And one more try for the dummies!

I turn 45 today.

I'm now 86.5kg.

I'm struggling to tie up my shoes.

It's time!

For realz and for good.

Let's do this!

On the road again...

...from (very) flabby to fit.

Oh hi!

Here I am (again). Starting (again). Because, yanno, it's that time of year to take stock of things - and "things" are looking mighty flabby, lazy, tight, yuck.

This time last year I was in the midst of 12WBT fever - had lost 5 or 6 kgs (eep - I was 74.4kg on Boxing Day 2012!!!). This morning it's a very scary 82.1kg. Heaviest EVER.

Dec 2012

Dec 2013

Last Christmas, I got a bunch of running booty - Garmin, earphones, cap, 2XU running tights. This year, I got none of that and my tights don't actually fit at the moment.

Last New Year I made a goal to do a half marathon in 2013. At the moment, on the brink of 2014, that feels so ridiculously out of reach! I would be happy to run 5km. 

So (I feel like a broken record) - this is bad, and I have to do something. So I'll start again - nothing fancy - fast days, cut back on junk, get into a exercise routine. I'm starting with just walking the dog - my feet have been killing me (not plantar fasciitis this time, the outside edges of my feet), so if walking is not a goer, I'm going to get in the pool. Whatever - just start moving again.

I went for a 3km walk this morning. So many people out there doing the same thing and running (oh my gosh - I can't even). It's a start and I just need to keep going. If I learnt nothing from that Michelle chick, it's JFDI.

Life is busy, but it doesn't appear that's going to change any time soon. I did the 12WBT and 10km run and lost 10kg whilst being busy, but I didn't sustain it. So I need to find a way to keep healthy for the long haul. Baby steps. I just have to do it, or I'll be posting here that I'm 90kg and that would be scary.

How did you go this year?

Lost/gained weight?

Got yourself into a routine?

Any tips for the fallen?

Trying AGAIN!

Hello all my lonely readers! You can take my silence here and on Facebook as confirmation that I have, indeed fallen off the 12WBT bandwagon (again).

My life has been very stressful of late, and although I know that following Mish's advice and guidelines will help me lose weight, look better, feel better and be healthier, it was just the straw that broke the camel's back and I couldn't deal with "being good" on top of everything else I've had to do.

And so I've been paying Mish $20 a week (again) for nothing. Well not nothing, because I've saved her recipes and running plan to my computer this time.

As you would expect, living a lifestyle of crap food and plenty of wine and little (no?) exercise does not lead to good things on the scales. I'm back to 78.9kg as of yesterday. Sigh. I'm on the yo-yo.

So, Weight Watchers, joined gyms, bootcamp, Couch to 5km, Run Fat Bitch Run, juicing, Weigh It Up, 12 Week Body Transformation - I've done them all - lost kilos, run further than I ever imagined, gained kilos...

However, a friend posted something earlier this week that piqued my interest - the Fast Diet (or 5:2 Intermittent Fasting) as "discovered" by Michael Mosely (love his science docos!) on the Horizon documentary Eat, Fast, Live Longer. Go watch it. In his case (and mine!) that all the standard advice is not working.

The idea is that you fast on two (non-consecutive) days a week - where you only eat 500 calories (or 600 for men) on those days. Eat what you want on the other days. Sounds doable! Fasting made easy! And with some good science to back it up. I went and bought the book.

So yesterday, I fasted for the first time. I was HUNGRY in between breakfast (cottage cheese and apple) and dinner (pork yakitori, pumpkin, feta and beans). But I didn't cave - because today I am enjoying my standard fare of raisin toast and chai latte. I really had to stop myself reaching out and just mindlessly eating. It took some thinking, but I did it! And I am so mentally relieved that I don't have to watch what I eat every day - just two days a week.

Just for fun, I took all my starting measurements yesterday - and today, 24 hours later, I am 1.5kg lighter. 1.5 KILOGRAMS! I expect much of it is water, but wow. On Thursday, I'll do it again and then go back to normal.

It is obviously early days and my long-term track record is not great. And as always, I'll blog about it - good, bad and ugly. Because I know I'm not alone here. Keep following me on my journey!

What I missed about running

Finally got my butt off the couch and out there this morning. Just my usual run down at the beach. Me and the dog. Did a little warm-up walk and then jogged (with the odd walk-break in between) for 30 minutes. 3.91km according to my little iPod nano as my Garmin wasn't charged and I now have a humongous "phablet" for a phone which is ridiculously large to run with. Not terribly accurate, but I'm not a terribly elite athlete or anything.

Anyways, I was out there and thought to myself "gee, I really miss this!". Not the huffy-puffy of it all and the tight calves and the niggly sore hip (which is sore without running, so not sure how putting it under duress will pan out), but the joy of running.

In particular I missed:

• Being out in the fresh morning air, looking at the pretty beach scenery. How lucky am I to live next to the ocean?
• Listening to my music! I really missed just listening to uplifting, boppy music that sadly has most of it's origins in the 80s (although I can boast the Veronicas and Pink on this morning's playlist as well).
• Taking my dog for a walk. My slow running pace is his perfect trotting pace. But I wish he didn't feel the need to claim the park grass as his own and pee every 20 metres (note to self - I am the pack leader, he does what I tell him!).
• The sweaty, tired feeling of a good workout. I'm hoping I'll sleep like a baby tonight. 
• The smug, self-satisfied feeling that I went for my run this morning.

Do you run?

What do you love most about it?

Back in the saddle again!

You can take my lack of blogging here that things haven't been going so well in the weight-loss/maintenance stakes and you'd be right.

Since my last post (many, many weeks ago you will note), I have been for zero runs and pretty much eaten (and drunk) what I liked.

OK - it hasn't been THAT bad!

I don't really have any good answers as to why I've fallen off the wagon. I just have made not so great choices. I know that eating potato chips won't be good for my waistline. I know that wine contains a billion kilojoules. I know these things.

I know I feel better when I exercise. I know the dog is better behaved too. I know these things.

And yet...I lapse into old, unhealthy habits.

And so here I go again. Time to lift my game and start treating the old bod a bit better. I've downloaded the first week's Weigh It Up 3 Week Winter Challenge. I am going to just Freaking Do It and start run/walking again. There's a pretty good view from the Sydney Harbour Bridge in September, I hear...

So here is my new starting point:

73.9kg - 162.9 lbs

And away we go again!

I'm baaaacckkk!!!!!

Oh hello fitness blog! I nearly forgot all about you, but I'm back!

Ready for some stats?

Weeks away: 4
Countries visited: 5
Total distance (Sydney to Beijing): 7271 nautical miles (8367 land miles, 13466 km)
Buffet breakfasts: 27
Four course dinners: around 12

Roast quail main

Chocolate and peanut slice

Visits to the gym: 2
Walks around the promenade deck: 2
Migraines: 2
Colds/flu: 2

Peking duck consumed: 1
Street food hoovered: lots

I can confirm that Peking duck fat is, in fact, divine...

OMG this pork was TO DIE FOR!

 

Dumplings - YES!

I will add that there was lots of food I DIDN'T eat!

Seafood lunch in Korea!

But I also walked. A lot. And climbed a few stairs:

So given I was pretty sick for a lot of the trip and ate a lot and didn't do a lot of exercise, I was thrilled to bits to come back home and get on the dreaded scales and see this:

70.2kg = 154.8 lbs

Alas, I fear that no exercise (brought on by yet another virus and another migraine - them's my excuses and I'm sticking to them) and wine and cheese and pizza and who the hell is Michelle Bridges? may have seen those numbers creep up a bit in the last two weeks.

But guess what? Today I went for a WALK! I know - it's impressive. And I even jogged a fair bit of it. The dog was fairly beside himself with excitement. So hopefully the colds, flu and migraines will leave me alone for a bit and I'll go shopping and get organised and get myself back on track before I undo all my hard work.

Stay tuned to see how I go!

Holiday health kick???

Regular readers will know I'M GOING ON HOLIDAYS!!!!

Yup. Just 3 more sleeps in my own bed before I board this:

Read it and weep, people!

So. I will be away on a floating smorgasbord for over 3 weeks, followed by a stay in Beijing (a.k.a. home of Peking Duck). How do I reconcile holidays with weight loss/maintenance??

First up, I give up any notion of losing weight. While I don't want to undo all my hard work, I will give myself a break. If I can come home within cooee of 70kg, I'll be a happy girl.

I will use the gym on this floating palace. It looks nice:

There is also a lap pool:

and a jogging track:

I will be restrained at the buffet:

So I can enjoy my Peking Duck in Beijing and Yum Cha in Hong Kong:

But I might climb a lot of stairs:

Wish me luck for 4 weeks without scales!!!!

What are your holiday weight "maintenance" tips?

What's the best holiday you've ever been on?