Staying On Track

For some reason, long weekends seem to the be the worst weekends for me in terms of eating. What i mean is for some reason i always find myself eating platefuls and platefuls of " crap " on a long weekend - way too many carbs and nowhere near enough vegies. And even as i'm preparing a meal, in my head i'm going " Throw some salad in that sandwich! Cook some vegies to go with that! ". But no - the relaxed vibe of a long weekend somehow permeates my eating attitude aswell and i get lazy. So, over this weekend, i've eaten way too much of this:

And drunk a little too much of this:

And frankly, with a little under 5 weeks til my wedding, i need to be eating right and trying NOT to put on weight. Thankfully, i've managed to stay pretty close to the " goal " weight i reached at the end of Operation Slimdown - i've had a few ups and downs but have managed to stay within a kilo of that 67.5kg.

So from here on out i need to constantly think: " Vegies! Water! Minimum carbs! ". Because not only do i need to look ravishing in my wedding dress but i need to tankini ready for the water parks on the Gold Coast!

Operation Slimdown - the " Wooty Woo! " Edition

Ok, i'm cutting to the chase here, no mucking around like usual - I'VE DONE IT!!!  Wooty woo! yes, i have reached my 10 kg goal. In fact, i've lost 10.3kg in 14 weeks. So in a little over 3 months i have achieved the goal which i gave myself 10 months to achieve ....and i'm kind of proud of that. Although i consistently lost weight every fortnight, it hasnt been super easy. The first two weeks were a little difficult - i had the occasional temptation ( like my BIL's birthday cake... ) but also just coming up with meal ideas ( especially for lunch at work ) that didnt involve any bread, rice, or pasta was a bit tricky.

And i have slipped and slid a little, in places. I'm constantly tempted by Portuguese tarts from the bakery near my work, and i will put both hands up and admit that i dont do enough exercise ( although my incidental exercise makes up for it ...a bit ). But i'm happy with the way i've done things and i'm happy with where i'm at. I have already said that i would like to push on from here - officially 67.5kgs - and get back down to at least 65kg. The smallest i've been in my adult life was 61kg and even though at the time i thought i had a rockin' bod ( which i did ) i look at pics now and think maybe i had a bit of Lollipop Head Syndrome going on ( for other examples please see Beckham, Victoria and Bosworth, Kate ). So 64/65kg might be a good medium for me...

Now that the official goal has been met " Operation Slimdown " will cease to exist in its current form. This means no fortnightly updates, and no fortnightly measurements with a tape measure ( although i will keep a constant eye on those damned scales... ). Thanks to all you regular readers and commenters for supporting me on the journey, and good luck to the rest of you who are still pushing on!

Operation Slimdown - We're Getting There...

Seriously - are you people getting tired of reading about " Operation Slimdown " yet ? I know i'm only doing a diet/exercise/body post once a week but it seems like i'm forever writing about it... anyhoo, yea yea, its Tuesday again so its time for the fortnightly update on where my weight loss is at. Behold - the stats!
Bust: 91cm - down 1cm
Waist: 75.5cm - down 1.5cm
Hips: 97.5cm - down 0.5cm
Bum: 102cm - up 0.5cm
Thigh: 62cm - down 0.5cm
Weight: 68.6kg - down 1.1kg


I'm really happy with that, seeing as i've felt like i've been slacking off a bit. Maybe it only feels that way because i was sooooo strict with the my eating in the first few weeks? I'm not sure, but i'm coming to realise that its ok to have a bit of chocolate, or a small bowl of icecream, or even a yummy yummy Portuguese tart ( mmmm...Portuguese tart... ) a few times a week if i'm keeping everything else under control. Which i am - my portion sizes are much smaller than when i started my third attempt at " Operation Slimdown ", i'm eating way more vegies and i find that i'm not craving rice or pasta at all. I have a nice low-GI muesli for breakfast most mornings ( i occasionally indulge in peanut butter and toast! ) and a wholemeal sandwich or leftovers for lunch. Dinners are my favourite though - you know how i love pour over my cookbooks and magazines and i've really enjoyed some of the new, healthier, dishes i've come across. As has Mick - he hasnt exactly been on a concentrated " diet ", but through healthier eating and a very physical job he's managed to lose around 10kg in the last 3-4 months. Go us!

And now? I'm 9.2kg down in 12 weeks. Only 800g to go until i hit my 10kg goal that i set as my New Years resolution. I'm kind of amazed that i've been able to come this far in a relatively short period of time ( you know, seeing as my original goal included a November deadline.. ). Once i hit the 10kg mark, i would like to push on and reach 65kg - thats roughly how much i weighed when i met Mick, and i think i looked awesome then, so thats the next step in the dance... fingers crossed i lose the 800g by next weigh in though!

Food For Thought

I know I’ve said this a few times but – I really feel like when I step on the scales at the end of this week I’m going to have PUT ON weight. I’ve had a bad week – no exercise, not enough of the right foods. I found myself amazed that I could have been so strict for those two weeks at the start because this past week I have caved in for all the wrong things. Flynn is too little too eat a full Freddo frog – oh hey I’ll just eat the other half! I couldn’t be bothered making up a salad – no matter, I’ll just eat two pieces of toast with peanut butter! Gee Subway is tempting – nah, I’ll have Hi-GI sushi instead! See what I mean – my head has totally been struggling with the right decisions this week.

Like last night – I ate the hugest piece of steak I’ve ever seen. They didn’t look that big when I bought them but looking at them on the George Foreman grill ( hey, at least I’m still knocking out the fat! ) they looked enormous. But did I cut in half and save some for lunch today? Umm, no, I just went right on eating that delicious side of cow. I’d feel better about it if it were a one-time slip up, but its not, and I’m worried that once I hit my goal I’m going to slip-slide right back to the “wrong” decisions. Like once I’ve hit my goal weight my mind will go “ Ah, we’ve reached the end! No need to try so hard anymore! “. Its sobering thought.

On the flipside, nor do I want to be one of these women who is obsessed by food, who knows exactly how many calories and how much fat is everything, and who is too afraid to indulge once in a while. A nice, normal, balance is what I’m aiming for – I guess the occasional bad week is all part of that. Right? Right?

Operation Slimdown - We've Hit The 10 Week Mark

So - its Tuesday again. And its the 2nd Tuesday in my fortnightly rotation, which means its time again for an update on Operation Slimdown! ( Ok, yep, its not really exciting, not enough to warrant and exclamation point - sorry about that ) Anyhoodle, lets dispense with the jibber jabber and go straight to the stats:
Bust: 92cm - down 1cm
Waist: 77cm - no change
Hips: 97cm - down 1.5cm
Bum: 101.5cm - down 1.cm
Thigh: 62.5cm - down 0.5cm
Weight: 69.7kg - down 1kg

Now, let me explain something - this weeks weigh in was weird. I weighed myself on my SIL old-school mechanical scales ( i dont normally use them and was curious to see if they would give the same results... ) and it came up at a nice neat 69kg. I thought " ok, better result than i was expecting so lets not get our hopes up ... ". Then, less than an hr later, i weighed myself on my parents digital scales ( the ones i have been using from the start ) and they showed up at 69.9kg. Seeing as it was almost a full kilo different to the first result i thought i'd just double check... but when i hopped on the digitals the 2nd time, the reading was 75kg! There is now way in the known universe i could put on 5 kgs in 30 seconds so i decided i would weigh myself again the next day, and whatever result that came up with was THE result for the fortnight.

So - when Sunday saw a result of 69.7kg i thought " alrighty - a nice, neat, tidy kilo! ". I'm happy with that - i'm aiming for a 1kg loss per fortnight and i really didnt think i would achieve that with this fortnights lack of exercise ( thanks crappy weather and crappy germs ). I did motivate myself to get out for a walk Sunday morning though so thats a good start to this fortnight. And at a total of 8.1kg lost in 10 weeks, i'm really excited to keep motivating myself to eat well and exercise more until i hit that 10kg goal!

Operation Slimdown - IWD Edition

Welcome to the fortnightly " Operation Slimdown " update, proudly brought to you on this International Womens Day by me, an international woman. ( Almost. I mean, i AM a woman, the international bit is in question though... ). And, happily, on a day meant to celebrate the successes and achievements of women, i have a success of my own to share. To the stats!
Bust: 93cm -  up 1.5cm
Waist: 77cm - down 0.5cm
Hips: 98.5cm - down 2cm
Bum: 103cm - no change
Thighs: 63cm - down 1cm
Weight: 70.7kg - down 2kg

Oh yea baby - 2 kilos in 2 weeks! Screw you danish, i win this round! Ok, ok, enough gloating... its just that when i stepped on the scales i was completely flabbersgasted. I was so sure last week that i was going to put ON weight - i hadnt eaten particularly well over the weekend, and hadnt been doing teh amount of exercise that i promised myself i would - that when i saw it was a 2 kilo loss i had to restrain myself from yelling out to my sister " Hey, come look at this! ". Admittedly, after my woe-is-me rant about the evil danish, i did go home and go for a 30 minute walk ( part of which i ran...oh yea, ran... ) and i took Flynn out in the pram for a 30 min walk the next two days aswell. But 2 kilos in 2 weeks? That was much more than i was expecting. I have to say, i'm kind of proud of myself.

So, the journey continues. I'm 7.1kg down in 8 weeks...so with only 2.9kgs to go until i hit my goal weight, i cant afford to let up on myself. Much. Maybe i'll let myself celebrate with another one of those evil danishes....

Today I Ate A Danish.....

... and it tasted good. But i felt bad. Guilty even. All i wanted was a little treat, a little Portuguese tart maybe, but they didnt have any so danish was the next best thing. But as soon as that last bite was in my mouth, i regretted having taken the first one. Why? 'Cause it had CARBS, and lots of CALORIES and it was HIGH GI. Oh. My.God. Smack my bottom, i've been a naughty girl.


In reality, i know that one danish in the scheme of things is not going to hurt me. I also know that i havent done the amount of exercise i promised myself i was going to start doing ( through various factors, but mostly because i keep chickening out. Finding an excuse. What am i afraid of? ) So when i get on those scales on Saturday morning and i have a smaller loss ( or, Gawd forbid, a gain! ) than i was hoping for, i'm going to curse that bloody danish. I'm going to blame its buttery pastery goodness, its sweet apple centre. Then i'm going to blame myself for eating it, and not exercising enough.

And then, just maybe, i might suck it up and stop making excuses. No more " aww, its too late now, i have to cook your dinner ". No more " aww, i cant go before work - i'd have to get up earlier and what if Flynn wakes up before i'm back? ". No more " I'm just too tired ". Suck it up, chest out, chin up and just.freaking.do.it....

Operation Slimdown - Or Is It?

So - guess what today is? If you guessed Operation Slimdown update day then you'd be right! Yes, today is my fortnightly update on my weight loss adventure ( if you can call it that) and, after last Tuesdays post, i wasn feeling too optimistic about weighing in and measuring myself up. Comfort eating, Pepsi-drinking and general sad-sacking do not usually make for a good loss. Lets see....


Bust: 91.5cm - down 3cm
Waist: 77.5cm - up 0.5cm
Hips: 100.5cm - up 1.5cm
Bum: 103cm - down 1.5cm
Thigh: 64cm - down 1.5cm
Weight:72.7kg - down 600g
So there you be - not a gain as i was expecting, but not quite the loss i'm aiming for. As i said, i would really love to lose AT LEAST a kilo a fortnight ( unfortunately last weekend was a bit of a lost cause ) but if i'm a few 100g here or there on a normal week well... I'm not going to beat myself up about it. If its the difference between one scoop of ice cream or two then hell....i'm treating myself to the icecream. Everything in moderation and seeing as i'm still on the " 2 cups of vegies and 2L of water a day " path ( mostly...sometimes its 1.75L.... ) i think i deserve two scoops of icecream every few days. And you know what? I had the willpower to shun icecream, and chocolate, and even birthday cake for 2 weeks when i kickstarted this thing off, and i know i could do it again. I also know i dont really HAVE to deprive myself either, so i dont. I think thats kind of a healthy attitude...

What is also healthy is that i've started throwing exercise back in the mix too this week. I'm starting myself off slowly - i'm not quite back to gum junkie status yet. I plan on doing half an hour of yoga 5 days a week, going for a 20 min walk during my lunch break from work 3 days a week, and then going for an extra 45 min walk 3 days a week aswell. Its definately not as hard as i used to train, and i'd love to get back into the running and the weight training at some point, but for now what i have planned should help shift the last 4.7kg til i hit my goal weight. And whats even better is that now my already gorgeous fiance Mick has gotten on the fitness kick too - he's been going for a 45 min - 1hr walk/jog 5 days a week - and we're really supporting and encouraging each other. I feel really motivated to keep up with him and get gorgeous and healthy together!

Operation Slimdown Update

So after yesterdays ranting and raving its time again for my fortnightly " Operation Slimdown " update. So a bit of sunshine compared to yesterdays rain... oh yea, sunshine means another good result! After last fortnights huge 3.7kg loss ( which still has me smiling my head off ) i was hoping for anothe loss, but not expecting anything as massive. Another 3ish kilos would have been nice but i accidentally   stuffed myself with a huge bowl of pasta on my birthday, and indulged a bizarre craving for Maccas the next weekend. So yea, i kind of played up a little compared to my insane strictness of the previous fortnight - but i'm okay with that. I re-introduced small portion of carbs and have been sticking with the at least 2 cups of vegies and 2l of water a day. So how did i go?
Bust: 94.5cm - up 1.5cm
Waist: 77cm - down 1.5cm
Hips: 99cm - down 2cm
Bum: 104.5 cm - up 0.5cm
Thigh: 65.5 - no change
Weight: 73.3kg  - down 800gms
Ok , so it looks a bit all over the place but i think the bust measurement can be attributed to womanly fluctutaions and a slightly padded bra, and the 0.5cm in the bum is pretty negligent ( and probably a slight variance in wear the tape was sitting as compared to last time ). And i'm happy with 800gms - i'm hoping to be able to do 1kg a fortnight til i reach my goal, and 800gms is not far off. And considering the pasta and Maccas binge, and not having added any exercise in yet ( through sheer laziness and a desire to NOT run myself ragged in 40 degree temperatures ), i'm ok with falling 200gms short of my goal.
So, overall, a happy result. And almost ( half a kilo short ) halfway there!

Operation Slimdown - Welcome to 2011!

Welcome to the first " Operation Slimdown " update for this year everybody! ( Ok, not quite exciting enough to warrant an exclamation point but i digress... ). As usual, every second Tuesday finds me giving you a rundown of whats happening on the weightloss front however, this Tuesday ( and somewhat unusually ) i actually have something worth noting... a loss! Halle-freaking-lujah, i finally lost a decent amount of weight!

I know i set myself a goal of 10kgs lost by November 5th but i've been trying to lose weight since September. So whats changed to see this miraculous turnaround? Well, first off, its a bit of an attitude change - i kept saying i really wanted to lose the weight but i still kept eating the same food ( only, less of it ) and only exercising 3 times a week. After seeing myself in my sons Santa photos and having a cry, and then subsequently having a whinge to my dad ( no good whinging to Mick, he loves me the way i am. Bah! ) my dad said " Well why dont you pull your finger out and give it a good go, and stop sooking about it ? ". Aah....he may be a man of few words, but when my Dad does say something its usually pretty good advice. So, with that kick in the bum i did some research, asked a few people some questions and....changed my eating habits.

Monday the 10th of January i started a 12 day experiment. I challenged myself to have a " Celebrity Slim " shake or meal replacement for breakfast and follow the Tony Ferguson eating plan for other meals ( yes, just like religion, i pulled my weight loss philosophies from all over the place ). What did that mean exactly? NO CARBS - AT ALL. So for the 12 days leading up to my birthday i ate no bread, no cereal, no rice, no pasta, no flour products.... just the shake, at least 3 cups of vegies and 2 pieces of fruit,2 small serves of protein and at least 2L of water a day. I thought " I'll do this for 12 days and see if it works, and on day 13 i'll reward myself with birthday cake! ". A pretty good plan, methought. How good? Lets go to the stats:
Bust: 93cm - down 4.5cm
Waist: 78.5cm - down 3.5cm
Hips 101cm - down 2cm
Bum: 104cm - down 4cm
Thigh: 65.5cm - down 1cm
Weight: 74.1kg -  down 3.7kgs

Oh yea - down 3.7kgs in 12 days! And, as you can see, shrinking measurements all over the place. I am very proud of myself for having the discipline to steer clear of carbs for 12 days ( lovely, lovely delicious carbs ), although i'm not so proud of the huge bowl of pasta i ate to celebrate my birthday ( hello stomach ache! ). So there you go, the tale of the tape... and this week its a good story! I'm going to try and cut way down on the carbs, and every so often i might do a week totally carb free, but this 3.7kg loss has totally reinvigorated my drive to lose 10 kgs by my wedding. Wish me luck!

Operation Slimdown - A Day Late. Again.

My apologies for the tardiness of my usual update - i had to get the letter to my son in first! In any case, i didnt really feel like writing an update anyway because...well... my results suck, ok ? We all had a feeling that would, what with a weigh in on Christmas Day ( of all bloody days! ) but still, they sucked enough to make me cry. In front of my parents, and Mick. Wah, wah, wah...poor fat me!

Let me explain. But first, lets go to the tape:
Bust: 97.5cm - up 0.5cm
Waist 82cm - no change
Hips: 103cm - up 1.5cm
Bum: 108cm - no change
Thighs: 66.5cm - up 0.5cm
See, that doesnt really look so bad considering the fortnight of Christmas parties ( and few days of, uh, that time of the month, which of course equals mega-bloating ) but, once again, those nasty, nasty scales have brought me undone. See, i only weigh myself on a Saturday morning, once a fortnight. However, this week i was at my mum and dads house ( i dont own scales... ) on Thursday afternoon and i couldnt resist taking a sneak peek. 74.8kgs - woo hoo! That was 800g down in a fortnight! I would totally be able to hit a full 1kg loss by Saturday morning! However....
Weight 11.12.10 - 75.6kgs
Weight 25.12.10 - 75.7kgs
I burst into tears - how could i have put on 1.1kgs in ONE DAY?!? It just wasnt fair - Thursday afternoon i was ecstatic about finally having a good loss, and then one day later that loss is completely gone and has turned into a 100g gain. I was shattered. I just cant wrap my head around it. And i'm sure that if i went and weighed myself again today, the scale would have something completely different to say again ( loss? Gain? who knows? )

So i guess i just push on. Try harder. The four days of non-stop eating over Christmas are now officially over and i know i can handle New Years Eve. I'm not back at work til Tuesday 4th of Jan so i'm going to try and fit in some exercise everyday this week. Establish some new, good habits. And then, maybe next fortnight, i will have that 1kg loss to report. I hope. Because i'm thinking if that doesnt happen the only way for me to shed the weight might be to cry it out. I could get rid of a kilo through tears...couldnt i?

Operation Slimdown Tuesday

Hello again, and welcome to the results week of my sort-of fortnightly updates. First though, a word on how the week has gone - which is, to say, alright i suppose. I had two really great exercise sessions in which i sweated up a storm ( seriously, i dont think i've ever sweated as much as i did at last weeks Zumba... ) and i ate pretty healthily all week ( until Saturday nights Xmas party for Mick's work ). So yea, all was good. However, after really sweating out a Zumba i felt myself really missing the gym. I loved going to the gym - i went up to 6 days a week - and i loved pushing myself on the treadmill especially. However, i cant afford gym fees and somehow i cant find the motivation to run on the street. I think i liked the numbers game on the  treadmill - the knowing exactly how far i had run, how fast i was going, being able to set an incline or a program to run to, pushing myself to run just for one more song on my Ipod.... i cant replicate that on the street. And i feel weird jogging through my neighbourhood, especially seeing as i am waaaaaaaaaaaay unfit at the moment and can only manage the old " run to one lightpole, walk the next three " type of session. Ah well, perhaps that a goal for a later date... Anyhoodle, on to the numbers!



Bust - 97cm - up 0.5cm
Waist - 82cm - no change
Hips - 101.5cm - down 1cm
Bum - 108cm - down 0.5cm
Thighs - 66cm - down 1cm
Weight - 75.6kgs - down 200gms
So....nothing too spectacular there, but as my dad said " a loss is a loss". Well yea, but that didnt stop me pondering ( once again, silly woman ) why things are moving so slowly for me. Even when i get a good result with the measurements, the change in my actual weight is miniscule. Bah! And, somewhat oddly and crappily, my next weigh in and measurement is due on XMAS DAY. I mean, who is going to weigh themselves on Xmas Day, after two weeks worth of Xmas parties, rich food, and little exercise? Me - thats who! My goal for the next two weeks is to do enough work that i get a "loss " result on Xmas Day. Even if it is only 100 gms, i will consider that a win for this time of year. Wish me luck!

And Update And Some News

Ah Tuesday - Operation Slimdown update day. Some weeks i cant wait for you to get around, some weeks i dread you turning up. This week ? I'm not really fussed either way. I'm thinking i may just do a fortnightly update when i do my weigh ins, because its seems a bit redundant to do an update on a week where i have no results to share. Its essentially going to be the same post over and over - either " i ate well, did my exercise " or " fell off the wagon this week! ". This past week has been a bit odd really - i ate well but i didnt get any exercise at all in because i was feeling so gross. Flynn had gotten croup and i spent three days with a small, sooky, sick baby attached to me, only wanting his mama.... and by the end of those three days i'd picked up the cold/flu portion of his illness. And i've been felling blah ever since. So Zumba was off the agenda and even though i felt up for my usual walks with my sister the constant rain ( as mentioned last post, down there ) wouldnt allow for it.  So there's the update.

The news ? Its only small but i wanted to share... that i am now part of the admin team over Blog This! I'll be doing a monthly " Blogs of Interest " post, which involves me choosing a theme for the week and finding 5ish blogs i think fit the theme and would be of interest to others. My first post will be Boxing Day ( Dec 26th ) but i'm not giving away my theme, so if your a Blog This! member watch out for it! And if your not a member - what are you waiting for?

Operation Slimdown - A Day Late

Yea, yea....i know i usually do my OS post on a Tuesday but yesterday was Mick's birthday so we had cake with the family after work and then i cooked his favourite dinner ( Sesame Beef ) and we had quality time together, sans baby and blog. But nevermind that - onto the results!

I gotta say, the last fortnight i've been living in a state of anticipation. I've been trying to eat as healthily as i can, i've exercised ( when i can ) as hard as i can and i've been successfully drinking at least a 1L of water a day, most days almost 2L. So, lets go to the tale of the tape. Last time i did my measurements, that fateful week that ut me into a fitness funk and saw me chuck just a little tanty , this is where i was at:
Bust - 100.5cm
Waist - 85.5cm
Hips - 104.5cm
Bum - 109cm
Thigh - 67cm

That was October 26th. So, a month after almost packing it and giving up on shedding some excess kilos, these were my measurements on November 27th:
Bust - 96.5cm - down 4cm
Waist - 82cm - down 3.5cm
Hips - 102.5cm - down 2cm
Bum - 108.5cm - down 0.5cm ( i cant believe i actually, finally, lost a little from my bubble butt! )
Thigh - 67cm - no change

So hey, there ya go - down, down, down, down! Didnt i say my pants had been feeling loser, and i could actually see a little of the change around my waist? It has me slightly puzzled why my top half is shrinking at faster rate than my bottom half ( although i've always been pear shaped... ) but i'm happy with those results. And what about my actual weight you ask:
November 15th - 76.6kgs
November 27th - 75.8kgs
So only an 800g drop in 2 weeks, but, combined with the drop in measurements, i'm satisfied with that. I would really, really, REALLY love to be at 70kgs by New Year, which is only 4 days shy of my original goal date. I'm not sure if its going to be possible coming into the Christmas period, what with all its rich, yummy food and lazy days ( and rain, rain, rain by the looks of the weather forecast... ) but i'll see how i go. Wish me luck!

Operation Slimdown....Its Back! Week 2

" Operation Slimdown " time again!


I have to say, i'm not feeling too bad about the whole excess weight thing this week. Hell, just thsi morning i looked at my tummy in the mirror this morning and it didnt make me cringe. Its still a soft little " mummy tummy " but i can see the abs i used to have underneath the layer of pudge. And even if i couldnt see that definition i worked hard for, Mick says he likes my tummy - its all soft and womanly and whatnot. A compliment from a fella always helps a ladies self-esteem...

Plus, i think my work pants are a little less snug this week - but i'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch. I'm not doing measurements or a weigh in until this coming Saturday ( which will be in next Tuesdays post ) so i cant be sure if anything really is happening or not. What is happening is exercise. I wasnt overly diligent with the whole exercise schtick this past week but i DID exercise. I did my usual Zumba class on Wednesday night ( which i'm still enjoying - yay! ) and went for my usual morning walk with my sister on Friday. Unfortunately we had to skip Thursdays walk because i had to go into work for the morning but that was unavoidable. But never fear!There will be more exercising than that this week - 1 hr of Zumba at class, two morning walks, i'm going to try and fit in a half hr Zumba session at home, and then there's the zoo.

I live in a town which is home to the largest open range zoo in the world ( Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Google it ). Sunday it is having free entry to celebrate the opening of new picnic grounds and play area so Mick and I are taking Flynn out for the day. The best thing about it - other than the free-ness - is that we'll be parking our car and walking around, which is a 5km long walking trail....which equals exercise! But hey, the rest of the zoo thing will be a whole other post so stay tuned...

Operation Slimdown....Its Back!

So - the weekly " Operation Slimdown " post is back! I was considering calling it " Operation Slimdown - Mach 4 " but that sounded a) a bit pathetic ( like how many times do i have start this bloody thing over ?! ) and b) its not like i fell off the diet bandwagon for good. I just .... umm...took a two week break from blogging about it.


Ok, and i took a break from the exercise bit but i promise i kept up with the healthier eating part. I was just so disheartened by the lack of good results that i had a bit of a dummy spit and went " Poo to you excess kilos - you suck! " Which they do - and so did my attitude. I'm a grown, sensible, reasonably intelligent woman , yet somehow i let logic slip away from me when confronted with those all important numbers. Of course my weight is going to fluctutate from week to week, and of course the measurements can be effected by things such as how much water i've drunk that day or (ahem) " that time of the month ". I know these things but, just like many a sensible, reasonably intelligent woman before me, i let myself become a blithering mess, all over a couple of stupid numbers.

Well - no more i say! Those bloody numbers are not going to get me down anymore...in fact, i'm going to get THEM down! Clearly its not going to be easy ( see the last four " Operation Slimdown " posts for further evidence of this fact ) and its going to take me longer than i thought, and had hoped for. The good news is that when i weighed myself on Sunday the scales showed up 76.6kgs - which is less than the last weigh in, so boo yea to me for that!

Oh, and lastly - i've decided not to weigh in every week. I'll still post about how my week has gone physically and nutritionally but i'm only going to weigh and measure myself once a fortnight ( or even less ). I'm not on " The Biggest Loser " - my scales are not going to show fantastic numbers every week, and my weight loss is going to be on the go slow. I think if i can just plug away and work at it and then see an improvement over a longer period of time, i can keep my spirits up and keep motivating myself. Wish me luck!

Operation Slimdown, Mach 2 - Week 5

This week sucks. I hate this weeks guts. If it were a person, i'd want to talk trash about it and maybe kick it in the throat. How bout we dispense with the small talk and just look at the stats?
Weight - 77.2 kgs. Up 600g ( so there goes the 500g i lost last week )
Bust - 100.5cm. Up a whopping 3.5cm. This may because i'm pre-menstrual ( TMI? ) and could be helped along by a better bra than other weeks...
Waist - 85.5cm. Up 3cm.
Hips - 104.5cm. Up 1.5cm.
Butt - 109cm. No change ( suprised? )
Thigh - 67cm. Up 0.5cm

How is that even possible? How can i only go up 600g - which could be water retention seeing as i drank around 1.2l of water before my weigh in - but have my measurements go up so dramatically? I'm not going to lie - its really, REALLY, freaking disheartening. I didnt do as much exercise as i would like last week because of the crappy weather ( cant take a baby for a walk in the rain ) and Sunday was a big bbq lunch for my sisters birthday ( and i've got another one this Sunday for my brothers birthday ). I'm just so disappointed.... in the past i've found it easier than this to lose weight. It never came off super quickly but it came off consistently. This non-consistent crap? This sucks.

My only consolation is i think my Zumba dvds are waiting for me at the post office, so i can definately get some more exercise in this week, regardless of the stupid weather, and i'm already drinking more water during the day at work. For now ? I'm going to go cry into a bowl of ice-cream and climb back up on the stupid, rickety, diet bandwagon tomorrow...

Operation Slimdown, Mach 2 - Week 4

Ah, weigh in day. Somehow i manage to simulataneously love and loathe you. Love - because i'm kind of excited to see how i've gone over the week. Loathe - because i'm afraid of what i'm going to find!

I cant say that this week has been particularly good, or bad for that matter. I've exercised, but havent pushed myself to my limits; i've eaten healthy food but probably too much of them; i drank more water than usual but still not enough. I've looked forward to exercising each day which i suppose is a start, but each session bar two this week has been pretty easy. I did my weekly Zumba class and loved it, and i found this was the one session where i really gave it everything and worked up a good sweat. I think its easier to go hard when your doing an activity you enjoy. With that in mind i tried a half hour Zumba session on DVD that my sister had burned for me, but it was an advanced power workout, and i gave up halfway through because i didnt know what i was doing and just felt overwhelmed. However, i have just last night purchased myself the full 4 DVD Zumba beginners set ( for $25, on http://www.oztion.com.au/ ..... take that Danoz Direct, you ripoff merchants! ) and plan on doing some Zumba 5 days a week. If i can convince Mick to let me use the one tv in our house for a little while on the weekends....

So, onto the important stuff - the numbers!
Weight - 76.6kgs. A loss of 500g. Again, not an overly awesome result, and i'm a little disappointed that it wasnt more but a loss is a loss...
Bust - 97cm. Down 0.5cm
Waist - 82.5cm. Down 1.5cm. Maybe all that twisting at Zumba is starting to pay off around the midsection!
Hips - 103cm. Up 0.5cm. Hmmm....
Bum - 109cm. Up 1cm. What the?
Thigh - 66.5cm. No change.

So, we can see that apparently i am turning into some kind of Kim Kardashian clone. What is up with that? How can i lose a little from the top and gain a little on the bottom ? Maybe all the fat from the middle just slipped down a bit, but whatever is going on it has me worried about the near development of a bubble butt. So, onto next week which will see me back at work 3 days a week. I kind of see that as a plus because it means i'll definately be drinking more water ( i keep a 1L bottle on my desk and sip during the day ) and less opportunities to make bad snack decisions. That is, i can only snack once ( on my 10 minute break ) and i can only snack on what i've brought from home, so if i pack myself a nice piece of fruit or a tub of yoghurt i cant be tempted by chocolate or a yummy piece of peanut buttery toast because they wont be there!
Tune in again next week to see how well i go during week one back from maternity leave....

Operation Slimdown, Mach 2 - Week 3

Its Tuesday again ( funny that, we have one every week... ) which means today is the day i take stock of the weeks eating and exercise and see where i've ended up. To tell you the truth, i wasnt exactly looking forward to weighing myself in and taking my measurements this week - last week down at Tresillian was a bit of a write off, what with the hospital food and the rain and no access to my exercise dvds. I did manage to get out for a few walks with Flynn, but only around one city block - though i suppose thats better than nothing right ? I got myself back up on the bandwagon yesterday - Monday is the traditional day of starting stuff! - by going back to eating smaller portions. I didnt really get any exercise in ( Mick came home sick so i was a bit consumed with looking after the poor little fella... ) but its only 10:30am and i've already been for a walk. Jog. Sort of. What i mean is that i've been out and done a hybrid walk/jog - i didnt jog too far for too long ( it felt my lungs were going to burst out of my chest ! ) but i know with time and patience i can get back to jogging again. If i push myself. Which i will.

So - now to the juicy stuff! Where is my bootylicious body at this week?
Weight - 77.1kgs. I've lost 700g in two weeks: not exactly the result i was hoping for but after last week i'll take it.
Bust - 97.5cm. Thats down by 1.5cm - why is that my boobs are always the first to go?
Waist - 84cm, down 0.5cm
Hips - 102.5cm, also down 0.5cm
Bum - 108cm, no change.
Thigh - 66.5cm, down ( would you believe it? ) 0.5cm

So i guess i've shrunk just a teeny tiny fraction in the past fortnight - all except my bum. Damn you bubble butt! Good news is, it also looks like i'm shrinking in proportion - except for my boobs. Can i get my baby boobs back and just sacrifice everything else? Ah well - on to next week!

Operation Slimdown, Mach 2 - Week 2

So, we're into week 2 of OS:M2 and, truth be told, i dont really have much to tell you. In fact, this is kind of a non-update. Its not that i havent been trying because i really, really i have, i promise. Its just that i'm down here with Flynn at Tresillian and i dont have a mesauring tape or scales, so i cant get any results to share.

I will say however that i did exercise 6 out of the 7 days since the start of OS:M2. Good for me! I went for a half hour walk 4 days, did a " Fat Blasting Yoga " dvd one day ( and yes, Denise Austin, i DID feel the burn... ), my usual hr long Zumba class on Wednesday night and am being cheeky enough to count a vigorous bout of " horizontal exercise " as an official exercise session. I've felt better for it i think, even though that yoga dvd reminded me of muscles i 'd forgotten i even had.

I cut back on portion sizes, as evidenced by the fact we had leftovers everyday, and i managed to drink at least a litre of water everyday, sometimes a little more. To be honest, i dont actually feel as though i've lost any weight, and i cant notice my clothes fitting any differently, so perhaps its a good thing that i cant get any measurements done today! The last two days have been bit of a bust diet wise ( travelling plus hospital food do not a health diet make ) and its been raining almost the entire time we've been here in Penrith so i havent been able to go out for the walks i'd hoped to take.

No matter, I'll call the rest of this week a write off and perserve next week. Fingers crossed i have some kind of loss to report next Tuesday!