Kel it does work. We change what we are doing, and we put weight back on because we choose to ignore the things that work.

It would be impossible for me to summarise the things I have learned over the last three years, but let me try and highlight the things that are really important:

Know your body. Weight loss is actually very simple science - if you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. You have to create a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound - so realistic weight loss is going to be slow.

How do you know how many calories you need? It's a matter of trial and error, but if you make it your goal to average 1700 calories/day for a couple of weeks and weigh yourself during that time, you will get an idea of whether you need to eat more or less to lose weight.

Set small, realistic goals. As you know I only ever set a goal of losing 5kg at a time. There is no use in expecting to lose 30kg - that is overwhelming. But you can lose 5kg - and you can do that as many times as you want to.

Once you have that goal in your mind, make a plan on how you are going to do it. For me I would weigh-in every Monday and record my progress all the time. I also wrote down my calories every day, and planned my meals ahead of time.

Drink plenty of water. Not only is water the best way of hydrating yourself, it takes the pressure off your liver/kidneys. Your liver can't do its fat-burning job properly when it has to concentrate on tag-teaming your kidneys. Not only that, but sometimes we interpret our thirst cravings as hunger - having enough water is all part of better blnce overall.

Don't eat diet food/low fat food. You don't need it, and it is either higher in sugar or has chemicals added - it's heathier to eat small amounts of the real thing - and it satisfies you much more too.

Don't deprive yourself! I have eaten every kind of food I want, including chocolate on a regular basis - as long as it fits within your daily calorie allowance, it's important to feel like you can eat anything you want.

Plan ahead for parties and eating out. It's the only way to avoid the temptation to 'treat yourself' or 'cheat' - have a plan and stick to it.

Read the labels in the supermarket. You will be amazed by how much crap they add to "food", and how calorie-laden some healthy foods are.

Be patient. If you really want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to slowly chip away - and learn (all over again) how to eat in a more healthy way. You have to learn to confront things emotionally, how to forgive yourself for mistakes, and to develop a brand new relationship with yourself.

It's worth it. It is so good to be able to live your life EVERY day, enjoying the benefits of a stronger, smaller, healthier body - and mind!

There are a million more things I could say, but it really is as simple as: want it, work it, nail it! ;)

I'm around, nothing exciting to say :)

Kel yr nasty :p

Well said Ani.

Gen ? nothing to say? when r u in Oz again?

Ditto :)

lol at Von being busted on facebook :D

Well I'm back. After AGES away. (so long in fact that I've put on 20kg since my last sig) I joined Jenny Craig today and this has to be it. Otherwise I'm just a loser who can't lose weight.

no no no no such thing
it is weird now that it has clicked
there is no such thing as someone who can not lose weight
unless there is a medical reason why you can not lose weight you are choosing not to lose weight
jenny craig works, my aunty did it 26 years ago when she was pregnant and after her baby was thinner than when she was before she was pregnant.


thanks ani for that awesome list of reminders, i think i have been so brainwashed by so many 'diets' that in the past i have self sabotaged myself what i THOUGHT i KNEW about losing weight was conflicting or didn't work long term or didnt suit my lifestyle, i am going to buy some cheese this week and have cheese in the house and i KNOW i can co-exist with it and eat it when appropriate and enjoy it.

GUESS WHAT?
I got chickens!! we got 3 laying hens Rhonda, Cheryl (to be known as Chazzzzzzza) and Bruce and so far (we got yesterday) they are too cool they are on my facebook.... i didnt know they could be such friendly creatures ESPECIALLY when being watched through a fence by three bordercollies and watched by a cat who thinks she owns the place (including the three border collies) and smothered by a two and a half year old.

today is my mum's 50th birthday party, i have to wake up in a couple of hours and ice the cake for 34 people, i have had an edible image of three photos of her (baby, 20, 50) made so the pressure is off i just have to pray it works! then we have to go to dugandan pub near boonah more than an hour away for her birthday lunch, it should be fun but a long day, i have printed out photos from the last fifty years and mixed them all up, instead of doing a photo board i am bringing six envelopes with the photos in to put on the table so that people can flick through them while they are eating....
her pressie is a tattoo so i HOPE she likes it she has wanted one forever a bluebird and i have made her a voucher that says i will get a matching one and i really hope she gets it soon because i would love to get a tattoo for her, especially after i know you girls and know how you have lost your mums or have mums fighting awful illnesses and especially now being a mum as well


yesterday we had red rooster EEEEK GAD nah no big deal, i didnt even feel like it but benji had not had it for ages,i just had the skin free chicken baguette, he had a rooster roll and jemima shared his and had some chips, i didnt even think about wanting a chip

my aim for this week - other than to keep reminding myself i choose NOT to be fat anymore - is to CHOOSE to pull my daughter into line about HER eating choices, she wants noodles and chippies WAY too often which is stupid because she LOVES veges puts most other kids to shame so rather than fight her (with a typical sandwich she doesnt like/want) and then give in and give her noodles or something, I am going to make her veges to eat at lunchtime her faves are broccolli and carrot and corn, sometimes mushrooms if they are cooked sometimes raw and this will give me time to figure out what her issue is with MY sandwiches as i know she fart arses around but eats some sandwich at daycare (not big centre family daycare so it is not like ALL THE KIDS are eating and so she does etc) and she USED to eat sandwiches for me
i made her one for daycare once and did what she loves and made it a rabbit shaped (then by the time she eats it ears and nose she has eaten most of the sandwich) and my friend who is the daycare chick said she said "IDEA - throw in bin" so i am going to have to figure out what is going on there! (i have not bothered making her lunch since and pay the five bucks for my friend to provide food for the day)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...7&l=7ead2a8c83 our chooks

It defentitly worked for my grandfather. He lost about 50kg on it 20 years ago. My grandma was the one who suggested it.

I was just a bit down after buying all the JC food then going and spending $40 more for the perishables. Bit dissapointed with how much it costs but it WILL work.

Of course I'm never eating the porridge again. It actully made me throw up. Disgusting.

Thats a good plan for Jem Kel. Its a good thing she already loves veggies - she is probably just in the habit of eating noodles etc Your chooks are adorable!!!! :) Hope you are having a good time at your mum's bday party - its such a beautiful day down here that I am sure that it must be glorious!!! up there.

Welcome RennySue - I agree with Kel - anyone can lose weight - we just have to make the right choices instead of the wrong ones for us. I did Jenny years ago and loved it - it suited me bcos I was living on my own, but I also incorporated a few dinners and lunches "out" a week even at the very begining bcos I wanted to keep my life as 'normal' as possible (we had a lot of work lunches etc and if I couldnt bring my own food, I would just plan it in). If you get a good consultant its great! Dont be afraid to change consultants or centres if you need to - you are paying them so you need to get out of the program what you need. Good luck!

Where's Julia? How are your teefs doing?

And Lila?

Barb - so you start work soon? How's your niece :)

I am doing good on the weight stuff, not looking for unrealistic perfection but am counting my little calories and continuing to ask Am I hungry? Do I need this? Can I wait until lunch? Its been good to just keep me conscious rather than walking through the door from work and just grabbing something. Even too much 'healthy' food is not good! Calories in and calories out . . .

The last week I have been working nutty hours so no gym time. So I made sure my food was 'perfect' to balance it out. If you cant control everything, just controlling something is a start. Looking forward to less work from this week so I can get back into running. I miss it!!!! Also I need to get more water in. I am usually good about it but during TOM I have NO interest.

Hellooo ladies

Ani, once again you're making perfect sense. I agree that most of us know exactly what we should be doing, when we get lazy and move away from what we know works, that's when the weight comes back on. And it's hard work too. Losing weight takes time, effort and dedication to the cause. That's a hard thing to keep up all the time so occasionally we all slip up. The important thing is to get back on the horse asap and not make excuses and let the slips become disasters.

I've used having my teef out as an excuse to go way off track. It was a conscious decision and one that I made alone. I know what I should have done and I made bad decisions anyway.

Most importantly, I have acknowledged it and now I'm moving on. My mouth is still sore but is getting better. I've done some shopping and have got some yummy healthy food to see me through the first half of the week and I'm looking forward to going to the gym tomorrow.

My goals for the week are as follows:

* Write down everything that I eat.
* Exercise at least 4 times.
* Start a new weights programme.
* Eat well.

And one last one which is a biggie:

* Stop drinking diet coke!!

I've been going through masses of the stuff lately and I know it's not good for me! If I want fizzy drink this week I will have soda water.

Looking forward to sharing some positive results with you all soon.


:twirly:

HERE I AM!!!

Hubs & I went away to Copacabana (hottest spot north of Havana) for the weekend. It's wee beach north of Terrigal, our friends live there, we went on walks, got some sun (ie I got sunburnt - I'm so pale, I definitely don't look like a local) generally had a great time. Dietwise not too great, but not too foul either. While hubs is on holidays I plan to maintain, but he's back to work next Monday, then it's "Diet hard with a vengance".

BTW, there is some FABULOUS advice in the previous posts - really good sensible advice & really motivating - you guys are great!!:carrot::hug::carrot:

I (used to! lol) do the same when I was away on holidays Lila - just go for lots of walks and be moderate with food and maintain and then get back to plan when I am home.

When you said Havana I thought you had jetted off somewhere exotic overseas . . . like Cuba. heheheeeeeeeeeeee

I have chicken boobs in the oven just sprinkled with some McCormick's cajun spice (I picked one with no sugar in the ingredients) and it smells sooooooooooo yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

welcome sue :)

Kel how did your mums birthday party go?

Lila sounds like a great little holiday you had there :)

Julia i cant beleive your mouth is still sore :( sure is dragging on.. but im glad your getting it back together. :)

As for me i dont know what im doing.. i kinda am fed up with trying so hard and getting no where... lol .. but ill just keep on keeping on.. and hope for some changes..

I am home in Aus right now, leave next sat.

gen- how was your flight? who looks after the kittens when you are in aus?

amy - WHY do you sound down? what are you talking about? did you put on? i dont think so? are you lighter today than you were say 3 months ago?

julia and lila - TOO cool you are both on facebook now!! keep an eye on vonni she uses it like a confessional

ME ME ME ME ME - I LOST ONE KILO THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!! :carrot:
mum's party - she loved it - which is the most important thing - LOVED her cake - LOVED the photos on the table - LOVED her pressie of a tattoo (we also got her a fancy smancy french looking bag tag and a puzzle of a red door like in ireland) i will put photos on facebook
when all i wanted was a loss andnot a gain as my new and locked in mindframe allows forever to lose this weight i am a very happy kel today with one kilo gone!

have to go and get ready to buy pearl jam tickets and take me and jem to the dentist