MonsterDigs

OK so here it goes... Goal one: Toning...as I can't do any high impact exercise until i get the results of the latest MRI scan on my knee it is important that I do something so I am going to aim for 3 toning sessions per week. A = 3 x 6; B = 2 x 6; C = 1 x 6; D = <6 Goal two: Eating...as i will be a lot less active I need to be a lot more careful about how much I eat. So I am going to be using my fitday app every day to track what I eat. The goal is to have 2000 cals or less a day. A = on cals 5 x 6 days; B = on cals 4 x 6 days; C = on cals 3 x 6 days; D = on cals 2 x 6 days; all else fail. Goal three: Food quality...I am so bad at slipping comfortably back into my bad habits. I know paleo food is better for me I know that milk makes me ill. I know that veg is something I should eat every day and yet i ignore these things most of the time. Time to improve. The goal is to eat more paleo meals. A = 3 x 7 x 6 paleo meals a day; B = 2 x 7 x 6 paleo meals a day; C = 1 x 7 x 6 paleo meals a day; all else fail. you will note I have not mentioned snacks let's leave it at that for now! Goal four: My life goal is both simple and terrifying. I am going back to college to finish the course I started 7 years ago. A = register and go 4 times; B = register and go 3 times; C = register and go 2 times; D = register and go 1 time. By go I mean go to the library and spend at least 4 hours doing useful work not just sitting in the cafe chatting! So there we have it let us hope I do a bit better with this one but i have kept it nice and simple and I have LOTS of motivation to keep my going including a formal ball on October 5th and a burlesque festival in November! Need to look AMAZING for all of that right?

Oh my goodness it is like reading my own story (well with out the electric issues!) Glad I am not the only one who is returning after a fall from grace. Hope to catch up often

hi There, I didn't think that i would be back on here any time soon I can fully admit I have fallen off the band wagon big time over the last 6 months and i am paying the price. my diet could be a lot better (though some of the changes I have made over this year have stuck) exercise wise I am all over the place - i was doing ok with the walking but i have damaged my knee again so have to take it a lot easier for a while. I have put back on some of the weight i managed to lose but not quite all of the fat so that is a win I am going to have a look through some threads and make sure not too much has changed with how these things are done before i post up my challenge goals. Yes it has been that long since I have been active. Before you ask the reason I am back is pure fluke I had to look up a mail and read a mail from Steve that helped me realise i need to get moving NOW as every minute I wait is a minute wasted.

I am coming back to get some accountability and more importantly catch up with what I have missed. I have missed day one but will totally make up for it before the end of the week. Here is to a great challenge.

I got lost...I am trying to find my way back...baby steps

SO this hasn't been a great week as I put on 2lbs and haven't been to the gym at all Feeling a little sick - combination of bad food and actually being a bit fluey going to take it easy for a couple of days and try to get some strength back and eat clean and see if that helps. MD x

Well it is confession time... I wasn't at all sure about even posting this I was seriously considering just quitting the whole challenge and NF altogether but well I'm here and here it goes... I had a bad weekend...some stuff happened that upset me (relationship stuff) and instead of dealing with it I got mad and did what I always do - took it out on myself. I ate chocolate LOTS of it, I had take out for the first time in months, I drank ALL the wine and rum, I stayed in bed or on the sofa and ignored the gym timetable, all in all I failed big time As I am sitting here I know I need to get back on track but I am finding it very hard I was ok today until about 3pm then it all just hit me again and I ate a cake (yes the whole thing, no not a small single serving cake a whole serves 5/6 people cake) I know I am being stupid but I can't seem to help myself. I am hoping that I can get some sleep tonight and get back to something verging on human tomorrow. Wish me luck. MD x

Now that sounds like a great days accomplishments, keep it up! MD

Hi there, I too have that little imp in my brain always talking me out of exercise and into eating and I struggle with it all the time but every time I get a win it gets a little easier to win the next time and a few losses are ok so long as I don't let them turn into days of losses. I am a short way down a long path with this getting healthy thing i figure I have time to find out the things that really work for me. Keep up the good work and remember EVERY little win gets you closer to your goal! MD

Stick to it and believe me when I tell you that most of us know how it is at one time or another to feel as if people are staring (I was shaking the first time I went to the weights section) what actually happened was that everyone was too busy doing what they were there to do to be looking at me!!! Maybe start by going at a quiet time the instructor or attendant will tell you the best times once you get in form you won't even notice the other people there Kudos on the soda I too had trouble kicking the habit in my first challenge but now it is a very rare thing for me. MD

Hope you are sticking to it

Sticking to it and feeling good (well actually I am aching everywhere as i have just been for a 2 hour walk and had a bit of a stretch and to try to work out the knots from yesterdays weights). Went out last night and was still good so feelin very smug this morning Need to do some serious tidying up though! Better get back to it... MD x

Day 4 and I am doing ok been eating really well and getting some exercise in (even stretching) completely off chocolate but it is WAY harder than drink!!! I got most of the big cleaning done over the last few days and so am feeling much better about things - I even did the oven, and the bathroom, which i hate. MD x

It is only day 2 but i'm finding it hard mainly cuz I don't like cleaning :/ at least it is taking my mind of food and giving me the motivation to go exercise - I would much prefer to lift heavy things than clean the bathroom Stickin to it... MD x

SO here are my goals... Stay off chocolate - 100% EVERYTHING else fail. Eat cleaner - I am making it a little easier on myself this time around and instead of setting impossible goals I will get bonus points for every improvement. I am currently eating about 50% clean so if I can improve this to 60% that will be a C grade, 70% = B grade and 80% = A Exercise more - I am currently going to the gym or walking 3 times a week again this is an improvement goal so going an average of 4 times a week = B and 5 time = A. Stretch more - I don't love stretching I used to like yoga but not since I hurt my knee (can't kneel it hurts) so stretching has been something I have been avoiding and therefore I am getting very inflexible - this needs to change. Stretch/yoga after every work out = A, 4 times a week = B, 3 Times a week = C. Keep house - I am a messy person (always have been) the problem is that I don't like living in a mess any more and I will not invite anyone over if my place is messy. I want to keep my place tidier and be comfortable to invite people over. Grading this is kinda hard but i think the best thing to do is as follows; A = tidy up each evening before bed - no mess, B = all chores done and public areas tidy/clean, C = public areas tidy/clean. This will make me happy if I can stick to it. So that is it I am happy enough that the goals are measurable but also a little more attainable than last time with this little rewrite. So bring it on! MD x

So here I go again. I am doing my second challenge again as I didn't do it very well the last time. The only real difference is that I am staying off chocolate 100% this time instead of drink as my food record showed just how much of the stuff I was eating, i would have to be drunk the whole 6 weeks to have the same cals in wine! So this is me trying to do better in all areas than last challenge and be in a better place by the end. There very scary thing is that i have spent some time looking over my past attempts at weight loss over the last 10 years and there is a pattern that I don't like. I go over the 250 mark freak out and lose some weight then hit the 220 mark and it all comes to a shuddering halt - this is not a plateau or anything it is just as if the wind goes out of my sails or I find it all too hard and just stop. I really don't want to let that happen this time so I am using this 6 week challenge to really push myself harder than I have this year so far and try to see some real differences in my body and mind. on the plus side I got a little WOOT yesterday - I was at a friends 30th birthday and the dress I wore was a bit too big I am delighted. I am the same weight as I was when I bought it 2 years ago but obviously something is working as it didn't fit the same at all. I have so many pretty things that I don't fit into that I hope I will be a lot closer to wearing in 6 weeks!! I will copy and paste the goals in (with amendments) tomorrow. Have a great challenge everyone. MD xx

A quick summary of a "Meh" challenge but completed nonetheless so I guess I should be happy about that! So my final round up of this 6 weeks... What did I learn? I am an all or nothing sort of girl and I fool myself if given any opportunity. MUST WORK ON THIS. Final results Stay off alcohol - 100% This wasn't nearly as hard as staying off coffee and chocolate! but I am sure my liver thanks me for it Paleo - Dreadful - only about 50% paleo still I just kept cheating myself Gym - Good - 90% I missed 2 sessions over the 6 weeks. Stretching - OK - 80% when I didn't stretch I did walk as I wasn't loving the stretching but i need to get over that and loosen out my muscles Keeping house - OK 70% - It was much better than usual most of the time (need to keep up with laundry better) but all other chores were kept up. All in all I am not happy really but that is mainly down to food - I can't explain why I am craving foods that make me feel sick after i eat them and that I know will mean I lift less the day after I eat them but there you have it. I think a full detox for a few days might be a good plan so I am going to do some research on a safe and healthy way to do that before the next challenge. MD x QuoteMultiQuoteEdit

So my final round up of this 6 weeks... What did I learn? I am an all or nothing sort of girl and I fool myself if given any opportunity. Final results Stay off alcohol - 100% This wasn't nearly as hard as staying off coffee and chocolate! but I am sure my liver thanks me for it Paleo - Dreadful - only about 50% paleo still I just kept cheating myself Gym - Good - 90% I missed 2 sessions over the 6 weeks. Stretching - OK - 80% when I didn't stretch I did walk as I wasn't loving the stretching but i need to get over that and loosen out my muscles Keeping house - OK 70% - It was much better than usual most of the time (need to keep up with laundry better) but all other chores were kept up. All in all I am not happy really but that is mainly down to food - I can't explain why I am craving foods that make me feel sick after i eat them and that I know will mean I lift less the day after I eat them but there you have it. I think a full detox for a few days might be a good plan so I am going to do some research on a safe and healthy way to do that before the next challenge. MD x

Last day of week 6 and I can freely admit it has been fairly meh overall. While I have stuck to the no alcohol and gym attendance 100% the food has been dreadful and the keeping house only so so. And so, I have decided that i am going to register for the next challenge and go back to basics and see if I can fix things food wise before they undo all the other good efforts I am putting in. I will do a proper round up of the 6 weeks tomorrow or the next day. Onwards and upwards eh? MD

HI Ya all, Another good day today I went out last evening and fit into a skirt and jacket that didn't go on me a couple of months ago AND it was a short skirt (this was commented upon quite a bit!). i am not into regular size clothes or anything at least not yet but I do feel that I am at least moving in the right direction...i have to add that i didn't really notice much of a change as I have been wearing the same group of clothes since Christmas and while they got a bit looser they are not falling off or anything so it is probably not another whole dress size down but maybe a 1/2 a size all of which has me feeling pretty good. Other updates - still no drinking even after 4 nights out in a row! Food is so so about 50% paleo but overall in deficit Exercise is doing well and I am increasing the amount I can lift each week still only a few lbs but going up all the time Defo should do more stretching but I am getting lots of walking in so it is balancing out. Hope everyone has a great weekend. MD

Now that is worth a WOOT!!!!

Yep - I don't have a TV but I shall watch something on line and pause it in order to fit in

SO I am logging in because I made the decision not to go out for a late dinner with the group I went to the premier with as I knew it would be very hard to stay away from the champers and then I would eat all the wrong things instead I am home having a little treat before bed and so happy i could burst I have been keeping up with the gym sessions mostly (could be doing more stretching - but getting lots of long walks in to make up - I don't like stretching much) I am 100% on the drink and doing well on keeping my place tidy so much so that my very critical sister said she had noticed a difference in my place the last few times she was over. Yay me. Not doing too brilliantly on the paleo thing but I have tracked every single thing I have eaten for the whole challenge and made sure that I am eating at a deficit so that is something. ATM about half of my meals/snacks are paleo but i will try to do better. Hope you are all doing well. MD

Thought I would round this off by letting ya all know that I had an amazing night at the premier and got papped by so many photographers I lost count (including other guests asking to have their pic taken with me) i cannot begin to tell you how amazing I feel. none of the smiley faces are big enough hee hee The whole thing is a bit like a really great dream. Thanks again to all of you who are here with information and support it is amazing to know that even when I am not at my best and pushing as hard as some I am still accepted and helped along the way. MD xxxxxxxxxxxx

OK I know it is silly but for me this is a big deal. I have a notice on my PC saying "You have a choice" meaning that the choice i make to exercise or not to eat or not etc all has a consequence. Well today I had a different kind of choice. I love vintage looks and today for the first time in years I was trying clothes on in one of my fav vintage stores and everything fit. Yes I was trying on the biggest of everything they had but it is so hard to get vintage anything to fit (people were way smaller back then). I have to say I don't care that they were all big sizes. They were still pretty and vintage and most importantly I didn't have to chose something because it was the only thing that fit or go home without anything as nothing would fit, I had a choice of whichever I wanted!!!! So I am going to the Premier screening of Gatsby next Wednesday, looking like a real 1920's moll and I can't wait!!!