10% Goal Blown Out of the Water

I was very determined this week to reach my next 2 goals which were to get under 120kg and reach 118.7kg which was my 10% goal set by Weight Watchers. I am happy to report that I had a great loss of 2.3kg this week, which made these goals achieveable and I am now weighing in at 117.8kg. I received my little star key ring to mark the 10% goal. Only a couple of kilos to go and I will be at the weight I was a year ago before my car accident. I am absolutely stoked!
As per my previous post, this week started as a bit of a struggle until I got hubby back to counting points. It wasn't actually him leading me astray, but I find I am easily swayed into having that extra glass of wine, etc. I had hotdogs on Saturday at the football (that we brought from home) and fish'n'chips with the kids on Sunday (although I had grilled fish), but I made sure I still stuck to my points. Because I was unable to get to aqua aerobics this week I walked the kids to Kinder on a few occasions. My daughter unfortunately struggles with these walks, otherwise I would do them every day. I am debating whether or not to purchase a cheap stroller for her if I am going to make a habit of it. The dog is also obviously not used to it since my car accident, as yesterday I was concerned she was going to drop dead after our hour long walk!!!! She is probably also not used to eating as much as she has been lately, as it was always me eating the kids leftovers, and now it is her!
Bought myself a new pair of earrings, a cute little stand for all my earrings and 2 miniature teapots (as I collect teapots) as a reward for myself for getting to my 10% goal. Greg and I also bought ourselves some new Saucony trainers so I can get out walking a lot more with support for my broken ankle (my physio has been nagging me to get some for ages).

Broken Ankle Update

I had my update with the Surgeon last Friday in regards to my broken ankle. It has been a year since the surgery to fix the ankle now (car accident was 13th July 2005) and I had a CT scan a couple of weeks ago to see how it is mending. Anyway, to cut a very long story short, the surgeon is happy with how the ankle is healing. I had a very serious break of my tibial plafond (the bottom of my tibia) as well as my fibula, and it looks that the tibia bone breaks are nearly completely healed. They don't want to remove any plates as yet, because if the break didn't hold it would result in a mess to try and mend in my ankle. The surgeon urged me to continue losing weight as he explained it is an impact of 6 times my actual weight on my ankle every time I walk. He wants me to continue with the physio twice weekly and in the pool as much as possible. I was so happy that I don't have to have surgery yet!!
On the other hand, I had a period of a few days there where I felt I was losing my way on WW. I just felt like this since hubby returned home, as I struggled with him being a bad influence on me, especially when it came to alcohol. Why I am not strong enough to say no when he offers a drink, I don't know. And I always know when I have a wine or two, I need a snack to go along with it! However, I have finally encouraged him to get back into counting his points, so am back on track again (as is he)!!! YIPPEE!!

Week 12 - The Damage is Done....

Weighed in this morning and have put on 100 grams! After the initial disappointment of gaining weight, I sat and thought about my week, and have decided I should be thankful that 100 grams was all the damage done as it could have been a hell of a lot worse. I have drank wine every day for the last week and a half, therefore blowing my "sugar" points right out of the water. I had half a large pizza, beer, wine and nibblies on Monday (smoked cheese, kabana, dips, etc), so I am very fortunate. I was also unable to exercise due to the difficulty of having 2 children full time whilst hubby was away, so I was able to do water aerobics once the whole week.
1.4kg to my 10% goal and although I said I was on a mission last week, this week I really mean it! I am going to try and exercise every day, no matter how little it is, drink all my water (which I replaced with wine last week!) and stick to my points. Easy!!!

10 Reasons Why I Want to Lose Weight

Someone started a thread on the WW boards about the 10 reasons why you want to lose weight. Here are my 10 reasons:-

1. I don't want my kids to be embarrassed of me when they get older and kids tease them for having a fat Mum
2. I want to be able to shop anywhere and not worry about having to go to the larger sizes stores
3. I want to buy beautiful matching underwear sets
4. I don't want to be embarrassed when I go to the pool/beach in bathers
5. I want to be slim and sexy for my husband
6. I want to help the recovery of my broken ankle with less weight for it to support
7. I want to shock people who haven't seen me in a while by them telling me how good I look, rather than them thinking "God she's put on weight since school", etc.
8. I want to go out all the time and enjoy life, rather than being embarrassed to be seen
9. I want to not worry about whether the seatbelt in a plane/taxi/car will fit me
10. I want to be healthy and grow old with my husband and be there for my kids when they have their own children

Week 11 - 50 Kilos to Go!!!

My aim for today 13/7/06 was to be in the "teens" - at least 119.9kg or less. Unfortunately today I weighed in at exactly 120kg! Just 100 grams more and I would have made my goal. Nevermind, I am happy anyway as I honestly was worried I would put on this week due to my lack of exercise (only one water aerobics session) and my alcohol intake whilst Greg is away. So I am very happy with a total loss of 11.9kg in 11 weeks.
As for Greg, he is home in one more sleep and I cannot wait to see him. He is in the local paper today with a nice picture and article on his fundraising for Starlight. The kids were very happy to see it. Have scanned a copy (at right).
Anyways, it is my aim this week to break my next 2 goals - get under 120kg and reach my 10% weightloss. In order to do that I have a total of 1.3kg to lose this week. I'm on a mission!!!!!

Measurements

Unfortunately I either forgot or couldn't be bothered measuring myself when I first joined Weight Watchers. What a shame!! I did so for the first time on 17th June, about 7 weeks into it. I measured myself again today, 3 1/2 weeks later and I have lost a total of 20cm! Very exciting!
The main loss has been on my belly with 7.5cm lost, neck 2.5cm, upper arm 1.5cm, boobs 3cm (Thank God!!!), Waist 0.5cm, hips 3.5cm, thigh 1cm and lastly calf 0.5cm. I am so very happy about it, and am a bit shocked to realise that not only is the weight coming off on the scales, but actually in my body mass as well! Hooray!!
4 Sleeps til hubby comes back!! Although I have been great with my eating whilst he has been gone, the bottles of wine have been going down waaaaayyyyyy too easy! Oh well.......

Week 10 - A Day of Mixed Emotions

I have had a good week, although limited in exercising. I was able to do aqua aerobics on Saturday, but then had to cancel Tuesday as my daughter was sick (and therefore I couldn't put her in the creche at the fitness centre). And the week was just busy and disorganised, so unable to get any walking done either. I also had a few too many wines (my ONLY downfall on the Weight Watchers program), and therefore went over my limit of 14 sugar points. I did still manage to lose 1.3kg, so I was once again very happy (and shocked!!). The total now lost in 10 weeks is 11.4kg! I only have to lose 500 grams to get under 120kg and 1.8kg to get to my 10% goal - how exciting!!!
However, I am sitting here very sad & sullen as my husband Greg is currently on a plane to Cairns. Tomorrow he flies to Port Moresby (PNG) and then on Saturday he starts his trek on the Kokoda Trail. It has only been about 2 hours since I saw him and I miss him already!!!! I don't know how I am going to last for 8 days!!!! I am very happy and excited for him, and I have been a nervous wreck with hardly any sleep all week, but now I just feel heavy hearted and sad. Only 8 sleeps to go (and they will be lonely ones!).

10.1 Kilos Down and 51.8 Kilos to Go!!!

Weighed in today and lost 600 grams. I'm a little disappointed, but I always weigh heavier when it is TTOM (that time of the month) so I expect a big loss next week. However, I did receive my 10kg Star on my bookmark (as pictured), and the group clapped me at my meeting, which was embarrassing but nice. The kids thought it was great!!! Total loss is now 10.1kgs so I have lost 16% of the total 61.9kg I need to lose to get to goal.
Still finding it really easy with the only difficulty I have encountered being sticking to the 14 Sugar points per week (especially with wine!!!). I have upped my exercise with adding a few walks with the kids which I am trying to do at least every second day. It has been nearly a year since the car accident, so it is nice to mark the anniversary by getting back to walking (well, a cross between waddling, limping and walking) & feeling "normal" again. The kids and dog are really enjoying the walks as well!!!
It is now only 7 sleeps until hubby Greg leaves for PNG and his trek on the Kokoda Trail. I couldn't sleep last night worrying about it, so no doubt I will have another 7 nights of restless sleep (if any at all) and then 8 nights of no sleep whilst he is away (although I'm looking forward to the week I am having off work while he is away!!) . He has started his own blog on the trip (see link on right).

Fat Photos Taken Today - Oh My God!

I had my husband take some photos of me this morning before I left for aqua aerobics (in my t-shirt & board shorts), so here I am in all my glory. I am shocked at how horrible I still look after losing 9.5kg (I can imagine how I looked 8 weeks ago!), but it has made me more determined to move my butt!!

Motivation and Inspiration

In case you can't read it in pink, it says "Nothing tastes as good as being slim feels". I heard this quote at a Weight Watchers Meeting a few years ago when I joined after I had my first child, and it is something that has always stuck at the back of my mind.

I am also posting a photo of me from when I was 21 as inspiration. I always used to think I was so fat back then! What I would give to be that "fat" again!!! Take note of the size of the video camera back in 1993 - it's a wonder it didn't break my arm with the weight of it!!!

Week 8 - Total Loss 9.5kgs

Well I am absolutely stoked!! I lost 2.3kgs this week, making it an exact total of 9.5kgs lost. Only 500 grams to lose to receive my 10kg Star and I am on a mission to make sure I lose at least that next week. VERY VERY pleased with myself today, and I am really noticing the difference in my clothes. I was able to fit into my old Size 18 boardshorts last night, although they are not yet comfortable enough to wear, so will wait another couple of months for that. Just dying to lose a bit of weight off my breasts!!!

A Bit About Me....

Just thought I would show you some pictures in regards to my life. The first is a pic of my kids taken in May this year. Callum is 5 and Paige is 3 1/2. They are gorgeous kids, although they can be quite a handful when they want to be. Family portrait also added with my hubby Greg.
The next pictures are of my x-rays and my car when I had my car accident on July 13th 2005. A drunk driver hit a traffic island whilst speeding in the rain and hit me head on when I was on my way home from work late one night. I broke both my tibia & fibula in my left leg, and my break on my tibia is called a tibial plafond, which is a very serious break from which not all recover. I also broke my big toe on my right foot, so was unable to get around on crutches, and I remember July through to September last year as the worst time of my life. Very hard & a big struggle for both me & my family to get through, both mentally and physically. Unfortunately for me, 11 months later I am still unable to walk without pain or a limp. I am waiting to see if further surgery to remove one of my plates is necessary.
So, aqua aerobics and swimming is it for me for excercise. It is painful to walk too far and I can't do excercise videos at home because I can't get down on the floor (my left knee is still injured from the accident as well).

15th June - 7 weeks and Not Happy!!!

I had my weekly weigh in today and I gained 300 grams. I was (and still am) absolutely devastated! I had my suspicions beforehand that I may gain, due to the fact I was a bit "lenient" with my sugar and alcohol points this week. It also didn't help that I was unable to get to the pool at all with the hubby out walking the 3 days of the long weekend, in his preparation for the Kokoda Trail in three weeks time. My son was also sick, so I couldn't get the kids into the creche at my pool (the pool being the only exercise I can do due to my recovery from my broken ankle). I am disappointed that I am limited in the types of exercise I can do, especially since I can't get on the floor to do any workouts on DVD or anything like that.
When I got home from the weigh in, it did cross my mind to "pig out" in retaliation as I would have in the past, but thankfully I realised what I was thinking was the wrong thing to do, and I made myself a healthy snack instead. I am going to work extra hard this week and get to the pool at least twice, and am determined to lose over a kilo next week!!! I still should be happy that I have lost 7.2kg in 7 weeks!!!

Virtual Julie

I have seen some other people on the Weight Watchers website who have created virtual models of themselves, so thought I would give it a go for a bit of fun.

First one is my goal weight - 70kg
Second is my start weight - 131.9kg

12th June 2006 - 6 Weeks In

A photo of me with my daughter Paige when she started 3 yo Kinder - taken in Feb 2006. I couldn't find a more recent one as photos of me are few and far in between - I am too fat for my photo to be taken!

I have lost 7.5 kgs in 6 weeks and now weigh 124.4kg. I am absolutely delighted and have found the journey surprisingly easy! I think a huge part of it being so easy is that my husband is following the program and counting points with me. He is off to do the Kokoda Trail in PNG in 4 weeks time, so has been walking a lot (a 6 hour walk in the Dandenongs today), and he has dropped well over 20kgs in the last few months. He is an inspiration to me and we are keeping each other on track.
I think I have a whole new mindset in regards to losing weight this time. I know I HAVE to do it, and have just come to thinking that I WILL do it. No matter how long it takes, I am going to stick to Weight Watchers. And I am really loving it.
I found it challenging at first to be planning our meals all the time, but now I am enjoying all the cooking I am doing. Excercising was always going to be an issue since I am recovering from a broken ankle and leg, and will never be able to walk properly again in my lifetime, but I have found I absolutely love aqua aerobics and I am doing it between once & three times a week! It is definitely helping me to keep motivated and moving!
The other thing is, I am telling everyone I know that I am on Weight Watchers. I used to join up and not tell anyone, because I knew I would waver and stop going after a few weeks, and didn't want to be embarrassed, but I think that because I am telling anyone who will listen about it, that it is keeping me strong - I won't ever be embarrassed to tell them that I am not going anymore - because that is just not going to happen!
The Weight Watcher website is also terrific. I find counting points in the online planner so easy and enjoyable, because in the past I absolutely hated writing down my daily points. I also find the Message Boards a terrific source of inspiration, and check them out all the time.
My WW 5kg bookmark is displayed proudly on the fridge!

27th April 2006 - The Beginning......

This is a picture of me on 1st Nov 2005 - HUGE!!!!!

Started Weight Watchers today - the turning point was at my daughter's Kinder yesterday when a 3yo boy said "why are you so fat?". I smiled and walked away (thankfully no one else was around to hear!). I was very reluctant to join up WW for the 100th time, but glad I did! I was absolutely blown away & shocked by my weight - 131.9kg!! My daughter is nearly 3 and a half now & I remember a few hours before she was born I weighed in at 101kg - and I was 9 months pregnant! I have set myself 2 goals to begin with. Firstly, I want to get to 116kg, which was the weight I was before my car accident 9 1/2 months ago that left me inactive and unable to walk properly. Second, I want to get under 100kg. Therefore to get to my first goal, I have 15.9kg to lose, and then another 16.1kg to get to my second goal, which is a total of 31.9kg. That sounds like so much, but I am determined to do it!!! And realistically, I am going to give myself a year to do it!!! Here's to a new me!!!