First Fun Run: Completed

I can't believe I am typing this, but I actually completed a fun run!!  I honestly never thought I would ever do a fun run, even to walk one.  I am not a runner, I don't enjoy cardio, but I am a competitive kind of person and I do enjoy achieving goals.

This morning I was up at stupid o'clock to be up and ready to start the 4km race at 8am. Well, it was stupid o'clock for a Sunday morning at least!!  I even got to wear my Canberra Crew "Capital Punishment" shirt that I picked up yesterday!!  There were a couple of us there wearing them.  It was actually really awesome knowing that I am part of the Canberra 12WBT team and that there were others there doing it as well!  I even met a couple of other people who were doing the program, but not wearing the shirts - talk about being part of an awesome program with awesome people!!

Carrie and I caught up with one of our friends (Bec) who was doing the run with us that we know through knitting and her mum.  I can't express how awesome it is doing something like this with friends by your side and having that sense of 'team' right from the start.

We all crossed the start line together, running!!  I am not very fit, and I am not that great at running, but I am so proud to say that not only did I run for a bit at the beginning, but I also ran 3 more times during the race!!!  I even managed to get my heart rate up to 183bpm!!!  As the race progressed, we all got separated except for Carrie and I, as we decided to do it together.  It was actually really great doing it together as Carrie was able to push me a little further (and able to get me to run more, and further!).  I'm not sure how much I helped her, but I am so grateful to be doing it with her as I know that we help each other out and keep each other focussed and motivated.

Carrie and I completed the race at approximately 36 minutes (we will get the actual times later tonight), which I think is awesome!! 4km in 36 minutes!!! It was just so great to know that I finished it and I completed it!!!  Not only that, but I finished the race running!!!!!  And boy oh boy - it hurt!!! In that time I burned 557 calories!!!  I was so shocked when that came up on my HRM!!  I honestly wasn't expecting to burn that many in such a short time - looks like running really does burn the calories!!!

UPDATED: My official time was 0:36:35.8 which made me 64th out of 74 runners overall, 10th out of the 11 in my age division and 50th out of 58 women

And just to show you all, these are the back of our Capital Punishment shirts! Love them!!

Things I want to do...

I have just had a sudden realisation... I keep putting things off!

While I love to plan and I love being organised, I never seem to get myself sorted to the point that I can achieve a long standing wish/goal.  Examples: Europe, I have now been, but I could never save the money to get going (thanks ANZ for the loan! lol); weightloss - it took me 4 years to lose 20kilos and 4 months to put it all back on again; and now I have come to realise that there are 2 more things I can add to that list...

1. Bellydancing

In 2007 I took up bellydancing.  I did it for about 3 terms and I loved it!  I stopped because our teacher got sick, and then I could never find a class in my area again.  I found a dance school that has bought it into their curriculum about a year ago, but somehow, I have just never gotten my butt into gear (or my budget) and signed up!  There are actually a few people I know who would be interested as well, and for something that I used to have so much fun doing, why on earth can I not get it sorted?

2. Swimming

For the last 4 or more years, I have had a goal to learn to swim properly... and I still haven't committed to doing it!  Those of you who don't know me IRL, wouldn't know that I have a fear of the water.  I am scared to put my head under the water and I get really panicky when it is (even with goggles on - they make me a little less afraid) and struggle to breath.  This is something that I have wanted to conquer for a so long, yet I can't seem to just sign up!  I don't know if its because I am afraid to be seen in public, the fear of the water or just the fact that I am not a confident swimmer has held me back (as well as the poor budgeting skills yet again! lol)  I honestly feel that swimming is such an important skill to know and I have always vowed that my children (when I have them!) will learn how to be confident in the water.  While I know enough to save my life (hopefully!) if needed, I need to learn the right movements and just get them all working together...  Plus it would be another excellent workout!

I think that I am going to have to make it my mission to complete this next year (not technically putting it off as both terms have already started - and I need to raise the funds lol).  I really miss belly dancing, it's so much fun and a great laugh! I would love to be able to swim laps, and not be afraid of how I look and feel in the water.

Burning those Calories!!

Guess what guys?? Every time I have exercised this week (except once) I have burned over the elusive 500 calories!!! I have even burned over 600 calories a couple of times too!!  How about that!!!

Since my last post, I have exercised when I could.  The only day I didn't was Tuesday and that was due to having to re-home my kitties.  On Wednesday, I did my first pump class in about 3 weeks!  I lowered my weights back to just 5kg (2.5kg each side) but to be honest, I found it a little too easy, so will bump it back up for my next class.  On Wednesday I only burned 375 calories, but I think this is to be expected for a weights class.  Last night there weren't any classes on that Carrie and I wanted/could do, so we followed Mish's gym machine program.  It was actually the first time we have ever fully completed one!!  We did the ab exercises and then the stretches after the cardio machines.  Now, I am not usually a sweater, but when I was on the bike, I felt like I had sweat pouring out of me!!  I managed to burn 601 calories!!! Crazy stuff!!!  It was great though because while I was doing the learn to run portion, I realised that I have come so far since the first one I ever did and as of the next time I do it, I am committing to ramp it up and do the next level!!  It's good to know that while i have been sick, I didn't lose all my fitness!!

Tonight we are planning on doing another Active class, and then tomorrow we will head out to Lake Burley Griffin and do a workout with the Capital Punishment group - we even get to pick up our Capital Punishment tops!! YAY!!! I really can't wait to see them and to be able to wear them. I already have plans to wear my top on Sunday when I do my first fun run!!!

I have to admit that now that the fun run is getting closer, that I am actually really unsure about it all.  I know that I will be walking to majority of it, but is this ok??  Am I supposed to be running it?? I thought it would be a good way to ease myself into this kind of scene, but I have to admit the nerves are starting to set in now!!

Another confession that I have to make is that I have gone a little off the rails in regards to food.  Nothing major, I just haven't been planning, and have had to buy my lunch a few times and we hadn't done our grocery shop so we ate out a couple of nights.  Yesterday I did a rather large online grocery shop, so as of tonight we will have lots of delicious healthy foods all ready to go for the coming week!  I can't wait to try out a few more of Mish's recipes!

Just quickly, I was doing a bit of a tally in my head of calories I have burned this week, and what activities I have done:

• Saturday - 4 week Milestone Bushwalk - burned 500 calories
• Sunday - Walk for Diabetes - burned 673 calories
• Monday - Group Active Class - burned 514 calories
• Tuesday - rest day
• Wednesday - Group Power Class (pump) - burned 375 calories
• Thursday - Mish's Gym Machine Workout  - burned 601 calories  

And coming up I have:

• Friday - Group Active Class
• Saturday - Capital Punishment Circuit Workout
• Sunday - My first ever Fum Run (4km)

This means that in the last 6 days I have burned a total of 2663 calories!!!! Not bad considering my goal was 400 calories a day! Which means that after my workout tonight, I would have smashed that for the week!!!  First time ever!!!

Oh, and the finale details have been released, so B has said that he would like to come up too, so that's awesome!! Poor guy has had to deal with me doing the 12WBT, eating the same foods and dealing with me being so up and down - will be good for him to be able to celebrate the end of the round too!! lol  I just need to organise accommodation and tickets and stuff, but it should be awesome!!  I have to admit, I am terrified of the workout!! haha!!  I don't think I will be able to keep up with everyone!!!

OMG! So Excited!

So, this morning I weighed in as usual and I have gained 700g.  However I am not too concerned about this as I will admit that I did have pizza this week, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, it has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster of a week.  Also I noticed that this was the week last month that I gained, so looks like there could be a pattern.  

The reason why I am so excited, is that this morning I was reading through Mish's weekly email where she talks about weighing in and the upcoming videos.  There is also a mention of a post in the forums in the last week, and this week she chose mine!!! OMG!!!!  I am just so stoked!!!!  I am very much a person who craves recognition (anyone ever read about the 5 love languages? lol) so this has just made me feel like I am floating!  

This is what Mish wrote:

"Well done whirlsie - you're still with us! And yes! you most certainly should be congratulating yourself and not the other way around - it certainly pays to stop and reflect because as you have shown yourself you are not a quitter and have turned a difficult patch into a positive, with great results too! Way to go whirlsie!"

The link above refers to my post in the forums, but for those of you who aren't 12WBTers, this is what I wrote:

I Am Still Here!

"I did consider putting this post into the Confessions area, but I have decided that this is more of an "I did it!" post.

Over the last couple of weeks I have struggled with what I have been able to do when it comes to exercise (those of you following my blog would have noticed an outpouring of negative posts). I have felt down and felt like I was failing. Why? Because I hadn't been able to reach the 500 calorie mark when exercising, and because I have been sick so much of the last 6 weeks that I haven't been able to exercise. I am so far behind in Mish's workouts that I feel like I almost need to start back at the beginning. The last time I was at the gym I actually almost passed out because my body couldn't take being sick and working out lol! I have put my body first over the last couple of weeks in the hopes of getting better finally and not getting sick again (I think 3 times in one season is enough! lol)

But then over the last couple of days I have realised, "You know what?! I am still here! I still haven't binged, I haven't gone out of my way to eat unhealthily, I haven't let myself down when it comes to food." I have lost weight every week except for one (where I only put on 200g anyway) and I have now lot 4.8kg - which is nothing to sneeze at!

My goals have changed since I first started and have now become a bit more realistic, and the thing is, I might not be losing weight as fast as others, and I may not have been able to exercise as much and I may be falling 'behind' - but I am still here!! I am still trying! My motivation may have waned, but I have not given up!

I haven't done my 4 week milestone (first weekend it rained, and it wouldn't have been safe. Last weekend I was too sick to get out of bed!) but not only am I determined to do it this weekend, but I have also signed up to do a 5.5km walk for a cure for diabetes! (http://walk.jdrf.org.au/teamParticipant.asp?par...) I think this is a great way to get me back into the swing of things and will be a great chance to do something before my first fun run/walk on the 30 October"."

Followed by this post:

"Well, I did the walk and the bushwalk!

It felt so great to be able to do my 4 week milestone!!! I put a picture below of me at the walk signage

The walk for diabetes was great! there were so many people there. We were able to set ourselves a steady brisk walk and managed to do the 5.5km in 55 minutes!!! so proud of that!! By the time I got back to the car I had burned 673 calories!!!"

I have to say that I feel like I am on top of the world now! Having Mish mention me has made me want to try harder!  Talk about great motivation & encouragement!

It's back!!

I am very happy to come here and report that it seems like my exercise mojo is back!  And I am so glad!!!

Last night Carrie and I did an Active class and it was great!! (although I have to admit I was feeling some hatred towards the class during the step portion of it! lol)  Afterwards I felt much better and I think its because I actually had 3 days straight of exercising.

Last night was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster where I wanted to get in on the whole emotional eating like there was no tomorrow, but other than that, I feel great!  My body just feels so much more alive and better.  It is hard to explain, while I am tired, it seems as though I am more awake.

Anyway, for the third day in a row, I managed to burn over 500 calories again!!  I haven't been able to do that since the start of the program!!  So last night I burned 514 calories!!! WOOT!

Also, I forgot to mention, that on Friday night I found my 12WBT finale dress!!!  I have actually done something strange and bought a larger dress!!  I am hoping that by buying a larger one, it won't hug my hips so much... while my sister, Carrie and B love it... I do have to admit that when I look at myself in the mirror, I can only see all of the negative aspects of the dress... I never feel pretty in a dress, I always feel like a frump - and I think it's because of my hips! lol!!

Hopefully I will get some self confidence in regards to the dress by the time the party comes around :D The details should be released today and I can't wait!!

Walk for a Cure for Diabetes

Today I did the 5.5km walk for diabetes.  I am so happy with how well Carrie and I did!  We managed to walk the full course at a steady, brisk pace and finish it in 55 minutes!!!  We thought it would take us an hour and a half to two hours to complete!!  By the time I got back to the car I had burned 673 calories!!!  I can't believe it!! that's two days in a row of burning 500 calories or more - a first while I have been doing this program.

I was surprised how fast I was able to walk and for how long before I started to feel it in my legs.  I got probably 3/4 of the way around before I started feeling it in my hamstrings.

I also managed to raise $220 for juvenile diabetes - definitely a good cause, and a great motivator to make sure I completed the walk. Below is a pic of the people walking around the lake, you can see that there are people all the way around.

Week 4 Milestone: Complete!

I realise it is a late blog post, but I just wanted to come in and let you all know that I completed my Week 4 Milestone today - a bushwalk at one of the National Parks here. I am only 2 weeks late, but I think it's still good that I have done it! My partner was going to do it with me, but with him being away this weekend, and the weather being good, and me finally feeling well enough to do it, I just wanted to get it done! So, I called in the help of my friend and fellow 12wbter, Carrie. Originally my goal was to do the Devils Gap 6km walk which was quite steep, but we changed our minds, and it was a good thing we did!!! We ended up doing the Cascade walk which was 2km, and the steep parts in that had us buggered!!

When we went to do the walk, we wanted to do the Cascade trail as well as the Lyrebird add on, however our careful map reading skills and excellent sense in direction meant that we missed the turn off! But we did actually go into the koala enclosure on our way home and had a wander around in there too. I love being out in nature,especially the forrest. I have always had a bit of an affinity to the forest as opposed to any other ecosystem. As soon as we were out in the bush, we could hear so many different birds, and as we walked along we could hear the lizards scurrying away from the path to hide. We did see a few lizards, a butterfly and even (what we think was) a numbat as well as a gorgeous koala. There were little waterfalls and creeks along the way and there were a few times that we were out of breath and struggling a little as we made our way long.  There were some really nice views, gorgeous flowers and amazing trees - including a tree stump that was continuing to grow!!  Refusing to give up I suppose!!  We even bought along lunch and bottles of water, and we stopped on one of the bridges near a waterfall/creek to eat and have a small break.

It was so refreshing to get out of a normal routine, to go somewhere different and to challenge ourselves with something new.  Carrie and I discussed where we both were in our 12wbt journey, how we are feeling now compared to when we started and what we want to achieve by the end.  It's only been 6 weeks, and we are now half way, but so much has changed.  For me personally, I have found that I don't have the same excitement as when I first started, although in saying that somehow something has managed to stick where I haven't given up, I am just trying to plod along and do what I can while at the same time I have lost all motivation.  I still want to complete the round and lose as much as I can, and I am planning on signing up for another round, but I do miss the excitement of starting something new and having all of my hopes encouraging me along.

By doing the 2 walks of about 2.7km, we exercised for an hour and a half and burned almost 500 calories!!!  I am very happy with that!  I did take photos on my way around - I hope you enjoy the slide show I put together for you!  I had better get to bed now, I have to be up early to do the walk for diabetes tomorrow!!  Will post an update about it next :D

Blogger Challenge: I'm All Kinds Of AWESOME!

The next blogging challenge is up, and this one is All Kinds Of AWESOME.

The point of this post, is to tell you exactly how awesome I am - and I think in most cases, for me to see that too!

In most cases, we 12wbters look only to be skinny, and sometime throw around words like healthy and fit.  As Kath said, it's not all about being skinny that makes you awesome.

So, what is it about me that makes me AWESOME?! What do I love about myself and appreciate?

• I can knit!  And I love it! I love making things and seeing how they come together.  I love that I can pick up a pattern and understand it.
• I can sew! well, kinda - I'm learning, but I can do it!
• I am a planner! lol  not sure why this makes me awesome, but I love it!  I love to plan and have things organised, or at least have a direction in which I am going.
• I am generally a pretty bubbly person and tend to make friends easily
• I try to help people out where I can and try to offer support

That's all I can think of now really... although according to the boyfriend "your extreme awesomeness makes u awesome" - Thanks B lol!

Week 6 Weigh In

Yesterday I posted that I would be happy for a loss... any loss, I just didn't want to gain.  Well, this morning I weighed in at 91.7kg!!  That means I lost 800g!! 

I can't believe it!!!

I have been thinking a lot lately about how I have been going with the whole program.  Yes, I know that I haven't been able to exercise as much as I should have or would have liked.  Yes, I know that my eating hasn't been 100% spot on. But you know what?  I haven't binged... at all!!  I haven't gone out of my way to eat foods I shouldn't have.  I haven't caved in when I really wanted chocolate *cough* last night *cough*. And I have just plodded along, just getting on with it all and trying as best as I am able on that particular day.  I think overall, my mindset has actually been a lot stronger than I have given it credit for, especially when it has come to food.

I think that counts as a WIN!! 

It's been over a week since my last post...

Yep... I have been a bit slack haven't I?!

Well, I have had a bit of a rough week overall.  I have been sick (again!!) and I tried going to the gym last week and almost passed out.  So, I took that as a very loud and clear sign from my body that it needed rest.  So, this last week I haven't done any exercise other than incidental stuff.  

I have been trying not to feel too guilty about it.  In fact, I think I have been trying not to feel too guilty about the fact that I am loving not doing exercise.  I am one of those people who does exercise because I have to, not because I enjoy it.  I have taken a few extra days off from exercising as I am still sick, and I have been wondering if I have been pushing it all a bit too much and going back to the gym earlier than I should be.  However, I am now taking a multi-vitamin so I hope that will help, because I don't think I can take being sick again!!

Now, as I have been sick, I still haven't done my bush walk.  I can't believe it!! Something I was so excited about and I haven't been able to do it!! On the weekend, I struggled to move, so I know that I wasn't being lazy about it all.  I am the kind of person who likes to do things when and how they are supposed to be done.  So, with it now being week 6 and I still haven't done something from week 4, it is really getting to me.  This is one of those things that makes me feel like I am failing as I am falling behind and I can't seem to 'keep up'.

In saying that, I have done something which is definitely pushing my  comfort zone.  I have signed up to Walk for a Cure for Diabetes this weekend!  It is a 5.5km walk which I will be doing with some friends.  This is a free walk (for anyone who is interested in doing it near where you live), however they do ask for you to help with donations.  So, in honour of this, if you are able to spare a couple of dollars, I would appreciate your sponsorship.  In saying this, I have no intention of hounding people, I just thought I would do my bit.

In addition to doing this walk, I have officially signed up to do the Brooks Spring into Shape Series on the 30th October (so 2 weekends in a row!! crazy!) which is a 4km run/walk.  I have to say that I think I will be doing a lot more walking than running, especially if my body is still worn out, but I will complete it anyway, even if it is only at a brisk walk.

Hmmmmm..... what else...  Food wise I have most definitely been over my 1200 calorie allowance this week.  But I haven't been binging or having anything naughty, I have only probably exceeded my calories via cups of coffee! lol

Oh and I also had my weigh in last Wednesday and I lost 200g.  I don't think I will have a fantastic result this week.  But I am hoping to have at least lost some weight... We will see tomorrow morning.

Ok, well, that's it for now.  Will blog tomorrow with my weigh in result.  I really need to get my 12wbt mojo back!

Blogger Challenge: Motivation

This weeks blogger challenge is on motivation:


1. Describe in 25 words or less the you that you were before 12wbt
I was the person who had lost 20kg in the past over 4 years, but had managed to put almost all of it back on within a few months, something I had vowed never to do again.  All of those old habits crept back into my life after a big (but great!) change.

2. Now - who are you now??

I am now back to the person I was, trying to lose weight healthily, and trying to build up healthy habits to become the healthiest version of me.

3. What has the hardest been the hardest thing to make habit THIS ROUND?
Exercise!  I find it so hard to find the motivation and drive.

4. What has been easier to make habit than you thought it would be?
Eating. The food has been excellent, and other than the first couple of days, I haven't really found myself craving sweet foods.  While I might walk past the bakery and comment, I don't necessarily want the foods.... well, I might want them, but I recognise that I don't need them.

5. How has your body changed THIS ROUND?
So far, I haven't seen any major changes, but overall I don't feel as tired.

6. How has your mindset changed this round?
Right now I am in a bit of a funk, so I am struggling, but I am trying to keep pressing on, which is probably a change in my mindset as before I would have given up earlier.

7. Finish this sentence "I now know I am strong because ..."
I just did 31 push ups in a minute!! lol!!

8. Finish this sentence "I am proudest of ...."
The fact that I am still trying to make this work even though all I want to do is eat caramel tarts (although that could be the hormones talking lol). I am also proud that while I have struggled with exercise, that I am still trying to make it work even though I feel like I am behind everyone else.

9. Finish this sentence "In 8 more weeks you will see me ...."
Still here, slogging it out and making it work!  I will be slimmer, healthier and happier.

10. What word applies to you now - that you never would have used before 12wbt?
Oh gosh! lol!  I have no idea... I would say stubborn, but I would have used that before the 12wbt... hmmmmm maybe "fun-runner" as I am about to do one and I never, ever thought I would!

Week 5

Today is the start of week 5!  I am trying to get myself motivated again, which is where I think the mini-milestone bush walk would have helped, however due to weather, we didn't get to go.  I have 'rescheduled' it for this coming Saturday, so I am hoping that the weather will be ok to us this time.  I am a little disappointed that we couldn't go, but I have also managed to get sick again, so to be fair, I probably wouldn't have been able to do much anyway or been able to get much out of it as I was so tired all of yesterday.

However, on Friday and Saturday nights I did complete my next fitness test to see how much I have improved.  Overall I am really happy with what I have managed to accomplish, considering I have struggled with the exercise portion and being sick so much.

First off, I did the 1km run and I managed to do it in 6 minutes and 51 seconds, 30 seconds better than 4 weeks ago. I have to admit, that I was a little disapointed, but considering that I hadn't really been running for long (probably 2-3 weeks) that's pretty good.  And when you are running, 30 seconds is a long time!  Also, I think that getting sick had an impact on this, and I think I walked a bit more than I did the first time.

Last time around I was able to do 23 push ups on my knees, on Saturday night, I smashed out 31 push ups!!!  That was really exciting!!!

I am also really happy with my wall sit, as I doubled my last result and I was able to sit there for 26 seconds!!!! I didn't think I would be able to do much more than my previous results of 13 seconds, so I am happy with that!

As expected, my abs test wasn't that great, and I am still at level 0 however, in saying that, I could tell that I had improved and I was able to get a little more movement, I just need to start doing more ab exercises.

The flexibility test was a pretty big break through! I was able to touch my toes!!  Which means that my result was 0!!  That is a 4cm improvement!!!

Overall, I have had some great results!! and I love that we are tracking them so that I can see them.  I wonder what my week 8 results will be like!!  The weekly surprise was updating my stats page with the above results as well as my measurements.

Readjusting Goals

Well, I'm feeling a little more together now, so I thought I would take a quick look at my goals, and readjusting them as needed.

1 month goals (Week 4)

1. Lose 6 kg
   Didn't reach this goal - however I did lose 3.8kg! Almost 1kg a week!
2. Stay on plan with food and exercise
   I am going to count this as a tick.  I didn't binge or have a massive blow out.  Sometimes I might not have eaten according to Mish's plans, but I tried hard to stay within calories.
3. Start exercising in the mornings
   Nope - this didn't happen at all... unless you count Saturday mornings before Stitch and Bitch.... hmmmm well, maybe I will count that as a tick then...
4. Do more core exercises - don't be afraid!
   Hmmmmm.... I am still afraid!!! I do try to do them more than I ever did during classes, but I don't think this is enough
5. Try new classes (like boxing)
   Tried boxing, Active, Groove, Power and Centergy.  Not a big fan of boxing, but that's only because I'm not quite fit enough for it lol
6.  Go on a hike in a National Park
   Doing this on the weekend!!! I am actually really excited about it!! Hope it doesn't rain!  This will be happening at the very end of Week 4, so still in the timeframe.  Can't wait to blog about it!

** NEW GOALS**

1 month goals (Week 8)

1. Lose 4 kg - stick with the goal of 1 kg a week
2. Stay on plan with food and exercise and plan out our meals in advance
3. Go paddle boating on Lake Burley Griffin
4. Look into the core exercises and how they are done.  Come up with a plan to do them at home as well. Use the fitball to help (pump up the one at home)
5. Try to get to the gym more often - I have had too many sick days (genuine, but still)
6. Start taking a multi-vitimin so you aren't so sick all the time
7. Find a new job so I'm not so stressed - this does have an impact on the 12WBT
8. Do the fun run at the end of October
9. Run 1km without stopping
10. Burn off 11,200 calories in 4 weeks.  (That is 400 calories per day - I think I will build up to the 500, and this will stop putting pressure on me)
11. Lose another 17cm from my measurements

3 Months (Week 12)

1. Lose 12 kg (ticker updated)
2. Run 3km without stopping
3. Fit into my work uniform
4. Burn 28,000 calories (ticker updated)
5. Lose 50cm total from my measurements
6. Have a waist measurement of under 100cm
7. Up my weights in pump class to 3.75kg for upper body and 5kg for lower body
8. Have a stronger core and be able to do the plank on my toes.

Feel like wallowing and diving into a river of melted chocolate

hmmmm..... melted chocolate.... thats a really great visual....

Anyway, on to the reason for my post.  I am so sad and upset today.  I really dont want to type it all out again, so in lazy fashion, I am going to just pop a link in here to my other blog.

Since I let all of this out this morning, I have been struggling to hold back the tears (so not a good look at work I can tell you that!) and all I want to do is wallow.  The only time food really popped into my head was about 15 minutes ago when I was in McDonald's picking up a coffee for morning tea - however I was quite strong about it, and walked out with only my skim latte.  Then it got me thinking, what do I really feel like?  What do I really want to wallow in??  One thought I did have was that I just want to run and run and run... not that I physically can lol, but I think I just wanted to wear myself out and feel like I have some kind of control over something in my life.  The other thought I had was that what I really want to be doing is curled up at home, with my blanket and I just want to knit and zone everything out.  Knitting and crafts are my relaxation.  It is like meditation for me where I can just churn through the thoughts in my head with no emotion and just completely relaxed.  With the weather being as overcast as it is atm, it is perfect knitting weather where I can just shut everything out.  (In case you haven't noticed, I am a bit fan of denial lol)

After reading Tracey's post this morning, it made me think that I should revisit my goals as well as I think this is a great idea.  However, I am feeling too much like a failure today and too mopey to be able to give it a proper, positive go as I will only be looking at everything that I didn't achieve, so I might do a little knitting at lunch time, and if that cheers me up a little, have a go at looking at my goals and trying to set some more.

Weigh In!

Good Morning all!!

My wishes were answered this morning when I jumped on the scales to find a 1.5kg loss!! WOOT WOOT!!! this brings me to 3.8kg loss in 4 weeks.  Not quite 4 in 4, but close enough!!!  I had set my first goal to be for me to lose 6kg in 4 weeks, so clearly I was over estimating my body's willingness to lose the weight, so later on today I will be going through my goals and readjusting them to be a little more realistic.

I also did my measurements last night, and I am happy to tell you all that in 4 weeks I have lost 17.5cm from my body!  (I forgot to measure my arms, so will update that tonight).

Week 4
Wednesday 5 October

		Change	Total Loss
Weight:	92.7kg	-3.8kg	-3.8kg
Arms:	29.5cm	0cm	0cm
Bust:	110.5cm	-3.5cm	-1.5cm
Waist:	119cm	-4.5cm	-4.5cm
Hips:	120cm	-4.5cm	-4.5cm
R Thigh:	56cm	-2.5cm	-2.5cm
L Thigh:	56cm	-2.5cm	-2.5cm
Totals:		-17.5cm	-17.5cm

 It's so great to see it all laid out like that, as I was saying to B last night, the truth is, I really don't mind what I weigh, I just want to be trimmer, which is where the measurements come in.  I wasn't sure if 17.5cm in a month was that good, but when we put it into comparison with my goal of losing 50cm, losing 17.5cm makes me at 35% of my goal, and we are only 33% of the way through the program, so I think I am doing really well so far!!

Last night I couldn't make it to pump.  And, my 'excuse' was one of my "Outside of my Control" ones - Migraines!  I can't do anything when I have a migraine, with some of the bad ones, I struggle to speak properly, so there is no way I would be coordinated enough for any form of exercise.  The only other problem is that I also have the next day as an "after affect" day (today), where my brain is still fuzzy and if I move my head slightly then it feels like my brain has slammed into the side of my head.  So without making today an additional excuse and writing it off totally, I have decided that I wont go to the gym, however I will try to walk on the treadmill tonight.  It won't be much, but it will be something.

I am really looking forward to the bush walk mini milestone this weekend, I just really hope that the weather is OK for it.  I am also curious to see how I go in my next fitness test, so that has been scheduled for Saturday morning before Stitch and Bitch.  It will be interesting to see how things have changed, as I really wasn't expecting such big numbers off my measurements, so hopefully I will get some surprising (good surprising that is!) results from the fitness test.

Blogger Challenge: Find the Joy

This week's blogger challenge was to "Find the Joy" - or, what (other than food) brings me joy?  So, here is my list (in no particular order - just as they pop into my head):

1. Hanging out with my boyfriend
2. Crafting - knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, etc
3. Finishing a project
4. Those amazing "alive" days - where the sun is shining, the window is down, the music is great and all you can think of is how much you are loving the moment
5. Watching a good movie
6. Catching up with my friends
7. Catching up with my brother, sister and Dad
8. Bubble baths
9. Warm socks
10. Curling up on the lounge with a doona during the rain
11. The smell of rain
12. Being organised and planning (mostly because it means I'm not stressing)
13. Travel - I miss it so much!!!
14. The Aussie Bush - love the smells and sounds (hence my 4 week mile stone is a bush walk)
15. Coffee!!! Oh wait - is that food?? lol I call it a way of life!! lol!! I really don't see it as a food product....

Week 4

Today is the start of week 4!  That means that this week, I have my:

• Fitness Test
• Mini Milesone
• Measurements
• Weigh in

I honestly have mixed emotions about it all.  On one hand, I am quite excited about seeing my progress, seeing how my fitness has changed, how my body has changed and also to see how I go about doing my mini milestone this weekend. On the other hand, I am petrified that I won't see any results, that I haven't worked hard enough and I won't have improved on anything. I really do want to see results, as you can tell from my melt down last week (last post - thank you to everyone who checked up on me :) Much appreciated!).  I really hope that I have done enough to improve on my time for the 1km run!

As it was a long weekend, and full of activities, overall, I am quite happy with my food choices.  I do have to admit that there was a lot of takeaway involved, but I tried to make the best choices possible.  For example, I tried Wok Me, and managed to make a great choice with the Kuai Tiau.  Now, I am only wishing they had this shop in town. There is a similar place (which we had yesterday) but I think they use more oil, although overall quite healthy.  It has made me want to try cooking my own, although I have never used a wok before, or made anything like this, so looks like I will be recipe surfing.  On Sunday night, we also had pizza, but I did my research before hand and found out which was the pizza with the least calories and worked out how many slices I could have without going over my calorie budget.  I think that we have been eating out so much, simply because of the fridge situation.  I am really struggling with not having the fridge in the kitchen and not being able to plan ahead properly.  However, I am really hoping this will be sorted in the next couple of days.

On Saturday, I had my first SSS (Super Saturday Session) where I am supposed to burn 1000 calories.  I had planned that before I went to stitch and bitch that I would get up earlier (as mentioned in a previous post) and do an extra bit of cardio and then jump into my Centergy class that I should come close to burning the 1000 calories.  However, my calculations were a little off, and I only burned 731.  I am trying to not look at this as another failure, but rather as a "now I know I need to burn more before my class" and "it's still the most you have burned in a single session to date".  I did burn 350 calories before the class started, and then 381 in the class (which, believe it or not is less than I burned in the Centergy class the week before!).


I am also really excited I love my coffee... that love has been increased in the new love of my life, the Saeco Exprelia!!!!

We picked it up on Sunday, and I am just so in love with it!!  This is my ultimate coffee machine!  At one touch of a button, it does everything! It froths the milk, adds the coffee and cleans itself!  The only thing I need to do is add the sugar!  It can even do hot chocolate and use pre-ground coffee and I can even adjust it so that it can make my coffee in my travel mug!!

WINNING!!

You can see more about it here.

Also, I used to measure out the milk before I frothed it on my old coffee machine, and this one actually uses a slightly bit less, so I am doing even better calorie wise!!!