The July 2014 Shred Thread - Go on, you know you want to

He is 13.

I have confiscated all his screen stuff. I have a bored teenager. He lost everything for unacceptable rudeness and answering back.

I only iron his school uniform so don't care about the rest of the clothes but wouldn't let him go to school scruffy. I am not impressed two clean PJ tops have been put to wash because he can't put them away so they eventually get on the floor and he puts them to wash. Had to wash them as put in with wet swimming stuff. Have told him as far as he is concerned I am on strike.

Did day 4 of the shred. Some parts which much harder than previous but some not too bad. No weight loss yet, up 1/2lb. Nowhere near wanting to eat what I should so doubt I will lose anything .

The pile of stuff was all claimed.

I have run around after the kids far too much so a bit of a shock they have to help more but tough. They have had warning and when it costs us money . DS2 told he was going swimming but didn't know he needed kit so took none . £10 for new shorts he didn't need given there is a draw full of swimming shorts.

, itsfab. How old is DS1? Does it matter if his clothes are crumpled? If they're crumpled, he can iron them himself or wear them crumpled in my book. Is there one room that you can ti8dy and collapse in?

Also, follow through on binning stuff! You probably won't need to do it more than once...

Spotsondots, if you scroll back up this thread (I know there's a lot of it!), ShadowsShadowsEverywhere gave some good advice on diastasis further back. 1cm sounds OK to me, but keep doing the transverse exercises as well as Shredding.

I am not liking the world at the moment.

Friend texted me twice in the middle of the night. Nothing I could do and since I hardly sleep at the moment I was not feeling particularly happy about it.

Lap top is slow and will not do what I want.

DS1's room is a mess. Said his PE was clean. It is not. I had already done 2 hours of ironing school stuff so not impressed will have to do more. Some ironing has been allowed to fall of hangers and is all screwed up. Clothes and school books everywhere. Stuff on window sill when he knows he isn't meant to have anything on it. Piled everything on his bed and floor and confiscated his lap top. He will NOT be happy when he gets home.

Have tided downstairs and put all the kids stuff in the basket to be claimed and put away. Will bin what isn't taken. Who am I trying to kid? I will end up reminding them and the house will be a mess again within 5 minutes of them getting home.

Broke bits off the hoover. It is already more spare parts than original.

My beetroot had gone mouldy.

Haven't shredded yet but will. Just had a bowl of cornflakes so should probably wait a while.

Leg still sore and leaking.

7 weeks of exhaustion have started.

I bet you do look better. I think because it's gradual change we can't see it ourselves. It's like when a friend you haven't seen for a while comes round and says "wow, DS has grown so much". And you look at him and think "has he?". You might have noticed his trousers were getting a bit short but hadn't realised he's grown a whole 1.5inches.

Plus you haven't started level 3 yet have you? That's certainly a lot more intense so you may notice more visible difference if you go up a level.

I'm sorry, I'm not being very helpful am I? There's more punching in level 3 ... Lovely opportunity for visualisation of certain faces again

No, I didn't want to. I preferred the method of clothes fitting and generally feeling better - the numbers are meaningless to me really.

I know I'm fitter.
I know bits of me are more toned.
I just hoped to look better! :)

Have you taken measurements? Pre shred and since?

I have to do it today as I had to rest yesterday following my osteopath appointment.

What would motivate me would be looking in the mirror and seeing some sort of visible result! I know it's doing me good but...

Oh Owl, I think a lot of us are feeling like that in this heat. It's hard to feel motivated and energetic when it's so humid. Heat like this always makes me really lethargic. And of course winter and autumn clothes are far more flattering. I'm dealing with family issues today and so can't seem to motivate myself to even have a shower. I spent last night when I should have been doing the shred having a huge clear out and ordering storage boxes and bookshelves from IKEA! So today I feel cross with myself for not exercising and for spending money I don't have on things I don't need!!

What would make you feel better? If you force yourself to do shred today will you feel better or if not just fuck today. Do whatever you can to make you feel better and start again tomorrow. I'm going to go and make chocolate crispie cakes with DD in a minute.

Long term goals are what I think we should focus on. And tbqh I'm bloody proud of myself for every week that passes in which I've stuck at this. Even if I've only done Shred three times that week, that's three times more than I used to do and has far more impact on my body than several hours slogging away on the treadmill at the gym.

I'm feeling very demoralised right now. I feel blubbery and knackered.

Yesterday ended up being another rest day. Feeling more motivated today, so did 30DS L2D7 before I had chance to become demotivated. Might try and fit in an extra set tonight depending on how I'm feeling later.

Hi everyone.

Hope you don't mind me posting here as I'm not actually doing Shred (yet!) I would like to but I'm a little bit worried about the abs side of it. I had DS last August and my stomach muscles separated (diastasis). I was advised to definitely not exercise my abs and especially not to do any crunches or sit ups. I think the gap has now closed enough - I can feel a gap about 1cm, which is apparently ok (according to google...) I really want to get in shape again but am terrified of making the abs side of things worse. Anyone have any experience of this? Would really appreciate any stories good or bad (hoping good so I can take the plunge and get going!)

Thanks everyone ??

Checking in because I got up to level 3 of both Shred and Ripped for the first time ever last week, and then slacked off for 5 days so I need to get back in the groove. I've been alternating Shred and Ripped, and it does make me so much stronger and fitter, which is fantastic. However, I need a final push and perhaps ditch the for a bit if I'm going to achieve my cosmetic goal, which is to lose a couple of inches on waist and hips, to fit into a couple of old pencil skirts.

30DS L3 Day 3 just done - I think I'm getting the hang of it, but wow is it tough in this heat!

30DSL1D3 done. Phew! Wore shorty pyjamas if anyone is remotely bothered

Well done nurse shadows (ooh that sounds quite sinister!) sounds like you saved the day. I am up nice and early, rest of household still asleep. Bliss. I want to curl up with a cuppa and my book and savour the peace but I know I have to shred first (groan). Gonna do it NOW.

That should say "syringing water" not springing!

I've had quite an evening! Went to take the bins out and almost stepped on a baby hedgehog. Left him alone, went back in and got on with tidying up. Twenty mins later i had emptied bathroom bin and went to take that out, baby hedgehog still there. Had a look at him and his breathing was really shallow so to cut a long story short I've spent the past hour springing water into Baby Prickles in a box on my garden table. I kept retreating for a bit to see if he would perk up and after about an hour and drinking two syringes of water he started snuffling and moving so I put the box on its side on the grass and off he went. I'm hoping he was just a bit hot and that I didn't abduct a hedgehog that was just resting but seeing as he was laying in the road and hadn't moved in half hour i think the heat may have got to him.

Stumbled across two adult ones on my way back up the garden with the box, clearly they are attracted by the millions of slugs on my runner beans! Hope Prickles will be alright though.

Day 1 - wore my normal day clothes as did it on impulse and just stayed in all day.
Day 2 - wore shorts and a vest top and realised I really needed to wear a bra.
Day 3 - not enough time to do it before taking DS to his appointment hence the doing it in my skirt I was wearing for the day.

Will see if I still have my sports bra and wear my proper exercise clothes.

Sometimes I will exercise when they kids are about so definitely can't do it in my pants.

I am thinking of going to bed in a minute though I know I won't I am beyond tired. Tried to nap earlier but DS is very loud. Is it the shred or just yet another broken night? So fed up of constant tiredness. And I was bitten on my leg and it is threatening to turn into cellulitis. Oh joy.

30 Day Owl Shred sounds like something the RSPB might get involved in :o

I exercise in an industrial sports bra, cropped top and shorts much like Jillian's. It's not quite such an impressive look on me.

I will have to have a rest day today as I've had an osteopath treatment.

RI30 L2D10 done. DH, blessings on his head, volunteered to take DS to a party this afternoon and give me a couple of hours completely to myself, so I thought I'd better use part of them for my DVD so I felt reasonably virtuous about vegging for the rest of it. I'm now about to settle down on the sofa with the papers, a glass of wine and a punnet of cherries.

Rest day tomorrow, and I suppose this means L3 on Monday - haven't looked at it yet, I'm too scared. Anyone want to warn me what horrors lie ahead?

I think all those exercises (ab ones) yesterday have paid off. Separation is the same but my tummy when not pulled in at all has gone from 36 inches to 32 today and waist back to 28. So even if the separation hasn't closed, I think the tansverse muscle is holding it all in. Obv if I pull it in I can get it flatter so I'm going to keep at it and then hopefully it'll be back to how it was. (And I can stop droning on about it on here )

I sometimes wear a skirt. It's usually leggings, crop top style sports bra with an over sized t shirt over the top. But if I can't find a bum covering tshirt I stick a short skirt over leggings just to reduce knicker visibility in the event I have to answe the door half way through or something! Has to be short though otherwise I can't do the moves properly. And I have to wear leggings otherwise I seem to have issues with air going erm 'up there' iyswim when I do plank jacks!

Itsfab I exercise in my nightie - I pop a bra on first but don't bother changing. Why not, cooler than shorts and t shirt!

Rest day today. I know I have only done 2 days so pretty pathetic but in my defence my left bicep and both calf muscles are really hurting today. I can't straighten my arm. Is that normal? I didn't think it wise to stress them even more. On the plus side I did w4 of c25k so I have done some exercise and it helped ease my legs a bit. Shred again tmrw.

It gets easier halfway through each level I find, well not quite as killer anyway, it's not easy, lol.

Halfway through doing the whole thing was when I started to see changes physically, so about day 5 of level 2...I think I was about 4 stones overweight at that point. (I read your thread) I went down a clothes size and started noticing muscles on my arms. I've been dieting alongside, well actually I was dieting first and shredding hasn't helped me lose weight any faster than I was already...it has made a difference to my shape though and my fitness level.