Jodie's Weekly Check In

I don't mean to make a habit of checking in on Wednesdays... I WILL be better next week and do it Monday!

April 4
Weight: 122.6 lbs (+ 0.8)
Body Fat: 23.4%
Measurements: Waist 25.5"; Hips 37"; Thigh 20.75" (+ 1")

Unfortunately I have gained some weight, but this is entirely deserved as I haven't been putting in my best effort recently. Now that the main bulk of thesis-writing is done I'm committing to eating better and finishing Ripped in 30. I joined Jillian Michael's DietBet for an extra dose of motivation.

I would still like to reach my goal weight (115 lbs) by graduation, but 118 lbs might be more realistic. I am going to try really hard to keep checking in here, log my meals every day and get regular exercise.


It's so hard to get back into it after a lot of slipping up, but I am determined! I will finish my thesis and I will lose the remaining weight. I am trying to visualize myself in my graduation dress feeling good about everything.

Eleana's Weekly Check In

• Weight: 68 kg (- 2 kg)
• Body Fat:
• Waist: 30" (-2.5")
• Hips: 42" (-1.5")
• Thighs: 23 (- 0.5")

Let me start of by saying, this is no April Fool's joke... I am actually back on the right track again.

Hurrah! So nice to be seeing those numbers going down instead of up. I got a bit of an early April Fool's surprise by my weight on Sunday when the scales informed me I was 67 kg! I was back up to 68 kg the next day, but I SAW IT I SWEAR!

Anyway, my efforts to cut down on diet coke and other soft drinks is going surprisingly well! I haven't "slipped up" so to speak from being desperate for a can of the good stuff. I had one on purpose the other day to celebrate the fact I just turned in my graduation portfolio. Since then, nada. My addiction was clearly not as bad as I feared. It was much worse last year for sure when I was clawing at vending machines when I gave it up for a week.

I have not been eating out very much which has helped massively because I am always lured into buying those 1,600 calorie meals. I am still doing well with my water and I am also doing well by not having dessert after every meal (although I've had a couple brownies in a mug).

Now that it is finally warming up in Mississippi I need to get my running shoes back on and do some more exercise which I have roped my boyfriend into doing with me for company... and competition.

Jodie's Weekly Check In - late again!

Somehow Wednesday is turning into my check-in day... I WILL post next Monday!

March 26
Weight: 121.8 lbs (-1.6 lbs)
Body Fat: TBC
Measurements: Waist 25"; Hips 36.5"; Thigh 20.75" (no change)

I didn't exactly get back on the wagon this past week. In fact, it was one of the least healthy weeks I've had in awhile as I had some cake at Lusa, a few meals out and I didn't find the time to exercise. It's not showing up in my weight or measurements, but my skin has been terrible, so that is definitely a motivation for me to return to my green smoothies. On the plus side, I am much further along with my work. I hope I can find some balance this week.

I never did get back to Ripped in 30 so this week I'm going to start Week 3, and hopefully get to a Zumba class. It's always hard to return to healthy habits after indulges like cake and extra sleep but I know that after just a few days it feels natural to eat salad and work out. I try to tempt myself with healthy food I really like, such as banana pancakes. Next week I am going to hit it hard and get back on track, extra exercise and excellent nutrition. (It will help to have payday, too - I am living off soup!) We've got just over 6 weeks until graduation and I would really like to reach my goal weight by then.

Eleana's Weekly Check-In

• Weight: 69 kg (- 1 kg)
• Waist:30.5"
• Hips: 42" (-1.5")
• Thighs: 24 (+0.5")

Today was not the best day to measure myself. Yesterday I was 68kg! I must have quite the food baby.

My efforts have slowed down because I have somehow pulled a ligament in my knee, so I have to make sure that heals up first. It feels much better today compared to the rest of the week, but still not perfect. Once my knee is back in order I will be starting running! Yes, I'm actually going to do it. My boyfriend will also be joining me and he is in worse shape than me right now so that'll make me feel good. Plus I always do better when there is a level of competition happening.

I have just finished some important schoolwork! So I can dedicate a time again to working on health and fitness. I am still making some better choices than normal, I have done very well with cutting down on my diet coke consumption, and soft drinks as a whole. Better than I thought actually!

My confessions: I made British flapjacks because I found Golden Syrup in a Kroger in Memphis and fairly attacked those flapjacks with abandon. I also had a red velvet cupcake to celebrate finishing my important project. Guess I have some salads coming my way!

Eleana's Weekly Check-In

Current: March 19, 2014

• Weight: 69 kg (- 1 kg)
• Waist: 30.5" (-2")
• Hips: 42" (-1.5")
• Thighs: 23.75 (+0.25")

Me too, Jodie, slightly late. For me it's bad news, and not so bad news. I'm doing okay with my measurements although I seem to have gained 1 kg. However, that could be because of our fantastic meal at Ajax and the pain au chocolat (or chocolate bread, if you're that waitress who didn't understand me the first time when I spoke French). Not that it gained me 1 kg, but it would have affected my weight the next day with all the sodium and water retention.

I'm still making up for the overindulgent Spring Break, and have made the decision to cut out Diet Coke which I now severely regret seeing as I need it during my hard slog through my final portfolio, but oh well. I am definitely addicted to the fizzy stuff so I I feel like it could undo all my hard work, and everyone who successfully manoeuvres through a diet always said they cut out the soda.

In order to really convince myself, I'm going to do a little research on the effects of soda when I have a spare moment or want a break from my Masters work. I'll post the results of my research here so keep a look out!

I still want to do Ripped in 30 but until I get a handle on my work I don't want to half-heartedly start it because I'll be able to make up all kinds of excuses not to do it. But I will still go to Zumba so I'll see you on Friday girls!

Jodie's Weekly Check-In - late!

I'm long overdue an update on this so here goes...

March 19
Weight: 123.4 lbs (+1.4 lbs)
Body Fat: TBC
Measurements: Waist 25"; Hips 36.5"; Thigh 20.75" (+0.25")

I always let myself go a bit during breaks so this isn't a big surprise! Since my measurements haven't changed that much, it's likely that some of the weight gain is just bloat. I definitely feel like jelly, not firm at all.

I would say that I did good and bad things over spring break. I made an effort to have healthy meals and snacks at home, so overall my diet was good. I didn't consistently track my intake, which led to me giving into temptation a few times when I was out. But it's nice to enjoy a meal out from time to time... now I just need to stick with home-cooked meals for a few weeks!

I did exercise, but I split Week 2 of Ripped in 30 across two weeks instead of trying to keep doing it on my regular schedule. For the remainder of this week, I want to do Week 3, with one day next week and running into Week 4, so I should be done with the program 3/29. I'll be setting a new program to go up until graduation.

I would still love to achieve my goal weight by graduation, but it is going to be a real challenge! I'll need to be really consistent with my diet and make an effort to get in extra cardio at the fitness center. Hopefully by my check in next Monday I will have a better idea of where I'm at weight wise and feel like I'm back to my regular routine.

Jodie's Weekly Check-In

Hello from South Carolina! I don't have scales here and I forgot to pack my measuring tape so this weekly check-in lacks actual numbers.

I have to admit that I've been pretty indulgent over the last week. I've been eating candy during the long car rides, I had two meals out (including Cook Out!) and I ate lots of cookies over the weekend as well as homemade burgers. It hasn't been ALL bad as I've stuck to healthy breakfasts (smoothies, pancakes), resisted bad airport food in favor of a salad and I made some good recipes for Chip and I, such as carrot, cumin & cilantro soup and chickpeas, cauliflower & coconut curry. We went grocery shopping last night so I have nice meals planned for the week. I will probably veer off course a little when I go to Charlotte this week and next week when I'm traveling back to Oxford (so early!) but I'm trying not to go way overboard. Too many metaphors.

I didn't get as much exercise as usual due to the travel. I did Ripped in 30 Week 2 on Monday, Thursday and Friday. I actually did pack my mat and weights for the weekend away in the mountains buuut that didn't happen! Part of that is because RI30 Week 2 is my least favor. So much planking, why are you doing this to me?! So this week I'll be doing 2 more sessions of Week 2 before I move on to Week 3. My exercise days this week will hopefully be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

I found the weekly challenge more difficult than expected! I didn't have much time to beautify so I focused on giving myself a compliment each day (and asking Chip!) and packing my favorite outfits. I took some time yesterday to have a long shower, shave my legs, moisturize, and wash and blow dry my hair. That was a relaxing experience in itself as mountain water is the best! I also tidied the house and washed the sheets to make the bed feel nice. Chip says it makes no difference to him but I always feel better if everything is clean and tidy. Today I'm going to paint my toenails and I'll do my fingernails later in the week before I go to Charlotte. I'm definitely due for a haircut as soon as I get back to Oxford.

I'm sure that if I weighed myself right now I wouldn't like what I see as I've not been putting in my best effort. But when it comes to looking in the mirror or putting clothes on, I am liking what I see. I feel a lot more toned than I was when I started 6 weeks ago. Even without going to the gym I can tell that doing HIIT and paying attention to my nutrition is working. My goal for the next couple of weeks is basically to stay on the wagon, but once I get back to Oxford it will be to increase cardio and lose fat. I want to reach my goal weight/measurements by graduation.

Eleana's Weekly Check-In

Weight: 68 kg (- 2 kg)

Waist: 30.25" (- 2.25)
Hips: 41.5"(- 2")
Thighs: 24" (+ 0.5")

Another week, another check in! And what a week it's been. As you can see from figures, while I am struggling to lose weight overall. I am still losing inches, so I'm not totally disheartened!

I can't really explain my lack of overall weight loss, not being an expert. I know that weight is very dependent on the day and how your body is in various things other than mass weight (e.g. water, time of the month etc.) but ultimately I do want to see those numbers go down to at least what they used to be.

Happily I am still seeing difference in my measurements (as long as I am doing it right, really hope I am). I have seen a difference to both my waist and hips to my delight, although once again I have gained in my thighs. I'm hoping this isn't a repeat of my karate years where I kept myself in good shape but got big uber thighs from it.

This week's challenge was the reflection chart. It was pretty much what I expected, I didn't really have any surprises. I woke up feeling tired and found it difficult to get out of bed, even after 8-10 hours sleep, but that's not unusual at all for me. About 30 minutes later I am awake and won't even want a nap for the rest of the day and will struggle to get to sleep in the evenings. I've never figured out why this is, but I've been like this so long I don't question it. I am usually in a good mood and not stressed, lucky! This week I had two major last minute homework assignments, but even this did not affect my eating. I was still under my calories. It did affect my exercise, however, as for Tuesday and Wednesday I just didn't have the time in the day to do exercise. 

Thursday I had a very unusual very bad day for personal reasons. It really affected me that evening and the next morning. It, amongst other things, prevented me from working out on Thursday, and it almost stopped me from exercising Friday too, but I forced myself to join Jodie at Zumba. The bad episode continued into the afternoon until I was able to clear the air in the evening. I can now really see how Rachael struggles when things get on top of her. It really does affect your motivation, or even ability to stick to your plan.

This weekend I had a major spring clean which took me 4 hours on Saturday so, considering it involved a lot of physical exertion and time, I didn't exercise that day. Sunday was the only day where I was truly lazy and could have exercised, but didn't. Not bad for me! But room for improvement as always.

I wrote a piece on Baby Steps in changing your habits, which you can see by clicking here.

Considering everything I wrote in this post, I am not as disheartened about my efforts this week as I might have been, because I accept that sometimes life gets in the way and the small steps and changes I made this week still helped me work towards my goal. I am, however, going to restart Week 1 of the Ripped in 30 Challenge. I shall not be defeated!

Jodie's Weekly Check In

March 3
Weight: 122 lbs
Body Fat: 23.1%
Measurements: Waist 25; Hips 36.5; Thigh 20.5.

I feared this week's weekly check in! As you can see, I am 1.2 lbs up in weight, although my measurements remain the same. My small weight gain can be attributed to a few things: I'm retaining water (and I look physically bloated) due to my time of the month, I didn't stay as hydrated as normal over the weekend, and I had a few too many treats over the week.

My calories this week were higher than normal. Looking back, I realize that I made a few mistakes with my food choices. I decided to batch cook a number of meals, and to make flapjacks. Good... but what ended up happening was that I got bored with my meals and ended up reaching for the tasty tasty flapjacks rather than being completely disciplined. I could tell that I was eating too much sugar as I felt groggy when I woke up and my mouth felt sore.

We went for Rice & Spice on Thursday and I felt okay about having a curry and not eating all of my rice. That was a great treat that would have balanced out, calorie-wise, if I hadn't gone to a conference on Saturday and taken advantage of the free food! I'm not good with a limitless amount of food in front of me, especially when I'm nervous and want something to do with my hands. I ended up eating a lot of the mini baked goods, which unsettled my stomach the next day due to the sugar and dairy. So, in future I still need to work on how I handle events. I'm finding myself a bit hungrier than I was before; after a splurge it always takes some effort to re-train myself to crave the healthy things.

I completed Week 1 of Ripped in 30, doing 5 days a week. I also went to 3 Zumba classes at the gym, and on one day I did a small amount of Blogilates. I'm finding it really great to do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training, what Jillian Michaels does) in the morning and extra cardio in the evening when my energy has recovered. I didn't think I would like Zumba but it's starting to get into my blood and I would love to do it every day! Unfortunately, since I will not have access to a gym after May, I'm trying to give some thought to how I will keep up the cardio at a later stage. I guess I will be able to go running. I'm not sure I want to do too many at-home DVDs, I'd rather be outside or at a class. I'll have to give this more thought.

As for the weekly challenge, I have to admit that I created the reflection chart with Eleana and Rachael in mind. I wasn't sure how much I would get out of it as I felt like I already knew where I tended to go wrong. But I actually found it extremely beneficial! Keeping a chart made me aware of the fact that I needed to make the effort to get to bed, and that my meal plan couldn't be nutritionally sound as I was suffering from a lot of headaches. I'm not sure I could be bothered to keep one every week but I would definitely recreate it for times that I'm struggling, to make sure that I am being positive and focused.

Although I had good days and bad and remained very active, I feel like this was my toughest week so far. I've lost the weight I gained from Christmas and now I feel back to normal, so there isn't as much of a push for me as there was starting out. My body is noticeably different with more definition in my stomach, and slightly slimmer legs. I love working out and I rarely feel the desire to skip it, but it's been harder for me to tell myself no when it comes to food. I definitely need to refocus on maintaining a healthy diet and meeting my next goal. I'm not far away from my goal weight, but my next mini-goal is to get to 118 lbs, which as of today would be 4 lbs down.

It's going to be tough keeping on top of things over the next couple of weeks as I'll be away in South Carolina. I won't be able to weigh myself next week but I will still do a weekly check in with measurements. I am going to make sure that I keep tracking my meals, get daily exercise, and prepare most of my meals at home. I'm hopefully going to go and work at the local library rather than staying at home all day, which will help with not reaching for snacks constantly. I am a little anxious about staying on track as this tends to be where I veer widely off (from lack of routine) but this is the time to really put some effort in!

Hope you have both had a good week and are looking forward to the next. :)

Eleana's Weekly Check-In

 Longish weekly check in for me today, but I have a lot to get off my chest.

• Weight: 68 kg (- 2 kg)
• Body Fat:
• Waist: 32.75" (+ 0.25")
• Hips: 42"(- 1.5")
• Thighs: 23.25" (- 0.25")

Well, this week appears to be a tricky week for losing weight and inches, but I was expecting that so I'm not exactly surprised. I think I am measuring the right place on my thigh though so that's an improvement! I took Jodie's advice from last week and now measure 10 inches up from my knee before I measure around my thigh, much easier.

I did two workouts this week, one Jillian Michaels session and one Zumba class and I can't remember the last time I did two workouts in a week so that is a big improvement for me. I'm about to go way beyond that and my comfort zone by joining Jodie in starting Ripped in 30 today. The idea both scares me witless because of me extreme dislike of exercising, but also invigorates me because it's a challenge and I love challenges.

Speaking of, I have very much improved in my water intake from before the challenge. I was drinking a cup of water maybe every few days if my body was lucky, but I now make sure I drink some everyday. I should have found out what constituted 50 oz or 1.5 litres at the beginning of the week as I was never aware of whether I was reaching my goal, so I only reached the goal number two days in the week. However, water is on my mind a lot more now and I always carry a water bottle with me.

I've been saying "no" to foods recently, which is something I've always struggled with. When my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to buy pancakes on my way home yesterday for breakfast, in the past my answer was always "abso-flippin-lutely", but this time I said no, I was going to stick to eating better and not adding things into my diet unnecessarily. Also, since my chat with Jodie after Zumba, I have been considering how sticking to my calories with bad, sugary, fatty foods is not enough to achieve weight loss. Therefore I have looked up some healthy recipes on SkinnyTaste.com and not only found things I liked (picky eater, remember?), but when I went out to purchase the ingredients I found that my overall shopping budget reduced to 3/5 of what it was when I bought mostly processed, pre-made foods. Result!

Hopefully all of this extra exercise plus eating right will make a big difference at my next weekly check-in. Here's hoping!

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Jodie's Weekly Check-In

Hey guys, sorry to dominate all the posts recently... I'm doing my weekly check-in a day early so that it doesn't cut in to my work time tomorrow.

February 23
Weight: 120.8 lbs
Body Fat: 22.8%
Measurements: Waist 25"; Hips 36.5"; Thigh 20.5"

I'm down 1.8 lbs since last week, and 1" in measurements. I can't say that I know exactly why this is the week I lost the most, as I haven't done any extra exercise. My calories were around 1,300 each day, with one lighter day and one heavier day (yay treat day!). I will say that my diet and exercise routine has started to feel consistent again after the break, and I have been making a conscious effort to get to bed earlier and do things to relieve stress.

Regarding the weekly challenge, I usually got to around 2.5 litres each day.

Tomorrow I'm starting Ripped in 30, and hoping to get in a couple of jogs with the nicer weather. I'm trying a new smoothie and snack recipe this week, as well as recycling some old favorites (banana flapjacks!).

I believe in the rewards system, so if I do well again this week I'm going to treat myself to a pedicure before Spring Break. :) Make sure you're good so you can come with me!!

Jodie's Weekly Check-in

February 18
Weight: 122.6 lbs
Body Fat: 23.4% (approx - my machine is temperamental)
Measurements: Waist 25.5"; Hips 37"; Thighs 20.5"

I'm down 0.2 lbs and 0.75" overall since last week. The end of last week wasn't my best effort as I was first of all feeling too sick to exercise, then it was Valentine's Day/weekend and I indulged in Abe's BBQ, vegan pizza, chocolate-dipped strawberries and some alcohol. I don't really regret anything though! Having a few treats is satisfying, but it also makes me realize that I don't feel good after all that sugar and salt, AND it makes it harder to crave healthy food at the next meal, so I'm reminded of why I don't eat like that usually.

Feeling good about this week though. :)

Eleana's Weekly Check-In

My weekly check-in results, compared to last week's.

• Weight: 68.5kg (lost 1.5kg)
• Body Fat: (tbd)
• Waist: 32" (lost 0.5")
• Hips: 42.5" (lost 1")
• Thighs: 25"(gained 1.5")

I am very happy at the results I have already seen. My thigh results could be explained two ways I suppose. Either I have gained serious muscle from that one Jillian Michael's workout, or I have not measured in the same place as before. I think the latter is more likely, but maybe it's a slight combination of the two! Jodie, if you could shed some light in a comment or give any advice on how to measure your leg in the same place?

The rest I am more sure on of being pretty accurate because I can see the widest and smallest parts of my body in the mirror and I'm using the same scales as before. I have read a lot of information about losing weight in the fist few weeks because a lot of people can be discouraged by a lack of results early on. Health experts also advocate the concerns of losing weight too fast in the first few weeks. I am not so worried about my own quick results, however.

Firstly, my eating habits were seriously very bad before I started the Pact. I was having dessert after lunch and dinner; chocolate as snacks in between meals because my boyfriend loves to spoil me and bought me so much; I was eating very calorific meals and enjoying the southern cuisine which packs in the fat, the sugar and the sodium; I ate very few vegetables and in fact I often went a week or so without eating any; I would also go for days without drinking any water and instead drink diet coke or sprite. You get the picture, I'm sure. Added to this, I drove everywhere and did no exercise.

Since starting the pact, I make sure to include at least one vegetable in one meal a day (baby steps); I count my calories to consume around 1300 a day as my fitness app recommends; I no longer eat dessert, although I still have a little chocolate if it doesn't take me over my calories for the day; I have cut down on fizzy drinks; I'm drinking a lot more water; I have cut down on the amount of salt I add to my foods; and I exercise more (though still not much, need to work on that).

Altering my extremely bad habits and introducing some good ones, which are normal to most people, but which I just wasn't doing, was always going to make a difference to my body and affect my first few weeks results. I expect that once I settle into my routine and good habits I may not be so lucky with my check-in results. For the moment though, the happiness is real :) :) :) :) :)

Eleana's (Previous) Weekly Check In

So I wrote my weekly check in on a different page and we have since decided to write them as posts, so let's have another go at posting.

February 10, 2014

I forgot to take my measurements last week when we started the pact so this weekly check in will be my first confession and starting point.
Hips 43.5 Waist 32.5 Thighs 23.5

However, I did weigh myself last week so I can compare that.
Last week: 70kg
Today: 70kg
Disappointing of course, but due to my severe and lifelong dehydration I suppose this is not unexpected now that I am drinking water more regularly. Also, although I've managed to keep to my calorie limit of 1290 per day, the food hasn't always been healthy as I am in the process of trying to find healthy meals I can eat as a picky eater.

Rachael's Weekly Check-In

Hi Everyone,

So I haven't weighed myself this week so far but I am going to, probably tomorrow morning.

Anyway, my weight when we started last week was a pretty colossal 203 pounds.

Also, my body fat was over 30%, I will have to find specifics again later once I've charged my phone.

Regarding my eating habits this week, I think I have done quite well at cooking healthy meals. Last night was a ground turkey wholewheat burrito with black bean, corn and red onion relish which just had a little hot sauce and lemon juice on it.

However, the sweet craving kicked in, along with my fear of the snow coming and cold weather and I bought some skittles so I basically let myself down.

This week I am going to try really hard to quit the awful snacking habit I have. No gas station runs and if my boyfriend wants it, I just need to try hard to say no for myself!

I'll update you later on measurements, this week's weight and body fat percentage, I doubt much has changed but I would say I am making consciously healthier dinner choices which I am feeling good about.

Rachael.

Jodie's Weekly Check-in

I actually got back on the wagon starting January 27, so I'll post my starting stats followed by today's. My goal weight is 115 lbs, but once I get there I'm going to reassess if I'd like to lose more or maintain and try to gain more muscle.

January 27
Weight: 125.8
Body Fat: 26.5%
Measurements: Waist 26"; Hips 37.5"; Thighs 21"

February 10 (today)
Weight: 122.8 lbs
Body Fat: 25.2%
Measurements: Waist 25.5"; Hips 37.5"; Thighs 20.75"

3 lbs down, 7.8 lbs to go.