Today’s the day

I have 10 weeks to get myself back in shape for a wedding. That’s the goal anyway.

I don’t want to diet anymore. I don’t want there to be anything that I cant have. In moderation. I want to reprogram my brain and body to eat slowly and eat in moderation (that word again) rather than vacuuming any and all food up throughout the day.

I am doing this with a friend except I think she is dieting.

I am going to try to exercise each day (baby steps but I will get there). DD is coming to the gym with me today and helping me on the exercise bike – not the one that everyone rides but the one that looks like a real bike – I don’t know what it is called but for some reason it scares me. So she is going to help me get past this fear or laugh herself silly at my attempts. Also aiming for 10,000 steps per day.

Drink more water. Of late have not been drinking water. Have been eating instead so will use this as a deterrent to eating. Will try to drink 2 litres a day but not to have any after maybe 4 as I will be up all night wearing a track between bed and bathroom.

Eat food that I know is good for me. I know what it is – I have been doing this for centuries. Except in my mind I think this food is not fun. Sausage rolls, chiko roll, hot chips, any carbs, wine etc = fun. Have to change this mindset. Don’t know how to do this as yet but am going to try.

Okay weighed in this morning and got a bit of a shock. I knew my work clothes were getting tighter but didn’t quite realise how much I had put on. I actually think I was in denial.

I am going to try to lose 1kg a week. That might put me into the ballpark of the weight I want to be especially for summer. It means I will have to refocus on me for a while.

DS is finally making moves to move out of home. I love him dearly but he is driving me mad. Cant seem to have normal conversations with him – it is all centred on him: his job, his girlfriend, his moods, his friends, the fact that he doesn’t earn enough money etc etc. It just goes on and on. He has kind of overstayed his welcome and I gravitate between really enjoying his company to hiding from him which is hard to do as our house is not that big.

DH has gone away for a weekend with the guys to play golf up the coast. Believe it or not he actually took his computer with him. I hope he relaxes and enjoys himself. He really needs a break.

Have nearly decluttered/cleaned out my study and it is wonderful. Still have a bit to do but ran out of bin room in both the rubbish bin and the recycling bin. Cupboards and drawers seem to be my weakness although once they get full I do branch out. I think the key to decluttering for dyed-in-the-heart hoarders is to do it more than once, maybe every month. It is way too hard to get rid of everything in one go but if you do one big clean out (the first) and then say every month a minor one it might work out easier. Had to laugh though, DD went through my Lifeline box and took heaps of stuff home. Her partner was probably not too impressed.

So a quiet weekend ahead. Just Lucy the Wonderdog and me unless DS hangs around. Hope I don’t have to do too much cooking.

Take care and wish me luck this week.

Declutterbug

Well it is still cold here but I have the spring cleaning bug. Not really spring cleaning because, well, it's still too cold to be out washing windows and blinds etc. but I have started decluttering. This is going to take a while with the culmination here in my study which is progressively getting harder and harder to get into.

This Friday coming is the start of my 10 week plan to get back into some sort of shape for a friends sons wedding. No set plan about how I am going to do this. Maybe drink more water, wear my pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day and eat less rubbish. Should do it.

There is so much to do - crosswords to finish, ironing to finish, plants to water, clothes to put away, bathrooms to clean, books to read, knitting to start, folk art project to finish and I am sitting here typing my blog.

I had better get back to decluttering - family room and lounge/dining room almost done. Only came in here to shred some papers. I just cant be trusted.

Have a great week. I am getting back in the swing of reading blogs again so you will hear from me soon.

I'M WALKING ON SUNSHINE

I'm walking on sunshine (whoa oh)
I'm walking on sunshine (whoa oh)
I'm walking on sunshine (whoa oh)
And don't it feel good (HEY!) Alright now
And don't it feel good (HEY!) Alright now
All right now yeah! (HEY!)

I am feeling better inside myself. My “positivity” has returned. Who would have thought that a medication that was supposed to be helping my RA would have such a detrimental effect on my mind and thank goodness, in a way, that the doctor increased the dose and I got so sick and had to stop taking it otherwise I might never have known the cause of the problem. I am back to seeing the good side in everything and am so thankful although I know that this attitude irritates some people enormously (my mother in particular).

Have not been watching what I eat and as a result have put on a number of kilos yet again. Well actually I have been watching, I look at it all just before I put it in my mouth. Have cut back on alcohol quite a bit (none during the week unless it is a special occasion) for no other reason than I don’t think it agrees with the medication I am still taking. Not much exercise as cant really walk but still keeping up the yoga and pilates with a bit of stationery bike riding and some upper body weights.

Am attending the son of a friends wedding in November so I have set the start date for getting back on the wagon as Friday, 29th August 2008. That gives me 10 weeks to lose however many kilos I am up to by then.

Thank you Molly for your kind advice. I will ask my doctor about that medication, it sounds so promising but I might not meet the criteria to get it on the PBS and therefore the cost is prohibitive. But it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Congratulations Zanna on joining the gym not that I think you need it. You are looking wonderful and are as usual a great inspiration to us all.

I am behind in my google reader reading (try to say that fast) but I promise I will get there and get up-to-date with everyone’s posts. That was part of my sickness I think – I was reading posts but felt I didn’t have anything to say. Well that has gone now so watch out.

And speaking of looking at my google reader, I cant help but notice the number of people who don’t blog anymore: Margaret, Catherine, Chris, Mary, Phillipa, Michelle, Linda, Jodie Sue etc etc. I do miss reading your news and hope that if you are at least still reading that all is going well in your lives.

Am off this weekend to see Cirque du Soleil’s latest show, Dralion. DS is supposed to be coming with me but he may get a better offer. Somehow I don’t think he will get away with that. His father may kill him or at least give him a severe talking too.

DDs partner has been retrenched and she is so worried about their financial position. He is going for an interview this Friday so everybody keep everything crossed. I have told her that I will help out with expenses if they need it.

DS is finally having his shoulder surgery in September. We are paying for that as well or at least the part not covered by his medical fund.

I love my two immensely, but someone tell me, do they ever truly become independent? Probably my fault but sometimes it becomes exhausting.

My renovations may be moving into the next stage soon rather than the just dreaming and talking about it. DH arranged for the builder to visit this week for preliminary talks. I will believe it when it happens though. It must be getting closer.

It is still cold here (the coldest winter we have had in quite a number of years I think) but the jasmine is out and I can feel spring in the air. I feel a bit like Moley in Wind in the Willows .

Hope my dear ones that you are all okay…….talk soon.