Number 23

With only 8 days to go until I turn 30, I was totally surprised this morning with number 23 from my 30 Before 30 list.

23. Buy myself an exquisite piece of jewellery

My younger brother and his girlfriend had organised (through AJ because they live in Canada) to buy me a lovely piece of jewellery from Tiffany's and wanted me to get it a little early as they are leaving for a holiday in Peru soon. OK, so technically I didn't buy it myself, but this is even better if you ask me!

I have to say that I love big cheap jewellery (I live in Diva) and I have never had a fancy piece of jewellery and so I thought it was about time I started to act a little grown up. I have drooled over the jewellery in Tiffany's many times and lusted after the day I could have a special piece for myself. So I am beyond thrilled to have a gorgeous piece that I'll be able to keep forever.

OK, so I suppose you want to see photos...

That bag and box that can take a girls breath away...

It looks so pretty I almost don't want to open it...

Exactly want I want, big silver hoops! I wear cheap silver hoops every day that make my ears bleed, but I feel naked without them, now I have good quality ones I can wear without infection!

A close up of me wearing them... and a goofy smile...

Me showing off my new earrings... before running out the door and realising I am running seriously late for work!

Oh and they also sent me this too... chocolate and champagne... I have to admit that I have already demolished most of this...

Turning 30 is suddenly not seeming so bad...

Number 24

I turn 30 in just over a week and in April 2009 I wrote a list of things I wanted to do before I turn 30 and I updated it in June 2010, but that poor list has been seriously neglected. I would have a very busy (and expensive) 10 days ahead of me if I were to try and complete it before I turn 30, but unfortunately that won't be happening. I'll give a full updated closer to my birthday, but over the weekend I was surprised that one of my most desired objectives from the list was ticked off.

My birthday is obviously at a shitty time of year, so I have a tradition with my dad and step-mum that they come down to Melbourne for a weekend close to my birthday and take me out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, rather than doing anything on the day of my birthday. They came down this weekend and we were planning to go to the wonderful Flower Drum, but that day another restaurant called my dad and said they had a last minute availability, as he had put us on the waiting list a while ago. So a last minute change of plans meant we were now dining at Vue de Monde, my most sought after dining experience and number 24 on my list 30 things I wanted to do before I turn 30.

We ate the ten course degustation menu with wine matchings and it was the most amazing and exquisite experience of my life. The food was superb and was like eating a work of art and the wine pairings were impeccable. It is impossible for me to even say how fabulous this meal was, I just don't have the words to express what a wonderful experience this entire evening was. The restaurant was beautiful, the staff were so knowledgeable and the food and wine were perfection.

We started dinner at 8.00 pm and didn't leave the restaurant until 1.00 am and we ate and drank the entire time. Each course was more amazing than the next and each wine was more delicious, or maybe I was just getting drunk?! Every dish was made up of a complete mix of flavours and textures that any normal person would never imagine to put together and yet they were just perfect. I have eaten at a lot of the best restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney and this was just a level above anything I have experienced. OK, I have to stop talking because I am sounding like a complete wanker, but it was without a doubt one of the best nights of my life and the best birthday present ever.

Of course I have photos for you...

Me posing before we left home

Me and AJ getting a photo of us all glammed up

Drinking Dom Perignon, the restaurant upgraded our wines to 'very fancy' because it was my birthday

My dad and step-mum enjoying the champagne

One of the courses... when the top was lifted off the plate, smoke came out like a magic show

Me very much enjoying a glass of wine

The most tender wagyu beef I have ever eaten

 Cheese... yum

A pre-dessert of ice cream, popping candy and lemonade

Chocolate mousse souffle... AMAZING! God I wish I was eating that right now.

A dessert styled to look like cigarettes in an ash tray

One of the petit fours

Waiting for a taxi at the end of the night

I'm not sure if this will work because I have never posted a video, but while AJ and I were trying to get a photo of us before we went out, we accidentally put the camera on video and I just thought it was funny when I came across it. We look so stupid and I am doing the worst laugh!

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So how can someone with a lap band eat ten courses of food and wine, plus amuse bouches and petite fours? Well, luckily for me, I had .4 ml taken out of my band on Thursday (I now have 5.5 ml in a 10 ml band). Just in time! My band has been way too tight and I have been getting food stuck almost every day, so I got quite a large un-fill and I feel so much better already. Before the un-fill I would not have even been able to eat one course of food, let alone ten! Now I am back to being able to eat all foods- bread, sushi, meat and that's the way I like it. I would rather use a bit more self-restraint and be able to enjoy a diverse range of foods.

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For much better reviews of Vue de Monde and proper photography see these great blogs:
Tummy Rumbles
Eat Almost Anything
Second Helping
Gourmet Husbands

Well On My Way

I saw 77.6 kilos (170.5 lbs) on the scale this morning, which means that I now only have 10 kilos to lose before I have a healthy BMI. WOW. So now I can be one of those girls that walk around sighing, “I just wish I could lose 10 kilos”. Which is fine, but when you have 65 kilos to lose, your sympathy level for their 10 kilos is a little low. Well now I get to discover just how frigging hard it’s going to be to lose the last 10 kilos and perhaps I might be a little more sympathetic?! I know it’s all relative and whether you have 5 kilos or 100 kilos to lose, it’s bloody hard for us all.

Though I do have to say that for many years I have heard that it is much harder to lose weight when you only have a little to lose. It used to freak me out because when I had a LOT to lose it already seemed really hard and I wondered how much bloody harder it could get. For me personally, the hardest part was losing the first 30 kilos and the rest has been much easier.

It’s the mental stuff that I found much harder when I was at my biggest-- going to the gym, saying no to the bag of chips and waking up each morning with a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. When I was at my biggest I physically couldn’t fit on some gym machines, I got those looks from some of the members at the gym and I struggled to find work out clothing in my size. Exercising at my size was quite painful and I didn’t get the joy or sense of achievement from it that I get now. Even as I lost the first 30 kilos, barely anyone noticed I had lost weight and I didn’t drop more than one size in clothing. So each day was still a constant struggle because I wasn’t getting those rewards that come with losing weight and I wondered if it really mattered if I went and ate a tub of ice cream.

Now that I have lost over 50 kilos (110 lbs) there is barely an hour that goes by in each day where I’m not grateful or aware of how far I have come. There are just so many little things that have changed my life since I have lost weight, from people looking me in the eye when they talk to me, to being able to have a seat on the tram and losing the constant fear I carried with me all the time. I no longer feel I have to apologise for my existence and all these changes make it so much easier to drag my arse to the gym and to say no to that bag of chips. I am rewarded for my hard work in so many ways each day that it just makes it so much easier to keep going.

I guess the next 10 kilos will bring a whole new set of challenges and frustrations, but right now I am just grateful that I have made it this far.

Weekend Photos

No time to write anything much because I am going to try and get to the gym before they close for the night. I just wanted to update with some photos taken from the weekend.

Me at home before I headed out to my friend's place in Geelong for a girls night (ie. getting drunk). Can you tell I felt like an absolute knob posing for that photo?

Holding my friend's gorgeous 1-year-old girl (before we passed her off to the dad to look after for the night). I need to always carry a small child on my lap to cover my 'problem areas', so slimming...

Just hanging out at home on Sunday (with a hang over), but I was wearing a new top, so I thought I should take a photograph to see how it looked (I do that with all my new clothes). The top is size L from Jay Jays.

Me, once again feeling stupid trying to pose for a photo! I'm still in my size 18 jeans because the 16's I bought are just too tight. I hate you apple shaped body. Sigh.

Worst 'Before' Picture Ever

I'm having a lovely quiet Friday night at home all by myself (for the first time in ages), eating paddle pops and catching up on the TV shows in my planner. Then out of boredom I start looking through old photos on my computer and out of nowhere am faced with the most horrific photo of myself I have ever seen. It is so bad it almost took my breath away.

I don't think I knew this photo existed, otherwise I obviously would have deleted it a long time ago. Though I have to admit that it is a pretty accurate representation of how I looked at the time, as hard as it is to admit.

Brace yourself... If you click on it you get to see the large version with pimples and all.

 

May 2009

18 months and 50 kilos later, thank god for the lap band...

November 2010

December Weigh In

Big sigh. Today was not a good weigh in, I only lost 1.2 kilos (2.5 lbs) for the month. I guess that wouldn't be so bad, but I actually tried quite hard to lose weight this month. I had a lot on with work and I went above and beyond to get my gym sessions in and eat lightly. I guess I just couldn't un-do the damage of those cookies and cream ice cream binges. I'm still in the 70's though, so it's not all bad news.

December 1st Weigh In: 79.1 kilos (174 lbs)
Weight Lost In Sept/Oct: 1.2 kilos (2.5 lbs)
Total Weight Lost: 50.6 kilos (111 lbs)

I really wanted to get to 75 kilos by the end of this year and, given that I have stuff on almost every day until the end of this month, that's probably not going to happen. Not only will I be eating out most days, I'll also be consuming way too much alcohol, and not be able to get to the gym as much. Actually, that sounds like fun, what am I complaining about?!

I am genuinely excited about all the lovely things I have on over December, and of course having a whole 2 weeks off work, so I'm not going to let the scales get in the way of my fun. I would love to just get off another couple of kilos to give me some room to move in my new dresses because they are still feeling slightly snug across my belly. I'll do my best to get in some gym sessions and not to be a complete pig, but I can't make any promises!

Happy December!!! 

Wet and Wild

I've just returned from a whirlwind weekend away to Echuca for my high school best friend K's 30th birthday celebrations. She hired a houseboat for 12 of us and we spent the weekend drinking in the hot tub, exploring the local wineries and eating some delicious foods. I didn't really know any of her friends on the boat (they were all uni friends), but it was great to see how much she is loved by her friends and I think she had a great time.

It was so weird to be with my old high school best friend while she was turning 30. We stayed up late on Saturday night chatting about where our lives are and where we thought we would be by now. How we feel left behind and unsatisfied in so many areas of our lives. I've been thinking a lot about that stuff lately because my 30th is just around the corner and it was so reassuring to hear that K felt the same. Hmmm, lots to think about, or maybe I just need to stop being so dramatic...

Driving the house boat turned into quite a drama and we actually hit a few other boats and trees and couldn't even park the boat. The boys driving were quite stressed out, but I was quietly giggling at the mishaps we kept having. At one point we were in the hot tub on the roof of the boat and one girl was nearly decapitated by a tree branch and then 5 minutes later we hit another boat head on. OK, it sounds pretty bad, but it was very funny.

Karma came back to bite my arse when I took a major spill. In my defense, it wasn't really my fault, even though I was drunk... We had torrential rain and flooding this weekend and as I was walking back to the houseboat on Saturday night in the pouring rain, the ground literally collapsed under me like quicksand and I slid down the muddy river bank. I was covered in mud from head-to-toe and I had to throw out my hand bag because it was such a mess. My BRAND NEW shoes are also completely trashed, but I am hoping to try and save them because I love them so much. I'm so glad to be home now and finally warm and dry because I don't deal with getting muddy very well.

Some photos...

Me and my high school best friend at her 30th. We are both a little worse for wear by this stage and my drunken lazy eye has come out to play, but it's the only photo I have from the night.

The injuries, this actually hurts way more than it looks.

Recovery back home on the couch. Despite how it may look, I am wearing pants in this photo...

I told AJ to get out of my photo and his cheeky head popped up from behind the couch. Plus you can see all my dirty secrets-- the TV shopping network reflecting in the balcony door window and the two blocks of chocolate sitting on the couch...

Clothes and Shoes and Other Girly Things

I know I shouldn't post about buying pretty new clothes without pictures to show you, but I have heaps of things coming up over the next fews weeks where I'll be wearing them and I promise I'll post pictures when I am glammed up. Right now I need to wax my legs, paint my toe nails, slap on some fake tan and put on some make up, and I am too vain to post pictures of myself in this sorry state.

I did wear my new size 16 jeans today and it turns out that I don't actually have a muffin top above them like I thought, I actually have a whole three tiered wedding cake instead! In fact, after wearing them all day I could actually need a new kidney. These jeans may have been a premature purchase... Nothing like a little extra motivation I guess!

While I am talking shopping, I also had to buy some new shoes recently. Why you ask (well as if I need an excuse)? I have actually gone down a whole shoe size since I lost weight. I have heard people say this happens, but I didn't think I carried any extra weight on my feet and they were always the thinnest part of my body. So now I have gone from a size 8 to a size 7 (God I wish I was talking about jeans sizes instead of shoe sizes) and I need all new shoes. This losing weight business is freaking expensive.

Can I just ask one question while we are talking girly stuff? It's coming on summer here and I look so much better (thinner) with a tan, but applying fake tans are beyond messy, smelly and annoying. So the beauty shop downstairs from my apartment does spray tans and I am thinking of getting one. Has anyone ever had one? Do they look natural at all and will I have to be naked?

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today has been a momentous day for me...

1. I saw a number on the scale that started with a 7. I haven't seen a number on the scales that starts with a 7 in my adult life and I would estimate the last time I weighed in the 70's I was 12 years old. Prior to having a lap band my lowest adult weight was 90 kilos (when I was 18 for about 6 months) and today I weighed 79.3 kilos (174.5 lbs). I think it's going to take a while for this to sink in.

2. I have now officially lost 50 kilos (110 lbs). Wow, I cannot believe I used to carry that much extra weight on me every day. No wonder life used to feel so hard.

3. I went shopping today and I fit into size 16 jeans. There is major muffin top, but they'll stretch... I also bought 2 dresses in size 16 from Portmans. I think I can now officially say that I can wear 'normal' sized clothing. Oh my god, I did not think this day would ever arrive. Even as a teenager I didn't fit into 'normal' sized clothes and I had to wear my mum's clothes or she would make them for me and now I can walk into almost any shop and find something to wear. I could cry with happiness.

Now I'm going to go to the gym because I figure getting on the treadmill will be easy while I am walking on air!

Sickness, Jobs and The Big O

There is not much happening in terms of weight loss for me at the moment. It really hasn't been a focus while I am not feeling the best. I haven't been able to exercise because I haven't had the energy and I am one of those people who just cannot shift weight without quite vigorous exercise. So I have just been staying away from the scales and trying not to worry about it too much.

The sensible side of my brain constantly tells me not to diet or restrict my eating, but the side of my brain that has dieted for 25 years wants to say 'starve yourself so you don't gain weight'. Then I get confused and dive into a tub of cookies and cream ice cream! Damn you ice cream and BBQ crisps for sliding through my band so nicely.

Work is incredibly busy at the moment and that, teamed with the lack of sleep, is making me feel a little frazzled. I actually lost my shit altogether on Friday and broke down in the bathrooms at work after a colleague was quite rude to me. It was definitely an over-reaction on my part, I have encountered way meaner people than him and been OK. I have never cried at work before, I used to take a lot of abuse in my last job and I made a rule that I would never cry at work (though I did cry once in the car after a particularly abusive client, but I made it to the car, so that doesn't count right?). So it goes to show that I am kind of at my wits end at the moment and I don't feel like myself.

I am off to see an infectious diseases specialist next week at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. I have been through every test possible and they can see my body has an infection, but they don't know what it is just yet. In the mean time, I haven't been able to do much and I'm boooored. So I kind of feel like I have nothing to say at the moment except 'I'm tired' and 'I'm bored', so I am doing you a big favour by not blogging much.

OK, so the has been very 'woe is me' post, so let me lighten the mood with less depressing news. Last week wasn't all bad, I was given an employment opportunity at a previous employer. I was actually walked off the premises by security when I gave my notice because I was going to a competitor . So the fact they would offer me a job out of the blue was quite a shock. I did turn them down for numerous reasons, but it kept life interesting for a couple of days.

In other news, a certain American talk show host who is coming to Australia in December contacted me with a possible opportunity to be on her Sydney show for a make-over. Ultimately I decided not to go ahead with it because, despite what it may seem like on this blog, I am actually a very private person and I just couldn't handle the idea of my business being on TV. I had an instant panic attack at the mere idea of the whole situation, so I knew I had to say no and I don't regret it at all.

OK, I have a date with a hot shower and the fresh sheets on my bed.