Post-Christmas post

Ahh. So this is Christmas!

That time of year filled with red flag days, food, wine, and stress. Not a great recipe for weight loss.

It has been interesting doing this 12WBT thing over the festive season. I wanted to keep my longer-term goals in mind, so I've been sticking to the program as much as possible.

I loved my long run (5.5km) on Saturday morning. Hubby came with me - it's been a while since he's run with me and I am just a little proud of my superior fitness (much less heavy breathing from me, especially uphill) and staying power (I got to run the last bit by myself).

I'm proud not because I want to be better than him, but because I have been working so hard on this and it is obviously paying off. Also really happy that the calories burnt (according to my HRM rather than the app) are over 500 for a run now and of my sub-8 minute pace!! Maybe speed and hill intervals really work!

I came home and spent the rest of the day in a house-cleaning frenzy! I reckon I burnt quite a few calories just doing mopping and tidying!

The last few days have been a bit off the rails. I bailed on my tempo run on Monday because I slept appallingly the night before and I had to start work early. My diet hasn't been bad as such, but just a bit all over the place.

Christmas Day! A lot of talk on the forums about following the recipes and Mish encouraging us to do a Christmas morning workout and post photos. Well, I don't have a photo because I didn't do my toning workout. My kids were up early wanting to open presents and I'm not going to put everyone on hold because I need to burn 300 calories. Them's my excuses, and I'm sticking to them. However, I did score a lot of good running loot (because I need more crap to run with!)

My menu consisted of half Mish recipes and half regular food. I made Curtis Stone cheese and proscuitto puffs (they were so yummy and turned out exceptionally well). Enjoyed prawn/avocado/tomato salad for entree. Made the spinach, cranberry and walnut salad and I tried to make her turkey recipe, but couldn't find turkey breast anywhere, so I just bought a pre-stuffed one and shoved that in the oven. We also enjoyed a beautiful blackberry and balsamic glazed ham. Also made the mini choc fudge cakes, but they were a bit heavy and stodgy. I totally enjoyed my couple of glasses of Grant Burge champagne - just divine!

Things went a little downhill after dessert. I was trying to enjoy a relaxing glass of white wine after all my hard work when I had a bad attack of indigestion. I just had to lie down and I felt disgusting. The guests left, afternoon turned to evening and as I lay on the couch, watching Harry Potter, I just felt worse and worse. I missed the end of the movie as I was busy throwing up.

I went to bed after that, but blissful slumber eluded me as I lay down with stomach cramps and body aches. I think it was after 2am when I finally nodded off. Today I feel as if a truck has run me over and my Boxing Day will be a very quiet one of blogging, TV, and a few cups of tea. Those hills can wait.

Given that no-one else appears to be sick, means I haven't poisoned my family - I actually think it may be my body rejecting crappy food and/or alcohol. This is the second time in a few weeks that I've suffered this and perhaps I just need to really eat and drink clean?!

Oh, so today is Wednesday, I hear you say? The scales told me 74.4kg (164.0 lbs) this morning. So a gain, but not unexpected and not too big. Looking forward to next week even more now!

We are halfway through our Round 4 of 12 Week Body Transformation - 6 more weeks to go. I'm going to give it a good nudge and see how what I can achieve.

How did you celebrate Christmas?

Were you "naughty" or "nice"?

Wine whine

One of my biggest issues in weight management is alcohol. 

Alcohol is such an insidious thing. It is such a HUGE part of our society. As a ex-high school teacher, there were 14 year olds just busting at the gate to go start drinking and "get maggoted". It is there at every social gathering. The answer to all of life's stresses, particularly as a parent, seem to be found in a glass of wine at the end of a long day.

I don't really remember when I started drinking every day. I know I started drinking later than most of my friends, after I turned 18 and then really got into the swing of things at university (there are harbour cruises I wish I could forget). But it was on the weekends and the body bounced back better then.

A glass of wine after a hard day's teaching was a very nice thing to look forward to. A glass to sit down with hubby and compare our days. A glass with some cheese and bickies. A glass while preparing dinner. Sometimes dinner never got prepared and it was vegemite on toast. A few glasses on a Friday night because tomorrow is the weekend and I don't have to get up. A few glasses to make the stress of the day disappear in a bit of a fog. Every morning I would wake up and say to myself "I'm not going to drink again tonight" and yet, as sure as day turns to night, that night would find a glass of sav blanc in my hand.

The trouble is, after a while, there was never a day off. And it became harder and harder to say "no" when hubby asked "glass of wine?" And he asked, so he didn't feel as bad because he wanted one (or three or four). And then it was never just a glass. It was nothing for us to polish off two bottles (that's one each) on a weeknight. Weekends were worse.

I knew when I started this 12WBT that wine was an issue for my weight. It is also a nasty issue for my high blood pressure. I don't even want to think about my liver (la la la la - if I just ignore stuff, it's not an issue). I don't always like myself when I've had a few wines. I knew I had to cut back seriously. Maybe even stop.

Hubby was with me. We were stopping until Christmas. We would support each other. It is often the case we will say this to ourselves, but then cave the minute things get busy, stressful or just a bit overwhelming. Which, apparently is often.

Even though I know for my health I have to do this, but alcohol is like a siren, calling "drink me". So much of our lives are hardwired to drink. It is a habit and a drug and it is very hard to say no and keep saying no.

I haven't been perfect. I have caved. But not often. I have whole weeks where I don't drink anything. And then when I do, Lindemans Early Harvest (low alcohol wine/champagne) is my crutch. Gin and diet tonics (less calories). 

I am noticing that I can feel the impacts of one glass so much more, now that my body is not inundated with the stuff. I can enjoy a glass. I don't enjoy four big ones any more. 

I have energy the next day. I get up and do my workouts. I am physically tired, not hungover tired. I sleep better. My face is less puffy. I don't have to worry that I stink of wine at work. I am there for my kids at the end of the day.

Or maybe don't drink that wine and keep running!

I am really hoping that I can keep at this and change a habit that been building over the last couple of decades (OK - now I made myself feel really old). I want to be healthy going into my 50s. I want to not shop in the larger ladies section. I want my brain and body to be able to function as well as they can. These are the things I want for my life. Wine is not going to get me there, so it will just not be able to be as big a part of my life as it was previously. 

If I am serious about losing weight, alcohol is not helping - the body processes alcohol before fat, protein or carbs. Thus drinking slows down the burning of fat. It contains a lot of empty, non-nutritious calories. 

Will I keep on this track? I can only try one day at a time. I may look back at this post and laugh at myself for me being so naive. But I hope not. 

Have you let alcohol creep into your life?

What's your best tip for drinking less?

Feelin' hot hot hot!

Ole ole, ole ole

Feelin' hot hot hot!

Here in Oz (for my vast overseas readership!) it's been, as we say in the local dialect, bloody hot. And not just hot temperature-wise, but about a billion percent humidity. But do I let that stop me in my quest for a leaner, fitter, healthier me? No! I don't!

Sunday night, much cooler now, the end of Week 2 of the 12 Week Body Transformation. And I know you are all sitting there, on the edge of your seats, most probably the couch, just busting to find out how I'm going.

Well, I'll tell you! (because I'm good at sharing like that). I'm going really well. I have followed the menus pretty well - adding my calories to My Fitness Pal every day and (just about) not going over my allocated 1200 calories per day.

I am enjoying healthy, yummy, clean food every day:

Kanga meat pie!

Pancakes with yoghurt and berries!

Poached egg, ham, grilled tomatoes and rocket!

I am becoming much more aware of what I put in my mouth and how it is going to impact on my quest to lose weight.

I am dealing with "special occasions" better - work Christmas party becomes "treat night" and I save up calories in the day by not snacking and making better choices.

I am saying "no thankyou" to wine!! I know - I'm pretty shocked too. It's like Michelle says (wow, I really am sounding like a cult member, but so be it) "willpower is a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets". I am able to include a glass (or two) of low alcohol wine into my daily calorie allowance on treat nights if I'm careful during the day. 

And I've followed my own (well, Michelle's again) very good advice and JFDI, despite the heat, in my training. Have not missed a day this week. Say it again, loud and proud - have not missed a day, people! Despite the heat and humidity which makes me look like a drowned rat, I've been pounding the pavement, planking the carpet and pulling-up the towels like there's no tomorrow! And I look like this when I'm done:

I love it when my face matches my top!
You can't see it well, but I was drenched!

I am a bit cross that my efforts do not ever burn the required 500 calories on weekdays and 1000 on Super Saturdays, but alas, despite running for nearly 5km in the heat I was only up to 500 calories! What is a girl to do? I'll just keep going and following the instructions and gradually building up my running - I DO NOT want to get injured again.

I'm also getting brave. This wonderful resource has been available to me for the whole time I've been writing this blog, but I've always been too chicken/self-conscious to use it:

Outdoor gym!

So I did a circuit of that based on my all-over body toning exercises after my long run. Max the dog kept me company and did not laugh at me, at all. 

I'm going well. I'm feeling so much better. A little tired from my early starts, but a 'good' tired from physical exertion. My mum reckons I look a little thinner - I love my mum! Still waiting for my clothes to start falling off me, but it will come. Yes it will.

So we go rum bum bum bum

Yeah we 'run run run run!'

Week 1 - Wednesday Weigh-in!

First up - a confession. I've been following the nutrition and exercise to the letter but came a little unstuck last night. We have some huge decisions to make, and we succumbed to the stress and bought wine. And I drank more than one glass. And this morning running seems a bit out of the question.

But. I will get back on that horse today. Back into the nutrition. I will try to run this afternoon after work, even though I usually do them in the morning. This was just a blip.

OK - so our first official weigh in day! I was a bit worried that I'd undone all my good work. But the scales said 75.8kg. Woot! So happy with that! And inspiration to keep putting one foot in front of the other :-)