Just wanted to say Hi! Boy I wish I could even come close to running! I want to bad, and flexibility is a real issue for me right now...It seems like the more I excersize the stiffer I get...do you stretch alot? I used to be really flexible in karate...now I can still kick as high as my head just in slow motion, and when its over I may be wallowing in the floor in pain

When I first started this I was just walking. After about a month I started trying to walk more and walk faster. When I started looking for indoor alternatives I got some tapes and DVDs from the library, looking for low-impact workouts. One was an old Jane Fonda tape. The workout was a bit hard for me to coordinate and hard to keep up with at the time, but it had a 20 minute stretch program at the end. It was when I started the low impact aerobics, hers and another one, plus her stretches, that I really started to notice a heap more flexibiltiy. I have never done them all that often though - maybe 2-3 times a week for a while, maybe only once this week. (My TV access is limiited. ) However, because I had such massive gains from them, I now put a bit of effort into my warm ups and cool downs and include a lot of stretches and low impact moves in them.

Being able to move my body in ways I couldn't before is absolutely the coolest reward I have had from this so far. I'm still amazed.

well congrats on feeling better...that is certainly the most important thing! A lesson I have learned the hard way...

New weight 83.1 kg (182.8 lb). Down 0.8 kg (1.7 lb), since last week. While I love to get the occasional weekly loss over a kilo, and feel a little less happy with the occasional losses under 0.5, I am none the less pleased that my loss has been pretty consistent overall. I just weigh once a week and my weight loss graph is almost straight. I guess that's because after 4 months, I am still just at the beginning of this process with plenty of body fat keeping my metabolism relaxed. A sharper angle would be nice but while it keeps dropping consistently I have to feel that I am doing the right thing for myself. Long may it last!! *crosses fingers*

Breakfast ~9:30 2 weetbix,. 1C lowfat soy milk. 1/3 C tinned peaches. 1 boiled egg. 1 slice wholemeal toast with minimal margarine and strawberry jam. ½ glass tomato juice. 1 C coffee with 40 ml Hilo.

Lunch 12:40 1wholemeal roll, 100 gms low fat cheese, 1 tomato.

Snack 3:30 Cappuccino made with Hi-Lo milk (Very, very foamy and nice.)

Exercise: 3:45 pm. At least 20-30 minutes walking up and down steps plus a long warm up and long cool down.

Today I was reminded of the quote in Saturday Saint’s signature, “Chance favours the prepared mind.” After trying the little set of steps the other night and wishing for a longer set, I took my girl and her friend back to Jungle Mountain today, thinking there was no real way for me to combine enough supervision with some exercise for myself and was immediately confronted by a nice long set of 18 steps.

My first response was a lot less enthusiastic than it might have been! It seems like a short while since a set of steps like that would have been slow and uncomfortable and involved placing both feet on one step before attempting the next one. I remember being impressed in January when I walked up a flight with one foot per tread and without stopping. Today I walked up and down that set 45 times. So that’s 800 steps up and 800 down. Not quite Biggest Loser class, but it made me happy. It was a few more than the other night, but as each set was longer, today was more intense. I didn’t try to run up like I did before because I wasn’t wearing good enough footwear, but I did end up with jelly knees, a nice deep breathing sweat and a great high afterwards. At first I was exhausted but after another 15 minutes I was wishing I was going dancing.

Dinner 8:00 100 gm lean grilled lamb, 1 potato (mashed), carrots, broccoli, grilled mushrooms, gravy.

Water: ~2000 ml Yesterday’s Bedtime: ?

On plan:118 days. Achieved food target: 100 days. Exercised: 101 days. All goals: 7 days.

Hi, Felici. Thanks for dropping by. Have a great week, and see you when I get back.

Yesterday’s bedtime: 2:00am

Breakfast ~ 6:15 am French toast -1 slice wholemeal bread, 2 eggs, fat.

6:45am 2 Weetbix. ½ C diced peaches. ½ C lite soya milk.

8:45 1 C coffee with hi-lo milk.
9:30 1 C coffee with hi-lo milk.

Felicigirl and her sleepover friend made me breakfast. Not exactly off the plan but also not exactly what and when I would have chosen to eat .

Pilates 10:30 1 hour. A class.

I had planned a long walk for this morning but kid issues cropped up unexpectedly and took that off the agenda, so I had time to try this out. I haven’t called it exercise because I don’t know that it was exercise for me. Maybe if I got more of the techniques spot on it would have been. I liked the idea that it’s about control and can see that it might appeal to me if I already was pretty happy with my weight and level of fitness. I also kind of imagined that it would feel like a combination of stretching and working muscles. Though it wasn’t easy, neither of those things seemed to happen much, and the time it’s on would usually interfere with other exercise, so I will give it a miss for now. I didn’t have the nice relaxed flexible feeling I get after my stretching tape, or nice tight muscles, or a nice raw feeling in my lungs. I do have a couple of tight muscles where I don’t normally, but it was all a little low key.

Lunch 1:00 2 slices wholemeal bread, 100 gms low fat cheese, 1 tomato. 1 C coffee with milk.

Snack 2:30 1 C coffee with milk. 2 fresh dates.

Exercise 6:00 1 ½ hour walk. To Carine.

I planned to walk around the whole thing but hadn’t reckoned on my route having disappeared into a mass of inky blackness! I got my time in, but chose to add a loop around my home suburb instead.

My calves are really stiff now from all the stairs yesterday. I thought the walk might loosen them up and it did a little but it was temporary.

Dinner 8:00 Salad – ¾ C Basmati rice. Shakuti - ~ 150 gm lean chicken, ½ tspn olive oil, ½ onion, tomato paste. Cooked in lite coconut milk. Lite nectarine yoghurt.

Drat that coconut milk. I’m still just draining the liquid from my meals when they’re this kind of curry. I seem to end up with a coconut curry about once every two weeks and it doesn’t seem to be doing too much damage at present. I do know about potentially substituting light evaporated milk and coconut essence. I’ve bought them and I have suggested trialling them in a recipe that we don’t care heaps about … but my husband cares heaps about all his coconut milk recipes!! Without ignoring it, I’m thinking how often and how much are relevant and not worrying too much.

Water: ~2000 ml. I forgot to take a bottle with me to that class. My throat feels a lot more comfortable when I remember.

On plan:110 days. Achieved food target: 91 days. Exercised: 92 days. All goals: 7 days.

Today was ok. For some reason I am thinking about how I look right now and though it’s better than before (when I didn’t care much), it’s still not what I would like and probably will never be. Well that’s how I felt when I was a normal weight too! I don’t know. When I look back at photos from then I think I should just have been more confident. If I saw someone else who looked like that now I would think she looked pretty good! Whatever. I can’t feel great every day. I am still getting to where I want to be.

A few more days and first term will be over. Before it started, I remember feeling a little bit concerned about being able to exercise as well as go to work, as well as look after myself and feel good. Well it was fine. It’s not an issue. Actually I am pretty happy. I get to exercise, virtually every day - it makes me feel good – like it’s my own time - yet I still get to perceive it as a duty!!

Housework? Umm. Clean kitchen, clean clothes, good food…I guess the rest of the housework doesn’t matter to me much right now.

I like that I just wrote this. It’s cheered me up a lot.

__________________

*bows*

You're right, hon...we're all just a work in progress
And you are making that progress happen!!

Great job on the pounds lost this week!

Breakfast ]7:00
1/2 glass of tomato juice. (25 cals)
2 Weetbix with (107 cals)
1C So Good light soy milk (122 cals)
1/3 C tinned diced tinned peaches (~40 cals)
A boiled egg (71 cals)
1 slice toasted wholemeal bread (70 cals)
5gm lite margarine and (18 cals)
5 gm strawberry jam. (13 cals)
Coffee with about 40 ml Hi-Lo milk. (20 cals)

Snack
Pear (90)
Coffee with about 40 ml Hi-Lo milk. (20 cals)

Lunch 12:30
2 slices wholemeal bread (140 cals)
1/2 (tot ~50 gm) skinless chicken thighs, roasted with herbs and w/o added fat (~50 cals)
1 tomato (19 cals)
Coffee with about 40 ml Hi-Lo milk. (20 cals)

Snack 3:00
5 almonds (35 cals)
½ Salada cracker (27 cals)
Coffee with about 40 ml Hi-Lo milk. (20 cals)

Dinner 9:15
2 carrots (42 cals), 1 med stalk celery (6 cals), 2 med.mushrooms (8 cals), ½ red capsicum (22 cals), 10 sugar snap peas (? 35 cals). 100 gm low fat cottage cheese (90 cals), 100gm tinned corn (114 cals)

Total: 1224 calories.

This is a bit lower than usual. That’s why I counted it. Just checking it wasn’t too low.

Exercise:
“Fitness” at school - “Whole school walk”. Ha ha I got paid to walk for a quarter of an hour.

8:00pm About an hour. Local walk (~1/2 hr) then 5 minutes stretches then 4 walk/sprints at the oval then 5-10 minute cool down walk.

This was good, and the best bit was doing a bunch of careful stretches for my calves in the middle of it all. They felt heaps better afterwards, whereas all day so far they were still pretty sore. My fastest sprint tonight was 57 secs. I changed my route a titch after that. I had been going straight between the goal posts but that meant running over the cricket pitch half way, just before I was due to run out of oxygen each time. It kind of knocked my stride so I shifted to where I could start at the point post and avoid the cricket pitch. I angled the last bit so I was aiming between the goals for the end though. I reckon it might mess with my mind a bit to aim for a point instead of a goal.

I am reconsidering pilates a little. Those 2 little tight spots that were all I felt l took away from the class, kept nagging at me today to sit up straight, tilt my pelvis forward, stretch out my spine. My posture was better all day. Bonus. In the mirror if I straighten my posture and stand side on even without sucking anything in, I finally get my boobs in front of my tummy. That was right up there on my goal list!!

I do have serious goals as well though.

I guess it’s about time I revisited where I’m at with this whole thing as I’ve been doing it for 4 months, and I’m a third of the way to my goal weight.

Your still going strong girl - everytime I come in here htere is never a missed beat - good for you - you go girl !!!

You joined a pilates class - is taht with the gym membership - Ive been thinkin abt joinin yoga somewhere however lol - Im not quite ready to do it outta my house - lol...

Yes. It was part of the gym membership, but at best there is only one more of those classes I can attend without interfering with other plans. It was interesting to go and have some actual instruction. I might follow it with some work at home, though it's not a priority. I think it was useful to have that live person in the room with me giving a little feedback and and occasionally pushing me into position! It was a much faster way to get started than trying to do it by myself.

Oh, having someone right there would be VERY cool!

I've poured over the net with the exercises I do, and I'm thinking (hoping) I'm doing them right - but nothing beats a real live person there telling you!

And for the boos vs tummy goal - that is SERIOUS
Anything that makes us feel better about ourselves is something to be proud of achieving and reaching!

M2M
It was interesting to be in a group again. I liked the trainer who reminded me of the Aussie Biggest Loser trainer. I didn't always understand her or know what I should though - strangely I felt more connected to Jane Fonda on my tape! I found her so easy to follow and every time she said something like "Remember to keep to your chin in" I'd be going "Oh yeah..." (Can she see me?)

I can imagine the pouring over the net thing. I tried to follow the first lot of advice you were given about using body weight in exercise and I found it very challenging to even know if I had the right idea at all. ( Plus I actually couldn't do them then...I keep meaning to have another go now that I have a little more strength.)

Boobs vs tummy. It's good. I was close already. It feels like a bit of a cheat to tip over by tilting my pelvis though!