As predicted last week, with it being Mother's Day over the weekend, a small weight gain this week ... of one pound
That makes me Nine stone, eleven and half pounds this week.
(And I know that I could have put on more weight, if I hadn't cut back before Sunday )

Pfft, one measely little pound? That'll be gone before you know it Jane!

I'm sure you'll be grand, copago! Even if it's harder to manage when not at home, the good habits over the long haul on the everyday days really do keep those kilos at bay.

Dave, way to go man! that's great, and at a pace that you are likely to be able to stick to for the long term. Slow and steady definitely wins the race.

Pitegny, you've been doing great too, even if you did have a snack attack. Maybe you'll be stagnant this week, and perhaps not, sometimes the scales are indulgent if there's only a little straying from the rails, and if you keep up walking and getting active, it'll all take care of itself.

I'm struggling to get back into real diet mode, though I'm being pretty reasonable. As a result I am neither losing nor gaining any weight. With the evenings getting brighter I'll be upping the walking, and have also started nordic walking once a week with my neighbour. The first session had me snoozing on the couch for the afternoon afterwards, so it's definitely harder work than my regular hikes.

The scales were indulgent - .5 kilos or 1.1 pounds down at this weigh-in. I feared much worse, but am glad that it is still downward. The good news is that Weightwatchers won't rap me on the knuckles for going too fast! I would like to be losing about 2 pounds per week, so will need to be better about limiting the snacks going forward. Though, this past week it was either the snacks or my sanity. Figuring out some of the stranger IRS forms was driving me nuts.

Santana, the nordic walking sounds like a real killer. I am in full admiration. The snooze afterwards is more my speed!

I am walking regularly now and only missed one day. I did not make it up to 40 minutes at a go, as I had hoped, and think that I probably need to split into two sessions of 20-20 at first.

A French woman I know who lost about 30 kilos a few years back once told me that overweight people are in effect athletes. In all our daily efforts, whether it be walking or climbing stairs, we are carrying backpack weights equivalent to our extra kilos/pounds. Unfortunately, they do not have an Olympic category for this.

Is Thursday your weigh-in day? I like to have it at the end of the week, that way any weekend excessess can be eliminated before the following weigh-in

It's looking like I've had a good week, but the official verdict is tomorrow, so you'll just have to wait till then to see how I scored.

I've signed up for Boot Camp at the gym. Oi! it starts April 2nd. This should be interesting...

Yes, I started keeping track on a Thursday and have kept it going that way. I have an excel table set up with all the weighins between now and the end of the year. I am doing my table, weighing in with WeightWatchers and reporting in to you all. How is that for compulsive? I figure the combination of the three should keep me on the right track, even if it wobbles a little from time to time.

The boot camp does sound interesting, but it also sounds a little lethal! It should definitely be good for some pounds.

I do mine on Sundays, as that seems to be the best day to get things done (I am off on Sundays as my office is closed).

I also picked up one of those (somewhat) new Fitbit Ultra's on Tuesday. While I'll balk about the price point somewhat ($99.95), I won't balk about what it does! It will tell you not only how many steps you've walked (and it can be clipped anywhere on your person - belt, pocket, and even one's bra (for the females here)), but it will also tell you how many flights of stairs you've climbed, and number of calories burned each day. The taller the flower is, the more active you are. I haven't moved the flower to the top yet, but have had five leaves no it, so I know it goes at least that high.

The thing syncs automatically when you are close to the computer you have the software on as well, so you don't have to do a thing, plus it resets itself daily.

edit:
Thanks for the well wishes, Santana.

Pitegny, I've somewhat compulsive as well. I check out the labels on foods and add everything together. As long as I stay below my target calorie count, I'm well. I also set it to where I want a minimum number as well (which is 400 less than my target).

As I suspected, I had a nice 'score' today: -1.7kg, leaving me at 67.6 kg. I still have a few weeks to work at getting back down to my lowest of 63kg, then a few more to eliminate before I reach my goal weight (59kg or less). I see no reason not to get there by this summer.

Being compulsive is one of the major tools towards success in the weight-loss game, I find. It keeps you focussed on your goals, and helps boost flagging motivation when going through a difficult period. While it's a pain to do, writing down everything you eat AND keeping track honestly of all activity you do really helps more than you would imagine. I love seeing my 'activity' tally rise rapidly throughout the week, and it always makes me feel determined not to undo my good work by overeating or eating the 'wrong' foods.

Your gadget sounds great, Dave, though I agree it's a bit pricey!!!

I could button jeans today that I haven't been able to close for at least three years

Great work Santana! I would love to be down in your range. Hopfeully I will get there by the end of the year or sometime next year.

Dave, the gadget sounds interesting. I might try to get one when next in the USA.

No "speeding" (as pitegny puts it)...barely. Another two off this week to sit at 19 st 12 lb.

Great weigh-in! Your counter is certainly showing results.

Great weigh-in! Your counter is certainly having great results.

Backpedalling alert. The scale this morning showed that I am going up this week, not down. Not good.

My youngest son is home on a break from his studies in England, so I am fixing dishes that he likes. We only see him every three months or so and I like to spoil him. I have been tasting little bits as I cook, but what really did me in was a lemon cream chicken and potatoes dish last night. I started out being stoic with only a couple of potatoes and steamed broccoli, kept eyeing their plates, ended up with a moderate helping sauce and all. The sauce was so good that I caved and got some bread to sop it up with. The only saving grace is that when I went to have the leftovers for lunch today, one of the skinny bods in the house had finished them for a midnight snack!

I have two days to weigh-in, so am avoiding nearly all carbs, but I don't think I will make it back to where I was last week.

It is frustrating that it is so hard to have the pounds come off, but they flow on with such ease.

Great stuff, Dave!

I'm hearing you loud and clear, Pitegny! I was a little 'naughty' last weekend, so gained a little (about a pound), but have been a model little student since, have walked 6km every day (except Sunday, but I spent 4 hours ironing then instead), and even today that nasty scales has crept up another wee smidgen. It's hard not to get discouraged, but I firmly believe that loss does not happen on a daily basis, all of a sudden the scales will reflect that effort I've been making.

So let's just get the head down and keep plugging away at it, eh?

SOunds good, Santana

I have gotten back into my daily exercise which had fallen by the wayside with so many trips away and what not! There's lots of varied things I can do but my favourite at the moment is kayaking. With the recent floods it has left us with a big swamp at our side fence and I can get in there and paddle away for an hour.

Two days of really being ultra good balanced off the first part of the week and kept this week a no loss, no gain, exactly where I was a week ago. I feared worse.

Tonight I am preparing cold appetizers for my husband's retirement buffet (his workplace is very strange in that the departing person gives a reception for his colleagues and not the other way around). I picked lots of vegetable-based recipes that will give it a colourful spring look and not wreck my weight efforts as I taste.

Santana, the 6km per day sounds both impressive and daunting, but I have to say the 4 hours of iron sounds like more work.

Copago, while the flooding sounds terrible, the kayaking sounds like a lovely form of exercise. When I was a graduate student in Oregon, I did quite a bit of whitewater rafting, but never tried kayaking. If I can lose my weight, it is something I might give a go. My husband still rafts and did some sea kayaking this past summer in the San Juan Islands. I would like to reach the point that I can do a few more things like that with him now that we will both be retired.

I'm off to the beach this weekend, and I have no idea how bad I'll be. See you when I get back!

Another week, and another 1.5 lbs. off this week, putting me at 19 st 10.5 lbs. I'm hoping for 19 st by June 1.

Excellent Dave - a good example. I hope to join you again this week.

Update on the flower: I found out it goes as high as 11 leaves, and got it to 8 yesterday playing the Wii. I've hit 7 on it quite a few times.

After two weeks, I've lost a quarter of a pound, which makes me 9 stone and 11 and a quarter pounds. I admit that I've been picking this past week (with the beautiful weather!) and seeming it is Easter weekend, more picking this weekend But I plan to try my best until Saturday/Sunday then jump back on the "diet wagon" on Tuesday!

Dave, it is lovely that your flowers are blooming so nicely! Jane, enjoy the Easter goodies!

Good job, everyone! I'm still recuperating from the weekend at the beach. Oi. And I had Boot Camp this morning. Hopefully I'll start to see some movement on the scale in the next week.

You survived! How was Boot Camp?

It wasn't *too* horrible this morning. We started at 6am, did a 5 minute jog, then we broke into 6 stations with a different exercise at each station. We performed that exercise for 1 minute, then rotated to the next station. It was lunges, backward lunges, squats, mountain climber, jumping from one line to another, and running between two lines about 25 feet apart (run to the line and touch it, then back to the first line and touch it, etc). Then we did another 5 minute jog and another round of exercises. One more 5 minute jog, then we had to do 90 second rotations on each exercise. Then a 3 minute jog, 3 minutes of crunches, then stretching.

I'm not as sore as I thought I would be.

Friday morning, she said we will do upper body and core. Oh yay.

SilverMoonsong, it sounds painful, especially the crunches, but hopefully it will be effective!

At the weigh in today I was down, but only a little - .3 kg/.66 pounds. It is not a lot, but at least it is in the right direction.

I was fortunate not to gain, as I meandered pretty far off the path this week. For starters, I munched on the leftover veggies and dips from Bill's reception. The veggie part was good, but the dips were far from low calorie. Plus, I was invited out to eat twice and the other nights we did not eat dinner until nearly 22.00. While he has officially retired, Bill has been working really late each evening cleaning out his office, much of which seems to be finding a new home here at the house. It is our one meal together in the day, so I waited to eat with him. Again, not a good diet technique.

What I am seeing is improvement in my breathing when I walk. I made it all the way up the hill to our house in one go, whereas before I was having to stop a few times to avoid cardiac arrest. These little signs are very encouraging.

Crunches are holy terror, as were the 'mountain climbing' exercise, which we did by getting down on the tennis court in a push-up position, and moving our legs as if we were climbing. I'd rather do an extra 2 minutes of squats!

Improvement in breathing is fantastic! That's what we call a "Non-scale victory." Getting into a smaller size clothes is another NSV.

The easier breathing is showing you're getting healthier, Pitegny!

I love the idea of boot camp. I wish there was one near here that I could go to! But I kind of make up my own and do things like you mention but I just know I would put a lot more into it if there were other people and a trainer.
Might have to steal your workout up there Silver!

Still doing some kayaking on warmer days and I try to walk most days with other bits in between for variety. No movement on the scales. I will have to start *gasp* eating less if I'm going to see anything there I think!

I was really frustrated this morning. A pair of jeans, which had been fitting well even before I began the diet, felt tight around the waist as I was moving around the house. I couldn't figure it out. My weight had dropped a little further this morning, so they should have been looser, not tighter. Then I looked down and saw where they were riding. They weren't up around my waist, but had slipped down (crawled or inched their way down is probably more accurate) and were riding a little lower down toward my hips, which are significantly wider. This means I am starting to see some loss in the waist, which is very encouraging. Every tiny little bit helps!