Tag Archives: weightloss

Blackmores Personal Health System Review and Giveaway

I’ve been on this weight loss gig for three months now.  Mostly it’s going well.  If you call a total loss of 12kg well (I do!).

I have a confession to make, though.  I haven’t been doing it on my own.

I’ve had some help.

Asher Keddie is not only beautiful, talented, and totally girl-crush worthy, she is also the ambassador for the Blackmores Personal Health System. Asher hasn’t been helping me personally but I like to think that if she knew I existed she would totally help me out – with all that spare time she has… I am not a stalker

Right, anyway.

I’ve been using the Blackmores Personal Health System to help me lose weight, and most importantly, reduce my stress.

When you sign up with the PHS you choose which programme you want to undertake: Stress (which I am onto week 8 of at the moment), Weight-Loss, Detox and Sport.

I chose the Stress Program because well, a lot of the time, I feel stressed.  The daily diary helps me track what I’m eating, how much I’m eating, and also tracks my stress levels each day – so that I can look back over it and find my main stressors.

Would you believe the thing that stresses me out the most is Roo? Even though she is one of the highlights of my day, she can so often be the cause of major stress on my end.  Toddlers are hard, tired toddlers are difficult and over-tired toddlers are horrific.

After realising what was causing me the most stress, I have been able to take a step back and really think about our days, how to avoid those major meltdown moments and the arguments over nothing (pink marshmallow anyone?) and when things do get out of hand, the PHS has given me lots of tips and tricks to help me get through it without having to hide in the pantry TOO much!

I am also using the food diary as a weight-loss tool.  In your PHS program area, you can choose a menu plan, exercise plan, watch tutorials, and my personal favourite – you can have a look at your nutritional analysis.  This is absolutely, hands down, my favourite tool of the online diary.

The nutrition analysis analyses (say that ten times fast) your food and exercise diary input from the past week and shows you how your nutrition is stacking up and what part of your nutrition and exercise habits you need to improve upon.  Being able to look at this overview is so helpful when you don’t have much time during the day to overthink each choice you make.  I have found that by having the information, I don’t have to think too hard – I know that I have trouble achieving a good amount of fibre intake, and that I have trouble eating my serves of fruit per day.  As soon as I figured out that this was a regular problem it helped me make quick and easy decisions about what to choose for lunch and snacks.

My other favourite features of the PHS are being able to make a connection with a naturopath (this helped me HEAPS because I had all these vitamins but I didn’t know which ones I should be taking!  My naturopath explained what each supplement was for, and which ones were OK to take together) and that the food and exercise diary is combined.  So you don’t have to go to a million different places on the website to find what you need.  It’s all there on your daily My Diary page, just waiting for you to log in and type it up.

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I’ve been struggling with decisions that seem like they are putting myself before my children.  It doesn’t matter how many times I hear: “healthy, happy Mum means healthy happy Bub” – it just hasn’t been sinking into my skull.

The Blackmores Personal Health System is allowing me to feel like I am doing something for myself, but that really does benefit my family.  I am healthier, lighter and happier.  The PHS is arming me with knowledge without the need to go to a naturopath or nutritionist, and so I don’t feel like I am taking time away from my kids.  Every now and then I don’t log in for a day, and rather than feeling guilty when I log in again, I just know what I need to do and get to it.  The PHS was designed specifically with time-poor people in mind.  The only thing that could make it any better would be a smart phone application.  Seriously, will there be an app for that?

Anyway, I like the Blackmores Personal Health System – who else wants to give it a try??

I am giving away TWO one month subscriptions worth $49.95 each!!

To enter, leave a comment below or on my Facebook page telling me what program you would choose from the Stress, Sport, Weight-Loss and Detox programs. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below and Bob’s your uncle!!

Good luck!

**Dislosure: I received a subscription to Blackmores Personal Health System.  No payment was offered nor requested for this review. All opinions expressed are purely my own.  Asher Keddie is not my friend and I only wish she was.  I am seriously not a stalker**

 

Aussie Giveaway Linky
Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

The 52 Week Project: The one where I lose weight without trying…

Turns out I lost 1.8kg this week.  Which is really a 1.2kg loss towards my goal because I gained last week (damn you PMS and bloating).

Which is very  surprising.

Now, seeing as I am obviously a self-professed Weight Loss Guru, I thought I’d share some Weight Loss Tips from the past week with you:

 How to Lose Weight and Alienate Your Family:

1. Don’t get enough sleep.  This will make you cranky and pissy at your husband.  Because he obviously has been getting more sleep than you and is so damned chirpy.  He’ll be so cranky, he won’t make you cups of tea and coffee or snacks when he gets his own.  That’s saving calories right there.

2. Take your family for Maccas in the park.  And using some of your new found energy decide to play with your toddler on the equipment before sitting down to eat.  If you’re lucky, your other children will be hungry and eat everyone else’s food while they aren’t being supervised properly.  That’s saving calories.

Oscar.  Grand Theft Chicken. Guilty.

3. Be in the midst of just finishing day toilet training with one child, and beginning with another.  Mopping is fabulous exercise. That’s working off calories.

4.  In fact, just find some toddlers and take care of them.  Three seems to be enough to keep me busy and running around. That’s surely working off some calories.

5. Run out of healthy, fresh diet food.  And be too lazy to walk to the shops to get more.  You have two choices here.  Eat processed foods, bread or pasta.  All forms of your ex Fluffy Deliciousness.  Or drink some water and wait for your husband to get home. If you choose the latter, say it with me: That’s saving calories.  Also, today will be the only day you drink enough water, make it count.

6.  Migrate your blog to a self-hosted WordPress.  I swear you will be so preoccupied you will forget to eat.  And maybe forget to feed your children.  Once. Or twice…  And that’s with someone amazing (like Michelle from Little Hero Designs and Hosting) doing most of it for you! That’s saving calories!

7.  Drink wine.  Lots of it.  Because you are stressed and because it is yummy.  It’s not working off or saving calories. At all.  But it might alienate your family from you the next morning.

8. Take the 30 Day Sex Challenge.  Seriously.  Sex is great exercise.  Even if you are a starfish.  At least your heart rate rises.  At least I hope it does… Work it off while you’re getting it on!

9. Sit out the front and just look at the bogans walk past your front yard.  Be smug in your own less-bogan bubble as you sit on your floral outdoor lounge and watch your children play on your astro-turfed front verandah.  Smugness is good for weight loss, it would seem.  Who knew?

10. Walk to your local Big W, overspend and then present your husband with the receipt.  When he tries to go off at you give him the “You always spend more than me, so don’t even start look” and then run.  These people doing C25K aren’t really in it for fitness and weight loss, they just need to escape after admitting to a shopping spree!

In all reality, my weight loss to date (11.2kg) is due to increasing my water intake, portion control, mostly healthy eating and increased exercise (thank you Precious the Pram).

I am the smallest I’ve been since March 2010.  And now I fit into these shorts I bought in September 2010, even though I knew they were too small for me.  I am also obsessed with this new hat.  From Big W…

This week I’m hosting the 52 Week Project for Fiona at My Mummy Daze, while she’s on holiday.  Half her luck.  While she’s living the life of Riley (because being on holiday with your husband and children is so {NOT} relaxing) why not head over and like her on Facebook? Fiona has set herself a goal to get to 1000 likers by the end of November.  And then there will be an awesome giveaway!

The 52 Week Project

To see this week’s inspiring submissions from other Mummies in the 52 Week Project just scroll down and follow the links uploaded over the next week.

If you’d like to give it a go too please feel free to link-up below, or you can add your selfies to Facebook or upload them on Twitter. We’d love you to join in the selfie fun! You can find out more info here if you’re interested.
How to Linkup
  1. Follow My Mummy Daze (who doesn’t like some blog-lovin’?!)
  2. Grab The 52 Week Project button and post it in your sidebar or in your own 52 Week Project post
  3. Add the link to your 52 Week Project post (or add your Flickr URL) in the Link-up below
  4. Remember to share the comment-love and support the other project members!

 


Not a Manic Monday

To the Days of the Week,

I realise that you are quite used to getting letters of complaint from me, but I would just like to say that yesterday, Monday, was brilliant.

The weather was extraordinary.

The morning was stressful but over quickly.

There were minimal fights, arguments and tantrums from the Terrorist.

I believe, all in all, you could say it was almost a perfect day.

Except I did not get to eat any chocolate.  Or cake. And I didn’t have a glass of wine.  But other than those things, it was pretty wonderful.  And I guess I am OK with missing out on indulging in chocolate and cake.  And occasionally wine.

Because after 2 months of “missing out” I have managed to misplace 10kg!!

It can stay missing.

Only 28-30kg more until I hit a healthy “normal” BMI.

BRING IT ON!

An exhausted but happy Mama, with much clearer skin and hopefully one less chin!

This is part of the 52 week project with Fiona at My Mummy Daze.  Her post this week was beautiful! Check it and some of the other great 52-weekers’ posts!

The 52 Week Project

With Diary of a SAHM who is worried about her Blog Nemesis.  Which is totally crazy because as we all know, Jess is AWESOME!

Easy Peasy Spinach and Ricotta Quiche

Some weekends are bliss! Pal had a sick day on Thursday and inadvertently turned it into a three day weekend (for me, not him, because he wasn’t feeling well!).  His usual days off are Friday and Saturday, so I always like that we have a day where we can get the errands done during business hours, but still have that cruisy weekend feel!

We cleaned off the front verandah, which looked more like the local tip (no pictures, obviously – there really is only so much I will share)!  It was transformed back into a play area (as it should have been all along, and was last summer), the gate was reattached after it unhinged after a storm (with stronger bits – don’t ask me what bits, they’re just stronger, OK?).

Note old floral lounge for bogan people watching

All of a sudden, my children don’t even want to come inside! I considered putting the doggy door that is on the back screen onto the front screen, for ease of access for the twins.  Then decided against it. Simply because this way I can lock them out there.  And no, I am not joking.  There will be much less pantry hiding from me, and much more verandah play for the ferals children.

I also realised The Two are no longer tiny babies.  Lots more walking and running around, climbing, and eating!

I made a huge deep Pyrex dish full of creamy mushroom pasta bake, foolishly thinking it would do the boys at least two days of lunches with the leftovers.

Computer says no.

I also made this quiche, which was delicious.  I told Pal yesterday that I would be making it again.

Pal: Ummm, Daisy.  I have something to tell you…
Me: Yes?
Pal: I don’t really like quiche
Me: Pal, I have something to tell you…
Pal: What?
Me: I don’t care.

Easy Peasy Spinach and Ricotta Quiche
Serves 6

1-2 sheets of puff pastry (depending on the size/shape of your quiche dish.  I don’t have a proper one so use a shallow square pyrex)
6 eggs
1/2 pack of frozen spinach (told you it was easy)
200g Low Fat Ricotta
{garlic, salt, pepper to taste}
1 large sliced tomato or a good handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1. Get your pastry out to defrost (duh, but serial, I forget and then have to wait!) and preheat your oven to 180 Celsius (I have a Gas oven and often don’t preheat because it can make the difference between burning our food and not, it is hot hot hot!).

2. Mix together eggs, spinach, ricotta, garlic, salt and pepper.

3.  Place pastry in your dish in a higgledy piggedly mess, who cares the point is that it lines the dish, not looks pretty precisely and then pour mixture over.  Place tomatoes over the top (they will sing a little but don’t stress, they will still be delicious).

4.  Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, until filling is set (seriously, quiche cooks in some kind of time warp and all ovens are different).

Yes, it is that easy.  It is so easy I made the recipe up all by myself. (OK, so My Bestie Amelia was on the phone helping me but I did all the work and had the idea!!!).

I made another variant of this and added some bacon and onion, YUM!

I love this because there is only about 200 calories per serve (yes, I worked it out and added a few more calories to the total just in case. Thanks iPhone), which means I’m eating FLUFFY DELICIOUSNESS with a healthy conscious. AWESOME!

It can’t be too bad for you, I lost 2.2kg this week!

Linking up with Kate Says Stuff for Menu Monday and her System Junkies Week!

Does everything fall into place for you some weekends? Have you got a front verandah that you like to sit on and watch the children play? More importantly, is your outdoor floral lounge as noice as mine?

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