Day 16!!

It has been VERY quiet round here, apologies! Exams and starting back to school have kept me very busy.

But I am pleased to report that I am STILL ON TRACK!! woopwoop! And on Day 16.

In my second week of carb cycling at the moment - and today is a low carb day, I am writing this while eating a dinner of pan toasted cashews stir fried with pak choi, chilli, garlic salt and sesame oil with 2 veggie burgers. Being pescatarian (I only eat fish, and even that not so often) I have found low carb quite challenging and was getting VERY bored of eggs eggs and more eggs, with some occassional fishies...considered lentils/pulses but compared to vegetarian meat substitutes they were much higher in carbs. I know this is not exactly ED compliant in that it's processed food, but the carb content is around 2-3g per 100g and I NEEDED another option! So this is what I've gone with, and feelin OK with it thus far. Only having it for around 1 meal a day, and then eggs and fish the other 2, nuts, seeds etc.

So much to report! Workouts are going good and not so good. Not so good is that I am only fitting in 2 a day, SOMETIMES 3. VERY GOOD is that I am seeing changes! I am stronger, my arms in particular are lapping it up and getting much stronger and defined almost daily it seems! I have always been happy with my legs, both at times when I've been working out and even at times I haven't. So the only part I really wish would CATCH UP is my midriff!! Visible progress there is slow, and the times I have checked my waist measurements they have been the same around belly button level, although there seems to be some movement in the right direction on the lower tummy, which is nice but not fast enough for my impatient nature (and how hard I feel I'm working!).

Eating has been quite good, been trying to get creative. Baked an almond butter loaf (see elanaspantry.com) but then realised that it probably has a bit more carb than I wanted as the arrowroot is a carb (right?)...so haven't eaten much of that and it's sat in my fridge. Made roasted almond butter (nomnom!) and discovered the salad bar at Uni, which is a God-send for if I haven't got lunch or need to stay later to study and haven't got a prepared meal. You can have a bed of leaves and then pick your other salad veg plus some toppings. So I have a salad there last Friday, salad leaves, spinach, cucumber, spring onions, bean sprouts and olives (are these allowed?!), toasted chilli seasoned seeds and tuna, dressed with pesto/basil olive oil. Added an avocado myself. LOVELY!

Carb cycling has been....erm...interesting! First cycle I was SHATTERED on low carb days - if I sat still for more than 10 mins I fell asleep! Got through OK, but from the second cycle I have been having INSANE carb cravings!! Energy levels are cool, but my brain keeps telling me I need orange juice, chocolate, cake, crisps, potatoes - ANY kind of glucose or carbs!! Now this is quite unusual for me in that my sweet tooth has been nicely in check, and in fact even when I was eating sweet things before I started MAP, my tolerance for sugar was low (ie half a normal slice (for me) of cake and I was feelin sickly sweet, or a nibble of choc and I was done...). So this has been weird. Shopping in the supermarket was horrendous because my brain kept trying to tell me to go in the biscuit aisle...in the sweety aisle....just pass by the frozen potatoes! But I was pleased that I braved that, didn't go down any scary aisles (thought it would physically hurt me to!) and came out unscathed. Only other thing I would say about carb cycling is that on low carb days my husband says my breath smells funny/bad....and that is NOT cool! Taken to chewing mint leaves from my mint plant intermittently, and he says this makes it better. But when I was at Church on the weekend I did chew some sugar-free gum because I was leading songs and socialising in close proximity to people, and having stinky breath just would NOT have done!

So that's all for now. Sorry for huuuge catch up. Been taking pictures and will put them all up on my final day. There is a little voice trying to tell me to pack it in because I'm suffering (!) and being unnecessarily harsh, but I want to stick it out so I don't have any "what-ifs" and I want to see what I can achieve on this.

Discipline. That is something I am trying to improve in every area of my life. And on that note - off to continue my to-do list!.....

Over and Out.

Day 2.....

OK. So you may have noticed a) a great deal of silence on my blog and b) I seem to have gone back a day!! WELL after feeling so pleased with myself (and I was, I did good), I then proceeded to mess it all up :( Had exams, a birthday and virtually moved in to the library. My hub was away with work and came back to surprise me on my birthday which was lovely, but then whisked me off back to his work hotel, which left me completely unprepared and was really the beginning of the end!

SO I restarted. Then having moved in to the library again and having MENTAL exam stress, I restarted AGAIN!

Restarted yesterday, and now on Day2. My last exam is coming up in 2 days but trying to be more organised and manage it all better this time.

While in my half-in half-out stage I was eating wheat and dairy and had some TERRIBLE belly aches for days, wind, and a blocked up, sluggish system. Also somehow gained 6 or 7lbs, which I can only think must be some kind of reaction to something my body wasn't happy with, as didn't eat badly or excessively enough to gain that from my food.

Heyho. Clean slate. Did my meltdown this morning and had a density over 320 which is AMAZING because when I first started (as in the first ever Day 1) I was at 221. So VERY chuffed and feeling good. Having everyone miles ahead of me is really motivating actually because it makes me feel like there is loads in store and so much more to achieve.

So I am excited and back on track! Planned my meals for the week, have my organic veg box back being delivered, been cooking lots.....rock on the next 28 days!! :D

Over and out.

Day 3!!!

Day 3 and I am SO pleased with myself!

Had an exam at 0915 this morning, and because I was relying on public transport for my commute I knew I had to leave with loads of time to spare. Sooooo....got up at 0430, bit of a sleepy head but resolved that I was gonna do my meltdown before my taxi arrived to take me to the station at 0550...and I DID!! Felt sore and was so sure I was going to be weaker, but I felt myself powering through and guess what?! Was +42.5 on day 1!!!! That is pretty much a 20% increase! VERY pleased with myself!

Had a hot bath with salts last night, which felt good. Today the front of my thighs and chest are SERIOUSLY in pain! touching my chest is agony, but been trying to give it a little massage every now which usually helps my gym aches...

Yesterday recap - 4 workouts, cycled for a cardio workout. Didn't get very hungry after breakfast, had a few nuts around 1300 and then a meal at 1630 ish, and that was it for the night.

Today had fine porridge oats made with coconut milk and an egg, with ground flax, fresh blueberries and some coconut oil mixed in after for an exam-energy boost!

Feel pretty good. And it has been REALLY hard pushing myself to do things when I don't want to or making the time for them, but you get to feel so pleased with yourself if you do, so am gonna keep that in mind for the next...ermmm....27 days!

Think I am SEEING the differences already, but not doing any pics or measurig for 7 days...stick to the plan girlfriend!

Over and Out.

MAP Day 2

OK. So to round off from yesterday!

Yesterday I went to Uni to hand in some work and meet with some of my classmates to do some work. This made me realise that I am going to have to think harder if I am gonna get my 4 workouts in each day bearing in mind some days with my commute I need to LEAVE the house at 0600 and get back probably between 1600 and 1900 ish depending on my finish time...and it's 4 hours of travel...hummmm

Yesterday eating went really well.

B- Fine oat porridge with 1 egg and coconut milk, ground flax, half a banana, some coconut oil swirled in when cooked.

L- oatcakes, avocado and Fish

D- 3 slices spelt bread and butter, nearly half a Q in olive oil salt and pepper, and 2 baked Fish. A few roasted cashews and almonds (which I did myself in a little coconut oil and sea salt).

Messed up when I got home as should've done next workout STRAIGHT AWAY, but made dinner and ate and then realised by the time I digest etc, would be getting quite late and pushed for time. So did ICP and Power Circuit back-to-back around 2100, bed about 2240 which is late for me. Took vits. Felt good. Power Circuit was harder than I thought, although I kind of anticipated that in a funny way!

This morn I was SORE! Not to the point where it was disabling, but I had forgotten this kind of post-workout soreness! Felt good.

Weight up 0.6lb but not bothered as it is just Day2 lol, plus am due for my period and that usually comes with a weight increase from water retention which goes after a few days, so was expecting a bigger rise than that actually. But not making anything of it, more interested in a week's results.

Just did my Meltdown workout and was scared that it was going to HURT (which it did) because of the soreness! To my surprise though, was +4.5 overall which made me really pleased as I thought I would literally only be able to do half as much. Pushups were the hardest with sore chest and armpit area muscles. But overall good job me! The naughty voice in my head told me it was too hard half-way through, but I shut the voice up and completed the whole thing anyway! So I am pleased with me. :)

Off to make Brekkie - 3 scrambled eggs, spelt bread and butter and lots of yummy spinach with nutmeg! mm mmm

Rock on Day 2!

MAP Day 1

So today is the start of my 30 day MAP challenge with Dax Moy online

http://www.londonpersonaltrainingstudio.com

Started with what I know as Tabatas workouts, which I have done before and wasn't especially scared of. But 4 rounds....?! I should've been scared! Because that HURT! People have been talking about soreness on the forum by day 2, and I am not even 2 workouts in to Day 1 and can feel the soreness settling in!! Excited and TERRIFIED at the same time for the next 29.75 days and what they have in store! But we love a challenge! So LET'S GO!!

Starting measurements:

10st 13.8lb

30.6% fat

47.9% water

31.6% muscle

2142 BMR

Chest - 99

Waist 79

Arms 28

Hips 102

Thighs 47 (12cm above knee) and 57 (at the juicy part!)

Not especially bothered about my size/measurements. Would like the thighs, hips and bust to not move at all if they'd be so kind! (or maybe get bigger :D ), but would like to tone up the waist and ab areas, as well as the back, and get back the lost definition in my arms and shoulders - I liked that.

And who knows, if I am really good with this and get god results I may need to book a holiday treat to sun-kiss the new bod! teehee....

Now to shower and get my butt to uni....

Over and out.