Saturday 7 February 2015

WOW I feel a bit like I cant believe I'm doing it all over again.
12 weeks later, 2 years later! My second child has now been born and I've decided to do 12wbt again! I am at the weight now that I was AFTER 12wbt last time, which seems insane! (obviously not as much muscle so dont quite look the same this time though!)

I am going to Bali at the end of April 2015. Every time a new season of 12WBT started I looked at it and thought 'I can't commit to that, I'm not ready'. But when this season came up, I knew in my heart of hearts that I was ready for it. You can only do 12wbt when you are fully ready to commit to it, and that is what I tell anyone who asks me if they can do it! I know now about 7 or so close friends who have done it. And out of them I think I know about two who have committed fully to it, and I'm sure it's in those who have committed who see the results! My mum is doing it this time too. And although we are 1.5 hours away from each other, I love that we are both doing it, it's so nice to have someone who is committed doing it, and I must say she is SUPER committed, especially to the food. I don't know if you can say you're proud of your mum.. they always say that they are proud of you, but in any case, seeing her cook and prepare, and spend so much time and energy on this makes me feel so excited for her and how the next 12 weeks will go!

This time is harder. I can see without a shadow of a doubt that last time I followed the program to an absolute tee. I did not differ, and I did absolutely nothing I shouldn't have. This time will be different! Having two kids, working from home 3 days a week and being a full time mum means that this is so much harder. But no excuses so I do what I can, and if all else fails trying to get exercise done - I eat well. If nothing else... that is something I have full control over.

So the first week... 2 days non exercise, but SSS done wooooooop! Treat meal and a couple of wines tonight (sat) and I feel great and I have lost at least 1.5kg already. I'm rapt and doing well I feel!

I started at 64.4 and only want to get to 58kg. This is a much smaller goal but I feel like I'll be happy there and dont need to lose any more! My sister who did this last session is my inspiration.. and I can only hope to feel as great as she looks.

11 more weeks. Food is amazing. Exercise is hard. But it's only another 11 weeks, and regardless... I enjoy the food!

Wednesday 14 November 2012

The End!

The end of the 12wbt has come - I did my final weigh in, measurements and fitness test today.

I must say I am RAPT with my results. I feel like its unbelievable what I've been able to achieve. All while eating good foods - no starving, just exercising alot and eating to an amount of calories (which cos I'm breastfeeding was well well enough!).

So let me try to upload my photo and all my results!

My weight - I lost 10kg - attached below is week my week. I had one week where I gained, and it was only 0.1kg and it was while I was sick so I'm not worried!



Measurements - 47cm smaller... crazy! My arms have changed dramatically but they tell you to measure near the elbow which is weird as that wont change! Gone down in everything which is great :)


Fitness test - I couldn't do pushups due to my bung wrist so thats why it only says one, but the rest I smashed and my 1km run was mental!

Here is the final part - the photos! Before and After (newspapers are there a rule in 12wbt to show the week and prove photos are current)


So did I achieve what I wanted to? YES and MORE! I always thought 68kg was around a good weight for me, but I've shown that there is so much more I can do than I ever knew was possible! 
I've shown to myself that I can achieve so much, and there are no excuses. 
I've learnt about eating, and I've changed what I enjoy - 95% chocolate, tea, peppermint tea after dinner with ONE piece of chocolate if I really want it. 

To be honest I'm slightly worried about finishing this, even though I haven't relied on the support etc. from the program. I need to make sure I keep on doing what I'm doing and don't blow out on food, I cant go back to the way I was just because I'm at a good weight now, I need to make sure I keep eating healthy and exercising as it will make me feel better to do so, not necessarily to lose weight. 

So this is it, 12 weeks later (or 11 but 12 weigh ins), I'm a different person, 10kg, 47cm and 13.7% smaller, with a new outlook on life and... I have a new wardrobe (old clothes which I never thought I'd fit into!), and yes, I FIT INTO MY DIESEL JEANS! 

Thanks for all your support, for not forcing drinks or food on me for this time, for understanding, for asking questions to show you care and let me talk about it, and for my husband for his unbelievable support in me. I feel like I really did it! 

Tuesday 13 November 2012

The lead up to D-Day

Tomorrow is the final weigh in and the final fitness test.
I will take a photo, weigh in, run a 1km, measure stomach, thighs, arms etc, do sit and reach test and a flexibility test.

It will all show me how far i've come.. and if I've reached my goals I set out to get.

I'm pretty sure of the answers but I'll wait till tomorrow to give you all the final answer!

I did ask a question to myself and all other females in another blog. It was 'will we ever as females be satisfied with how we look'? I do know that I am not completely satisfied, but i've identified when I feel the best - when I exercise, that arvo and the day and the next one I feel the best. If its a walk, a run or a weights session - this is what we need to remember. Not only is exercise good for our bodies - but I'm sure its good for our minds. Or its what makes me feel the best anyway!

Stay tuned for tomorrows results... :)

Thursday 8 November 2012

0.6kg to go

It feels so good to get back into exercise!

I spent nearly 2 weeks just trying to get through the day being sick and coughing but unable to cough and sinus problems, so didn't do any exercise and tried to live on lemon water. So I weighed in yesterday and was 0.1kg up. 64.5kg. Thats still pretty good, and I was happy to only have put on that small amount!

It does mean though that I have a bit of work to do to get to where I want to be by next Wednesday. Only a week and 0.6kg to get to my goal for this challenge.

I'm trying to ramp it up and do as much exercise as I can. Not long left. After this I hope to still get to my goal of 60kg. After this 12 weeks is over though I want to only do the two nights of gym plus tennis once a week so thats 3 nights a week, and with eating well I should still be able to slowly drop and/or maintain.

Wish me luck for the last week!

Tuesday 30 October 2012

The weight of weights

This week is week 10 weigh in and i've been terrible. I did wednesday night's PT, then Tuesday night I played tennis, but I've been sick since Sunday and have had a spray on tan for the wedding last Saturday so haven't been able to do exercise like I usually do which has sucked and I can feel the impact of it.

When I'm sick too I comfort eat - surprisingly I have a different comfort eating style now though - its very strange! Instead of eating all the chocolate in the house, I had extra food but not too much chocolate. I ate a couple of muesli bars, some rice cakes, corn thins with avocado on it, and two pieces of honeycomb chocolate. That was my overindulgent day - can you believe it? I felt terrible after it but realised that this overeating is different than it was - still too far over my calories but because it wasnt high cal foods it was a bit better.

My weigh in this morning I nearly fainted when I saw the result. I had the wedding where I had a few drinks - mmm 4 sparkling wines and 1 beer. Lucky Im breastfeeding still so couldnt really drink too many cals! I ate a bit but was distracted by bubbs so not too much. The wedding dinner I ate FAR TOO MUCH though! I think my stomach has shrunk! I went all out and ordered what I wanted deciding it was ok to have a treat - so we all had three courses, mine was:
Pork belly on an apple puree and zucchini strips with crispy panceta on top
Steak cooked medium to perfection with potato wedges
Sticky date pudding
And yes I ate everything on all 3 plates! Then felt sick after it... oops!
I cant say I wont do it again, and to be honest it was AMAZING but I did eat too much and I should have left something on all three plates and I still would have been satisfied - possibly more so. I should know better!

Weigh-in yes get to that, so wedding, then 3 days of being sick and eating too much equals.... 1.1kg LOSS - what?! :) I had to weigh myself twice till i believed it. I honestly thought the scales were wrong!

So my thinking is that I've done heaps of weights work in the past 10 weeks, they say that that increases your metabolism - and it has to! Oh they other thing they say is that the exercise and food you ate 2 weeks ago will be what happens that week - if so I'm not looking forward to 2 weeks time!

But I'm rapt! I'm passed my 65kg goal and I am now 64.4kg. This has truly changed my life in so many ways. My goal for this program is 63kg but to be honest if I get into the 63s at all (i.e. 63.9) i'll have acheived my goal. I hope I get there and I really need to work for it this last two weeks. I cant exercise tonight as I'm still trying to get over this sickness, but I really want to push this last 2 weeks.

One thing I have found has helped me stay on track is recording everything I eat on myfitnesspal. ESPECIALLY the days where I have overeaten. This helps me stay accountable and the next day it does make me think twice about what I've eaten. I try to have cups of tea instead of eating to cut back when I'm not feeling well - but recording everything is helping dramatically.

64.4kg... I never ever thought I'd get this low... and I still have two weeks to go!


p.s I wore my Paris dress to the wedding on Saturday - that goal is achieved!



Wednesday 24 October 2012

week 9

So its week 9 and we're in the last third of the transformation!

I've nearly gotten to my original goal - I was happy with this week's loss of 0.5kg, the weight loss will slow down now and thats ok, with 0.2kg last week and 0.5kg this week thats still pretty reasonable i'd say! My weight as of this Wednesday's weigh in was 65.5kg woohoo! unfortunately I still dont fit perfectly into my Diesel jeans! I fit into them... but just not perfectly which I want to by the end of this. 3 weeks to go I guess.

MB has introduced something for the last 4 weeks which are called 'accelerator days' which are Tuesdays. This means no carbs... including fruit! Its so hard to eat that many calories without carbs and to feel full! I realised how many I eat actually which is probably really bad. I love muesli bars though so thats where alot of mine come from I think. Anyway I think thats what helped with the loss this week. These days are good I think and meant to kick start your body into being faster through changing what you put into it... good idea I think.

I have a wedding this week - so by getting a tan Thursday i've ruled out exercise Thur, Fri and Saturday! Then due to the wedding commitments Sunday will be out too I'm pretty sure so this week will be a bad week probably! Ah well there will be weeks like that and not much I can do about it I don't think.

See how I go but getting there for sure... 63 is the goal but I'd be happy just to have 63 at the start of the number, which means 63.9kg and i'd be rapt! this means my goal is 1.6kg away with 3 weigh ins left... losing only 0.5kg a week I might not make it especially with the wedding this week, but I'll try!


Wednesday 17 October 2012

% of body fat

All the new digital scales have body fat percentage on them. I think they work through something fancy like that they send a pulse through your body and see how quick it comes back? Anyway I remember in high school that they only had one of these and it was special and new! No idea what my % was in school. But regardless sometimes I do this, only once in a while but I did only a few weeks after I had my daughter and my % was 32%. I never really knew what that meant and still don't - and Im pretty sure its a useless number to know because the healthy range is 21-35% or something and thats such a huge range! The health profession seems to come up with all sorts of numbers which make us try to reach to see if we are 'healthy' or not!

I did the % this morning anyway just to see the change so far and its 25.3% now.
When looking up what it 'should' be all I seemed to find on Google (the go-to for any question) was this photo (http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/).



I think this only shows that everyone is different! I am 25% and certainly don't look like that photo! And I was 32% when I started and if I looked like the 30% girl I wouldn't have needed to lose anything!

I also found this (http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/):


This one probably makes more sense. It looks like I fit between about 20.9%-24.5%. I dont know who decided that was 'ideal' though and why the average isnt in the ideal... but in any case thats interesting!

So my weight is now 66kg. My % is 25.3% which means that the total fat in my body is 16.6kg.
If I can lose another 3kg to get to 63kg, that will take my body fat to 13.6kg, and make 21.6% my body fat percentage. This is assuming no other variables which is never the case (e.g. water in your body at the time you measure), but interesting nonetheless. I'd be pretty happy with that weight! I am to be within 20-22% for no other reason than that this website explains that in the following way, note the highlighted bit...! I want the definition in my abs!

Body Fat Percentage Women 20-22%

This is body fat percentage is usually in the “fit” category of most body fat charts and is typical of many female athletes. Some definition in the abs is apparent, there is body fat on the arms and legs, but it’s not too pronounced. There is minimal, but some separation between muscles.

In saying all this, I've only done all this cos I am interested in numbers and seeing what happens to them with changes - I'll be happy no matter what this says :)...

My conclusion: that the body fat percentage is just another number, like the BMI which is different for everyone and just an 'interesting number' more than anything.