4 March - Suitcases and Back Pain

BFAs are not good for me, especially the sit ups. The same happened last Thursday before the Welsh Ball. I woke up with back pain, I couldnt move! Ponstan is going to be the cure, no jogging this morning is going to help me. And I still need to clean, tidy, do the washing and change the bed, not to mention clean the cat litters. Nice. Oh I still havent packed yet.

Then I made it to the airport. I have to focus on being healthy this weekend so I can lose another 2kgs. I missed breakfast so had some Pinkberry with fruits (yummeee), thank goodness its at the airport. Then as it was was my mates birthday, we stopped off at the bar. She had a cosmo coktail, I had gin, but had to opt for the bitter lemon, a G&T wasnt going to hit the spot. A quick waltz to the gate we were soon seated right at the back of the plane, and waiting for the drinks. OK, time to get back to the recommended drinks list from Andrew. Gin & Tonic. Nope, its really not working, I cant drink this nonsense. Back to the food - chicken, rice and little arabic bread was lovely. Damn, that wasnt on the diet plan!

Jordan is a quiet country, even on a Friday, even with every family camped out at the side of the road and Dead Sea for picnic time. Despite the litter rubbish, I like the place. On arrival at the very quiet Kempinski Hotel we checked out our lovely room and opened the 1st bottle of champers. Headed to dinner, fabulous Thai and Asian food - thai green chicken curry, rice and Pah Thai was not in the diet plan, neither were the prawn crackers and the mojito though it did have soda in it! After dinner we hit the busy bar - nope, just me and you then matey! One Harvey Wallbanger later it was bed time.

Tomorrows diet plan better get back on schedule or Im in trouble next Tuesday on those weighing scales.......

3 March - 2nd BFA

Before I write anything, congrats HUGE congrats to Mr and Mrs Super-Fit, who are now crowned Mr and Mrs Lieutenant. You are an inspiration to us all. Well done : ).

And back to me, so far from a sniff of Lieutenant. I wasnt happy with my performance if you can even call it that. There was no tap dancing or music or big lights, not even a stage. So no, not a performance. I am hoping its down to the fact I didnt eat well the last 2 days - today 1 apple, a handful of nuts and less than 500ml of water until 1 hour before boot camp. Yesterday wasnt any better.

I ran the 1 mile in 11mins 35 s. I think I was just under 12mins last time (I need to re-read my own blog!). I just need to keep chasing Corey to send me my last BFA results so I can compare to this months, though Im not holding out for much improvement. I really dont know what happened to me today.

However I do do know there was some definite cheating out there, not sure how I overtook someone yet they finished before me. 3 rounds not 4? Im only saying .... and I know I did the 1min tests properly and didnt miscount. Not that Im saying anyone else did .......Anyway, as LL says, they are only cheating themselves!

And Im traveling to the Dead Sea tomorrow, bring on the holidays! Ive got a few more weeks til the next BFA, will worry about that then.

"Friends with Food" - Emotional Eating

I will be attending, anyone want to come with? Another piece of my jigsaw has landed on my lap - TY : ). Will give it a go, sort the old dusty mind process out ......

http://knowhowlife.com/friends-with-food

2 March - Still ROCKING UP : ))

Tomorrow is BFA Day. Time to see progress, a great way to end the week and start the weekend ahead of a 3 day trip to Jordan, yay!

I didnt eat well today, I didnt drink enough water. I need to learn, water water water! I still rocked up to boot camp. Start of the 3rd month, 2nd session of the week. I can do this. There were a lot of people again, in fact I think there were more than the 24 who showed up on Monday. I wasnt the best, but I wasnt the worst not that its a competition but its good for me still, in a very selfish way, to know that Im still making progress. I seem to need this assurance on a daily basis, like a demanding child. Oh yes, I was one of those too!

Tonight was upper body time. My, did that hurt, tough session Mr Zaid! But it was good, I felt the pain, I felt it working. Ha ha who am I, seriously!? Im still not lovin it though .... There is a difference in the old team dynamics. The oldies seem to stick together, the newbies seem to be keeping their distance. Mrs Fit tried to get the newbies to join the oldies on the grass, but it didnt really happen. I needed to take  Corey's advice and motivate the newbies, as they are where I was 7 weeks ago. I know their pain, I feel their pain, I feel their hatred towards how hard doing exercise is, the feelings of frustrations towards themselves. AAahh we really dont love boot camp. yet. Ha ha. Sorry OFC boys : ).

Then there was my moment .. I tried whilst running with the weight exercises forget it, I had to concentrate on doing it for me (selfish again!), but for the last run I saw one of the newbies - I saw me. He had stopped soon after starting to run the last run around the park. I saw me struggling, he was struggling. Corey I did what you asked me and it was OK. I told him how LL had helped and encouraged me through that tough run around the park, how I couldnt keep running and had to walk it, I couldnt do it 7 weeks ago. I told him to jog slowly, but best not to stop and walk, its harder to get back to get back to running. I told him I was now running 2km once a week nonstop and that was something I would never have considered possible 7 weeks. I told him I focused on getting my breathing rhythm first then focused my mind over the fact my legs hurt. I told him it got easier. I told him how Zaid had run beside me the first week and told me keep "rocking up", keep doing it, it will get easier. I ran with him and slowed my pace and we finished the circuit together. Bless him he did well. It felt good to help someone else, I saw so much of me in his pain and struggle. But he did well, he did it, he has rocked up 2 times this week already. Good luck Mr R, you can do it too.

Now I see the new me. One of my oldie co-bootcampers has been away for week and told me as we left that I am looking toned and its significant. THANKS you made my night. The bond (sounds corny I know) we have developed is great, I would now miss this if I stopped boot camp. I dont want to, I wont. I need to do more and push myself more.

I have 28 days til I land back in the UK and see all of my gorgeous family, my big sisters 40th birthday party first. I want to feel confident about me, and want them to see a big difference - without fad diets, all the proper way. I still dont feel THAT different despite the clothes being much loser (wore black trousers today for first time in 10 days and they were loose ......), and I need my turning point soon. To weigh less than 100kgs - there Ive said it, all very  public. Its within reach, easy reach thanks to my team mates at boot camp, my boot camp gurus Corey and Zaid and my new addition, Scottish heart-throb Andrew (ha ha we will make a pin up out of you yet young man!!). I can do this - and THIS is the THE longest time I have ever committed to a healthy regime (and several at the same time ...). Big thanks LL, you will never let me back out of this I know, and thank god you wont ha ha!!

1 March - Thankyou Andrew!

Considering the part time commitment to my new diet plan, I am very pleased to confirm I lost 2.4kgs. IMAGINE what I could have achieved if I had done it properly for a full 7 days. So thank you Andrew. You have been my inspiration and food guru - my 2nd piece of the jigsaw.

I cant not mention my first piece of the jigsaw that has kept me going and contributed to the last weeks weight loss - OFC Boot camp. The exercise has been the partner to the diet, despite the "bender" (TY Andrew again for that term ....) last Friday at the Welsh Ball. If only I danced for 3hrs every Friday ..... on top of the 3 times a week boot camp and my own 2km running.

There are now 4 of us in the Tuesday evening session, on our 8 week Nutrition course. We had high 5s going on between us, was great fun and a bit silly. If I could maintain a 2kg weight loss for the next 7 weeks I would be a VERY VERY happy girl. And I would be WAAAAY on target for my sky diving tandem jump on my birthday. I even have yet another new dress (red, layered from Monsoon in the sale for AED173, bargain!).

I need to stay focused and carb free over the weekend in Jordan for a friends birthday. I also need to keep running and/or using the hotel gym. I NEED to lose another 2kgs next Tuesday. I am supposed to be on a work dinner on Monday, Im going to challenge this and move it to Tuesday, AFTER my next weekly weigh-in : ).

I wanted to share with you a message I received from a new friend, a friend of LL, and someone who used to do boot camp last year. This lovely lady sent me an emotional email about this blog - I made her laugh, I made her cry and now I am inspiring her to get back on the healthy lifestyle wagon again. She did so well, she is an amazing, bubbly, funny and outrageous lady, she looks amazing and glamorous and Im very happy to have made a new friend. I am even happier that I have inspired you in a positive way, in a healthy lifestyle way. This is definitely a new me, and thank you for inspiring me to continue this journey and this blog. Im with you every step, and you know where I am if you have a bad day - I still have bad days but the good days are spread out in between. You can do it, YOU GO GIRL! xx