25 years young

Wow, would you look at that - one hundred days left! Very exciting!

Ok, so I have been eating very well over the last couple of days and I can feel my body getting used to the portions. Last night, I did feel really hungry for something. But I controlled myself and had a little yoghurt after dinner. The trick is just to control the urges to want to eat. I know that the calories I have been eating over the last couple of days have been low but I am still in stage 1 of my plan so I have to maintain this in order to see the weight loss. In any event, my body feels great and I don’t feel bloated after my meals. I just feel satisfied. I am also working on tasting my foods and just enjoying what I put in my mouth instead of just gobbling stuff up.

In terms of food, I suspect I might be getting bored of the carrots and celery. But, I actually enjoy it cos its crunchy and filling. But I decided that this weekend, I will make some vegetable bean type of cakes, like fish cakes that can be lightly oiled and cooked in the oven. Hmm… maybe I will even put some pics up…

Ok… some off the topic stuff. Watched a cool make up tips video on youtube from askmemakup.com and I really liked it cos there were so many vintage inspired themes. I enjoyed the Audrey Hepburn theme, looked really pretty and I think I might consider similar makeup for my birthday. The false eyelashes is something new to me, haven’t tried them before. Talking about the Hepburn’s, my fav is actually Katherine. I loved her in Adam’s Rib. It was classic and really funny. Also, about my birthday, I am thinking of changing the plans a little. Well, you see our apartment is tiny and I don’t know if I want to have friends crammed in there. So, I am considering instead just rather saving the money for a trip to Annecy, France. My fiance loves the bakeries there and I can shop for makeup! And of course, we can buy a bottle of champagne to celebrate It will be a romantic birthday. But, I will have to wait and see how things go with jobs and money etc.

B - 1 scrambled egg (no oil) chives and salt (ok i know salt is bad but I added just a little for taste) , 5 carrot sticks, 5 tblsp fruit yoghurt with 1tsp home made strawberry jam

L - 1 carrot, 1 celery and left over yoghurt from breakfast which i couldn’t finish

D -  haven’t eaten dinner yet but maybe some red beans and pasta sauce … not sure about the past actually i will just skip the pasta as I want to maintain a low carb diet this week. I dont have any whole grain pasta … will go shopping for that. 

5.19 Spent about an hour at the gym. Did 20 min treadmill and then 2000m on the rowing machine. I haven’t been on the rower in a while and it was actually fun, challenging but fun. I was a bit naughty before the gym as I weighed myself … I weighed in at 76.7 .. well it moved between that and 76.8. Now before I weighed myself, I wasn’t too sure about going to the gym but then I did and I was soooooo motivated to go burn some serious calories! Felt great to see that number on the scale

Yesterday, my fiance and I spent the day with his mom in the city. It was a really lovely warm summers day. She lives about 2 hours drive outside of Oslo and came to the city for the day. I am really lucky to have her as a step mom because she is really great. We get along well and she has been really kind to us by helping us out with the move to Norway. I actually introduced her to La Senza underwear and she absolutely fell in love with one of the black soft bras so much so that she went online and ordered 2 bras from the summer sale. She wished she knew about La Senza before but she was glad she found her perfect bra. I am a huge fan of their underwear and even though some of it is a bit expensive, the feel of the fabric is soooo great!

She needed to go to IKEA to get a curtain and we went with. There were thousands of people there and it was impossible to stop and have a look at anything. But, I really love going there as I have a real passion for interior design. I have also found some other beautiful home decor stores here so I cannot wait till we have enough money to buy our own home!

So, I was a little sneaky this morning and I stepped on the scale. The reason for doing this is because I didn’t eat the healthiest of foods yesterday. I had a small banana and orange juice in the morning. We ended up having a lunch at IKEA, I had a half a sandwich that had chicken and mayo (!) and then when we left IKEA i had a softserve ice cream without the cone (didn’t finish the whole thing) and then for dinner we were all tired and my fiance wanted pizza of which, I had 2 slices. Ok, now I know that it sounds bad but overall I think I did well because I had small portions of all the above foods. And I am really proud of that. But, of course today I am going to balance it out with fruit and veg.

So … what did the scale say ??? I weigh 77 kg! That is 1 kilo down. So I know that I have to maintain my eating to ensure that when I step on the scale on Sunday, I weigh 77 or less I know I shouldn’t celebrate it but I really don’t care because I am looking at it more as a motivation then anything else. When I see the numbers go down, the fire inside me just burns brighter for my goal. I cannot wait!

4.50 Just finished an hour at the gym. Ran and uphill walked for 30 min then did 30 min weights. Felt great afterwards! Now usually I screw up this great feeling by eating loads when I go home so I have a plan that I am going to try my best to stay out of the kitchen and keep drinking water. I will only eat when it is dinner time and thats that!

B - 1 kiwi, 1/2 grapefruit

L - 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1tsp crushed flaxseed, 5 raisins

D -tomatoe soup with red beans, 1/2 cup berry yoghurt added 1/2 tsp homemade strawberry jam

I never knew just how incredible it was to cycle on a bicycle! My fiance and I rode to work this morning and even though I had to make a few stops to regain my balance, I think I did pretty well! Looking forward to mastering the bicycle because I would really like to go on a long cycle trip since we have been having good summer weather.

Just a note on something I watched on youtube. There is a girl (fastinggurl31) that put an interesting post about the raw food die. I watched all her episodes, they were interesting seeing her determination and her progress. I don’t think I could do that kind of a diet but you know it does make me think more. I mean, even if I don’t go 100% vegan, I want to try to eat more veg and fruit. If i can make it a habit now, it will really benefit me in the long run.

B - 1 kiwi, 1 small banana, 2 tblsp berry yoghurt, 1tsp crushed flax, 1/2 glass milk, 1/2 glass orange juice

L - 1 carrot, 1 celery, 1 tsp crushed flax, 4 raisins

D - noodles with mixed veg stir fry mix 1tsp soy sauce 1tbls sweet chilli sauce. (Ok i dont think i needed to have added the sweet chilli but i will remember for next time, it is hard for me to give up cos it is so yummy!)

I can feel all sorts of muscles, I thought I didn’t have after the camping trip this weekend. The walk to the camping site took 30 min and carried a ton of stuff in the bag. The terrain to the camp was proper forest and I can certainly say that I had a good workout this weekend!

Something I thought about as I walked to work. I do get a good 10 or so minutes of a workout on my way to work. The walk includes an uphill at the end. I also carry my laptop which is so HEAVY (considering buying a new laptop). Not going to gym today as I am worn out from the camping and also trying to focus hard on my eating this week.

There was an office meeting today. My fiance bought some cookies from the store and the table had this wonderful sugary-candy smell. I thought it was heavenly! But, I was very strict with myself and knew that if I blew my eating on those cookies, I would not be happy come my birthday. So i resisted the temptation and told myself that I could have a cookie on my birthday … they were those lovely hazelnut and choc cookies mmmmm …

This evening, I was determined to start riding my bike. I haven’t been on one since i was like 7. So i bet it was a funny experience for the neighbours. Anyway, i got over my fear and i was actually cycling on a real bicycle. It felt sooooo COOOOL!!

Food breakdown:

B - 1 egg scrambled with chives. 3 tblsp fruit yoghurt

L - 1 carrot and celery stick

D - 1 cuppa clear veg soup with noodles. added small carrot and celery. 1 glass sugar free lemonade.

This was written on Friday morning before we left for our camping trip :

So after a lengthy discussion this morning with fiance this morning, I have found my very own Personal Trainer/Nutritionist - my fiance

We ended up having a big fight last night. Which explains the big talk this morning. About 2 years back, I lost allot of weight. I weighed 93 kg which was my heaviest and I went down to 60kg which was my lightest. I lost over 30kg and I felt great. During this time, i was with my fiance and he helped me through it. He supported me when I was low and helped me try make the best out of my food choices. Having said this, it wasn’t always that pretty. We had allot of arguments because I felt like the kid at times being told not to take another cookie from the cookie jar. Then at the end of every week when I did my weigh in, I was jumping up and down because I consistently lost 1.5 - 2 kgs every single week. I had a hard time admitting he was right.

So last night I wanted to have eat a hotdog at10pm. I was moody and on my period so I thought I had the right to demand food. Goodness, when I think back to it, I feel bad for my fiance when I am actually on my period. My emotions are all over the place.

The talk this morning really helped. He helped to show me why I haven’t been losing the last month. Basically it is because I am eating too much. My workouts are excellent but I replenishing my body with excessive calories so I cannot see the change in my weight.

I have roughly 100 days to go till the 2nd November. My PT (fiance) has warned me that I am going to feel that these next 100 days are going to be mentally and physically tough. I will not be able to eat allot and when we are with friends I will not be able to drink. My last 50 days haven’t worked out so well for me so I am going to give his theories a try.

Notes:

- All food is planned and eaten according to set times.

- Portion control is the key. Hand-sized versions of food will be eaten at each meal. Keeping in mind of course a calorie count.

- Exercise daily.

- Weigh in every Sunday, as plannned.

This plan is simple and at the same time is going to challenge me for the next 100 days. 100 days ?? That doesn’t sound too bad right ? I can do this. Let the countdown begin!

Sunday, 27th July 2008:
Don’t ask me why but I thought it would be a good idea to go on a camping trip with some friends. So on Friday we bought tents and sleeping bags and went camping. It was so crazy, had like 30 min to pack and get ready and off we went. It was an hours drive out of Oslo city and the place was beautiful. I was worried about how I would do with my 100 day plan. However, I ate when I was hungry and not large amounts. I even had wine but not more than a glass.

So you can imagine my surprise when I got on the scale just minutes ago and I found out that I lost weight this week. I lost a kilo. Which is FABULOUS! I am really happy and motivated now and I want to see this through. So excited! Will write more tomorrow, exhausted from the trip ….

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Notes:
Start weight : 80.5 kg (heaviest I can remember since I started this)
Target: 60 kg
Actual: 78.5 kg (27 July 2008)

Actual: 76.6 kg (3 August 2008)

Actual: 76 kg (10 August 2008) The ticker isn’t working correctly. I have lost 4.5 kg and not 5 kg.

Lyrics above are from a song that I like from Aaliyah, listening to it now. It really means something to me today because last night I made a boo boo. I drank 4 beers. I cannot believe it. My day started great, healthy and low cal breakfast and lunch and a 55 spin class in the morning. Then friends invited us to the park for grill thing and we got beers. But it was like I hadn’t had alcohol in a while so I felt the need to drink my beers from the 6 pack and my fiance’s. Obviously, the booze made me want to eat more so when I got home i did just that.

Greed is ugly. I think for me particularly, I want to to keep this emotion of mine under control. It has the ability to ruin things in my life and it is ruining my journey and the worst part is that I am letting it happen. I know that I am the only one responsible for my weight but it is like I lose all rationality when greed is present. Divide and conquer, comes to mind. I have to seperate greed from this equation to ensure that I meet my targets that I have set for myself over the next three months.

I also got my period on Tuesday. I have to weigh in on Sunday so I do have a couple more days left to fix this mess up and try stabilize or even lose some weight. I will not be gaining come Sunday.

Right now, my lower back hurts like hell and I am in a mood. Have to get back to work….

This afternoon I had a taste for something sweet. I found peanut butter, and I love it. It really is loaded with cals so I shouldn’t have had the 2tsp’s I had. I also added some Choc spread to the 2nd spoon. I think this taste that I had has something to do with the fact that my period is on it’s way. So I know that all hell can break loose. I just will not let it happen. Ok, yes, I did have 2 tsp’s of peanut butter which is heavily laden with cals. But, it isn’t the end of the world because I did not eat more than that. And I am proud of that. Felt great to have controlled the whole situation. I checked the back of the pack and per 100 g there was something like 600 cals. Instead of having this around me, I need to buy a pack of some sugar free gum. The spearmint kind works for me.

I had a slice of ww with chicken liver pate no butter for breakfast. Wasn’t that hungry but I knew I had to eat something. Lunch with a bowl of clear veg soup and the 2 tsp peanut butter plus tsp raspberry jam(50 % less sugar). Dinner has to be light so my workout doesn’t end up being a waste of time.

I have been reading fellow bloggers pages. Feels great to be part of this community because this is the real stories of real people. Like, you get to see what happens when other people just like you eat the wrong food and how they fix it or how they deal with it. It always inspires me to keep pushing harder and harder each day.

Looking forward to todays gym session. Going a little earlier to do some work on the eliptical and burn off those spoons of peanut butter! xoxo

Yesterday my fiance and I bought our first bicycles here in Oslo. They were 2nd hand bikes but we got them for a good price. Just needed to get some new parts for them since the previous owner didn’t use them that much. So, here is the thing. I haven’t actually gotten on a bike since I was like 7 i think. And, even then I think it had those safety wheels at the back. So, when we ride them tomorrow afternoon, it is going to be hillarious! I can just picture myself getting into a giggling fit and falling on my face! Seriously though, I have done hundreds of spinning classes, so I shouldn’t be completely hopeless. But maybe, I should think more positive thoughts instead of falling on my face.

Today was good. Our new place is fab and all cleaned up now with no boxes lying around. It takes about 8 min to walk to the office and the last bit is a bit of an uphill. So the exercise will do both myself and my fiance good. I ate well, had 2 slices ww bread for breakfast, veggie soup and crisp bread with cheese and red bean in red pasta sauce with spaghetti for dinner + a slice of ww bread. My portions have been excellent, I have to say. Didn’t finish all my dinner, was too full.

The spinning class this afternoon at 5pm was something to write about. The one day I decide to go to gym and look like hell, I actually meet somebody I know there. I was so embarased. And, then because I ran out of things to say to him, I actually invited him to the spin class. So the whole time in the class, I was always checking my hair and the way I looked in the front mirror. I was sweating like a mad person! I am not attracted to this man, I absolutely LOVE my fiance but I dont know what it is about me. I always am obsessed with the way I look to people. It is so stupid and I really wish I could spend less time and energy on it. Because, honestly nobody is perfect.

I have been able to really focus these last couple of days. Less trying to binge on my favourite foods. And, I am really happy about that. I think one of the main reasons that I am not screwing up my eating is because I feel very strongly about my goal now. And, I think that is one of the most important things. Managing my relationship with food is, of course, essential.

I think I am due to be getting my period soon. I hate when I can feel it coming on. Reason being, is I always feel this insane craving for chocolate. So, I will have to do my best to control my urge when I do get because I just do not have time for screw ups.

Read an awesome quote from a fellow blogger which I have written down and stuck on my laptop - ‘If you do what you always did then you will get what you always got.’ 

It just stuck with me and I love it because it makes so much sense to me right now.

Take care xoxo

I was going to make a cup of tea and snuggle up to TV and a muffin. Then the thought struck me. You know, I have been collecting fashion mags for a long time. I love flipping through their glossy pages and today I realized something that makes me see things in a whole new light… It isn’t the clothes or accessories that make those girls look good. It is the body. I mean of course, I do not want to look starved or anything but I want a healthy body and I have a pretty healthy idea of what that is. So this is even more serious an incentive for me to go the food store tomorrow and buy more carrots and celery because I am continuing with healthy eating and tough workouts! Cannot wait till November and being able to get my party dress and look fabulous and be the girl in those glossy mags. That isn’t going to happen if I have that muffin tonight. And I will not have that muffin.