Hi all

Welcome back Little Kiwi...long time no hear. It is soooo easy to "fall off the wagon" but it takes a better person to get back on

Barb....you don't sound like you are having a good time of it at the moment. Lindor has a great avator...I love my computer because my friends live in it....too true. We are all friends even though we have never seen each other so you are very welcome to "winge" to your friends. Keep on posting here....i know i have had some hiccups all year and the support the other ladies have given me and listened to me winging has definitely helped

Lindor....you know it is only a slight hiccup and you also know you can lose weight. You have proven that to us over the year...you need to believe in yourself again that you can do this...and winge to us as well. We all understand only too well and will support you any way we can.

Ani....your challenge is powering on...good on ya.

Me....been to WW this morning and .....3kg loss.....yeah yeah...maybe i am on the right track again. I hope so as i have detoured badly of late. I feel like i am in some sort of control again. My challenge. Great ...been for walks every day this week and even did some step ups. Pulled some muscle in my calf though so maybe too much too soon. will swim today instead maybe with the arms...it all counts i suppose. Food great, water great...even in a better mood. Its funny when i feel in control i am a better person. Anyone else?

Must away and ring my sister to gloat on my loss. She told me when i joined again..."not again..you know you can't do it"....I'll prove her wrong. Have a good day all..xxxleeny

Hey Little Kiwi, welcome back. It's great news about your personal trainers. How much weight do you want to lose?

Barb, you're more than welcome to join our challenge. This is Day 3 of a 21-Day challenge, and I would encourage you to jump right in and come along for the ride with us. It's very informal - we all set individual goals, and report in every day on our progress (whether it's good or not), and we try to encourage each other.

My goal is to get below 97kg by the end of this challenge - and I do a few things to try and make that happen. Lindor's is about doing step-ups (I think), leeny is all fired up with weight watchers … and we THINK Britt is making babies :-).

It's just another way to try and be accountable - it's not strict, and nobody gives you a cyber-slap if you have a bad day or three.

I agree with you that it's harder to meet friends as you get older. Sometimes though, you have to be really proactive about it. Do you have interests or hobbies where you could join a social group and get to know people? I don't know - I'm in my 40s and don't have a lot of friends, but have come to realise that I'm the only one who can do anything about that. Not that I do :-)

leeny - how impressed am I with your motivation and weight loss! You go girl!!! I'm really happy that you're sounding so fired up and positive. YAY!

:-)
Ani

Feeling really fat and ugly now!

Three awful days in a row!!! I hate this! I am sure my clothes feel tighter already. I am sure I look fatter! I am fatter!!!

Last night, laying in bed, I gave myself a huge tongue lashing. Used some very choice swear words, some mental slaps around the face and some mental kicks up the butt - actually reduced myself to tears!

But it may have worked!

Barb, Little Kiwi, I am officially starting a new challenge on Monday (figured considering tomorrow isn't going to be good, I may as well start a fresh week), feel free to join me from there if you want - Ani, you smart cookie for doing so well so far, feel free to extend to a 28 day challenge .

Between now and then I am going to really clean up my act. Friday is going to be a bad day! But I am not going to make it another day in which I hate myself because it is another day I screwed up my challenge! It is just going to be the 'indulgence day' between some good days - and I am going to enjoy it, guilt free!!!


21 day challenge:
20 minutes of step-ups a day (starting small, starting fresh again).
Good food, normal portion sizes.
No junk!
NO NUTS!!!
3 litres of water a day.

(off challenge)
I want at least one box packed a day! I have done nothing in that regard all week either!! And I wonder why I am feeling stressed about the move!!!!


I want back on the wagon!!!


Wait for me!!!

Lindor I too give myself verbal mental bashings in bed at night! Why do you do this to your self..........You know you can do better..........Why am i a failure..........stuff like that. I know I should focus on the positive things that I achieve but its very hard when the negative things outweigh the good stuff
Well I'm in. I'm happy to join you on the 21 day challenge. My goals........

30mins of excersice 5 days a week
eat better food
eat smaller portions
drink more than 2 litres of water a day
THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS
and hopefully get to 90kgs

I'm so glad I found you girls here. People dealing with similar issues as me, and having a hard time sticking to the programme Better luck this time. We can do it!

Hi ladies

Thank you all so much for welcoming me back ..... this website is so helpful in keeping me motivated and inspired.

Leeny, great work on a 3kg loss, way to go!!

Lindor, it makes me sad to hear you sounding so down you've done amazingly well in the past and you will do again. I've learned that falling off the wagon is nothing to be ashamed of and getting back on is what it's all about. Chin up babe, you'll get there

I'm definitely going to join you all on your challenge. My long term goal is to get to 70kg which means a 27kg loss. Seems like a huge mountian to climb but if I don't try at all, I'm definitely not going to get anywhere.

My challenge will be to stick to my plan as outlined by my trainers:

Monday: 40 minutes cardio
Tuesday: 30 minute weight session with trainer and minimum 20 mins cardio
Wednesday: 40 minutes cardio
Thursday: 30 minute weight session with trainer and minimum 20 mins cardio
Friday/Saturday/Sunday: 60 minutes cardio any of these days

That's the minimum that I want to be doing. This week has been the first week doing it full-on and today is my 4th day in a row at the gym and I'm pleased to report that I'm feeling great

I think that what's made the biggest impact on me is the new man in my life. I've been seeing him for about 3 months now and in the biggest Bridget Jones moment of my life, he told me that he likes me just the way I am.

Having someone who loves me for me and who knows that my weight is not the be all and end all of who I am has boosted my self esteem and that in turn has given me the desire to change my habits for me and so that I can have a better quality of life now that I have someone to share it with.

We all begin on these journeys for different reasons and we will all have different results but I think that the support we can give eachother will be a very positive thing.

Keep it up ladies!!

Hi everyone,

I had a half-good day yesterday :-). I stuck to my calories, but I didn't exercise and I didn't quite get to 2 litres of water. And not all of my calories were what you might call *the best of choices*! Oh well, today's another day.

Lindor, I'm game to make it a 28-day challenge. It will be my birthday the day after it ends, so that will give me something 'extra' to motivate me to reach my goals.

Lindor and Barb, what's with all this verbal bashing you are doing to yourselves? Let me ask you something - would you be as cruel to someone else as you are being to yourselves? I don't think so - so why are you being so mean to YOU? That's torture - and it won't help you feel better about losing weight.

I know we are all our own biggest critic - and that's ONLY OK if we are also our own biggest cheer squad. You've got to start being kind to yourselves and believe in your strengths a little bit more.

It made me feel really sad to read both your posts this morning - I think you should be a little bit more gentle with yourselves, I honestly do.

Oi BRITT! Where are you? Surely it doesn't take this long to make a baby :-)

Little Kiwi, your motivation and enthusiasm sounds very infectious, and I hope I catch some of it.

I have to go to an Expo today and do some schmoozing. I'm going to the media launch this morning, and they always lay on TONS of free food for us. I had a think about how I'm going to manage the temptation of that, and decided I am going to have the biggest, healthiest breakfast in the world before I go. I don't know if it will work, but it was the best plan I could come up with.

I hope you all have a great day. I'll check in again this evening.

:-)
Ani

Hey Little Kiwi

I just re-read your post and realised that you and I weigh almost the same, and have the same goal. YAY!

I agree that it feels like a mountain to climb, but I decided (when I started out three months ago) that I would break it down into goals of 5kg at a time. That way it wouldn't overwhelm me.

I lost the first chunk of 5kg by the beginning of October, and am currently working on the goal of losing the next chunk by the end of this year.

Looking at your plan, it seems to me you are doing everything right.

For the first 3 months I didn't count calories - I just watched what I ate. It worked fine at first, but I stopped losing any weight during October, so I had to tweak it. And the only thing I could do was write down what I ate, and try and keep it to 1700 calories + an hour of exercise every day. That seems to be working for me at the moment.

:-)
Ani

Little Kiwi
Isn't it wonderful when you find someone that loves you just the way you are. My hubby is exactly like that. No matter how often my weight goes up and down he still loves who I am. You sound really happy .

Ani

I must be making a great first impression! I'm not usually so negative. I don't know whats going on at the moment. Self sabbotage I guess. If I'm feeling a bit down it gives me an excuse to binge!!! So what day does this challenge end on? If we start on Monday does that make it 4th Dec?

Well I'm going back to page 1 of this thread and get to know you all a little better!

Barb, the great thing about the women in here is that nobody is going to judge you, or get a bad first impression. We're all here for the same reason - not only because we want to lose weight, but because we want the support of other people … people who understand what we're going through.

We all get frustrated, and stuff things up. We all have bad days/weeks/months – put weight back on, get mad at ourselves. All of those things. But we stay here because, even though its a roller coaster, we're still committed to making healthy changes to our lives.

I have a huge amount of respect and affection for all the women in here. Every single one of us has insecurities and things that we struggle with - but it doesn't make anyone worthy of a bad 'first impression'. It makes us human :-).

Im so happy
I've been feeling pretty bad lately so when I went to Curves today I asked the instructor if she would measure me. My official weigh day isn't till the 19th..........Guess what????????? After only three weeks of busting a gut I've lost a whole 14.5cm's
I was starting to think that all the effort I was putting in wasn't worth it. The scales have only shifted by 200g. Boy was I wrong! I feel its all worthwhile now.
Starting measurements: Current measurements:
Bust 115 112
Waist 103 101
Abs 116 112
Hips 120 116
Thigh 70 68.5
Arm 36 36

Hey all

Hope we all had a great day. Heres also hoping that we are all off "the negative wagon" and back on the "i can do it" wagon.

Great news Barb on your cm loss...YAH Why do we all concentrate so much on those dreaded scales so much. We all do it and you have just proved to us that it is not all about the numbers we see on them but how you look and i might add how you feel. It made me smile to read your last post as you seemed so pleased with all your hard efforts....good for you.

ME....had another great day. Food excellent, water excellent and did not exceed my allocated points on WW. It is raining here at the moment so walking was out today but i managed 30mins on my minitramp with my sons iPod....what crap songs he has...he is nearly 17...you can imagine..he he.
I even surpried myself and made curried sausages and rice for the family and i ate a WW dinner instead. I took one look at it and said"is that it". It is now nearly 8.30pm and dinner was ages ago and i am not hungry in the slightest!!!

Anyhow must away, just dyed my hair(yes the grey roots)...turned 40 and they said Happy Birthday. My son just informed me it looks a bit pink so i think i must investigate...it is supposed to be blonde....eekk
Check in with you all tommorrow....keep on going girls...we will all make it this timexxxleeny

Progress at last!!!

I actually did 20mins of step-ups tonight!!!

Haven't eaten the best...although, I think, better than recent days.

Water intake is still poor! I still blame that on work - 15C in my office at the moment!!! People are getting sick with it, I came home early this afternoon and couldn't make it back (I have no winter clothes that fit me anymore!!!). And I am so tempted to say I won't be back until the airconditioning is sorted!!! It's 40+C outside! Inside we are all rugged up like it is the middle of winter!!!


Anyway!

I have been very self absorbed lately and for that I am sorry - I have been very ignorant!!

Welcome back Little Kiwi, I have wondered how you have been getting on and it sounds like all is good...and with such a wonderful chap in your life too. Don't s'pose he has a brother does he???

And Barb! The changes in your meassurements in just a few weeks is fantastic, very motivating. Keep it happening! And I look forward to starting a new challenge with you! We can run Ani into the ground together


Leeny...keep up the determination! Not far to go now


Thankyou all for your kind words, and I am sorry I had to drag you all down with my misery! I am over it for now!!!

Positive days ahead!!!

Well ladies, it sounds like we're all getting into the right frame of mind!

Barb - great work girl! 14cm off is an awesome effort. It's seeing results like that that will keep you going.

Lindor - great to hear you sounding more positive. I agree with the above post that points out that you'd never speak so negatively about someone else so don't be so cruel to yourself!

As for me, I had a great workout with my trainer last night and am feeling sore today! That made it 4 days in a row that I've been at the gym and I haven't done that in years! After my weights session I did 20 minutes hard out on the bike and pushed myself there which was good.

Today I caught the bus to work rather than drive and plan on walking home (about 50 minutes) if the weather holds out.

A big challenge for me is alcohol. I'm trying to limit myself but last night 1 had 2 decent sized glasses of wine and man did I feel guilty! Managed to stay away from the chocolates though so that was good

Keep it up ladies .... we can do it!!

Nothing exciting to report for me this morning - food and exercise were fine, but I didn't drink enough water yesterday. I went to the Conscious Living Expo, which was a lot of fun - and where I sampled all kinds of "live to be 100" vitamins and potions :-). But I was very good about not sampling the food…

So Lindor and Barb are going to run me into the ground? How funny are you :-)) Come on then … get yourselves ready for the Monday start, and we'll have a go.

Barb, it's great that you got yourself measured. It's a timely reminder that scales are only one way of tracking progress. I measure myself every three weeks or so - and while my weight loss is slow compared to everyone else's, it's still coming off.

Little Kiwi I don't know what to suggest about drinking. I have a friend who lost 30kg while still managing to drink 1/2 a bottle of shiraz every night. She claimed that she researched it, and discovered that the grapes used in shiraz have less sugar - or there is less sugar in the processing … I can't remember. But what she did was compensate, either by doing extra exercise or cutting back a few food calories. It certainly worked for her.

Alright - must go and find something adventurous to do with my day.

:-)
Ani

Hey all

It seems we are all in a better mood today. Just a boring old day for me today...can't be bothered to do housework..thats boring....when i'm slothing around it is a temptation to eat badly so thought i better get on here and chat to you guys so that doesn't happen.

Food wise so far today....OK but having a baked leg of pork for tea so the crackling will be hard to resist. Just a small bit OK.

Just a quickie today...not in the mood for typing....keep going girls..xxleeny