7 days down!

It's been an amazing last 7 days. I feel like I'm in a completely different place than I was a week ago. I've completely turned around and now heading down the 12wbt path whole heartedly!

• I'm setting and achieveing daily goals.
• I'm getting to the gym and doing my workouts and giving them my all! - hey I even burnt over 400 calories during Monday's weight session!!
• I'm drinking minimum 2L water each day.
• I haven't eaten anything outside my 12wbt nutrition plan over the past week.
• I've ventured outside my standard snacks and wholeheartedly embraced sakata's with cheese and fresh date! WOW! This is my new favourite! And here's a photo...

And so it is with great anticipation that I am for once looking forward to weighing in tomorrow morning!! I am really excited to see how much my committment and hard work has paid off on the scales.

 

I did do my week 4 measurements over the weekend, and not surprisingly they were almost exactly that of week 1. That's to be expected. But look out week 8 - I'm on fire and I'm giving it my all now, so expect some cm's to be disappearing!

 

I really hope everyone else is keen for weigh in tomorrow. As I can testify from last week, it's worth it even if you haven't been completely on track, it's a great motivator / scare tactic to get us on the straight and narrow! Good Luck everyone!!!

Claiming A Victory

Well the election has come and gone, and we have a new PM. So while Tony Abbott and the Liberal party celebrate their victory I'm celebrating one of my own. Yep that's right I have reclaimed my spot on the 12wbt party wagon!!! I have totally owned week 4 since my Wednesday reset and I'm firing on all cylinders ready to start week 5. 

 

I think the setting of small daily goals to focus on has really helped this week. There were just 2 on Wednesday, then I kept adding one small one each day to get myself rolling again. So now I just focus each day on:

     1. Eating only from the 12wbt nutrition plan

     2. Getting to the gym for my workout

     3. Drinking 2L of water

Because this was working so well on Friday I added in the getting organised for week 5 goal, and kicked it too! I think I like goals, and especially these really short sharp focused ones. They've really got me back on track. And the goals seem simple enough, but actually do require some effort - both in preparation/organisation and also will power/commitment. 

 

As proof of my eating clean success I've posted a quick photo of my food diary since Wednesday! And I've also early myself a new book on iBooks and I've just bought Rob Lowe's biography which I've been wanting to read for ages. 

 

So, I'm going to leave those 3 goals as simple, yet at times challenging, daily goals and just give myself a little weekly goal to focus on. I figure it's a bit like the 12wbt weekly challenges (although I won't be asking myself to do 1000 burpees!). Week 5 is going to be a focus on snacks! I don't really feel like I snack poorly or too much necessarily, but I don't ever take into account the snack ideas from the nutrition plan are and perhaps I'm not eating as balanced a diet as I could. 

 

This week my nutrition plan lists dairy or fruit based snacks each day. And so, I've investigated the 12wbt site for snacks and found 'figgy cheese crackers' which fits into both categories!! I've semi reinvented this recipe and recounted the calories. I'm using 4 whole grain sakatas, 20g low fat cheese, and 1 fresh date - the snack comes to 126cals. I'm looking forward to this snack this week, and excited that I can just have the same snack each day (because it makes my lunch prep easier).

How is everyone else going 1/4 way into this round?
And what are you snacking on at the moment??

It's the Weekend!!!!

I love weekends!! For so many reasons, one of which is that we get time off work to relax and unwind doing whatever we want! Personally I love nothing more than a quiet weekend without too much on - perfect for recharging the batteries. This morning is the usual gym & coffee which is what I do every Saturday if I'm at home. At the gym I do an RPM class followed 10min later by Pump. It's a combo of classes that I love, and have been doing the double for a couple of years now! Perhaps one day I'll venture into the world of the prescribed 12wbt SSS... But not yet! In my defence I do usually burn pretty close to 1000 calories doing those 2 classes. 

Also this weekend I'm working towards a new goal to finish off week 4. My goal is to get organised about my snacks for week 5. I'm planning on making it my week 5 goal to focus on snacking within the suggestions from 12wbt (ie dairy snack / vegetable snack etc). And so this weekend, before doing the groceries I want to plan out my snacks so that I can buy what I need!

So, happy weekend to you all, here's hoping the rain stays away long enough for all my washing (4 loads!) to dry... 

Day 3 - still on track!!

So, just a quick update...

 

• Wednesday was reset day - and all goals achieved!
• Thursday - I set myself a third goal of drinking at least 2L of water (as well as eating according to the program, and getting to the gym) - all 3 goals achieved!!
• Friday - since doing so well for the past 2 days I thought I'd give myself a 4th goal of making sure everything got printed out and ready to attack week 5 next week - and as of this moment all goals are progressing nicely - I've eaten well thus far, and no reason not to for the reast of the day; I'm going to the gym after work and meeting some friends there for Pump so will definitely go; I've so far drunk 1.5L water so I'll easily get to 2; AND I used some quality time in my lunch hour to print out week 5 stuff (nutrition overview, recipes I didn't have, shopping list and exercise plan).

So, there you have it - well and truly back on track! And, I've set myself some new rewards - if I finish off week 4 staying on track and keep meeting the daily goals of eating clean, getting to the gym, and drinking 2L of water - I'm going to treat myself to a new book on iBooks.

 

How has week 4 been for everyone else?? Anyone big successes or failures you want to share?? It's been a turn around for me, and I'm looking forward to staying on this path - much nicer than floundering around in no-where-ville!

The big reset button!

Every computer I've ever used has one, and finally I found mine today!! Why did I need a reset?? Well, lets just say the first 3-4 weeks of this round of 12wbt have been all over the shop. If I was a computer you'd throw me out claiming a virus had come and nestled in forever! But, like any good computer, find the reset button and give it a go (yes, sometimes just unplug it and plug it in again!). So, that's what happened to me today!

Why? Well, it was more than enough time. And with some encouragement from a fellow 12wbt-er I decided to be accountable with my food and exercise. I flopped yesterday thanks to some home baked goodness. BUT today was "big reset day".

1 - Weigh In Wednesday: this was enough to scare anyone into action! I have actually gained weight through my self neglect that as of this morning I weighed 0.5kg more than I did 4 weeks ago. Hmm, time to really do something. But weigh in was all part of the reset. You see weigh ins are a crucial part of this program, and rightly so! But, I am always tempted to not weigh in when I've been off the rails. And so it goes for weeks, where I don't weigh in and think I'm going ok. But this morning showed me exactly where that gets me... +0.5kg! So recommitment number 1 is to commit to weekly weigh ins - not just for this round, but to keep me accountable for when I've gone off the rails again. 

2 - Goal 1 Achieved - eat from the 12wbt plan!! Woo Hoo!! I haven't achieved this for some time actually. And I won't say it was necessarily easy, but it wasn't the hardest either. How? I had everything planned out and ready. I also had to stop at the shops for basil on the way home, but I only had $5 in my bag and no cards, so there was no buying extra treats! And finished the night off with a herbal tea, refreshing and cleansing!

3 - Goal 2 Achieved - get to the gym!! So, I haven't been neglecting all of my workouts, but probably half-ish... So today I went after work. I completely didn't feel like it, but knowing I wanted to write this post, and not lie to anyone who's reading, I went. Because I want to be a woman of my word! I did a cardio workout consisting of 2 rounds of 5 min exercises. So, 5 min jog/run, 5 min cross trainer (maintain 70rpm), 5 min rower (min 1000 metres), 5 min bike (aim 2.5km) AND then do it all again! Now that might sound easy, but give it a go, cos I was sweating up a storm! But 55min later I'd burnt 503 calories, so I had well and truly smashed my goal!!!

And so at this end of the day, having gotten up at 5:30 for work, I'm tired, but it's a satisfied kind of tired knowing I've kicked some goals, and set myself up for some successes this week! And as a reward for those achieved goals I'm getting myself a new work out track from iTunes. The 2 suggestions I got are already there, so I'm thinking of some old school tunes perhaps a little bit of 'love shack' (I always love that track in pump!). 

So, new goals for tomorrow?? Well, the first 2 are the same. Eat off the 12wbt plan (all packed and ready to go - Bircher muesli, strawberries, left over pesto spaghetti, 1/2 apple, brownie slice - plus Indian fish for dinner). Goal 2 is back to the gym for a weights session. And finally, new goal 3 - is to drink 2L water. I realised today that I've gotten a bit slack with my water intake, particularly at work. So there's a new goal!!

Sorry I think this post has gotten fairly lengthy, but it's all out now. I promise I won't be rambling on like this everyday, but it was just a big achievement day I wanted to get it all out there!!

SMART Goals

Just a quick post to give you an update on some goals. I've always been an over achiever, and set high goals, or else I realise they're 'too easy' and don't reward myself for achieving them. And so, after floundering around trying to find my mojo (I think I need an IV drip of the stuff!) I decided to set myself 2 goals just for tomorrow!

 

Goal 1 - Eat off the 12WBT menu plan.

What this means for me is:

Breakfast - Berry Smoothie

Lunch - Antipasto Pita Pocket

Dinner - Basil Pesto Spaghetti

Snacks - Strawberries, 1/2 Apple, Date/Walnut brownie slice

 

Here's a photo of my prepared breakfast & lunch & snacks ready to take to work!

 

Goal 2 - Get to the gym!!

And that means a cardio/weights work out with at least 500 cal burnt!

 

So, there's the goals for tomorrow! I think they're Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Realistic-Time based. As for rewards, well perhaps the reward is to be able to challenge myself to do it all over again on Thursday! However, I think I'll also treat myself to a new workout song from iTunes... Any suggestions??

Red Flag Success... of sorts

So, a while ago I wrote a post about upcoming red flag events. And despite the events being a few weeks ago now I've been a little snowed under (for many reasons) and haven't updated my blog about how I went.

 

The first red flag was a work conference in Melbourne...

 

Well, we had a fairly bad flight into Melbourne, and as someone who doesn't like turbulence (read panic attack / tears / at time hysteria - doesn't like turbulence) that wasn't so great for me. After that I checked into the fancy pants Soffitel Melbourne and got all dressed up and ready to go out. We had a casual function at a bar nearby, and while I ate OK (apart from some salt & pepper squid) I did have a few too many champagnes... hence a visit to pie face on the way home! I was so disappointed with myself when I woke up and remembered that - all that pastry and fat...

 

Anyway, Saturday was good. A healthy muesli / natural yoghurt / berries breakfast to kick it off.

And lunch was a tasty chicken dish - even without the skin! And I passed on the petit fours for dessert and opted for a black coffee! After a few afternoon talks I decided to head to the hotel gym, and yes I admit more to be able to claim I'd been there rather than the workout, but half an hour later I was sweating up a storm looking at a great view!

 

 

Saturday night was a fancy dinner at the Melbourne Museum. Walking there in heels was not my idea of fun, but I guess it helped with the calorie burn :-) However, this time I was controlled in both my food and drinks. I had a few pieces from the bread basket, half my entree (a rolled poached chicken dish), my main (grilled barramundi), and a few bites just to taste my dessert (who could go past chocolate fondant pudding and salted caramel ice cream??).

 

 Then Sunday I woke up feeling great!! I think no pie face, not too many wines, and not too much over indulgent food might've helped that! The conference finished with lunch, and then I went for a wander through the city. This finished with the start of a panic attack about the up coming flight home... which didn't finish for a few hours. It seems like a funny story now, but seriously at the time I was in tears for a few hours about the thought of getting on the plane, and then all throughout the flight - I kinda feel sorry for the flight attendant, not sure she'd seen anything like that before. But made it home, safe and sound, and all in all not a bad result for a weekend away.

 

The second event was my birthday!!! And that also wasn't too bad... I did have 2 birthday cupcakes that a friend made - but that was the only birthday cake I had. I made 12wbt Penang Chicken for dinner on my birthday - if you haven't tried it give it a go - seriously! It's kinda like a cross between satay and red curry (and if that doesn't sound nice to you I assure you it is).

 

My parents and I and some friends went to a nice restaurant for lunch the next day - and I ordered a thai green chicken salad, with the dressing on the side! So nice, and completely healthy. I think the chicken was rubbed with a thai green spice mix and then just grilled, and all fresh healthy salad ingredients to go with it. So it was great, although my mouth, tongue, lips etc were all a little on fire for a while there!

 

And so there you have it! Some success of sorts... At any rate it's more of a success than recent days/weeks, but more about that later!