New Life Resolutions

sullivlo

From fat to fit and back to fat again, I've had a journey over the past few years. And now the time has come to make the journey to fit again.

Background:
I lost weight about 3 years ago and I was very fit. I play rugby and was training 2 nights a week, with a match on the weekend and sporadic walks / hikes in the evenings / weekends when I had little else to be doing. I lost ~ 25 kg, toned up greatly and I was feeling much better about myself. I went from a good size 22 to a 14 and I looked (and felt) much, much better for it.

Where it all went wrong:
For reasons I won't go into, my life changed. Some bad things happened and I wasn't feeling right. I turned to food to comfort myself. Along side the increase in food, there was a significant decrease in exercise. I was writing up my PhD thesis and I just did not have the time to go training or even for a walk. Its a poor excuse I know, and I suppose deep down I just could not have been bothered. The weight crept back up and I have leveled off on the scales at over 140 kg, which is immensely heavy. Oddly, it is the most I have ever weighed, but I am wearing a smaller dress size than I was previously.

Why now?
I'm unemployed. I'm job hunting. I have no excuses. I could easily sit and watch TV all day but I'm going to use the time to better myself and start new, positive habits.

Getting fit, losing weight, toning up - they're all little parts of my overall goal to achieve true happiness in life.

Along with an exercise regime, I will start to see a dietician soon. I have chronic stomach issues: I suffer from gastric reflux, gall bladder issues, small intestinal reflux and chronic constipation, along with colitis and diverticulitis. Most diets suggest wholewheat bread, rice and pasta, however I cannot eat fibre or many vegetables (particularly leafy greens - lettuce, spinach, cabbage) as they cause a major flare up of inflammation within my gut and causes severe pain, bloating and other very unpleasant symptoms. I have slightly elevated cholesterol so I want to get a food plan that I can follow to decrease my weight (& cholesterol) without causing any negative effects on my tummy, and to have a balanced diet.

I drink 2+ litres of fluid a day. Christmas time meant those fluids were fizzy drinks, but things will change and I will switch to water or sugar free alternatives.

I plan to use this thread as motivation to myself to keep going, and to keep track of my exercises, weight and other things of note.

**At the start of this process I have a very sore ankle. I am currently saving for an MRI to see what is going on**

Edited to add:
Goals for the next 3 months
(Ankle permitting) Get back out on the rugby pitch
(Ankle permitting) Take up roller derby (it looks like fun)
Complete the couch to 5k app (I don't mind if this takes longer than 3 months)
Enter a 5 k road race
Get back in the swimming pool and build up to 40 lengths (1 km) 3 times a week

Any comments, constructive criticism, etc etc etc are more than welcome!

Louise.

Alf Veedersane

Best of luck with everything. One thing I would suggest is to do a lot of research in the dietician you go to. I went to one who didn't even know what oatbran was. I had/ have no confidence in her and if it was crucial to me making a big change, I'd be going nowhere. Again, best of luck with everything.

sullivlo

Day 1

Foodwise: it was not a good day. A bit of junk and a lot of coke. Dinner was a home made paella with chicken, prawns and chorizo. I made it so I am confident that it is low(ish) in fat.

Exercise: I started the Couch to 5k app. I tracked my journey on MapMyRun and it said it was 2.85 km. I completed all of the run segments, however on the one just after the midpoint my ankle pained a little so I had to slow down a bit.

Overall, I feel good that I have begun this journey. And I am delighted that I was able to "run" the 60 second intervals (and that it was my ankle that gave up before my lungs!)

sullivlo

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Best of luck with everything. One thing I would suggest is to do a lot of research in the dietician you go to. I went to one who didn't even know what oatbran was. I had/ have no confidence in her and if it was crucial to me making a big change, I'd be going nowhere. Again, best of luck with everything.

Thanks - I have a friend whose girlfriend is a dietician and she is going to recommend somebody to me. Alternatively there is a dietician within my GP practice who I have heard good things about!

Alf Veedersane

Well,that's a good start. What kind of junk do you find yourself eating? I don't have a huge sweet tooth but one of the 'light' hot chocolates from Aldi (though I know they have the same in Tesco,for example) does the job for me if I get a craving for anything.

sullivlo

My diet is, by and large, healthy. I could probably eat more breakfasts but lunches and dinners are fairly healthy.

My downfall is coke (of the cola variety). Or pretty much any fizzy drink. I think I need to substitute these with sugar free squash, 7-up zero and plain old water.

I will get some of those light hot chocolates though. My guilty pleasure over Christmas was hot chocolate and I enjoy mocha coffees. Perhaps a sachet of hot chocolate mixed in with some coffee would give a low-fat/low-calorie alternative!

Alf Veedersane

Americanos will deal with your mocha needs.

Stench Blossoms

Can you post up a typical diet of what you think is healthy?

You've mentioned low fat a few times. Low fat isn't necessarily healthy.

sullivlo

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Can you post up a typical diet of what you think is healthy?

You've mentioned low fat a few times. Low fat isn't necessarily healthy.

I didn't think we were allowed post up food intake?

I'm currently aiming for low fat to try to reduce my cholesterol. I know the difference between good fats and bad fats so I am trying to increase good fats and decrease bad / trans fats while maintaining a healthy fat intake. It's part of the reason I want to see the dietician so that I can keep a balanced diet while trying to keep away from foods that trigger a bad GI response.

In general my diet is good in terms of main meals. It's the snacking that does me. I snack on chocolate, crisps and coke. I am confident that if I cut out my snacking (or replace with healthier alternatives) and increase my exercise (from sedentary to something) that I can increase fitness, decrease weight and increase happiness. Breakfasts are hit and miss but I am going to take time in the day to have breakfast of cereal and milk.

Lunches are smaller portions of leftover dinner. Dinners are all cooked from scratch (no jars, processed foods, packets of sauces) and are based on some form of protein (usually chicken, white fish or salmon, minced beef or eggs - sometimes with the yolk removed as I don't like the taste), vegetables in the form of tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions, broccoli and parsnips, and a carbohydrate source is usually white rice, white pasta and sometimes potatoes but only if I'm making a Spanish omelette. Fruit wise I eat melon, pineapple, banana, orange, grapes, apples... I cook with sunflower oil, use olive oil for dressings.

I think it's balanced enough. But I am open to constructive criticism.

Stench Blossoms

No breakfast is better than having cereal. Eating breakfast isn't the be all and end all. It's overall calories throughout the day that will determine weight loss.

What are your portion sizes like? With the likes of white rice & pasta etc, could you drop these? People tend to have more than the recommended about of them.

sullivlo

If I drop rice / pasta would I get enough carbs from vegetables?

Today is only the first day of the process. Baby steps. I will reduce portion size but I don't think the portions are massive. When I batch cook I will use approximately 3 chicken fillets / 500 g mince, 2 or 3 peppers, 2 or 3 onions, 1 or 2 carrots, 2 tins of tomatoes, herbs and spices. This will give 3 dinners and 2 lunches. I'd serve whatever that was with a handful of pasta shells or rice. A 1 kg bag of pasta and a 1 kg bag of rice would last well over a month.

Stench Blossoms

Swap the pasta for cauliflower, broccoli and carrots.

sullivlo

Can't do cauliflower but will try cut out the pasta.

What about bread? Should I cut that out / down too?

Stench Blossoms

Oh yes.

sullivlo

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Oh yes.

Okay. I don't eat much bread but will cut it.

JJayoo

I think Stenchy will agree with me when I suggest Quark as a good diet food. Low calories/high protein/tasty and can be mixed with a variety of different foods.

sullivlo

Thanks for the suggestion of quark. I will look into it.

For the time being I think I will use this to log exercise rather than to keep track of food. I will be seeing a dietician in the next 2 weeks to get a plan that will hopefully not result in any tummy issues.

For now, I want to try to make small changes, little by little, that will alter how I approach life, exercise, eating. Based on past experiences in how I've tackled other things in my life I need to take baby steps rather than wholesale changes at once: I don't deal well with change.

Day two (morning)
Went for a walk, logged as 3 km with an average speed of 10.50/km. At my height of fitness I was doing 8/km so I'm off pace, but it's something to work towards.

Interesting, to me, is that I logged the same average speed last night on the C25K so I must have slowed right down in my walking stages (or my run is no quicker than my walk!)

sullivlo

Day two (afternoon)

Legs feeling a bit jelly like and tight. Did a session of the 7 minute work-out:
Jumping jacks (20)
Wall sit (30 seconds)
Push ups (15)
Sit ups (20)
Steps (15)
Squats (15)
Dips (pathetic - 4)
Plank (30 seconds with breaks)
High knees (30 seconds, slow pace)
Lunge (15)
Push ups with rotation (10)
Side plank (2 x 15 seconds - on knees)

Will aim to do this daily and increase intensity OR increase the time to the 14 / 21 / 28 minute workout.

sullivlo

Day three

Today I joined the gym.

I did day two of C25K and covered 2.8 km in 30 minutes. I felt good during the workout but I got slightly bored after ~20 minutes. I will need to download some podcasts or audiobooks instead of music.

I did 1 km on the bike to warm down and steady my legs.

As I was in the gym I didn't have access to the 7 minute workout so I didn't complete it: I did 50 crunches and 25 push ups.

Finally, I did a 1 km swim (60 x 18 metres) in 34 minutes.

If I get a burst of energy I will do the 7 minute workout at home, but my muscles (abdomen, shoulders) are tight.

No pain, no gain.

siochain

good work sullivlo, keep it lit

sullivlo

Day four

Okay so I was planning on a rest day today as when I went to bed my legs were tired but I woke up feeling good so I went to the gym.

I repeated the day two of c25k, increasing the distance covered slightly in the 30 minutes.

I did one minute on the bike but my kindle ran out of charge so I was bored.

I did 30 x 18 metres swimming: 10 each of freestyle, breast and back. Time was 22 minutes so an increase in time from yesterday but backstroke is my weakest.

sullivlo

Day five

Today was the "taking down the Christmas tree" day in the sullivlo house, so there was a lot of climbing, lifting, carrying and movement. I was sweating and could feel it in my arms and legs.

I went to the gym and I did day 3 of the C25K. I don't know if it was the decorations that did it, but I was tired. I managed the whole run, but I could genuinely feel it in my legs.

I did 3k on the bike.

I think tomorrow I will rest my legs and just do some swimming: I know it's not a lot for most people on here, but there is 15km (+ general day-to-day walking) on my legs in the past few days and that is more than the past month combined!! So a day of rest for the legs and a change to work on the upper body and overall muscles in the pool.

siochain

Great weeks work

sullivlo

Day six

Today I was wrecked tired. I found sleep difficult last night and it had a knock on effect today! I was in the lab from 10-4 and went home then.

After dinner I went for 3 and a bit km on the bike (80 rpm, level 10, 15 minutes).

Moved down to the pool. A bit over a km.

Arms tired.

Tomorrow will head for week two of the c25k. Not looking forward to the longer running increments but my legs are feeling better today.

I am also gonna try out the gym in the mornings once or twice to see how that goes! See if I'm better suited to early morning walks or later evening walks.

sullivlo

And suddenly it's Day seven

(I'm going to have to start a code. W2D1 for tomorrow: week two, day one)

Anyway!

Today I had an easy day in the lab (reading at the computer) so I left early.

I went to the gym and did c25k, w2d1. For the first time I broke 10min/km! (It was 9.58, but I'm counting it!). I felt good - the 1.5 minute run was grand, and I was ready to go again after maybe half of the walk. I enjoyed it.

I then moved onto the bike. Another 3 km (15 minutes).

I forgot to bring a drink bottle with me so and my legs (calves) got a bit cramped.

I went home and did some core work (exercise ball: crunches - 5 x 10 with a 30 sec rest), and another 15 minutes on the (new) bike here. Funny to see the difference in bikes: the same time here suggested a distance of nearly 6 km! Perhaps resistance etc is different.

Progress to date
Overall, 7 days of exercise in and I'm enjoying it immensely. I may need to re-evaluate my goals and aims though - currently classes are not feasible. My new plan:
- 3 x c25k walk/jog (day 1, 3, 5)
- 3 x 1km swimming (day 2, 4, 6)
- 6 x 15 min bike (tracking distance - aim to increase as a function of time) (before swim / after c25k) (days 1-6)
- One rest day

If I have a few spare hours over the weekend I will try to squeeze in a session of walk/jog (repeat most recent c25k sequence), bike, 500 m swim.

Evenings at home I will try squeeze in some time on the bike (with tv!) and some core work. In the past I could plank for a minute: I'm struggling to get past 15 seconds!!

This may change due to time.

So far, so good. I am getting great enjoyment out of exercise.

Regarding food: all going well!
- no coke
- no crisps
- no chocolate

I am seeing a dietician on Thursday to discuss the nutritional aspect of my diet, what I can cut, should cut, what I need more of - specific for my health issues. I am assuming that she will weigh me then so that should give me an idea of progress.

But my clothes are feeling more comfortable!

siochain

Great stuff and so much achieved all ready.

sullivlo

W2D1

Today was tough.

I didn't sleep well last night so I started the day tired.

I was on my feet a bit today (Ikea and Kildare Villages) and went straight to the gym before dinner.

I did 20 mins on the bike (5 km)

I did 40 x 25 m lengths (1 km) in a new time of 38 minutes. But I am exhausted now and can feel it in my arms.

No pain no gain!!

sullivlo

W2D2
Went to the gym this morning.

Walked up and did 2 km in 20 mins (it's 2 km door to door) and then did W2D2 of c25k. I found it tough. I forgot my inhaler today so that could be it but I just felt a bit out of puff.

I did 15 mins on the bike.

Seeing dietician tonight and might (might!!) go to the pool for aqua aerobics. Will see.

sullivlo

So I didn't make aqua aerobics. The appointment with the dietitian ran on a bit and I had some housework to do.

Anyway. I was weighed. I am down 4.5 kg since I was weighed in November.

sullivlo

w2d3

15 mins on the bike. 3.5 km.

32 mins (including breaks after each 10 lengths) for 40 lengths today.

Pig out for dinner so undoing any good but still under calorie goal!

sullivlo

w2d4

Bate this evening! Absolutely bate.

I was up early (neighbours getting work done, builders there at 8!) so did the gym before brekkie.

Week 2, day 3 of c25k. 3.2 km in 31 mins.

Bike for 15 mins - 3.6 km.

Spent the day with my friend and her kids in the playground so plenty of cardio running after them and lifting them up to slides and pushing them on the swings.

Then 15 mins on the bike at home this evening as I had nervous energy!

Tired. Going to have a "rest day" tomorrow and maybe just either go for a walk if the weather is nice, or a leisurely swim / sauna / steam if it's not! Gentle exerts I suppose.