tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4187492495713618302024-03-05T12:26:53.573-08:00The Elephant FairiesThe Fairy Soprano is a young lyric soprano looking to lose weight, get fit, and prepare herself for the healthier lifestyle required to make it in opera. She also takes the piss out of herself, exercise and dieting constantly, and invited some friends along for the ride. Thus: The Elephant Fairies.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-49492598272773429712011-04-18T17:09:00.000-07:002011-04-18T17:09:21.938-07:00UpdatesBit of a failure at the "regular blogging" thing. Oops. In my defence... nope, no excuse.<br />
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Pippa and I are now living together. We are not being a very good influence on each other. Pippa eats carbohydrates anyway. I'm still attempting to avoid them, especially seeing as I've had 3 migraines in the past month, all of which were exacerbated (and likely brought on) by the consumption of bread products.<br />
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I find it odd. I don't seem to get headaches from cakes or scones, but bread does it to me. I've booked in to see a dietician who specialises in gluten, etc, but she can't see me 'til June 14. Pfffffffft! Here's hoping she's worth the wait. I want answers. Am I allergic to bread? Or is it psychosomatic???<br />
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Tell you what, though; massive headaches and throwing up in a Sydney cafe toilet is not psychosomatic.<br />
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Ew.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-30706086899117790992010-12-04T19:45:00.001-08:002010-12-04T19:45:56.359-08:00One bad thing about AtkinsATKINS BREATH.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-75844419110762596362010-12-02T23:07:00.000-08:002010-12-03T00:09:49.594-08:00Americanising my life. Or should that be, "Americanizing"?Welcome, Pippa! A fabulous first post.<br />
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I would not call Pip a "boombah", either, or however she spelled that. She is a gorgeous, curvaceous woman, with amazing breasts (it's true, I back her up 100% on that one) and stunning good looks. I wish her the very best for weight-loss!<br />
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So I was exploring the <a href="http://www.atkins.com/">Atkins website</a> a little more thoroughly today and worked out that it's actually a helluva lot more interactive than I'd ever bothered to find out. I added an avatar, filled in my profile, enrolled in a course (Phase 2, as I did Phase 1 back in late May or so for a couple of months) and now I have all these interesting Americanised facts about my body. (Appropriate, yes, as The Boyfriend is American, and I have to learn these Americanisms eventually.)<br />
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Height: 5'11" / 180 cm<br />
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Start weight: 254.5 lb / 115.7 kg<br />
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Current weight: 208.3 lb / 94.7 kg<br />
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Goal weight: 176 lb / 80 kg<br />
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Current BMI: 29.70<br />
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Weight loss to date: 46.2 lb / 21.0 kg<br />
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Weight to lose: 32.3 lb / 14.7 kg<br />
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The Atkins BMI calculator thinks that 170 lb is the heaviest healthy weight for somebody of my height, but I disagree. I think that 80 kg on me will be really quite slim, with well-rounded curves in all the right places. Any lighter, and I'd... Well, I can't even imagine being able to attain a lighter weight, so... Maybe I'll reassess that when I reach 80 kg, but for now, that's my happy place.<br />
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Trying to be good again. The only thing that keeps slipping me up is CAKE. What is with my addiction to cake? And slices! Oh Lordy. I have been having <a href="http://howtosayolivejuice.blogspot.com/">Skype Bake Dates</a> with The Boyfriend, and he seems to be looking out for my Atkins diet needs, so that's nice. (Though I did enjoy the chocolate caramel slice bake date. That was fantastic. As was the cheesecake bake date... oh yeah.)<br />
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On a low-carb front, I've discovered that Peters Entice Cookies & Cream Ice-Cream is made with fresh cream, as opposed to fresh milk, so the carb count per serving is only around 14g. That's awesome. I don't know how big a serving is. Assume 2 scoops? So it's a nice reward on the good days...<br />
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I am going to attempt an Atkins recipe called Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. I have high hopes that they will be *delicious*. Here's hoping. <br />
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Right, well, off to keep trucking away at the Christmas present list... Spending all my hard-earned...<br />
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With holiday cheer,<br />
PamPamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-1268179074794313032010-12-01T02:54:00.000-08:002010-12-01T03:17:29.284-08:00BoombahHello, my name is Pippa and I am a boombah.<br /><br />A chubster. A fatty. A bargearse. And on one occasion, a Pippapotamus. (Although I had to admire the ingenuity of that one.)<br /><br />But I have decided, in the interests of public beautification, that a boombah is not something that I have an overwhelming desire to be anymore. And truthfully it's more to do with the underlying health risks and general awkwardness of being a fatbody that make it so undesirable-- your clothes fit awkwardly- if at all; exercise/movement is more difficult and quite grotesque to watch; you stand up to stretch and all your spare change falls from between the folds of your skin. Irritating. Not to mention heart disease, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, cancer, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure... Hmm. Time to get out while the getting's good. Or while I can still walk out and don't have to be wheeled out on a gurney, white sheet or no white sheet.<br /><br />Here are my statistics.<br /><br /><div><br /></div> <div> Gender: Female<br /><br />Height: 1.72m<br /><br />Build: Odd. Long, long legs, enormous breasts and arse and a torso that is all of 30cms in length.<br /><br />Starting weight: (I'm just going to use the weight that I was last time I jumped on the scale, which was... Monday. I was 127.4kg. EGADS. I will be attempting a proper weigh tomorrow, for start of Day 1.)<br /><br />Goal: 85 or so kg. I'm not too fussed on this so far, as I know I can't aim for anything too low because I will look porn-star ridiculous. I can't diet away my boobs. I will also figure out my mini-goals according to my starting weight tomorrow.<br /><br /><br /><strong><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm going to attempt a second go at the Atkins diet, which the ever-so-wondrous Pam put me onto in the first place. It has worked wonders for her, and she has done so well (and had so much self control! I am <span style="font-style: italic;">envious</span>. My self control is probably off somewhere stuffing itself blind with biscuits.) and I hope, with a bit of prodding, I can do the same. Hence the journal! (Also Pam's idea. What would we do without her?)<br /><br />And so, to bed, and onwards to <span style="font-weight: bold;">DAY ONE</span>! Barm barm baaarrrrr.<br /><br />That's ominous music, if you didn't catch that.<br /></span></strong></div>Mazelbiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765432034595708431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-29881023112249729062010-11-22T02:16:00.000-08:002010-11-22T02:16:16.190-08:00Changes afootLadies and gentlemen of the orchestra, you may have noticed a slight name change of the title of this blog... (If you haven't, well - you have now.)<br />
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I have made this change because two of my dearest, dearest friends, Rebecca and Philippa (or Bec and Pip, whatever floats your tug), are also journeying down the long road of weight loss, and I thought that a shared blog might inspire us all to work harder toward our goals!<br />
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I am eagerly awaiting their first posts!<br />
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Pamzilla<br />
xoPamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-38419740790258504312010-10-27T17:43:00.001-07:002010-10-27T17:43:22.576-07:00As predicted.A head cold. Not the Grandmother of All Head Colds, though -- maybe a Second Cousin, or Sister-in-Law. Not a direct relation. Either way, hello, garlic + horseradish capsules.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-46529107302447402962010-10-27T04:24:00.000-07:002010-10-27T04:24:30.532-07:00A little factJust want to point out -- having a sore throat is not Atkins diet-friendly. AT ALL.<br />
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- Honey<br />
- Soothers<br />
- Ice-cream<br />
- Icy-poles<br />
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Et cetera.<br />
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Sugar! So much sugar!<br />
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Oh, I hate my throat. I was supposed to perform today, too, but couldn't, because some rogue cells in my throat staged a mutiny, wielding knives and torturous fire torches, dancing about and having a marvellous time. I could hardly <i>speak, </i>my throat was so sore. Guaranteed it'll be gone by tomorrow and I'll have, in its place, the Grandmother of All Head Colds.<br />
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And to think that I managed to avoid being sick all winter. It's only shown up now, you know, with only two weeks to go before I finish my Master of Music degree in CLASSICAL SINGING.<br />
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*mutters* Traitorous body.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-33538757450164833282010-10-13T19:54:00.000-07:002010-10-13T19:59:38.484-07:00Back on trackHave managed to shrink self back down to 95.4. Which is not really shrunken, but I went a little mad with cake and chips in celebration of the 20kg mark and promptly put 2kg back on. Fooooool.<br />
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I'm sick this week. I don't really know what it is. I have a sick-feeling headache all the time, and my sinuses hurt, and my ear has been blocked and painful. Just an all-round pain in the ass (or, in this case, the ear). <br />
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Mama doesn't approve of the Atkins Diet, and says that a high-protein diet damages the kidney and liver if one is on it for too long. I'm doing some reading to see if she's right, but so far, all evidence points to the contrary.<br />
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I don't know if I updated about it before, but I had a weird food reaction in Sydney recently. A rash! All over my chest, upper arms and upper thighs. Weird! I think it may have been the Chinese-Malaysian laksa, which was DELICIOUS. The time previous that I enjoyed laksa gave me a migraine. There could be something in that, Pam. Maybe... just maybe... you are allergic to laksa.<br />
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That is very disappointing to me, however, as I think laksa is thoroughly delicious. My littlest sister (the pastry chef in training), however, does not think it sounds appealing at all. But she hasn't tried it! Surely she'd be swayed by its deliciousness...<br />
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Have blown up my pilates ball and keep it on my bed now (queen-sized bed in a tiny room, so I have little choice). I roll it between and under my legs while I'm playing The Sims. Ah, the engagement of my pelvic floor. I'd almost forgotten how good it feels to actually use my muscles!<br />
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Feel a bit dizzy and woozy today at work. Possibly, a migraine is coming on. I haven't really eaten today (left my lunch sitting on my bed!), which doesn't help. Much. Anyway. Much love! Thanks for the encouraging comments lately. You girlies are fabulousness epitomised. (Does that make sense? Maybe.)<br />
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PS. Have you seen my Mini Goals? (See sidebar, below Karl Lagerfeld. *hugs Karl Lagerfeld* You are my thinspiration. *cough*)Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-82112051795132850612010-09-30T23:14:00.000-07:002010-09-30T23:14:10.010-07:00Black CoffeeThere's a song called Black Coffee. A girl I know from Tassie wrote it.<br />
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On the Atkins diet, they recommend that one doesn't drink coffee at all, because frankly, it's not at all beneficial to one, and furthermore, caffeine addiction is a problem. However, if one simply<em> insists</em> upon drinking it, one is to drink it black, or with cream. No milk.<br />
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I never liked coffee at all until I started drinking it in 2004. I had to stay up late to finish an assignment, and my friend Nick recommended coffee to me as a way of getting through the night. I didn't really like it, but I kept drinking it for that sweet caffeine to keep me awake. Nowadays, I'm not really sure that I love the taste of coffee, but it's such a habit to drink it. I do love coffee-flavoured ice-cream. Oh God. Drool. No! Be strong!<br />
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Before I started the Atkins diet, I had never drunk coffee black. Uuuuugh. Now, I am forced to order a "long black" when I'm out about about. I've discovered that long blacks are always varying degrees of disgusting. I'm yet to drink a truly superb long black. Really and truly, I think that maybe the only thing I liked about coffee was the frothy milk that came with it. Drinking a mocchacino is heaven, as well. Frothy full-cream <em>chocolate</em> milk with coffee. YUMMO.<br />
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I think my point is that coffee isn't really enjoyable for me anymore. I'm sitting here at work drinking black instant coffee, and it's kind of foul. Yet, I persist with it. Why? Must be an addiction. So I feel that I should replace this coffee with something. <br />
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I tried replacing coffee with caffeine-free African Rooibos tea, but I can really only drink two cups of it before my tastebuds revolt on me.<br />
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I drink a bit of Pepsi Max, but I really shouldn't increase my intake of that. Bloated. Blech.<br />
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I'm not really into Green Tea. Should I try harder?<br />
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I love all those fancy teas from T2 that I have - Green Rose, French Earl Grey, etc., but they're far too expensive to drink all the time.<br />
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I'm sure the answer is that I should just be drinking more water! You watch, my mama will tell me that.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-47420519001547859002010-09-17T20:28:00.000-07:002010-09-17T20:28:41.073-07:00Hurray! Two more mini-goals achieved!Folks, I'm proud of myself.<br />
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I have now lost over 20 kg!<br />
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That's 44 lb to you Yanks. ;-)<br />
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What an incredible feeling, to have achieved so much to date. I'm slimmer, healthier, more energetic, and a hell of a lot happier than I have been in a long time (though, again, some of that must be attributed to timing this weight loss with <a href="http://jrr4film.blogspot.com/">being in love</a>).<br />
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What a delicious feeling <br />
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Loooooove,<br />
PamPamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-34869428289195972712010-07-10T04:07:00.001-07:002010-07-10T04:24:13.113-07:00The Saturday Night BlogSheesh. So, I've decided that Fate has directed me to blog for you here tonight, at 9:07pm on this hip and happ'nen Saturd'ee in the Andrews-Canberra household, where there is just me on my lonesome. Housemate and her boyf are away, and aaaaaaall my friends in Canberra (all six of them, or however many there are... so I'm better at staying at the School of Music and practising than I am at making new friends, go figure) are either away on holiday, or working. Lame. But that will be fixed tomorrow, as Pippa and I are going to see SHREK! Woohoo! I'm hoping I saw the third Shrek. I'm pretty sure I would've. I vaguely remember it being a bit rubbish but funny never the less. Hang on, just got a text message.<br /><br />Right, that was Bec. Moving on...<br /><br />So, yeah. Fate. I was watching "Precious", which my friend lent me, and the disc is freaking broken! I got fifty minutes into the sodding thing and the DVD player refused to play it any more. I tried it in my laptop, as occasionally it will read things that my elitist DVD player won't, and no cheese! So, then I thought, "Bollocks. I was really looking forward to the end of that movie. What can I watch now?" Decided to venture over to the TV Shack website, which I love. They let you watch 78 minutes (I made that up - it's some number around that figure, but I can't remember, and who cares?) of TV shows per day. Love it. Was able to catch up on seeing the first season of Miranda, seeing the second season of Beautiful People, seeing some episodes of Community --and anyway, I went today, and it's been seized by Federal Agents! What the hell? Big red sticker saying, Seized! Seized! Seized! with federal police badges and big warnings in lawyer-ish talk about various clauses and other uninteresting things. How depressing! I thought that website must've been completely legitimate, what with their time limits and such. God, who cares if one can watch TV on the internet for free? I mean, for goodness' sake.<br /><br />I remember a time when I couldn't buy my favourite TV shows on VHS for love nor money, so I had to WATCH a TELEVISION SET. And I remember that people would set their VCRs to record TV shows that they were going to miss because they'd be at netball or whatever, and then they'd watch them later, sometimes over and over again, and nobody cared because at least they were watching the shows! I really think all this copyright bullshit has been taken too far, and Stephen Fry has recorded an awesome podcast for the iTunes Festival about that very topic, in which he shares my point of view. Go to iTunes and search in the podcasts for Stephen Fry. It's a free download (as it fecking well should be). Bloody mad, this world. Intellectual Property is a pain in the ass.<br /><br />As a musician, I shouldn't be saying that. But I'm saying it anyway.<br /><br />This is my diet blog. So, yeah. I've discovered that sugar-free lemonade is not really all that tasty, but they've added so much sweetener that you're fooled into thinking it is. (But it's not. Don't be fooled.) Pepsi Max, all the way. Mama says it isn't good for you to drink all those bubbles but frankly, when you're on the Atkins diet, you need something to keep you entertained.<br /><br />I don't think Pippa is enjoying the Atkins diet too much yet. I will find out tomorrow how she's going but yeah. She wasn't a fan of the Atkins Chocolate Decadence Bar, and if you don't have that in life, what do you really have? Hahaha. NOTHING!! Well, actually, when you get to Phase 2 (Ongoing), you can have cheesecake and Atkins chocolate. Which is awesome. And I don't have any. Damn.<br /><br />Going to toddle off and continue reading my awesome new book: <span style="font-style: italic;">Greatest Mysteries of the Modern World</span>, by John Pinkney (The Five Mile Press, 2004). A birthday present to myself. Loving it. Love all that freaky weird unexplained phenomena. Means I'm not sleeping too well, though, as it's freaking me out at nighttime! What a chicken, hey?<br /><br />Cheerio.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-25113986202253454152010-07-05T18:22:00.000-07:002010-07-05T18:33:51.178-07:00As it turns out...When I get busy, I get <span style="font-style: italic;">busy.</span><br /><br />Phew! So I moved to Canberra and took up a Master of Music degree. That has been keeping me well out of trouble, I can tell you. Thanks to the Australian Government not prioritising post-graduate music degrees as essential learning (and I guess I can see their point), whenever I haven't been trying to learn German vocabulary or memorising song after song after song, I've been working in general administration, and trying to figure out how I'm going to juggle everything with the opera on next month (Purcell's <span style="font-style: italic;">Dido and Aeneas,</span> with new prologue by Geoffrey Lancaster).<br /><br />As soon as I got to Canberra, I really started using the Jamie Oliver <span style="font-style: italic;">Ministry of Food</span> cookbook. I had begged and wheedled my sister to give to me for Christmas, and then never really embraced anything new in it. Since I had whittled my possessions down to few, and had a lot of time on my hands in the evenings when I first got here (social life in Hobart: amazing; social life in Canberra: not so amazing), I got cracking and experimenting with Jamie's miraculous book. What a lifesaver! Honestly, if you've never learned to cook, or you're feeling like you could benefit from any education in cooking, this is the book to get. It's a non-patronising way to look at time-honoured ways to prepare traditional dishes that everybody should know how to serve. I, for example, had never eaten or prepared an omelette before. Now I'm an expert!<br /><br />But enough raving about the book. I got hooked on three of Jamie's pasta recipes, and just started preparing those over... and over... and over... and over... and over again. They are delicious, just so you know, and I love them. However, my body didn't. I began putting on the weight I'd lost last year (remember I went from 115.7 to 107-ish - fluctuated a lot), and felt tired, bloated, irritable... and my migraines were back in full force. Holy toledo. Wow. I was ill.<br /><br />Then, somebody (a few somebodys, in fact) suggested I go on the Atkins diet. I'd heard of it, obviously, but had no idea what it was other than I'd heard a few people mocking it before. As it turns out, Atkins was developed for those suffering heart disease and diabetes by Dr Robert Atkins, an American doctor who just can't figure out why more people aren't on his diet because it's so good. (Well, not anymore. He's dead. Heart attack, ironically. Or so I've heard.) My periods were becoming awful, I was feeling terrible... and decided to give it a try.<br /><br />Hallelujah!<br /><br />My migraines are gone. All of the food triggers that trigger migraines in me are gone. I get migraines when I'm stressed, but now, because my mind is so clear and my body feels healthy, I recognise them as soon as they start and zap them with dissolvable Aspirin. My periods don't give me any grief at all (other than period pain - and unfortunately, that's normal for everybody). I HAVE LOST WEIGHT. I don't feel bloated. I never feel full (or "Stuffed", as they call it on The Sims 3). I have so much more energy. I am literally bouncing off the walls. (Okay, not literally. I've also managed to fall in love this year, so maybe that's contributing to the energy). I just feel so much BETTER!<br /><br />Weight: 99.2<br /><br />Status: Overjoyed.<br /><br />Thank you, Dr. Atkins. Your diet has made me feel a lot better.<br /><br />xxxPamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-26819315473221481392010-01-04T17:51:00.001-08:002010-01-04T17:59:21.163-08:00What a season!And I'm not just talking about the festive season, although that contributed to it largely as well. Never mind. Christmas is a train-wreck for everybody, right?<br /><br />I lost my mojo. My motivation. My vision.<br /><br />Well, kind of. But not really. I got sick of the really strict aspect of WeightWatchers and let it ... kinda ... slide ... I was still watching what I ate, and doing the exercise, but not keeping track of the points.<br /><br />And I'm wondering why my weight hasn't shifted?<br /><br />Get a clue, girlfriend.<br /><br />My credit card details changed and WeightWatchers kept sending me reminder emails to update. I was all, "Ehhhh... I'm not even using it..."<br /><br />Today, however, I read the WeightWatchers <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com.au/success/art/index.aspx?SuccessStoryId=7041&sc=17">Australian Slimmer of the Year</a> story, and realised - holy shit. That girl is a Tasmanian! And she's just lost 32kg. I'm gunning to lose 35kg. She now looks like a stick figure and could afford some bacon, in my opinion, but she probably feels fabulous and more power to her. (Maybe I'm just jealous? The concept of being so thin is so foreign to me that I can't comprehend it...)<br /><br />So I'm back on board. I updated my credit card details.<br /><br />My life is going through a massive change right now. I'm in the process of making some really major location and lifestyle changes, and it's all too easy to cling to food and my sloth ways for comfort, but I need to stop doing that. Suck it up and learn to face the world like an adult. So here we go, take two. Let's do it this time.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-91858014851783004262009-11-29T05:27:00.001-08:002009-11-29T05:28:21.593-08:00106.6Have been going for a pumpin' walk with my iPod every evening in order to seem energetic and buzzing for my audition on Thursday. Has had remarkable effect on waistline and scales. Who would've thought that exercising helped weight loss? ... Where've I been? Anyway, weight is headed down again! Yay!Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-76980215193713789042009-11-04T23:28:00.000-08:002009-11-04T23:29:24.105-08:00MOVEMBER<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; ">Hiya, weight-loss fans/addicts/losers-in-the-good-way, <br /><br />I have decided to support Movember this year by signing up as an official Mo Sista. <br /><br />During Movember (once known as November), men put down their razors for 30 days and grow a moustache with the aim of raising funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. The role of a Mo Sista is to support the Mo Bros in their life – brothers, boyfriends, Dads, uncles, cousins, husbands – and help them to raise funds. <br /><br />What many people don’t appreciate is that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in their lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved this year and I am hoping you will support me as I try and raise funds. <br /><br />To support me and the Mos in my life, you can either: <br /><br />• Click this link <a href="http://au.movember.com/donate/your-details/member_id/123243/" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(255, 114, 0); ">http://au.movember.com/mospace/123243/</a> and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account <br />• Write a cheque payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number <strong style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">123243 </strong>and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 292, Prahran, VIC, 3181.<br /><br />Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible. <br /><br />Movember is now in its sixth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCFA) and <em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: italic; ">beyondblue: the national depression initiative</em>. Check out further details at: <a href="http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(255, 114, 0); ">http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs</a>. <br /><br />To find out more information on Movember, check out <a href="http://au.movember.com/" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(255, 114, 0); ">http://au.movember.com</a>.<br /><br />Thank you in advance for supporting my on my Movember journey as a Mo Sista. <br /><br />Pamela Andrews</span>Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-52606910765109523882009-09-15T01:00:00.000-07:002009-09-15T01:19:55.390-07:00Losing weight isn't always easyTwo friends have recently confided in me about their own weight-loss troubles, and it's been interesting. In both cases, I can see that their food addictions stem from emotional eating, and I can draw similarities to my own case. Food is absolutely a comfort thing for me. If I feel sad, angry, withdrawn, lost, unloved -- food calms me down. Nothing terrifies me more than not knowing where my next meal is coming from. Isn't it weird? You wouldn't think that people could be addicted to food like others can be addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, etc. -- whatever the vice, it can be scary. Makes one wonder what can be done to work on it. Really and truly, I suppose the three of us need counselling through it, one of my friends in particular. I'm actually planning to go back to my hypnotherapist to try hypnotherapy for weight-loss -- he's renowned world-wide for hypnotherapy, and I've had some great successes with him in regard to performance perfectionism anxiety.<br /><br />I have been quite lazy with the Points Manager on the Weight Watchers website and as a consequence have more than likely been going over my points allowance for each day. I've been so busy (and away) lately that I find it such a HASSLE to have to update EVERYTHING I eat in a day -- which probably means that I'm eating too much, maybe! Geez, though. I'm trying to keep it updated currently, but yeah. Need more motivation to use it. I wish somebody else was doing WeightWatchers with me, but nobody is. My friends have pulled out of it. Too much money for them to justify not using it. (Fair enough.) You'd think, if I needed motivation and company, that I'd go along to the weekly weigh-in sessions but I don't have time. I do have friends who are doing it but they're not doing the online version. It's up to me to motivate myself but it's tricky.<br /><br />Another thing that I've found that sucks about dieting is that it can be really hard to eat well when you're running really low on money. Hello, instant soup. And what bollocks is it that full-fat milk is actually a helluva lot cheaper than 2%-fat milk? Seriously unfair.<br /><br />Anyway, we trudge onward, do we not? I weigh in this week at 108.3kg, which is not great - I'm going backwards. I haven't been back to pilates or actively been doing any exercise (apart from a little walking) so I can't complain really. I really need to book in to pilates and get going again!<br /><br />Just a note, too, re: Magza Szubanski. I'm so proud of her for losing all that weight! She's down to 85kg, and I think she looks really foxy. I wish I looked as good as she did. Oh well. Here is a current picture of myself, by the way - for the record's sake:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkrd_yR9C_6TN7mHUuO5NGOuER0vppajfTg36Vi30gmF7kj7DG-lPP506ySpp9CLWlSlO0jgR0Xsob62lm0kwT5bnr49R3PZCslH-T6Oim-v5FtKw9ch5_3eGxquLkPWvA1zgbTC1goU/s1600-h/785.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkrd_yR9C_6TN7mHUuO5NGOuER0vppajfTg36Vi30gmF7kj7DG-lPP506ySpp9CLWlSlO0jgR0Xsob62lm0kwT5bnr49R3PZCslH-T6Oim-v5FtKw9ch5_3eGxquLkPWvA1zgbTC1goU/s400/785.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381605671148658034" border="0" /></a>That's my gorgeous friend Bryony on the left, and me on the right. I recently went to visit her in Sydney, and this is us standing in front of the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains of NSW. Gorgeous!Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-81434339268996092932009-08-20T20:07:00.000-07:002009-08-20T20:09:58.690-07:00Enjoying the dietDo you know, I managed to have a rocky-road ice-cream AND a glass of chardonnay yesterday! All without going over my points limit for the day... though I was running late for a meeting at work, and was pleasantly surprised when they handed me a slice of cheesecake to celebrate somebody's birthday, which I then ate in lieu of lunch. Actually, it's a flippin' miracle that I didn't go over my points system yesterday, though admittedly there's something to be said for eating cheesecake for lunch...Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-36208520788762386942009-08-19T17:17:00.000-07:002009-08-19T17:32:42.097-07:00Welcome to Bec!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4o17u_fIbcdXve2xeTppqstdOQGVkvojLs6N5uage00-3ToRK-98ipIu_WpIPHwH0ms9o8KPn4eW0kW2lXsPpL-rdasGYXnaebvItJeGYxYar04Xswf1GMAw00B7D-j3BT3ZKE5x_ag/s1600-h/DSC02277.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4o17u_fIbcdXve2xeTppqstdOQGVkvojLs6N5uage00-3ToRK-98ipIu_WpIPHwH0ms9o8KPn4eW0kW2lXsPpL-rdasGYXnaebvItJeGYxYar04Xswf1GMAw00B7D-j3BT3ZKE5x_ag/s400/DSC02277.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371837248930262178" border="0" /></a><br />My best buddy Rebecca has joined WeightWatchers!<br /><br />Somebody else to share the dieting woe with!<br /><br />This is me (top), Jess (middle) and Bec (bottom), taken about two weeks ago at my sister's 18th.<br /><br />Also, I just cleaned underneath the space bar on my laptop and apparently haven't clicked it back in properly because it's now a pain in the ass to press...Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-90400880990754804582009-07-26T20:22:00.000-07:002009-07-26T20:28:00.112-07:00Ah, Reese's.Oh, wow. The last month has been a total blur of busy busy busy and needy needy needy. I have been sick and completely poor, and chomping nothing but medication and chocolate. Seriously. I was given a lot of chocolate for my birthday, and when you haven't got much money to buy real food, well - Reese's peanut-butter cups start to look very appealing.<br /><br />I am, however, pleased to report that I haven't put on a single kilo. Yeah. I know. What the hell? Weird... Anyway, I'm back on the bus. It's all good. Reacquainting myself with my plans.<br /><br />I bought a few books while I was away in Melbourne, one of which has turned out to be a dating self-help book. I didn't realise that at the time when I bought it. Mega whoops. But it's hilarious! Maybe I'll reinvent my personality while I reinvent my body. Yeah. God knows it's inherently flawed. My personality, I mean, not my body - but that's flawed, too. Flaws everywhere! Gosh.<br /><br />I was looking through a friend's wedding pictures, and saw a picture of a very large woman in a strapless dress. It has reaffirmed my firm belief that large women should not wear strapless dresses. Ever. And I never will. Oh dear...Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-71910295763382742382009-06-21T20:51:00.000-07:002009-06-21T21:54:53.664-07:00How (k)needy of me...The things I do for singing.<br /><br />As though it wasn't bad enough that I have to go on a massive food and exercise thinger, I have to fix all my broken body bits too.<br /><br />Bad posture + old injuries + new injuries + stiff body<br />=<br />Bad singing.<br /><br />Solution: CLINICAL PILATES.<br /><br />Now, I've been doing clinical pilates for a little over a year now. I started going after I completely axed my back (sneezing, whilst bent over to pick something up - never do this, it's retarded) and happened by chance to be booked into Lansdowne Physiotherapy for an Alexander Technique session anyway. I discovered the delightful Elke, who has shown me the error of my ways. I have happily been going to the physio studio most days for clinical pilates ever since.<br /><br />However, recently, an old, OLD injury of mine flared up. The Knees. Have I discussed The Knees already? God, they're so retarded. Out of seven possible structural problems you can have with your knees, my orthopaedic surgeon told me, I have four of them. FOUR OF THEM. Basically, my knees used to dislocate all the time. And it was well sucky. It hurt a lot, and I ended up having two lateral-release arthroscopies, to encourage the outer tendon muscle things to stop yanking my patella out of its groove every time I turned sideways. (My legs just twisted in sympathy as I typed that. I have serious psychological issues about my knees now.) Anyway, anyway, anyway, my left knee (which has always been the weaker of the two) recently flared up as I was pushing myself to go harder at pilates.<br /><br />So I booked a separate session with Elke, and we decided that I needed orthotics to correct my posture in order to do some strengthening exercises for my knees, as my current postural stance and the fact that my knees are knock-kneed wasn't helping things.<br /><br />Six-hundred dollars later!<br /><br />I have two pairs of orthotics. Regular ugly orthotics, and court-shoe ugly orthotics. I elected to get two pairs because there is no point in me correcting my daily posture if I'm not correcting the posture that I have in court shoes when I'm performing. That would be nonsensical and rather pointless.<br /><br />Today, I had my first session with Elke and with orthotics. Holy shit. The orthotics are magical! All of a sudden, my left knee could bend further than it could before, all because I feel, from my hips to my toes, that everything was in proper alignment. Moves that previously left me gasping at the sharpness of the pain were suddenly accessible to me. I am gobsmacked. Even Elke was impressed at much the orthotics seemed to be helping me. They are amazing! They are Wonderful Objects! It is very exciting and rather empowering.<br /><br />The only thing holding me back now is my own retarded psychological issues about my knees dislocating. I wander off into little daydreams at times, daydreams in which I imagine my knees dislocating, and I compulsively clutch my knees, as if to protect them and stop them twisting sideways. If anyone so much as TOUCHES my knee, I'm actually frightened that they're going to twist it sideways. If I'm feeling unsteady on shoes, on a bridge, or down a crowded walkway, I am frightened that somebody is going to knock into me and that my knees will dislocate. Obviously, this is not an issue that one goes to see a therapist about. Clearly, as I improve my knees, my little issue will disappear as well. But still, I'm just sayin'. None of this is easy for me!<br /><br />The things I do for my singing career...<br /><br />Speaking of my singing career, I've received a letter telling me that my application has deemed me eligible to compete for the first round of the Australian Singing Competition next month. Thank God, too. What a rigmarole that application was. Took me hours to complete and it still wasn't very good. I'm very excited. I am not so excited that I have already worked with two of the performers on the panel, however. They will be a lot harder to impress...Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-41329268975287668152009-06-16T19:27:00.000-07:002009-06-16T19:34:09.802-07:00Girl TalkI have to say (and I'm sorry if there are any boys reading this, which I sincerely doubt) that, for me, having my period SERIOUSLY messes with my diet.<br /><br />1). I become bloated. I put on about a kilo of water, and I feel fat, and my jeans are stretched to breaking point, and I just feel gross.<br /><br />2). I want to eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. I am RAVENOUSLY hungry.<br /><br />3). Chocolate is no longer a treat. It becomes a NECESSITY.<br /><br />4). Bad moods. Although I have mostly counteracted the horrible PMS that I used to get (uncontrollable, wildly emotional mood swings which caused me to think that the world was out to get me and therefore make irrational decisions which left everybody bewildered for a week), I still experience mood swings that result in becoming cross at everything. Are you breathing loudly? Did you leave a crumb on the bench? Did you not unload the dishwasher? Did you get to go shopping while I was stuck at work? DIE. DIE, BITCH, DIE.<br /><br />5). Period pain. All that abdominal pain is horrendous and makes me regret all of the food I consumed in points 2 and 3.<br /><br />6). Migraines. Every single period, it becomes Migraine Season for me. I don't necessarily get one (though I usually do), but I suddenly become super-sensitive to light, have a vague headache the entire time, feel very faint most of the time, and start panicking every time something imprints on my retina and resembles the blurred vision of migraine-town.<br /><br />All of these reasons combined together create a horrendous period experience, and one which makes dieting nigh impossible.<br /><br />So I have decided!<br /><br />NO MORE DIETS DURING MY PERIOD.<br /><br />I will be sensible...<br /><br />.. but if I want pasta, to hell with it. I WILL HAVE PASTA.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-23506949483739239252009-05-29T00:44:00.000-07:002009-05-29T00:48:27.204-07:00A big fat sausageMy housemate just came in and told me that she has been lusting after sausages in bread with onion after seeing them advertised in a suggested recipes section of a Coles catalogue three weeks away, and is therefore in the kitchen satiating her appetite now. Haha. Love it. And she's making me one. Even better. Working 7-4 on Saturdays means that I miss out on the Salamanca Market! Bratwurst sausage fail!<br /><br />There have been large gaps in my days lately where I haven't eaten and have consequently gotten a really big headache. Aaaaaaaargh. Then I eat, and the headache goes away for a little while, but comes back to punish me anyway. IT IS SUCKY. I think maybe this means that I need to eat every couple of hours, even if it's just something small. Learn the lessons, Pam.<br /><br />Lucy just delivered me the sausage. OH, love.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-4934564759020719892009-05-25T03:50:00.000-07:002009-05-25T04:08:49.449-07:00Who knew? Dieting is great!Current weight: <span style="font-weight: bold;">106.1</span> kg<br /><br />Yay!<br /><br />I've lost a total of 9.1 kg since starting this big diet kick. And you know what? It's no longer just numbers to me!<br /><br />I've started to FEEL it!<br /><br />Clothes no longer fit me quite as snugly!<br /><br />My jeans do not slip down as I walk!<br /><br />My muffin-top has shrunk!<br /><br />My thighs feel a little more svelte and a little less tree-trunk!<br /><br />This is wonderful!<br /><br />A THINNER ME!<br /><br />At the hairdresser's today, I was reading one of those trashly weekly women's magazines, and they had a big special on the contestants who've been on The Biggest Loser, and how they're doing now, x amount of months/years on since they first lost all that weight. What an inspiration. Wow. Those guys are doing so well! I was looking at some of the "before" photos, thinking, "Yeah, I'm that big..." and then looking at the "after" photos, going, "WOW! I would never have thought that they could be that thin!" This whole time, I've kind of been a bit disbelieving that I could ever be SLENDER, just less podgy. But it's true! Some of these girls were huge! Massive. And now they're tiny! Healthy tiny. It's really awesome. I'm impressed!<br /><br />Have been trying hard to stick to my Spoonlight diet. (That's the Karl Lagerfeld diet designed by Dr Jean-Claude Houdret). SOOOOO not keen on the protein sachets. Protein drinks taste gross. So I'm not doing that part of it. But I'm doing the rest! Avoiding all the carb-heavy foods and compensating with other things.<br /><br />The best thing about this diet so far has been the re-education that my body has gone through in discovering what portion sizes really are. I have learned to eat more slowly, concentrate on what I'm eating, and replace foods that make me bloated and more hungry with satisfying foods that are healthy. Isn't that boring and wonderful all at once?<br /><br />I can have one square of chocolate and not want more.<br /><br />I can eat a bowl of vegetable soup and feel totally stuffed.<br /><br />I drink skinny milk and revel in the non-bloatedness of it all.<br /><br />I have swapped pasta and rice for broccoli and carrots.<br /><br />I have swapped white bread and jam for multigrain bread with Vegemite.<br /><br />It feels GREAT.<br /><br />I'm just so surprised! I thought dieting was boring and unfun and that I'd hate every minute of it, but I DON'T. I'm turning into one of those annoying happy dieters who tell you every aspect of their dieting successes and triumphs. (Sorry.) It's a commitment to living a healthier lifestyle, and I'm really enjoying it.<br /><br />Do it! Do it today. You won't regret it. You'll feel so much better about yourself in the long run.<br /><br />Have a great week!<br />xxxPamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-11091514905005247622009-05-18T22:00:00.000-07:002009-05-18T22:11:02.691-07:00Mid-May weigh-inForgive me, Blogger, for I have sinned.<br /><br />I have been busy!<br /><br />But I am back! I have been keeping track of my weight, etc, so now I would like to announce what the current standings are (brought to you by WeightWatchers Australia and The Karl Lagerfeld Diet Book), with total losses in parentheses:<br /><br />Weight: <span style="font-weight: bold;">106.6kg</span> (-8.7kg)<br /><br />Dress size: <span style="font-weight: bold;">18</span> (-2)<br /><br />Arms: <span style="font-weight: bold;">34cm</span> (-1cm)<br />Hips: <span style="font-weight: bold;">121cm</span> (-4cm)<br />Bust: <span style="font-weight: bold;">116cm</span> (-4cm)<br />Waist: <span style="font-weight: bold;">102cm</span> (-5cm)<br />Thighs: <span style="font-weight: bold;">71cm</span> (-0cm)<br /><br />Going well! Excited!<br /><br />Flatmate just cleaned out the fridge. Apparently it was an unholy mess of crap in there. I bought an 18-can box of Diet Coke. Yummmm. Karl Lagerfeld is totally into Pepsi Max. Raves about it. It's not bad. I tried it at work. Rather sweet. All these carbonated drinks leave me a bit bloated... but that's probably good if it means that it fills you up without needing food, right? Right!<br /><br />Anyway, better continue with my day.<br /><br />Happy losing!<br /><br />xxx<br /><br />PS. You know how I was rewarding myself with The Princess Diaries books? Well! I am such a retard. I accidentally skipped book 7. AND DIDN'T NOTICE. No, didn't notice until I got the end (CLIFFHANGER) of book 8. I was reading book 8, thinking, "Hmmm... don't really remember who this J.P. character is... Must be that activist dude that Lilly was into, though I thought his name was something else... Eh." Turns out he was an entirely new character! And I just accepted him without question and kept reading! I went to a bookstore yesterday and emerged with NO Princess Diaries because I simply could not make up my mind about whether I wanted book 7 or 9! I could've bought both but then I would be faced with the dilemma about which one to read first! Satisfy my need to know what happened, or go back and read the one I missed???!!!??!!! ARRRRGH! Plus, Angus & Robertson sells them for $16.99 and I feel sure that the Hobart Bookshop sells them for $14.95. And I am stingy.<br /><br />PPS. In other news, The Mediator series by Meg Cabot is totally awesome.Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-418749249571361830.post-55119387166383281832009-05-05T22:55:00.000-07:002009-05-05T22:58:27.560-07:00Weight-loss buddiesJust had coffee with my mate Marissa. She's on a weight-loss kick too! She was telling me all about the CSIRO Well-Being Diet. Sounds like the Karl Lagerfeld Diet. We're going to keep each other motivated.<br /><br />I really do want to go swimming. Marissa suggested a swimming class. Thinking caps on... Maybe we could go TOGETHER. OH, what a stroke of GENIUS.<br /><br />I just drank an entire pot of tea with Muz. A large one. I ran out of milk for the last two cups, and they were very strong. Have discovered that I don't like "plain" tea (it was English tea) without milk. Has made me head-spinny and a bit ill. Blech. Should've just ordered a skinny latte. Live and learn!<br /><br />Something I've learnt --- Home Brand diet cola tastes just as good, if not better, than diet Coke. True story!Pamela Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528310235000048265noreply@blogger.com0