2013 - A Year of Change!

After all these years I find myself back here again! Why? Well that's easy - I truly believe that some of my best success in regards to weight loss happened when I was accountable - to the scales, to other people and most importantly to myself. It's been many years since I've committed to regular blogging and it's no coincidence that it's also been many years since I've achieved substantial success on the weight loss front. But I've reached a point where I just can't keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. 2012 has been good to me in many ways. And following my last lot of surgery in October of this year I jumped on board the bandwagon with a whole new weight loss program - I was excited about it and to some extent I still am. The program is Body Trim! It has worked wonders in helping rid me of cravings of carbs and processed foods and that is a huge plus. Up until Christmas I had lost 9.9kgs in 9 weeks of this program and then that changed. You see I realised it was time to up the ante on the exercise front and after weighing up the pros and cons I decided that Curves was the best starting point for me in regards to exercise for a number of reasons - 1) time, 2) cost, 3) doesn't focus on cardio (I have heaps of options at home for that) and 4) women only. So I made that hardest decision to make an appointment and got the toughest part (of walking in the door for the first time over and done with). That happened on the 20th December - I spoke at length to a motivator, Sue about my background and what needs to change. I walked in the with the determination that I would add Curves to Body Trim and walked out doubting that determination. I've since done a lot of reading, a lot of research and a lot of thinking. There's a part of me that is saying while Body Trim is working stick to it but every ounce of common sense is telling me that BT has given me a great start so now I should build on that with a healthier program. The biggest advantage to me with BT is the high protein levels, the biggest disadvantage is the low levels of dairy which is a huge concern to me because I have a large family history of osteoporosis. So after 10 weeks of success on BT I've decided to try the Curves Complete program for a number of reasons which include 1) I can eat more fruit, 2) I can eat dairy, 3) it doesn't segregate me from the family (i.e. not eating any protein only meals) and MOST IMPORTANTLY - I have a 15 minute appointment each week with my food coach for one on one motivation and that accountability that I know I need! There's a part of me that questions whether I'm doing the right thing or not - but it does appeal to me to have "all my eggs in one basket". The other thing that I've been concerned about with BT lately is the way carbs have made me feel. I've had a couple of meals on my "free days" over the Christmas period where I have eaten too many carbs and have struggled to sleep at night as a result. That's not a healthy habit and not really something I would like to see continue so I do intend to continue with a lot of the BT principles including reducing carbs, particularly at night. So on Thursday 3rd January I have my appointment to kick start the program - the rapport of this particular Curves I've joined is amazing. I went back the next day and did my first workout and LOVED it - and received some really supportive comments from other members. You know what it's like when you just get a good 'vibe' about something - that's how I feel about this. And the 3rd can't come fast enough for me. So yes, I will kick start the New Year once again with resolutions of getting fit and healthy but I'm ready to tackle this head on. It's going to be a year of change because I refuse to waste any more time. I have finished this year a little lighter than I started it (about 2-3kgs) but next year will be a very different story ... stay tuned!