Day 90 - Final Post

Crikey - final post. So many thoughts. Ninety days seemed to take ages but yet it is all over so soon. It has been a really interesting journey.

Lets get to the photos as that is what people want to see. 

Day 1 83.8 kg

Day 90 71.6 kg

Day 1

Day 90

How do I feel about these photos?  I still cringe when I look at the Day 1 photos. When they were taken I had been avoiding photos for a while. I was in total denial that I was that huge as it was never how I thought of myself.

When I saw photos from a holiday in Australia in May, I saw myself as I really was - and I didn't like it. I was embarrassed and quickly deleted as many of them as I could. But I didn't know what to do. As I was breastfeeding I was too afraid to "diet" as I didn't want to compromise my milk supply. My friends and family were too polite to say anything - bless them - but I really needed somebody to give me a kick up the bum sooner. I happened to catch a twitter message about somebody who was on PCP and a quick google search lead me here. I could just have easily never heard of this program and I would still be the size of a small car but probably more depressed about it.

Now at Day 90, I have finally lost the baby weight and the post baby weight gain and I am looking closer to how I think I look in my head - if that makes sense. My body shape has totally changed and my face looks more like "me" again. More importantly, I am feeling more like "me" again but a more energetic and healthier me.

My body responded very quickly to the exercise and the healthier diet and I lost weight quickly. I have lost 12.2kg on the scales but I don't have any more stats to report as I didn't take note of them at the start. Again this is due to the denial I was in at the time. I am happy to report I am back into my pre-pregnancy clothes and I have thrown away the "fat" clothes I needed to buy. The maternity clothes are all packed away now too. My boobs are still enormous and so some of my clothes are not yet fitting again but they will as soon as I have fully weaned Max.

I do think that the photos speak louder than any numbers.

The journey has been really interesting. I have learned so much about my fellow PCP'ers - previously complete strangers on the internet - and also about myself. I have really enjoyed the blogs and sharing the ups and downs of everybody. I was really rooting for all of you as your successes, however minor, made me happy and inspired me to push on. Hearing about your challenges helped me deal with mine.  Working out at home by oneself is quite difficult after all but I didn't feel alone with the community aspect of PCP. This was a team effort but all the results are individual - a fairly unique scenario.

It was sensational to meet Conny in person the other week. I loved reading her delightfully honest posts and related to her enthusiasm. I hope to catch up with her again soon. It would be great to meet other PCP'ers but not sure if geographically possible.

I am quite proud of myself that I didn't miss any workouts or skipping despite having wanted to more than a few times. It would be a lie to say I did it all at 100% effort. There were some days that I was just going through the motions. Other days, time management was a challenge. There were days that I threw down my jumprope in frustration and other days that the minutes just slipped by.

I kept to the diet about 90%. There were a few spectacular fails that I wrote about on the blogged about but there were other sneaky cheats of chocolates, lollies or glasses of wine from time to time. There were some days that a few extra grams ended up on my plate or the few times I had pork for my protein. But overall I did really well for myself. At the end of the day, it was only myself that was I was cheating and I think this is the lesson I have finally learned. I needed to stop thinking that I was entitled to whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it and to remember the consequences would only be felt by me. So I have manned up and taken responsibility for what I put in my mouth.

What were my goals? In public, I said that I wanted more energy as I was a new parent, albeit a new parent at 40. This goal was certainly achieved. I have so much more energy now and think nothing of chasing my crawling son around the house - his favourite game at the moment. In private, I wanted to feel more human again, rather than just a baby maker, wife and carer. I have certainly found myself again and rediscovered my sense of humour.

For evidence, see cheesy photos below:

Some more photos - this time with the Maxinator.

Day 1

Day 90

My beautiful baby has become a little boy.

I have much less back fat.

I enjoyed food side of PCP. I loved weighing out the grams and planning menus to fit within those grams. Going back to work and managing the baby, day care and the house was actually good timing as PCP took away a few variables that I didn't need to manage. I learned that my choices and portion control was way, way out of synch with what my body needed - even while breastfeeding. Also, I have re-learned the simple joys of food. That said, I am looking forward to working out menus with legumes again - tofu, lentils, beans etc.

Have I become vain and smug? Probably a little bit. However, I had been so focused on everything and everybody else that my needs and sense of self had become lost. I am still a long way from what would be considered buff, or in peak condition, but I feel like I have gained control of myself again.

What is next for me? I am not sure as I am still processing the last 90 days - hence this rambling blog post. But if you have read any of my previous posts, then you will be used to that by now. Certainly, I see lots more skipping in my future. I think this morning's workout proved to me how far I have come and that I have actually become friends with my jump rope. I even went out today and bought new batteries for it. I look forward to the maintenance information and decide after a break what my next wellness goals will be.

A huge thank you to Patrick whose calm mentorship and common sense advice cut through the hysteria and corrected years of over thinking. Another big thank you to all the other PCP'ers. Good luck to you all.

Day 90 - Dead jumprope

No this is not one of those "I hate skipping" posts that are so common on this blog. This is about my jumprope that has simply run out of juice. I picked it up this morning for my final workout and the battery on the digital counter had died - since yesterday.

Even my jumprope needs to take a break from PCP.

Anyway, I did my final PCP workout and counted my skips manually. NO TRIPPING. Then I opted for Day 3 as there was NO LUNGES.  Body a bit sore from yesterday but all done and dusted in about 10 minutes. This last workout really highlighted how much progress has been made since Week 1 when I could barely do a push-up and was panting after just a few minutes of skipping.

Now breakfast!!

I will make my final post within a few days after I have taken some photos and added the appropriate amount of photoshop.  :-)

I DID IT!!

Day 89 - Kicked it!!

Ah, Sunday, the traditional day of rest - not this Sunday though.

The penultimate PCP day and the toughest workout yet.

And I kicked it's butt!!

Skipping done after breakfast and 18 minutes flew by with minimal trips today. I was determined that today was going to be a strong PCP day.

Floor jumps - check. Still find it hard to keep to 20 seconds between sets as I am crawling back to the start point on my hands and knees.

Chest/Back super set - Tough but good.

Biceps/Triceps/Shoulder super set - arms shaking and a wobbly mess after each set. Strangely though I was able to do more of the Da Vinci's/Shoulder raises by Set 4. Second wind? Grim Determination? Bloody Mindedness? Still not the maximum number but over half at least.

V-sits - started off doing 25 before failure. By set 5 down to 15 before failure and limbs akimbo. Those 15 second breaks whizzed by mere moments.

Planks - started off with a 1:45 minute plank and I was feeling strong and mean. Last one was just shy of a minute before I dropped to the ground in exhaustion.

Now I am flying high as a kite on all the endorphins and feeling pretty smug that I kicked it.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring as Patrick is holding his cards close to his chest. For me though, I am sure tomorrow will bring sore muscles and feet o' lead.

Day 88 - So close and yet...

Nearly had a massive fail last night for both workout and food.

It ended up just a minor fail in the food. I was at a party at the embassy and there was nary a vegetable in sight - unless you count potato fries as a veg. So I snacked  on some chicken yakitori (the non-salt version) but I was just so hungry I did have a serve of yaki-soba (noodles). It looked a better option than the okonomiyaki which looked super heavy. So carbs after dark was my fail. I had a big bowl of salad when I arrived home around 9pm.

The other near-miss fail was that I was so tired, I nearly didn't do my workout. But I mentally kicked myself in the butt and got it done. I wasn't about to miss a workout with so few left to go.

My poor old knee though is really giving me some grief now and I think I will have to have it looked at. If I have been sitting for too long, then I have to hobble a bit when I stand up. I can feel it when I skip now and the creeps last night were torture. I did some warm up and lots of stretching in the break times. I had read a few other the other blogs and I agree that I thought the floor jumps were not as bad after the 5 sets of creeps. I can't believe I am saying that about floor jumps.

Shoulders - OUCH. There was no way that I got through all the reps in each of the exercises. The Da Vincis have always been quite painful on a normal day but to follow up with shoulder raises in a super set was excruciating. I was only doing around 10-12 reps before I just couldn't lift my arms any more.

I did feel much better after the workout so I am pleased I pushed though. I even did 8MA just before bed so felt even better.

Today, I set out with a much better frame of mind. I had a lovely lie in until 9am and Hubbilicious was able to play with the Maxinator while I got on with it all. Everything went well but my shoulders are still sore from yesterday. The abs were the toughest and I really pushed though to make sure I did some decent planks. I made sure I was doing at least one minute. The V-sits started off at 25 reps but by the last set they were down to 12 with legs and arms akimbo.

Looking at tomorrow's workout - crikey. That is going to be a challenge but I have prepared mentally and I am going to kick it.

Bring it on!!! 

Day 87 - Tired

Tried to get up early to do skips and super sets this morning however, I turned off the alarm and slept for another hour. I was tired as I didn't really get to bed until after 1am and Max needed three feedings during the night. Poor little sausage is cutting his molars and I am sure it is painful.

So I started the skipping at 7:15 rather than 6:15 and I thought if I rushed through everything I could get through the workout as well before we had to leave the house. I abandoned that idea about half way through the first set of trips skips as I had two left feet, both made o' lead this morning. I tripped and spluttered my way through both sets of 9 minutes. It was a pretty pathetic effort and I only had around 1600 on the counter.

I really wanted to get the workout done this morning as after work we are off to a party at the embassy and we probably won't get home until after 9pm. So I am in for a late workout tonight after Max is in bed - Shouganai. At least it is Friday!!

Back on the menu this morning were breakfasts burritos. I haven't had one for about a month and didn't realise how much I missed them. I had some tortillas out last night as I made chicken and salad wraps for dinner. The boys had the tortillas and I used lettuce for mine and it was a total PCP win. There were a few tortilla's left over so I snaffled one for breakfast.

Didn't bring lunch today so I am planning on a Subway turkey and veg sandwich as they seem to have the healthiest fast food lunch options. In keeping with the wrap theme, it looks like they have some yummy wraps on the menu too that would be lighter on the carbs than the breadrolls. I will decide when the time comes. It will be nice to eat somebody else's food for a change.

Extra cardio is back and forth to daycare four times as usual but on foot (briskly) rather than by bus. Weight is hovering around the 71kg mark. Unlikely now that I will get to see a 6 in these numbers before Day 90 but I am feeling thinner. I should hope so as I am now lugging around 12.5 less kilos on my carcass. Everybody has commented how noticeable it is and how much fitter and healthier I am looking.

Day 86 - D'oh!!

Having a total blonde day and it isn't even lunchtime yet.

Got up super early to do my skipping and super-sets. I was such an eager beaver. Skips fine - nothing out of the ordinary for a pre-breakfast tripskip-fest.

Then I discovered a new way for my chest dips. I normally use two of the dining chairs but I also use these for the incline pull-ups with my trusty broom-handle. So while getting ready for the super-set, I realised that the high chair tray and the dining table are about the same height and give me enough clearance to do a half decent dip. The added bonus is that my hands are on a flat surface and not clinging onto the thin tops of the dining chairs which hurts my hands. Super-set 1 - check!!

Then I set up for the next ones - pulldowns and ovations. When I got to the end I realised that half way through I had changed to shoulder flys rather than pull-downs for some unknown reason. Perhaps as I was doing shoulder flys last night and I went into auto pilot. Whatever the reason, I then decided to do the super set again, this time with the correct pair of exercises. D'oh!! 

For the third super set, I used my old bands for the curls and my new bands in the door for the ski-jumper. It takes me too long to put the band in the door frame so I needed to just go straight from one exercise to the next. Super set 3 - done and dusted.

By this time I am knackered as I had powered through everything on an empty stomach and only minimal water and minimal sleep. I only managed 3 sets of the abs super-set before Max woke up. But if I am perfectly honest, I doubt I could have done another one. The v-sits were failing at under 20 reps and I wasn't able to do more than a minute on the planks. If I feel up to it, I will give the abs another run after work.  (hhmm  perhaps not likely)

Overall, I really enjoyed the super sets today. I powered through them.

Then breakfast routine and out the door to daycare. I left my phone at home and had to go back and get it. I met my Japanese teacher this morning (I am trying for 2kyu this year) and I was totally useless. I was yawning and spacing out for the entire time. Coffee of no help. Then I left my bento box behind and had to go back for it. Useless.

I really need more sleep I guess if I want to get up for early super sets.

Day 85 - Busy, busy, busy

Crew back in the office, refreshed and eager to get on with projects. Needless to say, I am hell busy so no time for long blog post.

Skips done before breakfast. Lots of trips as usual when skipping on empty stomach. But mantra in my head goes, "I am burning fat, I am burning fat.". 

Helper staying late tonight so I can focus on my workout - lots of floor jumps ahead. 

BRING IT!!  

Pleased to report that a pair of shorts that were too small for me 18 months ago, fell off my hips yesterday.  

Will try to get some new photos up tonight. Can't promise anything like Richard and Kim's angles as helper will take the snaps. I just get her to get it over with quickly as I find it weird to have my helper see me flex my muscles. Hubbilicious will take the final photos so I will make sure they are more interesting.

Day 84 - Better day

Bubs slept well last night so today I bundled him up into the sling and took the long way to the station (cardio, cardio) and went for an adventure to the baby shop.

Bought everything except for the one thing I really want as nobody seems to know what a child's night-light is.

Had a lovely lunch date with my son at Soup Stock. Chicken and veg soup, gaspacho and a small serve of rice. Eyeballing, it seemed fine in terms of veg and carbs but probably a bit light on protein. Soup Stock seems to be fairly healthy made from fresh ingredients. Total meal was about 300 kcals based on their advertised list.

Home again mid afternoon and during Max's second blissful nap of the day, I did my skipping. 2008 on the counter after the 18 minutes. After they were done I was at a bit of a loose end as just the two sets of skipping seemed over in a moment.

Wondering what the last week's program has in store for us. Eagerly awaiting tonights email.

Day 83 - Crazy day

PCP wise the day has been OK. Skips done after breakfast (2210) and workout done before lunch. Lunch was at 2pm though. I really need to get my skips done before breakfast otherwise the day just gets away from me and I have a big cloud over me for the rest of the day.

Triceps are still hurting hours after the workout. Killers today.

The afternoon just dissolved into bedlam. Max refused to take an afternoon nap and then had a total meltdown at dinner time. As he was so cranky before dinner I had to abandon my cooking plans as well as my other chores. So I was totally on my own this afternoon with a cranky baby and my own frustration with the day. So when Hubbilicious arrived home, I melted down into tears too.

It is 10:40 and I have only just got Max down to sleep. I am not sure how long he will last. I will do 8MA and then head to bed myself as I am exhausted.

BTW raw sardine sashimi for dinner protein was not a good plan on my part. I tried giving it to the cat and she didn't even want it.

Carpet Burn

On my elbows!!  Planks - damn you!!  

Day 82 - Weekly weigh in

Jumped on the scales this morning and they read 71.4kg.  That is over 12kg down from Day 1.

12kg!!  The Maxinator weighs 10.6kg!!   


That really puts the achievement in perspective when I look at my son and know that I have lost more than his body weight.

However, I still can grab handfuls of skin and flab from around my belly. Before PCP this was solid flab in rolls but now it is kinda saggy. It reminds me of this.

I guess I just have to wait until my skin firms up a bit more. Might be a question for Patrick.

Looking critically at my figure and the scales I really need to do this project again. Of course I need to take a break after Day 90 but then I really need to get into it again in order to get to peak condition. I am certainly on the way though. Those people who have had the best results started closer to where I am now.

Taking it slow today as I have a shocking sore throat. Max slept well last night and his fever has broken so I hope he is over the worst of it. Haven't done skipping or workout yet but will wait until after my lunch has digested and Max is down for a nap. Am not looking forward to those 1min 45 sec planks though. Crikey...

Day 81 - Lackluster

Both Max and I are still a bit unwell. Nothing fatal, just a sore throat, swollen glands and in Max's case the 38.5ºC fever continues. I sound really sexy with my husky voice though. Max sounds a little hoarse too so I can only assume he has a sore throat as well.

Skipping was very lackluster today. Got through them but really poorly. Only managed around 2100 skips rather than the 2300 or so I have been doing over the last few days. I had to take a big break between sets 2 & 3 to attend to Max so not ideal in terms of the cardio effects. But they are done.

Workout started off pretty poorly as well. My knee is still making squats and creeps painful but pushed through the pain to finish them off.  Lots and lots of failure in davincis. I don't need to make them harder despite today's pro tip. For the shoulder press, I only managed about 10 in the final set. Shoulder flys lots of burn and failure too.

I finished strong on the abs though.

Planning on taking a long walk with Max in the sling for extra cardio but won't push it too hard for both our sakes.

Day 80 - Working out with Conny

Today the plan WAS...

Meet at Sendagaya at 10am. Do skips and workout at the gym before a pool, steam and shower then lunch.

However, the Maxinator had a fever and was not allowed into daycare to infect all the other kids so I had to take him away. I have had a sore throat and swollen glands for a few days so I am sure we have the same thing. With no other child care options, the gym was out.

So Conny and I headed back to mine to do the workout there. Sadly, not enough room in my living room for us both to skip so we consoled ourselves with coffee and a long chat. After Max's nap we thought we had best get into the workout.

Pain shared is pain halved.

I thought the workout went quite well. Conny made do with a bench seat for the incline pull-ups and I used my usual broom handle between two chairs. We got through all the sets and were quite strict on the times between sets and reps except when Max needed to be moved to a new play area.

Triceps dips quite hard as usual and failure on the triceps extensions. V-sits substituted for Kung fus again. The bicycles were hard but we got through them together with only a few curses.

Then we had lunch - brown rice, veg and chicken roulade and another big chat.

I have just done the skips now and so done and dusted for the day apart from 8MA.

Conny - it was sensational to meet you in person finally. Lets meet again very soon.

Day 79 - Impatience vs a quiet mind

Patrick's email this morning got me thinking about a quiet mind. Never having practiced za-zen (although I bought a book once does that count?) I have no idea what it is like to quiet one's mind. I am constantly plotting, planning, strategising, visualising, working through logistics, writing blog posts or emails, virtual conversations, coding my software. I just can't seem to help it. I do this when I am on the bus, walking down the street, skipping or even when staring into space. I am quite pathological about it. The only time my brain is quiet is when I am reading a book - something I love to do each night before I go to sleep. It does help to find the brain off switch.

My friend once ran into me in a subway station and I was walking along not quite talking to myself but certainly a look on my face that showed there was a lot going on in my brain. She still gives me shit about it from time to time. It does drive Hubbilicious nuts sometimes but then he does defer to me when it comes to booking flights, holidays or even just which exit to use when getting off the subway cos I always know where I am and where I need to go and he is a real fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kinda guy.

Now with the baby and working, I need to be super organised so I guess it is just my way of controlling my environment so I don't get overwhelmed and freaked out.

I am totally left brained and logical. Not an A-type personality most of the time but I sure do have some A-type traits. I am sure I am not alone in this group of PCP'ers. Most of us seem to be expats of some description and are at various stages of success in their work and personal lives. We all had enough of a desire to take on this fairly ambitious project and stick at it. Giving up the control of our lives was really hard at first.

I did find it amusing that at the beginning, most of us were negotiating for our fave things, food, exercises, schedules etc. We wanted it all and wanted it now!! Patrick (the seasoned mentor, unwilling to enter into these negotiations) just said, "Do it whatever way you like but at your own risk for your results." Then the results starting showing so we STFU and released our vice-like grip on the controls for a bit. But now that we have to go back to the real world, some of us don't want to leave. Or we want to have all the information NOW so we can do it our own way.

OK - I am blathering now - you can see how scary my brain is at times as it never shuts up. It does explain why I have never mastered the art of pith in my long emails and blog posts. Perhaps a bit of meditation in my life wouldn't be such a bad thing...  especially if I want to improve my skipping skills it seems.

Anyway - skips done between breakfast and morning snack. Conny can testify to this as she happened to call in the middle of my second set. Then I did the workout before taking my boobs to daycare to feed Max his lunch. Why they will not accept expressed milk is just beyond me but yet again I digress. All went well in the workout with failure in the push ups and show offs but those planks take ages to do now - 5 sets of 90seconds is a long time.

Now am at the office catching up on more coding while it is quiet.

Day 78 - I could get used to this...

Another child free, non work day.

I was able to get the skips done before breakfast and then had to wake up Max so I could get him ready for daycare. Scurried back home and did the workout and all done and dusted morning snack time. It is great to not having the workout hanging over me all day now that they have ramped up another notch.

I was careful during the pistol squats as my left knee is still feeling weird. I can skip fine but any sort of twisting motion gives me sharp pain. Floor jumps had me crawling around on the floor as usual but it is a feeling of achievement to get them done. Lots of burn in the shoulder workout and lots of failure in the final sets. So many sets!! It is hard to keep up.

Then I took myself off for a pedicure and a facial. So many nicer options than going to an office every day. Pity there is the need for that pesky salary thing that just keeps getting in the way.

Ironically though, I did find myself in the office later in the afternoon as I still have so much to do. But it is quiet so I can get lots of coding done without interruptions.

Another two days of freedom before it all starts again next week.

Day 77 - Home again

Only a short trip away and it feels like no time at all.  But it was a lovely mini-break.

Today we spent the morning at the beach and took a glass bottomed boat to see the fiskies. Back to hotel and I skipped while the boys napped. Did 2290 skips during the 7min x 3 so did really well I think. The change of scenery really helped. Really felt those extra minutes though and was sweating buckets even in an airconditioned gym.

Then a late lunch and a quick onsen before racing back to Naha for the flight. The traffic was dreadful and we nearly missed it.

But we are now home. The Maxinator is in bed and Hubbilicious is out getting some combini salad, milk and eggs for the next few days. I really have to make a new veg stash tomorrow as the fridge is bare.

Indulgence part 2

shabu shabu pork and veg, veg tempura,fish carpaccio, chawamushi and amazing lobster and veg in butter sauce followed by veg miso soup, rice soup and pickles. Then dessert of fruit.

Didn't come close to eating everything but am stuffed.

It was all fresh ingredients and nothing processed but so much food that my shrunken tummy is bursting.

Was all fantastic. Hope it agrees with me later.

Indulgence part 1

Okinawan feast appetizer course.
sashimi, tasting plate of yummies, cured pork, fruit sake.

Day 76 - Hang on!!

The resort we are staying at in Okinawa is perfect for a few different reasons. It is super easy with the baby, food is easy to navigate on the buffets and there is a gym and a lap pool.

So this morning I did my skips in a new environment for the first time and I killed them. I tried out a whole bunch of new moves. I was moving around the gym jogging, knee lifts, shuffles, bunny hops and then with some expert oves like double rotations and cross overs. Of course I tripped all over the place but I had a heap of fun.

For the workout there was a heap of useful equipment including a pull-up bar. I was really looking forward to trying some pull-ups and kung fu sit ups for the first time. It turns out I can't even hang from the bar. So while I valiantly attempted pull ups, to an observer it would have just looked like I was trying to hang on to a bar.

I gave up on the kung fus after a single set and used the bars where you rest on your forearms and lift up your legs. Same muscle group workout and I did really feel it more than the hanging on way. Spent some time on the stair master for extra cardio and then jumped into the pool with my boys for a frolic.

Food has been average. It is so hard to negotiate when outside your natural habitat. At the airport yesterday I had the safest thing possible - vegetable soba - but I suspect too much salt, too many carbs, not enough veg and no protein. But certainly a better option than sandwiches slathered in mayo.

Dinner last night was yakiniku buffet so easy to keep PCP compliant. Breakfast this morning was another buffet so again all was fine for me to eyeball the grams. I swiped some fruit for my snack. As I am only away for two days I brought all my eggs with me. Lunch today at the aquarium was a veg, chicken pita and some rice pilaf so a bit salty but not too bad.

Tonight will be the indulgence meal and we are planning to go for a big Okinawan feast - when in Rome.

Haven't read other blogs today but I hope you are all fine. I am about to head to the pool for a pre-dinner swim.

Day 75 - Great start to holiday

So Patrick's email about the indulgence was the first thing I read today and it was the best news to hear on the first day or a trip. I have been looking at all of the lovely restaurants in the area where we are staying so there will be a blow out for sure.

Am up early like a nerdy eager beaver, to do skips and workout before we have to leave for the airport. Not sure if I will get time this afternoon after we get there. It is a good 2.5 hour flight and at least an hour each end for transit to and from airports so we will be traveling for most of the day.

Workout and skips done and dusted already.

Chest dips are still a joke with my up and down movement only an inch or so. But again, I am going through the motions of each rep of each set to "grease the wheels".

Tips for young punters: don't drink water before an elevated push up. You may see it again.

Planks were really hard today - perhaps as I haven't had anything to eat yet. I don't need any tips to make them harder though - they are hard enough.

OK - me out.  Time to do last minute packing before heading out the door.

Day 74 -Two Birds, One Stone

I am such a multi-tasker!!

Max was being difficult this afternoon and refusing to go down for a nap. I needed to figure out how to add some extra cardio into my day. So, I put Max into the stroller and walked up and down the hills in my neighbourhood. Max was asleep in less than five minutes and I kept up the walking for about 45 minutes or so until he woke up again.

Skipping and workout were done earlier in the day before lunch. I discovered that creeps are an excellent method of finding and picking up toys that have been strewn around the loungeroom. They are also a great way of chasing your crawling child around making him think it is a big game.

Everything else done and dusted. The only grumble is that pistol squats keep re-hurting my knee. I don't know what is wrong with it but it is not a serious injury - more annoying niggling pain than anything else. Shoulder workout went to failure really quickly. I needed to drop down to my lighter bands during the forward raises as I was not even making 10 reps before failure.

Off to Okinawa tomorrow for two whole nights holiday!! It is the only break Hubbilicious is getting this Summer. Poor bugger usually works six days/nights a week in the restaurant and most days I feel like a single parent. So I am really looking forward to some family time albeit fairly short.

Ropes and bands are coming along, naturally, but I will try to get up early tomorrow to knock over tomorrows in case I don't have time later on.

me out.

Day 73 - What a difference a day makes

Sorry for my whiney post yesterday. I was totally in a funk. Thank you to everybody for your supportive words. They really did help.

Things have totally turned around in the last 24 hours.

Firstly, I jumped on the scales this morning and they read 72.8kg. Finally!! They had been stuck on around 73.4kg for a week or so. So that brings total loss to 11kg so far.

Then I remembered that today the office was officially closed for Obon. A child-free non-work day!! The first one since Max was born. I knew I had to make the most of it.

So after breakfast and dropping the Maxinator at daycare, I scurried home on foot (cardio, cardio) to knock over my skips and workout. Skips were not too bad today but then they are always better after I have completely woken up and eaten breakfast.

Pull-ups are still a joke but I go through the motions of every rep and set trying to "grease those wheels". Lawnmowers I can really feel in my back. Pulldowns gave lots of burn.

OMG triceps hello!! I failed on each set of the tricep dips and only managed 10 on the last one. I was failing after about 15-20 during the tricep extensions. Abs - again I am substituting V-sits for kung fus and the bicycle was brutal.

All skips and workout done within the hour and feeling like I had really achieved more than I have in a while.

Morning fruit - snack, yoghurt and egg white.

So my day has continued to move on at full speed as I managed to get a waxing appointment at Boudoir in preparation for our beach holiday mini-break from Sunday. After this, I walked up to the Olympic pool at Sendagaya and did some laps in the 50m pool - cardio, cardio.

By jingo, by crikey, 50 m is a long way! (OK you swimmers stop laughing)

I kept to the slow lane and managed about 20 lengths using a combination of different strokes and even a few laps of just using a kickboard. I guess this took me around 25 minutes so I was going pretty slow.

It was my first time at this pool and as I have a few baby free days next week, I plan to return. The use of the gym is also included in the entry price and the facilities are lovely. A change of scenery for my workouts will be something to look forward to. Conny - want to join me?

I did catch sight of myself in my bathing costume and even I had to admit I am looking much healthier and more athletic than I have in a very long time. My body shape has really changed in the last few months.

So I am feeling kinda fly today. 

Side note: I did amuse the lovely older Japanese ladies with my fresh brazilian wax and bright red c-section scar. (TMI?) There were more than a few double takes in the shower room. I am now sorry I didn't opt for a vagazzle today. That would have been a total laugh.

Then I had to race off back to daycare to feed Max by 1pm. It was a busy morning and I was really tired. As I walked to my office from daycare and I could really feel the exhaustion in my legs.

But here I am now in my office having eaten lunch, faffed on the internet and plan on catching up on a heap of work. No rest for the wicked as they say. It is lovely and quiet with no phones ringing. I am surprisingly full of energy today which is a big shift from the last week and definitely better than yesterday when I hit bottom.

By god I babble on and overshare the minutiae of my life. It will be funny for me to read this blog in the future but it is probably dull as dishwater to anybody who reads it - if any.

Day 72 - Peaks, Troughs and Plateaus

Bleeech...  in a total trough in the last few days. I am hating the skipping, I am procrastinating with the workout and generally feeling like I am getting nowhere.

The scales have not moved in a week after steadily losing just over a kilo every other week. On top of that, my photos this week are really average and look worse than last week. I guess I should spend more time on the outfit choice and take Richard's lead of primping and posing before the photos get taken. But I usually just grab my helper before she walks out the door to take the snaps. This is after I have done a workout and am looking pretty haggard.

Yesterday and today, I have got the skips done before breakfast but tripping everywhere and feeling blah about it all. No energy to try any moves but I was just going through the motions. Really feeling parched so taking big sips of water between the sets which may not be such a good thing.

For yesterday's workout, I was procrastinating by faffing about on the internet. I guess I was just putting off those floor jumps for as long as possible. I looked at the time and realised it was getting close to Max's dinner time and time for my helper to leave so I did as much of the workout as I could.

The form for the leg work was pretty poor and I was just trying to get it all done. Floor jumps had me on the floor as usual crawling about on all fours. For the first set of Da Vinci's it took me 35 reps to get to failure. Then it went down from there to around 15 in the last set. I was really struggling to get the last few done and form was dreadful. Failure in the other shoulder exercises and a great burn. I didn't do the V-sits or side crunches until later last night after baby was in bed and all other housework done - more procrastination. I did get the 8MA done though.

I have been really hungry as well. I ate some extra veg last night to make sure I didn't make myself some toast which was what I really felt like eating. Apart from the blowout at Tony Romas, I have been true to the diet and not gorging myself in AMAYW but keeping around about the same size meals as before.

Not sure why I am in this funk. Perhaps it is the heat and the knowledge that I really can't get to fit in more cardio other than walking in the Tokyo soup. I really want to swim but there are no childcare options for me with Hubbilicious working such ridiculous hours. Perhaps I am disheartened that the scales haven't changed and I really, really want to get to under 70kg before the end of 90 days. Waa waa, whinge, whine.... I could go on and on.

I might watch the Tunnel Vision video again.

Sorry to whine and babble on but am just feeling yuck today.

Day 71 - extra cardio

On this weeks email, there is a note for me to add an extra 30 minutes of cardio to my daily routine. No promises but I will do what I can. I don't want to make excuses but I don't have a lot of opportunity with my current schedule. Sadly swimming is totally out as there is no daycare at the pool and I have never liked to jog. I am looking at getting a bicycle so I can ride around with Max so that might be an option.

So I am left with brisk walking which I try to do as much as possible now. This is a great workout especially with the stroller. Also, I have my hooping that I try to do whenever I can. That is really low impact and fat burning as it isn't really something that raises the heart rate too high.

This morning, instead of catching the bus two stops, I walked the kilometer from my house to day care. I tried to be brisk especially up the hills. Then after dropping Max off, I briskly walked to my office - another kilometer. Given that it was close to 35oC before 9am this morning, I was a little sweaty pudding when I arrived at the office. One of my engineers asked if I had jogged to work. So I have worked out pretty hard just getting to the office. But it isn't a nice feeling to be so sweaty this early in the day at work and there isn't a shower here.

Skips done before breakfast and helper staying late to watch Max while I get the workout done this afternoon. I will try to add another 10 minutes of skipping if I have time.

I am finding the six minute sets much harder mentally than 5 minute sets. Logically that doesn't compute. Lots of trips this morning and only managed 600 a set. Total was 1825 so nowhere near the 2000 goal from yesterday.

Food is different this week. I plan to grill lots of fish to have with salad for my dinners. I don't miss the apple one little bit. I bought a massive watermelon this week so I am eating my way through that for my fruit snacks. I love watermelon and hope that I don't OD on it this week.

Day 70 - 20 days to go

Skipping done before breakfast - going up to 6 minute sets was quite hard.  Managed 1960 skips which I thought was pretty good considering all the trips I made.  Will aim for 2000 next time.

So 20 days to go. I am feeling good and certainly much leaner. But still a long way to go I fear. I wonder if I do have a six pack underneath the layers of flab that are still there?  Is that six pack doing what Patrick says that it is doing?

Off to a water park today with some friends. It is super hot so I hope we don't melt before we get there.

Day 69 - Time Management Redux

Here it is 11:45pm and I have just finished my workout. The day just slipped away from me or was I procrastinating? Probably the latter, truth be told.

I knocked over the skips before breakfast and then was faffing around the house doing odd jobs, work emails, cooking lunch for me and Max etc. But nothing really of consequence was achieved. I still have big areas of shame clutter dotted around the house and I still haven't really sorted out my wardrobe since winter. I guess I have been putting that off mainly due to my shape changing so dramatically since the start of PCP.

I went out with Max later in the afternoon and when we returned it was dinner/bath/bedtime.

Then I decided to cook tomorrows food tonight, do the dishes and it was only after all of that was out of the way did I do the workout. I guess I was hoping that something would prevent me from doing it.

But now it is done and I am eating my fruit snack and my post workout milk. For the third night running I am not doing 8MA so I guess it is official that I am in a trough.

Food under control again and I am really pleased to have some more exotic fruit now that the nightly apple has gone. I have never been a huge fan of apples as I find them dull compared to figs, kiwis etc.

That's it - good night.

Day 68 - Hot town, summer in the city

After the lovely cooler weather last week, the sticky Tokyo summer is back with a vengeance.  So far am hiding in doors in the aircon but I can feel myself get cabin fever.

Am kinda grumpy too. Not sure why. The housework seems never ending and I just want some time on my own where I don't have to talk to anybody.

But skipping and workout done for the day. The elevated pushups looked worse than they were - so perhaps I am doing them wrong. I was leaning my shins on the footstool rather than being perched up on my toes. I will ask the question for the weekly video.

Again with the 90 second planks - first one not too bad. The next two quite hard and the last one not too bad again. That is just weird. Makes me think that it is all mental rather than physical.

I think I need to get outside for a bit.

Day 67 - Happy Birthday to ME, ME, ME!!

Yes today is my birthday.  I am 30 (+ 11) years old today.

Am still feeling a tad weak after my Tony Romas adventure last night. My tummy didn't like all the grease and so it spent quite a while evacuating it from my body last night. Lesson learned. But feeling more human now.

Up this morning with Max who forgot that I asked for 8 hours sleep and a lie in for my birthday but all is forgiven when I see his cherub-like face.

Skips done and will do workout later on.

Off to a picnic with some friends beside the Edo-gawa later on this afternoon and so I will take my own lunchbox.

That's all. Hope everybody else is having a great day too.

Day 66 - Cont.... Dinner epic #FAIL!!

Just home from work dinner and I am hanging my head in shame. Also, am starting to feel a bit ill. Tony Romas is not PCP friendly.

The Good
Side salad no dressing, steamed veg, boiled prawns x 3. All no dressings or toppings.

The Bad
Chicken leg in hot sauce, inside of a potato skin, small piece of chicken that had some cheese and salsa on the top, 2 x diet coke.

The Ugly
3 x ribs, 2 bites of fried chicken after I had removed the breading.

The Really Ugly
3 bites of birthday cake and 2 bites of peach sorbet.

But then it is MY birthday tomorrow and I couldn't not have some of my own birthday cake.

All up it probably added up to an indulgence meal. Not totally jumping off a cliff but certainly teetering on the edge.

But am now home and Max is tucked up in bed. I am working up the motivation to do the workout. Those tricep dips are looking yuk. However, I did notice some tricep definition today.....

JFD FFS!! 


Update: Workout done!! Those last few bicycles were a bitch.

Day 66 - Late start (aka JFD part deux)

It has been a funny old morning. I was snuggled up with my two fave men and just didn't want to get up and trip over jump a silly old rope. It was dark, cool and cosy in our big bed. Pudgy, sweet smelling, sleeping babies make for lovely cuddles in the morning.

But then as the rest of the day's schedule started to roll through my brain, I forced myself up - albeit a good hour later than usual.

I have a work dinner on tonight so after I pick up Max from day care, I have to bring him back to my office and then we will all go out to dinner. This is kinda compulsory as the week after next is Obon and it is expected that we have at least one team dinner with the troops each season[0]. As a boss I am expected to attend. Taking Max is my way of making sure I can leave early.

So off we will go to some all-you-can-eat/drink ribs place tonight. Everybody knows I am doing PCP and breastfeeding so I won't get too much hassle for not drinking. I just hope I can be strong when the mountains of food are on the table in front of me. Hopefully Max will be troublesome so I will be distracted by him.

Anyhoo...  so this morning, I dragged my lazy arse out of bed and started skipping. I knew there would be no way that I would get skipping and workout done tonight after dinner so I had to get on and do them however reluctantly. Feet dragging and lots of trips. I was really getting fed up by being slapped by the rope and I nearly abandoned them after the first two sets.

"Nobody will know!", said an evil little voice inside my head[1].
"Just leave the last set and get on with breakfast and getting dressed and out the door. You are already running late.", it continued.

However, my better angels just slapped me upside the head (or was it the rope again) and just told me to, "JFD - just fucking do it!! It is only another five minutes FFS."

So with that reality check, I just got on and did the skips. They were done in no time with 1522 skips on the counter. Then it was breakfast followed by dressing self and child and out the door[2]. It turned out that I was only 15 minutes later than usual despite staying in bed an hour longer. Just goes to show how much time I waste in the morning faffing about on the internet, languishing over my morning decaf latte.

Yesterday's workout was done with no problems however, did anybody else fall off their chair when they saw 90 second planks? The first one was really tough but I did it and surprised myself. The next two were not great but done with a few seconds of one knee on the ground. The last one I managed to do while laughing as Max was walking around me using my back as support like he does when he cruises around the sofa. Apparently, my back is just the right height for a baby to cruise. Plus he was patting me on the head - hilarious - I guess you had to be there. So I have decided that distraction is a big plus when it comes to planks. I can loan out my 10 month old to anybody who needs help with theirs.

Tonights workout will be a challenge as I am not sure when I will get home from dinner and what state Max will be in. I will have to wait until he is tucked up in bed I think before I start and so I hope I will have some energy left. I may have to forego my 8MA... but then JFD!!

Side Notes:
[0] - TIJ = this is Japan
[1] - should I be worried about voices inside my head?
[2] - Hubbilicious still in bed.

Day 65 - New Bands

While on the hunt for a pull up bar, I bought some new resistance bands. These ones have a much better handle than my other ones (see pic here) as they are not solid but are foam with soft mesh tape. The solid hard plastic handles on my other band make it really hard to do thumbs up curls etc. 

Also, the door attachment on the other one doesn't have a disk for the anchor on other side of the door. I was always afraid I would pull it out and smack myself in the head. I never did but still the concern was there.

This band is black and the second most difficult one in the shop. The lady in the shop told me that it was very strong and normally meant for men. I told her that I was training every day *grin* and that the pink one was now not enough resistance for me. She checked the resistance of the pink one and the black one I was planning to buy and conceded that it might be an OK step up. 

I used the new one last night for the first time and I am really happy with it. I will still use the pink one for things like double katanas and davincis as these are still quite tough for me.  

I was also on the hunt for a fancy pants set of scales and I still haven't bought any. I just don't understand enough about them and how they work for me to navigate the Japanese instructions. My Japanese is pretty good after living here for 11 years but still the kanji on most instruction booklets defeat me. Especially as I am not familiar with the vocab needed for the various settings.  

So the only stats I am able to share are the absolute weight in kg. I didn't even think to measure my waist or anything before I started PCP. Oh well, my final post will only have photos rather than the stats.

Speaking of photos, I have uploaded some new ones. I can't get the whole breathing thing right but I am still a long way from a 6 pack so it is probably moot at this point in my journey. But progress can be seen and I am looking fitter and less like a big pudding.

Workout yesterday went really well. Floor jumps left me crawling on my hands and knees again. Good burn in the shoulders and I can see some definition happening there too. Arms still flabby but rather than a leg-o-mutton, I am starting to look more defined.  

Skips done this morning before breakfast. Still lots of trips but I figure as long as I am averaging 500 skips per set or 100 skips per minute, I am doing something worthwhile with my time. I do work up a good sweat and it does set me up for the day so I really am kinda enjoying the skipping now. 

Despite Patrick's warning of tunnel vision, I am still fairly determined to stay on this path of weight loss. But I will decide what to do after the 90 days is up rather than planning which day to start at again immediately.

Welcome to all the new PCP'ers. I got a shock yesterday looking at all the new blogs on the PCP home page. I kinda envy these guys starting out as I want to start again too. I remember the eager anticipation of those first few heady weeks and the excitement of those first few kilos coming off.

p.s.  I still haven't found a pull-up bar yet.

Day 64 - Banana bread

Yesterday as I was making banana bread for Max, I realised how PCP friendly it was - no sugar, wholemeal flour etc. There is a little bit of butter so I wouldn't gorge on this but think of it as something different to have for breakfast.

I suggest that you use your carb grams for these. For example, I had one less slice of toast this morning and had a small slice of this topped with some yoghurt. Yum. Max likes it too so for those of you with little ones, this recipe is straight out of a baby book.

I am posting the recipe below if anybody likes to bake (or has helpers who can bake for them). Sorry I only have metric measurements for this.
____________________________________________
Banana bread
100 g wholemeal S.R. flour (or 100g plain plus 2 tsp baking powder)
50 gram butter (room temp)
1/2 tsp mixed spice
200g ripe bananas (about 2 med bananas)
75 g raisins (I used dates as I didn't have raisins)
1 egg lightly beaten
30 g well chopped walnuts - optional (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a small loaf tin.

Sift flour into a large bowl and stir in Mixed Spice.  Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into flour until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Make a well in the centre.

In another bowl, mash bananas. Mix in raisins and walnuts (if using). Then add egg. Mix together and then fold into dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.  Pour into loaf tin and then pop into the oven.

Immediately turn down the oven to 160°C and bake for 45-60 minutes until cooked. Skewer should come out clean.

Allow to cool 5-10 minutes in tin and then turn onto wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with plain yoghurt or top with a cream cheese frosting. (I didn't make any cream cheese frosting obviously).
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To make it even healthier you could substitute applesauce for the butter and perhaps some canola oil but I couldn't be bothered researching it.

Today is so far so good. Got up early and have done the skipping already. Always lots more trips when I skip before breakfast but I keep in my head that I am fat burning and not winning any skipping skill awards. I kept moving for the entire 5 minutes and managed just over 500 reps per set.

Helper staying late tonight to mind Max so I can tackle that leg workout that I can see is ahead of me. It is going to be brutal but I am psyching myself up to it.

Day 63 - 10kg!!

Jumped on the scales this morning and I am down to 73.8kg. That is down 10 kg from Day 1 of PCP.

10KG!!!

If somebody had said I would be able to lose 10 kg in 63 days I would have laughed at them. Yes it has been a boatload of work - mentally and physically - but it is like my body has been waiting for me to finally treat it properly. My body didn't want to be heavy and wants to be fitter so when I started feeding it right and exercising, it has responded.

I still have a LONG way to go. Perhaps another 10kg. For my height of 157cm the BMI stats say that I should be much lighter than the 29.9 BMI that I am now. It seems I have moved from the obese range to the overweight range which is good but also sad as I was technically obese when I started. That is quite sobering as I think I was in denial about how overweight I really was. I used to delete photos that I didn't like and avoid being in them at altogether.

Skips later today - I am really interested in seeing how I will be with now 5 minute sets.

Bubs needs me so I will sign off and attend to him.

Day 62 - Even my fingers are skinnier

So how do I know? My wedding band fits better than it has since before I got pregnant. I have noticed that the weight has really dropped off my extremities the most - face, neck, fingers, wrists, calves are all really firm and trim. However, as soon as you move close into my core then that is where I am still carrying extra flab. Hoping my knees trim down soon. I am sure my butt will be the last place that will hold onto the flab.

While Hubbilicious was sleeping off his hangover this morning, I was up with the birds and knocked over my skipping. Bubs went down for morning nap and I got through the workout. He sleeps for pretty much 30 minutes to the minute so I knew I had to get through it all quickly. I did pretty well as he woke up during my last set of sit ups. I think I even did an extra set of seated rowing as I had forgotten how many sets I had done so did an extra one just to be sure.

Super solid burn on triceps in all the exercises and total fail in the last 3 sets of dips. I am always afraid that I will fail on the dips and fall on my arse hitting my head on the chair on the way down.

Then around noon we headed out to the pool for a swim with some other Mums and Bubs. Lunch was not quite PCP compliant. Went for Korean so had rice and veg bibmba. Probably too many carbs and not enough protein but not too bad I guess. I did have a little bite of cheesecake for dessert - but very tiny - hardly worth a mention.

Am home now and knackered. I really want a nap.