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Hi everybody - just dropped in to say I haven't fallen off the earth! Kaz, Mel, Jane, Lorna - still think of you guys often  - we should all catch up some time!!! How'd you go in the BTB, Jane? I did ok, but got a terrible cramp at about 7.5km, so I kept having to stop and walk b/w there and the finish!!!!Grrrr! I ended up doing it in about 51 mins, and the boat beat me by about 10 second, apparently!!!!(Hubby and kids saw me finish!) I'm thinking about doing the half marathon at the "Run to the G" in June....not sure - if I don't do that, I'll just do the 10km run. Easter was a bit bad (well......a lot bad.....) I thought I'd kicked the choc thing, but I was wrong!!! Anyway, weight's hovering b/w 59 and 59.5kg, so it's all good!!! I have more muscle on me than last year, and I'm probably as fit as I've ever been! Hope you guys ar all well! Take care, Alison 

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Nothing tastes as good as feeling slim & healthy.....not even chocolate!!!

Chocolate's such a curse, isn't it!  Nevermind, sounds like you're as active as ever.  How fantastic for your kids to be able to watch you finish and cheer you on.  I got the mail out for the Run to the G and pointedly spoke to the dh about doing the family 5kms but he bailed.  He needs to get exercising before he goes back to work or he might do himself an injury.  Anyhow, planning to finish work in a couple of months and concentrate on health and upbringing of boys, so we might be able to schedule a walk later in the year.

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SW: Aug08 - 103.8kgs
CW: 95.8kgs (lost 8kgs)
GW: 79kgs by Mar09

Hi Alison!!!

 What a bugger about that cramp!!! I did well, can't recall the time, though. The girl I dragged with me loved it, too, so I have anohther person to walk with. I wish the Run to the G was not on Fathers Day, That sucks!! we make a big deal of Mothers Day and Fathers Day here, so it rules me out.

Great news on your fitness!
 

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Caution: Sarcastic and Cynical!!!

Lollylorna:

Absolutely awesome work Alison!

You know I've pretty much dismissed low carb previously as being too hard to implement in my household, but I don't actually know that much about it really.  I know it's limiting bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and sugar-loaded foods. Yes?

But if you had to give out say, five golden rules about low carb, what would they be?

Good luck for your run, btw, please let us know your times and how you pull up.

 

As Alison hasn't been back to answer you, I'll have a go.  She is on our Auslowcarb board often (the one started by LCDave) and is going great guns.  She's a star!  Low carb does work if you work at it and stick to the rules.

1.  Give up all refined carbs (white flour, rice, sugar etc)

2.  Eat lots of green evegtables (Atkins says at least 3 cups per day, which for me translates to 6-7 serves)

3.  Eat lots of good protein (meat, chicken, fish, eggs)

4.  Do NOT restrict fat, but go for healthy ones like olive oil etc.

5.  Exercise 5 days a week, even if it is only 10-15 mins to start, working up to 30-60 mins daily.

And last but by no means least - read Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution (2002 issue) properly so you at least get the rules without the hype of the ill informed popular press.  It is in most libraries, you don't have to buy it.

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Odille

Low carb 10/09/05
F/170cm/53

hi gorgeous!!!

you are going GREAT!!!!! your marathon times are great! are the cramps related to the other stuff that was holding you back last year?

i think it's high time for a get together - what say you??? i totally need a fix of my melbourne girls!!! ali i emailed you a while ago seeing if u wanted to get together - mondays & fridays i'm free during the week - weekends by negotiation LOL (with all the kids stuff!)

i'm in the gym 3 days a week - i now consider that a good basis, and really enjoy it when i'm in there, having finally relinquished my old thinking of having to be in there every single day & hating it. if i get in there more, it's fine. but with work & life & kids, i'm being more realistic about it all. also finally realised my goals have a way of being way out of control & unreachable leading me to never achieve them & feeling like sh*t - now they're more managable & i feel so GOOD about me!

anyway would love to see you soon!

luv kaz x

Hi Kaz

I did get that email, and replied to it, but I'm guessing you didn't get that reply!!! Yep, I'm going along nicely. Have fallen off the low carb wagon a bit lately (Easter...grrr!!!) but haven't put any weight back on as I'm doing stacks of exercise. The cramp, I think, ws cos we'd eaten fish & chips the night before, and though I didn't eat that much, I hadn't had it in ages (or since!) and I think it was just sitting in my stomach - lol!!!

I'm free during the week, except for gym and reading/ school elping which is all in the a.m.! Oh, this week I'm working for hubby on Monday! Aas I said in your journal, you're looking goorgeous - and HAPPY!!!!

Lorna, sorry I didn'tdo the "key points of lc-ing" , but , trust me, Odille is far better qualified to do that - so, thanks, Odille - and I have to say, I need to implement those things much better , too!!!!  

Alison

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Nothing tastes as good as feeling slim & healthy.....not even chocolate!!!

i'll go back thru my email - as the whole house uses the computer, they sometimes mark mail as read (if they've opened up my blooming email on me) and so i don't tend to notice it. sorry!!!

perhaps we should set up a little coffee date?!

luv kaz x

Well, tonight's the night we've all been looking forward to.....and I can't wait to see all the transformations..oh, and who won, too! I normally weigh in on a Monday, but , as I've been sort of trying to lose weight with the ABLs ( I started a bit b4 the show went to air) I thought I should do my own "finale day" weigh in. So, I did ; 58.8kg! Woooo-hoooooooooo!!! that's the weight I was at the Coldplay concerts last July, the lowest I've been in 4yrs, so I'm pretty happy! My goal is still 57kg, but I'm happy for that last little bit to come off slowly. I'm actually smaller than I was last year (I know this b/c even some of my smallest clothes are loose!) and have been doing more weights, so I think I've got more muscle on me now.

I was wondering if anyone else who's been following the show had decided to do the same? Even if you're not at goal, it's nice and motivating to see positive results for your efforts!!!   Alison   

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Nothing tastes as good as feeling slim & healthy.....not even chocolate!!!

I'm tossing up whether to do the half marathon or full marathon on the Gold Coast on July 1. I'd be walking pretty much all of it. I was going to run/walk the half marathon but my jogging just isn't happening. The cutoff time is 7 hrs 10 mins for both events so I could theoretically walk the full marathon at 6 km/hr and still finish within the allowed time.

I'm trying to do the optifast diet so that surely isn't helping me have enough energy for jogging (or to study for that matter - I'm so tired, I can barely function). I've been struggling with my own chocolate addiction too. What's the secret to giving it up and being able to eat it in moderation - instead of the normal 200g packet of licorice bullets, or 3x 55g bounties a day, or a whole packet of chocolate biscuits???? HELP!!

You seemed to have done something right if you're 58.8kg now. WOW that's great. What were you at the start of your own BL challenge?

I'm 73 now. Down 12kg from March last year (85kg). Goal of 57kg.

Jules

Hi Jules First of all, congrats on your success so far - you're doing really well. I tried Optifast for a week last year, and I found it didn'twork, and I didn't enjoy it!!! Re-read what you just wrote - that is NOT a good way to be - to be too tired to barely function - you'll be needing a paramedic yourself if you're not careful!!! ( ....sorry, that's the mother in me....!)

Unfortunately, I have no secret to eating chocolate in moderation - basically, I CAN"T! I have to go cold turkey. We've just got back from 2 weeks in Noosa, and I ate SO much chocolate, it was ridiculous - I had to laugh at the chocolate bullets comment, 'cos that's what we became addicted to over the last 2 weeks!!! I'm the same as you - I eat whole family blocks of choc, whole packets of choc bikkies, or whole "share packs" of chocolates, and for me the only way to go, where chocolate is concerned is totally giving it up.

I've never been massively overweight, and I started last year at 69.5kg, got to 58.8 for the Coldplay concert, then was back up to 68.5kg at the start of Jan this year. As a result of our hol, I'm back up to 61.5, but I'm back doing a low carb thing, which I know always works for me, so I am hoping to get down to 57-58kg, which is thin for me (I carry quite a bit of muscle.....plus I'm 37 and have had 4 children!!!) The heaviest I've ever been in my life was 71.5kg,after breast feeding #3 son... I always used to stack on weight breast feeding!!! 

So, I'm sorry I don't really have a secret to giving up, as such - I've always eaten stacks of choc - which never affected me much when I was younger, but it does now. I have to eat none, and I find doing a low carb regime helps to kick the addiction, for me, and also helps me keep the weight off.

Oh, and I'm not doing the half marathon, as it's in a couple of weeks,and I haven't done much in the last couple of weeks , so I'll just do the 10km, and see how I go!!! Good luck!

Alison

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Nothing tastes as good as feeling slim & healthy.....not even chocolate!!!

hey!

 

good luck with the 10km run mate!  :D 

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visit my site for updates - http://www.melbedggood.com

Hi Allison

Hmmm, I jut re-read what I wrote and no, it sure isn't a good way to be. No more optifast for me. Not while I'm trying to study anyway.

Why is chocolate so damn addictive? I love licorice and I love chocolate.

Do you have a typical daily diet for this low carb thing? How low carb is it? How many grams of carbs a day?

I'm thinking of giving my sure slim diet another go. I did it in 2004. Only lasted 5 days. It was such a waste of money (like a whole heap of other diets I've done...). You're meant to have 5 hrs in between each meal (and strictly 3 meals a day, no snacking). It killed me. But optifast kills me too when I'm stressed.

I was up at the shops this arvo and the butcher was totally out of chicken breasts! AHHH. I'll get some in the morning. Will get a few kg's and grill it all. It's great to much on when hungry. It really fills you up.

For me though, the whole chocolate binge thing stems from my emotional-eating habit. I got to work through that. I've had a history of depression and food was my 'thing'. Junk food, that is - anything chocolate. It all started when a friend said "have some chocolate - it's a natural antidepressant". We had a chocolate feast that night and ever since I've really clung to chocoalte as my antidepressant so to speak.

What 10km are you doing? And when is it? You're in Melbourne, yeah? Good luck. Will you be run/walking it or just walking?

If you read my progress journal, you'll see I just entered the full 42km gold coast marathon! OMG - I can't believe it. Hopefully I'll make it to the finish line in the 7 hrs 10 mins. 6 km/hr for 7 hrs. I hope I can manage that. I'm thinking I'll be so inspired by seeing everyone run past me that I'll run some of it too! I can't run for long or very fast but I love the feeling it gives me. It's awesome.

Thanks again, Allison. I'm glad I'm not the only chocoholic around! I feel like such a pig when I binge on chocolate. I wonder though, to be diagnosed with a binge eating disorder, how much do you have to consume for it to be clinically classified as a 'binge'??? I'm doing a mental health subject now - I could look up the DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders). The lecturer has the book. Might be one in the library too I don't think I'm that bad, though it sure feels like it sometimes.

Take care OK, and if you could write down what you had today that'd be great. I do believe the low carb principal of optifast - so after several days you are burning your own fat as energy. How many calories do you have generally a day?

Jules

Well, I'm still battling going down, then back up, down, then back up, down then back up.....you get the picture. Looking to BL to inspire me and hopefully help me to stay on track FOREVER!!!!!!!!

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Nothing tastes as good as feeling slim & healthy.....not even chocolate!!!

hello beautiful! welcome back!!!

how have you been??? are you still running?
and how are your babies going with school? my baby is in high school this year, so yay!!!

am hoping to catch up with jane soon - maybe if you're about we can co-ordinate a nice coffee all together??

luv kaz xx

Hi Alison,

I was just thinking about you the other day. Great to see you back!

Ray

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My new book: Winners Do What Losers Don't