Step 1: Health

Wow! Well first of all I had no idea how long it had been since my last post. I knew it had been a little while, but I guess time has just flown in between then and now and I've been so busy I just didn't even have time for it to process. Well now it is a brand new round of 12wbt. It started Monday last week, so we're at exactly day 1, week 2. I guess I am looking for a fresh start. An opportunity to redeem myself. Last round was a shocker. Well, it wasn't as extreme as a shocker, but it wasn't eventful and I didn't gain what I would consider to be some tangible, impressive results, like I have in the past. I lost 1.5kgs in 12 weeks. And you should see my weekly weigh ins plotted on a graph. Up, down, up, down, down, up, down, up. And so on and so on. It tested my patience a fair bit, but at the end of the day, my actions, or lack thereof, produced those results.  I can't be too hard on myself though. I have gained a few things from the last round.  1. I l

This is my third round of 12wbt. I have had 32 kgs to lose in total. I've lost almost 20. I don't think that's very impressive for (almost) 3 rounds. I have slowly lost less and less weight and been less and less focussed with each round. Round 1 - 10kgs. Round 2 - I think around 6. And now, 2kgs. It's like I'm really bored with focussing on just my weight. When work falls apart, so do I. And my partner (who is a true supporter), is always advising me, "stick to the food, if you have to drop the exercise that's ok, but stick to the food and you'll succeed". Yes, that's all well and good, but I want to exercise. That's what I find fun & I want more of it. It feels like I am bored with focussing on weight loss. I feel like I needed something extreme to jilt me into my weightloss journey, which was the case when I was severely depressed with my life and my appearance. But now that I am more confident with my appearance, a

Things have got to change. I've had enough. I'm not getting anywhere I want to be any time soon. Work has gotten out of control and I'm in the boot of the car rather than the driver’s seat. It isn't right. I know better than this. I could handle my eating habits when I was an auditor. If I can survive that I can survive anything. It’s not that I’m eating terribly at all, it’s just that I can’t seem to stick to that magic 1200 calories number each day. And as such, I’m losing weight at a snail’s pace. I think I've un-learnt what to prioritise with and how to focus on the small steps. Instead I’m seeing this huge achievement I want to make, and feeling like it’s virtually impossible to conquer  right now. So, I need to get it back. I’ve lost almost 20 kilos, and I have just over 12 to go to get to my goal weight. I need to get out of the mindset of thinking "A kilo a week. I have to do it. All or nothing." Well, it’s not like I'm literally

Well lately I've been struggling. I don't want to be a pity party, but I've been sick (nice and dizzy and fatigued plus a pretty stagnant cold), moving house & unpacking, and dealing with our busiest time of year at work. To say the least I've been unorganised, inactive, and haven't been making the best food choices. I had actually been relying on Iced Coffee for breakfast. YUCK! I don't know why I do it, but I do. In my head it made sense because it was quick and easy and it was stilla round 300 calories. That's the philosophy of the program isn't it? Haha. NOT! You forgot to add in the nutritional factor Lauren. Anyway, I'd been relying on it for about a week. Yesterday morning I broke the cycle - brought in a tub of low fat yoghurt to work and mixed it with the muesli I keep in my desk drawer for when I haven't had brekkie at home. This morning, however, was a different story. I brought the yoghurt, knowing I had another serve of mue

I was on the train this morning, travelling into work, listening to Michelle’s little "snip tips" she puts up on the program website. I listened to the one about sleep. She gave us a sleep challenge. Firstly, she challenged the idea that we are born to be either morning people or night owls. More that it is a learned habit instead. She's probably right. I've got terrible sleeping habits. I always stay up late. I'm always so tired. Well, less tired since I've been looking after my health, but still - the fact that I am only getting around six hours sleep a night and I can't for the life of me get my arse out of bed to make it to work on time more mornings than not, is not a good sign. And I do all of those activities she says we waste hours doing instead of sleeping - perusing Facebook, watching mind-numbing tv, etc etc. So I'm going to take on her challenge. 14 days of getting into bed at 9:30, lights off by 10pm, and up by 6am. And an hour later

I though for my next post I'd make it about something fun that I'm sure most people appreciate - FOOD!!!! Yum yum!! One huge thing joining the 12wbt has given me, that I am truly grateful for, is teaching me to appreciate healthy nutritious food and how much it can do for your body. And the amazing thing, is that this is returned to you ten-fold. It comes back to you in numerous benefits in a variety of forms, including energy, brain power, attention span, physical ability and emotional control, just to name a few!! I have also found a love and joy that comes from cooking. I don't know exactly how to describe it in words that can do it any justice, but it is just an incredible thing that you can express yourself through. You are making something so good for your body, that you know your body will enjoy, and you're doing that from scratch with your own hands. When I cook, I enjoy every part of it - shopping and selecting the fresh ingredients, reading through the rec

Or as I like to say it in my mind "wuh wuh wuh wuh" (say it really quick and it works). It makes me chuckle at least. The Stats:     Last wks weight: 74.6 This wks weight: 74.1 Weekly loss: 500 grams Percentage loss: 0.7% Starting weight: 91.9 Total weight loss: 17.8 Percentage weight loss: 19.4%   How am I feeling? Pretty good. I've had a hell of a week, with what I consider to be "excuses outside of my control". Oh gosh I hope I'm labelling my excuses right. But it's a life changing event, so surely that's a big one? I moved house!! Apparently that's in the top five most stressful situations a person can experience. And I'm beginning to understand why. My outside of work time over the last week was consumed as follows: Last Wednesday night -  inspecting open houses, then back to work to do overtime. Thursday - working late, then filling out application for rental property Friday - application was approved, dinner

BEFORE HALF WAY MARK Well, let me just start off by saying I have seriously been neglecting my little blog baby. And if there's any readers out there, I’m sorry. Life has been a little bit crazy over the last few months to say the least. Now the event that has sparked this post is that the 12wbt has announced a little challenge, for anyone willing to partake, of writing an interesting blog and nominating yourself, or nominating a blog you enjoy reading. You must make about three posts this week, and then between 1-3 posts every week following until the end of the round (this being week 3). I thought what better timing than this little challenge to get my butt into gear and invest some time into my blog. Now I thought for my first post I would refresh the scene and talk a little bit about me, why I'm here, and what I have achieved so far. About me: I'm Lauren, 26 (almost 27.....EEEEK!!!), living in Brissy, and grew up in Darwin. I moved To

Today was "weigh-in". My result was 75.7kgs. 500 grams up from last Wednesday unfortunately. I also worked out that I have been stuck in between 75.0 and 77.0 kgs for 11 weeks now. 11 weeks!!!!!!! It's doing my head in a little bit. I can't drop below that 75kg mark. I was so close last week at 75.2, but instead this week I put on weight rather than dropping below. That's 3,500 calories I apparently went over what I should have. Ugh!!!! So frustrating. And to top it all off I have a super busy month minimising my exercise I get in when I work late, so leaving it pretty hard for me to find the time to burn those calories and just blast under that 75kg mark. Anyway, never mind. I'm doing the best I can with what I've got. I'm eating at 1,200 each day - taking my pre-prepared lunch to work. I just have to stick to that each day and I'll slowly creep under that point. Stay tuned..............

Today I have officially made it to the half way point in my weight loss in order to get to my goal weight of 60kgs. That is a 16kg loss!!! I've done it slow and steady, as this is my second round of 12wbt, so I've been working on it since last September. But I've learnt so many lessons along the way, and I just keep getting better in every aspect - my food, fitness, and most importantly my mind. Last night was also one of the first significant moments where I truly flexed my will power muscle. That has been one of my downfalls along my journey. But last night I went out with a bunch of good friends to a bar. Everyone was keen to have a few. I did not drink a single drop, I just had soda water and lime to drink instead. And when everyone ordered a light (but carb loaded) dinner I said no, even though my stomach was growling at me like crazy, and I went home to eat some of the leftover chicken soup from Monday night. I have never ever said no to drinking. I alw

When I binge, it's like another being takes over my body. I am so far gone and out of control that I don't even remember starting the process. Tonight I binged. I admitted it to my partner and he asked me what goes through my head when I get dressed, get my wallet and walk to the shops. I couldn't answer that question. Not because I dont want to - I do, because I know he will try and help me. But I couldn't answer him because, I thought about it for a moment, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what goes through my head, other than I want something "yummy" to eat. Tonight someone at the shop actually said to me as I was being served by the sales assistant "honey, that is not a healthy dinner". That cut deep. I looked to him like a fat girl who was depressed and was going home to eat. Little did he know his comment burned and I went home and probably did double the damage I would of done had I not felt more upset by his com

Wow. I don't know what has happened in the last months, but somehow I have had over 270 views in this month alone. My blog has had a very negative and "down" mood over the last couple of months. I think I need to get my butt into gear, work on my head, and make it more happy if there are that many people willing to look at it. Sorry guys. Am trying to make it honest, but I realise right now it just sounds sad. That's not a good sign. It's the start of a new week. After my brain dump the other day I now realise where my problem areas are which gives me something to focus on for the next month or so. Will check in as I go. Wish me luck :). Our minds are a fascinating thing. Can either work with or against us. Just depends how much we help it I suppose.

Disclaimer: I apologise in advance for the lack of care in wording the below post. It's not great grammar or writing that really flows at all. I was just feeling strongly and had to get my thoughts down as quickly as they came to me. Well I feel like I have certainly left myself behind of the pack this round. This is my 2nd round, and now that wk 6 is open I feel sick to the stomach. I don't actually feel like I've really started this round. I don't know what has happened. The first two weeks I was having my last two wks at my job after resigning - so life was mayhem burning the midnight oil to tie up all of my loose ends. I had a wk off to just catch up on my personal life that had been neglected due to a job that consumed my life. Then wks 4 & 5 of the program have been the first two weeks in a new job. And all these sound like big time excuses, but my life has been so unsettled for all of this time. I've been so busy running through to-do lists -

I am about to start a week off from work, while last week I finished up at one company, and next week I will begin my new job. As I sat having breakfast this morning - Michelle's "Breakfast Burrito" recipe which was delicious! - I then had a coffee. I now sit here with an uncomfortably full stomach. I only have instants, as they are extremely low in calories, but I just don't need the stimulants anymore. I used to drink coffee to get through the day. Now, with nutritious food, I can get through the day just fine. In fact, I feel great. So why do I continue to drink coffee? Out of habit and addiction I think. So I've decided in my week off at home, where I don't have any deadlines to make me feel a little panicked, I am going to give up coffee!! I have just chucked out all of the coffee I had in the house. And I poured it into the bin from the jar. So it is completely unusable! I'm fed up with thinking I need this stuff. I clearly don't. I just need a