, although I'm having a housework day today and that counts as exercise, surely???
So I'm back. Bad case of comfort eating and other things were in the way.
I'm now in the headspace to get back into the exercise and control the eating and I've discovered that the damage is only 500gms, but that doesn't take into accout the fact that I could have lost MORE had I kept going as I was.
As you see my weight is the same 64.6kg. I have been around this for about 3 weeks now, so l started looking at my diet and maybe too much ice cream has appeared. So I have cut that out again. I have also been doing steps so that should be building muscle and we all know those results.
We have seen a travel agent today and started getting things moving, so now I have to be fit in 3 months. So the weight isn't the immediate concern the fitness level is. So that is my new target. I could stay at this weight and be ok, but I do want to lose more. I feel better and this week I am trying to go off asthma meds and see what happens, so far so good.
So all you Skinny Cow Girls, lets hear from you and see what wonderful results you are getting. All that is except Giv. who has given us up for Lent.
I have a huge post written detailing many frustrations with food, exercise, weight loss, being in the average weight range but with wobbly bits that just aren't right, and my underlying complete satisfaction with who I am regardless of my weight or wobbly bits anyway. It's all getting too much for me, so I have decided to take drastic action.
Table of Contents
1. A Huge Disappointment
2. A realisation
3. In which I realise I don't even need my mirror
4. Adios
Chapter One: A Huge Disappointment
Previous Weight: 66.5kg
Current Weight: 68.1kg
I have achieved this result by continuing my good eating and active lifestyle, coupled with now regular swims at the pool. Congratulations me.
Chapter Two: A Realisation
I realised something the other day. Three bits of information came into complete clarity for me, and now it all doesn't make sense.
Piece of Information #1
I am eating consistently quite well - keeping meals to pretty healthy standards and trying to snack on fruit and water. Doesn't always work, but I'm doing quite well. I am keeping up with some of my hard-line rules I used late last year to rein in some areas of eating where I felt I was going a bit overboard. I eat dip on a hardly-ever basis, and I am not drinking calories - no fizzy drinks, no cordial, no sugar in my tea (well okay some in my coffee but I ceased promising I'd go that far.) I am active a lot of the day. Sure, I don't get out and huff/puff/sweat, but my life doesn't support that sort of rubbish. Again, we can't do everything perfectly. In short, I am doing okay. And my weight doesn't change and my regular pants don't get looser. My loose pants were bought when I was pregnant. My body quite likes being slightly pudgy. Damn, but not major damn.
Piece of Information #2
Two friends of mine are getting married next month. He eats a gluten-free diet, she has adopted a gluten-free diet for convenience. And she's lost kilograms she didn't set out to lose. Damn.
Piece of Information #3
My dear husband is on a milk-free diet. He substitutes soy, but otherwise his diet is much the same as it used to be, which isn't perfect. Since he has gone milk-free, he has been able to fit into pants he wasn't able to fit into before. Damn.
Conclusion:
Despite believing that you have to cut out fat and sugar to lose weight, it seems that cutting out normal parts of the food pyramid is more effective. Well, not really. Cutting out food types that are notoriously difficult to digest, like gluten and lactose. Emily Sue and I discussed this at length. I hesitate to use the phrase "chewed the fat" for obvious reasons.
Anyway, just as I judge having a 100% hard-line diet is unsustainable and doing regular huffing/puffing/sweating exercise is unsustainable, I believe that managing a restricted diet while still feeding my children a normal diet is unsustainable in my current stage of life.
Damn.
Chapter Three: In which I realise I don't even need my mirror
Talking to Emily Sue tonight clarified a few things for me. One is I really don't care much about food, weight, body shape and appearance outside of Skinny Cow. I never have. Yeah sure I would totally love to get a skinny tummy again and lose the tuckshop lady arms, but seriously, outside of Skinny Cow, I give it very little thought. I just have to visit the issue with you girls because ... well, it's all about accountability and I haven't made gains so I feel the need to justify myself at every turn. Exhausting.
I don't spend much time at all looking in a mirror, I don't really care how I look to other people and sometimes it shows, and I am simply so comfortable in my own frumpy skin that frankly my dear, I just don't give a damn.
I don't use makeup because I've always thought I look better without. I don't use many hair products - just enough not to look like a total Bush Woman. I don't buy many clothes, I don't have many updated or nice clothes, and I never look in a mirror after I put them on. I just don't care. I have always gained my worth through what God thinks of me and what I can do for God and his people, and I'm really happy with how I'm going in those areas. I was raised by hard-working people from working and farming backgrounds who would have scoffed at anyone caring the slightest about their appearance beyond having no dirt behind their ears and having combed hair. I took on that perspective and I haven't changed much as I've grown up. I feel like saying to the world, "Take me as I am, because I don't really want to spend time talking about the cutest new little cardigan/ballet flats/shade of lipgloss with you."
A friend of mine recently said to me in a coffee shop, "But you do care, don't you?" And the truth, which I didn't want to hurt her with was, "No. I really don't. I only talk about fashion, makeup, weight loss and style with you because you're really interested in it."
Tonight Emily Sue directed me to her site to watch this video. We talked about it for a bit.
And that's when it really gelled for me. Emma Thompson, bless her heart, says "Imagine a world..." And I just shook my head in dumb wonder. That. Is. My. Life. I don't have to imagine. I have always lived in a world where I just go about my day. Don't you all?
No primping in front of the mirror, no bothing about 'self-image' apart from my achievements and who I am in God. Except, Emma, if I saw a zit on my face, I'd just say, "Huh" and walk away with no makeup involved. But to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't see the zit in the first place. Remember? No mirror-time except for contact-lens-poking-in.
The only time that I really think about appearance is when I come here and get involved in OSC-type chat. And that is when I am grudgingly honest and I admit that in an ideal world, I'd love to lose some kilos, which is technically true. But that clearly isn't working within the framework of my life, so again: Damn, but I don't really mind all that much.
Chapter Four: Adios
So au revoir my cowgirls. It's been fun riding with you. I have been inspired by your weight losses and your exercise! (As a side-note, I am swimming regularly now, which is exciting. But I can't do more than that right now.) I am off to keep on with the things I've been doing, some of those hard-line rules I started before Christmas which have been SO great, and holding myself pretty accountable in what I eat and don't eat, because a high level of accountability to self is what works for me. But the big difference from now on will be I will be free to not care when I really don't.
Because frankly my dears, when it comes to weight loss that probably isn't going to happen, I just don't give a damn.
This is my first weigh in since starting on the My Fitness Pal website, so my 'last weight' is what I registered on there a week ago, not what I was last time I weighed here.
Last time: 70kg
Today: 69kg Difference: 1kg loss Running total (since starting Weight Watchers... I'm not starting again!): 8kg
Yay! I still haven't really started exercising but hopefully that will come in the next week.
My frustration level reached blowing point in the last week. I seem to be giving excuses rather than losses. So in desperation I decided to check and see what my weight was before Xmas. To my sheer surprise I found that I have lost 2 kg in 2 months. Well the time I have been with you I was wishing that my steady 200g weekly could rise to 250, and that would be 1kg per month. Now I find that with all my excuses I have been achieving that goal and complaining.
Now for all of you who have had to sit and read my excuses, I offer my sincere apologies. I am really sorry for complaining and trying to excuse my eating blowouts.
Back to the point, if my weight wasn't the frustration point then what was? After some thought it occurred to me that I have spent some time pulling at the side seams of shirts that are too big. So I got to my clothes and threw out what was not alterable, there is no point keeping things that I am NOT going to wear again. Then I had a sewing bee and took in the side seams of 6 shirts, one of which I am wearing today and I feel so much better in it. In my cupboard I also found a couple of shirts that had been too small and now aren't. I also have 2 slacks suits for summer and one I could wear now, but it will be better in 2kgs time and the other will need at least 4 kg. I later saw a dress that I must try sometime.
Now I am feeling so much better, I am a new person. Also the cold I had has left and that helps.
I have weighed today and the numbers came up at 64.6kg, I think that is about the same. I did have a drop but I have now gone to my usual drop and bounce, and I have the bounce just now.
Add to all that we have decided on a holiday for the end of June and one place that I really want to visit is called the Werfen Ice Cave. Now that sounds nice, but the warnings that come with the info say that you must be fit, no heart problems no walking difficulties. They say you need to be able to walk up a multi story building. So now I have 3 months to get fit. So added to my walking and balance board I have started doing steps. The last few days I have done 5 sets per day. My leg is back to a level of soreness but it will get better. I AM visiting this cave.
I'm doing it again. You know, checking in once a year to apologise for being absent and assert my plans to stick around this time.
New plan / incentive: I'm in a competition with my best friend K and her mom, A. We each have a goal (mine is to lose 5 kilos, K is losing 5 and A is going for 7, but weighs more and thus should find it equally challenging).
The fun twist: The winner (the closest to goal on June 25th, or the first one to reach the goal before that) is paid $80 and $60 dollars by the people who come second and third, respectively.
This is cool, because going to Weight Watchers would cost more than that, but I think the incentive of having $140 dollars to spend in whatever I want is going to spur me on a little more than WW would. And we're going to support each other by exercising together occasionally, so it's friendly and spurry.
So, goal: lose 5 kilos, going from 74.5 to 69.5, the lowest weight I'll ever have been since I started weighing myself
Plan: - keep running (you heard me, running! I can actually do it now, albeit not as well as an actual runner friend would), playing sport, rockclimbing; - portion control, occasional treats, love food, concentrate on enjoying what I eat
Yea!
Oh, and to make up for not being present for a year, I'll be extra-present and include a picture of what I look like now.
I've had a good few days and I'm feeling a LOT better. I think the downward spiral has been halted... phew. I haven't got back to exercising yet, apart from a walk on the weekend, but the compulsive eating is under control, as is the desire to stay in bed all day, every day.
One thing that has helped is discovering this website called My Fitness Pal. It's basically a calorie tracking site where you can input your details and the amount of weight you want to lose and it will tell you how many calories to eat per day. Then throughout the day you can input food eaten and exercise done and it calculates how many calories you have left. It's an American site so many American food brands but any member can add new foods, so there are already loads of Australian food brands on there. There's also a phone app, which I'm using.
And the best part? It's 100% free.
As you know I've been doing Weight Watchers. I haven't been to meetings for a month but haven't cancelled my membership because I didn't want to lose access to the online tracking system, which I've found extremely helpful. Now that I've found this new site, however, I think I'll ditch WW and use the free site instead.
I know this won't be for everyone, but tracking really works for me. It gives me boundaries that help me not to binge but also help me not to starve myself - if it says I can eat 1300 calories per day I will eat at least 1250 calories. Left to my own devices I tend to swing between eating too much then eating not enough. Neither is helpful.
My starting weight on the site was 71kg. I think now that probably wasn't accurate, as in I was having a bloated day when I signed up, so I'll probably have a good, but incorrect, weight loss in the first week. I'm weighing in on Saturdays so stay tuned.
The title says it all, I am still coughing, I thought things were getting better, but on Tuesday my cold freshened up again. So I thought here we go again, back to headaches and coughs and runny nose etc. Well it didn't get too bad this time.
Then you add to that, my 2 sisters came last Friday, so I made a High Tea (with some help from friends) and of course ate it. That was really fun in the end it is worth trying some time. It was good to get out the good china etc. Then take away for Sunday lunch and again for Tuesday night. Of course I must add the frozen marshmallows that are just yummy.
So although my weight dropped some, I usually have a corresponding bounce and when I eat with the bounce the news is bad.
So let me just say the rise is a secret and I claim that weight was as at last week.
I feel as if I have been making excuses since Christmas when the rot set in, so this week I will try to be good and walk regularly and eat less of the naughties.
Any loss at all? Of course not. What were you expecting?
Wardrobe: Everything I own is in the wash, except for my pair of size 14 skinny jeans. I am therefore wearing them, enjoying the way they swim on my body and fall down a bit. Surely I am losing weight? No, apparently not. I am still 66.5ish kg whether I look like my clothes are swimming on me or I look like I'm trussed up like a Christmas ham.
How I look today: Weird, as I had a drastic haircut and my hair won't go right. It was Polygamous Sect Length with mandatory frizzing, and now it's layered at shoulder-length with similar frizzing. You'd think that I'd have lost a bit of weight with the haircut, but you'd be wrong.
How I feel today: Much more worried about my hair than about my weight.
What I think about weight loss today: It doesn't exist. I've been eating less, eating healthy and continue to be really active (pushing single and double strollers around, walking to and from work, generally pushing my body to do that little bit extra.) Nothing happens. So why are we here again?
I am still full of cold, I think it is getting less, but still coughing. I have been walking sort of, I know that seems strange, but a couple of days I was slow and didn't do the full 20min walk. Some days I still do nothing. Yesterday I set out and got up the street when it started raining. I turned behind me and there was quite a storm coming fast. Storms don't come from that direction, so on leaving home I had ignored it. I set out walking back and ended up running. Now does running burn any more fat cells? I don't know, but that was the end of exercise.
For some unknown reason, today my weight is down to 64.7 that is down .4 since last week. I am not complaining at all.
I have been told but haven't found anything to verify it, that when the fat is taken from cells the body fills the cells with water, to make it easier to refill them later. After a period when the fat is not returned the body removes the water. That makes sense to me as that would be when the weight drop happens. Does anyone know more of this? I did try google and spent a lot of time and no real info.
That is me for today keep plodding along all you skinny cows.
In fact not a lot of getting out of bed at all unless it's absolutely vital.
I have no idea what I weigh now. Not checking.
------------------------
I'm getting back on track slowly, but I'm not being particularly fanatical about it. My mental health is a higher priority. Having said that, putting on loads of weight probably wouldn't do my mental health much good either so I'm trying to be a BIT sensible. But just a bit. :) .
Wardrobe: After a blog post confessing to old jeans ripping open displaying my old undies, my Mother told me to go shopping for clothes. She offered to mind my children (which I accepted) and attempted to press $100 onto me, (which I didn't.) All I bought was underwear. Because I am, as I thought, an oddly-shaped 12E, spending a frightful amount of money at a posh shop is my only option. I was delighted to find that 14DD also does the job, and in fact, does it a little more comfortably. I found a splendid bra and bought three, and I also found that I still look ghastly in those darn mirrors with the fluoro lighting glaring down from directly above. I also found that if you spend a fair bit of money on briefs that promise to be very comfy due to the absence of leg elastic, they will spend their lives annoyingly wedged, due to the lack of leg elastic. Fail, Berlei Barely There.
How I look today: Pretty alright, have dressed for my shape and am rockin the look.
How I feel today: Fine, wondering if I really need to bother about this muffin top after all, mainly because I look okay today and have forgotten how horrible I looked in that change booth.
What I think about weight loss today: Look, I confess I don't believe in it again. I'm eating fairly healthy, I am unwilling to give up treats like a little chocolate, I'm active all day every day despite not being able to get out and do heartrate-raising exercise, I am getting good sleep and loving life, and nothing much ever happens on the scales.
And why am I even bothering about getting rid of this tummy anyway?
Oh that's right. Because of how I looked in that change booth. That's why.
This week has not been good. I had a tummy bug that was most unpleasant, and while still recovering from that started with a sore throat that developed into a really good cold. Mostly in the head but today down to my chest.
The first thing that didn't happen was walking, I went to bed instead. So the last few days have been sitting blowing my nose all day, and feeling hungry.
I did weigh yesterday, and didn't get around to posting, and my weight was the same as last week, fortunately for me.
Still feeling miserable, not at all energetic, and couldn't care less. That seems to sum things up for me.
My weight was playing around up and down. Well today is the real down. Just for a check I weighed today and found 65.1kg. That means that I have reached the 5kg mark and I am due for the first reward. I have decided that as my clothes don't fit, I will now make 2 t shirts that do fit and I will then have a little more that feels good.
So any time now (probably when this row of lace is finished) I give myself permission to sew 2 shirts, 1 green and 1 mauve. I have even decided on the styles. So all systems go.
I really feel this is an achievement. Onward and downward.
Wardrobe: Wouldn't mind going shopping for more pants that look okay around the muffin top and shirts that aren't too clingy but aren't too blousey at the same time. Both styles accentuate muffin top dreadfully. Have been breaking one of my cardinal wardrobe rules - Sleeveless Doesn't Flatter Me At All - and I've been looking okay (especially if I hold my arms out from my body a little.) Still a little leg-of-lamb-ish around the upper arms, but not too bad overall.
How I look today: Started off looking lumpy & dumpy in oversized 3/4 jeans with thick fabric and a blousy shirt that probably should have been in the maternity section in the shop. Changed to a more fitted 3/4 jeans in thinner fabric and a more fitted top. Transfigured my look.
How I feel today: Dumpy around the middle, okay elsewhere. Slightly shocked to catch sight of reflection in windows, because body image is slightly better than reality right now.
What I think about weight loss today: Plan to state weight in "hovering around XX.Xkg" since I am uncomfortable pinning my hopes on a 300g loss when I can wee that much, or becoming depressed at a 500g gain, because that's how much water I drink before breakfast in the morning. This way I can feel confident in a loss like the one I've seen over the last few weeks. I guess this all means that I tentatively believe in weight loss for the moment.
I forgot that today was weigh in. I did weigh, just forgot to record same. There has been something strange going on and for some unknown reason my weight went up by 1kg, but at the same time my waist measurement dropped. Go figure. The cullottes that I made for Christmas I have had to take in 4cm. Yesterday I just couldn't keep them comfortable. Yes, that was made in 2010, 5ish weeks ago.
However today I weigh 65.6 so that is a drop of .3 from 2 weeks ago. I can't explain what is going on, I just accept and see that only .5 to go to my first reward point. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the near future.
So I am happy with the drop and will keep walking. It seems to be working.
Last week: 69.9kg
Today: 69.1kg
Difference: 800g loss
Running total: 7.9kg
That means I've lost 10% of my starting weight! Woo hoo!!! I got a key ring (and applause) at my Weight Watchers meeting this morning. I'm stoked. And having bacon and eggs to celebrate. :D
Now the facts. I was doing well, collecting a lovely loss the figures were mounting and I was getting ready to post. Then .. I.. had... a.... birthday!!!! Well, my lovely family decided to celebrate with me. Yesterday wasn't the day but was the celebration. My sister from nearby came and HJ invited a friend of mine. The do was held at my place, as I have a supply of cold air available. I was told that all I could do was boil the kettle.
Family turned up with food, HJ had cooked a lovely chocolate cake for MT and of course I had to have a slice. That wasn't too bad.
Lunch was meat and some lovely salads all good food and yummy. No dessert but 9 cup cakes on a plate with a candle on the middle one. All that was good and I enjoyed all that was provided.
Then at AT time there was a packet of marshmallows. Oh dear. I wouldn't say they were an all time favourite but I do love them.
The first bite is all squishy and soft, then they melt in the mouth and you have this wonderful full flavour and then the swallow. You can make one piece into 3 bites. Then of course there are more in the packet. Taking them from the packet means that you loose count of how many have passed the lips.
There is another way to look at this, a marshmallow is pure sugar, therefore pure carbs. That is what I am trying to avoid. After the event I did try the water trick, and drank a couple of glasses so maybe it could have been worse.
So don't feel sorry, I knew what I was doing, and today with no loss I know the reason.
Maybe next week when this blowout has passed I will again succeed.
Last time: 69.9kg
Today: 69.9kg Difference: zero Running total: 7.1kg
Frustration level: Pretty bloody high.
I don't know what else I can do that I'm not already doing, except perhaps live on salads (and nothing else) and exercise for two hours every day. If I don't lose weight next week it may well come to that.
Hi all, I am still going slowly. I am anticipating the week that I have no extras on the eating line. I haven't arrived there yet. So I am pleased to see that today my weight is 65.9kg. That as you can see gives me another whole kilo to dispatch, so I can now watch that slowly disappear. I am one for setting small goals and 1 kilo is about a good one. One more brings me to my first goal level so this is a good one to attack.
I have still been walking 20mins ish daily, and I have been on the balance board and am now less likely to kill myself on it. It is doing its job well and my leg is feeling the benefit. I am slowly working up the time on it.
All is well and I will tackle this present kilo and see how long it takes me to dispatch it.
I didn't weigh in on Saturday because I was bloated, hormonal and grumpy. I have, however, started to get back into regular exercise. My Wii Fit assures me it's happy to see me back. It wouldn't lie, would it??
I have been pleased to see that even after a three week break from exercising I haven't lost too much fitness. Although I'm not as fit as I was a month ago, I am noticably more fit than I was SIX months ago. And that's a very good thing indeed.
I am so close to my 10% weight loss goal (ie, losing 10% of my starting weight) that I can almost taste it. I am trying really hard to get there this week, but I won't be devastated if I don't. I'll get there eventually. .
Well I surprised myself with meeting a goal entirely unexpectedly.
Weight
Last week: 77.1kg
This week: 76.0kg This is my first goal! Yippeee!
Change: 1.1kg LOSS
Total Loss: 5.0kg
Waist
Last week: 95cm
This week: 93cm
Change: 2cm LOSS
Total Loss: 6cm
So I'm pretty darn impressed!
It brings me to reflect on the fact that I'm technically back to the weight I was when I first started all this. It is a tad depressing, but I know I'm not really where I was at the beginning.
Firstly -
In 2008 when I was 76kg I was working up to being able to row for 25 mins. I could do just under 600 strokes in that time and got excited when I got over 30 strokes per minute.
I can now row for 40mins. I'm peaking at about 1500 strokes on a good day, and I get sad if my fast five minutes aren't averaging over 40 strokes per minute.
Therefore I am more fit than I was.
Secondly -
Therefore there are many parts of Jen that are not as far around than they were.
So I'm not really back to the beginning at all!!!
Now to work out what my reward should be... I really haven't thought my rewards through for this process yet. Maybe I should give myself a gift voucher towards my proposed overseas archeological expedition for next year.
Hi all. I am still working at the exercise. As you know today is weigh in day and the figures aren't as good as I expected. Yesterday I had quite a drop so today I have a bounce. The number today is 66.4kg which is 100g up on last week. I am not in despair. It has been a hard week in some ways, I sat in a car for 3 1/2hours on Friday to attend a funeral for an aunt of mine, then another 2 hours back to Bris for the night. Then on Saturday it was 2 1/2hours in a bus to get home. That meant bought meals and no walking. Saturday was also our wedding anniversary and we always go out to dinner. Then on Sunday we had Chinese for lunch, so 3 days in a row. Bad Bad Girl. Anyway after all that my leg started playing up again and it has taken me a couple of days to walk the pain out of it again.
I have also bought a balance board to try to strengthen my leg muscles, and that is an interesting experience. I really think it is just another way to kill myself. It really pulls on my leg so must be doing something.
So onwards and up(down)wards. I hope for better next week.
Yeah. It's been a little too long, apparently. I did 30 minutes tonight - about half walking and half jogging. Definitely a lot harder than it used to be. I stretched afterwards but I'm feeling it in my legs right now.
I'm also trying to get back in the habit of getting up at 5.30am to exercise. I was doing really well for a while there and then... I wasn't. At the moment I seem to be great at setting my alarm and then getting up when it goes off to reset it for a more human hour. Well, it's a start. ;)
Hello all, I am back and I have some points to note:
(1) I have new scales! Real Weight Watchers ones, with the bonus of telling the correct weight. They also have many other functions like muscle mass and some measurement of fat, but I am not all that convinced on the science behind these measures, so I am more likely to use plain old weight along with roominess of clothes to track any progress I make, if indeed I do.
(2) I still don't believe it is possible to actually lose weight. I couldn't gain it when I was skinny, and I can't lose it when I'm not. I eat okay and I tear around all day long being incredibly active, but I still have a huge barrelous tummy. I made the word 'barrelous' up. I truly, deep down, have no actual belief that I will ever decrease the fat on my tummy or the looseness and flabbiness after having children. I don't believe it. Just so you know. It will be no use if you try to convince me otherwise, I will need to see some actual evidence that it is possible before I trust in something so outlandish.
(3) I used to look damn awesome. I was a C-cup with a nice waist and skinny arms and legs. As Hippomanic Jen can attest, this was in the days of shocking, awful, ghastly panic attacks which would last for about three weeks at a time, causing me to throw up, have diarrhoea and have absolutely no appetite at all for days on end. I knew during this time that I had an awesome figure but the level of existential dread that covered my entire life precluded me from enjoying it in any form. I said in those days, and I meant it with every fibre of my being, that I would rather be fat and happy. If you'd lived through the panic attacks I'd lived through, you'd totally understand. Anyway, here I am: fat and happy. (Slightly fat and very happy.) I feel it would be selfish of me now to want to be thin and happy. I feel I can attempt it if I want to, but I have no right to be upset at my fatness.
(4) I am upset at my fatness. I look awful. Well, maybe not that bad. But I hate the way I look.
(5) I ate well (if a little much on one day) over Christmas, but I had an awful fat moment that destroyed me inside. My sister was looking particularly willowy in a long clingy skinny dress (she is still in the land of panic attacks, wouldn't you know it) and I complimented her on how good she looked. She accepted the compliment and then did something that only she could do. She pointedly snatched the Jatz & dip away from me and plonked a plate of cut apple and orange down in front of me. It was done with an air of significance. A few things: (a)(a) to celebrate my 6 weeks without dip, I made the dip for Christmas with roasted beetroot from my own garden, roasted garlic and low-fat Greek yoghurt, (b)(b) It was CHRISTMAS DAY dammit!
And because of my fatness I feel I have no right to complain about this, to splurge on Christmas Day, or to do anything apart from eat the darn apple.
(6) I have been worried about the tightness of a particular pair of 3/4 jeans. Surely, I reason, I fit into my Size 12s okay and my Size 14s are a little too loose so that's okay, but why are these particular jeans so desperate to cut me in half when I bend over? Were they always this tight? I checked the size. 10. Rock on. Not worried about that one anymore.
(7) I got heaps of exercise in the surf on our holiday. It felt awesome. I am always quite active, but rarely get to the puffing, raised-heart-rate stage which is what I need. Today the weather is nice enough to take the dawg for a walk. If we come across an unleashed dog in our travels, I also get the exercise benefit of lifting the entire border collie off the ground and holding her over my head so she doesn't kill the other dog. I am sure that burns a few extra calories every time I do it.
The last three Saturdays have been non-WW weeks for me... I was interstate for one and the other two were public holidays. The last three WEEKS have been characterised by a complete lack of interest in exercise and watching what I eat. Hm. Back on track now, though. I even exercised this morning.
Last time: 69.7kg
Today: 69.9kg Difference: 200g gain Running total: 7.1kg loss
I'm actually pretty stoked with that. Given the last three weeks, it could have been a LOT worse. The woman who weighed me said, "Hey, congratulations! You only gained 200g - that's excellent!" I presume from that, and from the conversations I had with people at the meeting, that many of us put on weight over Christmas. There were also about 12 new members who joined today... I'm guessing there were some New Year's Resolutions. :)
I was only going to say hi today, my weight has been suffering from too many parties. We had a family get together in a nearby town on Monday and there was pavlova and honey bubble crunch present. They are 2 things that I like and can eat, so of course I didn't go without. Since then my weight has been high. Added to that on Monday when I got home it was a bit late to walk and I decidedly didn't feel like walking, so I didn't. That meant that Tuesday I really had to push hard to walk. I had forgotten how hard it is to get going again.
However, today I decided to step on the scales and see what they had to say, surprise I am 200g less than before Christmas. I am VERY happy about that and VERY surprised. I will take it happily.
Tomorrow I am away overnight, so goodness knows what that will do, and Saturday is our wedding anniv. and that is a dinner out, and yes, ES I know that once I pay I can leave food, but that is waste and I can't do that. Also I only dine out privately once a year so I have to make the most of it.
So today a very happy girl, and may the coming days look after themselves.
Now all you other skinny girls, 5 mins of exercise daily will help, it will make you feel better and maybe just help the weight. If all else fails you can run on the spot in your lounge room. Lets get going for the new year, if you try it is possible.
I have been weighing myself sporadically over the last couple of weeks. It's been up and down but I think overall I've been holding mostly steady... maybe up a couple of hundred grams. My next weigh in is a week from now so I do need to reintroduce myself to exercise between now and then if I want to see a loss. Sigh. Blobbing around has been great but sadly I can't maintain it forever without consequences.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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. .
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.
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.
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. .
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.
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.
Therefore there are many parts of Jen that are not as far around than they were.
