We still have hope!

Just a short post here from quake-ville aka Christchurch New Zealand. So many people have terrible stories and had close escapes. There are some who have not been so lucky. My family and friends so far have reported safe and well. It seems that most of the eastern half of the city has liquifaction and minor flooding from broken pipes. The city centre looks like a war zone. Familiar streets and landmarks are now almost unrecognisable.

We still have power this time so have been able to watch the coverage. Phones have been patchy with land lines and cell phones overloaded. Interestingly the most reliable way to communicate yesterday was via text to someone outside the city who could then report back.

Illness is not the recommended weight loss method

I have not been feeling great lately, Miss was sick last week with a rash and a fever so off we went to the doctor. Turned out to not be anything serious but still one cranky little girl. Then this week I have been very blah. Headache, body aches, sore throat, upset insides, general lethargy. None of which combine well with caring for a baby. I have to hand it to mums who manage several kids and work and everything else they do.

But somewhere in the middle was Valentines day. The hubby and I celebrated on Sunday instead so that Nana could look after Miss while we went out. We had a lovely lunch at Cafe Roma then a tour of the city on an old london double decker bus with handmade chocolates. It is amazing what a different perspective makes and some of the history I never knew of the city I grew up in. The hotel balcony that is across from our old school bus stop in town is where The Beatles and the Queen have both stood in front of massive crowds. Who knew? Not me.

Out of curiosity I weighed myself this morning, although this is not an official weigh in, I am down 3 kg from about two weeks ago. I can only put this down to not having eaten much lately and a struggle to keep enough fluids in me.

Super dooper food!

This is a recipe I adapted from a magazine for breakfast muesli and had to share. I can make a big batch for roughly half the price from the supermarket and it is packed with protein, fibre, vitamins, and nutrients. A half cup serve plus a couple of spoons of yoghurt keep me going through 'til luch without snacking or a hungry tummy. I know this is an energy dense food with a comparatively high calorie intake to say plain wheat cereal, but I think it is worth it. As I don't personally count calories I have no idea of the exact number. This is ridiculously easy and cheap to make.

The great thing about this recipe is that if you don't like something you can leave it out or substitute with somehting else. I like to change it so that each batch is slightly different. I made a festive christmas muesli with cashews and cranberries which was delicious. If your nuts are already roasted (not salted) throw them in with the fruit at the end. This would be good made with maple syrup too.

Awesome muesli

5c rolled oats
1c chopped raw nuts (I use almonds and peanuts or walnuts)
1/2c sesame seeds
1/2c sunflower seeds
1/2c pumpkin seeds
1/2c desicated coconut
1/2c baking bran
1/2c wheatgerm
1/4c canola oil
1/4c honey
1/2c brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla essence
1c chopped dried fruit (I use sultanas and apricots)

Heat in a saucepan the oil, honey, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until hot and the sugar has dissoved. Add to the rest of the ingredients (except fruit) and stir well. Tip out onto a baking tray (or two) with sides then spread into a thin layer and bake in a preheated oven at 140 degrees celcius for about 15 mins. Toss and bake again for about 10mins until a light golden brown. While still hot stir through fruit and leave to cool then store in a sealed container.

Weigh in #3 pics finally!

I am finally starting to see a difference in the pictures. I am pleased that I decided to take the pictures each month to document the changes in my body. While I know I have lost weight, as the number on the scale has gone down and my clothes have gotten looser, fit better and been downsized, my mental image has alas not changed.

I have struggled to see any difference in the mirror, even though I now weigh two kilos less than when I got pregnant which is a minor miracle in itself. These pictures are showing me the difference. My tummy is less and my back has less of the dreaded "love handles" aka backfat.

Weigh In #3

As it is the first of the month it is weigh day! Luckily my husband just sorted out the virus issues we were having which resulted in much frustration and the re-installation of just about everything. I just know he would be so pleased to think that he spent many hours last week trying to sort this just so I can blog again.... hmm maybe we won't mention that part to him :).

Enough rambling lets get down to business ...the weigh in... da da dum! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the number on the scale today. I admit I peeked about a week ago and was downhearted when I thought that 0.5kg was all I was down. My pants felt looser and I had to move a ring to another finger because it was too loose and I was afraid I was going to lose my great grandmothers ring! So while I was busy rationalising this last week with muscle gain vs. fat loss the scale went down a whole kilo when I wasn't looking. I don't know why, I haven't done anything different this week. That makes a new weight of 78kg and 1.5kg for the month of January!

Unfortunately I don't have the pics for this month yet but will hopefully do them tomorrow and post them of course!