One of my goals when I started the TF+ program was to run the Sun Run 10 km. Well, I've registered now and I'm getting excited. I'll be starting a training program in January to prep for it.
Healthy living and heart health are soooo important! Support me and help fund important research by making a small donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation!
http://www.fitforheart.ca/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1087799&lis=0&kntae1087799=AE0D921A47334E0BAA0DBD8059CC68D7&supid=397856667
Katharine's Progress
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Day 94 and Thoughts on beginning the real test
DAY 94. My 3 months of the TF+ contest are up. Now begins the real test. It hasn't been easy so far, but it was easier having that commitment 3 times each week and knowing I couldn't stand up my teammates and the trainers. Now that I'll be responsible for myself (not that I wasn't before) getting my workouts in, I know it will be more challenging. Now the challenge will be balancing my finances and making the gym a priority in my spending, and making it a priority in my busy schedule. In the past it's always been an issue with me, saying that I'll go work out, then flaking out on myself. Well, it's crucial that I start kicking my own ass and not accepting any excuses from myself! No standing myself up! I know I'm capable of so much. I've already shown myself that even when I think I don't have anymore, there's always that last push.
I will still be doing the meal plan with Leanne for the next 9 months, and checking in each Saturday morning from home.
My short-term goals for the next 3 months:
I will still be doing the meal plan with Leanne for the next 9 months, and checking in each Saturday morning from home.
My short-term goals for the next 3 months:
- maintain current weight loss over the holidays!
- lose another 30-45 lbs by March 31st
- beginning in January, start a couch-to-10km training plan to prep for the Sun Run
- do 2 TF+ bootcamps per week
- do 2 cardio days per week (which could include my running plan)
- stick to the meal plan and check-in with Leanne each Saturday morning
- do at least 1 blog entry per week to stay accountable!
- lose a total of 136 lbs by September 15th
- do the 10 km Vancouver Sun Run on April 27th (already registered!)
- get myself into a bikini and feel good about it!
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Day 87 and Thoughts on re-training myself
DAY 87. I feel like I've been neglecting my poor blog. Oh dear.
Last week was a bit of a disappointment. Because I was trying to do none days, which entail a lot of leafy greens, I found myself getting hungry after lunch and ended up eating off plan, like getting Subway from downstairs after I ate my salad. I wasn't surprised with the scale on Saturday morning, it showed a gain for the week.
I let Leanne know what was going on this week and she's modified the plan so that on a daily basis I have a high meal for breakfast (oatmeal and fruit, omelet and rye toast, etc), a low meal for lunch (stirfry and tofu, salad/veggies and salmon, etc), and a none meal for dinner (salad and fish or tofu), along with my snacks of apples/almonds, protein/almond milk shakes, and/or green smoothies. I think that this will help me stay on track again.
I know I can't beat myself up too much when I've been so good for almost 3 months now. Yes, I've had the occasional slip, but I am amazed with my own willpower. I do realize too that this will be a lifelong struggle... for a long time whatever I felt like eating, I ate. There was no filter. I basically had to teach myself the proper way to eat, like a small child. No Katharine pizza is not an everyday meal, no Katharine you don't need that much cheese, yes Katharine more veggies, yes Katharine drink up your water... To undo decades of bad eating will take a lot of strength and a lot of time. It can be really frustrating some days, just dealing with myself in this respect. I get irritated that I let myself be that way for so long that I've made things so challenging now. But I can't go back in time, all I can do is correct how I do things now. I have to be patient with myself.
Another thing that was resolved last week (finally!) was all the stress regarding my job. I made a decision and spoke to my bosses about it, so that's something off my plate and out of my mind for the time being. I had been offered a lucrative job at another company but after much consideration, I've decided to stay put. My quality of life is more important than money. I don't want to be commuting 2 hours each way and working late, sometimes 7 days a week, that would take away from my workout time! It's crazy how job stress can affect so much. I know I don't live to work or anything, but so much time is spent there, that any issues can seem to unbalance my whole little world.
On another note, my exercising has been great in the past few weeks still. I've been keeping that up. Saturday's workout was super sets with Sarah. Man my chest and arms were killing me after that one. Monday with Eric was intense. My heart rate stayed up near 150 bpm for almost the whole bootcamp and I burned 600 calories in 80 min. This morning I had my personal training session with Sarah. She had me do this one exercise using the TRX. It's a lot like a standing side plank. Anyhow, when she demonstrated it, it just looked like she was sticking out her hip and it seemed really easy. Yeah right. Geez, that one was insanely deceptive. Sarah couldn't stop grinning as I made contorted faces through the whole set and cursed at her. :)
Last week was a bit of a disappointment. Because I was trying to do none days, which entail a lot of leafy greens, I found myself getting hungry after lunch and ended up eating off plan, like getting Subway from downstairs after I ate my salad. I wasn't surprised with the scale on Saturday morning, it showed a gain for the week.
I let Leanne know what was going on this week and she's modified the plan so that on a daily basis I have a high meal for breakfast (oatmeal and fruit, omelet and rye toast, etc), a low meal for lunch (stirfry and tofu, salad/veggies and salmon, etc), and a none meal for dinner (salad and fish or tofu), along with my snacks of apples/almonds, protein/almond milk shakes, and/or green smoothies. I think that this will help me stay on track again.
I know I can't beat myself up too much when I've been so good for almost 3 months now. Yes, I've had the occasional slip, but I am amazed with my own willpower. I do realize too that this will be a lifelong struggle... for a long time whatever I felt like eating, I ate. There was no filter. I basically had to teach myself the proper way to eat, like a small child. No Katharine pizza is not an everyday meal, no Katharine you don't need that much cheese, yes Katharine more veggies, yes Katharine drink up your water... To undo decades of bad eating will take a lot of strength and a lot of time. It can be really frustrating some days, just dealing with myself in this respect. I get irritated that I let myself be that way for so long that I've made things so challenging now. But I can't go back in time, all I can do is correct how I do things now. I have to be patient with myself.
Another thing that was resolved last week (finally!) was all the stress regarding my job. I made a decision and spoke to my bosses about it, so that's something off my plate and out of my mind for the time being. I had been offered a lucrative job at another company but after much consideration, I've decided to stay put. My quality of life is more important than money. I don't want to be commuting 2 hours each way and working late, sometimes 7 days a week, that would take away from my workout time! It's crazy how job stress can affect so much. I know I don't live to work or anything, but so much time is spent there, that any issues can seem to unbalance my whole little world.
On another note, my exercising has been great in the past few weeks still. I've been keeping that up. Saturday's workout was super sets with Sarah. Man my chest and arms were killing me after that one. Monday with Eric was intense. My heart rate stayed up near 150 bpm for almost the whole bootcamp and I burned 600 calories in 80 min. This morning I had my personal training session with Sarah. She had me do this one exercise using the TRX. It's a lot like a standing side plank. Anyhow, when she demonstrated it, it just looked like she was sticking out her hip and it seemed really easy. Yeah right. Geez, that one was insanely deceptive. Sarah couldn't stop grinning as I made contorted faces through the whole set and cursed at her. :)
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Day 80 and Thoughts on my quarterly assessment and lessons learned so far
DAY 80. Because it's been 12 weeks yet (though not quite 90 days), we did our quarterly assessments last night at Team Fitness. I am so proud to say that in total so far I have lost 34.4 lbs and 28" (inches off my chest, waist, stomach, legs, arms). The body composition analysis also shows that I have lost over 20 lbs of fat. It made me really happy in particular to see that I've lost 5" off my stomach alone... amazing! Explains why sit-ups are getting to be, not necessarily easier, but I have a better range of motion so they're not quite so impossible. It's been wonderful to fit back into some of the clothes I've kept in the back of my closet too. It broke my heart when I outgrew some of my favourite dresses, so I'm ecstatic that I can wear them now.
Some inevitable truths I've learned over the past 12 weeks:
|
Date
|
% Fat
|
Lbs Fat
|
Lbs LBM
|
|
2013-09-07
|
47.2
|
139
|
155
|
|
2013-12-03
|
44.8
|
117
|
145
|
Some inevitable truths I've learned over the past 12 weeks:
- Yes, sometimes I have bad days on which I want to give up, but I won't because I refuse to fail this time.
- Yes, sometimes being on a meal plan may seem restricting or repetitive, but that just means I can be more creative with finding new options and working with what I have.
- Yes, sometimes I will have mini meltdowns over trivial things (like last night and the dirty dishes), but it doesn't make me run for comfort food anymore.
- Yes, I have fallen prey to little cheats along the way (I am human for goodness sakes!), but I didn't let those derail me or send me into an insane binge or let me fall off the wagon.
- Yes, it is possible to change your mindset so that kale is just as good as potato chips (takes some practice).
- Yes, every muscle in my body seems to ache on different days, but I've learned to love that feeling.
- Yes, straightening my hair seems like a waste now, because I have to wash it after my workouts anyways.
- Yes, I still look silly sometimes when I'm working out, but I know that those around me are supportive of me, and those who aren't... well, they can pretty much suck it.
- Yes, garlic is one of the best seasonings in the world. And so handy for keeping away vampires! who needs that extra salt?!
- Yes, there will be cheese in my future, and it will be a delicious treat instead of a staple.
- Yes, I love myself (and others do too) at any size, but more importantly, I will lead a healthy life so I'm around for many years to come.
- Yes, push-ups are still awful. And so are stairs.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Day 78 and Thoughts on cupcakes
DAY 78. It's been a great week, looking back on my goals after last week's less-than-stellar weigh-in, I hit them all pretty much. I did a good hard workout every day except Friday (wrestling with the tree was enough!). I even did a workout today before work, which I don't usually do on Sundays, as I like to have one day to sleep in. Unfortunately, the scale did not reflect my hard work this week :( only down 0.7 lb. So lame. It's really the first time where I was surprised and disappointed with the number on the scale. I honestly don't feel like it repesents my hard work this week. Last week with all the stress at work and stuff, I sort of expected the lower weight loss, but this week I kicked ass. I know I should be happy with every little bit, but when I literally ate nothing off plan, and up'ed my workouts, it pisses me off to see such a small loss. I'm hoping that next week will be a huge loss in compensation, or at least that I've lost some inches this week instead of pounds. Perhaps my body just needs time to mourn the loss of all those fat cells before letting them go...
I made another awesomely delicious dinner on Friday night... roasted beets and asparagus, green salad and seared Hawaiian opah filet. The opah filet was soooo good. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was eating chicken. It was amazing. It is a little pricey, so I'll mostly stick with the salmon, tilapia and prawns that I usually buy, but as a special treat.... gah, so good. After dinner, my boyfriend and I decorated our Christmas tree... pretty much a perfect evening.
I made another awesomely delicious dinner on Friday night... roasted beets and asparagus, green salad and seared Hawaiian opah filet. The opah filet was soooo good. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was eating chicken. It was amazing. It is a little pricey, so I'll mostly stick with the salmon, tilapia and prawns that I usually buy, but as a special treat.... gah, so good. After dinner, my boyfriend and I decorated our Christmas tree... pretty much a perfect evening.
Last night I had a girls night with my friends. I could have just pretended it didn't happen and not write about it on my blog, but I want to stay accountable... I must fess up to eating a couple of mini cupcakes from Cupcakes. I hadn't intended to have any, but in a moment of weakness one ended up in my mouth. I'm not going to lie, after 10 weeks of no desserts, it was divine. I think I died a little bit inside, it was so good. I've never been much of a dessert person, but man, those little buggers are good. We did share some mojitos too, but we made sure to make them a light version, with mostly mint, club soda and some rum. Yes, I have been doing amazingly well this week, so I did feel guilty afterwards. As self-imposed retribution, rather than a 'high carb' day today, I'm making it a 'low carb' day. I also decided that today I had to do a kick ass workout to make up for it too.
Goals for this week:
1. In addition to the 3 TF+ workouts, do at least 4 x 30 min cardio sessions.
2. Continue to get in my water and sleep.
3. Instead of 'low' days this week, switch to 'none' days.
4. Cut back on after-dinner plain popcorn snacks.
5. No wine allowance this week, due to Saturday night cheat. :(
Friday, November 29, 2013
Day 76 and Thoughts on peer pressure
DAY 76. Made myself go to boot camp last night and did my 30 min of extra cardio as well. It's very gratifying to look at my heart rate monitor after a good workout and see that I burned almost 600 calories. I'm glad I invested in it, it's been a great tool. The workout was tough, Lauren and I were joking back and forth and pushing each other to challenge ourselves. I'm glad we were, because as a result, I found I was able to lift much more than I had in previous workouts. It made the workout more fun too, the banter back and forth. Peer pressure it a wonderful thing when it's used for good. I think people should be encouraging and pushing each other to challenge ourselves and lead healthy, full lives. It's funny how when you think you can't do something, but you're able to unblock whatever it is in your mind that's holding you back, you find you are actually capable of an extraordinary amount of strength.
Post-workout dinner last night was soooo good. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and got some fresh asparagus, lemon, dill, and tilapia. I made a huge green salad with raw peppers, my apple cider/ flax oil vinaigrette, oven baked garlic rosemary asparagus, and baked garlic lemon dill tilapia. Tilapia is a more delicate fish, so I'll have to play around with the cooking time more, I overdid it a bit this time, but either way, I sat myself down with my dinner and a wine glass of sparkling water with lemon to feel a little fancier and voila! Bon appetit!
Managed to get a photo this time before inhaling it all. Mmmm...
Post-workout dinner last night was soooo good. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and got some fresh asparagus, lemon, dill, and tilapia. I made a huge green salad with raw peppers, my apple cider/ flax oil vinaigrette, oven baked garlic rosemary asparagus, and baked garlic lemon dill tilapia. Tilapia is a more delicate fish, so I'll have to play around with the cooking time more, I overdid it a bit this time, but either way, I sat myself down with my dinner and a wine glass of sparkling water with lemon to feel a little fancier and voila! Bon appetit!
Managed to get a photo this time before inhaling it all. Mmmm...
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Day 75 and Thoughts on following through
DAY 75. Last night after work I had my Girl Guide meeting, we watched a movie and I painted what felt like an endless amount of nails (our recovery for weekend sleepover meeting). By the time the meeting ended at 8 pm, I was wiped and just wanted to go home. However, I told myself I was going to go to the gym and so I did. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and read my book. The time passed by fairly quickly. I felt really good that I followed through with getting myself there. When I got home, my boyfriend asked why I was late and I replied 'I said I was going to the gym so that's what I did.' He was taken aback and thought I was angry with him. I guess it came out a little bitchy. I laughed and responded that I was saying it more emphatically for my own benefit. Accountability!
This actually seems to be a problem these days, we find it so easy to back out of commitments and meetings, show up late to parties and functions. I know I can be flakey sometimes, when it's been a long day I don't always feel like going out and being social. I talk so much at work (and everywhere else for that matter) that when I get home I just want to sit and be quiet for a bit. I definitely don't want to be standing up my friends and family though. But one place I absolutely cannot be flakey anymore is with my commitments to myself and my health. If I say I'm going to the gym, I'm going. It's so easy to break promises to myself because no one else is going to be affected in that moment, but in the long term, it's going to hurt me and others in my life. One missed gym trip turns into 2, which turns into 10. I'm not going let myself flake out and fall off the wagon. There is nothing more frustrating than having to start at the beginning again and repeat all the hard work I've already done before.
On the road with appointments today, so I have my snacks and my egg salad lettuce wraps with me. Boot camp tonight and an extra 30 minutes of cardio afterwards. Anther good day, looks like that recession from the last couple weeks is over.
This actually seems to be a problem these days, we find it so easy to back out of commitments and meetings, show up late to parties and functions. I know I can be flakey sometimes, when it's been a long day I don't always feel like going out and being social. I talk so much at work (and everywhere else for that matter) that when I get home I just want to sit and be quiet for a bit. I definitely don't want to be standing up my friends and family though. But one place I absolutely cannot be flakey anymore is with my commitments to myself and my health. If I say I'm going to the gym, I'm going. It's so easy to break promises to myself because no one else is going to be affected in that moment, but in the long term, it's going to hurt me and others in my life. One missed gym trip turns into 2, which turns into 10. I'm not going let myself flake out and fall off the wagon. There is nothing more frustrating than having to start at the beginning again and repeat all the hard work I've already done before.
On the road with appointments today, so I have my snacks and my egg salad lettuce wraps with me. Boot camp tonight and an extra 30 minutes of cardio afterwards. Anther good day, looks like that recession from the last couple weeks is over.
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