Post Christmas Weigh-in

Do you dare?!

Wishing you all...

... a very Happy Christmas

And see you on Monday for our next weigh in! (And this week I will weigh. I will. I will!)

oh goodness

Monday's here again.
Oh dear, I am so out of my 'weigh on a Monday morning' routine. Anyone else weigh? I will try to remember for tomorrow morning.

Monday weigh-in

Good Monday all!

It seems like the site is starting to slow a bit again. I know this is a busy time of year, but I am going to try to remember to post, even through the holidays. Don't feel obligated to respond, if you don't have time. I just need to accountability of the blog to stay on track.

My numbers today are 153/153/125/ No change.

That is actually a good thing for me. I have been to a couple of Christmas parties over the past few days and there was LOTS of "off-limits" foods. I managed to stay on track anyway! Now, that's a big deal. Anyway, happy Monday to you all.

Hello!

So, it looks like I was not the only one to miss Monday's weigh-in. I've been traveling for work and did not have a scale. However, I officially started back on phase one of South Beach yesterday. Not sure if I will go for the full two weeks before starting phase two, but we will see. Hope you all are well. I have a post I would like to get out soon. It's been a really tough year. Major life happenings. For some reason, I've been unable to get the words out. Soon.

Going lower?

Hey y'all.


GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!


That's my frustration at myself for not only failing to lose weight, but putting some back on. I know what I have to do, and yet I don't do it. I don't know how to stop sabotaging myself :(

Looks like a Tuesday weigh-in

Hi all- I know everyone is busy with Thanksgiving coming up. Monday came and went with me totally forgetting to weigh-in. So here's to Tuesday! Have a great week!!

Yuckity Yuck

How was your week?

Around here I think we have finally throw off the germ cloud (although Sophia's been snott-ing lots the last couple of days, but I'm putting that down to reaction to injections on Friday). Anyway, we got out in the sunshine for a walk today. It was crisp, but beautiful. I'm planning for the to bethe start of a lot more exercise around here.

I also need to get it together with my eating. When I prepare ahead and make a batch of something like veggie curry or sausage casserole to eat for breakfasts or lunch I find it so much easier to steer clear of carbs. On the other hand, if I'm not prepared, I end up eating carbs all day long!

And cos of that I was up 2lb (if not a bit more) this week. I DO NOT like that. Although I know it was my own fault

The plan continued

Well, I'm still working on getting better. Will we ever stop being ill here at chez Debs? The plus side of it is that apparently I haven't had much of an appetite this last week and have finally lost more than that one pound I've been losing and gaining for the last few weeks.
My chest is still pretty tight and I'm coughing lots, so I'm not really ready for exercise as such yet, but when I can, I'll be deliberate about trying to fit exercise into my day.

How about you?

Debbie, if you're not already, get back to logging your food (and please, I'd love to read a post about that). And keep drinking that water.

ChristyF, how are you managing with smaller portion sizes? And have you got that regular gym habit down now?

Happy New Month

How do you plan to make November an effective month for you with regards to weight loss and exercise?
Weigh in, and let us know if you have a plan. I've realised I need a plan, and thus, I will attempt to create one!

Autumn is here

Good morning folks
How are things going for you?
I've got my thinking cap on to try to work out
a) How to make myself fit exercise into my life
and
b) What would get people around here more excited, or if we're just flogging a dead horse around here.

Any thoughts on either would be gratefully received.

Hey y'all

What's happening round your way?

step by step, we'll get there

Well, we better get the big news out the way.... Sophia's started walking! (hence the title of this post)

I'm happy this morning cos I'm back down 2lb (taking me to 291lb), which is where I was two weeks ago, but more importantly, it's despite this! Actually, the remembrance of the nasty headaches that sugar give me has been a pretty good deterrent. I had one small piece of cake on the day, and then cut it up and sent it off with family, just leaving a small bit here for Menard. I have to get through her party today, but I think it'll be ok. I'm making homemade pizza, with wholemeal flour and lots of veg and then salad to go with it (and I'll load up with that and the veggies for the dip) and mini cakes, but I'll either have one or none of those.

How are things with you?

Hello October

Sorry folks, didn't get a chance to post this earlier.
How's it going?
I've had a pretty crappy week with regards to eating, and as such am up two pounds. Yuck. Need to get on track. I've also noticed that eating any sugar is giving me a headache, so that's another reason to get back on track and cut out those headaches.
Any one got some ideas how to get things buzzing around here again?

Grab some tissues . . .

In case you missed it while it circulated around Facebook last week, here's a bit of inspiration for you . . .

Shake, Rattle and Roll

What exciting exercise do you have planned for the week ahead? I know that sometimes I get bored with the same old same old, so I think it's time to mix things up, shake our booties and get movin'.
And while we're here, let's share some numbers.

not a happy PWF

Here I am again, at the end of another day when I've fallen off the healthy eating wagon big time. :(

Today started well enough - cereal and fruit for breakfast, soup for lunch. Then I discovered the open box of chocolates and things went down hill. I'll have just one, then one turns into 5, then into a handful. I keep coming back to the open box through the afternoon, and eating a few more. By dinner time, I've eaten my daily calorie allowance in chocolate and still can't stop.

Why do I do this? It makes me hate myself. I don't really understand why. I'm bored, I suppose. I haven't really done anything today beyond waiting in for a delivery. Yesterday when I planned things to do and did them was better, though not much.
I like food. I like eating chocolate. It's comforting and pleasurable at the time. But afterwards I just want more.

I want to lose weight. I need to lose weight. I hate how long it takes. I hate denying myself. I hate how I look right now and the clothes that don't fit and the lumps and bumps I try and fail to disguise. I remember the summer I was slim (2007) and wonder if I'll ever get back there again. I don't understand how I had the will power to lose weight then.

What can I do?

I'm addicted... to my slow cooker

I have a copy of 'Fix it and forget it lightly' and I decided that I wanted to start using my crock pot more, this is apparently a match made in heaven!
Last week I made bolognaise sauce and then on Sunday I tried a recipe from my cookbook, and this is the one I made and loved...

Lemon Garlic Chicken
(makes 4 servings, ideal slow-cooker size 3 1/2 quart)

1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 chicken breasts (I used turkey breast steaks cos that's what I had!)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/4 cup water (I put more like 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp lemon juice (I put about half a lemon, but didn't really measure!)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (I used 3 cos Menard loves garlic)
1 tsp low sodium chicken bouillon granules (I used vegetable)
1 tsp minced fresh parsley

(can you tell I'm one of those people who uses a recipe just as a basis?!)

1. Combine oregano, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken. Brown chicken in the butter (or margarine) in a skillet. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Place water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon in skillet. Bring to the boil, loosening browned bits from the skillet. Pour over the chicken.

3. Cover. Cook on high 2 - 2 1/2 hours or low 4 - 5 hours.

4. Add parsley and baste chicken. Cover. Cook on high 15 - 30 minutes, until chicken is tender.

Per serving 180 calories

(Also posted at It's my Life)

Get ready, get set, GO!

So, what are your numbers this week?

Things are too quiet around here, it needs some shaking up. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

I have a yummy crock pot recipe to share, but it'll have to be later cos I have to get us ready to go out and, are you ready for this? GET SOME EXERCISE!
Yes, I've decided my ankle is up to the Monday morning walk that I had been doing before things went a bit wonky. It's taken me a while cos it's not on proper paths, but lots of uneven ground, and I really didn't want to trip and go through all that pain again. But I've decided it's time to bite the bullet (esp given my track record the past two weeks. Yuck :( I have not been good, but now I'm back on track)

Quickie post

This will be written in the period of time between putting a sweet potato in the microwave for Sophia and it being ready!
So, there you go, why not weigh in?!

What are you putting in your trolley*?

Now it may not be totally obvious, but in this photo Miss Sophia is sat in a shopping trolley with a book. Throughout that shopping trip she tried to drop the book into the trolley (and out), and then insisted that I give it back to her.

Anyway, when you go shopping, what are you putting in your trolley? Are you setting yourself up for success or failure?
(Also, now I think about it, any products that you're currently buying/using/eating that you'd like to recommend?)


* aka cart

*insert witty weigh-in title here*

Good morning. Well actually it's afternoon for me, but since several of you are in the US, it'll still be morning for you.

We're back from holiday and I'm back to the computer and raring to go! How are you?
Oh well, raring to go, but doing it gently. I'm still wearing the ankle support bandage and taking it easy. Hopefully I can begin to build up with exercise a bit more.

Phase 1 recipes

Good morning all,

I recently bought another South Beach cookbook and have a couple recipes to share. Both are really yummy! Surprisingly yummy. ;) The Creamed Spinach is really good and of course you feel like you've done well just because you had spinach. The brownies are good too. Now if you made real- full fat brownies and compared the two, there is a slight difference. But when you are watching your calories and carbs, this swap is AWESOME! Don't let the black bean part deter you.

Quick Creamed Spinach(makes 4 servings)

16 oz frozen spinach, thawed
3/4 cup fat free milk
4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese cut into chunks and softened
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese(1ounce)

Place the thawed spinach in a colander set over large bowl; squeeze to extract juice. Pour 2 tbsp of the juice into cup and reserve. Discard remaining juice. In medium saucepan, combine the spinach juice, mile, and cream cheese. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring and pushing cheese against the pan to break up. (mixture should be well combined, but will not be smooth) Remove pan from heat. In large non stick skillet heat oil over med heat, add onions and stir frequently , until softened(about 3 minutes). Add spinach, stirring to coat. Stir in milk mixture and cook until bubbling(about 3 minutes). Season spinach with nutmeg and salt/pepper to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve hot.

Good stuff!!

Per serving: 152 calories- 9 g fat-4 g sat fat- 10 g protein- 11g carbs- 4 g fiber- 313 sodium.


Black Bean Brownies(makes 36 brownies- 3 brownie per serving)

1 can black beans(15.5 oz) drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup granular sugar substitute
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder(preferably dark)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
36 small pecan halves or walnut pieces(about 1.5 oz)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a blender or food processor, combine the beans, eggs, oil, sugar substitute, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Process until smooth. Scrape batter into pan and arrange nuts in even rows, 6 across and 6 down. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cut into 36 squares with a nut in the center of each.

Per brownie- 34 calories-2 grams fat- 0.4 sat fat- 1 g protein- 2 g carbs- 1 g fiber- 66 mg sodium.

YUMMY!

Good morning!

It's time to share those numbers. Tell us what you've got...

Sometwit happened . . .

Yup, I finally joined twitter.  Mainly to keep up w/ friends who have migrated over from FB or blogging.  And it's silly b/c I don't even have a mobile phone that could update my twitter status on the go.  Oh well.  Leave a comment if you tweet, twit, twattle, or twhatever.  I'll follow you if you follow me!  ;o)

I've got the Thursday Feelibg

Right then, you there, how's this week going?!
How are you doing? Have you evercised? Have you stuck to eating what you ought to?
Got a photo you want to share to show your progress?

Confession time

So, after nearly a month of making great food choices, I had to have it....could not resist....sooooI gave in and drove through and got it- A BIRTHDAY CAKE MILKSHAKE from Zaxby's. Oh my goodness- it was fabulous!!!!! It is my absolute favorite ice cream flaver too! I do believe I will not burst into flames or suffer any long term damages from one milkshake, but I needed to confess. ;-) Haha- maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but the milkshake was really-really good. I have decided to allow myself one every few weeks as a treat. It will give me something to look forward to after working hard for a while. Thank for listening-'er- "reading" my confession.

weigh away!

Hey everybody, Debs can't come to the blog right now, but if you'd like to leave your numbers she'll get back to you.

How goes it?

How is everyone doing?
You on track with your eating?
You exercising?
Do you need prayer for anything?

To answer any or all of these questions just leave a comment!

On a serious note, in case no one has heard, please be praying for Bekki and the whole family (hubby Rob, mum & dad Elly & David, sis Debs & HB).  She went into hospital on Thursday.  She has blood clots on her lungs and is in a lot of pain.  They're giving her blood thinners, she's on bed rest, & she may be released Monday.  I got all this info from Debs' tweets, which you can find a live feed of and link to via her blog, in case you're not a tweeter.

Measure up

There's a wonderful program on tv over here called Outnumbered. It's about a family with 3 kids and one of the best things about it is that it's only semi-scripted, so the kid have a fair amount of free reign to take a topic whichever way they want. Anyway, there's an episode where the youngest one is talking to Gran about what 'size zero' means. And Gran reassures her that "A woman can be any size she wants to be" and Karen replies "What about a hexagon?".
There's a clip on youtube here and that conversation happens at around the one minute mark.

Anyway, I say all of that mostly just cos it amuses me, but also because I've been watching another program called 'Bulging Brides' where brides have a personal trainer and a nutritionist to help them lose inches and pounds to fit into their previously too small wedding dress and (I realise this is a very long run on sentence) one of the things they do is weigh them and analyse their body shape.

So I was thinking it might be a good thing to do that myself. I haven't done it yet, but I plan to measure myself (they did bust, waist and hips) and work out my body shape. Partly cos if you know your body shape you can dress better, but also cos when I measure myself again in a couple of months I can see how I've changed. You don't have to share the measurements here, but why not make a note of them?

G'day folks

It's that wonderful time of the week when we get to step on the scales and check out how we're doing on this journey. Remember, if the numbers go down then it's fantastic. If they go up it's a chance to re-evaluate how we're doing, make some adjustments, and keep on going.

So, what's your number?

hey y'all

what's up?

Mini-goals?

So how are y'all doing with your mini-goals this day/week/fortnight?

I was trying to stick to a food plan.

Christy F, are you managing to eat healty foods? Have you evercised any evenings this week?

Debbie, how's sticking to the food plan this week? Are you getting in your exercise? I'm off to check your food blog in a minute.

Missy, how's tissue tearing. No wait, I mean have you stayed away from sweets and walked every day?

Just throwing it out there . . .

I was wondering if any of you ladies would be interested in a challenge?  Nothing very intensive, just an added incentive to log our weight every week and generally keep connected to the community we have here.  Perhaps the first week you'll post a before pic (which quite a few have already done).  The next week share a new recipe you've not shared before.  The next, log how many calories you've burned through exercise or how much water you've been drinking.  Things along those lines.

So what do ya think?  I'll be happy to head it up and provide a prize (don't expect anything too fancy, tho, as I'm not making the big bucks these days!).  I'll keep track of the weekly challenges and necessary posts.  I know there were lots of challenges at the old OWOA site, but that was before my time, really, so I'll be flying blind at first.

Any thoughts?  Mini challenge suggestions??  Violent protests???

Mini goals

What's your mini goal for the day/week/fortnight?
Have a think... are you drinking enough water, exercising, sticking to a food plan, etc etc.

Once my ankle is better my goal will be exercise. For now I'm aiming to stick to my foodplan, even when Sophia is stressing me out - basically avoiding comfort eating. I didn't do too well today - she wouldn't go to sleep (and still hasn't. She's next to me, tearing up tissues and apparently trying to eat one too!) and I ate some stuff I probably shouldn't have. So here's to doing better tomorrow.

Second chance...

I know even when I was more a part of this group, I was never a consistent "regular." I really struggled with dieting results, and couldn't quite put my finger on it. I could do really well and suddenly gain 10 pounds, and do poorly, I mean really POORLY, then lose 10 - almost overnight. Turns out I was really sick with an autoimmune disease. It finally came to a head last summer when I broke out in a painful rash from head to toe, then began to experience arthritic pain. This time last year I could not walk and it could take almost 2 hours to pull myself up to a sitting position. It was determined that I have psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory autoimmune disease that attacks connective tissue like joints, tendons and the skin. After a strong dose of prednisone, I was moving and walking again. I just weened off of the prednisone in the last couple of weeks and hope that the weight will come off easier now. In November I started taking weekly doses of a chemotherapy drug to suppress my immune system and it's been working very well. I'll likely continue these treatments for the rest of my life.

My skin is clear and I only suffer a managable amount of joint and tendon pain - unless I push myself too far. Many foods make my condition worse, so I am working hard to watch what I eat. Losing weight should also help relieve the workload on my joints and tendons. My starting weight is 197.5, as of today. My goals are to continue watching what I eat and walking daily while increasing distance. Keeping it simple. :)

Here we go....

Yep, like it or not, it's the first weigh-in for a long time. So whatever the numbers, don't panic, just be determined that they will change. And slowly but surely (and sometimes not so slowly!) they will change.

I want to remind myself that it's not just about the weight loss. It's about teaching (or re-teaching) myself to eat healthily, to respect my body and help it to help me live the life I want to be, looking the way I want to look.

We're on a journey, and it's gonna be fun.

You know what, just writing on here again is making me feel inspired and making me want to exercise. Yay! (let's just hope my ankle hurries up and heals)

Here's me (and my mum and a girl from my church)

I don't really like this photo of me, but it wast taken yesterday, so it's recent. (notice the tubigrip bandage on my ankle!) I'm wearing size 28 clothes which is truly truly horrible. So here's to changing that asap (I want to get back into my pre-pregnancy size 16 clothes and maybe even buy some smaller than that.)

Fun in the Sun

I normally avoid full-body pictures, but I actually let Rob snap this one when we went to the beach during his visit last month.  Therefore, this will be my official "Before" pic for this new start since it shows more than just my head and it's only three weeks old. 

So, here I am.  Let's get this party started!

Debbie, July 2010

Anybody out there???

Hi everyone,

Just curious if anyone still stops by from time to time and if so, are you interested in jumping back on the weight loss wagon? I realize we are all really busy and daily or weekly posts may be a lot, but maybe we could do bi-weekly posts ot something similiar? Since I have let my weight creep back up almost 20 lbs, I could really use the support. I seemed to do better when I was held accountable by you all on this site. Hope there are some of you out there! ;)

Why don't I lose weight?

Recently I haven't lost weight because I've continued to eat junk. I eat too much, and I eat the wrong things. I get such sugar cravings, and even this week I'm having trouble not giving in to them (read, I gave in to them). I don't really know how to get rid of those cravings without going on phase one (South Beach), and you're not supposed to do that when you're breastfeeding.

I also haven't lost any weight because I haven't exercised. This is partly due to having a baby who needs to be feed, changed and generally looked after, and I'm better at sitting in front of the TV feeding her than I am getting up and doing something. Like going for a walk - I'm hopeless at going for a walk without a proper purpose (like running an errand, going to the doctors, etc).

My treadmill is at my mum's house, and though that's only 20 minutes away, it's 20 minutes I can't always be bothered to drive given the choice (all the baby stuff that needs to be taken, timing it with feeds, still taking 2 hours to get out the house, the need to get out of my pyjamas before 3pm etc etc). And then the times we do make it over there, I haven't got on the treadmill until today.

I'm sure there are lots of other reasons. I'm hoping that as I begin to identify them I can begin to make changes that will result in weight loss :)

Weigh-in?

Sorry, lack of internet at my house (I'm online at my mum's right now) so no post on Monday.
On Monday I was down, but only about 0.4! I am persevering, even if I can't always get on the net for the next little while.

Well it may just be me around here,

but I'll post anyway. I've put back on ALL the weight I had lost, and I HAVE to get rid of it again.
It's been a combination of getting pregnant (and all the 'well you are pregnant/breastfeeding so eat some more' excused) and giving up on my diet, and generally just giving it to temptation all the time. Not to mention not getting any exercise at all really for I don't know how long.

Plan of action
1. Pray and read my bible - I know this may not seem the most obvious place to start, but I know I can't do this in my own strength.

2. Get exercising. I've bought a new DVD which is another dance one. I don't reckon I'll be any good at it, but if it gets me moving and makes me laugh, it's gotta be a good thing. I'm also talking with my husband and mum about the possibility of getting my treadmill over here, but it's big and heavy and won't be easy to move, so I don't know how realistic that it.

3. Get on track with eating. I think the key will be planning, so that I don't keep grabbing junk cos it's easy. This will also mean I need to not have junky stuff in the house. Christmas etc was a big excuse to eat junk, but I think we've got rid of most of it now.

Ok, I weighed myself last Tuesday and I was 297.8.
Today (Monday, 6 days later) I am at 296.8, which is down a pound without being very good at all, so hopefully now that I'm really trying that trend will continue!