MYLLA_R's SparkPeople Blog

May recomittment

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:54:57 EST

I'm sure I'm making progress, you know, but I wouldn't even know any more, because I'm not even weighing in. I'm certainly not paying attention to my food intake.

I'm doing pump and yoga, and that's pretty much it. The occasional run, maybe. But I'm flat-out with show preparations and other stuff.

But the thing is, I know if I want to keep losing fat, I need to watch my food intake more. I've just stopped caring at the moment. So, since it appears to be the first of...

Just a slice of life

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:24:29 EST

I've had a rough week at work - not because anything's happened, but because it hasn't. For the first time in a long time, there is nothing major I'm supposed to be working on. What a great opportunity to do some forward planning, pick up some of those backburner projects, right?

UM. NO. What a great opportunity for me to spend the week on Facebook.

Sometimes I think I have literally not changed in my whole life, except to get lazier. Today I vowed that for twenty m...

Progress in two months

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:58:48 EST

-4cm lost from my waist
-~4.5cm lost from my abdomen
-4cm from my hips
-3cm from my bust
-3cm from my upper arms (IT'S A MIRACLE. Long long way to go, though.)
-2cm from my upper thigh
-1.5cm from my lower thigh
-maybe 1cm from my calf

Oh, and 3 kg. And around 1.5% body fat. And gained around 0.6% muscle.

My weight loss has stalled for the last few weeks, while my measurements seem to be dropping at a consistent rate. Awesome. I do ...

Baggy clothes and more group fitness

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:27:17 EST

I've been at a bit of a plateau for a while - although my weight is maybe starting to drop again as of today. I forgot to measure myself this morning, but the evidence is in my jeans - they're getting really loose.

That's great, right?

Yes, of course! But the problem is, ill-fitting clothing is just not that attractive. I can't rush out and buy a new pair of jeans, because I do PLAN to lose more weight, and my jeans aren't THAT loose anyway. So I need to wait it out....

First combat class

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 20:30:06 EST

I've got really unmotivated. It's bizarre. I haven't bounced back from the bad eating of Easter - I've stopped having the pristine eating control I had for a while there. And my weight has shot up again, too. Ugh. Never mind, my measurements are all still the same or lower, so I think it's just one of those hormonal/water things.

Anyway, I'm still doing well on the exercise front! I did my first Body Combat class on Saturday morning.

First thing is that 7:45 on a S...

Group fitness. Saying yes.

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 23:51:32 EST

Okay, I've been resistant to the group fitness thing, because, I don't know why. Maybe mainly because of the time involved? When I go to the gym I tend to be snatching under half an hour of cardio time, and that's it. But also, I'm not really that physically able, so I was a bit embarrassed to exercise in front of other people.

But I think group fitness is so motivating. It makes you exercise for an hour at a time! And you're in a room with a bunch of other people, so you push...

A mixed bag

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 00:03:04 EST

Easter weekend could have been a lot better in terms of eating! Gosh, I really dropped back to my old habits: ate heaps, drank alcohol three out of the four days (okay, no, that's still progress - a few months ago it likely would have been four out of four days). It's reflected in my weight, which has gone up slightly.

Never mind, what's important are the choices I make NOW. I CAN go back to my new, good habits.

362

I was pretty much out of act...

The amazing shrinking Mylla

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 01:31:40 EST

Woohoo! Reached my first goal today with another sudden weight drop!

I'm now just a whisker in the "overweight" category of BMI - so close to being "healthy"!

Plus, my measurements are dropping all over the place.

*happy dance*

In other news, I CAN HARDLY MOVE TODAY. I did my first pump class yesterday. Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.

(No really, I totally guessed wrong when choosing my weights. I've damaged something in my right arm, it's...

A little preparation goes a long way

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:56:26 EST

I've been a bit tired and unmotivated recently.

I haven't done any grocery shopping in a while.

But you know what? When I went to grab lunch this morning, it was still easy. Because twice in the last couple of weeks, I've made sandwiches and chucked them in the freezer.

That's just, say, ten minutes of preparation? Maybe a little more, because I poached chicken for some of the sandwiches. But really, if you're making one sandwich you may as well make four....

Feeling blah - finding the positives!

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:45:07 EST

I'm feeling pretty down at the moment - stressed and procrastinating (TERRIBLE COMBINATION). And the fact that my weight is stuck again is not helping. I forgot to take my measurements this morning so I can't even say whether they're doing anything interesting.

So I'm forcing myself to find the positives.

-My weight is stuck again, but at a weight a kilo less than it was last time. SO THERE.

-I can, and do, say no to any snack. Any snack. And I can (and d...

Discouraged!

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:19:37 EST

My weight has suddenly shot up again by a kilo.

Now, maybe I didn't have a very healthy weekend - I was out all day Saturday, so had a pie for lunch, then had 12 people over for dinner, so it was pizza, and I might have eaten better on Sunday but I still didn't touch a vegetable - but I don't think that justifies a sudden kilo weight gain. So I guess it'll go away again.

But it's pretty discouraging.

On the plus side?

I had the best run yeste...

Discovered a trigger for bad eating

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:12:03 EST

I did some shopping yesterday. Clothes shopping, I mean (well, I managed to buy some shoes - hopefully shoes that will be suitable for the musical - and apart from that all I bought was presents, but I was LOOKING for clothes).

And I realised HOW MUCH I wanted to buy myself a sweet treat while I was out.

It's SUCH a habit. Unless I'm particularly motivated, as I am at the moment, I usually don't think twice, I just buy myself something.

I at least want to bu...

Organisational update: my living room

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:45:48 EST

Because I've been taking a lot of "before" photos and now I finally have an "after" photo!

The empty space of my living room, before I moved in:

Picnic on the floor on the day I picked up the keys (that's my old housemate):

Unpacking:

...

Just a collection of health-related thoughts

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:36:14 EST

3 My weight dropped again this morning. Hee, I'm enjoying this. I know this journey isn't just about the scale, but my overall weight does need to decrease, and besides, scale victories are so satisfying when they happen. I'm going to enjoy this one while I can - before the next time my weight just stops at the same number for three weeks.

3 I'm close to my first goal! I split up the weight I wanted to lose into 4 goals of equal weight (maybe not realist...

Progress photos!

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:57:24 EST

Today marks exactly four weeks since I started this latest leg of my journey, so it's progress photo time. February 11 to March 11!

Okay, you know what? WOW. It's subtle, but there are DEFINITE changes. Even my face looks a little less round.

Incredible what a difference a month and just 2 kg - that's about 4....

Scale finally catching on!

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:48:55 EST

Woohoo, my scale has finally realised what's going on!

After two weeks stuck at the EXACT SAME NUMBER, the scale has finally dropped a whole kilo over two days.

LOL, I know. My scale is a little crazy.

So, I've lost two kilos now (over four weeks), which is right on target.

Tomorrow is the four-week mark, so it'll be photo day as well as measurements. It'll be interesting to see if there's a visible difference!

45...

COME ON, SCALE!

Thu, 7 Mar 2013 18:28:08 EST

SCALE BROKEN. Not only is my weight not going down, today it went UP.

I've only just started, usually at this stage my weight just drops off! Have been eating immaculately, not drinking, cut back on caffeine...

However, I'm not actually concerned, because the other thing I'm doing is EXERCISE. And I have a feeling that means I don't necessarily lose weight as FAST - but the overall healthiness is better!

My waist measurement is definitely dropping! Other m...

Strong arms!

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 23:51:48 EST

I was complaining about my arms being flabby not so long ago. Which is a problem specifically because I'm currently rehearsing a musical in which I play a witch, and I wasn't so much feeling the power flowing when I lifted my arms. More feeling the fat wobbling.

Well they haven't changed significantly in that regard. But I've been regularly using the rowing machine at the gym - twice a week - and done yoga two weeks in a row now as well. So that's three times per week my arms h...

Non-scale victories

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 18:48:09 EST

Because my scale seems to be stuck! LOL.

48 I ate really well yesterday. It was my turn to cook for my old housemate for our weekly date, and I did chicken breast marinated in honey, cumin and garlic and baked, then sliced on salad. With some absolutely gorgeous bread on the side. It was amazing.

48 Plus, we have really bad drinking habits when we're together, but we just kind of never brought out the wine last night. So far I'm AF all throug...

Genuinely healthy weekend

Sun, 3 Mar 2013 20:27:40 EST

I didn't track my calories this weekend, but I'm still reasonably confident that I had a healthy weekend.

I was away at my church weekend away, and basically I had fruit for morning tea instead of biscuits, cereal instead of hot breakfast, and ignored the cake options.

Plus, drank green tea like twice a day.

It was my turn to have my friends over for dessert on Sunday night, and I did chocolate-covered strawberries. They were AWESOME. Not healthy, per se, bu...

Results so far

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:27:03 EST

Weigh-in and measurements day!

My weight went up at the start of the week, and has now gone back down to where it was last Friday. That's okay. I didn't feel like last week was a real weight loss anyway. So I have lost 1 kg over about 2.5 weeks, which is slow, but as long as it's REAL I really don't mind.

My waist measurement has finally shifted downwards. YESSSS. I feel like that's real. I know I suck at measuring myself, but my waist is the easiest thing to measu...

On a roll now!

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:29:49 EST

Okay, YES. I'm finally feeling like I'm on track with the whole diet-and-exercise thing. Just goes to show that when you push through despite lack of motivation, the motivation follows!

104 Ate within my calorie range yesterday. I even baked brownies as "birthday cake" for my bible study co-leader, DIDN'T LICK THE BOWL, and while I ate one of the brownies, I then forced all the leftovers onto the birthday boy. (Okay, not promoting good health in other people, but h...

Whatcha gonna do about it?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:47:47 EST

Okay, so I'm having some self-image problems at the moment, and it's getting in the way of my rehearsing a truly awesome role in a musical. Now, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

417 Yoga. I've been trying to trim down my budget, so I wasn't sure I was going to do yoga at work again this year, but I decided I definitely needed to, yesterday.

Apart from the muscle aspect of it, which isn't insignificant, yoga is so much about being strong and powerful in the p...

Body image and my acting

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:55:26 EST

I don't really call myself an actor. I have a day job, after all! Performing is "just" a hobby.

But I spend a lot of time with my community theatre group. I love it. And every now and then I'm lucky enough to get to play a really awesome role. LIKE RIGHT NOW. We're currently rehearsing a musical adaptation of the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and I'm the White Witch.

It ROCKS.

But.

I have a lot of body image problems at the moment. I'm at...

Progress already!

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:39:17 EST

After a week and a half, I have lost 1 kg. Well, so the scale says. I am not sure if I believe it yet. However, my fat % has gone down in that time too, which is more convincing! (Then again, it dropped really substantially after a few days, so I suspect the first reading was off somehow - but even so, it's gone down again since then.) And my muscle % has been gradually going up!

My measurements are maybe on the way down, but it's a little hard to tell so early. My measuring ...

I have such a short attentio- look, something shiny!

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:53:29 EST

I didn't track calories this weekend. It's too hard when I'm not at work and don't have internet access. And I didn't really exercise over the weekend either, because I was working solidly on unpacking at home (does that count??)

Went to the gym on Monday, but still didn't track. Tuesday, didn't track. This morning, thought to myself, "oh dear, I think I expect myself to catch up on tracking!" I realised that was silly, and that I would just start from today.

Then I...

Plodding already

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:10:39 EST

Tuesday was my only within-calorie day out of four days tracked so far. I intend today to be another! But I'm already finding it reaaally easy to slip back into my bad habits - the glass of wine before bed, the food at the coffee shop. Staying in bed rather than exercising (um, also because of the glass of wine before bed factor).

You know what, as long as I keep tracking, it's okay. I mean, I still need to eat less, make tougher choices, etc, but as long as I'm tracking, that'...

Daily wins!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:13:08 EST

Wins for the day!

104 I ate in my calorie range! Woohoo!

I totally expected this to be rewarded with weight loss instantly, and it was not. LOL

104 Did not have wine! Instead, had a cup of green tea last thing before bed!

Much better habit to make.

104 Prepared lunches for the week!

Oh, yeah. A bit belated, but then I already had sandwiches made for the start of the week. I was out of...

The starting line

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:53:07 EST

After setting careful reminders for myself yesterday, I managed, this morning, to remember to weigh myself and take all my measurements (and a "before" photo).

It's hard not to compare myself with where I was even 6 months ago. My body fat has gone up by 1.1%!!! Gosh, I've really been backsliding. BUT. That is not the point. The point is that I have a starting line. And you know, the higher all those numbers are (or lower, in the case of muscle), the more progress I can make ...

How to kickstart for success... again

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:45:15 EST

I've been on SparkPeople for nearly 7 years now.

I know, right? That's a long time.

During that time, I know I've made a lot of progress. I've learned a lot about healthy eating, and I started exercising for the first time (and enjoying it, even!) I have a much better idea of what I can achieve.

But for the last year and a half or so, I've been very inconsistent. I've gained a lot of weight back, especially recently. I'm overweight again - and my doctor-p...

Where's my motivation?

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:06:10 EST

I have not been living in a healthy manner.

I've been eating whatever I felt like, and that has never worked out for me.

I've barely exercised since the City 2 Surf in August.

I know what needs to be done. I know I want to do it. I know I'm not satisfied with gaining weight all the time.

But I'm not doing it.

It's partly the time I know I'll need to devote to it. I really do need to track my calories in order to lose weight - I've foun...

Avoidance Addiction

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 02:00:46 EST

My name is MYLLA_R, and I am an addict.

I am addicted to AVOIDANCE.

I have a list of things I'm currently addicted to. All affect my health/productivity/emotional wellbeing. At least one is dangerous.

For example:

-I am addicted to watching DVDs before I go to sleep. Doesn't matter how late it is. Doesn't matter how much I'm desperate for sleep. Doesn't matter that I've read all about how you shouldn't stimulate your brain like that just before...

Proactive weekend: postmortem

Sun, 27 May 2012 19:56:26 EST

On Friday I posted my plan for my busy weekend.

As expected, there were unexpected things. My Saturday morning plans fell through when my housemate wanted to go shopping with me. So I didn't have time to exercise, and we had lunch out.

My dinners were all sorted and awesome, though! (And healthy!)

My packaged snacks served me well, but I ended up snacking on sugar anyway.

And I had a glass of wine on Saturday night.

I did get to exerci...

Proactive weekend is go!

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:22:26 EST

I'm procrastinating, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to make sure this weekend doesn't let me down, health-wise. I'm just starting to see results, and last weekend's performances messed me up a little (no exercise, terrible eating), but I do know what to expect, so there's no reason I should let the weekend take me by surprise!!

So! Here's the plan!

-DINNERS: I have pre-cooked mince in the freezer which I have plans for tonight. Tomorrow night is already sorted...

Progress! and a new starting point.

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:45:34 EST

9 PROGRESS: WEIGHT LOSS

I've lost a bit over a kilo in the three weeks since I started my new program. Yeah!

9 PROGRESS: MEASUREMENTS

I've lost a significant amount when it comes to the measuring tape! I could feel the looseness in my clothing, so I summoned up the courage to take some measurements for the first time since the start of April. Sure enough, I've lost an easy 3cm off my waist, which is always the first to move for...

A personal dilemma (help!)

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:31:41 EST

Do I go out tomorrow night with my two best friends, another good friend of theirs, and the boyfriends/husbands of all three of them?

I really don't want to be the only single person.

But I also don't want to be left out.

I don't want to acknowledge that the pattern of my friendships has changed since I BECAME the Only Single Person. I'm used to being a unit with one or more of my friends, and now they've redefined things.

But I don't want to lose ...

The person I want to be

Sun, 20 May 2012 20:33:03 EST

I've been thinking about this topic again, triggered by various people's blogs.

This topic: the simple truth that I AM WHAT I CHOOSE TO BE.

The idea I'm toying with is: "What would the person I want to be - the new me - do?"

At the start of this year I did a mind map of that person. I won't go into it now, but it touches every part of my life. I'm aiming for healthiness physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In my personal life and at work. So - nothing...

Making habits

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:41:21 EST

I vowed to spend May more or less sugar-free. I was making exceptions for special occasions (by which I mainly mean "someone cooked me dessert").

And so far, so good, up until this weekend...

On Friday night, for the first time all month, I had a chocolate biscuit (cookie). I was at rehearsal (I'm working backstage on our current show), I'd meant to start bringing healthy snacks down, but I forgot, I was soo hungry, and there was only a packet of biscuits. No big deal...

The beauty of outdoor running

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:38:32 EST

I'm so pleased to have been able to get back into running after my knee injury. I'm not sleeping enough, so I haven't picked up a morning exercise habit again, but I'm still doing cardio around 4-5 days per week, trying not to run two days in a row.

It feels soo awesome.

And the bonus? The sheer beauty of being outdoors. I'm not an outdoorsy person, really, but I love to look at it! And the autumn air, while starting to get pretty biting, is just perfect for exercisi...

Bootcamp week 2

Tue, 8 May 2012 20:43:09 EST

How am I going? It's a mixed bag.

-I stopped tracking food for a few days over the weekend, but kept a mental food diary, meaning to enter it later. I probably went over on calories on those days - I'm just really bad at judging unless I've actually seen the numbers.

-However, I have kept up my "no sugar" thing. With the exception of dessert on Sunday night (which was made for me by friends). This has meant much less snacking than otherwise, because mostly the only s...

How do you keep and/or best use the motivation high?

Wed, 2 May 2012 22:39:27 EST

I don't know why sometimes everything falls into place and it's SO EASY and SO STRAIGHT-FORWARD to say no to the excess calories.

But I LOVE it when it happens!!

This week certainly fits that description. I went out to a pub for dinner last night and not only did I not have anything to drink (besides water!) I ordered a meal off the "healthy" menu rather than going for a burger. And my reasoning was, "the burger will have fries and I'll only eat them".

I mea...

You don't need to win. You just need to enter the race. [pictures]

Tue, 1 May 2012 17:28:27 EST

Two years ago I first started running. I walked out my front door one chilly winter morning and started jogging.

I knew I was slow. Sometimes I felt like I was jogging on the spot. But I also knew that all I had to do was never drop to a walk.

I exercised every morning each week - well, maybe 4 out of 5 mornings. I would usually get some exercise in on the weekend too. I'm not talking about long sessions - just 20-30 minutes.

You know what? It worked lik...

SP bootcamp day 2

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:58:21 EST

While many other people must be enjoying the "Spring" nature of this challenge, I and other Southern Hemispherians will be working out IN SPITE OF the weather getting chillier.

I think it's going to be a cold winter here in Sydney. I was just sitting in my living room last night and I had to add multiple extra layers (and I was still cold).

I am still snuggling in bed before facing the day, nursing my sore muscles. It feels pretty awesome!

Awesome thin...

Sugarfree day 4, SP bootcamp day 1!!

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:41:10 EST

I was considering challenging myself to exercise every single day in May, and then I saw the SP bootcamp challenge - seemed perfect! I've just signed up. The 10 min videos should really help me on the days when I don't have time to get to the gym or the weather's too bad to get outside.

My sugarfree thing is going okay! Last night was a bit of a fail because my sister made Anzac biscuits and my housemate made dessert for me, so I made multiple exceptions, but apart from that I'v...

A new challenge: sugar free!

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:37:55 EST

I've been SO busy lately that my eating has got completely out of control, and my exercise was non-existent for a while there too.

And I was putting on weight even before that.

It's time to take a stand again - do something a little drastic.

So I'm going to swear off SUGAR for a month.

I haven't quite finished thinking through what this means. But pretty much, anything with high amounts of sugar is off-limits. Cake, pastry, chocolate (except like ...

How I coped with organising a major event

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:32:27 EST

A few weeks ago I asked for help from the Organized Life team, because I had a major event to organise for my musical society and I was in WAY over my head and freaking out.

Amongst the helpful tips, they asked me to come back after it was over and make some notes on how I got through it. So I did.

[Reposted from the thread in the SparkTeam, because I want to make note of it myself.]

My event is over, guys, and it went really well for the most part. We didn't...

Rules that work

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:24:56 EST

I need an intervention!

I have been gaining weight for the last... well, year and a half, really, since my all-time low in late 2010.

But mostly in the last six months I guess?

And it's not just my fault. I had a heart problem which meant I couldn't stick at my intense running schedule, and then I developed this plantar fasciitis (just flared up again this week!), and most recently I injured my knee, which kept me away from any exercise for a week, and I'm st...

New starting weight

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:23:10 EST

I've kept exercising since I last posted, but maybe not as hard as I could.

I haven't paid the slightest bit of attention to what I put in my mouth. And that's the part that is really starting to show.

I'm starting to look like a person who carries too much fat again. At my weight, there's a really fine line - I'm not sure what the magical cut-off is, it probably isn't a number, but there's a point that separates my looking big, and not, and I've just passed that point...

Oh, that's right, this works!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:54:42 EST

By forcing myself to track throughout January, I finally convinced myself of my priorities. Again. I stopped always eating everything I could find. Again.

Last night I had like a whole evening at home (well, I didn't get home till 9, but still) and I still didn't have any wine!

My weight is down by a kilo already. OH THAT'S RIGHT. THIS WHOLE EATING LESS THING ACTUALLY WORKS.

(And incidentally, my body fat has gone down by 0.3% since I got the scales at th...

I am what I think

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 18:03:27 EST

I decided to pick one statement to MAKE TRUE by constantly thinking it and reminding myself of it.

I'll stick to it for a week or so and then maybe pick a new one.

That statement?

"I constantly look for ways of improving myself."

This covers a lot, really. From consciously shaking off a bad temper to controlling my eating to pushing myself that little extra at the gym to doing the work I need to do, there are always opportunities to be better than ...