Day 30 Update

I started this blog with the hope that it would help me stick to my routine, and help the weightloss along.  It’s not really worked out like that, mainly because after serial calorie counting for the last 8 months my body needed a break.  So the last 10 days I’ve not count a single calorie, and I’ve ate a few more “cheat” meals than I would normally, but, i’ve also done two 10Ks, so feeling pretty good about that, though I haven’t lifted any weights.  So, I’ve given my body a break from cal counting and weight lifting and now I’m ready to go full steam ahead for the next 12 weeks.  Why 12 weeks?  Well, I’m taking part in the 9th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest!  I’m taking my starting pics tonight, so my Day 30 Tummy Shot will be uploaded here tomorrow.

I’m on my last 10lbs to lose before that 6 pack will be shining through, and a. i need a mix up in my work out routine, and b. i need more social support. The TT programme supports both of these. (oh, and there is prize money involved )  If any of you are TT’rs you’ll see me on the 9th contest forum “6 pack after kids and c-section? You betcha!”

Prize money $$$ here I come .  Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading, Betty x
You can read more about TT here:
http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.com/
and here:
http://www.ttfatloss.com/get-started/

My Four Commandments for Healthy Living & Losing Weight!

My Four Commandments
 
Eat less
 
I used an online calculator to work out how many calories I need to burn just to maintain my weight.  You first work out your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and then apply the Harris Benedict Equation; this applies an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure.
Work out your BMR: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/  
 
Harris Benedict Formula
 
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
•If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
 
I then deducted 500 calories to give me an expected weight loss per week of 1lb. 
 
I use the MyFitnessPal App http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ for my iPhone to track my calorie intake, and my exercise burn.
 
Do more
 
I tried to do cardio activity at least 4 times per week, and aimed to lift weights at least 4 times per week.  There were times when I gave myself a week (or two) off.  This was maybe due to having a cold, or going on holiday.  The key with your nutrition and exercise programme is to be consistent. 
My current plan looks something like this:
 
Mon, Wed & Fri: Abs, Arms, Shoulders, Chest – Cardio x 30mins
Tues & Thurs: Back, Legs, Calves, Swim or Run
Sat: Swim, run or bike
Sun: Rest
 
For some great cardio articles:  http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/cardio_training/  
Great articles on weight training, nutrition, transformations and more, for women: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/women.htm  
I use the iFitness App  http://medicalprod.com/ifitness.html for my iPhone to track my workouts.
 
Follow the 80/20 rule
 
For me, it’s all about balance.  If I’m eating clean 80% of the time, I’m not going to get myself stressed out if on a Friday night I decide to have a couple of Corona’s and a small bar of chocolate!  Sometimes I would give myself a full day of eating whatever I like!!  Balance and consistency is key, I can’t sum it up better than those two words.
 
Try to eat as “clean” as I could and drink at least 8 glasses of water per day
 
Some of my favourite foods:
Lean chicken, lean turkey, tuna, broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, bananas, apples, eggs, low fat yogurt, skimmed milk, brown bread, wholemeal pasta.
I eat every 3 hours, 5 to 6 times per day depending on what I’m eating and my activity for that day. 
 
For more on the basics and befits of clean eating give the following article a read: http://www.answerfitness.com/204/clean-eating-eating-clean-answer-fitness/
 
More tips and useful sites
 
At the beginning of my diet I took Sculptress shakes and bars http://www.maxitone.com/sculptress  from Maxitone.  These help keep you fuller for longer and helps maintain your lean mass.  I’ve now moved onto their Definity http://www.maxitone.com/definity  range, as I’m cutting carbs at the moment, and Definity has only 2g carbs per serving!
 
I also take a multivitamin, l-carnitine, as this can help with fat loss http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/lcarn.html and Finesse http://www.maxitone.com/finesseomega from Maxitone, this is an omega 3 and omega 6 supplement.
 
Check out the Maxitone www.maxitone.com site for weight loss advice, exercise plans and meal ideas.
 
My Number 1 tip for breaking through a weight loss plateau!
 
Try a low carb diet.  I’ve used this trick twice this year when my weight stalled, I only did it for 2 weeks, and went back to calorie counting after the 14 days were up, slowly reintroducing carbs through the first 3 days.  This worked an absolute treat for me. 
There are great articles over at www.bodybuilding.com on this type of diet. 
If you’re not keen on eliminating carbs, try mixing up your cardio.  Do cardio for 20 minutes first thing in the morning along with your evening cardio.  Try it for a week, if it works for you great!  If not, don’t be despaired, just log what you did for the week, and mix it up again the following week.  Again, www.bodybuilding.com has great articles on busting a plateau. 
 
Thanks for reading, Betty xx

My “Diet” = My 4 Commandments

For weight loss we all know that we must burn more calories than we consume.  It’s the principle foundation for losing weight!  If you’re not doing this, you’re not going to lose weight.
 
I have been on many diets through my life, my 1st one when I was only 15 years old.  I’ve yo-yo dieted for all my adult life!  Each and every time I “dieted”, I slowly but surely went back to the same old routine and put weight back on.  The heaviest I’ve ever been was 180lbs after the birth of my second child.  I’ve done Weight Watchers, Scottish Slimmers, Slimming World, you name it, I’ve tried it. 
 
By December last year my weight had crept back up to almost 11 stone, I was sick of it, not being in control and letting food control me, and how it affected my happiness. I was fast approaching my 30th birthday and wanted to feel and look my best for my 30th (which was July 22nd this year woohoo! :-) I decided enough was enough with “diets” and knew I was going to have to break old habits for life and stick with the new ones I was going to form.   This time I decided I was going to go for it, on my OWN!  I had heavily researched “diets” on the net, and nutrition and exercise.  I knew what needed to be done to achieve my goals.  I can summarise this as being:
 
Eat less
Do more
Follow the 80/20 rule
Try to eat as “clean” as I could and drink at least 8 glasses of water per day
 
If I followed the above 4 commandments I knew I could succeed.  I also understand that once I reach my goal weight, that all of the above is still going to stay true, except I get to eat a little more “clean” food J
 
I don’t want to bore you so I’m going to stop here.  Come back tomorrow where I’ll be letting you know what I eat,  my exercise programme and what I do if I hit a weight loss stall.  
 
Weight loss so far: 31lbs!
 
Thanks for reading, Betty xx