Non Scale Victories

It's been a big week with a bout of sickness hitting our household.  Headaches, fevers, coughing, runny noses.  First Owen, then Aidan, followed by Callum (and a fainting incident to just boost the excitement!), and now Paige has it.  And of course, it was inevitable that I would get it, but we were shocked that hubby came down with it as he hardly ever gets sick.  Let's just say, when he gets sick, he doesn't do it by halves.  He's come down with a big case of man flu...  oops, I mean Bronchitis!

However, it is weigh in Wednesday and I am stoked to report a loss of 2.9kgs this week, bringing my weight to 102.6kgs.  I really turned things up this week in an effort to shake up the small weight losses & especially that 100gm gain of last week.  I am so proud of myself & how far I have come.  23.2kgs in 17 weeks is nothing to be sneezed at!

I've just read a new post from fellow blogger Dayna, which reminds me to look for the "non scale" victories of our weightloss.  It's something Dayna does each week to keep herself motivated, and I guess it is something I need to keep reminding myself of.  It's easy to get lost in the numbers on the scales.  I suppose when you are so heavy and have so much to lose, seeing those numbers go down on the scales is all the motivation you need!  But with 12wbt, you need to remind yourself of all the other things that go along with weightloss.  Some of my non scale victories this week have been....

• Fitting in to 2 pairs of Slazenger trackies I bought over 2 years ago that were too small
• Purchasing size 18 clothes - a change from size 26+ I was buying 17 weeks ago!!!
• Planking for 40 seconds (up from my personal best of 10 seconds!)
• Beating the time on my 1km fitness test by 53 seconds
• Being able to REALLY see the weightloss in the mirror for the first time

I just cannot put into words how fantastic I am feeling with this program.  The clean eating has my body working so well, and I love being able to listen to it to know when to eat, and how much to eat.  The exercising has me losing weight in such a different way to what I have ever experienced before and I can really notice the way the skin on my body doesn't sag like it has previously before with weightloss.  Michelle Bridges, you rock!!!

Onwards & downwards.....

Hasta La Vista "Holiday Mode"

My hubby's last few posts on his blog have been gems (especially the one about swimming between the flags), but his latest one mentions he is struggling this round.  Not off the wagon, but just tired after 16 weeks of going flat knacker!  And I must admit, I am feeling that way too lately.  However, I don't think I am just tired, I think I am ever so slowly falling into the trap of "holiday mode" as I have so often over the years.  I've also documented that struggle in this blog.

"Holiday mode" usually sees me looking forward to a big holiday coming up.  I work my arse off to have great weight loss beforehand, but then slacken off in the weeks leading up to the holiday as I think I deserve to let myself go, as I am going on holidays afterall.  This happens to me ALL THE TIME!  And unfortunately last night "holiday mode" tapped me on the shoulder.  Wine, chips, bikkies & dip. What was I thinking?  

But I am determined to turn this around.  Last night will be the last time "holiday mode" visits me.  It will no longer exist to me!  I am determined not to gain a heap of weight in the week I am away in Bali, or the weeks before I go for that matter!  I am determined to exercise EVERY single day I am away and I will make wise food choices.  I am sure I will be drinking my fair share of alcohol, but as long as I am careful, I think there will be minimal damage.

However, the biggest battle I have with "holiday mode" is when I return from my holiday - I just can't get shake the whole "holiday mode", and that's where the danger lies.  Last year I busted my arse to lose 30kgs on Weight Watchers, and made it to 101kgs - so close to those double digits I am chasing.  2 weeks in Bali at Club Med with unlimited food & wine, and a gain of 6kgs to show for it, and that was the end of my great weight loss run.  And here I am today, still 4.5kgs heavier than March last year.

So, I say a big Hasta La Vista Baby to "Holiday Mode".  I don't want or need you anymore, and you are no longer permitted to enter my mind!

Oh, did someone say 19 sleeps til Bali?  But who's counting?!

Who Would Have Thought.....

.......I'd be so happy about my first gain on the 12wbt.  I gained 100gms.  Now let me tell you, after waking, weeing & weighing myself, I then did everything I could to try & shift that pesky 100gms.  Sat on the toilet for ages willing myself to pass a brick, walked around for a while to try & get my body moving, but alas, the 105.5kgs were there to stay!  However, I was absolutely stoked!  The scales over the weekend showed a 3kg gain after my party & the hangover food that followed the next day.  I am so relieved I was able to get my arse moving & do a couple of big workouts the last couple of days, as well as eating perfectly clean.  Hard work does pay off!  And I'm happy to take the 100gm gain for the wedges with sour cream & sweet chilli sauce, the potato chips, the rocky road, the mudcake & choc ripple cake.  Not to mention the bottle of vodka & numerous bottles of wine!  Doesn't seem like a fair trade really!

That's me "Jules_L"!!!

To add to my euphoria this morning was the notification from the 12wbt that this ol' blog was included in the list of blogs to win the weekly surprise!   As was Greg's blog, and some of the blogs from our new friends we met in Perth at the finale.  The prize was a Chiball set including instruction DVD worth $75.  Whoo hoo!

And dare I say it, but today I actually can see & feel that I've lost weight - a LOT of weight.  I just feel different in my skin.  And standing in front of the mirror this morning in my knickers & bra, I can tell the difference the 12wbt is making compared to other weightloss I've experienced.   Last year I was only a couple of kilos lighter than I am now after losing 30kgs on Weight Watchers, but the skin on my thighs hung in saggy pouches.  However, now my legs are becoming more toned & strong thanks to all the exercising.  I am sure I will have loose skin as the weight keeps coming off, but this weight loss is just totally different.  I feel stronger, healthier & more alive than ever before.  And I want it!  I want to go all the way with the 12wbt & I truly believe I will!

So, here's to a big week of eating clean and training hard.  I am going to push myself the next 3 weeks to get to that elusive double digits weight I have been yearning for for so long!

Onwards & downwards!

12wbt Finale Photos YAY!

FINALLY the 12wbt Finale official photos were released, and here's some of us.  Funny how I was disillusioned & thought I looked quite nice on the night.  It's not until you see the photos later that you realise you still have a heck of a long way to go.    But, I have changed in that I don't mind having my photo taken anymore.  Well, that's not entirely true - I would prefer not to have my photo taken, but I want to have my photo taken along the way so I can look back at my journey & see how far I have come.  

Greg & Moi

My bestie Jen & I all ready to party!

Greg receiving his award from Michelle

Greg & I with Mish.
I'm quite horrified at how swollen my ankle is in this shot!

Ahoy Me Harty, It's a Pirate Party - Red Flag Warning!!!

We've just a huge weekend with my 40th Birthday party.  Greg and I went in prepared, thinking we would drink Vodka, lime & soda - the dieter's drink of choice due to being lower in calories that beer or wine.  Unfortunately, on the food front, I wasn't so prepared.  I forgot all about the carrot sticks I's promised myself I'd have on hand, and although there was sushi & rice paper rolls, I ate too many.  And somehow a few pieces of delicious rocky road made their way into my mouth!

Overall, I was pretty happy with myself on Saturday night.  However, it was with the hangover on Sunday that I let things slip.  I couldn't stomach brekkie or coffee, and had a long shift at work.  I ate left over sandwiches... made with WHITE bread.  I then had wedges (yep, deep fried and greasy) with sour cream & sweet chilli sauce - great to soak up the alcohol, but the guilt I felt was incredible, and I threw a third of the box in the bin!  Then chocolate mud cake, choc ripple cake, more rocky road & more sandwiches, washed down with a glass of wine. Happy 40th indeed!!!!!!

Cutting the cake.

My first born Callum & I

I'm 40!!!

Today I've woken up & not had brekkie until 11am.  I feel like I've swallowed a brick.  So tired, and I think I have a sugar hangover.  I will remember this feeling, as I don't want to repeat it!

So, I will probably have my first gain this week on the 12wbt.  But that's okay.  I will be disappointed, but I let myself enjoy my birthday weekend.  This is just a small bump in the road.  I haven't fallen off the wagon, I just halted it briefly, and will now charge on!

Bali is in 3 weeks & I will be in double digits dammit!!!!

Onwards & downwards.....

5,000 Page Views! THANK YOU!

I've hit 5,000 page views on my blog today!  WOW!  I started this blog so many years ago (6 years I think?!?!), right back when that little boy at my daughter's Kinder asked me if I had a baby in my belly.  Of course I didn't!!  And the embarrassment I felt on that day I will never ever forget!  I was 133kgs of embarrassed!  And I'm never going back there!

So, I just wanted to say thank you to you for reading my blog.  For sharing this tough journey with me, through all the fad diets & falling off the wagon.  Did someone say Dukan Diet?  What a joke!  But I am glad I finally came to that fork in the road & I chose the right path - the 12wbt path!  What a delight it has been to find the TRUE way to a healthy & happy future.

To those who have left comments over the years, THANK YOU!  It's meant a lot that you took the time to let me know your thoughts.

So, onwards & downwards we go, to a brighter & lighter future!!!  So glad you're coming along for the ride!!!!

40! This Is My Year!!!

It's my birthday today & I'm forty!  Can't f&*king believe it!  FORTY!!  But I'm in no way sad about it, I am over the moon!  It's going to be a bloody brilliant year, and it's the year I get to be healthy & fit and hit my goal weight!  I have absolutely no doubt about it and I cannot wait!!!!

After a weekend of boozing in Perth, I was hoping for any type of loss on the scales, but imagine my surprise when I saw a ONE KILO loss!  What an amazing birthday present to myself - a total of 20.4kgs lost in 15 weeks on the 12wbt!!!  Happy dancing all around!!!!

So, what have I done so far on my birthday?  I went for a big walk & burnt 420 calories & tonight I'll celebrate with the kids by having a cupcake, made by Paige, and then after a boxing session with Greg, we'll sit & enjoy a bottle of Veuve champers that we have chilling in the fridge!  Life is bloody good!

Thank You Perth! What a Blast!!!

The 12wbt Finale weekend has come & gone and all I can say is...  WOW!!!  I sit here with a sore tummy (from all the drinking & eating of non-clean food), and bloodshot eyes from exhaustion, but it was brilliant, and I wouldn't change a moment of it!

Greg & I with the lovely Dayna & Bec at the drinks

Friday morning was an early wake up for us at 3.30am, and off we went to the airport, leaving our 4 kids in the capable hands of their grandparents.  The flight with Virgin Airlines was a great one, and we arrived in sunny Perth with an early check in to the hotel.  A bit of unpacking & then off went to catch a train to Fremantle.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch & a few beers at Little Creatures Brewery, and a spot of shopping at the markets before heading back to the CBD to shower & change before meeting about 70 fellow 12wbters at a bar.  It was lovely to meet up with some of the virtual family we've made on the 12wbt forums & Facebook, and put faces to names.  Afterwards we headed out to dinner with about a dozen girls from the Facebook 30+ Crew, and it was a fantastic night!   Let's just say the memory is a bit foggy about getting back to the hotel later than night!

The beautiful Heather & I with baby Noah.. cuteness!

Saturday we woke early, after I had a terrible sleep.  Alcohol & sleep don't go hand in hand when it comes to me - just another reminder as why I should keep off the grog.  Bleary eyed we went off to brekkie to meet up with another virtual friend of mine.  I've "spoken" to Heather for years on the Weight Watchers forums, and she is one of the few I haven't met of our group of about 12 of us, that still chat daily in a private Facebook group.  I saw her from a distance with her beautiful family waiting to cross the street to the cafe where I was waiting, and I just cried!  It was such a surreal moment to finally see her in the flesh & give her a big hug.  It was a special morning for me to meet her, her gorgeous hubby & delightful kids!

Then on to the 12wbt workout in Langley Park.  Not a cloud in the sky, the most perfect day!  Greg & I had no idea what to expect, but it was such fun!  A lot of the high impact stuff I couldn't do due to my ankle, but I did what I could & we had a ball, especially when we broke into small groups for some fun activities.

Greg & I waiting for the workout to start!

Mish

Group tunnel

Group wall sit

The afternoon we spent at the hotel resting.  I caught up on some much needed sleep, Greg relaxed with a wine, and then we got ready for the big Finale party.  A bit of drama occurred with the hotel laundry damaging my outfit for the night, but once it was all sorted, off we went!

Greg & I waiting to enter the Finale party

Quite hilarious, but Greg had to walk the catwalk with all the other Top 20 finalists & then he was announced as the Blogger of the Round.  I was so happy & proud of him!  His trophy takes pride of place on our TV cabinet now.  Something to remind him of the hard work he put in, and was rewarded with.

The Round 2 Top 20 Finalists

Greg & Mish

Greg, my bestie Jen & me

 We left the Finale party early, and caught the red eye back to Melbourne.  Appropriately nicknamed the red eye indeed.  But, of course the express trip to Perth was fantastic, and we cut the trip short because of our daughter's First Holy Communion on the Sunday afternoon.  She looked like a Princess, and it made us realise the exhaustion was all worth it!

My beautiful Communion Princess!

The scales were showing a bit of a gain this morning, but I am sure with a bit of hard work I can turn that around before Wednesday.  A big week coming up - my 40th birthday on Wednesday & then my party on Saturday night.  BRING IT ON!  This is going to be the best year of my life!!!!

Perth Here We Come!!!!

It's been such an exciting week with the countdown to our trip over to W.A. for the 12wbt Finale in Perth.  Adding to that excitement was Monday's news via email that Greg made the top 20!!!  Out of 1000s of 12wbters, he made the top 20 finalists!!!!  Can you bloody believe it?!!?  He's over the moon of course, but I think it is me who is excited beyond belief!  He's going to be up on the stage with the other 19 finalists with Michelle Bridges.  The cheeky thing said he's going to grab her on the bum to see if she has buns of steel!! haha!!!
So, Thursday morning we are up & off to the airport early, leaving the 4 kids in the care of my parents. I am looking forward to seeing Perth, having never been there.  We were in Fremantle just after my car accident for a weekend of rest (Greg had a work trip that I accompanied him on), but I was so drugged out of my head & in a wheelchair, so it wasn't the best of memories for me.
Saturday morning we have the 12wbt group workout & then the big Finale party on Saturday night.  I'll take lots of photos!!!  We then have to catch the red eye home & arrive in Melbourne at some unGodly hour, as our daughter has her First Holy Communion on Sunday afternoon.  ARGH!
So, the biggest test this week is to not slip into my usual "holiday mode" which consists of me eating & drinking everything in sight well before I am on holiday.  I need to keep focussed - eat clean & train hard!!

Today was our second weigh in for this round, and I'm so pleased to report I lost 1.1kgs.  I'm inching closer to double digits & I'm so exited I'll be there in a few more weeks!  BRING IT ON!!