Weightloss

Thanks everyone for all your comments on my pictures and on my weightloss - a few of you asked me how I had lost my weight so I thought I would do a post about it for you rather than reply in the comments bit.

In January my Doctor changed my medications for my migraines and a friend had recommended Topamax to me (as weightloss is a side effect) - I asked what he thought of this and he said it was worth me trying it - so we tried it!

Topamax is an anti-epilepsy drug that has proven to work well against migraines. It is now being prescribed in the US as a weightloss drug UNOFFICIALLY. It works by reducing your appetite and also by making you slightly hyperactive or 'energetic' (lol). So basically my portion sizes were reduced and I was more active.

I have been losing about 1 pound a week on average since I started - sometimes 2 - which is the ideal weightloss for a healthy loss. The best thing of all though about Topamax is that I CAN'T eat chocolate - if I eat chocolate I am very ill the next day - and this has been a big BIG change for me. In fact now I eat really healthily - I almost have to - on this medication I find I don't want to sit down for too long as I get bored and 'edgy' if I sit down at the computer for long - I have no interest in sitting in front of the tv - I have to be on the go more. Thankfully Lloyd is the same kind of person and never sits still when he's home so he's happy to potter about and be outside and go for walks and do stuff :)

On Topamax I can't eat much and it has to be healthy or it makes me ill. I used to eat a meal the same size as Lloyds but I can't do that any more. So the tablets have helped me reduce the amount I eat and change the kinds of food I crave - like help me get over my chocolate fix totally. And when I go out for breakfast now I order toast and don't even eat all of that - or I'll order egg beaters and bacon.

In the Summer I was swimming and walking a lot and generally active gardening and being outside. Indoors I'm just more active 'doing' stuff.....I haven't been able to run much this year because of my migraines and my meds and everything but I'm slowly getting back into it now and I run while Sam is in Pre-K.

My weightloss has NOT been fast. It has been made easier because of my medication which has reduced my diet but basically it has just helped ease me into the three important things in any lifestyle:

Make healthy choices
Reduce portion sizes
Increase activity

I could have done this without the meds - but it was so much easier with them!!!! And another bonus is they helped my migraines too :)

It has taken me 8 months to lose just over 40lbs and I still have some to lose to make it to the goal I was set when I attended Weightwatchers. I am still officially overweight. But right now I am loving being able to buy size 7 and 8 jeans (I can squeeze into a 6 but SQUEEZE!!!) I have posted over the months about losing weight but it seems that no one was listening because everyone seems to think I just lost weight all of a sudden which couldn't be further from the truth!!!!

Snuggling with Daddy by the glow of the fire...

Sam and Lloyd last night!

A depressing sight and sound.....

Geese flying South......for Winter :(

They have the right idea! One day that will be me! Flying South to my villa for Winter each year!

S'mores over the fire......

Abby and Sam roasting their marshmallows ready for S'mores. Yum!

Hiding in the trees.....

The children had fun playing in the trees last night and planning a treehouse for next Spring.....can you see them in the middle? And then out they come running from the trees......the leaves have changed early this year - we took our Fall walk for pictures at Thanksgiving last year - but this year we are going to have to go a few weeks earlier than planned or the wind and rain will have caused all the leaves to have fallen already!

By the fire.....

Susannah took this of us by the fire pit last night....we've been making the most of the gorgeous temperatures this week. It's been in the mid twenties this week - some days as high as 25c and 26c!!!!! Just gorgeous temperatures! It's supposed to cool off this week for a few days which is such a shame! So we're determined not to waste a second!

Back to dance...

After a year off, the girls went back to dance classes this week. As you can see, they were very happy to go back! Susannah was thrilled to be told that she was so good that the teacher wanted to move her up a class, but she has made the difficult decision to stay in the class she is in. She made this choice because her friend is in the same class, and her friend is in the class after opting to be in dance to be with Susannah! So as much as Susannah was excited to and proud to be asked to move up a class, she feels she can't now leave her friend on her own in the lower class.

Not an easy choice when you're 10!!!! But like we remind her, she's in the dance class for fun and to be with her friend! Thats the main thing!!!! So hopefully she will see that and gain from that each week! We also suggested she speak with her teacher about the possibility of them BOTH moving up in a few weeks!

The girls are both doing tap until Christmas and then will do Jazz!

Brother and Sister...

Just before Abigail left for her dance class on Tuesday, Christopher asked if he could have a picture taken with her! I thought they came out nicely :) I faded the colour in these but kept some in the original format too.....

Sams first day at Pre-K!!!

Sam started Pre-K on Tuesday. He goes twice a week for full afternoons. Tuesdays are focused mainly on play and crafts. They also get half an hour of fun in the indoor playground. Then on Thursdays the focus is on ABC's and 123's - preparing for Kindergarten next year! I have to say that I am VERY impressed with this class already - the teachers are GREAT and the things he has come home with already this first week have been wonderful! They even get homework!!! Now as you all know I have been LESS than impressed with Parks and Rec classes in the past and I KNOW how they work and how they hire!!! But I will be the first to say that they have really done well this time :) Im so pleased!

To be honest the main reason I put Sam in this class was to get 5 hours to myself each week! I figured he'd get to play with some children in a safe environment and I'd be able to go running and swimming by myself - get some Christmas shopping done and maybe go to the scrapbook store by myself - meet a friend or two for coffee etc etc

I wasn't planning on having Sam learn much there as the classes aren't often that great (unless my friend Samantha is teaching!!) so it's wonderful that there are great teachers who are REALLY teaching and Sam is LOVING it there!

Picking dinner from the garden....

Sam helped me pick a few things from the garden today - some more of the purple carrots (which just proves that there REALLY are purple carrots in there lol - yesterday I pulled one up t show Vals Son and it wasn't very purple at all lol)!!! and some tomatoes. We also watered the pumpkins which are still changing colour and the sqyash which are still out there......the last of the lettuce came out too. I think after this last lot of sunshine the tomatoes will be done..there are soooooo many out there and we could pick them all and let them go red in brown bags inside but I can't be bothered to be honest.......so we'll let this gorgeous weather ripen them and have all the red ones and then be done with it - we've done very well - we've had a LOT of tomatoes this year really :) I'm more than happy! They're delicious too! Almost daily we go out and bring a tub in for sandwiches and salads...

My Dino hunter!!!!

Sam LOVES these little things! You get to dig for fossils and surprises in sand or stones with little tools! The weather was GORGEOUS today again so we sat out on the porch and Sam dug in the stone for a dinosaur! My little paleontologist!! He was thrilled when he saw a little red spot in the grit and then he kept on digging until he rescued the dino from the stone :)

From Stacey!!!!

Answer in one word!!!

1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Your significant other? gorgeous
3. Your hair? short
4. Your mother? telephone
5. Your father? asleep
6. Your favorite thing? Lloyd
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? bellini
9. Your dream/goal? Japan
10. The room you're in? study
11. Your hobby? beekeeping
12. Your fear? loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Lloyd
14. Where were you last night? Lloyd
15. What you're not? unhappy
16. Muffins? nutty
17. One of your wish list items? paper
18. Where you grew up? England
19. The last thing you did? wrote
20. What are you wearing? boots
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? bees
23. Your computer? mac
24. Your life? lucky
25. Your mood? jumpy
26. Missing someone? yes
27. Your car? dirty
28. Something you're not wearing? jewelry
29. Favorite store? Reitmans
30. Your summer? stressful
31. Like someone? many
32.Your favorite color? turquoise
33. When is the last time you laughed? tonight
34. Last time you cried? unsure
35. Who will blog this? VAL!!!!

Me again.....

You can probably tell by all the recent pictures of me that I am loving having lost all this weight - another 3lbs gone and today I bought some more clothes for Fall and all in my new small size - it's so nice being in size 7 and 8 size pants and all my tops right now are mediums (not sure my boobs will ever fit in a small sadly no matter how much weight I lose)!

Anyway this is me playing about with iphoto a few minutes ago to see what I look like in my new top which I bought because its the same colour as my eyes - yes Sam and I have grey-blue eyes....and Sam has a new coat the same colour as this top too and it's the same colour as my cat Grayson so I can cuddle him and not worry about the cat hairs before I go anywhere ;) lol!

The reason the pictures look so dorky is because I was doing them myself and anyone with iphoto knows that you only get like three seconds from the time you click the button so I was clicking the mouse and then running across the room and then trying to get into position and remembering to look at the the green light and everything - NOT as easy as it seems in three seconds HONESTLY!!!!! :) lol!

Sam starts Pre-K this week which for me means hitting the indoor running track twice a week - the specific reason I put him in classes where I did!

Pottery

This week I started my pottery classes - I'm taking classes locally for beginners :)

Its a 10 week course and this week we learned how to create 'pinchpots' which is the oldest form of pot making - and one of the most difficult (we were told afterwards lol). We could decide what to make and some people are making piggybanks - others are making garlic pots, vases etc etc. I'm just making a pot for my writing desk and it will probably have a tilted neck and it has rosettes on it. Like little emblems attached to it.

The class went well and I know one of the girls in my class - she was actually Susannahs grade 1 teacher!!!

Next week we are making welcome signs. One week we will make sushi dishes, another week snowmen, another week plates...I can't remember what else. By the end of the course we will be proficient on the wheel. All pieces will be fired and glazed before we leave.

It was fun :)

Guinea pigs galore......

The Zoo now has this amazing Guinea pigs exhibit with like a million guinea pigs!!!!! They are all in there running about and hiding in things and under things and then the keepers come along and throw food in and all of a sudden the piggies start squealing and come running out and all huddle together to feed!!! It's adorable!!! There are fully grown piggies and teeny tiny babies!!! The Keeper held a tiny baby up for Sam to stroke! We couldn't believe quite how many piggies there were!!