97.9 whoops
almost funny that i had made my first big goal weight an 8kg loss, little did I know that i would need to lose 8kg to get under 90.
not funny
my body hates me
but i am really sorry so i am going to make it up to my body
pretty bad when you can actually FEEL your health sliding yet still eat eat eat

jemima time now

97.8!

Thank God for that. I don't know where it went, but I'm not going to look for it!

I found it Kylie!!! And more!!

Word of advice...

...never think that it is an economical advantage to book into the cheapest accommodation when on holiday. Don't get me wrong, the place was comfortable...but no cooking facilities!! Had to go out for nearly every meal!!!

Anyway...just quickly (lunch break), Darwin was great! I know I will like living there! I have signed a contract to buy a house...if everything runs smoothly I should be in by early Jan!!

Weight loss is right out the window!! But half heartedly trying to make a mends now...however I know I should be eating something better than salted mixed nuts for lunch!!! Airconditioner has died here (home) again and I just want to stop quickly to sort out my pets then get back to my airconditioned office!

Hope everyone is well!

Happy birthday for last week Ani!

wow wow wow lindor!!! that is so exciting! what is the house like???
i am so excited for you, i was just discussing selling our place to move somewhere with some land.... but not the right time for us

wow that sounds so quick - end of january!

kylie - woohoo :carrot: its been too long since we have had a carrot party

Congrats on the house and the excitement about the move Lindor, that's really cool!

I decided not to take the option of moving in with the person who asked me to. Just not convinced that living with someone I work with is a good idea. Plus, I love living by myself and am not ready to give that up just yet.

Work has been madness today and I'm still here 20 minutes after closing time which is very unusual for me. Not going to the gym today and I can pretty much guarantee that I won't do any exercise all week as I'm off to the North Island on Wednesday night and don't come home till Sunday.

Glad you had a nice birthday Ani :)

Dinner for me tonight is going to be weiner schnitzel, mashed potatoes and veggies and I can't wait!

Wow Kel what a blog.... lol. good on you for Jemima time

Kylie, don't worry bout lookin for it, it doesnt want to be found

Lindor how exciting. Sounds like its all systems go for you. A new start a new life. Congratulations D

Julia thats to bad about the not moving thing, but if yr not ready and do it anyhow, you won't be happy. And it's harder to get out on yr own again.

Gen how are you doin? Ani? Hey anyone seen Barb??

BTW.... I have FINALLY finished all my assignments, exams, clinical, research papers and essays...... YAYYYYYYY

Now I will be cranky if any resubmits as end of study period is next Monday lol.

No more pressure and nowe I can get my house in order before xmas and my diploma then registration comes through and I start working more.

Vonni

Haven't had a chance to read everyones posts, sorry.

Happy belated birthday Ani.

I've been so busy with getting things finished I haven't had time to really take care of myself. I have been taking measurements over the last three weeks and I'm happy to say that they've moved down, so I'm doing something right. Not really concentrating on what the scales tell me, sometimes I think they lie just to make me feel bad!!!!

Anyway that's it for now. Will try and keep up with everyone.

XX
Barb

They do lie.... They are evil:devil:

Final exams week.. .no time for anything!

Vonni, there's a huge genetic component to cholesterol. You can try fish oil supplements? Also increasing fibre also can reduce cholesterol a lot.

Thanks Gen,,, yeah my Doc suggested 5 fish oil a day, an avocado a week (blerk) and exercise at least once a week to start. She going to retest in a couple months. Speaking of genetic..... she asked me if anyone in my family had chemical blah blah (didnt get the 2nd part lol, maybe you know?) as it could have a part to play... see, my iron levels are ok (for a change) but as the last time, there is a chemical which SEARCHES for the iron and that is to high. So she wondered about that. I kinda figure it to be just some genetic chemical imbalance that they dnt really know why or how. Anywho.... making a start on making it right.
She put the BGL highs down to stress and also said the cholesterol could be that to so we see now things have settled down. Aint the body a wonderful thing ? lol/

How's everyone faring?

Good luck in yr exams Gen.

stress is evil

dieting doesnt work
i am impatient

so there

Ok Kel!!

I've got a couple of challenges to throw at you to help get you back into it...and I am going to do them myself too because this morning I admitted defeat and have to go to work in an old, tatty pair of size 18 shorts because I am just tooooo uncomfortable in the 16's now!!

Of course, anyone else is welcome to join in with these challenges too.

Challenge One:

Pick one thing, JUST ONE THING, in your daily lifestyle (that is your current daily lifestyle, not the healthy one you want and wish you had) that you KNOW you can change to make it fit into your desired healthy lifestyle. Pick something simple. Maybe a promise to eat a healthy breakfast every morning, to go for a 20min walk every day, cut out one unhealthy food item that you eat on a too regular basis, eat five veg & two fruit everyday, or drink a particular amount of water everyday.

With regard to everything else, let it be for now. Lets show ourselves again that we can make little changes toward a healthy lifestyle. Often it is the little changes that prompt us to make more and bigger changes.

For me, I promise myself that from now on I will drink at least one 1.25L bottle of water a day. Now I know that is not enough by any standards, but it is a change to the zero litres I drink right now. And I know I can meet this challenge because I have done it before!

It's all about going back to basics...and I believe that is where I need to go.


Challenge Two:

(This might be the slightly harder challenge)

Lets count calories! Don't change anything in your current lifestyle yet (apart from that in Challenge One). Let see how much we really are consuming on a daily basis in our current lifestyle.

We must promise ourselves that we will not get annoyed with the quantity that we discover we are taking in. We already know it is too much right?

We report here on 3FC with our fellow non-judgemental peers what we are eating and what our calorie count is each day. We do this for one, maybe two weeks, and then we review with each other what we have been eating and discuss what we can take out or change to our current intake to reduce the calories. Then we hit ourselves with another challenge similar to challenge one and make another little change.

I know it seems slow, but look at who opted for the 'slow and steady' approach when she started here on Aussie Chicks...and look where she is now!! Compare that to where we (the impatient ones) are and most of us have been here for just as long!


Ok, that's my input for now! I gotta run...going to be late for work!

By the way, with Challenge One, be realistic too! Remember it is Christmas! Don't opt for something like "No more cholcolate" or "No more second servings" when we all know that that is virtually impossible at this time of the year!

And I am starting today with these challenges!!

I take it you're referring to me as the 'slow and steady one' Lindor. Just to prove your point I would like to report that I dropped the grand total of ZERO POINT ONE kilos this week :D

But everything you said in that very poignant post is right - ONE foot goes in front of the other - and there are many days when that is all you can ask of yourself.

I'm up for your challenge. Mine is water - I want to drink at least 1.8L on a consistent daily basis.

Kel you are absolutely right - DIETS DO NOT WORK! They never have, and never will. The only people who benefit from diets are those who make money from the weight loss industry. In the 123 weeks I have been losing weight I have never felt the urge to part with money for a shake, a fad or advice.

I am of the unshakeable belief that the only thing that really works, over the long term, is to change the way you think about food - and change the way you eat it.

I eat everything - and I mean EVERYTHING I want. I don't miss out on a single thing, and I often have more food on my plate than other people. But I know now what my body wants, and I know how much it needs.

It's a really simple fact: in order to lose weight you have to burn more food than you eat - and the best way to do that is to count calories.

And if you can't identify the origin of what's about to go in your mouth, chances are it isn't 'food'. Next time you go to shove a MacDonalds in your mouth, try to identify which plant or animal that food came from… if you can't recognise it, the chances are high that it was made in a laboratory or a factory - and that aint food!

But it isn't easy to lose weight. Every single kilo that comes off - then stays off - is a major achievement. There are so many factors that come into play - emotions, social events, expectations, habits, and life changes - and it's why we have to find something that works for us, no matter what is going on in our lives.

You have to be consistent. You have to be disciplined. You have to want it. There are no shortcuts, no magic pills, no secrets - you have to control what you put in your mouth.

Sorry if I have gone off on a bit of a tangent and had a bit of a rant this morning. The weight loss 'industry' sh!ts me to tears. So does the societal expectation of what a woman 'should be'. I hate it that they prey on vulnerable people, and treat us like second-class, undeserving women. I hate it that they tell us we are unhealthy/unattractive/undeserving - and then try and flog us a "quick-fix' solution for "just a few hundred dollars".

I get treated differently now that I fit into "normal" in most people's eyes. And that annoys me a lot.

I decided to lose weight for myself - for my health and for the way I looked. I wanted to be able to do more, feel more and have a lot more stamina. I was embarrassed that I couldn't fit into seats properly, that I was literally taking up too much space. I hated being out of breath, not being able to shop in a 'normal' clothes store; I hated how people formed judgements about me when they watched me eat. But I mostly hated what I was doing to myself, and what I had become.

I was invisible to so many people - just a big, fat nobody who could go through life emotionally safe and unchallenged. I was sad. I was obese.

Even now I can't identify the moment when I knew I had to change things, or what motivated me to lose the weight. I think it was a gradual thing - and I had unsuccessfully tried for a couple of years. I would lose 8-10kg and then put it all back on… and more.

But it occurred to me one day that I had to find a way to live a more healthy life. That I had to do something I would be able to live with forever. Aussie Chicks has been the most important tool I could have picked up. Far more valuable than scales or measuring tapes, because it has given me support, information and a whole bunch of things I couldn't have got anywhere else.

It frustrates me, to be honest, that I can't give back to you girls what you have given me. I SO want to share the success I feel with you, and to find a way to encourage you more, to help you more to lose weight. You are my friends in the truest sense of the word, and I feel like I have let you down somehow.

More than anything in the world I want you to have what I'm having. I don't like this feeling that I have taken more than I have given to Aussie Chicks, and I feel really selfish.

Again I am sorry for the rant, and the very self-indulgent and rambling post. But I've been feeling it for a while and I wanted to say it.

Ani .. selfish.. pardon.. sorry never put those to words in one sentence.. you are always the first to help us out dont for a minute think you have taken more then you give.. You give back 5 times as much ..


LInodr i love the idea of your challenge even though it menas coutning the stupid caloires again.. fine i have had my break i suppose.. lol . i will figure out what i want to do for my challenges start the old counteroony again tomorrow.. i suppose lol ..

ok well i have been busybusybusy.. lol.. i have been to 2 xmas parties this week... yup not a good thing.. lol.. and have another one on friday .. crap.. but i think i have been good .... enough.. lol

today i spent most the day gardening. Loads of leaves to pick up and weeds to pull.. becuase im having bark mulch delivered tomorrow afternoon .. and i wanted to get the garden beds ready to be covered.. lol .. .. so you all know what ill be doing tommorrow afternoon.. and im on my own.. there is no one to help me.. and there is alot of it coming too .. 3.5 cubic metres.. lol .. im gonna be a sore girl i tell ya! then i have hard rubbish collection so have to heave the old crapy broken crap out.. a freezer dryer dishwasher.. mattress.. couple of bikes... .. geez.. lol i sure will be sore wont i..

ok well im gonna go.. watering day for me.. and my tinderbox lawn is crying for some water..

Ani, Ani, Ani! :hug:

You have given us more than you can ever imagine! Watching you fight this battle, go through the ups and downs, the frustrations and triumphs and lose the weight you have has been the biggest source of inspiration to me! And I have had the advantage of physically seeing the change in you! You soooo don't have the right to say you have taken more from us than you have given!!

I hope I didn't give you the impression that I was envious about your success in my comment about your being the 'slow and steady one'? It was purely a remark stating how we should see the success in the slow and steady approach, because clearly our 'quick fix' attempts are not working!

You know what really bothers me every time I look at your ticker and see that you only have a few kg to go? It scares me that we are going to lose such an inspirational member of our team when you reach goal. I'm not suggesting you are going to reap your rewards and leave, but I worry that you are going to get bored of watching us go around in circles chasing our tails all the time. I can see that it is just as frustrating for you watching us get frustrated when we feel like we are going backwards...and that is what makes you a valuable member of our team here. You care about where we are going too! And it is that you care as much as I do about losing this weight that makes me want to achieve this!!!

So please, don't ever feel you have not given us enough! You have given us so much in so many ways!

Chin up mate, you have nothing to feel selfish about :hug:


And thankyou to you and Amy for joining me in my challenges.

For me today:

Challenge 1: 1.25L water consumed


Challenge 2: Total Calories for the day: 2212

4 x large cups of coffee (240 cal)
1 x serve porridge (115 cal)
1 x 250g block whittakers 72% dark chocolate (1413 cal) :o
1 x serve Fantastic 'meal in a cup' Macaroni and Cheese (350 cal)
2 x small peaches (94 cal)


Hmmm...wonder what I can do to improve that! :lol:

okey pokey
i wish i had read aussie chicks before "breakfast"
i am up BRIGHT AND EARLY today as it s jemima's first day at new daycare and i wanted to start off by her knowing that both benji and i might leave her there rather than at the old place when only benji dropped her off - so that was EARLY and sad am going to ring them soon to talk to her actual 'teachers' so they dont undo all the hard work i have done 'fixing' her after the last daycare place.

me today already
celebrity slim choc shake for brekky
about 500ml water
some pretzels i found when i was looking for my purse (about a handful)
am planning to bring a nectarine to woolies for my break
not sure about lunch on the way to working at the opshop maybe was going to be meal replacement bar
dinner maybe steak and veges so i can eat the beans and corn that is in the garden

exercise wont happen today unless i can get on the cross trainer after working at the opshop

but exercise and water i will make challenge number one, definately water this week and try hard for exercise next weeek

oh and i am back on my meds, i lost them and i without them i realised i needed them - i didnt realise they were also for anger management not just depression and anxiety which without my meds i realised i dont have depression i dont think and i am not sure about anxiety as i dont really have panic attacks unless i am in a situation like the top of an escalator (terrified of them) or out far on a jetty or in deep water etc so i dont think anxiety affects my everyday life
however anger management was interesting coz without the meds i am a very wound up snappy tom

Lindor - thanks matey! And don't you worry - I'm not going to leave when I reach goal. From everything I have read, heard and experienced I understand that maintenance is going to be a big challenge. And just as important I want to know how everyone here is going, and to still support you all, and to keep in close touch with my friends here :D

One of the reasons I have set myself the Walk Across Australia challenge is that it will give me something else to work on once I have reached goal. And speaking of goals, I already know what mine are for 2009.

Kel I am so glad you are back on your meds. Why do you go off them?

Amy I'm glad you're counting calories for this challenge - I know it gets tedious, but it's the best way to know what's happening with your body on a daily basis.

I'm in for the calorie counting challenge too. I really want to try and aim for around 1700/day as well as drinking 2L of water. Obviously the exercise part doesn't worry me any more because I get plenty of that at work.

So… today I'm aiming for 1700 cals, and I will report in either tonight or in the morning with how I went.

Hope everyone has a good day :)

Today so far
500ml water
3 cups of coffee 2sm
half cup of lime softdrink (i dnt really go in for softdrink so that wont be hard to stop)
a dry fried chicken breast (garlic salt and pepper) on a white breadroll with a teaspoon butter
2 shortbread creams
2 wollies bakery jam drops
a piece of milky bar white choc.

Tonight I aim for 2 small lamb loin chops
1/4 cup mash potato
1/2 cup mixed steam fresh veges.

Prob have another 3 cuppas

i dont take them because i lose them
i hate that they work even just to calm me a little
ho hum

i am just going to take challenge one and do the water thing
i am going to drink at least 1.5L per day
i think i have done 2.2L so woo me for today

i am so glad that you wont be going ani - keeps me on track kinda

Challenge One: Drank 1.25L of water

Challenge Two: I kinda lost count of my calories while making trifle for work Xmas lunch tomorrow! Oops :o

ok reporting in at some stupid hour in the morning.. becuase my old friend insomnia is back hooray lol..

ok yesterday..

was not great..

Breakfast
nothing... (oops well i woke at 9am and the kids had to be at school right then.. lol and then i went shopping with a friend)

Lunch
(At bbs cafe.)
*a cappucino with equal
* chicken avocado egg tomato lettuce and mayo focaccia

afternoon snack some lollies.. lol (only becuase i was staring at a pile taller then me and wider then my car is long which took up 2/3rds of my double drive way)

Dinner .. bbq chicken and chips (after 5 hours of shoveling and at 8.30pm.. i wasn't able to move enough to cook.. but i did have to bring my car in so... rang the chicken shops had a shower and then went and got us 3 hard workers some dinner on the way to putting the car in the garage.. lol not the chicken shop is in between my front lawn and the garage but .. it was last night lol)

Exercise
, 4 hours of walking and 5 hours of shovelling mulch and spreading it in my yard.. ( 3 tonnes of the stuff with only the kids to help gosh was i tired and sore last night lol but yet ive been awake sine 4 am.. lol)

Water
i drank like a fish while shoveling.. kept getting leah to fill my big cup(700ml)
must have been at least 3 litres

Total Calories 1503... exercise calories 2730.. net calories-1227



Things to work on.. need more fruit eat some damn breakfast take multi vitamin and calcium tablets ..

Breakfast

Uncle Toby's Plus cereal, HiLo Milk, almonds, prunes.

Lunch

Home-made pizza: lebanese bread, capsicum, mushroom, tomatoes, cheese, tomato paste.

Snack

Two apricots

Dinner

Low-fat mince, kidney beans, chick peas, lentils, mushroom, tomato, capsicum, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, peas & heaps of herbs.

Snack

Four squares of Turkish Delight

Total: 1490 calories & 2.4L of water.

ok just sat down and figured out wednesday

Breakfast
*banana

Lunch
Camerons xmas party
* mini sub ham salad on wholemeal ( subway platter)
* party pie
* party sausage roll

Dinner
* egg and bacon sandwiches x 2

snack
*little mini choc xmas pudding ..
* 12 cherries
* 1/2 grapefruit

Exercise
* 3 hours clearing leaves pulling weeds.. digging up dead plants and getting the yard ready for mulching and 1 hour walking

Water
* no idea but i bet not enough


Total Calories . 1546 .. exercise calories 1346... net calories 200

Things to improve water water water..

can anyone guess my kids are still in bed.. lol.. i thought id share somethin funny..

weigh in day im still sitting at 111.. so yeah quiting counting was a bad idea.. lol back to its.. at least i didnt gain.. and some of that is probably water weight in my poor muscles.. ouch ( nothing on me doesnt hurt today)


here is a picture of my last years progress summed up in two pictures.. no you have to remember something before looking.. the jeans were tight on my leg on the first picture .. and i was outgrowing them .. they are a size 28 .. ( i could only just do them up.. ) .. they are done up in both pictures..

oh and the funny face is picture two is me trying my hardest after hopping across the room to set the auto picture thing on my camera.. to trun aorund in time and not fall over.. lmao.. but i got quite a funny picture.. so i dont care..

http://i37.tinypic.com/5eelo1.jpg
http://i34.tinypic.com/dhfous.jpg

That is AMAZING! Well done, babe. Really, that is a reflection of how hard you've been working, no matter what life throws at you.

:carrot::carrot: :carrot::carrot: :carrot::carrot: :carrot::carrot: :carrot::carrot:

Really, wow.

I had a realisation yesterday, and that is that I don't eat!

Breakfast: Grande long black with hot milk + 1 raw sugar

Morning Tea: Grande long black with hot milk + 1 raw sugar

Lunch: Tuna Foccacia (tuna, tomato, cheese, basil?)

And that's it!

I never eat dinner! I was really surprised when I worked that out. I just didn't notice. The only time I eat tea is when I'm out with friends.

Yesterday was an anomaly, I'll admit. I had a boneless 2 piece feed from KFC for tea. But that was because I was out.

Yes, very strange.

And Ani - Don't ever feel that you are letting us down, or anything like that. I'm not eloquent enough to say what I mean, but I do want you to know that you have given us all so much. It might not show physically yet, but you've certainly been a great mental help! (Does that make sense?)

We love you Ani! :hugs:

Thank you Kylie - that's very sweet :).

Amy that photo completely cracked me up. What wonderful progress - I hope you are really proud of yourself.

Here's today's report from me:

Breakfast

Uncle Toby's Plus cereal with almonds, prunes and HiLo milk

Lunch

Wholegrain bread roll (with half the bread scooped out), avocado, home-grown tomato, ham and cheese.

Dinner

Pan-fried chicken schnitzel, mashed potato, broccoli, cauliflower, beans and peas.

Fruit

10 cherries & a big slice of watermelon.

Snack

4 squares of Turkish Delight.

Total: 1530 calories & 2.4L of water.

ok confession time is it.. lol..

Im glad it made you laugh.. you can just see me hoping around the house like that cant you..... lol.. oh and i didnt even hurt myself.. but i was barely standing up.. and it flashed right when i turned and i was trying to balance... classic.. hehehehe


anyway confession time.. grr we had a xmas/birthday party today lol

Breakfast
*Banana
*half punnet of strawberries

Party (10-2)
*mud cake
*fruit mince pie
* ham sandwich triangles and peanut butter ones too
*2 cuppa coffees milk no sugar

Dinner
* chicken avocado, spinach, tomato, carrot , cucumber and mayonaise . *wholemeal country grain roll

Exercise = 120 minutes walking and 60 minutes gardening

Water 2.2 litres

Total Calories = 1927... exercise cals 702... net cals 1225

dunno the calories but today

small bowl nutri grain lite milk
2 coffees 2sm

lunch - Shamrock Hotel - rib fillet steak with pepper sauce and a handful of FAT chips

dinner
vodka mudshake, caramel flavour yum yum
palm sized piece of bbq steak on a breadroll.

Snacks
pkt bbq chips (the car drive to Toowoomba)
200ml coke

amy that photo is awesome i cant believe you fit into your old jeans leg that is amazing
the behind the scenes info on the taking of the photo is so so so s oso so funny

me:
shake for brekky
cupcake and other sweet stuff at playgroup xmas breakup
tuna wrap for lunch
a cob of corn not cooked
there was something else but i cant remember
packet of kettle chips
penang chicken curry cooked by benji as surprise when i got home from work
choc coated icecream dipped in hundreds and thousands
grated cheese that i HAD to eat to fit it in container (nobody remind me i am a tupperware lady and i had other containers)

tomorrow am working again 9-2 and it is going to be very busy i do think.....

i am drinking a lotish of water kinda

have a great weekend

oh yeah
where is everybody
remember at the end of aussie chicks 2008 take 2 there were a couple of new girls?? mammy and someone else??
hello!!??? are you there??? how are you going???

and barb how are you going?? i miss you, i know you pop in but not like you used to...

That would be me? Maybe?

I'm here, just flat out with end-of-year / Christmas and stuff. You know how it is. I was so proud of myself because I thought I'd finished my Christmas shopping, but then looked at what year it was (2008, not 2009, doofus!) and realised that I'd bought the wrong stuff! A few years ago my family started a Kris Kringle - type arrangement, with 5 siblings and everyone married with 2-3 kids it was getting expensive. So we just buy for one other family now. And I bought for my brother and his wife and kids instead of my sister and her husband and kids! And the parents are nothing alike, to say nothing of the fact that presents for 6 and 8 year old boys are in no way, shape or form going to be able to be used for 12 and 14 year old girls. Bugger!

So now I have to brave the shops again. Oh well...

hi primm bummer about having to brave the shopping madness out there.. :) lol.

heres my day


Breakfast
*Crumpets
*ham
*cheese

Lunch
*avocado dip( mayo and avo homemade)
*cheese water thins
*famers union iced coffee light

Dinner
spaghetti bolagnase
*pasta
*mince beef
*zuchinni
*sweet potato
*cauliflower
*tomato
*mushrooms
*4 bean mix
* bok choy
* tomato paste

Exercise .
60 minutes in the garden

Water ..
1.8 litres but day is not over so will be more

Total calories 1520... exercise calories 332.... net calories .. 1188

bacon and eggs and toast and juice

optifast bar

cake and slices and tim tams and sweet stuff at opshop xmas afternoon tea

steak on bbq
and veges and salad from garden
zuper duper

2 x milos
the night is not over yet

Christmas lunch at work yesterday! So didn't even bother counting calories! Lets just say LOTS!! I did drink 1.25L of water!


Today...

Crunchy nut flakes 119cal
3/4 cup milk 158
Noodles 470cal
1/3 block choc! 466
4 mugs of coffee 240

No water!!!

Total 1453cal


I suck at this!

I am so over this cold I caught in Darwin...I feel ill!! Have for over two weeks now!!!

I feel tired and worn out with everything! The last few months are catching up on me...job interviews, traveling, surgery, trip to Darwin, house buying and that is on top of my normal daily routines...I want a break!!!

I am sick of packing!

I just want to be moved and settled again!

Ugh!!!

A pic of me and my friend Ashley from my work xmas party last night.