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Introduction Text I'm a mummy of two girls and a boy. We live in the lovely country of New Zealand. I am losing excess weight and tone up to be healthy, happy and active for myself and my family :-) I joined Spark People on 18 January 2006 and became pregnant with our first daughter in February of 2006. I wasn't an 'active' member back then. I became an 'active' member in June 2010. At my highest weight I was 211 pounds (96 kilos) - not good or healthy on a 5'0" frame. There have been fluctuations since and recently (September 2017) I have made my health and exercise more of a priority. At the beginning of September 2017 I was the heaviest I have ever been ... During my last pregnancy I did a lot of walking and lost quite a bit of weight so I carried very small and actually ended up being smaller in size than when I began the pregnancy! I believe I began that pregnancy at close to 200 pounds but am not sure what my weight fluctuations were. It's now October 2017 and I have been back Sparking for a little over a month. I didn't really have a 'crunch point' to get back sparking but had my own 'goal' of 1 September 2017 to start making positive changes again. I was at my heaviest ever (108 kilos) and have lost 6 kilos so far but the biggest change is how motivated and great I feel again. Please feel very welcome to add me as a Spark friend :-) ............................................................................................... This was a blog I posted on Wednesday 29 June 2011 titled "Instead of Wishing ..." "Instead of wishing I could lose weight, tone up, reach my goals etc etc I'm making it happen! I got tired of being tired and fat, looking dull and feeling awful about myself. Something had to change and that something was me. I'm over half way to my goal of reaching 111 pounds - it will be a total weight loss of 100 pounds by the time I'm at goal. I'm feeling great and it's only getting better as I go along. I am making this happen. I'm not lucky. I'm not original. I'm not doing anything that others can't (with a few obvious exceptions of course) It's amazing how some people I meet while out doing my exercise and making it happen tell me how lucky I am to be so motivated and to lose so much weight. Really???? Um, I don't think so!!! I am MAKING it happen. It's certainly NOT luck. It's. damn. HARD. work!!! I am choosing to change and make it happen. I was unhappy and I want to be happy. Make that change! I'm not lucky. It astonishes me how some of these people, having asked me how I'm doing it and after my explanation, still believe I'm lucky and they couldn't do that. They could do that. They just don't want to. Getting up at 5am Monday through to Friday to exercise is certainly not lucky. It's far easier to snuggle in bed for longer but if I want to make it happen this is what I have to do to ensure I get time in for my exercise. I am a busy mum of 3 under 5 year olds. It would be very easy to say 'I don't have time' because, really, I don't. I MAKE the time and that's the difference. If you want something badly enough you will make the time, you will make it happen. It is not luck. Examples of LUCK in no particular order would be: $ Being at goal and never gaining weight. $ Consequence-free eating and drinking: - Being able to eat as much of as whatever I want and never having any negative health effects (weight gain, heart disease, diabetes etc etc); and - Being able to drink as much fine wine as I want (and being able to afford it!!) and never having a hangover or any negative health effects $ Always looking trim and toned with no loose skin. $ Never looking for feeling tired and old. So, this lucky Barcle has been for her 5.3 kilometre run this morning, is Sparking and ready to go .... and get breakfast for the monsters and myself. Yep, another day has begun. Have a great day all - MAKE it a great day! " Woohoo - on Sunday 18 September 2011 I competed in my first ever organised running event in Petone, New Zealand. I ran 10ks non-stop. I completed this in a time of 1 hour 7 minutes and 10 seconds. I competed in my second 10k race in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday 30 October 2011. I really slacked off my training and preparations and my time of 1 hour 20 minutes reflected this ... I learned that if you don't do any training and run 10.5 kms your body will seize up and it hurts! yikes! Some ABC's I have borrowed from another sparkpage: Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits Believe in yourself Consider things from every angle Don't give up and don't give in Enjoy life today; yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come Family and friends are hidden treasures; seek them and enjoy their riches Give more than you planned to Hang on to your dreams Ignore those who try to discourage you Just do it Keep trying: no matter how hard it seems - it will get easier Love yourself first and most Make it happen Never lie, cheat or steal; always strike a fair deal Open your eyes and see things as they really are Practice makes perfect Quitters never win and winners never quit Read, study, and learn about everything important in your life Stop procrastinating Take control of your own destiny Understand yourself in order to better understand others Visualize it Want it more than anything Xcelerate your efforts You are unique, nothing can replace you Zero in on your target and go for it It's not about counting calories. It's not all about what you eat or how much you exercise; the true secret to weight loss success is the timing of each. Research shows that our bodies' inner eat-and-sleep clocks have been thrown completely out of whack thanks to all-day food cravings and too much light at night. The result: You're caught in a "fat cycle: a constant flow of hunger hormones that makes you prone to cravings.." Ugh! But by tuning into your body's natural eat-and-sleep schedule, you can finally say good-bye to belly bulge. Follow this hour-by-hour slim-down schedule to control hunger hormones, banish cravings, and get a trim and toned tummy—fast! Here's the idea 6 TO 8 AM: GET MOVING. Within a half hour of rising and before you eat breakfast, do 20 minutes of cardio. Research has found that exercising before breakfast may help you burn fat more efficiently. If you can get outside, even better. Early morning sunlight helps your body naturally reset itself to a healthier sleep/wake cycle (regular indoor lights don't have the same effect). 6:55 TO 8:55 AM: DRINK UP. Before every meal, drink two 8-ounce glasses of water. Research shows that people who drank this amount lost 5 pounds more than nonguzzlers. 7 TO 9 AM: EAT BREAKFAST. The alarm clock also wakes up ghrelin, the "feed me" hormone made in your stomach. Ignore ghrelin and your body will produce even more, eventually making you ravenous. To suppress ghrelin's effect, eat a mix of complex carbs and protein, such as eggs and whole grain toast, within an hour of waking. 10 TO 11 AM: MUNCH MIDMORNING. Ghrelin begins to rise again a couple of hours before lunch. It turns off when you chow down, particularly on carbs and protein, so have a small combo snack, like blueberries and Greek-style yogurt. 12 TO 1 PM: HAVE YOUR MIDDAY MEAL. Galanin, another hunger hormone that makes you crave fat, rises around lunchtime. However, dietary fat causes you to produce more galanin, which then tells you to eat more fat. Instead, fill up with complex carbs and protein, such as chicken-vegetable soup or black bean chili. 2 TO 3 PM: TAKE A NAP. Instead of hitting the vending machines, find a quiet place to grab a few Zzzs. (Hint: Your parked car is the perfect impromptu sleep pod!) Just set an alarm--15 to 20 minutes will energize your body without affecting your ability to sleep at night. 3:30 PM: LAST CALL FOR CAFFEINE. Need a boost? This is your last chance to have a cup of joe. Drinking coffee after 4 PM disturbs circadian rhythms and can keep you from falling asleep at night. 4 TO 8 PM: TRIM AND TONE. Now's the time to do your strength training, plus any additional cardio. This is when your body temperature is highest, so you're primed for peak performance. In one study, subjects who worked out in the late afternoon or early evening built 22% more muscle than morning exercisers. 5 TO 7 PM: TIME TO DINE. To ensure you don't wake up hungry in the middle of the night, add a serving of healthy fats, such as flaxseed or fish oil, to your meal. If you're a wine drinker, pour a glass now. Drinking later can delay dream (REM) sleep, waking you frequently during the night. 9 TO PM: HAVE A PRESLEEP SNACK. Enjoy a carb-based bedtime snack, such as a serving of low-fat frozen yogurt. Nighttime carbs create tryptophan, which helps your brain produce serotonin. This feel-good chemical triggers your body to make melatonin, the sleep hormone. 9 TO 10:30 PM: POWER DOWN. Step away from digital devices, including the TV. They emit a blue spectrum of light that's even more disruptive to sleep than regular bulbs. Do something calming--read, take a bath--in dim light so you're ready to nod off when you hit the sheets. 9:30 TO 11 PM: GO TO SLEEP. Crawl under the covers at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning, even on weekends. Having a regular sleep-and-wake schedule helps you fall asleep faster over time. And of course Lose Weight While You Sleep! Not only can constant exposure to light disrupt sleep patterns, it also puts you at risk of weight gain. Mice exposed to regular light/dark cycles--16 hours of bright light and 8 hours of darkness--gained 50% less weight than mice that were exposed to more light. Not clocking enough dark minutes daily also suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin. The catch: Your body produces this sandman hormone only when it's dark. Any light--whether it's from the TV or the bathroom down the hall--will slow or stop its flow. 1. Install room-darkening shades or curtains to ensure your bedroom stays as dark as possible during nighttime hours. 2. Wear a sleep mask to keep out unwelcome light. 3. Block blue light. The blue spectrum of light is primarily responsible for shutting down melatonin production; replace regular bulbs in your bedroom and bathroom with low-blue bulbs to cut your exposure (find them at lowbluelights.com). Read more: http://www.prevention.com/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Body fat measurement formula: If you want to know how many pounds (not percentage) of body fat you have, here's the formula. Also, at the end of this post is the formula for lean body mass (LBM). Both are important in a weight loss program. I can't take credit for these formulas. They are in an e-book I bought, called 'Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle' by Tom Venuto. There is also a SP group for this book. Formula for body fat: First go to the BMI calculator and put in your weight. Get the number from the BMI chart that pops up. The formula is: Weight x BMI number = pounds of body fat. Example numbers (sub yours): 180 x 35.1% (from BMI chart) = 63.18 pounds of body fat. As you lose weight, the BMI number will go down, so each time you lose weight, re-calculate for body fat as well as lean mass. Also, to go along with body fat, just as important is lean body mass, or LBM. Lean body mass is your weight minus body fat. That is, your bones, muscles and organs. LBM however, does include ESSENTIAL FAT, which is fat that protects your organs. When losing weight, you want to see body fat go DOWN (obviously) and LBM go UP. The more LBM you have, the leaner you are. If you exercise and by calculating you see that you're losing LBM, then you likely aren't eating right. To gain lean body mass, the best thing is to strength train. Barbells aren't needed, hand weights are fine. So, the formula for LBM is: Weight - (minus) pounds of body fat (from previous calculation) = pounds of lean body mass. So: 207-81.30 = 126.10 pounds of lean body mass. Also, to build muscle, track your protein. Muscles need protein to rebuild after working with weights. If you aren't getting enough protein, you can supplement with whey protein powder mixed with water, soymilk or 2% milk. December 2012 onward I'm now in full time work, which is fantastic. The bummer is that it's a very, very, very sedentary job (I am on the phone for 9 and a half hours) and exercising at a lunch break is not a realistic option (that's not making excuses, unfortunately, it's reality) I love my job, but it's very mentally taxing, tiring, trying, but satisfying. I work 6 days on and 4 off comprising of 2 x 0630 to 1600 hours, 2 x 1600 to 0130 hours, and 2130 to 0700 hours. Jan 2013 - I've got to work on my focus and getting to my goals. June 2013 - now I'm 40 I've really got to knuckle down and do this!! ... 2013 has been a year of hard knocks for our family and I am soooo grateful that I have an optimistic and positive outlook because this could have really 'buried' me. Missing you so much Ronald Richard Scanlan - you are a super brother in law and I know you're looking out for us. Watching you slip away on Saturday 2 February 2013 was one of the hardest things I've ever done but it was so special to be there too. We all miss you so much.

My goals are: To be happy and healthy, to feel and look as fantastic as I possibly can :-) To exercise (in some shape or form) pretty much every day so that I can enjoy the occasional bit of junk food and wine - especially the wine - yum! Let's face it - I love my food and I love my wine so I will exercise so that I can enjoy both without putting extra weight on. Life is far too short to be denying oneself - work for what you want!! In 2011 I: Competed in two 10k running races - 18 Sept 2011 and 30 October 2011 Achieve over 20,000 fitness for the 2011 year I am 5'0". My highest weight was 211 - so when I get down to 111 pounds I will have lost 100 pounds!!!! WOW! For 2013 - I'd like to offload 50 pounds and get right back into my physical exercise. From April 2017 - Really get back into regular exercise and feeling good again

For 2013 - Walking at least 4 x a week for an hour. Run 3 days a week and build up to an average distance of 5.3ks. I aim to increase this average distance to 10kms by the end of 2013 with a 'long' run of around 15kms. I generally consume around 1300 calories a day and make appropriate adjustments for my level of exercise for the day. I am a gym member and I aim to do 2 classes a week From April 2017 - to do some form of exercise 2 - 3 times a week and build on that As at late September 2017 - I am regularly walking and aiming to recommence running in the next month or two. I also need to figure out a strength training programme to get everything working together.

I'm a New Zealander and I currently live in Wanganui with my husband Mark (aka the husband unit) and our three adorable monsters (Philippa, Alexandra, and Daniel) and the three cats, mustn't forget the cats! My real name is Rebecca :-)

I really enjoy my family, walking, reading, and drinking wine. I volunteer for Victim Support; helping those who have been victims of crime and/or trauma. I love being active on SparkPeople and often try to leave welcoming messages and comments to new group members but also to members whose pages I 'stumble' upon through other pages. I hope these help to welcome, encourage, inspire, and motivate others - that's my aim :-) I welcome friend adds - it's a great way to motivate, encourage, help, cheer on, and SPREAD THE SPARK :-) If it takes me a while to respond to a message or a friend add, please understand this is NOT intentional, I really do appreciate them, I just get a bit too busy at times. Keep working toward your goals, even if you have a set back or 2 (or more) you CAN do it!!

Add a Link Smile .... it makes people wonder what you're up to ;-) It is far easier to MAKE time to exercise than it is to FIND time to exercise. You want results???? MAKE it happen. Keep trying - you CAN do it - believe in yourself!
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