Ahh no energy!

You would think that after all the times I've eaten the wrong foods, and not just a treat, like a lot of the wrong foods in one day, and subsequently felt like crap, I would maybe stop doing it?

Anywhoo, as you've probably guessed, I didn't stick too well to my diet today. There were biscuits, cake and not the small dinner I should have had, which would have made my earlier indiscretions reasonably harmless! (thats right, if you cheat during the day, and have a small dinner at night and also work out at night, you'll still lose weight.. well it works out for me anyway)

Its not actually the foods I'm annoyed about, so much as how de-energized I felt later when I tried working out. I was seriously considering not bothering, could barely even get going at first but I pushed on and managed to do about an hour and ten minutes of Zumba. So I got plenty of cardio, not too bad really. I'm not expecting a massive loss today, but neither should I gain too much.

The point of all of this is, no matter how crappy you feel, no matter how hard it is to put that dvd in,  just do it anyway, just do it!

Final note: Eating badly and trying to lose weight is much like putting dirty fuel in your car. It'll go, but not well enough to get anywhere.

Its all in your attitude..

You know those days when you have a lot going on and you just feel like saying to hell with it and eating a cake then going to bed? or contemplate all of the annoying little chores you have to do and so think you've got it hard enough? Why put extra pressure on yourself? Well we all do it, I myself in particular did this for years, but then there are those days when you look back and really wish you'd used that portion of your life more wisely. Sometimes, you've just gotta be tough on yourself and say, what do you want?! Exercise! you know it will make a difference and you'll be happy afterwards so put those stupid shoes on! or the classic, Do not put that in your mouth, find something else to do.

Yes indeed you do have to be "tough" on yourself, but then, why is it so hard to convince ourselves to take those necessary steps, even when deep down we know we want to?

Plausible Reason 1: You've been overweight for a long time, been put down for it for a long time and so have gotten into the habit of telling yourself its okay, you're okay and there's nothing wrong with you and therefore can't emotionally handle being "mean" to yourself.
- I did this, and the day I stopped I practically had to scream at myself to realize I was not okay, I was not happy, I want to wear the clothes I see, and why the hell shouldn't I? Why not me?

Plausible Reason 2: Your thoughts are a regular stream of, "Dieting is so hard, Man I want chocolate, I can't control myself, I'm lazy, I'm too lazy to exercise, I'm a failure, I can't do anything right".
- We conform to our mental picture of ourselves and strive to validate it. You've already failed before you even started, and honestly this is a bit of a cop out, you're convincing yourself to take the easy way out, basically disabling yourself. Think right, think enthusiasm! Exercise and diet are your ticket, not a jail sentence. Think right and you'll do right, don't make excuses, we are the masters of our mind.


There are a long list of reasons, but these are pretty common and all share the same end result= nothing, no change, no gains.

Anywhoo theres my "something to think about" for today. What always gets me is studying, its tedious and tiring, and causes intense snacking!

Even if I only employ this will power today its still a good feeling and I want to enjoy it:

Before sitting down to study I drank a green tea (to keep me awake, fatigue makes dieting, not impossible, but still difficult). And a low sugar-low fat yoghurt, full of protein so even if I did snack I wouldn't overeat because it fills you up plenty! and snack? Something sweet? Something treat worthy?

Cherries, strawberries and dry roasted almonds (meaning they weren't roasted in oil!) + a big bottle of water. I've been snacking pretty badly lately so something fresh sounds good and with the way I work out, so long as I don't go crazy, snacking during the day is alright, dinner is where it matters for me since I have a really light dinner and then workout. Sugar free chocolate has been serving me well as well, its hard to eat too much of.

Baking is another issue, I always make something whether it be cake or cookies and it certainly doesn't help any, to lessen the amount in my fridge, I put about half of whatever I make in my sister and her boyfriends fridge for them, but still, doing a no baking challenge for a week or two might be a good idea. I'll have to plan!

On the exercise front I did pretty well yesterday!  I went to the gym in the morning but unfortunately arrived late meaning I only got to do about half of the class I was going to, like 20 minutes worth of cardio, but later that night I put some funky music on and got into a dancing mood which equated to half an hour of stretching, an hour of practicing tap, and another hour of abs, inner thighs, butt, arms and balance workouts! I did this after having a really early morning to get to the gym! Felt like a superhero :)

Tips from today:

* Be aware of when you've actually got a good reason to quit and when you're just making excuses.

* Don't disable yourself, do you honestly think telling yourself you can't do it will help? Get excited about what your doing!


Exercise, Eat Clean and Moisturise!
Good Luck!
Rosie.x

Go with your strengths!

When I first started losing weight, I had no idea how to diet properly, it was too hard and far too confusing! So I chose to focus on exercise first and took up dieting later. 

I was so unfit when I started exercising, as in I could barely run 10 metres without getting puffed, when I was little I'd been a dancer for 9 years and was reasonably fit, but then I quit and it was around about then that I piled the weight on. Other than dancing, I've never been particularly athletic or sporty, I hated group sports in particular. When I started I didn't want to go to a gym, but I had one old yoga dvd  which I was actually capable of doing so that was what I did, every night, for about six months, I only lost about 5 kgs, but the point is by then I was fit enough to try something harder- Zumba. I was a bit gun-shy so I just used the same dvd (Sculpt and Tone from the first collection) every night for 2 months, and lost 15 kgs. Zumba still makes an appearance as my cardio atleast 4 or 5 times per week.  

I've told this story before, but then I thought hey? whose actually going to go searching through old blog posts to hear the lot, other than the seriously curious. 

The point is, most of us start out incapable of exercise, convinced we cannot do it, but as they say if you want to achieve something you've never had, you need to do something you've never done! 

A year or two on and I love exercise, its the answer to weightloss for me and my day just isn't right without it, but again, I bent the rules to make it work for me, I can't work out in the morning, I have neither the energy nor the will, so I work out at night, for about 2 or 3 hours right before bed, thats just what works for me. 

Its worked so well for me that I returned to Tap and Jazz this year, fully confident. 

I dance or go to classes at my gym about 3 times a week, but on an average day at home my exercise regime is:

• Half an hour of deep stretching
• 1- 1 1/2 hours of cardio (either zumba or elliptical)
• Strength, usually against the resistance of my own body, I have all different sets of exercises I've found from all sorts of places covering, Abs, Arms, Inner thighs, butt, overall legs. I particularly focus on my waist,  the back of my arms, butt and inner thighs. From being as overweight as I was, these areas are especially hard to fix, extra skin being a major concern for me. 

I've actually found I lose most weight from working out at home than anywhere else. 

* This is just what works for me as I have a particular body type I would like to achieve. So research, think about the end product, not just "exercise" in general. 

What's a goal without a little motivation?

My favourite fitness idol at the moment is Michelle Leigh Mozek, though I don't share her dreams, I find her determination really inspiring! A link to her facebook and twitter can be found here if you're interested, MichelleMozek.com.  

and my top 5 workout songs (because sometimes, you really need something to get you going!)

Drummer Boy- Alesha Dixon

Na Na Na- My Chemical Romance

Somethings gotta hold on me- Christina Aguilera 

Enter Sandman- Metallica 

Animal- Neon Trees

Remember exercise, eat clean and moisturise!

Good Luck!

Rosie.x 

Accountability Anyone?

A few weeks ago I was researching weight-loss competitions, figuring since I'm losing weight anyway, some friendly competition might provide some extra encouragement. In my googling I came across Ashy Bines Bikini Body Challenge, with mixed reviews.

Ashy Bines

Many girls praised the program while others said it was useless. Curious, I had a look myself and apologies to the non-believers but her program actually looks quite reasonable and actually works off of the same theories I developed.. you know the ones that have helped me lose nearly 35 kgs. She encourages portion control mainly at dinner time, which I know works like magic for me, and exercise, not just extra time spent in the gym, but quality moves to develop not only a smaller figure, but a womanly hourglass.. just a small, toned one ;)

Not only that, but her program also appears to be based more around sugar control instead of low-fat, which is marvelous! I've been waiting for someone to let that one out, since sugar is actually the diet destroyer, and low-fat foods are usually full of it.

So yes, Ashy Bines Program gets the tick from me!

Remember though, to always use caution, if you read something you don't agree with, research it yourself, don't ever go into these things blind.




Now those non-believers, I've always wondered whether or not they actually followed the diet programs they dismiss. Most diet's work off of the same concept- controlled calorie intake versus calories expended, as well as emotional well-being while dieting. Yet so many people start these diets with the idea that all they have to do is spend a certain amount of money, and they will lose weight. All I can say is take responsibility for your own actions, you are accountable for everything you eat and do or don't do. Believe it or not, but bought programs are just a helping hand, it is still hard work. Its much the same as someone saying the treadmill they bought hasn't helped them lose weight yet, when they haven't been on it in 3 months. Losing weight takes time, it won't happen in a day, it may not happen in a week, especially if your close to a healthy weight, but if you just keep pushing, regardless of results, it will happen!

Remember, eat clean, exercise and moisturise!
Good Luck!
Rosie.x

How did those classic beauties do it?

Hollywoods finest, they are the weight loss inspiration for many. Even those deemed "Curvaceous" are often still perfectly toned. In the 70's and 80's, in the hey-day of Jane Fonda, many women opted for intense cardio and weights, gym's were filled everywhere with new classes and gym-goers often went on crash diets since that is the common stereotype of a celebrity- that they don't eat.


Ofcourse, in some cases this is true, present day young starlets have become sickeningly thin, to the point where they either look ill and emaciated or 12 years old.


So obviously, anyone advising you to "not pay attention to celebrities, do not use them as a guideline for what is "normal"" would be very right in saying so, but then, these people are human, many of them are technically normal, and many struggle with their weight! The difference between us and them is that they have to lose weight very quickly, their livelihood depends on it, while we can take the more healthy route of slow and steady.


In saying that, it isn't necessarily bad to look on someone who has had a goal in mind, and achieved it, as inspiration. While I wouldn't condone trying to "be" someone else, I find many stars who look good while still maintaining a womenly appeal and healthy weight, very encouraging.


So today I've been looking around finding some of my favourite older and more recent stars who I find most inspiring for beauty.


1. Sophia Loren 

While very small, you can see in her arms that she is not underweight, or unhealthy. This classic Italian star of hollywoods golden age has maintained her beauty and weight well up into her 70's.
In her book, "Women and Beauty" she explained the range of exercises she did to keep that svelte waistline. A very similar set of exercises can be found here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/380060-exercise-for-curves/


Her current figure has incited endless praise, especially after appearances made in 1999 at the academy awards, showing how good 64 can get. "Loren opts for daily exercise: 45 minutes of stretching and abdominal crunches and a one-hour walk. She also keeps a lid on la dolce vita (the sweet life). She eats European style: a light breakfast of decaf and an English muffin, mid-morning sandwiches, a large lunch (usually pasta, chicken, salad and fruit) and little, if any, dinner. "She weighs now what she did years ago," says Hollywood fashion designer and friend Nolan Miller. "I don't think it would ever enter her mind to be a size 6.""


but ofcourse its not all exercise, 


"Loren's beauty secrets? "A lot of rest. Good thoughts. Exercise," says the star. She rises most days at 5 a.m. and usually goes to bed by 8 p.m. In between, her daily beauty rituals are decidedly low-maintenance. She washes her hair with baby shampoo and colors it herself when necessary. (Lately, she has been road-testing blonde streaks, "because every teenager does that," she says.) She does her own manicures and her own makeup, using products blended to her skin tones by a movie-makeup-artist friend from Italy. Her only indulgences, she says, are the potions—such as an eye cream containing vitamin A and a rosewater face lotion." 




If you would like to read more about this inspiring beauty and praised actress:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20128361,00.html




2. Vivien Leigh

If you've seen Gone With The Wind, then you'll this as none other than Scarlet O'Hara, the minx like southern belle who in a time of civil war, still rose to success through sheer stubborn will, and looked gorgeous throughout!


The petite Vivien Leigh herself was a strikingly beautiful screen and stage actress for most of her life, constantly challenging herself and her craft.

"Miss Leigh still has her Scarlett O’Hara figure. “I love food.” she confessed, “so I do not give up the pleasure of eating to make my clothes fit. When I must I go on a quick five-day diet. The secret is not procrastinating. A brisk walk Is my favorite form of exercise. We must use our muscles to keep them from getting stiff, and walking does this.”"

"To be assured of a flat stomach, Miss Leigh does this routine daily. Lie on your back on the floor. With straight knees raise your legs to a 45-degree angle, lower them slowly almost to the floor then raise them again. Balance yourself with palms under your spine. Make three minutes your ultimate goal, but work up to this limit slowly."

If you would like to know more about this timeless beauty and very talented actress: http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2010/06/twenty-interesting-facts-about-vivien-leigh/comment-page-3/

So far, what I've found from my research is that these women have both left an impression everywhere they went. Beauty isn't simply being "thin", it is being in proportion: not focusing on only one part of your body, and, Taking care of yourself: Don't neglect your skin, exercise and diet are great, but ensure you drink plenty of water and are getting adequate vitamins and minerals to keep that glow about you, a little moisturiser doesn't hurt either. Remember: Its easier to prevent problems with skin then to cure them. 

 My last and final choice of inspiration is..

 3. Dolly Parton

Always smiling, this charming singer and songwriter dubbed "The Queen of Country Music" was and still is an icon of beauty for women the world over. Some may call her fake or gaudy but whenever I've seen her she has been nothing but ladylike and respectable, ofcourse that isn't to say she doesn't put on a good show! Delivering hilarious interviews, and awe-inspiring concerts with the unique twist that only comes from a unique personality. Over her multi-decade career, dolly has maintained her figure and looks without the help of trainers and nutritionists. She has never sugar-coated her diet and exercise regime, or pretended it was easy. “It’s a bitch any way you look at it. You either starve or you get fat. ”The singer admitted that her exercise regime is basically “a tiny little bit of squats and sit-ups.” But she is still conscious of the scale. “I’m very short, so I just have to watch my weight because I have a big appetite,”

In many articles the "cabbage soup diet" appears to be the main weight-loss secret for this bombshell, and although I wouldn't usually encourage strict or short-term diets such as this, it doesn't appear to be too extreme, and according to many comments and other articles, others have found it quite effective also. http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/soup/vegetable-soup/dolly-parton-diet.html. I personally am quite happy with the diet I'm currently on, but this soup could be a nice addition sometime, always tweek your diet to suit you.

Tips from Today:


* Don't be jealous or discouraged by others achievements, be inspired!


* The above women were chosen based on their overall appeal, not just dress size. I appreciate beauty on someone who has made the effort and put aside the time for it,  not just starved until they were "the right size", there is no "right" size for anyone, but there certainly is a healthy size. They also behave confidently and respectfully, that could make anyone attractive, hence "beauty is on the inside".




Exercise, Eat Clean and Moisturise!


Rosie.x

Paved with good intentions...

As you know, I prioritise working out before dieting, I think people should play to their strengths and thats mine. Of course diet is still important, otherwise you would just be wasting your time getting all sweaty, but thankfully because I've made working out a sort of habit ~ its just another part of my day ~ I don't find it nearly as hard as some people.

"My weaknesses are food and men, in that order"- Dolly Parton 

Its always when we're doing well and making gains that something comes along to test us! and my not-currently-dieting sister is exactly that. It was just a normal day, I'd picked at a few non-diet foods during the day so I was just planning to have a cup of soup for dinner before I worked out. My sister had another idea though, she'd had a bad day and was tired, understandably she just wanted to order pizza and watch TV. She's supportive to a point, but she hates it when she eats junk food and I'm sitting there holier-than-though with my soup. This went on to make me feel bad for making her feel 'judged'. So I conceded that fine, we could have a pizza night, its just one night right?  

As I thought about it more and more it dawned on me, I always intend on only eating 2-3 pieces then backing off, but I usually end up eating half a pizza, oh yes, I can put it away when I want too lol. But this time, really? This is what always happens when I do well, I ruin it! Sending myself right back to the start. So instead I set it up as a challenge for myself, 2 pieces, thats it, I'd leave it alone, I just couldn't stand the idea of doing it all over again.

and... drumroll... I did it! I know I know some people would still think thats bad or whatever, but in my case it was quite the achievement, an hour later I had an awesome workout and you know what, didn't have any water weight gain issues the next day either.

The whole point is, small victories! Whatever we do, regardless of whether it has changed your life, or just wasn't the setback it could have been- if it was hard, but you did it anyway, then you did great and should be very proud of that! Every time we prove ourselves wrong, go beyond what we thought we could do, even if it was only small, it brings us closer to our ultimate goal- to no longer be ruled by stupid habits.

Tips from today:

* Remember the people around you, a lot of dieters say they have issues with family and friends sabotaging and discouraging them, but try to think about why that may be. Losing weight is a personal choice, everyone thinks they should do it, or wish they could, but many are either too scared to start or simply can't fit it in to their life. It can be all too easy to feel like this is your chance to get a few people back for making you feel bad about yourself in the past, but take this opportunity to be the better person, this especially applies to those who have struggled with weight for a long time. Regardless, they will still feel like they are being judged even if you haven't been so try to be kind and don't take it to heart when people try to discourage. Ignore it and keep the diet on a need to know basis, on the down low as they say.

* Never under value those small victories, because its one less habit you'll have to kick in the future!


and most importantly, have fun! On that note, I'm going to a belly dancing class tonight, just to see if I'd like it, besides I hear its good exercise ;)

Don't forget!
Eat clean (if you can), exercise like crazy and moisturise!
Rosie.x

To Pay or not to Pay?

Is a diet sold at a flat rate trustworthy? and if this really was the big secret to weight-loss, why isn't it everywhere? Why don't doctors recommend it?

If you walk into your local pharmacy you'll see aisles and shelves filled with diet pills, supplements, and ofcourse countless meal replacement products. If you talk to your pharmacist, they don't tell you which diet they use, or whether they have personally seen any evidence to support the claims on this product, but  they will still sell you something. The fact is, the 16 year old behind the counter reads the label and her guess is as good as yours, but we still trust their opinion because of the medical affiliation. 

(I could have found any picture, but it was hard to pass up this cheerfully suspect fellow passing out pills)

Currently, I am on my own diet, and it has actually been working quite steadily! Being so close to my goal weight, and within a technically healthy weight range for my height, I can't expect massive losses at a time, that only happens when you are sincerely over weight. When it comes down to it, resilience is key. Over the course of one week I may only lose 1-2 kgs, this may go up and down, but by the end of the month, I've usually lost 3-5 kgs, which is a massive difference at a smaller weight, every kilo lost is extremely obvious in my overall appearance, its actually kind of shocking. This is why you should never give up, even if a lack of immediate results is a little discouraging. 

So anyway back to store or online bought diets, and whether or not they're worth the price.

In my experience the only store-bought diet I would endorse is a meal replacement, as most meal replacements work off of the same concept: The meal is reasonably filling, low- carb and/or low- fat. Meaning you don't overeat as the size and portion of your meal is completely controlled. A good quality meal replacement will also have a healthy portion of vitamins and minerals to replace those you miss out on from food and will have a very detailed explanation of the science behind their product, how it works, and what the ingredients are. Taste is another matter, some people find them bland, chalky, and not at all like the flavour on the wrapping, but as I said these diets are for the most part similar in concept and effectiveness so if you dislike the taste of one brand, try another! Many brands offer free samples of their wares so try as many as you need too until you find something reasonably edible. I personally love the flavours of the Celebrity Slim range, cookies and cream is my fave ;)

Now diet pills, I haven't taken many of these as I've never found their explanation of how the theorised weight-loss will occur entirely plausible. Infact, in many cases I have found they don't even cause a loss of water weight, I honestly believe they do absolutely nothing other than putting the dietee in the mindset of a dieter, helping them to make better motivated decisions on their diet throughout the day. 

My older sister, one of two, works in a pharmacy, selling these exact pills all day long, and she herself has admitted in seeing no dramatic weight-loss in her customers. Early last year she was given a free box of ThermoBlast ® diet pills, which work by increasing your metabolism, heating your body temperature ever so slightly, helping you burn more calories throughout the day. She gave them to me to try and after two weeks, nothing! They made absolutely no difference. 

I have two sisters, the other has tried many diets with me, and is sort of my weight-loss buddy. Together we tried drinking "Metamucil" for its fibre benefits which claim to detox your system, increasing weight-loss and oh yes, we were detoxified. Unfortunately, a fight to the death with your sister for the bathroom isn't the most convenient diet. 

One day we were walking through our pharmacy guru sister's store, and we saw a huge poster of Kim Kardashian standing next to a diet drink. We were intrigued and both bought the concoction which the gorgeous socialite herself claimed to have helped her lose pounds and, no surprise, increase metabolism! I don't think anyone actually understands what this "metabolism" is, its been so hyped and overused by advertisements and the like. 

Regardless we both followed the instructions to the letter and, other than losing a bit of water weight, it was a waste of money. 

Many of these diet drinks, where you still eat food and "the drink helps you lose weight",  work off of the idea that many athletes follow to meet their weight requirements. When we drink excessive amounts of water, our kidneys release the excess and then some, of the fluids retained in our body, in this way we can indeed lose massive amounts of weight, water weight.  

So diet pills and drinks? I wouldn't recommend them. 

Meal replacements, provided they are good-quality and don't cause any malnutrition or tiredness in the dieter, can be quite useful especially if you are particularly overweight and have trouble with portion control. 

...........................................................

Now that we have covered diet products, what about diets involving actual food? 

We've all seen the ads, gourmet meals delivered to your door, a book filled with low-fat recipes to follow, and even perfectly planned, balanced menus consisting of easy to find foods and ingredients and all you have to do is buy the book, pay for the food and/or deliveries and follow it! 

This approach is quite plausible, although I think it would work best if you had everyone in your household on board with it, just to keep those less than healthy foods in the house to a minimum. Otherwise, the "diet book, balanced menus of food you buy yourself" concept could be a better option. There's only one payment not including your regular groceries and what you do and don't eat is completely up to you, I think this would be especially good for those of us who like to cook. 

Whatever you decide, do your research! 

Check product reviews, read the fine print, and don't be afraid to take your questions to a qualified professional like your local GP, some of these products can be dangerous, others are completely useless so know your facts first! 

By the way, I would love to hear from some of my fellow dieters out there about your successes and failures! Which products you stand by and anything your unsure about eg. "Portion control", "How many grams of carbohydrates should I be eating?" etc.

As always, 

Eat clean, Exercise and Moisturise!

Rosie.x 

and just like that, I'm Back!

I haven't had time to write in a few weeks! I was worried that if anyone had been reading my posts they might have taken that as a sign of my giving up, but rest assured I haven't lost sight of my plight.

The last time I posted, I was on Celebrity Slim and bouncing up and down between 68 and 71 kgs, if you're just tuning in Celebrity Slim is a meal replacement diet plan, and it worked quite well, but unfortunately whenever I got to the 68 kg mark I always lost it and would go back up. 

Since then I've given up on Celebrity Slim, it was great while it lasted, but it seems like I was spending a lot of money on something that I wasn't taking all the way. I've wondered why this is, I always feel a bit physically small when I go below 70, but isn't that the point? I think in my case CS made it too easy (Crazy? I know!), and therefore it was all too simple to say yeah, eat the cookie, you'll lose it again easy enough, but when you think about it, doing that means you never actually get anywhere, you just go up and down!

So what am I doing instead you ask?

Well, I know CS was effective so I'm taking some tips from there. 

Diversity, its tempting to say I'll just eat these 3 or 4 foods each day and thats it!.. You can't do it, I can't do it, you gained weight because you like food remember? One, eating the same thing day in, day out, is boring, and two you'll miss out on all those vitamins and minerals which actually help you feel like your not depriving yourself. Obviously I need to keep it reasonable with my grocery bill and everything, but a few options doesn't. and from this I've devised these basic guidelines.

Breakfast: I personally love breakfast and when you eat a substantial one, morning being the only time you really can with gaining weight, it helps you feel full for the rest of the day! My breakfast of choice is a nutty, seed and grain filled cereal, as I don't tend to get much of these healthy carbs from my other meals. When trying to come up with meals, think about what's healthy and missing. 

Lunch: I split lunch up into 2 meals, morning and afternoon tea, in between these I drink Green Tea to help control my appetite and keep me all energised and buzzing. If you've read any of my previous posts (which I would certainly advocate lol) you'd know I act like this stuff is a gift from god, but it does have its merits, its not too heavy on caffeine, just enough to help curb the cravings and keep you awake, but the flavonoids (only the ones found in green tea) assist with fat oxidation, basically controlling the amount of fat you can absorb. My morning and afternoon tea options are usually any of these: Low-fat low-sugar yoghurt (flavoured not natural, taste is a factor here lol), Low fat cottage cheese with 2-3 vita weats (seedy grainy wholemeal crackers), an apple, a banana, cornthins with peanut butter (if I'm seriously hungry). 

Dinner: Now this is the important one, I always go light on dinner, regardless of what you've eaten during the day, dinner is the meal that really determines how much you'll lose or maintain. My dinner options are: a low fat fish fillet with a side of brocolli, carrot, cucumber (or whatever you like so long as its of the veggie family), a ceaser salad (I'd never liked salad before but then I tried some of the ceaser dressing and fell in love, you can't hate it if you've never tried it), and ofcourse soup! Any soup, I prefer instant, so long as its below 100 calories, a few vita weats and a small can of flavoured tuna, and then thats it! I don't eat anything after dinner, which does take a few days to get used to, but once you have, you'll wonder why you weren't doing it before! 

Snacks: Noone's perfect, so if you get hungry: blueberries, strawberries, a few pieces of ham, a few slices of cheese. 

This is the diet thats been working for me for over 2 weeks now! and when I say working, I mean it took me down from 73 to 69 kg!

Exercise ofcourse is important, for me I find it more important than dieting, everyone is different. I've been experimenting with weight training lately since I had always avoided this due to a fear of bulking up. Along with my usual hour and a half of cardio (either Zumba, other dance workouts or elliptical), Ive been doing half an hour of deep stretching plus half an hour of Ab work, leg lifts in all directions and jazz style arm work, all against the resistance of my own body, no weights required, and the results really blew me away!  After a week I was noticeably more toned, everywhere! The internet is filled with example of these types of exercise so start searching, Diet.com has some really great video tutorials which I've become quite fond of. 

As always, moisturise your whole body, cocoa butter is my favourite, it really does make a difference, eat clean where you can and make exercise worthwhile, never put less than 100% into it! 

* Devise a diet that works for you. 

* Exercise the way you like, but always exercise. 

* Moisturise to help tone your skin. If your losing weight loose skin can become an issue, so moisturise!

* Research! look up new exercises, diets, recipes, mantras and tips. You never know what you'll find!

I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't know it worked!

Good Luck, 

Rosie.x

Day 42.. I don't care how long it takes!

Fear of failure, its often the excuse we all fall back on when we choose not to start something, not to try. In my experience, its a fear of success that truly stops us from achieving our dreams. No matter how many times we say "I want to be skinny",  "I want to be rich", "I want to be successful", all of these things also mean change, and its exactly that that we fear! I may say I don't want to be overweight, but I've never been thin.. what if I don't like it? All of these thoughts had been floating around my head over the holidays until I realized I was just being a coward, talking myself out of something that could truly be great! and if its not.. its also reversible (lol). So instead of giving into those insidious thoughts, I shall plunge ahead into the unknown!

Over the holidays I didn't diet hard, or really at all, there was just too much going on. Unfortunately, I didn't have as much time to work out either, so I did gain a bit of weight back. But! That's all over now, and its back to my normal routine. Honestly I'm actually excited to get back into my diet, I missed not having that bit of purpose.  

I started doing my traditional workouts again two days ago and I'm already seeing a real difference! It's never worthwhile giving up just because of 1 or 1000 bad days, its much easier to fix the damage than you think you just have to start. 

One thing I really noticed over easter was how much power we give food. We tell ourselves chocolate and pasta are so so incredible and we must deny ourselves that which we hopelessly love to look good! I am definitely guilty of this, but this mindset just makes dieting unnecessarily hard. Once I was allowing myself to eat these things again, no guilt, no fuss, I realized that they're.. well they're just food. For example, if we told ourselves that eating copious amounts of caviar will make us deliriously happy then said no caviar! We would drive ourselves crazy until we could get our hands on the black goo. All of this, only to discover.. yeah, its good but hmm.. maybe if I eat more it will fulfill the expectations I put on it. 

This applies to all junk food- We give these items too much power.

Obviously the girl in the picture is a little encouraging (or she makes you feel awful, whatever) but I really love the quote!

Tips from today

* Always get back on the horse! EVERY SINGLE TIME. DO NOT QUIT. 

* Before deciding to sit there and fantasize about all that your missing out on, because they're just so life changing, those foods, those miracles of sugar. Put it in perspective. The sooner you achieve your goal, the sooner you can incorporate reasonable amounts of junk back into your diet. Junk food will still exist in a few weeks. 

* Don't treat yourself like a rubbish bin. We've all done this, seen something unhealthy in the fridge and thought, "oh darn, this expires soon, I should probably just eat it". Why should you eat it? You could always inform someone else that it needs to be eaten, offer it to them, share it with them, or just chuck it. Its just food. 

* and last but not least, even if you're a little hungry or bored, fighting those old habits, be happy! You're doing something amazing!

Day 26: Easter.. Evil?

Current Weight: ??

Unfortunately when I went to buy myself a new set of scales, they were sold out, but apparently I'll be able to get the ones I wanted next week, hope so! But then, I've found not knowing my weight quite motivating, and in the future might start weighing myself only once a week.

I've stuck to my diet pretty well this past week, having the odd bad snacks here and there, but nothing too disastrous. However I don't feel like I've lost very much weight, I just don't feel different, so I think I'm going to have to step up my exercise program a bit, just to give everything a boost! I already do 1-1.5 hours per day of Cardio and Jazz style muscle work, alternating that with yoga and pilates. So the only thing I can think of doing is an extra half hour on the cross trainer atleast 4-5 times per week. I'll see if this helps!

Easter, easter, easter..

There are thousands of healthy recipes online that look like they'd be worth a try and are diet-safe aswell! So I'll certainly be adding them into my easter meal plans, as I've said before, I love to cook, and preparing some new (and healthy) easter themed dishes will be the perfect thing to stop that "Depriving yourself during holidays" hellish feeling. Plus I made a wonderful discovery, sugar-free chocolate is edible! I'd never tried this before thinking it would taste horrible, but honestly, when you can't eat normal chocolate (like say, when you're dieting), this is the most satisfying substitution, mainly because it tastes so much like the real thing! Sugar-free chocolate can be found in most health food stores or the health foods section of your local grocery store, but there are many brands so test them out, and find the one you like best! They are definitely worth a try!

If you are determined not to go off track this season, what better time to set yourself up a challenge? For starters, no chocolate. Simple, direct, and could be the secret to getting you through without any slip ups! Maybe add in some extra exercise while your at it. Let these next two weeks end in some success!

With everyone around you enjoying easter, if you do happen to have a nibble at those easter goodies, don't go crazy, eat a little bit of what you want, slowly, savour it, enjoy it. Rather than treating this as a massive failure, appreciate it, and its back to dieting by dinnertime!

Book suggestion: French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano + The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook.

Have you ever noticed how the typical french women is slender and petite, they seem to just naturally maintain those perfect figures? and yet they're culture is drenched in pastries and pasta, chocolate and three course meals..
Although these aren't necessarily diet books, they provide a wonderful perspective on health and food. Emphasizing good food and portion control, that when you eat the delicious foods you are craving, slowly, enjoying every moment, you will have far better control over your overall diet, no deprivation required! 'Tis the French way.. 

Day 22: Cursed? Technologically, yes!

Current weight: Well isn't that the million dollar question!

I haven't blogged about my progress in 10 days because of issues with my internet. I also don't know how much I weigh because my scales broke a few days ago and I won't be able to replace them for a few more days! To make matters worse I also haven't had time to go grocery shopping and am starting to run extremely low on healthy options.. *Sigh* Obstacle after obstacle but I refuse to let this slow me down!.. well not too much anyway.

The last time I checked I was 68.3 kgs, which is definitely progress! However with my less intense diet I'm not expecting massive losses by my next weigh-in. It's funny the pressure you feel though, wondering what those scales will say when the wait is prolonged like this. Will I have lost some magnificant amount by the time I manage to replace my scales? or will it be the same.. I would prefer not to angst over this however, and will just continue working at it, trying to stick to my diet and keeping up with my workouts, which shouldn't be too hard since I am planning to hit the gym for a nice workout tomorrow and then have Jazz and Tap classes again the next night (Pretty excited about that last one!).

I get the feeling Easter is going to be the bane of my dieting, that usually wonderous holiday will be rolling around in a week or two and will be bringing an endless supply of chocolate with it! but over the course of this week I'm planning to seek out some diet-safe alternatives to get through the season with minimal damage so stay tuned because I plan to find a miracle!


Tips From Today

* Don't panic over every little obstacle, just keep doing whatever you can to keep the good results coming! There's no reason to stop. 


* Keep those eyes on the prize! With work, family, responsibilities, we forget about ourselves and the things that are important to us personally. To help keep that determination in the back of your mind at all times try a few of these motivational tips! 

• Write about your goals in a journal or diary when you get the chance, mention what you are hoping to achieve and what this would mean to you. Don't forget to write in small booster memos! eg. I am beautiful, I am strong, I have potential and I deserve to be the best I can be!- Read this back to yourself once or twice a day. It takes five minutes and makes an amazing difference to your resolve. When we feel strong and beautiful, we behave accordingly, and strong and beautiful people tend to stick to their diets! Human nature is an interesting thing. 

• Choose a healthy person to model your actions from, maybe you know someone who seems to have everything sorted? Maybe you have seen a celebrity even, who makes you feel like you want more for yourself aswell? A quote, a song, anything! Find what inspires you, print these out and stick them to a mirror, collage on a piece of paper, whatever you like and use this to draw a bit of inspiration from. 

• Breath! With all of these inspiring momento's floating around, make sure you take full advantage and try to take a moment each day, just to sit, breath and go through everything in your head- What you have done today, what you plan to do, go through your motivational items, read through your goals, rewrite them if necessary. What you want is important, you are important. 

* If you know something is coming which could cause some difficulty eg. Easter. Start planning your way around it now!

Day 12: There is such a thing as over doing it

Current Weight: 69.5 kgs

Weightloss is a journey, we go off track, learn things we never knew about ourselves, and about food!

I've referred to myself as a binge eater before, but its not until now that I truly understand what that means, and can distinguish between "binge- eating" and "binge eating disorder", but a little back story here might help...

By Day 10, I was 68.1 kgs, very exciting, but oddly enough I actually felt sick and weak, like I had lost weight too fast, but 2 kgs isn't actually all that much weight. I was sticking to my low-carb diet well, and exercising for an hour or two everyday as always, so naturally getting some results should be good, but I soon discovered that there is such a thing as too low-carb, especially when you workout the way I do. By Day 11 I couldn't stop myself from eating normal food, I just felt unhealthy, not malnourished as in low in vitamins and minerals, but just very low in sugars and fat. I tried not to overeat, but in the end, causing an energy deficit like that forces our bodies to act out in a survival related panic. The damage wasn't too severe, but from this I can easily see how "binge eating disorder" occurs, sufferers diet hard for as long as they can, then binge like crazy because they have over deprived themselves, then diet hard to compensate, leading to yet another binge, and this continues in a constant loop which takes over their lives.

I only got a taste of this, but that was enough for me! I've always encourage determination, thats what it takes to achieve something like this, but not if it causes unhealthy behavior which inevitably destroys any progress. For a diet to work long term, meaning not just a small loss here and there, but to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off, it must be sustainable.

I am still determined to lose weight, but for my health's sake, I'll have to change my diet plan slightly.

For those first few days, I lost weight rather quickly, however I only made my "balanced meal" dinner once, and chose to have breakfast most days instead. In my new plan I will have a balanced dinner every 3rd day. I am also bringing my breakfast cereal back instead of the low-carb cereal and yoghurt. I will still have low-carb snacks, however I am going to change over to having one traditional and one low-carb shake/bar per day, instead of all low-carb. I'm hoping that this in conjunction with exercise will still lead to weight loss, it will just take longer since obviously the weight will come off at a more steady rate. I am thinking further down the track though, I don't just want to lose small amounts fast, I want to lose a larger amount that I will then be able to keep off, and essentially starving my body of the energy it requires will do nothing but cause my weight to bounce back and forth through weightloss purgatory.

Tips from today


* Listen to your body: starvation, deprivation, dieting too hard, these things will not help with weight loss in the long run because honestly, you'll just end up eating copious amounts of food in a few days to compensate- Survival instincts will always win, don't make your body feel endangered.  


* Experimenting with exercise versus diet plans is imperative to finding a healthy balance.


* Don't be afraid to allow your diet to take longer, Slow and Steady.