Omega's journey

[Curvie Girlie]

Too bad you don't live closer--we could be 24hr walkers together. It's a lot of fun. At midnight a local pizza place provides free pizza. In the past I've always signed up to walk during that time. I grab a slice, walk a lap, and then get another piece. I eat it while I walk..haha.

That sounds great! I'm with you, Kimberly, I'd LOVE a partner to walk with (running might be more difficult, it's hard to find someone that matches your pace and such exactly. Would be sweet, though!)

Margaret: When I was dieting last year (but not raw) my favorite dinner (that was extremely effective for seeing the numbers drop the next morning) was salmon, rubbed with "salmon rub" (seasoning with primarily paprika and chili) and pan-seared on a cast iron skillet with some olive oil. Also, I'd steam/blanche collard greens and cilantro with white wine and garlic and have that on the side. It made me feel GREAT after I ate it and it was only about 375 calories or so. Fiber and protein galore!

Congrats on the continuous new lows. Enjoy the pleasure they bring you!
p.s. I love the bunny picture too--so cute especially the one screaming in the back, poor thing! Here it is bigger:

 

[Omega]

Hi Valerie

The bunnies are even cuter in the big photo.

That sounds another great salmon recipe. I bet that as soon as you stop eating raw food you will be eating salmon (I think that you said that you were doing it for 30 days). The thing with salmon meals are that you do not even feel like you are dieting. I keep seeing people in their diaries having such and such a Lean Cuisine meal or meal from Weight Watchers. Whenever I have tried to eat those on previous weight loss attempts - my stomach has felt like my throat has been cut. They just make me still feel hungry.

I always enjoy new lows. I think that we all do. It kind of makes you feel that all the hard work is having some sort of effect. It looks like you have been enjoying some new lows pretty much every day for the last week and a bit. That raw diet certainly suits you. Unfortunately it seems to be very cheese based and I put on weight every time that I eat cheese. Nothing to do with the calories at all (even when using the individually wrapped thin slices where there is no opportunity for inaccurate weighing). It is either something to do with my wierd body (and the hormones make it very wierd) or maybe there is some sort of salt content in the cheese. I just know that I keep very detailed records of everything associated with my weight loss project and noted in the early summer that over some time my weight had gone up every time that I ate cheese. In the end I just axed cheese from my diet.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[niapage]

Howdy Margrett,
Your walks are so incrediable over 6 miles that is
awesome,I can't wait to get back out and walk for exersice!
As far as the WW & Lean cusines I always have 2-3 servs of mixed veggies
while it is microwaving then when my veggies settle and my dinner is done it is more sarisfying and filling,plus the pasta ones that are 320-340 cals are a lil more filling to.Your doing gr8,have a nice day Tammy

 

[mom2]

just saying hello!

glad to see you still doing great! I cant believe you eat cereal all day though and no 'lunch' I would DIE!

 

[bikinibound]

Yup, walking with a partner is good if you can find one with a similar pace. I have a friend who walked with me a lot at the 2007 Relay. We have a good time, talking and laughing. I kept track of my laps (4 laps = 1 mile), and walked 17 miles in an eleven hour period. Of course, I didn't walk non-stop. I would say that only about 6 or 7hrs were actually spent walking. If I do the 24hr walk, I plan to walk 2hrs, rest 30min, and repeat. A trick for preventing blisters is to put duct tape on the bottom of your feet. This is to keep your feet from rubbing. I have also heard it's good to have two pairs of comfortable shoes, and to alternate them every couple of hours because they will wear differently, and it helps prevent blisters--probably on heels and toes, too.

Another fun thing about Relay is every year they have a Miss Relay contest. Only men can enter. They dress up as women and then have 30min to go around begging for donations. The person who gets the most $$ wins. My H was our Miss Relay last year. It was so funny seeing him dressed as a woman. He did not win, however.

I agree with Margaret--the pic where you can see the bunnies in the pink car is a hoot!! So cute.

Congrats on the new low today! I was not so lucky. But there's always tomorrow.

Tell Rod I'm impressed with how much consistant walking he's been doing lately. If he's careful with his eating, he's bound to see great results.

Have a great Wednesday!

 

[Curvie Girlie]

I put on weight every time that I eat cheese. Nothing to do with the calories at all (even when using the individually wrapped thin slices where there is no opportunity for inaccurate weighing). It is either something to do with my wierd body (and the hormones make it very wierd) or maybe there is some sort of salt content in the cheese. I just know that I keep very detailed records of everything associated with my weight loss project and noted in the early summer that over some time my weight had gone up every time that I ate cheese. In the end I just axed cheese from my diet.

(nodding) Good idea, I'm the same with bread-stuff. But for me, it's cause I can't limit my servings, I just eat and eat and.....ya. My body does well with fat, but poorly with simple carbs. Then again, I wonder if being 25% hispanic and 25% N.A. has something to do with it....*shrugs* Probably not so much, seems like carb-sensitivity extends through most backgrounds and nationalities.

As far as the WW & Lean Cusines I always have 2-3 servs of mixed veggies
while it is microwaving then when my veggies settle and my dinner is done it is more satisfying and filling,plus the pasta ones that are 320-340 cals are a lil more filling too

That's the best way I heard heard anyone eat those things! I wish organic goodies were as affordable as L.C......

Another fun thing about Relay is every year they have a Miss Relay contest. Only men can enter. They dress up as women and then have 30min to go around begging for donations. The person who gets the most $$ wins. My H was our Miss Relay last year. It was so funny seeing him dressed as a woman. He did not win, however.

HAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!

In anthro I learned that humans are the best at walking for long long periods of time! HA! At least SOMETHING physical we can do better than the animal kingdom! Nice putting it to use. I love running alone but I like walking with friends, too.

 

[Omega]

Thanks for visiting.

Tammy

OK - I do walk a fair bit - but think about what you do - you run around after your FOUR kids (one of which is little more than a baby yet and needs a lot of care) plus others that you look after in the daytime as a job, you do tons about the house - decorating a basement in the past week or so. On top of all that you still find the time to do tons of exercise with your exercise bike, gazelle and ball. Then I find you dancing around and doing crunches etc. You never stop.

I am pleased that the WW and LC meals work well for you - and extra veg is probably the answer. I knew that they never filled me up properly as they were and they tend to be a bit expensive for what you get.

I must admit that what I often do is what we did Tuesday night. When we roast some meat - we roast an extra big piece of meat. Then after we have had a couple of meals from it - I carve up the rest of it and put it in individual servings in the freezer. Often hubby wants food that I dont like or would not have. On those nights all I do is get some roast meat out and let it defrost, then cut up a big pan of vegetables. I put the meat in a bowl with some gravy and put it in the microwave for 10 minutes.

I buy tons of veg and if it just me eating it - it only takes a couple of minutes for me to peel plenty of veg.

Mom2

We all have to find some sort of eating solution that fits into our lifestyle and is healthy and balanced. I ensure that I get each day cereal, milk, fruit, veg, protein. I dont count calories as a rule, but when I have done so for various challenges - it has been a nicely clustered 1800 to 2100 calories which is well inside my maintenance since I exercise a lot. It has also needed minimal modification to successfully meet challenge protein and fibre requirements. My diet is very repetitive so there is every chance that it would be like that again. I measure things in handfuls like I always have so there will be no major changes there when I eventually get to goal and am no longer trying to lose weight. In challenges I weigh a handful and measure and calculate calories or whatever - then I know what a handful is for later in the week.

I am out of the house such a lot during the day (walking and doing exercise classes) that I have minimal time for food preparation for lunchtime. During last summer I was making a salad for lunchtime and I was having a lot less cereal. In September I had a very unpleasant plateau and I ended up making some changes to get things moving. That was when I increased my cereal and cut my salads down. Surprisingly the cereal that I introduced was more calories than the salad that I dropped - but the weight loss resumed.

I am very happy with a repetitive diet - and while it works I can quite happily stick with it for months on end. I will review all aspects if I hit another plateau.

Kimberly

There are some good blister prevention tips there. I really need some more shoes. I keep wearing holes and splits in the ones that I have. My feet are so awkward that I cannot just pick up a pair of cheap shoes at the supermarket to put me over to when we go shoe shopping properly. If the weather is dry I will walk in walking sandals every time. I so much prefer walking in sandals compared to shoes.

I can imagine that it was funny seeing your hubby dressed as a woman. A long time ago (like when he was in his early twenties and it was before we were married) my hubby dressed up in one of my dresses as a bet. Naturally we were both a lot thinner then. Unfortunately I didnt take a photo. You imagine yourself as always doing stupid things and then all of a sudden you kind of stop.

I will pass on your message. I am hopeful that when we start eating fish more often things will go well - especially for him. Naturally I would welcome any boost that I can get to my weight loss - but I think that there is the potential for him to lose more. With meat he has a large portion whereas with fish he has a similar portion to me. Also fish has not the fat that meat has.

Every day brings a fresh opportunity for a new low (another benefit to weighing every day!). I hope that Wednesday brings you one. I know that I wont get one as there was a numbers game associated with Tuesday's. As far as I am concerned - if the scale gives it three times - it is there!

edit
I did get a new low 11st 10.4lbs i.e. 164.4 pounds. A lovely surprise!

I hope that your Wednesday goes great too!

Valerie

As far as I am concerned everyone should monitor their own body and treat weight loss as a long term scientific experiment. It doesnt matter what the calories say should be fine for you to eat - if you put on weight every time you have something - maybe the route to happiness is to stop eating it.

I love bread too! And I can have major difficulties with portion control with it too. I virtually never eat bread because of that. Once I start it is so hard to stop. As far as I am concerned one of the nicest things to eat is freshly baked bread, butter and cheese. When I was last in Greece (pre diet) my friend Maria and I baked some olive bread and feta bread and it was all truly delicious. All my Greek friends grow their own olives. Maria has 70+ goats. We could guarantee truly good quality ingredients.

What an interesting and diverse ancestry you have. Mine is much more localised. I am decended on virtually every line of ancestry from border reivers - the bandits that inhabited the borders between England and Scotland.

I was just thinking how expensive that Lean Cuisines etc are for what you get and you see them as affordable. I suppose that it is all a matter of perspective. I can afford them, just I see them as poor value for money. In the summer we grow lots of our own veg - and you cannot beat eating veg that was still growing an hour earlier, and it is so cheap.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[nataliejo]

Monday 21/01/08

Rained a little in the morning and again during the afternoon laps. Hubby did not come out walking because he had been for a walk during the day and got his pedometer up to over 8,000 steps. He rarely gets over that for the day if we do go out for a walk – so we decided not to go out again in the dark, cold, wet evening.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles
Round the block = 6 times
Extra exercises = keep fit class
Weight = 11st 11.8lbs (i.e. 165.8 pounds)
Steps = 32,515
Distance = 12.57 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – missed one bio-oil massage.

My Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
1 large handful honey Shreddies
1 large handful honey Shreddies
1 small pear
Roast pork, swede, green beans, carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onion, celery, gravy
1 large handfuls of raisins
1 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

Margaret!!
I have a question... Do you guys get snow? or just a lot of rain? and how cold does it get there? Just curious...

Anyway ... You are one awesome lady! I just took a look at what you weighed and you started out at my weight ... Wow ... Your awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway ..lol
I shall ttylater
hope today goes reallly well for you hun
love yas
natalie jo

 

[Omega]

Hi Natalie Jo

Thanks for visiting my diary.

We do get snow at times - but not too often. In total for no more than say 14 days of the winter. Luckily we havent had any yet so I am hoping that we will be lucky this year and not get any. It sometimes happens that the worst is in February though. It has sometimes been a bit frosty and slippy underfoot this winter though.

We live in the south of England and my parents live in the north. It snowed all day Sunday there. Generally they get worse weather than us.

We do get tons of rain though. And we are likely to get rain all year round. There isnt a date on the calender that you can think in advance - it is not likely to rain that day.

I certainly was a big girl this time last year. You have to remember that I am only 5ft 3ins tall so I am not one of these tall girls that can carry weight and look slim - I bet that I am shorter than you. I was huge and just couldnt see a way out of it.

You are so sensible to be doing lots of walking because I swear it has been the thing that has made the huge difference this time around. Eat sensibly and walk as much as you possibly can. If the weight can come off me with hard work it can come off you too.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Curvie Girlie]

I love bread too! And I can have major difficulties with portion control with it too. I virtually never eat bread because of that. Once I start it is so hard to stop. As far as I am concerned one of the nicest things to eat is freshly baked bread, butter and cheese. When I was last in Greece (pre diet) my friend Maria and I baked some olive bread and feta bread and it was all truly delicious. All my Greek friends grow their own olives. Maria has 70+ goats. We could guarantee truly good quality ingredients.

That sounds great!!! I wonder about that, quality....I don't know about obesity in Greece but it sounds like they can eat that stuff and not have our problem of satiety. If i was there I'd be cramming bread and olives and cheese into my face and washing it down with lots of wine! And petting the goats. Goats are pretty cute, I milked one once. It was actually harder than it looked and I felt like I was molesting the poor biddy!

What an interesting and diverse ancestry you have. Mine is much more localized. I am descended on virtually every line of ancestry from border rivers - the bandits that inhabited the borders between England and Scotland.

I've always wanted to read about the ancient pre-Rome tribes of the Isles. My dad's family were all American immigrants from Scotland, Wales, Yugoslavia, and probably Germany. I don't know, here are some last names: Burroughs, Evans, Neilson, and Maijnik. The Slav one's spelling we're not sure of. Mom is Pueblo Indian and Chihuahuan Mexican. The Boyfriend's family had a castle in Ireland! But his descendants had to sell it.....

I was just thinking how expensive that Lean Cuisines etc are for what you get and you see them as affordable. I suppose that it is all a matter of perspective. I can afford them, just I see them as poor value for money. In the summer we grow lots of our own veg - and you cannot beat eating veg that was still growing an hour earlier, and it is so cheap.

I have a black thumb. I don't know why. I can grow Amaryllis and tulips and Irises and that's it. But that's cause they're easy. Lean Cuisine is still cheaper than organic snacks in Santa Cruz, trust me!

 

[Omega]

Hi Valerie

I am not a good advert for following a career path to retirement. We kissed our careers goodbye and spent two entire summers in Greece (May to November so we got the whole summer). It does mean that we have a lot of Greek friends and life in a small Greek village is something that we understand well. I know some cuddly Greek people - but I also know some people who were Australian Greeks or American Greeks who arrived in their teens and twenties who were big when they arrived and lost quite a lot of weight when they got into the lifestyle. Swimming can be quite inviting with the med 5 minutes away.

Just think - my ancestors were probably happily attacking your Scottish ancestors a few centuries ago. I would have to try very hard to get my ancestors to turn over in their graves in shock - they were a pretty lawless lot until about 400 years ago.



If you see the surnames - 3 of my grandparent surnames made the list - Little, Irving, Forster. I am also decended from Bell, Carruthers, Scott, Tait, Graham.

The verbal history passed down the generations has it that our Littles were decended from when a Little kidnapped a McPherson and took her as wife. Such "marriages" didnt seem to be very well documented in the normal sense. Such things certainly make you proud. It kind of makes you think that the courting rituals of the late 1970s and early 1980s (i.e. when I was young) were rather romantic and a bit twee!

I am more than willing to believe that organic snacks cost a fortune. I was simply saying that they seem to charge a rediculous amount of money for organic veg (that has been picked for days) when for not too much effort you can get quite a good supply of fresh veg and you control exactly what goes into the ground. It's a shame that you have a black thumb because it can be so nice and cost effective. Hubby and I do like our food (you wouldnt have guessed!) so we basically took out the flowers and turned it just about all over to veg growing. I must admit that I didnt water them as often this past summer as I would normally because I was out walking quite a lot and that did reduce our crop levels.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Omega]

Tuesday 22/01/08

It didn’t rain. Hubby did not come out walking because he had been for a walk during the day and got his pedometer up to over 7,000 steps. I took it a bit easier because my ankle was not 100%.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles
Round the block = 5 times
Extra exercises = yoga class
Weight = 11st 10.8lbs (i.e. 164.8 pounds)
Steps = 27,462
Distance = 10.61 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – missed one bio-oil massage.

My Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
1 large handful honey Shreddies
1 large handful honey Shreddies
Roast turkey, roast pork, swede, green beans, carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onion, celery, gravy
1 large handfuls of raisins
1 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

 

[Omega]

Wednesday 23/01/08

It didn’t rain.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles
Round the block = 8 times (on two laps my husband came too)
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 11st 10.4lbs (i.e. 164.4 pounds)
Steps = 32,395
Distance = 12.52 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – missed one bio-oil massage.

My Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
1 large handful honey Shreddies
1 large handful honey Shreddies
Salmon fillet, 4 new potatoes, sweetcorn, small amount of olive spread
1 large handfuls of raisins
1 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

 

[Happychubette]

Fantastic job, Omega.

 

[Camy]

Omega do you have a dog? When I read how much you walk I always think, she should have one of those big dogs that need a lot of walking. He would be the world's happiest pooch! I always wanted a golden retriever puppy, they are just too cute for words. My man said we may consider one, once he has found a job and we have established ourselves somewhere... maybe even after having a kid or so... so maybe in about 20 years !
Love, Camy

 

[bikinibound]

Congrats on the new low!!

Tammy--Lean Cuisines and nearly all frozen dinners have massive amounts of sodium in them and should not be eaten more than a couple times a week because of it. Sodium will make you retain water and hinders weight loss.

Margaret, I think we come from a similar ilk, as I believe some of my ancestors were a rather rowdy lot. When I was doing some research years ago, we came across a story regarding an ancestor causing quite a drunken ruckus in the small town in which he lived. One would have thought it was the wild West...lol. I wouldn't be surprised if my ancestors were in cahoots with yours, plotting attacks against the Scots.

 

[Omega]

Thanks for visiting. I always love the support that I get here.

Happychubette

Thanks so much.

Camy

I dont actually have a dog. I like dogs and in some ways would really like to have one - but I am not sure how it would work out. Every so often I lead a campaign with my husband along the lines of he should leave his job and us go off to a Greek island for another summer. A dog would definitely complicate things and I would not like to give hubby a good excuse not to go if I had him just about convinced.

Kimberly

Thanks for the congratulations. Salmon for the main meal last night (well I had to just before a challenge weighing opportunity) and the good news is I got another new low on the scales. Down to 11st 10.0 or 164.0 pounds! Statistics like that could almost make you invent a salmon diet where you eat salmon each day!

With our ancestry - it is little wonder that we both have a rebellious streak in a quiet sort of way. And to think that people think that they can get us not to weigh every day despite that being what we want to do!

Family history is quite absorbing and my ancestors seem to have made a habit of leading a bit of a colourful life. Here is a reference to my ggg grandparents - Richard Irving and his wife Ann Bell/Taylor/Irving (17th July 1830).

I look on it that she kind of decided to grant herself a divorce or as near as she could get. I love the newspaper quote from him "Between meal times, I can't say what she might do". He was clearly her favourite husband because all the following censuses show them married together and they were buried together.

About the kidnap marriages - hubby reckons that anyone that decided to kidnap one of my ancestors into marriage would have a tough time unless the girl in question wanted to be kidnapped by him. Then things would be ok.

I think that the thing with the reivers was that they attacked either nationality unless they were related to them or had formed an alliance. They were all simply at war with the world apart from their friends - and they might change their mind about them.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[bikinibound]

That was quite a story! Hmm...two husbands...what a clever woman! I don't know what happened to the story about my ancestor. I'll ask my dad if remembers. It was a hoot.

Another new low? You are on a roll this week! I might have to start this salmon diet.

 

[Omega]

Hi Kimberly

You just never know what ancestors will get up to next. People watch historical films and picture this sedate era when if fact my ancestors seemed to never let the law stand in the way of a chosen lifestyle.

You will have to dig out the info on your ancestors. It is great when you think - if that person doing all those embarrasing things hadnt existed - I would not exist.

I know that the string of lows wont continue - but at least I got one for the challenge. I am definitely planning on having salmon one day next week.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Omega]

Thursday 24/01/08

It didn’t rain. My left ankle is still playing me up a bit. I am getting more concerned about my waist not reducing the way that I would like. Hubby did over 8000 steps so we did not go out walking in the dark together.

General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles
Round the block = 6 times
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 11st 10.0lbs (i.e. 164.0 pounds)
Steps = 28,516
Distance = 11.02 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – missed one bio-oil massage.

My Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
1 large handful honey Shreddies
1 large handful honey Shreddies
40 grapes
1 pear
Roast pork, gravy, carrot, onion, parsnip, swede, green beans, brussel sprouts, cauliflower
1 large handfuls of raisins
1 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola