Taking a Break

Ok - I suppose I should have said something before now but Im taking a break. Life is good but very busy and Im in the process of taking a few things out of my schedule to make room for study, other commitments and family.

I am now at 99 kilos and will be running the City to Surf at the end of August - I will keep you up to date on those things :)

Im still floating about and love reading your blogs so I look forward to that.

Take care and see you soon xxxxx

Im So Naughty!

For not posting for a little while! Im so sorry :) Life has been manic at the moment - and In a totally good way! I am flat out on a number of committees and I have also decided to go back to school and study. I am doing my Cert III in Aged Care and then when Lainey starts school I will do my RN at uni! I really want to wor in aged care and have bitten the bullet and started the training.

But apart from all of that how are things going on the weight side of things. Well my last official weigh in was 14th May and I was down to 103.0kgs. Today I have weighed in at 100.8gs. So I have now lost 16.9gs and feeling fab! I also think I have lost more centimeters off my body but will do a measurement in the morning.

I am still at the gym three mornings a week - although I have been a bit sporadic in the last two weeks due to children being sick. But I also have the treadmill at home and am loving the handiness of that. Winter is definitely a harder season to be active in so I try and find alot of incidental exercise. The kids and I are walking to school at the moment - when its not wet and thats some great exercise too.

So Im still here and working hard - I now need to set myself a 10kg goal - look at it in smaller pieces to get to my main goal. Im also still in training for the City to Surf run in August - Im hoping I do ok!

I hope you are all working hard in these colder times too. Keep it up and I would love to hear how you are doing.

Its My Birthday!

Happy 33rd to me today!! Another year and this year I feel I am in much better shape than last year. I feel fitter, I am dealing with all my health issues and I am happier..but it has all taken some hard work.

As my birthday present I received from my darling family a treadmill. I love it - and Im so lucky! Now I can work out on my off gym days - or if there is some reason I cant get to the gym then I can use the treadmill. Its perfect!





My weight is going well...my scales are broken but I know in myself I havent gained any - and I think I may have come in under the 100kg mark - but lets wait until I get new scales before we get excited!

My medication is working a treat - I feel great....but I still need the counseling and will be going sometime within the next fortnight.

So tonight I am going to enjoy some birthday cake - after all its only your birthday once a year!

Quick Catch Up

I hope you have all had a good week. I have had a much better week and am starting to slowly feel better. I have starting taking anti-depressant medication and I think so far my doctor has gotten the dose right. I have also been in touch with a councilor and so I am on the right track!

On the weight front I have lost another 900gms - so now I have lost 14.7kgs. Mike has also weighed in with some success this week and is 200gms off 20 kilos. So proud!

So thats the wrap up for this week. Still working hard - but being kind to myself. Now I just need to get back into sewing. I havent sewn in ages and its been because of everything else happening. So I really need to get back into it. It will make me happy I know!

I hope you have all had a good week and have a great weekend.

Time to Deal With the Emotional

One of the things I was determined to do this year was fix myself physically and emotionally. As many of you can see I have the physical underway but the emotional has reared its ugly head again.

I was taken to hospital in an ambulance two weeks ago with what they now think was a panic attack. I have been estranged from my family for a while now and I recently found out some information about them that I have found hard to process.

Basically all of this has culminated in me seeing my doctor and I am now taking some medication and will be seeing a therapist in the near future. I am hoping to finally deal with the baggage I have and hopefully move forward happily.

As for my weight I have pretty much been hovering around the same weight of 103.7. Thats fine - I have not been to the gym as much (I also have a sick son so some late nights have been had)as I would like but I am being conscious of what I eat and so that's been working well. I would like to have lost more weight but we will have to see what weigh in day brings. As long as I dont gain Im happy. I also have to be kind to myself - I have enough stress and pressure without hating myself for weight issues.

So as I always say - onwards and upwards :)

Catch Up

Well, after a week minus the internet (self imposed) and a very busy schedule I thought I should check in!

Check in - 26th March
Bust: 118cm -12cm
Waist: 109cm -24cm
Hips: 116 cm -21 cm
Upper Arm: 34 cm -10cm
Thigh: 57 -16cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

So in total now I have lost 83.5 cm from around my body - thats almost 33 inches.

I have also lost another 1.9 kilos which makes my total now 11.6kgs all up. I am 100gms off ten percent of my original body weight!

My BMI is now 37 instead of 40.7.

Ok so here are my latest measurements:

Check in - 23th April
Bust: 115cm -15cm
Waist: 107cm -26cm
Hips: 112 cm -25 cm
Upper Arm: 33 cm -11cm
Thigh: 61 -12cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

I have put on some measurements around my thigh but to be honest the muscle definition around there is really good since I have been running and doing weights so it doesn't bother me - they are more toned and I actually have a defined butt now too!.

I have also lost another 1.3 kilos which makes my total now 13kgs all up.

I am super happy with everything and am really starting to see the difference when i put clothes on and what not. I find I have so much more definition than before.

So its onwards and upwards as I continue. I go back to the doctor this week to see if my blood pressure is ok after halving my meds but i feel really good so hopefully that's going to be ok.

End of School Holidays Catch Up

Well today is the last day of the school holidays and wow has it been busy.

My weight has fluctuated over the holidays and i put that down to the food I have eaten at certain times. I gained weight over Easter and have been working to get rid of that.

I weighed on on Friday and I am now officially 106.0 kgs. Which means I have now lost exactly 10% of my body weight from when I started.I gained 2 kilos over Easter so I have lost 2.1kgs since then and am now at my lowest weight ever. So I am exceptionally happy about that.

I have been maintaining the gym at a rate of 5 days a week although I am varying the exercises and time spent. Never less than one hour but due to muscle soreness I have been changed my weight routine or not doing it at all. I have realised I cant do weights every day and apparently thats not good for you so I will do it every second day. I am running well on the treadmill and am working towards the City to Surf - I have a friend writing a programme for me. I am also working my heart rate at about 155BPM constantly whilst doing cardio so thats a bench mark for me.

I haven't measured myself recently as I felt a bit down about the whole weight gain thing and didnt want to rub it in so to speak . but I did go and buy some new bras during the week and Im down to an 18D. I havent been an 18D in about 14 years. Im amazed. So I splashed out and bought some really pretty lacy numbers. Mike loves them! And so do I - I feel sexy wearing them and so I should - I cant remember the last time I got to buy some bras off the shelf with the nice stuff on it!

The biggest news of all is that my doctor has HALVED my blood pressure medication! I am now on 75mg of Karvea and I am so darn proud of myself. I have to go back in a fortnight to have my BP taken to see if its working but even being allowed to try it is amazing. I am so happy and know that I need to keep up my work to maintain a lower BP. Its a great motivater and a reality check as to why I really started this in the first place.

This week we are back into school routine and normal life. I will be getting up again at 5.30am for the gym - wow thats going to suck! But I will be fine. back to salads for lunch and a less naughty food routine.

I hope you are all traveling well and thanks for staying in touch - i love to hear about your successes as they motivate me too!

Take carexx

Some New Goals

I have been kind of hovering around the same weight for a few weeks now and have decided that some new goals might be in order to help motivate me.

So here they are:

Not a new one but a reaffirmation to start with...

Weigh 97.7kgs by June 3rd (my birthday)
I have 9.2 kilos to go in 7 weeks. Im not sure if I will do it but I can only aim for it and go for broke. That will be 20 kilos lost.

Run the 4km Distance in the City to Surf on 28th August 2010
Dont care if I dont win it (like I would anyway LOL) but I want to give it a go - so I need to focus my workouts towards training for that too.

Only Drink Water
I need to recommit to drinking water - no matter where I am.

Check Food Portions
I have been slack and whilst I dont think I am eating a great deal more - I need to start recording it again - its the only way to get over the hump.

Nothing earth shattering but enough to get me remotivated.....

Forgive Me?

Forgive me blog reader for I have sinned - it has been 12 days since my last entry!

Wow times flies! We are in the throws of the school holidays and very busy ones at that!

Easter has come and gone and yes - I ate chocolate. That combined with a hormonal moment and some emotional decisions (nothing heavy) being made and you have yourself the first weight gain of this whole exercise.

I find the holiday hard going. Normal routine is out the window and food is relaxed and more taken in. We also travel alot in the holidays and stay with family and they dont what what we eat and so its hard.

I am now only 900gms above my lowest weight so thats good that I am getting back into control. I gained almost 2 kilos. I could kick myself to be honest. I think of when I was eating and realised I dont even like what Im eating. It made me feel ill. I can really see how one can so easily fall back into the old ways and pile on the weight again.

But I am human. And I live and learn and I can see the error of my ways. But having said that I also need to live. I am a sociable person and at times - especially during the holidays - I like to eat out, eat with friends and eat the odd piece of chocolate. Changing your lifestyle cannot include barring things for me. It simply wont work.

I have increased my gym time. I go now for about 1 1/2 hours - and do a full 60 minutes of cardio and about 20 minutes of weights. I have found that I love the gym so much and although during the holidays I havent gone as much as I would have liked - I have managed to go enough.

The end of this week sees the end of the holidays and thr return of routine for another 12 weeks.

I am only 900gms up and so Im super proud of my effort to get back.

I have also decided its time to set some new goals - so more on that to follow.

31st March - Catch Up

Nothing much to report - just wanted to touch base. I am continuing at the gym and loving it - I love nothing better than going early - its a reat start to the day.

I have lost some more weight but I will wait until weigh in day to make it official but I was happy enough with my weight to give myself the morning off today. I had an awful nights sleep and Lainey had been very very unwell and so I am feeling a little drained. Mike is too as its the last 2 days before the school holidays and well thats always manic! But I will be back to it tomorrow :)

Just as a side note I have a muscle in my abs that I seem to have pulled - I am having problems doing crunches - so I am just watching that. A days rest will no doubt do it the world of good anyway.

I hope you are all traveling well and I would love to hear your progress :)

Oh - and a couple of Easter eggs isnt going to kill you!

26th March - Check In

This morning was weigh in day and I was anxious to see how a week solid at the gym had effected my weight loss. Lainey has been really ill this week and so many times I could have turned to food but I didnt - and Im really proud of myself.

So heres the stats from last weigh in a fortnight ago:

Check in - 12th March
Bust: 118cm -12cm
Waist: 114cm -19cm
Hips: 119 cm -18 cm
Upper Arm: 34 1/2cm -9 1/2cm
Thigh: 63 1/2cm -12cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

So in total now I have lost 68.5 cm from around my body - thats 27 inches.

I have also lost another 1.6 kilos which makes my total now 9.7kgs all up. Thats 1st 7.4lbs or 21.4 lbs and thats in 11 1/2 weeks.

My BMI is now 37.4 instead of 40.7. That drops slowly but surely - but its still a drop of 3.3

Here is this fortnights results:

Check in - 26th March
Bust: 118cm -12cm
Waist: 109cm -24cm
Hips: 116 cm -21 cm
Upper Arm: 34 cm -10cm
Thigh: 57 -16cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

So in total now I have lost 83.5 cm from around my body - thats almost 33 inches.

I have also lost another 1.9 kilos which makes my total now 11.6kgs all up. I am 100gms off ten percent of my original body weight!

My BMI is now 37 instead of 40.7.

So there you go - I lost a massive amount of cms off my thighs - that I can tell with out the tape measure...I am really proud of myself and just have to keep on keeping on.

20th March - A New Twist

To keep it fresh I have joined our local gym. Now its in the rec centre and its a self service kind of affair. You get a pin code and can go in there 24 hours a day if you want.

I didnt know that much about it until Mike joined and I went and had a look - wow! The equipment is awesome! There is a treadmill (with auto incline) a cross trainer, a rowing machine and 2 bikes - one is recumbent. There is also half a room full of weights gear, dumbells, fit ball,s mats and medicine balls...and then a squash court!

All over the walls are posters and exercises you can do - its such a great resource.

And the membership is a tiny - $77 for 6 months..... amazing - you can come and go when you please and 9 times out of 10 there is noone else there.

I loved it this morning (my first go) and I cant wait to go again. I am going in the mornings for a number of reasons...obviously I cant take the kids so I need to go when mike is home and early is good. I also hate working out at night - Mike is the opposite and loves it. So i go early and he goes after tea.

Today I did 15 minute interval training on the treadmill (jogged at level 8), cross trainer and the recumbent bike and in between all of those I did some weights and core strengthening. I of course also did warm up and cool downs and stretches.

I listened to my iPod and sang along! Noone else there to laugh at me !!

I am so happy I joined.

3 Months On....

This week marks 12 weeks since I started this new way of life.

I have achieved so much in that time and I am so proud of myself.

First and foremost I have lost 10.1kgs. I am so super proud of that effort.

I have lost about 70cms off my entire body. Another effort to be really proud of.

I am way more active than I was 3 months ago and workout 5 out of 7 days in a week on average.

My whole family is eating better food and benefiting from it - Mike is down 13 kilos.

I have taken control of my high blood pressure, varicose veins, cycle issues and general lack of fitness. My cholesterol is lower and I have alot more energy.

I have refused to let past emotional issues dominate my daily life - and I am mentally healthier for that too.

I am happier, healthier in myself and I have happier and healthier relationships with the people around me.

But...

I still have a long way to go - I am 1/4 of the way through my journey ...

I have 1.6kgs to go to have lost 10% of my starting body weight.

I have 12 weeks to loose another 9.9kgs to reach my halfway goal.

I need to continually change my exercise routines to keep them stimulating and fresh - I am joining the gym this week.

But for the moment I am basking in the glory of my achievements! Yah for me :)

12th March - Check In

I thought I would check in this morning. I have been n a plateau lately and I wanted to see if I could use the motivation of checking in to spur me on.

I am loving zumba and its a hard workout - I thought it was just dancing but you can really see what they are getting at...its great so thanks to Tassy for putting us all onto that one :)

Ok heres the last stats:

Check In - 3rd March
Bust: 119cm -11cm
Waist: 116cm -17cm
Hips: 119 1/2cm -17 1/2cm
Upper Arm: 36cm -8cm
Thigh: 63 1/2cm -10 1/2cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

I have also lost 1.1kgs in the last fortnight - making my total 8.1kgs. I have put on some measurement around my thigh and bicep but that would be muscle as I have more defined muscle in that region. I have also lost another 1cm of both my hips and my waist.

Check in - 12th March
Bust: 118cm -12cm
Waist: 114cm -19cm
Hips: 119 cm -18 cm
Upper Arm: 34 1/2cm -9 1/2cm
Thigh: 34 1/2cm -12cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

So in total now I have lost 68.5 cm from around my body - thats 27 inches.

I have also lost another 1.6 kilos which makes my total now 9.7kgs all up. Thats 1st 7.4lbs or 21.4 lbs and thats in 11 1/2 weeks.

My BMI is now 37.4 instead of 40.7. That drops slowly but surely - but its still a drop of 3.3.

I am so happy with all of this and there are so many other benefits that just loosing weight. Every aspect of my life has improved and thats whats important. Mike is also doing so well - he has now lost just over 11kgs! So about 20kgs between us!

11th March - Zumba-ring Along

Im still here! Life is so busy at the moment! But I thought you should know I am loving zumba and getting better at it every time.

I have also done my induction at the gym so when I get around to doing it I shall join up!

I am off on a sewing retreat this weekend and have baked a cake and some muffins for the first time in ages. It felt good to bake but I wonder how long I will last before I sample something......Just have to remember to be sensible.

Feeling great right now - really happy with food and exercise - back on track me thinks :)

Tell me how you are going...I love to hear your successes too :)

8th March - Zumba!

Ok...so I am at a plateau....weight is stable...exercise is same old same old. And I guess 11 weeks in one would expect that in a way.

So Im changing it up. I am going back to documenting everything I eat. I have started doing the Zumba workouts and I am this week joining the gym.

I need to up the water again and cut out the (albiet decaf) coke and coffee.

I really want to get off this little step. And horray for me for recognising it. I would now traditionally say oh well that's great, cheat and lie top myself about what Im doing and summarily put all the weight plus more back on.

Im only 3.6 kilos off my first target and in some ways I would have thought I would have reached it now. Almost 3 months, a quarter of my challenge time into this change and Im not even 10% of my body weight down.

So hence the steps to get off the plateau.

So heres what I have eaten today:

Breakfast was one serve of Guardian cereal and 200mls of hi-lo milk.
Snack - 40gms sultanas
Lunch was 40gms tuna and salad - balsamic vinegar dressing- and a plum.
Snack - 40gms sultanas
Dinner - 3/4 cup spag bog sauce, 3/4 cup whole wheat spaghetti, salad with dressing.
Snack - 100gms no fat yoghurt and tinned peaches.

All I have drunken today is water.

I zumbaed for 30 minutes.

What Do You Think...

November 8th 2009



March 4th 2010

3rd March - How Long??

Oh my - I cant believe it has been so long since I last posted. Isnt it funny how life gets in the way sometimes!!!

Ok - so where to begin...

Well I managed to rest enough to get the back sorted out. I went to Perth on the Friday before the long weekend and went to the dentist for the finial filing in a long line of work and a partial scale and clean. Now my mouth is back to clean and checkups on a 6 monthly basis. Thats a great start.

I also went to the doctor. I have very odd cycles and I am tending to bleed to some degree for most of the month. I dont think anything is really wrong - I'm putting it down to hormones but in the spirit of having health issues seen to this year I have been and consulted my GP. I have now had blood tests and will be having an ultrasound on this weekend coming just to have a look - we will go from there...but my GP isn't overly concerned so that's good.

Saturday I mulled about and did some errands in the city waiting for the boys to come down - we stayed at my inlaws all weekend which was lovely.

I used their treadmill and cross trainer on Friday, Saturday and Monday. It was hard work but my back was great and the only injury was sore knees! But Im fine and its great to have a workout option down there as we go alot.

The only problem I have there is food choices. As I now eat quite different foods to them I sometimes find it hard to avoid temptation. So I have to be super super careful when I go there.

Monday we had lunch with friends and that was nice but again I had too much. At least i know now to work it off...

Tuesday I played badminton and then in the evening I played netball. I loved it - I haven't played netball on a regular basis since I was in high school and I loved it - I also had the stamina to keep up and my team won. So I have decided to play winter netball this year. I am so excited.

Now for the all important information - my official weigh in is a day later than normal as I have been so busy and have a sick son! So here we go:

Check In - February 16th
Bust: 119cm -11cm
Waist: 117cm -16cm
Hips: 120 1/2cm -16 1/2cm
Upper Arm: 35cm -9cm
Thigh: 63cm -11cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

And I have also lost - in the last two weeks - another 2.8 kilos - making my total weight loss 7kgs and a total of 63.5cms off my body.

Check In - 3rd March
Bust: 119cm -11cm
Waist: 116cm -17cm
Hips: 119 1/2cm -17 1/2cm
Upper Arm: 36cm -8cm
Thigh: 63 1/2cm -10 1/2cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

I have also lost 1.1kgs in the last fortnight - making my total 8.1kgs. I have put on some measurement around my thigh and bicep but that would be muscle as I have more defined muscle in that region. I have also lost another 1cm of both my hips and my waist.

So there you go - everything is traveling not too bad! I am about to join the gym and I also have the zumba dvds to look at - should be good to add some more variety.

24th February - On The DL

Ok...Mike says to me this morning - so you're on the DL...I didnt know what he meant...but The DL is the baseball term for the injured list...and he should know - hes played baseball most of his life!

And yes - Im on the DL.

I have been to the physio and she feels that I have over extended and have inflamed L 3, 4 and 5 and that was probably done by making my low impact aerobics a high impact session...that coupled with the fact that I already had an unstable spine (bulging disc in L5 S1)was kinda asking for trouble.

Where does that leave me - that leaves me needing to see her again a week Friday and then spending some regular time getting my back together again. I will be able to work out before then but I have neglected my back so much its going to take time.

So I am taking it easy whilst the inflammation goes away - lots of heat, lots of water (drinking that is) and rest. Which sucks.

Mike is doing wonderfully well and we now weigh the same! So now he is going to over take me!!!! I have been super careful about my diet whilst I cant move - so thats the only control I have at the minute.

But better to get it seen to then suffer and make it worse....

23rd February - Ouch!

Ok - I havent blogged for a few days so that naughty. but you will be happy to know I have been a good girl.

I have done aerobics Friday, Saturday and Sunday and even went out for dinner on Saturday night and have managed to loose that weight and some more on top :)

I weighed in this morning at another 700gms down - putting my weight loss at 7.7kgs. Thats great! I know its not my official weigh in but I thought I would check the scales after the weekend.

On a downer note though I have hurt my back. I live with a constant amount of back pain - I have a bulging disc at L5 S1. But I did something doing aerobics last night and now Im in alot of pain. I have a physio booked for this afternoon - which is a really positive step for me. Usually I dont go and just pray it goes away - but as a commitment to my health I am going this afternoon at 420pm. Hopefully they will be able to do something because it really hurts :(

Im also hoping they can do something because I cant afford major time out from working out. I dont want to put the weight back on.

So I will let you all know how I go. In the meantime its wheat packs and Voltaren tablets.

I hope you are all traveling well and I just love hearing about your successes...leave me a comment and let me know how you are going :)

19th February - An Uphill Battle

This week has been hard yakka - I have had alot going on IRL and its taken its toll. I have been good on the eating side - just the exercise side has slipped by one day. I have just worked out now and let me tell you working out after dinner is NO FUN...I burped tacos the whole way through....But I did it and thats all that counts. I didnt exercise yesterday as I went to Perth and so thats the one day that's slipped.

I will work out as normal over the weekend and start the new week a fresh.

But TGIF...let me tell you.

17th February - Blergh

Two words

Fat - Day

Feel like hibernating.

Forcing myself to work out at lunch time.

Blergh.

16th February - Check in Day

Here are my stats from last fortnight:

Check In - February 2nd
Bust: 123cm -7cm
Waist: 119cm -14cm
Hips: 123cm -14cm
Upper Arm: 35cm -9cm
Thigh: 63.5cm -10.5cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

And I had lost a total of 4.2kgs.

These are my stats today:

Check In - February 16th
Bust: 119cm -11cm
Waist: 117cm -16cm
Hips: 120 1/2cm -16 1/2cm
Upper Arm: 35cm -9cm
Thigh: 63cm -11cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

And I have also lost - in the last two weeks - another 2.8 kilos - making my total weight loss 7kgs and a total of 63.5cms off my body.

I am so happy with this fortnights results! I know Im on the right track!

Congratulations To YOU!

Here I am going on and on about myself and I have forgotten to congratulated all of you! Plenty of you have touched base with me and told me that you have been inspired or decided to get moving from what you have read here. I think thats wonderful and I love hearing all about your amazing work...

So well dont to you all - you keep me inspired with your amazing work ..


xxx

Goal Re-Evaluation

I have been thinking about my goals and in particular my exercise goals. I have found that as I have moved into a regular routine - and one for life - that I am perhaps not built for, motivated towards and in need of the outcomes I set originally.

For example running. I am not in the position at the moment to take on running again - and I have discovered those through the exercises I have been doing. I mean - I can run...but with a bulging disc and a few more changes attributed to babies I dont think I am in the same physical zone that I was to be running. I also used running as an express to loosing weight. Not something I want to do now.

Here is what I wrote in the beginning:

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.

So....I think we can all agree that I have reached and maintained my mini goal - even with having missed three days this week I completed 4 days with 30 minutes of fat burning exercise.

So thats wonderful!!!!

Now my half way goals is to be exercising for 30 minutes 6 times a week and to be able to run 6kms a day by my birthday - 3 June.

Ok - well Im not too far off obtaining the first part but Im not sure about the running - I may be able to run 6kms on a treadmill - but certainly not road running.

And the my main goal is to exercise at a rate which burns fat for 60 minutes 6 days a week with one rest day a week and to be able to run 12kms a day again.

Again I confident I can do the first half but the running again is perhaps not so.

So I am going to make the running goals optional. I would like to start treadmill work and at the end of this school term I am going to join the gym here in town so who knows...maybe I will. But I am happy to make them optional.

Ok here are my weight 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.

So I think I am traveling well towards these and I am still happy with them.. Currently I am about 4.5kgs off my mini goal and I think that in the time frame I have been doing this that is an excellent and healthy achievement.

Only 4.5kgs away from a massage LOL.

I would like to be 100kgs or less by my birthday - that would be nice...and thats 10.2kgs away. I also have a wedding to go to in July and I am going to buy a new outfit for that as a celebration of weight loss and the marriage! So I look forward to seeing what my weight will be by then!

All in all I think I am traveling very well.

14th February - Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day to those of you so inclined...me not so much so - bit commercial in my opinion LOL.

I went and spent Saturday overnight with my inlaws as Mike had cricket in a town far far away so it was a nice opportunity to spend some time with family and not sitting here in the hot all day! Having said that I did not exercise and I ate too much! So today I have been super careful what I have eaten and I have just completed my exercise aerobics video - and I found it a little hard LOL

I have managed to miss 3 days this week so far and that doesnt thrill me. But I guess yesterday couldn't be helped - although I completely forgot that they have a tread mill in the garage....next time I will use that.

I have also this weekend tried that rye/pumpernickel bread that you get and I am going to have to say that I didnt like it. I am pretty open to new and healthy foods but I cant seem to get my head around the taste of this one. I didnt like it at all. But thats ok - I have tried it!

So tomorrow is circuit and thats always a monster workout - I love it to bits. Then weigh in day. Fingers crossed I do good :)

11th February - Water Aerobics!

I had a day off exercise yesterday - I am finding Wednesday is a good day to have off.... I need it after circuit and badminton.

Today I have done water aerobics and I challenged myself to the hilt today. We did interval training. I did the running on the spot with my feet off the ground which is the hardest position you can do and I also chose to do it all in deeper water. I am really enjoying the water aerobics and I am finding in particular this week - it more of a challenge...so thats great.

Tomorrow will be home aerobics and over the weekend I must get in some yoga as it has been a week.

I have trialed some new pasta tonight - its made from buckwheat and it is very nice. Mike thinks it interesting! I enjoyed it and its a low GI carb which will release slowly.

I have been having tuna at lunch tome which is nice too.

I have been weighing myself but Im not going to say what I am until Tuesday - but Im happy with the direction LOL

9th January - Busy Busy Busy

Phew - stop this train and let me off!

Things have been super hectic around here as we settle into out routines.

I had circuit traing yesterday and was super happy with the effort I put in. I wuld have to say thats its about the best workout I actually get all week. I managed to run and keep up with the cardio this week without busting a lung which was great and I actually sprinted...can you believe it! Note to self - get a better sports bra LOL.

I hurt a groin muscle on the last sprint so I iced it for the rest of the day and I pulled up great this morning.

Today was badminton and whilst its not the most strenuous of workouts its certainly a good morning and I have alot of friends there too. This afternoon was Laineys first swimming lesson so it was nice to get into the pool.

Tomorrow is aerobics and then maybe some yoga in the evening.

I have been eating really well too and really find the reintroduction of carbs has been a good move. I am less hungry and feel better for it.

I have been trying really hard to watch my food as I am watching the scales fall. I keep egging myself on and people are starting to notice too. On another note all my jocks are too big for me LOL as are pretty much all my clothes.

On a downer note I havent spoken to my family for about 8 weeks now and I havent seen them since August 09. My mother always always rode me about loosing weight and I wonder what she would say now that I have lost some and are looking so well. Not that I have done this for her - believe me shes the last person I would do it for - but I would love to go "see told you I could". Ok enough spite - its unhealthy.

Onwards and upwards.

7th January - Blink And You Miss It

Well that's another weekend down.

I didnt do any exercise yesterday (Saturday) as I was feeling a little off. I think that when I have been doing abdo work I have strained my already sore neck and I had a bit of a headache to be honest. Felt a bit ick...and plus I had a very over tired son who had completed a first week of school - he needed alot of attention.

Today I completed an aerobics routine - I did it this evening as we had a birthday party to go to at lunch time. It was an ok workout - more like "well I had to do that!" But Im showered and done now and I feel great for it.

We went to this party and I was very good. I just ate a plate of food and had one piece of cake - lots off the fruit platter and only three softies in three hours. Pretty good I think. And besides it was good for the soul being with friends!

I happy with how things worked out exercise wise this week - lets check it out:

Monday - circuit training
Tuesday -badminton and and yoga
Wednesday - rest day
Thursday - water aerobics
Friday - aerobics.
Saturday - rest
Sunday - aerobics.

I think thats pretty good!

Circuit and water aerobics only go for another 7 weeks so after that I am going to join the gym and go three times a week - twice during the week and once on the weekend I think. It will cost me the same as the classes and be a variety.

So it all looks great - as does my husband - he has lost about 4 kilos and goes to the gym just about every night! Hes amazing! I am very proud of him :)

5th February - The End of A Long Week

Blergh what a week - ups and downs for sure! But I survived and now its the weekend!

This week I reassessed my carb intake and strongly believe it was inadequate. So I am increasing that with healthy carb choices. We are also trialing a new breakfast cereal - Kelloggs Guardian. I like it - I think its sweet! We are also trialling new milk and butter with plant sterols which can reduce your cholesterol by 15%. So we will see if prolonged use helps.

I also purchased a large amount of fish to eat in the next fortnight. We have a fish truck which comes to town and sells frozen fish. I have heard very good reports so I am looking forward to it. I also bought 1/2 kilo of prawns as a treat - Im the only one who eats them!

My exercise for the week was:

Monday - circuit training
Tuesday -badminton and and yoga
Wednesday - rest day
Thursday - water aerobics
Friday - aerobics.

I still have Saturday and Sunday to come. I think I will more than likely walk on Sunday morning and probably do yoga tomorrow. That seems like a good mix for the week.

Update

About and hour ago the whole world was coming to an end....now after a sensible dinner Im a happy girl....its definitely something to do with the proportion of food groups. must add some healthy carbs into my diet again or else....

HELP....

Ok - heres the thing...Im slipping.

Today I have not done any exercises and that's fine - I was allowing myself to have the day off. Im sore and tired and I need to have a rest day every now and again.

But its the food thing.....Im slipping ....see now Im not eating snacks - so I get hungry and lightheaded and that doesn't help. I just made Mike and Jacks lunches for tomorrow and basically had a second lunch myself. What the fuck is that all about. Maybe Im not eating enough carbs or enough protein to accommodate for no carbs to get me through the afternoon. Its like the retraining with the exercise thing...I would reduce my food intake to bare minimum...literally the smallest amount I could eat...and then exercise my guts out. I feel I am reducing that intake now again sub consciously.

And the there is my period...FROM HELL... I came off the pill a while ago (no not to get pregnant just to feel better) and my periods have been slightly touch and go..so this one is massive - so heavy and just blergh. So I am sure that I am feeling some side effects of that - I feel tired and drained - you know what its like....but thats no excuse to binge and not exercise.

I feel lost. Its moments like these the 4.2 kilos I have lost feel like nothing as opposed to how great it felt the other day. I feel like my success is once again slipping out of my hands. Im scared Im going to end up like I was before. I need some focus - I need to ave some balance.

I think I need to reread my Portion Perfect book...maybe cutting the carbs out was not a good idea for me. Mikes doc reckons its the only way to loose weight.....

I felt really good before and I felt like I was making headway...maybe it is the carb thing.....

There is also the option of seeing a nutritionist/dietitian. Maybe thats what I need.

I just cant fail this time.

Ho Hum

2nd February - Check In Day

Here are my numbers as of this morning:

Last Check In - December 29th 09
Bust: 128cm -2cm
Waist: 129cm -3cm
Hips: 133cm -4cm
Upper Arm: 38cm -6cm
Thigh: 72 1/2cm -1/2cm

Check In - January 19th 10
Bust: 123cm -5cm
Waist: 121cm -8cm
Hips: 124cm -9cm
Upper Arm: 35cm -3cm
Thigh: 65cm -7.5cm
(minus figures from the last check in )

Check In - February 2nd
Bust: 123cm -7cm
Waist: 119cm -14cm
Hips: 123cm -14cm
Upper Arm: 35cm -9cm
Thigh: 63.5cm -10.5cm
(minus figures are a running total.)

I have also now lost 4.2 kilos - thats 1.19 kilos since my last check in.

I have now lost a total of 55.5cms off my body.

I know I should be happy but I wont lie - I would have liked more...but you see this is where I have to change my mindset. In the past I would go on diets to reach a goal - get pregnant, fit into a wedding dress yadda yadda yadda...so I did what ever it took to get to that weight - well nothing silly though...

So I know that 4.2 kilos over 52 days is awesome ...its sustainable and its healthy. It sets me up for great long term success.

I also find today I am tired and sore and a little light headed. Thats because I have dont so much exercise that my body is crying out for some rest. Im not necessarily tired but my body is....and that's something else from previous attempts. I have to move at every single possibility. At my peak when I was loosing weight to get pregnant I ran 6kms in the morning, did aerobics at lunch time and ran again at night. Not healthy. So last night I should have simply sat on my ass instead of pushing myself through a yoga routine. And tonight I will - I played baddy this morning so I dont need to do anything else. And tomorrow I am going to do nothing. My body needs it and I dont need injury or aches and pains turning me off.

I need balance - its a marathon not a sprint.

1st February - Circuit Class...Oh My Gosh...

Today Jack started full time school and I started a new circuit class. Jack had a great day - I had a hard class.

Before that though I walked Jack to school - a nice amble down to school and then I drove my car home (Mike drove it and went in early).

Oh my...I was not prepared for that. The stations had four exercises (there were 4 ) and after each station you had to run for two minutes. Each station had a cardio, core, muscle strengthening and something else (Im blanking it out LOL) and they were great. But I went a little hard on the running thing and you know when your chest burns and then you get that cough...yes that happened to me!

Im a little sore but very enthusiastic. I really like the difference and you know what - I know I said Im a lone wolf when it comes to exercise but I really enjoyed having people around for a change. So a nice change all around. And Lainey was so well behaved...its a class designed for mums with small kids and so there were other kids there for her to play with.

I also managed to squeeze in some yoga tonight - just to stretch out those aching muscles!

Weigh in day tomorrow!

Exercise Review

Ok heres where we are at as of Sunday afternoon. I only have one more day before a weigh in and I am going to a circuit class and will do yoga PM.

So this is how it has gone so far:

Monday - yoga (felt sore and tired)
Tuesday - walk (in Perth)
Wednesday - aerobics
Thursday - walk & yoga
Friday - aerobics
Saturday - aerobic
Sunday - aerobics
Monday - circuit class and yoga.


My mini goal with exercise in December was

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.

I think I can safely say I have attained that goal! Yah for me :)

Im very proud of myself considering 6 weeks ago (yes as little as 6 weeks ago) I was sedentary basically. I did nothing. And now I dont feel right unless I do something. I know yoga doesn't burn many calories but it does burn a small amount - but even without that i still have reached my mini goal....In actual fact last weeks data means I reach my half way goal - but I will wait to call that one until its sustained.

January 31st - Another Weekend Gone

Well we are in the bottom dig of this weekend and its been flat out. Jack starts full time school tomorrow and so we have been working this weekend at Mike playing with the kids alot and me getting everything ready! Jack was a little off this weekend too and we had to cancel dinner plans so that was a bummer.

I have been a maniac working out - I get a bit like that just before weigh in time. I have done aerobics three days in a row now (Fri, Sat, Sun ) and my body can feel it! I have been quite careful with what I have eaten - although last night we had BLTs after canceling our dinner invite. But having said that they were very stripped back - no fat bacon cooked on the BBQ and with multigrain breads and salad. Not perfect but I would normally have reached for a take away.

I will be interested to see how the weight loss goes. I have stepped on the scales a few times and I know Im going in the right direction.


This week also sees me start a circuit class on Mondays and returning to Badminton on Tuesdays as well as a water aerobics class on Thursdays. That will change things up nicely between my aerobics and walking. I also need to get in a yoga workout - probably tomorrow night.

A busy week ahead for sure!

January 29th - TGIF...

Its really hot...

I did aerobics...

Now I get to relax :)....

I can now make myself an Antonella as I fit into the measurements without redrafting....

Thank god its Friday....yah for weekends :)

January 28th - Yoga and a Walk!

Well today I managed to do a walk and some yoga. You know - with the yoga I am finding that I am become more able to fully complete some of the more difficult poses, ones like triangle pose and I am also now able to return to standing from being bent over with straight legs - both wide and together. I am starting to feel the full stretches in areas like my groin when I correctly open my legs wider and along down my arms into my ribs when stretching out. Its amazing and Im enjoying the flexibility....in more ways than one LOL ;)

I do feel however I am starting to slip a little in my eating...nothing drastic but and extra piece of something here or maybe not properly weighing something. I need to reign that in. If I am doing all of this exercise I need to take that and keep those calories off - not see that as an excuse to eat more because I exercised. Nothing really bad has happened - just seeing the signs.

I also need to address stress management. Today the kids were particularly difficult and I need to learn to take a deep breath and to relax and to not take everything so personal. I feel it will create a better relationship with the kids and within myself. I just need to breathe....

Exercie Plan - Review

This was my plan from a few posts ago...

Monday - walk AM - yoga PM
Tuesday - Aerobics DVD - although we are in Perth so a morning walk might be smarter.
Wednesday - walk AM - yoga PM
Thursday - Aerobics DVD
Friday - walk AM - yoga PM
Saturday - Aerobics DVD
Sunday - walk AM - yoga PM

So this is how it has gone so far:

Monday - yoga (feeling sore and tired)
Tuesday - walk (in Perth)
Wednesday - aerobics.
Thursday - walk & yoga
Friday - aerobics
Saturday - aerobic
Sunday - aerobics

Getting there ....not perhaps what I would have liked but I need to listen to myself and my body....thats the lesson learnt here.

January 27th - More Aerobics

Yesterday was Australia Day and Mike, myself and the kids went to Perth to watch the fireworks. It was brilliant.

In the morning I went for a walk before we left town and that was nice.

Today I have been super careful about food because yesterday I relaxed a little with our picnic and what not. I have had some grapes and sultanas for breakfast, a ham and salad sandwich for lunch and a banana post workout.

I knew I had to do something today that would help work off yesterday so I did aerobics. I did a different routine today and really like it...no fancy foot work just hard cardio work. And I did not feel dizzy afterwards. Thats great - I am keeping an eye on that as I have felt a bit dizzy after some of my aerobics work out.

Dinner is goig to be lasagna and salad tonight - its from the freezer as I made double last time...so in essence a no cooking night for me!

January 25th - Life Goes Back to Normal

School holidays are officially over for Mike and he returned to work today - so the kids and I can return to our routine too!

I was going to start the day with a walk as per my goal for this week. Well I failed dismally - but for a good reason..kind of..After all the aerobics I have been doing my body is sore. I have actually really just felt like shit today - really lethargic and tired - not sick - just off. I did notice that after tea I felt better and then much better again now after finishing yoga and having a shower. I feel alot more clear minded and not so dull headed. Maybe I was lacking something dietary? Who knows.

But this journey is about being kind to myself - not grinding myself to a pulp to put the weight and bad habits back on again. So if there is one day i am off I need to honour that and accept it and realise its one out of many.

I will walk tomorrow - I have aerobics on the list but I am going to Perth so a morning walk will be just the ticket.

I guess we all need to rest sometimes and my body is telling me today is partially the day.

January 24th - No Walk but...

I did do my aerobics DVD again. This time was a little better as I knew the routines. I still get a bit annoyed and in some parts I jogged on the spot but I have had a massive workout and Im super happy with that. Mike is at the gym again and took the kids to the pool whilst I worked out. Tomorrow is his first weigh and measure so fingers crossed he has some results - he looks great!

Breakfast was 2 eggs on one piece of toast - being carb conscious again today. Lunch was a mixed salad with my protein portion and 20g of grated cheese. I must admit its full fat cheese but I dont eat alot of it and I dont eat alot of dairy or fats so Im hoping that's ok. I actually could not finish my salad today - I was amazed! I got so full.

Afternoon snack was some grapes.

Dinner is going to be Moroccan Mince wraps but instead of bread wraps we are going to try lettuce. Mike is taking his sandwiches to work tomorrow minus bread and using lettuce instead so thats great. I made a fruit salad last night which we will finish with a splash of yoghurt tonight for pudding.

Everything is going really well and I am setting myself a mini goal for this week. ts exercise related and heres the plan:

Monday - walk AM - yoga PM
Tuesday - Aerobics DVD - although we are in Perth so a morning walk might be smarter.
Wednesday - walk AM - yoga PM
Thursday - Aerobics DVD
Friday - walk AM - yoga PM
Saturday - Aerobics DVD
Sunday - walk AM - yoga PM

I will make Monday a walk and then Tuesday is next weigh and measure. So I want to see if a ramp up in exercise is both sustainable and beneficial for me. If it gets damaging I will stop but I would like to see if I can attain this mini goal.

Lets see how I go!

January 23rd - Super Low Carb Saturday

Ok so last night Mike and I had a pizza for tea...not home made but from the takeaway here in town. usually a very nice pizza but something about this one just wasnt right. I mean the ingredients were fresh and it was cooked properly but Im going to have to say - I just didnt enjoy it...So of course I feel bloated today and obsessing about falling in a hole...so Mike and I both decided no carbs for breakfast and lunch and low carbs at tea time. For breakfast I had yoghurt and a banana, morning tea was a banana and some sultanas, lunch was a mixed salad with ham (I also had some grated cheese) and dinner is going to be a home made thin pan veggie pizza. The kids are going to have ham and cheese and us veggie.

I also made sure that I did some aerobic exercise today which was in this case an Aerobics Oz Style DVD. Old school, lots of grapevines and lycra but it got my heart rate up. I must say Im no longer all that good at aerobics - I find that I can get the routine mixed up and I get annoyed - hence lessening the effect of the routine...if I get lost I just run o the spot...but I managed to stay in touch for all of the warm up and main routine but the extra small routine lost me so I skipped it and did my own ab workout and then used the warm down. I was so sweaty afterward it felt good...I knew I had done something positive for myself today.

Mike is at the gym as we speak so thats wonderful too - he has totally lost CMs - especially off his waist. I am so glad he is along for the ride - his father has terrible heart disease and if anything we need to learn lessons from the previous generation. learn what the hereditary diseases are and work to negate or manage them - like I have high blood pressure - thats on my genes partly.

So I know I can sit back and watch telly tonight safe in the knowledge I have been kinder to my body today than yesterday, and I will continue tomorrow too. Walk in the morning :)

January 22 - Last Day of Mikes Holidays :(

Today I started the day with a really good walk - nice pace, great temp outside and I added some jogging to it too. I went out early as Mike wanted to spend a few hours at the office this morning before taking Jack to speech therapy mid morning.

I had beans on toast for breakfast and half a banana and some sultanas for morning tea.

Lunch was a ham and salad sandwich and some yoghurt.

Dinner was going to be veggie pizzas, an absolutley fav of Mike and mines - so easy, super cheap and really healthy! But Mike had to go to Perth to collect a new telly and bed and after 5 hours in the car he just got home late and we just..well..ate takeaway pizza...blergh. But once in a blue moon wont kill me - but I felt like I had a brick in my stomach after it.:(

I have pulled my bicep muscle in my arm - well not really pulled it so to speak but perhaps more just overstretched it. I need to watch myself when I do yoga because as my confidence grows my stretching increases and sometimes that can hurt! Its not a terrible injury but its been along time since I have had a sports induced injury!

A friend came around for coffee today so that was nice - I enjoyed a decaf no sugar. I even take my decaf to other peoples house!

January 21 - A Day in the City

Today we got up early (and after an eggs on toast brekky) and spent the day in Perth doing shopping and having lunch. It was a lovely day and we got amongst other things a new mattress for Jack and a new plasma telly :) How exciting. The bonus with that is that it comes with a Wii...so of course I am going to get a Wii Fit!

We had lunch at Sizzlers. I only ordered the salad bar and I drank diet soft drink. I had creamy dressings on the salads (thats how they came) and so I know that isn't ideal but I didn't have any dessert - which was an absolute first for me.

I didnt really have any dinner as I was so full from lunch - I only got two plates and I was full! I had a Vegemite sandwich at about 8pm as I started to feel hungry and that was fine. Of course not a perfect day but pretty reserved all the same.

I didnt do any yoga - by the time we got home and I poured two over tired little children into bed I didnt have the energy to be honest.

But I will walk in the morning.

Light Bulb Moment

You know...I plied my body with so much crap over the last couple of years Im not suprised I have health problems. I carry on about oh I dont drink and I dont smoke but whooppee - eat a tonne of fat and see how healthy you are. I have just been reading about lowering cholesterol and I think about all the shit I have eaten in take away shops and food halls and my own home and I would say that I'm a fairly good candidate for a heart attack - to say the least.

Im so glad I came to all of this I my 30s....I cringe at the way I felt 6 weeks ago to how I feel now...I wish I had done it earlier.

January 20th - Blood Tests Are In

Blergh - the kids slept rotten and got up at 5am...after numerous trips to our bed. I feel tired today but having said that I got up and walked...half because I was jack of being in bed and half because I guilted myself. It was hot this morning but its nowhere near as hot as the last few days have been.

I did yoga again last night and at the moment thats going to be my off walking day activity. I will eventually walk everyday and yoga a few times a week at night. I love the yoga and felt really quite limber for it this morning. Its all making a difference. I saw a friend yesterday for the first time since christmas eve and she said I was looking very well. That makes me feel good.

Beans on toast for breakky this morning - very satisfying. Lunch was a ham and salad sandwich and dinner is going to be steak and salad.

I got my results from the doctors back today from the blood tests I had done Monday.

Overall they came back well. I have not been contacted yet by my doc so I will see if that happens.

Iron levels were good, renal function test showed unlikely to have any signs of kidney disease (checked because I was feeling dizzy and I have diagnosed hypertension), Alb/Creatinine tests normal, mid stream urine test fine, thyroid great and FBC within acceptable ranges.

I have an elevated liver function result - only elevated by 14 points. Im not sure what that means exactly but I have been told some medications can elevate it as well as fatty liver. I fall into so many of the categories of someone who s likely to have fatty liver that I wouldn't be suprised. But as I said before my doc will call me is he is concerned.

The cholesterol side of things were of interest to me. I had blood tests done in July 09 and the results were as follows:

Cholesterol - 4.8
Triglycerides - 4.1
HDL - 1.0
LDL - 1.9
Coronary Risk Ratio - 4.8

Triglycerides are suppose to be below 2.0 and so as you can see these are quite high.

These are the results from Monday:

Cholesterol - 4.5
Triglycerides - 2.3
HDL - 0.9
LDL - 2.5
Coronary Risk Ratio - 5.0

As you can see there has been a raise in the LDL (although still within acceptable parameters) and there has also been a raise in my CRR. I am not sure how that is determined - but it has risen by 0.2 and I wonder if that's because of the increase in my LDL. My HDL has fallen a little too which puts me outside the acceptable parameter, so I need to address that in my diet as the HDL is called the good cholesterol.

But the two most promising things are the drop in my overall cholesterol rating by 0.3 and the almost halving of my triglycerides. This is really positive as I have always had elevated triglycerides. I am now only 0.5 outside the acceptable range.

I can guarantee you these changes have only come about since I have been making positive changes to my lifestyle. I know that from July to December 09 I made no positive impacts on my health as I was eating the wrong food and not exercising. in 5 short weeks I have made such an impact on my overall health that its really inspiring me to strive for better results. If I get called into my GPs office its only for the better - and we can address whats happening. If he doesn't call me then I know my positive actions are making an impact on my health.

Overall I am happy with the results. The dizziness I complained about last docs visit has all but stopped now and so it did seem to be self limiting.

I will have these tests repeated in 3 months - just to see some improvement.



PS I get more nervous looking at the FBC than anything else!

January 19th - Check In

Ok...I have waited about a fortnight and here are my new figures.

Last Check In - December 29th 09
Bust: 128cm -2cm
Waist: 129cm -3cm
Hips: 133cm -4cm
Upper Arm: 38cm -6cm
Thigh: 72 1/2cm -1/2cm

Check In - January 19th 10
Bust: 123cm -5cm
Waist: 121cm -8cm
Hips: 124cm -9cm
Upper Arm: 35cm -3cm
Thigh: 65cm -7.5cm
(minus figures from the last check in )

Thats a total lost since I started of 48cm off my body. Unbelievable! I am so proud of myself.

I have also lost a total of 2.3 kilos which I am also proud of. I would have liked more but its slow ans steady and its almost 1/2 a kilo a week - not forgetting a weeks holiday, Christmas and New years....so I am happy. :)

January 18th - Soo Hot

Well I was quite organised this morning and set my alarm to go for a walk before it got too hot. I was up and out the door by 630am and let me tell you I could not have left it another minute - it was already hot then! About 30 degrees I think the news said.

I had some blood tests this morning - my GP ordered them on my last visit and I think they are more of a benchmark than anything. I did mention to him about still feeling dizzy and he just wanted to check my kidney function. I had to supply a urine and blood tests. I must admit I have noticed a lessening of the dizziness and so I am hoping it will be self limiting and resolve soon. I will hear from the doc if there is anything wrong. Otherwise I am going to get a copy of them so I can compare them to some I had done in July 09 - see if there is any improvement in the cholesterol etc.

I came home and had fruit salad and yoghurt for breakfast - I had to fast before the bloods.

I then had a ham and salad sandwich for lunch and for dinner we had roast chicken and salad. nothing beats a roast chook! Oh and I had pne leb wrap with it and a smidge of mayo.

I am also keeping up n the water and rarely drink anything else! I pee alot LOL.

We went to the pool for a swim today and I actually feel alot more confy in my swimmers.

Mike also started at the gym today and so thats going to be fabbo for him. there are squash courts there so hopefully we will get a game in.

Feeling good :)

January 17th - Yoga

Today was very very hot and I was offered the chance to sleep in under the doona in the air con - so I took it! I had walked the day before so I wasnt being too naughty! Sleep is important for your health too!

I started the day with eggs on toast and lunch was a ham and salad roll. Dinner was a really nice hamburger. I almost gave the carbs up in the meal but I am glad I didn't. instead of hot chips I had a salad and that was really nice too. I was full.

I have noticed that I dont feel hungry anymore....not like when I first started anyway - that was depressing!

I did some yoga last night. I love yoga - I actually feel I benefit more from the meditative side of it - although the stretches made me sweat a bit! I bought a proper mat and now my feet dont slip so my stances are truly solid. I feel myself being able to achieve the positions better - there are still some poses I cant do - like triangle pose. My hamstrings and back are still too tight - but thats fine - things will loosen up. And I feel really relaxed and in control when I am done. Really listening to my breathing is so important.

Walk in the morning - I am setting my alarm for early as we are in the middle of a heat wave.

January 16th - Catch Up

Wow what a busy couple of days...been down to Perth, had people for dinner and then the cricket club for a BBQ and have looked after a friends daughter whilst her son was in hospital with a broken arm. Busy busy busy!

I went for a walk today - first time in 2 days. t was nice to get out before the heat came in.

I had eggs on toast for breakfast today and the a cheese and salad sandwich at lunch time. Snacks were a peach and a box of sultanas and two plain biscuits. Dinner is going to be Moroccan Chicken Salad again. I love that!

I know these entries are pretty boring but they make me accountable for my day. Its also acts as a diary so i can see whats been happening. Useful :)

January 12th - Check Up #2

I started today with a walk...my walk route is a bit of up and down - with the end of it quite a hill up to my street. I ran half of it this morning...well not exactly ran - jogged. But it felt great. Before I had Lainey I ran 12kms a day - 6 in the morning and 6 at night. I love nothing more than a run on a cold winters morning...so hopefully by then I might be nearer to that level.

I had the usual food today - beans on toast for breakfast, ham and salad for lunch and fruit in between. Dinner was really yummo..I made Moroccan Mince and we had it with salad in lavish bread. I had one piece of lavish and I was full! It was very tasty and very filling. The kids had meatballs and fruit and cheese on their plates. I cooked the meatballs in the oven - which is new for me. I have now made the kids meatballs and nuggets in the oven and noone has even blinked!

I went to the doctor today for my second checkup in relation to my blood pressure. My reading was 129/79. The doctor was very happy. I also had a much lower heart rate as I wasn't so nervous this time haha. I told him about still feeling dizzy once I get up and he has ordered blood tests but is confident nothing is wrong - I think he wants a benchmark and he feels the dizziness will resolve itself. I have only been on the medication about 3 or 4 weeks so my body is still adjusting. As long as the bloods come back ok I dont need to see the doc for this issue for 6 months. Thats great! I will get a copy of the blood results anyway to see if my levels of my Triglycerides has lowered. It will be a good comparison. Although Im not expecting much change at this point.

So Im super happy with my BP and if I loose some weight my GP is happy to trial coming off the meds - maybe reducing the amount needed or even changing it. Whatever happens I feel the best I have done in at least 6 months.

January 11th - Cleaning Day

Today was house cleaning day so I spent the morning cleaning etc. I didn't go for a walk as I was supposed to be going to the pool with my friend but my cat got sick in the morning and the vet could see us then. So I canned the swim. I will be up and off for a walk in the morning for sure.

Breakfast was beans on toast this morning - I love that - I find it very filling.
Lunch was a ham and salad sandwich and dinner was a BBQ - one piece of steak and salad and one piece of bread.

Snacks included some beautiful peaches off my neighbours tree and a banana.

January 10th - Walkies

I started today with a walk....and boy was it hard. I really had t motivate myself to get out of bed. Thank goodness I have a great guilt complex! Then going around was brutal...see what happens when you haven't done it in over a week! Anyway i did it and I did feel good....I must say though I was very tired all day - I think I was still recovering from our trip away.

Breakfast was eggs on toast, lunch was ham and salad roll and dinner was spag bog and salad. Snacks included fruit and yogurt with a Bulla ice cream after tea.

I drank plenty of water - I found myself dehydrated whilst we were away and especially when we got home. its amazing how much of a difference water makes to you.

I have also been sleeping really well since taking the blood pressures meds. I actually feel like I have slept if you know what I mean.

Anyway - back on the horse for sure and the work was good to get back into.

January 9th - Back on the Horse

Ok - so I lost track of how many days I have been on this new regime so I decided to name my posts by the date - original hey!

Today I got right back on the horsey. I started the day shopping for groceries as the cupboard was bare. I have stuck mainly to fresh produce and there is nothing in my trolley I am ashamed of! I have purchased the highest quality meat I can afford and a wide variety of fruit and veg and multigrain breads. I have also invested in a good quality juice for the kids to have with meals. I so want them to have a good quality standard of eating.

Breakfast for me was eggs on toast - poached and only one piece of toast. The eggs are free range and a bit small so they both fitted nicely on one piece. I could have had two but chose one.

I had a ham and salad wholemeal roll for lunch with a glass of water. I also had a small bunch of the most delicious globe grapes..mmmmm...

Dinner was really nice. I bought some chicken breast and marinaded them with Moroccan spices...Mike BBQed them and we had them chopped up into strips in a salad. Very very nice. We tried a new 99% fat free dressing and that was nice too. The kids had some home made chicken nuggets which I baked in the oven and then they had cheese and fruit on their plates - watermelon, apple, pear, grapes and banana. I always remember the health nurse saying that if a child eats fruit or veg they are getting what they need - so i am happy for the kids to start with a fruit plate.

For pudding we all had a Bulla icecream - that was a suggested selection from the portion Perfection book.

I didnt do any specific exercise today but tomorrow morning I am back into the walks and Monday afternoon I am walking at the pool again. I will be able to get two solid weeks of that in before Mike goes back to work.

Its amazing how crppy i felt by the end of the week eating some crap and not really doing any proper exercise. I must say though I feel fitter still but even having one HJs burger rendered my tummy upset.

I definitely prefer this lifestyle.

Home from Holidays

I have two words for you...

Holiday Eating...

Im not overly proud of it but I was on holiday and I enjoyed myself.

Back to it tomorrow.

My copy of Portion Perfection arrived whilst I was away so I am going to revisit it tomorrow and make up my shopping list.

Im energised and looking forward to a great year!

Happy New Year!

Happy new year everyone and I hope 2010 is going to be a cracking year for all of us.
I dont set resolutions but this year am determined to live healthier and happier than ever before.

The last couple of days has seen a slow down in the exercise regime. I went to Perth with the family on NYE and then spent yesterday (NY day) at Adventure World. I did get some exercise - climbing the stairs to the water slides carrying mats or tubes! We also walked around the park and of course did some swimming. I had a chicken roll for lunch and heaps of fruit.

Can I also say that I felt so happy and healthy and comfortable in my bathers yesterday. Most times I cover up and wear shorts and tee shirts. But yesterday I was happy confident and comfortable. Its amazing what 15cm will do!

NYE was a slight indulgence with more protein than I probably needed. I had some steak and some prawns but it was very nice. I made sure I kept up the water, salads and was selective with the carbs.

I have been eating a proper breakfast no matter what I have been doing.

I am heading off camping for a week tomorrow so I wont be able to post. But I will be making conscious decisions about the types of food I eat. We will also be walking and swimming alot - and generally having lots of fun...thats always good for the soul and overall health.

When we get home I have 2 weeks before Mike starts work and we wont be going away again so I can really cement routines and meals.

I feel great! And I hope you do too :)