Sunny Queensland

I say sunny, but today is the first day it's rained since moving to Gladstone. Everything is in limbo at the moment while I'm house-hunting, but that doesn't mean my diet has to suffer. Driving up there was a bit of Maccas involved, but now that I'm here and able to cook in the Backpackers, things are a bit easier. I don't want to buy too much, because I'll have to take it all when I move into a place, but little things even just boiled veggies and chicken make a difference to the $20 pub meals that often have chips on the side and a poor excuse for a side salad. I did have a nice thai beef salad in Tannum yesterday, but even then I don't know how it was made or with what ingredients for the marinade so it still may not be the best for me.

I went for a run yesterday, first in a while and it felt so good. My new job allows me free gym use and swimming pool, but im just itching to get my skates out of the packed to the brim car! It's definitely a place where people should be active, but i get the feeling a lot of people drive everywhere and then go to the gym. Ick. I can't wait to get outside more and utilise the weather :-)

Week 3:

Day 42 saw me break my coffee hiatus because, after all, you can't say no to Polish hospitality. But I wish I did. The headache following the filter machine coffee was enough to put me off for another 40 days at least!

Today was also my week three weigh in. While I haven't been following the exercise plan to the T, I've still had plenty of derby training and a few runs on the weekend and still managed to lose a kilo.

I've also not been eating to the T, because I can't follow the plans when I have lots of leftovers so I end up having food lasting for an extra week, so I really need to sit down and plan what will make leftovers and then not buy for the next meal.

I've kind of put things on the backburner - and I don't mean given up, because that I definitely haven't - but I am saving all the workout plans and nutrition information to follow it when I get up to Queensland, because this whole changing jobs, changing states thing is a bit of a challenge.

Week 2 Weigh In

I can't believe this - even though I had a week that was kind of active but not the full 12WBT program, I still lost 1.5kgs! This makes me happy because it shows how important the food side of things is, not just the exercise.

With personal issues in the last week it's been really tough, but I tended to eat less than go overboard. I chose to eat dessert tonight and I wish I hadn't because now I just feel sick. :-(

Wednesday Day 29:

Banana smoothie
Leftover chicken penang
Mandarin
Skinny Chai latte
Chicken and salad
Pumkin seeds
Tea
Dark chocolate
An orange slice

Tuesday Day 28

Porridge
Tea
Leftover chicken noodle soup
Four mouthfuls bun
Chicken penang on broccoli and beans with capsicum - a-maze-ing!

Healthy eating, healthy being

Tonight is just proof I need to organise myself better.

I had planned to leave work at 3.30pm (these plans NEVER happen...phone calls and other issues to sort out AND my car got blocked in grr) but I wanted to stick to my plans for when I got home.

So I kicked Dad off the computer and logged in to the 12WBT, ready for Mish's first workout video - it was great! I was pleasantly surprised with how much I got out of it - and to my delight and horror Dad also got into it too!

He's got bad knees, had both reconstructed, but he still tries to walk - he just eats too much and won't control his portions.

So it was great to see him bopping along to Mish and the girls, and having the option to do the beginner moves, while I was working on the intermediate and sometimes advanced moves. It really got my blood pumping and sweat going strong!

After that it was my turn to cook dinner, Mish's Penang Chicken. It was a really simple dish that tasted great with the mix of red curry, coconut milk and peanut butter, but all natural and home made. I had mine with steamed broccoli and sugar snap peas, mum and dad had veggies but also on rice, and I even had enough for lunch tomorrow!

What I didn't plan was having enough time to cook tomorrow night's dinner...after dinner tonight I had a meeting to attend so I didn't get a chance. I have to leave straight from work to the meeting tomorrow so I should have had it ready to take with me in the morning...my great dilemma and how to deal with it? Choose a healthy option I can put together quickly in the morning and take with me and organise next week better!

I am hoping that by default both mum and dad will get something out of me doing the program, but so far I have been enjoying the challenges and the change for a better, healthier life.

Monday Day 27:

Porridge
Half banana
Half turkey sandwich
Oj
Chicken noodle soup
Mini yoghurt

Musashi protein drink

Beginning of Michelle Bridges' 12 Week Body Transformation

I feel prepared to begin this - I've cooked my meal for dinner, lunch is already in the fridge as well as snacks and my workout gear is sitting on my chair ready for when I wake up and jump up.

It's going to be a big week, essentially I'm going to do twice as much in some cases because I'm not counting derby training with Michelle's training - this is what I call a body blitz!

I can do this!

Sunday Day 26:

Porridge with berries
herbal tea
half a sandwich from food court, turkey, cranberry, mixed salad, tomato
grilled fish, handful of chips, salad, a fried muscle
two lindt balls
hot chocolate

Saturday Day 25:

porridge with berries
tea
two rice paper rolls
carrots/celery cottage cheese
noodle soup out

Friday Day 24:

Porridge
half banana
mint ginger tea
leftover chicken stir fry
mandarin
glass of nudie OJ
leftover roast pork pumpkin and potato
hot chocolate

Thursday Day 23:

Porridge
Mint ginger tea
Yoghurt
Leftover pasta tomato dish
Banana
Protein drink

Wednesday Day 22:

Porridge
banana
leftover stir fry
mint ginger tea
blue grenadier with broccolini and potato

Tuesday Day 21:

porridge
pork with pumpkin and potato
banana
chicken stir fry
scotch and coke

Camp conflict

Occasionally I take a group of children with disabilities away on camps for the weekend to give their parents respite and give them new experiences. I do this with the help of several volunteers and a second leader, and that's where I was on the weekend.

I was mostly organised. I took ingredients and made my special Tom Yum soup on Friday night, and joined everyone in yummy salad sandwiches on Saturday for lunch. Breakfast was covered with my porridge sachets and mint and ginger tea - which if you haven't realised I can't get enough of at the moment! - but dinner was more difficult. I hadn't had a chance to pick up a chicken breast as I was going to grill it with some steamed veggies. Alas, I ended up having some of the bolognaise sauce I made for the group, with steamed bok choy...crisis averted.

Then came the freddo frog ice cream cake to commemorate a long-time volunteer who was leaving us, and that's where I gave in.

I had a bit of the cake, and then when one of the volunteers brought out the midnight nachos, well it was about 10pm but basically after the kids go to sleep, I hadn't brushed my teeth and I fell head first into two big handfuls of Doritos smothered in salsa, sour cream, melted cheese and avocado. I felt gross.

I finished it off with two pieces of chocolate and a hot chocolate, but continued my bad eating after lunch on Saturday when everyone else had fish and chips and I chose to have pasta and bolognaise - but there were heaps of chips left over, so I grabbed two pieces of bread, whacked the chips in and made a chip buttie, before me and the other leader dug into the leftover ice cream cake with spoons so we didn't have to throw it out.

I figured I couldn't do anything but hop back on the healthy eating bandwagon. So I hitched my stuff and went to training that night to at least try and work off the chips and ice cream, planning for a better day tomorrow...

Monday day 20:

Porridge
Mint ginger tea
Pasta tomatoes mum creation
Hot chocolate
Banana with 2 tsp peanut butter

chocolate milk after training

Sunday day 19:

Porridge half banana
Mint ginger tea
Apple fritter
Pasta bolognaise
Chip buttie
Ice cream cake
Banana with peanut butter

Friday day 17:

Porridge
Raisin toast with butter
2 wraps lettuce tomato cabbage egg chicken
Tom yum soup with wombok carrot celery
Two pieces dark chocolate

Saturday day 18:

Porridge with half banana 1/2 tsp honey
Ham salad sandwich
Bok choy bolognaise
Ice cream cake slice
Nachos two handfulls
2 pieces chocolate

Thursday day 16:

Porridge with berries
Mandarin
Two small salad chicken wraps
Banana
Chocolate milkshake

Wednesday day 15:

Porridge with berries
Raisin toast with butter
Leftover meat and veggies
Bento box miso soup
Chai latte and choc tart with ice cream, both which I only had half/couldnt finish!

Tuesday day 14:

Porridge with berries
banana
pasta with tomatoes
steak with mash and steamed carrots and broccoli, mushroom onion sauce

Monday day 13:

Porridge with berries
banana
leftover chicken and rice with steamed veggies
salad with egg

Tracker gives positive vibes

Woo hoo! This is my tracker which is showing that I've already lost 2 kilos in about 2 weeks! I hate jumping on the scales but when I know I'm doing so much to move my body and keep moving, this is really positive!

Sunday day 12:

Porridge with handful of berries
Falafel wrap
Mandarin
Chocolate milkshake
Banana
Veggies with tzatsiki dip

Saturday day 11:

Porridge
Banana
3 Celery sticks with peanut butter
2 Chicken tenders with rice pumpkin and beans
Small piece chocolate cake with cherries

Pizza

Once a month I run a youth disco for kids with disabilities and we get about 8 pizzas that I hand out along with soft drink. Its a friday night thing so usually I have about four slices while serving and packing up.

Tonight I had Subway before, a chicken pieces and salad six inch sub, and was able to restrain myself from eating any greasey fatty gross pizza.

I'd much rather a nice homemade one with fresh ingredients anyway. 

Friday day 10:

Porridge
Tea mint ginger
Sweet potato spinach leaves tomatoes cucumber celery salad with balsamic
Subway 6" chicken pieces lettuce tomato cucumber pickle jalapeno strip of honey mustard sauce

Crap food

So I went for an extra long run today to make up for the fact I planned to have a bucket of hot chips at the rugby.

At first, they were tasty with the chicken salt landing on my tongue,  but then the taste changed and I just didn't enjoy them anymore.

Same thing happened an hour later when I had a few bits of chocolate...tasted wrong.. dirty even

Thursday 25 April Day 9:

Porridge
Mint tea
Banana
Nicoise salad
Hot chips at the footy
Four pieces chocolate

Food diary day 8:

Porridge
Ginger mint tea
Carrots
Spinach leaves, some pasta, bolognaise veggies
Tea mint ginger
Baked baby sweet potato with tomato cucumber celery spring onion scrambled egg

One week in...

It has been a week now and once I got through the initial cravings for chocolate and caffeine, which were so bad they were giving me headaches, I already feel that it's a lot easier to make healthy choices for myself.

It is such a simple equation...calories in plus more calories out equals weight loss.

I suppose I didnt really know a lot of what's in my food, and still have plenty to learn.

I also want to run a lot more. Nike + is an awesome encouragement tool and ive read a lot of inspirational things today, such as "I have no time is the equivalent of a school student's my dog ate my homework". It was raining and dark as I stepped outside for my second run...but i still went...

Food diary day 7:

Porridge
Mint and ginger tea
Apple with smears of peanut butter
Lamb pieces with silverbeet and brown rice
Bok choy with lamb vegetable bolognaise

Food diary day 6:

Porridge
Vietnamese beef pho soup
Chicken drumstick with brown rice and bok choy
Lots of chocolate and two jonny walkers and cokes...care of my girlfriends who were giving me some tlc

Food diary day 5:

Sourdough toast with scrambled eggs spinach and tomato
Piece of apple
Toast wholemeal with pear and cottage cheese
Lamb chop with steamed potato and silverbeet

Food diary day 4:

Porridge oats
Mandarin
Tea mint ginger
Two rice paper rolls carrot cucunber lettuce
Cherry tomato, pepper, basil, lf feta
1 piece chocolate

One small piece garlic bread Couscous and seared salmon

Snacks that satisfy

It's 11.30am and I am HUNGRY!

I had a mandarin earlier but that thing barely curbed five minutes of hunger. It's that awkward time right before lunch but if you stop too early you'll end up eating another two or three times before dinner.
That's not the plan but sometimes what happens.

So I'm stuck in the office again today, and what that usually means is by about 2/3pm, my brain is drained and needs a pick-me-up. That means heading across the road to the sweet shop and getting a chocolate milkshake and a pack of Reece's Pieces. Mmmm. Reece's Pieces.

Today I'm hoping my pear will make do. Michelle Bridge's cookbook, which I love but it has too many tofu recipes, has a neat little snack suggestion of a piece of pear with a teaspoon of low fat cottage cheese and a few sultanas on top - so I am prepared for my 2pm pick-me-up now.

Food Diary Day 3:

Porridge

Berocca

mandarin

peppermint tea

Leftover chicken sweet potato mash carrots Half a banana CT healthy bolognaise - onion, carrot, zucchini, 100g mince extra lean, diced tomatoes on top of steamed pak choy

Food Diary Day 2:

Porridge
mint and ginger tea
yoghurt with raspberries
leftovers - chicken breast and veggies from last night (too much there so I halved for tomorrow's lunch)
Acai pomegranite and vanilla tea (bit suss - not sure if I like it. Nope, didn't drink it in the end)
vegetable soup
protein

Food Diary Day 1:

porridge

peppermint tea

apple

spinach leaves, tomato, mushrooms, tuna, balsamic vinegar

a few raspberries

grilled chicken breast stuffed with herbs, broccoli, carrots, sweet potato mash (2 tbsp)

Real support

So one of my friends texted me today telling me how uncool it was that my boyfriend "wouldn't let you eat what you wanted to" on Tuesday night.
We had met up with her post the gym, and that scary food diary debacle, and I asked my man to get me a wrap or something from the bar as he was walking off, and he just turned around and said nah, we can get something nicer later.
Well she exploded via text.
"I know he was trying to be helpful and remind you of the personal trainer's advice but it was way out of line and I didn't like it one bit. You're amazing and beautiful."
And this is the problem with the people who have thus far "supported" me in my life. Whether I'm amazing or beautiful has nothing to do with whether I'm fit and healthy or how wide my girth is.
FYI, I am a size 14, average height, but 89kgs a few weeks ago - this week 87 if I believe the scales.
I started going to the gym at 16 on my own because my parents didn't believe I needed to.
That's a whole decade before I gave up over a year ago. I just had enough. I wasn't enjoying it anymore, not like some of those gym junkie days.
I want to change, I want to be able to do this. It's 2pm and my headache or withdrawal or whatever is still taking over but spending the day in front of a computer monitor is not helping either. But I'm determined not to falter. Because if I'm going to do this I need real support, I need people to yell at me "STEP AWAY FROM THE CHOCOLATE..."PUT DOWN THE REECE'S PIECES" and you know, I know it's only for three months right now. Maybe after three months I won't even want it anymore...

Day 1: The start of a journey...

It's actually day two now, but I feel like I need to get out of my head some of the things that are plaguing me on my new journey.

This is a journey of a new start. A new way of looking at health, food and cooking.

My boyfriend's personal trainer, who I started seeing once a week a few weeks ago, told me on Tuesday that if I don't change my ways I will end up like an elephant.

Suppressing the urge to burst into tears in front of the man I love and a man who's trained such stars as Eric Bana, I stood and listened and nodded to him - he's the expert after all, yeah?

He took the food diary I had typed up from the previous seven days and crossed out almost everything with his red pencil. "What's this? That's crap...Nope, this is no good. Too much, too much."

He didn't care what the portions were, or the fact that "tacos with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and mince" meant two little tacos with more salad than anything else.

"Chicken. Chicken or fish. Have it grilled, don't use oil, use the spray oil."

Excuses, he said. They were all excuses. Personally I thought his knowledge of food was limited if he doesn't know what "korma" or Teppanyaki is. His loss. But I figured, what can I gain from him?

If I blitz it, go all out and change my eating habits for three months, and see if that does anything for my body, then maybe I have more chance of change than I've ever had in my life. I have a boyfriend who himself, lost 20 kgs three years ago and didn't have the support, I have the chance to learn and cook and test and try. I've been looking up recipes and nutritional information over the past day, filling the fridge with plenty of fresh veg and fruit. The only challenge will be cooking to keep the two of us satisfied - the bf is training to increase muscle, which means he needs the bulking meals with pasta and potatoes, whereas I need a completely clean meal, and a lot smaller in the evenings.

I consider myself fairly active, I play roller derby, a full-contact women's sport on rollerskates. We train twice a week, scrimmage on Mondays and have off-skates fitness training on Thursdays for an hour. You have to be fit to balance and hit on skates. I've also been hitting the gym with le personal trainer on Tuesdays, and fit in the odd workout at home in the evenings.

Yesterday was my first day, I ditched the caffeine for a peppermint tea, enjoyed my porridge for breakfast - the only acceptable thing on my food diary apart from yoghurt and fruit, and made a tuna salad in the morning to take for lunch. All was going well until about mid-afternoon when my brain started calling out for caffeine. It was yelling and screaming - and it still is. It's like a drug addict having withdrawals, although I suppose caffeine is a drug so that's what's happening.

I have my leftovers for lunch today, a lovely chicken breast I stuffed with herbs and grilled on my new gridle pan, but how I'm going to get through this day without coffee I can only imagine. I suppose this is where the advice "keep strong and carry on" will come in handy. I say that sitting here sipping my mint ginger herbal tea, counting down to the time when I can enjoy a coffee again.