Wednesday today and my favourite day of the week! I am celebrating the day by cooking a curry from the Slimming World magazine this week which is free! Also it is the Bake Off final so I will sitting down with a hot chocolate as my treat to watch the final three challenges and see who is crowned the winner!
I have had another good day with my food so I am pleased and hoping tomorrow brings a good loss when I go back to group for the first time! Fingers crossed!
Total syns today 5.5 which is really good!
Wednesday 8 October 2014
Tuesday 7 October 2014
Tweety's Slimming World Adventure - Day 5
It is Tuesday and I am feeling better today! My body is still hurting but it was easier to get out of bed this morning and my hand isn't too bad!
And I was still fired up to have another good food day! so that is just what I had, an amazing food day! A good breakfast with a massive salad for lunch and the last portion of pasta for dinner! And whilst in the super market getting the ingredients for tomorrows tea I got some jelly pots which are only 1/2 a syn each so winner all round!
No gym tonight but then I had other things to do and my body needs a rest!
And I was still fired up to have another good food day! so that is just what I had, an amazing food day! A good breakfast with a massive salad for lunch and the last portion of pasta for dinner! And whilst in the super market getting the ingredients for tomorrows tea I got some jelly pots which are only 1/2 a syn each so winner all round!
No gym tonight but then I had other things to do and my body needs a rest!
Monday 6 October 2014
Tweety's Slimming World Adventure - Day 4
Oooo so getting out of bed this morning was only the first challenge to contend with then came getting in the shower, getting out the shower, getting dressed, sitting to eat, driving to work, sitting at my desk, going to the toilet, walking to the warehouse, typing, writing and the list goes on. MY body hurts from head to toe and everywhere in between. I have a lot of bruises and my left hand has a very swollen knuckle and sore fingers from the start of the race (which is now a tradition I hurt myself at the start of the race, well at least it gets it out the way)
I did go to the gym tonight, I'm not made trust me, it would only be worse if I didn't because sitting down for too long just makes it harder to stand up and move! So I did two 15 minutes walks on the treadmill and a good stretch session in between and it felt so much better!
My food today has been awesome, scrambled eggs on toast for brekkie, a bumper tuna salad for lunch, fruit and a yoghurt for snacks then more pasta for dinner! Oh and a cheeky hot chocolate before bed! Total syns for the day 6 (WINNER!!)
I did go to the gym tonight, I'm not made trust me, it would only be worse if I didn't because sitting down for too long just makes it harder to stand up and move! So I did two 15 minutes walks on the treadmill and a good stretch session in between and it felt so much better!
My food today has been awesome, scrambled eggs on toast for brekkie, a bumper tuna salad for lunch, fruit and a yoghurt for snacks then more pasta for dinner! Oh and a cheeky hot chocolate before bed! Total syns for the day 6 (WINNER!!)
Tweety's Slimming World Adventure - Day 3
Today is the day! I have been apprehensive all week but when the day came I was ready and raring to go! I don't know what turned me around, I think it must have been the energy of the people in my team from the moment I met them at the gym even though it was the coldest morning of the season so far and it was Sunday morning at 7am! and then when we arrived at the site I just wanted to get start on the course, it looked scary but I wanted to get round it!
I started the day with a good breakfast of weetabix and skimmed milk, followed by a banana when we arrived and jelly beans for sugar before we started!
And so 4 hours and god knows how may obstacles, water pools, running, slipping, rope swinging, cargo net scrabbling, type jumping, tunnel crawling and electric shocks later... plus a bit of fire hopping we crossed the finish line and were awarded with an official Tough Guy donkey and a mug of hot chocolate and a chocolate digestive or two... shortly followed by removing all
muddy wet clothing and warming back up again!
I calculated that 4 hours at 500 calories an hour is 2000 calories burnt! So I treated myself to a portion of chips because I had more than burnt my daily allowance in one go and it did stop me having a takeaway for tea so I think that is a winning situation! I had another portion of my pasta instead!
All in all an awesome day and here are some photos taken by various members of the team...
I started the day with a good breakfast of weetabix and skimmed milk, followed by a banana when we arrived and jelly beans for sugar before we started!
And so 4 hours and god knows how may obstacles, water pools, running, slipping, rope swinging, cargo net scrabbling, type jumping, tunnel crawling and electric shocks later... plus a bit of fire hopping we crossed the finish line and were awarded with an official Tough Guy donkey and a mug of hot chocolate and a chocolate digestive or two... shortly followed by removing all
muddy wet clothing and warming back up again!
I calculated that 4 hours at 500 calories an hour is 2000 calories burnt! So I treated myself to a portion of chips because I had more than burnt my daily allowance in one go and it did stop me having a takeaway for tea so I think that is a winning situation! I had another portion of my pasta instead!
All in all an awesome day and here are some photos taken by various members of the team...
The mug shots before hand
Team before shot all dry and clean!
The start line
Water obstacle
The last pull to the finish!!!
The after shot!
The reward!
Tweety's Slimming World Adventure - Day 2
I got the day off to a good start, by getting up early and having a good breakfast before heading out to take some photos. And as it was the day before my next big challenge, Tough Guy, I needed to make sure I ate right so I cooked myself a lovely pasta dish and then treated myself to a fudge... well two but 11 syns on the second day wasn't too bad! Overall a good day!
Saturday 4 October 2014
Tweety's Slimming World Adventure - Day 1
Friday 3rd October
You may be thinking, starting something new on a Friday isn't the way to go and I think you might be right, I did okay during the day but when it came to the evening I went out for some drinks (should have been quiet drinks) which turned into dancing in the kings head so totally blew my syns but as I am not a big drinker this was the first time in ages I had been out.
And I am pleased that I managed to walk away from chocolate earlier in the evening having gone to the shop... I left without buying anything!
Saturday is set to be a better day!
You may be thinking, starting something new on a Friday isn't the way to go and I think you might be right, I did okay during the day but when it came to the evening I went out for some drinks (should have been quiet drinks) which turned into dancing in the kings head so totally blew my syns but as I am not a big drinker this was the first time in ages I had been out.
And I am pleased that I managed to walk away from chocolate earlier in the evening having gone to the shop... I left without buying anything!
Saturday is set to be a better day!
Tweety Rejuvenated
So it has been a long time since I have actually taken care with the food I am eating and teaming it with the exercise I am doing! I was so pleased at the start of the year when I lost 8kgs in 8 weeks but I let it go so easily and it has taken me 6 months to get back my mojo to think about the food that goes in my mouth and I have chosen to do this by going to Slimming World. I did it once before 2 years ago and I did well for a few weeks but I am going to be honest here I was a bit uninspired by the consultant at the group and I stopped going to group. I tried to continue on my own but I was in a new town having just moved out from my parents to Northampton for work, I was living on my own and cooking for myself for the first time and without some support I just went back to eating what I liked as I could.
But now I want to start something and I will be the face of it so I want to be the best version of myself!
And with Tough Guy 10km this weekend I have been training still but I haven't seen any of the results I was seeing earlier in the year as I trained towards Tough Mudder (which I have to say was amazing fun) I am apprehensive about Sunday but I will be alright on the day and will give it my all!
Let the journey move forward!
My target remains the same I want to be under 10 stone which is about 64kgs.
But now I want to start something and I will be the face of it so I want to be the best version of myself!
And with Tough Guy 10km this weekend I have been training still but I haven't seen any of the results I was seeing earlier in the year as I trained towards Tough Mudder (which I have to say was amazing fun) I am apprehensive about Sunday but I will be alright on the day and will give it my all!
Let the journey move forward!
My target remains the same I want to be under 10 stone which is about 64kgs.
Wednesday 26 March 2014
Catch Up and Review
Wow it has been an entire month since I wrote a blog post! So be prepared this is going to be a bumper addition!
A lot has happened in the last month, 1 anniversary has passed, 1 funeral attended, 2 trips to London, 2 walks in the sunshine, 2 leaving do's attended, 4 Ashtanga yoga sessions, 16 workout sessions and helped on a community project.
Review of Week's Eight, Nine, Ten and Eleven
It has been a difficult time over the last few weeks and I had to make a choice between getting myself through the days or focusing on my eating and I choose getting myself through the days, using techniques I got my counselor last year and things I have learnt about myself along the way (which I can tell you has been a lot). I did still workout as much as I could which is a big plus because I could so easily have just sat and watched TV and wasted time but I did something productive which I know my Uncle would be pleased about.
There were two weeks were I didn't log every day which I was disappointed about because I had got to a 65 day streak but moving on... I am back on the plan now!I haven't got a table to the calories I have eaten and burnt for this addition but not I am back on the plan I will get back to doing it.
I have let chocolate and bread back into my diet and the bread isn't doing me any good what so ever! My insides just don't like and I think I will just stop eating it altogether, it's not worth the upset! Although I have let chocolate back in I am trying to make sure it is less than it was before otherwise the 8 weeks without did nothing!
I have given up tea for lent, yeah I know crazy right but I have given up chocolate, sweets and bread in previous years so for it to continue being a real challenge (which is the point) Tea was the next step. So to clarify I have stopped drinking normal tea and I'm only having 3 mugs of green tea with lemon a day so this is a real reduction in the amount I was consuming before. I had a headache for about a week but it finally went and I feel loads better, but green tea just isn't the same and I can see why tea is so popular! oh well only 25 days left to go!! (I'm not counting or anything)
And finally I got my Body Fat tested tonight and wait for it....... (drum roll if you like be creative, I just used my hands on the table in between typing)
So when I got it tested on 21st January:
Body Fat: 152.6 / 28%
And today, 26th March it is:
And today, 26th March it is:
Body Fat: 115 / 23.2%
That is a reduction in body fat of 4.8% in 9 weeks! Incredible!!! I can't really believe how well I have done, it has given a renewed focus to carry on and get to my goal!
Oh one more thing I am now properly training for the Race for Life in Cleethorpes in May, I'm aiming for 5km in 30 mins. When I did my marker run as I call it to see where I am starting from and I ran last year's race pace of 36:30 mins which is a great result and makes my target even more achievable!
And another drum roll I think (try something different from last time).................................................
I am also now officially signed up for Tough Mudder in Kettering in July! Sooooo I best keep my training up so I make it round!
So I think that brings you up to speed pretty much with what as been happening my life over the past few weeks!
Saturday 22 February 2014
Week Seven Review
Week 7 - 15/2/14 - 21/2/14
Start Weight - 74.9 kg
End Weight - 74.7 kg
Loss - 0.2 kg
Thoughts on the week
Another slow week on the weight loss front but it is still a loss! However I can feel myself slipping a bit on the exceptional focus I have had where food is concerned. I have had some bread, let a few extra calories creep in and felt myself giving in a bit too easy at class. And I have let myself be drawn back into so called "good for you" foods which are not only full of sugar but are more calories than you think.
I have been waiting for this to happen to be honest, it has taken a lot longer to arrive this time which is great but has still arrived! I could so easily continue down this road, eating more and more of things I shouldn't and exercising less and less, however I am going to deal with it very differently this time!!
I am going to go back to the start and remember what I was thinking and how I went about stopping myself eating things I shouldn't. And eat ten times better again!
I am aware that I am building muscle as well as losing fat so the amount I lose will start to drop and I will have to get used to that and hope the measurements keep going down as well.
On the other side of the coin, I tried Ashtanga Yoga for the first time this week, I've never done yoga at all before so it was completely new to me and I really enjoyed it! So much so that I signed up for a month term!
And I did my first WOW challenge at The Shed, I completed it in one day (the only person to do so) I really went for it! My time was 13 mins 21 secs which is a massive success for me.
To the week ahead.... I am coming to get you and I won't be defeated this time!
Start Weight - 74.9 kg
End Weight - 74.7 kg
Loss - 0.2 kg
Thoughts on the week
Another slow week on the weight loss front but it is still a loss! However I can feel myself slipping a bit on the exceptional focus I have had where food is concerned. I have had some bread, let a few extra calories creep in and felt myself giving in a bit too easy at class. And I have let myself be drawn back into so called "good for you" foods which are not only full of sugar but are more calories than you think.
I have been waiting for this to happen to be honest, it has taken a lot longer to arrive this time which is great but has still arrived! I could so easily continue down this road, eating more and more of things I shouldn't and exercising less and less, however I am going to deal with it very differently this time!!
I am going to go back to the start and remember what I was thinking and how I went about stopping myself eating things I shouldn't. And eat ten times better again!
I am aware that I am building muscle as well as losing fat so the amount I lose will start to drop and I will have to get used to that and hope the measurements keep going down as well.
On the other side of the coin, I tried Ashtanga Yoga for the first time this week, I've never done yoga at all before so it was completely new to me and I really enjoyed it! So much so that I signed up for a month term!
And I did my first WOW challenge at The Shed, I completed it in one day (the only person to do so) I really went for it! My time was 13 mins 21 secs which is a massive success for me.
To the week ahead.... I am coming to get you and I won't be defeated this time!
Tuesday 18 February 2014
Tweety's Triple Row Challenge
Each week a member of The Training Shed team sets a Week On Week challenge which is always tough and I have finally got up the courage (i think that the right word) to do one of them. Before I was a bit afraid of failing but now I am starting to get a firm belief I can do anything.
So the challenge is:
I have been thinking about doing it for a few days now but tonight I was ahead to the gym to do my weights programme but I jut changed my mind and did the challenge.
Just me, my phone (timing) and the rowing machine!
It looks so sweet and innocent in the picture below but I can tell you after the second set it wasn't my friend anymore!
I did the first two sets in quick succession and did a few weights before the third. According to Glenn I am the first women to complete and possibly the only person to complete it on one day!
And I am extremely pleased with my overall time as well as the times for each set. I was extremely proud of myself and it was very satisfying to put my times up on the board.
Look at that, a total time of 13 mins and 21 secs!
I would normally do 2000m in about 11 mins so to do 3000m in 13mins is bloody brilliant!
I will go to sleep very pleased with myself tonight!
So the challenge is:
I have been thinking about doing it for a few days now but tonight I was ahead to the gym to do my weights programme but I jut changed my mind and did the challenge.
Just me, my phone (timing) and the rowing machine!
It looks so sweet and innocent in the picture below but I can tell you after the second set it wasn't my friend anymore!
I did the first two sets in quick succession and did a few weights before the third. According to Glenn I am the first women to complete and possibly the only person to complete it on one day!
And I am extremely pleased with my overall time as well as the times for each set. I was extremely proud of myself and it was very satisfying to put my times up on the board.
Look at that, a total time of 13 mins and 21 secs!
I would normally do 2000m in about 11 mins so to do 3000m in 13mins is bloody brilliant!
I will go to sleep very pleased with myself tonight!
Week Six Review
Week 6 - 8/2/14 - 16/2/14
Start Weight - 75.2 kg
End Weight - 74.9 kg
Loss - 0.3 kg
Thoughts on the week
A slower week this week but still felt really good, I did go out for lunch on Sunday and I had a takeaway pizza on Saturday so I guess that would be a factor as well as a reduction in exercise. Sometimes life is busy and gets in the way.
On Sunday I met my brother at Escape in Castleford for a ski season and lunch which was random and a great addition to a weekend which would have otherwise been very quiet. I had a great two hour season and I went up and down the slope as many times as I could, well as many times as my legs could handle. But I tell you what, they are a lot stronger than last year when I was out in Austria so that is a great improvement.
Taking a look back over the last six weeks, they have flown by really and I can't believe how far I have come. I set a weekly weight loss of 0.5 kg and I am currently over 100% above target which is really something. This is a long road and I never expected to get off to such an amazing start.
Start Weight - 75.2 kg
End Weight - 74.9 kg
Loss - 0.3 kg
Thoughts on the week
A slower week this week but still felt really good, I did go out for lunch on Sunday and I had a takeaway pizza on Saturday so I guess that would be a factor as well as a reduction in exercise. Sometimes life is busy and gets in the way.
On Sunday I met my brother at Escape in Castleford for a ski season and lunch which was random and a great addition to a weekend which would have otherwise been very quiet. I had a great two hour season and I went up and down the slope as many times as I could, well as many times as my legs could handle. But I tell you what, they are a lot stronger than last year when I was out in Austria so that is a great improvement.
Taking a look back over the last six weeks, they have flown by really and I can't believe how far I have come. I set a weekly weight loss of 0.5 kg and I am currently over 100% above target which is really something. This is a long road and I never expected to get off to such an amazing start.
Tuesday 11 February 2014
Tweety's Bed Time Reading
I have recently taken to reading articles around fitness, weight loss and other things related to fitness. All of a sudden I am finding it very interesting and a great help. Also taking inspiration from others on pinterest is good fun and it makes you feel part of something a bit bigger than just you on your own working day in day out to try and get to your goal!
So..... here are a few bits I have been reading and my pinterest board to help you if you ever need it:
Short and sweet but hopefully it will help at some point or another! I think I might be back on the board soon!
Week Five Review
Week 5 - 1/2/14 - 7/2/14
Start Weight - 76.5 kg
End Weight - 75.2 kg
Loss - 1.2 kg
Thoughts on the Week
A really tough week this week, I have been frustrated by work more than ever and I struggled to keep on the plan but looking back I have done very well and I have stuck to it. I am also suffering from a cold and cough, it isn't too bad so I am still exercising at the moment but I would stop if it got any worse.
I cannot quite believe I have lost another 2 lbs and a little bit, I was actually gob-smacked when I got on the scales! But extremely pleased, so far that is a loss of 5.8 kgs (11 lbs ish)
I am feeling better in my clothes a bit now and I am getting a lot of good comments! It will be interesting for some people to see me over the next few weeks who have seen me since I started on my mission, as they will see a big change!
This week more than ever I have listened to those motivating me not to eat the bad things I have said I wouldn't which is a big help and great that they are not saying to just let go because I know if I was to just let go then that would be it, I would be back to square one, eating anything and everything. I am quite liking that I am really thinking about what I am eating because I am not spending as much money and it is all good for me!!
Also I started on a new protein shake this week which is a Body Power one which is 84% protein. It doesn't taste as good as the other one I had but that would be because there isn't anywhere near the amount of sugar as there was in the other one but I does make me feel better so it's a win win situation really. I am just about getting used to the taste now though. So thank you Lydia for the recommendation!
And lastly this week I have started a new weights programme, new exercises and a renewed enthusiasm is just what I needed this week and although it is a tougher set of exercises it feels like it is going to do loads of good!
And onwards to week 6 and seeing what the loss will be, I suspect it may be the first week where I stay the same!
Start Weight - 76.5 kg
End Weight - 75.2 kg
Loss - 1.2 kg
Thoughts on the Week
A really tough week this week, I have been frustrated by work more than ever and I struggled to keep on the plan but looking back I have done very well and I have stuck to it. I am also suffering from a cold and cough, it isn't too bad so I am still exercising at the moment but I would stop if it got any worse.
I cannot quite believe I have lost another 2 lbs and a little bit, I was actually gob-smacked when I got on the scales! But extremely pleased, so far that is a loss of 5.8 kgs (11 lbs ish)
I am feeling better in my clothes a bit now and I am getting a lot of good comments! It will be interesting for some people to see me over the next few weeks who have seen me since I started on my mission, as they will see a big change!
This week more than ever I have listened to those motivating me not to eat the bad things I have said I wouldn't which is a big help and great that they are not saying to just let go because I know if I was to just let go then that would be it, I would be back to square one, eating anything and everything. I am quite liking that I am really thinking about what I am eating because I am not spending as much money and it is all good for me!!
Also I started on a new protein shake this week which is a Body Power one which is 84% protein. It doesn't taste as good as the other one I had but that would be because there isn't anywhere near the amount of sugar as there was in the other one but I does make me feel better so it's a win win situation really. I am just about getting used to the taste now though. So thank you Lydia for the recommendation!
And lastly this week I have started a new weights programme, new exercises and a renewed enthusiasm is just what I needed this week and although it is a tougher set of exercises it feels like it is going to do loads of good!
And onwards to week 6 and seeing what the loss will be, I suspect it may be the first week where I stay the same!
Sunday 2 February 2014
Tweety's Review of Month One
3rd January - 31st January 2014
Start Weight - 81 kg
End Weight - 76.5 kg
Loss - 4.5 kgs
I can't believe how fast the first month has gone and how focused I am. The mental prep over Christmas has really paid off so I hope the mental resolve continues at the same rate.
At the start of the month I took measurements of all the areas I would be working on and yesterday I took the same measurements to see the difference and the results can be seen below:
Some good results around the middle of my body which is great as it is one of the biggest areas I want to reduce. I am a little disappointed on the difference on my arms however because above all I want to get them smaller and more toned! But maybe next month it will be the other way round!
I also got my body fat measured on 21st January which was interesting to see although not good, it will be good to start seeing changes.
Body Fat: 152.6 / 28%
these stats put me in the poor bracket so it needs to come down considerably
I exercised 21 days out of 28 which is bloody brilliant, I am so proud of myself. I did something different each time, whether it was a different circuit, changing my programme around or running differently and I can't wait to continue.
What a month! And let's get started with February!!!!
Start Weight - 81 kg
End Weight - 76.5 kg
Loss - 4.5 kgs
I can't believe how fast the first month has gone and how focused I am. The mental prep over Christmas has really paid off so I hope the mental resolve continues at the same rate.
At the start of the month I took measurements of all the areas I would be working on and yesterday I took the same measurements to see the difference and the results can be seen below:
Some good results around the middle of my body which is great as it is one of the biggest areas I want to reduce. I am a little disappointed on the difference on my arms however because above all I want to get them smaller and more toned! But maybe next month it will be the other way round!
I also got my body fat measured on 21st January which was interesting to see although not good, it will be good to start seeing changes.
Body Fat: 152.6 / 28%
these stats put me in the poor bracket so it needs to come down considerably
I exercised 21 days out of 28 which is bloody brilliant, I am so proud of myself. I did something different each time, whether it was a different circuit, changing my programme around or running differently and I can't wait to continue.
What a month! And let's get started with February!!!!
Week Four Review
Week 4 - 25/1/14 - 31/1/14
Start Weight - 77.5 kg
End Weight - 76.5 kg
Loss - 1 kg
Thoughts on the week
It has been another good week on the weight loss front,although I did miss the 5 kg mark by 0.5 kgs I am very pleased because I have achieved a loss again this week. No chocolate for 4 full weeks! I did have a wholemeal bread bun when i was at my parents but I haven't had any other bread since and I have been to the Indian which serves what must be one of my favourite bread items, Nann bread! So I am very happy I didn't cave in.
I exercises 5 days on the trot which was good, went quickly and each session was different which is keeping me on my toes and I'm not getting bored.
I also booked into get a new programme with Lydia as I am finding the current one is getting a little easy so I will start upping the reps and weight but needed something new to start the next month off with.
I'm ready for next week and it's gonna be another good one! Hopefully!
Start Weight - 77.5 kg
End Weight - 76.5 kg
Loss - 1 kg
Thoughts on the week
It has been another good week on the weight loss front,although I did miss the 5 kg mark by 0.5 kgs I am very pleased because I have achieved a loss again this week. No chocolate for 4 full weeks! I did have a wholemeal bread bun when i was at my parents but I haven't had any other bread since and I have been to the Indian which serves what must be one of my favourite bread items, Nann bread! So I am very happy I didn't cave in.
I exercises 5 days on the trot which was good, went quickly and each session was different which is keeping me on my toes and I'm not getting bored.
I also booked into get a new programme with Lydia as I am finding the current one is getting a little easy so I will start upping the reps and weight but needed something new to start the next month off with.
I'm ready for next week and it's gonna be another good one! Hopefully!
Sunday 26 January 2014
Week Three Review
Week 3 - 18/1/14 - 24/1/14
Start Weight - 78.7 kg
End Weight - 77.5 kg
Loss- 1.2 kg
Thoughts on the Week
Wow!!! Another bloody great week on the weight loss front! I was feeling good Wednesday and Thursday so I am really pleased it paid off!
Rested a bit more this week as you can see, I only worked out 4 days out of 7 but worked myself really hard when I did work out to make sure I kept up the hard work of the past couple of weeks and I knew I was going home at the weekend.
I feel I am really getting into the swing of things as well and feeling brilliant! People have commented on the change, they can see the difference in my face which is great to hear! Let's hope I can keep it up and get a lot more compliments, I am getting better at accepting them.
My parents have been a great help this weekend by being very prepared to help me continue my diet but with a few home comforts. A wonderful soup on Friday, a pasta dish on Saturday and a Sunday lunch out but all within my calories!
I had my treat today (Sunday) which was Lemon Meringue Pie after the amazing Sunday lunch.
Thoughts for the week ahead....
next week it will be a month since I started and I am aiming for a total of 5 kgs or 10 lbs lost so I am going to focus a bit more on cardio to burn as may calories as I can but still need to keep up the good work with weights. Let's see how it manifests itself, I'm just going to go with the flow.
Start Weight - 78.7 kg
End Weight - 77.5 kg
Loss- 1.2 kg
Thoughts on the Week
Wow!!! Another bloody great week on the weight loss front! I was feeling good Wednesday and Thursday so I am really pleased it paid off!
Rested a bit more this week as you can see, I only worked out 4 days out of 7 but worked myself really hard when I did work out to make sure I kept up the hard work of the past couple of weeks and I knew I was going home at the weekend.
I feel I am really getting into the swing of things as well and feeling brilliant! People have commented on the change, they can see the difference in my face which is great to hear! Let's hope I can keep it up and get a lot more compliments, I am getting better at accepting them.
My parents have been a great help this weekend by being very prepared to help me continue my diet but with a few home comforts. A wonderful soup on Friday, a pasta dish on Saturday and a Sunday lunch out but all within my calories!
I had my treat today (Sunday) which was Lemon Meringue Pie after the amazing Sunday lunch.
Thoughts for the week ahead....
next week it will be a month since I started and I am aiming for a total of 5 kgs or 10 lbs lost so I am going to focus a bit more on cardio to burn as may calories as I can but still need to keep up the good work with weights. Let's see how it manifests itself, I'm just going to go with the flow.
Wednesday 22 January 2014
Tweety's Day - Wednesday
Wednesday is my favourite day of the week so I thought I would share what I do with a typical day.....
So I get out of bed at 6:50am, hop (sometimes literally) straight in the bathroom, go to the toilet, I have a shower and get dressed. (I do dry off before donning clothes otherwise as it would be a bit odd)
Next the kettle is on, I am a big tea lover! I like it strong with very little milk. Whilst the kettle is boiling and the tea brewing I get my porridge ready. Two minutes later and my breakfast is ready.
I find porridge is a great way to start the day, it keeps me full a lot longer and I don't snack as much! But you do need to make sure you have plain oats with semi skimmed or skimmed milk and not the sachets because they are just filled with sugar!!!
I watch the news, eat my porridge and savour my first cuppa of the day before cleaning my teeth and putting my make-up on and getting lunch together.
With lunch taken care of I get back to work, looking at more web pages, tackling last minutes changes and all sorts of fun and games.
And after all that I am in my lounge pants watching random telly and enjoying a green tea with lemon.
I have switched to Green Tea with Lemon in the evening as I sleep a lot better and I definitely need it at the moment as I am doing so much but it is all doing me good!
I think it's about time I went to bed! Have a great rest of the week and I will review week 3 at the weekend, I'm hoping for another great week on the weight loss front!
So I get out of bed at 6:50am, hop (sometimes literally) straight in the bathroom, go to the toilet, I have a shower and get dressed. (I do dry off before donning clothes otherwise as it would be a bit odd)
Next the kettle is on, I am a big tea lover! I like it strong with very little milk. Whilst the kettle is boiling and the tea brewing I get my porridge ready. Two minutes later and my breakfast is ready.
I find porridge is a great way to start the day, it keeps me full a lot longer and I don't snack as much! But you do need to make sure you have plain oats with semi skimmed or skimmed milk and not the sachets because they are just filled with sugar!!!
I watch the news, eat my porridge and savour my first cuppa of the day before cleaning my teeth and putting my make-up on and getting lunch together.
For Lunch I try to be most prepared as possible and make sure it is something I am going to enjoy because this means I will definitely eat and be satisfied for longer afterwards. It also prevents me from buying naughty things from Tesco which is only a short walk away.
With my lunch ready and in my rucksack, I get my coat on and leave the house at 8:10am.
I am currently walking to work. It is a great start to the day and it saves on petrol which isn't cheap!
I arrive at work approximately 15 minutes later, after a speedy walk I am ready for a glass of water and another cuppa so by 8:35am ish I am ready to get working.
I work in an office and sit at my computer all day, looking at spreadsheets and our website mostly but occasionally I go to some meetings which is always fun!
Mid-morning I had a Special K cereal bar which is 89 calories with a cup of tea.
Mid-morning I have a small snack which I try to keep around 100 calories which is a cereal bar, or seeds or a piece of fruit.
I try to have lunch between 12:30pm and 1pm so I am actually hungry!
And here is my lunch for today:
A salmon potion, cous cous, mixed salad leaves and cucumber with a bit of chilli mayo.
With lunch taken care of I get back to work, looking at more web pages, tackling last minutes changes and all sorts of fun and games.
By 5pm I am ready for home, I finish what I am doing which I find is a best way to keep track of where I am up to and I love ticking things off my to-do list! I get my stuff together and headphones in ready for the walk home.
Not only is it good for my health, walking home allows me to get stop thinking about my work day so if it's been bad I can get rid of it and move on to what I have planned for the evening or what I want to do at the gym.
If I am going to the gym I go straight after work so I don't get comfy in my chair, so I get changed into suitable gear including put my heart rate monitor and grab my water bottle. I live 2 minutes from The Training Shed so I walk along the road and get started.
Tonight my workout was as follows:
1.
Clean & Press with 20kg bar x 10
+
Basketball Jumps x 20
2.
Chest Flies with 7kg weight x 10
+
Ski Jumps x 40
3.
Chest Press with 20kg x 10
+
Squat Jumps x 10
4.
Oblique Flies with 5kg ball x 30
+
Skipping without a rope x 75
Each section repeated three times.
I worked out for 55 minutes and burnt 506 calories!
The best part of a litre of water later I'm home again and ready for food.
Tonight I am had:
Half of Spinach and Ricotta Connelloni with mixed salad leaves, cucumber, yellow pepper and grated carrots with a bit of lighter than light mayo.
Doesn't it look good? And there is enough for tomorrow's lunch as well! Winner!!!
And after all that I am in my lounge pants watching random telly and enjoying a green tea with lemon.
I have switched to Green Tea with Lemon in the evening as I sleep a lot better and I definitely need it at the moment as I am doing so much but it is all doing me good!
I think it's about time I went to bed! Have a great rest of the week and I will review week 3 at the weekend, I'm hoping for another great week on the weight loss front!
Sunday 19 January 2014
Week Two Review
Week 2 - 11/1/14 - 17/1/14
Start Weight - 79.5kg
End Weight - 78.7kg
Loss - 0.8kg
Start Weight - 79.5kg
End Weight - 78.7kg
Loss - 0.8kg
Thoughts on the week
This week has been a tough one! Work has been extremely busy and very frustrating which would normally lead to me eating a lot more and bad foods. But such is my resolve that I found other things to keep me from thinking of bad foods and just eating in general (meaning I got quite a bit done). Normally when I'm busy I go for the quick and easy foods, such as shop bought sandwiches, crisps but I have done very well to be prepared and had healthy lunches I want to eat so I didn't slip up which I am very pleased about.
I did exercise 6 days out of 7 again however Wednesday was a very light session. I am very aware I can not keep this up and I don't plan to but I have been enjoying working out so I will keep going. I don't want to lose that so will be very careful to keep eye on how I am feeling and what my body is telling me so I don't over do it.
I have also decided to do a couple of events, one in May and one in July. The one in May will be a run and the other one will be an obstacle race. They are both going to be tough but they are also giving me good focus to keep going so I can do the very best I can.
And although it has been a very tough week I lost just under a kg which it bloody brilliant!
Sunday 12 January 2014
Tweety's Eating Plan
Okay so a big part of getting to my weight loss goal is the food I eat!
I am a real foodie and I love all the things I shouldn't as well as things I should. A lot of chocolate, bread, pasta and coated peanuts were a big part of the food I would eat every week. And they were too big a part of it for too long and I was becoming a person I didn't like, mostly when I looked in the mirror but also my clothes were starting to get too small and then I had to move up a dress size. Don't get me wrong this didn't happen overnight, it was over a couple of years.
I think it started when I went through a tough break up which took a long time to get over, I then I started a job which meant I was on the road 4 days a week away from home and eating in restaurants and shop bough lunches. I didn't check myself, I just let myself eat what I wanted and didn't do any exercise.
And finally last year I lost a someone who meant a great deal to me, he was an inspiration and a great believer in me and all those around him. Initially I took to running a great deal to keep my mind focused but it didn't last and when I stopped the extra food I was eating to fuel the running became a comfort and it started adding up.
So I decided that in the New Year I would make a change and it would be a big change! I would loss all the weight I had gained and get back to a body shape I was happy with and as a result hopefully I would be a lot fitter. Over Christmas I prepared myself mentally and I made sure I ate all the things I really enjoyed which were really bad for me so when the New Year came I would be able to cut them out and make a fresh start.
I started on Friday 3rd January because my birthday is the 2nd and I was back at work on the Friday so it seemed like a good place to start.
In the past I have found it very hard to stick to diets and rigorous eating plans where you can only eat certain things and you cut out loads of foods. I have learnt a few things from trying them though, some of which I am putting into practice at the moment.
So first and foremost I am not on a diet, I am healthy eating! And that is all it is! No fancy plans or strict eating regimes to stick to, just HEALTHY EATING!!!
I am going back to basics and only eating a certain number of calories (no more than I need and for a start less) and exercising at least 5 times a week. This does mean counting everything I eat and adding up the calories but I beat most of you reading this have a smart phone so you can easily get an app to help you. I am using My Fitness Pal which is free and it a great tool. I am getting very into it, you can scan the packets of everything (mostly) and get the calorie count and it saves it so it's there for next time, so don't start thinking its a real hassle to count calories as it's just not any more.
I have cut out some foods both for the high number of calories in them and for health reasons.
So out are:
- Bread - all forms, sliced bread, bagels, muffins, wraps, buns and any other type of bread you can think of.
- Chocolate - again all forms, chocolate bars, desserts, yoghurts (this is an except to this one which is protein shakes of a chocolate flavour, they are fixed calories and are hardly really chocolate and don't taste and thing like it)
- Potatoes and white pasta - (only eating sweet potatoes and a bit of wholemeal pasta)
I gave up bread for lent one year and saw a great difference in my weight and body shape.
Also I have polycystic ovaries syndrome(PCOS) so ideally I should eat a low G.I.diet. (I will go into more detail about this another time)
So this is where I am starting and as you will see in the Week One Review it has worked so far and I didn't find it hard to stick to or feel hungry or feel cheated out of anything. (okay well by Thursday I did want some chocolate but I didn't give in and it was Day 7 which I always find hard) This is going to take time, I am under no illusion that is going to happen overnight ( I didn't get to where I am overnight) and I know it is going to take hard work and a lot of it but I can't wait to see the final results!!
I am a real foodie and I love all the things I shouldn't as well as things I should. A lot of chocolate, bread, pasta and coated peanuts were a big part of the food I would eat every week. And they were too big a part of it for too long and I was becoming a person I didn't like, mostly when I looked in the mirror but also my clothes were starting to get too small and then I had to move up a dress size. Don't get me wrong this didn't happen overnight, it was over a couple of years.
I think it started when I went through a tough break up which took a long time to get over, I then I started a job which meant I was on the road 4 days a week away from home and eating in restaurants and shop bough lunches. I didn't check myself, I just let myself eat what I wanted and didn't do any exercise.
And finally last year I lost a someone who meant a great deal to me, he was an inspiration and a great believer in me and all those around him. Initially I took to running a great deal to keep my mind focused but it didn't last and when I stopped the extra food I was eating to fuel the running became a comfort and it started adding up.
So I decided that in the New Year I would make a change and it would be a big change! I would loss all the weight I had gained and get back to a body shape I was happy with and as a result hopefully I would be a lot fitter. Over Christmas I prepared myself mentally and I made sure I ate all the things I really enjoyed which were really bad for me so when the New Year came I would be able to cut them out and make a fresh start.
I started on Friday 3rd January because my birthday is the 2nd and I was back at work on the Friday so it seemed like a good place to start.
In the past I have found it very hard to stick to diets and rigorous eating plans where you can only eat certain things and you cut out loads of foods. I have learnt a few things from trying them though, some of which I am putting into practice at the moment.
So first and foremost I am not on a diet, I am healthy eating! And that is all it is! No fancy plans or strict eating regimes to stick to, just HEALTHY EATING!!!
I am going back to basics and only eating a certain number of calories (no more than I need and for a start less) and exercising at least 5 times a week. This does mean counting everything I eat and adding up the calories but I beat most of you reading this have a smart phone so you can easily get an app to help you. I am using My Fitness Pal which is free and it a great tool. I am getting very into it, you can scan the packets of everything (mostly) and get the calorie count and it saves it so it's there for next time, so don't start thinking its a real hassle to count calories as it's just not any more.
I have cut out some foods both for the high number of calories in them and for health reasons.
So out are:
- Bread - all forms, sliced bread, bagels, muffins, wraps, buns and any other type of bread you can think of.
- Chocolate - again all forms, chocolate bars, desserts, yoghurts (this is an except to this one which is protein shakes of a chocolate flavour, they are fixed calories and are hardly really chocolate and don't taste and thing like it)
- Potatoes and white pasta - (only eating sweet potatoes and a bit of wholemeal pasta)
I gave up bread for lent one year and saw a great difference in my weight and body shape.
Also I have polycystic ovaries syndrome(PCOS) so ideally I should eat a low G.I.diet. (I will go into more detail about this another time)
So this is where I am starting and as you will see in the Week One Review it has worked so far and I didn't find it hard to stick to or feel hungry or feel cheated out of anything. (okay well by Thursday I did want some chocolate but I didn't give in and it was Day 7 which I always find hard) This is going to take time, I am under no illusion that is going to happen overnight ( I didn't get to where I am overnight) and I know it is going to take hard work and a lot of it but I can't wait to see the final results!!
Saturday 11 January 2014
Tweety's Circuit 2
Wednesday 8th January
Workout Time: 6:00pm for 55 minutes
Workout Type: Tabata Circuit
Timings: 30 secs on/ 20 secs off x 4
Exercises:
1. Basketball Jumps
2. Oblique Twists
3. Squats with Kettle Bell (12kg)
4. Mountain Climbers
5. Bicep Curls (7kg)
6. Lunges
7. Burpies
8. Dead Lifts
Stretches
Thoughts:
Well it was a tough circuit again! Four rounds was very hard going but I didn't give up, I did slow down a bit but I kept going. I am feeling a lot better the day following a workout, my muscles are getting used to things already which is a lot quicker than I was expecting so I will have to increase things and get harder on myself next week. More pushing through the burn!! It is so hard but I know it will give me the results I am looking for!
Workout Time: 6:00pm for 55 minutes
Workout Type: Tabata Circuit
Timings: 30 secs on/ 20 secs off x 4
Exercises:
1. Basketball Jumps
2. Oblique Twists
3. Squats with Kettle Bell (12kg)
4. Mountain Climbers
5. Bicep Curls (7kg)
6. Lunges
7. Burpies
8. Dead Lifts
Stretches
Thoughts:
Well it was a tough circuit again! Four rounds was very hard going but I didn't give up, I did slow down a bit but I kept going. I am feeling a lot better the day following a workout, my muscles are getting used to things already which is a lot quicker than I was expecting so I will have to increase things and get harder on myself next week. More pushing through the burn!! It is so hard but I know it will give me the results I am looking for!
Week One Review
Week 1 - 4/1/14 to 10/1/14
Start Weight - 81kg
End Weight - 79.5kg
Loss - 1.5kg
Calorie Intake and Exercise
Saturday 4th - Food: 1382 kcal / Exercise: 300 kcal (Tweety's Circuit 1)
Sunday 5th - Food: 1395 kcal / Exercise: 200 kcal (swimming)
Monday 6th - Food: 1460 kcal / Exercise: 300 kcal (quick circuit)
Tuesday 7th - Food: 1006 kcal / Exercise: 0
Wednesday 8th - Food: 1172 kcal / Exercise: 532 kcal (Tweety's Circuit 2)
Thursday 9th - Food: 1477 kcal / Exercise: 735 kcal (Work Circuits Class by Lydia)
Friday 10th - Food: 1799 kcal / Exercise: 668kcal (Weights session)
Thoughts in the week:
I am extremely pleased with the first week to be honest. I am targeting 0.5kg a week so had an amazing week by losing 1.5kg! 8 days without chocolate, bread and alcohol and a very good diet overall. I exercised 6 days out of the 7, which I know won't always be possible because I was quite tired by Friday but I will be giving it a good go!
Friday Nights are my treat nights so this was the only day I went over my calorie target of 1400 kcal but a considerable amount. I really earned my treat this week and I had a Lemon Meringue Pie which tasted extremely good!
The exercise I did was mostly in a circuit format however it was different exercises each time and a weights programme created by Lydia at The Training Shed. I also walked to work 4 our of 5 days, at good pace so I raise my heart rate.
My heart rate monitor has sparked a great excitement in me to see what I burn during workout sessions. I also wore the monitor for a whole day on Friday to see what my resting heart rate currently is and how many calories are burnt. Which was quite interesting and I will add as a separate post.
Below are a set of photos which show my body from all sides so in a few weeks hopefully there will be a clear change for the better! And next week I'll be adding my body fat into the mix once it has been done at The Shed.
Photos, all round view:
Start Weight - 81kg
End Weight - 79.5kg
Loss - 1.5kg
Calorie Intake and Exercise
Saturday 4th - Food: 1382 kcal / Exercise: 300 kcal (Tweety's Circuit 1)
Sunday 5th - Food: 1395 kcal / Exercise: 200 kcal (swimming)
Monday 6th - Food: 1460 kcal / Exercise: 300 kcal (quick circuit)
Tuesday 7th - Food: 1006 kcal / Exercise: 0
Wednesday 8th - Food: 1172 kcal / Exercise: 532 kcal (Tweety's Circuit 2)
Thursday 9th - Food: 1477 kcal / Exercise: 735 kcal (Work Circuits Class by Lydia)
Friday 10th - Food: 1799 kcal / Exercise: 668kcal (Weights session)
Thoughts in the week:
I am extremely pleased with the first week to be honest. I am targeting 0.5kg a week so had an amazing week by losing 1.5kg! 8 days without chocolate, bread and alcohol and a very good diet overall. I exercised 6 days out of the 7, which I know won't always be possible because I was quite tired by Friday but I will be giving it a good go!
Friday Nights are my treat nights so this was the only day I went over my calorie target of 1400 kcal but a considerable amount. I really earned my treat this week and I had a Lemon Meringue Pie which tasted extremely good!
The exercise I did was mostly in a circuit format however it was different exercises each time and a weights programme created by Lydia at The Training Shed. I also walked to work 4 our of 5 days, at good pace so I raise my heart rate.
My heart rate monitor has sparked a great excitement in me to see what I burn during workout sessions. I also wore the monitor for a whole day on Friday to see what my resting heart rate currently is and how many calories are burnt. Which was quite interesting and I will add as a separate post.
Below are a set of photos which show my body from all sides so in a few weeks hopefully there will be a clear change for the better! And next week I'll be adding my body fat into the mix once it has been done at The Shed.
Photos, all round view:
Thursday 9 January 2014
Tweety's New Heart Rate Monitor
Well... I thought if I was going to be serious about this then I need the right equipment which not only includes trainers, clothing and a sports bra but something to track the improvement in my fitness and accurately count the calories I'm burning during workouts.
So I set out in my quest to find a heart rate monitor which fitted what I was looking for. I did some research online into what are the features any decent heart rate monitor should have, look at various brands and the prices (as you might guess they're not cheap) to see what I could get for my money and where to buy from. I also talked to a few people who I know use them and asked what they'd recommend.
I was looking for 4 things:
- a product priced between £50-£70
- a nice looking watch as I wanted to wear it day to day as well
- easy to set up and use (anything too complicated and I wouldn't use it)
- a strap and watch combination (you can get some which are just a watch unit)
Kate and Emma at work are both very into their fitness, Kate is marathon training and Emma is training for a least two events whether it be triathlons or some crazy obstacle event. They both said straight off get a Garmin Forerunner 110 https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/sports/running/forerunner-110/prod63511.html which as you can see if a nice looking watch, has a good display and has GPS all ready to go.
Now if I was a runner I think I would have jumped at this, the spec is good, it looks easy to set up and use and you get a lot of features online however I'm not! In fact I rather dislike it as I'm not very good at it! Also it was is out of the price range I was looking to spend even when I was looking on Amazon, my fail save for all purchases.
Just before Christmas I did a session with Lydia at The Training Shed and she lent me her heart rate monitor to see how many calories I burnt and what my heart rate looked like during what I have to say was a very tough session. Her heart rate monitor is a Polar FT2 I believe which is very simple to use and when I spoke again to her about what to get, it is the brand they, at The Training Shed are partnered with and would recommend. So I started to look at these specifically, on their website and where I could purchase them from.
Finally I got it down to two different Polar Monitors:
- FT4 http://www.polar.com/uk-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT4
and
-FT7http://www.polar.com/uk-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT7
And drum roll.........
I decided on the Polar FT4! For a number of reasons, I didn't want anything over complicated, I only wanted to spend so much which this fitted into nicely, I wanted a good brand and something good looking. I did buy from amazon as I was given a voucher for my birthday along with some other money.
It arrived yesterday! I was so excited! I had it open in minutes, reading the instructions, getting it set up and ff to the gym I went to test it out. And so far I love it!
It's so easy to use, set up took about 5 minutes in total and I took great pleasure in tracking my progress last night ( I burnt 532 calories) and that of the whole work circuits class tonight who all found it very interesting that it tracking me burning 530 calories in 55 minutes. I'm pretty sure its going to be a weekly feature! Next time we are aiming for 600.
Anyway I hope this is helpful but please remember there are loads of brands out there and you need to find the right one for you.
So I set out in my quest to find a heart rate monitor which fitted what I was looking for. I did some research online into what are the features any decent heart rate monitor should have, look at various brands and the prices (as you might guess they're not cheap) to see what I could get for my money and where to buy from. I also talked to a few people who I know use them and asked what they'd recommend.
I was looking for 4 things:
- a product priced between £50-£70
- a nice looking watch as I wanted to wear it day to day as well
- easy to set up and use (anything too complicated and I wouldn't use it)
- a strap and watch combination (you can get some which are just a watch unit)
Kate and Emma at work are both very into their fitness, Kate is marathon training and Emma is training for a least two events whether it be triathlons or some crazy obstacle event. They both said straight off get a Garmin Forerunner 110 https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/sports/running/forerunner-110/prod63511.html which as you can see if a nice looking watch, has a good display and has GPS all ready to go.
Now if I was a runner I think I would have jumped at this, the spec is good, it looks easy to set up and use and you get a lot of features online however I'm not! In fact I rather dislike it as I'm not very good at it! Also it was is out of the price range I was looking to spend even when I was looking on Amazon, my fail save for all purchases.
Just before Christmas I did a session with Lydia at The Training Shed and she lent me her heart rate monitor to see how many calories I burnt and what my heart rate looked like during what I have to say was a very tough session. Her heart rate monitor is a Polar FT2 I believe which is very simple to use and when I spoke again to her about what to get, it is the brand they, at The Training Shed are partnered with and would recommend. So I started to look at these specifically, on their website and where I could purchase them from.
Finally I got it down to two different Polar Monitors:
- FT4 http://www.polar.com/uk-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT4
and
-FT7http://www.polar.com/uk-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT7
And drum roll.........
I decided on the Polar FT4! For a number of reasons, I didn't want anything over complicated, I only wanted to spend so much which this fitted into nicely, I wanted a good brand and something good looking. I did buy from amazon as I was given a voucher for my birthday along with some other money.
It arrived yesterday! I was so excited! I had it open in minutes, reading the instructions, getting it set up and ff to the gym I went to test it out. And so far I love it!
It's so easy to use, set up took about 5 minutes in total and I took great pleasure in tracking my progress last night ( I burnt 532 calories) and that of the whole work circuits class tonight who all found it very interesting that it tracking me burning 530 calories in 55 minutes. I'm pretty sure its going to be a weekly feature! Next time we are aiming for 600.
Anyway I hope this is helpful but please remember there are loads of brands out there and you need to find the right one for you.
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