Bingeing and Loathing in the UK

The last week or so my weight has been rising. Those hard-won half-pounds and quarter-pounds have come piling back on in multi-pound onslaughts. Why does it come off so hard and go on so easy? This morning I weighed in at 15 stone 2.2 (212.2 pounds). So I reverted to what I have always done when disgusted with myself – I punished myself with food. Actually, I started yesterday, after weighing in at 15 stone 1.6 for two days in a row. There have been sweets, chocolate, crisps. Bag after bag, one after another. Literally one after another. Even when I felt sick I kept going. I made special journeys to the garage on my way home to stock up and finished the lot off before I got back.

This evening, I had booked a massage after work. I lay on the table thinking…I can’t do it, it’s too hard. I want liposuction. I have NEVER thought that before. Then I started thinking, what’s wrong with me that I hate my body so much that I want to go home and cut at it with a knife. If I’d lived in another age my voluptuous (read fat) body would have been desirable. My hubby desires and loves me the way I am. Why can’t I love myself? On the other hand, with a family history and my weight and size I am setting myself up for all sorts of health problems in the not too distant future. I went to a wedding this weekend and there was a Ceilidh – scottish dancing. I stayed in my chair, as always, knowing that I wouldn’t make it 10 seconds before I collapsed gasping, let alone a whole dance. I watched fat people, old people, and people my age all jumping up and having a ball, and I felt disgusting.

I have been writing this blog since July, and my weight is pretty much what it was back then. But then I remind myself that a couple of years ago I weighed in at nearly 17 stone (238 pounds), so I’m better off now than I was then. I guess in this journey there are going to be lots of false starts. I just need to keep moving in the right direction and I will eventually get there. OK, maybe not as quickly as I’d like. Not as quickly who seem to be able to start a plan and give it everything and stick to it. But I will get there. I have changed in the last couple of years. I am happier, for a start, the last couple of days notwithstanding. I do more exercise. Not as often as I should, but I’m definitely more active. I’ve tried juicing and liked it. Heck, I don’t know what it’s going to take to get it into my thick skull, but I guess I’ll just keep trying, dealing with the demons one by one as they arise. That’s it for now. ‘night all.

Nutrition Tip of the Week no. 12

Tip #12
Skip the Cheat Meal, Fatty
by Dr. John Berardi

Cheat meal frequency should be minimized when you’re over 15-20% body fat. Basically, the fatter you are, the more likely that any excess food will be shuttled toward body-fat storage rather than muscle mass. So skip the cheat meal unless you’re lean. And even then, think of it as an alternative food meal – not a cheat. Cheat meals are usually glorified forms of dietary debauchery. Alternative food meals allow for something a little different from the norm without the trough.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition – our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.

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Look out for another nutrition tip next week.

Disappointed

Disappointed with myself this week. A three pound weight gain, one pound for each chinese, indian, and italian. I haven’t managed to maintain my daily exercise programme, but I have done considerably more than in a while – 3 resistance sessions, 3 interval-based cardio sessions, a 20 minute walk and a 25 minute latin dance workout. I did also manage to get to bed by 11.30 twice this week. Mission for next week is the same again. Go to bed earlier, aiming for 11.30 at least three times this week, and do at least 4 cardio workouts between 40 and 60 minutes. And no junk food all week.

Latin Rhythm

Today I perfected my John Wayne walk. Sore EVERYWHERE. Ow ow ow ow ow (sit down), ow ow ow ow ow (stand up). Couldn’t face my scheduled resistance workout and 45′ incline intervals. Instead tried out a new dance DVD: Kathy Smith’s Latin Rhythm Workout.

I appear to have been born without the dance gene, and after the fiasco with the hip hop workout DVD I decided to get one fronted by one of the name fitness instructors, who might know something about breaking a move down and cueing, rather than a choreographer-to-the-stars who is no doubt used to more promising starting material than I present. I read the reviews on Amazon, and also on a couple of great websites I found: Video Fitness.com, Exercise Video Reviews, and Collage Video.com. I’ll add these to my links page for future reference.

Anyhow, this Kathy Smith Latin workout got great reviews and I can see why. I just did the 25′ Latin Basics section. There’s another 20′ Latin Sizzle for when you want a longer workout or to hot it up a bit. But just to loosen up my muscles and get me moving, the first part was fine. I did lose the footing a couple of times but quickly caught up. It was easy to follow and FUN FUN FUN, and I’m really glad I did it instead of crawling into bed with a bottle of ibuprofen.

I also crossed off another 101 task today, finally getting my inbox down to under 20 messages. Yay. My 101 bank account is now up to £60 (~$120). Although I’d spend that on a nice meal out (ok, a very nice meal out), I’m really chuffed and proud to see that account growing from my own self-improvement efforts. So cool.

Anyhow, still not doing well on the going to bed by 11.30. It’s around 12.30 now. Talk to you tomorrow. ‘night all. Cha cha cha.

Jelly Legs

I couldn’t decide today whether my legs felt more like lead or more like jelly, and whether it was possible to feel both at the same time. Figured they were my legs, at least they used to be…there were times today when I wasn’t sure, so I’d go with both. I was scheduled to do a 60′ cardio routine involving speed intervals and incline work. And you know what? I did it. You’ll have to excuse me, I’m going to crawl off and have a shower now. ‘night all.

Not really trying

You can usually tell before my official weigh day on Sundays what kind of results I’m going to get. If I haven’t posted much during the week, it’s probably because I’ve been feeling guilty. In the last week, I’ve gone over my WW points allowance 4 days out of 7, and two of those were waaaay over! After a 30 minute walk on Sunday, I managed just one 13 minutes cycling session in the morning. Most mornings I can barely get out of bed. Part of the problem is that I’m still going to bed too late. During the week I decided to concentrate on getting to bed before midnight, I managed 5 out of 7. But some of those were mad dashes to get between the sheets before the stroke of twelve. Very Cinderella. It didn’t mean I was turning the light out before 12, and it certainly didn’t mean I was asleep before 12. And since then, it’s been back to my wicked old ways. Anyway, overall, a one-pound rise is not too bad, all things considered.

On the plus side, I crossed off another of my 101 in 1001 goals today, having juiced every day for a month. My 101 fund is now up to £55. How cool is that. I’ve also added a couple of new goals. Check out the 101 page for my favourite juice recipe.

Mission for this week. First, in bed for 11.30 and lights out no later than 12. Second, new exercise programme, from Shape magazine January 2008. It’s quite intense, with around an hour of exercise 6 days a week – strength three times a week and cardio six. Three different strength workouts, all total body, so you don’t get bored. And three different cardio workouts: a 35-minute speed interval workout, a 45-minute incline interval workout, and a 60-minute mix-it-up workout. I’m sitting here dripping with sweat at the moment, trying to write my blog in my 30-second rest periods between resistance sets. It’s taking a while! One more exercise to do – crab dips for triceps, but my arms are already trembling from the push-ups with leg lifts. Oh well, here goes…Done. OK, better go do my cardio now.

Only did 25 minutes. Had to cut it short because of bad shin splints. Still, I did around 30–35 mins strength and 25 mins high-intensity cardio. I feel fantastic. Off to ice my legs and shower. Better dash if I’m going to be in bed by 11.30. ‘night all.

Nutrition Tip of the Week no. 11

Tip #11
Why Choose Oats
by Dr. John Berardi

If you’re looking to gain mass and have a good carbohydrate tolerance, place a bowl of fiber-rich, low-GI rolled oats along with ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder, frozen mixed berries, pineapple and a small quantity of mixed nuts right next to your omelet. This is a muscle building breakfast that’s hard to beat. I place this bowl right next to my omelet for a breakfast that’s hard to beat.

However, if you tend to hold a lot of body fat, just stick with protein, good fats, and veggies for breakfast. Save the non-fruit and veggie carbs till after exercise only – yes, even oatmeal.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition – our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

To see an amazing transformation and to get an idea of what Precision Nutrition could do for you, click here

Look out for another nutrition tip next week.

10 minutes in the morning

I got home from work at 8pm yesterday, made dinner, ate dinner, and went to bed. Today, got home at 6 and went straight to bed. Hubby had to drag me out of bed at 9pm. Cereal for dinner – crunchy nut cornflakes with a banana and skim milk. Watched some TV. About to have my juice and go back to bed. Not much exercise happening here.

I was reading a women’s magazine at lunch today. They had a few women who had tried to fit different kinds of exercise into their lives. One woman started with just 10 minutes of stationary cycling at level 1 in the morning, and built it up to 20 minutes twice a day at level 2/3. She lost a stone in a month and was planning on buying a bike and going cycling with her kids. Reckon even a non-morning person like me can manage 10 minutes before work, so that’s my mission for tomorrow.

Those of you who have been tuning in from the beginning will know that hubby bought me a turbo trainer – a device that you can attach to a regular bike to turn it into a stationary exercise bike. You’ll also know that I loathe the bike. I still can’t ride a proper bike. I never learned as a kid. And I find it too painful and uncomfortable to do more than a minute or two of practice while also trying to steer and not fall off. The turbo trainer was supposed to be an intermediate step, to help me get used to the bike. But I don’t enjoy cycling and I rarely use it. So, tomorrow, ten minutes. And we’ll take it from there.

On a happier note, my weight is up one pound, but there’s been a nice drop in my body fat reading, from 44.6 to 43.7%. I can live with that. ‘night all.

Down 2 pounds

It’s been a pretty good week, food wise, with just one blowout on Friday night, and I’ve been rewarded with a 2.2 pound drop for my efforts. I’ve been counting WW points and writing everything down. It really does keep you on track.

Still not exercising, unfortunately. My asthma is still bothering me and I don’t think I can return to intensive exercise like Turbulence Training. But from today, I’ve decided to put my TT programme on hold and just do some light to moderate walking. Just to get moving, and as much for my mental state as my fitness levels.

I’ve also been working on a couple of my 101 in 1001 goals, and a couple are moving closer to fruition. But I’ll update those on the 101 page. Still not having enough FUN though!

Nutrition Tip of the Week no. 10

Tip #10
ZMA for Deep Sleep
by Dr. John Berardi

ZMA is useful for improving the quality of your sleep. For me, ZMA tends not to induce sleep as much as deepen it. Expect your dreams to be extremely vivid! My athletes, when traveling, or when under heavy training loads, usually included 2-3 ZMA capsules before bed.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition – our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

To get an idea of what Precision Nutrition could do for you, click here

Look out for another nutrition tip next week.