Weekly wrap up

So I guess its time to do the wrap up of the week. Well. Frankly. I don't react well to not having carbs. There were more than a few tanties. One of which involved me literally ripping shit out of my locker and throwing it across the change room at work. Let me tell the backstory. We're short staffed at work. Its normally me and my bestie who pick up little jobs around the place. But she's in Japan. Lucky bitch, she gets to miss out on me adjusting to the diet.

And so everybody has been leaving the little jobs for me. Well, on Thursday I walked out of work at the very end of the day, 10 days on less than 70g carbs a day, 8 days solid training, exhausted. And found that three people had walked straight out the door, dropped their shit into the overflowing bins and kept going. When I got out of the facility, there were people sitting on computers, without packing up for the day. There were trolleys to clean up, and a whole area to shut down and lock up.

Shit did hit-eth the fan. I shut down and raged, and everybody else left early.

Good news is, I sent out an email the next day, requesting that they no longer leave the little bits to me. And was chatting to my supervisor later, and she was saying that she was feeling like all of these bits were being left for us too, and it was frustrating her.

***
I have had a good chat with one of the bosses at work. They are well aware of what I'm going through. And that I wasn't sleeping well. I was drinking too much (to fill the gaps) at the end of the day, and having to get up 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night to pee, so I was exhausted. They are well aware that this is only for another few weeks.

***
It hasn't all been that bad though. I've lost my treamill mojo. So I'm doing other cardio. Extra time on the cross trainer and I'm now standing up on the bike. And I've started cranking the incline and doing short jogs on that.

Training Wednesday night nearly killed me. I was uncooperative. I was tired. I needed a break. I did my best. And that's all Simon can ask of me.

Friday was much better. Trained well. The rest really helped. I did the alternate cardio set today, and should be back to full gym mojo soon.

I'm aiming to take next Friday off, and then train all the way from Saturday to Friday night. Measurements first thing Saturday morning. We're all prepped out and planned for it.

***
I am somewhat enjoying the diet. I have the most awesome salads for lunch. Dressed with balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper. And tuna. Of course.

Ricotta is not so bad. Really. If I find it boring I can crack some pepper into it. But I'm enjoying it plain.

Strangely, I'm not tempted by foods. A friend of mine was eating a sammich in front of me the other day, and I was quizzing her on how the bread was. And there were varous slices sitting there for everybody's consumption. I had a good look, but wasn't really interested.

I do chew pretty much all day though. Chewing gum is a lifesaver. And I'm in a much better mood when I have it.

***
I was dancing around in front of my mirror (in jeans) the other day, and discovered my abs are visible! I gave them a good grope, and they're freaking ROCK HARD. But they're still covered by squish. *sigh*

***

I am less than 2 weeks out from finishing. Its just dogged tenacity that keeps me going some days. I have started a blister pack of vitamins we got when we started. There are 15 vitamins in it, and its a visual reminder on my bedside table of how far away I am from finishing.

I have booked in for my spray tan too. 3 days out from last photos.

And I went shopping on Thursday night. Checked out some dresses and underwear. I can't wait for payday. I have picked out my 'reward' dress, that I'll wear on my last day. And another pretty everyday dress. And. Most importantly, I have found a good bra that supports and smooths the abdominal area too. Well, it makes it a bit firmer at least.

***
I am looking forward to the end of the challenge though. Its been a long journey and the past 2 weeks have been particularly tough. I don't care if I win or not. I was aiming for that to begin with. But to be honest, I'm so happy with how far I've come now. All I've learnt, all I've done, all I've lost. I'm a winner already. And I just want to have my freaking yoghurt back. I'm looking forward to the small things. I'm going for breakfast with Simon straight after measurements. And I want (though this can easily change) muesli, with yoghurt, banana, strawberries and honey. And a milkshake. Chocolate with a shot of coffee.

The Monday after we're going out to lunch at work. To celebrate the end of the bitchfest that I've been. And a mates b'day. And the return of my bestie. We're gonna share a jaeger (mushroom sauce) schinitzel, with rosti and crumbed mushrooms.

And on that same Monday I'm going to see New Moon in Gold Class. And me and my other bestie will have sushi beforehand, and scones in the cinema.

I don't want to go all out and binge when this is over. I just want the simple, plain things. I want my coffee, scones and yoghurt back. And I want to bake. I miss that.

***

Todays weight 73.5. Not really much of a loss. But going on previous measurements (of putting on 1kg muscle a week) its not really that bad. My jeans are definitely looser than they were. But my 'wish' tops are still tight. I'm pretty muscly through the shoulders.

Ideas

So I've got a mate who's dieting like crazy with his girlie. Unfortunately, she's more into the idea than the reality of dieting. So I've given him some tips, and I thought it would be nice to have them up here too.

If you have any to add, please do so. I have 3 weeks left of the challenge and fresh ideas will keep me going.

Snack ideas - low fat/low carb
Vegetables (celery/capsicum/cucumber/cherry tomatoes) with ricotta. Or tzatziki. Or any other low carb, low fat dip. This one is also quite nice with ricotta mixed with a little pepper, and a slice of deli meat (turkey, ham, pastrami). Ok, maybe 2 slices of pastrami. Its kinda small.

Ricotta can be mixed with;
mashed egg and cracked pepper
peanut butter
fish/ham/chicken paste.
I'd recommend mostly ricotta with a little of the other stuff just to give it some flavour. Definitely more ricotta than egg. Otherwise it gets a gluggy texture.

You can also bake ricotta. Mix with a little bit of honey and sultanas (this version is not low carb). Or frozen berries. Or cinnamon. Bran with small chunks of banana (again, this one not low carb). Milo. I mix mine with flavoured protein powders and just chuck it in the oven for about half an hour, until the top is golden. Of course, that's hard to tell with the amount of cinnamon I put on it, but even if its undercooked, the middle is still gooey goodness.

Low carb nuts. Just a handful. I don't know about you, but I can't ration them, so I don't have them. Same goes for avocado.

Mushrooms are nice if you can stomach them raw. Serve with a small amount of low fat cheese, 2-3 cherry tomatoes, a few olives and pickled onions.

Low kj cordial or flavoured tea can fill the gaps between snacks/meals.

Chewing gum and sugar free lollies are also good for keeping your mouth busy. But in moderation. They DO have a laxative effect and contain kj, with no nutritional value.

An egg. Seriously. Just an egg.

A low carb protein bar. Just make sure its less than 4g carbs per bar.

Low fat
Yoghurt. I recommend Nestle diet. Seriously, cannot sing its praises enough. No fat, no added sugar. Great, creamy texture and fruity taste. Yoplait 'for me' is also quite good (their apple pie flavour is delish!), but its a smaller serve (150g vs 200g), not quite so creamy, and has a bit of a fake sweetner aftertaste.

Berries. On their own if you want. Or with a small amount of yoghurt. And a sprinkle of oats on top.

If you're a total gym junkie (like me atm) and are into your flavoured protein shakes you can mix a half serve into yoghurt. Its kinda like cake batter and seriosuly nom tastic.

Vita weats are also quite good to snack on. You can put a little low fat cheese on it. Or cheese/tomato/pickled onion. Tomoato/cucumber/mayo. Or slice a pre boiled egg and top with a little dijonnaise. Or just eat them plain.

Fruit - pears, apples etc. I've heard that apples are quite good with a little bit of peanut butter. Or cinnamon (shake on cinnamon, bite. Shake on cinnamon, bite). No banana. Too high in sugar.

Weight watchers fruit snack cups.

2 square of DARK chocolate if you need the sugar hit. I find dark chocolate is more satisfying than milk, and less likely to have you running back to the cupboard for more in 20 minutes. Also, plain biscuits, like milk coffee or arrowroot. Just one serve. 3-4 biscuits.

Meal ideas
Ricotta mixed with lean bacon, fresh herbs and pepper. Sliced mushrooms on top of that. And mixed egg on top of that again.

Chilli mince. With vegetables (capsicum, onion, mushroom). For added kick I put in eggplant basted in peri peri sauce. Muchly hot little bits in my chilli. With beans if you're not going low carb. Seved on lettuce with tzatziki and low fat cheese on top.

Casseroles. On stock or tomato bases. Lots of veges.

Cacciatore - tomato, vege stock, browned chicken, onion, potato (cauli for a low carb option), fresh herbs. Braise. Serve with brown rice.

Home made soups. I particularly like chicken and sweet corn, made with (skinless) BBQ chook.

Lean meats. Marinated. Served with steamed veg (kinda obvious, I know). OR grilled meat with steamed snow peas, cauli, broccoli, beans AND grilled tomato, mushroom, eggplant, onion and zucchini. I call this one my 'fake roast'.

Tuna and salad. With a huge mix of veges (anything you can stomach raw), a small amount of cheese, a few olives (hey, its gotta be interesting), bean sprouts and alfalfa. Dressed with plain balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper.

Stir fry's. 'Nuff said.

Chicken skewers with vegetables. Served on brown rice.

Home made pizza on a wholemeal pita bread.

Sooo

I'm on the downhill run. Almost there. I'm so close to the end of this, that I can practically smell it. This week I cut carbs. Seriously CUT CARBS. I mean, I'm literally having oats (sans milk) in the morning, celery & ricotta, protein bars, and baked ricotta for snacks, and tuna & salad for lunch, and meat & veg/salad for dinner. I can't have yoghurt or vita weats because they're too high in carbs.

Needless to say, this has been a bit of an adjustment. I've had to add cheese or olives or half an egg into salads. The day I had my last tub of yoghurt, one of my workmates was chattering to me about unimportant stuff. I was almost finished the tub and just wishing she'd shut up so I could savour the moment. In the end I looked up at her and told her that I do love her, but this was my last tub of yoghurt. She grinned and let me savour the goodness of the black cherry. It was then that I realised Pinks 'please don't leave me' was playing in the background. I thought it highly appropriate.

I also make up about 4 days worth of salad, prepackaged in tubs, in advance. I mix egg, penut butter or fish paste into the ricotta to make it less 'cardboard diary'. And protein too. When I bake it. With cinnamon on top. I'm very excited about trying banana ricotta with cinnamon tonight. Yummo! And I have 30g servings of turkey and pastrami frozen, for if I ever serve with plain ricotta.

I have had slip ups. Transitioning to veges and ricotta snacks was hard. Its about half celery, and the other half is cucumber, capsicum and two or 3 cherry tomatoes. The first day I went straight to the work fridge and had a protein bar afterwards. Fail.

And I've started keeping only a few protein bars at home. In the freezer to prevent excess snacking on them. They're bastards cuz they're extra chewy. So when they're frozen they're nigh impossible to eat. The rest of my protein bars are at work. In the fridge there. I have them as an afternoon snack, so I don't really need them at home.

I have resorted (once) to eating penut butter straight out of the jar. The penut butter now lives in the freezer, keeping my protein bars company. I'll pull it out when I need to make more ricotta mix.

Aaand, lastly. I have given up calorie counting. I know enough to be able to keep track of what's allowable, and what isn't. I just need to keep my carbs as low as possible. So I've stopped sending myself around the bend, trying to keep the calories low. Most of my intake is protein anyway, which I should be having.

Todays weight: 74.1. Up a little, but I'm still happy with it.

Wow. Again.

These are my results so far for the challenge. I think they speak for themselves.

Total weight lost: 8.5kg.
Total cm lost:23
Total muscle gain: 2.4kg*
Total fat loss: 10.9
Body fat %: From 31.65% to 17.4%. That's a difference of 14.25%.
Resting Heart Rate: From 60BPM to 41BPM

*After initial loss in the first 4 weeks, I've gained almost 5kg of muscle in the second.

Happy

So I lost my gym mojo. I went in on Sunday to do a quick set of cardio and a basic set of weights. I had places to be and family to catch up with. And I had to be there relatively early. When I left I was tired, and cranky. I hurt. And I was sick of the fact that the gym takes up ALL of my time. I mean, its not like I have the greatest social life, or guys lining up to date me, but I'd like to have the option of it at least.

*sigh*

I had no drive, no desire to go on Monday. I reaaallllyyy had to drag myself there. Most of the time, when I do, I perk up once I start exercising. Not Monday. No Sir-ee. I was in full blown PMS meltdown and all my body wanted was carbs and chocolate. I wanted chips and donuts. Despite the fact that the last time I had donuts was about a year ago. And as for chips - one packet before the challenge started. And I don't remember the time before. Yep. Full blown hormonal rebellion.

I did, as an aside, discover how to fake cake batter. If you mix Nestle Diet (cuz I fucking love it in all its creamy, no fat, low carb dietary orgasmness) with a bit of chocolate protein powder, you get the correct texture. That thick, gooey chocolatey mess. Yum. It has a very similar flavour. With the exception that it has a bit of a yogurt after-tang. But still, when you can't have, that's about as close as you're gonna get.

I took Tuesday off. I was feeling ever so slightly more motivated, but I decided that I needed a break. So I took it. Stayed in and did... nothing. Watched Buffy. That's it. I didn't cook. I reheated some Thai chicken/prawn soup. I didn't clean. I just.did.nothing. And it was great.

Today was much better. Had a coffee pre gym to make sure I was perked up. But I didn't need it. I was on fire. Running a bit faster than my norm. I hit my 3K mark about a minute earlier. Did legs with Simon. He told me we're gonna get me spray tanned for the last photos. And that we're going to revamp my diet as of next week. I told him the scales were going up. And he said 'Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Halfway through the challenge, if all is going well, you'll be putting on weight.' Gee. Thanks Simon. A little late with the info, but still much appreciated. Got complimented by one of the trainers during my session. Hit the cross trainer post session. Had some random woman appraoch me to tell me that she's been watching me for ages, and that I'm doing really, really well. Which put a hell of a smile on my face. Then the next thing I know, its 8pm and I'm leaving the gym. Absolutely on top of the world.

I'm glad I have my gym mojo back. Life is just better at the gym.

Week 6

So we're into week 6 of the challenge. Not quite at the end. Halfway mark is on Saturday.

So, to recap, started at 82.3. Last 'official' weigh in was 76.5. So in 5 weeks that's a loss of 5.8kg. Not too bad. I've clocked up 3 losses of around 2 kg, and stayed flat for 2 weeks. Those weeks being the conference, and the week before my last weigh in.

Which is not really my bad. Honestly. I went home to visit Dad and was working my butt off. I had tuna and vita weats at Maccas on every stop along the way. Not that I stopped a whole lot. And I went running/walking every day. I made my own chicken salads. Which was kinda hard in the face of the feast that Mum served the last night. Lasagne. Potatoes. Salad. Wine. And a fucking gorgeous cheese and tomato twist from bakers delight. Stupid me went and picked my favourite bread for dinner. I swear I can eat half of one of those all by myself. Annny way. I made myself a lovely chicken salad. And I really did enjoy it.

My downfall was the chocolate. Damn the chocolate. Earlier that day Mum and I had been to factory sales and they had Enerst Hillier choc coated fruit and nuts for $2/500g. I bought 2 packs and Mum bought 1. Mum opened up her pack and I was picking at it. Rather than take a few here and there I'd have a small handfull, walk away, and come back 20-30 min later for another one.

Weigh in was the next day, in the PM. I was dehydrated and had just been in the car for about 8 hours. So not really sure how that afected the weigh in.

Work outs have been good. I'm taking a much needed day off the gym. Did an epic session on Sunday (2.5hr) and have been killing myself at the gym ever since. Getting less painful each session. Had legs with Simon last night. So now my butt is extra sore. I guess I'm gonna have to get used to this. *sigh* But its worth it in the long run. I did sumo squats last night. I half half of my body weight on my shoulders. Just cuz I could. And then Belgian Split lunges. With 30 kg weights. I'm surprised I can even stand to sit.

I've also started doing protein shakes as I leave the gym. I have 2 proteins. One is good. Tastes like a coffee milkshake without milk. The other is not so good. Tastes like talcum powder in water with a vague chocolate flavour. I've also started having L-carnitine to assist recovery. 1 gram split pre and post workout. Strangely, its since I've started doing this that I feel sorer. Mayhap I'm just working harder.

Diet is going well. I am cutting back on carbs where I can. www.calorieking.com.au is a fantastic resource. Gives me a complete calorie breakdown of what I've eaten. I'm switching away from my museli in the morning, to rolled oats, protein and berries and cinnamon. Gotta give the cardboard some flavour.

AND I've changed around my snacks slightly. I used to eat an apple as I left work, and then some vita weats when I got home, pre gym. Now I eat the apple as I get off the train and head straight to the gym. Bonus! Means I get there earlier and I can save myself some time at night. Me likey.
One other diet change - my last snack of the day is a boiled egg. My diet is too low in fat, so having a little bit, with no carb, at the end of the day is the smartest choice for me. Much better than low calorie fruit yoghurt.

Conference

Ok. So its been a big few weeks for me. I ended up heading to NZ for work. Conference. And in all of its fully catered glory, I still managed to diet. Sort of.

First day I headed out to the supermarket to stock up on muesli, tuna and vita weats. Diet staples. I also found NZ has canned chicken. Low fat. Phwoar! I thought, 'Aus has seriously gotta jump on that bandwagon'. Until I tried it! Salty and with no texture. Seriously, Aus is better off without the canned chicken.

That first day was tough. I got up at 6.45 and snuck off to the gym. That's 4.45 by my body clock. Then a quick shopping trip, breakfast, and off to seminars. For a full day. They catered morning tea (pastries, from memory), and lunch. No idea what it was, I tended to avoid food times and head back to my room to eat. After the conference (8 long, loong hours later) I was knackered. And they bought out cheese. Blue cheese, foot cheese, brie, crackers, and free alcohol.

I ran.

Had a freakout in my room, then decided I wasn't going to let the situation get the best of me. I had some strawberries and headed back up to mingle.

Then dinner that night was impossible. Curried sausages, lasagne, and some kind of greasy chicken drumsticks, potato salad, tomato and rocket. No vego option. I asked the *cute* bar tender if there was one, and he told me the chef offered to make me pasta.

I left. In tears. It was really hard. All this free alcohol, right in my face. Tired, hungry. I just wanted to sleep. But ultimately I wanted this. I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone. How else does one grow as a person? I went to the bar and got some type of salad with cheese. Totally not diet, but better than what was on offer.Ironic seeing as I'd avoided the cheese so hard that afternoon.

Next day I decided to check up on the menu prior to the dinner. Steak and veges. Not too bad. I'd decided not to have the dessert. Until it came out. Try saying no to that.



And then I saw the alternative. And I got ridiculously excited.


Clearly, I had the alternative. And it was great!

Overall, I tried my best in NZ. I ate diet where possible, and good where diet was not. I went to the gym at the hotel three times (cardio & body weights). Sweated and grunted and groaned all the way. But I did it. The gym had an AWESOME view of wellington harbour.



And the days where I wasn't sweating it out in front of this view, I was walking around being all touristy.

Overall, I did quite well. When I jumped on the scales the night after I got back I was 80.9. Considering I don't really count any weigh in after lunch I was quite happy.

Busted my arse all last week at the gym. Diet is just sooo much easier to keep when you're in a routine. I was hoping to crack 80 this week. So imagine my shock when I weighed in at 78.7. Yup. Lightest weight ever! I don't think I'm going to get sick of saying that.

So far with the 12 week challenge (3 weeks in) I've lost 3.7kg.

Breaking it down

I know I've been away for a whole week, and I will post about it, at some stage. When I get around to it. But I've just walked out of a seminar at the gym and I need to clear my head and tally up some numbers. This is my basic dietary breakdown.

Today:
Cal:1156. Fat:21.1 (17%). Pro:73.7 (26%) Carb:166 (58%)

Yesterday
Cal:1266. Fat:28.5 (21%) Pro:84.6 (27%) Carb:159.6 (52%)

Tues:
Cal:1172. Fat:18.8. Pro:82.2 Carb:168.5

Mon:
Cal 1338. Fat: 27.7 Pro: 110.3 Carb: 155.8

Thurs:
Cal 1265. Fat: 23 Pro: 84.3 Carb: 175.7

Average
Cal: 1239.4
Fat: 23.8
Pro: 87
Carb: 165.1

Big week

So I've had quite a big week this week. Starting the challenge, starting a new diet/exercise regime, being sick and having a friend up for a visit. The first few days were ok. Getting into the diet was much easier when I was in the routine of work. I lost 1.1 on Friday when I headed in for a training session.

Friday was... impossible. I don't know if I can put into words what a struggle it was. Everywhere I turned there was someone eating icecream, or chocolate. I was tired, and hungry. Lunch was an ordeal. I wanted grilled fish, no potatoes, with salad. The waiter wouldn't let me do it. I had to order the salad separately. It came out loaded with oily dressing. Kez sent it back. Had to pick the best thing out of food court menu for a snack in the arvo. I chose the natural yoghurt with berries. It was actually a really tough decision, because I didn't think fruit would be filling enough. And I drank epic loads of coffee. Which was good cuz we used it as an excuse to sit down and watch the slappers, hotties and druggies of Kings Cross go by. I was exhausted by the end of it. Considering that was at 2 am, there's no real surprise there. I estimated that I walked 7-9km during the day, on top of training in the morning.

Next day, being yesterday, we headed out to Jenolan Caves. I seriously heart that place. It was slightly easier to diet there. I picked up a noice salad before we left, and took up some tuna with me. Plenty of fruit and water too. And several naps in the car. We did 2 tours, and a 'little' bushwalk. By little, I mean it was not a lengthy duration, and it was on a path. But that path was all stairs mofo. Up. All the freaking way.

Today I headed back towards the gym. In the past 2 days I'd dropped another kg. A full kg. That's 2.1kg in a week. No wonder I'm bloody tired! It was a good effort, especially since I'm heading away tomorrow and no knowing how I'll be there. But I really couldn't keep up loss like that for 12 weeks.

So. Official weigh in 80.3kg.

First Seminar

So today I had my first group seminar with the challenge. It was ok. I've studied nutrition at uni, so the basic introduction they gave us was a bit boring. But it was good to learn a few tips which will help with the diet.

A few moments of laughter. At people, not with them, which is so much more satisfying. One guy asked if he should give up coffee. When asked how many he had per day, and how many sugars, he replied 'three with three'. FARK. 9 sugars a day. What a waste of kilojoules! When told he should cut down, he asked 'can I have a caramel latte instead?' Fail.

The trainer was going through the signs of overtraining. He mentioned that it can interfere with a 'woman's cycle'. There were boys in the room. Then he mentioned something about a decrease in a mans libido. One guy asked if that was the thing on top of his kidneys. Um, no. That's your adrenal glands. Then someone told him what it was, and the comment echoed around the room - 'sex drive? I got no problems with my sex drive. My sex drive is really high. Really high'. I wonder if that's cuz he can't get any.

Adjusting to a new diet on a weekend is a bitch. I do have to eat a hell of a lot more earlier in the day to compensate for the fact that I use more energy earlier. I gave myself a headache on Saturday; was ok (just a little flat and tired) yesterday; and coped really well today. Its easier to adjust when you have a routine to keep you occupied.

Tomorrow I have lunch with the CEO of my company. Bugger. He's taking our whole department out to get to know us. And I'm gonna be the girl who refuses to eat anything but water. *sigh* I'm going to give it a go. Lunch is a little earlier than I'm used to eating, so I can easily resist the temptation, and have my tuna and vita weats afterwards. We'll see how it goes.

It begins...

Well, it has started. THE 12 Week Challenge. Weigh in, photos and measurements today. Weight was 82.4. Up a fraction on last week, but I'm still happy with it. When my account is all finalised online, I'll grab the measurements and post them here.

I've been so psyched to do this. Over the past 2 weeks I've been getting ready. I bought heaps of meat (chicken, kangaroo, fish, beef) and weighed it all out into 100g bags. Some of it got chopped up and marinated with herbs/sauces. So they're all ready to go. I made a playlist on my mp3 player that I never use. For running when the gym music is a bit dodgy. And I've wanted to listen to it ever since I made it. Been dying to listen to it, but I refuse.

I was so excited to start the challenge this morning, that I woke up at 6:30, wondering if it was time for me to get up and start my day. Being measured was an interesting experience. I'm very ticklish. When she was measuring my belly with the calipers, I was giggling, then she'd giggle, then I'd giggle some more. Then I'd relax (cuz you need to be to have the measurements done properly), and then she'd accidentally wiggle the calipers, and I'd be off again. They also took blood pressure (mine was a bit high) and heart rate. My resting heart rate is 60! A year ago, when I initially joined the gym, it was 90.

I had a session with Simon today. Then on to cardio machines (playlist rocks) for 10 more minutes running, and some cross trainer action. Then a cool down. I'm doing 2 sessions with him a week for the duration of the challenge.

Then I hit the shops. Needed laundry liquid to wash mah clothes. And I realised, just how tough this challenge was going to be. Normally, when I leave the gym on weekends, I have a boost smoothie and a grilled meat/vege wrap of some description. Not anymore. Normally where I'd head down the choccie isle, for a peruse (I very rarely buy), I had to remind myself not to. Walking past the bread - 'Can't buy that anymore'. Cherry Ripes on special? Nup, cannot has. Light and Tasty cereal? Forget it. Going to stick with my muesli. I was really struck by all these things that I can't even look at. Its called a challenge for a good reason.

From now on, this blog will be a pretty much daily record of how I'm going. I'll try not to do exercise regimes/food consumption posts, its more for things I find challenging and the rewards that will get me through on the tough days.

A year on...

So its been a year since I joined the gym. I remember my inital goal was to lose 15kg by new year. I have lost 13. 7kg in that time. I'm still happy with that result.

I can run now. Both fast sprints and sustained jogs.

I have bones. And muscle.

I continue to buy fucking white shirts, and dye my hair red. Which results in pink stains all over the neckline of the shirt.

And I have just joined a 12 week challenge at my gym. Its through all of the franchise throughout Aus. I am aiming for national prize. I don't care about the money. I want the satisfaction of doing it. Its gonna be sooo tough. I'm going to train more often. Probably twice a week. And really, really watch my diet.

Rough meal plan:
1 cup museli for brekky. With skim milk and berries/banana/shredded apple.
tub low fat yoghurt for snack
tuna and vita wheats for lunch.
apple when I leave work
vita wheats with a small amount cheese/lf philly (pre gym)
100-150g lean meat with salad or fresh/steamed veges.
tub yoghurt/bit of fruit if still hungy.
2 squares chocolate as a reward if I get through the day.

Challenge starts in a week. Game on!

Cracked!!!

I'd finally given up all ideas of cracking 83 kg. I'd hovered around 83/84 all year. Bastard weight was going up and down like a freaking yoyo. And I was getting seriously bored with cardio. ITs only taken me a year. So I decided to be more serious about weights and just going in and enjoying myself. And look what happened.

12/07/09: 83.8kg
18/07/09: 84.8kg
25/07/09: 82.8kg

Yep. I've finally done it. Lightest weight ever.

Wow.

Just. Wow. Last weeks weigh in was 83.7. My best weigh in to date has been 83.1. right before Easter. Then it was 83.2. Right before Dad got sick. I'm so close to beating it I can practically smell it. So I worked with that goal in mind, all week. I have been sick though, so couldn't really work as hard as I'd wanted too (intense exercise makes breathing kind of hard).

I felt good as I stepped on the scales. I didn't meet my goal, but it didn't wipe the smile off my face. I was 0.2kg above my lowest recorded weight. 83.3kg.

Starting on the treadmill I felt really good. I decided that since I was feeling better, today was the day for me to beat my personal best with running - 13.2km/hr. I was moving quite freely on the treadmill and moving up by 0.6km/hr increments every 20 seconds (instead of my usual 0.5 every 30), and I managed to hit 13.4km/hr. New personal best. Then I walked for the remainder of my treddy time, at a hell of an incline.

But the best bit of all - I am now in my size 14 jeans! That's been my goal since I put on the size 16s. Granted, there is a degree of muffin top, but the right top disguises it completely.

Has epic happy.

Um...

I discovered last night that I can do a titty dance. Where I flex my pecs and make them move independantly.

Time to stop chest work I think.

Tooting my own horn!

So my trainer asked me to send him some before and after shots of me. I'm going on the gyms PT wall of fame. So I picked the following photos. The first is obvious - me at graduation. The second is me just before I joined the gym. The third was taken last night. And I gotta say - I didn't realise the difference between the second and third pics. I got a bit of a 'wow' factor when I saw that one.

So, without further ado, I present - my own horn toot!

I never used to have a problem with my weight. I knew I was big, but I'd always been that way, so it was kind of normal for me. I was an obese child. When I graduated from high school I estimate I was 150kg, size 26 jeans. I stayed big through uni, but after I left I started losing weight gradually. Mostly by eating healthier. I impulse bought a rowing machine with the intent to use it, but the novelty wore off and it sat in the corner for about 2 months. After my grandfather died I decided that instead of drinking to deal with it, I'd use the rowing machine as a distraction. I lost a further 20kg in about 4 months. It was then that I decided to really concentrate on losing weight. I kept going for a little bit, and then I hit a plateau. After a while of this I ended up joining the gym. With a lot of hard work, lots of little goals and the help/encouragement of the best trainer I've ever had, I've managed to lose another 13kg, and 2 jeans sizes. I feel so much better now days. I sleep better, am a lot more relaxed, and am miles healthier. I don't get sick as often as I used to, and I have a lot more energy. I still have a way to go, but when I compare what I used to be like, life as a whole is just better, I'm a lot happier. They say ignorance is bliss. Back then it was. Now I realise ignorance is just ignorance.

Weight Updates

Ok, so I haven't updated in AGES. Sorry. M'bad. So to recap, in my last update, I'd been staying pretty solid at about 83-84. And that hadn't changed up until Easter.

I had a really good Easter. Went away with fam and went off diet. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Chocolate, pies, cheese, bacon. Yep. I wanted so I ate. And naturally my weight went up. But it was worth it. From 83.1 to 85.1 in 2 weeks. It gave me a kick in the pants to get serious about losing weight again.

So I did. I worked hard, dieted hard, and lost 1.2kg in one week. I decided to take it easy for a week, and lost 0.7kg. I was all set to work really hard the third week, was getting some fantastic workouts at the gym and then...

IT happened. I got the call that Dad was dying. Naturally I flew down to Victoria immediately. Luckily, Dad pulled through, but my diet didn't. Two road trips to and from Victoria in 3 weeks. Time with the fam. Eating inconsistently. One moment I'd be denying myself roast pork, cauli/cheese sauce and gravy. The next I'd be guzzling a sugary fruit smoothie. My family got irritated, but eventually learned not to buy me food. I did do stair runs on the first time down, with squats/lunges/star jumps, and the second time I did get to the gym twice, but it wasn't enough.

Cue a raise of 3.5kg in 3 weeks.

*GULP*

So I've been working really hard since I've been back.I missed 2 sessions while I was away, so for the last and the coming week, I get 2 PT sessions per week. My trainer has been great I told him that I'd put on weight and he was working me really hard. And this week I lost 1.9kg. I will work equally hard this week.

Recipes

BLUEBERRY, YOGHURT & OAT MUFFINS
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup skim milk
375 ml greek/natural yoghurt
1 2/3 wholemeal SR flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil,
dash of lemon
1 teaspoon salt
2 lightly beaten large eggs
1 tin blueberries

Moisten oats with milk and mix with 125g low fat greek or natural yoghurt. Refrigerate for a few hours/overnight.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Combine yoghurt and oat mix with all ingredients, except bluberries. Mix until smooth.

Drain blueberries and fold into mix. Spoon into muffin cases. Bake until muffins spring back when touched lightly in centre.

Eat. Preferably cooling them if you can wait.

WHOLEMEAL FRUIT SCONES
1 2/3 cups wholemeal SR flour
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
About a tsp of sesame seeds
2 small grated red apples
Sml handful of sultanas/ chopped dates
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients. Flour bench top and knead dough onto it. Roll out with floured rolling pin and cut with a round cookie cutter* or cut with knife.

Bake at 180C until cooked. Eat.

*an appropriately sized cup will do the same thing.

Damn.

For pretty much this whole year I've been hovering around the 83.5-84 mark. Its really starting to shit me. I mean, REALLY starting to absolutely shit me. I really want to see that I'm below 80. I've never seen it. I wanted to be there at the end of Feb, and I'm eyeballing the end of March, unchanged. Damnit.

So this week I pledge - no cookie for morning tea. I will have a tiny serve of museli, or fruit, or yoghurt. No avocado. No burgers (even if they are low fat and packed with salad). No museli bars. Unless that's it for a snack. I will shift some of that flub.

Also, I'm switching one night of cardio for some extra weights.

Wish me luck...

Sick

But its a good thing. I haven't been to the gym in the past few days. No point. I'm sick. Which means no official weigh in.

But the unofficial weigh in is 81kg, wearing jeans, on my home scales. woot!