Back on track

Views in Timbertown

Aspley Falls, Oxley Wild Rivers National park


At the base of the Breadknife, Warrambungle National park

It is Friday 17th April, I've just returned from 8 days on the road with my family.

I love spending this time with my family, BUT, it comes with its pitfalls and I fell into them, and without dwelling too much on what I actually ate, suffice to say it wasn't really good. I got on the scales thismorning to a gain of 1kg. I will however move on.

There is a lesson to be learnt here. For those of us trying to change our lifestyle, become more healthy and stay healthy. It isn't easy. We have to become totally focussed, something I am not good at. I have learnt that I will have to always plan what goes into my mouth, there isn't room for complacency.

I cannot go back to the old ways, which involved no thought about food or planning exercise or anything else. It was just a matter of eating whatever was available - and guess what - it doesn't work that way. I had a friend say to me recently she hated feeling she was just thinking and planning food all the time - so she doesn't and I didn't either - but Now I have too. So it is for life - I will continually plan my food and exercise regime.

So today's plan is:

Breakfast: -1/3 cup natural muesli with chopped fresh rockemlon and a small apple chopped into bits topped with fat free natural yoghurt and a very small tsp of white sugar to make the yoghurt palatable. (3.5)

Lunch: 8 rice thins, vegemite and a very thin spreading of Philly extra light spread and a small banana. (5.5)

Dinner: Spaghetti bolognaise (home made) (7)

Snacks: Rockmelon (.5); Low fat ice cream (1.5) carrot stick and green salad (0); Apple (1)

Exercise: 5.3km walk (done). This afternoon I will take the children to the local heated pool. I will swim a mixed stroke 1km (am still recovering from a really bad cold).

Now to the holiday: Spent first 2 days in Narromine at the Aerodrome - Recreation Aviation Australia annual fly-in. It was huge fun except for the rain - sorry farmers - I know you need it. Anyway left Narromine when it looked like we wouldn't leave for a week as everyone getting bogged in the car park (including us, took 5 people to push our motorhome out of the carpark).

We drove from Narromine to Tooraweena for dinner, then on to spend a day and night in the Warrumbungle National Park. We went to the Easter Day Church Service in the National Park, before my youngest daughter and me walked up to the base of the Bread Knife (weird stone structure, volcanic plug apparently). Anyway, it rained for most of the walk and we couldn't see the top of the Bread Knife for it was in cloud. But we enjoyed the walk. Altogether we walked over 12km that day and some of it was very very steep and involved many many steps.

From there we headed to Tamworth and down through the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park (Aspley falls picture), Ginger Creek to Wauhope where we took the children to see Timbertown (see picture of train and old bicycle)

From Wauchope we drove to Port Macquarie and then slowly down the coast. Spent a night with relatives in Tuncurry and then on home.