where else would I go?

So, recently I thought about quitting and giving up (we all think about it right?). But I realised that I literally can't quit. I mean what else would I do? I have become convinced of the simple truth that what you eat increases your mass and what you do spends it. Its a simple economy really, and the points system helps you measure the approximate value of each item in and out. And I now know its true. (why did it take me so long to get this? its not rocket science!)
It can be hard sometimes, controlling what I eat and realizing its value, motivating myself to be just a little more active and working at good nutrition. But are there really any other options? Its a simple fact of creation, that's the way the body works. Its just the truth. And now that I've figured that out I can just relax into living a lifestyle that reflects the truths I have learned.
Sure I could quit paying my WW membership. But that doesn't change the math of what I put into my body - minus activity = net gain or loss. Other diets might boil down to this same principle, some don't (!), that's why they don't work.
So there is no way for me to quit. :)
Kinda reminds me of what Simon Peter said to Jesus after many of his followers started abandoning him. Peter had become so convinced of the simple truth that Jesus' was the saviour sent by God that he answered : "where else would I go? you have the words of eternal life!"
Once you know something is the truth, either you start living it or you play games and try to ignore the truth, hoping it will change.

broccoli pizza pie 4.5 points/serve

I used a fat free pizza base for this pie because puff pastry is off the charts high points and pie dough not far behind.
My pizza base:
1 3/4 cup flour
half a packet of yeast
salt (more than you think you need)
water enough to knead it well

I told my husband that I was making broccoli pie and he asked could it please have chicken in it too? Afterwards he said if he'd known it was going to be with eggs than he might have been ok without the chicken. I tend to agree (well I should hope I would- that was my original idea!)

Roll out dough on baking paper.
Cup the edges of the dough up to hold ingredients.

2 chicken breasts chopped (half fried without oil in a non-stick pan)
lots of frozen broccoli
100g of low fat ricotta (this I think could be left out too)
4 beaten eggs
salt and pepper
tomato pieces
spring onion

After baking I cut the broccoli pie into 6 pieces, and served it with a fresh salad, with homemade vingearette (spoonful of healthy oil in this) We all enjoyed it. Even Abigail (5) liked it once we called it "chicken pizza"!

In the past I never would have made quiche without cheese and sausage. Same goes twice as much for anything called pizza. My crust even when homemade in the past was much more oily.
My cooking methods have also changed, the chicken would have been fried in oil, and the pie cooked directly on a greesed cooking sheet or pan.

I'd like to experiment further with more varieties of fresh herbs.

Another thing, I'm sure I would have cut it in 4 rather than 6, and possibly have had two pieces. So. portion control is something I am getting a grasp on. The side salad would likely have been ceasar or greek in the past, both with more CHEESE, and lots of dressing. I also would have drank 3-4 glasses of milk with this meal. That used to be normal for me. Learning to enjoy water with meals has to have been one of the biggest changes I have made since joining weight watchers.

lists

Things I can do and am proud of because of what I have already lost:
my hips and knees don't hurt so much
I can sit with my legs nicely crossed
when I get out of the shower I can wrap a towel around myself comfortably
better sex
I'm proud of what I look like
I don't get puffed on the stairs
playing on the floor with the kids is more fun (and its easier to get up!)
I don't seem to sweat as much
my cooking has more variety of taste and styles
I can tell the difference between hungry and sad

Things I miss or regret about the journey so far:
that really full feeling after a comforting meal, I still experience it occasionally but I don't enjoy it anymore
I'm discouraged that I can't loose at the same rate I was early on
never having enough clothes that fit :)

Things I'm looking forward to at goal (71kg):
Buying my clothes in the regular stores and benefiting from nice styles and nice prices
changing peoples first impressions of me

Things I'm not looking forward to:
I'm afraid people with think I hated myself the old way
I'm afraid my sister will hate me


I need more in the things I'm looking forward too. Any suggestions?

Storing up for winter

I am very pleased to stay that my "storing up for winter" will NOT be around my waist and hips this year :)
I'm doing canning and preserving because out here in Siberia fruit and veggies can get hard to find and VERY expensive over the winter months.
So far I have cherries, raspberries, pickled cucumbers, cucumber relish, crabapples,black currant jam and tomatoes. The cupboard is getting full. I'm still planning to do zuchinni (but I might freeze those) and more raspberries if I can still find them, and there are some berries that aren't ready yet.
The last time we lived here I put on a lot of weight over the winter and part of that was because fruit and veggies get scarce. Planning ahead means more than just planning out the weeks meals :)
And, its monday again and I'm down another 1.3kg!! :) can't beat that feeling!

Monday morning weigh in

I weigh in on Monday mornings, this helps me be better behaved over the weekend, cause if I lax off over the weekend I won't get to record the full weight loss that I have earned during the week.
This morning my weigh in was 93.6, which is down .9 over last week. An excellent week, very happy with that. The goal is not to follow a good week with a bad one. :) This week I did very well on drinking my water, but I did badly on actually tracking. Over here very few packages have a full nutritional panel, some don't even have a contents list. So I've been left guessing a few times, and I guess it feels unmotivating to accurately enter my guesses! But my estimates must have been in the ball park because the weigh in numbers so I did alright. Anyway, that is never going to be my excuse for quitting!
My saviour this week has been fresh raspberries! They are in season right now, and there are little old babushkas selling them at nearly every bus stop. They are only half a point per cup and are absolutely delicious! I have also found a low fat (1.8%) crumbly cream cheese or ricotta like cheese that I mixed with a little sugar and put on top of the raspberries for a nice dessert. Excellent! I also tried this product salted on our tacos - also excellent. I think I have found a low fat cheese substitute!
My sister in law in Canada has also joined WW recently, and we are continuing this journey together :)

HALFWAY ----->

It has taken me about a year and a half to get to this halfway point. Thats not bad, especially considering I was pregnant for about half of that time.
I'm very proud of myself, I look at my photos (some posted below) and know that I have made visable changes. I wish I could be more proud of myself right now, mostly when I look at pictures of myself now I wish I looked better, I think its a bit of "glass half empty syndrome", because there is certainly a difference. Trouble is I still look like a woman who needs to loose weight. And I think that's probably what people still think when they meet me. Socially, I never get credit for what I have already accomplished. I feel like people don't even notice. But, I have moved overseas twice during this journey so there aren't too many people who have seen the whole change.
I really wish I was reporting my halfway accomplishment with a little more enthusiasm. I have been just short of halfway for 3 weeks now. Now, its kinda like a 'finally' more than a celebration. Oh, well. At least I'm still getting there!



earlier this week (only current photo I have)

about 18 months ago