Saturday, April 30, 2011

Getting back on track is hard.

 

Last night was great.  I chose, I did:  A 20minute run = about 3km = 200cals burnt.

I have to say that I am hurting a little today though! Just in the tops of my legs and my buttocks!

Choices today have been okay.  I had a two egg omlette for breakfast, was going to be 1egg, 2 egg whites, but one egg had a hole in it so I ditched that one! It made me feel a little yuk afterward – might have been the cheese I added?

I’m on my third cuppa tea for the day, and Dave bought a 70c Easter egg  which I have already eaten half off and am currently in a mental battle to not finish off straight away.  I know it will make me sick but my brain is saying ‘eat it now and it is gone’.  I literally feel like I am being physically pushed to eat it, there is that pull in my chest saying ‘eat it eat it’ – like a craving a guess – actually, yeah – it is like when I used to want a smoke!

Okay, so I gave in.  It’s gone now and I feel sick.  No more chocolate.  I have just asked Dave to not buy any chocolate for me ever again!

 

Okay.. here it is.

I hereby commit to 2 weeks without buying or consuming any chocolate or lollies, biscuits or muffins.

I am allowed, if it fits my calorie allowance: a skinny cow or weightwatchers ice-cream, lite jelly, crackers or Cruskits, or a dessert from the Mish program which is not chocolate based, and the 54cal hot Chocolatte satchels.

 

On my way to 50k….

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Today.. 27th April

Breakfast: Oats (single serve bag) with milk and cuppa tea.
Skipped morning tea
Lunch: chicken deluxe burger with small chips and coke zero from Maccas. (only ate half of chips)
Afternoon tea: small tin of baked beans, cuppa tea, 1 pce of chocolate
Dinner: spag bog??

No exercise today, just hung out at uni in office.

Feeling a bit blah - need to get my act together!

Friday, April 15, 2011

What I want to achieve.

 

Going into a ‘new’ house, particularly one without a dishwasher, brings up the idea of being able to get organised and stay organised.  I bought a few things today… a dish-drainer, tea-towels, cutting boards, 2 new dinner sets (eight settings), some new cups, and stuff for the sink like sponges and dishwashing liquid.  I will pop them into the new house tonight, as soon as we sign the lease and do some planning about where things will go.  There is a lot less room at the new house so it will require some de-cluttering to get everything in there and keep it neat!

The kitchen and dining room is my main concern, I do not know if the dining table will fit in the tiny dining area.  There is a formal dining room with carpet but I am hoping to use that as a playroom for the kids and my mini-office.  I also need to check how big the laundry room is and if I can fit in the freezer, dishwasher (can I even set it up in there?) and my sewing stuff in there.  Then we need to work out how to get the ping pong table and motorbike over there and where to put them… I might ask Dave if we can sell the motorbike to the junkyard or something.

On Saturday, we will move over the television and accessories, couch, then the beds.  I will organise moving the clothes, toys, books and kitchen stuff.  Then it is on to the white goods!  That is as far as I can think ahead – Dave will interfere with my plans and I will get cranky if I plan too much!

It is so exciting!

Here is to a great move and a fantastic next few months! 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Happy Days are here again..

I have a house to live in!  Not exactly perfect – no bath and a tiny dining room, but it has a great kitchen and fancy bathroom, air-con and built-ins, good fence and nice backyard, so it is great in the ways that count!  I am nervous that it isn’t quite ‘good enough’, a bit small even, but it will do fine until we buy a house next year! 

I also sent away my new address to receive the Polar F4 heart rate monitor I won!  Yippee!  I also realised today, that by getting into the top 24 recipes I have also won either a George Foreman Grill or George Foreman Slow Cooker!  I am so stoked!

Things are working out well but I have a lot of work to do over the next 7 days!

How to get back into it?? The mini-Pre-season!

Okay, so sunday's 'I will set the alarm every morning and run 3ks' plan didn't work out.  and yesterday's weigh-in showed a massive 900g gain.. 57.1kg.  Not good at this stage of the game.
I've woken with a massive head-ache from a little too much beer last night but holidays have begun and I am at home with the three kids.

Now we all know that getting back into it can be hard so I have decided that I am not 'getting back into it'.  Instead, I am going to go through the pre-season tasks again - I lost 3kg in pre-season so obviously that is the mindset that works for me!

So hear is my 'mini-pre-season'.

1. Introduce Myself..
Hi!  I'm Jenifer. 
I am a slightly insane mother of 3 boys aged 12, 7, and 6 (all school age).  Each of my children requires a little extra care due to Asperger's, Mild verbal dyspraxia, and severe verbal dyspraxia respectively. I have a wonderful husband who works part-time as a postal delivery officer and I am a part-time PhD student (immunology). 
Physically, I am only short at 155cm and 57.1kg puts me in the healthy weight range, however my apple shape means my waist measurement is a massive 88cm and puts me at a high risk for heart disease.  I am a 'born thin' person - I was thin until I hit my late twenties and the sahm syndrome kicked in!  I almost hit 70kg - I weighed in on the old type scales and it sat just under the 70kg mark.  I was devastated.  So much of my identity is wrapped up in being thin.  I remember thinking 'if I ever get over 50kg, I will be upset as that will mean I am fat'.  And so, 50kg is now my goal weight!

2. Get Real
My excuses?  The same as most.  I am too tired, too busy, too everything.  One thing I am struggling with is dividing my time between uni, the kids, housework, and exercise.  My exercise time is also dinner time and also 'work late' time!  So I have been working late, getting home and being given the guilts for not helping with dinner and missing out on kid time.  So this is what I need to find a solution for - how to juggle that time and I think the answer may be morning exercise, but that is just so 'ugh!'.  lol I do think I need to make time for study later in the day as well so that the 'after school' time can be spent doing a bit of housework and dinner prep, getting in my exercise, having some family time and then getting back into my study afterward.

3. Set my goals.
Okay, so I want to compete in a 10k run on 12th June.  There is also a race in May, but it isa bit too soon and a bit early in the morning given it is half an hour drive away!
Weight wise, I would like to get to 50kg, obviously not going to happen in the next four weeks, but I would like to start next round with less then 5kg to go.. so I want to lose at least 2.5kg before the next round starts!  Totally achieveable!

4. Gear up.
today I will get all my gear together so it is easy to access and find.  I have a gym membership but I am struggling with the exercise program as not all the machines are available to me, and some of the exercises I struggle with.  I like the first four weeks of the lean and strong program so maybe will condense those into a two day strength program.

5. Say it out Loud.
I commit to making changes.  I will exercise.  I will make good food choices!

6. Kitchen Makeover.
On my way to do that now.  I'm doing a quick 2 day meal plan and heading out to the shops now!
Meal Plan
Day One
Breakfast: nutrigrain, 2cups of tea
Morning Tea: forme satisfy berry yogurt
Lunch: roast beef wrap with spinach, cucumber, mustard, and cottage cheese
Afternoon Tea: trail bar
Dinner: lentil bolognaise with a tiny bit of pasta
Dessert: Skinny cow icecream
Midnight snack allowence: baked beans

Tomorrow:
Breakfast: Oats plus one cuppa tea
Morning Tea: Trail Bar and grapes
Lunch: roast beef wrap as above
Afternoon tea: Baked Beans
Dinner: lentil bolognaise with mashed sweet potato (so cottage pie) with mexican spice added.
Dessert: Apple tart with hot chocolate

I will do another shop on Friday - my head hurt too much today!
Oh, and I need to get more water into me today for sure!

7. Organise and Diarise

Time: 5 - 6pm.
Friday: 20min Jog
Sunday: 40min Jog
Monday: 45min at the gym
Tuesday: 40min Jog
Wednesday: 45min at the gym
Thursday: Intervals 6x 300m/30sec rest
Friday: 20min Jog
Saturday: REST DAY
Sunday: Body Step and Body Balance; 50min Jog
increasing intervals and jog times...

8. Measure Up...

57.1kg
and I will get out the tape measure after a rest!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Reality Check!

So we are in week 8 of the challenge now and the last 4-5weeks, I have pretty much stayed the same weight.  Slowly the food went, then the exercise went as I have become first money poor, and then time poor.  I am hoping the next two weeks will see me settled into a new house, having a routine and goals set for university, and having got the loan that will allow me to recover financially from the last six months of hell.  I am pinning all my hopes on that loan – without it, the next year will be a struggle for both me, and my mum who has loaned me some money that I need to pay back so she can pay her bills.

Well, packed that news up in a nice bundle of excuses didn’t I?  So today I sat down and planned some recipes.  Tonight I am having some slow-cooker stew.  No idea on calories but quite sure it will be low provided I skip the pasta in my serve.  Lunch is a chicken burger – I’ll have half a bun to lower the calories although they are store made ‘burgers’ with crumb coating so probably laden in fat and chemicals.  Confession:  I bought a $2 pack of dark chocolate mint TimTams, of which I have had three with my cuppa.

I am tired and sore – hay-fever is driving me nuts and the medication is making me just has drowsy and thick headed as the hay-fever itself.  I need to get it together for this week.  I need to drop a couple more kilos before finale. 

 

Current Weight: 56.2 kg

April 13th goal: 55.9kg

April 20th Goal: 55.2kg

April 27th Goal: 54.5kg

May 4th Goal: 53.8kg

May 11th Goal: 53.0kg

That looks achievable – even with Easter on the cards!

 

I will set out my running gear for the morning and my alarm for 6am for the whole week.  No matter what I will run my 3ks each morning.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Smoked Cod with Cheese Sauce–Updated Version

 

Today’s task was to enter the 12wbt Challenge for this week – create a recipe!  The basic rules are as follows:

  • No more than 10 ingredients including basics such as oil, salt, pepper, herbs.
  • Must be 300 calories or less (150 calories for Dessert)
  • Ingredients need to be available at normal supermarkets (eg no Beluga caviar)
  • Ingredients need to be reasonably priced (no whole white truffles - $2000-$4000 per kg)
  • This must be an original recipe, not an existing recipe

I was stuck on perfectionism for this challenge – I wanted the perfect recipe.  But then I realised that I wasn’t perfect and that although this is pretty much a ‘treat’ recipe with cheese, it was still a good original recipe!  And it is something new and different that lots of people may not know about! 

Now this recipe began as a suggestion from my mum – her mum used to do smoked cod by boiling it in milk.  Sounds pretty gross hey! lol  But my husband decided it was worth a try and made it up using full-fat milk and cooking cream!  It was delicious and quickly became a family favourite!  I would have it with just a smaller serving of the cheese sauce.  But I decided I had better make it 12wbt friendly and lower the calories!

Most importantly – smoked cod is very low fat at about 70-80cals per 100g depending where you look.  Using low fat milk and cheese keeps the calories down while providing a lovely sauce that is full of flavour from the smoked cod.  Even the kids love it!  So here goes….

Smoked Cod in White sauce

Serves 4; 280cal per serve; Cooking time: 20mins; Prep time: 5mins.

Description

The smoked flavour of the fish permeates into the cheesy sauce creating a taste sensation! A delightfully wicked meal suited to the whole family and those on a budget! My mother suggested the cooking method, my husband created the original recipe, and I adapted it to reduce the fat and calorie content!

dd

 

Ingredients

600g Smoked Cod (150g serve per person)

½ leek – sliced in rings

1.5 cups of low fat milk

1 tblspn cornflour

75g grated light cheese

1-2 cups of chopped broccoli

1-2 cups of chopped cauliflower

2 med carrots

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C.

cod-prep

Layer the base of a baking dish with the sliced leek and layer the smoked cod on top. Cover with low fat milk and bake at 180C for approximately 20mins or until fish is cooked.

Steam broccoli, cauliflower and carrots (or whatever seasonal vegies are available - 75cals per serve) while the fish is baking. You can adjust the amount of vegetables to your own appetite!

Drain the liquid from the fish into a bowl keeping 1 cup and discarding the rest.  In a small pot, heat the liquid and add the cornflour mixed into a paste with a small amount of cold water.  Simmer while stirring adding the cheese as the sauce thickens.

Comments

· You may not need to add all the cheese depending on how thick and cheesy you want the sauce – try trading some for a more flavoursome cheese like parmesan (50-60 cals total).

· Divide the sauce onto small dipping plates to help with portion sizes!

· If the milk isn’t sufficient to cover the fish you can add more, remembering that it will be discarded – I have allowed for ½ cup of milk to be absorbed into the fish during cooking.

· Parents – you do occasionally get a bone or two in smoked cod so remind kids to chew!

· I haven’t added any spices to the sauce so this is an opportunity to adapt the recipe to your own tastes. I sometimes add a little red curry paste to spice it up, or the kids seem to like a little nutmeg!

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I hope you enjoy this family favourite! Please let me know as we haven’t tried this out on anyone outside of the family as yet! lol

Friday, April 1, 2011

April Fools Day?

So where is the fool?

I am still waiting for someone to pinch me!
This morning I woke after a lovely sleep - that in itself is a miracle.  Knowing I have a job interview today, and knowing my history of panic/anxiety disorder, I would have expected a restless night with little sleep and lots of nightmares.  But something has changed.  Maybe it's the exercise and my new found confidence!

First stop was the scales (well, after a pee! lol) and my second surprise for the day - 55.9kg.  The first I have seen a 55 on there for a long time! 
I then went on to impress myself by cooking patty cakes for the kids lunches, and scrambled eggs for breakfast.  I emptied the dishwasher and put on a load of laundry too.
I dropped the boys off at school and they walked to their classes on their own so I could get home and get ready for my interview - which I did.  No nerves, no panic attacks, just excited anticipation!
And then.. the school calls to see if I could work today!  I felt bad turning them down but so happy to do so for a job interview - the lady was lovely about it too and wished me luck!
The job interview itself went well... company wanting to expand up here.. wanted to know if I would be wanting full-time at some point.  All very impressed with me!  Fingers crossed I hear from them this afternoon!
So afterward I popped into the gym, did the lower body workout from the first week of L&S program - 164cals burnt which is great.  I'm thinking about lunch now but have bare cupboards and not much dosh so I pulled out a frozen lentil burger - add some lettuce, tomato and cucumber, piece of bread (I might walk on the wild side and have it in a wrap actually) - all should be good!

So now I wait till monday at the latest to find out if I got a house, a job, and even some money! lol

Life is grand!