Running on a treadmill

Well running on the treadmill was WAY better than I expected. It actually felt quite easy, probably because I didn't put the incline up at all (baby steps). But this weekend I haven't hit the pavement yet... it's raining and I have a nasty headache. This is the first time I've used excuses in 4 weeks, I must be feeling unwell.

Busy busy week coming up, then hubby is on school holidays so hopefully will be around a bit more and I can have a wee bit more time to myself with two of us to be with the kids.

Scales still not dropping :-( makes it really hard to stay motivated some days. I am one kilogram from my true weight (have been for over a month) but just can't seem to reach it. Very frustrating. Might have to do a week of attack or being super strict. But not this week. Too busy.

Hope all is well. Pop over and check out Dani's blog if you remember our old blogger friend. She's just had her baby!!!!!

ZG

Shortest day tomorrow

Tomorrow is the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere (least amount of daylight hours) then it's uphill (downhill?) to summer baby... I'm excited!! A few more weeks and I can probably run outside again. CAN'T WAIT.

Early in the morning I'm going to attempt to do my c25k on the treadmill. Hopefully I don't sound like an elephant and wake up the whole house.

Haven't been so good with food today. Can I blame that TOTM?
ZG

Muscles are the new fit

Run this arvo, brought the stitch back again and I had been really careful to eat at least 4 hours before my run. So, after pushing through that nasty pain and not enjoying my run at all, I've had to change my plan again. Back to getting up early 2 mornings a week to run on the treadmill and the other morning I'll run after sunrise in the weekend.

Another batch of my protein bars and I've almost nailed the recipe! Coming soon!

Hamstrings feeling nice and sore tonight. Tried to push my triceps hard but they aren't sore so will have to push harder tomorrow.

ZG
PS picture is one of my motivating pics... isn't she gorgeous!

No stitch today!

I'm up to week 4 of my c25k now! Very exciting. Running in the afternoons is different to mornings*, probably because I've eaten lunch just a few hours before my run (rather than running on an empty stomach). My children have passed onto me a lovely (not) cold. Breathing is quite hard and although usually I wouldn't have exercised feeling this sick, I am not letting excuses rule me anymore. Amazingly when I was running, breathing was great, no stuffiness at all.
*(Did a morning run again this morning - after sunrise - and absolutely no stitch or even a hint of it. Makes me think food definitely has something to do with it).

My weight lifting is going well and a nice side effect is it stops me feeling hungry. So if after dinner I want to snack, a quick weights session and the feelings gone. Strange, but I'm not complaining. I do my abs on my swiss ball. Was watching Biggest Loser while doing them. Man they are looking good (final next week - don't tell me who wins, we are probably a season or more behind America).

My second attempt at my homemade protein bars didn't hold together very well, so back to the drawing board with that recipe.

I feel like a new woman. I've NEVER been able to stick to a diet plan this long. I've never stuck to exercise consistently either. It's amazing what a positive attitude, feeling good being slim again AND determination will do. You know you're looking good when your husband can't keep his hands off (heh heh).

It's the weekend and the sun is shining. Enjoy.
ZG

(Photo by me, view of sunrise from our house in 2009)

Bounce bounce bounce

It's been over a month and I'm just bouncing around the same weight... very frustrating. My husband keeps reminding me that I've just started a weight lifting programme and my C25k.... but STILL. I want to see more loss on the scales :-) do I sound like an immature kid yet?

Fortunately I have matured when it comes to my diet. I'm not going back to my old ways EVER. Sure I occasionally cheat with one home made biscuit or a bowl of muesli (my fave cheat) but I haven't had bread/potato/highly processed white carbs in over half a year. I'll keep at this, even if this is as good as it gets. I don't want to be that fat unhappy person again.

I got the stitch while running today... I managed to run through it but I am very curious if anyone has any idea what causes it, so I can avoid it in future. Maybe it's just because I'm unfit?

ZG

Exercise and Weight Loss

So many blogs and people seem to think that to lose weight you HAVE to exercise. Well I have proved that theory is incorrect. Due to my hernia and then the operation to fix it, I didn't exercise in months but still managed to get almost down to my TRUE WEIGHT at a relatively fast pace, including eating cheese daily :-)

In saying that, I probably lost muscle mass as well as fat on my journey downwards, but it was good not to feel guilty about not exercising. Now when I exercise it's because I want to, not because I HAVE to.

I'm onto week 3 of my couch to 5k and I've worked out three different times a week that I can run in the daylight. YAY. I did my first daylight run today and unfortunately ran into lots of people I knew. I didn't stop to talk as I'm on my special programme. But it was nice to not feeling scared (as I have been in the dark the past few weeks).

I'm also into week 2 of more serious weight lifting (not just using body weight) and my muscles are starting to actually feel quite hard. Sadly that means the fat on top of them feels pretty gross, but hopefully over time I'll be able to work some of that off. My most annoying area is the top of my thighs, I think it's called saddle bags... ugh what a name. And my stomach (due to stretch marks from pregnancy) may never be flat again, but it's pretty close.

Tried on some jeans in the weekend. Didn't find the perfect ones yet, but wondering if I wait a few more months until I reach my True Weight so they don't become baggy.

I have my check up with the Dr/Surgeon from my operation this week. Hopefully he gives me the all clear and I can live normally again.

Have a great week everyone. Remember keeping a positive attitude is half the battle :-)
ZG

Another motivational idea

Check out this money jar. I found this on pinterest but I'm thinking of starting my own one and putting a $1 in it every time I complete a workout or run. Then once it's full I'll use the money to buy myself something nice :-)

While I'm really motivated to exercise right now, my passion may not last forever so hopefully this will help when the excuses are flying. Ooooo maybe if I use an excuse to miss a workout I'll have take money out.

Another idea I had was to add a coin when I resist some food I'm really craving. Now I just need to think of something I REALLY want to buy or save for........... I'm thinking a new iphone. I have the (second-hand) 3G phone and it's battery life is less than a day and it doesn't work with a lot of the new apps. Hmmmmm I like that idea. Perhaps I'll put a picture of an iphone on my jar :-) it's going to take a lot of workouts though :-)

Had another 'freakout' moment while exercising at 6am this morning with a car driving really slowly near me, watching me... It's made me make a decision not to run in the mornings anymore until it's lighter again. So I've worked out a timetable of three times a week to get out for my C25k in the weekend and a couple of weeknights just before dinner where hubby can watch the kids. I'll have to be super organised with dinners, but that's what crockpots (slow cookers) are for, right?!!!!!

Just did my weights workout. Hamstrings are also very weak; joining my triceps. Need to get the back of my body as strong as the front. I'm doing 3 sessions a week. It's nice feeling stronger but  the scales have definitely halted, which is a shame.
Have a great weekend.
ZG

Running in the dark

This morning I had a bit of a scare... I was running along my normal route (from my house down a path and along the beach path and back), and although the moon was out (lovely) it was very cloudy and quite dark. I passed a man standing by his car and he made some sort of noise as I ran past... It FREAKED me out. I'm always very aware of being safe and this morning I didn't feel safe. My heart raced for ages after that and I kept looking behind me.

I live in what I consider a very safe place but now I'm worried it's going to stop me going out again in the mornings. I can't run with my husband as someone has to be in the house with the kids. I don't really have any time without kids the rest of the day, except for after dinner which is also dark. Not quite sure what to do. And it's only going to get darker until the shortest day before getting lighter again.

Protein bars: I've managed to not eat any protein bars for a while (just stopped buying them) but I'm missing having something that is slightly 'treat' worthy to eat. So I've been looking into making my own. I found a cool recipe using coconut butter, so I tried to find some and it's CRAZY expensive. So I tried to make it and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was.

Plain cheap coconut in food processor 

After a few minutes on highest setting

10-15 mins later (and scrapping sides a bit) 

My homemade coconut butter :-) 

I put it all together with my other ingredients and it was pretty yum actually. I'll post the recipe when I've tinkered with it a bit more, but it included ground almonds, protein powder, splenda, cocoa powder and a bit of butter. Not good for crusing Dukaners but great for low-carbers and those on consolidation who need a 'protein bar'. And I've been reading lots about how good coconut is for you. Bonus!!! 

Muscles are feeling very sore tonight from last nights weights session. Good sore though :-)

ZG 

Weight loss jars

A friend of mine used jars as a visual for her weight loss and I decided to steal her idea. Because I work in kgs, I've used a marble for every 100g, and although my True Weight is only just over a kg away I've put enough stones in for my ultimate goal weight, which is 2kg under my True Weight.

Tonight I did my workout, mostly with body weight or just the weight of the bar (without the plates on the ends). I feel good, but my triceps are so weak, it's pathetic.

We've been hit with some nasty weather this week, which the old me would have used as an excuse not to get out and exercise, BUT the new me has made sure the treadmill is ready to go in case the rain is too heavy in the morning. (Finally cleared the space around the treadmill so I could unfold it for the first time in months). C25k won't be easy on the treadmill (finding out what speed is easy for me to run at in bursts) but I don't want to miss a session so it will have to do! I CAN DO THIS :-)

Til next time
ZG

I can do this

I never released how much repetitive positive thoughts can actually change your life. As much as I'm loathed to admit it, I think deep down I'm a glass half empty person. I never let this side of my personality emerge in public but as I look back over my past dieting episodes I can see that I self sabotaged myself every time.

Before the birth of my daughter I read a book that encouraged positive thinking and telling yourself 'you can do it'. Along with other pain relieving techniques. Two hours after my labour started my baby girl was in my arms and I'd probably said 'I can do this' a hundred times during the contractions. What a contrast to the birth of my son, where I can vividly remember telling my midwife 'I can't do this' and 18 hours later, with the help of forceps it seemed that was true. I had needed help.

So what am I getting at... When I restarted Dukan earlier this year I told myself often... 'this time I'm going to do it'. I can do this. I can do this!!! And I believe it's made all the difference because I have done this and I'm still doing it.

I feel like I'm a brand new person who can tackle anything. It's a wonderful feeling.
It's quite amazing how much my weight and how I viewed myself effected everything in my life. My husband keeps commenting how much happier I am now. I didn't even realise I wasn't happy back then. I mean I knew I wasn't happy with my body but I didn't know it was effecting the rest of my life.

So my Dukan friends. Tell yourself everyday that YOU CAN DO IT and see if it help.
ZG

I love weights

I'm so naughty. I haven't got the okay from my Dr yet but I've started a bit of weight lifting... I'm being very good and not lifting too heavy, actually that's a lie as I did a very heavy lat pull down tonight to try improve my strength for chin-ups.

Hubby helped me set up my gym equipment in the garage today (it was in our spare room in a corner not being able to be used) so after dinner I popped downstairs, did my workout, didn't wake the kids and was upstairs again in front of the fire before long.

There is something about lifting weights that makes you feel so strong. Like you could do anything. And I LOVE having sexy looking arms. I figure if I start working them out now, by the time summer comes (6 months away for us in the southern hemisphere) my arms will be looking curved in all the right places. That's the plan :-)

Better go to sleep. Tomorrow I'm getting up at 6am to do my run. I'm actually sleeping in some of my running clothes so it's easy to just roll out of bed and hit the pavement.

Have a great Dukany week!
ZG

Today is the start of winter...

I've been on this journey for 9 months now and you'd think I'd know better than to let myself get really hungry. Sadly I'm still weak sometimes. And 3 biscuits later I'm feeling rather annoyed with myself. Grrrrrrrr. Will do an attack day tomorrow to compensate.

We bought a pull up bar to hang on the doorframe this week... OH MY GOSH - ouchie! It's safe to say that I have no upper body strength left and the little I did have, didn't even get me half way up to the bar. For those you of (like me) that can't do a chin-up or pull-up yet, you can start with negative chin ups. Which means to stand on something so you get your chin over the bar then hold as long as you can there and slowly lower yourself down. My goal is by the end of June to be able to do one chin-up without the chair :-) wish me luck!!

Bullet points:
• Ugh... those carbs which I did SO not need are sitting heavily in my stomach... blah. Stupid stupid me.
• Today is the official start of winter in New Zealand.
• I've finished week 1 of my c25k. Looking forward to week 2.
• Long weekend (Queens birthday) this weekend - yay.
• Water hasn't been very good this week. (sorry water buddy)

Have a good one.
ZG