Thursday, December 30, 2010

Day 73 - Still knackered!

So yesterday I was still totally knackered and I think my cold is back. I was aching all over and had a sore throat and sinuses. Great!

Didn't do too much. Just pottered around at home, then went food shopping in the arvo. Then I went to my sister's to cook dinner. I made beef stroganoff which my BIL hates but I wouldn't tell him what I was cooking, hoping I could pass it off as stirfry. It didn't work. But he happily ate it as at least it was a healthy version made with yoghurt instead of cream.

It was so good to see my little girls. They are so edible. But you can't eat them cos if you did, they wouldn't be here anymore ;)

Meal 1 - lemon water
coffee
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
toasted tuna, tomato and cheese sangas on white bread

Meal 3 - water
beef stroganoff with brown rice

Meal 4 - water
tea
leftover plum pudding with brandy custard and fresh blueberries (I love Xmas leftovers!!!)

Sorry peeps, my life it not very exciting right now. No beach holidays or beer gardens...

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Day 72 - Public Holiday Tuesday

Ok, so yesterday I woke up still tired. Is everyone else knackered out there after Xmas?? I got ready and met my best friend at the Rivoli and we saw 'Little Fockers'. It was pretty good. The same old silly jokes from the first two films but if you don't expect too much, you'll enjoy it. Then we went to our old fav cafe, Liar, Liar. Actually it's one of the few good cafes that stay open in Melbourne around this time of the year. They are open between Xmas and New Year, only closing New Years Day. Thanks Liar, Liar!!!

Then I pottered around home all arvo and evening. Just catching up on little chores and paperwork. It's nice to do it at my own pace, rather than in a frenzy of lastminuteness.

Meal 1 - lemon water
coffee
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
2 coffees
apple, lime and mint juice
chicken pide with avocado, pesto and cheese

Meal 3 - water
1 vegemite sandwich on white bread

Meal 4 - water
tea
small individual panetone
3 ferrero rochers

Meal 5 - water
tea
2 slices of wholegrain toast with danish feta and honey

So my diet has becoming appalling again. Why? You guessed it. Haven't planned any meals. And I haven't been food shopping. I plan to rectify this asap!

And once my energy returns, start exercising again! I'm looking forward to getting back into running! I miss gliding (or clomping is probably more accurate) around Princes Park. Bring on 2011!

Day 71 - Public Holiday Monday

I'd like to say that I woke up Monday morning feeling refreshed but I didn't. I was still bloody knackered. I felt the way that I'd normally feel with a hangover. Shit but still able to function. I got up at 7.30am, woken up by my BIL with a lovely text of a photo of twin 2 and got ready for the day.

I drove over to pick up my parents and we went to get their car from my bro's. Then I went over to my sister's for some R & R. Spent most of the day snuggling with my girls, then my BIL cooked a barbie. We had some yummy snags and burgers and leftover vegies from Xmas day. Yum!

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - 2 hashbrowns from Maccas (couldn't resist!)

Meal 3 - water
vegemite sandwich on white bread

Meal 4 - water
Mediterranean pizza bread from Bakers delight

Meal 5 - water
2 Coopers pale Ale
crisps

Meal 6 - water
glass of Penfolds red
1 pork snag
2 small burger patties
leftover potatoes and pumpkin
rocket salad
1 white bread roll

I was totally full again. My sister wanted me to stay for plum pudding but I couldn't fit it in! It was like trying to do Xmas day again!!!

Day 70 - Boxing Day or Am I alive???

So Boxing Day was a rightoff. I had the worst hangover that I've had in over 12 months. I was bedridden. Luckily I didn't feel nauseous but I had a thumping headache from the red wine. All I had was bloody panadol rapid, so I had to keep getting up every four hours to drink a fizzy tepid glass of medicinal water. Eeech!

I slept the whole day apart from the odd phone call from a loved one to check I was ok. I was meant to drive over to pick up my Dad's car from my Brother's (cos we had caught a taxi home so my dad could have a couple of drinks Xmas evening) but I just wasn't up to it. All the exhaustion of the night shifts and running around and trying to plan and cook with a sleep deprived brain (not to mention lots of alcohol!) had really caught up with me.

So I slept like the dead.

Meal 1 - water
2 slices of wholegrain toast with danish feta

Meal 2 - water
3 shortbread

Meal 3 - water
glass of milk
piece of banana bread
1 shortbread

Meal 4 - water
2 slices of wholegrain toast with danish feta

Day 69 - Xmas Day

Woke up totally exhausted and cursing my last-minute wrapping of the night before. I gave my cat his present which he barely sniffed at and refused to play with, evidently more interested in the prospect of food in the kitchen. Ungrateful sod! And he bought nothing for me! Haha.

I made a salad to take to my brothers (along with my cheese plate) in the evening, then jumped in the shower. I tried to get ready by 9.30am but I was running late when my sis arrived. She loaded up the car with the presents while I got ready. Then it was off to her place to start cooking lunch.

I was feeling quite in control after doing the food prep the night before. It took so much of the stress out of the day. I was cooking a roast pork and a roast beef, so I decided to do the beef in the oven and the pork on the Webber, because they needed to be cooked at different temps. My BIL was in charge of the pork because it was on the BBQ. A man's job, of course ;)

By 11.30am, I realised that nobody had an alcoholic beverage in their hand which is of course sacrilegious on Xmas Day. You must drink before midday. It's a rule. So my BIL opened up some delicious boutique beers which where about 7.5% alcohol. I hadn't had breakfast so I felt a little woozy after one glass!

We kept drinking, eating dips and crackers and then got into some present opening. I got some great books, aprons (pretty cool cos i didn't own an apron and I love to cook!) a clothes voucher and candles. Pretty happy with my stash this year!

Then lunch was ready and I don't like to brag but everything was cooked to perfection! My pork had a delicious crackling on top and the beef was still a little bit pink in the middle but not bloody. Thanks Jamie Oliver! His recipes never let me down!

My BIL opened a bottle of Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz (2001) which he had been saving for a special occasion. It was a massive 2 litre bottle. My Dad only had one glass cos he was driving and nobody else was drinking red, so it was up to my BIL and I to demolish it. And we gave it a pretty good hammering!

After lunch, we opened more presents and lounged around a bit, then when we had a bit more room in our bellies, it was time for plum pudding and brandy custard. We were all about to pop and then we looked at our watches and it was time to farewell my sis, BIL and his Mum and go to my brother's with my Mum, Dad and Auntie.

We were all pretty full and tired when we got to my bro's. I got the cheese platter ready and sat outside on the deck eating cheese in the sun. Before too long, my exhaustion and excesses of the day caught up with me and I fell asleep on my Dad's shoulder! Then I went for a nap in my niece's bed (I thought only the Grandparents were meant to do that on Xmas Day!) and before I knew it, Mum and Dad were waking me up to go home. Bugger! I had missed the whole evening! I didn't get to see anyone open the gifts that I gave them. Oh well. I guess I was totally knackered and at least I didn't have to try to force anymore food down my throat!

Meal 1 - water
coffee
beer

Meal 2 - water
dips and crackers
chips
more beer

Meal 3 - water
roast pork and crackling (mmmmm, yum! I will have to cook roast pork more often. Its my new Year resolution!)
roast beef and red wine jus
roast potato, parsnip and pumpkin
steamed snow peas
lots of red wine

Meal 4 - more red wine
plum pudding and brandy custard

Meal 5 - more beer
cheese

What a day! Xmas is so special. It's always surreal. And special. Whether you're awake or not ;)

Day 68 - Xmas Eve

This was a HUGE day and when I woke up from yet another night shift, I wasn't sure how I was gonna get through it.

First things first, got up, ate brekky, drove home, fed my cat, had a quick shower and went to pick up my best mate. I drove her into the city and dropped her at Southern Cross station as she was catching a train up to Ballarat for Xmas Day. I then drove to Kew and went to Leo's Supermarket to get some delicious cheese for Xmas Day. I bought a blue, some cheddar and brie de meaux and the most decadent triple cream brie I had ever seen. It was so creamy and with the layers, it looked like a piece of cake. Amazing.

Then I did some last minute Xmas shopping, went to Mum and Dad's to pick up the meat for Xmas Day and then drove to my sister's to drop off the cheese and meat. Then I went home, wrote out another shopping list and went to Coles for the rest of the groceries. Then I dropped them off at my sister's too. Then I went home, had a powernap, then went back to my sister's to prep the meat and vegies for the next day. Phew! I'm getting tired again just writing about it.

I watched a Jamie Oliver Xmas DVD where he said you could do quite a bit of food prep on Xmas Eve and I thought this would make things alot easier, especially with the twins. So I salted the pork, and I parboiled the potatoes and parsnip and then put them in a tray drizzled in olive oil and salt and pepper. I also cut up the butternut pumpkin (leaving the skin on which I don't normally do) and sprinkled it with some herbs and spices that I'd pounded up in a mortar and pestle, then drizzled in oil. Apparently, the oil stops the vegies from spoiling, and it saves you loads of time the next day.

By the time I'd done this it was about 9pm. I had a quick bite to eat and then went home to wrap the presents. I had underestimated how much I had to do. I had all my presents and all my Mum's presents to wrap. I turned the telly onto Carols by Candlelight (yes I love it and I'm proud of it!), drank a couple of beers and wrapped the presents. Before I knew it, the carols had ended, so I put on Home Alone (the only Xmassy movie I owned) and kept wrapping. And then that finished too. By this stage I was getting delirious and tipsy and wrapping presents any old which way. In the end , I didn't get to bed until 2am. I was exhausted.

And I still had to get through Xmas...

Meal 1 - water
muesli and milk

Meal 2 - water
cheese and tomato roll

Meal 3 - water
coffee
vegemite roll

Meal 4 - water
leftover beef stirfry

Meal 5 - water
pork noodles and fried rice

Meal 6 - water
3 Coopers Pale Ale
some cheezels

Day 67 - Out with my ladies

So Thursday I woke up early after having done the night shift again at my sister's. We got the girls ready, gave them their 10am feed and off we trotted to pick up Mum for some lunch and shopping. We had lunch at Liar, Liar, which is always delicious, then took Mum to buy some clothes as her Xmas present from Dad.

Can't remember much more of the day apart from cooking dinner for my sis and BIL again. I made a stirfry which he loved. He loves Asian food!

Meal 1 - water
coffee
muesli with banana and milk

Meal 2 - water
coffee x2
chicken, avocado, pesto and cheese pide

Meal 3 - water
banana bread

Meal 4 - water
beef stirfry with red pepper, snow peas, mushrooms, spring onions and brown rice

Meal 5 - water
tea
2 shortbread

I still was doing no exercise...impossible on the night shift! It's a challenge just to keep awake during the day...

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Day 66 - Pamperin' Princess

Got up this morning, went home, fed my cat and went to get my hair done. I left my cat outside cos he's been cooped up for days and then I spent the whole time worrying about him. I was gone for 4 hours which is the longest I have left him alone outside.

Got my hair cut and coloured and then raced home to my beautiful boy. As I pulled into the carpark, he was couched under a car and started crying as soon as I got out of the car. I felt really bad till we got inside and he ran straight to his food bowl and started wolfing down some food. So he was just hungry! He must have had a good time outside in the sun afterall.

Then I went to an Indian grocery shop near me to buy some paneer and fenugreek leaves for dinner. I was making palak paneer (spinach curry with Indian cottage cheese) and also gujarati potatoes. It was nice to find these great ingredients locally. I need to shop there more!

I was pretty impressed with the end result! My best mate (who is Indian) did help me quite a bit with the spices though!

Oh by the way, I turned down that job. I decided that I couldn't live on $17 per hour, including super! What is this, a 3rd world country or something???

Meal 1 - water
oj
muesli with milk and raspberries
coffee

Meal 2 - water
apple and nuts

Meal 3 - water
pepsi max
light rye sandwich with cream cheese, smoked salmon, tomato and spinach

Meal 4 - water
palak paneer
gujarati potatoes
basmati rice

Meal 5 - water
coffee
gingerbread (from a Xmas gingerbread house!)

Meal 6 - water
tea
banana bread

Tomorrow I will hang with my Mum, sis and the girls. We will have some lunch and do a bit of clothes shopping with Mum. Way better than going to an interview for a peanuts paying job, wouldn't you say?!

P.S - Thought I would keep blogging for a while. I think it will help me keep on track eating-wise during the silly season. And I will start back on the exercise once I'm not doing night shift anymore...


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Day 65 - No more bumming around

Got up this morning and got ready for my interview. It went pretty well and the agent has put me forward for the job. The pay is terrible but it would be good experience and better than earning no money like I am at the moment.

Then my sister and I took the girls to be immunised. The poor little darlings had to have some oral medicine and 2 injections, one in each thigh. I held twin 2 while she had hers. She was in a blissful sleep till the needle sunk deep into her thigh, then her eyes sprung open and she howled with pain. The poor little thing. I couldn't believe how deep the needle went in, almost to her bone :(

They did pretty well considering and weren't too unsettled today. As I write we have just put them down after their 10pm feed...

So I should hear back about the job tomorrow and I could start it as early as next week. No more bumming around for me!!!

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk and blueberries

Meal 2 - water
apple and nuts

Meal 3 - water
leftover chicken and vegies (from the fajitas last night)
2 slices of light rye with low-fat cream cheese

Meal 4 - water
chicken stirfry with red pepper and broccoli
brown rice

Meal 5 - water
tea
2 Ernest Hillier turkish delight chocolates

Good night! I'm on the night shift again tonight. Aargh!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Day 64 - Back on track THANK GOD!

Weight - 67.8kg (Put on 2 kg in 2 weeks! No!!!)

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! FINAL PHOTO ON THE RIGHT!!! NOTICE WHITE BELLY FOR FINAL SHOT!

Today I got up, had a coffee and dragged myself to the gym. Did a THT class which was half step and half weights. I felt totally knackered and had to stop a few times. I think the last remnants of my cold were making it a bit hard...

Then I came home, got ready, went food shopping for dinner and went over to my sister's to help with the 2pm feed. The girls looked bigger than yesterday. It's amazing. Someone needs to do one of those time delay camera thingys on babies like they do on plants. I'm sure they are constantly growing before my eyes. When I don't see them for 24 hours, I miss alot!

And today I ate proper healthy food. It felt sooo good. When I put on my gym pants this morning and then when I put my jeans on later, they felt tighter. After 2 weeks! That's ridonculous!

Oh yeah and I got the results of the challenge. I came sixth place. The winner was one of the instructors. No fair! Not that I was anywhere close to winning. But if I was one of the other chicks I would be gutted. Especially if I was second runner up or something.

When I came out of my aerobics class, there were some chicks milling round the noticeboard looking at the comp winner's before and after photos. There were exclaiming over how much she had toned up and how great the photos looked. The after photos show her full body and she is bronzed and pulling professional weight lifting poses. Before I knew it, nasty words were coming out my mouth.

"She's an instructor here you know, so she had an unfair advantage."

The girls turned around and looked at me surprised.

"Yeah but look at the before photo, she lost alot." said one of the girls.

"No, she's sticking out her belly in that shot. I know all the tricks now" I replied. The girls looked at me strangely and slinked away from the crazy lady.

I was kinda shocked by my outburst. Couldn't I just be happy for this woman? Had I told the girls I was in the comp, it might have made more sense to them, but instead I was just raining on everyone's parade like a sour busybody. I guess I'm a bad loser afterall! Haha.

Nutrition:

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk and blueberries

Meal 2 - water
apple and nuts

Meal 3 - water
light rye sandwich with smoked salmon, low-fat cream cheese, tomato and spinach leaves

Meal 4 - water
yoghurt

Meal 5 - water
chicken fajitas with mushrooms, red pepper and zucchini

Meal 6 - water
tea
shortbread (well I deserve a treat after a good day, don't I?)

Tomorrow I have an interview with a recruitment agency that specialise in HR which is what I wanna get into. It's for a 2 month temp job with a not for profit organisation. Fingers crossed! They want an immediate start though, so after months of bumming around, I might be working while the rest of youse are on a beach! Haha.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Day 63 - More Xmas celebrations

Today I slept in again till about 10am cos I didn't get home till after 1am. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! I got up, wrapped Xmas pressies and then went up the street to buy some food to take to my brothers for our family Kris Kringle party. This year, one of my brothers will be in Phillip Island for Xmas so we got together today to swap Kris Kringle presents. We only swapped presents if we wouldn't see each other on the day, cos I'll still see the rest of my family Xmas day.

Ate heaps of yummy food and was generally feeling better. I am definitely getting my arse to the gym tomorrow. It's been 2 weeks of barely any exercise and shoddy eating. I'm gonna try to eat better and exercise leading up to Xmas. I want balance people, not 'crazy fanatical gym-junkie health-nut' one week, then 'slothful fat-laden food-eating pig the next. Ok, maybe I'm being a bit harsh on myself but I have to stop this silliness in its tracks if I wanna keep my current figure that I worked so damn hard to achieve!!! I am so trying to pep talk myself here!!!

So hopefully I will find out the final results to the six-pack challenge tomorrow as well. I'm gonna do a 9.30am class, so I'll take a peep at the leaderboard and let you know!!!

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk and blueberries

Meal 2 - 2 Cascade Premium Lager
dips, cheese and crackers

Meal 3 - 1 Coopers Pale Ale
proscuitto, parmasen and artichoke antipasto with some bread
several homemade sausage rolls (delish!)

Meal 4 - coffee
piece of fruit cake
piece of lemon slice

Meal 5 - water
maybe toast...if I'm hungry later

Got an awesome cookbook for my KK present. I cant wait to cook from it. It's the Food Safari cookbook with recipes from all around the world. There are some great recipes from Egypt and India that have caught my eye. Yummmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!

Day 62 - Xmas Dinner Party

Got up yesterday morning and cleaned my flat. I hadn't cleaned it properly in 2 weeks. I'd vacuumed and stuff but not a full clean. Was so good to get it all spic and span again.

Then I cooked an eggplant parmigiana to take to my sister's for our Xmas dinner party with my best mate and her husband.

It was a nice cruisy night, with the girls being very well behaved and sleeping most of the time. We ate dinner over a few hours and enjoyed some nice wine. We waited till my BIL came home (he was at his work Xmas party) to open presents.

My sister remarked that last year our dinner party was so different. She had cleaned the house, made dessert, bought flowers, set the table and had carols on. This year she was in her trakky daks and there was no flowers or table set. Aah, the joys of early motherhood. It won't always be like this, big sis! We had a great night despite of this, cos isn't Xmas about being together, not being together pretty???

Better foodicles:

Meal 1 - muesli with milk and berries
lemon water

Meal 2 - apple
nuts

Meal 3 - 2 cooper pale ale
dips and crackers

Meal 4 - 3 glasses of red wine
eggplant parmagiana
potato salad with avocado and sprouts

Meal 5 - glazed pears in butter, honey and Cointreau (mmm so rich but yummy!)

Day 61 - Alot of nothing

Friday, I pretty much hit rock bottom. But I finally realised why. No exercise was making me feel totally flat and blue. There were no happy endorphins being released, so I was feeling lethargic and filling my body with crap was making it worse. I was gonna go to the gym but I just couldn't. My body felt so tired and heavy.

I watched TV shows all morning and then tried to convince myself to have a shower. Even that seemed too hard. But after watching my cat licking himself I thought, if my bloody cat can clean himself, so can I! So I got ready and went up the street to do some errands. I went to Dan Murphy's to stock up on Xmas booze, then went to Kmart to do a bit of Xmas shopping for my ma, then Coles to buy ingredients for Sat nite's dinner party.

I felt better after getting out of the house, and vowed to go to the gym the next morning.

Crap foodicles:

Meal 1 - muesli with milk
lemon water

Meal 2 - vegemite toast
tea

Meal 3 - borlotti bean soup
2 slices of toast

Meal 4 - chocolate
tea

I guess you can see why I didn't feel like blogging all this at the time. When you feel shit, you don't wanna admit it or pass it on to internet world...but its fine in retrospect! Haha.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Day 60 - More Xmas shopping

Thursday morning I got up, got ready and went with my sis and her MIL to do some Xmas shopping. I had pretty much done mine but was helping my sis. The poor thing was so tired, she was finding it hard to make decisions or come up with gift ideas, so it was good to help her with some suggestions.


Can I just say, there is nowhere decent in Camberwell to get a coffee. I have exhausted all options. Can someone please open a decent cafe in Camberwell toot sweet?! We walked all the way up Burke Rd to Burwood Rd, trying to get a decent coffee and we went to a speciality joint with loads of different types of fancy beans called Coffee Max, and it was still shit.

If anyone does know of a decent cafe in Camberwell, please let me know. We are always at a loss when shopping or seeing a movie at the Riv...

After shopping, I took my leave again and went home. I was a total sloth again. I really lived the unemployed bum role this week. No exercise, drinking beer, eating crap. And not wanting to get off the couch even to pee. The only thing I was missing was an Xbox...and a little green bag ;)

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
3 California rolls with tuna and avocado

Meal 3 - water
cold milk with milo
2 slices of sourdough toast with vegemite (so missed my vege during the challenge!)

Meal 4 - water
4 slices of leftover mexicana pizza

Meal 5 - water
chocolate gelati

Meal 6 - water
tea
2 pieces of dark Lindt chocolate

Someone needs to put a STOP TO THIS!!!! Oh wait, that's me isn't it? I'm the only one who can. Damn you evolved adult brain! Life was so much easier when I took no responsibility and blamed everyone else for my shortcomings!!!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Day 59 - Can't stop eating shite!!!

Wednesday morning I got up, got ready and went over to Mum's with my sister. We were hanging out with Mum while dad went to play bowls. The girls were little angels and after a quick stroll up the street, they fell asleep in the pram and we put them in a quiet room of the house.

After that we went back to my sister's and her MIL arrived to clock in. Which meant I could clock out! I was pretty excited to be able to get some time to myself and go home to unwind.
From memory, I was feeling so exhausted. Of course, not as tired as my sis, but after everything with Mum, then getting a cold and then doing night shifts with my sis, I was ready for some R & R.

Also, I thought I would have received a text from Larry as to who won the comp etc but didnt hear from him. Oh well, I would find out when I next went to the gym.

Here's what I ate (looks like I had a total binge!):

Meal 1 - orange and mango juice
coffee
muesli with milk and raspberries

Meal 2 - water
4 slices of vegemite toast
tea

Meal 3 - spinach and feta danish
custard scroll
coffee

Meal 4 - 2 coopers pale ale
balsamic vinegar and sea salt crisps

Meal 5 - 4 slices of mexicana pizza
coke zero

Meal 6 - tea
8 pieces of coconut rough choc

SOS!!! I was needing real help with my eating!!!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Day 58 - Fun day out with my babies

Today was fun. Woke up, went to feed my cat and had a fantastic shower, then went back to my sister's to get the girls ready for an outing. We went out for lunch at Liar, Liar and then went to Camberwell to do some Xmas shopping. I have pretty much finished mine already, so I was shopping for Mum. In one hour, I did most of her shopping. I know, I'm amazing.

Then we went for a quick visit at Mum and Dad's before coming home (well not my home but it's starting to feel that way) and cooking fajitas. My BIL loved the fajitas so I suggested that we have fajita night one night a week going forward (aargh, work word! I haven't said that term in ages!!!) I will come and cook which will help them out and mean that I get to see my girls during the working week. It's gonna be a busy year, with study after work as well.

Tomorrow, I find out the results of the six-pack challenge. Obviously, I wont win but maybe I moved up from sixth place? Hmmm, probably not.

Meal 1 - water
muesli with milk and strawberries

Meal 2 - water
skinny latte
fresh apple, lime and mint juice
baked beans with saganaki on sourdough pesto toast

Meal 3 - water
4 slices of vegemite on bread

Meal 4 - water
1 cooper pale ale
3 fajitas with chicken, red and yellow peppers, zucchini and mushrooms

Meal 5 - water
tea
choc

So I think I need to get my eating back on track. What do you think? And start exercising again! I am pretty much over my cold now. Still got a crappy cough but it's almost gone. Tonight I'm doing the night shift with my sis again and hanging with her in the morning but then I'm free again. So will try to get back into my gym routine and go food shopping. Wanna start eating two pieces of fruit a day again. Might try to keep the six meals going if I can and make better choices. Hopefully I wont put on too much weight over the silly season then.

Goodnight!

Day 57 - No Mondayitis...what day is it anyway?

So I stayed the night at my sis's Sunday night and woke up exhausted on Monday. The girls were pretty good overnight but waking up every 2-3 hours just doesn't do much for one's alertness. I drove home in the morning to feed my cat and instead of having a shower, I opted for a catnap instead. So yesterday, just like a 'stay-at-home-Mom' with postnatal depression, I didn't shower. When you hardly sleep, a shower just doesn't feel a necessary. One day just runs into the next right? Ew gross, yeah I know.

Anyway, from foggy memory, not much happened yesterday at all. Apart from we tried some new baby techniques, like swaddling the girls instead of just using their sleeping bags. And it did seem to work.

Sorry I'm so boring at the moment. But I'm enjoying this time with the girls. They are little angels.

Meal 1 - water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
coffee
1 shortbread

Meal 3 - water
cheese rolls with ham, tomato and cheese

Meal 4 - water
banana

Meal 5 - water
pasta with roasted veg tomato sauce

Meal 6 - water
tea
dark mint organic choc

That's all folks!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Day 56 - Pick up Stix

I'm super tired as I write this so I may not actually be able to remember yesterday but I'll give it a go. Hmmm, yesterday. I think I got up. I must have. And I probably had breakfast. Yeah I'm sure I did...oh that's right. I had a cruisy day, slept till around 10ish and then did some chores around the house and also chilled and watched TV shows.

I decided to go help my sis cos she's really struggling. The twins are 7 weeks this Wednesday and it's just constant. It's a 2 person job. And my BIL needed some sleep to go to work.

So went over around 7pm to my sister's and stayed the night. There's not much to say about that. Just constant. And tiring. And precious. Little Angels.

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
toasted wholemeal sangas with tuna, low-fat cheese and tomato

Meal 3 - tea
3 shortbread

Meal 4 - water
leftover gnocchi

Meal 5 - water
tea
1 piece of snack chocolate

Zzzzz...now wait I can't sleep yet! 2pm feed here I come.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Day 55 - A Change of Plans

So yesterday I got up with good intentions. I was exhausted but I was gonna ignore all that. I had socializing to do dangnammit! I had a shower, washing my hair which hadn't been washed in days (ew gross) and shaving my legs which hadn't been shaved in days (too much information?). I raced over to my sister's to pick her up for a spot of baby Bunting shopping but when I got to her place she was a broken woman. The twins are so, so, so precious and so, so, so exhausting! And she was coming down with a cold. Luckily we had some relief carers on their way - my best mate and her husband. Once they arrived we left to hang with Mum...

I was meant to meet my lovely awesome foursome girlfriends (because there are four of us...I know I'm totally lame!) for one of their 30th birthdays. But I was just so exhausted. And Mum needed me. And my sister needed me. It's so weird at the moment. It's like the whole family (which includes my best mate, she is my family too) are running on empty. We all need help and we all help each other. Whoever is at the lowest point, waves a white flag and the troops march in. Although we are all being tested and we're tired and a little bit scared of the future, it's amazing to know that we have each other. We just wouldn't make it alone.

So at Mum's, my sister, brother and I all had a sleep. We were meant to be watching Mum and we all slept. Lucky there are lots of beds in the house. My sis got lots and lots of sleep which was awesome. I didn't wake till my sister-in-law(SIL) came to the front door with two of my nephews.

My sis and I were meant to go to a Xmas party in the evening with her girlfriends but we just couldn't make it. Two colds and two unsettled girls made it all too hard. It was a shame cos her friends were hanging out to meet the girls but que sera.

Non-diet:

Meal 1 - water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - Pizza Hut(!) thin and crispy pizza with pepperoni
garlic bread
coke zero

Meal 3 - 2 coopers pale ale
crisps

Meal 4 - lamb ragu gnocchi with tomato and mushroom

I went home late from my sister's exhausted and ready for bed...

Friday, December 10, 2010

Day 54 - D-Day - Woo Hoo!!!

Weight - 65.8kg
BMI - 22.5
Abs - not visible but I knew that would be the case.

Well the challenge is over peeps! Thank God! I got up this morning, had a shower and dragged myself to the gym for my final photo and measure-up. It wasn't the way I had hoped it would be. I didn't get the spray tan, I would have sweated it all off anyway! And I didn't train ridiculously hard for the last few days. Or drink no water. In fact, being sick and sweating and blowing my nose loads, I probably drank more water than usual. I did start the week taking those herbal diuretics but I abruptly stopped them when I realised I had a cold. So the final day wasn't how I first envisaged it but hey, Ive had a rough week!

I think ol' Larry was a but disappointed that I didn't have a spray tan. He said it looked so good last time. Hmmm, weird...maybe he also thought it would look better than my crazy white belly with smudges of poo-brown where the last spray tan is stubbornly still lurking in my creases...

So the final photo that Larry took looks like shit but at least I had some good measurement stats!


Hips (measuring tape)

1st - 99cm 2nd - 97cm 3rd - 95cm 4th - 93.5cm
TOTAL lost - 5.5cm

Triceps (caliper skinfold test)

1st - 20.8mm, 2nd - 19.7mm, 3rd - 19mm, 4th - 18.2mm

TOTAL lost - 2.6mm

Hips (love handles, caliper skinfold test)
1st - 24mm, 2nd - 21.4mm, 3rd - 19.7mm, 4th - 18.8mm

TOTAL lost - 5.2mm

Larry said these were all great losses and I should be very pleased. I told him that the aim of this comp for me was weight loss and I'd lost 4.4kg so I was very pleased! I am only 0.8kg off my goal weight now so after Xmas and New Year I will be into my next fitness challenge to shift the last kilo. And who knows, maybe a couple more for good measure! I would love to actually get a six pack some day! Where I am now would actually be a good starting point for this comp. Not too much belly fat, so I would actually have a chance if I started it now...don't get scared, I'm not gonna start the challenge again straight away! But who knows, maybe some time next year??

After going to the gym at 7.30am I was totally buggered so I went back to bed. I was still feeling feverish with my cold and having weird dreams. Then I got up at midday and went over to my sister's to help her with her little vegemites. I know I keep saying this but they are HUGE! Every time I haven't seen them in a couple of days they double in size. They are too cute. And smelly. I call them manky. They got manky necks and manky hands where the milk dries. Too cute...and smelly. Haha.

I spoke to Dad and Mum was quite emotional today. Of course. She has been through so much. I'm looking forward to popping in to see her tomorrow at home. I love her so much. We all do.

Food (I should be ashamed. Have I learnt nothing? Can I still use being sick as an excuse? Is this my default menu when times get tough? Tomorrow, please deliver me from evil food!)

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
croissant with butter
vegemite roll
pepsi max

Meal 3 - canoli (Italian pastry)
pepsi max

Meal 4 - water
peanut butter roll
slice of banana bread

Tomorrow will be a day of socialising. Seeing my beautiful Ma, then my girlfriends for a 30th birthday lunch, then my sisters friends for a Xmas party. Looking forward to catching up with them all ox

P.S Forgot to say that I will keep blogging till I get the final Six Pack Challenge results on 15th December. Not ready to say goodbye to you all yet!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Day 53 - Slowly getting better

Yesterday, I started to feel a little bit better. Still running a temperature and blowing my nose constantly, but I could stand to be out of bed. Spent the whole day watching DVDs. Watched "It's a Wonderful Life" with James Stewart which I've never seen. Quite a cool movie if a little cheesy. And lots of Breaking Bad and Sex and the City. My cat kept my great company, sleeping by my side and biting me when he got bored. Well nobody's perfect.

I spoke to Mum in the hospital and she was coming home! I couldn't believe she was coming home already! They had prescribed her anti-seizure meds and she was all good to go. From ICU on Monday to being released on Thursday, it was all quite a whirlwind, surreal week for Mum and the whole family.

Can I say I'm sick and I haven't shopped as an excuse for this blatant disregard of my diet?:

Meal 1 - 2 slices of vegemite toast

Meal 2 -4 slices of grilled cheese
1 cold milk with milo

Meal 3 - 8 pieces of Cadbury coconut milk choc

Meal 4 - 5 shortbread

All day - 1.25 bottle of soda water with lime


The diet was officially out the window! But never fear folks! Last photo and measure-up was only a day away!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Day 52 - Sick as a dog

Woke up Wednesday morning and knew that it wasn't hayfever, I had a fullon cold. I haven't had a cold in over 12 months but this one was a doozy. I spent the whole day in bed sweating it up large and blowing manky green tissues. Charming. I think I spent about an hour awake in total. Felt bad that I couldn't visit Mum or help my sis but my body just wouldn't let me. Exercise and eating six meals wasn't viable of course.

See how my diet goes to pot when I'm sick:

Meal 1 - muesli with milk

Meal 2 - 2 slices vegemite toast

Meal 3 - 2 shortbread (festive Xmas shapes! is that healthier?)

Meal 4 - 1/3 packet old plain corn chips that I had lying around in the cupboard

Day 51 - Deja vu ICU

Got up Tuesday and determined not to break my routine just because Mum was in ICU (I know how bloody determined is that!), I went for a quick 20 min powerwalk in the hot, windy conditions. By the time I got back home, I was sneezing and scratching and basically feeling totally overcome with hayfever. I wolfed down breaky, dosed up on anti-histamine and went over to my sister's to pick her up.

Luckily her lovely MIL (Mum in Law) had stayed over from the day before and was covering the fort along with my best mate. They are the official dream team. They even baked banana bread! Babysitters who bake! How amazing is that!

So my sis and I got to the hospital and rushed to ICU. As we got there the nurse said our brothers had just beat us and we would have to wait. They only allow 2 visitors at a time in ICU which is fair enough. Then soon enough, our brothers came out the door, lattes in hand and big grins on their faces. Mum was awake! And talking!

I went in to see Mum and she was smiling at me and I couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she was back in ICU again! Dad explained to her what had happened and she could remember it all as he explained it. It was so good to hug her and hear her speak and see that she seemed to be fine mentally.

The nurse told me that she would be moved up to the neuro ward once they had a spot for her so we hung around for a while in the cafeteria downstairs till she was set up. My hayfever was getting worse and I went through a whole pack of handypack tissues. I was over it.

Finally Mum got a bed in the ward and we went to settle her in. And then you couldn't shut her up. She was telling every story she could think of whether it happened 20 years ago or yesterday. The nurse went through some medical history questions with Mum and Mum told her every little unrelated detail for each question. The nurse was lovely and thought Mum was quite a character. In the end I started answering for Mum. Mum got a little frustrated and thought we were all laughing at her but I said were not laughing at the content of what you're saying, were just laughing cos you are talking so much! Poor Mum, not talking for 24 hours meant she had heaps to say now that she could!

I was feeling totally knackered and my sis wanted to get home for the 6pm feed, so we left around 5ish. It was good to leave knowing that Mum was on the ward and doing well. Once I got home, the shock and subsequent relief of the last two days hit me and I kinda broke down. I went over to my sister's and had a good cry and a couple of beers with my BIL for his birthday. Then I felt really shit and went home around 9.30pm and got straight into bed.

Food:

Meal 1 - muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
banana smoothie

Meal 3 - rye sandwich toasted with chicken, cheese, tomato and lettuce

Meal 4 - water
nuts

Meal 5 - thai beef noodles
crisps
2 coopers pale ale

Day 50 - Horrible day

I'm not sure I can even remember back to Monday or if I actually want to. Monday was a horrible day. A horrible gut-wrenching, the world is ending day. But here it goes...

I got up and with very little energy went for a 20 min walk to my local park and back. It was fairly humid and although I was gonna walk for longer, my best mate called and offered to look after my sister's dog so we could go Xmas shopping with the girls. Previous to that we were gonna cancel our shopping plans as we had no dog-minder as Mum and dad had a doctors appointment and werent free to dogsit...long story. Anyway, I shortened my walk and got ready and went over to my sister's.

We fed the girls, loaded them into the car, dropped off the dog and were heading to the shops when my sister received a horrible call. It was from my brother and my sister started saying no and crying and I pulled over to the side of the road. My first thought was that something had happened to my brother's kids or my sister in law and I was very worried. She said it's Mum, she's had another stroke and she burst into tears. I quickly realised that it would be no use for the two of us to get upset, so I held it together and said it's ok, it's ok, where is she? She said the Austin, so I did a u-turn and tried to remember which way Heidelberg was in my confused brain.
We started heading to Heidelberg before remembering that we better pick up her dog and drop the kids at home with my sister's mum-in-law. It seemed like forever waiting for her and my BIL to arrive home so we could leave. We did odd jobs around the house and my sister was struggling not to cry. She was so tired and sleep deprived anyway, so this news was too much for her. We finally left the house and drove to the Austin.

It was all too weird arriving at the Austin and going to emergency. My Dad and my brothers were already there when we arrived and they were able to tell us that the doctors weren't sure whether it was a stroke or a seizure. If it was a seizure that was better because it wouldn't leave any brain damage. Dad described what had happened. Luckily Mum and Dad were home when it happened. They were both getting ready to go to Mum's doctor's appointment and then Mum was having trouble getting dressed. Dad was helping her and then before he knew it, she wasn't responding and her eyes were rolling back in her head. He freaked out of course as she started to convulse and he called the ambulance. They were fantastic, telling him what to do as he laid her on the floor in the coma position. Before too long they arrived and put her in the ambulance. What he described sounded like a seizure.

We waited for a while then some doctors came to talk to us. They said it looked more like a seizure at this stage. They said that when Mum arrived at the hospital she wasn't responding too well and she wasn't breathing properly, so they incubated her and put her in an induced coma. They were now moving her to ICU, where they would monitor her vital signs and slowly bring her out of the coma as she started to initiate more breaths on her own. They let us quickly see her in the emergency room. She was hooked up to lots of wires and the breathing tube and looked a little bit distressed as she tried to pull the tube out, so they had lightly strapped one of her arms down.

Whilst they were waiting for a bed for her in ICU, we went to have some lunch. I was still on my stupid diet, so while my family got stuck into hot chips and other greasy comfort food delicacies, I went the healthy sandwich option. But in a strange way, I was glad to have my routine making the day slightly more normal.

We then went to wait in ICU to see Mum. It was so freaky being back in that waiting room. It was only around 18 months ago we were all in there when she had alot of health complications last year and it was very touch and go for a while. We couldn't believe we were back here again. Strangely, I felt like it was more bearable because it was something I'd already been through. I had hope. I knew that this story could end in a positive way.

Looking round the waiting room was difficult as it was last time. You start to work out who the other families are and hear snippets of their conversation. Last time we where here we made friends with a family who were so dedicated that they had a rice cooker and sleeping bags with them. They were literally camping there. They only went home in the arvo for a shower...

And this all reminded me again how wonderful the Austin Intensive Care Unit is. The people in there are amazing. They give life every day. They are so patient and kindhearted and don't mind explaining things over and over because when you are that stressed and concerned about your loved one your mind becomes like a sieve that cannot retain any information.

Anyway, back to Mum. Finally, we went in to see her and she was heavily sedated, still not responding and still with the breathing tube down her throat. Each time she started to rouse, she would gag uncomfortably and try to retch the tube out. She seemed to hear the voices in the room, but they still weren't comfortable enough with her breathing to take the tube out and decided to leave it in overnight. I became quite upset watching her gag on the tube but the doctor reassured me that it was a great sign that Mum was doing that. It meant she had brain activity. Someone who was braindead would not feel uncomfortable with the tube at all.

I stayed at the hospital with my sis until around 9pm, when we left so she could do the 10pm feed. I dropped her home and went home to collapse into bed. It had been a horribly hard day.

Food:

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
apple

Meal 3 - multi grain sandwich with chicken, avocado, tomato, asparagus and tabouli

Meal 4 -water
nuts

Meal 5 - water

roasted veg

Meal 6 - water

yoghurt

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Day 49 - Slightly hungover

Woke up this morning, hot and sweaty, with no will to live. Ok, maybe I'm being a tad dramatic but my body is so detoxed (what Larry would call 'clean'), that alcohol really takes it's toll now. I wasn't extremely hungover, but enough that I wanted to sleep in and go into a dark hole for a while. I was meant to go to a friend's house for coffee but I texted him to ask if I could come a little later and he said come in the arvo cos he had only had a few hours kip himself.

So I went back to sleep with my beautiful cat snuggled into my legs. I slept till 11.30am and felt so much better when I got up. I got ready and walked back to my sister's place to pick up my car. When I got there the girls were asleep, she said she had had a shit morning with them and they had only just gone to sleep. Hopefully if they have played up today, she will have a good night with them again! I can hear her snickering right now as she reads this blog entry at 3am tomorrow morning...

Then I went over to my friend's house for a coffee. He has a 1 year-old girl who has grown so much since I last saw her. Makes me realise how quickly the months go by and how I need to pop over more! It was great to catch up and even though we both felt like a cold beer to survive the heat of today, we promised to catch up soon at the pub.

Now I'm relaxing on the couch. I kept turning the air con off and on. I turn it on because I'm hot and my brain is fuzzy with the heat, then I turn it off because I'm chilled to the bone. Oh well, I'm sure it will be very effective on a 40 degree day.

BTW, I so wanted junk food today! Grease would have gone down a treat!!!

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk

Meal 2 - water
apple and nuts

Meal 3 - water
tuna salad with mixed beans, tomato, avocado and low-fat mayo

Meal 4 - water
protein shake

Meal 5 - water
smoked salmon and steamed asparagus and snow peas

Meal 6 - water
yoghurt

Tomorrow I'm going Xmas shopping with my sis and the girls. And tomorrow is the start of my final week of this challenge! I only need to do this regime for four more days! Woo hoo!!!

Day 48 - Busy, busy, busy

Yesterday was a busy day. Got up went to the gym and did a step class which was quite fun. Haven't done a step class for a while, so it was good to test out my memory and co-ordination! And cos I'm so over the exercise it was good to do a class which made the time fly by.

After the gym, I pottered around at home for a bit, did 5 loads of washing, the dishes which were stacked almost to the roof and some grocery shopping. First I called into a fantastic Italian delicatessen on Lygon Street (not the busy Carlton end) called Enteco Sileno. It is ghastly expensive but so, so awesome. It has everything you need from truffle oil to limoncello to dried porcini mushrooms. I bought a big wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmasen cheese). I like to buy the real stuff but sometimes I have to begrudgingly make do with supermarket crap when I can't get to a speciality store. The delis at my local shopping centre are all Greek, so they have the most wonderful cheeses but no Parmesan! Aargh, so racist ;) (But my BIL told me a new one has just opened up on High Street, Northcote so will have to check it out!)

Then I went to the supermarket and bought the rest of the ingredients to cook my BIL a birthday dinner. When I got to my sister's place, I couldn't believe how much the girls had grown since Wednesday when I last saw them. Its crazy! They were very unsettled and spent most of the night crying. I got stuck into the beer while I was cooking and my sis, BIL and his Mum went for a walk with the girls and the dogs. When they got home the girls were still crying. In the end we sat down to eat cos they just weren't gonna go to sleep...my sister told me today that they slept the best they have ever slept last night. From midnight to 2.30am and then from 4am to 6.30am. I guess they were exhausted from all the crying.

Food:

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk and berries

Meal 2 - water
apple and nuts

Meal 3 - water
tuna salad with mixed beans, tomato, red pepper, cucumber, avocado and low-fat mayo

Meal 4 - 2 coopers pale ale
cheezels

Meal 5 - 1 coopers pale ale
2 glasses of Shiraz
mushroom risotto
rocket salad with balsamic vineagerette and shaved Parmesan
few thick slices of white breadstick with butter

Meal 6 - water
sticky date pudding with double cream

Yum, yum, yum! Was nice to eat some delicious food (ok maybe I should be more modest) and drink nice wine. My BIL opened a 2002 Shiraz which was very nice!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Day 47 - Unexpected turn of events

Today was weird. I woke up with no desire to do anything. Didn't want to go to the gym, didn't want to volunteer in the city, didn't even want to have a shower. I wanted a couch day. But that wasn't gonna happen.

I went to the gym briefly and did upper body weights, then came home, got ready and hopped on the train to go and volunteer at the Wheeler Centre (the home of the Melb Writers Festival team). I was going to help out on a project. I got to the city and my best mate called me to say she had been up all night vomiting and felt very nauseous, dizzy and had tingling in her face and hands. I called the MWF and told them I couldn't make it and got to my friend's house as soon as I could.

When I got there the front door was open and she was lying on the floor and could hardly move. She said she had slipped off the couch because she was so dizzy, but I think she probably fainted. I called an ambulance and they said they would be 30 - 60 mins away! WTF! I couldn't believe it!

Soon after her Dad arrived and we managed to lift her onto the couch. We tried to keep her talking as much as possible and then we actually got her standing and into the car. We didn't want to wait around for the ambulance. Then as were leaving it turned up. All the neighbours were concerned when they saw it, thinking it was for an elderly lady in the front unit. I sent the ambulance away saying we would drive my friend, only to realise we probably should have gone in it. Would have been alot faster getting her seen in the emergency room!

So then we spent the arvo in the hospital waiting for blood tests and in the end everything was fine. They didn't know the cause of her symptoms and sent her home with the anti-nausea meds. I hope she will be okay now!

Now I'm at home dying for an alcoholic beverage to take the edge off but I cant. I'm saving myself for tomorrow night. I'm cooking a birthday dinner for my BIL. Gonna have a nice glass of wine. I can taste it now!

Food? What food?

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk and berries

Meal 2 - water
apple

Meal 3 - nuts

Meal 4 - nuts (thank god I had some in my bag or I would've starved at the hospital!)

Meal 5 - water
thai stirfry with red pepper, eggplant, tofu, onion and chilli

Meal 6 - water
rice crackers and cheese

So tired now...need to zone out in front of the telly...

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Day 46 - Whew, what a day!

Today was fullon. I spent 6 and 1/2 hours at Doncaster Shoppingtown. But more on that later.

Went to the gym this morning (no surprise there) and the stats were finally up! But unfortunately I'm still in sixth place! I was pretty disappointed cos I felt like my photo was alot better this time. But I guess I still don't have abs and most of the others do. Ho hum. (I'm contestant number 2, currently on 9668 points).

But on a brighter note, the final measure-up and photo is Friday week! Which means I only have 8 more days of this rubbish! Woo hoo! I thought I still has 2 more weekends to get through but now this weekend is my last restricted weekend! Which is alot easier now that Xmas get-togethers are starting to be flow in.

So although I felt a bit disappointed and had a passing thought of why bother, I'm not gonna win, may as well give up now, I corrected my thinking pretty quickly. Really, Ive done an amazing job and Ive lost 4 kg (weighed myself this morning and I was 66kg) which means I'm 1kg off my goal weight! And who cares if I don't have rock hard abs. I have a pretty flat tummy now and as my Mum would say, I have a woman's shape. I no longer look like I'm six months pregnant anymore, maybe more like 2 months! Haha. (Although I'm having a laugh about this, a couple of years ago I was congratulated twice in one month for my supposed pregnant state. It wasn't so funny back then!)

So it's still game on! I'm gonna get another spray tan next week and also I'm gonna take some herbal diuretics which will get rid of all the excess fluid around my belly. Not sure when to start them because they will make me wee alot! Tomorrow I am volunteering at the State Library so I don't wanna start then and spend the whole time in the loo!

After the gym, I went to Shoppo and spent ages shopping and even managed to watch a movie - Due Date. It wasn't bad; it was a rip-off of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, (which is one of my personal favs) with Robert Downey Jnr in the straight man role (Steve Martin's character) and the other dude, Zach Galifinakis as the annoying fat guy (John Candy). It was entertaining but I think its more of a DVD film...no need to rush to the cinema to see it. Although, I am looking forward to Love and Other Drugs with Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal and Little Fockers both released later this month.

So I managed to do most of my Xmas shopping! Hurray! Next week I'm taking my sis and the girls shopping on Monday and then Mum on Tuesday and hopefully I will not need to go near a shopping centre again before Xmas. I could feel the madness starting already today at Shoppo. It was hard to get a park and people were on edge. I tried to be really friendly to counteract it all. I actually had fun chatting to shop assistants and pointing to my car in the car park to give people my spot. Yeah I know, I'm a sad individual. I think I'm just turning into my Mum, but that's not a bad thing :) Love you Mum!

Nourishment:

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with milk and berries

Meal 2 - water
apple and nuts

Meal 3 - water
coke zero
sweet potato spud (from Spudbar!) with chilli beans, cheese, tomatoes, spinach, beetroot, sour cream and chives. Yumo!

Meal 4 - water
nuts (this was an emergency snack as I ran overtime at the shops)

Meal 5 - water
chilli con carne with carrot sticks

Meal 6 - water
yoghurt

Oh, forgot to tell you that I popped into Apte this morning and Carrie Bickmore was there. She must live in Northcote cos Ive seen her at my doctors as well. Small world Caz! She looks quite different without being all dolled up for the telly. I tried not to stare too much at her. It must suck being famous sometimes...I'd rather be a famous author that never does press interviews. Or only does them in a mask. A masquerade ball mask. Hmm mysterious...

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Day 45 - Another girly outing

So today was another fun day. Got up this morning and went to the gym, hoping to see the leaderboard stats but to no avail. But I realised something about the photos. Some people were definitely pushing out their guts in the first photo and are totally sucking them in in the subsequent photos. No fair people. That's cheating. The rest of us poor novices hadn't thought that far ahead...or am I just shitty cos I didn't know about it? If I did know I would have been puffing out my belly with the best of them on Day 1 right?

So I did 15 mins on the bike (with a non-clicking knee!) and then did my lower body weights. As I was cranking out some leg presses, Maggie (the random lady who corrected my technique on the chest press a couple of weeks ago) started chatting to me. She said I was looking great and wanted to know what I was doing. I said I was doing the six pack challenge and we chatted about that for a bit. Then she told me that she heard that one of the instructors, Faye, was looking like she was gonna win the comp. I told her I thought it wasn't fair that the instructors entered in the comp because they had a definite advantage with full use of the gym, experience and knowledge in weight training and diet and who knows...maybe inside information? Normally with competitions, employees aren't allowed to enter right? Maggie agreed with me and said I should say something but I said no, I dont like to rock the boat. And she said, oh I love it, I'll say something! So not sure if she will or not. On the one hand, this comp may not have gone ahead if the instructors didn't enter because they were a bit short on entrants at first but on the other hand, if an instructor wins and second place goes to a customer, that's not really fair right?

Oh well. I didn't do this to win anyway. I did it to shed the remaining 5kg that I wanted to lose this year and to stay fit and healthy and give myself a routine during my break between jobs. But come on Larry, put up the stats! I need to know if Ive improved on the leaderboard!!!

After the gym I went to my sisters and picked her up along with the girls and Mum and we all headed to the podiatrist. We took it in turns going inside for a good old foot scraping and sitting in the car minding the little ones. Then we went to Apte in Alphington. I had two coffees and braised lamb with cherry tomatoes, rocket and feta. Delish! It came with parmasen toast as well but I didn't eat it. I took a small bite but it was quite dry and not nice enough to waste excess calories on. I have started to slacken off my diet a little but I still need to pull the reigns in sometimes...

After lunch, I went to the post office to get my passport renewed. $208 later...yes you heard right. It costs $208 for a passport these days! What a load of crap! It's cheaper to bloody fly to your holiday destination than it is to flash your passport at the bored attendant. Jaysus!

Tonite...more job searching. Gotta put in some more hard yards on that front...not sure if anyone is bothering hiring at this time of year though. Ho ho ho!

Happy 1st day of Xmas everyone!

Nosh:

Meal 1 - lemon water
muesli with berries and milk

Meal 2 - water
braised lamb with cherry tomatoes, rocket and feta

Meal 3 - water
pear and nuts

Meal 4 - water
protein shake

Meal 5 - water
chicken salad with lettuce, carrot, red pepper and cucumber

Meal 6 - water
yoghurt

Tomorrow I am going Xmas shopping and seeing a movie! Woo hoo! I'm off baby duty for a couple of days. I will miss my little critters though :(