Final week of round 2... goodbye RachV-1 !

Week 12…. You’re finally here!!!
…and yet it feels like it could be only week 2. I think one of the strangest things about this change of life, this transformation –is time. It felt like it stopped, yet moved so quickly.

Last week I signed up for 12wbt Round 3 2012. It will be my second round. Round 3 2012.

I’m going to nail the exercise ( now that I’m a pro at food) I’m feeling so much fitter than I was 12 weeks ago, so I know I can bring so much more to my healthy changes in the next 3 months!

In 2 days I’m off to Cairns with Work and extending it to a weekend holiday, and for the first time in my “dieting” life i don’t feel nervous. Holidays are usually the undoing of everything good. But this one won’t be because the changes I’ve done have been permanent changes to my lifestyle’s and not just “a diet I will try till I get bored”
I feel knowledgeable, pumped, and raring to move into the next chapter of “the amazing shrinking woman”!!

So what did I do in the last 12 weeks ? a re-cap if you like…

• I started walking at lunch time at work – almost every day 2km
• I started walking on the waterfront in the mornings –almost every day 2km
• I made good food choices. Swapping sour cream for natural yogurt, swapping heavy takeaway pizza for homemade 300cal pizza…
• I ate some of the most amazing meals in my life, like Penang Chicken, seafood laksa, banana brucetta & beef with Mustard mushroom sauce.
• I dropped 2 dress sizes! I’m now floating between a 22/24 from a 28 J
• I gained a new mentality, by setting S.M.A.R.T goals and achieving them , and when I didn’t I tried again.
• I’m excited about exercising now… (Remember this post ? ) not only do I now want to exercise, about I ENJOY it !
• I’m noticing little things like how it feels to sit in the car – putting a seat belt on with one hand, moving the steering wheel closer , and I’m now a happy passenger, and don’t feel like I’m shoved in the seat.
• I can sit with my legs folded in front of me, and I can even cross my legs! (it’s the little things!)’
• I inspired people (still find that a weird concept
• I ran for the first time
• I did my first ever VLog
• Made my mum and sister and Partner proud
• I lost 26Kg (as of last Wednesday) in 2 days I will do my last weigh in for round 2, and record my start weight for round 3

Most importantly I started to save my life.


My goals for round 3 are:-

• Loose another 30Kg
• Increase my fitness levels
• Participate in a fun run
• Climb the skillion at Terrigal
• Continue to be fabulous!

Re-capping my overall goals

• Be able to ice-skate
• Be able to roller skate
• Climb the 1000 stairs in VIC
• Go go-carting
• Wear clothes that reflect who I am on the inside
• Have the confidence to sing on a stage again.

Well that’s it for me for Round 2 – I will do a quick update on my weight loss Wednesday If I can – I will be flying out of Sydney Cairns bound at 6am Wednesday morning for some fun in the sun, when I return home- round 3 begins and I will have a renewed energy- I want to SMASH this weight loss and I’m so excited I can’t wait!!!

It's officially time to say good bye to Rach-V1 - and hello to Rach V2 . I'm proud to say the old me is officially gone, the only way is forwards, onwards and upwards... and to JFDI !!!

Warners Bay Foreshore last weekend :)

Week 11 & Irony

So here we are in week 11.. yup week 11! only 2 weeks left ...as of last Wednesday i lost 25kg... I'm really sure i can make it to 30kg by end of week 12 . fingers crossed!

I wanted to document a feeling I've had the last few times I've done my lunch time walk .
Something written for me to remember in months and years to come.

It dawned on me last week when going on said lunch time walk, that in fact walk past Gregory & Carr funeral directors at Gordon- it's 2 blocks up from my new work building....

The ironic thing about this story are the facts you need to know about this funeral directors.

To begin we need to go back over 35 years. My Dad was in his late 20's working at said business, with 2 men-whom unbeknown to him when he accepted the job -he would be working with his future father in law and brother in law. That the older of  those men would introduce him and the younger man to his 2 Daughters, that they would both marry the daughters- and that in a few years time he would have his second child Rachel Jane.

Flash forward 33 Years and Rachel now walks past this very same funeral directors everyday - now walking to save her life. Ironic because it's a funeral directors. Ironic because of all the streets in all of Sydney my new work building should fall on this street. Ironic because every time i walk past the building and think of the dear souls that are housed within it's walls - that one day i may be there myself, but not now. not in 10 years time, hopefully not even in 30 years time  ....because right now I'm saving my soul from the walls of a funeral home.

I'm Saving My Life.


Here's to week 11. Here's to every walk i take and every breath i take. right now I'm being the best i can be to be here a lot longer.


Happy Monday xx

Walking the streets in my shoes of awesomness :)

Saving My Life...

This week in the 12WBT we could make a Vlog (video blog) so i did!

here it is in all it's proud-ness and embarrassing-ness.

My Progress so far ...

:)

The Girl in the Mirror..

Who is the girl in the Mirror i see?

I was standing in the bathroom at work this afternoon and I looked at myself in the mirror and I noticed the first time I was looking at my body and not my face. Yes I am one of those girls that always avoids looking at herself in the mirror at all costs -especially undressed.

Today I found myself for the first time in my life, really looking at how I look not just my face not just my hair not thinking i need an eyebrow wax, or gee your lips look dry actually looking at my body, it's shape and how it's changed.

Today when I looked at the girl in the mirror I see a girl that is 21 kg lighter than she was eight weeks ago. I see a girl carrying a handbag that forever in her mind will remind her of the first 10kg she lost. I see a girl wearing a dress that 8 weeks ago was way too tight to wear. I see a girl that has sagging neck skin from loosing so much face weight-but is PROUD to have it. I see a girl with a face that could do with a facial- and now I've reached my 20Kg loss goal will get one. Most importantly i see a girl who is a happier person. I see a smile in my eyes and a deep comfort that things can only get better. I see a girl who is truly happy for the first time in a long time, a girl that just can't wait to see just how much better she will look in a years time.

Today I looked at the girl in the mirror and i learned a very valuable lesson, thanks to my new 12WBT mindset I've learnt to love that girl in the Mirror just a little bit more than I did yesterday.

Hello Week 8 ...

It's been 2 weeks since I've blogged.. and in those 2 weeks I've thought of a million things to blog about and never got the chance. Work has been busy, SD is busy too - but most of my spare time is spent walking and jogging and planning meals, and being fabulous!:)

So many things have changed in 8 weeks... the most exciting is the 17kg that I've donated to the world :) 

So here's a few things I've wanted to blog (in no particular order)

I've decided i want to ice-skate again :)
I want to run the stairs up the Terrigal Skillion and just take in the view
I want to be able to buy clothes at coles (weird want i know but the clothes are cute and cheap!)
I want to loose 3 more kg to get to 20 kg total next weigh in.
I want new funky Trainers
I want to inspire and encourage others to realise their healthy lifestyle dreams
I want SD to succeed, and be stand alone.
I want to see my Nieces and Nephews
I want to be the best i can be.
I want to wear clothes that are true to my personality and who i really am

Well i may have to wait to achieve a few of these... but a few i have this week.

New trainers -Tick
Inspired people -Tick

So i had a funny yet boring experience at an athletic store on Thursday night- i was fitted for new trainers- and my feet are big and wide.. so guess what the only runners for me a mens and grey. BORING!! i spent $250 on them, and felt crap about it all.
One of the girls in the 30+Crew FB group said something that sticked the other day "you have to love your trainers" ....Well today Bec and i went to Paul's and we got the "ol buy one get one free" .. and look at the babies i brought home!!!

I'm in LOVE ! can't wait to show my new shoes the water front tomorrow morning :) ♥

Today a very random -yet wonderful thing happened. Bec and i were shopping in Typo when we got an  "excuse me.. but i think we met on line" hehehe it was one of the lovely 12WBT-ers! what a great surprise! it was so nice to meet someone on this lifestyle change like us :)

She said something that will remain with me forever- and she possibly doesn't realise ... "your such an inspiration" ... who me? i thought . an inspiration? a weight loss inspiration? Me ?  over lunch bec and i spoke about it- i felt really silly -like a fraud? then i had some time to myself tonight so I've had time to think about it. I've lost 17KG ! 17...Kilo's! I AM an inspiration to myself, to bec, to my mum, to my best friend and to my lovely random fellow typo shopper.

My Name is Rach Bellwood. I've lost 17 Kgs in 7 weeks. and I am an inspiration.

...................................... imagine when I've lost 50kg  :) 

A reality check and just what I needed...

This picture speaks millions to me

This is what happiness feels like...

Dear Rach-V2 ,

When your feeling like you want to give up - read this post and remember how amazing you feel today!
Today your one month measurements were done and you've lost a total of  50.5cm !!!
and.... Remember the email from Mich you got today and the post you put on FB

OMG! I just got an email from mish! The percentage I've lost so far has placed me in top 15% of all the 12wbt-ers!!! WOOOHOOOOOO!!

 That's right 15 % of  ALL the 12WBT-ers!!! that's EPIC!

KEEP GOING!!

Love Rach- V1

Week four fitness test ....and a proud moment..

So the very exciting fitness test was up this week. Same as we did in pre-tasks before starting the 12WBT. {read my post here}

After 4 weeks on 12WBT I'm 11kg down (at last weigh in) and as you can see below i smashed my results this week! I think it was so obvious to me how different I felt in this fitness test- I can tell the small improvements already.
Now I'm SO excited for the week 8 fitness test to see how much more I can smash the week one results :)

My goal for week 8 is 1kn in 9 Minutes!

 

My Proud moment for this weeks fitness test was that I jogged the last 200m. It may not seam like much to alot of people, but for me it was a first, and i'm SO proud of me! 

Next time I'm going to jog 400m. and who knows by week12 I might jog the whole kilometre! (That seams like an odd concept for me)

Positives, Negitives & Reflection...

So it was bound to happen after eventually .. this week i didn't loose weight - in fact i gained 1Kg.

I wrote this blog in my head many atime all day, wanting to leave a reminder for myself of how i feel today. Knowing the reason for no loss is not down to food  (i aced at 1200 cals a day -only went over 150 cal in total over the week) it has to be the fact i didn't exercise once this week.

YOU MUST EXERCISE !!!

So I'm going to read back the past 3 weeks for blog posts, and remind myself why it's important to exercise.

But that's all the ear bashing I'm going to give myself today. I've had an emotional week for many reasons, and i didn't cave into eating like the old me would of. no toast, or pasta or pizza or especially ice cream. So rather than dwelling on the negatives of this week, I'm going to say it was a positive week of making good food choices even under stress, and emotional fueled feelings. 

GO ME!!!

-11KG ! in 23 Days !  

Usually I'd add a photo from my week , but today i wanted to add this photo memory. 

It's from almost a year a go, to the day .

My best friends and i at a restaurant having lunch after a hard day shopping . 

We are in Hitchin, UK

I ate a burger and fries. 

My life is so different now. it's amazing what a difference you can make in just 12 months.

Goodbye week 3 -hello week 4!

I can't believe that we are about to see the beginning of week 4. It's gone so quickly and it almost seams to easy so far.

We are enjoying the food, we are getting used to the change in organisation, and we are facing exercise demons head on next week!

Weekends are usually a weak point for people trying new lifestyle changes. I'm really proud of us this weekend being prepared before leaving the house. Bec packed us a picnic of sandwich, water and fruit and after dropping off our special delivery, we found a nice spot next to the lake and ate lunch.

The best part of my weekend was sitting on a bench in front of the most spectacular sunset at Nords Wharf with my Wife. Bliss.

Have a great week!

First meal we cooked for mum from the 12wbt menu

My love

My new work buddy Mikale

Flowers ready to be created <3

Mid creation ...

Catherine Hill Bay -Beach

Nordes Wharf Sunset

New Glasses :)

<3

so still... we want to live here

The first desert we made from the menu

It melted my heart

My new HRM :)

New toes

drying berries ... see my post about them here

Easter Daisies at home

tonight dinner - lamb and cauliflower mash

It's in her face...

I embarked on a weight loss effort in 2009 -2010. I was replacing 2-3 meals with Protein shakes.
While i lost 40Kg in this time- it was unrealistic to think i could "drink " my meals for the rest of my life, and of corse i slipped up- became bored and complacent and spiraled back to bad food choices, and eventually put the 40kg back on plus 5kg more!

The thing i LOVE about the 12WBT  is it's good food choices that keep me surprised every week.  i look forward to getting the weekly meal plans, and seeing what the week ahead will be.  everything is fresh food, interesting food, and never boring! i know this time i will be able to loose the weight and more importantly keep it off!

Back in 2009 i started taking photos of my face to show the progress of my weight loss, as i noticed it was in my face you noticed the changed the most. So now I've found my perfect lifestyle change- i want to do the same thing. I've unfortunately thought of this 3 weeks to late- so my first photo from week one is a blown up body shot cropped of my face and a bit blurry! opps! but going forward each month they will be better.

I'm actually really looking forward to see the physical changes,and eventually maintaining the loss. i know i will see it in my new face :)


Happy Thursday!

weight loss on Protein shakes

First week of 12WBT -03.06.12

Dear Rach V1

... I'm Proud of you.  Remember this moment. it feels so good. :)

Love ME xx

Wedensday weigh in & the week that was....

So first things first....

I woke, wee'd and weighed... and a smile was assured- my total loss to date (day 17)

-12 KG !!!

 

I'm Beside myself with excitement!  it's been a REALLY lazy week to be honest- not much exercise at all. It's an odd thing .. week one i was so sick - yet i was up at 5am every morning exercising .. this week i just can't do it! 

I've got used to the early nights- i go to bed when my body tells me instead of fighting to stay awake to watch .just.1.more.show..... 

I'm not going to beat myself up to much - I'm going to hold my head high, rejoice in 12Kg loss, and get on with it. 

Things to work on this coming week are :-

• Meditation in the morning as well as at night
• Exercise
• Organisation

On a side note I'm so looking forward to fitting into more of my winter clothes... only 5kg more and i think I'll be wearing tailored pants again :)

BIG thank you to my lovely work friend Peta for going on my first lunch time walk with me this week. I'm proud of myself for doing it. we walked 1KM in 12 Mins 54 sec! can't wait to be telling you how much I've improved those details :)

I was humbled by my friends on FB and in life this week when i posted about how shocked i was to only drink 100mls of my favorite Shiraz on the weekend... "sad Shiraz" 100mls =200 Cals! arrghhh. i had a little moment of feeling alot of love from my friends the positivity in which they all encourage me. i just love you all for it. i know in coming weeks i will need you all more to lean on xx

A random find this week...how pretty are these vegetables!

Thai pumpkin soup- My favorite meal this week (i think, so hard to choose!)

Peta and My walk this week! looks like we walked so far :)

My Beautiful desk plant from Peta.. i LOVE Hyacinth

Goodbye old glasses- it's been a great 6 years...

Laksa this week... close second favorite.

Prawn Pad Thai ..nom nom  :)

New purchase found in a cute store in Ettalong on the weekend :)

My "sad" 100ml of red wine on Saturday night :(

Without inspiration this change would be a hard one x

Remebering how we used to eat...

Yesterday Bec and i found ourselves out at lunch time, for the first time since starting the 12WBT. "how about subway?" i said.. "I'm sure there was that dude in America that lost heaps of weight eating just subway, wasn't there?"
Flash forward to us sitting in the car outside subway converting Kilojoules to calories... Well 10 min's later ...  the answer is clearly a resounding no! The lowest calorie item at subway was a vegetarian 6inch sub and was over our allowable calorie allocation for that meal! so home we went, and ate some of our 12WBT Lasagna left overs. (yum)

After lunch we sat outside on our deck having a chat and the subject of the calorie intake in subway  came up (which we never really ever ate before) and then quickly turned to fast food we did use to enjoy alot of when we were not giving a second thought to what we were eating we used to eat a heap of crap-and it's no wonder to us that we are in the state we are in. A typical weekend of at home for us would see us eating chips and ice cream, chocolate and pizza... eerrghhh .. it makes me sick just thinking about it now.

Curiosity got the better of us, and we had to know on average on a weekend how many calories we would indulge in. What I'm about to share with you now is horribly disgusting- BUT as part of my transformation i want to be as honest about my lifestyle, because i want to be held accountable for my bad food choices I've made in the past- as much as i holding myself responsible now for the good ones I'm making.

The food of choice to pick on is McDonald's (sorry MacDonald's lovers -you may want to skip the rest of this post) OK -so we all know "Maccas"  is bad for you - there's little to no nutrition in 90% of the food- but no matter what size we are, we all go for the connivance of maccas -and even for some the taste.
When i used to go to Maccas a typical order would be :-
Quarter pounder with cheese -549
Large fries -454
Large Sprite (or diet coke) 210
Large hot fudge sundae - 533
and sometimes 5 nuggets(shared 10 pack with bec) and mayo. -321
Becs  would get :-
Large big mac  -493
Large fries -454
Large coke (or sprite) 232
Large strawberry sundae 411
shared nuggets and mayo. -321

Total calories for my meal ....  2067 Calories
Total calories for Becs meal....1911 Calories

O....M....G !

Now those of you that count calories now that as women we eat 1200 a day... A DAY!  These meals were a dinner or lunch and we were eating almost 2 days worth of calories in ONE MEAL..

The calorie search continued for our favorite snacks.. 
Smiths Original chips - 175gm bag= 914 Calories (!!!!) that's over 3 meals worth of calories!!!
Cadburys boost bar -77gm=402 calories

It just got worse the more we looked for the foods we used to eat... We had to stop looking because it was making us feel sick. The food we were eating had no nutritional value and wasn't making us feel full so we'd eat more. It just all tastes crap that's no good for our bodies. It really made us appreciate the amazing food we've been eating in the past 2 weeks. The new recipes we've learnt to cook, and we are excited to cook for our friends and family.

Even if your reading this and your not doing the 12WBT -i encourage you to look at what your eating, and make good food choices, and FEED your body. listen to what it needs. I know we feel so much better for discovering how bad the food we used to eat was for us. it's made us stronger people, and if nothing it's driven us forward to the new healthy us that is emerging.

Week 3 starts tomorrow - and I'm excited for weigh in Wednesday! I'm going to up my exercise this week as it's the only part I'm not doing so well.

Have a great Monday ! :)

Picture :- kerfuffle.typepad.com

Mcdonalds Nutrition values from :- http://mcdonalds.com.au/our-food/nutrition
Other Calories taken from www.calorieking.com

Weigh in Wednesday....

So today I smashed my first goal of 5Kg weight loss!

WOOOHOOOOOO!

I'm never going back ...NEVER!

That is all !

:)

 

My daily ritual now of small latte, Large green tea and Berocca :)

 

Week Two, Day Two....

I’ve been a bit relaxed in updating my blog. It was a busy week.

So how did my first week go? Well better than expected, but worse than it could of.

I didn’t burn 500 cals a day … and over the long weekend I couldn’t bring myself to make that up either.  But on the plus side- and possibly a more challenging one- I’m happily sticking to the meal plan, and really quiet enjoying it. I’m starting to feel like food is for nutrition and not just forsaking it as “something to do when your bored”

RachV-1 used to eat for the sake of it, and never actually think about what was going in my mouth.  RachV-2 on the other hand is wise to the fact that when there’s something going in- something must go out! …Now I’m not thick or stupid, of corse I’ve always realised that when you eat you must expel. But not necessarily in the way that I’m “getting it” now!

I’m understanding that if I eat 500cals of food I must burn that off through exercise, no amount of couch sitting is going to see me turn from a “king Edward potato to a Desiree Potato”

I plan on going from unhealthy and messy King Edward to a smaller more polished Desiree. Realistic goals!

  

So my biggest flaws last week were letting my extra early morning get in the way of exercising – but I need to be sensible. Getting up at 5am each day to exercise is fine, but when you have to leave at 4:30am to drive to the Flower Markets- getting up at 3am to exercise is NOT ok… I will work on the exercise.

Speaking of exercise- I asked my self a question this week…. “Will I ever WANT to exercise?”  ….will I ever want to do it so much it’s a NEED that I can’t get through my day without?  A lovely friend of mine Renee pointed out a few things to me in response to this question… and I adore it so much I’ve typed it up and look at it everyday … 

You need to treat it like everything else in your life you don't want to do, but you have to... 

Like washing - if you don’t you have no clean underwear.
Like going to work - if you don’t you can’t save up for cool things like holidays and pay your bills.

 

If you don’t exercise, you wont be energetic and full of life,

• your skin wont glow,
• your hair wont shine,
• your clothes wont fit,
• you will have no motivation to leave the couch ever,
• you will be tempted to eat unhealthy food,
• you wont get to feel the fresh air on your face

You won’t transform!

No truer words have been spoken… I will want to exercise some day, and I will love it. I just know I will.  

So tomorrow is Weigh in Wednesday and I hopeful to reach my first goal of kissing goodbye to 5kg. One sleep …and I’ll know …

This week I :-

Saw the opening of the new office

Made a mountain of flowers into beautiful arrangements for the new office

Defeated several cupcakes on 2 separate occasions in the office

Defeated birthday cake in the office

Exercised even when I didn't want to 

Got up earlier than I ever have before several days in a  row

Ate amazing food all cooked by Bec :)

Ate a yummy dinner made by Renee :)

Made a new friend in the mirror

Ate dinner with my bestie

Died my hair 

Missed my mum 

Cleaned my home office -so I can actually work in it!

Watched WAY to many episodes of Nikita whilst having a doona day

Enjoyed my life more

 Things that made me smile this week.....

12WBT Fitness results {honesty moment}

Ok so I'm not excited or proud to be posting these results....but- It's important for me to remember that I've not exercised in around a year -and i did try my best! [ I also figure that the worse they are now the better they'll look when i smash them!]

So this is the first of many fitness tests . done monthly to see my improvements.

• Walk/Run 1km  -14.33 [aiming for 10 next month]
• How many push ups in 10 mins -7 [double for next month]
• Sit ups... well i couldn't even do the first set... Wah! 
• The wall sit.... 54 little seconds?!
• Sit and reach not to shabby for someone with my mid section!