Blogger Challenge Week 8: Learning

We never stop learning, it is a constant factor of life.  In the 12WBT, we have such a big learning curve, and most of it is early on.  Sometimes we don’t fully realise what we have accomplished until we stop and take a look back.

1. What has been your biggest learning curve of the program?

2. Have you had to learn something new over the last 8 weeks? ie cooking? Have you learned a new sport?

3. Are you planning on learning a new skill in the future? eg taking up a new sport, learning a new technique, etc

Learning always makes me feel so alive, especially when I ‘master’ a new skill.  Take control of your life and live it!

If you are a little confused about what to do, please read through the blogger challenge instructions (opens in a new window).

To link your answer to this blog post, just click the add your blog button below. From here you paste the link for your actual post (not your blog). This weeks Blogger Challenge will close at 11:59pm on Wednesday 11th April 2012.

Organised: My Favourite Word!

I am such a planner.  I love to be organised, or at least feel like I am organised.

I have been slowly adding recipes to my Menu Planner app for my iPad and I have been testing it out this week. So far, I have only planned our dinners, but doing this has really helped me mentally as it feels as though there is one less thing that I need to worry about.

When I did the groceries the other day, it was fantastic, as I took my iPad with me, opened up the app and everything I needed was there in a list for me.  The only thing I need to do is set which aisles the products are in as this will save even more time.  I can even add in the prices of the product so that I an get an idea of what our next grocery shop will cost - I love this kind of stuff!

I was able to tick off each item as I put it into the trolley, and as I had already culled the list with what I had in the pantry or in the garden, it made my shopping list much more compact and easy to work through. 

Sure, there were a few things that were added to my trolley that weren't on the list, but this is normal, and I will be adding these items into the app so that we can have a complete list of grocery items (it allows you to add in the nonfood items too!)

I have also emailed the meal plan to B, and he has access to the recipes for the plans online, so it makes it much easier to be able to have everything ready to go.

I am kind of looking forward to planning next weeks meals and going shopping for them again.  Only this time I think I will be trying to make note of what aisles the products are in to make it much easier later on down the track.

One Little Red Capsicum

I have written a few posts on my garden - something I started when I started the 12WBT last year for Round 3.

I am surprised by how much I love gardening!  I love watching it all grow, and I feel sad when it doesn't... I am always looking for ways to improve the garden and learn more about how to keep my plants thriving.

 

The other night, we made tacos, and we used tomato, spring onions and lettuce that Miss 3 and I went out and harvested.  So yummy!! I don't usually like tomato, but it was really nice and 'meaty'.  The lettuce is sweet and I love spring onions in cooking! I am loving cooking using veggies I have grown! I am surprised by how different it all tastes!

Because we are in a colder climate of Australia, I am currently looking into ripping out our current garden and replanting with winter crops.  I love the idea of doing this, but I am a little sad to see the plants I have grown go.  I am thinking of making a tomato relish with our left over green tomatos (apparently it can be done) and I want to give my sister one of the leeks I have left (they didn't grow as much as what I thought they did!)

This weekend, being Easter, we have friends coming up from Bendigo.  I think we might do the tacos again, but this time we might also add in some carrots (as I think they are ready to come out) and there is also my one little red capsicum which I am oh so proud of!!  There are also green ones on the plant which we can pick, but I am just so excited that I have managed to grow the capsicum (they were struggling for a while) but that it survived and it's turning red!

"You are a very visual learner"

So, after a couple of sad, frustrating and stress filled days, I have been thinking a lot about 'my kind of learning', as in how can I study/learn better that works well for me. I have always thought I was a visual learner, but I know that this can change over time, so I went googling (or binging as the case may be lol) and I came across a couple of articles, including a quiz.

This is the result I got:

You are a very visual learner.
You probably use visual references a lot and say things like "I see now" or "I get the picture." You like to see demonstrations, diagrams, slides, charts, and other visual aids in the classroom. You take great notes and you probably use color coded highlighting. You could benefit by drawing outlines of your notes and creating pictures of processes or events that you study. Always write down explanations and instructions. Use flash cards when available.

Funnily enough, I do actually write in different colours, and I had a bit of a chuckle.  You see, this is what my notebook looks like:

My chemistry notebook - isn't it pretty??

There are 4 different colours on that page!  I also use different colours to write out my flash cards and yesterday I was thinking that what I really need to start doing is to summarise my lecture notes in my own words so that I have to think about the content and have it in a way that I understand... Admittedly, my next thought after this was "When will I find time for that?!"  In saying that though, I am hoping that the more I do it, the more I can train my brain to be used to it and get better at it.

When I was studying for my exams, I turned the whiteboard in the study into a huge visual aid - note all the colours? Most of the equations are colour coded! haha! Having that there was great to be able to look at, but I find that writing it down helps most. I think that I am going to have to find a way to make this whiteboard work more for me.

I have also got a couple of the Chemistry for Dummies e books which I will be going through, as I really like the examples they use. I really feel that at this point in time, I really need to take everything back to basics and just understand it all in the simplest way possible that works for me... I even came across a Chemistry for Dummies Workbook, which I hope will also help me have a step-by-step process that is easy to understand for my final exam (which I need to get at least 40% in).

I know that given the time, I could figure the question out.  In my chem labs and tutes I am getting 80-90% most of the time, so something must be working, I think it just takes me a bit longer to work through what the question is asking me.

Most of the times, I just want to know what it is and why it does whatever it is doing.  It doesn't need to be explained in 10 pages of textbook text, just a simple similie and explanation usually work for me.

Somehow, I need to find a way to stop overthinking it all and stressing myself out...

(btw - sorry for yet another non-weightloss related post! haha!)

Reevaluating...

Today has been a bit of a kick in the teeth uni wise... and I am feeling so sad and disapointed in myself.

Today I had my chemistry exam and I failed... it might seem like it is too early to call, but I know that I did... I answered maybe 3 questions (of 40!) in total... 22 of them were maybe partly answered but probably getting my equations confused, and the other 5 were unanswered....

I have been trying to get my study in for a subject I barely understand and memorising what the lecturer told us to (which we didn't need!!! WTF!!!) and then when I got in to the theatre, I looked at the questions and hit panic mode... and just didn't perform well. 

If I had a bit more time, I probably would have been able to work them out and get it right in my head, but 40 short answer questions in 50 minutes is just nuts!!

To top it all off, I just found out that I only just passed my biology exam... and this is an exam that I was so confident that I did really well in... It was actually something I thought I was going to be so proud of...

Struggling to study, to understand the work, and trying so hard to do well, I seem to be not getting anywhere, and I am really struggling to understand what I am doing at uni... people say P's get degrees - that may be the case, but that's not my style.  I want to do well.  I want to understand it. And most of all I want to enjoy it.

Am I really doing the right thing... maybe I am just not cut out to be a uni student... maybe I am not meant to be a dietician...

Maybe it's just not for me...

Oh, Easter!! It's A Love/Hate Relationship...

I love chocolate!!

So much so that I can, quite easily, polish off a block of chocolate in one sitting... While B probably thinks I eat a lot of it (he doesn't have a sweet tooth lol), I barely eat it compared to the amount that used to pass my lips... which, looking back, was quite a scary amount!

However, it is Easter - and I love Easter egg chocolate!!! It is by far my favourite kind of chocolate (in particular, Red Tulip Bunnies).  A friend and I, years ago, actually used to go into town on Easter Monday and buy up all of the half priced  eggs! It was heaven!!

Admittedly, now I find that I can't eat as much chocolate as I used to, but I can still consume a fair amount!!  The other issue I have found over the years, is that I seem to need to "detox" from chocolate... after 3 days of not eating chocolate (and craving it something shocking!) I find that I don't really want it.  I can go without! I love it when I am in this frame of mind!

Another observation I have had, is that when I stress, I want comfort food... and uni seems to be a bit of a stress filled experience for me at this stage.  I find that when I am studying, I want to snack on foods... I don't know why, I don't know if this is what I used to do and it's subconcious, but I just want to eat...

So, what does this post have to do with anything?  Well, right now, I can't stop thinking about chocolate... the fact that it's almost Easter, and the stores are filled with Easter eggs... and I want them!!  I have made it though 3 months of having them on the shelves, but now that Easter is around the corner, it's all that I want!!

In fact, I had one the other day, and even while I was eating it, I noticed that it didn't give me the same "happy" feeling I used to get... which is great!!  The only problem is... I still want it!

So, I am glad that Easter will be over in a week... although it won't stop me from eating the eggs in the meantime... at least it won't be as much as what I would have usually have eaten, and I can find some form of self control...

Guess where I went today...

Today, for the first time in about 2 months, I stepped into my gym!

I was only there for about 20 minutes, and it was only to do exercises that my physio has given me, but it felt good to ba back there... felt like nothing had changed - which is great as I was a little worried about going in again lol.

So, there is progress! lol

However, since this morning, my knee is hurting again... I don't know if this is a good thing or not, so I am now resting it and trying to keep it stable. 

Hiding?

I have come to realise, that for some reason, I really want to hide the fact that I am trying to lose weight.  Over the last few years I have been so completely open to everyone that I was trying, but I have found that I just don't want to talk about it at all...

I have been avoiding friends because I don't want to tell them how I am going, and I don't want to feel inadequate. I feel like I have hidden myself from the world and even though I don't want to talk about how much weight I have put on, I also don't want to talk about any successes...

I find this so strange, and the only thing I can think of is that maybe I dont want tohave people see me fail... or show people that I was wrong... or feel like I am wrong... lol!!  I am not good with criticism - even from myself... It's kind of hard to explain what I mean... it's not that I think people will actually tell me I am wrong, but I think it is more what I think people will think about me... which is silly, I know...

Blogger Challenge Week 7: Motivation

Generally around this time, people tend to lose some enthusiasm... It's just one of those strange things that seems to occur at the same time each round.

So, how about a little pep-me-up?

This week I want you to paint me a picture - Why did you join the 12WBT?  What has been your biggest achievement to date? What have you struggled with? How can you overcome these issues?

Have a look at the questions you answered at Week 1, these might help you to answer this post.

By looking back at why you joined, writing about your successes, your struggles, you may find that by getting it all out there, you can put it behind you, and move forward.


If you are a little confused about what to do, please read through the blogger challenge instructions (opens in a new window).

To link your answer to this blog post, just click the add your blog button below. From here you paste the link for your actual post (not your blog). This weeks Blogger Challenge will close at 11:59pm on Wednesday 4th April 2012.

Checking In

Hi All

I am just checking in with my weekly weigh in.  Now, I actually did weigh myself yesterday morning, and I have to say, that I really didn't want to come in here and tell you that I did put on weight.

The truth is though, I am mostly ok with the fact that I put on weight.  We were in Melbourne on the weekend, and I haven't been moving that much because of my knee - plus I know that my eating has been all out of whack. Stress and eating don't go well together for me... I have had an exam and a report due (and done) and another exam on Monday for chemistry which I really don't feel prepared for and I am quicte panicky about it actually...

So, I am owning that, plus I am also trying to accept that this is life, and this time my weightloss isn't all or nothing.  Bumps happen and I am ok with that... mostly! haha!!  I think the hardest part is the little voice in my head telling me what I can't do and that I have failed...

So here is to ignoring the voices in my head! haha!

Anyway, so I only put on a kilo, so that's not too bad.  I think the worst thing is that I have been on my own so often lately, that I have kinda given up on cooking... not good! I am still struggling with breakfast... I think I am going to have to try and find something I am looking forward to eating... I have always loved honey weats... maybe I should give them a go lol My breakfast schedule has gone out the window since I have quit working full time lol

In saying that though, last night I actually made an effort and I made san choy bow... mostly cos I had the stuff sitting there and B doesn't like it lol... perfect reason to make it... all for me!!!  I even used lettuce from my garden! I have to say, you haven't had lettuce until you have grown it yourself!!  I am not a salad fan, but this is tops!

So, at the moment with uni has been crazy... as I mentioned before I have already had an exam and a report due - which are now done and dusted, but I am really struggling to get through Chemistry right now... in fact I have to admit that I am procrastinating about studying because I just feel so overwhelmed - how ridiculous is that?!  I know I just need to get in and get it done, but everytime I try I start freaking out...

On the upside, I have been itching to do some exercise lately - I think that it's mostly because I can't due to my knee.  However, my knee is feeling really great today and I am due at the physio in 15 minutes, so I had better get going!!

Anyway, that's my update!