The Insane Chapter!

    Hi guys!! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write and put this article together but as you'll get to know me you'll probably realise that I am a complete moron when it comes to computers and new technologies. It thus took me a few days to fully grasp the concept of iMovie -I told you I was a moron! But there we are so I might as well get started and tell you how I went from thin but wobbly to thin AND firm.

    Seriously who'd want to look like the one on the left when you can get the results on the right through hard work?!?

    I then decided to put myself through hell - yeah I really wanted that - since I had already paid for a gym membership but that never got me very far and moreover it didn't prevent me from ending up fat. So one day while I was very focused on looking for a great fitness programme at before/after pictures I found one that led me to a website called beachbody on which they have loads of programmes but a special one caught my eye: The Insanity 60 days workout -I know what you're thinking: maybe I just felt attracted by the name since I am fairly famous for being a complete nutter. Well you're probably right BUT the problem my friends was that beachbody do not ship to some countries (probably because we're considered retarded by most of the world) like France. But "impossible n'est pas français" so I found a way to get Insanity - eBay - and a few weeks later I got this in the mail:

    I was really scared by the packaging but very excited at the same time. You get 13 DVDs, a workout calendar and some nutrition guide I never read because it mentionned counting calories at the very beginning and I can accept going through hell while I workout but not when it comes to cooking.

    Insanity is a very intense workout that combines cardio and strength exercises for which you do not need anything but your bodyweight - let me tell you that it is more than enough. It lasts 60 days and you have to workout 6 days a week. For the first month the workouts last about 40/45 mins then there's a recovery week during which you do the same workout for 6 days and then the second month which actually gets harder - even though you think it means you're going to die on the spot- and during which the workouts last about 1h up to 1h30.

    I don't really know what else to say apart from the fact that for the first two weeks my body ached all over and I discovered lots of new muscles I didn't even know were there to begin with. I also discovered that I was a fighter since I had absolutely no idea I could push so hard and stand up again when I thought I couldn't move anymore. I also learnt that I love feeling the burn while I workout and being sore the next morning - I told you I was a nutter!

    Enough chitchat let's show you some progress pics:

    Here's my progress after one month of insanity ( I started eating really clean after that but cleaneating will be the subject of another post).

    I went from 56 to 52kg doing insanity and I really got more muscle definition and a firm body.

    Now for those of you who'd want to A) check out an insanity workout

                                                            B) make fun of my weird faces and grunts when I workout

There you go!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYRncQPGmCg

                                      

Don't forget to share and comment to let me know if you liked it or not and what you want me to discuss next!

The Weight Watchers Era (February 2013 - May 2013)

    Hi guys!! New chapter of the story today....the Weight Watcher part of my story or "How I (re)learnt to eat well".

    So as I told you in my previous post after the Pantartica episode - I know I've watched Notting Hill waaayyy too many times - I downloaded the WW app on a whim and started right away. I chose the app and not the meetings because I was under the impression that the meetings would be something of that kind:

You've got to love Little Britain

    So the app was a good compromise for me (and I know I can do things on my own when I have enough motivation since I always do what needs to be done to reach my goals) it was around 15€ per month and when you subscribed for 3 months right away you had a discount - a small one though. 

    It's very simple to use since it kind of works like a diary in which you register everything you eat. When you first get the app you need to answer a few questions about your eating habits, type your age, height and current weight and they then ask you to set a goal. According to all those previous things they allow you a certain amount of "points" per day which you can use in any way that you like. As far as I'm concerned, I quickly got to using most of my points during breakfast and lunch and had a very light dinner (veggies, soup...). This might explain why I felt hungry for the first week or so around bed time.

    I believe that the app somehow helped me know what was high in "bad" calories - yes, there are good ones in fruit and veggies for example - since all the greasy or sugary foods were very high in points ( a regina pizza is 12 or 14 points if I remember well and I was allowed 29 a day at first...that gives an idea of how bad it is). Most fruit and vegetables on the contrary are "point free" (they cost zero) which means you can eat as much peas, mushrooms, salad, beans, apples, bananas etc as you like very day!

    So I found that Weight Watchers also helped me keep track of what I was eating - writing all your food down helps you realize that you've probably had enough even though you're used to eating more and since we mostly eat the same thing every week I quickly memorized the point system and I knew what to eat or buy or cook without looking at my phone constantly. It finally was very helpful in organizing and managing to keep a normal social life - I found that very hard to do when I did my first "bad" diet since it was very strict - since you have "bonus" points when you exercise and a sort of weekly allowance in case you need or feel like indulging in a little treat. You then only need to eat veggies or fruit the whole day so you can have pasta at the restaurant or even a burger for dinner with your friends.

    Finally, I lost 8 kilos doing it and went from 64 to 56 kilos and I can assure you that I never felt like I was on a very strict diet or anything of that kind. I then decided that it was time for me to start working out again and that's the story I'll tell you in my next article!!

    PS: I'm very sorry for the length of that article but it felt like I really needed to give you specific details about how WW works plus I'm very tired so I can't focus as much as usual. Hope I didn't bore you though!

Don't forget to comment and share both the link of the blog of you like it and your suggestions if you think I should change anything!

    

My epiphany: why and how it all started

    Hi guys! So as I promised yesterday here's the first chapter of my story. 

    I'm not the kind of person who's always been overweight. I was very sporty and thin as a child and during my teenage years. It all changed during a year spent as an Erasmus student in England which felt to me like that:

but I somehow have the impression that it was more like that:

    

So one party after another and one burger or pizza -you need these more than drugs when you're drunk it's actually unbelievable!- leading to another I came back home with at least five added kilos (no no, I'm not talking about my luggage here...)

    Then, there was the usual first diet in your life which for me happened to be a very extreme, very bad and unhealthy diet thanks to which I lost five kilos I gained ten kilos. Add to this already wonderful picture a bad and very painful breakup and you get something like this:

  

  But rest assured, it all changed some chilly day at the end of January 2013 thanks to a teeny tiny little thing called MY EGO. I have never been a very confident person neither do I have a huge ego but I'm very thankful to this day for the small yet existing one that I have because it saved me from obesity -let's face it that's where I was heading. What happened is quite silly and will probably make you laugh but there you go: one day on my way out of the toilets when I tried to pull up my jeans I literally tore them...I felt so humiliated even though I was all alone at home that I decided it was more than enough and I needed to pull myself together and start taking care of myself and my body again.

    So I took my phone and downloaded the Weight Watchers app..... This will be the subject of my next post!

    Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope I'll read your feedback soon! 

A little about me and this blog

      Well well, here we are. I guess it's time for me to introduce myself and get out there.

    First of all, let me tell you that I am not a native English speaker so you'll have to excuse those few mistakes when they happen (they will that's for sure). 

      All you need to know about me is that I am just a normal girl who realised one day that she'd let herself go and that she had become overweight -okay let's say the word: I was fat. It took me a very stupid moment to have an epiphany and start taking care of myself and loving my body again (I'll tell you about that special day in my next post). 

         I thought I'd start this blog to tell my story without forgetting any ups or downs I've been through and also because it fuels me to know that maybe my story can motivate some of you to start their own or not give up on the one they've already started.

       Be warned: it was not easy and there is absolutely no miracle cream or pill that took me through this much change:

So if you want to know more about what I did and why then keep reading.
PS: Any comments and suggestions on the blog, its look and content will be read and most appreciated! See ya!!