Victory is mine...

Well folks, happy to report the dishes were done when I got home from work today. And the garbage had been taken out. I'm a happy camper. Not going to mention any of this again today!

I had to take CB to the airport today. No big deal apart from the early flight which somehow required me getting up earlier than the boy. Go figure! I replaced my early walk with a brisk 25min walk to Redfern Station and then the same this afternoon. I've managed to at least do that when other exercise is hard to squeeze in! All in all it means I've still managed to walk for at least 50mins each morning since Friday last week. Very happy with that although I don't feel it 'working' like I did last week. I figure that's because of TTOM when I always manage to get bloated.

Food this week has been hard to track, mainly because I've been eating takeaway a lot and although my choices have been better, I never really know the points I'm consuming. It most cases, ignorance is bliss, but I'm worried I may have overdone it. I'm aiming for 1/2kg gone by Saturday week. (so that's 10 days to get my butt moving and body losing). I just spoke to mum too, she's reported another kg loss which is fantastic and inspired me to be more diligent over the next few days to compensate for the weekend away. Here's hoping my willpower will get me through!

Happy Wednesday everyone. Off to bed for me. Ciao. xx

Being a nag.

I've just finished reading M's blog and I'm utterly astonished at how much energy she has, and how much effort goes in to caring for a family! Don't get me wrong, I didn't think it was easy, but I have been seriously doubting lately if I would have enough stamina to put myself last in the pecking order whilst doing all of the work. I'm definitely not housewife material.

Living with CB has seen me turn into a bit of a nag. I think we have both assumed our own comfort zones living as a couple, but in his world it seems the housework gets done my little elves that turned up when I moved in. I, on the other hand, am getting damn frustrated with the lack of voluntary housework on his part. So rather than doing it all myself. I ask him to help, once, twice... and then I get so fed up that I do it myself 'cause I'm sick of not having a house presentable when people want to drop in.

It's all been a bit compounded this week by the fact that his little brother is in town and has not lifted a helping hand since he got here, including not paying for food etc. So now I'm running around after 2 of them! Aghhhh!

Sorry to bitch and moan, but I'm getting a bit frustrated. I absolutely refuse to do it all myself since we are still both financially independent of each other, and there is no reason why he shouldn't be pulling his weight. Aghh. So there it is. I am a nag. And I'm going to continue to be until he gets the point. Unless anyone else has any ideas?

I went for a walk this morning, got up early, and am feeling less down, but more annoyed than yesterday. I have just found out that CB is away Wednesday night which means entertaining his brother another night, but all I want is some space to myself to tidy my lounge and office.

I think i better sign off here before I bring you all down.

Evil treadmill

I slept in this morning, unintentionally as my alarm did go off at 7, and as expected, I got out of bed feeling a bit gloomy. I usually experience this minor depression about a week away from TTOM, so I'm not surprised, but I'm yet to find a way to 'nip it in the bud'.

I finally dragged my self out the door at 9 for a walk, only to discover it was raining, so I went to the gym to use the treadmill instead. Bad idea. I hate using the treadmill, I find it dull, I hate that there is a clock or distance counter in front of me and I hate worrying too much about the machine to get lost in my thoughts as I usually do when I walk. I only lasted 15 mins. I got bored with the tv, felt sick because the air on the room wasn't very fresh, and annoyed that when I looked around I was in the mirror. In the end, I went for a proper walk, despite the sprinkling.

That's my grouch for the day. The rest of my weekend was good, I made lasagna (not ww) for the boys on sat night, and went for a big walk on sunday morning. We all went to eating world in china town for lunch (prawns and vegies for me) and then on to the By The Sea gig. It was great, my name was even on the door! (although I didn't know so paid anyway...). I did indulge in a $6 cocktail I could probably have done without, but I will make up for that this week.

Anyhoo. Work to get on with . Bye for now.

Choices

I lost 1.1kg this week! Woohoo! I definitely needed this to boost my motivation. The result on the scales reflected the choices I made this week with my food. I'm actually really surprised at how much of a loss it was (was hoping for 0.5) since I didn't really start tracking until Monday, and I haven't been walking much this week. Not complaining though!

I've walked to Newtown and back twice today, pretty good effort considering the rain. I had a cappacino. bread roll and a banana for breakfast - the boys had a massive cafe brekky but I'd eaten earlier so just had a cup of tea and read the paper while they ate. That is a significant choice to have made, I LOVE cafe breakfasts!

I've just found out that I won't be in town next weekend for weigh-in and I'm a bit conflicted as to what to do. I don't want to attend the Tuesday meeting the following week (there's no point since I don't like the leader and won't stay) so I think I may have to wait for two weeks before I weigh in again. As a lifetime member, I don't have to pay for missed meetings, but I'm concerned that I will fall off track If I don't weigh in. Oh well, life in the way again! CBs little sister is 18 and we are going to go to Tamworth for the weekend of her Party.

I'm pretty stoked about my loss. I might even try and have a healthy dinner tonight so that I can 'budget' my points for Yum Cha tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, I'm off to do some work now.

Surrey Seaside Adventures #1

My subject today is a blatant plug for my mates band, By the Sea. I've just finished uploading their website in time for their mini-festival "Surrey Seaside Adventures # 1" happening this weekend at The Excelsior in Surry Hills. If anyone who reads this wants something to do this Sunday arvo, get along. 8 local bands, kicking off at 12 pm, for only $12!!

Now that's out of the way, back on to my week! Firstly, I've been pretty busy the last few days but wanted to thank you lovelys for the hugs you sent me after my last post. Almost as good as the real thing! Ta!!

I'm happy to report that I've stayed on track all week, even last night when I had a friend over, I had a toasty pie and a corn cob and 3 bits of club chocolate. I also had a beer but I'm pretty sure that my total indulgence only added to 8 points. Go me. I'm feeling confident that I haven't gained this week - weigh in tomorrow will tell all I suppose.

CB gets home tonight, and his little bro just called to say he's on his way too, so it's looks like it's me and the boys for the weekend. We pick up the new car tonight or tomorrow so there will no doubt be a leisurely drive in slipped in somewhere over the next 3 days.

Anyway, that's my lot. I'm now about to go and read what you girls have all been up to this week.

Quick note

Just showing my friend how blogging works...

Itching to blog...

Warning - Self Indulgent Post

When I was in high school, I kept a journal and wrote in it everyday, sometimes several times. My journal became my best friend, the most precious thing I owned because it housed "the real me". Occasionally there were days where I was so overwhelmed with all the stuff in my head, I felt like I would literally burst if I didn't write them down immediately. As a result, I had many days where I stickytaped bits of paper into my journal after having been scrawling instead of doing my maths. By about yr 11 at school, I had transferred a lot of my journal energy into writing letters to internet pen friends. I merged the two mediums and at one point all my letters were printed, deleted from the computer (at that stage we were sharing the family one) and then pasted back into the journal.

It's funny to think that now, I am writing directly to the internet and cementing thoughts online, sharing them with strangers.

Today is one of those days I'm itching to write things down. I am missing CB desperately this week, for no other reason other than I really want hugs today - he knows my moods better than anyone and understands that sometimes I just need to be close to him. He rang me a couple of hours back to tell me he's on the way to pick up my earrings. He's apparently not had a lot of sleep, the project is going well but the hours have been intense. I guess I know too, that he would ordinarily like to wind down after big days, but this is a big week for them and there will be no relaxing till Friday, so I am worrying about his stress levels etc.

I'm amazed at how differently I think now that there is someone else in my life. When I was single and living in sharehouses, I was extremely independent, and extremely selfish - I never dreamed that so much of my energy could ever be diverted to someone else. I also never thought I could feel so utterly committed and in love with someone that I would worry more about them than me. I suppose that it probably comes down to gender instincts but I'm concerned I should be concentrating on other things.

Sorry to get so personal in this post folks. Stuff in my head that I needed to purge!

I have spent a good part of today reading through tax legislation. Not much fun. I've seen an accountant, been to the ATO office and Sydney, and to the Super fund office. I've walked a bloody long way today! I have also kept to my points and provided I can keep on top of the craving I'm having at the moment (Badly wanting CLUB chocolate!!!), I will be on 18 pts again for the day which is good.

I'm having to re-think my tracking strategy now that I weigh in on Saturdays. I used to give myself the "night off" when I weighed in on Tuesdays and have a nice dinner and a treat like a choc bar or icecream without counting it. But that scheme isn't going to work since I have the whole day Saturday to deal with after weigh in. I'm thinking of maybe letting Saturday night, after 7 pm, be my relax night so that I have plenty of time to be good for the rest of the week.

I've just got an exciting email telling me that my best mates band (By the Sea) is going to be on FBi tomorrow night, from 10pm. They are performing live in the studio. I've thrilled for them to be getting the air time.

Well that's my bit for Tuesday. I'm working in the city for the rest of the week so may not have a lot of time to catch up on my blog reading but I hope you all have great weeks! I'm looking forward to the Saturday meeting. I sense my system is responding to my efforts of the last 2 days already, it feels great!

Points with Volume

I'm falling into a bit of a winter slump where I feel like I need lots of food to stop shivering. Does anyone get the same - where you need to feel physically 'full' to be content? Having successfully 'survived' ww winters (sorry to be dramatic), I've worked out a few ways to trick myself into thinking I am eating lots. Tonight my weapon of choice was Corn. Corn is great, it looks big and takes a bit of time to eat - I mircrowaved a few 1/2 cobs in a plastic bag this evening and added it to my meal. I also had a whole carrot, whole tomato and 1/4 cucumber with 0 point dressing. Basically, my big plate was full, but the only points were in the ww beef hotpot (4pts) which i scooped out of the packet and put beside the vegies. A very satisfying meal without many points. I followed it with 0 point jelly and 1/2 pt fruit, and 15 rice crackers (1.5 pts).

So I ate 18 pts today and don't feel deprived, which I usually do when I get back on track. I actually saved the last 2 for a jarrah choc drink with marshmallows but have just discovered we are empty in both departments. Looks like a herbal tea for me!

CB left this morning for Brissy again. I dropped him off at the airport around 7am then went for a 45min walk. It felt good, but it's a lot colder in the mornings than it was 3 weeks ago! I'm going to have to find my scarves and beanies soon. CBs little brother arrived from Tamworth last night, he stayed over to break up his drive on the way to the snow. So my working morning didn't really start properly until 12 when I could get back into my office (which doubles as our guest room...). Today has been one of serious procrastination. I have lots of bills to pay this month, car rego and insurance is due and although my premiums have been reduced, the difference isn't as significant as I thought. So I've most of my afternoon getting quotes from insurance companies. AAMI really IS cheaper with their greenslips - by heaps!!

I also rang the Jewellers where I have picked out my earrings - the guy had misplaced my contact details so it's a good thing I rang back. Craig will be able to pick them up in person this week sometime. So I should have new shinies by Saturday. woohoo.

Oh, and girls, I love all the new colours I'm seeing in your blogs. You folk really like to decorate! I'm not going to change mine until I can design the interface myself - I've just about cracked the style sheets. Time for bed now though.

Confession: 0.5 gain

Sad but true. I went to the Saturday meeting and recorded a 0.5kg gain. I guess I expected it because I have not tracked for a bout 3 weeks now, and my exercise has gone back to 2 -3 walks a week instead of the usual 4-5, but it's still a disappointment. I did pick up a new book though, and hopefully the new recipes combined with the fact that I'm on my own for a week will keep my motivation up.

On a lighter note, I did manage to meet the magnificent Mary, despite me nearly leaving the meeting without even saying g'day! Since I had only ever seen a photo her, I was relying on the dreads as a way of identifying her - but the dreads had been removed. So there was a girl in black, but I wasn't quite sure if it were her... Mary on the other hand was expecting a new blonde in the room - and encountered 4 of them! And since I have recently darkened my hair and had it cut, I didn't resemble my photo much either. But at the end of the meeting, a "are you cath?" got my attention. Kinda funny really - Nice to meet you too Mary!!

I was really impressed with the Saturday meeting, and even with the usual leader away, I sensed this group is certainly more co-hesive than the Tuesday night meet. I'll definitely go back.

In other news, CB and I spent our Sunday looking for a new car and CB nervously signed some papers tonight. We will soon have in our car space a shiny new holden vectra. We took the Nissan Maxima and the Mazda 6 for a drive too, but the Vectra came out on top. (Pity since I really loved the look of the 6 but it lacked performance compared to the other two). And for the record, I'm not much of a Car buff, but CB has been subtly "educating" me on the good and bad points to look for in a car.

We also took a break in between car yards to go record shopping, and found some gems, including "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" by the Chemical Brothers for just $10 @ acetate in darlinghurst. Very cool, I have a loop from that song as my ring tone at the moment. We also came across the whole new Daft Punk album which may end up being a great pressie for a CB in august.

Anyway, that's my lot for this weekend. Have a good one all.

Lady of leisure... Bring it on!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my pre-brissy post - lucky for me, the plane stayed in the air! I've decided to go see a doctor before I fly again as I think I made the other passengers feel uncomfortable by my sobbing and rapid breathing everytime we took off, hit turbulence or landed. I was a bit of a mess. CB was on my flight home and let me squeeze his hand but even he couldn't stop my blubbering. Very embarrassing!

Despite the plane thing though, I had a brilliant, relaxing time. I rarely get to stay in Hotels so it was quite a treat. Saturday night was a write-off, we went out with CB's work mate - I don't remember getting back to the hotel, and Sunday saw me bonding with the toilet bowl. Here's a tip, no matter how good the idea sounds at the time, a banana smoothie followed by apple juice doesn't aid in settling your stomach. In fact, the result was my creative stomach bringing back up an apple and banana smoothie for my approval. Not good!

Needless to say, Sunday night was a quiet one! We ate a nice meal in the hotel and went for a big walk the next day. I had 2 baths this weekend (+ a few showers of course) - I loved the novelty of having a bath, and made the most of the hotels shower gel. My other big treat was getting my hair cut and coloured. Haven't spoiled myself like that for a while! Good fun.

I am confident that I didn't pile on any weight over the weekend, so I'm back on track this week and looking forward to visiting the new (to me) meeting on Saturday.

P.S - I found my earrings! They aren't like the images I had posted early, but very unusual funky. I will post a pic when they arrive - I'm getting them next week sometime.

Checking in...

It feels like ages since I last 'blogged', I've had some fairly full-on work happening on a customer site in Crows Nest and I have been collapsing in front of the TV most nights, not wanting to sit back into the drivers seat of my mac.

But I'm here now, so I'd thought I'd check in, and check out what my favorite little ww's have been up to. I have been naughty - I haven't tracked or weighed-in in about 2 1/2 weeks and my willingness to give into my cravings has returned. So much for re-empowering myself with lessons learned. I have been feeling down and out and have been compensating by eating too much, and none of the good stuff.

My reason for not weighing in is simply bad scheduling - I have been working late on Tuesdays and have not yet been able to free-up my Saturday mornings to try the alternate meeting close by. As for not tracking - that's just me being resentlful and stubborn about this weighty problem. So it's pretty much back to the drawing board.

I am flying (eeeek) to Brisbane on Saturday morning , 7am flight, to hang out with the Boy (he's working over the long weekend) and won't be back till 11pm Tuesday night. This flying thing has me a bit scared - my fears are getting worse (not better) every flight I take. I cried my last flight back from the gold coast, squeezing the life out of CBs hand. Saturday I fly alone and I'm not sure how it's going to go - even considering visiting 'Auntie Val' to try and calm myself before I get on the plane. Does anyone else have this fear? I am also deathly afraid of big moths and spiders!!

That is my bit for this week. My resolve is to try and get back on track asap, attend the very next meeting I can, pick up my week 9 book and try and re-motivate myself. I know it's not that hard to follow the program, but life is getting in the way!!

Confessing - Didn't go to my weigh in this week

And I'm not sure I'm going to get there next week either. Tuesday night is becoming harder to fit in as I have been working late the last few weeks.

At home, my scales are revealing small losses - about .2 or .3kg - this is fine since I know that I haven't been following the program very strictly - CB is still a little resentful of me whinging when he suggests a night out for dinner, or pub grub (which we both LOVE but there is nothing on the menu that is satisfying enough & healthy). Slow and Steady weightloss will have to do.

We've just gotten home from a massive shopping trip - we had a list of things to get including undies, shampoo, trousers for the boy and earings for me. CB promised to buy me earings for my B'day. I don't wear much jewellry so finding something I liked was difficult. I usually wear junk silver stuff, hand crafted pendants and rings, standing in a real jeweller was very intimidating.

In the end, I found only one pair that I liked - a beautiful white gold hoop with some diamonds - kind of like these that i saw on ebay (left):


I'm thinking I would actually like to have a strip of matte-polished white gold instead of the diamonds - much more my style. I like the idea of the shiney and matte next to each other (right).

Enough about the earings! I've been working a lot this week, back at one of my old offices helping them out with presentation material - it's so nice to go back when the bad parts of the job are no longer a problem. As a freelancer, I am there to help and everyone is appreciative. It's a great gig!

Anyway, have to go clean the kitchen and get dinner ready (leftovers tonight - no cooking - woohoo!!). Have a good weekend.