12WBT R4 2013 Week 4 Squee!

Slow and steady will get me to my goals.  Here's the Week 4 update.

I've been participating in this round of the 12WBT program for almost four weeks and it's time to measure my progress.  I have exercised only 3 times and have followed the nutrition about 90% of the time.

In four weeks I have:
* lost 1cm from my right upper arm
* lost 2cm from my right thigh
* lost 2cm from my chest
* lost 5cm from my waist
* lost 3cm from my butt
* lost 3.5kg

I am trilled with my results and will continue doing what I did in the last four weeks.  Not only does my body feel better but my mind is in such a positive place.  I'm slowly feeling more comfortable in my clothes and I can wear my jeans again because the muffin top is gone!

My body is shrinking slower than it did in 2011.  I'm taking a slow and steady approach this time and not following the program 100%.  Weight loss is not my first priority, managing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is.  I am thrilled I have done so well and I feel ok too.

One big red flag is a theme park holiday next week.  I plan to have fun at the theme parks and indulge in a couple of treats. I won't return from holidays any heavier as it is just not worth it.  My mind is too happy to undo my hard work.

Do What You Want

I had a lightbulb moment twelve hours after attending the Round 3 2013 finale party in Sydney. That moment was reinforced when I heard Lady Gaga perform her second single from her Artpop album called Do What You Want.

Let's rewind and recap the last three years of my life first.

• Went from obese to the healthy weight range thanks to www.12WBT.com in 2011.
• Diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis in November 2011. (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/transversemyelitis/detail_transversemyelitis.htm)
• Improved muscle definition and strength with www.12WBT.com in 2012.
• Diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in October 2012.
• Almost stopped exercising and gained weight.
• Stopped working and exercising in July 2013 due to CFS.
• Lost confidence and turned to food.

The 12WBT finale party was exactly what I needed to experience. I loved being reunited with the friends I made during five rounds of the program. They are such beautiful people and I felt the love with every hug and word that was exchanged.  I was so surprised that the Eventify staff remembered me by name from the two 12WBT workouts where I volunteered as their Water Crew Team Leader in 2012.  And, of course, it was lovely to be greeted by the 12WBT staff with huge smiles and "Hi Splash!"  I honestly can't believe these people remember me. I was ten kilos heavier ,looking like a big pink squishy marshmallow with diamanté stilettos and being greeted with nothing but love.  Needless to say, 12WBT knows how to host a party and I had a fabulous night.

I woke up on Sunday feeling different to the last three months.  I was feeling empowered.  I'm not totally sure why but it must have had something to do with being in a room full of confident people the night before.  I remembered feeling confident.  That used to be me.  Can I be that again? Do I want that again? I do.

Ten minutes later and my iPad is welcoming me back to 12WBT.  The road to confidence starts tomorrow. I'm scared. But Splasharama do this.  I'm back for the mindset lessons. Everything starts in the mind and 12WBT is exactly what I need to bring me out of my three-month coma of self doubt and unhappiness.

Fast forward to The Graham Norton Show on Sunday night.  My favourite artist of all time opened the show with her latest single "Do What You Want".  I was almost crying yet so so happy watching her performance.  "Do what you want"... What do I want?  I want the old me back.  It will take longer than three months and that's ok.  Splash is back and I'm doing what I want.

Do What You Want - I want to treat food as fuel for my body, nothing more.
Do What You Want - I want to feel sexy wearing that tiny size 10 white Review dress hanging in my wardrobe again.
Do What You Want - I want my strong body (and my sexy muscles) back.
Do What You Want - I want to be healthy and genuinely happy.
Do What You Want - I want to beat CFS and return to work ASAP.
Do What You Want - I don't want to walk... I will strut!
Do What You Want - I will be confident.

Project SplashAttack

In the last 12 months I have:

• Been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

• Stopped lifting weights and exercising due to CFS

• Gained fat and my strength has diminished
• Gained weight
• Changed from working full time to part time to taking extended leave

Monday 15 July is the first day of my twelve months off work and I have mixed thoughts.  What if I become lazy?  I am scared I may eat out of boredom.  What if my health doesn't improve in the tweleve months?  How can I keep a strong mind when all I want to do is go back to work?

I can sit here over-analysing the situation I am in and eat myself silly for twelve months.  Or I can be positive.  It is time to implement the Essentials that I posted about two years ago.  I will take my own advice and be accountable for my actions.  Here's a little glimpse of what lies ahead for Splasharama Version 2:

• Complete personal training course that I deferred due to illness.
• Walk for 15 minutes once or twice a week and increase the intensity and duration of exercise when my body allows.
• Fuel my body adequately for energy, not to entertain my tastebuds.

In twelve months time I want to have no regrets and be the best version of me.  I call this version SplashAttack.  I will record my SplashAttack journey here.  Knowing I will blog my year will keep my mind strong as I don't want to report that I have failed or made bad decisions.  Unfortunately CFS drives what I can physically do and when I can do it.  Planning ahead doesn't always go to plan.  However, my mind determines what I do with my energy when I have it and how I fuel my body.

Project SplashAttack starts now.

Week 4 Weigh In - R1 2013

Week 4 = - 0.6kg

Week 3 =  -0.1kg 

Week 2 =  -1.5kg

Week 1 =  -1.4kg 

Total weight loss = 3.6kg

I'm feeling tired and not managing Chronic Fatigue well this week. On the bright side, I'm only 4kg away from my beautiful Review dresses fitting me again SQUEE!

This weekend is full of 12WBT catch ups. 

• On Saturday I am going to FitX with a couple of my R1 2012 Lean & Strong training buddies.  
• On Sunday I am having lunch with six SplashFits. 
• Oh and next weekend I am spending the whole weekend with seven of my 12WBT Lean & Strong training buddies, including one from Sydney. Two of them are staying with me so it should be a really fun weekend!!! 

What a great fortnight I have ahead of me :)

Week 3 Weigh In - R1 2013

Week 3 =  -0.1kg 

Week 2 =  -1.5kg

Week 1 =  -1.4kg

Total weight loss = 3.0kg

Weight loss percentage total is 4.1%

I lost 100g this week.  It's due to eating too many calories on the weekend.  Not sure why i did it but I did and I knew i was eating too much and the wrong foods.  I'm not beating myself up about it.  I'm just back into 1200 calories a day mode today.

I am really missing not being able to lift weights like i used to.  To lift my spirits I am doing this Mean Abs Month in March with my training buddies. It shouldn't wear me out but will be fun.  My Lean and Strong buddies in Round 2 2012 added this to our 12WBT training for the month of June and had great results in both core strength and muscle definition.  Let hope I can move some squish in March too so you can actually SEE my abs again! 

    

Play Lists

During my weight loss phase, I made playlists with songs that had the same beats per minute as the pace I would keep on the crosstrainer. I usually kept a pace of about 135 paces per minute so I picked songs that were 135 beats per minute.

On other cardio equipment and during strength training I play the songs I love:

Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia

We Run The Night - Havana Brown

Hall of Fame - The Script

Good Feeling - Flo Rida

Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida

Sweat - Snoop Dogg vs David Guetta

Wild Ones - Flo Rida featuring Sia

She Wolf - David Guetta featuring Sia

Titanium - David Guetta featuring Sia

Turn Me On - David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj

Without You - David Guetta featuring Usher

Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Poker Face - Laga Gaga

Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Telephone - Lady Gaga

Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga

Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

Say It Right - Nelly Furtado

Scream - Usher

More - Usher

Yeah - Usher

Don't Wanna Go Home - Jason Derulo

Die Young - Kesha

Week 2 Weigh In - R1 2013

Week 2 =  -1.5kg
Week 1 =  -1.4kg

Total weight loss = 2.9kg

Weight loss percentage total is 4.0%

First two weeks were big losses as my body was shocked when reduced to 1200 clean calories.

Although I am very pleased with losing 2.9kg in 2 weeks, I am aiming to loss 500g each week from now on.

Week 1 Weigh In - R1 2013

It's week 1 weigh in time!
My start weight is from Wednesday last week so my weight loss is for seven days.

Week 1 =  1.4kg gone
Weight loss percentage total is 1.9%

FINALLY my mind is back in The Zone! I remember this feeling!  And you know what? My meals have been delicious and I haven't been hungry at all.  As my sister stated yesterday "I actually eat better when I follow Michelle's program". It is so true in my case too.

Splash is Back for 12WBT Round 1 2013

It has been two years since I changed my lifestyle in February 2011.

• I lost 48 kilos in 2011.
• I developed an illness called Transverse Myelitis is November 2011.
• I became a lean and strong woman in the first half of 2012.
• I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in October 2012.

Now I'm back for another round to ditch the Christmas squish!  Seven kilos in twelve weeks... Can I do it?! I absolutely can because 12WBT and Mish have got my back!

Watch my Splash is Back vid here

Week 1 FabFastFeb

Here's the link to my February mission http://splasharama.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/fabfastfeb.html

After one week I have lost 300g. 
That is so embarrassing to write.
I ate more than 1200 calories on Thursday at family dinner, as well as throwing in some chocolate on two other days. That is terrible!!!

I planned my meals everyday. 
However I need to screw my head on properly and not give into temptation others put in front of me.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I always thought that people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) just needed to sleep more and they would feel fine... Wow, I Was So Wrong!

As some of you that regularly read my posts may know, I was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis in November 2011.  I still have it.  One of the symptoms is random fatigue and a couple of my fingers and part of my lower arm sometimes go a bit numb and sore.  Six months after the diagnosis, an MRI showed that the inflammation in my spinal chord is slowly healing.  My next MRI is in May 2013.

In October 2012 I experienced 8 straight days of fatigue where my mind and body were exhausted but I just keeping pushing through my work and daily duties.  I was only training one day a week for a month as i was just exhausted most of the time.   A visit to my GP ended in a diagnosis of CFS. Apparently it can last six to seven years...Well that is just great! I can't get stressed, anxious or run down or I will "conk out".  Right... how on earth do I deal with this...?  Splasharama doesn't want to conk out.

I want my old life back.

So, I felt like my world was falling down around me. I couldn't train like I wanted to. I couldn't concentrate at work as I was generally tired. I looked generally disinterested in most things but I was just fatigued. I napped whenever I could.  I trained only once a week as that is all I could manage.  I put on weight (eek!).

I had two choices. Feel sorry for myself and fall in a heap. 12WBT taught me that I have the power to be anything that I want to be.  I didn't want to be defeated. I chose to research CFS and equip myself with knowledge.  Knowledge is power.

If my body allowed me to get up at 5.30am and train, that was a win. If I managed to work a six-hour day, that was a win.  If I could drive all the way home after work without having to stop at my parents place for a nap, that was a win.  If I couldn't do these things then that was just normal life for me and I accepted it.

Three months on and I naturally still overdo it.  I stopped training altogether and spent two weeks working out how much energy it takes to do the essentials, being eat, sleep, see my family and work.  I was just as exhausted that fortnight without exercise! I turned to a medical professional that specialises in Chronic Fatigue and was advised to not exclude exercise.  I'm now limited to light exercise for 20 minutes twice a week, if I feel up to it.  I was also advised to do half of what I would normally do on the days I feel good.  I'm still working on finding the right balance for me.  No day is perfect.  I'll work it out eventually.

I've come too far since February 2011 to be defeated.  I am just treating these things as a challenge that has been thrown my way. I love a challenge and love winning the battle.  

This is not game over.  I'll come out of this stronger than ever because I have a strong mind  and a fantastic support crew.