Start week 8

The past week has been both very positive and annoyingly negative for me. But as of today I'm feeling good :)

My shoulder / back have both been very painful - not sure exactly what I've done, a chiro I saw thinks I have inflammation where my spinal fluid is?!  So this week I didn't do any of my classes and rested all Easter weekend long - only walked.  I think this has been helpful as I'm feeling slightly better today - hopefully my classes won't aggravate it this week - my fingers are crossed! I'm seeing my myo/masseuse this Friday so hopefully she can help me further too.

I have also committed to compete this September as part of the MBS team - so excited!  They do a number of competitions throughout September and you need to qualify to move onto the next comp (state, interstate, international!).  Official dieting starts June 20 so I still have some freedom in what goes in my gob until then :P  Next week I will have a pre comp 'viewing' by my trainer (bit embarrassing!) where I need to wear a bikini so she can look over my physique to see the areas we need to work on - the more time we have apparently the better, so I'm keen to get that underway :)  My trainer is very excited for me as she say's she has high hopes for me and is confident I will do well - apparently I have the genetics for this sport which is exciting!

So this will be the first sport I have ever competed in! I have never done any sport ever before - so I'm excited to actually start :D

Been a very long time between posts! But here I am again :)  I've been very busy with work, training and learning new choreography for my classes - it's been exhausting!

Anyway - this is my mid challenge check-in as my loving hubby has done an assessment for me... So, over the past 6 weeks the scales have gone down and up it would appear - I've lost 2.1kg (so am sitting at 66.8kg), I've lost 25cms (and a whopping 8cm of that from my naval), and estimated body fat percentage is down by 2.8% (sitting at 19.96% very approximately).  I find it so hard to do the skin folds as I try and help Dan as much as I can, but he is no expert (poor man) - so the skinfold measurements were all over the place this assessment but I'll just roll with it :P  Neither of my trainers believe in  skin fold measurements so don't do them - that just leaves me to give them a bash at home.

In any case I'm feeling leaner and definitely feel like I'm carrying more muscle - so I'm happy with what is happening to my body.  Most of my gym pants are too big which confirms for me that changes are happening.

So.... this Wed I have a pre-comp meeting at MBS Richmond for end of year competitions - I'm excited to go along and find out what's involved exactly.

For the past couple of days I've been dealing with a very sore neck - can't move much and the pain is incredible!  Hope it goes away quickly :( I had a massage and dry needling - not sure if it’s made it better or worse!

Food has been fine.  Alcohol has been not so fine :(  Have been using my cheats as alcohol - that needs to stop!  I know what happens when I don't drink - GOOD THINGS!  Lord give me strength!!!

Now I'm off for a power walk :D

Day 23

I'm back! Been a while since last check-in. Been training hard and eating heaps of chicken as normal :P

A few issues cropped up over the last week:

- I have an Achilles injury that is giving me the poos!  Getting heaps of pain after my classes (Sh'Bam and Combat) as well as my additional Body Attack classes I was using as my extra cardio.  Have been told to rest (not run or jump) for 4 weeks :(  I don't want to stop instructing my classes though.  Bought new shoes to help with my feet support issues (which may be why I have the Achilles injury in the first place).  We'll see how I go - but with new Combat and Sh'Bam choreography to learn over the next few weeks I can't see a lot of 'rest' on the cards.

- This weekend I drank alcohol.  I went out on Saturday to an engagement party that I allowed myself to drink at... but then I drank more alcohol on Sun and Mon... not happy with these efforts! Naughty, naughty!

- I purchased some size 12 gym leggings today - woohoo! I normally get size 14 as the size 12 ones are too small around my butt and hips - but today was a different story :)  I am also in need of some new crop tops (sports bra thing-os) as the ones I have are becoming too loose.  So may be going from Mediums (12) to Smalls (10) up top! So signs of changes in my body shape - woohoo!  I also found that jeans I purchased prior to the challenge (which were a perfect fit... so happy I found them as jeans never fit me) are now too big! But I fit into some old smaller ones that had been lerking around in my wardrobe - woop woop!

I still am yet to weigh and measure myself - this week is not the best time (for girl reasons) so will wait on it (yet again) until Sunday :) :) :) I've promised myself!

Day 15

Exhaustion plus!  Today I did a PT in Richmond (biceps and chest), then when I had a cancelled client in the evening, something inspired/posessed me to do abs and a bit of rotator cuff work, then instructed combat - now I'm wired (as usual when I instruct so late) but physically exhausted!  Food's been spot on - had some left over roast lamb from the weekend which makes an AWESOME change from poached chicken :P  Bianca (my Richmond trainer) still thinks my body is changing (even if I can't see it) which is nice to hear - excited to weigh and more importantly measure on Friday!  I've also booked in for a massage on Friday which will be sooooooo good!  I'm looking forward to it already!  Then I have 3 days off - sleep, here I come :D

PS...

An afterthought... I should also note my positives from the past week :)   My trainer in Richmond said she thinks I'm getting leaner and that I would dominate if I competed.  We also found some common ground with our Peanut Butter addictions - she too use to consume over a tub a week - so nice to know I'm not a freak!  I also had two Fenix members ask if I'd lost any weight (who didn't know I'm doing the challenge). 

I need to learn to accept these compliments and positive feedback and not just write it off as 'people being nice'.  These things should help propel me forward towards my goals :)

On a sad note my Richmond trainer is moving in 2 weeks – I will miss her greatly :(

Week 2 - bye bye!

Two weeks down already!  From going through the motions of these challenges before I know how quickly they go so my respect for every workout and every meal is high.  I just have to remind myself daily as sometimes I forget pretty quickly :P  I've been 'lil scared to blog seeing how many times my page gets 'viewed' and now being aware that some people know my weaknesses - I'm sure because I'm not promoting it (because I don't want it public) I don't have as many views as other peoples blogs, but I guess because I'm using the blog as my accountability tool, it’s to air both my clean and dirty laundry - therefore I fear I am being judged.

Even though I am a PT and instructor it doesn't mean I have all the will power in the world, if I did it wouldn't be a 'challenge' for me.  In this industry you'll find that the majority of PT's / instructors have a background in their own weight loss, eating disorders and overtraining to control their weight - that's why a lot of us get into the industry - because we have a respect for how hard it is emotionally and physically and we want to help other people overcome it - even if we haven't fully overcome our own issues previously. I am still working on myself and my own issues with food and exercise amoungst other things.  So this blog is not intended to be an 'inspiration' to people - it's more a story of my own 12 week journey, and me using this 'blogger' as my accountability tool along the way.

Just needed to get that off my chest to help me continue on here :)

This week I was aiming for 2 cheats - I had 4 :(     I didn't have any alcohol :)    But I did secretly have 4 tablespoons of peanut butter in my car :(   (how very sad is that - didn't want to be seen, so I snuck it in whilst out shopping... then felt instantly guilty and throughout the jar straight away) - LAME!  Made me feel like sh!t (and seriously - it's only peanut butter but its the whole principal of the issue - I'm only cheating myself, and sneaking around eating it like a drug user? I mean seriously!).  So... haven’t been the happiest with this week's cheats but it's not the end of the world!  Was going to do my measurements today but due to my 4 cheats this week I'm afraid they won’t be as great as I first anticipated.  I know I'm being hard on myself but that's my brain and how it's always been! 

Next week I am aiming for no cheats Mon-Fri, and then Saturday I have an engagement party to go to (in which I plan to enjoy myself with food and drink and not obsess about it all day), then back on the horse on Sunday.  So I think this Friday I'll get my handsome husband to do my measurements to see where I'm at.  I think by Friday I'll be better prepared mentally :)

End Day 11

Haven't posted in a few days but things have been good - on track, but just too sleepy - staying off the laptop and trying to relax a little before bed.  Eating has been spot on however cravings are getting BAD! Found myself eating more sweet combos (berry protein smoothies or with yoghurt) and I have a very strong desire to drink the dreaded alcohol (my beloved cocktails and frozen daiquiris)!  Trying to stay out of grog shops as well as milk bars (as I would kill for a bag of mixed lollies right now).... But this too shall pass and we worth the resistance!  I keep telling myself that if I cave in then my body won't make the changes I want it to meaning all this logging out in the gym and travelling for 2 hours a day will be worthless!  There's an idea - if you want to hold yourself accountable make big sacrifices and then you feel obliged to stay strong :P  Haven't weighed myself this week (yet) as I'm trying to stay off the scales knowing that changes will not be as big as last week - I am thinking however of having my own weigh/measure on Sunday to keep myself focussed this weekend and just check-in on my progress.

Have done all my required exercise this week and should do as long as I do my PT tomorrow (quads and tri's), my WOW on Saturday and Sh'Bam Sat arvo.

Until next post, over and out :P

End Day 8

Well - cheats are bad! My new found fascination with weighing myself has found that over the course of my weekend I put 2kg back on - due to the Thai and fish & chips!  Assuming most of that will be carb/sodium water retention so keen to watch it go away over the next few days.... so in short - cheats slow your progress down and make you feel like crap - bad idea :P  Oh well - we live and learn!

Today I did a session with Eliza (Legs) as well as instructed Combat this arvo.  Not as knackered as usual which is nice - may be getting fitter and stronger! Hooray!!! ('bout bloomin time!).  My struggle once again this week will be to fit in all the extra cardio my MBS trainer wants me to do - I did it last week so it is possible to do it again!  Need to work out a schedule - similar to the ones I give my clients to keep me to plan.

Nutrition today was spot on - feeling leaner and definitely cleaner than this morning after last night’s nightmare dinner :P  Looking forward to tomorrow and training hard at MBS - bring it on!

End Day 7, and Week 1!

Well - 1 week is done and dusted! Been a great week and I'm excited for another 11 to come :D  Food this weekend has been fine - I had two planned cheats - both of them dinners Sat and Sun night... and they both made my guts feel like CRAP! I find it so funny that when you've eaten cleanly for just a few days, your body then tells you when you've eaten something that is not great to digest :P  So sitting here with the biggest, bloated guts that want to spew out the fish and chips I ate earlier I am thinking cheat meals may not make much of an appearance in the coming weeks!  My plan was to have 2 cheat meals each week for the first 2 weeks, then only 1 cheat meal per week in weeks 2 & 4, and then only 1 cheat meal per fortnight from weeks 5-8 and then have none in the last 4 weeks.

I'm pleased to say that I have eaten no Peanut Butter, nor have I had any alcohol this week - for me, that means I have not consumed 9,000 calories that I normally would have!  That's huge!  Such a positive change for my health and for that I am very pleased that I have stayed strong and decided to take this path I have chosen.

For my two clients that have posted lovely comments in this blog (Lauren and Sandie)... girls, you inspire me on a daily basis!  Thank you both for your ongoing support and wishing nothing but the best for me - you've both touched my heart and I'm so proud to be your PT and friend!  Your journeys have inspired so many people already and I'm excited to see where the next 11 weeks takes you both!!!  BRING IT ON!!!

P.S. - Down to 64.7kg - back to FTC #5 weight so feeling like I'm now ready for a new transformation!!!!

Day 5 - over rover!

Is it bed time yet?  I'm exhausted!  Instructed Pump this morning (medium weights), did a quads and triceps PT (with a trainer who didn't know how to push me unfortunately), followed up by my own triceps and chin-up workout, followed by Body Combat in 30 degree heat!  Yup - too much!  Tried to go easy in Pump so I could go hard in my PT, but then had a new PT at that club over spot me, so even if the weight went up he took most of the load - very frustrating!  So felt like I should make up for it with my own triceps workout, plus see if I can still do unassisted chin-ups (and I can proudly say I bashed out 14.5 of them over 3 sets!), and then had to get my cardio in at the very end!  Eating has been spot on - not hungry but still thinking about peanut butter :P  I would have consumed 1.5kg of peanut butter this week if I hadn't of been stopping myself - yep I'm an addict in recovery right now!  Great news from Mr Scales again today - I'm down to 65.2kg!  Woop Woop!  Only 400gms away from when I finished last FTC - can I rid myself of these 400gms by the end of week 1???

Inspiration :)

DAY 4 - Done and dusted!

Another day draws to a close - this week has flown and I'm stuffed!  New goal - get more sleep (she says at 11pm on a school night! :P).  Nutrition today has been perfection (clean and lean that is) - still working on getting breakfast in earlier though.  Scales were nice to me today - 65.95kg, so down another kg!  I'm just 1kg away from where I finished off last challenge, so thinking this week has been good for shedding Christmas / New Years / lazy January antics.  Makes me excited for where I can take myself this challenge, as last FTC saw me loose only 2kg in the first 6 weeks (having a massive plateau at 69kg) as I got my nutrition back on track and stopped drinking like a fish on the weekends :P  Hopefully last challenge has placed me in a better position for this one!  Trained in Richmond today - Shoulders and Hammies (and I hate training legs so suffered greatly), then instructed Sh'Bam this arvo and died of cardio exhaustion as usual!  BRING ON DAY 5 - I'm feeling motivated and excited, and will do my measurements again on the weekend to see what's going on composition wise :D

End Day 3

Day 3 done - success! This morning did a Back PT session and was slaughtered... secretly love that feeling but shhhh... don't tell anyone :P  Nutrition spot on (clean and lean) and even managed brekkie at 8.30am! Woohoo! That's as early as it's been all year - big high fives :)

This arvo I got a new tattoo - sooooo painful!  This one is on my right shoulder blade and below (and they are correct - getting tattoos near your ribs SUCK!).  All my other ones were nowhere near as painful!  As soon as it started I wanted it to stop - OMG it was horrible!  I think I must be getting old - can no longer go on show rides without feeling nauseous and now I can bare the pain of the tattoo needles.  Anyway, after 4 hours and 3 breaks during, it is complete and now I'm exhausted both physically and mentally... the most painful 4 hours of my life!

New perspective though - If I can withstand that pain I can definitely withstand a craving for crap food :D

Scales exactly the same today which is awesome!  The crap is staying off!!!

xx

End day 2!

Another successful day of eating clean and lean! Even brushed my teeth and chewed gum to get away from several sugar cravings (that was tough) but so glad I did not cave :) High five me! Snap ;P

Day 2 so far...

Instructed a Sh'Bam class this morning, then followed it up by a Chest and Bicep workout - I'm exhausted!  Need to still work on my food - I'm eating clean and lean but not managing to get breakfast in (hard when you start work at 5.30-6am!) - But no excuses - will try my best!

Went to supermarket to get more protein (chicken) - picked up a roast chook - my tastebuds said "go on, get it, it'll taste awesome and you wont eat any of the delicious skin or fatty bits - and you'll only have 100gms at a time with veg, I promise" - Then I decided I was lying to myself - I love roast chickens and am known to eat 1/2 a chook at a time, without veg - so I put it back :)  Stupid tastebuds - they don't want the body shape that I do :P

Weight today - 66.85kg - 2kg down already! Woop Woop!  The power of clean eating amazes me!

End Day 1

Eaten lean and clean all day - high five me! Bring on day two :D Can't wait to see where I can take this body of mine!

DAY 1

Measurements are done: starting weight: 68.9kg, body fat percentage (approx) 22.74% (53.24kg lean mass, 15.66kg fat). Total of Measurements - 800.5cm

Shoulders: 109.5
Chest: 90
Waist: 75
Navel: 85
R & L Biceps Relaxed: 31
Hips: 102
Right Thigh - widest point: 65.5
Left Thigh - widest point: 67
R & L Calfs: 40

Now for the exciting part - My goals for the 12 weeks:
Weight - 60kg or below
Body Fat Percentage - 15% or below
Thigh Measurements at their widest points - 60cm or below

This morning I had a PT with Eliza - Legs session, and this afternoon I am instructing Body Combat which will be my cardio for the day.

Feeling good :)  Looking forward to seeing some changes in my body!

Inspiration!

It all starts tomorrow - I am excited as it feels like the start of something new :)  Had fish and chips for dinner tonight followed by 3 x calipos!  Not the best way to start my lean and clean diet I know.  And being a PT I know that you can't always say "I'll start tomorrow" but I did anyway :P  Now I just need to live up to my goals!

As on Monday 20th February I am going to focus on a goal for my physique, and I'm excited to see what my body can do!  I am participating (once again) in my gyms 12 week challenge (to begin my transformation). These challenges in the past have seen me lose a bit of weight here and there (from when I've fluctuated up and down on the scales and in cm's), but I have never had a goal as big as this time!  I want to see if I have the mental and physical power to compete in a ANB Victoria Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Model Championships come September 30th this year.  This challenge will be part of my early preparation, and I think the result will have a lot of weight as to if I will be competing in September or not.

I will be training with a personal trainer 4 times per week, a 4 day split, in order to sculpt my muscles that lie beneath my adipose tissue :)  My real challenge will be my nutrition - the area in my life I am yet to master!  Another challenge for me will be fitting more cardio/walks into my daily routine.

Let the challenge commence!

My 'Before' Photos - Taken 18/02/2012