Feb to March Progress Pics

Those of you who follow me on WI and MFP will know that it is been a struggle for me this month. Not because I've fallen off the wagon, far from it, but because the scales don't seem to be moving down as fast as I would like them. It has started to become so disheartening that I'm putting in all this hard work both in food and exercise and I'm not getting the results I like/deserve.

I have been concentrating on my splits and trying to aim for around 30% protein. Its definitely helping on the DOMS as I'm not half as sore as I used to be prior to not taking as much protein.

Also exercise has still been pretty full on with exercising upto 7 times in a week and some days twice a day with cardio and strength training. The training with hubby is going well and I'm getting stronger. Squats started at a measley 3kgs in each hand and now I'm on the squat rack squatting 35kg. I am a long way off my 60kg that I was squatting a few years back but I'll get there again.

So here goes another month down and some more progress pics with side by side comparison from last month. (left Feb and right March)

Stats are: Weight 11stone 7.4lbs (-3lbs), Wasit 32.5 (-0.5), Hips 40(-0.5), Thighs 21(-0.25), Calf 14.5 (-0.5), Arms 12.5 (-0.25), Full Bust 37.5(-0.5), Under Bust 31 (-1)

So a loss of 3lbs and 3.5 inches which now looking at it is not bad for 4 weeks work. I can see a slight difference in the pics as well.

I must keep plodding along and hopefully next month I'll have the same progress if not better.

PS - excuse the mess of my bedroom and my state of me, I litterally fell out of bed and put on my "photo" underwear and took pics

Hubby's training plan!

I have now finished breastfeeding P I have picked back up weight training. I used to weight train 2 - 3 times per week and was making progress. I almost got up to squatting my body weight and then I dropped the weigh training to concentrate on my half marathon training.

Now as most of you know my hubby is a avid body builder and I said that I wanted to pick back up the weights again and he offered to train me and whoop my butt into shape. We've tried to work out before together but we have completely different ways of working out. He's a shouty motivational type where I like to keep my head down and get on with it and not speak. I agreed as I thought it would be great to spend some time together and also have his knowledge and experience and help me shift this baby weight.

We have 2 days a week where he is not at the gym which is Tues and Fri so these were our new days of him training me. Tues consists of Legs and Shoulders and Fri is Chest, Back and Arms. Triceps will be worked on both days as he's determined to banish my bingo wings!

First day was legs, oh boy I forgot how hard they can be! My workout consisted of:

Lunges with dumbells, dumbell squats, squats using the gym ball, straight legged deadlifts.

We then moved onto Shoulders and triceps which was: Shoulder press, side lateral raises, front lateral raises, tricep dips and then kickbacks. My legs, shoulders and arms were on fire by the time we had finished. Bearing in mind this was the first time I had lifted weights for almost 2 years you would have thought he had gone easy on me but no! I started off doing light warm up set, then heavy and then to failure. Many a time I could have picked up a dumbell and whacked him around the head when he was shouting come on give me two more and I'm begging like someone being tortured to let me stop LOL!

Friday was back, chest and arms which consisted of double arm bent over rows, single arm rows, chest press (using the gym ball), chest flies, dumbell pull overs (using the gym ball), tricep dips and bicep curls . Again using his method of warm up, heavy and then to failure. My arms were hanging off by the time we finished. Then to finish he got the ab wheel out and I did 3 sets (2 of 15 and then the last one to failure).

I have a love/hate relationship for lifting weights, I absolutely hate it when I'm doing it, I secretly like the doms but I love the results. So watch this space for training updates and progress pics :D

Latest Progress Pics

After yesterday's post of my weight loss achievements over the last three months here are my latest progress pics and measurements taken today (excuse the mess of my room lol!):

03.02.12

Weight: 11st 10.4lbs, Waist: 33 (-0.75), Hips: 40.5 (-0.25), Thighs: 21.25 (-0.5), Calf: 15 (0), Upper Arm: 12.75 (0), Full Bust: 38 (-0.5), Under Bust 32 (-0.5)

5.6lbs weight loss since last weigh in on 02.01.12 and a total of 2.5 inches.

Side by side pic: left Jan - right today



Seeing them side by side you can see a slight difference you can also see where the fat has started to breakdown and I'm become more wobbly epsecially on the tummy. Also I'm much more pleased about my back photo as well as some of the rolls of flab is starting to go.

I've now started weight training with hubby so I'm hoping that I will be able to build some muscle whilst losing the fat. A new post will follow soon with updating you all on the beasting he has been giving me!

I'm back!

Well its been a while blog land but I'm back!

So since my last post of news that we were planning on trying for our second baby, we've had her! Phoebe was born on 14 September 2011. Here was me at 41 weeks 1 day

During pregnancy I put on a whopping 3st 11lbs going from 10st 7lbs to 14st 4lbs :( Far more than the recommended 1lb a week. P weighed 8lbs 9oz and the day I came out of hopsital I weighed 13st 7lbs so lost 11lbs and stayed this weight for the 2 weeks post birth. So much for the miracle of losing lots of weight in the first few weeks. I'm obviously one of those women that like to hang on to every ounce!

So 2 weeks post birth I started to calorie count and taking things slowly and eating for 1lb loss as I was still breastfeeding my daughter. Six weeks post birth I started to exercise but this was just running and cycling as hubby put a ban on me weight training whilst feeding. This is when I started to track my measurements and take photos. Now I can't believe I'm going to post these but here goes nothing! Here are the last three month pics which hopefully show both weight and inch loss.

03.11.11


Weight: 12st 10lbs, Waist: 35.5, Hips: 42.75, Thighs: 22, Calf: 15, Arm: 13, Full Bust: 40, Under bust: 33

01.12.11

Weight: 12 st 4.4lbs Waist: 34 (-1), Hips: 41.5 (-1.25), Calf: 15 (0), Arm: 12.75 (-0.25), Full Bust: 39 (-1), Under Bust: 32.75 (-0.25)

Total weight loss for the month of November 5.6lbs and a loss of 5.5 inches.

02.01.12


Weight: 12st 1.8lb, Waist: 33.75 (-0.25), Hips: 40.75 (-0.75), Calf: 15 (0), Arm: 12.75 0), Full Bust: 38.5 (-0.5), Under Bust: 32.5 (-0.25)

Total weight loss for the month of December 2.6lbs and a loss of 1.5 inches. Not much of a difference in both weight and measurements but I was really pleased considering this was over Christmas and New Year.

I can see a difference in the all the pics but I'm not really liking the back shots as I'm looking more flabby :(

I am replused by these pictures and can't believe how big I've become. I remember posting pics back almost 2 years ago on there moaning about my size 10 body and now I wish I had that body again. In fact there is no wishing I WILL have that body again!

I'll be back later to post about my new training regine and also tomorrow is new pics day. AHHHHH!

Calorie Counting?! (oh and a little bit of news!)

Hi Blogland

After yesterday's post, it was my official weigh day today and yep I had put on 4lbs. I'm disappointed in myself but there is no point dwelling on it, what's done is done and its how I recitify it is all that matters.

I had a great start and got beasted by Jillian Level 2 Shred session. Boy it was hard work! I then followed it by a 30min HIIT session on my bike. I obviously had lots of adreneline pumping from that gain and wanted to make a great start to the week.

Breakfast and lunch was spot on but then I had a big big row with my mother whose behaviour I just don't simply comprehend and am baffled by her words and attitude. I didn't shout or swear I was very calm and firm with my words and could see this got to my mother more as she knew what I was saying I really meant. I have been walked over her far too many times and I'm a grown woman now and will not tolerate her behaviour. As a result she left and I then hit the cupboards, lashings of hot buttered fruit bread was on the menu followed by several fudge babies, why did I do it?! I basically let her won by controlling me like that but again its happened I can't go back now. Roll on Sunday when she goes!

Anyway, back to the post in hand, firstly the news which will then lead on to my thoughts and questions?! Hubby and I have decided that we are going to start trying for number 2 baby now. I'm so excited as I really didn't think that after my traumatic birth with Lewis hubby will ever want another child. Well he dropped the bombshell on Sunday when I finished my pill packet and said I want you to come off of it and us to start trying :D Obviously it could take a while as the last time I was on the pill my periods didn't return for 14 weeks but its good to know that we can start trying. One very happy Hannahbella!

This leads me on to my thinking on calorie counting. I have been calorie counting now for a year or so and have pretty much maintained my weight within 4lbs, apart from this week's massive 4lb gain where I haven't been counting at all for the last two weeks and I'm wondering if this is a good time to stop the calorie counting as I've not been obsessing over it lately and just healthy eating as I know I shouldn't really calorie count whilst pregnant. Hubby thinks I should stop and I know I can count calories forever but I'm just scare as its my reins that pulls me back in. Any thoughts ladies? I'm in two minds.

Oh and I just have to share this random dinner that hubby had today. It was chicken, cous cous, salad and eggs, what a weird combo! His response was I don't eat for taste I eat for nutritional content and value, I wish sometimes I had that attitude!

Can't wait for life to return to some kind of normality!

As some of my lovely WI ladies know things have been pretty hectic for me over the last few weeks with a few family issues and my mother visiting from Canada. Well from Sunday my mum flies back and we should be getting into some kind of normality and I can't wait!

I have been comfort eating like you would not believe, baking maple syrup cookies, eating real stodge food like toad in the hole and sticky toffee pudding! I don't know what has been a matter with me, I have totally reverted back to my younger days when I wasn't happy at home and eating for comfort to make me feel better. I feel completely out of control with it at times and really don't like the way it makes me feel :0( I feel fat, bloated and horrible. I've had the worse stomach cramps for days now, which could be a really bad AF that I have or it could be all this white flour and sugar I've been consuming of the last week or so. I also have constant headache where I just simply haven't been drinking enough water. I had a sneaky peak on the scales and I reckon I'm a +4lb for this week which I'm devastated about but it has been my own doings. I really need to get refocused and eat cleanly next week and get at least half of this off.

I'm angry with myself. Why have I done this, why have I let myself go?! I should know better, I'm worth better but I still don't think whilst I'm shovelling it into my gob!

Oh well, onwards and downwards ;0)

I did it! I completed a half marathon!

After all these months of training on Sunday 5 September I completed my first and last ever half marathon! At 8.30am I met the lovely Kat, Alex, Mark and Gayle, before we had to go to our holding bay before the start of the race. It had started to rain when we got there so was wet and cold before we even started. We were in the last wave so there were thousands of people in front of us. Alex and Mark made there way to the start and me and Kat queued for the toilet (where they only had 15 for 16,000 partipants, nice one Bristol City Council!) we then made our way to the start. When the wave started to move we were quickly making our way to the start line. Everyone in front of us started to pick up to a run so we were running before we had even started, at this point I looked at my HRM and it was already 155 bpm. As soon as I reached the start line I hit the start button on my HRM and it failed, grrr! I don't know if the start transmitter affected my HRM but it failed to get a signal for the rest of the time. After 5 mins of faffing with it whilst running I decided to give in and leave it alone. I left Kat almost straight away as we both are lone runners and have different paces so off I head on this 13.1 mile journey on my own.

At mile one we approached a pretty big hill that bended round on its self before we headed down to the portway which was a boring 3 miles out and back. At 3 mile point I already felt like I had been running for an hour. All I could see was on the opposite side of the road was people heading back into town but when I was running back into town there was no one the otherside of the road so I was obviously towards the back of the crowds. At the half mile point there was a clock which stated that we were 1hr 15 mins in from when our wave started and I knew I was at the back so I must be around the 1hr 5 mark at this point.

At mile 9 I started to feel the pain in my hips and ankles but kept my head down and kept on going. I was on the approach back into town at mile 1o and the crowds started to thicken and the cheers and claps were much louder. It was motivating having people cheer you on. I came down Prince Street and I could see my hubby and son with my dad at the end of the road, waving and cheering and shouting go mummy. That was a real pick me up and I was so pleased to see them. This gave me the energy to continue on as I knew I only had half an hour until I would be finished if all went to plan. We started to weave the streets of Bristol City and it felt like we weren't really making an progress distance wise at all. At 11 mile the organisers put in a killer of a hill, I really was flagging at this point but there was a man shouting from the crowds don't let this hill beat you, you can do it. So I kept my head down and plodded on. We then made our way back to the centre and I saw my family again at the 12.5 mile point who were all cheering and waving. I knew I didn't have long to go so started to attempt to pick up speed. As I came off the centre and around the corner I could see the finish line. I started to well up as I couldn't believe I had actually done it! I crossed that finish line and it was such a sense of achievement. I did it I ran the whole 13.1 miles and didn't have any walk breaks. My official time was 2 hours 8 mins and 58secs so I beat my goal of 2hrs 10min.

The crowds were so big that it took me a lifetime to find everyone and when I did we sat down and enjoyed some much deserved cake whilst discussing the race and then headed to lunch. It was fab to meet everyone and it was lovely that Gayle and Nic came to support us even though they were not running.

On Monday I have never suffered such bad DOMS before, my legs were on fire. I also put on a staggering 5lbs in one day so there was some serious water retention going on. Now I'm on Wednesday I still have hip pain which does ease the more active I am so I'm hoping it will be gone by the weekend so I can head out for another run. I don't want to leave it too long as I know I will lose all motivation and I don't want to ruin all this hard work I've put in. I think I will now stick to 10km as my long distances from now on I don't think my body can handle it.

So there you have, I've completed the half marathon, got the T-shirt and won't be doing it again!