Sunday 07/10/07

Much quieter day – but very enjoyable in the company of my husband.

Sunday is one of those days when I don’t mind my steps being a little on the low side. It is funny – but my steps were actually less than Friday’s which did disappoint me. That is the difference in expectations I suppose. My husband is off so if he does not want to go for a walk in the countryside (him doing that is a fairly rare event) – my exercise is pretty limited to the main walks.

The weather was nice all day – which really makes a difference to me (rain is forecast for Tuesday so I am not looking forward to that).

I was pleased with my weigh-in. The gain on Saturday’s weigh-in regarding Friday was blasted away.


General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 4 times (on TWO laps my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 14st 0.8lbs (i.e. 196.8 pounds)
Steps = 29,131
Distance = 10.80 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – missed off a bio-oil massage


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 glass (200ml) grapefruit juice – 82 calories
1 chicken breast, four and a half runner beans, three carrots, one and a half parsnips, four new potatoes, gravy
2 large handfulls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola
2 wine gums

Hello Margaret! Your food always sounds so appealing to me, I love all of it!! However, ever now and again I read something I don't know what it is, like Wine gums, what is that?? WOW you always amaze me with your long walks, 6 miles is a LONG WAY! how long does it take you each day to walk that far?? Did you say you live near water?? I bet your walks are just beautiful! Have a wonderful day today.
Love
Kim

I agree w/Miss Ladybug! Your walks blow me away and the menu always sounds yummo!

I have enjoyed my sweet hubby as well..

I'm in the same dern boat to! I invite him and invite him to join me but he's too tired from such hard labor at work.

Bless his heart, he is gaining quite a bit of weight bc of his hours..

When you have to come in - shower - eat - then go to bed to get rest for the next 12 hour shift, that's not good for your metab./body..

It's up to him though so maybe he'll decide to start joining me soon.

***

Yer doin' just fabulous sweetie! Keep it up!

Hi Kim

You ask what wine gums are - they are a fruit flavoured hard jelly sweet. They are misleading by name because they are nothing to do with wine. They do often have the name of different alcoholic drinks written on them for some reason!!!!!!

My walks...... My morning long walk takes me approximately two and a half hours. It can take me more if I start talking to someone or if I decide to sit by the river (Thames) for a while. If I hurry I can do it in a little less time. The river is quite pretty there as we are quite rural - nothing like central London where the Thames also flows. There are all sorts of little boats - and often you get teams rowing along (sometimes 4 or 6 oarsmen to a boat) - especially at weekends when teams of cyclists are often out too. There are birds that come over to say hello - ducks and the odd swan etc. It can really be a quite civilised way to take exercise. I don't have anything to eat before I leave the house (I just don't fancy eating anything then) - but often take half a litre of water with me and a banana and have a little mid-morning breakfast while I am out. Today I sat in a park I pass for this - but there is also a walled garden and a war memorial garden as well as a stretch of riverside. Then I have my weetabix when I get home.

If the weather is poor I am inclined to step out and get home as quickly as possible - so it all is a little subject to change.

I know that you will be having a wonderful day with your celebrations.

Love
Margaret

Hey Margaret!
Your food always does sound interesting lol
Your down in poundage! That is awesome!
I am up two pounds due to celebrations, but might as live it up for two days and than back to trecking on the diet ...
so .. I am back to the diet ...lol
back to the lifestyle change... lol

Anyway so how are you today? Hope you are well hun


love yas
always
natalie jo

Hi Natalie Jo

I am fine today, thanks. I had my exercise class and that is always lots of fun. There is some aerobics and some other exercises. The really good thing is that the music that they use is from my era (70s and early 80s) so I know all the words. I know - I am showing my age - but we are the age that we are. The fun bit is that everyone gets a little bit mixed up with the steps - but it doesnt matter - and you know that it is doing you good because it really warms you up.

Maybe my food might sound interesting because I refuse to count calories (as you know). That is bound to give me more scope........

I do try and eat sensibly and in a balanced way though - just am too apt to go off the rails if I feel like a total loser.

It also helps that we grow our own vegetables. It is October (and this summer has been extra wet) so we have less veg in the garden than usual at this time of year. We do however still have our own tomatoes, new potatoes, old potatoes, runner beans, carrots and parsnips. The spinach has just come to an end. Nothing tastes as good as vegetables that were growing an hour earlier.

I must admit I am pretty pleased about the way the weight is coming gradually down. I had two plateaus in September (the first started late August) and the second ended pretty much as I joined this forum. It was when I was surfing the internet looking for info on plateaus that I found you all.

I had been to see my doctor and asked her about my plateau, and she said "you have lost all your fat - that is why you have stopped losing weight". My husband said that he wouldn't have believed it if he had not been sitting there with me and heard her with his own ears. The woman is insane. She didn't even put me on the scales. I weighed 205 pounds that day and am 5ft 3 inches tall. She told me that I needed to tighten my muscles. She was a whole lot of help - I didn't know whether to laugh or cry......

Luckily I managed to turn it round - but I would have still been waiting if I wanted to follow the doctor's advice. I ended the first plateau by ditching the weetabix and raisins. I ended the second plateau by bringing them back in and cutting down on grapes. I dealt with earlier plateaus by walking an extra mile or so a day and leaving food alone.

I have already started planning how I will change things about on my next plateau.

Just think - a two pound increase is nothing. When you get back into the swing of your weight loss project it will come off in no time. I do not blame you for making it a two day celebration - it is certainly worth celebrating your birthday. And your boyfriend certainly sounds very sweet and generous - based on all the lovely tops he got you the other day. Every girl needs and deserves someone special to appreciate them.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Hi Omega,
Thanks for stopping by my post. Wow, I really see what you mean about pedometers. My exercise of choice though, is a combination of training on the elliptical machine, floor work (meaning abs, legs and glutes mainly), and exercise to aerobic videos. At 300+lbs I just don't have the confidence to go outside - yet.

On the up side, I find that with the right music I can do absolutely anything! So mainly it's a matter of self-discipline and I can get my exercise in every day.
Keep up the good work girl, you are truly an inspiration. P.S. My goal for Christmas is to fit into a 20/22 from M & S. I got two great dresses from Next over the summer, which I hope to wear for Christmas (size 22s).

Marching forward...

Hi Nene,

Wow!!!!! - I have been in Evans clothes for so long - I didnt know that M & S and Next went up to size 22. M & S used to stop at size 18 when I was size 20 on the way up and I dont think I have ever been into a branch of Next. I was so far above their likely size range when I first noticed them on the highstreets. I must go shopping in these shops.

If you can get into size 22s from those shops you will have done really well. What a great motivation technique - to buy clothes in the smaller size.

If the gym is working for you for getting your exercise in then that is great. There is not just one right answer to how to get exercise into your life - just that losing weight is so much easier if an exercise element is there on a very regular basis.

Best wishes
Margaret

Monday 08/10/07

The weather was fine. The exercise class was a lot of fun. I did 3 laps round the block (with 2.5 lbs wrist weights) in the afternoon. When my husband got home from work we did another 2 laps together (no wrist weights this time).

The decision is made – I am going to the reunion. We will travel to my parents’ house on Thursday afternoon – and return home on Sunday. Husband is taking 1.5 days annual leave. I don’t know how it is going to go – or what I am going to wear. If I was still the weight I was in February I would have definitely not said that I would go.

I accept that I will not be able to work very hard on my weight loss project from Thursday to Sunday. I will aim to do at least 10,000 steps a day and try and eat sensibly for the main part. Anything I do above that – I will consider a bonus.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 5 times (on TWO laps my husband came too)
Extra exercises = keep fit class
Weight = 14st 0.6lbs (i.e. 196.6 pounds)
Steps = 32,639
Distance = 12.10 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – managed everything – why don’t I always manage that


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 glass (200ml) grapefruit juice – 82 calories
1 glass (200ml) orange juice – 92 calories
1 pork loin steak, tin of baked beans, 1 desert spoon of apple sauce
2 large handfulls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

Hullo Margaret! Thanks for posting in my journal. You've made great progress and I'm stunned by how much you walk every day. I can't quite manage that yet on a routine basis

Hey Maggie,
thankx for stopping by. Am having a much better day so... yay!

You are, as always, doing amazing. You should get a dog! He/she would love all those walks!!! Would be the happiest dog in the world! Get a golden retriever, they are beautiful!
Ok I will stop now!

I really wondered today how you could be walking... I mean rain is just not the rivght word for this anymore... more like bucketsfull... or sky is falling! I really admire you! I am locked away in the library.
Our new tutor asked us to do a presentation about one of our passions and I am very excited about this. I will do it about ballet (of course). I have decided to even show pictures of me, even though it is still tough to look at them. I look so tiny.

Have an excellent day, Cat

Hi Cat

I am pleased that you are having a better day.

I do agree that some dogs are really lovely.

The problem with me getting a dog is that I like disappearing off to a Greek island too much. Most of my friends live there. There is a little agricultural village that has been my refuge for many years. There is comparitively little tourism there. Most people are related to each other. Quite a lot of people have various problems - be it regarding health / disability / weight. We have never felt out of place or awkward there. I even go swimming in the sea with my friends - we know the secluded places that the tourists are not aware of.

Regarding the rain - all I can say is that I have been well and truly saturated. It was still raining the third time I went out - but I am in for the night now. It is just turned 7 p.m. So far have done over 11 miles and I am honest when I say that the rain didnt stop until not long before 6 p.m. when I was less than a quarter of a mile from home. Every time I have had to change out of wet clothes into dry clothes as I got in.

I am going to have to wash clothes tomorrow again!!!!!

I am sure that your presentation will go well. You will be able to share your love of ballet with your fellow students.

Take care
Love
Margaret

WOW your going to your reunion, GOOD FOR YOU!! I wish I would have been able to make my last one, as I'm sure almost all would not recognize me today, and isn't that the fun part. You have done such a spectacular job in your weight loss that indeed you need to share your triumphs with others. I'm just excited for you to be honest, the anticipation on who's going to be there, how fun!! I think you'll do fine on meeting your 10,000 steps and eating well, you have come to far to let anything slip. Have a lovely day today, and enjoy your reunion!!
Kim

~Enjoy yourself!~

I'll miss ya!

Keep up the great job and have a great Tuesday night!

{I gotta remember your time is way different! lol}

*waves*

*Stacy

Thanks Kim and Stacy for your good wishes.

I am shattered after walking in the pouring rain all day - or at least that is the way that it seems.

Love
Margaret