A 12 Week Body Transformation coming my way

Tags

12WBT, healthy-living, Michelle Bridges, Running

So, last year, when I first started taking better care of myself I relied heavily on the cookbooks and eating programs by Michelle Bridges – star personal trainer from the Australian Biggest Loser program.

Um… no thats not me, its the banging body of my fitness idol – Michelle Bridges  (Source)

Since starting work full time I have been full of excuses about why I have not been sticking to my plan. All of them are bullshit. You know them: the lies we tell ourselves to stay in a rut. To not do the work we need to do to reach our goals. To have another beer. To have another chocolate. To sleep in instead of smashing a run. Yeah, I have a drawer full of them.

I am so sick of carrying around this extra weight and gaining (?WTF?) what I worked so hard to lose last year.

So I joined the phenomenally successful 12WBT aka 12 Week Body Transformation run by none other than Michelle Bridges. Im not going to bang on forever about how good it is, if you want to know about it look here.

It started on Monday.

Like her books, the program consists of a sensible yummy eating and workout plan that is already smashing me and its only day 2! I started this to do two things: 1 Lose the last 15 kg between me and my goal weight of 65 kilos. And 2 to up my running game. I selected the Train for 10KM run program to really focus on building my running back up again. The bonus for me is the strength workouts are tailored for runners, so finally I am doing a strength workout that will actually improve my time and duration.

Kids, Im excited!

So, I’m getting back into tracking here. I got so much inspiration from all of my WP friends last year – your stories kept me so motivated. Im looking forward to sharing this transformation with you all. Maybe at the end, I will be brave enough to reveal my pictures to the world. I gotta tell ya, that before shot is NOT a good look…….

Cant wait to share my first weigh in tomorrow, yeah its only three days in but that is the rules and I am playing by them.

FYI My start weight is  79.8kg.

The end is the beginning….

Tags

half marathon, healthy-living, new year resolutions, PhD, Running, weight-loss

I have been off the radar, you might think I have been partying it up, but sadly it’s just because I am in thesis crunch time. I am so close I can smell the ink on those pages (this is an attempt at irony, as these days, to submit a thesis, you make a pdf and push the upload button – a bit of a letdown….)

Crimbo had it’s ups and downs this year. Great food, everything was going well until late in the afternoon, when we had our very first family Christmas argument. I am going to keep the details private but I can say this – WE ARE NOT HOSTING CHRISTMAS AGAIN!!!! Next year, we will visit Husbands family interstate, and the year after that, I want to go overseas and have it just between Husband and I. Maybe a white Christmas. There. I said it.

Moving on. Those who know me outside of my WP friends know that the end of the year is when I get super anxious for the new one to begin. Its like Christmas happens then there is this weird week that seems to go forever, and nothing really happens. I get all itchy and desperate for the year to be over. This year is no different so I am getting in early with my New Years Resolutions. I have to warn you all – most of my inspiration comes from my WP friends. You can blush if you want…..

1 Cory B from http://myroadtothetely10.wordpress.com has been my main inspiration for my first NYR. He is on a pledge to not eat fast food. Its such a simple elegant statement, but the repercussions of this is amazing. Cory B, I can see every time you post a picture of yourself how this is working for you. I have never posted a picture of me, but I promise to do so. MY FIRST NYR IS TO NOT EAT FAST FOOD. This is a total ban on junk. If it comes in a paper bag, wrapped in weird paper and dripping with fat, it can’t be good for you. Why I continue to eat this food is beyond me. ITS OVER!!!

2 Kat from http://runningkattales.wordpress.com, Evelin from http://evelinruns.wordpress.com and Meg from http://megvschub.wordpress.com, plus all the other dedicated runners out there inspire me to run better, run faster, run more often. I can’t even begin to think of all the times when my motivation has been low and reading the amazing stories out there from all of you gets me off my ass and hitting the pavement. MY SECOND NYR IS TO TRAIN FOR A HALF MARATHON. At the moment I have no idea how long it could take me to run that distance. But I am getting faster all the time. Watch this space.

3 Another amazing thing I have observed is how everybody fits so much into their days. My routine at the moment is very confined. Its a run in my local neighbourhood. Then back to the computer and thrashing out words. Once this thesis is handed in, I am going to instigate a much better life work balance. Before I can do that, I need to work like a crazy banshee but after that, it’s going to be rancho relaxo with lots of fun things OUTSIDE the house for Husband and I to do. MY THIRD NYR IS TO SEEK MORE FUN.

That wraps it up for NYR. I think three is manageable, and lets face it, the only one that will be hard is the running, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the other two will more than make up for it 🙂

On to running. I have been hitting the roads and I am getting faster. Today I did my fastest km – 7.07 minutes. If I can keep this up, I might even smash out a 30min 5k soon, which has been a goal for me for ages. I have been stretching a bit more often and it really is making a difference.

I am thinking I will think of a total kms goal for 2013. I have not crunched the numbers yet but maybe 1000km??? It’s do-able especially when I will be piling on the kms for the half training. This is on my to do list before the new year starts so I will let you all know of total number once I work it out.

Weight progress: I have been eating whatever I want, drinking beer and having a great time with food. My weight has gone up by only 300g which is nothing really. I guess running through the silly eating season has helped keep everything in check. I am still fiercely holding on to reaching my goal weight of 65 kg, I have a long road ahead, but I am going to switch my focus from eating to lose weight to eating to run better. It’s really going to be the same kinds of food, but I will listen a bit more to my body as in the past I was a bit hungry sometimes during runs and felt like I ran out of steam.

Other than that, it’s head down bum up for the next few months as I hit frantic mode in thesis land. You might not see me on here that often in the next few months but I promise, come March 3, it will be over. Then I will be free.

I sincerely hope all of you have an amazing New Years, however you will celebrate it. And I wish for everybody to have a kicking 2013. Filled with fun, love, laughter, good food, great wine, yummy beers and tons of running.

Hearts – Runninbear

 

HalfWay….

Tags

health, healthy-living, Running, Weigh In, weight-loss

I got on the scales today. Let’s not forget the epic eating fest of the last few weeks. I wanted it to be good, but it was GREAT!

Original Weight : 88.8kg (195.77 pounds)

Weight this morning : 76.8kg (169.31 Pounds)

Total weight loss : 12kg (26.45 pounds)

Goal Weight : 65kg. (143.30 pounds)

Left to lose 11.8kg (26.01 pounds)

That’s right, half way…….

It seems way easier now that there is less to lose than I have already lost. Happy happy 🙂

Still no running. My poor back just can’t seem to sort itself out. I have been stretching and planking but it still is twingeing and a general pain in the ass. If it keeps acting up, it’s off to the physio….

I’m going to bask in the glory of halfway now, have an awesome day!

Losing it.

Tags

food, health, healthy-living, Running, Weigh In, weight-loss

Well, that cold I felt coming was yuck. I lost my voice for two days. One of those days was the day I was meant to do my presentation. Did not happen. Thankfully it was rescheduled for this week…. I feel almost back to normal, with a bit of a sore throat but generally better!

Husband came home to a sick wife. Not the homecoming he would have liked! Poor boy, I did tell him I missed him so much when he was away.

So of course as I was feeling uber crap most of the week, I did not exercise. I weighed in this morning, and I am down to 77.3kg. Thats a loss of 1.5kg and a total weight loss of 11.5kg 🙂 (thats 25.35 pounds to all my American friends…)

Very happy. Im getting closer and closer to my half way mark.

It’s weird that the week that I did no exercise, I lost weight. I must admit my appetite went off during the sickness, but I still ate well. Oh well, I can never figure out what the scales are going to say next.

In consultation with my bff, I have decided to officially weigh in fortnightly from now on. I usually see and feel an increase when I am approaching lady time. So instead of recording that and feeling a bit disheartened by it, I am going to avoid it all together.

This week, its game on as far as exercise goes. Run this afternoon, Boot Camp tomorrow, Run Wed, Yoga Thursday, run Friday, Yoga Saturday, Rest Sunday.

Can’t wait! Hope you are all well, happy and smashing your goals.

Big hugs to all the people affected by Sandy, it looks really bad out there….

Personal Training

Tags

boot camp, health, healthy-living, P90X, Running, Yoga

OMG. The muscles that were sore from yesterday’s boot camp are completely and utterly trashed now.

Before we went to PT, I went for a 3.8km run. I smashed it, and felt on top of the world. I really hoped that going for run would purge the lactic acid from my legs but they were still sore after the run.

An hour and a half later, hell was unleashed. Started with a run to warm up, using some  kettle bells we did some swinging backwards and forwards thing, squats with the kettle bells, lunges with the kettle bells, push ups and pull ups with that TRX suspension thingo. Then a run. Repeated three times.

Followed by dead lifts with kettle bells, bicep curls on a resistance band and more freaking lunges. I cannot tell you how much I hate lunges. They SUCK!

More running, then some core work.

I swear I cannot stand from sitting without some serious pain. Not in my ass, in my quads. They were SCREAMING at me by the end. OUCH! The trainer dude was making conversation at the end and all I wanted to do was crawl to the car and get the hell home….

This just confirms that I need to continue with some P90X after boot camp finishes, I was a lot tougher than this a few months ago. I have focussed on running and stretching, which I love, but I know now that I really must keep up the strength workouts as well. Right now, I wish I could sink into a neck deep hot bath and then get a massage for, like, a week.

On a positive note, (Yeah, stop whining!!) I burnt 876 calories today. That is the most I have burnt since I started on my fitness and health lifestyle. I really think my next weigh in will be awesome!

Tomorrow, yoga – to stretch as much as anything else.

I am seriously in doubt at the moment if I will be able to run on Friday due to the pain. If you have any suggestions for me on how to make it go away quickly I would appreciate it. I’m not kidding, I need some help!!

Selling my fat clothes

Tags

boot camp, health, healthy-living, Running, Weigh In, weight-loss

Yep, that’s right. I spent some time yesterday putting all my fat clothes for sale on Ebay. (I made those words bold cos the clothes I am selling look too big now!)

The main motivation for doing this is to make sure that I can never ever ever go back to the size I was. I hate seeing how big those pants are. MY GOD THEY ARE HUUUUUUUGE!

And if you only have clothes that fit your smaller self, it will help to keep the weight off right?

So 17 items are up for grabs. Some of the clothes were things I had bought in a desperate attempt to look good whilst I was still carrying those extra 10kg. They never fit. Still had tags on them. Now I have lost the weight, they are too big. What a waste of money!! Shame on me!

I am freaking loving wearing all my old clothes, but I gotta tell ya, I can’t even wait to buy even smaller clothes soon. I desperately need some shorts as it is getting quite hot here, but I am holding out from buying some a bit longer, as I already have a pair that are a bit too snug at the moment. I keep trying them on, they will fit soon 🙂

So yeah, the weight loss is getting real. And PERMANENT!

In weigh in news, I did not lose or gain any weigh this week. I know that taking a running break and also letting a few ‘treats’ into my diet this week kept me from losing weight.

I have been thinking all week that I should up the ante for the next six weeks that I am doing boot camp. A kind of pre Christmas cleanse. Not any weird ‘juice only’ cleanse. I mean cutting out ‘treats’ like beer, hot chocolates and other things I have been indulging in. I also mean totally healthy foods, that will keep me energised as I do a bit more exercise.

I was really really wanted to be at 65kg by NYE but I think truthfully that is not going to happen. I don’t want to crash diet and lose the weight as that is a recipe for disaster. I think it is more reasonable to see a kg a week come off over the next 6 weeks during boot camp. It would mean that by Christmas, which is a month after boot camp finishes, I will be close to 70kg. I’m ok with that as I really want to lose the weight slowly and keep it off. Forever. So yeah. Another goal getting pushed out a bit longer, but in all reality it is keeping me sane not fretting too much about it.

Husband is away for the next 10 days so I will be cooking for myself. I have so many workout activities planned for every night this week, I think I will be totally exhausted by the Sunday night. I am so looking forward to smashing out some killer workouts this week. YAY!

I’ll let you know how running club is tonight, although there is a storm forecast for this afternoon here, hopefully it doesn’t get cancelled!

Over n out – RunninBear

A celebration – 10KG party

Tags

health, healthy-living, Running, Weigh In, weight-loss

Today it is official, I have lost 10KG (22.04 pounds)!

Ooooh I love seeing that number!

This feels good, it’s a number that I have been striving for over the last few weeks and boy, has it been elusive! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!

I still have 13.8 kg (30.4 pounds) to go till I reach my goal of 65kg (143 pounds). I am not even half way yet, but this first 10kg means a lot to me! I look way less jiggly, I can run better, I fit into my old jeans, I am back to the weight I was when we got married.

The truth is the next 13.8 kg takes me into unknown territory. I have not been under this weight for a very very long time. It is kinda scary, as I think it will change peoples perception of me. We all do it, “oh look she has lost so much weight, is it because * insert bitchy comment here * “. Even I have done it, commenting on a big weight loss as though it is a symptom of a problem rather than a solution to one.

I think this next bit to lose will be emotionally harder, I will need to clearly define my position when the inevitable “Wow, you have lost a lot of weight!” comments arise. I need to state that I was very overweight, it was unhealthy and it was making me unhappy. I need to state that my health is directly connected to my weight, and the weight loss has been a result of clean eating and exercising. I need to state that I am proud of losing the weight and will not compromise my health and happiness again. I will hold my head high and not succumb to any negative comments.

Its on. The halfway goal is in sight! Skinny jeans are on the horizon. Can’t wait 🙂

Running club – short intervals

Tags

PhD, Running, Weigh In

Last night I made it back to running club. We did short intervals of 100m. Again I was well behind the pack, but it was tons of fun. I felt way less sore but a lot more tired after this one. Must be cos I did not eat very well during the day. I burned 407 calories, which is great 🙂

I am going to try INSANITY this week. I have heard from some of you that it is the best thing to transform your legs. I got a copy and am going to give it a go!

My weigh in yesterday showed I was up again, and regrettably over my 80kg barrier by 100g. It’s frustrating me that I keep yo-yo ing like this. I had beers on the weekend but overall did not eat too badly. This week, I am going to keep it clean and get to 10kg down no matter what! NO BEERS! I want to pass my 10kg mark by 300g and weigh 78.5kg by next Monday. I’ll keep you all in the loop!

As far as the writing challenge goes, it’s coming along. I have stats to do as well so it has been a bit slower over the last few days but it will ramp up again. Every time I add some more to the thesis I feel a bit calmer about finishing it. And it’s really starting to look like a thesis, pictures, graphs, tables etc. Something to be proud of.

Cheers

RunninBear

Monday weigh in…. Under 80kg :)

Tags

food, healthy-living, Jeans, Running, Weigh In, weight-loss

I was looking forward to writing about my second attendance at Running Club. Instead, I dogged it. Stayed at home and vegged out. Feeling blah again today. It’s just lady time blues, but blah none the less. I did go for a run on Sat with a friend and we covered about 3.5ish km with some walking mixed into the running. Felt very sore in the shins afterwards. I really must remember to stretch and strengthen my calves!

In some very good news, I have broken the 80kg barrier. My weigh in this morning revealed a new weight of 79.8kg. A total weight loss of 9kg. When I get to 10kg, Im gonna have a celebration!

Jeans that have been gathering dust are now on my butt. Jeans that were too tight a few months ago are now in the bin. I must weigh about the same as I did when we got married, as I am sitting here in jeans I last wore during our honeymoon. This is a massive achievement for me. I remember the last time I wore these, I felt sad that they were too tight, and now they are comfortable. Not tight anywhere, and with that lived in feeling you just can’t get from a new pair 🙂

I have a spare room closet full of clothes that I hung onto even though they did not fit. Tonight, I am going to haul them out and put the ones that do fit again into my normal closet. Cheaper than shopping!

Healthy, tons of protein and very low fat, and they taste yummy 🙂 Source

 

We are having Kangaroo sausages with mashed sweet potato, some steamed broccoli and steamed carrot for dinner. It’s cooking now, so I shall keep this short and get back to you all soon with a new running adventure.

Did I leave my mojo on the beach?

Tags

food, healthy-living, Running, Weigh In

What is wrong with me? I really really really missed running when I was away. I stared longingly at my shoes, wishing we could be together running slowly and keeping at it.

Now I am home, I don’t want to run. At all. I have dodged it for two days. I don’t want to work out. I dodged that this afternoon. I don’t even feel like going out tomorrow. Booo, what has happened?

Even looking at this has not helped….(Nike Image)

I must admit, I am very tired, and it’s almost lady time which usually gets my grump on. I’m back to eating super healthy to shed the 1kg plus the 300g gained before and during I was away. I also worked like a crazy lady over the last two days to get an important job application done. Part of me is saying ‘Just stop whining’, but I feel flat and uninspired. So maybe I just need to listen to my body, rest and go hard when I feel on top of things.

I’d love to hear how you get out of a slump?