6 Months of Weight Training

I am very new to weight training. I've been doing some arms with dumbbells and machines for years but never got serious about full body. Now in my 40's I realise how important lifting weights is as we get older and we start to lose muscle tone and bone density. I did a bit of research and found a fantastic YouTuber, Cheryl Coulombe or "Lift with Cee" (@ceelifts on IG). She targets exercises for over 40's and since she started lifting in her 40's and at 59 looked absolutely incredible and I was sold to at least try out her workouts. My biggest fear was not knowing where to start or injuring myself further.

So having said that, this is my 6 month account of doing her weight training videos. I have a lower back injury so I started with core exercises and followed her beginner lifting videos for the entire 6 months, deciding I would only start a new workout after the 6months. I could increase the weights if I felt like I need it though. She has some great introduction videos here too. I love that she talks about "fat loss" over "weight loss" since as we gain muscle we may not see a big difference on the scales but certainly will in how our body looks, feels and burns energy.

This is what my workouts looked like;

7 days a week - 8,000+ steps (Cardio), moved to 10,000 steps a day in October

2 days a week; 

• July - Started with Beginners lifting 
• August - Moved to Full Body Workout 30mins  (these are great when I don't have time for the full 60mins)
• September-December - Moved to 30min Upper Body + 30min Lower Body 

In the beginning I added in 3-5 days a week - 10 min Core exercises (Core) because my back needed the core strength. Probably for a couple of months I did this.

And here are the results by month (July 10 - Starting stats);

	July 10	Aug 8	Sept 30	Oct 23	Nov 10	Dec 10	Jan 9
Weight	146.5lbs	147lbs	146lbs	145lbs	146lbs	145lbs	144lbs
Biceps	12"	11.5"	11.5"	11.5"	12"	12"	12”
Chest	38"	37.5"	37.5"	37"	38"	37"	38”
Waist	35"	35.5"	35.5"	33.5"	34"	34.5"	34”
Hips	40.5"	41"	40.5"	39"	40"	39"	39”
Thighs	22"	22.5"	22"	21.5"	22”	22.5”		22"

So it's December and I have to say I feel amazing. As you can see from the results on paper though it doesn't seem like a dramatic change and with not much difference on the scales I see how one would get discouraged but the weight shifts from fat to muscle. I want to eat more and yet and not gaining weight, I definitely see the changes in my body, how my clothes fit, how my muscle is developing and how strong I feel. Bonus is my back pain has been diminished quite a bit. I'll do a 12month progress post but I'm definitely sticking with it.  People have been noticing and commenting on how good I look. I definitely noticed the saddlebags diminished and my butt is higher from all the squats LOL

Toward the end I found her "30-Min Full Body Workouts" the best option, three times a week ideally. Consistency is key and giving yourself a realistic goal like 6 months. I've even upped my weight a couple of times and am closer to the weights she uses in the videos.

Six Month Lifestyle Overhaul

I wanted to write about this lifestyle change not because I'll have amazing recipes...I won't. Well I might, I don't know yet. I wanted to write about my six month journey to hold myself accountable in adhering to a few habit changes to get me back on the straight and narrow. At 43 I'm fairly sure I'm at the start of perimenopause, besides some very minor observations I've not only had trouble losing weight (which is nothing new) but I've also been gaining it at a much faster rate. Quite a frightening concept at the best of times. Obviously my metabolism is starting to slow down at my age anyway and I'm no where near as active as I used to be, due to lifestyle changes and injury. I could make a million excuses as to why I'm 20 lbs overweight but I'd rather experiment with different things that seem to work for other people long term. I'm not looking for a quick fix but something in my lifestyle has to change if I want to remain healthy and active into my golden years. I want something that I can do long term, not a cleanse or a diet, but a lifestyle change.

Here are the principles I'm going to try to stick to from June 1st to December 1st this year;

1. Commit to 10,000 steps per day. 

I never understood the "10,000 steps a day" craze until recently when I was reading about one particular girls' weight loss journey and she said that walking 10,000 steps a day keeps you from gaining weight, so the most part, what you put into your body is obviously the biggest thing to keep that simple math equation to losing weight and sustaining that weight loss: Weight loss/gain = calories in - calories out.

I was so concerned with needing to do cardio and I would get home and get on the treadmill for 60-90 mins on the nights I felt motivated, which is great don't get me wrong, but I started feeling like I was spending all my free time doing that and not spending much time with my husband, which in a house where both us work full time and we have three children time alone is precious and seldom. Other days I would feel unmotivated and do nothing at all so I assume I barely made 3,000 steps. Basically it was inconsistent and hard on my body since I'm not that person who can run 5 miles anymore. And I think consistency is the key for long term change or "atomic habits" as James Clear would put it.

I started wearing a pedometer for a week (I hate wearing a watch but I committed to a week just to see the pattern) and to my shock (especially since I have a desk job) I was doing around 5,000 steps a day not including any extra activity. So really I only need to get on the treadmill 30 minutes a day to make up the deficit and the important thing is that I hit 10,000 everyday for six months. 

I will add that I'm walking around 4 miles/hour on the treadmill, I don't run anymore. I recognize the need, especially with age, for strength straining so I try to do an arm weight session once a week and, if I am motivated, a weekly yoga or Pilates class...on a phone app, I'm not leaving my house or anything ;)

2. Stick to an 80% whole food diet (plant based is implied since I've been vegan for 12 years).

Now I say 80%  because I think we all have days where we want comfort food or just want something convenient and easy. So if I limit myself to only whole foods for six months I'm not going to stick to it and I really want to stick to this to give it a fighting chance. Every cleanse I do is healthy and sensible, I just don't stick to it after that 4-8 week period because it's not sustainable - for me anyhow. I have 100% respect for fully raw vegans, it's just not me. I do however love vegetables and generally love whole food recipes.  I figure six months is enough time to implement a new lifestyle change :) 

I would add drink your body weight in ounces or whatever the rule is but I already drink a lot of water so why complicate everything. Besides a black coffee in the morning I drink only water during the day and then in the evening I drink soda/seltzer water which is just fizzy water, I'm not a soda drinker.

I think limiting alcohol is a given but I don't drink much anyway so I'm not concerned about occasional liquid calories. For me the worst apart about alcohol (except the hideous hangover I get these days even after one glass - what's that about?!?) is that I tend to not only want to snack and eat comfort foods while consuming the alcohol (warm GF bread with good quality olive oil and salt is my own particular vice) but the next day when I'm feeling rotten (yes, even after one glass because apparently life hates the aging) I tend want more comfort food, usually un the form of fried potato. 

Now having said all that - the main way I'm sticking to a whole food lifestyle is through the application of the Starch Solution. A WFPB way of living which excludes fat (all fat, while trying to lose weight anyway, adding it back in moderation once at goal weight) and sticking to the 50/50 plate. 50% of your plate is starchy grains/veg and 50% is non-starchy veg. The principle is that you don't need to count calories and you stop when you're full but you're supposed to always fill up on the non-starchy veg first. I've had success and then not success with it so really it's how well you stick to it and as I'm now realizing, how long you can sustain it. Doing as a cleanse or diet just drove me back to bad habits.

3. Intermittent fasting at 5 days a week.

This fasting/timed eating lets your body rest and heal for 16 hours (most of which you're asleep for). I started at 7pm and finished at 11am. This I'd already been doing, not to lose weight but to reap the benefits of fasting. It definitely aids in the weight loss though.

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OK! That's it, three rules for the next six months and I'll see you on the flip side! Of course I'll tracking monthly my progress (or counter-progress LOL, um let's hope not!). Ended up finishing a month early since we ended up having a house guest for a few weeks and I was happy to be on the right track and finding something that was working for me! 

The Stats;

	1st June	1st July	1st August	1st September	1st October	1st November
Weight	158lb	147lb	145lbs	140lbs	139lbs	139lbs
Waist	38"	35.5"	33"	33"	33”	33"
Hips	42"	40.5"	40"	39"	39”	39"
Thighs	23"	22.5"	22.5"	21"	21”	21"

	June 1st (Start)	November 1st (Finish)
Weight	158lbs	139lbs
Waist	38”	33”
Hips	42”	39”
Thighs	23”	21”

Definitely felt the weight balance out around 140lbs and found it hard to get lower than that. There were some hurdles as well of course, illness, life stresses, holidays etc but I found it easy to get back to the rules once those moments had passed and I think that perseverance was the key.

I still had the occasional wine/beer, I still had the occasional chocolate or sweets, I still had the occasional fried/comfort food. It was my lifestyle outside of those times that made the difference. If I missed a day of walking I tried to make sure I didn't miss two days in a row. If I over ate one day I tried to fast the next day. 

So far this has been one of the easiest lifestyle changes I've ever tried because it's sustainable and easy to fit in with my lifestyle. I work full time and have kids so I don't have a lot of spare time. Making sure I put the extra steps in at night or early in the morning or making sure I meal prepped my lunches for work on Sunday before the week got crazy made a big difference. Timed eating (16/8) five days a week became very normal very quickly and didn't feel like a chore at all.

Meal prep was the best way to keep me on it. Still trying to maintain that.

Protein, grain, 3-5 veggies (fresh, cooked or both) and a sauce. Cashew Cream Sauce is my go to!

28 Day Whole Food Cleanse

During this "Dry January" not only am I off the booze but also trying a whole food cleanse from Plantiful Kiki (if you’ve never heard of her I suggest following on IG- she lost 70lbs on the Starch Solution diet and has been an advocate ever since). The ebook called “Plant Lean - 28 Weight Loss Meal Plan” is based on the principles of The Starch Solution by Dr McDougall but the recipes are far from boring. I enjoyed them so much more than the Starch Solution website meals. I had had a lot of success in the past with The Starch Solution but I struggled to make recipes that weren't boring because I was so stuck on the 50/50 rule. This cleanse takes the headache out and leaves you with delicious, satisfying meals.

The ebook cost $10.50 (for me including tax) and I can view it on my phone, tablet etc. I also like that she has everything hyperlinked so you can jump back to where you need to go, plus she also gives you not just the full menu but the full shopping list for each week. The calorie amount listed under each meal but she has formulated it so they all are of roughly an equal amount making it very easy to switch them around based on your needs.

One week in and I'm enjoying it and not dreading another 3 weeks which is awesome.

I've been walking 5-6 times a week for 45-60mins.

This is what some of the meals in Week 1 looked like...

Week 1

Chickpea Curry with steamed asparagus and brown rice

Egg Salad Sammy with house salad and homemade ranch

Vacation Vibes Smoothie

Sunrise Smoothie

Green Goodness Smoothie

Macaroni & Cheese with Smokey Apple Green Salad

Broccoli Cheddar Soup with House Salad

Week 2

Easy Enchilada Bake and Southwestern salad (I was missing some salad ingredients)

Berry Smoothie

Sushi 

Omelet

Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

Thai Red Curry

Apple Carmel Treats

There are some dessert options for the sweet cravings which I felt like I was getting at the end of week two.

 

Breakfast Burrito

This is probably one of the ones I was most excited about because I love a savory breakfast!

BBQ Salad

Thai Noodle Bowl

Week 3

Smokey Tomato Hummus Wrap

Smokehouse Steak Fries with House Salad

Persian Chickpea and Rice Bowl with House Salad, 

this one was tastier than I was expecting considering how few ingredients are in it.

Blueberry Pancakes

OK I got a few days into Week 4 and caved. My own fault entirely - I hadn't prepped (seriously meal prepping is key to success), I didn't have all the ingredients I needed, I really wanted chocolate and wine. I have not plausible excuse but I will say I did learn some things.

I realized how much processed vegan food I actually eat and want to cut that back a lot. 

I realized how important it is to at least have a few meals accounted for or prepped so I don't fall into the habit of grabbing something quick and processed from the freezer.

I actually enjoyed quite a few of the meals and would definitely cook them again.

Generally on this meal plan I felt very satisfied but clean and light. I enjoyed this cleanse much more than the recipes from the Starch Solution website and definitely liked how it was all planned out for me in terms of menu and shopping list. There's no reason you should fail, even though I did.

The fact the you could switch around dishes because they were all of similar calorie content and that I could make more of a dish I enjoyed for another meal definitely made it easy to stick to. I can see this being a go to reboot whenever I need one. Next time around I will know which ones I like! If I didn't mention it before the smoothies were really good!!!

There is quite a bit of prep work with some of the dishes which makes sense when your eating whole foods and making everything from scratch (main meal, plus a salad, plus sauces and dressings) but as a full time work mum of three kids and then still having to cook the kids something different I did feel a bit burnt out in the cooking fresh after the 4 weeks. No one was happy with the amount of room in the fridge I was taking up either lol!

I’d like to maybe incorporate just doing every second night or prepping more on the weekends when I know in advance what I’m going to make. 

In the 28 days I lost 5lbs which was at least something but I think the fact that I hadn't lost more by the start of Week 4 was also killed my momentum a bit. I really was following to the letter, not drinking alcohol and exercising around an hour a day. I had a black coffee in the morning but other than that only drank water and sparkling mineral water.

I'd love to hear if you have success with this or if you found something else that worked for you!