Amy's weight loss diary

It's arguably the most important national holiday in Australia (can't speak for New Zealand)- the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. I can't not do something for it, and I'd feel like a bloody fool wearing Australian flag gear (if I had any- I don't).

I decided whether or not to have any- I didn't, I gave them all to my friend- based on the calories in them. 3456 calories in a batch as I made it, 128 calories per biscuit. Not worth it for me, and I know if I'd had one I would've had half the batch. Half the batch is almost as many calories as I can have in a day! I wouldn't say I'm overly disciplined, or at least I haven't been, but this calorie counting is really working for me. I know how much food is "worth" and what I have to sacrifice in order to have it (shave off 100 calories for the next however many days, go without dessert, go a bit hungry, that sort of thing). I don't know why, but it makes sense with my kind of thinking, and I'm astonished at how well I've been able to stick to it. I didn't think I had any willpower at all when it came to diets.

My friend told me I've lost a lot of weight, so I'm starting to wonder if a) I've been losing weight for awhile, even before I got my own set of scales, b) the weight loss is less significant than the shape change, or maybe a bit of both. I saw a few old friends who commented on my weight loss and it was really gratifying.

Went to the gym for the first time in over a week today. Skipped one part of my program- the "go as fast as you can for a couple of minutes" one, which even when I'm completely well makes me feel like I want to vomit, but managed to do the rest of it just fine. I was more tired than usual afterwards, but no more than I'd expect to be given I've had a week off, not even accounting for the fact I've been sick. After the gym had the Graze Bakewell Tart, which was really perfect as an after gym snack (first thing I'm had from them). Really yummy, a good mix of protein and sugar, and suprisingly filling given it was only 40g. Didn't need the clementines in my bag until just now (a couple of hours after the gym), and that's only because I haven't bothered to get dinner on yet.

All in all another good day :)
 
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your dinners sound so delicious. especially the stew and the salmon! I think i might steal some of your dinners haha. congrats, you're doing really great. i'll be sure to keep up with your updates :)
 
Thanks :) Steal away (and hopefully you'll find some things that work for you that I can steal in return). I'd have a lot harder time of this if I didn't find the food interesting. My favourite recipe websites are and (searching low calorie/ low kilojoule)

Speaking of which, here's today's food.

Monday 25 April

Breakfast: 45g oats, made with 444g milk (very hard to get exactly how much I want, hence the weird number), and 80g blueberries. Subtotal: 341 calories, 20g protein, 54g carbs, 4g fat
Snack: 128g apple (64 calories, 15g carbs)
Lunch: 2 slices rye bread, 11g Australian honey, less than a gram together of pepper and dried mint (counted as 0.3g each), 60g of low fat cottage cheese with pineapple, and 73g tomatoes. Subtotal: 262 calories, 11g protein, 46g carbs, 2g fat.
After gym snack: Graze Bakewell tart mix (discussed above). 168 calories, 3g protein, 18g carbs, 8g fat
Cup of tea with friend: don't know how much milk he used and don't have semi-skimmed milk (what he used) on my calorie counter, so estimated 60ml (which would make it reasonably milky) and multiplied the amount of skim milk to make it equal to the calories in semi-skimmed. An estimate, but 30 calories, 2g protein, 4g carbs
Before dinner snack: 2 clementines (111g). 51 calories, 13g carbs
Dinner: Leftover chicken cacciatore (one of my favourites so far) with 158g steamed carrot, 259g steamed zucchini, and 119g steamed capsicum (pepper/ bell pepper). 355 calories, 30g protein, 36g carbs, 9g fat
Dessert: 2 plums (161g) cut up into small pieces and steamed, with 80g summer fruits mix, 11g Australian honey, and 161g low fat Greek yoghurt. 235 calories, 11g protein, 35g carbs, 4g fat.
Dessert part 2 (because I could): 2 squares (8.4g) chocolate. 45 calories, 4g carbs, 2g fat.
Total: 1554 calories (82%), 81g protein, 229g carbs, 32g fat, under sodium allowance.
 
I'm in awe that you could cook those Anzacs and not even lick the spoon or eat one. I feel tempted just reading about it. Its going to be hard when my sister gets here. They like making anzac biscuits. Not to mention apple crumble. I think i will have to leave the room so as not to succumb. I find it just too stressful.
 
Your meals are so colorful! And the plum dessert looks so appealing. :D

I'm not familiar with migraines since I haven't had one in a while, but if you continue to experience them, certain types of yoga, as well as meditation, may help relieve tension and headaches.

Your progress is truly inspiring, btw! :) I will definitely keep up with your thread.
 
Hey Amy.
I'm so excited to read that your friends are noticing your weight loss.
:))))
You must look amazing.

You eat such yummy food.
I got the graze mix in the post toooo.
I might hve that after I go to the gym tonight.

Have a great day x
 
Thanks guys :) The trick to not licking the bowl (well, one of them) was that as soon as I had the batter on the trays and in the oven, I threw the bowl and spoon straight into some dishwater. No way was I eating it after that, but if I hadn't done that I probably would've eaten what was in the bowl.

I wouldn't call what I was doing "inspiring"- I think I'm going well, but check out some of the people around here who've lost 100 pounds. I'm just getting started (and to be fair, don't have that far to go). That being said, it definitely is working for me, and I'd recommend this approach to anyone.

Thinking about doing more strength style training at the gym, as some people might have seen in my separate post. I would guess it's a good use of my time as compared to the endless crunches I'm doing at the moment, and I'm not afraid of heavier weights as long as I don't hurt myself. Bit concerned about my knees, but I might ask at the gym and see if I can get some guidance. Probably not something for every day. I'm enjoying my slow but steady change in shape, and from all I've read weights will help that process.
 
Had another really good workout at the gym, and had the Rock the Casbah mix from my graze box (another one due in the post tomorrow). Walnuts, dates, and pumpkin seeds- much nicer than I expected, and again a good mix for the gym and calorie hit. Am trying to change up my weights from low weight/ high rep to high(er) weight, low rep. I also made an appointment at the gym tomorrow to get more help with weights to see if I can incorporate more into my program (all over weights, not just the ones I've been given). I'm not sure they'll approve of me going low rep/ high(ish) weight, but if I get the appropriate moves then I can work on that on my own, I guess. Today I tried out a higher weight than I thought I could do for my arm weights, and it was eaier than I expected- did 3x12 on 3kg for bicep curls and tricep extensions (had planned to do 3x8, but, as I say, it was easier than I expected, so I carried on). Starting to get over the intimidation of hanging out in the free weight area as I use bigger weights and as I know what I'm doing.

Finding abs very time consuming and frustrating. I'm doing a lot of ab work (two lots of 3x18 abs, plank position for 50 seconds, leg raises 3x15) and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier, and I'm wondering if I'm spending too much time on it.

Food going fine so far today, eaten more calories than I normally would've done before dinner, but still under 1000 so far today, so got plenty of leeway.
 
Good work increasing the weight, I don't understand why some trainers insist people use weights lighter than lifting an everyday item like full shopping bags or a large bottle of milk.

WELL DONE !
 
All in all another good day. Was a bit surprised when I saw how high I got on the calories, but I had quite a bit this morning and I need to remember that my allowance is the number I'm supposed to be aiming for, not a maximum, so 90-odd percent is probably a good thing, not something to beat myself up over.

Tuesday 26 April

Breakfast: 45g oats, 433g milk, 60g blueberries. Subtotal: 330 calories, 20g protein, 52g carbs, 4g fat.
Snack: a mango (306g) and a cup of tea with 42g milk. Subtotal: 213 calories, 2g protein, 54g carbs, <1g fat (2% of my total allowance)
Lunch: 2 slices rye bread with 60g light cottage cheese with pineapple, 11g Australian honey, less than a gram (counted as 0.3 each) of dried mint and ground pepper, and 79g tomato. Subtotal: 263 calories, 11g protein, 47g carbs, 2g fat.
After gym snack: Graze "Rock the Casbah" mix (dates, walnuts, pumpkin seeds) and a cup of tea with my friend (with semi-skimmed milk, calories approximated as yesterday). Subtotal: 190 calories (Graze thing was 160), 6g protein, 17g carbs, 10g fat
Dinner: Chicken cacciatore (my boyfriend was impressed), with 313g boiled potato, 122g steamed zucchini, and 108g steamed carrot. Subtotal: 513 calories, 33g protein, 74g carbs, 9g fat.
Dessert: (boyfriend was also impressed) 160g Greek yoghurt, 80g blueberries, 104g steamed plums, 11g honey. Subtotal: 211 calories, 10g protein, 30g carbs, 4g fat.
Total: 1723 calories (91%), 84g protein, 276g carbs, 32g fat, under sodium allowance.
 
Looks like a pretty good day! Do you track your fiber as well?

And the "Rock the Casbah" mix sounds pretty good :D Although not as good as the dessert. Your boyfriend should be impressed! :D That's sounds damn tasty for a 200 calorie dessert!

How are you enjoying the free weights? Sometimes I still feel like a poseur when I use them, but there's also something kind of empowering about throwing heavy weights around too ;)
 
I've got zero experience lifting weights but as i read around a little bit, one thing i keep coming across is how its pointless to lift a weight that's low. And i think it makes a lot of sense. You are supposed to lift a weight that only enables you to lift about 8-12 times (I think) and by the time you get to last one, you can't do anymore. So, if you can do more, then your weight is too light. As i said, i've come across this tip a few times now on different sites.
 
Jeanette, I don't track my fibre because not everything I eat has a fibre rating on it, and I don't know how to make up for that. I will say- sorry if this is way too much information- that before I started this calorie counting I would uncomfortably alternate between constipation and too much the other way, whereas since I started this diet I haven't had any concerns about that part of my health.

I think I've finally convinced my boyfriend of the benefits of tracking or at least having an awareness of calories. He's discovered he's put on almost as much weight as I've lost, and has come around to the idea of writing down what he eats for a week so we can work out what's going wrong. (I also ask him- although I suspect he might be getting a little bit sick of this now- after everything I feed him whether it's satisfactory or he's still hungry. He always says the food's really good and he's not hungry at all. Although I say he's getting sick of it, I think he's still surprised. I offered him dessert last night and he said "we get dessert? how do we get dessert?" and then kept trying to take his bowl away because he didn't believe I could keep adding stuff to it and keep it under my calorie allowance. I think he thought at one point I was giving him a bowl of steamed plums for dessert!)

I haven't really done many of the free weights yet- I've got an appointment today to show me how to do more. I've only done arm weights so far and only at the low end of the weights (that's what I was advised to do), which a significant minority of women in the gym do, so I don't feel very self conscious (that being said, I do usually take the weights away from the free weight section so I'm not around those big muscly guys- that makes me feel self-conscious). But that might change when I get into heavier weights and have more variety. We'll see how my knees hold up with leg workouts.

Andrea, yes, that's close to the conclusion I've been coming to. Apparently there can be a point to lots and lots of repetitions, but the reason I was given lots of reps was for "toning" so I didn't bulk up. My understanding is that's a myth (at least for me- my boyfriend's been given lots of reps too because he's not interested in building muscle. I'm not so sure for guys, because testosterone is a key factor in developing muscle, which is why I don't have to worry about it). I made a post about it in the exercise section and Trusylver gave me some really valuable information on how to determine what weight to lift and how many reps to do (and so I upped my weights yesterday. Probably didn't do it the right way, but I'd rather increase it every time I go to the gym until I find a good weight rather than pick up an enormous weight to see if I can lift it and risk injury)

Feeling good today.
 
So glad you're feeling good :)

That dessert you served your (surprised) boyfriend sounds delicious.
 
My graze box (due today) hasn't arrived. I am disappointed. I've contacted them and they've given me a refund (half of a full price box- but that box was half price so effectively a full refund). Hopefully it'll come tomorrow, it's not due to have anything in it that should go off or anything.

I'm also disappointed with the weights introduction at the gym. It was pretty clear that the guy at the gym thought that girls shouldn't do weights (other than bicep curls and tricep extensions, which is what I'm already doing). He did show me some things, but it seemed to go by so quickly and I don't remember most of it. He didn't seem to care that much. I do remember the squats and am surprised at how well my knees could take them (well, half squats, slowly does it). Did 3x12 of those carrying 3kg weights, and was very pleased with myself. Also did some leg raises (not like the ones I do for my abs, lying side on and lifting my legs up) which are supposed to help my hips, but I'm not sure I did those right, because the stretch was elsewhere, I could lift my leg way further than he could, and the inner leg one seemed to do bugger all (and I've done the inner leg one with a chair before and I know if done correctly that takes some getting used to).

Otherwise, good day, good gym session. Have found my sweet spot with arm weights- 4kg, 3x8. Was about as hard as I could reasonably handle without hurting myself, which is how I want to start an exercise.

Had the graze America's Nut Mix (almonds, brazil nuts, pecans) after the gym, and a clementine. The nuts were very good but seemed very rich (I suppose because they were very fatty). I'm pretty sure I needed the protein (particularly after what I'd hoped would be a very productive free weights lesson), which is why I didn't opt for my one remaining graze punnet, which is fruit.
 
You'd definitely need the protein from those nuts after your super hardcore work out. Sorry you weren't too inspired by the gym instructor :/// I admire your exercise regime.

Hope you get an exciting graze box tomorrow.
 
The workouts aren't that hard (heck, I'm doing them! I'm the most unsporty person there is!), I don't think. They break a serious sweat (and the rowing bit if I push it really hard does make me want to vomit- ok, that's tough). I worry I'm not doing enough weights and I'd really like some sort of routine, but there's so much information out there and I don't know what's good or bad (and can't afford to hire a trainer, only go with the ones at the gym, who aren't that keen on women doing lots of weights). I've found a program online but that seems to be for gyms that are the size of warehouses and therefore have every piece of equipment known to man (I'm at a very small gym with relatively limited equipment), and I have no idea if it's any good (they recommend a whole bunch of supplements- meh- and recommend doing cardio in the "fat burning zone"- again, meh- but they have a variety of weights and seem to split it up into body parts and they have what seem to be clear videos showing the moves, and a big database so maybe I can substitute some of the moves for others?). I think it's a competing website to this one, nothing intended there, just what someone recommended I look at.

I wish this wasn't so confusing.

Anyway, food for the day.

Wednesday 27 April

Breakfast: 45g oats, 403ml milk, 60g blueberries. Subtotal: 320 calories, 19g protein, 51g carbs, 4g fat
Lunch: 2 slices rye bread, 60g low fat cottage cheese with pineapple, 11g honey, 86g tomatoes, with pepper and dried mint (estimated 0.3g each). Subtotal: 265 calories, 11g protein, 47g carbs, 2g fat
After gym snack: 47g clementine, graze America's nut mix (nut mix the vast majority of this). Subtotal: 265 calories, 6g protein, 7g carbs, 25g fat
Dinner: Chicken mango stirfry (not as sweet as it was freshly made, still very nice) with 50g basmati rice. Subtotal: 511 calories, 19g protein, 75g carbs, 15g fat.
Dessert: 2 squares (9g- I know 2 squares were 8 before, don't ask me, I weighed it) of the chocolate my boyfriend bought me. Subtotal: 48 calories, 5g carbs, 2g fat.
Total: 1430 calories, (76%), 56g protein, 187g carbs, 50g fat, over sodium allowance.
 
Amy can you tell me again what calorie program you are using. I'm going to try doing it for a day. And i want to check out my travel calories too. Thanks.
 
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