Who's The Cat That Got the Cream??

Ah, wedded bliss!!!

I met Greg when we were both working at the major petroleum company's head office in the Melbourne CBD.  It was my first (and only) job in the city, and God how I loved working at the top end of Melbourne, near Parliament house.  Lunchtimes were spent shopping (goodbye pay-packet!!), or eating out (hello expanding waistline), and Friday's after work were spent with work colleagues drinking to excess (Well Hi There Sailor!).  I look back so fondly on those days - some of the best days of my life!  It was an enjoyable job, a great company to work for (with a nice discount on petrol!!), and brilliant work colleagues that were great to socialise with after hours.  I was single for the most part, and living on my own, and life was just one big friggen fantastic party!!!!

Those calves!!!

I'd been working there a few years when this big red haired fella started contracting there.  He was full of himself, obnoxious, crude, overweight, drank too much and he fancied one of my friends.  Of course, I was smitten!!!

It wasn't until a week before I was moving overseas to the UK that we finally got together.  My trip overseas was cut short to 3 only months, as I came home for him.  Not long after that, the big red head and I got pregnant, moved in together & got married (yeah, not quite the traditional order of way to do things!!!!).  We were both overweight, unhealthy, drinking too much, but happy & in love.  I look back now & wonder what I saw in that big oaf.  Bu then he could probably say the same thing about me!!!

Fast forward 14 years.  

I'm now married to a fit, healthy and handsome forty year old.  A terrific father to our kids.  With great calves to boot!  And no, I didn't have to get remarried!!  I couldn't be prouder of him & his achievements in the last 10 months!

Who's the cat that got the cream?  Yep, that's me!!

Our 11th Wedding Anniversary in Sydney

Why Do I Want to Lose Weight?

Someone asked this in one of the 12wbt groups on facebook the other day.  It made me stop in my tracks.  "Why do I want to lose weight?".  I've never thought about it so bluntly before.  The list of "whys" is probably endless, but here are some I've come up with...

1. I don't want to be fat anymore.
2. I hate the feeling of embarrassment that comes with being fat.  Like when I am eating out, and people look to see what food choices I am making, because as a fat person, sometimes you shouldn't be eating "that".  Yep, it's true, and I know it's true cause I have found myself recently walking through a food court at a shopping complex & looking at what overweight people are eating!!!
3. I want to have a healthy body, to enable it to live for a long time to be around to see my kids grow up
4. I don't want my kids to be fat by following in the footsteps of their mother.  I want to be the best role model I possibly can be!
5. I want to feel strong and fit.  I love the feeling that exercise brings to me now, and how strong & fit I feel in comparison to what I used to be!
6. I want to look good and feel sexy
7. I want to be able to buy & wear nice clothes, not just something that I wear because it fits.  
8. I want to be able to do anything I set my mind to.

I could go on & on with this list, but I think they are the 8 most important to me.

Another question that was asked : What's you ultimate reward for goal & what's your magic number.

65 has always been my magic number, but I'll just go by whatever my body is comfortable at.  I never thought I'd see the day I was in double digits, so I now know anything is possible!  And it's bloody exciting.  I have no idea what I will reward myself with when I get there - maybe just a nice piece of jewellery or a family portrait.  Just something to remind me of the special occasion.  Can't wait!

I had a visit to the physio last week & did some acupuncture in my leg.  Since then, I have been in such pain, so much so that it actually wakes me from my sleep when I move my leg.  Will organise another visit to see what's going on. It's not the first time I've had it done, although it has been a few years.  I don't recall it hurting as much afterwards.

Weigh in this week saw me lose 300gms.  I have eaten over my 1200 calories on too many occasions and not exercised very much at all.  I'm not phased by it though - I'm cemented in double digits & that's where I'm staying.  I am going to take it easy the next 2 weeks, as there is just SOOO much going on with Finale & I am working a hell of a lot, and then I'll get ready to go full throttle in my next round.

The family before the run

Saturday night we did the Glow Run with the kids. Greg wasn't very impressed with the organisation of it.  It definitely wasn't what we expected.  There were 4 small tents along the route that had DJs and lighting.  We both expected the whole course to be lit up.  Running proved difficult as I had sore toes & Paige wore inappropriate footwear (of course you wouldn't wear runners to a FUN RUN!!!!), but we all had a ball (except Greg!) and I will do it again with the kids next time.  The 2 little ones fell asleep in the pram early on into it, but Owen did wake up to cross the finish line.

Running over the finish line.

Onwards & downwards....

The Dreaded Gastro Bug

I've nothing much to post since my last entry.  On Sunday I woke up with an upset tummy, which seemed to go away as quickly as it came on.  But then Monday both myself & my 5yo Owen were unwell.  Then my daughter came down with it Monday night.  It seems everyone is now fit & well in the house except for me, as I am still feeling nausea with my belly in knots.

Weigh in this week saw a loss of 700gms.  I honestly thought it would be more with the bout of gastro. It's been interesting to see the scales not move, as obviously my body went into survival mode and stored everything I had to get through the sickness.  Unfortunately no exercise the last few days, and I will wait until I am 100% to get back into it.


So, that's my boring update!  2 more weigh ins to go & then Finale.  Cannot wait!

No Holds Barred - 3 Weeks to Go!

Weigh in this morning saw a measly loss of 600gms.  Thinking about what I consumed whilst away (and to be honest the day after I got home from holidays as well), I am lucky to have any loss at all!  But I have worked hard with exercise & trying to keep on track with my eating.  I started tracking my food again on My Fitness Pal, and quickly discovered I was eating well over my 1200 calories a day - it's so easy to do, even with clean food!  A handful of almonds here, an extra coffee there, a rice cracker or five as I pass the kitchen, and I was over my calories!  My gorgeous friend Heather in Perth is keeping an eye on my food diary, so I am keeping myself in check.

The Western Warriors punching it out

Exercise has been consistent!  Saturday we had our usual garage session.  It was our 8 week Mini milestone week on the 12wbt, so 13 of is got together for a great workout.  Such a great bunch of local people we've met on the 12wbt.

Sunday I had a Vic Crew workout.  It consisted of a triple class workout - Body Step, Body Pump & a choice of either RPM or Zumba.  I was late & missed the Body Step class due to being in Geelong that morning (will explain why further on), but made it for Body Pump & RPM.  I'd never done Pump before, and loved it!  And I really wish I had of been brave enough to give my unco-ordinated body a go at Zumba, as it looked like a lot of fun.  Monday I had a nice 7.2km stroll with some local 12wbters & last night another garage session.  I always find exercise difficult on school holidays, so haven't been stressing too much about it with the kids home, but thankfully it's been easy to get some workouts done. I know I'll get right back into my riding next week when our routine is back in place, and the kids are back at school & Kinder.

The 12wbt Vic Crew Triple Workout

On Ya Bike!

Body Pump... Loved it!

Greg had a huge day on Sunday with his first attempt at a Half Marathon.  He has signed up for one in July, but when a friend had to pull out of the Geelong one on Sunday, he thought he'd take her place & give it a crack.  What was the worst that could happen?  He would have to walk some of it.  To date, his longest run had been 14km.  And I couldn't believe it when he finished it on Sunday morning & he announced he ran the WHOLE BLOODY WAY!!  21.1kms!  I still can't believe it!  So very, very proud of him & how far he's come, my half marathon man!!!!

Crossing the finish line, with Owen & Aidan cheering on

Absolutely stuffed!

So only 3 more weeks to go on this round of 12wbt, and I'm keen as mustard to sign up for the next round as well.  As usual, I'm not going to hit the goals I've set for this round.  I always aim high & expect to do as well as I did in my first round, but as long as I keep going, the scales will get there.  I weigh 99kgs as of this morning, and I've set myself a short goal of finishing under 95kgs by the end of the round.  4kgs in 3 weeks should be a piece of piss if I work hard & stick with the nutrition.  I just cannot imagine what it would be like to see the scales staring back at me with a number in the 94s!

Bring it on!  25 days left!  LET'S GO!

Make the Impossible Possible!

This week's 12wbt challenge is to tell Michelle in less than 100 words how we've defied our own expectations and started to achieve amazing things.  This is my entry:

Since starting the 12wbt, I have found ANYTHING is possible!

P articipated in my first every triathlon!

O ne push up done on my toes - MY FIRST EVER!!!

S ydney Harbour Bridge climb conquered

S mashed double digits - weighing the lightest I've weighed in 10 years

I can now do sit-ups, for the very first time!

B ecoming the best role model I can be for my 4 kids

L oving & living life to the fullest

E very SSS I train with fellow local 12wbters in my garage workout session

12 Years Ago Today.....

....I gave birth to the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen (don't all us mothers think their babies are the most beautiful?).  He was perfect in every way.  Greg and I had no idea what we were in for, since it was a "surprise" pregnancy, and we were only new into our relationship, but the love & joy we felt on that day when we lay our eyes on our newborn son can never be explained.

And today Callum turns 12.  I just cannot believe it.  I've felt teary all morning.  Not sure if it is because i've been reminiscing about that amazing day 12 years ago, or if I am lamenting that my eldest is growing up.  Or if it is just the realisation that I am getting old!!!!

So, today my baby enters his last year before becoming a teenager.  And I can't believe how proud I am of him.  He's such a lovely kid.  Sweet, loving, kindhearted, caring, and a brilliant big brother to his younger sister & younger brothers.

Happy Birthday Callum!!! xx

No Regrets

We've been away on our Easter break to Cobram.  It started off well, with glorious sunny weather, great relaxation time, and lots of time to get plenty of exercise done.  I actually didn't miss not drinking alcohol on our holiday, which was something I was worried about.

Easter was indulgent, and although I hadn't planned on being "naughty", indeed I was.  Very naughty indeed.  Chocolate, it seems, is my nemesis, especially when TTOM (That Time Of the Month) is looming!  Aidan became sick over the last 5 days of our holiday, which resulted in no exercising time for me.  All this added up to a gain of a kilo on the scales come weigh in day.  That triple figure of 100kgs is looming too close for my liking!  Time to get back into the saddle.

So, yes, I have been feeling 'regretful' about my choice over the week away.  Two nights of eating at buffet style dinners with large portions on my plate (including desserts!), and a dinner of Chinese takeaway.  But, of course, it is only one week out of the rest of my life.

The old saying of "no regrets" has been spinning around in my head for a few days.  It is hard not to have regrets.  Some of the things I would think that I regret are:-

1. Getting my hair permed when I was 16
2. Wearing that blue taffeta dress to a ball when I was 15
3. Breaking the heart of Lennie when I was 17 - such a gorgeous bloke who didn't deserve me being such a bitch to him
4. Not buying a house when I had an opportunity to at the age of 24, and then at 27, instead of squandering my money away!
5. Not staying in London on my first trip to the UK.  I had a British passport & no reason not to - except for my dog Daisy, for who I came home.
6. Quitting my Credit Job after 8 years at the sugar refinery at the age of 25 - so close to long service leave & such a great job for someone at my age.
7. Not stopping before leaving work for the toilet even though I was busting to go, on that fateful night in July 2005.  If I had of stopped to go to the toilet, I would have missed the head on collision with the drunk driver.

There are dozens of others I can think of, too numerous to list of course.  But I could offer up the argument that I don't regret any of these events because:-

1. Had I not had a perm, I wouldn't have known how bad my hair looked with a spiral curl
2. I wouldn't have been "in" without that blue taffeta dress, which was all the rage when I was 15
3. If I hadn't broken up with him, Lennie would have been stuck with someone who treated him like shit, instead of someone who deserved his kind heart
4. Buying a house, I would have spent all my money on a mortgage & not travelled overseas
5. Planting my roots in London, I wouldn't have come home from my UK holiday to a new job, where I met Greg!!!
6. As above, not quitting my sugar refinery job, would have meant I wouldn't have the new job where I met Greg!
7. Without the head on collision, I wouldn't have been given a new appreciation for how precious life is!  And the old saying about your life flashing before your eyes is absolutely true!

By far, the one thing I can say that I may regret at this very moment in my life is that I didn't start the 12wbt sooner.  But that is something I can't change, so maybe it is true I don't really have any regrets.  Live in the "now", not looking back on what could have been.  I will make sure I live with no regrets!!