103.6kgs on 23rd February 2014 - waistline under 100cms.

I may not have lost much weight lately but the measurements are changing. For the first time in many years my waistline is under 100cms, 99.8cms to be exact. It is a new milestone. I must find up my old diet and exercise diary to measure and compare with what I have been previously. I think it will be quite interesting to see the changes happening. I printed out a picture taken in November 2013 and one taken today in the same dress. My neck area is much more defined and my arms look a bit smaller. the dress hangs straight over my hips and gapes more under the arms. The only need for a brooch at the front is decoration now instead of being essential to stop my bra showing. The hemline is longer too as it does not have to stretch over the hips as much.

 

I attended a wedding of two gay friends on Friday. It had a theme of the Roaring '20's and almost everyone came in something that took notice of that theme. Even the guys played along. In fact it was a guy that won the cup for Best Costume with his whites, striped jacket and punting straw hat. They had fake gambling tables and I played my first games of Blackjack. If you won the most chips in your group of people your name went into a carton for a draw at the end of the evening for a prize ( a cup and a scale model Ferrari). I also got picked for the playoff but lost all my chips in the 3 games of Roulette that was the decider. A guy who had been last after the second game won it in the end. It was fun as people took on personas and enjoyed themselves. The 2 ladies involved are lovely ladies that have had a horrible couple of years recently and I hope this is the start of many years of love and joy. I chuckled when entering the area for their wedding as the Lounge was named the Delightful Ladies Lounge at our local Trots Track.

 

Food wise at the wedding I had 2 small slider Turkey mince burgers, NO CHIPS, and a selection of the fruit and cheese as dessert so it did not make my weight go up.

 

 

 

I am getting over my sore rib area from the fall I had a few weeks ago while out walking. I am slowly increase weights, reps and types of exercise I can do in the gym. I have not done many long walks around the area since but still do walks over and around the shopping area across the road. I have started using the exercycle, instead of the treadmill,l as I can do longer distances on it in the 20 minutes they let you use one piece of equipment. As I said earlier the weight is dropping slowly but the measurements are shrinking.



103.9kgs (228.58lbs) 0n 16th February 2014

Weight loss is slowing so I think I need to look at what I am eating and how often. I think it is the how often that may be tripping me up. I have decided to do more walking. I now go to the gym on alternate days and for a long walk on the days in between. On Tuesday, my second day of walking, I tripped over a slight rise in concrete for the rise of a driveway and hit the ground hard.

A visit to the doctor ensued as it became sorer as the day went on and I was a bit short of breath. It took me twice as long to walk to the doctor than it usually did. She sent me off for an X-ray as could not discount a fractured rib because of my signs and symptoms. That thankfully came back negative. I do have a good bruise over the area that remains very sore. I have Panadol and codeine morning and night and Panadol in the mid afternoon. This means I can breathe more deeply (to prevent pneumonia) and move more freely than I would be able to otherwise.

I have had to change some of the exercises I do in the gym - less weight, more repetitions - and some I just have to leave until I have healed. My change of mindset over the last few months has been from giving up entirely on exercise as I would have done previously to adapting my form of exercise and continuing on as I am doing now. This is a major mindset change for me. The amount of weight I have lost so far is similar to a bag of cement. Pick one of those up and think about doing everything every day carrying that. No wonder I feel freer and more energetic than I used to.

Life wise I have attended my nephew's wedding at the end of January and next Friday I attend the wedding of two friends. They are a gay couple and now that marriage is legal in NZ they are tying the knot. Come to NZ and get a legal marriage done in the most beautiful country on Earth (as all New Zealanders say it is). They  have had their trials and tribulations but have triumphed over them and I am looking forward to a fabulous evening. It has a Roaring Twenties theme so I shall be taking my camera. Photos next week of that

31/1/14 size 18 dress woohoo

front view 8/2/14

side view

8/2/14 104.5kgs

16/2/14 side view at gym

side view b

16/2/14 103.9kgs

the wedding party

Rotorua from Te Manu Lodge

 

The wedding was at Te Manu Lodge which is up in the hills overlooking the Adventure city of NZ and gave lovely background to everyone's photos during the ceremony. The dinner was in a marquee and the wedding was themed silver, cream and yellow (or gold). Lights sprinkled on wall behind the happy couple and along the roof where the dancing was held under. Lovely nibbles and drinks while waiting for the photos being done. A lovely roast meal including salads. Small amounts for me but that was all I needed. I swam daily in a thermally heated pool at the motel where we were staying.

 

Heated pool at motel



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No weight change this week 105kgs

I went to the gym an extra day and walked each day- no change in weight. I need to check my diet, or exercise more. It could be a plateau though and maybe next week I shall have a good weight loss. I even managed to eat much less lollies and resisted temptation to eat food while out. These things are sent to try us. On the flip side my clothes are looser.

 

 

I was using the M2 multi-muscle group weight machine today when the cord that connects weights, etc together broke. I noticed the other day that there was something wrong with it and meant to tell the office that it needed replacement. I forgot to do so and now it is out of action till fixed. I might have to get on the exercycle till it is fixed. There are free weights so I can still do some weight training to help shape my body.

Another top that will soon go to a larger person. Another 2 kgs and it will feel uncomfortable. I had to remove a lovely pansy patterned top from the useful side today as that was just TOOOO BIG. I actually brought some lightweight leggings from a $2 dollar shop the other day to keep me going till I am lighter. Even a month ago that would have been unthinkable as it would not have fit. I love the Merric store in Botany as I fit their clothes, they are a reasonable price and they look good on. I like their bling rings too. They go to size 20 and the size 18 is a better fit. The size 20 is feeling loose now. I feel spoilt for choice. It is what colour and style suits me now, not the fact it does not fit so is a waste of time looking, as it used to be.

I am working my way through my bedroom, and flat, and getting rid of what is no longer needed or useful. Feng shui says this needs to be done to allow new life in and I think it is working.

This week's goals:

• gym x5
• frequent walks
• no lollies at all
• look at what I am eating and make sure it is right
• attend my nephew's wedding and have fun
• swim in the hot pool at the motel 2 times a day at least
• write in my journal daily
• post on Pinterest regularly including Gastric Sleeve board
• be here next Sunday to write this blog

To all those following; IT can be done and when it looks like stalling keep going for just another day (every day). Look how far I have come so far. 141kgs down to 105 kgs. I am feeling better already. My family is happier for me and my friends love it. Well done for your weight loss.

105kgs 18th January 2014

I'm back again. Summer can make your days busier. Mum and I spent some time at my brother's place, cat-sitting, while he went to Tauranga for 5 days holiday. The first day there both of us kept dozing off for some reason. Maybe we have been busier than we thought. The second day it was a wet and horrible day so we read and watched TV. The third day we went for a long walk up hill and down dale from my brother's place to the local King's Plant Barn.

We wandered around and looked, had afternoon tea at the café there and came home with a cream dahlia and some apricot carnations. It was nice wandering amongst green, growing plants. We also went to the fruit shop next door. They had plums at a good price so we got them and I made 4 1/2 jars of homemade jam a couple of days ago. It is lovely and we had to have some that day on toast for lunch. Our way home had had its own dramas. I suggested Mum cross the road at a different place and where she went didn't have the proper lower curb. Her mobility scooter stalled and I ended having to give her a push to get going. Cars were having to go around her for a bit but luckily there was a place off the road not too far away. Made Mum look a bit like a ditzy old lady. We survived.

The fourth day we did a lot of gardening. We weeded, trimmed and disbudded galore. The garden looked so much better but I left 6 bags of rubbish for my brother to get rid of afterwards. He is used to that. We do that each time we go over. I had no gym there so did extra cleaning to get some exercise. The gym has seen me more often since getting back and I have done some good walks too. The excess Xmas weight has gone and I am 105kgs now. My waist measurement is just over 100 cms so have now lost 35 cms on my waist. I still have almost that again to get back to the waist measurement I had as a young adult. I used to be 36-27-37 (in inches) in my late teens, early twenties. It is a good decrease though.

We have been into the swimming pool on site a few times but it remains rather chilly. It is one way to get you started on doing your exercises though as that is the only way to warm up enough to stay in the pool. Now if young kids could refrain from jumping almost on top of us and their parents would not tell them to just ignore us when we politely pointed out the sign (saying NO jumping, running or rough housing) on the fence, it might have been more enjoyable. I must sound like a crabby person at times as I also insisted that the renter upstairs remove her car so Mum and I could actually get her mobility scooter out so we could go to the shops the other day. I was a bit niggled as I had asked her politely to leave the space free on two days during the week (Monday and Friday). They have another car-park for their use so it is not too much of an imposition. Anyway that is off topic.

The exercise in the pool is good to do as I feel more stretched and relaxed afterwards. Taller even as my back muscles are more relaxed. The gym is having an effect and I am feeling muscles under a much smaller layer of fat. I moved my leg the other day and even my mother saw the sharp calf definition. Straight on my arms look slim but they are still large viewed from the side (not as large though). Each week is a week closer to a much smaller body and each day the my exercise is done and the diet is followed ( damn those chocolates that go down so easily) is a good day. Xmas junk has a lot to answer for as it takes a little while to get back to the no-chocolate mindset. Sugar really is an addiction that can niggle in your mind for appeasement but we are getting it behind us again. Doing things helps.

THINGS I DO TO KEEP AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE;

• exercise
• drink water
• do housework
• do handcrafts (knitting, embroidery)
• read a really good book (one that you really hate to put down as it means coming back to the real world)
• walking to the library to get that good book (exercise done too)
• hide it out of view
• don't have it in the house
• don't buy it while at the shops

Some of the tops I got at Xmas are getting looser. Yay. I brought a dress on Friday. It has been a long time since I last brought a dress. For a number of years I have had to get separates as my breasts have been too large to fit the top of a dress and still have the dress look right. Even better it is a size 18 and it was on sale before Xmas for $69.95 down from $99.95 and I got it for $39.95. I love getting a good bargain. I got a lovely veiled fascinator hat for $1.00 and shoes for $19.00. I love that sort of shopping. They are for my nephew's wedding and I even got the present cheaper. We only have 2 weeks to go so I was glad to do everything in one trip.

 

 

I love the hyacinth blue colour of the top and the pattern seems to give more shape to my body. Well keep on with your personal journey and I will be more diligent in sharing mine again. I'll be back next week. Hopefully exercised enough to drop 1-2 kilos or more. 105kgs=231lb, 100cms=40in and my waistline had snuck up to 54 inches. I have 13 inches to go(another 30.5cms). We will get there.

106.5 kgs before Xmas but have gone up slightly

Christmas has caused some weight gain but not as much as I usually would have. The food and chocolates are a killer but I have been back to the gym twice this week. I think if I had taken the time to go to the gym each day I would not have gained anything. Exercise definitely helps with the diet. I will let you know how quickly I can get back on to the losing weight slope.

I feel better already just with the 2 gym sessions in the last 3 days. I gave myself excuses like I was up too late last night to go this early this morning, too much to do today to go now, I don't want to get up. That was what they were. Excuses. I will take that on board, own it and not let it happen again. I also did not keep up with this blog and used the same excuses. I did not want to admit to myself and you that I was being self-indulgent.

A NEW YEAR AND A NEW WAY TO LIVE, LEARN AND LOVE ME. They say you have to love yourself before you let others love you. I also find I can love others as I no longer obsess about how fat I am. I am becoming more visible to people as my size diminishes. That is quite funny in many ways as I used to take up more space but a lot of people would gloss over the fact you were there. They would get out of your way if you were walking towards them but in shops (especially dress shops) you could be invisible.

I feel better today after my exercise and my housework goes faster when I get back as my body is already in moving mode. My upstairs neighbour who has already lost all her excess weight with a lap band gave some of her favourite clothes that she will never need again. A red top with black frog closures my mother could fit went to her but I scored a purple Country Road jacket coat with a lovely pattern at the top, a red velvet top that barely came off my back for the first 3 days and other assorted tops. Only one top has to wait a little longer before I can wear it.

We had a good but quiet Xmas with family and friends. I phoned my kids and their family in Australia on Xmas Day and had a talk with them. On the 29th December I turned 60. It is funny how a number can make you feel slightly different. Then I thought you are only as old as you fell and I feel 30 so there. New Year's Eve was a quiet night at home with my brother and mother but it was a good night. We talked about all sorts of things. We saw the New Year in and saw some of the local fireworks. Maybe next year we will go into town again like we did in 2012. This year, 2014, will be a brilliant year.

MYGOALS FOR THIS YEAR ARE:

1. Reach 63 kgs before my daughters wedding
2. Be as fit and firm as I can make myself
3. Use the gym at least 4times per week or more
4. Walk on most days whether it is a short walk or a long one
5. Get to the swimming pool more often summer and winter
6. Dispose of my fat clothes
7. Find what clothes suit me and get them
8. Reward my 10 kgs weight loss goals with something permanent not food
9. Save the money for the Australia trip: plane, spending money and wedding help money
10. Clear my knitting wool stash before I get any more
11. Finish my Lighthouse Adventure YA book
12. Write another book - paranormal romance
13. Blog each week
14. Keep up my Pinterest pages
15. Do the cross stich on my brother's linen table clothe
16. Scrapbook my life and my girl's lives
17. Write what I know of my daughter Rebecca's life to remind her of what it was like
18. Be able to write in 2015 that all our family is still alive and well as they are today at the beginning of 2014
19. Become more social with people outside family group
20. Use the buses more often to go to other areas around us
21. Be able to tick all these at year's end

The 4th picture is me as the top looked last year, the 1st picture is the same top this year. Definitely a smaller body in this year's pic. I might keep that top for a while and take a photo each Xmas to show weight loss and that I keep it off.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY 2014 BE YOUR BEST YEAR EVER EVERYONE

108.1kgs (237.82lbs) on 5th December 2013

Gym work last week: I went to the gym 3 times last week and did a solid hour at least each time. I have done alternate days this week for the same amount of time. A number of longer walks on alternate days have kept me busy. Some of the walks are Xmas shopping walks, some are take the library books back before the fines get too high walks ( I still have $9 to clear on that as I was late in taking a few back). Exercise is exercise and my mind is now in the habit of some extra exercise each day and is happier when I have done it. It gets antsy if I have not done some exercise. Makes me fidget and lack concentration as my mind feels there is something I should have done. This helps get me up and out the door. You can't go every day and do the same thing as your body needs time to heal in between.

I am working on my brother's handcrafted present and it is going well. I need to get some more cottons so a bus trip to the next suburb is needed as even though we have a large shopping hub there is no-one here who sells embroidery cottons. What idiot let that occur. You can only get very basic knitting supplies and small amounts of art supplies. Obviously who ever designed and booked in shops was not a craft person. Maybe they need to relax from their stressful job by taking up a handcraft.

We have had some lovely weather lately which has let my do the walking without problems but today it is raining. The ground and the birds in the area are loving it though. I also don't need to water our container garden except the few sheltered pots. We have Christmas lilies opening up. I love their scent as it is an integral scent of Xmas for me. Daylilies and other plants are making our patios look good. People in the area know Mum and I as the plant ladies as not many have as many plants as we do. I need to fertilize them soon and as I use a watering can to do so the number of steps adds up and it is more Exercise for me. They call that Incidental exercise. Doing the ironing can add footsteps it you hang each individual item as you iron it and not wait till the end. Spring cleaning really amps the exercise level if done right.

Last Thursday we went to the shops and had a carol singing evening. They also had some vintage cars to look at. My niece and her husband came visiting and we had a drink at the local pub before heading home for more visiting. I found that a McDonald's cheese burger is not something I can eat any more. I almost had a wild dash to the nearest toilet to rapidly get rid of it. Sitting and swallowing for at least 20 minutes before things settled. It is all part of the learning curve. The funny thing is I only ever had it 2-3 times a year before. My  brother assisted in eating what I could not.

I have decorated the Xmas tree and even that can be exercise: bring out the ornament box, set up the tree, fill the tree with lights and ornaments. You are up and down like a yoyo. It looks pretty afterwards too and starts making you feel Christmas is coming. I love my Xmas music too. I have classical, easy listening and pop versions of Xmas songs to play.

 

Just to get you in a Christmas mood or scare the h... out of you because it is looming ever closer. Only 19 more sleeps as we used to say as kids. I would love to be under 100kgs but a realistic goal is at least 105 kgs or less by Christmas.
 

108.5kgs on 28th November 2013

I am going to the gym most days now and it is showing up on the scales. Today I was 108.5kgs (238.7 lb). I am inching closer to my next goal of 99.9kgs. I would love to be there by Christmas. Daily gym work and more walking combined with proper diet should do the trick.

I am doing treadmill, cycling and a variety of weight machines and free weight exercises. I am doing the weights to help shape my body and hopefully bring the loose skin from my weight loss in. I also love the feel of tight muscles. Not just a tight bodied man you lust over in magazines but your own body with definition from muscles, not fat. It means I am regaining my personal strength -physically and emotionally. My self confidence is improving and that is an unexpected bonus from the weight loss journey I am on.

My clothes continue to loosen and most weeks there are clothes I have to remove from use as they are no longer comfortable because they are too LOOSE not too TIGHT. Woohoo. That is such a fabulous feeling to have. For too many years to count it was difficult to find clothes or underclothes that fitted comfortably. Larger clothes were either very expensive for fashionable clothing or the cheaper clothing did not have much style nor was it fashionable really. I spent time yesterday looking in mid range clothing stores I have not bothered to go into for years. I have a wedding to go to at the end of January and I wanted to see the size and cost I would be looking at. I need to be a NZ size 16 - 18 and I will be able to wear something really nice. Cost would be between $60-130. When I buy it I will photograph it for this blog (2 months time).

I am about to start putting up the Xmas decorations. I have already put a small hanging on our front door and put our first 2 cards up on the wall with Blue-tack. The Christmas tree and lights are the next big Jobs. I do a bit each day and it is soon done. Our Xmas presents for family in Australia were sent yesterday. With 2 cards to USA it was $NZ68. Ouch. It is for my children and grandchildren though. Later today we are going tour local shopping centre (Mall) -Botany Town Centre - if it is not raining, to listen to and sing carols in the Market Square.

I wonder if it is mirror that makes me look bigger at times. Recently we were at my brother's city flat and I swear his door mirror made me look lighter than my dresser one. We had a lovely sit down in his courtyard area but also did some gardening and sweeping up of the area. He looked around and realised there was no BBQ for the summer and now there is one for the residents to use. He is a person who notices what needs to be done and does it. I can be the person who notices but I tend to pass it off to some-one else to do.