Skinny Ass Saturday

I just thought I'd share...

I'm on the Maintenance Plan with Weight Watchers now!

As soon as I got below 58 kg I clicked "maintain this weight". No more losing for me!

Maintenance is awesome. I get 6 more points a day - hooray!

I've been on it for all of one week but it's going great so far. What's not to love about 6 points more each day? Except for the fact that in the back of my mind I've been a teeny bit worried that those 6 points were the only thing standing between me and obesity. You know the irrational fear that as soon as you stop losing weight you will automatically start gaining again? 

I started maintenance at 57.9 kg and was determined to stay under 58 kg. So I wasn't giving myself much room to move! This morning I checked my weight and it was 57.3 kg. So now I'm feeling a bit more relaxed about the whole thing.

I'm going to link this post up with my pal Brandy at You Don't Know.

Please click through to visit Brandy and encourage her to keep up the good work!

Moving on and New Clothes

What's new at my place? I've been wearing some new clothes. Because my old clothes don't fit me any more!

I got Alana to take this photo of me. I'm wearing her jeans. Gotta love that, wearing your thirteen-year-old daughter's jeans! It's cold, so I'm also wearing socks and boots; and a singlet, long purple top, and a cardigan buttoned up. I also need a hair cut and colour, but that's another story.

I'm now trying to quickly build up a good basic wardrobe of things that fit so I can add to it as I go along. Alana came shopping with me today and we had a good laugh in the fitting room together. I'm going to be working four days a week at the library starting Monday week, so I need a reasonable selection of "work" clothes. It's not as fun as shopping for just any clothes that I love, but taking Alana along certainly helps. I only have a limited budget, so I have to shop smart and get things that work together and look professional without being overly dressy. I tried on a grey dress that Alana and I named "the prison uniform" today. It was just awful! I'll be steering clear of anything that will make students too frightened to approach me at the library information desk!

I'm not quite at my goal weight yet. The last 4-5 kgs (10 pounds) seem to be hard, and slow, to shift. But I'm not focussing so much on the numbers any more. It's more about feeling good and (I hope) looking good.

I feel like I'm ready to move on from the chapter in my life in which I'm focussing a lot on weight loss. I'm sticking with Weight Watchers, I'm still tracking my foods and exercise, I'm not falling off the wagon! I'm just not going to spend so much time thinking about it any more. I have a family to love, work, and a holiday to plan! I don't want to get stuck in the rut of being all about the number on my scale.

How about you? How are you travelling on your journey?

Click the button to visit Brandy and link up for "Fat Ass Friday".

It's been over a week since I posted. I totally suck.

What have I been doing? Not much.

The kids have been on school holidays. We've done a bit of this and a bit of that.

I'm still sticking with Weight Watchers and I'm nearly at my goal. I've only got about 4.4 kgs to go! 

I've just found out that I've got four or five weeks work (twenty hours a week) at the library! This is awesome for me. It's just enough work; five hour shifts (during school hours!) four days a week. Could it be more perfect? I'm very much looking forward to actually feeling like I'm part of the team. So far I've only worked two shifts, a month apart, and both have been during the quiet time after the semester has finished. Each time I've met new people who have to be introduced to me as "the new casual librarian". Each time there's not much to do, and while it's always nice to be paid to sit behind a desk and look pretty (!), it will be fabulous to go in to work each day and have the library buzzing with students at the beginning of the new semester. I'll learn so much more about the job from actually doing it under normal circumstances. I'm sure that some days I'll be run off my feet or make a mistake or be asked a question that I can't answer and feel foolish. But I don't think there's anything for it, I've just got to "sink or swim" so to speak!

I'm soooo looking forward to tomorrow! It's Chris' 40th and we've got a fabulous afternoon and evening planned. We're going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and then having dinner at an Italian restaurant afterwards. It should be wonderful!

I'm going to link this post up with Brandy's Fat Ass Friday even though I've only briefly mentioned weight loss :)

Click on the button to visit Brandy.

A new me from the ground up!

Current weight: 63.1 kg

Goal weight: 57 kg

Only 6.1 kg to go!!!

I really need to take a few pictures of myself to show me in all my slim and healthy glory! I need a new profile pic too. Otherwise, if you ran into me in the street, you might not recognise me!

First I need to buy me a new wardrobe of clothes. I need to start from the ground up, and when I say the ground up I really mean it. Not only do I need some new "foundation garments" (bras and undies), I even need a new boob!

I'm a breast cancer survivor and I wear a mammary prosthesis. A fake boob that I slip inside a special pocket in my bra. Since losing weight, my surviving breast has shrunk in proportion to the rest of me, so I've been feeling a bit uneven.

So look out world! With only 7 weeks and 3 days until my 40th birthday, I'm nearly ready to unleash the new and improved Fiona on the world!

 Click on the button to visit Brandy for "Fat Ass Friday".

Sweet Treats

Click the button to visit Brandy and play along!

Current weight: 66.5 kg

Goal weight: 57 kg

9.5 kg to go!

I only lost 0.4 kg this week, but that's ok by me. Now that I'm getting closer to my goal, I understand that my weight loss rate will slow down. As long as I'm still losing I'm happy!

I've been really enjoying my cooking lately. I think it's because I'm focussing on eating fresh fruit and vegetables and protein sources such as fish, lean meat and chicken. I'm not relying on processed or packaged foods which are generally "too expensive" in terms of WW points. I'm enjoying experimenting with different ways to prepare vegetables and salads, using herbs for flavour and trying new combinations.

I've also been making some desserts. It's nice to be able to have a sweet treat now and then, and at least if I make my own from scratch I know exactly what has gone into it and I can count the points accurately.

This Chocolate and Meringue Torte is a WW recipe. It only had 5 points per serve! I enjoyed flexing my cooking muscles a bit separating the eggs and beating the meringue until it was glossy :)

This Pear and Raspberry Bread was not a WW recipe but it was a real hit with all the family. Delicious served warm with some custard!

Have you been cooking differently since you started on your weight loss journey? What have been your most successful recipes?

Rocking the Vampire Uniform

I'm baa-ack!

Participating once again in the fabulous Brandy's Fat Ass Friday.

You should click on the button and visit Brandy as soon as you've finished reading this post ;)

Goal weight: 57 kg

Current weight: 66.9 kg

Counting down: 9.9 kg to go!

I've been starting to think about the clothes that I'm going to buy when I've reached my goal weight. I'm planning on maintaining and never gaining it back, so I want to buy stuff that I really love and that makes me feel great.

I know exactly the look that I'll be going for. This blog http://www.youknowyoulovefashion.com/ that I've just discovered calls it "the vampire uniform" of fitted jacket, understated tee and tight, dark pants. In other words, I'll be looking like a mixture of Caroline, Elena and Katherine from The Vampire Diaries.

 Here's Caroline wearing "vampire at a picnic"! Love everything except the boots.

Elena wearing "doppleganger at the vampire sacrifice chic".

And Katherine looking "just plain sexy vampire".

And don't get me started on the dress that Elena wears to the funeral.

 I. Need. This. Dress.

So watch out world. Coming soon - Fiona rocks the vampire uniform!



Fat Ass Friday- the fashion edition

I went shopping yesterday. You know, clothes shopping.

I decided to take everyone's advice and go to Target and look for one inexpensive work outfit to wear to my training day next Friday.

Target have really expanded their work wear range. They have pants in skinny leg, boot leg and wide leg; in three or four different fabrics, in about five different colours. Most of them also come in short, regular or long leg lengths. Then of course they have a bajillion different skirts and quite a few blouses. And one jacket. What???

Now bless their little hearts, the Target customers don't seem to be all that careful about keeping all the different items of clothing in the right place. They seem to just put them back wherever they like once they've taken them off the rack to look at them. And I guess Target don't have enough staff to regularly comb through the racks and tidy them up. Here you can see the librarian in me coming out! Imagine if you went to the library and couldn't find the books you wanted because they'd all been shelved out of order? Frustrating, right?

Anyway...it was quite a gruelling task to find a selection of items to take to the fitting rooms, but I got there eventually.

I don't have all that much stamina for trying on clothes. All this getting into and out of different items, only to discover that you're not the size you thought you were after all, or that "skinny leg" really does have the emphasis on skinny! So then you have to get yourself all presentable, gather up your items, and head back out onto the floor for another round. Too much of that and I'm losing the will to live.

So I'm in the fitting room and can overhear two ladies talking in the next cubicle.

"That's a great colour on you," says one.

"Thanks. I like it, but I think it's too short," says the other.

"Ok, so you're not happy with the length. We'll look for something longer but I think we'll stick with that colour."

Hmmmm... I've got a great imagination, and I'm thinking that it sounds like someone's got a personal stylist with them.

A little later...

"Do you wear dresses often?" says "stylist" to customer.

"Would you believe I don't have any dresses in my wardrobe in the moment."

See, it does sound like a stylist; certainly not a daughter or friend who would know what her mother/friend wears!

And then...

"I'll just go out and get you a larger size in that."

Where, oh where, can I get me one of those helpful shopping ladies? I'd love one! Someone who could honestly tell me what they think of what I'm trying on and could help me search through the racks. They could also pop out and get me a different size if I needed it. I know you can take a friend or family member shopping with you, but they're not always capable of being honest! And I'd feel mean making them run around after me all day!

So, I guess you're wondering if I had any success.

I did come home with a pair of pants. 

Sorry about the quality of the photo. Needless to say, I didn't get this blouse which looks like a sack!

Unfortunately I didn't find a blouse that I was happy with. I also tried on a couple of dresses.

The top half of this dress was a bit too voluminous!

I thought this one looked pretty good! I didn't feel really comfortable in it, however, so I didn't get it. Maybe after I've lost a few more kilos.

How are you coping with your changing size and shape?

A New Goal!

Starting weight: 80.5 kg

Last week's weight: 71.1 kg

Current weight: 70.2 kg

Loss this week: 0.9 kg

Things are going well in the weight loss department. I seem to have conquered my need to constantly check my weight and I don't appear to have plateaued yet!

I have now reached an exciting stage in my Weight Watchers journey. Because I have lost 10% of my weight, I have been given the option to either move on the the maintenance plan or set a new goal weight.

I don't know how it works if you go to meetings, but I like this about the online plan. It means that WW acknowledges the fact that I've lost a significant amount of weight, am much healthier than I was before, and may want to just work on maintaining this loss. I think this would be a perfectly valid choice for lots of people, particularly if the 10% loss had put them within the healthy weight range for their height, or if the loss had taken a long time and they needed a break from losing for a while.

For me however, the healthy weight range is 50 - 62 kg, so I still have a way to go. And the loss hasn't taken very long, only 11 weeks, so I'm still feeling motivated and ready to keep going.

So I've set a new goal: 57 kg

I know it's pretty light (only about 125 pounds) but I'm short and I weighed in the 50-55 kg range when I was first married so I think it's probably do-able.

Onward and upward, or should that be downward?

Now I highly recommend that you click on the button at the top of this post and go visit Brandy at You Don't Know. She has a picture of her toxic toe blister that you just have to see! (She's a runner now.)

Thanks for stopping by!

Addicted to weighing and trying to avoid the dreaded plateau

Starting weight: 80.5 kg

Last week's weight: 71.5 kg

Current weight: 71.1 kg

Loss this week: 0.4 kg

I was totally disappointed this week on weigh day. Why? Because a couple of days earlier I weighed myself and got 70.8 kg and I thought I might even get down to 70.5 kg and post a 1 kg loss. Then I got on the scales on "the day" and got 71.1 kg. Boo :(

Now that I've got my fabulous fancy scales I'm getting a little bit addicted to weighing myself. I really should restrict myself to once a week on weigh day only. How often do you weigh?

Now that the weather is getting a bit cooler and less humid here, I've started going for longer walks to amp up my exercise a bit. I've still got quite a lot of weight to lose and I'm concerned that the rate of loss is dropping off and that soon I'm going to plateau. I'm trying a pre-emptive strike of extra exercise to avoid this. I guess I'm concerned that my body will get used to working with less calories and will become more efficient and I'll stop losing weight. Does this happen? Does anyone else out there worry about things like that?

Now I'm going to do a bad, bad thing. I'm guessing that this post might get more traffic than my usual ones due to the fact that I'm linking up with Brandy at You Don't Know. So I'm going to include a link to my last post in the hope that if you're visiting from Brandy's blog, you might click on the link and check it out.

http://readersrandomramblings.blogspot.com/2011/04/you-host-me-and-ill-host-you.html

And if you haven't come from Brandy's blog then you should definitely click on the button at the top of this post and go visit her straight away!

Attack of the Killer Sausage Rolls

So I told you all last week about my new scales. I've weighed myself on the old scales and the new scales and I've tried to figure out the difference all mathematically.

New, adjusted starting weight: 80.5 kg

Current weight on whizz-bang scales: 71.5 kg

So, although it looks like I've gained weight since last week's post, let's focus on the big picture and notice that I've lost a total of 9 kg! Yay! And who am I kidding? No-one other than me is really paying that close attention to the numbers anyway.

I feel like I've settled into a reliable routine when it comes to what I'm eating. It feels pretty easy. The problem comes when I have to eat out. Here are some examples:

I managed to offend a relative by refusing her home-made sausage rolls at a family birthday party. They were hors d'oeuvres before the main meal, so it wouldn't have been a big deal that I didn't eat any, except that my mum helpfully said something along the lines of, "That's how you're losing so much weight, Fiona, by not eating things like these sausage rolls!". Helpful. Later when I had a glass of wine with my meal, the sausage roll maker said, "Is wine allowed on your diet?" rather archly. Oooops.

After a family Christening, everyone decamped to the nearest pub for a celebratory light lunch. It was all finger food: crackers with cheese and cabanossi, pies, quiches and sausage rolls (again!), fried chicken pieces and cake. I'm serious, there was not a vegetable in sight, nor a healthy, low-points option. Now I could have just not eaten, but I was hungry because we'd had to leave home about an hour and a half before the Christening to travel. And then the service went for a loooooong time. And I knew I had a long drive home. So I nibbled on a spinach and cheese triangle and half a mini quiche and wished for a glass of wine but didn't want to waste the points on one since I was already eating buttery pastry and cheese.

It's Alana's birthday on Monday. We're going out for dinner with some of her friends to GPK - Gourmet Pizza Kitchen. They have a huge range of toppings so I'm really hoping that I'll be able to find something with lots of vegies that I can relax and enjoy. I know that WW includes extra weekly points for just these sorts of occasions, so I'm hoping to use some of my extras for birthday cake!

How do you manage when you have to eat out?

{This post is part of Brandy at You Don't Know Fat Ass Friday. Click the button at the top of the post to visit Brandy and/or play along.}

New Scales! Yay for shopping!

Starting weight: 78 kg

Weight last week: 72 kg

Current weight: 70.5 kg

Weight loss this week: 1.5 kg

Guess what? I went shopping yesterday and bought myself a whiz-bang set of digital scales. You know the fancy-pants ones that calculate your body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone density and body water percentage? Yeah, those ones. You are so jealous right now, aren't you? The scales were on special at Myer for $55 down from $149.95. Bargain!

 

I've tried them out and guess what? My old scales weren't giving me a very accurate weight. Who'da thunk it? So, boo, I'm actually heavier than I thought :( It doesn't take away my weight loss, it just means that I was heavier than I thought at the beginning :( Unless I have a super weight loss week it probably means that I'll show a gain next week because I'll start using the correct measurements.

 

Now click on the button below and go visit Brandy. I'm posting this even though she hasn't put her Fat Ass Friday post up yet because I know I'm going to be busy tomorrow.

Fat Ass Friday, again.

Hey y'all.

Are you getting sick of me saying y'all yet?

Guess what? I went on a road trip this week! To attend my graduation, so I'm now officially a Master of Education, fat lot of good it's doing getting me a job. So yay for me!

Here's a picture of me in my gown, hood and trencher.

I'll write more about my graduation road trip when I get around to it. Anyway, on with the show...

Starting weight: 78 kg
Weight a fortnight ago: 73 kg
Current weight: 72 kg
Weight loss this fortnight: 1 kg

I missed last week's festivities due to package excitement and a Texan Feast.

I still feel like I don't have confidence in the weight loss that I've achieved so far. I feel like I'll step on the scales and suddenly discover that I'm right back where I started. My clothes and the tape measure are telling me that I'm getting slimmer, but I just don't feel like it's really sticking yet. Any of you guys feel the same?

I really wish I had a set of digital scales. I'm doing WW Online, so I weigh at home, and my scales are the old-fashioned dial sort. I can step on them three times and get three different weights. I step on and off about ten times and adjust the little knob to make sure the needle is pointing EXACTLY at zero before I finally record my weight. It's annoying. So if there are any digital scale manufacturers out there reading this, please send me a set and I promise I'll mention your brand and promote it to death!

Thanks for all the encouragement everyone. I love all your comments.

Now click on the button below so you can visit Brandy. While you're there, I recommend watching the video of her Zumba-ing!

My Ass is not so Fat Friday

Da-da-da-da!!!!

Starting weight: 78 kg
Last week's weight: 74kg
Current weight: 73 kg
Weight loss this week: 1 kg

I'm on a roll. The losing is continuing at a steady rate of 1 kg per week. I'm feeling positive. I'm motivated.

I'm just going to take advantage of the momentum that I've created and run with it, because I'm well aware that there may be difficult times ahead.

So what have I been eating? - you may be wondering.

I'm sooooo much more aware of carbs than I used to be. I'm budgeting my points carefully, and I notice that protein and vegetables are featuring much more on the menu. I'm eating a lot less bread. I NEVER  add garlic or herb bread to my meal anymore. I don't eat toast at breakfast.

Also, I'm much more aware of portions when it comes to my protein. The portion of chicken, fish or meat that I eat with my evening meal is much smaller than it used to be.

How are you going with your weight loss?

Click on the button to visit Brandy at You Don't Know. Brandy is awesome and funny and she hosts "Fat Ass Friday" every single week. I credit her support with at least 5% of my weight loss!!!

Delusions of Grandeur

It's that time of the week again. You know, when we talk about weight loss.

Starting Weight: 78 kg

Last Week's Weight: 75 kg

Current Weight: 74 kg

Loss This Week: 1 kg

I lost again! And, I have reached my first goal, to lose 5% of my weight. Yay me!

Now I'm working towards my next goal, the 10% weight loss which will see me at 70 kg. But really I'm thinking about my final goal, the one in which I'm about 58 kg and thin and totally AWESOME!

\

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I think I can make it in time for my 40th birthday. Which is in just under 24 weeks.

So yeah, that's what I'm aiming for. And even if I'm not all the way there, I bet I'll be pretty darn close!

I hope I'm not setting myself up for a fall.

Thanks to Brandy at You Don't Know, I've got lots of support to keep me on track. So click on the button, visit Brandy and leave her some comment love. Or even link up with a post of your own about weight loss. That way you might be lucky enough to receive a special gift from Brandy like I did!

And I'd love to hear about your weight loss goals and how you're going at meeting them.

Eat lots of vegies and you'll always have points left for wine!

Link up with Brandy at You Don't Know for her regular feature "Fat Ass Friday". Just click on the button!

Starting weight: 78kg
Last week's weight: 76kg
Current weight: 75kg
Loss this week: 1kg

Yay! After not losing anything last week I lost another kilo! That means for 3 weeks of WW I have lost 3kg; an average of 1kg per week. I'm very happy with this statistic :)

What have I learned this week?

I'm finding it easier to eat smaller portions and I don't feel as hungry :)

I'll always save enough points for a glass of wine or a hazelnut latte if I want one! Today I had both and still only needed to dip into 3 of my 'weekly points' - the extras that WW allows for just this sort of 'emergency'!

Vegetables are my friends! I'm eating so many more vegies than I used to - they're filling and worth zero points - and I'll bet I'm so much healthier for it :)

I'm feeling determined now to push through any hiccups and reach my ultimate goal of being within the healthy weight range (50-62kg for my height). 

How are you going? I'd love to hear what you're learning from your journey. 

This week sucks.

Oh dear. It is very sad when my blog has no posts at all between one Fat Ass Friday and the next. Sorry!

My excuse is that I've had quite a craptastic week in one way and another and I haven't been inspired to write interesting, inspiring or thought provoking material. I suppose I should have just snarked.

So on to the statistics...

Starting weight: 78kg

Last week's weight: 76kg

Current weight: 76kg

Loss this week: 0kg

Boooooooo :(

So what went wrong?

I've been tracking.

I've used some of my weekly (bonus) points, but not all of them.

I've been exercising, and I haven't swapped any of my activity points for food.

I'm hoping that this is simply a bump in the road and that my next weigh-in will reveal a loss. Or I'll blame my scales. There must be something wrong with them.

How about you? Have you been discouraged by lack of weight loss when you're doing everything right?

Now click on the link below and go visit Brandy at You Don't Know. She is awesome and the hostess of Fat Ass Friday and you know what? I bet if we met in real life we would *totally* be besties :)

Fat Ass Friday - the "I've actually lost weight!" edition!

This is my first real proper fat ass friday with actual weighing of the self and actual weight loss. Yay me!

Before I reveal the stats, I should point out that I have really old non-digital bathroom scales that may or may not be working correctly. So the numbers that appear below may not bear a very strong resemblance to my actual weight.

Starting weight: 78 kg

Current weight: 76 kg

Loss this week: 2 kg!!!!!

Let's all give Weight Watchers a big hip hooray!

Weight Watchers also suggest that you take a "before" photo of yourself. I didn't want to strip down to a sports bra and bike shorts a la biggest loser, so I thought I'd be a bit creative. I took a photo of my most motivating feature - my stomach. I took a photo of it squashed into my jeans and the photo was truly terrifying! I won't show it to a living soul until I have a better "after" or at least "half way" photo to put beside it to show the improvement! I blame Josh, who was a 4.76 kg baby (10 pounds 5 ounces) and caused my stomach muscles to separate down the middle.

Weight Watchers also suggest that you track your measurements as well as your weight, so next week I might have some loss of centimetres to report as well as kgs. I'm crossing my fingers that the first week wasn't just a fluke!

Now you should all click on the button below and visit Brandy at You Don't Know. She's awesome and is also losing weight via Weight Watchers.

I am a Weight Watcher!

Cue the applause...

I've joined the club. Now I'm one of the cool kids who's tracking. I can discuss the point value of foods.

Next Friday I'll have some stats to report, for now I'll just share some random thoughts about my first few days "on the program".

Firstly, this week has been an emotional rollercoaster. Can it be attributed to starting Weight Watchers, or should I blame the heady combination of PMS and a summer cold? Who knows. All I know is that despite the support and good wishes of lots of friends who are encouraging me, I haven't exactly been riding high on the wave of goodwill.

Secondly, though Weight Watchers is a proven successful program that is flexible to personal needs and is relatively inexpensive; it's not free. I'll have to find some extra money in my budget so that I can continue on past the free 14 day trial period.

I'll be honest with you. It bugs me when people say things like "It's only a dollar a day" or "Your health is so worth it!" I'm sure they mean well but they probably just don't understand that every dollar we earn goes right back out again. Perhaps we could change our priorities and make different decisions about money but believe me, we don't throw it away. We spend it on gymnastics fees and school books and orthodontists. I'm currently 6 weeks overdue for my haircut and colour because I've had too many back to school expenses. My swimsuit has gone all thin and over-stretched, but I can't afford a new one at the moment.

Sorry to overshare. Moving on...

 

Chris has been supportive and helpful and is counting his points too. We've discovered that our biggest problem is the evening meal. The sorts of things that we normally cook are 15 or 16 points per serve which only leaves me 13 or 14 points for the rest of the day. My favourite coffee comes in at 5 points, so I'm sure you can guess that I've been struggling to use my remaining points wisely during the day. I've also been working on fitting in a glass of wine with dinner some nights. 

Finally, thank God fruit and vegetables are zero points!

Even my doctor thinks I should lose weight :(

Playing along again with Brandy at You Don't Know. Click the button to visit Brandy and check in with how her "weight loss journey" (I think I've watched too much Biggest Loser) is progressing.

Wednesday 2nd February

So, any day that you go to the doctor for a check up and she says, "You look like you've put on weight. Can you step up on the scales for me?" is not a good day.

A pap test and a weigh-in. Not good.

My doctor is lovely. She has been with me through the birth of two children, a battle with breast cancer, and a bout of depression. So she wasn't mean to me. She just gently suggested that I might like to increase my exercise and decrease my calories. Yeah, I know that's how it works.

So now I'm sipping unsweetened tea when I really wish I had a hazelnut latte. And I'm looking at the potato, bacon and chicken casserole that's cooking in my crockpot for dinner tonight and getting a sinking feeling that I ought to restrict myself to a very small portion. Boo :(

This was probably the kick up the bum that I needed to push me off the fence and onto the weight loss bandwagon, so expect to hear more on the subject. I guess what I need to do now is set some goals and make some plans for achieving what I want.

Thursday 3rd February

Drinking tea with no sugar again. Boo :(

I had a glass of wine with my potato, bacon and chicken casserole last night. Was that bad?

Ate a small bowl of Special K with skim milk for breakfast. Am hungry.

It's too hot to exercise.

This weight loss caper seems not to be going too well.

Friday 4th February

This hot, humid weather is making me lose the will to live, let alone make goals and work on weight loss. Luckily on Fridays during school term a friend and I meet at the pool to swim laps. In winter it can feel like a chore, but today I'm sure it won't! Then we reward ourselves with a coffee after. I can haz hazelnut latte?

Are you a Weight Watcher or a Jenny Craig-er or a devotee of meal replacement shakes and bars? What would you recommend?

Fat Ass Friday and my take on The Biggest Loser.

I can't even pretend that I worked on weight loss this week. I didn't. But you know what? I don't feel bad about myself, or guilty, because I know that I don't eat excessively and my diet is generally healthy.

Watching promos of The Biggest Loser's new season is a real eye-opener. This season the trainers have to spend a week living with the people that they are going to be working with, and they must EAT THEIR FOOD. ALL OF IT. And it's horrifying to see what these people eat. They go through the drive-through at McDonalds THREE TIMES A DAY. They eat whole tubs of icecream covered in chocolate sauce and lollies for dessert FIVE TIMES A WEEK. They have their own special recipe for creamy pasta that involves whole cartons of cream AND sour cream. What the hell???

Of course these people are significantly overweight, unhealthy and lack energy. Of course with a few weeks of healthy eating and exercise, the weight will fall off them. And good for them. In exchange for personal training and support with nutrition they are putting their lives on the television screen for all to see in the name of entertainment. They deserve to have great outcomes.

But it also makes me a little bit cranky. It seems so unfair. I don't eat anything like these people. I stick to three meals a day with healthy snacks. I eat regular food - fruit and veg, breakfast cereal, sandwiches, casseroles and the like. I like a glass of wine with dinner, and I'm partial to a hazelnut latte. I can honestly say that I take care to get the nutrients that I need and don't eat too many foods with "empty calories" - foods that have lots of fat and sugar but don't provide any nutrients. I walk the dog every day, swim once a week, and practice tai chi. So why do I look alarmingly similar to some of the (admittedly smaller) biggest losers?

So, what are your eating habits like? Please don't gloat if you are one of those annoying types that can eat whatever they want and stay slim. Have you unlocked any secrets that help the metabolism to ramp up and burn those calories? Is running the answer? Lots of protein? Cutting carbs? And do you enjoy watching The Biggest Loser?

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