Friday, September 30, 2011

Yuk to Yay with 12WBT

I returned from a family Christmas 2010 vacation on the Gold Coast weighing 109.6kg.  I felt yuk.  I looked yuk.  It was just all yuk.  I began losing weight on my own by eating healthier.  I joined the Weight Watchers at work program in February 2011 and wasn't happy with my small weight losses over the first few weeks.  So I kept weighing in with WW for accountability but I changed to counting calories in and out.  That worked for me.  I lost 16kg in 14 weeks.

I attended the Round 1 2011 Finale in Melbourne as a guest of my sister that did that program.  The evening was full of inspiration, achievement, passion and happiness.  Near the end of the night I said to her "I can do this.  I want what they have".  I weighed in the 90ies and I wanted to feel like everyone in the room.  So I joined 12WBT Round 2 and I have my sister to thank for exposing me to her world.

I gained a really strong mind  by listening and doing what Michelle said.  I loved seeing results.  I loved smashing more calories in workouts.  I loved feeling myself get fitter and fitter every week.  I loved being able to increase the duration of my training sessions.  I loved getting smaller and smaller each week. I loved it all.  I craved it.

I then got more involved in forums and the 12WBT Facebook page.  I started a mini comp with 12 other women in Week 8 where they would email me their weight every Wednesday and I would turn them into a Transformation Board.  We had a total team weight loss to beat each week, and you were aiming for the greatest individual percentage loss.  I just started the comp to keep me on track.

The first week the emails just contained their name and weight.  Then the emails got longer and longer and I was hearing all about their training, nutrition, events they participated in, their weak moments, their family life.  And I found myself commenting, encouraging them and sharing my own experiences.  I eagerly awaited to receive their emails on Wednesdays as it was the highlight of my week.  I loved their honesty and that kept me honest too.  And the Mini Comp had sooooo many successes along the way.  We had a winner of the teeshirt slogan comp, finalists in the week 10 blog comp, finalists in the Facebook weight loss wisdom comp, amazing sporting achievements and 2 of us in the Top 14.  There was so much interest from newbies to join the Round 3 Mini comp and they didn’t even have any details yet… Round 3 Mini Comp has 50 people registered and about 35 that actively participate each week.  It's so rewarding now getting to know my new team. 

As you know I have a blog.  I didn't know what a blog was until I joined the program.  I started it in June to keep me accountable.  I couldn’t bare the thought of writing "I put on weight this week" on it so it made me stay focused.  I had NO IDEA the impact it would have on others, NO IDEA.  I received comments on the forums and Facebook about it.   I was recognised at the workout by people telling me how inspirational my blog is, how it has helped them and how I have an amazing boss.  I didn't know these people but they knew me and were quoting my posts.  I was also recognised at the finale party before I won the award and was receiving the same comments.  It didn't register at the time exactly what impact I have had on others.  I still don’t think I truly understand it.

I knew I was in the top 50 and was secretly hoping I was in Top 10.  But I have been following other people like Angela, Kate and Clint and I knew I was not in their league at all, as they are amazing to me.  Well you saw my reaction when Michelle read out my end weight, and how I think, and mentioned my boss, and I didn't hear the rest as I was screaming.  It was an amazing feeling that I can't explain and made me shake uncontrollably.

I emailed the news to a work mate  and she replied in size 18 font, as it was the closest font size to my 18.6kg weight loss.  My Director at work started to cry when I told him the news and showed him my trophy.  My family and cousins were on the phone to me screaming on the Saturday night of the finale party in Brisbane and I couldn't understand a word.  The Managing Director of Technogym (a 12WBT sponsor) emailed me to congratulate me.  People want to do what I'm doing and want to think like me so I send them the 12WBT web page link.  I have recruited about 20 family and friends newbies for round 3, and I know more will jump on board for Round 1 2012. 

I'm honoured and still really shocked to be named 1st Place in the 12WBT Round 2 2011.  I have lost over 40kg this year (Yay!) and Michelle Bridges has given the tools on how to lead the lifestyle that I want and deserve.  I feel amazing.  I'm living this new lifestyle in this new body and it is slowly becoming "normal" being this size.  Sometimes I still think like the old larger me but with time I hope that will pass.    

One of the best bit is that I am now finally starting to understand the influence I have had on others to lead a healthy and active lifestyle… that is still overwhelming to me... and priceless.

Australia's Biggest Health Check 8/10/11

If you live in NSW you may be interested in registering for this...

http://www.australiasbiggesthealthcheck.com.au/

Video Message to my Mini Comp Team Week 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ7vurd7rKQ

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Join me at this Fun Run 23/10/11


I have registered for the 7km run.  Who's joining me?  I won't be looking pretty but it will be a pretty awesome achievement to me :)

The weather doesn't influence my moods

It's pouring rain and cold in Melbourne today.  The old me would let the weather influence her mood.  I would have stayed in my warm bed until the last possible minute.  I would have skipped breakfast as I would have run out of time.  I would have got to work late.  I would have been all sleepy and unmotivated to work.  I would have felt sluggish and been very unproductive.  I am disgusted just thinking about the old me!

But I'm loving the new me!  I got up super early out of my super warm bed, just like I do every day.  I happily drove to the gym in the rain listening to Gaga (of course).  I trained my upper body muscles to fatigue, then did a short run because I felt like it.  I got to work 45mins early.  I ate breakfast nice and slowly while checking my personal messages on Facebook and 12WBT web page.  I feel amazing and I'm actually enjoying the sound of the rain. 

I think I can finally say that I am at the point where This Is My Lifestyle.  This is just what I do now.  It's nothing super or extraordinary.  It is just what I do.  That's a pretty cool feeling.

The other great thing is that this terrible weather has had no influence on my mood at all today.  Wow, this strong mind thing that Mish has taught us is totally awesome in so many more ways than I expected it to be.  I am just generally a positive person now.  I apply JFDI to all aspects of my life and it makes me feel good.  I don't waste time worrying about things or getting anxious, as that used to get me nowhere and would usually make the situation worse.

I wasn't a huge fan of the word "transformation" until I finally experienced it.  I have genuinely "transformed" in body, mind and spirit.  This is my lifestyle now.  That is priceless to me :)

It's 8.28am - time to start another productive day at work.  I hope your day is productive too!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Round 3 Week 3 Weigh In & Summary

Week 3 Weigh In
Heaviest weight 109.6kg
Today's weight 67.5kg
This week lost  1.4kg (2.03%)
Round 3 weight loss 3.6kg (5.06%)
31 week weight loss 42.1kg (38.41%)

My Experiment
  • I did a little experiment this week.  I stuck to the program on all weekdays and went it alone with no exercise on the weekend.  This is how Mish said she and her friends live and i wanted to see how my mind and body would handle it for a week.
  • Firstly, it was nice (but very strange) not to exercise on the weekend. 
  • Secondly, it showed that i can control myself around food, even when i am not counting calories.  I went to a party Friday night and just had some dip, about 7 crackers and about 4 strawberries.  I wasn't drawn to the deep fried or sweet things, which was good to see.
  • I had dessert and birthday cake on Saturday night at my nephew's 30th Birthday and felt sick on Sunday because of it.  It wasn't because i ate the whole cake, it was that my body isn't used to chocolate cake and cheese cake anymore, even though i had really small slices.   I must remember not to do that again!

My brags
  • Pushed myself to the limit with my upper body strength training session on Friday. My arms were shaking and I was making weird facial expressions during the exercises just to be able to complete each set.  The girls in the change rooms were talking about how hard i had worked out.  I burnt 500 calories in that session (it's the Tuesday Lean and Strong program) which is unusual for a strength session.  My arms took 4 days to recover from that!  But my definition in my arms is improving so it was worth it!
  • I finally bought a bikini top on the weekend.  I just need the guts to wear it now.
  • I sent off my Certificate 3 re-registration paperwork today and should be a qualified fitness instructor and aqua instructor again in the next fortnight.
  • New Release BodyStep went OFF at the gym this morning!  Great work Rita and ladies :)

Run Splash Run
  • I ran 7km NON STOP for the first time ever on Tuesday (8.5kph on the tready).  The week before I ran 3.6km non stop for the first time so I almost doubled my distance in a week.  It's all about the mind letting my (now fit) body do what i want it to do.
  • I registered for a 7km fun run in late October as i now know I CAN DO IT!
  • If you want to do it too, register here  http://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/funrun

My "Just Coz I Can" Section
  • Happy birthday to my Mum for Tuesday 27 September.  We are going Adidas Factory Outlet shopping on the weekend so i can buy her new trackies and hoodie so she can look like Mish too :)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Video Messages to my Mini Comp Team

I run a mini comp with about 50 gorgeous women (unfortunately the comp is now full).  Here are my video messages to them for the last 2 weeks.

Week 1

Week 2

The Fat Person In My Head

How do i get rid of her???  

I have been asked by many people "How do you stop thinking like the fat you, and start thinking like the new you?"  This video blog gives you a glimps of how I am slowly ditching the fat person in my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSahlffmuFA

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Round 3 Week 2 Weigh In

Heaviest weight 109.6kg
Today's weight 68.9kg
This week lost  2.0kg (2.82%)
Round 3 weight loss 2.2kg (3.09%)
31 week weight loss 40.7kg (37.13%)

Really cool week this week:
- I have lost 40 kilos!  It took me 31 weeks and I can't believe this day has finally arrived!  I took it one day at a time, didn't focus on the 40kg, focused on little milestones along the way and I did it.  Something that seemed so unachievable is now the highlight of my life.  I'm fit and feel amazing.  That's really special to me :)
- I ran 3.5km non-stop for the first time last night (at 8.5kph on a tready).  The body didn't want to do it (it was "pretend tired") but my mind was so determined to Just Fricken Do It... so I did it.  The furthest I had run non-stop a fortnight ago was 2.25km.
- My transformation video is now playing on the TV screen at the gym I attend.  I think I need to wear a disguise from now on lol.
- This is a huge week for me at work.  Personally, I am feeling on top of the world, and that then flows on to my work, making me more productive.  It's a win-win.

I'll leave you with this... Avoid letting your mind get in the way of you achieving your goals.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Bazinga! Happy Dance!

- Had a huge red flag day on Sunday (family friend's BBQ lunch) that I managed well by training 1000cals in the morning and only eating 500cals at lunch instead of the whole BBQ buffet!
- The teenagers at the family friend's BBQ  couldn't stop saying "You're skinny as! OMG!". They hadn't seen me since about 20kg ago. It was a pretty cool feeling!!! I'm on cloud nine!
- Did my PB by 1min 5 secs for 7km run/walk On Monday morning.
- Finally weigh under 70kg on Monday. I'm lighter and fitter than I was through my high school years. Let's hope I'm still under 70kg at Wednesday's weigh in. 
- Started the Lean and Strong program last week as I can see that I have some definition in my arms from 1-2 Pump classes per week and I want more!!! Loving Lean and Strong gym program, even though it is a little creepy when the muscle guys watch me trying to lift my tiny weights!!! lol
- Tuesday night I ran 3.6km non-stop for the first time at 8.5kph and it took me 25mins.  That's my best running achievement so far.  
- Feeling good for Week 2 weigh in .

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Round 3 Week 1 Weigh In


Heaviest weight 109.6kg
Today's weight 70.9kg
This week lost  0.2kg (0.28%)
Round 3 weight loss 0.2kg (0.28%)
30 week weight loss 38.7kg (35.31%)

It looks really bad but it is a really good result in the end.  This week I put on 1.5kg on the weekend and then lost 1.7kg from Sunday to Wednesday in order to end up with a 0.2kg loss for the week.  It could have been so much worse!!!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Owning It


Am I human?  Yes
Did I make bad choices this weekend?  Yes
Did I understand the consequences of those choices when I made them?  Yes
Was I pissed off for making those choices?  Yes
Have I refocused and got my strong mindset back?  YES!!!
Am I going to wear out the treadmill at the gym this week because Running Makes Me HOT???   YES

My Facebook Page

I now have a Facebook page for those of you that are interested... 


Feel free to chat to me through that page, leave me messages, ask questions, celebrate your achievements, etc...  Looking forward to getting to know more of my fellow 12WBTers through that page.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Round 3 PreSeason Week 4 Weigh In

Round 3 PreSeason Week 4 Weigh In
Weight 71.1kg
This week lost  1.2 kg (1.66%)
Round 3 PreSeason weight loss 3.1 kg (4.17%)
29 week weight loss 38.5kg (35.12%)

Well it's been a great week.
  • I'm officially Overweight and not Obese anymore - woohoo!  BMI = 29.59
  • I did an interval training program on the tready this morning and ran/walked 7km in 64.5mins.  Now that sounds like nothing but I have never run or walked or crawled that distance without stopping EVER before so i am TRILLED!  Bring on the 7km Fun Run on 23 October!
  • I started the Mini Comp Transformation Board for Round 3.  We had AMAZING results this week and the program hasn't even started yet!  The leader of the board lost 3.32% of her body weight - amazing stuff!  Love my Mini Comp Team!  I was 10th on the board so I really need to step things up from now on.
I must have pulled an oblique muscle on Sunday so had to modify my training for 3 days, but I was back into full swing this morning and smashed 570cals.

Week 1 program has just been released... and I'm excited baby!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

PreSeason Task 7 - Planning

This blog from June is a snapshot of how I plan my days to keep on track.

http://splasharama.blogspot.com/2011/07/planarama.html

Fitter, Stronger, Longer

First day at the gym
My first day at the gym still sticks in my mind.  i lasted 5 minutes on the cross trainer, got sore legs and was out of breathe.  I moved to the bike so I could sit down and I only lasted 20 minutes on that and was gasping for air.  That 25 minutes was torture and I thought I would die.  But i didn't give up.  I kept training each day working out for a bit longer each week.  Now I can train for over two hours non-stop and feel awesome at the end.  I know I am yet to reach my training capacity and look forward to pushing myself a little bit more each week.

Burning 1000 calories
I have been training 6 days per week and eating 1200cals per day for about 6 months now.  I have found it really hard to have the mindset and physical strength to exercise for long enough to burn 1000 calories in one training session.  I have been burning 800-900 calories at most for the Super Saturday Sessions (SSS).

But in the last month I have burnt 1000 calories three times!  Today I did a BodyStep class and BodyPump and burnt 850 calories.  Seeing that i was just 150 calories away from quadruple digits was killing me so I then ran on the treadmill until I hit 1000 calories.  My Polar heart rate monitor is my best training buddy :)

I have proved to myself that by having a regular exercise routine and sticking with it, I am getting fitter every week.  Even on the mornings when I wake up with sore muscles, I just ignore the pain, still get out of bed, get to the gym and do a light workout of 400 calories.


Never miss a training session
I can confidently say that except for the 2 weeks that I was interstate in April and the 2 weeks that I had the flu, I have trained 6 times per week and not missed a training session in the last 6 months.  And a few times I trained on all 7 days of the week but that was because I am a little bit crazy!

Pretend tired vs Actual tired
In the last few months I have been able to tell the difference between "pretend tired" and "actual tired".  Pretend tired is when my mind can't be bothered training and tries to trick my body into stopping.  Actual tired is when my body physically hurts nearing the end of a training session, so I do a cool down for 5 minutes then stop.  Realising the difference has been amazing as I can now ignore my mind and I just keep going and going and going, when a few months ago I would have cut my training session short.
After today's training session of smashing 1000 calories in 2hours and 20mins I felt empowered and so proud that I did it.  I now know that my body can burn 1000 calories for every SSS and the only thing that would stop me is my mind... but that is NOT going to happen!!!

Strength
I can feel my muscles now, especially in my legs.  All those hours on the variety of crosstrainers have made my legs so much stronger and my butt is a hell of a lot smaller.  I can do endless jump squats now with ease.  Oh and my little biceps and triceps are loving the BodyPump classes as they are slowing getting bigger and stronger.

Pics
Here's pics of my heart rate monitor today (as it seems to be the craze at the moment).




And here's pics of me after my SSS today weighing 72kg.



A side note that has nothing to do with training!
Oh and I went out and saw a band then went dancing with my good friend last night.  I was wearing all new clothes and shoes and I was so confident.  I didn't care if people were looking at me, I didn't care what people thought of me, we just danced and danced the night away.  I used to always think people were looking at me and judging me on the dance floor because of my weight.  Now I genuinely don't care (and realised that they actually aren't looking at me) and I had an awesome night.  Thanks Margot for a super fun night and making me feel so special.

Feeling good, feeling great.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Jess (Support Crew) put a smile on my face

Jess exposed me to this quote today...

"People only rain on your parade because they’re jealous of your sun and tired of their shade"

This sums it up perfectly for me.  I need to block out the opinion of others and not let it get in the way of me and the best version of me ever.  The comments that I mentioned in my blog yesterday now mean nothing.  Only the words of those that love me unconditionally count.  And I am so thankful to have so many wonderful family and friends in my life.  They matter to me, not silly comments :)  

I matter to me, not silly comments :)

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Why are you telling me what to do?

"Don't you want to eat the donut?"
"You should stop losing weight now."
"You are depriving yourself by not eating the cupcake."
"You don't need to lose anymore weight."
"Are you REALLY not tempted by chocolate??"

My responses are very gracious when I am attacked with the above statements and questions.  And on the inside I wonder "Why are you telling me what to do?".  I only listen to Mish and my sis these days!!

If my immediate family was to tell me I should stop losing weight, I would most likely listen to their reasons as they really know me and love me unconditionally.  But when someone that is an acquaintance tells me the statements and questions above… I can't understand why they are saying those things to me.  Are they trying to be nice?  Are they jealous?  Are they innocent comments?  Are they compliments?

I am 155cm short.
My heaviest weight was 109.6kg.
I have lost 37.3kg in 28 weeks.
I currently weigh 72.3kg.
I wear size 14 clothes.
My Body Mass Index (BMI) is approx 31.

A BMI of over 30 means that I am actually still Obese.  See details below from www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcsite.nsf/pages/bmi

What your BMI means
Once you have measured your BMI, you can determine your healthy weight range. If your BMI is:
  • Under 18 - you are very underweight and possibly malnourished.
  • Under 20 - you are underweight and could afford to gain a little weight.
  • 20 to 25 - you have a healthy weight range for young and middle-aged adults.
  • 26 to 30 - you are overweight
  • Over 30 - you are obese.

I need to weigh 60kg to have a BMI of 25.  That is 12kg away so how can people think I should stop losing weight??? 

My goal is to fit into all size 12 clothes.  I assume that is about 5kg away but I really don't know.  Once I get to a cute size 12, I will increase my strength training in order to improve muscle tone and strength.  Then I will reassess where I am at and maybe aim for a size 10 fit and strong body.

Now that I am a size 14, I am really happy and confident.  Maybe people are seeing that too and that is why they are telling me to stop losing weight?  I am A LOT smaller than I was 6 months ago so maybe that is why people are telling me to stop losing weight?  Maybe they think they are complimenting me by telling me to stop losing weight?  Why do they care about what I am doing?  I have so many questions that I just don't ask.

I have decided to stop analysing why I am getting these comments (if you know me you will realise that is REALLY HARD for me not to analyse things).  All it is doing is making me annoyed at people, and that isn't good for anyone.  So now I don't worry about why people say what they say.  I just smile and nod and brush it off gracefully lol.

The only thing that matters is what I think.  If I am the fittest I have ever been, the healthiest I have ever been, the most confident I have ever been, the strongest I have ever been…  that makes me happy and that is what matters.  And if I can pay it forward to my family and friends that have been struggling with their weight and confidence, then that is like gold to me - such a great feeling.

If you are happy with yourself, the opinion of others is irrelevant.