12WBT Round 4, 2013

I'm back! I've signed up for 12WBT Round 4, 2013!

My baby girl is 11 weeks on Wednesday...already!! I've officially finished breastfeeding (due to Princess #3 being lactose intolerance) and I'm ready to get back into shape.

I had a DEXA scan done today and the exercise physiologist recommended I stick to 33% cardio and 66% strength training. Due to this, I've decided to follow the Lean and Strong program (with added HIIT cardio) as a way of increasing my lean muscle mass and decreasing my fat mass.

This is a totally different approach to what I've done in the past, so it will be interesting to see how my body responds.

I'll be sticking to 1200 calories per day and exercising six times per week. I need to commit to going to sleep earlier of an evening, otherwise I'm going to find it hard to get up in the mornings (especially if I'm up with Princess #3 during the night).

Looking forward to the challenge ahead!

Have you signed up to Round 4? 

What exercise program will you be following?

Six months on...and look at the difference!

So, you have probably realised by now that I'm a very visual person!

I take photos each and every Wednesday of me standing on my scales. I love nothing more than to compare photos, to see the change that has occured during my journey.

On Sunday we attended our cousin's wedding. I loved the dress I had bought and couldn't wait to wear it! It's completely different to anything I usually wear. I have always steered away from short, tight fitting dresses. Never wore them and never had the confidence to wear them.

Well, that has all changed! I'm so proud of all that I have achieved this year.

I have:
- shed close to 15kg
- competed in 2 triathlons
- re-discovered swimming
- been thinking more positively
- started to like what I see in the mirror.

Hubby took a photo of me in the dress and I immediately compared it to two photos...the first taken at a Kitchen Tea in June (at the start of my journey) and the second taken at a Wedding in August (after shedding 7kg)...now almost 15kg down and what a difference!

12WBT Round 3 Workout and Finale

Yesterday I attended the Michelle Bridges Round 3 12WBT workout and finale. As I mentioned in my previous post, a friend of mine completed the program this round and got tickets for the event for my husband and myself.

The workout took place at Queens Park, Sydney. We arrived just in time to see Michelle present her new OneActive workout gear, which is exclusive to BigW. I have quite a lot of the range and I love it! It's super comfortable to exercise in and as casual wear. We then watched the finale of the fitness challenge...and let me tell you...those ladies were inspiring! They were machines!!

Mish and her team then lead the giant workout. Over 1000 people exercising together. The workout was a high-intensity aerobics workout, with some group activities and running thrown into the mix. I loved it and enjoyed every moment. It was great to be doing a workout with such an inspirational and motivating instructor...Mish is one fit chick!! I was so excited to meet her and extremely happy that I got to have a photo taken with her as well!

After spending the afternoon getting ready for the finale, we headed to the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park. Everyone looked amazing and Michelle was as exquisite as always! The night began with the Top 20 being announced and the overall winners being awarded their prizes. After the formalities concluded, canapes were served, drinks flowed and the dancing began!

The beautiful SWSyd Crew all dressed up at Finale

It was an unbelievable day...and the best part about it was sharing the experience with my beautiful husband. 

I am so thankful to have met Michelle and am so inspired to continue on my weight loss journey.

I'm sitting down tonight to write out my meal plan for the week, plan out my exercise and get ready to lose the last few kilos to see me back at goal.

Michelle Bridges, here I come!

Today I will be meeting Michelle Bridges and attending the 12WBT Round 3 Workout and Finale! I'm so excited!

I participated in a previous round of 12WBT and like most of you know,  I'm part of the SouthWestSyd Crew (we have a Facebook Page for past and present 12WBTers) and we're all rocking up in our super sexy shirts this morning! A friend of mine got us tickets for the workout and finale and am so thankful to her!

The event kicks off at 9:30am...and there is a fancy dress competition this morning...do you like me workout attire?!!!

Will post more pics later on!

My transformation so far...

In June this year, I was obese and extremely unhappy. I let my emotions rule what went into my mouth and let my 'emotional eating' be my number one reason why I couldn't lose weight. I was the biggest I had been (non-pregnant) and knew that if I didn't get my act together the scales were going to continually rise.

I was committed and determined to get myself healthy. I began to eat cleanly, track and exercise fiercely. I knew what I had to do and I just did it. The journey this time has been different.

Why?

I have stopped emotional eating.

I'm not letting my emotions dictate what goes into my mouth. My emotions have had a battering the last few weeks but instead of heading to the pantry, I head to my homy gym. I'll jump on the treadmill and walk my worries away.

We celebrated my sister's 21st birthday Saturday night. I hosted the party at my house and had over 70 people here. It was a black,white and red theme and I loved the outfit I chose. I felt confident in my own skin and had a brilliant night. I received so many compliments from my family and friends on how well I'm looking. I feel good on the inside and I think that it shows on the outside.

I put together a slide show for my sister's party and I was shocked to see how I looked just over 3 months ago. I looked big, frumpy and old. I now feel confident, healthy and in control.

Sunday 10th June 2012 - Saturday 22nd September 2012

I'm only half-way in my journey and still have close to 12kg to shed. But this time I realise it's not the end that is important, it's the journey.

The hardest post I've had to write...

I haven't posted in over a month and so much has happened in that time.

I should have been in Perth tonight, partying hard with the SWSyd girls at the Round 2 12WBT finale but unfortunately am unable to travel. I thought tonight was the best time to reflect on the last few weeks and share with you what has been happening.

So here goes...

During Week 8, I found out I was expecting. I was extremely excited, but nervous as I had had a miscarriage in February this year and hoped that history wouldn't be repeated.

I eased off the exercise, but continued to eat really well. I felt fantastic...but extremely tired! My blogging fell behind, as all I wanted to do was sleep...I was so exhausted and would be in bed by 8:30pm most nights.

I hit 6 weeks and was relieved...I had gone past the dreaded 5 weeks...where I miscarried last time.

I continued to walk most days and stuck to my healthy eating. I felt fantastic and on Monday 20th August I had a dating ultrasound (I was 8 weeks pregnant). Our little jellybean was doing well...a great size and had a strong heartbeat.

My precious little one

We were so excited and told our two gorgeous girls. They were going to be big sisters and were very happy. Life was great...

...that was until I woke up the very next morning.

I was bleeding and I broke down. I went straight to my GP and she took bloods. They raced through the results and told me that my HCG levels were great...not to panic and to have bed rest. So that's what I did. I tried to stay as calm as possible and rested. It got to Thursday (23rd Aug) and I was still bleeding. I rang my obstetrician and explained what was happening. He brought my appointment forward and I saw him on Monday (27th Aug). He examined me and performed another ultrasound...he could still see the baby and heartbeat. Even though I was relieved to hear this news, I was still extremely worried. I was still bleeding and the baby's growth had slowed down. I was instructed to continue on bed rest and was to return on Thursday (30th Aug).

Thursday morning came and back to my obstetrician we went. I walked in and the first words I said were "I'm still bleeding". He performed another ultrasound and explained that he could see the baby, but couldn't get a good picture of the heartbeat. I was sent for further ultrasounds and my worst fears were confirmed...at 10 weeks pregnant, my baby's little heart had stopped beating.

I was booked in for surgery the very next day (being last Friday). I came out of theatre and was in recovery for two hours. When they moved me back into the day surgery ward, my blood pressure dropped really low. I had absolutely no energy and just wanted to sleep, but the nurses brought me some food to eat, to try and get my blood pressure back to normal. It stayed quite low for the remainder of the day but I was allowed to go home.

We were devastated...and the hardest thing was telling our girls. My family have been so beautiful and extremely supportive. My hubby, my mum and dad have been amazing. They knew when I needed a cuddle, a shoulder to cry on and dropped everything to make sure I was ok. They shared school drop-off and pick ups and looked after our girls whilst I was on bed rest. I love them all so much.

I was in a lot of pain last weekend (both physically and mentally). I didn't do much for the first few days after surgery...I was just totally exhausted. I'm feeling a lot better this weekend (and have even managed a few walks on the treadmill)...but I'm STILL bleeding...19 days now. I'm over it. I just want the bleeding to stop. I see my obstetrician for my post-op appointment this Thursday. Hopefully he has some test results and can shed some light on what caused the miscarriage.

I want to thank three special SWSyd ladies who have been so supportive over the last few weeks. To Carly, Jayne and especially my gorgeous Rose...thank you for your words of encouragement and your prayers. Your messages really helped me through this difficult time and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So to reflect on Round 2...
I am so proud of my achievements.
- I managed to shed 7.8kgs and maintained (and even had a few small loses) during my pregnancy.
- My fitness increased...and I even ran 3km without stopping.
- I've lost heaps of centimetres from my body and am starting to like what I see.
- I was in the top 15% of Round 2.
- I made some amazing friends...and love our SWSyd Crew.
- And my biggest  achievement...I beat emotional eating. Through everything that has happened, I have not had one binge. I have not had the urge to turn to food...and that is just mind blowing! I'm in control of my emotions and I'm not letting them rule me.

So, where to from here?
I missed Round 3 registration, so am unofficially doing 12WBT this round. I have decided to not count calories, but to go back to counting my ProPoints (Weight Watchers). I've counted points for the last 12 years (so it's kind of embedded in my brain!!!). I enjoyed the break that counting calories gave me, but I'm a true WW at heart and just feel more comfortable with the points system.

As soon as I get the all clear next week, I'm going to start training again. I'm going to follow the 12WBT Intermediate exercise plan and look forward to running again...did I actually just say that?!! I really want to participate in our SWSyd group workouts and events this round (as I missed out on all of them last round due to illness and then the pregnancy).

I hope to fall pregnant again in the future and pray that everything goes well. For now, I'm giving myself a few months break. We've been trying to conceive since November last year and have had two miscarriages within 6 months. I emotionally need a break. I want to concentrate on my health and my weight-loss journey. I am determined get to my goal weight by the end of the year. I know that I can do it...I've overcome my biggest hurdle...emotional eating...and know that with the amazing support from my family, our SWSyd Crew...and my two little angels...I will get there.

My exercise buddy!

Michelle Bridges and 12WBT is helping our entire family get healthy! Today I am joined by my little exercise buddy!

Is your family getting in on the 12WBT action?

My mindset lesson

The Weekly Surprise for week 6 is all about designing our own mindset lesson, based on what we have learnt since starting 12WBT.

The biggest change I've made over the last 6 weeks is how I think about food. I no longer associate my feelings with food. I've broken the cycle and I no longer think the way I did.

My mindset lesson is titled...

{Changing your thoughts towards food}

How do you think about food...is it your friend, your enemy or simply fuel?

Weigh-in-Wednesday: Week 6

I was extremely sick last week and I really didn't know how I was going to go on the scales. My food was relatively good...but not as good as it had been. I also wasn't able to train at all last week and was only well enough to start again on Monday...six days without training and I was worried.

So, I stepped on the scales this morning and this is what I saw...

A loss of 1.6kg! I was extremely pleased with my results especially because it brings my total to 5.4kg in six weeks!

My Stats - Week 6
Image via HERE.

Finding the workouts more tiring since I've been sick, so I'm soldiering on and hopefully I'll start feeling stronger soon. Am amazed with my weight loss percentage...6.7%! My 8 week goal is to have shed 8%...so close!

What's your weight loss percentage this week? 

My dream outfit

One of my favourite episodes on The Biggest Loser, is when the contestants show us their dream outfits and their makeovers.

Image via HERE.

My dream outfit, is very sentimental to me. It's my first designer dress and happens to be an Alannah Hill design (she's my favourite Australian designer). My husband bought this dress for me for my birthday and I remember thinking that there would be no way it would fit me...but when I put it on, it fit and I felt like a princess. I've only worn this dress maybe two or three times (about 5 - 6 years ago) and I long to wear it again.

So here it is...my DREAM OUTFIT...

What is your dream outfit?

12WBT Blogger Challenge: Week 5

This weeks challenge is all about food, glorious food!

What were you like before embarking on this journey to become a healthier version of yourself? 

What were your old food habits like? How did you feel?

What has changed since starting 12WBT?  What are your new eating habits like? 

How do you feel now? What is the difference? How it is changing your life? 

It can be hard at times! But tell us why it has been and continues to be worth it?

Image via HERE.

I've battled with food pretty much my entire life. My biggest problems were self control, serving sizes and emotional eating. I can remember as a teenager, somehow always being on a "diet". I was always bigger than my friends and I felt extremely self conscious. At university I was on Weight Watchers and ate pretty clean. As an adult, my food was mostly good.

My big problem was...

I was a closet eater...I would binge...and eat and eat until I felt sick. I would eat when no one was around and it would mainly be on sweets, biscuits and pastries. I would punish myself with food. It was a vicious cycle and I hated what I was doing to myself. I knew that...

Image via HERE.

...but I couldn't stop. I would get emotional, upset, angry and punish myself with food...PUNISH, not SOOTHE. This would also happen when I'd be close to reaching my goal weight. The negative voices would tell me that I wouldn't achieve them and I'd sabotage my efforts.

So, what has changed this round? Well, the biggest change that I can see is my mindset. I am strong and I'm not letting the negative voices be heard. I feel in control and I believe in the program and in myself. The difference has been incredible! I haven't binged in 6 weeks - and that's a huge achievement in itself. I'm not punishing myself with food, I am treating my body like a machine and am fuelling my body with the right stuff...fresh, healthy food. If I have a treat, it's simply that...a treat. I don't give myself permission to overeat and the fact is, I DON'T WANT TO! Im satisfied with the serving sizes and I'm not linking my emotions with food. Food is FUEL, food is NOT my friend.

The biggest difference I have made is the way I think about food. I'm not allowing it to rule me...food is what it is...

Image via HERE.

What is your relationship like with food?

Weigh-in-Wednesday: Week 5

Have been extremely sick this week, with possible whooping cough, so no exercise so far.

Wasn't expecting much difference on the scales...

A loss of 300g...haven't reached the 4kg mark yet, so hopefully next week is the week!

My Stats - Week 5
Image via HERE.

How did you go with your weigh-in this week?

An exhausting Mini Milestone SSS!

A personal best!

What challenge did you set yourself for your first mini milestone?

My Stats: Week 4

Completed my Time Trial yesterday and the rest of the fitness test today. Very happy with my progress so far. I achieved one of my first goals, which was to run the 1km time trial without stopping. I jogged at a steady pace and sprinted the last 150 meters. I felt on top of the world when I finished the run! I smashed 32 seconds off my time! My next goal is to run 10 minutes without stopping!

Here is an overview of my results...

Image via HERE.

I'm very proud of my progress over the last four weeks. I'm amazed that my body is now 22cm smaller and the improvements I've made in my fitness. I remained a woman of my word and have trusted in the program. I'm committed and I will achieve my goals.

Have you completed your measurements and fitness test?

12WBT Blogger Challenge: Week 4

This weeks blogger challenge is all about reflecting on the past four weeks...

What were the highlights for you? 

What have you found the hardest or the most challenging? 

Do you have any new goals that you would like to achieve in the next four weeks big or small?

Image via HERE.

On reflecting over the first four weeks of the challenge, I'm extremely proud of the fact that I have stayed true to my word. I have believed and trusted in the program and have had great results. I'm enjoying the meals and loving the exercise...yes loving the exercise! I'm beginning to think of myself as an athlete, not just a woman who wants to lose weight. This is my new way of life, it doesn't end at the end of the 12 weeks.

The most challenging thing over the last few weeks would have to be my health. I've had the flu and am battling severe stomach pains and bloating. I've got gastritis and have been put on medication, to try and ease the burn in my tummy. I will need to have a test in a few weeks to check for helicobacter pylori...hopefully I don't have it, otherwise I'll be on more antibiotics. 

Looking ahead at the next four weeks, I want to be able to run for 2km without stopping and also last 20 minutes on the elliptical. I want to have shed 8% of my starting weight, which means weighing 74.3kg. I plan to take part in a SWSyd event - Blue Mountains 1000+ Steps Walk and start training for my first triathlon! 

Image via HERE.

What are you looking forward to over the next four weeks?

Weigh-in-Wednesday: Week 4

Another great weigh-in this week! This is what appeared on the scales this morning...

A loss of 1kg! One of my first 4 week goal was to shed 4kg in 4 weeks...and I'm only 500g away! Will weigh myself again on Sunday to see if I've achieved my goal!

My Stats - Week 4
Image via HERE.

Mini Milestone week this week...will post again on the weekend to report my results!

What have you got planned for you Mini Milestone week?

Self Sabotage

I watched Michelle's Week 4 video this morning and thought I'd create a little vlog in response to the topic...self sabotage.

Do you consider yourself to be a self saboteur?

12WBT Blogger Challenge: Week 3

This week's blogger challenge is all about motivation...

What motivates you? 

What drives you to be a better version of yourself? 

What is making you just get up early with no excuses and just getting 

out there getting your workout done and eating healthy meals?

What makes you push that little bit harder?

Image via HERE.

The quote above describes my mindset this round. I'm just so tired of starting over, that this time I am DETERMINED to reach my goals. 

I'm amazed at how different I've been feeling over the last three weeks...and I don't just mean physically, I mean mentally. My motivation to start was quite different, but my motivation to continue is that I'm...

Image via HERE.

 I can smell it and I can taste it...and I want it! I want to succeed and I want to achieve! I'm focused and determined...and that's why I get up to train at 5:30am each morning and my nutrition is top notch. I used to give in to my emotions and I would binge...but that is not happening now. I'm working hard and I'm proud of my achievements...I want to continue and nothing is going to stand in my way!

Image via HERE.

What is your motivation? What are you hungry for?

Weigh-in-Wednesday: Week 3

Had a great weigh-in today. This is what appeared on the scales...

A loss of 1.1kg this week! Very happy after only a 400g loss last week. I didn't let last week's results get me down...I'm a woman of my word and I soldiered on...and was definitely rewarded this week!

My Stats - Week 3
Image via HERE.

I'm 1.5kg away from my initial goal of shedding 4kg in 4 weeks. I'll need to work hard my butt of this week to get there!

How were your results this week and is your first goal within reach?

Weigh-in-Wednesday: Week 2

I had a great week...ate clean and trained mean!

I was a little nervous stepping onto the scales this morning, as I didn't want to see a number I wasn't happy with...you see...I'm known to spiral out of control if a number faces me that I don't like. I will give up and go back to old habits.

So, what appeared before me was...

A loss of 400g...a little disappointed...but in the scheme of things I've shed 1.4kg in 9 days...not bad! Would have liked to see a 78.something...but I guess that will happen next week! My commitment is strong and I TRUST in this program...so I'm not going to get myself down...a loss is a loss.

My Stats - Week 2
Image via HERE.

A little voice inside my head keeps saying...

Original image via HERE.

How were your results this week...were you the tortoise or the hare?