Shift the focus...

I have been thinking recently about "dieting" and all the things that go along with it....

From my experience, a diet has been a set of rules around what I am NOT allowed to eat, eg. Don't eat too much, Don't drink soft drinks, Don't eat too much fat, Don't have too many carbs, Don't eat processed foods, Don't drink alcohol, Don't eat sugary foods, Don't add sugar to tea, in face Don't drink tea or coffee!!

Why don't you just develop a taste for air?? It's cheap and tastes fairly neutral so I'm sure you'll get used to it..

Hang on... something's not sounding right here!

So... this morning's ramble is about ADDING things to your "diet" (diet meaning your nutition). It's time to focus on more that what NOT to eat!

This week, I will be (and I challenge you to) ensuring that in each day I am getting enough of the following three things;

1. Omega three fatty acids... Hardly any of us get enough. On the days I don't EAT enough I will be supplementing with fish oil capsules. Omega threes do all sorts of amazing things including helping your body burn fat! Yes, eat fat to burn fat! But it must be the right type!

2. Protein... I am doing a lot of strength work at the moment and need protein that will easily assimilate into my cells to help my muscles recover and repair. Whey protein is the best for this. I found a whey with no flavour (Aussie Bodies Natural) so I can add it to savoury dishes as well as sweet and make it into fruit smoothies for an in-between snack. Protein also keeps you full for longer.

3. LIVE foods... particularly leafy greens and deep green veggies like broccoli. These foods contain live enzymes which help your digest foods. They also contain clorophyl and will fill you up so you can increase the size of your meal greatly without adding lots of calories. Mind games mind games! Your body KNOWS how to process these foods so you'll be happy happy happy on the inside!!

So there is the challenge. I guarantee you and I wont have heaps more room for junky things in our day if we make sure we are getting enough of these things.

Let me know what you think and how you go if you choose to try... go on!!



My food yesterday:
(not great- but part of my easter treats and I did 1 hour of hard (read: excruciating) cardio today to make up for it!)

B. 2 x french toast made with capeseed loaf and 1.5 eggs (2tbs whey added to the egg mix with NO change in flavour) skim latte

S. 1 hot cross bun

L. Strawberry skim milk shake, 1 slice cape seed loaf with avocado and light cream cheese

D. Small bowl of tuna and veggie macaroni, 1 scoop low fat icecream

S. 1 hot cross bun... oh come on.. it was good friday!

Because I want to be the best me....

Something has happened over the last couple of days.

Something has changed and I think it's going to be really good for me. For my mental health as well as my physical health.

I have realised that I am too heavy... okay, well, I knew that. However I have always looked at my weight as a number on the scale and as a gauge of whether I am OK or NOT OK.. That sounds harsh, but it is true. It was all wrapped up in body image, feelings of self worth and whether I felt ugly or pretty. Don't get me wrong. I don't think being overweight is ugly. Deep down I know I'm beautiful, but these things just come into your head sometimes.

ANYWAY! So I am feeling pretty good about my life right now. I am not feeling any sense that I am not worthy, not gorgeous or not OK. But I am too heavy...

I am too heavy to be the best runner and athlete that I can be

Woh! I never ever thought I would consider myself an athlete! But I am heading that way and I do not want to let a few kilos weigh me down. I have been thinking about how much happier my body and knees would have been on Sunday if I hadn't run 14kms with 10-15 extra kilos on my body. I crave feeling light and bouncy!! (Not that type of bouncy!)

So... what do I need to do to get light?!!

I know exactly what I need to do...

eat CLEAN! eat ENOUGH! eat RIGHT! And train SENSIBLY!

I will be putting my food diary on here more regularly and giving more in-depth analysis on here as to how it's all going for me.

There is no magic number on the scale. I know I carry a lot of muscle so I will never be as light as those chicks who don't weight train, however somewhere from 70-75kgs works right for me... Or about a size 12. I am going to enjoy a sensible amount of chocolate over easter (a medium sized fair trade egg) but after that the treats are out for a while. Not going to set a time limit. I just need to get back in the habit of eating real foods all the time!!

So Stay tuned!

Food today:
B. 2 slices wholemeal toast with 2 eggs and a soy latte.
1/2 litre water
S. 3 tbs natural fat free yoghurt with whey protein and 1 tsp honey. 1/2 slice capeseed loaf
L. Grilled fish with salad, 1 slice capeseed loaf.
2 litres of water
S. Small smoothie w/ soy, banana, whey protein
D. Grilled mustard chicken w/ mashed sweet potato, piles of broccoli and green beans

A couple of pics from the run today

Here I am obviously thrilled with my result... This pic was taken for the Step into life newsletter as my trainer has made me member of the month!

Mayra and I loving ourselves sick!

Big girls CAN run!

Okay, well I'm not THAT big any more however I am not your run of the mill athletic type. I have big strong muscles and curves in all the right places.

That aside, today I ran 14.1km (although I think it was a few hundred metres longer but that's a side issue) in 1:48:38. I am stoked with this time!

In 2006 when I was apparently at my fittest (and 10 kilos lighter than I am now) I completed run for the kids in 1:55:26. I was only able to run for about 10km of the whole course and I needed frequent walking breaks.

This year Mayra and I jogged the whole thing, only stopping for a few steps at each drink station. I felt so amazing sprinting accross that line after being able to achieve a goal I had set myself.

What's next??

The Run Melbourne Half Marathon (21km)!!

Muscles!

I have been getting myself a little depressed recently as my flabby arms are always the last thing to shrink when I get fit. Even today, I was walking through my local mega shopping complex, catching my reflection in shop windows and feeling like I had 2 hams hanging from my shoulder sockets. That said, the difference between now and before I started weight training/boxing etc is that when I flex the muscles in my upper arms you can actually see them! They may be under a layer of fat, but they are there and probably bigger than ever! I love running my hand over the outside of my arms and feeling the definition and I love feeling strong and powerful. I am looking forward to taking off my veil of fat and letting the world see my fully carved biceps and triceps.

I completed 2 of my tasks today. I put some gorgeous Raco pots and pans on layby. I got $500 worth for $199!! Bargain shopper!! And we started getting the car organised for repair.

I thought of 4 other things I need to get done this week though.

1) Call Office Works to see if we can do a Bushfire Appeal sausage sizzle out the front.

2) Call Chocolateir (spelling??) to see if they are selling Fair Trade easter eggs this year. We got some last year for $5 each.

3) Use some Fair Trade chocolate to make our own easter egg gifts for our friends and family.

4) Make a new playlist for my mp3 player to make my Run for the Kids experience a little easier.

I played netball tonight which brings me to 4 exercise sessions this week (including Sunday). I am going to rest tomorrow and do toning on Thursday (easy on the legs), Cardio Saturday (taking it easy all over!) and the 14.2km run for the kids on Sunday. I am going to try and run/jog the whole thing but if I need a walk break up the bridge I wont hate myself for it. A couple of weeks ago I ran 12.35km without dying so I should be able to manage it. Most of it is fairly flat apart from the bridge and tunnel. I plan to keep up the running as I intend to do the 21km half marathon as part of the Melbourne Marathon. Sunday will be a good chance to see how my legs pull up.

Looking forward to carb loading on Saturday night as I made a yummy recipe from Kek's blog last night and it was so good I wanna do it again. It was creamy chicken and bacon fettucini (creamy with light philly!). mmmm! So many veggies and so little fat!! I made satay mince with mash and green veggies tonight. It was really tasty. I have been enjoying food so much recently. Fresh ingredients are tasting particularly great so I have been having a lot of salads/ salad wraps/ salad sandwiches etc etc.. And fruit, lots of yummy seasonal fruit like pears! Oh the pears are heaven aren't they!?

Tomorrow night is the blogger dinner at Southbank. I'm really looking forward to it! It's been too long!

Hope you're all having a nice day/night... whatever!

:)

Things to do...

I am notorious for having great ideas but not following through, so I thought I'd write down a few of those things that are on my list of things to do and do them in the coming week..

- Put new set of pots and pans on layby

- Get car looked at (had a bingle yesterday and need to work out what to do- wasn't our fault thank goodness!)

- Bake another few lots of hot cross buns for friends and family

- Bake a loaf of rye bread

- Buy a new pair of jeans

- Finish letter to Philippa

- Find a cute new pair of shoes to wear on Wednesday night for dinner with the blogger chicks



There we go... Those are manageable but I can't believe how I have put off most of those things! They are things I actually enjoy doing (shopping, baking and writing) however I have not really been that motivated to do much recently. Not sure why, it's just the way it is at the moment. But if I have some goals then I can focus on them and move forward. I could probably do most of these things in one day really depending on how organised I am.

This morning I went running (last running group :(..) around docklands and southbank and it was so nice to run in the fresh air as the sun was coming up. The city was surprisingly quiet and I ran at a comfortable pace for an hour. We all went and had some breakfast and coffee afterwards and it was just so nice. I will miss my running group. I wonder if any of them would like to continue on Sunday mornings. I will definately keep the habit of exercising on Sunday mornings up as it is a great way to start/end the week.

I had a bucket of hot chips today. I really really felt like them. I never really eat chips.. Maybe one or 2 at mums if they get chicken and chips but I usually don't want them- they always seem to get stuck in my throat and are all claggy.. but today I enjoyed them so much. I don't know if I was craving salt or starch but they did the trick. It was so nice to want something like that, and decide to have it and for it to just really hit the spot.. mmmm! I don't really get any cravings these days. My mind rarely dwells on food like it used to. In the old days, I rarely didn't think of food. It was always either thinking about what I should or shouldn't eat or what I had just eaten or wanted to eat. Now I generally think about food when I get hungry and then I see what we have and try to make the best choice with the options available. It's become as un-complicated as that. What a freeing feeling!

I haven't mentioned that I am totally decaffinated! It took 7 days of headaches and tiredness but I'm back and it feels good. So it's all about the herbal teas and water now and I feel quite cleansed. I just felt that my body was not doing what it should and it was probably due to the large amounts of chemicals I was putting into it with my un-quenchable diet coke habit. So it's gone from my life now and it's really exciting. I am sleeping so so so much better and waking up feeling like I hve actually rested my bod properly! I have the occassional decaf skim latte but that's more of a ritualistic/nice thing to do with the boy type thing.

That's all for now.. I'm feeling very bloggy today.. tee-hee!

Boot camp torture...

Ok.. well, it wasn't that bad.

No.. it really was.. it WAS torture!

But it was the kind of torture I like (I like it in retrospect, at the time all I feel is hate). Right now, I can feel every muscle I used this morning and it is now 5pm! I'm still tingling from such a hard workout.

Saturday morning cardio training is usually a 1 hour circuit or a road run which is still a decent workout but nowhere near what Tess, our trainer had planned for us this morning. I got worried when there were only a couple of witches hats out in the park as a circuit has lots of stations and a road run doesn't need hats. Then I bacame more worried when Tess said "I have an idea, I have made something up for you all".... gulp!

She then led us through a warm up and stretches. This is what happened next.... a non-stop, no break, 50 minute boot camp style workout consisting of the following;
-sprint 50m, butt kicks back
-sprint 50m, high knees back
-travelling lunges with upper body twist 50m, run back
-plank hold 15secs, plank with alternating knees to chest, mountain climbers, pushups
-run round the park
-side to side and touch the ground 20 reps
-lunge hold 30 secs each leg

REPEAT 3 MORE TIMES!

It was fantastic! Horrible, but fantastic!

I looked in my rear vision mirror when I got back into my car and the Nike phrase "Run yourself ugly" popped into my head... good job!

WANTED: FAMILY SIZED FRIDGE!

If anyone can help me out, I'm not wanting to spend much but we need a bigger fridge!

Running group...

Every Sunday for the last 6 weeks I have been going along to a running group (part of Step into life Yarraville). Each session has been different going from flat, long sessions to sprints to hills and stairs and back to flats. The group is so encouraging and there are all different fitness levels. This morning we tackled some huge hills in Keilor and Essendon. The only time I really had to stop was when I desperately needed to find a toilet!

Here's a pic of the group with our 1st big hill in the background!

Blogger Meet

I have had a request to re-schedule the blogger meet to a later date as it is close to the meet with Diet Girl Shauna on April 1st. However I would still like to go ahead with the meet next weekend. If you only want to go to one that's fine, but I'm a bit of a party animal so I will be attending both.

Come on girls, don't be shy!

Date: 21st March
Time: 7:30
Venue: Town Hall Hotel, Errol Street, North Melbourne (next to Bakers Delight) There is a good menu of dinner type meals there at a reasonable price. I will be eating there.

Remember! Bring your cameras!

Please respond in the comments section of this post if you will be attending so we know how many to look out for.

Yay! Fun!

Changing times...

Our housemates (John's sister and her hubby and 2yo son) are moving out. They told us last week... Friday I think it was.

It makes me sad but I understand as the house we're in is far too small for the 6 of us. But I have loved living with them (mostly) and it is going to be a big change for all of us. We've lived together since the end of 2007. So just over a year. Hmm..

On the bright side, a close friend of mine is moving in. She is into getting fit and eating healthily and she participated in a triathlon with me last year. We are planning to do a Around the Bay in a Day in October which is a 210 km bike ride around melbourne. She's really inspiring and we get along really well. She's also been in a share house since she left home and she is really easy going and considerate. I think it will be a great change for all of us. It is better that this arrangement ends before it gets too hard. We have a wonderful relationship with John's sister and we want it to stay that way!

I haven't been here on the blog for a while as I have been busy living and haven't had the time to sit down and post. But I have been reading all your blogs and am keeping up with what you are doing without commenting. Sorry! Hehe!

I have decided to participate in 101 goals in 1001 days. Please visit www.ashs101.blogspot.com to view my goals if you are interested.

I am loving my job so much! It is just perfect for our life right now.

I'd better go as my eyes are falling out of my head with tiredness...

Love to all!
Facebook me!
xox

Ash

Venue for Blogger meet....

A few suggestions....

-My personal pick... The Town Hall Hotel, Errol St North Melbourne
- Anglers Tavern, Maribyrnong
- Commercial Hotel, Yarraville
- Rostown Hotel, Carnegie
- Elternwick Pub

Let me know what you think!

Blogger Meet

Considering we have past the 21st Feb, Let's book in to meet on March 21st at 7:30

How about dinner in Carlton somewhere?? Or if anyone wants to host it in their home please feel free to suggest it!

Let me know what you think?!

40km! Easy!

Me, Liam, Mayra, Melissa and Steve at the 1st rest stop.

I'm at work so I don't really have time to write a big post but I just thought I'd pop in and say that I'm fine... just busy!! The ride was great (dare I say, EASY!) and I am really getting excited to start training for Round the Bay in a day 2009! Planning on doing the 210km course so I have a lot of training to do!!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend!

xox

It's a miracle!

After so many weeks of saying I'll do it, I finally put a bike on layby! I only have 245 dollars left to pay off! (About 2 weeks of saving I think)

I will find a picture and post it shortly!

Yay!

Please note Poll on right for Blogger Meet

Please let me know a good date for you!

I [heart] Boxing....

Boxing was the exercise of choice at training this morning. When I found this out via a text from the trainer last night I did a little excited jump because I am very GOOD at boxing! It is something I have always liked. Especially kick boxing! There is something about smashing your fists, feet, elbows and kneed into a soft, but not too soft bag that just feels so good!!

I did martial arts for seven years in my childhood/early teens and have missed having an avenue for my agression and skill. I made no mention of this at training this morning and enjoyed the slightly scared, but mostly impressed look on my (very athletic, top of the class runner) partner's face. I even had the cheek to say "..this is why I love cross training, it can bring the fastest runner to their knees" to which my partner replied ".. ahh now I have a new face to put on my dart board"... I reassured him that there would be many an opportunity to give me grief (ie. when he laps me three times during the next run).

Fun times!

I have had a much more relaxing week. Not much on except the usual things- women's group, community dinner, coffee dates with people from our community... nice... I am so happy life is awakening from the blur of the new year's cross-over. I love the holiday period but it like returning home after a long trip away to a foreign place.

John and I spent a lot of time cleaning our room last night and I was able to get out of bed this morning and place my foot on the floor without stepping on a pile of clothes (there have been a few lying around after being turfed out of a suitcase to be replaced with another lot which inevitably ends up on the floor too)... ahhh... I am feeling balanced today.

I relish the feeling as TTOM is expected (and very welcome- I have learned to embrace and enjoy it... making it a time to become a little recluse and read books where I am able) and I usually feel a little scattered around that time.

Tonight I am meeting a gorgeous weight-loss blogger friend (Miss Milo- see my sidebar) for Vietnamese and a Movie- My shout... to celebrate her 20kg loss milestone... I can't wait!

On that lovely note, I leave you!

Crazy times!!!

This week I have been on a camp with 600 kids!! I am utterly worn out!

After last week's disappointment on the scales I decided to really knuckle down with my food this week and focus on really healthy, sensible sized portions. This week has been one of the most full-on weeks I have had in a long time (there were 20 incidences over the course of 5 days including a sexual assault, a fight, an admission to the psych ward at the Royal Melbourne, people pissing on other people's belongings and a promiscuous girl wanking-off any guy that would let her) so, as a leader, this week was challenging to say the least!

The food there was also a challenge... Each lunch time was a fat, salt, sugar and carb fest mostly comprising mini pastries, spring rolls, dim sims, pizzas, and a few sandwiches (the healthy option!! Boring!). So Mayra and I decided to boycot the menu and BYO! Each day we feasted on grainy rolls, tuna, vita wheats, delicious salad, fresh fruit and raw nuts. Our "eating out" options for the dinners of the week were subway salads with byo crackers and tuna, Okonomiaki (Japanese veggie pancake) and felafel and salad. The other options were chips, fried chicken and more chips. While everyone was complaining of constipation, we were feeling fantastic. Not to mention the exercise we managed to get in! 3 runs and a swim- not a bad effort for such a full-on week.

I haven't weighed in yet- but I feel i will be pleased. Cross your fingers for me! I am going to weigh on Monday morning to give myself a couple more days of healthy eating.

I start step into life properly next week! Hooray!

A lot of exercise- not much to show for it!

Over the last week this is the exercise I have done...

Sat: 50 min brisk walk
Sun: 40 min brisk walk
Mon: 40 min brisk walk
Tues: 1km swim and 1 game fast netball
Wed: Group personal training
Thurs: Cliff walk and fun beach running, kicking footy etc
Fri: Rest
Sat: 1.5 hour fitness assessment (including 4km run, weights, sprints etc)- burned 833 cals in that session

I have eaten very well aside from a few treats on our short trip to Airies Inlet. So you can imagine my disappointment and frustration this morning when I hopped on the scales to see the number 87.3 flash up. I really hope I have gained some muscle because it's not fair! I know I sound like a sooky little kid but it's just so demoralising.

I am going to take my measurements tonight to see if there are any changes. Fingers crossed!

So yeah.... that's where we're at and It's all feeling a bit blahhhhh

I've been watching my friend losing weight recently and she just seems to be cruising along and the kilos are dropping off her. 7.3 in the last 8 weeks. I am so pleased for her but can't help being a little bit jealous as it seems we are doing pretty much the same level of exercise and we eat a similar amount/type of food and I'm still here in the high 80s. We started off at about the same weight and wanted to do it together but she's well and truely left me behind. Any way... got that off my chest- moving on- I don't wanna rain on her parade.

I tried to buy a new bike today but the bike shop was closed. Maybe tomorrow.

I have started doing some group personal training which is fantastic! It's with Step into life. I love it. Will elaborate more once I have been to a few more sessions!

I'm at work and really should be finishing my lunch break now.


Here's today's food FYI:
Breakfast: (lateish) 1 slice Burgen soy lin toast with a scrape of olive spread and vegemite (made by Molly! Cute!) and a skim latte on the way to work
Lunch: 1 cape seed roll, 1 small tin tuna and a handfull of baby spinach (my fave lunch at the moment) and a large nectarine
Afternoon tea: Gelato- I have been craving it all week and said that if I got to sunday and still want one I can have a small serving.
Dinner: Not sure yet but it will be a combo of lean protein, veggies and rice or pasta and for afters, some fruit salad and low fat frozen yoghurt (note to self, buy frozen yoghurt!)

Tracker... because a little accountability goes a long way!

B. jalna low fat yoghurt with blueberries (2.5), 1 slice burgen toast (1) with scrape of butter (.5) and honey (.5)
L. small chickpea salad (3.5) and 1 rice paper roll (2.5)
S. 3/4 drumstick ice cream (4?) 2 lindt balls (2)
D. Teriaki chicken (3) bento box with 1 cup rice (3??), 1 small piece sushi (1) and miso soup (1)

Total - approx 24.5
2 litres water
Exercise (8km brisk walk pushing pram)

Tomorrow- less treats.. more fruit and veg

She's BAAACK!!

Phil is back... Go visit her new Blog Skinny Latte Strikes back!

Blogger meet

I would like to organise a blogger meet. I feel we could all use a bit of support and a good old chat.

Let me know if you're interested and I will pull something together!
xo

More photos...

Lounging in her birthday beanbag from Nana


Molly and her big cousin (and housemate) Felix

Photos...

Molly on the morning of her 2nd birthday 29.12.08- setting up for her tea party


Molly blowing out her 2 candles!

Positive things.... thanks darling Philippa

My wonderful friend Phil has just shared a giant post containing only positive things about 2008. I have been feeling a little blue recently so I have decided to do the same.

2008 was a fantastic year because;

• We moved to Footscray and have become members of a fantastic, supportive, loving, externally focussed community who live cooperatively and have a heart for the poor and marginalised people who live on the fringes.
• I have an amazingly loving husband who is frustratingly forgetful and disorganised but who knows exactly how to love me and who is following his dreams and wants me to do the same.
• I am blessed to have a lovely little person called Molly as my daughter. I am so proud of her as she really is growing up to be a good person. She knows how to love and be loved, her language skills blow me out of the water every day, she expresses how she feels without being mean or rude, she is toilet trained nearly and just turned two. She is an amazing person- truely quirky and knows the words to many many many Beatles songs which makes her Daddy proud.
• I now get to hang out with her from monday to friday!
• I have a great job doing what I love- A Social Worker in a mental health rehab for young people. The residents are so good to us. They really appreciate the help and although there are tough times, and they are dealing with some full-on shit- they try their best to be good to us as staff.
• I learned to run again in the past year and although I have had a few weeks off recently have found an activity that I really enjoy. I participated in 10 events last year, a stat I am very proud of.
• I maintained my weight more-or-less over 2008. This is not what I aimed for however I need to pat myself on the back for not gaining weight working in a sit-down office job for the past 11 months.
• I did my tax return on time. Something I have never done before!
• I have started singing again- with John and with Mezz and have written and recorded two decent songs.

There is so much more I could write but I must be off... I will try and upload some photos soon as there have been a few good ones taken recently.

Much love to all and happy new year!

Ash

xo

Detox...

Hi all,

I decided to do a detox for a few days to get me back into healthy eating habits after Christmas... It isn't so much Christmas Day itself that gets me- usually that turns out to be a fairly healthy day with meat and salad... What gets me is the month of treats in the lead-up to the day! Mince pies, shortbread, my famous choc chip cookies, etc etc etc... That's where I feel my jeans getting tighter!

So yesterday I began a detox (of my own invention) based on veggie juices, raw fruits and veggies, healthy veggie soup, raw nuts and brown rice. I plan to do it for a few days to a week. I'll see how I feel. Yesterday I got the classic 3pm "I need caffeine now!" headache but persevered and have felt good all day today.

My meals yesterday looked like this;

Upon waking- warm water with lemon juice
Breakky- apple, carrot, celery, silverbeet and ginger juice
Morning tea- 1 big apple
Lunch- A big crunchy salad with chickpea and lentil sprouts
Afternoon tea- 2 plums, some grapes and a large handful of almonds plus peppermint tea
Dinner- Lentil, pumpkin and sweet potato soup
After dinner- chamomile tea

Today;

Breakky- same juice as yesterday
Morning tea- peppermint tea, a banana and a peach
Lunch- Salad with chickpeas, avocado and lemon juice dressing
Afternoon tea- raw cashews more peppermint tea
Dinner- will be baked brown rice risotto with lots of veggies (minus the parmesan) and lots of herbs and spices for flavour

Tomorrow is Molly's 2nd Birthday! I know I can't believe it either! We are having a tea party and I am making beautiful butterfly cakes and iced tea for all her friends to enjoy! I am also making fruit skewers and mini home made spinach and fetta pizzas. I am sure we will have a wondeful time!

Still here...

.. struggling a lot with food and doing very little exercise... my head is in a pretty bad place body image wise. I have put on only a kilo however I feel really bloated and yuk!

I will get back on track after Christmas- until then... eat, drink and try not to be too miserable...


:(

Hope you all have a nice Christmas...

xo

Boring for some!

But not for me!

Weigh in this morning.... 85.6! Ya ya ya!

Loss of 1.3 this week!

Whoop!

After all that...

I weighed this morning (I know I know- only once a week! Shh don't tell!) and the scales flashed up 86.9! 600g down from a few days ago and my lowest weight in a long while!

So I'm going with that and have updated my sidebar. I am so ready to be in the 86s for at least a couple of weeks! And then the 85s 84s 83s 82s 81s 80s 79s 78s 77s 76s etc etc..... It doesn't look that far away when you look at it like that.

On tuesday I ended up playing 2 games of netball, Goal Keeper in the first game and Goal Defence in the 2nd... I kept up! I ran around and you wouldn't have known that my confidence for netball (especially when playing a position I don't usually play) is so poor! I had a good sweat and I am sure my HR would have been at a good spot for most of the game. I also went for a walk/jog with Mayra and have figured out that I need to be exercising in that annoying spot between going easy and going hard... It's really hard to stay there as I need to either jog incredibly slowly or walk incredibly fast!

I think bike riding is the way to go for my cardio/fat burn HR stuff. I will be looking to buy a nice big (I have long legs!) hybrid bike in the near future so I can tootle around Footscray on it but also be able to do serious exercise on it.

Non weight related stuff ahead....

Our community has been providing some meals and support for a family in Footscray- a mum and her 5 kids. Their house burnt down a few weeks ago and they have been living in a bungalow/sheltered area behind their house with no power, phone or hot water. I popped in with some dinner on Tuesday last week and her 3 year old little boy was just filthy. She struggles to keep them fed, clothed and clean at the best of times- so, as you can imagine, this experience has not been easy for them.

She has a support team of workers and she has us as an extra support but I just wanted to ask if whoever reading this could send some positive thoughts and prayers (if you're so inclined) her way and think about some of the ways you might be able to help families and individuals in need over the Christmas period.

If you know of a community organisation who need some volunteer help or money- please be generous. We are so fortunate and have so much (if you're reading this from your home internet connection you are priveledged even if you feel poor sometimes) so please don't spend too much on your family and friends this year. Make/find/recycle some truely meaniful pressies, cook for your family, make a favour voucher book to be used through the year, use your kids paitings for wrapping paper, offer to wash your mum's windows, offer to take your sister out for a meal, find a gorgeous "antique" book for 2 dollars at the op shop.... and give the rest away....

I know it sounds simple.. but it is so liberating and it really helps understand what Christmas is about. Even if you don't follow Jesus- you have to admit he was a pretty top bloke who loved and served others. He set a great example- so Christmas should reflect that.

I hope you are all feeling festive and preparing for a lovely time with family and friends. Just don't forget those who will still be sleeping rough even though it's Christmas.

Love
xox

Struggling...

As someone who doesn't like to complain, it's kind of tough coming on here when things are not going all that well.. although, it's not that it's "not going well" it's more that I'm just a little stressed out.This last week of the challenge has been an absolute write off!

We have been moving house all weekend and my motivation for the challenge have gone out the window. One of my goals for the challenge was to just keep going after setbacks and not give up like I have in the past... I am finding it so so so hard to stay on track. I just want to eat! And the choices I have made this weekend have not been good (Maccas sundae, pizza, magnum icecream, chips etc)... Given, we haven't had a working kitchen to cook in- but there is ALWAYS a healthy choice somewhere when you live in the city... I just chose not to make the healthy choices!

AND... to add to all the dramas, my bro-in-law (who we live with) was struck down with apendicitis on Saturday night and in hospital for 2! So we had to stay home and look after Felix (2.5 yrs) - which we love- but it's hard work... I am so glad we didn't have a full pantry as I think that may have been the only thing to stop me from gaining 2 kilos over the weekend. So it's back on the wagon for me!If anyone wants to buddy up and help me stay on the straight and narrow that would be great!!

My plan...

Today's food
B.1 fruit english muffin, strawberries and jalna vanilla yoghurt, tea
L. Beef casserole on 2 slices soy lin toast
D. Chicken and veg stirfry with basmati rice
Snacks. 1 big apple, 1 med banana, some nori rice crackers and a skim latte

Exercise
Today- Netball- one game (30 mins)
Wed- Pushups and a gentle jog (HR under 150)
Thurs- Pushups and jogging again
Fri- 6km walk, squats, lunges and more pushups!
Sat- noneSun- Sussan women's funrun (5km)

An interesting conversation...

I had a chat last night with a very good Personal Trainer (Thanks Jeff!!) about why I am not getting the results I think I should be getting from exercise.

I have been exercising frequently and I feel my fitness is improving however I am not noticing much movement on the scales. If this was only for a few weeks it would not bother me but it has been for the past year!

So I told him all the exercise I have been doing and intensity etc. and (just as my Polar HRM told me) I have been working too hard. My heart rate has been going too high for too long and I am not in the "fat burn zone" when I am exercising"... He said it has the same effect on the muscles as exercising without air. Hence the lack of progress.

So he recommended I stick to the Polar heart rate program and increase my weights sessions and I should see a difference very soon.

The only thing is, I'll have to tone down the running and, when in events, might have to walk some- but that's ok... I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes!

On a HIGH!!

Hey all,Just coming on here for a bit of a brag!I completed the final 8km run for the Spring into Shape Series this morning.

I have done 2 other runs- the first one I completed in 1:06:34,

the 2nd I did the 4km (due to having to be somewhere) in 29:50

And this morning I completed the 8km course in 1:00:35 !!! I have shaved off more than 6 minutes with 3 months of (not even full on) training!!

And, the think I am even happier about is that I jogged the WHOLE 8k!! Only walking a couple of steps to have a decent drink at the drink station! That is the first time I have achieved something like this... I'm on such a high!!

For the first time my brain wasn't saying STOP STOP STOP!!! It was saying YOU CAN DO IT, YOU RAN UP A BIG HILL 2 DAYS AGO, YOU CAN DO IT NOW- ONLY A FEW KS TO GO, ONLY ONE K TO GO, ONLY A HUNDRED METRES TO GO, THERES JOHN, SMILE FOR THE CAMERA! YOU'VE DONE IT , YOU RAN IT, YES! YOU'RE UNREAL!!

It's amazing how different things can be when you're in a good frame of mind...

Said Molly to me....

After spending half the night in our bed.....

Molly: "Mummy.... let's get up.... let's get up and have lunch"

Me: "Don't you mean breakfast??"

Molly: "oh.... yes... Mummy... Let's get up.... let's get up and have break frast"


Cuuute!

Wow!

Check out the comment on my polar heart rate post!! What the??

Doofus!

I didn't tell you about Sunday did I?

Well, you know that run I was talking about doing?? The spring into shape one??

It's next week!

Gimme a D- Gimme an O- Gimme and O-F-U-S! What does it spell??

DOOFUS!!

Famous...

You know how I said I was getting an article published in Runner's World magazine? Did I tell you that?? Yes?? No??

Well, the editor called me the other day to ask if they could do a profile on me! It will be in a summer issue (I will let you know)

I just had the photographer come to my house this morning and take a portrait of Molly and me plus a whole lot of running shots by the river!!

So you all have to buy a copy and see me being all famous and athletic!!! It's amazing when someone else (other than you guys and family) acknowledges the hard work I have put in to lose 30kgs (nearly 40 the first time- then 30 since I had Molly). It's a real boost which makes me want to take this HBC 16 week Biggest loser challenge even more seriously!

Huzzah!

I [heart] my new polar heart rate monitor!!!

I am totally addicted to this thing. I got the F11 (this is the colour too "pink fizz") model which works out exercise programs for you and determines where your heart rate should be and how long you should work out in that zone.

I did a work out this morning and realised that I have probably been over-doing it and I should focus more on consistancy (4-5 times a week) at a moderate level rather than slogging it out at max heart rate 2-3 times.

Today I burnt 450 calories in 50 minutes.

I am interested to see how many calories I burn in my 8km run tomorrow and what my average heart rate will be.

Yay!

Hate to be materialistic but......

.... I am so excited... My mummy said she will get me one of these for my birthday!

Weigh in 10/11/08

Up 100g to 87.9kg... but TTOM came today so I am feeling really positive as I usually gain about 1 kilo each month! And I have sucessfully avoided my usual pre-menstrual choccy binge- somehow!

This morning on my home scales I was 86.5kg- that is the lowest ttom number I have seen in.. well.... over 2 years!

And I am feeling really motivated! I had weight watchers last night and I decided to leave a little earlier and ride my bike there. It was just lovely to slow down for a minute and take everything in. The ride there was a little scary with big trucks whooshing past me- but the ride home, I went a different way. I rode along the Maribyrnong river track. The sun was setting and it made the river shimmer pink and orange. There were bunnies everywhere (in Footscray??) and I wondered why I didn't do it more often.

After last night's ride I didn't feel like driving to work today so I left early and caught the train/tram and bus to get here. It was really nice getting out into the crisp morning air and just take my time. I was able to help motorcyclist who fell off his bike (he was ok but needed help getting his bike off the road) and I wouldn't have been there had I driven. I also got a lovely free coffee from my used up loyalty card- which I wouldn't have thought to do had I driven.

And- best of all, I got to work early and was able to ease my way into the morning.

The moral of the story.... just slow down! Plan to have more time by leaving early or deciding not to do something unimportant.

Have a good day!

This pic is from Tri Pink 2007- Just posting to brag that those bathers are waaay too big for me now!

I love this pic of both Mayra and Me! I can really see how my body has changed over the last year. It's funny coz I am a similar weight as I was this time last year but I have dropped a dress size! I love muscle!

It's here! Happy birthday 2 me!

Lookie what I just ordered!!!

A pressie from my grand-p's for my birthday!!! I love having loaded rellies!

My Pink Triathlon

This morning was absolutely brilliant!

I was quite relaxed, had a good night sleep and yummy jam on toast and tea for brekky (I love jam on toast before an event!)...

My friend Mayra and I decided we would do the long course together to support and challenge each other. Our course was 300m swim/9km bike/ 3km run and I wasn't nervous at all until we were heading for the pool deck, preparing to start! I am so happy Mayra did it with me as she is a little bit fitter than me and a more experienced cyclist. She just did the 210km round the bay in a day ride. She was a terrific support.

The 6 lap swim was the easiest part for me- I am a strong swimmer and I felt quite comfortable the whole way. I think we did it in under 10 minutes. I forgot to put my drink bottle at transition so I left it by the pool and grabbed it on my way to transition. It was quite a good move really as aI got to have a decent drink before getting on the bike.

was easy peezy. We decided beforehand that we were going to take our time and not get flustered. Mayra and I had matching race singlets and bike shorts and we looked cute as a button.. I love elastic laces. It made it so quick to get going.

The ride was much easier than I thought it would be. Last year I struggled and I did the short course so I was interested to see if my increased fitness would help, especially as I was riding with Mayra who is a much better cyclist than me. I managed to keep up just fine! Last year I had ladies whizzing past me and this year I was passing everyone else. The six laps went quickly and were relatively easy- it was all pleasure apart from a bug that went in my eye (which didn't come out till we got home!!!). I now realize just how much fitter I am than I was last year! I am a similar weight but I feel like a different person now! I have been working hard on my fitness all year and it has paid off!

Second transition was easy- apart from Mayra getting told off for unclipping her helmet before she racked her bike. Quick drink, helmet off, and off we went... then the crisis point came (as it always does at some point!) and I didn't feel like my legs were going to carry me.. I even said "I can't run" and Mayra assured me I could! I ran most of it and walked about 150 metres in total. I didn't feel good until the last/4th lap when I obviously overcome the pain/crazy mind games barrier and we ran over the line holding each other's hands in the air!

We felt absolutely unreal to have been able to complete the course so confidently. I think Mayra is addicted! We'll be seeing her at triathlons all over Victoria! And I think we'll see her around the forums soon too!

It was wonderful to see Ajay and all the girls! Thanks for your amazing support and cheers!! Well done to all who competed..

I saw Shell and Bek cross the line- Beck apparently smashed her time from the last one so I look forward to reading her melbourne wrap up!

Yay to all us pinkies!!

Please come along!!

It's time to de-lurk people!!!

Oh come on!!! Leave me some love!!

(not that I do it for the comments but........ Okay, well maybe I do- Is that such a crime???)

Ooh.... I forgot to post about...

My run on Sunday!

I was registered for an 8km run (2nd Spring into Shape run) until my friend said she would do it with me but had to be home for 10:30 which just wasn't gonna happen if we started our 8ks at 9:30. So we decided to enter the 4km and try to jog the whole thing. We allowed ourselves a walk break for a drink but only 50 metres or so..

We did it! It took us 29:50 to complete the 4km course but man it felt good to run a whole race! Hoorah!

Had to change templates...

Grrr.. I loved my old template but it wasn't letting me upload photos- and that's a bit boring!! So we'll go with a boring template and have interesting pics instead!

Another something yummy out of nothing!

On Sunday night I felt that the cupboards were bare again!

It is so very easy to pop to the shops and buy a jar of pasta sauce and some pasta but we had a bare bank account too so I rummaged around in the fridge, freezer and pantry and found a few bits and pieces!

Check out my creativity!!

Mezz's Footscray Show....it'll be great! come along!

dog theatre.jpg - Gmail

They're back!

I worked out that if I delete the last few posts the older ones would re-appear.

I think it is when I copy text from a work document and try to paste them- it doesn't like it... So I might re-type some of the good stuff...

Hmm...

Weigh in 20th October

Yay! After last week's expected setback (definately TTOM related!) of a 700g gain, I have managed to drop off another 1.1kilos over the last week. This is keeping me right on track for my 5 kilos in 5 weeks birthday challenge! I am excited to see the 87s after a long plateau! Fingers crossed for a healthy week ahead! All good so far!!

This last weekend has been wonderful! We packed up our little family on Friday afternoon and headed to a little town in northern country Victoria for the Numurkah Foodbowl Music Festival. My sis-in-law played a gig with her band (which includes my husband, and me sometimes) on Sunday afternoon so we decided it was the perfect opportunity to have a mini-break! There were so many fantastic bands there and the whole festival cost $15! We paid $50 a night for our caravan and food was provided for musicians, so all in all it was a decent weekend for a good price. Molly and Felix had a wonderful time dancing to all the bands.

My netball mixed team has made it ito the finals. Definately because of all my good goal keeping! Ha! We played last night and it was a draw but because we were higher on the ladder we got through and they didn't! I felt sorry for them- they are a very good team.

Tonight I pick up my bike from the repair shop (yes..... it's still there) and I plan to go for a decent ride in the next couple of days. The ride is the part of the triathlon that I am feeling the most nervous about. Although, I said to John last night that I really don't care if I come last as I feel awesome for choosing the race that I knew would challenge me the most. I love the feeling of achieving something I didn't think I would ever do.

I went for a job last monday- I didn't get it... but I am somehow pleased as I know I will find the perfect job at the right time, in the right location. This one was probably a bit far from home anyway. But the interview seemed to go well so they must have found someone with more community referral knowledge and experience in that particular role. I feel like I would have been good in the job, but I'll be even better in the one that's waiting around the corner...

I'd better go do some work!

:)

Just for phun!

Here are a couple of photos I found on my nan's computer...

Me at about 105-110 kilos 2004

Me at 75kilos March 2006

Back on track...

As you all know, last week was a shocker for me! I just couldn't stop eating and thought my period must be due. Well, I must have mixed up my dates or something because I still haven't got it so I must have been eating for other reasons. (And I don't think I'm pregnant! Hmm...)

I have been trying to work this one out because I haven't done the whole emotional binge thing for a while. I think it may have been to do with being really busy with work life and home life and not being able to organise myself. We had several family functions in the last week and I also applied for a real Social Work job (for which I had an interview on Monday! Eek!)... I just felt pressured from all sides, I couldn't plan my food properly or do a proper shop and I didn't make exercise a priority.

I am really glad I could just get back on the wagon again though and dust myself off. The run was a great turnaround point! Yesterday's foodies went something like this...

B. 1 slice of grainy toast with 1/2 cup baked beans and another slice with peanut butter
S. 1 banana
L. Salad with sardines in tomato sauce (very yum- don't knock it till you try it) and a slice of bread
S. Yoghurt and a slice of cheese
D. (Birthday party) African chicken casserole with injara (flatbread) and some birthday cake
S. Some popcorn

We went to Molly's little friend's 1st birthday party last night. They are an Ethiopian family and had all their friends from church over. The kids ran wild and all us "adults" (I still struggle thinking that I am one) sat inside chatting and drinking coffee. It was no ordinary coffee. They make a whole ceremony out of roasting the beans over fire, grinding the beans, brewing the coffee in a beautiful urn and then serving it very sweet in tiny intricately painted china cups. I felt very honoured to be invited and welcomed as a part of their family. They don't have any family left. They were all killed back in Africa so it was a very special time with their new Australian family. Before we left Solomon told his four children to come and kiss their sister goodbye- Molly is their sister now. It was really touching.

So now I'm in training for The Pink Triathlon... I aim to do a bit of running this weekend but am going away to The Numurkah Foodbowl Music Festival From Friday afternoon until Monday So my other options are kind of limited... But with a whole weekend away where John can look after Molly I should be able to get at least 3 decent runs in! My sister-in-law and bestie Mezz Coleman is playing a gig at the festival on Sunday afternoon. I'm singing backing vocals for one of her songs. I'm so excited!

I have an inspirational story to post soon so stay tuned!

Big Hugs!

Another 10kms!

Yesterday was the Melbourne Marathon and it was an awesome day! There is something special about those big races where there are thousands of people all there for the same reason. It was a very "festival" atmosphere before the race with people playing music and teams gathering around tents.

Before the starting gun I was lining up with all these fit looking running types and I thought to myself "gee you've come a long way!". I still get really nervous before a run- The task seems so big and I can't visualise finishing.... but I always do!!

I gave myself a goal for this run- to run the first 5km. And I did it!! Nearly 6kms actually!! Except for the bottleneck right at the start and a few steps walking at the drink station!! I DID IT! Yay!

I ran until I saw a friend of mine and passed her- then stupidly, I ran too fast to lose her (I'm competitive) and tired myself out. Then she caught up with me- we walked about a kilometre and ran and walked until we had 1km to go- then we bolted to the finish line and crossed together holding our hands together in the air.

It was soooo hot!

I'm a bit tired so wont write more now- but it was a really good run..


I have had a horrible week with food! I think TTOM is coming today or tomorrow- I don't want to weigh in tonight... I might just go for the meeting bit.

Why am I proud of myself?

(I wrote this for the Healthy Body Club forums but thought it would be good to put it here too)

1996: Came last in cross country and made a vow never to run again- my poor little fat pre-teen body just could not handle it.

1997-2002: Miserable with my body without the wisdom that something could be done- highschool kids are cruel...

2003: On a plane coming home from england I asked the hostess for a seat belt extender so I could fly safely. The regular seat belt cut me in half and I could barely breath. This was a wake-up call! I was 115kilos and suffering from bladder control issues at the age of 18!

On the same trip (in Melb airport) I picked up a copy of Ajays book (confessions of a reformed dieter) and could not put it down. This lady was talking about all the things I had avoided talking about for so many years (even the bum-wiping issue that I swore only happened to me!)

Late 2003: I joined the gym and started aqua aerobics classes and walking. I cleared all the junk food out of my kitchen and started trying to find healthier options (to begin with it was just buying anything that said "fat free")

2004: I was able to lose 15kilos before my wedding in December. My motto was slow and steady. I was counting weight watchers points to track my food and I started doing more vigorous classes at the gym. I joined HBC for the first time.

2005: This is the year that it really all came together. I started a weightloss blog and met a huge group of fantastic ladies who were also trying to lose weight. I met a new friend called Philippa who was the same weight and height as me with the same goal weight. So we worked together to reach our goal.

I found the key to getting results with my PT Sarah- WEIGHT TRAINING! It was hard but the cardio alone was not making my body look the way I wanted it to. I was 83kilos and needed something to change if I was going to get to goal so I devised my own 12 week challenge. I worked hard doing 3 weights sessions and 3 cardio sessions every week. I was able to lift some very heavy weights!

By the end of the challenge I was 74kilos and finally at my goal weight.
I am very proud of my achievements!

2006: I got pregnant! I put on a lot of weight during my pregnancy- I never learned to maintain my weight and my portion sizes and servings of junk food increased.

2007: I focussed on my baby and began to rein my eating in.

It is now 2008 and I have lost 30 kilos since my highest pregnancy weight. I am on the road to reaching my goal again. I have about 10 kilos until I am in a healthy weight range again. I am now a runner and have competed in several events this year.

I am very proud of doing it all again!

Sabotage??

Why is it that after I have a decent loss I try and undo all the effort??

Yesterday I had a bad eating day- some may call it a binge... hmmm

I had yoghurt (2) and lsa (.5) and a skim latte (1) for brekky, 3 vitawheats with cheese and vegemite (4) for morning tea, a capeseed (4) roll with 1/2 a boiled egg (.5) and salad (0) for lunch, then (here's where it got ugly!) 4 family assorted creams (5), a small milky bar (3), some jellies (1.5) and a choc crisp bar (1.5)... then I shook it off and decided (after contemplating throwing up or not eating for the rest of the day- a very unhealthy thought pattern from my eating disorder days) to have chicken and salad for dinner (3). Total= 26

I played 2 fast games of netball last night which should take care of at least a few of those extra calories!

My 2 games of netball got me an extra 7 points! (Just worked that out on my points slider thingy) So I don't feel as bad about the binge as I still come within the total points if I spend those exercise points!

So if I have a few lighter days I should still be ok. Especially as I have a couple of walks planned over the next couple of days and a 10 km run and a group exercise class planned for Sunday!!

Phew- it's good to come on here and write it all down to see that it's not as bad as I thought!

Weigh in 6th October

I am pleased to announce that I have indeed had a loss!! And a good one at that!

1 kilogram!! 1000 grams!! 2.2 lbs for any non metrics out there playing along at home...

I felt like I was going to do well and I have! Hooray for me!!

I have done it by careful tracking, a moderate amount of exercise and making sure my weekends (particularly Friday nights) aren't too slack. I have noticed that it's a pattern for me to go well all week and then lose it somewhere between thursday night and weigh-in...

I took Molly to the pool this morning. Not much exercise for me but I overcame a lot just getting into my swimsuit!! It was 8:30 in the morning, hardly anyone there anyway. I took her today as we had a bit of an ordeal last night when we were trying to wash her hair in the bath. She scramed and screamed!! She's never been afraid of water before so it came as a shock. I love water and I had her in swimming lessons from when she was four months old but finished up just before we moved here (she was 11 months) so there has been almost a year's break and it's like we've undone all the work we did early on. I wish we had've found swimming lessons as soon as we got over this side of town as she'd probably be swimming by now... she was very good- ahead of all the other kids her age. She used to be able to swim under water to me and hold on to my shoulders while we duck dived (dove??) under the water.

So the episode in the bath was enough of a wake up call to get her back in the pool. After a tentative few minutes, she was spashing, kicking and having a great old time. She will not stop talking about having a "very big bath" today.

I also cut her hair this evening. It has been getting a bit straggly at the back and I have been casually mentioning cutting her hair to John without getting much of a response. Anyhow, today I mentioned it again and to my surprise he said "do it, I trust you"... so I jumped on the opportunity before he changed his mind! She now has a cute little bob just above her shoulders with a heavy straight-cut fringe. She looks quite trendy actually! The front of her bob is a bit longer following her jaw line. We went out and bought a lovely little headband to compliment the new style. She feels it-and-a-bit!

I'll take pics soon- promise!!

Plugging along...

Hi all,

It's a beautiful sunny Sunday here in Melbourne-I just spent half an our relaxing on the deck outside.

I am feeling like I will have a good weigh in tomorrow night but I thought that last week too so we'll have to wait and see how we go!! My Beatles t-shirt that I wore in the Run For the Kids this year is feeling a lot looser (George's face isn't as distorted stretching over my ample bosom!). And my denim skirt is much more comfortable so if I am not losing weight I must be losing centimetres! I should measure this week to see if there is much difference.

Next weekend is the Melbourne Marathon! I'm doing the 10km run and plan to jog as much of it as I am able. Then we have the Pink Triathlon soon too! I am going to put my bike in for a service tomorrow to make sure I don't kill myself when the handlebars fall off. Then there is the 2nd Spring into Shape 8km run the week after that- so it is busy times!! Hopefully the couple of kilos I have lost in this past month will make it a little easier to haul myself around the course!

Fingers and toes crossed for my weigh-in tomorrow!

:)

Go check it out...

My hubby's band have a new website... http://www.foolsandangels.com/

Go check it out!

I had a great day yesterday... i felt like a very healthy fit person... My food was spot on- I ate exactly my points and it was all healthy foods which are going to make my body sooo happy!

I also did a lot of exercise which will also make my body happy (and my mind too!)- I walked from the office in Port Melbourne to the bottom of Elizabeth street instead of catching the bus and then played 2 games of netball. I worked up such a sweat! It was fantastic! I really played well last night and feel I made a contribution to both teams... It's such a good feeling to be in a team and actually feel like you know what you are doing!!

Today I'm doing the walk I did last Thursday again- from Port Melbourne to Richmond... I usually walk around the shops in Richmond when I get there so it works out to about 8 kms.

Hope everyone is feeling good. Here comes the sun la la la la!

I love it when we step out of the fog of winter!

Weigh in 29 September 2008

Good morning!

After doing HEAPS of evercise last week I anticipated a good reult on the scales last night.

I stuck to my points mostly and figured I'd be on track to lose around a kilo.

But it was not to be...

I stayed the same...

Hopefully it's muscle and we'll see a good reult next week...

Track track track and work out- that's the plan for this week...

I have had a better week this week...

... except for that fish and chip shop burger I just had- but apart from that, it's all good!! One thing that is not working in my fvour is that weigh in is on a Monday NIGHT! After the weekend where I often loosen the reins a bit- oh well, just goes to show I shouldn't loosen them so much!

After last weeks lousy effort I decided to be more on top of things this week. On the exercise front I have been much better-

Sunday: run with Michelle
Tuesday: 2 games of netball
Wednesday: jogged the tan without stopping and duid some pushups and crunches
Thursday: Walked nearly 8kms home from work and around the shops
Today: Group PT (boot camp style)
Tomorrow: Meeting HBC girls at the Tan for a training session

And my eating has been much better too. So hopefully the burger wont undo all my good work. I plan to have a really good day tomorrow with some muesli and skim for brekky, a ham, cheese and tomato toastie for lunch, fruit for snacks and a chicken salad for dinner. Yum!

There is much festivity outside tonight after the Hawks win at the AFL grand final- fingers crossed our car is in one piece in the morning as ther are loads of drunken bodies roaming up and down our street!

Hope you're all thinking healthy!!

I ACHIEVED A MAJOR GOAL- GO ME!!

I am so thrilled!

After running with Michelle and being able to do 3kms before needing a rest (in the whipping wind and rain) I decided I should be able to jog a whole lap of the tan.

I feel so fantastic right now because I actually did it!! On my own, with no one to distract me from all of the sabotaging thoughts in my head!!

There was only about 50 metres that I walked and that was up the second half of the steep hill (right at the start- I wish I had've just pushed through now that I know I was able to do the whole thing! Oh well, next time!) and the rest I just jogged, remembering to keep my shoulders back as the reason I had to stop last time was because of my aching back (which didn't ache at all this time!)

I ran the whole thing in 29 minutes. The tan is 3.87kms so I averaged a speed of just under 8km an hour!! I definately could've gone on too- so I am looking forward to my next fun run. The challenge for the next one (The melbourne marathon 10km) is to just jog and not walk- slow down, yes... but not walk as it is too hard to start running again.

I AM SO PUMPED TO HAVE ACHIEVED A GOAL!!!

YAY ME!!

Excuses

Thanks to Amber from HBC for these words:

I don’t have time, I cant get motivated, I’m caught up with work, its too hot, too cold, too late, too hard, I feel guilty leaving my children with my husband after he has worked all day, I had loads of functions this week, my husband, partner, friend made me dinner, bought me chocolate or wanted me to share a bottle of wine with him or her, and I couldn’t say no…

I’m just too tired, work provided lunch, I’m on the road all day, have meetings all day, don’t have time to stop all day, I’m not allowed to eat at work, I am a shift worker so it’s harder for me, I’ve always found it difficult to lose weight, I don’t like exercise, am not interested in classes, I work out hard enough(reading a magazine), I only like the treadmill, I walk 3 times a week…that’s heaps, I don’t want to do weights and bulk up….

I’ve got a 21st, a 30th, a 50th, a wedding, engagement and funeral to go to this week, I’m going on holidays and I want to relax, I had to help out a friend, my parents, my children, my husband, I had to stay and help at school, ….I just couldn’t get to the gym this week, I tried to get here, but didn’t make it, it was too late by the time I got home, I had to prepare for work, do assignments, make dinner, my favourite program is on Tues nights – I cant miss it, I don’t want to workout on the weekend, classes don’t fit in with the times I can get here, my boyfriend wants me to spend time with him, I had to work overtime this week, I struggle to get up in the mornings, when I get home after work/school I just cant be bothered…..

There is only one thing that all of the above mentioned things have in common……

If you want to lose weight enough…….none of them would stand in your way.

Ask yourself………how much do I really want this?

Run photos!!

Finally! A couple of running photos that I don't mind!!

Weigh in 22nd September!

I held my breath as I stepped onto the scales last night- waiting for the news that I was higher than my starting weight. I knew that I'd had a bad week. I had next to zero motivation and felt so bloated that I was sure I'd have more stretch marks today!

So I was elated to hear that I have lost 100g! I didn't gain weight! I still have a long way to go but if I can get through TTOM without seeing the scales go up- I'm doing okay!! The weigher marked my book with a P to see if we see a pattern emerge over the months when it comes to TTOM. It will be useful to know what to expect!

I am really starting to feel that I am going to do it this time. I remember what it felt like to be at goal and I really want it again! This week I will plan plan plan! And then stick to the plan!

Today's plan:

Food-
B. Muesli and low fat yoghurt (3.5)
1 slice fruit toast with low fat cream cheese and a tiny bit of honey (2)
S. Choc crisp bar (TTOM craving!) (1.5)
L. 2 sushi hand rolls and a diet coke (5)
S. 1 apple and 1 banana (2)
D. Grilled chicken, roast veggies with pine nuts and green bean and spinach salad (6)

Total: 20
Points saved: 2

Exercise:
2 games of netball
Points bonus: 6 (?)

A post for Miss Milo:

Q. What do you put in your couscous salad?
A. I usually roast some onion, tomato, zucchini, pumpkin and sweet potato and throw it through some couscous (I soak it in stock first but you can just use water) with balsamic dressing and tzatsiki. I have seen it with olives in it too but I'm not an olive kind of gal! It's yummy with fetta cheese too!

Q. And what yoghurt dressing do you use??
A. When I say yoghurt dressing I really mean home made tsatziki. It's just some greek yoghurt with garlic and cucumber. It's always nicer if you can be bothered to cook off the garlic first. Or just go and buy some off the shelf!

Hoping for a good result.... but not expecting one!

There are a few reasons why I will probably not be happy with what I see when I step on the scales this coming Monday night;

1) I have not made up for my over-point days over the week
2) I have not exercised like I planned to
3) I am severely pre-menstrual and feeling bloated (this could also have something to do with my appetite and craving for sweet things in this past week!)

The first two points are more to blame of course! I am bracing myself for a bit of disappointment... The temptation to not eat anything for 2 days is there (get behind me little miss eating disorder!!) but I know it's not going to help me in the long run.

I only exercised twice this week- I played netball on Tuesday and I met Michelle from Healthy Body Club for a run/walk around albert park this morning. All-in-all not enough! But we had a nice time this morning despite the bad weather... Don't you feel like a champion when you exercise in the rain?! It's such a good feeling!!

I managed to run straight for nearly 3 kilometres before my back got too sore (need to stand up straighter) and I needed to walk. I'm impressed- last weekend I could only manage onekm before walking. Progress is progress! My goal for the next couple of weekends is to be able to run around the tan non-stop. Ultra-slow jogging is fine- but no walkies!! I find it very hard to start running again once I stop! The only way my back will get better is to keep training and building up those muscles- and trying to watch my posture too.

The next run coming up is the Melbourne Marathon 10km- I would like to run at LEAST 5km of the course. If I can do more, great!

I need to make a big pot of veggie soup- something low point that fills me up! Right, when Molly wakes up I am going to go to the supermarket and buy the ingredients!


Meal ideas for this week:

Lunches:
Veggie Soup
Sushi hand rolls
Couscous and roast veggie salad
Potato with tuna and coleslaw
Steamed veggies with tuna
Bean and salad wrap with yoghurt dressing
Pita Pizza

Dinners:
Warm chicken salad
Chicken and spinach soup with rizoni (pre-vego Philippa recipe)
Veggie canneloni
Roasted vegetables with pine nuts and brown rice
Veggie Soup

Those should keep me going for the week- I really need to track closely this week as it is usually in the 3rd or 4th week that I lose my mojo. But not this time!!


Exercise plans for the week;

Sunday: 4-5km run (try not to walk!)
Monday: Gym for weights and some cardio
Tuesday: Netball (2 games)
Wednesday: Gym for weights and cario
Thursday: PT
Friday: Rest or walk
Saturday: Run 4-5 kilometres

Fingers crossed!!

We are very sad that the doggies lost last night
:(.....

Over points!

Looking back at my food diary from the last few days, I have noticed that I have gone over points by one or two and yesterday I went over by 4.5- a total of 6.5 over the week. Luckily I have a few days to make it up (fingers crossed!). My blowout las night was at a community barbeque- I find it hard to resist homemade hamburgers!! I had 1 and a half!! I guess that's better than two! (Yes, Ash, keep telling yourself that!)

So the plan is to have 19 point days for the next three days. That will more than cover the over-eating of the past few days! I also plan to get out and do some kind of exercise each day. Today I have an hour between finishing work and picking up Molly so I plan to have a brisk walk (about 6kms). I don't have my proper shoes but the ones I have on are comfy enough- it's going to be nice weather so i might even take my jumper off! OOH! Spring! Yay! That should get me a couple of extra bonus points!

I want to get back in my regular exercise habit as it has fallen by the wayside since I hurt myself and had tonsilitis etc... I bought some photos from supersportimages.com. I'll post them now.

Clothing Exchange

Would anyone be interested in being involved in an online clothing exchange??

Losing weight is expensive when you need to be buying smaller clothes!

Plus it is a very symbolic thing getting rid of bigger clothes!

If anyone would like to be involved please leave a comment and I will add you as a blog author so you can post your old clothes!

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

About 3 punnets of strawberries (so cheap right now!)

pure apple juice

gelatine or agar agar

Method:

Take off green bits, wash and cut strawberries in half.

Put the strawberries in a medium saucepan

Pour enough apple juice into the saucepan to cover half the strawberries

(so, there is double the amount of berries to liquid. The strawberries will cook down so you don't need heaps of liquid.)

Bring to the boil and simmer until the strawberries are soft.

Mix 1 teaspoon of agar agar with some boiling water to disolve.

Add to the strawberry mixture and mix well.

(at this point you could use some gelatine- only use a small amount like half a sachet mixes with some boiling water)

Chill!

This was honestly the easiest recipe!!

FYI: Nutrition data.com says about agar agar

This food is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Potassium and Zinc, and a very good source of Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese.

So do try it!

Dinner...

...turned out to be a delicious affair!

I made a salad of mixed leaves, blanched green beans and avocado and tossed though a dressing made from some free italian, low fat mayo and balsamic. I roasted some pumpkin, onion and tomato with balsamic vinegar (try it, it's great!). Then I grilled some chicken breast in a pan, finished it off in the oven and thinly sliced it. I popped it all on a plate with some basmati rice and it was such a great dinner!! I wish I had've taken a photo!!

Yesterday was one of my most balanced eating days in such a long time. Breakfast was a piece of soy/lin toast with my homemade sugarfree strawberry jam (no chemicals! and not a lot of calories! Will post the recipe soon) and a low fat yougurt tub. Morning tea was a choc crisp bar thing. Lunch was 1/2 a cup of brown rice with some grilled whiting and a greek salad, I was so full that I just had a few grapes and a couple of dried apricots for afternoon tea. And then dinner was the meal described above.

I played netball after dinner and when we got home my housemate dived (or is it dove) into a bowl of nuts about chocolate icecream and I was happy just to have a cuppa, a nice warm shower and go to bed. I feel I am beginning to "get it" again...

Yesterday a woman from work (who I don't know very well) came up to my desk and handed me a bag from pumpkin patch! She'd been shopping and saw a gorgeous little dress/undies set thing and bought it for Molly! I seriously don't know this lady very well, she is very shy and keeps to herself. I was so shocked! Some people are so kind!

What should I cook for dinner tonight???

I'm not feeling inspired!

Please leave a comment with a suggestion or two!

HELP!

8kms and more weight lost!!

Good morning all!

Sunday's run/walk was great! My ankle held up well and didn't even swell afterwards! It was such gorgeous weather although the wind was a bit challenging- I really need a hat to keep my hair in check I think!

I walked about 2/3 of the course which I was happy with but am looking forward to pushing myself a bit harder for the next one! So it's back to training for me now that I know the ankle is ok!

After the run I headed to the Abbotsford Convent "Lentil as Anything" restaurant to meet fellow blogger Miss Milo for a much needed catch up- she's looking absolutely fab! I can see an amazing difference in her body- but moreso in her demeanor and self esteem. Love you Miss M!!

I had weight watchers last night and had a lovely loss of 700g which is right on track (My aim is to lose between 500g and 1kilo per week). I really love my group- I am organising to meet up with one girl for a walk next week! Yay!

That'll do from me for now- Hope you all have a great day!

An afternoon to myself...

This is totally what I have been needing recently!

John is working in the studio today so it was just me and Molly. I decided to go and park the car at the beach while Molly slept so I could sit outside the car with the window open and just look at the water and soak up some sun. It was awesome- but what was even more awesome was Mum calling to offer to take Molly to see my stepdad's mum for the afternoon and then mind her this evening while John and I went to the movies..

When they drove off I kind of didn't know what to do with myself and contemplated watching TV at mum's for a few hours but then I decided this was too good an opportunity- a WHOLE afternoon on my own!! So I went down the street and got my hair lightened.. It's really nice- I plan to gradually go lighter as summer approaches.

I also bought some tan-in-a-can as I was horrified when I looked at my legs while sitting at the beach!

So I am now brown and blonde- as opposed to ghoulishly white and brunette! Haha! I am on my little brother's Mac laptop on the back "alfresco" (read: fancy verandah) at Mum's place- the sun is setting, my boy will be here soon and we're going to see Tropic Thunder Gold Class tonight...

Great preparation for tomorrow's run (read: tentative walk).

I was going to give this Sunday's run a miss...

But I have decided to walk it instead!! Don't worry, I'll be careful!

Having a hungry day today- I think it's because I started with toast instead of my usual porridge... lucky I'm about to have a big can of tuscan tomato and bacon soup! yum!!

I love having a big Tuscan every now and then! *lol*