Tonight I have done a nice little upper body session. I was quietly pleased because I've been able to do isolated but unassisted wide grip pull ups. I only did 3, then into 20 push ups, 10 suspension pull ups, and then 10 suspension tuck-push ups. I switched to 10 bungee assisted wide grip pull ups for the next two sets. I went onto bench presses with 14kg dumbbells, 10 reps then straight on to 8kg dumbbells for 20 reps. I did that twice. I then did a little ab work out, 3 sets of 50 sit ups supersetted with 30 6kg dumbbell raises with my legs half raised, kind of like a reverse plank but without having your arms and legs to fall back on when your abs get tired. Then I half heartedly did 3 sets of 10 reps converging shoulder presses with 14kg. And finally, I finished it off with 15 minutes on the cross trainer.
Yesterday I ran around Delamere Forest for 60 minutes. Last week I did hill sprints in Delamere in just one spot, so it was quite nice to run around the forest. I did two rounds of the route, I've no idea how long it was but it was hard running and that's enough for me. Except that if it wasn't at least 4 miles I'm in big trouble for Total Warrior. Shameless plugging, but if you're reading this, maybe you might consider sponsoring me for this little slice of Hell I'm putting myself through....http://www.justgiving.com/Tilly-Mint
Anyway.
I have been monitoring my carbs a lot over the last few weeks. Vinnie wanted me to keep below 50g, but that wasn't ever going to happen - my All Bran is 25g! I've cut down my fruit though, and sweets are pretty much a no-go. So I've been consuming around 150g carbs, which includes rather a lot of veggies, salad and the best thing is, I've been able to eat nuts! I love nuts but I've deprived myself for years because I've always focussed on calorie counting and nuts are through the roof in terms of calories. I've been measuring my portions though, so I don't get carried away. Got a smart new digital scale - everyone who watches their weight should own one...for their food, not for them. Mine has a 5kg limit so that might not work. I have noticed a distinct difference, my weight has stabilised - I'm still around 11 stone, but I really don't think that's likely to change unless I took my diet to the next level, that is, down to sub 50g carbs, less calories, blah blah blah. But I have a day job which involves talking to the public so I can't afford to be like a bear with a sore arse. So an extreme diet is out of the question. I'm starting to feel more defined and feel more secure though, and my training is right on track.
Perhaps a happy medium has been achieved?
Friday 27 July 2012
Saturday 7 July 2012
Protein for summer! And a bit of a rant.
I did a nice run in Royden Park today, felt proper good to just splash through the mud after yesterday's (and the day before, and the day before that...) rain. I did some hill sprints as well, found a nice incline in the woods. I'm desperately trying to add loads of inclines and intervals into my training for this Total Warrior 10k. I might not even be doing it because no one else is actually running it with me, and it has to be a team event. But, I'm looking into alternatives and am going to train as if I am actually going to do it.
I'm not losing weight yet, which is still driving me to distraction, in fact I'm still gaining, then losing, gaining, then losing. I can't figure out what more to do. I keep looking at old photos of myself, on holiday in the States last year and mourning the body I used to have. But when I was in the States last year, guess what I thought? 'FAT FAT FAT'. The mind is a hideous beast, it really is. So here I go, headlong into egg white omelettes and greens, cutting out all the crap. If I can do that and the scales still read that I've gained weight, I won't beat myself up too much because it must be muscle mass, as I mentioned in my previous post. There are some interesting thoughts on fitness sites (http://blog.shareitfitness.com/2012/why-scale-doesnt-matter/), whereby the reading on the scales doesn't actually matter at all. There are some good case studies of women who, according to the scales haven't lost any weight at all, but look three hundred times better than they did before they started. I'll be completely honest with you. Before I started training at all, I was over 13 stone. I can't remember the exact figure, but it wasn't 13 stone 1lb, for example. It was a definite 'over' 13 stone. Then I started to diet and train, but not very hard, so my weight went down and plateaued at between 11 stone and 11 stone 4. Then I hit the cardio hard and went down to 10 stone 10 (fully clothed - I'm not one to mince around the gym changing rooms wearing nothing but a smile). That weight didn't last long because then I started doing some pretty hardcore strength training for a powerlifting competition that I never actually entered. My weight went up to over 11 stone again, but then I stopped strength training (to a degree - I still lift weights, but not as heavy), and started looking slimmer because my muscles had chilled out a bit. However, now I'm in a weird phase where I've got some muscle tone, some curves, a fairly low fat percentage but a fluctuating weight on the scales, between 11 stone and 11.5! I'm just a bit lost. I don't want to be in denial about weight gain, because that's how I ended up being 13 stone. So where to go from there?
Measurements are:
waist - 30.5ins (and I do mean around my belly button, not further up where most people measure their waists)
hips - 37ins
thighs (thickest part) - 22ins
upper arms - 11.5ins
bust - 39ins
Anyway, I came on here to document a wonderful little concoction I just made and enjoyed. It's hardly anything Heston Blumenthal would do...but I thought I'd tell you anyway. I always get really jealous of people who can enjoy ice cream and frappucinos without guilt or weight gain, so I'm always looking for an alternative that I can have. I used a scoop of strawberry cream 90% protein powder, 200-300ml almond milk, 4 big spoons of natural yogurt, lots of ice cubes, whizzed up in a blender. Serious yum. That actually made 2 and a half large glasses worth, which is just under 300 calories for the whole lot, and 36g protein. Winning!
I'm not losing weight yet, which is still driving me to distraction, in fact I'm still gaining, then losing, gaining, then losing. I can't figure out what more to do. I keep looking at old photos of myself, on holiday in the States last year and mourning the body I used to have. But when I was in the States last year, guess what I thought? 'FAT FAT FAT'. The mind is a hideous beast, it really is. So here I go, headlong into egg white omelettes and greens, cutting out all the crap. If I can do that and the scales still read that I've gained weight, I won't beat myself up too much because it must be muscle mass, as I mentioned in my previous post. There are some interesting thoughts on fitness sites (http://blog.shareitfitness.com/2012/why-scale-doesnt-matter/), whereby the reading on the scales doesn't actually matter at all. There are some good case studies of women who, according to the scales haven't lost any weight at all, but look three hundred times better than they did before they started. I'll be completely honest with you. Before I started training at all, I was over 13 stone. I can't remember the exact figure, but it wasn't 13 stone 1lb, for example. It was a definite 'over' 13 stone. Then I started to diet and train, but not very hard, so my weight went down and plateaued at between 11 stone and 11 stone 4. Then I hit the cardio hard and went down to 10 stone 10 (fully clothed - I'm not one to mince around the gym changing rooms wearing nothing but a smile). That weight didn't last long because then I started doing some pretty hardcore strength training for a powerlifting competition that I never actually entered. My weight went up to over 11 stone again, but then I stopped strength training (to a degree - I still lift weights, but not as heavy), and started looking slimmer because my muscles had chilled out a bit. However, now I'm in a weird phase where I've got some muscle tone, some curves, a fairly low fat percentage but a fluctuating weight on the scales, between 11 stone and 11.5! I'm just a bit lost. I don't want to be in denial about weight gain, because that's how I ended up being 13 stone. So where to go from there?
Measurements are:
waist - 30.5ins (and I do mean around my belly button, not further up where most people measure their waists)
hips - 37ins
thighs (thickest part) - 22ins
upper arms - 11.5ins
bust - 39ins
Anyway, I came on here to document a wonderful little concoction I just made and enjoyed. It's hardly anything Heston Blumenthal would do...but I thought I'd tell you anyway. I always get really jealous of people who can enjoy ice cream and frappucinos without guilt or weight gain, so I'm always looking for an alternative that I can have. I used a scoop of strawberry cream 90% protein powder, 200-300ml almond milk, 4 big spoons of natural yogurt, lots of ice cubes, whizzed up in a blender. Serious yum. That actually made 2 and a half large glasses worth, which is just under 300 calories for the whole lot, and 36g protein. Winning!
Tuesday 3 July 2012
Fat Attack, episode 1
I'm back! I've had a few people ask me if I've stopped my blog, and the answer is absolutely not! My laptop caught a trojan horse virus and has been out of action for a little while. Hence, no blogs!
Anyway, where was I? I was musing over the program. It's gone. Done. Finished. I called it quits 3 weeks earlier than scheduled partly due to having a few bad weeks health wise, when I couldn't train as regularly as I needed to and partly because I just couldn't do it anymore. I wasn't feeling the benefits and it was taking up all my time, but boring me to death. So, I believe I mentioned I've recruited Vinnie at Klick, and am undergoing a few weeks of fat attack. I'm training with him in the morning when I can get in before work which is supposed to be good for fat burning, or the evening if not, two sessions a week. On top of that I'm doing my own workouts, lots of cardio and weights. I've been advised to stop eating as much fruit, which is a real bummer because I have a sweet tooth. Instead I'm crunching on celery with very low fat cheese spread and chugging protein shakes like they're going out of style. For my evening meal I'm having brocoli with some form of protein, be it fish or meat. I'm also drinking a large glass of water before each meal, and am experimenting with a lemon and mint infusion, which is surprisingly palatable! All in all, the diet's unexciting but I'm hoping the outcome might be the opposite.
So, my stats are pretty unaltered, except that my fat percentage did decrease by 1%, but apparently fat percentage on scales is very unreliable. You have to eat and drink exactly the same to have any real way of measuring it accurately. I've been told to go by my weight and how my clothes feel, which is really not ideal because I'm desperately unhappy with my weight, and the only thing that makes me feel better about it is the fact that my body fat percentage is so low. I'm sure you understand my situation! But, let's see how it goes. I will post progress photos if, in fact, I see any progress.
Oh, calories today 1829.
Anyway, where was I? I was musing over the program. It's gone. Done. Finished. I called it quits 3 weeks earlier than scheduled partly due to having a few bad weeks health wise, when I couldn't train as regularly as I needed to and partly because I just couldn't do it anymore. I wasn't feeling the benefits and it was taking up all my time, but boring me to death. So, I believe I mentioned I've recruited Vinnie at Klick, and am undergoing a few weeks of fat attack. I'm training with him in the morning when I can get in before work which is supposed to be good for fat burning, or the evening if not, two sessions a week. On top of that I'm doing my own workouts, lots of cardio and weights. I've been advised to stop eating as much fruit, which is a real bummer because I have a sweet tooth. Instead I'm crunching on celery with very low fat cheese spread and chugging protein shakes like they're going out of style. For my evening meal I'm having brocoli with some form of protein, be it fish or meat. I'm also drinking a large glass of water before each meal, and am experimenting with a lemon and mint infusion, which is surprisingly palatable! All in all, the diet's unexciting but I'm hoping the outcome might be the opposite.
So, my stats are pretty unaltered, except that my fat percentage did decrease by 1%, but apparently fat percentage on scales is very unreliable. You have to eat and drink exactly the same to have any real way of measuring it accurately. I've been told to go by my weight and how my clothes feel, which is really not ideal because I'm desperately unhappy with my weight, and the only thing that makes me feel better about it is the fact that my body fat percentage is so low. I'm sure you understand my situation! But, let's see how it goes. I will post progress photos if, in fact, I see any progress.
Oh, calories today 1829.
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