6 weeks until I'm an auntie!

Ok, not a proper auntie.. but my friend Babette is pregnant and she's now 6 weeks away from the big day. Totally exciting. I'm reading up on all the pregnancy stuff... what the baby looks like, what the prenancy is doing to the body.. and all the scary stuff like labour.. *shudder*. It has gone so quickly! So, this blog post today is dedicated to soon-to-be mum - Babette and bubby to be Charlotte Sophie Youssef fondly known as Charlie.

Can't wait to meet you!!

Auntie Erica xx

Swimming..

Yesterday I decided to finally take my physio's advice and get in the pool to do some exercise and stretching for my back. Now, it's been over 4 weeks since I've done any exercise because of my back injury and I have really been missing it. I've never been a fan of swimming because I can't listen to my ipod in the pool, and being winter, I don't relish the thought of getting my daks off and getting in that cold water only to shiver my way through a 30 minute session and then race to see how long it takes me to get my gear back on before I develop frost bite. That coupled with the fact that they use the gym pool in the afternoon for swimming lessons, I really didn't want to share my lane with delightful children screaming and thrashing about in their own attempts at learning how not to drown. And lets not forget the delightful fact that the whole gym looks on to the pool so can see me prancing about in next to nothing.. But I digress..

I managed 40mins of slow swimming and then went in the steam room afterwards for some lovely long stretching. Surprisingly, the pool water was really warm (perhaps because of all those kids being in there... ewwwww!!! - lets not think about that too much)... and I was able to swim for a good 30 mins with only a few tiny rest breaks to adjust my goggles. I loved it, and I'm going back again tonight. Really glad I did go swimming yesterday because went way over my calorie limit.. :$. It felt sooooooooooo good to get moving again.

Today, I was getting my coffee at our company coffee shop and the guy who manages the place asked me if I was training. I said "no" cos I thought he meant training as in learning stuff (I work for a pharma company who regularly hold training sessions for their sales reps). Then he said to me, no, I mean, are you working out, are you dieting. I said Yes and he said that he'd noticed I'd lost weight. Friggen COOL eh?! The coffee lady said that she really noticed and that she said that my clothes were too big for me. I said that I was waiting until after winter before getting some smaller fitting clothes, by then I'll be in the 80's and be able to shop at "normal" stores. Can't wait! It's so nice when random people notice your weight loss. Bring it on I say!

Tonight we're having home made pumpkin soup. Perfect weather for it - Sydney weather really sucks at the moment. I'm going to pick up two wholemeal bread rolls tonight after swimming... maybe even a little tub of light sour cream and some chives... *drool*.

Check out this piccy from the BOM site of the weather pattern over Sydney at the moment... this is why we're having pumpkin soup for dinner tonight!

Erica xx

The scale monster returns!!!

I've become a little scale obsessed over the past few weeks weighin in practically every day. I don't really see it as a bad thing, cos it really does keep me on track for the day - if I've gained I pull my head in, If I've lost I feel so good that I work hard to keep it off and look forward to another loss the next weigh in.. But.. it is a tad obsessive I know... I am just loving seeing those numbers falling down, down, down!

The Kilo I gained last week has gone and I'm now back down to 98.4kg! WooHoo! My next mini-goal is 10% weight lost since the start of the year (97.7kg), then only 2.4kg to go until I hit my 20kg weight loss since my heaviest weight (96.0kg)!!! According to my weight loss spreadsheet and predicted weight loss, I should hit 20kg lost by then end of July - if I successfully lose approx 500g/week. I would love to be under 95 by the end of July.. so that is my aim for next month.

Back is getting better... slowly slowly... I didn't take any pain killers at all yesterday which is the first time in almost 4 weeks! I'm in alot more pain in the morning, but the more I move around the better it gets throughout the day and by the evening I can move about quite freely and get to sleep with no problems... so it's really just the mornings that get me. Still no exercise for me, but tomorrow I'm going to talk to my physio about what exercises I can do in the pool.

As my reward for reaching my 10kg weight loss and getting into double digits (and being such a fantastic person in general hehehe) I'm going to get some foils at the hair dresser tonight. Yay!

Have a great day all!

Erica xx

And the numbers keep falling...

Lost another 500g, so back down to 98.7kg. Now only 100g away from the 10kg weight loss since the start of the year. I'm glad to be in the 98's cos it's just further away from triple figures. I'll be happier when I reach my 10% weight loss (97.7kg) cos I'll be 2.3kg away from triple figures..

I was supposed to visit Dave's Parents with him during the June long weekend. They live in Bundaberg, QLD, a good 2.5 hour flight away from us. Unfortunately due to my back problems I wasn't able to fly. The last time I saw them I was around the 107kg mark. The next time we're going up to see them will be during the September APEC long weekend (7th - 10th Sep). My aim is to be under 90kg by then (89.9kg). That's 11 weeks to lose 8.8kg. That's approx 800g/week weight loss! *eek* This is going to take some major effort and motivation from me and a whole hearted attempt to continue tracking my calories and eventually returning to some decent level of exercise. If I get to the 80's by the trip, I'll have lost 17kg since they last saw me, and nearly 30kg from my heaviest weight!!! At the moment, I can't imagine it...

It's Operation In-Laws!

Erica xx

The scales are going down..

Hopped on for a mid-week weigh-in to track my progress and I'm happy to report a 200g loss since Friday - so now at 99.2kg. I'm happy with that because I was a little norti over the weekend and really didn't start properly until yesterday. If I can get under the 99's by next friday I'll be happy cos I really want to get as far away from double digits as possible. But I was fantastic with my intake yesterday, and plan to have a similar day today.. so feeling good and in control about things.

Thanks to Supersized Princess for leaving me a comment and making me feel a heap better about my little (or rather large) gain this week. *hugs*

And Yay cos Kerrie is back and blogging. My buddy has taken a leave of absence due to her car accident in March and she's written her first post in 2 months! Unfortunately she's in the same position as me at the moment, can't do much exercise for a little while longer.. cos of the injuries from her car accident. Look forward to doing a spin class with you Matey!

Much love,

Erica xx

Oops! 1kg gain!

I have totally gone off the rails over the past week and the scales showed it this weigh in... with a 1kg gain. Now back up to 99.4kg. To be honest, I wasn't surprised, I ate well this past week because I've been feeling a little better and able to get up and about and also, I did lose nearly 3kg over the last 2 weeks I was in bed with my back problem.. so it's kinda evened my weight loss out a little. I've also had an exam for uni and was frantically studying (and snacking) for that and combine all of that with the fact that I can't do any exercise and you've got my 1kg gain. So, no more!

Starting today I'm now on 1200 cal/day and sticking to it. I'm sticking to mainly fresh foods and limiting the processed stuff. I wasn't eating enough fruits and veges over the past few weeks so have introduced them back into the diet. Today I'm looking forward to a delish tuna and salad wrap for lunch. Yum!

The doc has said that my back won't fully recover for another 4-5 weeks! ARGH! I'm trying not to let it get me down, but it is tough when the pain is constant and no matter what you do, how you move or what position you are in there is a constant ache in your butt going down your leg.. I hate the fact that I'm popping pain killers like they are tic tacs and that junk food makes me feel better.. Im over being disabled!

Ok, that's my whinge for today.

Erica xx

Back to work..

Today was the first day back at work in 2 weeks. It was a pretty tough day, I was in alot of pain and had to take breaks every hour to lie on the floor to relieve my back/leg pain a little. Actually, now that I'm at home I'm not as in as much pain and I think that's due to the fact that I was actually moving about alot more today than I have been the last two weeks. I know that one of the treatments of back pain is to actually get back to exercising. While I can't even contemplate a spin class at the moment, just getting up and walking about and sitting up and stretching every now and then has done alot more for me than I expected. I did have the help of my good friend codeine and it's metabolite morphine (god bless codeine). Work was really good about me taking frequent breaks and doing a shorter day if I need to. But I managed the full 8 hrs, so I think I'll be ok to go to work from now on.

This long weekend was really nice. I had the house to myself cos Dave had gone up to QLD to visit his parents. While I missed him like crazy, I did enjoy having the house to myself. I had lots of visitors bringing me food, and so I really did pig out quite a bit this weekend .. I haven't weighed since Saturday, and I don't think I will until next weigh-in.

I have eaten really well today though, and I feel like getting back to work gets me into more of a routine with my diet again. I didn't even eat all of the food I brought to work either. I'm trying to stick under 1200cal/day at the moment cos I cannot exercise so I can't gain any bonus calories so I really am relying on my diet being low cal in order for me to continue losing weight.

Happy Losing Everyone!

Erica xx

Weekly Results and Summary

Good Morning!


This week has certainly been an interesting one. I spent all of it at home with my back still not right so there was no exercise for me. Still I managed to weigh in this morning at 98.3kg after having a very decedant night last night over at a friends place watching DVDs. We had crackers, cheeses, antipasto, pate, dips followed by chocolate peanut M&Ms while sitting on the couch. Not sure what loss that was from last Saturday, but from Wednesday I dropped -1kg which is fantastic. I have a feeling that this drop in weight is probably a bit of muscle mass cos I haven't been moving about much at all, so it will be interesting to see what my weight does over the next could of weeks. I'm also due for TTOM next week, which means that technically I should be retaining a bit of fluid at the moment. Aren't our bodies complex things?? I'm not going to think about anything except that I'm 98.3kg. This also means that I am exactly 10.3kg less than what I weighed at the start of the year AND, probably even more importantly, I am the lightest I have been since starting my weight loss journey in Dec 2005. WooHoo!



My back is still a little stiff and sore and I can only shuffle around at this point in time. I'm sleeping alot better and have lightened up on the pain meds alot. I'm still not allowed to do any exercise, and even when I start, I'll still only be allowed to do some very gentle water walking. So I've decided not to push it and to really concentrate on my calorie intake over the next week or so until I'm totally better.



The weather over the past 24 has been horrific! I can't believe how much it rained last night, and there's still more of it to come. I'm supposed to be in tropical north QLD right now, but because of my back, I can't fly... so I'm stuck at home... check out this BOM.gov.au pic of the Sydney Weather pattern right now... cool eh?

Ok, that's enough from me. For all of you lucky enough to have a long weekend, enjoy it!

Erica xx

1 year to go!!!!

... until I get married! How exciting. It's come around so fast! Wedding plans have been put on hold for a bit until we sort out what's happening with Dave's Mum, who, as you know, has cancer. Dave's parents might be moving back from QLD to Sydney to gain more access to treatment options and spend more time with family/friends before the inevitable happens. Still, Dave and I are are excited about getting married and it is in our thoughts to keep us positive through the more difficult times.

I'm still in double digits. Yay! I had a mid-week weigh-in of 99.3kg... I started off the year at 108.6kg and I'm now only 700g from 10kg lost at 98.6kg. WooHoo!!!

My back / sciatica is still really bad and I'm going in to hospital tomorrow or friday for another injection... that will be oh so much fun... I really hope this goes away soon... I'm starting to get a bit depressed about it. Thank goodness I'm not putting on weight as well otherwise I don't know what I'd do!!

Anyhoo, that's all from me for today.

Erica xx

P.S. A big hello to Starburst from the CK website for leaving a lovely message on my blog! :)

Goodbye Triple Figures!!!

.....Hello Double Digits!

I'm a...............................

I've done it, I've dropped the 1 and am now in the double digit club. Jumped on the scales this morning to reveal a weight of.... 99.9kg!!!! I am totally stoked and over the moon. This was a huge milestone for me and an even bigger hurdle. I've been kicking around the low 100's for a while now.. and I finally feel like I'm over the hump and on the other site... Ok, not well and truely on the other side, but on the down hill slope. A gulp of water could see me back over the other side!!!

I am also happy to say that I lost 2.3kg for the month of May. This has been a great boost for me because of what's been going on with my back over the past 2 weeks. Even though I've been flat on my back with this sciatica flare, I've still been able to lose a bit of weight. I haven't resorted to comfort eating for the pain (although I sure as hell have felt like it!!!), and because I haven't been moving around at all, I haven't felt hungry enough to have a 3 square meals a day, 2 does me fine with a cup a soup in between to keep me going.

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to go for another injection tomorrow as I'm not feeling much better from the injection I had yesterday. Yet another day off work... *sigh* Will keep you posted.

As for today, you couldn't wipe the big fat (or should I say Skinny) smile of my face!

Cheers,

Erica xx

When everything is going really well....

... something happens to bite you in the ass!!! *argh* My sciatica played up BIG time last weekend and I've been in bed aaaaaaaall week. Today I had an injection in my spine to help relieve the pain. I was doing so well. I was symptom free, I had no pain and I was exercising really well. Even my early morning spin classes weren't causing me any problems... and here I am in bed trying to find a comfortable position so that my pain isn't bad. I've had to cancel social engagements and appointments. I've been on strong panadeine forte that's made me constipated as HELL (thank god for coloyxl with senna) and the only way I could sleep was with valium (God bless valium). I feel like I've taken one step forward, and half a million steps back!!!

OK, sorry about my rant. During my interstate trip last week I managed to undo all my hard work and add back the 700g I'd lost the previous week.. however, when I jumped on the scales last Wednesday I was back down to 101.5kg... WooHoo! Will hop on the scales tomorrow for a more recent weigh in result.

Will update soon!

Erica xx