You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October 2011.
Week 9
Loss this week 3.5lb
Total Loss 25lb
3.5lbs off, and Slimmer Of The Week again – the front cover of my book is almost obliterated by shiny stickers!
I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on where I’m up to with my fitness. I’d like to think that it will show me how far I’ve come!
First of all – Couch to 5K. Well I have made it onto week 2. I consider that quite an achievement, even though it’s taken me a stupid amount of time. There’s a lot of me to move so if it takes a little longer than it’s supposed to, well as long as I get there in the end, that’s the main thing. My walking pace is 5.6km/hr and my jogging pace is 6.5km/hr – not that much difference between them, maybe I need to work on widening that difference a little. The rest of my work out is done using a swiss ball, a kettlebell, dumb bells, a step, and other similar instruments of torture. I am required to “plank” for 60 seconds at a time, swing a damn heavy kettlebell for 60 seconds, step for 60 seconds, chest press on swiss ball for 60 seconds, lunges, squats, press ups, various different ways to lift weights, basically any combination of 5 exercise carried out in rapid succession for 60 seconds each, and a recovery phase at the end of the circuit, followed by repeat to fade….
This way of exercising is awesome. It is hard as hell, but since each one is for only 60 seconds, mentally you can push yourself through it because it is over soon. I love the pace, and I love how I can feel the effectiveness. It’s resistance and cardio all in one, my heart races, I get out of breath, I sweat like I’ve never sweated before and I am awash with endorphins. And what’s really good is that if I buy about 3 pretty cheap pieces of equipment, I can replicate most of it at home on the days I can’t get to the gym. I haven’t, yet. But it’s good to know the option is there!
Week 8 (spot the mistake last week!)
Loss this week 2.5lb
Total Loss 21.5lb
A 2.5lb loss is less than I hoped for following last week’s gain, but still enough to get me a nice shiny sticker award. And even though I am feeling as though I have now fallen behind on my target, just look at the synchronicity between my projected and actual line here…
The truth is, I am bang where I should be, and still optimistic for my 60lbs in 180 days target. (One of the very many things I love about my iPhone is the apps for doing nifty things like this chart. Nothing like a gratifying little graphic to keep me interested!)
My most exciting discovery this week is that sushi is very low in syns, which is fabulous news for me because I love sushi, but also because it’s the kind of thing that’s easy to get for lunch if I am unexpectedly out and about – Tesco do a lovely little tray with 6 sushi rolls on for 1.5 syns. That, with some fruit and a drink is a delicious healthy lunch and no harm done. My life just got much easier.
On the fishy theme, I have also enjoyed chip shop fish with the batter removed this week, served with mushy peas. The secret to success here is to get the batter removed and in the bin instantly – leave no chance of accidental batter eating! It feels like an extravagant treat to get a meal from the chippy, yet there is no harm done at all as long as there is no slip twixt plate and lip! (apologies for the outrageously misquoted idiom!) It is even possible to enjoy a few chips with this meal if you don’t mind using some syns on it.
My plan this week, following an amusing cake conversation on Facebook, is to make some cake using Scan Bran. Wish me luck, I’ll be needing it!
My weight gain on Monday was fairly accurately predicted by my Wii Fit. I don’t tend to put too much faith in what the Wii Fit says my weight is, since it once told me I’d lost over a stone in a couple of days. But that does seem to have been a bit of a random error.
So the good news is the Wii Fit has just told me I have lost 3lbs since Monday. The fact that the gain appeared literally overnight, and has disappeared just as quickly, and the fact that my feet are currently not swollen, massively supports the idea of the gain being fluid retention. Fingers crossed then for more season appropriate weather so they don’t swell again, and a damn good number on the scales next Monday!
Unfortunately I have been unable to carry out my vow to stick with the red days because my daughter is off school sick, so it’s a case of managing with what’s in the house. And the kind of ingredients stocking my cupboards and freezer tend to lend themselves more easily to green days. So it’s back to what I know well for now. I will revisit the meatier options when I’ve had chance to shop. And exercise. I have missed 2 days in the gym and am missing it madly.
And please, won’t somebody make the Disney Channel stop!
Week 6.
Gain this week 1.5lb
Total Loss 19lb
Well. This result doesn’t fill me with overwhelming confidence in the high protein, low carb way of eating!
There’s nothing I can write here that doesn’t come across as me trying to make weak excuses, but I did actually go to the scales knowing I would see a gain because my feet looked swollen. Probably I’m just holding some fluid and next week will see a fabulous result, but coming as it has right at the time I changed over to red days, it has made me feel a bit nervy about my food choices.
So here’s the plan. I’m going to give Red a chance and stick with it this week, but I’m going to keep a rigid food diary. That way I can be 100% certain that I haven’t done anything “wrong”. I know that I had a day or two when I felt confused about what I was meant to have so I will allow for the possibility that I went a bit wrong somewhere.
The main thing is I haven’t come home and hurled myself face first into a vat of curry. In fact I have hurled myself face first into a shiny new Slimming World recipe book and will emerge with some fresh new ideas for this week’s food. And a target of losing 5lbs this week. May as well aim high!
