If you try hard enough you will achieve!

I am 5ft 9inches in height. When I reached 15st 9lbs I knew I had to do something serious about loosing weight.  I had two adorable children and a husband who loved me but one thing was missing,  I didn’t love myself. This might sound crazy but it was true. I did not own a pair of jeans and constantly wore dark, baggy bottoms with oversized tops. I had over 5 stone to loose but I knew this was not going to be easy nor happen overnight.  I knew that loosing weight was a marathon and not a sprint. I knew loosing weight was something I wanted more than anything……and so the journey to a healthier and happier me began.

Believe me, I tried all sorts of diets and exercise classes over the years. I lost a pound or two but very quickly put it back on and more. I started exercising at home and very slowly the weight started to come off but not as much as I wanted it to so I started walking and then jogging along the country roads with friends. After a short while I started to run small distances 2km then 3km and gradually built it up to 5km. This took a number of months. Actually this took over a year.  However my weight didn’t change much. All this effort and little or no results!

For those of you who LOVE running, 5km may not seem like much but for me, someone who despised running,  it was very difficult and I still find it hard to say “I love running”. After a few months I decided to push myself a little harder and attempt a 10km race. Before long I had completed a few 10km races and signed up for my first and then a second half marathon.

In 2015 I registered for the SSE Airtricity Dublin City Marathon (42km).  Some people thought It was a crazy idea but once I decided there was no going back.  I printed off a 16 week training plan and stuck to it rigidly. Each time I ran, I would think of what I would eat when I got home. I love my food. I would pick the biggest scone to have with my coffee and I would order a chinese meal most weekends (chicken curry😉).

On Oct 26th 2015  I completed the Dublin City Marathon and I was so proud of myself.  I knew that what I had achieved was huge but I had a bigger mountain to climb to reach my final destination (To be 10st). While training I had toned a bit  and had lost a bit of weight but nothing like I had hoped I would. I wanted to look and feel good in my clothes. I seriously needed to change my eating habits so that’s what I did. No excuses this time.

 

After the marathon I changed my diet completely and by doing so I reached my target weight of 10 stone.

I read alot about diet, mindset and weight loss. 

1. 70% of weight loss is diet
2. 20% of weight loss is exercise and
3. 10% of weight loss is Mindset.

I stick to  No. 1, 2 and 3 above as best I can.

I now start each day with the following:

• Fish Oil Capsules (2 )
• Wheatgrass Shot
• Lemon in hot water (If I wake in time)
• Black Coffee (no milk anymore)

Some ideas for Breakfast

• Omelette – Spinach, Feta Cheese,
• Overnight oats
• Chia Seeds
• Poached Eggs, Avocado and Turkey Rashers
• Smoothie
• NO SPUDS-NO BREAD

Some ideas for Lunch

• Big Leafy Salad  with Chicken or Salmon
• Smoothie with frozen berries, almond milk, protein powder
• Lots of Vegetables and meat
• NO SPUDS – NO BREAD

Some ideas for Dinner

• Lots of Vegetables – Brocolli
• Chicken, Beef, Pork, Fish
• Basmati Rice
• Sweet Potato and carrots – post workout only
• NO SPUDS – NO BREAD

Exercise

• 20 minute HIIT session 5 days a week
• Walk as much as possible and take the stairs

HIIT is now well known to produce some serious results. In fact…I use this high intensity interval training (HIIT) method instead of running and in the comfort of my own home.  In a nutshell, HIIT is a circuit with intense bursts of exercise, followed by short rest periods. And…What works for most people is choose multiple exercises that work both upper and lower body like Squats, Plank, Burpees, Lunges etc. If you wanna boost your metabolism, this’ll do the job nicely.

Drink

• As much water as possible – at least 2 litres a day
• Black Coffee

GOOD NEWS -CHEAT meal once a week

Mindset

Write down your gratitudes every morning.  Take 5 minutes quiet time out of your day for yourself.  You are worth it and remember:

• Eat like you love yourself
• Move like you love yourself
• Speak like you love yourself
• Act like you love yourself

Main Rules

• No Carbs only post workout.  Wait for cheat night.
• Drink as much water as you can.
• NO SPUDS – NO BREAD
• 20 minute HIIT workout at least 5 days a week.
• No Carbonated Drinks.  Try a smoothie instead.
• Plan all your meals and make your lunch the night before.
• Leave out your workout gear the night before so that a busy morning isn’t an excuse for skipping exercise.
• Make a playlist – there’s no better motivation to get active than hearing a few of your favourite songs!

Remember Fail to Prepare – Prepare to Fail.