APRIL 2010 MISSION................
G'day!
Well I'm feeling a bit safe to post this. I've had some little minor accomplishments lately.
Namely they are:
* FINALLY managing, (not giving in) to go a consecutive 28 days with no alcohol! Infact I went 42 consecutive days, (6 weeks) with none at all. I broke the drought with a couple of glasses of sparkling wine socially last Saturday and since then haven't had any alcohol. Of course I need to stay focussed but at this stage I have achieved what I wanted to there :-) That is a social occasion/celebration social treat in moderation if consumed.
* Have kicked debt to the kerb, - AND a whole month before when I scheduled to achieve this. That took a good 11 or so weeks of consistent focus. I seem to have found some ways to cut my expenses and am getting used to them being my new 'norm'. Now the savings can BEGIN!
* I guess attaining under 70kg is an achievement of sorts. Not quite at 'goal' yet and there are still good ways I could clean up my diet/train more effectively. 69.1kg first thing this morning. The pound reading was 152.2 when I flicked scale over. I had to be at work very early this morning to cook hot cross buns amongst all other stuff! They are in demand! And got to bed too late last night so just managed 4.5 hours before the alarm went! After a big day I was given a 100g Cadbury bunny by my boss and once outside and finished I made an impulsive decision to open it and eat the ear! Then in the sun it started melting and I made an excuse to eat the whole thing. Yum! Somehow I gave into the urge to try this big gelato sundae I'd put off for weeks. Ho hum. So rough mental calorie count today was more at 2600 rather than my preferred average of 1400-1600 and I feel a bit more full such as weigh in tomorrow being up a couple of hundred grams. Also feel a little annoyed at myself for consuming it all..............then spending $9 left over in wallet from last week on a gelato sundae. I have done similar things to this about 4 times in the last 3 weeks where a little deviation from being on track can turn into a mini binge. On the positive though..................such a deviation in the past for this habitual 'all or nothing' person seemed to lead to mega outta control binges and being 'off track' for months till back at square one or somewhere around there. Lately I am straight back on track the very next day, - and if I decide to not weigh in for a day or two it is at least back to where it was when I check a couple of days later. But still room for improvement!
After much thought I've come up with APRIL'S MISSION:
Here goes:
* Keep OFF the scales for the whole month of April but weigh in on 1 May 2010. Keep consistent with training aiming to see improvements with fitness levels regarding speed, strength, agility. Keep to my training schedule unless there is a very good reason. Be disciplined about getting to bed on time...............at least 7 hours in bed/lights out at least 5 nights per week! Will have to obviously keep very organised as I live in a full apartment full! Keep up with my improved financial habits/plan and new drinking habits.
Will aimed for no unplanned deviations diet wise, (if I plan to go with a friend to a cafe and possibly have a skinny flat white OR whatever I choose and am happy with.....that's it!) Aim to not give into further impulses or temptations that arise unplanned!
THE BIGGIE: After no weighing for the month of April..................being on track fitness, food and lifestyle wise....................I intend to finally weigh under 68kg or 150lb on 1st May 2010! 69.1 this morning. Watch this space! When I make the 'under 68's' I intend to allow myself to spend $20 and get skinfolds done in the hope that 8 sites total under 100mm!
Pip :-)
Pip
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
6 WEEKS............
Howdy!
Firstly my self imposed alcohol drought ended on Saturday night. But I am very happy to announce it lasted for 6 whole weeks exactly so I exceeded my goal of 4 weeks! BF had his one weekend a month OFF standby and decided to open a bottle of Jim Beam he had kept in his cupboard unopened for 3 YEARS! The label on his bottle of Jim Beam said some date in 2007. We couldn't work out if it was made in 2007 or expired in 2007. He opened it and drank some anyway thinking that was when it was made! And I had some sparkling wine! Very nice! And I brought up to his house homemade chicken salads for tea.
Am in credit as planned, - by $90. And I've still got $21 in wallet to last till Wednesday.
Am sitting nicely around 69.5 now as a general rule when I weigh first thing, yay 60's! Like last time I notice a big improvement once I hit the 60's, tummy seems to automatically become a bit flatter in a very good way in the journey from 71 down to 69.5! Really looking forward to hitting under that 68.0kg/150 lb figure and maintaining under that! Seem to be a relaxed size 12 on average now! Meaning that while size 12's are in no way too big I don't need to worry about walking around sucking my stomach in hard to prevent a 'muffin bulge'. Relaxed 30 inch waist now. And I prefer size medium tops made from most types of materials as opposed to having to get XL and worry about it being a dark colour and made of thickish material that didn't cling! However I haven't bought any clothes so far this year yet! Update: Mon morn 29 March : 69.1 or 152.4lb.
I got my long run in last week, (the bridges 9.8km effort) with a good effort plus my awesome Monday workout I did during the storm plus another resistance workout. I missed the planned 1.5k swim and 30km bikeride so need to do better this week. Had a busy active week in general though, - not much time to sit around! Did many other walks and gave BF's dog a good walk today!
I'm after a very strong week this week! I have a 30th party to attend on Sat and intend to enjoy some alcohol at that. BF's cousins are having an Easter Sunday lunch, - may allow one or two, am undecided with that yet. But strictly no alcohol any other days this week as I've got away from that habit and am not going back, I'm liking the money saved! I've got a strong training regime I wanna stick to, - work toward reaching new fitness performance targets.
So that's me for now,
Talk soon!
Pip :-)
Howdy!
Firstly my self imposed alcohol drought ended on Saturday night. But I am very happy to announce it lasted for 6 whole weeks exactly so I exceeded my goal of 4 weeks! BF had his one weekend a month OFF standby and decided to open a bottle of Jim Beam he had kept in his cupboard unopened for 3 YEARS! The label on his bottle of Jim Beam said some date in 2007. We couldn't work out if it was made in 2007 or expired in 2007. He opened it and drank some anyway thinking that was when it was made! And I had some sparkling wine! Very nice! And I brought up to his house homemade chicken salads for tea.
Am in credit as planned, - by $90. And I've still got $21 in wallet to last till Wednesday.
Am sitting nicely around 69.5 now as a general rule when I weigh first thing, yay 60's! Like last time I notice a big improvement once I hit the 60's, tummy seems to automatically become a bit flatter in a very good way in the journey from 71 down to 69.5! Really looking forward to hitting under that 68.0kg/150 lb figure and maintaining under that! Seem to be a relaxed size 12 on average now! Meaning that while size 12's are in no way too big I don't need to worry about walking around sucking my stomach in hard to prevent a 'muffin bulge'. Relaxed 30 inch waist now. And I prefer size medium tops made from most types of materials as opposed to having to get XL and worry about it being a dark colour and made of thickish material that didn't cling! However I haven't bought any clothes so far this year yet! Update: Mon morn 29 March : 69.1 or 152.4lb.
I got my long run in last week, (the bridges 9.8km effort) with a good effort plus my awesome Monday workout I did during the storm plus another resistance workout. I missed the planned 1.5k swim and 30km bikeride so need to do better this week. Had a busy active week in general though, - not much time to sit around! Did many other walks and gave BF's dog a good walk today!
I'm after a very strong week this week! I have a 30th party to attend on Sat and intend to enjoy some alcohol at that. BF's cousins are having an Easter Sunday lunch, - may allow one or two, am undecided with that yet. But strictly no alcohol any other days this week as I've got away from that habit and am not going back, I'm liking the money saved! I've got a strong training regime I wanna stick to, - work toward reaching new fitness performance targets.
So that's me for now,
Talk soon!
Pip :-)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
CREDIT...............
Of my latest little challenge it's late Tuesday evening, (23/3/10). Tomorrow, Wednesday I will hit CREDIT and be out of my little current debt situation regarding day to day doings. I won't pay off all the debt tomorrow because I don't want to break my small consistent steady savings fund/habit toward my birthday party. HOWEVER just after midnight I will be in CREDIT and if I keep my expenditures to less than $188 I will still be in CREDIT at the end of this pay week. Am aiming to keep expenditure under $100.
In a fortnight tomorrow I aim to have the debt completely cleared and still remain on track with my little savings plan toward my 30th birthday party.
The storm hit Perth yesterday. While that was happening I was training hard in apartment gym with the door open listening to the storm and rain which was louder than my music! I had a huge session too, did the 30 min run as hard as I could followed by stretches/de-puffing and was drenched in sweat. Then did a challenging resistance workout that would have lasted at least 20 mins!
Weight this morning was spot on 70.0kg or 154lb. Yesterday morn I saw a 69.8 but I guess I did hydrate with lots of water after my later hard training session last night LOL! Either way I'm getting close to goal, toning up OK, have no impossible rules, know I look lots leaner than I did, am fitter than I was so any improvement now is a bonus! I just don't wanna go backwards again and allow myself to gain a heap of weight in a small timeframe. If from 30 beyond I massively continue to yo-yo in weight I really think I may become too saggy too soon unless I'm really hard on myself. Therefore I'm not out to try Hydroxycut Hardcore or similar and lots of supplements, tweak my eating, meal balance and timing to 'so called perfect' and pay a personal trainer BIG time in an attempt to get a six pack. To me now the thought of that is too expensive and un-maintainable. If I ever did come close from that type of regime I think if I start eating low GI carbs and fruit again and stop the supps etc I'd be more likely to puff up big time.
So while I'd like to tone/lean up a bit more, (particularly stomach/waist) I am becoming more pleased at where I am and with good effort would now feel satisfied averaging a few hundred grams lost every couple of weeks! That being said though I am feeling revved to put in a good but liveable effort at the moment though and any quicker results in fatloss or fitness gain are even better!
(Not liveable is say training 9 hours a day or eating a type of diet we wouldn't feel good about attempting to maintain/live by long term)
(Liveable is about 5 training sessions a week varying from 30 mins up to over an hour (for some runs or rides), - most of them intense aiming to build or maintain a fitness level). And seriously I'm not that strict about food at all. I average about 1500 cals a day when I do a rough mental calculation but could be anywhere from 1200-2000 cals a day depending on hunger, activity done etc. I don't think of food so much as 'good or bad', - it can be a variation of both. An example is a 650ml Boost Juice Raspberry Ripe smoothie is a pleasureable indulgence at the moment. I've read it's about 600 cals, know it's full of sugar. But it also contains fruit, calcium, protein. I may have it once a week for brekkie, but would then watch my sugar intake over day, may aim for a 400 cal lunch, 200 cal snack and a 300 cal evening meal, say grilled chicken or fish with garden salad. Luckily I'm active and on the go all day too. I guess I roughly watch nutrient balance over course of time a bit and aim at this stage to have good nutrition over at least 80% of cals consumed. Am watching my intake of processed foods and am looking at ways to lower it.
Still haven't had a drink..........day 38.
Pip :-)
Of my latest little challenge it's late Tuesday evening, (23/3/10). Tomorrow, Wednesday I will hit CREDIT and be out of my little current debt situation regarding day to day doings. I won't pay off all the debt tomorrow because I don't want to break my small consistent steady savings fund/habit toward my birthday party. HOWEVER just after midnight I will be in CREDIT and if I keep my expenditures to less than $188 I will still be in CREDIT at the end of this pay week. Am aiming to keep expenditure under $100.
In a fortnight tomorrow I aim to have the debt completely cleared and still remain on track with my little savings plan toward my 30th birthday party.
The storm hit Perth yesterday. While that was happening I was training hard in apartment gym with the door open listening to the storm and rain which was louder than my music! I had a huge session too, did the 30 min run as hard as I could followed by stretches/de-puffing and was drenched in sweat. Then did a challenging resistance workout that would have lasted at least 20 mins!
Weight this morning was spot on 70.0kg or 154lb. Yesterday morn I saw a 69.8 but I guess I did hydrate with lots of water after my later hard training session last night LOL! Either way I'm getting close to goal, toning up OK, have no impossible rules, know I look lots leaner than I did, am fitter than I was so any improvement now is a bonus! I just don't wanna go backwards again and allow myself to gain a heap of weight in a small timeframe. If from 30 beyond I massively continue to yo-yo in weight I really think I may become too saggy too soon unless I'm really hard on myself. Therefore I'm not out to try Hydroxycut Hardcore or similar and lots of supplements, tweak my eating, meal balance and timing to 'so called perfect' and pay a personal trainer BIG time in an attempt to get a six pack. To me now the thought of that is too expensive and un-maintainable. If I ever did come close from that type of regime I think if I start eating low GI carbs and fruit again and stop the supps etc I'd be more likely to puff up big time.
So while I'd like to tone/lean up a bit more, (particularly stomach/waist) I am becoming more pleased at where I am and with good effort would now feel satisfied averaging a few hundred grams lost every couple of weeks! That being said though I am feeling revved to put in a good but liveable effort at the moment though and any quicker results in fatloss or fitness gain are even better!
(Not liveable is say training 9 hours a day or eating a type of diet we wouldn't feel good about attempting to maintain/live by long term)
(Liveable is about 5 training sessions a week varying from 30 mins up to over an hour (for some runs or rides), - most of them intense aiming to build or maintain a fitness level). And seriously I'm not that strict about food at all. I average about 1500 cals a day when I do a rough mental calculation but could be anywhere from 1200-2000 cals a day depending on hunger, activity done etc. I don't think of food so much as 'good or bad', - it can be a variation of both. An example is a 650ml Boost Juice Raspberry Ripe smoothie is a pleasureable indulgence at the moment. I've read it's about 600 cals, know it's full of sugar. But it also contains fruit, calcium, protein. I may have it once a week for brekkie, but would then watch my sugar intake over day, may aim for a 400 cal lunch, 200 cal snack and a 300 cal evening meal, say grilled chicken or fish with garden salad. Luckily I'm active and on the go all day too. I guess I roughly watch nutrient balance over course of time a bit and aim at this stage to have good nutrition over at least 80% of cals consumed. Am watching my intake of processed foods and am looking at ways to lower it.
Still haven't had a drink..........day 38.
Pip :-)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
STATUS UPDATE 21 MARCH 2010
G'day! Just about to flick off the light on a Sunday night and am posting this from my bed!
Cheers Teresa, Kristy and Hilary for your lovely comments regarding my pics! Hmm, - getting there!!!
STATS UPDATE:
WEIGHT: 70.5kg (155 lb)
ALCOHOL FREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS: 36, (Still haven't found a good enough reason to cave, beat temptation on Fri and Sat) Over next couple of weeks have a couple of planned social events. Am pleased I didn't just indulge and wreck it all on day 29 or 30!
BUDGET: I reckon debt is looking on track to be gone in 2 weeks come Wednesday and with managing to keep up with saving my $25 a week toward my 30th birthday in July. This coming Wednesday birthday savings will be at $250 plus my $25 Vintage Cellar voucher!
THE PLAN: I've revised it again. Once debt is gone I've decided to save either $150 a week or $300 a fortnight. I will talk weekly as my money will be divided into thirds, (or 3 lots of $50).
$50 will go toward long term investing.....to grow......only to be used to attempt to make more money.
Another $50 will go toward a huge overseas holiday. 10 years of saving $50 a week will amount to $26000 before even thinking about interest! Either intend to go on a big round the world trip in 10 years or break it into 2 shorter trips to Hawaii/America/Canada/Carribbean in 5 years and another to lots of European destinations in 10 years.
$50 will go toward holidays to NZ every couple of years and holidays and hobbies around Australia.
The rest: - for everything else, - ideally create and maintain a little buffer for emergencies.
Next budget cut is the landline phone! Why use it when I can use an e-mail?
This weeks plan:
* 2 runs, 1 5km time trial and one 9.6km effort
* 1 bike ride of at least 30km
* 1 PUMP class
* 1 swim achieving at least 1.5km at pool
* 1 homemade resistance challenging circuit of at least 20 mins.
* No more than one medium coffee a day, (skinny flat white no sugar)
* 7 hours in bed at least 5 nights this week
* Not to regret any of my expenditure, (not buy unaccounted for spur of moment stuff at all)
Talk soon
Pip :-)
G'day! Just about to flick off the light on a Sunday night and am posting this from my bed!
Cheers Teresa, Kristy and Hilary for your lovely comments regarding my pics! Hmm, - getting there!!!
STATS UPDATE:
WEIGHT: 70.5kg (155 lb)
ALCOHOL FREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS: 36, (Still haven't found a good enough reason to cave, beat temptation on Fri and Sat) Over next couple of weeks have a couple of planned social events. Am pleased I didn't just indulge and wreck it all on day 29 or 30!
BUDGET: I reckon debt is looking on track to be gone in 2 weeks come Wednesday and with managing to keep up with saving my $25 a week toward my 30th birthday in July. This coming Wednesday birthday savings will be at $250 plus my $25 Vintage Cellar voucher!
THE PLAN: I've revised it again. Once debt is gone I've decided to save either $150 a week or $300 a fortnight. I will talk weekly as my money will be divided into thirds, (or 3 lots of $50).
$50 will go toward long term investing.....to grow......only to be used to attempt to make more money.
Another $50 will go toward a huge overseas holiday. 10 years of saving $50 a week will amount to $26000 before even thinking about interest! Either intend to go on a big round the world trip in 10 years or break it into 2 shorter trips to Hawaii/America/Canada/Carribbean in 5 years and another to lots of European destinations in 10 years.
$50 will go toward holidays to NZ every couple of years and holidays and hobbies around Australia.
The rest: - for everything else, - ideally create and maintain a little buffer for emergencies.
Next budget cut is the landline phone! Why use it when I can use an e-mail?
This weeks plan:
* 2 runs, 1 5km time trial and one 9.6km effort
* 1 bike ride of at least 30km
* 1 PUMP class
* 1 swim achieving at least 1.5km at pool
* 1 homemade resistance challenging circuit of at least 20 mins.
* No more than one medium coffee a day, (skinny flat white no sugar)
* 7 hours in bed at least 5 nights this week
* Not to regret any of my expenditure, (not buy unaccounted for spur of moment stuff at all)
Talk soon
Pip :-)
Friday, March 19, 2010
19 MARCH 2010 ANTICS, - just as some memory marker records, skip through if boring!!! The peach dress up top is the one I wore as a bridesmaid in November 2009.............today's pic is the same dress minus 10kg and minus hairdo and makeup. I can now step into it and pull it right up without undoing back zip. The other pics are of a old pink workout singlet and one of my 2 pairs of cut off denim shorts that are many years old. We also feature my 'Guess jeans' and 'Guess top' I bought about May last year and the black leather Jacket I bought in NZ last July at Just Jeans which never had really fit being a fitted size 12. Getting there now but. I tried a close up with a little makeup, and just another close up with none on at all. However I didn't get onto doing anything fancy with my hair, - a bit short of time. Morning current weight is now averages 71.0kg. These pics are from this evening. It feels good to be getting leaner again, am noticing arm, back and shoulder definition happening a bit :-). I do have big calve muscles. All that lifting I do and pushups etc must pay off somewhat! I reckon just another 5kgish to go so I maintain between range of 65-68 kilos. I know I used to be 60kg, occasionally slightly under back when I was 21, (the most recent) but do believe I am stronger, - I do more lifting and can now do many more pushups on toes than I could then. I want to keep up the tri training and running, - still like to get a couple of at least basic but challenging resistance workouts in each week plus work the core. Getting bodyfat down to 25% will be great too! :-)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
THE LONGEST CALENDAR MONTH................
Well, I didn't do one calendar month which had been a goal I'd attempted to achieve for several years BUT I have achieved 31 consecutive days which in my books is just as good. Even better cause no calendar months are any longer than 31 days.
Yep, that's not one alcoholic drink in the last 31 consecutive days! Finally that can be crossed off the list! I don't plan on a drink either tomorrow! My closest thing to alcohol these last 31 days was a scoop of rum and raisin gelato from the gelato shop about 3 weeks ago, (and that didn't turn into a totally indulgent binge either).
Nah, am not planning on a drink tomorrow either as there is no good reason. Yep, I am really looking forward to my next drink whenever that is. It will be at a social gathering or at a social celebration with meaning.
It's the end of this pay week and I stuck to my objectives yet again, - yay! That was to keep all groceries, food, transport costs and entertainment etc to under the $120 cash I withdrew from ATM last Wednesday. I had to buy shampoo, conditioner and cleanser with that as well. Tonight I had $2.30 worth of 5, 10 and 20 cent coins remaining in my wallet. It was a flatout day all round. A can of coke from the servo next door up-marked to $1.95 was calling my name for a few hours and I'd resisted/rode that urge the last few nights. Anyway tonight I gave in. I couldn't allow myself to have coke zero or diet coke or pepsi max as it's been well over 2 years since I quit them diet drinks completely as I used to be very hooked on them and loved to guzzle them loads cause of their lack of calories. So full sugar coke it was. I don't feel too bad about having that one can of coke though. Progress/self control enough to be in front................not perfection is the name of this game all round.
That is cause tomorrow...........................I'm not gonna allow myself to buy coke or any full sugar soft drinks as well as the diet variety. Why tomorrow? It's Saint Patricks Day so I need to dedicate something to my Irish friends! So a good day to make a stance! It want be too hard as it's only been the last few weeks that I got into a bit of a habit of having a can or two of full strength soft drink per week and it's not an addiction.
I did another 9.6km run last night outside, was pleased to see a notable time improvement from my attempt at that last week. Still much work to do though to attain my ultimate objectives there but!
71.2kg today or 157 lbs. Getting closer to the under 68kg/150lb objective. Before brekkie first thing today over bare skin my waist at most narrow point was smack on 30 inches held firm but without wrinkling or creasing my skin with tape measure. Diet has been spot on last few days bar tonights can of coke, (but still under 1600 cals today) and was very active all day.
Talk soon all, time to do next weeks budget now!
Pip :-)
Well, I didn't do one calendar month which had been a goal I'd attempted to achieve for several years BUT I have achieved 31 consecutive days which in my books is just as good. Even better cause no calendar months are any longer than 31 days.
Yep, that's not one alcoholic drink in the last 31 consecutive days! Finally that can be crossed off the list! I don't plan on a drink either tomorrow! My closest thing to alcohol these last 31 days was a scoop of rum and raisin gelato from the gelato shop about 3 weeks ago, (and that didn't turn into a totally indulgent binge either).
Nah, am not planning on a drink tomorrow either as there is no good reason. Yep, I am really looking forward to my next drink whenever that is. It will be at a social gathering or at a social celebration with meaning.
It's the end of this pay week and I stuck to my objectives yet again, - yay! That was to keep all groceries, food, transport costs and entertainment etc to under the $120 cash I withdrew from ATM last Wednesday. I had to buy shampoo, conditioner and cleanser with that as well. Tonight I had $2.30 worth of 5, 10 and 20 cent coins remaining in my wallet. It was a flatout day all round. A can of coke from the servo next door up-marked to $1.95 was calling my name for a few hours and I'd resisted/rode that urge the last few nights. Anyway tonight I gave in. I couldn't allow myself to have coke zero or diet coke or pepsi max as it's been well over 2 years since I quit them diet drinks completely as I used to be very hooked on them and loved to guzzle them loads cause of their lack of calories. So full sugar coke it was. I don't feel too bad about having that one can of coke though. Progress/self control enough to be in front................not perfection is the name of this game all round.
That is cause tomorrow...........................I'm not gonna allow myself to buy coke or any full sugar soft drinks as well as the diet variety. Why tomorrow? It's Saint Patricks Day so I need to dedicate something to my Irish friends! So a good day to make a stance! It want be too hard as it's only been the last few weeks that I got into a bit of a habit of having a can or two of full strength soft drink per week and it's not an addiction.
I did another 9.6km run last night outside, was pleased to see a notable time improvement from my attempt at that last week. Still much work to do though to attain my ultimate objectives there but!
71.2kg today or 157 lbs. Getting closer to the under 68kg/150lb objective. Before brekkie first thing today over bare skin my waist at most narrow point was smack on 30 inches held firm but without wrinkling or creasing my skin with tape measure. Diet has been spot on last few days bar tonights can of coke, (but still under 1600 cals today) and was very active all day.
Talk soon all, time to do next weeks budget now!
Pip :-)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
DAY 29, 14 March 2010
Hello groovers!
I have successfully completed the ' 28 consecutive days of no booze at all' challenge. Infact it's day 29 and I haven't had an alcoholic drink yet.
These last few days have been a bit of a challenge to say 'NO' on though!
BF came up on Thursday night to catch up and do a couple of jobs. After a busy day we went to the re-furbished pub down the road from my place. He had beer............I kept to my mission and had water.
On Friday arvo after work my best mate and I met at our normal meeting spot outside one of the pubs. I must say I was very close to caving in a day early but I said, - nah, I have to complete these 28 days so off we went to get a Boost juice each instead. Then when I got home on Fri arvo I wanted a champers and/or a dry white wine. But had water and got into lots of housework and some scrubbing.
Yesterday was day 28, and I knew at about 6pm yesterday it would have been exactly 28 days since the last drink and it felt hard to fight the urge to go and buy a bottle of chilled champers to have with BF but I fought it. If I did buy the champers I would have drunk it all though as BF drinks beer. And today...........am not giving in either and at this stage have no reason to give in and have a drink over at least the next few days.
Trying to live off a smaller amount of money is making alcohol too unaffordable and I feel a bit deprived. I haven't bought clothes in ages, or shoes, have scaled my skincare right back, now just get cheap cuts about 3 - 4 times a year with my hair and colour my own instead of expensive salon visits. I mend clothes and my newest pair of jeans I now wear is 3 years old. The shorts I've been wearing 60% of time are old Levi jeans bought back in 2004 that I've cut off into denim shorts this year. I still wear some pairs that I wore 10 years ago as they don't wear out. Last set of really indulgent activities was at sis's wedding last Nov. The reality doesn't change until debt is gone............then I'm still saving.
My grand plan at this stage when debt is gone, (I reckon now by end of April next month) is:
* $65 a week or $130 per fortnight to go toward investing/growing in the long term
* $60 a week or $120 per fortnight to go toward holidays to NZ and holidays/trips within Australia. (I plan on a NZ holiday every 2 years and short trips within Oz the other year in between).
* $30 a week or $60 a fortnight to go toward a huge overseas holiday in 8-10 years. Maybe if I can wait 10 years as a 40th birthday present to myself. $30 a week from end of April will amount to almost $20 000 in 10 years time. And no doubt as the amount grows and time gets closer I will try to find ways to add a bit more to that fund. Hawaii, America, Carribbean, Canada, Mexico, Europe............here I come.
The rest of my income is to cover everything else but I'm to work on reducing day to day living expenses as much as I consider realistically possible, and work on
saving at least $10 a week initially so there is a buffer for unexpected emergencies without disrupting my savings. ALSO of course..........I'm still saving $25 a week toward my 30th birthday party. I've kept this up for 8 weeks so have $200 aside so far for that plus a $25 liquor voucher. Another 18 weeks tomorrow till that big 30! I will be sad to see the end of the 20's but am only counting the weeks to make sure I achieve stuff by then.
Work has been busy! Am planning a good training week next week. Weight now sitting between 71.7 and 72.0kg which is better than it has been. Still could do another 10kg with keeping up the resistance training if I'm to look like a sports model on Oxygen cover, - it may happen! Am size 12-14 now in most shops like Ojay, Target, Colorado etc when I try on clothes, more 12 on bottom, 14 up top. I intend to start tightening things up a little more from tomorrow and be stricter with training. I think I'm about 32% BF now which is great in comparison to over 40% but am on a mission to get comfortably under 68kg and under 25% BF and reach and better some fitness PB's again.
So that's about me for now,
Talk soon.
Pip :-)
Hello groovers!
I have successfully completed the ' 28 consecutive days of no booze at all' challenge. Infact it's day 29 and I haven't had an alcoholic drink yet.
These last few days have been a bit of a challenge to say 'NO' on though!
BF came up on Thursday night to catch up and do a couple of jobs. After a busy day we went to the re-furbished pub down the road from my place. He had beer............I kept to my mission and had water.
On Friday arvo after work my best mate and I met at our normal meeting spot outside one of the pubs. I must say I was very close to caving in a day early but I said, - nah, I have to complete these 28 days so off we went to get a Boost juice each instead. Then when I got home on Fri arvo I wanted a champers and/or a dry white wine. But had water and got into lots of housework and some scrubbing.
Yesterday was day 28, and I knew at about 6pm yesterday it would have been exactly 28 days since the last drink and it felt hard to fight the urge to go and buy a bottle of chilled champers to have with BF but I fought it. If I did buy the champers I would have drunk it all though as BF drinks beer. And today...........am not giving in either and at this stage have no reason to give in and have a drink over at least the next few days.
Trying to live off a smaller amount of money is making alcohol too unaffordable and I feel a bit deprived. I haven't bought clothes in ages, or shoes, have scaled my skincare right back, now just get cheap cuts about 3 - 4 times a year with my hair and colour my own instead of expensive salon visits. I mend clothes and my newest pair of jeans I now wear is 3 years old. The shorts I've been wearing 60% of time are old Levi jeans bought back in 2004 that I've cut off into denim shorts this year. I still wear some pairs that I wore 10 years ago as they don't wear out. Last set of really indulgent activities was at sis's wedding last Nov. The reality doesn't change until debt is gone............then I'm still saving.
My grand plan at this stage when debt is gone, (I reckon now by end of April next month) is:
* $65 a week or $130 per fortnight to go toward investing/growing in the long term
* $60 a week or $120 per fortnight to go toward holidays to NZ and holidays/trips within Australia. (I plan on a NZ holiday every 2 years and short trips within Oz the other year in between).
* $30 a week or $60 a fortnight to go toward a huge overseas holiday in 8-10 years. Maybe if I can wait 10 years as a 40th birthday present to myself. $30 a week from end of April will amount to almost $20 000 in 10 years time. And no doubt as the amount grows and time gets closer I will try to find ways to add a bit more to that fund. Hawaii, America, Carribbean, Canada, Mexico, Europe............here I come.
The rest of my income is to cover everything else but I'm to work on reducing day to day living expenses as much as I consider realistically possible, and work on
saving at least $10 a week initially so there is a buffer for unexpected emergencies without disrupting my savings. ALSO of course..........I'm still saving $25 a week toward my 30th birthday party. I've kept this up for 8 weeks so have $200 aside so far for that plus a $25 liquor voucher. Another 18 weeks tomorrow till that big 30! I will be sad to see the end of the 20's but am only counting the weeks to make sure I achieve stuff by then.
Work has been busy! Am planning a good training week next week. Weight now sitting between 71.7 and 72.0kg which is better than it has been. Still could do another 10kg with keeping up the resistance training if I'm to look like a sports model on Oxygen cover, - it may happen! Am size 12-14 now in most shops like Ojay, Target, Colorado etc when I try on clothes, more 12 on bottom, 14 up top. I intend to start tightening things up a little more from tomorrow and be stricter with training. I think I'm about 32% BF now which is great in comparison to over 40% but am on a mission to get comfortably under 68kg and under 25% BF and reach and better some fitness PB's again.
So that's about me for now,
Talk soon.
Pip :-)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
DAY 25.................WEDNESDAY 10 MARCH 2010
G'day,
Yep, have successfully completed day 25 of at least 28 with absolutely no alcohol. Finish line is in sight.............I mustn't falter............ hahaha!
I am prone to often caving into goals when the finish line is in sight............thinking I'd done well so stopping short won't really matter!
WRONG of course!
Like last year of getting and staying under 68kg but getting as close as 68.4.........., feeling rapt, excited and fit..........then bang, I slip backward in a big way. I've done that many a time!
Actually this no alcohol goal is rather easy but the mental aspect is tough at times. I've still decided I'm not going to plan a gathering or have a drink this Sunday..........day 29! It's a pretty stupid idea of celebrating 28 days of total soberity with a drink or many the following day! I haven't decided when my next drink will be,..........most likely in the next couple of weeks at a party or small social gathering or with my BF if we/I feel there is something to have a drink to! My best mate turns 30 on 3 April............I sure look forward to having a drink or two or three that evening and may continue to resist till then!
Whatever the case...........at this point I feel I've achieved what I wanted by this exercise so am happy about that. But it's a change I need to keep on top of.........like all others that require discipline and commitment!
Have been doing some running and resistance training this week, - just not happy with my performance on long runs, (or runs longer than 5km at the moment). Need more practice! But not too bad and I'm sure consistency and time will improve speed! Muscle strength.............pretty good but! I just hate training outdoors and being passed by other runners most of the time. I like to be the one doing a little of the passing of others myself!!! Running at the 7-8km mark past the Swan Brewery while many were partying all glamed up enjoying the drink on the river was tough as I was sore and frustrated with my time yesterday and had too many runners passing me! I kept going though!
Weight has entered the 71's, (71.8kg today). That's pleasing. And waist a comfortable 30.5 - 31 inches first thing in morning. I tried on the next wave of jeans which were fitting perfect around the 68.4 - 70 mark last year. All can get on/done up but just feel a little firm with a little bit/not massive amount of muffin top. So another couple of kilos will do that trick........and also getting that waist measurement to 30 inches, then under! The stretchy Lee jeans I could almost get away with. Biggest problem area seems to be the lower stomach below waist, - the rest is toning up OK. Must say lower stomach does look better than it did a while ago though!
Food nutrition.............OK but not spot on but nothing to be embarrassed about, very liveable and flexible. Probably am averaging around 1500 cals a day when I do a rough mental calculation and keeping control well. I discovered a new way to make a divine hot chocolate drink this week at work. 2 tsp choc powder, 2 marshmallows, 1 squirt of flavoured caramel syrup which we add to customers coffee. The rule is we have this in the SMALLEST cup, and after we place the above ingredients in the cup, we fill half the cup with boiling water and stir well, then add steamed skim milk to the other half of the cup and stir! A sure sweet sugary hit that tastes great with the caramel! HOWEVER...........just make it in the smallest cup, and fill half of the cup with boiling water and don't get into the habit of having them on a too regular basis! (Trainers on the Biggest Loser would say NEVER at all.....), - I say don't say NEVER, just IN-FREQUENT. I've had 2 of them over the last week, so will now back off and stick to my skinny flat whites with no sugar/one a day/no more! Some go as far as to say skinny flat whites are BAD, and go for black coffee instead, with sweeteners if needed. I don't consider skinny flat whites bad, they may have carbs but I balance the 100-150 cals a cup into my diet and consider it a way to get calcium and I need carbs!
I smashed another $220 off debt today and got some other bills paid. Stuck to my $100 budget last week for food/groceries/bus fares, entertainment and all discretionary spending. Am looking set to do the same this week and made do/didn't buy groceries today so my budget only has to span 6 days instead of 7! I can't wait to get rid of this debt, just a few more weeks! My 30th birthday party fund is now at $200 and I also have a $25 Vintage Cellars voucher which will go toward that!
I best be going, have a few jobs to do! May just look to target nutrition and training a bit more to drop those few kilos and get all round fitness levels up.
I dedicate this weekend to some good tri training!
Talk soon,
Pip :-)
G'day,
Yep, have successfully completed day 25 of at least 28 with absolutely no alcohol. Finish line is in sight.............I mustn't falter............ hahaha!
I am prone to often caving into goals when the finish line is in sight............thinking I'd done well so stopping short won't really matter!
WRONG of course!
Like last year of getting and staying under 68kg but getting as close as 68.4.........., feeling rapt, excited and fit..........then bang, I slip backward in a big way. I've done that many a time!
Actually this no alcohol goal is rather easy but the mental aspect is tough at times. I've still decided I'm not going to plan a gathering or have a drink this Sunday..........day 29! It's a pretty stupid idea of celebrating 28 days of total soberity with a drink or many the following day! I haven't decided when my next drink will be,..........most likely in the next couple of weeks at a party or small social gathering or with my BF if we/I feel there is something to have a drink to! My best mate turns 30 on 3 April............I sure look forward to having a drink or two or three that evening and may continue to resist till then!
Whatever the case...........at this point I feel I've achieved what I wanted by this exercise so am happy about that. But it's a change I need to keep on top of.........like all others that require discipline and commitment!
Have been doing some running and resistance training this week, - just not happy with my performance on long runs, (or runs longer than 5km at the moment). Need more practice! But not too bad and I'm sure consistency and time will improve speed! Muscle strength.............pretty good but! I just hate training outdoors and being passed by other runners most of the time. I like to be the one doing a little of the passing of others myself!!! Running at the 7-8km mark past the Swan Brewery while many were partying all glamed up enjoying the drink on the river was tough as I was sore and frustrated with my time yesterday and had too many runners passing me! I kept going though!
Weight has entered the 71's, (71.8kg today). That's pleasing. And waist a comfortable 30.5 - 31 inches first thing in morning. I tried on the next wave of jeans which were fitting perfect around the 68.4 - 70 mark last year. All can get on/done up but just feel a little firm with a little bit/not massive amount of muffin top. So another couple of kilos will do that trick........and also getting that waist measurement to 30 inches, then under! The stretchy Lee jeans I could almost get away with. Biggest problem area seems to be the lower stomach below waist, - the rest is toning up OK. Must say lower stomach does look better than it did a while ago though!
Food nutrition.............OK but not spot on but nothing to be embarrassed about, very liveable and flexible. Probably am averaging around 1500 cals a day when I do a rough mental calculation and keeping control well. I discovered a new way to make a divine hot chocolate drink this week at work. 2 tsp choc powder, 2 marshmallows, 1 squirt of flavoured caramel syrup which we add to customers coffee. The rule is we have this in the SMALLEST cup, and after we place the above ingredients in the cup, we fill half the cup with boiling water and stir well, then add steamed skim milk to the other half of the cup and stir! A sure sweet sugary hit that tastes great with the caramel! HOWEVER...........just make it in the smallest cup, and fill half of the cup with boiling water and don't get into the habit of having them on a too regular basis! (Trainers on the Biggest Loser would say NEVER at all.....), - I say don't say NEVER, just IN-FREQUENT. I've had 2 of them over the last week, so will now back off and stick to my skinny flat whites with no sugar/one a day/no more! Some go as far as to say skinny flat whites are BAD, and go for black coffee instead, with sweeteners if needed. I don't consider skinny flat whites bad, they may have carbs but I balance the 100-150 cals a cup into my diet and consider it a way to get calcium and I need carbs!
I smashed another $220 off debt today and got some other bills paid. Stuck to my $100 budget last week for food/groceries/bus fares, entertainment and all discretionary spending. Am looking set to do the same this week and made do/didn't buy groceries today so my budget only has to span 6 days instead of 7! I can't wait to get rid of this debt, just a few more weeks! My 30th birthday party fund is now at $200 and I also have a $25 Vintage Cellars voucher which will go toward that!
I best be going, have a few jobs to do! May just look to target nutrition and training a bit more to drop those few kilos and get all round fitness levels up.
I dedicate this weekend to some good tri training!
Talk soon,
Pip :-)
Saturday, March 06, 2010
DAY 21 of NO ALCOHOL...................
G'day! Am up to day 21 of my goal of at least 28 consecutive alcohol free days in a row. Am successful so far. It is having the desired effect. I still feel everyday..........I'd like a wine or whatever but am managing to overide that urge! The first week and weekend was the toughest. Now it feels like the norm not to have any.
So..............next Sunday (in 8 days) will be day 29. I am not allowed to plan on a few drinks that day for no reason or the point of this exercise is lost. Therefore from day 29 I am only allowed to drink alcohol if I choose to at social events/occasions that will be memerable in a way, (an event, party or celebration and am only allowed to drink alcohol socially with mates who are also drinking alcohol). I'd like to be able to recall most occasions I allowed myself to indulge with alcohol at the end of every calendar year.
My current 21 days is the most amount of consecutive days I'd gone with NONE at all in 10 years I now realise. My second best attempt since then was in 2006 when I once lasted 2 weeks.
So habit changing seems on be on track there. I made sure I DIDN'T give into having any diet soft drinks either as I quit them over 2 years ago. I reckon if I went back there and had 'just one' I'd find excuses to drink them again all the time cause of their lack of calories. Last week I did have about 5 cans of full strength soft drink over the week, this week just had 2 full strength ones however at the cost of about $1.50 a can. Not out of control! Because they have full sugar and calories I am satisfied after just one can. But............no more than 2 cans of full strength coke or lemonade a week and ideally none is better!
Am staying on track with budget. Couldn't pay anything off debt this week as I had rent week and other bills. I still have a couple of bills next Wednesday but am aiming to smash at least another $180 off debt, - maybe $200. By then my birthday party savings account will be up to $200 as well as I'm sticking with depositing $25 a week there. Being tight with money is hard at times LOL!
Also.............being more patient is something I have to deal with. When I have something on my mind I want to buy or want to say............I just feel a strong urge it HAS TO BE NOW! If I get a mindwave about a holiday I want to plan sometime..............it's on my mind and the first thing I do when I have time is research it. Or as soon as a bill arrives, I want it paid as soon as poss to get it outta the way. Such as if I wanted to try a particular wine.............it couldn't wait, it had to be that night after work! But on another level I'm very patient as I still haven't got any close to that Hawaii or big overseas holiday or goal of building a beachside home! But.............we can't live on impulse or credit cards seem to burst at the seams!
As for weight I'm sitting between 72.5 and 73kg in mornings at the moment. That's 160 lb, (or 159.8lb to be precise!!!) Another 5kg I will be smidging under the 68kg/150lb mark which will happen by July!
Have done some good training this week, managed 10 consecutive pushups on toes this week which equals my best and got a couple of good cardio sessions in. Work, active and busy!
Gotta get housework finished, then some more training today!
Pip :-)
G'day! Am up to day 21 of my goal of at least 28 consecutive alcohol free days in a row. Am successful so far. It is having the desired effect. I still feel everyday..........I'd like a wine or whatever but am managing to overide that urge! The first week and weekend was the toughest. Now it feels like the norm not to have any.
So..............next Sunday (in 8 days) will be day 29. I am not allowed to plan on a few drinks that day for no reason or the point of this exercise is lost. Therefore from day 29 I am only allowed to drink alcohol if I choose to at social events/occasions that will be memerable in a way, (an event, party or celebration and am only allowed to drink alcohol socially with mates who are also drinking alcohol). I'd like to be able to recall most occasions I allowed myself to indulge with alcohol at the end of every calendar year.
My current 21 days is the most amount of consecutive days I'd gone with NONE at all in 10 years I now realise. My second best attempt since then was in 2006 when I once lasted 2 weeks.
So habit changing seems on be on track there. I made sure I DIDN'T give into having any diet soft drinks either as I quit them over 2 years ago. I reckon if I went back there and had 'just one' I'd find excuses to drink them again all the time cause of their lack of calories. Last week I did have about 5 cans of full strength soft drink over the week, this week just had 2 full strength ones however at the cost of about $1.50 a can. Not out of control! Because they have full sugar and calories I am satisfied after just one can. But............no more than 2 cans of full strength coke or lemonade a week and ideally none is better!
Am staying on track with budget. Couldn't pay anything off debt this week as I had rent week and other bills. I still have a couple of bills next Wednesday but am aiming to smash at least another $180 off debt, - maybe $200. By then my birthday party savings account will be up to $200 as well as I'm sticking with depositing $25 a week there. Being tight with money is hard at times LOL!
Also.............being more patient is something I have to deal with. When I have something on my mind I want to buy or want to say............I just feel a strong urge it HAS TO BE NOW! If I get a mindwave about a holiday I want to plan sometime..............it's on my mind and the first thing I do when I have time is research it. Or as soon as a bill arrives, I want it paid as soon as poss to get it outta the way. Such as if I wanted to try a particular wine.............it couldn't wait, it had to be that night after work! But on another level I'm very patient as I still haven't got any close to that Hawaii or big overseas holiday or goal of building a beachside home! But.............we can't live on impulse or credit cards seem to burst at the seams!
As for weight I'm sitting between 72.5 and 73kg in mornings at the moment. That's 160 lb, (or 159.8lb to be precise!!!) Another 5kg I will be smidging under the 68kg/150lb mark which will happen by July!
Have done some good training this week, managed 10 consecutive pushups on toes this week which equals my best and got a couple of good cardio sessions in. Work, active and busy!
Gotta get housework finished, then some more training today!
Pip :-)
Monday, March 01, 2010
Hello readers! Can't believe we are into March already. The downer.............goodbye summer for another year! Luckily it will still be warm here for a while and winters here don't get really cold!
So what's been happening:
* My back is getting better. It's about 90-95% now, getting better everyday. Just still a tiny bit sore in some positions but am pretty much moving freely now and intend to start training again a bit harder this week.
* The new shop is going well, getting busier every day!!! Great people to work with though. Only thing is it's in a kinda dodgy location so I hate the trip there in the early mornings. For the earliest starts I will try to get taxis but they usually only have about a 50% reliability rate from my place and I ring/book and call them the night before and have tried all the different companies. Just hope I don't get bashed or worse while going to work but it is a concern to me.
* I definitely LUV long weekends!!! Beach, swimming, kayaking, hanging out, sleep ins etc!!! Have enjoyed watching the Olympics!
* Am up to day 16 out of 28 with drinking absolutely NO alcohol! That meant over the weekend declining a few (which was slightly tough). I am undertaking this in an attempt to drink less alcohol in general and spend less money on it. This is the longest I've gone with completely none in several years..............over the half way point! Day 29 I'm not allowed to plan on a bottle or wine or anything similar but! The idea after the 28 day ban is to only drink if I choose to in party/social occasions. One little confession I'll make though is that I have had a few drinks of full strength Coke, Solo and lemonade over the last couple of weeks! As I completely gave up diet soft drinks over 2 years ago I made sure I didn't take a step back and buy one of those...............so instead bought the full strength type which have lead to a few over the last couple of weeks.
* I got rid of one credit card and seem to be getting much tighter with how I manage my money day to day but still can do better. Just under $1000 and one credit card until I say 'good riddance current credit card debt'. A few weeks ago that figure was $1600.
* I found a cheap place to get a hair trim, ($19.50) and coloured my hair myself for $15.95. Indeed I like it! So if I do that every 3 months instead of going to hairdressers at a cost of at least $200 a pop thats a great saving!
* Am using cheaper skincare.
* I did buy and like ideas from Michelle Bridges new 'Crunch Time' cookbook! Rather economical meals! Her salmon patties and salsa rocks! She has good versions of meals most from a family would like!
* I weighed in TONIGHT on the home scales after showering with wet hair and all feeling good, not full or not hungry. Result: 73.7kg/162.4 lb. Am 1.71m high. That should be a few hundred less grams in the morning/dry hair/after loo which means I have plateaued in Feb rather than gained anything! BF's scales had me looking between 74-74.5kg (which always have me about half a kg more than mine) on his non digital scales yesterday morning which I didn't expect as I seemed to slacken off in the last few weeks. Maybe.......................if ya don't give up carbs completely in the first place one's body doesn't rebel by 5kg or more if ya have a can of soft drink and half a cup of rice and a filled bread roll in one day haha!
MISSION NOW...........
* Clean up those loose ends such as full strength soft drink, chocolate, gelato and cheese that seemed to creep back in a bit.
* No weighing now until 12 May, (day I intend to have debt shot in the head by). I want to give it my all.................aiming to read under 68kg/150 lb on that date! Will be stoked with being under 70kg though!
* That will mean discipline with training as well as watching the food thing as I'm looking to push some new fitness targets strength and tri training wise.
* New clothes and new shoes are things I want..........I want new runners as I wear my current to work as well, new fine black heels, new jeans and some nice tops, new dresses, new training clothes, a suit.............endless really. I can see that all up costing a couple of thousand almost so will need to prioritise and wait. One thing I'm aiming for is: no more clothes till under the 68kg. I can see I still have quite a bit of blubber I can still lose, (but when looking at what I had can see there is less).
* On the clothes front I like less items but quality and things I really like as opposed to more cheap stuff. So Levis jeans for me over target jeans. I'm not really fashion concious, - I like those brands that always look good but seem to look and feel trendy always such as Levis, Nike, Asics, Icebreaker, Oakley and for dressy clothes I like anything, - often Ojay however! I have black ankle boots I've worn for years and have a pair of chunky black heels I bought 10 years ago for $19.95 which are still my going out shoes, have seen thousands of kms of walking over the years but won't break! I will still keep them but want to buy some dressy black finer heels, (not too high, fine or uncomfy) over the next year! But seriously, I'm a chick who lacks shoes, mostly I'd rather spend my money on other things!
* Can't wait to start saving more for investing, holidays, overseas travel etc when debt is gone. To do this expenditure on alcohol needs to consistently be slashed the most, as do phone calls, as do things I buy cause I'm unorganised like bottles of water on the run, as does snippets of time where I spend to much on junk food, and also cheap clothes ranging in many different sizes cause of fluctating.
* 20 weeks exactly today to enjoy remainder of my 20's, then the big scary 3-0 arrives.
Talk soon all!
Pip :-)
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