In the drivers seat

So, we're in Week 3.  Where is this time flying??  It truly feels like the round just began.

I have all little things to tell you but nothing major warranting a story (that I feel up to writing

Boot camp & treat breaky today

just yet anyway - I do have stories to tell soon!), so, just a quick catch up:

Am on track

'Weight loss journey wise', I'm going good.  It's like one of the only parts in my life that is actually going 'good', so I'm holding onto it very tightly!  I was chatting to a friend the other night who has just lost 20kg and looks amazing, and we were talking about how good it feels to be back in the drivers seat.  When other things don't seem to be going my way, knowing I'm in control of this aspect of my life is helping my mindset one hundred fold.  

For now at least

Who knows whether I'll stick to it, if you've followed me for more than an hour you will know

My weight loss story in one sentence

that this is attempt #219973451 of picking myself up on my mission to get to goal weight, so if my history is anything to go by... But I will still try.  I read a quote this week that I love and that summed me up so well: "You may see me struggle, but you will never see me quit."  

I'll just keep trying.
 

Weight loss!

Week 3 weigh in was today; I lost 1.8kg this week which brings me to a total of 6.8kg lost for the round so far!  I'm so, so proud of myself.  For getting back up (again), after

Today's weigh in!

over a years worth of falls.  And for managing to lose this amount when I'm so injured and also the fact that I've had a fair amount of treats through the 3 weeks (my calorie free rules).
  

I hate injuries

Speaking of injuries, I'm particularly over it today.  I was at boot camp this morning and I was impressed with my heart rate and what I managed to do (there was a lot of boxing and bear crawls in this mornings session, and I could still do both of those).  But I had a little moment when I just felt so crushed that I (temporarily) can't run.  There’s so much I can’t do right now, but not being able to run is of course the hardest. Aside from my beloved running events, just simple running in between sets or as a warm up at boot camp has been my norm for so long, and I hate that I

Lunch today

can't do that.  It really breaks my heart not being able to feel that post run glow and the benefit of the increased heart rate.  I manage around it, it's fine, but sometimes it really makes me sad.

Cook-up worked

My 3 week cook-up has been working wonders.  I may have hated the cooking at the time and complained and whinged and moaned (to myself mainly!) but I attribute much of my commitment this round to having my meals planned, prepped / cooked and ready to go.  Meal wise, every day has been a dream.  And I've actually stuck to it.  Usually when I do big cook ups, I cram my freezer with not only meals, but the best intentions.... Those intentions usually fall by the wayside and months later I usually have a frostbitten, less desirable stack of meals still taking up room in the freezer.  The last 2.5 weeks though, I've stuck to my plan and actually used

Lunch yesterday (I just realised, same as today)

the meals.  (What a novel idea!)  The freezer is almost empty again!  There were 3 meals I forgot I was eating out at and 1 meal I really felt like something else and let myself, but I think the rest I have stuck to.  Now comes the dilemma of what to do next week.  Do I go through the pain and suffering of another cook-up to reap the rewards? ;)

Getting it done

I've continued my 'no excuses' mantra and have been getting it done every day.  I'm so proud, my sticker chart has 7/7 stickers each and every week for Nutrition and Exercise.  I haven't stuffed up one day (yet!)  I'm sure I

Post boot camp selfies

will one day but for now I'm pretty proud.  I also haven't let myself deviate or have any sneaky mouthfuls here and there, outside of my planned 'cal free items'.  The occasional quick spoonful of Gippsland creamy yoghurt or an extra grape here or there has in the past been the start of my undoing, so I've been strict.  In saying that, my rules do allow me treats, which is one reason why I feel I can be strict the rest of the time.  Tonight I had a one off though.  I suddenly felt like chocolate.  I LOVE chocolate but it's not usually my 'go to' craving.  (I'd have chips before chocolate.  Followed by the chocolate haha).

But tonight I suddenly wanted some.  Thanks PMS.  My first train of thought went something like this:

But the next moment I realised, you know what, just have some.  Now usually I allow cravings to continue for a while to make sure they’re real.  But this was one of those times I knew straight away.  There was no doubt.  So I said to myself, if you want it, Kate, just have some. 

Now this was an experimental risk at this early stage of one of my million attempts, but I had 2 squares to satisfy the taste, and that was it.  This was about an hour ago and so far so good, I haven’t thought about it again until I started blogging about it!

Some days it’s been hard but I’ve gotten it done every day.  This week I think I only had 2 ‘injury forced’ rest days.  Last week I think I had 3 and a half.  (I allow myself a sticker if it’s a genuinely physically forced rest day).  The rest of the days I’ve hit my calorie burnt target.  I’ve had a few walks outside late at night (check out my Instagram post for a cool safety app I’ve started using!) and have also been using my treadmill the last few days which I haven’t done in a while.

Crazy girl on the ramp.  And in the carpark.

The ramp

Food wise I’ve been avoiding work morning teas and lunches as much as I can.  Friday I struggled to find time to exercise.  I ended up walking up and down a ramp in a shopping centre while I waited for an appointment.  100 cals for the win!  Then later that night I was out at dinner and there was birthday cake.  While everyone was eating it, I actually walked outside and walked around and around the carpark.  This sounds a bit obsessive, but I promise it wasn’t like that.  I was getting hot and sick and needed to go outside to cool down anyway, so when the cake came out I thought “why not now?”   

I ended up standing near smokers and the smoke was bothering me (says I, an ex heavy

smoker!) and I also had just 70 more cals to burn for the day.  So again I thought “why not?” and I walked around the carpark for 10min.  It was either that or do squats in my friends living room after dinner (I told you, I have no excuses!)  I only admitted what I was doing to one friend from that night because it probably seemed a bit nutty, but hey, you fit in exercise where you can – and if it’s avoiding me being jealous of cake, then bonus!

Challenges on track

And the carpark

Challenges / milestones wise I am actually on track with, too!  (Can ya believe it??)  I’m trying to do all of the 12WBT weekly challenges.  I haven’t done them since they changed a year or so ago from the weekly comps as they were so much fun and creative and taught me so much.  But I challenged

#12wbtgreenie

myself to follow these ones for this round, just to give myself a bit more motivation from involvement, if that makes sense.  And as of tonight, I am (so far) up to date.  

I wrote my letter to myself (and used a cool website (thanks for the tip Mrs Z on IG!) which emails it back to you on a nominated date!  I’ve chosen to have it sent to me on the last weigh in day of this round). #12wbtletter, done.  

Sneaking rice crackers under a meeting table

Week 2’s challenge was stairs: but this is what did my knee in so there is no way I could do that.  I can barely walk up the stairs to get to my apartment each night!  Instead I modified it to suit me and did the same amount of steps we were supposed to do, but on a hill.  I was going to do it outside on a real hill but got home late, so did it on the highest incline on my treadmill.  Tick for #12wbtstepup.

Week 3 was #12wbtgreenie: I went out and bought a little fresh sweet basil plant tonight.  I didn’t go nuts and buy more than one, because I am a hopeless gardener and will probably

kill the herbs before I get to eat it.  If this basil can last till this weekend when I am due for a cook-up, I will be impressed.  I can manage this kind of gardening: 1) Buy from Coles and 2) Place on kitchen bench!

And grapes

My personal mini milestones are on track too: Week 1 I had specific organise-y tasks which I have done.  Week 2 is that damn “Girl In Blue” challenge that I made up about 74 years ago and continue to ‘mean to’ do each round.  But yesterday I actually started doing it!  Wonders will never cease.  Thanks to one of my lovely IG followers / policewoman Joanne, I now have the info of

what the police fitness test is!  I’ll post more about this when I start working on it on Sunday.  And this / next weekend I plan to start my water running and try a new parkrun.

#operationpolkadotdress

My polka dot dress challenge is going well too, I’ve updated the pics here.

Gadget Girl

Also, I found my long lost FitBit!  I lost it about 6 months ago.  I knew it was in my room as my

phone picked it up when it was syncing, until the battery died.  I assumed it was in some random corner or had fallen into some clothes, as my room is always really tidy.  Do you know where I found it? 

In my little box that I keep gadgets like my FitBit in.

Of course, why would I look there, where it was supposed to be all this time?  Hopeless.  Doubly hopeless, is I found it on the day I realised I lost my Garmin!  I have no idea where it is, because as I said, everything is tidy!  In saying that, I’ve switched back to my Polar recently, because my Garmin stopped showing my correct heart rate :(  I was

I chose this over my fave pub meals!

surprised my Polar worked as it’s temperamental, but it’s been going well 90% of the time.  Usually I can’t handle when I don’t know my real heart rate, but I’ve been managing to estimate my burns by previous alike sessions and I’ve been coping with that.  Tomorrow I may not be able to wear my Polar at all, as I’m about to bandage under my chest: this morning I got the worst chafing from not wearing a crop top!  Now I know why I wear them over my bras!  It’s so painful, and don’t even mention the stinging in the shower!

 

Other than that

Other than all of that, as happy and fairy tale as most of that sounds, I’m actually going through a bit of a rough patch.  Specifically this week, my main thing is self esteem issues.  I could go on and be descriptive, but basically I just don’t feel good enough, and I’m finding it a bit tough.

That’s about it for me right now.  Just wanted to say hey.  Chat soon xo

Boot camp last week x