I've dried out

Well we're back and we had a great time. As all you Sydney siders know the weather last weekend was rather shocking but because our main aim was a family catchup it didn't really matter. I love taking photographs so luckily I had Saturday afternoon that was absolutely beautiful for a few hours and that got the picture taking out of the way. My SIL has a fantastic view from her apartment so that was pretty awesome.











She took me on a ferry into the city on Saturday afternoon and we had a good wander around for a few hours. I was surprised how warm it felt for 26 degrees - the humidity makes a huge difference. It's certainly a beautiful city but I don't think I would enjoy the hecticness(is that a word) of the lifestyle.
It's funny cos even though I had given myself permission to relax food wise it was hard to actually do it. We had an early tea B4 our flight on Friday night and I took a box of Snakata's to nibble on the plane with my wine. Saturday morning there were 2 cooked breakfasts to decline as my SIL cooked one lot earlier on and another mid morning when the rest of the family arrived. Can't say DH didn't enjoy both though - LOL!!! Cathy-SIL, my niece and I had lunch in a little cafe in the Rocks area and although my choice was reasonable it was certainly strange not being really sure of the points I was eating. The side of chips was requested in a separate bowl so my niece could have them and I wouldn't have to to touch them! Paranoid aren't I. Later in the day I was desperate for an icecream to cool me down but there were no familiar places around. I had never had Gelato before and thought it was healthy until I saw Fresh Cream as the main ingredient. I gave that a miss. Our last choice was the Royal Copenhagen Ice Cream Co in the ferry terminal. I was amazed as all these type of places usually have their low fat versions but not this one. Now the old me would have had the biggest one you could get with the richest flavours but the new me had a kiddy cone in what I hoped was not too sinful a flavour!!! The crazy thing is when I used to have the huge ones I'd always feel sick b4 I finished them and thought I'd never do that again but I always did. The kiddy size was so much more enjoyable.
The real relax bit came later after the drinking started - LOL. A couple of bundies and my will power just goes, that's why I generally avoid the stuff and of course the Bailey's I had later didn't help matters. We had a great night at a lovely Italian restaurant, oh and the Italian waiter was lovely too - wink!!! When we got back to SIL's there was a huge storm going on so I spent ages on the balcony trying to get the perfect lightning shot - didn't happen but I guess that helped me not drink as much. Anyhow here's the best one I got out of about 100!!!


I was really conscious on the Sunday that now I had broken out I could just keep going and while in reality I wasn't that bad I nibbled on things I would normally avoid. Later in the day when we were at a NZ Icecream shop that had the 99% stuff I almost caved in and ordered the "real" stuff again but I had a lightbulb moment and reeled myself in thank goodness. It really highlights to me why I am so careful most of the time. Some may think I'm too strict but is really is like any addiction, expose yourself to too much temptation and it's very easy to give in.
The scales showed a little gain but that has gone again now and I'm back to the round 20 down. Official weigh tomorrow so hopefully that will be sustained. I'm so pleased I took the pressure off and reduced my step target, It's certainly been one less thing to stress about and I'm back to enjoying my exercise again.
DH & I are both feeling very flat which always happens after we spend time with his family. We always enjoy it so much and it just highlights what we miss out on by living away from everyone.
Hope everyone is having a great week. Looking forward to catching up with some blogs tonight.

I've piked!!

Firstly thanks so much for the lovely comments some of you have left me. It's very nice that as a new blogger you have still taken the time to pass on your support - it is very appreciated and I hope that over time I will be able to reciprocate. Not that I want anyone else to be miserable of course!!!

Now a strange thing has happened since I started blogging. Last week I stayed the same weight and this week I have put on 500gm. I know it's not much but it's really odd that in the 32 weeks I have been "Back On Track" this is the first time I have had a plateau and then a gain. Not impressed but on the bright side I'm glad it didn't happen in the first couple of months as the habits weren't formed yet and I might have thrown the towel in. I haven't done anything wrong food wise, oh yeah, you're probably saying, but I really haven't. The only thing different is I've increased the exercise for the WWA Xmas challenge. It's funny because over the last few months I have been really enjoying my exercise and pushing myself a lot. What I have discovered over the last 2 weeks is by setting myself the target of 15,500 I was finding it very difficult to reach that on work days. I had to go the gym, have a long walk and ride the exercycle which was starting to wear rather thin. When's a girl going to relax?????!!! Yesterday I decided that this was crazy. I felt under so much pressure and who was putting the pressure on - ME! Probably if I was seeing great results on the scales I would have persevered but as I haven't, I have thrown in the towel and downgraded my daily step target to 10,000. Oh the relief, now I can exercise because I want to not cos I have to! I know it all sounds a bit silly but I don't like giving up. We are often our own worst enemies aren't we.

As I said we are going to Sydney this weekend and I am going to relax with my eating. With staying with family a lot of it is out of my control but I am going to try not to be too paranoid. For 32 weeks I have been positively saintly, a right little goody too shoes in fact!!! Maybe my body needs a shakeup so we will shake it up. OOh maybe I'll have a Bailey's or a Tia Maria or a few Bundies. I'm excited now. Only joking, I will relax but hopefully I won't go too crazy. It's only 2 days, I can't do that much damage can I? LOL

Next Monday it will be back to normal again. I am always so scared to relax because that's when I find it so difficult to be careful again. This time will be different cos I've got my new blog friends watching!!!

Have a great weekend everyone. I'll see you next week.

Sorry, this one's sad.

It's been an emotional couple of days in our household and I was trying to hold off posting until I felt in a better frame of mind. As I have been reading other blogs in the last couple of months I was often struck as to how honest people were and thought it very courageous that they were able to share with such openness and candor. I decided that this was my "healthy lifestyle" blog and I would keep it very focused on that. While I was walking tonight I thought it was probably a bit silly that I wasn't posting. If I am really doing this blog to aid me to keep "Back On Track" as well as hopefully help other bloggers if I am not honest as to where I am at, then it's not really serving it's purpose. That was a bit of rambling there but I am just trying to get this right in my head. Last week when I was very excited that I had started my blog it was very hard for me to keep my mouth shut and not tell all and sundry what I was doing. I decided that if I was aware lots of people I knew were reading then I would be a lot more inhibited in what I write. My DH is aware ( otherwise he would be getting worried as to what on earth I am doing rushing off to the PC whenever I can!!) and I also told my best friend who lives in NZ as there is nothing I keep from her. Is this how most of you have handled this?
Ten days ago one of my DS1's best friends died in a carcrash and it has been very difficult coming to terms with his loss and our sorrow for his Mum who only had him. My DH has been very affected as the young man in question got on really well with us and looked up to DH as a father figure. The funeral was yesterday and of course it was extremely traumatic. He was Indian and although the majority of the service was a traditional Catholic funeral there was also a Hindu component which was very different to what we were expecting. Our sorrow is compounded by the difficult relationship we have with our DS1. He is 19 and has not lived at home for most of this year. This was our choice as our family was so broken down it was just not possible for him to continue to live here. That's as deep as I want to go into that one at the moment. The wonderful young man who died had a wonderful relationship with his Mother. Their love & respect for each other was so evident. In that she was very lucky but as to how she will now cope - we can only pray for her and try & offer support if we can. In the last week our DS1 has really turned to us and I was hopeful this could be a real turnaround. Unfortunately yesterday, which was probably one of the most difficult things he has ever faced, we had suddenly become the enemy again which was very, very hard for us. I know we all want the best for our children but it sometimes so very hard to keep putting ourselves out there to be hurt again. I wanted to call him today to see how he is going but I felt it better to hang back for a day or so till both of our emotions calm down. It was so difficult to see the other young men from his school year who look so "normal and adjusted with normal lives" while he is still struggling to find himself. We just want our son back.

I'm sorry to be so maudlin but that is where I am at today. I know that tomorrow will be a little better and in a few days things will be back to our kind of normal. On a positive the stress hasn't made me overeat so that's something. I am finding the pressure to get my 15500 steps a day for the Winter challenge getting a bit much but I will persevere through this 3rd week and then possibly reassess. I love my exercise but I don't want to be doing the extra when I just haven't got the time. I wanted to get on the PC tonight but I knew I couldn't come & sit down until I had reached target so I wouldn't feel too guilty. The things we put ourselves through!!

I have been left some lovely messages which I really appreciate. I am trying to get to everyone's blogs but it's taking me a while as I just can't stop at one post. I was up until 1.00am on Sunday reading and by then I think I was too tired to leave many comments. I just don't know how some of you find time to write most days and leave so many comments on others as well. Do you sleep - LOL??

We have got something to look forward to this weekend as DH & I are going to Sydney. It was organised just a few weeks ago - my first reaction was "Oh no I won't be at goal yet" - Get a life Lesley!!!!My DH's family are all from Auckland but his sister & her husband are currently on contract in Sydney. His 2 brothers are flying in with their wives as well so we will be able to do the family thing which is a rarity for all of us to be together. It will be short but it should be fun and hopefully not too damaging diet wise!!!

Hope I didn't make anyone else miserable. I will try & post again B4 I go away.

Take Care - hug your children.

xxxxx

That's heavy!!!

A funny thing happenned this afternoon in the carpark at Bunnings. Well this will only be funny to those fighting the weight loss battle. DH & I had to get some bits and pieces including some bags of sand. When we got back to the car, while DH was lifting the first one into the boot I picked up the next one to hand to him. I struggled to lift it a few inches before exclaiming how heavy 20 kilo's was. As I said it we both realised that was exactly what I have just lost over the last 8 months and I was quite blown away. I know people often say think of a bag of potatoes etc but I don't make a habit of picking up 4 bags of potatoes in the grocery store - LOL. That was probably the first time I had handled 20 kilo's in that form and boy it was a great motivator to envisage carrying that around with me. We had a lovely walk in the early evening and I was bounding up the hills ( well as much as I can ever bound anywhere) very pleased with myself that it was 20 kilo's less to carry up.
We had one of our favourite dinners tonight that we have been having for a few years. Everyone likes it which is good in our house. I will post it here for anyone that may like to try it. It's actually from WW Simply The Best 2004.


Satay pork and noodle stir-fry
Serves 6 for 5 points per serve or 4 for 7.5 points per serve

440 grams Udon noodles
400 grams prok fillet, thinly sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup vegetable stock
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp soy sauce
500 gram pack of frozen Asian style veg

1. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and, using a fork, gently separate them. Drain well. 2. Coat a pan with cooking spray, heat and add the pork. Cook, while stirring, until pork is well browned and tender. Remove from the pan. 3. Add the garlic and onion the the same pan and stir-fry until soft. Stir in the stock, peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce. Stir in the vegetables and allow to simmer for about 4 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. 4. Stir in the pork and noodles and cook until all ingredients are hot. Serve.

The above is exactly from the book. I don't bother to soak the noodles. I find there is enough sauce to add them before the meat at the end and they soften up fine. I always add more vegies to make it go further. I use smooth peanut butter and try not to have a spoonful for me too! The pork fillet is beautiful but I also use chicken or prawns. It's really nice and well worth a try. It also reheats really well for leftovers. Let me know if anyone already makes this or tries it.

I'm off to read some of my visitors blogs. I doubt I'll get through them all in one night as it will be hard not to read the whole lot!!!

The Best Laid Plans

Hello to all my new blog friends and thankyou so much for the lovely comments you have been leaving me. It is so encouraging and does really make you feel part of a very supportive community. I was really looking forward to a few hours of PC time tonight to update my blog, add some links etc and explore the blogs of those of you who had left me messages. A bit sad that it's Friday night and I was excited about a night in but never mind!!! Anyhow while DH & I were having a walk after tea one of our friends called to say they were going to call around for coffee. DH couldn't understand why I didn't seem to keen until I explained what I had been planning. He laughed and quite rightly pointed out that it was important not to forget my existing friends too! I know he's right and I do tend to get a bit obsessive with anything new I do. We ended up having a nice couple of hours with our friends and I've got a spare few minutes to do a small update before bedtime. My blog visits will have to wait until tomorrow - hopefully.
I do my official weigh Thursday or Friday depending on which figure I like best - LOL This week I didn't like either as I have stayed exactly the same!! Typical I start publishing my weight and then it doesn't move!!! I know I've been good and I have done lot's of exercise so hopefully there will be movement next week. I can't have hit a plateau now - not allowed at this stage!!
I have been working really hard to meet my step target this week. It's amazing when you're being accountable how much you don't want to not succeed but boy this is going to be hard work to keep this up for 6 weeks. If anyone is struggling with their exercise I would encourage them to check out WWA. It's a really great motivator for a very small outlay.
I've got two new dogs in the house tonight - not really but it sure looks like it. We have 2 Lowchen puppies( Most people have never heard of them) that are small and fluffy. I usually keep their coats long but had them clipped today to get rid of the knots and keep them cooler for Summer. Now I look like I have 2 overgrown rats - not a good look - poor puppies.
Have a great weekend - hopefully you'll see me on your blogs soon.

Before and Almost There Piccies

As promised I am adding a couple of photo's of before I started this LAST attempt at Getting Back On Track. It's amazing how much we hide from photo's when we feel so uncomfortable with where we are at. Makes it hard to find pictures when you want them. Anyhow these 2 are both from last year.



And these next ones have been taken in the last few days - suddenly it's not so bad on the other side of the camera, especially with the magic of the digital age so we can just discard the ones we still look too fat!!

I was very excited tonight to recieve my first couple of comments. I've had visitors!! Can anyone tell me whether you have to get permission before you put links to other blogs on your own blog. I would like to put them on but I'm not sure if I have to ask everyone first.

I had a yummy tea tonight. I tried the new McCains Healthy Choice Pumpkin & Eggplant Pizza. It was 7.25 points and worth every one!!! The other 2 varieties of it are also nice but this would be the nicest. I would really like to stay and "play" blogs all night but as I am trying to average 15500 steps a day on the WWA Xmas challenge I had better go and ride my bike for a while. I am still nearly 5000 short so I better move myself. Have a goodnight.

The story so far......

My second post – how exciting!! I thought I better give some info as to where I am at with all this WW stuff and where I have come from. I am another life-timer who has put my weight back on again and again. This time I am trying to lose it forever by realising I am not on a diet but am changing to a permanent healthier lifestyle both with food and exercise. I know you’ve heard this lot’s of times before but I really am going to try to conquer this for the last time!!
I have yoyo dieted since I was in my early twenties. When I had my first son at 25 I did “Jenny Craig”. I lost 5 stone in 5 months, which was incredibly fast and with no exercise at all! Since then I’ve gained and lost many times. I seem to keep the weight off for a year or so and then suddenly I am “fat” again. When I look back I don’t remember it actually increasing, I think I just go into denial until I get so big I can’t ignore it anymore. I first achieved Lifetime with Weight Watchers in 1994 – the day I got to goal I discovered I was pregnant with son # 3 so I didn’t get a chance to stabilise that time.Good excuse though don’t you think? I rejoined again in January 1998 at 95 kilo’s and the “Points System” just clicked with me. By August I had reached my WW Goal of 68 and then went on to lose another 8 kilo’s by December. I had lost 35 kilo’s and was sure I knew how to stay there. I was featured in the WW magazine and thought I was so successful! Little did I know. :-( Since then I have gone up and down, never back up to my highest but never down under 70 kilo’s either.
Last year I decided enough was enough and went back to meetings. I find it so hard to go back – I feel such a failure – to have been so successful and then to stuff it all up. I was doing quite well and then Christmas and Summer holidays came and I had a break for a couple of weeks. That lasted 4 months and I put last years 8 kilo loss all back on again!!! Grrrrrr !
Dr Phil’s quote, which I modified, for me, really got me thinking. “At this time next year my weight will be higher or lower than it is right now. It will not be the same. The choice to reduce it or let it pile higher and higher is entirely and unquestionably mine”
I started again on the 9th of April and was really determined. I have not gone back to meetings yet. I have spent so much in previous years and know that if my resolve started to slip I would have the meetings to fall back on. I am following the programme as I know it works for me and with the motivation and inspiration I have received from reading the WW forum and more recently some great blogs, I have managed to stay on track for 30 weeks so I am very happy with that. I am 44 now and I certainly have to work much harder than previously to lose.
I am now on the downward track and know this is the hardest part. It’s so easy to get complacent because I know I look and feel so much better than I did. I don’t want to stop now, I really want to get back to goal and learn to stay there. I have worked out with what I have lost so far, if I keep losing at this slow but steady rate I should be back at goal by December. What a Christmas present that would be and what a New Years resolution, to be able to continue the lifestyle changes and finally learn to maintain my weight.
I was considering becoming a WW leader next year as I know I have to do something different from previous times to ensure I can maintain. Perhaps blogging may be the answer instead. I will post some before and nearly there photo’s tonight. Have a great day even though I know nobody is actually reading this yet!!!!

Lesley

A New Blogger Has Landed!!!

Hello to everyone in blogland - I would like to join your ranks. For the last few months I have been back on track trying to get back to my goal weight by following weight watchers. I have got most of my inspiration from reading the messages on the Weight Watchers forums and more recently have discovered blogs written by some amazing ladies. I have been a closet reader/lurker, thinking oh no I would never get motivated enough to actually have my own but after some encouragement from Margaret I have decided to bite the bullet and add blogging to my interests and learn how do it! Boy do I have a lot to learn. I read a few blogs each day so I feel I know quite a few of you but at this stage of course you have no idea who I am. I hope that will change soon. It's taken me a while tonight to get this far and bed is calling so my story so far will have to wait for tomorrow.