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

End of week 1 (Fit Healthy Happy Mum)

Woot woot!  First week done and finished with a bang!

With this program, each week ends with a timed trial 5K.  This program is therefore great for anyone like me who also wants to improve their run.  I did the run at the gym tonight since it was raining today.

  Week 1 5K - 38:00

I finished at precisely 38 minutes and had the treadmill at incline 0.5 in order to make it more like running outdoors.  I was aiming to have the run done in under 40 minutes, which I did, yay!

My food today was incredibly similar to yesterday, the only difference was mom visited and brought subway for lunch :) I was able to modify the meal plan by eating everything but the bread.  Easy.  The best part about this nutrition plan is that it has completed stopped my cravings for food.  I do get hungry but am quickly satisfied with the protein and tasty veggies.

All in all, I am giving this first week of the program FIVE STARS. 

Stay tuned for my week one results tomorrow... I know it's gonna be good!

Nighty night,
Peach

Week 1 Mid-week update (Fit Healthy Happy Mum)

Good evening friends!

I am in the home stretch of the first week of the 8 week program.  The workouts are great so far.  Definitely can be done by people of any athletic level as you simply adjust your pace to one that is comfortable.

Since it's been so cold and snowy I took my workout to the gym again.  The workout consisted of alternating sets of running intermixed with kettle swings.  While I would have preferred to do this one outside (as I prefer all of my runs!) I managed just fine by bringing a heavy dumbbell with me to my treadmill and stepping off after each run to complete the swings.  I finished with some stretching and a rest on the massage chair. :)

My meals today were kept simple.  A recipe Sharny shared as part of the program is one for egg pies.  Very simple and easy to make in muffin tins and absolutely delicious!  I use turkey bacon and then mixed in some mushrooms and herbs into the egg mixture.  Each one has about 93 calories!

For lunch I had a grilled chicken breast with a spring green salad and vinaigrette, and more chicken for dinner but this time with steamed green beans.  It was a hectic day and I wasn't able to pull out fish, but I love having spring greens with a couple tablespoons of sunflower seeds on them, so yummy. If you're interested in seeing more about my food choices you can find me on myfitnesspal as jfaure23.

Tomorrow is going to be a good challenge as the final workout of the week is to complete a 5K! I'll let you know how it all goes. I will also provide my end of week one weigh-in.  I was hoping to take measurements but I cannot find my tape... I'll try another look tomorrow so that I can at least get a reading though a bit late.

Til then, sleep tight!

Peach

Ready to try something new in 2018? I am... welcome back, friends!

It's been a couple of years since I've last posted.  Big changes have happened in my life since then, but mostly the arrival of a new beautiful baby.  This brings our family of five to a family of six!  And, I might add, though I'm still outnumbered at least I've got a girl going to bat with me!

After bringing Madeleine into the world just about nine months ago I was certain that I would be able to lose the weight as efficiently as I had with Geoffrey.  Remember that?  I did the body revolution program by Jillian Michaels early in 2012 (read back on my blog posts) and ended up losing just over 20lbs in the 90 days. 

Since the summer, I've been doing a variation of different activities including running, Jillian Michaels, calorie counting, volleyball... the blend of activities wasn't working for me.  I gained up to fifty pounds each pregnancy and this one was no different.  The difference lay in the fact that at eight and a half months post-partem I had lost only ten of those extra pounds.  Each pregnancy before I was back at pre-baby weight by six months!  Something has to change.

So here I am in the new year, feeling a bit down on myself, and realizing I am going back to work in just TWO months, and still cannot fit even remotely into my old work clothes.  I need to do something.  As I'm thinking these thoughts and scrolling Facebook I come across a post that I think I've seen before but didn't pay any attention to.  This time I was paying attention because the woman in the picture looked like me, well, at least a version of me.  Body fat percent hanging around the 45% mark, about my age, has six kids (she has me beat there!). But the image is what caught me.  Here I am, apparently struggling to get my body to adapt to what I need it to do, and another woman was in the exact same situation and look at her now!  She looks fantastic. Did I mention six kids?

Check this out: http://sharnyandjulius.com/fitmum

I was hooked from that image on and signed up for what I hope will be one of the best decisions I've ever made regarding my health.  Sharny, that's her name, is the woman behind the Fit, Healthy, Happy Mum program.  She managed to lose all of her baby weight in eight weeks using her program and she's sharing it with us.  But she also provides an amazing support group.  For a small charge you are given a lifetime access to the program so whether it takes you 8 months or 8 weeks (or 8 years) to complete, that's up to you. :)

I found the posting on Friday morning while M napped.  By 10:30 I was registered and couldn't get enough of the supportive videos and information regarding nutrition.  With this plan, it is 80% what goes into my body and 20% exercise.  But the meals are wickedly simple and repetitive so to make it easy to adhere to.

The formula is basically a keto diet, focusing on (very) low carbs and then filling in with proteins and fats.  As you walk through the program you are given information about the program and an opportunity to provide your current weight and BMI along with your goals.  Based on the information you provide, they tell you what your daily caloric intake should be to achieve your desired weight in the time frame chosen.  Though that is somewhat separate from the 8 week plan.  The 8 week plan is fairly well guided with predetermined exercises each day, with one or two rest days, and flexibility in meals though the rules are NO carbs, NO sugar, NO alcohol, NO dairy, eating most calories by 2pm and a small dinner by 6pm.  Like Sharny says, "It's only 8 weeks.  Think of how good that drink will be in your bikini!"

So here I am, embarking on this new adventure.  I am more hopeful than I've been since M joined us that I will finally be able to lose my weight and keep up with these kids! 

The stats: 
Starting weight 199lbs
Goal weight 175lbs (for the eight week program)
Goal weight 141lbs (to achieve ideal body fat percent)

Since being on the plan for four days, I weighed in this morning at 195lbs.  It's progress and is the lowest I've been since this time last year so am grateful. And excited for what's to come.  Please join me on my journey.

It's been a busy day, we hosted a wine tasting at our home this evening (which doesn't do much good for the diet but I watched what I consumed) and is about time for bed.  I hope you are are dreaming big and stepping small towards making your dreams a reality.

Nighty night,
Peach

PS - I'll post some before pics a bit later in my posts...