Slowly but surely

D is out mountain biking with a friend and I had a shit day at work so I came home and had a glass of wine. I was about to pour another when I absent-mindedly clicked on a few of your blogs and reflected on how my day had gone aside from work.

1. Today was the first day that I've been able to walk down stairs (up has been fine) since my awesome sports injury. 
2. I managed to say no to free chocolate biscuits that my manager was handing out at a workshop this morning. 
3. My belt has just reached the last usable notch so I'm going to have a stab a hole in it and cut some off the end. 

Those are 3 super positive things in my world. Not to mention the Biggest Loser season finale (season 11?) is on tonight. What would Bob say? He'd tell me to get off my arse and get moving. So I did. A very slow 44 minutes, some limping, some not. But I did it and now I feel great! Off to read more of your blogs - thank you!

My first ever sports injury - Xmas challenge week 2

The weather has started to improve so exercise has been easier to the point on Saturday where I had this brilliant idea to put a load of laundry on, go for a short walk / jog, come home and hang out the laundry, put another load on, go for another walk etc. I made it about 100m down the road on my second walk when I decided to jog again and 'ping' - had a shooting pain behind my left calf muscle. I guess I'd cooled down more than I realised.

I unglamourously hobbled sideways back home and massaged / elevated / stretched and then triumphantly posted on Facebook how I'd just got my first ever sports injury. How exciting! It's much better today so I guess it was just bad cramp.

My perfect egg!

Aside from that, food has been good and I tried the vortex method of poaching an egg yesterday. It came out of the saucepan perfectly - I pricked it just to see if the yolk was still runny and it was exactly as I like it. Will definitely use that method if only doing a single egg in the future!

This weeks wrap up:

• Weight: 84.0 (down 300g)☺
• Exercise: 4 / 7 days ☺but could be better
• Overall thoughts: A loss is a loss, no matter how small. I'm just like a real sportsperson! and yes, need to warm up better next time..

Dodging raindrops - Xmas challenge week 1

The weather here is pants. Windy and rainy and windy and rainy...you get the picture. I spend much of my pre walk time checking the rain radar to see how safe it is to venture out. Because of course I'll melt if I get wet :).

I've set myself an informal 'Xmas challenge'. The challenge is to stay 'on plan' between now and Christmas - I seem to be more successful with small time based goals to work to. Sometime's it's going on holiday or having visitors. This time it's Christmas. 9 weeks. And a few Christmas parties but I can do it.

This weeks wrap up:

• Weight: 84.3 (down 2.3kg) ☺
• Exercise: 4 / 7 days ☺
• Overall thoughts: Shit, I made it through a whole week and managed to exercise to make up for muffins and even lost weight.Yep, 3 years on and the fuel in / energy out equation still amazes me. No ☹'s this week.

Move your mirror

How often do you look at yourself in the nudie nude?

We're doing some sprucing up around the house (aka painting) so we've taken down all our photos and posters that were on the walls. There was a large mirror in the hall that was taken down a couple of months back sitting in the corner of the spare room until last week. We don't have a mirror in our bedroom so I propped it up on the side table on my side of the bed to use when I blow dry hair in the morning.

Sweet Jesus, I realised how little I see myself naked - full length. I know other bloggers have touched on the subject but I guess I never really thought about it in relation to myself. Our bathroom mirror shows me from the chest up and that bit looks alright and since the hallway mirror had been taken down I hadn't even seen myself head to toe fully clothed apart from reflections in doors at work etc.

So did I like what I saw? Hmmm. I didn't hate it. I could definitely see an improvement on 5 years ago but still notice the bits that have popped out again over the last couple of months (have put on nearly 10 pounds I guess). The good news is that it didn't send me into the depths of dispair. And it has motivated me every morning ever since it went up to eat mindfully, suck my tummy in, thrust my shoulders back and get the hell back on track.

How often do you guys look at yourselves naked? Do you need to move your mirror?

The complete guide to calories

Yes,I know you blog peeps 'get' this stuff already but how awesome is this to help explain to our loved ones? Love it!

by Lemon.ly. Browse more data visualization.

Then, then, then

Our new furbaby, Freddie!

I lay awake last night doing a a mental stock take. We got back from a fantastic 6 week holiday mid July and I had ‘only’ gained 1.5 kg. Small miracle – I thank the warm holiday weather for reducing my appetite. I quickly lost the extra weight and all was well in the world.

Then it got freezing cold. Then I got post holiday blues. I stopped walking. Then we got a kitten. I perked up but it was still cold and I didn’t start walking. Then I started getting lazy with my lunches, felt bad, started walking. Then I fell over spectacularly and hurt my hands quite badly. So I stopped walking. Then I seemed to develop an allergy to the new kitten and I’m all itchy and feeling sorry for myself. So I started eating. And stopped drinking water. And now my skin feels like crap and I feel like crap.

Today I’ve at least started drinking water again. For reals. Not quite back on the horse but I’ve definitely open the stable door. Aiming to spend some time catching with all your great blogs this weekend – hope you’re all doing well!

Last person to know low carb reality

I like to think I'm pretty smart. I've been reading all your wonderful blogs for years now and some of you are following a low carb lifestyle and it seems to be working for many. But I always thought it was just a fad that my ex mother in law went through. Much like the grapefruit diet.

Well...I needed to do something to break me out of a food rut and have been trying low carb for the last week just to see if it could ever possibly work for me. I still track everything I eat (so I can keep an eye on the carbs) and realise that even though I'm not counting calories I'm not over doing it on the calories anyway (which was my fear). And I lost weight. And I wasn't hungry. Sweet cheeses I feel like I've finally seen the light! Will keep doing this until we go on vacation in T minus 8 weeks and 1 sleep - wohoo! D has said he loves this phase of the 'diet', let's see how it goes.

A victory with portion sizes

Had a wonderful (unexpected) loss of a whole kg this week. Given I'm not doing any much exercise, and haven't been a tracking saint, I was a little surprised but not going to over think it too much :-).

I have noticed that my appetite seems to have finally matched what my portion sizes should be. It's only taken 3 years of measuring everything! I must say it's a slightly crazy feeling to polish off a small sandwich and not be consciously thinking about what else I can have or how hungry I am. Viva la revolution!

Toes are mostly healed (looking presentable anyway) and I'm ready to start the evening walks again at the end of the week. Am having an Epsom salts foot soak tonight while typing this and it feels good. Thoroughly recommend it - turns out Mum and my podiatrist might be on to something! Hope you and your feet are having a great week, toodles!

Encouragement from strangers

Last week I posted about my manky toe issues and Enz from Downward TrENZ made an encouraging comment about going to have it seen to which simply ended with 'Go. Go. Go'. That really helped me get my arse into gear so thank you Enz! I made an appointment with my Dr for Friday - he sent me straight next door to the podiatrist and there was a scalpel and pair of pliers being waived about before I could freak out and run to my car.

There was brusing and 2 ingrown toenails - I won't scare you with pictures. Main toe is now all bandaged and I'm not to wear closed toes shoes for 2 weeks. Weigh in was a 200gram gain this week. Could have been much worse!

Toe Tapping stuff

I have sore big toes. And most unusually for me I'm not hurrying off to self diagnose via the internet. I think I'm scared what the big www will tell me. D has had an ingrown toenail before and when he finally had it seen to he required a week off work - eek!

I don't want whatever it is to get that bad but I'm kind of weird about my toes and while they're covered with polish I can pretend that everything is normal. Until I put my walking shoes on of course. Ignorance isn't bliss! Am hoping that by typing this my sub conscious will somehow open me up to get them seen to. Who do you go see though? A doctor or a podiatrist? I can see I'm going to have to Google after all...

A successful weekend

Ambrosia courtesy of the
Healthy Food Guide

Just a super short check in to note a 400gram loss after a weekend with lunch out on Saturday and a BBQ with friends last night. Didn't make stellar choices at the BBQ (still had a cheesy sausage!) but I stayed off the alcohol and we had been for a 6km walk earlier in the day. Phew. We were asked to take desert - eek! Was very thankful for the inspiration of the Healthy Food Guide - went for the retro option and took (relatively) safe Ambrosia which was a mega hit all around.

Hope everyone had a good weekend whereever you are.

Where a frantic Friday doesn't turn into a disaster

What I usually hang out with on a Friday
when home alone. Not tonight baby!

This week has been nuts as work. New systems going online, lots of meetings and too many phone calls. Today was to be an early start and a late finish with me coming home to an empty house. That can be a recipe for disaster. I can usually find an innocent reason to stop at the supermarket on the way home and then end up at the beginning of a night long binge. Not this Friday!

I went for a walk at lunch time while the weather was good and my lunch was a good serving of my homemade low fat chilli with extra cannelloni beans (instead of my usual salad) that kept the hunger away until 7.30pm. I drank heaps of water even though I was busy and am feeling super in control right now.  Have tracked and exercised every day this week. Getting the groove back baby! I love proving to myself that a bad work day doesn't have to translate to a bad food day.

Thinking long term, struggling short term

I'm still here but struggling. There are great days and bad days and I'm trying very hard to not let the bad ones derail me longterm.

Strawberries from my garden
blueberries from Mums - and
2 types of plums from friends.

I'm sitting at 85.3kg (188 pounds). Lack of progress is getting me down if I'm honest but I'm trying to remember how far I've come and how great it feels to have a success. Shortly after my ex husband proposed I chuffed myself down the road to my local London Weight Watchers to do what every impending bride does. The last time I had really weighed myself before then would have been shortly after I left school and it was 72kgs (158 pounds) when I signed up for a gym membership (because I felt fat!).

That little Scottish woman that weighed me in that night wrote 104kg (229 pounds) on my little booklet and I remember not really hearing what else was said during the meeting and then crying the length of short walk home. I must have only gone back a few times. Not enough to make a difference anyway.

So while I've read research that tells us how easy it is to gain a pound or 2 each year - I'm 18kg (41 pounds) lighter than I was 12 years ago.

Something must be working. Back to the fruit!

Itchy brain cells

We had a team morning tea today at work and I couldn't resist. I knew it was planned so I didn't take snacks and I tracked everything and am under overall. But I have an itch at the back of my mind that tells me I've underestimated the calories. Oh well.

Yesterday and today's achievements: I got walks in both days and hit my water intake. Yesterday I stopped eating marshmallows while there still some left.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Big Day Out (music fest thing). Plenty of exercise and little opportunity to eat since the only thing I hate more than paying for bad food is paying exorbitant prices for bad food :).

The ex still haunts...

Made it through day 2 only a little over in calories (I blame the rain - was set to go for a 45min walk when the thunder started). Got through all my water - yay! Did get a short walk around campus in at lunch time.

It's a miracle I didnt turn back to the bottle last night - D had been dealing with the ex wife and I was reminded of how damn hot she is now. Big swear words. I will not let her defeat me! Yes I have issues.

Today's goal is the same as yesterdays Pinky - "resist muffin, reach my required water intake, walk after work."

Year 3 Day 1 Over

Yep, I can't believe I've been trying at this for 3 years now. Sweet jebuzz. Anyway - this week may see daily posts in an effort to strengthen my own resolve while I get 'back on the horse' so to speak.

Yesterday's achievements: Weighed in (ugh), tracked everything, went for a bike ride that made my lungs burn.
Today's goal: Resist muffin, reach my required water intake, walk after work.

So far so good!

2 steps forward, 1 step back does not the macarena make

Have had a bit of a catch up on blog posts this week (under duress - I still don't like the new blogger format) and it's been great seeing some of your 'year in reviews'. So what about me? I didn't weigh in yesterday but I know I'm around the 84.5kg mark. That means I'm 3.7kg / 8 pounds down on this time last year. God that's pathetic. But at least it's a loss and we should be celebrating the small victories right? Right.

Fitness wise I'm a shocker. Lyn over at Escape from Obesity is doing a fitness challenge for the New Year - I hear ya sister. Started today with a morning shag and my legs feel like they've run a marthon! Need to fix that...

Going camping next week. Weather is meant to be atrocious. Can't wait. Can't promise a new fitness regime will come out it - I foresee much card playing in my immediate future. Hope you're all well, wherever you are xx