I don't think it could ever compete with your ass even if I did have people to take pictures of it. :)

I'm back on track with the walk before work. This is the view from the point where I turn round on the path ...

Did you notice you live in a nice place?

*pfft* it looks just like my urban commute. in the desert. where everything is stucco. and we have bumper to bumper traffic running 80. and no natural shorelines.

damn. can i come live with you limey? that is b u t us.

Completely random sidenote: I did some audio for a new home builder recently, for a training program for new site managers. There was a whole section on what states stucco was used in (Arizona, Florida, and parts of southern California) and it stressed repeatedly that the style was only popular in these places and should never, ever be installed anywhere else. It's a conspiracy to keep your houses ugly, I'm telling you. :)

I know, I know .... why'dya think I moved here? Fix a date and I'll organise a weekend/week holiday for the first 23 cellarites to sign up .... I'm on the committee of the local community hall and we have a fab little bunkhouse I'd love y'all to rent! Form an orderly queue now ... :D

strangely enough, stucco grows on you. now when i head back to the midwest having old siding, dirty brick, etc. seems dirty or rundown. it's just what you are used to.

I'm in! Despite having lived in Campbeltown in my teens, all I ever saw of Arran was from the steamer to Glasgow. Love to go there.


(your bunkhouse is 'en-suite', I take it?)

You lived in Campbeltown?! No wonder you like cardigans! I think folks'll have to draw lots for the en suite rooms .... or write me an essay justifying their need being greater than that of others.

And real concrete stucco can also be an extremely durable siding that is actually maintenance free (unlike all other siding that claims to be maintenance free.) There are stucco buildings in Europe that are several centuries old, with the original stucco.

Ok, so I am going to post every little thing that I do because I need reassurance that it is still good, even if it is small.

I walked for about 20 minutes yesterday and did about 5 minutes on a mini-stepper. Man, those things are hard! I really didn't snack yesterday. I had a tangerine, but that is a good snack. I wanted fast food, but didn't get any - mainly because I forgot my money, but I felt better for not having it. I didn't have the best dinner, but I didn't snack at night, either. I added some cream cheese and melba toast to my dinner.
I also haven't had a cigarette since Saturday when I had only one. I can't drink for the next three weeks per my doctor, so I think giving up smoking will be easier this way.

Now, I just need to walk again today. It was such a nice walk, I wish I could venture outside of my complex, but it is dark when I get home and I live off of a highway. I am not wondering where I don't know or on a street people average about 60-70 mph. I just have to plan my route so that it takes me 30 minutes to do without passing the same houses ten times!!

How is everyone else doing?

bbro, that's looking really good. You are tackling a lot of things at once so hold your achievements in mind if you sometimes slip up in one area. Get more tangerines in, and other fruit, and snack all you like on those. Finding a walking route you like will help a lot - it has me.
You'll probably find the doc's drinking ban helps you lose weight, too. Well done, keep it up.

(I have changed this post slightly, because it was worded negatively - one of the changes is to like myself and recognise my achievements!)

New year, new start, and I have started making changes.

I walked in this morning and it was a positive experience even in the rain. My initial goal is to walk in twice a week and increas this as time goes on. As the evenings get lighter I will be up to walking home as well.

I haven't had a drink all week and intend to continue this indefinitely. This is probably the first time in 3 years I have been without alcohol for this long. It was so much easier than I expected and I think I have been habit-drinking rather than that I really had a problem (my great fear, and one of the reasons I didn't want to try to stop).

Apart from the benefit to my mental health and my general physical health, I believe not drinking will lead to painless weightloss which will be a great kickstart to more significant weightloss to follow.

I've also brought my blender into work to start making smoothies while I'm here. Hoping to stop snacking and start eating my 5 portions of fruit & veg a day instead.

It's only the start, and I am taking one step at a time, but I am very proud of myself for doing and not just thinking.

109lbs to lose.

Congrats - Way to go!!

Good job SG!

Awesome! I'll be keeping an eye on your sig line, I know you can do it!

Keep giving us progress. I need a kick start!

You go, girl. :notworthy

Thought it was worth resurrecting this to see how everyone else is doing. Obviously you can see my target weight loss is now down to 91lbs - progessing well but of course time seems to pass SO slowly.

I now walk to and from work almost every day. The only times I have made exceptions have been when it was really bucketing down and when I had two very heavy bags to carry.

I've also forbidden myself to use the lift at work. As I work on the 6th floor I get at least 12 flights a day (coming in and coming back from lunch). Where possible I have also tried to go and see people on other floors rather than call or email.

I got bored with smoothies - at present I'm having real fruit for breakfast. This week I am mostly eating Clementines. I think - I can't tell the difference to be honest - they're the ones with the thick skins anyway.

Some days are harder than others - although I always said this was a long term thing and I know it will take at least a year, I am still quite impatient. Days when I catch sight of myself in a shop window and think, "OMG I'm HUGE!" or realise after over a month not one person has noticed I've lost weight are tricky. Small changes are all very well but I do wish I could just unzip the fat suit and run around in a tight sweater and pencil skirt.

Most of the time I am glad I have made a start though. And this time next year I'll look back and be even more glad.

When I'm down to 16 stone I'll post a picture for comparison, see if there's any difference noticeable.

Anyone else got anything they want to report?

I've gone a whole day without sweets and will be caffeine free tomorrow.

I'm looking to cut about 10 lbs. So, maybe 3 weeks or so.

Grats on the good progress, SG. I noticed the weight loss, I just didn't want to say anything because I thought it might be awkward.

Keep up the good fight SG. Not to worry. I see a person for who they are on the 'inside' You'll always be beautiful inside and out to me.:)


report?? No,
I won't bore anyone with my attempts at fighting gravity. fatique and old age:p

I don't remember if I mentioned it here before, but I committed to a mountain bike race this summer. That means I need to drop about 15pounds, develop my core strength (lose the gut), get my wrist in shape, and get fit. I'm going to try to do this without a scale, since lower weight isn't the actual goal. good luck all!

That's awesome -more than a stone already! Excellent :D

My weight has gone up, but my food/beer intake hasn't, so I think it's becasue I've been so busy I've not been swimming and exercising so often. I got on a cross-trainer for 15 minutes this morning. A sit down one (the only one free) so not so many calories burned, but I got to read a few pages of my book at the same time. :) (I had thought I might get motion sickness reading while exercising, but it was OK -and the finite time period meant I didn't get lost in the book and lose the whole day.)

Well done SG, I was wondering what the figure in your sig meant. And especially well done on the new walk to work habit :) !
My stop off to walk on the way to work idea faltered rather but I'm gradually getting back on track. I have devised a spreadsheet which represents graphically the units that make sense to me (rather than calories), i.e. biscuits, chocolate bars, glasses of wine (these are my danger spots where weight gain is concerned), and the five-a-day fruit/veg thing, and exercise, plus weight and inch loss ... if anyone is interested let my know by pm and I'll email you a template.
Goal is to lose 1 1/2 stone by August (should be doable ...).

Sundae, you are doing so well. I am really chuffed for you. You'll reach your goal soon I know it.

AS for me..Well, Over the last 12 months I put on a stone and a half, seemingly all on my stomach.....so I started to look like a slim pregnant woman. (seriously, someone I haven't seen for ages asked me when I was due:P) Most likely that's from a mild addiction to fried breakfasts and living on 3 or 4 times the recommended calorie intake for an adult woman. The wine and beer probably didn't help either.

More worrying though is the fact i was getting very unhealthy. So....I have stopped eating the fried breakfasts (only had two in the last three weeks!) and am really trying to eat my five a day fruit and veg and cook with ingredients instead of eating nothing but takeout and processed food. It's hard....I really like supernoodles. I am somewhat less keen on fruit and vegetables. Mostly though what's hard is trying to find time, energy and will to cook instead of buying readymade. Usually I manage it for a few days, then I drop off it for a few days then i try again. This seems to be working.

I've cut my alcohol intake down, but still am drinking more than is healthy, and I am fourteen days into quitting smoking (am now addicted to nicoteine lozenges, but at least I can breathe again and am not using my inhaler several times a night).

I've started walking more instead of always getting lifts or the bus and my dog is very pleased about that! He's being very supportive in my get fit push, offering to accompany me on all my walks, and even encouraging me to run around with him.

I want to lose another stone because that would put me at the weight I've always been most comfortable with. End of the day that's what's important: what makes you comfortable, what feels healthy.

That's what I'm aiming for. Keep it up Dana!

We've taken to keeping a bowl of mixed fruit on the kitchen counter. I've done a much better job eating healthy, since we did that.

If by mixed you mean squishy and half-rotten, yeah I have that too! :) I do try to keep apples and oranges and salads at hand. Try...