Day 2/112

Calories in - 1290

Calories out - 0

Feeling very frustrated as I felt 99% recovered when I went to my osteopath on Tuesday but after his treatment the pain has returned...I know, I know...patience, and at least I am standing up straight again :-)

It didn't help that I did some "quick" grocery shopping yesterday and instead of a trolley I grabbed one of those plastic baskets...of course I ended up with at least ten more items than were on my list and ended up having to carry the heavy basket around...my back was not happy last night. Ahh, have you ever been to a better pity party? I throw the best around ;-)


I've seen a drop in the scales the last two mornings, but only want to share a weekly weigh in on here. We all know how annoying those daily fluctuations can be.

The one meal I've been struggling with is Lunch. I'm not a sandwich/wrap person, and it's still a touch cool for salads around here...and let's face it, I'm just plain lazy. So I've decided Smoothies are the way to go for me when it comes to lunch.




Does anyone have any links or recipes to some power house smoothies? Lorna Jane has an awesome one on her website (and I think it's on youtube as well). I've tried it and it's great - keeps me going for hours (I usually have a late lunch at around 1pm)

I'd love to build up a list of smoothies that I can have as my go-to quick, lazy girl lunches.

See you tomorrow :-)

The PT Post

I enlisted the services of a Personal Trainer quite a few years ago. The person I contacted was recommended to me through a local gym, and I knew her from the local Aquatic Centre...I can't quite remember if I ever saw her teach a class...Pump rings a bell...

Anyway, this woman is about my age and although I know for a fact she has only ever worked in the fitness industry, I was not impressed with the advice she gave me. For a start, she took me through every machine in the gym and showed me how to use it...I did specify in her questionnaire that I was familiar with gym equipment and basically wanted a program written out for me...but she just advised me to do 5-10 reps on each machine...

Nutrition-wise was even less "impressive"...her advice on breakfast was along the lines of "Don't skip breakfast - even if all you have is a piece of jam on toast, then it will get your metabolism going..."

She never booked in any future appointments, her take on it was - OK, we've spent an hour and a half together, You've paid me my $60 so just do what I've told you and if you need a follow up call me in a few weeks. Bye-bye.



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Fast forward to 2003, when I was a (getting) lean mean training machine...Sue (the above mentioned PT) is now head of  the Gym and Group Fitness team at my local Aquatic Centre...I noticed that my membership included six weekly "check-ins" and as they had a Tanita scale I booked myself in, and my instructor was Sue...

She did my measurements, BF percentage, weight etc etc. Asked me did I have any goals? I told her what my goal weight was...to which she replied "Be careful of losing too much more weight, or you might lose your face..." ???? This has become a private joke with Hubby and I...he always says "Don't leave your face behind" whenever I go to the gym LOL



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Fast forward again to last Monday.

Kim has her own very impressive gym set up in her home. I was peering through the sliding doors, hoping I wasn't in the wrong house when I was greeted by a petite, very fit looking Kim carrying a little blue teapot and the "poshest" cup and saucer I've ever seen...the first thing she said was "You'll get used to me carrying my tea around, and I have to drink it from posh cups - it makes me feel good..." Tea from posh cups...? Tick. I like her.

She told me to grab a Swiss ball to sit on and we basically chatted for most of the time...

About diet, fitness levels and goals...also about my fear of flying and my fear of putting on weight while I'm faced with mostly tempting options at the three day conference I'm attending in Adelaide (Hello Magda!!!)


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We are starting off with fortnightly sessions, due to her and my time restraints, but from late June  I am hoping we can make it weekly.


I came away with two sheets of personalised workouts for the first couple of weeks. They are basically simple circuits that I can do using a couple of dumbells and another one that I can do using my own body weight...no excuses for not working out during the conference!

The MOST exciting thing I came away with was : She taught me how to do a proper push-up!!!

..........................Yes, there you have it. Push-ups have been my hang-up for ever...I could never do them properly. Hubby would try to help me and all he could say to explain what I was doing wrong was "You stick your bum out too much" LOL...well, Kim talked me through it all and five minutes later I was doing push-ups!!! Can't remember what she said, all I know is that I got it...and that's all that matters I guess. ;-)


Food-wise, Kim is a big believer in clean eating (of course). She recommended a couple of sites to check out - one is Tosca Reno's "Eat Clean Diet" - which I already know and love and the other was a book by Teresa Cutter called the 80/20 Diet. I am going to try and get that before next week and might take it on the plane with me to read.



Well, that's about it. The coming week is going to be crazy-busy so I will probably be absent for a while but look forward to checking in after my next PT session.



Hope you all have a great weekend...mountain of ironing is giving me the evil eye...time to get stuck into it...I might have a restful Sunday if I do ;-)


xo

A new plan

To say that life has been crazy in my world is an understatement...

I have not had a kitchen for about four weeks...our bathroom only has a toilet and a shower recess in there, and our tiny laundry is currently housing a small shelf which holds microwave, toaster, kettle etc. Thank goodness for our walk-in pantry, because I was able to store enough crockery and glasses etc for four, as well as the fruit bowl and other basics.

To top it all off, our business is extremely busy, and those of you that "know" my hubby won't be surprised to hear that he has insisted on doing all this work himself...which is exactly why it's taking sooo long!!!


Back in September, I joined up for Michelle Bridges' 12WBT, I did not give it 100% - heck, I would say more like 25% truth be told...but I really did get a lot out of it. For one, I found an amazing group of women in the Forums, and we have become a really close-knit group who will continue to support each other beyond any weight-loss or fitness journey.

So I'm not sure exactly how much I weigh right this minute, but I know I haven't been this heavy for quite a while...


As we speak, my oven and cooktop is being installed (Photos of the completed kitchen next week, promise) so I have no excuse for not eating well. End of December/early January is traditionally a quiet time in our industry, and the girls don't need organising in the mornings, so it will be the perfect time to get into a routine in regards to my workouts.

So what I'm hearing here is NO EXCUSES - no reason why I can't put my health and fitness first and remain that way...


I have already signed up for Round 1 2012 of the 12WBT because I don't do things by halves and I want to give it my very best shot! I cannot speak highly enough of Mish Bridges and her team, and like I said, the inspiration just flows around the Forums.


So that is my plan - I would like to lose about 5kg between now and pre-season, which kicks off 16 January 2012. I think I can...I think I can...



Stay tuned.


xo


PS - Tried to link 12WBT but for some reason it isn't linking...just got to www.12wbt.com

I'm on my way...

Yesterday Hubby and I went to a friend's 40th birthday party.

Hubby was having an "I don't know what to wear" moment, so I nipped down to the mall and bought him a pair of jeans in a darker wash than usual, which he wore with a black long sleeved shirt and looked rather hip...

The store was having a sale where you paid full price for the first pair of jeans but got the second pair half price...

I've been thinking of getting a new pair for a while, so I just grabbed a pair in *my size*, nothing fancy, just a classic pair of bootlegs and came home. I hate trying on clothes at the shops, something about the fitting rooms, and the crowds etc, I've always functioned this way...

Getting ready for the party, had a thought that maybe I might wear my new jeans - showered and went to put them on.....



Hmmmmm........... not happy, Jan :(


These things won't go past my (rather larger than usual) thighs...


To my credit - I did not break down and announce that I wasn't going to the party.

I just wore the skirt and top I'd originally planned to wear, enjoyed myself immensely at the party, had two glasses of wine and a Coke Zero, ate some finger food (lots of chicken skewers and similar "healthier" options) and danced the night away... it was particularly lovely to have Hubby on the dance floor with me - see, he is usually playing with his band, and I'm the band widow on the dance floor with my girlfriends, but last night, we danced up a storm...



Oh, and just for the record - I won't be returning my new jeans to the shop...they might be a little tight at present, but I'm on my way - to being fit, slim, and generally Fabulous...


* Watch this space *

In the Beginning...

Stepped on the scales this morning...not happy.

I've gained weight again, up a couple of kilos in a few weeks.


This is not the direction I want to head in...


Time for some adjustments, time to form habits and practices that will steer me in the right direction.

Simple stuff - baby-steps, one at a time...one foot in front of the other.



I will report on weight lost on Saturdays
- some people hate the scales, but for me, right now, at the stage I find myself, I need to weigh once a week to track progress. Simple as that.




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Back Report -

I tried some codeine yesterday. Pretty brave as I have had some nasty experiences with the stuff in the past...

I believe it took the edge off the pain - or maybe it is just the logical passing of time and the inflammation is going down.

Whatever it was, I felt a slight improvement yesterday.


Soaked in a lovely warm bath and then actually slept soundly (for the first time since I hurt my back) for a couple of hours.

I also washed my hair and took some time to do stuff like style my hair, cleanse and moisturise my face and put on some mascara...it took me forever as my back aches if I hold my arms up/out etc for any length of time, but it was worth it.

It took my mind off the obvious (pain) and all of a sudden there was a glimmer of hope.


I apologise if this sounds melo-dramatic, but this incident has scared me to bits. It sounds stupid and bloody obvious, but I don't want to be a cripple. I value my movement, flexibility, agility and these past few days I have felt very frustrated.


This morning I am better than yesterday morning - that is enough for me. I would love to wake up tomorrow and leap out of bed and go for a brisk walk and not feel the slightest twinge...but it isn't going to happen. The recovery is going to be gradual, and at the moment, I'm OK with that. It is enough to feel a little better every day...



Thank you to all my friends who commented on my last post. Support and feedback is why I have a Blog, so it is much appreciated.


Hope you all have a great weekend. I'm going to have a slow one (but I hope a good one)

xoxox

I don't want to be on a "diet"...but what to do???

I am feeling low...as low as it gets low...

I don't know, I think it's largely brought on by this back injury flare-up - call it the straw that broke the camel's back, if you will - me being the camel.

I don't like what I see, I don't like how I feel, I don't like the pain I'm in.

Is it all caused by neglecting myself??? ... Neglecting our children, our pets is a punishable crime. Neglect your car long enough and you won't be able to have it registered, not to mention, it will stop "functioning'...


Here I am - I've been grossly neglected by myself and no punishment - unless you consider the pain I'm in right now and the fact that (like a car) I am not really "functioning" all that well as punishment.



I am an intelligent, mature woman. I give friends advice on how to shed some kg's...they follow my suggestions and it works!! So why can I not follow my own advice? Apply my knowledge to my own situation?

I don't know



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Here's the thing - I don't want to be on a "diet"

I don't want to count points, or calories, or number of meals I eat, or cut out carbs, or fruit or have protein every time I open my mouth...



HELP!!!!!


What I'd like is to come up with some rules, bullet points, things "to do", general guidelines, if you will to get me back in the swing of weight-loss.


Can you help? I'd love suggestions...I really need some support



PS - Back is still extremely sore - no change from yesterday. Off to my Osteopath next week for some adjustment. I think there's something out of place back there...

Sorry everyone, couldn't come up with a title for this post - be prepared for a rant...

At the moment, I feel like I'm getting nowhere (and I'm in a hurry) - sorry, couldn't help but quote from Cold Chisel's Khe Sanh...anyway, I digress.

My weight is 73kg...

I am yo-yoing between 71 and 73kg and I'm sick of it.

You've heard this before, but I have so many f---ing eating plans/diets/lifestyle choices floating around my weary head that I just cannot stick to one thing past breakfast...
So by the evening I'm eating whatever crap is around...

I'm TIIIIIRED, physically and mentally (I know, blame EOFY) but what will I blame next week? and the week after?

By the time the afternoon comes, I can't be bothered or haven't been organised enough to have something on hand/defrosted to cook dinner with, so it's some frozen crap or take-away...

I just want to get under 70kg...that would be a great motivation for me to keep going...

Aaaaargh!!! I am so over this battle. Sometimes I think I shouldn't even read Blogs because it's all so confusing. Everyone's doing something different, but most of you seem to be doing well. Me, I just try everything and can't maintain weight loss past the first week...


Hubby's birthday tomorrow, and mine on Sunday.

To be honest, I had hoped that I would be in better shape (read : weigh 65kg) by now, but I just seem to procrastinate and the weeks roll by one after the other.

Lately I've been thinking - will I ever lose this weight? Or is my life just going to be week after week of trying to eat "properly" but never actually having anything to show for it?

Have I become a "Gunner"...?

An "aha" moment

So this morning I just HAD to step on the scales to check on my progress...

1.5kg lost since Saturday's (latest) first weigh-in at Weight Watchers.


Hubby and I went for a bushwalk today during a break in the rain, and I was talking about how if I lose 1kg a week, I will be 6kg lighter by my birthday...


I added that I get so impatient with myself because I wish I could lose more than the 1kg per week that WW says you will lose if you follow the ProPoints Plan correctly.

It's been my downfall before - not losing weight fast enough -> skip a meeting -> scale starts to climb up again -> stop going to meetings altogether....etc etc

I'm trying to break this cycle once and for all this time around. The first time I joined WW I was successful because I weighed in EVERY WEEK...I still have the booklet. I maybe missed one meeting in four months...

and guess what? I did not lose EVERY WEEK, in fact, some weeks I had small gains...but in the end, I got to Goal Weight and I was even successful in Maintenance



Then Hubby said something that I needed to hear - it went along the lines of :

If you follow the Plan half-heartedly, say just count your Points every day but only exercise three times a week, you might lose .5kg...and you will walk away unhappy because you know you could have done better.

Imagine if you followed the Plan by counting your Points daily, and then committed to doing some form of cardio for an hour every day, you know that when you weigh in, the weight loss will reflect that and you can walk away with a sense of achievement.


**THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT YOU PUT INTO SOMETHING WILL BE DIRECTLY REFLECTED IN THE RESULT YOU GET**



....Is it any wonder I love my Man...?

xoxox