Distractions

This weekend (long weekend) has been pretty great so far! The boyfriend and I took the day off on Friday, and Monday is a public holiday for Australia day, so 4 day weekend - sweet?! Sweet.

Bedroom Wall Art

I have plans this weekend. I need to get started on the paving out the front - which I have been putting off like nothing else. And, to further distract me, I have been hit with a wave of inspiration to create artwork!

We bought our house about 6 months ago and before that we rented. So, we never had much to have on the walls seeing as you usually weren't allowed to drill any holes. And even then, what little we had wasn't enough to fill a 4 bedroom house. I've been looking around online and in markets/stores for some artwork for the walls. I have certain colours I'm looking for to match the decor in the rooms I already have. I have really found nothing that I liked - except pieces over $400. But, considering I need at least 5 LARGE pieces, that is a little out of my price range.

One night last week I couldn't sleep very well so I was up a lot of the night thinking. Suddenly I remembered some advice that a friend gave me many years ago. She was really into the real estate game and had been buying houses, renovating, renting them, building equity and buying more for many years. And she was only 27 (at the time). She told me that a great way of decorating for cheap was to cover canvases with fabric. 

It's funny how the old brain works. It managed to pull some great advice out of the dark recesses of my memory. And now... here I am: making art! 

Dining Room Wall Art

After dragging the poor boyfriend round $2 shops and fabric stores, I have a bag full of offcuts and a stash of cheap canvases. And a staple gun (yay!)

So, I've been making art. I've made 3 sets so far. 1 for the dining room, 1 for the bedroom and 1 for... not sure yet! It's definitely a lot of fun, and the day is flying by without my thinking much about food. And that has made me realise that being bored at work is the thing making me hungry. So, hopefully with the recent developments things will get a little more interesting there for me!

Today is a good day. And tomorrow I'll be listening to the JJJ Hottest 100/ watching Cricket /watching tennis and swimming in a pool. Life is good. 

And let me just thank everyone who has been supporting me lately. It was a little bit of a tough week with the hunger getting to me eventually. But, I'm proud to say that I haven't caved in, even when things got tough. Which is great. The more I'm strong, the stronger I am. So, thank you for being there when I didn't feel so strong here, on MFP, in the Facebook groups and on the forums. It means so much to me and it has really helped me pull through.

Not sure where these are going...

WIL: Hunger! 

WIG: Fun, distractions, some home-crafted art for my walls, and a fantastic support network (love you all).

Tea and Hunger

I'm sitting here with a hot pot of Shimmer Punch by T2 tea. It is delicious. I'm obsessed with T2. One day when I work out how to make the camera on my phone work I will take a picture of the stash of them I have at work.

This Shimmer Punch one is my current favourite. You can either make it hot or chilled, but I haven't tried having it chilled yet since something about the warmth of tea helps me with cravings and boredom hunger. I like to make up a pot (2 cups worth) and then a little later make another pot with the same tea. The second batch is much weaker - and I really like that.

Anyway, this cup is doing the job - mostly!

I've been pretty consistently hungry lately and I feel like it's wearing on me. At first I thought it might be something to do with the fact I've been having quite a few more of the New Formula shakes lately. The new ones have a bit more carbs (around 7gs more) and a bit more sugar than the old ones. My staple has usually been the Old Formula since it's a bit cheaper.

So, today and yesterday I have stuck to the old formula to see if it makes a difference. Just to see if the extra carbs were maybe pushing me out of ketosis. Or if it was the sugar giving me cravings. Well, yesterday went well but I am hungry again today.

I've cut way back on the exercise too - just waiting for Transition before I pick it up again. So, it can't be that. It could be just a psychological thing - that I'm so excited for Transition that I keep thinking about food?

My day usually goes like this:

7am - 30min Walk
7.30am - Breakfast shake with Benefibre, glass of Berocca + another 500ml water
9am - 12pm (at work) Anywhere between 1-2.5 litres of herbal tea and water
12/12.30pm - Lunch shake and salad or veggie sticks (I usually try to hold off til 12.30pm, but the girls at work like to eat at 12
2pm-5pm - Another 1-2 litres of tea and water and MASSIVE HUNGRIES (lately)
6pm - Dinner shake and either soup/salad or stir fry. Sometimes I have a dessert instead of the shake.
 
I've tried having a shake at around 3 or 4pm to stave off the hungries, but that just means that I'm hungry later when I only have veggies for dinner. I've never found veggies to be filling. If anything, I find that they make me hungrier - especially things like celery. My mushroom soup is pretty filling, but the same can't be said for salads and stir fries.

In the beginning this system was working. But now, it's really really not. I guess I just need to stick it out for 3 more days and then I can have my fruit and dairy snacks to tide me over. I haven't come this far to give in!!

In other news - things might be getting better at work (fingers crossed!) My boss came up to me this afternoon and said he wanted to send me on a Project Management course and that he wants the two of us to get a proper system in place for dealing with projects. I have been whinging about the way things are done around here for a while now - so this is great! In fact, he joked that the Project Methodology we use around here is "Crisis Management". lol. Hopefully it all goes ahead and gets approved and isn't just pie in the sky. I would really like to change things around here - but just not on my own. Plus, that kind of training is something I've wanted to do for ages and is really valuable!

Salad Jars

I found out about these little beauties from this article, but it appears that the trend has been all over the net, particularly Pinterst for some time. I bought some jars at Red Dot over the weekend for about $3 each and had my first go at making one last night.

I made up a dressing of:
- 1 tsp Olive Oil (my daily oil allowance)
- 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- a shake of pepper, salt and garlic powder.

So, that went into the bottom, then some chopped mushies in on top of that to soak up the flavour. I wasn't how to order the layers of the rest of the veg. But, I knew the spinach/lettuce was supposed to go on top. Keeping the leafy stuff out of the dressing is what helps it keep fresh/unsoggy for up to 10 days in the fridge.

Anyway, mine only got to sit overnight because I took it to work for lunch today. The mushrooms had really soaked up the dresing and it was honestly bl**dy delicious!! I reckon I could make up 5 at the start of a work week and take one for lunch every day. The ones towards the end of the week would probably taste even better!

I think the idea that your meat (or mushrooms in my case) get a chance to marinate a bit in the dressing without making the whole thing go soggy is really wonderful. Then, of course, when I emptied it all out, the flavours got nice and mixed in with the whole salad.

I just love looking at it and all the pretty colours. I totally eat with my eyes. It is rather faddy, I agree, but it's just very fun and whimsical and really a cool way to get excited about salads!

Can't wait to be able to put a bit of chicken and/or cheese in there come Transition!

 



Marcie and Fyfe

In other news, the new cats are settling in pretty well. They are getting more confident around us every day. I am trying to be patient, but I really can't wait until they come and sit on our laps and give cuddles!

 

I'm feeling generally more positive this week. I've decided to just take it fairly easy on the exercise front and just stick to my walking plus a very light session of weights on Mon-Wed-Fri. I can slightly feel it in my butt today (from squats/lunges), so even a small session must be worth something!

Blood tests are on Friday morning, which I have been dreading. But, that should give the doc a good idea of how I'm doing and he should be able to recommend how I should proceed from here. Whether I do a couple of weeks of Transition and come back to Intensive or whether I just go Transition from now on. We shall see!

Week 11

End of Week 11. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster of a week with my emotions all over the place. Trying to stay on top and positive. Overall, feeling good right now.

I lost 1.5kgs this week, which has brought me to 96kgs. That means 24kgs lost, which is a goal of mine (20% of body weight lost). Feeling awesome.

This will be my last week on Intensive and I'm looking forward to Transition. I am SO ready for some real food. I think the monotony of Intensive has finally exhausted me. Just one more week though, and I can change things up a bit.

We got a new cat and a kitten this last weekend - so that has been really exciting! I will update later with some pics!

Egg Emergency!

Last night as I got in to bed at 9.30pm, my tummy was rumbling. Loudly. I was the hungriest I've been since that first week on Optifast. There have been moments throughout these 10 and a half weeks where I've been mildly hungry, experiencing mild cravings or just hanging out for the next shake. But nothing like this. I couldn't even comprehend how I could get to sleep in that state!

So, after a few minutes lying in bed with my stomach screaming at me, I had to get up. I racked my brain for what we had in the house. Some ham or chicken maybe? I know that Optifast allows you an extra 50-100g of lean protein when you regularly do over an hour of intensive exercise. Or if your BMI is over 35. My BMI is no longer that high and I don't think 30mins intensive + a gentle 30min walk really qualifies on the exercise front. But, I didn't care. I needed food!

I raced to the kitchen, rummaged for a small fry pan, sprayed it lightly with olive oil and popped it on the stove. Then I cracked two eggs into it and began scrambling them in the pan! No time to beat them separately. When they were cooked I ground a little black pepper onto them and tried my best to eat them slowly, taking sips of plain mineral water in between each bite.

It was ok. I was still slightly hungry, but I could handle that. I managed to get to sleep.

So, I technically "cheated" my diet. But, even in my desperate race to get something in my belly, I still had the awareness to make a good choice. The eggs are just fat and protein and won't have done any damage to my ketosis. Optifast say, "If you have to cheat, cheat with meat." (And eggs, in this instance, count as meat!)

I know why this happened. I've been pushing myself too hard on the exercise this week. I am a bit behind on my goal of 4 walks, 3 resistance band sessions, and 3 bike sessions. I've done the walks and 2 sessions with the bands, but only managed to do my first 30mins on the bike last night. I would only be getting in 2 rides max (if I did one more on the weekend). But, still. This appears to be way too much exercise for me on these restricted calories.

It might have been the intensive bike session that pushed me over the edge. I really pushed myself doing 15mins of hill intervals and then 15mins of sprint intervals. The resistance band workouts really sock it to me too. But, I feel so flabby and loose right now. I really want to tone up. I don't know...

I feel like I've gotten a bit lost in all of this lately. I am actually concerned I'm pushing myself into Starvation mode. My weight loss slowed up a bit last week, and a sneak peak today looked even worse. I don't want to stall my weight loss. I have had faith in the Optifast plan for so long now - why am I messing with it?

I still want to do my 3rd resistance band work out tonight. And then I hope to just take it easy on the weekend. It really sucks. Exercise has been making me feel so good. I don't know if I just need to persist and get used to the hunger or if I'm actually doing damage to my body and should reign it back.

Probably should see my doctor to get his advice. But the only way he's going to know is if he does tests. I've had a referral for some pathology tests for a while now, but I usually faint or near-faint every time I get blood taken. And I reckon on reduced calories it will be even worse. So, I'm afraid. And putting it off. I need to go. I'm going to have to convince myself, somehow.

I was going so well just doing 30min walks and sticking to the program. I've changed things and the results are changing. Do I care about that number on the scale more than feeling fitter and happier? Or, am I being silly trying to push the exercise? One more week til transition. With a bit more food (around 200 calories more), will that make a difference?

Lots to think about.

WIL: The plot (a bit).
WIG: Knowledge that I can cook eggs in under 3mins - get outta here Fast Food!
A bit of thinking to do.

Turning it Up

I did my fastest ever walk this morning - 3kms in 28.5mins. That may be slow for a lot of you, but it's a lot faster for me! I think in the beginning I was doing 3kms in 35mins.

I don't always feel like pushing it. Sometimes my morning walks are more of a relaxation/wake up thing. Especially if I've done some exercise on the bike or resistance bands the night before. But, this morning I challenged my boyfriend and myself to beat our PB (which I think might have been just over 30mins).

Yay for us!

I'm hoping that turning up the intensity a bit will help prepare me for the Couch to 5K that I want to start doing from the start of my Transition phase. (I've already downloaded an app for it!) It's going to be hard at first, I know. I'm very unfit. But, I know from previous experience that if I stick at it, I will get better every time.

Reading all these wonderful weight loss and fitness blogs like Poonapalooza, Optifast Mom and Runs For Cookies has really got me motivated to get running. So, that is a goal of mine. I've just been hesitant to run with so much weight on me, in case I hurt my knees or ankles. And also while my calories are so restricted. I am really frightened that I will push myself into being hungry again.

Hmmm... these all sound like excuses! I think I really just need to bite the bullet and see how it goes. I won't know til I try!

I'm feeling a lot better today than I did last week. Work feels better. I think I've finally managed to catch up on all the work after my Xmas break. So, that has helped my mood.

I need to get a move on with my paving project for our front yard. Need to mark out the sections I need digged up and then hire someone with a bobcat to do it for me. Plus, we also need to do something about the lifting tiles in our laundry, and the damp smell in there (which may or may not be associated with the lifting tiles!). Oh, and of course the 4 more doors we need to paint. And the feature wall in the bedroom. And then, the creative painting pieces I want to do for the bare walls everywhere. We bought our first house 6 months ago and boy there are always things to do, aren't there?!

The good thing is that being happier and healthier on Optifast has seen me do a lot more work around the house than before. I was always on the couch. And when we did a big clean I'd often have to sit down for breaks because my back or hips were sore. Not so much, now.

Hope you're all well and having a good week so far!

Week 10

Today is Week 10 Weigh-In day. I lost 0.9kg in the last week. First time on this diet that I've lost less than 1kg, but whatever! It's still 900grams I'm not carrying around with me.
 
I was good this week. I didn't deviate at all. I'm really in a routine with my eating now. Yesterday I went and saw The Hunger Games 2 with a friend of mine. I took my 1L water bottle and even bought along a little snap-lock bag of veggie sticks to have in the movie.  In the end, I actually didn't really miss snacking that much, so I only ate a few.
 
Actually, after the movie, my friend bought himself a packet of potato chips. He offered me one, smiling. (He knows that I'm on a diet). I said "No, thanks." He replied, "I bet you do, really."

That made me stop and think! Thing is, I didn't really. I wasn't hungry, I wasn't craving salt. I didn't even expect that it would taste particularly nice. Why would I want to eat it? I feel like some big changes are happening inside me!

Oh, and people are starting to notice! Today a colleague came back from 3 weeks off over Xmas/New Year. He remarked that I looked different. I don't like to draw attention to my weight loss that much so I just said "Oh, okay!" But, he insisted that I must have lost weight and that it was noticable! I thanked him, of course! A man noticed. Woohoo! He is the first person to say anything at work, apart from my good friend who tells me I look fantastic almost every day - bless her! So, you can count that as two compliments today. Score!
 
On the water front, I've been trying to keep my intake at around 3 litres a day, and, so far so good! My Water Your Body app is helping remind me. I usually drink a lot of water. But days where I might have some diet soft drink, I tend to drink a little less. So, now that I'm being more conscious of it, I seem to not have any room for soft drink. Which, is a good thing. I think it's best if I keep it for treats as I've found a can of Diet Coke really helps if I'm having a hungry moment or need a little pick me up!
 
My skin is continuing to improve and clear up. I haven't had any big pimples in a while and most of the blotching from past acne is calming down a bit. However, I am more aware of it now, and probably more critical. It's amazing how many things about my appearance I just didn't even care about when I was fatter. I didn't bother with makeup, with doing anything with my hair. I didn't think about clothes too much. Never did my nails, etc. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. And often thought I was disgusting anyway, so why even bother? Now, I feel like I'm trying to be the best me I can be in every way!
 
In other news, I managed to do 4 x 30min walks and 2 x 30min stationary bike rides this week. Plus one workout with my resistance bands. I'm very conscious of trying to get a bit fitter and toned now. I don't want to become obsessed with fitness, but I want to make sure that when I've lost all my weight I don't then need to do another 6 months of training on top of it to tighten everything up! Also, I need to build good habits now that will last me for my lifetime of maintaining.

This next week I'm aiming to step it up to 3 x bike rides and 3 x resistance band workouts, and at least 4 walks (as usual). Might think about adding in an extra 100g of protein on those days as I don't want to push myself into starvation mode!

My goal for the mental side of things this week, is to be positive! No need for getting stressed or worried. The weight is coming off. It will be gone, eventually. Stay strong, and keep going!
 
WIL: Nearly a kilo! The ability to wear all but one pair of my work pants.
WIG: Compliments. Better skin. Renewed positive attitude.