Small changes - Big payoffs

Wow...I can't believe we're already nearly at week 4 of Michelle Bridges 12WBT!

I am loving how I am feeling - my clothes are fitting better already, and starting to notice a shift in weight on certain parts of my body.  So, a total lost now of 8.9kg...on my way to 10kg, my first milestone!  ooh...1.1kg to go to reach that - I think I should be able to do it by weigh in next week - have consistently been losing between 1-2kg per week so far, so if I ensure that I complete my workout sessions, be careful over the next couple of days (with some eating out challenges ahead) and keep remembering why I am doing this....I KNOW I can reach that mini-goal.

I've had quite a challenge this last week - a lot of bills were due (or should I say overdue!) and had to be paid last payday, so that left my cupboard fairly bare, with not so many choices.  Unfortunately there were a few meals on the menu I had to wipe due to lack of funds for ingredients, but with some careful planning around what I did have in the cupboard, I managed to keep the calorie count within the same range of the meal we were to eat.

I have to say that I really love having 3 similar sized meals and two snacks though the day.  It has given me so much more energy, and I am not feeling hungry all the time like I thought I may, and have done in the past with dieting.  I am also super-glad that we have more to eat than just lettuce leaves and munching on celery!  lol  Do you remember the old days?  Back in the 80's?  Some of the fad diets my sister put me on...like the cabbage soup diet!  Yuk!  Not to mention, that I put all the weight back on that I lost...and some more because I went back to eating what I thought was 'normal' food.  Ahh, I've learned a lot since then!





This is the cabbage soup diet here - would you believe that it's still around???  It may look appealing, but try eating it every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  I can't believe I did this thing for months losing weight to be a bridesmaid for my sister's wedding in the late 80's.  Michelle Bridges Food is so lovely - gourmet if you will, and looks appealing.






Mmmmm doesn't that lot of food look so appealing!?  From the MB12WBT menu...from the left:
Seafood Laksa, Vegetarian Tacos, Yoghurt with berry compote and Crustless Blueberry Cheesecake

I showed someone a picture of the Kangaroo Mince pie with Mushy peas I made last week and they were astonished that this was 'diet' food!  I love the change in mindset this has given me about eating healthy, and that it can still be beautiful food, but within a certain range, especially if you are wanting to lose some kg's.

My hubby has been eating pretty much the same as me on this journey, so he is pretty happy he has lost some weight too.  He only had about 10kg all up he wanted to lose, and I think he's pretty close that now, so he's decided he is going to start eating biscuits every day again!  It's his choice to do so, but what I've done is looked at the calorie value of the biscuits I bought for him and made sure that it is counted in his daily allowance.  I think he's actually still eating under his allowance every day, so I'm happy with that, and it keeps him happy being able to eat his biscuits.  I'm really glad that I don't have a problem with him eating them in front of me.  They can sit there for him to eat and are not a temptation for me.  I did object to him saying he wanted to get a pizza the other day though!  lol  I said that would just be cruel to sit and eat it in front of me!!!  I may have to take him out to a restaurant some time soon so he can order a pizza and I'll order something that is a healthier option for me - then we are both happy!

It is interesting to see other people's journey and how they involve their families and partners. I feel very lucky that I have a supportive husband who is happy to eat what I do.  It can be a challenge to be consistent with diet and exercise and mindset....but having that support means everything to me, and makes the journey so much more fun having him share it with me.



Susan Dorrington

Consistent efforts pay off

Week 3, and today was weigh in day. I jumped off the scales this morning with a smile on my face as I have lost another 2kg!  That's a total of 8.9kg including the pre-season of 12WBT.  I'm heading for the 10kg mark...and super motivated to keep getting results like these. But motivation is not the key, in fact motivation is not necessary at all - it's all about the consistency.  Consistent efforts - just doing the thing, is what get's the results.  This seems to be a theme for me this week - it came in the form of a motivational video from Michelle Bridges, it is basically the theme of the book I'm currently reading - The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen, and it's also what I wrote about in my latest business blog post - "Shhh it's a Secret" (click here to read).
As the late Jim Rohn said:

"failure is nothing more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day", and
"the formula for success is a few simple disciplines practiced every day".

So, if it's that simple, why don't we all have the success in health, fitness, business, weight loss...whatever?  Because if we view the few simple disciplines individually, they don't seem to matter.  Nothing is going to happen overnight if we do or we don't do them.  It's the compound effect of doing them consistently over time that shows up in results - good or bad.

This has been a good lesson for me to learn, as working out has been rather challenging for me this week - making the time around caring for hubby, the house, working part-time and running my business part-time.  And this week I had a super great workout with a friend at Boot Camp at our local gym on Saturday, but then on Monday I was in agony with sciatic pain in my right leg and hip, so did not work out then.  I am still limping a little bit today two days later.  I don't know what caused it, but I do know I could barely walk, let alone work out.   I don't want to use this as excuse for not working out, but I am only human, and sometimes I just have to say it ain't gonna happen, move on, and get on with it as soon as possible. I wonder how I would have gone had I attempted to do a work-out anyway?  Maybe it would have loosened up the muscles causing the pain, and it may have helped.  Or, I may have been in more pain!  lol  Who knows?  I'll have to try it out next time.  What I do know is that being consistent with my food choices is definitely paying off.  I put on a pair of jeans and a nice top tonight to go out to meet up with some friends, and the jeans were feeling a little bit loose where they had been tight, and the top came down further on me, instead of riding up.  It was an amazing feeling to feel good in my clothes!  It's those feelings even more so than seeing a number on the scale that keeps me wanting to continue with this journey. It's knowing that I can change my body...and my life that makes it all worthwhile.

This week's food highlight for me has been the Kangaroo mince pie with mushy peas.  Yummo!  It was so nice.  I have had kangaroo sausages before, but never used the mince.  It is something like 97% fat free, and a lot better for you than regular mince.  The pie was something you would have seen at a gourmet restaurant served with baby spinach leaves with a balsamic glaze.

I have my first eating out challenge coming up on Friday with a work lunch.  It will be interesting to see how I go. We are pre-ordering, so I get to see the menu first, which will be handy.  I will have to report back here and tell you how I went! 

Here's to another week of consistent effort and great results!

Susan Dorrington

www.susandorrington.com