Guess who had access to copious amounts of chocolate today, and resisted???
That’d be me!
Woo hoo!
One of the “nice” patients brought in a massive box of chocolate for all the lovely radiographers (we do like those nice patients, no special treatment at all!)
Anyone that’s worked in a hospital environment knows that any type of sugar goodness is well received!
We’re not allowed to accept money, but who can resist food!
Anyways the box sat right behind me for 5 hours… and I resisted that delicious chocolate!
Weekend
I survived my 2 epic bus journeys in style, and within points.
Didn't see that one happening did you!?!
Sunday was a little on the pointy side, where I think I ate 3 days points in one day.
oops
I blame it on being locked in the accommodation, well maybe not locked in, but unable to lock the door
(After leaving my keys in London, and having to break in, stress eating,!! But kind of hilarious.)
Weigh in
Weighed in today and lost 800g.
Happy with that, after the dismal eating yesterday.
Tomorrow
Monday, October 26, 2009
Ali 1 : Chocolate None!
Spring into Summer Challenge - Week 1 results
My first week of the Spring into Summer Challenge is over, and the results are a 300gm gain. Considering how excited (I thought) I was about this challenge, I had a hard time actually starting it and making any changes.
I've decided I need to take this weight loss journey day by day to begin with, and set myself daily goals. Baby steps!
Today my goals were to do 10 mins on the exercise bike and to track my food in Calorie King. I've done both.
I decided to swap from WW to Calorie King for a bit. I need to focus a bit more on the nutritional side of my food, instead of just sticking to pts or calories. I've been bordering on having high blood pressure for a while now and it appears the boy has developed it also. So we both need to get serious and lose some weight. I like being able to track my sodium intake in Calorie King, hence the swap to Calorie King. I'll put a link over on side to my food diary on Calorie King for anyone interested.
Today's food:
Breakfast: nothing (slept in and wasnt hungry)
Lunch: footlong Subway club, with cheese and honey mustard sauce (skipped breakfast so thought I would use up the calories at lunch. Next time would stick to the 6 inch)
Dinner: chicken parmigana and salad
Snacks: apple, orange, Subway cookie, 1/2 Byron Bay cookie
Calories: 1,581/1,900
Sodium: 3,416/1,500
I did some quick research on suggested sodium intake and it's recommended to have around 1,500 to 2,000mg. Im aiming for the lower end.
My Subway had 2,500mg of sodium. OMG! Evil Subway!!
Here's a pic of my dog (just because) taken today :)
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Currently
listening to: silence
crushing on: kristin cavallari
consuming: ice break
rocking: you're such a kabuki queen
watching: being erica
stressing over: study/exam
scared of: never losing weight
make up essential: lipgloss
wanting: a new car
loving: good health mag
hanging for: a holiday
addicted to: ice break
Stolen from Miss Nicky
I promise I'll do a real post soon.
Friday, October 23, 2009
I had a few moments of weakness today which I’m not proud of.
Every Thursday here, they do procedures in one of the CT rooms & the nurses and Doctors involved bring in goodies for morning tea, like biscuits & cake.
Mainly because they don’t have time to go have a proper tea break.
Anyways today they brought in a delicious assortment of Viennese biscuits.
I had one before lunch, and it just melted in my mouth. Yum
Anyways by afternoon, the procedures were over and they all left, leaving the left over goodies behind.
Bad mistake.
I ate 3 more as the afternoon went on.
I should have stopped at the first one.
I managed to fit them into my points.
Though they kind of feel like wasted points.
I didn’t really want them, I just ate them because they were there.
Mindless eating is definitely something I need to work on.
I’ve got a bit of an epic journey on the bus tomorrow.
Since I’m cheap and unorganised I’ve decided to catch the bus from Leeds to London over the weekend..
Nothing like an epic 5hr journey in peak hour on a Friday to keep you on your toes… (I’m thinking it will be more along the lines of 7hrs at least!)
My plan is to have dinner at lunch, and then maybe a sandwich on the bus for dinner.
Need to work out some low point snacks to take with me as well. what I take is what I can have.
And then I get to turn around and do it all again to come back!
Joys…
Thursday, October 22, 2009
3 days in...
So I managed to last a good 2.75 days before I cracked it and had some chocolate.
It wasn't exactly chocolate... but a chocolate covered cake...
The boss went off at tea time and came back with a collection of them and gave everyone one.
I had good intentions at first, and left it to the side hoping one of the guts of the department would come along and wolf it down...
but no such luck, and it beckoned to me after lunch..
It's chocolatey goodness just melted away in my mouth.
I suck!
Anyways moving along
Carrying on from yesterdays post
I agree with you Nicky. I am a grazer, always have been, and suppose I always will.
Just trying something different this week, to see if it makes much of a difference.
I'm missing rice crackers. (they used to be my staple of 1p snacks.)
I need to get a carrot fund going in the fridge, with some salsa.
I love nuts, but I don't think I have the will power to stop at just 5 cashews at the moment, I'm more likely to inhale the bag because they're so morishly good.
Diet Jelly is good for a 0 pt sugar rush
as is low fat yogurt (I'm extremely fussy with yogurt, the one I like over here is 1.5pts a small tub)
Struggling with getting enough fruit at the moment; it's winter here, and it's a dreadful fruit time. I miss fresh summer fruits.
But Banana's are a bargain, and one can never have enough!
I still remember a few years back when banana's were $8 a kilo, and I spent $5 for one banana... desperate times!!!!
Buying the popcorn was a mistake.
I knew that when I bought it... I had a mini argument with myself in the shop before I even bought it!
Should I own up and admit I bought 2 packets too (it was buy one get one free... stupid offers!) but happy to report that I've already rationed it out into little bags and have so far kept it like that.
But air-popped corn would have been so much better for me.
I bought my mum one of those popcorn makers for mothers day one year, it was awesome, and I was always using it... funny, I can't remember my mum using it ever... maybe I should steal it back!?!
Which is where I'm trying not to snack so much. Some days I snack so much I don't end up having dinner.
Food log
B: Special K+ skim milk (3)
L: Homemade chicken salad (4.5) & mini yogurt (1.5)
S: mars cake bar (3) (naughty naughty!)
D: WW thin & crispy chicken fajita pizza (7)
S: Popcorn (4)
Some idiot stole my banana at work, trust them to steal that rather than the cake!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Week 1 S2S: Food Log
Monday
B: Special k with skim milk (3)
S: mini yogurt (1.5)
L: Greggs Char grilled oval bite (sandwich from a bakery chain over here in the UK) &
Packet of mini Cheddars (pure evil I tell you... but delicious!) (11)
S: Velvet crunch crisps (2)
D: 2 ww sausages,with bread & salad (6)
S: Diet jelly (0)
Total 23.5 (over 0.5)
Tuesday
B: Special K with skim milk (3)
L: Homemade chicken salad & mini yogurt (6.5)
S: Morrison's butter salted popcorn (3.5)
D: Chicken Caesar melt (4.5), with salad, & a serving of Oven baked chips (4.5).
S: WW rice custard (1.5)
Total 23.5 (over 0.5)
So yeah the last 2 days haven't been the healthiest of days.
But I've got in lots of salad veggies, and I've just been to the supermarket and picked up some fruit.
I bought the popcorn before I could stop myself... It's good though... mmm popcorn, but I didn't really need it.
I'm trying to limit the snacking by eating more at lunch and dinner this week.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Another day, another weigh in
It’s been 9 weeks now since I started this weight loss journey again.
There’s been some gains, but mainly losses..
Not too many huge ones, but losses all the same.
Today I finally reached the big FIVE
That’s 5kgs off and out of there!
Wooohooo!
I’d be lying if I said I was completely happy how things are progressing.
Things are moving a little to slowly for my liking.
I love to be rewarded after putting in the effort, who doesn‘t?, and these measly little losses I’ve been having of late are really doing my head in.
I’ve tried changing what I eat, amounts, eating more/less at different times of the day, and nothing seems have kicked off this weight loss at all.
It’s reasonable to be asking for a 700g loss a week?, I weigh over 100kgs after all.
Isn’t it recommended that you lose 1% of your total body weight a week.
At least initially.
Anyways this week I’ve decided to drop my daily points allowance by 3, and see if that has some effect.
Anyone following the WW plan either in the UK or Oz, will know that in order to work out your daily points now, you take a little quiz.
I have an active job where I’m constantly running about like a headless chicken, walking close to 7-8 KM a day, just at work (and I work in a box!)
So technically I’m dropping the extra points I’ve been given because of that.
I think I might take to wearing my pedometer, and recording the actual bonus points I should be getting while at work. To see if they correspond to what I’m actually meant to be using.
Other news:
Today marked the start of the next 6 week challenge.
I haven’t quite worked out what my challenge goals are going to be this time, but have a few.
- No chocolate
- Getting back into the nineties
- Beating Jadey!
Kristy I’m sure is going to leave me in the dust this time round!
I have an excuse though, half way through I’m heading back to OZ for a visit.
My first in 2 years…
Now it can go either way.
- I go completely nuts making the most of all the delicious Aussie foods I’ve missed living in the UK
- I realise I’ve gone without it for 2 years why do I want it now!?!
Mmm I wonder which road I shall take?
I’m hoping it won’t be all bad. I’m excited to be able to swim outdoors again, and go to a gym with classes that I can actually attend!
Wooohooo for combat classes!
But I don’t want to make things to strict for myself, as I know there’s bound to be a whole heap of socialising going on.
But it would be nice to come away having had a great time, and lost some of that excess baggage in the process.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Spring into Summer
I thought I'd share my goals for the Spring into Summer Challange here:
1) lose 6kg
2) track my eating (at least 80% of the time)
3) be able to ride my exercise bike for 30 mins (I've already wrote up a plan, similiar to C25k)
4) drink 1 lt of water daily
5) develop a skincare routine, stick to it and stop buying more products (wanted to have 1 non-weight related goal)
6) try 6 new recipes
I am really psyched (that looks wierd) about this challenge!
So when I last blogged, about 3 weeks, these were my stat's:
Week 1: 2kg loss
Week 2: 1.6kg loss
Week 3: 100gm gain
Week 4: 1.7kg gain
Total loss: 1.8kg
These are my updated stat's:
Week 1: 2kg loss
Week 2: 1.6kg loss
Week 3: 100gm gain
Week 4: 1.7kg gain
Week 5: no weigh in
Week 6: no weigh in
Week 7: 400gm gain
Total loss: 1.4kg
And here's my graph from ww online....
**THIS** is the cycle I need to break! And I am hoping this 6 week challenge will help me get beyond the initial 2 to 3 weeks.
PS. I hate this blue background...
No chocoate...
So as part of this whole Spring into Summer challenge (which should be Freeze into Winter, since it's definitely not springing into Summer here!)
I'm going with the group and giving up chocolate for 6 weeks.
Not sure how I'm going to last a day, let alone 6 whole weeks without it.
Oh delicious chocolate how I shall miss you...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Challenge time!
Just a quick post...
I am doing the "we are slimming" 6 week Spring into Summer Challenge! Have you signed up?? The challenge starts tomorrow (but you can join any in any day next week).
Spring into Summer Challenge
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Calling all old Weight watchers
Anyone out there have or remember the old weight watchers program?
I'm taking the pre Discovery plan, or whatever they're calling it in OZ.?
I'm talking 2001 style were there wasn't a quiz for how active you are in the day, there was just a weight range, and the number of points you were allowed.
I need to get my hands on a copy.
I've done the points quiz on the program over here a few times, and I still reckon they expect me to eat too many points.
Sure I love the extra goodies I can nibble on with my extra points, but I don't remember ever being on this many points before, even in my heaviest of days.
It's just not working for me
I just finished a 6 week mini challenge over at We are Slimming, and for a change I actually stuck to it, and lost 1.7kgs.
It's a loss, yes.
But not an impressive one.
Even having active weeks, with lots of incidental exercise and planned exercise, and eating well, the scales hardly budge much.
Everyone knows what kick to the motivation levels a small loss has, especially when you've given it your all.
I've varied my food intake through out the day;
eating more for breakfast and lunch, and less for dinner.
changed what I've been eating,
had smaller meals, more often
had larger meals less often.
nothing seems to change things
So I've decided I must be on too many points
I know the other system from back in the day works, I've proven it
So if anyone has an old copy of it lying around, do you mind emailing/posting the weight/points chart..
Otherwise I'll just have to dig out my old copy when I come back to visit in a few weeks..
Though I'm interested to see how many people like the older program better than the new improved one?
Anyone?
On anther note;
I've been banashied to the other hospital across town to work today, they're "borrowing" me.
The problem is I have no idea where this so called hospital is and how to get there....
wish me luck! ;o)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Pre- Prepared meals
I've been living in the dark ages it seems.
I've just discovered the best section in the supermarket... the pre-prepared meal section
I'm not talking, frozen meals, or microwavable meals.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Weekends
What is it about the weekend, that has resolve disintegrating like a chocolate cookie in a cup of steaming tea?
Is it the freedom of not having work to occupy your mind?
Or the fact you have more time to obsess over food?
More time to cook exclusive delicious things?
Or even just more occasions for temptation to bite you on the bum?
I struggled today.
It kind of started when there was a sale on Kit kats in the supermarket.
Not really bring a huge chocolate fan I don’t eat too much of it.
But this week there’s been a bit of the good old craving of some melt in your mouth chocolate.
Fuelled probably by the fact that I have a 1.1kg tub of delightful mini chocolates just sitting on my wardrobe, awaiting the joys of leaving this place.
I’ve been tempted to crack them open, after all no one would notice one missing.
But knowing me… would I stop at just one???
Most likely not.
So anyway while I was out picking up some milk and eggs, I picked up a strip of Kit Kats, 9 for a pound…
bargain!
They lasted a while sitting there on their own, before I cracked opened the packet.
Letting that delicious chocolaty smell escape.
I savoured the first.
Then I found myself calculating how many of the delights I could devour in one sitting rather than savouring a select few.
I wish I could say I my mission was a success and I walked away after just two, feeling thoroughly satisfied.
But alas, I did not.
Instead I ate until there was no taste, just texture and the sound of chewing, setting my thoughts to a soothing rhythm.
Why do I do things like that?
I’ve had such a brilliant week otherwise.
That’s it, I’m sewing my mouth shut, and eating through a straw!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My Story
Some of you will have heard my story before, others may not.
But it’s one of those things that needs to be said when you start a new blog.
For most of my life I’ve battled with my weight,
kind of like being on a never ending bungee jump...
that just keeps going up and down...
My first weight related memories are when I was about 12 years old, and realised when looking in the mirror one day that I had a few stretch marks on my upper thighs...
being well and truly into the swimming scene, this was horrific find...
I was mortified...
I remember standing in front of the mirror pulling at my swimmers to try hide them... for hours...
I was always solid, though fit
What no one told me was that these were "growing stretch marks" and that most people got them...
I used to try hide them whenever I was at the pool....
Eventually I turned to food for comfort, as many of us do...
with the thought in the back of my mind that if I ate, it would all go away...
Where really all that does is make things worse.
Why is it that family gatherings etc are all to do with food, think birthdays, mother/fathers day, Easter, Christmas.... everything generally revolves around food..
In my family it was the same, achievements were celebrated with outings to restaurants, or takeaway...
Birthdays the same...
as the years went on there were more and more celebrations to be had, all with some kind of food...
There's something wrong when you're only eating one home cooked meal a week...
Mondays was swimming club, and dinner usually involved a BBQ at the pool
Tuesdays was Italian with creamy pastas and sauces
Wednesdays
Thursdays was piano and late night shopping, and since i had lessons next to the shopping center dinner was always something from there
Fridays was takeaway night, whether it be fish and chips, Chinese, pizza....
It's no wonder as the years went on I put on weight...
I remember being constantly ridiculed by my parents and my brother about my size, and thinking to myself, why are they picking on me?, when the whole family was overweight.
it's no wonder that we were.
but looking back at pictures... there was nothing wrong about my size...
Whether they just meant to be mean, or to make me more aware of what I looked like, and about what I was eating.
Their taunts had the opposite effect.
I’d just eat more and more...
I remember turning to food as a comfort source.
Thinking the more I ate the less it would matter...
Needless to say I eventually gave up swimming competitively, which was a very sore point with my mum especially...i can pinpoint the exact moment she stopped giving a damn, and it was the moment i told her, no i wasn't going to swim competitively anymore.
I’d still go to swimming club as it was a huge social event for me... and who doesn't like the view of cute boys in swimming trunks!
But by stopping swimming 6 times a week, and still eating at the same rate, all the muscle I had turned to fat (yeah I know it doesn't really... but you know what I mean)
I got slowly more and more overweight...
it never bothered me much about being overweight, I was a happy bubbly person which heaps of friends all over the place who liked me for who I was...
over the years my parents tried diet after diet after diet.... never sticking to one for more than 3 days at a time...
one of these was weight watchers, which my father decided to do by mail...
he lasted a week... and then gave up in favour of eating what he wanted when he wanted.
It wasn't until mid way through year 12 (or 6th form) that I decided I needed to do something about my weight... maybe it was something to do with the looming university life and being a small fish in a big fish tank had me grasping at straws... so I dug out the at home books, and started to follow them in secret.
i remember SB was doing it too, and we'd chat about it at school.... though she was only 60kgs to start with... i managed to lose a few kgs... but didn't really stick with it...
it was hard to stick with it when you're living at home with no access to funds to by healthier options.
i still ate dinner with my family.
October 1999, brought me my first ever paying job, as a learn to swim instructor... what more motivation do you need than that to lose some weight...
it was working for the same company who i used to train with when i was competing, so a lot of the staff there i already new...
I organised myself, and had the determination to succeed, and i began to follow the points program in earnest in the new year...
weighing in at 104kgs...the first 10 weeks saw me lose 10kgs...
i started to think differently, eat differently and feel more i control.
I never told anyone in my family what i was doing, I’d still eat what they were eating, but I’d stop eating the more unhealthier options...
if they were having takeaway, I’d say no I’ll just have beans on toast, that sort of thing...
i remember eavesdropping when my mum was on the phone, and she was saying "I think she's trying to be healthy, but she won't last"...
and I think that's what lead to me keeping my weight loss attempt a secret... because in the back of mind there was that doubt of not getting there, of giving up...
as I lost the weight I’d get compliments and I’d say no I’m not trying to lose weight, yet inside I was glowing... someone had noticed...
I never told a soul until i was almost 2/3rd of the way to goal. By then it was obvious I was up to something.
Why ??
I was ashamed that I’d let myself go, i never wanted to admit that I weighted what I did, and i didn't have the belief in myself that i could do it. and in my mind telling those people close to me would mean that they'd all be waiting for me to fail.
However after just over a year I got to goal in August 2002. Those in the know, knew i was on weight watchers and shared in my success, though i did keep it a general secret from most of my friends...
it was the whole going to weight watchers... thinking of those taunts that kids yell, weight watchers was for "fat people".
what i didn't want to admit was i was "fat" and that kept me from voicing it out loud...
though I'll never forget the feeling when i was at one of my meetings when i was getting close to goal, and overheard two women who we just about to join talking, and they said why is she here, she's skinny...having been overweight most of my adult life... to be called skinny was a dream come true...
after losing just over 40kgs it was no longer about the numbers i just wanted to tone up everything.
i had so much energy, i almost lived at the gym, my friends would joke that they should send letters there instead of my home, as i was more often there than at home...
it wasn't uncommon for me to be there 2 times a day... even 3...
but what happened...
I finished university in 2003 and I got my first ever full time job.
suddenly my free life of heading to the gym 3hrs a day, was one of the past. while i still ate healthily, my portion sizes grew bigger, more and more meals were substituted for meals out.
Suddenly i had more money than ever before and in turn became more social.
The bickie jar at work, became more than just temptation.
My gym buddies also got new jobs, and moved away, leaving me buddy-less.
less motivation to get up before dawn and head to the gym alone, and slowly i began to gain some of the weight back on... and over time I'd lose say 4 kgs, and then put on 5... so the weight went up...snacks and junk seemed to be more tempting and i had less resolve to avoid them...
the more i worked the less i went to the gym, until soon the gym became a distant memory..
I remember having a conversation with my boss at the pool, (one of the people that knew i was at ww, who had actually convinced me to go to meetings, and eventually as my courage grew and my meeting closed down i headed with her to her meeting.) just after i got to goal, about how it felt to have lost so much, and i remember her saying "you've worked too hard to get where you are now, you won't let yourself put it back on again"
yet here i am 3 years later almost back where i started...
I feel disgusted with myself for it happening...
I cant say it was all smooth sailing,
I got pregnant, then after dealing with the thought of being pregnant, had a miscarriage.
Turning to food seemed some what logical to someone who'd always used it as a comfort factor...
There's been many attempts at getting back on the wagon all throughout the last few years... but it's all just been a yoyo
In the last few years my whole life has changed and with that the way I think and act as well... (sometimes it's not a good thing) with a move overseas to the UK, travelling to far off places, deaths, new friends, all sorts paving the way..
For awhile I’ve not really cared about what I do, I have no long-term plans, no idea what i want to do next, I’ve been living each day as it comes, and taking each job that comes along, working my way through the UK... with no real goal in sight.
I’ve had some long deep and meaningful conversations with some friends of late, and slowly I’m trying to organise my thoughts a bit.
Since arriving over here 3 years ago, I’ve definitely have put on weight.
Not a lot, but noticeable I’d say...
I still eat relatively healthily, but it's the alcohol that's played a big part of my weight gain, like most people that head over this way..
The British life revolves around the pub.
it's not uncommon to head to the local pub every night after work for a few drinks before heading on home..
There's been many times over here when I’ve tried to get my head in order and back to losing weight, but my many attempts have been in vain.
I just don’t want to live like this anymore, I want to get back to living my life.