Erica's "Healthy Living" Blog

11 days to go!!

2008-05-26T13:28:00.002+10:00

... until the big day. Very excited. Down to 87.4kg now... working hard with my Pump Classes which I think has really spiked my metabolism and revved everything up. Picked up my wedding dress from the dress maker... It fits like a glove and I look fantastic. Mum's the word now as you never know who will be reading!

Hen's night is this weekend. YAY Can't wait! Am wearing a size 16 hot pink events dress with a black little bolero jacket and black satin shoes... very cute!

Have a good week!

Erica xx

Week in review

2008-05-17T12:49:00.000+10:00

Hi all,

What a week. Mother in law went into hospital and had surgery, I did the mother's day fun run and I cracked 88.0kg!

I'm going to try on my wedding dress today. I'm a bit excited... I'm hoping that my efforts over the past few months has paid off. I really am feeling so much smaller and tighter now. I've still got 20kg to go until I hit my goal weight... but I am really happy with the way I look at the moment. I'm fitting into a size 16 really well and while I'm wobbly (will def need the plastic surgery!) I feel alot smaller...

I'm also on the Pump Class challenge at the gym. 12 classes in the month of may. I've done 7 of them so far, and we're just half way through May, so should be able to get through another 5! $300 prize at the end of it! Wish me luck!

Will let you know how the fitting goes!

Erica xx

4 weeks to go!!

2008-05-09T08:46:00.002+10:00

Howdy Peeps!

Long time no blog! Sorry... what can I say... life got in the way I suppose.

Where to begin... OK, I guess first of all I should let you all know that I am now down to 89.1kg. Not a massive amount of weight loss... but I've changed so many aspects of my life and my weight really isn't all that important to me now. My fitness levels are improving every day, and I don't even bat an eyelid when I jog for 20mins straight or do a 7km walk. I'm fitting into a very comfortable size 16 now, and feeling great in my clothes. There is so much more to weight loss than just the number on the scales..

4 weeks today until I tie the knot! How time has flown! I really wanted to be 85kg for the day, but I don't think that is going to happen. I've got my first (and hopefully final) dress fitting on Saturday 17th May and then I probably shouldn't be losing any more weight after that!

Other than that, everything is going really well in my life. Thanks for checking up on me! I'll promise to blog more as the wedding gets closer now

Erica xx

Latest "Skinny" Photo!

2008-02-15T17:49:00.004+11:00

See any difference??

More of that walking business..

2008-01-23T21:10:00.000+11:00

I am loving my Wednesday Walks with Kerrie! I really am. I've never been a walker, but today I walked 7.6km in just over an hour.. at a cracking pace of 6.2km/hr and it felt great! Thank you Kerrie for walking with me! I know it's something I've got to incorporate into my exercise routine but I really don't like walking by myself... even with my groovy ipod tunes keeping me pumped. When you walk with a mate, the time just flies... even when we're out of breath on the up hill parts, we still manage to carry on a conversation... It just takes us alot longer to get out what we want to say...

What am I going to do when Kerri goes overseas for a month!?? *eek*

Anyhoo... check out our walking route today (courtesy of mapmyrun.com)

7.6km Epping Loop via Eastcote Road
Find more Walks in Epping, Australia

I also haven't weighed myself in a couple of days... I'm trying not to weigh myself too often as I'm getting a bit depressed that the weight isn't moving. so I don't know how much I weigh right now... and I'm (sort of) ok with that!

That's it for now! Thanks again Kerrie!!! xxx

Erica xx

Walking Walking Walking...

2008-01-16T21:26:00.000+11:00

I'm really starting to enjoy walking! I went for a great walk with Kerrie tonight... just over an hour... 6.25km, a cracking pace of just over 6km an hour with some jogging at the end! I really enjoyed it. I also go for walks with Dave in the evening instead of going to the gym... with it being summer at the moment, the evenings have been really nice, but not too hot... perfect for walking!

I lost 800g this week and was at 92.6kg... which I was happy with! I'm not travelling as much at the moment, so I'm taking full advantage of having some sort of routine. I'm able to bring my calorie controlled lunch to work and exercise most days for at least 1 hour... which is great. Not sure why I'm plateauing at the moment... it's kind of frustrating... but I know that my body will catch up with me eventually and I'll drop a stack of weight. That's how I've been going... I'll drop 5kg and then have a couple of months break.. then I'll drop another few kg pretty easily and then my body will put on the breaks again... I'm getting used to it now!!

The biggest loser starts soon... I'm excited. I love biggest loser... it gets me all fired up again, just when I've lost the motivation to keep the pace. The best thing is, is that I've got FOXTEL! *yay* and so I'm able to record TBL when I am travelling overseas so I won't miss out on any episodes... FOXTEL also has some awesome weight loss and plastic surgery documetaries that I'm very keen for... and have been slightly o/d'ing on them since we got it installed 2 weeks ago... I find it facinating..

I ordered my wedding dress last Thursday... in a size 16. I am fucking stoked! I never dreamed that I would get into a 16 for my wedding... I was praying to squeeze my fat ass into a size 18... but I wasn't holding my breath. Dave took my measurements, and when we ordered the dress online, the measurements equaled a size 16 in all places except my waist which was an inch and a half over... but that's OK, 4 months will see me shrink a little more and I'll fit it perfectly come the wedding day. I'm a bit nervous about receiving it, as it is an internet purchase... so the sooner I receive it, the sooner I can try it on and feel good about the whole thing... fingers firmly crossed, otherwise I am screwed!!

Anyhoo... I'm off to have some delicious watermelon and low fat ice cream... YUM!

Erica xx

Counting Calories

2008-01-09T08:09:00.000+11:00

A couple of fellow bloggers asked me if I count calories. Well, it's a yes and a no.. I do have a fair idea of how many calories are in different types of food - I say this because I am formally trained in Nutrition and Dietetics at Uni, so we were taught all that estimation stuff... so when I don 't get on and blog often, I generally can work out how much I'm eating. In saying that, I try to keep a food diary every day and hop on Calorieking.com.au to give me a better estimate of how much I'm consuming.

So yesterday, I had the following:

Breakfast
Protein Shake - 200cal (CK out by 50 cal)

MT
Egg - 100cal
Handful of nuts - 200cal (CK out by 200 cal!!)

Lunch
Chicken - 100cal
Salad (including Avocado and Olives) - 200cal
Ranch Dressing - 75cal

AT
Berries (1 cup) - 100cal

Dinner
5- Zucchini Flowers (these were lightly battered and filled with Ricotta) - 500cal

Supper
Low Joule Jelly - 0 cal

Drinks
3 tea - 50 cal total
1 coffee - 20 cal total
diet cordial and coke zero - 0 cal

Total calories: Approx 1500 cal

According to Calorie King I consumed 1544 calories - so not a bad estimate I say!!! Interestingly, 56% of the calories are from fat, 17% from protein, 27% from carbs and 0% from alcohol. I need to reduce my fat intake and up my protein intake I think - and I think the main contributer of that was the nuts I consumed yesterday!

Thanks for reading! Will post again soon.

Erica xx

Hungry today!

2008-01-08T08:13:00.000+11:00

I woke up hungry today.. not sure why. I had a salad and chicken for dinner last night. Oh well... Going to drink lots today... hopefully that will help with the hunger.

Food today?
Breakfast
Protein Shake

MT
1 boiled egg
handful nuts

Lunch
Chicken and salad
Coke Zero

AT
Strawberries
Blueberries

Dinner
Going out for dinner - looking at the stuffed zucchini flowers... YUM!
Low Joule Jelly

Ok. off to have my protein shake.

Erica xx

P.S Down to 92.4kg today! 1kg down since Saturday.. go me!

Back to buisness..

2008-01-07T18:07:00.000+11:00

down 700g since Saturday - very happy. Now at 92.7kg. Definitely eating less, and not eating junk. The loss is probably water weight... but that's OK... a loss is a loss, and I definitely felt bloated when I got back from my holidays!

Went out for lunch yesterday with the family. I had a goats cheese and roasted vege tart that came with salad. I only ate half the tart and half the salad and was full. Was delish!

The hunger pangs are slowly going..

Erica xx

And the starting weight is.... drum roll please

2008-01-05T10:26:00.000+11:00

.. 93.4kg.... utterly shameful! How did I let myself put on 3kg over the past month??? Stupid christmas and all it's tasty treats... I didn't even have that much alcohol either!!! I didn't exercise except for 1 gym session while I was away... and I ate crap.

First goal for the year is to get to 91kg - 25kg weight lost
Second goal for the year is to get into the 80's..

Bring it on!

Erica xx

2008... GOALS!

2008-01-03T16:33:00.000+11:00

Wow... I can't believe it's now 2008.. 2007 is just a distant memory. I was telling Dave that we're getting married "this" year.. felt kinda weird to say that..

I haven't set any NY resolutions as such, just to keep following the ones I've already got. I did take a bit of a break over the past month or so.. I've gained 3 or so kilos.. (not really sure how much.. but will take an official weigh in on Saturday so will post then!).
It really is time to get serious about this weight loss business. I've only got 5 months now until the big day, and If I really focus now I can shed 10kg by then. I do however, have to order my dress this month, and so, disappointingly I have to admit, I am going to be measured up as a 90kg person, not the 85kg I'd hoped... that was totally all my fault. I know if I'd been committed over December I wouldn't have taken those few steps back... Not to worry, I'm not going to beat myself up over it, but just move forward and focus on what I have to do to achieve my dream of being a beautiful bride!

I've decided that I'm going to go low carb for a while. that is, no bread, rice, pasta or potatos, and no sugar - lollies, chocolate, ice cream etc. I'm going to get back to basics - so loads and loads of fresh fruit and veges - that includes things like Pumpkin, sweet potato in small amounts, and avocado, nuts and lean meats - especially chicken and fish. I did it before and lost a considerable amount of weight - and I know that this will kick start my weight loss and also give me a bit of a detox as I'm feeling a little bloated from christmas and the driving up and back to QLD. I'm going to allow myself things like low joule jelly, drinks and lollies as I do have a sweet tooth that can turn monstrous around TTOM... but for the most part I'm going to try and stay off the aspartamine as much as possible! I'm also going to limit my coffee and black tea intake and drink more green and herbal teas which I love anyway.

As for the exercise part, I'm getting a personal trainer. Starting in February - my friends Kath and I are going to train together once every two weeks - which is the equivalent of me paying for a PT one-on-one once a month. I'm also going to aim to do 3 spin classes a week, 1 body jam class, 1 core class, and I would LOVE to get back into Pump... but I really should seek some medical advice from my back surgeon before starting it up again.

Oh yeah, another thing I want to do is some treadmill running. I want to do the 8km Mother's Day Fun run this year, and I would like to be 15kg or more lighter (I was 104kg when i did it last year!). It's in May.. so a great goal for me to aim for..

And lastly, I will update my blog and my calorie counter on Calorie King every day or at least twice a week for my blog. This was a life saver when i started to lose focus!

Hope you all had a great 2007... I am so excited for 2008! Will write soon with my NY starting weight :)

Erica xx

Oops! I'm still here!

2007-12-18T21:53:00.000+11:00

I haven't been writing in this blog for a couple of reasons...
1. I haven't been in the country... yeah, NZ, Hong Kong, Singapore travel this month... so I've been so so so so busy I haven't had alot of free time to write in my blog and when I have had free time.. I haven't had time to blog cos I've been doing other stuff... see what I mean?
2. I've put on 2kg... yes, I know.. DISAPPOINTING! But with the travel came the weight gain. I've just finished my final trip for the year so planning on getting back into the gym and weight loss now (as I type this I"m on my second mini bottle of red wine.. ). The diet starts tomorrow.

To be perfectly honest, I've been so happy with how I've done this year. I've lost 12kg since April.. which is pretty fricken good I reckon! I'm feeling so good with the way things are going. I look good, I feel fan-fucking-tastic... but in saying that, I'm resting on my laureals a little.. and I know that.. but I'm kind of enjoying the break and the "no pressure" thing. It's been really nice. I'll definitely be back to it in the new year, but for the moment, I'm enjoying the relaxed conditions and the break of weight loss... as long as I maintain.. I'll be ok!

If I don't write before christmas... have a good one.. .
THANK YOU for supporting me through another amazing year. 2008 is going to be fantastic... cos I'm getting married! 5.5 months to go... ARGH!!

Peace out!

Erica xx

Another week, another room service menu..

2007-11-18T22:07:00.000+11:00

Damn that room service menu! this week I'm staying at the Westin, in Sydney. Very Shishi-poo-poo! Very very nice room service menu. I usually rate the room based on it's room service menu.. omg and you should see the mini bar... it's got Jelly Belly Jellybeans peoples!!! Could they be any crueler??? I swear... the mini bar is burning a hole in the drawer... I'm going to have to have something from there... or I will go nuts. It's either that or order something from Room Service... let's see... should I have the grain fed beef and burgundy pie, the risotto with roma tomatos, basil and roasted garlic puree or should I get the stir fried black bean wagyu beef? Or maybe I should go straight to dessert and have the chocolate and walnut tart with rosemary scented cranberry compote? See what I mean??? CRUEL!

I need to go to bed... before I short circuit the keyboard from drooling too much.

Give me the strength... *eek*

Erica xx

P!%$#ed off

2007-11-16T14:13:00.000+11:00

Auckland Airport blows... it really does. They've decided to become more stricter about the whole liquids in bags thing. So when I was stopped at security for not having my lip gloss (yes, people, you heard it right... lip gloss) in a clear plastic bag, I was told that I either had to produce a clear plastic bag, or risk having it conviscated. So here's how the conversation went:

Security: Do you have a clear plastic bag for your cosmetics
Me: No I don't
Security: Sorry M'am, we're going to have to conviscate them
Me: Are you kidding? You can plainly see that this would fit in a plastic bag
Security: but it's not in a plastic bag
Me: Ok, may I please have a plastic bag?
Security: We don't have any
Me: Why not?
Security: Because you should have got one before you came in
Me: Ok, well I'll just go out and get one then
Security: Sorry M'am, you can't leave, it's a secured area.
Me: I'm sorry? You're telling me that I can't have my cosmetics back because they're not in a plastic bag, yet I can't leave to go and get one from outside, so I have absolutely no way of getting my stuff back
Security: Yep
Me: Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to get a plastic bag?
Security: Do you have a friend you are travelling with?
Me: No, I don't, I'm on my own
Security: Sorry M'am, we'll have to take them
Me: Fine, take them (fully pissed off and shaking with rage at this point)

so I go to Qantas Club, still absolutely seething that my expensive lip gloss has been binned at Security, and I ask the front desk if they have a plastic bag. They did! No use to me now, but I thought I'd go back and give the security another piece of my mind. I came back to security and I presented my pastic bag (as requested).

Me: I'd like my stuff back
Security: I can't do that
Me: So the stuff that you saw presented on the tray, that quite easily would have fit in this bag had to be binned because I wasn't able to produce THIS bag.
Security: The procedure is that you put everything in a plastic bag, if it's not in a bag, we'll have to take it. The rules are clear and simple
Lady standing next to me: excuse me, can I have a bag like this?
Security: No we don't have any
Me: Sorry, these are mine, you're not having one (was NOT in the mood for sharing)
Lady: Where do I get the bags from?
Security: They were available outside
Lady: I'll go and get one then
Security: Sorry M'am you can't leave, you're in a secured area
Me: Yeah, looks like you'll have to have all your cosmetics conviscated now... Hope they weren't expensive!!! *grab my plastic bags and walk off*

Moral of the story - always keep your lip glosses in plastic bags, just incase you meet any arseholes at security at Auckland Aiport. Keep your eye out for this skinny blonde chick - she is particularly nasty and unforgiving.

Erica xx

Before and around the halfway mark...

2007-11-04T10:32:00.000+11:00

Thought I might put up some before and after shots of my weight loss progress this year. This first photo is me at around 108.6kg on 16th March 2007.

and then this is me approx 18kg less at 90.9kg on 3rd November 2007.

Erica xx

1kg to go!!!

2007-11-03T15:14:00.000+11:00

... Until I'm in the 80's! Weighed in at 90.9kg this morning, giving me a grand total weight loss of 25.1kg from my heaviest! I also cracked my next weight loss goal of 25kg lost and am now working towards getting to 89.9kg. 1 measily kg separates me from the 80's!

Erica xx

Same weight as Dave!!!

2007-10-29T19:38:00.000+11:00

Dave hopped on the scales this morning and it flashed up 92.3kg. YAY! We are the same weight now! Only when we first met was I lighter than him... and for the majority of our relationship, I've been heavier than him... WAY WAY heavier... like.. up to 30kg heavier than him...

I have a week at home this week, so am loving the routine. It's just annoying that I have bloody uni in the back of my mind all the time. Hence the reason why I'm blogging and not doing my assignment... I'm the BEST procrastinator! Going to get to the gym every day this week, 5 spin, 1 body jam and 1 core class. Next week I'm also in Sydney, so will be able to give a good exercise effort at the gym too.

I got a lovely comment from a colleague at work, who hadn't seen me in about a month. She asked if I had lost weight, she said she had really noticed the difference, which is when other people in the office also piped up and commented on my weight loss. COOL!

FINALLY caught up with Kerrie this evening for a spin class. It was GREAT to see her again, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting to more spin classes with her. I definitely worked a little bit harder than normal tonight...

Here's hoping it's a good week on the scales! Bring on the 80's!

Erica xx

P.S. Another before shot for you... :)

Closer and closer!

2007-10-25T17:38:00.000+10:00

Weighed in at 92.4kg on the scales this morning. YAY! 2.5kg to go until I'm in the 80's! Double YAY! I was a bit skepticle about my weight loss this week, another trip to New Zealand at the beginning of the week saw my eating go right out the window... Room Service, coffee and muffins, and of course the Platinum Qantas Lounge *drool*, but I'm down 400g from last weigh in on Saturday... so I was pretty happy!

Anyhoo, off to a Body Jam Class now! Will update my weight on Saturday. Hopefully with some good news!

Erica xx

20% of me... GONE!

2007-10-20T19:39:00.000+10:00

Lost 400g this week which means that I am smack bang on my next goal of 20% weight loss. I've done it! 23.2kg of pure fat... GONE GONE GONE!!! YAY!

Will be in New Zealand this week for work, so going to try extra hard to be good while away. I'm also going to make the effort to get up early on Monday morning and get to the gym, so I'm only missing out on 2 days of exercise...

I was pretty good with my eating this week. We went out for lunch for a new colleague on Monday. I ordered Massaman beef, but only ate 1/4 of it. Then, I packed my own lunch for the rest of the week to make sure it was calorie controlled. Didn't managed to get to the gym much.. only 2 days... but was happy with the effort.

So, now... I'm well on my way to the 80's, with only 2.9kg to go! I remember when I was 102.8kg... and was looking forward to getting to the 90's!!! I am having a checkup with my Doctor on November 9th and I would LOVE to be in the 80's... as the last time he saw me I was 98kg back in June....

Next goal I'm concentrating on is the 25kg weight loss mark. This is 91kg, so 1.8kg to go! I got some lovely comments from a couple of the girls at uni who only see me once every 3-4 months, which was a great boost to my ego! I'm really starting to notice the weight loss especially in my neck and face. I have collar bones now, that are always visible and my double chin has shrunk!

Hope you are all having a good weekend!

Erica xx

I forgot how tough it was!

2007-10-13T21:00:00.000+10:00

I did quite a bit of travelling last week. I was in New Zealand for 4 days, on both the north and the south island. It was a great trip, however, I forgot just how challenging it was to travel and be healthy.

Qantas has a new first class lounge and I am lucky enough to have platinum status, so I'm allowed access to the lounge. Well.... talk about decedant! Neil Perry designed both the restaurant menu and the cafe lounge menu. Well, we didn't even go to the restraurant part, just had a couple of snacks from the cafe menu.. Chilli squid, prawns with garlic and lime aoili... not to mention the belgium ice cream for dessert. It had started...

Then, because there was a 3 hour time difference between Sydney and NZ, I was hungry at the weirdest times... not only that, but I was also tired from the travelling and difference in time zones which just made me hungry. It seemed that the places I went to for meals didn't have the best choice options, which was disappointing.

The problem is, is that because I'm flying international, I can't really bring my own snacks.. cos of customs ... so fruit and vege sticks are out of the question. I'm going to have to really put some thought into my healthy eating while travelling!

Consequently I only lost 100g this week. Now at 93.2kg. Still happy with the progress, considering I'd dropped a heap of weight over the past couple of weeks. I'm still on track with my 10kg Christmas Challenge!

Bring on the 80's!!!

Erica xx

Wedding Update

2007-10-07T08:30:00.000+10:00

Hi All,

Just thought I would update you on the status of the wedding. We actually got quite a bit done this weekend, booking both the cars and the music for the church and the reception. On top of that, Dave has picked up his wedding band. It is lovely. See a couple of photos below:

Ok, now for the cars? We're having 3 Mk5 Jaguars with a black top and silver body, and 1 Bently as the Bridal car, same colours as the Jags. See a photo below:

Nice eh? They seat up to 16 people, and our bridal party is 14 with both sets of parents, so we'll get a car to ourselves (bride and Groom) and the rest can fit in the other 3 cars. We found them on www.silvercloudcars.com.au. We still have to go out to their show room next week to see the quality.. but I think we're pretty much decided. They're charging us $1800 for the 4 cars for the whole time we need them. Not bad I thought!

And the music? That's through www.moondance.com.au. The thing we liked about these people was the fact that 1. They could play our wedding dance, Moonlight Serenade, 2. They played celtic music which we wanted for the church ceremony and 3. They played the kind of music we wanted for the reception - Jazz, Swing, Big Band and Top 40 dance. So, we managed to get our church and reception music through the same people which means we only have to deal with one company... and the price? $1200 for 7.5 hours playing time, no charge for setting up time. 1.5 hours for the church and 6.0 hours for the reception. We are thrilled with the price and the package they are offering.

Other than that, the weight loss is going great guns. Down to 93.3kg on Friday weigh in. So down another 500g in one week. Perfect. I'm off to New Zealand this afternoon, and won't come back until Wednesday night, so don't think I'll be doing much in the way of exercise. I'm also visiting the first class lounge at Sydney international airport... which apparently has some good food... so am going to try to restrain myself... but when the menu has been designed by Neil Perry... I'm not sure how behaved I am going to be!!!

Will try to post later on during the week. Bring on the 80's!!!

Christmas Challenge: 2.7kg down, 7.3kg to go - 11 weeks til christmas!!

Erica xx

Feeling Hot Hot Hot!

2007-10-03T19:23:00.000+10:00

How hot was it today? Freaking hell! I spent most of it inside, thank god. Actually, when I was outside briefly, I wasn't too uncomfortable.. and I think it's the weight loss.. actually I know it's the weight loss. I'm not as sweaty as I used to be...

I wore these suit pants that I bought in December for a couple of Job interviews I had at the beginning of last year. They were *just* able to do up. I've been wearing them on and off since I got them, but I REALLY noticed the difference when I put them on today. They are a size 18 from Jacquie E and they can go over my hips WITHOUT me unbuttoning them!!! My butt looks like it was punctured and deflated. LOVE IT! I'm thinking I'm going to have to invest in a size 16 suit and watch myself shrink into it.

I also gave some of my too big clothes to my sister who can hopefully get some wear out of them before she gets too small for them. One dress I hadn't even taken the label off!!!

I got a $150 Target gift voucher from Dave for my birthday and I made him hide it from me so that I can spend it when I lose some more weight. I've decided I'm going to spend it when I'm 86kg or under as my reward for my 30kg weight loss. I'm now 93.6kg so... Only 7.7kg to go! Even more importantly, only 3.7kg to go until I'm in the 80's! AND... only 2.6kg to go until I can boast a 25kg weight loss!

As for the 10kg for Christmas Challenge... I'm now 2.2kg down... only 7.8kg to go! Happy days!

Erica xx

All I can say is WOW!

2007-09-29T13:16:00.000+10:00

I dropped a massive 2.3kg this week! I'm totally stoked. Got down to 93.8kg this morning and I was staring at the scales in disbelief. Luckily I took a picture of the scale reading on my phone so that I can look at it if I ever doubt that number came up. I then, very happily went to a wicked spin class and caught up with a girlfriend who has just come out of hospital for a tummy tuck. She is looking FANTASTIC!

So, I've now lost 2kg out of the 10kg Christmas Challenge! I don't expect this weight loss to keep up however... I normally have a plateau every 5kg or so... I'm a bit perplexed however as I'm due for my TTOM this week and normally I retain some water weight and drop 1kg or more afterwards... Who knows what will happen next week... I can't explain it.

Meanwhile, I'm starting to re-think my wedding dress choice. The dress I tried on in March was beautiful, and I really liked it... HOWEVER, I have realised that I am now 13kg lighter and so might have more options for dress choices. I'm not sure if I should go back to the bridal factory and try on some more dresses.... Perhaps I'll look different now than I did then??

Decisions Decisions... *eek*

Have a great long weekend!

Erica xx

And the starting weight is....

2007-09-25T16:46:00.000+10:00

95.8kg!

Today is exactly 3 months til christmas - or 13 weeks to go. The challenge is to lose 10kg by Christmas, which is less than 1kg a week, definitely doable!

I love a good challenge! :)

Erica xx

10kg by Christmas!!!

2007-09-24T18:03:00.000+10:00

I love a good challenge, and with Christmas being only 3 months away (yes, as of tomorrow... it will only be three months until Xmas!!) and I want to be 10kg lighter. Thanks Trisca for the idea!!

I will weigh in tomorrow morning and update my weight on my blog... and the challenge will begin.. WooHoo!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my last post re my before shot. I really was a porker... I can't believe I ever let myself get that big!! I keep catching glipses of myself in the mirror and I can definitely see a difference now, especially in my face and neck... and I like what I see! :) I still have a long way to go though, I'm only half way through! It's taken me nearly 2 years to lose this weight, and if it takes me another 2 year to get the rest off, then that's OK... but I am going to give my all to lose as much as possible for my wedding.. :)

Cheers,

Erica xx

20kg done and dusted!

2007-09-23T10:49:00.000+10:00

Ok, I know I shouldn't be weighin every day, but being 100g off my 20kg weight loss goal was killing me and I made sure I was EXTRA good yesterday to see if I could pull myself over the finish line. Well, I well and truely did that... and weighed in today at 95.4kg! I am totally stoked! :)

I just wanted to post up a fat photo of me when I was well and truely at my heaviest. You can't even see my whole body but just check out my face.... OMG I'm HUGE!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend..

Erica xx

100g to go! Argh!

2007-09-22T12:38:00.000+10:00

Weighed in this morning at 96.1kg. I'm only 100g off my 20kg weight loss goal... ARGH!!! So close!! Ah well, it WILL come off eventually... it just would have been so nice to see 95.something on the scales today. Not to worry, I've got a goal for next week's weigh in. 800g down from last weeks weigh in, Excellent!

Did core and spin this morning. My legs were definitely a little wobblier than normal when I got off the bike after spin! I'll feel those classes tomorrow that's for sure!! Felt good to get back to core as I haven't been able to do this class for months. I really concentrated on tightening my core muscles and doing everything so slowly. I kept on waiting for the familiar pain that shoots down through my hip and into my leg... but NOTHING! WooHoo! I feel like I can really put 100% into my classes now cos I don't have to worry about the pain or pull back because the pain gets too much. I haven't been able to do this since the start of the year..

Feeling great :)

Erica xx

I'm back baby!

2007-09-21T21:00:00.000+10:00

Completely recovered after my back surgery except for a random piece of suture that I have to get cut out (under local anaesthetic..) and I am feeling fanshabulous! I've been fully back to my normal exercise routine this week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I did spin classes and tomorrow I'm hitting the gym early for a core class followed closely by a spin class. I am amazed at how quickly I was able to get back into it. I thought it would take me weeks, but I'm loving my new found strength, especially that awesome feeling of strong legs. Speaking of legs, I've lost 12 cm off EACH of my thighs! HOLY CRAP! That's huge!

What else? Dave and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary yesterday. He got me 12 red roses sent to my work.. they were lovely. We're going out to dinner tomorrow night to "our" restaurant and on Sunday we celebrate 1 year since we got engaged... How time flies!! Only 8 months to go until the wedding... ARGH!! OK, not going to think about it anymore... well, not for a while anyway...

New job is going great guns. I've been allocated to sites in NZ, Hong Kong and Singapore, so I'll be doing alot of Overseas travel.. very excited!

OK, that's all from me. Will post in an official weight tomorrow.

Night night!

Erica xx

Welcome Charlotte Sophie!!!

2007-09-10T14:35:00.000+10:00

Let me introduce the newest member of the Ujhelyi/Youssef family... Charlotte Sophie.. born on 9th August 2007 weighing in at around 3.3kg!!

This is Sophie at 1 month old. She is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!

96.9 and feeling fine!!

2007-09-05T15:34:00.001+10:00

That's what the scales said this morning!!! YAY! I'm 900g off meeting my first major goal of 20kg lost. This was my original half way mark as I wanted to make it to 76kg and re-evaluate. I'm nearly there!! I was hoping to make it to 96kg by the time I go to see my inlaws this weekend. I haven't seen them since February of this year, and it means I would have lost 12.6kg since I last saw them... Maybe they'll notice a bit of a difference eh?

Looking forward to doing a bit more exercise next week too. I'm off to see the doctor tomorrow afternoon to look at my back and how I'm doing after the surgery. Fingers firmly crossed that he gives me the all clear to get back to the gym.

Ok, enough from me.

Erica xx

Back Surgery and the rest..

2007-09-02T11:45:00.000+10:00

Last Saturday 25th August I had an L5-S1 Discectomy to remove part of a protruding back disc that was putting pressure on my right sciatic nerve. Consequently I was in constant pain, in my lower back and my right leg. As regular readers of my blog might be aware, I've had this problem for the last 2 years and it has only become worse since the end of May. After 2 corticosteroid shots in my back that lasted only 2 months, I made the decision to go under the knife and fix this once and for all.

Well, it's worked. No more pain! Well, actually, I still have a little pain in my leg, right behind my knee but no more sciatic pain!!! The operation was pretty good. I was wheeled into theatre at around 7am after a teary goodbye from Dave. Next thing I know I'm in recovery. I had a nasty waking up experience with the tube being taken out of my mouth, I felt like I couldn't breath and that I was choking, but the next thing I know I was waking up properly with the BP cuff inflating and deflating every 5 mins or so. I was pretty out of it, and slowly slowly woke up. They wheeled me into my private room at North Shore Private Hospital where Dave was waiting. It was great to see him. I wasn't in much pain cos I had what is called a PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesia). I could click this button to have a shot of Pethadine injected straight into my drip... Aaaahhh the relief!!! Anyhoo, I spent nearly 4 days in hospital. I couldn't move about for the first couple of days, so it was bedpan time for me. On Monday I was allowed to move about with a physio, but that wasn't before I overflowed a bedpan and wet the bed... D'oH!!! Silly nurse gave me a small bedpan even though I was busting to go and had a full bladder!! Anyway, I was totally embarrassed and was thankful that I could eventually get up and go to the loo by myself.

Here is a piccy of my scar!

I'm now back at home and moving about quite well. I'm still not up to exercising too much, so Dave and I are walking each night which has been great. I stayed the same weight whilst in hospital which was also good, still at 97.3kg.

Hopefully this will be the end of my sciatica problem and I can finally get back to a decent level of exercise... I MISS it!!!!

Erica xx

Plataeu time..

2007-08-19T20:55:00.001+10:00

No weight loss since the beginning of July. I must admit, I haven't been the most strictest over winter. I have also started back at the gym which could be contributing to a bit of muscle gain? My back has been playing up also. I went to a spin class on Saturday morning and have been pretty sore ever since, so it's back to swimming until I get better. I also had an osteopath session yesterday which could have aggrevated it a little. I'm in a bit of pain as I type this, so I'll make this short and sweet!

Just found out that close friends of ours are engaged! Very exciting, and about bloody time!!

Anyhoo, going to lie down... Ciao!

Erica xx

Less than 10 months to go!!

2007-08-07T20:38:00.000+10:00

Totally excited today, cos we finally booked our honeymoon. We couldn't decided where we wanted to go. I wanted to go somewhere hot, Dave wanted somewhere cold. Since we're getting married in winter, NZ was the perfect place for some cold weather and some skiing... and I wanted to go somewhere warm, international, and somewhere we hadn't been before. Another criteria was that it was a place we could get to using my frequent flyer points. We also decided that we would go on our honeymoon in Mid July, so that the snow was better in NZ. Another positive is that one of Dave's relatives has invited us to use their Holiday house for our honey moon just outside Taupo, NZ. Perfect! So... where are we going on our honeymoon???

12th July - Fly Business class to Auckland, Skiing for 6 days (plus a bit of hot spring action thrown in!!)
18th July - Fly Business class from Auckland to Nadi, Fiji, for 6 days on some luxurious resort soaking up the sun and just relaxing
24th July - Fly Business class from Fiji to Sydney. 12 days away... the best of both worlds...

You're going to die when you find out how much it cost. So that's 3 Business class flights each, each flight at least 3 hours long... total cost for the two of us? $668!!!!! I know... I am totally shocked... Once I realised how cheap it was going to be, I booked it!! YAY!!!

Now all we have to do is organise car hire in NZ and accommodation in Fiji! This is going to be one cheap holiday!!

Totally excited...

Erica xx

WooHoo! First spin class in 2 months!!!

2007-08-01T08:17:00.000+10:00

I did my first spin class in 2 months last night and I had no back pain!!!! And, better still, I didn't have any back pain during the night, OR, when I woke up this morning.... it felt soooooooooooo good to be back at the gym and working hard. My weight has been stable over the past 3 weeks.. which isn't bad, but isn't good. I've had a pretty hectic time settling into work and getting used to my new schedule. Where I work there is no canteen or any shops close by, and no vending machine so I have to bring my lunch to work, which is great... cos it means I am in total control of my calorie intake while at work!

OK, that's it from me for today.

Erica xx

A little weight gain...

2007-07-27T08:26:00.000+10:00

I've gone back up to 98.8kg.. so gained 1.5kg over the past two weeks!! I'm a little disappointed, as I've lost a little control over my food and I haven't been exercising at all. I was going to get up at 6am today and go to the gym before work, but it didn't happen.. I've been tracking my calorie intake, but it has always been over.. and I haven't tried to bring it back into line..
I went to see Harry 5 last night (great movie by the way), and I had half a large popcorn, a choc top and a krispy kreme doughnut.. *eek* I did have a salad for dinner though! :)

I think my main problem at the moment is that I am worried that if I get back to exercise too fast too soon then my back will start hurting again and things will go backwards... I really can't let that happen at the moment.. not with starting a new job and stuff. I know that if I keep doing what I'm doing, I'm going to keep gaining (or staying the same), yet swimming is so incredibly boring I can't bring myself to get in the pool anymore. At the moment, I can walk for about 15-20 mins (window shopping walking) before I start getting any pain... not sure what vigorous activity will do... and don't really want to find out, yet I have to start including exercise in my lifestyle again, if I want any chance of getting on the weight loss band wagon again. Tomorrow I'm going to give the bike a try... just 20 mins, slowly, and then get in the pool as well... and build up the exercise very slowly.

Have a great weekend!

Erica xx

Update on the Job Front

2007-07-17T11:02:00.000+10:00

Last day of my current position is this Friday and I start my new job on Monday. I got the Senior Clinical Research Associate (CRA) position at Allergan, a pharmaceutical company based in Gordon, NSW. Why am I leaving my current position I hear you ask? Because I missed being a CRA - the travel, the project management, the site interaction, the variety, spice and excitement of running clinical trials. Best part is that I got a promotion into a Senior role, I'll be doing a bit of mentoring of Jnr CRAs and I'll hopefully be travelling Asia Pacific. For the first 6 months I'll be doing alot of Clean up/Catch up work for them, which is fine with me and then after that I will move into a permanent position with some new projects. I got a little pay rise as well, which always helps. At the moment I kind of feel like I'm floating between projects, helping out here and there but never having anything I can really call my own. There is no better feeling than the knowledge that you have been an integral part of a successful project.

I handed my CV to a recruitment agency on Tuesday, Wednesday she called me and asked if I could go that day for the interview, I decline and said Thursday was better for me. 8am interview which lead straight into a 2nd interview (they asked me to stay for that!) and by 3pm I had been offered the role. Friday I handed in my resignation and I start a week later! It all happened so fast. I'm very excited :)

Weight is stable at the moment. I indulged in a little chocolate yesterday (so much for my chocolate challenge!! *LOL*) so I'm not expecting miracles on the scales this week, but still very focused :)

Erica xx

1.3kg off 20kg!!

2007-07-16T11:23:00.000+10:00

Hey all,

Another good weight loss result this week. I was 97.3kg on Saturday, so that's 400g down since last week. I'm not even doing that much exercise these days but the weight is still falling off.

I've been heaps busy too... I've managed to get myself a new job and am starting next Monday. More about that later...

Thanks for stopping by. I'll update my blog with more detail when I get a chance.

Erica xx

10% weight loss!!

2007-07-09T13:42:00.000+10:00

Weighed in this morning at 97.7kg!!! That's 10.9kg lost since the start of the year (108.6kg)... or.. MY 10%!!! WooHoo! Next goal is 96kg or 20kg lost since my heaviest weight back in December 2005. Only 1.7kg to go!!!!

I had a really good week this week. I stuck to 1200cal/day and swam 4/7 days. I also stayed clear of bread/pasta/potato/rice during the weekend and stuck to natural foods which has seemed to have helped. Its funny cos I feel less bloated today, I could say I feel "skinny" today. *lol*

So I've decided that this week I'm going to stick to a fairly low carb diet - ie no white stuff. Brown rice will be OK, but I'll have a limit of about 1/2 a cup and only at lunch time. I find that if I have only minimal carbs at dinner I don't get those after dinner sweet cravings I used to get.

Back is getting better, slowly slowly. Give it another week and I think I might be able to incorporate a little variety into my routine. I'm happy with swimming for now, as Trisca said, it's a good time for me to visualise my goals... it's Me time!

My aim is to be under 95 by the end of the month, which is 2.8kg to go (omg, that's hardly anything!!! I remember when it was 2.8kg til I was in double digits!!), and to be 96kg by the time Mum and Dad get back from their holiday (21/Jul) which is 2 weeks away.. 1.7kg to go!

I am really enjoying this weight loss ride at the moment, I feel like I'm on this massive downhill rush at the moment!!!... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..... !!!

Erica xx

11 months 1 day to go!!

2007-07-05T09:12:00.000+10:00

It sounds like a long time, but really it's not. And if I think about it seriously, i've only got 6 months to go until I get my dress fitted, I could possibly push it out to 7 months... but I think I'd start to get a bit stressed about it not being ready in time. So realistically, if I've got 6 months of hard core weight loss in front of me.

Since February I've been losing on average 2kg/month which I am totally happy with. However, now that it's coming to cruch time, I need to pull my finger out and make it 2.5kg possibly 3kg weight loss per month if I want to even come close to my goals for my wedding. Potentially I could lose between 15-18kg by then and be at between 81-84kg by my dress fitting.

Right up until my back problem kicked in at the end of May I was really focused and motivated because I had such a fantastic exercise routine and the diet just seemed to fall into place. I didn't realise just how important exercise was to me until I couldn't do it any more. I really did take it for granted and thus, was slack on my calorie intake cos I always knew that my exercise calories would see me through, or if I needed to, I could always just go to the gym and earn a few more. I never had any feelings of guilt when I ate high cal food because there was always something I could do to make my diet right for the day and I could eat anything I wanted, literally.

Now that I can't do the level of exercise I would like, I'm having to focus alot more on my calorie intake. I've stepped up the swimming, now that my back is used to the movement again, and I'm planning on going to the pool today, tomorrow and Saturday (total 5 times this week!) and depending on how I feel next week, I'm going to attempt at some cycling on the stationary bike (no... no spin classes for me just yet!!). I am so thankful that I can actually do exercise, I really am... but swimming is soooooooooo friggen boring. I seem to go into this trance when I'm swimming, back and forth across the pool until the 45 mins is up. I do some water running, some arm work with the floaty weights they have. I also say the number 75 over and over again (this is my goal weight for now) but also think about all my mini goals that I've got to pass in order to reach my final goal weight. I think about what healthy meals I can cook and what groceries I need, when my next appointments are... it is good thinking time for me... but I'm one of those people who needs the beat of some music to really push me out of my comfort zone!

I've also been thinking of reducing my carb intake and upping my protein intake. I also need to increase the amount of fruit I'm having - as sometimes I go for days without having fruit.. and I need to start drinking more water. I'm working on all of this in my new office, I call the pool, and will get back to you with a plan of attack soon.

Sorry for Rambling! Thanks for listening... advice/thoughts/comments/opinions are always appreciated!

Erica xx

Back Injury Update and the winter blues..

2007-07-03T11:26:00.000+10:00

My back injury is taking its sweet time to get better, and so I'm forced to stick to swimming as my only form of exercise. I was surprised to discover that you can burn quite a few calories with swimming.. even though I don't feel like I'm doing jack all. Nothing beats a spin class where your thighs are burning and you can feel the sweat dripping down your face, off your nose and splash on your bike, only to have it mixing with the countless number of people who had used the bike before me (*ewww!*). Swimming laps is soooooo boring... Apple needs to bring out a water proof Ipod so that I can get my groove on in the pool.. but until then, I entertain myself by alternating between freestyle and breastroke.. and try not to fall asleep along the way.

But, the good news is, is that I'm actually doing exercise... a far cry from 5 weeks ago where I couldn't go to the loo without being in extreme pain... so I'm pretty happy with my progress. I saw an osteopath on the weekend who did some great work on my back, so I'm feeling a little more positive about the whole thing. 2-3 weeks should see be back to normal... whatever normal may be...

In the mean time, my weight has plateau'd a bit and I've been kicking around the same kilo for the past few weeks. A few things are in my headspeace at the moment that I want to get out...

1. It's winter... who wants to swim in winter? Who wants to get up early to exercise when their bed is so comfy and warm?? Who wants to eat salad in winter? Who wants to gorge on hot comforting foods like casseroles, stews, soups etc etc...??
2. My back injury means that I can't exercise the way I would like... I'm not used to doing only 1 type of exercise and I get bored very easily.
3. I'm not earning enough exercise calories back... I'm having to really pull back on my cal intake cos I can't rely on having that "room to spare" anymore. Thats got me thinking in a whole new way..

Ok, that's all from me. Speak soon!

Erica xx

6 weeks until I'm an auntie!

2007-06-27T15:59:00.000+10:00

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..

2007-06-26T08:58:00.000+10:00

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!!!

2007-06-21T08:52:00.001+10:00

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...

2007-06-20T10:13:00.000+10:00

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..

2007-06-19T09:00:00.001+10:00

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!

2007-06-18T10:59:00.000+10:00

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..

2007-06-12T17:46:00.000+10:00

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

2007-06-09T10:32:00.000+10:00

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!!!!

2007-06-06T10:31:00.000+10:00

... 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!!!

2007-06-03T14:17:00.001+10:00

.....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....

2007-06-02T17:56:00.001+10:00

... 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

Weekly Results and Summary

2007-05-19T12:47:00.000+10:00

I cracked the 101's today with room to spare! I weighed in this morning at 101.6kg, which is a massive -700g down since last week, total loss of -14.4kg since my heaviest weight and 7kg in 14 weeks (since Feb 2nd). I was jumping up and down for a while there cos I'd weighed in on Friday (yesterday) at 102.3kg having not lost anything since last week, and I figured that because I was going out for a chinese meal that evening, that I probably wouldn't see much activity on the scales today... boy, was I wrong!!!

This week was an interesting one. Sunday was the Mother's Day Classic Fun Run with 4km of walking over 6.0km/hr and then walking the 2km to get there and the 2km to get back (so total 8km walking for the day). I was totally sore on Monday, so there was no exercise for me. I did a walk on Wednesday for 45 mins, but wasn't a fast one, Thursday I did a bike ride and today (Saturday it was a core class and spin class). So not my usual exercise for the week... I did keep close track of my calorie intake through the Calorie King Diary Tracker and was pretty good each day.

Kerrie took me out for a belated birthday brunch and we had a fantastic chat over some coffee and a muffin for a couple of hours. THANK YOU KERRIE!!

So, 1.7kg to go until I am at double digits. My focus is the get there for 1st June. That's in 2 weeks time, so I've really got to knuckle down. For the first time in ages I really feel in control of my weight loss again. With so much that's going on in my life at the moment it feels great to have control over something.

Have a great weekend and happy losing!

Erica xx

Mother's Day Classic Photos!!!

2007-05-16T13:28:00.000+10:00

Picture quality could be better I know.. but here are some photos from Sunday!

Mother's Day Challenge and Weigh In Results

2007-05-16T08:32:00.000+10:00

Good Morning!

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. I've been busy... just wanted to update you on my week. First of all, I weighed in at 102.3kg on Friday Morning. I was expecting a bigger drop this week cos of TTOM, but beggers can't be choosers... I lost 400g from the last week, so I'm happy.

Friday was a bit of a write-off in terms of diet. Started with Yum Cha for lunch (have you ever tried to track Yum Cha calories??? Next to impossible I tell you) and because I'd let myself go at lunch, I just kept on eating crap for the rest of the afternoon ... then Dave and I drove up to see David Strassman live in Newcastle and had a very delicious meal at a French restaurant at Bistro Tartine. Their creme caramel was to die for, but had 5 gadzillion calories I'm sure. We were well behaved at the show, not buying any junk during intermission, but because we had a loooooooonnnnnnnggggggg trip back, a chocolate bar was in order... and thus topped off a very norti diet day.

I made up for it though with a killer spin class on saturday and the Mother's Day Classic Fun Run on Sunday. I did the 4km walk/run in 36 minutes, and was walking/jogging at a cracking pace the whole time. After the event, I took my mum out for brunch. I was a tad sore on Monday and yesterday but a good massage sorted me out last night!

So that's my week in review. Will post again soon!

Erica xx

1kg down from the weekend! go me

2007-05-09T14:16:00.001+10:00

REALLY happy about that. I would love to get under the 102's this weigh in, and there is a good chance with TTOM in full swing I should drop some fluid this week. I'm also focusing alot on my diet this week as I had to cut some exercise due to my cut finger. I didn't go for a walk this lunchtime as it is raining (oh glorious rain) so I'm off to a spin class this afternoon. I'm really looking forward to it too as I haven't exercised in nearly 4 days *gasp shock horror*.

So I did a mid week weigh in at 102.7kg, which is -5.9kg since 2nd February 2007 (3 months, 6kg, 500g average loss per week - perfect!).

I had a visit with the dietitian yesterday, just to see how my progress was coming and she is really happy with my level of focus and determination. She is really happy that I am keeping an online diary (through Calorie King) and am doing lots of good quality exercise. She said that the only thing she can see that I can improve on is that I should probably eat one more serve of calcium/day as I'm not getting enough. I currently eat 1 maybe 2 serves a day, and I really should be eating a minimum of 2-3/day. Other than that, I will have another appointment with her when I'm closer to my goal weight so we can talk about weight maintenance.

And on another note, COME BACK TO BLOGLAND (and Carlingford Fitness First) KERRIE!!! I miss you!!! Haven't heard from you or your blog in aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages. Hope you're doing OK and have fully recovered from your car accident!!

Lisa66: thank you so much for your wise words and support. It means alot to me, thanks for checking up and seeing how I'm doing *hugs*

Take care,

Erica xx

Salt = water retention = weight gain... DOH!!

2007-05-07T13:33:00.000+10:00

I had a bit of a salt laden weekend and so it's reflecting on the scales at 103.7kg this morning. I'm also due for my period this week, so I'm feeling a little bloated. So I'm sticking to a low salt, lots of fresh foods diet this week drinking plenty of water to try and flush some of the excess water out of my system. So for now, weigh in day was friday and I weighed in at 102.9kg... lets see what next Friday will bring.

I sliced my finger open this morning, went to see Dad (who just happens to be a hand surgeon - how convenient) who wrapped it up for me. No stitches, thank goodness, but alot of blood and pain and throbbing and ouchies. I have to wear my hand in a sling today with my cut hand near my shoulder so that it stays above the heart otherwise it throbs and hurts alot. All because I was cutting HEALTHY veges for my lunch. That will teach me eh? Not allowed to do exercise for a couple of days, so no spin or aqua for me today or tomorrow. Might go for a walk tomorrow night, but can't get my blood pressure up too much cos it might start the bleeding in my finger again.

And in other news, Dave's Mum's diagnosis came through and she has Non-Small Cell Metastatic Lung cancer. The prognosis is not good, with the doctors giving her between 6-9 months. She will have pallative chemotherapy to help with symptom relief, but they are not treating her aggressively. So things are pretty raw and emotional and I'm trying to keep strong for Dave and his family. Dave's Mum and Dad are thinking of moving back to sydney (from Bundaber) to receive treatment and to be closer to their sons. This will impact us greatly I am sure.. Will keep you posted.

Take care,

Erica xx

Happy Birthday to me!

2007-05-04T15:11:00.000+10:00

Argh! Another year older... on the downhill slide to 30... I can't say I'm in my mid twenties.. I'm officially in my late twenties *eek* I didn't think this time would ever come! Ah well.

I am loving my scales at the moment with another 300g loss today... putting me nicely in the 102's at 102.9kg! Thats a loss of 2.1kg in two weeks. I'm aiming to hit another kg lost this week, if I get to 102.8kg or below I'll make that target. Next week is TTOM so I'm aiming for a good loss then... and then it's a few more grams until I hit double digits (for the 2nd time). Someone said today that I was looking thinner than before (even though I only saw her a week ago!!). I'm fitting into all my clothes really nicely again, and not squeezing into them like before - especially my jeans which seem to be the first things to get snug when the weight goes on.

Tonight I'm having dinner with the parentals. Lunch was at sushi train where I only had 3 plates of sushi, two of them only had 2 pieces on it... I've never spent under $10 at sushi train in my life!!! It was delish and I'm full! Looking forward to dinner at a Korean BBQ restaraunt where we can grill our own meats and have them with condiments... super healthy (except for the fried rice). I'm not going to go overboard tonight as I really want to make the 1kg challenge this week.

Will post tomorrow with the official results!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Erica xx

Another loss??? WooHoo!

2007-05-03T08:40:00.000+10:00

I know I shouldn't be getting on the scales every morning, but I've been a bit obsessed lately... So I got on the scales this morning and am down another 300g from yesterday. I now sit at 103.2kg (and that was without doing a number 2!! *lol*). I was speaking to someone yesterday and I said that for me, my weight loss needs to be some what of a large focus of my life because if it's not, other things seem to take over and I lose the focus very very quickly. We all know what happens when we lose focus? We eat crap, we don't exercise and we gain weight.. yes? What am I doing at the moment for my weight loss?

1. I'm counting calories - everything that goes in my mouth I count (including diet cordial)
2. I'm planning ahead - I actually write down everything I am going to eat for the day
3. I bring my lunch to work - not only am I controlling my calorie intake, I'm saving $$$!
4. I'm having a liquid breakfast - I'm having optifast in the morning, fills me up until lunchtime and only has 150cal! Gotta be happy with that.
5. I'm eating regularly throughout the day - no big lunches for me, I usually have 3 snacks during the day which keep me going and stop me from being hungry
6. I'm exercising 30 mins (or more) most days - I make sure I sweat.. enough said..
7. I'm NOT travelling - this is probably the main change for me over the past few months is that my travel has decreased to next to nothing. A few meetings in Sydney - half day things, definitely managable.
8. I'm taking time out for myself - whether it be just pottering in my home, doing some relaxing cross stitch or going for a long walk with Dave, it helps with my frame of mind
9. I'm making myself totally accountable - I try to make my journey as transparent as possible, and this blog helps me do that
10. I'm not punishing myself anymore - I deal with the problem and move on. Whether it be a gain on the scales, or a missed gym class, I don't get angry with myself anymore..
11. I have a goal (my Wedding) and I have mini goals. I'm not looking at the big picture.. and there is no pressure..

Ok, enough rambling from me. Enjoy your day!

Erica xx

The scales are moving... in the right direction!!!

2007-05-02T09:42:00.000+10:00

Weighed myself today, and I'm at 103.5kg, so that's 5.1kg lost since the start of the year. *does the happy dance* I really feel like I'm in the zone at the moment and with everything that is going on with Dave's Mum, my new job and the wedding, I feel like my weight, diet and exercise are really the only things I have control over at the moment. It's really great to feel in control of something and to actually reap the rewards from it...

So I'm feeling pretty darn good at the moment. Managing 4 spin classes a week, 1 Aqua and 2 coure classes and I still get 2 days rest. The core classes hjave been amazing for my core strength, and I have felt a big improvement over the past 4 weeks I have done the class. At the beginning I could barely hold the positions and was wobbling about all over the place... now I'm getting alot more stable on the bosu and able to hold the positions for longer and even am having a go at the higher levels (although I totally can't do them for very long!!!).

I also received my first acupuncture session last night for my back, it was really interesting and I feel a little different from it. I'm going to have a few more sessions with my acupuncturist and re-evaluate. She did some really bizarre things such as rolling up bits of herb (that smelt like weed) and placed them on the needle and then burt the herb so that I got warmth running down my leg between the needles. She also did some suction which helped with some spider veins I have on my upper leg (not many! only 2 little ones!!) and did some electrotherapy by attaching an electrode between a needle placed in my right hand and left foot... left me with tingles!

Anyhoo, that's all from me.

Erica xx

Back down to 104.1kg!

2007-04-26T09:47:00.000+10:00

Looks like being anal with calorie counting really does work! I've been counting my calories ever since the beginning of the week, have stuck to 1500kcal or under, tracked everything I've eaten, exercised most days and I've dropped an amazing 900g in that time. Go figure. I'm 104.1kg today, so fingers firmly crossed that I make it into the 103's and possibly even to my goal of 5kg lost at 103.6kg on Saturday. Not holding my breath for anything spectacular, but if I keep going the way I am going, I'm bound to see a loss on the scales this week! Yay me!

Erica xx

Back up to 105kg... ARGH!

2007-04-23T12:02:00.000+10:00

What's a girl got to do?? The scales flashed at 105kg on Saturday Morning. I tracked every day, ate under 1500kcal perday and did enough exercise and I still managed to gain 700g! I'm hoping that this hard work will show up next week with a decent loss. I'm not going to let this phase me. I'm going to continue tracking, planning and counting every last calorie. I'm finally a member of the Calorie King website and that has been really useful for me and I'm able to be really accurate when recording. I feel a bit self-righteous when I see my menu/meal plans and know that I'm under the 1500kcal/day mark. If I don't lose this week, I'm going to continue to lower my daily cal target until something happens!

Much love,

Erica xx

And it's a gain!

2007-04-21T14:53:00.000+10:00

Friggen hell, another gain! I seem to be taking one step forwards and two steps back! I tracked to the last CALORIE, everything that I ate this week, I tried to stick to under 1500kcal each day and exercised 4 times this week only to report a 700g gain on the scales. I'm not even coming up to TTOM. I dealt with it this morning, and then went and did 1.5 hours at gym. I can only do so much. I know this will show eventually, but when you put ever effort into tracking your food intake you expect to see some results on the scales!

Rant over..

Have a great weeked!

Erica xx

The news is not good..

2007-04-20T09:11:00.000+10:00

Just thought I'd give you an update on the Cancer thing. Dave's mum went for an MRI yesterday, and we got the phone call last night to say that the news wasn't very good. She has lung cancer, which was totally not surprising as she's been a smoker for 50 years. She had the nerve to comment that her cancer wasn't caused by smoking - I almost choked on my coffee when she said that. She starts Chemotherapy next week and that will be every 3 weeks for the next few months. We don't know the type of cancer it is exactly. It could be one of two cancers - non-small cell lung cancer or small cell cancer. Either way, the prognosis isn't great considering that they've found secondary tumours in her breast.. For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), prognosis is poor. For advanced NSCLC, average 5-year survival is 6 months for untreated patients, and 9 months for patients treated with chemotherapy. The 5-year survival rate of patients with NSCLC is 60 to 70% for patients with stage I disease and zero for patients with stage IV disease. So I guess it really depends what "stage" she is in... which we don't know yet. Essentially, because it looks like she has metastasis to the breast, she could be in a later stage of cancer.

So we've booked a trip to go and see them in Bundaberg in June for the long weekend. That's about all I can tell you at this point in time. My main concern is of course Dave and how he is. Will keep you updated when I know more.

On to more weight loss related news, my scales suck and I hate them. I'm back up to 105.0kg and I've been micro-tracking EVERYTHING that I've been eating this week. I've been trying to stick under 1500kcal/day with some exercise as well - and for the most part I have done this.. but I've still put on a whole kg, dammit! How does that happen? I'm not due for TTOM any time soon... and I've shaken up my exercise routine by adding in some walking.. this is insane! I've just got to keep the focus...

Take Care,

Erica xx

Calorie Control

2007-04-17T15:49:00.000+10:00

I thought this week I would try a different approach and actually try and count my calories. So I visited The Calorie King which has a great too for working out Calories of the foods you eat and also working out your exercise calories as well. I know it's not an exact science, but I love detail and this will give me a better insight of what I am doing and what I can do to improve what I'm doing.

I'm still working on the spreadsheet/design, so I'll start posting when I have finished.

Cancer Update
MRI has been booked for Thursday, we'll get more news then about what is going on. Thanks Lisa for your wonderful post, fingers are firmly crossed that everything is OK!

Cheers,

Erica

Bad news, and very bad news..

2007-04-16T09:45:00.000+10:00

So the bad news is that I gained 700g from the kg I lost last week, was back up to 104.6kg on Saturday and back down to 104.3kg today *phew*. I think it was probably my easter weekend that caught up with me... all that chocolate. Not to worry, the scales are going in the right direction again, and I'm looking forward to a big week of exercising too... aiming for a kg loss this week!

And the very bad news? Dave's mum has cancer. Yup, the big C. We're not sure how bad it is and the extent, she's going for an MRI this week sometime to work out exactly what's going on and the best course of treatment for her. Dave is doing ok. I think he's waiting until we know exactly what's going on.. but I have a feeling that this is going to significantly impact our lives and that things are going to change.. big time to deal with this. I'm just not sure how...

Talk soon,

Erica xx

Good News!

2007-04-11T13:28:00.000+10:00

And in non weight loss related news...

Dave got that job he was going for, and after 4 weeks of just being on my salary, we're back to a double income again. It was a little stressful only having the one income. Dave's salary has also increased by $20K/year, which has meant that we are earning enough to pay off the mortgage, save for the wedding, pay off all our debts AND have a bit of $$$ to spare all by the wedding next year. What a relief I tell you!

We got the news just before I headed off to the gym for Judi's Spin Class. I tell you what, I certainly worked harder being in a good mood!! Tonight is the core class, can't wait!

Have a good day everyone!

Erica xx

Wedding Ring!!!

2007-04-08T18:48:00.000+10:00

Hi All,

For those of you interested in my wedding plans, I picked up my wedding ring on Thursday. Dave is putting it away in a safety deposit box until the day, so I thought I might take some photos to show everyone and to remind me what it looks like. So, enjoy!

Erica xx (aka Mrs Warner)

P.S. 425 days to go!!!

This ring is from the Love and Passions Collection. The box it came in was sooo nice!

N.B I purposely wore it on the wrong hand!!!

1kg gone!

2007-04-08T12:26:00.000+10:00

Pleased to report a whole 1kg loss since last week - WooHoo! Much of that is attributed to TTOM coming through, but it felt so good to see that big loss on the scales this week, as I haven't seen that for about 6 months!!!

I finally feel like I'm getting back on track. AbFab definiately helped me get back in to the right head space again which is great. I'm even enjoying some chocolate today without having a big stress about it all.

Have a happy easter everyone!!

Erica xx

Wedding Update

2007-04-06T20:04:00.000+10:00

Just thought I'd give you a bit of an update of where we are with our wedding plans. I am pleased to report that I can tick another thing of our "to-do" list, or should I say our "to-buy" list. I picked up my wedding band yesterday, and it looks just lovely with my engagement ring. I can't wait to have it on my finger permanently, but looks like I'll have to wait until next year, because Dave has put it safely away in our safety deposit box until the big day. I got to look at it one last time last night. Best thing is, is that we got it on Layby 12 months interest free, so we're only paying $90 a month! Not bad eh?

We also had our engagement party, a while ago now.. but I've attached a photo of the happy couple for you all to go awwwwwwww over.

Other good news, we got broadband at home so I actually feel like getting on the computer now, before I had to wait so long with dial up that I just couldn't be bothered! *lol*

Happy Easter Everyone!

Erica xx

New CORE Class Rocks!

2007-04-05T08:18:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I tried the new CORE class at Carlingford Fitness First, and I can tell you it is as hard as buggary but totally awesome. Definitely doing the pilates helped as well, but maaaaaaan was it tough! Let me explain a little about the CORE class - you basically work with the bosu balls (the half swissball that has a hard flat side and a rubbery round side) for 45 minutes working on different muscle areas but also using your core muscles alot - hence the word CORE! The first thing they got us to do was to jump onto the round part of the bosu ball. I was thinking, you've got to be kidding me. But, surprisingly, after only 1 go of not sticking the jump, the 2nd jump I managed to stay on the ball after I jumped on it (with alot of wobbling about!!). They went through a series of exercises including squatting , lunging , side squats all using the ball in some way. It's similar to pump, except you don't have the stability of the bar and the nice stable firm flat floor to help you - everyone looked so funny wobbling about. Upper body was probably the most difficult part of the class for me - which made me realise that I have absolutely NO upperbody strength. Something I should definitely look at fixing. Loved doing the pushups off the flat part of the ball and the tricep dips were amazingly hard and the smallest movements seemed to send them screaming in pain and my arms were shaking and wobbling. I looked around to see that I was not the only person wobbling or with this weird contorted look on their face...

Today I'm feeling it mostly in my chest/pecs. My legs are surprisingly OK today even though we did what seemed like a million squats. I thought for sure that I was going to be hobbling about today!! But no, looks like my 3 spin classes a week pay off in the leg strength department!

Anyhoo, it's time for the easter long weekend (in approx 7.5 hours!!), and I'm off to the Sydney Royal Easter Show tomorrow and studying for an exam for the rest of the weekend (yay me!). Have a good one, don't eat too many chocolates! I'm going back on my chocolate challenge after easter. Next Tuesday I'm starting a 3 month no chocolate challenge because just in the past week I have eaten WAY too much chocolate.

I checked my weight today and I've lost a little more, putting me at 104.9kg. My aim is to be at double digits for my birthday in 5 weeks time.

Erica xx

AbFab 2007!!!

2007-04-04T13:52:00.000+10:00

Last weekend, myself and about 10 other people from the ww 30+ boards decided to venture up to the Gold Coast and have a bit of fun together - AbFab 2007. And what fun we had! Let me start from the beginning.

Friday: Left for the airport at about 8am. Boarded my Qantas flight and arrived at GC at around 11:30am. Unfortunately my room wasn't ready so I went to hang out at the local pub for a while until it was. Lost $20 on the pokies waiting around, oh well!! Finally got to my room at around 1:30pm and get a call from Cassie (Purpletoot), that she and her fiancee Neil were at the hotel as well. So I went and met them at their hotel room for a while, before heading back to my hotel for a bit of a snooze before the festivities started. At around 7pm we all finally met in the hotel lobby. Lots of hugs all round. Finally got to see the faces of some of my fave WW members including Lesley (Diminishing), Petina (bikinidreamer) and Rose (StevieRose) not to mention ladies that I was less familiar with including Helen, Briar, Michelle, Sue, Christine, Lynette, Lorraine, Claudia, TraceyM, Shona and Lisa. We all headed off to the surf club for a meal where the last thing on our minds was actually counting any points!!! hehehe After a few drinks and a big catch up it was back to the hotel room to sleep.

Saturday: Woke up and met the girls at the hotel lobby at around 8am. Walked over to the surf club for breakky. We all enjoyed a wonderful morning of delicious food, fabulous company and lots and lots of photos! The view onto the beach from the club was amazing and we spent some time on the beach taking loads of photos of us all in our sexy AbFab t-shirts made by the lovely Bojana! The rest of the morning and some of the afternoon was spent shopping over at Pacific Fair. A sleep in the afternoon was followed by a swim with some of the girls, then it was off to get ready for our night at Jupiters Casino and our buffet dinner that we had all been saving our appetites for at Food Fantasy. After one of the most delicious buffet dinners I had been to in a long time, we headed off to the pub for a few drinks. I headed off to bed at around midnight, but I know there were a few girls that partied the night away!

Sunday: A quiet breakky at the hotel started at around 8:30am although this was definitely too early for some, who strolled in quite blearie eyed at 9:30am!! I also got to meet Woodie, one of our resident males on the WW boards who simply amazed us by the fact that he'd already been out for a 20km run that morning and was training for the GC marathon in 3 weeks time. Absolutely AMAZING!! Our next stop was to a nice set of markets near broadbeach, where I picked up some amazing ceramic products from a local designer. It was then back to Pacific Fair for some lunch and some last minute shopping before heading off to the airport. As my luck would have it, I managed to get seated on an earlier flight so ended up arriving home at around 7:30pm instead of 10pm.

I had such a great time and met so many wonderful people. I hear that there might be an AbFab 2008 to be held in Perth, possibly? I'm not sure if I'll be able to make that one, it really does depend how my wedding plans are going... and how much $$$ I have to spare... but If I start saving now... it probably won't be an issue. The only thing that would have made this trip better would have been if Kerrie was with us. But, she was definitely talked about and missed a great deal and I could feel she was with us in spirit! :)

So, here's to AbFab2007 and all the fabulous people that went! I hope this is the first of many amazing meet ups!

Erica xx

Has anyone seen my Mojo?

2007-03-29T08:38:00.000+10:00

I seem to have lost it, and can't find it at the moment. I was doing so well too! Getting to the gym 5 times a week, eating well... but the weight wasn't shifting and so I gave up - story of my life. Funny thing is, now that I've stopped with all the full on tracking and exercising I've lost that 800g I gained last week... go figure. *sigh* the body works in mysterious ways.

Great news! Kerrie is out of hospital and is recovering at home. Yay! I've had her in my thoughts most of the week, which hasn't helped my "mood". Now that she's back at home and out any danger I guess I should get back into the swing of things... I think once I visit her tonight I'll feel a bit better too!

On other exciting news, I'm going to AbFab 2007 up at the gold coast tomorrow and for the weekend. I am totally excited... except for the fact that I had to cancel Kerrie's ticket cos she can't come. Definitely put a dampner on my excitement as I was sooooooo excited to be having a weekend away and having Kerrie there would have made it extra special.. Never mind, I'm looking forward to meeting the girls from the WW +30kg board site. Yay! Will report back and post some piccies when I get back!

Ok, so I've missed a couple of meal plans this week, but here is Thursdays:

Thursday Meal Plan
BF: 1 up & go, 1 skim latte
MT: 1 Fruit tub
L: 1 Lean Cuisine
AT: 30g Walnuts
D: Not sure yet... probably some fish with veges.

Take care!

Erica xx

Weekly Results and Summary

2007-03-26T15:51:00.000+10:00

Add 800g to this weeks total. *sigh* not sure what happened there, but will of course get straight back on the band wagon this week. Had a bit of a blow out this weekend, due to my little gain.. not to worry, back and focused for this week!

Meanwhile, my weight loss and spin buddy Kerrie has been involved in a car accident and is currently in hospital. Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig hugs to you my friend, hope you have a speedy recovery!!!!

This week my exercise is going to be a little less than normal, not to worry.. will make sure I sweat extra hard on the days when I am at the gym!!!

Monday Meal Plan
BF: 2 weetbix, bran, skim milk, skim mocha
MT: 1 slice banana bread *home made yum*
L: 2 slices bread, 2 tsp marg, minestrone soup, 1 fun size chocolate
AT: 1 small piece chocolate cake
D: Fish, potato, veges

Ok, thats it from me for today. have a good one!

Erica xx

Protuding L5-S1 disc update

2007-03-23T09:24:00.000+11:00

I'm going to the physio twice a month for my back because I have a bludging disc that is pressing on my sciatic nerve running down my right leg. While I'm still getting some pain when I sit for long periods, it's a far cry better than what it was 6 months ago! Yay! I would get pain when I walked, when I slept, sitting and standing.. it was horrible! I was on lots of pain meds, and was taking them pretty much on a daily basis. I can go for weeks without taking any meds now. My physio is happy with my progress to! :)

Friday's Meal Plan
BF: large GJ's coffee, weet bix, bran, skim milk
MT: 25g Pringles
L: left over pasta and veges
AT: fruit cup
D: 1/2 take away container indian - not sure what type of indian

Have a great weekend!

Erica xx

Psychologist Update

2007-03-22T08:42:00.000+11:00

I went to see a psychologist a few weeks ago about my "issues" around my weight and weight loss. It was an interesting experience. She started by asking me a few questions about myself and my family background, and then went on to talk about how I feel about being overweight and how I think it impacts on my life, and how I think people view me and react to me as a person both professionally and personally. We then talked about what being at a normal weight would mean to me and how I will feel and if I will feel differently and behave differently. I always used to think I was myself all the time, no matter what situation I was in, but talking to her, I realised that I am truely happy when I am at home - when there is no-one there to judge me or my weight. Even with my close friends, I have always got this feeling in the back of my mind that they can't look past my weight and that my weight influences what they think of me, and how they see me as a person. For example - if I tell someone the amount of exercise I do, I think they automatically think - yeah right, as if she could do all of that, look how fat she is. And when I'm in a professional situation, I think that people think that I'm incompetent or I am inferior to them because of my weight. When I was getting interviewed for the job that I'm currently in, I felt at ease with my interviewer because she was overweight. I felt like I could relax a bit around her, where as, other interviews I went to I was alot more nervous and intimidated because they were thinner people.

It was a truely amazing experience. I had never vocalised just how my weight affects my thinking but actually talking about it made me get more of an idea of how my weight really does affect my life.

Enough about that, Thursday's Meal Plan:
BF: 2 slices bread, 1 small can baked beans
MT: 1 small tin tuna
L: Not sure yet, as going out for lunch - but it will probably be a salad or sandwich
AT: Up and go (going to a step class after work)
D: 1 piece baked fish, 1/2 cup pesto pasta, 2 tbsp steamed vege

Hopefully with the increased protein I'm having today I'll feel more full. I hate feeling hungry! I'm also incredibly sore from all the exercise I've been doing this week. I'm looking forward to a rest day tomorrow! :) I worked out that I would have done 5 hours and 50 mins exercise by the end of the week - and that's including 4 high cardio classes and a couple of running sessions. Yay me!

Have a great day!

Erica xx

HUNGRY!

2007-03-21T15:50:00.000+11:00

Why am I so hungry? Usually things that are keeping me full aren't staying in my tummy very long and I'm hungry like an hour later! *argh* I just feel like I want to eat and eat and eat. I'm drinking lots of water, but that's just making my stomach rumble alot louder! I had a LC satay beef meal for lunch around 1pm and it's now 4pm... perhaps it's time for me to have a snack... especially since I'm doing two classes tonight!

Wednesday's Meal Plan
BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp bran, skim milk, reg skim mocha
MT: Fruit cup
L: LC satay beef
AT: 1 slice toast with cheese and marmite
D: 1 chicken rissole, steamed veges and 1/2 cup pesto pasta

I did my first training run last night. I was able to run 250m on 8km/h before I died. I've got a long way to go! I managed to do 3 x 250m 8km/h runs before stopping. I'm going to slowly build this up. I forgot how difficult it was to run, especially carrying this 30kg of extra weight!!! Perhaps my increased hunger is due to the increase in exercise I'm doing?? I mean, I am going to the gym 5 times a week (including 3 spin classes and a step classes, not to mention the "running training" i've started). I think I might look at adding some more protein during the day for added sustenance.

Enjoy your day!

Erica xx

Mother's Day Fun Run!

2007-03-20T08:38:00.000+11:00

Last year I participated in the Mother's Day Classic Fun Run - well it was more of a 4km walk. It was a great day and I really enjoyed it. It was also my first fun run. I also did the City2Surf last year which was great.

This year I've decided to set myself a bit of a goal and enter the 4km RUN... yep, not walk.. RUN. I'm going to start training for it now and start a running program at the gym twice a week. I've got to work out the details a bit, but I am going to start by seeing if I can run 1km non-stop, then I'm going to build it up to 4km. I don't care how long it takes me, or how fast I can do it in.. I just want to do it! So while I haven't worked out April's Exercise Goal, my May Exercise Goal is to Enter the Mother's Day Classic 4km Run. Yay me! My first training session starts tonight, before my spin class.

Tuesday's Meal Plan

BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp bran, skim milk, reg skim mocha

MT: 1 hot cross bun

L: Home Made Potato and Leek soup

AT: 1 fruit cup

D: 1 chicken rissole, steamed veges and a small dinner roll

That's it from me for today, have a good one!

Erica xx

Weekly Results and Summary

2007-03-19T16:21:00.000+11:00

And it's another loss of -200g to give me a total loss of -11.6kg to be at 104.4kg. A little bit dissapointed with this as I worked my butt off this week with exercise and was totally strict with my diet. Still, in saying that I'm now 6 weeks of continuous losses, so if I continue like this I will eventually reach my goal weight.... eventually...

I was very proud of myself because last week I attempted my first ever step class and actually finished the whole 60 minutes. I was also under points every day.

This week I'm going to do much of the same exercise classes and document my daily meal plan:

Monday 19/Mar Meal Plan
BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp bran, skim milk
MT: nothing
L: cous cous salad with haloumi
AT: 2 tim tams
D: 1 piece lightly battered fish, salad
S: 1 scoop low fat ice cream

Exercise Goals for this week
Monday 19/Mar: Aqua 45mins
Tue 20/Mar: Spin 45 mins, upper body weights 30 mins
Wed 21/Mar: Spin 45 mins, Pilates 60 mins
Thur 22/Mar: Step 60 mins
Fri 23/Mar: Rest Day
Sat 24/Mar: Spin 45 mins
Sun 25/Mar: Rest Day

Hope your week is a good one!

Erica xx

My First Step Class!

2007-03-16T08:33:00.000+11:00

So my calves feel like razor blades have sliced through them, my hips are screaming and I'm walking with a shuffle that would put my Gramps to shame, but I did it, I did my first ever step class. WooHoo! The step class was held at Norwest Fitness First at 5:30pm yesterday. I got to the gym by 4:30pm, so I actually did a 30min workout before hand as well *go me!*. I didn't like the layout of the Norwest FF. To get to the ladies change rooms, you have to walk right into the weights section, very intimidating for a fat girl who is selfconscious enough without having to wonder whether the blokes standing around the machines flexing their muscles are sniggering behind my back at the size of my butt. Not only that, but the studio where classes are held is located at the other end of the gym, past all the free weights section... the designer of the layout of this gym must have been a very stupid man.

But, Norwest FF is like a gym from the future. They have the COOLEST new machines that are sooooooo much better than the ones at my gym at Carlingford FF! There's a skiing/gliding one and a wacky stepper one and all of the machines are brand spanking new. Not only that, but the lockers are activated and locked by swiping cards over the front of them. No more keys or finding $2 coins in the dark recesses of your bag. Makes me think that I should be writing a "suggestion" for the suggestion box at Carlingford FF that perhaps there is some inequality between the clubs... but I digress.

After trying all the cool machines, and getting very tired in the process I wandered down to the studio and set up my step. No platform raises, just the step. Everyone else who came along were setting up with at least 1 or 2 platform raises. Some nutter had 3 raises on either side! *eek* When the instructor came in, I went up and told her that this was my first step class. She looked me up and down and asked me if I am new to the gym and have I done much exercise before. how rude! If only she knew! hehehe. Anyway, she gave me a little advice about the class and that was that. The music started and off I went.... step step stepping. 60 mins passed like it was only 5. The music was great, I was keeping up, a little unco when it came to adding new steps in, but I slowly got used to the rhythm of the class. I was definitely TIRED by the end, red faced and sweatier than I'd been in a long long time. But I knew I had really worked hard and tried my best. I might even go back next week! :)

Friday's Meal Plan
BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp bran, skim milk, small mocha (I should really shake my BF up a bit)
MT: Fruit Tub
L: left over pasta (1 cup cooked)
AT: 10 rice crackers, 20g brie cheese
D: Not sure yet, but I think I might be going out for a meal

Ok, that's it from me. I've got uni tomorrow so not sure if I'll be able to post a weigh in until Sunday. Have a lovely day everyone!

Erica xx

Trying something new!

2007-03-15T09:14:00.000+11:00

Today I'm going to attempt to do my first ever step class. How excited am I!! Gym bag is all packed and in the car for me to go straight to the gym after work. WooHoo! Will update you on how I go tomorrow.

Wednesday's Meal Plan went ahead perfectly, although I didn't end up having my ice cream after dinner, I was just too too full!

Thursday's Meal Plan
BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp bran, skim milk, small mocha
MT: Fruit Tub
L: Lean Cuisine Meal
AT: Probably nothing, I don't want to exercise on a full stomach!
D: 1/2 chicken schnitzel with salad and home made garlic potato wedges
S: cup of tea and a tim tam (can I stop at just one???)

Yesterday I did a ripper spin class with one of my fave instructors Judi. She is just one of the most motivating people I know. Whenever I do one of her spin classes I always picture myself being the only one in the room. I focus soley on her at the front of the room and try to match her pace. The music she used yesterday was soooooooo great for spinning. Great beats, great sound.. I felt stronger and fitter than I have felt in a long time. Let's see how I feel after todays step class!!! *lol* I doubt I'll feel the same way.

That's all from me today, have a good one!

Erica xx

P.S. Hello to Amy who has come to blogger land to visit my blog. I miss reading your space!! but I can't access it from work, and I don't have alot of time after work to get online (I'm usually at the gym!!! *LOL*). Come back soon - or e-mail me: richare@wyeth.com

Wednesday - Hump day!

2007-03-14T13:13:00.000+11:00

Manged to stick to my eating plan yesterday, so felt really good. The only thing I had extra was a cup of soup, so not too bad! Had a lovely hour long massage yesterday, so am feeling really good today.

Looking forward to getting to my 5:45pm spin class as I missed it on Monday! I feel like getting a bit hot and sweaty!! *lol*

Wednesdays Meal Plan
BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp bran and skim milk and a mocha
MT: 25g chips
L: 1 rissole, salad with balsamic vinegar and haloumi cheese
AT: probably nothing - maybe a fruit cup
D: Lightly battered Fish with veges/salad
S: 1 scoop icecream with ice-magic

Some good news! I've lost 4kg since the start of the year, but I've also lost 4% body fat! Really happy with that.

Erica xx

Painting = Take Away

2007-03-13T08:49:00.000+11:00

Dave and I are painting our apartment! It is looking great so far. We've used "antique ivory" for the walls, a darker brown for the doors, and we're having a burgundy feature wall in the lounge. So far, the hall way and the kitchen is pretty much done, but it also means that I have no bench/cooking space... so I guess what I'm trying to say is that we had chinese take away for dinner last night *lol*.

I chose stir fry beef with noodles. I got my take away container and made a big slice down the middle with my knife. I only ate HALF the take away container, the rest is sitting in the fridge ready for my lunch!

Yesterday I was feeling really nauseous ALL day. Not sure what it was, but by the time 5pm came round, I was in no state to go to the gym. All I wanted to do was go home and lie down. So that's what I did. That made me feel 100% better, so I decided to go to the 6:45pm Aqua class instead. Really glad I did. I worked really hard (yep, sweat and everything), my face was red, I was breathing hard and worked my butt off. Another reason why the take away book came out last night, was that I didn't get home until almost 8pm!! Excuses excuses I know. Those rissoles are sitting in the fridge for tonight's meal! :)

Tuesday's Meal Plan
BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp bran and skim milk, 1 large skim mocha
MT: 1 apple
L: left overs from last night (half a tub of stirfry beef noodles)
AT: 25g packet chips, fruit tub
D: 1 rissole and salad (that salad I described last night)

Tonight I'm going to get to the gym for a 1 hour cardio session before I get a 1 hour massage! Can't wait!

I'll also update you soon on my dietitian and psychologist appointments I've been having.

Have a great Tuesday!

Erica xx

The Week Ahead..

2007-03-12T08:53:00.000+11:00

Good morning everyone! Hope you all had a lovely weekend! I had a great weekend! I had a great girls night in with two girlfriends, we had pizza, some vino, chocolate fondue, sex in the city DVDs and loads of gossip. It was really fun, so fun that I didn't end up leaving until close to 3am!!! Needless to say, I was in no state to wake up for an 8:30am spin class. Dave and I did some painting on Saturday, before having a nice cosy evening together. Sunday I went to lunch with some friends who have just bought a new place in Hornsby, which didn't finish until 5pm!!

This week, I'm in the office all week, so am looking forward to getting to the gym most days.

Exercise Plan:
Monday 12/3: Spin 5:45pm (45 mins)
Tuesday 13/3: Cardio (45mins)
Wednesday 14/3: Spin 5:45pm (45 mins), Pilates 6:30pm (1 hour)
Thursday 15/3: Step 5:30pm (1 hour)
Friday 16/3: Cardio (1 hour)
Saturday 17/3: Rest Day
Sunday 18/3: Spin 9:15am (45 mins)

Food wise, I'm really going to try and focus on my meals in the evening. I'm slipped into some old habits again with more carbs. I want to make sure that at least half my plate is filled with either salad or veges and my carbs are kept to a minimum and I'm getting a decent size portion of protein. I'm going to document each day what my meal plan is:

Monday's Meal Plan
BF: 1 weet bix, 2 tsp unprocessed bran, equal and skim milk
MT: 1 apple, 1 fun sized chocolate
L: 1/4 cup cous cous, salad with avocado and goats cheese with FF dressing
AT: 25g chips and a fruit tub
D: 1 rissole and spinach salad with cherry tomatos, haloumi cheese and balsamic dressing *yum*

This week I'm aiming for a 1kg loss!! Let's do it!

Erica xx

Weekly Summary and Results

2007-03-10T11:51:00.001+11:00

Good morning everyone!

I'm borrowing this idea from Kerrie about having a weekly review and summary of my efforts this week (thanks Kez!!).

This week I lost a moderate -200g. That takes me to 104.6kg with a total loss of -4.0kg since the start of the year. I was pretty happy with my loss considering that yesterday I had pizza for lunch (lunch meeting) and pizza for dinner (girly night). So while I had pizza yesterday, my total intake was only 3 pieces! Yup, 1.5 for lunch and 1.5 for dinner. I also had loads of Salad with my pizza which made me really full. I was really happy with my efforts on limiting my pizza intake. In saying that, the pizza and alcohol consumed yesterday probably didn't help my weight loss this week and my loss would have been a little better if I'd stayed at home and had a lean cuisine instead *lol* but C'est La Vie! I'm happy, a loss is a loss!

This week I went to the gym 4 times which I was happy with. Here's my breakdown:
Saturday 3/3 - Spin Class - 1 hour
Sunday 4/3 - Walk - 45 mins
Monday 5/3 - Aqua Class - 45 mins
Tuesday 6/3 - Spin Class 45 mins, Upper body weights 30 mins
Wednesday 7/3 - Spin Class 45 mins, extra bike cardio 45 mins
Thursday 8/3 - Rest Day
Friday 9/3 - Rest Day

My back is feeling super-duper these days. I'm back at the physio once a fortnight, and he is doing wonders!! Only a little pain, but managable - I haven't had a single pain killer in 3 weeks! Before I was popping them like tic tacs!

I've decided that every month I'm going to give myself a new exercise goal.

March Exercise Goal: Try a NEW class - STEP CLASS!

I'm DYING to get a start my first step class. I couldn't get to last thursday's one as I had an appointment to go to... and I'm not sure if I can make this Thursday's class, but I'm definitely going to give one a go before the end of the month.

I worked out that I'm losing approx 2kg a month or 500g a week, I am REALLY happy with that. Not sure if I'm going to make my AbFab Goal of double digits, but I'm sure going to try and get as close as possible to it!

Ok, that's it from me. Enjoy you weekend everyone :)

Erica xx

P.S. Massive massive HOORAY to Kerrie who made it to 25kg lost! I am soooooooo proud of you. Keep thinking those skinny thoughts!

I'm still here!!

2007-03-08T08:32:00.000+11:00

I'm still here, I haven't gone away... I've just been super busy these past few days. My boss goes away next week so I'll be able to spend a bit more time updating my blog.

I have been really well this week. I've exercised every day since the start of the week. I'm feeling pretty great other than a niggling shoulder complaint. Even my back hasn't been too bad this week! I'm off for a physio appointment tomorrow so that should sort everything out!

I've also started some weight training, which has probably contributed to my shoulder and neck being a little sore. I do alot of cardio work involving my lower body (cycle mostly) so I think I need to develop and train my upper body a little also! I'm going to develop myself a 30 min weight training session that I can do mostly before I start my cardio classes in the evening. I want to aim to do these weight training sessions 3 times a week to complement my lower body work outs.

Ok, that's it from me. Speak soon!

Erica xx

New Blog!

2007-02-28T08:53:00.000+11:00

I started a new job that doesn't allow me to access Spaces so if I want to keep my blog going then I had to create a new blog in Blogger. So, here it is!!

to read my previous space and get caught up on a year or so of weight loss you can go to http://erica-thebiggestloser.spaces.live.com. (that is if your work will let you access it!!!)

Anyhoo, I'll post again tomorrow.. I've just spent so much time updating and creating this new blog that I really should stop this and start working!!!

Much love..

Erica xx

Erica's "Healthy Living" Blog

11 days to go!!

Week in review

4 weeks to go!!

Latest "Skinny" Photo!

More of that walking business..

Walking Walking Walking...

Counting Calories

Hungry today!

Back to buisness..

And the starting weight is.... *drum roll please*

2008... GOALS!

Oops! I'm still here!

Another week, another room service menu..

P!%$#ed off

Before and around the halfway mark...

1kg to go!!!

Same weight as Dave!!!

Closer and closer!

20% of me... GONE!

I forgot how tough it was!

Wedding Update

Feeling Hot Hot Hot!

All I can say is WOW!

And the starting weight is....

10kg by Christmas!!!

20kg done and dusted!

100g to go! Argh!

I'm back baby!

Welcome Charlotte Sophie!!!

96.9 and feeling fine!!

Back Surgery and the rest..

Plataeu time..

Less than 10 months to go!!

WooHoo! First spin class in 2 months!!!

A little weight gain...

Update on the Job Front

1.3kg off 20kg!!

10% weight loss!!

11 months 1 day to go!!

Back Injury Update and the winter blues..

6 weeks until I'm an auntie!

Swimming..

The scale monster returns!!!

And the numbers keep falling...

The scales are going down..

Oops! 1kg gain!

Back to work..

Weekly Results and Summary

1 year to go!!!!

Goodbye Triple Figures!!!

When everything is going really well....

Weekly Results and Summary

Mother's Day Classic Photos!!!

Mother's Day Challenge and Weigh In Results

1kg down from the weekend! *go me*

Salt = water retention = weight gain... DOH!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Another loss??? WooHoo!

The scales are moving... in the right direction!!!

Back down to 104.1kg!

Back up to 105kg... ARGH!

And it's a gain!

The news is not good..

Calorie Control

Bad news, and very bad news..

Good News!

Wedding Ring!!!

1kg gone!

Wedding Update

New CORE Class Rocks!

AbFab 2007!!!

Has anyone seen my Mojo?

Weekly Results and Summary

Protuding L5-S1 disc update

Psychologist Update

HUNGRY!

Mother's Day Fun Run!

Weekly Results and Summary

My First Step Class!

And the starting weight is.... drum roll please

1kg down from the weekend! go me