A Good Day...!

Happy Monday lovely TiUers! 

Today's check-in: M1: oatmeal, cinnamon, apple = delicious (and I don't like oatmeal...), coffee with dairy-free milk, M2: Cinnabon Smoothie, decaff coffee with semi-skimmed milk, M3: 5 x Black pepper oatcakes, 100g wafer thin turkey, cucumber, tomato, carrots, pukka detox tea, M5: 2 x lamb loin chops, rocket salad, beetroot, carrot, spring onion, curly kale. Having my Meal 4 Nakd bar for dessert :)

Feeling really proud about today because food has been totally en pointe - no binge in sight! 

I have also worked out so hard, today! 

This morning I completed day 2 of week 1, couch to 5k. I did this on the treadmill at the gym and followed it with 30 mins on the elliptical and then walked home. This afternoon I did 40 mins of yoga (Yoga with Adriene on YouTube) then I did the Bikini Body Routine and the 4th July workout. I've racked up 9 miles towards my #250towedding (brother's wedding in November).

Good times. 

Today has been a good day.

The New Gym...

Today I was introduced / inducted to my new gym. I had an appointment with one of the trainers who put together a low-impact cardio and conditioning programme for me which I need to do at least 3 times at week. The programme consists of the following:

10-15 minutes on the treadmill, 1% incline, 2.5-3mph (all the machines measure in miles rather than kilometres).

10-15 minutes on the recumbent bike followed by 10-15 minutes on the elliptical machine, level 3

I then have some conditioning work to do...

3 sets of 15 reps each of the following:

Lower Back Machine, oblique work...

TRX reverse fly, TRX bicep curls, left and right, TRX tricep pushes, left and right.

Swiss Ball work - squats with arm raises

10-15 minutes on moonwalker.

I am also planning on doing some classes and will be keep up with the couch to 5K programme, as well as the TiU workouts! I need to push through to keep mobile - my neurologist is pleased that I am prioritising my health and fitness. I am pleased too!

My nutrition still needs some work - like remembering no dairy or carbs after Meal 3 etc., and I need to make sure I'm not sabotaging my hard work.

When I write it out, it seems so stupid that I struggle to respect myself and yet I do struggle. Time and time again. This is a very interesting journey upon which I have embarked and I am learning so much about myself along the way.

I'm stronger than I realise. I have to remember that.

First Week of Summer!

The first week of summer is here! How quickly did that go?! I'm so pleased that summer has finally arrived and I get to spend more time outdoors!

Keeping myself active is one of the weapons I have in my arsenal from overeating / eating the wrong things. The more active I am, the more I get out of the house, the less time I have free to dwell on unhealthy ideas such as bingeing.

I have banned the scales from my house and I have decided to only weigh myself very sporadically. I'm not sure yet if I want to know the number on the scale or not. The reason I banned the scale was because I was weighing myself multiple times a day and I was getting so hung up about the number! I was missing the whole point of this journey, which is to build my health and fitness levels - the weight loss should actually only be a side effect of  me feeling awesome. The problem was, even when I was eating right and exercising well, the number on the scale dictated whether I felt awesome or rubbish. Sadly, it was usually the latter; so the scales have been banned.

It was actually very refreshing to begin my week completely clueless about my weight and to just eat well because it felt good! I stuck to my plan all of yesterday, only lean, clean and green passed my lips. It was a pretty heavy workout day though, so my calories did go over 2000. I'm not letting that worry me though, since I started my day with a little yoga, swam solidly for 30 minutes, then completed week 1 workout 1 of the couch to 5K programme (it was killer).


I want to spend this week focussing on making myself feel better - physically and emotionally and I think that removing those dastardly scales from my life may just have been the first baby step in a long journey.

Fitness Haul and Tone It Up Check-In

I wanted to catch up with you all and also show off the goodies that I bought this week at Cheshire Oaks - I thought a video with be a bit quicker than a long blog post - so here we are!

I will make a separate "What's in My Gym Bag" video with a review of the Nike gym bag I picked up as soon as possible. 

Have healthy days!

Clare x

Operation 50 - Staying Focussed and Reviewing My Goals

Hey TIU girls!

Operation 50 is well underway now - week one is almost over!! How did that happen?? It's been a rollercoaster type of week - I started strong on Monday and killed it with the Spring into Summer Cardio workout. I was really proud of myself and I ran on the treadmill for the first time I can remember, so that made me feel fantastic! I pushed myself out of my comfort zone on Tuesday and went to an Aqua Fit class, which I really enjoyed! It was a lot of fun and didn't feel like I was working out - I was just splashing about and having fun, so I will definitely go back to that next week.

I have been struggling with bingeing this week. So far, I binged on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday was thankfully binge-free and I am planning on today being binge-free too! It's so disappointing when I mess up on my nutrition plan because 80% of getting slim is going to come from nutrition and 20% from fitness. I've been working out really hard this week and my nutrition has been the tripping point. I now have 2.5 days to eat really well in order to try to bring things back on track before Monday's weigh-in and measurement day.

To keep me on track, I wanted to revisit my goals for #Operation50:

1. Bring weight down to 199lbs or less
2. Wear a UK size 16 or smaller (bust 102cm, waist 84cm, hips 110cm)
3. Be able to run constantly for 30 minutes

November feels like it is so far away but the reality of it is that there are only 165 days away and I don't have any room to mess up. This is it. I must do this. I owe this to myself - this body is going to be with me for my whole life, so I need to treat it kindly and with respect. 

I also have some interim goals that I want to achieve along the way:

Family Barbeque

My little brother is finishing primary school on July 25, so my step-mum and Dad are hosting a barbeque to celebrate on July 26th. I won't have seen my family since my birthday (May 6), so I want them to be able to see that I'm shrinking! I also want to have a lovely outfit to wear and will take some TIU-approved goodies to have on the day!

There are only 42 days until the barbeque, so I really need to make these 42 days count! I would like to be below 245lbs by the time of the barbeque and I would like to have a new summery outfit to wear on the day. 

Summer Holiday

I have only got 56 days until my summer holiday on 9th August. The hubby and I are going to France and Germany and are wanting to be as active as possible. I want to get down to 238lbs or less by the time of our holiday. We are camping and fitting a plus-sized body into a sleeping bag is a nightmare, so I don't want to have to squeeze myself in - I want some wiggle room!! I also want to be fit enough that I can go cycling daily with my hubby and I can enjoy our time away. 

October Break

In October, Phil and I want to go to London for a weekend to enjoy a short break with each other and to catch up with some old friends. We will probably go the first or second weekend in October, which means I have around 112 days until then. I want to be approaching my goal by October. I don't want to weigh any more than 220lbs by October 31st, which only leaves me 3 weeks in November to get to my goal weight!

What are you health / fitness goals? 

Operation 50 (Well, 67 really, but who's counting?!) Are you game?

On top of Multiple Sclerosis, I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Basically, there are cysts on my ovaries and my hormones are messed up. There is some basic information about PCOS from the NHS here.

Some of the weight gain (not all, I have a poor relationship with food), is down to the PCOS and as a result, I see an endocrinologist every 6 months. I had my third appointment on Wednesday and the endocrinologist set me a challenge. To get down to 190lbs by my next appointment. My next appointment is on 26th November 2014. I am challenging myself to lose AT LEAST 50lbs (hence #Operation50). 

The support from the Tone It Up community has been immense and I really feel that I can do this if I continue to work with my TIU team and keep motivated. 

I think it would be really great if there were a group of us who took part in #Operation50. Obviously, not everyone is going to have 50lbs to lose - but we do all have our own goals. #Operation50 would be an opportunity to make a promise to ourselves to treat our bodies with the respect it deserves, to provide it with the fuel it needs and to work out, get fit, build our confidence and spur each other on as a team from now Monday 9th June until November 26th. 

Anyone want to join in? If so, we can start using the #Operation50 on Twitter & Instagram and maybe set up a group within MyFitnessPal / The Tone it Up Community? 

Let me know what you think! 

You are all amazing! 

Clare xx