Spencer82
New member
Hi Everyone!
I'm very new, I've been getting a 'feel' for the forum and I really enjoy the way that everyone shares and supports one another. I wish I'd found this a couple of months ago at the start of my journey!
I wanted to start a diary for two reasons.
First, I wanted to document what's worked for me and what hasn't, and share ideas.
And most importantly, I really need accountability to make sure that I don't fall back down the rabbithole or lose sight of my ultimate goals.
I'm a tall person, 5'11, and don't have a big frame. I carry my weight all over, but for me the telltale sign of weight gain is my 'pelican' chin.
Since my first pregnancy back in 2008, I have fought a constant battle with PND, anxiety and depression, and anyone else who has been on meds will probably attest to the significant weight implications that they can have. Another issue I battle is with PCOS and the hormonal struggles associated with it.
I tried just about ever weight loss diet, fad, program on the market, from Keto to DIY IF, to Herbalife, Tony Ferguson, OptiSlim... the list goes on. Call me dumb for trying, , but diet and exercise were not cutting it. CICO worked for me for a short tie between DD1 and DD2, but I found it really hard to deal with cravings - I really struggle with savoury cravings, especially after dinner.
Up until last year I was an avid (and pretty good if I do say so myself) Netballer, I have played since I was 9 years old (I've just turned 38), and now that has caught-up with me. I have severe arthritic changes in my right knee and the beginnings in the left (along with a host of other knee issues that I won't go into). Basically I was told in late Marchl when I found myself having a dual MRI after a practice match saw me end up in crippling pain, that I needed to lose weight strengthen my body or I would be needing a knee replacement by 40, if not before.
Then bam! COVID came to Australia, and we found ourselves in lockdown. My job was on hold, and I was stuck at home with three kids remote learning (one is kinder age), and wallowing in my own pit of anxiety, depression and drinking and eating myself into a coma (not literally, but sort of).
Anyhoo, one day just out of the blue, I decided that this was not cool, called a friend who I knew was having some great success helping people with a program (yes, I know, another program), so I decided to have a crack.
In two months, I've lost 11kg (around 24lbs) and I have not felt this good in years. I am starting to be able to see my abdominal muscles, which after three c-sections I thought were surely gone for good, my skin is clearer and I am bouncing out of bed in the morning and actually able to go to sleep at a decent time.
I'm not in here trying to sell any products, I'll keep the program to myself, but here's a bit of a rundown on me, and what I've changed in my daily life to help achieve so far:
Age and sex
38 / F
Weight
Start: 83.9kg / Current: 72.8kg
Height (for BMI calculation)
180cm / 5'11
Bodyfat % (a better guide to obesity levels and calculating nutrition information if available), if you know it.
I really would like to have this done!! While my BMI is now in a 'normal' range, I would like to improve muscle tone and strength.
What your current diet looks like (food, calories and macro information if possible)
I wasn't a very good eater, I'll be honest. It's not like I was racing to McDonalds every day, but I never ate breakfast (1-2 cups of tea instead), and I often wouldn't eat until around 2pm. Then I'd have a huge dinner and be really 'snacky' afterwards. Our meals are primarily meat and three veg, but potato, pasta and bread were a big deal at dinner time. After dinner snacks might consist of a whole box of shapes (savoury biscuits), cheese and bikkies, salami, you get the idea...
Here's a run-down on what I changed so far:
- giving up bread. I still have small portions of brown rice, and low GI wraps etc, but I ate a slice of bread on Sunday for the first time in 60 days, and god I felt bad!
- giving up coffee/tea with milk & sugar. This has been a godsend, I can't believe how reliant I was and how much the caffeine actually fatigued me! Herbal tea all the way (I'm crushing on blood orange flavour at the moment).
- eat small amounts of the right things regularly!
- regular amounts of protein throughout the day. I have mine through a complete shake, and support with my snack and meal options. For example, my lunch today was a falafel salad with hummus, rocket, tomato, pomegranate, red onion and a small amount of soft feta instead of a dressing. It was delicious!
- snack-wise again hummus and veggies, almonds, boiled egg, and if I have fruit I always pair it with a protein. Raspberries (in moderation) are a good fruit to help with weight loss. I snack mid morning and mid afternoon. Generally have a meal for lunch and a shake for dinner, but I'm flexible depending on how my day is looking. At the moment I'm back to a shake for breakfast and a meal at lunch and dinner, with the healthy snacks in between. I'm actually eating more during the day than I ever have.
- I have a straight protein drink with organic greens after dinner. Helps with the bloaty feeling I get and with any naughty cravings I might have!
- Supported intermittent fasting one or two days a week (consecutively) has helped me with balancing my hormones and really does make me feel amazing! The support comes in a calorie-controlled manner which doesn't break the fast, but stops me feeling like I'm turning inside-out. I have read stories of people fasting without any support for 72+ hours, but my reading into it suggests that it's not that helpful and really hard - neither of which appeal to me personally.
I love reading other people's meal and snack suggestions, I think variety is important to stay motivated, so keep them coming!!
Current exercise (type, frequency, duration)
My work is pretty sedentary, I basically sit at a desk most of the day. I'm busy with three kids, so running them around is full-on, and we live a long way from town so most of that is driving.
Prior to this lockdown I was back in the gym twice a week for about 40mins, using the x-trainer for a warmup and some cardio, and then into endurance-style weight training to help tone-up.
My issue during lockdown is that I can't run, I struggle walking too far, I suck at bike riding (I was a horse rider and never got into push bikes), I really can't jump around or do high intensity in-home PT and I don't own any gym equipment. So please guys, if you've read my novel this far and have some great tips on some resistance training I can do at home without fancy equipment to help strengthen my core and legs in particular, I'd be super grateful!
Goals:
In terms of the scales, maintaining under 75kg would be ideal, however I really want to try and strengthen and build lean muscle, and tone up a bit more. I'm getting better but still pretty flappy and floppy from carrying too much weight in the past.
I have attached a progress photo from my first 35 days, see what I mean about the chins?
I'm very new, I've been getting a 'feel' for the forum and I really enjoy the way that everyone shares and supports one another. I wish I'd found this a couple of months ago at the start of my journey!
I wanted to start a diary for two reasons.
First, I wanted to document what's worked for me and what hasn't, and share ideas.
And most importantly, I really need accountability to make sure that I don't fall back down the rabbithole or lose sight of my ultimate goals.
I'm a tall person, 5'11, and don't have a big frame. I carry my weight all over, but for me the telltale sign of weight gain is my 'pelican' chin.
Since my first pregnancy back in 2008, I have fought a constant battle with PND, anxiety and depression, and anyone else who has been on meds will probably attest to the significant weight implications that they can have. Another issue I battle is with PCOS and the hormonal struggles associated with it.
I tried just about ever weight loss diet, fad, program on the market, from Keto to DIY IF, to Herbalife, Tony Ferguson, OptiSlim... the list goes on. Call me dumb for trying, , but diet and exercise were not cutting it. CICO worked for me for a short tie between DD1 and DD2, but I found it really hard to deal with cravings - I really struggle with savoury cravings, especially after dinner.
Up until last year I was an avid (and pretty good if I do say so myself) Netballer, I have played since I was 9 years old (I've just turned 38), and now that has caught-up with me. I have severe arthritic changes in my right knee and the beginnings in the left (along with a host of other knee issues that I won't go into). Basically I was told in late Marchl when I found myself having a dual MRI after a practice match saw me end up in crippling pain, that I needed to lose weight strengthen my body or I would be needing a knee replacement by 40, if not before.
Then bam! COVID came to Australia, and we found ourselves in lockdown. My job was on hold, and I was stuck at home with three kids remote learning (one is kinder age), and wallowing in my own pit of anxiety, depression and drinking and eating myself into a coma (not literally, but sort of).
Anyhoo, one day just out of the blue, I decided that this was not cool, called a friend who I knew was having some great success helping people with a program (yes, I know, another program), so I decided to have a crack.
In two months, I've lost 11kg (around 24lbs) and I have not felt this good in years. I am starting to be able to see my abdominal muscles, which after three c-sections I thought were surely gone for good, my skin is clearer and I am bouncing out of bed in the morning and actually able to go to sleep at a decent time.
I'm not in here trying to sell any products, I'll keep the program to myself, but here's a bit of a rundown on me, and what I've changed in my daily life to help achieve so far:
Age and sex
38 / F
Weight
Start: 83.9kg / Current: 72.8kg
Height (for BMI calculation)
180cm / 5'11
Bodyfat % (a better guide to obesity levels and calculating nutrition information if available), if you know it.
I really would like to have this done!! While my BMI is now in a 'normal' range, I would like to improve muscle tone and strength.
What your current diet looks like (food, calories and macro information if possible)
I wasn't a very good eater, I'll be honest. It's not like I was racing to McDonalds every day, but I never ate breakfast (1-2 cups of tea instead), and I often wouldn't eat until around 2pm. Then I'd have a huge dinner and be really 'snacky' afterwards. Our meals are primarily meat and three veg, but potato, pasta and bread were a big deal at dinner time. After dinner snacks might consist of a whole box of shapes (savoury biscuits), cheese and bikkies, salami, you get the idea...
Here's a run-down on what I changed so far:
- giving up bread. I still have small portions of brown rice, and low GI wraps etc, but I ate a slice of bread on Sunday for the first time in 60 days, and god I felt bad!
- giving up coffee/tea with milk & sugar. This has been a godsend, I can't believe how reliant I was and how much the caffeine actually fatigued me! Herbal tea all the way (I'm crushing on blood orange flavour at the moment).
- eat small amounts of the right things regularly!
- regular amounts of protein throughout the day. I have mine through a complete shake, and support with my snack and meal options. For example, my lunch today was a falafel salad with hummus, rocket, tomato, pomegranate, red onion and a small amount of soft feta instead of a dressing. It was delicious!
- snack-wise again hummus and veggies, almonds, boiled egg, and if I have fruit I always pair it with a protein. Raspberries (in moderation) are a good fruit to help with weight loss. I snack mid morning and mid afternoon. Generally have a meal for lunch and a shake for dinner, but I'm flexible depending on how my day is looking. At the moment I'm back to a shake for breakfast and a meal at lunch and dinner, with the healthy snacks in between. I'm actually eating more during the day than I ever have.
- I have a straight protein drink with organic greens after dinner. Helps with the bloaty feeling I get and with any naughty cravings I might have!
- Supported intermittent fasting one or two days a week (consecutively) has helped me with balancing my hormones and really does make me feel amazing! The support comes in a calorie-controlled manner which doesn't break the fast, but stops me feeling like I'm turning inside-out. I have read stories of people fasting without any support for 72+ hours, but my reading into it suggests that it's not that helpful and really hard - neither of which appeal to me personally.
I love reading other people's meal and snack suggestions, I think variety is important to stay motivated, so keep them coming!!
Current exercise (type, frequency, duration)
My work is pretty sedentary, I basically sit at a desk most of the day. I'm busy with three kids, so running them around is full-on, and we live a long way from town so most of that is driving.
Prior to this lockdown I was back in the gym twice a week for about 40mins, using the x-trainer for a warmup and some cardio, and then into endurance-style weight training to help tone-up.
My issue during lockdown is that I can't run, I struggle walking too far, I suck at bike riding (I was a horse rider and never got into push bikes), I really can't jump around or do high intensity in-home PT and I don't own any gym equipment. So please guys, if you've read my novel this far and have some great tips on some resistance training I can do at home without fancy equipment to help strengthen my core and legs in particular, I'd be super grateful!
Goals:
In terms of the scales, maintaining under 75kg would be ideal, however I really want to try and strengthen and build lean muscle, and tone up a bit more. I'm getting better but still pretty flappy and floppy from carrying too much weight in the past.
I have attached a progress photo from my first 35 days, see what I mean about the chins?
with LaMa. It is always interesting to read about what works for someone else, but thank you for not putting a link to your friend's program. I can see some similarities to a program I did years ago. Having protein with your fruit was one of the recommendations on reaching maintenance to help reduce insulin spikes. Thanks for telling us so much about yourself. It really helps us get to know one another. It is a very supportive forum and helps keep me on track. I found that once I got to my goal weight I needed support more than ever.
