July 11th: It is all legs, legs, legs

Weight: 10st 12lbs

Mood: A little more cheery

Outlook: Good, and a night out tonight

My weight is not budging - it is frustrating. I am trying to eat really well. I don't eat processed, I only eat fresh - I count most of my calories. I spend 2 hours a day in the gym... so god knows what is going wrong.

From Monday I am going to make further changes - I am going to 

• start taking 'Sculptress' which is billed as good at helping you burn fat
• weigh all food - and measure oil etc
• cut out alcohol

The other measures I am debating

• cutting out diet fizzy drinks - even though I love them
• making sure I eat a high protein breakfast every morning
• cutting out wheat all together - that means more jackets less pasta

But I think tackling the first three will be a start and then see what happens!

Today always was a legs day. My training partner for the day roped in one of the really serious body builders to give us some tips... In fact he worked us to the bone and then we did some more. He likes giving us combos that raise our heart rate and get us burning fat.

I know I now have a work out page but because this is a one off (for now) I thought I would add it here.

10 min warm up on cross trainer - 100kCal, 0.9m

Machine circuit *4 sets
Leg extension 20*50lbs
Leg curl 20*50lbs
Leg push (on chest press) 20*90lbs (I did an extra set of 100lbs)

I set of leg extensions 40lbs 4 fast, 4 holds = 28 in total

First combo *4sets
Deadlift 20lbs knees locked, head up 20kg
Lunge with side shoulder raises 12*3kg

Second combo *4 sets
Squats with fitness ball with side shoulder raises 14*2kg
Squats with front shoulder raises and a weight ball 14*3kg

Bench squats (lifting the bench) - fast
12*20kg
12*25kg
12*30kg
12*35kg

Leg extensions with heavy weights machine
15*40kg
15*50kg
15*60kg
15*70kg

Spin - 10 min, 107 kCal, 3.4miles

Spiderman Plank 30sec*2
Climbing Plank 30 sec*2

I liked this - I will do this one again!

July 10th: An all round kind of day

Weight: 10st 11lbs (back here again)

Mood: Frustrated

Weather: SUNSHINE!!

Busy day yesterday, but I put on a dress for the first time in ages... it felt good even if it was a sad day out.

Today I have woken feeling frustrated. I am having to remind myself why I do this so I feel a bit of a list of purposes coming on.

• The ultimate goal - to lose weight
• To feel good about me
• To get out of the house - unemployed malarkey is quite draining
• To turn heads - feeling very old 
• To increase strength and stay healthy

What have I achieved since I started this journey on 8th April

• Lost 19lbs
• Dropped 2 dress sizes
• Lost inches - I forget how many
• Lifted more weight than I ever thought I could
• Increased my fitness

That list makes me feel slightly brighter but I still, even though the sun is shining feel as if I have a large cloud over my head.

I had a good morning in the gym, helped by my training buddy and one of the lads who had us doing all sorts of stuff we never tried before... That helps - it is great to have a friendly gym where everyone chips in to help each other out and spur each other on. Thanks guys! Though we did stray off the 'arms and chest routine' we were starting with!

Now - time to update my training log... write it all down and make me feel as if I am achieving something - I think that is the problem!

July 8th: Weekend over and damage contained!

Weight: 10st 13lbs

Weekend: OK but a bit lonely at times

Weather: Glorious

'Ooops, I did it again' I was so good all week and then blew it over the weekend. My weight was consistently 10st 11lbs last week. I stuck to between 1200 and 1400 kCal a day until Friday.... Saturday I had a meeting all day and I planned for it. I stopped at Tesco's in Westminster bought a low calorie salad, some fresh fruit and my treat of Wasabi Peas. All in all a sensible healthy lunch for a long day.

After the meeting we went to the pub and I drank a couple of ciders - will power gone. Came home added wine to the cider and ordered a huge curry... With popadoms! Bugger! And I had not exercised all day!!!

Sunday was just as bad, although I went to the gym and did a Body Pump class to make up for some of the badness! But when the children got home I picked at the left over curry whilst I prepared BBQ food... Drank more Cider! And then ate huge quantities of homemade potato salad (made with homemade mayonnaise!)

Oh well - it could have been worse - my weekend rotation lately has meant going up 5lbs and I only did 2lbs.

On the upside I am just home from the gym where I did 8 rounds of squats getting increasingly heavier each time until I was squatting with 55kg on my back... That is over 8 and a half stone... 

Thought for the day: 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'

July 5th: TGIF! Though the weekend will be long!

Weight: 10st 11lbs

Weather: Glorious - though I can only sit at my desk until the sun hits it!

Inch loss: Let's find out together!

I decided last night after my successful branch into a more Mediterranean style salad to try another themed evening meal (though I suspect I will be on left overs of it for at least today and tomorrow). Last night the style was Spanish - Gazpacho followed by Tortilla and Salad.

The Gazpacho was much higher in calories than I was expecting - nearly 900kCal for half the recipe! That is always a problem - you see what essentially is a chilled tomato soup - you think you cannot go wrong and then you look up the calories!!! It was the 100g of bread and 50mls of Olive Oil that made it so calorific! I think next time I will half the bread - it was quite thick and cut out the Olive Oil altogether.

I did manage to save calories with the tortilla though by using only 100g of potato and two eggs and two egg whites to make it rather than four eggs - that really would have been silly!

It was perfect for this unusually glorious sunshine we are experiencing and I took a photo for you! You can also see my little luxury of the night - some yummy Rioja!

This week has been remarkably easy compared to some of the other weeks I have had - especially in the last few weeks - life has been a little stressful. However with doing so much in the gym and being so good with eating I have been a little irked that those scales have not moved. That however is why I measured all sorts of bits of me so that I could see progression. I wish I had measured them when I was 12st 2 but... Anyway... here goes:

Bust: 36"  -2.5"
Waist: 28" -4"
Hips: 36" -1.25"
Thighs: 21.5" -1.5"

That is 9.25" lost since the third of may - I am really chuffed with the waist inch loss and I am now the defined hour glass figure! Though I am not sure I will ever make it to the 36" 24" 36" that is considered classic!

PS I have started a couple of new pages - one that lists my work out and one that tells you a little about me - you will find them in the right hand menu!

July 4th: Great meal last night...

Weight: 10st 11lbs (getting predictable now)

Mood: Content

Weather: Cloudy (AGAIN!)

This blog started out being a blog about my food intake with a bit of exercise.. It is now a lot of exercise with very little food! So today I am, redressing the balance and will post the exercise bits later/tomorrow!

Last nights dinner was the most successful yet! It was really yum and just over 500 kCals it also IMHO looked fantastic!

It was also very simple to make:

1 med jacket potato - cooked in oven or microwaved

15-20 cherry tomatoes halved
2 inches cucumber diced
one red onion halved and sliced
1/2 bag corriander - chopped
1/2 bag parsley - chopped
1.5 lemons - juced
1 tsp olive oil

Put in bowl, mix and leave for 15 min

12 raw king prawns
1 clove of garlic - chopped
1 red chilli - sliced (optional and heat of your choice)
Spray olive oil in decent frying pan (I recommend the new offer from Tesco! - yes, I know but needs must)
Squeeze of lemon juice

Heat pan and spray with oil.
Add chilli and garlic and fry until softened not burnt!
Add prawns and cook until pink then add squeeze of lemon juice and add to the top of salad

Add jacket potato to plate and fill with 1/2 of Tzaziki.

Add black pepper to taste (and salt if you are a bad girl like me!)

You can reduce calories by halving the Tzaziki but this makes the potato dry I think and cutting out the Olive oil on the salad but some fat is good for you.

I hope you enjoy!

PS I have been to the gym today and worked out my legs - wow 55kg leg extensions pushing UP!!

July 3rd: What happened to yesterday afternoon?

Weight: 10st 11lbs

Mood: Headachey

Weather: Cloudy (again - I need the sun)

I am not sure where yesterday afternoon went, I had planned 20 min with my computer to scribe the final bits on exercise and why I do all this and the day ran away from me.

Let's start on what I did yesterday in the gym as part of my new 'three day plan' to get fit and loose weight, quickly followed by Wednesday's work out.

To explain my recording style. It is EXERCISE SETS*REPS WEIGHT (I will try to stick to this, remind me if I don't!!)

Tuesday - Shoulders and Back

Rowing - Distance 3985m in 20 min burning 217 kCal
3 min warm up followed by 7 40 second high speed 80 second's gentle row

One arm dumb bell row 3*15 5kg 1*15 6kg
Lat pull down 4*12 22.5kg
Cable row 3*12 50kg 1*8 55kg

Shoulder press 4*12 6kg
Front raise rotation 4*12 3kg
Deltoid raise 3*12 7kg 1*12 8kg
Total gravity gym overhead pull down 10 reps

Climbing.plank 30 sec 2* opposite knee to elbow 2* knee to outer elbow 

Sit-ups 4*12 7kg

Wednesday - Triceps, Biceps and Chest

Spinning 11.1 miles in 30 min burning 269 kCal

5min warm up on gear 8 followed by a pyramid (now this gets complicated)

Gear 12 standing 40 seconds RPM 75+

Gear 9 80 seconds

Gear 13 standing 40 seconds RPM 70+

Gear 10 80 seconds

Gear 14 standing 40 seconds RPM 65+

Gear 11 80 seconds

Gear 15 standing 40 seconds RPM 60+

Gear 12 80 seconds

Gear 16 standing 40 seconds RPM 55+

Gear 13 80 seconds

Gear 17 standing 40 seconds RPM 50+

Gear 14 80 seconds

Gear 18 standing 40 seconds RPM 45+

Gear 15 80 seconds

Gear 19 standing 40 seconds RPM 40+

Gear 16 80 seconds

Gear 20 standing 40 seconds RPM 40+

Gear 17 80 seconds

Gear 21 standing 40 seconds RPM 40+

Gear 18 80 seconds

Followed by 1 min gentle cycling then 20 second sprints on gear 8 four times and a cool down. If you followed any of that I will be amazed but it is a good record for me! (sorry if boring!)

Chest fly 3*12 11.5kg 1*12 13.5kg
Reverse chest fly 1*12 11.5kg 1*12 13.5kg 2*12 16kg
Cross chest pull 3*12 7kg (I am not very strong in that chest muscle!)
Biceps on cable machine 3*12 13.5kg 1*12 16kg
Triceps straight bar on cable machine  4*12 27kg
Trucep V bar on cable machine 4*12 27kg
Reverse biceps 4*12 3kg
Full extension crunch 4*12 5kg
Russian twist 4*20 5kg

Stretches

If you have got this far you deserve a medal!!

Why do I do this?

Yesterday reminded me of why I do all this exercise. As I get older it is getting more and more difficult to lose weight and stay trim (and fit in my clothes) but in the past 48 hours I have been reminded me that I am successful and I am not old!

In the gym yesterday a fellow weight lifter commented 'Oh my you are strong' as I lifted 55kg, as I walked to the water machine one of my cardio buddy's said 'You are getting fitter than me, how much have you lost now' when answered they responded 'It looks like a lot more'. And then to top it off today one of the personal trainers said 'Wow, you are looking really good! You have worked hard'.

So, on top of the natural stress busting endorphins I got some head enlarging compliments and that is why I do it!

July 2nd: PPPPP is working out

Weight: 10st 11bs

Mood: Cheery

Weather: Frightful

There is a lot to fit in this post today.. I will try to keep it brief! (I am sure I will fail and bore you all!!)

First up - Trainers 

Now I am a skint single mum with three children - I economise on everything. When it came to replacing my trainers last year I decided to invest in 'rockers'. These are designed to keep you thinking about your core and should tone your calves and bottom. Well in my opinion they do very little apart from destabalise you! Yesterday I went out and bought a pair of Nike training shoes. The difference in the gym was immense. I felt my calves working more, I was stable when pulling weights - something that I had begun to feel very uncomfortable about the heavier my weights got. Note to self: cheap is often a false economy!

And in second place - Food

I had a good day yesterday - apart from mass intake of very high calorie foods etc over the last month I have not made my stomach grow. My calorie intake yesterday came in just under 200 kCals - an amount I like to try and save up for the weekend - you can't be virtuous all the time!!!

So my diet yesterday was ok - I should really try to get breakfast into it but it is a start... And yes the two treats at the end of the day were not needed and should have been breakfast!

Lunch

Cup a soup

Bread

Dinner

2 eggs

Jacket potato

Half avocado

Olive oil

Sour cream and chive dip

Huge salad

Pringles

Cidre

Coming in third - Exercise

This is where the PPPPP really comes in. I have (on advice from one of the lovely girls in the gym) split my workouts into muscle groups. The plan is 

Mon - Legs

Tue - Back and Shoulders

Wed - Biceps and Triceps

Thurs - Legs

Fri - Back and Shoulders

Sat/Sun - Biceps and Triceps

To do this I have started buying books, listening to trainers in the gym and reading magazines to make sure I work every bit of every muscle.

Because no one will have got to the bottom of this post I will write up later what I did and what the weights were! As well as post the fourth topic - why I do this!

July 1st: New month, new start

Weight: 10st 12

BMI: 24.5

Mood: Optomistic

Hurray! I broke the cycle after 3 weeks of working it all off then putting it all back on and yo-yoing between 11st 3 and 10st 12 I am actually starting the week on 10st 12! This is a good sign!

Yesterday I took it fairly easy at the gym, not only was the air-con broken but I was coming off a pretty gruesome PT session on Thursday, followed by a great Pilates class on Friday. I just did a body pump class that was fairly tame I kept the weights low and simple. Having just copied and pasted the list below from my last session I discover that I did up my squat and bicep weight... Maybe not so easy but easy compared to the gym.

Warm-up 7.5kg

Squats 17.5kg

Chest 7.5kg

Back 12.5kg

Triceps 10kg

Biceps 5kg and one set of 7.5kg

Lunges 10kg

Shoulders 5kg

Abs 5kg

Stretches

Today I start calorie counting and I started my own devised work out plan in the gym. I plan to print off my list of exercises and increase/repeat on a three day cycle. Today was legs, I realise having written it all down that there were three things I missed.. Glutes, calves and step ups.. These will be added to Thursday's list of to dos. I guess that is what I have been missing planning and organisation. 

So today's workout was...

12 min 138 kCal AMT level 3 for 5min and 5 for 5min

Squats 20kg wide squat with kettle bell combo 16kg 4*12

Deadlift 15 kg 3*12 17.5kg 1*12

Squat thrust with kettle bell 12kg 3*1min 16kg 1*1min

Walking lunges 4kg 1*20 5kg 3*20

Leg extensions 13.6kg 4*15

Leg curl double 32kg 4*10

Single leg curl 13.6kg 3*10 (each leg)

Lying to standing arm locked and reverses 2kg 20

Russian twists 5kg 4*20

Crunches 5kg 4*15

Stretches

Tomorrow is shoulders and chest... Wish me luck if I can still walk in the morning.

Thought for the day: Remember the 5Ps: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

June 30th: No more licking my wounds

Weight: 11st 0lbs

Mood: Determined

Life: Changed

Well the last few weeks have seen me change my routine, my life style and generally everything. I am honestly shocked that it has been over a month since my last post but I needed some time to lick my wounds and get back on track!

The one thing that has stayed as a constant has been my work outs, though now I have changed those considerably too! 

I have been fairly good at making my way to the gym but my eating has been a disgrace, and far too much alcohol has been consumed alongside some take aways and even cheese - something I rarely eat yet love so much. 

I have found that I am riding a wave. Monday I start off the week in a determined mood - usually getting on the scales and discovering my starting weight is 11st 3lbs, I have been managing getting to the gym 4 days out of 5 and by Friday I am usually at the 10st 12lb mark and feeling great. Then the weekend happens... sausages, cooked breakfast, cider, cheese, butter, bread (OMG sooo much bread) and a little red wine thrown in... And then we are back to Monday and 11st 3lbs presents itself on the scales.

This has to stop! I am still really pleased that I started April being over 12st and I am now down to almost 10st something... All is not lost! I know though that I have changed shape but that will be down to the change in gym workouts.

Why the change? I was in the gym on May 31st and it was clear the gym had a target they had to achieve and I was offered 3 Personal Training sessions for the price of 1! I bit the gym managers arm, let alone her hand off!

My personal trainer, the sadist from hell, decided that all my cardio stuff was great but my free weights and general workouts were tame! On my first session he had my doing squats with 35kg (half my weight!) on my back and I discovered I could to a bicep curl with 50lbs and triceps with 60lbs! 

Since then I have been doing much more weight lifting and less playing about with machines... However this weeks session left me with quads so sore I could not do a flight of stairs without wincing for 48 hours! It all feels worth it though!

So, today I am off to do a tame body pump class and ease myself gently into the beginning of a new start for a new month and a goal of losing half a stone!

Lotions and potions

If you knew me as a ‘real person’ not just a nameless, faceless internet blogger you would know I have never been a real girly girl. I only learnt how to properly pluck my eyebrows in my late 30s. I had never waxed before my 39^th birthday. AND until the last few weeks I have never had long fingernails – I have always bitten them.

Well, around about the time I was turning 39 I started to get a bit paranoid about my looks and getting old. It really only started gently. At the time I was single and I had started at the gym. The gym changed my shape and that was pleasing to see but then I started on creams. First it was occasionally remembering to put my night cream before bed.

That soon moved on to every day, and then I added day cream. After the day cream came the special eye cream – apparently different chemicals for different areas of the body!

You would have thought that I would stop at that moment in time. I mean this is a girl who wears walking boots (not through choice) and jeans to work. But no, now I have added firming body lotion and cellulite cream. So one cream for my calves and arms another for my thighs and stomach.

To get my nails to grow I have had to feed them cream too so I have a specialist hand and nail cream on my desk and at home special nail varnish to strengthen them.

This is all the basic stuff, before the make-up, hair mousse and hair spray!

Just looking at my gym wash bag and doing a tot up:

Shower Gel £3
Shampoo £4
Toothpaste £2
Razor £10
Body Firming Cream £8
Cellulite Cream £10
Eye Cream £8
Day Cream £10
Straightening Gel £8
Mousse £7
Deodorant £5

Total £75

And then that is replaced on a monthly basis, and then duplicated at home with extra night creams and make up removers.

Doing some sums quickly means that I spend around £130 a month on trying to look younger! That is over £1560 a YEAR! How very scary!

Then a friend of mine had her first article in the Huffington Post - this is a cream too far... I am so with her on this one!

May 29th: So close to that stone

Weight: 11st 3lbs

Mood: Meh!

Enthusiasm: Low

I can't believe this week has just flown by without even a moment to update my diary. Where do I start... I think a quick round up post of what I have been up to and then a detailed bit later today pointing my finger at myself and laughing roundly!

Thursday 23rd: This was where it all started to go wrong. I got up atmy usual time, headed to the gym to discover Lovely Emma had been replaced with Tougher Tonya taking my spin class. 377 kCals later I was shattered but quickly off on a train up north for work. I tried my best to be good as the nibbles were handed round but my diet mainly consisted of canapes. A glass of wine on the 2.5 hour train journey home was a treat and as I put my key in my front door just before midnight I realised my Friday gym session was gone.

Friday 24th: Shattered but I stuck to my low fat diet until I got home, opened the wine and ordered the takeaway! Shock horror but it was the first in 7 weeks! But I didn't enjoy it. I love curry but it was greasy, heavy and oily. Not a taste sensation.

Saturday 25th: Now this always was going to be the point that things went wrong - I knew I would be separated from my beloved scales, my spreadsheet of control and sanity of the gym - it was my weekend at my boyfriends, and worth every second of the separation anxiety! What it did however show was even with my obsession with every morsel that I eat and every calorie that I burn I can still be sensible and survive. 

Now I did start the Saturday with an hour at the gym. 

Adaptive Motion Trainer: 333kCals, distance 2.4 in 20 min
100 Russian twists 5kg
100 crunches 5kg
50 reverse crunches
60 clams each side
40 chest 4kg each hand
40 triceps extensions 5kg
40 biceps 3kg each hand
Stretches

I crammed as much as I could into that hour but there is only so much you can do.

Then it was off for the start of separation.. Fortunately we do walk a lot along rivers and streets and he is an amazing cook so we had lovely fresh food and salads. (Thank god he does not read this - he would get a big head! And for those of you at work no letting on!)

Sunday 26th: Day out at the seaside! Yay! Sun!

Monday 27th: Walk along the river and home to my monsters (after a mediocre cooked breakfast - not our usual hangout!)

Tuesday 28th: Back to work, salad and gym. It was nice to eat salad again but I have to admit it was pretty boring, I need to find some more flavour to add to it. However last night I bought a salad from Tesco  - I was really surprised at how nice it was - I added extra prawns but it was simple low calorie and yummy!

I did get to do 2 hours in the gym last night - that made me feel much better, as I arrived though it did feel like I had had more than a two day break!

Adaptive Motion Trainer: 434kCals, distance 3.4 in 30 min

120 Russian twists 5kg
100 crunches 5kg
50 reverse crunches
60 clams each side
40 chest 4kg each hand
40 triceps extensions 5kg
20 push-ups
2 x 30 sec planks on elbows

PowerPlate
3 times 30 seconds of each - squat, calf, wide squat and lunge

Stretches

Enough for now but tune in later for the point and laugh session!

May 22nd: The slog continues

Weight: 11st 4lb

Mood: Bemused

BMI 25.5 - must remember to rant about NHS weight app

Well the weight finally changed on the scales this morning! A pound down - it was a relief but I fear it will be short lived - I am feeling tired and sluggish but I am not giving up.

Not sure what my plans are for the long weekend yet, but a weekend away from the gym may be welcomed but that type of weekend involves cooked breakfast alongside the River Thames. Actually, this is the first weekend that I have been down to that part of the world since starting this mammoth task.

Last night a friend popped over so I broke my no mid week alcohol rule and enjoyed a couple of glasses of red wine. Lovely to sit and chill but waking this morning feeling dehydrated and sluggish was not pleasant. However I got up and went off to the gym. I was actually more successful than I was expecting on my visit this morning so details here then my NHS weight app rant!

Gym:

Adaptive motion trainer: 149 kCal, distance 1.1 in 10 minutes
Rowing: 129 kCal, distance 2,300 kCal in 10 min

100 crunches 5kg 
50 reverse crunches
100 Russian twists 5kg
60 triceps extensions 5kg
40 biceps extensions 3kg each
60 chest presses 4kg each
40 deltoid raises 2.5kg each

Stretches

Food: 1167 kCal

NHS Weight App Rant

Actually why put it into words - a picture is worth a 1000 words. Just read the nice well done message - maybe I am being sensitive but if I am I guarantee someone else is too!

Gym Etiquette and a Rant

I attend the gym a lot and there are several rules I try to follow which kind of run alongside the rules of the gym itself. The rules I have in my head are:

1. Wear appropriate clothes – bra and vest or jeans just make you look foolish
2. When you sweat on a machine wipe it off
3. Don’t hog the water fountain
4. Put equipment away after you have used it
5. If every other machine is empty don’t choose the one next to the only other person in the room
6. Don’t reserve machines
7. No snogging
8. Fine text, check your email but don’t chat on the phone
9. If it is busy 30 min not an hour… We all need to use the machines

I think these are all reasonable requests but my big bug bear at the moment is gossiping on the phone. We have one lady at the moment – god I would kill for her 'fit' frame – but what I would not kill for are her manners.

She seems from what she likes telling everyone, sorry the person she gossips to each morning, how hard her life is, what an awful divorce she is going through and how horrid her ex is. Well, I am sorry to tell her this but we all have had bad times but we didn't tell the whole gym about it.

We have complained to the management but she has said something along the lines of ‘get over it’ to them.

I however have decided that I will forget my headphones tomorrow – hope she likes Emili Sande to listen to (wicked smile crosses my face).

PS How many people do you know that are free at 7am for an hour long gossip (oh sorry I forgot that bit, it is not just a short call!!)

May 21st: Sore legs, shoulders but that won't stop me

Weight: 11st 5lbs

Mood: Cheerful

Work: Busy

Well the scales did not budge at all. I didn't mention in my tired and weary post last night my work outs on Sunday. Sunday, as regular readers know, is my do everything you can in the gym day. So, before doing my Body Pump class I did 20 min on the adaptive motion machine burning over 230 kCals and 10 min on a spin bike to burn another 101 kCals. This was a gentle warm up to what was quite a hard spin class.

I am a little sore today from yesterday's Circuits class but having seen what the instructor put us through I am not surprised. This morning I almost stayed in bed and went to the gym tonight but I didn't - I must NOT let the daily grind of being stuck at the same weight.

I really do not understand where I am going wrong though, I am beginning to wonder if I am not eating enough to burn the weight off but I am not going to fiddle for another week. 

Anyway back to the gym! This morning I did 

Adaptive motion trainer: 303 kCal, distance 2.22 in 20 min - that is up 30 kCals on last week - I must be getting fitter

60 crunches
30 reverse crunches
60 Russian twists
60 clams each side

PowerPlate
2 times 30 seconds of each - triceps dips, plank, squat, calf, wide squat and lunge

Stretches

Yesterdays food:

Breakfast: Yoghurt and Granola

Lunch: One egg mushroom omelette and salad

Snack: Apple and jelly tots

Dinner: Home-made Chicken liver pate and crispbreads and salad

Calories: 926

Thought for the day:

A quote from Oscar Wilde 'I can resist anything except temptation'

May 20th: The Static Week

Weight: 11st 5lbs

Mood: resigned

Resolve: strong

Monday is official weigh in day and although my calories in were lower than the weekly amount set and I have been to the gym my weekly weight loss was zero.

However I did lose 4 last week. It will even out. 

I do feel good but I was tempted by Doodlebug. Doodlebug is one of a number of friends I eat lunch with every day. A bit like a big family we all sit round the table and eat. 

We all eat similar things each day, working on a trading park we have little choice unless we bring it in from home to heat in the microwave. However Doodlebug today popped to two garages and returned with a McDonalds. As Little Miss B and I sat and ate our salads we salivated over the fries and burger. But we were strong! Salad for the win!

Having spent the morning in a circuits class where the instructor had obviously got out of the wrong side of bed. He determinedly punished us with push-ups bur-pees and  extra laps. So, as I try to shut down I remember that I am doing the best for me...

May 19th: Ending the week the way it started

Weight: 11st 5lb

Age: 41yrs 66 days

Mood: Sad

One of the reasons, and I am sure I have said this before, I started this blog is there are ups as well as downs. There are moments in time where you cannot explain, especially if you are female, what on earth your body is up to.

The way to lose weight is to reduce your calories below what your body needs to survive on. In my case as a woman that is about 2000 calories. I have reduced my calories to 1400 (on average over a week). To make the loss more certain I have added exercise to the mix and I burn 300-800 calories the gym each day. OK, most days it is around the 300 mark - it is only my mad Sundays when I do cardio then Body Pump that I reach anywhere near the 800.

I know that yesterday I ate 1250 calories, I burnt over 100 Powerwalking to the station and back, I rowed 2.2km in the gym and I burnt 230 kCals travelling a distance of 1.6 on the adaptive motion machine.

So the sum is I ate 1250 kCal and I burnt 450 kCal which means I gave my body 800kCal which should allow it to find the missing energy from the inches round my waist, on my thighs etc. Only it didn't! It rather frustratingly decided that I would stay exactly the same weight I was at the beginning of the week.

Looking at my weekly intake of food I still have 568 kCals spare - even with my bad wheat day! And it is hardly as if I have been lacklustre in gym attendance over 1400 kCals have been burnt (and that is ignoring the weight training!).

So, just to make me feel slightly better, I will scream: 

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

And now that I have moaned the morning away I will go hang out the gym kit, drink another coffee, listen to Broadcasting House and get on with my morning before the gym.

Thought for the day: Suck it up and someday you won't have to suck it in

Gym round up:

Adaptive motion trainer: 236 kCal, distance 1.6 in 20 min
Rowing machine: 2221m, 126 kCal in 10 min
Powerplate: 3 x 30secs - crunches, plank, squat, wide squat, lunge, calf, triceps

Powerwalked with this heavy laptop on my back to station and back 1.5miles

May 18th: You silly moo!

Weight: 11st 5lbs

Mood: Bugger

Day: Meetings

As I ate my dinner last night I knew – too much pasta! About 2/3rds of the way through I knew I should stop. My brain was screaming stop, yes STOP! But I cleared my plate and hoovered up the juices of the crab pasta whilst handing my empty wine glass to my youngest and saying ‘one more won’t hurt’!!!

Well today I got pay back! I know that wheat bloats me and it is a real treat to eat a wheat based product. But the scales and my body hate it! The scales ticked up one more pound to where I started the week! Bugger!

So, to make myself feel better I just power walked to the station, so much so my glasses were slipping down my noes as the beads of sweat formed. As they slowly slipped I thought about that pasta and that extra glass of wine – it really was not worth it.

Today I am heading in to central London to an all-day meeting that normally ends in a pint but today I am going to be antisocial and slip back on the train to make it back for a gym session. The bank holiday weekend is fast approaching and I want to look and feel amazing.

But just to make you realise I am not all bad – I did make it to the gym last night.. So my pasta was kind of deserved!

Thought for the day: A little of what you fancy does you good (sometimes)

Gym update: 

236kCals, distance 2.02 in 20 min on cross trainer
60 sit ups
40 reverse
60 Russian twists
60 clams
20 push-ups
40 biceps
40 triceps
40 chests

3 sets of 30 seconds on the PowerPlate
Squats, calves, lunges, wide squats

Gossip and weirdness

I just remembered I forgot to update you on the 'bad gym etiquette' and thought I would share a funny sight!

The woman with the phone wound up one of our fellow 7am gym goers enough that she (politely) requested that the lady on the phone, once she had finished her long call, read the gym rules on the way out. Not an unreasonable request I would have thought. Well, this caused an almighty fuss, she was f'ing and blinding and shouting the odds!

Since then there has been a quiet stand off between those of us quietly fuming about knowing the ins and outs of her divorce and her quietly taking up a machine for an hour whilst gossiping on the phone! I am sure this will not be the end of it! Further updates to follow...

And finally the funny sight - I watched a woman blow dry her toes! With the only hair-dryer in the ladies changing room!! (No she had not just painted her nails!)

May 17th: Tired - its been a long week!

Weight: 11st 4lb

Mood: OK - it is Friday - almost the end of the week

BMI: 25.5

Well, I was a very good girl last night - I left the office shattered after two 12-15 hour days - But I went straight to the gym! I got on my spin bike. I burnt 368 calories (15.3 distance) before going home for my healthy jacket potato and roasted vegetables.

The scales were not so kind this morning though, up a pound but I think that is not surprising. Yesterday's weight was a surprise and also my body over the last 6 weeks has been playing silly games... Now from here on down in this post may be TMI so if squeamish/you don't want to know stop reading now.

Bodily functions: Now I used to be a regular get up and go girl, even when I have previously dieted I get up and go. Now this time I have changed my habits a little more - for starters the glass of wine nearly every night has gone, I am not smoking at all. Not a nicotine patch or a sneaky one off in sight. But in the last 6 weeks I have struggled, I feel the need but I can't. I do end up going every 2 or 3 days but I would just like my body to settle into a routine, because when I don't go I feel bloated and yucky!

There are of course solutions in laxatives but having had friends get caught on the taking too many to lose weight. I don't want to even let that be a possibility so it is high fibre foods and increased water intake. Though I forgot my sliced lemons this morning, not sure what I am going to have as my afternoon drink in the office today.

Picture of the day: 

May 16th: Spoke too soon

Weight: 11st 3lbs

Mood: Sheepish

Energy levels: Very low

I got out of bed this morning feeling angry with myself, I never made it to the gym last night, by the time I got home from work it was gone 8pm. My boss was having a bit of a meltdown about passwords and I hit the wine! All really bad signs, I also had the dreaded request from my boss that he wanted me in before my spin class this morning :-(

Getting on the scales was actually the last thing I wanted to do. However, after getting on them 4 times - because I really could not believe them. I had, in one night, lost 3lbs! Even my 'tight' jeans slipped on easily this morning. My depression of yesterday was gone!

But I have not been to the gym now in 52 hours... My body feels like it is in meltdown! So, tonight, I am off to a Spin class to make up for my tardiness. And my normal Friday rest day is cancelled as I took that on Wednesday!

But wow - one more pound and in under 6 weeks I have lost a stone! 

Thought for the day: It always feels like the 6 weeks will last forever - but looking back I barely blinked!

May 15th: Quietly fuming

Weight: 11st 6lbs

Mood: Annoyed

Weather: Grey

I took my eye off the ball! I stupidly did not take the time out in the mornings to write my blog and guess what… I put on a pound. It is not like I have not been working hard – ok my diet has been a little less strict but I have been averaging 1400 calories. Take a look at last week’s chart…

And here is this week’s so far…

I also have been to the gym every day, and on Sunday rather than JUST doing my Body Pump class I also did an extra 30 minutes on the adaptive motion trainer burning in excess of 400 calories (I was a little pleased with this!!!).

So my weight today has made me a little more than annoyed, and grumpy!

Unfortunately work is also very busy so the time to write this is short.. more tomorrow!

Exercise and Food Round-up

Saturday

377kCal, distance  2.72 in 25 minutes

100 Russian twits 5kg

100 crunches 5kg

50 reverse crunches

60 clams

40 leg raises 2kg

45 sec side plank

20 push ups

60 triceps overhead 5

40 biceps 3 each

60 chest 4

36 deltoid 2.5

Then 3 sets of 30 seconds of each of these on the PowerPlate

Squats, wide squat, lunge, calf

Food 1900 kCal – I did have a few weekly calories to spare!

Sunday

405kCal, distance  2.99 in 30 minutes

Followed by BodyPump

Warmup 7.5kg

Squats 15kg

Chest 7.5kg

Back 12.5kg

Triceps 10kg

Biceps 5kg

Lunges 10kg

Shoulders 5kg

Abs 5kg

Stretches

Food 1450kCal

Monday

Ouch my legs hurt this morning so another slow start to the week!

Adaptive Motion Trainer 140kCal, Distance 1.05 in 10 min

Rowing Machine 111kCal, distance 2055m in 10 min

60 Russian twits 5kg

60 crunches 5kg

30 reverse crunches

60 clams

Then 3 sets of 30 seconds of each of these on the PowerPlate

Squats, wide squat, lunge, calf

Food 1400 kCal

Tuesday

No adaptive motion machine free this morning L so a cross trainer it was!

CrossTrainer 207kCal, distance 1.9 in 20 min

100 Russian twits 5kg

100 crunches 5kg

50 reverse crunches

60 clams

20 push ups

40 squats on Bosu ball
30 lunges on Bosu ball

Then 3 sets of 30 seconds of each of these on the PowerPlate

Squats, wide squat, lunge, calf

Food: 1290kCal

Wednesday

Woke up – frozen – got on scales – got depressed -  went back to bed… The plan I will go to the gym tonight!