I reflect back on the last year and I realise that I have grown (mentally, not physically!) a LOT! I have learned so much and my life looks nothing like it did 12 months ago. Thank goodness!

2012 is already shaping up to be an amazing year and I can’t wait!

What are your intentions for 2012? If you haven’t done so already, write them down. And once you’ve written them down, write out the steps you will take to achieve what you want to achieve!

Next stick it somewhere so you can see it every single day! Daily reminders come in very handy!

I’m off now to begin my celebrations, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and safe new year and I’ll be back soon!!

The 21 Day Holiday Hottie Transformation Challenge is a chance to jump start your fat loss goals and get closer to having that body you thought you could only dream of.

Woohoo! I can’t wait to get started!

http://www.clubfym.com/public/907.cfm

They’re soon to start the 21 day challenge. That’s 3 weeks to a new body! Can you do it??

Visit Fit Yummy Mummy now, purchase the ebook and get ready to join in and share the same results experienced by hundreds of other Fit Yummy Mummy members!

This is EXACTLY why I love partnering with Prograde Nutrition. They want what’s best for you. Unlike supplement companies that feed you blatant lies and exaggerations, these guys just tell you the truth.

They know that supplements have their place in health and fitness. But they also know – and preach – that eating whole foods is the center piece of your nutrition plan.

And to prove it they just came out with this awesome little ebook called “197 Healthy And Delicious Phat Burning Recipes” that will make your life a whole lot easier.

The best part? It’s only $4.95 because they think – and so do I – that it’s just too important for you not to get your hands on.

Look, I know most people think eating healthy means bland and boring meals. That is absolutely, positively FALSE.

Get a copy of Prograde’s “197 Healthy And Delicious Phat Burning Recipes” and taste for yourself.

http://overweightandunhappy.getprograde.com/prograderecipebook.html

Yours in health,

Michelle

PS – You’re literally just moments away from discovering some of the most delicious…easy-to-make…phat burning recipes you can imagine. And it’s less than 5 bucks. Grab your copy RIGHT NOW at:

http://overweightandunhappy.getprograde.com/prograderecipebook.html

I’m now able to run more than before, and cycling isn’t killing me as much as it used to!

My wonderful hubby is (finally) up to the practical part of his personal training course, and in the next week or so he has to do a video of him training me.  I hope he’s gentle! haha!  But it will be good to get some more strength training in there.  I really don’t think I’m doing enough right now, although I am starting to notice subtle fat-loss-related changes, which is good.

Today I am going to be securing my place as a competitor in my first triathlon too!  So this is the point of no return!  What’s even better about this is that I’ve inspired a colleague to also enter.  Competing in a triathlon has always been something she eventually wanted to do, and when I told her what I was up to, and after our first running session (intervals), she was hooked!

I will send her proof of my entry today, then she’s got to do the same for me – we’re keeping each other accountable which is great.

Actually, having somebody else to train with is a great way to keep yourself accountable because you know they’re counting on you to turn up for a training session, so if you can, see if you can find a “workout partner” to give your motivation a boost!

Weight:  58kg/127 pounds

Bust:  91cm/36 inches

Waist:  76cm/30 inches

Hips:  96cm/38 inches

And here are my measurements now (ouch!):

Weight:  60.6kg/133.3 pounds

Bust:  88cm/34.5 inches

Waist:  81cm/32 inches

Hips:  96cm/38 inches

Right bicep:  27cm/10.5 inches

Right thigh:  49.5cm/19.5 inches

Ok, I’ve put on weight!  But that’s ok – I’m doing something about it and the good news is that my hips have remained the same size!  Weird!  What’s also weird is that my bust size has decreased – maybe everything’s heading south!  haha!

I’m going for a run at lunch time today so wish me luck!

I won’t be doing any running at lunch time today because I have a date with the girls!

After my workout this morning I was going to weigh myself but I forgot and now I’m dressed, so I’ll do it tomorrow morning.  Might even get Jason (my hubby) to take some “before” photos for me…

72 days to go!

Yes you did! If you don’t eat enough each day, then you could end up weighing more in the long run!

Let’s face it. Losing weight is hard! It takes effort and commitment and if you live a busy life like I do, then finding the time to get out there and exercise is easier said than done.

What many of us do is skip meals as a way to make up for times when we over indulge, or to make up for the fact that we didn’t work out this morning.

But guess what? When we do that, we’re making ourselves fatter!

What happens when you skip a meal is that your metabolism slows down, because your body needs to slow down the rate in which it burns food, because you’re in effect starving your body.

When you next eat however, your metabolism is still slowed, so what happens then?

Because your body can’t burn all that you just ate, it stores the rest as fat – for just in case it gets starved again!

So here’s what you must do:

1. Eat breakfast every day
2. Eat whole, fresh foods
3. Eat at least every 3 1/2 to 4 hours

Start doing this for a week, and begin to notice the difference!

For more information on how you can quickly and effectively lose weight and get your old body back, visit http://overweightandunhappy.com/fym.html. You will be so glad you did!

If you take in more food (energy) than you use (physical activity), then the excess is stored in the body as fat. You probably already knew that right?

The amount of fat you have in your body reflects the number of fat cells you have in your body as well as the size of these cells.

When we are children or going through puberty, the number of fat cells we have increases, but then usually this new cell growth stops.

However, when you eat more than you need, your fat cells increase in size. These cells can only grow so big, so guess what happens when our consumption of food continues to exceed our output?

You start to grow new cells again!

What about when I start to lose weight?

With fat loss, whilst the size of your fat cells reduces, the number of fat cells does not. You’re stuck with them!

The reason for this is because your body keeps them for “just in case” you start the cycle that made you overweight in the first place.

It is for this reason that those people who have more fat cells tend to put weight on easier than someone with significantly less fat cells.

In other words, obese people have more fat cells than people who are a healthy weight.

So what do I do?

All is not lost. You can still lose weight if you have more fat cells – it just means that you probably have to be a little stricter with yourself compared to someone who has significantly less fat cells.

I suppose this too is a good incentive to knuckle down and do whatever possible to prevent the production of new fat cells – the more you have, the harder it will be!

If you really want to lose weight and you have found the perfect program to get you there, then go for it! Once you have achieved a healthy weight, you will never look back because you will then realise just how much you have been missing out on all this time!

Related articles

Taking Responsibility

Watch your calorie intake to lose weight

At the table next to him was a family. The mother, the father and their two children.

The father was morbidly obese and his stomach almost touched the floor, it was sagging so far.

The author talked about how he and his friends stared in disbelief as this man consumed a huge burger, greasy fries and at least 4 sodas.

I see this kind of thing all the time, but what the author had to say after he talked about what he saw is something you should consider.

He talked about how when he was young his father would throw a ball with him, or run around or even just go for a walk with him. These were pleasant memories for him.

I remember my father playing with my brothers and sister and I, giving us rides on his back, running around the yard and going for bike rides with us.

These are wonderful memories I will cherish forever.

But what about the children of the obese man? Unless he makes some drastic changes in his life, his children will never have memories like this. EVER. He could be dead tomorrow because he’s a walking heart attack. So consider his poor wife who would be left a widow too.

So is he being selfish by being so overweight?

Well, the author of the newsletter seems to think so and I kind of agree.

He had a choice of what to eat that day. He could have had something healthier – even most fast food outlets have healthier options these days, and who on earth could need FOUR sodas to wash down their lunch?? I just don’t get that!?

Genetics were not playing a part on this man’s weight – his habits obviously were. And because of his habits, his children will never experience the joy I experienced as a child. He couldn’t even walk properly, let alone run around the back yard!

If your weight is depriving your child of any part of you, then today is the day you need to take ownership of your problem and do something about it.

Most weight issues can be treated (in fact, statistics show that over 95% of weight problems are caused by bad eating and exercise habits), so you can do this.

Of course, there are emotional issues that need to be considered too, as I have found as a life coach. These can be treated too, as I have found with my clients.

If you have children, then do it for them if you can’t do it for yourself.

To learn about the best fitness program I have seen so far, visit http://yummy.overweightandunhappy.com and see how many women have transformed their lives by making changes to their eating and exercise habits.