MontyV8Girls fat loss journal

[MontyV8Girl]

Hi people!! I've been putting it off for a few weeks now (nerves I guess), but I'm going to start documenting my fat-loss progress for the whole world to see.

Background stuff:

24 years old, have been exercising on and off since I was 18. I had a gym membership for a couple of years, but found it too easy to put off going and only wound up working out about 2-3 times per week. Just enough to gain a bit of muscle but not enough to lose fat. I've now got a small home gym consisting of a bench, dumbells and a small stack of weights, and a swiss ball. I will be getting a bar next week, and have a boxing stand on lay-by to go with my boxing bag :) and I also have an exercise bike for my cardio stuff.

Since I've pulled my finger out and started working-out more, I've lost 7kg (15lbs) down from 82kg (180lbs) - but it's taken me about 3months to achieve this. Me thinks my diet might have had something to do with it :)

I'm now starting to take other peoples advice from the forums and articles I've been reading in bb.com. I've never had a really bad diet, I'm not a big junk food eater but I do tend to over-indulge in things like chocolate, nuts, and cookies so I avoid buying this stuff or I'll eat it all in one go - I also put on weight very easily.

I work afternoon shift 3pm-11pm in a factory, so I only really cook on the weekends. In winter I'll cook big batches of food that I can freeze and take to work during the week, but I mostly wind up eating wraps and sandwiches for lunch at home, and dinner at work.

Any way, here's what I eat in a typical work day:
(I've tried to work out calories as accurately as I can)

9am: 1 cup bran with low fat milk - 289 cals
10.30 (post w/o): Protein powder with 1/2cup lowfat milk & 1/4 cup oats blended in - 323 cals
1pm: 1 sandwich on whole grain bread, fruit - 315 cals
5.45: 2 salad & chicken or tuna wraps - 454 cals
8.35: No fat yoghurt, musli bar, fruit - 279 cals
11pmish: fruit or a bowl of cereal - 60-289 cals

All that comes to nearly 2000 calories a day. I'm a big eater by nature, so I find it really hard to restrict my portions etc. I really feel the hunger pains if I don't eat enough so any suggestions here will be muchly appreciated.

Woah! I just realised how much I've written! I hope this doesn't put anyone to sleep :) it's only an intro anyways. I'll do my weight and measurments then I'll be on my way:

Hight: 165cm (5'5 I think)
Weight: 75kg (165lbs)
Chest: 95.5cm (37.6in)
Waist: 80.5cm (31.69in)
Abdomen: 89cm (35.04in)
Hips: 97cm (38.19in)
Thigh: 66cm (25.98in)
Calf: 39.5cm (15.55in)
Upper Arm: 30cm (11.81in)
BF% (according to mybodycomp.com): 31.98%

I'll get my hubby to take 'before shots' of me tonight, but I won't post them until I have some after shots - I don't want people to see my fat body while it's still fat :)

[MontyV8Girl]

Thought I'd better start a new post for my workout stuff, my intro post was starting to look more like a chapter in a novel :rolleyes:

I'm a bit limited by what I can do because I workout at home. I've decided to have 3 workout days then a rest day to have like a rotating cycle that goes: day1 upper-body; day2 lower-body & abs; day3; cardio & abs
I'm aiming to get 5-6 workouts in a week

Today was day1, Upper body stuff:
D/B shoulder press: 3x 8, 9kg d/bs
1 arm D/B rows: 3x 15, 9kg d/bs
Incline D/B flys: 3x 12, 9kgs
Standing D/B curls: 3x 12, 9kgs
Tricep 'nose bleeders': 3x 12, 2x 4.5kg d/bs
10min warmup on bike & stretches

Food: 11am (got up late :cool: ) bran cereal
post workout 1pmish: protein shake with oats
4pm: 2 banana sandwiches brown bread

It's now 8.35pm and I haven't made dinner yet, but it will be salmon steaks with salad & mushrooms, and I think that will be it for the day. This looks pretty bad for today, but I have to be honest :o

[imperfectly_lou]

Welcome to the board from a fellow Aussie! Congratulations on your weight loss so far :)

[StlBarbie]

Welcome aboard and congrats on all that you have already achieved!!! :)

[MontyV8Girl]

Thanks for your comments guys!!!

I did cardio & abs today, and I've decided I want to be able to do good push-ups so as of today I do them on cardio day. I did 3 sets of 5, but I can't go right down to the floor & back up again so at the mo they're only 1/2 pushups :)

Cardio (on my bike) went a bit like this:

Total time: 35mins
Calories burned: 595 (this is what my bike monitor says, it may or may not be accurate, but it is consistant)
Distance: 16.3 kms

3 min warm-up, 5 min cool down, keeping speed at about 23kms on level 1 (of 8)
The other 27 mins: I go on level 2 for my steady recovery pace and try not to let my speed drop below 29kms for this. I go hard at 35kms on level 3 and can handle this for about 1 minute then I rest for about 1min. This may not sound like much but I'm sweating and puffing for the whole workout :) I can't handle the higher levels right now but I'm working on it.

Abs/Lower back (swiss ball):
3x 20 side crunches (each side)
3x 20 supine crunches
3x 25 hyper extensions

Total workout went for 60 mins including stretches

[imperfectly_lou]

The calorie counters on machines are generally very inaccurate, especially when you don't enter your weight into them. 35mins on a bike, I would say it is more like 250-350cals at your bodyweight.

[MontyV8Girl]

Thanks, the bike doesn't have anywhere to put my weight in and I don't use it thinking I can eat more etc. I do like to record it though, for no real good reason other than I can compare it and it's there :) Do you know how to work out calories burned during exercise?

Today is rest day. Food yesterday went: 10.30: bran 289 cals; 12.00: protein shake 323 cals; 1.30: sandwich & watermelon 325; 5.45: 2 wraps 454; 8.35: yoghurt, musli bar, 2 peaches 299; 11.15: bran again 289; total = 1979

Food for today should be the same as yesterdays except I've cooked chicken breast for dinner tonight, I'll have to work out calories for that later. I hate counting calories!!!

[imperfectly_lou]

The most accurate way of calculating cals burned is to invest in a heart rate monitor... I have a Polar M21 and it is fantastic... helps me make sure that I am really pushing myself!

Can I make a few suggestions on your diet?

What sort of protein shake are you using? 323cals is a LOT for a protein shake, that is almost a weight gainer! Especially if you are eating only 1.5hrs afterwards. You are better off using a plain whey powder such as Optimum Nutrition which has about 23g protein and approx 120cals, and have it with a carb source such a banana or some oats.

I feel your diet may be a little bit too high in carbs, low in protein with too much food towards the end of the day. Things like bran, muesli bars etc are best left for earlier in the day, and I would actually keep it to one bran serving a day, or perhaps mix the second serving with cottage cheese as an afternoon snack.

[MontyV8Girl]

Weight gainer? :eek: !! I was going by what it says on the container: 153 cals per serve of protein powder (20gs protein per 40g serve) + 115 cals milk + 55 cals for oats. It didn't say on the container that it included milk so I assumed it didn't and added that on. The reason I eat later in the day is because I work from 3pm to 11pm, and go to bed about 2am.

About those carbs... umm... what can I say? They're cheap and easy :o Next shopping day I'll write a new shopping list, I've been eyeballing a few ppls egg white omlette recipes so I'll give them a go. I've seen some heart rate monitors on ebay, might check them out too. Thanks for your help!!

[MontyV8Girl]

Love the tight feeling in my legs today :)

Sumo Squats: 3x 20, no weights
Leg Kickbacks: 3x 20, 2kg ankle weights
Lunges: 3x 12, 9kg d/bs
Single leg calf raises: 3x 15, no weights

Hyper exts: 3x 25
Leg raises: 3x 15

15 min warm-up on my bike, total time 65mins incl stretches & w/up

Food today: I thought I'd try having breakfast after my workout because I realise that I'm eating my meals too close together earlier in the day. I had a banana before my workout though, coz I was hungry :) and after I had 1/2 cup bran blended together with 3/4 cup of L/Fat milk & 1 scoop of protein powder (I've only got about 2 scoops of it left Lou, so when that's gone I'll find a lower calorie one :) ) I had that at 11am, so I think now I'll try going to bed earlier & starting my day earlier so I can plan my meal times better.

For my lunch and dinner today I'll have everything I usually have in my sandwiches but in a bowl instead of between bread, and with a small can of tuna. That should up my protein and lower my carbs, for this week anyway until I can buy better food next shopping day.

When my weight drops under 70kg, I'll start posting pics. Hubby took some 'before pics' of me last night and, well, I look a lot fatter than I feel or thought I looked. Nothing like that kind of shock to get me motivated.

[imperfectly_lou]

Weight gainer? :eek: !! I was going by what it says on the container: 153 cals per serve of protein powder (20gs protein per 40g serve) + 115 cals milk + 55 cals for oats. It didn't say on the container that it included milk so I assumed it didn't and added that on. The reason I eat later in the day is because I work from 3pm to 11pm, and go to bed about 2am.

About those carbs... umm... what can I say? They're cheap and easy :o Next shopping day I'll write a new shopping list, I've been eyeballing a few ppls egg white omlette recipes so I'll give them a go. I've seen some heart rate monitors on ebay, might check them out too. Thanks for your help!!

Ok well if you are adding milk and oats, that makes sense... I thought it was just the protein powder! If you are going to have that, try to leave your next meal a little later, say 2hrs rather than only 1.5hrs. And also, I would do milk OR oats, not both....

I know, it is hard to figure out meals with enough protein in them. As a rough guide, aim for 20-25g of protein per meal...

[MontyV8Girl]

Front D/B raises: 3x 12, 4.5kgs
Reverse flyes: 3x 12, 4.5kgs
Incline d/b press: 3x 10, 9kgs
Concentration curls: 3x 12, 5.5kgs
Tricep Kickbacks: 3x 15, 5.5kgs

10 min warm up on my trusty bike with the very uncomfortable seat; total time 50 mins incl stretches.

I think I did a bit better with my food yesterday: 9.30am banana; 11am protein bran stuff; 1.30pm salad, handful of sunflower seeds; 5.45pm 1/2 tub of salad & tuna stuff with musli bar; 8.35pm rest of salad + yoghurt. Didn't feel hungry after work so that was good :) Food today will be virtually the same, & I still haven't worked out the calories yet :rolleyes: Kitchen scales have been added to my list of things to buy so I can work that stuff out more accurately.

[MontyV8Girl]

Cardio went for 26mins today: 3mins warm-up; 3mins cool-down; 20mins HIIT (or attempt at it anyway :) )
Abs (swissball) 3x 20 side crunches; 3x supine crunches

I was going to wait until Sunday to take my new measurements & stick them in mybodycomp.com & post them here, but I got impatient and did it today. The info below I gave in my first post was from November 6th, my intention was to do this monthly but 20 days is close enough...


Hight: 165cm (5'5 I think)
Weight: 75kg (165lbs)
Chest: 95.5cm (37.6in)
Waist: 80.5cm (31.69in)
Abdomen: 89cm (35.04in)
Hips: 97cm (38.19in)
Thigh: 66cm (25.98in)
Calf: 39.5cm (15.55in)
Upper Arm: 30cm (11.81in)
BF% (according to mybodycomp.com): 31.98%

November 26 weight & measurements:
Weight: 73kg (161lbs)
Chest: 93cm (36.61in) (bye breasts :( )
Waist: 78.5 (30.91in)
Abdomen: 84cm (33.07in)
Hips: 93.5cm (36.81in)
Thigh: 63cm (24.8in)
Calf: 39cm (15.35in)
Upper Arm: 29cm (11.42in)
BF%:29.43

[JLB04]

Wow, in 20 days you have some awesome results! Good for you :)

[MontyV8Girl]

Thanks Jenny :)

I had a 'rest day' yesterday, I worked 12 hours - and today I was still tired from yesterday. It's just too hot!! Plus I had to clean and do my grocery shopping - honest :)

Yesterdays food: 5.30am oats; 9.45am home-made fruit salad & no fat yoghurt; 12.35pm 2 banana sandwiches on brown bread; 5pmish 2 musli bars (I worked from 7am-7pm after finishing work at 11pm the night before :( ) 8pmish; left-over BBQ meat from the BBQ lunch my husband had with his mates while I was at work - no salad because there were no women there to make it :rolleyes:

I bought some kitchen scales when I went shopping today, so I can accurately work out my calorie intake. I will also start using fitday.

Food today was a bit all-over the place because I got up late and was so busy. I just had bran for breakfast, and I tried an egg-white omlette for lunch which didn't seem to agree with my tummy. My tummy felt bloated and gassy after it so I don't think eggs will be added to my menu any time soon - was quite tasty though. I made salmon steaks and salad for dinner tonight at about 6.30ish, and snacked on peaches and nectarines through the day. I don't seem to eat so well when I don't have work meals to plan for. Oh yeah... I had 'cheat' things today - a bottle of beer and 2 glasses of coke. I haven't had coke or beer for over a month now so it was a bit of a treat :)

[MontyV8Girl]

I've been doing 12hr shifts all week, and have been cleaning (getting the house ready for an inspection, & mother inlaws visit) in between sleeping. So, while I've been able to stick to my diet pretty well, I've not done any workouts :( I'm a bit dissapointed really, I look foward to my workouts and I'm really happy with my progress so far. I've got 1 more 12 hour shift tonight (this week anyway), but now I think I'll try to at least get a short HIIT session in if I can't do my regular routine.

I bought some new protein powder, it's a soy one and it tastes like flour. I hate it. It has 26.4gs of protein per 30g serve, and has approx 120 calories per serve. It's called 'Natures Way', and I saw it in the supermarket so I thought I'd give it a try. Next time I'm going to go see the lovely people at the Fitness Warehouse store where I've been buying my gym equipment from and talk to them about a better protein, and possibly some other supplements :) I tried hydroxycut for a couple of days but it gave me headaches, and had some other stuff on order - gugglebolic I think - but it never arrived. I'm doing alright on my own, but I wouldn't mind something to speed things along a bit :) All the good stuff isn't allowed in Australia :(