Strange child

Long-time readers will know that Jake the Jock (my 17 year old) plays underwater hockey. He used to play waterpolo, too, but gave it up this year to concentrate on his pre-season fitness for rugby.

Playing watersports is complicated for Jake by the fact that in the last couple of years he has developed a sensitivity to pool water. Within a few hours of being in the water he has a full-blown hayfever-type reaction - sneezing, blocked nose, streaming eyes. Poor baby. The only thing that seems to stop it is using prednesone (sp?) and we're not going THERE on an ongoing basis - it's pretty evil stuff.

So this season we started experimenting with ways to prevent it. Nasal sprays help a bit but not enough to justify the vile taste in your mouth.

The best solution - sorry, this is gross - is for him to stuff earplugs up his nose. I kid you not. Stopping the water getting into his nasal cavity does the trick. It can't be a very glamourous look, but that's compensated by the fact that he can snort them out of his nose, at his friends, after a game!

He ran out of earplugs last week. And forgot to ask me to get more - being in the printing industry I have a good supply of them. So the first I knew of it was when I got home last night and he was lying on the couch instead of working at his after-school job. He feels gross and can't work. And spent all evening blowing his nose and sneezing mightily.

So, this morning's text conversation (written in real-speak to make it legible) went like this:

Him - Can I stay in bed, like, all day?
Me - Why?
Him - 'Cause I feel like shit and my eyes hurt even in my room where it's really dark
Me - You realise that staying home won't actually help you get better?
Him - Yeah, but I feel gross
Me - If you don't go to rugby training today you'll probably be on the bench on Saturday
Him - I've got study first period, I'll go to school after that

Just got to push the right buttons.

Injured. Drat.

Having finally given in to the increasing pain behind my left shoulder-blade, I went to the physio on Friday.

Of course it has nothing to do with my shoulder - I have four vertebrae in my lower neck/upper back which are out of alignment.

Drat. Bugger. Blast.

It has something to do with my posture when I carry things (like bags of rugby gear and my laptop). I carry with my shoulder and neck, using my upper and middle trapezius muscles, instead of my back or lower trapezius. I always like to have a 'name' for these things!

None of this is helped by the fact I always lift and carry with my left arm. This is because my right arm is officially 'weird'. Remind me to show you that scar some time...

So you will see my exercise plan is somewhat saner than usual this week. It's probably about time I had an easier week, anyway. I'm sticking to walking and yoga for most of the week. I'll try the gym on Saturday, but won't do my full workout if things don't feel right. While I'm there I'll get Dale to give me some 'lower trapezius' exercises.

I'm trying to be particularly conscious of my posture, as my 'office-worker slump' is not helping matters.

Lots of walking was always going to be in the plan from next week anyway, when I will start my six week training for a half-marathon walk on 25 June. I was originally toying with the 10km run in this event, but my knees really aren't up to that distance. So, it's the 21km walk for me. I walked 13km last Sunday and felt great afterward.

I've decided my biggest obstacle will be to walk for over three hours and not die of boredom. So I've conned a girlfriend into doing it with me. She is recovering from abdominal surgery, so our aim is completion rather than a certain time.

Of course, an event like this in Wellington in winter holds the likelihood of its own special challenges. Unless we fluke one of those fabulous days when the harbour looks like glass, there's every chance we'll be hammered by a freezing southerly or a howling northerly. In fact if we're really lucky we'll walk the first half into a southerly and then it will change to a northerly for our return trip. With a bit of horizontal rain thrown in for good measure.

Anyway, great to have another event to look forward to. I'm off to the physio.

Substance abuse

Mark and I went to a 40th birthday party last night. Yes, we do still have friends that young!

We had a lovely time catching up with everyone and I may have drunk a little much champagne.

Somewhere in my drunken musings I came up with the following theory. It may be overly simplistic, but it struck a chord with me.

In the group of 100 or so, there were several people who have substance abuse problems, and have faced them to some degree or other. The man who hasn't had a drink in over seven years. The man who has not only overcome his problems with drugs, but now competes in marathons and Ironman competitions. The man who has stopped betting on the horses and is now trying to kick his replacement addiction to the pokies. The woman who is still taking major pain medication some four years after she broke her leg. The woman who had little or no control over her food consumption for many years.

That would be me.

And the thing that struck me about all of this, apart from the fact I have some wonderful, strong friends?

The difference with these addictions is that I cannot give mine up completely. The absence of alcohol or drugs will not kill them (although it may feel like it will), but without food I will starve to death.

I am not belittling their problems or the enormous struggles they have had. But there is quite a difference here. I need to learn to cope with my problem without being able to banish it completely.

Realising this shows how important the 'mental' side of my lifestyle change is. No matter how much I learn about healthy eating, exercise and portion control, the long-term solution to my particular brand of substance abuse lies in recognising why I overeat and stopping that behaviour.

I still have some internal demons to banish.

Improvement

I've certainly had a better week - a loss of 2.2kg. But recently each good week has been followed by a bad week, so I need to keep the mental discipline going.

My progress in my three focus areas:
Water - drinking plenty, but still want to up my evening consumption (gin and water doesn't count).
Steps - lots of these. Daily average over 12,000 - I'll post my week's worth on Monday when I update my exercise plan. Two benefits from wearing the pedometer - I like knowing how much I'm doing, and it prompts me to do a bit extra, like going for a walk at lunchtime.
Scales - clearly my scales have a borderline personality disorder. I ignore them all week and they're much nicer to me on Friday.

I tried yoga for the first time this week. As I'm a complete novice, I got the WW yoga and pilates (haven't tried the pilates yet) DVD - it was on special. I really enjoyed it and discovered which parts of my body are REALLY inflexible. I think I will get bored with this basic level one fairly quickly, so I'd love any suggestions from you yoga girls out there about what DVD to get next.

Another highlight from my week was meeting Felicity (and Janine very briefly too). There is something so special about meeting bloggers in the flesh. Felicity has obviously been having a great (and very active) holiday. I wonder how she'll ever find time to write about it all on her blog!

Sorry about the lack of comments on your posts lately - I've been reading as you update but haven't had much time to comment. Please don't think I don't love you anymore!

First real game of the rugby season for Jake tomorrow - I'm probably more nervous about it than he is! It's always good to get into the proper season after all this pre-season stuff. Last week I learned how to strap his thighs for when he's lifted in the lineout - including strips of foam rubber under the tape to make little 'handles' at the front. The funniest part was watching him take all the tape off afterwards. He takes it off very, very slowly, because he doesn't want to lose all the hair off his thighs - and there is a lot of hair. He really doesn't want to turn up to underwater hockey in his speedos with big bald patches on his legs.

Mark is picking up his new bike today and is beside himself with excitement. We'd better get some fine weather in the weekend - if he can't ride it he won't be much fun to live with.

So, another week of discipline for me should see me through this slump/plateau - the 70s are looming!

Action plan

I have identified three areas I want to concentrate on. They're not necessarily things I'm doing badly, but things I could do better. Monitoring them will help me get back into the habit of mental discipline. And then that habit will spill over into the rest of my life.

Water

Most days I drink plenty of water. But I don't drink it right through the day. I drink 500ml as soon as I get up. I drink plenty while I'm working out and (mostly) during the day at work. Often I drink none at all in the evening (and not much of anything else either).
Action point: drink a glass of water as soon as I get home from work, one while I'm cooking dinner and one about an hour after dinner.

Steps

I have never bothered with a pedometer before. I do get lots of exercise - but how much and how consistently?
I'm also interested to know how much exercise I get APART from my planned exercise. Does running up and down to the courier room a couple of times a day help much at all? Am I doing 6000 steps when I take the dog out, but only 600 steps for the rest of the evening?
Action point: hook on that pedometer. Every day.

Scales

How did I go from being a once-a-week to a once-a-day weigher? Weighing every day has a negative effect on my eating, no matter what the number. If my weight is down from the day before, I subconsciously relax my attitude to eating and allow myself extra because I'm doing so well. If my weight is up, it's easy to slip into thinking the week is a write-off anyway.
Action point: weigh on Fridays. Any other day, the scales are just a big pile of dust in the corner of the bathroom.

Of course, I blame my sisters!

Oh, I don't blame them for any of the important, existential stuff!

I'm just choosing to blame them for the fact the report I was supposed to write last night is still a jumble of words in my head, instead of an email in P's inbox.

Auckland sister and Wellington sister popped round for a couple of quiet gins last night. And we did only have a couple of gins, and they were only here for about an hour, but somehow by the time they left I had quite lost the impetus for report-writing.

And now I think I'll choose to blame my blog-sisters for the fact I'm still not writing my report. It's 4am and an ideal time to get it out of the way, but I've been surfing blogs instead.

But I really can't find anyone to blame for the fact I've had another out-of-control (food) week and have just recorded my second gain in a row.

This isn't a major crisis. But it is a small, lost-my-focus crisis. And it threatens to become more if I can't click onto whatever is causing it.

I spent some time yesterday thinking about switching back from NoCount to the points plan, or signing up to use the WW online tools. But that's not the answer. I have all the tools I need and I know how to use them. There's a mental switch somewhere that's sitting in the 'Off' position - I just need to work out how to turn it back on.

Now, maybe I could blame a server crash for my missing report...

Confused?

Okay, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm pretty much over these short weeks!

We have had: a four-day week, followed by a four-day weekend, followed by a four-day week, followed by a two-day weekend, followed by a one-day week, followed by a one-day weekend, and now we're in a three-day week which will be followed by a two-day weekend!

It's not that I don't like the extra days off, but my increasingly enfeebled brain is struggling to remember what day it is.

I came on here to update my exercise plan, just like I do every Monday - damn, today's Wednesday!

I just realised I didn't send out an email reminder for tonight's rugby meeting (even more confusing because we moved it from the usual Tuesday to Wednesday), so we'll probably only get about three people there - but I'll still have to turn up.

Remembered just in time to put the wheelie-bin out last night. That COULD NOT have lasted another week, as it was full to the brim with pizza boxes and fizzy bottles - school holidays always see a marked increase in the consumption of these things at our house.

Of course, my brain might also be addled by TIS - testosterone inhalation syndrome! I'm used to having extraneous boys lolling about the house, but yesterday was a marathon effort.

Yesterday, our house was the site of the Great ANZAC Day Poker Tournament. A dozen teenage boys squished around our dining room table, playing poker - for over nine hours!

I fed them all Eggs Benedict for lunch (I know, I'm such a soft touch - I even make the hollandaise sauce from scratch), then tried to leave them to it. But, when you live in a townhouse, escaping the noise all those boys can make is impossible. I guess one saving grace is that they don't drink when they're playing cards, because there is money at stake. I hate to think how much more noise a dozen DRUNKEN teenage boys could make!

By the end of the afternoon, Mark and I had had enough, so we went out for dinner and a movie. Only five or six of them were still going when we got home, and they were basically packing up. Still, I'd rather they were having fun at our house (and there wasn't too much mess), than out on the streets getting up to who-knows-what.

On the subject of movies, Sione's Wedding is one to see. Pretty light-hearted, but the great depictions of Samoans (by Samoans) had me absolutely HOWLING with laughter. I don't know if there is an Aussie release date for it - but if there is, get along to see it.

And, of course, today's post wouldn't be complete without a HUGE congratulations to the lovely Philippa, who has reached goal weight. Phil, you are one amazing woman.

It is clear I have learned nothing!

I have been a blogger now for almost a year. It's something I really enjoy doing, even if I do fade from the scene at times. And I have 'met' so many wonderful people here (and a very small number of complete twits!) - people who are funny, inspiring, entertaining, intelligent, caring - all the things we look for in new friends.

But despite this massively rich resource of support, sometimes I think I really haven't learned a thing.

Let me tell you about self-inflicted unnecessary pressure...

A couple of months back I rejoined WW to help me lose my last 10 or so kilos. Instead of being an At Home member, I now actually go to meetings. At that time, the entry forms for Slimmer of the Year were on display. "Hmmmm" thought I, "I could do this". With a closing date of 12 May, I had about 8 weeks to lose 10kg.

See, I told you I've learned nothing!

Up until now, I've always set myself goals - be under 100kg by Christmas, be under 80kg in time for the duathlon, that sort of thing. Some of the goals I've reached, some I haven't. But they were my own personal goals and deadlines - it felt great when I reached them, but I could also handle it when I didn't.

Suddenly, here was this new possibility - and let's be honest, I was tempted by the prizes and the potential brief flash of fame. So I decided that my goal weight was 76kg - the top of my healthy weight range and that if I was really strict with myself I could blitz the entry deadline.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Up till then, my plan was to get to 76kg and THEN decide what I wanted my goal weight to be. I didn't want to take months to lose the last 10kg, but I knew it could take a while.

But no, despite all the months of claiming this was a lifestyle change and my health and fitness were more important than my weight, I was seduced into deciding I could force the weight off in a rush.

And the result - several weeks of yo-yo-ing (how the hell do you type that word without it looking ridiculous?) weight as I tried to force myself into this unrealistic expectation.

It's okay, I'm over it

After this attack of brain fever, I have come to my senses. I know that the weight will go - if it's a slow, steady loss, that's better than obsessing about every item of food that passes my lips. And much better that beating myself up for every slip-up. And I know (have always known, but chose to ignore briefly) that the weight-loss is just practice for maintenance.

My lifestyle now needs to reflect what my lifestyle will be in the future - not one of self-denial, but one of balanced and enjoyable eating.

Besides, I can always enter Slimmer of the Year in 2007!

Don't forget the old stuff worked

I can hear this concerted yell around blogland!

"What are you, nuts?"

I know, you've spent all this time getting rid of your old ways of thinking, eating and (not) moving. And now I'm telling you not to forget the old stuff?

But I'm actually talking about the old stuff from when we started losing weight, not from before that.

Phil got me thinking about this with her post about doing yoga again.

Do you remember those great feelings you got when you first started to see results from changing your lifestyle?

When you got to the end of the week and felt like a champion because you'd stuck to your eating plan EVERY SINGLE DAY? (Instead of feeling relieved because you cheated on your points all week and still managed to lose 200 grams.)

The first time you walked up the big hill in your neighbourhood without stopping, or made it all the way through that exercise DVD without hitting the pause button and putting your head between your knees so you won't faint?

The first time you went out for dinner, ate only two courses and didn't feel cheated?

Remember how good all that felt?

So, in that spirit, last night I went home and did the WW Exercise for Success DVD.

FLASHBACK TO A YEAR AGO (sorry I can't do the wobbly-screen thing they used for flashbacks and dream sequences on The Brady Bunch)
The first time I did this workout, I could barely breathe after the warm-up, although I did still have enough puff to yell at the TV "That was only the warm-up?". I used to just do the warm-up, one of the the four workouts, then the cool-down.

BACK TO YESTERDAY
I did the whole thing - warm-up, four workouts and cool-down. And it wasn't easy. I did the high-impact version of everything, used the coffee table (it's very sturdy) for my step-ups instead of just one step on the stairs, and used 1.5kg hand-weights instead of 400g cans of food. This is still a great work-out. And a great feeling seeing how much more I could do than a year ago. And today I can really feel it - and, yes Phil, tricep dips do work!

So, there was a point to all this rambling...

This is not just about getting back to basics. Find something you did when you first started on your journey, something that was a major achievement for you then, that you don't do anymore. And go and do it! Recapture the euphoria you felt the first time you overcame that obstacle.

And reflect on what an amazing person you are.

Success and compulsion

The duathlon was great! I really enjoyed it and almost ran the whole thing. I ran the first 3.5km leg, blitzed the bike and then ran most of the second 1.5km leg. I had to walk about 200m in the middle, because I had a bit of a dizzy spell.

And I came in under 1 hour - 59 minutes and 12 seconds, to be precise. The lovely Karen has emailed me some great photos, including one of the look of delight on my face as I looked at my watch at the finish line.

I think one of the things that made it so much fun was doing an event that hadn't consumed my life for 3 months beforehand. I'd been training for it in a vague sort of way, but I actually have enough basic fitness now to just rock up on the day and not disgrace myself. Ah, how things have changed...

So, events haven't become a compulsion, but Easter may be another matter!

Despite my high-minded intentions, I spent most of the weekend in an orgy of food-indulgence. This included chocolate, ice-cream, chocolate, Eggs Benedict, chocolate and more chocolate.

It was a weekend of eating reminiscent of the Sue of old. But what has changed is that it won't be a trigger for me to carry on like this for days, weeks or months.

I slipped up and ate badly for a few days. The world hasn't ended. I will spend the rest of this week eating healthily (not starving myself, not fad-dieting). By the time I weigh in at the end of the week I will hopefully only show a small gain. And in a week or two that will be gone and I will once more be moving toward my goal weight.

I'm less confident about knowing what triggered it. I'm used to having chocolate in the house, as I still buy it for Mark and Jake. I think it was just the amount of chocolate, combined with having so much free time and feeling I deserved a treat for doing the duathlon. I'm by no means perfect in my usual eating, but to go off so track for several days in a row is unusual.

Still, there's no point in berating myself too much - that's likely to lead to further self-destructive behaviour, rather than help me deal with it.

I hope you all had a nice Easter. If you feel like you may have over-indulged - you're certainly not alone!

Update time

The broken nose wasn't mine (or Jake's). Our friend Jacob, who is the Head Prefect at school, had his nose broken in a game in Napier on Sunday. As soon as his head slammed into the back of our fullback's head, I knew his nose was broken. There's a quite different sound to head-on-nose, as opposed to head-on-head. A sort of crunchy, cartilage sound. I got to him just after he hit the ground, and the bridge of his nose was over by the corner of his eye! Not pretty! So I hauled him off to hospital. When we left our boys were losing 11-0. They won 28-16, so I clearly missed the best of the game.

It was a long way to go for 20 minutes of rugby. Four hour drive up on Saturday, and then back again on Sunday, once the morphine had kicked in and Jacob was comfortable enough to travel. Luckily, I have long since learned not to travel with van-loads of teenage boys (too tough on the sanity), so I had my own car.

Most of our rugby boys were billeted with the team they were playing. Severe culture shock on both sides - our predominantly Samoan team going off to stay with boys from a private school. It's funny to see our big tough 1st XV go all shy when meeting new people. One of the boys came up to me the next day and exclaimed over the fact the house had 5 bathrooms - ' do they shit in a different one every day?' he said.

I got to stay with our very good friends in Havelock North. On Sunday morning I went for a lovely walk around the hill suburbs and through the pretty (and well cared-for) cemetery - which made me think of you, Phil, as you enjoyed our Bolton St cemetery so much. When I got back I had some of the best coffee in the Hawkes Bay - our friends have recently closed their cafe and have their coffee machine in the kitchen at home!

I have my duathlon on Sunday, but I do have to admit to not being particularly fussed about it. I'm sure I will enjoy it, but it doesn't have the excitement of the triathlon, because that was such a milestone for me. I have also been having a lot of trouble with my left knee, so may yet decide to walk instead of run.

My brother got engaged last week - at the lunch they were having to celebrate his Masters' graduation. Very bravely, he proposed in front of everyone, including both sets of parents!

My eating has been pretty good this week - probably guilty of not eating enough, rather than too much, as I seem to have spent most of the time racing from one meeting to the next. Exercise has been a bit slack, but I should be taking it easy in an event week anyway. In case I haven't said this, I'm completely sold on NoCount. I can see why it wouldn't work for everyone, particularly people just starting out on weight-loss, but it's perfect for me at this stage in my journey. It also feels like it will work well for maintenance.

Really looking forward to Easter. I will have to do some work (I usually do in the weekends anyway), but I will make sure I have at least two days with no work at all. Now that's a real Easter treat! And then to have the extra day off the next week for ANZAC Day - absolute luxury...

Up to my arse in alligators!

Sorry guys, not ignoring you, just irrationally busy. Back soon, with tales of rugby trips, broken noses and the ever-shrinking me!

What to do about Easter?

Easter really is one of the big 'treat' holidays, isn't it? It has no religious significance to me, but I'm always up for an excuse to eat chocolate!

Last Easter I had just started WW, so I basically skipped the whole thing (and was so motivated then I could do so with very little angst).

But this year I'm going to work Easter into my plan. Because we all deserve some treats and continual self-deprivation is just wrong on so many levels.

So, how to approach this whole hot cross bun and Easter egg thing? Don't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind - especially as the bloody things have been in the supermarkets since Valentine's Day!

Well, I do have a bit of a head-start on the discipline required for this - courtesy of my Mum and Dad. *happy wave to Mum*

The rule in our house when we were growing up - hot cross buns are for Good Friday and the eggs are for Easter Sunday.

So, I will buy one pack of really nice buns from one of the flash bakeries in town. I'll have one for breakfast on Good Friday and Mark can scoff the rest. And I will buy one small but expensive egg in really nice chocolate for me to have on Easter Sunday and the boys can have their usual small mountain of various Easter eggs.

Of course I do have a duathlon on Easter Sunday, so I'll feel awfully virtuous while I'm stuffing chocolate in my gob!

Fresh week, fresh start

Don't worry folks, I'm not about to give up on my healthy journey - but thanks for all the concerned comments and emails!

Last week was just one of those little bumps in the road - call it battle fatigue, I guess.

Saturday morning was a fresh start, and I feel like I've got my focus back again. This is helped by a return to 'winter sports Saturdays'. By the time I go to the gym, get the supermarket shopping done and then go and watch Jake play rugby, Saturday is practically over - no time for sneak eating!

On Sunday I did my full duathlon distance as training - 3.5km run/10km ride/1.5km run. I did it all on the machines at the gym, which made it easier than it will be in real life - although it still wasn't exactly easy! 3.5km is the longest I've run in one go, and then I still managed to run the 1.5km after the bike too. I can really feel it in my thighs today - but I now have some hope that I will be able to run (jog) the whole distance in the actual event in 2 weeks.

The duathlon is my last planned event. I'll be quite happy to go into winter mode for my exercise after that. That doesn't mean I'll turn into a couch potato, but I will plan most of my exercise around indoor activities* and just grab the chance to do things outside when the weather allows.

*Now, now, don't be rude, I didn't mean that sort of indoor activity!

Fear of finishing

I've had a dreadful food week. I have found myself unable to control my eating in the evening, and have also hardly dragged my arse out the door for exercise at all.

So - what the bloody hell is going on?

There could be lots of contributing factors: the aforementioned hormones, the dark evenings brought about by the end of daylight saving, the fact that the weather is cold and miserable and it feels like August not autumn.

But I suspect a more deep-seated issue - fear of finishing.

I am one of these people who often leaves a project 'not-quite-done'. It's not such a problem with work - I have to meet other people's expectations, so things have to be finished off. But when it's a task or a goal I've set myself, I don't seem to be able to get through the last little bit.

But why should I be like this?

I think it's something to do with my 'all or nothing' attitude. When I take something on, it really becomes a big part of my life. So when I finish it, will my life become a little emptier?

This seems to be related to something I talked about a couple of weeks ago - about letting my weight-loss become too big a part of what defines me. As I get closer to goal, I have to face what my life is going to be like after that.

I know that I will still need to be aware of my food and exercise - all this won't suddenly stop just because I've reached a certain weight. But on a fundamental level, something will have changed - and I need to find a way to cope with that.

Because otherwise, my self-sabotage will continue.

The trouble with being pre-menstrual

is that KNOWING you're pre-menstrual doesn't actually help you cope with the side-effects of BEING pre-menstrual.

I know I only wanted that English muffin with butter (and that ice-cream and those chips) because I'm pre-menstrual, but that didn't help stop me from eating them!

I also know that's why I didn't have the patience today to let a colleague ramble on when she was going in completely the wrong direction, but corrected her straight away (but did she really have to call me officious?).

However, here are my new thoughts on pre-menstrual comfort eating (to be applied at will to other situations). I get the feeling I've just clicked to something you guys all worked out ages ago, so excuse me for stating the bleeding obvious.

Giving in to these urges isn't always wrong. It would be wrong if we gave in to every single urge, but relenting occasionally is not only fine, it actually helps stop us from giving in more often - and from going on a power-binge!

See, I told you that I've just clicked to the obvious!

It's been a great week!

So, what's been so good about my week?

1. Jake made the first cut for the 1st XV squad
2. I have stuck to my gruelling cardio schedule for the week (one day to go) and feel FANTASTIC for it
3. The Hurricanes ground out a win against the Sharks last night - a typical home game - cold, wet and not pretty rugby
4. I have lovely new running shoes
5. Oh yeah - I have now lost 50 kilos!

When walking is not enough

Now, don't get me wrong here - walking is my friend. I love walking and it helped me form my exercise habit last year. And, of course, it is my 'Mummy and Moose' activity (for those who don't know, Moose is the dog).

But from a fitness and weight-loss point of view, walking just doesn't cut the mustard any more.

I wore my heart rate monitor on a walk the other day (I know, geek!). Apart from when I was going up some of Wellington's famous hills, I just couldn't walk hard enough to get out of Zone 1 and into Zone 2. So, basically, I have to walk for a damn long time for walking to have much beneficial effect.

Now Moose has to get used to me breaking into a jog at random intervals.

This week I'm also have a real focus on cardio exercise - no muscle building exercise, just pure, sweaty, leg-wobbling, face-reddening cardio all the way!

I got to meet Karen last night. It was so nice to meet someone whose blog I've been following - especially someone as friendly and bubbly as she is.

It's not the plan's fault!

I'm having a weekend of struggling with NoCount. Despite having meticulously planned my meals, I'm putting too much on my plate and sneaking extra food as well!

So, I considered switching back to counting points. But, actually, I was having the same issues with that.

So, don't try and say the plan isn't working!

I need to regain the focus and motivation that has served me so well in the past.

The plan is good and I know it can work - but only if I let it.

During some computer issues on Friday I had to reload my profile and so have lost all my internet favourites - most of which were blogs. I've got some of them back, but please leave me a quick comment so I can recover the rest.

Anniversary

There I was updating my sidebar, because it's Friday, which is my weigh-in day. I wasn't intending to post, just update my stats. But I found myself typing 'Week 52' - that's right, it's one year since I started on the WW At Home programme.

Yeeeeehaaaaa!
Ain't that just something to celebrate?

Sloth!

I'm having an attack of the lazy-arse bastards this week and have already missed two of my planned exercise sessions - and will miss another one tonight as we're going to Les Arts Sauts.

Oh well, I guess I can't be the Exercise Queen all the time.

I did take 5 minutes off my 7km time on Monday though - which basically means I ran for more of it than I did last time.

I was intending to only go 2km, because on Sunday the dog had a sore leg and was limping quite badly. I thought I'd just take him round the block to see how he was (and whether or not he needed to go to the vet). But when I let him in on Monday he raced around like a complete lunatic and leaped over Jake who was sitting on the floor - "Mum, I think the dog's leg is better". So, off on 7km we went. By the time we got back he was limping a bit, but he'll get over it!

The return of...

...rugby meetings!

Yes, folks, they're back. I spent all last winter moaning about them. Well, winter must be approaching again, because we have our first rugby meeting of the year tomorrow night.

That means I get to take minutes, send out nagging emails, do the admin, find who has got all the kit from last year (there's a bag in my garage) and organise the after-match functions. Beg water bottles, balls, tackle bags and hit shields from our supporting clubs. Get the boys to pay their fees, cajole/beg/bully guys into coaching and managing, deal with the ego-bunnies at the Union. And all of that has nothing to do with the actual Saturday games - drive smelly boys around, stand on the sideline in the freezing cold, give Jake rub-downs, haul guys off the field for not wearing mouthguards. Bring the ice-packs (frozen peas), fill the water bottles, make sure the bench are running the bottles and the kicking tees, be nice to completely average referees - "Thanks ref, good game (you short-sighted, one-eyed, wouldn't know a rule-book if it bit you in the arse, geriatric git)".

How can guys be so good at rugby and so CRAP at organising it?

Yep, you know I love it!

Who am I?

Several things have sparked a bit of navel-gazing in the last week. It's not something I do often, and I certainly don't communicate my introspection well, but here goes.

What has set off the self-examination?

1. Beck made a great comment about women who are losing weight 'define their entire worth on a number'.
2. My darling man looked at my progress pics from last week. He pointed to the first one, from a year ago, and said 'I can't even remember you looking like that'.
3. While in Auckland, I felt really uncomfortable when people I haven't seen for a while made a big fuss about how much weight I've lost.

These things have got me thinking about the need to re-define to myself who I am.

I need to stop thinking of myself as a fat person who has lost a lot of weight. People who have never met me before don't know what I used to look like - and that they're not really interested, so I need to stop trying to work it into the conversation!

I did need intense focus and motivation to lose the amount of weight I have, and to transform myself into a fit person.

But these things no longer need to define my life.

The weekend that was and the week to come

I've had a lovely weekend. Our very good friends came down from Havelock North to spend the weekend with us - only a year late for my 40th party, which they couldn't make it to.

So we spent the weekend talking, eating out and having a lovely time. There's just nothing like the conversations you have with old friends. I still managed to get in my exercise, so a quick peek at the home scales shows I've maintained over the weekend; always a good result after relaxing the rules a bit.

I'll have a very disjointed week this week.

I have the day off on Tuesday to go to the McEvedy Shield - an annual athletics competition involving the four main boys' schools in Wellington. Basically over 3000 boys spend the day chanting and roaring for blood - this competition had been going since 1922 and is a day not to be missed.

Wednesday and Thursday I'll be in Auckland for work. I always managed to cope with the work travel when I was tracking points, so it will be interesting to see how I manage now that I'm doing NoCount.

I used to pack plenty of snacks and things to take with me. This time I'll take enough fruit to get me through Wednesday and my porridge for Thursday morning. On Wednesday evening I'll pick up pasta and veggies for dinner and more fruit for the next day. Luckily I get to stay in an apartment so I can do my own cooking. Lunches will be a bit more hit-and-miss, but sushi is a great stand-by there.

I've tailored my exercise for the week around my travel. I'm trying to have a week of concentrating on running, because my riding is at a level where all I need to do is maintain it till the duathlon. It still amazes me when I make statements like that!

I used to be able to do an overnight trip to Auckland with just carry-on luggage, but having to pack training gear (particularly the shoes!) has made that a bit more difficult.

Because of the travel I won't be able to weigh in at WW till Friday. This is actually quite good because it will bring my WW weigh-in day in line with my home weigh-in day - my home one being what I'm still using as my 'official' weight, because that's what I've been using for the past year.

Thanks everyone, for the lovely comments about my progress pics. I'm hoping that I can post number five in the series - the one of me at goal - before the end of April.

Progress Part 2

There have been couple of requests for a series of progress pictures - so here they are, in descending order.



February 2006
A slight variation on my profile pic.

















November 2005

July 2005

March 2005

My 40th birthday party. Yeah, okay, slightly pissed!

Progress

My first official week of NoCount saw a loss of 2.4kg. A pretty damn fine effort, really. I weighed myself daily at home, so I could track my progress and do some experimentation.

Things I've learned:
Portion sizes still are really important. You can 'eat freely' from the restricted food list. This really means have a reasonable sized meal, it doesn't mean inhale a bucketload of food.
I've got much better at asking myself 'Are you actually hungry?'. The answer is usually no.
I'm enjoying the freedom of not counting. I'm choosing foods I want to eat (off the list!) instead of trying to work out what will make me feel the fullest for the smallest number of points.

Basically, I'm really enjoying NoCount. But it could just be because I've been counting points for a year and was overdue for a change.

I'll keep you posted.

Completely blank

I thought I should post an update, so you don't have to keep coming in here and going "Vain cow, she's still got that bloody photo up".

But I can't think of anything to say.

Will let you know the results of my first week of NoCount tomorrow.

Relaxed or exhausted?

Here's a pic of me from the weekend in Taupo. I'd been up for well over 24 hours at this stage! It's not the most glamourous photo, but it is very 'me' and - LOOK - I've got collar-bones!

Quick update

One thing I discovered when I went to WW on Wednesday - I'm 174cm tall, not 176cm. I choose to believe this is due to a previous mis-measurement, rather than old-age shrinkage! Luckily I don't need to change my goal weight of 76kg.

After just two days of following NoCount, my home scales show a loss of 1.8kg. Much of this will be due to the fact that I am back to my earlier discipline with regards to sneak-eating! This means I get to show a 2.2kg loss on my side bar this week - I was expecting a couple of big losses due to the change in programme, so if I can get a couple of weeks like that I'll be more than happy!

Early impressions of the new programme:
What a relief to not count points all the time.
Only being able to have fruit and veges as snacks actually seems to make planning the day easier.
We are late dinner eaters in our house (often not eating till 8pm or later due to everyone's sports commitments) so I need to make sure I don't have my lunch too early and that I have a snack when I get home from work so I don't get too ravenous.
After dinner is still going to be tough for me - it's a danger time for sneak-eating. Last night I solved it with a couple of nectarines and some WW jelly. Some nights I'll use a couple of my 21 points to have a treat, but I want to keep that to a minimum for the first couple of weeks.
Looks like I need to plan well - at the moment I'm planning each day the evening before.

It's early days, so it will be interesting to see how my opinions change.

Today's weigh-in means I now have less than 10kg to go!

First meeting

Well, I have rejoined WW and went to my first meeting yesterday. It's a city lunchtime meeting, so was pretty busy. Not enough talking in the discussion for my liking - I'll have to stir things up a bit! Rather like the leader, though. An Englishwoman with a nicely understated sense of humour and obviously well-read - was I the only person in the room who got the Katherine Mansfield reference? I'm such a snob!

I have decided to give No Count a go to see how it works for me. The basic premise works like this:
You have three meals a day, at which you can eat 'freely' from a restricted list of foods. 'Freely' really means in moderation, not to the point of feeling like a puffer fish.
Outside those three meals, you can snack on fruit and vegetables only.
In addition, you can use 21 points a week for foods outside the list - e.g. that white bread you can't live without, your chocolate treat on a Friday night.

I think this can work for me because:
Portion sizes are so automatic after almost a year of counting points I think there is little risk of me making my meals too big.
I like the fact the list of foods is basically whole foods and no processed foods, and therefore my overall diet should become even healthier.
There are essentially no 'treat' foods - the way I am at the moment I think I'm best to keep right away from those things, rather than try and stop after 'just a little bit'.
The 21 points gives me enough leeway to eat out a couple of times a week, or have a few drinks at some stage.
If I know I've got a really busy week coming up I can switch back to tracking points for a week if I like.

So, I'm going to try it for 4 weeks - long enough to get through the first couple of weeks of losing just because it is something new, and to form a habit if I want to keep going with it.

Interestingly, though, no other women at the meeting are following No Count. A few had tried it and didn't find it worked for them. The leader did say the uptake had been lower than they expected. I feel it would be quite difficult to do it as your first experience of WW - the control of portion sizes and learning to stop eating when you are full seem a bit difficult to learn quickly. After all, the lack of those controls is the reason why many of us are overweight.

My WW weight yesterday was 87.8kg. I'd weighed at 86.9kg at home in the morning, so I imagine our scales are fairly close. I am going to continue using my home scales to track my weight in the sidebar, but will report my 'official' weight each week when I let you know how I'm going on the new programme.

Another new experience...

Entirely at random

It is currently not safe to leave me alone in the house with a container of ice cream and a spoon. In fact, I could manage even if the spoon wasn't there.

My supposed 15km training ride is actually 19km. Rode it last night (in a brisk northerly) in 1 hour and 5 minutes. First aim is to get it under 1 hour.

My man is in New Plymouth this week - that should mean a new tee-shirt for me!

Jake being captain of the dragon boat team this year has unexpected benefits at home. After five races on Saturday, leading the starts and making the reach calls has left him with no voice. So he can't sing in his frightfully toneless voice for a while. Although he has managed to record himself singing 'Living on a Prayer' and set it as the ring-tone on his phone!

Will I ever get over the feeling that the Hurricanes will break my heart again this season, even though they're looking so good?

It's a good idea, when locking up your car and leaving it in the carpark for the day, to also close the driver's window.

How weird does it still feel, as a previously sedentary Mum, to be talking about pyramid runs, fatigue training zones and the best piriformis stretch with your teenager?

I think I might re-join WW (haven't been part of the At Home scheme since about September, although I have continued to follow the programme). This might help me with the motivation I need to lose the last 10 kilos and I can have a good look at No Count as well. Any thoughts on this, folks?

Whew!

What a great weekend that was - the relay was a smashing success!

Our walkers/runners started at 11pm on Friday and finished the 160km at 4.37pm on Saturday. It was an amazing effort by everyone and lots of fun as well.

I didn't do a leg - just stayed at the motel making sure everyone was fed and watered, awake in time to go out on the course for their leg and rubbed down when they got back! Didn't go to bed at all on Friday night.

A very relaxed week food-wise after my triathlon has led to an upward creep in my weight; nothing I'm particularly worried about. I can't imagine the weekend will have helped much, as I ate whatever I wanted to - staying up for 36 hours means you constantly crave carbs.

So, it's Monday again (coming to work was a bit of a let-down after the weekend), and I'm trying hard to bring my eating back into line - and back into the exercise this week too!

So, what's next?

Well, I've had a few days of basking in the glory of what I've done - thank you all for your kind comments and emails. I still can't quite believe how much I enjoyed the triathlon.

So, what's next for me?

I need to shift my focus back to controlling my eating. This has been meandering around in the last few weeks. As I've said before, I think I was saved from gaining weight by the heavy training load I was carrying. So back to careful planning and tracking.

This weekend we have a team of 25 people (workmates and clients) taking part in the Great Lake Relay in Taupo - 18 legs of walking and running around the lake - it's about 160km.

I'm Camp Mother, so I'm not doing a leg, although I am a reserve. Instead I'll look after the base camp and all the meals - because, after all, surrounding myself with food is such as sensible thing for me to do!

One thing I've learned from the triathlon is that I'm more motivated about exercise if I have something to train for. So my next goal is a duathlon on Easter Sunday. I'm still not absolutely sure I'll be in town for this, as I may be on tour with the rugby boys, but I'm training for it anyway. And as I'm on the rugby committee I should have some influence on when we go away!

This duathlon is a 3.5km run/10km bike/1.5km run. It's based around our lovely harbour, so we have that small miracle in Wellington - a flat course! This will mean a quite different training regime from the last one - and no swimming, hooray!

Starting next week the training will go something like this:
1 x 15km ride per week
1 x 7km run/walk per week (building towards being able to run the whole thing)
1 x 3km run per week (working on improving my time each week)
1 x 'brick' training session - run/ride/run - starting with short distances and building each week
That will take care of my cardio and I'll do 3 or 4 days a week at the gym and see if I can throw in some kickboxing occasionally as well.
My 15km ride will include the actual duathlon course - I can ride to it from home.

There we are then. I have two main goals - do the duathlon, and be a 70s' girl when I do it. Just over eight weeks to go.

1 hour 3 minutes 5 seconds

Well, the weather didn't improve. It was too rough to do a proper swim, so we did about a 100m run in thigh-deep water. Cold, very cold.

Then 500m along the beach (I ran most of this), up a steep hill (I didn't run) then 1.2km to the bike transition (ran the whole thing).

The bike course was pretty tough - pouring with rain much of the time and a VERY strong northerly. The uphill section was straight into the wind. I do recall a burst of laughter from some spectators as I screamed 'Bitch!' at a gust that almost stopped me completely. The second time around I had my cadence going better and didn't find the hill so hard.

Unknown to me, at this stage the weather was so bad they were talking about cancelling the race halfway through - prompted by the fact that the marquees and finish line were being blown away!

Then it was back into transition to drop off the bike and finish with another 2km run. Most of this was flat (alternated running and walking), finishing with a bit of off-road - up a steep track (ran), along the ridge (ran), drop back down (walk) and then across the park to the finish (ran).

Now the really surprising bit - I had a lot of fun doing this. The weather was vile and the ride was hard work at times, but it really was enjoyable. And the sense of achievement at the end was overwhelming.

It's hard to work out how good my time was, considering most of the swim was dropped, but I'm happy with it anyway, especially given the conditions. This is the time I took on my watch, as the official times aren't on the website yet. Update later in the day - official time was 1 hour, 2 minutes 39 seconds. 586th out of 1100 finishers.

Big thanks go to lots of people for their support - family, friends, colleagues, blogland (especially blogland) - because everyone has been so positive.

Huge thanks to Mark and Jake - for getting up at 5am this morning, for their support and encouragement.

4.30am on race day

We have a strong northerly. Which I will have to ride into on the uphill sections of the bike course.

Oh, and it's raining.

I'm off to wake up the boys. No way I'm suffering this alone.

Sleepless in Strathmore

Although I sleep much better now that I exercise regularly, I do still have bouts of sleeplessness. I have put up with this for most of my adult life, so I don't let it stress me out and I know I can easily get by on three or four hours sleep.

If I'm lying awake I like to be able to read, but the man is a darkness freak so I can't turn the light on. I often get up and sit in the lounge reading for an hour or so, then go back to bed for some more sleep.

I used insomnia to my advantage when I was studying. Most of my papers were written in the small hours of the morning. In my single days I often used to do housework then too - but vacuuming at 2am soon stopped once I started living with someone!

Right, now that I've revealed what a freak I really am...

This morning at 4am I was stupid enough to go on the internet and pop into one of my favourite blogs - Waiter Rant. So going back to bed for more sleep never happened - just straight into the shower at 6.30 instead!

Mummy skite - my lovely boy (yes, folks, the babe from the fridge) made prefect at school this year.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

The week has finally arrived, now it's just five days till the triathlon. I have a nice light training week, with none of my usual extras added in. I am doing no exercise in the mornings, so my alarm will be going at 6.30 instead of 5.30, to ensure I am well rested. I am not tracking my food this week, just watching what I eat to make sure it is healthy, with plenty of good proteins and carbs.

So, how do I feel about what is coming up on Sunday?

Pretty proud of myself, really. I have no doubts I will be able to complete this course. I may not swim like a fish, and my run is more of a trudge, but LOOK HOW FAR I'VE COME! This triathlon is more about how I got here than the event itself.

This time last year I weighed 132.5kg. A 3km walk on a level course was a major achievement. Walking up the stairs in our new house was a bit like climbing a mountain.

So, on Sunday, I may not be the thinnest or the fittest, but I think you'll be hard-pressed to find someone happier!

Finally, fridge fotos!

First of all, let me introduce you to my fridge.

I love my fridge. As you can, see, it is a very large side-by-side fridge/freezer. The kitchen was basically built around it. It is kept white and pristine on the outside, except for the temperature gauges and controls on the front.

But only three people live in our house - why do we need such a large fridge? Because we have a teenage jock to feed. And, as you will see below, he can practically eat the fridge bare in one sitting...

Road kill

I'm feeling a bit like I've been run down by a truck at the moment. Sorry I have been absent from blogs this week - haven't even had time to comment, although I have had a few quick peeks.

So, time for one of my update lists...

Had a great day at the races last week. The betting was the usual washout - we never seem to do well at Trentham. But who cares - I looked great (so modest) and got lots of compliments. For the first time the famous Cup Day heat (29 in the shade this year) didn't really bother me; not only am I so much lighter, but I could wear something light and floaty instead of the dress equivalent of a boiler-suit and a balaclava to hide my body! Yes, photo to come. Oh, and I drank an ENORMOUS amount of champagne and got quite silly.

My favourite weekend of the year starts tomorrow - the Wellington Sevens! I just love this tournament. Our little stadium rocks with all the people partying - the costumes are a spectacle in their own right. I take all of Friday off so I can ease into the day - and get there in time for the first game. Unlike many of the people who go, I love the rugby as well as the party, and try to watch every game! One of my favourite things is that the crowd always adopts an underdog country and supports them in full voice! And we're not as mean to the Aussie team as we used to be...

We get an extra day off on Monday, too, for Waitangi Day, so I've got an extra long weekend. Having a few friends round for a BBQ in the afternoon.

Another reason for my run-down-by-a-truck feeling is that I got a new programme at the gym yesterday. He took me very literally when I said I needed more of a challenge. I always find the first few weeks tough - more about the co-ordination than anything.

Just over a week till the triathlon now. PZ (my friend who's doing it with me) and I did a walk-through last Sunday. We very quickly realised we need to stop training in the pool and get into the sea. The water at Titahi Bay was freezing! Although it did wash away the last vestiges of the champagne from the day before.

And a week after the triathlon we have the Great Lake Relay in Taupo. 160 kilometers around the lake, in 18 legs of walking and running. I'm not actually participating (although I think I'm a reserve by default), but I am the organiser (it's people from work and some clients). I'm really looking forward to it - being Camp Mother brings out the Nazi in me!

Yes, it's a pretty busy time at the moment - as this time of year tends to be. Just the way I like it. I've had a pretty average week with the tracking, what with all the champagne and the Chinese New Year banquet as well, but I should still be in for a small loss.

Enjoy your weekend! And for you Kiwi girls with kids - they finally go back to school next week!

Batting average

Well, this week's 1.3kg loss has meant I've kept my average at very slightly over 1kg a week. Translated into cricketing terms, this would make my batting average better than all the Aussie batsmen in yesterday's underwhelming win over Sri Lanka, except Gilchrist.

This week I've been going through my annual build-up to Wellington Cup Day. I've got a new dress: white with red poppies, quite tight-fitting so it looks like I've still got reasonable sized boobs. Several days of fake tan applications have given my legs a golden glow. The nails have been painted bright metallic red. A small red satin handbag has been purchased - and will probably never get used again! The never-worn red lipstick has been dug out of the make-up kit.

Believe me, this day has nothing to do with the horses!

Keep at it!

In the blogs in the last couple of weeks, I've noticed a certain amount of disillusionment.

Most of us did pretty well at maintaining or only gaining a little over the festive season. On the whole, those who put on weight have since taken it off again.

But now some lethargy seems to be creeping in. I see lots of comments about how difficult weight loss is at the moment.

Everybody needs a good shot of OOMPH!

One of the questions in the tag that's going around is what you'd do if you were a millionaire. Well, I would visit each and everyone of you and appoint myself as your personal cheering squad and motivational expert.

But, I can't do that - at least not without selling the house! So it's up to you to do it for yourself.

And you've been doing a good job of it up till now. Most of you have come a very long way. Many of you don't actually have very far to go. You need to find that motivation again.

Motivation is different for each of us, but here are some general thoughts about it from me:

• Think about why you started losing weight and how you felt at that time. Many of you have these thoughts in writing - in diaries, in your WW books, on your blogs. Go back and read all this stuff again. Remember why you are doing this.
• Remember the first time you looked in the mirror and could see the difference? How great did that feel? How much better will it be when you look in the mirror and see what you look like at goal?
• Go back to some of the techniques we all used early on. Visualise what you'll look like, how you'll feel, what great clothes you'll buy, how much energy you'll have.
• Sit down today and write a Pollyanna list. Philippa has just written a great one. That list will help you remember how strong you are, how much you've achieved, what you are capable of doing.
• We've all used the 'back to basics' method at some time. No matter what plan you're using, go back and start all over again. Read the literature, follow the 'rules', track, weigh portions, plan your weeks food, the lot.
• There are lots of people - family, friends, colleagues and the blog-world - who are cheering for you. They all care and they're all important. But YOU are the most important person. You need to be doing this for yourself.

Maybe it's time for some more changes in your life. If you feel like you've been doing this forever and it's all a bit dreary, change some things to make the journey more interesting, rather than abandon it all together.

Try some new recipes - lots of people who are less lazy than me post their recipes, so they're easy to find. Try one or two new dishes every week. Try the 'rainbow' approach - there must be at least 3 vegetables of different colours on your plate for dinner every night. Next time you're buying produce, pick up something you've never tried and work out how to prepare it.

Change your exercise routine - and make sure you challenge yourself. If you go to the gym, tell your consultant you want a new programme. Add an extra 15 minutes or a couple of big hills to your daily walk. Become obsessed with the science of exercise (like me, I'm such a nerd), so you understand what works, why it works, when it works.

Do you think about it too much? Maybe you need to introduce something into your day or week that has nothing to do with your weight loss. Read books by authors you've never read before, repaint the spare room, go along to the kids' sports practices, help out at the local soup kitchen.

I've rambled about this for long enough. My main point is - you can do it!

Updated times

Over the last week, I've redone my time trials for all three of the triathlon disciplines. They are as follows:
300m swim 8:56 (was 9:53)
10km ride 28:32 (was 31:06)
3km jog/walk 21:12 (was 23:24)

I'm particularly proud of the last one, as it is only 2 weeks since I last tested it. In that time I've increased my intervals from jog 1 minute/walk 3 minutes, to jog 4 minutes/walk 2 minutes). I also feel my jog-style has improved from the trudge I was doing before!

So, pleased with my improvement and looking forward to the triathlon in 3 weeks. Who would have thought it!

Fridge pic coming soon...

Tag

Here's the stuff-about-me tag. Keep watching for the fridge pic as suggested by AGR - I think it might need a clean first!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Estimator at a printing company, but about to stage a coup and take over as production manager.
Wearing size 20/22 clothes.
Suffering through Jake's '7 year old boy' stage. That's right girls, he wasn't always perfect!
2. What were you doing a year ago?
About to move into a brand new house (which we still haven't paid for because it still isn't quite finished).
Starting to plan for my 40th birthday bash.
Wearing size 24/26 clothes but hatching a plan to do something about it.
Skiting to everyone about my perfect teenager.
Selling over 600 of my books on the internet. Along with lots of furniture and other stuff - moving from a 5 bedroom house to 3 bedrooms required drastic action.
3. Five snacks I enjoy:
Answering this isn't as much fun as it would have been a year ago!
Vine-ripened tomatoes chopped up, sprinkled with lime juice and smothered in freshly ground salt and black pepper.
The divine coffee friands from the cafe round the corner from work (an occasional 2.5 point treat).
A mini Callipo ice block.
WW raspberry jelly with fresh strawberries set into it.
WW French Vanilla ice cream, with two of my home-made brandy apricots chopped over top.
4. Five songs to which I know all the lyrics:
Not counting the hundreds of show tunes I know!
Welcome Home - Dave Dobbyn
Slim Shady - Eminem
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynard Skynard (sp?)
The Rose - Bette Midler
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
5. Five things I would do if I were a millionaire
Buy my man whatever motorbikes his heart desired.
Hold the next sisters' meeting in Prague instead of Noosa (my treat girls).
Shop. Tirelessly.
Help Jake set up a business when he qualifies in whatever he's going to do (still undecided between plumber, builder and personal trainer).
Take the 1st XV on tour to Japan.
6. Five Bad Habits:
Getting up at 5am, no matter what day it is.
Correcting people's grammar in conversation (usually only in my head, but it's still vile).
Not believing that someone else might know more than I do.
Talking too much about my weight loss.
Not taking my make-up off before bed.
7. Five Things I Enjoy Doing:
Going to the gym - sorry, that's sick.
Sex.
Having the house to myself, turning off all the TVs and stereos and lying on the couch reading a book (in the past there would have been a box of chocolates in this scene).
Organising sports trips, tournaments etc.
Having dinner at the table, all together as a family - even though there are only three of us, this is much harder to arrange than it sounds!
8. 5 Things I Would Never Wear
A hat to the races (still can't get over years of yelling at boys to take their hats off at the table).
White - I'm a dirt magnet.
Heels higher than 2cm - it cost years of pain and $3000 to get my feet fixed, not going there again.
Anything that shows the broken veins covering my thighs; a rule I have to break to swim.
Shoe string straps.
9. Five favourite toys:
ipod.
Laptop.
My home PC for playing Sims 2.
The kitchen.
Other people's minds.

Just some stuff

Thanks for all the compliments you've been giving me on the look of my blog - it's certainly my favourite so far.

Racing didn't come about for Mark on Sunday, although he watched plenty of action out at the track (I stuck that out for about 10 minutes - absolutely not interested if my man's not involved!).
Instead I had brunch with our dear friends who came over from Hawkes Bay for the day, followed by a visit to Mark at the racetrack, then a bottle of wine at a lovely hotel in the hills, overlooking the lake.

In response to a couple of questions I've had about how I look after myself with all this training...
Lots and lots of stretching! Obsessively. But only ever of warm muscles. So far I've managed to survive a small Achilles twinge, but I definitely don't want to get an injury at this stage. I do have the occasional massage, but that's more treat than therapy. I have quite a bit of trouble with the toenails on my little toes, so I'd better get in to the podiatrist in the next week and get those tidied up.

I went to the Zebrano sale on Monday. Zebrano is a big girls' shop with fabulous clothes. I have bought almost all my clothes there for the last 12 years and eagerly anticipate the two sales each year. This will be my last sale there - I bought two things off the size 16 rack, which is their smallest size. Soon I'll be too small to be allowed in!

I don't want to became addicted to events, but I am concerned that I'll do the triathlon and then just stop and get lazy.
So now I've signed up for the Special K duathlon as well. It's on Easter Sunday, 8 weeks after the triathlon, which will give me 2 recovery weeks, then back into training. This one is 1.5km run/10km ride/3.5km run - all on the flat, so an easier event.
The only possible sticking point is that we haven't yet decided which week we're taking the 1st XV on their pre-season tour - that will be in the school holidays, so might coincide with Easter. Have to see how that goes.

Tried to became a hood ornament for a bus while doing my 10km time trial the other day - misread his signal at a roundabout. Luckily I was on the mountain bike, so it was fairly easy to chuck the bike (and myself) out of the way, not a manoeuvre I would have been capable of a couple of months back. Nearly went from fat to flat! I'll post all my trial times at the end of the week.

The search is on for a frock to wear to the Wellington Cup next weekend. We always go with Mark's work and some of their clients. I'm not doing the hat thing though - I just can't get over that it's bad manners to wear a hat when you are indoors and eating, even though I know it's acceptable at the races and in church!

Anybody seen a couple of hints in your comments that I'm coming to Sydney (good spotting Jodie). We're planning a sisters' meeting in Noosa in May, so I'm hoping to do a few days in Sydney on the way back. I'll keep you posted on that. Perhaps I'll be at goal...

Have a great day everyone!

Training times

Twofold meaning to this heading:

What time of day is best to train?
In Taupo, it is best not to train to 5.30pm on a day when it is 28 degrees!
I decided I couldn't fit in the gym AND 90 minutes riding before I left Wellington yesterday morning, so I juggled my schedule. Went to the gym in the morning and was left with a 45 minute walk/run to do when I got to Taupo.
It was so hot. Even though I got to go around the lake front on the lovely path from Kaiwaka Point to Wharewaka Point, there was no breeze at all. I really struggled to keep up my 3 minute walk/1 minute run intervals for half an hour. When Mark arrived 45 minutes after I got back, I still looked like a fluorescent beetroot!
By contrast, I went out again this morning at 7am. Overcast, cool and a gentle breeze off the lake! Ran intervals for a full 50 minutes and now I feel great.
Shaping up to be another scorcher here in Taupo today.

How do my training times look?
As part of my training in the last few weeks, there have been time trials for the race distances. The different disciplines are tested on different days.
My current times are:
300m swim - 9:53
10km ride - 31:06
3km run (walk) - 23:25
Some of these times are quite old - the swim especially, timed on the 8th of December. This week I am going to re-do all my time trials.
These are the times I used to set my triathlon goal of 75 minutes, taking into account transition times and the fact that I have to do all these things one after another!
I still think my goal will be quite hard to reach, but it is better to aim high and fall short, than to be aimless!

Racing update: while track-testing at Manfield yesterday, the bike suddenly stopped! Appears to be an electrical fault that Mark hasn't managed to pinpoint yet. Barring miracles (in the guise of some clever motorbike man), it looks like he'll spend today as a spectator.

I didn't mean to mislead you!

Some of you may have taken the inference from my last post that Mark and I were off to Taupo for a romantic weekend. Ha ha! Wrong!

The weekend itinerary goes something like this...

Tonight Mark will load the race motorbike in the van, drive to the Kapiti Coast and stay with a friend - to cut some time off his journey in the morning. Saturday he will drive to Manfield (racetrack near Palmerston North). A group of them have booked the track out for a 'fun day'.

The definition of a fun day: not structured racing, but lots of testosterone-fuelled competition against your mates, riding round the track and trying new lines etc. Plenty of the usual standing around, drinking coffee, telling lies and smoking. Oh, and making essential adjustments to the bikes.

Saturday morning I will - go to the gym, go for a 90 minute bike ride, then drive to Manfield. I will stay for the shortest time possible - make sure Mark sees me, give him a fresh Thermos of coffee and try not to get hugged by too many greasy motorbike men. Then I'll drive to Taupo.

Mark will drive to Taupo after they've finished at Manfield, so I don't expect to see him before 7pm. This is where the spa bath comes in - he'll be tired from a day on the track, and that 48-year-old body will need easing back into shape for the real racing the next day.

Mark will get up early Sunday morning and head to the track for the second in the summer racing series (3 events). He is currently lying third on the table in the hybrid section - fascinating, I know!

I will get up a bit later and go for my 50 minute walk/run. I'm then catching up with friends for brunch. After that I'll go to the racetrack, watch a couple of races and then drive 5 hours home. Mark will drive home either later that night or on Monday morning.

So, not many opportunities for romance there. But we'll have had a bit of time away together and I will have shown sufficient interest in Mark's racing that I can safely ignore it for another six months. And Jake will have had the house to himself on Saturday night for the boys' gambling night.

If you look at my weight record on the sidebar, you'll see I've lost another 1.1kg this week. Good going, but I'm actually a bit annoyed about it. My eating discipline has been poor, with far too much sneaky eating and too many sugar points. Because I'm training so hard, the weight continues to come off, so I need to make a conscious effort to curb the bad eating before it becomes a bad habit.

In hot water

Another of those strange side effects...

I've always liked my showers and baths really HOT. If Mark used the shower after me he always complained I was trying to scald him!

Now, however, I can't handle the water hot at all - it's more like tepid.

So, did all those layers of blubber used to insulate me against the heat? Illogical, when you consider the nerve-endings are in the skin. Maybe it's related to my fitness or some other physiological change?

At least we won't squabble over the temperature in the spa bath at the motel in Taupo this weekend!

Life in the slow lane

Well, I'm still the slowest person in the swimming lanes in the morning, but not by much. I've definitely got faster since that rude cow tried to kick me out. Unfortunately the other people who swim slower than me don't seem to have returned from their holidays yet.

I have got over my need to cut through the water like a silver arrow (for those of you with kids, that reference is from a Margaret Mahy book called 'The Great White Man Eating Shark: A Cautionary Tale'. It's about a strangely-shaped boy called Norvin and a great story to read to your kids). I have decided I will be quite happy to breast stroke the 300m of the triathlon - particularly because it will be in the sea.

My main reason for this is when I do manage to freestyle 300m, I'm completely stuffed at the end - not a good way to be with the ride and run still to come.

Just four weeks to go till the triathlon, so I figure it's about time to front up with a goal time. Here goes:

My aim (apart from just finishing) is to do the 300m swim, the 10km ride and the 3km run/walk in under 1 hour and 15 minutes, including transition times.

There, I've said it now!

80's girl!

At this point I should write a deep, introspective post reflecting on how far I've come, how this milestone makes me feel and what is to come in the rest of my weight-loss journey.

Sod that. I'm just going to shout:

Yippee, I'm an 80's girl!

The worst thing about being back at work?

Having to wear shoes!

And make-up. And girlie clothes. And waking up to an alarm again - took me a while even to work out what that strange noise was.

It doesn't help that that Mark isn't back at work until next week, and that Jake doesn't go back to school until 7 February.

But at least it's only a 3 day week.

Resolve

As I've got back into wandering through people's blogs, I see lots of comments about New Year's resolutions. Lots of people are making them; many also comment on how they think they're a waste of time, or have never been able to keep them in the past.

I've never been big on resolutions myself - if asked I'll usually reply 'This year I resolve to take up a new vice' or 'My resolution is to never make resolutions'.

But something is different this year. Most of the blogs I read show their authors have no need for New Year's resolutions. These people have shown enormous reslove already in the last year - losing weight, getting fit, improving their lifestyle.

I'd like to applaud you all for what you achieved in 2005 and encourage you to keep going in 2006. I'm certainly proud of myself, and you should all be proud of yourselves too.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Well, 2006 has dawned, and it's going to be another great year.

Mark and I had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve - went to King Kong with friends and then out for dinner.

That left the house free for Jake to have 20 or so friends round for drinks. They all took off into town about 11, so when we got home the house was empty - and not too much of a mess.

Just picked up all the cans and bottles, wiped a few benches down and left the floors etc for Jake to do today. I heard him come home around 4am, so I don't expect the cleaning will be done too soon! There was a bottle of spray and wipe and a cleaning cloth left in our bathroom. I'm figuring someone was a bit the worse for wear - but at least it got cleaned up!

I'm just easing into the day - the gym doesn't open until 9am, so I have an excuse. It's going to be another gorgeous day here.

Best wishes for the New Year, everyone!

I'll probably got shot for being unpatriotic, but I think King Kong is one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen.

No place like home

Well, we've been home for a few days now. I didn't manage to blog as much as I thought I would while I was away, and also haven't managed to catch up on what everyone else is doing. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

Jake and I came home on Tuesday. We'd intended to make it a two-day journey, but just wanted to get home and into our own beds. So we did the 12-hour drive in one go - much easier now he can share the driving.

In the three weeks since my last weigh-in, I've put on 1.1kg. I'm fairly happy with that, considering all the eating, drinking and being merry that's been going on. I know my exercise helped counter many of my excesses, so thank goodness for that. As a sample of the temptations that came my way, here is the dessert spread one of my sisters prepared for the anniversary party:

YUMMY!

It was lovely to been surrounded by family, and for a good length of time, instead of a rushed weekend. For my two nieces from Adelaide (born in Nova Scotia), this was the first Christmas they've had with their cuzzies.

We had a tree at the camping ground, and the tents were decorated for the occasion. Everyone gathered for present-opening in the morning, then we had Xmas dinner at Mum and Dad's - very traditional, with ham, turkey, roast lamb on the spit and all the trimmings. Another magical array of desserts, including pumpkin pie and, of course, more pavlova.

Here are the two youngest nieces, being shooed back to their tent with their stockings, under strict instructions not to emerge until 7.30am:

A wonderful holiday, with some wonderful memories. But wonderful to be home!

Best Xmas pressie ever!

This morning my lovely son (that's right, the big, tough Kiwi bloke) gave me:
a trophy engraved 'Congratulations on losing'.

Yes, I did have a jolly good cry.

A quick summary

Hi all, just a quick summary of the events of the last week:

1. Found the best scales in the world in a motel in Rotorua - lost 16kg overnight! Of course half an hour later I'd only lost 8kg and in another half hour I'd lost 23kg. May not trust that weight...
2. It's been lovely to see all the family. There's just nothing like it.
3. The 50th anniversary was fabulous. We had a lovely Northland day and the setting at the Kerikeri yacht club was magical - blue sky, blue sea and green hills. Lots of old friends and other relatives to catch up with, a lovely speech from one of Mum's bridesmaids and another one from Dad.
4. Giving Mum and Dad their present involved much planning and sneaking. We had got them a sculpture for the garden, so Jake and two of his uncles snuck up under the cover of night, climbed the fence and put it in the garden. Carried it off without being sprung, despite being questioned by a local police officer. The text from Mum the next morning was priceless: 'Just looked out the window. First tears of the day'.
5. Last night the local Farmers' Market had an extra market so everyone could stock up for Christmas. Lots of gorgeous local produce, as well of a selection of locally made sausages, mussel fritters etc to eat.
6. More planning afoot for Christmas Day. We'll do present-opening at the camp with a champagne and chicken brunch, then mid-afternoon dinner at Mum and Dad's - the full works: turkey, ham, lamb, pumpkin pie, you name it!
7. My eating has been okay most days, but several nights with plenty of alcohol! I have been getting lots of exercise, though, and sticking to my training regime, so hopefully maintenance is still on the cards.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Still blogging

To confirm my status as an uber-geek, I will (of course) be taking my laptop on holiday with me - complete with 3G card. So I can blog anywhere. Oh, and probably slip in a bit of work as well. Pathetic.

I will sporadically post about my holiday and visit your blogs when I can. Photos might have to wait till I get back.

I have to admit to briefly considering taking my scales with me. Pathetic again - at least I only considered it for about a second. My normal weigh-in day is Friday. I'm not going to weigh early this week and won't do another official weigh until the Friday after I get back, so next time I post a weight will be 30 December. I think you can guarantee I will be keeping a wee eye on it though, on my mother's scales.

The car is all packed, complete with tents, sleeping mats, Christmas presents and my bike helmet. A few of the bare essentials are there too - gin, Jake's golf clubs, the coffee plunger (never travel without one) and the salt and pepper grinders. I just need to pick up the pram and portacot for my great-niece. Yes, it's a pretty big car.

I had one of those perplexing conversations with my boys while I was packing last night. They can't seem to understand why I need three sponge bags. It's all quite obvious to me - one each for: skincare, make-up and the general washing and body stuff. Luckily they didn't spot the fourth bag - the little one I use for my jewelry. I pack lighter when I'm flying, but if you've got the space you might as well use it!

So I'll rush through half a day's work. Then I'm having lunch with a friend. Jake is taking his girl to see King Kong at 10.30am, so the plan is to hit the road as soon as they finish. Traffic in Wellington will be a 'mare today, with the KK premier on tonight.

Next post will be from the winterless North.

2 more sleeps!

It's nearly holiday time. Hooray!

On Wednesday we head for the Bay of Islands for two weeks camping and family frivolity.

You'll see my triathlon schedule in the sidebar is a bit lighter than usual on some days. Wednesday we're driving to Rotorua after work, so I won't fit in any exercise that afternoon. Thursday we drive to Kerikeri - and I figure pitching the tents will be enough extra exercise for that day!

And Saturday is the anniversary party. I'll try to fit in my bike ride early in the morning. We have to be at Mum and Dad's by 9.30am, all flashed up in our glad rags, because they've booked a photographer. Then the do starts at the yacht club at 11am - a lunch there, followed by dessert back at the house.

We haven't really started thinking about Christmas yet!

Prizegiving

Rongotai College had their prizegiving last night. I love going to this event.

Rongotai is a boys' school, years 9-13, with just less than 700 boys. This number is made up of over 30 nationalities and a huge socio-economic range; we have students from some of the richest suburbs in Wellington, some from old-fashioned 'middle-class' families and we also have lots of recently arrived immigrants and refugees.

This diverse group makes up one of the most beautiful families I have ever seen. We may struggle financially as a school, but the heart and soul is immeasurably rich.

Our departing head prefect talked about that in his valedictory speech last night - the love they have for each other, the spirit that runs through the school. His speech brought tears to my eyes; indeed he struggled to deliver it without breaking down himself. And then, as always, I was completely undone when the school rose as one and performed the Rongotai haka for their leader. An awe-inspiring sight.

They all deserve a prize. Even my ragamuffin of a son, whose carefully cultivated mullet and muttonchops had disappeared for last night's prizegiving. And who looked so grown up on stage at the end, leading the school chants as the teachers filed from the room. As one of next year's senior class, he knows it's time for him to step up to the plate.

So, enough ramblings from a proud mum.

I'm very pleased with my half kilo loss this week, which has probably been one of the toughest weeks I've had, with so many functions on.

And, yes, the one day cricket on Wednesday was the most exciting game I've ever seen. A win would have made it perfect!

Moscow Mule

A very refreshing summer drink:
Crush a sprig of mint into a tall glass. Add plenty of ice, some freshly squeezed lime juice and 2 nips of vodka. Fill to the top with ginger beer and enjoy!
To make this a point-friendly drink, make with a single nip of vodka and diet ginger beer.

I'd like to thank all you Aussie girls for pointing out how badly we got our arses kicked in the cricket. I notice not one of you mentioned the rugby league!

Phew, recovery week!

Well, it's been one hell of a few days.

The trip to the Wairarapa on Friday was fabulous. Lovely weather, lovely company, lovely wine, lovely food.

I wore my size 16 jeans and a little knitted top that came to just above my hips - a very daring departure from the old days of mid-thigh loose tops! I was SHOWERED with compliments! Everyone was so nice - there were even a few who had to double-take to work out who I was.

So of course being surrounded by all that love put me in a great mood and I spent that afternoon/evening/night being a complete social butterfly and loving it.

Food-wise I was pretty controlled, but the alcohol was quite a different issue. Plenty of wine and then I hit the Moscow Mules when we got back into the city. I don't think even the wild dancing would have burnt those off.

Also to help keep my steps up (yeah, right) I spent the 1 hour train trip walking up and down, making sure everyone had a drink and that they had all made a new friend on the trip.

Sidenote: don't you hate those guys who used to ignore your very existence and now think it's acceptable to flirt with you because you look better than you did? Luckily most people I know aren't that shallow.

So, a brief recovery time on Saturday morning, then off to the races at Trentham, for the Printing Federation Christmas do. Another great day of catching up with the people I often only get to see once or twice a year.

Mark and I had our usual average day with the betting, but my drinking was a huge success again! Sometimes I think having a non-drinking partner isn't such a great thing - it's never my turn to drive, so I can always drink when we go out.

Didn't fit in any exercise on Saturday. Went to the gym Sunday morning and had to work very hard to do my usual programme.

Then Sunday afternoon I decided I really should get my car from work, where it had been since Friday. So I rode in to pick it up.

This is a 10km ride with practically no hills. Should be quite a pleasant ride. Except for the northerly. In true Wellington style it was blowing forty bastards again. And much of the ride was into the headwind. Several times I had the gears down to 1/1 and was barely moving.

So I've had a great weekend and am looking forward to a couple of more controlled days before the cricket on Wednesday. And it's recovery week in the triathlon schedule, so my training won't interrupt my social life!

Fattening the Christmas turkey?

Oh dear, I'd forgotten just how much we all eat at this time of year.

The social scene for next week has ramped up considerably. In the next seven days I have: wine-tasting and dinner in the Wairarapa, Printers' Federation day at the races, a big barbecue with some printers and friends, a supplier lunch, day in the corporate box at the races, the first of my work Xmas dinners!

And next week is a recovery week in the triathlon training, so I will be doing LESS exercise than usual!

By following my Christmas plan I've shown a very pleasing 1.3kg loss in the last week.

Considerable will-power will be needed to survive the next week unscathed. Note to self: always, always, always drink a big glass of water between glasses of wine.

The next thing to face will be the Xmas gifts. Being in production I get lots of gifts from suppliers and clients. I consider it just reward for the amount of work I do - it's a job no-one else wants for 11 months of the year.

Most of these presents will involve food and alcohol. So, they'll all go in a box to take on the camping trip and contribute to the 'group fund'. I'm sure someone else will sacrifice themselves for me.

I was hoping I might be an 80's girl by the end of next week. Really, I'll just be happy to make it to the end of the week without catching some chef trying to work out how much sausage and apple stuffing to shove up my cavity!