Kathy: Good on ya for resisting the temptation of Maccas - I know how hard THAT one is!!

Kykaree: Oh my goodness...my DREAM is to get off the plane (all my fam is in USA, as thats where Im from - married an Aussie) and have my mom not recognise me! Especially because she has resigned herself to the fact that, despite her best efforts, I will always be fat. Not so! I want to show her that I CAN do this and surprise the heck out of her!

Jo, thanks! We think hes pretty cute too! You and I weigh pretty much the same although I am needing to get down to 60kgs! Am a little daunted I must say, but am convinced that if I set small goals, I will get there in time. How are you losing the weight? Weight Watchers?

Well, my veggies are almost all gone and I have no money for more until next week! I am depressed! I have fallen in love with them since I started this thing and Im not too sure how I will get by without them to be honest. It was such a crazy month expense wise, as we had a lot of things due, including car rego. Ouch. Its hard enough with us on hubby's salary, but when we have big expenses like that, it really kills us. Anyway, no sob story, just saying Im frustrated that I cant go buy more. We have some green beans in the freezer, but its not the same as my zucchini, capsicum, mushroom concoction - yum! Anyway, otherwise doing ok - just finished my 2lltrs of water for the day and had a small scoop of the carb-smart ice cream as a treat. Weigh day on Thurs, so we'll see....

Ok, off to clean - in-laws coming on Fri - another hurdle to my diet. Mum-in-law makes the BEST food! Argh!

Britt

Wow!!! It is soooo gooood to see this thread come back to life again!! I was starting to think we had lost it to the dungeons of the 3FC messageboard


Kykaree!! I was thinking about you the other day, wondering how your holiday was going. So pleased that you had a good time. And how cool is it to have your own mother not recognise you!!! I was hoping I could have that happen to me as my parents have been away since the end of May and are due back home early September. But I have only lost about 4kgs since they left. If I am lucky I'll lose maybe 3 or 4 more before they return. I am not sure that will make much of a difference.


Britt, my mother had resigned her self to the fact that I will always be fat too. She tried and tried to convince me that all my 'problems' (sore back, sore legs, joint pains, headaches, toothaches) were directly linked to me being fat!!! She was still doing this up to about four months ago when she realised I was losing weight!!! Now, she is worried that there is something medically wrong with me because I have lost so much weight!!!

I am also struggling with the cost of fruit and vegies too. Prices are even higher here for the fact that we are a rural location in the middle of Whoop-Whoop! I just keep a large number of packets of frozen vegies in my freezer. Now days vegies are frozen in a way to keep most of their goodness in them - or so I am trying to convince myself

I am hooked on fruit just now...thank goodness I was never really keen on bananas!!


Kathy! MACCAS is SOOOO not worth it!!! But that is easy for me to say because I am not tempted by it here. My advice...move to a new town without such temptations

Well done on your efforts and determination!


Little-Kiwi...welcome back to the wagon. And well done in finding the strength and determination to push on! I agree that we need to post more regularly. I have made a vow to try and post daily...so far so good (if only I can stick to my diet like that!). I have found it helps. Knowing that I am going to 'report in' keeps me in check when I am eating. It is always in my mind now that if I eat something I shouldn't then I'll have to write about it here. I don't want to show too many slip-ups here


Jo, whatever plan you take, we are right behind you here. Good luck and stay strong


For me...it's been a good day! Eaten only what I should. NO NUTS TODAY (other that the 30g box that I allow myself for morning tea at work because it is 7hrs between breakfast and lunch when I work these early shifts.) I had tea early...I am showered and ready for bed. My body feels eating time is over with for today. I think a lot of my bad habits are due to my bad eating routines of the past. When I start my new job in six weeks there will be no shift work, I'll be Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm. I can set my mind and life into a regular routine!!

So with a smile on my face for being so good...I am going to say good night and sign off

Goodnight!

Hi everyone

Can I come along for the journey? I live in Perth, and have been struggling with my weight for years. My intention is to try and change the way I live my life - to eat better, exercise more - and to try and find ways to manage my emotional eating issues.

I'm not setting a time frame, because when I am calm and rational, I know that I have to make changes I can live with for the rest of my life. The thought of never eating chocolate, or enjoying treats would put me off too much I think.

And I would love people to chat to, get support from, offer support to ... and share the journey with. I live alone with my two much-loved cats, and sometimes it can be really hard to motivate myself.

I started changing my eating and exercise about a week ago, and have lost a kilo … some of which was probably water. If I can lose around 1/2 a kilo a week I will be really happy.

I look forward to getting to know some of you, and sharing this journey with you.

Welcome PerthChick! You're most welcome here, the more the merrier.

Well ladies, after a long absence, I finally went back to the gym last night and as I knew I would, I really enjoyed it. I did 20 minutes cycling and another 20 on the elliptical trainer.

At this stage I feel that even if I just concentrate on exercising and don't worry so much about the food side of things, I'm going to make progress.

Most importantly, I'm going on holiday to Hong Kong and India at the end of this month and I need to be able to keep up the pace!!

Good work ladies ... keep it up and keep checking in!

Lindor, Yeah, my Mum did the same with attributing all of my health issues with my weight. Granted, she was probably right about most of them (shes a nurse - ALL 4 of my parents are in the medical field, so I get a lot of "advice"), but I too look forward to the day when she can stop using that as the answer to everything. I am also looking forward to WANTING to be in pictures again....Im hardly in any and am so sad that my baby wont have many pics of him and I together. Good job on the day! I HATED shift work when I was working, so I can understand how happy you will be when its back to a normal schedule.

Welcome PerthChick! Jump right in! Im relatively new here too, so we can be "newbies" together! 1/2 kilo a week is VERY reasonable! My goal is a kilo a week and since Ive lost 2 1/2 this week so far, I think I can make that. We'll see...

Littlekiwi - Good on ya for the gym! Im finding it really hard to exercise as Carter kinda takes up most of my day and by the time hes in bed, I have to use those hours to catch up on dishes, laundry, etc. (sigh) Maybe Im just making excuses because I really dislike exercising at this stage - I guess I have to just make myself find time to do it and I will start to enjoy it? Ive heard that happens....am skeptical!

Just eating my bowl of oatmeal (with Splenda and cinnamon) - not on my eating plan, but its supposed to help with milk supply in some women and as Im struggling with mine at the moment, thought Id give it a go. Good news - Carter slept 12 hours straight last night! I could hardly believe it! Anyway ladies - have a great day....

Britt

Hello everyone, and thanks for the welcome. WOW Britt - 2.5kg in a week is pretty awesome!

This is my second week (weigh-in days are Monday for me), and I'm really wanting to donate another 1/2kg to the universe by then. Does anyone have any good tips about how to make yourself drink 2 litres of water in this weather. It's pretty cold in Perth at the moment, and I find it hard to drink enough water in winter.

Hope you all have a great day!

Perthchick: Well, this is my first week, so most of that would be water weight Im sure - Im not going to expect that kind of loss every week!

As for the water...If I have a hard time drinking the 2ltrs of water a day, I tend to put some diet cordial in it (or Crystal Light that I get from the states)...but its always easiest if you start drinking it first thing in the morning and just take sips of it all day. Then it doesnt seem as daunting. Unless you want to drink it hot, not exactly sure how else you can make it more enjoyable warm....I always drink mine room temperature in the winter tho - no ice!

Thanks Britt :-)

What kind of diet are you following? I'm really looking forward to hearing about your progress. I have a shocking weakness for chocolate, so it's a challenge for me to manage that - but apart from that I feel really inspired to lose some of this weight I've been carrying around.

Perthchick, Im doing a modified version of Tony Fergusons actually. I wanted to be strict on it, but Im still breastfeeding (altho my milk is dwindling...), so have to incorporare more foods into my diet. I wont lose as quickly as I wanted, but at least Im losing instead of just waiting around until Carters completely weaned. Luckily, Im not huge on choc, although now that you mention it, a nice Lindt bar would go down nicely right about now! Argh!

The best of luck - you'll do great!

Evening again folks!

And again I am absolutely thrilled at how alive this thread has become



PerthChick!! Welcome!! As it has already been said, the more the merrier! Your lifestyle seems similar to mine...I live alone with my two much loved dogs and one God...errrr..I mean cat

Although fighting this battle alone requires much more self-determination and self-motivation, I also find it can be an advantage in other areas. Since talking to others here - I think it would be so much harder having to keep a family while dieting yourself. Having to cook normal meals for the rest of the family knowing that there is going to be stuff you can't have. Allowing the rest of the family to have snacks while you have to try and aviod some of those snacks. Opening the fridge or cupboard and finding stuff that someone else in the family can have but you shouldn't. Too many temptations!!

At least while alone you are responsible for what food is kept in the house. Me, I have got rid of all the 'bad' stuff. And I have restricted my need to shop so often.

I try and keep to a routine and only shop fortnightly. I keep a couple of litres of UHT milk in the cupboard in case I run out of the fresh milk (or it runs out of date). I have a loaf of bread in the freezer in case I run out of the fresh loaf (or it goes stale). I eat rice cakes more often than bread now too. I have a stash of frozen vegies. And a stash of frozen meals in case I can't get 'round to cooking in an evening.

I am not following any diet plan...I just had to reduce my meal sizes and cut out the snacks and comfort eating. When I crave something that I used to snack on I have to tell myself that I can't have it just now. When I reach goal I can go back to eating what I love but I will just have to limit the quantity so as not to gain too much weight.

I managed that for six straight months from January this year and I lost 25kgs for it!!! I kinda fell off the wagon when it got cold and I couldn't resist the hot snacks and deserts. It has warmed up now so I am retraining my mind again. Hopefully after six months I will be pretty close to goal!

Exercise has never been a big thing in my weight loss program...I did 30mins a day for seven weeks and I am not sure it did much for my weight loss as I continued to lose at the same rate that I was before the exercise. But it did make me feel fitter. The exercising came to a holt sometime ago, but I'd like to get back into it again at some point soon. I seem to lack motivation there

Half a kilo a week is a good plan. When I started I was losing two to three a week, but that evenually dwindled down to one a week with the odd week of no change. The trick is not to feel despondent when you go a week with no change. These are bound to happen. I was suprised occasionally by finding I'd lose two or three kilos in a week after making no apparent change in what I was doing...they were the very gooood weeks

I wish you all the luck in this battle. We are here to support each other...including you!



LittleKiwi...well done in making that step back into the gym. Sometimes it is just that one little step that gets the ball rolling again. It is good to have you back and will be great having you as inspiration



Britt!! My Mum is a nurse too!!! Do you think there is a connection there? Can I assume that your mother is just skin and bones too and never had to battle a weight problem in her life either??

I met my brothers wife a couple of years ago. They live in the US and she is a tiny Chinese girl. My brother informed me before we met that there are two things that she hates in other people...ladies that are single and ladies that are fat!! I must have been her worst nightmare when I rocked up on their door step very single and at about 115kgs! For the two weeks that I was visiting them she plastered me with makeup and tried to get me into attractive clothes in an attempt to lure some guy into my life. At 115kgs I felt ugly and could not imagine that any amount of makeup or pretty clothes could help. On top of that she fed me all the health crap she could muster and only served me half size portions. She did so much for my self esteem...NOT!!! I can't wait to reach goal and then visit them again...especially now that she has not long ago had a baby and is trying to shed some excess weight herself!!!

Congrats on your two and a half kilo loss this week!!



Today has been another good day for me. No unplanned snacks. Good light meals and fruit in between. I feel good...and I feel determined still too.


Wooohoooo...keep up the good work ladies!!

Lindor - haha...thats too funny about the nurse mums! Oddly enough, my mom has always battled the bulge as well and isnt skin and bones (altho she has been in the past), but I think thats what makes her so psycho about the whole thing - shes determined to not let me become her. She isnt fat by any means, but shes overweight. Needless to say, shes on a diet as well and we have been sharing recipes and stuff, so thats good.

I would have felt AWFUL with my sister-in-law doing that to me. I can only imagine how that made you feel - like you weren't good enough or werent attractive enough to lure the men! Im very fortunate in that all my in-laws struggle with their weight as well, but even if they didnt, totally would accept me for who I am. It helps that I was fat when I married my husband, so theyve never known me any differently.

Weighed this morning (was my weigh-in day) and Ive lost a total of 3 kilos this week....yay! Especially since I am not being too strict on my eating plan (eating oatmeal as we speak) from breastfeeding. I know this is mostly water weight and I know it wont be like this every week, but its a good start anyway...

Ok ladies - have a GREAT day - have to finish the house, laundry, cooking, etc as in-laws are here tomorrow!

Love Britt

Hi everyone

How ironic is it that Perth (and all of WA of course) is going through its dryest winter on record - and the day I started this weight loss thing it started to rain. I think it has rained every day since, which makes it hard to get out and go for a walk.

Lindor, thanks for your thoughtful comments - it puts it into a great perspective for me. And you are right … we don't have to battle the temptation of what another family member brings into the house. You've lost heaps of weight this year - that's really inspiring.

It's interesting what you wrote about exercise. For me, I find that if I don't exercise my mind 'forgets' that I am trying to turn things around, and I end up making excuses to eat rubbish again. I'm really unfit, so I've been walking for 1/2 an hour twice a day. On the really rainy days I have driven to the local shopping centre and walked around there - better than nothing I guess.

Have a great day everyone!

I did well again today, but am feeling a little off. Had a bit of a head spin about midday, not nice when the room starts spinning on its own. And no I haven't been drinking...lol. We ended up at Maccas today, but I had one of the chicken salads, eating the chicken and greens only, with a tiny amount of salad dressing. I've really got a thing for cabbage today, had it for dinner tonite with pork mince, yum yum. Didn't even feel like having chips like the rest of the family. The scales do seem to be moving again tho

Hey all,

I didn't end up joining Weight Watchers (besides $$$) I decided against it because I 'know what I have to do' and I don't need to pay anyone to tell me Haven't had a chance to work out yet either ... you all have great things to report and I don't!

Next week I have a block at Uni and that is a nightmare for me. I leave home at 7am and get home at 7pm, and eat nothing but junk food usually. Gosh, I better get my act together and make myself a healthy lunch alternative - otherwise, it'll be all downhill fast.

Britt - congrats on your great loss this week. Guess what? My hubby is American and moved here to marry me, lots of similarities between us hey haha? He's from Maryland where are you from? Regarding the veges, have you thought of growing your own. My hubby loves to garden (organic of course) and we gets loads of fresh yummy veges all at our fingertips.

PerthChick - you philosophy (sp?) on food and exercise is exactly the same as mine. If I am told/or tell myself that I can't have chocolate again, well I'd probably overdose within 3 minutes. It's not logical and we won't be happy. It's all about the balance. I'm an emotional eater to, so I'm trying to work on my 'emotions' as well as my 'habits' as they as sooooo related hey? Congrats on your loss so far and too funny about the rain starting when you decide to get healthy ...

Littlekiwi - you've done pretty well at the gym! Good for you. Wow, you're holiday sounds great to. Keep working out and you'll be trekking with the best of them

Lindor - gosh you're sister in law sounds like a great person to be around. Can't even imagine what it would be like having someone being so rude and 'know it all' in your face. But that's ok, karma works when it's suppose to Loved reading your post by the way - gives me confidence knowing that if we stay strong the weight will come off slowly and forever! Even more inspirational is the fact that even without exercise it's still falling off - like the sounds of that.

kathyhegg - What do those chicken salads at Maccas taste like? Is it worth the cost? Good alternative if you HAVE to go to maccas though hey? Hoping the scales drop for you again this week.

Over and out .....

Jo, changing a whole lifestyle is never easy!! To me that is what dieting and weight control is. All our lives our eating style has slowly made us fatter...now, to reduce that we have to change the habits of a lifetime.

I can imagine your concern over your week at uni. You have to change your habits there to reflect the changes you are making in your life...that is not easy, so I wish you luck. I used to always have a hamburger or bacon and egg sandwich for morning tea at work. I'd buy it from the kiosk that operated just down the corridor from my office. I smelt them cooking all morning how could I resist buying one??? All thoughts of dieting while this was happenening always died at the first whiff of those hamburgers!!! It actually took the kiosk closing down at the end of last year for me to actually think of really dieting and being able to take control of my diet. I am sure if those hamburgers were still being cooked I would not be here 25kgs lighter today.

Stay strong Jo



Kathy, well done for staying on track and well done for making them scales move!!! I have been feeling really tired these last few days...I think my body is struggling to accept the drop in calories again! Maybe this is part of the reason for your dizzy spell today? Be careful though, if it happens too much do see a doctor?

Congrats on staying focused in the middle of Maccas too!!! You deserve a medal for that!!!


PerthChick...it used to be that if I ate well then my mind felt I didn't need to exercise. If I exercised then my mind felt I didn't need to eat well. I think when I was exercising I was slowly drifting into that mind frame again. I had my first big binge since January at about seven weeks into the exercising, I remember telling myself while I was feasting that it was ok because I am exercising too. It was then that I stopped exercising because I kept rewarding myself afterwards - I wanted to concentrate on correcting my eating habits again. Never really made it back on track fully until now.

I hope the weather settles for you so you can get back to the walking. Perth has so many nice places to walk too


Britt!! Three kilos!!! Well done! I remember when I first started losing...those first few kilos were soooo important. Focus on the feeling of seeing that happen. Concentrate also on never seeing those three kilos show again on the scales rather than worrying about going a week without losing any. Ultimately it is keeping the weight off that we need to concentrate on. I am so happy for you


I have had another good day! Stayed on track all day despite getting very emotional with the local state housing department today. I am having ongoing problems with my neighbours who all live in state housing (I own my own home). I am getting little support or help from anyone and I am getting very angry and upset by it all. Loooongggg story!

Anyway...keep up the good efforts!!

'Night all