LCHF Meatloaf filled gem squash

My dear hubby has always been an avid foodie, but while I was a SAHM I did most of the cooking. Since I started working again he has taken over kitchen duty again. Hubby loves testing out new recipes or coming up with recipes of his own. Tonight he came up with this delicious recipe! It is completely LCHF legal. 

Ingredients:

4 large Gem squash, halved

1kg Beef mince

2 Tbspn coconut oil

1 Onion, chopped

3 Bay leaves

4-5 Cloves

1.5 c beef stock

4 Tbspn cream

1 egg

1 Tbspn psyllium husk powder

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

1. Boil gem squash until tender. Drain very well.

2. Fry onions in coconut oil until transparent.

3. Add mince and brown.

4. Add the bay leaves, cloves and beef stock and simmer over low heat until there is no more liquid. Set the mince aside.

5. Mix cream and egg. Add this to the mince.

6. Stir in psyllium husk powder until well combined.

7. Spoon mince into gem squash. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes.

My meal plan for the week

Now that I am working full time outside of the home, I find that I need to be super organised over weekends to get everything ready for the week ahead. Over the last few weeks I have gotten into the habit of planning our meals for the following week on a Friday night. I then try to get to the shops early on a Saturday morning to get all the groceries done and then prep as many of our meals in advance for the week in order to  take a bit of stress off of me in the evenings when I get home. 

Before I started working, I doubled up on a few of our meals and popped them into the freezer. I have found this a huge help! It saves so much time in the evenings, leaving me with plenty of time to spend with my loved ones instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

This passed week I discovered a great blog called "Organize yourself skinny" (www.organizeyourselfskinny.com). The author is also a busy mom who decided to change her lifestyle for the better. On the blog she gives loads of tips on how to prepare healthy nutritious food in advance. There are some delicious looking recipes and inspiring ideas. Two of which I am going to try out this week: spiced apple oatmeal cups and salad in a jar.

I baked a batch of the spiced apple oatmeal cups this afternoon and the mere smell of them from the oven got my tummy rumbling. The recipe includes fragrant cinnamon and nutmeg, apples and chopped up walnuts. I have used pecan nuts in the ones I baked today because that's what I had in the cupboard. I will have one of these for breakfast with some yogurt. Each cup works out to 188 calories. 

For lunch I have made myself salad in a jar. It is a layered salad which is packed in a glass consol jar. I can hear you asking, "but won't the salad wilt?". The trick (apparently) lies in the layering and ensuring the jar is air tight and that it stays upright until you want to eat it so that the tomato juice and dressing doesn't touch your delicate salad greens. Once you are ready to eat, you shake it up, tip it into a bowl and voila! A healthy lunch in a few seconds! For my jars this week I have used a balsamic vinigerette and a honey and mustard dressing. Salad ingredients include tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, mini mielies, carrots, sprouts and feta. For protein I have used tuna (mixed with oreganum and spring onions) and rotisserie chicken. All of this is topped off with some butter lettuce. 

My meal plan for the week looks like this:

Breakfast: oatmeal cups and yogurt / boiled eggs and toast

Midmorning snack: fruit 

Lunch: salad in a jar

Mid afternoon snack: home made biltong and chive dip and crudités / fruit

Suppers:

Monday - beef stroganoff on buttered cabbage (from Raising Superheroes) which I prepared on Sunday.

Tuesday - bobotie and rice (freezer meal)

Wednesday - slow cooker Hawaiian Chicken and rice

Thursday - family dinner night at my in laws (and my mom-in-laws scrummy food). 

Friday - courgette spaghetti and mince

Saturday - braai and salad (the weather is supposed to be great again)

Sunday - roast chicken and veg

So that is my meal plan for the week. Other things on my "agenda": to replace sugar with xylitol, limit myself to 3 cups of coffee, TO DRINK A LOT OF WATER and to get back to gym.

Have a splendid week!

Until next time

XX-L

Spring: a new beginning

Sometimes life doesn't go the way we always plan. For the past 6 years I have been a stay at home mom and really happy with my life. At the beginning of this year, I decided to take control of my eating habits and started exercising (and blogging). Everything was going along swimmingly until winter hit....and I hit a wall. If you had asked me in February where I saw myself by September, I would have replied: "Ten kilos lighter, fitter and still a stay at home mom".In reality, where am I by almost the beginning of September? Back where I started in January....and fulfilling a new role as a working mom.

With this new role comes a WHOLE new routine and new challenges: time consuming daily commute, a desk job (my first one ever!), a full schedule in the evenings to spend as much time with my family as I can before bedtime and prep for the next day at work. When will I be able to fit in some exercise into this new routine? Healthy packed work lunches (and breakfasts)...Pinterest is a girls best friend. Weekends are there to get ready for the next week.

So, how am I going to balance my new busy work/family life schedule and exercise? Honestly, I don't know. Leaving home for work at 6am makes exercise BEFORE work difficult. We only get home at 6pm and then I want to spend time with Master J, Little Miss E and my hubby. It's very important to me that I am there for dinner time and to put them to bed...and by that time, the gym is closed. My only option is to walk for 30 min at the gym each morning from 5 -5:30am....a little bit of exercise is better than no exercise, right? And of course, with the weather warming up and it not being so soggy outside, our whole family can make a return to Root 44 parkrun - yay! As some added motivation, my sister and I have entered the 5km Gun run which is happening on the 11th of October. With that little challenge lying ahead of me, I will HAVE to make a concerted effort to get back to the gym and plan some fun-filled family fitness activites for weekends.

Sadly my new schedule does not allow me the time to continue exercising with Suzy or walking in the mornings with my walking buddies. I miss them dearly. Exercising in a group is so much more motivating than trying to do it on your own. Thank heavens for whatsapp groups so that I can stay in touch with these lovely ladies and we try to motivate one another through that.

I will also have to really watch what I put in my mouth. It is so easy to quickly pop out at lunch time for a take away or a piece of cake with that lunch time cup of coffee. Not only is it not good for the waistline, but the wallet suffers too. I am very fortunate to be working with some wonderful people, However, none of them have a weight problem....and they all love sweeties, cake and all things yummy. So I will have to learn to say no and put my blinkers on to what they are eating and focus on my healthy food. Thank goodness the weather is warming up, so it should be easier to get all that water in and eat lighter, fresh food.

Today I choose to celebrate all the changes in my life. I will look for ways to overcome the challenges and rejoice in all the GOOD things this change has brought.

Until next time,

XX-L

Weekly meal prep

The last while my anxiety levels have been through the roof. Everything seems to be out of control: I just can't seem to stay on top of the house work, there are toys lying EVERYWHERE, my kids seem to be moany and nagging all the time...the list goes on and on. And the fact that winter has set in doesn't help that bluesy feeling. The control freak / neat freak in me is FREAKING OUT which leads to emotional eating. So, in an attempt to gain control over the entire situation, I have decided to do a bit of meal planning and weekly meal prepping. I have done it in the past and it works brilliantly!

Sunday would probably be the best day of the week to do this, but for us Sundays are usually quite busy with family gatherings, church etc. My plan is to do all our meal prep on a Saturday. 

Being the Pinterest addict that I am, I headed over and searched for a bit of inspiration. Initially I only intended to prep our main meals but one seems to able to prep ALL your meals in advance. Below is a pin from www.peanutbutterandfitness.blogspot.com where she has prepped even her breakfasts in advance! How organised is that!?! 

The benefits of doing a weekly meal prep are:

Helps keep you within your budget.

You eat more fresh, whole foods and less processed rubbish. 

Minimizes food wastage.

Ensures correct portion control.

Limits temptation to head to the drive through on busy/lazy days.

Some foods that are easy to prepare in advance:

Snacking veggies / fruit

Hummus 

Salad greens

Lean proteins like chicken, fish (I would eat the fish meals first though, just to be on the safe side) and turkey

Grains such as brown rice, quinoa etc

Roasted veg

Hard boiled eggs

Overnight oats 

You'll need to invest in some good Tupperware (YAY! A trip to Plastics for Africa!) and set aside a day to do all the prep work and cooking. 

Make a menu plan of what you would like to eat each day - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Have a look at which of these meals can be made in advance and either frozen or stored in the fridge. Write your grocery list and then put on your most comfy pair of shoes and hit the shops. Remember not to shop on an empty stomach to avoid being tempted to buy things that are not on your shopping list! 

Now, once the shopping is done, the chopping, baking, grilling and boiling can start. Portion your meals into each bowl. I have found it handy to label what is in each bowl and the date it was made. 

It takes almost the whole day from start to finish but the effort is totally worthwhile.

I recently read a quote that said: if you have good food in the fridge, you will eat good food.

 

So, on that note, I'm off to do some meal prepping and ensure I have only good food in my fridge. I'll post pics and more details of what I made on my next blog post.

Until next time, 

XX-L

Winter motivation

It's been a while since you've heard from me. At the beginning I was pumped up and ready to tackle the long road ahead.

After leading a sedentary lifestyle up to that point I saw quick results once I started exercising and eating right. As summer came to an end, the motivation to get up in the cold, dark and now wet mornings to exercise started to wane. The fact that I also didn't HAVE to get up because there was no one waiting at the beach for me to go walking also affected the motivation. It became easy to just kill the 4:30am alarm, roll over and go back to sleep. The chillier weather has also made it so much harder to eat correctly and drink enough water. I naturally gravitate towards the comfort foods when I'm cold. Who wants to drink water when you can have a nice cup of coffee and a rusk, right?

When I started, I promised myself I would not make excuses. I would own my mistakes and that only I could change my destructive lifestyle for the good. So I have decided to nip the winter wallow in the bud....NOW, before I am back where I started! 

I asked a few of my friends how they stay motivated to train in winter. 

My good friend, Lisa (who is an avid Adventure Bootcamper and fellow parkrun-addict) suggested putting out my gym clothes the night before or even sleeping in my gym clothes so that I can just get up and go in the mornings and keep warm. I have implemented this tip the last few days...and it works! So, thanks Lisa.

I also asked my trainer, Suzy. And this is what she had to say:

TRAINING DURING WINTER

                                                        

Biggest thing about training during winter is that it is emotionally A LOT harder than physically… Your main motivation should be the reasons WHY you NEED to train during the winter and colder months…

You’ve already put so much time and effort into training the last couple of months and to give it all up now because it is darker, colder and harder to get out of bed….the question is – IS IT WORTH IT??? The answer is without a doubt – NO WAYS!!!!

If you think about it:

• It is cooler so you can train twice as hard before you feel like you are over heating
• Your body uses more energy when you feel cold so you can burn more calories
• If you train during winter you will be fitter when summer start so you can achieve so much more in the summer to maintain your healthier, leaner body!!!

Unfortunately we automatically eat more during the winter to feel warmer, drink less water and more coffee/tea so we will have to do that little bit extra to keep the extra calories to turn into fat.

Comfort food looks a lot more appealing than a salad so we have to make sure we think HEALTHY and make the correct choices.

So in order to stay motivated during winter you have to focus on your end results – WHY did you start training in the first place????

Was it to loose weight, get fitter, feeling healthier, do more with your children, shape and tone or even all of them????

Now, ask yourself are you going to get closer or further from your goal by slacking during the winter???  Are you willing to start all over again in the spring??

 Surely you are not going to give up now….all the hard work, getting up early in the morning, watching your food intake the last few months, getting better and better at each walk/run you doing, getting stronger and healthier, being able to do more with your kids without feeling out of breath immediately, feeling better about yourself, fitting into a smaller pair of pants, old clothes feeling looser on your body!!!!  Was that all for nothing??? Definitely NOT, I am sure this is more than enough motivation to keep you going instead of starting ALL OVER AGAIN?!?!?!?!?

So the biggest motivation during winter should be – WHY DID YOU START?????

I am very grateful to have Suzy on my team this winter...motivating me and holding me accountable by waiting for me at 5am twice a week (in the cold, dark and wet weather).

 

As the old saying goes: "Summer bodies are made in winter". 

My winter training strategy:

• Never skip a day
• Drink enough water, no matter how cold it is!
• Research and implement healthy, hearty winter food
• Join the gym so that I can join my walking buddies again (have tried to avoid this one, but I think the time has come to cave on the resistance)
• Stay accountable by updating my blog more often
• "Invest" in winter training clothes/gear....I LOVE all the gadgets, the apps...all the things that give you feedback, stats etc.

 

Until next time,

XX-L

The week that was

WOW! Another week is gone...I cannot believe that we are almost into May.

This year is speeding by, which made me look at how far i have come since starting this journey in January. I know my weight hasn't changed much in the last few weeks (keeping in mind I'm on a scale detox, so I'm not really sure what my weight is doing) but I am a lot fitter than I was 4 months ago and I am trying hard every day to make the healthier food choice. I have dropped a pants size since I have started and I'm giving myself a few more weeks before I hit the shops for a bit of winter retail therapy, as most of my winter clothes are too big for me already.

This past week has been a rather challenging one. My mom landed up in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning with atrial fibrillation. This was the third time she has had such an episode and each time is just as scary, if not more, than the first. I lost my dad 14 years ago this month and I cannot imagine losing my mom too! Thankfully, the capable doctors at Vergelegen Mediclinic did a cardio version and mom was admitted for a few days for more observation and an angiogram, which thankfully showed no irregularities. With all the "excitement" and driving up and down of the past week, I missed a session with Suzy and relied heavily on the convenience of Woolies for dinnertime meals. By Friday I felt rundown, exhausted and my cold was still lurking, so when my alarm went off at 4:30am, the mind was willing but the body was weak...and I decided to have a sleep-in instead of going walking.

The hubby had a fishing competition to attend on Saturday, so I had decided that not to do parkrun this week. After missing my walk on Friday morning, I felt quite guilty and almost like something special was missing out of my day. So when a close friend sent me a message on Friday evening asking whether she could join me for her first parkrun on Saturday, I thought "Why not?". It would be a bit of a challenge, as I would have to take little Miss E along in her pram, which is not really suited for trail running, but I was up for the challenge.Master J was thrilled when I told him we were in fact going to do parkrun.

Saturday arrived and we were up bright and early and off to Root 44 we went to help celebrate their 100th event - what a perfect day for it, albeit a bit chilly to start with. We had a lovely walk through the vinyards and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Even though we went at a snails pace, we finished the race and my arms got an extra workout from trying to keep the pram on course. But more importantly, I showed my children that we can have fun together while being healthy. And I now know that my pram can survive a trail run, so no more excuses of having to watch the kids when dad can't. 

After our walk I treated the kids to a pancake and indulged in a delicious coffee at the market. It felt so good being outside in the fresh air and sunshine and having catch up session with a special friend. What a great way to destress after a rather hectic week!

Here's to a happier, less stressful week of healthy food choices and lots of exercise!

Until next time, 

XX-L

Where have I been?

Life goes by so fast! Days melt together into one big blur and before you know it a whole week has disappeared. Sometimes you just need to slow down a bit and smell the roses. That is what I did this school holiday with my kiddies. We enjoyed some much needed quality time together.

Our holiday didn't start off great. The ghastly gastro bug made its way through the whole family, leaving us all a bit weak and open to other bugs....namely the cold and flu virus. So we have sniffed our way through the Easter holidays. But we did not let this put a dampener on our mood!

Admittedly, Easter was TOUGH and by Sunday a serious case of Easter egg regret had set in. On Easter Monday we decided to make the most of the lovely weather and (very) early wake up (thanks to the littlies) and headed down to the beach for a walk. Master J has been wanting to do parkrun with me since he volunteered with me a few weeks ago. I was a bit hesitant to start with because 5km is a looooong way for little legs. I thought that our walk on the beach would be a good indicator as to whether he would be able to manage. Well, I was impressed. He RAN the full 4.5km beach walk! So, last weekend he went to do his first parkrun with me. I can proudly say he finished his first parkrun in a better time than my personal best and beating me by a whole 4 minutes!!!! And I am sure it would have been an even bigger gap had I not insisted he stay within my sights (up to the last km). One proud mamma here! Now I have one running obsessed little boy on my hands...and another parkrun convert. So operation "Fit Family Smit" is well underway. 😁

I have decided to take a bit of a break from my scale for 6 weeks. My next weigh in will be the first week of June...which will also coincide with hubby and my 8th wedding anniversary. The reason for my "scale detox" is simple: I was becoming slightly obsessed and started weighing myself every time I was in the bathroom. So until June I will be relying only on the measuring tape and my clothes to tell me whether all my hard work and healthy food choices is working.

Speaking of the measuring tape, it was time to measure with Suzy last week. Even though I could feel on my clothes that I had lost centimeters, I was feeling very nervous. So here is how my body has changed between the beginning of March and the beginning of April: 

 

So for the month of March I lost a total of 22.5cm. Somehow we forgot to measure my hips at the beginning of March, so it could have been more, but I am happy with my results so far.

After watching the Two Oceans Marathon, some of my walking partners have decided to start the 8 week couch to 5k running program. I would love to start jogging, but at this stage I am still too heavy and my hips and knees just would not cope. So, when they jog I power walk. But, I have added a half marathon (maybe the Two Oceans?) to my "2016/17 to do list". What an achievement that would be! 

School started today again which means life can go back to normal. Back to early nights to bed (well, as early as I can manage - I'm aiming for 10pm) and super early morning workouts. I need to focus on eating cleaning, prepping my food in advance and drinking more water. I have also started reading "Sugar Free" by  Karen Thomson and Kerry Hammerton. I'll write more about this book in a future blog, but for now I'll tell you that it's made me look at my relationship with food in a different light.

 

Until next time,

XX-L

What a week!

Jeepers! Creepers! Our household is a busy one. We are always on our way to one activity or another, but this past week we have also had a birthday boy, a teething tot and a ghastly gastro bug thrown into the mix!

On Thursday evening I had the absolute privilege to attend the Michael Buble concert at Cape Town Stadium. Those of you who know me, will know that I am besotted with him. So you can imagine my excitement about going to see him live for the fourth time. My excitement was doubled when I was getting dressed for the concert and put on my jeans for the first time in weeks, only to realise that they were too big! WOOHOO!!! So I am now one step closer to one of my goals of wearing a size 22 pant by spring.

The concert was amazing and MB was a fabulous entertainer, as always. However, my Buble high was short lived when hubby phoned me to say that Miss E was running a fever. Not exactly how I had imagined the start to Master J's birthday weekend. So I had a double challenge on my hands: no emotional eating due to lack of sleep and stress over a sick baby; and not to indulge in any party treats that filled my cupboards before the party on Monday. You would think it would be quite a challenge, right? Wrong! Easy peasy when a gastro bug is involved.

I finally got a chance to return to my beloved parkrun on Saturday morning. It really is such a wonderful event. This week I got to see for the first time what goes on "behind the scenes" as a volunteer. It takes 15 volunteers to make a parkrun run smoothly. My job this week was to be on token support. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning and watching all the runners and walkers coming in - some cheerful and chatty while others were serious and meant business. Close to the end of proceedings, my tummy gave a flip and I knew that something was brewing.

Turns out I had caught the dreaded gastro that has been doing the rounds in Somerset West....and this with a party to prep for on Monday!!! STRESS!!!! At least it meant that I was not tempted to cheat on any party things at all.

With all our activities and "cooties", I have been unable to walk with my girls or train with Suzy since Friday and I have really missed it. I am not a natural athlete and have never been crazy about doing sport, but I can honestly tell you that I cannot wait to get back to my walking girls and Suzy. I have missed the glow after a workout, missed the feeling of accomplishment (and dare I say, I have missed the comfort of my tights and tekkies). I know I have been sick, but my body feels sluggish and heavy in the mornings when i get up and by the late afternoon I could do with a nap. I need my endorphin fix again!

One positive is that a gastro bug always helps the scale to move. This week I shifted 1.8kgs (most of which was probably water). So now I tip the scales at 128.2kg. That brings my total weight loss since January to 7.5kgs. It's almost the end of the month, which means that I will measure again. I will admit that I am quite excited to see how many centimeters I have lost, as I can definitely feel it on my clothes.

With everything that's happened in the last few days, I feel exhausted! This made me think about my diet and how to get back into the swing of things, after living off flat Coke for 5 days, and also about my training. I intend to eat very carefully until I know for sure that my tummy has settled, but after that I want to eat clean - loads of fresh fruit and veg, packed with vitamins to give my body a bit of a boost and water to rehydrate. I also want to introduce some stretching or yoga into my workout routine to aid relaxation and manage my stress levels. I have downloaded the Yoga Studio App which includes various yoga routines at different difficulty levels. In the coming week I would like to try doing two or three routines. How do you cope with stress or relax?

Here's to a healthier week!

Until next time,
XX-L

Food Diary & Sports Day Shinanigans

My son is a very picky eater while my daughter will eat practically anything, including the dog's pellets! Up until now, I have been ordering special home made baby food for little miss E. However, we decided that because she was so "easy" when it comes to eating that we should try letting her eat whatever we are having for dinner. This made me even more aware of what WE eat.

So this past week I hauled out good old Annabel Karmel's cookbook. My reasoning is that if it is suitable and nutritious for a baby/toddler to eat her food, then surely it can't be too bad for adults? AK includes plenty of fresh vegetables, herbs and spices in her recipes. We will see whether the scale agrees with my reasoning!

(This is the AK cookbook that I use.)

I tried to eat my main meal at lunch time and then just have a snack at dinner time. Admittedly, I struggled with this! I managed to eat the leftovers from the previous night at lunch time, but once I smelled dinner, all resistance crumbled and I had a plate of cooked food at night too. So the lesson I have learned this week is that I need to work on my self discipline (no surprises there!)

My food diary for the past week looks like this:

Monday: 

Breakfast - smoothie made with yogurt mango, pineapple and banana (I celebrated a very good friend's 40th birthday at Vergelegen Wine Estate and this was the most legal option on the menu).

Lunch - Ham and cheese sarmie

Snack- Vienna

Dinner- Yogurt with mixed seeds and strawberries

Tuesday: 

Breakfast: 1 toast with 2 boiled eggs

Lunch - 2 bobotie bites

Snack - Vienna and banana

Dinner - Chicken with summer veg and rice

Wednesday: 

Breakfast - toast with 2 boiled eggs

Lunch - Chicken with summer veg and rice 

Dinner - Savoury mince and rice

Today I didn't have snacks so by dinner time I was ravenous!

Thursday:

Breakfast - 1 toast with honey 

Lunch - Savoury mince and rice

Snack - Yogurt with mixed seeds and 10 grapes

Dinner - Stewed lamb, broccoli, butternut (We had our weekly family dinner at my inlaws with my MIL's scrummy food...at least I didn't have rice or potatoes!)

Friday: 

Breakfast - toast with honey

Lunch - Hotdog

Dinner - Kfc burger and ice cream

(My weekend weakness!!!😢)

Saturday:

No breakfast (was in a rush to get to master J's sports day)

Snack - Half a boerewors roll (the half master J didn't want)

Lunch - McDonalds Mcfeast meal with chips

Dinner - nothing as I was still full from lunch 

( BAD DAY!)

Sunday: 

Breakfast - muesli, fruit and yogurt (courtesy of Woolies Cafe)

Lunch - homemade hamburger with bacon, cheese and mushroom sauce 😳

Dinner - Tuna tagliatelle (which I actually made for the kiddos for dinner tonight and for myself and hubby for lunch tomorrow)

Even though my eating habits have changed significantly since starting this journey, there is still a lot of room for improvement. I am still adamant that I do not want to follow a diet, but rather change my lifestyle and in this way "shed my load". In the week ahead, I will try to eat my main meal at lunchtime and just a light snack for dinner. I will also try to have my light dinner a bit earlier than usual. We usually only eat dinner after we have put the kids to bed. Neither of them have afternoon naps any more so I give them their dinner by 5pm and then hubby and I have dinner around 7pm.

On Saturday it was master J's sports day at school. As I mentioned in my previous post, I was to run in the mom and son race with him. Last year I was terribly embarrassed as I hobbled along, so I was determined to put on a better "show" this year. Boy, oh boy did I put on a show! About half way into the race I could feel how my body was waaaay ahead of my feet and both the little man and I crashed over the finish line, ploughing into the dry grass, dress flying over my head (thank goodness for tights to save my dignity). I got up almost as soon as I hit the ground, wishing it would rather swallow me up. I wanted to die of embarrassment! The only thing worse than being the "fat mom" is being the "fat mom who falls infront of everyone"!!! Not only did I feel embarrassed for myself but also for my poor boy who so desparately wanted to win the race. I tried my best to laugh it off but couldn't hold back the tears when my darling said to me in the car on the way home, "Mommy, we were going so fast that we crashed!". The heart of a child is so pure and innocent. Bless him!

With the exception of the grazed arm, stiff knee and bruised ego I came out of the situation unscathed and with more determination than ever to become leaner, fitter and stronger.

(Image: Pinterest)

Until next time,

XX-L

Training wheels

For the past month i have been walking 3 times a week with some wonderful ladies. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning we all get up while the rest of our families are still sleeping soundly, put on our tights and tekkies and make our way down to the beach. There is something about knowing that there is someone waiting for you to walk with them that makes getting up at 4:30am a tad (and i mean only a tad) easier. We walk no matter the weather. The camaraderie is awesome and i really appreciate these ladies efforts to encourage and support me.

However, over the past month, my muscle mass has decreased and my body fat % has increased. After doing a bit of research and talking to a few people in the know, i decided that it was time to take this fitness regime to the next level. One of my walking buddies does group training with a personal trainer, Suzy, and they were kind enough to invite me to join their group. Group training is great as you get the individual attention of the trainer but you also have the other ladies there "suffering" with you.

So i started my strength training with Suzy on Tuesday this week. It's safe to say that on Wednesday i could feel muscles in places i didn't know i had any. 

What does a training session consist of, you ask? During my first session we did 3 sets of various body weight exercises. These included push ups, various types of sit ups, planking, steps, squats, lunges etc.  After the first set i thought to myself that this wasn't so bad....but halfway through the second set i started to struggle and only just made it through the last set. Every time i felt like throwing in the towel because my muscles were burning, i had to remind myself that i cannot give up. I had to push through because that burn meant it was working. I also thought about the example i was setting for my children. I want them to see that through hard work and perseverance, great things can be accomplished.

 I really enjoyed my first week of strength training! I actually loved that stiff and sore feeling in my muscles the day after because it told me that i worked hard and reminded me to eat clean so as not to undo my hard work. I look forward to another week of early morning training and walking sessions.

I was unable to do Parkrun this weekend and i really missed it! I will also not be able to do it this coming weekend as it is my son's sports day at school and i'll be cheering him on and taking part in the mother and son race. Last year i was so embarrassed when i ran / hobbled along infront of all the other parents. Hopefully this year will be better and i trust that by next year i will be at my goal weight and sprinting along.

In the week ahead i will be keeping a food diary, which i will force myself to publish as a way of keeping myself accountable. So you will see the good, the bad (hopefully not much of that) and the ugly.

Until next time,

XX-L

(Ps. I do NOT look like that while planking...yet!)

Weigh day and Fit-Feb stats

In the Tights and Tekkies household, Monday means weigh day.

So with a heavy heart (and body) i climbed onto my scale this morning and this is what i saw:

Not very good, but perhaps after last week's bad choices, it could have been much worse. I will not be disheartened but this hiccup. So I put on my tights and my tekkies and braved the gale force south-easter to do my walk. This morning i walked a personal best average pace of 10:21min / km, despite the wind and finished 4.54km in 47min! Yay me! That makes getting up at 4:30am worth it!

What i love about Runkeeper is that it allows you to compare your walks from one week or month to the next. And if you are willing to pay their subscription fee, you can compare one work out to the next and get even more insights on how your training is progressing.

My stats for Fit-feb are as follows:
Km walked: 71.1
Ave pace per minute: 12:05
Activities: 19
Calories burned: 7967.1 (this number brings out my OCD...it could have been 8000!)
Elevation climb: 1307.6m
Time spent: 14:20:07

Not too shabby!?!?

In my previous post i was moaning about how i have been losing muscle mass and my body fat % increasing. Today my new trainer, Suzy, told me why. Apparently I have been doing too much of the same type of cardio and not enough (actually none at all) strength training. She suggested that instead of walking 3 times  a week that I rather walk twice a week and swim once a week. This way my body will constantly be challenged. I am also starting strength / weight training with Suzy twice a week. I also need to increase the amount of protein I'm eating in order to build muscle mass and burn fat.

We discussed my goals and where I would want to be in 6 months from now. My short term goal is to weigh 110kg by spring and to go from a size 26 pant to a 22 and a 24 top to a 20. Then came the measurements part. Sit down for this...

Bust : 127cm

Waist:124cm (!!!)

Hips: 144 cm (!!!)

Thighs: left 73cm; right 75cm

Arms: left 37cm; right 36cm

Right! Now I'm ready for part 2 of this journey/challenge and I'll be kicking it up a notch! I better start saving for those Levi's!

Until next time,

XX-L 

Speedbump

Today i am feeling sorry for myself...

This week has been rough, to put it mildly. We've been exceptionally busy and i've felt out of control most of the week. Being the emotional eater that i am, i turned to food. I convinced myself that a bite here and a bite there of the wrong foods couldn't make such a difference. That was, until i went to see the dietitian this morning. As it turns out, a few days of bad choices can completely bugger up 2 weeks worth of hard work. It made me question whether the 4h30 starts and stiff muscles were worth it.

My dietitian has a very clever scale that not only weighs you but can measure your body fat % as well as your msucle mass. According to her scale my weight has stayed the same over the 3 weeks since i last saw her. The shocking part for me was that my body fat % has increased and my muscle mass decreased - how on earth it that possible when i am more active than i have been in years!?!? My first instinct was to head straight to the shop and inhale a chocolate to make myself feel "better".  Luckily, my little girl fell asleep in that car on the way home from the dietitian, so i couldn't stop at the shop.

Instead of eating, i decided to rather look at why i started this journey in the first place and remind myself that the blood, sweat and tears are worth the end results.

1. I started this journey for my children. 

I want to be a better mom. A mom who can play with them without having to catch her breath every few steps. A mom that takes them to the beach without feeling embarrassed about herself. I want to be the kind of mom that doesn't embarrass them because she's so fat. I want to set a good example for them that a healthy, active lifestyle is far better than watching tv and eating junk food. I want to teach them healthy habits from an early age. I want to be around to see them graduate from school, varsity, get married and i want to meet (and play with) my grandchildren one day.

2. I started this journey for my husband.  

He married a "blom" and now, eight years down the line, he is with a "vetplant". I am a very lucky lady because he assures me that my outward appearance does not bug him and that he loves me all the same, but i want to be desirable to him. I want him to be proud of me and what i have achieved. 

3. I started this journey for myself.

I have always been the fat kid for as long as i can remember. I have never been athletic or skinny. I want to prove to myself that i can complete this journey and that i am so much more than "just a mother" and a wife. I want to prove the nay-sayers wrong! I want to inspire others to follow in my footsteps. One of my passions is fashion and yet i cannot shop for clothes at a normal shop. I want to burn my mom-jeans and buy a pair of Levis when i am done!

4. I started this journey for the health benefits. 

I am grossly overweight. I am uncomfotable in my own skin. My cholesterol is up which increases my risk of heart disease and strokes. My insulin levers are up, which increases my chance of developing diabetes. I dont want to have to take a hand full of pills every day in order to survive. I NEED to change these things with diet and exercise.

So, i will stop feeling sorry for myself! No more excuses. Yes, a few days of bad choices can ruine 2 weeks of hard work. I need to pull myself towards myself. Get up, dust myself off and start again. No one can do the hard work for me....i need to realise that there are no quick fixes. It took me 13 years to gain all this excess weight and it's not going to disappear overnight. It takes hard work and dedication and the results will be totally worth it. So, chin up and soldier on!

Until next time,

XX-L

Weak(end)ness

Confession time! I struggle with weekends....

Traditionally, Friday nights are my "night off" from the kitchen. So we usually get a take away of some sort or a quick Woolies microwave meal. When i started my new lifestyle, i decided to keep this tradition and make Friday nights my cheat night. In hindsight, this was not a good idea at all. Friday became Saturday became Sunday and before i knew it i was having 3 cheat days instead of 1 cheat meal!

So, what are my weekend Sins? Fatty, fried foods....chocolates....fizzy drinks....everything that got me into this state in the first place. On Saturdays we usually go out for breakfast after Parkrun and i really struggle to say no to the bacon and eggs after a week of muesli and yogurt. On Sundays we often go to my in-laws for a delicious family lunch. My mom-in-law Is a super cook - how do i only have a little bit when it tastes so good? Not to mention dessert after Sunday lunch.

After yet another weekend of bad choices, i sat down to analyse why i am sabotaging myself? Why does it go so well during the week but the wheels fall off on the weekend?

For starters, i'm lazy when it comes to cooking. I'm the first to admit that i'm not a very good chef and i run out of ideas of how to make my food interesting. So, i will be looking for recipes that are quick and easy and make my healthy food more exciting.

I don't have a plan for the weekend. During the week we have quite a tight schedule. I can account for almost every minute of each week day...but come the weekend and all routine goes out the window. Sometimes we are home at meal times and other times we are out and about doing things (which are usually spur of the moment activities). To combat this "bad habit" i will try to plan my weekend meals in advance and even try to make my own ready-made freezer meals that are nutritious and delicious so that i am not tempted to go through the drive-thru.

If you have any tips on how to avoid the weekend binge, please share them in the comments below.

My resolution for this week is NOT to have a cheat meal on Friday and to prepare for the weekend during the week. As the old saying goes, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail". So bring on the new week with all its challenges!

Until next time
XX - L

Twenty-FITteen: don your tights and tekkies!

With a new year comes new resolutions.....however, my resolution started after seeing photos of myself at my daughter's first birthday in November 2014. I was bloated, dark circles under my eyes, generally not looking all that well and I was/am huge! So, there and then I decided to make a change not only for my own sake but also for my family.

With the summer school holidays approaching and Christmas around the corner, my first goal was not to gain any more weight over the festive season. I started drinking lots of water and a good friend of mine and I resolved to walk in the mornings after we had dropped off the kids at school. All went well, until the holidays arrived....

By the time school started again in January I had gained another 2 kilos! 

I have been on every conceivable diet, none of them completed successfully! And that was exactly my problem, it was a diet and not a lifestyle change. I had to change the way i thought about food and exercise and start nourishing my body instead of feeding my emotions.

I decided to start my lifestyle change by seeing a dietitian. She advised that I follow a calorie controlled low fat, moderate low GI carb, moderate protein diet. I had fasting blood tests done to test my glucose, insulin and cholesterol. As i suspected, my cholesterol and insulin levels were up. One of my goals is to keep a food diary to track what i eat......and born was my addiction/obsession with  My Fitness Pal . I continue to see the dietitian once a month to monitor my eating plan and make adjustments. My goal is to lose the weight slowly and to keep it off. In order to lose 500g a week i need to cut 500 calories a day. I also aim to burn 500 calories through exercise a day. I try to drink about 3 liters of water a day and have cut out all sugar, replacing this with xylitol.

Friends invited me to start walking in the early morning with them, but because my husband needs to leave home very early for work, i was a bit reluctant....but these awesome ladies insisted that i join them and even moved their walk to even earlier!!! So now we walk 3 times a week, doing 4 km a day on average AND i have fallen in love with the Root 44 Parkrun on Saturdays. Parkrun is a free, timed 5km run or walk that happens around the world at 8am every Saturday. For every Parkrun completed, you also earn 500 Discovery Vitality points. I use the Runkeeper to keep a record of all my walks. This app is great as it also calculates the number of calories you burn while you are walking as well as your average pace per minute. You can also compare you individual workouts or week by week. My wonderful hubby also gave me a Polar FT4 for Christmas to help me track my heart rate.

My intention is to do weekly (at minimum) posts about my journey and experiences while i shake off the excess kilos.

Here are my stats to date, after 4 weeks on my new lifestyle and exercise program:
Starting weight on 22 January 2015: 135.7kg 😱😱😱
Current weight on 20 February 2015: 131.00kg

Image: Pinterest

Until next time

XX-L