Yes!!!

I was astounded to see on Saturday that I've lost another 4 lbs, which has finally brought me under 12 stone :D  I've now revised my 'before Oz' goal down to 11 1/2 stone (roughly 73kgs) which I think will be very achievable, seeing as I'm now 75.6kgs!  I am so pleased, it means I'm now 10kgs off the goal I have in mind.  Last week I was very very strict, however - I did have my work Christmas lunch on thursday, and ordered what I thought would be healthy sea bass with cauli puree and kale....well, it was delicious, but full of butter and salt.  That said, I don't feel the slightest bit guilty, and it obviously had no effect on losses!   I must add, that all my measurements went down too, which makes it doubly pleasing.
We've finally booked our tickets to Australia, we fly out on the 29th January, and return on the 22nd February.  So that gives me 6 weeks of moving up the steps beforehand....something I don't really want to do, but know I must to replace my glycogen stores (which could put on anything up to around 4 lbs or so I'm guessing), and get my body used to more food again.  So the idea is to have one more week of being super strict (this past weekend, I had curry/spicy turkey mince with veg, and tandoori fish and lentils (delicious, I might add) - then it's Christmas a week from tomorrow when I plan to eat fairly well, but reasonably sensibly (no picking at crisps & cheese!).  I'll see how I feel after Christmas, as I plan to start some light exercise, so will have to introduce carbs again.  One good thing about Step 3 of the program is I'll be able to have a limited number of ready meals (most likely M&S fuller for longer ones, and some of the Waitrose love life ones)

Food, glorious food!

The one thing I've been doing a lot while on this diet is checking out lots of different foods on the internet...I guess you could call it 'food porn'!  However, it doesn't feel like I'm torturing myself, and it's surely better looking rather than actually gorging myself, right?  :P

Anyway, there are foods I love from both the UK, and miss from Oz, to name some examples:

Sausages - these are SO much better in the UK, really high quality sausages are amazing; I'm particularly partial to the brambly apple ones.

Ready meals - These are amazing in the UK, I especially love the ones Waitrose has (especially Heston's lasagne), and M&S always have some great stuff, in particular their 'fuller for longer' range (low GI, healthy food, which I hope to use from time to time once I'm maintaining)

Jamon Iberico de Bellota - quite simply the best ham I have ever tasted, ever.  I just wished it wasn't so expensive!  If I win the lottery I will always have one of these to hand!  (replete with cutting stand and knife, of course!)  So posh that Waitrose is the only supermarket that stocks it :P

Cheeses! - The cheeses you can get in the UK are amazing:  proper Cheddar (cave aged from Cheddar Gorge!), Stilton (Surprisingly not actually from Stilton...), blue smoked Wensleydale (not easy to find, unfortunately!), proper buffalo mozzarella from Italy, and, and...you get the picture!

Branston pickle!  Delicious, used to be widely available in Oz, but it seems not anymore :(

Cheap wine! (Yes not a food, but a fair bit cheaper than Oz!)

Foods I miss from Oz:

Aussie KFC - sadly, they don't have the same chips seasoning here in the UK, and it's just not the same!  Their burgers are  marginally better too, though I see they no longer do the burger with pineapple! (boo!)  In general, I love a good proper Aussie burger too, especially one with the lot (egg, pineapple, bacon, etc) from Kermonds in Warnambool!  Aussie McDonalds is not markedly different to the UK.

Sakata rice crackers - especially the seaweed ones.  And also the huge choice of dips you can get.  In the UK you're pretty much restricted to salmon, sour cream and chives, & hummus.

Chocolate!!! - I don't really care for most chocolate here in the UK (however, this is almost certainly a Good Thing!)  But Aussie Cadburys....ooooh yummy!  Especially their peppermint block, crunchie, top deck, and plain.  Even better still:  Red Tulip easter choccy! :D  Jaffas, Peppermint crisp, violet crumble, cherry ripe...  That said, I do like Toblerone here, and M & Ms  (which probably led a great deal to me getting as fat as I did! - and something I will no longer keep in the house!)

Big Ms -   ok, so not strictly a food, but I do miss these!  If you get flavoured milk here, it's really thick (& I'm not a fan of thick shakes, for the most part!)  That said, the Cambridge ready mades are pretty darned close (& very tasty too!)

BBQ sauce - I just prefer the aussie stuff!  I haven't found anything like it here :(  that said, there are some other types of delicious sauces to be found.

Most of all, I miss my parents cooking!  (though was fortunate enough to have them cook for us during their recent stay :D  Mum's apple crumble made with stuart seedlings from the orchard, dad's pasta, BBQs, Han & John's home grown pork, etc etc etc....

Crisps (or chips in Oz!)  have pretty good offerings either way.  I like Wotsits (UK), Burger Rings (Oz), Twisties (Oz), Walkers Lime coriander chutney poppadoms (UK), Tesco's goats cheese & chilli finest crisps, cheezels (Oz), and from either country, salt and vinegar so strong it knocks your socks off!

I like Sour cream and chive (?) Pringles from either country too, though James says he hates the smell of them (humph!)  ;)  I'm looking forward to trying sweet potato crisps and oven chips in Oz (why don't we have those here?!) 

Anyway, much healthier to write it down rather than actually eat it! :P  I intend to still eat my favourite foods once I'm at goal - just in a sensible way, in moderation.

Slowing down? The dreaded 'P' word (plateau)?

So I've only lost 2 lbs this week, barely a kg!  And I know a loss is a loss, and my measurements are still reducing.....but I can't help but feel a tiny bit disappointed.  Michelle said she'd expected to see my weight loss slow weeks before now, seeing as I didn't have a huge amount to lose to begin with.  However, the great news is my BMI is now 25 and finally classed as healthy!  My initial goal is to get to 12 stone, but now I'm pretty much there, Michelle has suggested I set a new goal of 11 1/2 stone (approx 73kgs) before we go to Oz (though obviously I'd be delighted if it was closer to 70!).  The sort of end goal I have in mind is 65kgs (which is approximately 10 1/4 stone), though vanity leads me to admit I'd love to be below 10, just to have a number '9' in the front!
Last week I relaxed my food rules a bit, ate a bit more during the week (& added a bit of blue cheese dressing to my salads...which is low carb, but am wondering if the small amounts of salt/lemon juice have kicked me out of ketosis) - I'm really not sure if this has lead to the smaller loss, or whether it would have happened anyway.  I am supposed to be moving up the plans now regardless, but as an experiment this week, I'm going back to being super strict, to see what happens.  I also have the vague plan that I'm going to start some sort of exercise during the Christmas break, if we get some nice weather!  So anyway, we'll see how this week goes! :)

onwards and downwards!

Despite it only being 4 1/2 days since my last weigh-in, I've lost another 2 3/4lbs as of Saturday!  And people are starting to notice now, which is nice.  That said, I can't become complacent, as my ideal weight is a fit and toned 65kgs, and I'm quite a fair way from that yet!  I made a crab and prawn frittata on Saturday for dinner - don't think I'll do that one again, frittata tastes a heck of a lot better with salmon and sweet potato.  Last night I had the trusty turkey meatballs I've been having most weekends.  I'll probably stick to the Cambridge packs this week, with a bit of extra protein most nights (most likely some tuna with quark, chives and pepper!)  I really need to think of some different SS+ meals I can have.  Once I move onto Step 2, there's a lot more I'm allowed to cook with (e.g. onions, red pepper, etc.)  but I'd no longer be in ketosis, and that's something I'd like to stay in, really, til I'm much, much closer to 70kgs!

I do find I'm missing some foods more than others, but I will reintroduce them slowly, as per the program and in a sensible way!  There are some things though I'm not going to do again:  drink anything but mineral water or diet drinks - sugar in drinks is just wasted calories!  I'm not going to overeat carbs as I was doing - no huge plates of pasta, rice, bread, etc.  And snack foods like crisps, etc. will be for parties/when we have visitors only, not something to just nibble on because it's there...  I'm also going to make a big effort to minimise the amount of sugar I eat - this diet has really brought home to me just how much there is in the average Western diet, particularly hidden sugar in what we'd deem more 'savoury' foods.  On a different note - only 3 weeks of work until the Christmas break!  I've written out our cards, just have to send them now, and yesterday we put the tree up (with a little 'help' from Immy & Lizzy...though we've had to put the decorations out of their reach!) :)

A bit of a longer week!

Well, due to Michelle being away this past weekend, my weekly weigh-in was last night (making it a 9-day week).  I was astounded to find I've lost another 5lbs!  My BMI is now just under 26, which I'm very pleased with.  The thing I wasn't so pleased with is there has not been much inch loss this week - a little off my arms, and my back, but better than nothing I suppose!  My thighs, as always will be the last place it comes off! (grr)  That said, I tried on a pair of shorts I'd pretty much lived in over summer this morning (they were always pretty tight when I put them on just after washing)....and they pretty much fell off me!  So if I had any doubts, this has certainly cast them aside!  My next weigh-in will be the usual Saturday morning one, and since it's only going to be 5 days, I'm not expecting great things, as long as there's some loss!  I am supposed to be eating more now...but I kind of like the way I've been plodding along so far, with some SS days, some SS+ days - perhaps I can make 1-2 weekend days an 810 day?  I think though that I'll just keep doing what I'm doing til Christmas, and then move up a step a week or so after :)
It's looking like the fitted Liverpool t shirt James bought me last year will be taken to Oz! :D

Another week

So another week has come and gone.  I've lost....wait for it...4lbs!!!  2kgs down, can't quite believe it as I was sure I hadn't lost much.  That said, my measurements haven't gone down a whole lot this week, apart from my waist, yet again (almost 8 inches off in 3 weeks!!)  Almost a stone in 3 weeks is quite incredible, and is all the encouragement I need, really.   Michelle (consultant) is away this weekend, so I have to wait until next Monday for my next weigh-in (eep!)  I'm not expecting great things, as it will be an evening weigh-in, as well as a weekend where I do the SS+ part of the plan, rather than strict SS (Sole Source).  Really, I am now at the weight where I'm supposed to move up to the 810 plan...however, I really feel like I want to stick with things as they are for at least 2 more weeks, then reassess :)

And so it's begun.....

Ok, I've been in 2 minds as to whether to publish my weight loss diary/journey, but what the hell, I don't think this gets read much anyway, so I shall just witter away to myself!  I started the Cambridge Weight plan at the beginning of November:
http://www.cambridgeweightplan.com/

I'd done a fair bit of research and decided this was the one for me.  My starting weight was actually 2kgs less than I thought it would be, and a whole 6 kgs less than it was at my heaviest, after having the girls - so I was off to a good start!  I'll post up stats properly once I'm comfortable with the numbers (yes I know, wuss!)

Michelle, my consultant is lovely and is full of great advice - so at the moment I'm just taking each week as it comes, with an initial goal to get below 12 stone into the healthy weight range.  Then my ultimate goal would be around 10 stone (9 stone something would be fantastic!  I was most happy with my weight when under 65kgs)....though the lack of boobage at that weight will probably prompt me to whinge and moan a lot and contemplate getting them 'done'!  (yes, shallow I know!)  I've had the odd time on and off where I've felt hungry, but nothing so bad as I've caved in - in fact, it's not really been hard at all....so far!  (though admittedly the girls' baby food is starting to smell good....:S)

I'm convinced that this low carb thing is the way to go!  In fact, once I am at goal, and work out how many calories I need to maintain that weight, I will probably eat low-carb during the week, and then be able to have wine/etc. of a weekend...that's the idea anyway!  So next weigh-in is Saturday morning, though I'm not expecting great things, due to good 'ol water retention!  :)

It's been a while...

Well, what an eventful couple of months!  Just this past weekend we've moved house & said goodbye to St George's Road in the middle of St Ives, the house we brought the girls home from hospital to.  The new place has its plus (cheaper!) and minus (further from town centre) points, but I think the girls will be much happier with more space and a garden come summer!  As soon as we have sorted the girls' passports, we'll be booking tickets to visit Oz in Feb, I am SO excited about this, I can't even begin to describe how much!
Lizzy & Immy will finally get to meet all of my family, Han John and her boys for the first time, and Alex, and all my extended family (I wonder what Uncle Stephen will make of his Great Nieces! hehe).

The weather is getting colder, the leaves are turning.  Soon enough it'll be Guy Fawkes night again - we took the girls outside all bundled up in their fluffy suits to see them last year, doesn't seem that long ago!
 

Busy, busy! :D

                                          Mum, Dad & George at Sherwood Forest

Grumps and the girls!

Our little family!

Well, it's been a while!  Since August 4th, I've been enjoying having my family here, Dad, Mum & my brother George.  We've been to Duxford for an air show, down to Bath, Cheddar Gorge, to Coventry to the Transport Museum, and to Sherwood Forest (or Spinney, as Tris dubbed it!), oh and to visit James' Aunt Maureen & Uncle Derek near Ludlow (with a visit to Ludlow Castle!).  

Our beautiful little girls Elizabeth & Imogen turned one on Saturday (18th), we had a whole weekend of celebrations for them; on the Saturday we went on a big walk with James' work colleagues, had lunch at the Axe & Compass in Hemingford Abbots, and a BBQ that evening, then on the Sunday we had a BBQ at St Ives Bowls Club with James' family, which was lovely, and the girls were thoroughly spoilt!  Tris came round for dinner last night, and I think we're off to his parents' for dinner on Saturday.

Mum, Dad & George are off on a mini trip for a few days, to take George to Beaulieu, and to visit Aunty Dorothy's friend Brenda, near Axbridge in Somerset.  It's going to be so, so hard to say goodbye, they leave on the morning of Saturday 1st, and I don't know when we're going to see them again :(  We're still planning a day in Cambridge, for me to take them on a 'tour', and a day or 2 in London before they go :)

Not long now til 'the visit'!

Just a quick round-up of the past 2 weeks:  Work and babies as usual!  We got the girls a double bath stand (Duo Aquapod from Mothercare) seeing as they're big girls in the big bath now; they absolutely love it, lots of giggling and splashing ensued!  My bowling is slowly coming along, though I feel pretty bloody useless at times - I did however send one near perfect ball down the lane!  Am thinking of maybe going to weekend coaching sessions if it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.  Saturday, after the girls' afternoon feed, we put them in the trailer and cycled to visit Cris and her boys in Cambridge.  I was quite surprised I did it ok actually, given that I am very very unfit and it is a 50km round trip (albeit very slowly :)  The girls were fine in the trailer for that length of time too, they fell asleep!

Sunday Martin came over to watch the end of Le Tour de France, with Wiggins winning overall, Cavendish the stage (well done to the whole SKY team!)  He brought over some very delicious champagne, and we had a BBQ (first of the summer...here's to many more!)

 

Another sunny (ah ha ha...) weekend!

Well, another week/weekend done and dusted!  I bowled atrociously with my new ball (Storm Street Rod) on Friday, James bowled an absolute corker of a game, 253!  Aunty Michelle very kindly babysat for us while we bowled.  Saturday was a quiet day at home, the usual nice long call to mum and dad, had a chat to Sas also.  It was Max's 5th birthday on Thursday, so I called and wished him a happy one!  Immy has another tooth coming through so is off her food a bit at the moment, which is worrying her mummy, as she is a bit skinny....Elizabeth has been a greedy gobbler, especially yesterday!  We're going to have to start feeding them what we have for dinner, though I am thinking of fixing theirs from what we have the night before, otherwise we're going to be eating way too early (mum is going to bring us the good 'ol Mouli mixer, so it can be used for the next generation!).

Yesterday James did a mega-huge-massive 240kms cycling (200km of it was the Cambridge Big Bike Ride http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/The-Big-Bike-Ride/ the rest was cycling to and from the start point in Cambridge)  I was incredibly impressed he did it in good time, and through some dreadful wet weather.  I hope our girls have inherited his sporting genes!  While James was off doing that, I picked James' mum up and went to Bretton for a quiet few games of bowling practice.  I think I've sorted out how to hook it....now to sort out everything else...my approach, not letting my blasted wrist collapse on the back swing (though I've noticed a lot of people do this anyway...), not bowling across the lane, etc. etc......but I feel like it was a very useful morning, as I did sort the hooking thing out!  In the afternoon, I caught up on all the episodes of Bedlam I had recorded, and played with the girls, and cooked some coronation chicken pasta for my lunches this week.

Now, I know I'm being a whiny little whinger, but oh my goodness I wished we had our own proper family home.  The housing situation in the UK at the moment is crazy, surely something's got to give at some point?!  (though the BOE seems to keep printing money which keeps the prices up...)  I've been reading a couple of websites:

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/index.php?showforum=22

http://www.pricedout.org.uk/

And yes....I'm going to whinge about the weather....for goodness' sakes, Summer!!!  where are you?  This past weekend in particular has been rather damp...in the same way that Usain Bolt is rather quick!  :P

So the next few weeks are the usual mix of work & babies, getting my bowling sorted, and getting the house ready for Mum, Dad & George's visit.

First post!

Well where to start?!  I guess I'll probably use this as a diary of sorts though goodness knows what it'll evolve into.  I'm an Aussie, living in the UK since 2007, married to the lovely James since September 2010, and mother to our beautiful identical twin girls, Elizabeth and Imogen.
At the moment, life is very full of babies & work, but there is a wonderful contentedness in that, as I'm immensely enjoying both (lack of money and as a result a proper home stresses aside!...though in the grand scheme of things it's hardly the end of the world)

Last night James and I went to see Stone Roses at Heaton Park, Manchester - It was amazing, and something I never realistically thought I've see after their acrimonious 1996 break up!  James' mum Dina very kindly looked after the girls, though we still made it home at 3:30am (ouch!)  James bought them a little toy wooden xylophone today from the toyshop in the High Street I keep meaning to go and have a look at.  I had a little play, I'm not sure they recognised 'Frere Jacques' though!  It'll be great when they're old enough to buy them (me) Lego :P

I'm getting very excited about Mum, Dad & George's visit, they're due to arrive August 4th, and I can't wait :D  I'm sure the girls will love their Grandy, Grumps and funny Uncle George.  I had my weekly hour-long chat to them this morning, sounds like things are busy as usual.  I can't wait to show them around - I was a bit immobile when mum came for the girls' birth last year (oddly enough ;), so we didn't see too much.  This time we plan to take them to an air show at Duxford the day after they arrive, and possibly to Superbikes later in the month, a trip over to Shropshire to see James' Aunty Maureen & Uncle Derek, a London trip, Cambridge of course and whatever else we all feel like/can afford/fit in :)

I got my first reactive bowling ball on Thursday, and hooking it is a hell of a lot harder than it looks - so a hell of a lot of practice is in order!  I will get there though, with James' coaching! :)

At some point tomorrow (or even this evening) I'll attempt to start reading Terry Pratchett's latest book, 'The Long Earth', and we'll start to get the house organised for my family's stay.  I may even start to watch some of the episodes of 'Bedlam' I have recorded...