Annabelle Joy's diary

[lj]

Hi AJ

Good to see you are almost finished..There aren't too many that deserve this more than you. I lurk every now and again and always barrack for you from the side lines. You have always been a big support for many others on your journey.

Can't wait to see you on the other side of maintenance

Hugs and Best wishes

LJ

[Annabelle Joy]

Still up 200 gms on my low. Loss for the week is 1 kg, so not too bad. Better are my cm losses, 4 cms off the main measurements and 4.5 cms off the others. These are both better than I usually manage to lose, so overall not a bad week.

I visited the hairdresser yesterday for colour and trim. After organising the mortgage on the house to pay him, I visited my father. Dad's looking much better and is speaking better, more 'with it' than he has been for a long time. However, when I arrived he was just sitting in his chair doing nothing. He seemed to be waiting for dinner time as the only thing he had to look forward to for the day. I put on the DVD of photos that DH had prepared for him and we watched those together. At least he is now able to watch and read the captions on them. Previously, even that would have been too much mentally for him.

I'm going to visit my consultant today and have a blood test. I'll be talking about refeed, but I'm not yet getting any clear signals that it's time for me to start. I'm planning on waiting until I get hungry.

I've put some photos that DH took after I arrived home yesterday in my before and after photos, and also below. I have trouble believing that the reflection I see in the mirror these days really is me. The young woman who did my colour commented on how smart I was looking when I went in. I was wearing the leather jacket for the first time in about 20 years.

Thanks for stopping by, Tara, Louise, Steph, Jules, lj and anyone reading this.

Thanks, Tara. Good week for losses. Some of the really hard to move fat is moving a little.

Louise, I haven't given up on changing meals around, but have eaten yoghurt all this week I think, as I've been really busy and it's so quick in the mornings. I discovered yesterday as I emptied a container that I've not been eating low fat this week either. I'm buying the Gippsland yoghurt, and the normal and low fat look the same and are side by side on the shelf. I will continue to mix up my meals when I can. I don't think it's making any difference to me though. Nothing seems to hurry losses along for me, but being busy can slow them down. I'm hoping I will have at least started refeed before the wedding. Then I will have had some chance at introducing new foods before what I intend to be controlled deviation. I will restart after the wedding if I need to.

Thanks, Steph. I hope to be done, but my goal is actually fairly high, and I may well go several kilos below that. I'm wondering whether to change the goal to 59, which is the low end of my Cohen range. I'm not expecting to get that low. I'll discuss with my consultant today.

Thanks, Jules. I'm looking forward to using the GPS. I did plan on working out how to use it while I was waiting for the colour yesterday, but spent the time on menu planning for the rehearsal dinner, a more important priority. The bride is gluten and onion intolerant and vegetarian plus fish, her brother is full vegetarian and his partner only eats chicken among the meats, so requires some thought so there's variety and still enough for each of them. I'll know more about refeed after I see my consultant.

Thanks for stopping in and posting, lj, and for the encouragement. Even after all this time, I still appreciate and am helped by it.

Have a lovely, stress free, day, everyone.

AJ

[lucylou]

Hey there Groover, I expect the next photo of you will be on a motorcycle! Every time you post a photo you look younger and younger, it's amazing.

Your recent losses have been great, I didn't really think I'd catch you up. I seem to have slowed down a little but I'm not too hungry yet so there's plenty of time, just getting a bit impatient some days. 59kg is the low end of my range too but I'll be more than happy to maintain between 60 and 61kg.

I hope the photos cheered your dad up, I'm glad his eyesight's improved.

x

Loulou

[Cheral]

Looking VERY good Joy, and you appear to be in proportion. The weight seems to have gone from your lower half. Are you noticing that? Im at work and cant see your ticker, but can see youve not got too long to go now.
I think my goal was similar to yours - 59-62kgs. I chose to refeed at the 62 mark as I felt and still do that that extra three kgs would drain my face too much. I still wish some of the wrinkle padding there had stayed !!!...
Have a good weekend.

Cheral

[SOON TO BE]

just popped into say, you look fantastic AJ
happy days
tara x

[janine]

Wow AJ, you look fab!

[*Kate*]

Whhhooo look at you hottie!! ;P

Glad to see you are still going well...even being up 200grams means a 800gram loss which is pretty great!

[thenewvee]

Hi AJ

Just catching up on your latest posts. It sounds like refeed is just around the corner! Did you get to order it yet? It's strange when you can hardly recognise your own reflection in the mirror! I know I'm having that, but I like looking at how much better this slimmish person is that I see.... It certainly gives me a lift everytime I see my reflection and makes me feel that this is such a worthwhile journey!

Hope refeed happens when you want, so that you can have a bit more freedom for the wedding!

Vee

[perthwoman]

WOW you look beautiful AJ!

Very motivating! I hope the last few kgs go quickly for you, i'm sure they'll be gone in no time.

[Mette]

You look absolutely stunning AJ! You are such an inspiration to everyone on the forum!

I'm glad to hear that your dad is feeling better. It's good that you were able to get the photos to him, hopefully that will cheer him up.

And congrats on your losses for the week! Especially with the centimetres! That's brilliant!

Have a great weekend!

[Doona]

Looking good AJ - I am impressed!!!

Take care D

[becca]

Hi AJ,

Wow dont you look fantastic in those photoś every time i see you, you can really see an amazing difference your whole body shape has changed.

How did you go at the clinic - how did the refeed talk go?

Hope you have a restfull weekend and can budge the last bit of weight.

becca xx

[Annabelle Joy]

Down another 400 gms (600 from yesterday). Also down another half cm on upper and lower hip measurements.

I had a 'me' day yesterday. I had my blood test and saw my consultant then did some shopping for new clothes, then came home and had a spa, and spent nearly an hour on the massage bed in the evening, then a reasonably early night.

My consultant was at the front desk when I walked in. She hadn't seen me for three months, and was so excited to see how I'm now looking. She's great, always so enthusiastic and helpful. She's going to order my refeed so I have it ready as soon as the hunger kicks in. We talked about the wedding and how I would manage the weekend (four days in Melbourne staying with friends and three wedding functions). She's very helpful and reassuring. I asked her to measure my height again. My goal weight is 60-63, so 60 is the lowest I will go to. My ticker goal is above the range because older women usually finish a couple of kilos above. Not sure whether to change the goal to 60 or leave it where it is. The current ticker is a 40 kg loss for me.

I then stopped at the outlet store of a local designer and bought $550 worth of clothing for $80. I now have a pair of wide legged lined black pants with a slit to the knee at the sides, two very lightweight print shirts and a solid pink shirt. All but one shirt are a wee bit tight, but wearable as is. I will wear the pants and one shirt for the rehearsal dinner before the wedding, and one of the other shirts for the post wedding lunch. I then bought elsewhere six tops for $70, down from $120. What's great about shopping now is that I look good in anything I try on (unless it has short sleeves), and I can find lots of sale items that fit. Previously, I'd try things on that did absolutely nothing for me, and that cost as much or more individually as I spent on several garments yesterday. DH prefers my earlier mode of shopping in the local opp shops.

I also did some food shopping. I want to try a few things in the Thermomix, definitely non-Cohen. I bought two mangos for $3 each, down from $5 each recently at my supermarket, and some fresh fish (whiting, tuna, snapper) which haven't been available to me locally. I need to have more days off like that.

Thanks for calling by, LouLou, Cheral, Tara, Janine, Kate, Vee, Perthwoman, Mette, Doona, Becca and anyone reading this.

LouLou, I'll be happy anywhere from now on, although I would like to lose at least 2-3 more kilos. The lowest I've ever been as an adult was 63 kgs, and I was there for only one day. I'm not sure I want to go that low and have to maintain it, but do intend allowing my body to decide.

Cheral, I'm hoping that my face will look okay at the wedding. If I'm not to refeed by then I'm very likely to be looking rather hagged, will have to remember to smile a lot. However, I'm doing this for me, not for the wedding, although will enjoy looking good on the day. I probably have anything from two to eight weeks to go until refeed and the wedding is five weeks away. My hips are looking pretty good now, but I still have a problem with upper thighs and legs, don't expect that to go. I've been reading the Botox thread, but decided that I need so many lines fixed that a facelift would be a less expensive option.

Thanks Tara and Janine.

Kate, the 200 gms is just fluid, so I don't count it anyway, always take the lowest weight I've reached.

Refeed will be ordered as soon as my blood test results are in, Vee, but I won't start until I'm hungry. After all the time spent getting to this point I want to finish it correctly.

Thanks, Perthwoman, Mette and Doona.

You're right, Becca. I'm noticing how much my hips have changed. I'll receive my refeed next week, but expect to have plenty of time to study it.

Have a lovely, stress free, day everyone.

AJ

[LessisMore]

You're looking fantastic AJ - I remember looking at your starting photos, it's a huge change. What sizes are you wearing now? And your shopping day sounds extremely successful.

LiM

[KitKat]

Hi AJ

thanks for calling by my diary - again

Your new photos look great and the shopping spree sounded like a great way to spend a day! Thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement

[Erra]

Hell chick in leather, AJ!!! That jacket would sell for a fortune, in the store, and seeing as how you are a quality lady, I'm sure as well it is a 'brand', or quality label of sorts.....

Good on you for your posts, perspectives and insights in SMS rant thread too, by the way, I think alot of people, myself included, really need your view, angle and experience, when it comes to that hideous grey area.

Cheers

[Annabelle Joy]

Down another 400 gms this morning. I had a quiet, relaxed day yesterday, and that usually helps. Managed to get to a few diaries and other forum threads.

I made some lemon butter in my Thermomix. I'm trying it out with the idea of making lemon tarts as one of the desserts for the rehearsal dinner. I tasted it, had great difficulty spitting it out. It was divine. I also tried icecream -- real icecream with lots of cream and eggs. It tastes pretty good, but not as good as the lemon butter. Very tempted to do some spoon licking too, but resisted.

Today also should be quiet. I have some Thermomix admin work to do, and need to go to the winery to talk with the chef about flyers for Christmas and New Year's Eve functions.

Thanks for stopping by, LiM, KitKat and Erra.

LiM, I'm wearing size 12 and medium at the moment. I bought a couple of size 10 and small garments on Friday, but they are the ones that are a bit snug at the moment. I'm hoping I will be able to wear at least some size 10 by the time I finish. I was wearing size 20/22 when I started.

Thanks, KitKat. I appreciated your reply in SMS's rant thread. Obesity often is an illness that has its roots in the same causes as bulemia and anorexia; it is a psychological issue.

Thanks, Erra. I'm not sure of the label, but I do remember that the jacket was quite expensive at the time. I have absolutely no fashion sense, but always tended to classic style, so still have some clothes that are very old but don't look it, although they mightn't be the height of fashion. I think that the main thrust of SMS's original post was lost in the discussion. My understanding was that he started out viewing his opinion that someone who was only playing at being on Cohen's was wasting everyone's time, including their own. He posted it in response to another post elsewhere on the forum. I am more sympathetic to deviations than some of the others, because I see obesity primarily as a psychological issue and because I believe that some people are mentally stronger and better equipped to deal with life than others. However, I believe that, despite the way some of the posts may have sounded, everyone wants to help and encourage those who are trying to succeed but may have had a deviation or two along the way. Also, I don't condone deliberate deviations although I prefer to remain silent rather than condemn anyone. At the moment I'm feeling a bit of a charlatan on that as I am planning to deviate at the time of my son's wedding. I'm hoping I'll be into refeed by then. I'm not really looking forward to it, wish I could have finished in time, but as MotG I would spoil the occasion a little for them (and for me) if I insisted on eating my own food.

Have a lovely, stress free, day, everyone.

AJ

[shell]

Hi AJ,
I see you are steaming along, well done.
Great loss for the day.

Have a great day
Shell

[Cocopop]

Hi AJ - only 2.4kg to go - UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

It seems like only yesterday that you had 9.8 (I think) to lose and that seemed incredible to me - well now it seems out of this world! I am so excited for you and can't think of anyone who deserves it more!

Once again I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your caring and support - you amaze me! I can't wait to see you reach your goal.

You'll be in those size 10s in a couple of weeks!!!!

Sooooooooooooooooo close!!

[Andy46]

Your doing very well AJ - you champion - I remember so long ago when you started and how you had lots of wondering about when you would get to the end ......isnt it just the best feeling to achieve so much !!!!!

We have used our thermomix so much - its the best meat mincer as well and use it just about every day for something - Jenny has just finished making 4 punnets of strawberry and yogurt breakfast meals and then she has another 7 punnets to make me ice-cream sort of ones - like wiese bars but much better - freezes and sets them in cake tins then cuts them into bars and wraps them in glad wrap and hides them in the freezer for me - so very good in summer.

You will enjoy yours even more so when you get to maintenance - it is much better to use and lots of Cohen friendly recipes in Cindi O'Meara's books.

Anyway great to see you so close to your goal and looking so good.

Andy