Overhyped resolutions and nifty tips about the ole' "weights or cardio first" argument

So it's been a month since my last post, admittedly, like everyone, things get a little lost around the Christmas/holiday season but generally speaking, I've (from what I can gather) not put on any weight. Huzzah!

However, given it is of course, the new year, I have made some rather bland resolutions.

Get fit, stay fit. Feel fit.


Duh.


So far so good, no cravings of any type. Have been eating my eggs for breakfast, although I have cut down from two to one, one is all I really need that early in the morning, might start adding some baby spinach for that extra hit of sweet, sweet nutrients.

Today I had my one egg for breakfast and a turkey wrap for lunch complete with lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Have just indulged in a delicious snack of a corn thin (unflavoured of course!) with turkey, spicy avocado and tomato with black pepper.

Pictured: Delicious snack
Not pictured: Copious drool.

It's also a crisp, fresh tasting snack that I always find great for Summer.


In terms of training, that part isn't going as well. I did manage to get to the pools and do three whole laps, 2.5 more than I've ever done before. There was a huge gap between the first and second, I won't lie. I also did a lot of intermittent aqua-aerobics that I had half composed myself (thanks uni!). Good way to mix it up.

I really don't have long now until Warrior Dash and have admittedly left it quite late to really kick myself into gear, but nothing like time pressure to motivate you into getting on track. The current plan is to get up hells early for cardio - endurance training, so as long as I can go for, followed by either weights or returning later in the afternoon for weights training.


What came first, the cardio or the weights?

I get asked this one all the time, so here's a little simple rule to go by.
 If your goal is to lose weight, then cardio before weights/strength training is the way to go. Studies (Drummond, Vehrs, Schaalje & Parcell, 2005) say that the reason for this is because your Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption - or EPOC (the science way of saying how much you've burned during exercse) burns approximately 20% more than if you were to do weights and then cardio.

However, if you're not such a fatty and building up strength and muscle is your priority, weights training should be your first (or only) workout. The reason for this is that your body has zero exhaustion (as in, more energy) and you can utilize the calories you currently have to fuel  your weight...pushing..ness. There's also a whole bunch of energy systems stuff for this I won't get too much into, but basically you haven't burned through them all yet, whereas you go through all three with doing cardio first (ATP-PC, anaerobic and aerobic).


Here's hoping I have a bit more training to write about tomorrow (and lets face it, more delicious snack pictures).


- MM


Reference:
Drummond, Vehrs, Schaalje & Parcell, (2005). Aerobic and Resistance Exercise Sequence Affects Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, Vol 19, (2). Accessed: http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2005/05000/Aerobic_and_Resistance_Exercise_Sequence_Affects.16.aspx

On a roll!

The last few days have been pretty good! Thanks blog followers!!

Yesterday my diet was pretty good, admittedly pretty fruity. I had half a banana for breakfast, a few nuts for a snack, chicken wrap (lettuce, tomato, chicken - admitedly a touch of sauce) and an amazing dinner!! Dinner was a salad with a lemony cajun, baby spinach, crushed walnuts, sliced mango and shredded coconut.

Delicious!

 It was the perfect thing to satisfy a sweet craving too! There was nothing this meal didn't have - flavour explosion, slightly sweet, good fats, proteins, greens, it was amazing. I was a little naughty and had a huge bowl of watermelon, which is where a bit too much fruit came into the equation.

I also drank a good two litres of water, finally!

Sadly, I didn't get around to exericse as I had expectations of doing more room rennovations which did not quite happen.


As for today, also so far so good! Had the other half of that banana for breakfast and was a tad naughty and bought an iced moccha whilst out this morning.

I was early to my friend's house and had to wait for her to have a shower. Her exercise gear is easily accessible so to entertain myself, I squished in a quick workout!

I managed to do three sets of sit ups (10 regular, 10 side, 10 leg lowers/raises), attempted 8 pull ups and did two sets of weighted squats which really got me sweating!


It's a fine example of how to utilise spare minutes to get a bit of a sweat going. It's also applicable for incidental exercises. See a set of stairs? Run up them and enjoy that burn!

Had a turkey, ham and (naughty) salami wrap with avacado for lunch and am antipating more mango salad for dinner.

Hypoxi and a New Attitude

So, since we last left off two fairly big changes have been made to my life.

1. I started hypoxi.

2. I broke up with my boyfriend.


So in other words, I was able to drop some dead weight. And then I started hypoxi (boomtish!).


I'm going to begin with the break up first. It was June, I was sluggish, fat, unmotivated and stuck in god awful rut of a relationship that was fueled by food and bad habits of every kind. I had more or less given up dancing, was inactive and generally quite depressed, bitter and resentful of my partner for making me this way.

So I changed it.

Ending a relationship that's toxic can be a lot like starting a new one. In fact it is a new one, it's a reconnection with the self. And that is exactly what I started to experience.

Immediately I began to feel a little revitalised, I no longer felt trapped and I felt like I was able to happy and free with no set backs or burdens. Within the month, I had multiple people compliment me on my vibrance - whatever I was doing was obviously working quite well for me!

I didn't start a new exercise regime straight away, I didn't need to just yet. I was just happy rediscovering who I was on my own. I found myself deliberately doing some tid bits of incidental cardio just for the brief thrill (jogging up stairs and loving that burn, anyone?).
What it did do, was set me up for a new, fresh mindset that was accepting and ready to make a positive change.

Hypoxi

Whilst training was supposed to start in August for Warrior Dash, I caught a bit of a nasty virus with a lingering, deep cough that limited more or less anything I tried to do workout wise. Around mid-September, it had disappeared enough for me to try something I have been wanting to try for years - hypoxi.

Hypoxi is amazing. For those that don't know, the general idea of it is to pedal consistantly on a bike, keeping your heart rate in the fat burning zone (varies slightly depending on size, but average around 130-140 bpm). This is no ordinary bike, no sir. The bike part of the machine sits in an air tight chamber, with a vacuum that happens every so often. The idea of this is that it draws the blood to your colder areas of your body - your fat areas. It's meant to be for targetted weight loss in those stubborn areas such as stomach, hips and thighs.

 No one laughs this much during hypoxi.

The results I got were amazing. Obviously, you also need to eat well. This is no miracle cure where you can eat fat all day long and still get skinny (aren't those things always skeptical?) Given I (generally) eat a moderately clean diet, this part was quite easy to maintain. The best way to get results is to do this in a set of 12 sessions over a month which equates to roughly every second day. At face value, you're at least doing 30 minutes of cardio every second day - good stuff, right?

 

After week two of this, I also returned to the gym where I have loyally been doing one personal training session with my old trainer a week, so that was the only other exercise I was doing. After two weeks, I was already getting complimented on how much "weight" I had lost and how great I was looking. An added benefit of hypoxi is that it's also great for your skin and reducing cellulite. This machine is all kinds of amazing.

 

There are other things you can add to your "package" to enhance results such as using the hypoxi body suit thing which is basically a lymphatic drainage suit or you can use the vibraplate for 10 minutes before hand to stimulate blood flow, so I did that as well.

 

Whilst it left a $800 hole in my wallet, I really have to say it was money well spent. The fact that it does cost so much was actually an added incentive. If I wanted to eat something bad, I'd just think "I really do not want to waste that eight hundred bucks. I should probably not eat this." My results are as follows:


 

Before Hypoxi (8.10.12):                                         After Hypoxi (6.11.12):           

                           

Weight: 70.9kg                                                             Weight: 69.2kg

Waist: 79.5cm                                                               Waist: 72.5cm

Stomach: 96.5cm                                                           Stomach: 90cm

Hips: 100.7cm                                                                Hips: 97.4cm
Bottom: 107.4cm                                                           Bottom: 103.4cm

Legs: 92cm                                                                     Legs: 87.1cm

Relaxed Leg: 56cm                                                        Relaxed Leg: 53.4cm

Contracted Leg: 57.5cm                                                 Contracted Leg: 55.2cm

Knee: 36.8cm                                                                 Knee: 35.5cm

 

                                                 TOTAL CM LOSS: 31.9cm

                                                 TOTAL KG LOSS: 0.8kg

 

DAFUQ.

 

So given how stubborn my body is, evidently I was hella pleased with these results. I really wish I had taken before and after photos, the waist and leg difference is incredible. As always, my hips were stubborn, but I was pretty damn happy with this. I will most definitely be doing more once I can gather up the monies.
My weight had barely changed, but the measurements speak for itself. At the end of the day, that's what you're counting anyways.

Can only go onward and upwards from here!


-MM

Relapse and Many New Things

Guh I haven't posted since June.

Which basically sums up a whole relapse that obviously happened. Just goes to show just how much keeping a blog can help you stay on track.

I have decided to take on Warrior Dash in February (even in the heat - I know. Believe me, I know.) and was meant to start training in August.


So that didn't happen.

Or in September.

October I did some things.


So in 3 days, serious training begins, and you are going to hear it all. I'm going to do a bit of a mass blog today, I have some things to catch y'all up on. (Yes, I said y'all.)

-MM

Crap, its been a while. More fat and the Endo

Crap indeed.

As predicted, when I don't blog I eat worse and who knew, I've put on about 5kg. Stupid body.

Not that I can blame my body too much. I did eat quite a bit of crap for a week or so. I was highly strung and stressed out beyond belief for about two weeks where I was barely eating. I managed to lose 2kg which was fantastic (albeit, not healthy)! However, when I started to eat properly again I put on 5kg in one week. That's when you know your body just ain't right.

I also finally got around to visiting the endocrinologist. After some reviewing of my test results and some poking and prodding at my jiggly bits, she (happily) decided that she didn't need to give me the lifestyle lecture most of her patients receive and that I was seemingly doing the right thing.

I have a few more pre-diabetic tests to go through, but so far she seems to think that I might have a mild case of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (or PCOS) which is what my suspicions also were. Basically what this means is that my hormones suck and make losing weight extremely difficult. It can also explain why I don't "bulk up" when I do lots of gym work so it's comforting to know that I'm not a pathetic moron and that there is a genuine cause for these issues.

Next on the to do list is a resting metabolic rate test which can be done at RPA in Sydney. Basically all that involves is sitting in a bubble and watching tv whilst some doctors stare at some screens (presumably not the same ones) and examine how fast my resting metabolism is. This is supposed to reflect my dietary habits so I'm worried that if I have an additional metabolic issue that they'll say the usual "well there must be something you're not eating right" and refer me to a dietician. And the circle starts again. But here's hoping it doesn't come to that and they can work out what is going on in there.

After this, I am possibly a candidate for surgery. I was taken through some of the options and the two most favourable ones are gastric band/lap band surgery or cutting up my stomach if it has been stretched from adolescence. Even though my portions are under control, apparently the banding still works. Somehow.

 I am a little concerned to get it done as it has a bit of a stigma attached to it (mostly a self inflicted one from myself). As soon as you say "I've had gastric band surgery" people imagine you as some fatty who eats everything in the house and then starts to eat the house itself, in an uncontrollable food rage. People flee the streets from the ever growing blob until FINALLY a skilled surgeon takes it down with nothing but a band, popping it back into a normal citizen!!!

But whatever helps, helps right?

I'm hoping something is found, surgery scares me. I don't really want people all up in my business, slicin' and dicin' my organs Jamie Oliver style, but if that's what it takes, that's what it takes.


-MM

Easter - Jesus dies so we can get fat

So Easter sucks.

To give you the best way on how to handle Easter, I have made a nice "to do" and "not to do" list.

Do:
- Enjoy yourself at Easter, have an egg, live a little!
- Find some kind of exercise to do - just because the gym is closed, doesn't mean you don't have legs to walk/run or heavy things to lift.
- Check the calories per chocolate. It will help give you some perspective in order to stay in control.
- Remember to eat lots of real eggs, keep up those protein stores!
- Try to ensure your meals are very clean and lean today - you don't want to build up more calories on top of the chocolate treats.

Don't:
- Overindulge. You can definitely "treat" yourself, but don't eat all of the chocolate you receive at once using the "but it's Easter!" excuse. Your stomach will hate you, your fat cells will love you and your mind is going to punch "past you" in the face.
- Trick yourself into thinking you can go to the gym the following day and just burn off everything you just ate. Chances are, you don't have the stamina or the stomach for doing the five hours straight of cardio it would take to theoretically burn off the 1400 calories you consumed in chocolate alone.
- Think that because you're eating chocolate, all of your other meals should be rubbish because you've "ruined the day's diet".


Hopefully these little tricks will help keep your head (and guts!) clear this Easter long weekend. Hope you're all having a great holiday off work!


-MM

Parents ruin food

Parents ruin food, they really do.

Today's original eating plan was:

2 x scrambled eggs for  breakfast
1 x small handful of unsalted nuts (mmm, almonds!)
1 x beef mince and bean wrap with tomato salsa
Something and something.



Dad decided to take a day off today and as such, I ended up being involved in many of his errands. I got awoken early being told that I had a McDonalds breakfast muffin waiting for me which I wasn't going to deny being half asleep. Already, I had a bad start. I was hauled around a few shops and I was positively dying from thirst as I'd usually have a litre of water by this time. The weather being pretty warm did not do me any favours. After much nagging, I finally got two small bottles of water, huzzah!

Of course, a dodgy lunch was wanted. I refused to have McDonalds for lunch, although I did succumb to a 30c cone after staring at some teenagers eating them. Let this be yet another strike for the lesson of "never look at something tempting - walk away". I ended up being able to hold off until home where I did manage to get my awesome wrap.

For dinner, I had enough left over for another wrap and thought I'd make something similar with some spinnich thrown in. But alas, Dad had other plans. It was two for one schnitzel night at the pub on Mondays, so we trotted off to that because he couldn't be bothered cooking after a long day. I had it as healthy as I could, no cheese and with baked veggies and mash that I ate about a quarter of. So not a terribly bad dinner.

A few lessons were learned or reminded of today.

1. If you're going to be running around a lot, you know you won't be bothered cooking - always prepare meals the night or even weekend before.
2. Parents don't really care what you want to do or eat, "they know best".
3. Always carry water and nuts/celery/carrots if you're going out, no excuses!
4. Holding your ground is hard when surrounded by people eating bad things. See lesson no.3.


-MM