Stuff and nonsense...

Day 6 back on Weight Watchers and still doing well. We went out for dinner and to the movies on Friday night and I had grilled fish and steamed vegies and took some Freddos to the cinema for portion controlled treats. I made hot potatoes with low fat bolognaise and chickpea sauce last night...added some low fat cottaage cheese and a tiny sniff of parmesan and it was absolutely delicious! That will definitely be a new favorite on the menu.

I know I'm not supposed to weigh myself between meetings but I just couldn't resist. I've lost just over half a kilo so hopefully by Tuesday's weigh in I might be closer to one kilo. That would be a nice start!

I've managed at least 1.2 litres of water each day and even made it to 1.8 on one day. This is such a huge achievement for me as it is simply unheard of! A little bit of diet cordial certainly helps, but I really want to stay focused on keeping my water intake up as everyone says that it really helps with the weight loss.

I've started doing the Dr Wayne Dyer "Meditations for Manifesting" CD. I've only done it twice so far and only the morning "Ah" meditation but I feel really relaxed afterwards. If anyone else has tried any of Dr Dyer's meditations and has had success in manifesting something that they desired into their life, I would love to hear about it in the comments section. If you haven't tried it, I definitely recommend giving it a go, even if just for the relaxation if nothing else. Karma kitty seemed to like it...he feel asleep next to me on the bed, right next to my head. He must have liked the "aaahhhhh" sound too.

Enough from me for today...I'm off to have some soup and toast and then to a game of bowling to increase those points. Catch you next time!

Bits and pieces...

Okay, so being back on Weight Watchers is going well so far. I'm on No Count and it's Day 3 and I've only had one little treat (a plain Freddo for 1 1/2 points). I haven't really found it too difficult even though I've been working from home. I find that I'm more likely to snack on junk when I'm working from home, perhaps because the food is readily available. I'm trying to save most of my 21 points for the weekend so that I can treat myself a little when I'm out.

I've also managed to drink 1.2 litres of water each day, mixed with the 4.3.2.1 herbal supplement. This is a lot for me as I generally don't drink even one glass! I figure it makes sense to aim for two 600ml bottles each day rather than set myself up for failure by expecting to go from nothing to 2 litres immediately. I can already see a change in my skin...it looks clearer and brighter than it has for some time, so that's an added benefit.

On a completely different topic, the information pack and photo arrived today for the little girl that I have sponsored through World Vision. I am so excited about sending her a letter and adding a little extra hope into her life. Looking at her photo today reinforced to me yet again that I am very fortunate and that sharing that fortune with someone who knows only poverty and hunger is the least that I can do to show my gratitude.

I have been listening to Dr Wayne Dyer's CD's and Podcasts any chance that I can get. He really is very inspirational and so positive about life and our inherent ability to determine our own future and happiness. Great listening if you get a chance!

That's probably it for me today. Keep smiling and don't forget to take the time to think of 5 things that you are grateful for today! Share them in my comments section...I'd love to know what others are grateful for.

Let's try again...

I joined Weight Watchers again this morning and this time I'm starting at 73.7kg. Not as bad as I thought but still disappointing that I let all my hard work unravel. Not to worry...we can only live in the moment.

I was very disappointed when I joined my new meeting this morning. I knew that I needed to sign up as a new member again due to the time lapse and I had a free registration coupon so that wasn't a problem. But here's the sting!

Despite having 8 pre-paid coupons left (which are valid for 12 months from date of purchase), I had to pay cash for a meeting fee and give up a pre-paid coupon as well! I basically paid twice for the one meeting!

The leader argued black and blue that she was right, even when I pointed out that nowhere in the terms and conditions does it say that a rejoining member must pay twice for the first meeting simply because they have pre-paid coupons remaining. Sure, if I was an active member and I missed some weeks I would have to forfeit a coupon as "back pay" to keep my membership active, but not when I am rejoining all over again after a lapse. In other words, if it weren't for the free registration coupon, I would have paid the registration fee of $33.00 plus $17.95 cash for a meeting fee plus a pre-paid coupon worth $17.95!

I was seething through the whole meeting and was so close to demanding my money back and walking out. I decided though that my health was more important than some unfriendly leader and I tried to get as much from the meeting as I could.

After the meeting I rang WW and they were so lovely. I was put through to someone who could actually address the problem and she took the time to fully understand what had happened. As I had expected, it was the leader's error and the lovely person at the State office is sending me a free meeting coupon to replace the one that I incorrectly had to pay today.

Now that is what I call the best and worst of customer service in action! Big thumbs up to the Call Centre and State office team. WW have retained a happy member due to their empathy and willingness to address an issue.

I must say that until now I have been very lucky with meetings and with leaders, so if you are thinking about joining WW, it's definitely worth it!

Back on track...again...

It's time to get serious...time to get back on the weight loss band wagon and face the fact that I need to take responsibility for the damage done over the last few weeks.

I weighed myself this morning after many weeks of avoiding the scales and eating anything and everything that I wanted. I have to admit that 70kg is probably less than I thought I would weigh given how much junk I have eaten, and it is a good round number to start from (and yes, I am somewhat rounder than I was a few weeks ago...lol).

I just let all the hard work and dedication go. I think I was so focused on the huge task ahead with resigning from my job, renovating and moving house and setting up a new business, all in a matter of a few weeks. On top of that, my boyfriend's mother has been quite ill which has added some additional worries for us both. Mind you, apart from the resigning part, I'm still in the middle of the rest of it, but I can't let that be an excuse any more.

No one can keep this under control for me. It really is something that I need to stay focused on myself, no matter what twists and turns life brings. Even though I have only put a few kilograms back on, I don't feel as good about my body or as confident as I did a few weeks, and I miss that feeling of being in control.

So I'm back on track today! I'm using No Count for the simplicity factor and so far today I haven't had any temptations or used any points. Let's hope that's a sign of good things to come.

No Count is my new best friend!

I have to say that I'm loving this whole No Count shebang. It is so much easier than counting points and my food choices are ultimately healthier and less processed than on the Points program. I also find that I spend much less time thinking about food during the day as it's a much more natural way of eating. Don't get me wrong, the Points program definitely works, but No Count is the way to go for me at the moment.

Here's a standard day for me on No Count (today in fact!):

Breakfast: Rice Bubbles mixed with All Bran, skim milk & yoghurt, white coffee
Mid morning: Grapes
Lunch: Minestrone Soup & wholemeal roll (cafe), skim latte, diet yoghurt
Afternoon: Grapes, Nectarine
Dinner: Spaghetti with Spicy Bacon and Tomato Sauce

I haven't used any points yet but I'm thinking a single square of mint chocolate with a decaf coffee might just finish the evening nicely.

The one thing missing here is water. I've had about 400mls, which sadly is more than I usually have in a day. I just find it really hard to drink as much water as I should, but I wonder if perhaps it is impacting my weight loss. I lost only 300 grams at weigh in tonight, despite a great week on No Count. The food list above is pretty consistent with the type and amount of food I would be eating in a day, so the problem must lie elsewhere. Perhaps I should aim to drink at least 1 litre of water a day for the next week and see if it has an impact at next week's weigh in.

I NEED TO DRINK MORE WATER!!!

Chocolate...it's yummy for my tummy...

I confess...I have had a huge chocolate binge kind of day. Yep, triple deck mint chocolate by the truck load, as well as a KFC Twister and some chips. I definitely fell off the wagon today and I have no excuse other than the fact that I wanted to. Anyway, it's right back on track tomorrow and no looking back. No regrets as they say...


I figured that since this is the first post for the new year, I should mark it with the most recent photo so that I have a benchmark for myself. This was taken today at the Balgownie Winery cottages. I think I'm about 68.5 kg but I'm guessing as I didn't have any scales to weigh myself. Of course, after the junk food binge, well who knows which way the scales will head this week?

I'm almost half way to goal now so I'm going to stay focused and motivated and work harder than ever to get to goal this year. 2006 will be my year to get my weight, as well as my exercise and eating habits, under control.

Slimville, here we come!!! Oh, and make that a one way ticket please sir...

Time to face my demons...

I admit that I have been putting this off. The dreaded before photo...we all have one! This was taken back in May at my sister's 21st birthday and it's an absolute shocker. I put on another few kilograms after this but I don't have any photos, so this will have to do.

I can however happily report that at last week's meeting, I made it past my 10% goal with a total loss of 7.9 kilograms. Tonight I had a .3 kilogram loss so in total I am 8.2 kilograms down. I feel so much better for it, and I am even starting to fit into some size 12 clothes.

The dress I have on in this photo (right) is a 12. I was so excited when I bought it. I had to make a last minute purchase as the dress that I had planned to wear to the wedding was too big. What a terrible problem to have!! I'm about 70 kg in this photo, so I had lost about 7.5kg. My boyfriend was the best man, which explains the somewhat formal outfit that he is looking less than comfortable in.

I'm trying the new Weight watchers No Count program so I will update my thoughts on that after a week has passed. Today is day 2 and so far it seems great, but I think it would be tricky if you had to eat out. The other downside is that I'm not much of a cook and there aren't any processed or ready meals on the No Count list. Guess I had better brush up on those cooking skills (or marry a chef!)

Busy little bumble bee...

No time to write today as I'm madly packing for my China trip. I weighed in this morning and had lost 1.6kg (probably from nerves about the flight!). That brings me down to 70.8kg which is a total loss of 6.8kg. I feel much better and it's definitely beginning to show in my clothes.

Will update again when I get back. Wish me luck!

Up, up and away!!

Thankfully I'm not referring to my weight!

In just under 60 hours I'll be on a plane bound for Hong Kong once again and on my way to China. How do I know that it's 60 hours? When you're as afraid of flying as I am, you can hear every minute tick by, dragging you ever closer to your greatest fear. Tick, tock, tick, tock...

You may have noticed the free Fear of Flying course link on my blog page. This course is invaluable and I would highly recommend it to anyone afraid of flying. Not that I think I'm cured by any means, but at least now I understand that many of my fears about planes are simply unfounded. I'm hoping that once I'm on the plane, I can read the cheat sheet provided and feel at least a little more comfortable than I usually do. Here's hoping anyway!

On a lighter note (literally), I've officially lost 5.2kg and I have in my possession a 5kg bookmark. I've started to get a few comments about looking slimmer, which is certainly a boost to the ego. I have arranged for a low calorie meal on the plane (travelling business class so hopefully should still taste okay) and I'm determined to stick to healthy meals whilst I'm in China. I'm all set with some Weight Watchers Crisp Bars and some Fruities for snacking, and I will not let the buffet breakfast get the better of me. My sneakers and tracksuit pants are packed and I fully intend to use the hotel gym. The irony of course is that I can't make it 5 minutes down the road to my own gym, but I can travel to another country and walk on their treadmill. We humans are funny creatures...or is that just me?

Photos from my last trip:

Oh Toto...I wish we were in Kansas!

Have you ever had one of those days when you wish you could click your heels and magically be somewhere else? Well, let me tell you, Dorothy had nothing on me today! I swear I even thought about running away to join the circus until I remembered that I don't particularly like clowns and I'm afraid of heights. Somehow scooping up elephant poop just didn't really appeal either...at least not in this heat.

I wonder sometimes how many people are truly happy in their jobs? Not happy in the "I make good money" or "It's a fairly easy job" sense, but really, truly happy? Happy to be getting out of bed to spend their time doing something that they love. Happy to be going about their day feeling good about themselves and about the path that they have chosen.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike my job. I work with great people who all pitch in to help one another when it all gets a bit too much. But I think it's true that it often only takes one apple to upset the apple cart. One apple who doesn't want to be a team player. One apple that wants to make fruit salad when everyone else is happily making fruit juice. Well this little apple thought about finding a whole other fruit bowl to play in today (mmm, food analogies...must be hungry...) The problem is that I have no idea what else I would do if I wasn't doing this.

On the upside, I was way too busy and stressed out to even think about food today, which means I have some points to spare for a treat tonight. I'm finding it much easier to eat within my points without feeling like I'm starving. I feel full on less food now, and I've discovered that a carefully measured portion of peanut butter on multigrain toast is a really filling breakfast. There must be something to this low GI theory that I keep hearing about after all.

Tomorrow night is official weigh in night and I'm really hoping to get my 5kg bookmark. Funny how a little piece of cardboard can mean so much. That bookmark will mean 5kg of unhealthy fat gone. I'll probably never use it as a placeholder for anything other than my "brag" book, but I really want that bookmark!! I started my program a few days before my first weigh in, so I also keep an unofficial weight loss tally. This morning it was sitting at 5.4kg - bookmark or no bookmark, this bookworm has chewed through some serious fat in the last 6 weeks!

It's official!

Yes, it's official. I possibly, maybe, more likelihood than not, have at least one regular reader (and I know that you know that I know who you are!).

Mmmm, I'll have to lift my game now. I can't expect to keep the masses interested with my outrageous charm, sharp wit and quirky humour forever. Okay, so maybe "legend in my own lunchbox" springs to mind, but I can live with that...especially since I've lost another 1.1kg!!! Yeah! Woo Hoo! Party streamers and whistles!

Perhaps it seems a little over the top for only a kilogram, but if you don't celebrate the small victories, you could wait all your life for the big ones and never really get to celebrate. Without a doubt, it's the little steps that will add up to a thinner, healthier, happier me. Sure, I'd love for the last 14 kilograms to miraculously dissolve into thin air overnight (and that would be one killer celebration party), but given that I have more chance of walking outside and being kicked by a donkey doing the rumba, I'm going to celebrate the small achievements.

Only a short post tonight as all this excitement has worn me out. Besides, I'm off to bed to see if I can beat the odds on that donkey. You never know...it could happen. I'm sure I saw a dancing cow once...or maybe a horse...or a wombat...a fruit fly even??? Well, I saw something!!!

Battle of the wills

Good vs evil. Head vs heart. Restraint vs indulgence. Fruit vs cake.

I've come to the conclusion that any weight loss journey involves a battle of the wills...and in epic proportion. Every day there are decisions to be made about what to eat, when to eat it, how to cook it, how much exercise to compensate for it...it's never ending. Maybe that's why it's so much easier to be unhealthy. You don't really have to plan for it because it just pretty much happens. You don't have to plan for fast food or a bar of chocolate. You just buy it and eat it. Simple really!

Of course the planning does catch up with you eventally. Planning to go shopping for a bigger outfit. Planning a doctor's visit to work out what could possibly be making you tired all the time. Planning for...well, I think you know what I mean.

Last week was not a good week. I stuck to the plan and really didn't indulge other than the small birthday treat mentioned in an earlier post (all accounted for of course). The result at my weigh-in on Thursday night...only a 100 gram loss. Disheartening to say the least, but I didn't let that push me off track. I decided that I had two options: let it bother me and perhaps negatively impact my weight loss for the week ahead, or just forget about it and press on as motivated and focused as ever. Not really a hard choice, and if my unofficial morning weigh-ins are anything to go by, this week should show a better result. Bring on Thursday night!

Mmmm...vegemite...

I am one very happy little vegemite today. Not one, not two, but three people today commented that they thought that I had lost weight. And I didn't even have to pay them to say it! Even better, two didn't even know that I was on a diet so the hard work must be beginning to pay off, even if I'm struggling to see it myself.

You must be wondering by now whether I blew it with the birthday celebrations on the weekend? Of course I did...n't! Other than a grilled caramel and banana pancake for dessert on my birthday, I was the picture of restraint (modern art perhaps but a picture nonetheless). Steak and vegetables for the main and the small pancake indulgence for dessert. I even handed over the second pancake and half the icecream to the BF just to prove that I could. Very proud of myself I must say.

Food aside, we had a wonderful weekend in Bright. Catherine's cottage was just perfect, even better than it appeared from the website. The owners had thought of everything...wood fire, cosy lighting, beautiful toiletries and an ecletic mix of furniture and decorations that just oozed charm. We enjoyed the ambience so much that on Saturday night we decided to stay in and cook dinner and cosy up with a hot bath each, a couple of bourbons (with Diet Coke, of course) and some DVD's. Just perfect and definitely on our list of "Must Stay Again" cottages.

And then reality hit! Team birthday cake today because I wasn't at work on Friday. Cheesecake, the really gooey creamy kind!! There really wasn't any way that I could politely refuse my own birthday cake after everyone had been generous enough to donate for it. So I had a very small piece and made up for it by eating less for dinner tonight. Now I'm left wondering whether that's my stomach I can hear rumbling or whether perhaps they moved the airport flight path over the weekend?

I guess it would be fair to say that life does get in the way of good intentions sometimes. It's how you deal with it that really makes the difference. If life serves up a birthday, in the purported words of Marie Antoinette: "Let them eat cake." Who can argue with that?

Happy birthday to...me!

Hmmm, 33 today...now what to do with myself? Sooner or later I will have to become a grown up but I'm thinking I can probably fool people for another year. After all, responsibility is over-rated...it's much more fun to put your feet up and just watch the world go by from a gently swaying hammock under a palm tree somewhere in the middle of...

I wish! But I do have the day off work today and I'm going away for a birthday weekend so I'm part way there. A girl has to have her indulgences after all.

I weighed in last night and I had lost another .7kg, which brings me to a grand total of 3.3kg in three weeks. Now that's a birthday present! I'm starting to notice that a few of my clothes no longer try to strangle me. Some of them even seem quite eager to go out now that they are not bursting at the seams and begging for early retirment so that a newer, more voluptous size can take their place. Not that it would be noticeable to anyone else as this stage, but I can see a few small changes here and there.

I need to remember that it is the small changes that will add up to a new me. Like that horrid, spoilt little girl in Charlie and the Chocolate factory, I feel like screaming "but I want it now!" Now, I tell you!! But the weight didn't just appear overnight so I'm guessing it's not likely to just disappear either. So it's one day at a time, one meal at a time, one snack at a time, one point at a time.

By this time next year, I will be a new me...on the outside anyway! Birthday cake anyone?

Hi ho, hi ho...it's off to weigh we go...

I think I'm getting the hang of this blog thing. Kind of strange though because it's like talking to everyone and no-one all at once. It messes with your mind...I wonder whether future generations will have millions of messed up "blogsters" who have overdosed on cyberspace and typed themselves into oblivion? Mmmm...mental note to self: "MUST GET OUT MORE!"

So it's weigh in night again. I haven't decided yet whether I look forward to the experience of the cold metal under my feet as the weights slide ever so precariously over the numbers that will determine my mood for the week ahead. Nerves are definitely present, but then again, that could just be hunger pains from denying myself dinner before I go so that I can be at my lowest possible weight. Me? Obsessed? It's not like I search frantically for the same outfit that I wore last week so that everything is the same, exactly the same!! I don't want to jinx myself, or feel fat all week because I wore a heavy jumper that should probably have had it's own WW membership. Seriously though...

Apart from the Chinese banquet episode, it's been a fairly good week. I've eaten within my points and even managed to save a few to splurge a little on my birthday dinner tomorrow. Psychologically it's been tougher though. I know that I need to exercise more as I have consistently been saving points during the week to spend on the weekend rather than earning extra points by exercising. I think I'm making it harder on myself by eating so little during the week and I can feel my brain starting to whisper "You don't have to do this you know. You could just stop. Even for one little, teeny, tiny day, you could just stop." The initial euphoria of quick weight loss is wearing thin and I feel like I just want to break free and have whatever I feel like. I've worked so hard though and I know that this has to be a lifestyle change. I need to incorporate the craving foods into my program and put some earplugs in to block out the little voice calling "eat me, eat me" from someone's plate of chips across the room.

I never realised that food had a voice until I joined Weight Watchers. Trust me, if you listen closely the next time a plate of chips pass by all cuddled up with a chicken parmiagana, you too will hear them whisper "all this could have been yours..."

Another day, another...

I wish the end to that phrase was "another kilo lost". But then again, after meals out on both Saturday night and for lunch on Sunday, I should probably be thankful that the scales are showing the same weight that they did on Friday.

I was so motivated on the weekend. I was going to stick to the food plan as well as I had for the first two weeks and nothing was going to get in my way...except maybe a Chinese banquet with friends! Not that the banquet was exactly my choice mind you. I did all my research before we left home and I knew just what I should and shouldn't eat, and I was hell bent on ordering a separate, "healthy" option no matter what. I was all set for a great night out when three faces turned to me with a sad look and uttered those fatal words: "The banquet needs four people..."

So what was I to do? I made the best of it and tried my hardest to stay away from the things I shouldn't eat. The spring rolls went to the boys and I sacrificed fried rice for steamed. I had a mere taste of the lemon chicken and the szechuan beef and only a single satay stick with most of the satay scraped off. I made sure that I had only one bourbon with Diet Coke. But when that Banana Fritter landed in front of me so golden and warm and gooey, I gave in. My resolve crumbled and I'm ashamed to say that I ate it, and the ice cream too for good measure. And I loved every minute of it.

So maybe the scales haven't budged, but they haven't gone up either.

The moral of the story? Banana Fritters are food for the soul. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

So who am I?

Okay, so my first post...now where to start? I guess I should start with a little bit of information about me, especially given that this is my blog. So who am I?

For the purposes of this blog, I am crazykarmakitty. Truth is that Karma is really my cat, a crazy, destructive, sweet angel of a kitty, and I wouldn't have him any other way. He is my friend, my confidante, my arch enemy and sometimes I think even the devil all rolled into one. A cat of vast extremes, from the contrasting black and white of his fur to the split personality that emerges when I least expect it.

I am a 32 year old female (okay, so I'm 33 in a few days) with an extreme lazy streak when it comes to exercise and healthy eating. I had about 20 kilograms to lose when I joined Weight Watchers on Thursday 22nd September 2005. I had been doing really well until this weekend and had lost 3 kg without too much pain and suffering. Of course, then the social life got in the way. One Chinese banquet and then one pre-birthday lunch later and I'm guessing I could be facing my first gain on the scales this week. Hmmm...must try harder. I will keep you posted (do you think that the novelty of that pun will wear thin shortly?)