Weight Loss Weekly

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else"
Judy Garland

Weight Loss Weekly is a collaborative blogging effort between the fantabulous Joie, Sunny, Nurit and myself. We each take turns asking a question and each week we answer these questions on our blogs. I've been handed the baton by Giyen over at her inspirational blog, baconismyenemy.

This week Joie asks:

"How do your family and friends support you or hinder you in your weight loss efforts? Do they adapt easily to your changing habits and help you along, or do they confront your new habits with skepticism?"

Here's a taste of what the girls had to say this week:

Joie: "The place? Applebees. The dessert? Cheesecake shooter...eew. After a bite, I put my fork down not wanting to waste the calories. My friends (well, not so much anymore) look over at me and sneer, "Oh, is this the new thing you're doing now?" Fortunately, the comment makes me think about our friendship rather than my weight loss goals and efforts, but there is always that nagging doubt..." read more at Joie de vivre: An amateur gourmet's guide.

Sunny: "My husband has been really good. Like when I was first trying to change my eating habits and was cranky and starving, ready to give up and chow down on a whole bag of potato chips..." keep reading at www.ThatExtra20Pounds.blogspot.com

Nurit: Nurit has some serious blogging commitments this week and is having a break from WLW. She is taking part in Hunger Action Week and is sure to be posting some fantastic ways to spend less on food but still enjoy delicious meals, be sure to visit her at 1 family. friendly. food.


I think the most amazing way in which my friends and family support me is by loving me no matter what. I can be in "crazed diet" mode or in "don't give a stuff" mode and they just accept me for me, and carry on being the best family and friends a girl could ask for.

Ways in which I feel supported besides the love include:

The Folks always ask, before I come to visit, if there are any special foods I'd like them to buy, never once have they criticized or laughed at my crazy diet attempts, whether it be low carb, low fat or juicing. They often get on the band wagon and join in.

The Soul Sistah has ears of gold, she has listened to me whine and rant about my weight and insecurities for nigh on 20 years now, she never wavers, listening and nodding. She gives advice and pulls me into line when I'm being indulgent or drowning in a pool of self pity.

The Posse, my wonderful friends, most of whom I've known since I was a kid, share delicious meals with me, laugh with me, exercise with me and are always encouraging. Many of them read this blog and even comment sometimes. Best of all each and everyone of them make me smile in their own special way and that is reason enough to be the best version of me I can be.

Last but not least, The Boyf, the person who has probably endured the most torture of all. He adapts his incredible cooking skills to whatever latest idea I've got going, has joined me on detoxes, held my hand when I've cried, been as disappointed as me when the scale hasn't budged, walked with me, talked with me and always been the most encouraging and supportive person in my life.

Reading over this I feel a renewed sense of determination. I have such beautiful people in my life, and I want to live my most bestest life with them for as long as I can.

How about you? Do you have a super support team? Or are you a lone wolf?

5 Things I'm Proud Of #12

Image: john w

"Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action"
Peter F Ducker

I'm running a bit late this week, but better late than never. Remember to focus on the little things, it is those little things that make up the big things we are reaching for.

1. Letting myself have a nap rather than reach for the coffee
   
2. Commencing the epic task that is tidying up the disaster zone that is our house
   
3. Dragging myself onto the Wonderfully Fandangled Exercise Machine and getting that cardio DONE
   
4. Publicly broadcasting The Great Cholesterol Challenge. Nothing like potential humiliation to get me going
   
5. Booking tickets to Japan..... yippeeee!!

Have you got any moments you are proud of this week?

The Great Cholesterol Challenge

So it seems my cholesterol is on the higher side of normal and my Dear Dr would like me to get the numbers looking a bit better. Huh…cholesterol? Isn’t that something old people complain about, having to eat rabbit food and take pills? Apparently not.

Here’s how I’m looking at the moment (all results in mmol/L)
Chol: 5.8
Trigs: 1.6
HDL: 1.3
LDL: 3.8

The Doc has given me 6 weeks to make a difference on them there numbers, and I’m taking her up on it. I love nothing more than a good challenge and having such a measurable result is really something to get excited about, dorky I know.

The goal is to reduce LDL and increase HDL, and get my total cholesterol down as well. To spur me on and keep the challenge at the front of my mind, I’ve set myself a little blogging task. For the next 6 weeks, once a week, for your viewing pleasure, I will be providing some scintillating reading on cholesterol, what it is, how to manage it, controversy surrounding it and anything else I stumble across on the way.

If you feel I’m missing something or there is a burning question you have about cholesterol fire away and I’ll do my best to answer it.

If you’re really brave, join me. You can email me at yoyonomore(at)gmail(dot)com or comment right here. I’d love some support along the way. Do you have high cholesterol? Want some crazy Aussie gal to cheer you on for the next 6 weeks and surprise your Dr with the results? Not sure? Get a test and lets get going, we've got arteries to rescue.

Weight Loss Weekly

Image: pasotraspaso

"We work in the dark-we do what we can-we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is out task. The rest is the madness of art"
Henry James

Welcome once again to Weight Loss Weekly, a collaborative blogging effort between Joie, Sunny, Nurit and myself. Each week one of us asks a question related to weight loss and we all post our thoughts. This week was my turn, and this is what I had to ask the girls.....

You've got a big event coming up, and your still not at a "happy weight", how do you combat those feelings of self doubt and have a good time without getting caught up in the "I'm so fat, I look so bad" crazy talk running around in your head?

This is a tricky one for me, something I have yet to conquer. It's a battle from the moment I find out about an upcoming event or occasion, I instantly calculate how much weight I could lose between now and then.

It's obsessive, it's unhealthy and it's bloody boring.

I have been fighting this very situation for the last few weeks, anticipating the the wedding of my dearest darling friend K Anne, in which I was part of the bridal party. This is why I suggested the question to my fellow Weight Loss Weekly bloggers. I need help with this one.

K Anne had a fabulous wedding, and I had a ball, all I can say is thank the Gods for control top underwear and champagne.

It's really the time leading up to the event that's most fraught with self doubt and the much loved crazy talk that I need help with. The shopping trip to find the outfit, torturous and panic stricken. I seem to be in this no-mans land of sizes, just too small for the plus sizes and way out of range for the sizes deemed "normal". While I'm on that topic, what's up with plus sized formal wear, who designs that stuff? Why, just because you are of the wider thighs, would any woman want to be seen frolicking around in the elasticized waisted, sequined soaked , batwing sleeved creations that seem to dominate the racks? Why I ask you, why?

Moving on to the crucial weeks preceding the big day, the ones when I should be on the latest "Hollywood" diet, one that has broiled chicken breast featured quite heavily and a few steamed veges tossed in for effect. I should also probably be getting acquainted with my local beauty salon, getting some stinky seaweed body wrap type treatments that promise to melt away the inches. Do I do this? No. It seems I don't have this celebrityesque type determination nor vision, I carry on meandering around with no sense of urgency spurring me on.

Finally it gets to peak preparation time and I go back to my calculations of miraculous weight loss and find I am in much the same state as before. I panic, freak-out, break down and start to lose myself in my own head.

Now all of this definitely went on leading up to my darling K Anne's big wedding day. Finally the day came and I arrived, caught up with old friends and K's adorable family and the feelings of craziness ebbed away. I still tried to stuff myself into two pairs of control top underwear in a last minute attempt to appear svelte, and I still teetered on the brink of self loathing but I must say I held up OK.

You see the thing I realised as I walked down the aisle clutching my bouquet, holding back the tears, is that there are much better and bigger things to be thinking about in life, and most people are thinking them. No one was looking at me, pointing and thinking "oooh she looks fat" as I feared. Most people in that chapel where waiting for K to walk through the doors in all her bridal splendor, some people were thinking, "My baby girl is getting married", others were thinking "My son has met the girl of his dreams" and a few, perhaps even my own wonderful Boyf, were thinking "hmmmm I wonder what the food will be like".

As I sat at the bridal table, listening to the speeches, and watched my oldest friend look into her husbands eyes, I silenced that voice in my head, and reminded myself, that this was my life, right now, this was to be one of my treasured memories, and I wanted to remember it for what it was.

Am I cured of the crazy talk? Am I to never ponder my appearance again, live in a Zen like state of empty vesselness? I doubt it, but I will try to be less fearful and more positive, and if all else fails, I will always wear ridiculous shoes, because concentrating on not falling over is a great way to keep my mind still.

Now over to my girls and their wise words....

Sunny: The problem for me isn't so much that I can't have a good time because I'm so worried about how I look. The hardest part is actually before... when I'm trying to pick out what to wear! Keep reading at www.ThatExtra20Pounds.blogspot.com

Nurit: Every time I need to dress up before date night, get out of my usual T-shirt and jeans and put on something nicer looking, I find that I have nothing to wear. Sound familiar? Read more on 1 family. friendly. food.

Joie: Fortunately, I have always had pretty healthy self-esteem. Unfortunately, this is probably why I allowed myself to gain so much weight!" Read more at Joie de vivre: An amateur gourmet's guide

And you? Any tips or thoughts? Any sure fired cures to the crazy talk? Are you too plagued by the pre-event blues? Comment away, I'll be there listening and learning.

5 Things I'm Proud of #11

Image: mdezemery

"All that we are is a result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become"
Buddha

I'm finding more and more that the whole positive thinking thing really does work. Things just seem to flow on from each other and while life itself often doesn't change all that much, the way we look at it can make all the difference. So here I am again making this list of the little things that I'm proud of this week.

1. Making every meal a home cooked one this week
   
   
2. Keeping up the walking and the thinking
   
   
3. Making time to catch up with old friends
   
   
4. Reacquainting myself with myself and eating when I'm hungry
   
   
5. Joining the girls for Weight Loss Weekly, what fun!

What are you proud of this week? Be it big or small be proud of them all.