Background:
The day was Wednesday 2nd January 2019 - I purchased my first ever gym membership and attended the gym for the first time in my entire life, walking into this unknown with zero knowledge. Prior to this, I had been suffering from severe depression throughout my entire life for multiple reasons such as being bullied, being skinny, experiencing racism and all the rest of the insults that I had received. This almost lead me to try and commit suicide because I just thought life wasn't worth living, so basically the gym/nutrition has give me hope in my life. I had no ambition or drive in my life to want to become a better version of myself, but I won't bog you down too much with that as you're not here for that, right?
I work a full-time job for 40 hours per week, so I was always that person who thought I never had time for the gym because I worked a full-time job. I was infact mistaken, I just had to find the determination and dedication to put into the gym to make it work out for me, I had to find ways and solutions to be able to eat all the food I eat whilst working, and also attending the gym and getting a good nights sleep.
I decided that it was time to change everything, it was time to change how I viewed the world, how I viewed myself as a person and how I viewed my life. I wanted to make something of myself and I wanted to be the reason that many more people that are/have been in the same situation as me can also change themselves for the better and improve little tiny things in their lifestyles - I will be making my Instagram account dedicated to fitness, healthy nutrition, exercises and overall having a healthy lifestyle and keeping away from depression.
My Journey:
Weighing in at a staggering VERY unhealthy weight of 49kg (108 lbs). To put this into perspective, my BMI calculation was at the very end of the red zone, suggesting I was very underweight and baring in mind I don't have any eating disorders. The healthy weight for someone of my height started from 56.7kg (125 lbs).
I walked into the gym having absolutely zero exercise, nutrition or gym knowledge. I didn't have any friends who went to the gym, I didn't have any family who I knew went to the gym so all I had was myself and the internet. A personal trainer was out of the question to get me started because I couldn't afford it. I remember it was also a very intimidating experience for me as there was a lot of fairly muscular people working out, and it always felt like everyone was watching me, the usual gym beginners problems - of course no one was watching me, they were in the gym for the same reason as myself.
After my first ever workout, I had DOMs for at least 5 days afterwards and that put me off going back. Another thing that put me off was the amount of eating I was doing (the only knowledge I had was to eat as much as possible), I went from eating a packet of Doritos for my 8pm tea to eating about 2500 calories. The diet seemed much harder than going the actual gym itself because I wasn't use to eating so much food. I would probably eat 2500 calories spread out across 2-3 days before I went to the gym.
Fast forward to attending the gym for a whole month, and I started to see that the scales where going up, so whatever I was doing was working. This was when I was becoming serious about the gym and from that month onwards, I always set myself targets to reach for all my exercises.
Fast forward 2-3 months into my journey and it was a weird feeling, I started to become more comfortable in my own skin. I started to not care what people thought about me out in public or inside the gym. One major problem for me was my ego, I wanted to make it seem like I was lifting heavy weight for people to see rather than for my own personal benefit, which sacrificed my form on a lot of my exercises, but I eventually overcome this problem after 6 months of my journey.
My breakfast included the likes of sausages, egg, bacon, tomatoes and beans (I can't remember the exact macros as I never use to track my food). For my lunch, I would eat a massive bowl(I mean massive, to the point I kept gagging because I was so full) of egg fried rice. For my tea (dinner, whatever you refer to it as) I would eat cooked chicken thighs and I ate a lot of them, approx 800-1000 calories worth. For snacks throughout the day, I would prepare sandwiches with ham and turkey slices to eat. I also bought USN Anabolic Mass weight gainer about 3-4 months in and had 1 shake per day. I was eating approx. 2500 calores. I use to prepare my food the day before so I was able to eat them in work and then go to the gym in the evening.
6 months in, I started learning so much more about the gym, exercises and nutrition from all the time I put into researching. I changed my breakfast from a full English to Lasagne (I'm not kidding about this, I ate Lasagne for breakfast for at least another 7 months). Although Lasagne isn't that healthy, I found it was much better than eating sausage and bacon every day. About 1 month into eating Lasagne, I changed the beef mince to 2% fat turkey mince because that was healthier, so the only unhealthy thing about it at this point was the industrialised cream sauce and fatty cheese. For my snack, I use to eat a little salad box including Kiwifruit. Lunch, I had 200g (dry) pasta with Dolmio sauce. For another snack, I had 2 x pizza subs (not the healthiest). For my tea I had chicken thighs still.
Breakfast: 816.15 cal
Lunch: 1149 cal
Dinner: 855 cal
Shake: 564 cal
Total Calories: 3384.15
Protein: 267g
The exercise I have struggled most with has definitely been bench press. My ectomorph bodytype and long arms don't help in this exercise so it has definitely been a struggled to get it where it is today. I'm really striving for that 2 plate bench press though by the end of this year, at least.
Unfortunately I injured my right bicep after a few months of training and that meant I couldn't do arm workouts for approx. 6 months. I used the easy curl bar and sat down on the bench/stool provided. I must of been squeezing my hands too hard for my grip, whilst trying to straighten my arm out as much as possible with a heavy weight. I must of trapped something or tear something, but it took months to heal. I only just started training my arms towards the beginning of this year so I feel as if they're very underdeveloped at the moment. I also injuried my right knee area from doing deadlifts a few months in, I've put that down to the fact I wasn't very good with squats so my knee joint was very weak. It seemed to subside after a few weeks, but it's still comes back occasionally so I'm just careful with my weight.
I changed my diet up coming up to my 1 year gym anniversary. I cut out my pizza subs and chicken thighs and replaced them with Quorn products. They're meat-free processed foods, but I thought they were a little healthier at least.
After my first year, I completely changed my diet and now my diet is super healthy and contains as much unprocessed food as possible and easy digesting food.
New 2020 Diet:
Breakfast - Oat Protein Pancakes = 675.90 calories
Lunch - Roast vegetables with rice inc olive oil = 812.14 calories
Pre-workout Meal - Healthy Protein Smootie and a bowl of rice = 446.28 calories
Dinner - Turkey Mince 2% fat with a gravy type liquid = 410.60 calories
Macros per day:
Calories: 2344.92
Protein: 171.40g
Fat: 67.6g
Carbs: 202.65g
Sugar: 63.4g - mainly comes from the vegetables and fruit
Water: 3.5 Litre
Sleep: 8-9 hours
Food Cost £50-70 per week
Routine:
Currently doing a 4-5 day workout week, although I know I need a new routine. Lockdown has currently stopped that!
Monday:
Bench Press - 5 sets of 10 reps
Incline Bench Press - 5 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Side Lateral Raise - 4 sets of 10 reps
Delt Raise - 4 sets of 10 reps
Tricep Pushdown - 4 sets of 10 reps
Tricep Overhead - 4 sets of 10 reps
Tuesday:
Deadlift - 5 sets of 6-8 reps
Pull Ups - 7 sets of 10 reps (weighted pull ups, overload with weight and finish remaining reps without weight)
Trap Raises - 7 sets of 10 reps
Standing Bicep Curl - 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
Incline Bicep Curl - 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
Wednesday:
Squat - 5 sets of 10 reps
Leg Press - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Calf Raise - 5-7 sets of 10 reps
Leg Curl - 3 sets of 10 reps
Ab Pull Ups - 3 sets of 15 reps
Ab Bench Sit Up - 3 sets of 15 reps
Thursday:
Bench Press - 3 sets of 10 reps
Incline Bench Press 5 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Shoulder Press - 5 sets of 10 reps
The rest as Monday
Friday:
Deadlift - 5 sets of 6-8 reps
Barbell Bent Over Rows - 5 sets of 10 reps
Standing Bicep Curl - 5 sets of 10-12 reps
Incline Bicep Curl - 5 sets of 10-12 reps
Bench Dumbbell Preacher Curl 5 sets of 10 reps
Lift Progress:
Starting Point:
Bench Press - 20kg (44 lbs)
Squat - 25kg (55 lbs)
Deadlift - 35kg (77 lbs)
Overhead Press - Unknown as I don't ever remember doing it....
1 Rep Max Progress (No Belt):
Bench Press - 1x85kg (187.4 lbs)
Squat - 2x120kg (264.5 lbs)
Deadlift - 1x155kg (341.7 lbs)
Overhead Press - 1x50kg (110.2 lbs)
Progress Picture:
https://imgur.com/mYcPw9a
Results as of now:
I'm very happy with my progress and I'm happy I've achieved everything I have in just 1 year 6 months. I've gone from feeling/looking loose inside my x-small t-shirts to filling them out and now they actually look good on me for once. However, I now need medium t-shirts depending on the shop they're purchased from. Having this healthy lifestyle has definitely provided me with a better mindset. This is just the beginning for me and I probably won't stop working out until I drop dead!
Thanks for reading - hit me up if you need help.
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EDIT: If you want me to provide a more in depth workout and meal plan, please let me know!
TLDR: Suffered from depression throughout all my childhood, being a teenager and into my 20s. Decided to do something about it and change myself. Starting weight of 49kg (108 lbs) of January 2019 to 79.5kg (175lbs) as of now. Wanted to post my journey to inspire others who have been in a similar situation, the same situation or whatever situation they're in that if the effort gets put into something, it can be achieved.
Comparison: https://imgur.com/mYcPw9a

What Is Cutting?

Also referred to sometimes as a shredding diet, the two key objectives of a cutting diet are:

1. Cut down on body fat
2. Maximise lean mass.

Catered towards all levels of experience, the cutting plan in this article will help you reduce body fat – but you’ll need to use a little bit of common sense, as all bodies are different.
To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. The amount of calories you need to cut back on varies from person to person and involves your height, weight and activity levels which determine your metabolic rate. Because of this variation, only you can decide how many total calories you’ll need each day.
However, the diet for cutting prepared in this article is a great example of the types of food you should be eating to promote weight loss and healthy muscle development. While no plan can really encapsulate everything you’ll eat in the timeframe, we’ve provided a range of mix and match options to help you build your own plan that suits your calorie deficit.
However, to start with you’ll need some guidelines on nutrition that any cutting athlete will need.

Hydration

The only drinks you should consume within a cutting diet are water, green tea and if you must, black coffee. Other drinks either contain extra calories or have artificial sweeteners and other things that can detract from your cut.
Water is calorie free, keeps you hydrated and is basically all you need to drink. If you’re one of those people who claims they don’t enjoy the taste, just keep drinking it and you’ll quickly grow used to it.

Sugars

One of the best ways to cut is to opt for low GI (Glycemic index) foods. Loosely, GI relates to a food’s sugar content and how fast it releases glucose in the body. If you haven’t worked out and eat high GI foods, they are stored as fat.
With that in mind, you should cut out sugary, high GI food such as white rice, white bread and pasta and replace them with low GI carbs such as brown basmati rice, wholegrains and fruit such as apples and berries.

Fats

There are good and bad fats, but in a cutting diet you want to try and taper down all kinds, since fats are an inefficient energy source compared to carbs and are responsible for the physical appearance of body fat. With that in mind, aim for 20% or less of your calorie intake from good fats.

Cardio

When you’re eating at a calorie deficit, you’ll lose body fat. Doing more cardiovascular exercise will increase the rate at which you burn calories, so you’ll be able to drop body fat faster if you stick to your deficit whilst training hard. This also means that if you add heavy cardio in, you can treat yourself to a more carb-heavy meal on that day.

The 4 Week Cutting Diet

Our diet for cutting is adjustable depending on how many calories your deficit allows you to eat. With that in mind, we’ve listed options and approximate calories from each part of the day.
As mentioned previously, you’ll need to manually work out your calorie deficit which can bear done with an online calculator. You’ll want to maintain macronutrient ratios of around 30-50% calories from carbs, 30-40% from protein and 20% from good fats.

Breakfast Options – Select One From The Following List Each Day

• 50g wholegrain porridge, handful of blueberries and a protein shake (approx. 340 cals)
• 4 scrambled egg whites, 2 slices wholemeal toast (approx. 410 cals) Ham, mushroom and spinach frittata (approx. 230 cals)
• Asparagus soldiers with soft boiled egg (approx. 186 cals)
• Breakfast smoothie with banana, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, water + honey (approx. 130 cals)
• Whey protein pancakes (approx. 111 cals per pancake)

Morning Snack Options

• Banana (approx. 100 cals)
• Any single piece of fruit or handful of berries (cals vary)
• 1 cup edamame beans (approx. 250 cals)
• Handful of nuts (approx. 160 cals)
• Promax Lean Bar (approx. 206 cals)

Lunch Options

• Chicken, brown rice and broccoli (approx. 300 cals)
• Extra lean ground beef, cauliflower and brown rice (approx. 300 cals)
• Grilled courgette, kale, pepper and humous wrap (approx. 332 cals)
• Chicken wrap with tomatoes, cucumber, olives and hummus (approx. 243 cals)
• Chilli with quorn mince (approx. 275 cals)

Post-Workout Snack Options

• Apple and almond butter (approx. 270 cals)
• Almonds (approx. 160 calories per 22 almonds)
• Promax Lean shake (approx. 240 calories for a 2 scoop serving)
• Greek yoghurt (approx. 59 calories)

Dinner Options

• Tuna steak, two sweet potatoes, broccoli and asparagus (approx. 350 calories)
• Chicken burger with wholewheat bread + fried egg (approx. 500 cals)
• Chicken stew with quinoa and beans (approx. 330 cals)
• Beef stir-fry with brown rice (approx. 400 cals)
• Low calorie chicken korma, replacing cream with yoghurt (approx. 376 cals)
• Singapore noodles (approx. 415 cals)

Example Day

By taking the meals above and mixing them up, you can create variation every single day, for the four weeks of your cutting diet. An example day might look like this:

Breakfast:

50g wholegrain porridge, handful of blueberries and a protein shake (approx. 340 cals)

Morning Snack:

Banana (approx. 100 cals)

Lunch:

Chicken, brown rice and broccoli (approx. 300 cals)

Post-Workout Snack:

Promax lean shake (approx. 240 cals)

Dinner:

Singapore noodles (approx. 415 cals)
Total approx. cals: 1,395
Obviously, depending on your calorie deficit you can either include more food or snacks in your day, or cut down. The key to a healthy cut is variation and determination – so set your 4 week goal and get your calorie intake down!

Thanks to communities like this and weightroom I've had some incredible advice that has helped me make some real progress this year. Hopefully this might help someone in a similar spot to me. Always open to constructive criticism too. If there's one thing I've taken away from all this it is that you can always be learning something new.
Progress
December 2017
205lbs / 91.7Kg // Body Fat 23.1% (21.1Kg) Pictures
April 2018
179lbs / 81.4Kg // Body Fat 15.5% (12.6Kg) Pictures
Past Experience
Around 2 years of weights, focused on major lifts with little to no cardio or focus on my nutrition. Followed the Strongman 5x5, followed by Greyskull LP programs.
New Program
Goal: gain a better focus on nutrition, stop having to buy jeans 2 sizes up to fit my ass + thighs in them. The focus for this program has been burning fat and building lean muscle. Broadly speaking I have dropped all the weights I was doing by 50% to start with and slowly progressing upwards when hitting my rep ranges consistently and with good form. Rep ranges in line with hypertrophy guidelines, 5 x 8-12, 3 x 6-10 and 3 x 20 are most common.
Background: I work out first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach aside from water. On average my in-gym time start to finish is 1h 18m.
Technology: I've used this app for abs workouts, it's great except it's a bit broken lately and needs an update. Used Google Sheets to track reps and weights across the rest of the plan. Recently discovered Widget Timer for iPhone which has the added bonus of being able to just chime once without needing to be turned off between sets, allows me to time and get straight back to it. Also recently converted to using bluetooth headphones after swearing them off as a fad. These are cheap from Amazon and work great.
Monday – Legs + Abs // Squats / RDLs / Front Squats / BW squat jumps / Walking lunges / 6 min abs / 15mins incline fast walk
Tuesday – HIIT or DB complex + Abs // HIIT 10 rounds of 30sec fast walk, 30sec jog, 30sec sprint on treadmill / DB complex cons. of Shoulder Press / Front Squat / Bent Over Row /Deadlift in a 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 rep pattern x 2 rounds / 6 min abs
Wednesday – Chest + Back // Incline Bench Press / Flat DB Bench Press / Pushups / Dumbbell Pec fly / Dips / Pullups / Bent Over Row / Deadlifts / 1-arm DB Row / Bent Rear Flyes / 15mins incline fast walk
Thursday – OFF + 6min abs at home
Friday – Shoulders + Arms // DB Shoulder Press / Side Raises / Front Raises / Overhead Press / Barbell Curl (ss) / Skull Crushers (ss) / DB Curls (ss) /Tricep Pushups (ss) /DB Hammer curl (ss) / Triceps Dips (ss) / 15mins incline fast walk
Saturday – HIIT or DB complex + Abs // HIIT 10 rounds of 30sec fast walk, 30sec jog, 30sec sprint on treadmill / DB complex cons. of Shoulder Press / Front Squat / Bent Over Row /Deadlift in a 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 rep pattern x 2 rounds / 6 min abs
Nutrition
BMR: 2800 calories (mid activity)
Calories on plan: 2300 (1 cheat MEAL, not cheat DAY, per week)
Macros on plan: 250g protein - 200g carbs - 60g fat
No alcohol, no sugar, no soy, limited dairy
Typical day's worth of food
Breakfast // 8am // 1070 calories 2 eggs scrambled + sriracha Porridge - 1 cup uncooked rolled oats - 1 cup almond milk - 1 tbsp almond butter - 1 tsp Cinnamon - 1 cup frozen berries
- 1 scoop impact whey protein 1 scoop Impact Whey Protein with water Coffee (black, no sugar)
Snack // 11am // 300 calories Apple Handful of raw almonds Handful of raw pumpkin seeds 1 pint of water
Lunch // 1pm // 550 calories Turkey + Quorn mince Chilli 1/2 cup brown rice 1 cup mixed vegetables 1 pint of water
Dinner #1 // 5pm // 390 calories 6oz baked chicken breast Baked sweet potato Leafy salad 2 tbsp dressing (homemade cons. of olive oil, red wine vinegar + french mustard) 1 pint of water
Dinner #2 // 8pm // 95 calories 3 egg white omelette + sriracha 1 cup spinach 1 pint of water
1 scoop Casein in almond milk
Next Steps
I'm now training for an endurance bike ride. Once complete I'll be taking a 2 week break for rest and recovery before beginning a new program focused more on strength and building lean muscle mass. Much of the cardio will be coming out of the program above with more focus on heavier weights, lower rep ranges and longer rest periods. I'm also considering splitting my working days in half to do some in the morning, some in the evening.
Thanks for reading

Okay, so my last post was removed as I was apparently not posting enough content. Because of this, I've decided to collate all my previous posts on to one giant 21 day accountability thread. Each day I'll update the post, keeping my edits at the top so no scrolling required. If anyone wants to update here with their own accountability, please do join me!
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So here we go...
Day 21
Weight this morning - 142.2
Last day!! I'm slightly gutted I've gone out on a low note after yesterday's binge, but my weight hasn't gone up a huge amount, so I'm okay right now.
Today's been good for food. A strong day for my last update! Calories are a little on the low side, but I just didn't want to add in some of the things I had accounted for in my dinner. I've got my 10k obstacle course tomorrow, so I won't be able to do my IF properly, as I'll need to eat before hand, and I'm also allowing a few more calories than normal due to the exercise, so having a little less today I feel is okay.
Again, despite eating more yesterday, I'm feeling so much better about my body. I even had a NSV when I bought a pair of denim shorts! I literally haven't worn jeans/shorts in years, because I feel like they always make me look huge. These, however, I'm pretty much in love with. Even better, I got them in a size lower than originally anticipated. Wahoo! Although I'm no longer going to be updating my own post, I will be keeping up with the June 30 day accountability post on here. My goal for June is to drop to 135lbs by the end of it. Might be hard going, but I'm determined!
Food:
Matcha tea latte with oat milk - 214
Blueberry protein yogurt - 126
3 easy peelers - 56
Lunch - Omelette, whole egg, and egg whites, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, and Cajun spices - 170
Dinner - Brown rice with mushrooms, green and yellow bell pepper, courgette, and Teriyaki sauce - 438
Halo top salted caramel ice cream - 80
Total - 1084
So there we are, the full 21 days! I'm glad I've done it, and kept up with the accountability, and I feel like I'm in a stronger mindset, despite the few slip ups I've had. I'm looking forward to seeing where June takes me, and feel determined to keep up with my CICO, and IF and reaching my goal weight. (As of this morning, apparently I should reach 125lbs by 6th September accordingly to my weight graph!)
Day 20
Weight this morning - 141.6
I was shocked the scale went down! Yes we did a lot of walking, but I definitely ate well over 1200. Very happy this morning. Unfortunately, this didn't last too long. I ate a lot today. I was just so, so hungry. I know it's probably all psychological when you binge, but I swear, I felt so physically hungry I just couldn't not.
It's a bad count, but here we go.
Food:
Blueberry protein yogurt - 126
2 pears - 192
Blueberries - 43
2 nectarines - 102
Apple - 62
Omelette with mushrooms, spinach, and cajun spices - 159
Granola - 500 (This is an estimate, I didn't weigh, bad me.)
Reese's peanut butter creme eggs - 748
Fibre one bars - 354
Noodles with soy sauce- 249
Halo top peanut butter ice cream, - 100
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Total - 2635
It's crazy how quickly calories can add up. I've only got one more Reese's peanut butter egg, thank goodness. No more binging on them!!!
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Day 19
Weight this morning - 141.8
Yay for the 1lbs drop!
Went shopping for Paris today, and actually managed to find some bits, and not hate my body! It's crazy how different I feel about my body right now, given that I've only lost a few pounds. I'm feeling a lot more confident already, I can't wait to see how I feel when I lose a bit more.
We literally walked for 8 hours, pretty much non-stop today. Unfortunately, where we went for dinner didn't have a nutritional menu, not even on their website. I have emailed them to try and get the calories for the dishes I ate (as suggested on their facebook) but it may take a few days for them to get back to me. I do think I've gone over the 1200 calories today, but the food was so good, and we did so much walking, I feel okay with it.
Food:
Peach/citrus green iced tea - 64
Soy iced latte - 104
Dinner - Las Iguanas -1/3 plate of nachos with tortilla chips, cheese, salsa, sour cream & guacamole. BBQ Jackfruit burrito bowl. Brie and mango empanadas (THIS WAS AMAZING).
If I ever get the calorie count from the restaurant, I'll come back and update.
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Day 18
Weight this morning - 142.8
No change on the scale. Always better than an increase! According to the website I record my weight, I should reach my goal of 125lbs by 21st October. Just in time for Halloween! I think I'll aim for my birthday though, which is a little earlier in October.
I'm hoping to run a half marathon in October, so I'm going to try and start running again soon. I've found a 12 week training programme, which I'm going to try and stick to, repeating certain weeks if necessary. I'm going to try and get this started when I get back from Paris.
I wanted to eat a little bit lighter today, as I'm going shopping tomorrow to try an find clothes for my holiday, an I really don't want to cry in any changing rooms because I look fat and bloated. Probably had a little too much soy sauce though, so I'm going to drink plenty of water before an early night.
Food:
Chocolate orange protein yogurt - 150
Pear - 92
Blueberries - 43
Halo top salted caramel ice cream - 80
Nectarine - 46
Lunch - Omelette made with on whole egg, and some egg whites, mushrooms, spinach, and Cajun spices - 157
Dinner - Quorn chicken pieces with brown rice, frozen veg, mushrooms, green pepper, spinach and soy sauce - 466
​
Total - 1024
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Day 17
Weight this morning - 142.8
I'm okay with the 2 ounce increase, but still would have preferred a loss. I got caught in so much rain today, it was totally unfair. I also got lost on the way to the supermarket, so I ended up walking for about an hour and a half. I also carried all of the groceries home, about another 25 minutes, so I feel good that I got a bit of exercise in! Food was fine today. I keep on saying this, but I'm just getting on so well with both IF and CICO. I'm happy in the knowledge that it's all pushing me in the right direction.
​
Food:
Blueberry protein yogurt - 126
Pear - 92
Blueberries - 86
Melon & grapes - 104
Nectarine - 50
Apple - 59
Dinner - Quorn chicken pieces with courgette, mushrooms, green pepper, spinach, and noodles, in a katsu curry sauce - 562
Halo top peanut butter ice cream - 100
​
Total - 1179
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Day 16
Weight this morning - 142.6
I really thought this would have gone up this morning, but I'm super happy it didn't!
Another incredibly lazy day. I had every intention of going for a walk to the supermarket to get some groceries, but it's been raining heavily all day. I really want the motivation to start exercising again, but I still haven't joined a gym I like. It's hard to describe, but I think because I'm so hating my body right now, the idea of exercise is literally scaring me. Which is crazy. I went from going for a run 3/4 times a week to nothing. I have a 10k obstacle course in 5 days, which I think I'll be able to get through, but won't be doing it justice. I'm hoping after that, it might perk me back up exercise wise, and I'm set to join a new gym that's opening in July that looks really good.
Food went well today. I was initially going to be ending up over 1200 when I pre-calculated, but I adjusted my dinner to make the calories fall in line. I know some people find such rigorous calorie counting restrictive, but I fall firmly in the opposite camp. I love 'budgeting' with my calories, and ensuring that I'm eating what I want, in the knowledge and confidence I shouldn't be gaining weight.
Food:
4 Easy peelers - 72
Fibre one chocolate popcorn bar - 87
Raisins - 50
Granola with almond milk - 115
Lunch - Black beans with green pepper, mushrooms, spinach, and scrambled egg with Cajun spices. - 358
Dinner - 2 Quorn sausages with mushrooms, green pepper, mixed frozen veg, brown rice, and soy sauce - 509
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Total - 1191
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Day 15
Weight this morning - 142.6
3lb loss this morning. I believe this is due to being totally dehydrated when I weighed myself, and I fully expect it go up tomorrow morning. It was so great finally seeing this lower number!!
I have been a bit naughty today though, and ate 1300 calories. I just really, really wanted the ice cream. Honestly, Halo top ice cream is the greatest gift to dieters since I don't know what. It's bloody delicious. I've had a totally lazy day today, and just hung out with my friend watching movies and eating.
Food:
Melon & grapes - 110
Strawberry, blueberry & spinach smoothie with almond milk - 110
One piece of garlic bread - 78 (This is actually ridiculous, and I've never regretted a 24g piece of bread more in my entire life)
Apple - 73
2 easy peelers - 40
Halo top peanut butter icecream - 100
Lunch - Omelette with mushrooms and spinach - 153
Dinner - Egg noodles with 1 Quorn sausage, mushrooms, mixed frozen veg, and spinach in Hoisin sauce - 637
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Total - 1301
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Day 14
Weight this morning - 145.6
Big increase, but that's to be expected after yesterday. Not the best day but only because I didn't eat that much, and drank a bit too much. On the plus side I didn't eat loads when we got in at night, and kept to my IF. Over for my calories, but only due to the alcohol. The calories for the cider is estimated, but only because I cant remember what cider it was I was drinking, but on general they seem to be around 200 calories for a pint.
Food:
Apple - 70
Pear - 96
Blueberry protein yogurt - 126
Mouthful of rice and re-fried beans - 100
Fibre one chocolate popcorn bar - 84
Granola - 200
500ml red wine - 380
2 Ciders - 400
​
Total - 1456
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Day 13
Weight this morning - 143.6
I fell hard today. I was just ravenous. I had the worst day at work (spoiler - I cried which was fucking mortifying). I really thought I was going to keep everything in check, and cooked my dinner quite early because I was just goddamn hungry. Then the walls broke and I ate so. much. food. First day of moon sickness, so I don't know whether that was to blame. I never want to be one of those people of who blames that for their shortcomings, but I've been feeling so strong in my CICO until today where everything went to shit.
I promised when I started this that I'd post everything though, that's what accountability is for. So here we go, I present to you my horrific 3500 calories day.
Food:
2 pears - 187
Blueberry protein yogurt - 126
Apple - 72
Dinner - Broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms, with 2 eggs scrambled topped with pesto - 646
Here is where I should have stopped
Raisins - 200
Halo top peanut butter ice cream - 200
180g pack muchos crisps - 483
Fibre one salted caramel bar - 87
Fibre one chocolate popcorn bar - 90
Fibre one peanut butter popcorn bar
7 Reese's peanut butter creme eggs - 1309
I am literally disgusting.
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Total - 3490
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I also ate past 8/9pm, so fucked my IF.
My plan for tonight/tomorrow;
Drink plenty of water. Definitely wait until 1pm before eating. Try and stick to fruits/veggies, and whole foods.
It doesn't help I'm supposed to be drinking with my friend who's visiting tomorrow. I may try and refrain again, and stick to slimline tonic.
I fucked up today, but that doesn't mean I should fuck up tomorrow as well.
Day 12
Weight this morning - 143.8
I'm finding my weight very frustrating. I feel like I'm really getting no where, despite counting every single thing that goes in to my mouth. According to my weight graph, at the rate I'm losing, I should be at my goal weight by 22nd October. That feels like an eternity. I should just be happy I've lost anything, but it's going so slow. I don't think I'll hit my first goal weight of 139 by Paris (early June) and that's seriously bumming me out.
My body confidence is extremely low right now. I haven't disliked the way I look this much in years. I'm wearing pretty much the same thing every day, and still dressing like it's winter, because at least then I can cover up everything I don't like in big bulky jumpers. It's very warm though.
Today felt like the closest I've come to cheating on my calories. It didn't take much willpower to push those thoughts away, but they still happened. I feel determined though. Even if I think everything's moving so slowly, I know this is what I need to do to see changes, no matter how long it takes. It's a weird mix of feeling sadness about myself, but motivation in my diet. It's hard to explain, because it feels like those two things shouldn't be felt at the same time, but I'll take it.
I went a little bit over on my calories today, but nothing to disastrous. Dinner was amazing, though. Probably one of my favourite things I've eaten in a while.
Food:
Strawberry protein yogurt - 136
Apple - 76
Pear - 82
Blueberries - 50
Blackberries - 65
Couple of mouthfuls of Mexican rice - 75
Dinner - Cauliflower rice with courgette, broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms, topped with fresh basil pesto, avocado, and a poached egg - 737
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Total - 1221
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Day 11
Weight this morning - 143.6
God I can't wait for the scale to get lower than this number. 24 hour fast went fine, but my god, how do people do OMAD? I ate close to 1200 in a couple of hours, and I was SO FULL. I did finish at 8pm, and I'm going to try and narrow my eating window to 17:7, so I'll eat between 1pm-8pm, just to try and give my body a bit more time to digest before I go to sleep.
I made dinner tonight, which means I'm not 100% on the calories, but I did add up everything that went in to it, I think I ate about 2/5ths, and I've added on some calories for good measure.
Food:
Blueberries - 60
Apple - 76
Pear - 82
Blueberry protein yogurt - 126
Dinner - vegetarian mince and sausages in a harissa/tomato sauce with onions, courgette, aubergine, mushrooms, and chickpeas served with cauliflower rice - 800 (2/5ths of the whole lot actually adds up to 702, but better safe than sorry)
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Total - 1144
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Day 10
Weight this morning - 144.2
No change in weight. No change in level of disappointment. I've been feeling a bit bloaty, so I'm going to do a 24 hour fast. I'm doing it in a way I've never tried before though, so I ate at 1, like normal, but have stopped eating at 6pm. I'm now going to fast for 24 hours (water & black coffee only) and have dinner at 6pm tomorrow. I'm also considering changing my eating window from 1-9pm to 12-8pm. Not sure yet, we'll see how I go. 14 days until I go to Paris and I'm filled with anxiety on how terrible I'm going to look. I think the only positive right now is that I'm still enjoying CICO, and although I'm having negative feelings about myself, I'm also not feeling like I want to eat away my anxieties or anything. I'm hoping I can just push through and stay the course
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Food
Apple - 76
Blueberry protein yogurt - 124
Melon & grapes - 54
Lunch - Mushroom risotto - 339
Dinner - Kitchari made with red split lentils, basmati rice, red onion, carrots, an mushrooms - 554
Total - 1147
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Day 9
Weight this morning - 144.2
It's frustrating seeing the scale go own, then back up, then back down. I know my weight will fluctuate a lot, for a lot of different reasons, but it can still be heart breaking seeing it go back up! I still want to weigh myself daily, as I think getting used to these fluctuations, and also seeing how my body feels in relation to whether my weight goes up or down (bloating etc) will be positive and give me a greater understanding of my body. Still sucks though.
I'm really enjoying calorie counting. Crazy, but true! I hope this enjoyment doesn't go away. I also feel like my body has gotten used to the lower calories quite easily, as well as the IF. I feel really positive with how I'm eating, but I won't lie and say I'm not a little bit disappointed with my current weight loss. I'm sure in the past I've lost a bit more, more quickly. I should just be happy I've lost anything at all. I go to Paris in under 3 weeks, and I'm scared I'm going to be constantly sad about how I look.
Food:
Apple - 72
Strawberry protein yogurt - 136
Melon and grapes - 104
Blueberries - 86
Fibre one salted caramel bar - 87
Sugar free jelly - 8
Lunch - Mushroom Risotto - 339
Dinner - Slim noodles with broccoli, aubergine, courgette, mushrooms, and green pepper in a sweet chilli an garlic sauce - 340
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Total - 1172
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Day 8
Weight this morning - 143.6
I'm getting in to the swing of things now, and I'm weirdly finding the calorie counting exciting. Trying to fit in as much food in to whatever calories I have left over is like an interesting mind exercise. I did go a little bit over 1200 today, but I'm happy with my final tally.
Food:
2 apples - 140
Blueberry protein yogurt - 124
Fibre one salter caramel square - 87
Lunch - Carrot and coriander soup & 2 garlic and coriander mini naan - 442
Dinner - Slim noodles with 2 quorn sausages, broccoli, courgette, mushrooms, and aubergine in chow mein sauce - 431
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Total - 1224
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Day 7
Weight this morning - 144.6
I'm a bit late updating this, as I didn't get in until 3am. However, I didn't drink! After the day before, and the extra calories I had from drinking, my weight obviously went up, so even though I went out for dinner, and then on to a pub, I really didn't feel in the mood for alcohol. Now I did have a sangria with my dinner, and I do regret that, but otherwise I drank slim tonic all night.
For dinner, I'd had a plan on what I was going to eat, and I'd had every intention of sticking to it, but I' embarrassed to say I did go a little bit overboard. I had three pieces of bread, (relatively small pieces of a baguette), and finished off someone's creamy mushrooms - even though that's what I'd had myself. They were so just so damn delicious! I'm not even sure how to go about estimating the calories for the dishes, but I'm sure for everything it was well over 1,000 for the meal. I did chose to walk home instead of getting a lift, so that's something I guess.
Food:
Mango - 75
Sugar free jelly - 5
Dinner - Vegetable paella, creamy mushrooms, 3 pieces of bread and 4/5 very mini bread sticks with some garlic alioli, 1 glass of Sangria - >1200
2 slim line tonic with lime - ~15
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Total - not sure, most definitely upwards of 1350
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Day 6
Weight this morning - 143.8 lbs
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Today sucked. We went out for food, I managed to find somewhere were I could get the calorie count, but it wasn't the healthiest place. I had vegan butternut squash mac bake, and it was absolutely laughable at how bloody small it was. I was shocked. The amount of food I've eaten is positively tiny. On top of that, I completely fucked up with drinking calories. I had a cider and and Bailey's iced coffee, and they've taken me way over for the day. I'm out tomorrow night for dinner as well, but I'll have to make some healthier choices, especially as I won't have a calorie count for tomorrow's food. Not looking forward to stepping on the scales tomorrow morning.
​
Food:
Apple - 69
Butternut squash mac bake - 563
Sweet potato fries - 422
Cider - 320
Bailey's ice coffee - 220
Sugar free jelly - 6
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Total - 1594
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Day 5
Weight this morning - 144lbs. 4 ounce gain. Shouldn't be disappointed, because it's still a total loss overall, but no one wants to see the scale go up!
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I was bad today. Had a few sneaky mouthfulls of a very unhealthy pasta bake. I'm (probably over) estimating the calories for this, but better safe than sorry.
I did decide to not eat my fibre one bar to keep my calories as close to 1200 as possible. Cut if close on my IF as well, didn't finish my jelly until 20:58!
Overall I'm pleased with the day, and the steps I took to ensure I was where I wanted to be with my calories.
​
Food:
Pear - 66
Apple - 68
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Lunch - Sweet potato coconut and chilli soup, with 2 mini garlic and coriander naan bread - 462
Dinner - Cauliflower rice and black beans with orange bell pepper, crunchy salad, spring onion, salsa, and avocado - 442
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Sneaky pasta bake - 150
Sugar free jelly - 5
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Total - 1193
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Day 4:
Weight this morning - 143.6lbs
I'm bloody stuffed, but happy to report still well within my calories for the day. I'm really enjoying IF. It's nice having a rigid reason to not eat at certain times.
Food;
Melon - 88
Pear - 69
Fibre One salted caramel square - 87
Lunch - Sweet potato coconut and chilli soup, with 2 mini garlic and coriander naan bread - 462
Dinner - Cauliflower rice and black beans with red bell pepper, crunchy salad, spring onion, salsa, and avocado - 485
Total - 1191
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Day 3:
I was really excited to go look at a new gym today, but it was hella disappointing. I really don't know what to do. I'm pretty lazy, and I don't drive, so having to travel any distance to get to a gym doesn't appeal to me, but this was one of two actually close by and I've already quit my membership at the other. I should probably just suck it up and travel a bit further and take my fitness seriously.
Weight this morning - 144.4lbs - a loss! A girl can dream it was all fat.
What's the deal with calories per serving on packaging? I was so pleased my noodles were only 168 calories, but then I checked out some other brands of the exact same thing, and the others were 67 calories higher!! And these are just dried egg noodles, same serving size, so I can't believe there's a magic reason for them to have so many less calories. In any case, I decided to go with the higher amount for my count.
Food;
2 pears - 147
Blueberries - 44
Fibre One salted caramel square - 87 (this thing is the BOMB, but smaller than I had hoped. I could definitely obliterate 5)
Sugar free jelly - 6
Lunch - Omelette with 2 whole eggs, mushroom, spring onion, Cajun seasoning - 182
Dinner - Egg noodles, mushroom, courgette, spring onion, Quorn pieces, some frozen veggies, Sweet chilli and garlic stir fry sauce - 714
Total - 1180
Anyone got any good ideas for under 300 calorie lunches? I'm currently loving my omelettes, but might get bored eventually.
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Day 2:
Fun fact number 1: I actually got my own age wrong on the last post. I'm actually 26!
Fun fact number 2: I weighed myself this morning, and I'd GAINED 3.2lbs.
Obviously I know this isn't actual fat gain, but damn, what a disheartening start! I'd had a really terrible night sleep, so I'm hoping that had something to do with it. We'll check in again tomorrow. I will be weighing myself every day.
So on to the day!
It's been a good 'un. I'm still in that rosy posy positive first stages, though I did have a few hunger pangs in the evening before my dinner. Possibly because I thought this would be a good day to watch someone eat 100,000 calories on Youtube.
Food for the day;
Blueberries - 90
Melon & grapes - 125
2 pears - 155
Sugar free jelly - 12
Lunch - Omelette with two whole eggs, mushrooms, spinach, and garlic - 174
Dinner - Brown rice, Quorn pieces, some frozen veggies, Sweet chilli and garlic stir fry sauce - 544
Total - 1100
Thoughts for day;
Maybe I eat too much fruit? I imagine it's a lot of sugar, even if it is natural. I dunno, I just love fruit. Stuck to my eating hours, so I guess this is also day 2 of IF. I'm really hoping I can keep this up.
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Day 1:
Okay guys, today's the day. I've posted a couple of times looking for advise for self-sabotaging and generally just not being in a good head space in regards to myself, my body, an wanting to lose weight. That ends now.
I'm sick of feeling shit about myself, and I feel like today I've woken up with a new sense of aplomb. Nothing's going to change unless I get busy and make some changes, so from today I'm going to start a new series called 'Priscilla tries to sort her shit out by stealing someone else's idea and posting a 21 day accountability'.
So every day, for the next 21 days, I'm going to make a post letting you guys know how the day's been, and what I've eaten.
Starting Stats:
Age: 27
Height; 5 ft 7"
SW: 146lbs
Waist: 28 inches
TDEE: 1722 calories
For my TDEE I've gone with an activity level of sedentary. I've been pretty shoddy with my exercise recently, and am currently between gyms. I am going to try and start exercising again though, and have a 10k obstacle course run coming up at the beginning of June.
Plan:
Ultimately, I'll be going for CICO, but I may be utilising other methods during this period. I like fasting, so may include a couple of fasts, and possible OMAD depending on how I'm feeling.
Calories will be between 1200-1400 per day, but trying to keep it on the lower side.
Goals:
My main goal for these 21 days will just be to keep up with my posting, and keep myself accountable. I want to stay within my calorie goals, but if I don't I still need to post.
Obviously I want to lose weight, and my super secret goal is to get to 139 lbs by 5th June, when I go on holiday, but I'm trying not to focus on the number on the scale so much as focusing on keeping myself in check. Progress, not perfection.
So my first update will be later today, where I'll pop back to this post and let you guys know how day 1 went. Then for the next 20 days, I'll post each day. Hopefully some of you may want to keep up with my progress, and if you want to post your own accountability with me, please do!
Thanks to Mountainlioness404d, as I've basically just nicked her idea.
UPDATE:
Everything went well, and I'm pleased with day 1! I've also decided to try IF, so only eating between 1pm-9pm daily.
So food for the day;
Cucumber - 15 cal
Mushroom & garlic soup - 150 cal
Granola - 212 cal
Raisins - 88 cal
Sugar free jelly - 5 cal
For dinner - Brown rice, 2 eggs, Quorn pieces, some frozen veggies, soy sauce - 625 cal
Total - 1095 cal
Not gonna lie, I added in the granola last minute after my dinner because I thought ending up under 900 calories for the day probably wasn't a great idea!