Combined Weekly Summary: Weeks 27 and 28 Operation Get Fit No Excuses

You may have noticed that last week’s blog post was missing. That’s because I honestly didn’t have anything that I thought was worth saying. So, this week’s post is a summary for Week 27 and 28 of Get Fit No Excuses!

So, last week, I was able to exercise every day for a minimum of 40 minutes. I alternated indoor and outdoor activities to keep my muscles guessing. I love changing up my indoor routines so I don’t get bored also , plus I like the challenge of trying slightly harder and varied workouts. This past Monday, I took the day off from doing any exercise to allow my body and muscles to rest.

This week is my weight and measurements week. I am aggravated to say that I have not lost anything and my measurements are pretty much the same! I started eating cereal last month in an effort to add more variety to my diet and help keep everything on the inside ‘flowing properly’, if you get my drift. I now think that was a mistake because cereal is a very high calorie food, even if you only eat 60 grams at a time.

Here are last month’s and this month’s comparisons.

Thankfully, I have not gained any weight or size back from my eating mistake. Everyone reacts differently to food, so just because I can’t eat cereal doesn’t mean you should ban it from your own diet. Do what works for you.

I am going to focus on trying to get to 70 kilos bu the end of summer and that will be a size I will try to maintain, once I reach my goal and my measurements and weight stays at a constant.

We will be on vacation for 2 ½ weeks in August so I will definitely be cheating a lot more than normal and probably not exercising as much, but I’ll report all that as it comes.

I’m always looking for new recommendations for recipes and workouts online so if you want, comment below with the links and I’ll definitely take a look!

Thank you for your continued encouragement and support over that past months and I hope my blog helps some of you in your own fitness journey. See you next week!

Week 26 Summary: Operation Get Fit No Excuses

Week 26 of Operation Get Fit No Excuses is complete! This means I am halfway through my one-year transformation. Now, let me to clarify something real quick. I have not set a one year goal, just like I have not set a weight or measurement goal. But, I think it’s really cool that I am literally 26 weeks into my get fit regimen. I’m very proud of myself and a little astonished that I’ve stuck with it like I have.
         
I want to start out this week by telling you a little story. Obviously after losing 19 kg, which is around 42 pounds, most of my clothes are way too big. Therefore, I had to buy new clothes, and of course, I hate shopping. But, out of necessity, I ordered and received new clothes.

Here is the funny part: when I opened the package and saw how small they looked, in my mind the first thing I thought was “they’re not gonna fit”. Then I said OK, let me try them on just to see how bad a mistake I made in the sizing. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. What does this say about me? Even though I’ve lost so much weight, in my head, in my own mind, I still see myself and my body, as 200+ pounds. When in reality, I’m at 160 pounds, which is about 72.5 kg.

What I want to convey with this little short story is that no matter how much we change our bodies, we have to change our minds as well. Our mental and emotional states are completely connected with our bodies whether we realize it or not. I was happy with the way I look. I honestly never really looked at myself so closely and just said “Eww, my 200 pound body is nasty”. I thought I looked good.

Now that I am a lot smaller, I still think I look good. But, I have to reconcile my brain to recognize hey, I’m not that big and yes these tiny looking little shorts or tiny looking little shirts will fit me and are my correct size now. And that’s something that I’m still working on. I don’t know if you would call it body image issues or if it’s just that I was so big for so long that in my mind I still am that person. This is definitely one thing I’m going to continuously have to work on and get used to.

As far is this past week has gone, I’ve had a lot of epilepsy related issues pop up. I don’t know if it’s the heat and humidity that we have now here in Tuscany, or if it’s just because my epilepsy decided it wanted to screw with me so it did. With the type of epilepsy I have, I never know when it’s going to happen, where it’s going to happen, and usually why it happens. It just does. But despite the annoying setbacks, I have continued to exercise pretty much every day in some form or fashion. I’ve gotten at least 30 minutes per day every day except for one I think, and I was too messed up that day to be able to do anything. So I’m actually pretty happy and proud of that accomplishment as well.
         
Ok now, a word of caution. I covered it last week but I wanna make sure I cover it again, because this is really affecting my workouts. I try to get outside every morning when it’s crisp and nice around 6:30 AM or 7 AM to do my work out, but life happens and I don’t always get there. When I don’t and I have to work out in the afternoon when it’s hotter, especially in the house and not having air conditioning, I always make sure to pay attention to my body and what it’s telling me.

Drink plenty of water and have a fan pointed directly at you on high to help keep you cool. Have a towel to wipe the sweat off because if you’re anything like me, you will sweat. If you can exercise in an air-conditioned facility, or your house, do it! Just remember, sweat does not mean weight loss. Sweat means your body is hot and it’s trying to cool itself down. It’s a huge misconception that when you sweat you automatically lose weight. You might be losing water weight, but not much.

Padrone is progressing with his own weight loss journey. He had a minor setback last week and gained a couple pounds back because he cheated too many times, but is back on track this week and I’m happy to say he’s lost the weight he gained. So he will continue on his journey to getting healthier and losing weight as well and I will report next week on how he’s doing.

Thank you all so much for your continued words, support, and good thoughts. I hope we see you back here next week reading week 27 summary blog.

Week 22 Summary - Operation Get Fit No Excuses

Week 22 has not been that eventful for me. I’ve been keeping up with my exercise and diet, but mostly concentrating on finding the right combination of food that will satisfy Padrone but fit into his diet restrictions also. I can definitely tell with the changing weather and warmer temperatures that I need to exercise first thing every morning because I don’t do well in very hot weather.

A couple of days ago it got up to about 90° and I decided to do my exercise about 1 pm. We don’t have air conditioning. I had fan set on high,  but after 10 minutes, I had to stop because I literally couldn’t keep going. The heat, even with the fan, just drained me. I definitely have to be careful and mindful of how my body responds to exercise during the summer.

If you are exercising during the summer, which I hope you are, listen to your body and try to exercise during the cooler parts of the day or evening. Stay hydrated with water and possibly use an electrolyte based drink if you need the boost.

I may have to limit my time to 30 minutes a day, depending on my endurance level. We shall see as time passes. I’ve only been active during cold or cool weather, so hopefully, my body can adapt to the warmer temperatures as the summer season comes.

As I mentioned above and in previous blogs, Padrone has struggled to find the right balance and combination of food that will satisfy both his needs and fit within his diet restrictions. I decided we needed to try a pre-made food delivery service for him. After much research, I found a couple that are not cheap, but not cost prohibitive either. The nutritional values are well within the range of what Padrone needs and the quality and variety of dishes makes him happy. So, I am calling it a win all around!

Padrone himself has lost 8 kg (17 pounds) so far and is continuing to lose more at a steady rate. While he has been slacking off on the exercise part for a few weeks, I’m hoping that having resolved his food dilemma will inspire him to get back to a daily exercise program. I’m so proud of him and his progress! He has also been smoke free for 3 months now!

Thank you for continuing to follow our journey to getting fit and living a healthier lifestyle. We are proof that it’s never too late to make the necessary changes to life a healthier lifestyle.

Week 6 Summary Operation Get Fit No Excuses

Week 6 has finished and Week 7 has come in with impossibly cold weather, freezing rain, and hints of snow! Yes, snow here in Tuscany! To say the least, this icky weather has put a damper on my outdoor walking excursions. But, it hasn’t made me stop or even pause in my pursuit to get fit and healthier!

The bad weather has made me look into other alternatives and forms of exercise that can be done at home because I don’t want to go to a gym. I have researched and found many great workout videos on YouTube that include cardio, all over body toning, as well as strength training - all without needing any special equipment. I’ve tried different combinations that work diverse parts of my body and ends up in a 25 or 30 minutes workout. I like to mix it up so that I don’t get bored, but also so that I make sure to try to work every part of my body. I highly recommend trying this to see if it’s something that would inspire you in your own fitness journey.

I’ve changed my diet over the past few weeks even more than I first mentioned in my previous blogs. I have returned to eating a mostly soy based diet. While these types of foods are not ‘low calorie’, they are on average higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. They have also helped me with my heartburn and reflux problems. I don’t eat bread, I’ve substituted wraps instead. I don’t use sugar or sweeteners because they can spike blood sugar levels. I use a natural sweetener called Stivia.

I have heard from a good friend of mine that Almond flour is a great low carb substitute to wheat based flour, so I have ordered some and will attempt to make a low carb bread and some low carb tortillas next week. I will let you know how that turns out!

As far as supplements, I have added 500 mgs of Tumeric Curcumin into my daily supplement intake. This spice is a natural anti-inflammatory as well as an antioxidant. It is hard for the body to absorb so needs to be combined with other ingredients to help it. If you decide to add this supplement to your own daily regimen, do your research into the brands before you buy the pills because every brand is not equal. Many manufacturers will add fillers in an effort to make the Tumeric go further. You want to get the purest form with the least ingredients possible.

I thought that more time had passed since my last measurements post, but it was only 2 weeks ago! So, since I took them, I’ll go ahead and post it so you can follow along with my progress. My weight before I started my journey to a healthier lifestyle was 91 kg / 200 lbs. Now it’s 84.5 kg / 186 lbs. That’s 6.5 kg / 14 lbs difference in 6 weeks!

Here are my measurements and pictures from January 7, 2018:

Hips - 124 cm (48.8 inches)
Waist - 98 cm (38.5 inches)
Bicep - 39.5 cm (15.5 inches)
Thigh - 81.5 cm (32 inches)

My measurements and pictures from February 7, 2018:

Hips - 121.5 cm (47.8 inches)
Waist - 94 cm (37 inches)
Bicep - 36.5 cm (14.37 inches)
Thigh - 73 cm (28.7 inches)

My current measurements and pictures as of February 22, 2018:

Hips - 120.5 cm (47.4 inches)
Waist - 90.5 cm (35.6 inches)
Bicep - 37 cm (14.56 inches)
Thigh - 66.5 cm (26.18 inches)

Thank you all for following me on this journey! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please leave them below!

Operation Get Fit No Excuses: Week 3 Summary

Week 3 has finished and Week 4 has begun! I can’t believe that the time has flown by so fast. I have to say I’m surprised and proud of myself that I’ve continued to walk and exercise every day despite health issues that pop up and crap weather. Some days have been a struggle for me to actually get up and go but I did and I’m extremely happy that I did!

I’ve learned many things about my body that I didn’t know and had to adjust my diet and stretching times to accommodate some weird sore muscles. 

Here are this week’s main points that I think are important to touch on:

1. Stretching. Remember that it’s very important to stretch all your muscles, this includes feet, ankles, and toes. Oftentimes, we forget the importance of stretching parts we think don’t need it but they do. After so many weeks of daily exercise, my toes and the balls of my feet started cramping up and that’s when I realized that I forgot about stretching them. I searched for videos and information and found a great many different techniques that has helped. Look for ones that you are comfortable with doing.
   
2. Weight. I can not emphasize enough the importance of not weighing yourself every day or even once a week. Chasing a number on a scale will discourage even the most dedicated person. Many people don’t realize that while losing weight, you can gain lean muscle mass that will change your weight. If you want to record your journey, measure the same body parts every month on the same day. That should help you stay encouraged without going crazy chasing some magical number.
   
3. Food. You have to eat. It’s that simple. It’s what and how much you eat that you have to be aware of. I don’t eat fruits and vegetables. I have never been able to because my system rejects it. Never figured out why, it just does. For my unusual dietary needs, I have substituted sugar for Stevia, which is a natural sweetner. I have substituted bread for a tortilla, so instead of a Chicken sandwich, I will have a chicken wrap. I also snack on a mixed variety of nuts that are all natural, no salt or preservatives added. I drink water all day. Probably 2 liters per day on average. I also will drink warm tisanes which are all natural, caffeine free teas. So, don’t stop eating to lose weight, just change little things that you do eat and that will make a huge difference.
   
4. Clothes. While I have said in the past that you do not have to go out and buy all new fitness gear, if you are planning to walk/run outside, make sure you have the right clothes for the weather. If it’s raining, invest in a good waterproof jacket. If it’s cold, look into warm but lightweight outwear so you don’t harm your body parts in extreme weather. Mainly, use common sense.
   

Those are all the topics for this week. I want to thank each of you that continue to follow me on my journey to get into better shape. Week 4 Day 1 is officially coming to a close and we’re getting closer to the next set of measurements and pictures of my progress that I will reveal in my blog the week of February 10th. 

#getfitnoexcuses