Black Milk Leggings

I dooo love Black Milk's leggings.

They would never fit me, and the ones I really want can't be custom made for you :(

Just a quick look on eBay for lycra I found these fabric.  There are heaps more available out there though - try Spandex World.

 I haven't found anything to match the galaxy leggings yet.

This fabric is just because I love the pattern and think it would be great as a pair of leggings, dress or top.

Oscar de la Renta colección crucero 2013

Oh baby - I saw this and went - I WANT!

I have a few patterns that would do this, and I actually already have a black and white print on a larger scale that would so work!!!  I think it's a cotton/Lycra sateen from Spotlight - lovely stuff.

P.S. The fabric I was talking about in the previous posts have actually been posted to me and are on their way to my greedy hands.

Week 20 - Almost forgot!

I was just thinking that I should get ready for bed, when I thought back over what I had accomplished.

Dyed hair - check
Vacuumed up drill shavings around wardrobe I had to fix yesterday - check
Printed out assessment sheets for this week - check
Put videos for lessons onto USB stick - check
Loaded apps onto ipads for school - mostly check
Exercised - check
Uploaded photos and work out plan - ch... hold on!

What's Motivating Me This Week?
Getting physical again after being sick for almost 3 weeks

What's Puzzling Me This Week?
Should I get my fringe/bangs cut again? It looks cute but it's annoying sometimes when it gets longer especially when I'm exercising

What's Bugging Me This Week?
Investing in some more 'beginner' workout DVDs. 

What's Encouraging Me This Week? 
I will be able to do a proper push up! I just have to work up to it.


What's the Plan?
I did the mile walk today using the 1kg dumbbells - no problems - maybe I should try the 2kg for the last arm routine to see if I could do it.  The other strength exercises using 2kg feel great too.

Today is the first day in weeks that I feel human. I can't seem to hold down a whole big meal at the moment since I wasn't able to eat much while I was sick and I think my stomach shrunk, also my throat is sensitive from so much coughing, but my coughing has subsided to mornings and evenings, I have my voice back, I'm not feeling sore, I'm thinking relativity clearly.

Time for a little motivation now to do some exercise again.

Come one Pammy! Get up and do something physical!!!

My exercise ball and 'dumbbells' arrived yesterday. Dumbbells are in quotes because they actually sent me toning balls - Doh! I sent them an email letting them know their mistake but honestly I can't be bothered to return them.  We'll see how we go.  I also have to figure out how to blow up the ball - that way I can use it as my office seat and look out for some fitness videos for it.

Photos tomorrow I promise.

Lilac Dot Dress

I don't have a problem with pastels, it's just that I am a really messy and clutsy person so I have long realised that light coloured pastels are a magnet for any number of stain inducing accidents. But sometimes I see a pastel number and think,,, 'I want'. For instance this outfit from Scathingly Brilliant - who I must admit I have a little crush on. Fuck, I want her hair.

This is a Dorothy Perkins dress, it's 32 pounds which doesn't seem too expensive to me - but alas if only it could be guaranteed to fit - and once again I don't like the back - bras people!!! Also the neck line would make my bust look gi-bloody-normous.

Fabrics that I think would work for this dress:

Cotton Fabric- PURPLE DOTS 1.5 yards

Purple Yellow Large Polka Dot CANDY PARTY by Kokka Lemon

Michael Miller Fabric Ta Dot Grape

Rile Blake Promenade Purple Dots by Cyndi Walker

So now that you know about my crush on Kate from Scathingly Brilliant, I'll also link to Miss Tallulah Porkchop. I've always like the name Tallulah, and one of my cutesy nicknames from my husband is Porkchop - it's like I was destined to find this woman's blog. Her shoes, her tights, her whole outfits.

Butterfly top

As you can see from this polyvore that I made a year ago, I want a butterfly top. I still haven't gotten one.

 There seems to be some nice butterfly prints out at the moment, maybe now is the time!

Edit: I just found this dress from Modcloth... drool worthy?  $107? I don't like the back treatment (come on what about a bra?), which is good because it's the only thing that lifts this dress from being any number of basic dress patterns that I have.

think pink pants

For 190 pounds I could buy these magenta pants.

Or for I could have gotten these from Kate Spade for about $300.

Or I could buy 2m of this polyester gorgette for $20 from that seller previously, or even cheaper here. Or find a linen blend or similar.

Citron yellow skirt

I've kind of been lusting after a yellow skirt for years, I'm not much of a yellow person being more interested in blue toned colours, but a citron yellow I can do. I actually have a pair of heels and a bag in citron.

I saw this on Green Apple's BLOG and thought that that outfit was so doable for me, in fact most of what she does I lust for.

So a citron pencil skirt is on the drawing boards.

Bought this from the same seller as the last post, 2m x 1.3m of linen - it's a little expensive though at $45, but still better than the skirt from J Crew; $110.

Black and White print pants

I didn't want to start this BLOG off all crazy or anything, but forgive me, I just can't get these out of my head. 

I saw these pants on Mix and Match Fashion and all the pieces fell together.

I while ago I saw this polyester chiffon fabric on Ebay and saved it until inspiration struck me. Although I don't think I'll make lined pants from it, it might make a nice lined maxi skirt, we'll see when it gets here.


It cost $20 for 2.5m x 1.5m, it will need lining, thread and a zipper.  Approx $30 in total versus $69.

I love colour. I'm not afraid of it.

Colours I like:
bright and jewel colours
black and white prints (emphasis on black)
black and grey solids

Motifs I like:
geometric
cats
bows
birds
brush strokes

Thing I don't like in general:
sleeveless
too low neck lines
white solids

What do I want? What do I need?

I quickly jotted down the amount of time I spent in the various activities that I do and made a pastel pie chart that's nice enough to eat.

As you can see, I sleep a lot.

Actually I sleep on average 8 hours a night, but I do spend a fair chunk of my evenings and my weekend wearing my PJs. Yes, I'm lazy like that.  In fact, I'm wearing them now but that is more because I am home with a cold. So my first thought is that what I really need are clothes that I can sleep comfortably in, but also look like casual clothing.  Genius!

I spend about a third of my time in work clothes.  I'm a teacher so I tend to dress somewhat business casual, semi-professional, semi-corporate - whatever the term is.  I need to be able to do my job comfortably but still look good when visitors come a-visiting. I've heard that you dress for the job that you want.  I want to be an artistic Home Economics teacher that takes English classes and a few art classes on the side. That's almost what I am now. I have a reputation for wearing fun, interesting, fashion forward clothes - sometimes, if I'm lucky, I get squeals of delight.

I'm surprisingly social. We go 'out' to dinner once a week with friends. We often go over to places houses to eat as well. Every now and then I go to an event like the races.

From the top

This BLOG is my private wardrobe fantasy land.  Here I plan possible projects for me to sew and make.

Still sick

Nothing new to post.

Got over one illness and caught another.

Sick as bro

This week has been a total wipe out. I've been so sick and haven't done any exercise except on Sunday.  Zumba is on tonight but I would die.So you don't get exercise stuff or photos of me until the weekend.

I will link you this great article A Fearless First: Spin Class.  Hilarious. This explains why I haven't done too much on the bike like I had planned. I'm puttin off buying a seat cover - I don't know why.

I did buy myself some new dumbells - 2kg (thats 4 poundish) and a swiss ball that were on sale. I really wanted 1.5kg so I will see how I go once they arrive.  I might surprise myself.

Being sick means that I have lost a bit of weight this week. I need to come up with a weighting routine, I'd better research this a little more.

Although I wasn't physically productive this week - I did manage to read the Hunger Games series. 2 days of just being in bed, and being a fast reader helps. My sister-in-law recommended it. I now know what this means:

Week,,, wait what week is this? 19.

What's Motivating Me This Week?
Back to school, keeping up a good routine.

What's Puzzling Me This Week?




My scales arrived this week but there is a pretty big difference between what the Wii says and what these scales say. I'll post about it later.

What's Bugging Me This Week?
Not much actually. 

What's Encouraging Me This Week? 
My calves are awesome.

What's the Plan?
Get walking again, the music and the exercise will really get me going in the mornings. 
Fitting in the bike rides.
Did 'Jullian Michael's Cardio Kickbox' this morning. I was a little frightened but I did alright!  I did a little better then the easy option, next week I'll 'kick' it up a notch.

 

Let's talk about boobs

Yesterday I saw this hilarious comic called, Busty Girl Comics. All of the comics spoke to me, because they are all so true!

I'm posting two that relate to my blog today, but you MUST go the actual website and read all of them!

I have lost count the amount of times I have said that last bit!

This is me when I do star jumps. 

Star jumps is too pretty a name for the torture that they bring me.

As a women with the hugest boobs that I have ever seen - I know that there are people bigger than me but I've never met them - I really don't get much of a choice of sports bras. I look at my friends and the people in exercise vids with envy.

The bra that I use, Energize by Elomi, is here (Brava) and here (Big Girls Don't Cry).  It's not pretty, it comes in black, white and skin. I wear them every day - for exercise and for work because they do a very good job, most of the time, except when I have to jump. I do have a few 'nice' bras for when I want to feel pretty.

I saw these, D+ Max by Shock Absorber, at Brava yesterday, and saw that the blue ones were on sale. I'm in between a HH and J cup, so luckily they had a HH in my size, in stock.  I can't wait to wear it - probably over my Energize bra.

 

The other bra that I would like to try is this one,  Triaction High Performance. It's obviously not for jumping in and it's not as stylish as the D+ Max.

The only other sports bra that I have tried and can get in my size is this, Impact Free by Royce. It fits well, and is quite comfortable, but it has a huge chunk of Velcro on the back that can stick into you and make tearing noises when you move. The bottom band also flips up on me. I rarely use this one.

So there you go, a 'brief' discussion about bras, being that there is so few choices available to me :)

Edit: Wearing the D+ Max over the Energize is awesome. These puppies only move a litte. It is a little uncomfortable under the arm with the two layers squishing everything in but I think that is a small price to pay for not having to worry about bouncing boobs.

Frack Yeah!

Okay, although I missed a few days, I am officially finished the 'Shape Up - Front' challenge!

I'm drenched in sweat as I type this, but feeling pretty chuffed with myself.  I ditched the bench dips for this last one, basically I cried everytime I did it because it hurt my shoulders and my wrists in a not good way - instead I did some extra weights exercises that you do in the video anyway.

What other modications did I do? I can't jump very well - my boobs, even in my sports bar, just can't handle that so instead I high knee jogged whenever I had to jump. For the horizontal mountain climbers I had been doing the easier version but today I went up to the harder level.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's measuring - I really hope to see some difference.

Power on!

So, the Easter long weekend kind of stuffed up my plan. We went camping and then C stayed at home and convinced me lay on the couch all day watching the X Files with him and enjoying each other's company. 

I did however download a new app, Get Running, which is for running obviously, but I'm using it on our bike. I did the first 'run' last night. It's quite good, except today I have a sore butt because the bike seat isn't the most comfortable - I'll have to take a squiz at it later.

I do have to say that I feel really strong and fit at the moment. My husband often makes fun of me that I wiggle whenever I hear music, but lately I've actually been dancing and kicking as well - just because I can.

I was reading this article about the phases of fitness - I'm pasting them here but please read the original article.

•  Excitement and Highly Motivated
•  Doubt Toward Goals
•  Conquer Doubt
•  Total Change in Energy Level / Confidence
•  Make New Fitness Goal / Challenge

I can really see how the phases happens for me, I've only just gotten over the doubt step and hopefully into the conquering bit, I just now have do some exercise. Tomorrow I'll get on the bike again and kick some arse with the Shape Up - Front DVD.

I'm procrastinating doing Sparkpeople quizzes instead of exercising - lol.

After I exercise I will reward myself with a long hot bath. Come on! Let's go!

My thoughts

After my workout this morning and after I bought my scales, I read 'Sweet Poison'.

The first thing I checked was if there was a list of references or a bibliography. There really wasn't. This didn't put me in good stead for the actual book.

It was an entertaining read, it was interesting, it reflected a lot of my training in nutrition, but it was a persuasive text rather than an analytical text.  It was persuading me that fructose was basically evil and that I need to cut it out of my diet - which yes I agree with - but it made out that correlations between data sets was actual proof that fructose was the only cause for western affluent diseases, like heart attacks. Overall it was a great way to spend most of my day, and made me feel guilty about wanting to eat a Creme Egg.

We then went to dinner at a friend’s house. They had found a food diary app and have been filling in theirs.  My own food diary app keeps crashing and so I had given up. Therefore I was interested in this new one, MyFitnessPal. It’s pretty cool so far.  Before I plugged in my details I needed to know how much I weighed – so I used their Wii Fit. I'm 96.5 Kg, I guessed 95 so I wasn’t too far off. This puts me in the obese category - surprise surprise.

My friend’s husband was being very defensive about the whole keeping a food diary issue – as in, he kept defending his food choices and his lifestyle and about why he shouldn’t have to keep one, but I don’t see a problem with it unless it becomes absorbing.  These sorts of things are, in my opinion, good to keep you honest about the foods you eat (no more lying to yourself) and gives you a ‘rough’ guide to how well you are going. Even after eating a Creme Egg I was still below my suggested calories.

I also had to give myself a goal weight. I picked 80. It seems like a nice number.  So far I think my only goal has been to lower my hip to waist ratio, which is still 0.86.  Grrr.

The other cool thing about today was that I saw an image for iwonstopuntilimtiny.timblr.com – which is now http://iwontstopuntilimfit.tumblr.com/

I think that is pretty clever, except I don’t want to use rubber bands, maybe I can make up elastic beaded bracelets.  I drink from a 1.5 L bottle, so I suppose I take one off every time I have a huge drink? Or maybe I put one on, every time I have a huge drink. Let me think about this some more.

Holy cow, what an essay?

I did it

I finally bought scales.  I read through the Choice article on body fat scales, and decided to buy a Soehnle Body Balance Shape F4. They seemed easier for me to buy. I also bought a pedometer just to see how many steps I do a day.

Just finished that DVD again, going strong(er).  Some of it I'm finding easier to do, I'm getting a little faster.  I also problem solved the lack of bench, I pulled out the base of our lounge - it's a little too wide but it has made the routine more fluid. I also found having the Playstation controller near me means I can pause the DVD while I get into position - yep our Playstation acts as our DVD player. We also have a computer hooked up to our TV. We have no TV stations tuned in at the moment - come on digital TV!

Bonus photo of my lounge!

However, Squish the cat seems to think that this is now his pedastool, really annoying when I'm in the middle of the DVD.

I'm dying

I just finished that 'Shape Up - Front' DVD.

I woke up this morning feeling a little sore, tomorrow I will need to be fork lifted out of bed.

Once again I didn't work as fast as the video and I don't know how many times your have to lie down only to get back up again - I am so much slower at doing this than Ms Michael wants.

I also poked a hole in the seam of my pants because I kept having to pull them up. The perils of exercising!

Plan B?

Once again my plans this week came tumbling down in an avalanche.  I should have expected it, considering it was my last week of school where you need to expect the least expected.

Tuesday: Instead of Zumba we were asked out for dinner. We went to dinner.

Wednesday: In the morning I did the kickboxing video and the Sparkpeople workout, and in the evening I did do a 2 mile walk video but played my own music - so much better!

Thursday:  Kickboxing - I have to say this won't be appearing my my plans again.  My shoes are just too grippy for the footwork needed and when I went bearfoot I got cramps in my foot arches.

Friday: Sparkpeople workout. I actually love her stuff.

Saturday: My rest day - I was going to hop on the bike for a little bit but found a visiting child had played with the settings so I need to find some tools to change things back to normal permenantly.

Sunday - Today: I did Jullian Michael's 'Shape Up - Front'. Stupid me didn't watch the video first, so by the second last exercise I was like 'when is this going to end?' I also don't own a step so I kind of made it work.Was sooo hard, I didn't go at the speed the presenters did, but this will be my holiday challenge. 


What's Motivating Me This Week?
The challenge

What's Puzzling Me This Week?
Should I make another pair of 3/4 leggings? The latest pair I have made are already feeling loose, I keep having to pull them up.

What's Bugging Me This Week?
That I have a whole box of Cadbury Creme Eggs in the fridge - very dangerous. C came home from work and said 'I have a present for you, but your going to hate me.' Once I realised what it was and got over the shock, I was like yelling because that is the most awesome present I have ever gotten from him - probably. Once I calmed down C was was saying that it was probably the worst thing he could have done since I'm trying so hard to lose weight.  I explained to him, that I'm not really doing this to lose weight, but to get fitter. That gave me a bit of a reality check - because haven't I been fussing over the fact that I haven't been getting slimmer? In reality I feel so good and strong at the moment, even though I still look so flabby.
  


What's Encouraging Me This Week? 
Remembering that this is about me feeling healthy not about me looking slim.


What's the Plan?
Everyday I will complete the 'Shape Up - Front' video. Tuesday and Thrusday I will also do 'Walk Away the Pounds' 2 mile walk with my own music.

Week 16

What's Motivating Me This Week?

My arms are feeling strong; when I curl my bicep I have a buldge. 


What's Puzzling Me This Week?



 Should I buy some proper dance cardio shoe things? My shoes are still very grippy.


What's Bugging Me This Week?

I still don't look like I'm losing weight.  My pants are looser, I'm feeling fitter. I just don't think I'm changing much.




What's Encouraging Me This Week? 


Next week I begin my Easter holidays - two weeks of no work. Time for a challenge? I'm ready.



What's the Plan?
Zumba stops over the holidays, so this Tuesday is the last for a while.  This week I'm changing Tracey Anderson's workout - I'm getting a little bored. But I really enjoyed the kickboxing from Sparkpeople, so I have included more kickboxing - but amped up. Oh goodness I hope I do okay.


Testing out 30 day shred for my up and coming holiday.

Feeling blah

It's quickly getting close to our school holidays, and I am feeling it.  Very lackluster at the moment.

"No! I don't want to get out of bed."

It has also been rainy, drizzly and grey here. I love this weather, but all I want to do is curl up on the couch and watch X Files and read books. This weather also means that we have no hot water - cold showers!!! Our hot water come purely from the sun, which is pretty cool and green to say, until you go for a few days with only cold water.

As I write this I am getting ready for Zumba class, totally blase' about it.  I'm sure once I get there and start, I won't regret it though.

Today a student gave me a survey about health which he was doing for an assignment.  I did feel pretty good when I wrote that I do 2-3 hours of exercise a week!

My students know that I have a pretty awesome (some may say stupid, some may say wicked, some may say sick) sense of humour, so my classes are usually fun and the students are comfortable with me.  This has a point...

One of the things that I would love to do as I get 'thinner' is tuck my shirt in.  I don't normally do it because I'm too self concious of my fat belly, but I though I would give it a try today. 

I shouldn't have.

One of my students said,'Hey miss, what with the pants being up so high.'
My reply, 'What do you mean?' Mock horror!
'You are so unfashionable.'
'Huh, just goes to show you. What fashion magazines do you read?' At this point another students pulls his shorts up high and stands beside me.  I finally cracked up,
'Don't do that L*****n (name of student withheld), you'll get nappy rash around your ears!' Luffs all round. 

So I guess I won't be tucking my shirt into those pants again.

MIA - sorry!

What's Motivating Me This Week?
Something pretty amazing happened on Friday. 

I tried on a dress that I made before the Christmas holidays,,, it was too big!  I had to then figure out what else I could wear and we ended up being half an hour late for a dinner party.

I was told that I have lovely legs, by another woman.

All that walking must be paying off.


What's Puzzling Me This Week?
My interest in food has just slumped lately.  I'm not interested in cooking meals etc and instead want to eat chips.  Thought I would try to change that today so I put a corned beef in the crockpot for dinner and made an awesome brunch of scramble eggs with feta cheese, low fat ham, mushrooms and multigrain buns.

What's Bugging Me This Week?
I hurt my knee this week, so my whole plan was wiped out. Only went to one Zumba and did a little gentle bike riding.  I moved the exercise bike from the office into the lounge room so that I could watch X Files while I rode :)

This week I've been feeling really down. As well as hurting my knee, I've had a few sleepless nights stressing about work, work itself has been pretty dissapointing. My husband has been working extra hard, infact he is at work now.  I'll stop now before my list gets huge and overwhelming. I'm thinking about taking up painting again. 


What's Encouraging Me This Week? 
Since last week didn't eventuate - I'll just repeat it!


Bring it on!!!

Week 14

What's Motivating Me This Week?

Is exercising now a habit for me?

What's Puzzling Me This Week?
How to jump in my sports bra.

What's Bugging Me This Week?
That I can only buy one sports bra in my size.

What's Encouraging Me This Week? 

That I wore a tighter fitting top to Zumba last Thursday and no one laughed or said something.

What's the Plan?
I'm getting bored of walking and my husband isn't walking with me much at the moment, so when he doesn't walk I will try the kick boxing video from SparkPeople. I did it a few months ago and it killed me, this morning I only pettered out towards the end of the scissor jumps. Yay me!

 P.S. I did the first aid practical this afternoon. I can now save people again.

What happened to last week?

I didn't see what happened to it.

Zumba - going strong - did the two workouts during the week. Woke up both mornings with no pain!

Did the arms - I'm feeling little muscle mounds in my arms

Walked and walked and walked

The only thing I didn't do was the yoga.  I had too much work to do,,, and too many episodes of the X'Files to watch.  I have my priorities.

Catch Up!

Today as I finished my Hatha Yoga when I was laid out comfortably relaxed, my youngest cat, Squish, decided it was cuddle time.  Too cute!

As you know, this week I wasn't feeling too great. I only went to one Zumba, I did most of my arms workout and walked twice. I'm trying not to stress about missing the exercise, the point of this whole thing is for me to feel good about myself and that's not going to happen if I start putting myself down about missing the occasional workout.

The other thing I'm trying to not feel guilty about is the amount of chocolate and Pringles I ate.   It's not that bad, but it was a small binge.  A doctor told me once that when you are sick, eat whatever your body craves.  I obviously wanted simple sugars and starches.  I guess I needed it with the feverish illness I had.

Yesterday we drove to our nearest 'big' town - That's about an hour and a half away. We did a little shopping, but I was looking for a new set of weights, I was hoping for 1.5gm for each arm.  I couldn't find any!  I did find kettles though.  I didn't buy any. I did buy wholemeal pasta.

Oh, it is apparently cuddle time again.

So tired

This week I've gone down with a bug of some sort.  Yesterday I stayed at home and didn't exercise at all - I slept instead. Today I went to work but I've got sore joints so I won't got to Zumba tonight. I'll look at fitness pins on pinterest instead.

Over the last two weeks I have been restudying my First Aid. It's such a chore, but I can't cheat and skip through the DVD until I get to the quiz.  I'm just too honest.

It's my husband's birthday today!  I'm cooking chicken spaghetti. Poach chicken and shread. Dry fry diced bacon rashers - fat removed. Add tinned tomatoes, a can of tomato soup, frozen veg and chicken. Heat. Serve over pasta.  Still no brown pasta to be found.