At a time when I thought this would be starting to get easier, I'm actually starting to struggle. Trying to eat at 1200 daily is becoming hard, I'm becoming overly food focussed and hungry. I'm having days where I go over and then days when I try to catch it up and go under. Today I am officially drawing a line in the sand and saying anything over or under to date is closed, and we start afresh at 1200 today. It's too easy to get too obsessed with the numbers, and I am most definitely heading down that path at the moment. Time for a slight deviation to get back on course with the stuff that actually matters, focus on the big picture.
Day 27, super Saturday. The day started with 7am elite squad trampoline training, the Olympic coach is *different* and I'm glad I don't train with him all the time. I'm sure he's quite brilliant, but he's also quite annoying in many respects. At least I can say I tried it out! I did manage to do a few pretty good Level 6 routines, but no work on Level 7. That's OK, I haven't done any complete routines for a while, good to mix it up.
After bouncing and coaching, it was off to the gym for the "Rowers Revenge" SSS. 10 minutes on the cross trainer, followed by 15 minutes of interval hill sprints, and then 3x circuits of 300m rowing/15 push ups/300m rowing/15 dumbell squats/300m rowing/15 mountain climbers. I thought the hill sprints would do me in, but the rowing circuit was the tougher part. A good hard workout, I was happy with that.
After a break for some lunch, I met up with a friend and we went for a walk rather than a ride. We did about 6km walking and talking, a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
Day 28, another 7am start, this time to tackle the Mt Lofty climb. Damn that's a nasty mountain, but it's a great challenge. We got up the 3.9km climb in 47 minutes - I could have gone faster, but my walking companion was struggling a bit. In the good old days I could beat 40 minutes up, I'm pretty sure I'm not capable of that just at the moment. Hopefully I'll get back to it though. The reward for the climb is a nice jog back down, that feels much better!
Day 29, it was a public holiday, and a group of 12WBT challengers had arranged to meet up at a Scouts property to do the Challenge Hill obstacle course. It was a really fun way to get some exercise, mix up the training, meet some new people, and challenge both your physical and mental strength. There were climbing challenges (which were hard for those with a fear of heights), rope challenges over water (for those with a fear of crossing water), and the enclosed space challenges (for those with claustrophobic issues). Some of it was hard, some not so much, but we had fun. My upper body is still killing me two days on, so it must have been good!
Day 30, early morning run to start the day. My body was agonised from mountain climbing and obstacle coursing, so I scaled back my expectations to a slowish 5km. It hurt and it was hard, but I got around (with one small tumble on the main road, how embarrassing) in 31 minutes. In the evening I did my regular step class, back to a lower step but with the more jumpy/higher intensity moves.
I came home to a bit of a disaster, which meant that I didn't get a lot of sleep, and my upper body is still suffering greatly, so the planned Day 31 pump class did not eventuate. I'll jump back on board and get on with it from here. It is also weigh in day, and I had a loss of 600g. That might be artificially low, because I ate dinner at 10pm, but then again it might be right. We'll wait and see what next week brings, hopefully more consistency, less hunger, and less emotional turmoil...
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
12WBT: Days 24, 25, 26
Man this has been a long week. I am soooooo tired, I really just want to sleep, sleep and sleep some more.
Wednesday (day 24) - early morning pump class, same weights as Monday, challenging but manageable.
I was supposed to have freestyle trampoline training on Wednesday night, but I wasn't well at all. I went to the club and coached intermediates, and at the end of the session had a temporal lobe seizure. I have a mild-ish form of epilepsy which is largely controlled as long as I look after myself, particularly with getting enough sleep. I have been sleeping a decent amount (7 hours or thereabouts a night), so I'm not sure what brought this one on, but it's not pleasant. I waited long enough for the symptoms to subside (stopped seeing spots in front of my eyes, hearing something like the ocean crashing in the background), and then drove myself home to rest. I had my dinner, but still had this weird "empty" feeling, so I had a bad night on the eating front. I ended up at 1,600 calories with some peanut butter on crackers, a protein shake and a bar of Atkins chocolate. It was more food than I needed and I should have stopped, so I am disappointed on that front. On the flip side, I didn't eat the whole jar of peanut butter, or the whole box of Atkins bars, and 1,600 calories isn't a disaster, so I'm owning it, feeling pleased that I'm making progress with controlling my compulsive eating, and moving on.
Thursday (day 25) - my planned fitness test and gym cardio for the morning didn't proceed as planned. I still felt tired and had a headache from the seizure, so I decided to give myself a temporary break, and defer the session to Friday. This isn't super ideal because I'm not having a full rest day, but Wednesday morning to Thursday night is pretty much a rest day, right?
By Thursday night I was feeling OK, if still a little tired, so I went to trampoline training. I did pretty well, did some nice double backs and 1 3/4 fronts, but freaked myself out on the damn rudi again. I'm a little frustrated that I don't seem to be making much progress at the moment, but trampolining is like that sometimes.
Friday (day 26) - the fitness test day. I don't know what it is, but I sleep horribly the night before I'm going to run in the morning. For goodness sakes, I was only running a 1km time trial, but I just DREAD it in advance. I love to be able to run, but I physically hate doing it. Suck it up Princess.
Fitness test results;
1km time trial - 5:25. I struggle over 1km to pace myself. In retrospect I should have gone out harder, hopefully I will improve this time when I do it again in 4 weeks.
1 minute push ups on knees - 38
Plank hold - 1:40
Wall sit - 1:10 (I've done better than this, I think my legs are fatigued. I hate static hold exercises though).
Sit and reach test + 18cm
Not too bad. Everything other than the wall sit now puts me in the "advanced" category on the 12WBT scale, but I'm going to stay with the intermediate program, because I feel like it's challenging me enough, and I'm only following it loosely anyway. I feel like I need to be lighter to be able to follow the Advanced Lean & Fit program, I just don't have the strength to do multiple reps of push ups on my toes etc, but with training and with a reducing in the weight I'm pushing up and down, I'm quietly confident this will happen with time.
On the food front, Wednesday was a bit of a mess as I said, Thursday was stellar, I wasn't suffering from hunger pangs at all and I ended up way under at about 980 calories. Not something I would do repeatedly, but given it followed a high day, on the law of averages it will even out. Friday is still a work in progress, but I've been hungry all day which is annoying (I'm also bored, so I'm trying hard to differentiate the signals). I will keep fighting the good fight, and hopefully go to bed early to avoid late night munchies. I have a big day planned for Saturday anyway (elite squad training with the Olympic coach, eek, gym session and then a leisurely bike ride with a friend), so an early night is definitely in order.
Wednesday (day 24) - early morning pump class, same weights as Monday, challenging but manageable.
I was supposed to have freestyle trampoline training on Wednesday night, but I wasn't well at all. I went to the club and coached intermediates, and at the end of the session had a temporal lobe seizure. I have a mild-ish form of epilepsy which is largely controlled as long as I look after myself, particularly with getting enough sleep. I have been sleeping a decent amount (7 hours or thereabouts a night), so I'm not sure what brought this one on, but it's not pleasant. I waited long enough for the symptoms to subside (stopped seeing spots in front of my eyes, hearing something like the ocean crashing in the background), and then drove myself home to rest. I had my dinner, but still had this weird "empty" feeling, so I had a bad night on the eating front. I ended up at 1,600 calories with some peanut butter on crackers, a protein shake and a bar of Atkins chocolate. It was more food than I needed and I should have stopped, so I am disappointed on that front. On the flip side, I didn't eat the whole jar of peanut butter, or the whole box of Atkins bars, and 1,600 calories isn't a disaster, so I'm owning it, feeling pleased that I'm making progress with controlling my compulsive eating, and moving on.
Thursday (day 25) - my planned fitness test and gym cardio for the morning didn't proceed as planned. I still felt tired and had a headache from the seizure, so I decided to give myself a temporary break, and defer the session to Friday. This isn't super ideal because I'm not having a full rest day, but Wednesday morning to Thursday night is pretty much a rest day, right?
By Thursday night I was feeling OK, if still a little tired, so I went to trampoline training. I did pretty well, did some nice double backs and 1 3/4 fronts, but freaked myself out on the damn rudi again. I'm a little frustrated that I don't seem to be making much progress at the moment, but trampolining is like that sometimes.
Friday (day 26) - the fitness test day. I don't know what it is, but I sleep horribly the night before I'm going to run in the morning. For goodness sakes, I was only running a 1km time trial, but I just DREAD it in advance. I love to be able to run, but I physically hate doing it. Suck it up Princess.
Fitness test results;
1km time trial - 5:25. I struggle over 1km to pace myself. In retrospect I should have gone out harder, hopefully I will improve this time when I do it again in 4 weeks.
1 minute push ups on knees - 38
Plank hold - 1:40
Wall sit - 1:10 (I've done better than this, I think my legs are fatigued. I hate static hold exercises though).
Sit and reach test + 18cm
Not too bad. Everything other than the wall sit now puts me in the "advanced" category on the 12WBT scale, but I'm going to stay with the intermediate program, because I feel like it's challenging me enough, and I'm only following it loosely anyway. I feel like I need to be lighter to be able to follow the Advanced Lean & Fit program, I just don't have the strength to do multiple reps of push ups on my toes etc, but with training and with a reducing in the weight I'm pushing up and down, I'm quietly confident this will happen with time.
On the food front, Wednesday was a bit of a mess as I said, Thursday was stellar, I wasn't suffering from hunger pangs at all and I ended up way under at about 980 calories. Not something I would do repeatedly, but given it followed a high day, on the law of averages it will even out. Friday is still a work in progress, but I've been hungry all day which is annoying (I'm also bored, so I'm trying hard to differentiate the signals). I will keep fighting the good fight, and hopefully go to bed early to avoid late night munchies. I have a big day planned for Saturday anyway (elite squad training with the Olympic coach, eek, gym session and then a leisurely bike ride with a friend), so an early night is definitely in order.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
12WBT - Days 22, 23
Another week already...
Monday's start with a pump class, and the weights went up for most muscle groups this week:
Warmup 5kg
Squats 17.5kg
Chest 10kg
Back 10kg
Triceps 7.5kg
Biceps 7.5kg
Lunges mostly body weight, lots of the little suckers though
Shoulders 5kg
I will probably be at this level for a little while, because it is definitely challenging me. The squats might go to 20kg fairly soon, but I don't think I'm ready to move further on any of the others. My shoulders never seem to improve which is a bit depressing. I've got really broad shoulders which look like they should be strong, apparently not!
Tuesday (day 23) AM - 5km run. Awesome run... well actually it hurt a lot, but an awesome time (for me anyway), 29:03, hooray! Nearly 1:30 off last week's time. My heart rate got to 170 for the final stretch, which is damn high for me with my ridiculously low resting rate of 38 and I felt a little bit like I was going to throw up, but I made it. I'm now at a bit of a cross roads about whether I keep working on speed over 5km or whether I start to add some distance. Part of me wants to do the City to Bay in September, which is 12km and would require some distance training. Another part of me doesn't want to get up any earlier for distance training haha. We will see what the ensuing weeks bring.
Tuesday PM - step class, with a little run to and from the gym as a result of parking down the hill again. I reallllly struggled in this class for some reason. I had my step at high and was doing higher impact moves, I think I might have gone too hard too early. My shirt looked like I had jumped in a pool, I was completely soaked. My legs were also struggling in some of the moves, so I guess the harder work in pump and a fast run had taken it out of me. Oh well, some days you're feeling it, some days you're not, the important thing is to just push through it anyway. And that I did.
Nutrition wise, things are still going strong. This week's recipes (of which I've only tried a couple, but there are more pre made and awaiting eating) are heaps better than last weeks. I had the weirdest lunch for Monday and Tuesday, I was quite apprehensive about it, but it was amazing, I loved it... 3 small rice cakes with 15g peanut butter, 1.5 boiled eggs mashed with a dash of curry powder, topped with grated carrot and sliced cucumber. Sounds odd, tastes sensational. I could do without all the idiots at work analysing what I'm eating though. Seriously, bugger off, it's none of your business.
Today is weigh in day, and I can report another 1kg has bitten the dust. It is also mini milestone week, meaning you redo your measurements (and fitness test, but I haven't done that yet) to see how much size you've lost. On the 12WBT measurement list (which to be honest I find a bit odd, because you only measure one thigh and one arm, but there you go) I've lost 20cm in 4 weeks. That's pretty awesome. Only 3cm off my waist which is annoying but typical for me, but 6cm off my thigh. 6cm! That's bloody heaps!
Onwards and downwards we go.
Monday's start with a pump class, and the weights went up for most muscle groups this week:
Warmup 5kg
Squats 17.5kg
Chest 10kg
Back 10kg
Triceps 7.5kg
Biceps 7.5kg
Lunges mostly body weight, lots of the little suckers though
Shoulders 5kg
I will probably be at this level for a little while, because it is definitely challenging me. The squats might go to 20kg fairly soon, but I don't think I'm ready to move further on any of the others. My shoulders never seem to improve which is a bit depressing. I've got really broad shoulders which look like they should be strong, apparently not!
Tuesday (day 23) AM - 5km run. Awesome run... well actually it hurt a lot, but an awesome time (for me anyway), 29:03, hooray! Nearly 1:30 off last week's time. My heart rate got to 170 for the final stretch, which is damn high for me with my ridiculously low resting rate of 38 and I felt a little bit like I was going to throw up, but I made it. I'm now at a bit of a cross roads about whether I keep working on speed over 5km or whether I start to add some distance. Part of me wants to do the City to Bay in September, which is 12km and would require some distance training. Another part of me doesn't want to get up any earlier for distance training haha. We will see what the ensuing weeks bring.
Tuesday PM - step class, with a little run to and from the gym as a result of parking down the hill again. I reallllly struggled in this class for some reason. I had my step at high and was doing higher impact moves, I think I might have gone too hard too early. My shirt looked like I had jumped in a pool, I was completely soaked. My legs were also struggling in some of the moves, so I guess the harder work in pump and a fast run had taken it out of me. Oh well, some days you're feeling it, some days you're not, the important thing is to just push through it anyway. And that I did.
Nutrition wise, things are still going strong. This week's recipes (of which I've only tried a couple, but there are more pre made and awaiting eating) are heaps better than last weeks. I had the weirdest lunch for Monday and Tuesday, I was quite apprehensive about it, but it was amazing, I loved it... 3 small rice cakes with 15g peanut butter, 1.5 boiled eggs mashed with a dash of curry powder, topped with grated carrot and sliced cucumber. Sounds odd, tastes sensational. I could do without all the idiots at work analysing what I'm eating though. Seriously, bugger off, it's none of your business.
Today is weigh in day, and I can report another 1kg has bitten the dust. It is also mini milestone week, meaning you redo your measurements (and fitness test, but I haven't done that yet) to see how much size you've lost. On the 12WBT measurement list (which to be honest I find a bit odd, because you only measure one thigh and one arm, but there you go) I've lost 20cm in 4 weeks. That's pretty awesome. Only 3cm off my waist which is annoying but typical for me, but 6cm off my thigh. 6cm! That's bloody heaps!
Onwards and downwards we go.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
12WBT: Days 16 - 21
Wow, time is getting away from me. I've had a draft called Days 16 & 17 sitting here for half a week with nothing in the body of the message. Oops.
So, training...
Day 16 - awesome 30:30 run in the morning which I mentioned last post, plus a really great step class in the evening. I've been feeling exhausted in that class of late, but I smashed it out, had two risers and higher-impacted some of the moves. I also had to run half a km or so to the gym thanks to stupid roadworks, I pulled in on the side of the road where I could and ran from there or I wasn't going to make it on time. That actually felt really good, so I'm might try to do that again in future!
Day 17 - commuter ride to and from work, 15km to work, 20km home with a little deviation. My new helmet is awesome, and it would want to be for $230 :) The ride felt strong, and I'm definitely getting better (finally) at clipping in when taking off from lights! My speedo wasn't working though, so I have no idea about pace etc. The bike shop fixed that on Friday when Delilah went in for her first service.
Day 18 - early morning pump class. Like, really early. OK so it's only 10 minutes earlier than my usual one, but it's also at a gym 10 minutes further away, so it felt like I was getting out of bed in the middle of the night (no exaggeration at all, clearly). It's the same instructor as my Tuesday step class and I love him (a very great pity that he's gay...) and the class is a million times better than the pump at the other gym. Not sure if it's worth those 20 minutes more out of bed in the morning though. PM session was a very light bounce session, no coach so it was freestyle, and I wasn't feeling it at all. I exercised my gums talking more than I did my body bouncing.
Day 19 - light morning gym session, roughly following the "stretch and tone" 12WBT session for the week. I burnt 250 calories or so, mainly from the cross trainer 15 minutes at the start. Better than nothing (actually it's better than what I burn in pump when I come to think of it, hmm), but on the whole I'm not sure it was worth getting out of bed for.
Day 20 - elite squad bounce session... it was brilliant. The first time I have felt good on a trampoline in AGES. My timed bounces were nearly a full second ahead of anyone else in the squad (which is actually quite a lot when we're talking 18.5 seconds in total), but still .3 of a second below my best. Damn it, I need to beat 19 seconds! I did some drills, and some rudi's and double backs, and they all felt really good. Huzzah.
After coaching, I made my way to the gym with very little enthusiasm, but I was fine once I got started. The same program as last week, and I have improved quite a lot in that time which is inspiring. Each circuit was taking me 7:30 to 8 minutes to complete last week, and it was down to 6:30 to 7 minutes this week. My arms still gave out on the last few reps of push ups, but I only took a break once during tricep dips because my hands were slipping, and I got through all the bench burpees with no rests. The downside is that I only burnt 358 calories. Damn you to hell, low heart rate. The girl on the other side of the gym doing the same program as me was complaining that she only burnt 700. Grr. I added 20 minutes on the treadmill and cross trainer, got myself to 550 calories and called it quits, I was done. It would have been close to 1,000 calories for the day, it's hard to know what you burn in a trampoline session because you can't wear a monitor. It's hard work though.
Day 21 - rest day, blessed rest day. I ended up running around like a headless chook though, I went to the markets in the morning and bought loads of fresh veggies to replenish my dwindling supplies. The recipes I had chosen for this week were quite labour intensive, so it took me all day to cook everything, and I was well and truly over it. I was also having a hungry day, and for a while I just had to get out of the kitchen and think about something other than food. I ended up about 30 or 40 calories over the 1200 for the day, but I'm calling that a win, because I was ravenous ALL DAY, and it could so easily have turned into a binge fest.
I'm actually starting to dream about going to the shops and buying a block of top deck and eating it all in one sitting. Who am I kidding, I've been known to eat the whole thing before I even got it home. I know I should be repulsed by that behaviour and never want to do it again... but the truth is, I actually miss it. I really hope that mindset changes sooner rather than later. I'd love to think that one day I'll be able to have one row of chocolate or one Freddo frog and feel satisfied. To be honest though, I don't see that in my future, I think my relationship with food is just too "broken" to have that sort of outcome. It's a bit sad and depressing, but that's reality for you.
On the food front generally, I have been struggling but continuing to win the battle. This week's challenge is to stop saving calories for night time. I can have a Vitarium drink with water for 10 calories on the way to bed, and that's all I want to leave for after dinner. That scares the hell out of me, but I want to try it.
Alrighty better get to work. Oops, almost forgot to post last week's weigh in... 1kg down. Pretty good for a week 2 weigh in for me, usually I follow the good week/bad week pattern. Fingers crossed that week 3 is a goodie :)
So, training...
Day 16 - awesome 30:30 run in the morning which I mentioned last post, plus a really great step class in the evening. I've been feeling exhausted in that class of late, but I smashed it out, had two risers and higher-impacted some of the moves. I also had to run half a km or so to the gym thanks to stupid roadworks, I pulled in on the side of the road where I could and ran from there or I wasn't going to make it on time. That actually felt really good, so I'm might try to do that again in future!
Day 17 - commuter ride to and from work, 15km to work, 20km home with a little deviation. My new helmet is awesome, and it would want to be for $230 :) The ride felt strong, and I'm definitely getting better (finally) at clipping in when taking off from lights! My speedo wasn't working though, so I have no idea about pace etc. The bike shop fixed that on Friday when Delilah went in for her first service.
Day 18 - early morning pump class. Like, really early. OK so it's only 10 minutes earlier than my usual one, but it's also at a gym 10 minutes further away, so it felt like I was getting out of bed in the middle of the night (no exaggeration at all, clearly). It's the same instructor as my Tuesday step class and I love him (a very great pity that he's gay...) and the class is a million times better than the pump at the other gym. Not sure if it's worth those 20 minutes more out of bed in the morning though. PM session was a very light bounce session, no coach so it was freestyle, and I wasn't feeling it at all. I exercised my gums talking more than I did my body bouncing.
Day 19 - light morning gym session, roughly following the "stretch and tone" 12WBT session for the week. I burnt 250 calories or so, mainly from the cross trainer 15 minutes at the start. Better than nothing (actually it's better than what I burn in pump when I come to think of it, hmm), but on the whole I'm not sure it was worth getting out of bed for.
Day 20 - elite squad bounce session... it was brilliant. The first time I have felt good on a trampoline in AGES. My timed bounces were nearly a full second ahead of anyone else in the squad (which is actually quite a lot when we're talking 18.5 seconds in total), but still .3 of a second below my best. Damn it, I need to beat 19 seconds! I did some drills, and some rudi's and double backs, and they all felt really good. Huzzah.
After coaching, I made my way to the gym with very little enthusiasm, but I was fine once I got started. The same program as last week, and I have improved quite a lot in that time which is inspiring. Each circuit was taking me 7:30 to 8 minutes to complete last week, and it was down to 6:30 to 7 minutes this week. My arms still gave out on the last few reps of push ups, but I only took a break once during tricep dips because my hands were slipping, and I got through all the bench burpees with no rests. The downside is that I only burnt 358 calories. Damn you to hell, low heart rate. The girl on the other side of the gym doing the same program as me was complaining that she only burnt 700. Grr. I added 20 minutes on the treadmill and cross trainer, got myself to 550 calories and called it quits, I was done. It would have been close to 1,000 calories for the day, it's hard to know what you burn in a trampoline session because you can't wear a monitor. It's hard work though.
Day 21 - rest day, blessed rest day. I ended up running around like a headless chook though, I went to the markets in the morning and bought loads of fresh veggies to replenish my dwindling supplies. The recipes I had chosen for this week were quite labour intensive, so it took me all day to cook everything, and I was well and truly over it. I was also having a hungry day, and for a while I just had to get out of the kitchen and think about something other than food. I ended up about 30 or 40 calories over the 1200 for the day, but I'm calling that a win, because I was ravenous ALL DAY, and it could so easily have turned into a binge fest.
I'm actually starting to dream about going to the shops and buying a block of top deck and eating it all in one sitting. Who am I kidding, I've been known to eat the whole thing before I even got it home. I know I should be repulsed by that behaviour and never want to do it again... but the truth is, I actually miss it. I really hope that mindset changes sooner rather than later. I'd love to think that one day I'll be able to have one row of chocolate or one Freddo frog and feel satisfied. To be honest though, I don't see that in my future, I think my relationship with food is just too "broken" to have that sort of outcome. It's a bit sad and depressing, but that's reality for you.
On the food front generally, I have been struggling but continuing to win the battle. This week's challenge is to stop saving calories for night time. I can have a Vitarium drink with water for 10 calories on the way to bed, and that's all I want to leave for after dinner. That scares the hell out of me, but I want to try it.
Alrighty better get to work. Oops, almost forgot to post last week's weigh in... 1kg down. Pretty good for a week 2 weigh in for me, usually I follow the good week/bad week pattern. Fingers crossed that week 3 is a goodie :)
Monday, May 27, 2013
12WBT: Days 13, 14, 15
And we're over the two week mark, woo hoo! As with most things in life, in some ways it feels like I've been on the plan forever, in other ways it feels like those weeks have gone fast. To be honest, I wish we were 10 weeks down the track and I could just have the results without the hard work... but then the learning and growth (mental growth, not physical growth I hope!) is in the journey, not the destination. Despite having been down this weight loss and fitness road more times than I care to count, I can still feel myself learning and changing as I go along this time. Maybe some things I knew before and had forgotten, maybe some things are new. But it's good to learn and change as time goes by, so that's definitely a plus.
Two big lessons for the time elapsed thus far -
And now, because it's taken me a day to put this post together with my scattered brain, the first half of Day 16 training, 5km early morning run. I still procrastinated getting started, expecting it to hurt. It did hurt, but it was waaaaay better than last week. My HRM is back in action, so I know the pace too, 30:30 for the 5km. I'd like to get that back to 30:00 and then add some distance, but I'm still happy happy with that time, given I've shaved 1:10 off a 5k in 2 weeks!
Nutrition wise, I'm kicking ass. Eating at my mum's place a couple of times a week is good for the fact that I don't have to cook those meals, but also a pain in the neck for the fact that her meals are a little higher calorie than my ideal, so I have to cut back during the day to fit it in. I'm doing that pretty successfully though, and I have avoided the lure of all the sweet crap she has everywhere in her house, no desserts, no raids on the chocolate bowl on the kitchen table.
I've had some really good meals off the 12WBT recipe planner, and a few "meh" ones. Yesterday's lunch was the worst thus far, quinoa and pumpkin salad. I could eat it, but it tasted pretty average to say the least. I've got one more meal of it, and I think I'm going to suffer and eat it. I'll wilt the baby spinach before I stir it through the quinoa though, and include a lot less lemon juice. That will help, but I can't see myself ever making it again somehow. It was pretty filling though, so I guess that's one upside.
On the whole, I've been sticking to my 1200 calories like glue. I've been 20 or 30 over a couple of days, but also under on other days so my average last week was 1192. It does get easier over time, although it is slightly depressing that there's no room for anything "extra" along the way. It's not forever though, and truth be known I'm far better off staying away from those "extras" until I'm sure I can leave my binge eating ways well behind me. Weigh in tomorrow, fingers crossed!
Two big lessons for the time elapsed thus far -
- You can get by and not need to eat anything that stands still long enough on a reasonably small volume of food. It doesn't kill you. In previous endeavours, I have been lured in by the low-everything high-chemical alternatives to real food, because it meant I could eat a lot of volume. I thought that would make it satisfying... it doesn't. No matter how many kilos of chemical laden excuses for food you shovel down, you are never sated. Eating small portions of real foods that have real fats and real proteins and carbs in them is a much nicer way to live. And the food (usually) tastes a lot better too. I'm by no means perfect in this regard, I haven't managed to kick the diet soft drink habit yet (although it is reduced). I'll work on that in due course.
- Hunger doesn't kill you. It's just a sensation like any other, and you don't have to give into it. What makes it hard is that you can "cure" it by eating something, unlike other body sensations like muscle pain, which you feel but can't do a whole lot about. But hunger doesn't HAVE to be cured. Sometimes it can be felt, acknowledged and ignored. I'm not talking about starving yourself, but eating to a balanced nutrition plan, albeit quite low calorie. It's doable, even if you do have to flex the willpower muscle on a fairly frequent basis.
Back to the weekly summaries...
Training day 13 - elite squad trampoline session at 7am (7am is rude on a Saturday quite frankly, but I have adapted pretty well over time). Mostly drills and no double backs or rudi's (yay, although I do need to work on both of them). I did some 1 3/4 fronts and had decent power, so hopefully the body is adapting to the food resources it has on hand.
After coaching the little horrors, I made my way to the gym to do the 12WBT super Saturday session. I actually did the week 3 session instead of week 2 - because week 2 was a repeat of week 1 and frankly I hated that session. Week 3 looked better, and on the whole it was, but holy moley it hurt. 1km warm up on the rower, then 5x a circuit of 8 different exercises, 20 reps of each (bench step ups with weights, push ups, walking lunges with overhead weight, bench burpees, bent over barbell pull ups, tricep dips, barbell shoulder presses and dumbbell bicep curls). After 2 rounds I didn't know that I was going to make it, but I sucked it up and got through. The plan called for 50 minutes on that circuit and I did it in about 39, so I think I did OK. The last few reps of the push ups were horrible though, I was shaking and could hardly get myself up. Damn do my shoulders and chest hurt 2 days on too...
Training day 14 - big fat fail. It was foggy as buggery when I got up and I really really didn't want to get out in the cold with my sore aching body. I eventually got myself sorted, got on my bike, rode up the street, got about 4km along and hit some glass, flat tyre. I took this as a sign that I was indeed not supposed to be out there, turned around and walked my flat tyre home!
Training day 15 - Monday pump! I had trouble getting moving out of bed, so I was running a little late, but I only missed about 5 reps at the start of the warm up :) I increased squats weight to 12.5kg and got through without any dramas (other than my damn shoes slipping on the floor), so I think I will increase that again for next session. Chest and shoulders were tough even at existing weights because of the pain inflicted from Saturday's session. Biceps and triceps are on the verge of going up 2.5kg I think.
And now, because it's taken me a day to put this post together with my scattered brain, the first half of Day 16 training, 5km early morning run. I still procrastinated getting started, expecting it to hurt. It did hurt, but it was waaaaay better than last week. My HRM is back in action, so I know the pace too, 30:30 for the 5km. I'd like to get that back to 30:00 and then add some distance, but I'm still happy happy with that time, given I've shaved 1:10 off a 5k in 2 weeks!
Nutrition wise, I'm kicking ass. Eating at my mum's place a couple of times a week is good for the fact that I don't have to cook those meals, but also a pain in the neck for the fact that her meals are a little higher calorie than my ideal, so I have to cut back during the day to fit it in. I'm doing that pretty successfully though, and I have avoided the lure of all the sweet crap she has everywhere in her house, no desserts, no raids on the chocolate bowl on the kitchen table.
I've had some really good meals off the 12WBT recipe planner, and a few "meh" ones. Yesterday's lunch was the worst thus far, quinoa and pumpkin salad. I could eat it, but it tasted pretty average to say the least. I've got one more meal of it, and I think I'm going to suffer and eat it. I'll wilt the baby spinach before I stir it through the quinoa though, and include a lot less lemon juice. That will help, but I can't see myself ever making it again somehow. It was pretty filling though, so I guess that's one upside.
On the whole, I've been sticking to my 1200 calories like glue. I've been 20 or 30 over a couple of days, but also under on other days so my average last week was 1192. It does get easier over time, although it is slightly depressing that there's no room for anything "extra" along the way. It's not forever though, and truth be known I'm far better off staying away from those "extras" until I'm sure I can leave my binge eating ways well behind me. Weigh in tomorrow, fingers crossed!
Friday, May 24, 2013
12WBT: Days 10, 11, 12
Well here we are, closing in on 2 weeks down, and I am still firmly on track... which makes me very happy and very proud of myself.
This week has been a struggle the whole way through. I've been lacking energy for training sessions, feeling hungry and/or focussing on food more than is healthy, and generally just been feeling a bit cantankerous. I am determined to push through it though, because I know it will be worth it. I'm going to try to get some good sleep in over the weekend, find a bit of time to chill, and keep on keeping on. My mind and body will catch up to the new program and accept it for what it is, eventually. I just hope that's sooner rather than later.
Training day 10 - pump in the morning, squat weights went up to 10kg, everything else stayed the same I think? Felt pretty good, I think squats can continue to go up slowly. Trampolining in the evening, just a light session, the gym was full of nutty people and I was beyond exhausted.
Training day 11 - cardio gym session in the morning, and man did that test me out. I'm notoriously crap at running on a treadmill, I find it a whole lot harder than running outside. I'm running about 9.5km/hour ish outside, but I set the treadmill for 18 minutes on 9km at 1% and I was struggling big time. After 2 minutes I was struggling, ridiculous. After that 18 minutes of joy, I did a 10 minute hill HIIT program, which has a total of 4 minutes walking, 2 minutes resting and 4 minutes running (walk to start, then 30 seconds on 15 seconds off at 10km/hour, with the incline rising from 5% gradually to 11%). I felt like I was going to vomit, that was soooooo hard. I stopped 15 seconds short, which is just ridiculous, but I physically could not finish that last interval. Clearly some work to be done here.
Day 11 PM was another tramp session, I was still lacking the power I needed to do anything too advanced, so I did some drills, some double mini and tumbling. A good workout without pushing too far. I'm slightly terrified about elite squad training on Saturday, because the elite coach just doesn't accept "tired" and "hungry" as an excuse for not doing double back somersaults. Help.
Day 12, a blissful day of rest. My body isn't actually very sore, it just feels a bit worn out and lacking energy. Hopefully it will be restored to full vim and vigour for the big Saturday sessions.
Food - rockstar performances. Still saving calories for late in the day, and still struggling to sort out a healthy eating pattern on nights when I'm at the trampoline club and not home until 9:30. And several battles of the hungries have been fought and won. I hope it's not always this much of a struggle. Maybe week 2 is sent to test us, and then things will settle down. I truly truly hope so.
This week has been a struggle the whole way through. I've been lacking energy for training sessions, feeling hungry and/or focussing on food more than is healthy, and generally just been feeling a bit cantankerous. I am determined to push through it though, because I know it will be worth it. I'm going to try to get some good sleep in over the weekend, find a bit of time to chill, and keep on keeping on. My mind and body will catch up to the new program and accept it for what it is, eventually. I just hope that's sooner rather than later.
Training day 10 - pump in the morning, squat weights went up to 10kg, everything else stayed the same I think? Felt pretty good, I think squats can continue to go up slowly. Trampolining in the evening, just a light session, the gym was full of nutty people and I was beyond exhausted.
Training day 11 - cardio gym session in the morning, and man did that test me out. I'm notoriously crap at running on a treadmill, I find it a whole lot harder than running outside. I'm running about 9.5km/hour ish outside, but I set the treadmill for 18 minutes on 9km at 1% and I was struggling big time. After 2 minutes I was struggling, ridiculous. After that 18 minutes of joy, I did a 10 minute hill HIIT program, which has a total of 4 minutes walking, 2 minutes resting and 4 minutes running (walk to start, then 30 seconds on 15 seconds off at 10km/hour, with the incline rising from 5% gradually to 11%). I felt like I was going to vomit, that was soooooo hard. I stopped 15 seconds short, which is just ridiculous, but I physically could not finish that last interval. Clearly some work to be done here.
Day 11 PM was another tramp session, I was still lacking the power I needed to do anything too advanced, so I did some drills, some double mini and tumbling. A good workout without pushing too far. I'm slightly terrified about elite squad training on Saturday, because the elite coach just doesn't accept "tired" and "hungry" as an excuse for not doing double back somersaults. Help.
Day 12, a blissful day of rest. My body isn't actually very sore, it just feels a bit worn out and lacking energy. Hopefully it will be restored to full vim and vigour for the big Saturday sessions.
Food - rockstar performances. Still saving calories for late in the day, and still struggling to sort out a healthy eating pattern on nights when I'm at the trampoline club and not home until 9:30. And several battles of the hungries have been fought and won. I hope it's not always this much of a struggle. Maybe week 2 is sent to test us, and then things will settle down. I truly truly hope so.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
12WBT: Days 8 & 9
This week is more of a struggle than last week. It's always the way, once the bright new shininess of a new programme wears off, you're left with a feeling of deprivation, hunger and sore muscles. OK, so I haven't quite descended to those levels yet, but I have been battling hunger and a sore body the last couple of days. Fear not campers, for I have not caved!
Day 8 training - early morning pump class to start the week. I increased my weights to 7.5kg for squats, chest and back, and maintained at 5kg for warm-up, triceps, biceps, shoulders and lunges. The chest and lunge tracks were a push, but I got through the rest pretty well. My legs started to seize up later in the day, and were quite sore by the next morning - a combination of pump weights and other sessions no doubt.
Day 9 training - 5km run to start the day. I've sent my HRM in for repairs, so I didn't have a heart rate guide or even a watch to know how fast I was going, which I need to rectify ASAP. I was in struggletown the whole way, my legs felt heavy and I found it hard to get air into my lungs. I'm not sure if I was going too fast for my current stage of fitness, or whether I was just fatigued. I got through it, but it was tough.
Day 9 evening was a step class, and that was tough too. I put another riser under my step for the first time, which probably took more out of me than I realised, but I was sweating buckets and puffing away the whole class.
Nutrition wise, I've been on plan but HUNGRY. Whether I'm head-hungry or physically hungry is an interesting question, and one I'm trying to force myself to think about when I'm feeling like a gobble monster. Probably a combination of the two, because 1200 calories isn't really a lot when you're training a reasonable amount, but I should be able to make it work, it's just going to take some discipline.
In 12WBT world, Wednesday is weigh in day. I was having weird ass dreams all night about standing on the scale and having them show a gain of 5kg or something, but happily I can report a loss of 2.7kg! Doing a happy dance! I've never been one to show big losses, so this is an absolute miracle for me. Admittedly I didn't lose anything for the first weigh in (which is only 2 days in), but 2.7kg over 10 days makes me ridiculously happy. Worth a bit of hunger and soreness? I think perhaps yes!
Day 8 training - early morning pump class to start the week. I increased my weights to 7.5kg for squats, chest and back, and maintained at 5kg for warm-up, triceps, biceps, shoulders and lunges. The chest and lunge tracks were a push, but I got through the rest pretty well. My legs started to seize up later in the day, and were quite sore by the next morning - a combination of pump weights and other sessions no doubt.
Day 9 training - 5km run to start the day. I've sent my HRM in for repairs, so I didn't have a heart rate guide or even a watch to know how fast I was going, which I need to rectify ASAP. I was in struggletown the whole way, my legs felt heavy and I found it hard to get air into my lungs. I'm not sure if I was going too fast for my current stage of fitness, or whether I was just fatigued. I got through it, but it was tough.
Day 9 evening was a step class, and that was tough too. I put another riser under my step for the first time, which probably took more out of me than I realised, but I was sweating buckets and puffing away the whole class.
Nutrition wise, I've been on plan but HUNGRY. Whether I'm head-hungry or physically hungry is an interesting question, and one I'm trying to force myself to think about when I'm feeling like a gobble monster. Probably a combination of the two, because 1200 calories isn't really a lot when you're training a reasonable amount, but I should be able to make it work, it's just going to take some discipline.
In 12WBT world, Wednesday is weigh in day. I was having weird ass dreams all night about standing on the scale and having them show a gain of 5kg or something, but happily I can report a loss of 2.7kg! Doing a happy dance! I've never been one to show big losses, so this is an absolute miracle for me. Admittedly I didn't lose anything for the first weigh in (which is only 2 days in), but 2.7kg over 10 days makes me ridiculously happy. Worth a bit of hunger and soreness? I think perhaps yes!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
12WBT: Days 4 - 7
OK, I am officially giving up on the notion that I'm going to put up a daily post. I don't have the time to fit everything in, and I'd rather spend the time training and making healthy food than writing about why I didn't have time to do that! So the posts might be spasmodic, but they'll be here.
Training days 4 - 7
I did a weights session on Thursday, based on the gym machines program on 12WBT, intermediate level. I did pretty much everything at the top end of the weight recommendation, and wasn't really challenged all that much. I'm not strong enough for the advanced program though, so I'll just try to follow the program and adjust the weights according to my ability as I go along. I also didn't do the "final blast", which called for over bench jumps for a minute or two. I know I should just get over myself, but I feel like a knob doing that kind of stuff in the weights area with all the muscle men staring at you quizzically. I'd rather just use a cardio machine for the last ditch effort. Which in retrospect would have been a better option than just skipping it all together. Idiot. Righto, we live and learn.
Thursday night I went to trampoline training, bounced a little, didn't do a lot. I'm lacking a bit of motivation on that front just now. It'll be back.
Friday - rest day. Tired. Sore. Plus I had plans for the scheduled Sunday rest day, so I just brought it forward. The sleep in was lovely too.
Saturday - it was trampoline competition day and I needed to be at the club at 8:30 to coach little shits (sorry, I mean children, but they really are horrors in that class), then straight to the comp for the next 10 hours or so. I sucked up the early start and was waiting outside the gym for 7am opening. The Super Saturday Session "60 second screamer" intermediate KICKED MY ARSE. Man was that hard. It was a circuit style setup, 60 seconds on each exercise, a mixture of strength and cardio moves. I wish my HRM was working, because it would have been interesting to see what my heart rate was doing, I spent half the session feeling like I was going to spew. It's pretty much the same program for the following Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how I fare next time around.
The trampoline competition itself was exhausting. I was on the go from 11am when I got there until I baled at 7:30pm. I did a few quick routines (2nd place in level 5 synchro, woo), but otherwise it was just running around after junior competitors, coaching, supporting, all the usual guff. I felt like death on legs by the end of that.
Sunday I dragged my sorry butt out of bed early-ish, and rode 15km to the gym, did a step class, then road 15km home. Getting started was a challenge, but once I got moving it was great. My ride confidence is back, I felt pretty strong and reasonably fast, and my legs held up (although a little shakily) through step as well. I was completely shagged when I got home though, spent an hour or so on the couch, which then put me behind schedule for all the crap I needed to do for the day. I'm hoping for some higher energy levels for the week ahead.
Nutrition days 4 - 7
My food has been pretty good, actually continuing a bit under the 1,200 calories which is bizarre. I'm still battling with the "saving snacks for after dinner when I'm a gobble monster" syndrome, and will continue to work on that. But the really great news is that I have not had any blow outs at all, and feel in control for the most part. I did have a brief incident on Sunday while I was cooking up food for the week ahead... I was using peanut butter, which I rarely have in the house, because me, a spoon and a jar of PB get on REAL well together. I started digging in and could feel myself losing control, but in a moment of strength and absolute pride, I managed to stop at a couple of teaspoons, put the jar away and went for a wander outside with a drink to get me away from the kitchen, the temptation and the mania that was about to follow. That was hard, but I'm truly impressed that I managed to stop. Every time I catch myself and correct my behaviour is going to make me stronger. I can't wait for the day when I can sit unaccompanied in a room with a block of chocolate and be trusted not to hoover the whole thing.
Overall sentiments
I'm really pleased with the first week down. It's been a loooooong time since I've stuck to a nutrition and training plan, and I'm proud of my efforts. It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been as hard as I anticipated either. Having your head in the right space is a beautiful thing. I was checking myself out in the mirror doing pump this morning (as you do), and I can sense some trimming down. It's minor after only one week, but my torso looks less lumpy, my face less puffy, and my collarbones are not so far below the surface. I'm going to focus on these things and feel good about myself, regardless of what the scales say on weigh in day this week. Hopefully the scale will be kind, but I won't be surprised if it's not. At the end of the day, what I weigh doesn't matter a bit. My size and what I'm physically capable of doing is what's important, and I need to stay focused on that.
Training days 4 - 7
I did a weights session on Thursday, based on the gym machines program on 12WBT, intermediate level. I did pretty much everything at the top end of the weight recommendation, and wasn't really challenged all that much. I'm not strong enough for the advanced program though, so I'll just try to follow the program and adjust the weights according to my ability as I go along. I also didn't do the "final blast", which called for over bench jumps for a minute or two. I know I should just get over myself, but I feel like a knob doing that kind of stuff in the weights area with all the muscle men staring at you quizzically. I'd rather just use a cardio machine for the last ditch effort. Which in retrospect would have been a better option than just skipping it all together. Idiot. Righto, we live and learn.
Thursday night I went to trampoline training, bounced a little, didn't do a lot. I'm lacking a bit of motivation on that front just now. It'll be back.
Friday - rest day. Tired. Sore. Plus I had plans for the scheduled Sunday rest day, so I just brought it forward. The sleep in was lovely too.
Saturday - it was trampoline competition day and I needed to be at the club at 8:30 to coach little shits (sorry, I mean children, but they really are horrors in that class), then straight to the comp for the next 10 hours or so. I sucked up the early start and was waiting outside the gym for 7am opening. The Super Saturday Session "60 second screamer" intermediate KICKED MY ARSE. Man was that hard. It was a circuit style setup, 60 seconds on each exercise, a mixture of strength and cardio moves. I wish my HRM was working, because it would have been interesting to see what my heart rate was doing, I spent half the session feeling like I was going to spew. It's pretty much the same program for the following Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how I fare next time around.
The trampoline competition itself was exhausting. I was on the go from 11am when I got there until I baled at 7:30pm. I did a few quick routines (2nd place in level 5 synchro, woo), but otherwise it was just running around after junior competitors, coaching, supporting, all the usual guff. I felt like death on legs by the end of that.
Sunday I dragged my sorry butt out of bed early-ish, and rode 15km to the gym, did a step class, then road 15km home. Getting started was a challenge, but once I got moving it was great. My ride confidence is back, I felt pretty strong and reasonably fast, and my legs held up (although a little shakily) through step as well. I was completely shagged when I got home though, spent an hour or so on the couch, which then put me behind schedule for all the crap I needed to do for the day. I'm hoping for some higher energy levels for the week ahead.
Nutrition days 4 - 7
My food has been pretty good, actually continuing a bit under the 1,200 calories which is bizarre. I'm still battling with the "saving snacks for after dinner when I'm a gobble monster" syndrome, and will continue to work on that. But the really great news is that I have not had any blow outs at all, and feel in control for the most part. I did have a brief incident on Sunday while I was cooking up food for the week ahead... I was using peanut butter, which I rarely have in the house, because me, a spoon and a jar of PB get on REAL well together. I started digging in and could feel myself losing control, but in a moment of strength and absolute pride, I managed to stop at a couple of teaspoons, put the jar away and went for a wander outside with a drink to get me away from the kitchen, the temptation and the mania that was about to follow. That was hard, but I'm truly impressed that I managed to stop. Every time I catch myself and correct my behaviour is going to make me stronger. I can't wait for the day when I can sit unaccompanied in a room with a block of chocolate and be trusted not to hoover the whole thing.
Overall sentiments
I'm really pleased with the first week down. It's been a loooooong time since I've stuck to a nutrition and training plan, and I'm proud of my efforts. It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been as hard as I anticipated either. Having your head in the right space is a beautiful thing. I was checking myself out in the mirror doing pump this morning (as you do), and I can sense some trimming down. It's minor after only one week, but my torso looks less lumpy, my face less puffy, and my collarbones are not so far below the surface. I'm going to focus on these things and feel good about myself, regardless of what the scales say on weigh in day this week. Hopefully the scale will be kind, but I won't be surprised if it's not. At the end of the day, what I weigh doesn't matter a bit. My size and what I'm physically capable of doing is what's important, and I need to stay focused on that.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
12WBT: Day 3
Running two posts together here, but that's life.
Food day 3: 958 calories
OK, I need better organisation next week. With my exercise plans and late arrival home, I need to plan a dinner that's not too big and heavy. I didn't eat dinner before I left work (I had a yoghurt to tide me over), and when I got home at 9:15, I didn't want to eat a big plate of something, so I had a wrap and a bag of steamed veggies. That in itself is OK, but I'm going to set myself up to binge if I don't eat at a more reasonable level I think. Next week I'll try to split my dinner into two halves and eat one before leaving work and one after.
Exercise:
Despite the rainy morning and sore legs, I sucked it up and jumped on my bike to ride the 15km-ish to work. It was cold to start, and the feel of the water flicking off the road onto your butt is truly gross, but once I got moving it was a good ride. I had a shocking ride last week where I nearly fell off about 3 times, and had completely lost my confidence in using the cleat pedals (I'm a novice you see). I was still a bit tentative to start with, but I felt better and more relaxed as I went along.
Naturally enough, I also rode home from work - via the trampoline club for an hour or two for some coaching. I left the club about 8:40, so it was probably the latest I have ever ridden home, but it was fine. Cold and wet, but fine. I was happy to get home though.
Overall, another very strong day on the program for me. I did battle some hunger during the day, and in retrospect I should have had something to eat! I'm also a bit tired and a bit sore, but I'm sure that will ease as my mind and body catch up with the new regime.
Food day 3: 958 calories
OK, I need better organisation next week. With my exercise plans and late arrival home, I need to plan a dinner that's not too big and heavy. I didn't eat dinner before I left work (I had a yoghurt to tide me over), and when I got home at 9:15, I didn't want to eat a big plate of something, so I had a wrap and a bag of steamed veggies. That in itself is OK, but I'm going to set myself up to binge if I don't eat at a more reasonable level I think. Next week I'll try to split my dinner into two halves and eat one before leaving work and one after.
Exercise:
Despite the rainy morning and sore legs, I sucked it up and jumped on my bike to ride the 15km-ish to work. It was cold to start, and the feel of the water flicking off the road onto your butt is truly gross, but once I got moving it was a good ride. I had a shocking ride last week where I nearly fell off about 3 times, and had completely lost my confidence in using the cleat pedals (I'm a novice you see). I was still a bit tentative to start with, but I felt better and more relaxed as I went along.
Naturally enough, I also rode home from work - via the trampoline club for an hour or two for some coaching. I left the club about 8:40, so it was probably the latest I have ever ridden home, but it was fine. Cold and wet, but fine. I was happy to get home though.
Overall, another very strong day on the program for me. I did battle some hunger during the day, and in retrospect I should have had something to eat! I'm also a bit tired and a bit sore, but I'm sure that will ease as my mind and body catch up with the new regime.
12WBT: Day 2
Two days in and I'm already behind on blog posts, that can't be a good sign. The good news is that I am 100% on the plan, I've just had a frantic time at work, and if something has to give for a while, better to make it the blog than the nutrition and training plan!
Day 2 Food - 1,122 calories. I ate my planned boiled egg and piece of toast for breakfast, chicken noodle soup for lunch, and leftover shepherd's pie for dinner. I had a case of the munchies in the afternoon which I managed to get past with drinking some more water, and then made it through the day snack-free. It's a trap I have fallen into in the past, and want to be careful of now - I save calories for night time in case I'm hungry after dinner, but that encourages me to eat late at night which isn't ideal. I had a plain wrap and a glass of milk before bed, which isn't terrible, but I'd be better off with it earlier in the day. Overall the calories were good, and it's only day 2 and a continual learning process (however many times I've travelled this road before).
Exercise
It was raining and cold when my alarm went off, and I ummed and ahhed about what I was going to do. I was pretty set on going to the gym and using some cardio equipment, but by the time I drove to the gym the rain had abated and I decided to suck it up and go for an outdoor run. I always put off my "first run" after a break, because I know it freaking hurts (maybe I should stop quitting? There's a winning idea...) Well it did hurt, but not as much as I had imagined. I didn't push too hard, but hard enough that my legs and lungs knew they were working. 5km 31:41... a little slow, and I would expect that to pick up fairly quickly. I hope.
In the evening, I hit the gym for my favourite Freestyle step class. I spend the whole time concentrating on what my feet are doing, or supposed to be doing, given I'm not 100% the most coordinated person on the planet. That distracts me from the fact that I'm actually working pretty damn hard, which is awesome.
In summary, a very good, solid day 2 on the program. I feel focussed and not deprived, and like my head is in the right place at last. I like that feeling.
Day 2 Food - 1,122 calories. I ate my planned boiled egg and piece of toast for breakfast, chicken noodle soup for lunch, and leftover shepherd's pie for dinner. I had a case of the munchies in the afternoon which I managed to get past with drinking some more water, and then made it through the day snack-free. It's a trap I have fallen into in the past, and want to be careful of now - I save calories for night time in case I'm hungry after dinner, but that encourages me to eat late at night which isn't ideal. I had a plain wrap and a glass of milk before bed, which isn't terrible, but I'd be better off with it earlier in the day. Overall the calories were good, and it's only day 2 and a continual learning process (however many times I've travelled this road before).
Exercise
It was raining and cold when my alarm went off, and I ummed and ahhed about what I was going to do. I was pretty set on going to the gym and using some cardio equipment, but by the time I drove to the gym the rain had abated and I decided to suck it up and go for an outdoor run. I always put off my "first run" after a break, because I know it freaking hurts (maybe I should stop quitting? There's a winning idea...) Well it did hurt, but not as much as I had imagined. I didn't push too hard, but hard enough that my legs and lungs knew they were working. 5km 31:41... a little slow, and I would expect that to pick up fairly quickly. I hope.
In the evening, I hit the gym for my favourite Freestyle step class. I spend the whole time concentrating on what my feet are doing, or supposed to be doing, given I'm not 100% the most coordinated person on the planet. That distracts me from the fact that I'm actually working pretty damn hard, which is awesome.
In summary, a very good, solid day 2 on the program. I feel focussed and not deprived, and like my head is in the right place at last. I like that feeling.
Monday, May 13, 2013
12WBT: Day 1
So, I've joined the 12 week body transformation. Again. I was signed up for round 1 and did virtually nothing with it, so I'm trying again with my head in a better space and less life stuff to get in the way (last round I went on 3 business trips, a holiday to Bali and a girls trip to Victor Harbor within the first 5 weeks... it was somewhat less than ideal).
I haven't blogged in a WHOLE YEAR, mainly because I've been struggling along, and I haven't had a whole lot to say. This plan too may yet fall over, but lets try it out and see what happens.
The 12WBT is obviously a 12 week program, which bases itself on eating 1200 calories a day and doing a crap load of exercise. On the whole, the crap load of exercise I can deal with, as always it's the food side where I tend to fall over. The key to overcoming this, for me, is going to be organisation. Setting up a plan a week in advance, cooking all the food I need for the week (and factoring in the meals I have away from home/work), and sticking to the plan. My plan for week 1 is on my fridge, the idea being that when I go hunting for food off the plan, I'll look at it and feel guilty, and step away from the fridge! If I have to go to the extreme of putting up my very unattractive undies "before" picture on the fridge as well I will... and try very hard to take it down before some poor unsuspecting visitor is subjected to that sight :)
The program started yesterday, and I'm away with a bang. I want to try to keep this blog as a record for myself more than anything, of the progress I'm making as I go along. I've got plans and calorie diaries and the like for recording the food intake, the weight loss, and the broad plan of the exercise, but I don't have anywhere to record the improvements in my fitness, strength etc, and how I'm actually "feeling". So this is it.
Day 1: Strength (well actually it was supposed to be a cardio day, but in typical Me fashion I'm changing that around. I need to suit the gym timetable and my other Life Factors. As long as I get the sessions in somewhere in the week, which day they fall on isn't going to matter). Anyway, I digress.
Day 1: Strength
Pump class
I tried to go low on weights for my first return to any weight training in a few months, because I know the muscles are going to protest, even with a light weight. The squats weight will be able to move up quite quickly once I'm back into the habit of weight training.
Squats: 5kg
Chest: 5kg
Back: 5kg
Triceps: No bar work - dips, 2.5kg extensions, baby tricep pushups
Biceps: 5kg
Lunges: 5kg plates (no bar)
Shoulders: 2 x 2.5kg plates, 5kg bar to finish, knee pushups (36 all up)
Abs: no weight
Everything held up well during the class, squats felt comfortable, lunges were hard! Arms, chest and legs are all sore today, so I think it was a good call to go light for starters.
Day 1 food: Dead on plan, I even skipped a snack because I wasn't ravenous. Calories 1060 for the day, which is a touch low, but will rise when the initial shine of a new program has worn off. I was battling not eating in the late morning and most of the afternoon, but it was boredom not hunger, so I stayed strong (it's a miracle!)
A good start for day 1. Bring on a good day 2!
I haven't blogged in a WHOLE YEAR, mainly because I've been struggling along, and I haven't had a whole lot to say. This plan too may yet fall over, but lets try it out and see what happens.
The 12WBT is obviously a 12 week program, which bases itself on eating 1200 calories a day and doing a crap load of exercise. On the whole, the crap load of exercise I can deal with, as always it's the food side where I tend to fall over. The key to overcoming this, for me, is going to be organisation. Setting up a plan a week in advance, cooking all the food I need for the week (and factoring in the meals I have away from home/work), and sticking to the plan. My plan for week 1 is on my fridge, the idea being that when I go hunting for food off the plan, I'll look at it and feel guilty, and step away from the fridge! If I have to go to the extreme of putting up my very unattractive undies "before" picture on the fridge as well I will... and try very hard to take it down before some poor unsuspecting visitor is subjected to that sight :)
The program started yesterday, and I'm away with a bang. I want to try to keep this blog as a record for myself more than anything, of the progress I'm making as I go along. I've got plans and calorie diaries and the like for recording the food intake, the weight loss, and the broad plan of the exercise, but I don't have anywhere to record the improvements in my fitness, strength etc, and how I'm actually "feeling". So this is it.
Day 1: Strength (well actually it was supposed to be a cardio day, but in typical Me fashion I'm changing that around. I need to suit the gym timetable and my other Life Factors. As long as I get the sessions in somewhere in the week, which day they fall on isn't going to matter). Anyway, I digress.
Day 1: Strength
Pump class
I tried to go low on weights for my first return to any weight training in a few months, because I know the muscles are going to protest, even with a light weight. The squats weight will be able to move up quite quickly once I'm back into the habit of weight training.
Squats: 5kg
Chest: 5kg
Back: 5kg
Triceps: No bar work - dips, 2.5kg extensions, baby tricep pushups
Biceps: 5kg
Lunges: 5kg plates (no bar)
Shoulders: 2 x 2.5kg plates, 5kg bar to finish, knee pushups (36 all up)
Abs: no weight
Everything held up well during the class, squats felt comfortable, lunges were hard! Arms, chest and legs are all sore today, so I think it was a good call to go light for starters.
Day 1 food: Dead on plan, I even skipped a snack because I wasn't ravenous. Calories 1060 for the day, which is a touch low, but will rise when the initial shine of a new program has worn off. I was battling not eating in the late morning and most of the afternoon, but it was boredom not hunger, so I stayed strong (it's a miracle!)
A good start for day 1. Bring on a good day 2!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Breakthrough
I know, I know, I've been missing forever. I'm not going to explain why (I actually have no good reason at all), I'm just going to jump right in to what I have to say today.
I had a breakthrough today. I finally understand that my body is not weak; my body is strong and capable, but my mind is weak. I let my mind make excuses to say that I can't do things that I physically am very capable of doing. I need to work on ignoring the "can't", "won't" and "don't want to" impulses of my brain, and just do it (insert Nike swoosh here).
I haven't been running. For ages. Probably a whole month, I'm not sure. I have been doing other stuff, and there has been some running in my "other stuff" - like when I go up Mt Lofty, I run the flat bits at the bottom, and I run the whole way down. But I haven't been doing any dedicated running sessions at all. I've been through periods like this before, and the longer I leave it the harder it is to convince myself to get back out there. And usually the first session back hurts like hell... hence the putting it off.
Anyway, today I finally hardened the hell up, and hit the streets. The Garmin cracked the shits on me (well the battery died, but that's the same thing really), but it was possibly the best thing that could have happened. I still wore my Polar, but I used it for heart rate not time, and I ran just for the pure joy of it. I know I sound like a knob, but I actually did really enjoy it. I used the Polar to make myself stay in my target HR zone of 150-160, and took the focus off splits per km and all the other numbers stuff that I obsess so much over. As it turns out, all the "other stuff" I've been doing has been keeping my fitness level up to a reasonable level, and I was pretty comfortable running along, despite the long hiatus. I felt some pain in my legs from time to time, but that was a good reminder to concentrate on my form, stop heal striking, keep the legs in alignment, that kind of thing. I'm sure my legs will be a little sore later from my first return to running, but on the whole I was stoked.
I toyed with the idea of not mapping the run at all, and letting it just "be", but I decided I needed to know the distance to post it up to our lovely Operation Fit Body group on Facebook. It mapped out to 5.13km, which I did in 31:15 - this works out to 6:05 mins/km or 9.8km/hour, and it's a faster pace than I had been doing when I was obsessing on the Garmin numbers and killing my running mojo. Go figure. So I'm living in smug town today, and also living in hope that I can overcome the mind battles of not wanting to get out of bed, and not wanting to run, and getting back into the habit of just getting out there again regularly. Stay tuned.
I had a breakthrough today. I finally understand that my body is not weak; my body is strong and capable, but my mind is weak. I let my mind make excuses to say that I can't do things that I physically am very capable of doing. I need to work on ignoring the "can't", "won't" and "don't want to" impulses of my brain, and just do it (insert Nike swoosh here).
I haven't been running. For ages. Probably a whole month, I'm not sure. I have been doing other stuff, and there has been some running in my "other stuff" - like when I go up Mt Lofty, I run the flat bits at the bottom, and I run the whole way down. But I haven't been doing any dedicated running sessions at all. I've been through periods like this before, and the longer I leave it the harder it is to convince myself to get back out there. And usually the first session back hurts like hell... hence the putting it off.
Anyway, today I finally hardened the hell up, and hit the streets. The Garmin cracked the shits on me (well the battery died, but that's the same thing really), but it was possibly the best thing that could have happened. I still wore my Polar, but I used it for heart rate not time, and I ran just for the pure joy of it. I know I sound like a knob, but I actually did really enjoy it. I used the Polar to make myself stay in my target HR zone of 150-160, and took the focus off splits per km and all the other numbers stuff that I obsess so much over. As it turns out, all the "other stuff" I've been doing has been keeping my fitness level up to a reasonable level, and I was pretty comfortable running along, despite the long hiatus. I felt some pain in my legs from time to time, but that was a good reminder to concentrate on my form, stop heal striking, keep the legs in alignment, that kind of thing. I'm sure my legs will be a little sore later from my first return to running, but on the whole I was stoked.
I toyed with the idea of not mapping the run at all, and letting it just "be", but I decided I needed to know the distance to post it up to our lovely Operation Fit Body group on Facebook. It mapped out to 5.13km, which I did in 31:15 - this works out to 6:05 mins/km or 9.8km/hour, and it's a faster pace than I had been doing when I was obsessing on the Garmin numbers and killing my running mojo. Go figure. So I'm living in smug town today, and also living in hope that I can overcome the mind battles of not wanting to get out of bed, and not wanting to run, and getting back into the habit of just getting out there again regularly. Stay tuned.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Progress
Progress is being made on the fitness front. It's great. This week has been a bit all over the place in terms of exercise plans - working late, catch ups with friends and a couple of CBF moments meant things didn't go quite according to schedule. But the great thing is that I managed to move other stuff around and fit plenty of exercise in.
All up, I've done 3 runs, 1 weights set, a Sh'bam class, a Body Attack class, a bike ride and a walk. 6 hours 20 and 3,200 calories. Not bad!
I'm running a regular circuit which is just short of 5km for most of my runs, and my speed is slowly but surely increasing. I'm around the 9.7km/hour mark at the moment. On Friday I did a different route which was nearly 6km, and took 36:40 to complete. I certainly felt the increase in distance, but I handled it pretty well. In some respects I'm impatient to improve my speed and endurance, but on the other hand I'm quite happy with the progress I've made so far, given I've only been back into it for a few weeks.
I did my first bike ride in, well, months, today. A cycle commute to and from the gym. It was only 7km there, but there was 150m of ascent in there, the gym is waaay up the hill. I struggled big time on the way there, it's amazing how some forms of fitness (like running) can be feeling good, but something different is just plain painful. The way back was much much better, I found my "cycling legs" again I think. It did help that it was downhill overall of course, but I extended the route and did 12km up and down some hills to get the legs turning over. It will come back in time.
On a non-fitness related note, the exciting news of the week is that I've booked a solo trip to Bali for April. I've been to Bali many times, and I adore the place, but I've never done it alone. I am so ready to have some "me" time away from the demands and obligations of my daily existence, I cannot wait. In some respects I may end up getting a little lonely doing the trip alone, although I will undoubtedly meet people along the way (I'm staying at Kuta Townhouses, which is a largely Aussie haunt). But on the whole, I'm quite content in my own company, and I'm busy making plans for tours I might like to do, places I might like to shop, and massages I might like to have. You might here a bit about Bali in the next few months, it's occupying my thoughts somewhat :)
Happy Saturday everyone.
All up, I've done 3 runs, 1 weights set, a Sh'bam class, a Body Attack class, a bike ride and a walk. 6 hours 20 and 3,200 calories. Not bad!
I'm running a regular circuit which is just short of 5km for most of my runs, and my speed is slowly but surely increasing. I'm around the 9.7km/hour mark at the moment. On Friday I did a different route which was nearly 6km, and took 36:40 to complete. I certainly felt the increase in distance, but I handled it pretty well. In some respects I'm impatient to improve my speed and endurance, but on the other hand I'm quite happy with the progress I've made so far, given I've only been back into it for a few weeks.
I did my first bike ride in, well, months, today. A cycle commute to and from the gym. It was only 7km there, but there was 150m of ascent in there, the gym is waaay up the hill. I struggled big time on the way there, it's amazing how some forms of fitness (like running) can be feeling good, but something different is just plain painful. The way back was much much better, I found my "cycling legs" again I think. It did help that it was downhill overall of course, but I extended the route and did 12km up and down some hills to get the legs turning over. It will come back in time.
On a non-fitness related note, the exciting news of the week is that I've booked a solo trip to Bali for April. I've been to Bali many times, and I adore the place, but I've never done it alone. I am so ready to have some "me" time away from the demands and obligations of my daily existence, I cannot wait. In some respects I may end up getting a little lonely doing the trip alone, although I will undoubtedly meet people along the way (I'm staying at Kuta Townhouses, which is a largely Aussie haunt). But on the whole, I'm quite content in my own company, and I'm busy making plans for tours I might like to do, places I might like to shop, and massages I might like to have. You might here a bit about Bali in the next few months, it's occupying my thoughts somewhat :)
Happy Saturday everyone.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Happy Monday
Happy Monday everybody! I guess you don't hear that a lot. More Happy Friday's than Happy Monday's.
But today is Happy Monday for me, because I had my first weigh in for the new year, and I'm 1.8kg down for the week. If only that rate of loss would maintain, I'd be done and dusted within 3 months! Alas I am more of a realist than that, but it's still an awesome start and I'm pumped. My work pants also feel looser, and I feel better about myself... and that's what it's all about after all.
The recap for the last week - well, I under-ate really. That's rare for me because I have an elephant appetite. But I'm not concerned about it, because I ate enough to feed an entire herd over Christmas, so a week on the low side is not going to do me any damage. I imagine that will start to even out over the next week or two.
On the exercise front, it was a good lead in week I think. My body is still pretty sore and achey from it all, but I'm going to push through and see how much I can do this week. No pain, no gain after all! Last week I got in 3 runs, 2 weights sessions, 1 Sh'bam class and 1 Body Attack class, for a grand total of 2,750 calories burnt or there abouts.
This weeks plan looks a little like this:
Monday: 30 minute run/weights session
Tuesday: Step and Sh'bam
Wednesday: Weights session
Thursday: 30 minute run/weights session
Friday: 30 minute run
Saturday: Body Attack
I'll keep you posted on the progress. The first run is done and dusted at least :)
But today is Happy Monday for me, because I had my first weigh in for the new year, and I'm 1.8kg down for the week. If only that rate of loss would maintain, I'd be done and dusted within 3 months! Alas I am more of a realist than that, but it's still an awesome start and I'm pumped. My work pants also feel looser, and I feel better about myself... and that's what it's all about after all.
The recap for the last week - well, I under-ate really. That's rare for me because I have an elephant appetite. But I'm not concerned about it, because I ate enough to feed an entire herd over Christmas, so a week on the low side is not going to do me any damage. I imagine that will start to even out over the next week or two.
On the exercise front, it was a good lead in week I think. My body is still pretty sore and achey from it all, but I'm going to push through and see how much I can do this week. No pain, no gain after all! Last week I got in 3 runs, 2 weights sessions, 1 Sh'bam class and 1 Body Attack class, for a grand total of 2,750 calories burnt or there abouts.
This weeks plan looks a little like this:
Monday: 30 minute run/weights session
Tuesday: Step and Sh'bam
Wednesday: Weights session
Thursday: 30 minute run/weights session
Friday: 30 minute run
Saturday: Body Attack
I'll keep you posted on the progress. The first run is done and dusted at least :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
27 Rules of Conquering the Gym
No proper post from me today. I don't have much to say. Everything is going well in diet & weight loss world. I sneaky peeked the scales and they started with an 8 :-) I hope that holds out for official weigh in day Monday.
I found this article and it gave me a giggle. So I thought I'd share it...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203471004577140900388728374.html
1. A gym is not designed to make you feel instantly better about yourself. If a gym wanted to make you feel instantly better about yourself, it would be a bar.
2. Give yourself a goal. Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds. Maybe you want to quarterback the New York Jets into the playoffs. But be warned: Losing 10 pounds is hard.
3. Develop a gym routine. Try to go at least three times a week. Do a mix of strength training and cardiovascular conditioning. After the third week, stop carrying around that satchel of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.
4. No one in the history of gyms has ever lost a pound while reading "The New Yorker" and slowly pedaling a recumbent bicycle. No one.
5. Bring your iPod. Don't borrow the disgusting gym headphones, or use the sad plastic radio attachment on the treadmill, which always sounds like it's playing Kenny Loggins from a sewer.
6. Don't fall for gimmicks. The only tried-and-true method to lose 10 pounds in 48 hours is food poisoning.
7. Yes, every gym has an overenthusiastic spinning instructor who hasn't bought a record since "Walking on Sunshine."
8. There's also the Strange Guy Who is Always at the Gym. Just when you think he isn't here today...there he is, lurking by the barbells.
9. "Great job!" is trainer-speak for "It's not polite for me to laugh at you."
10. Beware a hip gym with a Wilco step class.
11. Gyms have two types of members: Members who wipe down the machines after using them, and the worst people in the universe.
12. Nope, that's not a "recovery energy bar with antioxidant dark chocolate." That's a chocolate bar.
13. Avoid Unsolicited Advice Guy, who, for the small fee of boring you to death, will explain the proper method for any exercise in 45 minutes or longer.
14. You can take 10 Minute Abs, 20 Minute Abs, and 30 Minute Abs. There is also Stop Eating Pizza and Eating Sheet Cake Abs—but that's super tough!
15. If you're motivated to buy an expensive home exercise machine, consider a "wooden coat rack." It costs $40, uses no electricity and does the exact same thing.
16. There's the yoga instructor everyone loves, and the yoga instructor everyone hates. Memorize who they are.
17. If you see an indoor rock climbing wall, you're either in a really cool gym or a romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson.
18. Be cautious about any class with the words "sunrise," "hell," or "Moby."
19. If a gym class is going to be effective, it's hard. If you're relaxed and enjoying yourself, you're at brunch.
20. If you need to bring your children, just let them loose in the silent meditation class. Nobody minds, and kids love candles.
21. Don't buy $150 sneakers, $100 yoga pants, and $4 water. Muscle shirts are for people with muscles, and rhythm guitarists.
22. Fancy gyms can be seductive, but once you get past the modern couches and fresh flowers and the water with lemon slices, you're basically paying for a boutique hotel with B.O.
23. Everyone sees you secretly racing the old people in the pool.
24. If you're at the point where you've bought biking shoes for the spinning class, you may as well go ahead and buy an actual bike. It's way more fun and it doesn't make you listen to C+C Music Factory.
25. Fact: Thinking about going to the gym burns between 0 and 0 calories.
26. A successful gym membership is like a marriage: If it's good, you show up committed and ready for hard work. If it's not good, you show up in sweatpants and watch a lot of bad TV.
27. There is no secret. Exercise and lay off the fries. The end.
I found this article and it gave me a giggle. So I thought I'd share it...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203471004577140900388728374.html
1. A gym is not designed to make you feel instantly better about yourself. If a gym wanted to make you feel instantly better about yourself, it would be a bar.
2. Give yourself a goal. Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds. Maybe you want to quarterback the New York Jets into the playoffs. But be warned: Losing 10 pounds is hard.
3. Develop a gym routine. Try to go at least three times a week. Do a mix of strength training and cardiovascular conditioning. After the third week, stop carrying around that satchel of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.
4. No one in the history of gyms has ever lost a pound while reading "The New Yorker" and slowly pedaling a recumbent bicycle. No one.
5. Bring your iPod. Don't borrow the disgusting gym headphones, or use the sad plastic radio attachment on the treadmill, which always sounds like it's playing Kenny Loggins from a sewer.
6. Don't fall for gimmicks. The only tried-and-true method to lose 10 pounds in 48 hours is food poisoning.
7. Yes, every gym has an overenthusiastic spinning instructor who hasn't bought a record since "Walking on Sunshine."
8. There's also the Strange Guy Who is Always at the Gym. Just when you think he isn't here today...there he is, lurking by the barbells.
9. "Great job!" is trainer-speak for "It's not polite for me to laugh at you."
10. Beware a hip gym with a Wilco step class.
11. Gyms have two types of members: Members who wipe down the machines after using them, and the worst people in the universe.
12. Nope, that's not a "recovery energy bar with antioxidant dark chocolate." That's a chocolate bar.
13. Avoid Unsolicited Advice Guy, who, for the small fee of boring you to death, will explain the proper method for any exercise in 45 minutes or longer.
14. You can take 10 Minute Abs, 20 Minute Abs, and 30 Minute Abs. There is also Stop Eating Pizza and Eating Sheet Cake Abs—but that's super tough!
15. If you're motivated to buy an expensive home exercise machine, consider a "wooden coat rack." It costs $40, uses no electricity and does the exact same thing.
16. There's the yoga instructor everyone loves, and the yoga instructor everyone hates. Memorize who they are.
17. If you see an indoor rock climbing wall, you're either in a really cool gym or a romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson.
18. Be cautious about any class with the words "sunrise," "hell," or "Moby."
19. If a gym class is going to be effective, it's hard. If you're relaxed and enjoying yourself, you're at brunch.
20. If you need to bring your children, just let them loose in the silent meditation class. Nobody minds, and kids love candles.
21. Don't buy $150 sneakers, $100 yoga pants, and $4 water. Muscle shirts are for people with muscles, and rhythm guitarists.
22. Fancy gyms can be seductive, but once you get past the modern couches and fresh flowers and the water with lemon slices, you're basically paying for a boutique hotel with B.O.
23. Everyone sees you secretly racing the old people in the pool.
24. If you're at the point where you've bought biking shoes for the spinning class, you may as well go ahead and buy an actual bike. It's way more fun and it doesn't make you listen to C+C Music Factory.
25. Fact: Thinking about going to the gym burns between 0 and 0 calories.
26. A successful gym membership is like a marriage: If it's good, you show up committed and ready for hard work. If it's not good, you show up in sweatpants and watch a lot of bad TV.
27. There is no secret. Exercise and lay off the fries. The end.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
So far so good
Here we are on day 4 of OFB, and it's all so far so good. Eating has been very controlled, not a single piece of chocolate has passed my lips. And I actually have some in the house. I also have chips and cookies. I'm not eating any of it. Excuse me while I go and have a pride moment.
OK, I'm back now. Thanks for waiting.
Exercise wise is all good too. Monday I went for a run and did some upper body weight work (ouch). Tuesday I did a walk up a hill and a jog back down in the morning (about 4km all up). On Tuesday night I needed some distraction, and I did something that even surprised me... I went to a Sh'bam class. It's dancey, very dancey. And I'm seriously devoid of coordination and rhythm. I'm sure the look of me trying to dance and gyrate along with the rest of the class would have been truly horrendous on the eye. But you know what, I don't care. I didn't know anyone in the class, and I'm not there for looks. It was a great workout - my heart rate was up in the 170's and I burnt 520 calories in 45 minutes, which is more than I do running - and it was actually kind of fun. There had to be something good that came out of me hitting my 30's, I am now very much less interested in what other people think about me and the way I look. This journey is about me, and if I look stupid along the way, so be it!
Wednesday became a rest day, because weeks (or perhaps months) of inactivity followed by a sudden burst of energy took it's toll on my poor legs. But I was back into it this morning, clocking up a 4.5km run, albeit quite slow and painful. Tonight I'll hit the gym for another weights workout I think.
I took some measurements this morning, as I sometimes find that a more useful measurement than weight, especially when I'm doing some strength training. I also downloaded the old CK data from my weight loss in 2007/08, which was interesting. I'm now 90-point-something kg. I have measurements from when I was 89.5kg in November 2007 - my measurements now are 1cm larger hips, 2cm larger chest, same on thighs, but 6cm larger waist. Damn it, I knew I was spongier than my previous 90kg self. I hope this means that the weight will leave my waist first... But I somehow doubt it! Ideally I would like to take 15cm off my chest, hips and waist, and 10cm off my thighs. That's a whole lot of fat. Ah well, we'll get there, one step at a time.
OK, I'm back now. Thanks for waiting.
Exercise wise is all good too. Monday I went for a run and did some upper body weight work (ouch). Tuesday I did a walk up a hill and a jog back down in the morning (about 4km all up). On Tuesday night I needed some distraction, and I did something that even surprised me... I went to a Sh'bam class. It's dancey, very dancey. And I'm seriously devoid of coordination and rhythm. I'm sure the look of me trying to dance and gyrate along with the rest of the class would have been truly horrendous on the eye. But you know what, I don't care. I didn't know anyone in the class, and I'm not there for looks. It was a great workout - my heart rate was up in the 170's and I burnt 520 calories in 45 minutes, which is more than I do running - and it was actually kind of fun. There had to be something good that came out of me hitting my 30's, I am now very much less interested in what other people think about me and the way I look. This journey is about me, and if I look stupid along the way, so be it!
Wednesday became a rest day, because weeks (or perhaps months) of inactivity followed by a sudden burst of energy took it's toll on my poor legs. But I was back into it this morning, clocking up a 4.5km run, albeit quite slow and painful. Tonight I'll hit the gym for another weights workout I think.
I took some measurements this morning, as I sometimes find that a more useful measurement than weight, especially when I'm doing some strength training. I also downloaded the old CK data from my weight loss in 2007/08, which was interesting. I'm now 90-point-something kg. I have measurements from when I was 89.5kg in November 2007 - my measurements now are 1cm larger hips, 2cm larger chest, same on thighs, but 6cm larger waist. Damn it, I knew I was spongier than my previous 90kg self. I hope this means that the weight will leave my waist first... But I somehow doubt it! Ideally I would like to take 15cm off my chest, hips and waist, and 10cm off my thighs. That's a whole lot of fat. Ah well, we'll get there, one step at a time.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Welcome to 2012
Greetings and salutations, and happy 2012! 2011 was a disastrous year for me in many respects, and I'm not sorry to see the back of it. Having said that, I learned an awful lot last year. I would certainly not want to live that 12 months again, but I think I am a better person for having lived it.
But now, here we are, in 2012. And it's time to take this blog back to what it was originally about - fitness and weight loss. The reason it hasn't been about that for a while, a long while, is pretty simple. I have been neither fit, nor losing weight. Today is the first day of turning that trend around. A good friend and I have decided that 2012 is the year of "Operation Fit Body", the year to get ourselves fit and healthy. We had to start on 2nd January though, we were too hung over on 1st January after all :-)
I have also joined a Facebook group started by one of my old online buddies from when I lost weight successfully 4 or so years ago. It's called 20SIZE12, and is focused around shrinking to a size 12 in 2012. Cool, huh? The group is in fact full of old Calorie King people from when I was a regular. None of us have been using that site for some time, and sadly there are a lot of us who have regained a lot of weight. But we are an enthusiastic group and I feel motivated and excited about taking on this challenge with this crowd again. It has been a very long time since I could say I felt motivated and excited about losing weight - it's a good feeling.
My plan for executing OFB (operation fit body) is as follows:
So here we go. Here's to a happier, healthier year in 2012. One in which OFB sees me drop 20kg, wear a size 12, and hit some big fitness goals. Watch this space!
But now, here we are, in 2012. And it's time to take this blog back to what it was originally about - fitness and weight loss. The reason it hasn't been about that for a while, a long while, is pretty simple. I have been neither fit, nor losing weight. Today is the first day of turning that trend around. A good friend and I have decided that 2012 is the year of "Operation Fit Body", the year to get ourselves fit and healthy. We had to start on 2nd January though, we were too hung over on 1st January after all :-)
I have also joined a Facebook group started by one of my old online buddies from when I lost weight successfully 4 or so years ago. It's called 20SIZE12, and is focused around shrinking to a size 12 in 2012. Cool, huh? The group is in fact full of old Calorie King people from when I was a regular. None of us have been using that site for some time, and sadly there are a lot of us who have regained a lot of weight. But we are an enthusiastic group and I feel motivated and excited about taking on this challenge with this crowd again. It has been a very long time since I could say I felt motivated and excited about losing weight - it's a good feeling.
My plan for executing OFB (operation fit body) is as follows:
- Track calories. It sucks, but it works. I'm not completely sold on whether I'm going to use Calorie King or My Fitness Pal. I'm kinda using both at the moment. I'll see which one suits best and go with that.
- Running. I haven't run consistently for a good while, and I'm finally at the point where I miss it. I need to finalise a schedule, but I'm looking at doing a few races in July, August and September - a 15km, half marathon and 12km race respectively. I'll ponder this a bit more and lock in a schedule when it's a bit closer.
- Gym. I want to get back into a regular weights/resistance programme, because I have a sneaking suspicion my muscle mass is going to hell. I actually really like weight training, so this should be the easiest part of the plan.
So here we go. Here's to a happier, healthier year in 2012. One in which OFB sees me drop 20kg, wear a size 12, and hit some big fitness goals. Watch this space!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Update time
Our work server is down. Maybe the universe is telling me it's time for a blog update? Well maybe not, seeing as I could actually work around it and use a different server login with the computer hook up I have here. But as no-one else can do that, and they don't know that I can do that... well I can just waste time like everyone else, no?
I am suffering from extreme motivational issues at the moment. As in, I have no motivation at all. Nada. My alarm goes off at 5:15 every day. And I usually set a few on my phone for 5:25, 5:30 and 5:40. Turn them all off and roll over. Then end up being late because I don't drag my butt out of bed til 7. I did manage to get up and get a weights session in yesterday morning. But Monday's run? Nope. This morning's run? Nope. Sigh. I have really got to stop staying up way past my bedtime texting people and playing words with friends. It's not productive. Fun though.
It is a hectic time of year though, so I'm just rolling with it at the moment. Once Christmas is done and dusted, life should settle a little and I should be able to get back into some sort of routine. Please.
On the Christmas front, I've finished all my Christmas shopping, and I'm so impressed with myself. The last thing I was waiting on was delivered this morning, so I'll wrap that and a few other little bits and pieces tonight, and then we're all done. The great Christmas baking expedition happens this weekend (16 dozen mince pies on Saturday morning before I head off to do present wrapping for the Salvos. And then puddings, slices, truffles, shortbread and various other assorted goodies all day Sunday.) I can't believe the following weekend is Christmas. Where did this year go, honestly?
What else is new? My family is a kind of war zone at the moment which is pretty draining. Warring siblings, very sick father, depressed mother. Anyone want to trade families for Christmas? I swear I'm the only one who turned out half way normal... but then I think there's plenty of people who would debate that too :) Work is a bit up and down too, still very busy and still pretty stressful. But then I thrive on work chaos - it's the only thing that keeps me sane with the rest of my crazy world.
Not much else to report really, despite the extended time between updates! My insular little world just keeps going around, rat on a wheel style. One day I'll make some progress I'm sure. Until then...
I am suffering from extreme motivational issues at the moment. As in, I have no motivation at all. Nada. My alarm goes off at 5:15 every day. And I usually set a few on my phone for 5:25, 5:30 and 5:40. Turn them all off and roll over. Then end up being late because I don't drag my butt out of bed til 7. I did manage to get up and get a weights session in yesterday morning. But Monday's run? Nope. This morning's run? Nope. Sigh. I have really got to stop staying up way past my bedtime texting people and playing words with friends. It's not productive. Fun though.
It is a hectic time of year though, so I'm just rolling with it at the moment. Once Christmas is done and dusted, life should settle a little and I should be able to get back into some sort of routine. Please.
On the Christmas front, I've finished all my Christmas shopping, and I'm so impressed with myself. The last thing I was waiting on was delivered this morning, so I'll wrap that and a few other little bits and pieces tonight, and then we're all done. The great Christmas baking expedition happens this weekend (16 dozen mince pies on Saturday morning before I head off to do present wrapping for the Salvos. And then puddings, slices, truffles, shortbread and various other assorted goodies all day Sunday.) I can't believe the following weekend is Christmas. Where did this year go, honestly?
What else is new? My family is a kind of war zone at the moment which is pretty draining. Warring siblings, very sick father, depressed mother. Anyone want to trade families for Christmas? I swear I'm the only one who turned out half way normal... but then I think there's plenty of people who would debate that too :) Work is a bit up and down too, still very busy and still pretty stressful. But then I thrive on work chaos - it's the only thing that keeps me sane with the rest of my crazy world.
Not much else to report really, despite the extended time between updates! My insular little world just keeps going around, rat on a wheel style. One day I'll make some progress I'm sure. Until then...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Greetings
I'm still around the place, just not posting much at the moment.
There's been lots going on in my life of late, but not much that I can blog about. In fact, I have realised in recent times just how little of my life I share on my blog. All I really post about here is the day-to-day mundane of my existence, and my trials and tribulations in the weight loss and exercise world. And at the moment, that leaves me with not much to report. I'm on and off the diet wagon more often than I can count (I'm officially back on this morning, in case you're wondering)! Exercise is a little haphazard. I'm not training for anything particularly, and I've been completely slack the last couple of weeks. But I ran 6k this morning and felt really good. It's the first time I've enjoyed a run in a long time, so hopefully that's a sign of positive things to come.
As for everything else in life... well, yeah. Lots going on at work, but I can't talk about that. A bit happening in my love life, but I can't talk about that. A bit happening in the family life, but I just don't want to talk about that, because it's depressing and I can't change it, and talking about it won't help.
So that leaves me with nothing, eh? Hopefully I'll get my running mojo back (or at least my general exercise mojo), and I'll have something to report on that front. Otherwise, things are going to be a little quiet around these parts. The two of you good readers who are unfortunate enough to get emails and texts from me about the stuff I can't talk about on here... well you can expect plenty more crap to come :P
There's been lots going on in my life of late, but not much that I can blog about. In fact, I have realised in recent times just how little of my life I share on my blog. All I really post about here is the day-to-day mundane of my existence, and my trials and tribulations in the weight loss and exercise world. And at the moment, that leaves me with not much to report. I'm on and off the diet wagon more often than I can count (I'm officially back on this morning, in case you're wondering)! Exercise is a little haphazard. I'm not training for anything particularly, and I've been completely slack the last couple of weeks. But I ran 6k this morning and felt really good. It's the first time I've enjoyed a run in a long time, so hopefully that's a sign of positive things to come.
As for everything else in life... well, yeah. Lots going on at work, but I can't talk about that. A bit happening in my love life, but I can't talk about that. A bit happening in the family life, but I just don't want to talk about that, because it's depressing and I can't change it, and talking about it won't help.
So that leaves me with nothing, eh? Hopefully I'll get my running mojo back (or at least my general exercise mojo), and I'll have something to report on that front. Otherwise, things are going to be a little quiet around these parts. The two of you good readers who are unfortunate enough to get emails and texts from me about the stuff I can't talk about on here... well you can expect plenty more crap to come :P
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Life is ticking along
I have a church audit spread all over my desk. Church audits are really not my favourite thing in the world. In fact, they are a massive pain in the butt. Hence I am looking for ways to procrastinate away my available time, and what better way than to update in blog world.
Life is just ticking away at the moment. Nothing of any massive excitement to report on. Such is the life of an accountant eh? I've been going to the gym semi regularly, last week was a bit of a fail, but otherwise I've been pretty good. Eating has been OK for the most part. My weekends are pretty full, but mostly it's just boring stuff which is gaining good brownie points with the family, but boring me senseless.
A couple of exciting developments from the weekend just gone though:
Life is just ticking away at the moment. Nothing of any massive excitement to report on. Such is the life of an accountant eh? I've been going to the gym semi regularly, last week was a bit of a fail, but otherwise I've been pretty good. Eating has been OK for the most part. My weekends are pretty full, but mostly it's just boring stuff which is gaining good brownie points with the family, but boring me senseless.
A couple of exciting developments from the weekend just gone though:
- I got the new iPhone. It rocks. I love gadgets, and this is a big step up on the old 3GS I've been using until now. The Siri voice recognition software needs some work, and some of the features don't work in Australia yet, but it's good fun. Some friends and I had some great laughs on Saturday night playing with it, setting reminders to go off at all hours of the night on each other's phones. Juvenile yes, but funny.
- I got a new Polar. I have no clue where I have stashed my old one, but it was pretty beaten up anyway. The new one is pink and pretty, and I've taken it out for a couple of sessions - a walk up/run down Mt Lofty on Saturday, and an RPM class this morning. Works a treat.
- I got new hair. I was thoroughly bored with waiting for my hair to grow, so I've had some extensions put in. The reactions have been a bit mixed, some people like the look of it, others not so much. But I'm enjoying having super long hair again for the moment. The lovely Kylie said that it makes me look younger, she's such a star :)
Plans for the week ahead? Don't really have any. That's not good. Let's make some up -
- Get to the gym every day
- Try for a run (although the shins pulled up pretty sore from the Mt Lofty climb)
- Get some freaking work done. I've found all new levels of procrastination recently (she says as she blogs away)
- Leave some comments on some blogs. I still follow lots of people and read regularly, but I've become completely slack at commenting. Rude.
- Drink lots of water and eat well.
That'll do. Until next time, blog peeps...
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