Yay Gen - have you decided on a plan yet? Is it possible for you to find a weight loss buddy over there, or to join in with a small group? You were doing really well before when you were meeting up with people and sharing a personal trainer - maybe you need a competitive environment or something :D.

Kel I'm glad you enjoyed meeting Vonni - can't see how you wouldn't because I think she would be awesome to know.

All is good here. I've woken up grumpy, am low on food and money until pay day, and am SO not in the mood to pay attention to weight loss. But these are the very times it is most important - when I am least motivated. I'm not accepting excuses from myself!

lack of food makes it so hard... i always end up eating noodles......

101.5kg
a new record for me

going for a walk now

gen if you can get to meetings i think you should do that

OK started tracking my food with sparkpeople.com - it's a start. Did pretty well (so far) today. Have had:

1135 calories (not had dinner yet)
~ 1.5L water
Exercise: 120 cals

I walked for 15 mins (oh gee!) before the shin pain made me stop. You wouldn't believe how hilly it is here (and how unfit I have gotten) - my HR hit 180 after about ONE MINUTE of WALKING up the hill outside my house. Went to the cemetery behind the house to meander around the trails. Shin pain was killing me - I know I used to get it from lack of use and it took about 25 mins to warm up and go away.. just couldn't take it for that long due to severity. Couldn't walk on the grass as I didn't want to step on someone's grandma! I would like to head back to the gym and elliptical, but I'm such a lump of lard that I would be mortified. Maybe I'll get another treadmill, that helped me a LOT last time..

Anyhow, it's ONE good day (so far) after about 500 bad ones (or no-effort ones). I am going to go to the information session about lapband this week. I feel like it's acknowledging failure, that other people can do this without surgery so why am I so weak... but I don't want to be up and down on the diet yo yo for the rest of my life, and I truly think I will be.

Hi Guys, my internet not working so I am at my daughters. Meeting kel and jemima was awesome. will post a pic when my internet back on. She not only met me she met my extended family lol.

Have briefed through everyones posts but will say more when i have more time. Daughters boyfriend breathing down back of my neck so he can get back on to whatever he was doing before I turned up. haha.

Take it easy.

OK THAT IS IT....


We all need to get serious about losing this lard... i want to challenege each of you to a minimum of a 60 minutes of walking this week ...

Split it up however you like.. but 60 minutes is the minimum..
you could do 10 minutes 6 days this week ... 20 minutes 3 times ... its up to you...

But if we are gonna change and get out this circle of self abuse we need to do something good for us..

I dont want excuses and i dont care how busy you are... make time to do something good for yourself... ...

Each week i think we should have a shared goal... and since the scale is moving in the wrong direction or not moving at all.. for all of us then lets get together and break this together..

No more self hate no more food abuse.. no more excuses lets just do it..


Each monday i want us to have a new shared goal for the week ..

Gen whatever you decide to do, whether it's lapband, calorie counting, or walking to the moon, you know we are here for you and will give you all the support in the world.

Intellectually you know how to do this, and when you get yourself going you are unstoppable. But weight loss is all about the tough mental stuff, and about finding a way to believe in yourself. I know you're worth it, and I know that you can do anything you set your mind to :hug:.

Amy you sound frustrated with yourself. I think your challenge is a great idea though, and I hope other people take you up on it :).

I'm having another good week. Even though I was grumpy yesterday and decided I wasn't going to make any special effort I still managed to eat 1510 calories, drink 2L of water and walk over 10,000 steps. It occurred to me last night that this is becoming 'normal' for me.

The big 70kg milestone isn't far away now, and neither is my ultimate goal - if I don't pig out at Easter I am very likely to be in the 60's sometime next month. Who would have ever believed, looking at me two and a half years ago, that I would be standing so close to this massive milestone today? None of my friends had any faith, and I'm not sure that I did either. But I'm nearly there :dizzy:.

Ani, how do you always know the exact right thing to say? Thanks.

I had another good day yesterday.
1602 cals with only 1532mg sodium (I'm trying to be careful with sodium)

Did not have a chance to exercise, but didn't feel hungry and did resist the temptation to eat lunch with the boys. I am going to eat my own thing during the week, then Fridays will still have pizza with them for lunch. It's plain pizza, 2-3 slices so will work it into my allowance as it's our Friday tradition.

Realised again worst time for me is evening if I'm sitting bored watching tv, I just eat to pass the time. I am busy with stuff most nights this week so hopefully won't have to stuff my face.

Amy, I am IN. I can DEFINITELY do 1 hr in a week, and I think it would be good for me to start slowly back into it like that.

Ani im not frustrated with myself at all.. actually im quite happy atm. though im not losing weight my body is definatly changing.. for example im starting to see my collar bones.. lol..


I have taken the pressure off my self quit counting calories and am going by my own body ... no more pressure ..it just does my head in.. and with counting i alwasy eat more then normal to get upto the recomended.... and in doing so my weight hasnt moved since November ... well it went up and back down but that is it...

I quit counting last week and this week im down a whole kilo from last week so i think my own intuition is my way forward for now..

Of course if i start eating crap again.. i will go back to counting.. but im very happy with everything atm.


But i do feel we need to get together as a group and get our toushys moving.. :) lol .. i swam with the kids for 2 hours last night am going to aqua tommorrow morning and plan to get my walking up by monday .. lol .. will walk to school a tonight and friday night .. that will be my hour since its 15 minutes each way .. :) lol .. too easy ... Jetson will be happy he loves going to the school . :)

Gen it sounds like you have a great plan.. you can still have your fun with the boys just not everyday. :) .. hey even they shouldn't eat it everyday skinny or not.. that rubbish can lead to all sorst of health problems... and they should know that.. :)


Ani your are amazing......... so so close.. do you feel like your almost there now in your self... do you feel nearly done???

It's funny Amy. Just in the last two weeks I have begun to feel it: I am so very close, and I can finally see it when I look in the mirror. Something has also changed inside me - at that training course last week they brought out this massive morning tea. And it was gourmet pastries, chocolates, and rather interesting food. I took one look at it (while everyone else was diving in) and the only conscious thought I had was: "I'm sitting on my ar$e at a training course - no chance I could burn that off", and I walked past it without the slightest urge to touch it.

It didn't look like food to me. I saw fat, sugar, more fat, more sugar - nah! nothing to see, move on! The old me would have eaten as much as I could, or felt really deprived if I had "been strong" and avoided it. The new me couldn't have cared less. YAY!

I agree with you that us Aussie Chicks should get our collective ar$es into gear and remember why we are here. Sometimes we make this the Aussie Chicks Excuses board :D, and I can be as guilty of that as anyone.

I would like to call everyone here to a challenge: Let's all lose a kilo in April. Come on girls - WE CAN!

Gen I am really proud of you, and really happy to see you focussing on yourself and your health :carrot:.

Well I was going well, but now I'm eating chocolate biscuits...

Got a call this morning that my mum is in hospital with a pleural effusion (fluid in lining of lung). She's been short of breath for a few weeks and just got an xray and ct yesterday. They are going to drain it, but apparently they saw something "suspicious" on the CT in the lung. Mum thinks she has got a cancer. How ironic would that be, 4 months after quitting smoking after 30 years...?

I couldn't stop bursting into tears all day. I am such a mummy's girl, and I literally don't know what I'd do without her. I know it's early and it could just be pneumonia or something, but I am so scared. It's hard being here and not being able to help, or just be there and see mum. Plus, dad was scheduled to go in for a pacemaker on friday but he postponed it.

Miserable being far away with no friends to cry on...

hugs to u gen. Hope wrks out. Just quick i am on my mobile. I am up 4 the hour a week. And a kilo next mth. I got on scales this am and up a kilo again. Grrr

Gen :hug:. Nothing anyone can say is going to make you feel better. Even though I'm on the other side of the country to my family, and not the other side of the world, I understand that terrible feeling in your gut when something is going on - you're just so far away.

And your imagination plays tricks on you because you have nothing else to balance it with. Do you have the option to go home to your mum if you need to?

Come on Vonni - don't put on any more kilos. We all want you to win this one!

All is good with my goals - I've had as close to the perfect week as I ever had. In fact if I nail my goals today it will be a 'perfect' week, and tomorrow is my weigh-in… and even me, who is the queen of slow and steady, is vaguely anxious to see that 70 disappear! Normally I wouldn't care what the scales say, but being so close to a milestone I feel impatient now to get there.

Slow down Ani! It isn't going to be the end of the world if it takes a few more weeks!!!

Not really - I'm heading home in 4 weeks the day after my final exam for pharm, but I will have to miss the exam if I go earlier, and don't even know if my flights are changeable.

Spoke to mum this morning and feel a bit better, but have to wait for results. I did tell her I love you, which I *never* do, and it just came out so easily that I wonder why I don't do it more often. We are not an "I love you" type family.

i know what you mean gen, we are not an i love you type family either but lately i have been saying it to my mum, something about having jemima and problems i have make me want to make sure she knows
thinking about you big time......

amy - WOW its almost like where did you put the old amy, you are so pumped i am so so in for 1hour a week
i have actually already done mine this week! i have walked every morning this week except today when i plan to walk to go and get jemima from daycare

i now HAVE to walk and go get her coz i had a car accident and feel like crap, benji had to get car towed to his work and my back hurts and i basically feel sorry for myself and terrible that i hurt benji's car

ani - i think i can definately lose 1kg next month even with easter
bring it on

also can you eat TOO many good veges? i mean even when i am full i like to eat and i was wondering how bad it was to KEEP eating zuccini and squash and celery??

kel i would say the veggies are a great idea not many cals in them.. but if its just chewing your after why not chew gum??


Yeah Kel you are very right about me.. its so nice to just feel like me again... i have bitten the depression dog on the *** and he has run off yelping.. lol....

I think it has been a on going problem for me since all the mess last year that started at about the same time i stopped losing weight....... funny that... lol and has continued through.. since it was just a snow ball affect of one thing after another after another... for now i can just carry on with what I want..

So much so that im really turning things around... Im fixing my hair... ya know the dark roots... i've had my nails done ... ive volunteered to help out with the kindy .. im going out with my mates to shop and have coffee ... im back to being Me ! I have even enrolled Cameron into scouts which is something he has wanted to do for over a year but i just never got around to since he was too young then for the group he wanted to be in...

Cameron goes on his first camp tomorrow night.. they are sleeping in tents.. going on a night hike to see fairy penguins... and then going to do biking as well .. they are all taking bikes or scooters... it will be so great for him .


should be great...


I have completed my 1 hour of walking and some.... lol Last night Me and Leah went for a 70 minute walk around Camerons scout hall.. It is in a lovely little suburb .. with a duck pond and walking trails... I didnt get to aqua today becuase i had to go into town to get Camerons uniform for camp.. but i spent all of the morning walking around town with my friend then we went to Ikea and spent a hour or so walking round there too ...

I know probably burned off about the same amount in walking from 10-1 then i would of in 40 minutes of aqua so im hapy enough with that.


Gen i wish all the best for your family.. and im glad that you are coming home fairly soon :) will be great tobe back with your family again....




ok where is julia and lindor hiding????????

It is cancer - most likely incurable. I just want to get home to my mum. I can't stop crying - figured I may as well get it out of the way now, since I'll have to be the sensible one once I get home.

Sounds so stupid to think "I'm not ready" to lose her - who ever is? I should know that in my line of work **** happens. Of all the people for it to happen to though, this is my worst scenario.

oh Gen im soo sorry that is the worst news especially since you're so far away.... :(:hug:

Gen that's devastating. I'm so sorry :hug:.

If you need anything, or even just want to chat - don't hesitate to PM me. I feel really sad for you.

wiegh in day and im down to 110.5 which means i have lost a whopping 1.2 kilos this week .. through just trusting myself and taking the counting pressure off :) ...


yippeee

We're on a roll ani............................................... ....................... its time to PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


http://i36.tinypic.com/23wntci.jpg

Amy I got a bit carried away with myself there - and didn't mean to make it all about me. Woo hoo for your fantastic loss this week too :carrot:!

It was so exciting to stand on the scales this morning and see a drop of 1.2kg - even more so to see SIXTY nine point six.

It has taken me two years and nine months to get to this point. It could be the slowest weight loss in history, but I don't care. Now my focus is on getting through the next 'phase' of this journey - and that means finding the way to drop the last 3-5kg. I don't know where I will stop, that will depend on how my body feels once I get to 67kg; I'll assess things then.

So my challenge for April is to narrow my focus, make sure I do what I need to lose that ONE kilo, and to keep chipping away.

Ani i actually think 69 is the biggest thing ani... lol ......... that is a huge milestone........ and dont you worry a bit i was just like you on that cloud nine this morning....

... so are you going to give yourself a little reward for breaking the 70 barrier???????? like a nice new coat for winter ... a new hair colour... or some new shoes........... budget is no excuse since there is always layby.. :) you really should reward yourself.. with something nice that will make you feel good about yourself..... ( these do it for me... lol ) hey or maybe even a cheap flight to see your family... that may be a nice lil reward too and with some place doing $39 flights im sure you could afford that ... :) ....

anyway do something special for yourself you deserve it...


I plan on doing something when i break the 100 mark


i just realsied im only 500 grams off losing 25 kilos.. :) that sure made me smile. :)

Congraulations Ani well worth the weight (hehe)! Good on you too Amy.

Gen I'm so sorry to hear about your mum. I'm thinking of you. :hug:

Oh, Amy if your still interested in getting together I am too.

gen big loves to u. And that is awesome telling yr mum u love her. That will give her some strength. 4 wks will b here b4 u know it. When u get home take so h time ov 2 spend with her. Must go on mobile again and typing blind cause ran out of

i was just about to say vonni says hi and has no internet but she said hi anyway

gen - so so sorry to hear that the cancer is most likely terminal.... very sad for you - puts a lot of things in perspective

ani - you ROCK
i am so jealous but i know i can do it!!!! i dont care if i take longer than you did, one day i will look at those scales and they WILL say 69
wow - congratulations - it is awesome awesome awesome

amy - congrats to you too!!!! carrot party for everyone!! but i dont have time to go and get a carrot as benji telling me to help him move something

gotta go
had sizzler tonight and hardly touched the potato skins and cheese toast which is what sizzler is all about so woohoo!

Ani - congrats, you are awesome.

I am heading home tomorrow. Work and school were awesome in organizing for me to drop everything and get out immediately. Will let you know what is happening.

Gen I am SO glad you're going home. Please stay in touch with us, and if there's anything you need, don't be too proud to ask.

Kel I KNOW you will be able to achieve everything I have, and more. And in answer to your question about overdosing on vegetables - it would be incredibly hard to do (as long as it isn't potato). I eat at least 300g of vegetables every day, and it hasn't hurt me. Vegies are really filling, and have so many fantastic nutrients - go hard, I say :).

Amy I'm not sure about what reward to give myself. I have already experienced so many rewards through shedding 35kg - but perhaps I'll put some money aside and get a massage. I demand a lot from my body these days and I always have a niggle here and there so a massage would be a real treat.

Barb how are you travelling with your weight loss?

Is Julia back from Fiji yet?

Vonni get your internet back - we miss you!

i know veges are really filling and i was full but still eating them which i hoped was not going to 'ruin' my good week
it is zucchini and squash in pasta sauce i am pigging out on.... that was just the other night and probably tonight as well
and celery and mushrooms NO POTATO it is evil - i did have a nibble on it at sizzler but didnt eat a whole potato skin i dont think as i was VERY concious of it

gen - ditto what ani said - if you need ANYTHING ask us and together we can make it happen - you are NOT alone

ani - i am so excited that you are 69.6kg it is awesome, can i ask when you will stop?? and then how do you feel about maintenance phase?

i would like to lose 3.3333333333333333333333333kg per month until xmas
totally doable

i did 15mins cross trainer this morning in my pjs knowing i did not have enough motivation to get changed and go for a walk - so that is a BIG step in right direction

i am scared about monday, first proper weigh in since really trying this week and well sneak peak at scales AFTER sizzler last night said i had only lost 300grams so that is not really what i wanted to see as i feel skinnier oh well wont 'worry' til monday
and if it is 300 grams that just means in the next 3 weeks i need to lose 1kg per week to lose 3.3333333333 in a month

amy - what do you feed your kids for lunch? what do you have for lunch?

have a good weekend i am so close to finishing cleaning the study.... i just sold the bookshelf to my evil sister in law so now that is 12 cube shelves i cant put crap in, so i have decluttered heaps
it feels weird
but i know it is for the best

My goal for March is 5 lbs. I think it's possible because I'm doing an elimination diet for 6 weeks starting next Monday. I'm trying to figure out which foods give me trouble.http://photo-collection.co.cc/img/31...0ygij/grin.gif

Thanks girls :)

Gen im glad your able to head home :) stay in touch..


Barb I would love to catch up .. when are you free? ;)


Kel lunch ... well i do all sorts for lunch.. the kids have a peanut butter sandwich.. that is there favourite thing.. Leah likes to have salad at lunch time .. I usually when its just her and me home.. cut up a salad and we have that for lunch .. umm when im on my own i generally have some sort of leftovers from the night befores dinner.. Johns not here but i still manage to cook like he is.. lol

Today i had veggis toffu stirfy minus thw noodles.. so really it was just mixed veg and tofu very yummy though..

Something i do also is crack and quickly fry it by stirring it around the bowl .. take it out .. and i add loads of chopped veggies... cabbage. spinach 'carot and zucchini' (grated ) capsicum.. tomato.. garlic.. and a bit of sundried tomato seasoning.. and fry it up in my wok.. and have that withn a small amount of ham thrown in .... yumm .. (kids eat this too )


another fav is tuna on crispbread with cucmber and beetroot... dont know why i just love the flavour.. lol

Ok i love food ....... i also buy mountain bread and make myself taosted wraps.. ... :) yumm.. hehehheh .. ok all this food talk is making me hungry... hehe.

Im not a big fruit eater at all so i eat extra veggies ;) to make up for it.


the all time favourite in this house is my meatballs.. i do the best meatballs.. the kindy kids loved them too when i cooked them there..

its a dinner thing .. but very yummy and healthy ..

i always make extra to keep the kids happy.. then they can have it twice .. :)

Balls ( serves 6 )
500 grams of mince
1 egg
1/4 cup of bread crumb.. i use crushed crackers (allergy again but extra flavour anyway lol)
3 sprigs of rosemary chopped finely
2 teaspoons of massel chicken stock powder
grate 1 carrot + 1 zuchinni (medium sized )
1 teapsoon of both dry garlic and onion
Sauce
2 cans of crushed tomatoes with garlic and basil
1-2 teapoons of massel stock again
1 handfull of chopped spinach very small
4-5 mushrroms.. cut very small

and a dash of oil lightly brown onion and garlic then add zucchinni and carrot and rosemary .. fry in a non stick till veggies are soft .. leave for a few minutes to cool .
while cooling put meat, egg ,breadcrumb add in 2 teaspoons of massel stock. ( i say massel becuase i dont know how strong others are ) in a bowl and mix once cooled add veggies mix..


make your balls ... makes heaps.. lol I have a big pan and manage to get them all in.. your pan has to be flat ...

brown your balls on each side then add the tins of tomatos ... and everything else for the sauce but only one teaspoon of stock .. the balls then cook the rest of the way in the sauce on the stove top... and i use one pan the whole time.. so not too many dishes :) just the pan a mixing bowl and the pasta pot.. :)

taste your sauce to see if you need another spoon of stock or not. :)


oh yeah serve with pasta .. lol

anyway im off to bed

a serve of the balls without pasta.. is

220 cals
7.3 fat
20.8 prot
15.8 carb


and this is witnh jatz crackers in not breadcrumb since no breadcrumb in this country are preseravtive free

anyway bedtime for me..

sorry if i missed anything else. :)

yum yum and yum
i am going to bookmark this page and make that tomorrow night i just happen to have 500grams of mince in the freezer

guess what
i lost 2.9kg since monday! i weigh in tomorrow but if the scales show worse than 98.6 i am ignoring it (for motivational purposes)
i am just too excited - i can do this and i will
i have been vege and salading and i am not bored of it yet
but i have also been moderating 'treats' etc
so i can and will do this

and amy - 24.5kg lost WOOZERS

ok today being "official" weigh in day
and yesterday being 2nd birthday party (that served up lots of indian food and stuff) and then mum and dad dinner that was pie i decided to weigh in this morning and admit and be honest with myself and count today's weight

and
i am not disappointed
i weigh 99.5kg today which is TWO KILOS less than last monday
which is awesome
i have been eating and walking (but i have had shakes for brekky coz that is just easier for me at the moment)(when i have lost a bit of this excess weight i am definately going to introduce brekky again as weetbix and banana was working but i am not ready right now)

so woohoo 2kg down
28kg ultimately to go and about 10 until i am under 90kg
slow and steady bring it on

Great loss kel :) your doing Great...


My weekend has been a bit ummm bad.. lol

Cameron was on camp so i took leah to the movies to see hotel for dogs.. cute movie and no where near as bad as i thought it would be... and then we went to the pub for lunch.. .... i had chicken breast with white wine and avocado... plus salad bar.. lol and a glass of lemonade

and yesterday was a very bad day... we wnet to pick Cameron up from camp. and on the way home we stopped at a farm and bought fresh strawberries.. OMG...... they almost didnt make it home.. and some fresh logen berry jam.. and fresh cream..... lol... we pigged out on strawberries and jam and cream on pikelets... soo not good .. but delicous

then last night since cameron came home sick from camp.. of course i had to go to the chemist and get some athletes foot cream... and we were hungry so i got hot chicken rolls and pasta salad..

I had sepnt the whole afternoon digging up the kids swing set becuase the dog was using the trampoline to escape the garden so the swings had to go to pull the tramp over infront of the shed and well away from the fence i didnt finish till 6 and then cam showed me his foot and nothig was organised for dinner..

... so now today is fresh start day.. i expect to not loose at all this week after such a shocker of a weekend.. it was just a food fest.. lol

No real regrets i had a great time :) other then the hours of hard labour anyway... my soil is like concrete and there was 4 posts dug in over a foot each.. and been there for 7 years or so years i asked the kids if they would rather loose the swings or the dog they said the swings.. which is fine we have a playground dierectly behind our house with swings.

My mum's in ICU. She had an asthma attack saturday morning and her heart stopped, it took 35 minutes to revive her and now we're waiting to see how much brain damage there is. they keep telling us to prepare for the worst so things don't look very good for her. i'm a mess and i probably wont be on here much but when i know whats going on i'll let you all know.

oh barb.. im so sorry i hope she pulls through :( :hug:

omigosh that is awful
my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family

Barb and Gen, I'm so so sorry to hear about your mothers. My thoughts are with you both :hug:

Kel and Ani, congrats on your losses. Kel 2kg is huge!! Well done :D And way to go Ani for breaking into the 60's, that's awesome :woohoo:

I had a lovely time in Fiji, the weather was gorgeous and it was a worthwhile trip from a work perspective. They fed us with the most delicious food every day and as of this evening at the gym, my weight is 88.5kg.

I've purchased some appetite suppressants for the first time in my life and hope that they will help me to stop eating so much. They're a natural type made from 4 different types of natural fibre that develop into a gel type substance in your stomach making you feel full. Fingers crossed.


:twirly: