So if you read my last post you will know that I recently started doing the Kayla Itsines BBG. I am still doing it, I haven’t missed a workout and I still love it (despite cursing Kayla through every set of commandos! Seriously ouch!) I decided to complete the Workouts but not purchase the eating guide for several reasons, the first being that I am currently breastfeeding so I need to ensure that I am consuming adequate calories and the second being that I prefer to ‘track’ my eating using the Lifesum app (see earlier post) which keeps me mindful of what I am consuming without leaving me feeling too restricted.
As I mentioned the workouts are going great and I love how challenging they are. I am doing my own thing a bit because I have repeated week two twice before moving on to week three (which I will be starting today). This is due to the fact I found week two really tough and wanted to do it two times through before moving on. I also do four BBG workouts per week rather than three. This is because I am accustomed to working out most days and I found it hard to adjust to doing the three days of structured workouts then just doing hiit or liss on the remaining days. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I will either repeat day one of the week of the guide I am on twice, do my own workouts or get a kettlebell session in. Nothing extreme I will keep it to between 30-45 minutes, and I still complete liss most days (weather depending) in the form of walking or if that isn’t an option do a HIIT session instead.
Something that isn’t going so well is my Healthy eating…or lack of healthy eating. It’s not been that horrendous, I haven’t binged and I am still eating healthy main meals, I am just eating far too many snacks in between…and not necessarily ‘clean’ snacks. I have found that since starting the guide I am hungry all the time. I am not saying this is the guides fault, and if anything it could show the guide is working if my body needs more calories from the intensity of the workouts and of course it could also be down to breastfeeding a growing baby. As I have discussed in previous posts one of my fitness goals going forward is to build more lean muscle, and I am aware that I need to eat more (of the right foods) to enable my body to do that. So I don’t actually mind the fact my body wants more food/fuel. I am more annoyed with myself because due to my own lack of organisation, rather than fuelling my body with healthy, high protein snacks I’ve been eating things like bicuits…far too many biscuits…chocolate, sweets and my fiancé’s sugary, devoid of nutrients cereal straight from the box (we have all been there!) I have also on several occasions this week allowed myself to get over hungry by failing to pack a healthy snack option in my bag, and ended up raiding the kitchen cupboards and stuffing my face with anything and everything I could get my hands on when I have got home.
Strangely despite my lack of willpower and by some miracle I have not actually gained any weight. This tells me that my body needs these extra calories I just need to be ‘cleaner’ in terms of the foods that I consume to get them. I have however noticed that I am a lot more bloated, probably due to the amount of refined sugar I have been eating. This is particularly noticeable around my abdomen. And as it always does my skin is showing the effects of my less than healthy eating in the form of a couple of impressive spots on my chin.
So today I am re-committing to eating clean (with a few treats here and there). I am not going to do a dramatic cleanse or detox and I don’t want to reduce the amount of calories I am consuming. I just want to replace all the nutrient lacking snacks I’ve been eating with healthy alternatives with plenty of protein. I am going to do a food shop to make sure there are plenty of nutritious options in the house and I am going to try to get my arse in gear and actually prepare snacks in advance so I have things immediately to hand. Oh and I am going to make sure I have a protein bar or something in my changing bag at all times, because if I don’t I just end up buying something that I probably shouldn’t be eating whilst out, or waiting until I get home and am completely ravenous only to then devour the entire kitchen.
I feel like the root of the problem is the lack of sleep that I am currently experiencing due to the fact my baby is teething and I am often up three or four times a night. Rather than getting my energy from sleep I am getting it from refined white carbohydrates and sugar (otherwise know as fox’s dark chocolate chunk biscuits!) I need to stop making excuses though and I have decided going forward I am going to prepare some healthy options and try to eat small meals frequently through the day to keep my energy and blood sugar levels up and stop myself from getting over hungry. Oh and I will be removing temptation! Cookies will no longer be on the shopping list!
Jess xox
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