(L-R: Week 1, Week 4, Week 12)
Three months into my plan to get wedding ready and I am feeling really good! After a slip up at week eight (which you can read about here), I made it my mission to get back on board both the diet and fitness wagon. Looking back at the last month, I feel like I really have! What's been great is that I haven't necessarily felt like I have been dieting. An extreme case of 'being skint' has lead to purchases of tinned soup, bananas and porridge, with dinners then being freezer food (which I know isn't great) but having no money has meant no subconscious mid afternoon sweet treats have been purchased from Tesco Express.
Looking back at week four, I was on a roll. I had dropped 5lbs and keeping my running up in training for Cabbage Patch 10. Then once the race was over, I slipped. Lots of social engagements led to eating out, drinking and feeling too tired to exercise. A bad patch but one I have definitely learnt from. I have since picked myself up, especially on the exercise front as I have just completed my first full month of triathlon training!
I have kept to around 75% of my calendar plan and where I have made tweaks or missed sessions I have tried to make up for them elsewhere. Taking on swimming, cycling and running has been hard to adjust to but looking at my results, it has been totally worth it! Using my bike to commute is really helping me to pick up cycling skills, especially on long straights where I try to pick up pace (safely of course :)) and work flat out, pushing myself as far as I can go. Each week, I find my legs are getting stronger and I'm climbing the steep hill I face every morning faster. I even managed to get on a gym bike whilst visiting my parents where I practised the Sprint Tri distance of 20K. I found it quite uncomfortable cycling indoors as the room got so stuffy but was pleased to complete the session in 36 minutes. I'm hoping on the road bike I can shave off some time but for a starting point, I'm really happy!
For my swimming, it's, well, going swimmingly! Each week I alternate between technique practice and distance practice and I was astonished to find in my first distance session that I managed to lane swim 750m front crawl without stopping. I was chuffed to bits (below shows just how much).
With my running, as you all know I have decided to set myself a 5K challenge of reaching sub 21 minute territory (read about this here). I have only recently started this in the last week, tailoring my first training session to a track workout. Consisting of four sets of 800m followed by 400m, this workout was all about working to maximum effort at 3-5K effort and I managed to nail the exact pace I need to keep for a sub 21 minute 5K.
So where has this left my body overall? Well I am thrilled that say I have lost another pound (not much I know but it's still weight lost!) and I am now hitting the scales at 8st 13lbs. I cannot remember the last time I was under nine stone so to sneakily slip under this is huge for me! With 6lbs lost in the bag, my focus now is to not slip up with Christmas on the horizon.
Already I have had to tell all my loved ones to not under any circumstance purchase any form of chocolate, biscuits, sweets or cake for me. I have even (with great strain) turned down my Mum buying me my traditional present of a Cadbury's selection box. However, what I avoid in the form of presents I will no doubt face on the coffee table at various family get togethers over the festive period. My willpower will most definitely be tested when I am in front of massive tubs of Quality Street, mince pies and cheese boards but I am going to try my absolute hardest to not go crazy. Note I am not saying I will completely avoid these treats. Christmas is a time to indulge a little and I will of course be eating Yule log and dipping into chocolate tins. I just won't be devouring whole packets.
You'll know how good I have been early January for my 16 week update. Let's hope for a good one!
Lipstick Runner.
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