My customised weight-loss plan from Jillian Michaels

I can't wait to get to Melbourne and start my new exercise regime. I want to get a treadmill and I can do that for say $10 a month. I want to get into the habit of bicycle riding and walking and running and doing aerobic dance classes as well as eating better. I can't wait to eat better. I will change my life!

1. Sweat

"You're a Pear - but you can pare down!

Like all pears, you tend to store fat in your lower body, so you're probably carrying extra weight around your hips, buttocks, and thighs. Anyone can be a pear, but this shape is more common among women, and it actually evolved because fat stored in these areas aids in fertility and breast-feeding. It's an interesting fact — but I know as well as anyone that this type of fat is harder to lose.

Not to worry! I have exercises that will target your fat storage areas. My personalized program will help you alter your pear shape. But you got to get a grip — you can only win against genetics up to a certain point. Once you understand this, you can let go of unreachable goals and replace them with real ones.

I'll create your personalized exercise program based on the days you prefer to work out, the goals you set for yourself, and the exercises you enjoy. After all, if you enjoy your workout, it's easier to stick to.

I'll encourage you to:

+ Have fun aerobic dancing! Depending on intensity, you could burn 500 calories an hour.
+ Cycle — indoors or out. At 13 mph, you could burn 600 calories an hour.
+ Power walk. You can do it anywhere, and at 4 mph, you’ll be burning at least 250 calories an hour.
+ Run indoors or out. All you need are good running shoes. And at 5 mph, you’ll burn over 400 calories an hour."

2. Science

"You're a balanced oxidizer.

Because you crave fruit and bread as well as salty foods, cheeses, and meats, you may be a balanced oxidizer. This is the fancy term for your metabolic rate. It simply means that you need equal proportions of protein, carbs, and fat to process the nutrients in your food optimally, and to produce and use the resulting energy. Lucky you — your diet is the easiest to follow! You feel your best on a diet that incorporates a wide range of foods, and your ideal macronutrient ratio is 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat.

But the bottom line is, you have to burn more calories than you take in. That's it. And to really do this successfully, you have to eat the ideal diet for your body and metabolism. Believe me — I've struggled with this myself. And I've done a lot of research and work to figure out my ideal diet. And now I want to share my findings with you. I have recipes and snacks that will help you eat better for your body type. And I have secrets and tricks to make it easier. (I didn't say "easy.")

3. Self

"1. Avoid dangerous situations. STOP driving by the doughnut shop on your way to work. When you go out to dinner, ask the waiter not to bring bread to your table.

2. Get a hobby. Start taking your dog on longer walks. Fix up your attic. By focusing on positive activities, you'll find yourself becoming more relaxed, happier, and thinner!

3. Curb mindless eating. Don't eat while standing up, and don't skip meals. Brush your teeth after every meal and snack. Food never seems as appealing when you have that toothpaste taste in your mouth."

* I was just thinking about the toothpaste thing the other day! I hate eating after I've brushed my teeth and I thought that if I do that when I want to eat but am not hungry then I can stop eating unnecessarily. It'll work too.

A quiet Saturday night

A recipe to try --

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Mum has almost finished making some maxi-skirts for me and I love the grey one. The black one clings a bit because I'm a bit chubby around the tummy and thighs at the moment despite being a size 10-12 [12 on the bottom half and 12-12 on the top half] but this is all going to change once I get my own place and start everything afresh. Fitness and healthy eating are a must. Jillian Michaels will be proud!

In not so comforting news, all of my Sydney plans are on hold until I find out whether or not I've been accepted to the Uni on the 19th or even in early February. I can't apply for accommodation as they need my student details, which I don't have, and I have to wait to do the same with Centrelink. It's quite annoying. Some houses might not need me to be a student but mum said some might be reserved for students. I'll see how I go. I guess I really have to wait until the 19th in case I don't get in as it's a real possibility. Drat this all. Well I want to go over anyway so I'll apply for houses ... wait, if I don't get in straight away then I can stay a little longer and spend time with Jan and Fra before I head off. It all depends on the 19th. Damn it.

Going over to my quarters to watch Bicentenial Man. I'm not sure I've seen it before but it'll be decent. Last night I watched My Boy Jack with Daniel Radcliffe. Not bad! Very war oriented but that's fine.

Houses

Very recently I have begun thinking about having my own place and feelings of loneliness that will inevitably visit me and have started picturing things I'll have in my house. I did some searches on the Fantastic Furniture website this morning and will be able to pick up a bed for between $200 and $300 and some other furniture in my budget range. I want a hall table and a dining set and a screen/partition or two in case I get a studio apartment and a little lamp/bedside table and a desk and an arm chair and a couch [normal because their sofa beds are expensive] and a coffee table and I'm sure there are other things I'd like to get. I can't go too crazy. I picture myself getting just a bed to start off with, living very simply, but over time filling my house with cute things. It'll be nice. I do want to get a few things before I head off, like some kitchen items I'll need for Making the Cut. I'll try and fit in a few pots and pans and things like that so I'm not having to buy that stuff again. It's becoming more and more real, which is scary and exciting at the same time, but if I get lonely I have to remember that life is great, I have my health and my family and friends, who are only a phone call away, and that I was bored here in Hobart. It'll work out. I can always go and visit Joyce and cousin Sam and will probably meet Annie over there on/around Australia Day. I'll be alright.

I am going to take this opportunity [aka the move] to cleanse out my life, to finally get organised once and for all. With the help of Sorted: The ultimate guide to organising your life -- once and for all and these posts by Kendi Everyday [Create a Working Closet, Part 1: Purge; Create a Working Closet, Part 2: Assess; and Create a Working Closet, Part 3: Organise] I will finally get organised and get into great habits. I will be taking the 30 day challenge with Jillian Michaels and thus be organised in the kitchen and be changing my life forever. It will all be great. I am worried about not having the internet but I can always go to the Uni for that. I might get it one day, when I get a new laptop that is, but I'll be alright to begin with.

Alison said she would rather be a referee instead of writing me a reference. I guess it makes it easier for me but I wanted to avoid people having to keep calling her over the years but I guess once I'm in the museum business I won't need to have her on my reference list anymore. I will get one from Rona though and Tony Mathews, a family friend, will write me one. I just think it'll be easier but each to their own. Alison said she can say more over the phone and that she wouldn't know what to write. Fair enough. I wouldn't know what to write either. I can't wait to finish working there. My last day will be Sunday the 23rd just because if I get into Sydney I'll head off sometime in that week starting Monday the 24th so just to be on the safe side I'll finish on the 23rd. I am really looking forward to it. I might make a bit over $2000 before I head off, and hopefully Centrelink will kick in soon after I get my Sydney acceptance [still praying I do] and can actually fill out the online claim. I can't until I have details such as my student number. It'll all work out. I am seriously wondering if I can line up a house before I even get there but I'm not sure how that will go. If not, I haven't organised a home stay because the friend of a friend room for $70 might still be occupied. I could stay at BASE for a few days or at cousin Sam's but it'd be great if I could have a place to go to despite not being able to see it in person. I might actually have to wait to inspect things in person. Otherwise I might not be happy. That's a bit annoying though. Drat it. I might be able to set up inspections and only have to stay in a backpackers for a few days. Hmm. Tricky stuff.

Make your dreams come true

Tonight I watched Because I Said So on TV and loved it. It's such a cute movie. One day I'll buy it and watch it again. I am very particular about watching movies. I like to hear everything, get it the first time, and I hate being with people who talk through movies, like my sister, when all I want to do is concentrate and get the flow of the thing. My sister and I are both Scorpio's so we can't spend too much time together or we get crazy at each other and I felt that tonight. We clash and when I am around her too much I get more and more Scorpio. That annoys me about myself a bit because I'm trying to be less stereotypically Scorpio, not so moody for example, and she, bless her, sometimes makes that hard. I'm glad the movie is over. Now I can calm down.

I love my dad. He's great. He has a lot of weight on his tummy but he's tall and skinny and correctly proportioned everywhere else. Mum said she's tried to cook healthier but that he doesn't want to do anything about the weight. He just came into the kitchen and got a margarined slice of bread, something I would do, and it made me think of the weight. I'm experiencing something similar and can't wait to get stuck into Jillian Michael's 30 day shred and it made me feel sad for pappa. He probably doesn't want me to feel sad for him though, as I've noticed people don't, so I'll keep it to myself. I feel bad repeating these thoughts here but didn't not want to write them. I'm sure he's content. It's so hard to change though. I've wanted many times to get fit and toned and smaller but haven't done it. I am determined to do it though. I keep thinking about how in this short lifetime I have been blessed with I have to do everything I can to make it fantastic. I want to do so many things like travelling and partaking in extreme activities [some of which I have already done, namely bungy jumping and sky diving] such as para-gliding and flying in a hot air balloon and I've learned a lesson. Getting fit and making sure I have the best, healthiest body I can is top on my list. I want to be thin, but not anorexic, and what I'm trying, quite badly, to say is that if I want it I have to go out and get it because if I don't I'll regret it. I don't need anymore regrets [I don't have that many...] so I've realised that what I want won't just happen, I have to make it happen. This year I'm going to make it happen.

Making the Cut

I've been reading Making the Cut by Jillian Michaels today in preparation for my 30 day program and found some wonderfully inspirational words I want to share here.

Our relationships are nothing more than a reflection of the relationship we have with ourselves.

Lack of sleep can also trigger release of cortisol, a nasty stress hormone that promotes abdominal fat and is responsible for making us feel hungry even when we are full.

Studies have shown that people who live in a cluttered environment are more easily distracted, overwhelmed and stressed. By clearing things out and organizing your life, you are making a statement that you are ready to let go of all the superfluous crap you've been hanging on to and be open to new possibilities.

If you let go of old conceptions of yourself, you can maintain an open mind and be open to all possibilities. What we believe about ourselves dictates the way we interact in the world. It is imperative that you let go of the past in order to re-create yourself in the present.

I love all of these quotes.

To me, Sydney is about more than just going to Uni, it's about changing my lifestyle, obtaining the best body of my life inside and out, and making permanent changes to reprogram my deep-rooted laziness. That's why I want to live alone, so I can control my environment and get completely organised. I would like having people around but I believe this is the way I need to do things, if I can swing the money side of it. I'll go into Centrelink tomorrow and start the ball rolling.

Changing my lifestyle

Next year I'm going to get thin. I mean it this time. Next year is the year I finally get fit and toned and smaller. I want to lose 10 kilos and with plenty of help and a new eating regime I can do it. I imagined myself thinner last night and liked it. I can do it and will. I have to do the things I want in this life otherwise they will never come true. If I want something I have to go out and get it. It's not just going to happen for me. It'll be worth the struggle and it's about time I did something instead of being so lazy. I'm going to change my lifestyle!

Boxing Day

I finally started packing some of my stuff up to take with me when I first head over to Sydney. It felt good. Mum and I were talking about Sydney in general in the car on the way home from James and George's house for a Boxing Day gathering and I don't like how semi-negative it is. It's like she is planning it all out for me but I'm optimistic! It'll work out just how it's meant to and I have a good feeling about it all. She keeps on saying how I should stay in a home-stay situation for the first semester or something insane like that, till I get settled at Uni or whatever. I only plan to stay in a home-stay until I find a house to live in then I'm straight out of there. Centrelink will give me money, I'm sure of it, and I have enough to live off for a little while. It's not a huge amount [$1500 at the moment] but it's going to grow a little. I will find a job because it won't be that hard. It feels like my dreams an optimism are being diminished. It's going to be great and I'm going to do it for myself. I just hate all the realistic talk. I am somewhat realistic but I'm also hopeful. I hate that these discussions are always too realistic. It's too much.

I've been watching Scrubs since I finished Gilmore Girls again. I like that Scrubs makes me laugh. I'm now finally onto the last season but am finding it strange because it's set as a medical school and J.D.'s hair is weird. I want to know how it all ends. I hate that they didn't show J.D. and Elliot's wedding or the story of them getting pregnant. Drat that. The kind of did at the end of the eighth season but it was only J.D.'s hope. It's good though.

I'm so tired today. I think it's because I spent most of the morning in bed, despite waking up at 930ish and putting Scrubs on. I didn't get out of bed until 1145 and had briefly closed my eyes, while not sleeping, for a little bit. That must have counted as sleep to my body.

I'm not going to take my DVD player because my computer will act as a DVD player! That way I don't have to get a TV, although my laptop is very old in all uses of the word so it might not be very fun. I am going to take some DVDs though, like some anime, some movies, and some of my TV series. I'm sure I'll buy more over there. I wish I could get a new laptop. The internet won't work on mine. I've packed up some little things like my organisation books/lists and some anime/manga but there is a lot to do.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I really do need to work on my Travel Books but as if that'll ever get done. I'm so lazy I keep forgetting about it. I'll probably have a rather boring day. I might go for a walk with KT. I haven't done that in a while and I think it's about time. I do need to organise my Making the Cut 30 day meal plan so I could do that, pack some more, make some earrings. Anything but watching endless episodes! I'll do something productive. I also need to organise my clothes. If I put only what I need in the draws I have then it'll be easier when I need to pack. Tomorrow will be a productive day!

Love in 2011

Lately I have been religiously checking my daily horoscope on my phone and last night after midnight I checked the one I got for today. I love it.

A new year is coming, Scorpio. And it comes with the chance to begin again. What will you write on your fresh slate? Hopefully you have learned a lesson or two about love, and about hanging on to a good relationship tight enough to show you care, but not so tight that you smother it. Even though we're only entering the second week of December, it's not too early to start composing your resolutions for 2011. Make your love life a priority for the coming year. It's your time to shine, and love should be at the top of your list of priorities.

Love and family, travel and my career are the three things on the top of my life list so this fits in perfectly. Whenever I think of next year I think of falling in love and finding that illusive soul-mate as well as starting the year with a fresh slate. After this year I need it. I am so excited. Panda [a work mate] and I were talking about relationships last night and I really miss being in one and having an ongoing dialogue with someone but at the same time it's good that I have this chance to rearrange my life and focus on what I want in it. I am glad I'm not with Yorick anymore and it's great because I didn't know I wasn't getting what I wanted. Thanks to starting the BSW, I now have the skills to thoroughly examine relationships or anything really even when I'm in it. I just have to look deep and figure out if I'm getting what I want.

I am amazed at how accurate this horoscope is concerning my desire for a fresh slate next year. I can't wait to go out on my own and make a life for myself. I want to have fresh berries in the fridge for breakfast and make banana bread again and eat healthily. I want to do Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut over 30 days and get my dream body. I want to find a great house for a great price not to far from Uni if possible [or in cycling distance] and study my butt off so I can get into my dream career. I want to meet the man I'm to marry and go on holidays with him and settle down. I want it all and next year is when I'm hoping it will happen.

I love imagining the house I'll have and over time getting furniture and filling the empty spaces. It will be great to have my own space and make it just how I want. I might have to get re-inspired by Carrie Bradshaw. I want to get vases and flowers and fish and I want to frame my posters and have a table by the front door for my bag and keys. I would love an outdoor table and 2 chair set and one of the wicker egg-shaped chairs. It'll be fantastic.

Making the Cut

I'm looking forward to starting Jillian Michaels program. Before that I'm going to have to sort out all the recipes and adjust the 30 day meal plan that's in the book as I don't like a lot of food normal people do. Nuts and red meat are two examples of this. It'll be a nice distraction from all the boredom. I'm also going to do daily blog updates about it and take a before and after pictures, as is suggested in the book, and document it completely. I'm excited about it.

5 things to do by the time I turn 25 -- A post inspired by Katie Kukulka

5 things to do before I turn 25.

1. Get on my career path.

I am so glad I have finally figured out what I want to do, and that is to be a museum curator. It makes sense as throughout high school I really loved watching shows on mummies and tombs and ancient civilisations. In SOSE I loved the history but I never really though about doing anything related to that at Uni. Sometimes I wish I had figured it out earlier [to tell the truth I didn't figure it out, I went to a career counselor at Uni and he suggested it when I mentioned I was interested in anthropology and archaeology], done a more relevant degree, but I am where I am and it's too late to start heading in this direction. It's going to be a fascinating journey. I have already started volunteering at the Maritime Museum, have been accepted to Deakin, am waiting to hear back from Sydney, and once I know where I'm heading I'll volunteer more and stick my head into the text books. The Spring/Summer school unit I'm doing at the Art School is super relevant and will give me even more experience. Once I have a diploma in museum studies I'll be able to apply for jobs, work in the field, then do my masters part time. I want to travel the world and work in museums, do some archaeology volunteering perhaps, and work in a field I love. I hate waiting to find out whether or not I'll be accepted to Sydney as I can't make plans as to where I'll move to but knowing what I want to do is great and I'm already on the path. I just want to start the diploma and truly be on the path.

2. Get into shape.

After years of wishing I was thin and confident enough to wear jeans with no skirt over the top or bathers with no board shorts, now is the time to kick myself into shape. I am going to religiously follow Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut next year when I'm in my own home and can have no distractions like other foods and can use the whole kitchen worry-free unlike at my parents' house. I want to be able to focus solely on this quest and make it last longer than the 30 days so I can keep my newly rocking body. When I'm in my new home, I want to rent a treadmill and use it everyday. I want to take with my my exercise DVDs and not just look at them while feeling guilty. I want to feel confident in my own skin and realise I have the best body I'll ever have. I want to be in the best shape of my life and stay that way.

3. Get organised.

This is something I have always craved but never quite mastered. It can come and go in waves when inspiration hits but I want it to stick. At work I'm organised but at home I'm lazy, I'm messy, I feel guilty and do nothing about it. I want to keep my clothes and whole house tidy and organised. I want to keep to a cooking and grocery shopping menu/list. I want to have an exercise regime and, one again, stick to it. I want to be super organisational girl, like a superhero. I want to stop the laziness, have my to-do lists going, and get things done. I want to be busy with Uni and volunteering and work that I will have to keep on top of things. I don't want to slip with this. It's important to me and I will succeed!

4. Have my own home [rented but mine].

I can't wait till I move out of my parents' [still shocked I'm here at age 24 but it happens] and have my own home, to set it up just how I like over time and get into the best habits of my young life. I want to come home and be so proud of myself, how adult I will have become, so independent, and of that fact that I'll be living my own life. I can't wait to get handed a set of keys and realise that I did this. It will be a great day.

5. Find my one true love.

Around the age of 25, I hope I will have found my one true love but it's things like this that you can't plan. I just hope it doesn't take years to find him because I don't want to be too young before we start having a family. I want to be in love. I want to share my life with someone and have them share theirs with me. I want to be on the same level with him and be in a partnership, not a one-sided battle for involvement. I want to feel secure and blessed that I have found the perfect match for me. I want to plan holidays and the future with him and feel fulfilled. I can't wait for love.

So they are the major things I want to achieve before or around the age of 25. Thank you Katie for for inspiring this post and getting me thinking about what I want to achieve. I need to kick myself into gear!

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred

I just bought Jillian Michaels' book Making the Cut: The 30-day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You for $13.37 off the Book Depository. I just got the DVD in the mail today so I think once I'm in Sydney and have lots of space in front of the TV and 30 days in a row to dedicate to it I shall start. I don't want to start now and stop because of work and such interruptions. It will be part of the exercise regime I plan to implement once I'm there and settled in my new home. I can't wait to have my own home!