Today I hit a snag, I had the lowest weight loss I've ever had since I started this new lifestyle. I lost almost 1 pound. For a split second I thought DAMMIT! but then very quickly I decided that there are worse things such as that 1 pound being a gain instead and landing in a comfy spot on my ass.
When you work your butt off as much as I do small losses can be a real challenge, but you have to remember that there are certain factors besides food and exercise that can change your results week to week. So I grabbed a pen and paper (something I don't do very often thanks to technology) and I wrote down what I could've possibly done to alter my successful record of weight loss.
1. I was sick during the week
2. I missed working out for two days so I only got in five workouts (I usually do 6-7 per week)
3. I noticed that I hadn't been drinking enough water, so I made a conscious effort to get in 2 litres per day
4. I ate a friggin bag of salty Uppercuts chips and no, not the small bag!
5. I didn't eat enough on a couple of days
6. I never get enough protein
Taking a look at the list above and after a wee bit of research, any of the above can alter my progress, however it is not the end of the world, but I could've done without the chips!
So this week, I will be addressing my protein intake and keep on drowning myself with water until I can get my water levels in the balance again and with the weather getting warmer here, it's very important to keep drinking and staying hydrated :)
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Food...what's going in my gob!
So I guess it's about time I disclose what I am eating, after all it's all part of the weight loss machine isn't it?
Once upon a time, I used to be a chef, I loved and loathed that work. Loved it because it gave me an outlet for my creativity, loathed it because the weight would keep on creeping on especially with the type of food I had to cook, desserts! Pavlova, cheesecake, devil's food cake, gateaux, profiteroles, croquembouche you name it, I can make it and I certainly can eat it! For me, taking four ingredients and whipping up a feast is no big deal but during this weight loss journey I have found that I really cannot be fagged with cooking at all so because of this I eat mostly raw and very nearly vegetarian.
A typical day in the Barb kitchen looks like this:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (celery, silverbeet, lemon juice, ginger, apple, banana, water, spirulina)
Snack: Raw Almonds
Lunch: Spinach & Feta Wrap filled with grated carrot, iceberg lettuce, red onion, edam cheese, sprouts)
Snack: Rice Crackers and Fruit, or Greek Yoghurt or Fruit Salad
Dinner: is usually one of the following -
- Moroccan Spiced Chicken with Brown Rice and Green Salad, no dressing
- Cheese, Spinach and Mushroom Omlette with Brown Rice and Green Salad no dressing
- Spicy Chickpeas in Tomatoes with Brown Rice and Green Salad, no dressing
- Vegetable Wrap with a Garden Salad, no dressing
- Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Steak (med rare) with Brown Rice and Green Salad, no dressing
Snack: nuts again!
Other: Coffee, cannot do with out my shot of java!
So there you go, the menu, it's not exactly the most exciting on the planet, but it's what I can deal with and keeps me away from the taboo foods! Am I bored with my food? absolutely not and when I finally do get sick to the back teeth of brown rice and chickpeas, I will simply change it :)
Once upon a time, I used to be a chef, I loved and loathed that work. Loved it because it gave me an outlet for my creativity, loathed it because the weight would keep on creeping on especially with the type of food I had to cook, desserts! Pavlova, cheesecake, devil's food cake, gateaux, profiteroles, croquembouche you name it, I can make it and I certainly can eat it! For me, taking four ingredients and whipping up a feast is no big deal but during this weight loss journey I have found that I really cannot be fagged with cooking at all so because of this I eat mostly raw and very nearly vegetarian.
A typical day in the Barb kitchen looks like this:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (celery, silverbeet, lemon juice, ginger, apple, banana, water, spirulina)
Snack: Raw Almonds
Lunch: Spinach & Feta Wrap filled with grated carrot, iceberg lettuce, red onion, edam cheese, sprouts)
Snack: Rice Crackers and Fruit, or Greek Yoghurt or Fruit Salad
Dinner: is usually one of the following -
- Moroccan Spiced Chicken with Brown Rice and Green Salad, no dressing
- Cheese, Spinach and Mushroom Omlette with Brown Rice and Green Salad no dressing
- Spicy Chickpeas in Tomatoes with Brown Rice and Green Salad, no dressing
- Vegetable Wrap with a Garden Salad, no dressing
- Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Steak (med rare) with Brown Rice and Green Salad, no dressing
Snack: nuts again!
Other: Coffee, cannot do with out my shot of java!
So there you go, the menu, it's not exactly the most exciting on the planet, but it's what I can deal with and keeps me away from the taboo foods! Am I bored with my food? absolutely not and when I finally do get sick to the back teeth of brown rice and chickpeas, I will simply change it :)
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Cravings, how I live with them
Cravings ugh! I don't get them very often any more but when I do get them they are BAD but luckily not to the point where I want to rip the door off the pantry. From day 1 of my new lifestyle plan I made a pact with myself that I will focus on the what I can have and not on what I can't because I want to have positive thoughts on this journey and not focus on the negative otherwise, I will do what I always have, crashed and burned.
So with this in mind I created the '2 Day Craving Rule' where if I get a craving for something, I will tell myself 'yes you can have it BUT you have to wait two days'. So after two days if I still want it, then I'll have it, at least then I know that it's a genuine craving rather than a spur of the moment boredom filling binge!
So why two days?
- after two days, I usually don't want it any more
- I need to make sure it is in fact a craving
- I can work out a little harder to compensate should I do in fact satisfy my craving
Has it worked? yes, have I satisfied my cravings? yes I have (with positive thoughts) and usually I will only have a small amount because I'm satisfied that I even got a little.
This whole thing is such a mind trip and if you can sort out the mental side, everything else falls into place!
Thursday, 25 October 2012
My workouts.
I can't call them workouts really because a workout to me is something that makes be want to pass out on the floor and curse a million times, but how can you call a brisk walk along the beach front with the wind in your hair and the sun shining down, work? I think I'll call them my 90 minutes of me time.
I walk at least six days a week and go 7.8km most days. Just recently I've incorporated weights, ab work (ugh!) and boot camp type exercises, actually those exercises can be best described as 30 mins of kill me time because they are pretty hard especially when you weigh as much as I.
But it's working, sometimes I have to do a double take when I walk past a shop window or catch myself in the mirror because there is a lot less of me than almost 14 weeks ago! My clothes look ridiculous, I look as though I've gone and raided the clothing bins and just grabbed what's available but the truth is, I don't want to spend money on clothes that won't fit me in a few weeks time, I've already dropped 3 sizes! So until that terrible day when I walk into town and my jeans fall down to my ankles, I shall stick to the status quo. :)
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Unwanted advice ... ugh!
Anyone who knows me really well understands my tendency to 'not want to hear it', meaning advice from people who mean well but who always seem to never engage their 'be nice' filter before they open their gob and release a verbal diarrhoea of "you should do this" and "you should do that" blah, blah, blah!
I recently had one such incident. Before I launch into it and let you know what rubbed me up the wrong way, let me first say that this person (who shall remain nameless) is one of the most supportive, kind people I am lucky to know.
I received my fortnightly phone call from said nameless person and all was cheery and polite until they asked me about how my weight loss was going. I mentioned that it was going extremely well in fact better than I ever anticipated and was very pleased with my progress which was true. Then I was asked how much had I lost and I told them and then, silence for what seemed like an eternity. I then was asked what I wanted my goal weight to be and against my better judgement (should've engaged my blocking filter here), I mentioned a range of 65kg (143lbs) to 79kg (173.8lbs) which according to medical charts is perfect for my age, frame and height. Then again, silence and by now I'm thinking uh-oh here it comes, I've blown up the dam and am awaiting a tsunami of 'you should' and then out it flowed. "You can't go below 90kg (198lbs), you're a tall girl" (I'm 5ft 9"), and blah blah blah, and it went on and on, my ears were burning and I could feel the fire of hell burning in my stomach begging to come out and explode, but I controlled it and changed the subject.
Now normally I'm a pretty laid back kind of person but that speech truly hacked me off! What right did someone who might I add has never had a weight problem, tell me that I am wrong and that I should aspire to be an overweight 90kg (198lbs) chubby!
Weight loss is a personal thing for me and I NEVER offer advice to anyone going through the same thing unless THEY ASK FOR IT! I would however take advice from someone who has been there done that because they know what it's like, they know what it is to wake up every morning and think of nothing but what you can eat that day, it's murder and someone never having that experience doesn't deserve to exert their opinions on you. I like to be a motivator and let people know that they can do it, but I never turn anything I say into a negative hurtful thing, I just hope that those I have said things to have seen me as supportive and not bossy or a bitch!
Anyway what I think is this, I will only take advice from those who I know have been there, all the others, get out of my face and let me get on with it, I am doing it and I'm doing great!
Rant over!
I recently had one such incident. Before I launch into it and let you know what rubbed me up the wrong way, let me first say that this person (who shall remain nameless) is one of the most supportive, kind people I am lucky to know.
I received my fortnightly phone call from said nameless person and all was cheery and polite until they asked me about how my weight loss was going. I mentioned that it was going extremely well in fact better than I ever anticipated and was very pleased with my progress which was true. Then I was asked how much had I lost and I told them and then, silence for what seemed like an eternity. I then was asked what I wanted my goal weight to be and against my better judgement (should've engaged my blocking filter here), I mentioned a range of 65kg (143lbs) to 79kg (173.8lbs) which according to medical charts is perfect for my age, frame and height. Then again, silence and by now I'm thinking uh-oh here it comes, I've blown up the dam and am awaiting a tsunami of 'you should' and then out it flowed. "You can't go below 90kg (198lbs), you're a tall girl" (I'm 5ft 9"), and blah blah blah, and it went on and on, my ears were burning and I could feel the fire of hell burning in my stomach begging to come out and explode, but I controlled it and changed the subject.
Now normally I'm a pretty laid back kind of person but that speech truly hacked me off! What right did someone who might I add has never had a weight problem, tell me that I am wrong and that I should aspire to be an overweight 90kg (198lbs) chubby!
Weight loss is a personal thing for me and I NEVER offer advice to anyone going through the same thing unless THEY ASK FOR IT! I would however take advice from someone who has been there done that because they know what it's like, they know what it is to wake up every morning and think of nothing but what you can eat that day, it's murder and someone never having that experience doesn't deserve to exert their opinions on you. I like to be a motivator and let people know that they can do it, but I never turn anything I say into a negative hurtful thing, I just hope that those I have said things to have seen me as supportive and not bossy or a bitch!
Anyway what I think is this, I will only take advice from those who I know have been there, all the others, get out of my face and let me get on with it, I am doing it and I'm doing great!
Rant over!
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
...and so it begins, again!
I should've started this blog 13 weeks ago when I started my new lifestyle, but I wanted to make sure that I was going to definitely stick it out and I'm very pleased to say that I am doing way better than I ever expected.
But first, a back story....
I have been fat all my life, no that's a lie, at birth I weighed a tiny 6lbs, then after shooting out of my mother's birth canal I rapidly put on weight until at age 27 I hit my all time high of a massive 152kg! (334.4lbs). I would've frightened a team of sumo wrestlers I was so large! I couldn't fit shoes, barely fit clothes and always felt revolting. A year later aged 28 my then boyfriend and I moved into a two storied house and there began my nightmare of having to negotiate stairs on a daily basis, I was terrified I would fall and roly poly down the stairs, yeah, it wasn't a pretty sight. Later that year my aunt saw me, the first time in a long time and to my horror, she started crying and said to me "I don't want you to die", that was a pivotal moment in my pursuit to getting healthy. I forced myself to look in the mirror and see exactly what was really there, and I didn't like it, what stared straight back at me was a depressed young mother, dying for a new life but killing herself instead. That year I lost 20kg (44lbs).
Two years later the weight hadn't budged much, I went on a rollercoaster of lose, gain, lose, gain, and never really got under 125kg (275lbs), I was frustrated and tired most of the time. At the time I was working in television which meant working mostly nights and with a day that went: 6am drop then boyfriend off at work, look after Havana until 2pm, drop her off at daycare, go to work and finally get to bed at 1am, it's no wonder the weight loss took a back seat. I was constantly lethargic and to stay awake at work, I would gulp down energy drinks and coffee! Then I got offered work at the Sydney Olympic Games working on the yachting coverage and that spurred me on to lose 10kg (22lbs) because there was no way in hell I wasn't going to fit a uniform! While I was there my then boyfriend was made redundant so as a joke I said "let's move to Sydney" and seven months later, we did.
Four years later in 2004 still hovering at around 130kg (286lbs), we moved back to NZ and the end of my relationship gave me a new life as a solo mum and the loss of another 15kg. Another few years later, another daughter now aged 6yrs, a move to another city and yes you guessed it, another weight gain!
So fast forward to 13 weeks ago, weighing in at a staggering 136kg (299lbs), I was reading Fifty Shades of Grey, I couldn't put that book down, I was completely taken by it so much so that I didn't bother with eating some meals just so that I could read my book! I was addicted to something else for a change, then two days later I got the second book and three days later, the third book. Once I had finished the third book I decided to weigh myself and OMG, I had dropped 2kg (4.4lbs)! I was never hungry in fact I felt strangely contented, could it be that I was so intrigued by BDSM and that I wanted to learn more? Actually it was the love story, how I yearn for a story like that, minus the whips, giant wooden cross and genital clamps!
So I devised a plan, a plan to divert my attention from food to other things. I got onto the net and researched for hours and hours into different ways to eat for optimum health and then one day I saw an interview with Miranda Kerr and noticed how amazing her skin and hair was, I'm sure a lot of it is down to some super special genetics but I was curious to find out what else she did to keep herself in great shape. She consumes nothing but organic food, drinks noni juice and follows a clean eating regime. Armed with this new information I began to get excited about my new lifestyle, my first week I weaned off bread, a huge weakness of mine, the second week was weaning off sugar, another drug of choice and then by the fourth week I was ready to tackle some sort of exercise regime but I was dragging my heels because for about six months, I had a really painful achilles tendon after having an accident. I mentioned this injury in a post on facebook one day and a friend of mine (very wise) said "no excuses!" and so I thought about it, thought he was a cheeky bugger and decided he was right, even the smallest amount of movement is still better than nothing at all. So the next day I did my first workout, nearly died from the effort and only managed 3km, BUT I felt like I'd discovered a money tree growing in the back yard, I was completely knackered, my achilles was killing me but I felt absolutely over the moon that I'd done it!
So there is my little story and now it's onwards and downwards from here! I currently weigh 117.7kg (258.9lbs) and have lost enough pounds of butter to stock a small grocery store! Oh happy days :)
But first, a back story....
I have been fat all my life, no that's a lie, at birth I weighed a tiny 6lbs, then after shooting out of my mother's birth canal I rapidly put on weight until at age 27 I hit my all time high of a massive 152kg! (334.4lbs). I would've frightened a team of sumo wrestlers I was so large! I couldn't fit shoes, barely fit clothes and always felt revolting. A year later aged 28 my then boyfriend and I moved into a two storied house and there began my nightmare of having to negotiate stairs on a daily basis, I was terrified I would fall and roly poly down the stairs, yeah, it wasn't a pretty sight. Later that year my aunt saw me, the first time in a long time and to my horror, she started crying and said to me "I don't want you to die", that was a pivotal moment in my pursuit to getting healthy. I forced myself to look in the mirror and see exactly what was really there, and I didn't like it, what stared straight back at me was a depressed young mother, dying for a new life but killing herself instead. That year I lost 20kg (44lbs).
Two years later the weight hadn't budged much, I went on a rollercoaster of lose, gain, lose, gain, and never really got under 125kg (275lbs), I was frustrated and tired most of the time. At the time I was working in television which meant working mostly nights and with a day that went: 6am drop then boyfriend off at work, look after Havana until 2pm, drop her off at daycare, go to work and finally get to bed at 1am, it's no wonder the weight loss took a back seat. I was constantly lethargic and to stay awake at work, I would gulp down energy drinks and coffee! Then I got offered work at the Sydney Olympic Games working on the yachting coverage and that spurred me on to lose 10kg (22lbs) because there was no way in hell I wasn't going to fit a uniform! While I was there my then boyfriend was made redundant so as a joke I said "let's move to Sydney" and seven months later, we did.
Four years later in 2004 still hovering at around 130kg (286lbs), we moved back to NZ and the end of my relationship gave me a new life as a solo mum and the loss of another 15kg. Another few years later, another daughter now aged 6yrs, a move to another city and yes you guessed it, another weight gain!
So fast forward to 13 weeks ago, weighing in at a staggering 136kg (299lbs), I was reading Fifty Shades of Grey, I couldn't put that book down, I was completely taken by it so much so that I didn't bother with eating some meals just so that I could read my book! I was addicted to something else for a change, then two days later I got the second book and three days later, the third book. Once I had finished the third book I decided to weigh myself and OMG, I had dropped 2kg (4.4lbs)! I was never hungry in fact I felt strangely contented, could it be that I was so intrigued by BDSM and that I wanted to learn more? Actually it was the love story, how I yearn for a story like that, minus the whips, giant wooden cross and genital clamps!
So I devised a plan, a plan to divert my attention from food to other things. I got onto the net and researched for hours and hours into different ways to eat for optimum health and then one day I saw an interview with Miranda Kerr and noticed how amazing her skin and hair was, I'm sure a lot of it is down to some super special genetics but I was curious to find out what else she did to keep herself in great shape. She consumes nothing but organic food, drinks noni juice and follows a clean eating regime. Armed with this new information I began to get excited about my new lifestyle, my first week I weaned off bread, a huge weakness of mine, the second week was weaning off sugar, another drug of choice and then by the fourth week I was ready to tackle some sort of exercise regime but I was dragging my heels because for about six months, I had a really painful achilles tendon after having an accident. I mentioned this injury in a post on facebook one day and a friend of mine (very wise) said "no excuses!" and so I thought about it, thought he was a cheeky bugger and decided he was right, even the smallest amount of movement is still better than nothing at all. So the next day I did my first workout, nearly died from the effort and only managed 3km, BUT I felt like I'd discovered a money tree growing in the back yard, I was completely knackered, my achilles was killing me but I felt absolutely over the moon that I'd done it!
So there is my little story and now it's onwards and downwards from here! I currently weigh 117.7kg (258.9lbs) and have lost enough pounds of butter to stock a small grocery store! Oh happy days :)
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