Slowly, ever slowly, I'm getting there...

Just ducked over to Mum's to weigh myself for the first time this year. When I'd jumped on the scales just after Christmas (and all its indulgences) I was happy to see that I had managed to remain at 97kg... hell, I was relieved.

I really need to remember to take my glasses over with me when I do this... cos I can never see the damn numbers clearly. I had to ask mum to tell me what the little red pointer was pointing at because I couldn't be sure. But what do you know... it really was pointing at a new set of numbers.

95!

That's right. Two more kilos have been thrown away. They will not be returning. I will not be looking for them. I don't want them back. I'm two more kilos closer to the end of year goal of 80 by Christmas. My size 16 jeans need a belt to stop them sliding down my arse. All I need now is a job so I can afford to pay for the new clothes I'm going to need, all my netball games and a return to the gym.

:o)

Hey folks... it's the other one. ;o)

Okay - so Steph is officially AWEsome!

She is, without a doubt, a major inspiration for me and the whole "get fit, get healthy, get rid of the fat (both on my body and in my head)" lifestyle change that I've been on for a while now.

I'm doing things a bit slower than Steph - partly because I'm flat broke and can't get to a gym. But... the four teams I now belong to for netball are definitely working out for me.

I weighed myself at the doctor's the other week.
I'm 97kgs.
Yep.
I've hit my goal for the year with a month to spare. I am under 100kgs BEFORE Christmas!
I could not tell you the last time I was under 100kg.

So, since September last year I have gotten rid of 20.2kgs.

And that means that since my 30th b'day, when I estimate I was rocking out at the 140kg mark, I have gotten rid of 43kgs.
I have friends who weigh that much.
I've taught kids who weigh that much.
How the hell was I carrying that much extra weight around, for god's sake?

So now I am going to keep plodding away, doing my thing, and aim for the final goal of 80kgs by Christmas 2010. But I'll be honest - if I'm only 90kgs by then, I won't mind. Cos I'm feeling pretty good about myself these days. I can look at my reflection and not hate it. And part of that may be due to the fact that a guy, a real honest to goodness, breathing guy, has seen me naked... and liked it (but that's another story with some bitter sadness attached). But it's also due to the fact that I'm starting to like myself. Which makes a really nice change.

Later.

Quick update-age: (UPDATED)

Just wanted to say:

I BOUGHT SIZE 16 JEANS TODAY!
I got my usual "bootcut" style
BUT
I also got the "slim" style and I tried the 18s on first and they were TOO DAMN BIG!
OMG! SIZE 16!!!!

*MissE does the happy dance all the way out of the lounge room and into bed! Seriously contemplates sleeping with the new jeans... but decides not to because she plans on wearing them tomorrow.*

Update:
Here's me in one of my new pairs of jeans:
Not the greatest shot ever (Mum's a bit of a technophobe and doesn't do so well with the mobile phone/camera), but you get an idea (I hope) of how the jeans look.

I've got a new fave number...

101kg.

I'm sure I'll stop smiling soon.

Then and Now... with MissE (updated 25th August)

Hey there peeps.

This is me - taken in late 2006. I had already gotten rid of at least 10-15kg by this point and was participating in my school's "Staff Biggest Loser" competition.This is me - yesterday. What I really need to do is get dressed in the same clothes as I'm wearing in that "then" photo so I can really see the difference. But this will have to do for the moment. So nearly three years on, this is where I am at... at least 12kg lighter again. And another 20kg to go. But I'll get there.

Update: Here's me in that polo shirt. This is it just hanging loose on me.
Here is me pulling it in to show the difference (or something like that) followed by a shot to show how much extra material there is in this top now.

Oh my...

So I just went into JeansWest at the local shopping asylum and tried on what I think of in my head as my "proof of size" jeans. Which I'm aware is prolly a flawed way of looking at them but meh.

Anyway, the point is this... back in May I had to buy the POS jeans in a size 18 because the size 20s that I'd bought last year were literally falling off me. The thing is that the size 18s are starting to approach this same problem. I can now remove them without undoing the button or unzipping the zipper. (Yay, right)

So I figured I might as well go into the store and risk trying on the size 16s in the bootcut jeans that are (admittedly) the slightly looser cut but who the hell cares cos it ain't like they're "large girl" jeans. And guess what?

I CAN FIT INTO THE SIZE 16 JEANS!!! I can do up the button, zip up the zipper and still breathe and not feel like I"m about to get sawed in half in the process!

OH. MY. GAWD!

The happy dance in my head went into overdrive.

And now I have netball training to get to - so MWAH!

Update-age from MissE

Saw that phish had posted and felt a bit guilty... so here's the quick update from me.
According to the WiiFit that I set up for my Mum yesterday, I am currently 105.5kg. This is .5kg less than I was last Friday at the Doctor's... so yay. Mind you, it also told me I'm still considered obese and that my BMI is woefully high. God knows what it would have thought if I'd stepped on at the start of all of this slow and steady weight loss... when I was somewhere beyond 130kg and looking seriously at the size 24 clothes in the "You're Big and We Know It" section of Target.

But now, I'm wearing size 18 jeans from Jeanswest. I can fit into the L size at Crossroads, instead of just getting into the XXL. And more and more of the clothes in my cupboards at getting looser and looser and looser. My fave "loose" item currently is the pair of "Basque Woman" pants that I bought early last year. They're a size 18 and when I bought them they were a little bit tight. And then for the bulk of the year, I put on a little bit of weight and I couldn't get into them comfortably at all. Well, not anymore. I've actually had to use the two little waistband "tighteners" so that I can keep wearing them for work purposes. ;oP

I'm still not going to the gym, coz I still can't afford it. :o(
But I am playing mixed indoor netball every Sunday and going for walk/jogs when I can. Come next week, there'll also be a weekly netball training session coz our team wants to improve... we've lost all bar two of our games so far and some of those losses have been serious floggings.

So bring on the current goal of under 100kg by Christmas. I know it seems a small drop from where I am now but taking it slow and steady is what is working for me. Setting a reasonable and small goal means I don't feel over-pressured and that is what can trigger stupid eating decisions and excessive couch potato-ing.

Later!

checking in...

So I've been silent again.
I've had to drop the gym due to lack of money.
but I've been trying to walk a lot to make up for it.

weighed myself on Mum's not-100%-reliable scales.
figure I'm around 112kg.
which means I have to have lost (since the beginning of 2006) over 20kgs.
And I should say "got rid of" because "lost" implies I plan on finding those kilos again some day.
And I don't.
Ever.

Hopefully, I will be back in the money-earning people after July. Then it will be back to the gym and full on towards being under 100kg by New Year's.

Phish is my inspiration.

Been a while...

Sorry about that... but I have been distracted and not as focussed as I could be.

Basically I just wanted to give people an idea of where I've come from weight wise.

This was me at my 30 birthday - so four years ago:
I figure that I likely weighed well over 130kgs at this point and likely got bigger in the follow year before I began to actively look at how I was living my life and what I was doing to my body.

This is me now - I took it on Thursday and it is also posted over at my blog:
I would like to have had a picture in a similar pose the one above but this is the best I can find at the moment. Mind you, there is no way that the woman in that top photo would have even considered wearing the outfit that the woman in the bottom photo has on.

Currently I weigh somewhere in the vicinity of 115kgs but my plan is to be below the 100 mark by year's end. If my Personal Trainer has her way, I'll get to that mark before August. But the universe has been conspiring against my workouts lately - the heatwave here in Adelaide was just too much. But we've a cool change in the wind so next week is back to it!

Later.

Hmmm - that's a problem.

Had a PT session for this morning... upshot is that my trainer, M wants me to get checked out by the doctor coz she is worried about the whole getting dizzy thing. Apparently, it turns out that I'm not as unfit as I think I am and so that means that there might be something else going on.

So I just made an appointment for Saturday.

I'll let you know what happens.

Later.

This might be useful...

I found this on the "Better Homes and Gardens" pages of Channel 7's Yahoo website and thought it was worth passing on:

If you’ve tried to lose weight, but haven’t succeeded, it may be because your metabolism has slowed down. So, to finally lose those extra kilos, and to keep them off, follow these tips to give your metabolism a boost. And while exercise makes a big difference to your weight loss, you can also burn kilojoules while you rest by watching what and when you eat.

Don’t skip breakfast. The morning meal jump-starts your metabolism and helps prevent bingeing later in the day. A cup of coffee doesn’t count – the added sugar causes a mid-morning slump, making you more likely to overeat later. Morning foods that include complex carbohydrates like whole grains (oatmeal), along with a little protein and low-fat yoghurt and milk, will maintain energy levels and keep your hunger in check.

Eat more often. Get in the habit of eating every 3-4 hours, or at least four times a day. Eating frequently helps stabilise your blood sugar levels, so they don’t plummet and make you want to overeat. Regular meals also help keep your body’s metabolic rate from falling. When you go a long time without nourishment, your body compensates by slowing down to conserve energy, and this can hurt weight-loss efforts.

Opt for protein at every meal. Protein helps reduce your appetite, takes more energy to digest, and also makes you feel full longer than eating carbohydrates alone. And recent studies suggest that eating more protein can help you lose weight – even without reducing the number of kilojoules. Try these easy choices: turkey on whole-wheat bread; hommus and pita; vegetables and chilli; fruit with a handful of nuts; or nutrition bars that contain at least 12 grams of protein.

Hold off on snacking. Many of us grab a snack for quick energy when we’re feeling tired. But don’t confuse fatigue with true hunger. Instead, go for a brisk walk. This will raise your heart rate and give you an energy boost. Follow it up with a big glass of water. If you’re still feeling hungry, opt for a healthy protein-and-carbs snack.

Consume enough for your body’s needs. Eating too little slows your body’s metabolism in the same way that eating infrequently does. If you want to lose weight, don’t slash your kilojoules intake too drastically. Instead, cut out the extras like soft drinks, cakes and sweets. Processed foods can be high in fat and kilojoules, but low in nutritional value, which means excess kilos will be stored as fat.

I know I'm going to be trying to follow the obvious stuff... like cutting back on the sweets and so forth (she says, stuffing another piece of chocolate in her mouth.)

But I'm determined. Things will change. I will do better, eat better, feel better and so on...

stalled....

I made it to the gym Monday.
Had my first go at the programme my PT wrote me.
and then Tuesday arvo came around, my glands swelled up, my throat got all scratchy and I went home via the gym to cancel the PT session Wed morning coz I felt like shite.
Doctor's appointment Friday arvo and I apparently picked up a cold/flu virus somewhere (gosh.. gee whiz where could that have been from?) and am supposed to rest and recuperate... right. So I'll leave off going back until this coming Wednesday when I have anther PT session due.

Wank bugger damn shit crap darn it.

So I have no idea on how much I weigh besides too much... I'm feeling somewhat miffed at myself and at my immune system.

I promise, Phish, that I will come up with something brilliant and inspiring to post as soon as I can.

argh!

*MissE goes of to pound her head on the wall for a while... and feed the cat before he eats her ankles in protest*

Less of me...

So, after the evil lunges of Wednesday morning my legs were very very :o(
I didn't get back to the gym until today.
Had planned to go yesterday but was not feeling very well at all.
So I went in today instead.
Warmed up on the treadmill, then did my weight work for around 20-25 minutes, then managed 5 minutes on the treadclimber.
After stretches I went in and weighed myself.

112.1kgs!!
Wooooo hooooo to me!
I've somehow managed to get rid of 1.2kg this week.
I'm sure it's due to my eating less or even eating more regularly with the Lite'n'Easy stuff - you know, now my body has to start eating itself a bit more.
I'm also sure it will not be this easy the whole way down to the 80kg I want to weight by the end of 2009, but it is definitely a nice feeling to have gotten off the 115-116kg mark where I've been for the last 18 months.

ohhhhh my thighs hurt!!!!

ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.

Lunges are of the devil.

First PT session yesterday morning around 8am.
And now at 11:15am my inner thigh muscles... you know, the ones towards the top of your thigh? Anyway, those ones - HURT!!!

But I'll go back tomorrow after work and get them moving again. Hell, I may even head in this arvo... depends how the housework goes.

First official weight in...

I procrastinated about this morning.
I don't know why.
I mean, I really wanted to go to the gym.
But I got up late, I faffed about with breakfast and getting into gym gear, so it was nearly 11am before I walked through the gym doors.

I decided to go with a weight training session today. 5 minute warm up on the treadmill and then into the weights area. 2x15 reps on the leg press and the shoulder press plus 1x15 reps on the shoulder pull-down thingy and 1x15 on the compound rowing machine. I figured I should do weights today so tomorrow is just a treadmill type of day and then Wednesday is my first PT morning and that might involve some weights work and you're supposed to have a day "off" between weight work.

The best news though was that at the end of the session I went and weighed myself. I thought I was still around the 115-117kg mark (it's where I've been 'sitting' for the last 18 months or so) but according to the scales I'm currently sitting at around 113.3kg!!!

There were some big smiles on my face!

Sometimes you just start slow...

I went to the gym on Thursday for my orientation appointment.
I got to "play" on the various machines for cardio work - like rowing machines and cross trainers - and on the variety of weight machines for working leg and arm muscles... hopefully building up lovely lean muscles somewhere down the track.

Haven't been back yet as I was at work all day Friday and came straight home so I could hang out with my sister as she's in town from Perth, and then today I was seriously feeling the rotten cold virus thing that's set up camp in my throat this past week and a bit. That said, I will be heading into the gym tomorrow for a nice 30 minute walk on the treadmill! Definitely. And my once-a-week PT starts on Wednesday morning at 8am, which means I need to be there at least 15 minutes before that to do some warm up walking on the treadmill or maybe on the cross trainer before I meet M and find out just how 'mean' she's going to be. I'm hoping for really really really mean.

And I'll weigh myself then too. See where I'm at...

One down...

I did it.

Admittedly it took me two more days than planned but still I have joined my local gym! My membership starts as of tomorrow morning. I went for the membership that gets me a session with a Personal Trainer once a week every week of my 12 months membership. COz I know I need that extra help.

You should see inside this place!
Wow.
Have any of you guys been inside a Fernwood?
Coz... DAMN!
It's sooooo nice.
The change room is so clean and... well, girlie.
And I actually like that it is a women only gym... which is odd coz I thought I wouldn't... you know, no guys to oggle, women being harsh judgemental bitches, and so forth. But I felt really good when I walked in yesterday to have a look and even better when I went back today to sign up!

So now I just need to call Lite'N'Easy.

Later!

So what am I gonna do?

Well, tomorrow morning I'm calling my local Fernwood gym and getting some price details. Let's be honest - unless it is ridiculously priced, I'm gonna join up. It's just down the road so I won't be able to use the whole "Oh it's too far to drive" excuse.

After I've done that I'm calling "Lite'n'Easy" and organise to get the Breakfast and Lunch setup so then I only have to worry about what I'm eating at dinner as far as healthy for me goes. It means one less stress... and stress is a trigger for me to eat crap food.... sooooooo.

And I'm the other one...

Go Steph!
Well, I'm going to be a little behind you on getting things going - but I will get them going.
Dunno about joining a gym... I need to have a look at what gyms are around here. I do miss going to the gym; I used to go to one back in Rocko. I've been so slack... I haven't even been going walking with anything resembling regularity.

So my current stats? Hmmm, well, the last time I stepped on a scale was around a month ago and I was around the 115-116kg mark. I don't know my measurements at this point but I'll put them up when I get them, promise.

Oh - and for anyone reading this who isn't Steph ...

Hi, I'm MissE.
Steph kindly invited me to join her on this mission to get ourselves healthy and slimmer than we currently are.
I'm 33 and I'm doing this because I want to feel good about myself. Like Steph, I want guys to check me out, not coz my arse is its own planetoid but because I look 'hot' and fabulous! But mainly I want to not hate myself even a little bit when I lok in the mirror. I want to be able to walk into an ordinary clothing store and not search for the XXL or even the XL... I want rid of the X's!
Currently I am anything from a 16-20 depending on where I am shopping... I mostly shop in the clothes stores that cater for the "big girl" and it kinda sucks because they tend to stock a lot of ugly-fracking clothes.

Anyway - I'll be back soon!