I blame my jeans!

I tossed up about the title of this blog for a few hours. I was going to call it "Why are the 90's tormenting me?"
But I finally decided that it's all my jeans fault. I blame them 100%. You see my current jeans have been falling off me, these are a pair of jeans that have always been tight on me, but not recently, so I felt for sure that I would show a decent loss on the scales this week.
So jumping on the scales this morning I was devastated to discover I only had a 200g loss. You see this should have been a momentous occasion as today I am finally back into the 80's. I guess I was just expecting to be a little further into the 80's than what I am. So I had my sook and went to the gym, 800 calories later I felt much better about my little loss.
But seriously it's not my jeans fault, it's my fault, I haven't been 100% this week, I've had a few blow outs, my kiddies are sick which means broken sleep and just general frustration. But I think maybe this was just what I needed, I've got my determination face back on. I feel like my mojo has finally come back to the party.
I'm going to smash this week!

Blogger challenge week 2

Two weeks in one day, happy to be back blogging and up to date with the challenge, thanks to Jayne here we go with week 2.............
This week is about our workouts.
I've been mixing it up as I like to do. I've been hitting the gym (which I love) and as always I have my trusty Mish dvd's at home for when I can't get to the gym and I love doing the outdoor program too. This round for me is about really pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, and so far to cement that, I've joined in 2 challenges. Last round I couldn't bring myself to join in challenges, I was always convinced I'd fail and didn't want to set myself up for that. But I've discovered, thanks to a very inspirational lady, that failing is ok
Firstly I committed (and secretly enjoying) doing Mean Abs June. Confession be known, I looked at the first few days and committed to doing this. After day 1 I looked at day 30 and nearly fell over, but instead of giving up, cause it's too hard, every day without fail, I complete my mean abs

My other challenge that I committed to was to burn the correct amount of calories every day. 500 per day and 1000 for SSS. Week 1 was a slight disaster seeing me only burning 1900 calories, but I've burnt more this week. I don't think I'll get to my total of 3500 for the week, but as I type this today I've burnt 2520 calories and I'm yet to do my SSS which is planned for this afternoon. So I might get there yet.

I've started running again, which I was absolutely loving last round until I managed a stress fracture in week 4 which ruled out running for the rest of the round. I started the C25k, where I left off and I was really happy that I could cope with that amount of running after having so long away from it. I am sticking to the treadmill this time though (as suggested my my doctor). No more road running until I can officially call myself a Runner :)

Until next week
LJx

Blogger challenge week 1

I'm a little late, but here we go ready to take up the blogger challenge again. Thanks to Jayne

1) Introduce yourself & tell us why your here?

Well hello my name is Melinda and I'm because basically in a nutshell, I'm fat, according to my BMI I'm obese, but I'm not as fat as I used to be. I am a different person to the person I was in January, not only am I 20 + kilo's lighter but my mind is in a different place now. I started this year as a shy, uncertain nearly 40 year old who ran the risk of not being there for the most important people in my life (my husband and 3 beautiful boys). I am now on the way to being the best version of myself and giving my boys the wife & mother they deserve.

2) Why did you decide to join round 2 of Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation?

Even though I came a long way in round 1, I still have a long way to go. There is still a pesky 20kg to bid farewell to and I still have a very, very long way to go with my mindset. In between round 1 and round 2 I felt very lost and very uncertain and I was a little shocked at how easily my old (bad) habits started to creep back into my normal daily life. This resulted in me gaining 3kg's in between rounds and I was beyond devastated. But I owned it, I know what I did wrong and why I put on weight. But I'm back and I'm here to embed this program in to my psyche and make this my life.

3) How have you prepared for the challenge?

I haven't really done very much in pre season. I did my tasks with little enthusiasm, until I got to my excuses; which was a huge turning point for me last round. I'd saved it till last even though I think it was task 2. Doing my excuses got me right back into the 12wbt mindset and I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much my excuses had changed in 12 weeks. I'd gone from 3 pages of excuses to 1 1/2 pages. In 12 weeks I'd battled many of my excuses that were holding me back and only a handful remain. Even though I know I still have a long way to go, I was very proud of this


Until next time
LJ x

Apologies and Melbourne

I've been a tad neglectful of my blog since the end of round 1 and I do apologise. I have had some major uni work due and that has taken all of my focus of my blogs. But I'm back now and I'm excited to be back on 12wbt and back blogging.

So first things first....there was a little road trip to Melbourne.
WOW what a week away it was. So much fun, accept for a few little hiccups we had a wonderful week away.
The record breaking workout was so much fun and I got to meet a very special lady. My first pic is before the workout, this is with my dear friend Fairlie, she lives in Geelong and was very keen to come along and join in the workout with me. Fairlie has joined up to do round 2. It was so cold, I actually think my teeth are chattering in this photo lol.

Group workout time, these a just a few of the workout that my boys took.

 This one I love, I love my expression in this pic and that I know I'm thinking I'm on stage in a musical theatre production...LOL

The group workout was a heap of fun and even managed to burn a decent amount of calories

AND then a very special moment for me...I got to meet a young lady whom blog's I have been reading all round, a lady who has kept me so motivated and someone I am very proud to call my friend

This is Janie and my youngest little man Cameron.

So after our mammoth workout, we headed back to our hotel and got ready for our night out to celebrate. This was a bit of a disaster, our 10km from the CBD hotel was a lot further than what we thought and that night, due to a comedy of OH SO MANY ERRORS it took us 2 hours to get to the party. I was beside myself by the time we got there, but finally we did and we had a fantastic night.

 This is me and my gorgeous hubby, glad to have a wine in my hand after our trip from hell.

My dear friend Kate, we've been in this together from the start.
What a great night, lots of dancing and drinking, even though it took us 2 hours to get there, it certainly was a fabulous night. I loved seeing the winners up on stage and knowing that many of the winners were part of the 30+ crew, I felt so proud. I saw many of the 30+ girls but I was too shy to introduce myself, I still feel like I'm a nobody and they wouldn't know who I am - something to work on.

As I was leaving the party I got to meet another young lady who was my initial inspiration for my weight loss journey.

This is Angela Wallace and she is the reason I signed up for 12wbt. My starting weight was similar to Angela's starting weight and look at her now, she is gorgeous and such a friendly, lovely person and I was so happy I got to meet her.

Well I think that's all for the moment. I'll be starting the bloggers challenge in the next few days and I hope everyone has had a great start to round 2
LJxx

My tips for a successful round of 12wbt

This is long...................

 

Do the preseason tasks. I always remember this piece of advice during preseason and I kept thing well ok but I don’t really see how it will make a difference..IT WILL. The biggest thing for me in the preseason tasks was getting to the bottom of my excuses, it’s amazing when you actually sit and think about it and I actually found it quite emotional. Excuses I’d been using for years and I had never realised they were excuses.

Michelle Bridges knows better than you, I know this is hard to believe but she really does, listen to her, do what she says. As your about to put that krispy kreme donut in your mouth, ask yourself...”What would Mish say”

Everyone has blowouts...Get over it. Don’t blow it out to a day or a week. “I’ll start again tomorrow” No don’t ...start again right now. Own your blowout and move on. It’s actually quite powerful

Get on the forums, find a local support group. Surround yourself with supportive people, this is such a huge influence and will a defining factor in your success.

Some kitchen tips

This may sound gross but I’ve been doing it for years and I think it’s a brilliant idea; Rinse your mince....ewwww I hear you say. Now I can’t always afford to buy premium, no fat mince, so what I do is brown it off to get all the fat out and then I rinse it in hot water to wash all that nasty fat away, clean your pan with some paper towel and off you go. It’s definitely not as ewww as it might sound.

Measure EVERYTHING! I measured every single little thing, to give you an idea of how bad I am, The banana bread on Mish’s menu, I would weigh the bowl, put all the ingredients in then weigh it again, then I would divide by the serve amount and I would measure up each serve exactly.
When I cut meat, for a stir fry I would count how many pieces I had so I could divide it correctly. Same with veg, I’d count how many beans I have and divide them up exactly evenly. I know it’s so anal, but hey....I’ve lost 20kg so far, so I must be doing something right. Even my hubby would giggle at me every night as I served up dinner.

Cup of water in the sink, doesn’t sound like much, but every utensil you use goes straight into that cup of water...no temptation to lick it then

Speaking of banana bread, make up a batch (make sure it’s Mish’s banana bread). Make it into muffins and freeze them. Perfect if you are running out the door and haven’t had breakfast, perfect for a snack if you are down on calories for the day. I always have the banana bread and low cal brownies frozen in my house. That way when someone pop’s over for a cuppa I have banana bread and brownies ready to go and I am not ruining all my hard work.

Be organised. Every week I would print out the menu plan and shopping list and recipes. I found the weeks I didn’t print out the menu plan (even though I followed it) my week just didn’t flow.

Don’t go out without a Mish approved snack. I don’t leave the house without 3 things, an apple, a museli bar and a pack of sultana’s. That way if I’m delayed, I always have something to eat and I won’t resort to buying something I’ll regret.

Take your bikini before shots, you may not want to. I know I didn’t, but you don’t have to show anyone and comparing your after pic is fun. Take a clothed one too so you can show people how well you’ve done.

Forget about the competition part! This was a big learning curve for me; around week 4 everyone seemed (I know everyone didn’t) to get a top 5% email. I didn’t and around the same time I had to sit myself down and ask myself if I was here to participate in a competition or was I here to lose weight? [LIGHT BULB MOMENT] I’m not here to win a competition, I’m here to lose weight, don’t make it about the competition, cause if you don’t win anything you’ll be disappointed and it’s not about that.

Don’t compare yourself to other people.....OK easier said than done right? Right! I’ve done well, but I still compare myself to other people who have done better. I think it’s human nature to compare yourself, but the cold hard truth is; There will always be someone who loses weight faster than me, there will always be someone fitter than me. All I need to do is be true to myself and do the best that I possibly can.

These are just a few things that have helped me over the past 12 weeks and I'm sure I'll think of many more now that I've actually posted this.

Hope everyone has a successful pre-season and a ripper of a round 2

LJx

My 12wbt Round 1 2012 - Wrap up

At the beginning of this year I weighed 111.4kg....and now I don't, thanks to Michelle Bridges and her 12wbt.

I still can't believe how successful this program has been for me, I'm in denial I think...was I really that big?? Have I really lost over 20kg?? Yes...Yes I have.

So lets see Pre season for round 1 began on 15th Jan 2012 (if memory serves me correctly); this was the day I started calorie counting and by the time round 1 officially began on the 12th Feb 2012 I'd lost 7kg.

As the round started I was quite impressed with myself that I was still going with such enthusiasm, I started exercising 6 days a week as we were told to do, I stuck to my calories, as we were told to do. I found a love for running. Sadly by week 4 I'd hurt my foot and ended up in a boot with a stress fracture. But it didn't stop me; well it kinda did. I was so busy feeling sorry for myself I stopped exercising, but I still ate clean, and it still worked, I was still losing weight, it's all about the clean eating. So as round 1 came to a close....Here's what I lost officially  13.6kg, that's 13.03% of my body weight, I was particularly thrilled with a top 8% email. I also lost 69.5cm off my body....that's massive, I still do a double take at that figure.

Pre season start 111.4 bmi 38.10 (ouch)
Round 1 start    104.4 bmi 35.70 (still obese)
Round 1 finish   90.8   bmi 31.10 (still obese - but so close to overweight)

That's what I lost...But I gained too..
I gained a smile again
I gained some wonderful friends
I gained the ability to walk into shops I haven't been able to enter in nearly a decade.
I feel like I've gained my life back and my children have a mum now who will set a good example for them.

I am still a work in progress, Another 20kg to go until I reach my goal....and for the first time in my life I actually feel like I will achieve it.

LJx

Blogger Challenge - Week 12 Celebration

Woohoo we made it...what a fun 12 weeks it's been and there is certainly a lot less of me than what there used to be. So the last week of our blogger challenge, thanks toWhirlsie

Celebration!
What am I doing to celebrate round 1 coming to a close. Well my reward is Melbourne. I'm packing up all of my family and we're heading to Melbourne for a group workout and a celebration.

I'm really looking forward to it. 3 days in a car with all my boys. I'm looking forward to meeting people I've only met online and most of all I'm looking forward to enjoying a well deserved holiday with my family.

I couldn't think of a better reward for weight loss 

LJx