My 30 Day Shred Challenge~Day 1/Week 1

My 30 Day Shred Challenge – Day 1, Week 1

I have really been struggling with my weight recently, and have tried several methods in order to shift the pounds, and this image is proof of just what I am willing to try.

I am not really a big fan of diets, I just like my food too much – not junk food however – I like proper wholesome home cooked food, packed full of flavour and crammed full of all sorts of yummy things. Sometimes these things aren’t all that healthy for you. It was even suggested in a book I read recently, that according to my blood type, I should avoid tomatoes, and well, if you knew me, that particular diet was a non-starter. I could not live without my tomatoes, they are one of my absolute favourite foods, and well – what healthy diet would suggest you AVOID vegetables? Or are they a fruit?

So, this is my new arsenal for shifting the pounds. All of these items are currently in my possession and have been for quite a while, some tried and tested, others not even touched.

I am going to be doing Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred Challenge.

I know that many people have covered, and reviewed it all before and this may sound like a broken record to you, but I MUST do it. My normal routine where the only exercise I did was gentle, as covered in my review of Element Ballet Conditioning, I need to step up my game. In 35 days (more than 30 days is a bonus) I am Maid of Honor at my childhood friends’ wedding, and well, the dress she picked out doesn’t look that nice on me. I need to do all I can to trim down a little before then.

I am not going to set myself unrealistic goals, because they just don’t work, but what I will do is track my progress every 10 days as set out on the program as there are 3 steps in the 30 day shred challenge where you step it up a notch every 10 days – so it’ll get harder!

I am going to measure in inches lost as opposed to pounds on a 1-daily basis during the 30 Day Shred Challenge, as I think I’ll see better results this way as I’ll hopefully be building lean muscle, which we know weighs more than fat, as well as maybe keeping a food diary. I am going to try hard to only weigh myself at the end of the challenge.

So, my arsenal for my 30 day shred challenge is as follows;

Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred.

This is ‘the’ cult exercise program by that crazy coot from The Biggest Loser, by golly she scares me, but I have heard it works and it is my turn to try this out. I think it might kill me, but I really think this is the right way to go. I hate the thought of being shouted at through my own television, but frankly I haven’t really been motivating or keeping myself in-check over the last 6 months!

Allen Carr’s – Easyweigh to Lose Weight.

I read this back when I was in college, and it really made me sit up and think about what I eat mindlessly and why. I love reading books that get to the absolute core of WHY you are eating what you are eating, not just telling you what you can and can’t eat. I lost this copy during several moves in and out of my parent’s house between college and moving in with the Mr. So when my Mom handed this to me the other day after having sorted out her garage I took it as a sign. Try this book, I can promise you that it will dramatically change the way that you think about your body and what it deserves.

This is the reason I may keep a food diary, just to be able to see visually the choices I have been making and how/if they have changed as I get fitter and healthier.

Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin – Skinny Bitch

I know, an absolute shocker, BUT as extreme as it may be, I have heard that it gives you great enlightenment into what is in what we call “food”, why our bodies reject certain things and also to just give myself a little tough love through the authors’ words. I doubt I’ll do the whole vegan thing, because frankly, I think Mr. S would start crying a corner somewhere if I cut meat and cheese from our meals, but I will certainly look to cut out a few bad things from my diet with some good old nasty facts behind me to justify it.

My tape measure

Everyone has one of these, surely!?

My weighing scales

Which I will avoid until the 30th day! I am going to pack them away until then – they torture me anyway.

My Reebok weights

These ones are only very light about 1lbs or so each, but I have heard that is good if you want to build lean muscle instead of bulk up.

Last but not least, my food diary*. *Which I forgot to picture!

Click on any of the images above from my ‘arsenal’ to read reviews etc.

So, to begin my 30 day shred challenge, here are my stats, as well as a VERY embarrassing admission of what I ate yesterday. Oh Lord!

Bust = 38in
Ribcage = 36 in
Waist (Smallest Part) = 31in
Waistline = 36in
Hips = 41in
Thighs = 21in
Calves = 16in
Upper Arms = 12in
Start weight = 160lbs (yikes – my normal maintaining weight is 154lbs). I am 5”8 with a medium sized frame in case anyone was wondering.

Clothes size – I used to get away with a 10-12* up top and a 12* on the bottom, but now I am really pushing it with my wardrobe and estimate that I have gone up a size all over. Even my ‘fat jeans’ have now become my ‘wear every day jeans’. (*UK sizes as I am in the UK at the moment).

FYI – someone of my height should be between 122-164lbs with an ideal weight of 143lbs – so with my last weigh-in at 160lbs I am freaked out.

My body goals – Trim it, tone it and make it tight.

Arms – firstly and most importantly I’d like leaner and toned upper arms. I have always struggled in other areas and have learnt to ‘deal with those bits’, but my upper arms have had a mind of their own recently and my Bingo wings are now so bad I could forgo gaining more air miles and instead, fly around the world on my own. These arms of mine actually feel disgusting on me.

I have always wanted leaner legs, they are quite long which I like, but for me a little too chunky, that plus a 3 inch scar from a melanoma on my left calf, I think it’d be a bit of a treat for my self confidence to feel a little prouder of my pins.

A flatter and more toned tummy would be nice – what woman doesn’t want that?

Finally to the bottom of things – as it has expanded, I like my butt to be a bit perkier and stave off the flat-bum that is trying to overwhelm me.

So all in all, pretty much a standard text book answer for my body wish list. Yeah, I wanna look like this!

Reckon I could do it with the 30 day shred challenge!? Ha! Maybe with a 300 day challenge it could be done.

What I ate yesterday.

Breakfast – 2 slices of toast with peanut butter
Lunch – Tuna, Anchovy and Caper Spaghetti (portion about the size of a sweet potato)
Snack – Packet of Ready Salted Hula Hoops
Dinner – 4 small slices of Pizza (Sweet Chilli Chicken + BBQ Chicken flavours) plus oven chips
3 cups of Decaffeinated Coffee, with Milk
3 Large Glasses of Water (pint glasses)

I know this list is shocking and when you actually SEE it you feel dreadful.  Mr. S usually picks up various items of fruit with the groceries but he forgot them this time and I was also limited in what I could take to work for lunch as the cupboards were a bit bare, so I had leftovers from the night before (the spaghetti).

I guess it is safe to say that it can only get better from here. Especially as I have the eyes of the internet on me.

So here is the obligatory BEFORE PICTURES – can’t believe I am doing this! #cringe

I will also put up a picture every 10 days so that it can be compared as I move through the program.

I only told Mr. S last night about the fact that I am embarking on my own 30 day shred challenge and he suggested I reduce my carbs as much as I can. Do you think that is a good idea or not? I am in two minds about it.

If you have any advice for me about the 30 day shred, have you done it, or indeed any other toning/losing weight tips please share them in the comments – I’d really appreciate it.

Wish me luck and check back if you want to see how I get on.  Dont forget to follow me over there <—- on the sidebar, its looking a little bare!

So here it is to my 30 Day Shred Challenge.