Continuous learning

I have been on my health and fitness mission for about 18 months now. I have had an allergy to salicylates for about 7 years - and yet, today I learn something new!

Did anyone see on TV last night (it was either ACA or Today Tonight - I was flicking) the thing on preservatives, additives and flavours in food? It was mainly about kids at school and their behaviour, but I learnt something I didn't know before. Preservative 211 is a benzoate. Benzoates contain salicylates... and I'm allergic to them. THEY ARE IN DIET COKE!!! I have been trying to give up Diet Coke for the last month, but it isn't going so well. It is free in the fridge at work, and because it is there I think I should have it. I don't have the same problem with food, but for some reason I have always seen Diet Coke as something I can have, even though I know it is bad for you.

Anyway, I now have a really good reason to stop drinking Diet Coke.

I try to eat clean 90% of the time, so I don't have many preservatives in my diet at all. However I undo all this good work with Diet Coke a few times a week. Speaking of eating clean, there's a lady who writes for Oxygen mag who has a book - 'The Eat Clean Diet' - Tosca Reno. I am going to see if the local bookshop has it, if not, I am going to order it online. Should prove interesting reading. She also has cook books out.

Also, an update on the BR. I am even more motivated to get it done now that I have seen Tiny Donna's fabulous results (go Donna!) but I don't have the money yet. Hopefully by mid next year I can have it done.

So here's my health and fitness goals for 2008...
1. Go Diet Coke free
2. Get to goal weight
3. Get my boobs reduced and realigned to where they are meant to be!
4. Run City to Surf, including Heartbreak Hill
5. Run City to Surf in under 1hr 45 min
6. Go back to drinking only once a month
7. Train on average 6 days a week
8. Eat clean 90% of the time
9. Only have 1 cheat meal a week
10. Recuce my PT to 2 sessions a week, and train more effectively on my own

If you are going to do something....

DO IT PROPERLY!!!
I am quite proud of my efforts at my work xmas party last night. I have only worked there for 2 months and haven't really been out on the town with anyone, so they needed to get a glimpse of the "real" me!!!

The champagne was mixed with guava juice (yum!!!). I am in pretty good condition, so can't have had too much (champagne normally gives me a massive headache) however some of the photos tell a different story. Very very funny.

Had a great time. It was a beach cocktail party - everyone frocked up. The girls in pretty dresses and the boys in very loud (often ugly) shirts. There was a mechanical surfboard, a band with a near naked singer and NZ dancers doing the Haka. There were massive beach balls which we decided to throw around, then deflate slightly so we could sit on them. Needless to say we ended up on the floor (I had a partner in crime for this). There was dance floor action until the moment I was forced to get on the bus to go home! All in all a fabulous night.

Here's me (on the left) with my partner in crime

The Year in Review

I was planning to be at goal by now. I only have 8.5kg to go, but it's not what I planned! However, having a look back at photos from last xmas, I have still come a long way this year. Just looking at my face... I look different! Yay!
Here's a pic taken at my PT xmas party last year....

And here's a pic taken this year...

And so you can put faces to the names and the silly gym antics... here's Dan, me and Hannah.

Here's Hannah, me and Bea (another of Dan's clients) looking very civilised in our matching outfits (not intentional by the way!)... very early on in the evening.

And here's the storm that rolled in while we were bowling in the afternoon (with work)... it was amazing. Pretty scary thunder and lightening right above us too, but soooooo much rain!

How much to eat?

How do you know how much to eat? I am reading various theories on this today (bored at work again!). The latest Runner's World mag says to lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit of 2000. It doesn't explain how this works.

Your body needs a certain amount of calories to function - even before you do any exercise. This is BMR (basic metabolic rate). Mine is 1550 calories. To maintain my weight, I apparently need 2402 calories, given that I exercise 3-5 days per week for an hour a day. Each of my sessions burns between 446 calories (weights) to 500 (spin class or running). Some websites recommend I eat 500 calories less than this figure, to lose weight, which brings me to 1900. Others recommend 1370-1600.

I wish this was an exact science! I want someone to give me the answers!!!! Doesn't everybody though?

The reason I am thinking about this is that over the last week I have lost weight. I am averaging 1200-1400 calories a day. However, after about a week of this my weight loss slows or virtually stops. I start hovering again. I also get really hungry. Both these things indicate that I am not eating enough.

I still don't get where the 2000 calorie deficit comes in. Maybe it is my 1550 calories plus 450 of exercise, which brings me to 2000 calories burnt? It still doesn't tell me how much to eat.

Anyone else better at this than me? Anyone got any brilliant suggestions?

Wednesday Ramblings

Time to re-committ to my Diet Coke ban. It is not good for me, and I can do it. So no more Diet Coke for me. There is now a flavoured mineral water in the drink machine - so I am going to try that this afternoon. It is probably full of sugar :(

Feeling pretty motivated at the moment. Food is good 90% of the time which is my goal. Exercise has been really good this week. I trained twice on Monday - 1 x PT and 1 x 45 min run, then PT yesterday. I am hoping the weather is reasonable tonight so I can go for a run when I get home. I am finding running quite therapeudic (can't spell that!) at the moment - it is great thinking time.

I've got lots going on in my head at the moment - relationship stuff, work stuff, BR stuff... it all gets a little overwhelming at times. When I run I think about different things and come back with a bit of an action plan. It is really helping to work out what I want - that is my main problem in all areas, just knowing what I want.

Time for lunch now... I'm hungry!!!

Big weekend and losing weight!

Quite happy with my progress this week. I don't weigh in officially until tomorrow, but on my scales things are looking favourable. I am down to 78.5kg which is my lowest ever. I was here in September so it has taken me a couple of months of losing a kg, gaining a kg etc to get back - but I'm here! I am determined not to get trapped in the same cycle again.

Had a big afternoon/night on Saturday. Didn't quite do what I was intending to... didn't have any dinner but kept drinking (I should know better) but I am proud of my efforts yesterday. I didn't give in to the whole hang-over fat food thing. I didn't eat alot during the day - just a piece of toast and a juice, but I had a healthy chicken and salad for dinner, followed by some strawberries and frozen yogurt. I so wanted pizza or chicken and chips... but I didn't. And because of my lack of eating on the weekend I was starving this morning when I woke up!!!

Back into the plan today. Have already done an hour's PT at the gym and food is going well. No Diet Coke so far.