Going well

So far this is looking to be a good week for me. I have managed to do 2 levels of 30 day shred back to back. I attempted a (very) little bit of running. I am eating well. I have had a night out with my husband. More smaller clothes are fitting. My brothers first baby has arrived. All in all I am feeling really good.

So doing level 2 and then level 1 of 30DS. Now that went well. I was really surprised at how well in fact. It felt easier than back on that first day that I did level 1. After that I could barely move. After 2+1 I was sweating like a pig but I didn't have too much trouble with anything.

Food - I have been using myfitnesspal to log my food and exercise. So far that is working really well for me.I have found it a great motivator for exercise because to see the calories I have burnt doing it works well for me. On the food side of things it does make me really accountable and makes me think about what I am eating.

A night out with my husband is always a good thing. It was looking a bit shaky there for a moment when on the day we discovered that the person who said they would baby sit had forgotten they were meant to be doing it. Luckily a friend was able to step in at the last minute so we still got to go.

I have pulled another pair of jeans out of the cupboard today which 5 weeks ago I could just about do up if I did the laying down, breathing in, rolling around thing. Today they fit really nicely.

New baby - Well that is always guaranteed to put a smile on my face but when it is my brothers first baby. Well let's just say that I couldn't be any more excited if it was my own baby. I can't wait to meet him. We don't live close by so I am waiting patiently for the OK to go and visit while they settle in to their new life.

Tonight I will be going swimming. Proper swimming for the first time in a while. I started going last year on a twice weekly basis and it was going really well. I got up to being able to do 1000 metres and then got lazy and stopped going. It is going to be the first day I haven't done 30DS since starting it.

And on top of all that it is a lovely sunny day here. I hope the sun is shining on you. Have a lovely day.

Weigh in

I wasn't expecting to do too well this week. If you read some of my posts you know that I was finding it tough going. But I have done better than I expected and while the loss on the scales isn't as much as it could be it's better than I expected and I am pleased with the loss on the tape measure.


Weight - 11st 13 1/2lbs - A loss of 1 1/2lbs since last week making 9lbs loss total.

Body fat - 37% - 1% down on last week/3% lost in total.

Another 3/4in lost over waist and hips (none lost from chest again this week) making 5 1/2in lost in total.

 

I am very happy with the weight loss. I really wanted to get below 12stone but wasn't expecting to. Until now I have had every other week being a low loss of 1/2lb so to have lost 1 1/2lbs this week and waved goodbye to 12 stone is great. The body fat loss is great for me too. I can't remember being less than 37% body fat on my scales at all so the next loss on that is going to be a pretty big thing for me (note that is a WHEN not and IF). The inches loss is also something I am pleased with. One thing I don't mind not losing on is my chest. I like my boobs thank you very much. :oD

Goodbye 12 stone anything. I shan't miss you.

NSV's left, right and centre

1) - 30 day shred. If you pop over here often then you might notice that I have moved my 30 day shred counter. There is a very good reason for that. I have done it every day for 30 days. This is huge for me. I have never exercised regularly. Even at secondary school I would find excuses to miss PE when I could. I am chuffed to bits with myself. In the gap it's left I am going to put my weekly plan for exercise and carry on updating it once I have done each day. Of course having completed 30 day shred I fully expect to wake up in the morning with the abs Jillian promises. If not I shall be seeking recompense. ;oD

2) - More energy - Bucket loads of the stuff. I was running with my DS today. He is 4 and I may have mentioned before that he never walks when he could run. I ran up a steep-ish path with him today. Twice.

3) - Trousers - I am sitting here wearing a pair of UK 14 jeans. They do up, they are comfy and did I mention they are a 14? 5 weeks ago even my loosest UK 16's were 'snug'. The 14's I have on are that weird stretchy denim so not truly jeans but they are still 14s and they are even a bit loose which brings me to #5.

4) - Belts - As the trousers are a bit loose I dug out a belt I bought a couple of months ago. When I bought it the first notch on it was just about manageable. Today it is on the 3rd notch (each notch is an inch apart from the next one). No breathing in, it is bona fide 3rd notch in.

5) - Bras - A bra that I had given up on 2 months ago because it left red marks around me and was uncomfortably tight fitted me perfectly yesterday. I am a sucker for nice bras and can't wait for the next time I need to get some new ones. I have warned DH that I will be needing some soon. Most of the rest are fitting on the tightest hooks so won't be long now.

That will do. I am a happy bunny right now.

I'm still here

Thank you for the lovely words after my moment yesterday. I have picked my toys up and put them back in my pram. I love the fact that those who commented seemed to get that I don't respond well to bossiness and need a bit of gentle steering. I am obstinate. Extremely. In fact I will always be proud of the fact that the head of year said exactly that in my school report in my first year at secondary school. I took that as a compliment. :o} When it came to exam time my home economics teacher told me that I might as well accept that I wasn't going to get any higher than an E grade in my exam. Red rag to a bull. I got a C. Not great but I proved her wrong. It only took me 12 years to realise she knew that was exactly what would happen!

Anyway. I didn't give up, I didn't binge and I stuck within my own plans. I made a start on my 7th blanket square and watched a programme on online tv.

I am back on full power today and have just shredded. If anyone had told me 3 weeks ago that I would be a) doing it everyday, b)doing level 3 within the 30 days and c) enjoying it I would have laughed at them. But I have done all of those things. I set myself a goal of doing it for 30 days in a row. Two days left to go and I will have. I need to make a plan for Monday onwards. So here it is;

Monday - Shred - Go back to level 2 and if I feel like I can do more then follow it up with level 1
Tuesday - Shred - level 1 in the morning. In the afternoon when taking DD to her swimming lesson wear workout clothes and run for as much of the journey as I can while DD and DS cycle.
Wednesday - Go swimming in the evening.
Thursday -Day off - if I feel like I can in the evening then do shred - level 1
Friday - Shred level 3
Saturday - Shred level 2 (+ level 1 if I can)
Sunday - Shred level 1 (+level 2 if I can).

This is a one week only plan because our weeks vary a bit and I want to see how it goes to begin with. It is heavily in favour of shredding because at the moment I feel comfortable with that.

Oh - and I almost forgot. I have added my name to my blog. So hi from Michelle. There will still be lessofme but I figure I am earning that title and should connect it with my name.

I have to get past this point

I am at the point where I start  to feel like giving up and thinking that I'm not really that bothered. I am leaving my 'safe weight' zone. I know that in reality I do want to do this and I know I need to keep going. But man it's hard. I've not been properly below this weight for, um, ever.

So what if I don't carry on. So what if I just stay at this nice comfortable, wibbly-wobbly, cuddly me. Why is this point so hard? What do I need to do to get past it? I am having to be super strict with myself when it comes to eating because I am feeling very much on the edge of a big, blow out binge. I know that I don't really want that and the downward (or should that be upward) spiral that inevitably follows.

Yes this is an attention seeking post. Yes it is just because I want the reassurance that I can do this. Sorry.

Having a serious word with myself

I did not stick to my 25g Easter chocolate a day yesterday. (I am trying to see typing that as plain and simple honesty. Not to punish myself.) I had far more than 25g. In fact I now have hardly any left. I did share it with my husband (I don't share chocolate!) and it was a lot less than I would have eaten in previous times but still way more than I had planned to.

I know why the sweet munchies got me. I felt like I deserved a reward. My DD has just started new swimming lessons about 1 1/4 miles away. Instead of driving there the children took their bikes and I walked. I had got up and shredded in the morning and then the walk took 45 minutes each way. That's way more exercise in a day than I have done for, um, ever! A lot of that time was spent walking fast to keep up with them. I rewarded myself with what I know best and that was chocolate. I seriously need to get some new rewards! Maybe I'll make myself a star chart. Ha ha :oD No, at the moment I don't know what it's going to be but I can't use food as a reward/comfort/treat etc anymore. That sort of thing is one of the reasons I have got to make this journey in the first place.

One thing I am pleased about, I was thinking on the way back from the swimming that I was quite enjoying the faster pace of walking and that next week I might don my trainers and workout clothes for the journey. You never know I might be tempted to jog some of it. If nothing else it will sure help keep up with my ridiculously fast son on his bicycle. I swear that boy has legs like pistons and has just got a brand new bicycle, no stabilisers (he's only 4). He takes after his Daddy.

What do you do to treat/reward yourself if you used to use food to do it with?

Weigh in

Back again for another weigh in, a day later than usual because we had a busy day yesterday. I did weigh/measure yesterday but didn't have chance to come and update here. It's been quite a good week as far as staying on track goes. Weight is still coming off slowly but as I am not following a specific diet plan that is no suprise. I reached the goal weight I set for this week.

Weight - 12st 1lbs - A loss of 1lb since last week making 7 1/2lbs loss total.

Body fat - 38% - No loss this week.

Another 3/4in lost over waist and hips (none lost from chest this week) making 4 3/4in lost in total.

I am going to aim for 12 stone (168 pounds) this week. I really want to get to a weight that is 11 stone something but I don't want to start focusing on the weight loss too much. I am pleased with the way my body is toning up and inches are dropping. By this time next week I will have completed 30 day shred and to have worked out 30 days in a row is my main goal at the moment. I am deciding what to do when the 30 days is up. I am going to keep 30 day shred workouts in there somewhere but am thinking of bringing in swimming too. We have a really nice new pool near us which is close enough to cycle to.