GIVE ME A DECENT CHALLENGE....

... and watch me shine!!

I have been floundering around as a Miss CBB Sloth since getting back from Sydney. I know what I have to do but I just cant flick the switch back to doing it.

I posted my next mini-goal to Josh and it was to fit into a pair of size 11 skinny jeans that I bought a few years ago. I was about 62kgs when I bought them (I think) and they dont fit over the tops of my legs now, let alone my bum :-( So that was my goal to fit into them by the end of April.

Then Josh upped the ante on me and suggested I go for sub 60!! After I had a mini nervous breakdown, heart attack and fit of terror I picked myself up from the floor, pulled myself back together and decided to take it on. In all fairness the timeframe was extended by 2 weeks which keeps it challenging but makes it achievable (otherwise I'd be aiming for 5+ kgs in less than 5 weeks).

So today is my last "day off" and I've told WH that we will share a bottle of wine tonight so he's a very happy chappy. But look out tomorrow as I'll be training, eating and living like a woman with a purpose and a goal.

Thanks Josh, This is just the boost I needed to kick my butt back into gear.

Cheers all

Magda

OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM

Miss Health and Fitness Queen:

• Eats good, clean, healthy food in moderate quantities at regular intervals throughout the day.
• Drinks approx 3 litres of water/green tea daily
• Completes 7-8 cardio sessions a week. Cardio activities vary in type, intensity and duration.
• Completes 4 weight training sessions a week using heavy challenging weights and always trying to improve on the previous session.
• Feels really happy and positive and enjoys this lifestyle.

Miss Cant Be Bothered Sloth:

• Eats cr*p, eats too much of it.
• Drinks not nearly enough water to compensate for the cr*p food.
• Cardio: does what she HAS to.
• Weights: Hmmm if I feel like it.
• Feels cr*ppy both physically and mentally.

Right now I'm sitting a bit closer to Miss CBB Sloth than I am to Miss HF Queen. I will get to where I need to go, I'm just taking the long way around. Stay tuned for progress reports on this journey.

Magda

WHEN PLANS AND REALITY DONT ALIGN

It doesnt get more orange than this :-) I grabbed Tony's carrot juice and got WH to eternalise the "orange moment".

Anniversary dinner with WH at Oyster Bar in Circular Quay. This is before it got cold and the drizzle set in and we all huddled under an umbrella eating our seafood dinner.

The lovely lady in the blue/brown shirt is my best friend Eva with her WH. Before I started to grow my hair back (it was short like hers not too long ago) we were often mistaken for sisters.

Friday night out for drinks at the Cargo Bar. The place was absolutely jumping and our WHs were admiring the scenery....20something waitresses in tiny white shorts...insert eye roll!! I may not be 20something anymore but by September I'll be able to wear shorts like that if I wanted :-)

I chose the title for today's blog as yesterday was nothing like I had planned.

Nutrition: missed my morning snack as I wasnt at all hungry. Tuna and veges for lunch were replaced by lunch out with my SIL. Although I chose well, I ate way too much and then stayed in "eating way too much mode" for the rest of the day. This is a common problem after "time off" and I should remember how hard it actually is to switch back into "comp prep" mode.

Training: when I set my training goals for the day I completely overlooked the fact that I was way behind with domestic duties. With no food pre-prepared, dinner had to be cooked. The laundry basket was overflowing with clothes washed before the holiday, not to mention the ironing basket. The list of chores seemed never ending and the leg training didnt happen.

Mind-set: yes its confession time here too in that I am not yet back into the positive, focussed, moving-forwards-in-comp-prep mode. I know I'll get there but silly me thought I'd just flick that switch and **poof** be right back there.

I caught up with lots of blogs yesterday and found Rae's story of her birthday celebrations very interesting. She talked about people's perceptions of "treating themselves" and what this means to people. I envy her position on this as she has reached the point where she realises that eating crap food is not a treat. She is soooooo right yet its such a difficult mindset to change. I know I dont feel physically nearly as good now as I do when I'm eating good, clean, healthy food yet I viewed that time off as a treat. If a treat is supposed to make you feel good and happy and not just for 5 or 10 minutes, then working on changing that negative mindset should be a priority.

Finally, just a big thank you to all the lovely ladies who left messages of congrats and greetings (Hi Cherie!!) a couple of posts ago. Your interest and support is really appreciated.

Cheers all

Magda

I LOVE HOLIDAYS...BUT I ALSO LOVE TO BE HOME...

...and getting back to my usual routine.

I had a fantastic time in Sydney. I enjoyed eating out and having what I wanted, going out for drinks, shopping, spending time with 2 really great friends and WH. I gave myself permission to enjoy this trip and not feel guilty about eating off plan, having alcohol and not training. You see my attitude has changed from previous trips where I was filled with regret about doing all those things and worrying about whether I would get back on track afterwards. This time I just knew it would all be ok and there was no need to be strict with myself at 26 weeks out.

So the highlights for me were:

• Wearing my "Brissie dress" out to dinner on Saturday night. Picture this: bright orange, above the knee, clingy jersey (I think) style fabric, size 8!!. I was extatic when I put it on and it fitted and looked ok. When we were trying to hail a taxi on Saturday night, my girlfriend said "stick Magda out there and watch the traffic come to a screeching halt" lol. Comments like that (however untrue they may be) will always make me feel good.
• Shopping for clothes and fitting comfortably into a size 10. I didnt buy very much at all as I was aware that buying stuff to fit me now would be pointless as I get closer to the comp. So just 3 pairs of shoes, 4 tops, trackie pants and an evening wrap...oh and some sexy undies :-)
• Sleeping in :-) I didnt train while I was away as we were on the go all day and I wasnt going to be unsociable so I could go to the gym. I enjoyed some nice lazy mornings and leisurely breakfasts which were a real treat.
• Spending time with my best friend. Eva and I have been friends since we were 16 and 15 years old respectively. We have been through so much together including 5 marriages and 6 kids between us. We've both lived in other cities, she in the Alice and Perth and me in Brissie. We share secrets that we would both take to our graves and we would do absolutely anything to help each other out. I'm so lucky to have her as my friend and every year I look forward to our annual girls' weekend.

So now its back to reality and normality. Cardio this morning was 45 mins ss ride on the ex bike. Ex bike sprints are scheduled for tomorrow morning. Training tonight will be legs and if I feel up to it I might do shoulders/tris as well. If not then they are scheduled for Thursday. I will NOT miss a weights session this week. Stair program is twice a day between now and Friday. Gotta get those steel buns happening :-)

I will post some photos soon so stay tuned.

Cheers all

Magda

FROM MISERY BACK TO HAPPINESS

Well yesterday was one of my worst days. The early start and no effective cardio left me feeling cold and tired all day. Couple that with the after-effects of my fall and I was a miserable wreck as I hobbled around all day. Small mercy in that I didnt have to teach but even with the night off at home I was wandering around like a lost soul unsure of what to do with myself.

Things are better today. My knee is still very sore but at least now its only the knee and not the thigh as well. My palm is bruised but my wrist, elbow and shoulder are all ok :-) I'm not limping or hobbling.

I didnt do any training last night nor any cardio this morning or stairs at work. I am planning to do back tonight but it'll be a modified program as I have to do it at home instead of the gym. Then I plan 20 mins high intensity on the ex bike and I'll be happy with that.

Tomorrow is my deadline for Operation 65/74. Circumstances were such that I weighed and measured this morning. I am a hair's breadth within my goal so I'm counting it as a victory and a success. At the end of the day a 1/2 cm or 1/4 of a kilo is just irrelevant when I feel so good about my progress and that is what I want to focus on. So that's another mini-goal achieved and another success to build on. I will be setting myself another mini-goal after Sydney.

Its likely that I wont get a chance to blog again before I fly out as the list of "Things to do before Sydney" is getting longer rather than shorter. I look forward to having a wonderful time away and will blog again early next week. Take care all.

Cheers

Magda

FEELING SORE AND SORRY FOR MYSELF

I fell over on my run this morning :-( Like a ton (or probably 67kgs) of bricks down I went as I tripped on some paving. I had only just left home and was about 1 or 2 mins into a jog. After I composed myself, I continued on at a walk/jog for 1 lap of my block but my right leg was very sore so I went home and tried to ride the ex bike instead. 10 mins later I gave up and did some ironing instead.

My right knee has a decent graze. My palms are visually ok but the heel of my right hand is very sore and so is my wrist and shoulder. My right leg is aching like mad and I have a very obvious limp and am not getting around too well.

Hopefully this will all settle down quickly and I'll be right back into training again but I think today will have to be a rest and recover day. I hope the gym finds someone to fill in my classes but there is a good chance I will have to teach tonight - even if I'm hobbling around.

What a bugger this is. It really stuffs up my plans to keep up all my training leading up to Sydney. Fingers crossed that the pain goes quickly and I'm back firing on all cylinders quickly.

Magda

COUNTING DOWN TO SYDNEY

OMG just 3 sleeps to go and soooo much to do before then. Work is busy, busy right now and even more so when I take time off to help BS. I've planned a training schedule which sees me doing all my weight training either early before I go or after I get back. If I manage all sessions I'll consider it a big win. Cardio will suffer a bit but its only for a short time. I plan to enjoy my food and drink while I'm away but deep down I know I'm not going to go crazy this time. Stay tuned for my report back early next week.

I figured out why my measurements were up last Friday even though I was feeling slimmer. 2 days later it was TTOM so I must have been a bit bloated. Funny! I didnt feel it. I dont suffer from PMT at all (I have moods but they're not related to my cycle at all) and I didnt think that I did the bloat/fluid retention thing but obviously I do. Even after all this time I'm still learning things about my body and especially since my training has been so different (eg consistent LOL)!!

Now I better not forget about my little training brag today. 5km ss run in 31 mins - shaved another 2 mins off my last time!! Conditions far from ideal this morning as it was still warm and I was in 3/4 pants (expecting it to have been cooler), battling a strong northerly headwind and light rain at the 2.5-3km mark. However what peeved me the most was that I was sweating so hard that I kept losing my earpieces. I felt so good when it was done. Yesterday was sprints and I've been taking the stairs at work quite a bit too. Legs are improving but still have such a long way to go. I'll be doing weights every night now til I leave on Friday so there is no resting for the wicked.

Better get back to work and talk more tomorrow. Cheers

Magda

I'M HAVING SUCH FUN....

....admiring the changes in my physique that I have to consciously restrain my outright admiration lol. The changes arent huge but they are happening and this is so encouraging.

Here's a quick recap of the last few days. On Friday I measured as I promised I wouldnt weigh. I was feeling slimmer/smaller yet in all areas my measurements were up. What the!!?? Being stuck for something casual to wear to a conference that day, I dragged out an older pair of size 10 cargo pants (these were definitely "skinny pants") and they fit. Ok they were a bit tight on the bum but they still looked ok so on they went for the day. On Friday night we are going out and its a bit cooler than I expected so I drag out my good skinny black evening pants to see how far off I am from being to able to wear them and ...THEY FIT TOO. Well I am just over the moon and literally strutting my stuff all night. Not to mention that I have a gorgeous evening top which has straps coming in close to the neck so it really shows off my shoulders. I was really feeling like I'm on my way to that stage :-) :-)

We had a massive social weekend with drinks out, a stand-up comedy show, dinner out, desert at SIL's, drinks + dinner at SIL's, family day at the Fringe and no plans for Sunday night dinner. Whilst I didnt eat on time always and I had a few drinks and food off plan, I still thought I handled it all really well. I want to be sociable but not go crazy and I achieved this. When I think of how bad I could have done I give myself a big pat on the back. One of the hardest times was Sunday evening after being out all afternoon and not having anything planned for dinner. It was so tempting to just say "oh bugger it, lets have take-away" but we were strong and I made meals at home including an omelette for myself. I think I was in such a positive headset after Friday's wins that I just didnt want to blow it by eating crap again.

Training wise I did well even though I chose not to do cardio on Friday morning as I'd slept really badly and was concerned about driving through winding hills roads to/from the conference. So I turned my alarm off at 4.30 and got a couple hours of sleep after being awake for over 2 hours during the night. Saturday was leg day and my lower back let me down a bit :-( Could not do some of the hamstring exercises and my squats werent as deep as I like them to be. Just did short intense cardio at the end of legs. Last night I had an awesome chest/bis and abs session. I was so in the zone and increasing reps and weights all over the place.

Well I better wrap it up there. Looking forward to another week of hard training, good eating and getting closer to my goal.

Cheers

Magda

ON FIRE AND GOING GREAT GUNS

Training has been going really well!! Did shoulders on Tuesday night and am now on a higher weight for the overhead presses. Next week we will increase on the lat raises too. I dont normally do cardio on Wednesday morning as I teach 2 cardio classes in the evening and I also like to give myself 1 morning off from getting up around 5am. But as we had the public holiday on Monday and cause I've just been feeling so good, I did an extra session yesterday morning. Oval sprints of 15 sec sprint/ 45 sec recovery jog x 20. Then finish the lap and jog home for a total of 30 mins. Felt great when it was done.

I had a maintenance visit to the chiro yesterday as my lower back has been quite sore again and there is always neck soreness too since lifting heavier weights. He knows I'm training for comp in September and always asks how I'm going. I was telling him how I get a bit frustrated by my slow weight loss to which he replied " Well what do you expect? You're slim already. You dont have a lot of weight to lose so its going to be harder than it is for someone who has lots of fat". So I pointed out the areas where I had lots of fat to lose and he poked my ribs and hips and said "Look!! Bones!!" I left it at that but I did feel a little happier after that nice compliment.

Later that morning I hit the gym for back and tris and knocked off another great session. I also bumped into my friend who took my before pics and I havent seen her since November last year. She said I was looking good too which lifted my spirits a little higher still.

Classes went well although by the 2nd one my tank was starting to run quite low. Some clever teaching to allow some short rest breaks enabled me to really power it through the higher intensity stuff for a strong finish. I couldnt wait to wolf my dinner down last night :-)

So I havent finished there!! This morning I was up early again and did a 5km ss run and cut 1 minute of Monday's time thanks to some great music on the IPod. I really couldnt have asked for a better couple of days.

Cheers all

Magda

LOOK OUT - HERE COMES A BIG CURVE BALL

With SIL and her fiance now living in Adelaide and only a stone's throw from us, our social lives are about to kick up several notches. This means regular and frequent meals together and lots of alcohol at those occassions (they have very healthy appetites for a drink or several!!). So I have the added challenge of managing my eating plan under these new circumstances. Its going to take some discipline and self control to eat right and keep the alcohol to a minimum. They know I'm training for the September comp and they wont put unnecessary pressure on me which I really appreciate. But having said that, I dont want to be too strict and seem like a stick in the mud at 28 weeks out. There will be plenty of time for that at 16, 12 or 6 weeks out when the going will get tougher.

My motivation was really good over the weekend. I did enjoy a few wines or bubblies and a taste of some (not too bad) nibbles but meals were on track and I was in control. So after 3 days of good eating and solid training the post-binge-bloat is well and truly gone. The tummy is flat again (well as flat as it gets at this weight) and there is an ever so slight improvement in my legs. I havent gone near the scales as I want to enjoy this good, positive feeling.

So I was reflecting on how good I was feeling as I bounced into work this morning. It almost seems like the meltdown has catapulted me to a new high of being really driven to do my best. Its also given me a new lease of strength which I just didnt have last week. This feels so much better and I want to bottle this feeling so it can stay with me forever :-) OK enough rambling now as I'm starting to sound like a mad woman!!

As it was a public holiday yesterday, I did a 5km run (expecting it would take me quite some time to complete - say 40 or so minutes). Well I surprised myself by doing it in 34 minutes and working at a level 7 - 8 for the duration. Oh and I had really sore glutes after Saturday's leg session so the first part of the run was really hard and I (almost) considered not doing it. OK thats not true. I would have run it in some form no matter what. I was pretty focussed and sore glutes were not going to beat me. I also did chest/bis and abs and did a PB on the incline bench press which I was really pleased with.

This morning was sprint time. 20 x 50m sprints/50m recoveries. Then 1 x 200m sprint/100m recovery. I was going to do 2 more but there was a man out walking who was looking very intently at me (he wasnt close by but close enough to make a difference). I was wondering if he was just impressed by my athletic prowess (cough, splutter) or if he had other interests so I hotfooted it home and did 2 more sprints of about 200m in front of my house. As its still dark when I'm doing my morning cardio, I'm very safety conscious and my motto is "take no risks".

Well enough rambling from me today. Have a great day all and cheers for now.

Magda

I HAD SUCH A WONDERFUL DAY YESTERDAY

After my big "insightful" post last night I didnt write about the great day I had yesterday. It was a hot one (37 C) so BS and I spent a good part of the day at one of our nearby pools. I was a bit hesitant to bare my body in my bikini (I have no appropraite swimwear whatsoever) but wasnt going to let my boy down. In the end I realised that I was far from the worst looking person there so I just enjoyed the day. I even went in for a swim and had lots of fun watching BS have so much fun.

When we got home I trained legs and lived through week 2 of plyos, albeit just a few at this stage. Man do they kill. I wasnt sure whether to scream or cry at the end of each plyo set. I'm now doing some cardio as part of my leg session, although it is of a moderate intensity. Yesterday it was a 30 min ss ride on my ex bike. Food was all good yesterday as I took a salad + a pouch of salmon in spring water for my lunch and we didnt even go near the junk food kiosk.

My classes went well this morning and I was firing on all cylinders with good energy levels. In the arvo my SIL and her fiance arrived as they have now moved back to Adelaide to live. As part of their welcome I had some wine and a few nibbles but all was under control and dinner was clean and good. This was a small win for me, especially after last week.

So things are going well and I'm looking forward to running 5kms tomorrow and training chest/bis/abs. Bring it on!!

Cheers

Magda

EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING

Ok the mini-meltdown is over. Yes I lost the plot and just ate like crazy and missed some workouts. I felt really down and couldnt find my way back up. Or so I thought. But a chat with Josh and some time thinking about this journey and realising how much I want to succeed has put me back on the right path.

Last night was the finale to the bad week. On getting home and talking about what we would have for dinner, WH jokingly suggested a pizza from our simply devine local pizza place. Well he just about fainted when I agreed. He asked me at least 3 times if I was sure I wanted it and I said yes (my week had been so bad that a pizza dinner was neither here nor there by then). So we had pizza and red wine and sat and had a really relaxing chat. WH kept telling me what a great night it was with the "old Magda" back. He was loving it. I just told him to enjoy it now as this wouldnt happen again before Sep 29th :-)

So today the negativity is gone and all is back on track. Luckily I hit rock bottom and have bounced back with more determination to keep going and not give up on my dream. I have thought things through and am changing my focus from here on. Up to now I have been really frustrated by my seemingly slow progress in getting weight off (and there is plenty to get off, trust me!!). I weigh/measure weekly but if the number on the scales isnt good enough well...I just lose it and thats what just happened. So despite being totaly addicted to the sacles, I'm vowing to stay away from them. I will check to see if I reach my "Operation 65/74" target but after this week I think its unlikely that I will. So from here on my focus will be:

• Am I eating to plan? On weekends I can relax a little and this should be done without guilt as I still have 28 weeks to go and my diet doesnt have to be 110% strict yet.
• Is my cardio training effective with the right balance of high/moderate intensity work?
• 
  Am I working hard enough when training with weights?
• (and most importantly) Do I feel good about myself because I'm taking positive steps towards my long term goal?

If I can honestly answer yes to these questions then I AM SUCCEEDING!! Bugger the number on the scales.

Looking forward to dealing with things differently (and better) from now on.

Cheers

Magda

FALLEN IN A HEAP - STRUGGLING TO GET BACK UP AGAIN

I'm no longer just wobbling along. The wheels have fallen off. How low do I have to go before I bounce back up again?

I need to regroup and refocus. I need to sign off before I make myself feel even worse.

Magda

WOBBLING ALONG

Firstly thanks to Deb and Liz for leaving words of encouragement after my last post. I'm finding this week particularly hard both physically and mentally, hence this feeling of "wobbling along".

I didnt realise how important my routine has become to me. I rely on it to get everything done in my busy week, with the least amount of pressure and stress. Well this week that routine has gone right out the window. Too much socialising on the weekend, a day off yesterday as WH was having a minor surgery and just falling right behind with training and running our house.

The other thing that is vital to my success is getting enough rest. Strike 2!! After feeling like absolute cr*p on Monday I skipped my early morning cardio yesterday in order to get some much needed sleep. Yes I did feel better yesterday but am still not firing at 100% as I usually do.

Which brings me to strike 3. My digestive system is giving me trouble and I'm starting to fret about it. So I've decided to see my naturopath again as I havent been for some time. Even before the weekend indulgence I was noticing things not working properly so its time for some professional help, I believe.

So how's comp prep going?? I feel like I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth.
Nutrition: 5/10 - should be much better, has previously been much worse
Cardio: 9/10 - still powering along
Weights: 8/10 - juggling like mad to get it all done
Mental state: 5/10 - plenty of room for improvement here - battling thoughts of self-doubt, lack of motivation to eat right, frustrated by slow progress...oh I better stop there.

On the bright side, I have 29 weeks to go so I'm not in the critical phase of prep. I guess I just have to ride out this trough, knowing a peak is on the other side.

Magda

SUFFERING THE EFFECTS OF THE SOCIAL WHIRL

Hoowee what a weekend!! It was all a bit too much really and I'm suffering for it this morning.

I didnt sleep well on Friday night so put the time to good use. Got up at 4.30am, had my protein and started leg training at 4.55am. By 6.30 I had legs + cardio done and was ready to tackle the day. WH and BS went to the Clipsal 500 and I got the dinner preparations well under way. Even managed a nana nap after lunch. We had a great evening on Saturday and I indulged in a wine and a little more carbs than usual but stayed well under control. However, it was a very late night which really shattered me for the next day.

However I still did my classes and then took BS out for the day with my friend and her BS. What a disaster that was. Her boy was over-tired so he chucked a massive tanty and was cranky for the rest of the time. Whilst I really felt for my friend (it wasnt that long ago that my boy was 2 1/2 as well), I just wanted to get out of there as I was too tired to enjoy what was a very difficult time.

So we eventually made our escape and I'm stressed, tired, hungry and fed up when we get home. We have visitors (which I knew about) and the chips, cheese, crackers, cashews etc are all out and I just weakened and enjoyed a nice little feast of this junk + some left-over wine.

So this morning I'm suffering the effects of this self-inflicted attack on my body. I still got up to do my cardio but have felt quite ill since. Well I guess this is just a classic case of "you commit the crime, you do the time".

Cant wait for my system to get back to its normal happy, clean state!

Cheers to all

Magda

SAVED BY MY NEW TOY

After weeks of training with no music, yesterday I treated myself to a new iPOD and WH spent hours last night loading some of my fave tracks onto it. So this morning I was out there with Billy (Its a Nice Day For a White Wedding) Idol, Robbie/Kylie belting out Kids and Bon Jovi's Living On a Prayer...which is what I'm doing right now...praying that my weight loss kicks into gear or me and my rolls of fat will be waddling onto that stage, come September lol!!

My instincts were right and my loss this week was .1 of a kg. I did lose some centimetres and yes I do know about muscle weighing more than fat blah, blah, blah but unless this fat starts shifting I'm gonna be fretting big time as September 29 draws nearer.

And thats all I'll say about that coz I dont want this whole post to be doom and gloom, woe is me.

I had a fun evening with BS last night making choc chip biscuits for morning tea at work today. You see I love baking but rarely bake for us at home. WH doesnt need the extra calories or fat and BS can/will only eat so much and as for me well why torture myself. I'm told that they are delicious.

Cardio today was the 3.7 km run route but I did it in intervals of running fast/jogging slow. No set distances or times for the intervals, I just went with what felt hard. It took 24 mins (cut 2 mins off my ss time) and so I added a jog lap around 2 blocks for an extra 8 mins to take my total time juts over 30 mins. Having music to run with was a huge motivator today as my mood was down and depressed after the weigh in.

I have a big social weekend ahead with friends coming for dinner on Saturday night. I'm planning to do a baked fish with BBQ "roasted" veges. Quite healthy really and WH will be doing most of the cooking (double bonus!!). Then on Sunday BS and I are meeting up with a friend and her BS for a day out with our boys. A ride on Popeye on the Torrens is planned. I'm still hoping to fit in my usual weekend training sessions around the social ones.

Have a good one everyone. Cheers

Magda

MARCH BEGINS

I have 22 days to achieve Operation 65/74. The pressure is on. I'm finding myself getting really anxious about the rate at which my weight is coming down. Here are my concerns:

• Tomorrow is weigh/measure day (as long as my system is on track too) and I just feel like nothing has happened these 8 days - or dare I say that my weight has crept back up a bit.

• My diet has been very good with only a bit of wine Saturday night and a slightly larger steak than my usual serve of 100g.

• Although I didnt teach on Sunday, I added an extra sprint session on Tuesday morning and have now done my 4 planned stair climbs at work. So training wise, there has been no slacking off either.

• I'm taking a fat-burner now and have been for about 2 weeks. Whilst I dont expect the weight loss to be rapid from these, I do expect it to be constant. I dont think thats asking too much.

So if I can honestly say that I've been doing all the right things then I have a right to expect a decent result. Tomorrow morning will tell but I'm bracing myself for disappointment.

I was a bit flat last night and was therefore mentally dragging myself through my step class. Fortunately this is quite rare. I didnt register that wonderful cardio high you get when you belt into "the zone". The aerobic class was better though and this is a nice change as its usually my less energetic class. I did a ss run this morning with tired, heavy legs. The distance is just 3.7kms and it took me 26mins. I'd love to do 5kms but need to work out a route that keeps me close to home. I also need to set out a bit earlier as it'll take longer than 30mins which is usually my max time in the mornings.

Well I'm going to sign off this (depressing) post right there and pray for the best tomorrow. Stay tuned for my result - good or bad.

Cheers all

Magda