Omega's journey

Wednesday 09/07/08:

weight 9st7.8 i.e. 133.8 pounds

Weight gain very much as I would expect. Initially put the gain down to lack of toilet activity - but now that I have looked at my cycle I think that it is more to do with water retention.

At least 3 hours exercise walking.
Pedometer readings at end of day:
---Steps = 30,359
---Distance = 11.73 miles

My Food / Drink:
2.5 litres of cold water
some diet cola
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
oatibix
2 * Shape no fat yoghurt
cottage cheese
chicken breast, onion, courgette, peppers, pasta sauce, fry light
1 banana
2 pears
1 apple
2 plums
1 peach
sugar free jelly
sugar free jelly made from gelatine, cherries, sugar free cherries and berries squash
sugar free gum
some WW sweets
 
Thursday 10/07/08:

weight 9st7.4 i.e. 133.4 pounds

At least 3 hours exercise walking.
Pedometer readings at end of day:
---Steps = 29,785
---Distance = 11.51 miles

My Food / Drink:
2.5 litres of cold water
some diet cola
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
oatibix
2 * Shape no fat yoghurt
cottage cheese
smoked Vietnamese river cobbler, small amount of olive spread, tin of baked beans
1 banana
2 pears
1 apple
2 plums
sugar free jelly
sugar free jelly made from gelatine, grapes, sugar free apple squash
sugar free gum
some WW sweets
 
Fantastic news about Rod using the treadmill a lot. :party: I hope his feet get better. A good pair of walking shoes will hopefully help. :) Please tell him I said hello and congratulate him for me. :)

Did your WW meeting have a core foods potluck or something? I noticed that day on your food list, and know Tuesdays are your WW meetings. That sounds like fun--a guilt-free all you can eat buffet. :biggrinjester:
 
I haven't been in here for awhile. It's great to hear about Rod's use of the treadmill. However, I came in here to see how you only have 9.6 pounds left to go until you reach your goal weight. That is absolutely amazing. Margaret I'm so proud of you and your weight loss is inspirational to all of us here.

I also personally thank you. Without your ongoing guidance and advice on this forum to me, I wonder if I would have failed in my weight loss journey. :)

Shannon
 
Thanks for visiting.

Kimberly
I have read out your comments about Rod's treadmill usage and shoes to Rod. He definitely needs to get some new shoes - but I am not sure whether we will get round to doing that today. Today (12th July) is our 22nd Wedding Anniversary - so we may not feel like shopping. July is a great month as it contains both my Wedding Anniversary and my Birthday. It actually works out very nicely as it gives him a good excuse to buy something nice that benefits me around that time of year. It isnt exactly a present for me - but very similar in many ways. It has been so nice having the treadmill for this past week as it has rained pretty much every day.

The Tuesday get together wasnt officially organised by WW - but it definitely had it's root in that. A number of us got together and each took along something that we knew that we were pretty much freely able to eat and we just dug in. I took along some of my home made jellies (a grapefruit one, and apple and grape one and a peach one). I have resolved that I need to start trying to cook with quorn because I tried something with some of that in that was really nice.

I suppose it is another example of how joining a slimming club towards the end of the project when it becomes very affordable has been a really smart move for me.

Shannon
Thanks for the lovely comments. We are both closing in on our goal weight - and it does feel great doesnt it. It is great that we are so much healthier than we were.

We have maintenance looming ahead - but as with the weightloss - I am sure that we can do that too if we stick together and keep on visiting the forum.

Take care
Love
Margaret
 
Happy Anniversary to you and Rod!

Believe me, maintenance is a helluva lot easier than weight loss. Just think about it, instead of needing to create a calorie deficit, you get to eat at the amount needed to stay at a weight. It takes a lot to get a deficit, so you should be able to eat more. Either eat more on a daily basis or have some treats here and there, which is sometimes the best way of doing it since it allows you to have some naughty favorites or a meal out without excluding all the good things.

I wholeheartedly agreed with what you said about friends getting together and eating healthily together instead of influencing each other the other way. Kimberley, I hope you wont take offense to this (please, since none is meant), but I was really shocked when you met up with your friend from here and yall ate like there was no tomorrow. I was totally expecting the opposite, that you would be virtuous and encouraging each other with the food and enjoy the sightseeing and meeting up instead.
 
Thanks for the anniversary wishes from both of us.

After buying groceries - Rod was first on the treadmill - and he did 1.5 miles. Since then I have done 7 miles at 3.7mph (apart from 3.5mph for the first 7 minutes). He has now done another 1.5 miles.

I think that before I add many more calories I will want to experiment with reducing my daily walking. Not in any way cutting it out - but it would be so nice if I felt that I could stay on top of my inclination to put on weight by walking for example five miles a day every day - or even better 35 miles a week so that I felt that I had the option of taking a day off. My current level cuts such a huge chunk out of my day that it would be nice to have more of the day open for other things.

I think that the concept of not feeling that a fattening meal goes perfectly with an enjoyable event is something that we all need to learn. I could have happily tucked into the food that Kimberly and Dawn described eating on the day that they met up. Fortunately Kimberly and I were both strong willed and whenever one noticed a good food smell - the other dragged them past the restaurant until we were out of danger. We could have so easily led each other astray (as Rod and I have done on many many occasions) - but didnt.
 
There was actually a study recently about heavier people having heavier friends and that one's network of friends' weights influenced one's own. Its a controversial idea..

Perhaps an ideal solution for you to both minimize your work-out time and strengthen and protect your cardiovascular strength is to start jogging and then running. I cannot tell you how much faster and longer I can go on the machines like the elliptical and stair master as I've kept up going regularly this past year. I use a heart monitor to track how hard I'm working. That may be your next best gadget (you look at a wrist watch while wearing a chest strap when exercising). I have been exercising steadily for several minutes with my heart rate in the 150s, which I believe is around 85% of my maximum heart rate. Its easy to look up to see what your maximum heart rate is and what percentage you're currently working at (for walking its probably around 70%, but your capacity increases as you get more fit so it may even be at a lower HR). As you know the heart is a muscle like anything else and it benefits from being pushed, not just for a long time, but at HIGHER rates. I can now work in the 150s for long periods and it FEELS like I'm working at a lower rate so that means my cardiovascular system has IMPROVED. It is important to progress with all types of fitness, both cardio and weights. Not just in terms of stamina, but also in INTENSITY. Ever thought of trying the couch to 5K program that Kimberley was using?

P.S. I hope you wont find me a busy body offering this type of advice. Perhaps you have some injury which prevents you from doing more aggressive cardio or perhaps you feel the walking has worked so well so why change anything (certainly a very valid point there). But if you do increase the intensity, realize that you can work out for MUCH LESS TIME because you'll burn the same number of calories faster.

Hope the rain has let up..
 
I can easily see how heavier people may accrue heavier friends. There is an aspect whereby you can feel comfortable with people that you do not feel are judging you or yours. Also - I think that people get more like their friends. Partly they are influenced by them, and partly there is the thing where they want to be seen to fit in.

I am not sure how much running appeals to me. I was never particularly fond of running when I was young. I did however walk a lot in nice countryside when I was young which is one reason why I think that I have taken so well to walking. Also - I think that the steady pace is quite good for how I feel.

I do however really enjoy aerobics - so I could easily see me looking into how long I could do aerobics and how that would go towards keeping me right. When I have done aerobics I didnt think about reducing my walking as I wanted to boost my weightloss - not just keep it steady. The aerobics classes are not currently on at the adult education centre - and I had to cancel the most recent term after my operation. I will be starting them again when they resume. In the meantime I have some DVDs that I can use at home.

There is a heart rate monitor associated with the treadmill which I have not experimented with yet. It seems to be quite complicated. I put it on but couldnt get a reading on the treadmill. I will have to read the manual.

Luckily it is not raining so far today (although it is dull and rain is forecast). I had decided to do my walking inside though as it is nicer for us to be together for our anniversary.
 
Ooooooooooooooh great, the TM comes with a HR monitor! You need to moisten the back of the monitor with water (swipe some on using your hand and not immersing it) and then swipe some water on your chest where the strap goes (right under your big boobies). It really cant get a reading without the water. Knowing how you love gadgets, you will find this very interesting.
 
Thanks for the HRM info. I didnt know that. I really must look at the manual.

Rod has been on the treadmill again and has done a total of 4.6 miles on the treadmill and been round Tescos for a weeks grocery shopping. I think that is really impressive.
 
Blancita said:
I wholeheartedly agreed with what you said about friends getting together and eating healthily together instead of influencing each other the other way. Kimberley, I hope you wont take offense to this (please, since none is meant), but I was really shocked when you met up with your friend from here and yall ate like there was no tomorrow. I was totally expecting the opposite, that you would be virtuous and encouraging each other with the food and enjoy the sightseeing and meeting up instead.
Click to expand...


Trust me, when spending a day in Amish country, it is nearly impossible to be virtuous. There just aren't a lot of healthy options. I was considering that day as a day to enjoy myself and my food. And if it makes it any less shocking for you, we walked for about 3-4hrs after that huge meal. We honestly didn't eat a huge quantity, it was just such high cal food that it didn't take much for the cals to add up.

And just because a restaurant has good smells coming from it doesn't mean the food inside is unhealthy. Nearly all those restaurants Margaret dragged me by were Indian, Thai and Middle Eastern. There would've been good food without crap loads of cals--besides that, when one is walking 10-15 miles per day, I think they can afford to eat a little extra here and there. Besides that, it was my vacation and I was not going to make myself feel guilty for enjoying myself. :) I guess I'm a little offended even if I wish I wasn't, and that you weren't intending it. Your comments certainly put me on the defense, Claudia. :)
 
Thanks for the anniversary wishes Kimberly, Judy and Amber.

I am delighted at the way Rod has been walking. The treadmill really was such a good thing for us to get.

It is great that it is an anniversary for you too Kimberly. I hope that you are having a lovely time too.
 
Hey Margaret! looks like i missed oyur anniversary! hope it was good! happy late anniversary anyway! i bet lookinsg back to your last anniversary it seems like you have achieved a lot! i can't believe how much closer you have got to your goal in the 2 months i was MIA! hope your weekend is going great!

x
 
Thanks for the anniversary wishes Angel.

Things certainly have changed over the past year.

The funny thing is that by my last anniversary in July - I was feeling quite slim. I was down to 16st8.2 from 21st so I had lost almost four and a half stone.

This year was definitely my thinnest wedding anniversary ever. I started gaining weight just before the wedding. My weight just kept zooming up and up. I was really quite big long before my first anniversary.

The weather is really nice today - and if Rod was at work I would definitely do my walking outside. I know that he would prefer me to be at home though so I will do it on the treadmill. With it being in the living room - I am still here with him. It is quite nice that we still enjoy each others company after all these years.
 
Happy 22nd Anniversary Marg!! Congratulations! It really is something for a married couple to not only still be together, but to stil, like each other after such long years spent in Holy Matrimony.

I bet you feel absolutely amazing this anniversary, huh? Finally you're the thinnest you've been in twenty-two years. I bet he thinks you're sexy as a vixen. LOL.

Congratulations on your big day, hon. I'm happy for you!!
 
Thanks Rae. I suppose that it is quite unusual for people still to be together these days 22 years after the wedding. It is funny - it really doesnt feel as long as that - but the other funny thing is - I really dont feel as old as I know I am.

Even though we are quite old - we certainly still find each other very attractive.

We really enjoy spending time together - even though what we do would not sound too interesting to other people.
 
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