Day 61 - Check!!

Nothing really to report today.

Exercises done - even the planks that I find I can do easier without shoes on. But 5 x 1 minute planks were rough. Am really trying to stay on track with the time between sets.

Food fine. For lunch had udon with salad and a side of grilled sawara (Spanish Mackerel) which was super yum.

Is anybody else surprised at how much yoghurt and milk they are consuming?

Feeling positive about the results and how things are progressing. Hubbilcious did say that he noticed the first 3 kg loss more than the last 6 probably as the first place the weight came off was my face. Perhaps he needs to see me naked and then he will see more of a difference. (~.^)

Day 60 - Stop, start, stop, start

Day 60 - 2/3 of the way to 90 but certainly only about half way to my peak condition goals.

Was a weird day exercise wise. Max is still not well and still not sleeping well. So we were up at the crack of sparrows again and I thought I would leave skipping and workout to nap time. Big mistake. Got through half the skips before he woke up and I had to resettle him to get the rest of them done.

Then the day got away from me with shopping, errands etc so I thought I would leave the workout until after I had put him down for the night. Another big mistake as he woke up during the shoulder flys. He then woke up again in between the V-sits and the crunches. I was trying to be so good too. I was actually timing my breaks and being really strict on the rest periods. 

Anyway, here is it nearly 10:30pm with workout done and evening snack eaten. Just a few more housey type jobs to do before I do 8MA and turn in. Have been averaging only 4-5 hours a night with lots of interruptions. I think Max is going through a developmental growth spurt as his sleep is really erratic. I don't believe in letting him cry it out so I hope he grows out of this phase really soon.  

Tomorrow being Sunday, Hubbilicious can watch the Maxinator so I can really focus on the workout. 

Day 59 - Back fat? Knee fat? Gunt? Who me?

Yes you Tracey. Guilty on all charges.

Patrick's video this week was quite sobering on how much further I need to go. To be honest, he has scared the stuffings out of me as I now have nightmares of just piling on more back fat and knee fat and becoming a freak show. Plus of course my nemesis - the gunt - is refusing to budge and I know that if I stop now it will just get bigger and bigger.

So it seems I am in for a long haul to really get my body fat percentages right down in order to clear out these sneaky fat stores that have plagued me for too long.

What is a good body fat percentage? I don't think I have ever measured mine. I don't have one of the fancy pants scales as there are too many models to choose from in the shops. Oh the indecision!!

Of course lipo is always an option but Hubbilicious would pitch a fit. Bless his heart he swears he would really love me whatever size I was (within reason I suspect but I am not going to test out that one) and he is really super supportive of my PCP efforts.

So onward and downward I plough. Getting fast results is really motivating, so for the moment, I am still really focused - albeit with a few sugar digressions.

Today I am totally exhausted though. Max must be going through a developmental change as he was waking up every 30-45 minutes last night. Then at 5:30 this morning he decided that it was play time and Mummy needed to join him. He didn't seem to care that I only went to bed at 1am and had several wake-ups during that time. So I resigned myself to start my day early. After a while, I thought that as I was awake I might as well get all my skips and workout done. Max had enjoyed lots of quality Mummy time by then and he was happy to watch Baby TV and bounce in his bouncy chair.

So skips were (badly) done by 7am and then Max decided he needed a nap. A NAP!!! So I got him down again around 7:20 and then tackled my workout. If I hadn't already decided to do my workout I may have joined him in the nap but I am glad I pushed on.

Skips were pretty bad but I got through all the sets. I managed 1567 skips on the counter so perhaps it wasn't as bad as I thought. 

Pullups fairly woeful but I did them all no matter how silly they looked. Triceps were a killer as usual but I am forcing myself to appreciate the burn as a good thing in good NLP style. V-sits (4 x 12) substituted for Kung Fu's.

However, in hindsight, I should have eaten breakfast as by the time I was done at 8am I was positively starving and feeling quite sick from low blood sugar. As it was, I had my breakfast at my normal time of 8:30 and I felt better after that. (Max had woken up again around 8:10)

So here I am at the office now with my arse dragging despite mainlining coffee. Food for everybody for the next few days is sorted so no cooking needed for tonight. I plan to get home after work/daycare, feed Max and myself, ditto bathe and then perhaps go to bed at the same time. I will do 8MA if I feel up to it.

TGIF

Day 58 - Well bugger me...

After all that whinging yesterday about only losing 500g, I jumped on the scales this morning and it was almost 800g less than yesterday. Today I was 74.2kg.

My goals before PCP was to lose 10kg, my dream scenario is 15kg and my super secret fantasy is 20kg. At day 58 I am 500g off my 10kg goal. Not sure if I will make it to 15 but I will keep plugging away.

I know, I know, I shouldn't get hung up on the numbers as this overnight drop was probably due to a super humid day yesterday and fluid loss. It was like pea soup yesterday - enjoy Bali all you lucky ducks - and I was hot and bothered even before the workout.

OMG - the workout yesterday had me sweating buckets and nearly puking on the floor. Skips went quite well and then my least fave thing - lunges - bleech. Pistol squats were tough but fine and then came the 5 sets of floor jumps. 5 sets!! The last two sets were absolute killers and after the last one my legs totally failed me and I had to crawl about on my hands and knees for a good minute or so before I had use of them again. My heart rate was through the roof and I really felt like I had achieved something good and on my own.

It is sometimes hard working out at home on your own as the tendency is to go easy on yourself. But yesterday I really pushed it. My helper was taking good care of Max which afforded me the time and mental space to really focus on the workout. The rest of the workout went great and I saved the 8MA for before bed. I even managed to get to bed before midnight last night.

I was up bright and early this morning at 7am to do my skips. Given the punishment my legs had yesterday, it was no surprise that skipping was woeful today but for a change I didn't mind. Well apart from all that slapping from the rope when I trip. I normally get 400 skips in for the four minute sets today my total was 1399. Yesterday it was over 1700 so a big difference in performance in less than a day.

Buoyed by my happy surprise on the scales this morning, I tried on my Zara pencil denim skirt that has been hanging in my closet for about 18 months unworn. Slipped it on and zipped it up. Merest whiff of a muffin top but wearing a loose white cotton shirt cinched with a wide belt that shows off my waist and gives me a normal figure again. I was feeling pretty smug actually. I just wish I had thought to shave my legs last night. oops.

But of course this smugness was short lived. The shoes I wanted to wear to match the belt also haven't been worn for ages and by the time I had pushed the stroller to day care, they had made mince meat from my feet. Nothing that a few band-aids won't fix.

OK - back to work.

Day 57 - Consequences

Jumped on the scaled today and am down another 500g but less than the usual 1kg a week I have been losing. It could be so much better than that had I not been sneaking lollies and chocolates this week. I can't blame my indulgence meal.

So with a renewed sense of purpose, I have started this week afresh. So far so good but then it is only just after noon. Diet is 80% so I have to keep reminding myself to take responsibility for what I put in my mouth.

A good PCP breakfast and just had my fruit snack/egg white. I have a lunchbox for lunch with grilled garlic prawns, pita, avocado, corn on the cob and some veg.

My helper is staying late again today so I can workout this afternoon after work.

The finish line is still a way away and yet I have so much I want to achieve in that time. I keep worrying that if I let myself slip too early that I will slide back to where I was or worse. I know I am not strong enough yet to keep moving toward my goals on my own.

Day 56 - New Shoes

I am so hardcore I have burned through my last pair. They were only cheapies and they basically fell apart so I have "splashed out" on some new ASICS. Silver and purple so I look fab and totally badass.  

I am also so hardcore I had my egg white raw today. It didn't taste too bad. I was in a rush and was trying to get Max fed, bathed and into bed so I didn't have time to boil one or make a smoothie and I had run out of pre-boiled eggs. So down the hatch it went raw.  

Skipping went quite well today. Four minutes is a bloody long time to skip I have discovered but I seem to keep to my 100 skips per minute rate. Nowhere near what some of you pros are managing I am sure but not too bad I guess. I am working on my stamina and making sure I don't waste too much time between sets as I was in a really bad habit last week.  

In other domestic news, I had to take Max to the doctor today as his gastro issues are on-going. Good news is that the doctor thinks that it is unlikely that my increased egg consumption has anything to do with it. I felt I needed to mention it to him as Max's tummy problems started around the same time my egg count went up. He hasn't actually eaten an egg himself yet as many babies are allergic to them prior to the age of one so I was worried that he was suffering via my breastmilk. Hopefully he will recover from the squirts on his own shortly as the last few days have been hard on the poor little sausage. He has had obvious stomach cramps at times and terrible nappy rash due to this diarrhea. But otherwise he is in good spirits and his normal cherub-like self.  

I also confess to having some chocolate today. I am weak. If it is under my nose I can't help myself, but if I cloister myself away from temptation, I am fine. 

Day 55 - Day at the beach

A rare day off for Hubbilicious so we planned to head down to the beach - Kamakura beach which is about 40 minutes from Shinjuku.

It was a very slow and lazy start though and I was able to get all my skipping and workout done before we headed off.

Skipping - am really working hard making sure I don't dawdle between sets. It is easier when the baby has supervision other than me as I am always keeping an eye out to make sure he is not getting into mischief.

Workout fine - triceps ouchy. Still no pull up bar so substituted 5 sets x 12 V-sits for Kung Fu sit ups.

Food - picked up some yummy and healthy chicken salad at the station to eat on the way down. Took the green car so was able to spread out and relax. Not enough carbs so I had some rice and veg later on from a thai food beach hut. I did have a little pick of Hubbilicious spicy pork but otherwise I was PCP compliant - mostly.

I need to get on and make a new veg stash as my grocery delivery arrived today.

Day 54 - Indulgence

I only remembered to take the photo after I had already eaten one of the eggs. It looked much nicer before I started attacking it.

I really wanted Brunch food and I knew exactly where I wanted to have it. Kimono in Nogizaka near Roppongi Mid-town, is a lovely little wine bar/bistro that also does an awesome Sunday brunch. Lauren, the owner, is a wonderful host and it is a really friendly atmosphere. If you are Tokyo based, I highly recommend this place for either a casual dinner with amazing wine or Sunday brunch. They can make food that is PCP friendly as well.  

Anyway, I had the eggs Florentine with a side of their home cured bacon. I know it is weird that I wanted eggs for my indulgence but there is just something happens to eggs when the hollandaise goes on. I had this with a big bucket o' latte and ice water. I did nibble on Max's pancake while I was feeding him so that satisfied my sweet tooth too.  

In preparation for it, I skipped my breakfast egg and my morning snack egg white. I just had a light breakfast of a wholemeal muffin topped with avocado. So really I have only had an extra egg yolk so far plus the bacon and hollandaise.  Did a brisk walk there and home so added some exercise to the day. 

Home now and so far no ill effects. About to get into my workout before heading over to a friends for dinner. I will BYO my egg white and apple.

So, back to normal PCP programming.  

Day 53 - Confessions of a sugar addict

"Hello, my name is Tracey and I am addicted to sugar. It has been one day since my last sugar fix."

Chorus back from the room, "Hello Tracey"

It is just not possible for me to have chewy lollies in the house. There is no way I can resist them. I had a handful of Chicos and Snakes last night after dinner. They were a special delivery from Australia and they are not available in Japan. Yes they are the fat free kind but still they are sugar and they tasted so good.   

Sure I could make excuses like being on the rag but excuses excuses. 

Well today is another day and so I have just moved on. I will ask Hubbilicious to remove them from my sight though so I am not tempted.

I also went to bed and forgot to do my 8MA. I was lying in bed thinking that I should get up and do them but I fell asleep instead. I was knackered!! But in this case I will blame being on the rag and being a Friday. 

Day 52 - I need new underwear

Reading some of the other blogs, today seems to have a bit of clothes theme - ie nothing is fitting us anymore. Not a bad problem to have really.

This morning I woke up a bit later than yesterday so just did my skipping before I woke my boys. Legs still like lead and tripping more than ever. Three days ago my skipping was awesome and I felt like I had broken through a plateau...  then came that massive leg workout on the same day and my skipping has suffered ever since. But I have stopped stressing so much about the numbers and just focus on trying to keep moving constantly for the allotted time. But it just hurts to get slapped with the rope when I trip.

After breakfast - my new fave meal of the day - I spent some time in my wardrobe trying on potential outfits for work. I gingerly pulled out pants that were definitely slim fitting pre-pregnancy and tried them on. They do up!!  YAY.

So while I am fitting into my old clothes again (again YAY), there are some things that may have to be retired. My shape is certainly different to what it was. I now have a "shelf" of flab that starts from just under my belly button and comes in almost horizontally to the C-section scar. Most unattractive and I call it a "gunt" (apologies if this offends anybody). Yes it is getting smaller but it is damn stubborn. If I have another baby I will most likely need another C-section so I will ask the doctors to give me a tummy tuck while they are at it.

So in trying on work pants today, I discovered that my underwear that I bought post-baby (Gap size L bought in Hawaii in November) is now hanging off me like granny undies. Sexy huh? Under trousers, VPL's are not pretty at the best of times and with granny bunches it looks hideous. So I am wearing a skirt today.

The problem with the underwear that was pre-baby is that it rolls down under the "shelf" into the C-section scar and makes the shelf more pronounced and is uncomfortable as it is still healing 10 months down the line.

So any suggestions as to on-line shops that will deliver to Japan? I have tried to find decent stuff here in Tokyo and it is just awful. Underwear built for tiny asian butts just don't suit white girls with hips.

Day 51 - Self awareness

Patricks vid last week has had me thinking. I am certainly an Endomorph.


Typical traits of an Endomorph:

• Soft and round body
• Gains muscle and fat very easily
• Is generally short and “stocky”
• Round physique
• Finds it hard to lose fat
• Slow metabolism

I descend from a family of Endomorphs. However, most of my extended family have been fairly sporty and so have been able to keep to a regular size. Fairly sporty? I am not being very generous as many of my family have been either professional athletes (footballers, tennis players), semi professionals (surfing) or representatives at state and international level in a variety of sports. My mother for example has represented at regional and national levels in pretty much every sport she has tried: athletics, water skiing, field hockey for 30 years, and even now in her 60s she is representing Australia in gateball. So I am surrounded by some pretty driven personalities who are able to keep fit and healthy despite being endomorphs too.

I too started off my life as a very sporty person. When I was a young child I started at ballet, then added gymnastics and little athletics. Throughout school I was into every sport possible: athletics, netball, softball, swimming, life-saving and water skiing. Field hockey has been a constant of course and I was quite good at one point. Never made national teams but I have always been fairly active at the state level as player, umpire and coach.

So all through school and university, I was fairly fit and my weight was around 49-55kg which for my height (157cm or 5'2" in old money) is pretty good.

Then in my mid 20's I started working and was still into some sport but did the usual gym junkie thing. I was also really into music and went to a lot of clubs on weekends and dance parties all across the country. Dancing kept me pretty fit and I stayed at around the 56kg mark for a long time.

Then at the age of 29 in 2000, I moved to Japan and had my first "desk job". All my previous work was in laboratories where I was standing up most of the day and then as a technical sales rep/consultant so I was running around all day.

In Japan, I found it hard to play sport. I have taken up snow skiing though and I don't suck. We try to go a few times each season but it is hard to get away with Hubbilicious' work schedule. I dabbled in karate and other sports as well but nothing to the level I was into in Australia. Plus there were so many other things going on. Work conferences, seminars, junkets plus travel around Asia whenever I could. And the drinking. Oh the drinking. I used to drink so much more in those first few years in Tokyo then I ever did before. Drinking and eating - the expat life for sure. I am sure many people can relate to this.

So my 30's continued in this pattern (desk job, no sport, booze, bad food choices) and I added around 15kg to my "normal" weight. It really just crept up on me and I hovered between 68-72 kg. Whoever said that Japanese food was all healthy was lying. White rice and tonkatsu (which I love BTW), ramen and all the fried foods contributed to this weight creep.

I always managed to stay on the upper range of "unfit", slightly overweight and it was just vanity that stopped me from tipping into the true "fat" category. But hey, I was happy and in love and about to get married to somebody who was really into food so it was really hard to change my lifestyle. Note: he is a mesomorph and rides his bike everywhere so he stays fit and athletic without much effort. This pretty much describes Hubbilicious:

Typical traits on a Mesomorph:

• Athletic
• Hard body with well defined muscles
• Rectangular shaped body
• Strong
• Gains muscle easily
• Gains fat more easily than ectomorphs

OK, back to me. 

Then I got pregnant.

To stave off morning sickness I grazed constantly. Then I was feeling great and tried to eat healthily to grow a healthy baby. And eat I did and grew a very healthy baby. At the end of my pregnancy I was the size of a small car. I was HUGE and over 92kg.


92KG!!

Below is a photo from a magazine shoot that I did last year. Just so you can really see the reality of the size I was.   

I walked a lot and did lots of swimming to try to be a little bit healthy. Last Summer was hellishly hot and so I did take it easy. But lets be real here, I was huge.

So, late last September, my darling Max was born a very healthy and bouncy 4.2kg. Overnight I dropped to 85kg or there abouts. My tummy was still like an overstetched water balloon with no muscle tone and my internal organs hanging out where the baby had left space.

Over the next few months my weight drops to around the 80 kg mark which is fine. But breastfeeding meant that I was hungry ALL THE TIME. I made bad choices and big portions thinking I needed to feed my baby and that the weight should fall off from just the action of breastfeeding. eerr WRONG!! So after a few months I ended up nearly as heavy as when Max was first born. I have blogged about this before. I have some photos from earlier this year and I was definitely now FAT. I didn't like it at all.

Some drastic action needed to be taken - and so here I am at Day 51 of PCP. I doubt another program could be more drastic. I still have a long way to go to get back more muscle tone on the belly but at least the fat is decreasing. I estimate that I am not even half way along my journey back to wellness and the sort of shape I "should" be in.  

What have I learned so far in the last 51 days? It looks that I need to accept that my body type requires me to be constantly vigilant when it comes to what I feed it and how I treat it. My body type means that I will always have the tendency to put on weight and that a sedentary lifestyle is not for me - unless I want to end up looking like Jabba the Hut of course. I need to accept that food "rewards" are not rewards rather they are new obstacles I am creating for myself. I need to balance the good with the bad. 

I am currently in a "good phase" as I have over a decade of being "bad" that need to be corrected. I think this good phase needs to continue for a while longer yet though. But I am on a roll so am prepared to keep plugging away. Fortunately, my sporty background has afforded me some great muscle memory and the physicality part is enjoyable. The effort I need to expend is mainly mental as my biggest enemy is procrastination. As long as I can continue to "Just fucking do it" (JFD™) I will be fine.

Today, I was very motivated and got up early and left the boys in bed and did my workout. Legs were still heavy from the punishment of yesterday's workout so skips were a bit woeful but I did them. Chest fine, well the chest dips are improving but still far from good, biceps fine and I have left the abs for later tonight when I do the 8MA.

Long blog post today but it has been bubbling around in my brain for a week or so now so it is good to finally get it out. I have lots of time in my own head while breastfeeding, walking and skipping where I keep my brain active composing future blog posts. I write these long posts so I have something to refer back to when I need some motivation. Please don't think I am trying to grandstand or show off or seek attention. That is certainly not who I am.

I do appreciate that I am NOT a woman of mystery (I have had a blog in one form or another for about eight years) but tone is so hard to convey in type.  

Sh*ts and Giggles

Oh damn you little piece of chocolate. You took me less than a minute to eat and now I feel all hollow and empty inside from the multiple times my body has tried to remove every last trace of you from my cleansed digestive system.

As the old saying goes:
A minute on the lips and then next day with the sh*ts.

Why the giggles? Patrick must laugh his arse off every time he sends out an invitation to "indulge". He knows we are waiting for it, planning for it and then he watches as one-by-one as we drop like flies.

So my friends, be careful what you wish for. However, if we get another indulgence then I am sure that this post will be a dim, distant memory.

Day 50 - Another milestone

Not sure why but this feels like an achievement. It is just a number right? But for goal setters like me, these sorts of milestones are significant.

40 days left to go but I still think I have much more work to do yet. Sure I have had some great results so far but the place I came from was so unhealthy that perhaps even 90 days won't be enough.

I had part of my indulgence last night. Some Turkish Delight that MIL sent from Australia. Hubbilicious had his half a few weeks ago and then left my half tantalisingly in the cupboard above the bread. So it has been staring at me and calling to me.

Reading the label it seems this was 616 kj. Which Google tells me converts to 147 calories. Not sure what the difference between the kj, kcal and cal are so perhaps I will ask our fearless leader to explain during the weekly vids. But my instincts tell me that kcal is 1000 calories and kilojoules is a metric measure of calories. It is weird though as my first job out of university almost 20 years ago was in a food lab where I was measuring the different components of packaged food. I didn't eat sausages for years as I knew what went into them. But that was a whole other life ago.

Side note: I studied biochemistry at university and worked in labs before I came to Japan and started working in software dev so I have been a nerd for a very long time. Just another fun fact about me. *grin*

Anyway, my planned indulgence will be this weekend and I plan to go out for Sunday brunch with Hubbilious and No.1 Son and a few friends. The food will be freshly made real food but will probably just have a higher fat content than my normal PCP diet especially if I have the eggs benedict. The thought of over processed food like McDonalds makes me feel ill. I have never really liked McDonalds and food of that ilk. My downfall has always been cakes, desserts and as I am learning from PCP - PORTION SIZE. I have been eating way more than I need to exist.

Slept in this morning so haven't done skipping yet. But helper will stay late again this week to amuse Max so I can get it all done after work/daycare and before dinner.

Last night I made stuffed capsicum based on the recipe from Tracey F's Blog. So that was dinner for Hubbilicious last night and lunch for me for the next two days. Thanks Tracey.

[Edit - just found this article online that explains the differences between kilojoules, kcal and calories. What is the difference between Calories and kilojoules?]

Day 49 - Another week another kilo

So here we are at Day 49 and that clocks off 7 weeks - is that right?  Just 7 weeks? It seems like I have been doing this for no time at all and yet it is automatic for me now. Well the food part is automatic, the exercises need me to get my head around to doing them. I can be pretty lazy and if I give myself the opportunity of slacking I will. But I haven't missed a day of the exercises so far and for that I am proud.


Jumped on the scales this morning and I am down another kg to 75.8kg. This brings my total to 8kg so far and back to where I was on my first pre-natal doctors visit (I checked in my book). But I was still unhappy with the size I was then so on we plough.


8 KG!!  YAY me!!


A bad night with the baby who woke up at 4am and wanted to play. Took a while to resettle him and then he/we slept in so it was a late start. Fortunately today was not a office/day care day so I can move the schedule around a bit.


Skips done and dusted before breakfast but I only managed 1506 on the counter. Lots of trips and feet of lead. I tried to do my one legged skipping but I couldn't manage it today. So I just wanted to get them done. I worked out I average about 100 per minute which shows how often I trip. That is really poor. But I am not sure if it is the number that we get through or the amount of time that we have our heart rate up that is the important thing.  


Best be off as I have a few errands to run.

Day 48 - Another day closer to 90

Nothing really to report.

Skips done. Still lots of trips but am able to skip on one foot, then both feet and then the other foot. Total on counter 1738 - better than yesterday but nowhere near where it could be if I wasn't tripping etc. But I think the most important thing is that I am doing them every day.

Other exercises are fine. Nice tricep burn. One minute planks are a bit rough. Have a slight twinge in my left hamstring but I will stretch it out and keep an eye on it.

New photos are up but really not that much difference that I can see.

So really boring blog today. (Not to say that any of my other posts have been fascinating, however.)

Day 47 - Need a pull-up bar

Up until now I haven't had a pull up bar as pull-ups have been completely beyond me the few times that I have tried them. My incline pull ups are using an old bamboo broom handle suspended between two dining room chairs and that seems to work fine at the right height.

I don't really have the right sort of doors in my apartment for an over the door pull-up bar as all my doors are either super high (I have high ceilings - very un-japanese) or the doors are completely flush with a wall. Sadly no way to make holes in the walls and a free standing one seems a bit overkill.

But I will investigate further. I need to get to Don Quixote to look at some scales so I will check out a pull-up bar too.

Todays workout went fine however I did substitute 4 sets x 10 V-sites for the kung-fu sit-ups. I really want to try a kung-fu sit up as they look like fun. Did I just say they look like "fun". I am a total PCP nerd after all.

After the workout and lunch we went to "Baby Loves Disco" with Hubbilicious and No 1 Son. Basically it is a kids daytime disco which is fun even for ex-ravers like us. See my other blog for photos.  Keitai Goddess

Then we had a little walk through Ginza and then to a friend's french bistro for dinner. See my previous post for the amazing salad that the chef very kindly made for me. Egg white and veg salad sans salt or oil.

I will make a small confession, I did have a few sips of a lovely crisp white (Leewin Estate - Art Series) and a very small mouthful of an orange flower creme brulee. But seriously it was about a teaspoon's worth.

PCP Dinner

A very obliging restaurant made me this. Am having evening snack as dinner but special occasion switch. So when I get home I will have an apple as evening snack and a little bit of yoghurt and all will be well in my PCP world.

Day 46 - Sore knees

Whinge whine. Nothing serious just a whinge.

Pistol squats hurt my poor old knees. I think I strained one while I was pregnant when all my joints were stretchy and it really hasn't healed since. I keep re-hurting it when getting up from the floor during playtime with Max.

Otherwise all is good. Workout done between morning snack and lunch as Hubbilicious was able to play with No 1 Son so I could focus on what I was doing.

Skipping much better today for some reason. 1542 on the counter. Fewer trips and felt a bit more fluid so I even tried some new "moves". I was inspired by Kevin's skipping skillz, so I tried hopping rather than jumping and managed to get a few done. Different sensation on one foot than on two. Will try some other moves later on.

Still hopeless on the chest dips but then according to Inés' gym guy they are not meant for us poor fragile females anyway. ppffftt I managed to get a couple of half decent dips done.

For the bloke's push-ups, I can really only get one set done on my toes and then revert to my knees.

Abs are a happier story. I do 8MA most nights and I am finding the V-sits relatively easy. So I am adding reps and an extra set so I can get a good burn.  The bicycle is still hard though - especially on the legs but they are probably still just sore from the squats.  

Food is fine. Had lunch out yesterday in a lovely cafe attached to a German bakery. So all healthy ingredients and PCP friendly. Had a lovely herbed (steamed) chicken sandwich on sourdough with a tomato soup and side salad.

Anybody have any suggestions about what to do with Kabocha pumpkin? I have a heap that I need to use up and I can't think of what to do with it. Last time I roasted it but it was a bit on the dry side even with a coating of olive oil. Mashing just seems dull.

Day 45 - Half way there

I can't believe that it is Day 45 already. It has flown by.

But I weighed in this morning at 76.8kg.

So that is a whopping 7kg down from my start weight of *cough* 83.8kg

7 KG!!!!  


Yes I know not to get hung up on the numbers but 7KG!! My shorts were falling off me during skipping so I had to tighten the drawstring. Time for some new workout clothes.

Skips done and dusted before breakfast again this morning. The first set is full of trips as my body is protesting getting moving that early. But I managed 1452 today so that is a vast improvement on the last two days. I am probably leaving it too long between sets so I will keep plugging away at that as well as the not tripping every 20 seconds.  (Yes I timed it - I am such a PCP nerd.)

I really should get more than 6 hours a night sleep seeing as the baby needs feeding every three hours still.

Day 44 - Skip, Skip, Skip

A change is always as good as a holiday or so they say. It is good mentally to not have thousands of skips looming before me with an unknown quantity on time. My time is so precious.

So having interval skipping now is great as I know I have 14 minutes as minimum time that I need and so as long as I don't linger between sets I can have them done and dusted within 20 minutes or so.

I still trip lots but it is easy to just get back into it ASAP knowing that the clock is running down. I keep the counter going just out of interest to see how many I am doing.

Yesterday I got through them with a few stops to retie shoe-laces (how much does untied shoe laces hurt while skipping!!) and my counter said 1382.  So less than the 1500 I did two days ago.

This morning I got up before everybody else including the baby with the words JFD going through my head and I only did 1273.  Lots and lots of trips. It is much harder to skip on an empty stomach right after I wake up. I am so not a morning person.

So less number of actual skips but I am feeling like I am working more. Perhaps I was taking too much time before I got skipping again.  So now just have to work on less tripping.

Yesterdays workout was brilliant. My helper looked after No.1 son so I was able to really put maximum effort into every rep and set. Lots of burn and sweat pouring off me. I really felt "in the zone". The air-con was off and I just had all the windows open as there was a lovely cross breeze. Some Kylie on the stereo and I kicked it!!  YAY me.

Tomorrow's lunch

I get it ready the night before and I have just finished this creation. 

I think I have outdone myself this time. Chicken roulade made with spinach and cottage cheese on a bed of cous cous and veg on the side.  

For the chicken, I took one breast, butterfly cut and then pounded flat. I then put spinach leaves and some cottage cheese and pepper and then rolled it up as tight as possible. Wrapped in numerous layers of saran wrap and boiled in water until the chicken cooked through. Then fish it out of the water, unwrap and then slice.

Normally I would make these with cream cheese and some roasted capsicum in oil but I think this will work out OK. Might be a tad on the bland side (boiled chicken after all) but maybe with some more pepper it will be a fairly decent lunch. One breast will do me for two lunches.  

Cous Cous was prepared with no salt or butter but just a bit of oil. I added some pepper and fresh parsley while fluffing with a fork. Patrick was right that weight for volume there is more bang for the grammage.  

Day 43 - Congrats to those completing today

When our group started the group ahead of us were about where we are now. It is great to see them finish strong and it has certainly given me a lift today.

So the leadership mantle has been passed down to us. Crikey - the responsibility.

I am still plugging away. I haven't missed any workouts although perhaps not all of them have been at 100% effort. I must refocus to make sure I am not just going through the motions. Tonight I am asking my helper to stay later than normal so she can mind Max and I will give it 110% on the workout. Normally I have one eye on Max while I am working out and I often have to stop half way through a set to pick him up or make sure he isn't getting into something he shouldn't. He is just into everything at the moment. In Tokyo, the cost of helpers is much higher than in HK so I only have mine come once a week for cleaning.

I do 8MA most nights before I go to bed. I have it set up on my iPad so it can be next to me on the floor. It is easier on the neck that way. I am thinking of switching to the version that doesn't have any sound or music but just the beeps to mark the transitions as that guys voice is really starting to grate on me. "Come on gang, these exercises are easy, fun and they really work. You will not hurt your back or neck..  blah blah blah."

I am getting better at my veg stash. I have found that renkon (lotus root) is awesome as it is crunchy and it looks brilliant. For the rest of the veg I have cabbage, spinach, moyashi (bean sprouts - again for the crunch factor), carrots, zucchini, capsicum, string beans, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower (if I have it), shiitake (mushrooms) onion, garlic, ginger, chili and mixed herbs. I don't over steam anything as I am usually cooking it again so I don't want it to go mushy. Onions, garlic, mushrooms etc I saute in some good olive oil. The renkon I boil to remove that woody texture and the cabbage and other leafy greens just get a light boil.

I use this veg stash for my morning frittata, for my sandwich fillings and my evening snack etc. If I make a stirfry with it I add some chinese 5 spice or I can vary it with other spices depending on the style of food that I am serving with it. By evening I am really looking forward to it and I go to bed dreaming of breakfast.

One batch lasts me about 3 days. I then alternate with a big salad of mixed greens, tomato, moyashi, cucumber, spring onion and capsicum. Often if I am having fish I will prefer a salad over veg. But I will have some corn on the cob as well. I don't really have potatoes very often and I have some pumpkin that I really need to use up but I can't think of an interesting way to use them. Baking them without oil isn't really the best.

Sure there are peaks and troughs on this project but the great results I have had so far are really inspiring me to keep plugging away. I love knowing that there is a big group going through the same peaks and troughs and it really does make it mentally easier when I am sweating it out in my living room and walking like a demented duck doing creeps.

Day 42 - Sick Baby

Max is sick again. My poor little pudding. Last night he had a 38°C  fever and projectile vomiting. I did keep thinking about how well he had eaten dinner last night and saw it all come back up. When you have a small child that is learning to eat, every mouthful is like a small win.

He was fussy all night so Elaine we are in this together my friend.

But this morning the fever had subsided and he was feeling better. Not hungry yet but at least in better spirits.

I took a long nap with him during the day so I am somewhat refreshed as well.

Haven't done skips yet but will get onto them soon.

Am a bit nervous about next week's program. I am all prepared for HELL WEEK as Patrick has hinted at even less carbs and that by Day 45 we will cry.

So in response I say, "Bring it!!". If I can deal with no sleep and being covered in vomit, I can deal with anything.

Lunch for the WIN

Just back from lunch with a friend and it was all a big PCP win.

Shabu Shabu restaurant in Shibuya
A small serve of the beef that that said it was 180g (so I knew I could eat half and be in line with my protein grams), plus all you can eat vegie buffet with help-yourself drinks and rice.

So I eyeballed the veg and rice grams and had the half plate serve of the beef and it was all cooked up in the shabu shabu pot.

The only naughty thing I had was a glass of cold cold coke. I haven't had coke for ages and it has always been my naughty little indulgence during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

But all in all I did really really well. The boys were happy to eat my left over meat.

The whole lot cost ¥980 so a bargain as well.

Exercises done and dusted too. Much better time management than yesterday. I think I was dawdling too long between sets and exercises. Today I just powered through.

It is all peaks and troughs!!

Day 41 - New Beginnings

After yesterdays poor time management I have started today turning over a new leaf.

The baby woke me up at around 8am with the unmistakable noise of a poo-nami. We co-sleep and his butt was near my head so that was enough to stir me out of bed in a flash.  So after I changed his nappy and clothes I was fully awake.

Max was content to play with his toys and watch Baby TV and so I got on with my skipping. This was only with some water in my belly which following Patrick's advice is the optimal fat burning time. All done and dusted before 9am. Still lots of trips but I am trying not to overthink it and just keep going. I am totally jealous of those others PCP'ers who are doing 600 without trips. Something to work towards I guess.

So here it is nearly 10am and I have breakfasted and about to put the baby down for his morning nap. I will try to get the workout done while he is sleeping.

Then I am off to lunch with a friend.

Day 40 - Where did the day go?

Day 40 - seems a big number. Nearly half way along the path.

Had a really odd sort of day, today. Hubbilicious on a day off and so we planned to do very little except hang out at home together as a family. He has been busy at work and needed to chillax and I have been feeling out of sorts for a while burning the candle at both ends. So we planned a quiet day trying to get some odd jobs done and just regroup.

Max woke up 9:30 am so I got up and played with him for a while, breakfast at a leisurely 10:30 and then down for a morning nap together as a family around 11:30.

This is where the wheels fell off.

Max woke from his nap around 1pm and Hubbilicious took him into the play room and left me to catch up on sleep. I ended up sleeping until 2:15. I really must have needed it.

But I still hadn't done any skipping or workout. So after a quick fruit snack I did the skipping. Then lots of odd jobs and silly things took up our time. I tried to get Max down for his afternoon nap around 3:30pm. But as he had such a long morning nap he really was only dozing and wouldn't let me leave him. I abandoned trying to get him to sleep around 5pm.

I did my workout then but I seemed to be going in slow motion. Not sure if I was leaving it too long between sets or what but I remember doing my last plank when the 6pm chime sounded on the clock.

6pm!!!  Where did the day go?  I hadn't had lunch yet. Needless to say I was starving but I had no idea where the day slipped away to.

So I grilled some fish and while Max had dinner I ate my "lunch" of grilled fish, toast topped with vegies.

Hubbilicious and I did a few more odd jobs and then it was bath time and bedtime for Max. I skipped my afternoon snack and had my dinner at 9pm but just added a bit more yoghurt.

So here it is close to 10pm and I have no idea how the day slipped by so quickly. Well the 3+ hour nap in the middle probably explains it.

I still have a heap more that I need to get done - the baby's room is a tip as he isn't sleeping in there yet and I am trying to get it ready for him.. (ie do something with everything else I have dumped in there.)

Hoping to be more organised tomorrow. But I think it was good for me just to go in slow motion today.

Day 39 - Day at the beach

A gorgeous summer day here today so after my workout I took Max to the beach in Kamakura and met up with a few hooping friends. Hubbilicious was at work as usual for a Saturday but we have two days off together from tomorrow - YAY.

After an initial few moments of being unsure about the whole ocean, sand and splashy waves thing, Max just loved the water. Good little Aussie tacker that he is. We sat in the shallows and made sand castles, inspected shells and seaweed for a few hours. We went out into the waves and dunked into the water. Lots of smiles and laughing for everybody.

All of this was very good for my constitution also. Sure the skipping was still pissing me off today and I wanted to throw the rope out the window more than a few times but it was all done and dusted before we set off into the fresh air and sunshine.

I took a lunchbox for both Max and I so food was all PCP and baby compliant. Went home when the others were heading off to dinner as Max had conked out and thought it best for the train journey. As it was we didn't get home until after 8:30 so it was a good thing we left when we did. Walking past the shops and the beach bars it really struck home how much I used to eat when at the beach. I would think nothing of stopping along the way to get sticky buns from the bakery and then snacks from the beach bars. Then usually we would stop for burgers or something on the way home. As it was I didn't spend a cent on food or drink and had bonus exercise such as the walking, swimming and hooping.

The scales tell me that I am now 6kg lighter than Day 1 which is brilliant. I have uploaded some more photos to flickr and I think there is some differences that can be noticed. I do need to buy a new swimsuit as the one today was gaping and falling off. Sadly I will have to source one overseas as it is a special breastfeeding swimsuit and Japan doesn't have anything like this.

Day 38 - Tired, hungry and frustrated

*******  Warning - vent alert  *******

Grumble, grumble, grumble. Have been in tears twice in 12 hours from frustration and feeling like a failure. It is not all due to PCP. Yes I know it is a phase and it will pass but I need to vent. So stop reading now if you are needing some positive energy today.

It is hot, I am tired from not enough sleep and I am frustrated with hitting a few plateaus that refuse to budge. I feel like I am running around with my hair on fire and not doing anything well enough and some things at home are not being done at all.

I am hungry too. I have noticed a pattern though as by this day in our "week" I am hungry but then by the end of our PCP week my stomach has adjusted to the new diet only to have it change again.

My skipping is giving me the biggest problems in PCP at the moment. I seem to have hit a plateau with them and it is frustrating the hell out of me. I can't seem to stop tripping. I can sometimes make it to 100 or slightly over before I trip but mostly I average around 30-40 skips.

Yesterday, after what seemed like the 50th time I had flicked myself in the shins I yelled out in frustration at myself and made the baby cry. Poor kid was playing with his toys quietly while I was skipping.

I focus on my form and fix my gaze in one spot but I invariably step on the rope or hit myself in the shins. I try to fix my arm motion but nothing seems to work. Logically it seems that if I am standing on the rope then I am not turning it fast enough with my hands. I am jumping with both feet as I can't do anything with a hopping motion.

I am so frustrated especially when I read other blogs of people who can knock over their skips in 10-12 minutes or so in blocks of 300 or more. It takes me at least 20 and this is a long time when trying to get things done before the baby needs attention.

My skill hasn't improved in skipping for weeks which is why I feel I have plateaued.   

*******  End Rant  *******

I know I need more sleep and it is not possible to be wonder woman every day but it is Friday today so hopefully I can get a lie in tomorrow if the baby complies.

In happier news, there is another pair of pants that are hanging off me and look like I am wearing a few sizes too big for me. So off into the Salvation Army bag for these.

Day 37 - Greenhouse gases

I think I need to reduce the amount of cabbage in my veg stash. TMI?

Otherwise all going well. Have some friends coming over for dinner tonight so I prepared shepherds pie last night and it is in the fridge ready to pop into the oven before they arrive. Sadly I won't be able to have any of it. But I will be able to have some of it for lunch the next day as I made it really lean with no salt or other nasties.

I am finding it necessary to do all my meal cooking/prep the night before after the baby goes down. I weigh out breakfast veg, make my lunchbox and have dinner ready for Hubbilicious or like in this case my friends. I usually make enough salad/veg to last for a few days and I try to switch up the protein for lunch between roast chook, prawns or grilled fish. My last batch of lean rissoles were awesome too.

In the mornings I get up around 7 ~ 7:30 and there is just not enough time. Sure I could get up earlier but I stay up late to see Hubbilicious when he gets home from work around 1am and so am in bed by 2am. So I am probably not getting enough sleep as it is. I have all the intentions of skipping in the mornings but I just can't seem to get it together. I cook breakfast for Max and myself, dress, pack for daycare and get out the door before 9am. It is a nice 15 minute brisk walk to daycare with the stroller and then another 15 minute brisk walk to the office.

Around lunch time I make the 30 minute round trip on foot to day care to feed Max and then I pick him up again at 5pm. I can usually get to my workout by 6pm and as long as Max can entertain himself I get the workout fully done before 7pm. Then dinner for Max, then the bath, book, bed dance. When he finally goes down around 8:30 then I can start on the food prep for the next day before doing some more work on the computer. Then veg snack and 8 minute abs and then I can sit down for some crap TV finally. SATC reruns on cable start at 11:55 and I can usually have everything done by then.

Rinse and repeat.

Ah the joys of a working mum/hospitality widow.

Patrick was right - the skipping did get easier as my muscles repaired themselves. I am still not doing big runs and the most I can get to is 120 or so before I trip. I would like to get through them faster as I get really bored.

I really like the new exercises. Tough but good burn and I got to failure often. Managed to get the hang of the pistol squats after a few attempts and then straight after the jumps I had to go downstairs to the bedroom for something and I could barely make it back up the stairs. That has to be a good thing.

Not sure if I am facing the right way on the lawn mower so I will ask the question. The bike legs are tough but I am enjoying the physical challenge of it all.

Day 36 - new/old clothes

Put on my fave pair of denim capri's this morning that a month ago were too small. Imagine 10 pounds of shit shoved into a 5 pound bag and you will get the idea. Muffin top overflow, gunt pushing out through the zip. Butt crack city and you should always so "NO!" to crack. Very people-o'-Walmart™ and most unattractive.

However, this morning I saw them on the floor of my wardrobe where I had flung them in disgust the last time I attempted to wear them and they were daring me to put them on. Calling to me if you will. And they slipped on easily and zipped up smoothly. The merest hint of a muffin top so I wouldn't wear a midriff top (not that I ever would mind you) but I floated on air on my commute to work today.

I guess I have deliberately avoided trying them on until now as I hadn't wanted to tempt fate. Or perhaps I didn't really believe that this PCP thing was working despite what the scales said. I mean who would have thought that such results were possible in just 36 days.

I have done my exercises religiously and have kept to the diet 98%. No sneaks or cheats with chocolate which is most unlike me. But I am finding the diet easy to manage and stick to - mainly as I am not out much socially because of Max. Some days it is hard to face the rope but then I just think "Just Fucking Do It" and it is done. The social networking aspect of this program is what keeps up the motivation.

That said, I still have a long way to go before I will be completely satisfied. I have been thinking that at this rate I will probably need an extra 30 days or so after the 90 days to get to where I really want to be. I guess I will assess that again after the next month. But so far I am going strong and motivated.

Can anybody read egg yolks?

For the second day in a row my evening egg has had a double yolk. Have never seen this before and now twice in two days. Plays havoc with my egg separator. (No I have never mastered the art of separating eggs using the shell.)

That must bode well for something....

Day 35 - Feet o' lead

Today it feels like I am totally dragging. Just a skipping day but still it felt like there was lead weights in my trainers. I kept tripping after 20 or 30 skips. So the 1400 took FOREVER.

Is this due to the weather or related to the legs o' jelly from yesterday?

But they are done and dusted. Will aim for another 8 minute ab session later on tonight but for now I have lots of work to do and the baby is being quite demanding.

Food fine. Just trying to figure out how to weigh a chicken leg.

8 Minute abs

One word - OUCH

Just saying.

Day 34 - Jelly Legs

Jelly arms too for that matter.

Those floor jumps really take it out of a person. I have to keep pushing myself to get back down low as I have a tendency to do the jump and stay up high and just bend over at the waist. Kinda cheating I know. But I force myself back down to crouch. I can barely make it through each set and fall into a heap on the floor.

I am still fairly jelly-ish hours later.

Tricep dips have never been friendly for me and I do them but daaahhmmm do they hurt.

Food good. My infant son gets veg from my veg stash too as it is PCP and baby friendly. Hubby gets some as well but I add things like salt and extra chili to his.

Clothes really loose now. I am going to have to retire some of the "fat pants" I bought as I couldn't get into my pre-preggo clothes. Will do something ceremonial with them like burn them or cut up for costumes or something.  They will NOT be staying in my wardrobe as I am never going to need them again.

Bring on the skinny jeans!!

Day 33 - Dinner with friends

Just got back from a friends place where we had a party for Hubbilicious' birthday.  Low key affair with good friends who are all PCP supportive. The menu was make your own (veg) tacos.  So I just made my own veg plate.  When I got home I had my egg white smoothie and apple so still all PCP just in a slightly different order.

Boy it was hard to turn down dessert though. It looked brilliant - flambe bananas and ice cream. I had a banana and that was it.

I did try a zero alcohol beer. Zero Alcohol, very few calories and zero taste.

Exercises good - creep better than last time. Chair dips still not much movement but I did feel a burn. Have decided that it is difficult to do V-sits with a small child crawling all over me.

So not much to report but I just wanted to check in anyway.

Day 32 - Minor success

For the first time today I managed a passable incline pull-up. Just the one mind, so a bit too early to be congratulating myself too much. The rest of the sets were the usual few inches off the ground with the last ones barely moving. But I managed a whole one!!

Otherwise all is well in my PCP world. Floor jumps bring me close to tears but I get through them looking like a hobbling old alcoholic. I couldn't do the last 20 seconds of the last plank but getting to complete failure is supposed to be a good thing right?

Food is all good but is it a bad thing that I was eyeing off my infant son's rice and vegies dinner tonight? I was tempted to finish off his leftovers but I didn't.

Off to a friends for dinner tomorrow night and she has the fancy pants scales that measure all the stats. I will jump on them and see what they say.  But I don't have Day 1 results to compare with so it is really just for interest.

Day 31 - Suspect parenting skills

I woke up a half hour later than usual and started to do my skipping. But I soon realised that I wouldn't be able to get through them all and have time left to get all the breakfast done, baby dressed and out the door to daycare so I abandoned them around the 150 mark.

But this afternoon after I picked up Max from day care, gave him a snack, I plopped him in the baby jail (playpen) and put on baby TV while I did my workout. Started the skipping from zero again and flew through them easily. Bubs was still occupied by his toys and the TV so I was able to get through the rest of the workout with just a few minor interruptions for moving him around to different play areas to keep him occupied.

Suspect parenting skills I think. But he got his own back by laughing at me while I was quivering on the floor after the floor jumps. Then while grimacing and grunting through the double katanas he thought that was super funny.

But the main thing is that the workout is done just in time for me to sit him down for dinner before bath and bed. I am going to need the bath tonight too as I am a big glob of jelly today. Legs and arms are still really feeling it. A great workout.