Measurements Day!

 Hey everyone, it's Measurements Day again!

Over the past 10 days, I've managed to avoid binges (yay!), ate sensible portions, exercised, and did a lot of spring cleaning.

 Although I'm still not back to daily workouts, I have kept up with my exercises (7 times in 10 days) and I started adding in more challenging and varied moves for my arms (with 2 kg weights.)

I have a badly damaged tendon in my right foot, so I've not been able to do as much walking as I would have liked, but surprisingly, I've still managed to loose a significant amount of fat from my thighs! Hopefully my upcoming physical therapy sessions and special support (to wear inside my shoe) will help it heal quickly, and I can resume taking longish walks with the pooch this summer.

I was shocked when I saw my total all-over-body loss... I'm so happy, it makes me teary.




04 June to  13 June 2012
Weight : - 1 kg
Breast : - 1/8"
Stomach: - 1/2 "
Waist: - 3/8 "
Hips: - 1/2"
Thigh:  - 1 3/8 "
Upper Arm: -1/4 "

All-Over-Body Inches Lost : - 3 1/8"



Total Loss : 29 Jan. 2011 - 13 June 2012

Weight : - 4 kg 
BMI : - 1
Breast : - 2 1/4"
Stomach: - 4 1/8 "
Waist: - 5 3/8 "
Hips: - 3"
Thigh:  - 5 1/8 "
Upper Arm: - 3 "
 
Total All-Over-Body Inches Lost : - 22 7/8"

... that's almost 2 ft. of me ... gone!

<3

Circuit with small weights for toning and strengthening arms

Quick bit of good news: A few days ago, I re-broke the BMI barrier! I'm now back to BMI 39, which means I'm no longer "morbidly" obese. Yay! I had regained 1 kg, 3 months ago, and I couldn't shake it... finally, it's gone, and I'm not inviting it back again... ever!

I found this video yesterday, and I'll be incorporating it into my weekly workouts.

Since I don't have a bench, I've been using a wooden dining chair for the sitting parts, and then laying flat on the floor for the "on the back" parts.

 

So far, I've only done the circuit x2 (instead of x3, as is mentioned in the video) because I find it a bit intense at the end of the 2nd round. I hope to be up to the full 3 rounds by next week. In the meantime, instead of doing the 3rd round of this circuit, I've been doing 1 round of my usual arm workout (from Susan Powter's Lean Muscle Mass video.)

This routine works on the arms, shoulders, chest, and back. I'm hopeful that it will help give me more improvement in my triceps (yeah, problem zone extraordinaire!)

Here is the video:


http://youtu.be/GN6bL3WaYKk

<3

Update on my disapearing inches

Hiya everyone, a long-overdue update is finally here!


Over the past few months I've been derailing myself from my previous fitness regime... due to some health troubles (not related to my calorie-constrictive diet & exercise routine) and a personal family tragedy, I stopped working out every day, stopped counting calories, and stopped taking weekly measurements.

I may have slowed down, but I have not given up!

Since mid-February, I have managed to do some yoga once or twice a week, I still take regular walks with the pooch, continued to de-clutter and pro-Feng Shui my home, and even though I'm no longer obsessively counting calories, I do continue to be conscientious about portion sizes and to be mindful about my binging urges.


Also, I have been keeping track of my weight, stepping on the scales every few days. My numbers are constant, stuck between a 2-kilo difference, which fluctuates back and fourth, regardless of how much cake I've eaten the day before, or if I did yoga or not. Of course I'm happy that it's not going up, but recently I've been feeling frustrated that I'm still stuck on this plateau.


My previous measurements were on 19 February, and showed a little change from the measurements taken on the 11th and the 16th. The numbers weren't staggering, but they were successfully and continually dropping. (Score!)

A couple of nights ago, I noticed a difference in my stomach... there seemed to be significantly less of it than there had been before. My weight has been stable, but could I have lost inches?!


Now, here comes the BIG SURPRISE . . .




Not only have I lost inches : I've lost significant inches!




19 Feb. to  23 March 2012
Weight : + 1 kilo (2.2 lbs)
Breast : + 1/4 "
Stomach: - 1/8 "
Waist: - 1  1/8 "
Hips: - 1/2 "
Thigh:  - 1 "
Upper Arm: -3/4 "


Total Loss since 29 January 2012
Weight : -3 kilos (6.6 lbs)
Breast : - 2  1/8 "

Stomach: - 3 "

Waist: - 3  6/8 "

Hips: - 2  1/2 "
Thigh:  - 3  1/2"

Upper Arm: - 2  5/8 "

I've been slowly shrinking over the past 3 months, and I didn't even realise it!
How did this happen ?!

I'm putting aside the initial hypothesis of magical fat-zapping pixies in favour of a more likely theory: Less binging + semi-regular exercise + reasonable portions of nutritional meals + breakfast nearly everyday = a speedier metabolism, leading to fat-burning and muscle building.

Apparently semi-regular exercise really is better than none at all (could have fooled me... until now!) But, be that as it may, I want to up my yoga & Pilates dosage to three times a week and add in hand weights at least twice per week. This is a small increase, as compared to what I'm already doing, and I think it's a reasonable and obtainable goal. By increasing my aerobic activity, in conjunction with my newly discovered metabolic rate, I'm certain to burn more fat, faster.

I'm not planning to go back to obsessive calorie counting. Now that I have a good understanding of how many calories really are in the foods that I regularly eat, I feel confident in making reasonable choices and portions, without having to weigh everything down to the very last pea.


Feeling energised and optimistic, I take another step on the path to a happier, healthier me!

<3

Measurements Day! 2

It's measurements day! This time, I have pictures...
Loss from 11 - 16 Feb. 2012:
Bust: - 0
Stomach: - 1/8 "
Waist: - 1 1/8 "
Hips: - 1/4"
Thigh: - 1/4"
Arm: - 1/2"
weight : + 1 kg :(

Total Loss since 29 Jan. 2012:
Bust: - 1 5/8"
Stomach: - 2 3/8"
Waist: - 4 1/8"
Hips: - 2"
Thigh: - 1 7/8"
Arm: -1 7/8"

Total wieght loss: - 2 kg

So, I'm up 1 kg, but I'm not freaking out about it, because I'm in a water-retention time of my cycle, so it's normal that I'm a bit water-heavy. I still had a good result with my measurements, so maybe I've lost more fat and gained more (heavy) muscle... so, yeah, no freaking out about the single kilogram. However, by next week, I hope to be DOWN on both the scale and the measurements. (Wish me luck!)

<3

Exercise

Last night, the strangest thing happened to me . . . I had done yoga with my mom (hooray for Skype!) a few hours before, and while I was laying in bed, waiting for sleep, I suddenly realised that I liked exercising. Not only that, but if I had not been so tired, I would have gotten up and exercised again.

Who the hell am I?! I don't think things like this. No, exercise has always been an evil thing that makes me sore, sweaty, tired, and totally uncomfortable. So how is it that I am suddenly feeling good after a work out, suddenly not so sore, nor so tired... and dare I say it again : enjoying it ?!

I've heard tales told about in-shape exercisesy people getting a rush of endorphins after exercising. . . could it be that this has just happened to me? Well, whatever the cause, I'm glad of it, even if it is a totally alien feeling -- lol !


So, a lot of people have been asking me what kind of exercises I'm doing. Well, I'm doing a combination of exercises, mostly from these three DVDs:

"Fitness Stretch" and "Lean Muscle Mass" by Susan Powter (from the Lifestyle Ex-change series) and "Easy Beginners Workout" by Wai Lana (traditional yoga).

I've also added abdominal crunches, 2 kinds of pilate-style leg lifts, and some stretches of my own (for neck and back).


My daily workout routine:

To begin, I put on some energizing music, take a few deep abdominal breaths, and dance around the living room like a dork (haha!) This gets my heart pumping, my muscles moving, and my body connected with my mind.

After a song or two, I begin the structured workout:

I start with stepping from side to side, quickly, for about 2 or 3 minutes, then I stand straight and do deep breathing while stretching my arms and core, then stretching my back and neck, followed by a couple of yoga poses for working my core/waist.

Next, squats via a yoga pose, and then I'm on the floor to stretch my legs and back. I do three sets of hamstring stretches and inner thigh stretches, then one set of upper trunk and back stretches.

Next, abdominal crunches (I'm up to 70 now! o.m.g.) and then 2 sets each of the pilate leg lifts. I take a moment to do some deep abdominal breaths after I finish the pilates, because I have just done a lot of abdominal work and I find that I'm not sore afterwards if I take a pause to just breathe (about 10 or 15 deep breaths).

For the last bit of the workout, I'm up on my feet again to lift some weights (6 different movements) and finally, I do the deep breathing and arm/core/back stretches that I started with. If I'm still feeling charged up, I might dance around for another couple songs, too.


Time is of the essence :

Typically, my workouts are 45 - 50 minutes long, but I have gone up to 60 a couple of times. Every few days, I leave out the weights (so as not to over-strain my muscles, which is exactly what happened the first time I tried to do all of the moves along with Susan Powter, in the Lean Muscle DVD, using the 2 kilo weights... yeah, that was really painful, and I couldn't lift my right arm for a little over a week. doh!) On the days that I leave out the weights and I only dance to 1 or 2 songs, my workout tends to be 30 - 35 minutes.

When I, you, anybody moves for 30 minutes in oxygen, the metabolism and other hormones kick in and the body starts to burn fat. If you exercise for just 15 or 20 minutes, you'll be stretching and toning muscle, but you won't be flipping the internal switch to burn off fat.

Ideally, I try to start my exercises between 10 and 11 AM so that I can take advantage of my breakfast calories and give my metabolism an extra boost before lunch. However, it doesn't always happen that way (like today) so if I don't get workout done in the morning, I try for early evening, between 4 and 5 PM. When I've done a yoga session with my mom, it has to be around 8 - 9 PM for me, because of the 9 hour time difference. I avoid doing cardio-intense workouts and weight lifting at night, and when I do exercise in the late evenings, I do yoga and pilate leg movements, so as not to spike up my adrenaline too much, nor force my muscles to work too hard at the end of a long day.


Just breathe :

In oxygen, aerobic, meaning: being able to breathe and speak. If you are totally out of breath, gasping or panting, fighting for air, and unable to speak, you are starving your muscles and not fully benefiting from the movements you are doing. To build more muscle and burn more fat, you need to BREATHE. I take very deep breaths, from the abdomen, and exhale strongly (as if quickly and forcefully blowing out a cake full of candles) -- it sounds silly when you're doing it, but it feels amazing! Sometimes I sing along with the music while I'm working out (this is not only using up more calories, but it's also a good way to keep my breath in check.)

When I do my ab crunches, I find it difficult to breathe deeply, I suppose because I am crunching and squashing my diaphragm and other ab muscles. So, to avoid starving my body of air, I take a small breathing break between 5 or 10 crunches, and I breathe in and out a few times, sucking my belly button down towards my spine with each strong exhale, and then I continue with another set of 5 or 10 crunches, repeating this cycle until I've done all 70.


I'm still coming to terms with this "new me" who actually likes exercising; it's a bit like finding myself in the Twylight Zone . . . doo doo dooo doo, doo doo dooo doo . . . who knows, maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find that I enjoy dusting too! Hah. Ok, I won't push my luck.

<3

Measurements Day!

Every 5 days (or there abouts) I take measurements from 6 places on my body.
Today was a real surprise... I knew that I had lost a bit more since the last measurement day, but I didn't realize it was this much!

Loss from 6 - 11 February

Bust : - 0
Stomach : - 1/2 "
Waist : - 2 "
Hips : - 1/2 "
Thigh : - 1 3/8 "
Upper Arm : 7/8"


Total loss from 29 January - 11 February

Bust : - 1 5/8 "
Stomach : - 2 1/4 "
Waist : - 3"
Hips : - 1 3/4 "
Thigh : - 1 7/8 "
Upper Arm : - 1 3/8"

Total body inches lost : 11 7/8" (30.16 cen.)
Total weight lost : 3 kilos

This is incredible, and really encouraging for me to keep doing what I've been doing... I've never managed to stick to an exercise and "diet" regime this long. If I manage to keep loosing inches at this rate, I should be near my target weight by October! Wow. Yeah, this is totally blowing my mind. . . !

Sadly, I don't have "before" and "after" pics, yet... I never imagined that I would loose this much so quickly, so I didn't take pics on the first day of my diet, nor on the first two measurement days. Now, however, I'm making it a point to get the photos to accompany the stats! Lucien took pics of me this morning, just after I measured, so I will have "before" and "after" pics posted in another 5 days, when Measurements Day comes 'round again.

Less is More!
<3

Breakfast... the muesli-eyed monster!

Oh, the dreaded breakfast! Who wants to eat when they have just rolled out of bed? I can't even coordinate myself to get the box of cereal open, let alone eat what's in it. Ugh. Breakfast... gross. Just give me coffee, and nobody come near me until I'm human again!

Like some kind of disgusting monster, I've long avoided breakfast. And I thought, surely, eating less means loosing more weight... right?! That just seems painstakingly obvious. Oh, en contraire. While doing research about metabolism (and how to raise it) I came across something time and time again: Eat breakfast. Eat breakfast. Eat breakfast. But why?! Why is force feeding myself, first thing in the morning, going to make me slimmer? It just seems really bassackwards.

Well, as it turns out, the human body does a lot of hard work while we sleep. We're digesting the food we ate during the day, pumping out all sorts of chemicals and hormones that run our heart and lungs and such, and keep us pleasantly paralysed (so we don't sleep walk while we dream,) so the metabolism is burning fast and furious for the better part of an 8 hour night. When we wake up, it has slowed down, because the brain is sending all sorts of messages and memos to the metabolic machine, telling it that it's "break time." The brain is an anxious and cautious overseer, and it thinks that we are going to burn up too much and then be faced with starvation during the day (little does it realize that my fat bottom alone could sustain me for several months with all the fuel that's stored up in my fat cells.)


Starving the body in the morning only makes the brain more anxious that you aren't going to get food that day, so it sends out red alert warnings to the metabolism to slow down. It's like a blaring internal siren, screaming "conserve! conserve!"

When I, you, anybody eats breakfast shortly after waking, it sends a different sort of alarm to the metabolic machine, making it go back to work, with a passion! Apparently, eating breakfast raises your metabolic rate by 11% (on average) for the better part of the day. That means you'll be burning off breakfast and lunch and possibly part of your dinner with an 11% increase of burning efficiency!

Not only that, but consuming good quality calories (like grains, fruits, and nuts) will increase your energy through the morning and keep you charged up until lunch. You'll find it easier to be physically active, and you won't be nearly as tired throughout a morning or early afternoon workout.

Eating garbage calories like candy and greasy whatnot that's loaded with saturated fats won't do you much good, in the long run, because the sweets make your blood sugar spike up, then it burns off too fast, and you spike down, causing fatigue not long after you've eaten. The greasy, fatty foods will just introduce more harmful fats into your blood/arteries/fat cells, which is counter productive to the ultimate goal of loosing fat from your body.

It was really difficult, the first few days, to make myself eat in the morning. I actually felt a little bit sick on two consecutive mornings after force feeding myself a bowl of muesli (about 50-60 grams) and a glass of juice. But, now that I've been eating breakfast everyday for almost 2 weeks, I actually wake up feeling hungry, and it's not hard at all to put away a small serving of cereal with dried fruits and nuts (usually with soya yogurt, instead of nut milk, to get the benefit of a complete protein combo) and a 100 ml glass of juice, and a cup of coffee or tea. Today I even added a banana.

Amazingly, after having a breakfast, I really do feel more energetic in the morning, I have better stamina during my late morning workout, and I feel less fatigue afterwards. Who knew?!

Eating a higher amount of calories in the earlier part of the day (breakfast and lunch) and a lower amount in the evening also seems to be making an impact in my weight loss. Because I'm active in the day and more sedentary at night, I'm actively burning off more of the total calories that I have consumed in a total day, rather than eating a mega load of calories at night, when I'll be sitting around, using the computer, reading, knitting... which burns off fewer calories than washing, scrubbing, walking, talking, and doing all the busy things I do in a day.

So, the moral of this story is: breakfast isn't really a monster after all!

<3