Bit by Bit

A Beautiful Autumn Day

2010-05-12T09:25:00.004+10:00

Its a beautiful autumn's day. I would love to be anywhere but here sitting in my office listening to our junior band horn section try and work through a new piece of music.

Anyway, I need to test some stuff to do with work. One of our Year 4 class blogs is having trouble with comment moderation so I've turned mine on to check to see if its blogger in general or something to do with their set up. So please leave me a comment so I can check this.

The basic rule of PC troubleshooting is to look at the big picture rather than focusing on the minute when initially trying to solve the problem. A good philosophy in life don't you think?

Struggling

2010-02-04T20:12:00.003+10:00

These last couple of days I've felt myself being beaten up with sadness and grief. We are now at the time of year where our baby would have been born.

When I say beaten up, its because there are times I feel overwhelmed with despair and as I come through the other side of a particular episode it feel just like I've done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.

I didn't think it was going to be this hard. I thought the majority of my distress had passed and I was now at the stage where there was only sadness and regret for what could have been.

I guess I was wrong.

Yesterday I found myself in absolute distress at work. I won't go into details but the unthinking actions of a colleague caused me deep anguish. It wasn't intentional. She didn't know, no one knows but it took a lot for me to return to my office where I could cry in private. After quite a bit of time where I just felt grief crashing in over me, I had the need to find some peace. I remembered the Light A Candle site, hosted by my employer. So I stopped, lit my candle and will let it burn for 7 days. Its here if you would like to view it along with the prayer I chose to go with it. Perhaps you will pray the prayer with me and I hope this new wave of grief will pass soon.

Thanks for listening.

Where I am up to...

2009-11-15T07:38:00.004+10:00

I'm starting to feel that 2009 was not meant to be my year.

It started out ok. My excess bulk was coming off, my fitness levels were coming up. Then June/July happened when discovered we had conceived then lost a much desired baby and I battled grief and depression. August wasn't much better when I came down with the worst case of the flu I can ever remember having.

My latest misadventure put me in hospital for 5 nights with gallstones. A condition I didn't know I had until I was woken at 1.30am on Sunday morning with the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced along with a number of other nasty side effects from blocked bile ducts. So right now I am recovering at home from a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (basically keyhole surgery to remove my gallbladder). I'm still not sure about this, there seems to be differing opinions on what the long term consequences of this are. So far my body seems to be adapting ok.

I'm hopefully that health wise this is the last 'fly in the ointment' moment. Will be nice to get back on track.

Update

2009-07-19T10:43:00.004+10:00

Despite everything that has gone on in my life over the past few weeks I've only put on less than a kg despite pretty much abandoning our diet.

I'm keeping that other blog (http://ankarli.wordpress.com/) running. Its purpose is different to this one but I am hoping it will help me come to terms with some of the tragedy we've had in our lives recently and to decide what's best for me. I remember writing a diary when I lost our first baby several years ago. I only deleted it in recent months. I really wish I had that again to remember.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment. It really helped. IYKIM.

Extreme Sadness

2009-07-02T16:28:00.000+10:00

http://ankarli.wordpress.com/

Oh dear ...

2009-04-07T19:18:00.003+10:00

Its been a while since I updated. Things are progressing nicely and I'm staring down another milestone.... 40kg in another 1.5kg. Its a pretty amazing number and I confess to enjoy watching peoples jaw drop when I tell them just how much I've lost (when they ask of course).

Another recipe share... herbed fish. This is great for frozen fish, so buy one of those 1kg bags of fish and defrost as needed.

Ingredients
1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 shallot (chopped)
1 tbl chopped dill as well as tbl of chopped thyme **

Mix ingredients together and smear over fish fillets.
Cook fish in frying pan until cooked.

Yum!!

** You know what its like when you chop fresh herbs. If you don't end up with a tablespoon it doesn't really matter. You could also substitute other herbs such as chives or coriander. Basically you're looking for something pungent.

Inspired by ... (a goal)

2009-01-06T06:28:00.004+10:00

Donna Downey. I'm not really into her style of scrapbooking and I admit sometimes her over the top style annoys me but I dropped into her blog this morning for a catch up and indirectly she reminded me of a goal I set myself last year.

The Gold Coast Marathon is on Sunday 5th of July. I am in no way ready for the Marathon, but they have a 7.5km walk I'd like to attempt. I can walk 5.5km in about 60min, I'd like to improve on that before July.

Welcome to 2009

2009-01-04T19:54:00.004+10:00

At the beginning of 2008 I sort of promised myself that I would lose some weight but didn't do anything about it until things were forced on to me in July. Since then I've now dropped over 30kg and have hit and passed my half-way point. I'm still enjoying what I am doing and am definitely happy with the results so far. I've developed Baggy Pants Syndrome again so its time to replace my shorts and pants.

I'm pleased to report that I have survived a weeks holiday away (although the scales did go up more than I liked), Christmas and New Year (although for the latter two the scales are back in the right direction and I've lost the weight I gained while I was away.

My next goal is to be under the 100kg mark by the time I go back to school. It should be fairly easy since that's not for another 3 weeks (and is only just over 2kg away) but I'm finding all sorts of temptations to prevent me from going to the gym as often as I should. Its amazing how you get into a routine when you are working and how easy it is to stick to. Holidays are relaxing and essential recharge zones but trying to keep a routine can be impossible when there are books to read, forums to keep up with, pages to scrap, gardens to weed etc. I think I need to make a sign for above my scrapdesk to remind me of that 100kg goal.

We've taken up a new activity - Geocaching. Basically its a treasure hunt using a GPS, although the treasure is the type you find at a $2 shop so its the find that the fun part not the 'prize' at the end. The really good thing is that it takes us outside and some caches (where the treasure is located) involves all sorts of physical activity. Go to Geocaching.com or Geocaching.com.au for more info if you're interested.

I'll return shortly with another recipe. I've just made a really yummy fruit slice.

Still Heading In The Right Direction

2008-12-05T05:28:00.003+10:00

It just peeves me off that it wasn't quite enough.

If you're following my ticker you'll notice that I'm 200g under my halfway point. I'm disappointed but can list all sorts of reasons (excuses) why that's the case ('cause I ate dessert at the staff Christmas dinner, 'cause I haven't pushed myself hard enough at the gym, 'cause I haven't been getting enough sleep, 'cause I am a woman and that what sometimes happens).

Oh well, get over it Susan. I promised myself I wouldn't become a slave to the scales.

The good news is that I bought myself another size M shirt which in fat chicks sizes is about an 18. Two more sizes and I can start shopping in the normal shops. Now that is a goal I am looking forward to.

107/18/M

2008-11-23T07:23:00.004+10:00

Friday morning's weigh-in 107kg.

Friday afternoon's pants shopping result - Size 18

Saturday's top shopping result - Medium

Not bad considering that just over 4 months ago I was 133/24/XL. Just needed to shout it from the tree tops.

A tip for when you go to a buffet for a celebratory dinner - take a friend, particularly a young friend (or in my case a 9YO nephew) who can and will eat as much as he wants. You eat your normal meal amount and regard the rest of your 'buffet cost' as an entertainment fee as your always hungry friend/nephew plows his way through 7 or 8 trips back for more food. Christo has a nippers carnival today so he'll burn it off and he was only choosing a small amount each time. But he was so funny to watch.

A little rant

2008-11-20T20:11:00.005+10:00

I think you could regard me as being a reasonably successful dieter. 26kg in just over 4 months equates success - right?

So why did start to feel like a failure when I accidentally clicked on one of those diet ads that appear in the right hand side advertising pane in Facebook. According to the website it took me too - I needed to drink this tea and swallow those berry supplements and I could lose X pounds. in Y weeks. I'd also have more energy, better looking skin, less intestinal 'sludge' and whiter teeth.

Hello....

I have more energy, my skin condition frequently gets commented on (I am told it glows), and my teeth are whiter. Did I drink the tea and pop the pills? No!

As I keep on reminding myself .... what I am doing is working. I still enjoy the food I eat, I enjoy the exercise I am getting and I still get to enjoy a treat now and them.

I just wish I'd get some better ads on Facebook.

Chicken and Asparagus Stirfry

2008-11-11T19:32:00.003+10:00

Usual deal - this serves two. Double for more.

1 chicken breast - cut into stirfry chunks
1 onion sliced
1/2 red capsicum sliced
bunch of asparagus chopped into chunks
clove garlic crushed
teaspoon (or slightly more) fresh ginger grated
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon low salt soy sauce

Stirfry chicken and onion in a little oil.
Add vegies and garlic/ginger and continue to stirfry.
Add the lime and soy mixture, continue to stirfry until the volume of liquid is reduced and the asparagus is tender.

Serve on rice if you wish but it doesn't really need it if you are trying to cut carbs.

The original recipe called for fresh basil in place of the soy but I didn't have any. Adding some extra chilli or a swig of sweet chilli sauce to the sauce mix would be nice too. You could substitute green beans for the asparagus.

This recipe was really fast to cook and prepare (making it perfect for after gym) and was really delicious.

Queue "Rocky" theme ....

2008-11-07T20:15:00.002+10:00

The scales told me this morning that I've hit the magical 25kg loss mark.

I know I've worked hard to get here but I'm still kinda stunned that I have actually got to that point. Small treat to come to celebrate .... what shall it be... pedicure, new charm for my bracelet, or ????

Next mini-goal is 30kg which will bring me to just over my half way mark.

Balsamic Chicken (or steak) with mushrooms

2008-11-06T20:09:00.002+10:00

Usual thing - enough chicken breast or lean steak to feed two people
1 tbl of balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic
a tiny splash of oil
1/2 a cup of mushrooms
1/2 cup of stock (chicken or vegie)
1 tbl of thyme leaves (fresh)
1 tbl of parsley (fresh)

Coat the chicken with the balsamic/garlic/oil mixture. Cook in a heated pan until just cooked. Set aside and keep warm.

In the same pan you used before. Cook the mushrooms in the stock until the stock is reduced to half. Add the herbs and mix in.

Return the meat to the pan, making sure it gets coated in the pan juices and mushroom mix.

Serve with some steamed vegies.

The recipe was originally for chicken but I tried it with beef tonight and it worked really well. I used some swiss brown mushrooms from the markets and it had a really rich flavour. When I used chicken I used some tiny little mushrooms and it was much lighter. So I suppose it really depends your mushroom preference.

24

2008-11-05T15:00:00.006+10:00

Poor neglected bloggy.

If you've been watching the ticker at the bottom of the page you'll notice that I have almost hit the 24kg mark and dropped two clothes sizes. I think the only 'old' clothes I have left in my wardrobe are items which I haven't gotten around to weeding or still just fit and are relegated to 'house' clothes.

I still have to shake my head that I have achieved that. I mean that's the weight of a small child!
However, I am realistic to know that there is still quite a way to go. Lots of stuff (eg eating and exercising) has become habit and I'm 'mostly' enjoying my time at the gym. Its just when I forget my iPod or when Wayne (my trainer) is in a particularly masochistic mood - although that's not too bad because I know my shape has changed and I can feel muscle developing. Actually I'd love to have stepped on a set of those body fat scales before I started and compared the result with now. I'm sure they'd have a story of their own.

OK recipe time. This is one of my favourites and is really easy.

Baked Lemon Chicken
1 chicken breast (1 large usually is enough protein for both of us)
ground pepper
sprig of rosemary (chopped)
1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
tiny splash of olive oil
small amount of stock (about 1/8 cup)

Rub the chicken with the pepper, rosemary, lemon juice and zest and olive oil. (you can add salt if you prefer but I don't think it needs it)

Sear the chicken breast in a pan so both sides are sealed and add the stock, bake in 180c oven for about 10mins until cooked.

I usually like this with ratatouille.

Helpful Hint
Freeze commercial or homemade stock in icecube trays (the silicon ones work best). When you need to cook onions/garlic/other vegies in oil, use a cube or two of stock. It still cooks the ingredients without sticking and eliminates another source of fat in the form of the oil you'd normally use and taste wise at the end you won't notice the difference. Just reduce your pan heat a little otherwise it will evaporate before you finish frying.

Baggie Pants

2008-09-17T20:47:00.003+10:00

Its been a while I know, and I did promise to share some recipes which I will do (some time) anyway I thought it was time for an update.

I have a problem - baggie pants. I have two pairs of long pants which I can't really wear anymore and a couple of pairs of shorts which are showing signs of BPS (baggy pants syndrome). You see while I seem to be losing weight fairly consistently around my body (except for my boobs but that's another story) I seem to be losing it faster around my bum. So as my waist and hips get smaller, my pants start to slip and I have all this extra fabric flapping in the breeze. Actually I shouldn't call it a problem problem, its a wonderful problem. Its a visible reminder to me that what we are doing is working.

As at my last weigh in, I am just over 17kg lighter than my last recorded 'fat' weigh-in. You see until about 5 weeks ago we didn't own a set of scales, so my last official weigh-in was when I had a couple of procedures done almost two years ago to check out why I was anemic. My weight then was the heaviest I have ever been. Since I hadn't make any attempt to shift the bulk I'm inclined to believe that that mark was more or less accurate around the start of this journey.

So what I have I been doing since my last post? I joined a gym. We have a Beachhouse franchise near here. We checked them out. It didn't seem to be full of posers and 'pretty' people so we joined. They were more than happy to support us and have given us both a set of three personal trainer sessions. We were more than happy to take this up since we were both gym virgins,having never even stepped foot inside one until about 2 weeks ago. Now we both have a weight and cardio program and its great to be monitored to make sure that we are doing this properly. It might have just been some sneaky promotion by the gym because we're giving some serious thought into paying for more sessions. I think its an investment in ourselves and we have a trainer with whom we can communicate with and shares our goals.

By the way Peter is doing really well. He's 12kg lighter than what he was and its really showing in his face and upper body.

BTW I'm feeling inspired by Belinda Keen, a local woman who lost 85kg in 18months pretty much the same way that we are - diet and exercise. Having that mental competitive challenge is good. We'll see how I look in 16 months eh!

Syrupy Jaffa Cake

2008-08-22T19:48:00.003+10:00

This really yummy cake recipe comes from Michelle Trute's Cooking with Conscience vol 2 cookbook. Serves 12

125g reduced fat margarine
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup water
2 Tbls cocoa powder
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 2 oranges
1/3 cup icing sugar

Cream margarine, add the next five ingredients. Beat for 5mins and fold through the zest of 1 orange.
Line a baking tin with paper, bake at 180c for 35-40mins
In a saucepan combine juice with remaining zest and icing sugar over a low heat until sugar dissolves.
When cake is cooked pierce the top with a skewer and slowly drizzle warm syrup over the cake.
Allow the cake to sit in the tin until cooled.

This has a really low sodium level (97mg per serve) but could be lower if you used plain flour and sodium free baking powder.

Ok ... now where was I?

2008-08-22T16:49:00.000+10:00

Welcome to procrastination #2 except I'm not really procrastinating anymore.

If you read my last post on my old blog you'll know an certain 'event' was a catalyst for a major lifestyle change. Its been four weeks since that event and many of the changes we made have become a habit, although we still have many more challenges in front of us.

I'm talking of course of our challenge to become healthier, fitter and thinner. For those not in the know, we're now on a low sodium, low fat, low GI eating plan. I say eating plan and not diet because "diet" always conquers up the idea that you eat rabbit food for four (or more) weeks, lose a ton of weight then go back to your old style of eating. Nope, not this little black duck. This is permanent baby.

Yes, we have been eating lots of rabbit food but we've also been eating well with plenty of protein, dairy, fruit and carbs to make eating still a pleasure. The biggest challenge has been trying to reduce the sodium. Interestingly, we don't miss salt, in fact we tend to notice foods that do have salt.

So this blog will be more of where we're at and what we have found. No doubt somewhere someone will Google it looking for information on low sodium diets, just as I madly googled looking for information and resources when we first started this journey. I'll be back with some of our favourite recipes later.

Incidentally, Peter has dropped a jeans size and I'm going to need a belt for some of my pants before things get embarrassing.

Back again

2008-08-19T21:17:00.000+10:00

Yep... I blew up my old blog.

Typically I kept on composing posts in my head that I really wanted to put down into words, so I've resurrected it. I'm lucky I could still retrieve the old address.

Just don't expect regular updates like before.