Another Monday and another weigh in:)

Not a bad week this week. Not brilliant either. But considering it's been a week of food centered celebrations I'm pretty happy with another 1.3kg loss :) This takes my grand total to 11.7kg.

I must admit I've been really slack with exercise over the past week. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. I really need to get out of bed early to go for a walk. Morning is the best time of day for me as long as I get my lazy butt out of bed!

I'm in the middle of planning Christmas lunch with my MIL at the moment. Now I just have to mentally put some strategies in place to avoid my usual traps. Namely HAM!! LOL!! Oh....and our traditional pancakes, butter and maple syrup breakfast!! Stay tuned for that one!! *sighs*

OK...I need to get off my ass and go for a walk.

Catchya xoxo

Hump Day!

I love Wednedays. Mainly becasue I don't work Thursdays so it's my kinda mini weekend :)

I have a date with a personal trainer tomorrow. When I spoke to him yesterday he seemed to get where I was coming from and appeared to think we would work well together. I guess time will tell. I'm really looking forward to it actually. I'm ready for the next challenge in my journey!

I'm feeling really good at the moment. I have no cravings for 'bad' stuff. As much as I'd love to sit down with a plate full of cheeses, proscuitto and crackers, it's not a 'craving' and I know how awful I'd feel afterwards, no matter how much I might enjoy the actual eating I know it would be a huge step backwards for me. It's been just over 8 weeks since I've had anything processed pass my lips and I'm not about to stat now!!

I've started noticing some changes in myself. I'm sleeping better, the best I've ever slept, and I'm starting to become a morning person. Come 6-6:30 and I'm wide awake and ready to get out of bed. My skin is also clear and perfect! Apart from a few crows feet my skin looks awesome. It's not just me either. 5 people this week have said how good my skin looks. 2 even asked if I was pregnant becasue I had a glow!!!! LOL!!!

I'm off to cook ricotta basil chicken and veg for dinner. I'll try and remember to take a picture :)

Cheers,

shell xoxo

WOOT!!!

Well this morning was weigh in time....I stood on the scales and let out a little yelp!! 109.4kgs. Which means in total I have now lost 10.4kgs!!! Go me!! :)

I'm looking for a Personal Trainer at the moment. Nothing full on, but they do need to be very experienced and have knowledge of heart disease just so I feel comfortable with them. If anyone thinks they can help me out please drop me a line :)

Have an awesome week everyone xoxo

Not the best of weeks!

It was one of those holiday season weeks last week. I had a work break up to go to which was an overnight stay where dinner and breakfast were supplied. And while I tried to be good, bacon is my weakness!! It wasn't too bad. I still lost. It may have only been 200g, but any loss is a good loss!!

Moving on and I'm back on track this week. Here is last nights meal. A very yummy chicken black bean and garlic stir fry. All for only 325 calories. Way better than Chinese take away and very quick and easy to cook.

Now I'm off to decided what's on the menu tonight.

Cheers,

shell xoxo

The perils of the holiday season...

I've just come back from a walk, 2.8kms in just under 30 minutes :) Feeling good, my knee is still a bit dodgy but it felt much better this morning. Think I might need to look at seeing a physio just to make sure it is only muscular.

I've got the salon christmas do tonight. We're off to the Werribee Zoo for an overnight stay which includes dinner and breakfast. I have no idea what to expect food wise. I've been told to expect a BBQ for both meals with pancakes and eggs and bacon being the menu for breakfast. An egg on toast will be a good option I think, and as long as they have salads at dinner I'll be fine :) I am going to take some Tokay though. I'm only going to have a small glass or 2. I don't want to totally deprive myself. It's when I've done that that evryhitng seemed to come undone for me.

If it wasn't going to be 35o today I'd try and fit in another walk to help offset tonight. It's good to feel in control and have a plan for times like this.

Bring on Monday for another weigh in :)

Cheers,

shell xoxo

Weigh In day again :)

111.2kgs!! TADA!!! Another 1.5kgs bites the dust!!

Apart from my knee I'm feeling pretty damn good. Just wish I could walk more but until the knee gets better it'll be only little walks for me. I have bought a stability ball though. It came with 2 work out DVD's so Im going to give them a try and see how I go.

Will keep you updated of course :)

Cheers,

Shell xoxo

It's a nasty rumour!!

All fat people are unhappy.

SOOOOO NOT TRUE!!!

We've all seen the diet ads on TV and read the weightloss success stories where each person has stated how unhappy they were being over weight. It's a dangerous over generalisation to be making. I'm here to categorically state that not every fat person is unhappy. At least no more than our skinny or normal weight conterparts.

Even at my heaviest I was a happy person. My life was (and still is) wonderful. I have 2 healthy sons, a very happy marriage to my best friend who loves me and supports me unconditionally. Did I have down days? Yes. Did I moan about not being to fit into a pair of jeans or a dress? Yes. Did I think my bum or my tummy was too fat? Yes. Was I an unhappy class clown who hated herself and got lost in a fog of depression about her weight? NO!

So for the record, not all fat people are unhappy and putting on a fake smile to get through their days. We have good and bad days, insecurities about our bodies and days when it's all just too hard. Much like the rest of the population. I'm not saying this is true for every single fat person out there. But it's certainly true for me.

As humans we play a dangerous game when we judge people by a stereotype. Acceptance of individuals as individuals, whether fat, skinny, short, tall young or old might just help us all become better people within oursleves. It might also just allow us to accept ourselves as we are, human.

OK. Rant over :)

Shell xoxo

Main meal under 400 calories!!

Can you believe this meal comes in at under 400 calories!! Including the tzatziki!!

Roast potatoe & carrots, cauloflower, broccoli and spinach with a moroccan chicken breast and tzatziki. 356 calories thank you very much!

I'm no longer dieting. I'm just eating as cleanly and as healthily as I can. Now that I've removed the word diet from my vocab no food is off limits as long as it's in moderation and fits within my goals, both daily and long term. It's good feeling being in control.

Cheers,

shell xoxo

Guilt free Pinã Colada Mousse!

What does a tin of Carnation Evaporated Coconut Milk plus a packet of diet Aeroplane Pineapple Jelly make??

The most decadent Pinã Colada Mousse EVER!!!!

Simply take whole packet (2 sachets) of aeroplane pineapple diet jelly and mix with 2/3 of a cup of boiling water and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool. In the meantime take a VERY, VERY cold can of Carnation Evaporated Coconut milk (I freeze mine for 2-3 hours or leave it in the fridge overnight) and beat it with an electric mixer until thick and foamy. Please note that the milk MUST be SUPER COLD to beat properly. Once the milk is thick and foamy, slowly add the cooled jelly mix bit by bit to the milk while still whipping. Pour into 8, 1 cup capacity glasses and chill for 2-3 hours. YUM!!!!!

A totally guilt free dessert that comes in at only 60 calories per 1 cup serve YEP, you read right, 60 calories!!!

Try this served with some fresh fruit salad stirred through before pouring into cups, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut on top.

Enjoy!

Shell xoxox

Weigh In day..

WOOT!!! Down 2.2kgs this week!! Could have been more but I had some Lindt Chocolates that a friend gave me for my birthday last night. Don't stress, I only had 3, but that was 2 too many. I felt a little queasy after I had them and my mouth felt all grainy and greasy. Somehow I don't think chocolate is my nemesis anymore :D Plus this was only a 6 day week for weighing in so it's all good! I am now 112.7kgs. A total loss of 7.1 !! WOOT!!

Just got back from a 30 minute walk. I felt really good this morning so pushed harder and went further than normal. I love the "Map My Walk" app on my phone. Shows me where I've walked, how far and how fast. I actually burned off all my breakfast calories with my walk and I am feeling awesome today!

It's good to be alive :)

Cheers,

Shell xoxo

One of my favorite meals right now.

Here is one of my favorite meals right now. Crunchy Asian Noodle Salad with Japanese BBQ Salmon.

As you can see this is a full meal. It's incredibly filling, amazingly good for you and comes in at only 457 calories!!

I call this my Clayton's Take Away meal. You know, the Take Away you have when you're not having a Take Away!

All items are bought pre prepared from Safeway and then you just cook the salmon, whack the salad on your plate and you're good to go. Easy, healthy, tasty and very satisfying.

Cheers,

Shell xoxo

42 years young and starting to get it!!

Here's another sporadic post and update!

Yesterday was my birthday. I was 42 years young and for the first time in my entire life I left food on my birthday dinner plate. All of the excuses I've used in the past - It's my birthday I can eat what I want - I can't leave food that I've paid money for, what a waste - I don't eat out often so I'm eating everything while I can - held absolutely no 'weight' last night. The menu was very ordinary so I went with a chicken parma that only came with salad and chips. 1/2 a parma, a dozen chips and 2 slices of garlic bread later I was full. AND I DIDN'T KEEP EATING!! I pushed my plate away and even passed on the cheese platter for dessert!!! And you know what?? I didn't feel one pang of angst that I had left food behind or not taken up the opportunity to have cheese. I felt in control. I'm not going to starve, I'm not never going to taste a good blue again. I will get the opportunity to have another parma. It was the biggest lightbulb moment I've had so far. I was kinda expecting a huge fanfare with each of my lightbulb moments, you know, streamers and confetti falling from the ceiling and a brass band playing, but the quiet, personal acknowledgement is all the fanfare I need. I'm getting it, finally :)

Tomorrow is weigh in day, stay tuned :)

shell xoxo

Things don't always go to plan.

My sincerest apologies to everyone who has been waiting for my daily updates. Life hasn't exactly gone to plan the past 4-5 weeks, but the good news is my weight loss path is progressing nicely. I'm away in Sydney this week end but after that hopefully life will get back to somewhat normal and I can upload some photos of the amazing meals I've been cooking myself. Last night was Thai Chicken, Mango and Coriander Salad with a sweet chili dressing. A HUGE plate of delish for only 450 Calories, and I mean HUGE! I'm certainly not going hungry that's for sure. I'm starting to notice my pants aren't as tight and my bra is looser fitting as well. Someone asked yesterday if I had lost weight, that was all the motivation I needed to get up at 6:30am and go for a walk today! I'm feeling really good to. I haven't had heartburn or Mylanta in over 3 weeks. And no coffee for just as long :)

Gotta scoot for now. Have a great week!!

Shell xoxo

Hello, my name is Michelle and I'm a caffeine addict!

Well the flurry of posts I was expecting to have up haven't eventuated. I'd like to tell you all I've been away on some tropical island bathed in coconut oil and sunning myself beside a crystal clear lagoon, but alas not! I've been plagued by a migraine and then by a bug of some sort. Well, I'm not convinced it's a bug. And I'm fairly sure my migraine was caffeine withdrawal related. In fact I'm 99.9% sure I've been going through caffeine withdrawal for the last 3 days.

Make no mistake my friends, caffeine IS a drug.

On a normal day, buy lunchtime I would have had anywhere up to 5 coffees, and by days end it would be nothing for me to have upwards of 10 cups of Joe. With 2 sugars per cup that's a whopping 320 calories in sugar alone and over 600mg of caffeine. To put that into perspective, the SAFE RDI of caffeine is only 200mg, and I was consuming 25% of my caloric intake in refined sugar.

Any wonder I was having withdrawals.

I love my coffee, but I seriously need to reassess what part, if any, it plays in my future healthy lifestyle.

Right now I need a nana nap, I'm starting to get a bit jittery again. Apparently this can go on for several days, at least my headache has gone.

Me xoxo

Things happen for a reason...... Part 1

About 3 weeks ago I was shopping at my local Safeway supermarket and on one of the fruit shelves was a DVD. I have no  idea why I picked up this DVD and placed it on top of my bag of carrots.  It was the start of the week and I had no money to spare till hubby got paid, so forking out $20 for a DVD for absolutely no reason at all when I needed to buy food and essentials for the next few days was just stupid. I don't even watch DVD's for crying out loud!

When the sales girl totaled up my purchase I had JUST enough money to pay, with nothing left in the kitty till Thursday. If I'd forgotten something or ran out of milk I'd have to pull out the credit card. I did a mental run through of what I'd bought but KNEW there was nothing in my basket I could do without. It wasn't until I got home and started unpacking my groceries that I realized the DVD was still in my shopping!! That $20 could have stayed in my purse for emergencies!! I finished putting away my groceries and put the DVD on the junk shelf and there it sat for over a week and a half.

Rewind a few years.............

I was 34, married for just under 2 years to my best friend. My eldest son was 14 and my little boy was just over 12 months old.  I wasn't a smoker or a drinker. I enjoyed a few glasses of wine here and there but very rarely to the point of even being tipsy. I only really had one addiction. Food. Cheese and cured meats were my hobby. But I was healthy. I knew I weighed more than I should, but apart from sporadic cluster migraines I've had since I was 5, I was, or so I thought healthy. I didn't take any medication at all. I was as active as any mum with a toddler was, I slept well and always had enough energy to keep up with what was going on in my life. We were in the process of moving house and I started to get shoulder pain one afternoon. Now with my migraines shoulder pain was normal, and with moving house I thought I had pulled a muscle or something so I took some Nurofen and soldiered on. A week later I had progressed to Voltaren and physiotherapy. I was spending an hour standing under a hot shower trying to ease the muscle pain. One night I couldn't bear the pain any more and begged to be taken to hospital. An ambulance was called.

I won't go into detail about the next 3 days or so. I was so sick, not half helped by the hospital giving me codeine which I'm allergic to, so I vomited almost continuously for the next 3 days and slept pretty much 24 hours a day. After those 3 days of hell (my poor husband god bless him, didn't sleep for most of those 3 days while looking after not only me but our 2 boys and trying to work as well) I took myself off to my GP. She didn't seem too concerned going over all my test results from the hospital and it wasn't until I fleetingly mentioned I had a slight tingle in my little finger on my left hand that she suddenly frowned. She wanted to be safe and suggested rather strongly that I go see a cardiologist. WHAT?? ummmmmm WHAT?? More importantly WHY?? "Just to make sure we've ruled everything out" was her response that shut down any further questioning for me. She wouldn't let me leave without an appointment with the cardiologist and she wasn't happy that the next available with her preferred one was over 2 weeks away. I said the next available appointment was fine with me but when her receptionist confirmed it with her she said I needed to be seen ASAP. I still didn't get that there could be something seriously wrong. I thought she was just being cautious. So, an appointment was made for 2 days time.

3 days later and I'm at the Epworth Hospital having an angiogram.  3 1/2 days later I'm vaguely aware that an artery to my heart is blocked. Still no awareness of just how serious this is. 3 3/4 days later and I'm being told I've had not 1, not 2, not 3, not even 4, but countless heart attacks. Every shoulder pain I had had over a 3 week period wasn't a pulled muscle. Every shoulder pain I had experienced was a heart attack..........