8 Weeks Later

8 Weeks Later

So, I've been living life the Buffmaster way for the last 8 weeks, and I feel fantastic, probably the best I've felt in ages. I feel healthy, strong, happy, and it's definitely going to continue. 

So here's my measurements since last time....

At the beginning of February                        28 Days Later.                    End of March.

Measurements (inches)

Arm: 13.5.                                                              14.                                   14

Bust: 37.                                               37.5 (Hooray for boobies).                37

Chest: 32.5.                                                          32.                                    32

Waist: 32.                                                              32.                                    32

Hips: 41.5.                                                             41.                                  41.5

Bum: 44.                                                                43.                                  42.5 

Upper Thigh: 26.5.                                                26.                                   25 

Lower Thigh: 21.                                                   19.5.                                20

So in total over the last month I've only lost an inch, and since the beginning of the year I've only lost 0.1%  body fat, now that I've found some scales that can give me an half sharp reading. What I've lost maybe ONLY be something small, but it's better than nothing at all &  because I've been eating so well, my skin, hair, general health & wellbeing is great, I'm feeling very positive for what lies ahead...

Hope you all had a lovely Easter! 

Week 8 Update

Week 8 Update

Happy Monday! 

It's that time of the week again, so last week when I updated I had been rather ill, so I lost some weight, now that I'm back on track my weight has gone back up to 81.1KG. To be honest I've not been that good this week, I have been having a few too many cups of tea with sugar in 😱.

So, today I've reset myself, & I'm concentrating on sugar reduction this week in my diet, to see if it makes a difference. I may also cut my carbs slightly lower, and up my fats a little, but I haven't yet decided. 

As I've been better this week, I attended all 3 Buffmaster boot camps 💪, my kickboxing class & yoga. 

Over the last few weeks I've been sharing my weight every week and as you can see it's up & down like a yoyo, last week it was down as I had lost my appetite & hadn't done any exercise & this week I'm healthy & I've gained. 

So I think I'm going to just do a monthly report on how I've done, because the scales are useless especially when weightlifting & concentrate on my measurements, hourglass figure here I come... ⌛ 

Oh here's the link to some of my food diary, I did forget to photography most of it, I've also included my weeks total from myfitnesspal. 

http://flipagram.com/f/SpQMT6HOuP

Week 7 Update...

Week 7 Update

Hi y'all. 
Sorry I haven't posted a weekly update in a while, I've been rather ill with a cold & sinusitis, which sucked! 
Anyways, this week I weigh 80.3 Kg, my body fat has stayed the same at 38.1% (not sure whether the body fat is correct as the scales in the bathroom are dodgy, I'm gonna go use some different ones in town). Unfortunately due to my illness, I haven't been eating as much as I usually do, plus I couldn't really taste anything anyway. I also haven't really done any exercise so I've been feeling fat all week, although I felt better towards the end of the week so I went to yoga & had an abs & back PT session on Saturday.
Although I feel by having a week off I've fallen behind with my goals, I'm ready this week to crack on! As it was sunny a couple of days last week, summer is only around the corner, so salad & sunbed season has started, getting ready to look buffting this summer! 

Count Your Macros

Count Your Macros

I know you're probably reading the title like this......

Macro's or macronutrients are nutrients that provide energy/calories, in large quantities hence the 'macro'. There are three macronutrient groups that the body needs to function properly. These are protein, fats & carbohydrates. 

So, how do we know how much we need to eat? 

Depending on your goals, will determine how many calories of each of the groups you need to eat. Firstly, you need to figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) this is number of calories your body needs just to complete its basic functions e.g breathing & brain function if you were to live as a couch potato.  From this you can either add calories if your gaining or decrease your calories if you wish to lose, as we all know managing our weight is basic maths. Here's a link where you can find your BMR http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm

My BMR is 1612 if I were to live as a couch potato, because I want to lose fat I usually eat 1400 calories a day. This number of calories is enough for me I usually feel nice & full at meal times, however, sometimes I do go over this depending on what I've trained, if it's leg day I'll go over because I know I'll need extra protein for my muscles to recover & repair, some days you're more hungry than others & obviously I go over it on treat days too! When I do go over my calorie allowance it's usually not by that much & I probably end up eating my BMR, and most people reading this probably think that 1400 calories isn't a lot of food, but when you eat clean, you can usually eat a lot more food. You can also find macro proportions based on your somatotype, I'm an endomorph so I basically need to manage my fat & carb intake.

My calorie allowance is made up into percentages of the 3 food groups 45% protein, 35% carbs & 20% fats.  I sometimes play around with the percentages as my goal is fat loss, so I have tried increasing my fats & lowering my carbs, although don't lower your carbs too low otherwise you get grumpy, & no one will like you. 

This is why I find my fitness pal an extremely useful tool, as you can set your daily calorie intake & set your percentages. Then your off ready to record your food diary, I enter everything I eat into it. I'm usually like this at every meal time...

28 Days Later....

So, as everyone knows I reset myself at the beginning of Feburary on a mission to fight the fat & I've been keeping you all updated with my weekly progress. This week I've not been feeling myself & not sleeping properly which has led me to make poor choices when regarding caffeine...I chose builders tea instead of green, also aunt flow is on her way & unfortunately with this comes some water retention & bloating, plus it's end of the month & I decided that I'd been good all month I think I deserved a few G&T's. 

However, from having such a poor week, my weight is 80.8Kg which means I've gained 0.6Kg (1.3lbs) over the month which I don't think is that bad, I'm also hoping that some of this is muscle (fingers crossed). This week my body fat percentage is still 38.1% which means I've lost a total of 0.4% over the last month,which considering I'm an endomorph I'm pretty happy with that. 

This biggest difference has come with my measurements.....

At the beginning of February                        28 Days Later.                    Difference 

Measurements (inches)

Arm: 13.5.                                                              14.                                  0.5 gain

Bust: 37.                                               37.5 (Hooray for boobies).               0.5 gain

Chest: 32.5.                                                          32.                                  0.5 loss

Waist: 32.                                                              32.                                   -

Hips: 41.5.                                                             41.                                  0.5 loss

Bum: 44.                                                                43.                                   1 loss

Upper Thigh: 26.5.                                                26.                                    1 loss

Lower Thigh: 21.                                                   19.5.                                1.5 loss

So over 28 days I have lost 3.5 inches, by weight resistance training working one muscle group at a time & by eating properly, again this week I've forgotten to take pictures of my food (sorry) so there's no food diary this week. 

This week at PT I smashed my PB on the 45 degree leg press 10 sets of 10 reps at 120Kg, which is over my starting body weight back in January 2012. Over the last month I've become stronger & fitter, I can't wait to see my results at the end of March; besides summer is only round the corner & I can't wait, it's time to get buff! 

Week 3 Update....

Week 3 Update

Afternoon all! 

My weekly update, this week I've gained 0.1Kg again this week I hope it's muscle (fingers crossed). I've also lost another 0.1% percent of body fat! which again isn't a lot but it's hard to shift. This week; exercise wise I went to pole fitness, bootcamp & PT,  totally smashed 100Kg leg press at bootcamp (check out the video https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=889820191040043&pnref=story).

I also attempted a cheeky little jog/run yesterday I didn't go very far, but I was testing my foot as I've had a broken navicular the last few weeks, which has repaired I still have some soft tissue damage, but I can go back to kickboxing next week! 

I haven't done lovely flipagram this week of my food diary as I forgot to take photos haha but I hope everyone had a lush pancake day! 

Know Your Shapes

Know Your Shapes 

Are you an apple, pear, hourglass, banana, rectangle, triangle, or a footlong? 

Do you have a spare tyre, rubber ring, tree trunks, bingo wings, pooch or are you bow legged? 

These are some names that women & the media use to define & stereotype women's body shapes & parts, these multiple names that are given to our bodies, some of them actually belong to the same group of body shapes, we as women just call them a million different things as what they look like, who knows why?
These names all stem from the original works of William Sheldon (1940) on the somatotype's people's body shapes, there are three categories which you can fall into. 
Mesomorph, ectomorph & endomorph, from this you can see what shape your body falls into & now you can find workouts & exercises plans for your goals based on your body type. 

Mesomorph

Mesomorph's are naturally gifted athletes, they can gain muscle & fat easily, they can also lose it easily. Naturally lean & muscular with wider shoulders than hips. They have an efficient metabolism.

Ectomorph 

Ectomorph's are life's natural skinny bitches, lovely long limbs, small shoulders, low body fat percentage & a fast metabolism; which means they can get away with eating what they like. 

Endomorph 

Endomorph's have high muscle & fat mass, meaning they are solidly built short & stocky but struggle to lose fat. They also have sluggish metabolisms, which they should watch what they eat, & if they go off track they'll find they gain fat easily. 

Unfortunately, I'm in the endomorph group, which means you must sweat like a pig & work like a horse, if you want to look like a fox! I have lost a lot of fat, but it's always easier to lose excess fat in the beginning of any lifestyle change. Now, I wish to progress my body & shape further become fitter & more toned, I'm now struggling with losing fat, this is where my hard work begins. 

As now I have to compete against my own body, as everyone a has a natural fat storage level, I have plateaued around the same weight for a while now because I think my body has reached its natural fat storage level, but because I want to lose more fat I need to make sure I eat right & exercise well to be able to achieve this. 

I have done some research for myself using my somatotype to find eating plans & exercise ideas which have helped, I'm naturally not going to be great at cardio, however, my short yet stocky build means I can lift heavy, which is great because being able to lift will help burn the fat so I will get leaner & more toned whilst keeping my endomorphic softness & curves. 

So my lovely audience, I ask you to take the brave step & look in the mirror & really look to see what shape you see. Take your measurements as this is also a good indication of what shape you have. You can put your measurements into a website (see the link) & it can tell you what shape you are. Once you have your shape, do some research about foods & exercise for the body shape you'll probably be surprised on what is good for you! http://www.calculator.net/body-type-calculator.html

The other night I completed a questionnaire online on body shapes, which told me I was more endomorphic but I was also mesomorphic, it was quite fun filling it in, apart from when I asked my parents whether my forearms where big, average or small, my dad who thought he was being hilarious kindly replied that they were big like Popeye's, I replied that I would get anchors tattooed on them so I looked the part! (I always thought I had average forearms & I do love eating spinach). Here's the link if you fancy doing it. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

Becoming Dynamic....

Becoming Dynamic

Before I had made the decision to leave Slimming World, the gym that I go to frequently has open days so that members & non-members can come & try various classes etc. I went to an open day at my gym July 2013, to try out a course that I'd seen advertised & one of my friends told me about...I was unsure about the diet that went with this course but it wasn't that bad in the end. On the open day, we met the lovely Chris who runs the Team Dynamix course. He gave us a brief overview of the diet & sorts of food you can eat, then we did a short exercise session, so basically it was a mini class. The next course would start in 2 days time on the Monday...so naturally I signed up straight away as I felt it was time for something new. 

Team Dynamix

Is a 4 week course, 3 nights a week; it's a small class of about 16 people & it runs for about an hour, you have sometime a the beginning & end of class to discuss food etc. 

The exercises are timed, the first week I think is 30 seconds on, 30 seconds recovery, the next week will be 40/20 and so on, as your condition will improve each week.  The circuit is set so you'll have between 4-6 weight resistant stations (depending on how big the class is & what room your in) each of those stations will have a core workout attached, as usually buddy up so whilst one does the weight resistance the other will do core. Now, either before or after the circuit you also have to do your cardio round this can be either shuttle runs with body weight exercises at the cones or a combination of six cardio exercises such as high knees, squats jumps & the dreaded burpees. 

The exercise for this course is all High Intesity Interval Training (HIIT) it works by you working to your maximum throughout the class, resulting in a higher fat burn & faster metabolism. To some people reading this, this course sounds horrendous & people will probably wonder why I did it, Slimming World was a good eating plan to start me off but my weight loss was starting to plateau as after a while your body becomes used to your new lifestyle, therefore it's good to give it a shock every now & then. 

When I started Team Dynamix I was 14 stone 1lb (89.5Kgs/197.4lbs) when I had completed the course I weighed 12 stone 6 (80.5Kgs/177.4lbs) I had lost 9Kgs in four weeks it was amazing, I couldn't remember when I had weighed that amount before. From attending the classes 3 times a week, for four weeks & following the eating plan (I'll do another blog for that) I had lost a lot of weight, I wish I had started Team Dynamix sooner so that I could reach my goals sooner. 

(I'm in the middle at the back)

TD Bootcamp 

A few months after my brilliant Team Dynamix course, Chris had developed the next phase...bootcamp, like Team Dynamix only heavier weights, more stupid cardio exercises (Spartan flips) & more core workouts, same time frame as before 3 nights a week for 4 weeks, same food plan. Since doing Team Dynamix I had kept the same food plan, as I felt healthier & less bloated so sticking to it wasn't a problem, & I had only gained 0.2Kg during the gap between Dynamix & Bootcamp I had regular gym reviews with Chris to develop my gym program.  However, as much as I loved bootcamp the scales didn't really move I lost the 0.2Kg that I had gained but again my body had got used to the healthier eating, & the range of exercise I was doing. 

If any of my lovely readers feel like they want to give Team Dynamix a go, please follow the links for my gyms webpage & the Team Dynamix Facebook page for more information. 

http://www.balancehealthclubs.co.uk & https://www.facebook.com/teamdynamixweightloss?ref=ts&fref=ts

Chris is a fantastic instructor,  I can't recommend him enough; he really gets you motivated in class (He also laughs at you when your in agony) & he's really helped me over the last 18 months with teaching me new techniques & training programmes in the gym, giving me new

food ideas & making me do cardio (which I hate with a passion) & convincing me to try new classes at the gym such as Functional Training (like bootcamp) and Strength & Conditioning (which was good apart from the bloody cardio). 

I've completed Team Dynamix & completed bootcamp twice & completed a 6 week course of PT, along with various gym programmes & classes in between, you can probably tell I'm not a cardio fan, my lungs aren't that stong because I'm an ex-smoker but I make myself do it because I know I have too! Again it's another situation where I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't of started with Team Dynamix.

Weekly Update

A quick one...

So it's been a week since my first blog, I would just like to say thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read it, it means so much to me. The feedback I've had is brilliant I'm glad people enjoy reading it & that I hope you find it useful or insightful, as I enjoy writing it's very therapeutic. 

In my first blog, that I published last Sunday my weight was 81.9 Kgs, since then I have kept my eye on my food diary the last 7 days & I went to weight resistance boot camp on Thursday & had a PT session on Saturday. I weighed myself yesterday to find that I've lost 1.7Kgs or 3.8lbs in the last week! 

Throughout the last seven days I've kept my food diary, I have also taken pictures of what I have eaten, although sometimes it would get to a meal time & I would be so hungry I'd forget (sorry), so to give people an idea of what I eat throughout the day & snack on please follow this flipagram link. Don't forget to wash all you food down with at least 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day, I also have about 5 cups of green tea a day too. http://flipagram.com/f/QYIPeApBkL

Eeeek! My First Blog

In the Beginning...

...well January 2012 to be exact.

There I was one cold January evening in a community hall, with other women like myself, waiting to have my turn on those scales, which would reveal years of abuse & self loathing that I had put myself through subconsciously. I had agreed to go to this first meeting with, my mother; who is as cunning as fox had used reverse psychology in tricking me to go with her for support, when in fact it was the other way round. 

Then it was my turn, I placed my feet on the scales & watched the number rocket up to 17 stone & half a pound (238lbs - 108Kgs) it was then I realised that I was officially heavier than my parents and anyone I'd ever known.

From that moment, I hadn't realised how heavy and big I was, or how I looked (when I graduated I was a size UK18-20). I've never been one for actually looking at myself in the mirror, or weighing myself. I just didn't care about me, I had low self esteem & low confidence and had inhibited a downward spiral of uncontrolled eating & making poor choices for myself; being surrounded by people that also inhibited this lifestyle making me think it was ok or being surrounded by people who made me seem worthless so that I didn't care anymore. I just used to drink most weekends, smoke & eat what I wanted when I wanted regardless of the consequences on my health & well being. 

Time is a Great Healer...

Over the last 3 years, I have completely changed my lifestyle, I've tried & tested various "diets" & fitness routines. My confidence & self esteem has sky rocketed (I even had the balls to go around India travelling on my own) & I'm generally a happier, healthier person. On the return from travels last year I weighed my lowest a week after I returned home, which was also my birthday so I was super chuffed, I was 12 stone 1lb (169.5lbs - 76.9Kgs), however, with the lack of training & proper nutrition whilst I was away meant I had lost definition & strength, which I have built back up. 

My Aims...

I want to use this blog to inspire others who are on the verge of taking the plunge to change  their lifestyle & those who have just started. To those already on their journey that they are not alone when times get hard, and for me, to help me stay motivated whilst I continue my journey as I'll be sharing my progress with you.

From Christmas & throughout January I have felt a little lost, and not sure about the next step to take regarding my own fitness, but today I feel more positive and refocused, and ready to take the next step which will be to develop my body to be stronger, leaner & fitter by using weight resistant workouts only which is something new to me as I've never done this before...a bit like this blogging malarky.

Current Stats

Dress Size:UK 12-14

Weight: 12 Stone 12lbs - 180lbs - 81.9Kgs

Body Fat: 36.7%

Measurements (inches)

Arm: 13.5

Bust: 37

Chest: 32.5

Waist: 32

Hips: 41.5

Bum: 44

Upper Thigh: 26.5

Lower Thigh: 21

Thank You's
Thanks to my Mum, for taking me to my first diet group & starting me on this journey, as I never would of done it without your support. 

To all my friends & family that have supported me during this time, it means so much!

Thanks to my lovely beautician Kolaine for telling me I should start a blog and tell my story (you can visit her blog here http://kolaine.blogspot.co.uk/ ).