In my very first post I wrote a list of rules that I was going to stick to in order to achieve my goal. I've adopted a healthy way of life for 11 weeks now, so I thought I'd review those rules.
1) smaller & appropriate portions Still applies
2) don't finish of my sons food Still applies
3) 3 meals a day Still applies
4) no snacks, but if really need something then fruit or vegetables. Still applies
5) eat a variety of foods throughout the week Still applies
6) eat all food groups in a day Still applies
7) more fruit & veg Still applies (although not eating as much fruit as I was at the beginning).
8) drink more no added sugar squash & water (cut down on fizzy drinks) Gone back to fizzy drinks
9) move more than I did before Still applies
10) don't stick to one type of exercise - don't want to get bored Doing variety of gym equipment, walking, cycling.
11) no food is banned - it's all about moderation. Still applies
12) be honest & talk Still applies
13) have fun & be positive Still applies
I feel quite pleased looking back that I'm actually keeping to the majority of my 'rules'. I have added one rule since I started.
14) Have approximately 1200 calories a day.
This is the amount that I eat, but everyone is different. I use a website called My Fitness Pal and they do an amazing free app for your smart phone. This works out how many calories I need to have to lose weight.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Monday, 5 March 2012
Health MOT & training programme
Last Saturday I had a Health MOT at the gym. It was good and there are a few areas to work on improving which is great. I'm going to to have another one done in 3 months. Hopefully there should be an improvement.
I'll put a few of my results below:
Hip to Waist ratio = 0.90
Aerobic fitness = 30
Resting heartbeat = 56
Cholesterol = 4.55
Blood Glucose = 5
Health score = 58
So yesterday I met up with a personal trainer and worked out a programme for me to work on. He's set me a little 30 minute challenge to do once a week. It's a mini triathlon of rowing, cycling & walking. Then the rest of the times that I go I've got a weight resistance & cardio workout. Apparently the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. I'm looking forward to getting started, in fact I can't wait. I managed to go to the gym 4 times this last week as well as incorporating cycling & walks into my week.
Still really enjoying the exercise. On Friday I cycled to town, pulling my son's trailer all by myself. It was definitely harder but I made it there & back. It was the first time that I've taken my son out on my own, so I was really pleased that I did it. I also cycled to a toddler group on Tuesday. Also going to cycle to my parents this afternoon.
Food-wise all has been going well in the last week. I've been keeping to my calories. My focus is still more on the exercise instead of the food, which is really helping. I was talking to the personal trainer yesterday and he was saying that I good tip is to eat fewer carbohydrates with your evening meals. He said that if you eat a lot of carbs in the evening they are more likely to turn into fat and become harder to shift because your body can't burn the calories off. He said if you think about breakfast it kind of makes sense. Most people eat toast/cereal for breakfast. Both are packed with carbs, but you then have the whole day to burn off those stubborn calories. With that in mind I will try lower my carbs at dinner, but not excluding them completely.
I have been very good this week but I do not know what the scales will say in the morning. No mid-week weigh in this week so I hope that all my exercising at the gym is starting to help. Only time will tell...
I'll put a few of my results below:
Hip to Waist ratio = 0.90
Aerobic fitness = 30
Resting heartbeat = 56
Cholesterol = 4.55
Blood Glucose = 5
Health score = 58
So yesterday I met up with a personal trainer and worked out a programme for me to work on. He's set me a little 30 minute challenge to do once a week. It's a mini triathlon of rowing, cycling & walking. Then the rest of the times that I go I've got a weight resistance & cardio workout. Apparently the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. I'm looking forward to getting started, in fact I can't wait. I managed to go to the gym 4 times this last week as well as incorporating cycling & walks into my week.
Still really enjoying the exercise. On Friday I cycled to town, pulling my son's trailer all by myself. It was definitely harder but I made it there & back. It was the first time that I've taken my son out on my own, so I was really pleased that I did it. I also cycled to a toddler group on Tuesday. Also going to cycle to my parents this afternoon.
Food-wise all has been going well in the last week. I've been keeping to my calories. My focus is still more on the exercise instead of the food, which is really helping. I was talking to the personal trainer yesterday and he was saying that I good tip is to eat fewer carbohydrates with your evening meals. He said that if you eat a lot of carbs in the evening they are more likely to turn into fat and become harder to shift because your body can't burn the calories off. He said if you think about breakfast it kind of makes sense. Most people eat toast/cereal for breakfast. Both are packed with carbs, but you then have the whole day to burn off those stubborn calories. With that in mind I will try lower my carbs at dinner, but not excluding them completely.
I have been very good this week but I do not know what the scales will say in the morning. No mid-week weigh in this week so I hope that all my exercising at the gym is starting to help. Only time will tell...
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Addicted?
It's been a month since I wrote about and enjoying exercise. I can hardly believe I'm going to say this but I think I may becoming addicted to exercise.
Since joining the gym on Saturday I have been 3 times (sunday, monday & tuesday) and did around an hour each time. Today is not a gym day but I've walked 3.5 miles. My husband and I have a day without our son and went to cinema & out for dinner. But we walked to the cinema, then to harvester for dinner, then home. We just had chicken & salad for dinner which is within our calorie allowance for the day. So feel like I've not wasted a day with no gym.
You hear about people that get a high from doing exercise and become addicted. I always thought these people were crazy. But it seems as though I may be slowly turning into one of them.
It's been great to exercise for over an hour the last few nights, but in the day when I'm sitting down I start to feel a little bit guilty for sitting down. Normally when my son has his sleep. There's a voice in my head that is shouting louder each day about doing more exercise. I'm getting to like the sound of this voice.
Just after our son left this morning my husband said we should go and sleep. Typically my husband fell asleep really quickly, but I couldn't. I just kept thinking that I could be doing exercise. In the end I went and did some and felt really pleased after.
Tomorrow my husband and I are going to the gym. We plan on doing 60 - 75 mins exercise, followed by 20 - 30 mins swim, then a steam & sauna. It's going to be lovely.
I went to the gym with a friend this week which was such a great help. She helped give me the strength to keep going on that damn stepper, even when I thought I couldn't do anymore.
Who knows how long I will feel like this? It is quite a strange feeling. All my life I've looking at exercise as a chore and in a negative way, so it's taking some getting used to. But whilst I do feel like this i'm going to embrace it. At the end of the day it helping me get healthier & fitter, right?
Since joining the gym on Saturday I have been 3 times (sunday, monday & tuesday) and did around an hour each time. Today is not a gym day but I've walked 3.5 miles. My husband and I have a day without our son and went to cinema & out for dinner. But we walked to the cinema, then to harvester for dinner, then home. We just had chicken & salad for dinner which is within our calorie allowance for the day. So feel like I've not wasted a day with no gym.
You hear about people that get a high from doing exercise and become addicted. I always thought these people were crazy. But it seems as though I may be slowly turning into one of them.
It's been great to exercise for over an hour the last few nights, but in the day when I'm sitting down I start to feel a little bit guilty for sitting down. Normally when my son has his sleep. There's a voice in my head that is shouting louder each day about doing more exercise. I'm getting to like the sound of this voice.
Just after our son left this morning my husband said we should go and sleep. Typically my husband fell asleep really quickly, but I couldn't. I just kept thinking that I could be doing exercise. In the end I went and did some and felt really pleased after.
Tomorrow my husband and I are going to the gym. We plan on doing 60 - 75 mins exercise, followed by 20 - 30 mins swim, then a steam & sauna. It's going to be lovely.
I went to the gym with a friend this week which was such a great help. She helped give me the strength to keep going on that damn stepper, even when I thought I couldn't do anymore.
Who knows how long I will feel like this? It is quite a strange feeling. All my life I've looking at exercise as a chore and in a negative way, so it's taking some getting used to. But whilst I do feel like this i'm going to embrace it. At the end of the day it helping me get healthier & fitter, right?
Sunday, 26 February 2012
My first gym session!
WOO HOO!! I did it!
I went to the gym - all by myself and stayed there for a full 40 minute workout.
As I walked down the path I was starting to worry, but once I got in there it was great.
Before I went I downloaded a workout album to my iPhone to listen to at the gym.
I started off on the treadmill for 13 minutes. I managed to jog .... Yes that's right jog..... for approx 2 of those mins. I just started and kept going until i was at my limit. I managed to walk on an incline too. I moved onto a sitting down bike for 8 mins. They are a lot more comfortable to use than the normal bikes. Then back to the treadmill where I jogged again, this time for approx 3 minutes. I managed 18 mins this time. I was all red & sweaty which was great. I just kept thinking about all those calories I was burning off.
When I was working out I was listening to my album which had great beats and kept me going. I'm a bit of a people watcher, so naturally I was looking round to see what other people were doing. There were a couple of girls who looked young and they didn't even look slightly pink. All their hair was perfect and their make hadn't moved at all. But on the whole it wasn't terribly busy. Which was perfect for me coz I could stay in the corner and focus.
There was only 1 moment towards to end when I felt a teeny bit of nausea creeping in. So I just slowed the pace down and concentrated on my breathing. Last time that happened I fainted.
When I finished I felt fantastic. Firstly because I went in and did it on my own. And secondly because I could feel how much good it was doing me.
On my drive home I was thinking about how much better I felt this time compared to when I went to the gym 3+ years ago. Then I realised its coz I don't smoke anymore. 3 years ago I'd have a cigarette on my way in, and again as soon as I left. I was always so wheezy throughout my workout. This time my heart was pumping, but I could breath (albeit faster than normal).
When at home I just kept thinking about when I could go next. I'm planning to go 4 or 5 times in the next week. Taking my son swimming tomorrow afternoon too which will be great fun.
If you are doing any kind of exercise regime at the moment - good luck. You have more strength & power than you know! Keep at it, it all helps :0)
I went to the gym - all by myself and stayed there for a full 40 minute workout.
As I walked down the path I was starting to worry, but once I got in there it was great.
Before I went I downloaded a workout album to my iPhone to listen to at the gym.
I started off on the treadmill for 13 minutes. I managed to jog .... Yes that's right jog..... for approx 2 of those mins. I just started and kept going until i was at my limit. I managed to walk on an incline too. I moved onto a sitting down bike for 8 mins. They are a lot more comfortable to use than the normal bikes. Then back to the treadmill where I jogged again, this time for approx 3 minutes. I managed 18 mins this time. I was all red & sweaty which was great. I just kept thinking about all those calories I was burning off.
When I was working out I was listening to my album which had great beats and kept me going. I'm a bit of a people watcher, so naturally I was looking round to see what other people were doing. There were a couple of girls who looked young and they didn't even look slightly pink. All their hair was perfect and their make hadn't moved at all. But on the whole it wasn't terribly busy. Which was perfect for me coz I could stay in the corner and focus.
There was only 1 moment towards to end when I felt a teeny bit of nausea creeping in. So I just slowed the pace down and concentrated on my breathing. Last time that happened I fainted.
When I finished I felt fantastic. Firstly because I went in and did it on my own. And secondly because I could feel how much good it was doing me.
On my drive home I was thinking about how much better I felt this time compared to when I went to the gym 3+ years ago. Then I realised its coz I don't smoke anymore. 3 years ago I'd have a cigarette on my way in, and again as soon as I left. I was always so wheezy throughout my workout. This time my heart was pumping, but I could breath (albeit faster than normal).
When at home I just kept thinking about when I could go next. I'm planning to go 4 or 5 times in the next week. Taking my son swimming tomorrow afternoon too which will be great fun.
If you are doing any kind of exercise regime at the moment - good luck. You have more strength & power than you know! Keep at it, it all helps :0)
Saturday, 25 February 2012
A step in the right direction
I'm nearly at the 2 month mark. I'm really pleased with where I have got to on my journey but think its time to get some professional help. This morning I joined a gym! I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the classes and being able to go swimming, as well as using the gym. Going to also use it to take my son swimming. Its been about 3 years since I went to a gym. I was never excited about the gym, I always saw it as a chore. This time I'm thinking about my health, fitness and weight loss. I'm going to ask family to help babysit in the evenings if my husband is working which will be a massive help.
I've got a health MOT in a week. This is going to tell me about cholesterol, blood sugar, BMI etc. I think that it'll be a fantastic boost & motivation. I'll be going with 1 of my best friends too, which is a massive help.
The first time I go to the gym I know will be a bit difficult. I don't mean physically, but mentally. I worry too much about what other people think. I will be thinking that everyone is thinking 'there goes the fat girl....this should be funny.' I only ever feel like that for the first couple of times until I get used to what I'm doing and where everything is. I know that the same will happen this time, but I also know that I'm dedicated to this and I'm not about to throw in the towel just because my mind is playing games with me. Even if there are people that think that, I know that I'm stronger and that these people are not worth worrying about. I will just be proud of myself for doing something about it. It's better than sitting at home and sitting on the sofa, right?
I've got a health MOT in a week. This is going to tell me about cholesterol, blood sugar, BMI etc. I think that it'll be a fantastic boost & motivation. I'll be going with 1 of my best friends too, which is a massive help.
The first time I go to the gym I know will be a bit difficult. I don't mean physically, but mentally. I worry too much about what other people think. I will be thinking that everyone is thinking 'there goes the fat girl....this should be funny.' I only ever feel like that for the first couple of times until I get used to what I'm doing and where everything is. I know that the same will happen this time, but I also know that I'm dedicated to this and I'm not about to throw in the towel just because my mind is playing games with me. Even if there are people that think that, I know that I'm stronger and that these people are not worth worrying about. I will just be proud of myself for doing something about it. It's better than sitting at home and sitting on the sofa, right?
Friday, 24 February 2012
Feeling flat
Last night I was up for 2.5 hours as my son was awake, as a result I'm shattered today. Then decided to do a mid-week weigh in. I haven't lost anything so far this week. Although its no problem coz I've lost so much each week, I just feel a little flat. Don't get me wrong, I'm still as determined as ever to carry on. But I don't have a spring in my step. I think it's just one of the joys of being a woman & lack of sleep.
But in my bid to move more than I did before, I cycled to town & back this morning. I was about the same distance as cycling round the block. Only stopped once each way. What I also noticed is that my thighs didn't get that burning sensation. It must mean that i'm fitter than i was. I was really pleased with myself. And my son loved it. He laughed almost all the way there. As long as the weather is good I'm going to start cycling to 2 groups each week. Then hopefully I'll get more stamina and will be able to cycle to other places too.
Hopefully I'll get back to my normal self over the weekend.
But in my bid to move more than I did before, I cycled to town & back this morning. I was about the same distance as cycling round the block. Only stopped once each way. What I also noticed is that my thighs didn't get that burning sensation. It must mean that i'm fitter than i was. I was really pleased with myself. And my son loved it. He laughed almost all the way there. As long as the weather is good I'm going to start cycling to 2 groups each week. Then hopefully I'll get more stamina and will be able to cycle to other places too.
Hopefully I'll get back to my normal self over the weekend.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Pancakes a bit of a flop
As you may be aware it's pancake day today. I decided to make sure that I had some, as this is real life and in the future as my son grows I'm sure pancakes will feature highly on shrove Tuesday. I decided that I couldn't have just 1 pancake, so I would have 4 or 5 and that would be my dinner. Anyway we bought a 'shake to make' mixture earlier today. Started making them just now and began adding them to my calorie counting app. By the time I'd logged everything I felt totally cheated. I wasted over 550 calories on 4 pancakes with fillings. WHAT!?!? I could have had such a lovely meal for less calories. I was so annoyed with myself. So lesson learnt, only 1 pancake next year.
Luckily today I've had an amazing day of exercise. This morning before we went out I did 20 mins on my biggest loser wii game. It was good and I was a little sweaty after so knew it was burning those calories. Then at lunchtime I did some step aerobics at an 8 inch height. I thought we'd sold our step before we had our son, but my husband told me it was in the garage. Anywho, I did 20 mins at lunchtime. I did it in 5 minute sections with water breaks in between. Well, let me tell you....I sweat so much I really felt like I'd done an amazing workout. I burned 293 calories in just 20 mins. For the first time since starting this new way of life I felt as though I was helping my health. My heart was pumping, but it felt great. I'm def doing this a few times a week. Then this afternoon I went for a walk round our local park which was a good 30 mins walking whilst pushing a buggy.
Last night I watched Obese: A year to save my life. It was an amazing episode. The guy losing weight was totally focused and really started enjoying it by the end of the year. He ended up losing 12st 5lb in 12 months and has started training to be a personal fitness trainer. It was so good to watch because it reinforced all my positive thoughts at the moment. This guy was going to do it without question, and that's exactly how I feel about my struggle. In the opening credits Jessie Pavelka says something that I love and has really hit home with me.
"You can either be the sickness in your world, or you can be the cure."
I'm going to be the cure in my world ...... I feel there's no question about that. This is my time. I went to my first slimming class when I was 16. I've been trying to lose weight for half of my life. This is where it ends! I am totally accountable for how i got to this size, and also for where I go from here.
A dream doesn't become reality through magic. It takes sweat, determination and hard work!
Luckily today I've had an amazing day of exercise. This morning before we went out I did 20 mins on my biggest loser wii game. It was good and I was a little sweaty after so knew it was burning those calories. Then at lunchtime I did some step aerobics at an 8 inch height. I thought we'd sold our step before we had our son, but my husband told me it was in the garage. Anywho, I did 20 mins at lunchtime. I did it in 5 minute sections with water breaks in between. Well, let me tell you....I sweat so much I really felt like I'd done an amazing workout. I burned 293 calories in just 20 mins. For the first time since starting this new way of life I felt as though I was helping my health. My heart was pumping, but it felt great. I'm def doing this a few times a week. Then this afternoon I went for a walk round our local park which was a good 30 mins walking whilst pushing a buggy.
Last night I watched Obese: A year to save my life. It was an amazing episode. The guy losing weight was totally focused and really started enjoying it by the end of the year. He ended up losing 12st 5lb in 12 months and has started training to be a personal fitness trainer. It was so good to watch because it reinforced all my positive thoughts at the moment. This guy was going to do it without question, and that's exactly how I feel about my struggle. In the opening credits Jessie Pavelka says something that I love and has really hit home with me.
"You can either be the sickness in your world, or you can be the cure."
I'm going to be the cure in my world ...... I feel there's no question about that. This is my time. I went to my first slimming class when I was 16. I've been trying to lose weight for half of my life. This is where it ends! I am totally accountable for how i got to this size, and also for where I go from here.
A dream doesn't become reality through magic. It takes sweat, determination and hard work!
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