Stepping on egg shells

ok - I cant do it - I cant eat scrambled egg whites. I dont know why things have changed - I used to be able to eat them no worries - 1 yolk / 3whites - scrambled. Now I just want to dry-reach when I try and swallow - I think most of all its the smell - the texture isnt the bad bit. I have heard about 'egg beaters' - does anyone here use them? do they smell like egg white? - are they full of presrvatives / additives? I normally use protein powder in the morning - but wanted to try something different - I struggle to eat cottage cheese also - and I dont really want to eat grilled chicken at 6am...I sound like such a whinger! - am not normally like this - but my taste seems to be changing - or that Im just getting sick of these types of protein...grr..

UPDATE: Have just been doing some surfing and this is the best egg white substitute I have found so far - free from additives & flavours. Will let you know how I go...
http://www.bodyscience.com.au/?page=supplements/flypage&product_id=50

The right frame of mind

Isn't it funny the amount of challenges that can be thrown at you. After a wild weekend, which i won't go in to detail about... i just felt so gutted. I just get so confused at how i can feel like i can take on the world one minute and the next i'm sabbotaging all of my hard work and i feel like i've been possessed or something! arggghhhh....

so anyway after a particuarly frightful weekend...i've been trying to get my head in the right place... making another attempt to boot the ciggies once and for all, after a bout of heavy partying has left me all but energetic...so ... my sister decides to 'erase' me from her life...apparently in this technological age all as it takes is to press delete in your e-mail contacts and mob phone list and someones gone forever.... whtever, i won't write any more on that because i'm liable to start bawling again and it's a little embarrassing as i'm at work...but hey, i didn't have a smoke, and i wont because, you know sometimes when you've made a really good positive decision something frikkin evil just tries to rear it's ugle head and stop you.... ! has that happe2nned to you before.? So anyway, i'm even more determined than ever. Day 2 - i had a tantrum this morning than was fortunate enough to have a long chat to a great friend, as i sat there trying to justify that i had no reason at all that i wanted to give up i found the fighting power that i'd been lacking. You seee, i have always wanted to quit smoking but i never really found that driving force... you know the one that makes you grit your teeth and get the nothing will stop me atitude...the sme as what you get before becoming fiercly determined to lose weight...that pain you feel when nothing fits propels you into the most determined state you/'ve ever been in...

well, although i've wantedf to quit because of my health, i've never actually ever found that reason to fight like i mean it...(except once when i had ulcers in my throat... i quit for 12 weeks) well, my pain is my humiliation, the pain that something has somuch of a hold over me.... that it's killing me and really the ultimate humiliation would be to be diagnosed with lung cancer... knowing i could have done something about it. it wasn't until i tried that patches that i rtelaise the reason behind all my failed attempts was psychological...well maybe i realised before but didn't want to admit it....

anyway...i'm on day 2... which is embarringly enough the longes i've been in a long time without a smoke... one more day and i won't be fighting the nicotine any more.. it'll be that i'm just fighting me.... todays been hell, yesterday was ok... i'm off camping for 3 days at the end of the week so i'm going to make that my reward.

ok...i've partially cleared some of the junk from my head... only five and a bit hours left at work .... YAY....

Are You Ready?

With Amyellas permission -
I have posted these points from her blog: http://amyella.blogspot.com/
(words in italic were added by me)

I could relate to these points in partiular...

Are you ready:

1. To eat your food absolutely anywhere- when it's feeding time, you have to eat. I eat in cars (A LOT), business meetings, airports, conferences, restaurants (meaning, pull out your own tupperware in a restaurant!)

2. To eat for nutrition only- can you stomach room temperature chicken breast and egg whites?

3. To answer the same inevitable questions over and over- What kind of contest/program? Like a beauty pageant? What are you eating? What IS that?

4. To be made a spectacle- WOW! You sure do drink a lot of water, don't you? Oh, no, she doesn't want any, she doesn't eat. WHAT IS THAT you're drinking?

6. To say no and miss out (sometimes)- on parties, dinners, get togethers, trips, vacations, holidays, celebrations.

10. To feel the most amazing sense of accomplishment and pride. To know that you wanted it worse than everyone else, and you took it. To achieve what most people won't because they don't have the drive, determination and real desire to get there, but YOU DO!

'The Boys'

Its funny how comments from people - no matter how little - can effect your mood. Bad comments I try and just ignore - or the person gets a swift 'comment' back - but good comments - especially when the person isnt aware of the impact - can be really motivating.

Yes - I love my gym. I have a good frienship circle there - and this is why I dont ever have a problem doing my weight program. 'The boys' - as I call them (they have HUGE muscles / many tattoos and are always wearing a t-shirt with a protein powder brand on the front!!) - are training as often as I am (if not more - which is A LOT) and I really have fun with them around. Its so cool to have people training around me that are as passionate as I am about my health & fitness.

Anyway, there I was doing my lat pulldowns and one of 'the boys' stopped his reps - put his hands on his hips and said to me 'Gee - you have such great techinique - I am so proud of how you have developed with your training.' A couple of the other 'boys' stopped to agree 'Yeah - youre gonna be ripped'. I actually got butterflies in my tum! I dont ever expect to hear any of 'the boys' say this - but because they did so honestly - it meant so much to me. I ripped through my remaining weights and have been on a high ever since. Inside I smile and say 'they have seen nothing yet' - and now I am even more motivated to show them something to be really amazed at when I finish this program! ;-)

What happens if you drink too much Starbucks...

Yes - I love coffee. Not any coffee - must be 100% Arabica bean - not Robusta which gives me the jitters. Yes - I know my coffee - not all its specifics - but I know what a good coffee involves. Yes - because I have an espreso machine but also because I know people who work in the industry - good coffee is an art so Im told!!
Gloria Jeans & Starbucks are big 'no nos' - but I am guilty of indulging in a Frappacino now and then when on holidays...yummo.

But morning coffee - that is where is all begins...I have either have a plunger coffee or a long black (both with skinny milk) and I have been doing this for over 6 years. I also have a coffee after lunch - or maybe a 3rd if Im really struggling mid morning. So - why have I gone into all this detail? Well, I didnt have time for my 2nd coffee yesterday and I swear I almost fell asleep standing up! Which confirms my body is addicted to caffeine at certain times of the day (8am & 2pm). Its funny - before this program I used to have some form of chocolate every day at 4pm - and every day at the same time I would crave one. Now - I have given up the chocolate fix but will not be giving up the caffeine fix. I dont drink Diet Coke or any other drinks with caffeine in it - I dont think coffee is 'bad' - but it is if you have the robusta bean - thats my opinion anyway - like I said - I dont know everything about coffee (like which monkey picked what bean high up in the columbian mountains) but I do know that if you chose an Arabica bean - your coffee experience will be GREAT!

made of steel..... 

stick out of the mud...

hows that pic of Arina Manta... she's my current role model for this part of the challenge... i look at her on my fridge and make myself go for a run.... just can't help it....

Anyway, thanks Rae for your advice re: the drinking/socialising thing...

You were right.... when i don't drink i tell myself i'm a boring so and so for not drinking... well anyway after reading your post yesterday i decided that when and if the situation arose I would have to consciously start changing my thought patterns.....

So anyway...last night the towns christmas street party was on... i wasn't going to go but we decided to in the end... so anyway... i didn't even feel like a drink, then someone handed me a flute of wine, i had a couple of mouthfuls then fed it to the plants, i just wasn't interested...then after a fair while of just hanging around and every single person surrounding me drinking i started to get the old woe is me stick in the mud thoughts...i swiftly reminded myself of all the flattering comments i'd been getting all night, and that i wouldn't have gotten those comments if i had been doing the same old stuff as before... and .... of all the other positive stuff that i achieve when not hungover / drinking ....so i said to me self "self, you're not a stick in the mud, you rock!" and the negativity just went away and i forgot about it...

GREAT NEWS... this will crack you up... more so for the fact that i am just so HAPPY about it... most of my friends who i'm spending christmas day with are now preggers....AND THEY CANT DRINK woohooo! too easy for me :0)

so anyway.. that's enough dribble for one day! have a fantastic weekend all!

Now this is...

The ONLY thing you should be weighing up...

Afraid

I know i will sound like a big scaredy kat but sometimes i freak out that i'm not going to get the results i want. I seem to hover in the same spot on the scales... now i know thy're not a great indicator... but it's a little deflating....

i'm working as hard as i can and being as strict as i can... and i know only patience and consistancy will get me there... i'm just hoping it's enough....i just feel like i'm staying around the same size....

might go do caliper readings to check....hmmm

KAT IN 2006 !!

HOLY ABDOMINALS BATMAN!

Kat & Bella doing their cardio...where the hell did that pizza come from! ;-)

Had to post this article by Tom as an inspiration for me to step up my cardio - I know this is what I have to do to get my 'calorie fire burning'...geez...!!I mean GREAT!

To burn more fat you have to burn more calories. Most beginners start off with three days a week of cardio training. This amount of cardio is enough to get health benefits and it's enough for many people, especially beginners, to lose body fat. That's because when your body isn’t accustomed to exercise, then any increase in activity above no activity will always produce results.

However, more often than not, the results begin to slow down a bit within a few months of training (commonly known as "hitting the plateau"). Then they scratch their heads and wonder why it's not working anymore.

This is why: Because three days a week is a great starting point for beginners, but it’s often insufficient for intermediates to keep the ball rolling, or for those seeking maximum fat loss in the least amount of time (such as bodybuilders in the pre-contest period or people preparing for fitness contests and "12 week transformation challenges").

If you want a little more fat loss, increase your cardio a little.

If you want twice as much fat loss and you want it twice as fast, double your cardio - if only for a very short period of time to reach a peak condition.

Suppose you burn 400 calories per workout for three workouts per week. That's a total of 1200 calories per week burned. If you increased that to six days per week at 400 calories per workout, you would burn 2400 calories per week. YOU JUST DOUBLED YOUR FAT LOSS! That was a real no-brainer, wasn't it?

While we're on the subject of burning more calories, what would happen if, in addition to increasing your cardio frequency from three to six days per week, you increased the intensity so you’re burning 600 calories per workout? With six workouts at 600 calories per workout you're up to 3600 calories per week.

Holy abdominals Batman - You just tripled your fat loss!

Yes it's that simple and the solution was right there in front of you all along.

www.tomvenuto.com

a little more on what Rae and Beki have been talking about...

i think at times some people think i'm going overboard with my workouts etc, like when i started this program all everyone asked was why? hmm... like i should have to explain it. THey couldn't fathom why i would want to put myself through another 12 weeks... why i wanted to lose more weight since i looked so 'great' ... Wehelll... they're still saying i look great...they'd say i looked great if i put 8 kg's back on... it's hard forever trying to justify yourself...

when my best friend and dan my partner had their combined 30th a few weeks ago, i told Jen (the girl whos 30th it was - and a very close supportive friend) that i wasn't going to drink...her reaction - well... if you think you can...in total shock and disbelief. That wasn't the reaction i was looking for. I've decided to keep all that stuff to myself from now on. I won't tell anyone i'm not drinking and make a big deal out of it, i just won't drink... and hopefully they'll be too drnk to notice that i'm on soda water :-) ppl who've never worked hard to achieve goals have got no idea how deflating it can be to sabbotage your efforts. THey have no idea what it's like to feel like crap for 3 days after drinking... craving bad food and missing work outs...
it's just not worth it anymore.

I could not handle getting to the end of this 12 weeks not getting the results i want and knowing that i didn't give it everything i have. After reading the latest Oxygen mag i've realised that i will not get the results i crave unless i stay on track as much as humanly possible. I have resparked the fire...it's like i'm heading towards my goal with blinkers on a hundred miles an hour, no one or anything will stop me from getting there... this is who i am now... the old me is dead... there will be no resurrection... i will not go back to that miserable place i started from... i feel the best i have felt in my entire life and i refuse to let anyone else try and drag me back. I'm having issues at the moment with people expecting me to suddenly turn back to the "old me" the funnioest thing is though that the old me sucked! the old me carried on like a pork chop, was depressed, miserable, overweight and had drinking problems...you think they'd be goddammned proud of me for beating your demons... the thing is deep down they are, but the strength you show them scares them and makes them feel bad because they too have things they want to change but don't have the guts to do it...they sweep it to the side and keep living their lives in an insignificant blurrr....

well, that's my opion anyway.

So yep - the Kat is back and more powerful than ever before.... bring on the hurdles because i really can't wait to jump over them.....

THE 'SECRET' TO INCREASED FAT LOSS IS...

Ok, so you just got started on a program of walking or light cardio and some basic lifting, maybe some dumbbell work - nothing fancy. You feel better, you've lost a few pounds, you have more energy and you're confident that you're getting healthier.
But you want more... You want the results to come faster. You want to look in the mirror and really SEE the difference. You want other people to see the difference too. You want more than "a little tone." Maybe you want a nice hard chiseled six-pack with a small waist, or maybe streamlined, muscular thighs. Arms like Madonna perhaps? A Brad Pitt "Fight Club" body maybe? Nothing too crazy - not a miss fitness Olympia body or the massive bulk of a Mr. Universe - but definitely better than average.

Well, if you're prepared to STEP UP to the next level and pay the price necessary to reach the next rung on the ladder, here's how you do it: The answer is very, very simple. As you leave the novice stage behind, it's time to start WORKING HARDER!! - THATS IT!!

Were you expecting something more esoteric? Some secret Bulgarian periodization program and thermogenic - anabolic supplement stack? Sorry, but the secret is that there is no secret. A great body all boils down to outright effort and hard work.
Not counting the "genetic freaks" who seem to have been born with muscles and zero fat, there's one thing that all people with great bodies have in common: they all work HARD, HARD, HARD, HARD, HARD!

If you want to ascend beyond the lowly beginner level you simply have to push yourself harder. And that means DIS-COMFORT. When you're pushing yourself out of the comfort zone, it hurts. Frankly, sometimes it sucks! But outside the comfort zone is where you grow. Staying inside the comfort zone will only maintain you at best but usually it sends you plummeting into a downward spiral.

Most people retreat into the confines of their comfort zone the second the effort gets difficult. The comfort zone is a very dangerous place because if you slide back into the comfort zone even once, then it starts becoming a habit.

First, it's stopping just a few minutes short on your cardio or coasting on level 5 when you could be doing level 6. You stop at 8 reps, when you had 11 in you. Then you start blowing off workouts completely. Pretty soon, you're sliding back in other areas of your life; you slide back from making those sales calls; you slide back from spending quality time with your family, you slide back from saving money and watching your finances. You become.... A BACKSLIDER!

You can either be a backslider or you can be an ACHIEVER but you can't be both and you can't "hang out" in between - it's one or the other. Although you might think you're safe just "maintaining" in the comfort zone, unbeknownst to you, you are always in motion in either a forward or a backward direction. There's no such thing as standing still; ask any physicist - everything in the universe is always in motion...vibrating... growing or dying.

The ACHIEVER is the person who is aware that to "stand still inside the comfort zone" is akin to dying, so he or she is ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD. The only way to move forward is with hard work and effort in the direction of a specific goal.

YOU CAN DO IT KAT!!

confessions of a naughty weekend....

yeah i know... sounds like fun huh....


well. I would like to start by saying that week 4 really sucked for me...i hope it's the only weak week i have for the rest of the challenge. I managed to get almost all cardio and neally all abs done, missed all weights though this week, firstly because i was sick, secondly because i was being plain lazy...actually tired...i felt so knackered all week. Anyway... i mostly stuck to my diet over theekend ( we went camping) but i ended up drinking....but don't tell me off yet because there's a plan of attack to follow....and i have a heap of supplements coming to me which i am preying will help with the energy...

Mags purchased on Fri - latest Oxygen - this was awesome for me! this edition felt like it was written for me, it answered heaps of my Q's...which i always forget to ask... &

Runners World.. I've decide for life after IBO whilst i'm travelling around Aus i'm going to try and concentrate on running in every place we get to! I wonder how many people could make a claim to that??? i would eventually like to run a marathon... and once living in a town with a gym i would like to train to compete....

So, basically, i've written out a plan of attack. Getting rid of all sugars - real and fake - the coffee is totally gone...even on high carb days....GREEEN TEA WILL BE ALL THERE IS FOR ME....
stick on plan, do weights first thing in morning then follow it with cardio, that way if i run out of time and miss cardio i know i will have time for cardio of an evening... it gets tough the other way around though (do you think the cardio in pm instead of am makes too much of a difference)>?? on non weight days cardio will be first thing though... so 50/50 might not be too bad!

and... i hope you'll be as excited for me as i am... i finally bit the bullet... no more half assed attempts... no more banging my head against a brick wall... i finally decided to give the nico patches another go.... this time i'm going to do the whole program...i can't wait, because i know they take the edge off so much... i'm looking forward to getting stronger in my running and taking control once and for all....i alreasy have a whole months supply on order....a friens who's a runner told me to give them another go as that's how she quit...so that's what i'll do....i will complete my patches the same day i complete the 12 weeks for BB comp...(4 weeks after IBO program)....yay! there's a pretty cool goal... non smoker on final day with no patches off to a professional photo shoot to show off some hard earned abs... followed by... well i don't know... a big slab of choccy cake! :-)

so other than feeling like a bit of a failure...(don't worry i'm not dwelling on it) i feel ok, i've refocused goals etc...i am totally amped about this mini xmas challenge...i've been so distracted though, i don't exactly know what i am to do there?!

bella, forgot to bring measurements on fri... will have them tomorrow...hope to have our meeting tomorrow since i missed fri's (so sorry!) cant wait to catch you up!

Its a Wrap!

Interesting...

They look like brightly coloured paper but they are 100% edible. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the US is developing vegetable-and-fruit based food wraps which can be used like tortillas or in place of cling film.

The aim of the research is to reduce synthetic food wrapping, while providing extra nutrients so that both people and the environment benefit. Made from 75% pureed fruits and vegetables, the wraps are papaer-thin - thanks to infra-red dying - and come in a variety of flavours including carrot-ginger, tomato-basil, capsicaum and soybean.

The wraps which are to be commercialised within the next 12 months, can also be used as a substitute for nori, the seaweed wrap used in sushi.

You heard it on Kat & Bellas blog first! ha!

Finishing 2005 STRONG!

Ok Guys - its exactly 4 weeks until 2006...2006!!!

That is 4 weeks of focus on nutrition & exercise to start the year proud and strong! I want to be proud of WHO I AM at the end of 2005!

I am really amped about this. I started my first IBO program April this year and it has changed my life - saved my life! 2006 is going to be my first NYE ever in which I KNOW my body and RESPECT it - never have I been through a year where I completely understood or appreciated how to look after myself.

Things have changed and this change is permanent - 2006 I have some HUGE goals - health/business/career/spirituality/relationships etc - which all require hard work and dedication - DEDICATION TO MYSELF! The 'other' options - will not enter my mind - eg: laziness - only laziness (relaxation) when needed - trust me, I know how to be 'lazy' - but it will be to spoil myself NOT to punish myself - BIIIIGG DIFFERENCE GUYS!

Bring on the next 4 weeks - 2006 I will be flexing some serious LIFE muscle - 2006 IS GOING TO ROCK!!!xx

P.S - The latest blog from Jon Benson is really motivating - got me off my bum this morning to visualise my goals for 2006 - As he says: You must now become your own hero.

For 32 days, you will receive a personal email from me. I am writing these as we speak (write?), and they come from the heart and the head.

What’s the content? 32 days of emails that range from 2-5 minutes to read and digest that, if applied, will change your life for the next 32 years — and more. Much more.

Using the M-Power principles of “Mind, Meals, Muscle and Motion”, Scale The World will take you on a 32-day journey, one day and one step at a time, to an understanding of each component and how to use them to maximize your health, your fitness, and your life.

Each daily email will be in five segments:

MANTRA: This is what you will dwell on for the day. This will also include the reason — why this concept is crucial for your future and the future of our planet.
MIND: what you must do today in order to program the mind, both consciously and subconsciously, to make the adjustment and create the Mantra.
MEALS: concepts, changes, and ideas for fueling the mind and body in order to sustain the Mantra.
MUSCLE: what to do exercise-wise to increase your energy, decrease your body fat, and enjoy the process, with a focus on the Mantra as the Driving Point.
MOTION: how to move closer to the goal of a leaner, healthier, safer planet through moving toward a leaner and happier you. Motion toward ‘freedom’ is the theme of the 32 days. “Motion” also involves action. For example, if I suggest you “throw away all food with more than 5 ingredients”, I’ll suggest you to give the food to someone who’s truly hungry. (They have more urgent needs than shedding body fat.) By doing this, you set the principles of abundance in motion — and you will reap far more than health as a reward.

For more info in Jons cool idea check out: www.10in10challenge.com x

Low Carb Sillyness

Well - I have decided I am no longer going to say 'Im on a high carb day - Im on a low carb day.' When my body hears me say 'Im on low carb' it immediately thinks 'Oh great - a day of hunger - cant believe you arent having carbs - Im going to punish you all day with thoughts about eating bread.'

Ha! I say - low carb days ARE NOT about punishment - in fact its actually doing me good - and that is what I need to say out loud 'GOOD DAMMIT!' All I have to do is increase my veggie/salad intake with Meal 3/4/5 and I will be fine - so there...

Now that I have sorted that issue out - I am into my 3rd day of my Mini Christmas Challenge - and feeling good! I have been writing my days in a little diary again - small & pink with a butterfly on it - girlie I know - I was going to buy the one with winnie the pooh on it eating honey from a jar...geez...maybe the low carb days are getting to me after all...!!

One thing I need to get back into - Cardio - I said CARDIO!! This came my way which seems interesting...hmmm?

http://www.cardiocoach.com/index.php
Guided interval workouts on cd or mp3 download. They get progressively more challenging, can be used outside running or on a treadmill, stepper or bike.

p.s ...and yes - I did do Atkins for almost 2 years before IBO - god, I look back and wonder how I ever thought that was the right way to go - and all I achieved was being THE Miss. Grouchy Bum!

well... just have to tell you that this is another one for da girls! this is the third year in a row that i've landed the first Barramundi out of Exmouth. You're not even meant to get them here so it's pretty special... bet the AGAIN YAY!