Fell off the wagon - What Wagon!!!!

Well, how do I condense over a year of my life into a short post?

So right now - I have signed up for another round of Michelle Bridges 12WBThttps://go.12wbt.com/pre-season.  I thought I could lose the last 10-15kgs on my own.  I thought after several rounds that I knew what I was doing.  And I did know what I was doing but I did lapse back into looking after everyone else but ME!

Life has been full on to say the very least.  Sadly since my last round in 2012. I have gained at least 12 kilos and lost my fitness and muscle tone.  My small clothes are now at the back of the wardrobe and I want to wear them again.

I lost the plot after some family matters back in 2012 and then I went back to full time work that was stressful and physically exhausting.  I was then made redundant from that job after 12mths and I then went to another job, with a very well known computer company.

That was the most horrible boring, stressful, job that I have ever done.  I hadn’t realised at the time that between losing a job, dealing with personal matters, and a child with autism and not having any money.  That I was slowing crawling into a dark hole.

I was miserable at the computer company.  To the point that I would cry upon getting in my car to go home every night.  But I needed the money.  One of the managers there was downright rude to me one day and she put a complaint into My Recruitment Company.  On the following Monday I had a meeting with everyone concerned, explained what had happened and I believed all was good.  Come home Wednesday night and received a phone call after dinner from my recruitment agency.  I was let out of my contract. In my 45 years I have never lost a job, let alone two in a period of 3 months.  I guess thats the downside of being a full time casual.

It was a blessing in disguise.  I was in such a negative, stressful place with my life. I was never going to lose weight.  From that day I felt such a relief and decided I wasn’t going to take any crap job that didn’t make me happy.

I also decided that with everything in my life that for my health and well being that I needed to work part time.

Fast forward 5 weeks and I am now back working in my old industry, which I know like the back of my hand.  Three days only and working with a great team who are also into living a life less stressed.

So life is good again.  I hate not feeling positive but being there has made me realise that everything is up to me.

And I need to be the old me again.  The one in control of my life, my eating, my emotions, my exercise and what I see on the scales.

Bring it on............

83kgs today ...... Boo hoo.

Hope I haven’t bored you senseless!!!!

Thought I would post this here. So that I remember this important info.

Many years ago when I used to be heavily into weight training and fitness. Hmm like 20 years ago! I remember there was lots of talk about foods that are "Negative calories".  

Which basically means by the time you have chewed them you have used more calories than what was in the foods.

• Chew Your Food 25x before swallowing. This will save your body's energy stores and speed up your metabolism.
• Eat metabolism boosting foods. Some “negative calorie” foods are listed below.

List of Metabolism Boosting Foods:
• Apples
• Celery
• Garlic
• Lemons
• Mango's
• Onions
• Papaya
• Cabbage
• Lettuce • Avocado
• Carrots
• Berries
• Oranges
• Spinach
• Turnips
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini • Nut milks
• Seed milks
• Asparagus
• Cucumbers
• Pineapple
• Grapefruit
• Cauliflower
• Raw Nuts & Seeds
• Green, Leafy Veggies

So I can't believe that it is already the 11th January 2013.

My poor little blog has been waiting her for me to come back and post.

My life is still all over the place at home and I am truly struggling to get back to the focused and goal driven me.   I found out during the week that my work hours are going to be cut right back again and there is no way my family can survive on that.  So I am back to seeking out a new job.  I am very excited as I enjoy working and getting the extra money.  But at the same times I start to stress out worrying about my son, school drop off/pick ups etc and getting my eating and training done.

I am sure like everything else. If I just stop with the worry everything will fall into place.

So I am heading off to the beach for a few days with my little man.

My weekly food menu semi planned.  At least at my mums holiday house she has an oven so I can make some of my fav recipes that I haven't been able to do for a while.  Freeze them and bring them back home.

I have also decided to set myself a goal of 65kgs this round with Michelle Bridges.  It's a huge task but one that I must finally achieve.  I haven't seen anything lower than 73/74 kilos on the scales.

Its time to make some serious step ups and changes.

I am currently hoovering around 77kgs kilos.  Its a big ask I know!

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.