30 Day Shred June challenge

[emmief77]

Going to start this tomorrow.. anyone with me?

[TurnThatFrownUpsideDown]

Aw, thank you! I have to admit, I didn't think i'd last so long. I've not been under 10 stone for years. I'm 5'7 and would like to fit a size 10 comfortably. My inner thighs and tummy have lots of deep stretchmarks though, so I'm not sure how much i can expect these areas to tighten. But i shall persevere nonetheless.

Have just finished day 7 of level one and also 30 mins on my exercise bike. Still can't do a bloody press-up though. I think i'll be doing it Anita-style for the foreseeable future.

My tips probably won't work for the majority of people, but i'll share all the same.

I am not a morning person at all. On my last attempt at weight loss last year, i tried getting up around 6am to exercise each morning, but i didn't stick to it. I've found this time around that i prefer exercising in the evenings. i put the soaps on, or catch up on some TV on my laptop while doing it.

I don't allow myself a night off. I used to justify this with 'but i need a rest day'. I've realised that i would only need a rest day if i was working out a lot. I'm not. 30 mins on an exercise bike doesn't require a day of rest each week. And if i find myself falling asleep and saying 'Oh, i'll just do double tomorrow', i quickly get up and just make myself do it.

I used to be a bit of a binger, and this was always my downfall on previous diet attempts. I would allow myself a little treat, and as soon as i got a taste for it, i'd just continue eating until i felt sick. This time round, i made myself go cold turkey for 6 weeks. No treat foods whatsoever. The cravings for the first 3 weeks were crippling, but i just kept saying no. By the 6th week, i honestly didn't crave anything.

I meal plan a month in advance, so i know and can prepare healthy meals rather than resort to micro stuff like i used to.

I also get my shopping delivered and stick to my list/budget to avoid me getting tempted.

I don't snack. I stick to three meals a day. If i am feeling a bit peckish in between meals, i have a cup of tea or water. I also chew gum a lot. But i've always done this.

I set myself small goals. So i keep telling myself (and have been telling myself since i weighed 12stone) that my target is to lose 5lbs. And when i reach that, i tell myself again that i only want to lose 5lbs.

My weight has pretty much stayed the same this month. I weighed 9st 13lbs on the 1st June and it's fluctuated between that and 10stone 2lbs since, back to 9.13lbs again this morning. The weight loss was very quick to begin with. I lost a stone in about 3 weeks. So now that it's becoming harder to shift this last half a stone, i've got to kick it up a notch which is why i'm trying the 30 day shred.

[TurnThatFrownUpsideDown]

Oh, i also don't drink alcohol (never have done except for my Malibu at Christmas) and i've cut out all fizzy drinks. I blame Irn Bru for me being overweight in the first place.

Since April, i've had i small bottle of Diet Irn Bru (which is rank by the way) and felt horribly bloated afterwards, which has totally put me off fizzy juice.

I think the key thing for me which has made this attempt successful is going cold turkey. No takeaways, no chocolate, no fizzy drinks, no cakes, - just my own food i've made myself. And i feel really good. Not miserable at all. I've found that my energy levels have increased, as has my confidence whereas before i was always down and sleepy.

It really is true what people say. Fad diets etc don't work. I've tried them all and got nowhere. In fact, i still have ten bottles of Maple Syrup from my last year's attempt of the lemonade diet (which i gave up on a after 5 days).

It's all about reprogramming your habits and attitude towards food/exercise.

[Bakingnovice]

Turn how impressive!! You are so inspiring. How's the exercise going this week?

[kefybaby]

I did the first day of level2 today. Ouch! But I feel so much better for it. I had missed quite a few days (again...) so I need to get back on track. Also started MFP. DD2 is now 4 months old so no more excuses and "baby cakes". My weight has not shifted by a single oz on the last few months (despite the EBF) so clearly I need to control what I eat.

[TurnThatFrownUpsideDown]

Aw, thank you, Baking. You've made me

Exercise is going great. Been doing the bike every night since April and haven't skipped a day on 30 day shred. Yet...

Yesterday was my final day of level 1.

I'll be attempting level 2 tonight. I watched it through last night with my face like . It is a huuuuuge step up from level 1. Jillian Michaels will be the death of me!

[PessimisticMissPiggy]

Right ladies, I'm in from tomorrow morning. I've got back into WW for my diet.

I'm a size 16-18, 13st5lbs, 5'8", flabby, wobbly, unfit and desperate to shift the back fat that's making my new correctly sized bra lumpy.

I want my toddler to stop burying her face in my fat belly and blowing raspberries that make my boobs jiggle.

I want my DH to comment my nice arse again.

I want my double chin to melt away.

I want to walk up 5 flights of stairs without lactic acid burning my thighs and being out of breath.

I'm not going to stop until I'm size 12, under 11st and feel like I love my body again. I've hated my body for the last 13 years and I want to look in the mirror and feel good.

Shred is phase one. If I have to do all of Jillian's programmes then so be it.

[AintNobodyHereButUsKittens]

I'm shredding again after a long break, in search if a combination of toning and mood improvement. Horrific DOMS after day 1, took one days break and have now done day 2. Going to rotate Shred, Ripped, 6W6P and Killer Bun, and will consider myself victorious once I've done the boss battle final level on all of them, which will take 6 weeks I guess. Unfortunately it's been so long, and the house is such a tip, that I can't find 6W6P or my box of Argos beginner weights, so I've had to use the smallest of my big girl weights, which are 1.5 kg and a real struggle for some of the tougher moves.

After several dabbles with Jillian in the past I can now recite Level 1 Shred, and yesterday I just put the music on low and listened to a podcast which was interesting, but somehow not the same. I enjoy panting out "Yes, yes, you are a crazy person" and other retorts to her more off-the-wall pronouncements.

[Bakingnovice]

Let's be honest - jillion is a total crazy bitch. And she knows it

[TurnThatFrownUpsideDown]

Day one of level 2 last night.

It wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. Still pretty brutal, though. I just followed good old Anita for most of it. There's no way i was doing that crazy double jump rope trick without keeling over.

AintNobody - i'm using 1.5kg weights, too. They are killers! I have to take a little 5 second beat in some of the harder exercises.

I still can't do a press up!

Quite looking forward to tonight's attempt. The thing i like about this DVD is that the exercises chop and change often and frequently, so i don't get bored. And it makes the whole workout fly in, too.

[PessimisticMissPiggy]

I realised that it was probably unrealistic to do my first session in the morning so I did it last night before bed.

I used DH's 1kg dumbells which was a mistake as they were too heavy and hurt my neck during the workout. I'm going to get some soft grip hand weights for tomorrow.

This morning I don't feel too bad. Felt like jelly last night and slept very well. I followed the easier woman as far as I could. It seems I have very short and tight arse muscles as I can't get into deeper squats.

[TurnThatFrownUpsideDown]

So disappointed in myself. I didn't do my day 2 of level 2 last night. The first time i've skipped a day.

So i'm going to get two lots in today to make up for it. I might do last night's one this morning, then today's one tonight... i must be mad. But i don't like the feeling of being a day behind.

I think my arms are slowly becoming used to the 1.5kg weights. I had a little 5min weight workout last night to try and ease my guilt of not doing the 30 day shred and i did it! Yes, it was sore, but as Gillian says... "That's just your body getting stronger. When it gets sore - that's when it counts."

Also, i weighed myself this morning and i'm now 9'10! To be fair though, i haven't lost a pound all month, now all of a sudden i've lost 3 pounds in a week. Must have been holding onto a lot of water.

Also - sadly - i've realised i'm not in fact 5'7. I am 5'6 and a half inch. I've been living a lie all these years.

So this throws my BMI calculations off very slightly.

However, so far i am very happy with how the Shred's going. My fitness levels have already greatly improved and - for the first time in 6 years - my tummy doesn't look bloated. I thought i'd forever look slightly pregnant, but i woke up yesterday morning and it was flat! I couldn't stop staring at it. Still a bit saggy because of stretchmarks under my belly buttons, but the roundness has gone.

Jullian is a friggin genius. I used to do the Davina DVDs and never had results like this. She's far too soft.

Very excited to see the results at the end of the 30 days.

[PessimisticMissPiggy]

frown don't beat yourself up. You managed to do something.

I can't imagine being able to use 1.5kg weights!

[Bakingnovice]

Frown don't worry. I do it every other day and it still works. I did it daily last year and ended up really injured. It can be pretty hardcore. And well done on the weight loss! I'm so jel as I haven't lost anything for 2 blimmin weeks !

Do you follow a diet plan too?

[PessimisticMissPiggy]

I've got popped to JL and got myself some hand weights. I felt really good about it!

[OverAndAbove]

May I join you please?

I started 30DS today - am really busy working and shattered by evening time so I got up at 6am to do it. I managed it all without stopping or cheating, but oh my goodness, the stiffness is setting in now! I will be getting up early again tomorrow to do day 2 before my DD gets up; wish me luck!

[ShowOfHands]

I really agree with the idea of lifestyle change and change of attitude. Because dieting is miserable, not healthy a lot of the time and even if it works what then? You've lost the weight but you can't continue with this miserable lifestyle and you haven't learnt anything about healthy eating and exercise. So back to bad habits and the weight comes back. My Dad had something click 18 months ago and he went from yo yo dieting to learning how to be healthy and active as part of his daily routine. He's gone from 18 stones to 11 stones and kept it off and he's so happy and well.

I also think it's important to not feel guilty for missing the odd day here and there or having a chocolate cake because it's your birthday or you fancy it. It's a life plan and one day off because you are busy or one cake isn't the end of the world. Don't punish yourselves. Be proud.

I'm still shredding. Missed one day since June 1st as I went to a music festival. Still doing either two levels back to back or one level and a run (have a 10k run next month, my first ever). I can do all of it with 5k weights apart from the chair squats and v raise in level 2 where I have to use a 4k or I die.

[kefybaby]

Oh great! Right as I was feeling things are getting a bit under control with the shred and MFP, one of the ladies on our street asked me if I'm pregnant. Right after I told her that DD2 in the pram was 4 months old.
Showofhands, you are so fit!!

[NandH]

Can someone please explain what this 30 shred thing is? I'm guessing it's a DVD workout,yes? considering joining if it doesn't take up too much time

[ShowOfHands]

Oh kefy, you have a 4 month old. That lady on your street was actually very rude and should listen and/or think more carefully. 4 months postnatal is nothing. I'm fit now, yes but 21 months ago I had dc2 by emcs and was a 12 stone, unfit jelly. Some of that 12 stone was the water retention/air, blood volume etc and I lost a good stone in the first 6 weeks post cs but since then I've got down to 8st 4lbs, am running several times a week and shredding daily. I'm a size 8 and the fittest I've ever been. It's been a long road though. At 4 months postnatal, my priorities were still bfing and cake. Don't feel disheartened.

NandH, the Shred is a workout dvd. It's based on interval training and it lasts 20 minutes. It is a short warm up and cool down and then inbetween 3 x 6 minute circuits where you do 3 minutes of strength (weights or things like press ups), 2 minutes of cardio (jumping jacks, jumping, jogging on the spot etc) and 1 minute of abs. So 18 minutes of working out and 2 minutes of warming up/cooling down. Because it's interval training, it's very effective and the idea is that you do 20 minutes every day for 30 days. You start on level one and then move to level two and level three when you're ready. Roughly ten days on each is what people aim for. Have a look on youtube for an idea of what it is. It's a good starting point for fitness, you can see quite quickly that you're getting better at it, each section is so short that you never get bored and it's good for toning, fitness and weightloss. Downside is that it's very American and the trainer woman is a shade bonkers but you tune all that out.

[NandH]

showofhands - thank you for taking your time to reply! That sounds sodding amazing!! Do you need any equipment? I'm off to buy this on amazon!


Count me in !!!

[kefybaby]

ShowOfHands, thanks a lot for taking the time to share your experience with me and talk some sense to me. I feel much better and motivated to keep trying to get fitter (and shed the baby weight!).

[ShowOfHands]

kefy, if you want a good laugh, click on my profile and there are two pictures of me pregnant on there. The red top is me at 7 months, black top is 8 months and ds was born a few days after it was taken. Gawd only knows how big I'd have ended up if he'd gone full term. The picture of me in the purple dress was a couple of months ago and about 5lbs heavier than I am now. But really you should have a look and laugh at how ridiculous I was when pregnant. Even maternity trousers couldn't cope.

NandH, some hand weights are necessary but if you want to crack on then use water bottles or tins of soup for now. You can pick up some hand weights fairly cheaply.

[kefybaby]

ShowOfHands, wow! What an amazing baby bump! How heavy was your ds (is he dc2?) when born? You did not seem to have put on any weight anywhere else though. If's all bump! You look lovely in the purple dress. Clearly all the hard work has paid off. I like your attitude regarding diets. Having tried a few diets in my life, I agree that long term it is all about developing a healthy and balanced lifestyle and attitude towards food and exercise.

[Soupa]

Can I join, it's in the draw...I can dig it out. Need to shift half a stone or so, will the stretched marked thighs and belly turn to creped paper. Hmmm probably, but I need to find my waist and stop my arse sliding down my legs

[Lavenderloves]

Ladies can i join you pls.
I'm going on holiday in two weeks time and want to tone up before. I haven't got much weight to loose just inches really.
I've done the shred before and it was amazing, unfortunately i got ill and stopped.

Yesterday i did level one plus a thirty min run. I also walked through/watched 6w6p and boy that's hard and fast. Calories 1600.

My waist 29 my hips 36.5.