Three for three

WARNING WARNING ... RED FLAG ALERT 

So I passed another red flag event today, my work Christmas party where staff members from offices far and wide meet for a meal.  This time up in Hamilton at a very lovely restaurant. 

So I made a considered choice - tomato, basil and goats cheese frittata with a green salad, no chips.   And I thoroughly enjoyed it.  And then when it came time for desserts and lots of the staff were ordering these delicacies that they had on display, I settled for a skinny latte.

GO ME!

SCORE:   CAROL  3  /  CHRISTMAS FUNCTIONS  Nil

WARNING WARNING ... SECOND RED FLAG ALERT FOR THE DAY

And the day is not over.  It's Mike's birthday today so I'm cooking him a special meal tonight.  Garlic prawns, his favourite.  Lucky I don't like prawns, probably saying that is like blasphemy in a few people's opinions!!  But prawns = ick for me.  I've bought a little piece of ling fish and am having a small salad with it for dinner.

Now Mike is not a big one for birthday cake, every year he asks for birthday pav.  And it's his dream to have a whole pav to himself, yikes!!!  Not in the one sitting mind you, he's not that crazy.  But tonight his dream comes true.  I've made a small pav shell last night (no licking the beaters!!) and it's all his.  I have yoghurt and a banana in my future for dessert.

I'm really feeling strong and on top of things and IN CONTROL, it's a GREAT feeling.

And what I want the most is the girl I am becoming, and to be frank, over half way there.  I love the me I am right now, and there's no way I'm selling her short by losing control all for the sake of a bit of pav.

My exciting news

Yesterday I got an email from 12wbt to tell me my little ol' blog here was chosen as one of the 10 blogs that Mish and the team chose as their favourites, thanks to the beautiful people on 12wbt who nominated it.

So thank you all.

The 10 winning blogs are listed here, and I'll attempt to link them up so do pay them all a visit also.

• Tracey MP
• Aedita
• amydeville
• GI Jayne
• ozgoddess
• carollee  (that's me !!)
• Lou83
• jil05
• daynamorphic

I've won a dermaviduals set valued at $250, how exciting.  

And interestingly I'm taking so much more care with my skin at the moment too, as part of this whole mind, body, spirit journey I'm on.  I had previously decided my reward at the end of each 12 week round was to have a facial and back massage.  I've visited my favourite spa twice now for that very special treat at the end of each of the 2 rounds I've completed.  And it is a treat, let me tell you, it was over 20 years since I'd last had my one and only facial, before I started this treat session.  I aim to keep it up.

I know in the past, I've been a bit sad at the end of a round, it's like a parting of the ways with fellow 12wbt friends who go their own way and have finished their journey.  But even though it's a bit sad, I'm excited knowing I have a facial treat just round the corner. 

Thank you once again 12wbt.  You keep changing my life in every way.

Oh and before I go, today I went clothes shopping and it was terrific.  Actually having a selection of clothes to pick from.  I ended up with an olive green linen look pair of capris pants.  

IN
SIZE
14
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it shouldn't be all about the tag, but darn it, today it was, it was all about the size on that label.  :-)

A case of mistaken identity

Sooo funny tonight.  I live in a little country town, pop. 1000 (give or take a farmer or two), so I know the local constabulary.  I got pulled over tonight at a random breath test on the way home.  She had recognised the car and was suspiciously wondering who was driving it, until I wound down the window and spoke and she realised it was me.

That was just the BEST feeling.   She said my face had changed so much, she really didn't think it was me when she first saw the car.  Yippee!

I've shared this before but I'll share it again.  Imagine this looking at you from out the car window.

Another weigh in tomorrow and I just know the scales are heading in the right direction!   Looking forward to it.

And some exciting news too which I'll share tomorrow.   :-)

I did a PB today !!

Just love that Olympic talk, it gets me going.

Okay so today, I really couldn't be bothered.  You know what it's like when you have a case of the "I can't be bothereds" ?  Well I had that today.  I had planned to go to the gym after work, but 3.30 rocked around, 3.45 ... 4.00 and I was slowly talking myself into not going.

I had a split in the skin on the side of my foot.  
I was tired.
I had had a busy afternoon, I deserved not to go.
I needed to get home to wrap Christmas presents.
I should really go to the supermarket instead.
I, I, I.

But 4.30 came around and I got into my gym gear and off I went.  Ooooooh so glad I did because if I didn't, I wouldn't be feeling so darn good right now.

I ran for 3 kilometres.

NON-STOP !!!!

That has NEVER happened before.   My best time non-stop was 2.1 km and that's purely because I was working out with my friend Tania and she's such a gun and, well to be frank, I was probably trying to impress.  Ha!

But here I was after work.  On my own.  Only me motivating myself.  And I ran for 3 kilometres non-stop.  In 26 minutes.

Yeah I know, it's not earth shattering, it's not ground breaking, but it was non-stop.  I slowed down during the third kilometre, but I kept my shuffle running up.  There's life in the old girl yet.

WARNING WARNING ... RED FLAG ALERT 

I mentioned I was going to another red flag event last Friday.  The Christmas function at the local pub for Mike's Masons.  Actually it was really cool, a lot of them hadn't seen me for a while, and the shocked looks as I walked in, or should I say "sashayed in" !!!! tee hee  Loved it, and so did Mike, he was lapping up all the stares from them.

I checked out the menu and warm chicken salad it was.  It was a delicious meal and I still felt on top of things.  Plus the plate looked really pretty too with the balsamic patterned onto it.  

SCORE:   CAROL  2  /  CHRISTMAS FUNCTIONS  Nil

Sooo happy.  It makes such a difference when you are feeling in control and positive, such a great by-product of losing weight.

Next Christmas function is on Thursday at a work lunch up in Hamilton at a completely unknown place who doesn't seem to have a website so I can't check out the menu.   But I'm 2 for 2, let's go for the hat trick.

A moment of madness

Tonight I had a moment of madness when I went back through some of the many emails I received when I wasn't receiving emails and found that Marathon Photos had sent me a link to the Color Run photos that I appeared in.

And I ended up buying the package that contained all my photos, about 7 of them.  Delirious perhaps.

But when I looked closer at the photos after I downloaded them, I saw something in them that I had to look really closely to recognise.

Freedom.

This one is probably my most favourite photograph.   Not a care in the world.  I'm running, actually running, out there in the public, not worrying about who was looking at my wobbly bits, I was free.

AND I FINALLY GET IT !!!!  This is what the running is about.  This is the switch that I've been waiting to have turned on.  I've plodded and plodded with my running and really not enjoyed it, but I've done it, waiting to feel that "high" that I hear about.  Kind of thinking that I would never get that feeling that people talk about.

But in this photo I see it.  I was having fun granted, with colour flying at me every which way, but this is the look of happy.

My other favourite photo of the day is this one.  I forgot about it, I remember there was a photographer who took our photo at the end, not realising it was one of the Marathon Photo people.  I couldn't have wished for two better friends to share this experience with other than Casey and Tania.  Thanks you two!!!

WARNING WARNING ... RED FLAG ALERT 

So I passed a red flag day yesterday with flying colours, so proud of myself.   I was going out with the local CWA ladies for our Christmas lunch, yeah yeah okay lets get it out in the open now, I'm part of our town's Crazy Women Association!! tee hee.

So knowing where we would be going I did my research and downloaded the menu from their website, forewarned is forearmed.  I was delighted to be able to have a beautiful small piece of grilled ling fish with salad and some small chat potatoes.  Score one for me.  As I saw hugely calorie laden plates come out to other diners, I tucked into my beautifully cooked fish knowing I had won this round.

SCORE:   CAROL  1  /  CHRISTMAS FUNCTIONS  Nil

Another Christmas function to go to tomorrow night to our little pub in town.  Stay tuned.

Do I dare hope???

The internet is working.  At long last!   After 12 days without it.  I know it's not the end of the world but it's really interfered with things I've taken for granted - ducking on and grabbing a recipe, checking the exercise sheet, motivating myself in hard patches by reading the forum.

One thing that does motivate me is the support I get from the Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt crew.  9 of us met last Sunday morning down at the water front and had a bracing walk for an hour, plus met up with a new member doing this round (hi Laura if you are reading this!).  We then had a healthy brunch at Simons on the waterfront.  It is so great to touch base with these girls, someone will suggest a get together and whoever is able to turns up, whether it be a social gathering, an exercise session, an milestone event, or whatever.

Although having said that Mike calls me the 'event junkie'.  I tend to go to all of them.  :-)

So I mentioned recently about the Surf to Surf 6K fun run in January next year, I'm training for it with gusto, or at least as much gusto as I can muster.  I know the Color Run was fun and we danced and jogged and walked.   But the Surf to Surf I want to do properly, a real run.

I've also told enough people now that I've entered that it is keeping me honest.  I don't want to fall flat on my face and run it half heartedly.  I'm really trying my very hardest, even if when I'm exhausted running I end up doing the Cliffy Young shuffle, at least I'm still running.

So now I'm off to read the forums at leisure, and weigh in tomorrow.  After a bit of a disastrous start to this round seeing a gain, I got really focussed this week so it will be interesting to see the results on the scales.

Until tomorrow.

A Sunny day in Daylesford

Subtitle:  Making exercise a priority when you don't really have a chance to exercise.

Today was a glorious day in this part of the world and we did the annual trek to Daylesford to the Highland Gathering for my husband.  Leaving early and coming home late (exhausted).  I’ve been so many times now I can’t count.  My main worry was not having a chance to exercise today because it was so full on just getting there and back.  So once there, I decided to leave him there and go off on my own devices.

Do you want to take the car he asked?

Nope, not me!  I walked back into town and around and round the streets, up and down hills, in and out of shops, I was a walking machine.  And I tell you, there’s nothing more righteous feeling than passing someone walking up a hill and out-striding them to the top.  Is that bad that I felt so good about that! 

It was hot, I was sweaty, but I just kept on going.  Woah!

My legs are feeling tonight like I had a great workout.  Daylesford is a very hilly place, but it was the hill taking me back to the park where the gathering was taking place that near on did me in.

But I have a secret weapon, well in my head I do.  I used to play in a brass band many moons ago.  And you know those stirring marches that brass bands play, well I have a couple tucked away in my memory.  So when I’m attacking a hill, I am playing the march in my head (oh good Lordy Lord, I hope I don’t hum it out loud!!!).  And one foot in front of the other I keep time to the march which is steadily trilling away in my mind.   And you don’t slow down, you might take smaller paces, but the paces are regulated and steady and on the beat.

Works a charm every time.