High School

Thursday:

My baby started High School yesterday! I can't believe he is in Yr 7 already.

The rest of the school didn't go back until today (sports uniform on Thursdays).

Yesterday was Jasmine's birthday. There wasn't any movie we wanted to see so we decided to stay home. We watched some Glee (we're up to Season 4, we watched on TV when it was originally on but now we're enjoying it again) and did a craft project she gave me for Christmas, matching tote bags.

I avoided most treat food temptations - so many this week! - but did have one slice of French toast for breakfast and another small piece of ice cream cake in the afternoon. The Duromine is still working really well at the lowest dose to suppress appetite and cravings. I know I have had a few bits and pieces but honestly I've been surrounded by tempting unhealthy food and I've resisted most of it. I've lost all the recent extra weight and I'm back to the weight I was for my long plateau, I only got lower than this very briefly early last year. It's so good to be losing again, and I'm feeling mentally strong. It is Chinese New Year this weekend (my sister-in-law is Chinese) and I know there will be my favourite roast duck... very fatty but at least it's low carb! 

I spent part of the morning yesterday filling in forms. I may be getting some casual library tech work at a TAFE (tertiary education). While I was doing my work placement at a local TAFE library I met the boss of another cluster of libraries briefly. Turns out she needs a pool of temps to draw from, my supervisor recommended me, so she sent me the employment forms. It really is who you know. This group of TAFEs are about an hour's easy drive away on the highway, not through city traffic, and since Aiden is now leaving for school an hour earlier than he was I can be there from when the library opens until early afternoon and still be home for the kids. So hopefully some work does eventuate. 

I feel thinner

Monday:

I lost a massive 2.5kg this week, 2 of that since restarting Duromine, and I feel thinner already. I'm hoping for around 1kg per week from now on. Duromine (phentermine) doesn't lose the weight for you, but it suppresses appetite. It's so much easier to resist temptations, and there have been plenty. I didn't measure my waist at the start, but it was 96cm this morning which I think is my equal lowest. I tried a bit of TRE - time restricted eating - when you lengthen the overnight period you don't eat. No snacks after dinner and maybe a later breakfast or don't eat to lunchtime depending on how long you're going for. Apparently anything over 12 hours without eating lets your body go into autophagy which is the natural repair cycle - dumping old damaged cells and building new ones. Very beneficial. And you lose more weight eating the same amount of food over 24 hours if you eat in a smaller time window. I'm not pushing it - I eat when I get hungry - but I've never liked early breakfast and no snacking in the evening has got to be good for me!

My father-in-law is remarrying next weekend. His wife died 10 or so years ago of MS and he's been with his current partner Jo for about five. On Friday the 'girls' of the family took her out to dinner as a sort of Hen's night, then Saturday the 'boys' took Des out. She has children and grandchildren who will be there for the wedding of course but they don't live nearby so we did it. I have no concerns about the marriage, only the wedding itself which will be an hour inland from here at the groom's brother's property where the temperatures are up to 10 degrees hotter - in the middle on an Australian summer! The ceremony probably outdoors (under shade)! The forecast is for 37C. I am not looking forward to that. The dinner (catered roast on a spit I think) will be eaten inside in the air conditioning but even the roomiest house would be crowded with around 50 people. And when I visited that house a year ago it was still under construction and I was shocked to find out they had been building it for 20 years... apparently they have stairs up to the front door now so you don't have to climb on cinderblocks through the garage... I tried to talk them out of the venue, but it's their choice so I'll just have to sweat and bear it.

Tim is back at work today but the kids still have a week before school starts. My little Aiden starting High School! Still can't believe it.

Personal Trainer

Thursday:

I had to cancel/postpone my second session with my personal trainer today because I am sick. I took a deal of 3 sessions with a PT for $50 when I joined the gym. The first session with ridiculously tall young man was a fitness check, he got me to do various exercises to see how many I could do and also took my pulse after things. I'm not sure what future sessions will involve. I haven't been doing great getting to the gym; twice a week and that includes the PT session and a 20 min walk on the treadmill. Need to do more classes. I have made it to a couple of Zumba.

My weight peaked at 74.8 kg, I've fought it back down to 74.3 kg. Not happy with it.

Aiden turned 12 on Saturday, he had a party at Underworld Laser (running round in the dark shooting at the other team) followed by a pool party back here with friends plus family. It all went well. We were lucky with the weather being reasonably warm on the day, it was a hot winter but has been a mostly cool spring.

I can't believe he is 12 and starting High School next year! Bought his books and uniform this week. He hasn't hit his growth spurt yet so all his friends are about twice his height. The school had to order shorts for him in a smaller size than they usually carry. He certainly doesn't look like a High School student. He got did an exam and got into the extension stream at the High School (classes for brainy kids) so he is obviously academically ready - except his hand writing - but his organisation skills aren't there yet.

I've started thinking about Christmas and bought quite a few presents yesterday.

Back at school

Thursday:

My little girl's first day of High School!

Here High School is years 7-12. She hopped on the bus all excited. The High School is on the same grounds as the Primary she went to at the end of last year, and they've had lots of visits over to the big school, so she was confident. Apparently they spent most of the first day working out their timetables and getting lectures on what is expected of them.

I walked Aiden up to his first day of Yr 4 at his school, not that he needed me either, which meant he had to ride his bike very slowly! But I wanted to be there on the first day just in case. And I got in my walk for the day.

Then it was off shopping at the big Miranda centre. I had to get a few more school things, and presents for Jasmine, replace a Christmas present I got for Ping that wasn't the right one, and also do the grocery shopping. I did over 10,000 steps and was exhausted by the end! Miranda is a bit tricky to get around because it has been enlarged several times and not all the elevators and escalators go to all floors - you have to go up in one elevator, get out and walk a while, then up again, then back to where you actually wanted to be. And the lifts are so slow! I often walk out into the carpark and up the ramp, but that is also only good for one level. It's big and sprawling and I still don't know where everything is. I got most of what I wanted but was too tired to do a proper grocery shop, I just grabbed some steaks and salad ingredients and came home. I had half an hour before the kids got home so I lay on the bed but my next door neighbour was mowing his lawn not far from my window! I drifted off to sleep anyway, somehow.

For breakfast today I had leftover roast beef, onion, mixed vegetables, and a cucumber.

Ping couldn't make lunch after all, but I needed to get something while I was out. I stayed away from the food court and went to the restaurant area. I did a lap, looking at the menus they post at the door, but couldn't really find anything suitable. You don't realise how much everything is based on carbs and fat until you are trying to minimise them! I ended up in a rather pricey Asian restaurant, chicken and cashews. Unfortunately it had no vegetables except a couple of pieces of shallot. I bit into one thing, thinking it was a bamboo shoot, but it turned out to be a huge square of ginger! Yuck. Had to spit it out. I quite like it as a flavouring, but not a mouthful. I ate about 2/3 of this plate. I have no idea how many calories this would be. To track it, I copied a frozen chicken and cashews meal, and added sugar and fat.

Reviving cup of tea and an apple at home. Still no sugar in my tea, fourth day in a row which must be something of a record.

Steak and salad for dinner. The plate is so messy because I shared a steak with Jasmine, and cut it on my plate.

I don't really know how I did for calories today with the unknown lunch, but certainly the rest of the day was on point. A lot of meat though! I've been drinking more lately but not today, didn't want to run to the bathroom every 20 minutes (and find one first!) while out shopping.