Thursday, December 30, 2010

On Hold

I have been a bit absent of late the reason being is because I am 9 weeks pregnant!  I am feeling very exhausted at the moment and all I want to do is sleep and do very little – which is not easy with a 2 year old!

On the weight front – my weight is stable at the moment so my focus over the next few months is to keep it that way – I will try hard to not gain back all the weight that I have spent the last 12 months losing. I will be back when this baby is about 8 weeks to finish the job that I started - which should be the start of September 2011...

I have started another blog which you are all welcome to come along and follow on my progress through my 3rd and final pregnancy.  http://cherub3.blogspot.com/

Thank you everyone for your support over the last 12 months or so – it has been invaluable to me – here on this blog and at the WW meeting – see you next September... Have a great 2011.

Friday, December 17, 2010

WI catchup

Been a bit neglectful of my blog of late – my weight is a bit up and down at the moment – there are reasons for this which I will explain later. Last week I had a huge gain of +2.7 and this week lost -1.0kg – I am quite a bit behind my December target but I am not too worried as need to stabilise my weight at the moment.

I had another surprise for my birthday this week – each month I have dinner with 5 of my girlfriends that I have known since primary\high school – on Wednesday was our annual Christmas dinner – we normally go somewhere really nice and do a Kris Kringle – this year one of my friends book a pub for our dinner (a nice pub but a pub none the less) – I did find this a bit odd but said nothing as the rule if you don’t like do it yourself! As I could not be bothered organise anything myself I just left it. I went along to dinner and to my surprise they had organise a small surprise party for me with some my closest girl friends – I had no idea until about 30min before hand when I got a text from a girl friend apologies for not being able to make it – I thought she had just text the wrong Jody (as she knows 3) but then she replied with “S*** did I wreck it” then I knew something was up – regardless I was still very surprise by who was there – I had a great night and looking forward to my 40’s....

Monday, December 6, 2010

Happy Birthday to me....

Well it has finally arrived my 40th birthday.....I decided to keep it very quiet and just went and seen Harry Potter 7 with my friend Liz – it was a very nice and relaxing day. This evening I am going to the Red Cray with my family for some delicious seafood – looking forward to this.

I sent myself a weight challenge goal of getting to 99.9kg by today – unfortunately I did not reach this goal but still managed to lose 18.9kg in the last 12 months – not bad going.

****addition to the above post

I arrived at dinner to find that my Mum & Sister had organise for 6 of my closest friends to join us - I was very surprised and very pleased to surrounded in great company - and of course the food was great!



SW - 130.8 (02/12/2009)
CW - 111.9 (01/12/2010)
GW - 99.9 (06/12/2010)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Week 2 WI ProPoints

I had a gain of 600g this week – a bit disappointing but considering the size of last week loss I suppose it was to be expected.  On a positive note in the two weeks that we have been ProPoints I have lost 2.9kg which is a great result on the new programme.  Unfortunately it does put me on the back foot for December so I have some work to do in order to meet to my monthly target.
I followed the programme fully last week so I am happy that this gain is just balancing out last week huge loss.  I am enjoying the new programme and I am not feeling hungry all the time like I was previously maybe it’s the increased points or a more positive mindset that is making the difference – things are going well at the moment – I would just like some consistent losses and stop these large losses followed by a gain – this part drives me crazy!!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

November Challenge

November was not a great month - unfortunately I ended up gaining for the month - I think this is the first month is over year where I have ended up heavy at the end that I was at the start!  Not much more you can really but roll on December! 



SW: 109.4
CW: 111.3
GWEN: 107.4


Total: +1.9


wk4: -3.5
wk3: +3.7
wk2: no WI
wk1: +1.7

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Week 1 WI ProPoints

My first week of ProPoints seem a massive loss of -3.5kg! What the?? This brings my total losses back to 30.5kg. I was quite shocked as I did not feel like I had lost that much last week – I did stick to the programme ALL week (not just part of the week which I have been doing over the last few weeks) so maybe that it is – following the programme and wella you get results.

I enjoyed ProPoints – I ate all my points each day and only used about 4 extra points – I was definitely eating more but more of good food not crap that I had been doing of late – The PP free fruit part if fantastic – I am a real late night eater which has always been my down fall – this week however when I felt like something and had no points left, I just had a nectarine instead (normally I would go for bread!) – No guilt and all tracked. Feeling very positive with the new programme and looking forward to some consistent losses leading into Christmas.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

WI final for points…

Firstly the good news – my sons has fully recovered and is back to running around and driving me crazy again – he is incredibly cute!

How do I put this – I went to WI today and it was not pretty – the scales showed a massive gain of +3.7kg! Was I surprised – not at all….it was an absolute free for all on food and I paid the price. My weight is now back up to 114.8kg eeeek this is not good.

As you all probably know (unless you have been living under a rock) ProPoints was launch this week – the meeting was very busy and a bit chaotic but I have to say that my leader Rhonda and the all staff did a great job in getting in everyone through the process – I am sure it was a very tiring week for all WW staff this week! There was certainly a buzz in the air that I have not seen for a very long time at a weight watchers meeting. Most people seem very open to the change and willing to get on aboard and get stuck into it – it is certainly going take a little bit of time with the mine shift but as long we totally dismiss the old points and stay totally focus on working out the new ProPoints I am sure we will all make a smooth transition and see some great results in the next few weeks.

With the new program we where handed new WI books and told that the slate had been wiped clean – this is new program and a new start – this is exactly what I need at the moment – something new to focus on.

“Your past maybe tarnished but your future is spotless”

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Missed WI week 62

My baby is finally getting better – I took him back to the doctors on Wednesday as he was just not getting better – I felt he was getting worst – the doctor sent him for a chest x-ray and it turns out that he has sever bronchitis boarding on pneumonia! So much for a viral infection – only took 5 doctors including one trip to emergency….I knew it was more than just a viral infection – he could hardly breathe! Since Wednesday he has been on antibiotics and steroids and he is breathing normally again, the fever is gone, he has started eating and is running around again…almost starting to drive me crazy again! He went back to the doctors today (Saturday) and his chest is clearing though he has this awful cough – the type of cough that sounds like you could bring up your left lung…..He is on the mend so hopefully we should be back at work and daycare on Monday and back to a routine.

I missed WI on Wednesday so I missed the first sort of introduction to the new program - the new program is officially starting next week which I am really looking forward to - it should hopefully give me some new focus – the food front has not been good – I was doing OK for the first days when my son was sick – but the tired I got the worst eating got – and it has continued even though he is much better and we have had a couple of good nights sleep – each morning I say to myself I will get back on track today but then it all goes down hill. Anyway there is always tomorrow!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Sick baby

My poor baby is still sick – he is down with a viral infection – he is slowly getting better but we are now entering our 5th day! He has been totally stationery for the last 4 days – all he wants to do is lay with me on the couch – which was quite nice for the first day but after that…….it is exhausting to do nothing as such. Today he has been sleeping a lot and I have managed to pry him away so that he has been sleeping on his own (well sort of – he is in my bed!) He has been clinging to me like glue for the last 4 days!! I am shattered…..I have not been able to do anything else but sit with him.

The food front has not been great – it has not been bad but not great either - I have just been preparing and eating whatever I can managed in the few very small gaps I have managed to get in whilst Oliver has been sleeping or being distracted by his sister. Hopefully the damage will be minimal and Oliver will be back at day care and I will be back at work by Wednesday and we can get back into our routine…..

Friday, November 5, 2010

Keep on going - Day 2

riday, 05 November 2010
My working day was cut short today – my Son is quite unwell so I have been sitting at home with him on the coach for most of the day – poor little thing he has a fever and has vomited a couple of times – his temp has finally dropped enough for me to put him to bed.  Despite this I had a good day food wise and emotionally – I am feeling not too bad  - looking forward to the weekend though I have a feeling we won’t be doing much – I am hoping to finish my herb garden over the weekend just need a bit more soil and then I can plant – looking forward to it!  I will also try and get in a couple of walks over the weekend though this will all depend on how boy goes……
Friday, 05 November 2010
Food POINTS values used 21
Food POINTS values remaining 2

Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
2 slice (s) Bread Rye Bread 3
1 Potato Pie (with pumpkin & potatoe mash) 5
Subtotal 8

Dinner
1 Chicken Pasta (Chicken, carrots, mushrooms, peas & corn, pasta sauce, pasta) 5
Subtotal 5

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
1 small apple 0.5
1 medium banana 1.5
Subtotal 3.5

Exercise
No entries for exercise.
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 0

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Keep on going - Day 1

I am feeling a bit better today – though still quite flat and unmotivated to be honest but I decided that I just need to push through this stage and get myself back on track – there is only one person that can make or break this and that is me! I made a promise last night that I would not go back and I intend on keeping that promise – I have come too far to just thrown it away regardless of what is going on in my life. I will get to my goal weight and it not a matter of IF but WHEN – so I pulled myself up started the day off with a bowl of Weetbix and then just pushed through the day – I did struggle but kept on reminding myself on how much better I will feel with some good healthy food in my body.

I went for a walk this evening with my son and dog and really enjoyed it - but you know from the time I got home to the time we actually went walking I was making up excuse after excuse in my head as to why we could not go for a walk….why do we waist so much energy on trying to talk ourselves out of things instead of just getting on with job at hand….

Thursday, 04 November 2010

Food POINTS values used 22
Food POINTS values remaining 1

Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
1 serve (s) Rice, Cooked Cooked Basmati Rice 2.5
1 Creamy Chicken Slow Cooker 3.5 (home made)
Subtotal 6

Dinner
Chicken Sausages (Mt Barker) x 2 - Quick-added food 3
1 medium potato 1
1 whole fresh carrot 0
1 cup (s) cauliflower 0
1/2 serve (s) Vegetable Combo Peas and Supersweet Corn 0.5
White Sauce - Quick-added food 0.5
1 tsp (s) Olive Oil Classico 0.5
Subtotal 5.5

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
Fruit Salad - Quick-added food 2
1 medium banana 1.5
1 tub (s) Forme Yoghurt Yogurt, Forme, Classic Cheesecake 1
Subtotal 6

Exercise
45 min Walking with a pram 2.5
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 2.5

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

WI Week 60 & 61

I missed blogging last week – I don’t have a really good excuse well I could probably make up a few but in all honesty I was just avoiding it. I had an unexpected gain last week of +400g and this was enough to send back into another spin – so this week was a total disaster and resulted in a gain of +1.7kg…..what was I was thinking…I am feeling very flat at the moment – I have no motivation to do anything at the moment so I need to pull me head in and get a plan.

My Exercise routine is pretty much non existence at the moment – I was going to boot camp each Friday morning which I really really enjoyed – I was able to go as my son went to his Nanna’s house so I did not have to do anything with him on a Friday morning – I could go to boot camp and then head straight to work – my Mother shift has changed so she no longer has him during the week so I have had to give it – I did try going to boot camp (as my daughter is home) coming home – and then getting him ready dropping him off at day care and then head to work but I was not getting to work until at least 9am. I have been thinking about getting the lady that I did boot camp with to come over and help me setup a program using my gym equipment and possibility see if she will do a 5:30am session once a week or maybe I should just get back to boot camp and start 1 hour later on a Friday or Monday – I did really enjoy boot camp and gave me a great boost each week. Any suggestions on what I should do??

On the weekend I decided that I needed a new project – something new to do – so I decided to start a herb\vegetable garden – I have been wanting to do this for awhile – I have tried in the past and failed miserably (mainly due to the pots that I have tried to use) – anyway I went to Bunning’s and brought a Birdies Raised modular veggie bed, soil, fertilizer, herbs etc.. I have put together the veggie bed and filled it half with soil – so far it looks great – on Saturday I will finish filling it with manure and soil and plant the herbs – hopefully this time it will work – I will post a picture when it is finished. I also re-setup my worm farm so my herbs have some good worm pee!

October challenge completed

Below are the results for the Month of October – finished with a loss of 1.4 - unfortunately once again I failed to meet my goal - I only set a 2kg goal this time so it is quite disappointing.  Though I did finish lighter than I started….



SW: 110.8
CW: 109.4
WI: +0.4
GWEO: 108.8

Total: -1.4

wk4: +0.4
wk3: -4.5
wk2: +3.3
wk1: -0.6

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Terrific Tuesday - tracked day 6

Had a good day a work today – I have finally got a casual in for next few weeks so that should take some pressure off myself – food wise doing well – though I am getting a bit over weetbix so I need to find some new and easy in the morning – I should try making Birch (I think that is what it is).

Weigh in tomorrow – I had a good week food wise and feeling like I am certainly back in control of the food and it is not controlling me – exercise was very lacking this week so I need to put some focus into that next week – I am hoping the scales will show 500 – 800g loss tomorrow I think that is realistic. I really need at least 200g so that I meet my October goal…..as long as I don’t gain I really don’t care…

Tuesday, 26 October 2010

Food POINTS values used 21
Food POINTS values remaining 1

Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
1/4 cup (s) quinoa 2.5
1 Ratatouille with Beans 1.5
Subtotal 4

Dinner
1 serve (s) Rice, Cooked Cooked Basmati Rice 2.5
1 Beef Casserole 2
1 serving SKINNY COW ICE CREAM 2
Subtotal 6.5

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
Fruit Salad - Quick-added food 2
1 tub (s) Forme Yoghurt 1
1 medium banana 1.5
Subtotal 6

Exercise
No entries for exercise.
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 0

Monday, October 25, 2010

Munday Monday - tracked Day 5

Back to the working week – I missed posting yesterday not for any particular reason was just busy and then it got late and you know how the story goes….. We had a good day yesterday – went and got some fresh fruit to make another fruit salad and restock some of the vegetables – then went off to a baby market - heaps of stuff there brought my son a small kitchen - then we went off to the Joondalup shops for a bit – it was packed….. didn’t buy anything though expect for some lunch (sumo salad – really nice) – then we came home and prepared dinner for last night and tonight (Monday).

Monday was just another Monday at work – nothing exciting to report – I am finding that trying to prep dinner a night in advance is really working – tonight we had Sweet & Sour chicken with Fried Rice – yesterday I crumbed the chicken, cooked the rice and cut up the vegetables for the Fried rice so all I had to do when I got home and throw it all together – I arrived home at 5pm – dinner was cooked, eaten and cleanup by 6pm – which gives us plenty of time to go for a walk before the sun sets....

Monday, 25 October 2010
Food POINTS values used 22.5
Food POINTS values remaining -0.5

Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
1/4 cup (s) quinoa 2.5
1 Ratatouille with Beans 1.5
Subtotal 4

Dinner
Sweet & Sour Chicken w Fried Rice (homemade) 8
Subtotal 8

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
Fruit Salad - Quick-added food 2
1 medium banana 1.5
1 tub (s) Forme Yoghurt 1
Subtotal 6

Exercise
45 min Walking with a pram 2.5
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 2.5

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Super Saturday - tracked day 3

Spent most of the day doing the housework! My mum had my son for the day so I was able to just get stuck into it – house is clean – you always feel so much better with a clean house!
Anxiety today has been a bit high – the teenager is really driving me crazy – I am struggling a bit with keeping the anxiety contained – I keep on reminding myself that food will not change a thing – it will just add to it…so far so good.
Stayed within my points today – I ate no fruit though – I am really bad at eating fruit on the weekend it is just not something I reach for – I eat it during the week as I pack it into the lunch box – I generally eat it in the car on the way home. Note for tomorrow – each fruit!

Saturday, 23 October 2010

Food POINTS values used 20.5
Food POINTS values remaining 1.5

Breakfast
2 individual wholemeal crumpet 2.5
2 whole whole egg 3.5
Subtotal 6

Lunch
10 pieces Sushi 5
Subtotal 5

Dinner
1 fillet salmon 5.5
Salad  w Pine Nuts 0.5
Subtotal 6

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
1 serving SKINNY COW ICE CREAM 2
Subtotal 3.5

Exercise
No entries for exercise.
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 0

Friday, October 22, 2010

TGIFriday - tracked day 2

The weekend is almost here – had another good day food wise – went over my points by 0.5 but I have a few in reserve so I am still in front. My mother is looking after my son this evening so I have almost a peaceful night home (I am saying almost as a I have teenager stooping around as she is not getting her way!!).
I decided to have some takeaway tonight as to be honest I could be bother cooking myself anything – I did however order a small instead of a regular box and no prawn crackers – I did however have 2 dim sims (I know these are bad as they are fully of absolutely crap – but I really like them!!) I feel good with choices, I enjoyed it and I am feeling quite satisfied.

Friday, 22 October 2010

Food POINTS values used 22.5
Food POINTS values remaining -0.5

Breakfast
1 muffin mixed grain english muffin 2
2 whole whole egg 3.5
Subtotal 5.5

Lunch
1 serve (s) Rice, Cooked Cooked Basmati Rice 2.5
1 Chicken stir fry Teriyaki 1.5
Subtotal 4

Dinner
1 serving Wokinabox Hokkien Mee 3.5 (small)
2 serve (s) Steamed meat-filled Dim Sim 3.5
Subtotal 7

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
1 tub (s) Forme Yoghurt 1
1 small apple 0.5
1 medium banana 1.5
1 slice (s) Bread Rye Bread 1.5
Subtotal 6

Exercise
No entries for exercise.
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 0

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Terrific Thursday - tracked day 1

I am going to publish my tracker each day for the next week as it seems to keep me fully accountable at the moment.

My points dropped by 1 this week as I am now less than 110kg again....stayed within my points today with no problems - was not feeling hungry today which is great.

I have been trying to prepare my evening meals so that I only have to cook every 2nd night - so far working well - Wednesday night we had lamb burgers for dinner and I cooked a potato pie at the same time so that when I got home tonight dinner was done - just heat and server - brilliant! Also allows me time to take my baby and dog out for an evening walk.

Thursday, 21 October 2010

Food POINTS values used 20.5
Food POINTS values remaining 1.5

Breakfast

Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
1 serve (s) Tuna, Flavoured 98% Fat Free Tuna Salsa Tuna 2
2 slice (s) Bread Rye Bread 3
Salad w Pine Nuts 0.5
Subtotal 5.5

Dinner
1 Potato Pie (with pumpkin & potato mash) 5
Subtotal 5

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
Fruit Salad - Quick-added food 2
1 serving SKINNY COW ICE CREAM 2
Subtotal 5.5

Exercise
45 min Walking with a pram 2.5
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 2.5

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

WI Week 59

The scales where very kind this week with a massive loss of 4.5kg – yes that is correct it is not a typo – brings my total losses to 32.8 – I still have a couple of kg to lose to totally undo the last few weeks but I am well on my way. Amazing what can happen when you fully follow the program.

I really hate these big gains and big losses (don’t mine the losses.. lol) so I am hoping to get back to some steady losses over the next few weeks – I would happy with a loss of 0.5 – 1kg a week – when I was losing steadily before I was averaging 800g a week I would be very happy to get back to that pace.

I will keep working with my one day at a time policy as that is what seems to work the best for me at this stage - looking forward to another calm and steady week.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

One day at a time - Day 6

Stayed within my points today – was tempted to have a 2nd coffee today but knew it would put over so drank water instead. We had a chicken stir fry today which was really nice – the teenager who normally complains non stop actually ate it without complaint and without picking it to pieces (which drives me crazy) – is she growing up! The toddler however picked it to pieces and flung out the boy choy! 1 out of 2 not bad.

Weigh in day tomorrow - I have had a good week so hopefully the scales will reflect that and I will undo some of the damage form the previous weeks.

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Food POINTS values used 22.5
Food POINTS values remaining 0.5

Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
1 serve (s) Rice, Cooked Cooked Basmati Rice 2.5
1 Creamy Chicken Slow Cooker 3.5
Subtotal 6

Dinner
1 serve (s) Rice, Cooked Cooked Basmati Rice 2.5
1 Chicken stir fry Teriyaki 1.5
Subtotal 4

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
Fruit Salad Fresh - Quick-added food 2
1 medium banana 1.5
1 tub (s) Forme Yoghurt 1
1 serving SKINNY COW ICE CREAM 2
Subtotal 8

Exercise
No entries for exercise.
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 0

Monday, October 18, 2010

One day at a time - Day 5

Start of the working week….pretty average day a work – We had slow cooker chicken for dinner which is great as it means that when I arrive home dinner is cooked! Just needed a bit of rice and we are good to go – by 6pm Dinner was eaten, clean up and the toddler was bathed. Which gave us plenty of time to go for a walk before the sun set – the weather in Perth is still brilliant so the walk this evening was very pleasant (with the exception of the flys grrrr). 
I am still feeling a bit hungry so I think I need to make sure that I am including enough filling foods into my day.   I did go over my points so probably did not need the 2nd coffee today!

Monday, 18 October 2010
Food POINTS values used 24.5

Food POINTS values remaining -1.5

Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
2 slice (s) Bread Rye Bread 3
Sweet Potato Soup - Quick-added food 4
Subtotal 7

Dinner
1 serve (s) Rice, Cooked Cooked Basmati Rice 2.5
1 Creamy Chicken Slow Cooker 3.5
Subtotal 6

Snacks
2 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 3.5
1 medium banana 1.5
Fruit Salad Fresh - Quick-added food 2
Subtotal 7

Exercise
45 min Walking with a pram 2.5
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 2.5

Sunday, October 17, 2010

One day at a time - Day 4

Spent most of the day with Mum – we headed off early to a kids and baby market in Belmont and I brought some desperately needed toys for my Son (a lot of sarcasm in that sentence for those who don’t me!) and a toilet seat – it is almost that time!! Then we headed to the Canning Vale markets on the hunt for some planets – not much there really in the way of plants anymore. Then we headed off to Dawson Nursery in Forrestfield where Mum brought me a couple of really nice roses which I will plant next week. I headed home and made a nice big bowl of fruit salad, prepare some vegetables for a stir fry and prepare tomorrow night dinner as well (slower cooker Moroccan chicken). Mum phoned to say that a friends off their is selling all their Christmas light and where we interested in buying some cheap lights – over the last couple of years my daughter & I have been putting up Christmas lights – we have quite a collection now so we headed over and brought a heap of stuff – by the time we finished it was after 7pm – kids had not eaten and we were 30mins from home – so we pulled into MacDonald’s for some dinner - there were alarm bells going off in my head so I decided that as much as I looove greasy hamburgers I would say no – one bit of fatty food may well set me off again so I come home and made Cous cous with tuna and vegetables – tasted great and I feel much better for it.

Busy day….back to work tomorrow….

Sunday, 17 October 2010
Food POINTS values used 22.5
Food POINTS values remaining 0.5

Breakfast
2 individual wholemeal crumpet 2.5
1 whole whole egg 1.5
Subtotal 4

Lunch
2 slice (s) Bread Rye Bread 3
1 serve (s) deli-sliced or pre packed leg ham 1
1 slice (s) Light and Tasty Cheese, Cheddar Cheddar Cheese Slices 2
Subtotal 6

Dinner
1/2 cup (s) dry couscous 4.5
1 serve (s) Tuna, Flavoured 98% Fat Free Tuna Salsa Tuna 2
1 cup (s) cauliflower 0
1 cup (s) fresh broccoli 0
1/2 serve (s) Vegetable Combo Peas and Supersweet Corn 0.5
1 slice (s) Bread Rye Bread 1.5
Subtotal 9.5

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
1 medium banana 1.5
Fruit Salad fresh - Quick-added food 1
Subtotal 4

Exercise
No entries for exercise.
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 0

Saturday, October 16, 2010

One day at a time - Day 3

Don’t you just love the weekend – went for a walk first thing this morning (I like to my walk before I start the day otherwise it never happens!), then it was food shopping day ….We went to the fruit & veg shop and stocked up – last week meeting topics was about fruit & veg so I brought a few vegetables & fruit that I have not had for awhile (lately I have been allowing the teenager & toddler to dictate and what we eat!) – I going to make a fruit salad and a stir fry this week with bok choy (I can hear the groaning already lol). Then this afternoon I went rose shopping with Mum we brought 7 standard roses and then went back to her house to plant them all – the weather is beautiful in Perth today.

The downside to running around all day was that we got home a bit late so I decided to have Wok in a box for dinner – not a bad choice as far as take away goes (and low in Points according the nutritional information on their web site)…I did order a regular (as I was starving) but I really got to learn to order a small. All in all a good day - feeling better and better by the day.

Saturday, 16 October 2010

Food POINTS values used 23
Food POINTS values remaining 0

Breakfast
2 individual wholemeal crumpet 2.5
1 serve (s) Baked Beans (130g) ham sauce Baked Beans 1.5
Subtotal 4

Lunch
10 pieces Sushi 5
Subtotal 5

Dinner
1 1/2 serving Wokinabox Hokkien Mee 5.5
3 serve (s) Steamed meat-filled Dim Sim 5
1 serve (s) Prawn Crackers (Fried) 2
Subtotal 12.5

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
1 glass (es) Pepsi Pepsi Max 0
Subtotal 1.5

Exercise
60 min Digging garden 2.5
60 min Walking with a pram 3.5
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 6.0

Friday, October 15, 2010

One day at a time - Day 2

Had a good day - I stayed on track all day and managed to go for a walk this evening. We had morning tea at work which I stayed well clear off and ate a banana instead - every second Friday we have Chinese for lunch (pay day) but I chose not to partake today and have my soup instead - assuming I stay on track for the next fortnight then I will next time - didn't not feel like I had earned the right!
I was feeling a bit hungry today but I suppose that is to be expected while my stomach re-adjust…
Looking forward to the weekend

Friday, 15 October 2010
Food POINTS values used 20.5
Food POINTS values remaining 2.5

Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
1 slice (s) Bread Rye Bread 1.5
1 Chicken & Corn soup 3.5
Subtotal 5

Dinner
1 cup (s) fresh broccoli 0
1 cup (s) cauliflower 0
1/2 serve (s) Vegetable Combo Peas and Supersweet Corn 0.5
1/2 serve (s) Light and Tasty Cheese, Cheddar Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1
1 Chicken Pasta 5 (pasta, chicken, onion, carrots, mushrooms & pasta sauce)
Subtotal 6.5

Snacks
1 tub (s) Forme Yoghurt Yogurt, 1
1 medium banana 1.5
1 small apple 0.5
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
Subtotal 4.5

Exercise
45 min Walking with a pram 2.5
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 2.5

Thursday, October 14, 2010

One day at a time


Feeling much better today – thanks for comments. I take 100% responsibility for the last few weeks – it is certainly no one doing but me! Anyway I am trying to look forward and not backwards – I can’t change was has happened but I can control what is happening now and what will happen moving forward.

When I started this journey over a year ago and I just focused on getting through each day – actually each meal – I never looked further than today - just focused on the now. That is what I have decided to do to bring me back into line – just focus on the here and now – one day at a time, one meal at a time. I am also not going to worry too much about exercise for this week – I just need to get the food back in order and then once I start to feel better and healthier I will want to start exercising – I do plan on doing some exercise on the weekend but if I don’t then I don’t – no big deal – just need to get the food back on track – it is after all 70% food & 30% exercise!

Day 1 has gone well – Spent 20 of 23 points

Thursday, 14 October 2010
Breakfast
Weetbix 4.5
Subtotal 4.5

Lunch
1 serve (s) Rice, Cooked Cooked Basmati Rice 2.5
1 Beef Casserole 2
Subtotal 4.5

Dinner
Chicken Sausage x 2 - Quick-added food 3
2 whole fresh carrot 0
2 medium potato 2
1 cup (s) cauliflower 0
1/2 serve (s) Vegetable Combo Peas and Supersweet Corn 0.5
1 cup (s) fresh broccoli 0
White Sauce - Quick-added food 1
Subtotal 6.5

Snacks
1 large Skim Milk Cafi Latte 1.5
1 medium banana 1.5
1 small apple 0.5
1 tub (s) Forme Yoghurt Yogurt, Forme, Classic Cheesecake 1
Subtotal 4.5

Food POINTS values used 20
Food POINTS values remaining 3

Exercise
No entries for exercise.
Exercise POINTS bonus earned 0

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

WI Y2 Week 6

I had a huge gain this week of 3.3kg!  I am really quite loss for words – I know exactly why I gain this weight I just don’t know why I am allowing this down hill spiral to continue…….that is all I have for the moment – I will sleep on it and hopefully wake up with a clearer outlook tomorrow. 

Friday, October 8, 2010

WI Y2 Week 5

Well somehow I managed to lose 600g last week – don’t ask me how as like I said in my last post I had a shocker of a week - anyway not going to complain (well maybe a little bit!) as I will take it and move on. 

I am struggling to get that drive back that had at this time last year – it just occurred me whilst looking over my blog that I have been pretty much at this weight now for 3 months – give or take a couple of kilo’s….. Why am I stuck here? Why am I not moving on? My 40th is now less than 2 months away and I have pretty much given up that I will meet the goal – why do I do that? – there is still time – yes it would be a really big ask now but hey I could get pretty close if I got stuck into it…but the motivation for my birthday has all but vanished.

The plan was to have a party with a friend who is also turning 40 a week before me – we though it would be a good idea to do a combined party (we live quite close and share some mutual friends) – we decided that we would just include friends and no family ( I have a large extended family) and we would do our own separate family things – well that is about where it came unstuck – I mentioned this to my Mum and she was not happy – I was quite surprised – she is not a party person at all – her dad go out a lot with friends but really just out to eat somewhere and they are generally home by 10ish…anyway my Mum appeared to be quite upset though she kept saying that she did not care but you could tell by the tone that this was not the case (our family is not very good and just saying what they feel!)….anyway my Sister said that she made a few comments about just being the baby sitter etc… so at this stage I knew this was not going to be a good idea (my Mum does a lot for me and my kids without her I would struggle to raise my children). So I spoke with my friend and we decided that it would probably be best if we did our thing. So that is where I am at – to do a party or not??? I am actually really not that keen anymore at all just too hard really….But I really need to make a decision very soon so I can book a date into everyone calendar….at stage I am thinking maybe I just go to dinner with a couple of close friends and leave it at that.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Line in the sand

I have had an absolutely shocker of a week again – I have a few things going on that I am not coping with emotionally so instead of dealing with the issues at hand and finding other ways to cope I am eating instead – amazing how quickly we can slip straight back into old habits. Not looking forward to weigh in tomorrow I estimate another +2 kg.

Feeling extremely disappointed in me – I am feeling that all the hard work that I have done over the past 12 months is slipping away! I feel that the target that I had set for my 40th is out of reach now which is really disappointing as I this was very achievable and I was right on track until a couple of weeks ago!!

I know to turn this around is fully within my control – there maybe something that I cannot fully control at the moment but I can certainly control the food choices I make.

I know what I need to do so I just need to get on with it really….. When I have a new starting point tomorrow I will set a new mini goal...just need to get back to the basics

http://www.dilbert.com/

Friday, October 1, 2010

WI Y2 Week 4 - How does it feel to be 31kg lighter

I did my plan and followed it probably 95% of the time – unfortuntley the scales did not reflect my efforts – I had another gain of 400g...... bring my total losses back to 31kg.....what is happening.....what am i doing – this is my 3rd consective gain.... and the way I going since WI I am heading for my 4th......

I went back looking at some old post and found one of my first post “How does it fell” – in this post I wrote about what it feels like to be 142kg! Well I am 31kg lighter so I though I would update myself on how to feels to be 31kg lighter (instead of dwelling on the 3 gains!!)

How does it feel to be 31kg lighter:
  • I no longer take anti-inflammontary everyday – actually I hardly take them all now
  • My knees hardly hurt at all – when I walk now I just walk, I am not thinking that my knees are going to collapse!
  • My lower back is like new – I am having problems with middle to upper back but that is more occurpational hazard that an weight issue (sitting in front of a computer all day!)
  • My heal spurs are completley gone – no pain in my feet for months
  • Walk – I now walk like a normal person and I can walk all day without any issues – I can shop all day!!
  • Sitting is a lot more comfortable – I am still conscious of the chairs I sit on but I have not sat on a chair for a long time and then worried that it is going to break - I don’t feel like everything is hanging out the sides! I still hestitate if I need to sit inbetween two people but getting bettter
  • Floor – getting on and off the floor is soooo much easier – I will now sit on the floor without hestitation because I know that I can get myself back up without help and without looking like a fool....
  • I have been going out more over the last few months even doing fancy dress.....what with that??
  • Buying cloths is a lot eaiser – this time last year I was buying from BeMe XL tops and size 26 pants – last week I brought M tops and size 18 pants.....
  • Exercise – I noticed back in my original post there was no mention of exercise this was because it was simply to painful – now I am walking on the treadmill >5km for 45mins, going to bootcamp weekly, out walking rounds the parks with my baby, using my weight machine, cycling etc...
  • When I go out for the day now it is not a problem – I can walk around all day and still have the energy when I get home to prepare a meal, clean up etc... No more collescaping on the couch!!
Above are 12 reason why I need to forge ahead and at home their 2 really big reason....I want to be around long enought to hold my daughter’s daughter and my son’s son (my son is only 2yr!)

Thursday, September 30, 2010

September Challenge results

What can I say - I think it speaks for itself!



SW: 108.9
CW: 110.8

GWES: 105.9

Total: +1.5

wk5: +0.4
wk4: +2.0
wk3: +0.8
wk2: -2.3
wk1: +1.0

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Menu Plan set

I have set up my Food menu plan for the week - I have also included some exercise though it is really just walking at this stage - I will factor in more exercise once the food is back under control.
Feeling much better already.
I would upload my the spreadsheet can't work out how!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

WI Y2 Week 3

I have had an absolule disasterous week food wise – I mean really disasterous – I had a gain of +2kg which I deserved!!

So I am taking a big deep breath – a step back and calm down. My plan is sit down tomorrow night (Thursday) write a food & exercise plan for the week and stick to it (and of course get back on the track first thing in the morning (Thursday).

My 40th is approaching and I have still have 10kg to lose….I can do this if I put 110% in….

Monday, September 20, 2010

WI Y2 Week 2

Really late on posting this week – last week had a gain of +800g bring my total back to 33.4. There was no explanation to the gain expect that the week before I did have a really big loss and sometimes a big loss can be followed by a gain which is just evening itself out I suppose!

I reinstalled my laptop operating system last week and some how – don’t ask me how – I manage to backup everything EXCEPT my photos – can you believe it – the only thing that is of any real importance (and I cannot replace or recreate) I forgot to backup!!!!! Anyway I have been in recovery mode all week trying to salvage as many of the photos as I can….I am so annoyed at myself – one for overlooking the most important stage of the backup process and for not transferring the photos to CD and my external harddrive on a regular basis – I have lost close to 12 months worth of photos – which is a lot when you have a 2 year old!! So bummed at myself anyway so that is what my nights have been taken up with over the last week.

Friday, September 10, 2010

WI Y2 Week 1 **Happy New Year**

This week marks the start of my 2nd year on this journey – I am pleased to report that I have kicked it off with a whopping 2.3kg loss – bring my total to 34.2kg – wooo hooo – pretty please with that – amazing what a little bit of variety and a full week of tracking can do!!

I am still working on ensuring that I am keeping my life in some sort of balance - I am making sure that I am getting to bed earlier especially as I have started to do my exercise in the mornings - I am getting up a 5am and walking on my treadmill – I brought myself a wireless headset so that I don’t wake the kids up (well it’s really only the teenager that was complaining!!!) whilst I am watching TV - This is working well especially when I get home after work and I don’t have to worry about doing my exercise which most of the time I manage to talk myself out of anyway!!

My son is going into hospital on Tuesday to have grommets put into his ears – this is a pretty standard operation with minimal risk – he is only 2 and has never had an operation before – I am feeling a bit anxious about how he will react to the medication (given his list of food allergies) – I know my anxiety is normal so I need to be-careful over the next few days that I don’t confuse “hunger” with anxiety……anyway I am sure he will be fine and his ears will drain properly then he will be able hear normally again (as he failed his hearing test..) Then hopefully his speech will start to improve.

Monday, September 6, 2010

August Challenge results


SW: 110.2
CW: 108.9
GWEA: 107.5

Total: -1.3

wk4: +0.6
wk3: -0.3
wk2: -0.5
wk1: -1.1

WI Week 52

Running a bit late with posting the results from last week – not good new unfortunately – I had a gain of 1kg! Bring my total back to 31.9 – I am just hovering under 110kg mark!!

Despite the gain I did do what I said I was going to do from the previous week and that was to put some balance back into my life…..I stopped working the ridiculous long hours and focus my evening more on myself – like doing some exercise, tracking and just doing some personal stuff that I have been neglecting – the main problem was I went from working around the clock to nothing so I was a bit lost at first… The other problem was even though I was turning off the computer at 10:30pm I was still not going to bed or more to the point asleep before midnight – my focus for this week was to wind down earlier so that I can be asleep by 10:30ish…

I did the Perth City to Surf 12km walk the other Sunday. There were 40,000 people participating this year and the weather was fantastic – could not have asked for a better day. I did well in the walk – I got to about the 9km mark and then started to struggle a bit – we stopped for a loo break which was more of an excuse to just stop for a couple of minutes…. I made it all the way and I was pleased that my knees and feet where feeling really good – hardly any pain at all – we then had to walk about another 3km for our lift home! At one point these two ladies past us – I overheard the young girl say “Nan I am 27years old of course I can go faster than you”….. I looked at “Nan” who I reckon was about 60 who was well and truly overtaking me…at that I felt like I was 70 years old…. On a positive front I did not participate last year as I knew there was no way I could have walked even half way without collapsing…maybe in next couple of years I will be doing the 12km run!!!

Only 3 months left until I turn 40 – I still have 10kg to lose until I reach my goal – best I get moving….

Friday, August 27, 2010

WI Week 51 (100th post)

This week seen a gain of 600g - bringing my total down to 32.9! I had quite a break down on Monday & Tuesday with stress from work and instead of doing some exercise I chose to eat instead!! Old habits die hard….

This week meeting topic was on Balance – it was very timely for me as my breakdown this week was due to my life being out of balance… What I have been doing for a few weeks now is working pretty much around the clock – Working in the office for about 9 hours and then coming home and working again at night for another 5+ hours (yes working into the wee hours on the morning) – I was probably doing 60+ hours a week! Of course you can’t do this many hours and keep up the pace with everything so of course exercise has been on a steady decline and even though I work on a computer for 15 hours you would think that I would be tracking online…well that has been going by the way side as well……And clearly when you are tired all the time you do find yourself looking for something ..…..that something was probably sleep but I interpret it as food!!

In the meeting it really hit me that my life is really out of balance again – It is not uncommon for me to go through stages of working ridicules hours - if I look back over my weight loss when my life has more balanced my weight loss is successful.

Rhonda reminder us that our HEALTH is our #1 priority (above our children, families, jobs etc...) – without our health then what good are we to our families, employer, friends etc… If we are not healthy then we don’t function well! My boss has even been checking with me to make sure that I am not working too much……one of my other bosses always says to me “Jody we are not saving lives here!” Which is very true - if it has to wait until tomorrow then is not the bee all to end all of client’s life….

I decided as I worked out of the meeting that my health is the most important thing and I need to get that balance back right this minute – so I decided that I will not work at night unless I have done my exercise, tracked my food and have a plan for the following day (and read a story to my boy) – and the biggest factor is that I must turn off the computer by 10:30pm and go to bed…. It has been proven again and again that sleep deprivation and\or stress have a negative effect on your weight loss…and I have proven this to myself over and over again…. I have done this for the last two days and all is good….

Doing the City to Surf (12km walk) in Perth on Sunday – really looking forward it! I wanted to do it last year but knew there was no way I could have worked 12km! This year I am sure it won’t be a problem….

Saturday, August 21, 2010

WI Week 50

Lost a further 300g last week bringing my total to 33.5kg….it is only a small loss but I happy with that – as long as I keep on going down I’m good!

Last weekend was my Dad’s 60th birthday party – I took a couple of days off work to help Mum prepare the food – she had soooo much food – we where expecting about 60 people and I sure we could have fed a 100….anyway I did whatever I was instructed to do – I quite enjoyed it – it gave me a good break from my paid job! I was very impressed with myself as I kept the “sampling” and picking of the food to an absolutely minimum – I made sure I took some food to Mum’s as I knew all she would have was the party type food…..Dad had a really good night – he caught with his brother and sisters (he is from a family of 13! 9 of the 13 where there) – they don’t get together too often! I had not seen quite a lot of the people there since I started losing weight so the first part of the evening there was quite a lot of attention on myself - lots of very complimentary comments – which I am very grateful for but I do struggle with the volume of attention……

Over the last 4 weeks I have been very busy with 40th , 60th (x 2) & 2 year old parties – I have been very involved with the organisation, preparation and serving of the food and I am very pleased with myself that I manage to stay in control and continue to lose weight!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

WI Week 49

Had a good week resulting in a 500g loss bringing my total to 33.2kg!

My son turned 2 on the weekend and I had a party for him on the Sunday. The party went really well – we had lots of traditional kids party food and I included some homemade sushi (my son loves sushi as well…) and a WW receipt for quiches. I had no problems dealing with all the party food – I was so busy most of the time I did not really have time to stand around picking at the party food….I just stuck to the sushi. The big problem with parties is the leftovers! Many times I have had no problems with the actual event but then fall down with the leftovers….lucky we did not have too much over – we had a quite a few cup cakes over so I took them to work on Monday, the chocolate crackers when to day care and the remainder of the Elmo cake went to work on Tuesday – I am please to say that I did not indulge in any of it!

I was looking at photos that were taken at his 1st birthday and comparing them to the current ones - I can really see the difference in my appearance with the weight loss – I could also see a difference in how I was smiling –this year I was really smiling – I recall last year not being happy with where I was at and being in quite a lot of pain……This year putting his party together really was not a problem physically at all. I will try and upload some photos next week so you can see the difference as well.

This weekend is my Dad’s 60th birthday so I will be at my parents house a lot of the next few days helping to setup etc.. That will bring quite a lot of food challenges as I will be away from the safety of my home…as long as I am prepared and eat in small quantities it won’t be a problem.

Friday, August 6, 2010

WI Week 48

The scales where very kind to me last week showing a loss of 1.1kg bring my total 32.7kg

Had a much better week, I find that I start the week off feeling very motivated and strong and as the week draws closer to weigh in day I started to lose momentum – I almost start to sabotage myself – like I am setting myself up to fail – why would I do that? My WI day is Wednesday and I find that on Monday & Tuesday I struggle the most – I don’t know if it is the start of the working week that drags me down or that I am still putting way to much emphasis on the scales instead of focusing how much better my health is as I continue with this journey!

My beautiful son turns 2 on Saturday – I am doing a small party for him on Sunday with lots of traditional party food – I will be practising a lot of “flexible restraint” – looking forward to it.

Last weekend I went to a 60th – this is the father of a very close friend of mine that I have known for 30 years!! The theme was Glamour Hollywood – in the past I have hated dress up parties – generally I don’t dress up but this year I have been to a couple and have decided what the hell – why not – so I have and I have had a really good time - I even found an outfit that fitted at the fancy dress shop this time…. I am feeling more confident with each kg I lose..

Saturday, July 31, 2010

July challenge is completed!

I actually ended up gaining 300g - it was a total write off a month.  Anyway it is behind me now and I am looking forward to getting stuck into August.



SW: 109.9
CW: 110.2
GWEJ: 107.5

Total: +0.3

wk4: +0.5
wk3: -0.8
wk2: +0.5
wk1: +0.1

Friday, July 30, 2010

WI Week 47

I had another gain this week of 500g bringing my total back to 31.6kg! July has pretty much been a write off for me - so I am not going to dwell on this latest gain or rant and rave or sulk about it – no point really what done is done! I have moved forward into a new day\week.

Last Saturday night I went to a 40th birthday of a very old and dear friend of mine – this were a few people there that I had not seen for probably 12 months – they were very complimentary on my weight loss success and told me repeatedly how great I was looking (I was starting to think – gee I must have really look bad before….). What really surprised me was there was a group girls that I have met a couple of times at different gathering with the kids (these are mothers from the local school) and one of them came up to me and said that she was watching me dance (yes I was even game enough to go out in public sober and dance!!!) and could not believe how much weight I had lost and how fantastic and happy I was looking (again I was thinking gee was I really that bad)….I was really very taken back and felt quite overwhelmed. 12 months ago when I was at my biggest I really though that people did not see me all – all they sore was this massive body - but you know I think I was wrong – I think it was more me that only seen the massive body and totally withdrawn myself from other people - I clearly have missed opportunities to meet some really great people!!

I really struggle with the attention that comes from losing weight but I am learning to deal with it everyday and to step a bit further outside myself as I move through this journey and beyond.

Friday, July 23, 2010

WI Week 46

After a turbulent week I managed to lose 800g brining my total to 32.1kg. This bring me back under 110kg so I am very happy about that.

My son has been learning how to jump over the last few weeks – my 14 year old daughter has been teaching him – they have been having lots of fun in the process. I watched him repeatedly trying to jump – he would jump, fall over, get back up, jumps again, fall again, gets back up, jumps again, falls again, gets back up and just kept on repeating cycle until eventually it manages to jump and stay on his feet – we were all very excited when master this task – now he jumps everywhere – very cute!

I was thinking at stage in our life do we lose this ability to just keep on trying until we master the task? Why as adults when we fall over do we not just get straight back up and try again? Why do we stay down for so long? Most of us will eventually pull ourselves up but if we fall again then we are ready to quit – all we focus on is that fact that we have fallen not what we have achieved to get to this stage!

This is exactly what I have done over the last couple week – focused on the fall instead of the achievement – the negative instead of the positive!

My focus for the week is to be positive, remain calm and trust the process!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

WI eve – The Fog…..

It has been a really tough week - I have done OK for most of the week but the last couple of days not so good – In my last post I talked about looking forward but really I just kept on looking back – I am (was??) fixated on the last week that I have totally written of the last 43weeks - I am really quite annoyed at myself for allowing a small dump in the road (for crying out loud we are just talking about 600g…aaaarrrrrr) to derail me like this – I feel like I have set myself back 12 months – back to that person that did not believe that losing this weight was possible – to the person that had no self worth and felt totally invisible to the world – felt like I back on the merry go around that I fought so hard to get off yet I stepped back on without hesitation…….why do we do this to ourselves – why are we soooo soooo hard on ourselves – we really are our own worth emery – if we had someone like ourselves in our lives we would get rid of them in a second – yet we keep this side off us alive and kicking and at the moment really kicking……

I cannot go back to that person – I cannot let that part of me take over again – it is very dark when that part of me takes over fully – I am stronger and better than that. In my last post there is a comment from Rhonda (I will put the full comment at the end of this post) but in the story she talks about a swimmer (Florence Chadwick) that gave up on a marathon swim because she could not see past the fog – I really feel like this is where I am at – caught in the fog – I can see nothing in front and unable to visualise what is beyond the fog….

Tomorrow is WI day – I am not expecting a good results quite the opposite but I will take it on the chin – no more sulking – no more why me (so board of that story..) - my pledge to everyone out their (and especially Rhonda) is that the fog is clearing and I will be focusing on how much better my life is as a result of the 31.8kg that I have lost to date…and how much better it will be in another 31.8kg.

From Rhonda:

“I recently read an experience of Florence Chadwick, the first female to swim the English Channel in both directions. At thirty four, she also determined to be the first woman to swim the twenty two miles between Catalina Island and Palo Verde on the California shore.

The weather on the day she made the attempt was not in her favor. The ocean waters were ice cold and the California coastline was veiled in a thick, dense fog. Support boats which followed her with crews armed with rifles to ward off prowling sharks were even obscured from her view.

I imagine myself in bone freezing waters, hearing the humming of motor boats amid the occasional pop of a rifle. It's enough to deflate even the strongest will and determination.

Chadwick swam for hours while, from one of the support boats, her mother and trainer encouraged her to keep going despite the odds.

In A Fresh Packet of Sower's Seeds, author Brian Cavanaugh details the last moments of her attempt:

"As the hours ticked off, Chadwick fought off bone chilling cold, dense fog and sharks...Fatigue never set in, but the icy water numbed her to the point of exhaustion. Straining to make out the shore through her swimming goggles, she could only see dense fog. She knew she could not go any further. Although, not a quitter, Chadwick shouted to her trainer and her mother in the boat and asked to be taken out of the water. They urged her not to give up, but when she looked at the California Coast, all she could see was thick fog. So after 15 hours and 55 minutes of fighting the elements, she was hauled into the boat... frozen to the bone..." (pg 42)

Little did she know that only half a mile beyond the dense fog where she gave-up was the California shoreline.

Cavanaugh notes what she told a reporter: "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I know I could have made it." (pg 42)

It turns out she had not been defeated by the sharks or even by the cold; it was the fog which obscured the vision of her goal.
One year later, she swam the Straits of Gibraltar in 5 hours and 6 minutes-setting a new record for both men and women. She also crossed the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia both ways, and crossed the Turkish Dardanelles-all within a few weeks.

Sometimes obstacles get in the way of our goals too Jody, but the message here is that you need to keep your focus.You are getting stronger with each of these challenges - the fog is definately clearing so just keep your eye on your goal and keep swimming :)”