63.4 - out the door

Hello dear readers...

I'm sorry I haven't been in much contact, but there hasn't been a great deal of news to share until now!

I'm into week 3 of Maintenance. Mind you - that is after around 5 weeks of actually maintaining my weight. Yet, my will to weigh in weekly has been sapped from being on WW for over a year. Now every fortnight seems just as good!
But good news! My last maintenance weigh-in showed 63.4 (down from the previous fortnight of 64.2). While my leader was concerned that I wasn't 'maintaining' - but still secretly trying to lose - I assured her that I would really try to maintain my weight.

Fortunately, the scales went back up the following day to an alarming 65kg. No matter, it was temporary also.

It's very difficult to get the hang of this maintaining thing - my body weight seems highly volatile, the slightest push either way can drop it as low as 62.8 (as happened Saturday) or as high as 65.8 (today, at the gym). While right now I am in between these extremes, lurking around 64kg, I am wondering to myself what exactly it means to 'maintain' your weight. Surely, and impossibly, it cannot mean actually keeping your weight stable. I feel that the habits I have formed and now do almost automatically will just continue to help me lose weight, albeit slowly. But my leader warns that if I continue to do this, my body will get so used to the lack of kilojoules, that it will never learn to function efficiently, and then when I resume eating 'normally' (ie. more) - this will result in weight gain. Everything she says makes sense. I should ease into eating more now, and attempting to balance eating more with more exercise = stable weight.

Hmmmm. Food for thought. Meanwhile, I am still on my secret mission to get down to 60kg, so I will forego trying to stabilise just yet. Rather, its something to keep in mind in 3 and a half kilos :)

Catchin zzzzzzzzzzzzzz's

So, it's been a week 'maintaining' my weight. I tell you, 'maintaining.' The scales this past week have not been underneath 64 ONCE, except that magic day I reached goal. Most usually, they are between 64.5-65.5kg. MOST DISHEARTENING.

Now, before you say that this is due to 'reaching goal' celebrations, or too many glasses of red, I have to present my defense. I've still been exercising, as usual, this week. I have been counting points, as usual, this week. The only difference - lack of sleep! I had no idea what kind of impact lack of sleep would cause. I'm studying, and at the moment, under a LOT of pressure to get things done. Because I also work full time, my schedule tends to break down to 1.5 hours exercise/get ready for work, 8 hours work, 8 hours study, with the remainder of the time sleeping or eating. Not sustainable! But on average this week I've gotten 5 hours sleep a night, not enough to achieve two REM cycles [apparently].

So, I noticed the scales creeping up each day, despite vigorous and regular exercise, and staying in points and loads of water. On Friday, I was at 65.9kg, a full 2.5kg above the week before!
However, I indulged in a night's sleep, a full 11 hours, and BAM! This morning when I woke up, I was back down to 64.4kg. Tonight I anticipate another full night's sleep, and a further loss. Fingers crossed.

Will need to weigh in for maintenance on Monday to claim being within 2kg of goal, so will definitely need a good night's sleep Sunday! Sweet dreams :)

63.9 - just in time

Weight Watchers Goal Weight!

63.9 was my official WW weight on Thursday morning - although my scales said 63.5 (?!).

Either way, I've done it! WWGW, here I am - to STAY!

I have officially begun maintenance, although I plan to keep attempting to lose. In fact, I may reduce points from 19 to 18 to see if I can't ramp up my weight loss for a few weeks to get well under the 64kg mark. Six weeks from now (staying within 2kgs of goal), I'll be a lifetime member :)

Then, ultimate goal is 60kg, and it's not far away now! I can bust that by July!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Pictures to come (although I don't look much different, really.)

Closing in

Just a quick one tonight. After weeks of stress-gaining and over-exercising, I've decided to take it easy! The result: my scales are in the 63s!

All being well, I'll be weighing in at WW tomorrow morning to claim goal weight. Here's to the scales being on my side for the next 24 hours (oh, plus infinity).

ONE METRE!

Well ladies and gents,

I've DONE IT!

I've cracked the 1 metre milestone! Yes, I've lost over 100 centimetres from my combined body measurements since this exact time last year. Quite fitting, don't you think?

Next on the agenda, WW goal weight! Yep, still not at that one, although my scales are hovering around 64.2 (WW scales = 64.4). So sooooooon, my pretties, very sooooooon!

Holiday snaps

Aaaaah, holidays. The thought of cameras on holidays used to make me run for the hills (see my oldest post for snaps in the USA in 2006). Now, as you can see, I've become a lens vixen. Vanity! It's exciting to be vain, if only until I get some more wrinkles and become camera shy once more. Which is likely to be soon given all my sunbathing activity of late.

Yes, so, I was in Fiji during the dramatic events of last week. Which we didn't hear about AT ALL, given that they pander to tourists on resorts as though we're in a completely different country. No politics, no worries. Just please spend you money here, and leave happy. We'll keep smiling for you, you won't realise a thing! It made me feel very strange, stuck in a glass cage. Locals unwilling to discuss anything of importance with you, and change the subject back to you on the assumption that all Westerners are a) rich, b) self-obsessed *ahem* c) utterly disinterested in them as people, because they are an 'experience', and therefore we're really just back at b) again. Furthermore, there are 'towns' constructed purely for tourists to feel like they are getting out of their resort into 'real' Fiji. Ridiculous!

I'm in endless fascination of this, if only because I feel so guilty for visiting a country just to relax, without much interest in their politics. Although I tried immensely to enjoy myself (and 80% of the time succeeded), I had the nagging feeling of ignorance. Piggish ignorance. Feed your face, lie on the beach, drink some cocktails, stay ignorant.

Fiji saw a 2kg weight gain, not the predicted loss (ha!). This reversal is currently under construction. Stay tuned. :)

Fiji Time!

While there is a demonic thunderstorm outside, I can't help but think of the serene waters in my future. It's almost Fiji time! Tomorrow I'm off for a week, with the intention of doing everything I normally do, except on a tropical island. This includes losing weight rather than gainin, seeing as today I am mustering the bravado to weigh-in after so long, only to lose 200gms, or thereabouts.

But when I return, sunkissed from my tropical paradise, I will be a kilo lighter, and a thesis chapter richer.

Bula!