New Year, New Goals?

Every year starts the same doesn't it?  Resolve to be better.  Better at anything.  More committed to weight loss.  More committed to organization.  Better at being on time or at least late less often.  Eat better.  Exercise more. 

I'm in the same boat this year as I was last year.  I want the same things I wanted a year ago.  I must have done it wrong.  I know how to make goals.  Soooo.... this year, I'll try again.  I'm putting my goal out here for you to see.  (I'm pretty sure that last year.  I wrote about SMART goals). 

I read an article this week.  The first tip is to stay away from cliche's.  Sooo... I can't say "I'll lose weight this year".  The second one was to Make it a Game.  That means take lots of pictures and keep a lot of statistics. The third is Be Drastic.  Make the first 30 days a big deal, if you are going to do it, go ALL the way in January.   The last was Stick to it!!  If you fall off the wagon, hop back on!

Side note: Shari must have read (or written) that article.  She ROCKS! 

Anyway!!!  I'm going to try that.  I'm not going to say "I'll lose 50 pounds this year".  This year I'll say... let's see.... I'll wear a dress 2 sizes smaller for the high school reunion.  That's something I can aim for!!!   I am ALL about statistics.  I'll take pictures and measurements and blog.  That really sounds like me.  No problem!  Be drastic... well, I'm off to a shaky start so far, but it's never too late.  So, I'm planning to eat paleo this month.  I plan to eat "only food you can pick or kill..."  Limit my bread or pasta or anything that doesnt' come to the plate almost the same as it was in nature.  And Stick to it!  I don't think I need to learn this one.  I keep coming back to it.  So, that might be the easiest one for me. 

I haven't made the time (as much as I've tried) to draw out the plan as thoroughly as I should.  YET.  I have bits and pieces in my head.  I'll work it out.  I'll be back!  I just wanted to get it out there now!  (and let you all know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth). 

I'll match Shari as well.  I'll add pictures!  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Well!! All I can say is what a year this has been!! This year has literally been a rollercoaster and I will be very happy to get off! Last New Year I decided to sit down and write a list of New Year's Resolutions. After looking back at my list, I haven't done everything that I wanted to do but I can cross off at least half of them and I am still working on some of them. I do know that if I hadn't made that list, then I would probably not have achieved any of the things I wanted to achieve this year and so I am so incredibly happy that I did it and I will do it again this next year coming. Tomorrow afternoon (after I have recovered from New Year!!) I will sit down and write my list for next year, including the things that I am still working on.

By far the biggest goal that I set for myself this year was to lose 60kg (132lbs). A massive number I know, but I had almost double that amount to lose to reach my ultimate goal weight and I didn't want to take more than 2 years to do it. I am already 36 years old and I really haven't lived my life the way that I want to thus far. I want to really start living and I have already wasted so much of my life. I also knew that if I didn't see good results regularly, then I would most probably lose the motivation to keep going.

So........I had my final weigh in for the year this morning and I broke the 110kg (242.5lb) barrier. I am now under that and I haven't been under that for a very very long time. As of this morning I have lost a total of 61.5kg (135.5lbs) and this year alone I lost 51kg (112.5lbs) of that total. I didn't make my goal for the year but I am absolutely ecstatic that I made the 50kg (110 lbs)for the year. I really don't think that I would have done half as well if I hadn't set my sights so high. I know everyone is different and it might do some people's heads in to have such a big goal to achieve, but I found for me that it gave me that extra push to keep going and work extra hard to try and get there. I still have a long way to go but I am now half way and I am so incredibly proud of myself. I have to admit that when I walked out of my weigh in this morning I cried, I was sooooo happy!!

I have worked so incredibly hard this year and I even postponed my Christmas dinner because I was still 13kg (28.5lbs) away from my goal. I knew that I wouldn't make it but I wanted to get as close as possible and I think 9kg (20lbs) off isn't bad considering the year that I have had and the number of setbacks I have had that have affected my efforts. So for the next 9 days at least I am having a very well earned break. My body and my mind definitely need it and from Monday week I will be ready to start working towards my final goal weight by the end of next year.

I am going to post some pictures of my progress if I can figure out how to do that lol!! I can definitely say that I have always hated pictures of any kind and when you see the beginning ones you will understand why. I had to be forced to have my picture taken before but I can definitely say now that I am starting to volunteer for pictures because I am starting to like the way that I look in them. That in itself is amazing to me!! My beginning photo is from January this year and I had already lost 10kg (22lbs) the year before, so I wasn't even at my biggest in that photo if you can believe that!! Hopefully the photos will inspire other people reading this.

Losing weight, no matter how much you have to lose, is such a hard thing to do. I have learnt a lot over the last year and it is not that I haven't tried to do this before. I have tried and failed so many times in the past and I guess I just wasn't ready to do it subconsiously. No matter what anyone says, the biggest hurdle that we have to get over is our mind. Your head has to be in the right place, otherwise no matter how hard we try, we won't be able to achieve what we want to. Only we can do it. Nobody else can do it for us. People can try to encourage us, but at the end of the day, we need to find the strength within ourselves to do this. And don't think that I haven't had days where I didn't eat everything in sight, or when I couldn't make myself get up and exercise. There were plenty of those days. There were some weeks when I put on between 2 - 6kg (4.5 - 13lbs), because I fell well and truly off the wagon. But then I would tell myself that the most important thing was to pick myself back up and work that little bit harder to fix what I had done and keep going. We are all human and this is not an easy thing to do. It is ok to have a bad day, or 2 or 3 or to go away on a holiday for a week and enjoy ourselves. We just have to pick ourselves back up at some point and get stuck back into it. We are here to enjoy our lives, and there are times when we deserve to let our hair down. We just have to enjoy it and then get back to work to to speak. It will definitely be worth it in the end.

I hope you all have a fabulous New Year!! I know I will! I am going to definitely let my hair down and eat and drink and be merry. I am looking forward to saying goodbye to this year that except for my weight loss achievements has really been pretty crappy, and welcome in a New Year that I hope will be absolutely amazing and will end with me achieving my goal weight. I would be ecstatic if anyone else would join me next year. I have some friends (both workmates and personal friends) that are going to embark on their own journeys next year alongside me which I think is absolutely awesome and the more the merrier I reckon!! Hopefully we will all inspire and motivate each other.

If we don't aim for the stars, how are we ever going to get there?!!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Shari

The best of intentions!!

When you have such a big goal and you are so far behind, I have discovered that it really is not a very good idea to go on a week's holiday!! Of course, when I booked the holiday, I had no idea that I would be so far behind on my weight loss journey. And yes, I know that I have done really well and I am really happy with how far I have come, but I did set myself a goal for the year and I really really really would like to achieve it. I guess when I planned the holiday I thought that I would be a lot further along on my journey. Actually, I don't really think I thought about it at all. I booked the flights back in April and only because it was such a special deal and at that time November seemed so far away!! Anyway, all my supporters at work were worried because I was going on holiday and we all know that most of us don't worry about what we are eating when on holiday. I know I sure don't. I am on holiday and I don't get many of those, so I go on holiday from EVERYTHING!! Unfortunately though, that is definitely not what I need so close to my finish line! I did have the best of intentions. I took my food scales with me so that I could do exactly what I do at home with my dinners. The day we arrived I went to the shops and bought myself some shakes to have for lunch so that I was still able to eat properly while on the run. I bought Nutrigrain and skim milk for breakfast which is something that I have at home if I have none of my normal options available and I can fit it into my eating schedule without too much trouble. I assured all my people that I would be ok. That just because I was on holiday didn't mean that I was going to have a blowout.

I think I lasted the breakfast of the first morning after we got there! We visited a lot of people while we were away and everywhere we went they had prepared special meals for us and it just felt so rude to turn around and say, "I'm sorry, I can't have that." So, needless to say, I fell well and truly off the wagon while I was away. I exercised as much as I could. I went for a really good hour long walk for the two mornings that we were down the coast and went to Curves for 2 sessions while we were there. Other than that though, it was just the walking around that we did when we were sightseeing. I tried to make as much as I could into a workout, like running up the Opera House steps. My daughter was amazed to see me run up them - I have to say I was amazed at myself. Once upon a time I would have not even wanted to walk up them. I would have avoided it at all costs!

Anyway, I got home last Wednesday and hopped on the scales on Thursday morning to find that I have put on quite a bit of weight. I am embarrassed to say that it is over 10 lbs. There is some good news though. As of this morning I have lost all that I put on plus a little bit more, so hopefully I am well on my way to a good weigh in this week which is what I really need.

Officially as of my last weigh in a few weeks ago so far I have lost 48.1kg (106 lbs) and 37.6kg (82 lbs) this year. I have 22.4kg (49lbs) to go & I have 6 weeks left to do it. I know I have said it before, but now is definitely the time to pull out all the stops. I CAN do it and it is only 6 weeks. I can do that. So here goes!

It is really crazy here as I am sure it is for most everyone. I have so much going on & I am fast running out of time. I normally wouldn't have even taken the time out to post today, but I felt it important to own up to my transgressions and reaffirm my commitment to making my goal. I CAN do it!

I hope this finds you all well and reminds us that no matter how far we fall, we can always pick ourselves back up, dust ourselves off & get stuck back into it!!

Shari

Getting down to the wire now!!

Hi all!!

Nobody has blogged lately so I thought I better put something up before everything gets really crazy, which I think is what is about to happen!! We are getting down to the wire now!! I have been doing my challenge for the past 4 weeks & while it does work, as I ended up losing 5.3kg (11.7lbs) over the 4 weeks, it wasn't what I needed to lose to get me to my goal at the end of the year. I guess my body doesn't work the way other people's bodies do & I just wasn't getting the results that some of the other people on the challenge were. That's ok though. I learnt some things along the way that I can use to get me to my goal & I still have time. I will do the challenge again next year to get my year kick started & then I will be happy to lose 1kg (2.2lbs) per week.

So tomorrow I will start back on my eating plan that I was doing before I started the challenge, which basically means that I eat 1200 calories per day. I know that I can make my goal if I stick to that religiously (no splurge days every weekend!!!) & keep up my exercise routine. It will be hard work, but I have 10 weeks to get to my goal & I really really really want to do it. I want to see that 100kg (220lbs)or less on the scales on New Year's Eve. Of course that will be before the festivities begin lol!!

To date since I began my current weight loss journey I have lost 46.3kg (102lbs) & so far this year I have lost 35.8kg (78.9lbs). That means I have 24.2kg (53.4lbs) left to go. I know that I can do it if I really really try. I just have to pull out all the stops & go for it. Easier said than done I know, but here goes!!

You might not hear from me for a while, as there are a lot of things coming up in the next couple of months, so I hope all is well with you all & that you are managing to achieve your own goals that you set for yourselves. Every little step gets us that little bit closer to what we want to achieve. We just have to keep plugging away little by little & we can't help but win in the end.

Shari

Finally!!

Well I finally made my 30kg(66lbs)!!! I am now at my half way point for my goal for the year but we are much more than half way through the year so I am behind. My running total is 41kg (90lbs) & 30.2kg (66.6lbs)this year, leaving 29.7kg (65.5lbs) to lose by 31/12/11. It will be hard but I am going to give it a really good go! I started a new eating regime today. I am doing a 90 day challenge which will take me right up until Christmas Eve & then watch out Christmas Day!!! The 90 day challenge is designed by a weight loss company called Food Patrol, which you can find at www.foodpatrol.com.au if you want to learn more about it. I saw it on Facebook last weekend - some of my family said that they were starting the 90 day challenge & I was wondering what they were talking about, so I went to the website. Some people have lost over 40kg (88lbs)in the 90 days & when interviewed said that they were able to eat more food than they normally would eat. I was very interested then!! Anyway, I thought what the heck? I need to pull out all stops now & so I bought the starter kit & read through the book the day that I got it. I was very excited by what I read & decided to start it today, so that gave me some time to go shopping & make sure that I was totally prepared to begin. And I will have definitely earned my Christmas that's for sure!!!

Anyway, fingers crossed that my body does what the book says it will do. I am so excited because I just had a lovely lunch & will be having a yummy yummy dinner & I get to eat lots of good healthy food which will be making my insides just as beautiful as what I am trying to make my outside!!

I will keep you posted most definitely!! I hope you are all faring well in this battle that we wage & must never ever give up on!

How many times?

How many times can a girl start over? 

I'd fallen off the wagon again.  Well, not all the way off.  It was dragging me by my heels this time. 
I've pulled myself back up again though.

I was doing OK on diet and exercise for a while.  Then we went on vacation.  I had made up my mind before we left to not worry too much about what I ate or how much exercise I was getting while I was there.  And it turned out well.  I ate what I wanted and enjoyed every  bite.  And we walked so much that I came home with no change on the scale.  And it made me happy!

When we returned we seemed to be at a dead run in the summer.  I had all these lofty ideas about riding my bike to get the kids from camp, or walking by the river a couple times a week to throw the boys in the water for a cool down.  None of that happened.  It seemed there wasn't ever time. 

Then I bought a jump rope and set goals to jump on the patio each night.  I did that for a while, but even that seemed to get pushed aside eventually.  While I was jumping I found a neat little 4 week challenge to try.  I needed no special equipment (other than a jump rope and a couple 5 pound weights, which I already have. Handy).  I was still sore from jumping rope when I started this.  One night of training and one night of rest.  The one night of rest turned into a few nights because I still couldn't move.  Then we started a home renovation project (new roof), which I helped on as much as I possibly could.  Every minute I was home I tried to help.  And it was hard work and I ended up sore and dirty and tired.  And I forgot all about exercising. 

The next weekend we drove 8 hours to a friends wedding.  And last weekend I can't recall what I did, but it wasn't constructive.

My diet has been iffy, but not terrible.  I'm holding steady.  I'm not gaining. 

Yesterday, I decided, once again, that I am tired of this.  I need a routine that involves ME and being healthy.  I want to look good naked.  I want that view to be MORE.   I want to be able to keep up.  So last night I started that 4 week challenge again.  Today is a day for rest.  And I know I should, because everyone says if you jump in with both feet you will become overwhelmed and quit earlier.  But I think I'll jump rope for 5 minutes anyway...  My muscles are telling me they got used yesterday and it's a good feeling. 

How many times?  As many as it takes. 

Bugger!!!!!

Well.....I didn't make my goal. I am not beating myself up though because I ALMOST made my goal. I have now lost a total of 39.9kg (88lbs)& 29.4kg (65lbs) this year. I let my hair down last night & have had a weekend of no diets. I earned myself a weekend off & now I feel ready to get back into it & strive for the next goal. I still have 30.6kg (67.5lbs) left to lose by New Year's Eve & I really do want to make that goal. Even if I don't make all the smaller goals I set for myself along the way, that is the most important one for me & I know that I can do it. Lots more hard work to come along the way though!!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know how I went & here's to getting back on the wagon. Take care & I hope to see less of each other next time!!

Shari