Get Trimmer (2012): WEEK ONE

Happy Monday :)

Hopefully you've recorded your measurements, even if you haven't shared them here yet... *HINT*.

Could you please, also, take your waist and hip measurements? Also please take a look at the previous post to confirm your name's on the list.

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FEEDBACK ON FOOD DIARIES SHARED IN THE PREVIOUS POST
Thank you for being honest and posting both good and bad! That gives us more to work with :)

Breakfast:

• Try to avoid the breakfast cereals along the lines of Crunchy Nut, Frosties, etc. As I told someone today, you might as well have a glass of water with a few spoons of sugar. And usually with these, you find that you have to eat more to get that full feeling.
  If you must have cereal in the morning, have half a cup of porridge oats with milk and a handful of nuts or berries. Other options include: 2 x Weetabix, 1 cup of Shreddies.
• No pastries or bakery products eg brioche, doughnuts, cakes.
• Don't have time to sit down and eat breakfast?
  - Eat something even if it's a piece of chicken or meat.
  - If you have access to health food stores, buy  protein snack bars eg 'Trek', '9', 'Bounce Balls', 'Nak'd', 'Cliff', 'Lara Bar'.
  -Boil eggs the night before and have one or 2.

Snacks:

• Don't snack on pasteries or baked goods.
• Fruit or Nut - great choice
• Protein Bar (especially if you don't have much for breakfast)
• Again, even a piece of fish, chicken or meat would do.

Lunch/Dinner:

• Keep the takeaways (Chinese, etc) to a minimum. You'll save money and you'll know exactly what's going into your meals.
• Order veggies with your Nandos chicken instead of the fries.
• Cut down the rice and pasta portions
• If you have salads, make sure they come with some protein (eggs, fish, chicken, etc) and always ask for dressing on the side. 

Don't starve yourself: Eating little to nothing doesn't necessarily mean you'll burn fat and lose weight. Fuel your body with the right foods and it will burn fat and calories, efficiently. Try to incorporate some protein in every meal. Breakfast: Eggs, Sausages, etc. Lunch/Dinner: Chicken, Fish, Meat. Snacks: Nuts as they'll keep you fuller for longer and help supress your appetite.

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The last 2-3 weeks have been a bit odd for me - I was ill, I travelled, I was ill and now I'm WELL :) So I've decided to take part in this challenge with you too.

And before anyone says anything, I know I'm not overweight, we all know our bodies and when we need to get back on track :)

What's my plan of action?

1. I'm cutting out chocolate for the entire month of May. Although I only eat 70% (or more) chocolate, I usually finish a big bar over 2 days(weekend, when I do have it).
2. I'll have 2 strength based sessions per week:
   - Fitter London's Kettlebells for Strength and Bodyweight Conditioning on Tuesdays @ 7am
   and
   - Fitter London's Kettlebells for Strength, Size and a Sixpack on Saturdays @ 11.30am.
   (All Fitter London classes can be found here: www.fitterlondon.co.uk/classes/)
   You should know how passionate I am about strength training so please read this post: I Love Strength Training.
3. I teach 3 spin classes a week so those will be my cardio/endurance workouts.
4. I'm cutting out plantain chips for the entire month of May. Trust me, they're a real weakness of mine. Especially when I'm in a hurry, I just grab a pack and inhale it in 2 minutes flat!
5. As always, I'm going to eat a lot of protein (More of fish, seafood. And chicken, eggs too) and vegetables. I'm also limiting mhy carbohydrates to sweet potatoes, beans and plantain. I'm not a fan of brown rice, I'd have added that to the list.
6. No ice-cream, absolutely NO ice-cream. This is a major weakness of mine. 

Okay enough about me ;)

Set your goals for May (tomorrow's the 1st).

• Exercise: I'll post some workouts for home and gym workouts. Aim for at least 2 days per week.
• Diet: My advice would be to cut out all pastries, cakes, pizzas, deep fried foods, high-sugar foods and drinks, etc. Also reduce your carbohydrate portions and replace with vegetables (they are carbs too) and protein. It's only one month in your long life and will fly by.
• Frequency of meals: Eat at least three times a day and make sure you never get to a point where you're ravenous. If you don't like breakfast, no need to force yourself to eat an actual meal. Try something as little as a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit.
• Snacking: Do this only when you feel peckish, sometimes I snack for the sake of it and it's unneccessary. Snack on fruit (1 portion eg 1 apple, a handful of berries, 1 slice of pineapple, etc).

Please post your goals, it helps to write things down and share on a forum (here) because you feel more motivated to stick to these goals. I'm in Starbucks and I just had a banana with my Green Tea. I ignored the dark chocolate by the checkout, GO ME!

Sidenote: After going on an on on Twitter yesterday, I shared a few pointers. Which I've decided to share here because I know you don't all have Twitter accounts:

Any questions, please ask and I will answer asap.

Good Luck and have a nice week!