Day 49

We've been packing & going all sorts of admin that never seems to come to an end. The only thing for it is chocolate. I am afraid to say that I have been eating some & that I have also been drinking WAY too much coffee.

That's probably why my weight has stuck this week.
I still feel skinny though :)

On Sunday I went to gym. Monday we walked to Fish Hoek & back & Tuesday we walked to Muizenberg & caught the train back. I had a big gym session yesterday so the exercise is going well.

I bought a bag of pears at Pick 'n Pay the other day that are so tasteless. I just don't think that pears are naturally tasteless...they must have done something to them.

I was also so surprised & I almost cried, because, although it is quite irritating when squeezing fresh lemon juice, to end up with pips you have to dig around for: breeding pip-less lemons is totally uncalled for & quite frankly, very sad. I feel like nothing is pure as 'nature intended it' any more. I don't even mind pips in grapes: I just don't add those grapes to my fruit smoothie.


This whole thing fits in with the general societal standard that legs / beards etc should be shaved. Its just not natural...but we do it anyhow so that we're not the only one who's leg-hairs catch the sunlight making them obviously & luminously visible. Plus I quite like beards...but only on men! It's natural!!

No pips in lemons feels worse. It just doesn't feel right.

Day 42

I feel SKINNY! This is so amazing
(That's all I have to say for today) :)

Day 41

Oh happiness! Another 1/2kg down! :)

I've been feeling rather sore in the gall bladder over the last week so I just had fruit for dinner last night [rasberry, blueberry & apple smoothie] & it seems to have sorted it out. Yay.

I went to gym on Monday as well as yesterday & I will most likely go again tomorrow...we're probably going to go and walk on Noordhoek beach this evening [with my brand new Canon G10 that arrived today!!] and take some photos & get some excersise in...

I found the HUGEST pineapples at Pick 'n Pay yesterday. Pineapples have to be one of my absolute best foods in the world. I bought 2.

Geoff gave me the most beautiful vintage swimsuit from 'Nostalgie' a few months back & I could just get into it [a little trouble breathing, but it is super gorgeous so I had to have it]...I put it on this afternoon to go for a swim & it fits me so well! I'm so pleased :)

Day 38

It's Monday & I've been on The Natural Way for almost 6 weeks.

My cleaning lady, Cynthia, was in this morning & she confided in me about wanting to shed some weight because she can see that I've lost...(she's very impressed). So I told her what I've been doing & printed out a copy of the food combination eating charts for her so she can start combining correctly.. I told her to make sure she eats in the morning (she usually skips breakfast all together) eat lots of fruit (as much as she wants to) & drink loads of water.

I tried to explain the concept of good and bad combinations...its not easy to try and convince an African lady to not eat starch with her chicken...she's very traditional!

I've had quite a lot of trouble with my gall bladder of late...Geoff read that 'rapid weight loss' can be a contributing factor. It is definitly more sensitive, but I'm not that surprised - with all the changes that have taken place...

I'm trying to drink more of my Redibeets powder as it "Increases red blood cells, cleanses the liver. Helps anaemia, improves assimilation of iron, containing vitamins A, C, B6, Calcium and Potassium. Has cleansing effect on the kidneys,gall bladder and lymph system." So hopefully that will help.

I had an hour gym session this evening so I'm feeling fit and strong :)

Day 36

Oh YAY! I've stopped the one up one down & have one the one down PLUS another half!
:)

Day 35

Still no more kg's down...I went to gym yesterday for the first time in a week - I always forget how amazing I feel afterwards..until afterwards! :)

The sea is beautiful today - deep blue and really smooth. I am waiting for Geoff to get home so we can go for a surf...last week's heat wave seems to have returned to Cape Town...hopefully the wind stays down till we can get to the sea. This is the Muizenberg Webcam I follow: click here. Looks better than Fish Hoek. No rush (unless the wind comes up) as we don't have plans for this evening. Will be nice to get a surf in.

I've been drinking too much coffee. It seems to be the one indulgence I allow myself almost every day (that and the odd block of dark Lindt chocolate after dinner). Maybe that's why there are no more kg's down....I've definitly shrunk though...I got into a pair of jeans that got to the point of almost not fitting at one stage & today they are so loose...same with 2 other pairs of pants that I've not fitted into for months :)

My legs look skinnier when I look down at them. My latest thing is that I've been looking at people's arms (quite obsessively). I think that's what happens when one hits 30: you become so aware of your upper arms (I used to work at a clothing store where arm paranoia in the over 30's ran rife). I dare say my arms are looking a bit skinnier too.

Day 34

I've realised that its a very stressful time to be making all these changes when there so many other things going on in my life. Still, I've managed to stick to my diet at around 90% I'd say (the odd block of chocolate / pizza slice taken into consideration).

I've gone through a couple of weeks of feeling quite weepy & out of control of my emotions. They say moving is up there with death, divorce & losing / changing job. I keep on having to reminding myself to take it easy & just take it one step / one meal at a time.

I had a bad gall bladder day the other day: I experimented with making carrot juice...it tasted TERRIBLE so I added ginger & apple. My stomarch was already a bit upset by the time we got to our friends...and then I went an ate a 1/2 pizza (very thin base..but cheese & almonds)...and big tomato in a salad (I can't do big tomatoes - too acidic & lethal in combination with carbs). The combination had me up all night until I did my emergency black forest tea solution. Just a reminder that I need to take things easy.

Weekend coming up & nothing special planned....we may just escape up-coast...

Day 31

Sjoe! The time goes by so fast...I haven't contributed to this blog for a week!

Things are going well...My weight seems to be deciding where to settle for the moment...one up one down one up one down. My mom says that it will go like this...for her it usually yo-yo's a bit and then sommer goes 2 down: which stay down. It feels like its all under control! :)

I'm on 4 weeks & 3 days so that's just over a kg per week...if I can keep going like this, I will be very happy. Will need to get more exercise if I'm to achieve this. The BMI calculator is depressing me. I still need to loose 12kg to achieve a normal BMI! At least its not 17kg like I started off with. Hopefully I can make my target in time for my birthday in June :)

I've been very good on the eating side but not so much on the exercising...I've not been to gym in almost a week (I did go surfing yesterday though)...plus we've had a heat wave of note: not exactly gym inspiring.

I have had a strange head-cold for the past week...I think it is probably just stress related: moving prepartation etc. At least we have somewhere to live! :)

I have been feeling quite well in general otherwise.

Day 24

"Another one bites the dust" playing around in my head again.
What a victory!

I can hardly believe it, but I'm another kg down!
HA! 3 weeks & 3 days and I'm 5kg down!

My bathroom scale isn't brilliant - its actually quite a shocking cheapy that's consistancy is not brilliant at all: so I take 3 measurements and take an average if there are differences in the first 2!
It weighs me in slightly heavier than at the gym and on my mom's fancy electronic scale.

(I liken this to setting half my time devices 10 to 15 minutes ahead in an attempt to be on time for things - this drives Geoff a little mad (and amuses him simultaneously) as he only wants to know the actual time & sometimes I get confused by how much I have added to my car clock / cell phone clock / kitchen clock / computer clock as I change them sometimes....)

In the last 24 days, I've had the odd block of chocolate after a meal... pizza... too much animal protein... and at least 4 bad combination meals, but the bottom line is that I can feel the benefits of food combining -- it is like a miracle. And yet so obvious.

I have even been waking up at 7am and have had time to snuggle with Geoff.. read my book.. (if my writing style starts sounding like a bad romance novel, it is because I am reading one at the moment)... think about things before the day begins instead of launching in: in half haziness, half panic at all that needs to be done.. I have contemplation time.

Yesterday I went to Pick 'n Pay to get some water, fruit & other essentials. I was so hungry.
I am not a big one for shopping off the evil "till isles" ie: the chocolate treat isles designed to make you stand and look at chocolates, mouth watering....just to spend money & undo all the healthy food shopping in your basket.

Geoff almost always grabs a chocolate to eat on the way out & finishes it in record time (usually before its even been paid for, so only the empty wrapper goes through the bar code thingie).

So: I was standing there... waiting... trying not to let my eyes fall on the options... when I spotted the Twix bars. I LOVE Twix... My mouth literally started watering.
I tried to convince myself that I'd only have 1 half. My angel reminded me that it is not possible. I willed myself not reach out and take one. I am so proud to say: I resisted. When I got to my car, I opened the packet of pears I'd just bought & ate one (it was so yum) and then took myself off to gym.

Choices made one step at a time.
Stopping the creation of potential bad habits before they can take hold is not easy, but I'm sure its worth it.

Carne = Spanish for MEAT!

It was a reasonably good start to the week:

I had a pretty good eating day (usual breakfast ritual...then carrots & avo on toast for lunch- yum!) ...up till dinner time.

Geoff and I were were both so hungry when we popped into Woolies to grab some apples & other essentials (bad move to go shopping hungry!). They had such a good special on 28 day matured steak (we're suckers for the good stuff) so we bought some & I therefore ate animal protein once again...and probably more than just a portion. I made a huge salad with Flax oil & loads of carrots & other fresh salad items to accompany the carne...

I drank lots of water today (probably about 10 glasses). I am taking Aim's HerbalRelease with my HerbalFiberblend to really clear out my system. The HerbalRelease bottle says to drink more than 8 glasses "when using this product"...It does not help at all that our one and only loo broke down yesterday & won't flush: We have to use bath water and a bucket until we have time to get a plumber in: I suppose its good to re-use grey water :)

I feel like I've become such a pill popper! Aimega, HerbalFiberblend... HerbalRelease... FloraFood...

We've not found anywhere to live yet & we have to be out of our home in 4 weeks...so after hitting a serious series of panic attacks this morning, I took a Composure tablet & another about 2 hours later. They made me feel nice and dreamy & I took a lunch time 1/2 hour to read on my bed. Bliss.

Wonder if its ok to take all this stuff at once....?

Day 22

Another 1kg down. I'm feeling quite pleased but would not have been terribly surprised if my weight had not gone down as I did not gym at all last week & although I was quite good, I had a few naughty moments on the weekend:

On Saturday night, we had Thai food at a lovely little place in Hout Bay called the Thai Cafe. I had stirfry veg + beef strips + rice > There was not really anything else on the menu that was suitable (all the vegetarian options on the menu were full of coconut milk etc) & I suppose I could have asked them to leave the meat out, but we'd already shared spring rolls + I'd had a vegetarian wrap at the Design Indaba. I'd not had any protein, so I just let go & had it all. I did drink lots of water before & after & through the day..

Yesterday (Sunday) I had my usual Water > BarleyLife > water > fruit smoothie breakfast > and then a big salad with 1 mielie for lunch. I had a bite of Geoff's Bar One mid-day (why do Bar One's have to be sooooo gooooood?!). I had lots of fresh salad, some veggie pot & a piece of steak for dinner at Robyns. I know I am eating too much animal protein. I will skip a few days this week.

I think that the thing to do will be to get used to eating nuts as I'm not really used to eating loads of nuts. Especially not in place of other protein.

I've had a good start to this week & am looking forward to more excersise. My work seems to have slowed down a little bit so hopefully I can go to gym 3 or 4x at least this week & do other walking on the other days.

11.44am. I'm hungry already. Or perhaps I'm just thirsty.....?