Wednesday, 26 March 2014

A quarter through 2014 & keeping on track

Hi guys

I've been pretty excited about my new approach for the latest step in my weight loss journey. 
I have gotten into a different routine at the gym, have tried out a lot of new things, started my weights training, gave kettlebells a go (and will continue) and also have been eating more.
I also feel a lot less pressured now, even though the pressure was coming from myself, I've been working hard to keep a positive frame of mind and give myself a break.

I hopped on those scales on the weekend and surprisingly, had a loss! Down to 82.8 kgs, after being stuck on a plateau of 83.3 kgs for almost a month. Progress is progress right!

Sunday, 16 March 2014

Obstacles happen... overcome them

Hi guys :)

Sorry I've been a bit quiet for the past few weeks, I have been doing some major soul searching and re-evaluating. 

Two weeks ago I experienced something I haven't gone through before in my weight loss / get fit journey. All my positivity slipped away and yes, I had a melt down. When I realised that I was well and truly in the dreaded 'plateau' stage I freaked out. Hoping for some good news, I re-took my body measurements, which showed no results, and because I was stupid enough to do it at the end of the day rather than the morning, some measurements even showed as going up.
It pushed me to breaking point and yeah, I had a bit of a cry. 
The frustration and disappointment in myself at that moment was so overwhelming. Just knowing that I am so close to reaching my goal, and I'm working so so hard, it felt like a cruel joke that my body would give up on me now. 
Throughout this journey I have made it my mission to remain positive at all times, and not sure what exactly it was that pushed me over the edge, but I guess everyone has their time.

Saturday, 1 March 2014

It's not always easy

I have been majorly struggling for the past two weeks or so, having constant internal battles and I am not actually sure what is up with me.
I haven't lost motivation or my commitment to myself and my goals, but I've just generally been feeling very down about everything.

Maybe it's because I've reached a couple of big goals and achievements with my 6.5km run and the end of boot camp so now its a bit of a low afterwards, kind of like a "well what do I do now?" feeling, could be stress, tiredness?

The problem is not getting myself to the gym or doing a workout, the biggest problem I think is that I've been experiencing extreme feelings of guilt.  I workout 6 days a week, and push myself hard each time, so why I even feel guilty, I don't really know, but I do constantly feel like I haven't done enough exercise on a particular day or week, haven't burnt as many calories as I wanted to, having had a higher calorie intake a couple of times a week, even if its only by a small amount, and just generally feeling guilty because I don't think I've done enough.

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

The results are in...

Bootcamp Round 3 - done and dusted. 
I could only do once a week this round, rather than twice a week for the previous rounds and I was terrified that I'd not be able to improve without the motivating environment that is boot camp and my awesome PT (Courtney). Instead I've been going hard at the gym, and with my running.
Tonight however, was the fitness test. I was super pumped and excited to see how far I'd come since Christmas.

Running, not going to  use it for comparison purposes as it was slightly different, but lets face it, I've gone from being able to run for 1 minute at a time...to completing 5 kms :) so I am stoked with that.

Here are the rest of my results and will note down the progress along the way. My first session was in October (4 months ago).

Tuesday, 18 February 2014

What motivates you?

Hi guys,

Finding motivation can be really difficult, which can apply to any goal you have, or anything you are working towards. This is why it is so important to find something that can inspire and motivate you on a regular basis, so when you have a bad day, you remind yourself of these, and keep powering on ahead. 


Whenever I lose a bit of motivation I look wherever I can to be inspired to get up off my butt and do SOMETHING. Whether it's reading blogs, inspirational quotes or just as simple as seeing a friend putting effort in (and me not!). 

Like with my goals, I try to set short and long term motivators..things that will help me get through that difficult work out, and the things that will get me to the ultimate goal I want to reach.


Long term motivators:
  • I want to look hot (terrible that this is number 1 isn't it...hehe)
  • Be healthy and reduce the risk of future problems
  • Be fit
  • I want to fit into normal (and sexy) clothing
  • Have better self confidence and self esteem
While these are awesome, it doesn't exactly help to yell these at myself when I am struggling through a difficult work out, procrastinating, plateauing or generally just experiencing a difficult couple of weeks. A really good place to start if you're even struggling to get out the door, is get changed into your exercise gear..and go to where you need to be. The chances are, if you've made the effort to go this far, you won't turn around and go home, and actually end up doing something (even if its not much, it's better than nothing!)

Sunday, 9 February 2014

Fad diets - do they work?

Hi guys!

Let's face it, there are a tonne of different diets out there available to everyone. You don't have to do much research to find something that promises results and magical weight loss with supposedly not much effort required.

While some of the weight loss options out there may genuinely work, I don't believe any of them are really sustainable long term, which is why they often fail and people end up gaining most of their weight back. This is what has happened to me countless times. What is the worst of all is the promises they all make that suck you in and at the end of it you feel like a failure, disappointed and with a lot less money in your pocket! Handy signs to recognising a fad diet: 
Fad diets healthy eating weight loss























Sunday, 2 February 2014

The importance of non scale victories

Hi everyone :)

I've made a few changes to my blog, mainly the list on the right hand side which shows you some of my favourite websites that I regularly gain inspiration from. I will add to these as I go... and you may find them helpful too :)
I will also be updating my twitter more frequently so follow me if you haven't already (previously @ezzie25 and now @EszterNZ). 

And now its time for some more progress photos! It's been about 9 weeks since my last one.
I think these pictures prove that even though its 'only' 5 kgs on the scale, the re-shaping is still going on.


Thursday, 23 January 2014

Getting fat by burning calories?

Hi guys!

Big news! I have reached my 2nd really big goal.. I have finally hit 20 kgs of weight loss (44lbs).
I am beyond happy! I have been working my ass off even more so than usual ... and it's great to see results. I said to my family today ... I LOVE EXERCISE. It is the best feeling ever.
Recently I've been doing quite a few 6.30am fitness classes at the gym, and I'm surprised by just how much I am enjoying them. That endorphin and adrenaline rush really wakes me up and keeps me going all day. Highly recommended :)

Monday, 13 January 2014

Eating right... part 2!

Hi guys

As promised here is a break down of what I normally do for the rest of my meals. More often than not, my lunches are actually just left overs so these ideas work for both.
It is a bit long - so I hope I don't put anyone to sleep! Feel free to share your meal ideas in the comments.

The best guide to what you should have on your plate is 1/4 protein like meat, 1/4 starchy foods / carbs and 1/2 vegetables.
I stick to this and life is great...and I'm always full. I haven't been hungry in a long time!

My average dinner following this guideline and the portion sizes as below, is between 300 - 400 calories for the meal (1390 allowance per day), and this still lets me have a treat afterwards.

Sunday, 12 January 2014

You don't have to eat less, you just have to eat right..

Hi everyone :)

This week post is all going to be about food.. which can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
But first - I had another really successful week with alot of exercising and group fitness classes and bike rides..burning ALOT of calories with every workout ..around 400-600 per session :) :) I am now only 600 grams from reaching 20 kg total loss!!!!

Now back to the important stuff. As I have mentioned in previous posts before, I used to have a dependency on alot of bad foods.. from energy drinks and coke being my beverage of choice, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, takeaways like Mcdonalds, Pizzas, Noodle Canteen... alot of the time it was 'easier' to get takeaways for dinner, or at least it seemed easier. 
I would do some exercise, and fool myself into thinking that the exercise I just did justified me eating those foods because I'd worked it off. How wrong was I haha...but I think it demonstrates the attitude I had back then to the whole process. It was about being able to eat whatever I wanted, making excuses and taking short cuts.