Just over 2 years ago..

I joined WW and what a trip it has been!

I can't imagine not being like this now, not feeling the way I do, not looking the way I do, not having as much energy as I do. I love the new me, I love my life! I won't go back to what I was, simply, I can't. I won't allow myself to! I fully expect there will be hurdles, but what are hurdles for, if not to overcome them?

Thinking back I am so glad that I decoded to join Weight Watchers. It has been one of the best decisions of my life!

Sorry! I'm a naughty blogger.. but I have some exciting news!

I'm really sorry I know alot of you look at my blog waiting for updates! I've been really, really busy!

I've had an up and down few weeks. To see me back to where I was at last blog. I can't put my finger on why really as I have even tracked points in the last week in an endevour to check my portions and shake things up and a bit! I have started walking again and last week clocked up an amazing 68.68kms on my pedometer (the show was over 14kms just on that day) and I gained this week :(. I am taking anti-inflamatories though for inflamed tendon in my elbow and H (our lovely recorder) told me not to be surprised if this causes fluid retention, so I'm hoping that is the case, and so should be back to normal next week!

The show was so much fun! It was Daniel's first show, he was so excited!! He had a go on "titanic" first the kids had to climb a rope ladder and then slide down a huge inflatable slide. We weren't sure how he would go as some obviously older kids were balking at the top but he had a ball. He also went on the "teacups" ride with Brad. Yes! We had to pay $5 so Brad could go on the ride with him. Highway robbery really but what can you do? He had a go on the "clowns" and he won some fluffy dice lol. He thinks they are pretty cool! He also got a few showbags! He had a great time, we stayed til after the fireworks and he was so tired and more than ready to come home! I couldn't believe it though at the show I was able to have grilled trout and salad for dinner and it wasn't even all that expensive $8! Later I got a corn on the cob unbuttered! The lady got one straight out of the pot for me! Can't get any fresher than that! I also did have some of Daniel's fairy floss. :).

Now to the exciting news... no I'm not pregnant, I'm not sure why everyone assumes that when I say I have exciting news, but it isn't that! So a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by WW online to go to Sydney to have a PHOTOSHOOT! I am soo excited!!! The shoot is not til 17th of October so I'm sure you will be reading more about it as the time gets closer. But how amazing hey! I will be all glammed up and I'm sure they will get some fabulous shots!

Who would have thought almost 2 years ago that this would be happening to me! It's just like a dream, but one I don't want to wake up from. I love my new energy, I love being able to buy clothes and I love my life!♥

The good the bad and the ugly of the last couple of weeks!

So much has gone on in the last 2 weeks.. my head is still spinning!

THE GOOD

It's Daniel's birthday today. He's 4! We had a lovely party for him yesterday and I even had some birthday cake! He had a great time.

The Cake!

Pressies!!!

Blowing out the candles!
The chocolate smile says it all, he had a great day!!

THE BAD

• The reverse cycle ducted aircondtioner / heater that we paid $7,600 on 2 months ago, stopped working on the 24th August (one of the pannels blew up) and we are without decent heating til 23rd September.
• The electrician was here last week and took 5 tiles off the roof, and didn't put them back on, it has been raining and I've had drips in the kitchen through the ceiling, who knows how much damage that will cause!, and of course he didn't answer his phone. (I contacted the builder and he's come to put the tiles back on).
• We have a carport we can't use because the driveway hasn't been done yet! (should be cemented tomorrow.
• The tiler has scratched my benchtop. (it's not bad but I know it's scratched)
• I'm sick of living in mess and dust and I just want it over NOW!
  

THE UGLY
My dermatisis is playing up big time (due to stress, the only time it has been worse was prior to our wedding!)

I lost 0.9kg last week, but gained 0.8kg the week before so I'm still basically the same :) BUT my Levis fit well now AND got some great Op Shop bargains today.. 2 tops $3 ea :) Gotta love a bagain!

Slow and steady right?

A loss of -0.2kgs this week. TBH I was disappointed because I did gain last week so I did expect a little more, but at least it wasn't a gain, and it is moving again in the right direction. So I am pleased about that! I tell you I will be glad when all these renovations are done and my life can get back to being normal again!

Just over 2 weeks till my little "baby" turns 4! He goes to kindy 1 x 1/2 day per week at the moment and he absolutely loves it! We're planning a Spiderman (who happens to be the flavour at the moment) birthday party so I'm sure he will have a great time with all his little friends!

Daniel turning 4 marks my light bulb moment about NEEDING to do something about my weight, so my 2 year anniversary with WW is coming up (20th September) I have been trying to remember what life was like pre weightwatchers and how I felt, and I tell you I thought I felt "ok" but really?? I was tired ALL the time! I had pain in my hips and ankles. My feet were always puffy! I had to have regular massage because my back was always aching. I could never find anything that looked good at the clothes shops, I just had to find something that fit! As long as it fit, it was ok (even if it looked like a 2 man tent!) I had no energy and always "watched" and hardly ever participated, unless it was to do with food or sitting on my tush! Where would I be if I had never started WW? How would I feel? What would I look like? Certainly nothing like I do today! I would guess as I was putting on an average of 5-10 kgs a year I'd be at least 130kg at the moment and probably pushing 140kgs . Now please remember I am 157cms (I'm a shorta$$) I will be forever thankful to Weight Watchers for giving me a life!

The yo yo continues..

Plus 0.6kg this week so over the 3 weeks I have been doing maintenance I have basically stayed the same which was the aim, so I'm ok with the gain.. I would have preferred it to not have been quite so much but ah well! Back to core this week and we shall see what happens next Wednesday. On another note here are some during shots of the renos!

Before..
After the trees were ripped up
all that was left of them :o

After the concrete was done under the new carport (all the rendering is done now, and most of the fence is done)

And the new room (office) with the feature wall :) Yes they are powerpoints and data points The new desks should go in tomorrow - I hope!!

Oops!

I forgot to update! (Thanks H for reminding me! :p)
Still painting (and will be for a while we're painting the whole house) I've done the feature wall in the office it's Dulux Wooed I thought it may look too dark, but it's fine :)

I bought a rice cooker today! A Russel Hobbs stainless steel one with a vegetable steamer attachment. I've been wanting one for ages and I'm sooo impressed! I made sushi tonight (tuma & corn and Teriyaki chicken, carrot and cucumber) and it was soo easy, it cooked the rice perfectly! I think I may have a new favorite appliance!

Another loss this week 0.4kgs :) Still slow, but at least we're moving in the right direction again. I more week of maintenance for me and then back to core :).

Stick to it!

Don't give up!
Don't lose faith in yourself!
You can do this YOU just have to want to!

Scales are moving albiet slowly for me again. This weeks loss 0.3kgs
Renos are still happinging! From Friday to Tuesday I did 40 points worth of painting according to etools. Anyone want to earn some bonus points? lol

Sometimes

Our bodies don't do what we expect them to. This week I feel thinner, my Levi's that I bought a few weeks ago are able to be worn in public (without a muffin top), I've lost cms and yet I gained 0.1kg on the scales. I pointed core to make sure I was eating enough/not too much. I am at a loss to what to do! I'm thinking of "formally" going onto maintenence for a couple of weeks (I'm maintaining anyway so it can't hurt really? Right?) So we'll see what happens!

Things are progressing with the renos and I should be able to start painting on the weekend! Just think of all that ladder climbing and incidental exercise!!

And Again

I stayed the same again at WI. I seem to have maintenance down pat! (PITY I'M NOT AT GOAL YET!!) My leader even re-heighted me (to make sure I'm not taller! - I'm not) as this would increase my goal weight. It's times like thise I remind myself this is not a journey.. it is a lifestyle and my body doesn't always do as it's supposed to each week.
I'm pointing core again this week to make sure I'm eating enough.

I've bought some spiderman material and cushion panels to make Daniel a spiderman quilt. Spiderman still seems to be the favourite, and we're panning a spiderman 4th birthday party for Daniel.

The renos are going well with the office and 4th bedroom almost finished! I should be able to start painting next week! I've chosen a Dulux Hogs Bristle half as the main "colour" throughout. and we will have a feature wall in the lounge, office and our bedroom.

We're creatures of habit!

Good ones or bad ones we are creatures of habit! It doesn't take long to form habits. Bad habits are often harder to break than good habits.

A theory that I have been contemplating too has to do with chaos. I was looking back over my WW passport and I've noticed that I've lost 4kgs since February (yeah I know it's OK but it's not great!) - February is when we started renovating. I wonder how much chaos in our lives translates to chaos on the scales. I'm really over the dust, mud and mess everywhere. I just want to be painting, because to me, that translates to "almost done", and then we can return to some sence of normality. I didn't manually track my 21 points this week, but I stuck to my 3 points per day use them or lose them rule, I notice that I seem to be craving sweet rather than savory, which for me is not a good thing! This week I will manually track and make sure I drink my water.. even on the weekend!

Weigh in this morning I stayed the same.

This weeks equation

Is much better than last week's..

New Kitchen + ability to cook properly + ate out 1x (as usual) + water + some exercise (but still not as much as normal!) + normal leed up to WI = 1kg LOSS..

so I'm still behind by 0.3kg but I'm inching my way back. See what happens if you don't give up?? You get back on track and you lose!

Brad reached 2 MAJOR milestones with his WI today! He is now under 100kgs for the first time in about 8 years & he has officially lost a mammoth 20kgs! I'm so proud of him, he's really doing well! ♥

The Equation..

This weeks equation goes something like this..

Poor water intake + eating out 4 times (^sodium) + not enough planned exercise + poor sleep + constipation + different lead up to WI = 1.3kg GAIN on the scales this week!

But hey I have a new kitchen!! Foodwise I was good last week and even eating out I stuck pretty much to core. So I'm not terribly concerned as I know it will come off quickly. Here's to a nicer number on the scales next week!

New Kitchen!

BEFORE

AFTER - Obviously it hasn't got tiles, splashback or rangehood yet and there is one more cabintet to go in to the right of the fridge.

Thank you

To everyone to suggested I point core this week! Let me see now in no particular order.. Toni, Di, Christina, Heather, Tracy, Karen.. I dedicate this weeks loss of 0.6kg to you all thank you!

Isn't it funny how a number on the scales can dictate how you feel. A good loss will have you on a high for the whole week, a smaller loss for a day or so, and a "stay the same" or gain can make you feel rotten. It's at this stage that people think "is it all worth it?" I think what you need to do is accept that there will be gains along the way (and sometimes for no particular reason) and learn to look past them. Where would I be if I gave up after my first gain? Certainly not 53.1kg down I can tell you that for certain. I can't stress it strongly enough.. DON'T GIVE UP! Don't not go to WI just because you "think" you have gained.. If you have blown it.. go into damage control.. go for an extra walk or 2, save a couple of points for the next few days. Minimise the damage! You can do it.. but YOU have to want to!

I seem to be maintaining nicely!

Too bad I'm not trying to, I stayed the same this week, after 2 weeks of losing 0.2kg.. I guess I've hit another plateau so I'm pointing core this week to ensure I'm eating enough as this was a concern of some of the people that I was talking to from my meeting last Wednesday. So far I seem to be as I only have 18 points to play with. So I guess we will see what happens next week! If it doesn't but I may have to return to points for a week or 2, but I really would prefer to stay on core or at least Coints (Thanks Ek for the word! lol) for as long as I can, as I truely believe that long term it is what will keep me at goal.

Can I just say a huge thank you to everyone who reads my blog regularly. Knowing that you are reading helps to keep me on the straight and narrow. I know some of you don't comment online and that's ok (Hi J) because you tell me anyway! :) So thank you again everyone, your support means alot to me.

I'm often asked how I stay so positive, it's simple maths really, no it is.. I only want to lose the weight once, I don't want to lose the same kilos 2, 3, 4 or 5 times.. I CAN'T go back to what I was, I won't allow myself to.

Be the person you want to be, and live the life you want to live!

Ooops!

I forgot to blog!

Loss this week of -0.2kg again.. slow and steady wins the race! Although slightly frustrating, I know every little bit counts and I will eventually get to goal, and more importantly stay there because I love the way I feel, I love the way I look, I love not feeling embarressed about my size!

Before the meeting I work at on Monday I popped into the Op Shop attached to the church looking for a new pair of Jeans. Well I found some they are Blue Ridge brand so just from Big W BUT they are a size 8 yes that's right! I own a pair of size 8 jeans! If that wasn't good enough, they cost me $2! I bought them with the loose change in my purse! I'm not completely delusional though, I know I'm not size 8 everything else I try is either a 12 or 10, but that's not the point! lol. Continuing with the Op Shop theme I decided it was time for my first ever pair of Levis! I found the perfect pair at another Op Shop(except the will need taking up) they are still a bit firm and so I have a muffin top when I wear them so stay tuned for when they actully fit and I can wear them, it should only take a few weeks! They cost me $6.75 and still have the sticky tape down the leg that tells you the size and length! They haven't even been worn! Do you think I'm hooked on op shopping yet?

I've been really busy this week with "house stuff" The ground has been built up, the foundations were dug and cemented, so things are happening and hopefully will happen even more quickly next week. Our builder is teasing me by asking to start packing up the kitchen, I'm trying not to get too excited... yet!

Just a couple of pics!

The scarf I am knitting at the moment!

Excuses.. excuses!

It's time to stop making excuses! You know the ones? I make them too.

I'm too tired, it's too hot or cold, it's raining, I haven't got time.

We have to stop making excuses and just do what we have to do to achieve our goals. Whether is the excuse you use not to exercise, not to drink your water or to have that piece of cake that you haven't allowed for.. we have to stop making them, they are what is holding us back from getting us where we want to be.

So stop making excuses and "just do it!"

Thank goodness!!

I've lost it!

No, no don't laugh! I lost what I had gained over the last 2 weeks. What did I do differently? I tracked everything (on WW etools) to take in to show my leader what I had been doing as I couldn't see for myself what I was doing that was causing me to gain. (I usually only track what's not core). So I tracked everything that passed my lips this week I lost 1kg. I'm not sure if it's because I was tracking that it was making me focus more on what I was doing or what, but I will be tracking again this week! We ate out a fair bit last week too (with our anniversary and Mother's Day) but I am confident that I make sensible choices while out.

Friday night we went out for dinner as usual, we go out for dinner every Friday night (and have done since before I started WW) to a buffet style "all you can eat" restaurant. For me it's not about getting my money's worth, it's more about going out as a family, it's "the" thing we do on Friday night. I know I will be there every week, so if there is something I REALLY want to have that isn't core I will wait a week and if I still want it the week after I will have it. I had hot chips this week. 4 of them! I allowed for them I knew I'd have enough points to spare this week, so I had them. I usually have 1 thing that is totally not core and allow for it like salt and pepper squid or a chicken satay stick. (the squid I have 3 or 4 pieces.. the satay I have with minimal sauce and I pick a small one, because I'm really just after the taste.) I do have chinese and steamed vegies, and salad and seafood, I certainly don't sit there and starve!

Saturday night Brad and I went into town for sushi. I started with a miso soup and then we had a sushi boat of assorted sushi. I allowed a point for the non core portion of the boat, ie avocado and mayo and we both had a wonderful evening!

Sunday was our anniversary and Mother's Day so the rule was, NO COOKING!! We went to the food court of the local Westfield for lunch (I had a "weight watcher's" potato) and for dinner, we had Noodlebox I asked for them to be cooked with no oil and to only use oyster sauce (both meals totally core)!

I was presented with my certificate for my 50kg loss this week. It still amazes me that I have lost a whole person and I really can't imagine walking around now with an extra 50 kilos! Just imagine though how much weight I could have gained in 18 months had I not started WW. *shudder* I'd easily be tipping the scales at 130-140kgs I'd imagine. Not a good look on someone who is only 157cms tall!

Focus on the positives

It's sometimes REALLY hard to focus on the positives especially this week as this is my second gain in 2 weeks (only 0.1 but it is still a gain!) and I'm not sure I can put my finger on why. It certainly won't make me quit but it is disheartening, but as disheartening as it is I know I will keep going, simply because I can't go back to what I was, I DON'T WANT TO! It's time to focus on the positives!

*I used to be tired all the time, now I have HEAPS of energy!
*I used to be a size 24-26, now I'm a 10-12!
*I didn't care what I looked like, now I make sure I have some makeup on, and dressed nicely before I leave the house!
*I used to think people were staring because I was so big, now I don't think they do because I look "normal"!
*I used to buy a chocolate bar EVERY time I did groceries to eat on the way home, I can't remember the last time I bought a chocolate bar from a supermarket!
*I used to have to have the car seat back and my stomach would still be hitting the steering wheel, now I've got the seat forward and my stomach is no where near hitting the steering wheel!
*I used to feel old, unattractive and embarrassed by the way I looked, now I feel younger and more attractive and I'm not embarrassed anymore!
*I used to have to buy clothes because they fit, now I buy them because they look good!
*I never had much confidence, now I stand up myself!

I will be diligently tracking everything this week (not just non core food -what I usually do) to see what happens next week!

Sometimes I feel like I've been doing WW forever.. and something I realized this week is that I WILL be doing WW forever, it's not something I can say right I'm at goal now, I'm cured, everything will magically fall into place and I will never be overweight again.. It's not going to happen that way, I will have to be diligent forever to maintain my weight.

Some words of wisdom I gave to a member recently was "The weight didn't go on overnight, I shouldn't expect it to come off overnight either!" I really need to start listening and taking my own advice!

It is our 6th wedding anniversary on Sunday (which is also Mother's Day) We're having a DFN (Daniel free night) and going out for sushi on Saturday night.