Weight Watchers : Week 11 - Never Ever Give Up!! Down 1.4kg's

With a lot of hard work, strict control of my WW points and a few changes at gym and Voila!! I am down 1.4kg's. I added some weights to my exercise routine which has turned out not to be a bad thing at all and I am enjoying the circuit more than I thought I would. When I walk on the treadmill I carry my 1kg weights that fit snuggly into each hand to help get that heart rate up....and YES, I am still having fun. {{big smiles}}

Those hiking boots are there for a reason. It is Easter Weekend and we're off on our 3 night, 4 day camping trip. Woooohoooooo!! The weather has cooled down a bit, but thankfully no rain is forecast and we're not in the dead of winter so it is 'just right' so to say. So I'll be packing in ernest sometime today.

For those of you travelling, travel safe and no matter where you are I hope you have a super long weekend and enjoy spending it just the way you want to.

Hugs to you all.

Mich

The bathroom scale HATES me....yes, it DOES!!

Don't you just love that website : http://icanhascheezburger.com/

I'm getting panicky and frustrated!! The bathroom scale HATES me, I swear it does!! My clothes feel better and I've dropped a cup size as well as a bra size. Does that make sense?? But, the bathroom scale HATES me. The other day I bought a more comfy pair of pants to exercise in - dropped a size. Why doesn't the bathroom scale agree??

I'm almost living at the gym now in this desperation to lose weight. How long I can keep this up - who knows? Yesterday I upped my game on the treadmill and cycling machines. Then after that sweaty session, I bumped into Sanele, our water aerobics instructor who felt some abdominal exercises would be a good idea. I HATE Sanele, okay, I don't - but when I was doing the exercises, I did. LOL I think we have an appointment on Thursday to do some more. I love the exercise for the 'love handles' - had fun with those. LOL

Tonight is Tai Chi and I have done no research. I really must try and squeeze some time in and google it. I need to find a decent pair of slippers that do not have a 'Winnie the Pooh' character on (wouldn't that do down well in class) for class. A nice black pair. And no not slipper slippers, but slippers. {{grin}}

I might try and squeeze in some cardio and maybe some body conditioning as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving gym but I'm worried about how much time I end up spending there. I love the smell of pools, I find it refreshing and I also made a new discovery yesterday as well, I seem to do better with cardio when I'm listening to local artists who sing Afrikaans songs. I found that it was easier to zone out and do what needed to be done vs. struggling.

What has not helped either is a busy social calendar, it was hubby's birthday last weekend, our anniversary yesterday and my birthday coming up soon, and it happens to be over Easter weekend too. I've taken to smelling Hot Cross Buns....don't worry, I buy them and don't eat them. Pure torture....!!

Best to face the day. Stay strong and true and remember YOU CAN DO IT!! and so CAN I!!

Week 9 : Weight Watchers - up (point) 4

Sadly, no gold stars this week!!

It went up, for the first time since I started WW. Thankfully there are no thoughts of giving up but only a determination to lose the .4 plus more quickly!!

Going to gym has resulted in me trying some new classes - water aerobics, pilates orientation and Tai Chi. All of which I have enjoyed!! The only hiccup is that cardio takes a back seat on these days but I will figure it out eventually.

This journey I am on is amazing. I love learning new things daily and discovering things about myself that I never ever thought I'd ever try or even like.

I have a crazy day ahead, ending with bookclub this evening. I haven't seen the girls in over 2 months so I'm looking forward to catching up.

Enjoy!!!

Mich

Don't wanna get on!!

If life goes according to my bathroom scale, I don't wanna get on. Tomorrow is weigh-in and I'd love not to get on the scale tomorrow. For once I strongly believe that it will go up instead of down. Bummer!!

I joined a local gym last weekend and have been going practically everyday except for yesterday. I've done cardio, various classes and had fun!! But eeeeek - that number just doesn't want to budge this week. I think I could turn my scale upside down - nothing will help.

I am definitely enjoying the gym experience. Most of the time we (the boys and me) are there in the afternoons when it is at it's quietest, which is heaven. My sister has been keen to do more group activities which means going to gym in the evenings. Tonight we tried Tai Chi and I LOVED it...., tomorrow we'll be doing water aerobics but at some stage I need to squeeeeeeze in some more cardio. The boys are a great motivator - they just want to go and naturally trying to get them to come home is a challenge but a promise to return the next day seems to work.

I am also looking into a pedometer - the one I am looking at can actually be connected to your PC and the info downloaded and I guess you track it. It connects to the same page that has all my gym info and tracking my progress online is turning out to be fun.

We have also joined another programme through our medical aid. We earn discount on healthy food options at our one retailer. When we make our purchases we hand over our card, it tracks what we purchase and once a month we receive 25% back on certain food items - thinking we can use that as a special treat and it is a motivator to buy fresh fruit and veg, fat free milk/yoghurt and many other healthy options. In this economy getting anything back is a bonus!!

Anyway, time to hit the sack. I'm going to try and build up some courage for that scale tomorrow. Wish me luck................!!

Mich

Week 8 : Weight Watchers - Down 1kg and total loss to date of 7.2kg's

What a feeling!! Another 1kg down. I'm thinking that all the gym this past week has payed off. My only concern is that I might become obsessive about it, that is how much I am determined to get rid of this excess weight. I am really proud of what I have accomplished to date.

A reminder of some of the changes I have made:

* Smaller portions

* Healthier choices (more fruit and veg, and red meat is way down)

* Drinking 1.5l - 2l of water everyday.

* Gym (plenty exercise in the cardio section of the gym)

* Not depiving myself. (I still have the odd piece of chocolate, but it is the organic expensive kind, so I want it too last as long as it can {{smile}}. If at a social event I will treat myself to something special but not go overboard.

* Friday nights have been my pizza and chill night!

* Getting the family involved.

This is just a summary of the last 8 weeks equating to a 7.2 kg loss, which is 15.84 pounds. I am hoping to achieve my 10% loss by the end of the 12 weeks. I will then continue on with a new goal of another 10%. By taking it in smaller chunks, my goal is never far away and is achievable.

To my supporters and you all know who you are, a HUGE big Thank You!! I love you ladies.....

Adding to that healthy lifestyle mix....

NO...definitely not another baby!! This cutie pie is my cousin Nadine's little one and his name is Luke.

So what is the addition to the healthy living mix? The answer would be exercise. This past weekend saw me getting the boys and myself sorted out with our gym contracts etc. etc. The verdict is still out on hubby joining in but I'm sure it won't be too long and he'll see just how much fun we're having that he'll join too. I have promised him that the odd game or 2 of squash when I'm fit enough.

Even though I am losing weight, I am losing it very slowly which can be frustrating. Some days I just want it gone. After swearing that I would not put a foot in a gym - I did. Now remember, a girl is allowed to change her mind.

The equipment seems to get smarter and smarter. The treadmills now have their own lil' tv screen but my favourite new addition, well new for me, is the fan!! To have that cool air blowing on me was heaven! It was also nice to be exercising knowing that the boys were getting a dose of some exercise as well, and best part was that they were having fun. Once they had done their session they were then allowed to play with the PS2 or WII and just chill. When I went to pick them up, I got the 'do we have to goooooo.....' I foresee lotz of time being spent at the gym.

There are some amazing classes and I look forward to trying some of them out. They have water aerobics, zenpilates, pilates, yoga, aerobics, step, ab attack and a whole bunch more. I'm not saying either way on the spinning classes just yet but maybe one day.

I've got a crazy week ahead of me. Homeschooling, housecleaning, getting ready for a big braai this weekend, gym and planning our healthy meals. Thanks to Gina's WW recipes - life is made easier some days.

Hope you have a fabulous week. Keep it positive!!

Hugs............

Weight Watchers : Week 7 - Down 1.6kg's

That was a huge relief!! By this morning I was positive that the scale would not be in my favour at all. I have not been paying full attention to my points. My compass this past week was to make the right choices where I could. Back to watching those points, the stress is not worth it.

Other changes made during the week was that I try and eat my last meal before 6pm or just after. I carry my 1.5L bottle of water with me everywhere. These have been BIG contributors to the weight loss.

Excercise is another biggie. To shift this weight sooner rather than later it has come to my attention that the more exercise I do, the better!! My intention was not to step into a gym until I had lost a good amount of weight but thankfuly we can change our minds. We will also try and get the botanical gardens on a regular basis. The best part about that is that it is something we can do as a family!!

I am also really enjoying cooking. We eat a variety of meals and our red meat is way down on the menu plan. More vegetarian dishes, chicken and fish.

How was your week?

Weight Watchers : Week 6 - Down .2kg's

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!! Definitely not what I had hoped for.

Not being properly organised for the camp trip and not drinking as much water was probably my downfall this past week and sneaking in the hot cross bun was probably not a good idea - eeeek

BUT a loss is a loss and I should be grateful that I have not gone up in the past 6 weeks but that I been moving slowly downwards towards goal weight.

Just a quick thanks to all of you who provided ideas for the next trip. Thankfully, I have about 5 weeks to experiment and plan. {{grin}}

And an update on Gran. Gran was discharged from hospital yesterday and returned to the nursing home she has been staying at. The Dr could no longer justify keeping her in hospital to the Medical Aid - got to love those Medical Aids, but sadly stated that he feels that she will be back in hospital soon as she is refusing food and water. This means her protein levels are low and will most likely end up dehydrated again.

Weight Watchers : Week 5 - down 1.4kg's

I can do it!! Quite simply that, I can do it!!

We're into Week 5 and another loss of 1.4kg's has been recorded. I'm over the moon about it.

This past week has thrown many challenges my way and I bravely continued on the path I have envisioned for myself. I have now lost a total of 4.4kg's, which equates to 9.7lbs.

I can only thank Tiffany http://skinnydontfixugly.blogspot.com/ who found her way to my blog. Through Tiffany I have found many other blogs related to WW's and the recipe ones have been a HUGE help!! I started to wonder if I would end up looking like stirfry because that is all I'd eat. LOL So let me tell you a little secret and you absolutely cannot tell anyone else this : You can still eat yummy food and lose weight!! Not that stirfry's aren't yummy, they most definitely are, but night after night and your taste buds start screaming for some variety!!

Yesterday while browsing through one of the recipe links, I found a fantastic Chicken curry http://weight-watchers-points-recipes.blogspot.com/2008/11/chicken-curry-with-coconut-milk-43-pts.html Yum, yum, yummy!! Now don't forget those portion sizes - with this one you'll be tempted for seconds. But hold back - you know you can because those leftovers are going to make for another FANTASTIC meal!!