I don't know about the weights first

Well as you girls know, I was advised to do my weights programme first and then cardio plus to have a glass of milk and a yoghurt before hand. So did that last night - I don't know, I do feel I need protein so that is okay with the yoghurt or milk but do think I need some carbohydrate - low GI foods I didnt think I had the energy. My thought was one piece of bread (something quite grainy like Burgen) with some tuna or cheese in it? When I went to the gym last night I asked about the weights first and then cardio, they didn't agree and I must admit to not liking the weights first as I struggled through the cardio. I think I need to be fresh for the cardio and Adrian the trainer agreed. So tonight is just cardio so that is okay, tomorrow is cardio and weights so will try with the yoghurt and bread and see how I go plus will go back to cardio first and weights - keep you posted. I am going to do some research into this subject, I am now really interested in the technical side of weight loss and as Kazz has said in her blog - I am really looking forward to educating myself. I am tired at present, still getting over the weekend. My gym is only closed on Good Friday during the Easter period, so I intend to make the most of it and do some long sessions - or two sessions daily. I might even get them during this period to re-work my programme. When I have a bit more money certainly investing in a Heart Rate Monitor so I think this is going to be beneficial to allow me to see how many calories I am burning etc. Christened my new oven last night, will take a bit to get used to. Just did some frozen fish fillets - I usually don't like to eat anything processed but these are easy. So will try and bake some low fat goodies for the freezer to get used to the fan forced. With weight loss other than the exercise/food intake/water intake and tracking the most important key is the mindset - mine this week has taken a bit of a battering in that the gain has upset me, but I am doing the self talk and this helps plus I visualise myself a happier, healthier and thinner Martine. I watched Biggest Loser last night, I don't agree with the program as such but I think what it does is show us the difference weight loss can make not just to the physical. Each person somehow I can connect with and seeing how happy they are. I got a lot from last night's episode - the fact that with confidence you can do anything. Maybe the reason I don't attract men is that I don't believe in myself. I brought a 12 week food journal tracker at WW on Friday, I haven't used it this week - it hasn't started off in the best way but will do it next week. I am also going to track my measurements, I have taken my measurements when I first joined the gym in late November 2009 so it will be interesting to see how I go. I haven't necessarily lost the kgs I wanted but am sure I am changing shape. Anyway, yesterday most of water consumed and spend the entire day on the toilet - I must try and focus on this, especially with weigh in on Friday. Take care everyone, and feel free to post - I get a lot of joy from them. Anyone that wants to email me direct can on mdally@internode.on. net Martine xxxx

Seriously, I am not impressed !!!!

Above is a picture of me (me trying to take photo by myself) and of me and Savannah my niece who seems to be in the same boat as me trying to lose some weight. She is a good kid. Well can I say I am seriously not a happy camper.

I could just scream or cry or both. Went to my weigh in at Weight Watchers and thought as I exercised more this week that I would secure a 1kg loss, bloody hell I gained 1 kg. Honest to god what does a girl need for consistency.

My leader Di Fitzell is away so I had another leader who had lost 58 kgs and she was great, understood I was frustrated and talked me through it. This is one of the serious advantages of going to Weight Watchers Lifestyle Centres, they addressed my issues and mine only. So we talked in general about it, the consensus was that I was not eating enough – same old story.

You know, it is hard to get your head around the fact that eating less is not necessary good, especially for someone like me that is exercising as well. She talked about tracking seriously this week and they will look at what I eat and what times and the leaders basically going through my eating planner.

Secondly, there is just too long a period between meals so I was not impressed so I have to eat more. Lachie the other leader came and chatted also, he having lost 35 kgs and goes to the gym regularly. He suggested (now I zoned out on the technical reasons) that I drink 1 cup of Tone Milk and 100 grams of low fat yoghurt around 4.30pm. So I will have to do that and ensure I eat all of my points. He also suggested I do my weights programme first and then my cardio, I had heard this before when I had a personal trainer about 6 years ago. Something about the body burning the glycogen (I think) during weights and then when you go on the cardio you go into fat burning. I will try this as I had heard this before and this is what Lachie does. Overall this is advantage of the one on one process, it was about me on Friday and what I needed to do.

Having a gain didn’t put me in a good frame of mind, Saturday I worked at the State Election and was a horrendously long day, left home at 6.15am and got in my front door at 10.45pm. Hardly ate other than a handful of scotch finger biscuits so when I went home drove through McDonalds for a Big Mac Meal and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it wasn’t what I should have had. Emotionally I was upset so last night had a pizza.

Luckily, I have woke up this morning with the mentality that I need to work harder, eat more and snack. I am determined that I won’t buy my lorna jane bag until I have had 4 losses in a row, somehow I think this journey is going to be a long one.

I must not compare myself to other people, just because they have had consistently good losses it does not mean I do.

To add salt to the wound I also am starting menopause, the hot flushes have hit in a big way and so that also makes me upset as it reinforces that motherhood will not happen, although I know in my heart about this.

At the polling booth there was so many delicious men and yummy dads. Honestly, what is so hard about meeting someone. I am at the point in my life where I need someone, I just have to believe it will happen.

So anyone reading this, I want your views/ideas/experiences on the following:

· Hot flushes – what have you taken?

· Gym workouts – weight loss, eating and any useful information

· Do you eat snacks?

So I have to not let 1 unexpected gain get to me, I am going to try and do some additional exercise this week to try and get the extra food worked off. Okay so I need to keep the momentum going, believe in myself and just toughen up and work hard at getting this weight off.

I can either feel sorry for myself or just keep at it, luckily I have never contemplated leaving WW, I know I would gain unless I replace it with something and I know it works, I just have to keep my food/exercise/water intakes consistent.

Any comments are appreciated

I have a bowl of mini chocolate eggs on my desk !

Oh dear me ! My boss has put a bowl of mini chocolate eggs on my reception desk at work - that is not good. This will give me a test of my willpower. I went off to the gym last night like a good girl, I always feel a million dollars when I walk in, purely that I am doing it - exercising when I have little or no sleep and am exhausted. I get depressed every now and again and am in anti-depressants, I have seen a distinct link in my mental health levels and exercise, when I exercise I note that mentally I am better and am now a bit passionate about people that are depressed as hard as it is to get out and exercise. This morning before I started work (I work for a law firm as a PA) I have my morning skim latte - like is to damn short for bad coffee and as all the morning papers had disappeared I started to read Fitness First (a chain of gym's in Australia) monthly magazine. It has some interesting articles and some ideas for me about what to eat before the gym (I will report on this below) and an article about a girl who had bad mental illness, tried to committ suicide and was homeless for a part, she managed to get herself organised through a women's shelter and one thing and another lead to her working full time at the shelter. Eventually she starts at the gym with a personal trainer, she loses 35 kilos and her mental health is non existent. Certainly I could understand it. One of the things that I need to work on is eating between meals, I know that I leave too much of a gap and especially in the afternoon need a snack at around 4.30pm - 5pm before the gym, I am never hungry really so thought perhaps a good quality protein drink might help me. I obviously am needing something as I do get tired a bit at the gym and think my body does not have enough fuel. I will certainly be trying to read up on this. Obviously a banana is a good choice, damn shame I am allergic to them. Tonight is my hair appointment (thank god). I am a fussy girl - the hair and makeup and clothes need to be just right, I think because at present I am larger (but not for long) that I need to make that extra effort plus I am single so you never know when that man on the white horse may come charging up the lifts to my desk at work ! This weekend is horrendously busy...........sigh ! Tomorrow night is my weigh in, fingers crossed but at lunch I left my salad at home and went to the food court and had a bad choice, my rings are tight so I need to guzzle water down between now and my weigh in. Saturday is an election day in South Australia, I have been asked to work at a polling booth so that is good money and pays for my table to be re-sanded and cut down to size. Sunday was going to be my day of rest but alas my favourite girl Tania is down at my side of town so we are meeting for a coffee and chat, she has decided to leave Weight Watchers at present due to her tremendously busy life -so we have a lot to catch up on. So seeing her and then Joey (I have 4 close friends called Jo -plus my mother is Josephine and another Jo ) who has got a new kitten "Archie" so must go and see him as she (Jo that is) fusses over my Vincenzo the wonderdog. I am counting down till Easter - 4 days off and as most people I know go away I am hoping for a bit of down time, going to the gym, watching some TV and reading some books. Sounds bliss. Must dash - hope everyone is having a good day. Love Martine xx

Sorry for being missing in action

Now where to start !

The kitchen has gone in and looks fabulous, I am very excited. My beautiful Dad removed the old kitchen, re-tiled the new kitchen with very large fabulous tiles and painted. He will be back with Mum on the 24th to paint the lounge and my laundry. It is just so nice to have a great new kitchen although I haven't used the oven yet (as it is no nice and new I don’t want to dirty it !). I will post soon the new kitchen photos.

He was down for 2 weeks and at the end I didn’t want him to leave, considering I have lived by myself since the age of 22 and am now 46 years of age, that is pretty good going.

Now with Weight Watchers, lost 1kg this fortnight (didn’t go last week as I had a doctor’s appointment). The week before that my blasted TTOM was due so a gain of 1.4 kilos. At least it is down from the last TTOM gain of 2.2 ! The plan was to do a fast track, low processed food the week my period is due, with one thing and another it didn’t happen but as it is due again in another 17 days I will ensure that I monitor carefully that week my food so that I can secure a loss. I may try and fit in a few more exercise sessions that week, if I can get out of bed earlier. I refuse to buy myself that Lorna Jane gym bag until I have had 4 losses in a row – period or no period. I know I can lose when TTOM is due.

My leader has been away so I saw Lachie – a young buff leader who lost about 35 kilos, he was really direct and we talked about TTOM and what I plan to do – he also suggested that week to go organic. A totally different attitude but saying that he is very helpful as far as questions re exercise goes.

With Dad down I didn’t go to the gym for 2 weeks, purely as he was home working and I felt uncomfortable with that, I must admit to really missing it and it made me realise that it does relax me and puts me in a good frame of mind, I think that as I sweat and work hard that I am doing what a lot of people don’t do, that is exercise – I know all the girls that are dieting, following Weight Watchers or the like exercise but I know a lot of people that do not exercise, so I am personally proud that I do this. I can see my shape changing and must remember to measure myself again and see how I go.

Went to see my specialist about my lung, he really didn’t answer my questions despite lots of tests with large gap fees, he told me to keep exercising and ensure my fitness is increased – no drama with that. He told me perhaps my shape wasn’t helping – ie. I am in need of losing weight. He suggested about 10 – 15 kilos. What was interesting when I underwent these tests in 2003 and now in 2010 I am exactly the same weight and in 2003 I had not breathing difficulties. Obviously I only told Mum that he said to keep my fitness up, she asked about the weight – I didn’t comment as I didn’t need the stress or anxiety associated with it. Phoebe on the biggest loser reminds me of me, last night she had a makeover and commented the more her mother told or tried to help her diet the more she ate, the message is that I am the only one that can do this, if I am not in the right mindset – then it doesn’t matter what I follow nothing will help. I am lucky that I am patient and that I am happy with how this year has gone, my attitude is that I haven’t given up. I do notice the correlation between exercise and constant weight loss, the fact that I walked for years has made me realise that unless we are absolutely power walking and pushing ourselves, a leisurely stroll won’t work.

So overall, things going well – I am focused on just doing what I am doing, although I need to increase my water and fruit intake – somehow the water is a bit of a struggle so I must focus on this.

I have read a lot of blogs lately, I might not be exactly where I want to be but I am more times than not being quite good, I know with exercise at my gym that with what I eat that I can lose with consistently, as long as I work out what to do that 4^th week when TTOM is due.

Anyway everyone, that is me for the time being – I plan to update daily as I need at night to write my exercise details in a log, I am seriously thinking of buying a polar heart rate monitor to monitor the calories burned etc – must look into that.

Martine xxx

Update coming

Sorry fans, have been missing in action. Long post will be done tonight