*Weekly Post - Planning and the Biggest Loser*

Firstly... Biggest Loser Season 8... WOW! I absolutely loved Danny, not only because he was super gorgeous but also because he spoke to me on a personal level. The majority of the things he said touched my heart and he was always the one to win for me. Secondly Rebecca who won the at home challenge looked like a totally different person. They both prove that the concept of exercise and calorie counting does work.

As my weekly timetable has been pretty much jam packed due to uni, work and exercise I have had to plan my day down to the last minute. So what better subject could I discuss than planning. Now I'm not going to sit here and say that I know exactly what I'm doing all the time, as I really don't but that then becomes a situation where I know that I need to use my other Weight watcher tools such as my Weight watchers calculator and picking lower/healthier point alternatives. As well as this I constantly remind myself that I do best by keeping to my plan and by tracking everything that passes my lips.

There are a number of ways to plan and in fact save you time:

• Plan your meals - I like to plan my meals every morning as I know what food is available that day. However I know a lot of people that track weekly and they find that it works just as well. Its finding out what works best for you.
• Plan and cook in bulk - If I know that I have a lecture that ends at 8pm I either cook double the night before and refrigerate the rest for the following day so when I get in around 9 I can just heat it up. If I know I don't have much time to cook during the week I will have a cook off on a Sunday, putting my food in containers for during the week and either freezing them or refrigerating them.
• Eating out - If I have spare cash (we all know what its like to be a student at some point) I will eat a meal at my Uni, by planning what I'm going to eat I save points, stick to plan and save myself some cash. Bonus!
• Exercise- Not only is planning a excellent tool for successful weight loss but its also essential for me in regards to exercise. Like I said before, calorie counting and exercise go hand in hand with each other.

I'm sure there are a number of other occasions and ways to plan but these are just a few I use on a daily basis.

I haven't commented on my achievements and goals for a while now so here it goes.

Achievements:

• I am still swimming twice a week! I absolutely love it and always look forward to going. If you follow me on Twitter you will have read that whilst swimming I was referred to as "fatty" last week, thinking about it I haven't actually tweeted that for once this hasn't destroyed my confidence or motivation. Instead its made me even more determined to keep going. So thank you to the rude little boy for calling me fat.
• I am tracking every day and are even tweeting what I eat today. I have done this for a while so I was strangely excited to restart this morning.
• I have stayed the same for the past two weeks. This seems to happen a lot so I'm making a conscious decision to try a few tips on how to move past my plateau. I will update you on my findings.

My goal for next week:

• Track, track, track. I know that by continuing to track I should be able to push past this plateau and begin to lose the old poundage again.

I have a pretty busy week ahead so one of the best ways to keep in contact with me, read my random commuting comments, keep informed of my newly acquired insults, my daily food in take or just to ping me a message feel free to add me here Twitter .

Also let me know of any of your own tools or planning techniques, as I would love to hear them.

Have a fabulous week.


Roo
xoxo

* Weekly Update - Setting a Challenge *

If you do not already know, I'm a huge fan of the "Biggest Loser" and I draw a lot of my inspiration from the show and its contestants. So its not a big surprise that yet again I have been inspired to do something.

Last year on the Biggest Loser the contestants ran/jogged/walked a whole marathon which inspired me to give off my butt and do something. Now I'm a very competitive person and I hate to lose (which is weird when I considered my weight loss and my inability to win against myself own self), I hate losing bad! I remember hitting a girl (who will remain nameless) over the head with a cricket bat after she told me I had hit the wicket (please note that I was very young). I didn't hit the wicket. But I am very sorry and luckily we are still friends (she must be crazy right?). So what does my inability to lose have to do with the Biggest Loser?

I am setting myself my own challenge! I know that I'm a lot more capable of certain things than I let myself believe. I proved this during my workouts a number of times. Got to love those planks.

So whats the challenge I hear you say...

The challenge is to walk 300 miles between now and New Years Day also being my 24th birthday. And just because with all challenges there rules (I love rules), my 300 miles has to be additional walking, not my normal everyday walking and workout routine. No, no. I'm doing this the hard core way.

So now I have divulged my personal challenge to you I'll move on to my normal goals and accomplishments this week.

This week has been far from perfect but I have still achieved at some things.

• I tracked everyday - Although I didn't stick to my allowance any of those 7 days I tracked everything which made me feel accountable and also made me see how much I really do eat when not fully on track.
• I added a new exercise routine in the form of swimming - I now swim every Wednesday with my close friend and we are actually off there tonight.
• I have reassessed my 5 A Day intake and have been working on that for a while now - I have an up and coming post on this topic so watch this space.

My goals for this week (my post is a few days late so I have already started this week)

• Contribute to my 300 mile challenge
• Carry on tracking and stick to allowance
• Pre-track in the mornings - I have been doing this for the past few days and it has really helped in so far.
• Work on my 5 A Day

So that's my accomplishments and goals for this week.

I hope you all have a great week.

If anyone would like to take part in my challenge please let me know :)

Roo xoxo

* Fitness Fun - The Biggest Loser Game *

I recently posted that I had purchased "The Biggest Loser" game for the Wii. Like with most games I was sceptical at first and didn't really expert much. After all its just a game. So when I saw it on Amazon for less than ten quid I snatched it right up. I'm a huge kid when it comes to things like this and I get excited very easily. But I did try to get my mature and more reserved hat on.

So I set myself up detailing my weight, height, age and gender and picked my character (I loved Michelle from the series so I picked my character with ease). Rather than go into a full routine I decided just to browse and pick what I wanted to do. In total I initially used the game for about an hour. But be warned...

Half way through one of the exercises I picked I nearly burst into tears! Yes, that's right. I nearly cried over a freaking game! But no, wait, this is no game. If you take the exercises seriously and put your all into it, it really does get your heart pumping and your muscles burning. I felt the burn like never before.

So baring in mind that I only wanted to "play around" with the "game" I had already done my daily workout and so really had two workouts. Now hand on heart, I woke up the next day and it hurt (although I like having that ache from a good workout) to sit down so much that I nearly peed myself because I had to lower myself down. I must have used muscles in my legs and thighs that I hadn't used in a long time.

I've used it nearly every other day since and I defiantly think that this is a great workout for me. The majority of the routines are around 18-25 minutes long (Note: I'm only on beginner) so I try to work in other aspects into my routine but this is defiantly a start.

Some of the features the game has are recipes, calorie counter (you in put your own calories), tips, routines, quick choice on exercises, challenges and a weekly weigh-in dun-dun-duarrrrr.

Overall I give this "game" two thumbs up and would suggest to everyone. Its a great variation from my other routines and my painful thighs show that it targets other muscle groups that could be missed. For around £10.00 whose complaining?

If you have tried and tested or want me to try and test any other Wii exercise games please leave a comment detailing what it is and let us all know how it is alternatively you can mail me here:)

Roo xoxo

* Weekly update - Post Binge and Nominations *

Firstly I wanted to say a huge thank you to Lex  (please check her out, she has lost an amazing amount of weight) for nominating me for " The Versatile Blogger" award (I'm sorry it has taken me a while to post this but it really does mean a huge deal to me). It keeps me motivated knowing that people read and appreciate my blog. Thank you again!

So rules state that I had to share seven things about myself. And just because I love talking about myself this is pretty easy.

1. I love holidays! I don't mean the type were you go to Spain. No, I mean Easter, Christmas, Halloween, Bon-fire night etc.
2. I love anything scary - I love a good old scary movie and I love to read about crimes, mysteries and murders. Gore-tastic!
3. I work full-time with children and I am also a full-time student of a degree in Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education. I adore what I do and wouldn't change it for the world.
4. I hate raw tomatoes with a passion
5. I'm growing my hair with the intentions to have it cut off and made into a wig for a child who has lost their hair as a result of cancer treatment.
6. I often get asked if I am of Italian or Mediterranean heritage - As far as I know I'm not. Put will keep you posted on this :)
7. I have a passion for music and anything Rock n' Roll - I <3 Buddy Holly!

So there are my seven things about me. Now for my nominations...

Now don't get me wrong, I really do read a lot of blogs but my favourites are the ones that I can identify with. I don't want to leave anyone out so I suggest that you check out my "blogs that I follow" bit on my profile. However I did want to do a shout out to a few ladies that keep me motivated and make me laugh when no one else can. For that I thank you.

• Miss Frangipani
• Liz
• Tricia
• Lindsay

Moving on to my weekly update...

This weekend has all been about getting back on track. If you read my previous post you will know that I had a binge that lasted four whole days. The first thing I needed to do and my least favourite thing I had to do was weigh-in and find out the damage. So, it shows a gain of 6lb. I know what I have to do to change it, and as Abby said on the Biggest Loser as a reason for wanting to shift the lbs "I was to live and not just exist". I know I can do this.

My goals for next week are:

• Track every single day - I've pre-tracked everything, setting myself a meal guide for the week. This should help to keep me on track
• Work-out - I haven't worked-out for a few days due to being in a lot of pain but I can walk now so if it means I walk as my means of exercise I will. There's nothing wrong with that.

Have a great week guys.

Roo xoxo

* "No One's in Control But Me" - Dealing With a Binge *

"No one's in control but me" - Shay

This quote couldn't be more useful to me than right now. I've had one of my lowest weeks in a long time in which I pretty much gorged on anything and everything I could find. I'm being honest when I say I binged so much that I was physically sick. Yes, that's right. I vomited due to eating so much junk. I ate and ate for a full four days straight. Admittedly this isn't the longest binge for me but I have never eaten so much that I vomited. Never. I felt pretty embarrassed of what I had done and shut myself off from everyone. After all who am I to say anything about weight-loss and fitness when I choose to eat such an substantial amount of food that I vomited.

But I'm over being ashamed of my actions and feeling like a failure! After all Jillian (Biggest Loser) said that to be successful you need to "redefine your view of failure. Its a learning process, you have to make a few mistakes to learn".

So logically the first thing I had to do was pin-point the reasons why I binged.

1. I was home alone for ten hours a day and decided to take advantage of the situation
2. I was in a lot of pain due to my chest and back and thought that the only thing that would make me feel better would be to feed my emotions (as you all have probably experienced this hardly ever works and you end up feeling worse, creating a never ending cycle).
3. Due to being in so much pain (to the point where I could hardly move) I was unable to workout and thought it best I give myself the week off - WTF?

So now that I was able to pin-point the reasons for my binge I had to tell myself to stop. I had to kept saying out loud to myself "The binge is over. Its behind me and I'm going to move on.".

So to sum my binge up - I have not failed. Nor do I believe that I have taken a step back. Yes I made a mistake but I have learned from what has happened because after all this is a learning process. And like another blogger recently wrote I don't believe that "I know or have heard of anyone that has got to goal without making a [mistake]", whatever the mistake may be. I'm happy and I'm ready to move forward.

Roo xoxo

*Weekly Update - Accomplishments*

This past week has definitely been one to remember for all the right reasons. I recently blogged about my revelation thanks to Jillian Michaels book titled "Winning by Losing" and have enforced my positive thinking throughout the week.  I'm really hoping that this eventually becomes a habit rather than a conscious decision. However at the moment I am thankful that I am capable of just viewing my appearance, actions and overall mentality, positively. This has undoubtedly made a huge change on my whole outlook.

Not only did a have a mental revelation but I also had a clothing one too. My previous weekly update detailed how after losing 11lb I was having difficultly finding clothes that fit me. My size 22 trousers were huge (around 3" too big) however when I tried on the next size down the trousers were too tight. So when I went clothes shopping at the weekend I wasn't expecting to find any bottoms that fit me. So it was even more of a surprise when I tried on a skirt in a size 20 (a size smaller than normal) and it came up to big! It kept falling down. I nearly screamed with delight in the changing rooms but held it back instead by jumping up like a deranged person. If you haven't guessed dear blog readers I eventually (after much jumping around and waving my arms) purchased a size 18. Yes that's right. A size freaking 18! Get in there!

(My cute size 18 skirt)

And just because everything comes in three's I have had some amazing workouts this week with a mixture of resistance bands, Wii Fit steps, dance and my new favourite "Biggest Loser" for the Wii. I will do a whole post dedicated to this new purchase but I absolutely love it! It has definitely added something new to my routine.

So to sum it up...

My accomplishments this week:

• I tried a new recipe which I stated I wanted to do in last weeks goals.
• I drunk plenty of fluids
• I tracked 5/7 days - I'm getting there
• I stayed the same on the scale
• I worked-out 6 days this week - This included taking Patch for a walk/jog at our local forest

(As you can see he is totally cream crackered)

My aims for next week:

• Track 7/7 days
• Keep up the fluid intake - I'm sure this is becoming a habit rather than a conscious decision
• Work-out
• Try a new recipe
• Continue with my positive thoughts

And just to start the week off well regarding my aims for next week... I love this photo because not only am I smiling but I feel super happy mentally too. What more could someone ask for!

Have an amazing week guys,

Roo xoxo