That's a helluva lot of walking Ani. Well done!

I've been going through a bit of depression lately, my drinking has been creeping upwards and that hasn't helped. I'm glad though that I can recognise that I'm slipping and can do something about it before I go to far.

I'm having sushi for lunch today and will be making a delicious salad for dinner - lettuce, tomato, capsicum, avocado and steak. Yum Yum.

I'm really hoping that the weather is nice in the weekend as I'd like to spend a bit of time in the garden and just pottering around the house.

Julia its great that your recognising it and can do somethign about it..

As for me im going along great everyyhing is good in my life .. apart from my parents they hate that im busy all the time.. but I cant please everyone .. my mum keeps harping on that i used to ring her all the time and now i dont... and my response for that was yes i used to sit around the house eat and talk on the phoine... my life is differwent now and im not going back to my old life.. So now im selfish rude have no manners and "GET THIS" the source of all depression in my mothers life..... HA!

She does nothing to help herself and need constant baby sitting.. she wont go out with anyone.. but expects dad or me to be there all the time .. I know she is having a few health issues.. but she has had depression for years and some form of mental issue forever ... she thinks the neighbours killed her dog and are plotting to kill her.. and if i dont speak to her for one day... i have a problem with her.. ect ect.. she is also shaking an awful lot.. but refuses to go to the doctors saying its becuase her neck is stiff.. But our family friend who is a nurse told Dad on the sly it kinda looks like parkinsons.. and she should go to the doctor.. We have all told her the same but she refuses to go to the dr.. and her depression over the last 6 months has been getting worse and worse.. ..


Sorry just needed to vent.. other then my mother i had a great day.. aqua this morning for 50 minutes followed by 90 minutes of laps... was great... food has been good and my gorgeous hubby is taking us all out for dinner

cya

I've balls'd it all up for this week...will be surprised if I lose anything at all after the last two evenings

I kinda threw myself back into this with no real plan of attack. So tonight/tomorrow morning I am going to plan my week ahead and prepare for it AND STICK TO IT!

My 'stressors' have levelled themselves out a little now - cat is back to his old self again and Mista seems really stable healthwise. The next booked vet appointment is three months down the track and that is just for Mistas arthritis injection. I do still have to pop in occassionally before that for drug top-ups however.

As of a couple of weeks ago, I have been appointed a 'permanent' position at work - meaning I am no longer on probabtion! We have a new boss and he has taken on my ex-employer in WA to get my entitlements (sick leave, long service etc) transfered to here - the old boss was not interested in my affairs and made it clear I had to fight my own battles, which is fine, except everyone I spoke to gave me a different story leaving me evenually with the belief that I cannot transfer those entitlements across state borders! Anyway, the new boss has pretty much done it all - we are just waiting for it to be confirmed in writing!

I found a $20 solution to some of my junkmail round issues yesterday. I have found the load to be quite heavy lately and my back and knees are really protesting! So yesterday I explored the 'dump shop' and found an old pram! It was in fairly good nick - few tears in the lining, at tad odourous - but it had wheels and seems quite strong. I got it home, have hosed it out and patched up some of the holes with cable ties and duct tape! Will trial it next week, unless Saturday turns out to be a big round and I will use it then!

Anyway must run!

Oh, Ani! Have you considered throwing a handful of unsalted almonds or other sort of nuts in your pocket and nibbling on those through the day? Might increase the protein and keep the hunger in check a tad?

Ok, have a good one all!

Congrats Lindor on getting a permanent position that's really great Good idea with the pram too, I've seen lots of people delivering pamphlets that way.

So sorry to hear about your mum troubles Amy. That's really unfair that she's blaming you for her problems.

I had a great day yesterday. Got home from work and made a delicious salad and cooked up some steak on the BBQ. Watched a bit of telly and went to bed nice and early.

Tonight I'm working at the rugby until around 9:30pm so will get lots of exercise in walking up and down in the stadium.

Hoping that the weekend weather is fine so that I can get out and do some gardening.

Lindor you've got to love bureaucracy! But I am happy it all seems sorted now. I like the idea of a pram for your deliveries - that should make it easier. Are you back on track with your food and stuff? Don't forget that lovely potted garden on your back verandah is waiting .

Amy I think your attitude to your mother sounds very healthy. It's a really complex situation, because mothers are precious, but you have to be able to live your own life too.

Julia don't lose heart about the drinking. Your attitude is SO much different to how it was a couple of years ago - and I think you're doing really well with it.

I've had a really good week in terms of sticking to my goals. I'm going to weigh-in tomorrow morning and see how I've gone in terms of the 'numbers', but I know I couldn't have done much better than I have. I have the next two days off work and have a heap of things to do.

Today's meals are planned, and I am going to go to the supermarket soon and then spring clean the house and garden. It's going to rain throughout the day, but I just have to get in and do it.

Thanks ani I felt better after i had my vent.. Not that i was letting it get to me.. but sometimes you just need to let it all out.

well i have good news... first of all its weigh in day and im down 200 grams.. and more importanly ive lost some 6 cm of my trouble zone(hips).. 2 cm from my bust 1 cm from my waist and 1 from my waist.. and i went bather shopping....... guess who bought a 16????? i bathers???? ..... wooohoooo.... also went jeans shopping ang got 2 pairs that are lovely so very pleased with myself indeed.

Lindor im so glad mista is on the mend..

Julia have fun at rugby.


ok time to go do some house work... lol

Lindor thatas awesome news about yr job. As for the pram thing people around here do that. Its funny seeing an old person to pushing a pram haha. if u get a bad back from carrying stuff u could try switching yr backpack around the carry on the front of you to.

That is what I do Vonni, I carry the backpack on the front. But, on the big loads I have to take the trolley that I drag behind me and I use what is in that first while carrying the backpack on my back. When I have emptied the trolley I move the backpack to the front and take from that. I use the trolley contents first because it was a cheap trolley and I am so sure the wheels are going to fall off soon!

Tomorrows delivery is less than a backpackful, so I won't be taking the pram. Weekends are often way smaller than the weekday round so I didn't really think I'd be needing it tomorrow anyway. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the true test for the pram!

I haven't entirely got myself sorted with my food yet - but I intend to work on a plan for that tonight and then go shopping on Sunday. I don't know what it is, I am eating like there is no tomorrow and I am not even hungry! I have prepared (home cooked) meals in the freezer, but they just don't appeal to me at the moment.

I know I am really tired, and I find concentrating on anything is a struggle just now - diet included. It has been nearly two months now that I have been getting up at 4.30am so I can stick to Mistas medication regime. On the weekends I go back to bed after sorting him out, but during the week I just get up then for the day. I had hoped by now that my body would have go used to the new routine?

Anyway, my weekend is going to get a diet plan sorted if nothing else!!

TOM arrived right on schedule today (surprise surprise!) and I'm 300g heavier than last week. Hoping it's just fluid, I do feel a bit bloated today.

Congratulations Amy! Size 16, well done! You wouldn't catch me dead in a pair of bathers!!! We take the kids to the beach a lot in the summertime and I wear 3/4 pants and a tee shirt. I haven't owned a pair since primary school.

I'm sory for not replying to everyone's posts but the words are blurring, I'm sooooo tired!

size 16? what did i miss?

Barb it's probably fluid retention from TOM, I wouldn't let it get you down.

Amy what a milestone - Size 16 .

Lindor I make a plan of what I'm going to eat for the week, then write the shopping list - I find it is the only way for me to really get it right.

Yesterday I mowed the lawn, weeded, planted tomatoes, did the washing, cleaned the fishpond. Today I am going to do food shopping and clean the house.

Weighed in this morning - DOWN 2.1KG! Gotta love 'week one' when most of it is water weight coming off, but I will take it anyway .

This week I am working early tomorrow and then 1-9pm for the rest of the week - so planning is important. I am feeling really motivated at the moment, and want to aim to reach all my goals again.

Congratulations Ani, that's a great big step towards the end! Well done

Yeah I think its fluid too, at least thats what I'm gonna tell myself! Since starting work I find I have no time to weigh myself every morning like I used to. I'm only weighing on Friday mornining and after a shower, someome once told me always to weigh before a shower because it adds extra weight, not too sure if that's true or not but if it is maybe I'm less than I think I am!!!

Amy, Ani! Well done on your progress!! You've both done well!


I am really stuck at the moment

I'm just going to put it down here in hope that I can make sense of things. Although it might seem very disjointed - lets blame fatigue for that

I'm happy for any constructive input here...please

I've been thinking about the reasons why the plan I had when I re-started my weight-loss here in Darwin failed:

• with the junkmail round, time for cooking was limited by the evenings I had to prepare the junkmail and the days of delivering
  
• vegies for fresh salad was costing too much
  
• I was throwing away lots of part used tins and jars of ingredients because I never got to using them again
  
• vegies were rotting in my fridge
  
• I ran out of freezer space for storing 'left-overs'

With the overtime I am doing at work, there is less time to follow a plan. Granted, everything I do is set to a regular time - junkmail deliveries are usually completed by 5.15pm, overtime is usually on a Sunday, shopping is done on a Sunday afternoon etc - but it is the other domestic stuff that is eating into my time - washing, cleaning, vet visits!


Lately I have tried making lunch my main meal, by keeping a supply of frozen meals and taking one to work each day. Yesterday I got growled at because my curry stunk the room out. I have always been very conscious of what I eat around people - a legacy of being overweight I guess - and when people criticise my food I am easily embarrassed. So now I don't want to take that sort of food to work and will go back to the simple, less odourours sandwich.


I think when I go shopping on Sunday I will explore the shelves a bit more and look for (dare I say it) convenience. I don't mean fully prepared meals, but I'm thinking jars of pasta sauces and packets of sauce bases etc. My problem with food is not what I eat, but the amount I eat! So I figure if I buy a jar of pasta sauce for example I MUST stick to the directions on the jar and portion it out to the stated number of serves!


That however, does not solve my lack of vegies problem. Not entirely sure how I am going to deal with that. Vegies are so damned expensive here and I get depressed when I shop for them...more so now that a huge chunk of my budget is now paying for Mistas medications! I have already resorted to 'homebrand' laundry detergent, toilet paper and dishwashing liquid to try to save a dollar or two. I prefer a salad to hot vegies, so getting packets of frozen vegies does not really appeal, despite the fact that I don't have the freezer space for multiple packets of frozen vegies!


I did think about planning meals for just a few days in advance and go shopping more frequently, that way I won't have such a big stock which might mean less loss on rotten vegies...but I HATE shopping and I am sure more frequent shopping will drive me insane!


Funny! I miss my mum! She used to do my shopping for me and she'd clean my flat once a week. I don't think I ever really appreciated her enough for what she did for me until now!


I need to think more about these issues - and I will. I want a solution that will result in a healthy lifestyle that is not too difficult to manage.

And I want my plants on my verandah!!!

Lindor - a couple of suggestions:

• Grow your own greens (and even tomato and capsicum). It's really easy, and it stays fresh because, if you pick lettuce/spinach young, you just take the leaves off as you need them.

• Be careful with the pasta/pasta sauces. The ones you buy are full of salt and preservatives. I rarely eat pasta because I get cravings for more food (usually sweet) as soon as I have finished a meal.

• Ignore what people say about your food. It's ridiculous that someone thinks they have the right to comment. If taking Lean Cuisine for lunch is helping you, then just keep doing it.

I find different ways to eat vegetables, and I probably spend about $70/week on food. For lunch I make a wrap, use avocado as the spread (with a tiny bit of lemon juice & black pepper), then I throw on some spinach leaves and tomato, add a bit of ham (or roast beef or chicken) and cheese - and that's lunch.

For dinner I usually do a 'cook-up' once a week and then freeze it. This week I am throwing low-fat mince, kidney beans, chick peas, lentils, mushrooms, capsicum, tomatoes and a heap of herbs and spices into a pot. Unimaginative - yep. Tasty - yep. Healthy - yep!

For treats I take a banana and a protein bar to work, and I chew Extra chewing gum, which seems to help.

I buy frozen green veges because they go off too fast in the fridge, and at least twice a week I have a big side-serve of them - usually with grilled chicken sausages.

For lunch today I am about to make a pizza - with mushroom, tomato and capsicum. Really filling for about 450 calories.

Once the weather warms up I will eat heaps more salad. It's why I prefer to grow my own, because it saves HEAPS of money… and it tastes a lot better

Ani, I would love to grow my own vegies, but there is nowhere in my yard where I could possibly create a garden bed, expecially at this time of the year. We are just heading into the wet season and heavy downpours is just going to send a garden bed onto the street! My yard has quite a significant slope to it - the back door of my house is at ground level the front door is seven steps up!

Apart from that, the yard is full of extablished palm trees and other ornimental trees and their roots make digging impossible!

Is it at all possible to grow the likes of tomatoes, capsicum, beans, lettuce, carrots, radishes etc in pots on my back verandah? If so, please tell me what I require and I will drop into Bunnings tomorrow and purchase it straight away! Like I said, I would love to grow my own supplies!

I know the convience foods are often full of the 'evil stuff', but I lost most of my weight living on frozen TV dinners. I figure they are full of the same sh!t if not more so than a jar of pasta sauce split to four serves? If I can lose weight on TV dinners then it is proof that my problem is how much I put in my mouth. Not necessarily what it contains - within reason of course. I am going to spend a bit of time exploring and researching while I am shopping tomorrow and see what I come up with. I'd prefer fresh food for sure! I am yet to make a weekly shop come under $100 here Ani...but I am sure it is possible as I do tend to throw a lot of fresh vegies away because the have rotted.

I have an apple after lunch and dinner, it seems to freshen my mouth and, if it is a sweet one, seems to ward off the surgar cravings later on. And I chew on Extra chewing gum virtually from the moment I wake up (ok after breakfast) 'til the moment I go to bed! My mother thinks it is a filthy habit 'for a young lady', but I tell her I'll have to take up smoking to quit!

Protein bars I am interested to try, but it worries me that they might be like chocolate and once I open a box and have one I'll head back for another and then another...

Ignoring what people say about my food...easier said than done! I am a lot better than I used to be a couple of years ago (I would not eat or drink in front of anyone!) but I still have a way to go on that.

Thanx for your input Ani...I've taken it on board and it is greatly appreciated!