Sarah's Weight Loss Adventure

What is Your Excuse?

2012-02-02T21:15:00.002+08:00

Do you CrossFit? How does it feel like? FYI, some of Jillian Michael's are like CrossFit training but berkali ganda more easier.

CrossFit is complicated and hard. But if you have what it takes, super will power you are able to do it. Basically it's like military workout with certain repititions non stop for 20 minutes.

Even for me when reading this CrossFit website makes me pening kepala. Watching video's in youtube with people doing the CrossFit training is even memeningkan kepala.

But memang saya terasa pedas sekali bila terjumpa this video in someone's facebook. It's like slap in the face... What's my excuse? >> susah, cannot tahan, no motivation, and yes yang paling famous "too busy". :P

30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels

2012-02-01T14:11:00.001+08:00

After finishing Ripped in 30, this week I'm trying 30 Day Shred pulak. On Monday tried the 1st level. Easy breezy :D but of course keluar peluh jg lah and the 3rd strength training circuit was challenging! The jumping sessions did not hurt my shins like before. So happy lah. Push ups pun gets easier because every week punya videos in Ripped in 30 has push ups. Imagine doing that 5/6 days a week for 4 weeks. Although not perfect but still... It helps a lot.

The reason I am doing 30 Day Shred this month is because I'm already so bored with Ripped in 30. Macam tiada semangat sudah. So a new video is just right for me.

Yesterday and today pre period pains have surfaced... Of course I can't have jumping sessions when my boobies are hurting. Dugaan betul... Sudah la tu, feel like eating so much.

Anyways, need to buy a bit smaller clothes. Yeay! First shopping in 2012. Jillian Micheal's videos are so awesome. I love her! Don't you?

I'm looking forward with her next video which is 6 week Six Pack. (Yes, planning my workouts earlier) Here's a preview:

4 Tips to Speed Up Your Metabolism by Jillian Micheals

2012-01-28T01:06:00.001+08:00

Outlined tips are:

1. Remove bad foods(processed foods).

2. Restore good foods. Vitamin C is great with weight loss. Try and get them from real food and not pills. Keep sodium under 1500mg

3. Make sure you get enough sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, you'll get hungry faster.

4. Try to avoid carbohydrates before bed. Jillian's menu's always eliminates heavy starchy carbs at dinner time.

P/S: The video title actually said 5 tips but listed in the video are 4 tips only.

Week 4 Ripped in 30

2012-01-27T09:50:00.000+08:00

Great... I accidentally wrote on the wrong blog. This is what happens when I have 3 blogs in this particular account.

So...... I am now in week 4 and to tell you the truth, I'm a bit bored with it. Bummer!

Prolly I'll start with 30 Days Shred next week, on Monday. Varieties are good :)

I lost roughly 0.5 cm around my belly, and arm and 1 cm on my buttocks. Rowr...

Comparing from Week 1 to end of Week 3

2012-01-22T00:59:00.002+08:00

I took 3 measurements only due to kerajinan okay! Lol... So here it is:

8/1/2012

Above stomach - 95cm
Left arm - 39cm
Buttocks - 109cm

22/1/2012

Above stomach - 89.5cm (-5.5cm)
Left Arm - 37.5cm (-1.5cm)
Buttocks - 107cm (-2cm)

As for weight, I haven't bought a new weighing machine yet. Maybe weigh in in one of TTDI's pharmacy for free. :D

Btw, this time around what really inspired me to move on is watching MTV's I Used to be Fat. One girl was so slim after 100 days of training. It's like, if she can do it in 3 months ++ why the heck can't I?

If you play hard, you'll get fab results too! Alhamdulillah. Moving on to week 4 for Ripped in 30.

Ripped in 30 Week 3

2012-01-21T12:24:00.000+08:00

Phew, I did 6 days of week 2. First half of the week my heart was racing and had a bit of palpitation. My hubby told me I was overtraining and didn't have enough 8 hour sleep. So after sleeping before 12am, my heartbeat was fine again. Everything was fine Alhamdulillah.

That's why you should always listen to your trainer! :D

This week I'm only doing 5 days of week 3. My shins hurt and then tersalah lompat during the one leg jump. So in the end I just jump using both legs until my weight hilang again.

My eating habit on week 3, so far so good y'all. Still maintaining 1.2k-1.4k calories perday. This is awesome!

For your info, week 3 is the hardest so far! Mostly lunges and lower body exercises. Jumping jacks whilst crouching, duck squats, table tops, phew... no wonder my hips and perut cepat mengecik.

Cuba jangan tidak cuba!

Surprise Surprise.

2012-01-12T13:26:00.000+08:00

Serious shit.(Pardon my language) but yes, I am SURPRISED that I can fit in my kurung skirt that I bought in 2010. Ini baru 1 setengah minggu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEMANGAT OOOOHHHH!!

I think it has a lot to do with my reduced wheat and grains(reduced to 80%). Meaning I only take them 3 times a week or so. It's like when I feel that I want a nibble on a kuih pisang(banana fitters), I buy it for tea. Limit 3 small ones because each one has 170 calories. Depends on your calorie intake, mine is around 1,200 - 1400 calories per day. Or the most is 1,600 but jarang.

My fav grains: rice.
My fav wheat: pasta.

Also eating salad helps a lot. Add in tuna, salmon, boiled chicken, or whatever proteins you want in it. Make your own sauce/toppings for the salad and you are sure very satisfied.

P/S: Do not expect to be perfect in each of your Jillian sessions. The key point like Jillian said is A for effort. Modified versions are good and dont be ashamed to follow them. Keep on doing it every night, eat healthily with reduced calories and you are bound to see results.

P/P/S: I am doing Ripped in 30, 6 days a week. 1 day rest.

Ripped in 30 Week 2

2012-01-09T22:58:00.000+08:00

Today I started week 2. The video was absolute torture! There are a couple of moves that I had to learn so I kept replaying it like crazy. The push up's alongside moving your leg to the front is also crazy. Also the mountain climb push up position. Whooo!

Alongside that, the abs exercise with lying down planks are insanely making me scream all the way when I was doing it. Luckily my son didn't wake up.

My current favourite dish is salad ala subway punya. I bought salad leaves, tomatoes, bell peppers, shallots and sardines. Made a bowl of that mixture with additional tiny bit of chilli sauce. SUPERB! I am so addicted to it. The cost of buying the ingredients for a week is about RM7(bought the veges in Tesco) . The tinned cap Ayam Mackerel is around RM7. So It's really cheap.

Make a big or small bowl up to your liking. It's veges anyways. As for the mackarel I take half of the fish because it's big. Oh if I could have smoked salmon it would be the bomb but I'm currently on a budget.

So far so good. My legs are shrinking a bit. I'm seeing lines along my thighs, lines on my skin yg dia mengecik. I'm also so curious to weigh myself.

Ripped in 30 Jillian Micheals

2012-01-06T23:20:00.001+08:00

This is a little bit of what it looks like in the Ripped in 30 of Jillian Michaels's video. This is more suitable for me because the 1st week is about 37 minutes. Meanwhile 30 Days Shred's first week is only 20 minutes. I was so unsatisfied because I felt that 30 Days Shred was too easy and short for me.

Remember you don't have to be perfect in doing all of these moves. The effort is what's more important.

Within this video bundle, a 30 day sample menu is also included. It's basically 1400 calories per-day with 400 calories for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 200 calories for snacks(once per day). As for me I set my meal plan for 1200 calories per day so that when I screw up it'll be 1300 calories or 1400 calories. Get what I mean? If I set my goal at 1400 calories, the chances are that I'll be having a much bigger calorie intake than what I set up for 1200 calories per day.

Tracking your calories with My Fitness Pal is great. If you don't have the extra info on the food that your taking in the My Fitness Pal database, you can just click on Kevin Zahri's Cekodok, which is the Malaysian calorie food guide.

When you set your mind to restricting calorie intake, it'll work. Even the world's most delicious Mukha Red Velvet cake doesn't taste as good anymore! lol Ya, not kidding ooooh. I'm not saying that Mukha is not good, it's great but it's just mid control is such a powerful thing.

I'm hoping after week 4 I'll be seeing some great results. InsyaAllah.

Trying out 30 Days Shred

2011-12-17T01:05:00.000+08:00

Here I am again, trying a lighter workout so that I won't get discouraged in the long run. 30 Days Shred is fun and manageable because it's 20 minutes. Loving it to bits!

I used 2 empty dumbbells. Trying my best with calorie counting this time. I guess the drive to get pregnant makes me watch my calorie intake and exercise a little more serious. Last year and this year, I mainly did weight training and cardio but did not really watch what I was eating.

For example I've eliminated white rice in the house but changed it into brown rice.

-It's much more filling
-Less addictive than white rice
-Your stomach can tahan a bit longer than white rice
-Gives you more energy
-Is less glutinous
-Has less sugar
-Has more bouncy texture
-Sooner or later you'll get used to it! :)

My routines are during the night right after my son goes to sleep around 730pm. By day four I can already feel the difference. I admit I haven't been working a lot this year since I tried working part time off and on again.

I was actually scared that what if I worked out after work, I'd feel tired and I don't want to feel tired the day after tomorrow when I go to work. So I searched the net and found out a great advice telling that just try and workout. You will feel more tired if you don't workout comparing when you workout. You'll feel much better at work if you have worked out the night before.

I was skeptical, didn't believed her at ALL but tried it anyway. The next day, I didn't feel tired at all... Macam sama saja... So here I am 4 days of continuous JM workout.

Inilah yg saya buat:

13/12(tue) - JM's Ripped in 30 (1st week video is 37 minutes)
14/12(wed) - 30 Day Shred
15/12(thu) - 30 Day Shred
16/12(fri) - 30 Day Shred

My husband told me if I'm really serious I can lose loads of weight in kilos yes within 3 months. Exercising doesn't worry me. It's the eating part. I'm praying for myself so that I can at least lose 6/7kgs in a month. Weehoo!

Getting Sweaty Again

2011-12-09T22:10:00.001+08:00

A little bit stressed but not too stressed. My hormones are in a mess! We're still trying to get pregnant but I think it has a LOT to do with me still overweight. A little weight loss doesn't count. This one needs a mondo weight loss like 10kgs more... give and take.

I know that when I start to exercise InsyaAllah my hormones are going to be in good order again. Just like last time aye.

Also I know a couple of people who couldn't get pregnant and started hitting the gym again, lost some weight, ate healthily... got pregnant afterwards.

Either that, God has other plans for me... But nevertheless, it only has been 7 months with two missed periods. The first one I missed 3 months period. Second one was 2 months period missed.

I have never missed periods like this so bad. I think it's the reaction of having the sperms inside my fallopian tubes/ovaries/uterus has made it haywired. I haven't seen the doc yet to get it checked. First thing's first... lose pile of fats and if it still doesn't work, I'll try arranging an appointment with the doc.

Jillian Michaels Workout Collection

2011-11-03T15:18:00.000+08:00

So now I have these, will they make me workout more and finally get my ideal weight? BETTER BE!

Finished a Marathon While 9 Months Pregnant

2011-10-13T21:34:00.001+08:00

Amber Miller

Have you guys heard about the lady who ran a marathon, sarat pregnant 9 months and delivered hours later? To make matters awesome, she finished the marathon first and her husband was like all the way behind her. Actually she didn't run the whole way but walked. What she did was quite dangerous. Here's a little bit of the story.

Via Glamour:

One woman, 27-year-old Amber Miller of Westchester Illinois, is not one of those people. She recently ran the Chicago Marathon and finished mere hours before giving birth to her baby daughter.

She says her doctor gave her permission to complete the race, as long as she walked at times, which she did. But even with the walking mixed in, she still beat her husband's time in the race!

Miller gave birth to a healthy 7 lb. 13 oz. daughter seven hours after crossing the finish line. Sure, all ended well, but many may be wondering: Is this healthy?

Many say no, including a doctor who commented on the story online: "Are you people familiar with the concept of a stillborn?" he wrote. "Babies not infrequently die in utero right at the end of pregnancy, presumably at times from lack of adequate blood flow to the placenta. I think it is highly irresponsible for any physician to recommend such a long and strenuous course of action at 39 weeks, where blood clearly must be diverted from the placenta to her muscles. No one, I repeat, no one could assure her that this was a safe choice."

While Miller may have been in great shape, and perhaps her body was up to to the task of running such a long distance while carrying a baby, most would agree that she took a rather extreme health risk that most obstetricians would warn against.

Via CNSNews:

Amber Miller says she felt contractions minutes after crossing the Chicago Marathon finish line.

A few hours after completing the 26.2-mile race Sunday, the suburban Chicago woman gave birth to her daughter, June.

The 27-year-old is an experienced marathoner who found out she was pregnant after signing up for the race months ago. She figured she'd play it by ear on whether or not she'd run.

Miller was nearly 39 weeks pregnant by Sunday. She got clearance from her doctor to half run and half walk the race.

She finished in 6 hours and 25 minutes, much slower than her previous seven marathons.

Miller spoke to The Associated Press from the hospital and says she received encouraging cheers during the race and never felt bad, except for some feet blisters.

The Smelly Cicak

2011-10-12T16:15:00.000+08:00

My twitter is back public. Okay, I don't really care what you read in there. I am a nobody, I'm just related to people... yang itu itu.. ini ini... gitu gitu... gini gini... Best juga tu baca gosip. LOL. Reason made public again is that I like to share to the world sometimes. I like to RT a lot. It has a feeling of freedom although exposed but I am a nobody and nobody's don't get stalked, insyaAllah!

I'm soon gonna be called a Personal Trainer's wife. Hubby's got a job at a fitness centre although his FIT/ACE final exam will be next month but I think they desperately need workers. He didn't get the Mat Salleh's gym at Bangsar... tidak mengapa, Sabar.... kumpul experience and ilmu first.

It's kind of hard for me at first to hear that he wants to change profession after working as a designer for 10 years. He did loads of important projects for important people in Malaysia. He's really good at it. I guess the passion in being an artist has dimmed down.

As a wife I support his decision and pray that he'll be happy in what he's doing and hope that he'll succeed in this profession as well.

I still haven't gotten to my ideal weight. But I'll never give up. No matter how lousy I am. Now's the time to really step it up. Har har... Man, even when I picked him up from his class makes me ashamed of myself of being the most overweight person around such healthy and slim figured future fitness trainers.

This week I've been running again but alas ada cicak mati tiba2 di gym. I tried to find it... but I couldn't. Bau semerbak la gym. Why cicak why did you have to die and rot when I'm about to start exercising again. Terpaksa la tunggu bau itu hilang. Nasib baik that area saja yang bau and not the whole house.

Running Music - DJ BL3ND

2011-10-10T15:23:00.000+08:00

What's your current running music? I bet there are loads of music on you iPod/mp3 player right? Currently I have a couple of DJ BL3ND's music. This particular mix is my favorite. WARNING: Extreme Blinking Lights.

Of course there are interval timer music out there you can buy. It's really good. It has several music for specific workouts and you can choose from 20 minutes to 30 minutes and so on.

For those iTune lovers, you can download this app >> Interval Run. Have a look through this site. It's an amazing app to have.

Ranting On About...

2011-09-15T23:55:00.001+08:00

This sucks so bad!!! I'm not consistant with my exercises anymore. I have a very lame excuse for that right now. I am currently working at an awesome company, please refer to this link for further info. It is sooo damn tiring and hubby said that if I really want to do it I'll have to make an extra effort to wake up early in the morning to do my exercises because after work I usually have tons of wifey/motherly duties to fulfill.

Although I do have time to read about "Slow Oxidizer" though. Not from that site but from Jillian Michael's book "Making the Cut".

By the way, hubby has been complaining that he gets dizzy each time he eats... He tried to stop drinking milk for a week, although he didn't know that the dizziness would magically disapear but it did. Magical. Is there too much chemicals in our milk these days? Even the finest milk? I don't really drink milk that much because of lactose intolerant. The best milk is to get raw milk but heck you would have to have a COW and press its udders everyday to get milk. But itu pun you have to make your Cow to eat grass not corn or any other chemical food in order to get the best milk.

It's really sad that these days all food are genatically mutated. That's where you get all crazy loads of new sickness from animals passed to humans. It also sad that the most organic food are expensive and only if you have tonnes of money you can afford to buy it.

Can you believe the poor people in America can only afford burgers from McDonald because they are cheap comparing to other healthy food out there? That's why you see most poor minorities are obese because they don't have the money to buy proper food.

Crazy world we live in. Be thankful that we are living in Malaysia where the chickens still can see daylight.

What is FISAF

2011-08-26T00:29:00.001+08:00

Federation of International Sports and Fitness

What can you do after you get an ACE (The American Council on Exercise ) certificate? Either you can jump start your career or take a higher level studies on becoming a Trainer by taking FISAF (Federation of International Sports and Fitness).

You can read more about it in Malaysia's site Here. These courses include:

Fitness Instructor training
Aerobics and Group Fitness training
Aqua Instructor training
Personal Trainer

You can read other information in their Facebook page Here.

This is their official page Here.

Daily Menu Updates

2011-08-13T11:14:00.000+08:00

Hubby wants to see my menu for the whole week of Ramadhan. I told him I wasn't overeating but he insisted that I was. So here's to prove him that he's wrong or at least convincing myself that I wasn't eating as much as he thinks he is.

Btw, hubby's currently taking ACE classes. Here's praying that he'll pass in flying colors in November. Amin.

New Routine After Ramadhan

2011-08-07T10:39:00.001+08:00

Been meaning to write this down ages ago. My new routine as of after Ramadhan insyaAllah. I want to try a simpler workout. Want to build ketahanan stamina/endurance. The routine is provided by my husband.

1st Week: 30 minutes running. Same speed

Weeks after that:

Monday:
10 minutes cardio
3 x 20 machine press
3 x 20 dumbbell press

Tuesday:
HIIT
Plank

Wednesday:
10 minutes Cardio
Machine Leg Press 3 x 20
Machine Leg Curl 3 x 20

Thursday:
HIIT
Crunch

Friday:
10 minutes cardio
Machine Back Pull 3 x 20
Machine Row 3 x 20

Saturday & Sunday : REST

Then and Now

2011-07-22T20:40:00.003+08:00

Dulu (Then)

Sekarang(Now)

I think it's still plus size. I don't know how they do it in Nichii but the smallest size is 00.

PNB 25 Weeks Challenge

2011-07-20T15:34:00.000+08:00

A muscular harimau told me that he's having a great time training people at PNB. For those of you who are working at PNB KL are really lucky to have this opportunity to lose weight with the help of fitness trainers. Not only they have succeeded losing weight, they win money prizes as well.

PNB has their own Biggest Loser challenge and other companies should follow suit because such rewarding activities(2 in 1) can also be a start for a more healthier conscience and inspiration for all of us.

Pants Sizes

2011-07-18T17:43:00.000+08:00

Pants size that I've worn(after giving birth): 20, 18, 16, 14, 12(currently). It looks like I'm stuck at 12. It was so fun seeing my pants size go down and down but until it reached 12. Need to reach that size as fast as I can so that I don't belong in the plus size anymore.

Endurance + Stamina Trianing.

2011-07-14T08:25:00.001+08:00

Ack! I can't stand doing powerlifting anymore. Bored to death with the routine. Changing my workouts to endurance and stamina. I'd like to get myself ready for wall climbing(most probably at 1 Utama), bungee jumping(within Malaysia) and water rafting at Slim River. Soon hopefully. Not confident enough but I have to start somewhere.

I should be doing more running the first week. The following weeks I should add in HIIT. As for my weight training I will be doing lesser weights but more reps. I'll write it down here once I get the full description of my training from my husband.

Game on! Although during Ramadhan there will be 1 month pause. Macam tidak biasa.

Time to Lower that Body Fat % Again

2011-07-04T15:33:00.002+08:00

Power lifting: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Cardio: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Rest on Sunday.

Been slacking off. Right after I got sick. My powerlifter supporter darling got sick. So, insyaAllah this week... I mean by today will be the day I'll weight lift again until Ramadhan. Weehoo!

I hope I can lessen at least 1 % of fat before Ramadhan to make the number even to 10% fat loss. 9% is a bit hanging there and bugging me so much!

For the ideal body %, I would have to be around 21%-26%.
For lean it would have to be 21% below.

All this depends on my age being 32 years old according to the women chart and it differs a bit from other charts.

I follow this chart. Mine has different colors though but the readings are the same.

The New Raven: Before After Photos

2011-07-02T00:54:00.003+08:00

Before

After

Watch her interview

According to the article, her secrets to further her weight down a notch are:

She began working out at least four times a week, with her sessions including 30-minutes on the elliptical machine.

She also overhauled her eating habits, and now favours oatmeal and apple slices with almond butter for breakfast and salmon and steamed asparagus for dinner.

She has also traded her favourite cupcakes for baked pears with agave syrup. While her body has transformed, her message to fans remains the same.

'Whether or not I'm this size, I always preached, "Be comfortable with your self," and I will preach that forever.'

Source [Daily Mail] [The Inquisitr]