One goal achieved!

Not long ago an e-mail was circulated at work asking for people to join in the round the Bays fun walk.  I did this last year - in fact have done it several times but..... have never actually finished it!  Not through any insidious reason other than the first couple of years I thought I'd done it and turned into Madills Farm for my BBQ reward.  Last year I did it with my daughter and we had to stop in Mission Bay and get picked up as we had to be somewhere later that afternoon.  So this year, I signed up myself and my husband do walk the course - and my daughter came too.  We fully intended to train of course but various commitments (especially coming home from work tired) interfered.  Nevertheless last Sunday we joined the throng of 70,000 people and set off at quite a pace.  Within minutes, literally, my hips began to ache, my arthritic knees were throbbing and my ankle felt weak.  A couple of kms in and I was tripped up by a woman striding across my path - I managed to avoid hitting the ground but stumbled and wrenched my knee and foot.  Now I finally had an excuse to stop......... but I didn't.  I actually felt committed to finish the course.  I reviewed my desired completion time from an hour and a half up to two hours - I just wanted to break the 2 hour mark.  With the help of my husband and daughter I limped across the finish line at just under two hours.  I had actually really enjoyed it but mostly was proud of not giving up and making excuses.  It certainly made me realise how I need to focus more on my exercising and not be so ad hoc about it but I was really thrilled with completing the 8.4 km course.

I can't say that being part of System Slim motivated me to enrol for the walk - but I can say that what I have been learning in the last few weeks enabled me not to give up when I probably would have done previously.

So my next two challenges are the next 5 kilos weight loss and maybe even thinking about doing the 10km walk in the Auckland marathon.....

S'long and don't come back!

Best day ever last week!  I reached my first target and will be rewarding myself with a lovely facial and shoulder massage.  The stubborn weight does seem to be finally moving, like some massive ice berg breaking free and slowly moving away.  I have now lost around 6 kilos but again I'm not going to get too hung up on the amounts because the best part is my clothes feel better and I have more energy.  Once of the contributing things I'm sure is the regular diuretic which has been wonderful and certainly contributed to my 'inches' loss.  My skin feels cleaner, my eyes brighter and essentially, I do feel much more 'cleansed'.  I'm sleeping better - apart from the odd night where the humidity kicks in - but even if I do get up I can get right back to sleep which I put down to the Cal-mag tablets.  I've managed to cope well with some very stressful situations too and the only thing that's changed from this time last year is the support from Jo and the regular intake of the multi-vitamins and so on.  Most importantly, although the weight loss per se is slow, it is moving and it is staying off!  It feels good and long may that last!!  Next target will see a new outfit methinks......

Been there, done that!

As I might have mentioned previously, my main goal in joining the System Slim programme was to make a long-term difference to my lifestyle.  I wanted help in retraining myself on how to eat properly and in a more nutritional way.  Yes I want to lose weight but to keep it off, I know I need to learn some tips and educate myself to cope better in the long term – otherwise anything I do lose will go right back on.

My first major weight loss came with a well-known brand of VLCD (very low calorie Diet) powdered ‘food’.  I first tried this out about 20 years ago when living in the States and it was great – I lost quite a lot of weight (about 23 kilos in three months) and whilst I was on it, I didn’t have to think about what I was eating.  However, you can’t spend your life on it so what happened when I started introducing ‘real’ food?  Yup – the weight went back on because the whole issue of choice had come into play and I was still making the wrong choices.

Since then I’ve tried just about every diet except the Atkins diet.  I’ve had ‘red days and green days; water days and lemon diets and I even tried appetite-controlling drugs which actually do work – but also deprive you of sleep and give palpitations.

The common problem with all these is that there is no real reinforcing of what is good, what’s a better choice to make.  This is what I value from Jo at system Slim in Remuera – I can go and talk to her and tell her I struggled at a friend’s barbecue at the weekend, or aska bout what to choose when I eat out.  I’ve never been one for public confession and flagellation so really don’t like the big meetings where everyone talks across each other.  The one on one sessions are really excellent – for me anyway.  The main thing is, they’re addressing what I feel and what I think my issues are and not diluting that with lots of other people.  Most importantly, I can actually notice I am already making better choices – walking up the stairs instead of the lift, heading out at lunch time instead of sitting at my desk.  Taking a piece of steak or a chop to a bbq instead of sausages. These are habits which will stay for me so much longer than the liquid meal replacements.

The weight loss?  Well it’s getting there.  It’s slower than the inches loss and that’s another thing – my clothes feel better so who needs to keep checking the scales?

Until next time……

It's a New Year - will it be a new me?

For the last few weeks I have really concentrated on lifestyle changes, getting myself organised, planning, incorporating exercise into my routine, planning, reading my  Systemslim 'bibles', planning... you get the picture.  Planning has been a major focus for me - as anyone with a busy life knows, it is often so difficult to take time to sit down and plan the week's menu, and shopping lists and so on.  I have been managing to do this now - unlike at any other time in my life - because I am now prioritising myself and my health over being a wife, mother, manager and so on.  This doesn't mean I can't also do those other things - in fact it means I can do them more effectively because they become part of all the planning.  I believe this fundamental change is what will help and drive me more than when I have tried the kazillion other systems I've to get fitter and lose weight.

The food in the booklet is fantastic - the chilli is just amazing - I add lentils to give it some more bulk, fibre, protein and carbs.  The sweet potato and lentil burgers are so tasty too - even my carnivore husband loved them!

Last Friday I was totally exhausted.  I got home from a long hard day at work and sank into the couch.  I had not planned dinner that night - and fell into that terrible trap....... takeaways!  the fish and chips were handy, cheap and convenient.  However, what I wasn't expecting was the way I would feel later that evening.  Forget the guilt - this was genuine, physical nausea.  My poor body after time on the wonderful systemslim meals, had let me know in no uncertain way, that the lovely, smooth caring sailing it had been treated to in recent weeks, did not appreciate the stormy weather it had just encountered.  It was a really, really good example of how the lack of planning hit us negatively and believe me, it will be a looong time before we slip down that road again.

The exercising is getting much easier to undertake now - not necessarily easier to do but I find it much easier to put on my walking shoes and just head out of the door now.  I even feel a bit cheated if, for some reason, I have to head home earlier than expected from my walk.!

I'm looking forward to my next meeting with Jo at Systemslim Remuera.  She is so encourgaing, non-judgmental and has excellent helpful suggesitons on lifestyle changes.

Weight Loss?  well probably a bit but really the big loss for me is the bad attitude and lack of planning - losing weight will become so much easier once I've nailed those!

Cheerio - off for a lunch time walk now! :)

New Years Resolution - my annual one!

I actually started my New Year’s resolution just before Christmas…. It’s my annual one, to lose weight.  But this time it’s more than something I will start and discard after a few weeks because I also just turned 50 at the end of the year and with a raft of medical problems (Type II diabetes; asthma; joint problems and so on) I view this as a major, life-changing challenge.

I didn’t start off too well, an initial 1kg weight loss in the first week turned into a 2.5kg weight gain over the next week or so – and that was before Christmas had even started!  I put this down to not being organised in the pre-Christmas chaos, and compounded by a general ‘lazy’ attitude to losing weight and getting fitter and healthier.  I think, like many people, I really want something really, really easy – just as easy as how the weight went on in fact!

With the wonderful help and motivation of Jo at System Slim in Remuera I got my act together a bit more, accepted that it took years to put the weight on and it wasn’t going to slide off, and spent a little bit of time over the Christmas break to organise both myself and my food.  I spent an evening organising my supplements and going back through the ‘bible’ (which has heaps of great tips, helpful advice, recipes and menus) and, having survived’ Christmas, I was ready to tackle this new challenge.

One of the major turning points for me has also been the decision that I need to do this for me.  Those of us who have busy lives with demanding jobs, a family etc. tend to put others first and this time I’m going all out for me.  Yes, it might be self-interested but why not.  After years of coming second to everyone and everything, this is something I want to do for myself.

At my latest check up on Wednesday with Jo, I had lost almost 2kg since my previous check in the week before.  I’m now slightly under my previous best weight and I feel motivated to keep going.  I’ve set some realistic and achievable targets – short term, mid and long term) and have a specific target to have lost around 21kg in time for my daughter’s graduation in May.  It will be tough and I know at times I will falter… but I know with the support I’m getting from Jo I will do it.  It’s about a kilo a week and this recent weight loss was a good start.

The hurdles I will face will almost all be at work.  We have an insane amount of morning and afternoon teas, lunches out, people bringing in home-baking and so on.  So how will I get around this?  Well what’s wrong with having fruit, or celery and hummus and so on!  It can be done I just need to plan and be organised.  I’ve organised my supplements (love the Cal-mag which is great for helping sleep!) and done my shopping for the week so – see you soon!

The beginning

Mid December 2011

So I admit I was a bit horrified when I was weighed in the office on my first day and I was already thinking of excuses such as the fact I was fully dressed, it was the middle of the day etc. etc. 

However that in itself was quite a motivating factor.  I decided I would ‘start’ the whole programme on the Monday so that I could prepare myself and plan what I need to do – and so I started ok on the Monday.  Throughout the week I was very busy at work and the thing I found hardest was ensuring I took the supplements 20 minutes before eating.   Frequently forgot and would be eating lunch and think about it so I took them then rather than not take them at all.  Traditionally, I’ve always struggled to keep a food diary too but this time I ensure I completed it every night before I forgot anything.

It’s now been over a week since I started and the main positive difference I’ve found is that I’ve pretty much stopped eating between meals.  I actually don’t ‘fancy’ things as much as I used to.  This is probably the supplements you gave me so I’m very happy about that.  I am also sleeping really deeply which is great!

Next week it will be even easier to plan meals etc as my vegetarian daughter will have left home so I can meals better and take my lunch in to work.  This will also work well for my husband – we’re both very happy with soup and sandwiches for tea!  Things are hectic at work which is always a challenge but I am committed to making this work. J