Hi girls,

Well done Lindor and Ani!! Sounds like you both had great days!

And Ani, you little hero, you! Im sure that poor elderly woman is so grateful - you can come move next door to us anyday!

Well, Im back into it today and feeling so unmotivated. Ugh. Its going to be a busy one too, so that will make it a bit harder to take the time to make proper food for myself, etc. (I like to grab things on the go - mainly carby stuff!) Wish me luck! Have a sore throat today...I swear if Im getting sick again, I will be ticked! Im taking bloody 15 vitamins a day, theres no way I should be getting sick!!!

Anyway, have a great day! What day are we on now?? Id be happy to lose a kilo by the end of our challenge (course, I havent weighed myself after last week...haha).

Check in soon!

Britt

I think today is Day 14 … which means we have a week to go. I'm frustrated with my weight - I have stayed between 100.5kg and 99.8kg for the last month. With all the hard work I've been doing it would be so nice to see some results in the right direction.

Hopefully by the end of our challenge I may see a shift - that'd be good.

Lindor - good on you for getting those lawns done, and for the obvious improvement in your stamina. I didn't realise you were going from a house to an apartment. How will that go?

Hey Britt, you can do it. Don't set your expectations too high with the scales - not after all those family visits and yummy foods.

Since I'm up early I think I will go to the markets this morning, and then while I am in the area I might go for a walk along the beach.

Hope you all have a great day.

:-)
Ani

Two weeks down, one week left...for the current 21 day challenge!

I feel great again tonight! 600 step-ups NON-STOP tonight! Again I'll only deduct 500 because I got a tad slow toward the end of them

I have drunk my 3L water. And I have eaten properly!

I was asked to go into work this evening. The overtime would have been nice, but it would have meant knocking off at 10pm and not having the time to do my step-ups. So I said 'no'. Now how is that for dedication???

Britt, I hope you managed ok today. I am a little concerned about you trying to force yourself into this. If you are feeling 'unmotivated' I think it could stir detrimental emotions if you happen to have a bad day down the track. The biggest thing I have learned in this journey is that dieting is not only cutting back food and increasing exercise, being in a good state of mind and being very motivated is extremely important too. If your mind is not in it 100% Britt, don't push yourself

How was your day Ani?? Did you get to the markets?

Well, I am feeling optimistic about a loss showing on the scales tomorrow (I shouldn't set myself up for a fall should I?).

Good luck with week three people

Weighed in at 80kgs this morning! I am happy with that!

After two bad days earlier in the week and to still manage a drop tells me that I can afford to go out for lunch as planned, and still stay on track for a good week.

So...how did everyone else go??

Hi girls,

Yay Lindor for the loss! Glad you have done so well this week. Im still not game to step on the scales. I would normally agree with you about not pushing yourself if youre not feeling motivated, and would normally give the same advice to someone else. But with me, Im never really motivated until I see results, so I always start unmotivated and then as I start losing, or start feeling really good, etc, I get motivated. Does that make sense?? Ill be fine. Once I get back into it full force, I will be back with you girls!

I did really well until late last night. I said we were having a busy one and we didnt get home until 9.30pm and with no food in the house, we ordered pizza. I didnt want to skip dinner in case I may be preggers (cant test until next week! Ahh!) and I cant do this until I have good food in the house and I cant shop until tonight, so looks like tomorrow will be day 1 for me again. I cant believe we're 2/3 of the way thru our challenge! Where did the time go?!?

Well, have a great day girls! Am going to try and go walking today, even if food will not be that great (will do as best as I can with what I have!). Will try and check in again tonight.

Britt

Last Monday I was 99.8 - today I am 99.7kg. That's a little bit disappointing - but I need to learn from this. Two weeks have gone in our 21-day challenge, and it seems I am doing something wrong, or at least I am only doing enough to 'maintain' my weight.

OK – the good news is that I didn't gain weight. So with a week to go I think it's time for me to take stock and to really think about what I'm doing. It isn't that I'm not trying - because I am. But the balance isn't right. This week I am going to try and reach the following goals:

• Walk for 10.5 hours (1.5 hours every day).

• Cut back calories to 1700/day.

• Increase the amount of whole food in my daily calorie allowance, and reduce the amount of processed stuff.

• Do situps every day.

• Find 1/2 an hour every day to do more in the garden/house.

• Drink 3 litres water every day.

This is a plan for this week only. I just need to 'tweak' what I am doing until I have found the right balance which will help me lose weight while giving me enough energy to be healthy.

Lindor that's great news about you losing a kilo. What kind of food do you eat every day?

Britt maybe if you set some goals that are non-scale related, it might help. I plan to measure myself again on Monday. It will be 3 weeks since the last time I got the tape measure out - and hopefully there will be a difference.

Good luck with this week everyone.

:-)
Ani

Ani, I wish I could offer some advice hon. Im not sure why our bodies like to hold on to our fat stores when we're trying dang hard to get rid of them! Ive NEVER had so much trouble losing weight until a few months ago when I started wanting to lose it. Its strange - I dont know if it has something to do with having Carter or what, but it sure is annoying. Keep us posted on your progress for the week. Maybe your body just needs a rude awakening.

As for me, I actually do have some goals non-scale related, but really, at this weight, I should be dropping the kilos rather quickly. I know its not neccessarily about what the scale says and I have measured myself, but with 60kg to lose, it really should be about the scale at this point for me. Im not weight lifting, so not neccessarily building muscle and drinking water like mad, so shouldnt be retaining water. It should just be fat loss at this stage in the game. I will not focus so much on the scale after the first 10kg or so or when I start weight training. Anyway, maybe Im totally off base, but I just think that when youre "mobidly obese", the scales will reflect a loss of any kind. I might just have to get pregnant just to lose weight! Hahah

Ok, off to do some housework (it needs it!!).

Talk soon...Britt

Thanks Britt - I really value the support of you girls. It keeps me going, even at those times when I want to give up. And there have been a few of those moments…

I know this is going to sound obessive or something, but I was thinking about buying new scales. Normally I would smirk at anyone who came up with that as an excuse – but I wonder if the cheap ones I bought from K Mart are any good. The reason I am thinking this is that my best friend (who is tall and thin) weighed herself on my scales on Saturday, and was 66.5kg. Now she has never been over 61kg in her life. Never!

Another friend says that my scales weigh her about 4kg heavier than she thinks she is … so I'm not sure what to do.

Logically I know that it wouldn't mean I had lost any more weight, but it might give me a boost of morale if I have scales that are more accurate. What do you think?

Britt, do you know how many calories you eat every day? I agree with you that, at your weight, it should be reasonably easy (in theory) to see a few pounds slide off those scales. But if you have hormones that are running all over the place, that might be accounting for things. The other thought I had was to ask you if you've had your thyroid levels checked. I have a friend who has hypo(or hyper)thyroidism, and she finds it really hard to lose weight.

Right - I must get off this computer and go for a walk.

:-)

Hi girls
Back again. It seems the days get away on me...too busy and i have to fight the whole family for a time on the computer. It is a pupil free day here today and the kids have hogged it all day with their games etc. I have just screamed at them to get outside and kick the ball or ride a bike or something...just get outside and let me have a play with "my friends".

Lindor...you skinny thing...you are doing great. You seem to have your motivation back again...i am proud of you

Ani...you go buy those scales. I don't know what it is but if you know your true weight you will feel so much better. I know we shouldn't obsess about the number on the scales but if we are trying to lose it is so important. I weigh myself every day(yes i know i shouldn't) but it keeps me motivated if i see it go down or either work harder if it goes up. I know it could be water weight or anything really but it just helps me stay on track...does that make sense????It keeps me true to myself somehow...

Britt...maybe you are eating too much processed carbs. I cut out all the starchy carbs like potato, pumpkin, bread, rice, cereal, peas, corn, carrots and no sugary drinks for the first seroius month and i lost 10kg. I wasn't hungry as i had carbs in the forms of fruit(except watermelon, grapes..too much sugar in them). I ate Mountain Bread instead on bread every day(for my starch content) or 3 cruskits daily. 2 litres of water, a bit of exercise and 60kg fell off in about 8 months. I didn't count calories(can't be bothered) and every 21 days i had a pig out meal. I could give you a better run down of my diet if you would like...it was the easiest diet i ever did but hard the first 2 weeks as i was used to cereal and toast for breakie instead of some yoghurt/fruit or eggs. Let me know as i have tried so many diets this one made sense.

Anyhow....I'm still on track apart from a biscuit i just grabbed and got guilty so jumped on the computer to keep me motivated. Will weigh myself on Thursday to see if Week 1 was kind to me....behave now girls..xxxleeny

On the subject of scales I went to a fitness equipment supply place and weighed myself - I think my scales are fine. But just because I could, I bought a new set of scales that measure body fat as well as weight. Don't know how accurate they are going to be (re body fat), but it will give me another goal to pursue as I convert some of this flab to muscle :-).

hey Leeny, it's good to hear from you. I was just wondering where you were, and how things are going. Hang in there - I think this journey is harder than any of us thought it would be!

Ani, yeah, I agree that hormones are probably having a lot to do with it. Ugh. Just the thing I need to get pregnant, and just the things thats keeping me from losing weight! Argh! Haha..I dont think you are obsessive at all about the scales. I would do the same if I thought mine were perhaps off. I know they are acurate tho unfortunately as we weigh our luggage on it before going on a plane and their scales always are identical. I only wish it was weighing me heavier than I am! It will be good to see your body fat as well...going down anyway!

Leeny, when Im on track I dont eat any carbs except for my Weetbix in the morning (when metabolism is highest) to keep my fiber up and maybe a sandwich with wholegrain bread for lunch. And I agree, Im not hungry and dont crave carby things. But, I certainly wouldnt mind seeing your diet in more detail, if only to compare it to what I was already doing. If you want to email it to me (if its easier), [email protected] is my email addy. When I did this same thing a couple of years ago, I dropped 20 kilos (about 1-2 kgs a week) in the first 3 months. BUT, for some reason, my body is holding onto my fat for dear life. The only thing I can attribute it to is my metabolism being stuffed up and needing to get back into gear or like Ani said, hormones.

Anyway, Ive used the last of the sugar in the house (in the form of American brownies for hubby) and will be going to the store tonight to get all my goodies - salad ingredients, veggies, wholegrain bread, etc. <sigh> I know what normally works for me, I just wish I could figure out why its not working this time around. Anyway, I refuse to give up or think negatively about it. I will keep on keeping on and will eventually get there!

Quote for the day:

"If I had my life to live over...I'd dare to make more mistakes next time."
Nadine Stair


Britt

Well, I struggled a tad today, but I knew I would with the lunch thing today. I had kinda concluded this morning that today was going to be a rest day with regard to food control so I am not attacking myself too much for it.

Water was a little struggle, but I did manage to drink my three litres in the last 90mins!! Going to pay for that in the form of 500 trips to the loo over night I am sure!!!

And I did do my step-ups. I lost count midway, so did 20 minutes non-stop. I think I calculated 500 to be 15 minutes a little while ago anyway. My next challenge will be by time not number

Ani, I think you have the most stubborn set of scales!!! You seem to be doing everything right - it doesn't seem fair that that is not reflected through the scales! It is good though that you are making positive adjustments and not giving up!

My food intake...

Breakfast:
A bowl of cereal
A piece of fruit
And a cup of coffee (milk, no sugar)

Lunch:
Tuna and salad sandwich (I use the small tins of flavoured tuna and wholegrain bread)
A piece of fruit

Dinner:

(here's the bit that I am ashamed of )

A frozen, heat in the microwave, meal of some sort.
And a piece of fruit.

Sometimes I'll throw in a 30g portion of dried fruit and nuts for moring/afternoon tea. And and extra cup of coffe ot three!

Over the last few days I have calculated that to be around 1500 cals a day.


Leeny, well done for making it back on the wagon. Stick with us, we can all keep each other motivated!

Britt, good to have you climbing aboard again too.

Lets do our best to stick with it and stay as motivated as possible up to Xmas now!!

Hang in there ladies...we can do this!!

I gave myself a little bit of a talking-to last night, and then sat down and worked out a few things with my calculator. As a result I have "toughened up" with my weight loss, and faced a few hard truths. I've also been writing in my journal over the past few weeks, asking myself the question: What is it about my life that I need to wrap up in protective layers of fat?

And I don't know the answers yet - but I've been having some really strange dreams … so it would seem the truth is trying to come out somewhere :-). On the outside I am a strong, bolshie woman - never short of an opinion, and rarely afraid to share it. But I know I'm scared of something - maybe intimacy, maybe letting another person in to share my life. My friends are always giving me a hard time about not "getting out there and meeting someone". At the moment I couldn't think of anything worse.

What's this got to do with weight loss? Maybe nothing - maybe everything. In my head I know what I have to do to lose weight - and I understand the maths. So why is it that I often sabotage myself, by having days where I eat like a pig?

Sorry - that was a bit of a self-indulgent waffle for so early in the morning. Are any of you emotional eaters - and have you found ways of dealing with it? I sure don't have any answers.

Anyway I plan to stay on track today. Lindor thanks for sharing your eating plan with me. Don't worry - I often have a frozen meal for dinner too :-).

I hope you all have great days. Walk a little, eat a little and laugh a lot :-).

Hi girls

Ani firstly i love your little ditto at the end of your last chat about the eat and laugh lots...it is too true...i will endevour to do that today. And no you are not self indulgent...it is a good place to say whatever is on your mind. This weight loss game is sure hard and you are right in trying to ascertain "why" things goo off track and why we need our protective layer of fat.

I'll tell you my story(well one of them), I have always been fat...fat kid, hated exercise etc etc. My mum dragged me to WEight Watchers when i was only 9. Looking back that was a bad move on mums behalf but i know she thought she was doing the right thing by me. Soooo 50 zillion diets down the track, some worked for a while but i always find the weight again. When my eldest son got sick when he was only 18 months old and me 6 months pregnant with my second one...i ate and ate and ate. I didn't care about me, my precious baby was going to die. It was my comfort that food(and still is).Until i reached 142kg and still used the excuse that i have so many worries in my life...people can love me for who i am, not what i look like...blah blah...
But i soon realised that i am a better person, better mum, better wife when i feel better about myself...so thats when something clicked and i lost the bulk of my weight.

I still feel overwhelmed by all my problems daily and have to think about being healthy to cope instead of indulging myself with food to "feel better for only a moment" as the long term goals of staying around with my family are far more appealing than the cake. This is my talk to myself today...i hope that helped you girls...xxxleeny

*How to wreck your day*.

• Step 1: Put your gardening gloves on and start weeding.

• Step 2: Feel something brush your wrist inside your glove.

• Step 3: Do not panic - you know you have a wild imagination. You are a writer - sometimes you think things that exist only in your vivid imagination!

• Step 4: Feel the fangs sink into your wrist.

• Step 5: Whip your glove off, shake it - and watch as a jet black arachnid, with a BIG red stripe on it's back, scurries into the grass with a nasty grin on its face, Mongrel!

• Step 6: try not to vomit as the pain shoots up your arm. Grab an icepack from the freezer, an anti-histamine from the cupboard … and try to sound really calm as you call the doctor.

Yep - that was my afternoon!

Grrrr!!!

At least it's a great appetite suppressant :-)