Getting Strong

77.4 kg

My doctor told me I need to lose weight. I should be at least 65kg but even after years of changing my habits I struggle to lose weight. Early August I visited a personal trainer recommended by my doctor. It was very useful. I learnt that I should be pushing myself a lot harder in cardio sessions and also found that I could push myself without hurting myself . I diligently followed the three times a week interval routine for three weeks then started my own program of 5 days cardio and 3 days weights as a basic plan. I change my routines around regularly to keep up the improvement .

I have increased my workout time from 25 mins to 50 mins each day over the past weeks. I have even included an extra 20 min walk some afternoons and I have spent lots of my computer time standing up with the laptop or iPad up on the bar.

I eat a healthy breakfast, lots of veges and fruit, nuts, fish, eggs and some red meat as well as some ice cream and chocolate. I think I could put more effort into avoiding some kJ but I probably eat about 8000. kJ a day. I also thought that with all the extra exercise I would have started losing some weight but would you believe I went from 76.4 to 77.4.

Oh well. I have come to love pushing myself after the 9 weeks I have been working out. I am stronger and fitter and will keep going. I have found that exercising more helps to reduce the need for sugars. One day I hope to report a reduction in weight.

I have been doing weights for 3 or 4 years now. I started routines using only 1kg dumb bells now I do more reps and more sets with 5kg dumb bells. I am definitely stronger.

My role model is Lesley Maxwell. She is almost my age and looks great. I will get there. I want to look great by December this year.

Happy exercising,

Val

 

 

 

 

 

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Exercise review and a menopause discovery

76.2kg 30th Oct 2011

I don't have any trouble keeping up my exercise. I do have to keep a good eye on how I feel when I try out different things. If I try to do too much each day I end up with a sore knee or just feeling fatigued.
I have tried some new weights routines. Even when I change the muscle groups that are targeted I can't manage the weights every day so I have settled for every second day.

I found it was a bit fatiguing if I tried to do the jog, the weights and the yoga on one day so I have settled for walking for 10 mins then 30 mins of weights ( I have 5 or 6 routines to choose from) on one day then jogging and yoga on the other day. Day seven I have a break. This seems to be working well.
Even if something comes up that cuts my time I try to fit in the walk or jog at least.

A Strange Discovery
Over the past three months I have noticed that I have felt decidedly grouchy for about a week each month and I experience hot flushes that week as well. This is the third month and there is definitely a 4 week pattern here. I have been in menopause for 6 years and I have only just noticed this. I had noticed that I can go for several weeks on a healthy diet then have to break out and have biscuits or cakes or soft drink for a week or so then I get back on to the healthy diet. I thought it was just a sugar addiction thing but maybe it was a hormone thing.

How can this be? I would have thought that by now my hormones would be settled down.

I have now marked each fourth week on my iCal with a red event colour. I am hoping that being more aware of this PMS type cycle I will be able to eat better and feel better in the off week. I have a magnesium/zinc/B6 vitamin pill that claims it is good for reducing PMS symptoms so I will take this the week before and maybe try to keep sugary foods out of the house for this week. It is worth a try. I hate the depressed and useless feeling I get in this week.

Has anyone else noticed a cycle like this well into their menopause?

Keeping healthy is such a challenge.

Cheers,
Val

Cravings

76.2kg 15th Oct

I did really well yesterday til I got to dinner time and I had to have two pieces of toast with peanut butter. I think of this as a wild break out but it only brought me up to 6200kJ for the day. I still lost weight for this morning's weigh in.
Today I thought I would have a big breakfast of banana pikelets. This means I have two snacks as well of two and a half pikelets each. With rice and sweet and sour chicken for lunch and rice and curried egg for dinner today's total is 4650kJ. I will use the rest to have a coffee or jam on my pikelets and I still have to eat the pears.
I put 76.2 in my graph and it is good to see the weight graph slide a bit closer to the goal graph with this new entry. My table is weekly weights for each Sunday. I can put in each day in the Sunday spot and see how I am going. It is the Sunday weight that counts so I am trying to get to 76. I have today and Saturday.
It is interesting how strong the urge is to eat more than you plan. I know the body likes the status quo and will try to keep a stasis with weight as it does with temperature. 1/2 a kilo a week is a pretty fast change for the body and I feel that it is nothing to do with will power when I have to eat more. But keeping around the 6000kJ mark even when we eat too much stops us from putting weight on.
We watched the show about the top three weight loss programs and the doctor interviewed said that 95% of people put their weight back on in 5 years. I feel like I can maintain this way of eating for ever. We haven't changed our shopping list, we still eat the same food as before but we count the kilojoules and plan. It is not a diet but it is a healthy eating plan. I will never put the weight back on again.