Why being a Former Fat Kid rules and vanity drools

Prepare yourself for some shocking news. I was not that cool or pretty at the start of my formative years.
I know, you see this Deity before you and the mind baffles but no, at school, I was the fat foreign kid who snacked on dried meat and had thick stockings that always wrinkled at the ankles. Genuinely, there are some photos in the world that need to be destroyed with fire.

At the start of my teenage years at school, I was never burdened by boyfriends and young love or distracted by secret admirers. Instead, I gravitated towards rock music, awesome** band hoodies and education. Don't get me wrong, I had a nice group of friends, developed my sense of humour, enjoyed being 'quirky' and was probably a little TOO involved in my food technology GSCE (coupled with doing drama, again, another shocker).

At university, having lost my puppy fat, I  met a boy who had a similar experience. We bonded over how you would instantly fell in love with someone if you liked the same music or they mentioned that cool, unheard of band that only you thought you knew, The Beatles. We also shared the same tag...Former Fat Kid.

Now, instead of being embarrassed about this, we embraced it. It was like a modern day telling of the ugly duckling, set in the heart of Leicester. I rarely felt the pressure to look too presentable or act a certain way. I had a lot of guy friends and acted as such, I didn't preen or take too much care over my hair or make up and didn't care about getting roughed up playing basketball on a Saturday.

Then, the opposite happened. Boys started to pay attention. I was asked out on dates and I started wanting to make a impression and look pretty. I would be embarrassed when my guy friends would talk about me farting in front of potential suitors and shied away from play fights in case I got too hot and sweaty.

This translated into the gym. As soon as I started exercising more regularly and realised that actually doing burpees and squats and running would make me look particularly gross for that hour or so, I couldn't embrace it, I found it hard to be nonchalant. I would make jokes to waste time and laugh off my bad technique. I wouldn't go as fast (I actually couldn't in those days) and if there was a relatively attractive member of the opposite sex I would be all too focused on how I looked instead of my work out.

Wait... there is a point to my rambling!

All too often, people worry too much about how they look in the gym and then begrudge not seeing results.They are worried about the ugly contorted face that only lifting heavy weights will give you, doing heavy deadlifts in case a fart sneaks out or fear the dreaded sweat drips when doing burpees.. what if one splatters that person next to you?!! After not seeing results, they then think exercise is pointless and stop trying.

Getting a personal trainer (Nick) forced me to embrace this anxiety. Working out in front of just one person was tough but wanting to A) get value for money B) get results and C) prove to him that I could do it reverted me to my glorious FFK days.

I no longer care about how I look or what people think because everyone is there doing the same as me, wanting to get fitter and faster and feel better. Yes, I am a mess when I train but I like it and it's worth it.

My new favourite saying? 'You gotta go ugly'

**Not actually awesome

P.S. The boy from Uni and I are still good friends to this day. You can still see the FFK in us with a miscellaneous stain on our clothes or day old crumbs from something we don't remember eating in our hair.

                                                         
                                                          Then

                                                         Now

New week, new meal plan

Week 2 is starting, um, well?
Cheated slightly on Friday evening with a meal out and catch up with some friends but chose wisely on the menu.
Had my weight in with Nick and have lost 0.5kg, which is a good and healthy pace.

Still struggling with when I am going to train with my new routine but Nick has taken this into account with this weeks' plan and changed my calories accordingly.

The weekly weigh in is also a good incentive to behave and something to look forward to when you've been good.

http://nickspersonaltraining.co.uk/nutrition-and-weight-managment.php

This blimmin knee injury...

Back in the Spring of '10, on a sunny and slightly hungover Sunday afternoon in Spain, two friends decided to don their newly bought roller blades and scoot along the promenade.

Whilst packing my trusty backpack with water and a  jumper,  I looked across at my cumbersome knee pads and decided to forego them on this occasion, instead taking a snack (probably) and set off for some fun.

*note that I am wearing knee pads in this picture so wasn't actually the same day. I am just giving you a taste of how fun and fancy free we were*

Towards the end of the evening, I started making my way back and was going a little faster than I was comfortable with towards a crossing in the road. In a panic, I grabbed onto a lamppost and fell to the ground, landing with all of my weight onto my knee.
I can't quite remember the pain other than it was horrible but it was nothing compared to what was to come over the next week, months and even now, 6 years later.

Having broken my knee cap in half and having to undergo an operation to fit the above bad boys, it started a long road to full recovery. I shan't bore you with details but I spent several weeks in the blistering 40 degree heat in a full cast and wheelchair. Fortunately, I had some of the best friends a girl could ask for and was well looked after.

Those few months are now a slight blur but I had to learn to walk again. It took around 8 months before I was back to what I would consider normal.

Get to the point, I hear you cry. Yes, yes, sorry (have just found the photo adding feature) 

Well, after getting into exercise again but having to be aware of my knee and had many a frustrating session of not being able to go as hard or as fast I want to, sometimes battling between whether I was just being a pansy or I was seriously hurting myself, the pain in my knee was becoming all to constant so I carried myself off to the doctors.

1 MRI scan later informs me that at 28, I have 'moderately severe' arthritis. Moderately severe? what even is that? and a repetitive strain injury, from not looking after myself properly.

My name is Carol, I feel the cold easily, carry pocket tissues, I have arthritis and, yes, I am not over 70.

After an initial meltdown, some tears and cursing my past self at throwing my knee pads to one side, I have resigned myself to the fact that I have to take it easy. I have to tailor my workouts and routine to my body.

Luckily, I have had some great support and advice from both, Nick and excellent trainers at The Athlete centre, Didcot and am now looking forward and figuring out how best to reach my goals.


The conclusion, upper body? I'm coming for ya!!


Here is a little example of a work out from Nick:

• Dynamic warm up of: 20 second plank, 20 toe touches, 20 second down dog and 20 SLOW mountain climbers x 3 rounds
• 5 x 5 SLOW and negative press ups
• 20 raised knee ups, 20 V ups and 20 flutter kicks x 3 rounds
• Max effort of row hold with resistance band (aim for over 1 min each) x 3 rounds

Give it a go! 

Always learning

Well, I hate to admit that I have already failed slightly, I have not found the time and/or energy to write daily or even anything last week but, in my defence, I started a new job  and was having to figure out a new training and eating regime. Now I am into week two, things are looking easier!

So, after providing some food diaries and then an initial chat with Nick  to assess my current eating habits and what I need to change *please note that I thought it was wiser to do the food diaries AFTER my Christmas indulgence* we sat down and wrote a comprehensive weekly food diary that included the dishes I like as well as encouraging some new habits that I had been resisting for awhile.

Yep, you guessed it, carbs! 
Now, I will freely admit that I too was convinced that carbs were as bad for my health as swimming with sharks whilst covered in bait and avoided them like the plague. I was also convinced I was gluten intolerant after a test at health food shop, ignoring all others who dared tell me this was not scientifically or medically based evidence. Uh, they were wearing white and had some sort of certification on the walls, who stops to check if these are homemade or not?

I did this for 18 months and, although did see a difference, because obviously not eating gluten filled biscuits and cakes is bound to make a difference, I lacked energy and didn’t notice too much of an improvement with my exercise. I have since discovered that my body doesn’t LOVE gluten and wheat but can tolerate it like you do of a friend’s annoying toddler.

With my reignited relationship with this once banned food group and Nick’s  expert advice, I have reintroduced them into my diet and, with it, more energy and the ability to enjoy a good sandwich again.

 I am now starting week 2 with a solid food diary and short 30 day exercise challenge and feeling pretty good about it all. I am trying to stick to the principals of eating every 2 hours and ensuring I eat before and then straight after my work outs. I am not doing as much exercise as I was, which is making me slightly anxious but  I am confident Nick’s guidance and my own dedication will pay off. 
I haven’t cheated with any sweets or sneaky biscuits and when I did have a delicious burrito for lunch (what? I was invited by my new colleagues and would have been shamed if I didn’t partake, right?) I made the allowance in the evening to ensure I stayed within my calorie allowance.

So, lesson of the week to you all is.....food prep! Taking two or three hours on a Sunday evening to cook your veggies and make your super geeky lunch boxes will help you sit down on that manic Tuesday evening 5 minutes sooner. The stress it relives is enough to get me to do it alone. This week I made 5 lunchboxes and enough vegetables to feed me every evening for the entire week! It is also a great opportunity to put your music on loudly and dance around the kitchen OR grab your headset and call you friend for a catch up.

 Now, I know this all sounds very boring and no way to live. When do you enjoy yourself, I hear you (me) shout? I have to say, I agree, but I also know that putting in the hard work now and learning these lessons along the way until I get to a place where I am comfortable and confident will ensure that I stay aware and diligent. Yes I will want to go out and indulge but when I do, I will make the most of it.

My did I enjoy every bite of that burrito! 

So it begins

Day 0

So, I am fully aware that I am one in the 567 people in Oxfordshire alone that are starting not only a new health a fitness regime but possibly a blog too. I am going to delude myself and continue thinking that I am slightly different in the fact that I started this change months ago but have only just got round to writing it all down. I have decided to do this now as I have taken the plunge with personal trainer, Nicholas Smith 

Vital stats/ the 411/ Who am I?

Name: Carol
Age: 28 (not over 60 as the name suggests)
Height: 5ft 2
Previous weight: 11.5 stone! I know! I started getting quite tubby in my teenage years after emigrating and losing my love for sport. I did every fad diet under the sun with varying degrees of success, inevitably gaining more weight than I had started with.
Then university and joining the working world came along and, with it, alcohol, easy cooking and being just a bit lazy and deluded.
At my heaviest, I was a size 16 and would cry and despair at the world when I went clothes shopping with my mum.

Current weight: 62.5kg (still the same height and, annoyingly, age)
Hurrah! Am now a comfortable size 10/12, depending on the shop, I definitely avoid Topshop.
It has taken me 2 years to get to my current weight and fitness level. It's been a journey and I am still a work in progress. The main catalyst for this was my parents telling me they were worried about me and then meeting a girl at work who dragged me to the gym at lunch. I hear that gasp, yes, at lunch! 

A few boxercise and circuits classes later and I found myself joining the ranks of crossfit. 
Put aside your thoughts of crossfit as I have much to say about this but the regular except use encouraged my food changes and getting fitter and stronger only made me want to do better.

However, I now find myself at a plateaue. I am leaner but I am still squidgy. I am getting stronger but could push myself further.

I have approx 7 weeks until an idyllic beach holiday with my new (and very hunky/fit/muscley. I am not bragging, just emphasising the current difference between our physiques) boyfriend and have decided this is MY year! This is the first holiday where I will confidently wear a bikini and will therefore spend my time embracing the activities and beach lounging instead of worrying about what I look like and any wobbly bits. *please note that I am a big fan of a wobbly bit and don't want to get rid of them completely, just wobble less*

The plan?
To stick to Nick's meal plan that has been designed around my calorie needs
Do the food prep! Weigh it all, it really makes a difference 
Cut out alcohol. After all, I hear cocktails on the beach taste better anyway
Continue to train and up the tempo
Can I do 300 kettle bell swings a day? I'm certainly going to try
Don't cheat! 

Wish me luck