TBE Day 3

Well another day bites the dust on my concerted effort to lose 2kgs in 10 days (not a long term strategy, just an interim boost!) Step class tonight was cancelled again(surprise, surprise), but I had my fitness test for The Biggest Loser challenge. Did I tell you about that? The local gym is running a weight loss challenge for teams of 4 people, over 3 months. After the three months, the group that has lost the most weight wins a trip to the Gold Coast! They are also running a fitness challenge at the same time and I have entered this. I chose not to enter the weight loss one as my focus these days is more on fitness, than how fast I lose weight (despite my 10 day challenge) and also because I don't have huge amounts of weight left to lose - so this is often much slower. Anyway - had my fitness test and the challenge starts tomorrow - my team is named "The Fitness Queens" (and to insiders, probably better known as the drama queens!) Eating and water consumption today has also been good - so all in all - a good day. Oh and whilst doing the fitness test I spoke to the manager about personal training - and he is going to help me achieve my goals of running the City/Bay, and body sculpting. Cool huh!

Day 3
Weight: 68.0 (600g loss in total)
Points: 16 (might have something else later tonight)
Exercise: 15 min fitnesss test, 45 Fat burn programme on treadmill
Water: 1.5 litres (will do better tomorrow)
Treats: none
Verdict - not bad

Bring on tomorrow!

Day 2 of "The Big Effort"

Yes, the big effort is to lose 2 kgs over the next two weeks as described yesterday. Of course I've realised I've only got 10 days until my birthday ( not the full 14 days), so I am going to count them down and post every day regarding my achievements.
Today went quite well - I couldn't start work early as I normally do, because my husband was away and I had to take my youngest to school (he normally does this). So this meant I could have a few more minutes in bed, and then I went for my first "Road run" since I started running on the treadmill. I measured out 1 km and timed myself to see how long it would take me - the answer was: 7 mins. This means I ran at about 8.5 kms/hr which I'm quite happy with. It was harder though as it was very cold and it made the breathing more difficult. (I also walked for a while - so I clocked up a 1/2 exercise time). Then I got to have a morning spa - and it was divine. I've forgotten how much I used to enjoy these when I walked every morning (I go to the gym at night instead now). I know I'm really lucky to have one of these, but nothing beats a hot spa after exercise, staring up at the palm trees (in my backyard) listening to the birds and watching the beginning of a new day - and all before you even leave for work!
Went to the gym as per usual this arvo but Pump was cancelled! I was the only one there! Im so sick of classes being cancelled, but being in the country I can't choose to go elsewhere so I'm stuck with it. Oh well, did 1/2 weight programme, adn 1/2 hour fat burn programme on the treadmill, then cranked up the speed and ran for 1 minute at 11kms/hour - didn't know my legs could move that fast. Guess I know the difference between a jog and a run now!

So today
Weigh In this am: 68.2 (400g loss since yesterday)(and yes I'm going to record my daily weight for the next 10 days)
Points: 18
Water: 2 litres
Exercise: 1.5 hours
Treats ( a small slice of cake - but within my points)

All in all - verdict - Happy with effort

By the way, after the shocking photos I posted yesterday - thought I should post another more recent one. Here's me this arvo after work, in my new hipster pants from Tempt and only $20 what a bargain)




(oops - just realised the photo isn't full length so can't really see the pants!)

A new week and new goals

Well, last week was a bit of a disaster, and I’ve recorded my first ever gain – 1 kg this week. Not at all surprising since I ate pizza, cake and even some twisties over the weekend, and had a troubled exercise routine due to classes being cancelled (again!) and being away for a few days. I did try and exercise whilst away – I managed to get in 1 running session on the treadmill – but the gym at the hotel had serious problems – only one piece of machinery worked and everyone queued for it! Any way – upon reflection – I’ve been dieting for 7 months now, not surprising I guess that I would need to “break out” at some stage.

But I’ve decided that I need some new “mini goals” to motivate me. I bought some gorgeous clothes the other day (yes more) and bought a size 10 plum polka dot shirt. It’s a bit too small for me (the buttons gape) but I would love to be able to wear it for my birthday in 2 weeks. So I am going make a concerted effort to lose 2 kgs in 2 weeks, by returning to tracking EVERYDAY (not guesstimating), avoiding all little treats, and drinking my 2 litres of water everyday, and a full exercise schedule.

My points for today – 16.5 (a bit low I know, but it may make up for the weekend)
Exercise – 1 hr Combat Training
Water – 1.5 litres so far
Treats – none

Here are some photos of all my new clothes – I bought matching sets of work/casual clothes in plum and grey from Tempt in Adelaide (my new favourite store) – and I looove them all (even if they don’t all fit yet!)

Photos at my heaviest

Have finally found some photos of me at my heaviest. It was before I lost my first 10 kgs in 2003, and before I had a digital camera - so I 've had to scan it in, hopefully the quality is ok.
The photo with my daughter (who is now 10) I think was taken in 1999 - must have been around the same weight. I really can't believe I looked this big, I never really "felt" fat. I know I looked it in the mirror - but I didn't really feel it - denial I guess.

Slow and steady wins the race (maybe)

Weigh in today – and I’ve lost 800gms for the week. Very happy with this after my small loss last week of 100gms (coincided with my very stressful week).This brings me down to 67.6, and I’m going all out for a 1 kg loss this week.  Definitely leaving the 70’s well and truly behind. Only 10kgs to goal now.

I also managed to achieve my next fitness challenge – no sooner had I written it down and it was done! I walked/ran for 75 mins, in intervals of 5 mins walk/10 mins run.  I have to say the last set nearly killed me – I was very tired, but I am nothing if not a very determined (some say stubborn!) person, and I hadn’t put in an hours effort, to not achieve my goal!  So now I have run 50 mins in one session, and overall I covered nearly 9 kms.  I reckon if I can do my next challenge (which I am going to leave for a few weeks) over 90 mins I will probably have covered the whole 12 kms needed for the City Bay.  Then I just need to work on speed and dropping the walks! (I’m not lofty with my goals are I?  My weight watchers online name isn’t Superchick for nothing!)

Anyway – the run was yesterday (Sunday) and tonight I did Combat. I was quite sore from yesterday – wondered if I should have a whole rest day or not – should have taken my thoughts more seriously!  I am buggered!  I actually feel quite “winded” after the session – I think I need to be more mindful of overtraining – don’t want any of those nasty injuries!  Might give myself tomorrow off as they have cancelled all the classes due to a guest speaker.  Mmmm – will see how I feel…..maybe just a long low intensity walk on the treadmill…….

Help I cant stop!

Help, I can’t stop and its got nothing to do with food…I can’t stop buying clothes! I think I’m like a child delving into the lolly jar after looking at it but unable to open it for the last 20 years! I keep wanting to try things on, and fall in love with them all… and I keep thinking of things I’ve never been able to wear before and now want. For example, I was in Adelaide last week and relished in finding a few really interesting/different/trendy short jackets that I can wear to work. Now in the past it would have been a plain tailored suit coat for me, so of course I bought them. I told myself I MUST STOP buying and made a commitment that I wouldn’t buy anything for at least another fortnight. I lasted 4 days. Four whole long treacherous days. And then what did I find? The most gorgeous tapered skirt. I haven’t worn skirts in years – they just look dumpy on me. But I tried it on and fell in love. I just had to have it! Does anyone else suffer from this addiction?

Losses and gains

Well this week has been better exercise wise, but my weigh in on Tuesday reflected the worst week I've had emotionally since starting this journey. I recorded a 100g loss, not surprising that its so small, but good to see that the weight loss is still occuring despite what happens in my personal life.

A gain this week though has been a new milestone in running - managed an hour on the treadmill comprising of 5 min warm up walk, 30 min run (well jog really) at 7.5 km/hr, 1 minute sprint at 10km/hr (my fastest yet - didn't know my legs could go that fast) 15min walk and then another 10 min run at 7.5 km/hr. This equates to 40 mins of running in one session, and I covered 5 kms running and 1.8 km walking (6.8 kms over 60 mins). Admittedly I can almost cover 6.8 km/hour if I power walk, but that's not the point... I've run most of it, and as I get fitter I will be able to increase my speed, which I can no longer do walking

And to all my fellow "shorties" doesn't it frustrate the **** out of you, how much faster taller people can walk? Whilst finishing my final 10 mins of running at 7.5 km/hr and feeling quite proud of myself, a young girl stepped onto the treadmill next to me and warmed up walking at 7.3 km/hr!!! (the max I can walk before having to run is 6.5) She then proceeded to run at 13 km/hr - SIGH. One day maybe..... Still I'm very proud of my achievements and will keep pushing myself - (and being so stiff afterwards that I could hardly walk - thank God for hot spas)
Cheers for now

The evolution of Lisa

98kgs in 2003********* 68 kgs, NOW ***********57 kgs at GW*********** 52kgs at PPGW

This like those evolutionary pictures of man, except its me, in virtual reality. People often comment that I now look smaller (shorter) than I did before - and I reckon just looking at these, that the models definitely look like they get shorter as you go along the line - weird huh!

A new stat!

Whoohoo - got back to the gym routine today and feel great. Even went at lunchtime to try and clear my head and improve my concentration. And I achieved a new milestone that I will promptly go and put in the sidebar -and report on regularly. That is...(drum roll), today I ran at 9km/hr! For those who don't know, I've only been running at 7.5 km/hr since my running breakthrough. (See my post "The Exercise Ticker" for this).
This is a really important part of my training for the City Bay Fun Run. You see, the slower I go, the longer it will take, so I have juggle endurance vs speed/effort. If I run at 7.5 kms it will take me 1 hr 36 mins, which is a very long time to run continuously, or if I run at 12km/hour it will take me 1 hr - which would be great, but that's pretty damned fast for my short legs, so I am aiming for 9 kms/hr which would take 1hr 20 mins, a reasonable compromise I think. So not only do I have to build the length of time I can run for, but also my speed. Now I only did 9km/hr for a few minutes, but hey I've only been running for about a month -so I'm pretty happy with that. Will keep you posted on the sidebar as to how I'm doing with that.

Rhythm and Groove was cancelled tonight - hence my extra time on the treadmill. I also came across the most gorgeous Ripcurl long jacket which I fell in love with. Put it on layby - might make it my reward for when I hit the 50's (I can't believe I'm even contemplating that - who would have thought that I could be a 50's again!)
Cheers for now

Still not much exercise

The drama continues regarding our local disaster, and due to increased responsibilities at work, I haven't been able to leave early each day and get to the gym. I did make myself go to a Body Balance class this evening to help with relieving the stress and that was quite good. Unfortunately my mates and I from work make up a fair number of participants for the 5 pm classes at the gym, and without us there - they have actually had to cancel classes! I've reassured them we'll be back!
Wednesday and Thursday I succumbed to the stress with my eating and allowed myself to relax a little with the diet- but the interesting thing is that a "binge" is no longer what it used to be! I am normally very, very good with my eating, and rarely go over my points or eat anything naughty. And over the last six months, these habits seem to have become "die hard" ones. My "binge" consisted of letting my self have potato bake for lunch instead of a chicken salad wrap, and a plain chicken wrap (no sauces/dressing) from KFC for tea. And the other day having a few fries that the girls were eating, before I had a weight watchers meal for tea! Where were all the really bad junk foods I could have been eating???? I don't know - never really entered my mind! Haven't bothered to add up the points - but probably didn't even go too far over. What the ******** is going on? Could it be that I've changed???

Local Disaster

Today has been a day of profound sadness, as we have had a local disaster (factory explosion) that has resulted in the deaths of 3 young people. My job has required me to be involved in setting up supports at local health services, and consequently I have been unable to meet my exercise targets. Nothing seems to compare priority wise to this.
I have however by way of distraction been able to master my photo in the profile section, and stats in the sidebar - many thanks to Rae's helpful posts for this.
The blog is yet young - I guess I will eventually figure it all out

Cheers

The exercise ticker

Just a quick note to let you know about the extra ticker up the top.
I've set myself a rather lofty goal of being able to run the 12km City to Bay Fun Run in September. Now I'm not a runner, never have been .....but always wanted to be. Had a bit of a running break through a few weeks back after watching The Biggest Loser's running. I was cross that they could run and I couldn't - most I'd ever managed was about 3 minutes, and that left me gasping for air! So more determined than ever I hopped on the treadmill the next morning, kept my pace very slow and.... ran for 20 minutes - and my heart rate never went over85/87%! A monumental break through for me, and since then I keep practicing. I can now run for 30 mins, but I have 41/2 months to build up my endurance and speed to reach 12 kms. Hence my ticker - you can see how I'm going.
Mmm - feel puffed just thinking about it....
Cheers

New photos and exercise

OK - here I am on my way to work this morning - with and without size 12 jacket and the new hairdo!
And my big news is I weighed in this morning at 68.5 - a loss for the week of 900gms. Very happy with that, and well and truly leaving the 70's behind - will have to update my ticker already!
I think I've discovered that I have to be a little smarter about my exercise - frequency/fitness doesn't seem to equal weight loss in the short term. I have been doing a class a night at the gym (combat, pump, step etc), plus an 8km walk on the weekends and I've been working on my running on the treadmill, and I've seen great gains in fitness, but not necessarily the corresponding losses on the scales. But when I've added in low intensity, longer duration activity (such as an hour of walking on the treadmill) it has made a big difference. The last two weeks I've been adding this in most days - and hey presto - I'm back to 1kg week weight loss. And thats by doing the easy part of exercise whilst watching TV! I'm definitely going to keep this up if it will make a difference!

My exercise plan for the week:
Today - 1 hour combat this am, 1 hour treadmill tonight.
Tuesday - 1 hr Pump, 1 hour treadmill
Wednesday - 1 hr Step, 1/2 treadmill in am
Thursday - 1 hrBody Balance, 1/2hr weights, 1/2 treadmill
Friday - 1 hr Rhythm and Groove (dance class) 1/2 hr treadmill
Saturday - Tae Boe exercise DVD - 1 hr treadmill
Sunday - rest

This gives me:
8 1/2 hrs cardio
1 1/2 hours resistance exercises (weights) over 2 non consecutive sessions
1 hour strength and flexibility
Total exercise for the week=11 hours

(you may have guessed I'm a bit of a gym junkie!)

Cheers to all

Profiles and photos

Managed to get up the ticker - that was fun, but am still working on the profiles and photos. Gunna have a go at putting up a photo or two with this post.
Lets see now....
mmm - can't work out how to put them after the text... never mind The first two photos were taken in September 2005 at approx 88kgs. (I lost the first 10 kgs in 2003). The first is in France, and the second a picture of my hubby and I on a gondala in Venice ( how romantic! - except the kids were taking the photos....) I spent two months in Europe last year, and whilst there, we walked everywhere, and I because the food was so different, there was none of my normal junk foods to snack on. So guess what ? I came back a few kilos lighter, and had "got over" some of my normal cravings. So I decided to keep going with the weight loss. I had done WW before, so I started counting points, but after two months of struggling on my own, decided to join WW At Home, for extra motivation and accountability. I then also joined on line so I could use the ETools.
The last photo is of me with my 3 beautiful daughters at a wedding in early March 2006, weighing approx 74kgs. I don't seem to have any recent photos, ( I have lost nearly 6 kilo's since then) ;you cant see much detail of my transformation in the black dress, and I look quite different with shorter and blonder hair ( haircut was my reward for hitting 69 kilos) Will have to take one soon to post.
Gotta go now for a 1 1/2 hour walk on the treadmill whilst watching Big Brother
Cheers for now

Welcome to the new me...

Welcome to my blog.
I have wanted to do this for some time, to be able to share all my challenges and triumphs, in a place where I wont wear out my family and friends with my current obsessions! Hopefully it will provide me with a good record of my weight loss journey, and inspire others to hop on board and work towards a fit and healthy bod. I am about 3/4 of the way to my goals, with only 11 kgs to go, and I consider myself working towards "the new me".
I'm not sure how to make everything work on this blog, so I'm going to sign off for now, and go and try and enter my profile.