Wow, another week of the 12 week transformation challenge draws to a close. Soon I will be starting week 6, so nearly half way through the program. Weight loss this week is looking up – a quick revision of my diet has helped. By cutting down about 15-20% on my food intake, I have noticed I am a little more hungry at times! However, I still seem to have the energy needed to work out like there is no tomorrow! I have added 20 min per day cardio to my workouts – so cardio days (Tuesday.Thursday) have gone from 45 minutes to just over an hour. I add 30 minutes cardio to my workouts on Mon/Wed/Fri as well.

More Cardio for me!

My trainer wanted me to jump on the scales today, midway through my one hour session with him (on that note, get personal training if you want to see results, its better than working out alone). So on the scales I leapt, and he couldn’t quite believe the results. Almost 2kg (4.5 pounds!!)) since Monday at 2pm. Wow. Given last week I barely lost a pound (0.5 kg), it looks like my body has stepped up a gear. I so know what it must feel like for contestants on the Biggest Loser when they hit a wall. And when they burst through it and pull out the big results. So looks like weight loss is well on track meaning no yellow line for me! hehe.

I feel really good this week, even if slightly hungry. It is nice walking down the street and not feeling self conscious about my weight. I no longer feel people are looking and me and silently passing judgement. Ah, the paranoia of the over weight. How I miss it…NOT!

Take Care out there, and if you have started a program, stick with it, it gets easier every day.  Eat well, it helps!

I have been on the 12 week transformation challenge now for 31 days.  One month.  Just over 1/3rd of the way toward the finish of this challenge.  It isn’t really going to finish as such, it is more the begnning of a new chapter in my life – the healthy chapter!  There have been ups and downs, although to be honest, way more ups.  Weight Loss is a little slower than I hoped, but 6kgs (13.2 pounds) is not bad going, and if i extrapolate that out over the 21 week period, I will lose 18kg or 40 pounds.  Which isn’t bad at all, although I want more!!

I'm spending more time on the Exercycle

I have decided to stop posting my daily food and exercise regimes, as they have become a little repetitive and whats th epoint writing the same thing every day!  So instead I will write about the experience and the changes happening in my life as a result of getting in shape.

Today I managed a one hour workout, and then a 15 minute run at the gym.  I am feeling smaller now and some of my old clothes are actually TOO BIG!  Woot!  The greatest thing about what I am doing, is that I can do this forever, this is a lifestyle change I am happy with.  True health can’t be found in a quick fix diet or fad weight loss pill.  It comes from regular exercise, and sensible eating.  It isn’t hard.  Sure, it was hard to begin with as I took my rusty overweight body and kick started it into action.  But now, I feel better when I eat right and when I exercise.  I was a bit skeptical about using a personal trainer, but that has worked out quite well.   He is fun, and even said my face is getting more ‘handsome.’  Who could complain about comments like that?

I am not sure why I call it ‘weigh-in’ as the weight is only a small part of the equation. At least, I am telling myself that after a fairly disappointing result this week. Current weight now 251 pounds (114 kg) down only 1.1 pounds (0.5kg). At least it is still weight loss. However, there is a brighter side of the weekly measurements. Although over the four weeks I have only lost 13.2 pounds (6 kg), the better result is my body fat percentage. When I started four weeks ago, it was 35.3% – yes, over 1/3rd of me was jubbly fat! That percentage is now sitting at 18.67%, so I have nearly halved my jubbliness in four weeks. In the last week alone, it went from 20.49% to 18.67%, so it isn’t as if I am sitting around doing nothing – in fact, I worked pretty hard last week. I am pretty rapt with the body fat percentages, although I do want to see faster weight loss, being as impatient as I am.

Weigh ins are never fun!

Over the last four weeks, my stomach has gone from 46.5″ (118cm) to 43.7″ (111cm). So I am getting smaller. And although I am now in week five, I believe I will get to my target by the end of the 12 week transformation challenge. I decided to change my routine a little and make Friday my weigh in day (so no weigh in until next Friday now) and Monday my 60 minute personal training session. I will do my training session this Friday as well as next Monday, so if I don’t see some better weight loss by the end of it, ARGH! I have also decided to cut back on my meals a little, by reducing the size about 10-15%. Although I have been eating to plan, I want to see if this will have an impact.

I have found the last few days pretty tough going.  My motivation had waned, and I was struggling just to get the basics done.  I guess there are going to be good times and bad times!  I am not sure what was causing the decline in motivation – was I bored with the routine?  Was it the disruptions to my routine that caused me to feel like this?  Perhaps it was the change in weather, with Autumn now in full swing, gale force winds and loads of rain.  I do not know the answer, but thankfully, I woke up today feeling much more on top of things.

I went for a walk through Victoria Park this morning.  And later was SPIN class.  I actually enjoy this particular form of exercise torture.  And I must say today I pushed harder than any other SPIN class I have been to.   The instructor, Sean, really went hard.  He had us on level 9 (thats one off maximum resistance, I accidentally dialled 10 anyway) and kept us there for what seemed an eternity.  My legs were burning!  I heard grunting noises and wondered who it was (10 people in the class) before realising it was probably me!  It was an intense workout.  I really thought I was going to have to stop early, but just in the nick of time, he finally gave us the standing climb, which took some pressure off the legs.  We held that for a few minutes as well.  By the end of the class, I was totally spent.  Walking home was an effort, my legs felt rubbery!  If I wanted to know what it felt like to be a Rubber Chicken, today I found out.

So I did not do any crazy acts of self sabotage when the motivation dropped.  I even went to the gym, although it was an effort.  I ate properly (maybe a few too many raisins hehe).  So if that is the downside, then I am going to pull through with flying colours every time.  What was great today – people telling me I had lost loads of weight.  And sure enough, when I looked at an old photo, I was surprised at the fat face staring back!  Change is happening.  7 1/2 more weeks to go for the challenge and for me to hit my goal weight.  Onwards!

Wow, here I am starting week four of the 12 week transformation challenge. Although I was hoping to lose weight faster, the weight loss I have had is considered very good according to my trainer. However, I am going to try eliminating protein shakes from my diet this week, on his advice. I have been fairly rigid in my food intake, but will reduce the portion sizes down a little this week as well.

It is all about portion control

Obviously I need to get the right amount of good calories, so I will not be starving myself, as any weight loss that comes from inadequate food intake is reversed the minute one starts eating normally again. I have not felt hungry that often during the challenge thus far, so maybe my portion sizes have been a little big. Or just maybe, my expectations for weight loss are a little high! Either way, week four, I have made it 22 days now!!! That is longer than any ‘diet’ or exercise regime I tried in the past. Finally, finally, I have found the way back to health!

Food Monday:

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = SKIP
• Lunch = corn + pineapple sandwich (whole grain bread x 2) + orange
• Afternoon Tea = SKIP (got a little busy)
• Dinner = Tuna + boiled frozen vege + brown rice (yay for rice cookers) – lazy man dinner tonight!
• Supper = Raisins (small handful)

I pushed myself very hard from Monday through to Friday last week, including an hour with my personal trainer.  However, Saturday I just walked, and Sunday, I walked even less, only 35 minutes with a jaunt up the stairs.  So not sure if this affects my weekly monday weigh ins but I really need to find a good non-gym cardio workout for Sundays.  If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments!

working out is starting to show results!

The results today were positive, although not as dramatic as they have been.  My body fat percentage, which started out at a crazy 35.3% (I was a flabby fatbird!) is now 20.49%.  Not bad for three weeks.  Weight loss for the week was only 3.3 pounds (1.5kg) bringing my new weight down to 252.4 pounds (114.5kg).  So progress is being made.

I wore a red t-shirt today (not a flattering color on fatbird) and it is not a size or two too big.  When I saw my reflection, I realised I still have a long way to go. For a moment, I experienced the old feeling of “oh no, the goal is too far away!) but then I reminded myself of where I was three weeks ago (heck, it has only been 3 weeks!) and that I felt great and was enjoying life a whole lot more.  The feeling quickly passed and I headed off back to the gym of r a workout where I decided to push a little harder.

So I worked out on the weights for about 50 minutes, with a variety of exercises.  Then I finished it off with 20 minutes on the exercycle.  And I rode hard.  The funny thing is, I am much fitter than I was , and although I am pushing myself harder than I could have even beared three weeks ago, I do not end up as puffed out as I used to.  For example, my heart rate on the bike went from 150 down to 110 in just 3 minutes.  Quick recovery.  But yes, my gym clothes still ended up covered in sweat!  I have to say, I do an awful lot of washing now!!  Thankfully, I am downsizing into some cothes I have not been able to wear for a couple of years.  Beats shopping for more clothes!

I hate that the gym I go to is closed on the weekends.  I know my pass allows me to use any of their other gyms, but I guess I like the one I go to and won’t feel comfortable in another gym…or is that just an excuse?  I don’t think it is an excuse, as I have no issue going to the gym 5 days a week.  Anyway, I enjoy the weekends as I do more walking – today I walked a total of 70 minutes and included a couple of stair climbs in that.  Weekly weigh in is on Monday, so hopefully I can maintain the weight loss, I know I have worked harder this week than any other week previous.

As for my diet – food on Saturday was a bit under what I should have had because I went out on Saturday after I had afternoon tea and came home far too late for dinner, so I skipped dinner *GASP*  Hope that doesn’t upset my metabolism, which seems to be humming along at a great rate of knots!

Saturday’s food:

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = skipped
• Lunch = Tuna + salad – 2 x sandwiches (4 x wholegrain bread)
• Afternoon Tea = Apple
• Dinner = OH DEAR….
• Supper = Protein Shake

As usual, I went for my morning walk around Victoria Park.  Homeless people were there in force, looked like a liquid breakfast for them!  I also finished the walk off with the jaunt up the 7 flights of stairs.  It doesn’t seem to be too much easier on my legs walking up those stairs, but my recovery time is significantly better.  Being week three, my weight loss has not been huge so far, so I am still hauling a fair weight up those stairs.  My legs must be getting so strong!

Today was cardio day, and I had signed up for another ‘intermediate’ SPIN class.  Only my third time but this one was by far the best.  I pushed as hard as I could and sweated in places I never knew I could sweat!  45 minutes flys by when on the bike with the music and lighting.  I recommend SPIN to anyone.  Even my socks were soaked in sweat.  Should be good for the weight loss!

As mentioned in my previous post, I really felt like I hit a wall today (and blasted through it!).  I wonder if it was because I went to bed so late the night (morning!) before – 3am, so I got up late which blew my usual routine/timing out of the water.  So I had breakfast just before 11am.  However, despite that pushing all my meals back a little, I finished the day not too far behind schedule and still managed 5 meals.

Maybe I should get one of these...

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = what morning?
• Lunch = brown rice + stirfry vege + egg x 2
• Afternoon Tea = Apple + banana
• Dinner = Salmon (baked + stirfry + brown rice (yes, left over from lunch!)
• Supper = Protein Shake

I have SPIN class at 1.15pm tomorrow so better eat at normal times so I don’t die on the bike!

I have to admit I felt like I had hit a wall today.  I did my 35 minute walk and stair climb no problem.  I felt fine, and went to the gym as usual, and started my workout, but found it difficult to push myself.  It was like my brain just did not want to do it!  I am glad I have a stubborn streak, as I forced myself through it.  It is hard to describe what hitting the wall felt like.  Maybe this is where self discipline has to assert itself.  However, it will not be a problem, I finally let my persistent personal trainer talk me into weekly sessions (Fridays) with him over and above the half an hour I get with the 12 week transformation challenge.  So that means I spend one hour on Fridays for the remainder of the program, and I am sure I will not be allowed to hit any walls!

As I have been in the gym every week day since I started the program, I have been able to observe Steve in action.  Although his sales attempts could do with some work (maybe I should offer him half price sales coaching), he really knows what he is doing on the gym floor.  I see him pushing people hard, and they keep coming back for more!  But from those I have spoken to, they are happy with his methods and results.  He genuinely seems to care about the people he works with, so what do I have to lose, apart from weight?  So now fatbird will spend an extra hour per week with him and we will see what happens!

Today’s workout

• Squeezeball squats x 14 + press ups x 14 – super set, repeat three times
• Push ups x 10 – wanted to see if I could do more after my super set above
• Sitting Rows x 15 – repeat 3 times
• Lunges x 16 – repeat three times (definately still my most hated exercise)
• Squeezeball Ab crunch x 15 – repeat 3 times
• Lateral Pulldowns (shoulder press) x 15 – repeat 3 times
• Flying Dumbells x 12 – repeat 3 times (this one is hard!)
• CARDIO – 17 minutes on the treadmill at a good pace!

So despite it being hard, I managed to push on through the training and felt damned good at the end.  After a workout, I usually take the lift up to my apartment, but today I must have been daydreaming and found myself on the stairs before I realised it!  So two stair climbs so far today.

So I have made it to day 16 without any slip ups in terms of eating bad food!  I have to say, before I started this challenge, I thought it would be such a struggle to eat the right food.  My previous diet was pretty terrible, and it is safe to say I have a chronic sweet tooth!  However, the journey so far has not been as hard as I thought it would be.  Day four or five I had headaches and felt ill, but since then, my body feels like someone plugged it in and turned on the switch.  I am only now starting to realise that we are what we eat, and my diet directly related to my state of mind, and my state of wellbeing (or lack thereof).  It amazes me how sharper my mind is, and more energetic my body is.  My skin is in the best condition it has been in for years.

Feeling great!

My food today:

• Breakfast = Porridge (yes, whole oats, not that powdery rubbish that is prolific on supermarket shelves)
• Morning Tea = skipped
• Lunch = left over dinner (again!) – Salmon + half corn on cob + kumara + green beans
• Afternoon Tea = 2 x wholegrain bread with canned red salmon + lite cottage cheese + banana
• Dinner = Snapper (baked) + mixed vege (frozens, boiled) + brown rice + baby carrots (mmm)
• Supper = Protein Shake

Wow, day 16 on my weight loss journey already!  Today being Tuesday was a cardio day.  Knowing I need to increase my cardio, I pushed myself hard.  Basically, I did 15 minutes on the cross trainer, 15 minutes on the bike, and 15 minutes on the treadmill.  And I was not taking it easy!  I want to burn fat faster than I have been, or at least faster than I am putting on muscle.  So I pushed myself hard and worked up a real sweat.

I also managed to make the morning walk for 35 minutes followed by the stair climb (7 floors 144+ stairs), and walked 20 minutes to and from the gym.  All in all, I am happy with the cardio workout today.

70% of weight loss is in the diet.  I remind myself of this every day and have stuck like glue to eating the right foods.  After the first week, it has become easy, I have no cravings, and I feel better now than I have in a very long time!  I only drink water (or protein shakes with water).  I thought I would struggle badly, but blogging about it has helped keep me on the straight and narrow.  Only 10 weeks to go until the end of the challenge and I seriously intend to win! Not just because I am competitive, but because I want to live a long, healthy life, and became sick and tired of feeling sluggish and fat!

Food yesterday:

• Breakfast = Porridge
• Morning Tea = Plum
• Lunch = Tuna Steak  + baby carrots + broccoli + brown rice
• Afternoon Tea = Plain unsweetened low fat Yoghurt + blueberries + 1 scoop protein powder
• Dinner = Salmon (baled) + half corn on cob + green beans + kumara
• Supper = protein shake

After my weigh in, I discussed increasing my cardio with my personal trainer to help me lose more body weight quickly.  He recommended that I do more cardio, but not necessarily less working out.  So yesterday, I did a workout and then some treadmill!  Fatbird runs again!

Workout:

• Squeezeball squats x 14 + press ups x 14 (super set) – repeat 3 times
• Sitting Rows x 15 – repeat 3 times (I increased the weight today and felt it!)
• Squeezeball Abs x 20 – repeat 3 times
• Flying Dumbells x 10 – repeat 3 times
• Shoulder Press (Lat pulldowns) x 15 – repeat 3 times
• Treadmill – running for 25 minutes

And of course, lets not forget the 20 minutes of walking to the gym and back!

It is that time of the week again! My weekly weigh in and measurements. I lost 3.3 pounds (1.5kgs) this week. Initially, I was very disappointed with this result. I wanted more! However, weight is not the best measurement and Steve, my trainer assures me that body fat percentage is a far more significant measurement.

Now if only all weigh-ins were like this!

It seems I have been piling on muscle, so will change my workout a little bit and increase the amount of cardio.  Currently, I only do real cardio on Tuesday and Thursday’s.  I will now include cardio on my three workout days.  Although building muscle is great, I am not wanting to body build!  I want to trim down, so by increasing my cardio, I should drop the fat faster.

My measurements today (with starting measurements in brackets):

• Blood Pressure 125/100 (130/100)
• Chest  45″ or 114cm (46.6″ or 118.5cm)
• Stomach  45″ or 114cm  (45.6″ or 116cm)
• Upper Arm  13.7″ or 35cm  (14.3″ or 36.5cm) – getting much more muscle now!
• Thigh  22.6″ or 57.5cm – minimal change, guess walking and stairs + workouts is good for my thighs!

AND THE BEST MEASUREMENT – BODY FAT PERCENTAGE

• Start      35.3%
• Week 1  25.7%
• Week 2  21.7%

Yes, my body fat percentage has dropped 13.6% in just two weeks!  This translates to FAT LOSS of 11 pounds (5kgs)!!!!!  This is why I am increasing my cardio, although muscles are growing and eating fat, I need to burn fat faster than I build muscle, so I actually lose some weight!  All in all, I am getting smaller, and people are starting to notice!  So I am happy with this weeks result and will push hard on cardio for the coming week!

With the gym closed for the weekends, it leaves me a little unsure of what to do, so I walk.  Eventually (soon) I will start running.  Today I walked for 45 minutes in the morning (followed by the stairs) and 35 minutes in the evening (again, stairs!)  Although by the top of the staircase I am puffing like dragon, by the time I am inside, my heart rate has returned to normal.  So my recovery time has definitely improved.    Tomorrow is week two weigh in – I feel nervous about it and am not sure if it will be a number I want to rave about!  However, weight loss is a long term lifestyle change, not a two week quick fix, so I will keep on this journey and see where it leads.  Healthy diet + regular exercise and workouts MUST equal weight loss in the long term!

Food Today:

• Breakfast = Porridge (yes, every morning now!)
• Morning tea = SKIP
• Lunch = Salad + canned salmon (oops forgot the carbs)
• Afternoon Tea = orange + watermelon
• Dinner = Tuna Steaks + mushrooms + brown rice + baby carrots + broccoli + brussel sprouts
• Supper = Protein Shake

I simply cannot eat six meals a day, so have settled on five.

Click on the cookbook below for some great information about how to eat healthy!

No, I have not done as the title suggests and had a rest day.  The reason I mention it is because a friend told me today that I could ‘have a day off my weight loss and have some fun…’  By fun, they meant eat some terrible takeaways!  The thing is, this is not something I can take a day off from, this is is not just a weight loss program.  This is a lifestyle change.  Although people might think it is good to have a day off, the point is, I need to enjoy the journey I am on.   This is a total lifestyle change.  My diet is changing, my nutrition is changing.  I am no longer going to be the fatbird!

No day off for me

Exercise today consisted of walking.  Although there was a terrible storm which could have given me great excuses, I pushed myself out the door.  As my gym is closed on the weekends, I walked and did the stairs twice today, so 70 minutes walking and about 260 stairs.

Food, pretty relaxed today as well:

• Breakfast = porridge
• Lunch = Tuna + lite cottage cheese + wholegrain toast (2) + salad
• Afternoon Tea = Watermelon mmm
• Dinner = Brown rice + salmon + salad
• Supper = protein shake