That sounds like something to look forward to.


Saturday

Breakfast 7:00 2 weetbix, 1C lowfat soy milk, 1/3 C tinned peaches. 1 slice wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam. Boiled egg. 1 C coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Lunch 2:30 4 Jatz crackers. ~ 10 grams each of brie, crumbly vintage Mersey Island cheese, and low fat fetta. 6 cashews. ~10 grams shaved leg ham. Slice rockmelon, slice star fruit. Lots snow peas, carrot, mushrooms, zucchini. 4 kalamata olives. The fruity bit out of the middle of some apple streudal. 2 diet cokes. 2 coffees with milk.

We had a couple of people over in the afternoon because it's my husband's birthday tomorrow.

Dinner 7:30 ~140 gm rare grilled rump steak. ~80 gm microwaved potato. Grilled zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms. Salad veges and low fat french onion dip, broccoli, zucchini, carrot, celery. Tub diet apricot yoghurt. 2 diet cokes.

I actually went out for take-away food and had intended to buy myself Portuguese skin free chicken, and make a salad, but that store had run out of it. I think that was a good thing because this was a much nicer meal and didn't involve any temptation bolt down too much chicken instantly and skimp on the other food. I think that's a good thing when I've had an afternoon picking at snacks. It makes me feel more settled.

Exercise: 5:30 2.6 km local walk. Well I was aiming for that walk all day. I had hoped to fit it in to the morning and make it safely accomplished before our afternoon guests and I didn't (though the house looks nice). However, they left early enough for me to rush off instantly they left!

There was a time I was trying to make this walk happen without stress. I've decided for now though that maybe a bit of stress about it, is the requirement to get the mindset happening. The stress is not what I want forever, but I don't see how else to make it important enough that it will happen. How can it be important enough that it happens almost always, unless I care that it might not, and when it doesn't?

Mmm, I had Portuguese chicken once it was good stuff. I know what you mean. Stress is powerful and some is necessary, but its hard to find the right ammount.

i agree with cannon, some amount of stress is necessary for certain things to sink into our minds as being important. just feeling a bit of stress i guess is getting you in the right direction. i get anxious and nervopus when i miss my exercise not to mention that i feel guilty...hence one must do exercise to avoid stress, anxhiety and feeling guilty lol.

Ditto on the stress. LOL, I'm the king of stress when it comes to taking time off, even when I need it.

Man I hear ya there chicky!!! I stress over gettin my exercise in and when I am grumpy and snappy and dont feel well once I get ont eh elliptical it is much better...

Im sorry Ive been slacking and selfish you are one of the ones I really like!!! I need to make more of an effort to drop by

No stress aloud!! i have enough to go around!! Hope it gets better!!

The right amount. Yes. That's a good point, making it the right amount is what's needed.

Yes! I want to be like that. I don't want to be able to just skip like it doesn't matter. And I am getting to be like that, which is a good thing I reckon.

I remember!!! I think it's physically hard to avoid that when you're in a program like yours. Come to think of it, I guess you have had a bit of that to deal with again, and I am not up with your diary - or anyone elses!! I'm sure more time is coming for me again soonish though.

Your exercise habit is well established and that's a good thing. It's a pity that getting to the start time can be so fraught with hurdles while our kids are young, but then again, I know that we're also both gaining heaps from our children's company.

I am not comfortable about not visiting either, and just to get to my diary I see a bunch of others looking very appealing, but I am resisting just now.

LOL. You certainly do not need any more stress!!! Only load lightening allowed for you!

Monday

Breakfast 7:00 2 weetbix, 1C lowfat soy milk, 1/3 C tinned peaches. 1 slice wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam. Boiled egg. 1 C coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Snack: 10:00 1 fuji apple. 1 coffee with milk.

Lunch 12:30 2 slices wholemeal bread, toasted with low fat cheese and 1 shaved slice leg ham. Handful of snow peas. 1 carrot. 1 orange. 1 coffee with milk.

Snack 5:00 1 slice wholemeal toast with jam.

Dinner 7:30 Grilled lamb leg steaks. 80 gm microwaved potato, broad beans, carrots. Grilled tomato, mushrooms, capsicum. Tub diet apricot yoghurt.

Snack: 9:30 8 cashews. 2 weetbix, soy milk, peaches.

I fell asleep after dinner and that snack is the result of being sleepy without being ready for bed. It's the kind of food I think is ok, but I would prefer not to be wanting it at that time.

Exercise: 5:20 2.6 km local walk. This was not hard to get in that I did have time. I was feeling frustrated though, and resentful that it seemed I had no other time for myself.


Tuesday

Breakfast 7:00 2 weetbix, 1C lowfat soy milk, 1/3 C tinned peaches. 1 slice wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam. Boiled egg. 1 C coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Snack: 10:00 1 Josephine pear. 1 coffee with milk.

Lunch 12:30 2 slices wholemeal bread, toasted with low fat cheese and 1 slice shaved leg ham. Handful of snow peas. 1 carrot. 1 orange. 1 coffee with milk.

Snack 5:15 Coffee with milk.

Dinner 7:30 3/4C spaghetti, 140 gm tinned red salmon, tinned tomato, green olives, spinach, basil. Low fat french onion dip, capsicum, carrot, celery, sugar snap peas, mushroom. Tub diet apricot yoghurt. Green tea.

Snack: 9:30 More green tea. ~ 1/3 C peaches.

I fell asleep after dinner again but at least managed a better snack. I slept enough last night. I just think these sleeps are because the days feel busy and kind of stressed. Aside from work and my normal duties, I have been working on choosing a new computer for my son and little things that keep cropping up for my daughter, as she is performing in two public concerts next week. I'm just finding lately that crossing things off my to-do lists isn't making them shrink at all!!

Exercise: 5:55 35 min jogging on mini-trampoline. The weather wasn't really suitable for going out. Though I prefer walking, this was a good alternative – probably more strenuous than the walk.

It did actually improve my mood a little. The last 3 days I have been for a walk while feeling emotional. Angry Saturday, sad Sunday and frustrated Monday! I usually find that walking moves me along with these things and it did, but not as much it has done before. It more like my mood souring my walk than my walk improving my mood! Today was another day in which my duties seemed to be unreasonably crowding in on me at the end of the day. I guess it was another day in which I was telling myself that getting the walk in might not make me feel better today, that today it might be just another duty stopping me from just doing whatever I felt like, but that it was worth persisting so that there would come a time when fitting it in would feel normal and comfortable the way my food does now. (Even though once it didn't.). I was chanting some sort of positive mantra to my indicator clicking on the way home. I forget the words! But I guess it worked because I'm at the end of another day with it fitted in.

I suppose all that sounds like a big moan and I guess it is, though I'm not recording it for the sake of venting. I just want to not neglect my diary, and record what is happening.

I hope today goes great for you!!

You know Feli, I sure am happy to hear that your walking is helping out your stress level. That means it's not only burning calories for you, but it's probably helping out your blood pressure at the same time. That's excellent news! You have so much going on in your life right now, I seriously don't know how your able to do anything for yourself. So I give you a BIG THUMBS up for walking or doing the trampoline each day. Stick with that, and you will go far! Oh and the kid stuff does eventually get better, I promise! I have two boys that will be 18 in October, and let me tell you what not to long ago, I had baseball practice, games, bowling, they were both in the band, scouts and school functions, it was never ending, and I wished I walked more than. But in the past few years, it's all settled down and things are not so crazy, enjoy it!! But, don't forget YOU COME FIRST! Have a lovely day!
Kim

Well I decided it was a day when I could afford some time out and felt a lot better for it. So the day finished well from my point of view!!

Thanks Kim. I'm just replying now, but I read this earlier and found it valuable to think about the actual benefits of what I was doing!! Not that I didn't know but sometimes it's so easy to get focussed on what needs doing and forget why, whereas remembering why does help quite a lot with making it feel right.

As I said above, I did take a bit of time out and I think it was a good thing. Hopefully nothing too awful will happen because of what I didn't do. Things will quieten down for me a bit now because my temporary full time work finishes tomorrow. There's still plenty happening, and the kids stuff is full on for me right now. I don't think it's right that it stresses me though. I honestly believe I am privileged to share the young lives of my children and the little ones at school. My children are warm and loving and usually lovely company, and the class at school may be the nicest I ever teach!! Somehow I have been spreading myself a little thin though. This bit of the year is always rather busy.

Wednesday

Breakfast 7:30 2 weetbix, 1/3 C diced peaches , 1C low fat soy milk. 1 slice wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam . Boiled egg . Coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Snack 10:30 Sundowner apple, coffee with hilo milk,.

Lunch: 12:20 Toasted sandwich: 2 slices wholemeal bread, low fat cheese, 1 shaved slice leg ham, 1/2 tomato. 1 carrot. 1 orange. Coffee and milk.

Snack: 4:30 Slice of wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamond jam. C Pumpkin and leek soup. 2 weetbix with soymilk and peaches. 25 gm beef jerky.

A very meal sized snack!! I don't know what made me so hungry!!

Dinner: Roast lamb. Microwaved potato (about 80 gm), broccoli, carrot. Gravy. Tub of diet apricot yoghurt. 2 large diet cokes.

No exercise.

A bit of frantic running around in torrential rain after the kids, a novel, and an early night. I did actually see this as a therapeutic night off - not from the physical aspect of exercise but just from the constant busyness.




Thursday

Breakfast 7:30 2 weetbix, 1/3 C diced peaches , 1C low fat soy milk. 1 slice wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam. Boiled egg . Coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Snack 10:30 Small pear 80, coffee with hilo milk, 20.

Lunch: 12:20 Toasted sandwich: 2 slices wholemeal bread, low fat cheese, 2 shaved slices leg ham, 1/2 tomato. 1 carrot. 1 orange. Coffee and milk 20

Snack: 4:00 12 almonds.

Dinner: 8:20 130 gm saddleback snapper, limejuice, 2 slices wholemeal bread. Sugar snap peas, mushroom, tomato, carrot, broccoli, baby squash, low fat french onion dip. fresh dates.


Exercise: 5:40 30 minutes jogging on trampoline. The weather was good enough and I thought I would have preferred to go out, but there was no one else here at the time to stay with the girl. Actually the time went pretty fast while I watched a guy win $110,000 on Deal or No Deal.


Good news. I weighed myself today and am down to 72.7kg. That is only 0.5 kg in 10 days, but I haven't been doing anything too remarkable, and at least it's still moving down.

Good for you to take a break and congrats on the weight going down!! I only deal in lbs so I'm sure quiet how much, but any loss is great!!

My parents have a real mini trampoline that I am gettin and I cant wait to start using it - Im also gonna try to buy the kids one soon here Good to see you are still keepin Hun

0.5 kg is about 1 pound.

Hi cinderelly. The mini-tramp is good value. It doesn't take much space and it's easy on the joints. Even living in a place which I now realize has rather easy living weather, it's still very helpful to have some options for indoor exercise.



Well I am still here and still eating ok I reckon. OK as in not not really strong, not as strict as I once was about what I can eat and more flexible about when. I think I could tamp things back a bit for a little while and still be all right. Also OK as in still within the calorie limits that allow me to lose weight and fairly well balanced overall I reckon.

Exercise wise I haven't been cutting it. I can see that changing, but even this week I might have trouble getting a walk every day. Today I manage it because I'm not going out to work. I started the day busy and will end with a dentist visit for me, a doctor's visit for the boy, and an early night after staying up much too late yesterday. I think I've made the middle of the day productive despite waiting fruitlessly for a plumber who is now saying "Friday". However, we have 2 concerts to go to for my daughter this week. (Do not stress, felici. Low shoulders ... long, loose fingers ... breathe slowly. Aaagh but she has a duet!! The girls look like angels and the other girl at least has an angel voice. I am so pleased for my girl but still nervous!!) At least I have bought the computer for my son and it is working and seems to have been the right machine at the right price.

Friday

Breakfast 7:30 2 weetbix, 1/3 C diced peaches , 1C low fat soy milk. 1 slice wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam . Boiled egg . Coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Snack 10:30 Coffee with hilo milk,.

Lunch: 12:15 Toasted sandwich: 2 slices wholemeal bread, low fat cheese, 2 shaved slices leg ham, 1/2 tomato. 1 carrot. 1 orange. Coffee and milk.

Dinner: Take away from Hans Cafe. 4 pieces of chilli seafood, ~ 1/2 C steamed rice, a few slices curried pork - drained the sauce. Stir fried veges. 2 pieces of chocolate from the present I got from a student. 1 tub diet yoghurt. 2 large diet lemonades.

I think that the food I actually ate was ok as far as balance and calories go. Not great as far as giving me what I wanted in one box, or value for money. Next time I'm going to push for the proper Chinese restaurant.

It's been a long time since I ate a chocolate as such. They were fancy brands but it didn't taste all that wonderful. (I liked getting the gift though.)

No exercise. I worked until late and then was busy with other things until even later.


Saturday

Breakfast 8:30 2 weetbix, 1/3 C diced peaches , 1C low fat soy milk. 1 slice wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam. Boiled egg . Coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Snack 12:00 Cappucino.

Lunch: 3:00 2 handfuls bamboo shoots, 3 baby carrots, 2 slices wholemeal bread with vegemite, 25 gms beef jerky, 1 bosc pear.

All eaten on the run but delicious and felt like it was lots of food – heaps of chewing. My old eat on the run food was often whatever was next to the console at the petrol station. I still find petrol stations hard to deal with. This day I bought a box of Jols sugar free pastilles and at 4 before I got my lunch. That was a handy place to push the service station, hungry, hmm-hmm bar thought.

Snack: 6:00 ~ 2 slices of bread from the end of a wholemeal Vienna Batte. Lots of dates.

Dinner: 8:00 Veal with ratatouille, grilled low fat cheese and roast vegetables – small potato, carrots, broccoli.

10:00 Green tea.

Exercise: Another day running around until it was too late.


Good news. My size 14 trousers were all too loose and baggy. I bought them 6-8 weeks ago I guess. I have wondered whether it's because the cotton jeans stretched on me and need washing and the synthetics were washed in too hot water and stretched ... but I think it's more that I have lost a little more of the fat that was keeping them in place. They look like they fit when I stand still, but as soon as I start to walk I seem to automatically pull my tummy in a bit and then they turn into sloppy slip downs.

I was running around like a mad thing on Saturday without enough time to reasonably go shopping, but by 11:30 I was craving ... something. Not lunch I thought as I'd eaten breakfast late. I ran through a few possibilities in my mind while considering that even should I be able to get hold of them, I couldn't imagine getting the quantity I felt would do the job. Anyway this random desiring of too much of something-or-other is an uncomfortable feeling which I could feel all over my body and especially in my fingertips. It was one I was looking to get rid of.

I thought shopping for trousers might help. I lacked time, but I figured I could shop fast by buying the same ones I'd bought before just in a smaller size. However, they didn't have black in a 12. So I picked up a navy 12 to try and thinking about how fast the size changes with this particular style I also picked up some black 10's. And I bought the 10's!! I have to say I am not yet an authentic 10. The 12's weren't baggy and I so have to keep my tummy pulled in with the 10's! But a bit of tightening on the muscles there won't hurt, and at least they should keep fitting me until the cold weather's over. I don't know what a 10 equates to elsewhere, but for me it is the size I wore when I was young and actually at a healthy weight. Right now of course I still am not, but it was pretty exciting to fit into something with that label on it regardless – like being told I am close to where I'm going, a nice idea even if just flattery.

Oh and my craving – whatever it was for - went far, far away after that.


Sunday

Breakfast 9:30 2 weetbix, 1C lowfat soy milk, 1/3 C tinned peaches. 2 small slices wholemeal toast with plum and cinnamon jam. Boiled egg. 1 C coffee with 40 ml Hilo milk.

Lunch 1:00 2 small slices wholemeal toast, one with ham and mushrooms (3 med. mushrooms and 2 shavings double smoked ham, fried in 1 tspn 70% fat free margarine and 1 tspn EVO oil), and one with (25 gm) mersey valley cheese and a fresh romata tomato. 1 gold russe pear. Coffee with milk.

Oh yum. How nice to have time to cook lunch!!

Dinner 6:30 Pork and apple casserole: 125 gm lean diced pork, ¼ apple, cornflour, herbs, diet ginger and apple carbonated drink., 1 small potato, carrots, peas. 1 tub diet apricot yoghurt. 1 weetbix, 1/3 C diced peaches, low fat soya milk.



Exercise: I did garden for 2 ½ hours in the afternoon and that took me to dark. I thought I would jog instead of walking but I still had some school work to finish for the school I've just left, and ended up working on it pretty late because most of the evening was blown out of the water when my son rang up to say he needed to come home early from his kitchen hand job as he'd burnt his arm. He is fine so far, I'm sure that within a little while it won't cause anything more than a mark on his arm, however, it was bad enough to take quite a bit of attention.