4WFF THE FINALE!!

Well, this post is long overdue! I have been so busy with things lately, that it just didn't happen! 

And then, to add to things, I forgot to take "after" pictures! Now its too late, as I have been on holidays where a kitchen and general healthy eating options were at a minimum! So......I will post my "after" pics at the end of this month instead!! 

Firstly I want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Christine Tinslay from Bod Squad Personal Training! 

If you haven't already, you HAVE to check out her Facebook page and her Website! This woman is a genius! She makes everything make sense! She seriously explains WHAT to do and then WHY! She doesn't just give you a menu and exercise plan and say "stick to it for the best results", she teaches life skills! Things like how to make the best choices within your own tastes, how to exercise effectively and to gain the best results, how to live a "normal" life while keeping fit and healthy and making the best possible choices everyday!

So, my results.....

In my 4 weeks...despite a nasty case of the flu and a visit to hospital with Mini Miss, and several other interruptions.....I lost.... 

3.8kg!!! 

AND......

4cm off my waist, 1.5cm off my thighs, 3.5cm off my hips....


So despite not following her program "perfectly" I still lost weight and cm's! I feel better. I recovered from the flu quicker than I normally do. Even with the recent holiday splurge, I have jumped straight back into the menu and exercise planning, the making good choices and the following the general rules of Chriss's program. Not because I feel I have to, but because I want to. Next month I will be signing up once again, and will set myself a whole new lot of goals and aims. Then, hopefully I will be fully equipped with all the tools I need to do this long term life journey.I am under no illusions that the kind of weight loss I need will happen overnight. In fact, I am giving myself 12 months to lose most of the weight. During this time I will be lucky enough to have access to not only Chriss, but a wonderful group of people on the same journey via a Facebook group. This online access to support from other people in various stages of their journey, sharing successes, failures, recipes, tips and hints, seeking support and help from each other is great. It helps to know you are not alone. It helps to talk to others and get advice. It helps to have others cheering you on!

I am so so grateful to my wonderful Melbourne bestie for pointing me in Chriss's direction. It was a life changing action and decision. It has given me the knowledge, motivation and skills I need to do this once and for all! You knew what I needed and pointed me in exactly the right direction!

So my 2nd MASSIVE THANK YOU heads out to you bestie!! 

You know who you are! We have been through so much together, and I cannot and do not want to imagine life without you! A constant source of strength for me despite your own struggles....A person could not find a better friend who ALWAYS has others best interests at heart! 

So yay!! For now the official challenge is over.....but really it has just begun. Can I truly put into action what I have learnt? Once a month I will check in and let you know how I am going. Life is busy. It can be a great excuse. But I refuse to let that happen. 

My family and friends deserve and need the healthiest me I can be, so that is what I am aiming for!!!

4WFF - Middle of Week 3

So we are in the middle of week 3, heading for a weigh in just 2 days...Do I think I will have lost more? Gee I hope so! 

I still haven't been "Perfect", but I am, for the most part, following the "rules". 

I feel more energetic. In fact, I feel more awake than I have in months. I have had a cold for the last week and a bit, but even that is clearing up quicker than normal. Rather than losing my voice for a week or more, it was a couple of days. Today, I almost feel better! I even went for a nice long walk this afternoon! First REAL exercise in a week.

More than just feeling physically well though, mentally I am in a better place. I know that I am still on Anti depressants, but now I am on the lowest dose. No, I attribute the feeling mentally better to a lot of things, including the change of diet and being more physical. I have said before I wasn't aware of just how many carbs I was consuming. Well, I think reducing them has not only lightened me, but lightened the darkness in my mind. I am not sure I can explain it properly, but....eating mostly the right foods, with only the occasional "bad" food, rather than the other way around has left me feeling less fuzzy, able to think more clearly. 

Fueling my body with the foods it needs, and regular exercise, has helped me in ways I didn't think of.

That's not to say this has somehow "cured" me. No, but it has HELPED. 

So, the importance of eating right and exercising, or at the very least, MOVING your body regularly, is for so much more than physical health. Its for overall health. 

This "life change" will stay around forever. It will change my life so completely, that it won't feel like a change soon. It will just feel like the regular way of life. I know this, because it has come at a time when everything in our lives is FINALLY falling into place.

Hubby has a full time job after being out of work for 14 months (so so proud and happy!!). Miss Teen has settled into high school and new friends, and is focusing on her passion. Mini Miss has settled into a good routine (FINALLY!!) and is happy. 

And me? Well, things keep changing. I am not a fan of change, this is not a secret. But all for the positive. This life change. Work is changing. God is moving me into serving our church in ways I never thought I would, and I am loving it. 

Yeah, for the first time in a very long time, despite certain stresses, and still my dark days.....

I AM LOVING LIFE!!!