CarolineJ - from flab to fab

[CarolineJ]

This looks like it might be the kind of place where I can keep track of what will hopefully be a transformation of my unlovely flabby bits into something stronger, leaner and fitter and post some really unflattering selfies

 

Starting stats:

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 10st 0lbs (140lbs)

Chest: 36"

Waist: 31"

Hips: 37"

Thighs: 22"

Arms: 10.5"

 

And this is what it looks like in my 'I want to be able to wear this in public without the police being called' target outfit:

 

 

 

 

At least the shorts do up, the target pair of jeans currently don't!

 

Anyway, I've dived in with my first challenge and my current goals are to walk on the beach twice a week, do the Beginner bodyweight circuit twice a week and cut out sugar.  Going well so far.

 

[CarolineJ]

We went out for lunch today - I was very good in that I had a salad and a glass of water rather than my normal burger and hot chocolate, but the halo slipped a bit when I nicked a few of my husband's chips (fries).  Saturday night supper is normally a pizza, but tonight I made myself a big bowl of roasted root veg (and when I say big, I mean two parsnips, two enormous carrots and a whole sweet potato!) drizzled with balsamic vinegar and it was absolutely gorgeous.

 

However, note to self, do not then drink two pints of water straight afterwards as the side effects were.....unfortunate

[CarolineJ]

Chicken and vegetable soup for lunch and my lovely husband is making me a chickpea curry for supper.  He's also experimenting with home-made naan bread.  I'm not sure how my stomach will react to the flour after not eating it for a while, but the one he just threw in my direction tasted absolutely delicious!

[CarolineJ]

Week 1 summary

 

Weight lost: 2.5lbs

Current weight: 9st 11.5lbs (137.5lbs)

Bodyweight circuits done: 2 out of 2

Beach walks done: 2 out of 2

Sugary crap eaten: none

[CarolineJ]

Beach walk done, giving myself some kudos for going and doing it even though it was snowing when I set out.  Food today was some leftover chicken and a couple of spoonfuls of leftover chickpea curry for (a very late) lunch and then roast gammon with leeks for supper. 

 

Tomorrow could be a challenge; I have to drop my car off at lunch time to have a couple of new winter tyres put on.  In terms of lunch choices this means one of the following options:

 

1. Eat before I go (probably cold gammon and leftover leeks - runs the risk of calling into Tesco for cookies)

2. Have some soup at the surf cafe (runs the risk of falling into a bucket of hot chocolate with a brownie)

3. Have a salad at the Park Hotel (runs the risk of diving into a sticky toffee pudding)

4. Go to the chip shop for a steak pie and chips (least healthy option, but they don't sell desserts!)

[CarolineJ]

I ended up with a combination of 1 and 2 - I ate the leftover leeks before I went (about two spoonfuls) but didn't fancy the gammon, so I went to the cafe and had broccoli and cauliflower soup with oatcakes and NO CHOCOLATE

 

I got through all three circuits of the beginner bodyweight workout for the first time this morning and am feeling a little bit awesome as a result

[CarolineJ]

A tough day here because of the weather - we've had gusts up to 70mph here and it makes the outdoor chores just that bit more exhausting.  My legs are aching from pulling my feet out of the mud as well.

 

Foodwise I had the leftover chickpea curry for lunch and supper is going to be sausage casserole with some naughty garlic bread.

[CarolineJ]

A really good walk on the beach today - we had a very, very low tide so the dog and I went and explored some rocks that we hadn't been able to reach before. 

 

Unfortunately it was offset by a bit of a leftovers binge at lunchtime.  After I'd put two big spoonfuls of last night's casserole into a bowl there wasn't *that* much left in the saucepan, so I finished it.  Could have been worse, at least it was all good home-made stuff.

 

Temptation has arrived in the house in the form of a Hotel Chocolat Tasting Club box.  I've been a member of the club for years, but generally log in every so often and move the next delivery date back so I never get a tasting box, just the annual 'Best of' box.  Looks like I missed this one.  I've not opened the cardboard box and I've stashed it on top of the kitchen wall cabinets, out of my eye line.  If I can make it through next month's PMT without attacking it then I can take it to my mother in law's house on Christmas day, which will make her very happy indeed.

[CarolineJ]

Busy few days and although I got my second bodyweight workout of the week done (albeit 2 circuits rather than 3), the eating has suffered a bit.  Still no sugar (yay) but chips, crisps and pizza have all been eaten and it's tacos tonight.  Back on track from tomorrow with soup for lunch and pork chops (home reared pork too) for supper.

[CarolineJ]

The scales were up half a pound to 9st 12lbs this morning - can't say I'm surprised after everything I ate on Friday and Saturday...

 

Beach walk done today, most of it lugging a fish crate I found, and then we ran into a neighbour and her dog as we were coming back, so went down again with them.  Bodyweight workout tomorrow and I'm determined to get through all three circuits.

[CarolineJ]

Bodyweight workout tomorrow and I'm determined to get through all three circuits.

 

Ha, that was a bit optimistic.  I did *one* circuit on Tuesday morning and felt too knackered to do any more, so I told myself I'd do the other two today.  Just as I got to the end of the first of those two I felt something go KERTWANG!!!!! in the back of my left thigh as I finished the jumping jacks.  It wasn't an 'ouch', more a sort of warning signal that there was going to be an 'ouch' if I carried on. 

 

So, epic fail on the third circuit.  I seem to be particularly tired this week.  Work is hellishly busy (I run my own online retail business and because I sell stuff that people buy to make stuff for Christmas, now is my big rush period), cleaning up the fields is getting harder because the mud I have to push the barrow through is getting deeper and I now have two big hay feeders to fill every day with incredibly heavy grids that have to be lifted on and off twice a day, which means my arms are constantly achey.

 

I think I need to be a little bit more gentle with myself for a few days while my body gets used to the new extra effort of my normal routine.

[Lyric Acantha]

So, epic fail on the third circuit.  I seem to be particularly tired this week.  Work is hellishly busy (I run my own online retail business and because I sell stuff that people buy to make stuff for Christmas, now is my big rush period), cleaning up the fields is getting harder because the mud I have to push the barrow through is getting deeper and I now have two big hay feeders to fill every day with incredibly heavy grids that have to be lifted on and off twice a day, which means my arms are constantly achey.

 

 

By the sounds of it you managed to get that third workout in with the muddy barrow push and feeder arm workout

[CarolineJ]

By the sounds of it you managed to get that third workout in with the muddy barrow push and feeder arm workout

 

That's a good way of thinking about it

 

Walk done on Thursday, workout done today - all three circuits, though I've swapped out the full press-ups for a modified version until my arms get stronger.

[CarolineJ]

I was going to take some pictures and do measurements today but thanks to something I ate yesterday (I think it was a piece of chilli and lime cheddar cheese) I've got a bloated stomach and the scales are up, so probably not a good idea as it'll just discourage me.  Once I've deflated again I'll do some new stats

[CarolineJ]

Still getting through the workouts and walks, though I've had to skip a walk this week because we've had some horrendous weather and the storm surge meant there was no beach to walk on.  I'm going to Inverness tomorrow and will be on my feet for most of the day, so that should make up for it.

 

I seem to be developing some muscle, the backs of my thighs have firmed up and the flab on my inner thighs seems to have reduced.  My stomach is wobblier than ever, but I can feel muscle developing underneath the jelly and my plank time is up to 33 seconds.

[CarolineJ]

I managed to get that last walk in this morning, so the week's exercise is all ticked off.

 

However, I fell off the sugar wagon in spectacular fashion yesterday - I went down to Inverness to meet a friend for lunch and we discovered that a new specialist chocolate cafe had opened.  One hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and a slice of chocolate ganache gateau later.... 

 

I'm taking some positives from it.  One, it was proper hot chocolate, made with melted chocolate rather than powder, which is SO rare to find in this country.  Two, it was a one-off treat with a friend, it's not like I was slumped on the sofa at home inhaling bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk (and, believe me, it's PMT week, I'd like nothing more!).  Three, although I enjoyed it immensely at the time, I've felt so rotten for the following 24 hours that I don't want to go anywhere near sugar again for a while.

 

So I expect the scales will be massively up tomorrow morning, but this was never going to be a fast journey.

[Lyric Acantha]

However, I fell off the sugar wagon in spectacular fashion yesterday - I went down to Inverness to meet a friend for lunch and we discovered that a new specialist chocolate cafe had opened.  One hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and a slice of chocolate ganache gateau later.... 

 

I'm taking some positives from it.  One, it was proper hot chocolate, made with melted chocolate rather than powder, which is SO rare to find in this country.  Two, it was a one-off treat with a friend, it's not like I was slumped on the sofa at home inhaling bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk (and, believe me, it's PMT week, I'd like nothing more!).  Three, although I enjoyed it immensely at the time, I've felt so rotten for the following 24 hours that I don't want to go anywhere near sugar again for a while.

 

not to make excuses for your chocolatey goodness but there's this awesome fitness tshirt that says "Chocolate comes from cocoa which is a plant therefore chocolate counts as a salad"

[CarolineJ]

not to make excuses for your chocolatey goodness but there's this awesome fitness tshirt that says "Chocolate comes from cocoa which is a plant therefore chocolate counts as a salad"

 

Ha, I like that

 

Something seems to be going on anyway, this is my 4-week stats update.

 

Starting stats (11th Nov 13) / current stats (9th Dec 13) / change

Weight: 10st 0lbs (140lbs) / 9st 13lbs (139lbs) / -1lb

Chest: 36" / 37" / +1" (thank you hormones!)

Waist: 31" / 30.5" / -0.5"

Hips: 37" / 34" / -3" (WTF?????!!!!!)

Thighs: 22" / 21" / -1"

Arms: 10.5" / 11" / +0.5"

 

I'm pretty certain I measured my hips in the same place as last time, but if I really have lost that much off them it explains why I'm still fitting into my jeans at 4lbs above where they normally feel comfortable.  Time to start worrying less about the number on the scale I think.

[CarolineJ]

OK, well, here are the 4-week update selfies.

 

 

 

 

And since I truly didn't believe what the tape measure was saying yesterday, I tried on my target jeans.  Last time I put them on, back in the summer, I couldn't even do them up.

 

 

Today - OMG!  There's still a belly overhang, but the snap does up and they zip up too!

 

[CarolineJ]

Hmmm, think I'm going to have to do some swapping around this week.  Normally I would be walking on the beach tomorrow and doing the bodyweight workout on Friday, but I'm collecting 40 bales of hay on Saturday morning and since my husband is waiting for a hip replacement (he goes into hospital on 26th December, can you believe it??) I'm going to be doing most of the lugging - so I think it would be wise to give myself a day between that and the bodyweight circuits.

 

This will be the first time I've done a hay pick up since joining the rebellion, it'll be interesting to see if I find it easier.

[CarolineJ]

This will be the first time I've done a hay pick up since joining the rebellion, it'll be interesting to see if I find it easier.

 

Put it this way, last time we collected 40 bales, which was about the end of September, I was nearly wiped out just getting them from the farmer's barn to our trailer, let alone off the road trailer into the field trailer to take down the hill field and then off the field trailer into our hay store at home.  And that was with both of us carrying bales.

 

Today Mick's hip prevented him from doing much apart from stacking bales in trailers and shed and Brian the farmer, who normally helps us load up, was away delivering hay to one of his neighbours and only turned up when we were mostly done.  So I've carried 40 bales three times very nearly singlehandedly.  Each bale weighs between 10kg and 20kg, depending on its size and tightness, so I estimate I've lugged around 1500kg (3300lbs or about 23.5 times my own bodyweight!) of hay today.

 

And I did it!  I only started to struggle a bit when I got to the last 10 from field trailer to shed - the wind had picked up and was gusting to 50mph which really wasn't helping me with my balance coming off the trailer into ankle-deep mud.  But I did it and although I'm aching like crazy now (it's a pretty good total body workout, or so my muscles are telling me) and my arms in particular feel like bits of overcooked spaghetti, I feel pretty proud of myself.  I can't believe what a difference just five weeks has made and now I'm really excited to find out what my body can actually do in the future.

[CarolineJ]

Copied from my Level 1 Club challenge:

 

Stats done this morning and not that much change on two weeks ago.

 

Start stats:

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 10st 0lbs (140lbs)

Chest: 36"

Waist: 31"

Hips: 37"

Thighs: 22"

Arms: 10.5"

 

Finish stats:

Weight: 9st 12lbs (138lbs)

Chest: 36"

Waist: 30"

Hips: 34.5"

Thighs: 21"

Arms: 11"

 

Half an inch down on the waist and half an inch up on the hips on the 4 week mark.  As for my three quests:

 

1) Reduce the amount of sugar in my diet.  I ate something sugary twice.  Both occasions were planned, looked forward to and thoroughly enjoyed and I went straight back to no sugar again afterwards without a problem, though I noticed my carb intake went up for a couple of days after each time.  According to my criteria at the beginning of the challenge, two 'slips' should equal a C grade, but I'm hesitant to call these slips really, as when I wrote that I was thinking more along the lines of giving in to the temptation of the chocolate bars lined up next to the post office counter when I take the mail sacks every day, which used to be a frequent occurrence.  I'm going to compromise and give myself a B.

 

2) Do the Beginner Body Weight Workout twice a week.  Didn't miss a single one   Might have rescheduled a few, but they all got done.  A.

 

3) Hit the beach twice a week.  Again, there was the occasional reschedule thanks to other events or storms, but they all got done.  A.

 

So that's it, first challenge done   Now I've got to work out where I go from here.

[CarolineJ]

Where I go from here has turned out to be a few enforced rest days as my husband has given me his cold for Christmas and I am currently a snotty, aching heap on the sofa.  He did also give me a PS3 and several games, so he's not all bad   Husband number 1 got custody of the PS2 in the divorce and I haven't had a serious console since (though I did buy a PS1 simply to play FFVII), so I've been sitting here this evening gawping at Beyond: Two Souls and marvelling at how much the technology has moved on in 8 years!

 

Hopefully I'll get rid of this bug in time to start the next challenge on 6th January - which also happens to be the 20th anniversary of a very sad event in my life.  Definitely a good time to be making positive plans.

[CarolineJ]

Happy new year everyone.  I was brave today and got on the scales after 10 days of not watching what I ate and no exercise other than my normal twice daily horse chores.  Pleasantly surprised to 9st 12.5lbs :joyous:    That's the first time I can remember that I've stayed under 10 stone all the way through the festive season.

 

Life is a bit upside down at the moment as Mick went into hospital on Boxing Day afternoon and had his hip replaced the following morning.  They let him out on Monday, so all this week I've been acting as 24 hour nurse, carer and cook on top of looking after the animals, keeping the house clean (that may have slipped a bit....) and keeping my business ticking over.  He's going to be on crutches and needing help for a while longer yet (he's not due back at work until the middle of February) and so the next challenge is going to have to take into account the fact that I really don't have much time at the moment.

[CarolineJ]

Something I've eaten the past few hours is playing havoc with my stomach.  I strongly suspect it was the butter toffee bakery cookies I ate in the car on the way back from town - that'll teach me!  At least it's getting the sugar out of my system quickly.

 

Right, so, new challenge starts tomorrow, I've decided to be a Ranger since that's about the closest fit to my goals, and these are my challenges for the next six weeks:

 

1) No sugar and five out of every six meals to be Harcombe-diet-friendly - for general health and well-being.

 

2) Beginner Bodyweight workout three times a week - for general toning up.

 

3) Daily handstand practice - for specific focus on upper body and core strength.

 

Off to start a new thread in the Rangers' Guild, assuming they let me in....