Week 1 of my 8 Week Challenge.

it’s started, Easter and the sugar rush is over. It’s time to focus . I’m setting some goals……

Walk Monday and Tuesday night and maybe jog a few metres.

Do a high intensity workout Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Stick to my meal plan 90%.

No swapping out meals this week.

Go to bed at a reasonable time to help maintain energy levels.

Drink 2L water per day

Getting some inspiration….

I watched the Netflix, Beyoncé homecoming movie. She was preparing for coachella after having her twins. She was out of shape physically and wanted to get fitter again and slim down for her costumes. There’s a moment in the movie that she put a old costume on and her excitement is like any normal person. It zipped up but she said she was happy because she’s made sacrifices. Even people who seem untouchable to us have to do the hard work. They may have a team surrounding them but bottom line, even Beyoncé needed to sweat, huff and puff and pull back on carbs etc. Humans are humans and Beyoncé is human just like you and I. She did it. We can do it. I can do it!

The battle within…. follow the struggles and triumphs.

1215am day 1.

Deciding to sign up for the challenge which was hard to do because I don’t want to fail and feel I have put so much pressure on myself to prove to myself I have what it takes to focus and do this. Failure is my biggest fear committing to this.

Since committing over the weekend before the clock ticked over midnight, I have eaten so many treats. Bread and butter pudding, apple cake, ice cream, Easter eggs and rocky road. It feels right now that I can not eat any of my foods I enjoy. That right now I’ve said good-bye to all my treats, my pleasure foods.

I’m going to remind myself of Beyoncé and sacrifice for the gratification of achievement. And the sweat now glow later slogan

2018hrs Day 1

First day has gone well so far. Feeling pretty proud of myself for making up all this good food from scratch.

Day 2

Another good day. Snacked on some almonds and a little fresh pineapple from a platter in a late meeting at work. Overall food was good. I’m making a huge effort with water consumption. I went for a walk/jog with Ted. I jogged a stint of 500 metres , walked, then jogged about 200 metres, then walked. This is massive for me. I have not attempted jogging in forever! Well a very long time but I have now. It may be nothing to some but every achievement for me is a positive and progress.

Day 3

Today started with a yummy porridge. I have made this porridge before but instead of cows milk I made it with almond milk. I was worried it wouldn’t have a nice creamy flavour but it was no different and I really enjoyed it. The high intensity (HIIT) workout challenged me today but I got to the end. It was butt and shoulder work. Squat pulses so hard! Celia squats were tough, planks and ducking squats, boxing 🥊 and more.

2134 hours and I’m feeling peckish. Missing something sweet but I’ve had no snacks today. I’m trying to give this my best shot. I really want to get back to feeling how I did after returning from China October 2017 when I was at my fittest.

2306 hours

I’m feeling a bit grumpy. I’m peckish and wanting something sweet. Would love to have one of these Easter eggs but I need to push through

This is why loosing weight is hard work. You are needing to do things that are unpleasant. Exercise isn’t pleasant, and feeling hungry isn’t pleasant nor is not eating something you know right in the moment when you aren’t feeling good physically will make you feel good. There’s unpleasantness to endure. The other road to weight gain is full of momentary pleasantness but the end result long-term is self loathing. I need to remain focused on the end result. I need to remind myself of the scene in the Beyoncé documentary, sacrifice for results and the excitement and happiness when that happens. Instant gratification needs resistance.

Everything that’s worth it takes hard work and sacrifice. When you have reached your goal of weight loss and a reinvigorated love of life people congratulate you on the hard work you did and say you deserve it. We all know unpleasant situations are hard work. Right now I feel hungry, I feel headachey, I don’t feel good. I’m sacrificing a sugar load to take that dull feeling away. This is an example of doing the hard yards. This is the hard work people talk about.

It’s making a conscious choice to take the harder road to create change.

Day 4 week 1

A good day today. Remained focused. I went to visit Jane and Harley tonight and she had cooked this lovely Rhubarb cake. I would have really loved some. Normally I would have done but right now it’s about the necessary sacrifices to get results for me. It was the first time I have felt really challenged all week. Being in a social situation and saying no to something that would give me pleasure and instant gratification. That’s the challenge saying no to instant gratification.

Today’s breakfast and tea I really enjoy but lunch I ate because it was in the menu only. It was edible but I didn’t enjoy it. I haven’t felt hungry today. Also trying to keep the water intake up, not forgetting that.

I did my measurements today. My waist was 83cm. It was more than 1 month ago but I’m not going to focus too much on that. This program works. I know it does, I going to have faith and keep going. My goal is to decrease my waist to 75cm .

Day 5 week 1

Today I was out on the road and nowhere near a microwave when I wanted to heat my leftovers lunch. Normally under this circumstance I would have pulled into MacDonalds but instead I ate my chicken and mash lunch cold. It was edible but not ideal.

I treated my myself to a massage today after work. The body is stiff and sore.

Afterwards I went straight to Chadstone shopping centre where I was very tempted by the food court at between 6 and 8pm as I was hungry. Normally I would have had some gyoza’s or other Asian food with the rice but I pushed through, came home, and ate my Burritos as per my meal plan at 8:30pm

At 9:30 pm Ted and I went for a run/ walk. For me I did really well. Pushed myself. My average heart rate was 144 and peaked at 175 beats per minute.

 

Day 6 week 1

When I saw todays breakfast I wasn’t at all looking forward to it. Routinely for me on a Saturday morning is a banana, almond and date smoothie. I love these smoothies and really wanted to have that but since sticking to the programs menu 100% it is showing me where I had slipped. To many smoothies with fruit and therefore fructose, not  enough volume of veggies and salads, to often snacking even if they are healthy ones, and starting to miss to many workouts. So it’s unknowingly highlighted my weaker areas to maintaing my weight and that even if you are eating healthy you can still gain weight if your macro’s are unbalanced.

Surprisingly the sweet potato toast wasn’t to bad. I ate it in the car on the way to an appointment. I often seem to be rushing and eating in the car. Still not sure I’d have it for breakfast if I was on maintenance.

I hate grating. I need to find a machine that does this. So many fruits or vegetables need to be grated.

I did my workout this morning and have stuck to the program today.  I even felt skinnier today getting dressed even if I’m not. That’s winning just there. How we feel about ourselves is half the battle. If we feel good we glow!

Day 7 Week 1

I really didn’t want to eat salsa for breakfast this morning. It would have felt such a treat to have my favourite berry smoothie. I didn’t enjoy the salsa toast. Lunch was a pumpkin salad and that I didn’t enjoy. Tea was a vegetarian Nasi Goreng and I didn’t enjoy that. Today’s food I suffered through to be honest.

I have learnt this week

*the reason I have not followed the menu over the past 6 months as strictly as I was is partly because when I do I have a lot of perishable food wastage. Bought a whole bunch of radishes to only use 1 for the week, and a whole bunch of baby beetroots to only use 1 also for the week.

* I had replaced fruit smoothies over refined sugars for my sweet treat fix and having way to many.

* I had dropped off a lot of vegetable and salad meals. I have eaten so many salads and vegetables this week

* I still don’t really enjoy vegetarian meals or salads.

But I did it, I remained focused prepared and ate every meal off the menu and worked out 7 days. 5 Program workouts and 2 walk / runs.

I’m proud of my efforts.

I’m not sure realistically if I can sustain this for 8 weeks. There is going to be times I’m out for dinner. Next Saturday night I’m away so definitely I will go off plan then.

If I sweat now, resist instant gratification foods like chocolate , I will glow later. Got to keep reminding myself.

I want results and I know this program works if you follow it.

Bring on week 2!

Love Lucy x