I'd made a pact with myself to get in the best shape of my life before my 25th birthday, and although I've got a whole lot of good information about HOW to do that, my birthday is rolling around soon and I've sabotaged my efforts a few times over in the last year or so. Going to have to make the transformation During year 25 instead of before it! I'm putting this journal out there in an attempt to make myself accountable... to myself and to anyone who pops in. The journals on here (Maya!!) are some of the best inspiration possible. Hopefully I'll be giving off inspiration vibes too in the next few months.

training info and background coming soon! Maybe even some pictures if I get REAL brave.

WISH ME LUCK, ALL! :claphigh:

WEEK 1 MONDAY:
Got back from a music festival on Monday that was full of bad foods, no water, no exercise, crazy sodium, and plenty of alcohol. A very nice last hurrah before getting back on the wagon, but jesus do I hope that's water weight I'm carrying! Hopefully the scale will be looking a bit more normal by the end of the week.

Hey there!

Good luck on your journey, you certainly seem very motivated at the moment. I would recomend taking some 'before' pictures now so you can see the differences every month and get more motivated. You don't have to post them, but I'm sure many guys here won't be complaining if you do. :D ;)

I would recomend taking some 'before' pictures now so you can see the differences every month and get more motivated. You don't have to post them, but I'm sure many guys here won't be complaining if you do. :D ;)

I've got em! Just a matter of, erhm.... flashing my near-bare ass across the internets. Is there enough courage in the world for such a thing?

I mean for you guys, the courage. That ass ain't lookin too pretty right now. :p

And hey, dude - Nottingham! Got a friend from there.

Women always think their ass is worse than it is! :lol:

Yeah, Nottingham is a cool place. :)

WEEK 1 TUESDAY:
WEIGHT: 10st (Home) / 9.8st (Gym)
**(Home is always done nekkid in the morning, gym always done clothed later in the day. My home scale runs really high.)
WORK:
flies 4kgX12, 12
incline flies 4kg X10,5
bench 10kg X12, 6
pushdown 35X4,3
dips 30 (assisted weight) X 7, 5
lat raise 4X12,7
pullups 25 X3,3

GOOD stuff: Ate very well all day today, drank tons of water, refused the endlessly pushed drinks at the bar with friends I haven't seen in a while despite pressure and befuddlement on the part of my lovely barmates. I usually find it extremely difficult not to have at least one beer... which makes it easy to have two... and then I've eaten a pack of crisps and a bottle of wine with no hope of a good day in the gym tomorrow. Was quite happy with myself. Had a good upper body workout and felt great afterwards.

BAD stuff: Finally caved at around 12am and shared in Chinese food. Because I was so pretty low on calories the rest of the day (hadn't had my planned last meal) it's not that brutal, but it sure ain't going to help me drop the sodium down. Also didn't drink any water before I went to bed. C'MON CAITLIN! BOOT CAMP!!

WEEK 1 WEDNESDAY:
WEIGHT: 10stone(Home)
WORK: Fasted morning cardio: Park run with 7 sprints (15 breath sprints, 30 breath recovery, repeat). About 20-25 minutes total with warmup and cooldown.
FOOD: 1282 40P/39C/19F

So far so good on the food! My downfall is always late evening, so I have beansprouts and celery and licorice tea waiting for me at home. I'm going to hit a ridiculously exact 40/40/20 split today. Also, I got a box of organic veggies and fruit this morning by surprise (thought the order was on hold for a while, but am THRILLED about the mistake). The most amazing ripe apple for breakfast this morning, rocket for my salad, plums, etc. So enjoying this... and perfect timing for me getting my food act back together.
Doing well on the water.
Also quite happy with myself for leaving the damned computer lab RIGHT NOW so that I can get home before the supermarket closes. Need more spinach. What's that, again? Fail to plan, plan to fail...
Feeling deliciously sore just about everywhere... shoulders, triceps, chest, back... AWESOME. :bb:
----
10pm: Making lunches for Thursday and Friday, listening to Nina Simone, figuring out the best way to treat a gorgeous bunch of organic Kale...
12am: Off to bed. Lunches done. Made yummy cauliflower mash to compliment the usual tuna and salads... I really need the sleep tonight. Goodnight Moon. Goodnight Nina Simone. Goodnight packed lunches, all in a row.

WEEK 1 THURSDAY:
WEIGHT: 9.8st(Home) Thank god! The water weight is coming back off...
WORK: LISS with 5 HIIT-ish sprint breaks in the middle, approx 20-25 min total.
FOOD:1256 P40/C40/F20 (!!)

11am: Woke up at 8 this morning feeling like I hadn't slept at all, so let myself sleep in until 10! I don't want another day of exhaustion - I always get sick at the turn of autumn and have to safeguard a little bit. Eating my apple and egg whites, getting ready for the day. Lower body today...

8:30pm: I stayed home today because I was feeling sickly this morning and then got involved in work. I was sorely tempted to just make this an impromptu rest day, but instead I traded my lower body day for another pseudo-HIIT session. Switching lifting days when necessary is ok, but I fall off the wagon if I just don't do anything on days where I'd planned to. So lifting tomorrow, hike on Saturday, Sunday off. Off we go.
Food was beautiful today. I had a little ice cream at one point, but all was kept well in range in terms of calories and macros, so no tears there. I'm cutting myself off in about half an hour... bean sprouts, licorice tea, celery. It feels so overstrict, but I know it's necessary for me, at least as I get back in the groove.

Also? Crazy, ridiculous sore. I didn't think I'd been out of habit for so long to get such DOMS, but the truth is in the muscle agony. AARRRRRGGGGH. :lol:

WEEK 1 WEDNESDAY:
10stone(Home)
[I]Fasted morning cardio: Park run with 7 sprints (15 breath sprints, 30 breath recovery, repeat). About 20-25 minutes total with warmup and cooldown.

Hey there!

I don't think that doing fasted interval cardio is a good idea. If you are going to do fasted cardio, you should be doing 30-45 mins of LISS (heartrate around 60-70% of max). For more intense stuff, you should have some food in your system otherwise you run the risk of muscle catabolism.

Hey there!

I don't think that doing fasted interval cardio is a good idea. If you are going to do fasted cardio, you should be doing 30-45 mins of LISS (heartrate around 60-70% of max). For more intense stuff, you should have some food in your system otherwise you run the risk of muscle catabolism.

I've read it both ways, but I hear you. I haven't been worried about it simply because I'm doing, in essence, really baby tiny HIIT in the middle of a LISS session... hmmm...

Do you think I can get away with just sneaking some protein in before I go? Egg whites or summit?

I've read it both ways, but I hear you. I haven't been worried about it simply because I'm doing, in essence, really baby tiny HIIT in the middle of a LISS session... hmmm...

Do you think I can get away with just sneaking some protein in before I go? Egg whites or summit?

I don't think it matters what you eat, but I really think you need to eat something if you're doing this type of cardio. Either protein/fat or protein/carbs :)

I don't think it matters what you eat, but I really think you need to eat something if you're doing this type of cardio. Either protein/fat or protein/carbs :)

Thanks Gazareth! :)

Good luck. :gl: One of the keys for me is to make sure that I hydrate daily, which you seem to already know.

WEEK 1 FRIDAY
WEIGHT: 9.75st (Home) 9.5.5 stone (Gym)
WORK: hypers, one-armed row, pullups, cable pulldown.
FOOD: 1339, 34P/35C/30%F
Quickly adapting to the lowered calories. Throwing a great ginger garlic chili sauce on my tuna for lunch makes life a lot easier.

10am: Still kinda sleepy. I'm going to take it a little bit easy on my lower body workout today as I'm still hella sore from sprinting. Then a nice long hike tomorrow and rest on Sunday. I think I'm going to sleep all day. I've spent the summer not getting up at a regular time... routine and earlier mornings makes me feel more alert but it will take a few more days before I don't just wake up tired... :sleepy:
Off to Central London. Have a good day, all.

6pm: Just realized that Sunday isn't a rest day... they're blocking off a huge chunk of Central London for bikes only, so my boy and I will do the 9 mile loop and then some. But what the hell, it's mild cardio. I'll make sure to take a hard rest day next week. My schedule isn't exactly bordering on overtraining, after all.

9:20pm: Just got out of the gym. Had to go a bit short but sweet because I forgot my gym shoes and was training barefoot (doh). Doing squats and hacks barefoot freaks me out a bit... perhaps unnecessarily? Also no spotter available for the squats. Next time. Off to Chinese food with the boyfriend. Tea for me and maybe a bite of his vegetables. We'll call this a test.
Update: Test passed. Had some eggdrop soup and sneaked a few mushrooms from his plate. I'm fine with that.

Checking out profiles from bodybuilding.com today for a little inspiration, as I know it will be a few weeks before I see any changes. I'm loving This Chick, sarahchickfsu (http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/sarahchickfsu/) - we've got similar body types, although she lacks my man-calves. ;) Dropping ten pounds and adding muscle makes a hell of a lot of difference. Granted, I guess clothes help too.

After/Before:

WEEK 1 SATURDAY
WEIGHT: 9.8st (home)
FOOD: Cheat day. around 1900-2000 calories?
FUN/WORK: Approx 900 cals burned? 12 mile hike through countryside in Surrey. A beautiful, beautiful day. Easy walking and relatively flat. And good smart fun people.

Today is my cheat day, although I tried not to overdo it. Protein for breakfast, egg and tomato sandwich for lunch (best I could do.. there was a train delay and I had to grab something before we left for the hike!), 2 apples and a pear for snacks, one baby ice cream, a little bit of steak and tortellini for dinner. Gave most of the last to the boyfriend. Even if I'm modest on the calculations, I should have burned around 900 calories on the hike, so I'm not feeling guilty about my 1900 calorie day!

WEEK 1 SUNDAY
WEIGHT: 9.8st (Home)
FOOD: 1270 29P/51C/20F
WORK/FUN: 17 mile city bike ride. Should be a 500calories with a fairly low estimate. We pushed a bit.

Another oddly beautiful day in London. The city marked off a nine mile route in the centre of London for bikes only. Rode to the route, did a loop, and rode back home. Great, beautiful day.

Too high on carbs today, partly because of lack of planning for lunch and partly because I decided to join dinner with my flatmates at home tonight. I couldn't bear to be so antisocial as to not eat with my friends in my own house. But I kept my dinner portion quite small so no worries. Also resisted the damned breads on the table and the several glasses of wine I would have loved to have.

I feel like I might have underestimated the calories... but can't find any holes. We'll see.
Fasted cardio tomorrow morning. I have a probably mistaken superstition that it helps reset my carb tolerance after I've carbed up a little bit...

It wasn't the London Marathon was it? :confused:

You are doing really well with your eating and determination. Good going! :nod:

It wasn't the London Marathon was it? :confused:

You are doing really well with your eating and determination. Good going! :nod:

Naw, just a pro-bike day put on by the London councils. Trying to get more bikers on the roads. It's this thing. (http://www.londonfreewheel.com/) Sort of the exact opposite of a critical mass ride -- lots of riders with zero anarchistic impulses, all sanctioned and promoted by the authorities. :lol:

Thank you for the encouragement! The first week or so is always the easiest... making new habits is fun, but sticking to them can get a bit weary...

And a new avatar! Hmmm... :D

Going good there sister! Keep it up! London weather suprising everyone hey? My best mate is over there....I think Sydney weather is the new London.

Going good there sister! Keep it up! London weather suprising everyone hey? My best mate is over there....I think Sydney weather is the new London.

Thanks! :)
Yes, weather is shocking the Brits. And the Brits are hard to shock...

Surely Sydney can't be that bad??

And a new avatar! Hmmm... :D

:lol:

And another new avatar. Now I'm confused. Is this a picture of yourself? :)

And another new avatar. Now I'm confused. Is this a picture of yourself? :)

Yep. :)

Oh! You are very pretty. :nod:
Nice avatar. :)

Oh! You are very pretty. :nod:
Nice avatar. :)

Thanks, baby! :) I like that picture because I was about to eat pierogi in Poland... my favorite food.

How'd those squats go ;).

How'd those squats go ;).

Didn't go at all. :o Didn't have my shoes on squats day... slated for tomorrow.

WEEK 2 MONDAY
WEIGHT: 9.75st (Home)

10am: Didn't set my alarm properly and am waking up hours later than intended. Have to skip the fasted cardio and get to work. I'll jump on the elliptical after my workout tonight for a little make-up session. :doh:

HOLLA! WEEK 2!

Sounds as if you had a good first week and are poised for it to continue. :tu:Nice going on the being flexible enough to switch things around since you over slept.

Don't shoot me.. but what is pierogi? :)

WEEK 2 TUESDAY
WEIGHT: 9.8st (Home) 9.5st (Gym)
FOOD:
WORK: upper body workout, about 40min
flies: 4kg X 12, 12
incline flies: 4kgX8,4
bench: 20kgX12,9 +
pushdowns: 35kgX8,3 +
dips: 30kg(assist) X9,7 +
lat raise 4kgX12,12 +
pullups 25X8,7 +

Well, yesterday was a fuck up. I didn't make it in to Central London and thus missed my upper body workout. And I didn't even do the cardio I had also planned to do! Not enough water, either. Top it off with a bowl (small bowl!!) of pasta for dinner instead of protein or salad and we have an off-track day. :mad: I've got to total the calories for yesterday. I don't think the damage was that bad, but yesterday isn't doing much for me in terms of progress.

Anyway, back on the wagon. I'm off to central London now and will get a weights workout and some cardio in this evening. Food has to be impeccable today.

8pm: Food has been great so far. Going out to see some music, but no drinking allowed. Need to get some more calories in... I'm running low today. Upper body workout was fun and good. Lots of pluses (rep gains) today.

12:30am: Missed protein for dinner because of the unexpected late night, so I swung into whole foods on the way to the gig and grabbed a protein bar (I know, I know) and a seaweed salad. Can't figure out how many calories were in the seaweed salad for the life of me, but on the whole I did ok. And no drinks for me, which is always a triumph... I love my beer! A good night.

Don't shoot me.. but what is pierogi? :)

Pierogi are Polish dumplings... sometimes mashed potatoes and onions, sometimes cheese, even strawberry. Potato and onion are the personal favorite. :eat::eat::eat:

WEEK 2 WEDNESDAY
WEIGHT: 9.9st (Home)
FOOD: F*D UP.
WORK: missed lower body

morning: I drank a fair amount of water yesterday but I still woke up this morning feeling dehydrated... and a tad higher on the scale. Who knows what that's about. I enjoy the daily weighing and don't pay too much attention to the number that shows up as long as nothing drastic happens - it's worth it to help me feel consistent and accountable.

A nice long day of school ahead, mostly catch-up stuff. I need to have some academic work days soon too but am having trouble getting motivated. One day at a time. Here we go. :)

Also, I saw The Chapman Family (http://www.myspace.com/thechapmanfamily) last night on a friend's recommendation. Enjoyed it. The drummer is out of his mind in a very good way.

Update: I fell apart. Didn't make it into London (fooled myself that it would be a good idea to work at home for the morning... NOOOO! That doesn't work. I get pulled into other things like grocery shopping etc and end up having a supremely unproductive day) and did well on food until the evening when I had a piece of gingerbread cake and crisps while playing a game with a housemate. AND I ate it after 9pm. What a sad sack.

Hey,

Good luck with your goals. I can appeciate how tough it can be in London sometimes. There is always something going on and everyone always wants to get smashed. I gave up drinking for 3 months earlier this year, though I still went out. Once people know you aren't drinking they almost make it their mission to get you to drink. I think I was offered more drinks during those few months than the rest of my life.

Yeah, motivation can be difficult at times. I've found it helps to think of my goals rather than that moment when you feel tempted. :nod:

WEEK 2 THURSDAY
WEIGHT: 9.8st (Home nekked) 9.8st (New gym, clothed + shoes)
FOOD: 1238 P35/C41/F25
WORK: lower body workout
hack: 70kgX12, 90kgX12, 100X12, 110X12, 120X6 (this machine felt very different - took me a while to work out the weights)
squat: barX12 (getting form down before I add weight again)
hypers: (no machine - will do at the old gym)
lat pull: 30kgX12, 11
one-armed row: 10X12,10
pullups: (no machine - will do at the old gym)

I thought the scale would be all over the place after last night's junk fest, but it's doing ok. That's encouraging, anyway.

THE WHAT-HAVE-WE-LEARNED WRAP-UP: I've learned that I can't stay home during the week or I: 1) don't get the work done I'd planned to, 2) often miss workouts and 3) mess up on food. So I'm back to school today and will keep coming whenever humanly possible while on the program.

The GOOD news is that I'm feeling supremely motivated (if a bit guilty) following my slipup. I want this to work and will eliminate bad behavior problems as I find them. The staying home is a big one. I'm more social when I come to Central London anyway, so it's a win all around to ditch the home-working.

Food is good so far. I'm trying out a new gym today (which I might get a free membership to through my insurance!! and a strange lucky discount will make the insurance near-free so... insurance and luxury gym membership for about £100/year!!) and will do my delayed lower-body workout there. My messup has put me off track on weights workouts for the week, which means I'll have to come into Central London on Sunday for a lifting session. Booo. I love having my Sundays at home. Serves me right, though. :lol:

4:30pm update: Just got back from the new gym. This would be a MAJOR upgrade for me... sauna, fancy new machines, pool, nice showers, free towels, etc... as long as my near-free insurance go through I'll be all set. Can't wait!

The only bad news is that I weighed myself on their scale (with my workout sweats and such) and came out at 9.7stone... so my old gym scale must run low. I'm still convinced my home scale is high (in part because it visibly tilts to one side... HA!), but I'm not the 9.5 stone my old gym scale has been telling me. Whatever. I'm less worried about the numbers themselves than seeing the numbers FALL.

Absolutely starving. Tuna now.

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY

Jesus do I love google. "bodybuilding female progress pictures" gave me this lovely picture. It's from a 12 week "body blitz" program. The time frame isn't important to me (I know from experience that I make SLOOOOW change even when I'm doing things right), just the pictures-- I love seeing what a difference some fat loss and muscle gain does to the female form. Muscle is so damned sexy.

Checking out profiles from bodybuilding.com today for a little inspiration, as I know it will be a few weeks before I see any changes. I'm loving This Chick, sarahchickfsu (http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/sarahchickfsu/) - we've got similar body types, although she lacks my man-calves. ;) Dropping ten pounds and adding muscle makes a hell of a lot of difference. Granted, I guess clothes help too.

After/Before:

eh... you can't really tell if there's a difference in those photo's... yes she looks different... but she's probably wearing heals (which really do make you look better), she's posing differently and she's wearing too much clothing... those two pictures could have been taken on the same day and you'd never know.... make sure that you take your progress pictures in the same outfit, the same pose (posses) and the same lighting if at all possible (ie: same time of day, same number of lights on or off and the same flash or lack of flash) all of those things can change how you look in a photo... just be consistant ;)

I keep seeing these pictures and thinking they of yourself. :confused:

Are we going to see proper pictures of your good self? :D

I keep seeing these pictures and thinking they of yourself. :confused:

Are we going to see proper pictures of your good self? :D

Yes, eventually. I'm taking new "before" pictures on October 1st and will load the first progress pictures (I think) on the 15th... although I might wait until the 30th just because otherwise I don't think they'll show any real progression!! :p

WEEK 2 FRIDAY
WEIGHT: 9.65st (Home nekked)
FOOD: 1167 48P/30C/22F
WORK: nada (missed my upper body workout, which I'll do tomorrow)

Eek! My gym membership runs out tomorrow and the new one hasn't started yet... which means I have to pay daily rates until the new one comes through. Le Sigh.

Lots of work to get through today. Wish me luck, all.

----
Got through the work but not the gym. I hadn't planned to gym tomorrow but will just rearrange the schedule to do an upper session on Sat and lower on Sunday. Boooo.

Lots of work to get through today. Wish me luck, all.

:gl: Good luck! :gl:

Someone explained it to me once...but how many pounds in a stone?

Someone explained it to me once...but how many pounds in a stone?

One stone equals fourteen pounds.

Although it's less accurate, the stone and pound system is easier to judge in terms of weight. In much the same way that while liquid in drinks in america is judged in fluid ounces, we use the mililitres measure here in europe, and it's not as intuitive.

Hmm, thanks Seltz.

Happy, are you saying that you think there's something intuitive about there being 14 lbs in a stone?

:confused:

WEEK 2 SATURDAY
WEIGHT: 9.7stone (Home nekked)
FOOD: didn't count (unplanned food) but probably around 1300
WORK: missed upper body

Oh no!!! I was planning to go on a hike today and completely overslept the alarm. Now I'm feeling guilted into going into Central London and getting some work done.

But fasted cardio first...

update: I am sucking badtime this week. No upper body (gym was closed!!) and no cardio. Food was good.

Hmm, thanks Seltz.

Happy, are you saying that you think there's something intuitive about there being 14 lbs in a stone?

:confused:

:lol: If there is, I can't find it!

WEEK 2 SUNDAY
WEIGHT: 9.75st (Home nekked)
FOOD: off-plan but within calories, need to calculate.

The gym was again closed as the school year starts up today, so I took yesterday as an unplanned rest day. I'm not happy about this week and my dedication during it, but I'm not going anywhere and I'm ready to re-start tomorrow.

Also saw Zodiac last night, with the Gyllenhall. It was good fun and properly scared my boyfriend.

WEEK 3 MONDAY
WEIGHT: 9.7stone
FOOD: 1083 37P/37C/26F
WORK:
flies: 4kgX12, 12
+incline flies: 4kg X8,7
+bench 10kgX12,10
pushdown: 35X6
dips: 30kgX10
+lat raise: 6kgX5, 4kgX12, 6kgX3, 4kgX6 (I add in the extra 4kg reps because I max out quickly on the 6's and don't feel like I've actually worked the muscle...
pullups: 25kg (assist) X8,7

Got up a bit late this morning and can't decide whether to do fasted cardio... Going to go get some water in me and then make a call.

3pm: The pouring rain made up my mind for me. I'm at school working away. Booring.

10:30pm: I never really worked up much of an appetite today so my calories are a bit low (and my morning peanut butter tipped my fat count!), but I'm happy to have gotten plenty of work done and gotten my upper body session in.

I've got a few more hours of work to do tonight, so I'm going to get to it now...

WEEK 2 SUNDAY
WEIGHT: 9.75st (Home nekked)
FOOD: off-plan but within calories, need to calculate.

The gym was again closed as the school year starts up today, so I took yesterday as an unplanned rest day. I'm not happy about this week and my dedication during it, but I'm not going anywhere and I'm ready to re-start tomorrow.

Also saw Zodiac last night, with the Gyllenhall. It was good fun and properly scared my boyfriend.

It was good, but don't you think it went on for aaaages?!

It was good, but don't you think it went on for aaaages?!

I didn't, but I can see what you mean. It did the same thing a lot of reality-based movies do (the movie is lifted from a real-life serial murderer story), where because there's a feeling of obligation to the original events you see the whole thing from start to middle to more middle to finish to epilogue to follow-up epilogue. :rolleyes:

But murder mysteries are fun, 70s costuming is fun, Gyllenhall's ok... so all right with me. :lol:

If you are talking about maggie gyllenhall then I would agree! :drool:

If you are talking about maggie gyllenhall then I would agree! :drool:

I adore her (Secretary!! :drool:), but Jake's all right. A wholesome prettiness.

I'll take your word on that.. ;)

I adore her (Secretary!! :drool:), but Jake's all right. A wholesome prettiness.

Wholesome? Most girls I've heard say he's got more of a dark/quirky look.

WEEK 3 TUESDAY
WEIGHT: 9.7st (Home nekked)
FOOD: need to upload -- macros way off but calories ok
WORK: none. Social evening with my new classmates. lower body tomorrow.

I'm late! Running off to London now for a very full day of work...

I adore her (Secretary!! :drool:), but Jake's all right. A wholesome prettiness.

Just reading through some journals for inspiration.
Thought I would say Hi, Hi :p
You seem to be really on top of things so I am sure there will be noticable progress by the 15th. Either way I will be sure to keep a tab on your journal.

I think both the Gyllenhalls are attractive, Maggie more so, and funnily enough I rented Secretary today, haven't watched it yet though.

:gl: with reaching your goals!
Arch

Just reading through some journals for inspiration.
Thought I would say Hi, Hi :p
You seem to be really on top of things so I am sure there will be noticable progress by the 15th. Either way I will be sure to keep a tab on your journal.

I think both the Gyllenhalls are attractive, Maggie more so, and funnily enough I rented Secretary today, haven't watched it yet though.

:gl: with reaching your goals!
Arch

Thank you!

And give us an update on Secretary. I adore that film. :drool:

Inspiration Of The Day

:eek: :spaz:

WEEK 3 WEDNESDAY
WEIGHT: 9.6st (Home nekked) :claphigh:
FOOD: So far so good...
WORK: lower body planned. Maybe a bit of cardio.

Met all the new coursefolk for my Masters last evening. I was reassured to see that the age average is a bit higher than last year and that they are all social as the dickens. I had half a glass of wine last night because I got sick of refusing drinks and explaining to a bunch of strangers that I'm in training... don't think a few swallows is going to hurt me! Last year this time I had around 6-7 glasses, so this is a major step forward of sorts.

I frequently get a bit depressed after these kinds of academic fetes because I don't get a sense of adventure or exploration from all the young academics... lots of talk of five-year plans and mortgages. But I woke up excited about getting back to academic work and am going to carry that enthusiasm through. I took the summer off to work and play, but now back to the reading. Giddens, here I come! :nod:

Have a lovely day, all. :neener:

5:30 update: eating the BEST apples EVER.

WEEK 3 WED, THURS, FRI
FOOD: Not so hot!
WORK: NONE!

A mini fall off the wagon this week. I don't have tracked calories for Wed or Thurs this week (although food was ok) and did not complete a single workout. Friday was an abomination - a scheduled cheat day that went overboard and included pasta, ice cream, chips, and alcohol. Ooohhhh do I feel guilty.

In the past I probably would have used this as an excuse to quit for a while and start over because I hate having failure logged in a muscle gain/fat loss attempt. But perfectionism is the demon here.. I need progress, not an A+ at getting fit. I put a lunch together Friday night to make sure that I got back on the wagon Sat, and that's worked well.

Oh, and lunches? If I don't make them, things eventually fall apart. Have to remember that. Planning in advance is the only way for me to make the food work - I often leave around 10am and don't get back until 11 or 12 at night, so i don't have a chance to correct lack of planning during the day without expensive grocery runs in Central London.

Phew. Moving on with my life...

WEEK 3 SATURDAY
WEIGHT: 9.7st
FOOD: so far so good
WORK: lower planned

A heavy work day today... trying to get a bit more done before I hit the gym. Brought all my food today, which is helping me feel a little less ghastly after yesterday's bona fide binge. Ugh. Too much grease in my system right now...

But perfectionism is the demon here.. I need progress, not an A+ at getting fit.

I like that :tu: I think I might put it in my sig. Have fun with your lower body.. hmm that sounds suss.. but you know what I mean :p

not dead, just buried.

I was taken for a surprise trip and then have been on a planned trip to Poland, so no updates. I'll be back tonight... ready to work off all of the pierogi weight.

Diet? Exercise? Ehm.... Didn't happen.

not dead, just buried.

I was taken for a surprise trip and then have been on a planned trip to Poland, so no updates. I'll be back tonight... ready to work off all of the pierogi weight.

Diet? Exercise? Ehm.... Didn't happen.


sounds like some fairytale prince came, picked you up and flew you to a romantic place where he got down on his knee and proposed to you.....;)

YAY for suprise trips. :)
Glad to see you back though :D

Hi guys!

Have been sick since I got back to the UK and am finally feeling back on my feet again... nothing serious - doc says it's just a particularly nasty virus that's taking it's sweet time to heal.

I'm going to have a whole lot of rebuilding to do come tomorrow (today I'm tracking food again but am going to wait on lifting or cardio as I'm not tip-top)... see you then!

sounds like some fairytale prince came, picked you up and flew you to a romantic place where he got down on his knee and proposed to you.....
Who told you?! :eek:

I tried to keep it a secret and everything! :cry:
;) :lol:

:eek:

:lol:

So I'm getting my food back on track, went running again, etc... No gym today, but I'll post food totals and such later this evening.

I'm needing the lifting back... academic work and money work are combining to produce one stressed-out kitten.

Solution... STEVIE WONDER! STAT! :tu:

Work & Money are always stressful. :(

:wave:

Hi all!

4 days back into proper eating and lifting/cardio... let's give it a week before I start properly posting again.

Oh, the slip and slide...v :lol:

Back on the horse, anyway. :tu:

Nice to see you again! ;)

Congrats on getting back on the horse!

Good luck :tu:

Off to do my upper workout... ;)

How is life? :)

How is life? :)

Life is good! :nod: I'll check in with you soon.

Happy 2008, everyone!

Off to my first day back at the office with turkey and green beans in hand.

Finishing up the morning egg whites, oatmeal and raspberries. I love that I don't have to show up at 9am... :lol: I'll be checking in later today.

Love to all of you! Here's to a happy continuation of old goals and the successful beginnings (and middle and ends) of new ones!

----
Today is a catch-up day... banking, invoicing, etc. Trying to get more substantial stuff done later...!

Ate my apple snack and part one of the turkey and spinach and green beans powerhouse combo. More later. Trying to be better about spacing my meals apart -- when I'm online with training, I usually eat the right stuff but don't spread it into more than three or four meals. Wish me luck.

Running off to meetings...
----
Good food the rest of the day, plus about 2 hours of walking. Still holding off on the gym until my pulled back heals up!

Back at the office. Out of the gym again until my back heals up... perhaps time for a walk or something else today, but the focus is on keeping the food right.

So eggs and oatmeal again, cod and veggies and clementines so far today. I've got dinner at a Polish restaurant tonight... the major goal here will be good food choices and SMALL portions... :lol: No pierogi! :cry:

London is grey as grey can be. I am consoling myself by perusing the prez race gossip. What a change... Interesting candidates in American politics? :eek: For realz? :eek:

:lol:
---------
6:40 -- awww, no polish restaurant. One of the friends we were treating have canceled due to migraine... injustice... no pierogi...

Listening to Jens Lekman and trying to get my backlog of work done. Blegh.

Good to see you back in business, I will be sure to keep an eye on your journal!

Hi Archie! :tucool: Good to see you back too!

Breakfast in bed this morning for another very late start and then a day back at work... on a SATURDAY... But I'm hoping to go see fun stuff at the Tate Modern Gallery tonight (http://www.timeout.com/london/art/events/574785/louise_bourgeois.html), so the weekend ain't all productive money-grubbing and academic toil.

I've got to decide on a dissertation topic, folks. Wish me luck. :tu:

POSH GYM MEMBERSHIP STARTS MONDAY! By which time my back will have healed up. :bb:
-----

Hour 5 of web editing.

SIGH.

Ohhhhh, pretty (http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?num=12&parent_id=1056419&word=&snum=&s=&notword=&d=&c=&f=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&imgs=12&pNum=)....

Pretty? :nono:

Happy Monster: Pretty? :nono:

Yeah, yeah. But... the pictures... the inks... the colors...

Enh!! :lol:

new Gym Today!!!

So, new gym is fantastic. I've been working out in my old school gym, a dingy, non-ventilated, outdated, dirty, broken down, over-populated, bad hours, smelly, muscle head, all-together awful place. It had - count-em -- 3 elipticals, 2 treadmills, and a couple of broken bikes, all from circa 1984. The weight machines were falling apart, and the competition for the one set of free weights was intense.

And had anyone in there EVER seen a girl in the squat cage before? Not so much.

Boyfriend bought a subscription to the posh gym around the corner, complete with pool, loooads of cardio equipment, free towels, working showers, multiple weight sets, and FREE CLASSES.

I've died and gone to heaven.

Did an upper workout and 20 min on the elliptical ([ADMIN EDIT: NO POLITICS - COMMENT REMOVED]). Feeling great and can't wait to go back today.

Have a lovely day, all! :tu:

Enjoy the new Gym... a little jealous over having the pool!! I miss swimming.

I already have such a Gym, but it's expensive.. :(

[ADMIN EDIT: NO POLITICS - COMMENT REMOVED]

I got back into the Gym on Tuesday for a class (one of those modern hybrid boxing/tai chi/karate/kickboxing etc monstrosities! But good fun and definately sweat-worthy. :lol:) and then back yesterday on Thursday for a lower body session. I didn't leave enough time for it and did an abridged session - still working out how long it takes to get from work, etc. I'll avoid that in the future.

I also picked up a new bucket of protein, which I've been without for weeks. I do ok on getting the protein in the diet, but there are some times when I'm staring at a tin of tuna and can't physically force myself to open it, or when I've expected to go home and end up going out with friends before my last meals, where it comes in very handy. I was out of eggs this morning and just had my first scoop. I used twice the water necessary by accident and... blegh. That's why things have directions.

Hope you all enjoy the day. I'm thrilled that it's Friday and looking forward to getting out in London this weekend. Boyfriend hasn't gone clothes shopping since, well, EVER, and has requested that I help him fill in the gaps in his wardrobe. We both hate shopping, but it will get us out to areas of the city we aren't usually in.

And back to the gym today! Wonder if there's a class going...

Your class exploration reminds me of myself last year when I had time to go to any class I liked. :cry:

Enjoy it!

I like shopping, it's a shame neither of you two does. However it looks like it might be a wet weekend, so maybe that can be an excuse to skip it! ;) :lol:

I've been crap at getting my food in line but good about getting to the gym... which means I'm only getting half the story and won't see any progress. Trying to get that back on track.

Would love to go to a class tonight but have tickets for Mahler -- truthfully, I think I'd rather be spending the evening burning some energy than hearing a symphony I know well, which is unusual for me. Ah, well.

Upper workout last night, a brief lower workout today.

I also picked up a new bucket of protein, which I've been without for weeks. I do ok on getting the protein in the diet, but there are some times when I'm staring at a tin of tuna and can't physically force myself to open it, or when I've expected to go home and end up going out with friends before my last meals, where it comes in very handy. I was out of eggs this morning and just had my first scoop. I used twice the water necessary by accident and... blegh. That's why things have directions.

I had to giggle at this as I've done this before.:lol: While I still haven't found one I like in any shape.. when mixed with too much water, it was so repulsive I couldn't even choke it down!

I had to giggle at this as I've done this before.:lol: While I still haven't found one I like in any shape.. when mixed with too much water, it was so repulsive I couldn't even choke it down!

Today I mixed a scoop of strawberry whey protein with a cup of oatmeal. That will now become one of my 'snacks' or post workout meals. :drool:

Just Read though your journal. Good luck with getting everything back on track. Although, what ever happened to those progress pictures lol :spank:.

Either way, your giving it a great shot. I reckon you will see some great results once you get a good stretch of consistent effort.

:gl:

Yes, pics would be good. Of course I might be biased.. :confused: