Scale wars

I am officially weighing in once a week - on Tuesdays.  However, like most people, I do jump on the scales through the week, for a sneak preview.

This morning - horror.  I am UP 300grams from my weigh in last week.  Now, I am eating healthily, I have nothing to hide in my food diary, and I am going to my PT sessions three times a week.  I am actually proud of the work I am putting in.

So, HOW can this happen? How is it possible that I weigh more? I can understand steady - fat can be hard to budge.  But UP?

A disgruntled Fi, signing off.

Dread and disappointment: two reactions to doing a fun run

To celebrate International Womens Day, there is a five kilometre fundraising Fun Run in Brisbane I could sign up for.  After my 4 kilometre attempt up and down hills last week, I actually wouldn't mind giving it a go.  Weird.

My emotional reaction to this is truly strange to me. 

Dread
Last year, Andy-the-personal-trainer thought I was ready to do a 10 kilometre fun run, so that I could time myself and then try and better it at the next fun run "meet".

I wasn't keen. In fact, I was so panicked by the idea that I felt nauseous.  I was making up excuses in my head for days, when I realised... I HAD A PRIOR COMMITMENT - I DIDN"T HAVE TO DO IT!!!

A friend had asked me to host her baby shower, which conveniently fell on the same day. I couldn't keep the grin off my face, actually having a REAL excuse not to do it.  I was so very smug and deeply happy.


Disappointment
This time is different.  I WANT to do the fun run!

But, it is on Sunday 6 March, and I am flying out to Asia for work on Friday 4 March.  Bugger. And I actually mean it.

Something must be wrong with me.  Usually I would be jumping up and down with excitement to be travelling for work!  Usually I would be skipping with joy that I have a real reason for not entering a Fun Run.

But I am truly disappointed that I wont be entering.

Two possible reasons for the drastic change in my attitude to entering a Fun Run

1. Achievable
10 kilometres is the standard distance of fun runs in Australia, but I know I would be walking most of that.  With a 5km circuit, there is the very slightest possibility of attempting to run/jog the whole thing.  Hope is there. I have a gut feeling that I could actually jog 5 kilometres by 6 March.  This is a challenge that I may be able to meet.  And that is exciting. That is MOTIVATING!

2. The Right Time 
The 5km fun run is also conveniently timed for the end of my 8 week challenge - which ends on 7 March.  Serendipitous timing.  The fact that I am feeling really proud of myself with the things I have done for the last few weeks.  I am putting the work in to meet my goals. But I would need to keep on putting the work in to be able to jog 5kms.  So, the timing is also MOTIVATING me to keep on with the great choices I am making each day (each hour, each minute).


What now?
As I write, I am even thinking whether I could do my own fun run.  Find out what the circuit would be and get my husband to be my time-keeper, and do the 5km run just before I leave!


I really am feeling comfortable with the healthy eating choices I am making, and with the exercise I am doing.

The true aim of this 8 week challenge is to kickstart life-long changes to my eating and exercise habits.

May be it is working?

Four reasons why am I using a personal trainer

Considering the amount of money I spent in 2010 on personal training sessions, and only seeing very poor results, you'd think I would never use a personal trainer again.  $2000 = 5 kilos lost.   My first personal trainer experience was a big FAIL.

But, that was my fault. Not theirs.

Nebulous goal + no changes to eating = FAIL

Here are four reasons why I am using a personal trainer again in 2011

Because I need help.
I have a specific goal, and I am not confident that I have enough will-power to get out of bed and do a meaningful high intensity workout for 45 minutes without someone there waiting for me to turn up.  My excuses are legendary.  And, I don't want to start out with the enthusiasm most projects start out with, only to see them fizzing very soon after.

The PT is there to make me do the workout even when I really, really, really, really couldn't give a damn that I am staving off diabetes, or wanting to fit into my valedictory dress, or when the devil on your shoulder tells you that "you've I've already done heaps, you deserve a break".

Because I have a goal
I have a clearly articulated SPECIFIC goal, that is measurable and time-limited. I want to achieve my goal - and so I will do whatever it takes to help me get there.  And since I know myself pretty well now, I could easily chuck it all in when my depression hits, or if work becomes too tough, or ... well you get the picture.

I have a goal, and I am used to dissappointing myself by not meeting my goals. A personal trainer will be a constant reminder of my goal.

Because I am committed to healhty eating
I finally acknowledge that I ate myself into this size, every bite counted.  I have also seen that just getting fitter does not help me get skinnier - and I am $2000 worse off for that timely piece of self-awareness.  So, no matter how much I want that hot cocoa after dinner, I am committed to changing my eating habits. I am maintaining a food diary. I have committed to paleo eating for four weeks (and likely eight).

Because I am making those changes to diet, I expect my personal training sessions to provide me with weight-loss results.

A plan for life without PT
I can't see the point of my goal - to maintain a healthy BMI for the rest of my life - IF I have to have three (3) personal training sessions each week for the rest of my life to achieve it.

So, I have already put limits on how long I will go to a personal trainer.  This allows me to have control over my goal and my INTENTIONS for exercise - fitness for life.  I am using the personal training to achieve my first 8 week challenge.  There are other ways for the remaining goals to be achieved - PT may or may not be part of the plan.

For example, in my first 5 week challenge (to 12 April) I intend to replace 2 weeks worth (6) of personal training sessions with 10 sessions of hot yoga - steamy sweaty 1 hour yoga sessions.  This will give me a break from PT, will give me some insight into how my body responds to different types of exercise, and will help me determine whether I actually turn up to a group class after promising myself I would. It will also give my hip pocket a break - the hot yoga is local and has a 10 session introductory offer!

My personal trainer experience #3

In 2010, because my goal was all about fat loss rather than fitness, Andy wanted me to commit to healthy eating.


My introduction to the Paleo Diet
Andy is an advocate of the Paleo diet and lifestyle - there are plenty of sites that discuss the diet, but at its basis - eat what our ancestors ate: meat, veg, fruit, nuts. What's missing?  Dairy, pulses, legumes, grains, sugar.

My weight-loss plan
Andy wanted me to go "strict paleo" for the first four weeks to kickstart healthy eating, and go to personal training three times a week (45 minute sessions).

He also repeatedly said that a food diary is the single best tool I could use for weight loss.

The outcome
FAIL.  I had so many excuses for not writing my food diary, and for not bothering to change my eating habits.

As for paleo? While I didn't tell this to Andy, there was no way was I giving up breakfast cereal, hot buttered toast, cheese and sugary treats when I was doing so much exercise! 

Surprise surprise, I only lost 5 kilos over several months.  I thought the exercise would be enough. I was wrong.

So is having a personal trainer worth it?
Only if you are committed to healthy eating as well.  And only if you have specific goals.

The AU$2000ish dollars I spent on personal training in 2010 did not show $2000-worth of results.

Was the experience a waste?  No.  For two reasons.  I DID get a lot stronger. From not being able to do a push up, to doing 80 in a session! So, while I only lost five kilos over those few months, I did increase my fitness.

AND, fast-forward to 2011. I am using a personal trainer again.

My personal trainer experience #1

If you are keeping up with the Joneses, well, just EVERYONE has a personal trainer these days.

But in my mind, those people with personal trainers in parks or at the beach or (heaven forbid) at the gym, are already super fit and toned and tanned and beautiful and... NOT like me - obese, inflexible, and just a tad un-coordinated. 

Why follow the crowd and get a personal trainer?
By mid 2010, I was in dire straights -  95 kilos. BMI 34.  I wanted to start a family, and being this heavy would not help me or any baby I may have.

Since dieting and self motivation at a gym had done nothing for the last four years, I decided I needed the motivation and accountability of a personal trainer. 

Choosing a PT
During some searches online for "becoming a mother", I stumbled across a link to AJ Fitness in Carina, Brisbane.  They had a "mother's club" providing babysitting while you worked out.  I thought that sounded grand, they were only a few kilometres away, so I called up Andy Jeffrey. 

Their program
The AJ Fitness recommendations were straight-foward: regular high-intensity activity coupled with drastic changes to eating habits.  It seems my eating habits - eat whatever I want whenever I felt like it - were not appropriate.

Oh, and he wanted me to start "tomorrow", so I booked in the session, feeling a little bit dazed, and a whole lot nervous.

The paleo problem # 2 saying no to breakfast staples

I have eaten eggs for breakfast since starting out on this journey.  9 mornings.  And can I just say... I AM SICK OF EGGS!

If grains are out, what else is there to eat at breakfast?

Saying no to standard breakfast products will be a challenge for eight weeks.Why? What else is quicker or more convenient than pouring from the cereal packet, or popping the toast?  Oh, and can I just repeat that I am REALLY sick of eggs? 

Bread in Australia
While some mass produced breads are getting better in the supermarket ailses, most are just bleh. So, giving up grains should be simple, yes?

Not when Leavain and other artisan bakers come onto the scene.

Leavain... their bread is just SO good. From wholesome to wicked, their yeasty products are superb. My husband only buys bread from Leavain or from bakers at the Saturday Village Markets in Kelvin Grove- where a baker bring along their massive portable oven and bake the breads right there.

Where bread is whole grained, sour doughed, and fresh, where wheat is an option rather than a standard flour, then yes, saying no to grains is a whole lot harder.

Giving up bread will require some serious researching for breakfast alternatives.

My husband will continue to bring that Leavain goodness into the home, but I still have hope of not touching bread for eight weeks. My secret? Without butter, what is the point of eating bread?

The paleo problem #1: saying no to dairy

Am I convinced of the paleo diet?  Not entirely.  Although I have only been on it for a week, so perhaps I should reserve judgement.

No to dairy?
How can anyone say no to cheese, and butter, and cream, and yoghurt, and ... well, lots of good stuff?

I am a dairy farmer's daughter, so giving up dairy is a difficult one for me.  I love nothing better than to have a wonderful soft goats cheese spread across some freshly baked leavain bread drizzled with a little olive oil and a scattering of herbs... or, as my confession suggested - I love nothing better than a dash of cream in my hot chocolate.

But, I am committed. For the eight week goal, dairy food is no longer part of my life.

Week 1 success

Week one of the eight week challenge is over. And I am pretty pleased.

1. I have completed three personal training sessions, which included a personal best for 500m rowing (2.01 minutes). 
2. I walked the dog 12 times (missed two sessions).
3. I completed one session of hill sprints.
4. I have been sugar free for 7 days
5. I completed my food diary each day.
6. I have eaten strictly paleo, with the exception of the hot chocolate debacle. 

And the results of this spartan discipline (sans the hot cocoa)?


1.6 kilos down!!!

• Tuesday 17 January I was 91.7 kilos (home scales)
• Tuesday 25 January I am 90.1 kilos (home scales

Now I am off to training where I should be weighed in too.

The scales at home and at training don't match up, but not too badly from what I can tell.  The first weigh in showed the home scales at 91.7; the PT scales at 91.9.

Going paleo for 8 weeks

The Diet.
Andy-the-personal-trainer is a Paleo Diet enthusiast.  You can find more on the diet here.

He wants me to commit to four weeks of strict paleo at least.  Considering I am trying to lose an average of 1.5 kilos a week, I believe I'll have to be strict paleo for the full eight weeks.

What does this "paleo diet" mean for me?

It means simply eating meals made up from meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit (limited), nuts, and oils.

What is missing? Well, I am to eliminate dairy, sugar, grains, legumes, pulses and alcohol from my diet.  Ouch.

Is paleo forever, for me?
For some people, eating paleo is their lifestyle - or so it seems from blogs and websites I've read.  I am not so convinced.  How can a chick pea be evil?

However, for eight weeks I am going to be super strict on the types of food I am going to eat.  But afterwards?

Learning what moderation means, and what I can and cannot eat (and drink) to maintain a healthy BMI... That is a problem I will leave for later.

What I need to do to achieve goal number one?

I need to change my lifestyle to be able to achieve my goal of getting to 80 kilos by 7 March.

I contacted Andy from AJ Fitness last week to help me. 

He has said my goal to lose 10 kilos in 8 weeks was achievable.  I was 90 kilos when I called him. However, when I started with him on Tuesday 17 January, I was 92 kilos.  So, I am not sure if 12 kilos lost in 8 weeks is achievable.  I'll keep you posted.

Andy demands

1. A change in my diet.
2. Keep a food diary
3. 3 x 45 minute training sessions a week 
4. A fourth group session by week 3(ish)

I'll be scheduling in sessions and working through the changes to eating issues in the coming posts.

Four years obese

This blog started in 2006 when I weighed in at 85 kilos - officially obese according to the body mass index (BMI) classifications.  It was my attempt to keep me accountable to lose weight.  It failed.  I wrote three posts.

Fast foward to January 2011.  I am 92 kilos, with a BMI of 33. Well and truly obese.

I will use this blog to track my journey from obesity to a healthy me.  There will be challenges and pit falls - but I am ready to help myself.

My ultimate goal?  To maintain a healthy BMI for the rest of my life.