Annabelle Joy's diary

[Annabelle Joy]

Day 4, Week 10
These plateaus Same as yesterday. All that heat yesterday didn't melt any fat. At the moment I'm 2 stone down from my starting point, and 1.8 kg from 90 kg. I think that getting through both is proving a hurdle.

On the positive side, I put on a favourite pink T-shirt that I've had for years. It's spandex, so expands and shrinks with me. It's actually loose at the moment. I haven't lost much in cms recently according to the tape, but it seems to be a lot looser than it was a bit over a week ago. My hair is thicker and healthier than it's been for years. People keep telling me how well I'm looking. I said to my husband this morning that even without the spectacular losses, this diet is so easy that I don't even think of deviating.

It was great yesterday to meet with hexi, Lauren and Becca. Photo in Melbourne Get Togethers. Don't hexi and Lauren look lovely and slender? Becca and I will look like them next year Only downer was trying to find a parking spot in the Chadstone carpark. I was just getting ready to wait at the exit and offer someone a ride back to their car in exchange for the spot when a lovely man gave me a thumbs up Becca will be in Geelong probably Tuesday of next week. We're going to try to arrange a late (5:45 or 6:30) coffee meeting for anyone down this way who is interested.

Thanks, Irene, Bubbles, Cheral, Jeannie and AlmostEden for posting.

Next time you are flying through Melbourne, Irene, be sure to leave a couple of hours between flights so some of us can meet with you.

Surviving the heat reasonably well, Bubbles and Cheral. We (I'm straight across the bay from Avalon, can see it from our house) were the hottest in the state yesterday at 41C. However, it's quite pleasant here at the moment, despite another hot day expected. Heat is different at this time of year, cools down overnight. I had the air conditioning on all the time in the car yesterday, hardly noticed the heat. It's cooling down again after tomorrow.

Lovely to have you on board, AE. We need more men on this forum. I didn't know hexi until recently, but she certainly looks terrific now. Hope to meet you when we arrange the next Melbourne meeting.

Jeannie, reminding me that it's not long since I was 11.2 is certainly a confidence boost. Thank you for that. I also thought I looked much younger than my age in that photo. I think Lauren might have done some strategic cropping to show me in the best light

Have a great day everyone.

AJ

[hexi2]

Hi AJ - it was so lovely to meet you and share our stories! Yeh go the spandex!!

Kick those baggy clothes to the curb - certainly makes you feel different

[ropemaha]

geez aj, you are doing so well, i really admire the ease with which you have approached and maintained your program. good on you.

i also think the photos from melbourne you look great in. and btw, can you imagine working with hexi, seeing her every day get smaller and she is so bloody young looking and, to add insult to injury, she is a really nice person as well :P and she doesnt deviate, god i hate perfect people, oops maybe i shouldnt be saying this in yr diary

no seriously tho, hexi has come an amazingly long way, no wonder she is the campus goddess and oracle of cohens around here!!

yr doing great aj.

cheers penny

[FotoHijinx]

Hi AJ

Great photo in the meet up.

I'm joining you in the plateau box to watch the others go by *sigh*. Oh well can't complain because we both know it will move eventually!!

Irene

[ConnieK..]

Hey AJ,

Sorry to hear you are having a bad time with weather and losses, heres hoping its a better week this week.

Heres a wee push for you

Connie

[thenewvee]

Hey AJ

Been reading up on how your journey has been going! What an amazing start you had, and you are keeping it up so well.
I also saw the photo of you all in Melbourne, and that must have been awesome to all meet up!
You are a true inspiration and we are all cheering for you so that those scales move in a negative direction!!

Well done!
Vee

[a healthy life]

Hey AJ

Saw your pic at the Melbourne get-together and had to come tell you how great you look! You look young, vibrant, so happy and healthy!!

[Butterfly_girl]

Ah AJ - please send some of the sunshine and heat this way! Golly it's cold, wet and miserable over here today. I was wondering how I'd cope with Cohen's in the winter months and boy, today is giving me a sneak peak of things to come! Brrrr. Just to add my voice to the chorus - the Melbourne pic's look great! You're doing so well AJ - I know without a doubt, you're going to get there!

Thanks again for all your support in my diary - it's always so appreciated! Take care now!

[sundaymorningstaple]

AJ,

Glad it was a good meet-up. You looked radiant in the photo. For that matter you all looked like you were the cat that ate the canary! One would be hard pressed to guess your age that I guarantee. Cropping or not, the photo caught your radiance perfectly.

[Annabelle Joy]

Day5, Week 10
Down 300 gms today. Finally, that 12 kg on my ticker has changed to 13 kg

Winery day today, but there's no chef, so should be quieter. Hopefully, if I'm not too busy I won't have the same fluid retention problems. I'm using the Celtic salt now too, so that also might help. BTW, there's a courser variety, coloured brown, and a finer, white version. Most people buy the courser one I was told, because it's less refined. I went for the white one. I drive past a salt farm (pans of sea water allowed to dry out then salt collected) each time I go to Geelong. The salt is piled into hills and sits, sometimes for months. In that time the top gets very dirty, while the underneath remains white. It's probably not be the same thing at all, but the brown Celtic salt reminded me too much of the dirty salt covering the hills that I see for me to buy it.

Yesterday I took the plunge and joined my local Curves gym, on the understanding that if I can't manage it and the diet I can defer until I finish. It's three rounds of strength building equipment over half an hour three times a week. I'm starting with one round; if that's okay I will increase to two, then to three. I survived yesterday okay, so am hopeful that I will be able to continue.

Thanks, everyone, for posting and for the compliments. I thought I didn't look my age in that photo (great). I'm also feeling a lot happier lately, smiling and laughing more. Which is the happy hormone? It's been boosted for me recently. The cool change is here already this morning, so hopefully quite a cool day, and a cool week ahead.

Hexi, one thing I've observed recently is that tight over 60 yo bulges is an entirely different look to tight over 30 yo bulges. I think that loose fitted is the go at 60

Penny, hexi has been my role model since I started. She more than anyone else helped me with her story and her encouragement right at the start (and I don't mean to suggest that I didn't appreciate all the other help I received).

Irene, I'll pass on some of Connie's dust; it's worked for me, both with the weather and with the weight loss Thanks Connie.

BFG, we'd gladly swap our heat for some of your rain. It's still very dry here. Normally, I prefer the winter, don't like heat, but I'm really feeling the cold at the moment; not sure how I'll get on through this winter.

Thanks once more, everyone, for those lovely comments. I'm almost blushing.

Have a great day everyone.

AJ

[Tuti]

Hi AJ,

Great to see ticker change from 12 to 13.

Funny what you say about feeling cold. Before this period of extreme heat I was feeling the cold, in particular, my feet were really cold. I thought it might be the lack of exercise at the time. It will be interesting to see if you still feel the same after you start your gym work.

I thought all you girls looked so healthy in the photo - one of the obvoius signs of being of the Cohens diet.

Cheers

Tuti

[FotoHijinx]

Hey AJ

yayayayay a loss for you - thats great!!!

Here's to hoping it keeps coming off and the celtic salt kicks in!!

Irene

[paza]

Well Done AJ!!!

Great to see the change on the ticker.

Also you must keep us informed with how you go doing Curves 3 times a week. Im really wanting to start something but am terrified it will slow down my loss.

Good luck with the workouts

[robbie]

AJ - take it slow at the gym - that was one of my downfalls. I've got a membership I can't defer anymore and I refuse to
waste it.

If I do too much weight training I find one - I get hungry - two- I can't lose weight even when I am being 100% which creates this frustration and suddenly the hunger starts talking you into that extra fruit etc. But I can do Pilates, Body Balance and seem to be
able to do small gym sessions of 1/2 hour a couple of times a week. But in saying that I have been struggling to get any
weight loss. So its a great thing to start slow and know you can defer it.

Not wanting to put a downer - you are doing so well - keep looking in the mirror - I think we are all so pleased to find a system that works for us,
but there are certain rules to stick to.

Robbie

[sundaymorningstaple]

Way to go AJ!

You knew it was coming and that 2 days in a row you've capped me. I'm definitely on the plateau now for a bit anyway. Congrats on hitting that 13 mark.

Make sure you are eating your cracker allowance if you are starting an exercise program. Got to watch those dizzy spells yeah?

Good job.

[katieb]

Good job AJ!

Its great to see those numbers change

Katie

[hexi2]

What a lovely compliment AJ about me being a role model! Sweet...

Yeh ok I get the point about tight fitting clothes at 60's but have a look at Pandora - ok she is in her 50's but she looks fab in tight clothes!!

And congrats on the ticker move..here is some Magic Cohens Dust for you

[Jeannie]

Just wanted to say Hi AJ, and well done on your achievments..

[~Ang~]

Congratulations on reaching 13.1kgs AJ, you're doing sooo well Sorry I haven't been around much the last week but I'm here now

[ConnieK..]

Woohoo AJ,

So glad the dust worked!

Look at you zooming along, and your pic was excellent in the get togethers thread, you look so well!

Connie