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

Week 10: Weight Watchers......don't look

Yeah, the scale hates me. I'm up .6kg's which ='s 1kg up over the past two weeks.

I got to the meeting earlier today as traffic was not as chaotic due to school holidays. None of us were looking to happy and got chatting and I'm glad I did as lots of ideas and thoughts were thrown my way.

* I am going to investigate changes to my treadmill routine and I got myself some 1.5kg weights to go with me on the treadmill.

* Change my routines - not eating the same things for breakfast and lunch. Change and variety. Hmmmm

* Doing more weight training and trying out the toning circuit.

* To stop being so hard on myself!! Yeah right.

* Drink more water.

* Persistance, Persistance, Persistance and NOT GIVING UP!! My fellow lampworkers - PPP

I just want to thank you all for stopping by and commenting. Your support means so much to me. My brain hears what you're saying BUT it is amazing what the # on the scale can do to one mentally. Yes, I can feel it in my clothes, I know it when I can buy a size smaller BUT I am amazed at how much that no. on the scale does to me mentally. This morning I had visions of the scale sinking to the bottom pool.

I am exhausted most of the time and I guess the late nights are not helping. A longing for being with my friends in the USA, it's been 2 years and I miss you all. Time flies.....one day!!

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.

Living healthy and camping : Do they go together??

Oh boy!! Wanna see the most well intentioned plans go wrong. Try planning your eating routine around camping. It proved to be very challenging. Skipping breakfast on Saturday was probably not the best of starts, but hey, we were frantically trying to pack the car and praying I had packed everything we would need, which I had not!! Next time or rather now I should be making a list with tick boxes. {{grin}}

Lunch which I had planned was forgotten in the brink of starvation and got to the point of 'just hand me that tuna roll now'.

Uhhmmmmm, dinner. Mother nature had her plans too, it rained at the same time we thought it best to try and get dinner cooked. Only having fire as our best option - it turned out to be quite an exercise to get the chicken cooked. Now most convenience packaged foods do not make for healthy eating - so next camping trip which is 3 nights and almost 4 days is going to prove to be far more challenging and put my organisational skills to the test. LOL

I keep telling myself that April is cooler so it should be easier. Our camp site does not have electricity so we will be dependant on gas and fire for cooking. As for keeping things cold. Let's just say the little shop has ice.

But Easter weekend poses other challenges. Chocolate eggs and hot cross buns are my weakness around Easter. Do you know what a challenge it is to pass up on those hot cross buns?? I feel my self-control waning everytime I pass them in the bakery. Nor can I tell my boys that the Easter bunny won't be bringing eggs but carrots instead. Hmmmm, that will not make for a fun weekend!! I just got to stick to my guns and say NO, No, no, thank-you!! I can do this right?

Anybody got any ideas for an Eating Plan while out camping? I'd love to hear your ideas.

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!!

I woke up and it wasn't . . .

. . . saturday but friday. For a split second I was truly disappointed. For some reason I wanted it to be Saturday. **sigh** I'm really looking forward to the weekend, I just want it here or maybe I am wishing the days away because next weekend we are going camping. I know, I know...you guys are going to get bored hearing about this little camping trip but you can't blame me for being excited, can you!!

After coming across a new blog this morning. You'll find it in my list of blogs on your right. It gave me cause for some thought. Why am I so determined to get it right this time? Why do I see it as a lifetime thing and not a short term thing? Why did something finally go click in this head of mine? Why is 2009 or rather 2000 + shine, the year of the Skinny Me??

The answers to all those questions are: I am tired of not having enough energy to keep up with my kidlets. I want to be able to run, play and swim with them without lugging an extra me around. I want my feet to stop hurting - yeah, they complain alot about this extra person I am carrying. I want to be able to ride a bike, to do things I want to do...and ultimately I want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with pride, knowing I'm in a condition to do it.

I have tried many, many diets including Weight Watchers. You lose some and you put it all back on and more. I'm not sure if it comes with age, or it's a maturity thing or what it is, but there comes a point when realising that to be fit and healthy and naturally skinny means whatever I do has to become a way of life and that is what I finally seem to have accepted and why saying NO 99% of the time to the wrong choices seems easier.

I chose Weight Watchers because I believe it will teach and guide me to a lifelong solution. I like the points system for than I like the idea of weighing my food. It is also a plan that doesn't disrupt the whole family or give cause to cooking different meals for family members. Although hubby has noticed that I don't touch bread anymore and asked why he is still buying the Low GI kind. My answer was quite simply that it was better for him, so there. LOL

My bit of wisdom for you this morning is just this, dieting is no short term solution.

Weight Watchers : Week 4 : Down .6kg.s

Not as much as I had hoped but down thankfully!!

Thankfully I am still determined as ever and will be working steadily to another loss next week.

I found a good pair of hiking books. Hi-tec's with ankle support. The boys and I are going to go for walks in the afternoon, spend some time at the local park just around the corner and work towards getting fit for 'little hikes'. And why 'little hikes'? Cause we have found a cool place to go camping at.

We're all pretty much excited around here at the moment. Next weekend is our first weekend away as a family in over 2 years. So even one night away has us jumping like jellybeans!! This is where we are going and this is where we will also be spending Easter weekend (3 nights) which also happens to fall on my Birthday. It's going to be a real treat!!

http://www.mountain-sanctuary.co.za/index.html

Next on my wishlist is a mountain bike. I think I discussed briefly last year sometime that Brad and I are keen to take up mountain biking but first some weight has to be shifted.

Weight Watchers : Week 3

Very, Very Good News!!!

I am down 2.4kg's. I am jumping for joy!!! The mantra of 'Nothing tastes as good as thin feels' is clearly working. Heck, I don't think hubby has bought me a 2L Coke in a while. Woohoooo!! Big things this week. No breads, no coke, plenty water and choosing healthy snacks...

Weigh-in : Wk 1 - Weight Watchers

To say today was anything but challenging would be a lie. Have you ever had one of those days where you constantly make excuses why NOT to do something. i.e. I need cash and I'm not near an ATM, I'll have the boys with me and do I really want to go, I can do it next week, I can do it tomorrow, I can do it any other day just not today.......and on and on and well on......

I gritted my teeth and just did it. Is it Nike who says: "Just do it" . I find that 9 out of 10 times it is generally the best option. LOL

Okay so I weighed in at 104.4 Kg's - for all my overseas buds that would be a whopping 230.162 LB otherwise known as pounds.

Now what had me puzzled is that I have been hanging around this figure for months now, yet between December and now I feel like I've put on a whole bunch more. One thing is for certain is that I feel puffier. My wedding ring is making itself known and my face to say that I feel like a blow fish is an understatement of note. {{grin}}.

Thanks to all of you for your support. Elaine, you're my voice of reason. How many times can I say that those same results have happened to me - countless. Every diet I have tried. It was nice to hear the honesty. Did I hear the negativity - no way!! I just heard a friend being very truthful. I could even see it in hubby's lift of the eyebrows - you know that puzzled look that says haven't you done this before but is trying to tread very carefully into unchartered waters. Well not quite unchartered because every man I am sure has tried every path he can think of when it comes to 'those' waters. Mine certainley has!! LOL But still everytime he has to face the 'D' word the waters become very unchartered.

I have a pile of information to get through tonight. Meals to plan etc etc. One thing I can say is that it is going to be fun trying to fit in everything I have to eat. I looked at the 18 point person for a day and that was quite a lot - how I'm going to sqeeze in an extra 5 points is going to be very intersting!! I have 23 points for each day. Let's just say I will NOT starve!! If I do then I have doing something wrong.

This is the plan. Each Tuesday after weigh-in I'll post a blog about my week and my achievements or non-achievements!!

Let the journey begin.........