Barnold's Diary - Project Mediterranean 2007

Hi Barnold!

I've just got around to reading through your diary, and wanted to give you some support. I think that it great that you recognise the need to lose weight and improve your fitness - the sooner the better. It can be done - I'm 44 years old, but recently lost 21 kg ... and yes, it is nice to be able to run with the kids - actually my 11 year old is a little annoyed that her Dad can now out run her!

Good luck with the Christmas target!
 
Hello, Barnold! You are making most excellent progress with your weight loss. Your struggle to find time alone to exercise is not slowing you down a bit. I can relate to what you said about the pizza. Some days when you are really focused on your goal, it takes something extremely special to make consuming something high in calories worth it. Keep up the good work!
 
hi barnold :) i'm really enjoying your diary too. i can't imagine what its like to have so many children around - and twins? twins are great. er, i'm a twin :D

hope all goes well with the birth of baby number 4 - and with your healthy lifestyle :)
 
Thank you all for your support! Sheidi, I was wondering one day what it is that makes this particular effort to lose weight different from the previous (mostly failed) ones, and I think you nailed the answer. It's not dieting, it's a different lifestyle. And I will stick to it - so far it's been surprisingly easy, and I feel better already.

And you're right about the twins. Our eldest, a girl, has always been what you could call an "easy case", so me and my wife said aloud "Well, next we'll probably get wild twin boys", and look what happened... :eek: For some odd reason we're kinda hoping number 4 will be a girl.
 
thanks barnold - its definitely a lifestyle, i agree that is the key to success. its somehow easier when you have children because you really feel obliged to set a good example, so yay for kids!

i have a girl and a boy too - and i must say i found the girl much easier in the early years, but very hard in the teen years (she's now 16). my son was hard to control when he was small and less reasonable - little boys just get so excited! now he's 11 and he's just wonderful, much much easier. i have foolishly optimistic high hopes for his teen years :D

2 of each is nice to strive for - i have two brothers and my twin is a sister so it feels all nice and even :)

all the best
 
YOu're doing so well Barnold!! Keep up the great work!

Are you feeling any better?

**here's hoping you have a girl!**
 
A little better, thanks... The feverishness is gone, now it's just a sore throat and coughing. I expect a runny nose to be next on the menu. Choir practice begins on Monday, the low notes definitely won't be a problem in this state. However, the high ones may sound a liiiittle bit strained. Can't wait for the choir season to begin though, voice or no voice.
 
I'm glad that choir season is starting for you! I love to sing but unfortunately can't! :eek: That doesn't stop me though! hahaha
 
OK, the bad news is I'm going to miss choir practice. The good new is it's because I have to be home with the three eldest kids, while my wife is in the hospital with the youngest. :)

True to age-old tradition, our fourth child was born on a dark and stormy night. She was very punctual, arriving precisely on the expected day. Too tired to translate these into lbs and inches, but she was 50 cm tall and weighed 2880 grams. A dark-haired little girl, with impossibly small hands and dark blue eyes which for a few days seem to understand all the mysteries the universe holds. Didn't get any sleep last night, and I've also been eating a bit of this and that, but I forgive myself under the circumstances. What's one weight-losing week gone to waste compared to this bliss? Perhaps later I'll post some pics...
 
yay you got your girl :D congratulations to you and your family - how exciting! she sounds beautiful - are we allowed to know her name?

you can sing to her in lieu of choir practise :)
 
Week 4: -1.3 kg

Thank you all! After a 10-hour sleep I'm feeling almost human again. And it seems just one irregular day wasn't enough to mess up all the good work done on the previous days. The weight's coming down, faster than I thought it would. Hopefully not too fast, I'd very much like to keep at least some of the muscles I have. Oh well, grocery shopping is a very effective way to do weight training for me, especially since I usually buy one big load for a week and fill up on anything needed during the week. Just one thing to remember, though - don't go shopping for food when hungry!!!

In many ways the baby is like her sister, our eldest. Very calm, doesn't cry very much, stays awake quite a bit and looks at the world with those baby eyes. Little babies always seem to have the look of an old, old person, someone who's seen it all and understands it all. But in a way, this is the case, isn't it? The first part of her life, growing in mommy's womb is over, and in that world the baby was old and all-knowing. The transition to our world takes a few days, during which the baby will realize she's in a completely different place, a place full of light, sound and wonders, but also something very, very familiar - the voices of the people she's heard all her life, especially The One that matters most - mommy.

Our cultural ways are different from the U.S. in many ways, and one difference is the baby doesn't get a name in the hospital. It's given to her in a special ceremony (name-giving ceremony or christening, depending on whether the parents are church members), usually about 2 months from birth. So, even though we already know what she'll be called, I won't reveal it to you just yet. :)
 
As I promised, here's some pics for you. There's me with the baby about an hour after she was born, the whole gang (wife and children) and finally an awwww-some shot of the little one sleeping... If everything goes well, my wife and the baby are home tomorrow. <sigh> And we just god rid of diapers with the twins...
 
ooh, so much cuteness in one house :D

beautiful family :)

look forward to finding out her name. we usually name our babies straight away here (australia) but still do the christianing or name-day thing. my sister and her partner couldn't agree on a name for their son, so he went for ten weeks without one - almost unheard of here !

congratulations again - on the baby and your weightloss :)
 
Hope everything is going great with the new baby!!! I still can't get over how cute she is!!! You're a lucky guy. I can't wait to have a baby. That's why I am getting into shape. Your pics inspire me that much more!!
 
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