Saturday morning...

Weigh in day!

Had a great week over all with my food and walked the 3 days I said I would. I am going to try to walk every day for this next week. Ate a little bit of stuff I shouldn't last night including a bowl of ice cream, which I really really wanted so I don't feel too bad about, and a couple of snacky things (teeny-weeny tart things... petit fours, is that what they're called??) at the meeting last night, which I didn't really want at all and just ate because they were there. I also ate some chocolate a few nights ago which I didn't even enjoy and ended up throwing the box out.

Over all though, I am very happy with how I went and once again was excited to jump on the scales this morning.

Enough with the yabbering, here's my results for the week.

Last week: 96.2kg
This week: 95.9kg
Total kgs lost: .3kg

Last weeks body fat: 43%
This weeks body fat: 42.2%
Total body fat lost: .8% (must be from all that pram pushing and baby carrying!)

Not too bad! Slow and steady wins the race!

Ash
xox

Lookie what we got yesterday?!

*Note- for some reason I have not been able to do paragraphs so I apologise for the big block of writing... I HATE reading blogs like that!!*

Thanks to Catie for posting this gorgeous t-shirt for Molly!!

It was so exciting pulling it out of the post pack realising what it was. Catie bought one for her daughter Joss a little while ago and I commented that I loved it... a month or so later, one arrives in the mail!! Thanks sooo much Catie! It was such an unexpected and special surprise! Molly is going to look like such a little spunky dudette when she grows into it... my Nan's going to hate it! *lol*

Catie, if you're reading this- I can't access your blog. Can you please add me to your invited readers list as I'm dying to see what you've been up to.

John went back to work today... well, for an hour and then he was home again as there was nothing for him to do today... Hoorah! Extended holidays!

We went to Eastland this afternoon and had a yummy lunch- I had a moroccan couscous and chicken salad... mmm! John had sushi hand rolls and we shared a freshly squeezed apple, carrot, celery, ginger and beetroot juice. While at eastland I bought a new long black cardigan and a v-neck grey 3/4 sleeve tee. I LOVE the cardy as I have been looking for one like this for ages. It's a thin knit and goes with just about everything I own.

We had to eat slightly off plan for dinner tonight. Our housemate cooked spaghetti bolognaise for us today. If he was just any old housemate we would have told him what we were doing with our challenge and frozen our portions to have next week. But our housemate has a disability and cooked dinner with the help of his carer today. It wouldn't have been fair to not eat what he had spent time and a lot of effort preparing. Apart from that though, food has been great. Both John and I are finding it really easy to stick to the plan. It's really strange that we can all of a sudden have no trouble resisting temptation just because we both agreed to give it our all for a week. Life isn't any different from how it was last week however it is like a switch has been flicked and all of a sudden it's easy! We both feel so fabulous for doing something really good for ourselves.

I am going to get out for a walk tomorrow. It will be the first time since Molly's birth that I have gone out to do intentional exercise. I have done a lot of incidental exercise walking around different shopping centres for hours on end but this will be a great "1st" to accomplish.

I heard an interesting piece of conversation today. Two girls, about 20 years of age, were walking and chatting in Eastland. One looks at a very obese little girl walking by and says to her friend "Look at that girl!" to which the other replies "Yeah, it's so sad- look at her dad... it must be genetic". I found this really interesting. That "genetics" is the first thing to be blamed. Hmmm... call me mean but me thinks it may not be genetic. Very rarely are weight problems genetic. Families often have a "big frame" that is passed on but that doesn't mean a healthy weight cannot be achieved. I used to think that I was "genetically fat" as all of my family are overweight. It couldn't possibly have been the fact that we all loved consuming copious amounts of rich food at every meal and greazy, crunchy, fat filled foods for snacks, or the fact that instead of playing out in the fresh air we spent our time playing Super Mario on the couch...

No way... it must be genetic!

Today's Foodies:

B. 2 slices burgen toast with ham tomato and low fat cheese (5)

S. 1 apple, 1 nectarine (1.5)

L. Moroccan chicken salad, 1/2 a regular fresh juice (7)

S. Skinny decaf latte, some red grapes and a nectarine (2.5)

D. Spaghetti bolognaise(6)

S. Natural yoghurt with 1 tbs honey and a small banana (2.5)

Total: 24.5

H20: 2.5 litres

Will have a bit more food this evening.. maybe some air popped popcorn

Weigh in...

I cannot believe I acutally managed to LOSE weight this week!!

Last week: 96.1
This week: 95.5!!

Yay!! I must be doing something right!!

John and I have decided to set a challenge for ourselves this week. As of this afternoon (when I can get out to the supermarket and fruit shop) we are starting the "fresh food challenge". We have set some rules for this challenge as follows:

1. No pre-packaged or processed foods
2. All meals prepared at home must be made from scratch with fresh ingredients
3. Whilst out and about the rules still apply
4. Must drink at LEAST 2 litres of water per day
5. Must have protein (meat or legume) with 2 meals per day
6. No caffeine

I am so excited about this as I know how bloody AWESOME I'll feel by next Saturday! I will have set myself a goal and achieved it and that will feel so GREAT!

Let me know if you would like to join us on this challenge!

Ash
xox

Nutella, chips and transformation...

Nutella "a great source of low-gi energy for kids"..... What the hell? Who believes this crap? Obviously many misinformed parents. I have been getting angrier and angrier watching commercials for foods that claim to be healthy when they are in fact extremely detrimental to the health of children and adults alike. There are so many lies being told by large companies who market their highly processed products containing many dangerous preservatives, additives, fillers, colours etc. Not to mention the large amounts of sugar in most products and fat in many.

Foods claiming to be "high energy" are usually filled with what many nutritionists would call "empty calories"- simple carbohydrates (aka sugar), which if not burned up leads to weight gain and the current crisis that is childhood obesity. Kids do not need fun looking, sugar filled products to be happy. If kids get used to eating fresh unprocessed foods as young children and if the rest of the family reinforce this behaviour by doing it themselves, they will not learn to rely on colourful packaging or foods filled with simple sugars and "bad" fats to be satisfied.

We need to take the lead from non-western cultures who give their children the same home prepared, healthy foods that the adults eat. How many other cultures do you think have a "kids menu" in just about every restaurant?? I was in a pub bistro recently for a family dinner. On examination of the menu board I happened across the "kids menu". I had never really twigged just how obscene it is to offer children the range of choices that were on this menu- chicken and chips, chicken nuggets and chips, fish and chips, hamburger and chips, bowl of chips... fried, fat laden, salt laden RUBBISH!! Not a green veggie in sight. How are children supposed to learn how to make the right choices when there is nothing to choose from? Given, the parents could just order a smaller serve of something else healthy on main menu but that is beside the point.

Rant over... I could go on, however I will probably start boring you faithful readers! Ok... that's what has been bugging me for the last week or so- I just haven't bothered to write it down.

I thought I would include a few old "fat photos" to remember just how far I have come and also post a photo of me at goal to show where I want to be. I find this a really great motivational tool.

Me at my biggest 2003

John and me at Mezz and Byron's wedding 2003

Me at the footy 2003

April 2006

Me at Port Fairy March 2006

Run for the Kids 2006 (I was pregnant and didn't know!)

April 2006 (1st and last time we try putting the cat on a lead!)

So there they are... Quite the transformation if I do say so myself! I do not feel like I'm loving myself too much in saying that because I worked so flippin' hard to achieve it. It took 3 years to lose 35kgs- the reason it took that long is because I decided to do it properly. I was not in for a quick fix. I had a LOT of emotional issues to deal with before I could lose the kind of kgs to get me into a healthy weight range. The awesome thing is that the psychological work has already been done now so I know it is not going to take me another 3 years to lose it all again. Hopefully this time I will be able to learn how to maintain the weight loss before getting pregnant again (not on the cards for another 3 years) and then maybe I wont put on so much next time.

I am nearly feeling up to exercise again which is fantastic. I have been getting out for gentle walks and I get puffed out just walking up slight hills! I cannot wait to feel fit again! I am going to enrol Molly in a swimming class designed for 3 month olds which means I have to get into bathers in 2 months! A great incentive to get my act together!!

The last few days my eating has not been as clean as it has been recently however I have still managed to eat around the right amount of points per day (av.) so it will be interestng to see if the scales move next Saturday!

Foodies...

22nd Jan

B. 1 slc wholemeal toast with peanut butter, 1/2 croissant, 1/2 escargot

S. 1 banana, 1 peach, k-time twist

L. Cream of chicken soup with 2 slices wholegrain toast with light butter

S. 2 pastitzis (sp?) and chocolate cake

D. 2 sausages, 1/2 potato, pumpkin, peas, carrot, zucchini, 1 ww icecream

Total: 33.25

23 Jan

B. Ktime twist, 1 banana

S. 1 peach, 1 caramel crown and 10 choc sultanas

L. Egg and salad sandwich with mayo on wholegrain bread, ice tea

S. 4 snack right biscuits, lemonade

D. 3 slices pizza, small serve light and creamy frozen yoghurt

S. Ice cream cake

Total: 31.5

Today

B. Natural muesli with blueberry and vanilla vaalia

S. 1 fruit mince pie and a cup of tea

L. Yakitori chicken don and rice, mineral water

S. 2 choc chip cookies and a cup of tea

D. 1 slice home made pizza and WW chickpea curry ready meal

S. Small serve icecream

Total: 28.5

I think that's enough from me tonight...

Ash

xxx

Fresh new beginnings...

Hi there,

Welcome to my new blog. I have created this space to help me in reaching my health and fitness goals.

It is a place where I hope to be able to find support and motivation, to track my progress and make a note of my goals.

I have approximately 20kgs to lose and I am hoping to do achieve this goal by Christmas 2007. I know I can do this as I have done it before! Bring it on!!

Stay tuned as I embark on the journey to slimville once again.

Ash
xxx