Blogger challenge - week 1

The amazingly inspirational Jayne (http://www.jayne12wbt.blogspot.com.au/) started a blogger challenge for round 2, which I'm pretty excited about participating in.  So here goes!

Introduce yourself and tell us why you're here

My name is Shannon and I'm a 26 year old junior doctor.  I had always struggled with weight, I can remember barely fitting my high school uniform and being so envious of my sister (who at the time was size 8 and looked amazing).  I've been on the dieting/regaining see-saw for years, and was starting to think that maybe I would never get to and maintain my goal weight.  Then my fiance proposed, and suddenly I was filled with mental images of myself on my wedding day.  I want to be able to show people my wedding photos in 20 years time, and be proud of how fit and healthy I was (and still will be!). 

I'm on blogger because I figured it would be another great way to meet people who are going through the same thing, share triumphs and support pitfalls. 

Why did you decide to join round 2 of Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation?

A friend of mine had just signed up for the 12WBT, and I'd seen her posting on the Facebook page so was curious.  I asked her about what it entailed, thought it sounded pretty good - and so I signed up for round 1.  I was really motivated in preseason and the first few weeks, and managed to drop 5kg.  I lost momentum around week 6 and struggled through until week 12, lost another 3.5kg and then plateaued.  

I signed up for round 2 because I'm still about 7kg off my goal weight, and I really want to get there for my wedding.  This round finishes the same day as my next wedding dress fitting, so it's great motivation to keep it together.  

How have you prepared for the challenge?

I am a compulsively organised person, so preparing for this challenge was the easiest part for me.  Staying committed is going to be my hurdle!

Nutrition

I printed out all the recipes from the website and put them all into a display folder.  I've also bought Mish's cookbooks (The No Excuses Cookbook, The Crunchtime Cookbook and The Last 5 Kilos), and stocked up on kitchen equipment.  I never used to cook, I was using Lite'n'Easy for about a year before starting 12WBT and I've never been a very good cook to begin with.  So I had to buy a lot of equipment and I've been teaching myself as I go.

Now I'm pretty proud of myself every time I cook something new.  It's something unexpected, I didn't realise that this program would teach me how to create beautiful meals (I signed up focused on the weight loss, but have now discovered so much more!).

Every Thursday I write out my meal plan - I don't follow the suggested meal plan because it's difficult to fit the options around my job (which is pretty demanding, can have some shocking working hours), so I tend to repeat breakfasts and lunches a lot.  After writing out my meal plan, I go through every recipe and make my shopping list of all the ingredients I need to stock up on.  This process takes about an hour every week, which can be frustrating since it would be easier to just print off the plans and go, but it just wasn't feasible with my job so I've been making this work.

Exercise

Ugh, this is where I struggle.  I tried going to the gym after work last round, with pretty limited success.  This round, I've set my alarms and I'm going before I start work - so I've decided to follow the gym machines program rather than the gym classes (that way I'm not stuck having to follow a class timetable).  On the downside, I'm starting shift work in the Emergency Department in a few weeks which will through all my routines out of whack.  But on the upside, my new gym also opens in a few weeks with extended opening hours and more classes available.  So for the next fortnight I'm going to stick to my early morning exercise, and when those shifts start I'll just have to take it day-by-day.

I have quite an impressive collection of gym clothes accumulated over the last 18 months.  I just bought a new outfit from Lululemon yesterday (to celebrate my drop in size!) and I'm going to check out Mish's clothes from Big W today.  My HRM has been my gym buddy for a few years, but sadly died earlier this week.  I've ordered a replacement, but am still waiting :-(

Mindset

This blog is my new change for mindset.  Posting on here is a good way for me to clear my head and see how other people are coming along.  I love the forums and check them a few times a week, I wish I could devote more time to them because they're a fantastic resource.  Mish's videos are another favourite, so I've been getting them as podcasts to relisten to later in the round.  I'm a member of a fantastic and supportive Facebook group, so I love checking out how everyone's doing there.