Week 8: Still Going Strong!

Ahh my poor little blog, it's been a little neglected lately!

But nevermind, my nutrition, training and mindset are all spot on, and after feeling a little deflated last week, I'm well and truly back on top... and I have the pic to prove it!

Now this pic isn't really my "before" picture from the start of 12WBT.  This pic is from April this year when I was jetting off on holiday, and the weeks leading up to it, I worked my bum off to feel AMAZING wearing this gorgeous yellow bikini!  This was the absolute best I've felt about my body, I was SO proud of myself. But being on holiday, and in a strange country, eating different food and without gym access for more than half of it, I fell off the wagon a little, and came back 3.5kg heavier, and feeling very bloated.

Last week I was feeling a little discouraged, as after I put on weight at my weigh in on Wednesday (even though this is expected for Lean & Strong, as we build muscle), I was worried I still didn't look as good as I did when I was going away! I really thought I hadn't changed that much, especially since the scales have only gone down about a kilo between these shots! But when I was these two pictures side by side, I was so pleased :) I can definitely see a change through my stomach and thighs, even my hips - WOOOHOOO! :D

So my lovely 12wbters, it's weigh in Wednesday! And Week 8, a "Mini Milestone" week! How are you going?

And if you are feeling discouraged, do a before/after pic comparison! Really shows the progress so much better than the scales can :)

Hang in there! 4 weeks until the end of this 12 week program, and the start of the rest of your life as a happier, healthier and fitter version of yourself ;)

Week 2: Overcoming Obstacles

My second week of the 12wbt was my week of 'overcoming obstacles'. Not major ones, but definitely ones that crop up every now and again, so I thought I'd share how I overcame them. Remember, just because you have a 'slip up' it doesn't mean you have to throw in the towel! 

Obstacle 1: Forgetting Lunch
Now I know what you're probably thinking. "Ahh, getting up late, forgetting to make lunch, not making time to prepare lunch before work". But no, I didn't forget to make it, on Thursday night I made up the salad, weighed out my hommus and falafel, put it all in containers, cut up my pita bread. I was so excited to eat that lunch! I LOVE falafel. But then I left that all sitting in my lunch bag on the kitchen bench.... and I didn't realise until I'd already arrived at work. Unfortunately it's too far to go back. Siiigh.  I was so annoyed at myself. The negative self talk started a little roar in my head "useless", "trying to fail", "what's the point", "all that time just wasted".  But I pushed it back out. I was determined to stop those stupid voices and dominate the rest of the day.

Now the old Alicia, the 21kg heavier Alicia would have taken this as a major set back and as an excuse to have fast food for lunch. But not this new Alicia, no way! 

I had to think of a back-up plan before the lunch time hunger hit! Because hungry Alicia + no food = eat anything in sight! There isn't a supermarket near my work, the only options are to go upstairs to the cafeteria (think chips, lasagne, fatty sandwiches) or go to a servo nearby. So I found this salad at the servo and a protein bar. I made a couple of modifications (threw out most of the cheese and one of the dressing sachets), and my lunch came to 343 cal.

Servo Salad & Protein Bar

Obstacle 2: Getting Sick
Yep, got the dreaded Flu over the weekend.  I thought I was doing so well, and them BAM it hit me like a tonne of bricks on Friday night.  On Saturday morning I still got up, made myself a healthy breakfast and started to feel a little bit better, so I dosed myself with Cold&Flu tablets to power through my Super Saturday Session with my friends at the park.  During the workout I felt pretty great, and my friend made us a yummy Mish salad for lunch afterwards, but by the time I got back home around 2pm, I was ready for bed. I just felt so weak. And (so unlike me) I had no appetite!

On Sunday morning I woke up ravenous, and usually when I'm sick I kind of give myself a 'free-for-all' pass to eat whatever I feel like. As if that will magically make me feel better. But this time I didn't! I stayed strong, and instead made myself some really yummy Protein Pancakes.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Now this recipe I can share with you! This is from a lovely girl I follow on instagram, her name there is femmefitale, and she also has a blog: http://femmefitalefitness.wordpress.com/

Serves 2

I made a couple of adjustments, I added a ripe banana to the mix (just chuck all ingredients in a blender), and I used whey instead of casein protein, I'm sure any protein powder will work.  Then just cook over medium heat in a non-stick pan.  They cook quite quickly, so keep an eye on them! I served with half a fresh banana and natural yoghurt. So good, especially when I was feeling so yucky.

Come Monday definitely wasn't in a fit state to go to work, or do my Lean & Strong workout. I was devasted. I didn't want to hinder my progress! I still managed to go for a brisk 45min walk, which made me get some fresh air, and really lifted my spirits. So this week I'm starting a day behind (did Monday's workout yesterday), and I will move my Core & Flexibility workout to Sunday instead of having a rest day.

This is a break through for me, because today I'm feeling almost back to myself! Previously I wouldn't have taken the time to recover, I would have pushed myself to go to work, and to go to the gym, and I know I'd still be trying to fight off the flu.  But there is a VERY important lesson I've learnt: recovery is just as important as nutrition and exercise.  By putting my health first, I was able to recover quicker, and get back to the gym, instead of the flu lingering around like a bad smell for the next 10 days.

How did everyone go with Week 2? Did you too have to overcome some obstacles last week?

And how did you go today at Weigh in? I lost 0.2kg, so happy! That might sound like nothing, but this is AWESOME for me! My BMI is 23.5 and I'm back to my pre-holiday weight, woohoo! I am now the lightest I've been since mid-high school

Weekend Motivation

Here's something to think about, just for a minute or two, I want you to actually visualise what this will feel like:

Now, when you feel tempted to eat something "naughty", or to skip out on your workout, think back to this visualisation :)

My story so far...

(or my journey losing 21kg)

Before and After - 21kg GONE!

The battle against my weight is something I have endured for almost my whole life.

I was the chubby girl, who in primary school didn't want to put her bathers on for swimming class, got called names on the playground, the girl who cried every time she went shopping for new jeans, and went on a diet before the school ball.

I was the girl who hid under her clothes, and deliberately chose brands and cuts that accentuate all the right places and hid all the wrong ones.

'Embracing the curves'

I went through numeous diets trying to change my body while I was in high school, university and into my early twenties.  Sometimes they worked, and other times they did the opposite (thank you Atkins... not!), but my weight would fluctuate, and then I would always settle back down to being in the overweight but not obese category, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, and despising anyone who could put on a pair of jeans with out exploding over the top of them. I started to accept that I would always be slightly on the larger side of "average", and tried to eat healthily, exercise more and "embrace my curves".

YAY! S.E Asia.. and a Tiger's tail

When I turned 23 I decided it would be a good idea to sell everything and go backpacking around Southeast Asia (turns out it was one of the best ideas I've ever had... if you'd like to read more about this adventure, I kept a travel blog here: aliciatakesasia.blogspot.com).  Being on a very tight budget, eating (mostly) only what the locals ate, and being very active everyday worked! Somehow the weight started to fall off me, and just as I creeped into the healthy side of my BMI, I ran out of money and moved back to Australia.

Backpacking seems to agree with me

Feeling like I never wanted to be overweight ever again, I tried to disapline myself when I returned.  I bought tigher jeans (woohoo), I tried to exercise more, I tried to eat less.  But when I returned to a sedentary lifestyle (read: office job) and a western diet, my weight caught up with me once again.  This time I didn't have so much hate for my body, and instead tried to 'embrace my curves' and shove the diets, because the only thing that had worked for me to date was backpacking and "not trying".

However, having just met my lovely partner Michael (who worked out all the time and was very fit), I felt like I wanted to at least improve my fitness so we could jog together in the 14km Run for Reason in May last year.  So I started trying to motivate myself to get back into running (it has always been something I've enjoyed... once I'm fit that is!). This allowed me to lose about 2kg and around the same time my mum and my sister joined Weight Watchers, and invited me to join with them.  I joined thinking I could spare a couple of kilos (initially I wanted to lose 7kg), and was pretty offended that they thought I needed to lose 13kg (almost double what I had in my head!).

Let's go diving!

Just after Easter last year, Michael and I went on our first scuba diving trip together, to Amed and the Gili Islands in Indonesia.  This is when it started to dawn on me that perhaps I was closer to being the chubby girl I'd always been, than the slimmer backpacker I wanted to be, and that maybe WW were right in telling me I need to lose at least 13kg.  I couldn't find any boardshorts to fit me before the trip (you try finding size 16 boardies in March... a very difficult task!!), and once we were there, I was the diver struggling to keep up with the group, having trouble lifting and carrying my gear to the boat, always being the first to get short of breath and run low on air.  I became aware of how uncomfortable I was with my body.

Upon returning from our trip, I was in the middle of a motivation surge, so I really did start running, and actually decided to join the gym with my good friend from work Krystal.  Even looking back now its so funny that we joined.  I actually just wanted somewhere I could train for the Run for Reason that involved air conditioning and not getting rained on, and somehow I convinced Krystal to come along to the gym's 7 days for $7 deal to "try it out".  But we fell in love with the classes, in particular BodyPump, and how sore it made us the next day, and we loved our time on the treadmill too, who knew 45min on the treadmill flew by so fast when you had a friend to chat with? I guarantee I wouldn't have made the progress I have if it wasn't for Krystal being my workout buddy! It so much easier to go when you have someone to go with, and to keep you both accountable.

Halfway point... With my lovely workout buddy Krystal

But after losing 17kg, and feeling amazing, I started to plateau... Just as I'd realised the initial 13kg that was recommended to me was not going to cut it! And I was so bored with what I was eating, I could feel myself slipping, I just could not face another Coke Zero and frozen weight watchers meal for lunch.  Surely there was a better way?

17kg down and feeling great!

This is when I discovered "clean eating", the 'revolution' that seems to be sweeping instagram, even though it is actually really simple.  But for me, to have those boundaries of 'this will nourish your body and aid your workouts' compared to 'this might be the same caloric value, but not the same nutritional goodness', opened my eyes to what I was really putting in my body.

The last 4kg have been lost via clean eating, and even though it sounds like a small portion of my weightloss, it's what has made the biggest difference in the appearance of my body. Once I was actually eating to properly support all the hardwork I was doing at the gym, I went from feeling great to feeling amazing!

So now its time to really get my workouts into shape, and that is the main reason I have joined Michelle Bridge's 12WBT.  I pretty much know what I should be eating (although the ready done meal plans and new recipes are definitely an aspect I am looking forward to during the 12wbt! It will save me so much planning!), but I am kind of guessing about what I do at the gym.  I pick out pieces of BodyPump that I like and replicate it, I use the machines I know how to use (which is most of them), but I get lost with core workouts a little bit (mostly because of the lack of machines), and I'm kind of just hoping for results rather than doing workouts I know will get me the results I want.

And here we are, about to start the next chapter in my story.  I am planning to follow the 'Lean and Strong' program with Mish, which focuses primarily on weight and strength training, and just one cardio day per week.  The results I'm looking to achieve will be a noticeable difference in overall strength and the look of my body (lower bodyfat percentage, and a tighter more toned look), and to really amp up my core strength.  Not just my abs, but also my back, which I have found (the hard way) is suspeptible to injury.

Michelle Bridges - My New Trainer!

I hope when you look at these pictures and read my story they inspire you, wherever you are in your fitness journey. Even though I know I'm not at the "end" of mine,  I do know I have made changes that will stay with me for life, and my body will continue to progress. If I can do it, anyone can do it! Stay strong! Think of the results you'll be looking at this time next year! And then smashhh it!