Friends, Finale & Feathers – Part 2 – FINALE

It was announced that this finale would be in Sydney about 12 weeks ago,

OMG to say we were a little excited about this is a huge UNDERSTATMENT, the previous finales had been in Perth and Melboure so we were MEGA excited about SYDNEY

Preparations and excited plans starting being formulated immediately,

There were SO many things to think about…. what to wear… where to stay… how long to stay for…. makeup…. hair…. nails…. waxing… spray tans…. shoes…. handbags…. accessories…. where to eat…. limo.. ( hot pink of course ) etc etc etc  luckily we had 12 weeks to plan it all..  I was announced that Emazon would be doing her Stand Your Ground session in the city that weekend too, Perfect timing!

Now for those of you who know me, I am NOT normally a girly type girl, but even I was excited to get all glammed up

There were a few hiccups along the way, I bought a beautiful dress in week 4  with the faint hope of fitting into it in time………  well that did NOT happen, but  me being me and being anal about  being organised – I had also bought a beautiful 2^nd hand dress from St Vinnies for a whole $6 just in case….

So we got a group of amazing girls together and booked a luxury 2 bed room apartment at The Star , and a stretch hot pink dodge limo and the countdown to our Girls Night Out started.

We started a facebook group for finale plans and the hot topic soon turned to FOOD!!!…  Adriano Zumbo macaroons to be exact,  It was hilarious, one of the posts about these macaroons turned into a frenzy with hundreds of responses, we were like a bunch of school kids, So a trip to Zumbo’s was added to our list of things to do.

We got down to about 2 weeks to go and Teresa still did not have a dress… so in times of need we did what was needed … WE WENT SHOPPING… for 2 whole DAYS!!, We hit every shop from Penrith to Blacktown  and tried on EVERY dress in EVERY shop…  only stopping for coffee and lunch.

( bit off track but this was the first time I had gone shopping as a “normal” size – I LOVED IT I was super excited to be able to walk into any store and try things on, something I had never been able to do before )

now back on the subject finally after an agonising but fun filled 8 week countdown the BIG WEEKEND ARRIVED….

Poor Kyleanne had been sick and was still not feeling the best, but we had all been looking forward to this weekend so much that she was determined to soldier on….

Kyleanne Teresa and I headed into the city early Friday morning, First stop Adriano Zumbos!!! For some of those macaroons….  HOLY CRAP… $30 for 12 tiny little biscuits……..which I am disappointed to say are extremely OVERATED!!!…    not that great ..never mind… its all part of the experience, and we can now say we have had Zumbo macaroons..

 

 

 

 

 

Kyleanne needed to buy shoes and a handbag, so naturally next on the agenda.. MORE SHOPPING!!,  and of course being 3 married ladies let loose with no husbands in the city we had a BLAST!!, we even managed to stumble across Lulu Lemon by accident and bought matching pink headbands, for the group

workout the following day, cause that’s how we roll..

Friday night we went and met up with some of the girls from the 30+ face book group for dinner, the plan was to find somewhere nice to sit and eat but as it turns out it was pouring rain, so we ended up going to the first place that looked big enough to take our group of 16… and turns out the food was amazing… We then h

eaded back to the hotel with a pit stop at a gourmet ice cream place called Messina’s …. OMG… peanut butter chocolate ice cream… devine..

There was a point at some stage during the day that Teresa and I decided that we might skip the workout… you know to conserve our energy for the finale…. but Kyleanne even as sick as she was would not hear of this…. bugger… oh well… well just go. It will be hot and lame and boring but we will JFDI …..

Saturday morning arrived and we headed off to the Group Workout – in our matching pink ninja headbands – now I had been pestering our WS crew for weeks to make sure as many people as possible turned up wearing our Western Sydney Crew Hot Pink shirts – we wanted to make an IMPACT!! – and we did… it was amazing there was a sea of hot pink,  the workout was great fun, over 1000 people and loads of stalls full of goodies to sampl

e and check out…  After the workout we hung around and got a great group shot with Michelle,

The workout was AMAZING, so much fun, and to see so many people from our Western Sydney crew was awesome. Kyleanne and I managed to photo bomb Michelle a few times, and I even managed to push my way through the crowd to run beside her during the workout… So pleased we went it was so much FUN!

Time to head back to the hotel and start getting ready for the big finale…

Teresa and I had decided weeks earlier we were going to treat ourselves to a full glamour makeover and had booked in with the salon at the hotel for both hair and makeup… so quick lunch and shower after the workout and it was time to head off to our appointment…

Heres our before shot ..

 

So we headed off to  The Star salon for our glamourising.. Marion had her hair done and Teresa and I stayed and had our makeup done too, OMG that makeup women was AMAZING , I would have liked  to take her home with me, although not sure I could afford to pay her THAT AMOUNT on a daily basis….  She fussed and powdered primed and painted, both Teresa and I to perfection, including the most luscious eyelash extensions you have ever seen…. we left there feeling like princesses….  and a little bit broke $$$ wise… but it was worth it.

By this time the limo had arrived made it back to the room with just enough time to throw on the $6 vinnies dress, slip on the shoes and accessories, and its time to go…. We didn’t even have time to take an “after” shot of us all glammed up before we left the hotel so heres a selfie taken in the car

The limo ride was AMAZING, we stopped several times for photos, alt

hough I must say the driver was a little excitable and kept asking us to do cleavage shots… hmm…   at one point we were under the harbour bridge where there were several couples having there wedding photos done, and a gorgeous Jaguar was just sitting there parked on the side of the road, so of course we had to have some pics…

 

Arriving at the finale was AWESOME, everyone looked SO GLAM, it was hard to find all the people I wanted to catch up with because Im not used to seeing everyone all prettied up in dresses and makeup….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The finale itself was a bit of a letdown, the food was slow to come out and there was no real organisation, don’t know if they are all like this or if I had just built up an image of what I was expecting regardless it did not live up to my expectations, not that I was too dissapoinnted, I still had a fantastic time with my friends, and I can now say I have finally been to a 12wbt finale

I did however manage to meet two amazing ladies whose progress has inspired me for the past 3 years, Amy and Tanya . These 2 ladies have achieved amazing results I started following these girls on the biggestloserclub years ago, and have been facebook friends with them for years, so to finally get to meet them was one of the highlights of my night.

 

 

 

 

So In all my plans for the weekend, I thought I had it all worked out,  Friday /night was great and turned out pretty much as planned.  Originally I was not fussed on the workout but it turned out to be AWESOME… and as excited as I was for the Finale Party, It was no where near as good as I was expecting …  The last thing on our weekend checklist was Emazon….

Task 4 – Say it out LOUD

My task 4 – Say it out LOUD – commitment

I am committed to giving this round 150%

I am committed to trusting the program and following it as closely as possible

I am committed to doing EVERY exercise session

I am committed to improving my fitness and strength

I am committed to continue working on my running and being ready to run the city 2 surf this year as well as a 1/2 marathon next year

I am committed to attending every coffee club run and pushing myself as hard as i can and getting my time down to 45mins

I am committed to keeping organised and plan each and every meal and exercise session so i have no excuses

I am committed to listening to my body and what it needs.

I am committed to looking after me and NOT feeling guilty about it

I am committed to becoming the best version of myself that I can be

I am committed to giving up smoking

I am committed to creating and attending as many group SSS as I can

I am committed to help others who are struggling to see there is a light at the end of the tunnel

I am committed to blogging every week to keep myself accountable

I am committed to ME

Task 3 Gear UP

Task 3 Gear up

 

Task 3 is about gearing up and working out where you will be working out…

 

So I have most of the gear anyone could need

I have a treadmill & home gym – I have a few pushbikes  – but most importantly I have two legs and a heartbeat

 

I will mostly be doing the outdoor program mostly at home

 

I will also be going to my weekly coffee club runs and starting run club in January

 

I’ll be creating SSS events for the Western Sydney FB and Blue Mountains FB group EVERY SATURDAY and will attend EVERY ONE

 

I am doing the Mud Run next weekend

 

I am attending the MS Colour run in February

 

I will mix up my exercise as much as possible to keep the variety interesting

Task 2 – SET YOUR GOALS

Ok so Im a bit late with getting these done BUT as the saying goes its better late than never

This round I am again focusing on FITNESS not weight loss… THE SCALES ARE JUST A NUMBER

I am focusing on improving my running, and keeping organised..

 

 

Health

 

Goal

Stop Bloody Smoking!! Again…

To Achieve this I will

Stay strong and focused. Make signs up to hang around the house to remind me how much I want this, when the cravings become bad

Keep a chart of money saved to keep me motivated.

Reward myself with $10 per day into my goal weight shopping spree fund.

I have just set my quit date as 29/11 – and aim to cut down until this date then stop from this date on..

 

 

Goal

Look after ME

Learn to listen to my body and recognise the signs it gives me

Allow myself to look after me without feeling guilty

To Achieve this I will

Mediate daily, schedule a time for myself to have 5-10mins to just sit, relax and breathe.

Listen to my motivational Cd’s

Take a relaxing bath when needed

Swap a coffee for a herbal tea

Get a massage or facial or similar when I feel I need it

 

Weight Loss / Nutrition

Goal

To get to as close to a a healthy BMI

10 kg loss will take me to the upper limit of healthy bmi 24.7

To Achieve this I will

Follow the menu plan as closely as possible

Plan every meal including cooking / prep time every Thursday – MAKE THE TIME TO KEEP ORGANISED

Bulk cook as many meals as possible for lazy days / emergencies

Take all food for work from home to avoid impulse buys

Plan meals around shift times so I am not coming home starving at 10pm

Keep all Junk food out of the house or well labelled with the calories

 

Meal times for shift work

DAY SHIFT  / DAY OFF

7am – Breakfast

10 am – Snack

1pm Lunch

3pm Snack

6pm Dinner

8pm Herbal Tea

10pm – Bed

 

AFTERNOON SHIFT

9am Breakfast

12pm Snack

3pm Lunch

5pm Snack

8pm Dinner

10pm Herbal Tea

12am – Bed

 

 

NIGHT SHIFT

3pm Breakfast

6pm Snack

9pm Lunch

11pm Snack

3am Dinner

6am Herbal Tea

8am Bed

Fitness

Plan and do EVERY exercise session – MAKE THE TIME!!    NO EXCUSES!!!  JFDI!!

Plan every session smartly, Diarise and plan EVERY session

For morning shift –  do it AS soon as you get home

For afternoon shift – do it 1^st thing in the morning

For night Shift – If you can do it all after waking THEN do a shorter session after waking and another session when you get home before sleeping

Days off – First thing in morning

Go to every Coffee Club run that I am not working

Set up SSS events for every Saturday regardless of shift… work around it….

Reward myself for each week I complete EVERY session

 

Weekly Rewards – for completing every session

Manicure / Pedicure

Massage

Facial

$30 into goal weight shopping spree savings

New piece of workout gear

 

Running / Cardio

Goal

To be able to run 10 kms without stopping

How I will achieve this

Follow learn to run 10k program

Join / Start run club training

Set weekly distance goals and rewards

Attend every Coffee Club run session that I can and push myself HARD!!

 

 

Strength

Do TTT and GGG in conjunction with 12wbt programs

Set aside time EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY to do them

PLAN PLAN PLAN

 

FITNESS / EXERCISE CHART

Use my exercise chart – give myself a gold star for every workout.

Print out my running chart and keep it on my inspirational wall

Friends – Finale & Feathers – Part 1 – FRIENDS

I love my FRIENDS!!

 

I have just had the most amazing weekend with my exercise friends, these girls are awesome!!

The dictionary defines the word friend as

1 – somebody emotionally close

2- acquaintance

3- ally

4- advocate of cause

5- patron

 

Before I joined the 12wbt and met my amazing exercise friends if someone asked me to define the meaning of the word friend I probably would have said

 

Someone you know, like, care for and get along with

Someone you share a common bond with

Someone you enjoy spending time with

Someone you enjoy being with

 

While these descriptions cover the basic meanings they don’t even come close to describing how I feel about my exercise friends.

 

Being overweight for most of my life has really held me back, I have always found it hard to share my weight struggles with friends, I have always been uncomfortable asking my “normal” friends for help when it comes to weight loss and exercise. I have never had friends I could exercise with without feeling embarrassed, or ashamed. I have never felt comfortable discussing the issues associated with being fat with any of my friends.

 

I have always been a very caring, giving and generous person, so its in my nature to want to help people. I have learnt over time that a lot of so-called friends are happy enough to take my generosity and help, but it always seems one sided. I am the first one to offer help when needed, but the times in my life I have needed help, there has been no offers… until now

 

Since joining the 12wbt and meeting these amazing ladies my whole outlook on the meaning of friendship has changed.

 

 

I find it hard to believe that I have only known these ladies for such a short time, in some cases 10months in other cases  6 months, and even just a few weeks, it feels like we have been friends for life.

 

We have all met through the facebook group for the 12wbt, and the one thing we had in common at the beginning was wanting to lose weight, over the past few weeks and months we have discovered that we have so much more in common that that.

We have discovered that we all have our own demons and struggles, we have all had that sense of not feeling good enough , guilt about our bodies, guilt about our families, guilt about feeling guilty.

 

I feel so complete, it is so refreshing to have these special ladies in my life, to be able share this part of me with others who have been or are facing the same struggles that I have, is so liberating .

To have friends who know exactly how you are feeling, and who want to share and celebrate your victories, and understand your feelings and frustrations when things aren’t going to plan.. like when “life” takes over, is amazing.

 

So I have been thinking over the past few days about my exercise friends, and how much I love them and what they do for me, and this is what I would now use to describe a friend

 

Someone who makes you happy

Someone who makes you laugh

Someone who makes you cry

Someone who “gets” you

Someone who is  happy when you are  happy

Someone who is  sad when you are sad

Someone who wants to be around you

Someone who wants to spend time with you

Someone who wants to help you

Someone who knows how you feel

Someone who knows when you need a push

Someone who knows when you need a hug

Someone who understands your struggles

Someone who rejoices in your triumphs

Someone who is happy for you regardless of their own situation

Someone who will encourage you to try or push harder

Someone who inspires you with their kindness

Someone who inspires you with their achievements

Someone who inspires you with their triumphs

Someone who accepts you just as you are

 

I have used the term exercise friends, as these I have met these wonderful ladies through the program and our friendship started when we would get together for exercise sessions.

We have evolved so much over countless coffee’s, tears, hugs, tears, shopping trips, tears, dinners, and weekends away, tears …… These ladies are not just my exercise friends… They are my TRUE FRIENDS….  and I love them all to bits

                

 

 

 

 

Task 1 – Get real NO more EXCUSES

SO HERE IT IS…………… MY 12WBT ROUND 4   2012 …. PRESEASON TASK 1 – GET REAL NO MORE EXCUSES

List your excuses and the actions you will take to prevent them from being used.

INTERNAL EXCUSE WITHIN MY CONTROL

Excuse
I am not motivated – I have hit a plateau and am just feeling blah – I have been on this “journey” for almost 2 years and am just feeling “over it “ I have done so well and feel like I should be finished by now I just want to be normal again.

Solution
Motivation comes and goes, that is normal, you don’t need to wake up motivated to have a motivating day…
If you cant muster up the motivation go into robot mode and JFDI remember Mish’s advice and don’t let the analysis paralysis begin – don’t let your self overthink things.
Slow and steady = life long results.
Your body needs to plateau on a regular basis to “catch up”, Just because the numbers on the scales are not moving that does not mean my body is not changing and reaping the benefits from all of my hard work and effort. Be patient, gauge your results by pictures and your I CAN DO chart.. I WILL NOT LET THE SCALES DEFINE ME.

Excuse
Im never going to get there… I sometimes find myself comparing myself to others, I get a bit irriatated every now and then when I see others who have lost huge amounts in less time, I feel like ive let myself down and could have done so much more in the time ive been doing this..

Solution
GET OVER IT… Be proud of how far I have come and all that I have achieved. I know that I have made amazing changes to my lifestyle, I am fitter and healthier than
I have been in over 25years, I am teaching myself and my family that old and lifelong habits can be changed and that being healthy and proactive is a lifelong commitment.
Know that permanent results take time, the longer it the more real and permanent it is.
Celebrate my achievements more often to keep reminding myself how awesome I really am.

Its too hot / too cold / too late etc

Do a DVD inside or use the treadmill / home gym – turn on the air conditioner
Wait until it has cooled down outside

I hate running outside alone and I give up too easily

JFDI and go into robot mode – don’t let yourself start procrastinating just do it. Mix up the locations to keep it varied and interesting .
Remember your goals and what you need to do to achieve them, repeat your mantra’s over and over when you feel like stopping and walking
I AM STRONG
I AM WORTH THIS
I WILL DO THIS
TAKE THE FAT FROM YOUR BUTT AND JUST KEEP F87CKING GOING
Remember how bad I want to do a half marathon, imagine the sense of achievement that I will have once I have completed it.
Have a set plan in place and STICK TO IT
Keep a running chart and update it EVERY RUN to keep myself fully accountable
Join a run club ( IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THIS NOW AND SO EXCITED )
Embrace the fact that I can run.. don’t give up just keep running.
Increase distance everytime even if only by 50mtrs.

EXTERNAL EXCUSES WITHIN MY CONTROL
Excuse
Im too tired – I don’t have time – I do shift work and I’m too busy with the FB group and all the stuff I organise

Solution –
JFDI – I know I can do it I have done it easily in previous rounds, stay organised, and plan diarise all workouts, meals and FB time ( this is going to be hard ) around my shifts I AM DETERMINED TO PUT ME FIRST!! – get a few more members to help out with the admin side of the group. Enrol others to help out with the admin side ( done )
STOP doing so much for others.. its time to pull back and let everyone else work out there own stuff, I have done as much as I can to help others get involved its up to them now.

I feel selfish spending so much time just on me, my housework suffers, my family still refuse to eat a lot of the meals, its too hard to keep everyone happy.

Solution

DITCH THE GUILT ITS OK TO PUT ME FIRST – I AM WORTH IT, my husband and kids always put themselves first and I have never seen them worry about it the way I do.
They are old enough to fend for themselves if they don’t like what is on offer.
Get organised and have a stock of frozen healthy meals they like for them to choose from when they don’t like what is on offer. ( and for me when I don’t have time to cook ) know that vegemite sandwiches for dinner WONT KILL THEM if that’s what it comes too.
Make up a housekeeping roster and ENFORCE IT!! Don’t give in and do their chores for them… learn to live in the mess… it wont KILL ME ( it hasn’t so far )

Its too hot

Do a DVD inside or use the treadmill / home gym – turn on the air conditioner
Wait until it has cooled down outside

EXTERNAL EXCUSES BEYOND MY CONTROL

Nutrition

Make extra serves of favourite meals and freeze them for emergencies.

Fitness

Use home gym / do a dvd or if all else fails go for a quick

10 -15 min run / walk to clear your head , anything is better than nothing

Next task is SET YOUR GOALS…  Im working on this one now… so watch this space