Here is to us - Raise your glasses

Hello All,

Can you believe that it is almost the end of year already? I have been on leave for a week now and have achieved more in the past two days then I did the past 7. I am not sure if I will be using my computer over Christmas. To be honest I use it all of the time and I am finding that sometimes I prefer to have it off especially at the moment. With that in mind I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all very much. It has certainly been a wonderful year for me. I do have a small feeling though that next year has the potential to be even better.

I feel confident that everything I have relearned this year will put me in good stead for whatever happens next year. I do plan on continuing my blog but I think that next year it will have a different feel. You will have to wait and see what I am talking about.

I want to also thank you all for your undying support. It has really amazed me that so many people can come together and support someone that they didn’t know. To best honest it fees like the Big John Challenge was a lifetime ago. I never really hear from him anymore and I wonder what he is up to. If he ever reached the goals that he wanted to or even went down the surgery route as he was thinking of doing. Whatever he is doing though I do wish him and his family well.

Thank you for putting up with my whinging and whining and for laughing along with me.

If you could all please stand and raise your glasses (water of course), I would like to toast a great year and all of you for making it so!

Here is to us and "see" you all next year!

Merry Christmas!

Time for hard decisions

This time of year is great for seeing family and catching up with friends but it can also be hard work. Take me for example. I am hosting my very first Christmas. The in laws arrive today and the house is looking spic and span. All you can smell is cleaning products and everything is sparkling. Sitting at the table eating my breakfast I look up and notice that our kitten is jumping around in puddles. The washing machine sprung a leak and there was water gushing everywhere. Only saving grace is that we have mainly tiles everywhere and there was a massive pile of sheets and doona covers waiting to be washed which were then used to soak up the water. Man talk about stressful.. lol…

The other thing that is hard with this time of year is watching what you eat and drink. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since 24th November. I know this because it was our friends 30th. I probably wont have any for a long time either. Food wise though I cant say I have been as good. I am not beating myself up terribly about it. I mean I know what is right and wrong like we all do. I don’t need some skinny thing saying to me “Should you be eating that?” I know this because of course the answer is always no I shouldn’t be.

This Christmas my goals are too:

Not have seconds
Drink water at every opportunity
Not eat for the sake of it
Try things that I want but only little bits rather than gorging later
Be a good host and make sure everyone has fun!

Almost 30

Yesterday was my birthday and now I am 364 days closer to being 30 unless next year is a leap year which I have no idea about.

Anyway I had a really nice day and went out for dinner and lunch. Was pretty good both times but at dinner I did have dessert of ice cream and strawberries. The thing is though I was lying in bed last night thinking that I didn’t have a birthday cake. No one made me one or even bought me one. I thought that it must have been because you know of my weight etc… But then it occurred to me. I always organise that for everyone else in the family.. lol.. Oh well next years will be massive!

I went to the Belconnen Markets today (as I do every Saturday) and bought our fruit and vegetables. I paid $70 for the weeks worth (well it usually last til about Thurs/Fri and we have eaten it all) but it just all looks and smells so good! Strawberries were only 98c a punnet so I bought 4!

A famous donut place opened in Belconnen Mall this weekend. I am not going to say their name because they don’t actually do any official advertising so why should I do it for them? Anyway I saw them open there this morning and I really really wanted one. Pooks and I love them. They are so bad for you but so fabulous and remind me of what I used to eat in Europe.. Anyway I didn’t go to the shop because I didn’t want people to see me. Pathetic reason hey… Just didn’t want to be the stereotypical fat person at the donut shop on opening day. Maybe Pooks could go and get one, just one for me.

My new friend

I went to Aqua Aerobics the other night. It was interesting. I haven’t done it for awhile. At one point I needed a drink as I needed a break which was nice. I certainly didn’t feel out of place in the class as there were women of all shapes and sizes. I have asked Pooks if I can make it a weekly thing and he said of course.

I haven’t been posting much as I am sure you have noticed. I am trying to get my summer school assignments out of the way before Christmas and before I leave work for the year! As you can see by the photo’s it is kind of hard as I have a new friend who likes to spend time with me. His name is Billy Slater and he is 11 weeks old. I got him when he was 8 weeks old from the RSPCA. Isn’t he just the cutest most annoying little thing you have ever seen?

Anyway I have to get back to my assignment but will write soon. I haven't done my Sunday weigh in yet because to be honest I am more concerned about finding 2000 words.

No Accountability

Hi All! Guess who? Exams are over and I would be really happy right now if I didn’t have summer school assignments to do. Was pretty good with my eating over the last two weeks although I did partake in some Toobs one day. Remember them? Back by popular demand – and worth it!

I went swimming at Belconnen a few times as well which was great. I do like swimming.

I was thinking today that there really is no longer accountability for my weight (well there is but it isn’t up in lights) so what I need to do is have a weigh in once a week. I read so many other weight loss blogs and they are always announcing there weight loss/gain! I haven’t done it in a long time…. So next Sunday I will start doing that as well…

I was extremely concerned that I wouldn’t be able to write a message for you all this weekend. Went to turn my computer on yesterday and it didn’t work. Panicked, got stressed (have assignments due soon) and then just got worried. Dad came to the rescue and took me to a computer repair shop in the pouring rain at 2:00pm…. He won’t back and paid for the repairs and I got a phone call at 4:55pm to go and pick it up! Even they closed at 5:00pm they were going to stay open and wait for me to collect it! Lucky! The damage was caused by lightening on Friday night and fried the power supply in my computer! First time ever I have not unplugged my computer in a storm! And last time now too.

Am going to Aqua aerobics this week on Thursday evening! I haven’t done it for ages and I feel lie it so I am!

Anyway happy Sunday!

23 Days til Christmas.

Will be in hibernation for two weeks.

Hello, just a quick message to let you know that I probably wont be posting on here for two weeks as it is exam time. I procrastinate enough without looking on the net all of the time. ;0

Happy end of November.

Do you like prawns?

Someone today gave me the following recipe for prawns which I might try. I don’t have any brandy so I might put a little white wine instead:

Basic ingredients

1 chilli

3 cloves of garlic

400gms of uncooked prawns

Green Basil

Dash of sherry (use sparingly or its bitter)

Olive oil


Heat the oil , add the garlic and chilli (chopped fine) until the garlic turns brownish add peeled prawns cook till pink, add sherry, add basil. Give it a minute and make sure the prawns are evenly covered.

Me in swimmers?

As promised to you and myself I woke early this morning and went to the pool. It was quite nice and as I went to Dickson Pool (outdoors) it was extremely refreshing at 6:00am. I was a little self conscious but you get that. I am glad that I went and I plan on doing it again tomorrow. I was trying to decide if I would go in the morning or in the afternoon. If it is this hot tomorrow I might go in the afternoon.

I have written the biggest grocery list for this weekend. You know those times you have no meat, no cleaning products, no frozen products – nothing. Pantry is bare, fridge is bare, and freezer is pretty much bare. I think there is some bread in there. Pooks doesn’t know it yet but I am going to buy some frozen salmon that I have seen. I don’t mind salmon and it is good for you. Pooks also doesn’t know that if it is hot next week he will be cooking on the BBQ. I’d say I will having the feta, spinach and pumpkin salad a lot too. I do want to get Pooks onto Caesar salads. Not with the Anchovies or the dressing but the rest of it. I think that if he actually like it if he gave it a try!

Just my ramblings

I guess you are all wondering where I have been? If you haven’t you should be. To be totally honest I have been having a tough time of late. There are some personal family issues which have been affecting me, changing jobs again, University and trying to run our household on the smell of an oily rag. Of course none of these are an excuse for not exercising but they have been causing me quite a bit of stress which has been making me ill. I find that during the day when I am at work I am fine and bubbly (as those of you I correspond frequently with will attest to). It is when I come home and think and deal with everything that troubles me.

My membership at the gym ends in two days and instead of going full bore and getting the rest of my moneys worth I have found myself still asleep come 7:00am rushing to get to work. In the midst of a burst of I have no idea what, I have packed my stuff to go to the pool in the morning.

I guess I am treating this like a journal entry. Down on “paper” it kind of just looks like I am being a sook. I guess I am in a way. I am sure that tomorrow being a payday with few bills will alleviate some of my angst. That’s all.

Weight Loss Program

I have probably posted this before:

A guy calls a company and orders their 5-day, 10lb. weight loss
program.The next day, there's a knock on the door and there
stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed
in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign round her neck. She
introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company.

The sign reads: -

If you can catch me, you can have me." Without a second thought,
he takes off after her. A few miles later, huffing and puffing,he finally catches her and has his way with her. The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens. On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lb. as promised. He then calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program.

The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in his life.

She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads "if you catch me you can have me." Well, he's out the door after her like a shot! This girl is in excellent shape and it takes him a while to catch her but when he does, it's definitely worth every muscle cramp and wheeze, so for the next four days, the same routine happens. Much to his delight, on the fifth day he weighs himself to discover that he has lost another 20 lb. as promised. He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program. "Are you sure?" asks the representative on the phone - This is our most rigorous program."
Absolutely," he replies, "I haven't felt this good in years."

The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it
he finds this huge, muscular, 7ft black man standing there wearing
nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that
reads :- I'm Francis. If I catch you, you're mine..."

Anyone else coming for dinner?

Hello All!

Can you believe it is already Thursday? How nice (and unexpected) was the rain last night?

So we had a big weekend as I had expected. Friday night there were four of us for dinner. The boys had fish and chips, I had a hamburger. Saturday evening I decided to cook a casserole. I wasn’t sure how many people were coming so I thought with that (and the 2kg) of meat that I used that it would be ok. At 17:00hrs I knew there was going to be 4 of us, by 17:30 I found out that there was going to 6 of us so I just peeled some more potatoes. By dinner time we ended up having 11 here so I just cooked some rice and made a bigger salad. See I am very accommodating. :)

Sunday night we had 6. I cooked the sweet potato mash and the chicken mini roasts with corn cobs and a massive salad in the middle of the table. It was really yummo!

On Saturday morning the boys were all up at about 6:30am to get their stuff together to go riding so I got up then as well. It had rained the night before so everything was lovely and fresh outside. Anyway I went for a walk around the block much to the amazement of one of the guys who didn’t know I did things like that now. I also wore one of my Team Shell shirts just to further demonstrate how “professional” I had become.

Pooks received the biggest shock of all though! When he came home from riding on Saturday he noticed that I had, wait for it, weeded some of the garden! What? Who does that? Ok he didn’t really notice but when I pointed it out he did! We spent Tuesday in the garden as well but I found that extremely boring so just stood and watched.

Monday I had off as annual leave and Tuesday was a lovely Public Holiday for some horse race. To be honest this is the first year that I have not been into the Melbourne Cup. I didn’t bet, I didn’t go into any sweeps, nothing.

Finally I will end with some exciting news. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had to return to a place that I had worked previously and to be honest I wasn’t too excited about it. My higher duties had ended and it was time for me to go back to my old job. I am very career orientated (well I think I am) and I saw it as a backwards step. People kept telling me to be patient. I knew exactly the work that I wanted to do that would compliment my personality, my experience and what I am doing at uni. Well low and behold, shoot me down with a feather but after three weeks of being there I got a phone call and an offer to go and do the exact job that I want to do in another part of the organisation. This time however I am taking a permanent sideways step to get the job I want. I should have done that 12 months ago but you live, you learn! So once again I will be starting my new job on Monday! It is all within the same Organisation so it isn’t like I am changing employers all of the time. Fortunately there is a lot of opportunity and a lot of room to move. I will also be moving location (to a place I have worked before) and I know a lot of people there who exercise so hopefully they will let me tag along!

I am going to go to the gym tomorrow and ask to do some treadmill work. I don’t know why. Just cause.

So fat and lazy

I feel fat and lazy. My boobs feel ginormous. When I go to the gym tomorrow I am going to make a point of looking at myself in the much despised mirrors to remind myself that I still need to do this. It is crap and I hate it. I just watched So You Think You Can Dance. See the bodies on those girls? Pity I can’t dance. Ha ha! I just sent myself an e-mail to my work address and said that if I want to get pregnant I need to be healthy. To be healthy I need to keep exercising and lose some weight. To lose weight I need to watch what I eat. Hot weather is NOT an excuse to eat ice cream. Hot weather is not an excuse to drink more soft drink. I hope the firewall doesn’t block my e-mail.

I hope I wake up in the morning and I suddenly have the body of a dancer – more like private dancer… ha ha! I just crack myself up sometimes. Lol…

Nighty night!

Am I putting on weight?

The gym that I go to only weighs you every ten weeks so I am not sure on how much I have lost/put on or how my cms are going. I don’t weigh myself at home so I can only use my clothes as a guide. I have been concerned with a part of my body because it just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. I know that when you lose weight or exercise your skin loses its elasticity and tightens so everything “moves up” but I wasn’t sure if I was just getting bigger or if it was the elasticity thing. I have a picture that will help me explain what I am talking about.



So the green line is my boobs, nice aren’t they? Lol.. Blue is my stomach ( I think) and purple is my stomach? What? I have no idea about human biology. Give me Business Stats or Marketing anyday. Anyway so the Blue bit has just started to be really prominent. I always knew that it was there but now it is just really there! I was asking my friends to look at me and tell me if they honestly think that I have actually put on weight and if that bit was bigger. They would tell me straight so I knew asking them I was onto a sure thing. Problem is that they said they couldn’t tell. I worked it out for myself though. The reason the blue part is so prominent now is because everything else is changing moving etc. The bits around it probably aren’t as big anymore so the blue bit is more exposed. My boobs have lifted a bit as well so the blue bit is able to "come out".

As I said I have no idea about human biology and all of this makes sense to me – my blue bit looks bigger and I think I know why… ha ha!

Party at my house.

OK so this not an open invite to you all. :) Pooks’ best friend (the best man at our wedding) is coming to stay with us on Friday for 4 or so days so the boys can go motorbike riding all weekend – how exciting. NOT. We have a public holiday here in te ACT on Tuesday and Pooks has Monday off as an RDO. We are going to be having people around for dinner every night that he is here. Mum and Dad are going to come on Sunday night so I think that I might try the mini chicken roasts meal on them. It just looked so dang fancy and it didn't take long to cook! Will probably just be BBQ's the other nights. You can make a really healthly meal out of a BBQ.

Last weekend however we went to a wedding for one of my school friends. It was so lovely. The food wasn’t really all that bad for you either. The pre dinner drinks food (does that make sense) was nice and fresh. Sushi rolls, prawns with something, smoked salmon wrapped around asparagus, few other things.. I just ate the sushi and prawns and something. Lovely. Entrée was more prawns or a small anti-pasto plate, Main was alternate of slow cooked lamb with mash and like a red wine sauce or a chicken and chilli dish. I had the chicken, Pooks had the lamb. It was lovely! The champagne wasn’t bad either. I could lie and say I didn’t have any but I did – and it was nice. With my exams coming up I wont be having fun for the next 5 or so weeks so thought that I should make the most of it!

Just a normal girl

You know the whole Team Shell motto is no excuses right? Well I still believe that but at the same time I never thought that I would be the kind of girl that uses “not feeling well” as a reason to not go to the gym as it never stopped me in the past. Last week I was pretty ill and I said to Pooks that I was either pregnant or that it was going to be a killer of a period. Unfortunately I wasn’t pregnant and I experienced a killer menstruation cycle (sorry to gross you out). I recall my Mum telling me a few years ago that it is actually hereditary. A lot of girls inherit long legs or even a fast metabolism. Not me. I inherited killer period pain. Lucky me! I also inherited Carney hair. Some may not believe this but for the first 20 or so years of my life I had really blonde hair. Every other Carney had dark wavy hair. I stood out like a sore thumb with the cousins and even my brother. As I have gotten older however my hair as gotten darker and now I look like the rest of them.

Back to the exercising. So I was really unwell last week and going against everything that I stood for. Pooks was on my case too but I just couldn’t do it. Anyway this week I have returned to the gym all normal again.

Cooking healthily for myself is easy peasy it is when I have to try and find things that Pooks will eat that is the problem. I have slowly been introducing “foreign” things into his diet and now he eats garlic and chilli with the best of them. Tonight though was an awesome achievement if I do say so myself. We had Chicken mini roasts (skin removed on mine) with sweet potato mash, mashed with nothing other than a little bit of marg, green beans with oyster sauce and a sprinkle of feta over the top! It was worthy of a table at a restaurant. It looked and tasted sensational and Pooks is now coming around to sweet potato! For lunch he has been taking chicken drumsticks that I have cooked the night before with a bit of spices on them.. Can’t quite get him to take a salad yet but all in good time!

Don’t know about anyone else but daylight savings has really stuffed me up. Getting up at 5:00am I like to go to bed early but I am ready now and it is still daylight! Need to push through for another hour or two!

Where is BOG?

I haven’t spoken about BOG for awhile but since she is the epitome of fine health to me I will give you an update. She went overseas with her boyfriend for 6 weeks not so long ago as I have mentioned. When she returned the first thing I made sure of was that she had put on weight. I was happy to hear that even though it was a little bit it was still a bit. Now that may seem vindictive to you but come on people she is hot! I apologise if I have said this previously.

I no longer work with her but I do speak to her regularly (everyday) and we are having lunch together soon (on the 30th I think).

My new work companion has recently lost 55kgs. To look at him you would never think that he was once a big guy. It is fabulous having someone like to work side by side with as well. While BOG could help with the eating side of things I can now share the emotional side of things with someone which as you know is where I have really struggled. I think that what he has done is amazing and really hope to follow in his footsteps.

Between you and me I have been really missing the weekly weigh in’s. You just have no idea of your progress and while you can weigh yourself at home it doesn’t seem as exciting (or disappointing) when there is a change albeit negative or positive. I have been toying with the idea of weight watchers but am still toying with it.

My whole work is really into the 10,000 steps program and since we have been split into teams we have a responsibility to our team mates to accrue (insert accounting term – see I did learn something) a decent amount of steps each day. It officially starts on Tuesday but Pooks has already shown me how to use the pedometer so I am all ready to go! Do you think females get extra points for walking in high heels that we aren’t supposed to wear?

Brad Pitt naked to lose weight?

Ok so anonymous has asked for me to write something on my blog so here I am! I must admit that I have actually been waiting until I had something really fantastic to say. Waiting, waiting!

Still going to the gym but have been chopping and changing days so there hasn’t been a consistent pattern for awhile. 3 days one week, 4 days the next etc. I tell you what though the beautiful days are making me wish that I wasn’t stuck inside the gym and knew someone who could write me a program for outdoors and around the home. Oh wait I do know someone and they read my blog and can do it, so get to it! You know who you are.

Anyway I found an article in the Australian Healthy Food guide that caught my eye. I think that it may be a monthly publication but I am not sure as I don’t recall buying it before. Have you ever been to a shop and thought “well I will buy flavoured milk because it is milk and that is good for you and I am an athlete so it is ok to drink” Well I have…. Ice Coffee is my flavoured milk of choice. So this article says that:

“Flavour milk drinks can be high in sugar and artificial additives” and here I was thinking that it just came from a different kind of cows. That is only slightly tongue in cheek because with a lot of foods and drinks we don’t really know what is in them until we read the labels properly.

The best piece advice in the magazine was written by Frank Varano who is a guitarist (apparently). He said:

A great way to lose weight is to eat naked in front of a mirror. Restaurants will almost always throw you out before you can eat too much!

Oh the mind boggles doesn’t it? Brad Pitt doesn’t need to lose weight but I can’t help thinking what he would look like trying!

How you start is how you will finish

Do you ever associate places with food? I don’t man restaurants or take away because that would be obvious wouldn’t it? No I mean places like your Nanna’s because she always has the best home made cakes, or your Mum’s because the Roasts are just fantastic. What about places that you have to go to all day, 5 days a week? I used to work in this place that had a fantastic social atmosphere. We had morning teas left right and centre and always went out for lunches. We had a social club that had a lolly bar that turned over so much profit most of our Christmas parties were subsidised. This place of work was my first real job. I worked there for over 4 years. Maybe even 5 I am not sure. While I was there I put on a lot of weight. Sure you can’t blame the actual workplace but there were so many opportunities and temptations to ensure that when I left there my butt would be a butt that Sir Mix a Lot would be proud of (insert daggy 90’s reference).

Well as it turns out after 14 months I am returning there to work tomorrow and granted it will be a different place as many of the people have left but it is the place where I went from a size something to a size even more something. So what can I do? What should I do? I have really started to believe that how you start something is how you will finish it. I could just go to work after the gym and then buy a sandwich or a chicken foccacia from the across the road (that mind you I fell in love with and ate way too many in the old days) or I could get things off to a positive start and make a great colourful lunch and start new memories there. So that is what I did. I have included a picture for you and because I know that one of my trainers reads this (Hi Latoya)!

If you are still waiting for your Monday to come it is now Wednesday and time to get off your butts. Who is Sir Mix a Lot anyway? He doesn’t really like big butts!

I met someone famous!

Went to the gym as promised this morning. I’ll be honest in saying that I looked at myself in the mirror a bit. What did I see? A stain on my shirt! A shirt from the clean clothes pile. How rude!

Anyway so went to the gym. There were a few people there but it was a little later than I usually go. It was day 1 of my program (I have a 3 day program). I have to sit on the fitball and do side arm raises with one foot in the air. It looks ridiculous. When we were working out my program I did say that I find it hard to concentrate on things sometimes so that has been included to either make me concentrate or for a physical purpose. I will have to find out for you.

Pooks and I went to a BBQ Sunday evening for the grandfinal and I was so pleased. It was lovely. Had lovely chicken and salads. Had a piece of garlic bread that was cooked on the bbq as well. Had my two little drinks as I said I would.

I must apologise because I forgot to tell you all that I met someone famous in Melbourne last week and I have attached picture evidence. I met Andrew G from Idol and yes I was excited! Luckily our plane was about 45 minutes late so I got to talk to him heaps. The guys I was with sat there and asked him really intelligent questions but I kept giggling like a 14 year old! Everything I said was things that I knew about him and I probably just sounded like a stalker. You will have to excuse my gummy look in the photo. I was probably giggling as they took it!!!!!!!!

I bought a magazine the other day with some really good advice in it so I will make sure that I include it in my next post. Most of it is common sense but it is still good to remind ourselves sometimes.

Swooping birds

Imagine a week where you were so exhausted that come Friday evening you fall asleep on the lounge at 6:00pm? That was me the other night! My trip to Melbourne was great. I didn’t eat particularly bad stuff as such (except for dessert one night) but I did eat a lot. It was easy to eat regular meals as they kept them coming. I went for a walk one afternoon but to be honest I was kind of scared and kept looking over my shoulder. Canberra is definitely the best option for a girl like me. :)

I haven’t been to the gym in a few days and to be honest I am really looking forward to returning. Going for walks etc is nice but it just isn’t the same. I hope they remember me when I go back this week! Speaking of walks I took our two dogs for a walk this afternoon. It is blowing an absolute gale in my suburb today so it was quite a challenge. We have a big dog and a little one so it can be a little frustrating at times. Both are on a leash of course but the big one goes ahead and every now and then runs back to us and gets caught up in the legs of the little one and vice versa. The little one is a very shy and timid dog so getting him out and about is really good for him. Anyway so I was walking them and the wind was blowing and this damn magpie started to swoop the big dog. So the little one tries to chase the bird. Oh my lordy. We just happened to be on the footpath of a very busy road and we probably looked ridiculous. I just wanted to go home. Lol…

I have been sitting on my butt trying to finish an economics report for uni. I sent all 21 pages of it off this morning. Then in an unprecedented move I got stuck in and cleaned my study. I spend a lot of time in here and sometimes it does get a little untidy. I do have to work in a clean environment at home which is funny cause at work my desk is always a mess. Anyway I was throwing things out left right and centre including some of Pooks’ motorbike magazines. Well they were in my room!

We are going out tonight for the footy grand final. The glorious Billy Slater is playing. After finishing my assignment I kind of feel like having an alcoholic drink so I have two to take with me. I don’t really drink a lot but it will be nice to have one this evening. Apparently I am driving so it wouldn’t matter if I did want more because I can’t.

Anyway things here are all good. As I said I haven’t been to the gym in a few days BUT I am really looking forward to returning this week.

Happy Long Weekend!

Proper Coffee

Wow what a busy time! This week will be a true test as I am out of the office for pretty much all of it and will be interstate and all of my meals are being provided and I have no idea what has been ordered. One thing I have a problem with at conferences is the coffee. I love it! You know the “proper stuff”..

I wont be at the gym until Thursday at the earliest so will really have to watch myself.

Can you believe that the October long weekend is almost here? I am looking forward to it very much!

Anyway I have to go and pack my bags but just wanted to check in to let you all know that I am still here. :)

One more thing to tick off

Who would have thought hey? 8 months ago I hated walking down the street to visit friends and always found the closest car park wherever I went BUT now I can say that I have done the Canberratimes Fun Walk. There were thousands of entrants of all different shapes and sizes. People of all different ages, Mums with prams and grandparents with their grandkids. It was great. I did found it tough for about the 2nd and 3rd km. It was hot and the sun had a lot of kick in it! I eagerly looked forward to the halfway mark for a drink. At the start of the walk I was surprised by the pace everyone was going as I thought that it would just be a dawdle but you had to keep up or get trampled. Around Parliament House everyone people started to drift apart and so did I. I started walking at my own pace as I knew that I would make it that way. At one stage I did have an urge to run but it didn’t last… ha ha! 5km doesn't sound far but standing in Commonwealth Park looking back seemed so long.

Seeing the finish line was a welcoming site as I could feel my arms and legs burning from the sun.. It was great to cross the finish line. I certainly come first (by about 1000 people probably) but was just so pleased that I had made it. My friend high fived me as we went through. Kind of testament to us both as this time last year we would have been sitting around drinking champagne and eating chips with dip.

All in all it was a great day and as I said I was just so stoked that I did it. Didn’t go to the gym today as I wanted to give my legs a rest but will be back there in the morning.

Peanut Butter hips

In the past I have never really eaten at work morning teas – you know don’t let anyone see the fat girl eat…. But today I did. I had this peanut butter and chocolate cup thing and I may as well taken it and slapped it straight to my hips. Man it was good. I wonder if it was worth it? Time will tell.

Anyway this week it was all about being back at the gym. To be honest I found some of it hard. Not as hard as 7 months ago but a new kind of hard. Kind of like I have done this before but the break has made it harder. Never mind. I have plenty more days to make it easy again. Still making a few mistakes with my diet. There were a couple of days when I was in meetings etc so wasn’t able to sit there and chomp on an apple etc but hopefully the light meals at night helped.

Tomorrow is the big day! The Canberra times Fun Run. I have told my friends that if I am going to slow then to just go ahead of me but I have given them clear instructions that I want to finish first. Ha ha!

Easy as A, B C??????????????????

If any of you are reading this and would like a bit of a challenge then I suggest you put down your mouse and lie on the floor as you would if you were doing stomach crunches. Instead of bending your legs stretch them out together without letting them hit the floor. Squeeze your stomach muscles, your butt muscles (they are in there somewhere) and proceed to write the alphabet tracing the outline of the letters with your legs. If you are unable to get down on the floor perhaps you could try doing this exercise sitting on a chair holding on to the side of it so you are able to lift your legs off the ground!

Try to get through the alphabet as far as you can and repeat this exercise twice. Then while still lying on the floor ask a family member to stand at the end of you and move around a ball (or a cushion off the lounge) and follow them with your outstretched hands while doing crunches. Do this twice also…

Then in a couple days time sneeze and see how much it hurts! That is what I did on Monday as part of my program and today I really felt it when I sneezed!

Yep that’s right! Yesterday was the start of my newly written program (by Latoya) the loveliest trainer I have ever met ( I am only being nice in case she reads this)… When we discussed what to put in my new program I specifically said that I wanted a variety and wanted to be constantly moving. The idea of lying there lifting a bunch of heavy weights and then waiting did not appeal to me and makes me lose interest. Basically I want and need to be constantly entertained… Anyway my program is quite fun (if exercise can be that)! I have done two days of it now and my body is starting to hurt all over again. This is because a) I haven’t exercised “properly” in a while and b) because I am doing some exercises that I have not done before.

I continued with my physio yesterday and only wish that I could find all of my receipts for my private health insurance. Looks like it will be another clean out the car day again on Saturday.

Work is flat out, uni is crazy, getting up at 4:30am is just like the old days but if I didn’t have a million things going on at once I would go crazy!

Let me know how your Alphabet tracing goes. I hope it hurts – in the nicest possible way of course.

Oh no! Seems I did have a good time

So the results are in! I ashamedly put on 3kgs. I told you guys I was having a good time. Somehow I managed to lose some size around my hips. Not sure on the exact measurements. Lost some muscle in my arms. My neck remained the same. Who needs a skinny neck anyway!

Gosh so my goal of 12kgs in the next 10 weeks might be altered as I need to also lose the 3kgs I put on. I am going to aim for an all up loss of 8 AND to maintain an intense level of exercise.

I told Quinten and as he said "It could have been worse"..... So true... BUT I did the math and if I put on 3kgs every ten weeks my weight will have increased by 15kgs in a year.. No wonder your weight creeps up on you and then Bang! you are overweight...

So nervous right now!

I am so nervous right now. Tomorrow is my assessment for my next membership at the gym! There will be a weigh in and a bit of a measure and we will chat about what I want to achieve in the next 10 weeks. A guy at work bet me that I couldn’t lose 12kgs in 10 weeks so my friends that is my goal. Pooks has been put on notice that the fun and games have stopped and it will be back to watching every single thing I eat and drink. I don’t mean watching the bad food go into my mouth but watching the fat and calorie count.. ha ha!

Latoya is doing my assessment. I thought that I would go with a girl. No one else has done an assessment so I am a bit nervous. Also a bit nervous to see the “damage” that the last few weeks have caused.

I read with interest today that a few of the contestants from the Biggest Loser have put a heap of their weight back in. I trust the source as it is a good friend of mine. Delivers the news every week.. WHO magazine in fact. I chose to believe that it is all true. I feel sad for them but hopefully they will get back on track..

Anyway I have to go and watch the rest of the footy but I will definitely let you all know how I go!

Just some little pictures for you

I am loving my new mobile phone right now. Just some pics for you from the coast the other week and a dish I cooked today to show my healthy eating. I served it on baby spinach. I don't cook the baby spinach anymore because I don't like it soggy. Weird I know but whatever floats your boat. :) I put it into three portions so have some for lunch tomorrow as well.

A kick up the butt to put me in the right direction

Gosh reading my previous entry I was a bit down wasn’t I? I noticed that I said that I didn’t need support but I don’t think that I meant it the way it sounded so I apologise if I offended anyone. I think that I was searching for a way to motivate myself and by telling myself that I could do it was supposed to be reassuring. What I really needed though was a kick in the butt and I got one.

After I got this I made a conscious decision to go back to Flames to complete my membership, go to the markets and stock up on fresh food and meat and to really think about what I wanted to do next. My membership with Flames was due to end in a few days and I was umminggg and ahhhing about what to do. In my mind I was strong enough to do it by myself and to train myself. I mean I had lost almost 20kgs and I was getting fit and strong.. But was I ready to go at alone? Well quite clearly I wasn’t and recognised this with 4 days to go on my membership with Flames. Sure I had been swimming in the mornings and I had been walking the dogs etc but I wasn’t really putting as much effort into it as I probably could have. It was becoming too easy to sleep in until 6:30am every morning and even though it was really nice it probably wasn’t the best thing for me.

As they promise in their ad’s Flames had been calling me to see why I hadn’t been training and when I told them that I had been trying to do it by myself they were supportive and made sure I was staying on track as best as I could. The condition of my skin is just one indicator that it wasn’t going as well as planned as blemishes were starting to appear, my hair wasn’t as shiny and I was getting constant headaches from not eating correctly and skipping some meals – too busy too cook you see… WELL my kick in the butt came from someone that I wont name but they reminded me that I do have a very real need to keep going and that I need to get off my arse and to continue training and if I fall I just have to get up and keep going. All of the things basically that I knew myself…

So with this enlightening event I spoke with someone in my family that reads this blog. I explained that perhaps I am not strong enough yet to do it by myself and that perhaps Flames is the best place for me at the moment. Considering that I still have shit tins of weight to lose I really think that it is.

This Saturday will be my assessment and the start of my next 10 week membership. My boss at work has been giving me motherly lectures about needing to prioritise all aspects of my life so with this in mind I will once again make the next 10 weeks a priority. Incorporating work and uni as well, kind of. :)

Speaking of uni I am on study leave today and have an exam to do so with that I best go and study.

I will say though that the journey never really ends does it? It is a constant battle and even though those dodgy “take a pill and wake as Elle McPherson” ads look inviting it isn’t realistic.

Note: I should point out that when I did go back to the gym I lifted some weights. Half the amount of what I reached during the challenge and yes I was crying like a baby from the pain two days after. You lose your fitness and strength so quickly!

A ramble of my thoughts.

It is no secret that I use my blog as a bit of self therapy and I guess that is one of the reasons for this entry. As I have mentioned before I think that at my height of “unhappiness” with my weight and low self esteem I may have been nearing depression and withdrawing from so many aspects of what would seem to many as a happy and fulfilling life is testament to this. I attended a course today on supporting people in the workplace with Mental Health Issues. Contrary to popular belief mental health issues extend beyond Personality and eating disorders. While the whole day was extremely interesting I found the discussion on Depression to be most relevant to me. I asked the course facilitator how to differentiate between feeling sad as opposed to depressed. She summed it up by saying feelings of sadness come and go whereas depression is “sadness” all of the time. Bearing in mind of course that this was only a small component of the whole day. She said that depression was a combination of many factors but some of them are withdrawal, loss of self worth, lack of motivation to the point where you don’t want to get out of bed and you don’t want to achieve. Everything that she said rang true for me. During the morning tea break I explained my reason for asking her. At that point I explained that since I have been exercising and losing weight I have been more motivated, my self esteem has increased and I am no longer withdrawing from situations that I used to avoid.

It is fair to say that over the last few weeks I have slipped back into some old bad habits and I have lost focus. I have become complacent and I believe that this may be because of my injury but also because my self esteem has started to reduce. I have lost weight and yeah I am fitter but at the end of the day I am still overweight. Externally I am still the person that I was before even though I am (or I thought) I was feeling different.

I don’t believe that others can motivate you to exercise or eat healthily and that it really must be something you do for yourself. Messages of encouragement are nice and so is recognition, positive feedback can go a long way however change can only come from within.

My complacency worries me because clearly I need to do more. Funnily enough during the challenge I felt absolutely no pressure from anyone to achieve. Now though I find the pressure that I am placing on myself unbearable and at times stressful. As I have done for the last 7 months I constantly have healthy eating and exercise on my mind. I can’t think of anything else. It worries me because I am so consumed by my thoughts that the goal, my goal, is blurred and concern of failing myself and what I want to achieve is more apparent than ever.

I wanted to share this with you all because more than ever I have realised that weight loss is psychological whether it be positive or negative. If your mind is not right then you can never be successful in what you need to do.

Is 3665 a lucky number?

Guess who is fully registered and paid for the Canberra Times Fun Run? Me and I am number 3665. I registered for the 5km walk and thought that I should also order a hat as proof. :) Entering into such an event would never have occurred even in my mind during the last few years so that is an achievement in itself.

BOG and her boyfriend went overseas on Saturday. We calculated at work today that allowing for 2 days travel they would have only been in Turkey for 3 days. Imagine my surprise when BOG sent me a text last night saying that they have already been to the gym three times whilst being overseas. They also preordered all low fat meals for the plane ride. That is the kind of dedication that I really do admire.

Apparently it is supposed to be warm at the coast this weekend. I might try and get Pooks up early to go for a swim. Surely just looking at the water doesn’t count?

Have a great weekend everyone.

Where is Team Shell

Where is Team Shell I hear you all ask? Well she is here as always. I went to the physio last week as my knee was just starting to hurt more and more and I thought that it was about time someone looked at it. So I can tell you officially that yes my knee is damaged goods and will be sold as second hand goods. Seriously though there is damage (which I knew) and it seems that perhaps I shouldn’t have been running etc on it BUT I can do some other exercise such as walking swimming so that is what I am doing… I wont get the fast results that I have been getting because everything has slowed down a bit. I am going to have 6 sessions of physio and then after that it will either be good news or maybe need some surgery! Yikes…..

A friend sent an e-mail to a bunch of us asking if we would like to go in the Canberra Times Fun Run… There is a walk that is 5km.. .. I think that I might do it.. Why not really? If it is sunny I may even get a tan on my legs before summer comes… Oh and I will get some exercise as well.. :)

I am not really sure if anyone besides Fairy Godmother and Alison (and Pandora and Liz and Mandy) read my blog but if you do hiya! How exciting the days are getting longer and I can feel them warming up!

Oh by the way, word on the street is that Pooks and Mrs Pooks are going away this weekend. Pooks thinks that it will be a romantic getaway but Mrs Pooks has other ideas. Bike riding and canoeing and maybe some tennis!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and fresh seafood…. None of that battered crap thanks.

Happy Tuesday everyone. Can you believe that August is almost over already?

A weight loss challenge....again

Ok so a few of the freaks at my work have decided to have a weight loss challenge. Alright they aren’t really freaks. Since my work is geographically dispersed results and measurements will be recorded electronically and all communications regarding this challenge will be electronic – my how times have changed. I haven’t actually registered my name yet but am considering doing it. My initial thought was that I don’t know if I could “handle” another challenge.. My other thought was what a great way to see how I go by myself without all of the publicised support that I had before......

The thing that is troubling me most about it is the style of training that I do will obviously have to change with my knee restricting what I do. This time I will take the advice I have received seriously and not aggravate it and potentially cause more damage..

It sounds like a great idea.. I have to let them know by Monday.

PS That is me in the picture if you didn't know and yeah I took it of myself. :)

Am I one of the slackers?

I never thought that I would be one of those slack arses that Flames would have to call.. You know on their ad’s how they say they will call you? Well Latoya called me on Tuesday. I hadn’t been to Flames for 5 or 6 days. As you all know (and I know) I have still been exercising so I don’t feel guilty or anything. My knee has been killing me and I have found that gym work is just not helping it. Not only that I have mentioned to you all that I am looking for a bit more variety nowadays. Now that I can do more. It is true and I have to agree with them that the level of intensity in what I am doing outside of the gym is probably different BUT I will say that if I don't mix it up and do other things I will go out of my mind! Variety, variety variety…

So I went back to Flames yesterday. For some reason it was very quiet there. A lot of the regulars seemed to be away – or sleeping in.. I had a slight problem though. Don’t worry it didn’t affect my training at all but it did smell. I went to the pool before work on Tuesday and swam a km – more on that later.. Anyway so yesterday even though I had a shower at the pool I was still sweating out chlorine and it stank.. lol.. Lucky it wasn’t onions as well.

I went to the pool Tuesday as mentioned and swam a km. I only had 40minutes to do it in plus I wanted to do some running laps. It was good to go swimming. Swimming doesn't have the intensity of running on the treadmill for example but you know, I like it and I think that sometimes you have to just do the things that you enjoy to keep yourself going..

Who cares if walking your dog for an hour after work may not be the same intensity but exercise is exercise and it is all about moving, staying focussed but above all staying interested.

Who put all of their rubbish in my car?

If you want to have a really good workout I challenge you to clean my car out next time. Being a girl on the go my car builds up with my possessions. Over time though a lot of my stuff ends up in there as do many other mouldy things. Damp towels for instance always have a place in my car, as do empty drink bottles, make up, hair ties, gym clothes, old fruit, etc. I just cleaned my car out and it was disgusting! I shouldn’t even admit it but I have!

My Mum informs me that if I sprinkled dirt around mushrooms would have grown! How rude..

Anyway on to more serious things. Saturday and Sunday I felt sick. Really sick. Saturday evening we went to a friends house to watch a DVD (Flushed Away if you haven't seen it) and I took my own pillow and balnket. Mum said that at dinner last night I looked really pale and sickly and the only thing that I can think of is that I just didn’t drink enough water. No where enough water on the weekend. Drinking water really is the key to not only losing weight but healthier skin, hair etc. Sometimes it is hard to remember just how much water I have had and if it is enough. What is enough water and how much should I have per day? There are many different opinions and every expert has one. Who knows what the correct answer is but I do know if I don’t drink about 2-3L a day then I will end up with a headache at night. I find it easier to drink water at work as I have a drink bottle on my desk right in front of me all day.

You know how when you buy a coffee you can get the frequent visitors card? Well I have made one for my water intake just to make it a little interesting and to be aware of how much I have. The drink bottle I use at work holds 750mls so if I have two a day then I know I am on track. There is of course the water I have when I am at the gym. Funnily enough I hate icy cold water and prefer my water to come out of a tap. No fancy refrigerated water for me.

In summary I guess what I am saying is that you should do whatever it is that you need to do to make the right decisions. If it is a chart on the fridge with a star every time you exercise then do it, if it is a frequent water drinking card then do it too. Whatever you are doing has to be sustainable so you may as well make it fun!

A nice easy recipe for dinner tonight

Team Shell Chicken and Lemon Thyme

*This is my absolute favourite at the moment and we eat it at least once a week

Chicken Thigh Fillets – Probably not the best but I have found that breast meat dries out too quickly in this dish
Chicken Stock
Fresh Lemon
Bunch of Lemon Thyme
Minced Garlic
Minced Chilli ( I don’t buy fresh as it is more convenient in a jar)

Spray fry pan with oil
Brown both sides of chicken in Chill and Garlic
Pour in stock
Squeeze in fresh lemon juice
Chop up lemon thyme and put in
Put on low and leave to simmer away while you go and put a load of washing on

Serve with vegetables or salad (or rice or mash if you are being naughty) –

PS The lemon juice might be too over powering for some so just have the lemon thyme…

Bushwalking Babes

I have a secret list of all of the things that I want to do this year – things that I have done before and new things as well. One being bushwalking. Not a whole day in the bush just a nice walk through the bush. I had heard from some of the guys at work that Mt Ainslie was a good place to start. During the week I e-mailed some of my closest friends to see if they would be interested in coming with me. I didn’t want to ask just anyone because I still have some insecurities and didn’t want to be embarrassed puffing up a hill in front of people I didn’t know.

So anyway out of the 12 or so people I e-mailed there were only 3 of us. Some of the other slackers had very good reasons for not coming (like being 9 months pregnant, oh and one had a wedding dress fitting) but the others well, I know they read this so hopefully they feel really guilty.. ha ha! I think that I was a bit ambitious in saying that I wanted to walk to the top of Mt Ainslie. It doesn’t really look that big, ……..when you are driving past it that is.. The three of us stood at the bottom and decided that we would just go on one of the easier trails. Ok so let me just say that one of the girls has done a lot of bushwalking (hi Liz) and she is little and tiny and quite fit, the other girl (hi Jo jo) she is a PE teacher so she is fit as well. So I better rephrase that and say that I asked if we could go on one of the easier trails just to see what it was like.

We set off on the easy trail but we kind of lost sight of where it went to we did a bit of our own track. We only walked for an hour straight but it felt so much longer and I think that is because you aren’t continuously walking on a treadmill, one foot after another. Only one person fell over and it wasn’t me and it wasn’t Jo Jo… ha ha! At one point we were doing quite the cross country walk through the bush etc (well not bush really so I should say trees).

I won’t say that it was a walk in the park (ha! Get it?) but I did feel that I was actually working. I did lag behind at some parts but I think the fact that I even went and did it was the best part of all!

It was so nice being out in the fresh, windy air with the girls having a laugh and a giggle.

Do any of you have a secret list of things you want to do? You don’t have to tell me of course because then it wont be a secret but it sure makes it worth it knowing that you can continually achieve.

Now I can share him with all of you. :)

Technology is an amazing thing and to be honest I have never really understood or had a need to use a lot of the features on my mobile phone until I realised that there were a lot of pictures on there of our cat Sebastian. Anyway I had no idea how to get the photos from the phone to the computer and since I had thrown out instruction manuals and cables a long time I go I was starting to panic. I went to FoneZone in the mall today and a very helpful lady showed me a product that you can get to do all of that and more! Anyway brought it home and now I can see all of my photos of him on my computer..

On another note I haven’t exercised for 4 days and haven’t been drinking much water let alone eating properly. Life does go on and today I booked in my sessions for 5:30am for the remaining days in the week. I have also organised a bushwalk with my female friends for Saturday afternoon. A lot of us are “gym” fit and still get puffed in the real world so if anything it should be fun! I will try and get some photo's of the girls (not my girls but the girls going bushwalking.. lol).

Oh as a side note when I was at FoneZone the lovely lady also gave me a Canberra Raiders pack. Looks like Team Shell will have a new drink bottle at the gym tomorrow! Yippee.

Being loved unconditionally

Sometimes things in life are just unfair. They don’t make sense and no matter what you do you can’t change the situation. I have always loved cats and they will always be my first choice as a pet. My cat passed away yesterday. During my dark I times it felt like he was my only friend. Pets never judge you and they don’t care how you look. They don’t care how much room you take up in a bed as long as there is room for them. Sebastian was a different kind of cat. Even people who disliked cats fell in love with him. He would let babies that visited pull his tail and wouldn’t care. He would sit on my Dads lap when Dad came over to watch the footy. Whenever I watched TV he would lie on my side. I watched a lot of TV so we spent many hours together. He always slept with us. Quite often he would try and sleep on my pillow but he wasn't exactly small so he would gget put in between my feet. He was only 5 when he died so he still had a playful side to him. For some reason he loved playing in the bath (when it was empty of course). He probably scratched the shit out of the one in our old house but I didn’t care. He had a lovely shiny jet black coat and the most gentle of natures.

Pets become such a part of the family. As silly as it may sound to some I feel like a part of me has died with him. I am not liking being in my house without him around. Granted it is still early days but I will never forget a cat that loved me and everyone else unconditionally. I will cry my tears because I loved him and no one will ever take that away from me.

Pet or no pet Sebastian was the king of our house and I just hope that he knew that like I do.

Transition Phase

If any of you have or are about to embark on a drastic life style change then some of what I am about to say will make sense. Imagine this. It is the middle of winter, freezing bloody cold, you are overweight to a point where your life has just become a mere existence and you fear the future as you have let your weight and fitness get to a point where you are probably going to die if drastic action is not taken. Fast forward 12 months and you have been exercising non stop for the past 6 months, been watching what you are eating and your quality of life has improved by 100%. Things aren’t as much of a struggle as they used to be and you enjoy being outdoors. You enjoy your friends and family and you just enjoy waking up and seeing the sun… BUT in a funny reversal you now find the gym boring and want to get out and do the things outside that you haven’t done for a long time.

The situation above is obviously about me – aka Team Shell. I have had extensive conversations about this with people that I thought would know. Not the trainers at Flames but people in similar situations who have lost a lot of weight and completely changed their lifestyles. One guy at work summed it up perfectly. He said “What you are going through is a transition. The transition from exercising because you really, really need to lose weight to exercising as part of your lifestyle”. For me I thought that was a perfect description of what is going on. The gym feels really restrictive because I know what will happen next as they say, as I have been doing the same program for a few weeks. Some of the trainers are great and mix it up for you and others are not as imaginative. I guess I just want more. So that is what I am going to do. For the next two weeks I am dropping back to three sessions at Flames a week then two sessions on my pushbike or at the pool. I just want to see what happens.

I will let you all know how it goes of course. As I mentioned the other day, I have a whole new neighbourhood that needs exploring.

I missed a session at the gym.

Sorry to let you all down but I have missed my first session at the gym. I didn’t go to work today for reasons I won’t be disclosing and I also missed the gym this morning. I think that 6/7 months in is a pretty good crack. I hope that you don’t feel that I have let you down. Selfishly I am not worried that I have missed a session. In fact this afternoon I wanted to do some exercise but I didn’t want to do it inside. Anyway I got out my pushbike and went for a ride around our newish neighbourhood. I discovered a bike path (which by the way has been there for ages… ha ha)! I only discovered it at its mid point so when it is a bit brighter I will venture along the whole path and see where it takes me. One of you might have to come and pick me up if goes too far away!

While my bike ride wasn’t as long or as intensive as what it would be in the gym, I felt it to be more satisfying. The fresh air was a nice change and the change of scenery was great also. I saw the biggest, ugliest house that I will be having another look in the daylight for sure.

Pooks and I went for a drive to Mt Stromlo yesterday. It was great being able to get out of the Ute and walk around the hills and not be puffed straight away. They have a really good set up there for Mountain Bikers. The elevation of the track that we were looking at is 187m. While I would love to say that I would love to have a crack at it I would be too scared.

So this begins the start of another week and for some the start of our next uni semester. Are the holidays over already?

Team Shell Recipes

Ok so since I have never answered your queries this is all I can do without dragging my cook books out but all of these are regulars in our house. Well for me anyway. Some aren't that hard but they are still nice!

Team Shell Wraps

½ Chicken breast
Dijon Mustard
Lettuce
Mountain or Lavash Bread

Cook , chicken, Assemble wrap

Team Shell Poo Mince Log
(BOG got me onto these)

500g of mince
1 egg white
Herbs
Garlic
Chilli

Stir ingredients together
Take a handful and roll into a log
Repeat second step

Lay Poo logs on tray, place in a preheated oven with foil over the top
Once cooked through remove foil to brown Poo logs

When cool put one poo log on mountain or lavash bread with lettuce and mustard

Mine normally makes 5 or 6 logs.. I take 1 or 2 and Pooks takes the rest. First batch I made the dogs got. :)

Team Shell Oven Roasted Vegies
Capsicum
Red Onion
Zucchini

Pre Heat oven to whatever temperature
Slice vegies
Put in baking dish
Drizzle over minced garlic and a tiny bit of Balsamic Vinegar
Stir
Cook

Team Shell Chicken and Tzatziki

½ chicken breast
Dollop of tzatziki

Serve with Team Shell Oven Roasted Vegies

Team Shell Slow Cooker Casserole

1kg of Casserole Beef
1 Tin of salt reduced tomato soup
½ cup red wine
Diced Carrots
Heaps of mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Chuck it all in, stir and cook for 8 hours

Serve with mashed potatoes but for me I eat it with salad

Team Shell Baby Spinach, Pumpkin and Feta Salad
(All of my friends that make this adapt it to their liking. It is now a staple at all of our bbq's and I now make a smaller size for my lunch)

Reduced fat Feta
Pumpkin
Baby Spinach
Paprika

Dice pumpkin into small pieces, place on baking tray with spray oil, sprinkle paprika on top

Spread baby spinach on plate, put on roast pumpkin, crumble over feta
Go easy on the feta as it can be quite fatty
No dressing is needed
Looks best on a square serving plate

Have with a steak

Easiest Marinade

Soy sauce
½ tsp of Equal
Garlic
Lemon Juice
Chilli

This took me ages to perfect but it is nice when you get it right.. Use the equal in place of honey

What do you like for lunch?

Have you ever Googled yourself? I have. I have Googled ex boyfriends, friends, family, everyone, even Team Shell. To my dismay Team Shell never appeared first in any of the lists. Obviously Google don’t rate Team Shell as highly as I do.

The most exciting thing happened today. The most exciting thing in 6 months actually! I slept in until 7:00am. 7:00am on a work day to be precise. I had booked into the gym for this afternoon so I decided to have a little bit of a sleep in. The cat didn’t quite understand as he normally goes outside when I leave at 5:00am so he woke me up! How rude!

Anyway the gym was ok today but I did find that my knee was a little tender. Yeah I know I should have it looked at but I figure I will just keep soldiering on for a bit more.

I had another one of my Chicken wraps for lunch today. I am so pleased with them. I kept smiling while I was eating and BOG and our Grad just laughed at me. Simple pleasures hey! What do you like having for lunch? Fresh food is definitely better then greasy take away… I have this friend who eats baked beans for lunch. YUCK. There is something wrong with baked beans. I will never understand how people can eat them. Oh and tinned Spaghetti.YUCKO. Do you have any nice simple lunch ideas you would like to share?

Low-fat or fat-free means no calories.

Oh my goodness! Busy busy busy! Today we moved into our new building! From 7:00am this morning 500 people arrived to our brand new building. As a member of the team that helped organise the move it was hectic to say the least. As the HR team we were easily recognisable in our green t-shirts. The shirt that I was given didn’t fit over my boobs so I wore a green shirt I had at home. I have no idea how many trips we did to the other floors making sure everyone was ok.

After work I went to the gym. I am still amazed at the “afternoon” crowd as there are so many people I have never seen nor meet before. Quintens daughter was there and we had a bit of a chat. When she asked how old I was I said I was 28 and she said “Wow that is my teachers age”. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. She also told me that her 8 year old brother would like to have a running race with me. I politely told her that I was busy. She said that he didn’t want to have the race today so I told her that I am busy every day for the rest of my life. I couldn’t think of anything worse. No matter how much weight I have lost or will lose running against an energetic 8 year old does not appeal to me at all. She laughed and said she would race him for me. I thanked her. :)

In some of my research the other day I found some Myths that are certainly interesting. Some of my favourites are:

Myth: Certain foods, like grapefruit, celery, or cabbage soup, can burn fat and make you lose weight.

Fact: No foods can burn fat. Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism (the way your body uses energy, or calories) for a short time, but they do not cause weight loss.

Tip: The best way to lose weight is to cut back on the number of calories you eat and be more physically active.

Myth: “I can lose weight while eating whatever I want.”

Fact: To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you eat. It is possible to eat any kind of food you want and lose weight. You need to limit the number of calories you eat every day and/or increase your daily physical activity. Portion control is the key. Try eating smaller amounts of food and choosing foods that are low in calories.

Tip: When trying to lose weight, you can still eat your favorite foods—as long as you pay attention to the total number of calories that you eat.

Myth: Low-fat or fat-free means no calories.

Fact: A low-fat or fat-free food is often lower in calories than the same size portion of the full-fat product. But many processed low-fat or fat-free foods have just as many calories as the full-fat version of the same food—or even more calories. They may contain added sugar, flour, or starch thickeners to improve flavor and texture after fat is removed. These ingredients add calories.

Tip: Read the Nutrition Facts on a food package to find out how many calories are in a serving. Check the serving size too—it may be less than you are used to eating.

Any advice for this athlete?

Hello All,

Here I am still training. I haven’t been writing much this week (as you have noticed) for no other reason then I am a bit bored. It is kind of getting boring getting up going to the gym, going to work etc.. I need some excitement! I think that I have 5 weeks left at Flames Fitness. I love Flames and I am very grateful to them but I have been researching a few other gyms just to see what else is around. Here is a question that I am having trouble answering myself: As followers of the challenge, do you all think that I owe some loyalty to Flames or do you think that I have done what I needed to do their (for them and for me) and that it would be ok to look at what I have been researching more seriously? :)

Wasn’t yesterday a beautiful day? I could tell you that I went for a ride around the lake or that I went swimming then horse riding. If I did tell you that I would be lying because like everyone else I went and lined up for my Harry Potter book. It took me 5 hours to read it yesterday and I was determined to finish it as I didn’t want anyone to spoil the ending for me. Being the sook I am I cried at the end. Cried because there will be no more Harry Potter stories and cried because I am a sook.

I have a very busy day today which will start (after I write this) at the Fresh food markets. Oh something I must tell you about the wonders of water first. I had 3 pimples that just wouldn’t go away on my face and they looked bloody terrible… I tried every cream and lotion to get rid of them but nothing! There they lived saying hi to everyone. So do you know what I did? I started drinking even more water and now within 3 days they are clearing up.. You can still them a tiny bit but they don’t deserve their own postcode anymore..

Ok so my busy day will start at the markets and then I am off to the supermarket to buy a few little things for the week. I had my best weight loss when I was yoghurt every morning so that is one thing I am going to buy. Then the rest of the day will be spent racing around to other places but I wont bore you with the details.

Anyway don’t be annoyed if you don’t hear from me for a few days. I am still here and still training. Just trying to enjoy not sitting around as much. I do PROMISE that if something terribly exciting happens you will all be the first (well maybe second or third) to know.

Happy Sunday!

Who says? Simon says!

Pooks looked like he needed a hug this afternoon so I gave him one. He was silent for ages and then all of a sudden he said ”I can get my arms around you now”. Wow gee thanks Pooks. I guess you have to take a compliment where you can get it hey? Speaking of which I had a different trainer today who I think gave me a compliemnt or two. I had Simon. Simon has been at the gym the whole time I have been there so I know him and have spoken with him regularly but he has never actually trained me. Anyway it was great. All we did today was upper body. He had me on the floor doing push ups (not on your knees girls) and he said “ give me 10” so I did started and must have been doing it quite easily because he said “Oh your strong, give me 15”.. So then I had to do that 3 times.. He also told me that he was going to work my arms so much that I wouldn’t be able to get up off the floor. I said to him “No way I will never admit defeat” and I kept going until he told me to change exercises.. ha ha! Never admit what you are trying to make me do because I won’t cave in! Well now days I wont anyway! It was good doing different stuff because I didn’t know what was coming next. I did ask him how he expected me type at work all day with sore arms and he told me that I would figure it out..

My chicken wrap was such a success at lunch today that I have more chicken cooking now! Yummo! I just had a chicken breast, lettuce and mustard in Lavash bread and it was awesome! BOG sat there eating her Kangaroo Mince balls and her egg whites. One day I might eat that stuff but I could smell what she was eating and I can tell you that I won’t be eating it anytime soon!

Apparently tomorrow is a MAXIMUM of 5degrees so please think of me at the gym when you wake up all snug in your beds.

Training in the afternoon

I made the decision last night to not go to the gym this morning and to go after work as I have a sore throat and my chest is a bit tight. So I turned up at the gym and I felt really weird. a) because I haven’t been at that time of day in a very long time and b) because I didn’t know anyone else training. It was a little bit confronting because I was embarrassed about the way I look at the gym all over again. I didn’t have to be of course as no one was paying any attention to me but I felt like they were. Silly silly. Just to be on the safe side I will go back in the morning and just wear a scarf so my throat doesn’t get cold! :)

The plus side of exercising in the afternoon has been that I have had more energy in the early evening! I haven’t been eating properly lately. It hasn’t been bad food as such just not much variety. One of the keys to eating healthy is to be organised. For me if I don’t go to the Fresh Food markets then my meals during the week are not as good as they could be. In place of fresh fruit and vegetables I eat frozen vegies and no fruit at all. I don’t replace them with junk food I just eat less and don’t have a well balanced diet. Anyway with my new found energy this afternoon I stocked up with all things nutritious and as we speak I have some marinated chicken simmering in the pan for the wrap that I am having for lunch tomorrow.

This eating and losing weight caper never stops does it? It is bloody hard work too.

Bye Quinten and hey, thanks mate!

Quinten has been training me for 5 and a bit months now and quite frankly the man is a miracle worker. When I first started with him he had great troubles because I wouldn’t exercise near the mirror because I was embarrassed, I wouldn’t do things because they were too hard, I couldn’t do much because I just couldn’t because I was so unfit. Anyway he showed nothing but patience and commitment and helped me greatly along the way. He probably doesn’t even realise what a great help he has been. He is a very valuable resource to me because he understands and knows how hard it was for me at the start. Besides him and Pooks no one really knows just how bad things were getting. Now before I start getting teary I should continue.

I had a discussion with him yesterday about my training now that the challenge is over. He is the owner of three gyms and a very busy man both professionally and personally. He said that now the challenge is over he won’t be training me everyday but will when he can. He said that it will be good for a few reasons and not to be upset if I turn up and have a different trainer. Well you know me, hands straight on my hips, had a cry and a sook but he is right. As we discussed it won’t hurt me to learn from the other trainers and show them how much fitter I am now. Even though I was upset when he told me I can totally understand what he was saying and to be honest it makes sense and honestly we all know that there will always only be one Team Shell. :)

Everyone knows how much I appreciate, admire and respect Quinten so I thought that I would end my “official” time with him with some of my favourite moments. If you imagine them as a montage with music and pictures they will be so much better for you.

- Obviously when he started training me

- When he taught me how to box, still haven’t mastered it but getting there

- When he said that I definitely look smaller (gee thanks)

- When he started to give me a decent amount of weights to lift instead of girly amounts

- When he adapted my program after I fell

- When he set my distance of 5km on the bike for 10mins on level 3 as a benchmark for others

- When he placed a medicine ball on my stomach to make it harder for crunches- it hurt like hell but I secretly loved being able to do it

- When he was given a black eye in a boxing class :)

- When he let me train with the boys as I was finally able to keep up

- When the challenge started to lose momentum he was in my corner backing me up

- And finally there are a lot more that I could say but when he said he was proud of me on the radio will be my happiest and greatest memory.

So thank you Quinten from Flames Fitness and remember, there is a Team Shell in even you!

Excited about tennis courts?

When you have ginormous boobs it can be a major hindrance. Ginormous boobs on the right body look awesome but when there is a about 1000kgs to go with the boobs they just become another roll. You can imagine my delight when I wore my favourite brassier yesterday and it was baggy. I was so excited that I even pulled the neckline of my top down and showed my boss. I think that that she was impressed at how baggy it was as well.

I am excited about work. We are moving to a new location soon and at this fancy new location there are tennis courts, gyms, soccer fields, bocce, bbq facilities plus much more. I am so excited because at a previous work place we had beach volleyball courts and I never used them – too fat and lazy. Most lunch breaks I sit at my desk and read the newspaper. Lot’s of other people go running around the lake or to the free gym at my workplace but I figure that I need a rest as I exercise in the mornings. I am really excited about my new workplace because I will be able to do those things with everyone else. Simple things in life now excite me but it is better to be excited by this stuff then chocolate cake hey!

A bit of exercise

At Flames they have a personalised day two program which gets alternated for all of the members which is designed to suit your needs i.e. weight loss, increase strength etc. Mine is to reduce body fat and increase fitness and everything else that is good for you. Today I did all cardio work just to mix it up. Here is what I did. It felt like a shortish session but when you are on the bike or x trainer you need to work at a level that not only suits you but pushes you. I was on the bike next to someone and we were being silly and turning each others levels up to 10! Crazy stuff.

10 minute warm up on exercise bike
10 minutes on treadmill

A “boxing session”

4 minutes on xtrainer x 2
4 minutes on exercise bike x 2
8 minutes boxing x 2

40 Crunch punches

Stretching

And with that I skipped along to work!

Welcome to my new blog!

I wanted to start a new blog because the other blog represented the Team Shell that thought she could lose weight and get healthier but just needed help getting there, this new blog represents the Team Shell that knows she can do it and knows what to do. For those of you that aren’t sure what I am talking about here is a quick summary:

I was extremely overweight and didn’t realise it. It had seemed to me that I woke up one day and felt like I was fat, very fat. Unbeknown to me, I had actually been this way for a few years. Progressively it was getting worse. I entered a weight loss competition with a local radio station as a “competitor and motivator” for someone else with similar issues. I was interviewed and out of hundreds of applicants I won. My first training session was the 25th January 2007. I had been an “Elite” Athlete before so I knew what it was like to train. I didn’t know what it was like to train weighing a whole lot more.

During the following months I huffed and puffed my way to a level of fitness and strength that I am now pleased with. It has however given me a taste for wanting to do more.

I started the challenge with low self esteem, uncertainty about where I was heading, poor eating habits and a weight problem that was making my life miserable and quite frankly not worth living.

Throughout the challenge I used my old blog http://teamshellmix1063.blogspot.com as a bit of therapy for myself and everyone else following my progress. I used it as a tool to help others in a similar situation to me. I used it as a tool to prove to everyone that the journey is not an easy one but persistence is necessary. I am not an expert on all of the things I covered but in terms of knowing how an overweight and self destructing person feels I think that I am more than qualified.

So with that welcome to my new blog. I hope that you like it here. Now that I know what I am doing in "Blog world" I will be able to provide you with the usual stuff plus much much more! You should stick around, you never ever know who might drop in for a visit!

Warm Regards

Team Shell

PS I also developed a liking for talking about myself in the third person.