Day 10 - Weigh in Day

First full week and the loss is a kilo. I am happy with that number. I ate out twice during the week. Also I made modifications to keep both Laurie and I happy. Total weight loss is now 3 kilos.

I was somewhat surprised by the amount of negative talk on the forums. I ended up thinking a loss is a loss and if it wasn't as much as you had hoped for it is probably down to you.

One thing I will need to be mindful of for the future is I let my food go a bit haywire today. Putting it down to a positive first thing in the morning and then relaxing a little too much. Not the end of the world though I just need to be a little more aware.

Day 9 - 12WBT

I was really looking forward to breakfast today, Sounded delicious, yoghurt, apple and strawberry with Granola  It looked pretty all served up.

Then I tasted it. Oh dear. It tasted like sugar in a bowl. The apple and strawberry was a puree and I gagged on every mouthful. I think I managed almost half. I then went back to my old faithful of a slice of toast. I will try it again but the fruit component will be different or missing all together next time.

Day 8 - 12WBT

Second week here I come. First week was fine but I think Laurie really struggled this week with our nightly meals. Truth be told I am also missing my rice.

Dinner tonight was a departure from the program but the calories which I roughly worked out weren't bad. I also made sure that my snacks were at the low end of the calorie count.

So here it is in all its glory - Coconut rice with smoked trout.

Recipe was in this months Delicious magazine.

My moment to celebrate today - no chips from the bowl at work. Yeah.

Metallic taste getting better. Apparently a side effect of a high protein / low carb diet.

Day 6 - 12WBT

Today was a total departure from the program. A birthday lunch long in the planning and I was going to enjoy myself.

Breakfast all week has been two slices of toast so today I had only one.

Lunch was at the Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay a wonderful seafood restaurant. I had a pomegranate cocktail, purely for its fruit content I promise. I may also have consumed several glasses of wine.  Entrée was 6 varieties of oyster. It was really interesting to taste the difference in flavours as they arranged them to come down the east coast. Looking at the calorie count just now there were more calories in the entrée than I am now eating most meals.

My main was a lovely piece of trevally with prawns, potato and sage. One side was this wonderful asparagus dish

The asparagus was perfectly cooked and topped with crumbs and a soft egg. Heaven on a plate. Chips were also ordered and enjoyed.

None of us felt the need for dessert so we finished the meal with coffee and a little treat.

So did I eat differently that I would have without the program. The answer is yes. I would normally have had more bread and chips seeing how I love my carbs. I wanted but didn't need another piece of the bread. Savoured the one piece and it was enough.

Dinner tonight was a salad with no protein. I'm not hungry so that is good. I would enjoy a piece of fruit however so will get some tomorrow.

Finished the day with a longer walk than normal. So all good except for that weird taste in my mouth that still hasn't gone away.

12WBT - Weigh in day

Wednesday is weigh in day. Seemed silly to be doing it today when I only did my starting weight on Sunday. Loss for the three days was 2 kilos. I know mostly fluid but it did bring a smile to my face.

Dinner tonight was a staple modified. Chicken kebab with vegetables and rice. To make it healthier Laurie used spray instead of oil, we cut our protein portion down and I ate more vegies. The hardest part for me was the rice. I normally have almost a bowl full. Love the stuff. tonight two tablespoons.

The weird taste thing in my mouth continues.

12WBT - Day 2

Danger, danger. Laurie is a good guy we all know that. However sometimes his kindness is not of the helpful kind. Tonight he had a surprise for me. Only problem it was food. If it had been chocolates I may have succumbed. So what was dangled in front of me to tempt I hear you ask. Berliner, yes you read that right. I love the stuff and our deli slices it to order so it is always fresh with no dried out bits. It's still in the fridge and he will have it for lunch tomorrow. We did however have the conversation about why food is no longer an appropriate surprise.

So how was the food today. Breakfast and lunch were the same as yesterday so no surprises there. Dinner was these Thai fish cakes.

Surprisingly good. I changed the salad up, bean sprouts and carrot did not do it for me. We will make this again. We're going to try it without the coriander next time as Laurie is not a fan.

Snacking was better for me today. I had both the morning and afternoon covered. However I had not expected to still be at work till 6:00 pm so I did hit the chip bowl at 5:45 when the noises from my stomach were becoming overwhelming.

Strange taste in my mouth is still there. Hoe it goes away soon.

12WBT - Day one

First up I won't be posting everyday. When I start something new I find it helps me if  I take time at the end of day for reflection. Time to think about what worked, what didn't. This is my journey and I know that the ability to look back from time to time can be an excellent motivator.

So how was day 1. Hard. I have finished dinner and to be honest while not ravenously hungry I need something more. Today has taught me I need to have healthy snacks available. I hit the wall at 3pm and had a small packet of chips. Less than a 100 calories but lots more smart choices out there. So some shopping on the agenda tomorrow.

The food was mostly good. I had toast for breakfast which is my usual start to the day. Today however no butter. Mixing up breakfast will be something I work on in the coming weeks.

Lunch was a wrap made with Mountain bread.

 I have to say the bread didn't rock my boat but I will keep with it for a week or two to see if I get used to it.

Dinner was heavily modified. It was meant to be vegetarian but we added some chicken tenderloin. Laurie marinated it during the day and then used a griddle pan to cook it. Lovely. The couscous salad was much better than I expected. Dressing was a bit too lemony for my liking but I will fiddle with the proportions in the future.

I have managed to drink 1 1/2 litres of water, Not bad when normally I drink none.

Walking is my exercise for the moment and the rain tonight has put a stop to that thought. Not a huge concern as I will just do more later in the week.

Last thing I have noticed is a strange taste in my mouth. Not unpleasant just different. May just be the change of diet. Time will tell.

Michelle Bridges 12WBT

Today is the day before I kick off on the Michelle Bridges 12 week Body Transformation. I am going to blog about the program as my journal.

First up in keeping it honest I will say I will not be following her program religiously. I need somewhere to start and I like lots of what she does but not everything.

For this to work I need Laurie on board. That means meals need to be something we will both eat. Dinner on the first night is a couscous salad with char grilled eggplant and capsicum. Not the meal I will be eating for two reasons. Firstly neither of us are eggplant fans. Secondly if the first dinner has no meat Laurie will get tired of it very quickly. So I've modified the meal. We will add some marinated chicken tenderloins and have the couscous without the added char-grilled vegetables.

I also need to modify the exercise plan significantly. My rotator cuff has still not healed and I am not allowed to consider the gym till the New Year. So I will be walking initially and will probably add a swim in about a month. Some exercise is better than nothing at all which is what I am doing most days at the moment.

So Michelle would say I am already setting up for failure. I don't believe so but in 12 weeks time I will know if there is a difference.

My goal is a realistic 10 kilos. I have a social life and will be keeping it. Sometimes when I am out I will be able to make sensible choices, sometimes I won't. All I know is I want this to be the life changer so here I go.

Before pictures in a dress that shows all the lumps and bumps. here's to the start of their disappearance.

Design Wall Monday

I've been busy with lots of things that don't involve sewing. I have however made some progress on my Trip Around the World. The first quarter is half done. I need to get moving on it as it is due at the quilters December 1st.

So what been keeping me busy, Amongst other things at 50 I am finally learning to drive. I am making very slow progress but everyone tells me I am being too hard on myself. I have the car, now to get my licence.