Sunday, April 03, 2016

How did I choose my online coach?

So I was asked about my online coach (chelsea) and how did i find this online coach? So the story is...well over 12 months ago i started to watch fitness and weight loss videos on you tube. I follow about 35 channels. This ranges from people who are currently losing weight, who have lost weight, power lifters, bikini models etc .... so a wide variety. Over that time i discoverred quite a few do online coaching. And because it is cheaper, more convenient and it worked in macros (which i know back to front) i felt it was something that would work for me. So anyway there were a number who do coaching....at least 7 .... after prolly 6 months....i thought if i decide to do it....i had narrowed it down to too...2 females...Chelsea and another. Chelseas pricing was actually slightly more...but the reason I went for Chelsea was for one thing she had talked numerous times that most of her clients were in their 30s and 40s and had "disordered eating" which I felt into this category. She also has done several "diet series" where she herself has dieted...(a cut basically to just lean out a lil) and she showed a lot of videos of "what i eat in a day" and i liked that a LOT of her food was simply unprocessed foods where she was aiming to get in the micronutrients...but also that she lives...and isnt perfect 100% of the time. Here is a video which includes 3 people off 3 off the channels i follow. Going left to right on the screen there is John "Obese 2 Beast" who lost like 170 pounds and has appeared on Ellen for his weight loss, Brian "Brian Turner" who has had a you tube channel for years and does lifting and competes and a wealth of info, and then Chelsea "ChelseaLifts". They are talking in this video about dieting with too little calories ... they posted this video this morning and so thought i would share so people can see who my coach is.

The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08EFD6A9M1g

Thats how I came to look into Chelsea as a coach...the extras that add to it....is she is a qualified personal trainer, a competitive power lifter, owns her own gym and minored in nutrition.

I can guarantee this was not a rushed decision ;)

BTW This video has some really good info!

Saturday, April 02, 2016

Saturday April 2

Today (apart from working) has gone great :) My food was good...mostly unprocessed.....my macros for end of the day was...202 grams of carbs, 55 grams of fat and 147 grams of protein which came to a total of 1939 calories. I doubt Chelsea will leave my macros this high for more then 2 weeks...but while im getting this much food i am gonna enjoy it! ;) I also got in one of my required cardio sessions today and walked for 25 minutes during my lunch hour.

Yesterday morning when i got back on track as i mentioned yesterday i was 280.8 pounds...this morning i had a big water weight drop....back down to 276.2 pounds....so a 2.6 pound drop which is over 1 kilo (but I always lose 3-5 kilos the first 5 or so days I get back on track)

I have a free trial for the gym I am planning to join....so I am going to go down monday morning and get the trial organised and then will do a few workouts over the next few days...if all goes well I will sign up thursday night.

Anyway not much else going on....about to finish watchin you tube and then check out some netflix...enjoy all! :)

Friday, April 01, 2016

The NEW and FINAL plan....and a lil/long explaination of things....

Okay this is gonna be kinda...the hercules of posts LOL I actually considered just not postin and getting on with things but for being transparent with all weight loss things...so wanted to share ;)

So let me start off by explaining a few things im sure i have never mentioned on the journal. The first is i dont drive...nope....dont have my licence and so i rely solely on public transport (which is fine!)

Now the next thing i want to explain where my house, work and the gym are in relation to each other. So my gym is in the centre of adelaide (in fact in rundle mall) my home is about 5-10 minutes out of the city....and then work is about a further 10-15 minute drive. SO. On any given work day where i am attending the gym...my day is like this....i catch a bus to work in the morning....after work i catch a bus from work go past my house and in to the city.....attend the gym....and then from there go from the gym to home. Now to give u a example...say i finish work at 4pm. The first bus after 4pm is at 4.20pm....i then jump on the bus and dependent on traffic it will take me 25-35 minutes to get into the city....(so it is no approximately 4.45-4.50-pm) i then walk down to the gym which takes about 7 minutes....so after having finished work at 4pm its taken me approx 57 minutes to get to the gym. Say i then work out for a hour (if its a night i have PT at 6pm or 6.30pm it is a lot worse....but lets do the best case scenario as a example)...once I get to the gym...collect my locker key....get changed....put BCAAs in my water bottle....fill up my water bottle...grab a cold towel....it is now at least 5.10pm. Okay kewl....lets work out for a hour....I finish my work out at approx 6.10pm. I leave the gym and head for the bus stop where I hopefully make it in time for the 6.25pm bus (presuming its not running late)....I will then walk in my door at approx 6.40pm. So from finishing work doing a one hour gym session and then getting home....2 hours and 40 minutes have passed...all to do a one hour session! Honest to gawd im so SICK of the travelling.

Now if we change this story a lil....I finish at 4pm and get on the bus at 4.20pm as above....but this time instead of going into the city...I stay on the bus for 10 minutes and get off at the top of my street...at approx 4.30pm...i then walk 5 minutes to a local gym...where I get changed and are ready to work out by 4.50pm......i workout for a hour....finish the work out at 5.50pm....then walk the 10 minutes to my house - walking in the door at 6pm....saving me 40 minutes!

Now this is a real simplistic explaination....some nights i dont have PT until 6pm or 6.30pm and its even longer nights then.

The other issue I have had is the cost. Slowly over time as I have done more and more PT sessions....and then challenges....the cost has gone up and up. Currently I am doing the 12 week challenge, and a group food coaching session, and 3 PT sessions a week plus my basic membership....that costs me $318 a fortnight (so $636 a month) then add to that $74.90 for weight watchers.....I am spending over $700 a month...to lose weight! Here is a secret people....if you want to lose weight....you will...whether you have 50 million PT sessions or not.

SO this has all been on my mind for a while. PLUS i just realised....I dont "believe" in the weight watchers program....so i honestly couldnt committ to it fully. So I made some changes. The first is I have cancelled my gym membership and wont be renewing my weight watchers membership. Now i do need some accountability and direction....so I have hired a online coach which costs me approx $170 a month. On top of that she has me use a weight training app....which costs approx $30 a month....and then on top of that I will be joining Jetts....there membership is $51.90 a month. So all totalled I will be paying approx $251.90 per month. One third of the price i was paying! Plus i will be spending less time travelling....I can spend more money on things like clothes...and hair appointments...and going out etc.

Sometimes you make a decision....and you feel its the right decision but you are not 100% sure...I feel completely positive this is the right decision and feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

SO i started with the online coach today :) Now she is located in the US and so for that reason works in pounds...and so to avoid confusion I will now be working in pounds too (which is SO weird!) So i weighed in this morning at 280.8 pounds. The calories I will be on.....which are based on macros....so 200 grams carbs, 150 grams protein and 50 grams of fat works out to approx 1900-1950 calories. Cardio wise I need to do 2 x 25 moderate intensity cardio sessions per week and 2 x 20 HIIT sessions per week. So my plans is tomorrow to walk in my lunch hour.....I think for the HIIT sessions which i will try to do one on sunday I will do a search in you tube and do one from there.

Thursday I will go join the new gym. I have a 7 day pass which i will start to use from that point.

Food wise...day one is nearly done...I still have some macros left so shortly i will have a eggwhite and ricotta pancake with some frozen raspberries and maple syrup (one of my favourite things to eat!) but I have hit all my macros....Ive cooked up mince with taco seasoning and vegies for lunch tomorrow which i will have with a tub of the chobani salsa dip...so yum!)





Monday, March 28, 2016

It is time!

Yep...yep...its time.....time to commit to weight watchers 110%. Its not that I havent been following the point system (disregard easter and i have been) but I havent been invested in it. There has been a lot of inner dialogue going on in my head pointing out the things i dont love about weight watchers...and how im "doing weight watchers for the moment" Weight watchers works.....and i need to invest completely in it for getting to goal. Its time to invest some of my time reading the weight watchers magazine (not just letting them gather dust), watch weight watcher you tube videos, following ww fb pages and getting into the connect on the app.

So after easter my scales were actually up 2.4 kilos! But today is day 1 of my week for me....and my goal is to not using any weekly points this week. Of course most of that weight gain is fluid....so hopefully my next monday i will have lost it and more.

Back to the gym tomorrow...i definitely missed it. So im keen to get back into it. Im on later shifts this week so wont be getting to the gym till 6pm ish .... wont be able to go to a lot of the classes...but will be able to go 4 days this week. Tuesday and thursday I have PT....wednesday night I am planning to do yoga...and ill do a workout friday night dependant on what else i do during the week (its a short week)

Not much else going on....time to settle down with my weight watchers magazine :)

Friday, March 25, 2016

Update :)

Its been a few days since I posted...oops! But firstly happy easter :)

The week didnt go as good as expected. Monday I did a chest work out and a small amount of hill inclines on the treadmill. Tuesday i went back to work....and tuesday night i did a 45 minute RPM class then a PT session of legs. Wednesday night i went and did grocery shopping and ate too many grains/carbs! UGH. Then thursday morning i woke...and the spot where your gall bladder is...it felt swollen....like not enough room for the organ. Was so painful. But i went to work...and lasted half the day before going to the doctors. He pulled out my ultrasound results from over a year ago and said you need your gall bladder out! So next time i have the pain i need to go to the ER with a copy of my ultrasound results, he said that will ensure i get the surgery the quickest in the public health service.

Following that I didnt go to the gym thursday night and i was suppose to work today but doc said no to that..so im resting and taking it easy. I feel better...still some tightness in the area but not sore like it was. My scales also jumped up over 2 days by nearly two kilos! Eek! Hopefully it will settle down pretty quickly.

I have noticed over the last few days that when i eat carbs(grains)...i definitely crave more...so i am really trying to be careful about them. Whilst i am doing ww i am also tracking in MFP...my carbs are sitting between 100-150 grams a day which is a nice amount...but most of that comes from fruit n vegies. For example today only 44 grams comes from grains. So still getting grains in but keeping it on the lowish end so as to control my carb cravings.

I am noticing too....a few days from the gym and i am actually missing it! Crazy! Who would have ever thought it.

Not much else to say....off to watch some youtube and to relax :)

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Post number 2!

So....yes post number 2. I have been doing good right? I have....but....theres been one little problem. Where should i sit my calories. I have been all over the place with this and not consistent or with a plan. My trainer and food coach both felt i could eat up to about 1800 calories...so i have eaten everything in between LOL but not systematically (altho the last few days i did calorie cycle), this is one difference between calories and weight watchers...there is a very distinctive guide. You are on this many daily points and this many weeklies. Well over the weekend....i found a website. Now back tracking....calorie cycling i based off the "wendie plan" which someone in weight watchers years ago came up with....well i came across a lil calculator for cycling your points. Here is the link.... Wendie Plan on Smart Points , You simply put in your daily and weekly points....select which day you want as your high day (i selected saturday) and then it gives it to you....which i have then put in to a note on my phone. I also used the option : based on the weight watchers board. As well as that...there is something weight watchers has over other programs...and thats the community...whether on instagram....or you tube or fb it has a BIG supportive community which i feel i need.

This in no way changes the foxy challenge....simply instead of calories ill track points. I know some parts of ww isnt perfect....but some parts of calorie counting arent either. I was doing well with ww...and ive also done well since...i just feel ww is something i should stick with at least for the moment. I do like the structure long term of the meetings...their products (not the food but things like their scales, recipe books, magazines etc)

I know it seems i change my mind a lot (womens perogative!) the difference is in the past i was looking for the "miracle cure" .... i was continually looking for week 1 results....this isnt about that.....its about testing a few things....and going back to ww because it gives me the structure that at this point of my journey i feel i need :) I suspect when I weigh in tomorrow i will be quite close to getting my first 5% as well :)


12 Week Challenge | Week 2 Day 7

So tomorrow is weigh in day...having had such a high loss last week (2.8 kilos) unless something miraculous happens LOL...im not expecting a big loss in the morning. But its fine. I was stressing a bit about it earlier in the week...but goodness...i lost 2.8 kilos last week....its not about who can lose the most in a week...so in my mind i am kinda expecting about 300 grams...and i will take it and own it :)

The reason I am not stressing....is there is no reason on earth for me to feel bad. I have eaten well. I have exercised pretty intensely 4 times last week. I am doing all the right things...and if I consistently keep doing the right things...then the progress will happen.

Tomorrow is the last day before I head back to work :( Ive become quite accustomed to this non working life LOL and I do actually think its much easier when you are at home with time to make all your own meals. At work we have a cafeteria on the floor i am on....in the mornings all i can smell is bacon! LOL And i am a fan of their bacon and egg sandwich....definitely easier at home :)

But i just have to stay with what i am doing and be a lil prepared. Shortly i am about to go boil up half a dozen eggs so i have them for my snacks.

Of course easter is at the end of the week. I am working good friday and easter saturday (lucky me eh?)...usually work would on good friday have hot cross buns for us....if they do i will have one (or maybe half) and fit it into my calories. As for eggs....work often gives us something...im kinda hoping they dont and then ill just buy a small egg...lol...ill wait and see... but i will have something (i mean...come on....its chocolate!) but will fit it into calories....ill prolly eat whatever on saturday....as since i am back to calorie cycling....saturdays is currently 2000 calories so fitting chocolate in that day would be best (and not sunday when only 1400 LOL)

Okay not much else to say....will be back with weigh in results tomorrow sometime! :)

Saturday, March 19, 2016

The Future

Something funny happens when you start losing weight, doing good and you become proud of yourself - you stop thinking just in the moment. You start thinking about your future, your goals, what you want for yourself, and I am so happy that part of me has been ignited again. :)

When I lost the weight before I had some goals...I really wanted to eventually build a website that housed not just my journal (and well now other social media) but also allowed me to build on it. I still have that desire, I still have that goal to do online nutritional coaching (at a affordable rate, when the time is right for me, and specifically for women 130+ kilos) I feel by the time I have got to goal this time I will have the mindset and understanding to do this. Online coaching is a big thing these days but in my opinion its not very affordable and yanno...just cos someone lost 10 kilos I personally dont think that qualifies them, even if they do have some credentials. Having by that stage lost 90-100 kilos, having struggled as I have, having the good nutritional knowledge (which i certainly do), the understanding that its not a case of "just eat less and move more", the biggest part is the mindset, and a big part of that is getting accountability and support....which is how i would like to fit in to peoples journeys.

I have always had other thoughts as part of this....and i think the online coaching would come second to some other things. One of the first things I want to do when I get to goal is have a professional fitness photo shoot....so I could actually well one have some photos i love but also so i have professional images for social media, the website etc. My plan would then be to start small....firstly get the website the way i want it and then maybe look at writing some ebooks on nutrition, my journey etc, and i would also then ultimately like to travel with this...say i had a few online clients in sydney....i go to sydney for a week or so..and then run some face to face sessions with people if they wanted them....maybe it would be going on a walk with some people showing enjoyable ways outside of the gym to be active....or even just with one person alone....maybe meet up for a meal again as a group or one on one...to help either discuss the issues, tips for eating out, it not only allows for one of my goals of travelling....it not only gives people a chance to meet me and do a face to face session (which may help increase trust and therefor accountability) but a way for people to meet others in the area who are going thru what they are going thru without a long term committment of leaving their home (which when you are bigger can be a consideration)

For those who dont know....i would definitely say im a nutrition nerd LOL. I was in a group food coaching session the other day and the person running it was talking about protein bars/powders and she said to the group....Karyn is the one you want to talk about this stuff....and then i started prattling off the macros of quest bars....and one girl had a stunned look on her face lol was kinda funny. But I do enjoy talking nutrition...I enjoy reading about it...so while a lot of people who lose weight want to become a bikini model or maybe a personal trainer....for me its always been nutrition. Ever since I realised this was what I wanted to do 7 or 8 years ago....ive always felt this is something that i am just meant to do. As sappy as it sounds...you know they say...find what you love and do that? As much as it has been dormant for the last few years...this is what I want...to focus solely on my own personal goal...and then help others achieve theirs :)

As to today LOL. Things are good. Below is a pic from today...119.6 kilos. 6.5 weeks back on track and 8.9 kilos down :) I can certainly see the waist coming in and i feel "tighter" .... so happy with where everything currently is and is going! :)


Thursday, March 17, 2016

Week 2 Day 4 | Progress beyond the scales

Today was a big gym day! I did a 30 minute cycle class....i then had a 30 minute break where I finished my BCAAs,,,had a banana then i did a 5 minute warm up...high incline slow speed on the treadmill...stretched out my calves (this has been helping my achilles soooooooooooooo much!) then did a PT session for a hour...which was back, biceps and core. One of the good things today was in my previous program i had Pallof Presses using the cable machine...i HATED them. OMG they were seriously so hard, and while they look pretty simply they exhausted me beyond belief. Well did them today...and i did one set and my trainer was like how was that...and i was like...they were actually tolerable today! LOL She ended up putting the weight up a few times (altho im not sure if it was higher then previously or not) just from that one exercise i could tell i am getting stronger.

Ive also noticed this week my step ups are easier....and my trainer thinks my core muscles are improving in strength too. Im also noticing i am coping much better with my sessions. Like a cycle class and THEN a double PT? And i didnt even feel like dying afterwards haha! Amazing what dedicating urself to the gym and in a few short weeks...improvements ;)

Tomorrow morning i am going to do our weekly workout for the challenge which is a lil cycle circuit thing and then doing a 30 minute PT session of boxing. Saturday morning I will do body pump. I go back to work on tuesday...and so will be working tuesday to saturday...so my exercise will look like this:

monday: PT chest (AM)
               30 minute boxing and 60 minute body balance (PM)
tuesday: RPM + PT legs
wednesday: Treadmill (incline work) and yoga
thursday: Double PT (back/bicep + core)
friday: weekly workout
saturday: rest day
sunday: 6km walk

Food wise things have been going good, but have decided mentally I am ready to start calorie cycling. Its always worked a treat for my body so back to it starting today...hopefully that will keep my metabolism chugging along.

Today i did have a bit of a desire for a yiros (I have only eaten foods prepared at home for the whole challenge so far) but i resisted.....not to say i wont have one (maybe saturday night) but i want it to be planned....not a spur of a moment thing.

Okies off i go....enjoy all :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

12 Week Challenge | Week 2 Day 3 | Progress

Yanno....as much as I whinge and complain at the gym (and trust me i do!) I am definitely feeling better and better. Last night i did a RPM class then a PT session. It is over a year since I did RPM. I sweated....I mean people I had sweat making its way up my nose somehow lol...I also did about 20 minutes slow walking but on a high incline (8%) on the treadmill and then did a PT session which was chest and triceps. The incline of 8% just proves how much my achiles have improved...had absolutely no pain....not that long ago 3% killed :) Then this morning I went in, I needed to do a short fitness test so did that, then again went on the treadmill with the 8% incline and then did a PT session of legs. I will go back later tonight for a group food coaching session,

This morning after 5 days of pretty much maintaining the scales dropped again :) So while not my official weigh in day...did hit 9 kilos lost since feb 4...honestly im not sure if ive ever lost that much in such a short period of time and while doing a lot of weight work....I am trying to increase the cardio but not doing heaps of cardio. So I slid out of the 120's and down to 119.5 kilos :) I am aiming to lose a kilo per week (a big ask i now)...so i need to be 119.3 kilos or lower by monday to do that this week...so definitely on track for that.

Foodwise I am really enjoying the food on the 12 week challenge. I have found a breakfast i LOVE (4 egg whites and 50 grams of ricotta cheese cooked like a pancake which i serve with some berries and some maple syrup nom nom nom) and i just had a mediteranean pasta dish for lunch...and tonight its a salad with smoked turkey, dried cranberries and salad-y items. And the other great thing is i am noticing it with my clothes. I am now in 2 of my size 16 running bare tops, And I am down into size 20 jeans....which is still a very large size but im making progress. It seems crazy to think by the end of this challenge i could be within 10 kilos of double digits! If i keep consistent...double digits is definitely attainable this year :) Which means soooooooooooooo many clothes for me to fit into ! LOL

Monday, March 14, 2016

Week 2 Day 1 | Weigh in | Weight Watchers

So today we are a week into the 12 week challenge...and ta-da weighed in and was 2.8 kilos down. So the statistics on it is...2.8 kilos lost since start of the 12WC, 8.4 kilos lost since I got back on track on feb 4, and a total weight loss altogether of 52.8 kilos. So on my scales at home this morning I was 120.3 kilo and the goal by the end of the challenge (11 weeks to go) is to get under 110 kilos.

So I am pretty happy with the result. Since i had been on track for a few weeks before the challenge started and had been losing I really hadnt expected such a high loss in the first week. :) This week looking at the menu looks like its basically carb cycling...Ive never specifically done that so will be interesting to see how I go. On the "low carb" days...they arent low so much (about 80-100 grams of carbs) but no grains, BUT tomorrow its pasta for one of the meals! YUM! Tonights dinner will be interesting...its zucchini and pea soup....and anyone who knows about me and peas (they pop in ur mouth yanno) if i manage to get some peas in me will be a minor miracle LOL....i think cos they will be blended i hopefully will cope fine.

Today as it is a public holiday the gym isnt open, tomorrow tho I will be doing RPM (gawd help me!) before my PT session.

So.............. the topic of weight watchers LOL Im going to firstly say I really dont want to see any negative comments about weight watchers...no program is perfect and I have friends doing really well on weight watchers so for some people it works. As everyone knows i went back to weight watchers a few weeks ago...it was good for me. What weight watchers has got going for it is the accountability of weighing in and the group support, but for me personally...it doesnt work. I want to have healthy fats in my diet, and I have a lot of nutritional knowledge and some things about it I cannot quite balance out in my head. And also the weekly points...i HATE them...its what i dislike most in their program. But that is me, if you are doing ww and its working - more power to you but for me the program doesnt. That said if i feel i need the accountability/support i will go back....but right now I dont feel I need it. I feel the best I have mentally about my weight loss for a long time. I dont have any doubts I will meet my goal for this 12 week challenge and its possible I may even exceed it (altho i think the most i can get down to is 105 kilos...but my gawd...imagine if in 11 weeks i was that close to double digits????)

A reminder if you do use instagram.... that is actually where i am active mostly these days... www.instagram.com/kazzsjourney OH and i have a lil phone tripod on order...hopefully be waitin for me when i get back to work next week. It will be great for taking progress pics (especially of my rear view) and it will also allow me to do vlogs without worrying about where to put the phone etc.

Ok...off i go...have a good week all :)

Friday, March 11, 2016

12 week challenge | Day 5

Well nearly the end of the first week! I am super impressed with how I have done. I have stuck to the menu plan. I have exercised everyday and have one more session tomorrow before sunday off :) My exercise this week looked like this:

Monday : 20 minutes hills on treadmill plus 30 minute PT session (chest) and 50 minute outdoor walk
tuesday : 75 minute outdoor walk plus 30 minute PT session (legs)
wednesday : 30 minutes treadmill plus 30 minute PT session (back & bis)
thursday : 1 hour PT session - 40 minutes boxing and 20 minutes core work
friday : 60 minute Body pump class
saturday : 60 minute "welcome" workout
sunday : REST DAY

I am definitely sore....especially my bicep and upper back. My legs have felt tired during the week but im sure after a rest on sunday they will be ok. The thing i mostly struggled with was pump....by the time i get to the shoulder track my endurance just isnt there and im fatiguing....but hopefully with time that will improve. This week my aim is to in addition do 3 classes - 1 boxing class, 1 cycle/RPM class and 1 yoga class. The gym is also closed on monday...so im thinking my workouts for the week will work like this:

monday : 6km outdoor walk
tuesday : 30 minute PT session (chest) plus RPM
wednesday : 30 minute PT session (legs) plus yoga plus boxing ( I do have a 90 minute break between boxing....if i am too tired i will skip yoga)
thursday : 60 minute PT session (boxing and core) plus cycle
friday : 30 minute PT session (back and biceps)
saturday : 60 minute body pump class

which looks like a lot....but its a lil less walking this week but adding in those 3 classes...so will see how I go.

Its amazing how on track I feel. I think when I forget all about all others....took the weight off my shoulders and started ONLY doing this for me....and not worrying if i am being a "inspiration" to others....the minute it happened....it just felt like less work....and just about something i wanted just for me. In fact today i posted a before and current photo...someone who i dont even know whose on my fb (i presumed they were a reader of my journal but obviously not) posted on the pic asked what happened to gain some of the weight back. I responded initially with "cos life happens" instantly feeling the need to justify myself....but then thought no...ive never questioned this person on their life or how to live it and hell i dont even know them....so i deleted them...simply cos i dont want to deal with negativity or judgement.

I think also when I stopped being mad at myself for gaining weight....it allowed me to stop wallowing on the past. Heres the thing....I see my journey like two books....this book now is the sequel....same characters....similar story line....but the journey to get to the end of the book will prolly be different (i mean why would someone write two identical books?) I may get their quicker then last time or slower....i might be running again at 100 kilos or maybe not till 85 kilos...its a different thing....its a different occassion but the two stories make on really thick novel ;)

I am sooooooooooo looking forward to weigh in on monday morning...I think it will be a good one. Currently im retaining some fluid (my rings currently wont come off) but hopefully that will be gone by monday I think its related to the heat (and yes i am drinking enough water)

Oh and I also decided....if i complete the 12 week challenge (and I WILL) I will be treating myself to a gold necklace with a pendant or charm on it. My shoulders, collarbone area was a part of me that really looked fab....hopefully by then they will be looking better then now and ill get to dress them up with something pretty.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

12 week challenge | Day 4 | Progress

Sooooooooooo its day 4 and things are going so good :) Yesterday i was exhausted and struggled thru PT but much better today. Tonight I have a double PT session of boxing and core. The scales are moving down nicely. When I got back on track about 4 weeks ago....I was 128.5 kilos on my scales. Monday morning i was 123.1 and this morning 120.8 OMG getting so close to getting under 120 kilos :)

And no the scales havent dropped cos i am eating super low calories :) My calories have been around the 1600-1700 mark....cos i was a lil flat yesterday i made a point to eat 1800 tho, but ultimately I feel 1600-1700 is a good amount. The reason i believe the scales are moving so much is two fold....one ive been a lot more active this week and two the food i am eating is so clean and a definite increase in the vegetables department. When i lost weight last time it was when i started eating clean the losses came too so i guess thats what works for me! lol

This morning i had to duck out to the shop. But it was raining so wanted more then a tank top and 3/4 leggings to wear lol. So ive been wearing size 22 city chic jeans....but they have been getting looser on me....so i dug out the exact same style in size 20 i have....slid them on and they fitted perfect. Now about 4 weeks ago when i was like 128 kilos i bought a hoodie...it was a size 18 and i fully expected it to fit me so didnt try it on....anyway...it didnt fit....it was too short and i didnt feel comfortable wearing it. So i thought...ill give it a try...and ta-da (see photo below) it fits great....not too short at all...in fact both it and the jeans fit perfectly. I have SO many clothes in smaller size....like seriously dont even get me going on the Lorna Jane collection! lol so its nice to slowly getting in the odd thing....it definitely felt like i had a small win this morning. And I definitely feel like im on the right path :)



Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Fernwood 12 Week Challenge | Update

So..........after last weeks post....as I suspected the scales going up was related to my cycle. I know there is always discussion about the fact I weigh daily...but have done that since 2006...and I find it very helpful .... Im very aware of the changes on the scales (thus correctly suspecting the gain was from my cycle) so its all good :)

Yesterday on my scales at home i was 123.1 kilos....which was a gain for the week of 300 grams(pretty impressive the week of my cycle)...it also put my total loss since i got back on track this time to 5.4 kilos :)

And yesterday was the start of fernwoods 12 week challenge. So yesterday morning i had my photo taken (in a crop top no less!) I then had a body scan which put my weight at 123.9 kilos and a body fat percent of 52.2%. Whilst my weight was basically the same as 6 weeks ago....i did add 200 grams of muscle...some of my body parts lost 1-2 centimetres and some parts gained. And thats fine...I knew I had gained abit and to get back to where I was approximately 6 weeks ago I was happy with.

So how is the challenge going so far? SO GOOD. Most of the meals I have liked. I have changed the meal plan slightly to using full fat dairy...adding a protein shake made with milk each day and sometimes adding a extra 30 grams or so of cheese. Yesterday my calories were 1660 and today 1679 calories and as my BMR is 1650 currently that is kinda the bare minimum (I am suppose to be aiming for 1800)

Exercise wise...yesterday I did 20 minutes of uphill climbin on the treadmill, then in my PT session we did chest and triceps...i then came home had my protein shake and then headed out for a 4km walk :) This morning soon as i woke i got up showered and went out for a 6km walk. Then tonight I have a PT session of legs....I was tempted to do RPM before hand but think that will be too much for my legs to handle! LOL

Tomorrow the plan is....PT session of back & biceps in the morning. Then in the afternoon i will go in and do a 30 minute boxing class and then do a group food coaching session, and then I think I might finish up the day with yoga...I will prolly suck at it but especially for the mental benefits of stilling my mind I want to give it a try.

So as you can see the first few days i am definitely on top of things....and I dont think I am doing too much...I feel what I am doing is sustainable. This morning my scales did show 122.2 kilos....so I was back where I was before the gain from my cycle. My aim is to get under 110 kilos by the end of the challenge....so 94 days to lose 12.3 kilos more LOL....its doable...Im hoping this first week I will get close to being under 120 kilos which will set me up for the rest of the challenge (and for ultimately getting to goal) cos thats what this challenge is all about....not just about getting to under 110 kilos...but finding some meals to incorporate into my eating, to get back to eating clean and get back into a good gym routine. The eating is VERY clean and just feels doable. Right time to go get my afternoon snack ready....was suppose to be asparagus, brocolli and feta but i aint doing no asparagus and brocolli ;) so for me....off to get some baby spinach and feta....enjoy all :)

Saturday, March 05, 2016

Saturday March 5

So 2 days till the 12 week challenge starts. My scales have gone up 1.6 kilos over the last 2 days. Initially i thought it was sodium from thursdays burger....but pretty sure now its my cycle and it will prolly arrive in the next 24 hours or so. Here is the bummer....In late January i had a body scan done and i was 122.4 kilos....then there was a week in there where i ate awful and the weight got up to 128.5 kilos. Thursday morning i was 122.2 kilos....i was wrapped. I have been very focused over the last 3 weeks on getting under 122.4 kilos by monday....this morning it was 123.8 kilos. I know its most likely fluid retention from my cycle...but man i was bummed about that. Not that it really matters....i mean monday is the start for the next 12 weeks and whilst i know how high the scale went i would like to think the last 6 weeks hasnt been a complete waste if that makes sense?

Anyway nothing i can do...if my cycle comes before ummm lunchtime tomorrow i may have some fluid loss by monday. Anyway monday isnt what counts.....its what i do over the next 12 weeks that matters....and i am so ready. Whilst this challenge you accrue points for doing stuff at the gym (with my location of work and the gym i would never even come close to winning that so not gonna try lol) my main focus will be transformation...so i am planning to do a lot of walking outside of the gym. Walking, weights and the occassional cardio class (think boxing and rpm) will be my focus. My goals will be:
 -To get under 110 kilos
 -I have a pink susan jumper that is too tight for me on the arms...id like to get back into that
 -exercise wise...not a specific goal...i just want to feel fitter....for not everything seem like such hard work.

In relation to my food, Ive seen the menus (which are based on 1200 calories). The meals and snacks actually look great. Obviously at this stage....1200 calories is too little for me. So i am adding a protein shake with almond milk to each days which will add close to 200 calories. I will also increase my protein in main meals slightly and use full fat dairy. By doing that....that should put me in the 1600-1800 calorie range. I want to fuel my body properly but not eat for the sake of eating....so i will see how i go....if i feel i need to eat right up to 1800 calories i will.

Not much else to say...going out for lunch tomorrow and think (for a change) im gonna get a chicken, potato and seasonal vegie dish (omg what is happening to me?) The funny thing is....the better i am eating....the more im wanting healthy foods....at lunch today i was tempted to go very bro and make chicken and rice....just didnt cos i am a lazy ass when it comes to making rice LOL. I will be back on monday with all my starting weights! Enjoy your weekend all :)

Friday, March 04, 2016

UPDATE

So a lot has happened this week....so here is my update (grab a coffee we might be awhile ;))

So firstly how am I going? My food has been going great. Yesterday went to burger club for lunch. I settled for their very basic burger with just cheese...(i was tempted for the bacon, blue cheese, avocado, carmelised onion combo lol but did the right thing) thats really the worst i have eaten over the past nearly 3 weeks. There has been absolutely no bingeing or even temptation for that #winning. Exercise wise...since I returned to weight watchers..I havent missed a PT session....ive been way more consistent. And i can tell the difference...moving my body is starting to feel more comfortable. My weight work while prolly still low has increased....chest press machine 20 kilos, lat pull down 35 kilos, seated rows 30 kilos, tricep dumbell presses 5 kilos each hand.

So the return to weight watchers can definitely be deemed successful :) But the thing is....its not the program.....its the group meeting and the accountability of that weigh in each monday night. Now I know a lot of my readers are ww members....and i have no desire to get into a bunch of peoples views about weight watchers....a lot of my followers attend weight watchers and I respect that.But for me, and specifically me, with my nutritional knowledge i battle with it on numerous fronts. So this week with my trainer and food coach and with the fact the fernwood challenge starts this week I had to make some decisions. The first is, I am not giving up attending weight watchers meetings cos I feel they have been key in how well I have got back on track. But while i will be attending...whilst the 12 week challenge is on (ill reasses at the end of the challenge) I have decided to count calories. So im going to try and base a lot of my food around the challenge menus. I tracked my food in my fitness pal for a few days and it worked out to be around 1650 calories a day. My BMR is like 1670 calories, and as my exercise will also increase starting this coming week I have been increasing the calories from 1650 by 50 calories a day until today when i reached 1800 calories. So the 12 week challenge plan is 1200 calories....I will increase it to 1800 by increasing the amount of protein in my meals, eating full fat dairy, adding a protein shake (especially after my weights sessions), adding avocado, or other good fats....so primarily by increasing my protein and to a lesser extent my fat....I dont want to increase my grains at all tho.

So as I have taken the next 2 weeks off work and will do PT 4 days a week...we will be doing a bro split. Which basically means each day will be a specific muscle group.On those days I will try and do 30-60 minutes of cardio as well. So my coming week my workouts will look like this:

Monday :PT (chest) + 1 hour walking
Tuesday : PT (legs) + RPM
Wednesday : PT (back & biceps) + boxing
Thursday : Double PT (core + boxing) + body balance
Friday : Pilates + 1 hour walking
Saturday : Body pump + 1 hour walking
Sunday : 1 hour walking

Due to the heat the walking may be me doing the "walk away the pounds dvds" but i will see how the heat goes.

So with monday being day 1 of the challenge....lots happening! I am getting a body scan done. I am approximately the same weight i was the last time i had one done...be interesting to see if the muscle has changed at all and any centimetres lost.I then need to get my photo taken. Then PT. Of course the program goes live with all the workouts etc monday morning as well. Im super excited. My goal is to be under at LEAST 112 kilos (on my home scales) but the bigger aim is under 110 kilos. As of last monday I was 122.8 kilos....so 13 kilos to go in 12 weeks :)

Okay think thats it...till next update! :)





Monday, February 29, 2016

Week 2 weigh in

So went to weight watchers tonight and weighed in and lost 800 grams :) So since i returned 2 weeks ago have lost 3.8 kilos.

I feel like my eating is pretty good. I think now more focus needs to turn more to exercise and moving more. I think i will return to walking in my breaks at work. I get 2 x 15 minute breaks and 1 x 30 minutes break and I use to go out walking but then I stopped cos i was coming back to work a bit hot and bothered LOL. But now with tomorrow being the 1st day of autumn seems a good time to recommence that....so thats first thing. Apart from the weekends (when i am a lazy bi-atch) i generally just hit 10,000 steps a day...today im finishing at 10,357 steps. Sneaking in those smaller walks would add about a extra 5kms per day. It would be good at this point to aim for 15,000 steps a day. So I have set my goal on fitbit to 15,000 steps.

Obviously with the foxy challenge coming up I have set goals :) The first being weight related. My aim is to lose 9.6 kilos over the course of the challenge....which works out to 3.2 kilos every 4 weeks or 800 grams a week...doable altho will require hard work.

I of course need a fitness goal too. And my goal is going to be....by the last week of the challenge I want to be back in to the boxing classes. Anyone who has followed me knows I always liked boxing and was kinda good at it. The part i struggle with is the getting down on the ground to do pushups etc then jumping up to hit the bag. I struggled for that when i was 80 kilos so you can imagine how much of a struggle that is now! Starting next week ill be doing at least one PT session a week at lease for the next 6-8 weeks which will be boxing. I think this will help pick up my cardio fitness and endurance which will help me immensely.

So there you have it...to lose at least 9.6 kilos for the duration of the challenge and get as close to 109.9 kilos as possible and to start to regularly attending boxing classes.

I sat down with my calendar today and plotted in all my PT sessions, ww, seminars at the gym, classes and person workouts....lawd! Im gonna be busy....but that is a really good thing ;) I would really like to get fit enough where moving a hour a day the thought of doesnt exhaust me! LOL

4 days to go then 2 weeks off work....and tomorrow 6 days till the challenge starts....getting excited!!!!

Sunday, February 28, 2016

NSV

OMG posting two days running....but I had to post this ;)

The first thing is....I went back over the total lost from my highest weight today to be over 50 kilos....so as of this morning on my scales (which we know fluctuations can occur so who knows tomorrow!) i was down to 122.9 kilos...so 50.2 kilos. So that was a bit of a #winning

But of course im not focusing so much on that total loss...but whats occurred since rejoining weight watchers.

So heres a story....on the day I rejoined ww (2 weeks tomorrow) i went to target looking for a bra about a hour before the meeting lol. So I knew I was more then a D cup and I guessed more then a size 16....so i picked up a 18DD and headed to the changeroom. I put it on and i swear to gawd i almost cried. It was so tight that the boobs were overflowing at the top of the cups and also at the sides! And I could only just hook it up on the very last hook. I refused to go get a 20E cup LOL. I thought Im joining ww...I know the first place i lose weight from is my face, bust and waist....lets get it and just work with it to the best I can LOL

So over the last week or so I noticed I could close it on NOT the last hook...i realised but didnt really think about it. Anyway im at the shops today at the checkout line....and i ran my hand across my chest (as you do!) and i realised there was no spillage of the cup area...in fact it felt like a perfect fit. I thought oh it must be a huge spillage on the side of the cups then...so very discreetly i ran my fingers on each side of the cups....omfg...no spillage! I got home...ripped off my shirt and looked in the mirror and if i do say so myself...saw what looked like a perfect fitted bra :)

I feel like a teeny tiny piece of the old me was there....just being superproud of me. Yes the weight watchers program isnt perfect...but its working for me. I feel like mentally i am looking at it correctly....i have really focussed on not being obsessive about tracking my food...i track...but im not looking at all the macros...and sodium etc....im sure ill go to that at some point but right now a relaxed non stressed approach is what I need...and regardless of what the scales do or dont say tomorrow....this appears to be working! Happy happy!!!

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Week 2 | How its all going

So its saturday arvo and ive had a pretty good food week :) I have decided on something....and that is I am solely going to focus on using just my daily points and not use my weekly points.

The reason for this is i am at the very beginning of my weightloss AGAIN. There is no denying over the last couple of years my eating has been out of control with a log of bingeing type eating then restrictive cycle. So for me....the weight loss will come the BIG thing....is ending that cycle. I think it i can get to a point in 4-6 months where its been a long time since i have binged then mentally i will be healthier. I wont relate myself to bingeing and i think thats a important place for me to get to. Having once been 173 kilos...and even being the weight i am now...i am obviously a food addict....if i get better with this....then the weight loss will come....and the weightloss WILL stay.

The other thing i have noticed, thanks to being a daily weigher is that on the days i have no more then 2 pieces of bread and i stick to my daily points...the scales either move in the right direction or stay stable....soon as i eat some of my weekly points....even just 5 or 6 the weight jumps up..so thats another reason why i need to just sit at a stable amount of just my daily points.

As most know calorie cycling in the past has worked well with me and in time im sure i will do "point cycling" but i would like to wait 4-6 months before doing that. Truthfully i feel a sense of guilt when i eat a "high point" meal...or i use my weekly points....and i worry is this the moment i will go off track....so i want to remove all those thoughts....and just be consistent.

The gym is going well. My current program i am doing with my trainer there are  few exercises i dont love (okay HATE) but i know it will be worth it in the end. The foxy challenge is like 9 days away from starting...im so ready for this. One of my aims is going to be to do 45-60 minutes of walking a day. I think that would one help with the weight loss and two just help to improve my fitness levels. The first 2 weeks i am off work....so it will be the perfect time to get in walks. What i will prolly do is most days those 2 weeks i will be going to the gym late morning/lunchtime....so i will walk home most days which for me will be about a hours walk. I just checked it .... lol...its a 5km walk. I am determined to start this challenge of with a bang. I really want to focus getting into a few classes...they might take some logistics...but we will see how i go ;)

Not much else going on...wish me luck for mondays weigh in!

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Update :)

So............. Im back here posting!

Let me explain a few things I felt I needed to keep to myself previously. The changing to "shrinking sapphic" was partly i needed a fresh start and partly i felt i needed to hide my identity online.

As many may or may not remember last October I got in a relationship. This relationship had a lot of bad things to it and i eventually completely ended it over a month ago. There is someone we both know (not a friend of mine but a friend of hers) who is a hacker. So about 3 weeks ago she threatened me saying i wouldnt want to be you once "insert hackers name" finishes with me. Initially i laughed it off. Then I started to get some overseas calls on my mobile. Now I am very careful about who I give my number out too...the calls were not coming from just one US number but from several numbers in different states. By ringing the numbers back I realised they were all coming thru a service called "text me US" So i downloaded the app for this service....it actually gives you "disposable numbers" so they could call from various numbers. These calls were always coming in the evenings and I got tired of constantly blocking them. Eventually last weekend I emailed the abuse section of this company and they have closed this persons account and i have heard nothing since. Im quietly confident I will hear nothing further. I knew this person knew my full name and had been told they had seen my facebook page and had been saying negative things about me (prolly about my weight) so i felt a need to "hide". Now I feel like bugger it im not gonna hide cos of these idiots. So ive gone back to using "kazzs journey"

I am now in week 2 of weight watchers. I wasnt going to post my weighins....and wont on fb/instagram etc but will here. So I initially weighed in at 128.4 kilos. Last monday I weighed in and lost 3 kilos taking me down to 125.4 kilos.

The fernwood foxy challenge starts on 7/3 and I have upped the PT sessions for that. The first 2 weeks i will do PT 4 days a week....the next 5 weeks I will be doing 3 PT sessions a week. I feel very focused and that things are on track. I have a definite goal to be under 110 kilos on my scales at home by the time of the foxy dinner which is June 11. I totally think I can do it and that will be a huge stumbling block i would get past.

Not much else going on but will be back posting in here :)