Jen's 30 Day Shred with weekly changing diet plans (8 wks)

dragonflyjen

New member
Hi Guys!

I have just joined this forum as I have been reading a few of the threads and thought it would be a good idea to start a diary of my progress as I am EXTREMELY motivated at the moment but I'm sure that will wane at some point. Hopefully this diary will keep me going - really I am typing it for just me...but hopefully it will help you guys in some way. (Sorry if I bore anyone! lol) This is my own personal challenge but PLEASE join me if you wish as I will be changing what diet plan I am following over the next 8-9 weeks to keep my body guessing. I will be on here every day without fail so could be good support too...anyway...

ABOUT ME:
29yrs old, 5' 6ish", no children
Heaviest: 204lbs
Current: 164lbs
Goal: 140lbs

INCENTIVES:
Holiday to Ibiza - 20th September :coolgleamA:
Turn 30 years old - September 30th
Dad's wedding - Oct 2nd

I previously lost 50lbs and have been my current weight for the last couple of years. I am one of these all or nothing type of people after suffering from an eating disorder when I was younger, I can get quite obsessive so know I need to reign back after a while and let myself get comfortable with my new weight. I think this is why I have managed to keep my weight fairly stable - but I never really tried to get lower than 160lbs and now is the time to get rid of the belly and thigh flab forever!!

As I am from Scotland I had never heard of the 30 Day Shred (although I knew of Jillian from The Biggest Loser USA). That is until I came across some amazing before and after videos on youtube (seriously inspiring!) and thought I would get the dvd and give it a go. Couldn't wait to get started and today was Day 2 of Level 1. Day 1 was terrible, my fitness levels are so low that I was green after 10 minutes. I stopped the dvd had a 1 min rest and got back up again. It was 11.30am and I'd had no breakfast yet so I think that was detrimental as my blood sugar levels were very low - going forward I will do the dvd as soon as I get up so that I have breakfast at a decent time. Day 2 was fab! Miles easier than yesterday - I did it at 8.30am and worked right through with no breaks whatsoever - even started level 2 just to see what it was like. Thighs were a bit like jelly though so didnt do much of it. Feel great though!

I have also been following the Kellogg's Diet to give my diet a jump start - I am on Day 4 now. I have been eating 30-40g of cereal with milk for breakfast and lunch, then eating a nice healthy non-carb dinner, and fruit in between meals. I would expect some people would be quite hungry on this diet but I have been fine due to the fact I know I am only doing it for a week (you are suppose to do it for 2 weeks). I may do it again in a few weeks time. I will weigh myself after 7 days on this diet. On Day 8 I will change to another diet to mix things up a bit (still undecided - any suggestions of what would be good after this type of diet?)

Anyway, I have whittered on enough lol. Feel free to say hello, leave any suggestions or feedback on what I have written. Maybe you're doing or starting the 30 Day Shred, or maybe your stats are similar to mine and we could motivate one another...

See ya tomorrow!
Jen :seeya:
 
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Hi Jen! I'm new here as well :) Awesome job on the 50 lb weight loss! I've also never heard of the 30 Day Shred (I'm from the US... guess I live under a rock??) but from what you say, it sounds pretty cool. I'm going to check out some videos on youtube. Good luck with getting out of the 160's! My first goal is to get BACK into the 160's, lol!
 
Hi Jen! I'm new here as well :) Awesome job on the 50 lb weight loss! I've also never heard of the 30 Day Shred (I'm from the US... guess I live under a rock??) but from what you say, it sounds pretty cool. I'm going to check out some videos on youtube. Good luck with getting out of the 160's! My first goal is to get BACK into the 160's, lol!

Hi Kara, thanks so much for leaving me a message. So many views and you're the only one so at least I know Im not talkin to myself lol.

Did you look up videos of the 30 Day Shred? Were you as impressed as I was? The reviews for the DVD on Amazon are pretty amazing too -(REMOVED LINK TO SITE SELLING PRODUCT) My body was quite sore last night after doing it for a second day but it has eased quite a bit today...as they say no pain no gain, right? lol

So how long have you been trying to lose weight? Are you following a particular diet or cutting calories? I've never counted calories myself as I always thought it would be quite tedious, especially as I cook everything from scratch and never eat calorie counted meals.

Anyway, I hope you're getting on okay. Keep in touch!
 
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Please, please, please up your protein to at least 90-100g a day? You're going to regret it at the end of this 30 day shred if you don't. Cereal is so shitty for breakfast unless it is something like Ezekiel or the like. Maybe have 2 eggs and a slice of toast or something.

I wish you the best on your 30 days!
 
Day 4 Kelloggs Diet

Hey everyone,

Back again with my daily update plus extra bits of info I've found along the way!

Well it should be Day 3 of the Shred but as its Sunday I decided to take a rest with the exercise...nothin to do with the fact I had a few drinks at a friends last night and didnt get to my bed until 8am...oops!! :rolleyes: But I've gotta say that I'm really proud of myself. Her boyfriend got home late after work and brought in a MASSIVE pizza and chicken pakora for us all the share, but I wasn't even temped. Smelled gorgeous but I'm just too focused - not only the fact that it had like a gazzilion calories in it, but I also don't eat carbs after lunch. That's will power after a few voddies I tell ya! Go me! lol

...and yes I occassionally drink alcohol when I diet. I haven't found that it stops me losing weight as I only ever have vodka with diet drinks. Usually the problem with having a drink is the fact that it can make you overeat or make wrong food choices, but thankfully I don't often have that problem.

Tip: If I don't want to feel like Im missing out I eat baby tomatoes and dip them into hot sauce. Really yum!


Day 4 on the Kellogg's Diet and I wasn't very hungry today and as I slept pretty late I just had cereal at lunch time, fruit and a lovely healthy dinner. I decided to try rice milk in my cereal for a change. Didn't realise I'd picked up the sweetened version but it was actually really nice, was surprised I liked it so much. I don't think I would like it in every type of cereal, but it was fab with Weetabix. Decided to try it as I read that humans are not able to digest milk or milk products properly - apparently "milk is puss, full of growth hormones and anti-biotics, swimming with bacteria and bad for digestion". I actually heard this before but would like to read more on it before I decide. I have also heard that soya milk is heavily processed. I have ordered the book that talks about cows milk so I will tell you more when it arrives.

Something else I found interesting is where it talks about not puting too many different types of food onto your plate in a single meal, apparently it makes us likely to eat more. Makes sense to me. I wasn't aware of this but competitors in eating competitions often ask for a different kind of food (on top of what they have to eat in the comp) because that helps them to eat more. I admit I do like a variety of foods on my plate so it's something to think about.


As I have been cutting carbs out of my evening meal I have been looking at alternatives to still have my favourite foods like spag bol. Someone suggested cutting celery into strips to have as spaghetti. I have tried carrot in this way and was nice, and tonight I tried having bean sprouts dry fried as an alternative and they were delicious. However if that's not for you than I read in a magazine that yam (or "shirataki") noodles (fine Japanese noodles shaped like spaghetti) are a good alternative which are low cal, low carb and made from the root of the Konjac plant - they are very popular in Japan but I had never heard of them before. They are apparently available from good asian supermarkets and are pretty cheap at approx. £0.50. They come in at 11 calories per portion in comparision to rice noodles which are 118 cals! Has anyone tried them? I think I will need to hunt them out and try them for myself!


I'm thinking about what diet to move on to after I finish the Kellogg's cereal diet. Has anyone heard of the vetetarian Atkins Diet "Vatkins"? I'm not veggie but I've never been very keen on doing the Atkins diet. Thinking I may like the Vatkins version as it you get your protein from eggs, cheese, tofu, nuts and seeds - and think I could add some meat too if I liked. Think i'll need to do a bit of research.

Well guys, its after midnight where I am so I bid farewell and goodnight.

Until tomorrow! Nitey nite xx
 
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Please, please, please up your protein to at least 90-100g a day? You're going to regret it at the end of this 30 day shred if you don't. Cereal is so shitty for breakfast unless it is something like Ezekiel or the like. Maybe have 2 eggs and a slice of toast or something.

I wish you the best on your 30 days!


Hey thanks for your message. Yeah I hadn't really thought this through very well had I? I started the cereal diet before I planned on doing the 30 Day Shred, so I just thought I would carry on with it. So yeah, you are right...think I need to change to a higher protein diet, as protein only in my main meal probably isn't enough.

Thanks for taking the time to write. Appreciate it! :)
 
Oh my god the before and after shots of the 30 day shred are insane!!! Best of luck to you! I can't wait to hear/see your before & afters!

I've probably been trying to lose weight for like 5 or 6 years lol. I'm up and down. A few years ago I got back down to 145ish. I don't know what the hell happened though... Laziness? Life? Whatever it was, I put all the weight back on and then some. Since then, my attempts at dieting have been pretty feeble. I don't know what happened, but something clicked 2 weeks ago. I was like, okay, at this rate, I'm going to be well over 200 lbs by the time I'm 30 and that is not okay! So here I am ready for a fresh attempt!

Talk to you soon!
 
Hey Kara, from your comment I've just realised that I havent taken a before pic this time round. Im defo not doing a video like the girls on youtube with just their undies on though lol...not that Im a prude! :) But maybe we should put pics up of us at our heaviest and current weight?

I can totally relate to what you're saying about trying to lose weight over years, Im the same and then just stopped coz I got to a weight where everyone was all compliments and so I kinda just stopped even though I had a good 20lbs still to lose. Carry my weight quite well too, another reason I stopped. But, like you, 2 weeks ago something clicked and I was like NO MORE! lol You need to be in the right frame of mind dont you?

This time we will succeed!!! :D
 
Just a quite update as it's 1.30am in Bonny Scotland and I'm very tired after a busy day.

I decided to take the advice of upping my protein and therefore ditched the cereal diet. I did eat more because its not so strict, but in all honesty I dont think I was eating enough. Probably less than 1000 cals which isn't really ideal. So todays food diary:

Brekkie: 2 poached eggs, 1 wholemeal toast (no spread), 2 plum tomatoes
Lunch: 2 rice cakes, tuna, cucumber, baby tomatoes. Watermelon.
Dinner: Tinned salmon, 3 olives, 1/3 avocado, salad (wine vinegar dressing)
Snacks: Gooseberries, 1 plum
Drinks: 2 x green tea, 1 tea with milk, lots of water

I did the 30 Day Shred for 20 mins (3rd Day) and found it so much easier again despite taking yesterday off. Still find it a great workout though but want it to go on for a bit longer. I have borrowed 3 dvds from my sister while she is on holiday so may start to do them too so I dont get bored.

Anyway, it's past my bedtime so goodnite guys!


PS Anyone know how to make green tea more bearable? Lemon juice takes the edge off but its still hard to drink...
 
I'm nervous to put my pics up!!! Haha! I'll have to see if I can find any of me at my heaviest... I try to avoid cameras as much as possible, lol! I'll have to take one when I get home tonight too! I will try to post mine up tonight or tomorrow :)

As far as the green tea goes, I find that the longer you leave the tea bag in, the more bitter it taste. So maybe try brewing it for only a minute or two??? I don't really care for green tea even though it's supposed to be very good for you. I prefer black tea or, if you don't want the caffeine, herbal, fruit flavored tea. Celestial makes delicious fruit flavored teas like Black Cherry and Wild Berry. Yum yum yum! :beating:
 
Well I havent updated this for a couple of days as I have been really busy, but that doesnt mean Ive fallen off the wagon! :) My grandparents are over visiting so had alot of family stuff on. Still been fitting in my exercises though and eating pretty well. So I have a couple of days to update on:

Tues Food Diary

Brekkie: 2 poached eggs, 1/2 slice toast, plum tomatoes
Lunch: 4tbsp natural yogurt, 10 grapes, 40g oats, lemon juice
Dinner: Chicken breast, 1tbsp cream cheese, sweet potato wedges, carrots, celery
Snacks: 1/2 cup chickpeas, nectarine
Drinks: 2 green teas, lots of water lemon

So I have upped my protein intake, and have been trying to drink more water (which I hate) and green tea (which I hate even more!). Lemon juice seems to be helping though.

Exercise: 20 mins Shred + 20 mins cardio

Day 4 of the Shred and as I had more time on Tuesday morning after doing the 20 min Shred, and felt pretty great, I decided to put on another dvd and just do the main cardio section and cool down which lasted about another 30 mins.



Wed Food Diary

Brekkie: 1 egg, 2 plum tomatos
Lunch: Chilli, salad, 1/2 tortilla, little grated cheese, 2 plums, raspberries, 1 toffee
Dinner: Homemade tom+veg soup, salmon, sm. sweet potato, broccoli
Snacks: 1/2 mango, 1 nectarine, 20 chickpeas
Drinks: 1 tea with milk, lots of water/lemon

Well yesterday (Wed) the whole family were over to visit which meant that I cooked alot of things that I knew I wouldnt be eating such as rice and pizza. And I dont know about your families, but mine always bring loads of crisps, cakes and chocolates!! I don't understand how we are not all overweight, but then again we dont meet up that often I suppose. Myself and my aunt are the only ones who could do with losing a stone or two (dont tell her I said that lol). But I was really proud of myself and filled up on salad a a little chilli without the rice. I do feel I ate more due to them being here as I did feel I was missing out, but I kept looking for alternatives like fruit or soaked chickpeas which I find great as a snack.

Exercise: 20 mins Shred (Day 5)

Wasn't in the mood for doing the Shred as I had so much to do but by the end of it I was so glad I did, really sets me up for the day as I know it's out of the way and will speed up my motabolism.


When I lost 3 stone in the past one of the things that I ate alot of was homemade soup using 'negative calorie' foods, so I have been looking up all the foods known to help 'burn' fat as well as 'flush' fat from my body. So I will start to incorporate them into my diet and see if it helps at all. If anyones interested i'll type up what I found.

Kara - tried to take the green tea bag out quick quickly but still think it's pretty yuk lol. Think I may try some of those fruit teas that you suggested though! As for a photo - realised that the only pic of my from being over 14st is one I had taken in Ibiza 5 years ago, its a hard copy so I will need to take a pic of it and get it on here. Funny thats the only pic as thats the reason Im trying to lose weight - so Im not fat going back there in Sept! :)

Anyway, speak soon... x
 
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