[Mresta]

Sorry guys, been absolutely flat out with work and what-not.

Had about 5 days where I wasn't losing anything on the Reductil - but I put it down to 2 factors, 1: I hadn't been going to the gym, due to work. and 2: I've been retaining water like a mo-fo (my fault for not drinking enough water this week).

Today will be 2 weeks on reductil, and so fat I've lost 4.1 pounds

So, it's a nicer, slower pace which I'm happy with.

The side effects includd dry mouth, very occasional nausea, and a slight headache here and there - but I think it was to do with the stress I was under this week (with a cold on top of it thrown in for good measure).

I'll start posting again properly soon! Cheers.

[Mresta]

Still on the Reductil - I guess I've virtually stopped the daily updates, just been way too busy. I'm out nearly every night, running around with errands or bogged down with work.

Side effects to note:

• Nausea, this comes and goes - but doesn't really bother me all that much.

• Insomnia - pretty much stopped. My lack of sleep lately has been caused by being busy, other wise I've slept like a log (more than 10 hours worth Saturday night - my body really needed it).

• Dry mouth - daily occurance, again, doesn't bother me. Just means I have to drink more water.

• Headaches - have been getting them, but I can attribute them to stress/my cold (still can't shake that damn thing off)

Overall, nothing really to be concerned over. Health-wise, I felt much worse when I was 2 stone heavier, cold or not! I'm now a weight I haven't seen, since I was 19 years old - I broke the 70kg mark and teetering between 69 and 69.5kgs. Half-way there, just about 2 stone to go!

I went to John's mum's place, since she has my old clothes in her loft and went through them for the first time in 2 and a half years. A few things were too big, quite a few things just aren't my style any more (that all went to Oxfam). Other stuff is still a bit to small for me (they went back into storage). But everything that fitted fine, or very slightly too small (I'll fit into them in the next couple of months) I took with me. I can just about fit into the new Nike gym trousers I bought about a month ago - delibrately bought a size smaller, since I knew I'd fit into them eventually, they're still a little tight, but I'll give it another month and they'll fit fine.

It's funny the reaction I get by wearing my old clothes - People keep asking me "Wow, is that new?!", I keep saying "No, about 5 years old", I delibrately get rid off anything that's too big for me, no point hanging on to them. I can fit back into the beautfiul velvet jacket and pencil skirt that belonged to me mother in the 70's. The skirt says "Size 18", though it fits like a current size 14 - funny how clothes are vanity sized these days.

[Mresta]

And if you see me scoffing any croissants, slap me.

I want to try and get to 67kgs (148lbs or 10st 6) before I get to Australia.

I still want to make my goal of being in the overweight category and not the obese category before I go back home.

It means about 5.5lbs in 3 weeks, considering on average on reductil I've lost 2 lbs a week - I think I'll be ok (it'll be about 1.8lbs a week).

Yes I know I'm losing it faster than I should - 2 lbs is the absolute maximum anyone should lose in a week, really it should be a pound a week for me. But with the Reductil, I'm just not up for eating that much. The weight loss just seems to happen, even when I'm not exercising alot.

My concern is that I'm losing muscle tissue, not fat. But my stomach is visibly flatter and my thighs seem thinner, so it must be fat, right? I don't feel any weaker physically either and I my workouts at the gym haven't really changed. I've been told to hold off on weight lifting til I'm at a healthy weight (so I'm guessing about 6 more months).

Maybe I should do a body pump class once a week + my usual cardio to keep me in check? Since body pump is very low weights and cardio combined...

[Mresta]

Another pound is gone! *happy dance*

Not long now before I'm out of the obese category and into the overweight category - and on my way to my healthy weight!




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[LuckySmile]

Just wondering who told you to wait until you were a healthy weight to start lifting weights?

[Mresta]

My trainer. We went through my body type and physical history.

I have a tendancy to put on muscle very easily - but it's much harder for me to lose fat. As I didn't not want to bulk up, and my weight loss is being monitored by my doctor (she's not looking for muscle to fat ratio, but seeing the scales go down, since I'm pre-diabetic), he suggested to hold off on weights and stick to cardio until I got my BMI down to 25.

He tested my strength and said muscle-wise, under the fat layer I had a very good strength level, considering I'm less than 5 ft tall and female. (I can probably contribute it to working in a hardware store for most of my teenage life up until a few years ago, where I was lugging around bags of concrete and soil most days).

Basically I'm an Endo-Mesomorph body type. Where I'm muscular, but have a greater body fat, mainly targeted around the hips/thighs and upper body area, as opposed to my middle (my stomach and waist line is always the first thing to go when I lose weight - makes buying trousers a bitch "too big around my waist or too small around my hips").

[LuckySmile]

Ok, I didn't want to knock the advice before knowing the reason, seems like you got pretty sound advice even though it goes against the norm.

Sounds like we are alot the same height/body type wise, I just wish I could lose it around the middle easily

[Mresta]

Saw the GP since I've been on Reductil for one month now to do the usual checks - blood pressure, pulse rate and weigh-in.

All in all, very good news. My blood pressure is fine, my pulse is fine (even though it was slightly quicker, since I power walked all the way to the clinic because I was running late). Side-effects are practically non-existent except the dry mouth, so I drink more water (makes me pee like a race horse though) My weight?

67.5 kilograms!




Check it, yo! I'm no longer in the obese category! ...yes, I know, I'm overweight now...but it's so nice not having to say I'm obese any more.

The only downside is I have to get checked every 2 weeks for the next couple of months. Have to sort it out with my bosses.[/img]

[Mresta]

Down to 67kgs! (147.7 lbs)




I bought a pair of jeans yesterday, in a size 14! HA! Now, if only Britian made clothes for women who actually have waists, that would be nice, since it fits fine around my thighs, but too big around my waist - I am doomed to have to wear belts forever.

Have to see the nurse for my blood pressure/pulse tomorrow morning, then I have to go to work. I have a meeting with my new Creative Director to show him my folio and talk about future career prospects (I want to get solely into design now, so keep your fingers crossed). My appraisal has been delayed until I get back from holiday now (annoying, but what-ya-gonna-do), so I'll probably find out the outcome then. Then I have to leave work early so I can get to the airport early enough to grab John an exit seat so he has more leg room.

[Mresta]

Got back from Australia last week (dear god that was hard - I went from being the "fat girl" out my group of friends to the thinnest one - I'm still really overweight! Goes to show what marriage and settling down can do to you - John barely recognised one from a year ago.)

I was given a hard time because of how "little" I eat, when you saw my family's portions, you'd balk. They were eating twice as much as they should be and complaining they couldn't lose weight.

My mother's friend asked me how I lost the weight, I told her truthfully "While I've had medical help the last 8 weeks, since September last year the bulk of my weight was lost because of eating less, eating healthily and excercising more."...now imagine a heavy, uneducated, maltese smokers voice "what? excercise? eating less? I don't want to do that!". UGH - I felt like slamming my head into a wall. I got even weirder looks when I went out first thing in the morning for a run before breakfast.

My boyfriend grabbed me and hugged me and said "it's little wonder when you lived with your folks it was hard for you to lose weight - they're obsessed with food!" - obsessed is an understatement. My mother made a fried (yuck) breakfast every morning, after John finished eating a mountain load (I just had toast), she'd start preparing lunch and get annoyed that we were about to go out, saying "what, you no stay for lunch?!" *facedeskfacedeskfacedesk*

I wanted to cry because I felt like I was being forced fed, I was constantly judged because of the amount or type of food I ate (they might like mcdonalds and burger king - hungry jacks in Australia - but I avoid it like the plague NATURALLY) and they thought I was getting too thin!!! I'm 5ft tall and 65.5kgs for christ's sake! I need to lose another 9 kgs before I'm even considered a healthy weight!

After I related my story to my doctor when I got back to the UK (don't get me started on a restaurant called "Lazy Moe's", the portions for individuals were enough for a small family - I felt physically ill by the amount of food placed infront of me, how an entire bag of french fries being served per person is appealing, I'll never know).

She looked at me in horror, got me to go on the scales straight away and told me I was lucky I didn't put weight on. I lost 1.5 kgs that month (as opposed to about 4.5 kgs the month before). But she was happy with the progress and gave me another month's supply of Reductil and said to get back into my old routine and I'll do fine, since I'll be the one in control without any family pressure. I never thought I'd be so glad to see my gym again as I did this week, I started as soon as I got over the jetlag.

It's nice buying size 12 tops too, I haven't been a size 12 in YEARS. Had to by a smaller pair of jeans (again!) too. Just need them taken up. AND I'm getting nice emails and comments at work since people are noticing more. I'll post a couple of before and after pics later on tonight.

Righty-O - Tracker from when I started Reductil, til I get to my max-healthy weight (my short term goal - to reach a BMI of 25 by my birthday). Then get to a BMI of 22 by John's birthday in March next year.

[losingtowin]

You are doing great! I am so proud of you for doing what you know is right. It's hard when you are around other people who eat so much and then crtitcize you. But you are doing what is right. Keep it up!

[Mresta]

thanks, I'm really trying to get back into my old routine again.

Problem is, I was getting really worried about my mother's and sister's weight (the whole thing that kicked this off was I'm susceptible to diabetes), if I even mentioned "maybe eating that KFC isn't such a good idea", all hell broke lose.

[losingtowin]

They're not ready to hear it. They may actually be sensitive about their weight, even if it doesn't seem like it. All you can do is express concern, and let them know you love them no matter what they weigh, but you want to make sure they are around a long time. From there it is up to them. You can't force someone to want to lose weight and to do it. I know for myself I wanted to loose weight, for YEARS! Now it is finally comming off. What did it? Don't know, but I do know that I am actually sticking to something, and I weight less now than I did when I got married. Keep it up for yourself, not for anyone else. You will succeed, and remember that you will then be around a long time to see your children and grandchildren.

[Mresta]

I can relate to that, I didn't want to hear it - til the doc said I was killing myself slowly. My sister and mum are what I call "fad dieters", they'll try anything new that comes out, do it for a couple of weeks and give up.

I do love them, but I was hoping what the doctor said to me would ring true for them too and they'll take notice of what they're doing. Especially with diabetes so rife on my mothers side. Yeh not eating sugar might help - but not if you're heading for severe obesity.

My little siser lost alot of weight a coouple of years ago - 15 kgs in 7 weeks, she virtually starved herself. Yeh she might be thinner, but a (then) 15 year old's breasts shouldn't sag and have no form like a woman in her 60's. I was given endless crap "look how good your sister looks!" - I kept my mouth shut, since I knew she'd put it back on. She got excited when I told her about reductl, asking "ohhh, would the doctor give me some?!" - I told her no, she too young, that she'd have to keep exercising and eating healthily for life and it's not a quick fix.

She bitched and moaned about the "for life" thing...and my mother - she said she threw out the bathroom scales saying "they no work" - when I asked about them so I could keep track of my weight there. Dad told me later, she threw them out because she had it stuck in her head she was stil 74 kgs and a size 14 and didn't like what she saw.

Sorry about the rant, but it really got me down while I was there.

[Mresta]

Due to get my blood pressure check this Thursday, so far so good. Weight loss is on schedule...

It was damned hard finding old photos of myself, because I didn't want anyone to take a full body shot of me for such a long time. The old photo I have posted below is of me at my work's Christmas party last year.

Keep in mind that at that point I had already lost about 6 kilos over a period of about 3 months.

The later photos were taken today in my work's shower room, ala myspace.




Gross...I don't even want to imagine how I was like at 82 kgs let alone 76!



Better...9 kgs to go for my healthy weight!