Unsolicited Update

Hi crew! (Mum, Hi Mum :) )

just a quick update to say we are now at the end of week 5, and everything is going swell.  Yesterday was the first time I felt like I winged it with the food.  So, I got up in the morning, had my warm lemon water, and went into F45.  Then, I thought it would be a good idea to go grocery shopping quickly - so I had my morning tea in the car (15 raw almonds, om nom nom).  I got home around 10:45am - having not had breakfast.  It was supposed to be oats and a bit of banana - but I wasn't feeling that, so I just had a whole banana.  A few hours later I cooked and ate salmon for lunch, and a few hours after that I prepped half of dinner (but didn't eat it), had half a protein shake for afternoon tea, and went off to a birthday party.  When I came home at about 8:45pm, I finished cooking dinner and it was delicious :)  I am stoked I was able to have a manic day, and still fit in my 3L water, still eat 5 "meals", and more or less follow the meal plan - or adapt it to my life.  The most tempting things at the party for me, despite there being pizza, donuts, crisps, and chocolates - were the nuts and healthy wraps!  Seriously!

When I was at F45 yesterday, we had playoffs.  Playoffs is an intense 10 minute test with 10 exercises, each with a multiplier that gives you an overall score of maximum 1000 points.  Each summer there is a state competition followed by a national competition, where we can compete either individually or in teams of 4.  There's a big 2 storey truck with the exercises set up as a course.  Sometimes we practice that in the studio - like yesterday.  It was my first ever playoffs test, and I did better than I thought - I got a 406 score (with some shortcuts).  Our top athletes are getting about 575, so 406 is pretty good!  Here are my results:

Rower:  225m

Bench Hops:  34

TRX Push up and Knee Tuck:  6 (I had to do these on my knees)

5 cone Lareral Hop:   45

Box jump to burpee:  7

Chin Ups:  10 (I used both a green and purple band)

Bar bell squat press:  15  (5kg+5kg)

Medicine ball russian twist:  39 (4kg ball)

Hurdle Hop:   5  (I hated this one!)

I am sick today.

Last night, after the gym, I came home and smashed out some meals in the kitchen - made breakfast for today, did the salad for today and tomorrow lunch (still need to cook the beef), and made dinner for last night and tonight.

I was really nauseous and I couldn't finish it (lucky I have a dog - he even ate some kale!).

I felt pretty sick the rest of the evening - and then I couldn't sleep, and ended up sleeping in by about 2 hours.  Not feeling well again today...  better, but not 100%.  I'm also lucky I work from home in the mornings, so I can do it in my PJs until I get my shit together! 

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the challenge.  Perhaps it's just my cooking - very good possibility!  I have been feeling quite worn out lately - working the two jobs, meal prep and grocery shopping, 120 squats and some planking every morning, F45 every evening, Saturdays I switch those around, and Sunday I elaborate on the squats/planking and skip F45.  So I'm not really getting a rest day - because the F45 challenge says you should "exercise to sweat" everyday.  So I am!  Next week I am going to Malaysia for 3 whole days, and maybe that forced break is exactly what I need?

In other news, I should record it here, I have been having some chest pains.  This isn't abnormal, I have had various chest pains for the past 15 years.  A Doctor once told me the stabbing sensations I feel over my heart are most likely my oesophagus having a spaz, not my heart.  So I don't really notice them often.  But I feel like they have gotten worse, or at least I have been noticing them more - not necessarily linked to exercising, but I seem to be exercising a lot so they may be.  I wondered if it was the vaping, but I haven't been doing that at all lately?  I kind of seem to notice them for a couple of days and then forget about them.  I'm also still getting that dreadful anxious feeling at times.  Not bad at all, just sometimes it pops up to remind me I'm still not 100%.  Great :(

Alright, whinge and moan over - I'm back to work!

Good Morning America! (Or Australia)

Hello!

It is Monday 21st May 2018, and I believe it has been a whole WEEK since you've heard from me.  That means we have just started week FIVE of the challenge, meaning that yes, I have had my mid-point body scan.

I'll cut to it shall I?

Overall:                                  84.1kg down to 79.0kg             = 5.1kg loss

Body Fat Percentage:              39.1% down to 32.6%              = 6.5% loss

Skeletal Muscle Mass:             28.2kg up to 29.7kg                  = 1.5kg gain

Pretty Effin Amazing, by all accounts!

This means my last week (week 4) I lost 1.1kg, and explains what was happening in that third week where I didn't lose anything (I was building muscle).

Husby and I went out to the movies on Saturday night in celebration, and I took along my afternoon snack which was protein balls - worked really well!  He supported me by taking snacks from home as well, FOUR bags of beef jerky - but he was kind enough to get the spicy kind, that I don't like.  He then bought Coke (I don't like fizzy drinks) and I got a new Pump water bottle - perfect date night if I do say so myself!

Cravings wise I am totally fine for 90% of the day, but in the evenings, just before bed, far out do I want a burger.  Or a Kiwi Big Breakfast.  Or Crisps.  Basically salt, carbohydrate, meat, fat - that's what I'm all about at 10pm.  I have been putting more and more (Himalayan) salt on my meals, and I don't think that's a bad thing considering I am still not cooking with salt, and clearly my processed food intake has been eliminated in the last month.  I haven't really touched the vaporizer (wait, have I even spoken about this before?  Hold up!).  At the start of the challenge I started vaping - this is inhaling the fumes from burning oils in a little machine.  It is an alternative to smoking cigarettes, which is why we had one (Roger).  We had a variety of oils - including "Grape Hubba Bubba", which has no nicotine in it at all.  I did a bit of research, and basically, vaping hasn't been around long enough and/or there haven't been enough studies to show whether it is good or bad for you.  They do know it is better than smoking cigarettes (but obviously that isn't the comparison I need).  Many women ask whether it is safe to do throughout pregnancy, and the answer is unknown - it isn't NO, but it may not be YES.  There are reports that it isn't carcinogenic, and it doesn't impair lung function.  Anyways, I started vaping - only in the evenings, and not every evening.  Sometimes I would just have 1-2 puffs and it would be enough to curb the cravings.  Sometimes I would hold on to it for a few hours, which is somewhat equivalent to a shisha session (hookah).  What I found is that it really helped me get through that first week and a half, when I was battling with that hand-to-mouth type food addiction.  Since then, I have had a couple of days where I have used it, but for the most part I have gone weeks without using it.  It's great to have there as a back stop - knowing that I have a fail-safe if I give in to my cravings.  Anyway, I'm considering purchasing some of the savory flavoured oils to help with these late night cravings - I'm sure they have bacon!

I just had my Monday morning weigh in, and I am 78.85kg and 31.6% body fat according to my scales.  On Saturday I did a direct comparison between my scales and the body scan, and it seemed like my scales weigh about 400g heavier, and about 1% lower in body fat.  So that's about right, I'm a bit lighter this morning but nothing to write home about.

I spoke to a friend of mine who did the last challenge, asking about the first half versus the second half.  He said the second half was harder, particularly the last 2 weeks where it changes to high protein low carbohydrate.  I'm not too worried about that, but I have changed my 8 week goals.  I am no longer focusing on any real numbers.  My priority is to make it to 8 weeks while maintaining commitment to the meal plans.  I want to be able to say "I had control over what went into my body for 8 weeks".  That will be the real winner for me!  Weight wise, 10kg is looking within reach, but I am just conscious that I am already putting 100% into it, and I know that the 2.7kg loss in week 1 will not be repeated as that was basically a detox phase.  I don't want to put pressure on myself - I expect myself to continue giving it 100%, and if that results in 10kg loss then great, but if I don't lose that much, that's great too.

Frustrated

You know, I'm starting to realise why they discourage frequent weigh - ins.

I've followed the challenge plan to the letter this week, only disruption is sometimes I don't finish my meals if it is too much for me.  I've been to F45 everyday including Saturday, and I exercised on Sunday too.  I have even started doing 140 squats each morning, and a 30 day planking challenge.  (I put this at the opposite end of the day from my F45 class).  Purchased new scales on Saturday, so have weights from Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning - which is my actual weigh-in day.

If anything, I've put ON weight?!!!  Last week I was 80.1 kg, the readings I have this weekend are 80.3, 80.2, 80.5....  Obviously my scales could be different than the others I have been using, so I am keeping my tracked weight at 80.1kg same as last week.  I did notice my body fat % is 32.2% down from 39.1% at the start of the challenge (3 weeks ago), so I suppose that is very positive.  It is just disheartening that I feel I had a fantastic week, ticking all the boxes on all fronts - sleep, work, exercise, water, meals - and I am absolutely not rewarded for it.

People have said "yeah but muscle weighs more than fat" - this is true, but as I've been lifting weights for a good 18 months now, I don't think that excuse really fits - I can't be building much muscle.  So the last few nights have been full of doubts and temptations - what's the point if it doesn't work??  I am lucky to have a great pal from F45 that is doing the challenge with me, to share my frustrations, and keep me on the straight and narrow.  Thanks Laura :)

My one saving grace is remembering other periods in my life where I have lost weight - I've never been one for the scales, so I am sure I wouldn't have weighed myself more than once every 4 weeks if that - maybe every 6 weeks even!  So, this may be normal for me, I've just never seen it before because I don't check?  With that in mind, Laura and I have agreed to stick to the plan and keep going with the challenge, use the 4 week scan as a good tracking point, see the results at the 8 week scan, and ignore any other measurements that happen throughout.  I guess I just have to trust in the programme and keep going.  Easier said than done!

Beautiful Tuesday

Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've stepped into being a busy bee so not much time for blogging.  One of the dumbest things about this challenge is the MASS amount of time you spend preparing meals, and then wasting the excess food from half opened packets.  For example, this week, I have the same breakfast twice - which is 1 slice of gluten free bread, with a concoction of peanut butter/cacao powder/protein powder/cinnamon on it.  So, TWO slices of bread in the week.  What happens to the rest of the loaf?  Luckily I don't mind frozen bread (unlike SOME people), but there are other instances of this also.  My dog likes smoked salmon, which is good, because last week I used 50g out of 225g.

In other news I weighed myself yesterday evening as I have changed my gym schedule to be after work now.  In all honesty, I was disappointed I only lost 1.3kg last week.  The first two weeks of the challenge are supposedly where you lose the most, and although I've lost 4kg since I started, I'm expecting my losses to be much less in the next 4 weeks of the challenge, so I'm concerned about how that is tracking for the remaining 6 weeks.  My secret goal of 12kg over the 8 weeks looks far away (8kg in 6 weeks), and my realistic goal of 10kg over the 8 weeks is looking sketchy (6kg in 6 weeks).

Nevertheless, I'm still determined to stick to the plan and continue.  Even losing 4kg is better than a kick in the teeth!

The Return of the Husband

Hello again!

Yesterday morning I collected my husby from the airport.  He's back for a few days - so I was interested to see how challenging or not the challenge is for me while he is here.  Hard to say so far - I enjoy the extra help in the kitchen (he is the main cook), and I enjoy having someone to talk to which takes my mind off eating.  However, I don't like him offering me a taste of a Dorito Shape, or the open packet of Toffee Pops next to the bed.

It's not too bad, this is my journey and there is temptation around every corner, I can handle it.

In other news I had a nightmare last night - I was back home in Rotoma, and we all sat down to lunch in the old dining room.  Afterwards, I was doing the dishes, and I realized I HAD NOT FOLLOWED THE MEAL PLAN!  It was a TERRIBLE feeling - my fears come true - absentmindedly falling off the wagon.

I have decided to weigh myself every Monday.  I am not looking forward to my weigh in this coming Monday - I know I won't have lost near the 2.7kg I did last week, and I don't want to be disappointed.  The fact is, over the 8 weeks, I know there are going to be some weeks where I lose hardly anything.  And that's okay - although I have a weight loss target, my real goal is to sticking to the meal plan for the whole 8 weeks.  I'm already making a list of things I want to eat after the challenge, but check out the types of things on it:

• turkey stir-fry
• soft shell taco's made with coconut flour
• more black rice
• ALMOND BUTTER AND CARROT STICKS ZZZZOMG!!!!
• buddha bowls
• green smoothies!
• stuff with rice malt syrup!

(Note that broccoli frittata doesn't make an appearance).

Also, we had Bears at F45 today.  18 exercises, 2 sets at each, 35 and 55 seconds.  There was a point during, where I was almost crying, and I imagined Mel looking at me and asking if I was okay, and that made me laugh.  Because yes, I was okay, just pushing my limits :)