Wednesday, December 30, 2009

More Good News

I went back to the doctor today to have my blood pressure checked again and it was a success! 118/87. Can you believe it. I know Im on medication but I was sure I was going to walk in there and it be still too high.

The benefits of it being low are that:
1. I dont have to take any more medication; and
2. My hard work is paying off.

My doctor said that he felt diet and exercise were just as important as medication - so I am making alot of positive moves in my life.

Its nice to have the confirmation that all is going well. I did have a heart rate of 96bpm but he didnt seem worried about that after I told him my resting rate yesterday was 79bpm. I think it was anxiety!

So back in a fortnight to have it checked again.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Yoga

I have this yoga DVD and I have always loved it. Its by Gaiam and I bought it through one of those book boxes that comes to your work. I love it - it makes me feel really good and well.

Part of my goal is to get back into the yoga as its so relaxing and energising at the same time. I even bought myself a proper yoga mat tonight so I wont slip.

I am a bit tight so I have a lot of goals to achieve from the DVD but thats what this journey is all about!

Some Good News

Ok I felt really shitty - its so hot and I'm hungry and the kids are ratty. So I decided to take my measurements...and I am very very suprised.

These were my measurements 2 weeks ago:

Bust: 130cm
Waist: 132cm
Hips: 137cm
Upper Arm: 44cm
Thigh: 73cm

Resting Heart Rate:72 BPM


These are measurements now:

Bust: 128cm -2cm
Waist: 129cm -3cm
Hips: 133cm -4cm
Upper Arm: 38cm -6cm
Thigh: 72 1/2cm -1/2cm

Thats a grand total of 15cm

Resting Heart Rate: 72 BPM - thats up two beats a minute but Im sont think thats anything to worry about.

Oh my god how cool is that!

Just had to share :)

Day 15

Grrr have you ever had one of those days where you're always hungry. I'm having one today. It doesn't matter how much I drink by way of water I'm still hungry.

I got up this morning to go for a swim but the pool was closed...its only open for early swimming Mon, Wed and Fri. So I went home and by the it was too hot to walk so no exercise today.

I had eggs on toast for breakfast and that was nice. Then foe lunch it was a ham and salad sandwich. I have also had a banana, 2 pieces of watermelon and a nectarine. Im still hungry. At least I haven't had anything really bad.

On top of that I have had moments of dizziness today - I am sure its my BP medication but I have a docs appointment tomorrow so I will talk to the doc about it then.

Grrrr

Monday, December 28, 2009

Day 14

Straight back into it today. No more "its christmas" excuse!

This morning I got up and went for a walk. I was going to go yesterday but everyopne decided to ave a rare sleep in so I did too. I walked this morning and it was great. It was warm but very nice.

I had beans on toast for breakfast and some water. I find that filling.

Lunch was a very nice ham and salad roll. I have added some pickle spread and I find that tasty. I also had two slices of watermelon as I bought some yesterday. Its not a fruit I would eat all the time but as I was going water walking this afternoon I decided the extra sugar would be ok.

After an afternoon nap (well it is still holidays!) I got up and went for a walk i the pool. I ate a banana on the way and drank two glasses of water before I went. My walk was ok - the pool was crowded and my partner less than enthusiastic (that's one reason I enjoy exercising on my own)so it was only about 25 minutes of work. Still nice though and sociable.

Tonight we are going out for tea to the same friends house and they are very diet conscious as he is a diabetic and she is loosing weight. We are having chicken salad which will be delicious.

Day 11 - 13

Well Christmas has been and gone for another year. I cant say that I was an angel but I am proud of myself for not going overboard. I made sure that I ate plenty of salads and veg and chose my protein carefully. I did have sweets..oh yes trifle and christmas cake.

I drank water except for three cans of diet coke over the Christmas and Boxing Day period - and I had some glasses of diet coke on Christmas Eve. But I mainly drank water - actually because I wanted to!

I have been conscious again as of yesterday and eaten a good diet. I must admit though we did finish off the last mouthful of trifle last night after dinner.

All in all I am very happy with how it all went food wise - and of course its only once a year.

Thursday, December 24, 2009



Have a wonderful and Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year. I know I will have a few treats tomorrow...cant be good every day of the year :D.

Thanks for all your comments so far - stay tuned to see how I go.

Lots of Love
x Gilly

Day 10 = Christmas Eve

This morning started with a lovely walk. I find that my fitness levels are already improving. Whilst I still huff and puff its not that uncontrolled huffing. I actually feel fitter.

Breakfast was poached eggs on toast with water. I have been drinking only water with the occasional cup of cordial at dinner time. I like water. Especially tap water...not really into bottled water.

Lunch was a lovely ham and salad roll.

Dinner time was the beginning of the festivities. We had a BBQ at a friends place and I drank some diet coke and ate some nibbles. There was a bit of pudding and I had some - I definitely was restrained though.

It was a great night and just proved you dont have to pig out to have a great time.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Day 9

This morning I was going to walk but after walking yesterday in the pool for 45 minutes I was a bit sore - not overly but a little. So I will walk tomorrow morning.

I had beans on toast for breakfast - I find that probably the most satisfying option - followed closely by eggs on toast.

Lunch was a ham and salad sandwich. I had 200ml of yoghurt in the afternoon and I really enjoyed that.

Dinner was spag bog and salad. Its amazing how satisfying the correct proportion is - I would normally have eaten double that to be honest.

I had a Bulla icecream for pudding.

As mentioned in previous post I am starting to find that the hunger is settling down.

Walk in the morning.

Day 7/8

I have been in Perth Monday and Tuesday so I wasn't able to write. I had two pretty good days. I was very proud of myself on Monday and Monday night for being restrained. We did some christmas shopping and usually I would have something high fat/carb in the food hall for lunch but I had some sushi which I really like. I was very hungry for it and started to feel sick by the time I ate. i had been for a walk before we went down to Perth and didn't have a morning snack so I guess those factors worked against me.

Dinner was a BBQ and I took my share of potatoes out before the garlic butter was applied. I also had extra salad. We had some watermelon after dinner which was nice.

Tuesday was a good day. I actually felt really well yesterday which was nice. I ate beans on toast for breakfast, a ham and salad sandwich for lunch and for tea I had 2 BBQed rissoles, pasta and salad. Foe an evening snack I had some yummy oat and fruit yogurt. It was nice.

I weighed myself yesterday and I have lost 1.1 kgs. I bought new scales so they vary from the ones I lady took my weight from at my in laws. When I was there on Monday I took the opportunity to weigh myself and had lost 1.1kgs! I'm very happy. But I have decided to not weigh or measure myself for a month. Its not about what the scales say and in fact the measurements will be more telling. Also because I am approaching this all different I am focusing on being well, not thin. Having said that though I wanted to weigh myself just for some inspiration! Not again for three weeks.

I walked Monday morning and I went water walking on Tuesday afternoon. It was lovely and I am going to try and do it Mondays Tuesdays and Thursdays with my friend whilst Mike is on holidays. A bit of an extra boost. Then I will go in the mornings and do it when Mike goes back to work.

I feel like my hungry is settling down a bit and I am definitely falling into a healthier pattern.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Day 6

I was going to walk this morning but I have a sore ankle and a pulled muscle in my leg so I am going to leave it for tomorrow. I need to be super calorie aware today because I am not exercising.

For breakfast I had my absolute favourite - eggs on toast...and washed it down with some water.

Morning tea was a banana and that was nice.

Lunch was a ham and salad sandwich - its amazing how much salad you can pack in a sandwich!!! I dont find lunch enough and find I am hungry again by 1pm. Maybe I need to assess y calorie intake at lunch time. I find that its setting me up for a bad afternoon if Im hungry so soon after lunch. I dont find the gap between breakfast and lunch so bad, but the afternoon i do.

I also found that I woke up hungry this morning. Something I haven't done for a long time.

Keeping up the water too - its very hot here so making sure I consume enough.

We are going to Perth tomorrow to finish Christmas shopping so I am going to get up early and go for a walk first. It will be a nice way to start the day. I am also going to buy some scales tomorrow - so i can weigh myself at home :)

Afternoon tea was an apple and then dinner was left over cold meats, salad and dry pasta. I was starving by tea time.

I feel a little thick headed to night and I dont know whether its just the diet or my blood pressure going up again. I would have thought on the medicine it shouldn't go up that badly again. Im just going to take it easy and head to bed soon. Oh I had a cup of tea...maybe thats put me off a bit. I had a friend come around and I wanted to be socialble so instead of coffee I had tea. I didnt really enjoy it so maybe thats thrown me off.

Off to relax in front of the telly.
x

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Thank You

I just wanted to say a big thank you to those of you following along and/or leaving comments. Its so nice to know you are out there and interested in reading.


Its great to have you along for the ride :)
xx

Day 5

I made myself go for a walk this morning. I must say whilst I still worked hard it certainly wasn't the techno beat driven walk I have been doing during the week. More of a Springsteen morning! I did 30 minutes and I felt done by the end of it.

Breakfast this morning was from the list of "occasional" meals and that was three crumpet fingers and butter. They were nice and I washed it down with water.

Morning tea was a small banana.

I have also made sure that I keep up the water. I dont have a problem really drinking water and I actually quite like it. I still haven't had a coffee nor a soft drink.

I worked out the calorie content of some chocolates and managed to have a couple within my boundaries. It was hard to stop! Old habits came on strong but I was ok.

Dinner was a bbq and I had a small piece of steak and one sausage with 3/4 cup pasta and salad. It was nice. Its actually nicer when you stop and eat your meal properly! I made chicken wings but everyone else had them and we have enough meat over to have a cold meal tomorrow night - nothing better than that!

Todays challenges came from lounging about - all I wanted to do was snack. We had a bit of a rest day and that usually would have gone with some crisps and soft drinks. So I was happy I didnt do that.

I am also thinking about walking again tomorrow and that will only be good for me. I have a water walking date with a friend of mine on Tuesday so that will be nice too.

I actually think I feel better for being on my blood pressure meds. I dont feel so foggy in the head. I wonder if its the tablets or the diet.

Another day down and more lessons learnt. I now I simply cant have chocolate in the house. Thats todays major lesson.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Day 4

Today started with a walk. I wasn't much interested when the alarm went off because Lainey decided to have a restless night and end up in our bed. But I got up and out the door and I enjoyed it. I pushed myself a little further this morning.

I have found I'm a bit of a lone wolf when if comes to exercise. I like to get in the zone and whilst walking with someone I feel the need to chat etc. That's fine but I dont feel I get to the point I need to and I hate coming back through the door unsatisfied. If I'm getting my large butt out of bed for some exercise - I want sweat by the end - not the local gossip!

I am going to walk again tomorrow morning so I can have Sunday morning off. I am also going to start swimming in the morning too - so I will work up to maybe do:

Mon: walk
Tues: swim
Wed: walk
Thurs: swim
Fri: Walk
Sat: Walk
Sun: off

I also need to do yoga in there too. I might do that of an evening (maybe 2 0r 3 times a week) after the kids have gone to bed maybe....relax at the end of a day.

Breakfast was a cup of corn flakes and 200ml of skim milk and the left overs from a can of tinned peaches. There was not alot but probably a smidge more than I should have had...on the plus side I drained the juice.

No coffee this morning and only water so far.

For lunch today I had 1/2 a small tin of flavoured tuna mixed with 3/4 cup of pasta shapes (left over from the salad I made for Mike to take to work), a mixed salad and a small orange juice. I know I had about 100ml too much orange juice but I didn't want to waste any from the small container I had. Its not like it was 100g of chocolate! Oh and I also had a small banana for morning tea.

I need to drink some more water - I have been out and about all morning so I haven't had the chance to drink as much as I would.

Lunch was yummy and seemed alot - but certainly not going over the top by any means. I feel hungry but not starving.

I went to the doctor this afternoon about my blood pressure and the long and the short of it is is that I am now on medication - Karvea 150mg once a day. I have to go back in a fortnight and have my pressure tested again to see if the medication is making a difference. You know what - I am actually happy about it all. I know I am making changes in my life but I also know I have shocking genes for hypertension and I know that lifestyle choices are making it worse. So Im ok about all of this....

Dinner was leftovers - 1/2 a piece of small steak and a cold sausage with 3/4 cup pasta and some salad. It was nice. I fell into the trap of having a mouth full of the kids food - I guess habit set in there - so I know where my weaknesses are.

Mike came home with a wheelbarrow load of lollies and biscuits and chocolates. End of the year is always deadly fr this kind of thing. I have had three shortbread biscuits. So naughty but very nice...compared to what I could normally pack away Ive been an angel! But thats it - no more....the one thing I will allow myself is some christmas cake my friend made for us. I love christmas cake. And my friend made it....

I need to stop finding excuses. I know my down falls. I need to try harder.

Overall thought today has been a positive day - a walk, and seeing th doc re BP are both good things. I am aware of my food choices and know what i should and shouldnt have.

Onwards and upwards
xx

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Calorie King

I reacquainted myself with the Calorie King website tonight. Its a good way to count the calories as this is all new to me. I dont usually count calories. I have done Weight Watchers and the csiro diet but never really counted calories. Its good - I find it easy to understand.

Anyway - the Calorie King is a great free website.

Thanks to those who picked up my spelling mistake - sorry if anyone was offended :)

Day 3

I didnt walk this morning but I am only doing every other day at the moment. I have sore muscles and I need to just watch my back a bit. But back into it tomorrow morning.

For breakfast I had a cup of cornflakes and 220ml skim milk. I have switched to skim milk and like it. I have drunk it before but I guess just got lazy. I also had 1/2 a banana.

For lunch I have had one round of tuna and salad. That was nice.

I do feel hungry right now and have to really watch that I dont dive for a bowl of breakfast cereal or something like that.

I did also have a coke zero this morning as I was waiting for the car service to finish but when I read the bottle it said zero calories and zero sugar. So I think its ok to have it sometimes.

Dinner tonight was a BBQ - I had one piece of steak and removed the fat, BBQed zucchini with balsamic vinegar, mixed salad - naked (no dressing) and three baby potatoes cooked in the microwave.

It was actually really nice but I was so hungry by the time I got to it. I then had a Bulla icecream for pudding.

I am hungry now but I think thats habit too.

I had a bit of an episode with my BP today. I decided to go into the chemist and get a reading. It came out at 154/94. Elevated from my last reading. So the chemist assistant asked to do it again....this time it was 147/101...she then consulted the pharmasist and it was suggested I go cros the road to the docs and have it done there. So I did...the first reading was 170/100 and the second was 165/115.....I freaked out. I got so frightened and I guess that didnt help. It also didnt help that I was running late to get Jack from kindy and I have a high level of anxiety about my health anyway.

I have made an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow afternoon. Maybe I need medicating in the short term. I have never had a reading above 90 before let alone 115. Im scared. But on the positive side I am doing something about it all.

I have also started to download some meditation music and the like. I believe stress has a major impacter on my well being - alot of it unknown. So i need to relax more.

I am also going to eliminate soft drink and coffee from my diet for now. I am going to set the following mini goal.

1. No soft drink or coffee for a week.
Reward - soft drink with Christmas meal.

I'm going to see if it has any effect on me. I usually only drink 2-3 coffees a day but I have been watching the Diet Doctors on Foxtel and they said that caffeine can effect your system for up to 12 hours after consumption.

So we will see how we go. I feel a little crabby today and freaked out by my BP incident. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some plan of action.

Day 2

Ok well...day 2 was the first real day of everything! I wasnt able to blog as hubby decided to take the laptop to work..how rude!

I got up and went for a walk. About 30 minutes at a good pace - I made sure I had good tunes on my iPod. I did have to be a little careful not to overdo it !

For breakfast I had 2 poached eggs on multigrain toast and a coffee - no sugar and skim milk...I cant tell you how many changes that meal alone included.

I then had 1/2 a banana for morning tea - they are really big bananas. I have also been drinking lots of water too.

For lunch I had one round of ham and salad on multigrain - again so many changes. I forgot how much I liked a salad sandwich.

About 3pm I started to feel hungry - but I had the other half of my banana and whilst it didnt cure everything - I felt ok.

For tea we had chicken casserole so I doled out the right amount of rice and chicken. I didnt have a salad with it and I realy think that was a mistake. For dinner on day 1 I had spag bog and a salad and felt full. At least the salad adds roughage.

For pudding I had a Bulla icecream, which is allowed. I have had that two nights running now and they are really nice.

I have found the following things:

1. I get hungry mid afternoon.
2. Not eating the childrens left overs makes such a difference.
3. We have so much leftover after I cook so I will need to reteach myself how much to cook.

Mike is involving himself too and has had to overcome the whole not eating breakfast thing. He is doing great too.

I did go to bed with a headache at the end of Day 2 so maybe thats my body reacting to something. Maybe the exercise!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Day 1

I count today as day one. There is no right time to start something new so here we go.

I'm tired of being fat. I'm tired of feeling like shit and to to be honest I'm just plain old tired.

I have high blood pressure, I'm emotionally drained and Im so unfit that I crack a huff going to the post box. I neglect myself to the point where I am in pain with my back constantly. I have to have surgery next year for my sinuses and I know the anesthetist isn't going to be happy.

I set a bad example for my children and that pisses me off. I cant even apply for life insurance because I will either have to pay too much or indeed be declined.

I hate the fact I cant make commercial sewing patterns and I hate the clothes in the shops so therefore I dont buy anything and wear clothes till they are rags.

So now is the time to stop. I have all the knowledge. I need time use it. I am also going to be using the Perfect Portion book and a DASH diet book aimed at lowering my blood pressure by diet.

Im going to start walking and work up to running again hopefully and I am going back to badminton and start going to a class designed for women with children here in town.

I have set goals and hopefully i will achieve them but even if I dont get all the way - I will have made a great start.

So tomorrow I start walking. Im off to load my iPod.

Goals - Other

There are some other health related goals I need to achieve too...

1. Attend a chiro/physio regularly to fix my back

2. complete my favourite yoga video at least twice a week to help maintain stress levels.

3. Although these are related to exercise they are also related to maintaining relationships in my life outside the home....a) return to badminton and b) attend the new Yummy Mummys program once jack goes to school full time.

4. To blog everyday when practical about my journey.

I also want to look into gym membership here in town - or even in Northam.

Goals - Exercise

Exercise Goals

Main Goal

To exercise at a rate which burns fat for 60 minutes 6 days a week with one rest day a week.

To be able to run 12kms a day again.

Half Way Goal

To be exercising for 30 minutes 6 times a week.
To be able to run 6kms a day by my birthday - 3 June.

Mini Goal


To exercise for 30 minutes a day at a rate which will burn fat 4 times a week.

These exercises can include walking, swimming and aerobics.

Goals - Weight Loss

Ok here are my goals.

Main Goal:

Lose 40 kilos in 52 weeks.

Achieve a BMI of 30 (or lower)

Reduce clothing size to a size 16-18 (or lower)

Reduce my waist to 100cms or lower (80cm is desired)

To reduce my blood pressure to a normal range of approximately 120/80. This may need to be checked routinely by GP.

Halfway Goal

To have lost 20 kilos by my birthday - June 3rd.

10% Weight Loss Goal

11.7kgs

Once mini goal is met then reset to another mini goal.

Rewards
Upon reaching mini goal - a full body massage at local massage centre.

Upon reaching my half goal - two new patterns and fabric to make a new outfit.

Upon reaching full goal - a new wardrobe - either made or bought.

40 Below

I have decided that enough is enough and I need to loose weight. I am 32 years old but I am so unfit and now starting to physically start to suffer from the effects of being obese. I also wanted to apply for life insurance and I wont get anything with the health I have.

Facts:
I weight approx 117kgs.
I am 170cm tall.
My current BMI is 40.
My blood pressure of 150/90.

According to blood tests taken in July I have:
a Triglyceride level of 4.1 - when it should be less than 2.2
and a coronary risk ratio of 4.8 when it should be less than 4.4.

One can only assume that these figures have stayed the same or increased as I can guarantee they wont have gone down.

I also suffer from a bulging disc at L5 S1 and I need to have physio and chiro work. Te rest of my back over compensates and also because if the extra weight is under so much strain.

I am also under an extremely large amount of emotional stress. This is one of the reasons my blood pressure is high - apart from hereditary and dietary reasons. I need to learn destress techniques and learn how to cope with issues relating from personal relationships with family members.

My measurements are as follows:

Bust: 130cm
Waist: 132cm
Hips: 137cm
Upper Arm: 44cm
Thigh: 73cm

Resting Heart Rate:72 BPM

Now to set goals...