Confession time.

Forgive me CK for i have sinned. It has been 18 days since my last confession. And in that time i have put on.*gasp* 2.8kg
I can't even say i got lost. I just gave up. It has been coming on for a while. I'd put on some grammage, then lose, then gain. I wasn't logging it in or changing my sig. Today i changed it all. I feel like i did the first day....jumping out of the closet with my dirty little secret. Also like my first day, i don't have a fire burning yet, just a small spark.
I've logged all my cals so far and although i am getting my exercise done, i am not being complicated with it. Just aiming for my 10,000 steps. By way of interval training. Normal walking steps wont count. I'm just breaking it down over the course of the day and making sure i get them done. It's been a lazy day otherwise. 2 of my kids have mild tonsilitis (Spellcheck). House is warm, doonas galore over the lounge. Dinner is already prepared, Chicken breast and veg ready for the steamer. I'm making my own garlic and herb butter as well. Light marg - bexlight from aldi, with a little crushed garlic and some dried herbs. Melt it in the microwave and pour over steamed pot, pumpkin and carrot.
Well nothing else to say. I'm p***ed off at myself for letting go for a while. I have things to do and goals to meet and i am no closer than the start of the year. Well, 1.6kg but that doesn't do me diddly squat.

Tip 29 - good food
To cut back on fat, find out where it comes from

Cutting down on fat is one of the most effective ways to reduce your cal intake and accelerate weight loss. Dietary fat usually comes from 3 main sources.

*Fats occuring naturally in food - meats, nuts, butter, cheese, whole milk, yoghurt and avocado. To help reduce fat we can trim visible fat from meats and choose low fat dairy products.

*Fats you add during cooking - butter, cooking oils, eggs, salad dressings and cream. To help reduce fat we can cut back or substitute healthier ingredients.

*Fats manufactured with foods - cakes, biscuits, snack foods, pastry and chocolate. To help reduce fat we can cut back as much as possible and look for low fat alternatives.


Still here

Tip 27 & 28

Tip 27 - Move more

Do more incidental movement

Can you believe that lots of little bits of movement throughout the day can burn cals and actually help you lose weight? While it isn't as effective as structured exercise, any extra activity helps; and it doesn't have to be vigorous. Random acts of movement are a good way to counteract deskwork, inactive leisure time and labout saving technology that has dramatically reduced the amount of cals we use everyday.

Look for ways to incorperate more movement into your lifestyle, and not for ways to avoid it.
* When you can, walk instead of using the car.
* Use the stairs instead of lifts or elevators.
* Get off public transport before your stop and walk the rest of the way.
* Park your car some distance from you destination and walk.
* Walk to the next office instead of phoning or emailing.
*Go for a short walk during lunch.

The one about parking your car further away is something i use alot. When i go to the supermarket i park in the far corner. Much easier to get a park and i have to walk a bit more. It's amazing now how much i notice the people idling near the fron car parks waiting for someone to vacate.

Tip 28- Motivation and mindset.
Identify barriers to your success.

Why can't you lose weight???? What is holding you back from getting results???Here are some of the more common limiting factors or underlying barriers to fat and weight loss.

* drinking to much alcohol or other empty cals.
* Eating too much takeaway food.
* Eating large portion sizes....especially at night.
* Excessive T.V viewing.
* Lack of exercise and physical activity.
* Overeating due to stress or emotional issues.
* eating too many processed carbs.

As long as these barriers remain unidentified they will continue to stop you from getting results. Think about your lifestyle and your diet. Honestly evaluate yourself. Ask yourself what's working and what's not. Do you have problem areas that are holding you back? What 3 changes could you make that would make the biggest differences to your health? Think about your answers and you'll discover what limiting factors are stopping you from losing weight. Hopefully, it will then become clear what you need to change.

Hmmmm, food for thought. Some of those points are problems for me

A bushwalking rehash

Hmmmm, i wonder how silly i am about to be.

1 year and a month ago i tried a huge hike. And i was buggered. See link if interested.

http://www.calorieking.com.au/blogs/index.php?member=thamlore&year=2007&month=06&day=09

Well i am about to try it again. I don't think there will be much difference as i have slacked off with exercising and mostly stick to walking all the time. I am still babying my spark and thought maybe rehashing something from a year ago may help ignite that little sucker into a full blown fire.

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Ummm, we are back. I think!. After the first 10 mins i started to panic and worried that i had made a mistake....de ja vu??? I thought i would be lucky to shave 10 mins off. Then i remembered the 2 hours 10 thing didn't include the rest breaks and photo ops etc. So i hoped to be between 2 hrs to 2 hours 10 with out resting. Remember it is a 2hour ther and back recommendation.

Well....the stairs killed me just as much as they did the first time. There are two huge sets. You go down them on the way there which of course means up on the way back. The first set - on the way back was bad enough and i had slight pauses and cursed my stupidity. The second set was massive and i was starting to panic. Many pauses in the first half of them and then i just told myself i hated this person i was...who can't even manage huge steep steps and i needed to do this for the plane. So with every right step i kept repeating, the plane, the plane, the plane and i managed to finish the second half off with only 2 pauses. ( now when i say steps, think.....huge bloody shelves that take 2 steps between each layer and standing on 1 layer has the next layer to your knee. There are some smaller ones whis only reach mid calf length though) And i thought i would have handled it so much better as for almost a year now i have stopped taking the elevator and used only stairs or escalators - which i walk up and don't remain still on) But i digress.
So we made it over many mountains - though after i had cleared both steps we stopped for a drinks break. 3 mins there.
And the brilliant news!!!!
1 hour and 33 mins there and back! If i take off the drinks break like i did first time round we shaved 40 mins off last time. No wonder i felt it a little earlier, we were going all out. And what is even better. I wasn't strolling along as i shaved 30 mins of the recommended time even.
So, without anything else. That is a true test of fitness and i DID win.
Now please....can someone carry me to my bed?????


BTW.....my children don't normally like so artisitic. LOL
Check out the waves behind them, they were HUGE.
Xoxo

A positive exercise.

What a fast week. We went for another family BBQ yesterday. It has been quite a cheap holiday period because most of the things we have done are activity orientated instead of the movies etc... They love walking down to the main town and i love the fact that they go to sleep early. Actually i went to bed early as well, and it wasn't long before i fell asleep.
Weigh in day....1.4kg down. I'm 1 kilo off where i will start celebrating again. Although my lowest was in the 133 region that was after taking a fluid tablet, which can dehydrate you a little, and i haven't had one since then so i think this is more of a true reading this time.

it has been a clean up day today. Sorting through bedrooms and stuff. We want a lazy weekend before school starts again. Only a couple of months and i lose 3 out of 4 children for 3 days when they all go on exactly the same camp. Boy wont it be quiet then. And although i don't mind being child free for a few hours, i think losing them for 3 days will be quite tough.

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Tip 34 Motivation and mindset.
Know why you want to lose weight

It may seem obvious, but it really helps to have a clear understanding of the reasons why you want to shed body fat. You will have a better chance Of achieving your goals if you are truely convinced of the benefits that your new behaviours will bring. This can help to inspire you and keep you on track during times of doubt. Some of the more common positive reasons that people want to lose weight include improving your health, buy new clothes, or fit back into old clothes, improve your appearance, feel more confident, improve your fitness level or to sleep better.
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Now it suggests writing down 2 reasons, which funnily enough is sort of on a theme with what some people have doing in the 50kg+ group.

I am going to put down 2 aesthetic reasons and 2 fundamental reasons.

1> I want to be able to wear a killer pair of midlength boots.
2> I have started to covet some clothes i see out and about and even though i have only lost a small amount of weight i have experimented with layering - which is something i never used to do, and would like to take this further.


1> There are active things i want to participate in....riverrafting, indoor rock climbing etc...
2> i will have to take a plane trip early next year (my first) and i don't want to require a seat belt extender or 'spill over' into someone elses seat.

These reasons are not inclusive of the normal, want to fix my self confidence problems.

Well, i hope everyone has a great, lazy end of school holiday weekend
Edit: I got home from dropping off my son at a friends house to find that, what i was going to cook for dinner has just about been finished off by my daughter. She cooked dinner last night so it was a nice surprise. She is really into cooking at the moment.

And another part on the aesthetic reason for losing weight. I have just been sent an email with sleeping arrangements for my daughters trip next year. I didn't even think about it but i guess i would've assumed i would be lodging with my daughter.....ahhhh no! I have to room with someone elses mum More of a reason huh!

Thamlore
Xoxo

Tips 25 & 26.

tip 25 - Motivation and mindset.

Check to see if excess body fat is affecting your health

How's your waist measurement? What was your waist circumference from day 19? If your waist measurement is too large, your current level of body fat is placing your heart at risk. Excess fat stored around your stomach can point towards heart disease, and has been closely linked with breast cancer and insulin resistance in woman and colon cancer and diabetes in men. Abdominal fat can also be a major cause of snoring and high blood pressure.
For women.......low is less than 80cm.....Medium is 80-90cms and........high is over 91 cms.
For men...........low is less than 90cm.....Meduim is 90-100cm and........high is over 101cms.

A measurement of more than 90cms in men and 80cms in women more than doubles your chances of having one or more of the risk factors for heart disease.


tip 26 good food.
Know which fat is which

All fats are not created equal. While all types are high in cals and should be eaten in moderation for weight loss, some types are better for your health than others. The three main types of dietary fat found in foods are saturated, polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated. Mono-unsaturated fats provide the best protection against heart disease. Saturated fats are considered the dietary bad guy because if there negative effects on your blood cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated fats tend to have a neutral effect on your cholesterol, except for foods containg processed polyunsaturated fats called trans fats. Trans fats are just as harmful to your health as sat fats and are common in margarine and fast foods.
Try to get most of your fats from Mono-unsaturated fats and unprocessed polyunsaturated fats. Minimse your intake of sat fats and trans fats.

Monos include.....Olive oil, peanuts, peanut oil, canola oil, avocado, oily fish(salmon, tuna), macadamia oil,and lean meats.

Polys include.....Safflower, sunflower, corn, seasame, soybean and grape seed oils, margarine, fish, shellfish, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, walnuts, brazil nuts and pine nuts.

Sats include......Butter, cheese, beef and chicken fat, palm oil, cakes, vegetable shortening, pastries, coconut ream, chocolate, hydrogenated vegetable oil, carob and copha.


I like the fats list. Although i thought i knew most of it anyways it is just good to go over.


ALSO, i can tell that for some reason my last 2 tips that were done on Friday haven't gone through. Must've been one of those times it ate my post so i'll fix that up tomorrow

Tips 23 & 24

23 - Good food

Calculate your daily fat needs, and keep to your fat budget


When you are trying to improve the way you eat, it's helpful to know how much fat you should be having. Cutting back on fat will help to reduce you calorie intake, however, the amount of fat you need varies depending on your gender, your health goals and your activity levels. You wont have to cont fat grams forever, but it does pay to be aware of how much fat is in the foods you do eat regularly.


Now fat grams are something i have always been aware of. Right from the time i first started to seriously lose weight using the fats and figures books. I managed to lose 15 kilos.....deja vu much????


24 - Move more.
Set a benchmark, and test your cardiovascular fitness

To get anywhere, you need to know your starting place. When it comes to starting an exercise program for weight loss, that means giving yourself a basic fitness assessment. Improved cardio fitness will improve your ability to burn fat.
One of the easiest tests you can do is a timed walk or run over a set distance. You can use a treadmill or map out a set course by using an odometer. Aim for a distance of 3-5kms depending on your level of fitness. The main thing is that this distance or course needs to be repeated in the future. Once you have completed the course, cool down and record your results somewhere. They'll be needed at a later date.

I used to watch a show on foxtel and they did a set course and then repeated it agin 6 months later to see how far he'she had come. They also did a step bit where the step came halfway up their shin and they had to see how many steps....placing both feet fully on the top, then both coming down.....they could do in 2 mins. I think average was either 60 or 66 in the 2 mins. That was supposed to mean you were of av fitness. Most of the unfit people only managed low 30's and i was surprised that at that point.....and i had been exercising for a few months by then, that my first try was early 50's. For my size i thought that was great. I didn't get round to trying again I've slacked off a bit so once i get up and going again i'll have to retry.

Tip 21-

Tip 21 Don't change your diet without exercising

If you go on a diet, or cut back your calorie intake without being physically active, you actually make it harder for yourself to achieve results. Consider these facts:-
* You will be less likely to burn off fat as a furel source.
* Your metabolic rate will slow down.
* Your body will be more likely to store fat after the diet.
* Any weight lost without exercise is virtually guaranteed to return within 12 months.

Combining regular exercise and healthy eating is the best way to burn dietary fat, and remove existing stores of body fat. This was shown in a recent 13 week study comparing 2 groups of cyclists. Both groups exercised twice a week, but 1 group cut out 800 kjs (sorry for the swap there but my brain doesn't want to do the maths ) with extra exercise. Both groups lost similar amounts of visceral (internal) fat, but the extra exercise group lost more subcutaneuous fat. This type of fat is just beneath the skin, making your arms, legs and tubby look flabby. It appears that more weight can be lost by increasing your activity levels rather than by cutting cals.
Exercise also halps maintain muscle tissue. Food changes on their own are much less effective than combining healthy eating with regular exercise.

Tip 22 The 3 week stocktake. Have you made any new habits yet?

You are now into your third week of your personal program. How are you going? Have you adopted any new behaviours yet? Have you modified or cut out any habits that were holding you back? Research has shown that any action repeated for a minimum of 21 days is more likely to become a permanent change!
Why not identify one thing you could do every day for the next 21 days that will accelerate your results. Call this the 21 day challenge. It might be to cut out alcohol, eat less chocolate, plan your meals or exercise everyday. Whatever you choose, plan for yourself a non food related reward when you make the 21 days.


Firstly.... Tip 21..... I knew how important exercise was but point 3 & 4 are very thought provoking. Why???? I am not the exercise machine i was when i started. I remember around Oct/Nov/Dec last year when i felt like a machine and then proceeded to only put on weight most of the time and spent those months - plus a few more after, taking off anf putting on the same couple of kilos. Maybe tip 16 has something to do with that though. Although it wasn't my first few weeks it was me starting to burn 600-1,000 cals per day everyday. I am also now scared about going so hard as i worry about regain plus i felt so tired after that period i hardly exercised at all.

Tip 22.....I think i will make up a 21 day challenge. To start on Monday. Maybe 30 mins of any exercise DVD per day for 21 days. Let me think on this over the weekend and get back to you bloggy my boy. Now i need a reminder.....

Tip 19 - Motivation and mindset, tip 20 - good food

19 Use a tape measure, not the scales to track your progress

A little extra weight, as long as it is through better hydration or increased muscle density, can help you lose body fat which unfortunately is shown as a gain on the scales.....but not on the tape. In the first 4-12 weeks of commencing an exercise program, you'll experience the fastest and most dramatic improvements in muscle density. Your muscles don't get bigger but they weigh more as they store glucose to fuel your new activity. So use a tape measure to track your progress.


.....Sounds sane to me

20 You don't have to count cals but be aware

Let's face it, counting cals isn't anyones idea of a good time (Side note....that's why i love CK as it counts them for you ) Even if you don't want to count cals it is important to cut back on them. So to cut back you need to be aware of what is high and what is not.

Start by getting to know the rough cal content of the foods you eat regularly. You don't have to calculate exactly how many you've eaten everyday but try to eat mostly foods with a lower cal count. Plus use nutrition tables on the labels to help choose the lighter options......

I'm not going to type in the rest as it just mentions portion control and common sense. I'm not sure about this one, i prefer to count cals at the moment which is probably the same of most members here at Ck but i do agree the above paragraph comes in handy for the times we have small breaks....due to hols, chaotic times and general just need a break to stay sane plus when we begin - hopefully, maintaining. There again, the counting cals now is what helps us become aware of what is in our fav foods for said times.

Have a good one.

P.S Do you know how much easier i am finding it to drink water at the moment. The funny thing is i am now 1 year and a few weeks old in CK years and everything was soooo easy to start with. Then summer came and i found it hard to drink my water quota. I just didn't want it. Now with the cold weather again i am drinking it easy. Weird

Tip 17 Good food & tip 18 Move more

17 - Understand that all cals are not created equal

These tips have encouraged you to eat fewer cals, but it's not just the number of cals you eat, it is also where they come from. There are four different ways you can consume cals.....
1> Fat - which has approx 9 cals per gram
2> Alcohol - which has approx cals per gram
3> Carbohydrates - which have approx 4 cals per gram
4> Protein - which has approx 4 cals per gram as well.

People don't eat cals, they eat food. But it helps to know that fat is the most calorie dense food, containing more than double the content of carbs and protein. Fat cals also have the greatest capacity for storage because the body is very effective at converting dietary fat into body fat. In comparison, it's much harder for your body to convert excess protein and carbs into bady fat. Your body can't convert alcohol into fat, but it must be used for fuel first, making the cals you consume with alcohol much more likely to be stored. So watch your alcohol intake, and focus on low fat protein and quality carbs that give you max fullness per cal.


Hmmm, i have always known that alcohol whilst watching your nutrition is bad but i never really knew the specifics.
Will it stop my alcohol intake????? I don't think so but i think i will cut out the occasional on a quiet weekend drinks. It's different if i am out and about, and i am not a snacker when i drink so i thought that made it better as i know it causes snacking. Now i know that isn't the only drawback though

18 Make sure your exercise program is the right FITT

When you exercise to achieve weight and fat loss, it is important to follow a few basic guidelines. These guidelines vary depending on what you hope to achieve. For example: your exercise strategy to achieve fat loss will be different to the exercise factors you'll need to manipulate to increase aerobic fitness or muscle toning. To achieve results you'll need to juggle the four components of exercise that make the acronym FITT:
* Frequency - the amount of times you exercise in a week - long period
* Intensity - a measure of how hard you need to exercise to make sure that your exercise is effective; some measures include heart rate and breathing rate, and these may vary during an exercise session
* Time - the duration of your activity
* Type - the type of activity that is most likely to be beneficial


So......for weight and fat loss

* F requency ----- approx 5-7 times per week
* I ntensity ----- Light to mod, light huffing and puffing, 50-65% of Max HR for beginners
65-85% for the more advanced. Also good to vary intensity with intervals.
* T ime ----- 30-60 mins. This can be accumulated over the day.
* T ype ----- Rhythmic, continuos movements that involve large muscle groups, like walking and jogging.

Tip 15 & 16.Move more & Motivation and mindset

Firstly....before i go on. I'm needing to do 2 tips for a while. Last week i feel like i hit rock bottom. It was a big struggle last week and i came very close to quitting. But here i am picking myself up from the floor and i have some work to catch up on. Moving on......

15 Don't be discouraged by a little muscle soreness

Exercise can trigger a feeling of pain and stiffness in your muscles the day after your activity. Its scientific name is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) because the pain usually appears 24-48 hours after the activity. It happens because physical activity causes microscopic ruptures in your muscles and surrounding tissues. It's nothing to worry about, but the muscles need a few days to repair, and the pain will gradually dissipate. Expect a little soreness from your first 4-6 workouts.


16Don't be disappointed if you gain a little weight when you start out

This might sound like bad news, but it is actually good news. When you begin to change your lifestyle it's normal to gain 1 -2 kilos of muscle. You might even gain a fraction more if you are just starting to perform resistance training (weights) for the first time, or if you haven't done it for a while. Your inactive muscles don't know what's hit them, as they try to load up with water and extra glucose to prepare themselves for this new exercise routine. If you use the scales to measure your success, you might feel disheartened because there is no change in your weight when, in fact, you are going great. Gaining muscle doesn't make you bigger---just firmer and heavier. It means you are getting stronger and fitter and that's certainly not something to feel bad about.

Firstly....tip 15, common knowledge.

Tip 16......No one wants to hear they are going to gain from doing the right thing. I think this part has derailed me more than once.

I'm off for a bike ride. I hope i don't freeze to the seat.