Where am I at?

Hey everyone,

Well, last Thursday I gained 1.1 kg and I was shattered. I have been eating properly, exercising heaps and drinking water so why is this happening? I will not give in! I will keep following the nutritional advice I am receiving from Lola Berry and I will keep going to the gym and working out with Josh, my personal trainer.

Despite not losing kilograms, my clothes are getting bigger on me, I am able to do much more around the house, I feel like I am breathing easier and I am starting to sleep properly as well. I know that these benefits are keeping me positive. Having to remember my goals and keep focused has been difficult but achievable with all the support that I am receiving from my family, friends, Mix 101.1, Brig and Lehmo and everyone who has pledged to support me on this journey. To all of you I say a huge Thank You!

Talk to you soon

Sorry it has been a week...

Hi Everyone,

I am sorry that I have not been writing as often as I should. This past week has been so hectic. I met Josh, my trainer at Fitness First and he checked my bio age and has designed a fitness program for me to achieve my weight loss goals. It is not as hard as I thought it would be and Josh is really supportive and encouraging.

On Monday I will start to keep a food diary and "steps" diary (of how many steps I take each day) on this blog and I aim to have those pages updated by 10 p.m. each night. I sometimes feel guilty about eating (stupid, I know) but I am eating healthy food and feeling fantastic and energetic. My kids say that I am smiling and laughing more too.

This program has been so great for me. I am now starting to see that I will be able to achieve other things because of this challenge. By losing weight I will be able to return to work without worrying about being able to breathe all day, I am also hoping to go Para-sailing one day (when we are able to visit my mum in Tweed Heads), I am looking forward to going ten pin bowling with my 10 year old son before the 16th June (it's 7 years since I have been bowling) and I look forward to being able to chase my grand-daughter around at the park and be able to keep up with her.

Hope you all stay tuned and feel free to post a comment if you wish to.

Janelle

Been feeling a bit down

Hi all,

Well this would have to be the hardest post I have put up, mainly because when I feel down and unmotivated I usually hide under the doona and shun the world. And it has taken me ages to get up the drive to write this today.

Why am I struggling?
I think I am mainly struggling because I didn't lose weight last week. Whilst I have been trying to refocus it is much easier said than done. I have tried to maintain the changes I have already made to my life, and I have managed to have my lemon water and breakfast. I haven't been to the gym as often as I usually go, but I have been increasing my steps. On Friday I only did 1200 steps but on Sunday I did 2689 steps. Reflecting on this, I think I have done quite well considering I have been feeling very flat.

How do I turn it around?

1. By remembering and acknowledging all the support I am receiving - I am receiving so much support from my husband, children, my mother (in Tweed Heads), Brig and Lehmo and the staff at Mix 101.1, Lola Berry and all of you who call in and/or write to me with well wishes. I thank all of you for your ongoing support
2. Remembering why I am changing my lifestyle - I am changing my lifestyle primarily for myself, so that I can enjoy living again without fear of having a heart attack. I am also doing this so that I can enjoy my family more and they can enjoy doing activities with me instead of me watching.
3. Focusing on my ultimate goal - "FIT FOR FORTY" - I really want to be fit for my fortieth birthday, I want to be able to wear a size 14 dress or a pair of size 14 jeans when I turn 40. I want to be able to chase after my granddaughter without getting out of breath

Well, thats all for today, speak to you all soon

Feeling Flat - Need to refocus

Hi there,

I guess I always knew that I would have days like this, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. So what do I do now that I am feeling this way? I try to do as much as I can and accept that I have given 100%. I think I also need to find some visual goals for me to aim for, I need to see what I am striving to achieve. I might go out on Monday and get some photos of where I want to be in 12 weeks.

I hope to feel better tomorrow.

Week 2 begins

Hi there,

Well to say I am disappointed that I haven't lost any weight this week is putting it mildly, though I am ecstatic that I did not gain anything either. Rather than dwelling on it though, I have been thinking about things I am going to change this week, to do the best by my body. I think that looking forward is very difficult when you have a disappointing week, yet it is most important that I do continue to focus on my ultimate goal and adjust my routines to get there. After all it was Albert Einstein who said: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results"

Now, I am not a fan of change, and sometimes find it very difficult to make changes to my routine. Therefore some of my short term goals (see Goals page) may seem very small and easy, but, if they are on my goals sheet it is because it is something that I may struggle to change. If you go to: www.mix1011.com.au and go to information about my challenge there is a goal sheet that you can download and use for your goals. To give you an example of some of my goals I will list here my 3 fitness goals and 3 nutrition goals for this week with a brief description as to what the challenge will be for me to reach that goal.

MY OVER ALL GOAL TO BE COMPLETED BY 19TH MAY 2011


TO LOSE 2 KILOS


Fitness Goals to achieve overall goal 

1. Walk to the end of my street and back twice a day - The reason this will be a challenge is that I will do anything to avoid walking outside but I am happy to walk on a treadmill. I have only recently realised how reclusive I have become because of my weight. Whether it was because I could not walk very far and got exhausted very quickly, or I was embarrassed and worried what people were thinking. If I can reach this goal it will help me get out of the house more often
2. To be walking at least 3000 steps a day - It is recommended that we walk 10000 steps a day. I am currently walking between 1500 and 2200 steps a day, and that is usually when I don't leave the house.
3. To go swimming twice a week - I have started swimming once a week, if I increase it to twice a week the doctor tells me that it will help with my breathing.

Nutrition Goals to achieve overall goal

1. Have Lemon water every day - In week one, I only had the Lemon Water for 4 days. I need to commit myself to having it every day for it to work properly.
2. Reduce coffee to 2 a day - Lola Berry  (Nutritionist) has told me that the amount of coffee I drink could be contributing to my weight issue and sleep issues. I have been drinking coffee for a lot of years so I will be cutting down gradually.
3. Have breakfast every day - This is going to be such a mighty hurdle for me. I find it so difficult to eat in the mornings, although I have found it easier when I have the Lemon Water. I know this is an important hurdle for me to overcome in order to change my current lifestyle

I also want to send out a huge 'Welcome' to those of you who have pledged to join me in this challenge. Weight loss for me has always been an issue, and I have found it to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I can stand in front of hundreds of people and speak, I can be assertive with those in higher positions than myself, I can be positive in my life but I find losing weight a massive challenge and I am so very grateful to Mix 101.1, Brig and Lehmo, the producers, Lola Berry and all of the callers who ring in with support and questions and I believe that with all of this support I am going to be able to tackle this challenge and learn ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I am looking so forward to doing more things with my children and granddaughter, to enjoying life and to being happy in all aspects of my life.

Please feel free to send though any questions, advice, difficulties, or even just to share your story with me, I look forward to hearing from you.

See you tomorrow

Feeling good - breathing easier

Hey there,

I don't know how to explain how much better I am feeling just by being more active and drinking more water. I am still struggling a lot to eat breakfast and I will speak to Lola about that this week. My sleep patterns are also all over the place so if anyone has any tips on getting to sleep I am eager to hear them.

I am loving going to the gym and the pool. Yesterday I was able to stay on the stepper machine for 3 minutes, two weeks ago I struggled to stay on it for 1 minute. And today, I went to the pool and swam 500 metres. I feel so much better, I am able to breathe much easier and I am not relying on my asthma puffer as much as I was. I am able to chase the grand daughter around, and that is so much fun and hearing her laugh is awesome.

BEST Mothers Day EVER!

Today was the best mothers day I have ever had. My husband and kids (and grandbaby) took me out for dinner tonight and it was awesome. It was the first time I have gone out for a meal in a long time. I felt alive being able to go out with my family and being able to chase after my 2 yr old grand daughter. Seeing all of my kids smiling and happy to be out of the house just made my day.

Whilst I did not have my lemon water this morning, I have tried to keep up my water intake. It is not as easy as it sounds. I will make myself a coffee and then think "I should have had a water" so before I go to bed tonight I will make up some "Drink water" signs to put around the house to remind me. One thing that has changed since I have been drinking water, both my sons are drinking water as well. I think this is a fantastic show of support and thank my boys very much for helping me.

Saturday has been a struggle

Hey there,

When I started this blog, I did so with the intent of sharing my weight loss journey, not just the good times but the bad times and the struggles as well. Today has certainly been a struggle for me. I had my lemon/water drink but it was extremely hard to eat half a piece of toast. I feel really blah today, like I can not be bothered to do anything - even move! But I am going to write down my goals tonight and I will blog them tomorrow. I really hope that I feel better tomorrow.

Day 1 - 6th May 2011

Hi there,

Well it is day one of my 12 week challenge. My biggest challenge for this week is to try and eat breakfast. I know it sounds so easy, but it is very difficult. I feel physically ill looking at food in the mornings. But I spoke to Lola Berry and she suggested that I have some warm water with the juice of half a lemon within an hour of waking up and that should clean out my liver and stimulate my appetite. This tip and loads more came from Lola's new book "Inspiring Ingredients" and there is more information from Lola at www.lolaberry.com

So I have had my lemon drink and I tried to have a slice of toast with vegemite but I was only able to eat half of it. I do feel much more awake now compared to when I don't have anything in the mornings and I am looking forward to going to the gym this afternoon with my 16 year old. I hope that I am able to keep having my lemon drinks and breakfast in the mornings and I know it is going to be a daily challenge for a while but I really want to make a change to my life and I will do whatever I need to do to lose this weight in a healthy way so that I can keep it off.

I went to the gym today with my 16 year old son and then went for a swim with him and his 10 year old brother and my husband. It was a lot of fun but today I really struggled to get there. I am glad that I went and I do feel much better for going but sometimes it can be so very hard. I guess that is partly what a lot of my weight issue has been, unable to get motivated. It is great having my kids and husband here to motivate me. I hope I feel a little bit better tomorrow.

Until then, stay safe
Janelle

What a day!

Hi there,

As I was travelling to the Mix 101.1 studio this morning, I had no idea just how big an impact I would have. I went in merely to say 'thank you' to Brig and Lehmo and the staff at Mix 101.1 for helping me to turn a major corner in my ongoing battle with weight loss. Having so many people ring in to share their stories was fantastic and made me realise that I am not alone in the weight loss battle, I know it sounds silly, but I truly felt that I was alone and that no-one understood what I was going through. I hope that through this blog, I can share some information that has helped me, answer any questions and receive advice from others living with a weight issue. I would love to hear any tips that anyone has and I hope that I can share an insight to the daily battle of changing my lifestyle to improve my health.

Being given the opportunity to meet Lola Berry and to discuss my eating issues with her was awesome. The goal that Lola has set for me this week is to try having some warm water with fresh lemon juice within an hour of getting up and to eat breakfast. I know 'eating breakfast' sounds like an easy thing to do, but for me, I get physically ill at the sight of food in the mornings. Lola suggested that even starting with a bite of an apple is better than eating nothing. So, beginning tomorrow (6th May 2011), I will try the lemon drink - this apparently stimulates the metabolism first thing in the morning, and I will try to eat breakfast. Maybe to start with I might have banana smoothies, that way I am at least having something - and Lola agreed that this might be a good way for me to start having breakfast initially.

Imagine my surprise when Lehmo told me that Mix 101.1 were giving me a 12 month platinum membership with Fitness First and that we will design a 12-week program to help me to get down to a size 14-16 dress for my 40th birthday. How do you thank people that want to help extend your life? Who have already indirectly assisted in extending my life? And the greatest part of all is that information I get from Lola and my personal trainer will be shared on the Mix 101.1 website: www.mix1011.com.au

So if you are wanting to change your lifestyle, please join me in my 12 week challenge.