I've lost my chin

Left: me before 12wbt Right: me week 7 of 12wbt

Another awesome couple of days on 12wbt.. Wednesday was weigh in day, and I was down another 300 grams, which means a total of 3.9 kilos gone !!!  But best of all, Im really starting notice the difference. The other day, I put a skirt on I hadn't worn in 3 months and it almost fell off, and yay, I've also finally lost my chin! Finale party - here we come!!

Today ... I also broke my 800 calories record in our SGFS. Thanks Transformers, was lovely meeting you all this morning...  Still yet to reach the 1000 calories, but perhaps that can be my mini milestone for week 8. 

With that, I hope you all have a lovely Easter, stay safe, and don't overload too much on chocolate and hot cross buns! 

Happy Easter from my furry little kids, Piddles and Puddles!

Baked beans on toast with spinach

Chicken Parma

Grand Prix Fun Run Official Pics

Alrighties everyone, here are my official Grand Prix fun run pics ... Go me..

Hot Cross Buns - why not ???

Well, what a big couple of days. As Easter looms, the challenge is set to try and stay true to myself and keep smashing the cardio and not to get sucked into eating all the chocolate bunnies that seem to be invading our house! Sunday I was so excited after the Run for the Kids that I decided to attempt to make hot cross buns for the first time.. But don't worry - of course it was 12wbt's low calorie version.. So easy to make, they just required a lot of time and patience... Success they were - See below!!!

Yesterday also marked the official half way point of our 12wbt journey. Week six complete, and instead of celebrating with a beer or two I brought my first set of boxing gloves and focus pads! Was very excited. So much so that my man, was my punching bag for the evening and we set up drills around the lounge room. Thanks PM.. I don't think our rabbits quite knew what was going on, lol...

Today, I also recived my official photos from the Grand Prix run, will have to post them separately!

And with that - I say night night folks and hope you enjoy my foodie pics below x

Hot Cross Buns

Thai Beef Burger

Fresh Brown Rice and Barley Salad

Run for the Kids

Me as a patient in the RCH

Run for the Kids Charity Fun Run and the Good Friday Appeal, is a cause I hold close to my heart. 

As a 3 yr old, I was diagnosed with Pharyngeal - a form of a clef palate that thankfully didn't turn into a hair lip. Basically I had a hole in the back of the throat and no uvula which meant I couldn't keep food down / talk etc.. I was admitted into the Royal Children's Hospital for two weeks, whilst they operated on me and fixed me up..

Although I was a late developer, the operation and ongoing speech pathology after the op allowed me to live a normal life and for those who know me, you would never even know. As a result of this, I am for ever so grateful to the doctors and nurses who cared for me and of course to mum, dad and my sister, who were so patient and kept taking me from doctor to doctor to find out what was wrong cause they knew something wasn't quite right. I don't think many of you can say that you're little sis helped teach you to talk - thanks Ams!!!

Today was my turn to give something back. I ran the 5.5 km event with bout $30 of the entry fee going towards the appeal. I was really happy with my time, and just outside my PB. With a record number of 35,000 competitors it wasn't about getting my PB, for me it was about reflecting and taking it all in. So many runners with bibs in memory of loved ones that weren't so lucky, and lots of kids wearing bibs saying just simply "thank you".

SO ROYAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - THANK YOU!!

All done, and on the finishing line :)

If you haven't already, please donate to the Good Friday Appeal by visiting the link below.

http://www.goodfridayappeal.com.au/

Wednesday weigh in

and my magic number is ....

da da da da da da - 63.4 kg... 400 grams down from last and a total of 2.6 for the program so far.. Seem to be getting some consistency now so very happy with my slow and steady progress and on par to reach my goal for the end of the 12 weeks :)

You'll also be pleased to know that I didn't get lost when I ran the streets in the Wang... Whilst out and about, I went on the hunt for my Pop's old house.. Couldn't find the house, but there was a park there instead. Omen, i think so!!

the pretty park

And thanks to a new app, a good friend put me onto, I was able to do another successful workout... So do yourselves a favour and check out the Tabata timer app. 

Perfect for when you're on the road! Thanks KB...

In other news, two red flag nights coming up with the Rugby tomorrow night and Races Fri night. Little bit worried, but for once, are also organised and pre-prepared extra dinners so I can quickly heat up and eat before I head out and not have to rely on junk/fried food !!! I Just wish day light savings would hurry up and finish - really struggling getting up in the dark but have no choice, cause if I don't, I won't have the time to workout when I go home.. GRRRRR... 

And unfort no foody pics tonight...  Having been on the road for the last couple nights have not done the supermarket shopping.. But thankfully, my lovely boy that he is, brought a cooked chook so I've just had that with some salad for dinner tonight...

Nigh night all and congrats to all my other fellow 12wbt'ers for reaching the half way mark. 

We should be proud and hopefully can continue kicking our goals together !! x

On the Road

Coming to you live from Wangaratta. I've be sent up here to Wang for a day of meetings tomorrow and enjoying the mini getaway.. Although, tricky couple of days, with long train journeys / eating out for breakky / lunch / dinner... Any tips out there, on training and eating right when youre on the road?

My new Lululemon purchases

I was really excited to see that the hotel does has have a gym, but I've just gone to check it out and very disappointed. It's tucked away in the corner of the basement car park with one treadmill (that looks really old) in a room that's smaller than my bedroom.. Errr, I don't think so...  Looks like I'll have to stick with my original plan and get up for a run before breakky and just hope that I don't get lost ... Just as well as I was organised and packed my running gear :)

Oh and it appears there's no ch10 either which means no biggest loser .. Not happy jan!!! Damn country channels.

Apart from being on the road, everything's truckin along nicely.  Smashed another SSS and of course my other sessions during the week and feeling great... Like some of my other fellow 12wbt's I too was also very excited that one of my favourite stores, lululemon, opened a new store at Highpoint! I decided it was the perfect excuse to go shout myself a couple of new tops and a sun-visor as a half way reward. Yep you heard me, we're half way through already - woo hoo!! But don't worry, I've signed up for Round 2 - I'm not done with 12wbt just yet!

You'll be pleased to know, I finally have some more foody pics - been a good few days :)

Enjoy and nigh night! 

Meat Pie with Mushy Peas

Apple Tart

Prosciutto & Ricotta Pizza with rocket and cherry tomatoes

Mini Chocolate Fudge Cake

Hoisin Beef Stir fry

Breakfast Buttermilk Pancakes

Fire in the Kitchen

Literally...

Our poor range hood!

So Monday night, we were having a dinner party - cooking in 36 deg. Crazy yes, but everything was under control until the oil decided to bubble over, and flames went whoosh straight up the range hood and destroyed it.. Thankfully our neighbour had an extinguisher and the fire was put out in minutes however, it didn't stop 3 fire trucks from arriving to check it all out..  Thankfully amongst all the commotion everyone was safe including our rabbits, and there was only minimal damage around the stove but the range hood did not survive yet, somehow the $10 saucepan from Coles did.   

The funny thing about this whole ordeal, was that once it begun to sink in what just happened, the first thing that came to mind that worried me most, was how am i gonna be able to stick to 12wbt without an oven / stove for the next few days???

I'm pleased to report that everything has since been restored back to normal and as we wait for a new range hood,  we can still use the oven / stove and I really only missed out one night!!  Few!!

The no. 1 lesson in all of this is please if you don't have one already - go out and by urselves an extinguisher or fire blanket. This can happen to anyone!!!

Weigh In Day

So, back to business and in more traditional 12wbt blog news, today is weigh in day, and I'm pleased to report that I'm down another 500 grams, which means a total of 3.2kilos gone since pre-season. I'm feeling great and half way to my goal weight. I actually want to get up an exercise each day, and feel bad when I don't. Now I never thought I'd be saying that. I guess, now that I'm starting to see results and people are noticing, it's all the motivation I need.....

And finally, given the above events not much has happened in my foodie world due to having to rely on electric woks etc instead. Hopefully things will be back to normal next week!

Nigh Night all and hope you're all enjoying this cool change!

Spinach and Two Cheese Omlette

Beef Fillet with Roast Pumpkin, Beetroot and Gingered Spinach

 Cajun chicken salad

A Personal Best

What a big couple of days.. 

Stay tuned for the official pics!

Today I smashed my PB, and reached my goal of running 5km under 40 mins in the Grand Prix fun run. I was stoked and so pleased to have mum there supporting me and cheering me over the finish line. I couldn't believe it when I looked down and saw 38 mins. Lets not talk about the tears and emotions that soon boiled over. Last time I ran 5kms was with Dad in the Melbourne Marathon and my time was 43 mins, so this was huge! Thanks12wbt!

Early morning run (6am)

Yesterday I smashed my biggest Super Saturday Yet ..  I managed to burn almost 900 calories. Getting closer and closer to the 1000 target .... Our training group also beat some demons for our Mini milestone week and jumped in the pool to swim a few laps. Had the kickboard and need a lot of work on my breathing techniques, but I'm sure I'll get there, one day!!!

The challenge for me this week is gonna be the heat. Melbourne is averaging 30+ degrees with the next few days over 35. So sleepless nights and hot days ahead are gonna make it tough. Looks like I'll have to have more 6.00am sessions in the dark.  

Unfortunately, I have no foodie pics for you this time, as I've been out & about the last few nights and just haven't had the time. Please stay tuned for more next week..

Anyways, it's been long day and I'm exhausted, so until next time, nigh night it is xo

It's a hard slog!

So today marked our first mini milestone on 12wbt.. Our 4 week weigh in and the first time we've taken measurements since the program started.

Mixed emotions as I discovered I've lost a total of 8 cms plus 1.7 kgs. I know I should be happy with any loss, but for all the hard yacka I've been doing plus giving up alcohol for the last 6 weeks, I really expected more...

I guess the most frustrating thing about it is, that even with all the squats, lunges, pushs ups, planks, etc etc nothing has even budged from my thighs or arms, GRRRR...

As my wonderful friends & family keep telling me, slow and steady is a good thing, and more likely to stay off! I sure hope so, and I know that I'm probably just being to hard on myself. At the end of the day at least I'm feeling much healthier, fitter, and more confident to tackle the grandprix fun run on sunday..

One things's for sure, I can't believe I'm slogging it out in 33 deg heat. No more excuses for me!!! The real test will come on Saturday where we'll be doing our fitness tests again, to see how much we've really approved. Stay tuned.

As usual on a final note, here are my fav meals of the week. 

Salmon Stir Fry with Chinese Broccoli and Ginger
I switched the salmon for chicken, so yum! Was a winner for sure!

Chicken Waldorf Salad

Perfect on a warm summers evening! 

 

Nigh Night xo

Week 3 - Complete :)

Towel Pulls

My New Purple Weights

Another Monday done and dusted which means another week completed in 12wbt.. Been at this for 3 weeks now and really starting to notice a difference with not only my weight but my fitness as well.. Feeling Great :).... 

Tonight also marked another mini milestone. Whilst I was busy preparing and cooking up tonight's vegetarian paella, my boy decided he'd go and buy a spanish wine to go with it. Normally I would have sat there and guzzled it up with him, instead I had zilch then went for my run and work out afterwards!! And I didn't even feel like I missed it !! Amazing... 

Not only did I smash 500 calories at this weeks SSS it was also one of the funniest. Lots of giggles, and sometimes uncontrollably (if that's a word)... Was possibly due to lack of sleep, or purely just how unco we all looked whilst trying to do some of Mish's moves!! Still got a long way to go til I can get to that 1000 mark, but I believe that me being much smaller than most who are conquering this challenge, I'm happy with 500 :)...

That just about does it for me tonight.. Big week ahead with our first mini milestone including our 4 week measurements on Wednesday and another fitness test on Saturday. Plus on Sunday, I'll be doing the 5km Grand Prix Fun Run... Bring it on!!

To finish off, here are a few of my favourite dishes from the week!

Nigh Night xo 

Rocket Pocket Big Breakky 

Fried Rice

Watermelon, Strawberry and Rosewater Mint Salad