12 Week Shape Up {2}

I'm going to be completely honest here.

I "signed up" to do this and then really didn't take it that seriously this week. I started out with good intentions but the truth is, I only did fruit till noon for two days and really slacked on everything else for much of the week.

I even thought about just pretending this thing never even happened and making my first 12 Week Shape Up post disappear.

But, I need this. I don't want to throw away all the hard work I did earlier this year. I've come down three sizes since January and I'm dangerously close to going back up. I don't want to go back up in sizes.

Three days ago I started exercising again. Rowing machine for 20 minutes the first day and increasing the time by 1 minute every day. Weights after the rowing machine to try to tone my arms as I'm getting those lovely bingo wings since losing weight. And, loads of sit-ups. This will be my routine for the next week and then I may change it up a bit or just carry on.

Mission 2 - Tracking

This is really necessary for me to stay on track. I go to Slimming World and follow their plan but it's really not a diet. It's about eating foods that give you energy and keep you fuller for longer. You don't count calories. You eat as much as you want of the "free" foods but learn to listen to your body when it comes to portion control. At every meal you are meant to fill at least a third of your plate with fruits and/or veggies. Free foods include lean meats with all visible fat cut off prior to cooking, eggs, beans, fruits, veggies, potatoes, pasta....and I can't think anymore. You're also meant to have a healthy portion of calcium and fiber every day. Like, a slice of wholemeal toast or a portion of porridge oats/oatmeal and milk or a portion of cheese. Anything else you eat during the day (butter, chocolate, sauces, whatever) counts as "syns" and you're allowed 10-15 of them a day. This is the only counting that you have to do and 1 syn is approximately 20 calories. So, you can still have other stuff which is good as I really love to have a bit of chocolate every day. After you've been doing it for awhile, you get a feeling for how much of these extras you can have without counting them. It really is a plan that works, you're never ever ever hungry and it's something that you can easily do for life without ever feeling like you're on a diet.

Oh, but I was talking about tracking! I find that it's really important for me to track everything I eat. Even though I'm not counting calories just seeing what I've had helps me make good choices. I'm not sure what else it does for me but I can tell you from experience that it does help.

I have not been tracking for the past couple of weeks and it shows.

So, back to tracking!