Fitbit Flex

Yesterday I was given an early birthday present, a . . .

Image via HERE.

Fitbit Flex

I've worn a pedometer on and off for many years and I've always used the WW ones. I love how they calculate how many PP you earn. Last week I went in search for my pedometer and it was no where to be found :(

I searched high and low and could not locate it. I love tracking my steps. A downside of the normal pedometer is that it has to be strapped on to the waist of my pants or my bra. I would take it on and off numerous times throughout the day and I obviously lost it the last time I used it.

I wanted to track my activity levels again, so began searching for alternatives to the WW pedometer.

I'd heard of the Fitbit and had read a few blog posts from WW members who use them (I especially loved reading Anne's review of the Fitbit...thanks Anne!). I also saw them featured in the new WW magazine and thought I'd research them a little more.

One feature I love is that the Fitbit Flex is worn on your wrist...just what I need to ensure it's not lost!! I'm also curious to see how well my sleep patterns are...which is going to be a little difficult to monitor whilst I'm still up breastfeeding at night! One thing I will miss is that the Fitbit won't calculate how many exercise points I've earned :( I'd love to figure out a way of converting the steps I've accumulated throughout the day to PP values!

I love the sleek design and that it syncs data to my iPhone and iMac.

It's my sister's birthday on Thursday so we bought her one too...that way we can keep each other motivated and on track with our fitness goals.

I've started wearing it today and look forward to seeing how this new gadget compares to the trusty old pedometer!

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!

Pizza perfection...

Being from an Italian background, I love my pizza and pasta...and tonight I tried my hand at making my own pizza dough!

The pizza dough recipe came from the Weight Watchers Takeaway at Homecookbook and then I added my own toppings...ham, mushroom and light mozzarella cheese.

The pizza was delicious and my kids loved it! It's definitely a winner and I know I'll be making these quite often. I found the dough to be quite crispy and my hubby...also known as the pizza maker extraordinaire...suggested that I add less oil next time round.

So here is my tweaked...

Pizza Base Recipe
ProPoints: 8
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
- 1 sachet dry yeast (7g)
- 1 tsp caster sugar

- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 cup plain flour

- 1tsp salt

- 1tsp oil

Directions:

1. Place yeast, sugar and 3/4 cup warm water in a jug. Whisk until yeast has dissolved. Set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.
2. Sift flour into a large bowl. 
3. Add the flour, salt, yeast mixture and oil into a mixer fixed with a paddle hook. Mix until the dough forms, is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. (Alternatively, place on a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.) 
4. Place in a large oiled bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Top with your favourite toppings.

What a view!

This morning hubby and I went on a 6km bike ride. We're loving our time down the coast and the view this morning was amazing!

We're heading home this afternoon :(

I've had a great time away. While we've been here I've eaten really well and stuck to my daily PP allowance. I've gone for a swim, a run and a bike ride. Have gone for beautiful walks and accumulated more then 13,000 steps daily. I wore a costume on the beach and felt more confident in my own skin.

I've still got another 12kg to shed, but I'm concentrating on how far I've come...9.2kg down, fitness has improved immensely and I'm starting to run! I love my new lifestyle and I love the changes that have already occurred.

I have enjoyed our 'time-out' down the coast and it's given me even more determination to keep travelling on my journey and achieve my goals.

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.

Our WW Chinese Banquet

My sister-in-law bought us the new WW Takeaway at Home Cookbook last week and after checking out the new recipes we decided on creating a WW Chinese Banquet for dinner at our next family night.

My mother-in-law is also doing WW, so the three of us were designated dishes to prepare. Here is what was on the menu tonight...

All recipes came from the new cook book and all the dishes were quick and easy to prepare and tasted soooo good! We had a small portion of each dish and the whole banquet came in at 15PP.

We had a lot of fun tonight and will definitely be making more dishes from the cookbook for future family night dinners.