The old me vs the new me!

Last week I posted photographs of me last year versus me today on Facebook and wow the difference is huge! So here are the pics.

I look at my before pictures and want to cry, I look revolting! When I say that I was sumo sized, I really was it was awful. Back then I had list of ailments that were crippling me and my quality of life was basically well....I didn't have a life!

I had:
- borderline diabetes (taking metformin)
- trouble breathing in my sleep
- bad eczema
- acne
- achilles tendon issues
- plantar fasciitis
- sciatic nerve problems
- numbness in my hands
- radical mood swings
- and an intense feeling of wanting to die and that my life was over!

These days, aside from getting annoyed by things such as stupid posts on Facebook, people not returning messages, towels left on the floor, paint spilled on the carpet, and my daughter saying a curse word here and there, there is NOTHING wrong with me. I take NO MEDS, I eat loads of fresh food, I don't scarf down meat much any more, I move my butt every single day and I feel fantastic!

BUT: I need to get to my goal and I will get there :)

Barbs xx

Time to regroup!

Hi everyone,

Well  as we creep closer and closer to yet another Christmas I begin to freak out over the fact that I still have not reached my target. I did initially tell myself that I will give myself 2 years to get to my goal weight which is realistic but I know that if I hadn't have pissed away this year, I would be a LOT closer to my goal and would've made it before the two year deadline.

Thing is, life does get in the way, it makes living this journey so difficult and I realise that I'm human, however there are ways to keep on track, to stick to goals and to make the result happen.

For the past two months I have carefully monitored myself, yes I know, it sounds a bit odd but I really needed to step back and take note of things that trigger me off into a terrible eating frenzy! It seems that I definitely am an emotional eater, I'm not a food addict any more and I love exercise. Realising that I am no longer addicted to food is such a HUGE MEGA HUGE relief! I no longer think of food every single minute of the day like I used to, it was crippling, depressing and had me crying almost on a daily basis. But it seems having lived a relatively healthy lifestyle for a year, has helped me get out of that destructive mindset.

So here is my plan of attack for the last 70 lbs I need to lose.

1. I am going to document my food, exercise, moods, videos (once I have a new laptop), posts on facebook and whatever else comes up and put them into a nice little folder.

2. Once I have reached my 70lb loss, I am going to publish everything about my journey which does two things, it gives me a documented record of my journey and why I never want to go back there and it hopefully will inspire others to make a change for life as well.

So starting Monday 28 October, I am putting myself through a 70 pound weight loss challenge and anyone else that wants to hop on board, be my guest! The more the merrier.

Come Monday, I will make my first post most probably called something like "Lose 70 pounds with Me" and then away I go, yay!

Am I crazy for starting this so close to Christmas and New Year's? most probably, but those two days can easily be days where I go easy on myself but not to the point of allowing a food coma, hell NO! A few tasty treats fine, a vat of fat NOT FINE!

Anyway that's the plan. It took a lot of planning for me to get this far. Usually when I create challenges, I've done it on the spur of the moment and therefore fail because of improper planning. You really need to answer a few questions to understand what is going on in your head in regards to weight loss for example what your goals are, and how you are going to achieve them. For me, this time for this challenge I am going to run it like a side business, one where I have to follow a clear set of rules or systems in order for the business to survive. And so to keep this 'business like' I will create a separate website.

Well there you go, weight loss a-la-Barbs!

I hope everyone is doing fabulous and I will be back in here soon! Tomorrow I'm off to photograph a wedding and I cannot wait, wish me luck! :)

Barbs x

Day 5: So far, so good!

Well I have made it to day 5 and so far it's been great! I have already dropped a very good amount of weight and I've still got a couple of days to go until weigh in day so there's room to drop more!

For the most part, I have resisted temptation quite well, I did however during the week eat two slices of bread and a small bag of air popped popcorn, which now that I think about it is not that bad!

This week I discovered the wonders of cauliflower rice and I have to say, I love it! It's easy to make and the texture is somewhere between rice and couscous. Needless to say I shall be experimenting with it big time as it's very low in fat, low carb and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as the B vitamin group. Just be careful not to eat it more than 4-5 times per week as it contains purines which are broken down by the body to create uric acid and too much uric acid can cause gout!

The walks are going well but we are due for some rain as of tomorrow so I shall be working out indoors and I have my hot little hands on a fabulous exercise routine courtesy of a friend and cannot wait to make my body cry! :)

Well that's it for now, until next time, keep smiling and keep moving!

Barbs xx

Super Smoothies!

As requested by my lovely friend Suzanne, I have posted the following smoothie recipes that I regularly drink.

These are just four of the smoothie recipes that I use as ingredients are easily accessible and taste delicious!

I've written these recipes in the simplest form with the cheapest most accessible ingredients available, but you can add superfood extras such as:

- goji berries
- macca powder
- LSA (linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds ground to a fine powder)
- cocoa nibs
- bee pollen
- medjool dates
- acai berries
- chia seeds .... and loads, loads more!


Mango Banana Smoothie

1 frozen banana
1 cup chopped frozen mango
1/2 cup coconut water
2 scoops protein powder (vanilla, banana or strawberry)

Throw all ingredients into a blender and blend well. If the mixture is too thick, add a little cold water to reach your desired consistency.

=======================================

Super Green Smoothie! (I drink this everyday!)

2 big handfuls chopped silverbeet (kale, cavalo nero or spinach)
1 1/2 cups water
1 banana
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 sticks celery
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 teaspoons spirulina

Place everything into the blender except the spirulina. Blend until everything is broken down and combined then lastly add the spirulina and blend a few more seconds to mix it through.

This should make two really large glasses.

=======================================

Berry Chocolate Smoothie

1 cup frozen berries
1 frozen or chilled banana
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1/2 cup cold water

Place all ingredients into a blend and blend. If the mixture is too thick, add a little cold water to thin it out a little.

This is my favourite!

=======================================

Peanut Butter Smoothie

1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 tsp liquid honey
1 frozen or chilled banana

Throw all ingredients into a blender and blend well. Enjoy!


There you go, enjoy! :)

Day 2: Aside from my mathematical boo-boo, the day went great!

Well day 2 and it was a really good day, well except for finding out I suck at math as mentioned in my previous post.

Today I was so insanely flat out busy that I didn't get much of a workout in except for a run to and from the dairy (corner shop) and the only reason I thumped my thighs along the pavement was because rain was threatening. I do have to say though, I felt pretty comfortable and not fatigued whatsoever.



So due to the fact that movement was minimal, I watched my calorie intake like a hawk and didn't feel hungry at all, just content. I did however see a picture of some delicious popcorn and instantly wanted to wrap my mouth around my laptop screen or even easier, run back to the dairy and get some, but I managed to pull out my willpower and resisted, yay me!

Nothing eventful to write about today except to say that I am on track and feeling fighting fit!

I didn't take any pictures of my food today except for these delicious fresh veges which I combined with a little soy sauce and brown rice. It was so tasty! I have to say though that there was almost a head of broccoli in that dish just for me and while most people will say that beans cause flatulence, I think broccoli also has a tendency to cause mischief ;)

I'm so annoyed that I want to cry.... but I won't because I'm tough!

Well it seems I have made a boo-boo. Most people wouldn't call it a big one but I feel that it's monstrous! In fact, it's as big and as bad as if someone had deleted the world's supply of chocolate! Okay well, maybe not that bad, but bad enough in my book! On Monday I weighed myself and was horrified to be greeted with the rather unwanted number of 109.9kg. I quickly did my calculation into pounds and got 239 pounds. I guess having fat fingers running all over the keyboard on my teeny iPhone screen had me accidentally push a different number because after checking about 20 minutes ago, I am actually 241.7 pounds of overweight blubbery sumo-ness!

Now I suppose I could go find a corner and cry or maybe even shovel down some salted caramel popcorn, but I won't because I'm tougher than that! More than ever I am determined to shatter this extra amount of cushioning covering my bones to reveal a sleek and slender me underneath.

Watch this space peeps because I am NEVER going to EVER crucify my scale or torture my ankles with this excess weight ever again, Amen!

Day 1: done and dusted!

START WT: 109.5 (239 pounds)

Well today was a success! I got in my exercise and no bad foods went into my gob today! I feel so proud of myself and am ready to take on day 2 tomorrow!

I apologise for the lack of video today, I did intend to get one done but never fear, I should have one up tomorrow!

Here is what I consumed today:

Bircher Muesli: soaked oats, walnuts, chia seeds, Greek yoghurt and sunflower seeds

Green smoothie

Sweet Chilli Tuna Salad

A slice of fake low fat cheese (not the greatest choice!)

Tomato, Broccoli and Swiss Chard Fritatta, brown rice and salad, no dressing

Cappuccino


So what's in store for tomorrow? Pretty much the same and I look forward to it! Oh and I must take my measurements tomorrow!

That's it, that does it, it's time for a SIX WEEK CHALLENGE!

It's the night before I start my new Six Week Challenge and I feel pretty good. I have no desire to eat nasty food, I don't feel a sense of doom and gloom about not being able to eat what I want for the next six weeks, all I am feeling is a strange sense of calm.

Weight loss challenges can be hard especially when you follow a challenge that is not for you and this is why I have come up with a plan that suits me and I know I can handle. During the last challenge I completed it became apparent that bread and sugar are my weight gainers! I tend to gain weight quickly whenever I eat  fresh baked goods so, out the door they go along with every other nasty that I like such as all junk food and anything fried..... sob, sob!

Every day for the next six weeks, I shall be writing what I ate and how I spent that energy through movement. This will enable me to keep track of what works and what doesn't and then hopefully once and for all I will end up with my magic formula because let's face it, we are all different, there is no magic one way solution for everyone, well that's what I think anyway!

THE PLAN

So here's the deal, for the next 6 weeks, I will do the following:

1) No sugar - except what already exists in fruit and yoghurt

2) No bread, no yeast products, no crackers, no baked goods NONE!

3) No treat days - it's only 6 weeks, it's not going to kill me!

4) Exercise at least 5 days a week, I will most likely do 6

5) Weigh in once a week, measure once every 3 weeks

6) 7-8 hrs sleep - this is a toughie for me!

7) At least 10 glasses of water per day!

8) Portion control! I hate doing this but I am going to weigh all my food!

9) No alcohol!

10) 6 small meals per day, incl. 2 green smoothies, 1 protein shake, 70% raw diet and reduced meat consumption (no more than 3 days per week)

There you have it, just 10 little rules to success

So here's to tomorrow the start of Day 1 and finally, a video!

Barbs xx

So tired of it all!

Well yet again I am at the point of 'I don't give a crap any more!' I have been feeling so blah, bleh, meh, ugh, about the whole weight loss thing and I think one of the reasons is because I had someone I could talk to one on one about this trip but as of a few weeks ago, they have stopped communicating except a wee post here and there on my facebook. I don't know why I let this affect me so, perhaps mostly because it was nice to be able to chat to another adult who understands what this crap is all about and could make me laugh in the process. Oh well, shit happens I guess so it's back to being my own cheerleader and getting the job done which is how I lost the first amount of weight, I did it once, I can do it again!

So what is in store for me? well for one thing I have a wedding shoot coming up which I am seriously excited about and secondly, I have a firm idea on what my cookbook will be all about. I tell ya, I have changed my mind on this book a million times and it's nice to finally settle on ONE idea and go from there.

I have a HUGE problem with snacking and when I am in the mood for a nibble or two, I tend to gravitate towards the nasty stuff, chips, cookies, chocolate, you get my drift right? So one day I decided to go through all of my recipes that I have written and  recipes I modified from the internet etc and created a list of snack foods that have helped me and that I think will help others to be able to have a treat without breaking the calorie bank balance. I have a working title called "Survival Snacks" and most likely will end up changing this title a hundred times while writing the book and eventually settling on this very title! lol! My mind works in crazy ways!

So there you have it, me as of today, oh and as of today I have gained 1.5kg! yes I am pissed but also glad that I did weigh because now I know I REALLY need to pull the blinders off and get busy and so far so good for this week!

Well, I shall love you and leave you with this recipe I created last week, I hope you enjoy it!

COCONUT & CHOCOLATE CHIP ENERGY BALLS
1 cup coconut
2 cups dates, chopped
1/2 cup choc chips
2 T cocoa
2 T chia seeds
2 T sunflower seeds


Place the dates into a food processor and process until the dates form a sticky mixture.

Grab a large bowl and throw in the coconut, chocolate chips (or cacao nibs), cocoa, chia seeds and sunflower seeds and mix to combine.

Add the sticky date mixture and combine everything together with your hands until all the dry ingredients are mixed in with the dates and the mixture is stiff enough to roll into balls.

Roll into balls and enjoy! For storage place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Makes approximately 12 depending on the size, Enjoy!

Barbs x

Boo, guess who?

Hi everyone, I know I promised a while back that I would be back more often to post but as per usual I let life get in the way.

On July 24th (I think) I finally finished my Diploma in Photography and I have passed and earned the diploma. I cannot tell you how relieved I am because the final paper was incredibly tough and had me working so hard that I neglected quite a few things including this blog. My diet during this period was on a roller coaster ride yet again of lose, gain, lose, gain.... oh so annoying and as of today I am sitting at 108kg (around 237lb) which is extremely annoying! Since finishing the diploma I have now had to work my tail off to earn some cash and so I am starting my photography business and of course I'm feeling the strain a bit due to having to do everything myself such as facebook page, website design and publishing, creating legal forms, administration, gear purchasing and finding the money to purchase the gear, grant applications, marketing, oh boy, you name it, I am having to do it and it's madness!

On the 25th of October, I have my very first wedding photo shoot and I am NERVOUS, but I think it'll be fine. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and since photography is a never ending learning beast, I always feel that I don't know enough which of course is ridiculous!

So this means that in 9 weeks time, I will be shooting this wedding AND I want to weigh 10kg less than I am now. I have ordered two tops that I want to wear in a size 16 NZ (USA size 14) and in order to achieve this I have constructed a plan of attack!

The tops I have ordered, made of organza and gorgeous!

Every week I have set a walking target of no less than 50km (31 miles)

Mon/Wed/Fri     =  8km walk plus 30 mins weights session
Tues/Thurs/Sat   =  8km walk plus 30mins boot camp type exercises
Sun                    =  rest day - more than likely I will go for a walk but not a rocket up my butt speedy walk!

The Sunday stroll will make up the extra 2km per week plus incidental walking :)

As for diet I am going back to 80% raw, no sugar, no bread, no processed foods and only one cooked meal per day. Loads of eggwhites (ugh!), smoothies and protein shakes. I will also be making a lot of raw snacks not only for myself but also for my girls.

So there you go, that's me in a nutshell as of today!

As for posting on this blog, I will be blogging as much as I can at least a post a week and that's a PROMISE from the bottom of my heart! I also have a facebook page where I post daily if you are interested in seeing what I am up to day to day, Here is the link: New Bod in Progress

I will leave you all now with a current photo of me and how I looked when I first started this journey. Have a safe and happy weekend!

Barbs x

I'm a bit miffed!

So today I read a post that kind of well, let's not sugar coat, it pissed me off!

I follow a page on Facebook that is about this guy who's lost quite a chunk of weight and at first I thought, this is going to inspire me so I hit the 'like' button and started reading most of which was good content, but lately I have noticed that this person is hell bent on just being noticed.

Today he wrote about how he'd had a hard time trying to get his story on a multitude of tv shows, magazines, newspapers etc and how annoyed he was that none of them wanted his story, but the fact is, there are so many stories just like his, this stuff is old news. My question is this why does getting into the media matter? He has a Facebook page with a HUGE readership, everyone praises him and spend time on his page so why did he feel the need to to use his weight loss as some kind of fame gathering exercise because that's the message I was getting from him. It's a shame, but he's not the only one, I have found a few pages like this and it's sad, it's almost like they've lost their weight and now because they've done it, they want to be rewarded for it. Isn't being healthy reward enough? He goes on to mention at the end of the post that he has given up his pursuit of getting his story into the media and will just post on Facebook.

I'm getting pretty annoyed by people who use their weight loss purely to get famous. Why can't they be satisfied with their FB pages, or blogs, why not write a book, even a recipe book of the food they ate while losing the weight, that's the information I find extremely useful. The problem with trying to align yourself with mainstream media is that the second they've had enough of you and you've sold enough advertising slots for them, you're gone!

I myself am in the process of writing a cookbook for three reasons, I like to photograph food, I hope that the recipes I put into the book are helpful to others and I've always wanted to do it. I don't care if nobody buys it, I don't care if I don't get recognised or rewards or anything like that, I just care that I do it because I'm the type of person who will start a project and not finish. Having a project or a hobby to focus on is a great way to keep you busy and have you concentrate on something other than weight loss, find your passion and get to it and whatever you do, lose weight for you.

Rant over! xx

I've nearly jumped ship so many times!

I cannot believe it's already July and so far this year, my weight loss has not been crash hot, in fact it's been a bit of a disaster. I have lost and gained weight more times than I care to remember. In the past few months I have let my focus slide backwards and have caught myself eating the wrong things again. This was always going to happen at some stage. After reading a post that my beautiful friend wrote tonight about her struggle, it made me re-think why the hell I started this in the first place, what was the reason for doing it because lately I have lost my mojo!

So after reading her post three times, I sat down and wrote a reply and read what I wrote about my reason for losing weight and here is part of what I wrote:

"I want a better life, a healthier life more than anything in the world, I don't care about clothes or looks or money, I care about my life and my place in the world. When I am on my death bed the last thing I EVER want to be thinking is "I wish I had lost the weight, things could've been so different" that thought terrifies me!

After writing this it was like a huge church bell rang in my head and now I'm ready to continue. I am no longer going to put time limits on my goals I am just going to keep on keeping on. Yes I could've lost all my weight by now, but what is the point of dwelling on that except to make myself feel like a failure and go eat a cheesecake! I don't want that, I don't need that. As long as I give myself permission from time to time to have something that I really want BAD such as today, I had a burger, then I will never feel deprived.

I have lost 30kg, there is nothing to be upset about that, I am not a failure, I am slowly winning this, it's only now that I realise that I am doing a good job, I am changing my life, I can do this! All I need to do is make a few tweaks here and there to my diet because my workouts these days are quite strenuous so I cannot survive on rabbit food any more, I must refuel properly or else I will be diving for that cookie jar, which has been happening.

Exercise has been my saviour! I love it and do it every single day without fail! If I do not move my butt at least once a day, I will not sleep well and be the biggest grump on the planet in the morning!

So starting in the morning, a new revitalised and school assignment free Barbara will once again punch this weight loss in the ass!

Always remember your biggest motivator is yourself because you are the only one who can really make yourself do what you need to do and as your see changes taking place on your body and within yourself emotionally, you will gain so much drive you'll be unstoppable! 

Take charge of your life today, I am! :) xx

Apologies, yes I know it's been a while.

Where do I begin? it's been quite a while since I wrote my last post I cannot even remember what I wrote last!

Over the past few weeks I have had a few struggles with my personal life and although I have said many many times that I don't let things like that steer me away from my goal, that is in fact what happened recently. I gave in to negative annoyances and was led astray for a little while.

A few weeks ago, I weighed in at 105kg (231lb) then last week shock horror, I hopped onto the scale and saw the awful number of 108.6kg (239.5lb) OMG!!! I had gained 3.6kg! So over the last week it was time to focus and get busy! I ate well most of the time, managed to get in 12 workouts and after weighing on Monday this week I am down to 107.2kg (235.8lb) yay! So now it's just a matter of keeping up the good work!

I have started vlogging again but this week I cannot make a video as I am very busy with my portfolio for school. This week is my final week and then hopefully, I will have earned my Diploma in Digital Photography. Here is one of the submissions for my folio, I am creating it in the style of Weston and am using vegetables and I love the textures.

Next week I will definitely have another video for viewing and hopefully some good news on another good loss for the week.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

Barbs xx

I'm so tired of hearing excuses, you either want it or you don't!

I've written about this before but today I'm kind of pissed and so here goes...

This morning I decided that I felt well enough to go for a 5km walk because having lost almost three weeks of exercise due to bronchitis, I was really going nuts! I threw on a heavy jacket, a scarf, my sunnies and set out for a chilly frosty walk in the wind,  it was nice and sunny too so it wasn't all bad.

I made my way to town feeling good about myself and happy that I went but once I got in I was dying of thirst and needed something to drink so I opted for, yes you guessed it, a coffee! Not exactly the best thing I admit it but it was warm and toasty just what I needed, drinking anything cold at this stage in my recovery is a no go and I wasn't feeling like downing boiled water.

Where am I going with this.... oh yeah...while I was waiting for my coffee at a cafe, a couple came in and went to the counter to order. She was a rather large woman and he was average sized and quite a good looking guy. Anyway, they were asked what they'd like to order and he said he'd like a coffee and scone and she said a chocolate brownie with cream and a mocha. Her partner looked at her and instantly she got angry and said "today is my cheat day!" and he said "but you said your cheat day is in the weekend", then she said "I need this I'm not having a good day" and he said "you told me to tell you NO when it's not your cheat day, and to not accept any excuses", and she said "what excuse? why do you do this to me, I'm sick of you judging me and telling me what I can and cannot have, you're an ass!" I was so embarrassed that I had to look away and was making eyes at the barista to hurry up, stop milking the cow and give me my drink! Then I heard the poor man say to his partner in an barely audible whisper "I'm only doing this because you said for me to and because I love you and I want you to be happy", and she just stood there with the most vicious look on her face, I wanted to go and give the man a cuddle and smash the brownie in her face.

So this brings me to my BIGGEST most annoying frustrating peeve EVER! Excuses, I loathe excuses with a passion in regards to weight loss and I used to be the biggest excuse creator on the planet. Every single time I would reach for some nasty crappy food, I always had an excuse which I felt was valid but now looking back, I was just pathetic and stupid! Excuses for not exercising or eating well, drinking enough water, you name it, I had an excuse for it.... "oh my back hurts, I cannot concentrate without chocolate, I get highly agitated when I sweat" ugh! so pathetic! So now whenever I hear a large person make up some bullshit bogus excuse as to why they cannot lose weight and get healthy, it makes my blood boil when they complain about it.

Do I ever make excuses for things? sure I do, I make excuses for why I cannot go to bed early, when the real reason is simply that I don't want to go to bed early, I love my quiet "me time" when the kids are asleep, so I stay up late because I want to. I know I need to get to bed, but I don't WANT to.

Which brings me to the difference between want and need in weight loss.

Here's the thing.....YOU CAN ONLY LOSE WEIGHT IF YOU WANT TO!!! that's right you have to WANT it, not need it, not wish it, you have to WANT it, because when you finally make up your damn mind that there is no food or excuse that matters more than your want to lose weight, then you will lose weight. It's so damn simple, it's painful!

August 5th 2012, was the day I finally decided I WANT THIS!

So come on, really think about this, do you want to lose weight or not? seriously really, really think about it, how bad do you want it? are you prepared to give up the necessary things you need to in order to lose the weight? ARE YOU? because if you are not, then you are not ready, it's as simple as that. You hear everyday of people who lose loads of weight, then they lose momentum and fall right off the wagon and put it all back on and more and why? I think it's because they were truly not ready. How do I know? because I have been there countless times!

Most people want the magic pill, the super weight loss powder, the wake up and you're skinny system and there simply is no such thing. Corporations are making mega bucks out of all of us with these "magic potions of bullshit" when the only true way to shift the weight is through the basic formula, eat less, move more, acceptance of what needs to be done and the time it will take and bags and bags of positive thinking. It's taken me decades to accept this and now that I have, it's come so easily, yes it's hard work, but once you accept those facts it becomes routine and you don't think twice about it.

Another popular excuse that pisses me the hell off is "I haven't got the money" BULLSHIT! Let me tell you something, I live on the most meagre budget on the planet, I raise two kids on that meagre budget and yet I have lost 30kg in 8mths with no gym membership, no personal trainer, no car, no fancy schmancy foods or tablets, only 1 bag of protein powder that I haven't finished, and I eat mostly raw fruit and veges and a little meat for protein and iron. So please, the I haven't got the money for healthy food and exercise excuse is 100% BULL CRAP! Fitness doesn't have to cost a cent, I walk my ass off 7 days a week and then do exercises I found for FREE off youtube!

So, here's Barb's magic formula:

1. WANT IT BAD! and accept that it will take time and patience. Also accept that you will stuff it up, shit happens!

2. Clear your mind of the fact that you can dump loads of weight quickly, you can, but watch it all come back on. Weight loss is for LIFE it is a lifestyle change not a quick fix.

3. Throw excuses in the trash with all the shitty food in your pantry

4. Train your brain! Find some mental tactics to help you keep a positive attitude and don't let anyone derail your progress with their negative crap.

5. If you need extra support, find a support network that is NOT going to put up with your excuses!

Well that's my rant for today, be happy, decide what you WANT and go for it and remember ..... work hard because the day will come when you don't have to suck it in! - I read that on a post this morning in Facebook!

Ciao,
Barbs xx

Sometimes you've just got to get a pair of balls!

I wasn't sure about what to write about today until I had to do my assignment this week for my photography diploma. This week I had to emulate Cindy Sherman, a famous photographer who took self portraits which look like scenes from movies, she didn't copy actual movies she just took shots to look as if they'd leapt out of the silver screen.

Which brings me to my photograph for this week.

I decided that I was going to not just take a boring "selfie" where I hide every single flaw I can think of and then manipulate the photograph to the max, no! I decided I would step right out of my comfort zone and boost my self confidence at the same time, do I care if anyone thinks I look like a buffalo in my photograph? no, I don't give a crap because I look at the photo and I see someone who is healthier, fitter, beautiful and is about to become the person she always wanted to be, a slim confident woman with bags of energy and a high self esteem! So anyone who wants to say anything nasty, do your worst, I don't care!

So here it is, my assignment for the week, a shot of myself in my bed, half dressed and looking fab! So why not do something similar or do something that you've always been afraid to do before. Empower yourself and set yourself free, honestly it's seriously liberating!

Be Mindful of your Weight Loss Spend

So today I mentioned on my Facebook Page  that weight loss this time around hasn't cost me more than a few items of clothing, two pairs of New Balance shoes, and around $50 groceries per week in the last 10mths.

Four years of weight loss spend from 2007- 2011 cost me $21,643!!!! that's enough for a very nice car! Shocker! What freaks me out even more is that the first two years which include VERY expensive gym memberships barely got used, what an idiot!

Well it just goes to show, you don't need to spend big bucks to lose weight because I have only spent around $2500 over the last 10 months and that includes groceries, shoes and workout gear!

I am not only losing weight but gaining one heck of an education in the do's and don'ts of weight loss. DO work your ass off and DON'T waste your cash!

What a Week! Time for a New Plan of Attack!

Hello lovely people, first I want to apologise for being M.I.A for the past week. Friday last week I was hit with a terrible cold, then a few days later I thought I was okay and decided to go and do a 5km walk then ended up with a mild dose of bronchitis! So it's been a week of achy body, stuffed up nose and no taste sensation what so ever! Today is the first time I have tasted food in a week and wow! food is fabulous once again!

Even though I hate being sick, I managed to handle it meds free, just a few panadols and a little cough syrup AND I got to finally understand why it is VITAL to get healthy, here is what I wrote on a facebook post this week:


Why it pays to eat clean, lose weight, get fit and get healthy!
My Facebook Page: click here 

I have found out that I have bronchitis not a cold. I spent last night finding it hard to sleep because all I could hear was the rattling in my lungs from all the mucous build up, funny thing is, even though I have this I don't feel really ill, just a bit achy, snotty and pissed off. My former sumo self never handled sickness very well at all, I would spend almost two weeks in bed and at least three of those days I would be feverish (this time around I was feverish overnight) and almost unresponsive which was pretty scary, AND I would be jacked up to the eyeballs on antibiotics, ibuprofen, you name it I had it. 

This time around 30kg lighter and a million times fitter, I have been drinking loads of soup, green smoothies, ginger, lemon and honey tea and eating really well even though I cannot taste anything. If by Friday I still have the rattles going on in my lungs (it's only a little at the moment, but still annoying), I will go and get checked up just in case.

So there you go, if you are contemplating getting healthy DO IT, DO IT NOW! It really does pay off in more ways than one!


So there you go, a huge lesson learned I just wish I had've done this so many years ago!

Okay enough of that, there's no point dwelling on the woulda, shoulda, coulda right? Let's just get stuck into the here and now and speaking of which I have a new master plan of attack for my next round of weight loss!

BARB'S NEW MASTER PLAN TO SHRINK MY GUT & REDUCE MY BUTT (hehe)

Okay, here goes:

FOOD

Breakfast: 1 of the following
- green smoothie + 8 raw almonds + 2 kiwifruit
- soaked oats with Greek yoghurt + nuts & seeds

Snack: 1 of the following
- Peanut Butter Protein Bar (that I make myself)
- Fruit
- Greek yoghurt with nuts if I haven't had it in my breakfast
- Nuts
- Trail mix
- Air popped popcorn
- Rice crackers

Lunch: 1 of the following
- Spinach & feta wrap packed with veges and 20g edam cheese
- Giant salad, no dressing with half cup of cooked brown rice + 100g baked or grilled chicken
- Spinach and cheese egg white omelette with a huge salad, no dressing

 Snack: same as the snacks above

Dinner: 1 of the following
- Omelette with huge salad, no dressing
- Baked potato with a tiny blob of garlic butter, shredded carrot & cabbage + dollop sour cream
- Fish fillet  or baked spicy chicken with huge salad
- Bolognaise sauce on brown rice + huge salad no dressing
- Spicy Soup with beans and stacks of veges

Snack: same as the snacks above

So that's basically the food part of it, as you can see it's mostly clean and mostly non-processed foods!

EXERCISE

I will be moving my butt 7 days a week

Monday/Wed/Fri/Sat - 8km walk + 30mins calisthenics
Tues/Thurs/Sun - Interval training + weight training (90mins total)

If I am knackered or have DOMS really bad then I will have a day off, it's no big deal

.... and that's my master plan put into action as of tomorrow 18 May 2013!

So what about cravings and the odd special occasion I hear you say. My take on this is this, if I have a craving I will wait two days and if I still want it bad, I will have it. Usually by the second day I am over it and then don't need to eat the offender, but sometimes I do and it's not the end of the world!

As for celebrations, going out etc, I just make mindful food choices or if I really want to taste everything, then I just try a little bit, there really is no need to gorge yourself on a special occasion or miss out, just have a bit of control otherwise you have to work twice as hard to correct your mistake!

The trick I have learned throughout the last months of my weight loss journey is to relax my mind and not get so worked up about numbers, sure I still want to see the number on the scale jump down to double digits asap (NZ), but it's much better to think of the tremendous health benefits you are receiving from your efforts. How you look and weigh should be secondary to this and a happy bonus rather than the be all and end all!

- Barbs xx

Another Milestone Completed!! 30kg gone bye bye!

I was cleaning my lounge this morning and happened to find the batteries to the scale. Now I know I am meant to be weighing only once a month but today I felt lighter and a bit more pulled in so I decided to chance it and step onto the scale. Even though I had made my way through half a box of grissini last night and a shortbread cookie (I'm not perfect), I have lost weight and reached my first big target of 30kg lost!!! That's 66 pounds or 66 blocks of butter which is huge!!!!

Words cannot explain my excitement but I hope the neighbours didn't think someone was being murdered in my house as I screamed when I saw the number! I got on and off the scale to be sure and yes, yes, yes, 30kg gone!

Now the old me would've celebrated by having a feast of some sort but today I'm going to treat myself to a nice walk along the waterfront at a much slower pace, breathe in the fresh air and listen to music that doesn't make me pound the pavement at an athletic pace :)

Celebrate your victories, no matter how big or small they are you should always acknowledge your hard work, you deserve it!

Barbs xx

The Beats I Pound the Pavement To

So the other day I was asked what I listen to when I go for my walks which is a very hard question because it changes frequently. One day it could be my Aussie Rock playlist where I get to relive in my imagination my teen days of liquoring up at Boardriders listening to Hunters and Collectors, Hoodoo Gurus and the like, or other days it's house music such as Alice Deejay, Sash, David Guetta, Calvin Harris or depending on my mood it can even be the Bee Gees, yes I said it, and it's the truth! The important thing about music selection for me is that it needs to have a regular beat or melody that helps me to walk in time with the music, pretty simple really. As for today's playlist it was a bit of a mixed bag so I made this little graphic which is one of the playlists I listened to today :)

It's the Little Things that Count

Sometimes while travelling on this weight loss journey I forget about the little things, the little victories that put a huge smile on my face because it's something I've achieved through hard work and determination. For the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about this on and off, all the things I am now able to do, the changes in my body that I can see, the difference in how I feel not only physically but also emotionally.

So what are my little victories so far?

• I can stand and bend down to touch my toes without wanting to pass out
• I can sit on a chair and lower my chest to my knees, a while back my stomachs would have gotten in the way
• I can do seated Russian twists with a medicine ball! My stomachs (yes two of them)  used to get in the way.
• I can fit on the swings at the park without my ass overlapping the seat and without pain. No more deep marks left on my legs from the chains that attach to the seat!
• I love myself more
• I've gained confidence in myself 
• I believe in myself
• The radical mood swings have gone
• I can feel my ribs and hip bones!
• My anxiety level has lowered, I can talk to people in the eye, that is a huge achievement for me!
• I can say no to tempting foods without feeling left out
• I can run around with my daughter and not want to either pass out or vomit after five minutes
• I can easily walk 15km with speed and not stop!
• I sleep better and leap out of bed in the morning excited about going for a workout!
• and much, much more!

It's important to take note of the little things because it helps to keep on track. We all get so caught up in the number on the scale that we don't appreciate these non-scale victories which are just as important.

So take the time to discover and realise your little victories and embrace them!

Barbs xx