So as we draw a close to 2012.

I have decided to go back to blogging.  I am not sure why I stopped earlier on in the year.
This has always been my little online diary and my own person book of how far I have come.
I loved coming back and reading about bits and pieces that I had completely forgotten about.  Sometimes its just the little things that make us realise how far we have come.

This year has seen me get to 73kgs before going to Queensland and then back up to 76.4kgs which I have been stuck at for some time.  In the past I would have been beating myself up about it but after 2 years of this weight loss journey.  I know that its Christmas, I work in retail so I am completely exhausted after being on my feet all day. Its school holidays and I wont get to the gym like I usually do.  But I will continue eating well and clean foods.

There has been a lot of family stress going on at home and it has now effected the way I think, train, eat and my energy levels.    I want to go back to my happy place. Where I ate well, trained hard and felt fantastic.

I will get there and that is why I have decided to do another round of the Michelle Bridges in 2013.  I love the structure, trying the new recipes and after 4/5rounds that I have done so far I am still the lightest I have been in years.

So I will set about in the next few weeks to get myself organised.  Work out my goals for the year 2013 and share them with anyone that is reading my little ole blog.

Thank you for visiting. xxx

Post Michelle Bridges finale.

Woow what an amazing inspirational night Saturday night was.

How fantastic it was to spend a weekend away with some amazing friends, some that I had only met for the first time that night but chatted with them via cyber land.

To see so many people who have really changed their lives, bodies and fitness.  It has so made me want to finish what I started.

I have so much I want to write but will come back and update later on today.

Meeting Margie was certainly one of the big highlights of the night.  I had cheered Margie on from Day 1 on Biggest Loser.  What a bloody inspiration she is and so friendly.  I wonder if she has a saw jaw from all the photo posing with everyone from the 12WBT?

2nd May, 2012 and end of Round 1 of Michelle Bridges 12wbt

I haven't posted for a long time.  Some things happened and I wondered at the time if people didn't find what I posted useful and I just kind of felt I was a tad boring.

However, I missed my blog!  It had been my diary since I started my weight loss journey on the 1st May 2010.

So here I am back and hoping I don't bore the everyone.  I have managed to get through this round with minor injuries and some struggles of getting organised around work and family commitments and family sickness.

However,  I have stayed strong and just kept going to gym, counting my calories and falling off and back on the wagon.

I have signed up again for one more round.  Yes, I know I said last round was going to be my last. But something just clicked about 2 weeks ago.  I don't think I could get my mind set right and was looking for excuses such as!.  "Oh I'm so bored with this program, same videos, same blah blah blah!" They were really all excuses.  I don't think I was in the right mind set to really want to lose the weight!....... I had been looking for something that would click me back into the steely mindset that I had way back in 2010.

Well it wasn't going to just jump out at me.  I had to go back and find her!

My life IS different now.  I am working mum now as well as the mum who wants to lose weight.

I looked back at all my reasons in the beginning.... You know the old saying.  If you can't work out why something isn't working.  Go back to the beginning and start again!

So I did... I went back to see what made me want to lose weight.  The main thing was "I was sick of saying I am gunna do it!",  Well that was it, that is what I needed to shake this bull shit out of my head.

So the two things that I need to remind myself are:-

1: I do really want to lose weight
2: I am sick of gunna do it - I am going to do it.

I have also decided to not set my weight loss goals so high.  I have come to realise that round 1 or any ones first round is always, going to be a good one.  We are all pumped and ready to go.  Things slow down as you get closer to your goal weight.  Maybe my goal weight is not achievable now that I am nearly 43 years old.  So now my goal is to be in the low 60's and just take it from there.

Things like goal weights can always be changed as I get closer.  But I need to stop the shit and that is what I am going to do today.  Stop the BS and break through this 75kgs. Stop loosing a little, gaining a bit and loosing it all again.

Today it starts here!

Well another week has passed and we are entering in to week 3.

I have had a full on day with my sons birthday party with 18, 8 years olds at a Play centre and as the day has gone on.  I have now gained a throat that feels like razors have replaced it and a thumping headache just to add to it.

My week has gone along well.  Work is another story.

Pushed myself to burn the calories at gym and eat well. I even went for my first jog/shuffle while it was daylight.  Which was pretty darn exciting (yay, yay, yay!!!).  My poor dog started off by pulling and slowly she tired and was wonderful to jog next too.  The days that I jogged I saw the scales move a lot.  I am all over the place, however on Wednesday weigh in I came in at 79.2kgs.  At least it is going down but still I am a few kilos heavier still than I was at the end of last years challenge.

So my grand plan this week is to go out more often doing outside exercise and get some more shuffling/jogging in on my own.  It is so much nicer being outside in the fresh air.

I have met some lovely ladies this week in the Michelle Bridges Challenge.  It is so nice to have loads of new people to help kick my butt. It is very motivating, especially seeing this is my 3rd round. (OK round 2 doesnt count other than I paid for it).

This week I tried a new recipe and have replaced my fav lunch salad with a new one and boy is it delish!

This was my fav salad. Its from Michelle's new book ~ Chickpea and tuna. (see orginal photo in book on the left) and my version on the right.  I say it was my fav but it has now been replaced with (see below)

My new favorite is Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad 

Well thats enough of me for today.  Main aim is to get some serious exercise in on Monday and Tuesday as its the only days I have off this week and that I will have the energy to get some kick arse done.

Shhhh 79.2kgs

I know its Sunday and its not weigh in day just yet but I decided to have a little sneak peak.

Although truthfully that was actually Saturdays weigh in not really Sunday.  I won't tell you want Sunday's was because well I had a lovely late lunch that ended up being dinner and it was good.  Very good in fact.

Ok Ok I had a burger from Grill'd and I had a Corona.  There you go I said it out loud.  But I was within my calories for the day. Firmly within my calories for the day and I had burnt 500 at gym in the morning.

So what has been happening in Week 1 of Round 1 2012.

Michelle Bridges has already posted that the Finale will be in Melbourne. Yippy throwing a punch to the air and I am going NO IF'S BUTS OR WHATEVERS! I am freaking going.  So much so I already have a date organised and no its not my husband. Like he would understand the whole Michelle Bridges.

I have been really good with my eating all week but I have to be honest and say that I have not been recording my food intake.  So I need to start doing that from tomorrow.  It was such an easy habit to get into in my previous year of losing weight but even easier to get out of the habit. In fact I doubt if I know where my calorie counters is.  NOTE TO SELF! Find that book tomorrow or their will be some serious arse kicking going on!

Friday night I was hungry, tired and a little bit pissed off with my husband.  I was going to explode but I didn't. I grabbed the dog and went for a walk.  Miss Roxy so needed a good run.

Well run we did.  I run down Canterbury Road most of the way home.  I was so freaking proud of myself.  Except a car tooted and I am not sure if it was to take the piss out of me or to congratulated me for getting my fat arse running!

But I loved it. My back, hips and knee didn't so much but to hell with them. There is always some sort of pain killer for them.

Highlight meals this week.

NO NAME MENTIONED AS TO THE NAME OF THIS RECIPE AS I HAVE CHANGED IT TO MY OWN VERSION NO CLAIM TO BE ANYTHING FROM THE MB PROGRAM

ANY REFERENCE TO MY CHANGE RECIPE HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO MB PROGRAM STAFF SAYING I HAD TO.

I do have so much more to blog but I don't want to bore people silly.  So I will pop back in tomorrow.

Nite.

81kgs Day 1 of Round 1, 2012 Michelle Bridges

So I sit here feeling a little bit excited today.

Why you ask?  Yes I can hear you!

Today I finally achieved a goal that I have wanted to do for soooo long. For the first time I went to the  1000 Steps in Ferntree Gully and completed them.  Yay for me! The lovely Kylie also a 12WBT and I achieved our first time together.  It was bloody hard work and I burnt over 800 cals in under 1hr 10mins.  I did turn off my HRM when we got to the top and at a guess there was more cals burnt.

When I arrived I parked in the lower car park due to parking restrictions.  I met up with Kylie near the top carpark.  I think my heart rate was already well over 140 walking up the incline.  So we walked and walked and got puffy. Thinking maybe we are already half way.  Kept walking and we both thought maybe there are no stairs.  Just a lovely walking track.


Soooooooooo Wrong!!! after walking another 10mins we found the bottom of the stairs.  I was already ready to turn around and go home.  But we did it.  Took about 40mins but we did it!!!

I am so freaking excited and afterwards we both crashed at the picinic tables and had our MB lunch which was kind of funny as we bought the same thing that wasn't on day 2 of the menu.

If you are looking at doing the stairs. Its worth doing on a day that it hasnt been raining.  The stairs are very steep at the top and even though it hadn't been raining in Melbourne for the past few days.  It was foggy this morning and the track was very very slipper.  I would hate to see what it's like during winter. It was just a beautiful day and location.  Well when I wasn't trying to put my heart back into my chest!

Now talking about food.  I know Day 2 is hard ~ Lets just say I struggled yesterday big time and a few extra snacks I did sneak in.

I am loving the new Michelle Bridges cook book but I will have to save that for another day. As I will have photos and recipes to share. Nite!

80.0

Feeling a little big bummed that my weight is still at 80kgs.

Wednesday traditionally hasn't been a good weigh in day.  Plus last night we found out that my lovely friend Kari is slowly losing her battle with cancer and probably won't make it past the weekend.

Had a few of the mums from school together so we could have a chat and cry. Just felt we needed to get together for that.  Didnt feel like eating much but what we had really wasnt diet food.

Tossing up if I should go to gym. I am feeling guttered, exhausted as I can't sleep without thinking about Kari and her two children who need their mum, or her loving husband.  But it makes me more determined to live the life that I always wanted which means going to gym to achieve it.  Confused!

Yay Finally did an outside bootcamp

Today I had, had enough of sitting at home.

The joys of having a child with autism is that it is so hard to get them motivated and out of the house. Unless of course its something they really want to do.

So I just relaxed after working all weekend. Made some tasty Michelle Bridges pumpkin soup and booked myself in for a session with Matt at Elevate your fitness.  http://www.elevateyourlife.com.au/

I have been training with Matt for a long time.  He was my mentor back in 2010 when I signed up for the gym 12 week challenge.   He is the one person who knows how hard I push myself and that I really arent making excuses when I am hurting.

But I will admit as 6pm rolled on tonight I had a lot of self sabotage talk going on in my head.   But I pushed through it and I did my first ever outside bootcamp and it was freaking awesome.  So nice to have fresh air.

So I have made it one of my goals when I go to the Gold Coast for our anual holiday that I am going to do a bootcamp on the Broadbeach forshore.  I even run past a few last year and nearly went and asked.

Previous years I would look at them and think what freaks get up at 6am to train!  There is no excuse because having a son like mine who wakes at the first ray of sunshine coming through his room.  Well in QLD the bloody sun rises at 4.45am!

So not much has been happening this week.  Just cooking up lots of 12 week meals so I have them ready in the fridge. Getting my mindset ready.  Thinking about my goals etc.

Looking forward to weigh in this week. I really hope there is a downward movement as Round 1 starts in less than 14 days now!

TTOTM 80.6kgs

Well today was pretty pointless weighing in.  Ahh the joys of being a female and that monthly visit.

Always appears on a bloodying weigh in day.

So not much to report.  Still out injuried.  Saw my old Chiro this week and feel alot better already.  Plus he is so much cheaper and quicker than the Osteopath.

I have been busy cooking up Michelle Bridges cookbook recipes and ordered from Borders Michelle's new cookbook called No Excuses Cookbook: Weight-Loss Recipes For Everyday Life (9780670076376).

Looking forward to having a look through and cooking up a frenzy.

The first picture is from the Crunch time cook book - Thai beef salad.  Had to beef it out a bit more for hubby but he said he would eat it at least 4 times a week.  So that means he loved it.

The second is From Round 3 2011 Risotto, mushroom, basil and baby spinach.  Photo not stunning but it was really lovely.  It did freeze well and still tasted nice but not as nice as it did when it was freshly cooked.

The last is just one of my Asian crunch salads that I throw together under 300 cals with some skinless BBQ chicken added.  Very filling.

Well I am off to my Mother in laws for her birthday.  Guess what she wants for dinner???? K.F.C. (puke).

Exercising with injuries

By Emily Boylin

Our challenge exercise plans have been created to cater for people who are either beginners or who have an intermediate level of exercise.  We are quite sure however, that there are many of you out there who would like to exercise but have injuries, or other mobility issues, and thus have put together some advice on exercising when less mobile than others.

At the start of Week 1 we will also make available  a ‘seated exercises’ document, perfect for our members with low mobility.  For example, it will be a great reference guide for anyone who is wheelchair bound, for those that have had knee ops, or for anyone who has ankle or back problems and has difficulty with weight bearing exercises when standing.

So, exercising with injuries…

If you’ve ever experienced a injury – whether it be a sprained ankle that was swollen for weeks or a bone break or muscle tear that put you out of action for months and months – you’ll know how limiting some movements that we take for granted can be when your body isn’t working 100% for you!

You’ll notice those limitations even more if you’re a regular exerciser or someone who is keen to start exercising.

Having a current or previous injury doesn’t have to mean absolutely no movement or no training. If you follow the tips below you can still reap the benefits of exercise…

Tip 1 – always seek approval from your GP or physio first

If you have a current or previous injury that affects everyday movement in any way or affects you when you exercise please seek advice and approval from your doctor or physio before starting any new training regime. They will be able to advise any exercises you should avoid, the intensity you should train at and prescribe the best exercises to improve your injury or help strength your problem area.

Tip 2 – if you can’t train one area, train another

Take part in exercises that do not affect your injured area. If you have an upper body injury, there are still a bunch of exercises you can complete without hindering your injury recovery – likewise if you have a lower body injury.

For example, if you have a shoulder injury but can walk, squat, lunge, walk up stairs etc, concentrate on those exercises to guarantee movement in your day. If you have an ankle injury but can swim, do push ups on knees, seated exercises, abdominal work etc, concentrate on those exercises.

Tip 3 – train within your level and listen to your body

If you are training with a recovering injury, take it slowly and train within your fitness level. For example, if you have had back problems but your doctor has advised you can complete most body weight exercises, stick to the exercises that suit you – squats instead of squat jumps, push ups on your knees rather than on your toes, jogging instead of sprinting. Listen to your body and if something doesn’t feel right, stop what you’re doing.

You will always be able to find a regressed version of our exercises (the ‘Too hard?’ options) on your training activity PDF.

Tip 4 – always warm up, rest when needed and stretch

It is important, whether you have an injury or not, to always warm up before starting an exercise session. Warming up encourages blood flow and oxygen to muscles and around the body, lubricates joints and fires up neural pathways, getting your body ready for more movement.

Once you are exercising again after an injury, make sure you rest between exercises when you need to – you can repeat exercises back to back once you have build up to it.

Always remember to stretch after exercising too – it increases the range of motion at a joint, decreases muscle tension after training, decreases the chance of muscle spasm and can minimize muscle soreness. 

80.8kgs Weigh in day.

As the middle of January hits me like a tornado today.  I weighed in at 80.8kgs.  Yesterday I was back down to 79.8kgs.  

Yesterday, I was naughty! I had managed to be reasonable good food wise all day.  It was a lovely warm evening and my little guy was in his pool.  So I had a beer or two or three!  So I felt bloated and light headed to say the least.

Bring on Feb 2012 as my husband has decided that he is not going to drink at all during Feb.  I know I can live without it.  I have done it before and prior to meeting hubby, I hardly sipped a drink.

I also found from doing previous challenges that my tastebuds and should I say my liver changed.  I could no longer drink wine or Sparkly wine.  I have a massive headache the next day and trouble sleeping.  So I do feel rather bogan'ish drinking beer. I must say that it is designer beer I drink!  Much to my mothers displeasure, she can't stand a women drinking beer. But then again she can't stand anyone drinking. Oh and yes, she enjoys a couple of glasses or few!

I am still struggling with my obsession with food.  Although it had changed to healthy food, some time ago.  I still find myself needing to cook and prep foods.  Its just the inner Master Chef in me. Thank fully my oven isn't working. Otherwise there would be cupcakes! Healthy ones!

Cooked myself the Char grilled beef with salsa from the 12 WBT program.  I could honestly eat this every second night of the week.  Lovely fresh, clean flavours.

Made my fav lunch of Turkey, Avo and cranberry on corn Crackers. Nom Nom another 12 WBT recipe.

I made it into the gym so far twice this week.  Its a freaking struggle and I still feel like my back is broken into two parts.  This has been 2 years of pain.  The reason why I know is that Hubby and I have booked our Queensland holiday for October this year.  Will go into that more later.

Anyway 2009 and 2010 I was struggling to walk due to injuries from me training and trying to loose weight.

That is one of my goals, yes I am sure I probably had it as one of my goals in 2011. I need to either have this hip operation of find something that is going to allow me to train without being crippled in pain afterwards. Leaving me questioning is it really worth exercising because the pain afterwards is a killer.

So my "To do" this week is sort out some goals for this challenge.

Lost but now I am found

Woow so much has happened in 3 months.

I had an epic fail with my last round of Michelle Bridges for 2011.

Looking back it was doomed from the begining as there was so much happening at home and I was completely out of my routine.

Hubby was between jobs and home for 6 weeks and I started work. Which was meant to be a casual job that lead to insane full time hours during the peak of Christmas and New Year.

While I love working, love having the extra money. I miss my routine, miss my exercise and I miss just being a stay at home mum looking after my family and little house.

I am hoping 2012 and Round 1 of Michelle Bridges will get me back on track and focused.

While we are still on school holidays here in Melbourne and its hard to get a child out of the house who has Autisim because he has been shoved off to family and school holiday program while I am at work. I have been stuck at home.

One of the things I have noticed that my hip and back has not played up as much while I have cut back on my gym time.  Well until New Years eve when I tripped over my puppy in the dark and really really did some serious damage to my back.

My job involves a huge amount of heavy lifting and moving heavy stock around the shop that I think its taken its toll on my body.  I will have to see how I go and may be I will need to go back into office work if my body can't handle this pain.

Also while on the subject of my hip.  I have been told if I don't have my hip operation this year (needed it 2 years ago) that I am going to probably end up needing a full hip replacement. Which doesn't excite one bit of me.

So basically that has been it for the past 3 months. Life has been a blur of work, sleep, work and family life.

I am hoping I will achieve a Happy life balance this year.  Well that is my aim.

I will sit down over the next few days and work out what my goals are.  I know that by the end of this year I am going to be at goal weight 57kgs.  I have no idea why I am not there now. I should have been!