My Bridal Bootcamp... aka Please be my drill sergeant!!!

beegirl

Hi All! I have been lurking on Fitness a lot for the last year, but not posting very often... however, desperate times call for desperate measures so I decided to start a fitness log!

I am getting married in less than 14 weeks - May 1st to be exact :eek: Which is great, except that my wedding dress does not fit. It was a little bit tight when I bought it last August, but I thought "sure I'll lose a few pounds, no bother". Then I gained half a stone So now I need to lose a stone by the end of April.

You would think this would be the best motivation ever... Ha! I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday, who has started to go to aerobics so that she will be in shape for MY wedding. My guests are more motivated by the wedding than I am!!! I have done absolutely zilch in terms of healthy eating or exercise... what is wrong with me?????

Anyway, I have to get motivated asap!!! I'm hoping maybe this log will help? Please come and shout at me regularly

I suppose the first step is coming up with a decent plan: fail to prepare, prepare to fail, or so they say. I have a fairly good idea of what to do... I read this book "Burn the fat, feed the muscle" back in 2007/8 and was super motivated at the time! Started running and did a half marathon towards the end of 2008. Very slowly, mind you, but it was a good achievement for me!

Then in 2009 I said "this year I am going to finish my PhD", and basically abandoned everything except work. Silly me. Now I am extremely unfit (e.g. out of breath walking up stairs) and as I said I gained a stone - I am still technically a "healthy weight" but I feel rubbish. Also I now have a problem with food, some kind of digestive system issue (not sure what yet, but have been to doc so hopefully will get diagnosed & treated for whatever it is soon!) So I have no routine in relation to food - I'm still trying to figure out what I can/can't eat. Oh yeah, and my thesis is STILL not finished :mad: So I didn't do myself any favours at all last year!

Anyway it is time to make health a priority again... not just for the wedding by the way! But that is the most pressing issue at the moment, I can't be walking down the aisle with no dress

So my starting stats are:

Female (if you couldn't guess by the username lol)
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 10st 10 lbs
Body fat %: 28%
Measurements: 38", 31", 40"


And the first part of the plan is: come up with a plan!!! I am a bit concerned about when I will fit everything in - I work from 9am to 10pm most weekdays, so the only time I could go to the gym is before work... and I would have to bring all my meals with me (the canteen food here is NOT healthy)! This is going to require super-organisation!!! Ideas and feedback are appreciated

beegirl

Back again... I really was going to go to the gym this morning - but had another bout of whatever the hell is wrong with me last night! After eating a sandwich - one of those Freshways BLT ones? I have eaten that exact sandwich many times so thought it would be ok, but anyway I was running to the loo half the night after it Had to run out in the middle of class too (I teach night classes), how embarassing

Anyway, moving on... goal today is:

1. Drink plenty of water and get properly rehydrated
2. Avoid sandwiches! And bread in general...

On a good note, my new Tom Venuto book came in the post this morning - yayyyy!!! Tom Venuto is the author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) by the way, and his new book is called the Body Fat Solution. It looks great, same stuff from BFFM but new chapters on emotional eating, motivation and so on... just what I need! So I will read that over the next couple of days and get busy with the planning!

beegirl

Today's food:

9:00 Coffee (milk&sugar), Yoplait yoghurt
12:00 Vegetable soup
3:15 Fruit, nut & seed bar, Coffee (m&s)
17:30 Banana
19:00 Cod (in batter! Still the healthiest thing there, I know it's probably just as bad as eating bread though), mixed roast veg, one scoop of mashed potato.

Currently choking down a second 500 ml bottle of water. Yuk, can't stand it. I know it's still not enough though!!!

Goals for tomorrow:

1. Keep avoiding bread and other floury things.
2. Do better on the water, 1.5 litres at least!!!
3. Also change the coffee for tea (cos I don't need sugar in that!)

beegirl

This is very inspiring stuff - these people did this in 50 days!!!

http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/public/Burn_The_Fat_Holiday_Challenge_2009_Overall_Winners.cfm

And I have 93 days (seriously just had a mini heart attack - less than 100 days to go - still have no flowers/cake - ahhhhhh!!!!) Panic over... Anyway I would be fairly similar to that woman in the before pic, in terms of body fat... so if she can do it so can I!!! Wonder what she did though? Will I pay $9.95 a month to log in and find out??? Meh... probably not I have the book that ought to do the trick

CrazyStraighty

Have you thought about joining Unislim or weightwatchers?

I'm really bad at healthy eating and joined Unislim 2 weeks ago. I'm down 7 pounds and I'm eating an awful lot of food but no junk and it's working. The weekly weigh ins help too!

Good luck!

beegirl

Yay, someone replied!!! Thanks

No I haven't thought about it really... I joined unislim a couple of years ago with a friend of mine but she stopped going after a couple of weeks and then so did I! Maybe it would be a good idea motivation-wise, although paying someone €9/10 just to weigh you is a bit mad in my opinion!

BobbyOLeary

Hey there,

Just a thought on your dietary problems, talk to your GP about celiac's disease. It's essentially an allergic reaction to gluten (it's in bread and a whole host of other processed foods) and may explain the problems you've been having. Just a thought, don't take it as gospel but it's something to get checked out.

beegirl

Thanks Bobby! Actually I had a blood test for Coeliac disease last week, should have the results back tomorrow hopefully! I think the doctor might think it's Crohn's disease either though, as it is in my family... Either way hopefully I will know something soon enough!

JJayoo

Are you doing any excercise?? Driking water can be a pain, have you tried green tea or adding some sugar free miwadi to it. think you might need to increase the ratio of protein in your diet. Lean protein helps keep your metabolism up. At the end of the day you don't want to lose weight, you want to lose fat. Where are you from? there might be some users that go to the same gym.

beegirl

JJayoo wrote: »

Are you doing any excercise?? Driking water can be a pain, have you tried green tea or adding some sugar free miwadi to it. think you might need to increase the ratio of protein in your diet. Lean protein helps keep your metabolism up. At the end of the day you don't want to lose weight, you want to lose fat. Where are you from? there might be some users that go to the same gym.

On the exercise, I am about to! I started the log without having an actual plan, bit backwards I suppose So I think I will go for a couple of walks over the next few days and get back to the gym again on Monday! I am in the college gym (in WIT) and it doesn't open on weekends which is a bit of a downside but it's waaayyyy cheaper than a regular gym...

Definitely agree with you on the protein thing, I never eat enough - and usually overeat on the starchy carbs. I am thinking of bringing a salad that I can put chicken/turkey/whatever with at lunchtime. Do you think that having porridge for breakfast gives you enough protein for that meal?

JJayoo

porridge with milk is alway a good breakfast. When i cut last year, i switched to soya milk, i forget the brand reddish carton, has almost no carbs, yet same fat and protein as milk. Do you by any chance live in apartments that have a few flights of stairs. One of my friends lives in a big 5 storry apartment block. when she wanted to lose a bit of fat i started waking her at 7am on way from work, and on empty stomach she would walk the stairs 5-7 times, taking elevator down each time. really worked for her.

I think that for someone who doesnt have regular excercise in her normal routine, adding it will make huge difference.

Im gonna try and find an article for you, its geared more towards a guy who wants to lose fat and keep muscle, but principles are the same.

I think morning cardio is a great tool, but should be kept short and sweet. If you knew anyone who has an excercise bike there not using, you could borrow it/steal it . Wake up put on some music, and hop straight on it, one min slow 30seconds fast, continue for 15 mins, then get some good fuel into you.

beegirl

Thanks Jay... no I don't live in an apartment block, I am in a very hilly town though so a good place to go for a walk/jog! Going to start back to running (slowly!) with the Couch 2 5k plan on Monday.


Today's food:

9:00 Porridge, Coffee (m&s)
12:45 Vegetable soup
3:30 0% fat yoghurt, banana
18:30 Chicken curry & rice

Nearly there on 2nd 750ml bottle of water :cool:

beegirl

Just back from doc - no coeliac disease, yay! But it turns I have anaemia (weird because I donated blood about 4 months ago and iron level was perfect then) and something called CRP and ESR are high??? Something to do with inflammation apparently... She thinks it all points towards possible having Crohn's disease... anyhow have to go for more scary tests

Ate a VERY bad breakfast after going to doctor... I don't think I can even write it down I was starving because I was fasting for a cholesterol test... Plus I like to have a last goodbye to saturated fat before I get the results and reality sets in lol! I have high cholesterol too - not because of weight or diet, it's just hereditary - my genes SSUUUCCCKKKKK

Anyway I am still working my way through the BF Solution book and coming up with a Big Plan... coming soon...

beegirl

OK I'm done thinking/planning, time to get this show on the road!!!

So there are now 90 days till the wedding, 6 months till my 30th birthday... My New Year's Resolution was to be in "best shape ever at 30". What that means for me...

Ultimate Goals (31st July):
Weight >= 130 lbs
BF% >= 20%
Fitness: able to run half-marathon in less than 2 hrs 30 mins

Interim goals (30th April):
Weight >= 138 lbs
BF% >= 26%
Fitness: able to run 10k

Current Stats (30th Jan):
Weight = 149 lbs
BF% = 31.5%
Fitness: HA!

(This BF% is with the calipers, going to measure BF% using that method from now on...)


Jan 31st - Apr 30th: 90 day challenge!!!!!


Exercise Goals

Cardio: 4 times per week...

Running 3 times per week (Couch to 5k program for first 8 weeks, building up distance to 10k thereafter). Cycle once a week (got a lovely new bike a couple of months ago and it's just been sitting there!)

Weights: 2 times per week...

To start off, the following (BFFM Beginner full body workout)...

Dumbbell curl
Tricep kickbacks - dumbbell
Bench press - dumbbell
Shoulder press
Lat pulldowns
Squats
Lunges - dumbbell
Calf raises - dumbbell
Crunch - ball
Side crunch - ball

3 sets of 8-12 reps each.

BTW don't have a clue about the weights, a lot of the machines in the gym say "1, 2, 3 etc." rather than saying the actual weight... I remember hearing a rule that it should be light enough that you are able to do at least 6 reps, but not so light that you can do 12 reps too easily... so I will try to figure it out as I go, based on that!!!

Schedule:

Monday after work @ 6pm: Couch to 5k
Tuesday before work in gym @ 8.30am: Weights
Wednesday before work in gym @ 8.30am: Couch to 5k
Thursday before work in gym @ 8.30am: Weights
Friday: Rest day
Saturday morning @ 9am: Couch to 5k
Sunday morning @ 9am: Cycle


Nutrition Goals:

Eat 3 small 'balanced' meals and 2 'balanced' snacks (balanced means a mixture of carbs/protein/healthy fats)
Eat as many whole (non-processed) foods as possible (and avoid processed 'junk' foods)
Try to figure out 'trigger' foods and then avoid these
Drink 6-8 glasses of water per day
Take Omega oils & soy lecithin (for cholesterol) and iron tablets

Sample Day:

Breakfast: Porridge (if at home), Oatibix (if in work)
AM Snack: Low-fat yoghurt/Banana
Lunch: Soup/Salad + some lean protein
PM Snack: Nuts/Fruit
Dinner: Same as lunch on work nights (Tues/Weds/Thurs), Fish/Chicken, veg & couple of baby potatoes on the other nights

Not having a fridge/microwave in work is some pain in the... But anyway will bring the snacks and the salad with me every day (double it up for days that I will be there for dinner too). And the oatibix for breakfast if it is a gym day, otherwise I can just have breakfast at home.


Mental Goals:

Stay motivated!!! It is funny how I typed out all of the above, and think it's a fairly good and quite doable plan - but there is still a voice in my head saying "there's NO WAY you're going to be able to do it... I give you 3 days before you quit!" Hmmm, thanks a lot, sub-conscious... Anyway there is a chapter in my new book on 'mental reprogramming', I think it needs to be read very closely...


If anybody is still reading, thanks!!! Please feel free to critique all of the above!

beegirl

Sunday 31st January: Day 1

12:00 Scrambled eggs, wholegrain toast, coffee (milk+sugar)
2:30 40 minute walk
3:30 Pint Miwadi (no added sugar version)
8:00 Chicken tikka masala, peppers, onions, wholegrain rice. Pint water.

Shouldn't have left 8 hours go by without eating! Supposed to eat every 2-4 hours... Also should have drank more water, as usual :rolleyes:

beegirl

Monday 1st Feb: Day 2

8:30 2x Weetabix (skimmed milk)
11:45 Banana
13:15 Vegetable soup, 2x Ryvita with light Philadelphia, Fat-free activia yoghurt, tea with milk
16:45 Handful mixed nuts, tea with milk
7:15 Chicken Kiev, McCain wedges, peas, sweetcorn
8:00 Apple crumble (tiny piece!) with custard... yes I know, very bold... tea with milk

I also drank around 1 litre of water throughout the day - still not enough!!!!! I wonder does tea count towards fluid intake? If so I was probably grand

eoinn

All the exercises you listed are machine based meaning they do the work for you (doesn't work your body as hard as free weights or are muscle isolation exercises (don't really work the rest of the muscles not moving) I teach kettlebell classes which are free weights (you do all the lifting) and works multijoint. you use all your muscles in sequence to move the weight. increased BMR (your engine gets bigger so you use more calories on a daily basis not just at the time of exercise) Ask your gym do they have any, if not find yourself a class

beegirl

eoinn wrote: »

All the exercises you listed are machine based meaning they do the work for you (doesn't work your body as hard as free weights or are muscle isolation exercises (don't really work the rest of the muscles not moving) I teach kettlebell classes which are free weights (you do all the lifting) and works multijoint. you use all your muscles in sequence to move the weight. increased BMR (your engine gets bigger so you use more calories on a daily basis not just at the time of exercise) Ask your gym do they have any, if not find yourself a class

No, the only ones I was using machines for was the shoulder press and lat pulldown - but I'm going to change them to free weights, see below...

Dumbbell curl
Tricep kickbacks - dumbbell
Bench press - dumbbell
Shoulder press - changing to Dumbbell press
Lat pulldowns - changing to Dumbbell row
Squats
Lunges - dumbbell
Calf raises - dumbbell
Crunch - ball
Side crunch - ball

Would like to do a kettlebell class though, it sounds interesting - I heard you can do a whole workout with them? Which would be very handy cos I could do it at home then if I wanted... I wonder if there are any classes in Waterford though?

beegirl

Tues 2nd Feb: Day 3

8:30 2x Weetabix, skimmed milk
11:00 Coffee, milk & sugar
13:30 Turkey breast, tbsp relish, tomatoes, peppers, mixed leaves
15:00 Fat-free activia yoghurt

500ml water so far.

Just saw a piece of chocolate ON THE GROUND and almost wanted to pick it up (I didn't btw!!!) I think the cravings have arrived.

18:00 Vegetable soup, 2x Ryvita, Light Philadelphia, 500ml water
21:00 Oats & More cereal, skimmed milk

poconnor16

beegirl wrote: »

Tues 2nd Feb: Day 3

8:30 2x Weetabix, skimmed milk
11:00 Coffee, milk & sugar
13:30 Turkey breast, tbsp relish, tomatoes, peppers, mixed leaves
15:00 Fat-free activia yoghurt

500ml water so far.

Just saw a piece of chocolate ON THE GROUND and almost wanted to pick it up (I didn't btw!!!) I think the cravings have arrived.

Beegirl dont be too hard on yourself! If the cravings arrive, have some chocolate, but just one square - not two. Maybe something that might help you too - buy the little sachets of options hot choccie and keep one in your bag. Chocolate craving? Sorted!;)

eoinn

Sorry i write in overlong sentences you are using machines and muscles isolation exercises, my point is and was that if you want to lose weight the only way you will do it in your time frame is heavy free weights. increasing your cardiac output is the quickest, Imagine you are a car, if you change your engine from a 1.4 engine to a 3 litre engine you will burn through fuel. But dont do anything with an instructor if you don't trust them.

eoinn

beegirl wrote: »

No, the only ones I was using machines for was the shoulder press and lat pulldown - but I'm going to change them to free weights, see below...

Dumbbell curl
Tricep kickbacks - dumbbell
Bench press - dumbbell
Shoulder press - changing to Dumbbell press
Lat pulldowns - changing to Dumbbell row
Squats
Lunges - dumbbell
Calf raises - dumbbell
Crunch - ball
Side crunch - ball

Would like to do a kettlebell class though, it sounds interesting - I heard you can do a whole workout with them? Which would be very handy cos I could do it at home then if I wanted... I wonder if there are any classes in Waterford though?

Sorry i write in overlong sentences you are using machines and muscles isolation exercises, my point is and was that if you want to lose weight the only way you will do it in your time frame is heavy free weights. increasing your cardiac output is the quickest, Imagine you are a car, if you change your engine from a 1.4 engine to a 3 litre engine you will burn through fuel. But dont do anything with an instructor if you don't trust them.

beegirl

poconnor16 wrote: »

Beegirl dont be too hard on yourself! If the cravings arrive, have some chocolate, but just one square - not two. Maybe something that might help you too - buy the little sachets of options hot choccie and keep one in your bag. Chocolate craving? Sorted!;)

Haha "one square of chocolate", what's that??? I wouldn't be able to leave the rest there... I think there is a gap in the market for individually wrapped squares of chocolate!!! Great idea about the Options, I love those... that will help, thanks

beegirl

eoinn wrote: »

Sorry i write in overlong sentences you are using machines and muscles isolation exercises, my point is and was that if you want to lose weight the only way you will do it in your time frame is heavy free weights. increasing your cardiac output is the quickest, Imagine you are a car, if you change your engine from a 1.4 engine to a 3 litre engine you will burn through fuel. But dont do anything with an instructor if you don't trust them.

No I'm not! I don't understand what you are trying to say to me, maybe I'm just dense... but anyway was at the gym this morning, didn't go near the machines, just did free weights...

beegirl

Weds 3rd Feb: Day 4

Gym:

10 minutes on bike (warm-up)
Stretches

Dumbbell curl - 2x12, 10lbs
Dumbbell tricep extensions - 2x10, 8lbs
Dumbbell bench press - 2x12, 10lbs (each hand = 20lbs?)
Dumbbell shoulder press - forgot!!! I knew I was forgetting something...
Dumbbell row - 2x10, 10lbs
Squats (holding dumbbells) - 2x12, 20lbs
Lunges, dumbbell - 2x12, 20lbs
Calf raises - dumbbell - 2x12, 10lbs
Crunches - 3x12
Side crunch - 2x12, each side
Back extensions - 2x12

20 minutes on treadmill (10 minutes running)
Stretches

Today's Food:

11:00 Coffee (milk & sugar), banana
12:15 Baked ham slices, mixed leaves, tomatoes, peppers, sweetcorn, curried rice. Coffee (m&s).
14:00 Mandarin
16:30 Yoghurt & muesli flapjack (1 litre water so far)
18:00 Vegetable soup (another 500 ml water)
22:30 2x Weetabix, skimmed milk

beegirl

Thursday 4th Feb: Day 5

OOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!! Very sore after gym yesterday

9:00 Berry Scone (bad I know, but so delicious!), low-low, Coffee (m&s).
12:45 Baked ham, mixed leaves, peppers, sweetcorn, 500ml water.
3:00 Fruit, nut & seed bar, weight watchers yoghurt, Coffee (m&s).
6:00 Vegetable soup
9:30 Oats & More Cereal, tea, skimmed milk

Motivation's started to flag a bit!!! I think it must be cos this is my third long day in work (Tues/Weds/Thurs are always 12+ hours because I have to stay for night classes), but I just want to go home and eat everything in sight and then go to sleep. *Sigh*

This is what always happens, I do ok midweek, by Thursday the resolve is weakening and by Friday it's gone... and then I'll be like "oh, I'll start again on Monday - but first I better have pizza/chips/chinese food one last time"... BUT NOT THIS WEEKEND!!!! I am determined to stay on track this time... Anyway probably what I really need is just a bit of rest, not loads of food.

Magic Eight Ball

poconnor16 wrote: »

If the cravings arrive, have some chocolate, but just one square - not two.

One square is worse than having none at all! :pac:

beegirl

Trevor Coulahan wrote: »

One square is worse than having none at all! :pac:

Agree completely!!! One square is like torture...

littlefriend

beegirl wrote: »

I think there is a gap in the market for individually wrapped squares of chocolate!!!

You can get boxes of Green & Blacks individually wrapped in Tesco. Lovely!

beegirl

littlefriend wrote: »

You can get boxes of Green & Blacks individually wrapped in Tesco. Lovely!

Great in theory... but still a BOX of chocolates!!! If they had some kind of time lock, where you could only get one out of the box every 24 hours, then it would be fine :P

littlefriend

beegirl wrote: »

Great in theory... but still a BOX of chocolates!!! If they had some kind of time lock, where you could only get one out of the box every 24 hours, then it would be fine :P

LOL - off to Dragons Den with you!