New You - the final installment :-)

After :-)

  

Before :-(

For those of you who have been following my blog closely, here are my own before and after photos. The official final photo shoot is next Thursday, and I haven't had my hair appointment yet, but I wanted to put these 2 photos in to show myself how much can be achieved in 10 weeks (this bit is not for the More FM version of the blog)

We are now coming near to the end of the last week of New You, and the New Me is very very happy!!
10 weeks ago I did not think I would achieve much in such a short space of time, but I am glad I have proved myself wrong.

I've really enjoyed being a part of "New You"- even though at times it has been HARD and painful. I think I have given 110% and am so pleased with the result. My achievements at the gym are way beyond what I expected I could do, and I'm going to keep up the gym sessions. A holiday to the Gold Coast would be fantastic, but whether I win that or not, I am amazed at my transformation over the last 10 weeks. I feel great, I am slimmer, and I will now be wearing make-up and heals sometimes. My legs have come out in public for the first time in years as I am wearing skirts again. I still have the new hair do to come next week, and today enjoyed several hours of shopping at Ezibuy. It was such a brilliant feeling to be trying on smaller sizes and having to choose an outfit for the final photo shoot. There were such a lot of things to choose from, but eventually with the help of Vickie, Cim and the other wonderful ladies at Ezibuy, I have the outfit - but you'll have to wait for the final photos to see what I have chosen!!

 

Yesterday I had an eyelash and eyebrow tint at Urban Sanctuary, which was another new experience for me. I LOVE the tinted eyelashes. I never wear mascara (I don't own any), but the tint looks great. I think I may well get this done again.

I had two more full on sessions with Melissa and Alice on Monday and Wednesday, which included a lot of time on the treadmill and stairs. On Tuesday, while my son was at soccer training, I decided to go and climb Mount Kaukau instead of sitting in the car reading. 490 steps, and 30 mins later, I was almost at the top, but had to turn round and come back down as I was running out of time. 50 mins was not quite long enough for me to do the full climb. On Wednesday, I told Alice about this, so after 20 mins on the treadmill, she took me to the staircase, and I had to run and jump up and down 490 steps again. In fact, we took it up to 513 steps so I could say I'd climbed over 1000 steps in 2 days.

Contours gym have been amazing throughout this competition - thank you so much to all the ladies there, especially Melissa and Alice, for all you have helped me achieve. I would love to lose another 10kg in weight, and will try and keep up the regular gym sessions to help me achieve this. My goal is to be at my target weight before we go to visit friends and family in the UK next year.

Thank you one again to More FM, especially the Morning Fix team, for giving me this chance to find the New Me - she was hiding below the flab that I had been carrying round for the last 11 years.

If you are also impressed with my transformation, please vote for me in the final vote on the More FM webiste :-)

Anne xxx

New You - week 8

Almost there - the end is in sight!! I have 3 more personal trainer sessions left at the gym, and although I feel great, my weight isn't yet down to where I wanted it to be at the end of the competition. I have lost about 3.5kg on the scales at Contours, but I have gained muscle, and lost fat. Melissa did some calculations on Monday by measuring my percentage body fat with a "fat pinching" tool, and I have lost 9kg of fat!! I would love to get my weight down to below 70kg by the end of the competition. I have stuck to my diet almost 100% but the weight loss has really slowed down.

I have had fun going through my wardrobe and finding clothes that now fit me again. I have even worn a skirt twice this week and shown to the world that I do have legs!!

On Sunday I had my final weigh in for the "Johnsonville Biggest Loser" slimming competition that I have been doing with 8 other people. I had offered to drop out of that competition when I won the "New You", but the others were very encouraging and asked me to stay in the competition, saying they all had things that would "help" with weigh loss, whether it was walking the dog, cycling to work etc.
We all put $50 in a kitty, and the winner would be the one who lost the highest percentage of their body weight after 10 weeks. I have lost 8.3kg, which worked out at 10.3% of my starting weight. I am now $450 richer - well I was until I went shopping :-) I have bought myself 2 pairs of shoes with heals - another first for me.

Today I had my make-up session at Urban Sanctuary - I was bright red in the face from my gym session, but with the help of some concealer, the redness disappeared. I walked out feeling beautiful - a rare occurrence for me. I hardly ever wear make up, and to have it done "professionally" was a fantastic experience.

I can't wait for my hair appointment in 2 weeks - I really need a hair cut, and my fringe is in my eyes!!
Looking forward to the new wardrobe of clothes too - I am trying to lose as much weight as possible before the final shopping session at Ezibuy.

Week 7 New You

Half way through week 7 now - only 3 weeks left. This week has been REALLY HARD WORK!! Melissa has really increased the intensity of the personal training sessions this week. I had my 2 sessions with less than 24 hours between them, both of which included my most hated exercise, the burpie!!! If you don,t know what these are, take a look at this video on You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgJVPNT7B5o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I have done about 40 of these in the last 2 days. Yesterday I had a circuit session up in the studio of the gym, which felt like an Army Boot Camp. I had to carry weights (about 100kg) from one end of the room to the other, jump up the gaps in a rope ladder on the floor, do push ups, crunchies, squats with punches, burpies and punch Melissa with boxing gloves on. I had to do all of these (and more) over and over again for about 40 mins. At several points I really thought I was going to either throw up or die! This was the hardest exercise session I have ever done, and I was as red as a beetroot for about an hour after the session finished. All this when I was still stiff and tired from Monday's session!! 7 weeks ago I was an overweight 45 year old who did NO exercise. I have lost a bit of weight and am definately fitter, but this session was way beyond anything I ever thought I'd be able to achieve.

Today I have spent the day at my son's school camp at Forest Lakes, and have endured the mud slide and water slide (into a freezing lake) - these seemed so easy compared to yesterday's session.

The week before the New You competition, I started a slimming competition with a group of friends. We have our final weigh in for that this coming Sunday. I am currently in the lead with a 6.5kg weight loss, but I missed the last weigh in. According to my home scales, I am at least 8kg lighter than when we started - I am hoping this is enough to win me the "Fat Pig" trophy :-)

Next week I have my make up session at Urban Sanctuary, which I am so looking forward to. I hardly ever wear make up so this will be a real treat. Not sure what surprises Melissa will have for me -I'll let you know!!!

Week 6 - Over half way

We are now over half way through the New You Challenge and I am really starting to notice the changes. I had LOADS of compliments last week and over the weekend from friends who can now see that I have lost weight - I LOVE it when this happens,as it really gives my self confidence a boost, and inspires me to keep going.

I have been really good with my daily exercises, even adding in a few extra km on the bike and some extra stomach exercises and press ups. I went for an extra session at the gym on Saturday (without a personal trainer) and decided to try jogging. I managed to cover 5km in just under 42 mins, with a combination of running, jogging and walking. I am NOT a runner, and I felt brilliant at the end of this, even though I now have a big blister on the back of my foot. Olivia from More FM appeared at both my sessions this week to take photos of me in action - at least she didn't arrive while I was doing "burpies" and star jumps.

My skin is now showing the benefits of the skin care from Urban Sanctuary. I have never really bothered with much in the way of skin care products apart from moisturiser, but my skin feels really different - much smoother and not so dry. I have had a weird dry patch on my forehead for years,and it's completely disappeared :-)

I am looking forward to my hair appointment at the end of November - all my gray is now showing and I am hoping for a lovely cut and colour. I have been told to expect my appointment to last 3 hours - what luxury! I am also looking forward to trying on the clothes at Ezibuy, but I would like to lose as much weight as possible before then. I have been told to cut out carbs at my evening meal, which is a bit of a challenge, but I have managed it for the last 5 days, and the weight loss does seem to have started again. Spag bol on salad is not quite the same as with pasta, but if it improves the weight loss, it will be worth it. I had a chat with Melissa about diet on Monday and she told me to eat more - which was great to hear!!!

Look out for the photos of me at the gym!!!

Week 5 already!!

I can't quite believe that it is week 5 of the New You competition already - and what a brilliant week it has been so far. I returned home from visiting friends in Australia to a very happy New Zealand - congratulations to the All Blacks. I also managed to lose weight while on holiday, which I was VERY pleased about. I had been good with my diet, and had kept up my daily exercise routine for most of the holiday. I also managed some long-ish walks, and went for a 1km swim on the last day of my holiday.

After arriving home at 1am on Tuesday, I was back at work and then at the gym for a session with Melissa. She said she would be kind to me and not do any weights, so we stuck to cardio on the treadmill. I managed to cover 3.5km in 30 mins with a mixture of running (upto 10km/h) and walking. I am NOT a runner, and this was an awesome achievement for me. I was back again this morning for another session with Alice, followed by a lovely relaxing facial at Urban Sanctuary Spa.

I happened to be leaving the Spa at 12pm, just before the All Blacks were due to parade up Lambton Quay. The road was clsed and I couldn't catch a bus home, so I just had to stay for the parade. :-)What an incredible atmosphere there was, and I got right to the front and even managed to touch the Webb Ellis Cup :-)

I'm looking forward to the second half of the New Me, especially more appointments at the spa, trying on clothes at Ezibuy, and getting my hair done at Kristina Raffaele's salon.

KIM and LISA - I have just spotted a link to Contact TriWoman series in March 2012 - how about the three of us "New You" women do this together? - or with Tarsh if she'd like to join us....

New You - Week 4 Update

Hello again. I'm not quite sure how I've got to week 4 already -time is going so quickly. Melissa at Contours said I should aim to be under 70kg by week 5, but with a week away visiting friends in Sydney this week, I'm not sure if that will happen. I have kept up with some of my daily exercises, but can't do the daily exercise bike ride.

We have done a lot of walking and I was very pleased with myself when I climbed 354 steps without stopping. I have always found going up steps difficult, and although I was out of breath at the top, I could hold a conversation and didn't feel like I was about to pass out!!! I even jumped up about 20 steps, like I did with Alice at the gym last week. I did have to check that no one apart from our little group was watching though!!

I have tried to make "good" food choices like choosing chicken over burgers or sausage at our BBQ yesterday, and having a diet coke when everyone else had an ice cream. I may not shift any weight this week, but if I can return from my holiday next Monday without gaining weight, that will be a huge achievement for me.

I have been following my daily skin routine with all the lovely products from Urban Sanctuary, and can't wait to get home and try on some outfits at Ezibuy.

Will let you know how much damage my holiday has done to my weight loss next week when I weigh in at the gym again.

More FM New You - Week 3  I love this picture - this is my aim over the next 7 weeks!!!!

I am now half way through week 3 of New You, and I feel GREAT!!
I have done more exercise in the last 3 weeks than in the last 11 years, and am now starting to feel the benefits. I have increased the amount of reps on the exercises I'm doing at home, and the gym session today was the hardest yet. I had to do loads of running up and down the stairs, climbing the stairs 2 at a time, and JUMPING up the stairs - it was exhausting. I must have climbed the equivalent of more than 20 flights of stairs, as well as doing leg, arm and core exercises. It was hard, but I was so pleased with myself at the end - this was a fantastic achievement for me as I hate stairs and I hate jumping!! Alice was really pleased with me - which was fantastic as I was so unfit 3 weeks ago. I have an extra personal trainer session this week (before work on Friday) as I am on holiday next week and wont be able to make it to the gym.

The weight loss seems to have slowed down, but I hope that is just a temporary thing. I am eating way less food than I used to - although I have been out for lunch and dinner today - oops!! I was very good when out for a meal this evening as I ordered an entree as my main, which is something I've never even thought of doing before.

Last Saturday I cycled a total of 25km on my exercise bike - all thank to England's poor performance in the rugby. I had already cycled 10km, but decided not to waste time watching the second half of the England/France game, and got back on the bike instead. I cycled another 15km, during the second half of the game.

My box of skin care products arrived today, with more than I was expecting - an extra sun block cream has been thrown in - thank you Urban Sanctuary. I look forward to starting my skin treatment tonight. I went and had a look around Ezibuy with a freind this week, but I haven't been to try on any outfits yet.

I hope I can keep up with the diet and exercise while I'm on holiday. I'm staying with a friend who is a brilliant cook - I must try not to pig out too much. I also hope that I can keep up with most of my daily exercises (apart from my exercise bike) and I may even attempt to go out for a jog/walk.

Thank you again More FM for giving me this chance to find a New Me - I really hope that in 7 weeks time, you will be pleased with the results!!

New You - Week 2

I am now half way through week 2 of New You, and I'm aching all over. I've just returned from another session with my personal trainer, and a "Skin consultation" from Urban Sanctuary Spa. The Spa is situated on Plimmer Steps, off Lambton Quay, and is beautiful inside - however I almost didn't make it!! My legs were hurting so much as I climbed the steps to the front door. I must still be recovering from Monday evening's session - especially lifting 90kg up and down with my legs. I'm looking forward to all the products arriving later in the week so I can try using them. Apparently my skin is in quite good condition for someone of my age - it is quite "plump" - is that a nice way of telling me I have a fat face??? I heard a fantastic quote recently about wrinkles - did you know that the best way to get rid of wrinkles is to fill them with food? :-)

I have now amended last week's blog to show my weight and body fat - I wasn't keen to make my weight public, as I haven't even told my hubby what I weigh, but I guess he'll find out now.

I spent an hour yesterday looking through the Ezibuy catalogue, and had fun choosing all the items I'd like to try on. I look forward to having a trying on session soon - could be there for quite a long time.

I have been really good with my daily exercises and have managed to do them every day except last Sunday - I gave myself a day off as I was worn out after going to watch All Black vs Canada (what a brilliant game!!). I've even done them on the days I've been to the gym for a session, so hopefully all this hard work will pay off. When I had my measurements done again on Monday, I had lost 700g weight (to add to the 5kg I had lost before New You started) and 4cm off my waist - not bad for 10 days. I have had to put my normal pair of jeans away, and am back into a slightly smaller pair that were hiding at the back of my wardrobe - yippeee.

Looking forward to week 3 :-)

More FM New You - Anne's first week

What an awesome time I have had since receiving the phone call from More FM on Monday 12th September. Life has been one big round of appointments and exercise sessions. Last week I signed up at Contours gym, where my starting measurements were taken. Here are my starting measurements - I have hidden a few as there are some facts that I would rather not make public!!!:
RHR 107
Blood pressure 126/82
Weight 75.5kg
Body Fat 44%
Height 157cm
Hips 112 cm
Waist 105cm
Butt ****
Bust ****
Thigh 52.9cm
Calf 38cm
Bicep 28.5cm

I have attended one exercise class, plus 2 one-on-one sessions with personal trainers Melissa and Alice. I am now aching in places that I didn't even know I had muscles, but I feel great!! I have been given a daily set of exercises to do as well - which are also painful, especially one called "hands to forearms" - currently it hurts just to turn the steering wheel in my car :-(

I have also enjoyed an introductory session at Urban Sanctuary Spa, where 4 further appointments were made. Next week I get a skin analysis and prescription, followed in future weeks with a facial, make up lesson, eyelash and eyebrow tint (not too sure about this - my eyebrows are dark enough!), and a spray tan! I am so looking forward to these sessions.

Today I had my first visit to Ezibuy, where I had a lovely session with Vicky and Cim. We discussed my body shape, styles and colours of clothes that I wear etc. I now have to look through the catalogue and tell them all the clothes I like. Next time they will have loads of outfits for me to try on - what fun!!

This evening I had to go out and buy new shoes as my current jeans are now too big, and the only pair I have that fit are 3/4 length. Matthew told me all my shoes looked silly with them, so I just had to buy new ones. I refuse to buy any more jeans until I can fit into the 5 smaller pairs in the wardrobe.

As well as all the appointments, I have also managed to meet up with the 2 other ladies Kim - who was at the gym the same time as me on Monday, and Lisa, whom I met for a coffee in Wellington library last week. I look forward to seeing how we all transform ourselves over the next 9 weeks.