It’s been a week since 21 Days of Accountability finished… and what a week it’s been! My life is still slightly out of order as I help my husband recover from surgery. It’s Wednesday now though, so that means it’s weigh in day.

This week I managed to drop 1.2kg. Another week, another kilo gone. I’m happy! I wasn’t sure how I’d go seeing as things really have been hectic here. Nowhere near as hectic as what Christchurch people are currently going through though, I’m sure. The earthquakes they’ve been having  since Saturday morning are still going and making things worse for people. My heart goes out to them.

I lost 5cm off my body this week, making it an even 100cm gone from my body. Isn’t it crazy how the body works! It just did exactly what I wrote about in – Day15 -Take Measurements post. Drastic changes in measurements last week when I only lost 100grams and barely any movement this week when I dropped over a kg.

This week I had a moment. I have a pair of jeans I bought right before I got pregnant with Boston. For the past, well, who even knows how long I’ve been trying to put them on… it’s been a while but my news is; I buttoned them up this week! It’s not enough for me to go out and wear them in public but just a few days ago I couldn’t even get the the two sides near each other. Hopefully in a little while they fit perfectly again. Buttoning them is a huge feat for me. I’ve been searching for jeans since the beginning of the year and not found a pair for my body. Fitting into my nearly new (four sizes smaller!) ones again will take away all that pent up anger over not being able to find a great pair.

This is another really good tool in weight loss. Using clothes to monitor progress and getting a little thrill when you reach a new milestone (seeing as the goal is still so far away).

I’ve also noticed that I’m starting to look a little different. More like me. That’s always a good thing.

My life should be returning to normal soon enough, until then I might be a little bit quiet. In the meantime I’ve heard of a lot of you out there taking up the 21 Day challenge and that makes me really happy! Keep up the great work everyone. xx

When I launched Creating My Reality, nine months ago, I wanted to create a place that showed my personality, my flair for life, my loves and my passions. I wanted somewhere others could learn about me, the person behind the ‘artist’. I wanted to show that it is possible to follow your own dreams but that it takes effort and there will be hurdles along the way.

That’s why this blog is called Creating My Reality. I’m creating my reality with my thoughts and choices, setting and reaching new goals and quite literally, creating; it’s my reality, through my creative projects.

Not long before I launched my 21 Days of Accountability something happened. My husband turned 30 a month before, it was during school holidays so he took time off and we got to spend two weeks together as a family. It made me remember just what it is I want out of life. I spent a lot of time reflecting on my own situation and I was made aware of just how much has happened and how quickly our nine years together has passed us by.

I got to thinking about the next few years.

In 5 years time some of my children will be entering their teens. I’ll have entered my 30′s. These are the givens.

I was so lost though. After all the BS that had happened in the past couple of years I’d forgotten what it was like to be me. Chavah. In five years time did I want to still be living in the South? Would what I was venturing into now with my art, give me the results I’m seeking? Would I finally be at my goal weight?

The goals we originally set as a couple when we shifted here 5 years ago had already been reached, what were we meant to do next? These were the types of questions going around in my head.

So before life returned to it’s regular busy schedule, after the children went to bed, Andrew and I sat down and finished the conversation we’d been having for months. It was time to make some decisions.

It was time for some deeper thinking. What if those five years were the last years I had on this earth? What, in my daily life would I change? Am I happy? Are the goals I have set, the goals I’d still want to pursue? What will I have taught my children?

I didn’t like the answers I came up with. I was so angry with myself that I had let mediocrity become the norm. I have a lot I want to do and if things stayed in the state they were in I wasn’t going to get anywhere. I needed change something but where did I start?

It seems it took a month of contemplation but then; one night, it all just clicked. I lay in bed and the thought ’21 Days. Just 21 Days.’ popped into my head. That was it! I had to change.

I needed to make more of an effort. I didn’t feel strong anymore, I didn’t like who I’d become. I remembered the benefits a person gets mentally, when they work on getting in shape physically. That would be my starting point. Once I felt good about myself again, I’d work on the next step and then the next and then the next. If I got myself physically and mentally strong, I would, with no doubt in in my mind, reach these next goals I’d set for myself.

The next day I got up and I wrote:

21 Days of Accountability – Day 1

I didn’t even think. I just wrote it and put the pressure on myself. After I published it I thought, ‘Oh crap, what was I thinking?! I’m not ready to do this.’ Maybe I wasn’t but you know what? It was exactly what  needed. It took balls to speak about depression on my blog. This normally happy person was now going to have to open up about something that would probably put people off her. It was highly embarrassing for me to share just HOW fat I had become, but I’d done it now. I could either live in the embarrassment or show the world that I’m not full of sh*t. I do what I say I’ll do, when I say I’ll do it. You better believe it!

So each day I wrote about a different topic. It wasn’t just to help others, it was to help jog my memory about the good habits I’ll need to practice in my life to get the body (and life) I truly want. As I wrote each tip, I remembered a little more about how good it felt when I put the tip into practice.

I can’t even begin to explain just how good I feel now:

• There is no depression.
• There is no sadness.
• I am surrounded by friends.
• When my life encountered a hurdle just two days ago, I was strong enough to cope.
• I work out every. single. day. I’m allowed a rest day every week if I want it but after 23 days (because I’m 2 days late writing this) I have only had 1 day of no exercise and even then, I wanted to be working out. I’ll use it if I want to. I like having no pressure to do either, or.
• I love the way I feel during exercise.
• My children’s immediate assumption if I’m not with them is that I’m at the gym.
• My skin is almost glowing.
• My hair is growing even faster, I swear.
• I have a lot more energy, even though right now I’m full go for about 16 hours a day.
• I have no pain in my hips.
• The pain from my torn ligament is only minimal now and has only happened once (after a 16 hour day).
• I’m getting a lot more sleep.
• I can fall asleep easier.
• My children have been happier too. They were already happy kids but something changed for the better.
• I lost 3.2kg and 95cm’s in 21 days.
• Portion control is back in action.
• I’m not emotionally eating.
• I can control my cravings and never feel deprived.
• I have visible muscle.
• Water is my drink of choice again. I actually like it.

These 21 Days of Accountability have been amazing. I had no idea what would happen when I started. I’m well on my way back to finding myself again and I’m excited about carrying on! I like me.

21 Days of Accountability may come back again in the future if I need it but for now, every Wednesday I’ll be doing a weight loss post. It will have a tip or a recipe etc and monitor my progress. I hope you’ll be back.

In the meantime, go through again to read the tips and progresses made from the past 21 Days. If you’ve decided to do this for yourself, I wish you all the best. I hope you end up feeling just as good as I do. Let me know how you go and if you need a cheerleader.

21 Days of Accountability:

Day 1: How I got fat.

Day 2: Simplify and write a schedule.

Day 3: Write a Menu.

Day 4: Get to it, just do it.

Day 5: Find an anthem.

Day 6: Get some sleep.

Day 7: First weigh in – Make a ticker.

Day 8: Learn to drink water.

Day 9: The psychology behind a cheat day.

Day 10: Involve family and friends.

Day 11: Keep a food journal.

Day 12: Create a vision board.

Day 13: Boost your testosterone naturally.

Day 14: Second weigh in.

Day 15: Take measurements.

Day 16: Get strength training.

Day 17: My super secret tip.

Day 18: Why women should exercise during menstruating.

Day 19: Sweat it out.

Day 20: Find some support.

Day 21: Final weigh in.

I think it’s safe to say that I have been able to switch my bad habits for good ones. I began seeing the differences in my life after just 4 days, by day 7 life was great again and by day 14, I believe I’d already established the mindset needed to succeed in this long weight loss journey. Come day 21, I just can’t even fit in the amount of changes that have actually happened. I’m back to myself again and that makes me happier than you can imagine. Thank you for being there with me these past 3 weeks.

I lost all of 100grams this week. Stupid period. I shouldn’t complain, usually I gain 3kg.

BUT get this, in this past one week, I’ve dropped two dress sizes. TWO. That’s right, my weight didn’t move but I dropped a whole heap of fat. Awesome! I told you monitoring this sort of thing helps.

This weeks efforts saw me drop another 31cm off my body. I finally lost a bunch off my hips! 7cm these past 7 days, that’s 1 cm a day!

Biggest loss for the week was 8.5cm from around my waist. Underneath this fat suit is actually a tiny waist. I’m a full blown hourglass shape when I’m not stuck as a blob. I cannot wait to see that shape again. I’d rather have the problem that nothing fits because my waist is a size smaller than my chunky butt and hips and broad shoulders;  rather than nothing fits simply because nothing fits.

So the results are in and it’s time for the totals. In 21 days, I have dropped 3.2kg, and lost 95cm of fat. Woo hoo but also… Gross. Bet no one else has a metre of fat on them… and I’m not even close to losing it all.

I calculated my total losses for each measurement the past 21 days and these are the results:

Neck – 2cm

Chest – 13cm

Abs – 19cm

Waist – 26.5cm (Yaaaay!)

Hips – 9.5cm

Thigh – 13.5cm

Calf - 5.5cm

Bicep – 6cm

Pretty good effort I think. Can’t wait to see what next week brings.

Now, I know today is day 21 and I was planning on writing about everything that’s happened in the past 21 days, today. What’s happened though is my husband is in hospital (don’t worry, he’s fine). I will get to my review of the 21 days tomorrow. I’m sure you can understand why, my head space is somewhere else right now.

Twenty days. Two Zero. I’m almost finished! I say that with a touch of sadness but a lot of happiness because this has been really great for me.

Today’s tip is a tip that is often overlooked but it has great significance in the weight loss journey.

Find some support.

This is really important.

Knowing someone’s got your back can help you do things you never realised you could do.  When you’re venturing out to drop a lot of weight, you need someone who believes in you to be there. It is not easy to change your life but it’s a heck of a lot easier to do when people around you are willing to help you reach your goal.

My biggest support by far has been my husband. I have to give him a lot of credit.

Having his support has been essential to me. When he eats right, I want to eat right, when he works out, I want to work out. Feeding off each others positive energy is amazing.

My kids have also been great. They’re only young but they ask plenty of questions about exercise, food and drink. I’m sure you all know what kids and questions are like. Yeah.. never ending! Having to explain things to them keeps me accountable. After all I’m a massive role model in their lives, I really should be practicing what I preach.

Then there’s the Creating My Reality community. I said I would use my blog to find supporters and that’s exactly what happened. I want to thank each and every person that took the time to interact with me these last 20 days. Social media is a powerful tool in society nowadays and reconnecting with old friends and connecting with new friends because of these posts has been wonderful. I really do thank you all. Each person that took the time to say something has made me smile, made me try that little bit harder. I hope that you’ve gotten as much out of these posts as much as I have.

Do not overlook/underestimate the importance of having even just one person who will stand beside you and say “You CAN do it.”

I hope you can find that someone who will be there for you too. That’s your challenge today.

I’ll see you all tomorrow DAY 21!

If you’re not sweating anywhere, you’re not getting anywhere.

Not only is it a great quote, it’s our topic for the day.

It’s like this. Body fat is burned off in the form of heat. So if you’re working up a sweat, you’re burning off the fat. Remember that the next time you’re working out. It makes me feel better anyway… I often wonder if I’m the only sweater in the gym. Everyone else seems so dry! Then there’s greasy me. Not pretty.

The benefits of a good sweat are this. You improve sleep (that’s me!), relieve symptoms of depression (me again), boost immunity and reduce stress levels.

The perspiration achieved by exercise also boots out toxins and disease from our system. Another bonus is it softens skin and keeps pores clear (I’ve noticed that this month!).

Sweat is simply an indication that our body temperature is rising. All that’s happening is internally we’re burning calories and fat, turning them into energy. Remember what I said yesterday? Fat is just energy we haven’t used.

As I lose the weight, I’ll sweat a little more and in turn I have to remember to really up my water intake. All these things are a good sign that my metabolism is increasing.

So today’s challenge – Sweat like your life depends on it. It kind of does.

Oooo weeee. Am I super late with this post today or what?

I woke up this morning greeted by my period. That’s today’s topic. Yeah, awkward.

I’m one of those women who’s life goes completely out of whack each month because of cramps, exhaustion and excessive bloating. I also get really anemic at this time. I’ve tried a lot of things both natural and drugs but at the end of the day, this is how my body reacts and that’s all there is to it. Some people are lucky enough to not be affected at this time but if you’re female and in my family, that’s not the case.

My day has consisted of this:

Wake up.

Workout.

Eat.

Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

Eat.

Blog.

Exercise during menstruating releases endorphins that can counteract the mood swings that come along with this awesomeness that is reserved only for women. It can also help eliminate cramps and I’ve read that you burn more calories exercising during this time too. I googled it today and there are some sources that say yes, and others that say no. The article I remember reading was on Women’s Health somewhere. I’m pretty sure it said some thing like, you’ll burn more fat at the end of your cycle because the progesterone in our bodies promotes the use of fat as an energy source. Always a good thing right? After all, fat is just unused energy; best we burn it off.

All I know is that in my own experience, it doesn’t hurt to workout during this time. I’m not as strong as I would normally be but I change my routine to suit. It’s a good thing I’ve been doing a lot of cardio this past week, hopefully it will balance things out. Yoga is a great option too, it’s not uncommon in our household to almost fall asleep on the floor after cooling down from our yoga workout lol.

In the end, after a menstrual workout,  I have more energy (which is a must for survival for me) and I don’t feel guilty if I need something extra to sustain me.

Not sure how weigh in will go this week, not because I’m not doing what’s right but I usually gain weight every month for this one week! As soon as the period disappears, so does the weight. We’ll see how it goes.

Train hard, eat right and rest.

Today’s post is inspired by what’s going on in my world today.

I was enjoying a lazy Saturday morning with my family, when a friend showed up to invite me out to dessert tonight with the girls to celebrate her birthday.

Yay! Of course, right? No way I’d say no.

But hold on a minute, aren’t I trying to lose weight? Doesn’t eating dessert counteract my actions?

Well yes, and no.

If I were to go out and just overindulge in delicious dessertyness (I am female, hear me say yum) then yes, that’s a really bad choice but what happened is my brain when into problem solving mode.

Here is a super secret tip that I use when I am in ‘training’ mode and craving something that I know has very little benefit to my body. Not that I’m craving anything, but I’m also not a tightwad, and want to let my hair down with some female company.

Of all tips, this is by far my favourite.

You can eat treats BUT you should only eat them at a certain time.

The time to treat yourself is directly after you have been doing your weight training workout. There is about a two hour time frame, in which, believe it or not, you are allowed to eat a cookie, chocolate bar, apple pie & ice cream…whatever it is you’ve been craving.

It’s called the anabolic window. Only after intense weight training can your body absorb more nutrients than normal. Your body will absorb more than twice the nutrients that it regularly will in these next few hours.

There is a certain way to eat after strength training, your body needs to get protein and carbs into it asap. Amino acids and glucose are getting used up right then and there to repair the muscle you’ve just torn.  We already have stores in our body but our muscles are seeking more fast burning carbs and protein to continue fueling and building themselves up. Glucose (you know, that sugary stuff) is only stored as fat when the glycogen stores in muscle and liver are full, therefore, because you’ve just actively worked your muscles and they’re burning pretty quickly through your stored glycogen, you are at this time allowed to treat yourself.

Did you get that?

Basically, I just said, I’m going out tonight and although I want to order something healthy for dessert (like there is such a thing) I’m going to weight train the heck out of my body at a certain time before I leave the house, so that when I’m out the sugar filled treat I might eat will go straight to being burned instead of stored making me fail and feel miserable.

It’s all about planning

P.S. You still have to eat a really good diet to make this work. Used properly this tip can really help keep cravings at bay and boost your muscle building ability. Use this as a reward for good behaviour, not an excuse for bad.