Cynthia’s Blog

This week has been going pretty well…..

Monday we stuck to the plan. That afternoon I needed to do my bi-weekly grocery shopping. There was a bit of temptation there! I usually buy myself a snack while shopping, as it takes several hours, and besides, I agree with the maxim to “Never shop on an empty stomach!” After thinking about it all, I decided that I wanted to lose weight MORE than I wanted to enjoy a favourite food for a few moments. I was rather hungry though, so I brought a banana. Monday’s dinner was beef stew on mashed potato, which we ate a small helping of, and also had coleslaw with a low-cal dressing.

 Tuesday I also stuck to the plan without too much difficulty. Dinner was my thick farmhouse soup - I’ve got used to eating it now without bread and butter, and it’s very filling. That night was the prize-giving and end of year break-up for St John Ambulance Youth, which my girls belong to. My husband and I made the joint decision to allow ourselves a few small items from the supper table. I also brought a bag of mixed raw nuts - it’s amazing how a small handful of raw nuts really makes you feel full and content!

Tuesday night I did not sleep at all well, and also my lower legs were very sore from the unaccustomed walking of the previous two days. I also had burst blisters on both heels, and altogether I told myself I had the perfect excuse to NOT get up at 6am and go for a walk.  I think SOMEONE has a sense of humor, because that morning my 9yo was begging me to take her to a local reserve where she’d walked with a group the night before, to some box where you could put things in and take things out. She said it was on the local road between beaches, and we just parked and it would only take a few minutes plllleeeeaassee Mummy! Not entirely sure what it was all about, I decided that as I had a couple of quick errands to run, sure we’d stop by there too. So my three youngest and I set off. We found the reserve ok, and parked. Then Becky led the way……..Turned out to be about a mile (literally) in each direction - through chest-high grass, over logs, through blackberry and gorse. I got my workout! The box turned out to be a Geocache - there are lots of them hidden around the world, with their GPS locations given on the website. It’s an adventure to find them, and leave a little note in the book supplied, and/or exchange a small item. Now Becky is mad keen to find all the other local ones. I forsee lots of walking in my future!

Wednesday’s dinner was nachos, a family favorite. My husband and I had a small serving, then coleslaw.

This morning my husband and I got up and went for our walk at our regular 6am time. One of the things I like most about these walks, is that I can notice the difference it’s making to my body already. My lower calves and ankles look noticably slimmer, and the…. ahem…..large fatty areas on my hips/lower back definitely feel as if they’re melting away.

Well, time for me to move on and do my housework.

Love

Cynthia