I Survived!!!!

Well, it is 11pm and I am at home after being at the restaurant for dinner tonight. I had a good time although I had to deal with some child issues and enjoyed eating my dinner.

After consulting the menu and my Eating Out guide I came to the conclusion that I would be able to have some good food without the necessary calories. I ordered a minestrone for starters and had fettucine napolitana for main. I skipped dessert which was birthday cake iced with cream and had a skinny hot chocolate. During dinner I only had water and diet coke for drinks. I also had a small amount of lettuce that was dressed to top off a lovely meal with 2 small bread rolls with a tiny amount of butter.

All up I know the amount of food consumed was less than I was allowed so I could quite easily eat more now if I want but I'm not hungry, the beauty of eating power packed food for less calories. It was nice being back at the restaurant which serves delicious food and has the right ambience with the family there. It was noticed by relatives who have not seen me for roughly about a year to two years that I had lost some weight. I stood up and said to them to try 40 kilos. They were aghast that I had lost that much but said I looked wonderful. That made me feel very good.

I like being able to go out and have a relaxing and nice meal and know safely that I am not eating something that will lead to me putting on weight.

Until next time,

Last stop before LTM!!!!

Well, after a chocolate PMS fuelled week I should only get on the scales expecting a gain. To my surprise, the damage was far less than I had expected. A whole 600g, I can work that off easy.

I only have one more week before I get to life time member status and I so want to be there next week. It would mean that I have come full circle in 52 weeks, how sweet it is to know that I have conquered my weight within a year. I have pushed myself very hard to get here and maintain it. On the maintenance I have been pretty good and have known my limitations. I think that is the key to weight loss. Knowing your limitations and sticking within those limits.

My limits don't include such empty calories as soft drinks, greasy fast food, fatty or creamy dinners and portion sizes usually reserved for a whole family. They also don't include spending hours on my bottom nor procrastinating over a particular chore.

Within my journey I have learnt the following things that have helped me along:

1. Small steps are always the best and should be celebrated
2. Each empty calorie I consume will only lead to heartbreak
3. Exercise is the only way to keep my body in shape but it doesn't necessarily have to be dull
4. Allow occasional treats but don't let them become a habit as habits are hard to break
5. Water doesn't have to be boring
6. Centimetres are the best measurements to analyse
7. Experimenting with food can be fun
8. Persistence is the only way to get where you want to be
9. No one can stop you from achieving your goals
10. Support networks help you to succeed with anything

For those of you contemplating losing weight I recommend Weight Watchers. You will not only regain your life but you will also realise just how you have been treating your body all these years.

Good luck and see you at the finish line!

They're BACK!!!!!!

Today I decided to put all my eggs in one basket and without phoning, go to the jeweller and see if my rings were ready to be collected.

I got there and asked and they were in. I was so happy and so excited. He slid the rings out of the envelope and to my shock they looked so tiny compared to before. I actually thought I wouldn't get them on my fingers. I started putting them on one by one and to my amazement they slid over my knuckles, I wanted to cry. It was the final nail in my weight loss coffin, I had put the last demon inside of it and made it ready for burial in my mind. As I looked down at my hands I noticed a) I needed moisturiser really quick lol (stupid dry hands!) and b) my rings were dazzelling and so bright and shiny. Even now as I type my eyes are diverting down to my hands and in the dim light they sparkle.

Since I started my weight loss journey I've always had my rings around my neck as they were too big and I couldn't wear them. I can now proudly show off my rings and no longer feel ashamed at their size. For those of you who are curious to know what size I went from until the resize, I started at size U and went down to a P. 5 whole sizes is a lot to go down.

Now I have to keep my hands and nails looking nice to compliment my new, shiny rings lol.

Until next time,

Shifty Scales????

Hi All,

Just thought it was about time I updated you on my weight loss journey!

I decided to visit my old meeting and get weighed in so that I could have a quiet and peaceful evening at home relaxing tonight. I got onto the scales only to find I had lost 1.1Kg. Now I should be jumping up and down with joy at my achievement but I, and Tony, are a little dubious about the scales. Let me paint you a picture.....

Easter Weekend I ate like a complete pig. I had fatty foods, chocolate, cake, chocolate wafer biscuits made with dark chocolate and butter, I had alcohol and I didn't exercise much. I couldn't believe I had behaved like that. I would have thought after eating as much as I did and not exercising that I would put on weight, particularly as it is also that time of the month when I would normally carry fluid.

Tony and I are both astounded that I lost so much weight as he even saw what I put in my mouth on Easter Sunday. Tony seems to think that the scales are rigged, I think that possibly they are shifty however I have been told that all the scales all over Australia are calibrated to all be the same. So if that is the case, then basically I should have put on weight given that I ate a disgusting amount of food in my opinion (or food that had a higher fat content than normal) not lost.

In any case I have decided to accept the result seeing as I can't change it and just go with the flow. Either way, I don't care, my jeans still fit, I am happy and life is extremely good. I must say though that I am pleased I lost the weight because after viewing the DVD of my baptism, it was nice looking at a skinnier person on the screen, considering you are supposed to look heavier in front of the camera.

I look forward to the next installment of my journey (the last week of maintenance and possibly achieving lifetime member status at the same time).

Until next time,

Happy Easter!!!!

Hi Everyone,

Yes I have neglected my poor blog in the last 8 days and as usual so much has happened!

Apart from weighing in and yo-yoing still on maintenance, going up and going down is not really a problem for me as I'm still being really careful with my food, but today is the day I get baptised! I am so looking forward to it.

It is Easter Sunday morning and I am waiting for my tribe to wake up and do the Easter hunt. I have eaten only a few small, solid eggs and am happy not to be gorging myself on sickly sweet chocolate. In fact, I have actually been chipping away at a block of dark chocolate which is so much better for you because of the anti-oxidants within the cocoa beans. I must say, it is so much nicer than milk chocolate as the sugar doesn't hurt my teeth like it does when I eat milk chocolate.

Today's challenge is lunch at my mother's house. As usual, in previous years a roast would be cooked in OIL (yuck) along with roast potatoes - in OIL - and salads coated in dressing made with vinegar and OIL. Now don't get me wrong, I love my mum dearly, but seeing as she knows how much I detest highly fatty food, why is it that she must cook everything in a product that I try not to have so much of. I have gone off the taste of margarine, do not like my food soaking in greasy fat even if it is olive oil, avoid greasy foods that have been cooked in oil and generally grill, stirfry or bake most of my foods..... I just don't get it. That is okay though as it is just another challenge within my journey and one I am sure I can overcome by eating less.

Another good thing that has come out of this week was seeing my inlaws who came up from Hindmarsh Island to see us. They were most impressed with how I was looking and when I informed them I had hit goal they were ecstatic as my step-mother-in-law is also a fellow Weight Watcher who has lifetime membership. It is always nice going to their house for lunches and dinner as she knows what is suitable to eat for me. However, it was different this time and in coming to us it meant we didn't have to try and cram three large young adults in a tiny car for a 2 and a half hour drive to their house.

I also am dog-sitting at the moment and took my friend's rather large rottweiler for a walk yesterday. The walk was nice but what was even better was knowing I could run with the dog and keep up to give myself a really good workout. It was nice feeling to be running and is something I hope to do more of as time goes on.

Alas, the kids are awake and it is time for the egg hunt.

Until next time,

Celebrations!!!!!

Today I am celebrating. Not only am I celebrating my life in general but I am also celebrating the 700g loss this week. It is well justified and deserved and the scales go down again.

I am celebrating for another reason also today. For the first time ever since I've lost weight I am getting my rings re-sized. It was a very emotional thing to do, to see the last items from my days of being overweight being released into the care of someone else to spruce up, repair and make smaller. My rings were the last testimony of how far I've come. I was gobsmacked however when told I had to go down 5 sizes!!!! Were my fingers really that big??!!! I guess so seeing as they were a size U and I was going back to my old size of being a P. It was fantastic being told I no longer had to wear rings that size but also sad as the realisation of how badly I needed to lose weight preyed on my mind.

The only downside to having had my rings so long was that the claws on my engagement ring were sadly worn away and needed re-clawing, an expensive procedure, and my wedding ring needed beading to be done in order to reset the diamonds in the ring once the gold was heated. For the price I am paying, and for the journey I have been through, it is definitely worth every cent to get them resized and fixed along with my birthday ring which has my birthstone in it, ruby.

I am also celebrating the fact that I am finally getting baptised after all the trials and tribulations of not getting baptised a couple of weeks ago. I was gutted when I realised I couldn't go through with it due to a soccer match. However, the time has come and what more appropriate time than Easter Sunday. I feel amazing. My connection with God is stronger than ever as I am being drawn home to him.

All in all, the day has been one of healing and a sense of peace. I am in awe of just how long it has taken me to get here but I am glad I have made it, I feel better and fitter.

Until next time,

Meh

I am sitting here with the thought that once again it is the night before weigh in and once again I am wondering which direction I have tipped the scales. Not that I really care now because my size 12 jeans still fit but there are thoughts nagging at me that make me feel like this is too easy.

I've been thinking about how much I have not exercised this week, how much I have consumed in the last week compared to before, my choices of food and even the circumstances I have been in also. However, it still doesn't change the fact that I am still a size 12 and that fact is a good one.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, my heart always lifts after a meeting. I like finding out new information and getting support from the people around me who know where I've been. Unfortunately I've had to change meetings for the time being because of soccer training on a Wednesday night but that is ok, I can cope with that.

I am looking for other things now besides my journey to occupy my time and energy. I am the team manager for Sophia's soccer team, I work 2 days a week now, I go to Bible Study once a week and I teach piano to 3 students. Intertwine all of that with my kids' lives and I have a very busy week.

I'm looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings me, let's hope it is another ray of sunshine like I received today.

Until next time,