Week Four - Fantastic Fitness

Measurements and fitness test this week!

I have been dreading this time since last week when I spent time with friends and totally allowed myself everything.  The host is an incredible cook and as a lover of fine foods new that I would be incredibly tempted with what she had to offer.
  
 Knowing this and knowing also that I only have this opportunity once every year (sometimes not even that often) I allowed myself to enjoy the time and enjoy the food.  Well, I certainly enjoyed the foods... I didnt over indulge too much, just ate the same as everyone else and had my senses completely blown away... yep, it was that good!  Oh ... and Pashmak is my new most favourite thing, lucky I cant buy it locally as I could eat it by the bagful.. So, back to where I began, I have been weighing daily and found that I had put weight back on ...... ouch! Which has meant that the rest of my week has been working out really hard to try to counteract the weight gain... I am at a status quo this morning and hoping that by tomorrow (weigh in day) I will be under... fingers crossed.

The measurements I have done this morning.... and... drum roll.... a great result!
Chest:    Lost 1cm
Waist:    Lost 7cm
Hips:      Lost 12cm
R.Thigh: Lost 4cm
L.Thigh: Lost 5cm
R.Arm:   Lost 0cm
L.Arm:   Up 1cm

Pretty good hey!!!  I will be doing my fitness test this morning, but I really wanted to get this blog up first as it was meant to be up yesterday... whoops!
I have seriously noticed the weight loss around my hips and bum... I am wearing jeans now which I havent for such a very very long time, my clothes are hanging nicely on me and all the clothes that I have been trying to squeeze into now suddenly seem like they fit properly.  In fact, I now am building up a pile of clothes that are too large, too baggy, fat clothes and they are all going regardless of how lovely they are, or how expensive they were, or how many memories are attached to them .... gone! How empowering to know that I am not going to ever wear them again.  Saw this picture below and realised it is now my life... everything has calories and it is my responsibility to myself to know what they are.
 
Yesterday, I jumped on the tready to have a practice trial for the fitness test and unbelievably I ran for the whole 1km (speed 8)... let me say it again.... I ran for a whole 1km...hang on....... I RAN FOR A WHOLE 1KM.....shocked, I cant believe it even when I say it.  I did it and I didnt have a heart attack, nor did I stop breathing or burst a lung... I actually did it.  Today I am looking forward to the challenge that I have now placed upon myself.. to run again... I did it once, so I know I can do it again.

Anyway since I am feeling so pumped and it is not all about me (not all the time anyway)... I want to give someone else a little gift to help with their exercise program.  I am doing mine solely from home, using DVD's and the tready/bike and it is working..... I have a copy of Michelle Bridges 3 DVD workout program that I want to give to someone who doesnt have it and would like to fit in some exercise at home.

If you would like it, please comment below and let me know and I will pop it in the post for you.

Well, I am up and off to do my fitness test, I hope you all have positive results with the measurements, weigh in and fitness test this week and am looking forward to seeing the results posted.

Remember; half the battle is your attitude... here are a couple of tips for staying positive!

• Stop letting other peoples negativity affect your positivity (birds of a feather really do flock together.... find positive people and start connecting with them)
• Make a list of all your positive and negative attitudes (identifying is the first step towards changing them)
• Write strong, life-giving, positive affirmation statements and read them out loud

Enough from me...... keep smiling!
Karen

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Week 3 ..... already!!!!

Can you believe just how quickly these weeks are rolling by..?? I cant believe that it is Week 3 already.  It makes me feel like I really need to get my weightloss groove on as time is flying by and I dont want to get left behind.

Although everyday has its challenges I seem to be surviving pretty well, I think that the key thing is that when I do slip up I am recognising it immediately and I address it immediately.  Sometimes I address it wrongly, like I make a decision to go ahead with the poor choice, but the decision is conscious and I am then required to break it down and discover what made me make that poor decision to start with..... which now I find I am slowly chipping down all the barriers to a healthy lifestyle.  How many more barriers could there be?



This week has been full of surprises for me, firstly I went bush for a couple of days and packed in a pair of jeans (size 18) that have not fitted for some time.... I wore them!... Tried them on and they fit, actually they were very annoyingly slipping down... not loose but definately not sprayed on.  When I returned home I tried another pair (just in case someone had tampered with my jeans and extended the waistband)... the others fit also... not well enough to wear in public but the button did up and so did the zipper... with ease!

Thats a win!

Then today I had to attend a job interview in the city for a job working for the Ombudsman and, like I do, I left it until this morning to work out what I would wear.... nice classy looking outfit... put on the skirt and it was baggy.. this skirt used to be firm fitting and is meant to be firm fitting...talk about mayhem and madness .. this was the perfect outfit to wear and it was hanging off my hips.  I showed my husband as I was stressing out by now and he thought it was wonderful .... did not solve my clothing dilemma!  Anyway I did find another skirt to wear and got away with it.  Perfect interview, feel that this position is mine....(hopefully).. will let you know once I get the call!  I feel confident though.......

Another win!

I love losing weight, the feeling that it gives me that makes me love my body, love my spirit and just love being me and liking me and not feeling that people only pretend to like you because you are fat and your opinion does not really matter..... now I know that I am very important and very loved and very blessed in all that I do.  I feel inspired and motivated and I feel that I can continue with the weightloss and the exercise as part of my life and what I do and of who I am.... how good is that?

Win again!

........ME


Look I have even got this blog done on time..... or just a little late.....first time ever!

Win... win... win....... sounds like my life now.. as a winner, no longer a loser (except of weight)

Love you guys and the inspiration you provide ...... go team and have a fantastic week, cant wait to see your blogs!

Karen

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Better Late than Never!

Boots, flannel shirts, rain, campfires and alcohol.... that was my weekend!

My sister (who lives in the Sunshine Coast region) had her wedding on the weekend.  We have waited 46 years for this to happen and now it has.... in a non traditional type way.  I guess that we must be slightly untraditional in our family as I was married earlier this year non traditionally ... kind of.... and the family waited 41 years for me to do the deed and then I decided to get married in Las Vegas with Elvis to give me away.  So it is probably no surprise that my cow cocky sister (who I love dearly) decided to get married on their property, down by the dam...... despite all our concerns it was a lovely wedding and only the second time in my life that I have seen my sister wearing a dress (shame, as she is the one with the great figure).  Anyway it was certainly an eye opener and not a formal affair with the groom wearing jeans (thankfully he shaved off his bushy beard for the occasion)..... the cake was a masterfully created 3 tier number with a horse shoe on top, a motorbike tyre next and a water tank as the final tier... very funny!

The concerns I had before arriving was the food,.... what would be offered we had no real ideas.  Well, it turned out to be steak, bacon, eggs, bread rolls and some very creamy looking pastas.... oh, and cake for dessert.  Not much of a choice really... the positive thing was that there were no nibblys (my weakness).... so I managed to eat a steak roll and be done with it but did choose to drink copious amounts of alcohol.... the next day I was under the weather to say the least... I drank 4 cups of tea and a coffee in the first hour I was awake hahaha.  Bacon and eggs for breakfast .. I accepted, although only a small piece of bacon on my roll (no butter and kept it to one)... so all in all I survived the dreaded wedding.


The wonderful thing about preparation though is that when we all arrived back from our flight and drive home last night the freezer was full of wonderful foods that I have stocked up on
 ..... all from 12wbt and the whole family loved it, it is times like that in which you appreciate your cooking! (This pic is not of my actual freezer, mine is way messier)

Today I attempted to do a 1000 calorie burn to make up for the weekend... I think that I must still be suffering from the alcohol as my energy levels were just so flat that I could hardly lift up my legs... but I did and did the Cardio Shredder dvd.... then went back and did again since I didnt do it properly with the right amount of effort the first time. 
It actually made no difference and I still didnt have energy the second time through, so I jumped on the treadmill and finished off doing 600 calories.... so although I didnt make my goal today I still achieved a good result that I am very happy with.

Tonight I have cooked up the Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese and stocked up the freezer with it also... yum yum.  I only just remembered to blog as after the big weekend, then having to do my grocery shopping today and assist my daughter with some exams (she does home schooling) it was the last thing on my mind.  Need to try to put my mind to a motivation poster.... but am not motivated to do it, I really dont enjoy doing things like and it will take a real effort to do it.... I will, I will ... I promise!

Have a great week everyone, I love hearing how you are all doing and to hear all about it on the blogs, forums and facebook.  That said my name is Karen Zelinsky (Facebook) and am happy to add anyone who is doing this program so that I can hear how you are going .... it keeps me motivated!!


Lets SMASH this week!

xxxxxx
Karen

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Finally made it!

Oh boy, this week has been frantic!  I was supposed to do a blog on Monday... but it is now Thursday and I am only just sitting down to do it.  What with all these new exercises, messages and shopping lists etc that Michelle has given us, I have found I have been hardly able to do anything except focus completely on 12wbt (oh, and my family & pets in between).

So, apologies for being so slack over.... how is everyone going?  I was very despondant prior to Monday's start as I had gained back the weight that I had lost during preseason just by eating all the wrong things in the week before starting.. go figure??? Anyway, I managed to put that behind me, along with a disappointing attempt at the fitness test (realising that I am no where near as fit as I convinced myself that I was) and have fired into Week 1 with guns blazing.... lost 1.3kg in the first 3 days and am following the problem easily and happily (although the juggle of life is certainly difficult). 

I am a little concerned that this weekend I am flying up to the Sunshine Coast for my sister's wedding and I know that she wont have a huge variety of healthy choices (seeing as it is being held on her property, a bit of a bushwackers wedding down by the dam!)... but I am planning my meals as much as possible and taking a few snacks preloaded in my handbag for emergencies.... so hopefully I will make it through.. I will be drinking substanstial amounts of alcohol though... but she is my sister!

I have been doing the exercises at home with Mish's DVD's and have found them to be very good... have bought myself all the necessary equipment... treadmill, bike, hand weights and find that I need to walk on the treadmill first and burn some calories, then do the DVD, then if I still need to make up the 500 calories I just jump back on the treadmill again.  I think I can feel my body changing, I can feel my muscles working and my stomach seems flatter .. maybe imagination at this early point, but I am relishing in it.... loving it.... just need to stay focused and strong.

My husband is enjoying all the meals that I am cooking, we are both very fussy with food as we enjoy spending hours in the kitchen creating one dish... so I was nervous that Michelle's foods would not be to the standard that we like.... but we are loving them... I sometimes do a little tweaking but not at the risk of added calories!

Well, sorry for my short and not so exciting blog.... I promise that on Monday I post a blog and give the exploits of the wedding and how I survived!

Keep up the great work and motivation everyone.

Karen


oh...... and at my complete embarrassment I have loaded my before photos...... never will I look like this again.......

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Weekly Wrap Up - Preseason #1

Hurrah! 


Our first weekly wrap up post! And what a fabulous week of posts it has been. 


On Monday Karen opened the week with a little Kitchen Makeover and how she resisted a catered lunch at work. Read Karen's post here.


Tuesday's dish was from Kristin who gave us a little bit of an insight to what it's like to do the Kitchen Makeover when you are living with your parents and have younger sibling's lunchbox treats to resist. Check it out here.


Wednesday we had a double dose of goodness with Marianne opening up about her battle with the scales and I shared my excitement and dread of Round 2 beginning. Marianne's post is here - and you really should check out the Youtube clip at the end. Really worth a watch. My post is here. 


Thursday Carly gave us her history and what led her to 12wbt and reminded us of the power of thankfulness. It's here if you want to check it out. 


And Friday ended with a bang as both Cora and Bex just floored me - in a good way!- with their openness and honesty. Cora told us what it was like to not only go through a difficult birth but also the after effects and how it had the power to change her. She went on to tell us in her post here how she got herself back in Round 1. 


And Bex shared her thoughts on emotional eating and her relationship with comfort food in her post here and so many things she said rang true with me. Well worth a read. 


So that's our week. Some of the girls did a fun run this morning and all over our group page there are photos of excited Round 2 members in new exercise gear. 


It's going to be a great Round 2! 


Task 7 & 8 open up this week - are you ready for that?! - and Week 1 will open up later on this week too!


Have a great Sunday! See you on Wednesday!

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My First Blog......

Hi Everyone I am soo excited (but seriously nervous) about blogging. I have never blogged and have always had a rather negative attitude towards blogging and forums.. Obviously that is in the past.. I have changed! Along with a healthy body I also choose to have a healthy mindset and seeing just how supportive these forums are and just how beneficial they are to all who use them .. Well, I am hooked! That said, I am hoping that you will enjoy my Monday blogs as much as I will enjoy writing them. Please excuse my lack of finesse initially. The wonderful Vikki has put huge amounts of effort into creating the blog site and the accountability framework along with a 'how to' guide for us that are new to this ... I just have not had a chance to look at it yet ... So hopefully my blogs will improve visually in the future.

A quick intro:
Name: Karen Zelinsky
Age: 42
Forum name on 12wbt: MrsZ
Basics: Married, 5 children (15 & up) & 1 sponsor child, 4 dogs, 2 ferrets, 1 cat.
Need to lose: 30kg

Todays challenge of cleaning out the cupboards is an easy one for me as I have already cleared out and replenished with good stuff. No arguments thankfully as my family love my cooking and usually love the meals I cook and love fresh and healthy .. I feel blessed that that part is so easy for me as I know it will be a struggle for some people. I must share a story from yesterday and the importance of planning and preparation... At work we held a large birthday party for a client .. I prepared all the snacks and we had caterers come for the entrees and mains (Indian food) ... Curries of every description .. And lots of deep fried entrees.. Naan breads you name it! Knowing this I took my lunch with me and before the prep began I ate my lunch.. Early.. But ate my Mish's Eggplant, Zucchini &Mushroom Lasagne and stayed well away from temptation .. The little voice in my head was crying out for some but I sooo bravely resisted and having a full stomach was definately instrumental in that win. So can't say enough in favour of preparation And planning. Now, Mr M.... ( you know who you are) my colleague and fellow 12wbt .. Stop.. Those foods that you ate yesterday are soo high in calories and you know how bad the food is as we watched them deep fry so much of it .. Next time I will bring you lunch also so that we both don't get caught out. That's all from me... Til next time stay fit, stay strong & stay clean!xxxxxxx My Tip: Kangaroo Meat Super lean being 98% fat free and low in saturated fats. Rich in high quality protein, good source of omega3,zinc iron and B group vitamins. Kanga Bangas contain just 1.0g of fat per 100g compared to beef typically 21.3g and pork 22.2g fat. It is stronger than beef in flavor and I was dubious to try it... Now I am converted. With only 50cals per snag they are great on the BBQ... They take longer to cook because of the low fat content and make sure you cook the snags well ... The steaks can be eaten medium rare though!

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