30 Day Shred - New Starts

[CatPower]

Hello everyone,

I know there are a lot of shred-heads on here already, but many of the current threads are full of people well into the programme. I just started the 30 Day Shred today. I'm 5'11", 258lbs (18st 6lbs ) and in dire need of getting fit, strengthening my core and losing some weight.

Has anyone else recently started, or are planning to?

loopey, I would agree with YouCan'tTeuchThis, any exercise you can fit in, especially if its really good quality intensive workouts, has to make a difference to you.

Overtired - well done! I'm in two minds about moving up tomorrow. Watched it last night and it looks quite tough and after finding it hard to get going this morning I'm worried I'm not quite ready. Dh suggested starting it together on Saturday, but after watching it, we've realised that there's not enough room for us both to work out together on Level 2. Will ponder overnight and see how I'm feeling in the morning I think.

Day 1 Level 2 done! Decided to go for it instead of waiting for dh.

Its tough, but doable - although I think its going to take me a few tries to get correct form in all the moves. Lots more shoulder and back exercises and I'm not sure I'm getting the plank position right - need dh to check for me, its so much easier when someone can look at what you're doing and see where you're going wrong. He wants to watch it again this evening before he starts it tomorrow morning, so maybe that will help as well.

Bugger! Bad start to the day by oversleeping! Had anticipated at being up at 7 to do L1 D3, but slept through the alarm and woke at 8am, had to be at opticians for 9am, so didn't have time to shred AND get myself and 2 DCs ready BUUUUUT I weighed myself and have lost 4lbs in 3 days - am really pleased. I was aiming at taking a day off over the weekend, so will now just plough on through til next Friday.

Was taking my son to get his eyes tested, he is absolutely fine but I need glasses, which really surprised as never realised I had a problem until he started covering my left eye! The good news is my work will cover about 70% of the price of the glasses, so all good there.

Had a lovely afternoon in the hot sunshine in the garden, lunch with my friend and her son, and am now at work, looking forward to another day in the garden tomorrow.

Back to school runs on Monday - where did those six weeks go??

am very jealous of you Overtired. I gained when I started doing it and its only just started to shift now.

It won't matter a bit that you had today off instead of a day at the weekend.

I'm dreading getting up early to fit it in before the school run next week, but I really don't want to go out without a shower and equally don't want to shower - get dressed - do school run - come home - shred and shower again.

Dh has been letting me lie in until 8.45 am over the past couple of weeks, so when the boys go back on Tuesday its going to be a big shock to the system.

I may well start to gain as I build muscle I guess, but have been restricting my carb intake to breakfast only - usually a bowl of museli or bran. Mainly a high protein diet, with lots of fruit, salad and veg. With the lovely weather today and tomorrow, I am planning a lovely BBQ tomorrow of steak, chicken, burgers and sausages with lots of salad - yummmmmm!

Am dreading the early starts too! I work evenings, so don't get home until 11.30, generally in bed by 12.30am, then alarm goes off at 5.30 for DH and then again 6.30 for me, then generally need to drag DS from his bed, ready to get him out the door for 8.15! Sounds ridiculous when I haven't needed to get up for the last six weeks - boohoo!

I will be shredding after the morning school run, whilst DD eats her breakfast

I think I would drop working to your schedule. You have a very apt MN name, I'm in awe of you managing to do the shred at all!

I think I'm going to end up shredding after the school run as well to be honest. Dh needs to do his before work and there's not enough room for us both to work out together, so I'm likely to get bumped until later. The plan is that he does it 6.30 till 7.00 and I do it 7.00 to 7.30 - but I can see it all going horribly wrong in the first week.

Seriously?? Think I have just got so used to working these hours, that it doesn't phase me any more. I'm lucky in that I only work a 6 hour shift, which can either be really busy or really quiet, so I usually get some me time that I don't get at home. Am also lucky that I really like my job, so that helps

Sounds like you need to get the first week out the way, establish a routine around that.

I managed to watch Level 2 and 3 on Youtube whilst as work last night, I am happy to say that I am scared!!

Seriously. Mine's a walk in the park by comparison. Sahm, 3 dcs - ds1 who is 9 has ASD, so granted is more work than some children, ds2 who is 7 and an absolute sweetheart and dd, who is 2.5.

So, when the boys are at school its just dd and I at home until 3.30 every day. Then a mad hectic scramble from 3.45 to 6.30 when dh gets home as ds1 needs a lot of help with homework and self-organisation, ds2 is getting more and more homework by the year and dd - well she's just used to having my undivided attention.

Dh does bedtimes, as he says he doesn't get to see them otherwise, so I can collapse switch off at 7.30 pm most nights, unless ds1 is anxious (which is frequently to be fair) and then its a case of being on duty 24/7.

It will have to change soon though. I really need to bring in some cash with things getting tighter and tighter every month. Unfortunately with my health history I'm unlikely to get a job very easily and probably couldn't hold it down for long if I did - so I need to be working flexible hours from home. Hence my wanting to build up my strength and get fit, so I'm more capable of running the home and working to bring in some extra funds - somehow.

Wow - see thats the difference, no way could I do what you do!! I love my DCs with all my heart, but I need to work for the sake of my sanity! DS is 6 so just about to start Y2, not sure how they work out the homework for them, think he had it about twice when he was in Y1. He goes in class at 8.50 and is out at 3pm, and DD is like yours, 2.5 - and a darling as all girls their age seem to be! Must admit, my day is, and has to be, a strictly timed routine. If I'm going to do or go anywhere out of the ordinary I need to do it in the morning. Most of my day is all about catching up with the chores, cooking meals for dinner, the odd half hour catching up on previous night's tv, but then at 4pm DH comes home and we swap over, so I go to work, and he feeds, baths and puts to bed the kids and then chills out, maybe does some laundry if there is any.

We are very lucky in that we have our own seperate time with the kids, and they are no worse off for it. Of course, this will all change when we win the lottery , but I think I would still have to do some work of some sort.

I hated my job though and was in danger of losing my sanity because of it. I was training to be a canine behaviourist before I had ds1, but there's no way I can afford the training now and even if I could, its not a 9 to 5 regular job, so would be a problem having a child like ds1 that needs routine. I dream of going back into it when I retire.

Before and after school is strictly timetabled here to keep ds1's anxieties low and minimise meltdowns, so its get changed out of uniform, drinks and snacks, spellings (and handwriting exercises for ds1) then the same homeworks on the same night, followed by his allocated nintendo time, then tea, reading and bed - again with a set routine that has to be followed - its a tad restrictive, but we don't really have a choice at the moment.

Anyhoo ...

Well - I did it. Have just completed an additional session of Level 1. Its definitely harder to do it at night when you're already tired.

Day 2, level 2 done this morning and boy did I know about it.

Dh and I took some time to learn the correct positions and correct each other if we got it wrong last night (didn't do the workout, just checked out the positions) and it was definitely a lot harder once I got the form right this morning. Had to do pretty much all Anita.

I think the extra workout last night didn't help, as I hardly got any sleep, woke up feeling exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was workout. Dh came and helped me get the positions right if I got stuck, but I actually needed him to help pace me towards the end, because I really felt like giving up. Was determined not to though and managed it all in the end.

I feel so much better for doing it though and as motivation I thought I would try on some of my old jeans ........ and ...... my size 14s fit and are actually a bit loose! My 16s were bulging and I really should have been in an 18 just before I started all this diet and exercise lark, so am really happy with that .... for now - plenty more to lose yet!

Well I'm embarrassed to admit that I had a pathetic moment and actually cried to dh that I didn't want to do level 2 today! I blame me 'ormones (pmt). I am so tired from not sleeping again as well.

He wasn't sympathetic and told me to pull myself together and get on with it. Mainly because he'd already half died doing it himself before I got up.

BUT - I did it and it was easier than yesterday, not easy, still a killer, but definitely slightly easier than yesterday.

Blooming planks - I knew my upper body wasn't very strong, but in all honesty, I had absolutely no idea how weak it really was.

Is it just me now then? Seems I'm talking to meself - but hey, it helps to log each workout as they're done.

So, back on track this morning. Got up and did level 2 straight away and got all the way through it (without crying ). I think I started to find level 1 easier on around day 4 as well and its Day 4 level 2 today.

Hope everyone else is still managing get through their workouts.

Hey there,

Haven't had time to visit the thread, weekends are always manic. Well I did Level 1 Day 8 today. Extremely pleased that I have lasted this long.

And I'm just doing Anita's moves throughout the workout.... there's no shame in that

Greetings, sorry, I struggle to get in here at weekends, usually only when I'm working do I find the time to catch up with it all!

Anyhow, L1 D5 done, definite improvement in my willpower, my push-ups are getting better, and I seem to be getting deeper with some of the squats etc. Had to have a day off yesterday as I woke up with a horrendous headache (not a hangover as my DH keeps joking), and found it hard to so much as move my head.

DS back at school today, so I took him in, then did my shred whilst DD ate breakfast, then off to softplay for a couple of hours, back home for cooking lunches and dinnes, sort out ebay stuff, by which time the day had flown and it was back to school to collect a very bouncy DS, home, drinks, snacks, and am now at work, chilling...... (for now, anyway!)

Well done Moosemama on the jeans, am too scared to try my jeans on at the moment. They were a very snug 14, I'll try then Friday as I plan to shred for the next few mornings but with Friday off, because thats groccery shop day and I don't have much time for anything else.

Well done London and Overtired! You're both doing really well.

I have er ... how to put it delicately ... glute ache! Guess I must've been doing something right this morning then.

Well done Mama! No pain, no gain, eh?? x

L1 D6 done, endurance is improving, quads hurt like hell today!

Well done Overtired.

Didn't think I was going to get it done this morning, after a disastrous first school run of the year with ds1. All I wanted to do was comfort eat chocolate and curl up on the sofa. Haven't craved chocolate since I started trying to lose weight mid June.

I did in the end though and felt better for it.

So, thats day 5, level 2 done.

Am thinking I might stick to level 2 for a bit longer than 10 days if I'm still finding it as hard as I am now. She does say, move up when you are ready and at the moment I can't see that being next Monday.

Well done Mama, sorry you had a bad day yesterday - was today better?

I was thinking the same today about L1, am enjoying it, but still feel I have a long way to go. Friday will be my day off, by which time I will have done D8, then 9 and 10 at the weekend, would just rather feel like I can do the whole thing without stopping, ie. struggle through the second round of push-ups, or DD decides to jump all over me.

It was today that was disastrous Overtired. My boys had a teacher training day yesterday, so today was their first day back.

Hoping it will be better tomorrow, but if I'm honest the first few weeks are always tough for a child who has ASD, so in all likelihood it will be a bumpy ride for a while yet where ds1 is concerned.

I was the same with level 1. I was just considering extending it for a few days when I suddenly found something had clicked and I could get through it all ok, so I stuck with the ten days and moved up to level 2. Can't imagine getting to that stage so quickly with level 2 though.

I'm attempting potty training with dd (for the second time) this week and was worried what to do if she needed to go half way through my workout. Fortunately she loves sitting on her potty so much that she was happy to sit on throughout the whole of my workout, doing all the arm movements complete with her little 0.5kg weights!

Fortunately potty training seems to have gone well today, so at least the whole day wasn't a lost cause.

Bless, may have to try that too! My DD has absolutely no interest in potty training, although she will do really well for a couple of hours and then demand a nappy back on. This weekend I will go for it, have to do it when I'm home long enough with her!

Hope tomorrow better for you x

L1 D7 done and I am feeling great. My DH even commented on my shape when he walked in from work this evening - although am guessing he just wants to get laid tonight, so is trying his ample best to flatter me. Men!!

Stamina has definitely improving, my trousers are certainly not as tight as they were and with the cutting down on carbs, I feel generally healthier. Dare I say it, I am even looking forward to D8 tomorrow! DD loves watching me do it, offering words of encouragement!

Had a great day, went to Bluewater shopping, popping into M&S to do a little top-up shop to get me through to Friday, and I popped a couple of beers in the basket for DH. At the checkout, I was asked for ID to prove I was over the age of 25, at which I fell about laughing (am 37 and under no illusion that I look under 25!!). The checkout lady was insistent that I provide ID, but I continued in my view that she was joking, it was only the icy glare and the threat of confiscation that made me hand over my driving licence......... but 25, really????

Well done Overtired - I was really enjoying level 1 by around that time too - I think.

How flattering to be mistaken for someone under 25 - the shred has obviously worked its magic on you! No-one would ever make that mistake about me, I look every one of my 41 years and then some!

I did day 6 of level 2 today and I can definitely do a lot more now than I could a couple of days ago. The cardio in the middle still beats me a bit though, so I have to take a couple of 5 second breathers in the middle of that and I still collapse into a very undignified sweaty heap at the end as well.

I'm finding it a useful outlet for all my ds1/school related stress!

No improvement on the school run today then Mama? x