Getting back on track…here’s hoping… August 12, 2008

With apologies to my mate Rob, who’s fed up of diets, I can’t help but write about fighting the flab as I’ve come over all motivated today.  Hoorah!

I recently had 2 weeks off work which resulted in my fitness regime crumbling, my fruit intake nosediving and my alcohol consumption rocketing.  It’s sad that a bit of free time puts all my previous work to pot, but now that the normal service of a 9-5.30 job and meal times at regular hours has returned I feel I should be able to get back on track with B2B beautifying preparation (D-Day minus 11 months you see).  I also see the rugby season fast approaching and need some serious fitness work, having been out of the game for 10 months.

This morning I made a good start by managing to drag myself out of bed and into the gym (yawning, unattractively) by 0725.  A sleepy warm up on the bike was followed by some strength work, trampette running (harder than it sounds) and bounding/agility running to get the dodgy knee going.  I’ve also (foolishly) agreed to go along to a Body Pump class tonight with some girls from work.  I was looking forward to it until I found out they do 3 minutes (three. Three!) of sit ups with weights at the end of the class.  I might actually be sick.

Anyway, on the foodage front, as if psychic, a matey of mine emailed today and is also keen to have a bit of a blitz on the bod so we’re becoming Body Blitz Buddies.   Ideal.  I’m rubbish at self-motivation where not eating is concerned and especially where pear cider is concerned, so a like minded lady who I can share progress (or disasters) with will really help I hope.  We’re already on track – tonight is measure yourself and get a food diary night and we’re both out on Thursday for beer and curry, so already planning what low cal options will be best at the restaurant.

I’ve done Weight Watchers in the past and had great success at the time (which was boosted by being dumped and only eating maltesers, sparingly, for four days) – but over time I’ve slipped a bit I must admit.  I don’t want to get back to my depths-of-misery-lovelorn skinny minny look, but a few pounds off and a slightly trimmer waist (and ribcage?) would be welcome.

So, here goes.  Won’t bore you with my progress and food diary entries, but wish me luck…

Day Five June 27, 2008

Well, yesterday I did well at the cricket, even if I do say so myself. Packed up herring with green chilli (no mackerel or snapper available at Mozza’s), along with raw veg crudite, hummus (sp?), fresh fruit salad and for the boy – some crisps.

We smugly ate it whilst Somerset got bowled out in great fashion by Northants and my only lapse was a half of lager. Hardly devilish for a cricket spectator! We only got a few overs of the second innings, owing to rain – my excitement that I might get back in time to watch Gok’s new show was then rained on by the Boy, who insisted on watching the footie. “You said yourself, it’s rubbish TV” he gloated, whilst turning up the volume on the footie game. “Yeah, but it’s GOOD rubbish.” I replied, before huffing off to do jobs instead.

After that sidetrack, here’s Day Five of detox-a-rama:

brekkie – not much time, so grabbed slice rye bread with peanut butter on the way to the physio. 50mins of pain ensued with my physio claiming he wanted to ‘test’ my knee. Particularly testing was the sprint drills on a trampette, followed by backwards cycling on a weighted bike. I was one sweaty beast at the end – even had sweat on my elbows (elbows?!)

lunch – bean and veg soup again, for ease. Plus crudite and hummus, and fresh fruit (apricot, nectarine, apple)

dinner – beef tomatoes, stuffed with coriander and chickpea stuff. Prob some fresh fruit and yogurt for afters.

So, how am I feeling after five days? Well, I’d say OK, and probably less bloated owing to lack of wheat stuffs – but also feeling completely knackered (prob more to do with my social life, rather than the detox). The fact I’m not doing it to the letter, with the recommended exercises, probably counts against me. However, I’m going to keep going for a bit to give it a fair crack.

Having said that, I’ve a hen do at the weekend for one of the rugby girls – I can’t see brown rice and carrot juice featuring in that evening! Mmmmmm. Beeeeeeeer.

Day three and four June 26, 2008

Hmmm. Slid a bit since the last post on this. But here goes, anyway:

Day Three

Brekkie – boiled egg, slice rye bread

Snack – one teeeency weency macaroon biccy in work meeting.

Lunch – Work lunch out at Pizza Express. Yikes.  Chose the chicken and roast veg salad, but did eat the dough sticks. Oops.  And had a glass of red wine.  Oops. (but red wine=good, so I’m not counting it)

Dinner – steamed chicken, brown rice + fruit and yoghurt

Day Four

brekkie – forgot to pack up my rice cakes and marmite, so after a trip to the gym I settled on honey, natural yoghurt and a sprinkle of museli from the canteen, with a fresh apricot.

lunch – baked sweet potato with hummus, plus a nectarine and green salad

dinner – green chilli grilled sardines/red snapper/mackerel (depends what’s in the shops) with salad. Going to watch 20/20 tonight so will try to avoid beer….

The New Blitz plan June 24, 2008

After a splurge weekend in terms of calories (including ‘empty’ ones from Irn Bru WKD – what was I thinking?), I’m trying the BodyDoctor’s menu plans for a week or so.  I’m not doing the prescriptive exercise he recommends, owing to gammy knee, but I am being a gym regular.  As far as eating’s concerned, I think I have a short food attention span and I tend to get bored with rice cakes – I fancied something different to counting points too, so I reckoned this was as good a blitz as any…

Anyhoo, assuming I remember to, I’ll provide an insight into my eating habits for the week.

Here’s Day One:

Brekkie – berry and yoghurt smoothie (drank on the way to work, coming from the gym, totally lush)

Lunch – 2 egg omlette with salad, fruit (melon, cherries, apricot, apple)

Dinner – Black Bean Balti with brown rice: very nice and very filling, I didn’t need any dessert, huzzah!

Day Two – currently in progress:

brekkie – warm fruit kebabs with lemon and honey glaze (apricot, straws, banana, kiwi) – made earlier and cooled down and packed up to eat at my desk, owing to another early morning gym visit.  They were yum. But cold.

lunch – bean and veg soup (butter beans, fine green beans and some sweet potato in there as well as usual suspects of carrots, onions etc), plus some fruit (melon, strawberries, fresh apricot)

dinner tonight – chicken provencale (thighs and legs) with brown rice and some fruit and yoghurt.

Gross self harm avoided with Pilates April 30, 2008

I’ve been hating my ribcage for years.  It’s not deformed, it’s just big, and wide.  I’m a broad gal, and no matter how slim I get (believe me, I got mega skinny once when dumped by an ex – the “malteser and grief” diet there) – the rib cage still pokes out and makes me look broad.

I’ve always thought that just hacking a couple of the bottom ribs out would make a big difference in creating a slimmer silhouette.  But, it seems, I can now avoid the break/remove rib plan – with the altogether more serene Pilates.

 

We did some exercises last week where the aim is to flatten the rib cage, you have to kind of “think” your muscles into moving in a certain way  – it’s not easy, this Pilates lark you know – and then stretch whilst pushing ‘down’ on the ribs.  Anyhoo, I wasn’t convinced until I stood up and lo and behold, after just a wee bit of work, the ribcage did feel slightly flatter to my body.  A few of the girls felt it up and confirmed that I did have a large ribcage (yah, thanks!) – had they felt me ribs before the class, I think they would have noticed a difference.  I certainly think I did.

So  – now I’m well motivated to keep up the Pilates in the hope of achieving a less massive torso.  I do actually enjoy it, I’m not just going now I know I can sort the ribs and avoid running into things at high speed in the hope of breaking them, but it’s a heck of a bonus!

Recipe for detoxification December 19, 2007

Saw the physio last night, and she gave me her January detox remedy:

The first two weeks of the year see her do the following:

Day 1 – water only

Day 2 – water and fruit

Day 3 – water, fruit and veg

Day 4 – 7  – as above but with protein

Week 2: the 2,4,6,8 detox

Day 1 – 200 cals

Day 2 – 400 cals

Day 3 – 600 cals

Day 4 – 800 cals

Day 5- 600 cals

Day 6 – 400 cals

Day 7 – 200 cals

By which time, you’ll have lost a stone, got rid of the beer belly, be rehydrated and back to complete gorgeousness.  And be completely miserable, very crotchety and really quite hungry.

I’ll see how much I go to excess in December, before I commit to this…