A Christmas or two ago a colleague was doing the rounds of the office with a plate of cakes and slices and stopped by my desk to offer me some. When I politely declined, she looked at me and sneered, “That’s right, your body’s a temple.”

And went on her not so merry way. Bah humbug.

This time of year is particularly rife with the Christmas Grinch’s of another kind; those who resent your healthy choices in the face of their not so healthy ones.

And in case you were wondering, no, I don’t wander about the office proclaiming that my body is a temple! If people ask about my weight loss I’m happy to chat about it, but don’t say much otherwise. I have a blog for that!

Which brings me to sharing my tips about how to manage the festive season.

Here are some strategies to help you out when it feels like everyone else is succumbing to the season of over indulgence.

#1 You eat 21 meals each week

This is my best tip. If you use just one, make it this one.

Look at your diary and work out how many social events you have in each week of December. Now, with 21 main meals a week, if you’re at a social event for six of them, there are still 15 where you’re 100% in control of what you’re eating.

So eat 15 light, healthy meals. And don’t snack if you don’t need to. You can find some healthy summer lunch ideas in this post.

That’s it. Do that each week of December. And maybe January as well.

#2 Don’t get the f**k its

Excuse my language, but don’t get f**k its and Eat All The Things.

Just because you have one big food and alcohol fueled night out doesn’t mean you’ve blown it and should continue on that path. The logic just isn’t there Frock Friends. Refer to tip number #1.

#3 Bring your own

The great thing about the festive season in Australia is that it includes BBQ’s, picnics and events where you’re asked to bring a plate. So bring a healthy plate! You’ll be surprised at how many people will be pleased to see healthy options on the table.

I like chicken, vegetable or prawn skewers on the BBQ, quiche, meatballs, chocolate covered strawberries, fruit platters, hummus and crudites and any number of beautiful salads.

#4 Eat before you go

If you’re off to a cocktail event or a canapes only do, don’t go hungry, as it’s all too easy to compensate from the mini spring roll platter or at the drive through or kebab shop on the way home.

Eat a normal meal before you go and then either skip the canapes altogether or choose a couple of things wisely.

#5 Choose when it’s worth it

If the social event you’re going to is at beautiful venue with renowned food, make the conscious choice to eat and enjoy if you wish to.

I have several of these in my social calendar (Mondo Organics and 1889 Enoteca next week), and I won’t be worrying too much about what I eat on these occasions.

Anywhere a little fancy is generally not so bad for the diet, as fancy often means small portions of deliciousness and not much in the way of heavy carbs. Fancy tends not to include hot chips and large portions.

#6 Choose when it’s not worth it

Conversely, choose when it’s not worth it. If you’re off to the pub, burger joint, local Mexican or Thai restaurant, choose the healthiest option on the menu and then enjoy the company of others.

Remember that at the end of the meal, the only difference is that some people will be going home with more calories in them than others, but everyone will have had the same amount of fun.

#7 Check the menu in advance

I’m in the habit of doing this all year round and find it helpful to choose something healthy in advance.

This helps to prevent menu madness, which is when you have that moment of staring at the menu , with the angel and the devil on your shoulders having an argument about whether to order the garlic bread and hot chips or the salad.

#8 Alcohol

“But it’s Christmas!”

*eyeroll*

Drink what you will, but if you drink you will eat.

And then you will eat some more the next day (chip buttie and full fat coke for that hangover? Just me?).

Alcohol changes the way your body processes food, ruins sleep and is a depressant.

And hangovers. #justsaying

Some of the usual suggestions include alternating your drinks with water, choosing moderation, or sticking to clear liquor like gin and vodka with soda and lime, but my experience as a health conscious non-drinker is that having a conversation about drinking (or not drinking) in Australia, especially over the holidays, is not dissimilar to having a conversation with some Americans about their right to bear arms.

So, as you were Frock Friends.

#9 Saboteurs

The chorus from these folks will become louder over the festive season. Don’t defend your choices or feel that you need to explain yourself.

If they keep at you after you’ve politely said “No thank you”, I hereby give you permission to smile and say, “What I eat or don’t eat/drink or don’t drink is no-one’s business but mine.”

And wander off.

#10 Move

Being on holidays is a great time to get moving. Whether it’s a walk on the beach, kicking a ball in the backyard, swimming or even going to the gym, it’s a terrific time of year to do some physical activity as you have an abundance of the one thing that I often hear people use as an excuse – time!

It doesn’t have to be the full gym or exercise regime when you’re away on holidays, but being active will make you feel good.

I’m off to Noosa for a week over Christmas and will attend some local yoga classes (if you’re on the Sunshine Coast I highly recommend Yoga Circle), do the Noosa headland walks, try the local cycling routes and go swimming at the beach.

Aside from my time at Noosa, I’ll be keeping up my usual fitness program during the festive season, even more tightly than usual!

#11 Be realistic

If you’re working on weight loss at the moment (as I am), be realistic about what you can achieve during the festive season. It’s challenging if not impossible to do all of the social events including Christmas and New Year and lose weight as well.

A more realistic goal is maintenance (or damage limitation), aiming for no weight gain and to maintain your level of fitness.

#12 Keep your New Year’s resolutions in mind

While all talk is of Christmas right now, New Year’s is less than five weeks away.

Keeping it together during the festive season will mean you won’t go into the New Year beating yourself up for the choices you made during December, nor have to spend the first few months of 2016 undoing the damage.

And the Christmas to New Year break is a good time to contemplate and plan your health and wellness goals for the year ahead.

Over to you Frock Friends

What’s your plan for a healthy festive season?

P.S. I really wanted to call this blog post “The 12 Weighs of Christmas”…. but I couldn’t quite make it work

The post 12 ways to have a healthy festive season appeared first on 93 Frocks.

I completed the 100km Brisbane to Gold Coast Cycle Challenge, along with almost 6,500 other mad keen cycling folk.

In the days and weeks since, I’ve answered many questions and the words amazing and inspiring have been bandied about. *shucks*

It’s had me reflecting on all of the small steps I’ve taken over the past year to reach that goal.

If you’d told me a year ago I would ride a bike for 100km, I would have looked at you strangely. And laughed.

Let me take you back 12 months.

I needed to do more cardio

My personal trainer Chris had been on my case to take up cycling.

I had (and still have), plantar fasciitis in my heels, so running, and even rowing and sometimes swimming were limited as they made my heel issue worse.

Having lost a lot of weight and become quite fit, I needed an activity that would spike my heart rate.

Cycling, apparently, would meet this requirement.

So I borrowed a road bike.

Now I had ridden a bike as a child until I was about 12, and thereafter on a few random tours in Europe, like pootling around Amsterdam, but that was it.

More than 20 years later, borrowed bike in hand, I met Chris down at Sandgate where he changed the cleats to pedals, adjusted the height of everything to suit my short stance and then carried it down to the boardwalk, while I nervously followed, helmet in hand.

He said that all I needed to do was get used to the feel of riding and changing the gears.

And to just follow him…

He ran along the boardwalk while I cycled behind him. He helpfully cleared the path of elderly folks, small children and dogs, which was lucky as I didn’t have much of a clue about braking, steering or turning.

Once I stopped panicking I rather enjoyed it. He got his run in and I got back on a bike after 20+ years.

I was petrified of getting on the road though. Traffic combined with my nervous bike riding abilities seemed like two things that wouldn’t go together.

We went bike shopping

I say we, but I was only there to hand over my credit card.

Chris had chosen a suitable bike (XS for height challenged ladies – I was amused to be an XS in something), but it was pink, black and white, which was pleasing. We also bought cleats, cycling shoes, spare things that I didn’t know how to use and a spin trainer – a contraption that the bike could sit on while I rode it indoors, stationery.

This suited me. I had no intention of riding outside the comfort of home.

We also bought butt cream.

I have to say, this was a bit of a shock. Chris threw it on the counter and said “You’ll need that. It’s for chafing.”

Exercise really is so very undignified.

I watched an entire series of The Block

I’m not a big television watcher, but cycling in front of the TV was a great way to avoid thinking about the pain in my butt.

OH MY BUTT.

Chris had initially said it would improve after a month. He later revised that to three months, after I’d drunk the koolaid and bought the bike.

But – after a few months of serious butt bone pain, it sort of… went away.

I have no idea how that works. But I’m grateful to have left that stage behind.

The New Year

I had started thinking that riding outside would be more fun than on the spin trainer, but I was still terrified of traffic and not that experienced in handling a road bike.

I started practicing on bike paths.

I often dismounted at tight corners. I regularly squealed when I rode over a stick. But I was OUT OF THE HOUSE.

Now keep in mind, I had cleats as well. For the uninitiated, these are the clip in pedals. You have to learn to clip in and clip out. If you don’t clip out prior to stopping, you stack it sideways.

Hmmmmm.

There are some permanent scars on my knees.

I changed the cleats back to pedals after a little while, as I was too nervous between getting used to cycling, riding in traffic and managing cleats all at the same time.

I put some time in over summer on bike paths and quiet roads to get used to riding outdoors.

And I liked it.

The cycling group

There had been rumblings among my gym community friends about starting a cycling group – a beginners  one.

By the end of February we had a Facebook group set up and a new Sunday morning commitment.

Fortunately one of our group (Dee), was far more experienced at the whole leading a group business and was very patient as we started out with a simple ride; the short river loop from QUT in the Brisbane CBD, out to St Lucia, across the river and back the other side.  I think it’s around 25km.

We were ridiculously excited about it all; not only because we were out there cycling, but because breakfast afterwards together was fun. We all saw the potential in that.

Progress

Since then, I’ve missed only a handful of our Sunday rides.

I’m often asked what the secret is to becoming fit. There’s no secret… but for me it’s been about about showing up consistently and doing a well rounded program of activity.

That, and being part of a healthy community.

For every time I didn’t want to get out of bed and go cycling on a Sunday in winter, my cycling buddies were waiting so there was no choice but to do it!

We progressed over time to longer rides; the long river loop which is around 40km, whose hills we’ve now mastered. We also go from Mitchelton to Sandgate (70km return) or Sandgate to Scarborough along the bay (40km return).

After a couple of months, I put cleats back on my bike. Though the double-sided kind which gave me a little more peace of mind. One side is flat like regular pedals, and the other side are cleats. In heavy traffic I still like being out of cleats and using the flat side.

We went to learn-to-change-a-tyre lessons.

At the beginning of May, as part of Bike Week 2015, the women in our group did the 40km Pier to Point Women’s Bike Ride from Sandgate Pier, which was the first time that we’d ridden with people outside of our group, as part of an organised ride. We had a fabulous time and followed it up with breakfast afterwards. #earnedit

In June we took part in the MS Brissie to Bay 50km ride. While we were pleased to have taken part in another big ride, it’s not one we’d do again. Something we’ve learned is that bike rides for large numbers of people need to be well managed in order for them to be safe and enjoyable, and this one was a little tricky with a congested route and riders of very mixed abilities grouped together.

I’ve become accustomed to having breakfast on Sunday’s not in a lovely frock, but in this outfit (below). So glam.

PS: to the companies who make bike jerseys – please make more with long sleeves. Thanks in advance from all of the #palepeople

A big scary goal

Early in the year there had been talk of the 100km Brisbane to Gold Coast ride, and, with it being a good six months away, we all agreed that it was a great goal to work towards.

Bu as the date drew closer, everyone who had said they were keen was less so, for a variety of reasons.

But it was stuck in my head.

I wanted to know if my body could do that. If it *would* do that.

A big, scary goal.

The question was, would I go it alone?

A month out, I registered.

In the weeks that followed I bullied gently encouraged my friend Karen into taking part. I knew her husband Gary would do the ride, I just had to convince her!

She had been a little unwell and was reticent, but I knew that she’d be so pleased with herself if she did it.

Either way, I was doing the ride.

Karen registered herself and Gary a few hours before it closed!

Training

I cycled every Sunday with my group, anywhere from 40km to 70km, but besides that, I was relying on the benefits of my overall training program to deliver the stamina needed to cycle the 100km.

My training program includes running, swimming, cycling, upper body weights, lower body weights and core workouts as well as Reform and yoga classes.

Week in, week out.

Riding 100km

I surprised myself.

The ride was great, from start to finish.

Towards the end, my butt was starting to ache, but aside from that – it was a fantastic. It’s not a hilly route, so is perfect for new-ish cyclists.

I went into it with some trepidation about how I’d feel towards the end, so didn’t push much on the speed thinking I’d need to conserve energy, but I was fine and next year I’m keen to go a little faster!

I’d also say it was the best organised, safest event I’ve taken part in. The remit from Bicycle Queensland was evident; there would be no injuries or serious accidents on this ride!

They had fantastic rest stops at 40km and 80km with everything a cyclist could want. There were police directing traffic in the tricky spots which meant that there was no bunching up of riders, and many cheery volunteers on the route ensured that no-one took a wrong turn.

Karen was very chuffed with her efforts and thanked me for making encouraging her to take part.

Reaching a goal

It feels good Frock Friends.

Big scary goals are indeed big and scary. But I can say without hesitation that working through all of those baby steps, fear, falls and scraped knees has been worth it.

Cycling has increased my cardio fitness exponentially, integrated a fun workout into my weekend and I’ve made some fantastic new friends in this healthy community.

Where to next?

We’re coming up to that time of year (hello there New Year’s resolutions!) and I’m starting to think about goals for 2016.

Watch this space!

Tell me about your big scary goals? How did you achieve them? Do you have some you’d like to reach?

The post That time I cycled 100km appeared first on 93 Frocks.

It was an easy sell; my favourite colour when it comes to clothing is navy, the lily print is pleasing and the cut was perfect, draping in all the right places.

Well it did when I first bought it.

The frock is a size 20 and by the time this photo was taken, some of my curves had melted off and it was no longer draping well. Instead it was hanging down a lot longer than the original knee length.

But before it got too big, it was on high rotation as I always felt great wearing it.

The only downside of this frock was that it was sleeveless.

I’ve only felt comfortable getting my arms out since late last year, so at the time, I wore this frock with the little navy cardigan.

My Mum took these photos and I was uncomfortable doing a couple of shots sans cardigan, but she insisted.

My teeth are gritted together in a very tight smile here… #motherknowsbest

My arms aren’t amazing these days either but I’m no longer self conscious about getting them out; partly due to the weight loss and partly due to an overall  increase in body confidence.

I would have liked to have this frock resized smaller as it’s so pretty and elegant and I wore it a lot, alas it’s not really suited to it.

I hope Ms Edmiston releases something like this again.

I could do with with a new frock for summer…

PS Frock Friends, I’ve just noticed how much my boobs have shrunk since these photos were taken. *cries*

The post Frock #6 appeared first on 93 Frocks.

Slim pasta has made working on my weight loss over a long period of time that bit easier.

When I first looked online to find out more, people hated or loved it.

I love it.

It’s a great addition to the dieter’s arsenal, but there things you need to know so you avoid the mistakes I made in my slim pasta experiments.

1. What is slim pasta?

Slim pasta, or as it’s recently been rebranded, Slendier, is made from a vegetable called konjac which is processed and turned into what *looks* like rice, spaghetti, noodles, angel hair pasta and lasagne sheets.

The whole packet (250g drained), is between 20 to 25 calories, made up mainly of fibre with traces of carbohydrates and protein and no sugar.

If you’re greedy hungry *ahem*, you can use the entire packet in a meal, but it’s probably best split across two serves, from both a portion and a financial perspective.

The texture is more rubbery than rice or pasta, not dissimilar to clear rice noodles.

It’s not cheap, but it does goes on sale periodically and I like to stock up then.

You can find it in the health aisle of most supermarkets or order it online.

Images via Slendier

2. Choose how you use it

Slim pasta can’t be tipped into a bowl with some tuna, corn and spring onions and called tuna salad, in the way you make traditional pasta salad.

It will not be pleasing to eat.

It’s best used as a side or an accompaniment to bulk out and give texture to a recipe that already has lots of sauce and flavour on its own. The slim pasta won’t add any flavour so you’ll need to mix it in or put something on top of it that covers it in a sauce.

Think mince, curries, stews, casseroles and risotto. Some of the recipes I use it with include:

• My chicken mince spaghetti – where I use the noodle or spaghetti slim pasta to enjoy ‘spag bol’ with parmesan and cracked pepper, served with a green side salad
• This beef stroganoff recipe  (I also make it with chicken), which is great with the slim pasta noodles (the noodles are flat like fettuccine)
• This slow cooker chicken, leek and mushroom casserole from Fatmumslim is lovely over the slim pasta rice
• Slow cooker honey and apricot lamb works with the rice
• Teresa Cutter’s apricot chicken works with the rice

I cook most of these recipes in a pressure cooker, and make a few amendments so that they suit my calorie needs.

Lasagne
I’ve used the lasagne sheets to create a healthy lasagne of sorts – but it wasn’t a huge success. It tasted great but was quite messy.

If I had put the cooked lasagne in the fridge overnight and then cut it when it was cold, it would have worked better as the rubbery texture of the slim pasta lasagne sheets meant it was tricky to cut into pieces without smooshing all of the layers together.

Stir fry
I don’t make a lot of stir fry dishes because:

1. I can’t be bothered chopping up loads of vegetables for one meal (I put effort into freezable and re-heatable food) #Iamlazy
2. I never get home and think “Oooh stir fry… yum”, and fear this is from many years of yo-yo dieting and eating too much stir fry with soy sauce
3. You need a good glug of sauce to make it taste any good, and a lot of the stir fry sauces are sugar laden

That said, the slim pasta angel hair noodles make stir fry a more appealing meal, and if I *am* going to make it, I use the teriyaki chicken recipe base sauce from Celebrate Health, as a healthier sauce option.

Risotto
I don’t really follow a recipe for risotto, but you could pick any risotto recipe and cook it this way.

My easy risotto recipe:

• Cook onion, garlic and chicken in the frypan
• Add mushrooms until they’re cooked through
• Add oven roasted pumpkin pieces (that were roasted covered in cumin, salt and pepper)
• Add fresh or dried thyme
• Add around ¼ cup of chicken stock
• Stir in the slim pasta rice until it’s heated through
• Stir through some parmesan, and serve topped with cracked pepper alongside a green side salad

Image via Slendier

3. Rinse, rinse and rinse again.

And then rinse some more.

This is one of the areas people go wrong. Not rinsing, or not rinsing enough.

The slim pasta products are preserved in a brine like liquid and it smells oddly fishy.

It is displeasing to the senses.

So. Don’t smell it!

Hold your breath, cut open the packet and tip the slim pasta straight into a colander in the sink and let the hot water run freely.

Swish them around so they are thoroughly rinsed.

Boil some water and do a final rinse.

Do not tip the slim pasta straight from the packet into your dish!

#youhavebeenwarned

Image via Slendier

4. Slim pasta is not porous

Unlike traditional rice or pasta, slim pasta is not porous and won’t soak up liquid from the dish you’re making, nor will it take on any flavour.

So whether it’s risotto, spaghetti sauce or curry, make sure the dish itself is the right consistency on its own.

For example in my risotto recipe above, I used 1/4 cup of chicken stock, unlike traditional risotto where two to three cups are used for the rice to soak up.

The 1/4 cup of the chicken stock is enough to mix through the other ingredients and make a risotto rather than rice porridge, and the addition of stirring through some parmesan at the end alongside the slim pasta rice helps the dish stick together, resulting in a yummy risotto-like texture.

Image via Slendier

5. Slim pasta makes dieting easier

Organisation is key to staying on track with a food plan and food preparation is where things can easily fall apart.

I have lots of pre-prepared food stored in zip lock bags in the freezer (the beef stroganoff, chicken mince spaghetti and chicken and leek casserole to name a few), which are easily defrosted.

My freezer food collection combined with slim pasta in the cupboard and fresh vegetables in the fridge means I can assemble a yummy dinner in around five minutes.

This is especially handy on weeknights when I want to spend minimal time in the kitchen, but need to eat something tasty and nutritious.

I don’t eat slim pasta every night – it’s too expensive!

Most of the time I eat one of the freezer meals with fresh steamed vegetables or mashed cauliflower, but for those times when I want something more interesting, substantial or similar to ‘non-diet food’, the slim pasta helps to fill that gap without the extra calories.

Image via Slendier

So there you have it.

Go forth and get your slim pasta on, and let me know how you get on.

The post Five things you need to know about Slim Pasta appeared first on 93 Frocks.

And yet I did.

All by changing my frock.

With 93 frocks I think we can agree that I’m offering quite a scientific perspective on the phenomena of ridiculous clothes sizing.

Having gone through several clothing sizes as I’ve lost weight, I’ve found that the number is arbitrary and one shouldn’t put too much emphasis on being a certain size.

It was very easy to go through my collection and find frocks in six different sizes that all fitted me on the same day.

Size 12

I liked this Laura Ashley dress so much that I went back and bought it in royal blue as well as navy. I even wore it on breakfast television.

It was on sale and then half price again. I think I paid $35 for the navy version and by the time I went back for the royal blue version it was down to $24.

I confess I found it rather cheering (but surprising), that they were a size 12. I can’t remember the last time I wore a size 12.

But I’m not a size 12. I know this because trying on anything in a size 12 otherwise will likely require assistance to get it off again.

The sizing of this frock is simply overly generous. Other size 12 dresses from Laura Ashley don’t fit me, I need a 14 or 16.

Size 14

This frock is one of my favourites. It’s not one of the original 93 Frocks. *ahem*

But, you know… a girl’s getting smaller! Some new frocks were needed…

However since I put on six kilos in the past six months, this dress is now rather tight (too tight to wear!) over my tummy and hips.

Anyway.

This little number was on sale at Review.

When I was much bigger, I avoided high necks with bows because with my giant bosoms it looked as though my head was perched on top of two cushions that had  been gift wrapped.

With far less chest these days (my boobs haven’t exactly disappeared, but they are a 14D now instead of a 20FF), frocks like this have become quite appealing.

I’ve found the clothes at Review to be reasonably accurate in their sizing. They aren’t so big that it’s a clear case of vanity sizing,  nor so small that you feel a little crap about the number on the tag.

Some of their range is a bit naff, (or maybe I’m just getting too old for the styles!), but they do make elegant and interesting clothes as well.

I’m looking forward to wearing this frock once I shed those extra kilos.

I’m thinking with navy tights and a navy long sleeved top for winter.

Size 16

This summer frock is from the Peter Morrisey range at Big W. It came with a belt, but I thought it looked cheap so I cut off the belt loops and gave the belt to charity.

This dress isn’t from the original 93 frocks either. *oops*

But… but! Almost all of my 93 frocks were from my time living in London, so I have had to buy some summer clothes suited to life in Brisbane. #justification

The Peter Morrisey range at Big W has some great gems at a reasonable price, and has been particularly useful throughout my the weight loss when I haven’t wanted to spend much money on new clothes.

Posing this way in the picture you can see that it’s pulling a little over my chest! I do put a pin in it when wearing to make sure those buttons don’t burst open…

Size 18

This frock is from a lovely British brand called L. K. Bennett (favoured by the Duchess of Cambridge – this is where those much worn nude heels come from as well), and is part of a three piece suit. I have the skirt and jacket as well.

And I may as well own up here and say that I also own the entire ensemble in a deep pink colour. #formershoppingaddict

What can I say – they were on sale! And they are the most beautiful quality.

Both suits are a size 18 and they only just fit.

L.K. Bennett cuts small.

These dresses are the very last size 18’s in my 93 frocks to fit, and as you can see in the picture this frock is still pulling a little bit across my tummy.

Size 20

My love of British brand Boden is well documented here, here and here.

And I realise that for the purpose of my post about six sizes in one day, I’m starting to push my luck a little on these last two.

This dress is stretchy, and was loose by the time this picture was taken. You can see that it’s gotten rather too big because it’s hanging so long.

However I would still wear it to work sometimes even though it was verging on frumpy.

Because it didn’t need ironing… so with a belt and a navy cardigan I managed to drag out it’s life a little longer.

Size 22

Not unlike the size 20 Boden dress above, this Boden dress is also a stretchy one that I wore tightly fitted across my body when I was really big, all the way through to when I was much smaller, and the belt highlighted up my waist rather than looking like a bow on an apple.

And like the size 20 Boden frock, I wore this one long after it had become too big, as I liked it very much.

It also didn’t need much in the way of ironing.

And it’s so British and cute!

Clothes sizing is ridiculous

Size doesn’t matter ladies. (Minds out of the gutter please!)

Clothes manufacturers pay scant attention to standardised sizing and thus we are condemned to take three different sizes of the same garment into a changing room to find the right fit.

This is very annoying and quite frankly I’d like to start charging them for wasting my time.

The way I think about my clothes sizing  these days goes like this:

• Anything in a size 20 or 22 will be too big.
• If I pick up a size 18 (note my experience of jeans shopping in this post), the majority will be too big.
• If I pick up a size 16, about 80% will fit and the rest will be too big or small.
• If I pick up a size 14, about half will fit and the rest will be too small.
• If I pick up a size 12, it is unlikely that I’ll be able to get that garment either on or off again.

Overall, that makes me somewhere between a 14 and 16, and more 16 than 14. Mostly.

I’ve learned not to invest my emotional energy into the size of my clothing because clothing size has nothing to do with my value as a person; it’s about finding what fits best, because if it fits well, I feel good.

And feeling good is what matters.

What’s  your experience of clothes sizing?

Do share in the comments.

The post How I lost six dress sizes in a single day appeared first on 93 Frocks.

It was a whirlwind morning and one of those times where you think goodness, did that just happen?

An early start from Brisbane meant getting up at 3:30am for a 5:00am flight, and from there on I fretted about being late for the next couple of hours.

The flight was delayed taking off. The flight was delayed landing. There were about 300 people in the taxi queue. It took 45 minutes to get in a taxi.

And hello there Sydney traffic.

Oh my.

The ladies from Channel 9 Mornings were phoning periodically to see how much longer I’d be.

I was trying to be calm and not sound panicked, until one of them asked directly if I thought I would make my 9:50am time slot?

I didn’t think I would.

My vision of a leisurely hour enjoying studio makeup and big TV hair had by now slipped away and emergency beauty measures deployed, as I realised I was about to go on national television looking… like I got up at 3:30am and got on a plane.

I’d only slapped on enough make-up before leaving home so as not to scare people, but fortunately, had my little make-up bag with me, even though I hadn’t expected to need it that day.

So in the back of the taxi I did my face with what I had to hand.

And I brushed my hair, which I’d washed at 3:30am and had left to dry naturally, safe in the knowledge that big TV hair was on its way.

Note to self: next time am on breakfast television (!), blow dry hair before leaving. JUST IN CASE.

The running commentary in my head

Meanwhile somewhere in another part of my mind (the part not panicking about the time or the impending bare-faced, cack-haired TV debut), there were all the thoughts about the impending interview.

Something like this:

Oh my goodness Emma you’re about to go on national breakfast telly and talk about being terrifically fat, the intervention and your ridiculous shopping habits.

And the pictures.

Crap.

You sent them ALL THE HORRIBLE PICTURES.

Why did you do that?

You should have picked the fat but not hideous ones but no, you sent them all. Even the one in the black leggings and a singlet.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

And… Georgie Gardner!

Oooh – actually – nice one – very excited to meet Georgie because she is all kinds of fabulous.

Don’t swear. And don’t babble.

Be eloquent. Be inspiring. Be delightful.

Say something meaningful.

What can I saw that’s meaningful?

And useful. Be useful.

Don’t be the weirdo who goes all deer in the headlights and forgets to talk.

OMG what if I go all deer in the headlights and forget to talk?

Etc.

Anyways.

*Deep yoga breaths*

I made it. But only just.

When I stepped out of the taxi, Mel from Mornings on Channel 9 was relieved that I looked presentable enough to skip through hair and make-up as there was a mere 60 seconds to have a swish of de-shine across my face and a light hair brush.

Then it was straight to the green room to leave my bags and onto the set to get miked up for sound followed by a ‘sit here’ on the set.

I had a quick chat with Georgie while the ad break was on, and before we started she said that all I needed to do was focus on having the conversation with her about my story, tell it as I’d tell any of my friends, and that there would be thousands of ladies glued to the television this morning who would be looking forward to hearing what I had to say, as so many people are looking for inspiration to help with their own weight loss challenges.

After a frenetic morning, it was a really good reminder as to why I was there and I relaxed a little bit. She is so delightful and genuine that it made the whole thing a lot easier.

And from that point onwards I can’t remember anything much at all about the interview itself.

It happened so quickly!

Though the flood of relief and rush of adrenalin afterwards was palpable.

Aftermath

The folks from the show were delighted with the interview and were surprised I hadn’t done television before – so I happily took that as a compliment.

I stayed on set for a little while afterwards to get some photos with everyone.

It was rather lovely experience overall and the entire Mornings on Channel 9 team couldn’t have been more welcoming.

And then it was back to the airport!

Texts were madly coming through as well as comments on my Instagram and Facebook pages, though of course at this stage I hadn’t actually seen the interview!

When it finally showed up online I was still in the airport and watched it on my iPhone.

Watching oneself on the television is a most uncomfortable experience. It’s the only time I’ve watched it through – I can’t bring myself to do it a second time!

That said, I was really pleased with the interview and grateful for the opportunity to share my experience with so many.

Lots of people have emailed me directly and commented on Facebook about how inspiring they found it, and that they were pleased to see someone who had lost weight in a sensible and achievable way, with no fad dieting or surgical intervention.

And I do like what I *think*I said at the end, something along the lines of, “Don’t wait for motivation, an epiphany or to hit rock bottom. They may never happen.  Just start. Once you start doing what you need to do for your weight loss, then the motivation will come.”

I’m paraphrasing. Because I’ve only watched it once.

Georgie is so tall and pretty! I must wear heels next time…. and blow dry my hair!

So that’s a wrap.

Not so long ago I could never have dreamed I’d be on breakfast television talking about weight loss.

But I guess not so long ago I could never have imagined losing 40+kg as well.

Dare to dream Frock Friends.

You can watch the video clip of my television debut here

The post Mornings on Channel 9 appeared first on 93 Frocks.

This size 20 Leona Edmiston dress was brilliant, as all of her dresses are. When I first bought it, it was rather fitted (okay, quite tight).

By the time this photo was taken I was many kilos lighter, it was getting baggy and was soon retired.

I do love bright colours and am rather partial to a bold print.

Prints are far more flattering to lumps and bumps than block colour, so next time you’re tempted to get that black or navy number for its slimming properties, put it back on the rack and give prints a go.

Besides the frock, what makes me smile most about this outfit is the necklace and the shoes.

I love accessories

And I have a great collection of them, because while it was hard to find clothes in my size, accessories ALWAYS fitted.

I acquired the turquoise necklace at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, on the way to Gallipoli where I spent one Anzac Day several years ago.

It was a great investment as it matches almost anything (that could be because I am partial to the colour and just wear it with everything regardless), but it’s also pleasing to wear as the stones are a nice weight and they heat up against my skin.

And the red shoes! With  bows! These are from Marc Jacobs.

I bought them in Paris at Galeries Lafayette when my sister and I were backpacking through Europe more than 10 years ago

Indeed I love these shoes and they only get worn on special occasions. Also with the problems I have in my heels, ballet flats get limited outings. So these are some well-preserved shoes.

I bought them in the January sales which are a huge deal in Paris, as they only happen twice a year for a set number of days.

They cost around 70 Euros on sale and at the time, my daily backpacking budget was 60 Euros a day (including accommodation), so it was quite the spend!

And that, Frock Friends, is Frock #5.

Only 88 to go.

#mustblogmore

The post Frock #5 appeared first on 93 Frocks.

It was with a a few nerves that I got out of bed this morning and went down to the local newsagent to buy a copy of the magazine to see how it all looked in print.

I had literally gotten into the car, stopping only to brush my teeth, put on a dress and tie back my hair. Not my most glam. As fate would have it, I ran into someone I knew!

I was momentarily mortified by this before being delighted to run into Kate, who I had only met before via the interwebs and social media. Kate has a brilliant blog about her own weight loss journey here and a great Instagram and mini-blog here.

Anyways.

It was pretty exciting to see it all in print. All of the ladies look amazing and I think people looking to make big changes to their health will find everyone’s stories inspiring.

New to my blog?

Welcome and thanks for visiting! Here are a couple of popular posts to help you find your way around:

• Here’s the full story of the intervention that started my weight loss
• Over at the about page, you can find out a little bit more about me
• Chris, my personal trainer and wellness coach
• 10 questions about my weight loss experience answered
• New Idea, Bathers and Me – the post I wrote before I went down to Sydney for the photo shoot
• 40 ways my life has changed since losing 40kg
• I periodically update my progress pages with my daily weigh in’s 

Subscribe to my blog so that you never miss a post.

The post I’m in new idea! appeared first on 93 Frocks.

Particularly in January when we’re saturated with information about the newest, best ever diet, cleanse, detox, miracle, pill or program.

Building your own healthy living project is about making small changes that become permanent habits.

Calories in coffee

Coffee. It’s one of my favourite things.

Since the beginning of my weight loss journey, I’ve had two large skinny cappuccinos daily. Way back when, I looked up the number of calories online – 100 calories for a skinny cappuccino.

When my weight loss slowed down, Chris was looking at what we could do to shake things up. We’ve never quite agreed on those skinny cappuccinos; he would prefer that I drink black coffee. But while I was making progress, he let it slide, particularly as I didn’t eat between meals and had the coffee instead.

I took a closer look at the calories in my coffee by getting out the Pyrex jug and measuring how much milk I was consuming.

Here’s what I worked out:

Note: If you have sugar in your coffee, add 20 calories per teaspoon.

It was more calories than I’d been accounting for. Almost double.

It might seem like no big deal. And one off it isn’t, but I was drinking two large coffees daily.

I had been accounting for 1,400 calories in coffee each week (2 x 100 calorie skinny cappuccinos daily), but I was actually drinking 2,576 calories, an extra 1,176 weekly.

Which is similar to the amount of calories I eat in a day.

I was drinking an extra day’s worth of calories every week.

My new habit

So what have I changed since that little discovery?

Firstly, I no longer work in the city so my expensive coffee habit (both financially and calorifically), has been curbed by availability.

I have the Nespresso machine at home and sometimes make a cappuccino, but mostly I add a small amount of milk to my coffee.

When I’m out and about, I still enjoy a skinny cappuccino but I always order a small one instead of medium or large.

This is my new coffee habit.

Making small changes every day adds up to big change overall.

What’s your coffee addiction habit?

And is there a small change you can make?

The post Small changes: calories in coffee appeared first on 93 Frocks.

Thank you so much for reading in 2014, for the emails, comments, Facebook natter and Instagram love.

I’m grateful for this little community we’re building and hope that you continue to find inspiration and ideas here that help you create your own healthy living project, whatever that looks like for you.

I’ve borrowed these year in review questions from my bloggy friend Karin (who got them from Maxabella Loves).

1. What word do you think best summed up 2014?

Change. This was the year of change.

My body, constantly changing with the weight loss and developing shape and muscle.

I changed jobs and became self-employed.

I moved house.

I started blogging; taking my weight loss journey public.

So much change.

2. What did you do for the first time this year?

• I bought a bike. And rode it.
• I wore a dress without sleeves and wore trousers for the first time in forever.
• After much contemplation, I started this blog.
• I stripped down to my bathers for a photo shoot with New Idea.
• I wore a size 12 dress.Well, it says 12 on the tag but is more like a 14-16. But I’ll roll with it. I was last in a size 12 in my early teens.
• I ran. And it was okay. It was more than okay. It felt good.

3. What is one thing that happened that will have lasting consequences?

After 15 years in a corporate career as a marketing and communications consultant I took a leap of faith and became self-employed.

4. Was there anything you wish you’d done differently? Why? How?

No. I don’t think there’s much point in wishing I’d done anything differently.

You live and you learn.

A big part of losing 40kg has been about reflection and learning.

5. Do you have a favourite moment from the year? What made it special?

Hitting 40kg down. It was a major, hard won milestone.

It was special because, well… 40kg!

6. What lessons has 2014 taught you about yourself? About others?

That I am resilient.

My weight loss progress was slow this year (well, slower than the year before); between a new type of pill to help even out the hormonal changes that came with losing the first 30kg (making it harder to lose weight), the challenges I have with plantar fasciitis and the fact that after losing the first 30kg in nine months my body was less compliant about shedding fat – it wasn’t easy.

I also, (sometimes), had a more relaxed approach to my healthy living project; a little too much brunch perhaps. Chris reminded me often on occasion that even though it’s no longer a life or death situation, (as it was when I started at 120.2kg), that I still need to think of it as one to continue progressing, because the lower the numbers, the harder it gets.

What I do try to keep in mind is that while it *seems* as though my weight loss has slowed down, losing 1kg in 80kg is a much bigger loss proportionally compared to losing 1kg of 120kg when I started out.

Despite all of that, and the general ups and downs of life, I kept at it and finished the year 12kg lighter than when I started.

Resilience and will. I learned that I can rely on these.

What I’ve learned about others? That people are more generous with their time, energy and kindness than I would ever have expected. I’ve learned that if you ask for help, you get help and so much more. As my weight has come down so too has my fierce independence and self reliance.

This weight loss and healthy living thing? It takes a village. I’m grateful for my village.

7. How will lessons from 2014 change the way you approach 2015?

I’m approaching the New Year with optimism, an open mind and open heart.

I’ve put in quite a lot of work in the last two years, making epic changes in my life. I think 2015 is the year to be joyous and embrace this.

8. What do you most want to do in 2015?

• Lose the last 18-20kg. I’m not setting a deadline about when this might happen, but I would like for it to happen in 2015.
• See the first cohort of people successfully complete The Healthy Living Project, the 12 week weight loss and wellness program that Chris and I created. I’m so excited about what they will be able to achieve with our help.
• Help and inspire others who desperately want to make a change but don’t know where to start, through this blog.
• Some kind of event; an obstacle course, a triathlon – I need to do some research. A big scary goal, far outside my comfort zone.
• Blog a lot more.
• Continue to develop my strength and fitness, and find out more about what my body has the capacity to do.

9. What do you most want to change about yourself? The world?

I’ve done so much changing already this year. Right now, I’d just like to get used to those changes.

I’d also like to manage my emails better!

The world? It’s a big ask, but if what I put out into the world about healthy living and sharing my story helps a few people make positive changes, I’d be very happy with that.

10. What one word do you hope will sum up what you hope to achieve in 2015?

Settle.

Not settle as in settle for second best, or settle as in close off a deal.

But to just be. Take a breath and settle into the choices and changes I’ve made.

I’ve been back in Brisbane for two years now after almost a decade in the UK. It’s been a big adjustment. One of the hardest. I still get ‘homesick’ and miss my friends and the life I had there.

In my moments of escapism, I browse Guardian Jobs to see what’s on offer in London.

But that’s not what I want, really.

Brisbane is a great city to live a healthy lifestyle in (and… needless to say, London is not).

I’ve met new people and made great friends through my weight loss journey, both online and offline.

I’ve become self-employed, a goal I’ve had for several years.

I have lovely friends and it’s good to have family around.

I’m winning at this healthy living thing.

So I want to just be. Enjoy the great life I’ve created and the work I’ve done.

Settle in and enjoy it.

Settle.

Here’s to 2015. I’m excited about what’s next.

What’s your word for 2015 Frock Friends?

The post A year in review & the new year ahead appeared first on 93 Frocks.