Bubbly bear Intro

[Bubbly bear]

Hi everyone,
I need a bit of help and motivation and have had a quick browse and thought I would see if this forum can help me along.
Just a bit of history or you. About 14 years ago I weighed in at over 84kg. I joined easy slim and found the weekly weigh ins motivated me to do the right thing. I made small changes in my diet (switching coke for diet drinks and water and decreasing the amount of carbs I was eating as previously every meal had been carb based due to my husbands training schedule-I was eating like him but not training like him)
I got my weight down to 70 kilos and have remained below 75 kg for most of the past 13 years.
Now I feel it just starting to creep back up.
I exercise regularly and on Sunday just did the 12km city to surf in Perth but I was carrying an extra 5 kilos on the year before and my time was 7 mins slower I run because I have to not because I love it but I find if I don't have a next challenge ( like a fun run or triathlon) I can get lazy.
Of course I find it easier when I am lighter and would love to get back to 70 so I figured if I checked in here each Friday I might be a little more careful and work that bit harder.
The things I will find easy - exercising in this weather, getting motivated to move as I have a couple of challenges (fun runs) on the horizon, Drinking more water ( I am not always great at this but have found carrying a water bottle around all day makes you conscious of your intake)
The things I will find hard- spring is party season and we are social people. I don't drink every night but do like champagne or a few cocktails on the weekend. Being creative with menus, this is partly why I have come on here...hoping for some inspiration
Making sure I check in each Friday even if I have had a bad week.
Looking forward to any input and chatting those who are going though a similar thing.

[DD Diva]

Welcome to the forum Bubby bear,

I think you'll find a wealth of knowledge, and inspiration among the members here. And we're all here to travel the journey with you (and for ourselves of course).

[DD Diva]

Oops sorry, I meant "bubbly" not bubby bear!!! Oh the embarrassment .....Admin, puleeeeeeez can I have an "edit" button for Christmas??!!!

[tinkerbella]

gees DD Diva you and that "edit" button,dont worry be happy,alls good..i would rather the "edit" button not be given that way people cant write posts and have people read it then have people change what was written I think its a lot better the way it is,ive seen too many people write nasty stuff only too then change what there written..

Admin so much better the way it is...

nobody's perfect DD Diva,dont worry about it...
our doing fine just the way your posting DD Dive we all understand you..

[tinkerbella]

PS welcome bubbly,enjoy the forum...

[DD Diva]

No I think an "edit" option/button would be good to fix mistakes, not to correct nasty stuff, although I can appreciate that sometimes it may help moderators not having to intervene.

Anyway, thanks for understanding.

[Blitz]

Welcome to the Forum Bubbly bear! Good to see a fellow Perth person here.

Why don't you join the current Challenge in the Challenge section? That would be a good place to report in weekly (or more often if you want) and find support and encouragement.

Being accountable is one of the key things you can do to obtain success. So good on you for choosing to do so!

I see that you have a good deal of experience and fitness already under your belt.
Working out a healthy lifestyle is always an ongoing process. As the demands of our lives change, conditions and age etc - we must learn how to adapt our practices to meet these new challenges.
You will find here in this Forum a wealth of knowledge and skills to draw on to help you along the way.

Don't forget to check out the recipes on this site. There are plenty of wonderful ideas to inspire your menus. There are also some dab hands on this Forum who do great things to food and produce delicious meals. Healthy food doesn't have to be boring - you will find the tools here to discover how to create your own great healthy menus.

Wishing you a better future!

Kim

[Bubbly bear]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcomes.
It has been a crazy week and my intention was to log in here every day but between time restrictions and having crappy Internet connections when I did have time I haven't been back in much.
Although I didn't find time for the forum I managed a few short runs and some toning sessions. I was great on the water for the first few days then had very little over the weekend. I was very happt with my first Friday weigh in down from 76.7 to 75.0 kg but I know 2 things.... The first week is always the easiest and I'm sure the effort of the city to surf had to pay some dividends so I am happy with that loss but not expecting such numbers weekly. I will be pleased with half a kilo a week and stoked with anything more than that.
Like I said I haven't s pent as much time here as I would have liked so I am still working it all out but I will look into the challenge page and really keen to find some new great recipes, thanks for the info Kim

[Blitz]

Well if you don't lose weight after running in the City to Surf...then there is something definitely going wrong!
A very good loss - something to be proud off.
I've found generally that a good week is often followed by one not so good week. It is to be expected as this is the time the body is trying to figure out what you are demanding from it ands consolidating last week's big loss.
An excellent start!

Better exercising as much as you can than being on the internet talking about it. When you have time - then you can do both!
Being on the Forum is a great way to keep your mind in the right place especially useful when things get tough.

If consuming water is difficult...try adding a bit of lemon or orange juice to it like a weak cordial to give it some bite. Also don't forget that tea and coffee is mostly water as well. Keep the milk content down, leave the sugar out and the intake moderate then it will do you good. Nothing like a good warm cup of tea to fill the gut and keep you satisfied on a cold day.

Kim

[Bubbly bear]

Thanks again for the support guys. Well you were right blitz, this week was not as good but a loss is a loss and being back under 75 is always a positive. I only lost 400g to take me to 74.6 but the fact that the scales are going down instead of up is fine.
I knw I need to make time for a few longer runs, and the girls who I trained with for the city to surf are back from holidays so that should help.
Hubby's birthday this week so a few social occasions which will require extra effort on the exercise front as I am not one to deny myself in social situations (yes I know, if I did I would see better results but I would just rather up the exercise to counteract my sins obviously I will still be wiser with my food choices but I will still have a few glasses of champagne which I normally wouldn't midweek.
I still haven't got in to the recipe section very well. If you have a favourite on there let me know and I will look it up. Cheers

[Blitz]

Well you were right blitz,

I'm always right! Okay okay...sometimes I'm not.
Stuff like that is something I learnt the hard way...experience.
Experience is a great teacher, if somewhat a bitter one at times!

this week was not as good but a loss is a loss and being back under 75 is always a positive. I only lost 400g to take me to 74.6 but the fact that the scales are going down instead of up is fine.

You have the right attitude here. Every number that brings us closer to goal should be welcomed no matter how small it may seem. All through my weight loss journey I was trying for one of those big weekly numbers like you see on shows like the Biggest Loser but never succeeded. Yet, even with my comparatively lower numbers it still only took me 60 weeks to reach goal and lose 87 kilos. So those smaller numbers do add up quicker than you would expect.

Getting to terms with lifestyle vs weight loss is where the rubber meets the road.
The each choice we make has a responsibility attached to it that we must deal with in order to have a healthy lifestyle.
You have chosen to exercise more because you want to eat a little bit more this week because of your husband's birthday.
That is a responsible action...these sort of actions will lead you to a successful outcome.
Keep it that eating reasonably moderate and up that exercise - and things should still be alright. Good work!

Kim

[Bubbly bear]

Wow blitz. I knew you had lost a lot of weight but to take it off in that time frame and keep it off is beyond amazing...very inspiring.
I can't believe another week has past and I am only just checking back in. Well the birthday dinner was at Nobu so some good food choices (the pepper crusted sea bass was amazing) and not so good (the tempura jalapeño prawns...but they are just to die for and hubby doesn't struggle with his weight so had to indulge...just for him of course
The scales have tipped in at 74.3! Again down but my thoughts of extra exercise went a bit astray this week. Already have a10km run booked in for Monday so that should help move things along. Trying to do some more interval work as well to help rock the boat as well. It really is e revising weather here in Perth.
Here's hoping I get abit more involved on here this week...I haven't even really read through any new intros or others challenges (not meaningto be self centered just need to take 10 mins a day to get the iPad out and have a look at what everyone else is up to.)
One question if I may! I noticed that in some challenges people were going to weigh in daily. I have always thought that just weighing in once a week would be the way to go. What are the pros and cons do you think?
Cheers and have a great week everyone

[Blitz]

Losing it in 60 weeks (14 months) may seem amazing but it works out to 1.45kg per week which isn't that amazing really. Admittedly a few of those weeks were very good but some weeks weren't good at all. Indeed towards the end of my journey (last two months) I had some weeks where I lost little, or nothing...or worse - gained slightly! But never were the loses of the order that you see on The Biggest Loser. So take heart with your 0.3kg loss...from little things - big things grow (down!).

As for the question about weekly or daily weighing in...
Many experts recommend that you only weigh yourself once a week (and a few believe that it should be monthly!).
The reason for that is daily weighing can be very discouraging because body weight can naturally fluctuate greatly each day.
To find that you've gained on the scales after putting in a huge effort can stop the unwary in their tracks and cause them to give up.

So why do people weigh daily?
There are many advantages to weighing daily so long as you understand that one or two days of weighing doesn't give you the whole picture.
Daily weighing is about developing a long term understanding of how your body works.
Your body goes through cycles.
Understanding those cycles greatly helps you get a grip on what to do and how your body operates and deals with food and exercise.
For example, if you have exerted yourself in exercise (feeling the pain in your muscles next day)...you will find that next morning's weigh in will probably be a gain...but this is a good gain...because fluid is being retained in order to make muscle (which weighs more than fat in any case) and in the long term that muscle will burn more calories for you.
A survey taken of people who have lost lots of weigh and kept it off for over a year shows that one of the common factors in these people is that they weigh themselves DAILY.
I weigh myself daily and I find that not only does it help me understand my body but also it keeps me motivated (so long as I keep the daily number in perspective) and keeps a short leash on any blow outs (which means it keeps me accountable daily).

Best of wishes on that 10km run!...that should work off that dinner!

Kim

[Bubbly bear]

Well I think it's amazing
And you are an inspiration to so many.
I'm going to move my journey over to the latest challenge so I can do it with others rather than making it all about me haha
Cheers for the support...see you in the challenge section

[Blitz]

Well I think it's amazing
And you are an inspiration to so many.
I'm going to move my journey over to the latest challenge so I can do it with others rather than making it all about me haha
Cheers for the support...see you in the challenge section

I hope my story does inspire.
If a guy the wrong side of fifty, with asthma, bad back, ingrown toe nails, with a belly hernia the size of his fist and knowing absolutely nothing about losing weight can lose 87kg in 60 weeks and keep it off...no one has an excuse not to do it!
If I can do it - anybody can do it.

Great to hear that you are joining the main challenge.
I stalk all the corridors of this Forum so I'll see you there!

Kim