Great Weekend!

Oh this has been my kind of weekend! I do love to exercise and be with my family and just stuff! Yesterday burnt over 600cals with the two dvd's of MishBridges and today I burnt over 600cals from my bike ride with 12wbters. I loved it. It isn't so much that I am burning calories, more that I feel great after excercise. I am so lucky to be able to do that. Eating has been ok, predominantly stuck to eating plan or at least to meals from the menu plan. Today I did have three crumpets which I have not indulged in since the before 12wbt in February. I didn't know they were only 83cals each so really the lunch was under 300cals which isn't bad, breaky would have been below that too and dinner just above. Add to that a banana and Jason is just getting me a skinnycow which is also not a lot of cals. So I should be good to be under 1200cals today and I know I was yesterday. You know what, no matter what the scales say THIS IS LIVING!

Nearing the end of week 2

Well I have had a pretty rough week this week. Work situation not so good and causing stress. So much red tape when you work for the government, you need to jump through hoops, you are not necessarily recognised for the work you do, you work your arse off for no recognition and disdain from the public. So much for being a public servant, it is difficult to say the least. So I got another job and now my bosses at my government job have gone in a spin and are taking me along for the ride. Needless to say this is stressful and it took its toll on my weigh in. Now that is not to say that I wasn't in control of my eating, I was but I let myself slip, I comfort ate, I used food as medicine, it was controlable and work wasn't. But controlable in a bad way, fed myself stupidly. I didn't review each day because how do you say 'today I ate two vegemite sandwich' that is above what I ate for the program. So that was my extra. Next day my extra was cake and buscuits and next day was WEIGH IN. Needless to say my 1.1kg gain put me in a spin and I cried and I was devastated. It has taken me a while to get my eating back in control, what I did do was up the exercise. Since exercise makes me feel better about myself, it helps.

Yesterday I ran/walked a little from Fortitude Valley to West End, along the river, through the botanical gardens and over the goodwill bridge. So very pretty. This was additional to the core work I had done before breakfast. Smashing 560cals for the day, good day for me. I ate poridge and banana, herbal teas, almonds & mandarin for lunch, tuna meal for dinner and some cake my children had made yesterday. All in all a good day and yes I know I shouldn't eat cake but what do you say to your little kids when they make one for you? YOu say, thank you,just a small piece and their small is adorably large. But I am a mother first and I dont mind.

Today I weighed myself and I have finally lost my 1.1kg and an extra .1 as well. So I am back on track. I may even have a good weight loss this week. This morning I am enjoying my protein shake with fruit for breaky. It is delicious with berries and banana and low fat soy milk. I do enjoy a protein shake. And I have a good workout planned, I am trying out one of my new MishBridges DVDs and then I shall take the dog for a walk/run. I intend to kill at least 500cals before I stop. I have another run planned for tonight, shorter, I shall run beside my daughter who wants to bike ride, it makes me sprint faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast!

tomorrow is the 12wbt group bike ride Sandgate to Shorncliffe. No idea really who will come but I am definitely going to enjoy riding by the water front. I dont have to kill records I just have to move.

12wbt and Michelle Bridges has changed my life! I pull myself together quicker, I exercise more, I am so much happier. Now if work would fall into line.

Then there was no runs because of the damn rain! Better for Sundays ride please.

Day 7

First week done and dusted ~ 11 weeks left to enjoy!

Good exercise day with run/ride/swim and a total of 1580cals burned. There was a break between the ride and swim for breaky but still a good day and nicely burned cals.

Eating day was pretty good too:
breaky ~ fruit and protein shake - 260cals
lunch ~ fish and salad with a diet coke and 2 prawn cutlets from Morgans(yum) - 280cals
at ~ burbon and diet coke - 80cals
Dinner ~ roast chicken and salad - 350cals

Total intake 970
Total burned 1580
net cals -610!

And while that was good it did not equate on the scales! I have a feeling this will not be a good weigh in.

Day 6

This was the day I should have got up and run but couldn't! I hadn't slept, my body hurt, I had an extra child who was sad and there was stuff to do. Jason got in late and had to go to bed rather than ride a bike with me because he had to be up in two hours to go out to lunch with his family. All in all, I felt like shit, no exercise, worried about this whole job situation (and the more I think about that the more I realised I made the right decision ~ of course time will tell but I really feel this was God shutting one door and opening another). Anway too much food and not not enough loving myself:

exercise 0!
breaky ~ fruit and protien shake 260cals
lunch ~ salmon and salad (Lone Star) with burbon and coke @580cals
pm ~ birthday cake and bit of chocolate @200cals
Dinner ~ steak and mustard mushroom sauce 300cals

total consumed 1340 cals or there abouts ~ too many anyway

The cake was a peace offering and there are just some things you have to do/eat despite the diet. Truth to tell, it is cultural if we like it or not. Food can be a peace offering, a way to connect and sometimes to refuse is so rude it is best just to work it off later and enjoy the moment when you consume the empty calories knowing you are one step closer to mending a rift or making someone elses day. Whatever, I knew it had to be eaten so I tired to eat a small peice.

Anyway Sunday is bound to be a better day??????

Day 5 - Round 3

OMG, I am tired, I am stressed but it only cost me one tiny melting moment today and not chocolate on chocolate which is better.

Training
1st run 350cals
2nd run 190cals
3rd run 100cals

breaky: porridge, banana & herbal tea ~ 213cals
am: herbal tea ~ 3 cals
lunch: steak and salad at the pub with mushy sauce on the side ~ 337 cals
pm: mini melting moment and pepsi max ~ 106cals
dinner: pizza (homemade of course)~ 200 cals
supper: bourban and coke ~ 80cals

total cals consumed 939 but possibly having another 80cals in a minute
less burnt cals 640
net cal intake so far 299 (possibly 379, well more than likely really)

good day, better than others. I still have to work out what I am doing in the morning, probably considering how many people are in the home I will go for a jog. NOt an overly long one because some of those people are sad kids who miss their mum and I am not their mum. My kids dont miss me when I run, they worry about when I am getting back! ahahhahaha, I am a horrible mummy sometimes but I love them! Got the best kids ever.

Day 4 - round 3

Aghhh, another day closer to my goals! But another headache and a long road to freedom. Stress is driving me to chocolate and icecream and I KNOW that is self medicating with food but seriously it still works kind of. Oh whatever, I just want to feel good again. Anyway, no excuses, I need to be under control.

Exercise: toning and a run ~ 500cals
Breaky: eggs and tomato ~ 124cals
AM: herbal tea ~ 3 cals
lunch: chicken salad at Chipmunks with mustard mayonaise on the side & herbal tea ~ @470cals
afternoon tea: chocolate, chocolate icecream and more calories than I can count, lets say about 900cals
dinner: cauliflower soup (Angela is a genius) 147cals

Total cals consumed 1644cals
Total burned 500cals
Net cals 1144 cals

It is no way to loose weight but at least I should remain steady! I hope. Anyway, tomorrow, with any luck will be a better day. I need to revisit my excuses, did I say stress??? did i? I doubt it. I haven't been stressed in a while so it really wasn't something I was thinking about. And for a stress management strategy that does not involve chocolate? hmmmmm, I do have the deep breathing, the meditation, the primal scream but these are hard to do when you are looking after kids or at work. Lets think about it shall we? Or maybe we should just call it as we see it i.e. stress and not an excuse to blow our hard work.

Why am I using the bloody royal we? I so need sleep.

Day 3 ~ round 3

hmmmmmmm, somewhat of a stressful day and I would like to say that I had a good excuse for the chocolate but stress isn't a good excuse and it isn't a reason to blow my hard work to the wind. I did enjoy it though, I love dark chocolate and mint in whatever form it comes. I suppose sharing it with the children is a step up from gorging in private. I even insisted they eat more and more just so it was gone and not tempting me. In some ways this is an improvement. Of course after they went to bed I indulged AGAIN in a skinnycow double choclate mousse thing. Oh now that was good too. But still it did blow the healthy eating plan!

My weigh in was good ~ 1.7kg gone. I couldn't quite believe it myself. I'm not quite sure how I did that since I had icecream and chocolate cake. Not together but still they were eaten. Thank goodness for the most part my willpower remains in tact. Shame about the darn stressful days.

Breaky~ porridge, berries: 168cals
AM~ protien drink: 150cals
lunch~ tuna and crakers and two strawberries: 230cals
dinner~ Lentil spagetti (I was duped though because the kids told me that was on the dinner plan and it WASN"T ~ I have got to watch those kids, first time they told me a fib to get the yummy dinner! I realised there was something wrong when I went to the cupboard and no pasta.) and diet coke: 470cals
Supper chocolate - probably 1000s of calories!

Exercise 400cals I had a fall and hurt my knee and ankle. There was a time I would have given up but I kept going, limping, walking, running it was still moving. JFDI I thought, what is the worst that could happen. The bruise on my knee bites today though.

If I had been good that would be 1018 in and 400 burn giving a net total of 618 but we know the chocolate made that not so good. Lets leave it at that. Back on the program day 4.

Day 2 - round 3

Not a good day really. Quite bad in fact and I feel just a wee bit sick! My own fault, I was enjoying my steak so I had a second piece. Honestly, this nutrition plan does not allow for what I ate today. Aghghhhhhh.

Exercise
morning ~ tpning 250cals
evening ~ cardio 250cals

Eating (oh do I have to be honest?)

breaky ~ porridge, banana, cinamon and herbal tea 213cals
am ~ mini muffin with herbal tea 110 cals
lunch ~ ham, cottage cheese and sprout wrap, diet coke and mini muffin 379cals
pm ~ rice crackers 72cals
dinner ~ roo steak and vegies 418cals

Total cals consumed 1192
Total cals burnt 500
Net cals 692

so you know when I look at it like that it isn't too bad so why do I feel overfull and bad about how much I ate. I think the two mini muffins are freaking me out and the extra bit of steak but when I look at it, they dont have as many cals as I thought. Anyway not I am just thirsty. All that exercise!

Day 1 - round 3

Oh dear, it is day one and I ate chocolate cake. And I said no but it was made clear to me that to say no was insulting (its a cultural thing) so I said just a "slither" and it wasn't, I mean in whos eyes would that have been a slither? It was really delicious and very very kind but still, day one! It is part of the job to be culturally appropriate when in other's homes. I am disapponted! My day in review:

Exercise - quick run 170cals

Breaky - porridge, Berries and herbal tea 171 cals
Lunch - tuna meal with diet coke 202 cals
AT - CHOCOLATE CAKE and at least I didn't have a tea or coffee! 434 Cals
Dinner - fish and salad with pepsi max 257 cals

Total consumed 1064
Total smashed 170
Net calorie intake 894!

Of course I still have to get through the night and I can feel a herbal tea coming on but that is later. I might even fall asleep on the couch before I get there. Now tomorrow will require me to exercise inside because the rain will not stop! I do not like rain, not when I want to run. But we must keep moving.

I love that people are commenting more fequently on my weight loss. And I love that the darling Sam is embracing the 12wbt program with such enthusiams. She says I am her mentor, her inspiration. That is so lovely.

The day before round 3!

Am I ready, no not really. I still struggle with will power as my husband eats a huge bowl of icecream and bananas and I know I want some. I love icecream and banana. I also love the new me so I struggle the internal fight, the one that says "but it doesn't start until tomorrow"! Of course it started back in January in pre season round 1, it started so long ago and still I struggle with my 'willpower muscle' being not so strong and very easy to tempt. What do I want more I ask myself, food and fat or healthy and happy. I mean it shouldn't even have to be asked. So many people are commenting on the new look me, they are really positive. I should want that more, I should feel like I deserve it for the hard work I have put in and I shouldn't want to blow it in a bowl of icecream so I tell myself "just one bowl" and it will be just one bowl tonight but it may well be one bowl tomorrow night and the next night and the night after. All that exercise for a bowl of icecream and a stupid fat body that is stuck here. I mean I am at my goal weight, I wanted to fit in the prewedding dress and I do. But this is still sitting in the obese range, man I am not even overweight I am full on obese. I have to remind myself. I have got to stop being complacent. I really do want to loose that 10kg more before Christmas (still wont be healthy weight but still, so much better than where I was). I wish I could be consistent with the eating, I wish I could control the hungry switch! Yes yes, I probably can.

Today in review:
No exercise unless you count walking around a garden shop and planting out a few plants. Lets me honest it was nice but not overly taxing.

Breaky ~ pancakes made by my daughter (no extras) @316 cals
Lunch ~ ham and salad sandwich @ 528 cals
AT ~ coffee and little bit of Tom's biccie @67 cals
Dinner ~ beef and corn salsa (holy cow, absolutely devine) 320cals
Supper ~ herbal tea 3cals

Total consumed 1234 cals! Not bad, not great but still it doesn't have a bowl of icecream and a banana in it and THAT would be a lot worse.

Yesterday in review

Well I woke somewhere between 4am and 4.30am so it was a very long day! Why, well this is the day that we were wrapping up round 2 in Brisbane.

6.15 10k bike ride with husband ~ 230cals
7.00 breakfast ~ porridge, banana & cinamon ~ 210 cals
10.00 12wbt group work out Kurilpa Park (so much fun to exercise with friends) ~ 560 cals
1.30 lunch ~ ommlette with corn and low fat cheese ~ 329cals
2.00 shopping ~ just how much do I buy from the green grocer now? More than 3/4 of my groceries~
3.30 nap (well kind off because the house was so alive I just kind of layed there)
4.45 get ready for the night
5.30 travel to restuarant
6.30 12WBT round 2 finale Brisbane wrap up party at Viet de-lites! Oh thank you so much for coming my friends. So awesome! Dinner - baked salmon on mashed sweet potato with baby Asian greens. Calories are a bit hard to tell but lets say 600! Plus a burbon and diet coke at about 80cals
10.30 apple slice (dont know what I was thinking but I really wanted it~ oh well) 224cals

Total cals consumed 1443 (or there abouts)
Total cals exercised off 790!

You know it was a lovely day and it was a great way to end round 2. I am ready for round 3, I still worry about my mini and major milestones and my goals. It would seem that, despite being over weight still my goals have still changed to fitness and strength rather than weight loss. I mean that has to be ok because they are my goals. Anway, lets see how far we can go before Christams

Friday - review!

Training ~ a lovely run of 30 minutes and then some massive ab work ~ 330cals
Eating:
Breakfast ~ porridge, banana & cinamon with herbal tea 213 cals
Lunch ~ beef and salad wrap 243 cals
AT ~ diet coke 4 cals
Dinner ~ homemade pizza on mountain bread 459 cals
Supper ~ herbal tea 3 cals

Total cals consumed 922! I love 12wbt!!!

Also, the rest of me that wasnt training or feeding myself just got offered a job that comes with car, laptop and phone. I am soooooooooo excited.

Another review of the day

Oh so what did I do today?
Doctors, check!
Strained the muscles around the sternum for all the disgusting coughing that is going with this damn asthma. Bummer, it bloody hurts.
Workout, check!
Not a great one but one, gotta keep moving -160cals
Eating, check! (well of course)
Breaky porridge&banana&cinamon 210cals
Morning tea pepsi max 2cals
lunch ham and salad sandwich 267cals
Afternoon tea pepsi max 2cals
Dinner Pumpkin Soup 250cals
Supper Cup of herbal tea 3cals

total consumed 734cals
total worked off 160cals

Good day, a little low but I am finding this nebuliser thingy is making me loose my appetite.now to make it through the evening.

workout even with asthma

Yes I can, it just isn't as good. Only killed 160cals on my toning workout but still it has to be better than doing nothing at all. Consistency, right? Get up, get moving, do something. Dont have to smash it up every time. So why do I feel so down for not being able to do more?

Today in review

Despite the asthma I got out there and moved! Not run, kind of walked/sprinted/walked. Bit of lunging and curling and push uping in the park. Whole thing took 40mins and not sure of the cals because I didn't wear the HRM. Silly really but my day was off to an ok start and I couldn't breath so well so straight home to the nebuliser.

Food:
Breaky porridge&berries, tea 170cals
Lunch kebab and coke zero 650cals (that is bad hey!)
dinner lentil spagetti 464cals

1284 calories consumed!

Pretty sure I burned up at least 250calories so I probably broke even. Still not my best effort. And you see now it is out there I have to be accountable. Better day tomorrow.

No excuses!

I did my excuses! Nothing is changing much from round to round except my internal excuses: My thought patterns:
worried I will be too complacent
worried I have really put myself out there this time and scared to fail leaving me stressed and what do I do when I am stressed. I bloody eat! shit.

So lets get into the SOLUTIONS!

1) remember my mantra - I am strong, I am competitive, I am love, I am loyal ~ Just Fucking Do It,
2) No More Excuses
3) train consistently and
4) BLOODY STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK
5) MIX UP THE WORKOUTS
6) YOU HAVE LEARNT HOW TO FIND TIME SO BE CONSISTENT
7) YOU KNOW YOUR FAMILY IS GOING TO THANK YOU FOR THIS ONE DAY SO TEACH THEM HOW TO COOK ~ THEY ARE GONNA LOVE IT
8) CHILAX LOVE, YOU CAN WORK AROUND THEM BUT IF YOU KEEP STRESING YOU WILL KEEP EATING.
9) Remember Michelle's lessons and keep sending the inner teenager to her room. And the labrador enjoys a pat and cuddle and attention more than food anyway.

Maybe the solutions are more important to put out there so I can remind myself and find one that fits the problem. Oh come on I am going to get into the 70s this round kicking or screaming. That is what I want so much, then I have to get it for me.

Round 2 forums close tomorrow - sad!

I reckon round 2 was awesome. I ran two fun runs which I wouldn't have dreamed off. I did two triatholons which would have been more of a nightmare than a dream. I had fun, lost weight and will miss the comraderie.

On Sunday I came down with bad asthma, probably the sort you should go to hosptial for but like usual I was in denial because if it wasn't happening I could keep exercising and avoid the damn drugs they put you on. Monday I went to the doctors and now I am on so much medication and all of it is FATTENING! And I cant exercise. Disaster has struck in the lead up to round 3. Terrible news for me so of course I stress ate a muffin and an extra sandwich, which for someone who almost never does bread is at a bit of a loss as to know why I was so stupid. Blah. Must must must get back into the right head space.

Help me Michelle, I am slipping. Ok truly it is me who has to help me, you gave me the knowledge, I know what I am doing wrong. I am self medicating with food. Stupid me, it wont help in the long run. So time to stop feeling sorry for myself and at least try to move. Well after I have sat on the nebuliser for half an hour and fallen asleep from it. Possibly I will move tomorrow all going well. At least I tried walking today, I tried (I even trotted for a few seconds but dont tell my husband who is beside himself with worry).

Saying It Out Loud

Completed 12wbt round 1 with a loss of 6kg
Completed 12wbt round 2 with a loss of 11.6kg
Starting 12wbt round 3 and hoping to loose 10-12kg.

Here comes Christmas and a new look me. That is the plan anyway but I am thinking I need to say it out loud and keep shouting so I keep myself on the right track. This time I am following the program much more closely. I doubt my breakies and lunches will change too much as I do love my porridge and fruit in the morning and my tuna meals are only 210cal at lunch. Dinners I have to adapt for the family but none the less I get pretty close. Calories usually ok if I dont eat crap.

So heres the thing. I reckon it is time to listen to Michelle Bridges, she is calling and it is time to get my butt into gear with the exercise. I mean yes, I exercise but I am going to follow the exercise plan to the letter this time around. I want I nice tummy for Christmas and I cant do it alone.