What an awesome week!

It's been a fantastic week!  I didn't realise that I hadn't blogged for quite a while.  I think it's because I update Facebook and Instragram daily that I forget about my blog.  Where was I up to...

I haven't blocked since last Thursday night.  So much has happened since then!  I'm still going strong with my eating and exercise.  As an emotional eater, I have dreaded the first time that I got stressed and felt like eating my feelings.  I had my first test the other day where I got a bit stressed and felt like I could demolish a whopper with cheese (actually, a quadruple whopper with cheese!).  I drove past Hungry Jacks without a second thought and took a huge bite of my apple!  Although I didn't think I would have gone there, I know I would occasionally stop there on the way home from work to have a sneaky burger without the kids knowing. 

I've made sure that on a work day that I pack an piece of fruit to eat on the way home as if I have this, I am not hungry when I walk in the door and don't snack whilst making dinner.  It's small changes like this that I have introduced that help keep me going and allow me to stick to my plan.

I went for a walk/run with the twins last week.  They have never seen me run!  I had my couch to 5k app going and when it asked me to run, I did!  The twins were on their bikes and they turned around and saw me.  They started laughing before asking me what I was doing.  I told them that I was running and once they realised I was serious (and stopped calling me the park monster), they each took turns riding their bikes next to me.  The park near me has a big hill and a cricket ground and there were kids training on it and their parents were all sitting on the side watching.  When I was about 20 meters away from the cricket club, my app said 'start running'.  So I did.  For a moment I was hesitant as I know that a fat person running can be something quite curious but I thought 'f*ck it' and did it anyway.  I couldn't tell you if anyone was looking nor could I tell you if anyone cared.  I was running, staring at the ground (so I didn't fall flat on my face!) with my 9 year old son beside me and right at that very moment, I was so proud.  

I headed to the gym on Saturday an did lots of weights as this is something that I haven't been incorperating over the last few weeks.  It's so important that I do.  I bought some gloves to wear whilst doing them as my hands get so sweaty and I lose grip.  That is asking for trouble!  I'm sure people are sick of seeing my sweaty selfies but I am actually quite impressed at how sweaty I get after a work out!  I purposely avoid wearing dark tops so that I can see how hard I've worked when the front is all soaked!  I know, I know - I'm strange but it is very satisfying!  

Yes, I was pulling silly faces on purpose :P

I was very pleased with myself when I had my offical weigh day on Monday where i had lost .08kg which bought me down to 191.5kg (I was 192.3kg the week prior) but I was even MORE pleased when I weighed myself on Wednesday to find that I had managed to sneak out of the 190's - I WAS 189KG!  I NEVER want to see the 190's again.  Ever, ever, EVER!  I am also setting myself a goal to see the 170's by the end of the new year.  I am hoping that I can do it (and will do everything I can to get there).  Monday falls on the 1st of January 2018 and I would LOVE to stand on those scales and be in the 170's.  Even if I was 179.9kg, I would be ecstatic.  This is my new goal :)

Goodbye 190s!

I started seeing a new personal trainer last week - his name is Ivan.  Ivan has been teaching my kids basketball for the last 12 months or so and I've been impressed with the way he encourages them and makes them feel good about what they are doing.  I was wrapped when I saw that he also does personal training so I had my first session on Tuesday.  For 60 minutes, he put me through my paces and every single inch of my body felt it!  He filmed bits and pieces of the session (with my permission of course!) and I must admit that I find it really hard to watch it all!  The reason being is when I am running in the video, I feel like I am going 20kmph but I actually look like a turtle!  I worked my BUTT off during that session and I hope it shows.  I have shared clips of it on my FB page - www.facebook.com/movingforwardlookingforward but I took this photo from the video as my face is a mixture of sheer determination, pain and OMG I'm going to die!  I know it's not the most flattering of photos but it's one that I look on with pride.  

I am going to back to see him on Monday (I'm really looking forward to it).  Ivan runs basketball clinics along with basketball parties!  He's based Melton and I highly recommend him (even if he does inflict pain on myself and others!).  Check out his page here - https://www.facebook.com/TheIvanHarrisHoopsAcademy/

I had a rest day on Friday and although I could have gone to the gym (my body clock is a bit stupid lately and I wake up at 4!), I decided not to so that my ankle could have a rest but I have been every single day and even went this morning where I managed to get some swimming in before the swim school started (I quickly got out of the pool so I didn't have to do so in front of all the kiddies!).  

So next week I shall keep doing what I've been doing for the last month - eating well, exercising and drinking water (it sounds simple when I say it like that!).  I also want to check out a thing called mPort.  I'm not sure if you've heard of them but it's where you go an get a scan of your body.  They use infared technology to scan your body and it is able to tell you things about your measurements.  Height, weight, biceps, chest, hips, waist, thighs - you name it, it measures it.  It then generates a 3D avatar which you store on app so when you attend the pod next time, you can compare how well you've done!  Check it out - https://mport.com/ and let me know if you've used one!  I'd love to hear about it.  I may (or may not!) share my avatar with the world when I get it done!

I am going to be planning Christmas treats over the next few days as well.  Christmas at my place this year will look very different to those in the past.  I bought a magazine today to have a flick through and I'll also check out some books at the library.  I'm really looking forward to what sort of things I can come up with this year so my children don't get a crazy sugar high!  If you have any nice recipes, send them through!  I'd love to check them out.

I wanted to thank everyone again for their support and encouragement over the last few weeks.  It is so nice to hear how I am inspiring others to make a difference in their lives.  Knowing that people have started running because they've seen me do it or the fact they have gone into the pool for the first time in years because they have seen I can is very humbling.  I am so blessed to have amazing people in my life.  You can do anything you put your mind to - mind over matter.  Yes, it CAN be hard but it is worth it.

The humble Coles sponge cake ;)

I didn't realise I hadn't blogged in almost a week!  Don't worry - I'm still sticking at it and I've been around on my Facebook page and my Instagram but I need to remember to update here as well!  My Facebook page is www.facebook.com/movingforwardlookingforward and my Instagram user ID is @movingforwardlookingforward

I've had a productive week.  I have stuck to my gym days ensuring that I went on each day except for the days that I work but I'm still yet to work out where to fit in the extra gym session.  I'm thinking Friday or Wednesday morning (it just depends when I can stomach getting up at 4.30am!).

I went for a swim early Saturday morning.  I did laps and also did lots of squats and lunges (I find this hard to do when I'm not in the water) but really enjoy the weightless feeling that water brings.  

On Sunday, I decided to get back into the couch to 5k app.  For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's an app that gradually introduces running into your routine and says that you'll be off the couch and running 5k in 28 days!  Hmmm, I don't imagine they suspected that a 192kg woman would take up the challenge!  I don't think I'll be running 5k in 28 days but I am giving it my all when I do it.  I've ran 4 times this week and can do around 40 seconds each time (it's interval training).  When I do it, I feel strong, centered and in the zone.  I had a girl running next to me on Monday who acknowledged how well I was doing claiming that she isn't able to run.  I challenge anyone who says they can't do something to give it a shot (obviously if there are no medical reasons for not having a go and no, laziness and having a strong sense of the CBF factor).  

I weighed myself on Monday. I weighed in at 192.3kg and I was 194.4kg the week before.  That's a loss of 2.1kg.  I'm very pleased with that and considering my food was on point as was my exercise (and that I hadn't lost anything the week before), I didn't expect any less!  I hope for the same results on Monday.  

I have eaten so well this week.  I haven't done so well with my water but I have been under my calories each day and have been able to enjoy creamy pastas, sausage bake, stove top lasagna and lots of snacks in between!  The kids have continued to adapt well to not having sugar and I'm still enjoying it and feeling amazing because of it which brings me to my blog title.  I was in Coles tonight and I walked past the $5 Coles iced sponge cake (the one with jam).  I looked at it and was amazed that not even 4 weeks ago I would have picked it up and put it in my basket (especially because it was the last one there!) to divulge tonight and have any that is left over tomorrow.  On the other side, there were some salted caramel fudge slices that I used to love buying. I confess to eating both of the slices in one sitting on more than one occasion but I felt so proud that I no longer do that.  It's not to say that I'll never have food like this again but I am not in a hurry to do so at all.  I'm enjoying the feeling I have at the moment way too much to give it up for something as stupid as a sponge cake which never had enough jam on it anyway!

My FitBit shows that my resting heart rate has gone down again in the last week.  I now have a resting heart rate of 58 beats per minute (BPM) and when I started focusing on my eating and exercise again, it was at 66BPM.  It's gone down almost 10BPM in a few weeks which is amazing.  I am going to have a blood test tomorrow to see where I'm at with other things internally.  I'll be tested for liver function, diabetes, thyroid issues and cholesterol and I'll be retested again in 3 months or so just to see how things are going.  I have always had very good results in the past when I Have had these blood tests so I hope that there are no surprises.  

I've booked into see the plastic surgeon in February 2018.  I'm quite nervous about it to be honest but look forward to hearing what the Doctor has to say.  I hope to have lost a further 18kg before I see them as I recall that is what Dr Winnett said I would have to do before I could be operated on to have my lower stomach removed.  I don't think I'll know myself once it's gone.  I'm really looking forward to what I'll be able to achieve once I'm no longer trapped by it.

As always, I'm so grateful for everyone's support xo it's fantastic to have so many wonderful people surround me on this journey.  

Don't worry - I haven't gone MIA!

Yay!  It's Friday!  And what a week it's been.

First of all, I know I've been quiet over the past few days but that doesn't mean I've gone MIA!  I've been at work and so busy!  

I went to the gym on Monday and Tuesday but I haven't been since.  I've decided that my rest days will be my work days as although I love working out first thing in the morning, getting up at 4.30 was proving to be a bit of a struggle!  I may only do it on Friday morning as I'd like to aim to exercise 5 days per week.  Even if I go to aqua aerobics on a Thursday night, at least I'm getting it in.  I shall work it out next week to better suit my commitments but I'll be back at the gym tomorrow.

As far as eating goes, I have had another fantastic week.  I haven't been that great with my water intake but as far as my food goes, I haven't skipped a beat.  I've been making the most amazing meals - hamburgers, mexican lasagna, enchiladas and meatballs with pasta doesn't sound healthy but they are what's on the menu of 'Healthy Mummy' which is the food we have been having for 2 weeks now.  For the first time in years, I've had healthy and wholesome food for every single meal and I've noticed so many positive things!

The last 2 weeks have been amazing.  I haven't had coffee (or any caffeine) in that time, I haven't had to take pain killers for headaches in that time (except for the initial few sugar withdrawal days!), I've been feeling more energetic, happier, more alert and like I can take on the world.  I haven't had any really strong cravings for things which has also been good.  I'm still not sure if I'm going to weigh myself on Monday as these victories are just as good as any weight loss.  I also noted that my resting heart rate has continued to go down which is a relief.  Check this out!

My resting heart rate - from 65BPM to 61BPM in 10 days!

All in all, I couldn't be happier.  Next week, one of my work colleagues (who walks really, really fast!) has offered to go for a walk with me at lunch time so I'll bring my runners in and do some exercise at lunch time.  As my job is mostly sitting down, it will be refreshing to get out and about for that half an hour.  He promised he will go slow!  I'm very appreciative for his gentle coaxing and encouragement.  

I'm feeling excited about the next few weeks and look forward to seeing how good I feel :)

WTF? 2.3kg on?

I can say without a word of a lie that over the past week, I have been eating perfectly.  I haven't had anything that isn't on my list of things to have, I have watched my portion sizes and I have exercised 6 out of the 7 days of the week just gone so you can imagine my shock when I jumped on the scales this morning and I had put on 2.3kg since last week!  This time last Monday, I was 192.1kg and this morning I am 194.4kg.

Although I'm not best pleased about the numbers, I'm not all that disappointed as I know for a fact that I have done everything right!  It's making me wonder if I should just weigh myself once a fortnight or maybe even just once a month?  There isn't anything I would change about the last week.  I am really proud of how well I've done and I know that my scales aren't wrong but given the fact I'm a female, I know how much the menstrual cycle loves nothing more than to fudge the numbers, I would be building muscle and I have drank more water in the last week than I have in the past year so I know that I'd be retaining fluid. 

My skin feels better over the last week, I am more alert, I haven't had coffee in 10 days, I'm moving more, I'm setting a better example for my kids, I haven't had the up and down energy levels that I have experienced over the past few months nor have I had any sugar withdrawal headaches for over a week!  I'm feeling great.  This can't be measured by the scales.  I'm feeling fantastic.

My goals for this week?  To do exactly the same thing as I did last week but harder!  I'll increase the amount of time I am exercising for and I will push myself even further.  I'll continue to go to the gym before work in the morning and I'll carry on with how I'm planning out the meals.  I am feeling better than I have in a long time and the scales are not the only thing that will determine my success along this journey.  They will only motivate me to keep going and try harder.

I've had a lot of people ask what I'm following and it's called 'healthy Mummy'.  It's clean eating and I am loving it.  There are some amazing recipes and the kids are enjoying it as well.  I joined the 28 day challenge after trying it for 7 days for $1 as I was hooked!  You can check it out here https://www.healthymummy.com/28-day-challenge-signup/?lbwref=868 there are Facebook groups with some of the most inspiring women I've met.  I feel lucky to be part of something which has been life changing and something I actually enjoy doing.