# Journal: podgy Pickle's path to perfection



## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay, so after years and years of trying to get rid of my pot belly I have finally decided to actually give it a real go and and on March 28th 2011 I started a 12 week plan to strip off as much body fat as possible before my holiday on June 18th 2011.

I've done 5 weeks so far and have amazingly been able to keep up with it but with 7 weeks to go I still have a long way and thought i'd start a journal so I can get all my thoughts and ideas down and maybe get a few tips/advise from you guys as I go along.

*******

Stats:

Age: 24 (very nearly 25)

Gender: Female

Height: 5 foot 6

I try to stay away from the scales and measuring tape as much as possible but have recently bit the bullet to see how well i've done so....

*Before*:

Weight: 10 stone 1

Body fat: 25.5%

Belly bulge measurement: 36.5 inches

*23/4/2011*:

Weight: 8 stone 13 and 1/2

Body fat: 22.4%

BMI: 20.1

Belly bulge: 33 inches

*After 4 weeks: 21/5/2011*

Weight: 8 stone 11 and 3/4

Body fat: 22.2%

BMI: 19.9

Belly Bulge: 33 inches

Goal:

Fat loss - I want to lose my pot belly/belly bulge!

Now for the embarrassing part - the *before* photos so you can all see what i'm dealing with and trying to get rid off....



These pics were taken in 2008 on the same holiday and as you can see my arms and legs are actually quite slim and pretty much all my fat is sitting on my lower abs!! Yuk!!

Anyway, like i've said, I'm 5 weeks into my 12 week plan and have lost weight and bodyfat so basically i'm a slightly slimmer version of the above photos.

Current exercise:

Mon: 30 mins weighted circuit

(15 overhead press, 20 lunges, 15 bent over rows, 20 squats, 15 bicep curls, 20

deadlifts, 15 bench press, 20 crunches - repeated 5 times)

Tues: 30 mins fasted AM jog

Weds: 30 mins bodyweight circuit

(5 mins HIIT with kettlebell swings. Then 20 press ups, 20 right leg step ups, 20 left

legs step ups, 20 dips - repeated 5 times)

Thurs: Same as Tues

Fri: Same as Mon

Sat: Rest

Sun: Same as Tues and Thurs

I will start adding some cardio on my weigh workout days by going cycling on Mon & Fri evenings and swimming on Weds evenings.

Current diet:

TRAIN

Meal 1: Banana and whey protein OR 2 sachets of original oats and whey

Meal 2: 1/2 can tuna, 100g cottage cheese and 1 spelt crackerbread

Meal 3: Salmon salad OR Egg salad

Meal 4: 125g cottage cheese, 15g Walnuts and blueberries

CARDIO WILL BE ADDED HERE ON MON, WEDS & FRI

Meal 5: 150g turkey, veg and 30g rice/puy lentils

**I also have one cheat meal a week - normally Sat or Sun evening**

Cals work out at around 1400 a day with carbs at 100g or less, fats at 50g and protein at 100g plus. I think it works out as a 30/30/30 split and I try not to mix fats and carbs too much in my meals.

*******

So thats the story and facts - I'll try to update this as much as possible as fingers crossed i'll some some real improvements!

Thanks for reading guys!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well, this week is going well. I had a real big cheat meal on Sunday night (4 courses!!) and have brought a few different things for my meals this week as after 5 and a half weeks i'm a little bored of turkey and rice LOL.

So dinner for tonight - 1 venision burger served on a bed of spinach, mushrooms, spring onion and pepper. Can't wait!

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Hey Pickle, good luck with your goals :thumbup1:


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Thank you! Very much appreciated!

xx


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

hi pickle

i can see this being an interesting journal and wish you well along the way , although cant help but think you have just picked the worst pic possible as we all have a belly when we sit down jeez mines huge lol

however the harder you hit it now the easier you will find it to maintain your ideal shape and you will feel full of pride so head up and press on  all the best .


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

uhan said:


> hi pickle
> 
> i can see this being an interesting journal and wish you well along the way , although cant help but think you have just picked the worst pic possible as we all have a belly when we sit down jeez mines huge lol
> 
> however the harder you hit it now the easier you will find it to maintain your ideal shape and you will feel full of pride so head up and press on  all the best .


Yeah it is an awful pic and my belly does look worse as i'm sitting down but I thought it really showed where my problem area is as the rest of me dont look too bad LOL.

I will definately keep my head down and make sure I get through my 12 week target at least! I hoping to get to 20% body fat or lower so thats my target at the mo.

And i'm looking forward to the end of this week as it'll be the end of week 6 so i'll be bang on half way through and am going to change my workout routine.... to what though I have no idea.... yet?!

xx


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

well honestly i don`t see problem areas on you i will say you look slim and attractive but thats my opinion however we all pick holes in our own bods and what we see others don`t , what is the ideal end result for you will you be stepping on stage or just looking for your idea of a beach body ? btw i think you look great as you are .


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Agree with Uhan, I don't think you have as much work as you think, although yourself is your worst critic, I think you look very attractive.

EDIT: Infact i'm quite into pic 1 

Pic 2, you have really picked the worst pic you could find ey! I don't think anyone looks good in that position!


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks Uhan and JPaycheck! Its always nice to receive compliments! A lot of people do say the same as you guys but as you both say - I see a pot belly and thats it LOL.

Yeah, I think pic 2 is really ugly... its my motivation photo and not only stuck on the fridge to stop me eating mounds of cheese and chocolate, its also on my bedside cabinet so its the first thing I see when my alarm goes off and I soon get out of bed for my fasted AM jog - they really do a fab job LOL.

To be fair, they were taken back in 2008 when I was weighing just over 10 stone (my heaviest) and i'm a bit slimmer now with more muscle tone, esp on my legs! I'm hoping I will see some real improvements after my 12 weeks are up though as this is the first time i've done it "properly" by following a structure diet and exercise plan! Before, I kinda just mucked around when working out, not giving a 100% and I ate healthily here and there while the other times I would just blow out on Dominos pizzas... and there sides... and desserts!

Uhan - No I dont want to compete (at least I dont think I do at the mo!) I'm really just looking to have a nice, lean, athletic body with a nice, flat tum 

xx


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## Uriel (Oct 14, 2008)

hi Pickle - so you opened a journal after defdaz bollocking you advertising your blog lol??

You should put a recent pic up at present weight to get some feedback on that........be careful just concentrating on your bulging belly - you may be getting thin everywhere else (too thin?).i went a bit mad 20 years ago trying to get a six pack at your age when I was green as fuk and ended up at 10 stone 7 with ribs on show everywhere, vertebrae sticking out and still no 6 pack lol.......

focus on the overall package and best of luck


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Uriel said:


> hi Pickle - so you opened a journal after defdaz bollocking you advertising your blog lol??
> 
> You should put a recent pic up at present weight to get some feedback on that........be careful just concentrating on your bulging belly - you may be getting thin everywhere else (too thin?).i went a bit mad 20 years ago trying to get a six pack at your age when I was green as fuk and ended up at 10 stone 7 with ribs on show everywhere, vertebrae sticking out and still no 6 pack lol.......
> 
> focus on the overall package and best of luck


LOL - Yeah, I do actually post the same blog on UK-M under the blog tab but I always found people prefered to read my blogspot one. I didnt think it was a problem but obviously I was wrong LOL.

Its hard not to think about my bulge but I will try to tread carefully. I have noticed my legs are looking a lot more toned, it would just be nice to strip the fat of my lower abs.

I will try to put up a recent pic too... although i'm very camera shy!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Woo hoo the weekend is finally here..... *and* I'm now half way through my 12 week plan! Yep, 6 weeks down, 6 weeks to go!

And after 6 long weeks of lifting the same weights, in the same way, on the same days I have decided that for the latter half of my plan i'm going to do a different weight routine..... aswell as *trying* to add in more cardio!

So, i'm thinking of doing my circuits still and doing the following:

Mon & Fri:

20 lunges with bicep curls

20 squats with overhead press

20 bench presses with lying leg raises

Repeated 4 to 5 times... or as many times as I can in the time I have (normally 30 mins!)

Wed:

20 standard deadlift and press

20 press ups

20 step ups

20 dips

Repeated 4 to 5 times

Any thoughts on my new weight routines?? (And before anyone says - I cant do heavy lifts as I dont have any heavy weights or a gym membership as i'm skint... really really skint! LOL)

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Woo hoo the weekend is finally here..... *and* I'm now half way through my 12 week plan! Yep, 6 weeks down, 6 weeks to go!
> 
> And after 6 long weeks of lifting the same weights, in the same way, on the same days I have decided that for the latter half of my plan i'm going to do a different weight routine..... aswell as *trying* to add in more cardio!
> 
> ...


Hi Pickle, for a fat loss w/o it look good to me. I'm not the best person to be judging routines, but if your getting hot and your heart rate is speeding up, I think its gtg. I think people can normally tell intuitively if they have had a good w/o, as apposed to not being sure if they have not?


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks Greenspin.

Yeah it is for fat loss rather than building muscle etc. I'll give it a go and see how pushed I feel and then either keep at it or tweek it accordingly 

I'm actually quite excited about doing something different... I never thought there'd be a day when I would say i'm excited about exercising! LOL

xx


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

i agree with uriel on focusing on the bigger picture also no need to be camera shy i reckon there is 1000`s of women that would give an arm and leg for your body shape even with what you call a pot belly the rest of us call them sexy lady curves get a pic up as im sure you will get honest replies on here and i feel will help you to whoop your own ass into gear


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Thanks Greenspin.
> 
> Yeah it is for fat loss rather than building muscle etc. I'll give it a go and see how pushed I feel and then either keep at it or tweek it accordingly
> 
> ...


On a side note, I'd say keep up the intensity too. Really work at pumping that blood around your body :thumbup1:


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## sakso (Mar 14, 2011)

I will keep an eye on this journal. Best of luck pickle.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

uhan said:


> i agree with uriel on focusing on the bigger picture also no need to be camera shy i reckon there is 1000`s of women that would give an arm and leg for your body shape even with what you call a pot belly the rest of us call them sexy lady curves get a pic up as im sure you will get honest replies on here and i feel will help you to whoop your own ass into gear


Oh yeah - honesty is always the best policy and i'm sure a few honest comments will keep me on track!

As for the recent pics... watch this space!! I have just asked my sister to take some pics of me tomorrow morning in my bikini (not a nice job but hey, she's the only one around to do it LOL) so if they are any good they could well end up on here!

x


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> On a side note, I'd say keep up the intensity too. Really work at pumping that blood around your body :thumbup1:


Oh yeah, dont worry... I'll make sure i keep the rest between exercises and circuits short! Not only will that keep it intense..... it'll always mean i'll be finished quicker LOL!

x


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!!

Its Saturday.... its cold and grey outside.... its also peeing down with rain.... and I'm sat my laptop in my bikini!! Yep, some of you wanted to see more upto date pics of me (the above ones are from 2008 after all!!) so I dragged my sister outta bed and am about to post up some not so pretty pics! You've been warned...

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Hope you've turned blind!!

As you can i'm a *slightly* slimmer version of my 2008 self! I've been eating healthily and exercising for the last 6 weeks and would have loved to see some better results but i am trying to do it sensibly (losing 1lb a week) so i'm guessing results will be slower!

But I know only have 6 weeks to go so i am going to really go for it. I ideally want yo get under 20% bodyfat (from 22.5%) but not sure if thats do-able in 6 weeks???

I'm going to give a real go by adding more cardio so i do 6 sessions a week and also do 3 weight sessions a week.

I will be weighing and measuring myself in two weeks time and depending on results i'll look into changing my diet (at the moment i'm having 50-100g carbs a day, 100g + of protein and around 50g fat) to maybe cut more carbs and up the fats.

Either way any comments/advice on how I can really strip the off fat in 6 weeks (espescially from my lower abs!) would be more than welcome! 

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Hey pickle. Love your thread title!! I'll definately subscribe to this. As others have siad we're our own worst critic!! I imainge that you're way over critical but then I think that's sort of important for motivation.

I like the idea of sticking your least favourite picture around the place. I think that I'm going to do that...maybe stick them on all the bottles of wine that tempt me :laugh:

It sounds like you've done the initial hard work and now you should start see progress more quickly. I'm impressed by how much you've lost already!!

Your exercise regime sounds really good to me...I'm no expert but it's very similar to what I'm doing and that was planned by a personal trainer - so you obviously know your stuff.

Good luck with it. Not sure how much use I'll be but will certainly keep checking in


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> Hey pickle. Love your thread title!! I'll definately subscribe to this. As others have siad we're our own worst critic!! I imainge that you're way over critical but then I think that's sort of important for motivation.
> 
> I like the idea of sticking your least favourite picture around the place. I think that I'm going to do that...maybe stick them on all the bottles of wine that tempt me :laugh:
> 
> ...


Thank you Katy! Its always nice to get support and advice from other ladies! Yeah i'm very much my worse critic... all I see when I look at that pic is my pot belly so it really does stop me reaching for the wine (unless its with my cheat meal of course! LOL)

I'm trying really really hard to think of the bigger pic though which is why i'm focusing on lowering my bf % as a target and hopefully my belly will shrink without me noticing!!

Fingers crossed my new routine will give me a good workout and i'll soon be burning cals and fat like anything! Needless to say, I'm really going to go for it in these next 6 weeks as Ibiza is calling.... I just hope I'm up to it LOL.

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Cool tattoo. Good effort with putting up your pictures. I Like Katy said, we generally are our own worst critic. But I think it is a handy mechanism for keeping on track. Out of interest, did you end up getting your hands on Yohimbine? If so, what type of protocol have you got for using it? Also, I'm not sure how solid this research is, and like most things, like Yohimbine/CLA/fat burners and etc, etc, it is just something to make a small improvement, but if I remember right, you have an office type job, and I imagine that means lots of sitting. But I can across some research (not this specific article, this article just sums it up nice and simple) that prolonged sitting can suppress or turn off the enzyme Lipase, this article explains why this is relative.



NATURALNEWS said:


> (NaturalNews) Sitting for extended periods of time causes the body to turn off its fat-burning mechanisms, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes and presented at the Second International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health.
> 
> Researchers injected rats and pigs with a small amount of radioactive fat, then traced where that fat went in their bodies. Among animals that were kept stationary, the fat was removed from the blood vessels in the muscles and instead stored in adipose tissue in places such as the kidneys. Unlike fat in the blood vessels of muscles, fat in adipose tissue is not easily burned.
> 
> ...


I spend most of my day standing for the potential, even though small, effect this could have. I have my computer on a desk which has a small table on it, so I can stand at it. I am standing right now in fact  It takes some getting used to. But I don't feel right sitting when on here anymore. So I don't know if there is the possibility you could start to stand at work for an extra portion of the day. But like Tescos says, every little help {God I dislike Tesco  }


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

pickle21 said:


> Thank you Katy! Its always nice to get support and advice from other ladies! Yeah i'm very much my worse critic... all I see when I look at that pic is my pot belly so it really does stop me reaching for the wine (unless its with my cheat meal of course! LOL)
> 
> I'm trying really really hard to think of the bigger pic though which is why i'm focusing on lowering my bf % as a target and hopefully my belly will shrink without me noticing!!
> 
> ...


You're welcome  I think that it helps to have fellow females helping each other out as our physiology is very different and like you, I'm not training to compete or anything - just to look good naked! 

I think that looking at the bigger picture can help psychology. I know that if I focus on the short-term then I get depressed that I'm not where I want to be so I try to avoid daily measuerments etc (though I am guilty of weighing myself way to regulalry!).

From my understanding it can take at least 6 weeks before progress really speeds up so hopefully now is the time that that will happen. Do you feel that you're getting enough calories e.g. do you have enough energy day to day?

You're confidence with posting a pic has inspired me. I've been too self conscious to do it but as you've demonstrated, people can find it easier to advise if they know what you look like  and what you're 'problem' areas are.

Do you take fat burners at all?


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

well done pickle .

i see a very good base to work on and it certainly does not need much work but a gym membership in 6 weeks time is needed as once you get to your ideal bf% you will need to get them muscles trained and toned then IMO you will have a very good beach body look about you and the confidence will boost as a result keep at it m8 there is a light at the end .

did you have a think about your weight routine ?


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks all !

Greenspin - I did take some Yohimbine in the form of Lipo 6 but this was a while ago and to be honest I got ill (not sure if it was them or not) and my diet went to pot.... pizza, ice cream and cookie bad LOL!

Katy - thank again! I'm not at all confident... I just posted the pics thinking "well, no-one on here actually knows me so why not??" LOL. Its worth it though (even if its a little embarrassing!!) as you get some good feedback and people can see where your at. And nope, no fat burners. I do drink 3-4 cups of green tea and add cinnamon and cayene pepper to my food as they are "suppose" to help burn fat but I dont take any pills or anything like that.

Uhan - Thanks ... any thoughts on how long you recon it could take to shift that pot belly of mine?? LOL.

As for the workouts i'm thinking....

Mon:

20 lunges with bicep curls

20 squats with overhead press

20 bench pressed with lying leg thrusts

and then maybe 20 romanian deadlifts with bent over row??

Repeated 4-5 times.

Wed:

Lots and lots of deadlifts and kettlebell swings....

20 standard deadlifts with overhead press

20 kettlebell swings

Repeated 4-5 times.

Fri: Same as Monday.

My new routine will start this monday so i'm going to see how I get on and if I dont think its intense enough i might amend it to the supersetting routine that I posted.

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

I'm not sure if you're interested but I take Lean System 7 which has things like green tea extract, caffeine etc in. But I appreciate that many people prefer not to take supps and other things.

Something that you might find interesting (if you don't know this already) is that grapefruit has been shown to help with weight loss. - the naringenin found in grapefruit (the stuff that tastes bitter) encourages the liver to burn up excess fat and prevent insulin spikes. I don't know the chemistry but after reading about it I now include a grapefruit every morning


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Naringenin is a good antioxidant to!


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Oooh I'll have to google that Lean System 7. The only reason I have brought supps etc is because I'm absolutely skint at the mo so am saving as much as possible.

I'm also having one cheat meal a week (normally Sun night) to try and rev my metabolism a bit... thats what I tell myself anyway LOL!!

I'm might have to try some grapefruit too... I often wonder if i'm eating enough so it wouldnt hurt to add it to my breakfast 

xx


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

routine looks good stick it out for 6 weeks do not measure or weigh yourself and try not to look in the mirror lower than neck height for the next 6 weeks .

as for your self called pot belly that is down to your view of yourself i would say in this last 6 weeks of your phase you will notice good shape changes ...or atleast everybody but you will as your very cynical but see where your at and how happy you are then re do the pics and gather advice


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

uhan said:


> routine try not to look in the mirror lower than neck height for the next 6 weeks.


This will be no problem as i've been ignoring the mirrors in my house for many years LOL!



uhan said:


> as for your self called pot belly that is down to your view of yourself i would say in this last 6 weeks of your phase you will notice good shape changes ...or atleast everybody but you will as your very cynical but see where your at and how happy you are then re do the pics and gather advice


Oh I hope so! I do notice a big difference in my clothes etc so hopefully another six weeks of hard work will help me lose a few more inches!

x


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

just hack away at it m8 until one day you will say damn i look and feel great .

i and many others on here think you already do look good but we are not you .


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Its Sunday and I love Sundays... because this evening I get to have a cheat meal!! Its been a long week so i've really been waiting for this.... Plus I've just done my fasted AM jog so feel I really deserve it! :lol:

So, tonights cheat meal is......

A lovely 3 course "come dine with me" style meal that my sister has generously decided to cook for me:

Drinks: Strawberry Fizz

Starter: Wild mushroom brushetta

Main: Chicken stuffed with mozzarella & chorizo served with pots and greens

Dessert (which is ALWAYS my fav course!): Toffee apple crumble with ice cream

Coffee and After Eight mints to finish

Mmmmm mmm (Saying that she's not the best/most organised cook so I will keep the Dominos menu close by!!)

xx


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

pickle21 said:


> Its Sunday and I love Sundays... because this evening I get to have a cheat meal!! Its been a long week so i've really been waiting for this.... Plus I've just done my fasted AM jog so feel I really deserve it! :lol:
> 
> So, tonights cheat meal is......
> 
> ...


mmmmmmmmmmmm room for one more


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## Sk1nny (Jun 5, 2010)

I think your lovely but for you to be happy got to work hard at it and looks like your going the right way  don't get carried away though getting what you deem to be perfect can get to be an obsession


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi Pickle, I have decided to take a leap out of your book, and get some pics I don't like up. I have not got a journal, but started a blog if you are interested, at: http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/blogs/greenspin/1003-greenspining-into-control.html

GS


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> Hi Pickle, I have decided to take a leap out of your book, and get some pics I don't like up. I have not got a journal, but started a blog if you are interested, at: http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/blogs/greenspin/1003-greenspining-into-control.html
> 
> GS


Thanks Greenspin! I'll definately check it out as you've given me alot of advice in the past so I think it'll be a good read!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well that dinner wasnt on the menu for tonight! Yep, I have just stuffed a medium tandoori hot Dominos pizza, strippers combo and Dominos cookies down my throat! :cursing: Absolutley gutted as I was doing so well on my "diet."

Today was going really well.....

I got up to glorious sunshine

I did my very first workout of my new routine for the next six weeks of:

20 lunges with bicep curl

20 standard deadlifts with overhead press

20 bench presses with reverse ab curl

I repeated this 5 times (took about 20 minutes and sweat was literally dripping off me! Ewww)

I then followed this with a few ab crunches (40 to be precise) and 10 minutes of jumping rope (20 secs jumping, 20 secs rest).

But things started to go wrong beginning with a crap day at work, followed by my microwave deciding to blow up so a trip to Tesco straight after work was needed! Then there was a possible sighting of my cat, which has been missing for 7 days, so I went strolling around the site posting leaflets but so far nothing! Then I was cooking my lunch for work tomorrow but broke the clock timer and ended up over cooking my salmon (and I mean* really* overcooking my salmon.)

Needless to say, I didnt have time for my bike ride after work and I very quickly got very moody hence my caving into ordering a Dominos!

The good thing is I have now got this out of my system so fingers crossed I wont have any more slip ups and after working out my cals I shouldnt go too far over maintenance cals if I stick to the rest of my meal plans.

As for tomorrow, I will keep carbs to an absolute minimum and will get up for my fasted AM jog and will also then do tonights bike ride tomorrow night after work!

xx


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## Sk1nny (Jun 5, 2010)

Dominoes is my cheat day everytime lol. I look it as a reward for doing so well the rest of the week  hope you keep the motivation up tomorrow and get the job and the bike ride done with good intensity


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Considering the crappy day that you describe I personally think that you can let yourself off the hook for a one off. I'm sure it won't counter the hard working that you're putting in. I hope that you find your cat 

How has today started out?


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

sk1nny - unfortunately, I had already had my cheat meal the night before :-S But yeah if you're going to cheat you can't go wrong with a Dominos!

Katy - Yeah it was a bad day for me LOL. And unfortunatley still no sign of Tink (my cat). Its been 9 days now so I dont think she will come back - I just hope she's okay and not hurt!

Today has started good though - fasted AM jog seemed a breeze (must be all that extra energy from the pizza! Hee hee) and have stuck to my meal plans (although, not looking forward to lunch - my overcooked salmon! LOL)

I have had a quick look at my meals for the week and my calories are still under maintenance (just!) so hopefully my major slip up last night wont be too costly! Plus, i've got a lot of exercise to do this week... starting with the missed bike ride which I WILL do tonight after work!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Wow! I had forgotten how uncomfortable a bike saddle was!! Pretty sure my butt cheeks are brusied!

My bike ride only took me 25 minutes which isnt bad seeing as by the time I got back my tyres were flat... either have a slow puncture or i'm really fat and heavy!! LOL

Anyway that bike ride makes up for me missing it yesterday and I have just had a gorgeous and healthy turkey stir fry... seems I back on track after yesterdays slip up!

Time to relax and rest up before tomorrows morning workout, work and evening swimming!

x


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> And unfortunatley still no sign of Tink (my cat). Its been 9 days now so I dont think she will come back - I just hope she's okay and not hurt!


That actually touched me that did. Quite sad now.


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## paul81 (Jun 3, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Wow! I had forgotten how uncomfortable a bike saddle was!! Pretty sure my butt cheeks are brusied!


i know what you mean, 15 mins on the bike tonight, i got off and felt like i'd been molested by Uhan AND jp :lol:


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> I can make you feel sadder...
> 
> You see I got Tink as a kitten about 3 years ago when Leanne (one of my bestest and closest friends- we worked together for years and she even took me to get my first tattoo!) twisted my arm to have one of her friends kittens. Leanne actually inspired the name Tink as she said I should call her Tinkerbell which I wasnt too keen on but liked Tink.
> 
> ...


Pm'ed.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

For anyone who may be interested....

I thought you might like to know that aswell as doing this journal I also do a blog on UK-M which I update every Wednesday and weekend (normally Sunday). Its very light hearted and just talks about things that have happened on my "diet" etc in the last few days.

I have just updated it now and its all about my Dominos slip up (oops!)

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/blogs/pickle21/

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

So I love Wednesdays workouts as I do a bodyweight circuit session so very little rest and lots of intensity! My new routine which I did today for the first time is:

15 squats

20 press ups

10 right leg step ups

10 left leg step ups

20 dips

15 reverse lunges

I repeated this 5 times and then followed it with 60 ab crunches.

I then grab the skipping rope and skipped for 10 mins. (20 secs followed by 20 secs rest).

Unfortunately, I havent been able to afford to go swimming tonight (yep, i'm that poor!!) and as my bike is pretty much unusuable due to slow punctures I went for a 30 minute brisk walk instead..... my calfs definately feel worked out!!

Looks like I'm not going to be able to do the swimming or biking until I come into some money so i'm thinking my evening cardio on Mon, Weds and Fridays will be either a brisk walk, some KB swings or maybe HIIT sprints.

Anyways i'm hungry so best make dinner..... turkey, quinoa, brocolli, green beans and a squirt of ketchup! (I seem to have my diet back on track after Mondays fiasco! Hooray!)

x


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## sakso (Mar 14, 2011)

pickle21 said:


> I can make you feel sadder...
> 
> You see I got Tink as a kitten about 3 years ago when Leanne (one of my bestest and closest friends- we worked together for years and she even took me to get my first tattoo!) twisted my arm to have one of her friends kittens. Leanne actually inspired the name Tink as she said I should call her Tinkerbell which I wasnt too keen on but liked Tink.
> 
> ...


I wish I never read that now!!


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Back from my second bike ride... butt feels a little less sore this time 

And with that bike ride comes the end of the first week of my new routines/workouts and I have to say I feel great! I thought i'd struggle with adding the extra cardio but have really enjoyed it so, regardless of the pain, its been worthwhile.

My body is a little sore and achy which I actually like as I feel i've worked hard and burned some serious calories!

I always have the day off from exercise on Saturday so looking forward to a nice lie in in the morning! As for this evening, i'm just about to make my dinner....

Turkey, chorizo, brocolli, green beans, mushroom and pepper stir fry  Yummy!!

x


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Its the start of week 7 of my "cut/diet" and just got back from my fasted AM jog.

I had a lot of energy in my legs as I had a complete days rest from exercise and managed to run even further up the big, steepish hill I run to 

I'm hoping that by the time my 12 weeks are up that I can make it all the way to the top and back!

Today is usually the day I have a cheat meal but as I had two cheat meals in two days last week ( :blush: )i've decided to pass on the mums Sunday roast and instead have my cheat meal on Wednesday when i'm at my mums.... she's doing a BIG salmon, green veg, pasta bake thing! Mmmmm!

So while the family stuffed down there yorkshire pud, mash potato and stuffing i'll be chomping on chicken, a sweet potato and veg! (No doubt i'll be having serious food envy!! :drool: )


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Just a quick message to say that if you don't know how far you are running, this is a great little site to track how many miles/km you are doing.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/create/


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

JPaycheck said:


> Just a quick message to say that if you don't know how far you are running, this is a great little site to track how many miles/km you are doing.
> 
> http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/create/


Thanks JPaycheck! I have always wondered how far so i'll def check that out!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

pickle21 said:


> i've decided to pass on the mums Sunday roast and instead have my cheat meal on Wednesday when i'm at my mums.... she's doing a BIG salmon, green veg, pasta bake thing! Mmmmm!
> 
> So while the family stuffed down there yorkshire pud, mash potato and stuffing i'll be chomping on chicken, a sweet potato and veg! (No doubt i'll be having serious food envy!!


Well this didnt go so good... I didnt have my sweet potato and ended up having a big roast dinner covered in gravy! Whats worse is i'm now sat here witha cup of tea and the biscuit tin! Eeeeek!

Willpower is soooooo not my thing!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay, so yet again I have re-worked my food diary for this week following my lack of willpower to say to no to my mum and her cooking! 

I know that Wednesday evening i'll be scoffing down lots of my mums salmon pasta bake so I've decided I will go pretty low carb this week by having them for meal 1 only and meal 1 and 2 on weight workout days (Mon and Fri) so no carbs from lunch onwards.

I have worked out my cals and i'm still going to be way under maintenance, esp if I take on board all the exercise, but I really want to do well this week as next Saturday is weigh and measure day :scared: and I really dont want my scales to flash "fat" at me LOL.

I only have 5 weeks to Ibiza now and this is the second week in the row that i'll be having 2 cheat meals a week so I really need to pull my socks up and be a bit stricter if I want to get to my below 20% bodyfat target! Its just sooooo hard though!!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

JPaycheck said:


> Just a quick message to say that if you don't know how far you are running, this is a great little site to track how many miles/km you are doing.
> 
> http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/create/


This site is awesome!!! Apparently I ran 2.94 miles in 30 mins this morning! Is that good??

XX


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> and I really dont want my scales to flash "fat" at me LOL.
> 
> xx


Your scales sound mean 



pickle21 said:


> This site is awesome!!! Apparently I ran 2.94 miles in 30 mins this morning! Is that good??
> 
> XX


If it's no less or is more than last time you ran, then yes :thumbup1:


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> This site is awesome!!! Apparently I ran 2.94 miles in 30 mins this morning! Is that good??
> 
> XX


Well I do about 10 minutes miles, same as you, best I ever had was 8 minute miles.

So its the same as me, but not sure if thats any use.

BUT, running 3 miles, WHATEVER time is AWESOME, running makes me lose weight so fast!


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

JPaycheck said:


> Well I do about 10 minutes miles, same as you, best I ever had was 8 minute miles.
> 
> So its the same as me, but not sure if thats any use.
> 
> BUT, running 3 miles, WHATEVER time is AWESOME, running makes me lose weight so fast!


Oh thats good.... I try not to run too fast as I want to make sure i burn fat and not carbs/muscle etc so 10 minutes per mile suits me 

I have to say I didnt realise I would enjoy running so much (roll on tomorrow morning for my next run hee hee!) and that I was running so far! I'm well chuffed with that - plus its uphill  and I'm determined to reach the top of the hill too LOL.

x


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Oh thats good.... I try not to run too fast as I want to make sure i burn fat and not carbs/muscle etc so 10 minutes per mile suits me
> 
> I have to say I didnt realise I would enjoy running so much (roll on tomorrow morning for my next run hee hee!) and that I was running so far! I'm well chuffed with that - plus its uphill  and I'm determined to reach the top of the hill too LOL.
> 
> x


Ouch, uphill running aswell!

It certainly becomes fun when you get into it! And definatly impressed about it.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well just back from mums and once again had a lovely "cheat" meal (cheesy salmpn pasta with garlic bread followed by chocolate mousse... and then I stuffed down milk and biscuits!! Biscuits are my vice!)

This was the second cheat meal of this week so do feel a tad guilty but I knew this was going to happen so I had kinda prepared by going been pretty low carb and I will stay pretty low carb for the rest of the week as my next "cheat" meal is Sunday.

I have to say though I think I needed the cheat meal today though as i have been feeling tired and struggling to get outta bed, which I think is linked to the extra cardio and lower carbs!

Hopefully tonights meal will give me a bit of oomph to get me outta bed in the morning and go for a nice, strong fasted AM jog 

I do have to watch my diet/cheat meals though as this is the second week in a row I've had two cheat meals in a week and I dont want it to impact on my weight as only have 5 weeks til Ibiza and I really wanna see some results!!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Hey pickle. I've still been checking in  You've said that sometimes you feel really tried and struggle to get out of the bed in the morning. I was just wondering if maybe your daily calorie intake is too low which will not only mean that you're tried but in my opinon also make cheating more likely. This is only coming from my personal experience and not science...if I start to feel uncomfortably fatigued to the point that it's interfering with my day e.g. slower at work and feeling low/irritable etc then I have a few dried apricots or half a chicken breast - something to give me some energy. And it always helps.

You do fasted cardio don't you?


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> Hey pickle. I've still been checking in  You've said that sometimes you feel really tried and struggle to get out of the bed in the morning. I was just wondering if maybe your daily calorie intake is too low which will not only mean that you're tried but in my opinon also make cheating more likely. This is only coming from my personal experience and not science...if I start to feel uncomfortably fatigued to the point that it's interfering with my day e.g. slower at work and feeling low/irritable etc then I have a few dried apricots or half a chicken breast - something to give me some energy. And it always helps.
> 
> You do fasted cardio don't you?


Hey Katy,

Yeah I think you're right! Because I knew I would be having two cheat meals in the same week I dropped the carbs from my meals for the week to compensate. So on non-cheat days I havent been getting the same amount of cals as usual.

I'm not expecting to cheat next week as i'm not going out etc so I will go back to having my carbs with my meals (which works out about 100g a day) so i'll get more daily cals in and fingers crossed my energy levels stay up.

Yeah I do do fasted cardio which I really enjoy and I think the big, cheat meal I had last night really helped my energy as I took a minute and half off my time this morning :thumb:

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay i'm sat at work and feeling tired again! And was wondering whether I should be though??

Basically i've had two cheat meals this week (on Sun and Weds) and these cheat meals mean that this week I had consumed more calories than I normally would (even though I have reduce carbs from all the other days (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri and tomorrow)) so my cal deflict has only been about 2000 for the week (not even a 1lb!)

Normally, I only have one cheat meal a week on Sunday and then take in moderate carbs (100g or less a day) for the rest of week which I work out to give me a 3500 cal deflict a week (so I lose 1lb a week through diet alone).

Seems strange to me that although i've taken in more cals in the last week I feel so tried as I thought it would give me more energy.

Is it because the majority of my cals have come from my cheat meals which arent the best foods to have on a diet?

Or is it the fact the following days after my cheat meals I have taken in a lot less carbs and cals than usual?

Of course, it could just be that i'm sat at work with not a lot to do and am dead bored LOL.

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Could be many things. Yes, very low carbs maybe be the reason you are feeling tired. 1 extra cheat meal should not have impacted you negatively enough that you would be noticing it. But the compensation may be! Maybe have 2-4 dried figs/apricots or what ever you like, a small apple would be nice and a little filling/hydrating. See if it lifts your energy, if so, work from there. A small apple (130g) only has about 65 kcal, definitely not the end of the world!

GS


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

If you do have a snack, try to really enjoy it, and not feel guilty though. It will be a nice 'healthy' thing for you to do for your body


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

If it were me, I'd have a small snack. I find that dried apricots are good - perks me up. And I'd also have about 2 cups of fruit tea to give me the satisifaction of feeling full for a bit and hydrate my body and brain.

In my opinion, the issue with compensating for cheats is that the rest of the time you're body isn't getting enough. If I cheat I write it off and start again as normal as opposed to compensating or else I start to feel tried and crave things which leeds me to cheat again. However, I do appreacaite that your time scale for achieving your goals is shorter than mine.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> If you do have a snack, try to really enjoy it, and not feel guilty though. It will be a nice 'healthy' thing for you to do for your body





Katy said:


> If it were me, I'd have a small snack. I find that dried apricots are good - perks me up. And I'd also have about 2 cups of fruit tea to give me the satisifaction of feeling full for a bit and hydrate my body and brain.
> 
> In my opinion, the issue with compensating for cheats is that the rest of the time you're body isn't getting enough. If I cheat I write it off and start again as normal as opposed to compensating or else I start to feel tried and crave things which leeds me to cheat again. However, I do appreacaite that your time scale for achieving your goals is shorter than mine.


Hey guys,

I have been eating my snacks/meals as normal, every 3 hours, so i'm not feeling hungry or starved or anything (but without the carbs they are smaller portions??)

I think you are both right about me being too hard on myself when I cheat. I do fine when I stick to my one cheat meal a week as I plan this but when it goes Pete Tong and I have two in one week I feel so guilty and bad that I kinda punish myself by cutting back.

I think I need to be a tad more relaxed with it all and as Katy says write off the occasional hiccup. Especially as I know that even if i'm 100% perfect for the next 4 weeks I probably wont have the beach body I want as it takes time- a lot longer than 4 weeks LOL.

xx


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

Cheat meals will cause your body to burn calories faster but they wont stop when the cheat is digested, they carry on for hours, maybe even the day after! So the day after a cheat meal you will feel more hungry than the the days before it. Snacking, even on dried fruit is not a great idea as its just sugar, but it is the lesser of some evils.... when you have the urge Fruit tea as Katy said above is great, also sugar free gum.

Regular cheats (weekly) are good for the body to keep up metabolism, but if you cheat too much the body will get used to it and think its part of the normal diet and the increase in metabolism will not be the same.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Magic Torch said:


> Cheat meals will cause your body to burn calories faster but they wont stop when the cheat is digested, they carry on for hours, maybe even the day after! So the day after a cheat meal you will feel more hungry than the the days before it. Snacking, even on dried fruit is not a great idea as its just sugar, but it is the lesser of some evils.... when you have the urge Fruit tea as Katy said above is great, also sugar free gum.
> 
> Regular cheats (weekly) are good for the body to keep up metabolism, but if you cheat too much the body will get used to it and think its part of the normal diet and the increase in metabolism will not be the same.


Thanks for that Magic Torch. I've been snacking on things like cottage cheese and walnuts or turkey and peanut butter so fairly healthy and also I find green tea can fill a hole 

I try to only have a cheat meal once a week on Sunday evening but the last two weeks I had an extra one.... hopefully I can get back to having just one cheat a week but its hard as the family want to do things and go out and then I end up eating what they have and its not food that is great for my diet!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

With regards to gum, I find that makes me more hungry beause my stomach thinks that it's going to receive food - it starts to rumble and I feel sick! Just sharing my own experience. I'd like to add that I only ever have about 3 dried apricots when seriously feeling low on cabs e.g. yawning all the time, unable concentrate and sometimes shaking. If I'm craving and starting to low on energy then I'll snack on some lean meat that I always ready in the fridge.

Are there every alternatives to what your family eat, for example, do you eat out at restaurants where there are healthier options or are they home cooked meals? If home cooked food can you have the healthier parts only? For example, when at a family roast I have the meat & veg with a little gravy - I steer clear of the yorkshires and roasties. I know they're yummy but maybe try to tell yourself when you're tempted that you're not giving them up forever...it's only short term. I know it's hard to gain control of your thoughts and I'm certianly no saint but I try to keep my mind focussed on my goals whenever I'm tempted....visualisation etc. Maybe take one of your motivating pictures with you when out for family meals? One thing I do (which isn't very nice about my family) when eating with family is in my mind turn my nose up at their choices, tell myself that they'll just be fat and unhealthy - it's about making myself feel superior for making the healthy choice. I don't really think that about my family but it helps me not be tempted at those risky times.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> With regards to gum, I find that makes me more hungry beause my stomach thinks that it's going to receive food - it starts to rumble and I feel sick! Just sharing my own experience. I'd like to add that I only ever have about 3 dried apricots when seriously feeling low on cabs e.g. yawning all the time, unable concentrate and sometimes shaking. If I'm craving and starting to low on energy then I'll snack on some lean meat that I always ready in the fridge.
> 
> Are there every alternatives to what your family eat, for example, do you eat out at restaurants where there are healthier options or are they home cooked meals? If home cooked food can you have the healthier parts only? For example, when at a family roast I have the meat & veg with a little gravy - I steer clear of the yorkshires and roasties. I know they're yummy but maybe try to tell yourself when you're tempted that you're not giving them up forever...it's only short term. I know it's hard to gain control of your thoughts and I'm certianly no saint but I try to keep my mind focussed on my goals whenever I'm tempted....visualisation etc. Maybe take one of your motivating pictures with you when out for family meals? One thing I do (which isn't very nice about my family) when eating with family is in my mind turn my nose up at their choices, tell myself that they'll just be fat and unhealthy - it's about making myself feel superior for making the healthy choice. I don't really think that about my family but it helps me not be tempted at those risky times.


To be honest if I know i'm going to a restaurant or eating at my parents I do try to make them go on a Sunday when its my cheat meal or I try to save my cheat meal for that day LOL.

Normally it works and if not then I have been eating the healthier stuff available like salad andmeat from the BBQ (no bread, wedges or quiche!) However, for some reason, I have found it hard to say no in the past two weeks which surprises me as I did so well for the first 6 weeks I thought these last 6 weeks would be a breeze! Maybe its in my head as from week 6 I took up more exercise so maybe because I did that I feel I can have an extra meal??

I now have just 4 weeks left and I always planned that tomorrow will be my next weigh in and measure up. I think i'll see how well (or badly!) that turns out as I think it will inspire me to be a bit more strict (if bad) or more positive (if good) about things 

Of course, whether good or bad, I will update this with my new stats... (Soooo scary!!)

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well after 4 weeks of healthy eating and exercise it the moment of truth.....

Weight: 8 stone 11 and 3/4 (lost 1lb and 3/4)

BMI: 19.9 (down by .2)

Bodyfat: 22.2% (down .2%)

Belly bulge: 33" STILL!! (NO CHANGE!!)

As you can probably guess i'm devasted! 4 weeks for f**king nothing! I know the last two weeks havent been great diet wise but I've been doing more cardio and have cut carbs to ensure I stay in a calorie deflict so thought I would lose a hell of lot more than 1ld and 3/4!!

Maybe I cut carbs too much so my body has held onto and stored fat?? This could be possible seeing as Thursday was really low on cals.... not even reaching 1000!

To be honest I feel like giving up completely and just give in to the fact that i'll always be fat in my mind and nothing I do is going to change that!

BUT, i've decided to give it another go. So starting today, for the next two weeks, I'll go back to eating my original diet of moderate fats, carbs and protein (diet stated in post 1) and keeping to just one cheat meal on a Saturday or Sunday evening! (Trust me, after today I wont want to cheat any more than that!)

I will then weigh myself again on the 04/06/2011 to see if it works (I want to lose at least 1lb of fat a week so want to lose at least 2lbs of fat!) If it does then i'll keep at it for another 2 weeks until I go to Ibiza. If it doesnt.... then i'll quit LOL!

But seriously, I'm gutted.... absolutely gutted! I'm not the crying type but feel I could shed a tear right now! I really hope I can shed the fat I want to in the next two weeks because I feel I really need to see some results for my well being!

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Did you keep the factors the same as last time you weighed yourself. What I mean by that, is the time, day etc? The best time as you may know, is the morning, before you have drunk any fluids or eaten any food, as this will be the closest to your actual total body weight as you can get. Also, when one starts to control their diet and does things like lower and raises carbs (and so water) your weight can be varied very frequently. There are so many things. I can see (read?) how gutted you are, and also measurements are a little different in the amount they fluctuate, but with stomach measurements your posture can have a small impact, and in 4 weeks, one could say that the measurement will have only change in a small way. Another point is that if it is one of your 'stubborn' areas, then it will be one of the last places the weight comes off. You may have lost measurements from other areas, like you arms etc. For me I have been dieting since near the beginning of the year, and I have not changed weight drastically, in fact I don't really use it as a guide. But I am much leaner. I think you have the right attitude, and sounds like you are going to keep on it. And I really would not let this demotivate you, as it can be very hard to accurately measure how much and wear you have lost 'weight'. Plus in the grand scheme of things, 4 weeks is not a lot of time to see significant change 

Keep at it, and reap the rewards, you have the biology to, and it takes time to truly be able to find your personal best method for losing weight. This experience will add to you knowledge, so in the future you have reference points to work from, and that is part of the game :thumbup1:


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks Greenspin!

I have been thinking about it and maybe I have been a bit hard on myself... afterall I have lost a tiny bit of weight and bodyfat.

I did try to keep all the factors the same and am pretty sure I measured in the same areas etc. To be fair I seem to have lost half an inch off the top of each thigh and I can see my muscle near my knee a lot clearer so maybe the fat is going from my legs first?

My sister also pointed out that maybe my Weigh****chers scales are the most reliable and maybe i'm adding muscle?

I just thought the scales and measuring tape would read a bit better than they did as I feel leaner and healthier. My clothes seem baggier and my fitness has definately increased.

I do think the last two weeks have mucked me up a bit as my diet hasnt been consistent like it was for the first 6 weeks. Hopefully if I revert back to my original meals etc that will help and I do have another 4 weeks til my holiday so there is still some time to try and lose a bit more bodyfat.

You are right that 4 weeks isnt a huge amount of time so I have decided that I wont weigh myself in two weeks as I dont think a lot will happen by then and I will give up so I'm going to go at it for the last 4 weeks and fingers crossed it works!

I knew it wouldnt be easy but I never thought its would be this hard!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

If you feel leaner and healthier and your clothes are baggier and your thighs are smaller then I think that's all that matters. At the end of the day it's about how you feel and look, not what the numbers say. It also takes time for the body to adjust to the change. I know that my personal trainer assured me not to worry that no progress was being made initially because reasearch shows results take up 6 weeks to emerge.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Yeah you're right! I should remember that i'm feeling a lot better and confident - It's just hard to ignore the lack of visable results. I hope its true what your personal trainer says and hopefully I will see some good results after these next 4 weeks.

I'm not too worried about how much I actually weigh.... just my bodyfat % and look really - I did want to be at 20% or under by my holiday but dont think that is possible now... can you lose 2.2% bodyfat in 4 weeks??

I think i'm going to take this weekend to chill and relax a bit (I'm cooking a Come Dine With Me cheat meal tomorrow evening which i'm looking forward to doing) and then come Monday I think I'll be in a good frame of mind to carry on with my healthy eating and exercise.

xx


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Yeah don't worry about weight, its just numbers and figures. Actual weight means very very little, it relies on so many variables to be the same that simply cannot be the same.

I think it is working, albeit slower than I would have thought but the tape measure doesn't lie. I'm gonna take a look at your diet and see whats going on.


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

TRAIN

Meal 1: Banana and whey protein OR 2 sachets of original oats and whey

Meal 2: 1/2 can tuna, 100g cottage cheese and 1 spelt crackerbread

Meal 3: Salmon salad OR Egg salad

Meal 4: 125g cottage cheese, 15g Walnuts and blueberries

CARDIO WILL BE ADDED HERE ON MON, WEDS & FRI

Meal 5: 150g turkey, veg and 30g rice/puy lentils

**I also have one cheat meal a week - normally Sat or Sun evening**

Cals work out at around 1400 a day with carbs at 100g or less, fats at 50g and protein at 100g plus. I think it works out as a 30/30/30 split and I try not to mix fats and carbs too much in my meals.

No problems there, all seems solid. I don't see any benefit in losing any more carbs, or fat. I think its one of them situations where you need to see the trainer in person and see the workouts and so on.

From a point of personal preference, I prefer to eat before training, this way I put more into the workout, have you considered having meal 1 before training? I know you won't like that idea, but throwing it out there. Bump cardio to 4-5 days? Cut the cheat meal for 2 weeks instead of one?


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

My partner dropped 2% fat in a week so hopefully it is possible. I must say though, I'm 35%!! I'd kill to have 22%!!!

I agree with JP. I personally can't train without food. Views are divided on this topic but I personally think that in the grand scheme of things that it doesn't make that much of difference - I put much more into my workout when I have energy.

Are you doing genetle cardio or high intensity interval training?


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## bakerboo (Aug 30, 2010)

Hi pickle, the changes and effort you have made are a great achievement. I know you said you want to lose b/f and have 4 wks left, have you considered keto?? I have been running it with good results, no cheat for first 10days-14days then a wkly cheat. I find although shattered for one day it soon passes, plus I've found tesco diet kick doesn't kick me out of keto but does give a boost to get me through training:rolleyes: I drink lots of water and green tea to help fill me up, you could always try eca may be cheaper than lean system 7.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

JPaycheck said:


> TRAIN
> 
> Meal 1: Banana and whey protein OR 2 sachets of original oats and whey
> 
> ...


Yay! At least my diet seems right LOL!

The reason I train on an empty stomach is because I have pretty bad digestion and suffer from mild IBS and find that food repeats on me when doing intense exercise. I seem to do okay doing it fasted as I feel lighter and not bloated and always get a good sweat on.

As for the cardio i'm currently doing 3 fasted AM jogs, 3 evening bike rides after meal 4 and have added 10 mins of HIIT skipping after my weight workouts - is this not enough?? Saying that - I have only added the bike rides and skipping in the last two weeks... before that it was just the 3 fasted AM jogs.



Katy said:


> My partner dropped 2% fat in a week so hopefully it is possible. I must say though, I'm 35%!! I'd kill to have 22%!!!
> 
> I agree with JP. I personally can't train without food. Views are divided on this topic but I personally think that in the grand scheme of things that it doesn't make that much of difference - I put much more into my workout when I have energy.
> 
> Are you doing genetle cardio or high intensity interval training?


Thanks Katy - its good to know it can be done.... gives me a glimmer of hope 

At the moment i'm doing a mix of steady cardio and HITT. Steady cardio in the form of 3 fasted AM jogs and 3 evening bike rides. HIIT in the form of 10 mins of skipping after my weight circuits (20 secs skipping, 20 secs rest).

xx


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Yay! At least my diet seems right LOL!
> 
> The reason I train on an empty stomach is because I have pretty bad digestion and suffer from mild IBS and find that food repeats on me when doing intense exercise. I seem to do okay doing it fasted as I feel lighter and not bloated and always get a good sweat on.
> 
> ...


I would say thats a good amount of exercise. I'm baffled at the minute, let me get back to you.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

JPaycheck said:


> I would say thats a good amount of exercise. I'm baffled at the minute, let me get back to you.


Thank God as any more and i'll be dead LOL.

Could it be lack of cals? I only added the extra cardio in the past two weeks but the past two weeks werent the best for my diet. For example this week I removed the carbs (except my oats or banana after my workout) from my diet and kept protien and fats the same. So, my cals were a lot lower than usual.... about 1100 and on Thursday I didnt even have a 1000! The reason for this is because I knew I would be having two cheat meals so tried to compensate for it by cutting cals from my carbs in all my other meals.

Did doing this maybe muck up my metabolism and make my body store fat on the lower cal days??

xx


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Thank God as any more and i'll be dead LOL.
> 
> Could it be lack of cals? I only added the extra cardio in the past two weeks but the past two weeks werent the best for my diet. For example this week I removed the carbs (except my oats or banana after my workout) from my diet and kept protien and fats the same. So, my cals were a lot lower than usual.... about 1100 and on Thursday I didnt even have a 1000! The reason for this is because I knew I would be having two cheat meals so tried to compensate for it by cutting cals from my carbs in all my other meals.
> 
> ...


haha it might just be one of them times were weight loss doesn't show, but I reckon on your next weigh in it will show, and will be a bigger drop than expected. That sometimes happens.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

JPaycheck said:


> haha it might just be one of them times were weight loss doesn't show, but I reckon on your next weigh in it will show, and will be a bigger drop than expected. That sometimes happens.


Thanks JPaycheck! I think i'll just keep my diet in check and keep exercising hard for the next 4 weeks and then see what happens. I was going to re-weigh myself after 2 weeks but I think I may need more time than that to shift some serious fat LOL.

Fingers crossed I can make these next 4 weeks count!

Thank you... and everyone else... for all your help and thoughts! 

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

One thing I do think is worth noting, is, how active you are when not exercising. So, if you spend a lot of time being rather sedate and not really moving, then I find it makes ones body very stubborn. As if it is saying "well I am using a lot of energy whilst doing exercise, but I don't really have much going on any other time. So I think I will just turn down my metabolism and conserve energy " That may sound silly, but when you are moving about, like when 'spring cleaning' if you do it, you spend the day moving and things flow and are not laborious as you are in the motions. Like the motion of the movement requires a certain flow of energy that is more then normal sedate movements of a calm non active (or should I say more mentally active  ) day. And I don't know if you read the post I put on here about the possible enzyme inhibiting effect sitting can have, but all these things add up and really do make a difference. I absolutely advocate 45 minutes to and hour of constant walking a day. It is one thing doing exercise for 30 mins and then thinking "sh!t, I am not losing weight, I'll just add in some more cardio" but the reality is that it is a difficult balancing act to get nutrition to exercise whilst maintaining energy. So a walk on top of your normal exercise will be less taxing than double cardio, but IMO very rewarding 

GS


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> One thing I do think is worth noting, is, how active you are when not exercising. So, if you spend a lot of time being rather sedate and not really moving, then I find it makes ones body very stubborn. As if it is saying "well I am using a lot of energy whilst doing exercise, but I don't really have much going on any other time. So I think I will just turn down my metabolism and conserve energy " That may sound silly, but when you are moving about, like when 'spring cleaning' if you do it, you spend the day moving and things flow and are not laborious as you are in the motions. Like the motion of the movement requires a certain flow of energy that is more then normal sedate movements of a calm non active (or should I say more mentally active  ) day. And I don't know if you read the post I put on here about the possible enzyme inhibiting effect sitting can have, but all these things add up and really do make a difference. I absolutely advocate 45 minutes to and hour of constant walking a day. It is one thing doing exercise for 30 mins and then thinking "sh!t, I am not losing weight, I'll just add in some more cardio" but the reality is that it is a difficult balancing act to get nutrition to exercise whilst maintaining energy. So a walk on top of your normal exercise will be less taxing than double cardio, but IMO very rewarding
> 
> GS


You bring up an excellent point! I have a desk job so spend 9 til 5 sitting on my butt and when I get home I go for a bike ride but then sit on sofa from about 7.30pm! Today, I have been on the move until about an hour ago and now i'm sat on the sofa watching Desperate Housewives! I do need to move a lot more in the day so will look into doing that... even if its just a nice walk around the dogs on my lunches or something!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay, after today's fiasco with the scales and measuring tape I have decided that I will forget about it and just relax, chill and not worry about my diet or belly for today and tomorrow (basically take the weekend off and drink and eat sh!t - I know it won't help matters but I think I need a break to help me regain my motivation and determination!)

I'm then going to start again, with 100% focus, on Monday and really hit it hard for the next 4 weeks. 

I have thought about my diet and exercise for the next 4 weeks and thought I'd put up a detailed account of them to help me stick to it and maybe let you guys take a look. So&#8230;


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

*Diet:*

Mondays & Wednesdays:

TRAIN

Meal 1: 2 scoops of Whey and Banana protein shake (267 cals)

Meal 2: 2 Food Doctor spelt grain crackerbreads, ½ tin of tuna, 100g cottage cheese (190 cals)

Meal 3: 2 egg garden salad (226 cals)

Meal 4: 125g cottage cheese, 15g, walnuts, ½ tub of blueberries, cinnamon (238 cals)

30 MINUTE BIKE RIDE

Meal 5: 150g turkey, 30g puy lentils or quinoa, green beans, broccoli (320 cals)

Total cals = 1241 cals

Tuesday:

30 MINUTE FASTED JOG

Meal 1: 2 sachets of original oats, 1 scoop of whey, cinnamon (246 cals)

Meal 2: 1 apple, 20g peanut butter, 3 slices of turkey breast (258 cals)

Meal 3: Salmon garden salad (240 cals)

Meal 4: 125g cottage cheese, 15g walnuts, cinnamon (192 cals)

Meal 5: 1 venison burger, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, mushroom, 10g 70%+ dark choc (266 cals)

Total cals = 1202 cals (No carbs after meal 2 as I only do a morning jog).

Thursday:

30 MINUTE FASTED JOG

Meal 1: 2 sachets of original oats, 1 scoop of whey, cinnamon (246 cals)

Meal 2: 1 apple, 20g peanut butter, 3 slices of turkey breast (258 cals)

Meal 3: Salmon garden salad (240 cals)

Meal 4: 125g cottage cheese, 15g walnuts, cinnamon (192 cals)

Meal 5: 2 egg omelette, broccoli, mushroom, tomatoes (239 cals)

Total cals = 1175 cals (No carbs after meal 2 as I only do a morning jog).

Friday:

TRAIN

Meal 1: 2 scoops of Whey and Banana protein shake (267 cals)

Meal 2: 2 Food Doctor spelt grain cracker breads, 2 eggs, 25g cottage cheese (226 cals)

Meal 3: 100g prawns, 100g cottage cheese garden salad (190 cals)

Meal 4: 1 apple, 20g peanut butter, 3 slices of turkey breast (258 cals)

30 MINUTE BIKE RIDE

Meal 5: 150g turkey, 30g puy lentils or quinoa, green beans, broccoli (320 cals)

Total cals = 1261 cals

Saturday:

Meal 1: 2 sachets of original oats, 1 scoop of whey, cinnamon (246 cals)

Meal 2: 2 egg garden salad (226 cals)

Meal 3: 125g cottage cheese, 15g walnuts, cinnamon (192 cals)

Meal 4: 1 chicken breast, green beans, broccoli, pepper, mushroom, 1tbsp ketchup (350 cals)

Total cals = 1014 cals (No carbs after meal 1 as I don't work out on a Saturday and only 4 meals as I don't get up so early).

Sunday:

30 MINUTE FASTED JOG

Meal 1: 2 sachets of original oats, 1 scoop of whey, cinnamon (246 cals)

Meal 2: 2 egg garden salad (226 cals)

Meal 3: 125g cottage cheese, 15g walnuts, cinnamon (192 cals)

Meal 4: Cheat meal&#8230; try to keep it to 3000 cals or less!

Total cals = 3664 cals depending on cheat meal (Again only 4 meals as I don't get up so early).

Total cals for the week therefore totals 10798.


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

*Training:*

Monday & Friday:

AM:

20 lunges with bicep curl

20 standard deadlifts with overhead press

20 bench presses with reverse ab curl

Repeated 5 times with 2 4.5kg dumbells(9kg in total) (takes about 20 minutes)

Then 60 ab crunches

Then 10 minutes of jumping rope HIIT style&#8230; 20 secs jumping, 20 secs rest etc.

PM:

30 Minute bike ride

Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday:

AM:

30 minute fasted AM jog

Wednesday:

AM:

20 squats

20 press ups against stairs

10 right leg step ups

10 left leg step ups

20 dips using stairs

20 reverse lunges

Repeated 5 times all bodyweight (takes about 20 minutes)

Then 60 ab crunches

Then 10 minutes of jumping rope HIIT style&#8230; 20 secs jumping, 20 secs rest etc.

PM:

30 Minute bike ride

Saturday:

Off


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay, so yesterday I did my morning workout as usual but didnt get to go out on my bike yesterday evening (it was too darn windy! and raining!) so I decided to grab my kettlebell instead and try some sort of HIIT with it and ended up doing this....

I started off with tabata protocol doing 20 secs of swings followed by 10 secs of rest. I was knackered after 5 minutes so decided to increase the rest time and did 20 secs of swings followed by 20 secs of rest for a further 5 minutes! I was really feeling it (especially in my back!) so decided to put the kettlebell down and do 5 minutes of supersetting between dips and squats... ouch! To finish I decided to get swinging again and did another 5 mins of 20 secs on, 20 secs rest.

All in all I worked out for 20 minutes (ex warm up and cool down) and I have to say I'm feeling it today! I woke up and was REALLY feeling the work in my legs and torso so wasnt sure if i'd manage my 3.2 mile run but I did... and in 33 minutes!

I have to say i'm really enjoying the exercise and even though its hard, intense and the thought of doing it is horrible, I do love the feeling of achy, sore muscles as it really makes me think its working LOL. Unfortunately, my diet isnt going so well (KFC followed by a cup of tea and biscuits for tonights dinner!) so I have decided to relax a little (eating healthily 90% of the time but having the odd splurge when I feel I need to- maybe twice a week) on it and keep to maintenence cals.... hopefully I should lose a tad of fat as i'm doing 9 exercise sessions a week and as long as the bodyfat % is going the right way (down!) i'll be happy.... regardless of how slow it takes!

xx


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

Sounds like a good change from the bike! As long as your heart rate is up you can do pretty much anything for cardio, its good to change it up a bit! KFC is my fav but I only have it once in a blue moon, tower burger are awesome!

Try having one refeed and one cheat, refeed mid week and cheat on weekend that should help stop cravings too much. A good refeed meal is peanut butter with jam on rough oat cakes! Much better with your tea!


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Magic Torch said:


> Sounds like a good change from the bike! As long as your heart rate is up you can do pretty much anything for cardio, its good to change it up a bit! KFC is my fav but I only have it once in a blue moon, tower burger are awesome!
> 
> Try having one refeed and one cheat, refeed mid week and cheat on weekend that should help stop cravings too much. A good refeed meal is peanut butter with jam on rough oat cakes! Much better with your tea!


Hi Magic Torch!

Thanks for the tip! To be honest my KFC dinner made a fabulous re-appearence in my bathroom toilet last night so the idea of cheating is a real stomach turner right now LOL.

I only have 25 days left til Ibiza and really want to lose as much fat as I can so starting today i'm going to give 100% to eating my planned meals and then have one day at the weekend where I relax a little and eat a few smaller treats thoughout the day - hopefully my cheat cals will then be spread evenly over the day rather than me stuffing my face in one sitting and getting real bad belly ache! LOL!

However, I know that I wont have the belly/look I want in that time so i'm not putting too much pressure on myself to really shred the fat.... as long as my bf% goes down, even if it by a smidgen, then i'll be happy 

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi Pickle, Protein fluff is like a dessert and low kcal/carbs, why don't you give it a go, then if you enjoy it and are full, you might not even want to cheat 

Needles to say, no 'cheat' = quicker path to weight loss.


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

Thats a decent plan, if your looking to lose BF then eating a bit more relaxed wont hurt. Most advise you will get on here will be based around muscle mass and again and retention of that whilst dieting. But if your just aiming to shape up and train for cardio and health reasons you dont have to follow a tough set diet, just eat good whole foods in normal amounts, the extra cardio will shed the fat.

I'm going Ibiza in July so I better start looking at my diet lol


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> Hi Pickle, Protein fluff is like a dessert and low kcal/carbs, why don't you give it a go, then if you enjoy it and are full, you might not even want to cheat
> 
> Needles to say, no 'cheat' = quicker path to weight loss.


Hi Greenspin,#

I did see you blog on Protein fluff and thought it looked yummy.... although I dont have milk protein - would natural whey work? If so i'll give it a whirl

To be honest i'm a fan of cottage cheese, sprinkled with cinnamon with walnuts and blueberries scattered on top  Yummy!

But your right.. no cheat=quicker results.

Although when dieting I do tend to go a bit too low cal so I always thought the cheat meal would help rev up my leptin levels/metabolism that lower when dieting??

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Magic Torch said:


> Thats a decent plan, if your looking to lose BF then eating a bit more relaxed wont hurt. Most advise you will get on here will be based around muscle mass and again and retention of that whilst dieting. But if your just aiming to shape up and train for cardio and health reasons you dont have to follow a tough set diet, just eat good whole foods in normal amounts, the extra cardio will shed the fat.
> 
> I'm going Ibiza in July so I better start looking at my diet lol


Yeah i'm just looking to trim up and lose bodyfat, not too worried about adding muscle although I can see a lot more definition in my thighs etc 

And yeah, i'm really going to rely on the exercise to help. I will give it 100% and try to stick to my diet (just so hard as i'm such a foodie) which I know I can do as I did it for the first 6 weeks but this time i'm not going to pile a load of pressure on myself and worry about whether its working fast enough!

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi Pickle, whey does not work....... The casein in the Milk Protein powder is what makes it thick and firm. But, cottage cheese is good too. I love it  How much do you have in one serving. Using cottage cheese you could do the same. I have 350-400g cottage cheese in a bowl with half circles of courgette, thinly grated carrot, finely diced red/orange pepper, sweet corn kernels with ground cumin, cayenne pepper (heats the body up right nice  ), black pepper, mixed italian herbs or oregano a squeeze of ketchep (low salt/sugar) and a good squeeze of lime. It is very filing.


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## quinn85 (Jul 30, 2010)

Only just discovered this journal unfortunately, it makes for a good read. I would say good luck for the last 25/24 days before you go away but you won't need it, impressive work rate and you're clearly getting results. You may have already said but how often do you do fasted cardio?


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

quinn85 said:


> Only just discovered this journal unfortunately, it makes for a good read. I would say good luck for the last 25/24 days before you go away but you won't need it, impressive work rate and you're clearly getting results. You may have already said but how often do you do fasted cardio?


Thank you... I hope I can do okay for the next 24 and a half days now! But its always nice to have good luck wishes LOL.

I'm trying really hard to get a lot of exercise in, especially as i've not been as strict on my diet as I would have hoped. Hopefully, I can power on through the next 24.5 days without any slip ups!

I go for 3 fasted AM jogs (jogging about 3 miles in 30 minutes) but I also do my light weight and body weight training fasted too. I know its a big no-no for many but I dont find it affects my effort or anything.... actually, I feel I give more as i'm not so bloated from any food or tired from doing other stuff too.

I then try to fit in 3 evening cardio sessions too.... today i'm thinking a nice brisk walk after work 

xx


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## quinn85 (Jul 30, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Thank you... I hope I can do okay for the next 24 and a half days now! But its always nice to have good luck wishes LOL.
> 
> I'm trying really hard to get a lot of exercise in, especially as i've not been as strict on my diet as I would have hoped. Hopefully, I can power on through the next 24.5 days without any slip ups!
> 
> ...


If it works for you, then it works for you. As for it being a big no-no for many, you could easily find lots of people who swear by it, and lots who wouldn't. I am a fan of things fasted, and on the odd occasion I actually put the effort in I find it yields pretty good results. Brisk walks are good, and dont worry about the diet so much. If in the grand scheme of things you've been healthy during your efforts then all is good. Keep it up


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

quinn85 said:


> If it works for you, then it works for you. As for it being a big no-no for many, you could easily find lots of people who swear by it, and lots who wouldn't. I am a fan of things fasted, and on the odd occasion I actually put the effort in I find it yields pretty good results. Brisk walks are good, and dont worry about the diet so much. If in the grand scheme of things you've been healthy during your efforts then all is good. Keep it up


Thanks Quinn! Thats very much appreciated.... i'm quite looking forward to the next 25 days and seeing how well I do and what it achieves. Fingers crossed its not a disappointment LOL.

x


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## Uriel (Oct 14, 2008)

pickle - if you are serious about getting in great shape using diet for an event (your holiday), you should look at doing a PSMF (Protein Sparing Modified Fast) diet for the last couple of weeks....

Its something i'm just really learning about myself now knowing of a couple of people who do it.

One of the most well known booksfor PSMF is Lyle McDonalds rapid fat loss manual, he also has a forum (Just google his name), lots on info on there.

You may be interested


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Uriel said:


> pickle - if you are serious about getting in great shape using diet for an event (your holiday), you should look at doing a PSMF (Protein Sparing Modified Fast) diet for the last couple of weeks....
> 
> Its something i'm just really learning about myself now knowing of a couple of people who do it.
> 
> ...


Thanks Uriel. I'll have a quick look and see what its about and whether its for me 

xx


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Yeah I've read the rapid fat loss handbook. Good in theory, but not practical for 99% of the poulation, then again its only for 14 days.


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## Uriel (Oct 14, 2008)

pickle21 said:


> Thanks Uriel. I'll have a quick look and see what its about and whether its for me
> 
> xx


let me know what you think x


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## Uriel (Oct 14, 2008)

JPaycheck said:


> Yeah I've read the rapid fat loss handbook. Good in theory, but not practical for 99% of the poulation, then again its only for 14 days.


yeah, he's wrote other books....like all these things - it's a tool in the ****nal bro and furthers our knowledge for tweaking the machine


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Uriel said:


> let me know what you think x


Well i've had a google and couldnt find a huge amount of detail on it to be honest (probably because you have to but the book LOL) but from I did read it sounds like your daily calories are real low with 1.5g of protein per LBM right?

Not sure it for me as I have enough trouble keeping away from food as it is let alone if I was to cut down to 800 cals a day with only protein LOL.

I might keep it in mind for after my holiday (when i'll come back with a lot of alocohol and food sitting on me!) and consider buying the book so I can quickly shed the excess fat i'm bound to add on in Ibiza.

If anyone has any further info on it I would be grateful though as, like I said, I couldnt find a huge amount on it.

xx


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

I'de happy to email you the book if you wish Pickle?

PM me your email if you wish.


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## Uriel (Oct 14, 2008)

JPaycheck said:


> I'de happy to email you the book if you wish Pickle?
> 
> PM me your email if you wish.


e-mail it me too pls bro -

[email protected]

thanks


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Uriel said:


> e-mail it me too pls bro -
> 
> [email protected]
> 
> thanks


On it way mate, and lol at your email!


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## Uriel (Oct 14, 2008)

JPaycheck said:


> On it way mate, and lol at your email!


thanks very much mate repping you in a sec

yeah (face book me at "John Uriel" too if you like)


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Uriel said:


> thanks very much mate repping you in a sec
> 
> yeah (face book me at "John Uriel" too if you like)


Will do scooby doo.

Totally spammed this thread lol


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

JPaycheck said:


> I'de happy to email you the book if you wish Pickle?
> 
> PM me your email if you wish.


Thanks JP... PM'd ya!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Yay, a three day weekend!! Whoop whoop 

The only thing is this could spell disaster for my diet so I've made some plans...

*Tonight:*

I'm sleeping over at my mums which normally means some high cal, high carb, scrummy dinner that my mum makes but i've said I'll cook instead! Brilliant eh?? So tonight, i'm going to settled down on the sofa as I watch Man Utd V Barcelona with chicken fajitas! I'll have to do some nachos for my mum and sister but can easily pass on these and will also pass on adding cheese and mayo to my tortilla! (I'll try to do a bodyweight workout before this dinner so the fajitas are a post workout meal but if not I think it'll be pretty healthy as i'm staying away from the nachos, cheese and mayo which is where all the fat lies!)

*Tomorrow: *

Again I'll be at my mums all day which could spell trouble however I do have my cheat meal on a Sunday so not too bad 

I've packed up my breakfast (oats and whey) and a little snack and have managed to persuade mum to cook sausage and mash (which will be my cheat meal) instead of the usual roast which is a lot worse for the old belly.

*Monday:*

I'll be back at home sourrounded by nothing but healthy food and plan to try s3_arb's keto pizza recipe! If this works it could really save me as Dominos pizza is my favourite meal and biggest vice so finding a great alternative thats good for me would be amazing!!

Personally I think the above sounds pretty damn good for staying on track over the long weekend 

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

So far so good! I managed to stick to my plan for last night- I did have a cheeky half a glass of champers with my fajitas but as stated I passed on the nachos, cheese and mayo and even found the strength to say "NO" to the HUGE strawberrry cheesecake that my mum and sister shovelled down their throats in front of me!

Today has started okay but I think i'm going to struggle today - I got up and went for a nice hour long walk with my dad and then came back to have my breakfast of oats and whey as the rest of the family had croissants and broiche which was very hard to say no to! We are having sausage and mash for dinner which I will enjoy as my cheat meal but then my mum has made an apple strudel with custard for dessert... and has also filled the cupboards up with some of my favourite cakes and biscuits for the afternoon and tea!

Fingers crossed I can say no to the strudel and stay out the cupboards and away from the cakes and biscuits!! Its going to be hard... VERY HARD... but i'm going to give it 100% and I really hope I can get through the day without any slip ups!

x


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> So far so good! I managed to stick to my plan for last night- I did have a cheeky half a glass of champers with my fajitas but as stated I passed on the nachos, cheese and mayo and even found the strength to say "NO" to the HUGE strawberrry cheesecake that my mum and sister shovelled down their throats in front of me!
> 
> Today has started okay but I think i'm going to struggle today - I got up and went for a nice hour long walk with my dad and then came back to have my breakfast of oats and whey as the rest of the family had croissants and broiche which was very hard to say no to! We are having sausage and mash for dinner which I will enjoy as my cheat meal but then my mum has made an apple strudel with custard for dessert... and has also filled the cupboards up with some of my favourite cakes and biscuits for the afternoon and tea!
> 
> ...


The strength in resisting is character building in a very positive way :thumbup1:

When you succeed, your brain will respond to the pleasure it gets from a sense of strength and achievement (better than cake  ). Build these moments up, and before you know it, you've painted the colorful picture of success that you can hang on your wall and look at everyday with glorious glee (picture being the mirror and everything else being the color and texture of the painting  )


----------



## shane89 (Apr 30, 2011)

pickle are you going to show us a recent pic of how your getting on a progress picture or you going to wait till the end of the 12 weeks? congratulations so far anyway for being dedicated etc best of luck x


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> The strength in resisting is character building in a very positive way :thumbup1:
> 
> When you succeed, your brain will respond to the pleasure it gets from a sense of strength and achievement (better than cake  ). Build these moments up, and before you know it, you've painted the colorful picture of success that you can hang on your wall and look at everyday with glorious glee (picture being the mirror and everything else being the color and texture of the painting  )


Thanks Greenspin... i'm trying!



shane22 said:


> pickle are you going to show us a recent pic of how your getting on a progress picture or you going to wait till the end of the 12 weeks? congratulations so far anyway for being dedicated etc best of luck x


I'm thinking i'm going to pop up some pictures in a couple of weeks when the 12 weeks is up.... the last set of photos were only taken a few weeks ago so there wont be a huge difference (especially if I keep eating [email protected] LOL.)

I'm at my parents now watching a video of our holiday 7 years ago when I was 18... I was huge! Thank God i've lost some weight and its inspiring me to lose more!!

xx


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## quinn85 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hats off to your abillity to just say no to some pretty decent food, better person than me with that.

How are you finding the fasted cardio as time goes on, getting better times/results? Would/do you vary times and distances or do you keep it a constant?


----------



## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

quinn85 said:


> Hats off to your abillity to just say no to some pretty decent food, better person than me with that.
> 
> How are you finding the fasted cardio as time goes on, getting better times/results? Would/do you vary times and distances or do you keep it a constant?


Thanks! I did well on Saturday but did have a little slip up on the apple strudel yesterday as I was been given an early b'day pressie of a brand new mountain bike so felt like celebrating with a treat LOL. Plus, I've think I worked it off this morning in my workout and have promised myself that i'll do a nice bike ride up a very steep hill this afternoon if my bike dad drops off my bike in time 

But yeah i'm loving the fasted cardio at the mo... i'm running just over 3 miles in just over 30 minutes at the mo. I'm trying to increase the distance at the mo rather than speed and time as I'm currently running uphill and want to reach the top of the hill LOL. I plan on getting there after this week so next Sunday should be the day I plant my flag LOL.

xx


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## quinn85 (Jul 30, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Thanks! I did well on Saturday but did have a little slip up on the apple strudel yesterday as I was been given an early b'day pressie of a brand new mountain bike so felt like celebrating with a treat LOL. Plus, I've think I worked it off this morning in my workout and have promised myself that i'll do a nice bike ride up a very steep hill this afternoon if my bike dad drops off my bike in time
> 
> But yeah i'm loving the fasted cardio at the mo... i'm running just over 3 miles in just over 30 minutes at the mo. I'm trying to increase the distance at the mo rather than speed and time as *I'm currently running uphill and want to reach the top of the hill *LOL. I plan on getting there after this week so next Sunday should be the day I plant my flag LOL.
> 
> xx


Once you get to the top, reward yourself with a childlike run on the way back down. Hills are a killer, it's a small mercy that the only way you can go after that is down. Just picture yourself in the future regularly smashing the hill like it's nothing and it will happen


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

quinn85 said:


> Once you get to the top, reward yourself with a childlike run on the way back down. Hills are a killer, it's a small mercy that the only way you can go after that is down. Just picture yourself in the future regularly smashing the hill like it's nothing and it will happen


Oh yeah... running down the hill will be fun. I bike up it too which is hard but I do have a goofy grin on my face when I whizz back down it 

xx


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## quinn85 (Jul 30, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Oh yeah... running down the hill will be fun. I bike up it too which is hard but I do have a goofy grin on my face when I whizz back down it
> 
> xx


I hope you stick your legs out either side and let the pedals free wheel for a bit!


----------



## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay, my diet is not going to plan! Currently i'm finding myself having a mid week cheat.... like yesterday.... when Dominos kept calling my name to the point where I caved in when my sister said she would pay LOL!

That means i'm currently having two cheat meals a week (a mid week one and my scheduled one at the weekend.)

The good side is that I am literally having a cheat meal only and its not splurging to a complete cheat day! But obviously having the mid week cheat cant be doing much to help my fat loss goals and I must be adding on the lbs... even though (by my calculations) I think the amount of exercise I do still leaves me with a calorie deflict - but obviously not a huge one!

So, i've decided that I will put my fears to one side and will step on the scales again this Saturday (two weeks after the last time) to see exactly how much my extra cheat meal is damaging things.... and how many lbs I've added!

I think seeing the damage it causes to my fat loss will give me the shock and motivation I need to be able to stick to my diet 100% through the week for the two weeks I have left til my holiday!


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi Pickle,

Remember mid week cheat meal - if dominos - = salt = water retention = more weight = larger anthropometric measurements.

Just thought it could be a fall back thought if you have stayed the same weight/measurements etc 

The salt may not really effect a reading several days later, but still, it's nice to have some reason as to why you might be the weight you are more or less when in a calorie deficit - and so weight loss should have progressed.

Out of interest, do you have any idea of your sodium intake. Like do you add to food, or, do you buy food that has added salt, even sea food and addition salt when cooking. If so, the elimination of these things could leave you looking leaner and more satisfied regardless of total body weight.

Also, the anthropometric measurements could include thighs, upper arm, and bust. I mention this as I have noticed my thighs are more defined through loss of fat, and my lower stomach fat has ceased reducing for the time being (logic says my body is taking from elsewhere) and so if I was to measure my waist (waist is not hips, it is between very last rib and the top of your hip bone) then there would not have been a change, and if my body weight has not changes (due to many factors, I.e water retention, increased muscle mass, and even the content of my stomach) I would be able to tell that body fat has.

GS


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> Hi Pickle,
> 
> Remember mid week cheat meal - if dominos - = salt = water retention = more weight = larger anthropometric measurements.
> 
> ...


Hi Greenspin,

Thank you for that. I'm not sure what my sodium intake is i'm afraid. I'd like to think its not much as I never add it too my meals etc but then again I know the supermarkets pile it into their meats and everything!

I do tend to take a range of measurements like you say. Last time I didnt lose anything off my stomach but did lose half an inch of each thigh which is where the tiny bit of weight I lost must have come from.

x


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

pickle21 said:


> Okay, my diet is not going to plan! Currently i'm finding myself having a mid week cheat.... like yesterday.... when Dominos kept calling my name to the point where I caved in when my sister said she would pay LOL!
> 
> That means i'm currently having two cheat meals a week (a mid week one and my scheduled one at the weekend.)
> 
> ...


I commend you for that. I think that some people prefer to stay in denial which you're not. But of course weight doesn't mean much in my opinion...it's how you feel and look in the mirror. Having lost 1/2 inch of each thigh is brilliant though! I've lost nothing! :laugh: But then that's my fault really. You're still inspiring me


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> I commend you for that. I think that some people prefer to stay in denial which you're not. But of course weight doesn't mean much in my opinion...it's how you feel and look in the mirror. Having lost 1/2 inch of each thigh is brilliant though! I've lost nothing! :laugh: But then that's my fault really. You're still inspiring me


Thank you Katy!

You are right about weight - to be honest how much I weigh doesnt bother me really, just my bodyfat % and how I look. I'm feeling good which is always a bonus too and to be fair i'm doing really well with my diet the rest of the week (just seem to be having two cheat meals a week at the moment!)

But thank you for your kind words - it means a lot! Oh, and I love your new photo... the cat is extremely cute!!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

pickle21 said:


> Thank you Katy!
> 
> You are right about weight - to be honest how much I weigh doesnt bother me really, just my bodyfat % and how I look. I'm feeling good which is always a bonus too and to be fair i'm doing really well with my diet the rest of the week (just seem to be having two cheat meals a week at the moment!)
> 
> ...


Ah thanks. She's my little girl called 'boom' though technically 'Echo'.

I've been so bad with my diet but you seem to be doing really well...it's hard to be good all the time, in fact, I find it impossible! I'm glad that you're feeling good 

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> Ah thanks. She's my little girl called 'boom' though technically 'Echo'.
> 
> I've been so bad with my diet but you seem to be doing really well...it's hard to be good all the time, in fact, I find it impossible! I'm glad that you're feeling good
> 
> xx


Well give her a big stroke and cuddle from me!

My dietS been okay but not majorly great either, hence the KFCs and Dominos in the week :-S

I think it could be that we take on too much and try to be overly strict with makes it hard and impossible which is why i'm trying to take it day by day and get the balance between life, diet and exercise right  Its a lot easier and more relaxing now i dont put loads of pressure on myself to be 100% strict 100% of the time

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

pickle21 said:


> Well give her a big stroke and cuddle from me!
> 
> My dietS been okay but not majorly great either, hence the KFCs and Dominos in the week :-S
> 
> ...


I think that it is hard to get the right balance. I tried the whole being 100% good which drove me up the wall...I just flipped and pigged out for days! So I thought that I'd try my trainers apporach of having a little treat every so often but that just ruined everything! I'm still trying to figure out the best approach...my new approach is a treat every Sunday e.g. a really nice healthy roast dinner followed by a treat such as a chocolate GU pudding..mmmm. It sounds like you've been doing the whole trial and error thing too, to figure out what works best for you 

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> I think that it is hard to get the right balance. I tried the whole being 100% good which drove me up the wall...I just flipped and pigged out for days! So I thought that I'd try my trainers apporach of having a little treat every so often but that just ruined everything! I'm still trying to figure out the best approach...my new approach is a treat every Sunday e.g. a really nice healthy roast dinner followed by a treat such as a chocolate GU pudding..mmmm. It sounds like you've been doing the whole trial and error thing too, to figure out what works best for you
> 
> xx


Yep definatley been doing lots of trial and error LOL.

I'm quite lucky as i'm able to stick to my diet the majority of the time- I normally have a little hiccup on a Mon or Tues evening at the beginning of the week after a long days work or if i'm eating at my parents... maybe i'm just suppose to have two cheat meals a week?! LOL.

I'm quite looking forward to tomorrow and stepping on those scales again to see what has happen over the last 2 weeks - of course, if its really traumatic everything will probably change as i'll either starve myself or down my sorrows in food LOL!!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay so I decided to step on the scales just two weeks after the last (and very traumatic) time to see just how much damage but mid week cheat meals are doing and to be honest I was surprised!

I've lost 1lb and reduced my bodyfat by .1%... apparently (I'm not sure my scales are 100% accurate for the fact that my weight kept changing everytime I stepped on it! I decided to use the first reading as this is what I have used in previous weeks.)

Weight: 8 stone 10 and 3/4 (-1lb)

BMI: 19.7 (-.2)

BF%: 22.1% (-.1%)

Waist: 27.5" (same)

Bulge: 33" (same)

Hips: 36.5" (-.5")

Thigh: 22 and 1/4 (same)

Arm: 10.5" (-1/4")

All in all i'm not too upset about that as I thought my KFC/Dominos/biscuit binges would have meant weight gain 

I think a lot of it has to do with the amount of exercise i've beeen doing - 9 sessions a week! Of course, I am now kicking myself slightly and thinking "imagine what it could have been without the Dominos cheat meal on Tuesday!" LOL but in all honesty I think I needed the calories this week to help me put 100% into my exercise!

I now have two weeks left til Ibiza and am going to try very hard to stick to a good diet and if I feel the need to binge i'm going to try to binge on good stuff!! The good news is I've found a great low carb pizza recipe that I like so that will hopefully replace any Dominos cravings I have 

I'll weigh myself again in two weeks and fingers crossed my bodyfat goes down a little more!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Well done pickle. Bet it's a relief that no damage was done  I saw your pizza recipe...if I wasn't on Paleo I'd give it a go


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> Well done pickle. Bet it's a relief that no damage was done  I saw your pizza recipe...if I wasn't on Paleo I'd give it a go


Thanks Katy! Yeah its good knowing that I havent taken 2 steps back LOL. I think I work better with more cals so I'm going to try to increase my daily cals for the next two weeks and hopefully that should stop me cheating in the week and also give me lots of energy for my workouts.

Awww, that is a shame. I'm just doing a low-ish carb diet so its perfect for me... especially if it stops me ordering Dominos LOL.

x


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Gotta love Dominos!  I've been really craving McDonalds lately - it's becoming almost an obession! I agree that maybe increasing your calories a bit will help with both cheats and increasing the amount of effort that you can put into your training.

Look forward to hearing how it goes...

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

So its the first weekend of the month, and as always, me and my sister go out for a nice, girlie meal. So, tonight is cheat meal night for me and i a local, very nice restaurant and indulging in a yummy 3 course meal. I'm thinking chocolate brownie for dessert! 

I have to say that after weighing and measuring myself i'm really looking forward to this as 1) I love food! and 2) I find cheat meals really help me physically and i'm hoping this meal with give me the fuel to finally make up to the top of the hill and back on my fasted jog tomorrow morning!!

Bon Apetite everyone!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well my lovely 3 course meal with champers turned into a HUGE 5 course meal with champers and cocktails! Needless to say I feel a tad delicate today BUT....

I did it!! I finally made it to the top of the hill and back! Yep, I jogged uphill into a headwind for 3.57 miles and it took just 34 minutes! (And apparently burnt 329 cals if mapmyrun.com is right!!)

Very, very, very proud of myself! Just goes to shows that eating more definately pays off so thats what i'll be doing for the next two weeks before Ibiza. I'm going to aim to eat an extra 200 "good" cals a day so I (1) dont crave a mid week cheat and (2) get enough cals in me to keep my energy and metabolism high during the week so I can perform my workout to my very best ability!

But that may have to start tomorrow as too much good food, champers and cocktails last night has left me feeling a tad ill today so i'm thinking today will be all plain food and nothing to high cal or heavy until my stomach settles a bit LOL  xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Ah well done pickle. :bounce: So you did your run today? Or yesterday? (I couldn't run with a hangover!). It sounds like you've really sussed out how to get the best out of your body. I'm really glad you've decided to up your calories.

I'm so jealous of you 5 course meal with champas na cocktails - right up my street!


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> Ah well done pickle. :bounce: So you did your run today? Or yesterday? (I couldn't run with a hangover!). It sounds like you've really sussed out how to get the best out of your body. I'm really glad you've decided to up your calories.
> 
> I'm so jealous of you 5 course meal with champas na cocktails - right up my street!


Thank you! I did the jog this morning... actually I think working up a sweat and getting some fresh air really helped with my hangover and the calories from last night gave me a load of energy LOL.

But yeah, I have FINALLY realised that I need to eat more "good" food if I want to drop lbs and body fat  I think i've been going to low, not even getting 1200 cals some days, and this has left me feeling tired etc and maybe even making my body go into "starvation mode"

The meal and drinks were lovely... although i'm not sure you'd be too jealous if you knew how [email protected] i'm starting to feel now- the hangover is definatley starting to kick in LOL

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

pickle21 said:


> Thank you! I did the jog this morning... actually I think working up a sweat and getting some fresh air really helped with my hangover and the calories from last night gave me a load of energy LOL.
> 
> But yeah, I have FINALLY realised that I need to eat more "good" food if I want to drop lbs and body fat  I think i've been going to low, not even getting 1200 cals some days, and this has left me feeling tired etc and maybe even making my body go into "starvation mode"
> 
> ...


Yeah I did think that your calories were too low...espeically with the amount of exercise that you've been doing. I remember when I used to undereat, there were different fitness videos that I would do that were hard at the time. But I recently did one of them and they were easy simply because I eat more now and so have more energy.

I can't stand hangovers! At the time it feels like a good idea but the next day there is always regret. I can't believe you ran with a hangover! Respect


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Hey Pickle,

Something I find good for increasing the intensity of aerobic/anaerobic exercise is caffein.

Not for the stimulus, Im not a great fan of caffein induced manias'  . It increases the permeability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, thus releasing calcium to play its role in muscle contraction

(helping any movements that involves muscles)

I drink coffee, so the stimulus effect doesn't have a big effect unless I take a lot of caffein. Caffein powder/pill have been shown to have a greater effect than the caffein contained in coffee. I drink coffee regularly, and take ProPlus for the ergogenic effect. Even if you where to just take 50-100mg - 1-2 ProPlus - for the increase calcium availability for muscle contraction, just knowing that you have a little biological edge can give that phycological edge. Mind muscle connection, pfft, for me its mind biomechanics connection 

Also, it can increase the use of free fatty acids as a fuel substrate (needles to explain why that might be good  )

If you do think about using it, and are just single dosing, then 1 hour pre run (or any exercise) would be good.

Take care

GS


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks Katy - I have to say my hangover wasnt as bad first thing so the run wasnt too bad but i'm definately flagging a bit now LOL. My hangover is sorta coming over in waves and I feel better when I eat. I dont normally have many carbs the day after a big cheat meal but i'm having a moderate amount today due to the hangover BUT they are all good carbs! No cookies, cakes, crisps etc  I'm kinda proud of myself LOL.

And i'm actually looking forward to this week and adding more food and cals in  hee hee!

Thanks GS. I'm not a huge coffee fan unless its a Mocha LOL. But I know a few people who take Pro Plus and it gives them a kick so might look into getting some to take in the mornings before my runs etc 

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Thanks Katy - I have to say my hangover wasnt as bad first thing so the run wasnt too bad but i'm definately flagging a bit now LOL. My hangover is sorta coming over in waves and I feel better when I eat. I dont normally have many carbs the day after a big cheat meal but i'm having a moderate amount today due to the hangover BUT they are all good carbs! No cookies, cakes, crisps etc  I'm kinda proud of myself LOL.
> 
> And i'm actually looking forward to this week and adding more food and cals in  hee hee!
> 
> ...


Cool, then I would suggest starting with 1 (especially if doing fasted training/ cardio - cheaper too  ) and see what kind of tolerance you have :thumbup1: Good luck!

Plus, I'm glad you've found that eating more carbs allows you to work harder during training. Knowing your body is the start of something good, and a path to happiness IMO!


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Yep, i've finally realised its all about balance and trying to get the right amount of cals and do the right amount of exercise 

I'm sure i'll have to tweek cals and carbs a bit to get things perfect but I know for sure I need to up my daily cals so at least thats a start and fingers crossed I will see some faster results! I'm excited!!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Wow eating more "good" calories is hard! I'm really really trying to get my head around the fact that if I eat more "good" calories I wont get fat but will have more energy but it just aint working. I think I managed to add a whopping 30 extra calories on Monday LOL. I did better yesterday as I made my pizza recipe but increased the ingredients so I got a 9" pizza and extra 100 calories!

But I am struggling to eat more calories as i'm so used to the amounts and meals I have always eaten. Its not good as...

(1) i'm starting to feel drained - my legs have very little energy and my motivation to do some cardio after work isnt great! (Still getting up in the mornings though and doing a run/workout  )

(2) even though i'm not craving one - I could easily order a takeaway tonight just because I cant be ****d to cook etc!

Grrrr! Why cant anything be easy!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Sorry to hear that. It almost sounds like you've been in a food comfort zone when you've known what to have and when and now you're stepping out of that? HAve you considered adding a protein shake? It's quick and easy and to me they don't feel like food.

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> Sorry to hear that. It almost sounds like you've been in a food comfort zone when you've known what to have and when and now you're stepping out of that? HAve you considered adding a protein shake? It's quick and easy and to me they don't feel like food.
> 
> xx


No I hadnt!! Thats a fab idea! Thanks Katy!

Yeah I think i'm a bit stuck in my ways LOL - I'm a little scared of carbs to be honest so have tried to increase fats and protein mainly but for some reason I'm finding it hard and worry i'm having too much! Sounds silly really when I've been more than happy to shove a Dominos pizza, all the sides and dessert down my throat LOL!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

I think I can empathise with that. I have quite an 'all or nothing' mentality and find that I can get into a routine of eating certain foods and become almost phobic of other foods and stepping out of my routine. I think that with that kind of mentlity a cheat day/meal can be best because it means not having to losen your boundaries (stepping out of your comfort zone) too often. I know that I now feel 'safer' only allowing myself treats at a certain time  ... I'm less afraid of losing control!

Let me know if you go down the protein shake route. I sometimes like my partners 'black forest gateau' recipe which is bsaiclly chocolate protein shake liquidised with frozen black forest fruites e.g. blackberries, cherries, raspberries etc We also recently started having banoffee flavour - very yummy 

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> I think I can empathise with that. I have quite an 'all or nothing' mentality and find that I can get into a routine of eating certain foods and become almost phobic of other foods and stepping out of my routine. I think that with that kind of mentlity a cheat day/meal can be best because it means not having to losen your boundaries (stepping out of your comfort zone) too often. I know that I now feel 'safer' only allowing myself treats at a certain time  ... I'm less afraid of losing control!
> 
> Let me know if you go down the protein shake route. I sometimes like my partners 'black forest gateau' recipe which is bsaiclly chocolate protein shake liquidised with frozen black forest fruites e.g. blackberries, cherries, raspberries etc We also recently started having banoffee flavour - very yummy
> 
> xx


Wow - that is exactly how I feel! I thought I was the only one who became like this so its good to know i'm not alone and scheduled cheat meals definately help.

I always have the same shake at the mo - strawberry whey with a banana whizzed in. But I might buy some chocolate whey and try a few things like that as your shakes sound lovely!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay so this morning I managed to drag myself out of bed and do my morning bodyweight circuit but as the day passed on I really started to feel drained (from lack of cals and carbs I think).

My legs are feeling it the most (probably as they have a hell of a lot of running/ biking miles in them!) and just walking upstairs is a chore so I didnt go on my bike ride this evening and have just sat back and chilled. I dont feel too bad about missing this as it wont hugely affect my calorie deflict for the week.

Also, i'm hugley proud of myself as today I have eaten 1371 calories which is about 200 more than I normally would! However the calories werent evenly spread out through the day and it was my dinner that bumped them up. I originally had planned to have turkey and a load of veg but as I was feeling drained I really just wanted to binge on comfort food and was so very very very close to ordering Dominos! But I didnt! :bounce:

But I felt I needed something comforting and filling so instead decided to have a higher carb, healthier meal and went for 2 half fat sausage, a 200g jacket potato and a portion of garden peas. This came out at 450 calories (rather than the 2500 odd I would have eaten if I had ordered Dominos!) and means I managed to hit 1371 calories today instead of 1162 which I would of hit if I had stuck to my turkey dinner!

And I have to say i'm feeling better already- not sure if its more mental or not but skipping the bike ride and having a bigger dinner has really lifted my mood and spirits and i'm now not dreading my fasted jog in the morning 

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Its Friday lunchtime and i'm tucking into a nice prawn and cottage cheese salad! I have done really really well with the diet this week - no mid week cheats!! :bounce:

Is it ridiculous that i'm proud of that?? LOL

I'm glad I have been good this weeks though as I will have to relax the diet over the weekend as I have lots of plans and will be staying at my mums. I'll be out and about both days so it'll be food on the go at restaurants etc!

Next week will be tough too as from Thursday lunch onwards I finish work for my holidays and have lots of holiday stuff to sort and shopping to do so again i'll be eating out and about!

But if i'm honest, i'm not fussed or worried as I dont think i'll lose a lot more fat and i'm pretty happy with the progress I have made. There was a time when I couldnt get under 9 and a half stone so to be coming in at 8 stone 10 is fantastic! 

I know that i'm going to come back from Ibiza with more than a few extra pounds of fat anyway so i'm going to relax the diet a little this weekend and next week and will give it 100% when I return all tanned! :tongue:

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

If you are out shopping and on your feet all day, I think its safe to say you will be burning extra calories!! So all's good. 

Well done on your progress and achievement so far :thumbup1:


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well as stated above the diet is well and truly relaxing today. I started off pretty good with an omlette for breakie and turkey salad for lunc but i'm now at my mums so have just had a cuppa tea and biscuits 

Tonights dinner wont be overly bad by my standards - breaded chicken, oven chips and baked beans! BUT I have baked a little something for dessert... remember this from school??

​
Yep, fudge tart! Yum yum yuuuuuum!!

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

There are pictures of puddings all over uk-m tonight 

Looks nice! What's in it? I have never had a tart.


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## The Ultimate Warrior (Dec 20, 2010)

Greenspin said:


> I have never had a tart.


Lies, i've seen the pictures.


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

JPaycheck said:


> Lies, i've seen the pictures.


Damn it JPay, you said you'd keep it a secret. I thought we shared a moment over those pictures


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Its a fudge tart GS so lots of butter, milk, sugar, flour LOL. Not the healthiest thing on the planet but it sure is yummy! We used to have it at school dinners all the time - its one of my all time favs 

I made it for my mum as she remembers it from school and loves it... oh, and because I'm a fab daughter LOL!

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> Its a fudge tart GS so lots of butter, milk, sugar, flour LOL. Not the healthiest thing on the planet but it sure is yummy! We used to have it at school dinners all the time - its one of my all time favs
> 
> I made it for my mum as she remembers it from school and loves it... oh, and because I'm a fab daughter LOL!
> 
> xx


Sounds good :thumbup1: My sister is always making puddings (well, she makes loads of cupcakes with all sorts of butter icing) so I normally have to resist the wrack of them sitting in the kitchen (Why did I buy her that cupcake machine?  )


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Greenspin said:


> Sounds good :thumbup1: My sister is always making puddings (well, she makes loads of cupcakes with all sorts of butter icing) so I normally have to resist the wrack of them sitting in the kitchen (Why did I buy her that cupcake machine?  )


You could save them all for your cheat day! That's what i'd do LOL - I have a huge sweet tooth 

I assume your sister loves baking then? I have to say I love baking too - especially pastry! My ultimate dream is to have my own cafe with homemade cupcakes, tarts etc hee hee!

xx


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

pickle21 said:


> You could save them all for your cheat day! That's what i'd do LOL - I have a huge sweet tooth
> 
> I assume your sister loves baking then? I have to say I love baking too - especially pastry! My ultimate dream is to have my own cafe with homemade cupcakes, tarts etc hee hee!
> 
> xx


Cool, I like cooking/preparing food (I eat a lot of raw food actually, but do like cooked/steamed food), too! But I don't have a cheat day. Yeah, she likes cooking a lot!! A diabetic with a desert habit  She has gotten into the habit of asking me to help her make pizza at 8 at night, then walks out the kitchen saying "ok, can you call me when it's time to put the cheese on?"

But I do make a mean 15 minute pizza


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Well my little weekend of naughiness is nearly over and I have to say my belly is feeling rather bloated LOL. I'm kinda looking forward to tomorrow and getting back on the salad, cottage cheese and turkey for a few days as my belly needs a rest!

I only have one week til Ibiza now (yep, this time next week I shall be in a sunnier climate hopefully!) and I am going to be rather busy doing the odd thing here and there so i'm not too sure how the diet and exercise will pan out with all the trips etc I have to do. I think i'll be fine until Wednesday but Thursday onwards will be hard - I already know that i'll be staying at my mums all day Thursday and we are having a chinese takeaway for dinner!

But, i'm going to exercise and eat my way until Wednesday and then i'll relax and enjoy myself for a couple of weeks until i'm back from Ibiza and can start attacking my belly fat again  It WILL be gone by xmas!!! I promise LOL!

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

One more day of work then i'm on annual leave baby!! Woo hoo! And before I know it i'll be in Ibiza! I dont have the perfect beach body but thats my fault and my lack of will power! BUT to be honest i'm feeling more confident with my look than ever before and dont think I look overly bad!

And i'm not going to lie.... I should have really tried to lose as much fat as possible this week BUT to be honest my diet has been awful! But I'm loving it and i'm not fretting over it like I usually would! :lol:

I think its because i'm definately in holiday mode and am feeling relaxed beyond belief LOL.

I'm still doing my fasted AM jogs and bodyweight circuits each morning and am eating my "healthy" meals at work but I have really chilled in the evenings by having the odd glass of wine/beer and eating what I've fancied like toad in the hole.

I know that I will put on more than a few pounds over the next few weeks but this time I'm not fretting or worrying as I know that when I get back from Ibiza i'm going to hit the diet and exercise again! I even have ideas for my meals and everything!

So, i'm going to enjoy myself, not worry about getting a little porky and relax before trying and working harder than ever before!

xx


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

I like your attitude. A holiday is to be enjoyed and not something to be fretting about with regards to beach bodye etc.

I hope you enjoy your holiday (I'm very jealous) and look forward to following your progress when you get back as I find it that really helps motivate me 

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> I like your attitude. A holiday is to be enjoyed and not something to be fretting about with regards to beach bodye etc.
> 
> I hope you enjoy your holiday (I'm very jealous) and look forward to following your progress when you get back as I find it that really helps motivate me
> 
> xx


Oh definately! I know i'll have the odd "uncomfortable" and "unconfident" moment but I always think: "Well, I could look worse!" and "a lot of people do look worse than me."

I'll definately update this when I get back and back into training and eating properly - looking at a start date of 11th July 2011 as the next 3 weeks are going to be crazy and not sure i'll achieve a lot in that time. So, 11th July 2011 is when the next big push will happen!

Stay tunes folks LOL

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

I'm back... have a nice, little Ibizan tan! :bounce:

I have to say I didnt look too bad in my bikini but I definately wasnt perfect and had the odd confidence crisis and belly bulge downer. It didnt help that my days were literally filled with junk food, alcohol and no exercise whatsoever!

But i'm back now and am back at work so have started to get back into the swing of things.

Did my first workout in about 2 weeks this morning and it was HARD! I only managed my circuit 4 times and just 5 mins of HIIT- totalling 30 mins altogether.

Not sure tomorrow will be much better when I attempt my fasted jog up and down the hill.

As for the diet i've decided to go low carb for the next two weeks to really start the fat loss, except for post workout, so today has been:

WORKOUT

* Banana and whey protein shake

* 140g cottage cheese, 15g walnuts and cinnamon

* 2 egg garden salad

* 4 slices of turkey spread with 20g peanut butter

* 175g beef with stir fry brocolli, green beans, pepper and mushrooms

x


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Welcome home! The whole point of holiday is booze, junk food and lazing around so I'm glad to hear you did it right!

I bet it was tough getting back into the swing of things - though sounds like a decent workout to me! I only do 4 circuits anyway.

I don't think I could survive on what you're eating. Do you get hungry at all?


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Katy said:


> Welcome home! The whole point of holiday is booze, junk food and lazing around so I'm glad to hear you did it right!
> 
> I bet it was tough getting back into the swing of things - though sounds like a decent workout to me! I only do 4 circuits anyway.
> 
> I don't think I could survive on what you're eating. Do you get hungry at all?


Oh yeah, I definately did the whole holiday thing right..... although being back at work I dont feel like i've been away LOL.

Yeah, it was a very intense workout... and I could barely move my legs this morning! BUT, I still go up and did my morning jog (although didnt quite make it to the end this time  but in all honesty after having a couple of weeks out I didnt expect it to be as easy as before and things can only get better!

I dont actually... I try to make sure I get a fair amount of protein in each meal which keeps me feeling full and I do have A LOT of salad and veggies to keep me full too  I'm am aiming for 1400 cals a day and yesterdays menu came out at 1300 cals so I didnt quite have enough but seeing as I was on around 1100-1200 a day its better 

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Typical - my work mates have just surprised with my birthday present... a bottle of Cava (my fav type of alcohol), 2 packs of Custard Creams (my fav biccys) and a Pizza Express pizza (my fav dinner)!

Bless them eh?? So kind but not good when you've just started to try and get back on track with the old diet! LOL

Never mind - I'll share them with my sister to save a few cals and seeing as my original "proper" start date for my diet etc is the 11/07/2011 (I was just trying to get a sneaky head start these couple of weeks hee hee!) I think I can get away without to much guilt.

xx


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## pickle21 (Oct 22, 2009)

Okay, so i've literrally taken the past 4 weeks off from dieting/exercising and can now safely say that Pickle is feeling rather podgy and porky! So, as I've always said *starting on Monday the 11th July *I will once declare war in the battle of the bulge and am starting to think of my diet and exercise (after if you don't plan then your planning to fail!!)

So, I've decided the best way for me to stick to a diet plan is to have a nice, balanced diet of around 1400 cals a day including protein, fat and carbs and have come up with this:

Breakfast:

2 sachets of oats and whey

Protein shake made with whey and a banana

Lunch:

Salad with either....

* 2 eggs

* 150g Turkey and 15g cheese

* 1/2 tin beef

* 100g Prawns and 100g cottage cheese

Dinner:

Spag bol without the spag and served on green beans instead

Turkey or Beef stir fry

Chilli

Omlette

Snacks (I have two a day):

125g Cottage cheese with 1/2 pack blueberries and 15g walnuts

4 Turkey slices with 20g peanut butter and 1 apple

1 Crackerbread with either....

* 1/2 tin tuna and 100g cottage cheese

* 2 eggs

* 1/2 tin beef

As for the exercise i'm aiming to start with:

* 3 bodyweight circuit sessions a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) of 20 squats, 20 lunges, 20 step ups, 20 press ups and 20 dips. Normally repeated 4 times and takes about 15 mins- i then try to add 10 mins of HIIT with star jumps or skipping rope.

* 3 fasted jogs (Tues, Thurs, Sun) of at least 5KM. Normally takes me about 35 minutes.

I'm going to do this for a couple of weeks and then see how I feel/how i'm doing and then maybe reduce carbs/add more cardio (biking in evenings) and adding weights to my circuits (2 x 4.5kg dumbells) if needed.

xx


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