Wednesday, January 31, 2018

A Total Nutrition & Fitness Transformation | Week #1 Results ♥

The person I want to be is on the other side of that gate...

Last week I undertook a complete nutrition and fitness transformation and even though I'm only one week into this transformation, I can wholeheartedly say that I'm delighted I made the decision to take on this change. I feel amazing!

I've shared that I'm working with laya healthcare with their Healthcoach app and this has really inspired me to change the way I look at food and exercise and to give a real effort to eating healthily and exercising.

These past few months I haven't been too bad with the exercise side of things - I go on a daily walk/jog with Beau and don't avoid the hills, but I've been wanting to join the gym for a long time now to tone up as well as lose the weight. Last week I bit the bullet and joined the gym for the first time in over ten years.

I'm not going to lie, going up there that first time made me feel so self-conscious, but having both my parents telling me - "You're just as good as anyone else up there" and realising that everyone going to the gym is wanting to improve something about their body or the way it performs, made me realise that I shouldn't be ashamed of exercising in front of others or trying to lose weight because I'm trying, I'm actually trying and that is something to be commended rather than laughed at.

I've been to the gym seven times since last Tuesday, spending an hour to an hour and a half there each time and I'm actually loving it! I'm doing a mixture of cardio and weights and I love pushing myself and getting in a good workout. It's my 'me time' and honestly I think of nothing else in the gym except for what I'm actually doing in the gym and it's great to be able to focus like that and not have any distraction - even my phone which is permanently attached to my hand doesn't come into the gym with me.

I haven't given up my daily walks with Beau either though. I feel obliged to give the boys a bout of fresh air each day and that walk is mine and Beau's time together. He loves being in his buggy and his delight when I take off jogging spurs me on even more. So most days I'm doing two hours of exercise a day, give and take and since I've become more active I've become less tired.

There were days before when I was desperately in need of a daytime nap. I had no energy and felt awful. Eating processed foods and too many treats wasn't giving me the good energy I needed and not exercising as much as I should had made me lazy. I'm glad to say that I've done a complete 360 now.

I knew the nutrition side of things was something I really needed to work on and honestly, it was hard going the first few days of this new diet for me. I'm on a 1500 calorie a day diet which requires me to make meals from scratch with fresh produce each time and at first I was finding it hard to find the time to cook batches of meals for myself. Now though, I'm making a conscious effort to give at least 45-minutes of my day to making fresh, delicious meals and bar a packet of Mediterranean Grains, I haven't had a processed food in sight!

With the drastic change in diet I've noticed that my body is no longer bloated after I eat or in the morning - this was a side effect I was struggling with since my gallbladder issues and removal.

The foods I've been eating are plain chicken breasts, turkey, wholewheat pasta, Mediterranean grains, cherry tomatoes, red onion, peppers, feta cheese, salad leaves, eggs and carrots. I make sauces out of a tin of chopped tomatoes and pestos. I serve my food in a bowl because it makes me think that my portion is still quite big even though it isn't and I don't feel as though I'm going without.

I will admit though, I miss all the bad things. I miss cake and chocolate terribly, but I know they're no good for me and will be seen as a treat from now on - I'm waiting until Tyler's 5th birthday on February 16th to have a slice of delicious cake!

In the gym I start on the cross trainer and do 1K, I then move onto the bike (the lower one) and do anywhere between 5K and 8K depending on time. I have these at level 12 and have started doing interval training on the bike to build up resistance.

I then move onto the weights, doing 200 ab reps lifting 70/80lbs, 200 leg reps lifting 115lbs and 100 arm reps - doing anything from 10lbs on the bicep curl to 40lbs on the pull-down arm weight as my upper body strength is non-existent. If I have time I also do a 1000/1200m row.

I don't feel as if I'm doing too much exercise. I'm loving being active and I especially love lifting weights. I never thought it'd be a thing I'd enjoy in life but here I am!

I was hoping for some good results this week after my total nutrition and fitness transformation and thankfully I got them, losing 3kg/6.6lbs in weight and 5cm off my waist! I'm delighted and happy that all of my hard work and effort has paid off.

I'm optimistic that my efforts this coming week will also pay off and although I'm not expecting as much weight loss this week - I know these things have a habit of being great for the first week and slow-going for the rest, I know that what I'm doing for my body will pay off in the long run. As a friend of mine on Instagram said to me - "Other people may reach target weight faster, but when you reach target you'll be more toned" and that made me think about things differently.

Yes I want to be slimmer, but I also want my body to be in the best condition it possibly can be.

You can read my other weight loss updates here.
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7 comments

  1. Well done you, that is amazing! It is so hard to get into a good routine and food is something I need to work on, I do cook meals from scratch but I eat too many sugary foods. I think that is an amazing result for the first week and I hope it carries on.

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  2. It's fantastic that you're already feeling results - it's scary quite how much of an affect processed food can have on us!

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  3. Wow seriously good effort on the gym front it sounds like you're really motivated which is great news keep up the good work!

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  4. It sounds like you're doing really well. You seem to have the right mind set too which will surely help you succeed. Well done so far x

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  5. I would love to have a nutritionist overhaul my diet, we are stuck in a rut of eaitng the same things which I am sure is not good for you

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  6. Well done to you! For being disciplined and dedicated to this transformation!Even if it is just for a week; that is a long time to stick to something thats different for you. I hope everything goes swimmingly well!!!



    www.nmdiaries.com

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  7. Wow, you are doing so amazingly. I used to be so fearful of the gym, but one day I went with the same mind frame as you, thinking that everyone is there to improve themselves. After that I loved it and you're so right, it's a lovely little bit of you time. One thing I did wrong though was have the levels too high on machines and I was also lifting weights that were heavy because I could. I ended up building lots of muscle and looked bulky. I got a personal trainer because I felt so crappy and they told me to instead do more sets, but with low weights and go for longer bursts on cardio machines but on a lower resistance. I went from a size 14 to a size 8-10 in about 10 months. It was bloody hard but felt great. It sounds like you're doing so well with everything, even eating. I love your bowl trick and the food you're eating does sound delicious!

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