Sharing my experiences with all life's experiments!
This is pretty cool. I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that Chape has just started this contest. Basically, all you need to do is follow THIS LINK and sign-up. The contest runs for the next 30 days.
Its a great deal, as 3 months is valued at 450 Euros!
Please let us know if you win!
-Mliae
Happy 2018!
So here we are, resolution day 2. Believe it or not, my New Years resolution wasn’t to get into shape. It was to be the happy, loving, giving person I’ve always been before I let the stress of everything turn me into a – (*gasp!) – ‘Realist”. A stressed out realist who is also seemingly unable to exercise any form of self-control whatsoever.
It seems that I’ve been complaining A LOT and whining quite loudly about my rapid weight gain in the past 8 months. So my buddy David at Chape Fitness decided to help me out. Again. You see, Chape and I have a history. I’ve known David for about 2 & ½ years now. My weight has always fluctuated, and I asked for his help about 2 years ago. I trusted him by that point and he really took the time to get me situated. I had reached ( & surpassed) my weight goal in September of 2016. You can read the summary here. I was thrilled with the results and fortunately, I had my bikini bod rockin’ when my (then boyfriend) proposed! I also felt great when I found my perfect wedding dress in a EU size 36 – US size 6!
So what happened? You may be asking yourself. Well, I had some medical issues last year and in March I had to go in to have my uterus removed. There were minor complications, but those kind that keep you in bed for weeks. And 2 months before our wedding day! I knew it was going to be impossible going. I had my dress taken out and my loving groom promised he would carry everything if I could just walk there. Which I did without a problem. We both expected weight gain so soon after the surgery. I had gone from a every other day routine with 12 kg (25 lb) Kettlebells, going for a pull with the huskies and being an active (albeit sick) person – to….nothing. I was the blob. I just breathed…literally. I noticed when I finally started to feel ‘normal’ again that something was off. I was emotional. I was hungry. Not like – I need a snack – hungry. More like eating with both hands while my husband watched in horror and then repeating it an hour later – hungry. When the brave loving soul I married finally felt the need to say something about it, I had to listen. I looked it up (along with the fact that this normally always cold person was now opening the windows in a snow storm because she was ‘hot’) and it was obvious what had happened. Hormones. Hormones happened. And I don’t mean a little flutter of weirdness. I mean laughing one minute and throwing deli meats the next. Welcome to perimenopause. It supposedly hits about 10 years before actual menopause, and given that I just had surgery that, um…..helps that along. Well, welcome to crazy. Welcome to hungry. Welcome to hot, cold, hot, cold, just right, sweating, hot, hot, freezing – look at your psychotic wife and tell her you love her, damned it! – HORMONES. And the weight continued to pack on…
Just a week or so ago, I posted this post ranting about how I no longer fit in my clothes. Yes, I even have a muffin top in my ‘big pants’. Ugh. Over the holidays, I was messaging with David and complaining (He’d seen the post) mixed in with Happy Holiday wishes. He promised to help me and I gratefully accepted his guidance. After all, he did work miracles last time, and it’s not like I just went on food binge to gain all the weight back. Now, I’m not sure if he decided to help me to just make me stop clucking about it, or because he genuinely hates to see me suffer; and I don’t care. The point is – he’s getting me ‘right’ again. As a side note, I’m not sure how he manages to succeed online where others have failed miserably in person. But somehow he does. It’s like he commands honesty and dedication & we want to give it to him. Like some weird obligation to actually be legit (for once). I know I could scarf down a box of Christmas mints & just not tell him about it. But I also know the he will figure it out & I don’t want to be that disappointing client. But, I digress. I warned him that this was hormone weight that I’ve packed on. Apparently, when it’s hormonal, it’s like 1000 times more stubborn. He kind of laughed at me. That was the coolest ‘No problemo’ I’ve had come my way in a while.
My current weight is 71 kg / 160 lbs and a large percentage of that weight is being carried front and center in my gut. Belly & bum. I look pregnant, with a round 40 inch/ 102 cm belly and my bum & hips are both 44 inches/112 cm around (Yes, it’s like 1 big continuous berry back there. Blec). I’m really not loving that my diameter is in such a high proportion to my height! My ultimate goal weight is 55 kg / 122 lbs. I know this sounds small, but I’m only 160 cm/ 5ft. 3in. tall so I don’t carry any extra weight well.
So here we are! Day 1 of a very exciting process. I opened my PC late last night to a few very big surprises! I kind of thought this was going to be like it was 2 years ago. That I check in, he changes my diet and workouts according to how he sees things going, I report in daily and he’s available for me when I need to chat. Uuuuhhhh… Nope. This extremely dedicated gentleman spent his holiday creating a personalized workout plan for every single day of this month (weekends are free) plus a slew of recipes created just for me! I’m not having a laugh, seriously, there are at least 40 recipes that consists of the foods I love without the foods that I hate that look delicious and somehow magically exclude the foods I can’t have but it still looks yum. Super! I spent the day at the market buying fish, light tuna, avocado, sweet potato, turkish yogurt, fruit and fizzy water.
What else is different? Well, A LOT! I feel like a VIP client now. I now have to drink water (warm) 1st thing when I wake up. I’m supposed to drink green tea before each meal, I have portion control now (100 g of fish, but I can eat all the veg I want. 1 piece of fruit for my 2 snacks daily & a goal of 2 liters water per day.) my workouts seem to be a bit heavier now (For example; I’m starting with this move that I hated when I got it much later on in the process last time) my workouts vary slightly from day to day, I’ve been told I can have a mint per day, Bree in tiny slices for dessert & I can have bread if I’m dying but it will take away from my overall daily allowance of protein, carbs, et al. Not to mention, he still makes himself available to me morning, day and night whenever I need to talk. Seems like he has taken my stubborn fat and desperate plea very seriously! So should I. I’ve been hyper motivated all day!
I think my difficult bits will be working my way through those kitchen forays – meals with the family – and those days when I really just want to Netflix and chill. But I think we can do it. I trust David, he’s done nothing but great for me and I’m so excited about fitting in my clothes again soon!
I’ll be posting about my progress (or lack thereof), workouts and recipes once weekly. If your New Years resolution is to lose some weight (stubborn blubber or not), I want to make sure you can try some of these things with me!
Thanks so much for reading!
-Mliae
If you are wondering how we manage to handle a strict Personal Training regime while International, it’s because we’re using evernote to manage everything. It works surprisingly well 🙂
Today I had a good long chat with David from Chape Fitness. I had a good whine about how I have managed to gain a ton of weight since my surgery last year & how frustrated I am that its obviously a hormonal thing, but that I just can’t seem to get the weight back down.
Part of my frustration comes from the fact that David had me in superb condition which stayed great for much more than the following year and had me feeling fantastic when it came time to try on wedding dresses! But the surgery, it ruined everything. Thankfully, David to the rescue! He told me that for number one: I cannot wait to begin. No more ‘Tomorrow’ ‘mañana’. If I want to get serious, I have to do it and do it today!
In case you are wondering; I run to David for my fitness/weight/diet instruction because I trust him. I have worked with him before and he knows how to get (and keep) the flab off! Most fitness bloggers only last a few months, but I have been actively following his blog for more than 2 years now. In the blogosphere, longevity speaks volumes! And finally, David has this way of insisting I do the right thing – even in a quite loud voice on the required occasions, but always with a smile on his face and a friendly pat on the back to follow.
Start Now was his big piece of daily advice, and he’s absolutely correct! That’s why I am sharing it with you now. Why wait until 1st January? Let’s start now! I’m sure we can accrue a cheat day or 2 for the holidays…right? 😀 😀
If you would like to read this inspirational post, you can find it by clicking here.
Are you starting your fitness goals today?
-Mliae
Although we still haven’t fully decided if the reception will be outdoors or indoors, we still need to look at how to make our reception not look like a luncheon meeting, but a wedding.
Looking through all the ideas for glamming up a wedding reception, I’ve come to realize that its absolutely ridiculous what people are spending on these affairs! Who says we all have to have dozens of flower arrangements on the tables, garlands, candles, signs, table runners – all adding up to many hundreds even on the cheapest end?! I’ve now perused thousands of DIY ideas, but still, just cost of the items will end up being as much as the food.
I got stuck on Amazon looking at centerpieces, and take this for example. 20 crystal candelabras for the mere cost of $2,500.
SET OF 20 WEDDING CANDELABRAS CANDELABRA CENTERPIECE CENTERPIECES – GREAT FOR SPECIAL EVENTS! – SET OF 20
Ok, I must admit – wedding fever is so bad that these are tempting…
I really don’t understand. I mean, its gorgeous, of course! How could not be when you’ve shelled out thousands for fresh blooms and crystals. But WHY is this considered such a necessity? Why do I feel like I have to keep up with this, in order not to be viewed as a pauper who can’t properly decorate her venue? WHY must I spend hours putting together something the day before my wedding (or day of) to lay out on tables, which inevitably, someone will have something to say about anyway.
I mean, honestly, even though it isn’t my usual formal glittering self, something like this is more my style of something fun, frugal and useful:
Floral Unique Kit with 50 Lollies
Is it OK to have some fun with this stuff? Make an edible arrangement? I have been searching high and low for something beautiful and fun which won’t leave our tables looking barren and might possibly leave our bank accounts in tact.
What do you think, can I break tradition and do something fun and weird plus maybe some affordable blooms instead of these grand monstrosities that will throw me into bankruptcy? Any ideas are more than welcome!
-Mliae
Whoop! Whoop! HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2016!! 😀
Aaahhh, it’s that time of year again. Time to look over your past achievements and failures, time to make that somewhat reasonable wish list for your year ahead, time to contemplate (and dismiss) all your former yearly resolutions. Some actually achieved and some that lacked.
For me? I’ve done the whole gung-ho ‘I’m going to diet and exercise and be healthy, wealthy and young for eternity thing.’ Guess what? Didn’t stick. Since I’ve already been dieting and exercising for the past 2,5 months, it seems like an unfair head start on a resolution. Time to find another challenge to add to the game.
One year, I did manage to make it an entire year without colouring my hair…and have actually managed to stick to it for the last several years since. I also managed to quit smoking Although I’m not sure whether to count that or not, as it took at least 15 tries before I put the pack down permanently. I also stuck to the plan that I wanted to get my degree abroad. At least long enough to actually get my degree! And this year, I purchased my first home. A farmhouse. A fixer-upper, but it’s mine and as of this minute, it’s still standing so I’m happy 😉 Which brings me to…this years’ resolution!
Canning! That’s correct 🙂 Welcome yourself to another new experiment. This undomesticated female is starting, as of today, to learn how to preserve food. I mean to learn not only how to can, but also how to dry, freeze, preserve in oil, etc. Before you start scratching your head, let me explain. There is method to my madness. Although my land area is quite small, it’s also quite full. There are lots of berry bushes and some fruit and veg plants that have been growing for a very long time it seems. I plan to go on a planting binge myself when Spring arrives and I really really would like to be able to use everything I am able to harvest during the year. A) It’s the healthiest option as I don’t use pesticide sprays. B) I spend a fortune at the market, so it would help me to save money for the fun stuff, like traveling, shopping and this desperately needed home reno. C) Seriously, who doesn’t want to be able to enjoy their own home grown food?
So that’s the deal. I have nothing but vinegar and a few canning jars at the moment. I’ll be trying to learn the old fashioned way before all the extra pots and canners. (Mainly since I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, so simpler is always better) Today I was given my very first canning recipe for pickled green tomato’s. Yum!
I gladly welcome any advice, recipes, warnings or ideas about food preservation. Please share, as I am an amateur!
Stay tuned, I’ll be blogging about my progress while learning this.
Thanks for reading and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
-mliae
