Say cheese – while you face the camera side on!?!

Here is a photo taken by me by Abbey Digital at the start of the Parkinson’s Walk on Sunday.

Is it just me – do I not look a little less obese than I do in the City2Surf photo taken two weeks prior?  (Have a peek below.)  I know I’m 3kgs lighter, but on my 6 foot frame 3kgs don’t make much of a visual difference.  Personally, I think its all in the angle of the camera and the angle of my body.

Or does it have something to do with the fact that this photo was taken at the very start of the walk, and the City2Surf one after I had slogged it out for 14kms?

I wonder.

The important thing I’m committed to ensuring the photo of me at the 2012 Parkinson’s Walk will be show a total transformation.  For one thing I’ll be running 8kms not walking 4kms.

How will things be different for you in a year from now?

Vegetables are not unlimited, repeat vegetables are not unlimited!

A real light bulb moment happened while I was preparing my lunch today.  I was making the Salad Niscoise from the crunchtime cookbook for my lunch today.  I was making a single serving for myself, and my first impulse was to just grab a handful of beans.  But I thought to myself – follow Mish’s recipe. I put that handful of beans on the scales and was horrified to see it was more than 4 times what I was meant to be having!!!

I slowly put one bean at a time on the scales – there were to be only 5 beans in the salad, not a handful!

I was shocked.  I spent 9 years as a Weight Watchers leader, starting just when the Points Program was introduced in Australia, and vegetables were allocated 0 points – which most members took to mean eat vegies until you burst.  I certainly didn’t discourage this thinking – in fact I recall actively encouraging it!

What have I learnt today?  A calorie is a calorie is a calorie.  No more piling as many vegies on the plate for me.

What have you learnt today?

My 12wbt commitment to myself

My commitment is to follow the 12wbt 120% and achieve my goals.

By the end of the 12 weeks I will be 25 kgs lighter, jogging for 30 minutes continuously and fitting into a size 20.

I am committed to do the work to get me there. I will be eating in a much more healthy manner than I have been over the last eight years and I will be getting off my butt and enjoying exercise as I have been the last three weeks.

So far during this pre-season I have already made significant changes and discarded 3.3kgs in two weeks. If I can do that I can keep my commitment and achieve my goals.

Now watch this space as I share the transformation which lies ahead of me!

My Excuses and their Solutions

I completed this preseason task last night.  I have 15 excuses I use which I can pinpoint right now.  Not good.

On reflection a few points struck me:

* If I keep making the excuses about being to fat to do Zumba/Gym/Run/Swim, I will always be fat.

* Just because I would not qualify as a Weight Watchers leader at the moment (have I already mentioned I was a leader for 9 years?), doesn’t mean I am a total failure who shouldn’t bother.

* I need to keep positive and remind myself about what is important.

* I have to cultivate good habits – eating healthy is a way of life, as is making exercise the number one priority in my day.

* If I fail to plan, then I plan to fail.

* If external factors make things difficult, then I have to adapt and improvise – but NOT give up.

Finishing the City2Surf 2011

Three hours, twelve minutes and eleven seconds after crossing the starting line I made it to the finish of the City2Surf.  There were times I really didn’t think I could do it.  Heartbreak Hill was a killer – and every incline after that felt like walking ankle deep in sand.  But we made it 10 minutes faster than 2010 – even with Liam stopping to get a sausage sizzle about three kilometres from the finish line.

Next year I plan to smash that time – my goal is to jog most of the way – at the very least.  I downloaded a C25K app for my phone earlier tonight.  My goal is to be jogging 5kms by Christmas.

A dinner plate with no carbs?

Because I was too impatient to wait for preseason to start I dusted off my copy of the Crunchtime cookbook on the weekend.  (I had bought it when it was first published hoping somehow that simply having it on my shelf would see some of The Biggest Loser contestants’ success rub off on me.)

To my horror I discovered that most evening meals had no carbs!  How could I face my evening meal with no potato or pasta or couscous or rice – you get the picture I’m sure.

Well – last night I bit the bullet – no carbs in those – and didn’t put any rice on my plates.  When my lovely 10 year old daughter went for her second scoop of rice, she offered to get some for me.  No thanks, I said somewhat feebly.  But – I survived!

And tonight I actually peeled and chopped the potatoes for my family to eat, while not planning on dishing any up for myself.  And I’ve survived yet again.  I was happy with the meatloaf and salad and mushrooms on my plate.

Loving the Crunchtime cookbook already, tomorrow night’s dinner is cooling down on the stove as I type – Ratatouille.  I’ll enjoy that tomorrow night, as the rest of the family indulges in chippy night.

The new plan ……………..

………… is the Michelle Bridges 12WBT – starting with Round 3 2011.

The results I have seen on the Facebook pages are amazing!  I’d be happy with 10kgs a round – but it wouldn’t be impossible to be hovering much much closer to 100kgs by this time next year.

It’s already made an impact in my life – and the Preseason doesn’t start until tomorrow. 🙂

1. I didn’t beat myself up when I didn’t achieve the goal I set myself of doing the City2Surf in under 3 hours.  I gave it my best shot, and took 10 minutes off my 2011 time.
2. I’ve done my first Pump class in years – and remembered why I loved it so much.  Goodbye Curves, hello Pump!
3. I’m going to start following the menu plans and principles of the Crunchtime cookbook.  And that means no carbs at night.  Eek.  But I’m going to do it.
4. I’ve already started twittering – who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.  And I’m following Michelle Bridges on Twitter already too!
5. I’ve become a member of the Sydneysiders 12WBT group – hence why I’ve already planned lots of good changes.
6. I’ve decided tonight I’m going to start running again – the achievements of the Sydneysiders group and the Group’s calendar has inspired me!

I can’t believe I let life get in the way for such a long time!

But it all changes tomorrow – stay tuned!