My plans and my goals for Round 4

Hi!!!
 
Sooo much to write about but I'll try to make it quick.  I didn't say it would be quick, I just said I'd try.  You know as much as I do that I can't write short blog posts. :)

So I've been spending heaps of time over the last couple of weeks getting my organised on.  I'm really trying to nail Round 4.  I'm on a mission to get to my goal weight.  I've been working hard, achieving things and having fun along the way and I want that to continue, but it's time to knuckle down and just make the actual weight loss happen.  I've kind of been relaxed about that one.

Firstly, I signed up for Round 4.  My 7th round!

Secondly, I reassessed things A LOT.  I don't write too much on here about my goal setting when it comes to the scales.  And to be completely truthful, it's because when it comes to kg's and calories, I am over the top, unrealistic and wear rose coloured glasses.  And it's embarrassing to tell people that.  It's funny too....when I make unrealistic goals, the work entailed to get there doesn't even last a day, and then I never lose any weight....funny that.

So I sat down and worked things out sensibly.  Gosh I hate that word...I am never sensible.  But I tested it out...I deliberated for days, spoke to a few friends, and made my goal.  These numbers will change as I reassess goals all the time and my written word does not dictate what my body decides to do, but I personally need numbers to start with.  I have pushed my goal out so much - I am now aiming to get to my goal weight by the 4th June 2014.  That will be 2 years to the day from when I started 12WBT / this weight loss process.

I'm going back to basics.  I'm making a goal my mother would approve of ('sensible'....urgh!)

and I am focussing on my magic 4: nutrition, training, sleep & water.  I made a new sticker chart and...that's about it.  No bells and whistles for Attempt #816.  No crazy number goals - (yes, I'll do crazy challenges as always!) but weight loss wise, I'm doing the basics.  I've been focussing this way for 1 week exactly now and it is working wonders.  This sticker chart is just for Round 4 - I call it Operation Birthday because my birthday falls on the last Wednesday weigh in of the round.  I have my main goal of 4th June but I also have other goal milestones in between - my birthday is one of them.

I also changed things around for myself and have written a list of rules.  I'm trying a new thing here:

My issue is, that I am all/nothing - good/bad.  I have no in between when it comes to food.  I'm still working through that.  Maybe it will always be an issue for me - I hope not - but who knows.  So taking this into account, I'm testing this rule thing.  I've written down a list of days where I can eat what I want.  I don't have to count calories.  There's not many - I've listed finale weekend (this weekend), Christmas Day, New Years Eve, my birthday, one meal a month that I can decide on at the time, and a couple of other small ones.  I've even written down the times for each day.  eg. Finale weekend is from the time I get to Brisbane airport to when I get back to Brisbane airport.  New Years Eve is from 6pm.  Otherwise I'll be tempted to extend as much as I can...well it's technically finale "week" so I could really start now...and New Years Eve...well there's also New Years Day...etc.  When does it end?

I imagine there's a whole stack of you reading this shaking their heads at what I have planned.  I agree - it's regimented.  It's not soul based like 'listening to your body' blah blah blah.

But the thing is, this is my body and my goals.  I know what I need to try.  Maybe this won't work - and I'll try something else.  The fact is though, I have been battling this bingeing thing for far too long now.  I don't have it under control.  My weight loss to date has been 6 steps forward, 2 steps back, the whole way.  I always do more steps forward than back!  Which is how I've lost 40kg.  But if I want to keep going then I need to change things for myself.

So I'm going to give this a go.  Because I am still all or nothing, I keep feeling deprived.  If I plan to have 3 pieces of chocolate then I eat the whole block because I've stuffed it up by having my planned 3 pieces.  If I don't let myself have the 3 pieces to avoid going over the top, I feel deprived.  And then eat the whole block anyway.

With these new "non calorie counting days", I suddenly feel the pressure is off.  Prime example the other day.  I saw some chips in the snack machine at work.  My first thought was "oooh I feel like a packet of chips".  What I usually do is tell myself I can't, but in a moment of weakness I might eat them.  Then it's over for the day, and sometimes the week, or more.  Instead, last week, I said to myself "no, you can't have them.  However you can have them on your next calorie free day, which is only a week and a half away."

I went back to my desk, no chips, feeling satisfied.  It was amazing.  It happened again today.  I was in icecream and lolly shops today with my friends.  Likewise, I wanted some of the stuff.  

Ok, I wanted ALL of the stuff. :)

But again, I said to myself "not today - but you can have it this weekend."  Sorted.  When it comes down to it, I probably won't eat icecream and lollies this weekend.  But I can if I want.  I really think it's going to work for me :)  I've worked SO hard this week, my nutrition has been spot on every day.  I planned, shopped, prepared and packed my weeks worth of food last week ready to go, so that has helped.  But the other side I believe is the rule thing.  I've just told myself that right now, I'm working hard.  I can have a break with food this weekend.  Then I'll be back to working hard.  And another break will be coming up soon.  This way I can dream about whatever food as much as I like, and know that I can still have it.  Just not today.  Today (and most of the time), I'm working hard.

We'll see how it goes but for now it's working wonders :)

I've also been working hard on my pre-season tasks!  I'm determined to have them all under my belt by Monday.  I've done most of them, just a few to go.  So here is my commitment for this round, for the "Say it out loud" task:

My commitment is to... Reach for the stars. Aim high. Work hard. Focus on my goals. Stick to my plan. Enjoy the process. Keep going. Keep running. Don't give up. And be 87.5kg on my birthday (last weigh in Wednesday of the round). I'm doing the work to get there because this is something that I want.

And I've set my weekly personal challenges for the round.  (I like mini milestones so much that for a few rounds now, I've made them weekly instead of 4 weekly) :)  They evolve each round...at the moment I've been gearing more towards goals that are good for my soul rather than crazy exercise stuff.  And I often need to move goals to the following round because I don't get everything done.  But that's cool.  Last round I did 6 of my 12 goals.  I'd much prefer to have done 6 rather than not have goals and do any at all.  I've moved those other 6 to this upcoming round.  I've updated my Goals page but I'll explain them here.  Coz I give them stupid names and they don't make sense.  I need to stop doing that - I'll go back to normal titles next round :)

So here we are...my goals for Round 4:

Week 1: "Start The Crazy"
At Sydney Round 3 2012 finale, a certain spectacular friend and I made a pinky promise that we would do the finale fitness challenge at the end of round finale of Round 3, 2013.  Well, the end of round finale of Round 3, 2013 is this weekend...and I am not physically ready to tackle that.  However I'm still holding us to that goal!  The fitness challange is insane.  I don't know when I will be able to do it yet but I have to start trying...and start training.  So Week 1 I will attempt the challenge for the first time.  Just at home, with probably shocking technique, taking as long as it takes.  It's a crazy challenge- if I start practising now I might hold some hope of being good enough just to enter it one round soon.  

Week 2: "Remember The Days Of The Old School Yard"
When I was in high school, I never did the school cross country run properly. I either had a conveniently timed musical practice, I wagged, or walked at the back eating M&M's in utter schoolgirl defiance of how could they make me EXERCISE! Things have changed this year, so.....in Week 2 I'm going to sneak into my high school and run the cross country course! Better 16 years later than never!) :)


Week 3: "Breathe...And Repeat"
I can't relax.  Like, ever.  I just can't.  Well, I should say, I don't know how to.  I can not just settle down and truly relax.  So my challenge this week is to make this happen.  I don't know how, but I will figure out a way and do it.
 
Week 4: "10 for 10...in 4" 
Run across Brisbane's Story Bridge 10 times, at night: just coz!  (This is a goal from last round that I didn't do...it was meant to be in Week 10...now it'll be in Week 4...hence the title.)

Week 5: "Breakfast With A View"
I climbed this mountain last round, Mt Ngun Ngun and the view took my breath away.  So this round, just for fun, I want to climb it again and have a picnic up there :)

Week 6: "Eat Your Fear"
I want to try kangaroo!  I've never done it before and keep meaning to.  I came up with this goal and named it after a certain experience with a kangaroo on Sunday that I have to still tell you about.  Keep an eye on a future post about that one!

Week 7: "Girl In Blue"
I was working out my goals the other day and needed one more.  I took a break from goal setting and went to get a drink.  On the way I saw a friend and we started chatting.  She told me how she was trying to get into the police force and was working on achieving their fitness test.  I got excited - I wanted to do this too!  I don't want to join the police force (well I would secretly love to - I ADORE police and have a secret passion for wanting to become one, but I have no plans to actually do it).  But I would love to work towards being able to pass their fitness test!  That would be a fun challenge for me.  I had a quick Google and it was hard to find, so it may end up being the fire service or ambulance or defence force fitness test, and I may need to adapt it, but I'll work something out soon and then set out to make myself get there!

Week 8: "Step Inside The Box"
I want to try Cross Fit!  I have no desire to actually start Cross Fit...I don't think it's for me.  But I want to try it!  So this is my Week 8 goal.  I want to see what the hype is about.

Week 9: "Fly Like A Bird And Glide Like A Swan"
This is a tough challenge and one I keep putting off (I wonder why).  Years ago I went to a theme park.  They had this water ride - where two people sat in a big plastic 'swan' boat, and paddled it around a 'lake'.  I went to hop on the ride with a friend, and our swan tipped to the side - my side.  We were a little confused at first.  And

This was the ride

when my side started filling up with water, this feeling of terror started to sweep over me.  Always the optimist (?), I swapped sides of the swan with my friend, at the ride operators request, to see if that would fix it.  The opposite side, my side again, tipped and started to fill with water - I was flooding the ride.  The ride operator started to laugh.  I don't believe he was trying to be cruel, but his intentions weren't exactly the point.  He laughed, and in front of a whole line of people waiting to get onto the ride, he said that I was too heavy for the swan and I had to get off and walk away.  Mortifying is an understatement.  No words come close.  Soon after this incident, at another theme park, I was so heavy that I rode a mini rollercoaster off its tracks.  I have had a fear of theme park rides ever since.  I can't do them.
So - in Week 9, I will go on a ride - a rollercoaster or something, and find a water ride and go on it and not flood the ride.

Week 10: "C.R.A.Z.Y"
Well twice now I've done a fun run and triathlon on the same day...I have another set of these coming up in January.  So....I decided what I want to do is to do a fun run and TWO triathlons on the same day!  They're just baby tri's - but they're still challenging.  And I've worked out the times, this would actually be a real challenge for me: I'd really need to train for this to achieve it.  Which is exciting to me!  So that's Week 10.

Week 11: "For: Me"
This week I plan on doing something for myself.  I don't know what it is yet, but I want it to be meaningful and just awesome.  I want to be able to sit back and take stock of where I have come from and where I am at this point.  I'll work out how to do this closer to the time. :)

Week 12: "Kate Day"
I'm going to take a day to do whatever I want, my favourite things or things that make me smile allllll day.  I might go to the movies...have lunch...whatever I feel like.  But I'm going to have a full day of it :)

So there you go!  My goals for this round...and a little summary of how I'm going to get to my goal by June.  I'm feeling amazing about it and I'm excited about the things I have in place.

I'll be back soon, but it may not be before finale.  I am so excited about finale...just 3 sleeps to go.  Can't wait to fill you in.

Have an awesome week xoxo