Fixing the body


Ok, this will probably be of no interest to anyone but me. It's not of much interest to me, only to record, and attempt to focus on, my progress . . .
I will briefly outline where I was, where I'm at, and where I would like to will be.

I'm 5ft 5" and my usual weight (in-between pregnancies) was 57kg (126lbs).  In my mid 20's and again at the height of my addiction, (1.6g day) aged 42, I weighed 53kg (119lbs).
After my daughter (5) was born, then being diagnosed with Emphysema and COPD, I drastically reduced my heroin habit to one bag (.2g) a day, sometimes two, I settled at 60kg (133lbs). This was a good weight for me and is what I'm aiming for.

During the last three years however, for various reasons: onset of menopause (?), celibacy, back ache from epidural . . .  age, methadone, chocolate, ice cream, cakes and lack of self-discipline I have gradually gained weight and now weigh 70kg (155lbs)!! I was only ever that weight at full term pregnancy.
So . . . I aim to lose 10kg (22lbs). Tone up. Firm up. Man up! Improve my lung function and stamina.

Two weeks ago I changed my eating habits.  When I'm back to my normal weight I'll allow myself a bit more freedom with food. We've always had good food, proper home cooked meals, but I did go a bit silly on chocolate, biscuits, cakes, puddings, magnums (ice creams) etc. I used to be able to get away with these things. I can't anymore. So I won't persist.

Foods


These are the foods I've allowed myself since 14th April. I choose from the list below, three or four times a day. I only have any one of them once a day, apart from the fruit salad . . . And I stop at 6pm. Apart from Saturday evening when I have a treat . . .WayHay!! I had a magnum. The new one, I can't remember what it's called.

  • Home made fresh fruit salad. (when the fruit was kept in the fruit bowl, I used to end up composting half of it . . . now it's chopped up into a huge fruit salad every couple of days, everyone loves it!) well they would. Lazy buggers.
  • Muesli/Alpen (no sugar) with semi-skimmed milk once a day.
  • 2 Poached eggs (from local farm) on two slices of seeded bread.
  • 2 Ryvita slices with low fat Philadelphia and tomatoes.
  • Tuna and cheese on two slices of toasted seeded bread.
  • A small bowl of Couscous with roasted veg and chilli mixed in.
  • Raw: Sugar snaps/mangetout/celery/carrot sticks . . . dipped in houmous.
  • Water, Water and more water with a squeeze of fresh lemon and/or lime.
My Weight
  • Starting at 70kg (155lbs)
  • Two weeks later 68kg (150lbs) (30th April)
  • Two weeks later 68kg (15th May)
  • Two weeks later 66kg (145lbs) (31st May) I put the weights, skipping and workout on hold as of the 7th May when I started walking four miles a day in order to get Hamper G to and from school. I am still eating the same foods as I listed and when I've become accustomed to the daily walking, I intend to start up with the weights, skipping and work-out again. I will still record my weight here for now.
  • Six weeks later 64kg (13th July) The school holidays begin today, so my obligatory 4 mile walk to and from school will be put on hold until September. I will try to replace this with other walks, skipping again, weights and workout . . . My goal was, and still is,  60kg . . . Only 4 kg to go. I am pleased with my progress in this area and am still only eating foods from my list above . . . plus one treat per week.

 

 

Fitness and Firming


Below is one set (for now I do just one set a day)

 

Skipping per day

  • My starting point was 120 jumps (3 x sets of 40 (20 slow/20 fast))
  • Two weeks later 320 jumps (4 x sets of 80 (40 slow/40 fast))

Sit-ups

  • Starting point 15 (ouch)
  • Two weeks later 30

Triceps Dips (using a solid heavy chair)

  • Starting point 3! (if anyone is reading this . . . don't laugh ;-) These buggers burn those shoulders)
  • Two weeks later 7! YAY

Press-ups (man press-ups)

  • OK, I'm still working on these! I can't believe I used to do 20 twice a day. I will record how many when it's no longer a fraction ;-)

 

 

 

Weights


Below is one set (again, one set a day for now)

 

Standing Bar-Bell Curls (12.5kg)

  • Starting at 10 curls
  • Two weeks later 15 curls

Standing Bar-Bell Curls (12.5kg) Overhand

  • Starting at 10 curls
  • Two weeks later 10 curls

Two arm Bar-Bell bent over Row (12.5kg) Overhand

  • Starting at 10
  • Two weeks later 20

Upright Row Bar-Bell (12.5kg) 

  • Staring at 10
  • Two weeks later 15

Single Arm Standing Triceps Extension (3kg)

  • Starting at 20
  • Two weeks later 30

Okee Dokee . . . I will up-date at three weeks on 7th May. I hope, as with most things, writing this down will help me to focus on the progress. We'll see . . .

9 comments:

  1. I LOVED reading this! Look at the progress you are making already! Once you get started it does feel good huh.

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    1. I only just realised I had comments here! and as I'm seriously OCD about answering every sinlge one . . .Yes, once I get started I'm glad I did, but I never, ever feel like getting started. I make myself! Good stuff. 20lbs Annette! I'm really impressed. I wonder if you had the reward ice-cream.

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  2. Oh Babe - I'm jealous LOL. My weight history was somewhat similar to yours - and I remember the horror of hitting 155 lbs. I did lose most of it then put that and more on, lost some, put that and more on again - now I'm about 188 (down a bit from my highest) but my body has become very efficient at holding the weight now that I'm 52. It was definitely easier when I was 40. In my mind though, I'm 130 anyway.

    Keep up the good work and don't be like me!!!

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    Replies
    1. Yes it was easier when I was 43, I did weights and stuff with Hampers dad. It was much quicker results, and he motivated me, pushed me to my limit (in more ways than one) . . . Buuuut, it can still be done. At any age, but you know that.
      I just have to do it, I can't bear to not be the shape I was . . . and as I said on my post, when I set out to prove a point . . . well, there's no stopping me.

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  3. Good for you!!!! I have a similar workout routine but I run up and down stairs rather than skipping rope. I am still not seeing the scale move much but I won't give up.

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    Replies
    1. No, don't give up. If you want it, you can do it.
      I almost live upstairs so I run the stairs about 20 times a day . . . But the skipping leaves me leaning over the kitchen counter almost dying . . . breathless and sweating like, well like someone who's just done 80 skips. It's vigorous. I think the harder the push yourself, the better the results. There's no reason why we can't be the same shape as in our twenties/thirties. Our bones are exactly the same. Keep at it Barbara, it will work :-)

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    2. It's not a whole lot of types of food that you're allowing yourself, but at least it looks like what you're choosing is healthy without being terribly restrictive, which is great! And then working out is important of course so you're not losing lean weight, or at least not as much lean weight, (used to do weights while eating only salsa or pickles for months and not a whole lot of it - oh boy is it creepy to go shaky and numb!) Anyway, that seems pretty good, following the whole healthy diet end exercise suggestion, and even seems like you were losing the suggested 2 pounds per week from it (ha which never worked on me.)

      Occasionally eye think eye should work on weight, but eye never seem to be able to do it without getting obsessive - don't really want that kind of commitment and yet another thing that can possibly make school unimportant at times, and it's when eye don't really care that eye don't think about food very much at all, although still eat healthily at least half the time just from having a taste for it, maybe from dieting on and off for so many years. The more focused on weight, it'll consume most of my thoughts.

      It looks like you are/were doing really well with this, and also think that it's great that you seem to be focused as much, or maybe more, on getting healthy over just vanity reasons. Having "better" reasons, such as maybe wanting to be able to run around and play with your kids, actually makes it more likely for someone to succeed, and also - keeping it that way! Reasons for me were ALWAYS superficial, maybe that's why eye'm never thin for more than a couple of years at a time!

      So you only have about 10 pounds to go? That's pretty good! Just try not to go backward over the holidays. Sticking to a treat per week, and more just on the ACTUAL holiday, eye'm sure you can accomplish it.

      Random fun stuff -

      Crimini (brown) mushroom caps microwaved, then put fresh salsa inside.

      Green Giant frozen vegetable packs - they come with cheese or butter sauces, but are actually pretty low in calories, believe under 200 each.

      Corn with Parmesan cheese

      Baked Potato with garlic bread mix for topping instead of butter. Not a clue what brand or where - that was mom's house in high school.

      Some protein bars are really good and have fun flavors. Not so much the ones in the bodybuilder's section (although think one wasn't too calorie rich and had fun fruity flavors) but more the low-carb kind.

      Planter's Skinless Almonds - sea salt and olive oil, chili and lime, cracked pepper and garlic/onion (do they still have those? Can't find them lately!)

      You already do the hummus thing so never mind that one. :)

      Got some weird deja-vu thing just a bit ago. have eye told you this already? Or is it eye'm still living the same life repeatedly and haven't yet made the decision that splits it to something different and then that's the last time eye have to do it over? :) (Don't get that as much as eye used to, just like a lot of psychic-ish and schizophrenic-like things... that's the "power of dope" for good and not so good.)

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