Pre Season task - Introducing myself

IHi my name is Donna & this is my 16th round. I have had some really successful rounds & some not so. I have tried a few different fitness levels that 12wbt offer & so far 10k has been my favorite. This round I have decided to join the Move 2 program. I chose to go back to basics for a number of reasons. My confidence or lack of has been 1 of the reasons but my main reason is because I'm suffering from major depression. I find it hard getting out of bed each morning so it has been a constant battle to exercise. Lately my eating patterns has varied. This has seen me over eat & under eat & has been a major reason for my weight gain. 

I know I can't use these as an excuse but  it has been a huge factor in my journey. I did manage to get to goal weight a couple of years ago where I could happily say I had lost 50kgs. Although I can't say this is the case now I do know I'm no where near the 120kg I used to be. I owe so much to this program. It truly does work. I hope you all have a great 12 weeks & beyond.

Letter to myself

Dear Donna,

You did it!!! You signed up for your 16th round. I have a few questions I want you to answer honestly.

So how are you feeling about rejoining 12WBT

If I'm completely honest with myself I'm totally freaking out. You would think by now I would have it all figured out but I don't I'm really scared that I'm going to fail. I seem to start of perfectly but then it goes downhill from there. Right now I'm really angry & frustrated with myself.

Why do you feel this way?

When I weighed 120kg I promised myself that I would never get back to that person. Even though I'm nowhere near to where I used to be it scares me. I am noticing my old patterns are creeping back in & I'm scared & embarrassed. I know what it felt like when I lost 50kg & I want to feel like that girl again.

What do  you feel the biggest challenges are going to be for you this round? 

The biggest challenge for me will be my mindset. I don't like myself at the moment & the negative thoughts & feelings that I about myself get me down & that's when I crave junk food. I use I'm too busy as an excuse because I know I'm not.

What will it take to overcome these challenges?

I think if I'm going to overcome this I need to be kind to myself. I'm going to to try & write 1 positive thing about myself or something I proud of daily. I need to stop hiding myself away & just get myself back out there.

What achievement (s) will make you the proudest?

To be honest & as embarrassing as it might sound, I think just getting out of bed at a reasonable time will be one of my proudest achievements at the moment. I'm going to take each day as it comes & I know if I can keep my nutrition to 99% that would make me proud.

Who will be your main supporters?

I have learnt that I don't need to do this alone. My friends who I have met through 12WBT know & understand how hard this weight loss journey is & I know I can reach out to them & not feel as embarrassed.

What words of encouragement would your friend or loved one give you right now & at the start of this journey?

Donna it is going to be okay
We are here for you
Take one step at a time
We understand.

Best wishes for this round. I know you can do this

Love Donna xx

I forgot to post week 4 & 5 weekly weigh in. #12wbt #12wbt30pluscrew #12wbtweighinday #mishbridges #michellebridges #healthier #fitter #fitandhealthy #healthychoice #determined #determination #jfdi

Random acts of exercise

I often say that 12WBT has helped build my confidence up in so many ways & here is another reason. Two members Cathy & Bella came up with a fantastic fun way of getting some exercise in. #randomactsofexercise. For someone who is shy & still puts herself down, I thought I would give it a try. I tried doing squats in the hospital lift & I did but the photo didn't work out. So I went into
BIG W into the clothing department grabbed a pair of #oneactive pants & I squatted. I got some funny looks but it didn't stop me.

Looking at my food differently

In previous rounds I have used treat meal as going out & having what I liked. We are currently in week 4 & this round I haven't felt like I have needed a treat meal. To be completely honest some of the 12wbt recipes feel like a treat to me. This doesn't mean I miss out completely. 

Tonight I felt like a piece of my mums chocolate. In the past that block of chocolate would have ended up in my tummy.

Tonight's piece was so different. I didn't just chew & swallow. I actually made that 1 piece last in my mouth. I think it was the best piece I have ever had. 

I savioud every moment. 

This round I can honestly say I'm really noticing my food & how it taste instead of just scotching it down for the sake of it.

Week 3 weigh in

 Week 3 has been another good week for me. I am really happy with this weeks loss. To some it might not seem a big number but for me it is. I have kept my nutrition 99% clean with 1 little treat during the week. In 3 weeks I am down 3.1kg & one step closer to my goal weight. 

Who is this girl?

This is officially my 15th round & each round I am learning something new about myself. We are at the end of week 3 & I have been faced with many obstacles that in the past would have lead me to have a binge session. After a really upsetting Drs appointment I had to go to the shops for a couple of things. In my mind I was ready to go & have a binge session. I needed to let go of my sadness & frustration & in the past food has been my outlet. 

No not this time, something clicked & I finally realised food wasn't the solution. I think I have always known that but for some reason this time I have seen the light. I got the few things I needed which were fruit, veggies & milk & I was out of there.

Im not someone who can be proud of myself or even acknowledge the positive changes that I see in myself but this time I looked in the mirror & had the biggest smile on my face. 

Yes I was proud of myself.

Weigh in day

Week 2 weigh in day & Im so happy to see another loss ⬇️ in 2 weeks I am down 2.3kg & feeling good both mentally & physically

Update of my round so far

I'm back for another round & I ask myself what do I want? The past few months has been a constant struggle. My depression has really taken over my everyday life (I know I can't use this as an excuse. I had lost all motivation & if I could stay in bed all day I would. As we begin week 2 I can happily say I'm right on track with my nutrition but when it comes to exercise well that is another story. My main focus was getting my nutrition on track 1st & then focus on exercising. So week 1 weigh in I saw 1.4kg loss which for me was amazing to see. I'm one who doesn't normally see big loses. Let's see how my weigh in goes tomorrow

The sky's the limit

Who would of thought a few years ago weighing 120kg that I would ever be able to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Thanks to Michelle Bridges 12wbt program this became a reality. Ideally I was only going to do this when I got to goal weight but I knew I needed to do this now as a reminder of how far I have come & also I did this for my beautiful mum who due to medical reasons would never be able to do this.

My Food Journal

This round I am trying to keep a food journal. These are just some of the different variety I have eaten over the last few days. I'm not much of a master chef but the food below taste so good. It actually feels like I'm eating naughty.

Fitness test & measuring up

Yes I know it’s not the end of the world that I have gone back to square 1 with my fitness test  & measuring up but it is still very disheartening. I really have let myself go both mentally & physically. What I do know is that I need to dust myself off & try again. I have been successful in previous rounds & I can & I will be successful this round.  I normally post both fitness & measure up but I think at this stage I will keep this to myself. I have just entered it on my stats page & I’m feeling really embarrassed. I have let myself & the 12wbt crew down. 

I'm back for my 15th round

Say it out loud - 10k Running program

I’m back for another round. Last July I attempted my 1^st half marathon but only managed 13.5km before I was disqualified. After a foot injury & 3 surgeries last year,this round  I have decided to do the 10k running program & hoping to improve my times each week. If I’m completely honest with myself I don’t think I’m cut out to run marathons. (But never say never) I found last round to be one of my hardest rounds yet. I let my health problems & depression get the better of me & found myself binging which led to weight gain. So this round I’m hoping to improve my times & improve my distance. This round I'm aiming to lose between 5-7 kgs.

I know this program works & I know that I need to be 100% committed to achieving my goals. When the going it's tough I won't give up.

Get Real

Get Real

This is my 14th round & I wish I could say that I didn't use any excuses but I do. I am happy to say that I have less then when I first started.

My Excuses

I will embarrass myself at the gym
I have lost my mojo
I might fail
I have just had surgery
It's too hot

My Solutions

Who cares what other people think of you

Remember why I am doing this

It's better to give it ago then not try it at all

train inside where there  is air conditioning or train early in the morning.

Ask the Dr what exercise I can do

Donna it's time to JFDI

Pre season Introduction

Hi my name is Donna & this is my 14^th round. From someone who used to weigh 120kg & not being able to run to now, where I love entering fun runs. In July I flew up to the Gold Coast to meet up with my 12wbt friends who I have met through the program. I attempted to do my 1st Half Marathon & also to watch them do there runs. My half didn't go to plan as I had an injury & had just had surgery. I managed to run 13.5km & was so proud of that result. My aim is to build my distance up & work towards running the half next July. Before the program I was severely depressed & lacked confidence. Since joining I have gained my confidence & I am proud of how far I have come. I still have down days & I still sometimes make poor food & exercise choices but I know that I will never get back to the way I was before. This program has given my life back & I'm so thankful.

80% Nutrition 20% Exercise 100% Mindset

As I'm starting to do my pre season task, I have been looking back at how far I have come but also the struggles I have had along the way. Weight loss is hard but to get to where I want to be I also need to improve my mindset. They say 80% Nutrition 20% Exercise but I believe it's 100% Mindset as well. I have noticed if you aren't in the right mindset its so much harder to achieve my goals. #12wbt #30pluscrew #12wbt30plus #michellebridges #mishbridges #mindset #100%mindset

Week 1 weigh in August 2014

Week 1 weigh in day for #12wbtaugust round saw me lose 500g in 3 days. Consistency is key. I am stoked with my results. #12wbt #12wbt30pluscrew #12weighin #30pluscrew #mishbridges #michellebridges

Day 1 August 2014

Day 1 - My 1st day went pretty well. My nutrition was 100% I managed to sleep 6hrs 45mins which is good for me. I drank 2 litres of water & burnt 200 calories. I'm really enjoying the brand new #12wbt tracker.Tomorrow I'm aiming for 300 calorie burn & 7hrs sleep. 🍏💤💧🏊 #12wbt #12wbtaugust #12wbt30pluscrew #august2014round #mishbridges #michellebridges

Runs I'm entering

These are 3 runs I will be doing in the next couple of months #city2bay #melbournemarathon

My Goals for August Round

As this is my 13th round  I wanted to take a different approach to setting my goals. It's so important to set goals & I have done well in previous rounds but I found myself aiming to high. Aiming high is good but I'm such a perfectionist & when I can't meet all my goals I find myself feeling like a failure & I quickly start crumbling.

So this round I decided to go back to baby steps & do 1, 2 & 3 months goals & focus on the 6 & 12 month goals at a later date. 

My 1 Month Goals

To lose 1.5kg

Join Gym

To train for 12km City to Bay

Keep my blog updated / forums

Drink my daily consumption of water with lemon.

Go to bed before 11.00 instead of after 12.00

2 Month Goals

Run 12km City to Bay

Lose 1.5kg

3 Month Goals

To have lost 4kg by the end of round

To fly to Melbourne & enter fun run

To keep up with my 1 & 2 month goals

I will get there by following the 12wbt program.