Day 14 of 100....

What an awesome day I had!

Smashed my food choices, making the best choices I could and kicked arse at Zumba tonight burning 600 calories!!!

Who would have thought that I'd be 23+ weeks pregnant and still exercising?! I am so proud of myself for sticking to it. I am so determined not to let this pregnancy become another excuse to not exercise and be fit and healthy. There is so much to benefit from sticking to it, not only for mself but for my family xxx This makes it even more important to me as my family mean the world to me <3 <3 <3

I just need to keep telling myself, every healthy nutritional thing I eat and every step I take, helps my bubba have the best start that s/he can have. Not only physically with his/her development as s/he grows inside of me, but also mentally.

There is some research out there linking to a mums stress levels whilst pregnant can result in an unsettle baby and 'may' increase the risk of many early childhood diseases and health problems.

So in a way, my determination to be a healthier and fitter person not allow decreases my stress levels and boosts my positive endorphins and that awesome feeling you get when you smash it out at the gym or when you find yourself feeling proud of your self for making smart healthy choices; it is also benefiting my unborn child. This just makes me feel even more proud or my self.

And to top it off, the changes I am making for a better me are benefiting my gorgeous children and even my husband. I love the fact that I am being a positive role model for my daughter and son :D For them to see me trying my hardest to be a happy positive person in all elements of my life xxx

And my husband loves seeing a new me. A me that loves ME for whom I am. I have always been able to find the positive side to life and loved my life, but I have never really loved myself. But now as I make changes in my life for me and am beginning to love myself and the best thing about it all, is that it doesn't only make my life happier but those whom I love around me, as well xxx

There are so many benefits to staying fit and sticking to it while pregnant. Why did I give up so easily with my last 2?

Cheers Mel x

Day 13 of 100...

ARRRRRR so much for writing a romantic happy ending story....

Today, as always started well, went a little pear shaped in the middle but I was able to pull myself back together at dinner time.

But it is now the dreaded 7pm snack attack......The kids are in bed and well, this is the worst time of the day for me.

In the past it was my time to indulge in all the things I didn't want the kids to eat. Ice-cream, chocolate, biscuits, and so on. I have come along way since doing Michelle Bridges and in general, I can now control what I eat and make healthy choices but I let myself go and eat to much of it! I never thought there was such a thing as a healthy sabotagor, but that is what I am.

I have changed my way in thinking of what to eat and what is best for my body, most of the time, and that is a huge thing to achieve. I celebrate that. But I still need to curb my portions. This was something I was doing awesome at and as a result I was able to loss my weight. But at this stage of my healthy lifestyle journey I am struggling. Maybe it has something to do with being pregnant and my body wanting more calories to help my bubba to grow or maybe its my mind playing tricks on me? In the past, as I've mentioned many times, I used my pregnancies as an excuse to eat whatever. So I am wondering, am I really hungry and does my body/baby need the extra calories or am I just hungry out of boredom, the thought of food or the whole see food diet - see food and eat it??

I am really struggling with knowing the difference. I don't want to jeopardise my baby in anyway and I want to make sure I am providing all the nutrients s/he needs to develop. But at the same time I don't want to jeopardise my success in my journey and put all my weight back on. I am being realistic and understand that the baby is growing and putting weight on, so it is expected that I'd put weight on. But I really want to make sure that I don't put excessive weight on.

I just did some research on what Michelle thinks about in regards to weight loss and pregnancy (https://www.12wbt.com/pregnancy-weight-loss/normal-weight-gain-during-pregnancy/).

Actually to her stats and those of others, I should only gain between 5-9kgs. This would mean I have actually maintained my weight and the extra weight would be mostly baby, increased blood flow, placenta etc. So far I am on track, which is awesome and actually a little be exciting :D

At my next doctors appointment I will speak to my doctor and see what her thoughts are in regards to weight gain/loss during pregnancy. But from other online research I have done, if you have weight to loss it is ok, as long as bub is still growing and developing as recommended and so far bub is exactly where s/he needs to be, so another positive thing to focus on.

I will finish tonight with a quote I found from Michelle, which I think is something to really focus on :D

"Think of every bite you take as a building block for your baby’s development – with whole foods being far superior to processed ones. With that in mind, opt for an apple over apple crumble whenever you can" Michelle Bridges

Cheers Mel x

Days 10, 11 and 12

Opps....I seemed to have missed a few days and surprise, surprise, I also let myself go a little. However, It was my birthday yesterday so I choose yesterday to be a treat day and enjoyed every moment of it. 

As for Friday and today, I have no excuse expect, I just didn't make myself accountable and overate, and ate crap. The is no other reason or excuse. I just did it. There is no bullshit story here, it's just how it is, however as of now I am going write more of a romantic happy ending story for all of you to read and for me to live xx

Tomorrow is a new day, and I have already started it off better than the last 3 days, as I sat down, planned my week, went did the shopping, and cooked up a few meals for the week.

This week will be better than the last. I promise myself this :D

Here is to a better day tomorrow,
Cheers Mel x

Day 9 of 100...

Day 9 has ended with me being on a massive fitness high!

Ok, I have been doing Zumba for a while now, but have always been in the back few rows and just do my best in my own little way, never thinking that the instructor really noticed me. Don't get me wrong, she is great and very friendly, always making me and the other ladies feel welcome, but I never thought she actually watching how I Zumba.

Well tonight she asked me to get up on the stage with her!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LITTLE OLD ME!!!!!! At first I was like, "no, it's ok" but she insisted and said, "Come on, I see what you can do, get up here!"
So I said to myself, "What the Hell! Do it Mel"

I jumped up onto that stage and have never felt so nervous, but as I got into it my confidence grew. I have never felt so confident and proud of myself, in relation to my fitness, and to do while I'm 22weeks pregnant makes it even more AWESOME!

I would have never thought that I would be asked to get up on stage, but to actually have the confidence to bite the bullet and do it, is just amazing. I totally stuffed up the moves while I was on the stage, but I had fun and was on such a high afterwards :D

YAY ME!

This 100 days of  being accountable has been awesome! I know I am only just at the beginning, but my confidence in my ability to have a healthy and fit pregnancy is growing each and everyday that I reflect on my daily actions and thinking.

Loving life :D

Day 8 of 100...

Catching up with friends is always great, but also always involves food. In the past, I would just never think about it and eat everything that I shouldn't. Then I went through a stage where I would avoid catching up over food but that is harder than you think. So much of our social life is surround by food in one way or another. So I started taking the courage to meet up with food again, but I would analyse everything and become so focused on the food that I would not overly enjoy the experience, if that makes sense.

But today was different.  

Today my daughter and I travelled with another friend and her 2 boys to Wagga (2hrs away) to catch up with a dear friend and her daughters, who had recently moved to Tumut.

It was a great day of laughter and fun. We took the kids to the local botanical gardens where we walked around the mini zoo (mainly native, farm animals and a variety birds), and then took them to the indoor play centre, as it was looking like rain.

Today was different because, in the past we would just sit and drink coffee, eat cake and let the kids run wild. We still drunk coffee, but I was able to avoid the cakes/scones/slices, actually I didn't even want or consider having them, even though they were on offer and displayed for all to see. Instead I ordered a healthy turkey, cranberry and avocado focaccia without the chips! Ok, so I did eat some of the kids chips (chips really are a weakness of mine), but I also ordered water, 2 bottles actually.

When I think about it, I probably still ate to much, and I should have ordered the focaccia without the cheese, but the best thing is I was able to make healthier choices, without even having to over think food, and just enjoy myself and the great company around me.

Changers are happening and my actions are starting to become more automatic. I still have a LONG way to go and I need to work on my food analysation to ensure I am making the best choices for me at all times, but the fact that I can see changes happening in my thinking towards food is fantastic! Slow and steady, but progress is being made :D

     

Night all,
Cheers Mel x

Day 7 of 100

So I have been sitting here for the past 30mins thinking about what I am going to blog about tonight.

The more I think about my day and look at what I have done, nutritional and fitness wise, the more I realise that I've had a good day that I am actually proud of myself!

This is huge! I haven't felt proud of myself in relation to my weight loss journey since I fell off the wagon and lost all my motivation to be a better me.

You see, as many of you already know, it's hard to see yourself in positive light all the time. I was doing great with my weight loss and I was achieving great things. But then I things slowed down and my motivation slowly disappeared.

I maintained my weight, which is something to be proud of itself, but I begun doubting my abilities as I still had so far to go. That saying, "Don't focus on how far you have to go, but rather how far you have come" really are wise words. It is important to take pride in all that you have achieved to get to where you are now.

Even though my husband and I wanted more children, we weren't actively trying to conceive. We were previously (another reason for my healthy lifestyle change), but it just wasn't happening so I put 100% of my focus onto my weight loss. I was extremely focused and achieving fantastic results. Then BAM! We're pregnant!

We are super excited to be pregnant, but when we discovered I was pregnant, my situation changed and I needed to refocus and create new goals. But I struggled to do this. I didn't know where to go or how I was going to do it. I actually freaked out, as I allowed my weight to pile on during my last 2 pregnancies and I didn't exercise. I didn't take any responsibility for it all.

So after I got over the excitement of being pregnant again and the future that we are creating, my mind starting reliving all the negative results of being pregnant and I just assumed that all my weight was all going to pile back on. I used this way thinking to bring me down and completely destroy any motivation that I had left. But after a week of this, I told myself "Snap out of this Melyssa, this is not your way of thinking!!!"

Obviously my goals have now changed and weight loss is not actually my priority at this stage of my journey, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle is. Doing this 100 day blog, has allowed me to realise that I used my pregnancies as an excuse and that's the only reason my weight got out of control. I have now been able to focus on where I have come from and I can now see where I need to go. I have been able to clarify my goals for now and that I really need to hone in on building a bank of healthy habits.

Anyway, back on track. Today I am proud of myself!

Something for all of us to remember x

Cheers Mel x

Day 6 of 100

Today was about surprises :D

 

Today we had a trip to my in laws. It was last minute and I had not planned for my day out at all. Usually if we are going out for the day, I would have pre-cooked dinner so I don't have to think about it when we get home, and on top of that Monday's are usually my cook up day based on what I have planned out on Saturday night (Plan on Saturday; Shop on Sunday; Cook up/prep on Monday). So I had no plan in action at all.

My hubby's family are Lebanese and they LOVE their food. It's not terrible food, but they love lots of it and my mother in law loves to feed us up. She is consistently offering us more food, even if we have just had eaten. She is also consistently, shoving more food down my kids throat, despite if it is healthy or not. Her philosophy is basically, "as long as they are eating". I guess it is her way of showing that she cares and wants to show her love through food. It's her thing.

But lucky for me, today was a surprise visit and Isabelle hadn't had time to prepare a huge lunch. Even though she started pulling out pots and pans and was prepared to go and do a big cook up so we could have a late lunch, I was able to convince her not to worry and that we could just have leftovers. The kids usually only have sandwiches or wraps for lunch anyway.

I looked at what she had on offer and was able to make myself a 2 roast pork and cheese sandwich. Isabelle did try and convince me to eat more, "You are eating for 2 you know Mel"  (Roll the eyes) but I stood strong and replied that I had enough, but at the same time I was thinking I had overeaten, having 2 sandwiches. Lucky for me, I had only had 2 boiled eggs and a coffee for breakfast.

I did also finish lunch with a Cadbury mini Easter egg. I felt bad about this at first, especially because I felt I had overeaten already, but then told myself, it's only 1 egg, enjoy it.

As the day proceeded, I drank cups of tea and had cheese and biscuits for afternoon tea, but I limited myself on how much I ate and enjoyed what I did eat, ensuring that I was satisfied.

Then we left later then expected, so on the way home we pulled through, dare I say it, Maccas! This is another challenge I will take on soon, not to allow the Family to eat fast food! Anyway, I didn't order anything for myself. Instead, I had a selection of fruit. However, I did eat 5 Mcbites and a handful of chips. Even though this wasn't the best choice, it is still an achievement for me, as I was able to limit myself.

Anyway, once I put the kids to bed, I sat down and added up all my calories (I use my fitness pal) and to my surprise, I was under my daily intake by 150 calories!!!!!!

Oh and to top it off, the whole reason we went to the in laws was to pick up a pallet of bricks that we had there left over from when we built our house. The hubby is backyard blitzing atm and needed the extra bricks to brick up our garden beds. So I was standing there watching him load the first 4 bricks up, when all of a sudden I thought to myself,

"Why are you standing her watching? Get in there and help out! You won't have time to get to the gym tonight, so use this as your chance to burn some calories!!!!!"

What the hell was that? I actively thought about how I could burn calories!!!!!!

I got in there and 2 bricks at a time loaded the ute up! At a guess I would have burnt between 200-250 calories! I was stocked with myself, as at that stage I was a little down on myself for over eating at lunch time. I am loving the small changes that are occurring in my way of thinking!

So even though there where some choices that weren't the best, I did the best with what was on offer, and thought of ways I could counteract these choices and I was able to surprise myself!

Feeling rather empowered at the moment :D

Actually,
I hope that somewhere in the next WEEK,
you surprise yourself!

Cheers Mel x

Day 5 of 100

Whilst day 4 was all about failure, day 5 is all about the power of positive thinking.

There is a saying that goes something along the lines, "You are what you think". So if I continue to think positive, I will act positive and do positive things to improve myself and my lifestyle. Simple really.

The thing is this is nothing new to me. I have lived my life trying to be positive in everything I do, and letting any suffering I have encountered help me learn and grow rather than pull me down. However, for some reason, as I've mentioned in a pervious post, when it comes to my weight I seem to struggle with the whole positive thinking thing. Why? I am not really sure.

Today I focused on making positive choices and mentally high fiving myself each time I followed through with these positive choices. As a result, it has paid off today. Even though, I have gone over my calorie intake for today, 99% of my food choices where all healthy, positive choices.

I did eat a single 17g chocolate Easter egg, but I turned this into a positive encounter and I enjoyed every bite of it. I enjoyed the smooth taste of the chocolate as it melted in my mouth and my tastebuds took in all of its sweetness. But because I took the time to enjoy this small treat and really appreciated it, I was satisfied with this one and only egg. I didn't want to scoff another down another 10 eggs, even though in the past I could have.

I remember a while back my gym offered an 8wk nutrition program, which helped us look at food and all it's hidden secrets and tricks. Melissa, the nutritionist, made a point of saying,

 

"If you are going to have a treat, take the time to enjoy it so you can get the satisfaction from it that you are wanting. There is no need to keep it a secret and eat it as fast as you can. It you do, you won't allow time for your brain to comprehend what it is you are enjoying. Then before you know it you've eaten more than what you need or wanted and you feel sick for it". 

At the time, I didn't really understand what she meant and thought, "No, I'll just won't eat it at all" - I can be a bit pig headed and stubborn at times :D But the more I've tried to NOT eat certain foods, the more I have let it become a naughty little secret and I would eat it in hiding and therefore, eat more of it while I had the chance and not really get any satisfaction from this. So maybe her words were wiser than I gave Melissa credit for?

Staying on the positive track, I took a sneaky weigh in this morning and to my surprise I had lost weight!!! It was the first time I have lost weight since falling pregnant.

When I discovered that I was pregnant I weighed in at 87.9kgs. The lightest I've been in years. For months I hovered between 87.9 and 88.3, then the weight started creeping on. The reality of it all, is that I was using my pregnancy as an excuse and bad habits were creeping back in, hence why I started this 100 day blog.

Anyway, last week I was weighing in at 91.5kgs. I know overall, I have done GREAT to have only put on 3.6kgs, which is to be expected as I am growing another human inside of me, but it means a lot to me to NOT put an excessive weight this pregnancy, not like my last 2 pregnancies.

As I've mentioned, I am not actually aiming to lose weight during my pregnancy, but maintaining it means a lot to me and I can afford to maintain it, if not lose some as it will reduce my chances of being a high risk pregnancy. At the moment I am borderline high risk pregnancy. With my past pregnancies, my weight resulted in high blood pressure and low level preeclampsia. These are things I would love to avoid this time round.

Anyway, today when I stood on the scales I was surprised to see 90.7kgs flashing at me! That's 800grams gone since Wednesday! Maybe all this writing and thinking about my actions are starting to pay off.

Here is for an even more positive day tomorrow.

Cheers Mel.

Day 4 of 100.

Day 4 is all about failure.

I am starting to struggle in being 100% honest with myself!

Well more my readers I guess, I am know what I have done today, but I there were choices that I made that I wasn't going to tell you about. If I don't write them down, how would you know that I failed today? You wouldn't. You'd be lead to believe that I am doing awesome things and making fantastic choices for myself. But the reality is, even though I am making positive and healthy choices, I am also making many more bad choices and I am letting myself down.

But as I think about my choices today and think about what I am going write in the hope I'll keep myself accountable, I have realised that there is something positive in all this "failure" today.

You see, not only am I writing all my daily actions and thoughts down in relation to a healthier lifestyle for myself, I am writing them for my readers to read and therefore, I am also letting YOU down. I know that sounds a little strange and maybe even a little backwards, but it you bare with me I'll try and explain what I mean.

The thing is I don't want to let YOU down anymore than I want to let myself down. I am assuming that some of you are reading this blog to support me through my 100 day challenge, but many more of you are reading this to find some inspiration or motivation for yourself. Maybe you are trying to connect with someone else, so you are not alone in what can be a lonely journey. So not only do I need to be honest with myself I need to be honest with all of you so you can see that failure is normal. We all need to fail so we can learn and make change. I've read somewhere that fail simply means the First Attempt In Learning. How true is that? 

Therefore, my promise to you and myself is that I will continue to be 100% honest with you so that I continue to be honest with myself and be able to work through this challenge, learning from all my failures and hopefully you can learn from them too.

So yes, I made bad choices today, like chocolate cake, chocolate, extra pizza for dinner (yes it was Michelle Bridges pizza but I over ate yet again), but I will learn from this. Do I really need that extra piece of pizza? Is that chocolate worth all the sugar? Will I really enjoy how I feel after eating that piece of chocolate?

Let us all let FAILURE be out friend.

Cheers Mel x

Day 3 of 100

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

After having such an awesome day with my food yesterday, I finished it off by going to the fridge at 11pm as I was thirsty but instead I saw the creamed rice sitting on the shelf and processed to eat the remaining contents (about 1/2 a can)!

Not the worse food in the world, but I didn't need it at all! I wasn't thinking, "hmmm I feel like creamed rice", I wasn't craving it and I wasn't even hungry! I just saw it and thought YUM, I'll have a spoon of that, but contained till the contents where all gone. I didn't even have a drink in the end!!!!!

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF???? I will try and learn from this by making myself aware that I see something and eat it, even if I don't need it.

I am now making myself aware of this action and saying it out loud. I will think twice before doing it next time. Do I really need to eat? No, I don't need to eat just because it's on offer. I don't need to eat something just because I can. I need to stay focused and I need to look after my body as if its a temple to worship. Better still I WILL STAY FOCUSED!

Day 3 itself, hasn't been too bad. I have eaten well, but I could still drink more water. I have taken a liking to soda water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a few slices of lemon. I just need to drink more of it. I think I will reintroduce the timed water bottle idea. It helped me stay on track with my water intake in the past.

This was the key to my success with water intake in the past.
I only used one bottle and refilled it once I had completed my morning intake.
It was marked with morning times on one side and afternoon times on the other

We went out for dinner tonight, which can be a challenge in itself. Nonetheless, I was prepared and made sure not to over eat during the day to help cater for this. I chose Salt and Pepper Lobster with Asian Salad, which was adorable. However, I did eat some more HOT CHIPS!!! I do struggle with hot chips, they are a weakness of mine. Next time I will ask that chips are NOT put on my plate! Reduce the temptation.

I know its only day 3, but I am finding that writing this blog is already helping my way of thinking. Yes, I am still making mistakes and struggling with my poor habits, but I am thinking about my actions. I will finish tonight with the thought that, thinking is a powerful tool and weight loss is 100% a mental challenge. Your body won't go where you mind doesn't push it. So challenge your way of thinking towards food each and everyday guys.

Cheers Mel x

Day 2 of 100

Hi All,

I have been thinking about what I would write today since the early hours of the morning, and I feel that it's important that I point out that at this stage of my journey I am not actually wanting to lose weight, but rather maintain it and focus on maintaining positive healthy eating habits. Even though I can actually afford to lose weight and any weight loss will be a bonus but I am pregnant and the health of my baby is number 1.

But as important as that is to me, and believe me it's important, I am having a HUGE mental struggle with my mentality of "you're eating for two". My past 2 pregnancies I really used them as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted and to not exercise at all. But what's more, is that EVERYONE else around me seems to have this same mentality. "It's ok, you're pregnant", "It's not for you, it's for the baby", "The baby wants it" and so on.

Being pregnant differently is a "reason" to slow down when needed, and rest if you're tired and eat more if your body is asking for it, but it is NOT AN EXCUSE! I can not allow my pregnancy to become an excuse to not exercise (unless on doctors orders) or to make bad food choices. Just because I am pregnant doesn't mean I can eat whatever, or not exercise. If anything it is more important to keep working towards my goal of a healthier life style.

I am also being realistic here and not restricting myself calorie wise if my body is calling out for more nutrients etc. I was originally following the 12wbt pregnancy program of 1700 calories, but I found I was struggling to eat the 3 main meal proportion sizes, they are HUGE. I found that I need to have smaller meals but eat more often. So I am now following the 1500 program, just to get the proportion sizes for breakfast, lunch and dinner right, but eating more snacks more often, allowing them to total up to 500 calories, so I am eating 1700 calories a day.

But in saying that, if my body is asking for more food, I will eat. But this is where I need to really concentrate and make sure I am always choosing healthy options and that I am not caving into 'cravings'. I recently came across the flow chart below, and have been trying to follow it each time I feel 'hungry' especially if it isn't breakfast, lunch or dinner time.

I found this very helpful and has allowed me to really think about my eating.

Anyway, I am rambling on now. I will finish by saying, that today has been a good day food wise. I am going to the movies tonight and have allowed myself a small popcorn but this is a better choice compared to a choc top ice-cream or lollies.

I feel good today, and am proud of the choices I have made. I do need to drink more water and STOP snacking on the kids snacks. Well actually, I need to make the kids snacks more healthy, but I will continue to work on that also. Maybe that could be another 100 day challenge :D

Cheers Mel.

P.S. Please feel free to comment :D

Day 1 of 100

Day 1 of 100 and this is the first thing I saw on facebook this morning (yes I think I am a little addicted to fb as I hadn't even gotten out of bed when I saw this).

 

This rings so true, I have started doubting myself again, even though I have had some great success in my weight loss, I second guess that I am worth it all. The things is as I write this, I know I am worth it and I can do it, but I continue to have this mental fight with myself everyday! Why oh why? I do not know. Hopefully over the next 100 days, I can figure something out and move on from this.

 

Weight loss really is a mental battle with yourself. You are what you think you are! Negative thinking results in negative actions, yet positive thinking results in positive thinking. Sounds so simple, doesn't it? So why is it so hard to follow such a 'simple' policy??

 

The thing is, I have lived most of my life thinking positively and benefiting the positive outcomes that result in this way of thinking. I have had a challenging childhood which I won't dwell on here, but I could have chosen to let these events of suffering and challengers get me down and I could have chosen a different path in my life, but instead I have always found the silver lining. Yes, most of these events, I would have rather not have happened, but they have all made me the person I am today. Anyway, my point is, even though I mostly live my life in a positive manner, I just can't seem to do it when it comes to weight loss, well not for a long period of time. Yes I have lost close to 25kgs, and during this time I was focused and had my head was in a good positive place, but I have now come to a stand still and can't seem to find that positive way of thinking again.

 

I am hoping by writing down my journey over the next 99 days and being 100% honest with myself I will regain my focus.

 

So here is my run down of my first day....All in all today was an ok day. I still made not so good choices, but I made plenty of good ones too.

 

I did eat hot chips, Dinos (the kids chicken nuggets), Allens lollies and a packet of salt and vinegar chips. On the plus side, I only ate 2 nuggets, 4 lollies and a small packet of chips. Which is a huge achievement for me, to actually stop myself from over eating.

 

I also walked around town to do my errands burning an extra 257 calories and I just got home from a Zumba session, burning a further 561 calories! So I am stocked with that! I can't always make it to the gym so I need to be creative in the way that I can burn those extra calories during the day.

 

Anyway, here's to a better tomorrow :D

Cheers Mel

Intro....

Ok, I started my weight loss journey May 4th 2013. Well actually I have been on a weight loss journey for many years, as I have been overweight, actually obese, for many many years, but this was the start of my first Michelle Bridges 12wbt journey.

I had hit my all time high of 115kgs when I was pregnant with my second child. After giving birth I went down to 110kgs, but this was 20kgs heavier then what I was before falling pregnant for the first time back in 2009.

I was overweight, unhealthy and unhappy with my body.

Even though this photo shows the happiness I share with my gorgeous family, it was the photo that made me have my "OMG, I need to do something" moment.

I had a few friends who had already taken part and strongly suggested that I did too. So I took the plunge and signed up for Michelle Bridges 12week Body Transformation.

I have now completed 3 rounds and lost a total of 25kgs (I lost a few kgs before signing up)! I am over the moon and just love the new lease of life I have and can share with my gorgeous husband and adorable children, Madisyn Lee, 41/2, and Xavier John, 2.

21.3kgs gone!

We are now expecting our 3rd child. Due August 24th! We are very excited and can't wait to meet our new little addition. But all within the same breathe I am TERRIFIED I will lose control and my weight will balloon again! I am doing my 4th round of 12wbt, but I am doing the pregnancy program and allow myself to eat if I feel that my body is really asking for it (not that little fat person in my head).

Bubba Sarkis #3 Total love <3

I am so proud of myself for the weight that I have lost already and want to continue to lose, but within reason as I am pregnant and I need to make sure that I am looking after bubba.

I have continued exercising which is a bonus on my last 2 pregnancies. I didn't exercise at all with Madisyn and with Xave I just gave up after 8 weeks or so. I am now 21.5weeks and try to get to the gym at least twice a week but aim for 3-4 times a week. I have slowed down, but I am going to keep at it. I no longer do pump, boxing or spin, but Zumba has become my new found love, while I'm pregnant anyway :D

I was doing great with my food, but this is why I have started this blog. My food has gone out the window! I am overeating and eating crap! Don't get me wrong, I listen to my body and if I need to eat I'll eat, but it's the crap that I am eating that is a worry. I see so many old habits slipping back into my life and I am worried that these habits will continue once bubba arrives and that all my hard work will have been for nothing. As I mentioned, I am doing the 12wbt pregnancy program, but I think I am having more of a mental struggle with food.

So anyway, I am going to start "Mel's 100 days"! I got his idea off some lovely ladies from the facebook group, "12wbt 30+crew". 100 days to make myself really accountable and 100 days to make changes in my life to stay fit and healthy, not only for me but for my amazing family. 100 days to continue the healthy eating habits that I have already learnt from MB12wbt, and to learn many, many more.

Tomorrow will be day 1 of 100, and I will have 130 days till my expected due date. I am doing this for me, but will mean so much more to the little people that mean even more to me xxx

Cheers Mel x