NOVEMBER REPORT

So November is history and we are powering forward to Christmas. Here is my November round up.

NUTRITION

Once again I had a pretty good month but I did succumb to 2 (or maybe 3) binging episodes. One could be explained by the fact that I had eaten too little for a few days. The second was in response to a stressful situation at work. These arent justifications for binging but cold hard fact that old thought patterns returned, dominated and old behaviours resulted. The critical thing about these is that I react differently now and dont waste energy and emotion on beating myself up, punishing myself with a strict diet or tons of exercise to compensate. I also remind myself that although I may have eaten badly, that doesnt make me a bad person. Very different thought patterns to those previously.

November saw me leaving behind more of my old "diet foods" and embracing more vegetarian meals which I am really enjoying. Tabbouli has been a regular food with added 3 or 4 bean mix which I love. My blueberry pancakes continue to be my favourite breakfast. They NEVER disappoint. I'm loving my daily skim cappuccinos and the fact that little treats are now a normal part of my life which I enjoy without guilt. Oh and having wine in moderation a few nights a week is just bliss. All these things make me a happy and relaxed person instead of always stressing about how I was going to avoid the foods and wine that I shouldnt be having.

TRAINING

November saw a new routine being established after finding my feet in a new home, new suburb and new circumstances. I'm running more and weight training less and surprisingly I'm loving it. Well maybe not so surprising, as running when you're 10 kilos lighter than you've been for a couple of years is not quite so bad. So after settling into a routine that I loved, its time to uproot it all and go with the flow as school holidays, my own holidays and life in general all turn things upside down. Lucky I'm not too much of a stresshead to let this get me down.

I'm looking forward to setting some training goals for next year to give me a challenge to work towards. Ideas are floating around in my head but need some research.

HEADSPACE

In the main my headspace has been good. But I wont lie about the difficulty of putting things into perspective after a binging episode. It would be so easy to revert to all my old reactions but I know they would just add fuel to the fire and I'd be in a downward spiral so fast that it'd be scary. So I train my brain to think differently, see things differently and hence react differently. Yep it takes some effort but the outcome is worth it. I can honestly say that I'm a more balanced, calm and happy person than I was 6 months ago.

But I'm human and I struggle with areas of my life that arent exactly as I'd like them. The problem is that I dont even know how I'd like them to be exactly. (Does that make sense??) Couple that with not being willing to risk things that are really important to me and I may just have to remind myself that this is a choice I make. Its a issue I grapple with every so often but I cant see a win win solution to it.

ME AND THE METAL MONSTER

In late November I hopped onto my trusty friend / enemy out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised to see a loss of another 1.3kgs. I was sitting in the 62s and for my 171cm height and medium to large frame this is a nice weight and I look and feel good. I didnt do measurements but you know, who cares? There'll be a bit off here and there. In the scheme of life and whats important , thats not. I may weigh again for an "official end of November" weight and then I may not. Is that number important? Hell no!!

FINALLY

You may recall that some weeks ago I blogged about an exciting change of direction that was on the cards for us. This then turned into a shitty and stressful issue that plagued us for several weeks although I couldnt give details. Well yesterday we were finally able to resolve the issue and it'll be settled and finalised soon so stay tuned for a blog about this exciting venture.

I'm relishing December and the festive season already. I love it when our family is all together. I love the shops being busy as with people madly buying up presents. I love seeing Christmas trees, Christmas lights in people's gardens and Christmas decorations all around. I love getting lots of invites to Christmas celebrations and going along and enjoying them, guilt-free. I can feel that December will be a fantastic month and a great end to the year.

Cheers all

Magda