FATLOSS & FITNESS - CHANGE YOUR LIFE TODAY!!

New Year post by friend & colleage Maggie Ayre

2011-01-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

Are The Post-Christmas Blues Getting You Down?

How Exercise Can Lift Your Mood and Leave You Full of the Joys of Spring

Most people who are depressed don’t even know it. They have lived with being “slightly unhappy” for so long that they’re used to it. However, studies have consistently shown that when these slightly miserable people start to exercise they become less critical of themselves and others and they become less of a grouch. They discover that other people want to spend more time with them and they feel more passionate about life – in short they discover that they can be happier! And all because of a little bit of exercise…..

So, you’re probably wondering how this works, couldn’t we all do with feeling a little bit happier this time of year?

There are many different types of depression all of which display different symptoms; from those who don’t eat and can’t sleep, to those who eat too much and are permanently tired. Some people find it impossible to make even the simplest decision and others withdraw from the world. Others still will shout and challenge everything and everyone.

Back in the 1950s we discovered that there was a biological explanation for depression, a disease that had previously been thought of as purely psychological. We still don’t know what causes depression but in the 1970s a hospital in Norway discovered that aerobic exercise can be used to effectively treat depression.

Since then there have been numerous theories as to why this works. Some sports men and women talk about a “runners high” and a feeling of euphoria when they exercise but this doesn’t happen to everyone. Instead it has been discovered that when exercise triggers endorphins actually in the brain they can produce a general feeling of “well-being” that accompanies exercise. This seems to be more universal.

Exercise is more powerful than that though it also targets all the same neurotransmitters as antidepressants.

•It elevates levels of norepinephrine which improves self-esteem.

•It boosts dopamine which improves mood and feelings of wellness and jump starts the attention system.

•It raises levels of serotonin which improves mood, self-esteem and regulates impulses.

•It counteracts cortisol helping to stave off stress.

In fact a 1999 study at Duke University in the US discovered that exercise was actually more effective than the antidepressants over the long term and that those who were treating depression with exercise were far less likely to suffer relapse. They discovered that 50 minutes of weekly exercise correlated with a 50% drop in the odds of being depressed. Blumenthal, who conducted the experiments on 156 patients decided that the results couldn’t conclusively prove that exercise caused remission but does it really matter whether you’re less depressed because you exercise or exercise because you’re less depressed? Either way you feel better.

Now of course being a little bit sad isn’t the same as being clinically depressed but it has been shown that exercise can help depression however mildly or severely it is experienced. Just because you don’t have all the symptoms of depression doesn’t mean that exercise can’t be used to make you feel even better – imagine feeling “better than well”!

Exercise has also proven to be highly effective at preventing depression. One of the first symptoms of depression is sleep disturbance- either an inability to sleep or an inability to get up. The key is to start exercising at this point.

So if you’re feeling run down, under the weather, and unable to sleep or get up in the morning exercise could be just the cure you need.

** Most of the statistics for this post come from the fantastic book “Spark! How Exercise will Improve the Performance of Your Brain” by Dr John J Ratey and Eric Hagerman, which I highly recommend.

To read more about Maggie and her great work with teenage girls see:
http://maggieayre.typepad.com/maggie-ayre/

Lets Dance 2 - New Release

2010-10-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

I don't normally plug new products - well not unless they are something that I persoanlly use and have experience of - I recently got approached by a media company who are promoting the new release of lets dance 2 - I got given the first one for rmy birthday recently and I have to say its fab! You can really get a good sweat on if you put some effort into it and its all good fun too- you really dont feel like you are working out at all! and all the time you are burning calories - remember all activity adds up to losing that weight you are after! It doesnt always have to be structured exercise!

This new release is set to include some fitness aspects which could prove to be really effective! I for one cant wait to try it out!

I have attached the press release giving you some more info! I am hoping to get a copy to try out and will reveiw it for you if that happens!

JUST DANCE® 2

THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN

21st September 2010

There are 24 days to go until the much-anticipated game Just Dance 2 is released in the UK on 15th October 2010. After the success of the first installment, which has sold more than 4 million units to date and even sold out in stores during Christmas 2009, Just Dance returns with a brand new track-list of more than 40 popular songs, each track featuring its own choreography.

Just Dance 2’s track list offers a wide range of songs drawn from classic hits and legendary songs to today’s chart-toppers, including Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff, I Got You by James Brown but also Rihanna’s SOS, When I Grow Up by the Pussycat Dolls and many other famous songs for perfect dancing parties! It also explores new music styles such as Bollywood music or reggaeton. And for those who still want more, they will be able to download tracks from an expanding catalogue of new hits.

Added to the “Classic” mode in which you can just dance on the tracks and hit the score, Just Dance 2 also boasts new modes. Thus, players will now be able to create their own team and engage in dance-off contests with up to 8 players. In the Duet Mode, each player will follow a different choreography mixing dance steps and poses that will respond to the choreography of the other. An added benefit is the new Just Sweat mode where players will lose calories shaking their bodies to their favorite songs.

Just Dance 2 will be released exclusively on WiiTM on October 15th in the UK.

For more information about Just Dance 2, please visit www.facebook.com/justdanceuk

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 26 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2009-10 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of € 871 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2010 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Just Dance, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.

What a difference a year makes!

2010-09-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

As promised I finally have the great before and after pic of my lovely client who got married earlier this year!

Together we have worked hard and she lost over 5 stone and over 40 inches in total off her body in just over 12 months of our training!

Pretty impressive I think!

Her face has been blurred out as she is a little shy about her achievements! But I think she should be so proud of the amazing transformation she has made and the huge health benefits she has got too!

Video of Clean eating/Paleo diet!

2010-07-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

I just loved this - I found it this morning and it is a really simple explanation but sure gets its point across! Thanks to paynowlivelater for making it or posting it - hope you dont mind me sharing it with a few more people :-) Here are some views from the same person on exercise!

Motivation Board!

2010-07-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I recently made a board complete with pics of figures that inspire or motivate me! I found a cool tool to do this online which enabled me to save it to my desktop so it now greets me everytime I open my laptop!

Its a great idea and you can make a hard copy too cutting out pics from magazines of bodies that you would like to look like! There will be different ideas for different people, some like the athletic sporty look, some the bodybuilder/figure model look, personally I prefer the slightly softer fitness model look although I know how hard they work to look like they do and also how great the photographer/make up artists are at making them look perfect and im sure the old airbrush comes into play too!

Why not make your own version and stick it on your fridge or somewhere that you will see it everyday for that added bit of motivation, perhaps it will inspire you to close the fridge and go work out instead!

ps I should just mention that my blog mate JustaGirl posted hers recently on her blog which gave me the idea for posting mine here too!

Inspirational!

2010-06-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

Wow I just had to share these amazing photos of a truly inspirational lady!

Im just going to post the pics for now and leave me a comment to guess her age! I'll reveal all later!

C'mon get guessing - answer coming later!!

UPDATE!!!! Coming soon............................

2010-05-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Hey bloggers! Sorry for lack of blog updates lately, exciting things to come though so please keep following! I am currently taking part in a business development program and part of this will include a much more informative blog for you to read with alot more interesting topics, recipies and news from the fitness industry!

I have also recently spent a weekend up in Nottingham at a Fitness Bootcamp where I learnt some really mind blowing information and will share some of this with you over the coming weeks!

I am also really excited to be able to share the journey and results of one of my clients with you - she has lost an amazing 5 stone + in the last year and gets married on the 29th May so watch this space for some inspirational pictures!

In the mean time if anyone has any ideas or topics they woul dliek covered then please leave me a comment and I will try my best to follow this up!

This isnt my client of course but her transformation is awesome too!!

Easter, Eggs and Moving On!

2010-04-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

Most people other than the very dedicated will have indulged in a little Easter treat over the weekend, Easter is the longest Bank Holiday we get other than Xmas and is a great time to spend catching up with family and friends, Easter is a fun time with Egg hunts and an array of brightly coloured goodies filling the shelves since well just after Xmas i think, so now its done put it behind you and get back on track! Dont let the guilt get in the way of your goals, you chose to indulge, and in doing so will have enjoyed things that maybe you dont choose to eat every day! Savour the tastes you experienced but now get back on to your regular nutritional plan that is something that you can sustain day in day out and week in week out whether that be carb cycling, good old fashioned healthy eating or which ever is your choice of program but make it consistant, most "diet" plans fail due to inconsistancy so make yours something that will keep you on the straight and narrow for some time and not veering off to the next temptation because you just cant stick to it! We are now nearly a third into 2010 are you a third of the way into achieving your goals for this year? If not, there is still time - just be consistant!

No More Excuses! How many do you have?

2010-03-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

What is clean eating or eating clean?

2010-03-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

What is clean eating or eating clean?

I decided to write about this as the term is being widely used these days and seems to be wildly open to interpretation, where did it originate from? Who eats this way? Why eat this way? What does it involve? Those are just a few of the questions I have seen asked or been asked and the following is a collection of what I believe, what I’ve read and from googling the term!

There is also another reason behind writing this article, something I read earlier this week on a weight loss forum has stuck with me! The question posted was one from the above list and asked what could be eaten to sweeten a morning bowl of porridge, some good replies were amongst them including adding fruits, or making with oat milk etc however one suggested using jam, now having watched my Mum make jam as a child I still remember how much sugar went into the process and I knew nothing about nutrition at that point! The poster then went on to say that as jam was purely fruit and sugar it must be clean! Sugar is one of the most processed and refined substances available! My point here I guess is that people hear a term being used, currently quite a “trendy” term and kind of jump on the bandwagon without really having a clue about what this means! It also shows what a lack of nutrition knowledge we as a nation still have!

Anyway to get back to the main point what is the fuss all about? Clean eating (not my favourite term for it – but one commonly used now) is not a new invention, in fact it has been around for many, many years, centuries even, based really on how our ancestors ate! Wholesome healthy and natural foods! I first heard the term through a fitness magazine called Oxygen and a fitness model/clean eating queen Tosca Reno who transformed her life and body through a clean eating diet and full on exercise regime, she is now a very successful author on the subject!
So what is clean eating? This sentence I’ve borrowed from googling the term as it was simple and is a fairly good explanation of what clean eating is all about!

“At it’s most basic, clean eating is making the healthiest food choices possible, opting for fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat instead of processed and refined foods.”

In other words things that grow on or under the ground, have lived on the land or swam in the sea! Lean, Green or Marine! As nature intended!

Eating this way eliminates processed foods as much as possible, cuts out refined foods that have been changed from their original state, with unpronounceable ingredients on the packets full of additives and chemicals!
Eating clean isn’t a diet it’s a lifestyle choice for life! For me it’s about caring what you put into your body and how it affects you and the knock on effect of how you look and how healthy you are! Another borrowed quote “Clean eating is not about deprivation, avoiding food groups, counting calories or starvation, but about making healthy food choices and providing the body with the best foods possible.”

That last sentence really sums it up for me as the whole debate is open to everyone’s individual interpretation, some state that everything we eat today has undergone some form of processing and that people that say they eat clean are not really unless they farm, kill, grow and then cook everything they eat which is what some people who take it very seriously do, others like me adapt it to their lifestyle and what is convenient for them and their needs, I am no saint my diet is not 100% clean all of the time but the basic principles remain true that I choose to make healthy choices wherever possible and try to avoid as many processed man made foods where I can!
The term clean eating has crossed over into the fitness world quite heavily and the two now seem to make a great match being quite inseparable, you will find people that take on this way of life tend to eat small frequent meals, cook from scratch using fresh natural ingredients, eliminate refined sugars and alcohol, drink plenty of natural water as much as half your bodyweight in ounces! Eat a compulsory breakfast and pack and prepare daily meals and snacks in advance! They do not rely on shop bought sandwiches or ready meals they are always prepared and carry their staples with them!

What will eating clean do for you? Other than improving health and vitality, it will help you lose unwanted bodyfat, give you increased energy, clearer skin, stronger hair and nails, enhanced sleep and clearer mental focus!
So to end I would say adjust your diet to fit in with your current lifestyle whilst staying true to the basic principles of clean eating! There is no right and wrong, it is a choice after all but if you really care about your body then you’d do worse than to take on board some or all of these principles!
www.sarahbrookes.co.uk

Burger - Treadmill - Exhaustion: can you outtrain a bad diet?

2010-02-26T06:17:00.000-08:00

Can you out train a bad diet?

If you eat too many calories, too much junk food, or too many processed carbohydrates, it doesn't matter how tough or how long you exercise, you just won't lose that stubborn body fat. No exercise program is so great that it can out train a bad diet.

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve over heard conversations or read on weight loss forums “I’ve got pizza for dinner tonight so I’m going to do an extra 20 minutes on the treadmill at the gym today” or “It was my friend’s birthday so I had a piece of her Chocolate birthday cake – but it’s ok because I haven’t eaten any lunch and I’ll work twice as hard at the gym tomorrow”

I’ve even seen people come fresh from their workout and in the gym café order a frothy latte and a pastry “I’ve earned it – I’ve worked so hard in my aerobics class”

Unfortunately there is an assumption that because you train hard that you can eat what you like – it may be true that once you have got the body you desire through hard work and sensible nutrition, that you can indulge in the occasional treat and it wont do too much damage to your waistline, however if you are trying to lose fat and aiming to get into that bikini this summer then you still have to be very careful about what goes into your mouth!

Proper nutrition is paramount to you achieving your goals, filling up on healthy nutritious meals and snacks in the right quantities will get you that dream body, not fooling yourself that you have earned that “Starbucks Coffee and Muffin”

As a trainer I hear from clients again thinking that because they employ me to sort out their training that somehow my programs contain magic exercises that will eliminate the need for them to make any changes to their diet and nutrition program, sadly this is not the case, I may train someone for up to 2 or maybe 3 hours per week but that still leaves the other 168 or so hours in that week that they are responsible for themselves and what they put into their mouths!

Of course you will still get a change in body shape from a good training plan, and can even make a change to your body composition with the addition of some lean muscle, however if the nutrition isn’t in place then you wont be getting the transformation you are really seeking!

Why is it so hard to get the nutrition right? Many people would rather work themselves into a sweaty mess on the floor in the belief that they are out training their poor diet than put any thought and effort into what goes into their mouths, grabbing pre prepared foods on the go probably not even tasting what they’ve eaten.

It does take some thought, time and preparation to get your meal plans right but this comes down to just one word organisation! Spending just a little time over your weekend thinking about what you will eat in the forthcoming week, even cooking and freezing ahead, shopping and getting in what you will need, this will become second nature once you start planning and your body will thank you for it; and therefore be prepared to be optimally fuelled during and after your workouts, helping you recover and heal in the process and accelerate your fat loss results and increase your muscle gains.

If you choose to continue acting like a kid in a sweet shop stuffing down processed ready meals, takeaways and calorie laden snacks and hoping that that extra 20 minutes wasting your time on that treadmill will get you where you want to be then this time next year you will look at your reflection and be very disappointed, you will at best look the same or worst still you will have gained more pounds and be spending even more time on that treadmill or cross trainer trying to out do what you put in your mouth!

As a final example and taking things to the extreme for fun, imagine you have just spent an hour or so working out so intensely doing your HIIT (High intensity interval training) doing hill sprints followed by a gruelling spin class that has literally melted you off your seat – you may if your lucky have burnt up to 1000 calories however you may be left feeling that you couldn’t walk another step or even make sense when engaging in conversation on your way out of the gym – you did literally work your arse off!

Now you’re driving home and you are so tired you cant even imagine cooking - oh and there in all its glory is that big shiny yellow “M” sign – without thinking you are through that drive in within minutes and on your lap is a small box containing a burger, fries and coke – regular sized not large after all you are watching your diet aren’t you? Oops there is the big mistake in less than a few minutes you have just eaten up those 1000 calories and some! Now remind me – why did you just spend 60 minutes wasting your precious time to burn those 1000 calories? Just to eat them in less than the time it took you to put your trainers on?

On a final note it is possible to get your dream body, it just needs the right combination of a good training plan along side the right nutrition plan. Your results are approximately 80-90% diet related!

www.sarahbrookes.co.uk

Off Radar!

2010-02-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Hey Blogland! Apologies for being off the blog radar lately, I kinda ran out of steam, not really having the time or motivation to be online all the time, this is just a quick update to catch up with everyone!

Time is running out for me before my first event of the year at the end of March and as yet no real results to report - I think I have been going from one thing to another rather than sticking with any particular thing.

Currently I have signed up to Daxs monthly workout which is tough I can tell you, I have glute and quad doms from hell right now from some lovely 1 legged squats! I dont think the 20 mins of KB swingsheloed either!!

I have also got another product that I am thinking of trialling to called Final phase fatloss which i quiet like the look of! So I will rport back real soon!

Hoe all is well with you all - drop me a comment to let me know how you are doing xx

Good day today!

2010-02-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

Today has been a good and busy day - woke up feeling quite refreshed, made my new fave mango and banana smoothie for brekkie - went to train my first 3 clients of the day who have been doing soooooooooo well and lost over 8lbs each in their first 2 weeks! I then met a friend and fellow PT for lunch and we had a good catch up and discussed work and clients and nutrition and exercise so all in all a great lunch, we met in a lovely cafe called Alexs Healthy Cafe! http://www.good-food-co.co.uk/good-food-cafe.php and had homemade hummus, olives, pitta and fresh yellow and red pepper! Yummy!! I came home for a bit then went to my evening clients, after finishing I cam back to my lovely friends house and we worked out together! Phew it is now nearly 10 and my day is nearly done - a nice relaxing bath and the latest episode of The Biggest loser in bed and thats me done! Yes today has been a good one :-)

Hope yours is as good tomorrow :-))

Go to work on an egg - remember that???

2010-02-02T05:05:00.000-08:00

The beauty of eggs! What I have found whilst doing the elimination diet is that eggs really are my wonder food, they provide me with a complete meal in a shell! The keep me full and are full of very very good things!

The old theory about eggs still seems to exist and I read so many diet programs and books still that only use the whites, Why? the chicken made the egg as a whole and people are losing out big time when they dont eat the yolk! I am going to borrow some information from Dax Moys February Newsletter - free to anyone who visits his site - link at the top!

"Eggs a healthy food but that the yolk is in fact the healthiest part of the egg and should not be avoided for either concern of heart health or weight loss. The link between the dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels is flimsy at best and it is now known that healthy fats and cholesterol in eggs can actively raise
the good cholesterol giving a better ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL).

Research published in The European Journal of Nutrition found that those who ate two eggs per day while on a calorie-restricted diet not only lost weight - but also reduced their cholesterol levels.

Both the American heart Association and the British Heart foundation no longer place a limit on the recommended number of eggs to be consumed in a week. Yet, despite this knowledge having been available for many years now people are still frequently recommending the removal of the yolk as a healthy option thinking that taking some the fat and cholesterol out is making a healthy food choice but they’re mistaken.

As well as containing the essential fatty acids the egg yolks also contain the lions share of the vitamins and minerals, 90% of Calcium, 99.8% of Zink, 93% of Iron, 91.7% of vitamin B12 and 100% of vitamins A,E,D & K. On the other hand the egg whites only contain protein and magnesium in significant quantities making it the lesser part of the nutritional whole.

Still think that egg white omelet is the healthier option?

What about weight loss?

Well first off eggs aren’t as high in fat as most people believe; at 5 grams of fat per egg they certainly can’t be considered a high fat food and it has been shown that Omega 3 fatty acids aid in weight loss. Also zinc, magnesium and calcium deficiencies which are very common in the modern diet often play a role in the hormonal imbalances that contribute to people’s weight and metabolism problems.

Eggs are an excellent source of all these important nutrients. When the yolk and the white are consumed together they form a complete nutritional complex of vitamins minerals essential fatty acids and protein, not only does the egg contain all these things but they are contained in their most absorbable form (humans can’t absorb a lot of the nutrients from many foods) making them one of the most complete and healthy foods found anywhere in nature and nutrition. So clearly the healthiest part of the egg is the two parts together as nature intended.

Thank you to Gavin Smith the author of that article! I have borrowed it as I couldnt have said it better myself and it reflects my view of the egg! So c'mon guys eat the whole egg don't disappoint those chickens that have worked so hard to give you a complete meal by chucking out the best and tastiest part!!

Wow thats a lot of cals!

2010-01-21T12:34:00.000-08:00

I finally got round to wearing my HRM for all of the meltdown workouts inluding my own cardio of kettlebell swings, high pulls and cleans and all in all it took me 65 mins spread throughout the day and earnt me 1054 calories after background deducted!!

I made a delicious curry tonight from the spice n tice range "coriander chicken" and it really was lovely, it had chicken, an onion, tomatoes chopped and the spices from the pack and a little water , it was really quite spicy but tasted so clean - will definately make it again and some more from their range too!

Awesome kettlebell queen!

2010-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a report this week on the effectiveness of kettlebells and the study reveals that it can burn up to 1200 cals per hour! that is some serious calorie burn! I love kettlebells and I only do some fairly basic routines with them, this year I am planning on doing a more advanced training course - and if I needed any inspiration then how about Lauren Brookes?

I think she looks fab and would kill for her abs! I am waiting for my new order of bells to be delivered I am getting a 10kg and 12kg set for now and will aim to be using a 16kg this year some point!

I have been so busy this last 2 weeks the training course I have been on has really taken over and I havent been able to fit in the 4 workouts a day so I am going to extend my 30 days past the supposed finish date as I havent been able to put in the work I wanted to! Some people are getting seriously great results though - some are reporting 16lbs and lots of 12lb losses and we are only 19 or 20 days in. This program really does work if you can put the time and effort into it! I have lots of things this year that I want to look great for so I need to get cracking!!

Always learning

2010-01-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

Just back from the 1st day training of the family obesity project that I will be co running in April - very interesting and looking forward to working with the families! I went to see som enew clients on Monday and i mentioned that i was going on a training course this week and the guy said to me "Stll training Sarah"? and it got me thinking that when you train for something if yo think that is it - finished then you are limiting your knoweldge so much - for me I will always be training, always looking to learn new things and improve upon what I know already - that makes me a better trainer and a better person as my mind is kept active and I just love learning new things! Maybe that is why so many fitness industry members are still using outdated training and nutrition!
Anway I have been unable to do 4 workouts today - I did the ICP prior to leaving as it was the quickest i coudl do and I will get another in later but I have to go do clients now - just not enough hours in the day sometimes! oh and i have to cook, clean, pick kids up and get ready fro day 2 of tomorrows course too!! phew!

Oooops sorry last weeks catch up!!

2010-01-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

For some reason I thought I hadnt blogged over the weekend but it has been longer than that - the days are flying past! My excuses - well I have been away to Dublin for the weekend which was part of my Xmas present - we had a lovely time even though it was -8 degrees!!! It snowed the whole time we were there and we actually thought we may get stuck there!! They closed Dublin airport for a while on Saturday afternoon but luckily it was ok for departures first thing Sunday!!
We did loads of walking around however I didnt stick to the 4 workouts a day whilst we were there so a fair bit of making up to do this week!!
Dax's program is going well (other than my 2 day escape) I am still quite tired though :-(
I have also been meeting with new clients and re doing all of my paperwork and forms etc for my business so that has been time consuming and after days of pc work I have been quite pleased to turn the laptop off so apologies for my disappearance - back to normal now :-))

I have roped a friend in to start the ED and she started today - nice to have someone close to share ideas and the odd craving with!!

I am not measuring or weighing this week yet as totm looming and I feel bloaty and horrible so I dont want to get discouraged by not getting good results until it has gone away!

Hope all is good with my fellow bloggers - off now to read my list and catch up xx

Day 4 I knew it was coming!!!!

2010-01-05T05:41:00.000-08:00

Hmmm woke up today to news that the wave was being introduced from tomorrow - I knew that was coming!! So although I know it is what helps me as I do love my carbs in the form of potatoes or rice it means I will no longer have them for 3 days and can re fuel on them on the 4th day!!

So I guess that means I will have to make the most of a spud for dinner tonight!

Day 4's food was oats and raspberries with flaxseed for brekkie, cashew nuts and an apple, live yog with raspberries throughout the day, and pork and apple casserole with mashed potato, carrots, green beans and peas for dinner! Quite carb based really but so yummy!

I am still really sore especially between my shoulders for some reason - I tried out my new HRM yesterday which is fab and I think it encouraged me to work harder to see those calories mount up!

The Meltdown lasting only 16 mins earned me 165 cals after background deducted! not bad!! I forgot to put it back on for the others so will try better today!! Want to see how the kettlebell swings compare!!

It is quite hard actually fitting in the 4 workouts more challenging than last time but still it has to be done :-)

Day 3 Meltdown!

2010-01-04T02:15:00.000-08:00

Nothing very exciting to report - exercise continues with the 4 workouts a day - am looking forward to the kids back at school and routine etc i findit easier when i am left to my own devices!

Food wise it has been fine - poached egg on rye for brekkie, lemon water to drink (am really enjoying this it is so cleansing) Lunch was carrot and coriander soup with another piece of rye )they are tiny slices) Dinner was salmon salad with a jacket spud!

I am kind of making the most of the carbs at the mo as i know they will be going as the meltdown continues when we do the wave again - i'm guessing this will be introduced again! which means 3 days of carbs coming only from veg followed by one day where we can have fruit, rice or spuds again!!

No change weight or inch wise at the start of day 4 although i do feel thinner! the bloat is going!!

Happy New Year Blogland! & Day 1 Meltdown

2010-01-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all!

Meltdown Day 1!

Foodwise it was so nice to be eating clean healthy foods after the Xmas excesses food was very simple today with a poached egg and a slice of home cooked ham for brekkie, nuts and grapes for snacks, butternut squash with a slice of rye and cranberry bread for lunch and a gorgeous roast dinner cooked by my 12 year old son! He did a roast chicken, roast potatoes in olive oil, brocolli, runner beans, roasted carrots - it was really delicious!

Exercise was hard work - I have been lazy over Xmas so i feel stiff after the 4 workouts and the memories of last years meltdown came flooding back - I still dislike the spidermen and step through lunges but hey!!!

I need to do my measurements but have lost my measures - I took them out of my bag when i went last minute Xmas shopping on Xmas eve and cant find them - the weight though is 147lbs yuk!!!!!!!!!

29 more days to go...........

Day 2

Samw workouts as yesterday - I am doing kettlebell swings and cleans for the cv intervals - need to get my practice in on those so this is ideal!

Food for today - drinking hot water and lemon in place of my tea plus the normal water! I got up quite late today so was a little naughty and missed brekkie but had potato and leek soup and rye bread for lunch, apple and nuts as snacks and salad, jacket spud and some left over chilli for dinner! Yum x

Nutrition for the 30 days ahead

2009-12-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

So for anyone following the challenge that is to start on the 1st January you may be wondering what the Elimination diet is all about!

This is Dax Moys creation and is a diet that has been used world wide with great effect and now forms the nutritional element of many Personal Trainers prescription!

You can go to his site and download a copy for yourself if you want to try it out! But for anyone just interested basically you eliminate anything processed, all sugars and alcohol, wheat, dairy (other than butter and live yoghurt) so you may be wondering what you can eat.................

Vegetables of all shapes, colours and sizes - I actually crave veg if I havent eaten it for a few days and it is something that I always look forward to when I've been away especially to the states where veg is far and few between at restaurants!
There are so many different varieties you could never get bored!

Yum!! Mouthwatering juicy fruits again so many different colours and textures all bursting with goodness - raspberries are my ultimate favourite and became my sweet indulgence with greek yog whilst on the plan last time!

Lean meats, fish and eggs - luckily we have chickens so we get fresh eggs everyday and there is no doubt that they taste a milllion times better than shop bought ones! An egg = a complete meal in a shell!!

Nuts and seeds - great for snacking on along with a piece of fruit! Good fats actually help our bodies to lose fat!!

Water, water and more water - I will be drinking approx 3litres a day - along with a slice of lemon!

I can guarantee that the items that wont be entering the diet for the next 30 days are those from the picture below! Colourful yes but also artifical and full of chemicals and fat!

I felt great last time I did this and am looking forward to getting rid of the Xmas bloat and filling my fridge with lovely fresh colourful healthy foods!

What do you cut out of your diet and why? what do you think could you not live without??

Here I go again....................

2009-12-29T04:18:00.000-08:00

Just signed up for a re run fo Dax's fat loss challenge - for any regular readers you will remember that I did this last summer and lost about 6lbs and 12 inches in 30 days - It is kicking off again under the new name of Meltdown on the 1st January!! So this time I am hoping to kick arse and get some fab results! My OH is 30 at the end of May so I want to look super hot for that occasion so that is my overall goal for this year that gives me 5 months to get there so Dax's program should hopefully give me a great start!!

This time round we will be working out 4 times a day which is one up from the 3 we did last summer - hmmmm a challenging prospect time to get myself super organised I think!! I am really looking forward to it though especially after relaxing my diet over Xmas and feeling the results of that! Actually I have had hardly any alcohol probably only about 3 or 4 drinks over the last few weeks but I have had a couple of desserts and of course some chocolates along with cheeses etc and although I havent eaten any larger quantities than normal just having the rich foods and not drinking the extra water to go along with it has left me feeling really sluggish, bloated and uncomfortable - everything is tight again and it serves as a great reminder why this time of year is so bad for us! I have tried to moderate what I have done but even so I still feel rubbish for it so I am really looking forward to losing that discomfort by eating clean fresh foods!!

Please keep reading and supporting through this challenge it does really help me along when I know people are out there! In the meantime I wish you all a very Happy & Healthy New Year - make 2010 your best yet!!

12 Tips of Xmas

2009-12-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

1. Drink that water - 8-10 glasses a day minimum (it will help to flush away those nasty toxins from any naughty treats you may indulge in over the festive period!!

2. Avoid buffets where possible just a few of those cocktail sausages and vol au vents will add up to many calories - try eating soemthing before you go and then just choose wisely!

3. Watch those bowls of nuts - whilst the raw unsalted varieties are very good for you they are still high in calories and the salted roasted ones are even worse!! Plus you never know who has washed their hands before digging in!!

4. Try to do 1 thing every day to work towards your goal whethe rit be a walk a short workout or having 1 less glass of wine!

5. No time for the gym with all those parties and family do's - make yourself a short 15 minute home workout using bodyweight exercises and repeat for time!

6, Enjoy yourself and have those treats but just have one - dont take the attitude that I've had one so 3 more wont hurt - youre not missing out if you enjoy one of your favourite festive treats 1 mince pie in the tum is much better than 3 mince pies on the waist line!!

7. Do something active with the family over Xmas even if its just taking part in a WII sports game it still burns some calories and is better than just crashing out in front of another episode of Eastenders!

8. Enjoy all those lovely veggies with your Xmas dinner - fill your plate with those good for you filling veggies then there wil be less room on your plate for the roasties and other goodies - yes I know theyre the yummy bits but you will be thankful when your trying to work them off in the New Year!

9. Dont put off tomorrow what you can do today - there is still time to lose a few lbs before the big day!

10. Mix your wine with diet soda to make a lovely refreshing spritzer - it will take you longer to drink and come in at half the calories!!

11. Another workout tip if you cant do your usual 60 min workout then work out twice as hard for 30 mins!!

12. Get your Zzzzzzz's you wil then feel refreshed and ready to take on the big day!!!

Have fun!!!!

New years Resolutions! Out of date????

2009-12-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is something that when related ot health & fitness should not even be an option as we should be working towards our goals all year round however year after year gyms take on new members all wanting to start the new year by losing weight! I have set myself a goal of losing just 4lbs by Xmas so that my New Years Goals will not be as high!

I am also going to do just 1 little thing everyday over the festive period to work towards them too whether it be just a quick 15 mins workout or making wise choices with nutrition - everyone wants to have a great Xmas and New Year celebrations but is there really any excuse for letting all your ideas and principles go?

What do you guys think? will you be setting New Years resolutions? or will you carry on with your own goals throughout?

Sxx

Friday Fun - 15 Random facts about me!

2009-12-04T03:37:00.000-08:00

So just for fun I thought I would share some random facts about me - this is something that many of my PT colleagues do on their ning sites and it is always a good read! That does mean though that anyone who reads this has to share 15 facts about themselves too! It would be great to find out a little more about my readers and put a little more info to the name or face!!

I cant wait to read what you guys come up with so please add your replies in the comments section below!

Dont be shy now :-)

Ok back to me - hope I can think of things that arent too boring xx

I have 3 brothers all of whom I've never lived with - 1 lives in Canada, 1 in Australia and the other in Scotland! (Do you think they are trying to tell me something??)
I was absolutely useless at sport at school and took every opportuntiy to get out of it so it came as a surprise to me when I found I loved exercise in later life and made it my career!
I love going to the zoo - elephants, wild cats and meer cats are my favourites!
I have swum with Dolphins - another of my favourite creatures!
I absolutely crave vegetables and it is the first thing I want when I get back from a holiday a meal with a good plate of veggies especially brocolli!
I have a clothes obsession and am a little anal about my wardrobe and hang everything in colour range and style etc!! - I'm a Virgo thats my excuse!
I also have an underwear obsession and have over 60 sets of matching undies!!! Lots of which are in the wrong size and dont even fit me!!!!
I often talk in my sleep!
My favourite exercise is the squat and its many adaptations!
I am super flexible and my arms, shoulders and knees do things they really shouldnt!
I still like watching Disney films luckily my daughter has the same tastes and will watch them too!
I kind of find Simon Cowell strangely attractive and the money/power thing has never done it for me before!! - odd as I dont find him remotely attractive on a looks basis!!
I built my own house 2 years ago and sorted everything that went into doing so!
I could eat a giant bar of chocolate and not be sick!
I left school at the age of 15 and worked full time before I was 16 - I was the youngest in my year with a end of Aug birthday!!

Ok over to you guys.........................................

Doing ok

2009-11-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

I wanted to say doing fab but I am doing ok - I had a good workout this morning which I did at home as I didnt have time for the trip to the gym but is was just as good and I pushed myself hard!

Food for the last few days has been good not amazing but good - I had a lovely post workout shake this morning and managed to add just water to it rather than milk as the banana gave it a nice creaminess which made the milk unnecessary! Other than that I have snacked on nuts so far today! Dinner is to be a homemade chicken curry which i will serve with rice for the family and veg for myself!

This was only a quick update so apologies for lack of interesting content!

90:10 rule

2009-11-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

I have decided to re introduce this rule which gives me the power to choose 4 meals a week that arent 100% to plan - I have made up a chart showing all of my meals which at 5 a day is 35 a week 10% of those is 3-4 this also applies for missing a meal too. I am also using this successfully with clients too!

Food for today hasnt been great!

B - Cup of tea greek yog, whey and raspberries
S - none
L - Chicken and tomato sandwich (Bread - not good)
S - cashews
D - not sure - not very hungry so will have to com eup with something or i may pinch JAG's porridge at any meal idea!!

Some quotes just because!

2009-11-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

I love quotes and alwasy wish I could have been the one to first say it lol!

Here are a few that are either great, motivational or just funny!

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done,
it's always your choice." Wayne Dyer

"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there." -Unknown

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." -Margaret Thatcher

"We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough." -Helen Keller

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." -David Viscott

"Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy, and fat." -Jill Johnson

"When you nourish your body with pure energy, you transform from the inside out." -Bill Phillips

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." –Jim Ryun

"Never, never, never quit." -Winston Churchill

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." – Confucius

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt

You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance. Lee Iacocca

If you want to look young and thin, hang around old fat people. Jim Eason

If you eat Mcdonalds you have to watch this!

2009-11-20T05:09:00.000-08:00

Pizza is the food of the devil!

2009-11-20T03:23:00.000-08:00

I have decided that Pizza has come from the other side - literally food from the devil!!

Due to the stuff going on at the moment I am really not making any real effort to eat sensibly - just eating is something and so last night the kids wanted Dominoes - this was duly ordered and I indulged in 2 slices (when i say 2 slices i dont eat the crust and dont eat much of the base just kind of picked off the toppings with a little bit of base here and there).
The first thing that hit me was the saltiness of the topping most likely the pepperoni, I had to pick off that bit after one mouthful - then the stodginess of the dough! i could imagine it sitting like lead in my stomach - I've never been a huge pizza fan - can definately take it or leave it but after last night i am so going to leave it in future totally - by the time i went to bed my stomach resembled a rock hard, bloated barrel! I felt horrible, uncomfortable and all for a few bites of something i'm not even that into and at a cost of £27!!!!

Pizza goes into room 101!!!

4lbs down but not a good result!

2009-11-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

The scales have gone down dramatically over the last few days but obviously that is not 4lbs of fat!!

Needless to say the carb cycling has gone out of the window for the last few days and I am really only concentrating on eating something! Protein shakes seem to be the way to go for me! Quick, easy and have some goodness to them and easy to get down!

I apologise for lack of posts and this one being so gloomy - I have lots of decisions to make and the future seems a little scary right now - I will make an effort to make a good fitness related post very soon :-) x

Naughty but nice xxx

2009-11-13T15:30:00.000-08:00

I really didnt want to make a new post tonight as the previous one was so colourful with its chocolate covered strawberries! It has made me think I'd like to add more pics to my blog as they do brighten it all up a bit and I love looking at other peoples too!

Today I was doing very well on my low carb ness until this evening - my bf is away and so I had invited 2 girlfriends round for dinner and I made the most delicious Thai green chicken curry with rice and had bought 2 very gorgeous but sinful puddings they were the GU little tiny pots we had 1 chocolate mousse and 1 key lime pie each they were tiny but absolutely scrummy and anything that tasty had to be packed with calories - I havent even checked as I dont want to ruin it!! Tomorrow will have to be a very very good day!!!

Thought I'd share this pic with you all - if this isnt enough to put you off McD's then I dont know what is!!

Made me laugh though and is a good reminder that good healthy eating is the way to go!!

Operation chocolate covered kindness!

2009-11-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hey guys please check out this blog :
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/11/02/operation-chocolate-covered-kindness/
Every click on her pages will help raise more money and there are some great recipes on there too!!

Make this one of your good deeds for today - do it now :-) xxx

How much do I want to eat that stawberry dipped in chocolate!

Marks & Spencer = Carb Heaven!!

2009-11-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

I went shopping today with friend and daughter and we stopped in M&S for lunch - there wasnt a single thing in the cafe that wasnt carb based - teacakes/pastries/scones/sandwiches/cakes/muffins/jacket spuds/toasted sarnies etc etc etc

I was starving and am doing my best to stick to the eating every 2-3 hours so I had a jacket spud with tuna and salad - not very low carb hey!! Although today i have come in at just over 100g so far and i keep reading that this is still considered low!!! I am still confused!!! I am aiming for 30% or less carbs today so after a high protein dinner I am hoping I'll be there!

I have bought the most gorgeous sparkly sequin top today and if fits fine but i know it will look a hell of a lot better when i have lost lots of pounds!! I will try to get a pic of it later!

Just done todays workout - legs still killing after Mondays but they feel alot looser now its done!

Inspirational pics

2009-11-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

Well I logged on to update my blog and as always check the blogs I'm following to catch up with their latest news and posts! My mate Justagirl always has an nteresting read and today was no exception she has posted a great article about the myths of toning and had a picture on there that has now become my inspiration - yes it is highly unlikely that i will ever look like that but it is what i am going to pin up and work towards and I am going to share this with you and 1 other pic i found below:

How amazing does she look? yes she may have fake boobs (mine were kind of like that once naturally) but to me she has a perfect figure and one i aspire to for sure! Thank you Jo for letting me use this pic xx

This is another great pic and another one to aim towards!

So todays carbs were better than yesterday at 35% but still not really low enough i guess today was medium carb day! I ache a little from yesterdays workout which is good too.

I had a great PT session with one of my favourite clients tonight and that always makes me realise why i love my job! We practiced tabata clean with the kettlebell and she did really well! It is a surprisingly tough workout!!

Quick update

2009-11-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

Well i kind of messed up today as a low carb day it has turned out as a high carb day with 40% coming from carbs and about 160grams! so it looks like i will have to do better tomorrow! I am trying to decide whether to do 3 days of low to medium followed by 1 high day or 1 low, 1 medium and 1 high! The other confusing thing is that everyone seems to have different ideas about what consitutes low and high carbs - I have read some saying 100g of carbs is low and others recommending 30g etc and some saying 150g is high and others saying 300g is high! Confusing!! If anyone has any better info then please leave me a message!!

My workout was great and consisted of 4 rounds the first was heavy for 6 reps for a few exercises followed by the same exercises x 15 reps at a lighter weight, then some metabolic exercises and to finish off tabatas with kettlebell cleans - phew ended up hot, sweaty but feeling good!!

I have just used my foam roller which also felt very good :-)

Planning is the key to success

2009-11-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

This is just a quickie - you can never under estimate the power of planning! Today is my first day on my new plan - my food and diet i have decided but with carb cycling anf with Alwyn Cosgroves workout!

Today I had planned to be a very low carb day however after researching what is deemed to be low carb I realised I could have a little more than I had anticipated so i mad emy breakfast smoothie (recipe below somewhere) and that gave me approx 45g of carbs so I had planned that would be it and i'd have eggs and ham for lunch and chicken and veg for dinner BUT now this is where the planning went out of the window I went shopping with my friend only food shopping nothing exciting but when we got back i went in for a quick drink and her Mum and Dad gave me a piece of their lovely fresh olive bread to try! Yum it was delicious however this is going to bring my carb quota way up and not what i had planned! I was really hungry and should have gone straight home and had as i had planned or taken something with me to eat that was on my list for today! I have just checked and I am currently at 40% carbs for the day! However this will change later when i have a higher protein dinner but it is going to work out at a higher carb day than i had wanted!

I am happy that my friend has just rang me and asked to do a workout later together so i am going to make her do todays program! I will post later about how we got on and my final % of carbs!!

New beginnings...............

2009-11-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

So Monday I will be starting a new workout plan - I am going to be following his metabolic circuits combined with strength training and possibly his diet although i may mix and match as i am a little fed up of being told what to eat and quite looking forward to making my own choices again!

I am quite excited about the training as I think it will push me quite a bit and hopefully bring about some sort of transformation! I want a good one to put on my website and to date none of my clients have been willing to have their pics taken so I have come to the conclusion that I will have to do one myself! OMG I've said it now so i guess i will have to do it!

I am going to set myself a mini target/goal of 7lbs by the end of November - we have a weekend in London with a night out and I would love to wear the sequin dress I have ordered so we shall see!!

People are so defensive when it comes to health sometimes!!

2009-11-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

Following on from a very interesting post on sugar consumption and the damage it can cause - I posted this on a weight loss site and the response was quite astounding! In my job I hear excuses and reasons why people have to have certain things etc all the time and I am guilty of it myself to a degree as in I do have the odd treat or cheat or however you want to put it - I am trying to wean myself onto Green and Blacks but sometimes I just want a bit of bad for me Cadburys!! The thing is though I am not going to try and justify that - I know it isnt good for me, it makes me feel rubbish afterwards and I only enjoy it whilst its actually in my mouth!! If someone told me to cut it out I'm not going to attack them for daring to say something I like is bad for me because I know it is!! It isnt going to help me reach my goals any sooner I know that too so if i choose to have some then it is my choice and I have to pay the price for that!
It does annoy me though that people critisize so quickly and try to defend something (in this case sugar) that is of no use to us at all - show me one bit of research that shows me the benefits of eating refined sugar?
The same people are very quick to clearly state that sugar is not the cause of certain conditions - but without any back up information!
I think it all goes along with the principle that people want quick fixes with little or no effort these days - well that just doesnt happen - losing fat the right way does take effort - you gain what you are prepared to put in or in a phrase I've heard many times what price are you willing to pay? to get the results you want!

For anyone who wants to read the article I am referring to: (hope that works)

http://www.londonpersonaltrainingstudio.com/blog/?p=76

A mixed bag

2009-11-03T04:10:00.000-08:00

Wasnt sure what to post today - am fighting off Soph's tonsilitis so feeling a bit under par!

We had a lovely thai meal out last night for her birthday which did include white rice - oops but 1 portion between 3 of us wasnt too bad i guess!

In todays emails I have received 2 challenges one for from Brad Pilon of Eat Stop Eat and the other from a frien dof mine Caroline Radway for a kettlebell challenge - then as i read more it seems she is combining the 2 so it is something I might think about as i wanted to combine kettlebells into my training - I am meeting up with Caroline on friday so will see what it involves!!

I quite like the idea of the ESE challenge as although i did it before a few times on Daxs challenge it does mean that if you have the odd treat or dont stick to 100% clean eating then the fat oss should still continue!

I think I will just do my own thing this week and decide about something over the weekend!

What to do next........

2009-11-01T10:03:00.000-08:00

Is what I've been thinking over the weekend - I have gone from one challenge to a break to another challenge where all the work has been done for me - now it is time to think for myself and get to my target alone! I know I want to incorporate kettlebells into my training but dont know whether to stick to bodyweight stuff, go back to heavy weights or both - hmmm maybe a combination of all of it!

Diet wise I am going to continue to try to eat as cleanly as possible, I will only eat bread when absolutely no other alternative, sugar will be kept to an absolute minimum maybe the odd square of green and blacks if i have a craving! No alcohol but I will have my 1 cup of tea daily and greek yoghurt in the form of dairy.

My all time favourite breakfast is going to continue to be the smoothie courtesy of Rylan which I have now adapted to make just right for me:

1 pot of Fage greek yogurt fat free

1 small banana

1/2 cup of raspberries

1/2 cup of oats

1 scoop of cookies and cream whey

1 tbsp flaxseed

1 tsp ground almonds

It is truly yummy and keeps me full for ages and is made from all sorts of good for you ingredients, as the yoghurt is so thick i tend to dilute it a bit with water.

I miss my friend for working out with we always had a great laugh working out together so I will have to drag her out to catch up on some kick arse workouts!

It is my daughters birthday tomorrow so we will be going out for dinner to a thai restuarant - my absolute fave so tomorrow wont be the best calorie wise but I will try to avoid having anymore sauce than what covers the chicken!

Tom V - wise words

2009-10-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

For any of my blog readers that doesnt get to read Tom Venutos posts - He always makes sense to me so I thought i'd share this with you guys!

New Rule #1: Define what clean eating means to you

Obviously, clean eating is not a scientific term. Most people define clean eating as avoiding processed foods, chemicals and artificial ingredients and choosing natural foods, the way they came out of the ground or as close to their natural form as possible. If that works for you, then use it. However, the possible definitions are endless. I’ve seen forum arguments about whether protein powder is “clean.” Arguments are a waste of time. Ultimately, what clean eating means is up to you to define. Whether your beliefs and values have you restrict or expand on the general definition, define it you must, keeping in mind that your definition may be different than other’s.

New Rule #2: Always obey the law of energy balance

There’s one widely held belief about food that hurts people and perpetuates the obesity problem because it’s simply not true. It’s the idea that calories don’t matter for weight loss, as long as you eat certain foods or avoid certain foods. Some people think that if you eat only clean foods, you’re guaranteed to lose weight and stay lean. The truth is that eating too much of anything gets stored as fat. Yes, you can become obese eating 100% clean, natural foods. There’s more to good nutrition than calories in versus calories out, but the energy balance equation is always there.

New Rule #3: Remember that “foods” are not fattening, “excess calories” are

There’s a widespread fear today that certain foods will automatically turn into fat. Carbohydrates – particularly refined carbohydrates and sugars - are still high on the hit list of feared foods, and so are fatty foods, owing to their high caloric density (9 calories per gram). Foods that contain fat and sugar (think donuts) are considered the most fattening of all. But what if you ate only one small donut and stayed in a calorie deficit for the day – would you still say that donut was fattening?
If you want to say certain foods are fattening, you certainly can, but what you really mean is that some foods are calorie dense, highly palatable, not very satiating and eating them might even stimulate your appetite for more (betcha can’t eat just one!). Therefore, they’re likely to cause you to eat more calories than you need. Conversely, “non-fattening” foods have no magical properties, they’re simply low in caloric density, highly filling and non-appetite stimulating.

New Rule #4: Understand the health-bodyfat paradox

Two of the biggest reasons people choose to eat clean are health and weight loss. Health and body composition are intertwined, but dietary rules for health and weight loss are not one in the same. Weight gains or losses are dictated primarily by calorie quantity. Health is dictated primarily by calorie quality. That’s the paradox: You can lose weight on a 100% junk food diet, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be healthy. You can get healthier on an all natural clean food diet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t gain weight… and if you gain too much weight, then you start getting unhealthy. To be healthy and lean requires the right combination of calorie quantity and quality, not one or the other.

New Rule #5: Forbidden foods are forbidden.

Think of you on a diet like a pressure cooker on a burner. The longer you keep that pot on the heat, the more the steam builds up inside. If there’s no outlet or release valve, eventually the pressure builds up so much that even if it’s made of steel and the lid is bolted down, she’s gonna blow, sooner or later. But if you let off a little steam by occasionally having that slice of pizza or whatever is your favorite food, that relieves the pressure.
Alas, you never even felt the urge to binge… because you already had your pizza and the urge was satisfied. Since the “cheat meal” was planned and you obeyed the law of calorie balance, it had little or no effect on your fat loss results. Ironically, you overcome your cravings by giving in to them, with two caveats: not too often and not too much.

New Rule #6: Set your own compliance rule

Many health and nutrition professionals suggest a 90% compliance rule because if you choose clean foods 90% of the time, it’s easy to control your calories, you consume enough nutrients for good health, and what you eat the other 10% of the time doesn’t seem to matter much. Suppose you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day, a total of 35 feedings per week. 90% compliance would mean following your clean eating plan for about 31 or 32 of those weekly feedings. The other 3 or 4 times per week, you eat whatever you want (as long as you obey rule #2 and keep the calories in check)
You’ll need to decide for yourself where to set your own rule. A 90% compliance rule is a popular, albeit arbitrary number – a best guess at how much “clean eating” will give you optimal health. Some folks stay lean and healthy with 80%. Others say they don’t even desire junk food and they eat 99% clean, indulging perhaps only once or twice a month.
One thing is for certain – the majority of your calories should come from natural nutrient-dense foods – not only for good health, but also because what you eat most of the time becomes your habitual pattern. Habit patterns are tough to break and what you do every day over the long term is what really counts the most.

New Rule #7: Have “free” meals, not “cheat” meals

Cheating presupposes that you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing. That’s why you feel guilty when you cheat. Guilt can be one of the biggest diet destroyers. Consider referring to these meals that are off your regular plan as “free meals” instead of “cheat meals.” If having free meals is part of your plan right from the start, then you’re not cheating are you? So don’t call it that.

New Rule #8: For successful weight control, focus on compliance to a calorie deficit, not just compliance to a food list

Dietary compliance doesn’t just mean eating the right foods, it means eating the right amount of food. You might be doing a terrific job at eating only the foods “authorized” by your nutrition program, but if you eat too many “clean” foods, you will still get fat. On the fat loss side of health-bodyfat paradox, the quantity of food is the pivotal factor, not the quality of food. If fat loss is your goal and you’re stubbornly determined to be 100% strict about your nutrition, then be 100% strict about maintaining your calorie deficit.

Lesson #9: Avoid all or none attitudes and dichotomous thinking

If you make a mistake, it doesn’t ruin an entire 12 week program, a whole week and not even an entire day. What ruins a program is thinking that you must either be on or off your diet and allowing one meal off your program to completely derail you. All or nothing thinking is the great killer of diet programs.
Even if they don’t believe that one meal will set them back physically, many “clean eaters” feel like a single cheat is a moral failure. They are terrified to eat any processed foods because they look at foods as good or bad rather than looking at the degree of processing or the frequency of consuming them.
Rest assured, a single meal of ANYTHING, if the calories don’t exceed your energy needs, will have virtually no impact on your condition. It’s not what you do occasionally, it’s what you do most of the time, day after day, that determines your long term results.

New Rule #10: Focus more on results, less on methods

I’m not sure whether it’s sad or laughable that most people get so married to their methods that they stop paying attention to results. Overweight people often praise their diet program and the guru that created it, even though they’ve plateaud and haven’t lost any weight in months, or the weight they lost has begun to creep back on. Health food fanatics keep eating the same, even when they’re sick and weak and not getting any stronger or healthier.
Why would someone continue doing more of the same even when it’s not working? One word: habit! Beliefs and behavior patterns are so ingrained at the unconscious level, you repeat the same behaviors every day virtually on automatic pilot. Defending existing beliefs and doing it the way you’ve always done it is a lot easier than changing.
In the final analysis, results are what counts: weight, body composition, lean muscle, performance, strength, blood pressure, blood lipids, and everything else you want to improve. Are they improving or not? If not, perhaps it’s time for a change.

Lots of updates - from kettlebell hell to week from hell!!

2009-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Massive apologies for lack of blogging - the last week has been a total nightmare!!

The DOMS from the kettlebell course lasted nearly a week in the end so my workouts have been somewhat limited and painful :-(

My daughter has the worst case of tonsilitis ever ending up in a dash to the hospital the other night as she couldnt breathe or swallow - the tonsils were so infected and swollen they had more or less closed her throat - she is now on anti biotics and painkillers but it hasnt kicked in yet - it is however very quiet around here!

My life continues to be very stressful but I wont bore you with the details!!

So to wrap up the final week of Rylans project it went like this:

Wednesday - 5 sets of intervals 3mins high and 2 low

I attempted to do swings but my hamstrings just too painful so had to walk instead, my legs just felt like they were going to collapse under me!

We then had 3 circuits of strength:

Clean and Jerk x 12
Get-Up (quickly) x 9 each side (felt easier than yesterdays turkish ones!!
Burpees, Pushup, Press x 12
Alternating Lunge & Torso Rotation x 9 each direction
Ball Pass x 12 nice as my abs dont hurt!
3 Point Toe Tappers x 12 still hating these

Food:

Smoothie for brekkie and snack
Tuna salad
Chicken and veg

Thursday

Wasnt good - can barely walk today so went with a freind to the opening of a new John Lewis store near us and hobbled around - its weird it is the worst case of DOMS i've ever had but is limited to only my posterior chain (up the back, calves, hamstrings, and back) Our instructor told us when she did her course she felt like she'd had a face lift as everything was so tight!!

Confession: I just couldnt workout today, hot bath and a massage was what i needed i only got the hot bath though!!

Food:
Eggs
Quick shake
Salad
Salmon burger

Friday

Doms still present so when Rylan said this would be our toughest workout he wasnt wrong!!!

Intervals 5 x 3high 2 low

Strength:
Clean and Jerk x 14
Get-Ups x 11 each side
Burpees, Pushup, Press x 14
Alternating Lunge & Torso Rotation x 11
Ball Pass x 14
Toe Tappers x 14 reps each side
Chin-Up (or Down) & Crunch x 12

Saturday - well deserved day off - thank god xx

Sunday - fun cardio - walk in the lovely new forest

Monday

We did out original workout which does seem so easy now!

2 x intervals 2 mins high 3 low

Prisoner Squat x 10 2 sets
Step-Ups x 10 2 sets
Pushups x 10 2 sets
Burpees x 10 x 2 sets
Bench Dips with Bent Legs x 10 x 2 sets
Get-Ups x 10 x 2 sets

Phew its done - end results not as good as they should have been that has been my issue lately 6lbs on Daxs programme and 5lbs on this one! Not great but that is down to me and whats going on around me rather than the actual programme - stress and weight loss not a great mix!!

What happens next - well i am looking forward to doing my own thing again adn i think the kettlebells will be taking a front place now for a bit plus introducing back a few foods i missed but i am determined to reach my goal by Xmas and have put a chart into place with rewards along the way so blogging will continue!!

OMG!!!! Kettlebell hell lol

2009-10-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well today i had my kettlebell training course - it was a really enjoyable day although extremely tiring and I am sorer than I can describe to you - from my hamstrings into my glutes right up the erector spinae (that goes all the way up your spine to your neck) ouch!!!

Tomorrow I am not looking forward to! We probably had about 7 hours of practice and drills so I am hoping Rylan is going to let me off todays workout as I think this one may have made up for it!!!

Todays food i coulkdnt really stick to the plan for today so i took whatt was portale and doable which was the smoothie for brekkie and snack, tuna salad and now i'm home i can have the intended chicken stir fry for dinner!!

Then a hot bath and bed i think!!!!

Monday - the end is in sight!!

2009-10-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Today we had a new circuit and a new menu

We had 5 intervals of 3 mins high and 2 low

Then 10 clean and jerk
7 get ups much quicker though per leg
10 burpees push up and press (i love you Rylan!!!!)
14 lunges with rotation
10 ball passes
3 point toe tappers (like they could get any harder) x 10 each leg
chin up x 8 with crunch

Yog, berrries and protein powder for brekkie (this is my normal standyby anyway so just like old times)
hummus and raw veg
salmon and veg for dinner!!

A big thank you.....

2009-10-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say a big thank you to all my lovely readers who have left me lovely comments and useful ideas! It is really nice to have so much support so thanks to all but especially Natasha, Annette, Caroline and Rylan :-))))

One week to go and I am already thinking of new routines to continue with and have made myself a plan from now until Xmas - it is 10 weeks so in that time I shouldbe able to do some serious work!!

I have a kettlebell course to go to on Tuesday which I am looking forward to and will hopefully give me more tools in the bag to workout with other than the swings that I have been doing alot of!

This weekend the fun cardio was not quite so much fun but more a necessity with clearing of garden rubbish and we made 3 trips to the tip! Along with a fair bit of tidying up afterwards and mowing the lawn!

Got a busy busy week ahead and it is the last one of Rylans Challenge!! We have new exercises and another nutrition change too!!

Thurs & Fri

2009-10-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

5 x intervals of 2:45 high and 2 low!

Strength of 13 jacknife and pushups, 13 chindowns, 18 lunge and curls, 20 toe tappers (still very very hard) 13 squat curl and press and 13 front raises.

Oats and apple, yog and berries, chicken salad, salmn and veggies

5 x intervals (it said 2:30 but that would be going back so i did 2:45 and 2 low!

As above but adding an extra rep! and 2 on the lunges toe taps etc!

Eggs, chicken salad, apple and peanut butter, chicken and veggies

Tues and Wed

2009-10-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

This is going to be short as i just typed it all out with great long descriptions for a change and then lost it all - arghhhhhhhh today is not my day!!

Tues same intervals 2;30 high 2 low x 5

strength 11 reps on all 14 on lunges and 16 toe taps

food was my fave smoothie
tuna salad
chicken salad

Wed

as above with 12 reps
16 lunges and 18 toe taps (not getting any easier)

Am struggling at the mo - life is very stressful with lots of personal stuff going on - really finding it all a bit tough at the mo :-( x

Monday 2 weeks to go!!

2009-10-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Intervals of 2.30 high and 2 low x 5

Strength of

Jacknife and pushup x 10 (ouch these are tough)
Chin downs x 10
lunge curl and press x 6 each leg - easy for me this one phew
toe tappers x 14 each leg - never done these before and wow they are horrible and hard
squat curl and press x 10
front db raise x 10 (new one for me and i like this one)

B hot cereal (my least fave brekkie)
S quick shake
L chicken spinach salad
D chicken stir fry

We are allowed a cheat meal this week although i dont think i will have one as i am not getting the results i want!!

Sunday

2009-10-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today was our fun cardio day so i did gardening, i forget how much hard work it is, you use muscles you dont normally, we also got new chickens today we have 4 black ones and 2 yellowy orange ones, so we had to get their coup ready as well.

The dogs also got walked before the rain came down!

Food today has been eggs, and roast chicken with veg, snacks of an apple and nuts!

I have asked Rylan if stress is blocking my results - will wait and see what he replies!

Sat - rest day

2009-10-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

4 weeks in now and i really am quite disheartend with my results - i feel like i am just going to stay this way forever! only 6lbs with Daxs program and only about 2 so far on this one!

I dont know why im just not getting anywhere!!!!

Fed up!!

Wed, thurs, Fri

2009-10-11T04:53:00.000-07:00

Wed

The high intensity levels have upped to 2 mins30 x 4 along with 4 x lower intensity!

Then Jacknife x 12 (always one to do in private lol)
Pulldowns x 12
Lunge with curl x 16
12 pushups superset with 12 bench press (superset)
Squat curl and press x 12
Band rotations on ball x 12

B - 2 eggs ( iam cutting down on some cals)
S fruit
L Salmon salad
D turkey burger with salad

Thurs

As yesterday - but with an extra rep and 2 extra on the lunges

B oats with apple
S Yoghurt and berries
L Chicken salad
S apple and peanut butter
D Chicken with veg

Fri

Now 14 reps on all exercises and 20 on the lunges plus the usual 4 intervals 2.3o high and 2 low

B 2 eggs (no oats as trying to cut cals)
S berries and buts
L tuna salad
S apple and peanut butter
D Chicken and veg

Catch up blogs - flipping broadband!!

2009-10-06T09:44:00.001-07:00

Arghhhhh had issues with broadband for days now - dropping in and out all the time so everytime I have tried to get online i have started just to lose it - very very annoying!!

Anyhow the weekend was a busy and tiring one - My daughter and I went to London for a girlie shopping weekend and walked for hours and hours - to be exact 9 hours on Saturday and 5 on Sunday so I guess I have fufilled my exercise quota for this weekend!! I couldnt stick to the food plan 100% as i couldnt make smoothies or cook etc so i ate as cleanly as possible with eggs for brekkie with mushrooms and chicken salad for lunch and the same for dinner!

Monday saw a change we are now doing 4 intervals if our cardio of 2 mins 15 of high followed by 2 of low x 4!

The strength part is new too:

Jackknife x 10 reps
Single Arm Band Pull Downs x 10
Alternating Lunges with Curl x 12 reps total (6 each leg)
Pushups x 10 supersetting with x 10 Dumbbell Bench Press on Ball
Squat, Curl, Press x 10
Band Rotations on Stability Ball x 10 reps each direction

Finding these easier than the previous workouts as the burpees and get ups are challenging! I may still add some in as they do get me everytime!!

Breakfast was scrambled eggs and then oats (struggled with this)
snack of berries and nuts (yum)
Lunch was tuna salad
Apple and peanut butter for another snack
Dinner was chicken salad this time!

It was a lower cal day and it felt like it a bit - but that is a good thing as i'm nt really getting too much smaller - we can also for the next few days cut our portions which i will try too!

Tuesday

Exercise as above but 11 reps of everything and 14 of the lunges!

Food was my fave smoothie
snack of the same
tuna salad for lunch
and chicken and veg for dinner!

Phew all updated :-)

Wed & Thurs

2009-10-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Wednesday i couldnt workout as I had back to back clients and i felt ill, i have a cold dragging on and now a cough is coming, i havent been sleeping well and feel a bit crap really!

I wasnt hungry yesterday at all and ate what i could.

Today - thursday i still dont feel right but i had the eggs for breakfast and fruit, I had a the shake for snack/lunch as i wasnt hungry, dinner was turkey burger with veg!

I did manage to do 2 workouts but couldnt do all the reps today - jusst feeling rubbish and no energy!

Hope to feel better tomorrow x

Tuesday Day 16 Ouch ouch ouch

2009-09-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Ouch.... Today i had promised my friend we would workout together so on top of my 3 x circuit of :-

16 weighted get ups
16 pushups (full)
11 burpees with jump
14 walking lunges
Band rotations and pulls ( I have a problem with these as they just dont seem to work for me) I need to do them in the gym on a weighted cable machine or Rylan has suggested some stronger bands but by the time i ordered and received them it would be too late for this challenge.

I also did a mega valslide circuit with my mate which has propely killed my legs - I have DOMS already and think i will be in trouble tomorrow - it was good fun but ouch!

Food today was the lovely smoothie which although i love it fills me up so much that i really struggled to eat as much today, I couldnt eat lunch but had an afternoon snack of some cold chicken, dinner was turkey with veg x

Not looking forward to hobbling out of bed in th emorning :-( x

Monday Day 16

2009-09-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Today was a hectic day - we started the day off with a new menu for breakfast I couldnt face eating the quantity we were allowed so I had just 2 eggs and mushrooms which kept me full for ages, I ate my portion of fruit after my first client which was a handful of raspberries, I had a protein smoothie with this although i didnt really feel i needed anything.

Lunch was a salmon salad and dinner tonight was a turkey burger with carrots, brocolli and beans yum x

The exercise plan had also changed and was:

warm up 5 mins, followed by 2 mins of high intensity kettlebell swings followed by 2 mins low intensity ( i rebounded) x 4

Then a circuit of the exercises below x 3

1) Get-Ups Weighted - 15 reps
2) Pushups - 15 reps
3) Burpees With Jump - 10 reps
4) Walking Lunges - 12 total lunges
5) Standing Band Rotations - 10 each direction
6) Band Pull-Downs - 10 reps

All good - I also walked for an hour and a half today so a good days exercise - shattered now and ready for bed x

Gorgeous weekend

2009-09-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our day off and Sunday I walked along the quay - see pics above:

The weather has been beautiful, if it wasnt for the cold mornings and evenings it has been better than summer!

We had no exercise plan to follow apart from an hours fun cardio which was my walk today!

Tomorrow see's some changes to our workout and a new days diet plan too - all good I like the changes x

Friday Day 12

2009-09-26T03:56:00.000-07:00

Day 11 Fat loss challenge (Thurs)

2009-09-25T04:07:00.000-07:00

Today's Workout

CardioWarmup: 5 minutes to break a sweat
Intervals: 3 sets of intervals - 2 minutes high intensity - 2minutes and 15 seconds low intensity
Cooldown: Not needed - immediately begin strength training
Strength TrainingCircuit Format - Complete 3 full circuitsRest 60-90 seconds at the end of each circuitFor pushups and bench dips, chose one of the variationsExercises Starting RepetitionsShoulder Squat 13 repsStep-Ups Weighted 13 reps Decline Pushup 13 repsorStability Ball Pushups 13 repsDumbbell Burpees 13 repsBench Dips - Feet Up 13 repsor Bench Dips - On Ball 13 repsGet-Ups - Weighted 13 repsRest 60-90 seconds

Today's Menu Plan*note: remember to get at least 2 liters of water per day or moreplus drink as much herbal tea de-caf as you like*Breakfast 7:30am1 apple (eaten whole, or chopped and mixed into oats)1 cup of cooked 'old fashioned' or large flake oats1 tbsp of sliced unsalted almonds1 tbsp of ground flax seed or linseedCinnamon and Stevia To TasteMorning Snack 10:30am1/2 cup of low fat plain yogurtor1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese1/2 cup of mixed frozen or fresh berries of your choice (mixed in)Lunch 12:30pm2-3 cups of green salad1 cup of fresh sliced veggies in salad (carrots, peppers, etc)1 grilled and sliced chicken or turkey breast mixed inDressing made from 1 tbsp of olive oil + lemon juice to taste+salt and pepper to season1 piece of fresh fruitAfternoon Snack 3:30pm1 apple or pear sliced1 tbsp of NATURAL almond or peanut butterDinner 6:00pm2 cups of steamed, or boiled veggies (your choice except corn, peas,potatoes, or other starches)2 cups of green salad served with lemon and oil dressing (same as what was served at lunch)1 serving (4-6 oz) or LEAN protein of your choice - grilled, baked, or poached - if choosing pork or beef be sure to trim away visible fat. Ground beef is not a good option unless extra lean and fat is drained off.Evening Snack 8:00pm (optional)2 oz of unsalted nuts (your choice)1 cup of fresh sliced veggies (carrots, celery sticks, sweetpepper slices etc.)

Fat Loss Day 10

2009-09-24T02:49:00.000-07:00

Arghhhhhhhhh I cant wait to get my new laptop - it is a sad fact of life that I cant function without access to the internet and all the things I store on my pc. It is making my blogging virtualy impossible as I have to wait for a few seconds access to someone elses laptop - am hoping mine will arrive today or tomorrow - I am getting a lovely shiny new Sony Vaio which seems to be all singing all dancing - I loved the apples but couldnt justify the extra money for less spec - but visually they do look amazing!

Anyway Day 10 was busy food was as per the new menu so i had my yummy smoothie for brekkie and snack, tuna salad fo rlunch and chicken and veg for dinner.

I worked back to back clients yesterday so didnt get a chance to do the workout so will do 2 today :-( thinking that will be a challenge!!!

Fatloss Project day 9

2009-09-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today was as yesterday with an extra rep:
Cardio

Warmup: 5 minutes to break a sweat
Intervals: 3 sets of intervals - 2 minutes high intensity - 2
minutes and 30 seconds low intensity
Cooldown: Not needed - immediately begin strength training

Strength Training

Circuit Format - Complete 3 full circuits
Rest 60-90 seconds at the end of each circuit
For pushups and bench dips, chose one of the variations

Exercises Starting Repetitions

Shoulder Squat 11 reps
Step-Ups Weighted 11 reps
Decline Pushup 11 reps
or
Stability Ball Pushups 11 reps
Dumbbell Burpees 11 reps
Bench Dips - Feet Up 11 reps
or
Bench Dips - On Ball 11 reps
Get-Ups - Weighted 11 reps
Rest 60-90 seconds

Food was as before: back to the oats with almonds :-( he he
*note: remember to get at least 2 liters of water per day or more
plus drink as much herbal tea de-caf as you like*

Breakfast 7:30am

1 apple (eaten whole, or chopped and mixed into oats)
1 cup of cooked 'old fashioned' or large flake oats
1 tbsp of sliced unsalted almonds
1 tbsp of ground flax seed or linseed
Cinnamon and Stevia To Taste

Morning Snack 10:30am

1/2 cup of low fat plain yogurt
or
1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup of mixed frozen or fresh berries of your choice (mixed in)

Lunch 12:30pm

2-3 cups of green salad
1 cup of fresh sliced veggies in salad (carrots, peppers, etc)
1 grilled and sliced chicken or turkey breast mixed in
Dressing made from 1 tbsp of olive oil + lemon juice to taste
+salt and pepper to season

1 piece of fresh fruit Raspberries

Afternoon Snack 3:30pm

1 apple or pear sliced
1 tbsp of NATURAL almond or peanut butter

Dinner 6:00pm

2 cups of steamed, or boiled veggies (your choice except corn, peas,
potatoes, or other starches)
2 cups of green salad served with lemon and oil dressing (same
as what was served at lunch)
1 serving (4-6 oz) or LEAN protein of your choice - grilled, baked,
or poached - if choosing pork or beef be sure to trim away visible
fat. Ground beef is not a good option unless extra lean and fat
is drained off. Tonight I had Chicken

Just ordered a new laptop today - so hopefully blogs can get back to being a little more exciting - my daughter doesnt like sharing hers very much so time is limited x

Fatloss Project day 8

2009-09-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day - i loved the new changes to the menu - details below:

Breakfast

Smoothie made with the following:
1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (you may substitute water)
1 cup of frozen berries (blackberries, blueberries, strawberries,
raspberries)
1 banana
1/2 cup of whole flake oats (you may blend this separately to get
desired consistency)
4 tbsp of plain low fat yogurt
1 tbsp of flax seed oil (optional - but highly recommended)
2 scoops (equal to 40 grams of protein) of vanilla protein powder
(whey, vegan, hemp or other

This was really ymmy and we had half for brekkie and half for mid morning snack :-))) much preferring this to the porridge with almonds he he

Lunch was Tuna Salad made with the following:

1 can of white flaked tuna canned in water
1 tbsp of olive oil
1/4 cup chopped red and green pepper
1/4 cup of cooked or blanched beans (kidney, black, garbanzo or
other)
Serve on crisp romaine lettuce leaves, or bed of salad greens

1 whole apple or pear

Afternoon Snack 3:30pm

4 slices low fat deli meat (turkey, chicken, ham)

Dinner

2-3 cups of green salad with:
1 cup of chopped veggies of your choice on salad brocolli, carrots and cauliflower
1 tomato on salad
3 tbsp of oil and lemon juice dressing

1 serving (about 5-6 oz of lean protein) Chicken
preferably fish, but choose any low fat protein source of your
liking

The exercise was:

Cardio

Warmup: 5 minutes to break a sweat
Intervals: 3 sets of intervals - 2 minutes high intensity - 2
minutes and 30 seconds low intensity
Cooldown: Not needed - immediately begin strength training

Strength Training

Circuit Format - Complete 3 full circuits
Rest 60-90 seconds at the end of each circuit
For pushups and bench dips, chose one of the variations

Exercises Starting Repetitions

Shoulder Squat 10 reps
Step-Ups Weighted 10 reps
Decline Pushup 10 reps
or
Stability Ball Pushup 10 reps
Dumbbell Burpees 10 reps
Bench Dips - Feet Up 10 reps
or
Bench Dips - On Ball 10 reps
Get-Ups - Weighted 10 reps
Rest 60-90 seconds

My pc broke yesterday - so am quickly borrowing Sophs laptop to do blog x

Fat Loss Project Day 5, 6 & 7 Boogie boogie boogie

2009-09-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Finally able to update on the last few days - Day 5 was all as before again with additional rep! The weekend was impossible to be 100% on plan with the wedding so I did the best I could in the circumstances.

Day 6 Saturday - I followed the plan until the afternoon when we were then totally out of control for all food choices, the wedding food was a hog roast so I had just the meat (small portion) and some salad - there wasnt any other choices. My exercise was about 4-5 hours of dancing so I think i met my quota for the weekend! The bride looked lovely - will work on a few pics but cant get them off my phone at the mo as i forgot my camera :-( after the wedding itself we went in to town inc bride in her dress into a club and boogied until about 4am!

Today we spent travelling and we went to my other halfs parents for dinner where i had chicken and veg - yummy and lovely to be cooked for me!

Tomorrow is a new week and a new set of exercises nd a few diet changes - bring it on!!

Fat Loss Project Day 4

2009-09-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

Again as yesterday plus 1 rep on all circuits

Fat Loss Project Day 3

2009-09-16T13:57:00.001-07:00

Nutriton was as the day before, exercise was also exactly the same other than we added 1 more rep to each exercise.

Am struggling with the oats for brekkie - i am used to a higher protein start to the day and am starving hungry an hour or so after eating it - which then seems to continue all day - I dont have this issue when i have eggs for breakfast!

Am editing this post as didnt have time to blog properly until now - work has been manic along side re -doing my daughters bathroom which is turning into a nightmare and now it looks worse than it did before we started - will post pics when its done but right now it look slike something that should be on diy sos!!

Made one of my clients do the get ups last night too (laughs sadistically) he he xx

Fat Loss Project Day 2

2009-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Nutrition for today:

08.00 B - 1/2 cup oats with 1 chopped apple with almonds (yuk) and flaxseed
10.30 S - 0% fat free Greek yoghurt with raspberries
12.30 L - 1 grilled chicken breast with salad, tomatoes, peppers and spring onion, banana
15.30 S - 1 apple with peanut butter
17.45 D - oven roasted chicken breast with leom juice with brocolli and cauliflower and mushrooms
21.00 S - 2oz cashew nuts

2L water
Exercise:
Warmup: 5 minutes
Intervals: 2 minutes high intensity Rowing machine + 3 minutes low intensity Rowing machine
2 sets each.

Strength Training Circuit

Exercises Sets and Reps

Prisoner Squat 3 sets, 11 reps
Bench Step-Ups 3 sets, 11 reps
Pushups - full press ups 3 sets, 11 reps
Burpees (with jump) 3 sets, 11 reps
Bench Dips straight leg 3 sets, 11 reps
Get-Ups (minus weight) 3 sets, 11 reps

Comments:

Not liking the almonds at all - never did like the flavour and not growing on me so kind of ruined the porridge for me. Still feeling really hungry and craving sweet things abit!

Fat Loss Project Day 1

2009-09-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

And so begins day one of 42 or 6 weeks. Had a manic day so couldnt do the exercise first thing but have just finished now!

Nutrition for today:

08.00 B - 1/2 cup oats with 1 chopped apple )didnt have the almonds or flax but bought today)
10.30 S - 0% fat free Greek yoghurt with raspberries
12.30 L - 1 grilled chicken breast with salad, tomatoes, peppers and spring onion, fresh pineapple
15.30 S - 1 apple with peanut butter
17.45 D - Salmon fillet with brocolli and carrot
21.00 S - 2oz cashew nuts

2L water
Exercise:
Warmup: 5 minutes
Intervals: 2 minutes high intensity Jumping Jacks + 3 minutes low intensity Jogging
2 sets each.

Strength Training Circuit

Exercises Sets and Reps

Prisoner Squat 3 sets, 10 reps
Bench Step-Ups 3 sets, 10 reps
Pushups - full press ups 3 sets, 10 reps
Burpees (with jump) 3 sets, 10 reps
Bench Dips straight leg 3 sets, 10 reps

Get-Ups (minus weight) 3 sets, 10 reps

Comments:

I felt really hungry today, I havent had any headaches, I dont have caffeine anyway so although i have missed my decaff tea, it wasnt too bad. The oats for brekkie as always makes me starving an hour or so later so i was glad of my yoghurt snack. I was really ready for my dinner too.
The exercise was fine, the burpees get me as always - they are a brutal exercise, the others were all quite easy but i knew I had done the 3 rounds when i had completed it and i am now very hot and sweaty :-)))

Rylan if you read this re the getups - I noticed you used your hands to get up from the floor, I can do it with out using my hands if i cross my legs and use them to get up - is this acceptable or shoudl i be using my hand to push me up?

Tomorrow I will do the exercise early as advised but on work days with clients on and off all day i dont get the time on Mondays.

Challenge details tomorrow

2009-09-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

We have been told that we will recieve all our details tomorrow ahead of Mondays Kick off - am quite excited and looking forward to it - we have a nightly deadline to get our blogs updated and all our food and workouts posted so i will have to be on track and organised!

I bought a dress yesterday for the wedding next weekend - it wasnt what i had in mind but a lovely turquoise colour - i just feel its a little plain, i will have to jazz it up with some accessories and good hair!! I have ordered some really cool shoes to go with it - they are very high though but they did have the front hidden shelf bit which makes a difference!

Will try and post some pics

Sorry - how bad am I????

2009-09-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

I just saw the date i last posted on my blog and it is over a week ago - so sorry to those followers that are getting bored, i dont blame you there has been nothing to read lately - that is all about to change though as of Monday the new challenge starts and I have to post daily with all details of food and exercise - las ttime we were restricted with the info we gave out - this time we have to be exact and that is a condition of the program.

I am really excited about it and cant wait to start and see how different it is from the last one! I love having the accountability that comes with this type of thing and it worked for me last time.

I am still 2lbs up from the end of the last challenge as really I havent been on track since it ended and I went on holiday, things have been a little tricky for me emotionally lately and I have lacked motivation. That is all about to change, I will have new goals (daily) to achieve and hopefully that will take me forwards to being as I want to be by Xmas.

I have some rewards planned for when i reach certain goals, which I am looking forward to getting to.

New Challenge

2009-09-01T02:58:00.000-07:00

I've just applied for a new challenge, I think its a bit similar to the last one i did but with a different trainer (US based) this time, it also lasts for 6 weeks rather than 30 days.

He has asked for a deposit which we had to get in last night pacific time to guarantee a place (not sure if i made the deadline as had no clue when that was) if we stick to the plan and give before and after pics and a testimonial we get our deposit back!! we also have to blog daily - so I am waiting to see if i have been accepted or not!

The last one worked well for me as I had the accountability which I have discovered is my major plus point and failing as I am not so motivated when accountable only to myself, but seem to be able to do it 100% when accountable to others! something to work on maybe!

The new challenge if i get on it isnt due to start until 13th Sept so I have a few weeks to do my own thing and start to make a dent in my last 24lbs that is the amount i have decided i need or want to lose! I have a wedding on thr 19th to go to and want to lose 7lbs before that - who knows if i'll get into the dress i wanted to but i have seen sme nice ones in the shops and i love an excuse to get a new one!!! The goal is still to fit into my old dress even if i buy a new one!

The camping weekend was well as expected wet and windy!! My birthday was a nice sunny morning although still windy and we managed to sit out all day and have a bbq and walk on the beach, the next 2 days were cold, wet and very windy just like last years experience (maybe camping isnt for me)!!!!

Food wise i wasnt good at all as it was so hard to cater for 6 in a tent in bad weather without resorting to bread, I definately know it doesnt agree with me and i felt really uncomfortable every evening after a day of bacon roll for brekkie and maybe a sandwich for lunch!

Does anyone know if you can buy ham without sodium nitrate in it? I was using ham to replace my bread at brekkie time but with all the reports of how bad this is for us - I need an alternative, we went to a lovely organic farm shop whilst away and even their ham and bacon mentioned sodium nitrate on the packaging!

I will keep you posted on the new challenge if i hear anything more about it!

GCSE Results Day!!!!

2009-08-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Phew glad today is over - we were up and at the school gates by 7-45 this morning, surrounded by nervous hyper girls and within minutes we had the brown envelope in our hands!!

Well results not quite as predicted/expected - she did well in the higher papers she took and not so well inthe lower papers, she got her Science she needed for her college entry and is 1 point off her second English (£60 to re mark) She was also graded a B for her Art prior to official results by the school and they came back today as a D along with the majority of the other pupils! So we have spent alot of today talking to teachers and trying to suss out what has happened it seems that the whole lot of them have got much lower marks than they should and they are sending them all back as a job lot to re mark!! Why cant they just get it right to save all this stress and upset for the kids????

Needless to say my goals have not been met today!!!! Along with clients and all the above I have not had time to do my workouts although I have cleaned the house for 2 hours!!

We are camping over the weekend so hoping for some sunshine.....

Tuesday

2009-08-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Had a good day today, went shopping with my daughter which was fun, we also went to Ikea and had fun building a storag eunit fo rher bedroom when we got home!

I have done 2 simple workouts today of: 21's

21 squats followed by 21 pushups working back to 0

21 shoulder press followed by 21 lunges working back to 0

Food has been ok too!

Monday reporting in

2009-08-25T01:47:00.001-07:00

Ok reporting in for day 1 of my promise to blog each day!

Today exercise wise i went for a 60 min walk with a client which was nice and got a good sweat on as it was so humid and we walked quite fast including some good hills! I also did one quick bodyweight circuit too!

Water i think i did half of my quota (not good) I will do better!!

Met a friend for lunch and the options were limited so didnt do too well on food overall, I had a cajun chicken baguette (luckily the mayo was in a seperate pot) and I only ate a quarter of the bread but i still got the bloating afterwards so i paid for it - the only other choices were big meals though and i didnt want that!

Egg cellent!!!!!!!! Not

2009-08-23T11:13:00.001-07:00

Sadly the fox got our chickens (well left the 1 legged one that doesnt lay) and for the first time in ages I have had to buy eggs, I bought free range organic ones and had 2 for my brekkie this am - I have forgotten how bland and tasteless shop bought eggs are, I thought with them being organic FR they wouldnt be too different from our own chickens eggs but they tasted on nothing at all and in fact I couldnt even finish them so I cant wait to get some new chickens and have our lovely fresh eggs back again!

I have been terrible this week on reflection and feel bloated and cross with myself.

Tomorrow is a new week and I have to get back on track or my goal for the September wedding will come and go with me not fitting into the dress I wanted to fit into for my holidays!! It is strange I was sooooo disciplined on the 30 in 30 challenge but I have not got that same motivation at the moment! I must find it NOW!!

My goal for the week ahead is to post on here every day, eat as well as I can and exercise twice a day!! So feel free to give me a virtual mouthful if i dont stick to that!!

Oops

2009-08-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

where do the days go - just realised I havent posted since Monday. The days are flying by it wont be long before the summer hols are over and the kids are back at school - whilst I love the lazy days of not having to get school sorted I do kinda miss the routine, the gym is right next to school drop off so I tend to go as I'm there, I havent been to the gym all summer but have relied on home workouts which are fine and do the same thing - I just like the gym atmosphere!

I did a great workout Monday night with my friend which is always a laugh at the same time, again it was a bodyweight routine with some dumbell stuff too and my stomach has been killing me ever since we did as part of the routine some 21's which consisted off push ups and ab crunches you start at 21 of each then work your way back to 0 - that is alot of reps and of course you could do it with any combination of exercises.

I seem to be maintaining my weight at the mo - not losing it so I need to up my game a bit really - I think it is the lack of routine that is putting me out at the mo, I have clients on hol, some cancelling due to illness and some swapping times so I am all over the place - goal to get back on track next week although it is still a bit disrupted until September now!

Yesterday was a lovely hot day - the weather guys got it right for once and I managed to get about an hour outside reading my fitness magazine! It was lovely and reminded me of being back on holiday - today is not so nice grrrrr!

Tonight there is a world record attempt of fireworks going off on Bournemouth Seafront between the piers which we are hoping to go and see - they are planning to let of 110,000 fireworks in 60seconds should be great as long as it doesnt rain!! We have also booked a camping trip for BH weekend which is also my birthday so I am again hoping for sunshine!!!

Quick easy workout

2009-08-17T04:46:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to post up a workout i mentioned last week it is a quick bodyweight workout but really hits the spot! A colleague of mine put it on her site as her workout of the day! So thanks Charlie x so anyone interested give it a try and when you ache afterwards thank Charlie not me ha ha xx

30 secs Burpees
30 secs rest

30 secs burpees
30 secs skipping or hi knee run
30 secs rest

30 secs burpees; skipping; starjumps
30 secs rest

30 secs burpees; skipping; starjumps; squats (your level)
30 secs rest

30 secs burpees; skipping; starjumps; squats; reverse lunge alt legs
30 secs rest

30 secs burpees; skipping; starjumps; squats; reverse lunges; press-ups
30 secs rest

30 secs burpees; skipping; starjumps; squats; reverse lunges; press-ups and tricep press-up
30 secs rest

30 secs skipping; starjumps; squats; reverse lunges; press-ups and tricep press-up
30 secs rest

30 secs starjumps; squats; reverse lunges; press-ups and tricep press-up
30 secs rest

30 secs squats; reverse lunges; press-ups and tricep press-up
30 secs rest

30 secs reverse lunges; press-ups and tricep press-up
30 secs rest

30 secs press-ups and tricep press-up
30 secs rest

30 secs tricep press-up

30 secs rest.

HOLD PLANK FOR 1 MIN. REST RPT X 3

STRETCH.

Feeling better

2009-08-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

thank goodness, cold finally clearing up! I did my first workout of the week yesterday and found it quite tough, clearly my cold has taken more out of me than i thought. Still i worked up a good sweat and am feeling the doms today, It was a pyramid set of bodyweight exercises that a colleauge of mine posted up on her site and i thought i'd give that a go - she ended the routine with a little he he after it and now i know why!! Thanks Charlie xx I finished it up with some valslide exercises - I'm loving these simple little tools very effective!

Food wise i havent really stuck to anything specific yet so will aim to track my carb intake next week, we had home made lasagne with veg last night which wasnt really on my plan but was yummy!!

Today I have been better having had eggs and ham for brekkie and some fruit and nuts so far! think it will ne homemade thai chicken curry with a little brown rice for dinner! my fave xx

Not such a good start .....

2009-08-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

.... have come down with a stinking cold arghhhhhh!! Really annoyed as I rarely get ill with anything, no doubt caught on the plane on way home with all that air con blowing germs around everywhere!! The night we got back my throat felt a little scratchy and it took until Monday night to come out into a full blown cold and of course you cant go anywhere without everyone telling you its Swine flu blah blah blah - No i have a cold thats all but it is making me feel rubbish and have tried to eat healthily but have succumbed to a quick fix snack of chocolate yesterday and havent felt up to working out, just did a few rounds of a bodyweight workout and just didnt have the energy and cant breathe so gave up!

Hoping to feel better and get going tomorrow x

Tomorrow is the start of a new countdown

2009-08-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

and I want to see if I can better the 6lb lost last month on my 30 in 30 challenge. I plan to use a combination of full body weight training, HIIT, Dax's training plans plus a variety of my own bodyweight circuits including kettlebells and valslides too!

Dietwise I am going to eat as ED friendly as possible but allowing myself 1 cup of tea daily, I will eliminate sugar/alcohol and wheat and processed foods, I will also follow the wave and carb cycle to some extent too although I may play around with this as it didnt do wonders for me last time.

I am setting myself the challenge of 8lbs for the next 4 weeks and see if i can beat the 6lb loss by 2lb - yes simple maths even I got that little sum right!!

Luckily i must have been carrying a lb of plane bloat as I was down a further 1lb today which means i only actually gained 1lb from my weeks blow out!!

Ooh looking forward to a new challenge............

I'm back........ and had a real week off!!!

2009-08-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm back and have confessions! My intentions of being Ed friendly on holiday lasted um well until I got to the airport for departure! We had a 7 hour delay and believe me being stuck in Bournemouth airport for that amount of time with absolutely nothing to do is very very boring!! We got given 2 lots of vouchers for food as the delay kept getting longer! There were no healthy food choices there at all so I had a sandwich (white bread!!!!!!!!!!) but did only drink water!! I imediately felt the bloat from the bread having not had any for months now!

We eventually arrived in Malaga at 5.45am and the car hire people had gone and left a note saying back at 7am so we had yet more delays and eventually got to our apartment at 8.30am totally shattered!

My promise to myself to not drink calories I kept by only drinking water other than 2 cocktails I had at our favourite cocktail bar right on Puerto Banus beach - they are just lovely!! and of course full of calories!! I also ate french bread/cheese and pate had 1 ice cream and some pasta so all in all I was very naughty! I weighed in this morning and was 2lb up so all in all I was ok with that as I really didnt try very hard at all! 2lbs to get off shouldnt be too tough next week!

What a posey place PB is! everyone is so up themselves! the money there is unreal, and everyone tries to out do each other! Every other car is a Ferrari or Lamborghini usually driven by short bald blokes but nice to look at (the cars that is) the women are dripping in designer gear and the men in rolex etc etc we go for the weather and ease of getting htere plus my friend owns a place there so for us it is easy! I wouldnt say it is a chilled out relaxing place to be though!!

We had wall to wall sunshine which was great and our own little bit of excitement when we discovered Katie Price was staying in our community! We are out side of PB in a gated community and we were chilling by the pool one afternoon when one of the little boys came running in saying a topless KP was in the next pool! Of course none of us believed him. My daughter and her friend ran off to investigate and came back highly excited saying it was her, but her hairdresser had turned them away.

With her new book in hand we went back to the pool via the back entrance and sat ourselves on the edge of the pool and there she was in just a thong right opposite us! Now love her or hate her it is just very weird to be in the same pool as someone as famous as she is (all beit for the wrong reasons) she has had her fair share of press recently and this trip was no different with a neighbour in the next apartment selling their pics to the sun! those are the ones that appeared this week! She signed the girls books for them which made their holiday and we swan in the pool a bot more then returned to our pool - there is only so much time you can get away with staring at a celeb and she's not really my idea of an icon although we did all watch her TV show!!

The rest of our hol was just spent reading books and relaxing, a week goes so quickly and I cant believe I am now home!

Next week (Monday) is the start of round 2 of losing some more pounds including the extra 2 that have crept back up! I will be mainly ED compliant but may try a month of eating for my bio type just to test out the course I went on! I will post more on this as several people are interested!

Exercise wise I will go back to some HIIT and weights with 1 of Dax's workouts as an extra daily!

Holidays

2009-07-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update - am off on holiday so wont be posting for the next week or so! I am going to try to stick to healthy eating and am takin gmy valslides on hol with me to do some exercise whilst away.

This week has not been good - totm has com eearly and i've been on a great bio typing course! Interesting actually as for my type the diet goes against everything i've just done on this 30 day plan! May try it when i get back for a month to compare my results!!

See you soon everyone xxx

I'm still here...

2009-07-26T12:12:00.001-07:00

Although I have had a manic weekend which was very stressful hence no exercise and food not to plan so will post propely tomorrow when everything s back on track!

Life after the challenge...

2009-07-23T08:56:00.001-07:00

This week has been manic for me, I had a course, hair appointment and work which has taken up nearly all of my week!

Today my daughter and I went shopping and got some new things for our holiday! Still not going to be happy in my bikini's but better than a few weeks ago at least.

I have walked around for hours today, got a thumping headache so exercise has been not to plan!

Tomorrow I am going to go to the gym and also fit in a Dax special workout too!

Diet wise I am trying to eat ED mainly although I have added in a little milk in my tea and my protein powder which I add to my Greek yog and fat free quark.

I am looking forward to getting back to some weight training gym style but think I might be a little sore afterwards!

The End!! I'll be back...............

2009-07-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Days 29 and 30!

Yesterday - busy as usual on a Monday! nothing to report really, workouts and food standard!

The last day and I was on a course all day (a very boring mandatory training day) I couldnt do my 3 workouts and will only have time to do one tonight!! May make it a combo of 2 to make up a bit time wise although it wont have the magic effects! Food was supposed to be a final fast day today but I knew being stuck in a NHS building for 9 hours was not going to be practical as I wouldnt be able to concentrate and my stomach rumbling would have been embarrassing so will do one tomorrow instead! So the question is what to do next! I still want to lose a further 20lbs or so and therefore will continue to blog and track my progress and I intend to keep most of the ED principles but allowing for a few additions! My cup of tea will return but limited to 2 a day max! I am not going to re introduce bread as I have managed to live without it. Sugar will be excluded wherever possible. I may still cycle my carb intake but whether I do it the wave way or not I'm not sure! I dont know that it had the greatest effect on my results so I may play around with some other options and see what happens! I might also keep one fast day a week too if I can play around with the day so I'm not working! I found it much easier on a day off than when with clients!

So final results: 6lbs loss on scale weight! Not a great result and way off 30lbs but its still down and makes a difference clothes wise!

12.75 inches lost overall though which in 30 days isnt too bad at all so I am quite happy with that!!

So keep reading and lets see what the next 30 days brings................

Exercise wise - 3 daily workouts arent practical for me to do full time but I will try do add some of dax's in whre I can on top of my regular weights program and HIIT maybe the combination will work and some more pounds will drop!

Weekend Days 27 & 28

2009-07-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

Not a very exciting weekend, spent getting holiday things together and sorting my clothes! Still a bit disappointed with my poor results as my dresses I wanted for hol are unlikely to fit now! I have 10 days left so there is a small chance one will fit if i lose a bit more! I certainly wil try!

Food was as usual over the weekend eggs,chicken, nuts, veg and salad!

Workouts were to plan!

Only 2 days left now! Cant believe it - it has really gone quickly towards the end!!

Day 26 Fast no 3

2009-07-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

OMG today was really really hard! I have felt a bit off for a few days and not 100% - I had a client first thing and my stomach rumbled throughout her entire session!!! This happened the last 2 times and I wasnt worried as previously it stopped after the first litre or so of water, today however it carried on, I drank several fruit teas as I hoped the hot drink would help but no and my other clients today got the same effect - one said it sounded like distant thunder! It was really uncomfortable and not at all like the last 2 fasts! Whether it had anything to do with not feeling quite right or not I dont know but I ended it a little early as I began to feel a bit sick, dinner was chicken skewer with pepper and onion and mayo less coleslaw! cashew nuts as a snack!

Workouts all ok today, cantbelieve we only have 4 days left!! Strangely although I am looking forward to it ending in some ways I will miss it too!

Day 24 & 25 ****ed off!!

2009-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Have decided to post these 2 days together as nothing out of the ordinary to report. Day 24 was manic for me, worked lots and had very little spare time, had a low energy day and just ticked along with the food and workouts.

Day 25 although not over yet, started on a downer as my results are exactly the same!!!!!!!!! Well 1/2" loss from my right arm and that is it - despite a fast! To say I feel ****ed off is an understatement. I knew from a little way in I was never going to hit the 30lb mark but I was really hopeful for a minimum of a stone or 14lbs to date I am still at 6lbs! Which is really no more than the standard 2lb a week loss which many can do by just following a calorie restricted diet! I cantblame anything or anyone its just my body not playing the game! But it doesnt help with motivation and I do feel a bit miserable today!!

I'm going to make this post short and sweet as I dont have anything positive to say other than we got the new workout today! phew not an easy one! I note again that my upper body is not as strong as lower body as 1 of the exercises I found really quite tough! More practice needed there then!!

Day 23 - 7 to go!!!! woohoo

2009-07-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Only 1 week left - 7 days - 168hrs not that I'm counting lol. Seriously it will be weird when this is all over it has taken up so much time and been pretty full on for the last few weeks. I will defintaly keep up as many aspects as I can, I will go back to my usual weights routines (I've missed my deadlifts and RDL's etc) I will keep up some of the metabolic workouts - they will seem more fun again like in the beginning when they are done by choice and not necessity.

I am really looking forward to what will probably be our last new workout on this plan! We will no doubt get "Daxed" one last time!

Workouts today have been normal, I did the meltdown first thing which was a good blast to start me off for the day, then the DB Matrix (my fave) think will be the power circuit tonight!

Food today hasnt been very good as we need to get shopping, so it has been eggs and ham, cashews, more eggs and ham and that is it so far, not sure what is for dinner yet (very unplanned and unprepared day as no food in the house) Prob very under cals today and feeling a tad hungry now so better go and find something to snack on then sort out dinner!

Fast no 2 on Day 22

2009-07-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here we go again................. actually it is easier than i ever thought it would be! If you know you just arent going to eat until a specific time you kinda just get on with it! It is a busy work day for me so i was kept busy! I felt hungry at lunchtime but went to see a friend and had a fruit tea and more water!!

Dinner was at 5pm so I had eggs and ham! Didnt actually really fancy much, I was hungry but whereas in the past if i've let myself get really hungry it feels like you have to make up for it by eating twice as much, this deosnt seem to happen. I am quite content on my small dinner and may have a snack after work later too!

Results were a further 2lb down so that is now 6lb in total since the start of this plan and 10lb total weight loss for me since starting the ED about 6-8 weeks ago!

Will be happy to lose another 2-3lbs which takes me below 140lb!! Then continuing this on a more relaxed basis until reaching my goal of about 120lbs!

It seems many of us are hoping to keep in touch and keep posting until we get to our goals which I think is a great idea! Its nice to have the support from each other and also we are the only ones that really knows just how tough this has been! It has been no walk in the park I can tell you!

I think there will be 1 or 2 clear winners on the pounds lost front but actually I think all of us on this plan are winners as we have proved that we can stick to a tough regime and stil get results even if not the ones we had hoped for!

Off to work again now......... until tomorrow :-)

Sunday Day 21

2009-07-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Again nothing really to report here so this will be short and sweet.

I was disappointed that we didnt get the new workout but have since learnt that we need a video demo for it as it is very complicated!

Carb up day wasnt so exciting today it was mainly strawberries with my yog, and a few new potatoes with my chicken and veg for dinner. I ate it early at about 5 as I didnt want to go too long tomorrow before dinner!

We went to the cinema in the evening to see Bruno! OMG how he is still alive I dont know!! Funny and weird film!

Watched everyone around me with their popcorn, coke and sweets! (Not keen on any really - although have been know in the past to be partial to a few maltesers!!)

Went to bed quite hungry as I had eaten so early.............

20 days in .....

2009-07-11T13:50:00.001-07:00

.... and nothing to report today, just another normal day. Feeling tired today - the energy seems to come and go in patterns very much like the wave diet we are doing!

Tomorrow is carb up day before Mondays second fast! Tomorrow will be a good day, I have some lovely juicy strawberries waiting for me for brekkie!

Workouts below par today, so hoping to have an early night and renewed energy tomorrow! We were supposed to get a new workout today so hopefully it will be posted in time for tomorrow! I will try to do 4 workouts again tomorrow to make up for it - along with a whole day of housework!!

10 more days to go!!

Just a normal Day 19

2009-07-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

I wondered how I would feel today after yesterdays fast - I thought I may be hungry all day and that my body may try to make up for the lack of food yesterday but it was just like normal, in fact I felt really good and quite energetic!

I have had a manic day today with 2 new clients and also my regular ones plus fitting in the exercise and kids! I have to say the house is suffering it needs a good clean and tidy!! Oh well something has to give and that is it i'm afraid - will try to catch up over the weekend.

Todays food was my standard lo carb day of eggs/ham, chicken and salad and nuts! I did have 2 strawberries as they smelt so good and had them with nuts so hopefully not too bad!

Workouts completed, looking forward to a new one on Saturday!

Faster faster faster!!!!

2009-07-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Some new pics taken today, still got the muffin top!!! Needs to go! Not sure if there is much difference at all really!!

Well in fact it wasnt too bad! The shopping definately helped, although the worrying thing was that I had thoughts of all the bad foods that I havent eaten for ages now!
Chocolate, cakes, sweets etc and I seemed to be surrounded by them. This hasnt bothered me at all until today and i think for the first time i actually had a craving to go off track! I didnt of course and i think it was only because i was hungry!

I made it until 5-30 and had grilled chicken breast and salad!

I do have a headache now though and feel tired! I have one more session to do in a mo then an early night for me!!

Hope Day 18 goes FAST!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-09T04:34:00.000-07:00

Oh dear think the lack of food is effecting me already!!! Yes FAST day has arrived, I have actually been quite busy so far today which has helped but I am just starting to feel the first rumbles going on and trying to ignore them!!

Today was re measure day! I am back to 4lbs down still very slow loss in weight but I feel smaller than that! I have lost a further 3" in size though mainly from waist, abdomen and hips!

I am going to put in maximum effort for the last of this plan! I have been working hard but I can put in more effort, I can push eavier weights, I can try to go that little bit faster.

I am going to do workout 2 in a mo then I'm taking my daughter shopping to West Quay for the afternoon hoping the clothes shopping will take my mind of eating or the lack of it! Roll on 5-30pm!! Actually its only 4 1/2 hours to go!!

More later............

Yummy yummy Day 17

2009-07-09T04:22:00.000-07:00

Cant believe 17 days have gone by already! Today is carb day woohoo it now seems like a treat day! I started off with some lovely sweet strawberries with greek yog! I had some raspberries and a few nuts, Lunch was a salmon fillet and salad with some cherry tomatoes! More strawberries and yog, Dinner was a tablespoon of brown rice and thai green chicken curry! Yum - it is kind of strange that all that good healthy food is now seen as such a treat! I know a few of us are feeling like that too!

I made the most of my food today as tomorrow is FAST day! I was working in the evening so I had to have an early dinner which makes it easier tomorrow as it means dinner will come around sooner!!

Workouts were fine! I am definately finding my shoulder strength has improved, the weights i chose to perform the many shoulder press we do felt hard at first - for a while actually but I noticed today that they actually feel a bit lighter! So i may increase them or definately push for more reps!

Day 16

2009-07-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Still feeling rubbish! Still have the horrible stomach cramps - hoping it will ease tomorrow!

We have been given our secret weapon today - I knew this was going to appear at some point and it is based on Eat Stop Eat fasting!

It does mean you get to eat on the day you fast but it is for 24 hours! So we eat our dinner as usual then the next day we fast until dinner time again! I have read alot about this and get Brad's newsletters but never been brave enough to try it!

Psycologically I think I will find it hard to mentally switch off from the mindset of having to eat especially as this whole plan revolves around eating regularly so far! But I have been preparing myself and Thursday is our first fast day! I need to plan to keep busy.

Today I havent felt up to much and still have 1 workout to go, I need to go get on with it now as its getting late! Food has been eggs, ham, salmon and veg for dinner and nuts.

Too much info for Day 15

2009-07-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well the good news is that we are half way through now! The bad news for me is TOTM has arrived! I'm hoping that in a few days results will show again and constantly show for the next 2 remaining weeks! Today I look pregnant! I feel so bloated and uncomfortable. Strangely my boobs measured 1" down yet they were spilling out of my sports bra from being so bloaty!! No surprises that I weighed more too! I'm just ignoring it and putting it down to TOTM!!

Nature is a funny thing, because of the diet my PMS symptoms were less severe and my usual chocolate craving was easily bypassed. I did feel the need for something sweet os had 2 strawberries (not really allowed on no carb day - but better than choc)! However I have had the worst stomach ache ever! Really crampy and horrible - which is unusual as my symptoms are always prior to not during!

Food was standard - eggs, chicken, veg, salad! nuts!!
Exercise was: Hard!!

4 Workouts for Day 14

2009-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well after yesterdays not so great workouts I promised myself I'd do 4 to make up for it! So today I have done the 3 as instructed plus the DB Matrix plus some gardening so I am going to treat myself to a nice hot bath in a bit as I am shattered!!

I think in total I have done well over 1000 reps today (There are over 600 in the pyramid alone)!!

Food as usual on no carb days a little boring, eggs and ham for brekkie and lunch, chicken with runner beans, courgette, tenderstem brocolli, cauliflower and normal brocolli for dinner, with nuts as snacks! I have added it all up and way under for todays cals! Not too worried as i think I prob had over yesterday!

The weather has cooled a bit but it seems to make no difference to the how hot i get during the workouts!! You really do have to be committed to this whole routine - getting hot and sweaty 3 x per day is not very social and does take an effort with showers and hair washing etc - I feel I have looked a mess for the last 2 weeks - always in workout gear with hair up and no make up! Nice!!

We are nearly half way there now!! I am a little worried I wont even make a stone lost! 14lbs should be easy as only half what is expected but unless it suddenly drops off me I cant see it happening! Tomorrow is weigh in day with measurements! I feel really bloated think TOTM is about to happen so I doubt i'll get a loss more likely a gain so that wont be great for the motivation!! You men dont know how lucky you are!!!!!

Rollercoaster Day 13

2009-07-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

No two days during this plan are the same, today I felt wiped out again after such a high energy day yesterday! Grrrrrrrr!!!!!

Workout 1 I couldnt beat my time, my ankle is really hurting - started last night think i ran down the stairs and twisted it slightly so i felt it on todays workouts!

Workouts 2 & 3 completed too! Food was ok not stocked up on shopping yet - just been so hectic so i had left over raspberries from the last carb day which were really past their best! Greek yog, turkey salad with jacket spud, and for dinner chicken tikka dry with a small portion of brown rice and veg!

Today was my daughters prom and I had a stressful afternoon doing her hair and dealing with a hysterical teenager when the car they'd booked didnt show - luckily a good friend came to the rescue and drove them down in his new BMW and dressed up in a suit for them too!! Thanks E x

She looked beautiful and I was very proud of her!

I feel like i've eaten loads today in comparison to the other days so glad weigh in isnt until Monday!

Tomorrow as I feel my workouts today were not up to scratch I am planning to do all 4 workouts spread throughout the day - hopefully i will get a good result on Monday!!