I’m currently staying with my parents in regional Queensland, having tacked a couple of days’ leave onto a public holiday next week. I’ve been here for a few days and have another couple of days to go. It means I’m out of my routines, but am pleased to report I’ve basically stuck to my healthy eating plan and exercised each day.

I got home from my walk tonight and logged into my emails via my iPhone to discover an email from our leader Michelle, on this the final day of this round of the 12 week body transformation challenge.

I’d forgotten.

And that is an AMAZING thing because it means I’m not thinking that I’ve been on a ‘diet’ which will be over or that I can waywardly binge-eat and skip my exercise until the next round starts. In fact, I haven’t really even eased off although we’ve had our final weigh-in. As I am away I don’t have my usual calorie and exercise tracker, so I haven’t been tracking my calories, as I diligently have over the past almost-12 weeks, but I’m basically eating the same things I would eat at home, so think I’m doing okay. I don’t have as many exercise options either but I have been out walking each day I’ve been ‘home’.

Given the sudden realisation that today is THE END, I decided I should do a final check-in to acknowlege (and celebrate) my achievements and look at what I want to improve on next round. (Or… well, tomorrow actually – as I shouldn’t think of this program as ‘starting’ or ‘stopping’.)

My last check-in against my 12-week goals was a few weeks ago and I was stoked with my efforts then and things can only have improved!

 1.     Lose at least 10kgs 15kgs
As at the final weigh-in, just 11.5 weeks following the first weigh-in, I’d lost a total of 18.7kg (14.48%). HOLY SHIT! I also lost a total of 52cm from my waist, chest, hips and thighs.

2. Be exercising regularly and get up stairs to train station without puffing (or dreading them)
The program required us to exercise 6 days a week and I did. To the best of my knowledge I only missed ONE day of exercise in the entire 12 weeks and I recall that was the result of a pesky hangover! During the final week or two of the program I stepped up my exercise, joined a gym and commenced the Couch to 5km program. I’m aiming to continue to build on this and start some group classes in the near future. Finally, I’m making it up the steps to the train station without having to stop and gasp for breath at the top.

3. Put house on the market and decide where I want to live next
My place went on the market a month or so ago and the auction is THIS coming Friday. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’m resolved (however) that – if I don’t get the price I want – I’ll hold onto it. I fell in love with a couple of properties early in my search but at the moment, don’t have my sights set on anything… and it’s such a big decision (and so much money) that I don’t want to rush into it!

4. Manage / control overeating and binge eating and drinking
I still haven’t binge-eaten at all since starting this program. In fact, while shopping with my parents a coulple of days ago I came across some gluten-free chips that I would previously have loved and I could EASILY have justified their purchase (and consumption) to myself and my mother. But I didn’t. My mother has chocolate in the house and – AMAZINGLY – I have resisted it as well. There’s still room for improvement on the alcohol front as if I have one or two glasses of wine or champagne, I want to have five or six glasses. So… something to keep working on.

5. Update both blogs regularly (I’m keeping this one updated but not my other one!)
I’ve been very diligent with this blog, posting at least 5 times a week since this program started (more irregularly before that) and I am trying to write posts for my other blog more often, having done a couple in the last few weeks. Ridiculously I consider it to be my ‘real’ blog, but this one has WAY more visitors. However, if I ever go public with my blogs (and I’d like to, and have a couple of domain names) it would be the other one that I would transition across.

So there you have it. A wrap-up of my 12 weeks. Despite my usual fear of being thought of as over-confident or arrogant I will say it: I AM PROUD OF MY ACHIEVEMENTS. I have come a long way over the past three months. But as I’ve said before, I have a long way to go…

This isn’t The End. But it isn’t the beginning either. I need to remember that this is FOREVER.