Hi!

Can I join you? My name is Helen and I live in Cambridge, in the North Island New Zealand ..... (I see you have a flexible definition of Aussiechicks!)

I have three daughters and teach for a living ...

I tend to always do well with diet and exercise at this time of year .... bit fall of the wagon about march/april .... hoping to ensure I keep at it this year ....

Looking forward to getting to knowyou :)

Hi HHM3, welcome to extended-aussieland!

could it be that you start falling off the wagon as it gets colder, or do you find you just run out of new-years-resolution-weight-loss steam? :p

Hi Summershine ....

Thanks for the welcome ...

I like to exercise and the long summer break from school allows me to get stuck in to exercise as well as more time for meal planning etc ... ....

As it gets colder and the stress/work increases I find I make too many excuses .... but no more ... not this year .... I am determined to finish the year trimmer and healthier than how I started :)

I have recently joined Anytime fitness in my hometown .... so I'm going to use this after my girls go to sleep .....

Good luck with your goals .....

Helen

Read everyones posts briefly. started work at 6.30 this morning, finished at 3 then have been helping a friend clean his house all evening as h is moving and needs to be out by tomorrow. I am stuffed.

Ummmm someone out there asked me if I am near floods. Yes we are, our town was isolated, but now the main bridges into town are opened. There was no milk, bread or fuel in town and even now the shelfs in supermarket are becoming bare of other items though we can now get milk and bread. 2 fuel stations went under so i will never buy fuel there again lmao.

Have been busy with the man friend and working nights and stupid days so i apologise for not responding to individual posts.

oh and i lost a kilo the past 2 weeks

Hi Helen welcome to 3FC! Great to have another Kiwi chick onboard :welcome2:

Vonni congrats on the loss that's awesome! You getting some extra exercise with your man friend ;)

I had a pretty lazy weekend, didn't exercise on either Saturday or Sunday and I felt really lazy and blah for it. As a consequence I really didn't feel up to doing anything today but forced myself to get up and go to a local forest wehre I did a half hour jog. Feeling lots better now!

Tonight I'm going to find out about starting some womens Thai kickboxing classes so am excited about that.

Funnily enough, my diet doesn't seem to be too much of a problem at the moment, I'm not feeling like overeating and I think that's probably due to the amount of exercise I'm doing. It's a good feeling.


:twirly:

Well the Thai kickboxing's not going to happen - $30 per week with a minimum 1 year commitment! I have however enrolled in a bootcamp which is $9 per session for 10 sessions and I'm starting that next week which will be cool.

Was meant to be going for a bit hill walk tonight but it's absolutely pouring with rain so that's probably not gonna happen now. This is one time when it would be good to belong to a gym still.


:twirly:

Hi Little Kiwi ....

Good luck with the Bootcamp ..... I'm a wee bit chicken to try something like that at the moment ... $30 for Kickboxing is ridiculous (how many sessions a week was that?) ....

I'm going to Zumba tonight ... I go with my daughter who loves it ....

What hill do you walk up in Christchurch?.... isn't it kind of flat there!?

Take care
Helen

The $30 per week included use of their gym and as many classes as you wanted. Still too steep for me.

The track I was meant to walk tonight is Rapaki. I did it last week for the first time and it took about 55 minutes to go one way, nearly all uphill. It was pouring with rain so rather than not work out at all I went and joined up at a wee local gym. I just joined for a month and am not committed to carrying on if I find that I don't use it much.

Had a delicious salad for dinner and made enough for 2 meals so that's tomorrow's lunch sorted as well.

Hope you have fun at Zumba Helen!


:twirly:

Hi ..

Little Kiwi .... I hope the gym works out ... Zumba was great and I really love being able to exercise with my daughter .... got up early to do some weights at the gym this morning too ....

Eating I think is ok .... ...

I'm hoping for a loss this week on Friday .... :crossed:

hmm .... I wonder where all the Aussie chicks are??? ;)

Yes indeed, where is everyone???

Went for a jog with a friend today and managed about 38 minutes. That's the longest so far!


:twirly:

38 mins .... that is cool. Are you training for an event?? .... I use to do a bit of jogging (20 kilos ago!!!) .... I would like to get back into it .... but I feel I need to get the weight off first ..... am trying to do weights and interval cardio training ....

The Aussies may be missing but the Kiwis should try and keep things going without them ....;)

I'm around, just don't have time to scratch myself this semester though.. crazy busy at school. Am being a beyotch from **** at work, so snappy from stress! Eek. Did make it to the gym last night in case that helped and hoping for a better mood today. Lost a little bit of weight so that helps.

It is quite annoying that I am almost at my 6 month postop date and the loss is so slow now, but I have to remember there's no race to get "there" to some magic number - so long as I am eating healthy and exercising, I am already there. My BMI is 30 today... any more loss and I am officially "overweight" and not "obese"!

I thought of you Julia when I was on the treadmill last night.. felt like a jog so started trotting and by the time I was like "OK.. done!" I looked down and it was a whole 2.5 mins. Haha. I can't imagine ever being a non-spazzy runner.

Gen that's awesome, well done on the BMI reading!! And 2.5 minutes running is nothing to be sniffed at - I started being able to jog for 1 minute at a time and look at me now!

Helen I'm training for a half marathon. Bloody scary thought but I know I can do it!

Woe is me, I've come down with a cold and am feeling like crap today :( That makes it two colds that I've had in the last month. Not happy Jan!


:twirly:

Little Kiwi ... good for you about the half marathon .... when is the big day? ....

Augigi ... (Hi I'm Helen) ... good for you ..... I'm hoping to get in the overweight category rather than the obese category too ... I've got to get to 88 kg ....

On a positve note .... I'm 90.7 kg this morning .... which I think puts me just below 200 pounds .... (or onederland as some put it on here) ....

Awesome Helen (I'm Gen)! Yeah I think I'm about 185lbs now, and I started at 259 in April, so I can't complain too much. People at work at really asking me all the time now - and some of them are very persistent!

They say "oh gee, you've lost a lot of weight" and I say "Oh yeah" and they say "How much?" and I say "Oh, that's a secret" and smile.. and they just keep asking. Honestly people, which part of "none of your business" don't you understand!?

Just makes me so uncomfortable when I'm with some of the guys I work with (who haven't mentioned a thing - they are men's men!) and someone starts interrogating me about my weight.

Hi Gen ... Those are impressive numbers ....

I'd love to get to the point of people being able to notice ....

... The guys I work with do discuss other women's weight a lot though ... I alwasys feel very uncomfortable around any topic like this and never engage ...

BMI 29.9 - I am "just" overweight! Yay!!

OMG OMG GEN That is absolutely fantastic

:) thanks Von.

Hi Gen

Congrats on the BMI .... :)

I'm sorry to hear you are having a miserable day ....:hug: .....

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate ...

Welcome Helen!

Good afternoon every one else! I am back from a blissful week away. Although I dreaded the planning and packing to go away, it went soooo quickly, and I had a fabulous time!

I bought my son his first fishing line and in his first hour he caught two fish exclaiming, "Fishing is soooo easy!" LOL A total of 3 fish caught on the holiday.

We had an excellent time swimming in the inlet. I have a funny sunburn mark on my arm where I forgot to put sunblock. It is roughly a hand width band in the middle of my arm, and bright red. Other than that you wouldn't know I'd been swimming all week. I am very fair skinned and have been known to get third degree burns from the sun in less than an hours sun. So I consistently apply the SPF, and cover up.

I stuck to my meal plan except for two ice creams. But I don't use my WW weekly point or activity point allowance so I am hoping that when I weigh in on Monday I will still have lost something. Fingers crossed.

I am exhausted from the drive but think I willl take my son for a walk after dinner tonight. That way I get some exercise in for today.

Back to the training Tuesday night and work on Friday! ARGHHHH!

Catch you all later,

BTW congrats Gen! I can't wait until I can say I am out of the obese category too!

Thanks ladies :)

Sounds funny to hear about sunburn and SPF.. we had a big snowfall this week and it's been bloody freezing.

Vanessa ... sounds like a good holiday .... I tend to get burnt in places I didn't quite reach with the suncream myself and have funny little tanned places to contrast with the rest of me ....

Gen .... so I take it your not in Australia with the snowfall? .....

I've done some cardio early at the Gym .... I'm really loving the new Anytime Gym here .... all brand spanking new equipment and being able to go when you like really suits me (I organised my cardio last week so I could watch the netball tests between England at 5.45 am).... I'll miss the Les Mills classes at my old gym but I could never get to them except in the holidays anyway ....

I don't know whether to believe my scales or not! My personal scales say I've had a considerable loss. I will wait until tomorrow night's weigh in at WW before I jump for joy. Then I will work out my personal scales accuracy LOL I am hoping that I have lost at least a kilo.

If I have lost more which is what my scales say - then I am amazed. I was away on holiday and not once did I feel like "No I can't have that ice cream, the glasss of wine" I didnt feel like I was on a diet. Fingers crossed for tomorrow night's weigh in.

My sister and I are enjoying a girl's night out after my weigh in - Chicks night at the Flicks. Events cinemas put them on, we are seeing the new Reese Witherspoon movie, with the ticket you get a goodies bag, the previous ones have had sparkling mineral water, tampons, a novel or magazine, Lindt choccies, popcorn. I hope I can celebrate a personal loss, and have this as my treat. Which reminds me I have to ask my father if he will look after Liam for me?

Catch you all later.

Gen congrats on your new BMI number that's so exciting!!! :cheer2::cheer2:

Sounds like you had a nice holiday Vanessa :D Funny about your sunscreen story - in the past I've ended up with sunburn surrounding the shape of my fingers where I've missed a spot!

Good luck with your weigh in Helen I hope you get the big loss on the official scales!

I only ended up exercising 3 times last week and by Friday had come down with a cold :( I went away with a girlfriend to the west coast for the weekend and that was lovely. Unfortunately it meant that my eating went waaay off track - lots of wine and cheese and crackers etc and fish n chips on the drive home. OOPS :ink:

Back on track today though and tonight I attended my first session of Boxerfit Boot Camp. Oh. My. God. I will be amazed if I can lift my arms tomorrow!

First we did some cardio and then in pairs we did boxing drills. First 10 straight punches, 10 uppercuts, 10 roundhouses then 1 pressup. Then 20 and 2 pressups, 30 and 3 etc right up to 100 and 10 pressups. Holy moly!!

Next was sit ups and that was what I really struggled with. He had us doing full sit ups where you go from lying down to sitting up and I couldn't finish that but gave it a good go.

So that's what I'm going to be doing every Monday night for the next few months! Tomorrow I've arranged to do a hill walk with a friend and providing we have good weather that's meant to be a weekly thing.

Now I just need to sort my diet out properly because it's a waste to be doing all this exercise if I'm not eating right!


:twirly:

Good for you, Julia! I did find that when I had my PT and was training regularly it was much easier to eat well and not ruin my results.

I lost 1.5kg this week, I am so happy with that as my weight loss had been much slower recently. I am only 13.6kg from "healthy" BMI <25... that sounds so much more doable than when I started.

:( My scales are severly out!!! I only lost 0.6kg. I got sooo happy when I jumped on my scales - it looked like I nearly lost 2kg. But a loss is a loss. I feel like throwing the scales out!

Every little bit helps.

Little Kiwi, is it Julia? What a workout! Wow! I am inspired. I have PT tomorrow night. It is going to be close to 40degrees C tomorrow, hope it is cooler when I workout. I am looking forward to it, crazy, I know. LOL

Littlekiwi ..... that makes me feel exhausted just reading it .... do you wear boxing gloves for you class?

Gen ... what a great loss ....

Vanessa .... A loss is a loss .... and with a holiday ... I think it is great you could keep going while disrupting the normal schedule ....

I have an emotional day today - I blocked it from my thoughts - so I wouldn't eat for comfort.

I start mediation again today with Liam's dad for custody. I currently have full custody and I am worried that Liam's dad is requesting 50/50 split. There will be no decisions made today. I will be going to outline my wants with the mediator. Next visit we all come together. It is soo hard even thinking of Liam going to his dad's every other week. I hope we can come to some sort of arrangement. It is hard to accept any decision though in 2006, my ex signed over full custody to me, last year he remarried and she can't have children and consequently they want custody. I have always tried to encourage his dad to have alternate weekends the past 4 years, this occurred when it was convenient for his father. In February 2010 when they first became a couple, he regulary accessed his weekends. Then in October they questioned my parenting skills. This is why we are now seeking mediation.

I will be strong. I have to. I don't want my son to know or worry until the situation changes. He had been through a lot the last twelve months.

Yikes that's some pretty heavy stuff Vanessa :( I have so many friends with stories just like yours and it sucks. I hope you get a positive outcome :hug: and well done for your loss! It may only be .6kg but that's better than a 6.kg gain any day!

Gen 1.5kg is AWESOME!! :woohoo: Love the new profile pic too, that colour is really nice on you :D

Helen the guy that runs the class provides gloves and pads so we're punching away with all the right gear :D My arms, shoulders and back are starting to feel sore today so I'm dreading how I'll be tomorrow!!

Today has been a really good day. I had a banana on toast for breaky, weight watchers muesli bar & nectarine for morning tea, salad with chicken for lunch, apple for afternoon tea and salad with fish for dinner. 2 major wins for me: 3 pieces of fruit today!! I hardly ever eat fruit so that's great for me. I was so proud for taking my lunch - I'm in training this week and every other person bought their lunch from a cafe. I felt very virtuous with my salad!

Had a good workout tonight, went on the hill walk same as 2 weeks ago with a girlfriend and we bet our time by 4 minutes. It's about 55 minutes walking uphill and then about 25 to come down again. I HATE the uphill but my god, it works my butt like nothing else!

Oh and yeah, for our new ladies, I'm Julia :D


:twirly:

Still digesting today. I am getting legal advice now, as I will not allow 50/50 split, and that's what they(Family relationships Australia) are wanting. Its in the best interest of the child they say. I want to see longitudinal studies. I bet 3/4 of the disillusioned youth are from split families. I want my son to have the best possible future, stability, security, warmth, loving. He would get that from his dad too but with teen suicide on the rise, drugs, cybersafety concerns, I dont want to have my son be lost as he is shifted from household to household. I think I will go broke fighting it but it is worth it.

Anyway, I was looking forward to working out my stress when my PT session was cancelled. Some people have gone away and there is a minimum number. So I felt bummed, I got given a Lindt block of chocolate last night at Chicks at the Flicks, and well I ate the whole block! I have even looked at how many points yet!

Then, I felt guilty and posted it on my facebook page. One of my high school buddies suggested joining her for a Zumba class. I have never been but was considering doing it later when work starts back. I went and WOW, it was just what I needed, my shirt is saturated, my face is RED, I feel alive again. LOL My son sat on the sidelines and watched me work out. He kept saying to me - "Your face is really red" "Do you need your water bottle?" LOL

At the end of the class, he says "Mum, how about we go home and I sing to you and you can dance to my singing". A priceless moment and a positive end to the day.

Night all.

BTW Gen - great loss!
Julia - yum, wish I had eaten what you ate today sounds very satisfying!

Ness I feel yr pain. Going through similar myself (hugs) to u

Vanessa, I'm sorry you're going through that. Hope it turns out as well as possible for all concerned, esp the little one.

Sorry to switch to being totally superficial, but... I have got a varicose vein!! I am horrified - feel like such an old lady!! Just noticed some blue on my leg and it's kind of swollen. Ook. Might have to go and get it injected. So unfair.. obesity is the risk and I just lost weight! Haha.. must have been going on for a while.

damn Gen.

Sorry to hear about your discovery Gen. You must be bummed :(

Vanessa that's such bad timing that your PT session got canned! Unfortunate that you binged on chocolate but hey, at least it was the good stuff eh? Lindt is THE BEST :T:drool::T

How are you doing Vonni? Is the new man able to distract you from the issues with the ex?

As for me, my god I am SORE today! Got sore arms, shoulders, pecs, abs, obliques, back and calves. So I'm going to take today off as a rest day and get back into it by going for a run tomorrow.

Food has been good today so far: banana on toast for breaky, nectarine & little banana for morning tea, subway for lunch and a trim latte for afternoon tea. I think I'll probably have salad for dinner and will make enough to have one for lunch tomorrow too.


:twirly:

Hi all....

.... Vanessa ..... sounds very stressful .... hope it can all work out ..... your son sounds like he is a character .... I laughed at the Zumba story :)


Julia ... hope it is not too sore today .... but I get sore arms just thinking about it ... my PT once got the gloves out .... it was truly the worst(most exhausting) thing I have done with her ....

I'm having another session tonight .... but it is so hot here today ...

Gen .... I have a vein on my leg.... I got quite a few with my last pregnancy ... they all went away bar one :(. Nice one for your loss )...

Well it is back to work time for me ..... I've been popping in and out of school for a few days now .... but tomorrow we have to be there :(.....

My fingers are finally "less chubby" enough to wear the ring my grandmother left me.. I don't like emeralds as a rule, but I think it's the most beautiful ring.

What a great feeling Gen. I'm waiting for that to happen to me so that I can wear a ring my mum bought me for my 30th!

I'm so proud of myself today, went for a run after work and made it twice around the park which means I ran just over 7km. I can't believe it!

Had lovely salad and steak for dinner and am now enjoying a cold soda water. Have got a weight watchers ice cream sunday waiting for a treat later :D Also made salad for tomorrow's lunch but then proceeded to drop it all over the floor :( I've washed it all off but won't be surprised if I find a few dog hairs in it tomorrow!


:twirly:

7km!!! That's an amazing effort Julia!!