Thursday 25/10/07

It drizzled pretty much all day – but I did all my walks just the same.

On a personal note I arranged for my parents to get their card from The Queen for their 65th Wedding Anniversary coming up in November. We are entitled to cards (it used to be telegrams) on key birthdays after age 100 and key anniversaries after 60th. When I told my mother – she was really pleased and she hadn’t even realised that she was entitled to one this year. She hinted a lot to me to get it sorted out five years ago – and she still displays the card that she got then. We have no option but to attend and she already has a family party planned. It is a bit of a joint celebration as it will be my father's 90th birthday two days after the wedding anniversary - but we will have to return home before then. That will be one celebration where my diet will get put to one side for a day or two.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 4 times (on one lap my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 13st 8.0lbs (i.e. 190.0 pounds)
Steps = 29,829
Distance = 11.06 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime

Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, 1 heaped teaspoon of sweetener (a level teaspoon is apparently 1.9 calories) and the (large) bowl topped up with skimmed milk.
120g oak smoked ham 131 calories
1 grapefruit juice
3 handfulls dry pasta, sauce 35 calories, 1 courgette, ½ red pepper, ½ green pepper, ½ onion, garlic
2 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

Sooo...Are you hinting for me to move there and be your neighbor?



That would be so cool!

I really wish they would think much longer/harder before building communities!

That is so neat about the cards from the Queen.

~*~Happy Friday!~*~

WOW a card from the Queen, that's just awesome! What a milestone for your folks! And I know this 2 day ordeal will be fine, I wouldn't worry about the food in the least! You rarely sway from eating well, so a break once a month or ever few months, is not even going to put a dent in your weight loss venture. I see you use garlic in your cooking, is that "fresh" garlic?? That is a good antioxidant and helps flush out the system, I'm a garlic O'holic and of course my hubby gets on me for smelling like garlic or onions all the time. LOL LOL Hey, I love them both what can I say, and garlic is my favorite in just about anything I eat during dinner!

Well, have a good weekend, enjoy your time away and dont worry about the food, enjoy it!! Can't wait to hear all about the parties!

Kim

Thanks for visiting my diary. I hope that you both have a "goal reachin" Saturday.

Stacy
It would be great if you lived near to me. We could go walking together.
You are right - they really should put more thought into designing communities. Better designed communities could mean that more people did things on foot. This would be better for the planet as less petrol would be used to move people from A to B, and it would be better for the health of the population as a whole.

Kim
I love garlic in cooking. I get both fresh and chopped. If I have time I used the fresh stuff - but if I am in a rush or run out I used the jar of chopped. I love garlic on chicken, mushrooms and on courgettes. I keep meaning to try and grow some - but have never got round to it yet. Maybe next year....
I also love olives - and get those from my different friends' olive trees in Greece.
I do grow and jar by own chilli peppers - and have enough to get me through winter.

Both
My mother is now really looking forward to her card from The Queen. She tells me that she has been phoning loads of friends to say that she is getting a card. I just hope that it arrives ok as we keep having post office strikes. Those celebrations will keep me busy in two weekends time. It should mar my diet nicely at the start of the forthcoming challenge for November.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Friday 26/10/07

Definitely one of those days when I felt like I wanted to nibble things all day. In addition to what I would normally eat – I could not resist several little snacks – polishing off left-overs along the way. I don’t know why – that is just the way it was.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 4 times (on two lap my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 13st 8.8lbs (i.e. 190.8 pounds)
Steps = 30,288
Distance = 11.23 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime

Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, 1 heaped teaspoon of sweetener (a level teaspoon is apparently 1.9 calories) and the (large) bowl topped up with skimmed milk.
Small handful coco shreddies
1 grapefruit juice
leftovers - 1 handful dry pasta, sauce about 10 calories, 1/6 courgette, 1/6 red pepper, 1/6 green pepper,1/6 onion, garlic
trout fillet, 4 new potatoes, sweetcorn, 2 small knobs olive spread
4 olives
2 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

I wouldn't worry about bein' snack hungry.

We will all go through those times.

At least it wasn't junk!

I hope you're havin' a Great Saturday!

Saturday 27/10/07

All that I can say is thank goodness that I had fish for my main meal last night. I snacked all day yesterday and then had trout as my main meal. Delighted to note that my weight has gone down to a new low today. I have often noticed that I mostly get a good result on the scales the day after I have fish. That is why I try to have fish at least twice a week – sometimes more.

In the UK our clocks all change at the end of today and we go from British Summer Time to GMT. We get an extra hour in bed – or an extra hour of steps tomorrow.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 4 times (on one lap my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 13st 7.4lbs (i.e. 189.4 pounds)
Steps = 31,511
Distance = 11.68 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime

Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, 1 heaped teaspoon of sweetener (a level teaspoon is apparently 1.9 calories) and the (large) bowl topped up with skimmed milk.
1 grapefruit juice
pork loin chop, tin of baked beans, dessertspoon of applesauce
2 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola
1 Foxes glacier fruit sweet

Hi Stacy

Thanks. I just dont know why I couldnt stop nibbling on things all day Friday. I just sometimes get that kind of mood.

I really didnt deserve the scales to come down on Saturday morning - but one good thing about weighing myself every day (although I accept that it may not work for some people) is that I have noticed that some meals work out really well for me. Fish often works out really well.

I mostly cook fish in the same way. I take a small knob of olive spread and rub it over the fish and in the cavity if there is one. For some fish I add a slice or two of lemon. Then I bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 180.
I even often use another knob of olive spread on new potatoes and sweetcorn. It doesnt feel like a diet meal at all.

Take care
Love
Margaret

You do deserve the scale to come down!

Everyone is different and if you do well weighing daily, you keep it up..

OooO that meal sounds super yummy!!

~*Have A Goal Reachin' Sunday!*~

Margaret,

That is really great about your parents celebrating their 65th anniversary! It sounds like they are in good health.

Hubby bought me a pedometer yesterday because I forgot to get one the other day from Walmart. I'm going to keep it on all day to measure my distance. I am getting better on the mile, so maybe this week I will try to increase it to 1.25 or even 1.5.

I don't know if you have ever mentioned it or not, but has your hubby lost any weight from when he walks with you around the block?

Wow.. you are down to 189! You are doing SO good! You've come a long way!! I'm not a competitive person, but I wouldn't mind it at all if I could keep up with your results. Of course, you walk 10 times the amount I do....I need to pick up the pace!

Talk to you later.
Anne

Thanks for visiting my diary and supporting me.

Stacy
Reach those goals too!
Try fish cooked that way. I have just checked my spreadsheet. Out of the last 13 times I have had it - on 11 times the scales came down the next day. The times it went up it was just .4lb and .2lb so not much. I do it with salmon, trout, mackerel and tilapia. I hope that it works for you too!

Anne
My parents are fine thanks- all things considered. Certainly healthier than many of their age.

Now that you have a pedometer you can join Stacy and myself in pedometer buddies. It is great that you are getting better at a mile. It is much easier if you follow your own pace. I certainly built my stamina by increasing the distance - so give it a go and see how it works for you.

My husband has lost a little weight - only a few pounds as yet. He only started joining me with a walk at the end of September. He doesnt eat the same food as me as he has a liking for foods that I would not dream of allowing for myself. He is supportive about me doing what I am doing without necessarily wanting to join me in various aspects of it. He would consider any suggestion that he should do more as nagging. Also - even if he wanted to - he could not walk any major distances as he has suffered from gout since his twenties (genetic predisposition) and it has damaged joints in his toes, ankles and knees. When I walk with him I go slower - at his pace.

I would love you to lose weight at the same pace as me - or faster.

It is perfectly possible that you could lose weight at the pace that I have done with less exercise as I know that my PCOS works against me.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Sunday 28/10/07

It drizzled all day – quite light but definitely there all morning – by afternoon it had progressed to rain “proper”.

The walking was a real nuisance because I have a particularly painful group of blisters between my toes on my right foot. I often develop blisters which I burst and bandage up but these are proving more difficult to deal with. Hence a lower than normal stepcount for the day. I forced myself to do so much walking – but then took it easy in the house.

Entered Saturday’s steps into the Oregon Trail on America on the Move. Underwhelmed by the message:

Since beginning your trail on October 17, you have taken a total of 348,478 steps. Your current daily average step count is 31,679 per day. You have completed your trail!


General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles (husband joined me on first 0.7 miles to shop then he turned round while I continued).
Round the block = 4 times (on two laps my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 13st 7.2lbs (i.e. 189.2 pounds)
Steps = 27,525
Distance = 10.20 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime

Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, 1 heaped teaspoon of sweetener (a level teaspoon is apparently 1.9 calories) and the (large) bowl topped up with skimmed milk.
1 grapefruit juice
1 roast chicken breast with some skin, 5 new potatoes, carrots, broccoli, gravy
2 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

I have the same feeling - -i really want dancing boys or a parade or fanfare of some sort... you can print out a certificate though for your accomplishment and frame it

Mal

I like your dancing boys (or indeed young men) or parade or fanfare idea. Maybe all three!!!

I didnt even print out a certificate. I will go back and see about that.

It wouldnt harm them to flash up some sort of message. You get a bigger splurge with a deck of cards flying everywhere when you finish a game of patience!!!

the certificate is somewhere on the right side of the screen toward the bottom -it's not totally obvious and i'm not sure it even says certificate but it's there