Fit Healthy Happy Mum - Round 1 Results

I made it! Quite hard to believe that eight weeks have passed since I began this journey. I certainly learned how to control my cravings and increase my energy levels. And, progress was pretty good!  I'm not quite where I wanted to be, although I set my goal quite high (losing 25lbs in the eight weeks).  So, here are the results!

Current - March 4th

Beginning - January 5th



There are definite improvements, and more that can be done.  The numbers are great, down 19lbs and have lost about 27 inches all over. I just know that if I could commit to more exercise my results could be even greater.

 

My plan is to take the next couple of weeks off while I adjust to the return back to work and then start round 2.  I will continue with my diet but hope to get to 100% of the workouts in the next 8 week round, while making my daily affirmations. (If you're not sure what those are, I'll explain it in my next update).  My next goal is to make it to 162lbs!

Maddie loves swinging!

Thanks to all of you who shared in my journey and gave me so much encouragement!  I couldn't have persevered without you!
Wish me luck back to work tomorrow.  And thanks to the grandparents for helping out during the transition. XOXO



Nighty night,
Peach

FHHM - Week 7 Update and Results

Woot! Woot! End of week seven!

This is great, but also sad.  It means that there is just one week left of the program (yay!) but also that I go back to work in a week (yikes!).  This brings to an end my very last parental leave.  I've loved staying at home with the kids.  It was challenging for the first eight months or so, but I've gotten the hang of it and I know I will miss the flexibility that it provides.  On the other hand, getting back to work will give me some much needed predictability in my life.  Kids just don't offer predictability. :)

Did I make this big mess?

Crazy hair day at school (Geoffrey, William)

The Workouts

Maddie not feeling well

Unfortunately, both Madeleine and I were sick with the flu this week.  It started on Monday, with fevers that didn't break until Wednesday.  I didn't notice having a fever, but I was hot and cold and not at all comfortable.  Needless to say that I didn't do any of the workouts except for an attempt at the 100 toes to head on Wednesday.  And, I would not be happy if I missed the weekly run trial, so on Saturday I completed the planned 10K, and it was awesome!  I was so close to talking myself out of it and am happy that I followed through.  In fact, I finished the run just eight seconds short of my previous 10K record!

The results of my first 10K since Feb 2016... so happy I did it!

The Food

Red Curry Chicken

My food was great this week.  I did not go off Keto, but I am definitely following the Keto diet and not the extreme diet.  I did try on Monday to go back to extreme but found myself too hungry, too cranky, and sick!  That doesn't work for me.  I need to feel satisfied by food, and eating this way satisfies me so I don't have those awful cravings and end up making poor choices (ie. binge-eating).

The photo here is of one of my favourite go-to dishes... Red Curry with Chicken!  It's served with cauliflower rice.  Since I can use coconut milk, it tastes just like the ones I enjoyed prior to the change in diet, just many fewer calories.  So yum!



The Results

Although I was sick, I didn't have a reduction in my appetite, I just felt unable to do the workouts.  It seemed to trigger my whoosh and I've lost a couple more pounds.  Finally!  It seemed like I was stalled for about four weeks.  With one week left to go, I won't get to the 175 that I wanted (would have been 25lbs lost in 8 weeks) but I do think I'll make it 180, making it a 20lb loss in just eight weeks.  Right now, I'm sitting at a loss of just over sixteen pounds in seven weeks.

The best part is that I do feel so great.  No cravings, lots of energy.  I've accomplished so much with the house getting it cleaned up before I go back to work. 

I'm really excited to finish this last week and to share my results with you.  Hope you all have a fantastic week ahead!

Nighty night,
Peach

 

FHHM - Week 6 Update and Results

Here we are!  Six weeks in!  While I've been 100% (well, 90% their program plus my additional volleyball) I've been less than good on food and diet.  I just know I can do better!

I hope you all had a nice valentine's day with those you love. We made heart-shaped pancakes for the kids for dinner, and Madeleine has been exploring every nook and cranny of this old house.

Maddie exploring :)

The Workouts

The focus on this week was hill training. Specifically there were four days that had between five and ten hill sprints, with walking down to rest on all but the last day where it was a jog.  I finished those no problem. It was a rather enjoyable week for workouts.  That being said I did miss my workout (it was a hill sprint) on Wednesday, but I doubled-up the day after by completing the sprints and volleyball.

The 5K this week was excellent!

 Week 1 5K - 38:00
 Week 2 5K - 35:58

 Week 3 5K - 35:32 

 Week 4 5K - 34:50

 Week 5 5K - 35:50
 Week 6 5K - 34:46

It was my fastest one yet, even though it was outdoors and the paths and roads were still icy and snowy.  I really pushed hard on this one, broke it down into 1km runs and after each km walked until I felt ready to go again (usually about 45 - 60 seconds).  I hear that next week is a 10K, yikes!

The Food

What I really want to talk about here is the food.  Under this extreme plan, there was to be limited fat, low calorie, no eating after 6pm and certain foods not to be consumed after 2pm.  I've modified to just follow the Keto diet but I'm not sure I'm getting as good of results as I could have if I followed the extreme exclusively.  I'm a bit bummed about that so I am going to focus this week on following the plan as directed by Sharny and Julius for the next two weeks.  

I've been at a bit of a weight stall for the last few weeks, though it still amounts to 1 to 2lbs lost each week, I still think I can do better!

The Results

I'm really not very happy with my results but I know it's my own fault!  If I was on a maintenance plan I'd be fine, but I'm not.  I'm supposed to be working really hard at this, not taking it easy!  I'm still making progress, but I hope for even better results for next week.  Also, stay tuned for my upcoming 10K!  The last time I did one in 1:09 (hr:min).  I'm hoping to complete by 1:15... we'll see!

As always, thank you for the continued support.  Have an awesome week!

Peach

FHHM - Week 5 Update and Results

Five weeks in already, hard to believe!  And now just three weeks away from my return to work. Yikes!

We had something of a cold or flu pass through the house this week.  William came home from school just after lunch on Tuesday; Isaac stayed home on Wednesday; and Geoffrey stayed home on Friday!  I'm grateful that I was able to stay home with them and not yet worry about juggling sick days while working.

Madeleine loves her red car

The Workouts

The family continues to be so supportive of my exercises! Even jumping in and doing them with me.

Monday had me complete 50 burpees.  While I tried to complete them all doing the standard unmodified version, I found I had to modify after the first 10.  To modify, I lowered myself to my knees and then moved into a pushup and back up again.  It took my about 8 minutes to complete them all.  Afterwards, Paul even decided to give it a go and completed five!

Tuesday was a circuit that consisted of 20 seconds pullups, 20 seconds squats and 20 seconds pushups, for a total of twelve rounds.  This was a nice workout to complete as each move can be modified to suit any athletic ability.  For the pullups, I used the overhang of the counter as my overhead and lifted my body up towards the counter.  For the pushups I completed them on my knees to modify.

Wednesday was a great workout!  It was a 1km time trial performed twice, with a ten minute stretch in between.  The goal was to improve the time between the two runs.  I completed the first km in 6:45 and the second one in 6:30.  This was done outdoors and the roads were quite snow-covered so I am happy with my results.

Thursday was my rest day but also my volleyball day.  The game was tough and we ended up losing in the fifth and final set.  What a game!

Friday was another double, starting with sprints (10 sec) followed by a 2 minute rest, for a total of 10 rounds.  I did this one outdoors again.  I found that it wasn't enough of a workout to just run hard for 10 seconds, so after the first three rounds I modified so that the first 2 minute rest was a jog/run and I rested after the second sprint.  This was much better for me and I enjoyed it.  The second part of the workout was playing at the playground with the kids, but with the weather all the structures are off limits and I didn't want to bring the kids to Cosmic adventures, so I passed on the second part of the workout.

Saturday was the 5K time trial!  This was the first time I completed in outdoors, again in the snow.  At one point I was able to run on some clear road which was so nice.  But for the most part it was in rough snow.  I thought my result were great considering the environment.

 Week 1 5K - 38:00  

 Week 2 5K - 35:58

 Week 3 5K - 35:32 

 Week 4 5K - 34:50

 Week 5 5K - 35:50

The Food

I've fallen into a yummy breakfast trap of bacon and eggs.  Some days I make a little omelet using fresh veggies and herbs that I have on hand, but most mornings I like the ease and quickness of good ol' bacon and eggs.

Leftover taco made into salad with chicken, yum!

I've tried a few new recipes from Suzanne Ryan's book, including alfredo broccoli with chicken.  So easy and very yummy.  On Tuesday this week I made tacos for the family.  I was able to enjoy my taco by making cheese taco shells.  Simply made, the only ingredient is grated cheddar.  I place little piles of the cheese onto parchment paper on a baking sheet and cook for 8 minutes or so at 400C.  Once they come out of the oven they are placed over the wooden handle of a spoon to cool into taco-shell shape.  They have a wonderful crunch and I didn't miss the regular taco at all.

Tonight, we're having some nice steaks with asparagus and I've made little individual cheesecakes for the family.  I love being able to share the food with the family and they seem to like it, too.


The Results

My weight is up a bit from last weeks results, however, when I look at the weekly averages I am consistently down 2 to 3 pounds on average so am not disappointed in this weeks results.  Progress is progress!  I certainly feel more toned and agile, and am continuing to lose inches.

Hope you all have a fantastic week ahead.  Looking forward to valentine's day, I hope you all get spoiled by those you love.

Peach

FHHM - Week 4 Results (and Super Bowl Sunday!)

Happy Super Bowl!  I hope you are all taking some time out today to watch some of the game and get together with friends and family.  Or, like me, you are anticipating with dread the season finale of This is Us.  My tissue box is full and ready!

Week 4 was an awesome week for so many reasons. I love switching up the days and starting on Monday.  I love that I get to play volleyball on my mid-week rest day.  I'm beginning to get into a groove with the meal prep, and I still love the food!  We have keto chili in the crockpot now to be ready in time for the game. It's already starting to smell delish in here.

A couple of my favourite pics from this past week :)

Me and Maddie

Sweet William helping Maddie drive

The Workouts

This week the workouts were a great blend of running and strength training.  In fact, I didn't need to hit the gym at all this week since the workouts could be done at home or on my street.  The cold didn't seem to bother me much at all.

Monday's workout was a circuit of 400m runs followed by medicine ball squats, though I just did regular squats since I didn't have a medicine ball with me.  The circuit was done four times.

Tuesday was a bit less intense though more challenging. It was a circuit to be completed as many times as possible in 18 minutes.  The moves included squats, leg raises and pushups.  The challenge for me here was the leg raises.  This is where you lay on the floor with your arms overhead holding onto a piece of furniture for leverage, then you lift your legs from the floor to over your head, ideally having your feet touch the couch/bench.  This was a major ab workout!  (Funny side story to that: A few days after my abs were still feeling it.  I was helping Maddie walk in a new pair of shoes which made the most ridiculous sound when she walked I couldn't help laughing.  I laughed so much that I kept pulling an ab! Luckily Isaac was there to grab Maddie while I corrected myself).  I did complete the circuit 6 TIMES and had my wonderful family cheering me on while I did it.

Wednesday was back to a running circuit and it was HARD.  It was a cold -15C and snowing when I did this one.  I ran 200m up the road and back (making 400m total) then did the 30 swings (using a dumbbell) and 30 jumps up onto my front step.  Then I repeated this FOUR MORE TIMES.  It took me 32 minutes in all and was a great workout!

Thursday, rest day, I played a great game of volleyball with my lady friends.

Friday was a double workout day and I was able to space them out during the day.  The first part was a circuit that consisted of running only: 2 minutes run, 2 minutes walk.  This was to be done between 6 and 8 times in all (so total run of between 24 and 32 minutes).  I did the circuit 8 times and managed to run 4.11km in that time. It was a great outdoor run!

Finally, Saturday was my 5km time trial and I shaved another 40 seconds off my run!

 Week 1 5K - 38:00  Week 2 5K - 35:58
 Week 3 5K - 35:32
 Week 4 5K - 34:50

In all, the workouts this week were fabulous and I feel fabulous for completing them!

The Food

The whole family enjoyed the meals this week.  I made a variety of meal items from Suzanne Ryan's cookbook including chili and cauliflower bacon soup.  Paul jumped in and made some oven roasted chicken last night that was so juicy and tender.  I also learned to make little chocolate peanut butter balls that make a great sweet treat or afternoon snack.  In fact, one serving of these delightful bites is about 150 calories but is 2 chocolate balls.  And they are yummy!

I made chicken wings on Wednesday night.  These were made with butter, garlic and parmesan cheese and were so tasty.  In fact, Paul prefers the taste of them over regular bbq wings!

The Results

I tell you, I've never been so satisfied while also LOSING weight.  Keep in mind that I also increased my calories to about 1600 per day. So here it is, my end of week 4 (and halfway point) on the program.

Down another 3lbs this week and a few more inches all over.

I'm going to go ahead and enjoy this super bowl sunday with family.  I hope you all are making progress on your journeys as well.  Each day you make the choice to take a step in the direction towards your best self; the self you aim to be.  I wish you lots of luck and love!

Peach

FHHM - Week 4 begins!

If you've been following my posts, you may take a second look at my post heading.  My weeks have been starting on Friday.  However, my birthday lasted waaay too long!  Outings on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday AND Saturday.  I needed a bit of a rest and so fell a couple days behind from my traditional weekly start day of Friday.

But, this is a good thing.  I realized today as I completed week 4's first workout, that it is meant to start on a Monday, with the 5K time trial being done on either Saturday or Sunday. So here we are.  Beginning of Week 4.

The Workout

The first workout this week was an interval training set.  400 metres done four times with medicine ball squats between each run.  I was able to take the run outdoors as we have a street nearby that has been cleared of all the nasty ice and snow.  It was about -10C with the wind chill, but I was fine with a scarf over my nose and mouth and a little hat. 

The run felt really good after so many days without solid exercise.

The Food

Though I've been eating out a lot over the last many days, I've been working hard to stay low carb and I do think I have.  I've been researching a lot about Keto and the more I read the more I like what I hear.  Many people on the keto diet do eventually start reintroducing more carbs back in and their bodies can tolerate it. One more reason why I think it is so sustainable over the long term.

My meals have been nothing short of fantastic.  Suzanne Ryan's recipes are simple and I would not be understating it when I say the dishes are MAGNIFICENT!  Take the red curry chicken served with cauliflower rice.  It was a bit spicy, a touch sweet, with subtle hints of the coconut milk.  Tonight's dinner was chicken cordon bleu, breaded in crumbled pork rinds and parmesan cheese. Tasty and satisfying.

I'm so looking forward to continuing on this journey. 

Nighty night!

Peach

FHHM - Week 3 Results

End of the third week of the program.  As I mentioned it was a tough week due to my birthday, but I'm still seeing progress.  My weight didn't change too much (though week over week averages indicate my average this week is still 3lbs less than the average for last week!).  I've also lost another five inches, mainly in my torso and upper body.  Pushups must be paying off!



I've also seen improvements in my body fat percentage, which has now fallen to 41.6%.

Not yet sure what this weeks programming looks like, but I'm sure the intensity will be increased.  Whatever you all are working on, whether it's your body or your patience :), I wish you all success on your journeys.  Can't wait to tell you all about this weeks program in my next blog.

Peach

FHHM - Day 21 - Week 2 recap (results tomorrow!)

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!  Happy birthday dear me-eee, happy birthday to me!

Tough week! Between birthday visits and treats I definitely overdid the calories.  Plus the wine and I enjoyed some Crown, too. How much I overdid the calories I'm not entirely sure, as it was going to be too challenging to figure out the little bites here and there.  I did stay on Keto diet though, so hopefully tomorrows results are too disappointing.

The Workout

I took Mon and Weds as rest days this week.  And since on Sunday I did a run instead of the scheduled workout, it means I'm down one of her workouts.  I'm going to see if I can add it to tomorrow's workout.

I had a non-scale victory today I'd like to share.  Most Thursdays I play volleyball with the spunkiest, nicest, calmly competitive ladies.  The game tonight was at 8:30, and Isaac has soccer from 8 to 9 at the other end of town.  It's also my 5K day!  So what I've been doing each week is dropping Isaac off early and then heading to the gym to complete the run just in time for volleyball.  Today one of my good volleyball friends, who I've been playing with for the last ten years but who had to stop playing this year due to working on the East Coast, was joining us for the game!  The ladies were meeting up at the pub just before the game to have a pint and catch up.  Oh how I wanted to join them!  I dropped Isaac off at 7:15 and headed towards the gym which also was the same direction as the pub.  I was in a bit of a dilemma.  I really wanted to sit and have a glass of wine and catch up with my friends.  I was justifying that I could always do the run tomorrow. But when I listened to myself, all I heard was distractions and excuses.  Certainly I can also see my friends another time too!  It's so easy to put off doing the hard work to see the results, and I almost did that.  I'm so glad I did my run, and I still got a bit of catch up during the game :)

Hard work isn't easy, but it sure feels good to stay on track!

 Week 1 5K - 38:00
 Week 2 5K - 35:58
 Week 3 5K - 35:32

I shaved another 26 seconds of the run, wahoo!

The Food

The food has been good, and I'm very curious to know whether I've continued to lose weight.  And if not, I wonder whether it's because I went over on calories in general, or whether my food choices weren't good.  It may take some time to figure out the best combination for me.  I did snack on lots of the apparently keto-friendly treats that Paul bought for me, but I did notice that there are some carbs there so I may have had too many carbs. 

I've been focusing on proteins and fats and the food has been very tasty.  For my birthday dinner, I made a kale caesar salad with bacon (no croutons) and a roasted eggplant lasagna.  Both were so tasty!  Paul managed to bake a cherry chip cake using keto flours and stevia sugars.  It didn't fluff up the way the original does, but the taste was close.  I'd say it's a win and perhaps could be improved upon.

My breakfasts are usually egg cups with cut up cucumber.

That's it for now. I'll share my results tomorrow.  Hope that you are all keeping your eyes on your goals, it will happen for you.

Nighty night,
Peach

FHHM - Day 17

I wanted to take a minute to talk about the recipes that I've been using from Suzanne Ryan's Keto cookbook.  You can find her link to the right under my Health Inspirations.

The main idea behind this diet is to force my body to use fat for fuel rather than sugar.  It is completely safe though people (including doctors) may get it confused with ketosis which is a dangerous condition that can occur in people with diabetes.  That's one reason why you should consult with your doctor before starting the diet, especially if you have diabetes.

In order to get your body to burn fats instead of sugars, you need to reduce your carbohydrate intake.  Once there are no more sugars, your body starts burning fat in order to create a potent energy source for your brain, known as ketones.  People who follow this diet often experience more energy and generally feel sharper.

The changes that need to be made aren't too bad, and there are workable substitutions.  The foods that should be avoided on the diet include carbs (grains, rice, potatoes), sugar, some dairy (high fat is good), and beans.  But all sorts of proteins and fats are encouraged!  This is what makes the diet so appealing.  There is so much flavour in the foods and eating fats is very satisfying.  There are substitutions that can be made though: almond flour in place of wheat flour (though is a bit heavier/denser), stevia-based sugars instead of granulated sugar, almond milk instead of cows milk.  Certainly, there are recipes for any meal that you would want to make, keto-ized.  :) I even found one for Chicken Pad Thai!

On Friday night, I made a keto version of the pepperoni pizza.  Paul brought home Little Caesar's and it smelled oh so good!  Certainly, my pizza was no comparison to that!  It was a bit dense, due to the almond flour, but also much higher in calories.  As an example, my pizza was slightly larger than a regular slice of the Little Caesar's large, but came in at about 500 calories!  Two of the ooey-gooey Little Ceasar's pizza slices would have been a bit less than that. I think that trying to take a very carby food choice and make it low-carb is not terribly successful, but it can be done only it won't taste as good.

However, there are certain benefits.  For lunch I had made a keto chicken salad that was made with chicken breasts, bacon, mayo, ranch dressing and green onion.  So yummy!  Rather than have it on bread, I wrapped it in boston leaf lettuce.  I wouldn't change a thing with that one.

So far, so good.

I ended up taking today as a rest day, as Paul made me breakfast in bed in advance of my upcoming birthday this week.  I meant to rest, but after logging my calories for breakfast, found out that my three keto pancakes and sausages ran me up 900 calories!  I had to go for a quick run this afternoon to burn a few extra calories.  Like I said, going low-carb can be done, but calories shoot up.  It takes some planning that's for sure.

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Tomorrow's workout is a doozy.... just wait to hear about it.  And wish me luck. :)

Nighty night,
Peach

FHHM - Week 2 Results!

Two weeks in already!

Today was a great day.  M and I took a road trip to visit mom.  We managed to get our Week 3 (Day 15) workout in while there, followed up by a relaxing soak in the hot tub and pool.  So relaxing...

But that's not why I'm here.  I'm here to post about my week 2 results.  I have to say that so far this has not felt like much of a 'diet' or challenging with respect to finding time to do my exercises.  I could easily see this become a lifestyle to get and keep the weight off.

		START	Week 1	Week 2		Value	%
Measurement		05-Jan-18	12-Jan-18	19-Jan-18		Change	Change
	Weight (lbs)	200.0	193.1	190.4
	Upper chest (")		40.00	39.00		-1.00	-2.50%
	Bust (")		41.00	40.00		-1.00	-2.44%
	Midriff (")		37.00	36.00		-1.00	-2.70%
	Upper arm (")		13.50	13.50		0.00	0.00%
	Waist (")		41.00	41.50		0.50	1.22%
	Upper hip (")		43.00	42.00		-1.00	-2.33%
	Lower hip (")		43.50	43.00		-0.50	-1.15%
	Upper thigh (")		28.00	27.00		-1.00	-3.57%
	Mid thigh (")		22.50	21.50		-1.00	-4.44%
	Calf (")		17.00	16.50		-0.50	-2.94%
	Total Inches	-	326.50	320.00		-6.50	-2.09%

I am just about TEN POUNDS down from when I started two weeks ago, and have seen some overall inches lost around my body, averaging about 2% lost.  I've still got a ways to go but am motivated to keep going.  The results have been great so far!  Woot woot!

Tomorrow I will update you all on my first couple of days in week 3 and let you all know what I think about some of the first keto recipes I've made from Suzanne Ryan's cookbook.

Hope you are all having an awesome day!

Peach

Day 14 - Fit Healthy Happy Mum (Results tomorrow)

Good evening!

I have to say one the best things about being home on leave with the baby is the ability to be flexible.  Flexible for my kids and for myself.  This morning I was able to whip up a batch of banana muffins for the kids.  And it just makes the house smell so delicious!

The Workout

Today was the final day of week 2.  Yesterday (day 13) was a double workout but simplified.  The first part was a series of squats, pushups and pullups performed in repetition.  The second part was hill runs, done for 20 seconds up the hill, rest on the walk down, and repeat 8 times.  I managed to do this at the nearby hill next to our public school.  I happened to be at school for a council meeting last evening and so did the runs afterwards.  Anything is possible, sometimes it just needs a modification.  My runs up were about 12-13 seconds, not the required 20, but I still did it.

As is customary for this workout program, the final day of each week I do a 5K.  Again, I set the incline on the treadmill to 0.5 to help mimic running outdoors.  This time I set the pace slightly lower than last weeks in order to increase my long run time (running without stopping).  I ran for 18 minutes, walked 2, then ran til I finished the 5K at 35:58, an improvement from last week!

  Week 1 5K - 38:00
  Week 2 5K - 35:58

So tomorrow begins Week 3.  I'm so thrilled with my results so far.  I do my weigh-ins in the morning, so will publish my results tomorrow.

The Food

I've been eating more Keto meals, rather than the meal plan that Sharny provided.  I think that I am losing enough weight on the program that I don't need to do the 'extreme' part.  My breakfast was some of the leftover Bacon Egg Cups with cucumber.  Lunch I tried something new from Suzanne Ryan's cookbook - Chicken Salad served on lettuce leafs.  It was so satisfying!  I could easily put in the kids lunches on bread.  Dinner was a bit of a fail.... I had some leftover bolognese sauce without the zucchini.  But my calories have been bang on to my target in order to reach my goal body fat %. 

The most important thing: I do not feel hungry and I do not feel like I'm missing out!  Tomorrow I'm going to try make some Keto desserts, like chocolate chip cookies, that I can share with the kids.

That's it for now.  Stay tuned for my week 2 results coming tomorrow, and the start of week 3!

Nighty night,
Peach

Day 12 - Fit Healthy Happy Mum

Just two more days left for this week!

I ended up making today a rest day since part of my workout includes doing hill runs and the weather is supposed be a touch warmer tomorrow. 

I did try some of the regular keto meals today, and it was so delish!  The issue I've identified is that the calories are generally higher due to fat content and protein, and my daily caloric intake based on Sharny's plan for me is quite low.  This just meant that my dinner had to be simplified and really back to basics.  However, since I ate such a great breakfast and lunch I wasn't that hungry this evening. I can do this; I'm flexible!

Breakfast was two Bacon & Egg Cups (bacon, egg and cheddar cheese cooked in a muffin tin)... so good!  Lunch was a chicken breast with cream of mushroom soup, mixed greens with tomatoes and red onion and ranch dressing.  Also yum!  Dinner was a salmon fillet with brussel sprouts and butter.

The food was so good today. I really am hoping to give up a bit of deliciousness for just six more weeks in order to see the best results possible.  After that I'll bump my calories back up. But I want to see what I can truly achieve on this plan and also report back to you :)

That's it for now.  Hump day tomorrow!

Peach

Day 11 - Fit Healthy Happy Mum

The Workout

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from today's workout, but it was a double.

The first workout consisted of performing rounds of squats and pushups until failure.  While it doesn't sound like much fun, it's really good at building resiliency.  I could do lots of squats before my muscles gave out, and pushups I managed to eke out five before my arms couldn't push any more.  But that's better than I thought I would do.  I did my workout while M napped in her swing this morning.

The second part of the workout was for all the runners out there.  It consisted of 600m runs followed by a two minute rest, and repeating that for six to eight times.  I ended up going for the full 8 repetitions, which took a total of 55:00 minutes (including five minutes for warmup and another five for a cool down).  Total distance traveled was 7km!  Each round of 600m took me about four minutes based on my pace.  It was a really great run!

Since I went to the gym to do it, I was able to follow it up with a massage in the massage chair.  Those things are really quite good if you've got knots in your back.  Ten minutes and I felt more limber.

The Diet

For food, I stayed on the extreme diet (meaning it's mostly lean meats and green veggies).  However, I've been reading up a lot on the Keto diet which the program will eventually flow into once the 8 weeks is over.  I've seen a lot about it recently, even Kelly and Ryan had a session talking about it.  The lady they had on speaking about the diet was a woman (Suzanne Ryan) who tried everything to lose weight her entire life, weighing just about 300lbs at her max.  She was at a total loss and didn't even think this new Keto diet would work.  She touts this as being more than a diet though, because it is.  It is a lifestyle change.  You've got to be willing to cut out the carbs and accept eating high fats (strangely hard to accept when we are conditioned to cutting out fat in order to lose weight!).

So on this program, she lost 100lbs, then another 20lbs and she's never felt better.  She's not the only person I know who has seen such great success on this program.  A friend of mine also started her transformation in January of 2017, and she's also lost well over 100lbs in the past year.  She exercises a lot, but also follows the Keto diet.

The difference between these two ladies is one exercised while the other didn't, yet they both saw results.  There is much to say about the diet, but the biggest advantage even I've noticed so far is that my food cravings have gone away, which is one of the largest obstacles I face when looking to change my diet.  The exercising part is easy, it's just physical, but it's so hard to stop wanting to eat all the yummy gooey food there is out there!

I am going to finish off this week doing the extreme.  If I continue to see good results like this (being even better than I hoped for) I will look to reduce the extreme and opt for the regular keto diet.  I don't need to go too crazy here!  I picked up Suzanne's book which continues to provide me some inspiration to keep going, and will be happy to share my thoughts on some of her recipes as I get going.

That's it for now.  Another double workout tomorrow!

Nighty night,
Peach

Day 10 - Fit Healthy Happy Mum Update

Wow! I'm absolutely blown away by the support from you, my Facebook friends.  What an encouraging bunch you all are!  It really helps to keep me motivated knowing that others are in the ring with me.  Thank you so much!

The weekend has been very busy with all the kiddos.  I managed to make it to the gym after bringing Isaac to his soccer game.  The workout was once again a great blend of running (which I love) and HIIT (which I also love).  For those of you unfamiliar with the term, HIIT refers to High Intensity Interval Training which consists of short bursts of high energy strength moves which really gets heartrate up.

Today was a rest day for me.  As part of the program, each week as two built in rest days.  It's flexible so that I choose what two days work best for me and the family.  Tomorrow's workout is a double-whammy. I can't wait to share it all with you!

With respect to food, on this 8 week program I generally follow the Keto diet however it is a bit more stringent since we are trying to cleanse my body.  I'm going to try hard to stay true to it, but I can tell I'm going to miss dairy along with all the other good stuff (carbs, sugar, fruit). Just like when I did the Jillian Michael's program, I eventually adapted the meals to suit me while staying within my nutrient macros and calories.  We'll see where I end up with this one.  My meals generally consist of a protein and a veggie with some nuts or seeds thrown in.  It really is quite tasty :)  I find the flavour of food has been enhanced since paring down my food variety.

This is an example of a breakfast: Egg pies with a green salad and avocado

Very satisfying!

Hope you all had a great weekend... And kick some bum tomorrow!

Nighty night,
Peach

Fit Healthy Happy Mum - Beginning photos and stats

I am embarking on the Fit Healthy Happy Mum program in order to get this mama bod back into hot-mama condition!

For details on the program, please visit: http://sharnyandjulius.com/fitmum

I will be chronicling my successes and weight loss journey here on this blog.  I'd love for you to join me and share with me some of your inspirations and successes.  Have you done this program? If so, what did you think of it?

I'm slightly embarrassed to share these... but here are my starting stats:

		START	Week 1
Measurement		05-Jan-18	12-Jan-18
	Weight (lbs)	200.0	193.1
	Upper chest (")		40.00
	Bust (")		41.00
	Midriff (")		37.00
	Upper arm (")		13.50
	Waist (")		41.00
	Upper hip (")		43.00
	Lower hip (")		43.50
	Upper thigh (")		28.00
	Mid thigh (")		22.50
	Calf (")		17.00
	Total Inches	-	326.50

     
Looking at these numbers I know that I am larger than when I was completing JM's Body Revolution. I have a long road ahead of me, but I am so motivated to reach my 175lb goal weight by March 2!

Now for the pics...

And there we have it!  Feast your eyes on the delight that once was!  In the pics above I am at the 200lb mark.  I'm looking to lose 25lbs by March 2nd (when I go back to work) which is coincidentally at the very end of my 8 week program.  After that, my plan is to achieve a 21% body fat percentage (I'm currently at 44%) which will bring me to 141lbs.  My goal is to reach this within 6 months, so, by Canada Day 2018!

Thank you for sharing in my journey... Let's do this!

Peach