Hi and welcome back!As they say, time flies when you are having fun..and time has certainly flown for me over the last few weeks as I have been having fun meeting up, and working, with lovely new friends and old, as well as adapting to the changes of pace as summer holidays end and a new routine begins...And I don't know about you but I feel some sense of relief and comfort as I get back into more of a routine - knowing where I am going, what I have to do and why. I know that when my day is planned I achieve what I have set out to do.. and more!
Most of you know, I work as a personal trainer and fitness instructor and describe myself as a tool that people invest their money, time and energy in to help them achieve their goals, but like any tool, if I am not used I won't be able to help. I wonder how many of you have invested in tools to help you achieve your goals but don't use them? Gym memberships, home exercise equipment, recipe books, fitness DVDs...? What would happen if you did use these tools?
Over the years I have had to come up with different tools to help people achieve their goals, especially when it comes to weight loss. What tool might help one person might not always help another, but in time I discovered, what I think to be, some of the best tools for helping achieve weight loss goals and have put them together in the form of FatScrap - a toolbox full of tools that will guarantee results. And, as discovered by successful FatScrappers, the more of the tools you use, the easier it is to achieve results!!
Yes, FatScrap is an investment, but if you get value out of it, then is the investment worth the cost? How many tools have you invested in, not used and so have been not worth the cost? Are you getting value out of your gym membership, your home exercise equipment, your recipe books, your fitness DVDs...? Are you blaming other things like lack of time, lack of ability, lack of knowledge, for you not using these investments?
When my daughter asks me if I think something is expensive, I suggest that she thinks about whether the cost is relative to the value she is going to get out of it which brings me to another question; how much do you value your health and fitness, and is it enough to invest your time and energy in?
So, when you plan your health and fitness goals to be important enough and plan to make the time to be healthy and fit as well as plan to put in the effort to do what it takes, you will achieve!
25 comments:
Morning everyone.
It's very sad to hear of young 13 year old girls who are no only obese but who also smoke. Life limiting choices and at 13 they probably have no real grasp of that. Hopefully after your chat with them it might help them to see they can make different choices.
Yesterday was a very emotional day. Dropped eldest son at Cambridge. Was met by some lovely, cheerful, smiley confident 2nd years. They helped carry all the bags up to the top floor and my son's new 'Mum' took him to get his room key and welcome papers. Lots of new students popped into his room to welcome him and he 2 lovely girls in the rooms either side. Then had a parents tour and then a Garden Party where we met my son's 'Dad, sister, Uncle and Grandad' - lots of laughing, lots of great stories, lots of excitement, lots of hope for the future and in the end a few tears.
This morning, I feel different. I want to have my own success now. I will write out my compelling reasons today and I will start working on them immediately.
Food yesterday was a challenge. I did my best:
B'fast - Porridge with skimmed milk
Garden Party Lunch - 2 sandwiches and half a scone.(only option)
Dinner - Chicken salad with asparagus and grilled peppers.
First time I've had wheat since I started and it was ok, I don't feel the need to have it again. At the restaurant I really fancied a salad and although I took my time making my choice, the chicken turned up having been fried. I know fried food isn't a 'no-no' but I really don't like anything fried apart from a couple of chips every now and then. So it was a bit disappointing. I asked for my dressing on the side, which I'm pleased about as when it turned up it didn't look at all appetising. Didn't have any wine with my dinner as I didn't fancy a drink. That's a change because although I don't drink very much, sometimes when I'm emotionally upset, I do like to have a glass or two of wine.
So, an ok day, I did my best. I made normal choices, I ate normal amounts and I didn't stress myself about the lack of choice.
I have realised a few things
I don't really like bread (a revelation)
1. I don't really like pasta
2. I hate fried food
3. Most of the time I can take or leave alcohol
4. If I have Sue's fruit cake, I don't need processed sugar.
5. I want to have skimmed milk in my porridge, tea and coffee but I have less than the recommended amount in my porridge and I am drinking a lot less tea and coffee.
6. I love my new way of eating and will be looking for new recipes this week.
If I'd thought about the above before I started with Sue, my responses would have been so different. I'm so glad I eliminated wheat and sugar and (almost) alcohol.
Hope you all have a great Sunday!
Daffodil xxxxx
Hi Daffodil, I think we have all be thinking of you over the weekend and how you have been coping with the changes. good to hear all went well and that your son has been made to feel welcome. I found that as long as I knew my daughter was happy, I could relax and feel positive about her being away. It's lovely to read that you are feeling positive and thinking about your successes now.
It's so exciting that in the short time you have been trying the FatScrap way you have already noticed a difference to the way you think and feel towards food. Now you can concentrate more on the exercise part of the programme and get to enjoy being active like you used to.
Thank you for continuing to share your experiences with us, we are all supporting you and so want to help you to make a difference for yourself. x x
Hello everyone!
Thank you all so much for your positive thoughts - they worked! And your support. Good day today, I have had a spring clean! Couldn't manage to go into my son's room. I was going to leave that for another day, but hubby went in and started cleaning it and just the sight of how my son had left it made me burst into tears. I've realised that as long as I think about him just not being here today then I'm fine. I am really happy for him, I need to let him fly and just be his safety net. I want him to be proud of me and hated saying I hadn't been for a walk when he asked me earlier. I did plan a walk first thing but it was pouring with rain, so I decided to start having a clear out.
I've written my compelling reasons and found lots of new Fatscrap compliant recipes that I am going to try this week.
I'm also going to really get stuck into exercise as well.
Here's todays food intake
B'fast - Porridge
Lunch - 2 oatcakes, tablespoon of mackeral pate (home-made) and a bowl of home-made vegetable soup.
Dinner - vegetable wholegrain basmatic rice, (home-made), roasted tomato and red pepper
Snack - oatcake, apple
Night x
Daffodil
Hello!
Post for yesterday is a bit late. Good day and even got out for a good walk, thanks to Sue.
B'fast - Porridge
Lunch - vegetable and lentil soup, 2 oatcakes
Dinner - Prawn and vegetable rice, tomato and onion salad, apple
Snacks - 1 oatcake + small amt of mackeral pate, Mixed Nuts
Exercise - Walk with Sue
Range of emotions today. Felt great after exercise but later in the day felt quite low. Missing my son. He rang as I was going to bed to tell me about his day. He sounded so happy and we had a really long chat. He had his Matriculation yesterday. He wore his black gown and signed in a book after a ceremony in the chapel and then was seated next to the Master for Dinner. So, I slept very well after such an uplifting call.
Daffodil xx
Evening!
A very late post. I went swimming this evening and didn't get home until 10:30 so needed to wind down a bit before bed.
Had a really good day
BREAKFAST: Porridge
LUNCH: vegetable and lentil soup, 2 oatcakes
DINNER: Prawn + vegetable rice, veg curry, salad
SNACKS: Nuts, oatcake
EXERCISE - 42 min walk, 1 hr Fatscrap, 1 hr swim (86 lengths)
Did loads of exercise today and feel much better for it. The swimming wasn't really fatscrap but I did work hard and it really helped clear my head. The walk was hard work and I plan to improve my time of 42 mins over the next few weeks.
Night everyone
Daffodil xxxx
From Mandy
Monday...
Just starting to recover from my horrendously busy and stressful week. Looking forward to my holiday in a few weeks time.
Breakfast: wheat/dairy/sugar free muesli, unsweetened soya milk
Snack: 1 apple
Lunch: homemade vegetable soup (onion, swede, carrot, parsnip, stock and pearl barley - I think this is OK for wheat free is that right Sue?)
Snack: brownie
Tea: wheat free sausages, grilled, with steamed potatoes, carrots, swede and parsnip (leftovers from the veg used for the soup!)
Sorry not to have replied recently, as you know I have been busy working out with you all!! Actually, wish I had been working out with you, you are all getting so much fitter and stronger by the week and leaving me behind!
Pearl barley is fine Mandy...it was great to have you back at training this week with renewed energy and strength after your "rest" last week!
Daffodil, you are right on track and it's so exciting seeing you so motivated and joining me for extra exercise walking this week. I know you are taking on board a lot of what we are discussing and making changes to the way you think and feel. It's as if you have planted the bulb and now you are making sure that it is fed and watered and given space to grow into the beautiful, strong, self supporting flower it is meant to be.
Penny, you have shown yourself just how much you want to make changes by sticking to the principles of the food plan over the last two weeks and I hope you are pleased with your achievements. It has been a joy to hear that you are focusing each day on what you can do, rather than what you can't and setting yourself smaller, achievable and realistic goals..something we talked a lot about today!
Kully, your determination and energy has given you the strength to overcome the negative and to keep focsuing on the positive..I am so pleased that you have gained so many achievements over the last 4 weeks and can feel the benefits. This is the harder bit now..keeping committed and being persistant and believing in yourself and what you are doing..but you know you can do it if you keep that positive energy and strength.
Bubbles, I know you are still motivated and working hard to move closer to where you want to be. This weekend coming you have planned well and mentally rehersed the situation of having a couple of glasses of bubbly..your first in six weeks! I'm sure you will notice a difference in how you taste and enjoy it.
Night night everyone! x x
From Kully...
Sorry haven't email you - crazy couple of days.
Tuesday morning work out was great felt good all day it's good i'm working with you for next 4 weeks because i'm working harder and feeling positive.
Thks Sue for all the support and help you are giving me I know together I can be the person I want strong and slimmer.
Tuesday
Breakfast banana and porridge with rice milk
Mid morning mixed nuts
Lunch 2 oat cakes with mushroom and quorn
Mid afternoon apple
dinner chicken and veg
Wednesday
Breakfast porridge with rice milk
Lunch
Mid after noon carrots and humous and banana
Dinner lamb made with fresh toms and herbs with mixed veg
Missed lunch today had to travel for a meeting in london which was planned last minute.
Feel good looking forward to my morning swim and my evening work out.
Thanks
Morning everyone,
Well as of yesterday I am one week into the exercise programme and two weeks into the food side of things. When I went to Sue's yesterday, I have to be honest, I was hoping for a greater weight loss, but that wasn't to be. I thought I might be very demotivated, but after a good, positive talk with Sue I realised that "Rome wasn't built in a day" and after years of not looking after myself properly my body wasn't quite ready to loose the weight it had been holding on to.
Sue you were brilliant yesterday, helping me to see "the bigger picture" and keep me on track.
What I did achieve yesterday was a better performance on the rower, and my aim for 3 weeks time is to be able to pull myself up on the chin up thingy Sue puts on her door!
I give myself one focus/aim a day, although I haven't decided on today's yet, but I will!
Yesterday's diary:-
Brekky - organic museli
Lunch - Greek salad.
Snack - banana smoothie
Dinner - butternut squash curry and rice from the night before.
Just a quickie tonight, feel a bit flat as one of her sons said "mum looking a bit porky today". Been in exercise clothes most of the day, which is never a good look; so tomorrow's focus is to put something nice on after my session with Sue.
Food today:-
Brekky - porridge soya milk, a handful of raisins.
Snack - 2 oat biscuits.
Lunch - jacket potato. Leftover butternut squash curry
Dinner - egg salad and cold lamb pieces.
From Mandy..
Loved the workout tonight,
Food for today:
mango, banana and coconut smoothie, 6 brazil nuts for breakfast
banana, snack
homemade mushroom soup/oatcakes for lunch
brownie, snack
homemade chilli, brown rice for tea (post workout)
Looking forward to Saturday
Mandy X
Oh Penny, I can imagine how you must be feeling from your son's comment, but it may be worth asking him what he meant from it. When we have a story we look for things to prove it, and when someone's story is "I am fat", for instance, they look and listen for anything that confirms this belief. Any signs or comments that might prove otherwise are quickly ignored and deleted. Your son's comment to you might have been heard in the way you want to hear it, to prove yourself right but there may have been some other meaning to it.
It's funny when you think about it that you are thinking that exercise are not "good look" and yet at the same time they are what you are wearing to help yourself look good!! When I am wearing my exercise clothes I feel I am reminding myself that I am a healthy and fit person..but yes, I agree, there is a time and a place for exercise clothes and you have made me think that I must make more effort to change when I am not working or working out!
Ladies, you are all fab FatScrappers!! x x
Hi everyone
It's great to read everyone's blogs.
Busy day, didn't have time to do any exercise.
B'fast - porridge with skimmed milk
Lunch - vegetable and lentil soup with 2 oatcakes
Dinner - smoked mackeral salad
Snacks - oatcake, Nairn fruit biscuit and apple
I made a mistake with the Nairn fruit biscuit. I ordered it in my Ocado delivery and thought they would be fine. I realised after I ate it, that it contained demerera sugar. How frustrating. It was lovely but already I have the urge to eat more. I've done so well keeping off of sugar this week. I'll see if I can resist them. If I can't I'll stick them in the bin.
Night everyone
Daffodil
Hello everyone
Good day. Made another of Sue's fruit cake and this time I forgot the Almond extract/essence...I wonder what the cake will taste like when I actually get the recipe right!
B'FAST: Porridge and skimmed milk
LUNCH: Pranws, salad, oatcakes.
DINNER: Vegetable and lentil curry, jacket potato, tomato and onion salad
SNACKS: Apple, Fruit cake
EXERCISE: Walk with Sue
Night everyone
Daffodil
From Mandy
Breakfast: 1 apple (just didn't feel hungary this morning
Snack: 1 packet of vegetable crisps (no added salt)
Lunch: bowl of homemade mushroom soup, packet of oatcakes
Snack: flapjack
Tea: homemade chunky chips, pork ribs in a sauce made from rapeseed oil, tiny amount of tomato ketchup, worcester sauce, honey and chinese 5 spice.
Looking forward to tomorrows circuit class!
Mandy X
From Kully
Breakfast Porridge with rice milk
Lunch chopped carrots and cucmber with humous
Mid after noon 5 dates
Dinner roast chkn and miked veg
Saturday
Breakfast banana, mixed nuts
Lunch mixed salad
Dinner omelette with mushroom and fresh tomatoes
Excersice for today is doing 500 skips and some ball work
Hi everyone
Lots of good ideas for meals here that you are sharing with each other. Just make sure you include some form of protein at each meal and don't go into "diet" mode by only eating lettuce!
Some great training going on this weekend..well done for working so hard all of you!
Looking forward to working hard with some of you next Saturday at my first Bootcamp Day! I'm just putting the last bits together now for what I hope to be a fun and exciting FatScrapping experience. There are still a couple of spaces available for anyone else who would like to join in.
Keep up the fab work! x x
Hi everyone
I really great day. It started with a challenging Fatscrap session and a very thought provoking workshop with Sue. I worked hard and felt very mentally and physically stretched which is a feeling I love. Just got back from a walk with my hubby and dog, got sweaty and puffed and got chatting to a neighbour who was out with his dog which was lovely. Good, tasty food today as well. I'm going to have a soak in the bath now and listen to some soothing music - my treat for working hard today.
B'FAST: Porridge
LUNCH: Smoked mackeral, 2 oatcakes, tomato and onion salad, half a can of ratatouille.
DINNER: Chicken casserole, purple sprouting, peas and sweetcorn
SNACKS: Apple, Sue's fruit cake
Daffodil
Morning (just!!)
Had a gorgeous long walk with hubby and the dogs down in Mudeford yesterday which was just wonderful, but today got lots to do in the house so only a short post.
Yesterday's food diary:-
Organic museli with soya milk.
Snack - dried apricots.
Lunch - jacket potato with ham and cheese.
Dinner - Tandoori chicken, 2 spoonfuls of chicken biriyani, spoonful of chickpeas and potato.
Dinner was cooked by a friend of mine and I was pleased that I was disclipined in my choices, as it was all yummy!
Hello everyone,
What a lovely day!
Yesterday my head was all over the place as I was extremely tired after a rather enjoyable Sat night; and by my own admission I was very grumpy.
Brekky - museli - soya milk
Snack - banana smoothie.
Lunch - jacket potato with bacon and mushrooms.
Dinner - roast chicken, carrot and swede, mangetout and sweet corn.
I have one confession I had a small stuffing ball:(
Today's focus is to expand my menus and not stick to the same thing.
Hi everyone
I had a difficult day yesterday as well Penny...must have been something in the air! All went well up until late afternoon and evening. Cutting of old ties and habits and relationships is hard but had to be done for me to be able to focus on what it is important to me and what I want to achieve. Sue's words about really wanting change have struck home and I am slowly shedding old habits and self imposed responsibilities. I know it's what I want to do, but some things are emotionally draining. All a bit cryptic I guess but I feel I'm becoming a different person, shedding and growing and positive with a few occasional blips. I didn't manage to have my walk with Sue this morning because I needed to take my son to college. I will go in a few minutes because it is such a lovely morning and I am determined to keep going with my changes even during difficult times.
Food yesterday went well until late afternoon
BFAST: Porridge
LUNCH: Home-made vegetable soup + 2 oatcakes
DINNER: This is where is all went wrong - missed dinner and ate far too much of Sue's fruit cake. Emotional eating but for a change healthy food being consumed.
SNACK: Apple
Here's to a better day.
Daffodil
Morning,
Feeling now the need to introduce some wheat so Sue in case I forget to ask you, could you advise on this point pls.
Food diary for yesterday:-
Brekky - porridge with soya milk and raisins (only a sprinkle)
Lunch - homemade soup made of butternut squash, red lentils, courgette, onion, carrot and it was delicious.
Snack 4 oatcakes with hommous as I was really hungry after playing a very intensive game of tennis.
Dinner - jacket potato with ratatouille
More of the soup.
One confession:- a small biscuit :(
For some reason this week feels harder than last week and I'm having to keep visualizing how I want to be when I feel moments of weakness.
Morning,
I have just written a very long blog and then lost the darn thing, so I now don't have time to rewrite all of it.
The jist of what I said was that yesterday I felt flat as some of my clothes are still feeling snug, but after seeing Sue I'm back on the train.
Today's aim is to visualise my plate in my mind and make sure it is more balanced in terms of what I take in than it has been. My intake of veggies has improved, and I now need to work on my protein.
Food for yesterday:-
Brekky - porridge with raisins and soya milk
Snack - banana and one of Sue's slices.
Lunch - homemade veggie soup, slice of brown bread with a scrapping of cheese.
Snack - oatcakes and hommous.
Dinner - mixed herb ommelette, ratatouille, sweetcorn and peas.
Snack - slice of Sue's fruit cake.
Afternoon everyone
One thing I have noticing now is that I am less tired during the day, and this has to be the change in my eating patterns. Quite often late morning or early afternoon I felt the need to sleep which was not a good sign at all.
Body is starting to feel firmer in places so hopefully the inches are starting to shift.
Food for yesterday:-
Brekky:- porridge, raisins and soya milk.
Snack - slice of fruit cake.
Lunch - butternut squash, spinach and rice curry with beef slowly cooked in a tomato sauce (out for lunch!!)
Dinner - vegetable soup with oat biscuits and hommous.
I did have a glass of wine last night as a friend of mine had good news his tumour had gone so it was a bit of an emotional evening. I don't regret having this wine as I felt it was important to accept a glass and enjoy it with him, which I did!
Hi Penny
wow what great news for your friend and yes, totally agree it was inmportant to share a glass of wine with him - a station worth stopping at!!
that's great that you are noticing a difference in how you are feeling now, most people do at this stage so a good sign that your engine is working differently for you.
Lovely food choices here..and lots of veggies again, well done! When you look at the last 3 days you must be very pleased with the balance of choices.
By the way, there is a new blog running for this week if you would like to add your posts there and you might find the blog itself will help with your motivation.
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! x x
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