Birthday photo

What a difference a year makes - the bottom photo is me last night ready to go out for my birthday dinner. Above that is me in the same spot and in the same dress (nothing like a little comparison) on my birthday last year - I had a fabulous night on my birthday last year but this year I definitely feel healthier and better about how I look.

20kg down!

As of today I've lost 20.3 kg since starting Optifast. I know it's only a number on the scale but YAY!! This feels good. Also some nice NSVs this week - "you've lost so much weight" from a woman I hadn't seen for a few months, along with the code "you're looking well" which I've learnt means "you've lost so much weight".

I've been a slack blogger but have been reading everyone's blogs with interest. I have nearly 6 months to go until my bandiversary now and am confident I'll be at goal by then - I'm losing an average of 2 or 3 kgs a month (even with the frustrating plateaus) and only have another 8 kgs to go!!

Focus focus... Moving on from Planet Plateau

I am working hard to keep my focus on the goal and moving on now that I have been stopped here on planet plateau to smell the roses for a while. I'm trying to be a bit more disciplined in the last couple of weeks - fewer treats and keeping up with my gym classes. Seems to be making small but satisfying downward moves on the scales. I was doing well till I was away for the last 5 days for work and I didn't keep the focus so much. Of course I can blame it on long work days, different time zones and arduous travel itineries but in reality it was probably just the gin and tonics and red wines I added to the end of my 15 hours work days which have halted my progress temporarily. I'm home now for a few days and back to focussing - I've booked in for the RPM (cycle spin) class tomorrow and will watch watch I put in my mouth as well.
I had a tiny (0.1ml) fill 10 days ago and it seems that I am in the right zone but I still need to keep a lid on my "head hunger". Focus, focus, focus!

Are you there, green zone? It's me, Maree

With apologies to Judy Blume - I think this is the green zone. Since my fill 8 days ago I am definitely not getting as hungry and can eat a little and feel satisfied. Also, as anyone who read my last post will have seen, I have to be careful what I eat and how I chew. And, best of all, I've had a decent loss - now only 9 kilos to go to goal. I went to see the nurse today but didn't have a fill - just a long chat as usual with everyone at the office (hello everyone at SOS!). Feeling positive and happy about how things are going - bought a new tunic dress yesterday (at Max, a "normal" shop) and had to go down a size! That felt great. Here's the tunic:





Wearing a lot of tunics, leggings and boots as we move into late autumn. I am really enjoying shopping this season where I pick what I want to wear instead of what fits and can buy cheaper things at "normal" shops.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Friday afternoon here and I'm feeling relaxed after taking a half day and having a massage and facial. I had a voucher from my birthday last year which was about to expire so it was a good excuse for some pampering.

Worst stuck episode ever!

I went to lunch today with a group of friend - none of them know about the band (although I am thinking of outing myself to a select group - that will be another post, I think). I chose laksa on the basis that soup is easier to eat than solids. Mistake! Well, the mistake was eating the half a boiled egg on the top of the laksa - sliming while still at the table. Nasty - went to the toilet to try to get rid of the offending item but no go - just lots of nasty slime. I went back to the table and we finished and went to pay. While in the queue I was still sliming and knew I needed to get to a toilet again. Felt silly about that given I'd just been - my friends will think I'm bulimic! - threw my money at a friend said I needed to get a tissue. Off to the toilet again - still just sliming. Walked back to the bus stop but on the way spent 10 minutes in a cafe bathroom sliming some more - feeling awful by now and late to get back to work. I had to get on the bus but, you guessed it, had to slime AGAIN - I looked around and couldn't see what to do. Luckily the bus was quiet and I was the only one at the back. I searched my handbag and now I understand the "carry a ziplock bag" instruction - of course I didn't have a ziplock bag. I emptied a tin of breath mints and, wait for it, this is really gross - I slimed into the tin - with my head bent down behind the seat so noone could see - disgusting!!!!! I then got off the bus, threw the tin away and went to work where I PBed the egg and felt much better. 45 minutes of nasty painful sliming - I am an idiot to eat the egg white. I've got some restriction since the fill last week but I'm used to being able to eat whatever so I think I got complacent about food selection - never again!!! Sorry for the gross post but the episode did have some black humour about it!!

A postcard from restriction city

I had another .2 ml fill on Thursday for a total of 7 mls and I think this is the green zone - at last! For the last 3 days I haven't been hungry in the morning and definitely need to chew well and eat small portions. And I've had a whopping great loss as well (2 kgs! - which can't be real but I'll take it for now!). After two months of very slow losses with bounces up and down this is the good result I needed. Yay!!

BYOC via Drazil

1. What’s your favorite smell?

Clean laundry (especially sheets) straight off the washing line - they smell of sunshine - and then sleeping in newly washed sheets. There's a reason my family laugh at my laundry obsession.

2. What is your all-time favorite movie and why?

Hmmm, not a huge movie fan (if they're longer than 90 minutes I tend to get bored. Why are so many 3 hour movies being made? Do they really have that much to say?). Anyhow, Love Actually is a favourite - we watch it every Christmas Eve (well the girls do, anyway) before midnight mass.

3. What’s your trigger food?

Carbs - biscuits (cookies in the US), chocolate, scones.


4. When someone you love is going through a difficult time – what are your go-to words to make them feel better – in just a sentence or two?

Depends on the situation - but sometimes just saying "I don't know why this is happening" or "I was so sorry to hear your news" is better than a platitude.


5. This one is always the same. Who is your nominee for the blog of the week for YOU? Which blog OR comment touched your heart, spoke to you, stuck with you all week?

So many great blogs this week but definitely Roo's was very emotional - and brave.