Week 7 Chat (3-9 March)

SkimFlatWhite68

Hi Challengers!!

Welcome to Week 7 of the Trim Taut and Terrific Aussies (and friends) 12 week challenge!!

The purpose of this thread is whatever you want Chat away to your content - it's all about sharing and support.

If you are a late starter (welcome), please make sure that you have read the GOALS thread, and posted your details under INTRODUCTIONS.

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My apologies for being absent the last 3 days, had a bit of a rough week at work last week, and then a super busy weekend. Apart from my PT session on Saturday morning I've been totally off track. Time to get back into it Monday morning, as per usual!!

How is everyone else going?

donnaleighh

For me .... Awesome - been working my guts out and now back home from Lanka in the last few days, so seriously looking forward to the weigh in tomorrow, now I have my trusty scale back ... but irrespective of what that says, I am feeling MIGHTY!! Did 35k steps dancing my heart out at Soundwave yesterday - 50 is the new 20

bigldesigns

Hey everyone...

Here is my slightly less wiggle dance for the week!


Another 1kg+ loss again this week.. which officially moves me to 30kg loss since June 2013.

I've now also reached my challenge BodyFat goal of 34.9% as of today.. and i must admit I am really beginning to notice the less wiggle in my tummy and thighs..I sometimes think i can see my collar bones too i know they are not far away!

I've now managed to settle my dispute with the treadmill.. and I have decided that its an unnecessary extra in my life at this time, i will source my exercise less from strategic methods and more from everyday activities such as walking about the house and shops.. and I am no longer going stress about it.. as it is not a necessity in my weight loss.. I will review the situation if and when I reach a plateau in my weight loss.

Since my last update.. Ive had a few exciting NSV

I've thrown out all my size 22, 20 and 18 clothes to the Vinnies.. (my wardrobe is very empty)
Kmart had a clearance of Womens singlets and tee's at $2 each.. so 10 size16 tops for $20 was a bargin
While I was at Vinnies dropping off the old clothes i stumbled over a nice pair of SARA size 16 jeans.. Fit like they were made for me.. and at $6 who can complain

So that officially puts me in size 16 tops and bottoms...

I'm starting to love my new body and it seems the boys are too.... well one in particular anyways *grins* so I can happily say after 6 years in a depressed self induced MS antisocial lifestyle.. I am finally out of my hiding hole and...... No longer Single *big Grin*
Still trying to work out my energy limits between going out and staying home.. but I'm having fun! and he is very understanding.



On the diet front.. I'm still struggling to eat any more food than i already am .. which means I am still not getting to the 1200 cals a day... even when I use the scales to measure everything.. but I'm not feeling hungry (quite the opposite), so I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and just try and get as close as I can to the 1200 each day.



Hope you are all have a good week


Allie

SkimFlatWhite68

Sorry I've been absent over the weekend, had lots on and just didn't have time to get online much. Didn't even fill out my food diary. Not good for my nutrition plan, but then again I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

So here are my replies from the Week 6 weekend chatter...

Either should you Flyer, you are doing really well. A few carbs and beer wont hurt with over 20,000 steps a day in February, I'd say you might need them.

Mon, I'll have to have a look. Basically it looks like it's going to be protein and veggies for you! and rice milk (WTF) in your coffee. Does this mean all dairy is out?

Julie, that's so true, what seems hard at first is easy when you realise how much your health is going to benefit

Candi, so sorry to hear about all that drama at work, its HORRIBLE to dread going to work when it's imperative that we have to do it every day. I'm sure you can get to your goal in 6 weeks. I am determined to get to mine as well. Just think to yourself that you will not let the bully at work ruin your personal goals!! Plan sounds good for the week ahead.

Mich, how did the run go?

Hi Emma welcome back dear girl, I'm glad you have somewhere to run away and hide and be safe with your family.

Welcome back from o/s again Donna! So good to hear you are feeling Mighty!! I love that word!!

Allie - wiggle away!! Forget the diet, what's this about no longer being single??? Spill the beans girlfriend!!
You are doing SO well. I totally agree with the treadmill issue. Just get out and about and move more like you would normally. It's quite normal to walk! Size 16 - hello!!! Brilliant news!!

I hope everyone has a great day. I've got a busy week ahead of me at work but will check in sometime during the evening and catch up with you all.

It's the start of week 7 so we are halfway through the challenge, but even if you start today - that's a good thing!

Happy Monday!!

mungowungo

Good Morning - week 7 wow time is really flying.

I've not been up to much - just plodding away. I still don't have a new scale so don't know what my numbers are which is both liberating and frustrating at the same time. I'll make sure I have a set by next week which is when I'm due to weigh in again - crossing fingers that it will be kind to me.

Anyway I've finally figured out an exercise routine - yep it's taken me a while - maybe because I've never been much for specifically organised exercise just for exercise sake - it has to be enjoyable or I just won't do it. So the plan is very simple - yoga one day, weights the next. I'll gradually increase the difficulty of each.

I've worked out my weights routine which is basically a modified version of 5x5 involving rows, goblet squats, floor presses (don't have a bench), overhead presses and I chucked in some bicep curls and tricep extensions - using the dumbbells I have been lent and I'll gradually increase the weight as I go.

I've already stepped up the difficulty of my yoga to something a bit more challenging and was pleasantly surprised that I could do the vast majority of it - so yay for that. When I can do that workout with ease I'll change it up again.

And I just have to say Wow Allie you are doing so damned well - new smaller clothes are wonderful - congratulations.

Have a lovely day.

gmallan

Hey all, I'm back from holidays (1 week in Bali and 2 weeks in Vietnam). Had a fantastic time but as usual over-indulged a lot. Only got in two runs and am feeling fairly slugish. My pants are feeling tighter also so I've definitely put on some weight but haven't yet had the courage to hit the scales and assess the damage numerically.

The good news is I'm back to work and consequently my routine today so will be aiming to be super healthy in the coming weeks including the weekends. Football training tonight so I will be able to assess how much my fitness has declined in three weeks. Only about 6 weeks until the season starts so am going to hit training pretty hard for the next 4-5 weeks so my fitness is peaking at the right time.

Hope you all have been well and smashing your goals in my absence.

michable

Hi everyone, hope your week has started well, and you're all on track!

I'm a bit tired today - 14 km run on Saturday (which went really well, thanks, Skim - 91 mins easy); my son's engagement party Saturday night (at which I drank back all the cals I'd earned from my run - it was a reasonable exchange, I think), 45 min run this morning, and my bedtimes creeping a bit later again during the week. Oh well, I can fix that this week.

Week 12 of my half marathon training program this week, which includes 4 runs, 1 of which will be a 10km time trial on Saturday. I will go down to the beach front for it because it's a nice, flat out-and-back course, rather than running from home, where it's a bit hilly. My goal is to do it in under 60 minutes, because that would equal my PB from 2005 (I've had another 3 children since then, so that put a bit of a stopper on my running for quite a few years). We'll see - it can be hard to push to race pace when you're running by yourself.

Donna - so envious of you going to Soundwave! I haven't been to a big music festival since the 2003 Big Day Out, although I still catch bands whenever I can. Bit harder in regional Queensland. I just checked out the line-up, and it would have been an awesome day! Some of my fave bands from the 00's featuring (jimmy eat world, pennywise, green day, placebo, the living end). These guys still grace my running playlists and get me running faster! What were your picks of the day?

Allie - congrats on your continued weight loss success, new clothes, and new love-life!

Mungo - your workout plan sounds great!

Good luck for the week ahead!

candirose69

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey chikies!

Very happy with myself today so far I stuck to my calorie goal (with only 2 little treats at work). My sis forgot to pick me up for the gym so I came home and worked out anyways (I am SUPER proud of me doing this). feels great to work out after not doing it for 2 weeks but I am SURE I will be a little sore tomorrow heh heh.
Off to make some yummy prawns for dinner.

((Just realised I left my fitbit at work when I was getting changed for the gym...hope the cleaner doesnt throw it out!))

Allie: Super proud of your efforts! doesnt it feel great when clothes dont fit. I went to wear the top I wore for my interview for my current position the other day and it looked ridiculous on me, its the small things that make the difference like that!!

Skim: thanks so much for the care back on track as of today!!

Mungo: I love your exercise routine, I really wanna try out some yoga...currently looking for some good dvd's

gmallan: holiday sounds lovely. good luck with the upcomming season

Mich: congrats on the run, really impressive Glad you had a good night at the engagement, they are such wonderful events xx

Danispen

Just to let you know I haven't forgotten our little group & you fantastic people with your inspiring stories just a bit swamped at the moment with work/ life juggle, but will endeavour to get in a proper post this week

SkimFlatWhite68

Hi everyone, OMG I hate it when I forget my Fitbit!!! Last week I did a couple of days over 20,000 steps and then didn't wear it at all on the weekend thereby putting my weekly total in the toilet. Dammit.

SO busy at work this week, and at home too... I'll be back tomorrow night, just wanted to say hi!!

SkimFlatWhite68

Oh and I am going out for dinner AGAIN tonight - but tomorrow I will be tracking again and right into it. Hand still strapped but I am determined to do some light weights this week. I really don't like all this cardio - it just makes me hungry and eat more.

mungowungo

Candi - I don't use DVDs - I get my yoga workouts at the moment from YouTube - there's this mad American guy on there by the name of Sean Vigue who has quite a few workouts and damn that guy is built and very flexible.

I can really feel the tingling muscles when I have finished one of his sessions - really gets the blood pumping and I'm only doing beginners yoga! His power yoga sessions are just something to stare at gobsmacked and jaw dropped at the moment.

For those of you who don't have a fitbit or HRM and rely on MFP's calculation of cardio I have made a bit of a discovery. I've noticed that if I do the same workout twice it drastically ups the calorie burn the second time I enter it, which never made sense to me. For some strange reason if you delete the time spent doing that exercise and re-enter it (even if it is the same amount of time) it then gives a much more realistic estimation of the calorie burn.

For example I do a 30 minute yoga session and the first time I enter it, it gives me a burn of 135 - the next time I enter it, if I don't delete 30 minutes and then re-enter it, it gives me a burn over 500 (ridiculous), but if I delete 30 and then re-input 30 it takes me back to the 135 kj burn.

Thought I'd share if anyone else was having this problem.

SkimFlatWhite68

That's really interesing Robin, I don't enter my exercise into MFP so I've never really looked at the numbers. I did when I started, but then when I got my FitBit, I just let it sync with MFP and that's it. I consider doing my weights as a bonus so don't log that either. I generally go off TDEE and TDEG for my calorie goals.

Having said that, this week is a bit of a disaster. I am so busy at work, beyond busy. Yesterday I did a 12 hour day and it makes everything really hard to fit in. Especially being a single mum and well, things with my DD aren't going so well at present. As the saying goes... you are only as happy as your unhappiest child.

Plus, I'm still struggling with this torn ligament in my hand. It's still strapped, and every 3 days when I take the strapping off, it doesn't feel so good. HOPEFULLY it will be ok for weights next week, but even so in the meantime I've been up late, so not getting up in the morning for the gym to do any cardio and all I've been doing is my 10,000 steps a day.

Food has been terrible. I wake up EVERY morning with a renewed commitment but end up going down the binge track at night. Emotional eating. I KNOW I'm doing it. I tell myself to stop, but at the time that it happens I just don't care. Add to that, Bumper has gone away for a few weeks on a long planned holiday, so I don't have him to distract me.

However.... Today is a new day!!! I'm going to pack my lunch for work, make good choices and remember why I'm doing this!!! Focus on the positive!

monbot

HI All

I'm still here, plodding along. Low FODMAP diet has gotten me down the last week, and I've just been eating whatever fits in "Low FODMAP" - hot chips, corn chips, crackers and camembert... you get the picture. Also, I'm allowed alcohol again, so a wine or 2 or night has sneaked in.

Also, my dog Charlie also hurt himself somehow... got all weak in his back legs on Tuesday. I rushed him to the vet, thinking he had a tick... but turns out he's just hurt his back. I've had to monitor him to determine if it's muscular or skeletal. So I've been sitting at home with him, doing no exercise.... infact barely moving at all!

He seems on the mend now, so I gave myself a kick up the bum this morning, packed a healthy lunch and sent myself to work. After the dentist this afternoon I'll go for a run or to the gym, and make a meal plan to get myself back on track.

My weight and measurements are all the same. I think that's part of the reason why I haven't checked in here much... just nothing to report!

Skim - I can have most dairy in small amounts, just milk/cream/yoghurt is a big no no, as they're high in lactose. Luckily greek yoghurt such as Chobani is a big yes, so I'm pretty happy. Rice milk is the devil, but lactose free milk is ok.

Tansy98

Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven't been around for a week or so, I've been sick with a bad cold / flu on and off for the last few weeks - thought I'd better get my iron levels checked as I have been really exhausted as well as feeling really run-down, and it turns out I'm pretty anaemic, but a few days on iron tablets have already helped. And there I thought I was just being lazy lol

I haven't reported in weigh ins still cos there's still nothing to report - that scale just ain't moving!

Allie, you are inspiring, congrats on doing so well with weight loss and having to replace all your clothes - and also to being no longer single, lucky thing!

Monbot - hope your dog is better now

Great job rocking it out at soundwave Donna - sounds like you had a great time!

Wow, great work with the yoga mungo - I tried it once years ago and it's so much harder than it looks.

Hope you got your fitbit back Candi and it didn't get thrown out!

Skim, hope everything's better at home, it is hard when you're a single mum to balance everything (work, family, life etc.) so I hear ya. Hope your hand is better now too.

As for me, I've spent the last week not exercising and feeling a bit sorry for myself but I'm planning on picking myself up and starting over over the weekend. I'll probably start with a nice long walk to clear out the cobwebs, lol, on the weekend, and then hoping to do a power class on Tuesday night. I've decided to alternate classes for a couple of weeks between the power (weights) on Tuesdays and x55 (a step class) on Mondays, as I have work commitments every 2nd tues night for the next few weeks (staff meetings & PDs, oh joy!). After that I guess I'll decide which one I like better and commit to one of them

Take care everyone, great to see you're all doing so well!
Tansy. :flowerforyou:

SkimFlatWhite68

Quickly popping in....

This week has been one of THOSE weeks for me. Long days at work, busy home life, lots going on.

Hand STILL not great, so I'm back to the physio on the weekend, may need an x-ray now... ugh.

I'll be checking in tomorrow when I have some time

Hope everyone is happy and well!!

SkimFlatWhite68

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday!

I've had one of those weeks this week where everything seemed to go super slow. If there was potential for a problem, it happened and I had 2 x 12 hour work days (which is double for me as I usually only work 6 hours at the office) and some family dramas thrown in for good measure. Add to that, Bumper has gone overseas for 2 weeks with some mates on a long planned blokey holiday and seeing we have spent SO much time together since Christmas I'm missing him. A lot. Plus of course, my hand has been bad this week, probably due to spending a lot of time typing and constantly writing at work, I didn't go to the gym ONCE this week and my diet has been complete crap. I'm on anti-inflammatory tablets for the hand and icing it twice a day, but still not feeling great this morning. So I'll need to get back to the physio again. Apart from that, everything is fine. :huh:

My plan for this weekend is to go to the gym today and do a leg routine. I'll have to use pin loaded machines so I don't pick up the weights, and will do some single leg step ups and body weight stuff as well. Tomorrow I'll do a light upper workout, but it will have to be really light, and again using pin loaded machines. I'll have to just see how I go with my routines and change things as necessary. If if means staying away from weights for a couple more weeks, I'll have to do cardio again, but to be honest I don't like it, I just get REALLY hungry for carbs, eat the wrong things and it's a downward spiral for me from there. Plus it's exhausting!!

LOL! Sounds negative but I'm sitting here smiling so it can't be all that bad. Life really is pretty good, I'm just so BUSY and I don't have the moderation thing in my genes... I'm either full on or doing nothing. Totally motivated or off the rails. I need to practice walking the middle ground more often!!

Now, reading up on what I missed out on above...

Robin, your plan for exercise sounds really good. Start with the weights that you have and when it becomes easy, add a bit more weight. I like the sound of yoga on your non weight day too. Dont worry about the scales, it's the better body you want and size of clothing that matters.

Gemma, welcome back from your holiday. I'm sure that those tight pants will be loose again in no time, especially with all the training you are about to start. It's not often that people go on holidays and lose weight, and I'm sure you had an amazing time too!!

Mich, good planning for the half marathon. Are you running on the beach itself this week or just nearby? I did a 8k beach run last year and for the next week my calves and hamstrings were agonising! Mind you, I didn't train for it, just did it. Silly me. Glad to hear that the party went well :drinker:

Hi Candi and wow, good for you to do that workout at home. I would never do that!! Did you get your Fitbit back? I didn't wear mine all weekend so it will have thrown my weekly stats out, just forgot both days (which is really weird).

Mon, sorry to hear about Charlie, hope he has fully recovered. Where would we be without Chobani!!! I don't have a lot of dairy, but I do have a coffee or two with milk every day, yoghurt and cottage cheese most days. Maybe that's a lot... Anyway, hope that it's working for you and does the trick.

Hi Tansy, thanks for stopping by, bad news about not feeling well, that can do all sorts of things to our motivation. Get back on track this weekend and then you can start Monday with renewed energy, knowing that you did some positive things on the weekend!! That is exactly what I am planning to do this weekend as well. Ease back into it and hit Monday with a couple of good days behind me. You can do it

Right, so I am going to write up my plan for this week now. I think I may even go and buy a cardboard sheet and do a 4 week plan so I can stick it up on my wall and cross the days off as I go. This was something that really worked for me last year. Imagine a big sheet of cardboard, drawn up into a table. 7 days across the top and 4 weeks down the side, so there are 28 rectangles in all.

Then inside each day I use different colour textas to write the following plan for each day:

Date in blue.
Calories in red.
Weight training in green
Cardio in pink

Saturday I write out my measurements and fill that in every week. Sunday I write my goal weight for the week in HUGE numbers filling the whole box. That's my goal for the week and it's nice to hit it sometime in the week. I also weighed myself every day doing this (and write it next to the date) so I can see the fluctuations up and down and not get too worried about it.

I would then cut out of magazines, little pictures for motivation or motivational sayings and stick them on my rest days.

Yep, I'm going to do that today. I'd forgotten until now how motivated it kept me to stay on track. Every day I would tick off each thing that I accomplished, and so there were usually at least 2 ticks a day. If I had a day that I went really off track (big night out with 5000 calories of dinner and drinks and dessert etc), I would put a big black cross through the entire day, and that would be a visual cue NOT to have another one like that in a week.

Maybe this would work for you and maybe it wont... Just thought I would share that. I think the main thing for me was that it's easy to forget those days with the black cross through them, doing it this way makes me remember them and not repeat them more than once a week. AND it's motivating to see all the ticks all over the sheet and remember all the fabulous things too!

Hope that you all have a great day!!!

SkimFlatWhite68

I almost missed Danielle!!! I know the feeling about work

So glad to hear that you had a good weight loss and hit a milestone, it's such great news and I'm genuinely happy for you. Never again will you be up in the 00's!!

Brilliant news!