Eating, exercising & finding love supermodel style

If I was a supermodel my diet would either be:

a) something macro-biotic & TOTALLY organic; and would essentially be a complete pain in the arse to prepare

b) air, cigarettes, carrot sticks & champagne or

c) nothing - eating is for normal people

If I was a supermodel my exercise regime would be either:

a) an algae wrap applied 20 hours a day as it TOTALLY works for ridding the body of fat & cellulite

b) second daily manicure & pedicures or

c) 23 hard core hours of intense personal training, yoga & pilates a day (being able to do anything productive in a day is over rated)

If I was a supermodel finding love would be a walk in the park as I could choose from:

a) my manager

b) my publicist or

c) a gillion hard core followers

But as I'm not a supermodel (I've only made it to Australia's Next Top Model at this time), my diet is a bit hodge podge from all the time I spend travelling. The amount I eat is relatively small but it could in all honesty be much more nutritious. My milk intake has crept up again (I have managed to all but scrap flavoured milk from my diet which is a really big achievement); however, I am gulping down an incredible number of lattes and milkshakes when I'm on the road as it's 'easy'. I know I need to get back to writing my meals/drinks down in my faithful old notebook to keep track of things. It helps me see patterns and to understand my weight loss, gain or stall.

My non-supermodel exercise regime has included bike riding, hill climbing and running/walking. In the last week I haven't been able to do quite as much as I'd like due to some wretched, wretched back/hip pain. But today I got out for what was meant to be a 30 min walk but ended up being a 50min walk/run. It occurred to me today that I am no longer able to go for just a walk anymore. For the past 3 months I have thrown in a run at some stage during my 'walk' because it feels good & because I feel fit. I can now run without my heart rate going tachycardic! My maximum heart rate when running is 180 bpm. Still ridiculous but for me it's a huge improvement.

And unfortunately, because I'm not a supermodel I am contemplating joining an internet dating site to meet a man. I have checked out the 'free' sites and I'm not super impressed. So - this leaves me with the decision to either leave meeting someone to fate or to take the bull by the horns & join a dating site. If I am going to join an internet dating site I'm leaning towards eHarmony; it's a little expensive ($110 - 3 month membership) but I know I need to put myself out there and can't see any other way. It's been nearly two years since my last significant ... actually since any ... relationship. It's time. My decision has been spurred on following meeting three (married!) men recently who were shocked to learn that I am not married or dating. It was very sweet and confronting to be asked: "Why on earth are you single?!". When I think about it - I know my singleness has nothing to do with me as a person - who I am or what I look like - and everything to do with the available opportunities/places to meet men! So, here's to gaining the courage to take action!

:: INSPIRE2 ::

Every week I travel 2-3 days a week to provide therapy services to a couple of small town communities. On average this gives me 5 1/2 hrs to sing (cause I am Australian Idol) and chair dance (in the way 'So You Think You Can Dance' can never will!). Each time I am in the car I simply have to listen to the Baz Lurhman's Sunscreen Speech at least once (but being truthful it's moare like three or four times!) - it inspires me.

For your reading pleasure and inspiration, here are the words to the song:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99...

Wear sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...

You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other peoples hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind...the race is long, and in the end its only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what to do with your life...the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you wont, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you wont, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, its the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You’ll never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.

Be careful who advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...

... And that's almost a triathlon ...

15km bike ride: check (a compulsory breakfast & coffee stop half way!)

5km run: check (it was a grass run and was nearly the end of me - grass running kicks your arse in comparison to road running)

1km swim: have put bathers, goggles, fins & kick board in car - if thinking it in your head counts as done; then you're looking at a supreme athlete who managed her own little mini triathlon this weekend (well almost)! Swimming as a kick arse activity is now back on the agenda - it's warmer and I could easily manage a 1/2 hr swim in during lunch time a couple of times a week when I'm in town as work isn't too far from the public pool.

And in case you're wondering ... triathlon-ic activities were performed during a 48 hr period rather than the conventional 2 hrs (why be conventional I say?!). Miss Dee is proud to announce that no people, small children or animals were injured at any point during activities (which is amazing considering my bike riding skills!).

****

Running challenge: day 4 & 5

10 minute run; 25 minute fast walk both days - one run was a road run (moderate exertion but felt relatively easy - max heart rate: 175bpm); the second was the above mentioned grass run (maximum exertion; quite a hard run - max heart rate: 189bpm).

85 days to go! Although I may slightly alter the challenge to have a couple more rest days than is scheduled to accommodate my back & knee problems which may mean I finish the program in 120 days - it' still exciting though!

Oh, and running shoes were purchased yesterday. I felt like I almost had to make a deal with the devil to afford to purchase the damn things though. The price? $269.95! I know! I too had to lie down when she told me the price (there may also may have been some rocking in the fetal position) ... but gosh do they feel good and I have to keep my knees happy (bossy little bastards they are!).

Blogs, apologies & day 3

I have occasionally wondered if anyone reads my blog. Admittedly, I picked an obscure blog name when I commenced blogging in a bid to remain anonymous - mainly because I was scared of failing so spectacularly that I didn't want too many people to know. I now quietly regret the blog name choice as I have stumbled across so many people out there considering lap band surgery and desperately seeking information, support and answers to curious questions who could do with the support from an old hat bandster (now 3 years!). But I am impossible to find! So, if you have happened upon this blog ... let me give you some other excellent blogs to check out.

Firstly, my friend Bunny (the only blogger I know personally!) was blogging about her routine weight loss efforts and then continued in this same vain with her lap banding adventures from 2007. I happened to meet Bunny at a dodgey, dodgey follow up clinic in London. I will never forget the night she called me amid a serious choking episode - she had rung me to ask me what had happened to me when I experienced something similar (a good 6 hour choke if I recall correctly!); it was a privilege to support a fellow bandster. I also have fond memories of sitting in Starbucks cheering her on as she struggled to get enough restriction in her band - which ended up being disconnected from the port (hence the no restriction!) and requiring her to have a second surgery to replace the system. This woman is as risilient as they come. She perseveres regardless of the dramas that unfold in her life and what the band throws at her. Bunny is as solid as a rock.

I recently came across Myf's blog which is great! She recently got married & was the beautiful, radiant bride everyone hopes to be on their wedding day. You MUST check out her pictures - she has made remarkable changes to the point you do a cartoon double take.

A couple of other sassy blogs I must make mention of include:

• http://daggs2shaggs.blogspot.com/
• http://chroniclesfrombandland.blogspot.com/
• http://mylapbandblog.blogspot.com/

I know there is a fancy way of adding these blogs into the sidebar thing of my blog but that's waaaay to technical for me ... so from time to time; me thinks I'll just do a shout out of all my favourite blogs!

***

RUNNING CHALLENGE: day 3 (10 minute run & 20 minute walk)

It felt a little hard to run today; my left knee niggled and the right side of my lower back twinged. It is a clear indication that I HAVE to replace my runners - all the shock absorption is gone which isn't aiding my cause. ** Note to self: be sure to purchase ridiculously priced pair of runners this weekend ** And just to add to the above pains, my chest and arms were caning after the upper body workout yesterday. I have been the source of entertainment for my colleagues today as I am unable to lift my arms very high or away from my body; so tasks such as answering the phone and pouring the kettle required rather creative solutions to execute the task. That being said, pause for just a second and imagine the pain I was in when I had to pump my arms to run. Oh. My. Gawd! It felt like my breasts had grasped and lifted the weights! The pain is pretty much everywhere above my navel! Aaah, the price I must pay to be Australia's Next Top Model.

***

PS. Myf - thank you for your recent comments; I did publish all your comments today but for some reason the comment attached to my INSPIRE post did not show up! Many apologies.

90 day running program: day 2

Day two of the 90 running program. Essentially, it's a challenge to improve my fitness, lose weight and increase my running time to a solid 40-50 minutes over the next 3 months.

I plan to keep a log of how it's going - outlining the run for that day, how I went and other tidbits on running along with my usual blog entries on all things fascinating and mundane. Lucky, lucky bastards!

So, to recap day 1 & 2:

• Day one: 40 minute "jalk" (jog/walk) which had to have a good, solid 10 minute run in the guts of it.
• Day two: 10 minute walk, 10 minute run, 10 minute walk; followed by weights for arms & chest and core strength work (plank & crunches).

I have had to slightly adapt my running style as the stitches are still dissolving and catch a little - but another week or so and all will be forgotten. But it feels good to run!

***

Now it's time to knock up a mushroom risotto with roasted pumpkin & crispy pancetta. Mmmm! I'm still a foodie at heart - just no longer a guts about it!

Weight watchers to Donna Hay

You know you've moved on from being so hung up on your weight to yes, wanting to lose a little more weight but being more concerned about your health, fitness and happiness when your magazine selection in the house has changes from Weight Watchers & Slimming to Runner's World, Women's Health & Donna Hay.

Life is for the living - and I'm taking my bull by the horns!

11 = 33

I hate grocery shopping.

Indecisive people. Unhappy children. Aisle hogs. And as for the ridiculous ques, it all becomes a no deal situation for me. But alas, as I am single, unless it is I who goes grocery shopping, there would be no food in the house.

So I went.

My tiny shopping list causes much amusement amongs my friends who have lists as long as their arm and have to cough up well over $250 for groceries. I planned my meals for next week and put together a shopping list - 11 whole items to be precise.

My shopping list for this week's meals included:

1. 1/4 Kent pumpkin (nothing better than roast pumpkin or a creamy soup)
2. Tomatoes (truss & grape)
3. Shaved roast beef (200gr)
4. Shaved turkey breast (150gr)
5. Veggie patties (Lime & sweet chilli)
6. 1lt organic low fat milk
7. Tasty cheese (sliced; cracker size for salads)
8. Cottage cheese (low fat)
9. Macadamia nut bars
10. English muffins (wholegrain)
11. Nutella (small jar)

Groceries came to the princely amount of $33 - which is quite amusing!

The best part about the shopping experience is getting back to only having to use a hand basket (since my band has been repaired and adjusted my food intake has obviously dropped dramatically) and my local supermarket has finally introduced self service check out which made the whole experience quick and easy!

:: INSPIRE ::

Protein

Shaved roast beef has now become my favourite source of band friendly protein. I am so chuffed to find something I can put with an itty bitty salad that provides me with that extra serve of protein throughout the day. Me thinks I'm going to have to give shaved silverside and turkey a whirl too.

Why or why did I not find this fabulous protein source sooner?!

Reflux, seromas & a lost port (not nearly as horrific as it sounds!)

Woooo ... it's been four tumultous days.

I have lost well over 3kgs in as many days.

The price I paid for this pearly weight loss was a severe episode of gastric reflux which meant I could not consume any food or fluid thicker than water and was not able to sleep for three nights for fear of choking and meeting my demise.

Aaah! The joy of an overfill and some gastric swelling.

Yesterday morning it became apparent that things were not getting any better. A call to my surgeon resulted in the conclusion that some saline should be removed asap. I was given an appointment for 4pm - the 7 1/2 hrs wait crawled by. By 1pm after only being able to drink yet another litre of powerade, I began to feel light headed and was unable to put a sensible sentence together. I had a vice like headache. Oh god! Why would anyone want to starve themselves - the disgusting side effects of not nourishing and caring for your body is horrific.

I knew that the removal of the fluid was going to be painful; naturally the surgeon was going to have to palpate my abdominal area which had undergone surgical trauma only days before hand. I was quite unprepared for the event of the needle missing it's target and ending up in the seroma surrounding my port. Aargh! I am really not good with seeing my own blood *gasp* - so watching the surgeon aspirate the bloody fluid out of the seroma made me hot and with that all familiar fainty feeling! But I live to tell the tale.

I had 0.3ml removed. Which means I have ... well, no one really knows how much fluid I have in my system now. When flayed open on the surgical table, the surgeon noticed I had an excess amount of tubing in my abdomen which was a result of a decent weight loss. He removed well over 6 inches of this redundant tubing. Only problem was, as he went to clamp the tube to trim it, the fluid gushed out. He had not yet extracted the full amount out of the system, so was then at a loss as to how much was in there! So he admits to having to 'guess' how much fluid to put back in at the end of the op!

I made a decision to have a little more removed today as a little reflux persisted last night. I had another 0.25ml removed today. Not quite as traumatic but I do have a tender spot from being stuck two days in a row!

At a guess, I am getting around with about 5ml in a 10ml band.

I found out where my port was yesterday too! I had requested that my port be relocated. Over the weekend I found myself gingerly digging around it find it to no avail! You see, the surgeon in Belguim seemed to think attaching a bloody hard lump of plastic to my waist line was a magical idea. This location drove me nuts as the port frequently got in the way and could be easily irritated by certain pieces of clothing or positions my body was in (like bending over straight legged). My new surgeon relocated the port and attached it to my lower abdominal muscles - well out of the way of anything and where there will always be a bit of padding covering it.

After essentially fasting for three days, I was able to manage food today. My excitement was paramount! I broke the famine with a fresh carrot, apple and ginger juice (small). Lunch consisted of 3 pieces of shaved roast beef (NOT slices!), 2 olives and a slice of avocado. Dinner was a small slice of frittata (pancetta, pumpkin, cheese and eggs) & a wee scoop of vanilla ice cream to chase it down (sometime later though!). It felt so good to eat - to chew - to savour - to feed my poor wretched body.

But I'm now repaired, re-adjusted and ready to become Australia's Next Top Model!

:: EXCITED ::

Alice repaired

I am repaired!

The port revision went well with no unexpected suprises .. well, that is, if you don't count the incident involving me passing out before surgery even began!

Mmm .. it involved me, a cannula and a ridiculous spike in my blood pressure. As the anaesthetist pierced my skin with the cannula, my blood pressure spiked (as I'm such a weiner when it comes to having needles) spraying blood all over her; the sight of which made me promptly pass out stone cold. I returned to consciousness 2 minutes later hollering, "WHERE AM I?"; with six pairs of eyes on me and an oxygen mask strapped to my gob. The kindly old surgical assistant smiled and said: "Welcome back Alice!". Alice? Who the hell is Alice ... hang on ... is my name Alice? He belly laughed at my sheer confusuion, "No, you're not Alice but hollering like that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland!". What the?! Eh, on second thoughts ... I'll have whatever he's on!

The port repair took longer than the intial lap band surgery itself. Post-surgically though, recovery this time around has been easier. As is was only the port that seemed to be of concern, my main scar site was re-opened and retracted for the repair. No laproscopic camera or the use of CO2 to open up my abdominal space was necessary. The upshot of this is that although I am tender and bruised around the port site; I have a single incision and did not have to suffer the indignity of being naked on a star fish like surgical table (I acutally got to wear paper bloomers this time around!). I am able to bend, sleep on my left side and have not had to suffer any evil, evil shoulder tip pain. I was able to drive within 24 hours of surgery and even braved the public on Friday to purchase some pain meds and jelly. The experience left me feeling a bit like me impersonating MC Hammer as I was sporting the most unflattering, loose oufit, dodgey hair and would internally squeal, "Don't touch me!", if anyone came within spitting distance of me! Dah na na - can't touch this!

I must confess to rushing things a little though. Apparently, I was given a small fill while undergoing surgery. I'm not sure how much was added but on Friday night it was a girlfriend's birthday - so to partake in the celebration, I had about 4 forkfuls of risotto and an ooey gooey fudge ball for dessert. Within two hours I was suffering severe, severe gastric-oesophageal reflux which persisted even when sitting upright. I have now had two horrendous nights shared with some frightening reflux. I am hoping it settles when my gastric swelling subsides but to give it a helping hand I am on Somac, Mylanta & Panadeine (although NOT at the same time!).

I have a follow up appointment with my surgeon on Thursday to have the dressing off and check the progress. I seriously think I may need to have a litte bitty bit of saline taken out when I see him as I have NO appetite (it sounds glorious but feels kak!) and even thinking of fluids makes me feel ill. It will be murder having to have a needle poked into my guts around the still tender surgical site - but that'll teach me for thinking I'm invincible.

** Note to self: risotto and the words "ooey gooey" describing food on a menu DO NOT consitute soft, slushy food! **