To say that I'm excited about that is a complete understatement - I'm ecstatic! I've been working my butt off (literally?) for the last month and I'm glad that things are finally starting to come together. The first few weeks were a bit disappointing, because in my previous weight loss efforts, I tended to lose a nice little sum at the beginning - and then things started to plateau out as the weeks progressed. This time around, just hitting this milestone has been a long time coming, so I'm celebrating it as the first of many. I'm not sure why progress has been so slow, but I'm just going to continue plugging away.
I've been experimenting with classes lately and I think I've put together a bit of a rough guide to my gym workouts each week. Here's what my schedule looks like:
Monday: Aqua Run class followed by swimming laps for half an hour.
Tuesday: Own workout - usually walking/couch to 5k jogs, cycling and weights.
Wednesday: Zumba class! Ai yai yai!
Thursday: Own workout - same as above with different weight exercises.
Friday: Spin class o'doom. Sweat, baby, sweat.
I still have to force myself to go. Every day. The classes make it easier because once I'm in there, I'm surrounded by other people and I have to keep going - but I really have to monitor myself with my own workouts, to make sure I'm pushing hard enough. That's why I've started doing some Couch to 5k interval training - I'm not following the entire program again, but I'm spicing up my usual walk with as much jogging as my shins will allow. And I am proud to admit that I'm the Mayor of my local Virgin Active gym on Four Square. Woohoo!
As for food, well, it's going fine. I'm watching my portions, I've switched all my 'white' foods to wholemeal foods, we've switched from sugar to 'half' sugar (baby steps..) and I'm really trying to cook with more vegetables to make sure I'm getting the right amounts. And for the most part, I'm doing okay. If I'm desperately craving something, I'll either have a small amount - like a mini box of Pringles or a fun sized chocolate bar - or I'll find something similar to satiate me. I drink a lot of tea though, usually around 3 or 4 cups per day, which I want to target next.
Today's bliss was buying a (crazily overpriced) ripe mango from the little store over the road, and indulging in it completely. There's only one way to eat a mango: over the sink. If you're eating it without making a mess, you're not doing it right. And that mango? IT WAS TO DIE FOR. Worth every two pounds and fifty pence that I paid for it.
Convert that into your currency and then feel free to pass out. Sigh. I remember the good old days of buying a whole BOX of mangoes and eating them until you couldn't bear the sight of another one ever again.
I can't help but wonder if the Metformin tablets I'm taking for the PCOS are actually doing anything? I take them religiously twice a day (with gentle reminding from the boy.. I always forget the dinner time one) and since April? I've had no cycles at all. This shouldn't surprise me really; from previous monitoring my cycles lasted for an average of 85 days. (!) But I guess I just assumed that things would start to kick into gear with the Metformin combined with the diet & exercise changes. It's been a month - I think maybe I'm expecting things too quickly. But still... I'm feeling a tiny bit cynical.
*Sorry to all of you who use lbs or stones - I'm using the Australian metric system!
I've been experimenting with classes lately and I think I've put together a bit of a rough guide to my gym workouts each week. Here's what my schedule looks like:
Monday: Aqua Run class followed by swimming laps for half an hour.
Tuesday: Own workout - usually walking/couch to 5k jogs, cycling and weights.
Wednesday: Zumba class! Ai yai yai!
Thursday: Own workout - same as above with different weight exercises.
Friday: Spin class o'doom. Sweat, baby, sweat.
I still have to force myself to go. Every day. The classes make it easier because once I'm in there, I'm surrounded by other people and I have to keep going - but I really have to monitor myself with my own workouts, to make sure I'm pushing hard enough. That's why I've started doing some Couch to 5k interval training - I'm not following the entire program again, but I'm spicing up my usual walk with as much jogging as my shins will allow. And I am proud to admit that I'm the Mayor of my local Virgin Active gym on Four Square. Woohoo!
As for food, well, it's going fine. I'm watching my portions, I've switched all my 'white' foods to wholemeal foods, we've switched from sugar to 'half' sugar (baby steps..) and I'm really trying to cook with more vegetables to make sure I'm getting the right amounts. And for the most part, I'm doing okay. If I'm desperately craving something, I'll either have a small amount - like a mini box of Pringles or a fun sized chocolate bar - or I'll find something similar to satiate me. I drink a lot of tea though, usually around 3 or 4 cups per day, which I want to target next.
Today's bliss was buying a (crazily overpriced) ripe mango from the little store over the road, and indulging in it completely. There's only one way to eat a mango: over the sink. If you're eating it without making a mess, you're not doing it right. And that mango? IT WAS TO DIE FOR. Worth every two pounds and fifty pence that I paid for it.
Convert that into your currency and then feel free to pass out. Sigh. I remember the good old days of buying a whole BOX of mangoes and eating them until you couldn't bear the sight of another one ever again.
I can't help but wonder if the Metformin tablets I'm taking for the PCOS are actually doing anything? I take them religiously twice a day (with gentle reminding from the boy.. I always forget the dinner time one) and since April? I've had no cycles at all. This shouldn't surprise me really; from previous monitoring my cycles lasted for an average of 85 days. (!) But I guess I just assumed that things would start to kick into gear with the Metformin combined with the diet & exercise changes. It's been a month - I think maybe I'm expecting things too quickly. But still... I'm feeling a tiny bit cynical.
*Sorry to all of you who use lbs or stones - I'm using the Australian metric system!
ash - stay motivated! that's always the hardest part. maybe try to find some fitness/nutrition blogs for advice? there are some great ones out there, and it's always good to shake things up a little now and then
ReplyDeleteYay! Congrats! You can't lose all the other kilos without losing that first one. Great progress!
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about charting your cycle? There's a great book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility that teaches you how, and that way you'll get a better sense of exactly what is going on with your cycle.
You're right -- mangoes are an effort in keeping clean, and you almost always fail at it! But they're so worth it, too.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the first of many kilos! Keep it up -- even if not for weight loss, for the healthiness of it all.
Yay! Congrats to you. I've always wanted to try a Zumba class. I've heard such great things.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on losing your first kilogram! That's great!
ReplyDeleteYour schedule looks great, and to me it sounds like you're doing great with the eating too. I think it's important to keep a happy medium, don't overdo the healthy to a point where it'll make you over-splurge some time.
But holy crap, that is an expensive mango. I think here you could get 3 or 4 for the same price.
1 Kilogram = 2.2 Pounds according to my trusty friend google. I don't know what that is in stone and I don't care because stones are the most ridiculous measuring system that exist and I'm not saying that because I'm an ignorant American, they seriously are England, get over it.
ReplyDeleteGOOD JOB!
Congrats on the loss, that is great!!! There is this website that I use to chart my cycles.. Mymonthlycycles.com and I LOVE it! It helps a LOT to help me understand what my body is doing. I just use the free version on their site!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of exercise! Do you go on weekends too? Even at the peak of my "I need to be healthy and exercise" I think I did it about 3-4 times a week. I hate exercising, so I suppose it's a good thing I actually enjoy measuring portions and tracking calories.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, congratulations on losing your first kilo!
How long does Metformin usually take to start working? Why am I asking you questions?
Whoo for the Kg loss! That's fabulous! Your workout plan keeps reminding me to get my butt moving! :)
ReplyDeleteGO YOU.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!! That's such an accomplishment, well done :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! How's Zumba? I've never taken that class, but I hear it's really good.
ReplyDeleteThat's great and your work out schedule looks like a lot of fun! I have a treadmill at home and I agree once you're at the gym, you feel motivated to get going after seeing everyone else doing the same too. At home..it's impossible! Ha! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteWahoo!!!
ReplyDeletecongrats!! I've been working my little (big) butt off recently too. gym classes definitely help- because if it was up to me, i'd go to the gym and stretch for 10 minutes then take off :)
ReplyDeleteYou're doing great, Aly!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! Losing that first bit is always the best part!
ReplyDelete