Mind shift

So this post is going to be a little jumbled because I'm tired, sore and a wee bit frustrated!!

Let me take you back a little bit first...
For years, and years, I have been a walker. As soon as my second child was born I went and got a double pusher and just walked walked walked! Little did I know that the whole energy in, energy out was a really important point that I did not factor in. I was probably only burning 150 Cal's, but consuming 1000's. Needless to say the way I had been doing it was not working and was more of a 'get out of the house before I scream' kinda thing as opposed to 'let's lose this baby weight' thing. No wonder I eventually gave up! As my trainer said to me on those first few sessions, 'walking is just what your body does now, it's a natural, going through the motions kind of thing'. Well no wonder I didn't lose that baby weight.

This year I have learnt SO much about dieting, exercise and having a healthy mind, but I think I have hit a bit of a wall, it's a personal, in my head kind of wall but still, it's presence is palpable.

I'm finding it really difficult to manage eating well, eating enough, training well and not training too much for my intact, listening to my body food wise, listening to my body exertion wise.......urghhhh!

I have NEVER listened to my body, I have abused it for waaay too many years and for that I am not really regretful (because dam it was yummy) but I am a little sorry. You see, now I WANT to listen to my body, now I NEED to listen to my body and really, I have no idea how to do it.
I have an amazing net work of people around me and a few of them are well informed and actually trained to listen to ones body. The thing is that they are saying what I don't want to hear! I am at the stage that I want to train as hard as I can, like every day, if not twice a day but noooo apparently bodies need rest or some shit like that, and really, right now I 'know' that (because my body is literally screaming at me) but I don't want to hear it!!

As I said above I really need to get my intake right because that alone will cripple me if I don't, but even that is so hard.....I have booked into a nutritionist so fingers crossed she will give me a better understanding of this aspect but yeah, I guess I'm just frustrated...and a little obsessed, well like really obsessed!!

My vegan venture is coming along well, except for the whole cow's milk thing. I LOVE milk, I am a milk drinker, it runs in the family, I don't know who I am without it! So I have adjusted my views on the whole no animal products and to be very honest I'm okay with that. If you look up vegetarians/vegans on the net you will find that these people have come up with MANY different variations so heh, who am I to argue? So cow's milk is here to stay and I don't feel too bad considering the skim milk I drink is probably 99%water anyway HA!

I am still officially LOVING the whole uni holiday thang I got going on, I have been reading lots, resting on my bed guilt and child free and no the house is not sorted yet....I have got months ya know ;)

So this my friends is what is going through my head at the moment, thanks for stopping by to listen to my little internal rant and thank you for your kind words and support, I'd love to think I am reaching those that are going through the same sort of inner dialogue and letting them see that they are not alone, this lifestyle thing is HARD!

Alice xx

Humbled (very short post)

Just want to give a shout out to the many people around the world that have come to my little corner and read my words- that's just too cool....

Alice xx

Just some sentences...

Last night I ran 3 km with some new (and old) faces. We have been running as a group for a little while now and so I thought heh, why not make us official? So that's what I did- We are now known as Marathon Maidens, and some have even gone as far as calling me Mother Maiden, and they do this with no bullying or threatening- What? it's a cool name!!!

I have decided to be a vegetarian (again). I was a vegetarian in high school and really sucked at it. I was the oldest of 5 children so Mum was a little um, unsupportive of the idea to say the least. She was all like 'If you think I'm making a whoooole other meal you got another think coming' so basically I lived on mushrooms and hot chips-not such a good idea for I followed that with 12 years of obesity- anyhoo, I have decided to do it again because: a, I can actually cook without the need of a parent buying the right ingredients and b, I'm not much of a meat eater, am super fussy and heh, I wanna see what health benefits come along with it.

So this leads me into my next big announcement dum duh duh dummmmm ahem....I am going vegan-yes friends I am going to SLOWLY transition into 'veganism'. This is a HUGE move for I have a love affair with masters ice coffee light, like HUGE HUGE!!! but I am the kind of gal who if educated on animal by products will not want to consume them again, Im good like that, once I know where the heart, lungs, liver etc go then I'll be all like nope, no thanks!! (for any true all out vegans out there  I am sorry if this offends, I do want to do this for the benefits of animals but it is not my only reason, this is my weight loss/health journey first and animal lover journey second)

So as of today I am eliminating milk,cheese,eggs and butter- oh and of course meat.

Tonight I start boot camp #2 with the amazing Kim at  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ellenbrook-Group-Personal-Training-Sessions/101012173289981 . This round will be 3 nights a week for four weeks, along with that I am going to keep running with the marathon maidens and maybe add in a couple of group trainings too- I have finished uni (in case you didn't know;) so want all my spare time spent getting the best results for my body transformation that I can, I might take some measurements and do a bit of a before and after pic maybe!

So I think that is basically all for now, thanks for coming by, Oh and if you have any advice or websites to check out please post in the comments or on my face book page.

Alice xx

One last thing...
I want to give a huge shout out to Tracey from live lightly now, she has been so forth coming with an abundance of really useful information about what we put in our bodies, I will get to the whole organic thing Tracey, just one step at a time. Was lovely to meet you face to face in front of the Tim tams today (and no, neither trolley received said biscuits, even though I reeeeally wanted too). You can find her here :)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/wwwlivelightlynowcom/200432237334

Wordless Weekend

Well sort of wordless, some of our adventures may require some captions (especially Saturdays visit to a museum).

So welcome to our Super Special Sunny Saturday and Sunday adventures!!




We found this amazing museum of taxidermy in Guildford

 



needless to say I had alot of explaining to do, what a fantastic learning opportunity-highly recommend checking this place out.

 



Second hand book shops

 



House of honey-Swan Valley

 



Tea and scones

 



Chocolate factory? Um YES!!

 

Vintage furniture shopping

 

Yanchep Lagoon



Our first run as the Marathon Maidens-the running group I created on Face book :)

It is safe to say that my first weekend after the finishing of uni was a roaring success-Summer holidays here we come ;)

Alice xx

Thank you

Today my dear friends, was THE last day of uni for the year, it's safe to say that this smile will be staying around for awhile I think-YAY!!

The decision to study was an easy one for me, I knew I wanted to but it was just a 'waiting for the right time' kinda thing. Well this year I have learnt that there never is a right time for putting your life on hold, you just need to jump right in with your fingers crossed, and that is what I did.....well sort of...

I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best but without my beautiful support group around me I would have failed-like on the first day, when I sat in the car crying after sitting in on the wrong lecture and it was 42 degrees? Yeah with out my friends and knowing they were all like 'yeah, wooo go girl, you can do it' I would have TOTALLY driven home in a slobbering mess!

So this is shout out to my peeps (you know who you are) thank you for asking me and showing interest in my day, for being a shoulder to cry on or whinge too, I'm sure half of you were too scared to bring up the subject because you knew it was going to end badly for you ;) you need to know I value your presence in my life like, alot!

An extra big special thanks go to Lauren,Nat,Kim and Janie-these girls were always there with their hands up offering to help with after school pick ups etc-I'm honoured to have friends that care for my children (and I'm assuming me as well) without you girls uni would be an impossibility- I LOVE YA LADIES like alot!!!

So I'M FREE, which means that for the rest of the week I'll be sorting out my bomb site of a house, and starting next week, I have a 4 week boot camp to sink my teeth into...I'm looking forward to devoting as much of my day to fitness and eating correctly without the constant dark cloud of assignments and readings and stress- it's Alice time and I'm going to make the most of it and make sure that I get into those short shorts by Christmas HA!



* and please forgive me if I did not mention your name but should have...I had an exam today and came home to a few celebratory drinks so I'm a little (happily) fuzzy right now xx

Bucket list......

My BFF emailed me the other day to say she had decided to write up a  'bucket list' for her 30th. Well I thought that was such an awesome thing to do so naturally I swiped her idea!

This year has been a pretty good practice run in terms of getting my goals achieved, I have successfully survived my first year of university, I am well on the way to becoming a lean mean short short's wearing fighting machine Mumma of three, I did not however see Missy Higgins in concert bloody Missy, but I did add a few goals through the year like learning to run and walking the Bib track so I guess they made up for the lack of Missy viewing bloody Missy.

So now I need to compile a list of 30 goals I want to achieve in the year 2012 (gahhh that feels weird writing that date).....

BUCKET LIST 2012

1. Watch Missy Higgins in concert
2. Run the 12km city to surf
3. Survive another year of uni sigh*
4. (stolen idea but love it) A girls only weekend away to a spa retreat
5. 7 day trek on the Bib track-down south
6. First aid cert. (I mean I really should have that)
7. Go to Melbourne and buy some super funky vintage jewellery
8. Get a super vintage push bike....
9. Ride my bike everywhere (like some weird bike lady)
10. Learn more patience...I'm not very patient
11. Be more open to new friends-I am a little closed off, for no good reason at all.
12. Maybe go blond....just a little?
13. Sing karaoke to Missy Higgins

Okay okay I only got to 13 but that's good, my goal for this year can be to find 17 new goals for next year.....sheesh!

Ill update as I go and please don't judge, I mean being a better Mumma,cook,neighbour,shopper etc is not really a bucket list goal, it's more of a you know, working progress goal....plus I'm allowed to be selfish and materialistic, it is MY bucket list....and I could totally pull blonde off if I tried.......maybe! HA!

Alice xx

Save the Date....

 
Next year I have decided to run the 12km City to Surf which will be held on Sunday 26th August 2012.

Right now I can just run 3km so it's safe to say I need to um, train a little more. So that my friends is my goal for the remainder of the year and of course, well into next year.

So here's my question....Who's in?

I would love to get a group running together, training together and motivating each other. We don't need to 'meet' every week to do it, you can take it at your own pace and come here or to my face book page to share your results, tips and hurdles. I know it's a loooong way away until August but for me, I feel like I need that amount of time.

For those of you that want to meet and train can come on down to our little 'running' group. We are aiming to run at least once a week together and will leave from Arbor Grove. We are going to master 3.5km then extend our distances until we hit our goals, every goal is different but for me it will be 12km (or half a marathon??).

Now what happens if I start training and all of a sudden realise that 12km is not quite long enough (HA) well then, the option to do a half marathon or even 42km is there.....(please note I said IF, I doubt very much that 12km is going to be too 'short').

I'm thinking it would be cool to get 'guest' bloggers to write about their experiences too.

So what do you think? Will you save the date?

For all the extra information please check out their website.

http://www.citytosurf.activ.asn.au/

Alice xx

My secret weapon....

So if you have read my other post you would know that I count calories.
Today my friends I share with you my secret counting calorie tool that keeps me on track and more importantly accountable for what passes my lips...

Introducing http://www.myfitnesspal.com/  It is a free app that you download (or use on your PC) it's super easy to navigate and I love her more than Turkish delight ice-cream bars.

How it works is you enter or scan (straight from the bar code) your food product, it searches its data base then comes up with its nutritional stats, you then add it too your 'daily diary'. It tells you how many cals you have left, what vitamins and mins your low in and IT EVEN HAS A WALL- yes my friends you may become friends with me, or whatever, and we can chat on the wall and be all like.... 'errr I'm craving, woohoo I'm doing great'...ya get my drift...You log at the end of the day and it gives you an estimate of how much you will weigh in 5 weeks, it's that simple....Now for the serious stuff though, I love her and she is my world BUT I'm not sure how accurate her little data base is etc, it's technology so ya neeeever know. With that being said you can track on a piece of paper for a day and compare results, me? I'm trusting and willing to put my life on the line for her supposed accuracy.....ahem.

No in REALLY all seriousness now, have a look around at some of these apps, they can track your workouts, calories, heart rate...the list goes on! Technology that actually works for me, not against? - that my friends is brilliance.

Happy tracking

P.s- if you want to 'become' my friend I go under the name of  allyk1782

Sunny Saturday....

Today I spent my hard earned, much needed study time....at a winery!


Yes yes I know I should be studying for my exams next week but I had an invite to go catch up with my bunnings girls so thought....Why not?

The laughin' Barrel was an awesome little winery that I hadn't heard of, just down the road from Feral Brewery. It is totally kid friendly and price's were good too, a little bonus is their pizza parlour. The kids get to roll out their dough and then add their choice of toppings, then it's 'wood fired' for them-Yum! Such a cool thing for them to do I think :)


So this is how I spent my Sunny Saturday, perfect!!

Alice xx

My journey thus far.......

This is my experience so far on my weight loss and, in particular fitness journey. Those of you that know me- I'm sorry, this is a little long winded and boring. Those of you that don't-welcome to my little wonderland (well my name is Alice) Kim has asked us to share our experiences and ahhh mine is a little long to post on face book....here goes nothing.

At the beginning of the year I decided, along with my best friend, that I Alice Kane would attack and win my continuing war on obesity!
I think deciding to lose weight is one of the easiest things to do.....all of those over weight people would agree that the decision is simple, its the doing that is hard....and by hard I mean HARD!

So I decided that I would take the quick fix approach, which this time was definitely going to work. Off I went to my local GP with the mission of acquiring drugs-the wonder drug! I started taking them and did in fact lose some weight but to the detriment to myself and my body. It didn't take long me to realise that staying on a drug that is not dissimilar to 'speed' was not my answer, especially considering I needed to lose 60+ kilos.

I sat and pondered for awhile trying to figure out my next option. Little did I know that my option had been across the road staring at me for months-Group outdoor training! At first my BFF and I use to 'tease' those ladies across the road but every time I came home from McDonald's and needed to get out of the car 'in front' of them I knew I was not teasing them, I was teasing myself. For months I watched these ladies work out and then sit on the grass chatting after and all I had for them was harsh thoughts. I took me a long time to realise that I was the 'silly fat girl', not them, they had control over their life and their fitness and I did not, they were showing a great example to their children and loved ones, and I was not. They had goals and were slowly achieving them, and I was not.

So the fear of my impending 30th and the realisation that I, at 29, was not in control or happy with my life spurred me to join those ladies, and I truly believe that my life began that first week of training.
When I began I struggled to run the warm up, well I actually couldn't run the warm up. I think for that first week and that first week only I was embarrassed of myself, I couldn't believe how 'fit' these ladies were and that I was so morbidly obese that I stopped time and time again to walk. By week two/three my mind set started changing, and from week six/seven I started really believing that I was 'thin'. It was only when I looked in the mirror that I forgot that I was still big, but that mind shift is EXACTLY what I needed to keep me going and going and.....
So each week it got 'easier and easier' and I found myself repeating the same words I had been told and encouraging new woman that joined the way I was.
There is no doubt in my mind that Kim has saved my life. When you struggle and settle your whole life, it takes a miracle to overcome those obstacles....and Kim is my miracle.

Every week I am pushed to my limits, every week I receive encouraging feed back, every week I know I will be yelled at by somebody who cares, who actually cares about me as a person, my children and our future as a family and for that I am eternally grateful. I have NEVER been so motivated, so strong, so determined (just ask boot campers who go up against me ;) and so empowered than I do right now. Going into my 30th year is now exciting, not daunting.

So now for a quick shout out too my laaaaadies.....

I can absolutely 100%, without a doubt, guarantee, that if you decide to come to fitness training/boot camp you will be training along side some truly amazing woman. I feel so comfortable being myself around you girls and without that I think, in fact I know I would have quit week one, day one!
It doesn't matter what you wear, or if you have hair thrown on top of your head, or if you just had a screaming fight with your hubby walking out the door you will feel accepted and supported. There have been tears, vomits, melt downs and hissy fits and these woman don't even batter an eye lid. You are who you are and that's what matters. So ladies thank you! thanks for supporting me when I told everyone to fuck off, thank you for constantly telling me how great I look and thanks to a few of you who continually tell me how funny my run is, it makes me chuckle while I am running to know that you are getting a laugh out of it ;)

So my top tips for weight loss......(please note that this is what is working for me right now but may not always)

-Start moving! Just start, it makes a huge difference to how you feel about your self and also, it's burning calories regardless of how many your eating in a day

-Counting Calories: for me this works best, I have tried every diet around and a few have worked (weight watchers etc)

-Start eating breaky: I'm bad at this so have started making low fat smoothies in the morning...ice cubes, skim milk and a banana and a bit of honey-super simple and can be carted from kitchen to bathroom to bedrooms to.....ya get my drift, its easier for me than trying to get down a bowl of cereal etc.

-Have a 'go too' snack: for me its some rice biscuits with salsa or tomatoes on cruskits.

-Understand how much effort it takes for you too work off that burger/cake/chips. When I understand how much running (I hate running) it would take to burn the calories in that treat I instantly re-think my decision on eating it.

-Most importantly: make mistakes, eat waaaay too much (or drink way too much,like 2800 cals worth of rum-ouch) but get up the next day and know that all is not lost, just start again! I have had MANY blow outs and still to this day and every day I struggle to make the right decisions but, I'm alot smarter so I know what needs to be done when I do blow out.

-Actually this is THE most important piece of information-DON'T TELL KIM IF YOU EAT A WHOLE PACKET WAGON WHEELS, if you do decide to dob yourself in, I mean really who would ahem, then theres no telling what she will do.

-No actually this is THE MOST important thing- surround yourself with like minded people, find people that are as passionate and motivated as you are to ride the journey with. Without these people you may never run at 7.30pm on a Saturday night, or go walk the bib track, or enrol in another boot camp, or encourage you to do the easy 12km city to surf (yes Denise it's on the bucket list). When your social circle reflects your new way of living it makes the trip so much easier.

My stats so far.....

 Before and Half way

I'm no where near telling ANYBODY my heaviest weight, I have decided to wait until a particular goal weight then I will reveal, for now though it is too raw, too real and waaay too embarrassing.

I will tell you though that at the beginning of the year I could not fit into size 26 pants at Big W (too tight) and I was pushing size 24 on top. Today I bought a size 18 pants and a 14/16 size top. I mean really, that alone is proof of the AMAZING work that Kim does. ;)
So I am nearly half way through my journey, a few more kilos to go before I hit the big 30 (huh, ironic) then, (I hope)a very sweet ride to the end of the next 30 kilos.

So to those of you who are lurking around the face book page trying to get a feel for the group and Kim's work PLEASE please drop by, if it's not for you then fine, you tried and that's all you can ask of your self but if it is for you then, wow, just wait because your life will change- for the better.
I will be using this blog for my weekly ramblings from now on so feel free to drop in and have a look, I'm sure it will contain plenty of whinging and talking about weight loss and training (in fact I'm heading into boot camp #2 so I'm sure there will be whinging ;)

So that my friends is the first part of my story :)

Feel free to leave a comment, I would LOVE any tips on eating well and motivating yourself.

Alice xx