True to my intentions, I walked home from work last night and it ws a nice 45 minute walk. Won't be able to do anything tonight as I've got a hair appointment then meeting the man for his work do so will have to move my butt on Friday night.

I'm not doing so wonderfully with my eating but I'm not doing extra badly either so it's okay.

Keep it up everyone!

:twirly:

Hey all

I am so impressed at myself. Weighed in at WW yesterday....wait for it...2kg....ta da:carrot: in one week. I was sooooo good though and soooo deserve a boost. I have determination overload at the moment...i hope it lasts:dizzy: My sister now comes with me as she is a life member and this was her first week weigh in...she lost 1.2kg which also is great but i just can't help and grin a bit to myself that i beat her(i know that sounds mean) but she is always competing with me and i always get the rough end of the pineapple!!!

Ani...glad to hear you are walking again...don't push yourself too hard too fast you hear. No more damage is what the Dr ordered. I know what it is like to have no money for the right food also...sometimes it is hard to stay on track in those situations...my advice is to keep to your calorie limit and some GENTLE exercise and you will be fine.

Littlekiwi....you inspire me with the gym thing. I hate the gym...actually hate exercise. I litterally have to push myself out the door to attempt any. I keep thinking in my head...no exercise and no big weight loss...so what do you want? Somebody once told me that i would learn to love it once i did it often enough...still waiting.....

How is everyones Xmas shopping and partying going? I have finally finished and just wrapped them all just now and popped them under the tree. My kids last day of school today so i was madly trying to finish things before they were attached to my hip and nagging me "I'm bored". I now have some time to spend with them before the big day. I only have 4 more parties to attend(I don't want to go to any)...don't want to break my diet for someone else. One party on Sunday is at the beach so i intend to swim a lot and not sit around the table with my "automatic arm" near the nibblies...good plan i thought...

Anyhow guys...keep going and keep posting. Gee it is quiet without Lindor...i now know who does all the talking....i hope she is behaving herself. :hug:

Hi ladies. Had terrible PC problems. Poor thing had a virus! All better now though! I want to say something to all of you but have little time to do it now so will pop back later tonight. I've decided to maintain till the end of the year and get stuck right into it all again after christmas. I love fruit mince pies way too much to pass them up!! I've managed to maintain my weight at 90.7 this week. i still hope to be 89 by christmas day, I guess we will wait and see.

Ok got to rush. Talk to you all later.
XX
Barb

leeny that is wonderful news about your 2kg weight loss. You go girl :-). And I'm sneakily glad you beat your sister.

Good to hear from you Barb - I've been wondering what's been happening with you. I'll check in again tonight and see if you've posted a *what's been happening* update.

Little Kiwi - are you OK?

I walked for 30 minutes both yesterday and today - and did some pottering in the garden. I feel a lot stronger, both physically and mentally, and I'm now hoping I will be able to get close to 94kg by the start of 2007. We'll see… it's just over 2 weeks till then, so I might be a bit ambitious there. I'm not at all confident of losing any weight this week - not after being sick for almost 10 days and not eating properly.

leeny, I have done absolutely nothing about Christmas. I'm shocking - last minute shopping and all of that :-).

I agree with you that it's rather quiet without Lindor. I hope she's behaving herself too - I guess if she's travelling with her mum and the pets, she may have to be a litttle bit good!

Where's Britt hiding?

:-)
Ani

Hi everyone!

Leeny what an amazing effort ... congratulations!!! :cp: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cp:

I had a busy day yesterday, went for a haircut after work then to the mall - what a madhouse!! I've actually done pretty much all my Christmas shopping but wanted to have a wander around and I ended up buying myself the most beautiful sparkly ring! It's a cheap silver and CZ ring but is very pretty and as it was only $63, I couln't resist.

Met up with the man for a few drinks and was very proud of myself that I stayed in control. Got pulled over and breath tested driving home and passed with flying colours :spin:

The boss is kindly giving everyone half a day off for Christmas shopping so I'm taking mine this afternoon and will go home for a rest.

Have a great weekend everyone and I'll check in on Monday :wave:

Hello lovelies - been a mad busy week at work, but I'm on holidays for 2 weeks now - woohoo!

I lost another 0.9kg at my 2-week weigh-in, so that's 2.9kg so far. I was happy since my work Xmas party was last week, and I had several drinks... :)

Had a good week food-wise - cooked lots of stirfrys and made lots of salads. I find going to bed earlier helps too, since I've worked out it's always 9-10pm that I start craving something sweet. Also the weight watchers sponge puddings which are 2 points each hit the spot without blowing the points budget!

Trying to get better with walking, and have made it out twice this week. Still pathetic, but I felt better when I did it, so I'll aim for 4 sessions total by the end of the week - should be easier now that I'm on holidays.

Sounds like everyone is doing well - welcome LittleKiwi! Congrats on the 2kg loss leeny, that's amazing! Helps to improve the exercise motivation when you see that, eh? PerthChick, congrats on the 10kg, that is awesome! I hope I can make it there by mid-Jan.

It has been a bad couple of weeks for me ever since I got sick - and I came very close to completely losing the plot with my weight loss. I sat down and wrote in my journal this morning, and gave myself a *talking to*. I think I have gained a kilo, and on top of that it is TOM again for me … and it is so easy to get despondent when those scales start creeping up.

Am I back on track? I hope so – but any advice, from those of you who've been through this sort of thing would be greatly appreciated. It's weigh-in day for me tomorrow, and rather than avoid it and pretend I haven't gone off track, I promise to check in with whatever the scales say in the morning.

Augigi it's good to hear from you. And a great result :-).

The one good thing I can report is that I have drunk 2.5 litres of water today, and it's only 1pm. Mind you - Perth is having really hot weather, so anyone would get sick if they didn't drink enough.

Hope everyone is doing well and having a great weekend.

:-)
Ani

Don't worry Ani - I'm sure 1kg for TOM isn't too much! I gain that much in misery and resentment alone at that time... :)

I had weigh-in #3 today and I lost another 1.9kg, so that's 4.8kg in 3 weeks! I plan to get under 100 in another week - by Xmas day.

I'm a bit nervous though since I head to my parents' place for a couple of weeks today, and I'm sure the saboteurs will be out in force...

Sounds like everyone's doing well and staying on track.

I totally blew out with my food during the weekend. Went out for a meal on Friday and finished off with cheesecake but I don't regret it because it was DIVINE!!! Another meal and another slice of cheesecake on Saturday night at my work Christmas celebrations but then the man and I went into town and found a club where a good DJ was playing and we danced for 7 hours!!

After that effort I can safely assume that any damage done by the cheesecake has been undone.

Feeling good now but tired so will have tonight off exercise and get back into it tomorrow.

So how is it possible to gain 1.4kg without eating a whole heap of rubbish? I know, I know… fluid and frustration. But really! I weighed in yesterday and I've gone from 95kg to 96.4 in a WEEK! On a really, really bad day I may have consumed 2000 calories - and I think it sucks!

The only thing I can put it down to is fluid. On Saturday it was 42ºC here, and my ankles and everything else were swollen like you wouldn't believe. It has been hot since, and I don't think I've lost that fluid – but I still think it's ridiculous.

How on earth is anyone supposed to motivate themselves when this sort of thing happens?

Grrr…

Ani, sorry to hear about your gain. I know the feeling of doing everything right and getting a gain as a result and it sucks. Don't let it get you down though, you know that you've done the hard work so just keep plugging away at it and you'll get there.

I think I'm finally clicking into Christmas mode and that's not a good thing ... I don't wanna go to the gym today :tantrum:

I took yesterday off because I was so tired from my night of dancing on Saturday - I hardly drank on Saturday night which was great but instead of a hangover I was just super tired. Have to get back to the gym today as much as I can't be bothered.

Goal for this week: Exercise at least 3 times!!

Thanks Little Kiwi. The thing I need to keep telling myself is that I will get there, and that it's really, really important to not give up. I think it's times like this when we are in most danger of throwing our hands in the air (or in the fridge or pantry) and saying "it's too hard - I can't do it". It's so frustrating when you work hard, do the right thing, and still make no progress in the right direction.

Maybe I have hit my first plateau, and if that's the case I just need to take a deep breath and stay really patient - because I know it will pass. I've been doing this now for almost five months, and I need to to think about the positive changes I have already made to my life. And while I feel proud of what I have achieved, I know it isn't enough yet.

We have got 12 days until the beginning of 2007. Since my body has decided to become as stubborn as my scales, I have to make sure my head is in the right place now. It's possible that I will still be more than 95kg by the end of the year. And that will mean I won't have made my first big goal.

But will that make me a failure? Not in this lifetime - no way. It makes me human.

Has anyone else thought about their personal weight loss goals for 2007? Mine are pretty simple:

1. I am going to make walking a part of my daily routine all year, at least five days a week. Not only will I walk for exercise, but will find incidental ways to walk more often.

2. I am going to lose at least 20kg throughout 2007.

3. I am going to reward myself, when I have lost 20kg, by spending two weeks in Bali being pampered.

How is everyone else going?

:-)
Ani

Hi ladies. Well after last weeks attempts to post I'm finally able to today!

I've put on 1/2 a kg this week, which is to be expected with all the crap I've been consuming! But I'm not going to beat myself up about it I'm just going to put it behind me (which is probably where it is anyway!) and soldier on. :D Its so hard to stick to any kind of plan in December. I've had a few family gatherings on and nobody else is watching their weight, even though theres a few than probably should be, so theres not a lot of healthy choices. I had the inlaws bbq on Sunday and all they had were sausages and patties, and creamy salads, no lettuce to be seen anywhere! If I had know I would have packed my own lunch. Oh well not to worry. I still haven't had a fruit mince pie yet, will have to remedy that real soon!!!

Ani.
You have done so incredibly well over the last five months you should be proud of your achievements. Keep at it and I'm sure that this week you'll have a loss. Maybe you should start measuring yourself to gauge how much weight your losing. I know for myself that I've only managed to lose a couple of kg's but I've actually gone down a whole dress size :smug: Can I ask, whats TOM stand for? I know its your period but what do the letters mean?
Little Kiwi.
My plan is to stay where I am for the next couple of weeks and seriously get back into it all after all the festivities are over and done with! I'm a bit like you and can't really get into it all at the moment! I'm sure you'll make your three gym sessions and you'll do well this week.
Augigi.
Congratulations!!! :D You doing so very well. Right on track to make your Christmas goal. Yo go girl!

Anyone heard from Leeny? Wonder how Lindor is managing?

Ok off to the gym now.
XX
Barb

Hey Barb, TOM is an abbreviation for *time of month*. I agree that Christmas is hard for everyone, and especially when you have a lot of social engagements. It never ceases to amaze me how hard it is to be able to choose healthy food at a BBQ or party. It's as if it doesn't even occur to people to make good food.

I think my chest infection is back (if it ever went away) and I'm going back to the doctor in the morning to see what can be done. I tried going for a walk today and only lasted 10 minutes before I felt awful.

I'm very happy I have found Aussie Chicks. I must say it has been a huge help and inspiration for me, and I am looking forward to what we can all achieve together next year.

:-)
Ani

I weighed in on Tuesday and am sitting at 95.3 which is a tiny loss. I'm happy to be maintaining at the moment to be honest as I'm not making much of an effort with my diet.

Don't think I'll be doing my 3x of exercise this week as I'm really just not into it. Tuesday with my PT was hard but now I think I'll just chill and enjoy the holiday season and will get back up and running in the new year.

The weather here is abysmal right now, has been pouring with rain the last 2 days and also very cold. It's December, it's meant to be hot!!!

Maintaining is key at the moment!

Keep up the great work ladies and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.
:clause: :hohoho: :clause:

I walked for an hour this morning - at LAST! Maybe I can get back on track now, and see if I can't shake the plateau, or whatever it is that's holding me back.

I went back to my new doctor today, and he said my sinuses are still infected - so more antibiotics for me. But more importantly, he did a *care plan*, and we worked together to set 3-month goals for next year. He said he will be more than happy if I lose a kilo each month (in my head I thought I would like to do a little better than that) … but he wants to weigh me in three month's time and see at least a 3kg improvement. You could have knocked me over - a doctor who actually appears interested in working with me? Stunned!

So even though the scales tell me I am 96.5kg I am feeling much more positive about my weight loss today.

How is everyone else going?

:-)
Ani

Hey all

Well I am still here. It is Xmas time and i am soooo busy that i just don't seem to find the time to get on the computer. Another reason...my bloody kids are constantly on here so it is a fight to see who wins....tonight it is my turn....and thats that i told them. It takes too long to catch up on everyones storys otherwise.

Glad we are all still here and still plugging along. I agree it is a hard time of year to diet and actually motivate oneself. Ani...i am sure with all your antibiotics/sinus stuff that was the reason for the slight gain. You retain fluid from medication remember. Keep doing the right thing and your weight will surprise you one day. You are such an amazing person with the right motivation that i KNOW you will get there. You have changed your life for the better and just remember that and you will succeed.

I think we all have to remember that when little temptations get in our way...we have come a long way and that 2007 we will make our dreams come true together.

Me....went to WW on Wed and put on 0.1kg...nothing i know but in the wrong direction. I was surprised it was not more with all the crap i have consumed in the last week. TOM is here as well so maybe i did lose something and it was "disguised".:dizzy: Have been doing lots of cooking and too many "licks" so that not good either. Been to a party but surprised myself...no wine nor nibblies and ate only chicken and a tossed salad thing. Going to my sisters for Xmas lunch and i am bringing the "right" salad so have to resist the sweets and i should be OK.(maybe only a small piece eh????):p

Anyhow guys, keep going and will post tommorrow if i can beat the kids in here...ha ha(my son just typed that)....xxxleeny:carrot:

Alright - I admit it, I've succumbed to rubbish food today so I don't expect to be able to report any stunning results with my weigh-in. With Christmas and all its excesses I think I'll wait until tomorrow week to weigh-in again and see if I can have a good post-Christmas week.

I mostly came in here today to say I hope everyone here has a wonderful Christmas. It's been fantastic getting to know you all a little bit, and I really enjoy the support, and the sense of a shared journey we have :-).

I'm really looking forward to what we can achieve together next year.

Stay safe everyone, and have a great Christmas.

:-)
Ani

Hi everyone! I just registered a few days ago and it's nice to see that the southern hemispherers have there own little corner! Heh, I say little... but I don't think I'm up to reading all 70 previous pages.. ;)

Now we're a few hrs ahead of everyone so it's practically Christmas... so I'd like to wish everyone here a very merry Xmas! I hope you can kick back and enjoy the day... I personally hope this weather picks up, or there will be a lot of families having to re-arrange their beach barbies!

I'm heaps glad to have found this board because I've had such a good week and it's keeping me motivated. Normally I start to flag around the 5 day mark (I don't know whether this is common or just my lack of persistance) but I think having a place for support and venting will make a lot of difference. I'm one of those people who wants immediate results and perfection so this weight loss journey will teach me some patience, I guess!

I think I have to take it one day, one week at a time for a while... I haven't added anything to my sig yet but I hope to see a bit of a difference in my face and have stacks of energy to do longer cardio sessions by feb. That would be a great start to the spring semester at uni!

Merry Christmas everyone! xx

Hello everyone,

I joined the site about 14 minutes ago now.
Over the last three days I have read 71 pages of pure insperation!
I feel as if I know each and everyone of you, so here is a bit of my background so you can get to know me.
I am 35 years old, I don't have any of my own children. I am engaged to be married on the 1 September 2007.
I have been on every diet known to man, and my weight has yo-yo'ed from 75kg to my highest at 135kg in the last 5 years.
Over the next 34 weeks I would like to loose 34kg or more! I want to look my best at my wedding and intend to do my absolute best to loose this weight.
So here I am, 1 day after Christmas Day starting my new healthy eating plan, my very first goal is to have lost another 5kg by the 30 January 2007.

A big HELLO to the new women who have just joined us. Welcome aboard :-).

I don't know where all the regulars have gone to … except that Lindor is trotting around the southern parts of WA with her mum and her menagerie at the moment. I suspect that everyone else is tucking into the Christmas leftovers, and hoping that extra kilo magically disappears before they come back in here and tell us they've been very good over the festive season ;-).

With me, what you see is what you get. I ate more than I wanted at Christmas - not because there was an abundance of food, but because I really missed my family this year (who are all in central NSW), and I'll confess I emotionally ate.

But today is another day, and I'm ready to go again. I didn't weigh in this week - and it wasn't because of my Christmas overindulgence either. Sometimes this perimenopause is hideous. I went for about five months without having a single TOM moment - but in December I have made up for it. I am currently having my THIRD TOM this month. Grrr…

I suspect I am around 96kg, and that's OK. Not quite the 10kg I had planned for, but close. More importantly, my motivation to keep going is as strong as ever, even after 5 months.

Now, where is everyone hiding? I want to know how your Christmases were - and I'm looking forward to getting to know our new members as we head into 2007.

:-)
Ani

Hi everyone!

Welcome to our new chicks, I hope you get some benefit from checking in here like most of us do.

I had a nice Christmas day, got spoiled by my man and didn't go too far overboard with food. My favourite thing about Christmas lunch is having a ham. Yum! I've been carving bits off and munching away ever since which is probably not the best idea but hey, we only have a ham on the bone once a year and I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts.

I'm going housesitting tonight until the 5th of Jan and am looking forward to that - I'm 28 and living with my parents at the moment so it'll be a nice break ;)

Looking forward to the new year starting next week and feeling excited about what it will bring. I treated myself to a swanky new leather bound diary yesterday and I'm going to write my goals down - something I've never done before.

Hope everyone is happy and enjoying the holidays :newyear:

Hey all

Welcome to the newbies. :hug: Hoping everyone had a nice Xmas with not too much Xmas cheer. It will be nice to chat to you new guys this new year(you may well inspire us "oldies"). I too am looking forward to what this new year will bring...I'm hoping a lot of weight loss for us all.

I have had tooooo much Xmas cheer and feel like i have put on about 1000kg overnight. I did intend to "indulge" in some festive cheer but as per usual "overindulged". NOt that i care too much(Xmas only comes once per year thank god) but i seem to continue with the festive cheer for too long. I did intend to start the diet again today. It is usually weigh in day today so thought it is the beginning of the week again so start again. Well...not so...still eating the lollies, cheesecake, Xmas pud, leftover meats etc etc. Tommorrow maybe better as most of the goodies i have devoured today.....no more left. No more parties to attend so things should improve. I have told myself that next Wed i will go to WW no matter what the scales say...i need to report to someone.

Anyhow, hoping that this new year will bring us all a little thinner and happier and look forward to chatting with you all and of course sharing our journey together. I am hoping that this new year i can finally make it to my goal.xxleeny:hug:

A thousand kilos leeny? I suspect that might be a small exaggeration :-) but there are very few people who manage to avoid the tempting Christmas goodies! Good to hear that you're going to WW next week. Just let this be a bad week or so, and jump back on the bandwagon. That's what I'm trying to do.

I'm feeling good at the moment, even though I haven't walked for a few days. I'll get back into it in the next couple of days. I'm back to work next week, and that should be fun! In the meantime we have New Year's Eve to get through, and I have a party to go to - and then a recovery bbq the following day … so best I watch myself.

And my next weigh-in day is New Year's Day, so who knows what numbers I'll pull? Although I do expect to gain a little.

:-)
Ani

Hi everyone

I jumped on the scales this morning and was very pleased to see I am 94.9kg. It's my lowest weight sofar, and I was surprised by that - I was expecting to have gained a little.

I'm eating reasonably well but haven't done any exercise this week - and I definitely haven't drunk enough water. And it is STILL TOM for me, so I can't complain about my scales today :-).

I'm going to try and walk this morning, and then I might venture off to the shops for the end of year sales. My mum gave me some money for Christmas, and wants me to buy some clothes. But the problem is that if I do that, they won't fit me in six months from now. Ah! What to do?

OK - I am now beginning the journey from 95-90kg (for those of you who don't know I am just losing weight 5kg at a time), and I have set the goal for the end of March. To reach that goal I want to:

• Walk for an hour at least five days a week;

• Eat no more than 1700 calories;

• Drink 2 litres of water every day;

• Do abdominal crunches 4 times a week;

• Go to the pool 2-3 times a week and swim/walk 40 laps.

What are everyone else's 2007 goals?

:-)
Ani

Thanks for the welcomes, ladies. I'm glad all the fuss over the 'festive season' has died down... not that I didn't love spending time with the family, but our office is overflowing with sugary goodies and it's good that that'll stop now!

Lol @ the '1000kgs' leeny. Actually that jolted my silly brain into kg mode, because before that I'd become accustomed to thinking in lbs and other imperial measurements... so I was O.O, interpreting your S/C/G as in lbs!

My goal is... get fit. I figure, controlling exercise is the key to controlling my weight, since when I exercise I feel like eating better too. So I want to work on my stamina and get stronger and hopefully the excess 15kg will drop off or at least some of it change from flab to muscle. Guess we'll see!

Since you did a nice breakdown PerthChick, I'll copy you :) To do ^... I should...

- get up a bit earlier and do 20mins stretching/jogging/walking...
- start running, increasing by 1-2mins a week... so this time next year, I'll be loads fitter
- go to the gym every day, even if just for 20 mins, to keep me on track and focused
- find any excuse to walk places to get more incidental exercise

I would really love to get fit enough to do the city to surf run again (I'm a Sydney chick). I did it once, when I was 9, so hopefully I can still do it now, 10 years on!

I had a good day yesterday - walked for an hour, ate well, and then spent the whole day in the garden. I moved plants and things around, and started to build a cat enclosure. My fluffy things won't be impressed, but they're just going to have to get used to it I'm afraid.

I also bought a small water feature to sit on the back verandah and put baby fish in it.

Today I'm going to walk for an hour, then build the other 2/3rds of the cat enclosure. I've got my meals planned out for the day, and just have to make sure I am more disciplined with drinking water.

Senorita it's good to hear from you. I like your goals - they're manageable. It always concerns me when people set impossible goals for themselves … I worry they're setting themselves up to fail.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

:-)
Ani

Another good day for me yesterday. I didn't walk, but I spent at least 7 hours finishing off the cat enclosure - so it was a day's hard work. I ate around 1600 calories, but I'll admit I could have drunk a little more water.

OK - today: I'm going to walk for an hour, water my plants, eat sensibly and then of course I have to go out to a NYE party tonight. Fortunately it's not a private party so there won't be food everywhere :-), and I'm not a big drinker so I'm not worried about over-indulging too much.

Weigh-in day for me tomorrow - the first of the year - and I am confident I will lose weight this week. I've set myself the goal of getting to 93kg by the end of January, and I'm really determined to reach it.

I'll report in with my weigh-in results tomorrow. I hope everyone has a happy and safe new year.

:-)
Ani

Its good to see we have a few new people joining us on this adventure ;)
Its been very hectic in my house this past couple of weeks. I've had my bestest friend visit from country Victoria. She's moving to Makay in a few weeks so I'll not get to see her for a while (boo hoo). My sister made a flying visit for Christmas lunch this year. Last year she stayed in Melbourne and it was miserable for all of us. I didn't realise how much I missed her till she wasn't around.
Our Christmas was vern nice. My kids got spoiled as usual, and Dh and I did quit ok too! I always tell everyone not to get us anything because they buy for the kids but we still got stuff.
I thought I was going to have to spend NYE in the emergency dept. The kids were playing cricket yesterday and my Ds hurt his arm. Last year he popped his elbow out and I thought he had done it again only this time it was the other arm. We iced it and watched it for a couple of hours but it didn't swell so he went to bed. Today its all fine, thank goodness!
I weighed last Wednesday and was 91.5. Not to bad considering! I weighed aagain this morning and I'm 91.8. My goal for this year is to take better care of myself. That includes losing around 20kg. I don't care how long it takes as long as it goes. My first mini goal is 5kg. So I'd like to be 86kg by Feb. I think I can do it with all of the support you ladies give. I also need to sort out a fer emotional problem I seem to be having. i believe that if I do this then the weight loss will become a whole lot easier for me.

Well best be off for now. I hope no one is suffering to terribbly from over indulgence last night!

Hey Barb, it's great to hear from you. I'm glad that Christmas and New Year was good for you :-), and happy that you managed to maintain your weight. Good on you! And good luck with your plan for getting into the 80's - you can do it, and we'll give you all the support we can.

I had a huge surprise this morning - I jumped on the scales and was 94kg. To appreciate how exciting that was you have to know I was 95.9kg a week ago. Clearly all my hard work has yielded some decent results.

Not only that but I did my measurements this morning. Since starting this weight loss journey 20 weeks ago, I have lost 11cm from my waist and hips - and a decent amount from everywhere else too. That makes me happy :-)

I'm now going to have to rethink my goals. I'm now into my 3rd lot of losing 5kg, and my motivation and intent is as strong as ever. I have another 4kg to lose in order to reach my 3rd goal - and I have set myself a target of losing it by 12th March (that's at around 1 pound/week).

I want to say thank you to everyone in here. You inspire me, give me wonderful suggestions and guidance, make me laugh, and keep me accountable. People like leeny and Lindor, who have both lost a significant amount of weight, remind me that we can all do it if we stay focussed and patient.

I'm looking forward to 2007, and to sharing this journey with you. By the end of this year I want to lose a further 18 - 25kg. I don't really care how much, because it's all part of a long-term journey.

:-)
Ani

Okay I haven't been here for awhile but you know how it is New Year and all.
I'm recommitting myself to this journey and keen to get my life back under control.
I'm planning to be sensible about my weight loss this time around.
My goals are to not eat after 7.30 pm and to only weigh once a week.
I'm addicted to my scales and know I need to break the cycle of weighing everyday.

:cheer2: :woohoo: Congratulations Ani. You must have been doing the happy dance after seeing that on the scales :D

Chaarli. Your just like me. I can't start the day without jumping on the scales either. Its a hard habit to break!

Hope everyone has a great day. My kids are naging me to get going so better be off.

XX
Barb

Hey Chaarli, great to see you back here and with a plan :-).

Barb, how's it going? I've been for a walk this morning, done 40 situps, and a set of dumbell exercises for my arms. I'm a bit concerned that I'll be all flabby when I lose this weight, so I'm trying to do some toning now. I'm looking forward to nudging 80-something kilos too - but I'm a bit behind you … I'm not expecting to get there until March or April

Has anyone heard from Britt? Seems like ages since she has been in here.

I'm setting myself a challenge for January - aside from the normal stuff I am doing, I want to find an hour every day where I am doing something active. When you work in front of a computer it is so easy to lose track of time, and spend the whole day sitting … so I'm going to find an hour every day where I get up and do stuff.

I hope everyone has a great week.

:-)
Ani

Congrats Ani, that's awesome! Very motivating to see everyone's new year's goals!

I weighed in at 98kg this week - so that's a total of 7.6kg down from 5 weeks ago, which I'm very happy with. I've JUST started to notice my work pants getting very loose, so that's encouraging too.

I underestimated my parents - they went shopping and bought a whole lot of healthy food for me, filled up my water bottles for me in the fridge, helped come up with great meals, and came walking with me and the dogs.. so I lost 3.2kg in the 2 weeks I was there!

Goals for this year:
1. Stick with it, whatever happens. Every day is a new day, and falling down for one won't kill me, as long as I get back to it the next day. This is for the rest of my life.
2. Celebrate any loss. I've been lucky with an average of 1.5kg/wk, but I know that will slow down.
3. Drink at least 2250ml/water per day.
4. Walk at least 30 mins at least 4 days/wk.
5. Accept that when I'm travelling, I won't be able to control my food intake, but I can make healthy choices and ask for modifications.
6. Lose at least 25kg in 2007.

Augigi that's an awesome result - you go girl. It was wonderful to read that your family supported you in such practical ways too :-). Isn't it great to leave the 100.something behind!

I had another pretty good day yesterday, although I was really slack with my water consumption AGAIN! My tummy muscles are sore after my situps (my kittens shredded my last Swiss Ball and I only got a new one yesterday), but I don't mind the *sore muscle pain* - it means I'm doing some good somewhere.

Today I am going to walk for an hour - and then vacuum and mop floors. I start back at work today, so can't spare too much time.

Three months ago I bought a new pair of Size 18 pants, and I couldn't fit into them. They are now almost falling off me. What does everyone else do about clothes while you are losing weight? I don't have enough spare money to buy clothes that will end up in the Good Sammies bin in a few months from now. Any suggestions?

:-)
Ani

Augigi. Your amazing! Your doing so well, keep it up and you will see that the rewards are so worth all the hard work and effort you put in:carrot:

Ani. I take stuff in till it can't go in anymore (you know when it looks terrible and needs to go in the bin!) Then its off to the Good Will stores for in the mean time clothes! I can't really afford to buy new stuff every time I drop a dress size. If I did that my wardrobe would be bursting at the seams! I'm currently fitting into anything from an 18 to a 14, annoying really, why can't clothing sizing be standard! I've come from a size 22 (back when I was 123kg) and that was a squeeze! I refused to buy anything bigger.

I had an ok day yesterday. Spent most of it in the emergency room with ds. He fell of his bike and hurt his arm, again! We thought it may be broken but they took x-rays and couldn't find anything wrong with it. They're suspecting that he may have pulled his elbow (similar to dislocation). After 4 hours of waiting and watching he seems to be fine now. So no lunch yesterday, just a piece of cheese and 4 apricots before flying off the the gym. Had a nice piece of steak and salad for tea (don't you find it always tastes a whole lot better when someone else makes it for you!) But I spoiled it by having a HUGE freddo frog! Not to worry! Weigh day today. 90.9kg back on track now! Going the right way again!!
xx
Barb

Hey all

Sorry i have been MIA for a while. It seems i am all out of routine with the kids at home(and hogging the computer constantly). I am pleased to read we are all going in the right direction now. I get all out of sorts when my routine is non-existant....food is haphazard, exercise is hit and miss and life just seems to float along. I don't think my routine will get any better until the kids go back to school and maybe i may have a slight chance of normalcy(or sanity!!!).

I am eagerly awaiting Uni selection in another week and wondering if my life is about to be turned upside down(AGAIN or maybe thats STILL). My sister was visiting today and she is up to her last year and is revving me up with excitment or anxiousness...i don't know which. She states her weight went up when starting Uni....late nights, study etc etc. NOt Me i exclaimed...i intend to lose weight this year.....sooooo

Went to WW today and put on 1.3kg this week. I am not surprised it was not worse. Couldn't control the lips this year at Xmas...i have really been off the diet for about 3-4 weeks with all the parties, cooking and generally having a good time. Soooo Enough is Enough and today it starts again in earnest.

I did have a laugh to myself though(or maybe a cry). I was putting up the 2007 calendars and noticed that i must have started a diet 1/1/06 and wrote my weight down. I was 86.5kg and a thousand exclamation marks after it. I started again 1/1/07 and i was exactly the same. Pathetic really as i have dieted on and off all year. I spose it could have gone up back to where it all started(at 142kg YUK). I started this thread the same time and vowed and declared that 2006 would be my year. NOt so it seems....2007 it will be though. With all your great support i get i am sure we will all make the most of this year. Eh:hug: Thanks all for listening and hope we don't have too many dramas and reach our goal a lot happier and healthier....

I promise to type a lot more often i think should be one of my goals...xxxleeny

What are you going to study at Uni leeny? Good for you! I was thinking about enrolling to learn Italian this year - I've always wanted to try and learn another language, but it isn't something I'm terribly good at doing. But I would really like to try.

Barb, thanks for the tip about op shopping. I'll do that. Now that I can fit into a Size 18 I might go to the local Good Sammies and get some work clothes - then I can donate them back when I eventually drop another size. Hopefully I will be down to a Size 16 by winter time.

I had another good day yesterday - but again, water intake was disappointing. I'll try and work on that today. Today's goals are:

• Walk for an hour;

• Do 40 ab crunches;

• Do dumbell set for upper body;

• Drink 2 litres of water; and

• Eat no more than 1700 calories.

Of course I need to fit a day's work in around that too :-).

Hope everyone else is having a good week.

:-)
Ani

Good to see you haven't deserted us Leeny! I know exactly what you mean, having the kids home puts all routines on hold! Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending how you look at it!) I have Dh home at the moment so can leave them with him if I need to do anything without dragging them along! :D

I had a good day till I went and picked up the kids from nannas. They had a great day travelling through the Adelaide hills, doing all the touristy things. One of them was stopping off at a chocolate factory, so as you could imagine they came home laden with yummy goodies that mummy promised herself that she wouldn't even look at. By about ten last night I was feeling terribbly guilty and ill from all of the bullets I had gorged on. I really should try a little harder to keep the promises I make to myself!

I can totally relate to the kids home thing.
My routine is so out of whack with the school holidays.
What is good at the moment is they are screening Biggest Loser Australia over here at the moment and it's on everyday so it's really good motivation to see.