Well good morning everyone! Looking outside it's going to be a nice day today, although the forecast says showers. That's fine with me, as long as it clears up for tomorrow, we are supposed to be going for an Australia Day picnic and taking the train and walking so I don't mind if it's cooler weather, but no rain!

Robin and Helen I couldn't agree more about the fat protecting us. I hid :glasses: behind my weight for years, and retreated into it. That's why this issue has reared its ugly head and it's really hard to deal with. I've realised that binge eating means that I can numb the feelings, not be angry or upset with anyone, but that I end up being upset with myself and that's a role that I'm comfortable with - being the scapegoat and taking blame rather than stand up for myself. It comes from my childhood (of course) and from an abusive first husband. I have worked my way through most of it but the things that happened this week kind of put me in a bit of a spiral. BUT - knowing that and admitting it really is more than half the battle!!

Another fact is that being overweight, or having food related disorders - we need to realise that it's not about the FOOD. It's a whole lot easier to say I'm addicted to sugar than it is to say I've got poor self esteem due to being neglected/abused/whatever the case may be.. I do believe though, that to get to the bottom of it and live the rest of our lives being truly happy, we need to look inside and work through the issues to find peace. And we CAN do it, It's not easy, but it can be done.

Enough of my soapbox now!! Thanks everyone for being there I so appreciate the support.

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Now - reading through the recent posts:

Gemma, thanks for the tip on the clothing, I like Brasilfit and Lorna Jane, but they are both a bit expensive.. Some cheaper stuff would be a good alternative.

Mich, good work on the running, hope you have a good weekend with your family visiting. It's so true about getting the house clean - but I'm sure they wouldn't care either way

Emma, well done on the Zumba! I've never done it but everyone says it's a great workout. So true about the heat and eating, I guess as long as you aren't hungry, your diabetes is ok and it all balances out at the end of the week then a day or two of lower calories isn't going to hurt.

Candi, I am SO sorry. Big hugs. By all means be there for your darling sister, and have a day of comfort food, but don't do what I've just done and hide yourself in food. You will not thank yourself for it next week and your sister wont want you to sabotage your goals either. Cry, sob, grieve, comfort, love, do what you need to do but don't give yourself the added burden of guilt on top of the loss that you are already feeling.

Hi Danielle, hope that your return to work wasn't too painful!!

Britz, welcome to the group!! The last few kilos are always the worst - I think most of the time it's because we are pretty happy ALMOST being at goal. How tall are you? I'm only asking because I will add you to the spreadsheet (which I will share as soon as I've added everyone into it) and it's good to be able to find someone at the same height and weight to buddy up. Anyway, they are good goals for the week - I'm sure you can make it happen.

Lou, I didn't see BL last night. I'll probably only watch it once a week. It's a shame any of them get voted out, I think they should all stay for at least 6 weeks to give them a headstart and then start voting off. I know it's a game, but this year they all seem really nice.

I suppose that everyone will be out and about for Australia Day this weekend, so may not be around much. That's what long weekends are for - getting out and about!!

Today I have a joint PT "conditioning" (that means doing cardio so hard that we might vomit) session booked with my BFF, we have booked in one a month this year, mainly so we can catch up and see one another. Then I'm going shopping with Bumper for our Australia Day picnic stuff and doing some cooking, probably having dinner at home tonight seeing we will be out all day/night tomorrow for picnic and fireworks. Monday we have a lunch out for Bumpers BFF. Busy weekend ahead!!

I'm going to really pull back on my calories this coming week - I have given this a lot of thought and seeing that I've put on a bit of fat over the last 4 weeks and especially after this week (stomach STILL swollen and painful after all the wheat this week), I really need to reign it in. I'll let the weekend pass and try to make good choices, but then I think I'll have a few protein only days to get the sugar and wheat out of my system and start from scratch. This might seem severe for some people, but 3 protein only days is something that really works for me ( refer Geoff Jowett, Body Trim philosophy) so I think I'll do that Tues-Wed-Thurs and then I should be feeling a whole lot better.

Have a great day everyone!! Make good choices and enjoy the long weekend :drinker: