Wow, another week of the 12 week transformation challenge draws to a close. Soon I will be starting week 6, so nearly half way through the program. Weight loss this week is looking up – a quick revision of my diet has helped. By cutting down about 15-20% on my food intake, I have noticed I am a little more hungry at times! However, I still seem to have the energy needed to work out like there is no tomorrow! I have added 20 min per day cardio to my workouts – so cardio days (Tuesday.Thursday) have gone from 45 minutes to just over an hour. I add 30 minutes cardio to my workouts on Mon/Wed/Fri as well.

More Cardio for me!

My trainer wanted me to jump on the scales today, midway through my one hour session with him (on that note, get personal training if you want to see results, its better than working out alone). So on the scales I leapt, and he couldn’t quite believe the results. Almost 2kg (4.5 pounds!!)) since Monday at 2pm. Wow. Given last week I barely lost a pound (0.5 kg), it looks like my body has stepped up a gear. I so know what it must feel like for contestants on the Biggest Loser when they hit a wall. And when they burst through it and pull out the big results. So looks like weight loss is well on track meaning no yellow line for me! hehe.

I feel really good this week, even if slightly hungry. It is nice walking down the street and not feeling self conscious about my weight. I no longer feel people are looking and me and silently passing judgement. Ah, the paranoia of the over weight. How I miss it…NOT!

Take Care out there, and if you have started a program, stick with it, it gets easier every day.  Eat well, it helps!

I hate that the gym I go to is closed on the weekends.  I know my pass allows me to use any of their other gyms, but I guess I like the one I go to and won’t feel comfortable in another gym…or is that just an excuse?  I don’t think it is an excuse, as I have no issue going to the gym 5 days a week.  Anyway, I enjoy the weekends as I do more walking – today I walked a total of 70 minutes and included a couple of stair climbs in that.  Weekly weigh in is on Monday, so hopefully I can maintain the weight loss, I know I have worked harder this week than any other week previous.

As for my diet – food on Saturday was a bit under what I should have had because I went out on Saturday after I had afternoon tea and came home far too late for dinner, so I skipped dinner *GASP*  Hope that doesn’t upset my metabolism, which seems to be humming along at a great rate of knots!

Saturday’s food:

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = skipped
• Lunch = Tuna + salad – 2 x sandwiches (4 x wholegrain bread)
• Afternoon Tea = Apple
• Dinner = OH DEAR….
• Supper = Protein Shake

Isn’t Friday night meant to be junk food night?  What a stupid rule that is.  I have come to understand that food really does have a massive impact on our lives.  It isn’t just the weight you put on when eating bad.  Nor is it the guilt after a quick short term pleasure binge where the negative emotion afterward far outweigh the brief ‘pleasure’ gained.  It is more fundamental than that.  We are indeed what we eat.  And eating poorly affects your mood, your skin, your state of mind, your level of happiness, your outlook on life, your motivation.  I feel so good right now.

Something inside me has changed.  The idea of ‘treating’ myself to bad food seems crazy to me.  Why would I want to pollute my body and go back to feeling the way I did?  Overall, I feel much better now than the fake pleasure (comfort?) from eating bad.  I guess before I was stressed, worked very long hours, and eating was a pleasant distraction.  Now, I am relaxed, happy, and see food for what it is – life.  And the quality of that life depends entirely on the quality of that food.  So no more bad food!

no more bad food!

Food today:

• Breakfast = porridge
• Morning Tea = banana + protein shake (after gym workout, need protein!)
• Lunch = Tuna (canned) + 2 x wholegrain toast + lite cottage cheese
• Afternoon Tea = Apple + low fat plain unsweetened yoghurt mixed with protein powder
• Dinner = Baked Snapper + brown rice + salad
• Supper = Protein Shake

Food was:

Breakfast = porridge

Morning Tea = SKIP

Lunch = Salad + 2 x wholegrain bread + Baked Salmon

Afternoon Tea = Apple

Dinner = Baked Salmon + Brown rice + brussel sprouts + broccoli + salad

Supper = was going to be protein shake but I forgot!  GASP.

As mentioned in my previous post, I really felt like I hit a wall today (and blasted through it!).  I wonder if it was because I went to bed so late the night (morning!) before – 3am, so I got up late which blew my usual routine/timing out of the water.  So I had breakfast just before 11am.  However, despite that pushing all my meals back a little, I finished the day not too far behind schedule and still managed 5 meals.

Maybe I should get one of these...

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = what morning?
• Lunch = brown rice + stirfry vege + egg x 2
• Afternoon Tea = Apple + banana
• Dinner = Salmon (baked + stirfry + brown rice (yes, left over from lunch!)
• Supper = Protein Shake

I have SPIN class at 1.15pm tomorrow so better eat at normal times so I don’t die on the bike!

So I have made it to day 16 without any slip ups in terms of eating bad food!  I have to say, before I started this challenge, I thought it would be such a struggle to eat the right food.  My previous diet was pretty terrible, and it is safe to say I have a chronic sweet tooth!  However, the journey so far has not been as hard as I thought it would be.  Day four or five I had headaches and felt ill, but since then, my body feels like someone plugged it in and turned on the switch.  I am only now starting to realise that we are what we eat, and my diet directly related to my state of mind, and my state of wellbeing (or lack thereof).  It amazes me how sharper my mind is, and more energetic my body is.  My skin is in the best condition it has been in for years.

Feeling great!

My food today:

• Breakfast = Porridge (yes, whole oats, not that powdery rubbish that is prolific on supermarket shelves)
• Morning Tea = skipped
• Lunch = left over dinner (again!) – Salmon + half corn on cob + kumara + green beans
• Afternoon Tea = 2 x wholegrain bread with canned red salmon + lite cottage cheese + banana
• Dinner = Snapper (baked) + mixed vege (frozens, boiled) + brown rice + baby carrots (mmm)
• Supper = Protein Shake

70% of weight loss is in the diet.  I remind myself of this every day and have stuck like glue to eating the right foods.  After the first week, it has become easy, I have no cravings, and I feel better now than I have in a very long time!  I only drink water (or protein shakes with water).  I thought I would struggle badly, but blogging about it has helped keep me on the straight and narrow.  Only 10 weeks to go until the end of the challenge and I seriously intend to win! Not just because I am competitive, but because I want to live a long, healthy life, and became sick and tired of feeling sluggish and fat!

Food yesterday:

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = Plum
• Lunch = Tuna Steak  + baby carrots + broccoli + brown rice
• Afternoon Tea = Plain unsweetened low fat Yoghurt + blueberries + 1 scoop protein powder
• Dinner = Salmon (baled) + half corn on cob + green beans + kumara
• Supper = protein shake

With the gym closed for the weekends, it leaves me a little unsure of what to do, so I walk.  Eventually (soon) I will start running.  Today I walked for 45 minutes in the morning (followed by the stairs) and 35 minutes in the evening (again, stairs!)  Although by the top of the staircase I am puffing like dragon, by the time I am inside, my heart rate has returned to normal.  So my recovery time has definitely improved.    Tomorrow is week two weigh in – I feel nervous about it and am not sure if it will be a number I want to rave about!  However, weight loss is a long term lifestyle change, not a two week quick fix, so I will keep on this journey and see where it leads.  Healthy diet + regular exercise and workouts MUST equal weight loss in the long term!

Food Today:

• Breakfast = Porridge (yes, every morning now!)
• Morning tea = SKIP
• Lunch = Salad + canned salmon (oops forgot the carbs)
• Afternoon Tea = orange + watermelon
• Dinner = Tuna Steaks + mushrooms + brown rice + baby carrots + broccoli + brussel sprouts
• Supper = Protein Shake

I simply cannot eat six meals a day, so have settled on five.

Click on the cookbook below for some great information about how to eat healthy!

No, I do not consider myself on a diet.  To me, a diet is where you cut your food intake (there are some crazy schemes out there) in a way which you know is not sustainable.  Usually with diets, the weight quickly piles back on (usually worse) as soon as the diet is over.  I heard an interesting fact – fat cells do not disappear or melt away, they only shrink!  So they stay with you forever!  This is why people put weight back on so quickly when diets go out the window.

For me, it is about healthy eating in a sensible manner I can sustain for the rest of my life.  So in essence, this is a lifestyle change.  And the great thing is, I feel SO much better eating healthy food.  I am more alert, I have more energy, and I have a sparkle in my eye!  So forget the diets, and just start eating properly and exercising.  I think this is the only real way to lose weight.  Sorry, no shortcuts!

My Food Today

• Breakfast = Porridge (I make this with wholegrain oats, as I believe there are more nutrients if the oat is still whole)
• Morning Tea – Yeah right!  Actually, I had a plum.
• Lunch = Dinner leftovers!  Salmon, corn on the cob (half), broad beans, brown rice
• Afternoon Tea = Apple + yoghurt + protein powder + blueberries
• Dinner = Salmon (baked) + kumara + stirfry vege (onion, green pepper, cabbage, zucchini, 1 egg, 1 tsp oyster sauce)
• Supper = protein shake

Diet is a huge part of weight loss.  The biggest change I have made is around portion size.  By following the recommendations made for the 12 week transformation challenge (see portion sizes here), I find I am no longer bloated, nor do I get ‘full’.  However, although I am not bursting at the seams, I am not hungry after I have eaten.  And if I do get a bit hungry between meals, I drink water and voila, the hunger is gone.  Losing weight is a by product of eating properly.  So I expect to see great results at my next weigh in!  I will not be below the yellow line!  Oh wait, wrong program!

Today’s Food

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = skipped
• Lunch = Same as dinner last night (salmon, salad, pineapple rings x 2, broad beans)
• Afternoon Tea = Watermelon mmm + 1 piece of wholegrain toast with avocado (salt, pepper, yum)
• Dinner = Grilled Salmon (yes, I love salmon!) + brown rice (1 cup) + broad beans + half a corn on the cob
• Supper = protein shake

TIP – I always cook enough for 2 meals.  This is why my lunch often matches the dinner from the night before.  I do not require too much variety every day in terms of the food I eat.  I do not need a 7 day menu.  What I do is mix up the afternoon teas, and change up the salads/ veges to add a little variety.  I could eat salmon every day for the rest of my life and not get sick of it.  Lucky I am not too fussy!

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Given I do not eat poultry or land meat, finding variety in my diet takes a bit of thought.  I do eat seafood, and Salmon is by far my favorite food.  I am starting to realise the importance of putting the right stuff in my body.  I feel better, I am more alert, and honestly, good fresh food does taste very good!

Eat good. Or deal with me!

Food today:

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea – as if I am up early enough to have morning tea AND breakfast before lunch!
• Lunch = Left over dinner last night (salmon, broad beans, Salad, brown rice)
• Afternoon Tea = Smoothie (strawberry, boysenberry, 2 x scoop protein powder, plain yoghurt, super trim milk)
• Dinner = Baked Salmon + salad + pineapple rings (x2)  + steamed kumara
• Supper = Protein shake

I also have been drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and started taking a multi-vitamin tablet.  Starting to notice the weight loss, and diet indeed seems to have a large part to play (70% according to Steve, my personal trainer)

So today is day nine of the program.  And I have not eaten a single bad thing and only had water and protein shakes to drink.  Even the protein shakes are made from water, not milk!

Today’s food:

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning tea = No chance.  Skipped.
• Lunch = Tuna + salad + brown rice
• Afternoon Tea = Plain natural yoghurt (unsweetened) +handful of blueberries + 2 scoops protein powder mixed in.
• Dinner = Salmon (baked) + broad beans + corn on the cob (half) + brown rice
• Supper = Protein shake (2 scoops mixed into water)

So far, the food has been easy.  I have not had any real temptation or cravings.  Guess I really am stubborn  I have set a weight loss goal and I fully intend to achieve it!

Today has been a good food day again. Still, only got the 5 meals in, but seems to be OK.  What has surprised me the most is the lack of cravings.  I thought I would crave more bad food, but so far, nothing serious!  I do miss my morning coffee, but that is more the habit rather than the actual coffee.

Thankfully this is not me!

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea – not for me!
• Lunch = Grilled Fish + kumara + baby carrots + broccoli
• Afternoon Tea = Banana + Protein Shake (was after my work out)
• Dinner = Brown Rice + Tuna + Salad.
• Supper = Walnuts!

My Salad Ingredients:

• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Cucumber
• Green Pepper
• Sprouts x 3
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Pinenuts
• AND NO DRESSING AT ALL!

As I like to sleep in (and hey, it is Sunday!), I skipped morning tea again!  However, I have learned the importance of breakfast!

Breakfast = Porridge (I actually enjoy my morning porridge now)

Morning Tea = Not again fatbird!  Yes, missed it again!

Lunch = 2 x sandwiches (tuna, lite cottage cheese) on wholegrain bread x 2 + plum + banana

Afternoon Tea = Natural unsweetened yoghurt with blueberries added + also added 2 x scoop protein powder.  MUCH tastier with the protein powder.

Dinner = Grilled Salmon + kumara + baby carrots + broccoli + brussels sprouts

Supper = Protein Shake.

All in all, I feel good about the food I am eating.  If diet plays such a huge role in weight loss, then no chocolate for me!

Steve, my personal trainer, tells me that 70% of results will come from diet, 15% from exercise and 15% from personal training.  Yikes.  I should take food more seriously!

OK, maybe not too seriously!

Breakfast = Porridge

Morning Tea = I just get up too late      Missed it again.

Lunch  = Fish Sandwich (salad + grilled fish from last night) between 2 x wholegrain bread

Afternoon Tea = Avocado on toast ( 2 x wholegrain)

Dinner = Same as last night (I have simple tastes!) Grilled fish + brown rice + stir-fry vege

Supper = Protein Shake

It isn’t until I write my food diary that I realise how bad I am at getting these 6 meals.  And I am not 100% sure if I am eating exactly right, but I know I am not eating too much.  On Monday, I will spend my time with Steve discussing nutrition and diet, and the best way to approach this.  Whoever thought weight loss could be so complex!

Breakfast = Porridge

Morning Tea = SKIP

Lunch = 2 x Wholegrain bread + lite cottage cheese + tuna + plum

Afternoon Tea = Banana, Blueberries, Salad

Dinner = Grilled Fish + Stirfry Vege + 1 cup brown rice

Supper = Protein Shake

Getting six meals a day is a huge challenge!  Before starting this 12week transformation challenge, I would just eat whenever, usually whatever was quick and convenient.  Now, I struggle to get 5, let alone 6 meals in.

Breakfast = natural muesli + natural yoghurt (1 cup of each).  No coffee for 3 days – slight headaches.  Guessing they are from lack of coffee given I used to drink it every day!

Gave up coffee as part of challenge. Was tough!!

Lunch (yes, I skipped morning tea because I slept in!!) = salad + can of tuna

Afternoon Tea = watermelon.  Probably not the greatest but damned nice on a hot day!

Dinner = baked Salmon (mmm) + broccoli + green beans + kumara (steamed).

Supper = Protein Shake

Interestingly, I found myself getting full at dinner before I had finished, and the portion size of my meal was significantly less than what I am used to.  So I take this as a good thing!  Yesterday I was hungry, today, I haven’t felt hungry at all (except when I first got up).  Lets hope it stays like this!

Oh yes, had about 10 glasses of water today!