Thursday 24 April 2014

Results......Again!

It's that time again! I really need to make myself accountable and showing progress pictures is the only way to do it!
Here is me 2 weeks ago on 8th April 2014 - the first progress photo I had taken:


Here are my progress photos now 2 weeks on.......I think you can see a difference particularly on the side view - I still feel huge and have a long long long way to go but looking at photos of the changes is nice!




Here are some comparrison pics for good measure!




BEFORE AND NOW!

STARTING WEIGHT - 259lb ( was bigger when the before photo was taken but no idea what I weighed)
CURRENT WEIGHT - 213lb

Wednesday 23 April 2014

GOALS GOALS and more GOALS


I wrote a post the other day about planning workouts in order to reach your goals. So this week I wanted to write about setting goals. This is seriously something that has helped me get this far and isn't something that I plan on giving up.

Trust me I am a total cynic and seriously hate when people start spouting things off at me like:
"Have a goal in mind"
"Buy a skinny dress and work to it"
Those types of goals don't work for me personally I don't find them very achievable. - If they do for you then fab, go with it. Seriously whatever makes you motivate use it! 

The goals I've been setting myself whether secretly or out loud are ones that I can control (yes I'm a control freak), things like Eat Clean All Week, Do Four Spin Classes This Week, Don't Have Takeaway This Week - yes that last one gets used a lot! By focusing on these I've almost forgotten about the end goal but still made mini steps to achieving it. 
For example eating clean all week - with no cheat meals led me to dropping an extra 1lb to what I was expecting to drop. Yes it's only 1lb which doesn't seem a lot but it's getting me nearer to the end goal of losing a significant amount of weight without focusing on it!

Most importantly though I've learned to accept that I will fail. Life happens. I might have decided not to eat takeaway a certain week, but after running the kids around and going to the gym, sometimes it's quicker and easier the odd time. Things happen and that's ok the important thing is not to dwell on the failures - learn from them and try to not repeat them!

So that's it. My quick guide to setting goals. Remember whatever goal you set make sure you celebrate when you hit that target........New shoes usually works for me!



Tuesday 22 April 2014

Am I a Selfish Parent???


This is something that I have been wondering about for a while. I now spend a lot of time at the gym or doing some form of exercise. 
Most of the time (90%) I workout when the kids are at school or in bed so it doesn't affect them, but over the Easter holidays I've had to go and put them in the kids club at the gym. One evening a week I go to my body pump class and miss putting my daughter to bed in order to go. It is only one evening but it has left me wondering if making losing weight such a priority is in fact making me a selfish parent??

My daughter started school in September and my husband and myself decided that this would be the year I got to spend on myself and finally lose the weight. So I planned on treating going to the gym like having a job, I'd put in as many hours as I could and see what happened!
Well as any other working mum will tell you working and having kids is hard and you are often left feeling guilty for something. This seems to be the case with going to the gym too. Over the past few months I've been on the recieving end of a few comments from the other people I know asking when I'm going to go back to work - I explain about the choice my husband and I have made and I get looked at like I've gone mad! 
"Well I could never spend that much time on myself"
"I'm too busy looking after the house/kids/husband"

These are the comments I tend to get. This only seems to be adding to my feelings of guilt. 

Personally I feel like I'm a better parent since I started losing weight. My kids don't care what I look like they love me regardless but I'm now able to do things I couldn't before. 
I know it sounds cliche but playing on the park, pushing them in the swings - these are things that matter to the kids and the things they remember, not that once a week mummy wasn't there at bedtime! I'm looking after myself and ensuring that I'll be around for my kids and grandkids when we are all old. Surely that suggests I'm doing this for us all not just myself????

Monday 21 April 2014

Planning.....


When I decided to start trying to lose weight I had one massive end goal in sight! I wanted to be skinny by my 30th Birthday in October. Since I set that goal I've ended up setting a ton of other smaller goals some I didn't mean to set and others I didnt manage to achieve but throughout this process, setting goals and planning my next stages are what really has kept me motivated!

So I've decided to share my next mini goal with you.............We've been invited to an event during May! This is the first time I will have seen a lot of the people at this event since before I started on this journey so I want it to be obvious how well I've done, and on top of that I want to be able to fit into a really cute outfit!

This past weekend I decided that with 17 days to go it was time I got myself motivated so I drew up a plan.....


My 32 day plan basically consists of working through the 30 day shred and setting out what days I'm going to do my PT weights programme, Body Pump, Spinning aswell as continuing with my running. Phew I'm exhausted just looking at that list.
As of today I have 14 days (2 SHORT WEEKS) until the event however I've devised a 32 day plan to get me through the rest of the month.
As well as the exercise plan I've decided to limit my carb intake. I'm still going to eat carbs - I really need them as fuel for my workouts but not in the evenings and certainly not have as many of them!

So far I've managed three days of the plan without any hiccups. Easter was a bit of a challenge but I have my gold Lindt bunny as a reward after the event in 2 weeks time! To be perfectly honest with you I find having a schedule to stick to easier than not having one, it seems to be keeping me motivated.........as well as this :-)


LINDT BUNNY - AVAILABLE IN ALL GOOD SUPERMARKETS



Friday 18 April 2014

The Bunny is Coming!!!!



ITS EASTER WEEKEND!!!!!! Yey!!!! I've been looking forward to the long weekend for a while! Not for any reason in particular but it'll just be lovely to have a weekend with the kids and the husband! I'm still planning on hitting the gym tomorrow but due to it being Good Friday I get the week off PT - I've got a double session next week to make up for it though!

Anyway given that I'm planning on spending this weekend with the husband and kids and indulging in an easter egg, I wont be back posting until Tuesday!

Have a great Easter weekend whatever you are doing! Don't feel guilty for a little indulgence!!

Thursday 17 April 2014

Ouch I'm Sore........Time for Active Recovery


Oh my word I am so sore.......I've spent the last 2 days doing HIIT training for fat burn and weight training! I've been doing weight training for a short while but not with much intensity. I've recently found out that I have an event to go to at the start of May so decided I really need to work on my back, triceps and biceps so I can look cute in whatever I decide to wear!

As I've been working out hard I decided that today would be an active recovery day.....I love active recovery. I still feel like I'm doing something but all my aches and pains get time to ease off!

What is Active Recovery?
In short active recovery is basically a very low intensity workout compared to what you would normally be doing.
Active Recovery is very subjective to the person doing it! For example a marathon runner will be able to a slow jog the day after an intense training session! I however wouldn't. For me a light jog is an intense session so my active recovery would be a short walk or such like.

Personally I feel so much better on the days that I do active recovery compared to the days that I just chill out at home. I don't feel as lazy and it means I stick with my clean eating plan as I'm still being active.

Ideas for Active Recovery
I certainly do not profess to be an expert but here is what has been working for me........



1) Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) FOAM ROLLING - I had to google it's actual name as I tend to refer to it as Foam Rolling. Essentially you roll the sore aching parts of your body on large chunks of foam.....Whilst admittedly at the time rolling the foam on your sore aching muscles actually kills, afterwards the release feels amazing!

2) Walking - Along with swimming this is my favourite. Generally I don't really like walking but when everything is sore, getting outside for a moderate walk is great! Obviously it's not a high calorie burner but I firmly believe the positive mental effects outweigh the amount of calories burnt.



3) Swimming - My absolute Favourite!!!!!! Its low stress due to the weightlessness in the water and fairly relaxing! Generally I do 20-30 lengths, I've found that this is just enough to release the tension in my arms, shoulders and back. It's also enough to get my heart rate up a bit so I feel like I'm still getting a strenuous workout it.

4) Cycling/Spinning - Doing this at a light intensity is great the day after a leg workout! Yes it hurts at first but keep going and you'll find that all the stiffness disappears!

4) Yoga - Stretching is great, It gives you a really moderate workout and relieves a lot of muscle tension. Lets be honest who doesn't like the relaxation period at the end of a yoga class............Just don't start snoring!


Wednesday 16 April 2014

Race for Life 2014


A few months ago I decided I needed some extra motivation and another goal to work towards. To be honest whilst I really want to lose this weight, just having that to work towards is becoming quite difficult. I love being in the gym and I love getting fitter but the amount of weight I want to lose seems too unachievable. Obviously I know it's not, so I figured if I set myself another non weight related goal, I could still train as hard as I am doing but with another focus in mind. I'm then hoping that the weight will come off without me realising I'm trying! 

So, I signed up for the Cancer Research Race for Life. Three of my grandparents have died from Cancer and countless other people I know are being affected by it, so I thought this was a bloody good charity to raise money for!

I haven't run any sort of distance since I left school 14 years ago...........so this I'm actually finding this quite hard. Running long distance is not my strong point, so I'm planning a combination of sprinting, running and walking to hopefully get me round the 5k in under 1 hour.

So far my training hasn't been that great. I've managed at least 1 day per week but I'm starting to think that maybe that isn't enough. I've also fallen in love with running outdoors so plan on increasing my training within the next week after all June 8th isn't that far away (bring on the summer)!!!!!!!!!!!!


I am looking for sponsorship so if you could spare a £1 or so I'd very much appreciate it...........You can donate on the Just Giving website


Tuesday 15 April 2014

Round Up

Arghhhh Can't believe I missed a day! I blame it on the Easter school holidays and the kids being off! Anyway I'm back so I thought i would give you a round up of my weekend. Not that it was that exciting, but I feel I should be accountable anyway.


This pretty much sums everything up!

Friday was my weekly PT session. I lost another 2lb this week but all my measurements stayed the same. Guess this is OK I'm still getting smaller.
PT was a bit of a killer. Sarah had devised a new form of torture/programme for me, and this one was hard! 
It consisted of: 

Leg Press - 15 reps 
Weighted Walking Lunges -20 reps
x3

Then came the worst part!



Having never done this before its fairly safe to say I was terrified! I lack coordination at the best of times and in total honesty I'm not very quick at thinking and moving so this was hard, both mentally and physically.

Thread the Needle - 20 reps
x3
Make a Box - 15 reps
x3
(I'm not sure if the names are right but that's what my PT called them)

Then came the HIIT portion.

Spin Bike: 30sec sprint 30sec recovery X5
Rowing Machine: 250m 20sec recovery X5
Treadmill: 30sec sprint 1min recovery X5

Just reading it makes me tired!
Anyway on the Saturday my back was killing me, presumably from the new Vipr exercises. I went to spin anyway, but seriously struggled. Not really sure if it was the best thing to do but never mind.

Sunday - I decided it was time I started training properly for this 5K run I'm doing in June. So i put on my trainers and dragged the boy out with me. I managed 3.2K in 30mins - this was a combination of walking and running, but I am really hoping to drop the walking sometime soon!




Friday 11 April 2014

Clean Cheating!

I love being able to have a cheat meal/treat once a week. To be honest it really is the only thing that keeps me sane! So when I found this popcorn at the gym I couldn't have been happier!

Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn has the most amazing flavour and is only 108 calories for 24g bag! It is amazingly filling too. So much so that I don't feel the need to pick at anything else after having eaten it.

Saturday or Sunday afternoons usually consist of sitting down and watching a film as a family! It's also the time of the week that the kids get to enjoy some form of sweet treat. For the last few weeks I've hated feeling left out, and it really has been an almighty test of my will power!
Now I've found this little beauty it really will be my saving grace! I strongly suggest you pop out and find some!

Low Calorie Clean Eating Snacks

Available at Sainsburys and Waitrose


Thursday 10 April 2014

New Blog Design

Whoo! I finally have a new blog design! I got it from the amazing MISS LILLY DESIGNS on Etsy.
To be fair I'm a total nightmare when it comes to things like this and in three weeks time I will more than likely change my mind and decide I want something different, but for now I really love this design! I think it totally sums up my journey and personality! What do you all think?

New blog design

Anyway.........This week......Its the first week of the Easter Holidays here in the UK, So that has meant trying to entertain the kids as well as fitting in my gym schedule! So far it has all worked out well. I'm lucky enough that we go to a gym that has an active kids club program. So while the kids have been in there I've been hitting the gym hard after my week off!

I've mainly been doing my PT programme but this week I've also decided to add an abs routine to the programme. I've still got a lot of fat to lose on my stomach but figured if I start working on my abs now by the time the fat has gone there may be something to show......I'm not 100% sure it works like that but here's to wishful thinking!



Wednesday 9 April 2014

Work Out Wear.....

I love nothing more than shopping for new smaller clothes! Seriously I don't think that I will ever get bored of it! Being able to squeeze my once huge (still is huge but is a lot smaller) arse into smaller clothes is amazing!
However it does have its draw backs........
I spend 90% of my day in my gym clothes, and having to repeatedly wash them combined with them getting too big means that buying new gear all the time becomes quite expensive!
Until today.....I recently found out that Primark does sportswear! So off I popped into town and bought some new tops............

Affordable Gym Wear
CROP TOP - £4.00

I picked up two of these tops! Admittedly there isn't much in the way of support, but I figured they would be both comfy and cute under longer tops for weight training! One day I might be skinny and toned enough to dare to wear one on its own!

Affordable Gym Clothes
TOP - £5.00

Yep you guessed it I also bought two of these! I LOVE these! They are nice and big but flattering too! I wore them to do my weights and cardio today and to be honest it kept me as sweat free as my more expensive branded ones. To say I'm thrilled is an understatement.

Affordable running clothes
JACKET - £12.00

I didn't pick up a running jacket but will certainly be heading back soon - well before winter to get one. I don't think I'm dedicated enough to the running cause to warrant getting one yet! 

On a serious note go take a look at the Primark sportswear range, for the price point I'm really pleased with the quality, and is affordable enough to be replaced when I lose more weight! (fingers crossed).


Me in my new kit....Not the best pic but its a pic!



Tuesday 8 April 2014

So Far......

Ok I've been putting off this post for a long long time, but i think i really need to just get it out of the way and deal with it!

So here goes......This was me before i began my weightloss journey........


This is me now after 6 months of mainly cardio training and a few recent weight sessions.......(please excuse all the crap in the background)






STARTING WEIGHT - 259lb
CURRENT WEIGHT - 220lb


Monday 7 April 2014

Shhhhhhhhh!



I think that title pretty much sums this last week(end) up! I have no idea what has been wrong with me but towards the start of the week I was beyond shattered and lost all motivation! Not good.....certainly not a place I want to be heading to either!
So I decided to make the choice to take the week off, and that is exactly what I did! 

I was totally drained and worn out also my knee was suffering for a bit. I thought taking a week off would help......I couldn't have been more wrong! Towards the end of the week I was even more worn out from doing nothing and craving weights! 

I will be back this week and more determined than ever.........For the first time ever I think I've really missed the gym!

Friday 4 April 2014

Fitspo


#Fitspo Help or Hinderance?

I've been reading a few articles about whether the Fitspo Hash tag is causing a problem and adding fuel to the pro eating disorder fire.....So I thought I would weigh in (no pun intended)

Essentially #Fitspo is a whole bunch of images and "inspirational" quotes that can be found on Instagram and Pinterest amongst other things. It purports to inspire mainly women - although there are a few posts aimed at men, to achieve a certain body image inspired by a healthy active lifestyle.
People argue that #Fitspo is like #Thinspo and promotes an unhealthy body image and eating disorders.

Personally.......I'm not so sure......Like everything there are good an bad #Fitspo images and if you manage to ignore the bad ones - which admittedly can be difficult, the hash tag can be very inspiring!
I regularly look at #Fitspo images on Instagram. Usually when I've finished at the gym. Yes i compare my arms, abs, back, bum, everything to the images but for me they make me realise just how much work those girls put in. I admire their dedication and in an ideal world I'd love to have the time to work on my body to that extent. Not because I particularly want to look like them, but mainly because I love the way that weight training and cardio makes me feel. However, i have a job, family, and life and realistically I know it's not going to happen......and that's fine! 

I do believe that certain #Fitspo quotes and images can motivate and inspire - I'm not a fan of the over sexualised images but as i said before i ignore those.

I truly believe that eating disorders are more deep rooted admittedly I have 0 experience with eating disorders (again this depends on whether you believe that being overweight is an eating disorder - I happen to believe this but that's another post)
If looking at good respectful inspirational, motivational photos and quotes helps to motivate you then surely that is a good thing?

Some of the GOOD inspirational Fitness blogs i read can be found at POPSUGAR

Thursday 3 April 2014

Shredding......


Starting the 30 Day Shred

In keeping with ramping things up for April, I've decided to also do the 30 day shred.....I've never done this before but have see some amazing results from it.
I'm planning on doing this in conjunction with my current personal training plan, classes and running training! Surely one of those will work?

Anyway.....I PROMISE I will take some before photos although I think I might post them at the end of the shred.....Yes I know I'm rubbish but think before photos are turning into quite a big thing for me!

This week so far has not really started. I've been avoiding weight training due to hurting my knee last week, but decided last night to go for a 2K run with the boy. It wasn't a fast run and I was being seriously careful due to my knee, but it turned out to be OK and the boy is a fairly good trainer....he's only ten but I think I've found his future career!

Wednesday 2 April 2014

April Clean Eating Challenge


Clean Eating for the Month of April

I realise this is a day late but I did start this yesterday I promise.

Anyway.....THE CHALLENGE......
Due to the fact that I possibly have an event to attend at the end of April I decided that it's time to step things up with regards to exercise and clean eating. To be fair I usually eat clean 80% of the time with usually one or two cheat meals per week.....My cheat meals tend to be greasy fried non nutritious rubbish!
So for April I'm planning on ditching the greasy stuff for the entire month and only eating clean foods!

In order to give myself the best possible start I spent the whole of Monday doing food prep! This isn't something I've ever done before but it certainly something I'm planning on doing again. Its quite satisfying to know that my breakfast and lunches and a few snacks are made and ready for the week!

Anyway, I will be keeping you up to date with my progress. I look forward to hearing from any of you that have decided to join in............

Tuesday 1 April 2014

HIIT for Fat Burn


High Intensity Interval Training for beginners

My workouts have changed a lot recently. What started out as hours and hours on the treadmill has now become mega streamlined, but is having HUGE effects!
I now workout on the treadmill for roughly 20 mins three times a week. This combined with weight training is giving me some amazing results.....so until it stops working i plan on continuing in the same way.

Basically my workouts now consist of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). In essence i totally kill myself and burn as many calories as i can, then it's done!

HIIT training on the treadmill is ideal for me as i can change the intensity and speed depending on how my legs are feeling. Generally i sprint on the treadmill for 30 seconds and then do active recovery - either walking or a light jog depending how I'm feeling for 1 minute. 
With HIIT training its important to keep changing things up and surprising your body so I often vary the speed rather than the length of the sprint or i do the same workout but on the spin bikes!

Seriously give it a try and see if it works for you.......It took a while but I'm really starting to love it now!