Jamie Eason Live Fit Day 3

So, day 3 down, an odd sort of day. I started off by making protein pancakes using 3 egg whites, one scoop of vanilla whey, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful of blueberries, then topping this with a runny paste made from a half scoop of chocolate whey, a tablespoon of almond butter and a dash of coconut milk. It looked totally yummy, it even tasted yummy, TO START WITH!!! About half way through it I was struggling, I not only missed my usual porridge brekkie but this stuff was really getting sickly! I don't know how on earth I'm supposed to eat 5 of these egg whites, even dressed up as some sweet dessert, let alone the three measly eggs I used for this creation. I had to leave the last couple of forkfulls! Here's the pancake anyway...

Blueberry & Cinnamon Protein Pancake with Chocolate Nut Butter Topping!

As a consequence of this mega-pancake over-stuffing affair I wasn't hungry again until over 4 hours later, which is longer than the recommended 2.5 - 3 hour eating intervals. Hmm. But after that I did pretty well, some chicken with cabbage & apple then later some beef stir fried with broccoli, mushrooms and a large tomato with a very small potato. This egg white thing is the hardest concept to get my head around and I don't know how to overcome it! Then I think, well I'm only 5 ft 2" so maybe I only need maybe 3 or 4 egg whites compared to a taller woman. I'm trying to excuse myself from these damn things!!! Oh and did I mention that I'm expected to eat 5 more of the damn things before bed too? How please?

My comment yesterday about being glad the weight was down was probably misguided. On this first phase of the program we are supposed to be building a good muscle base and therefore TRYING and EXPECTING to gain a few pounds. So losing some was not good and I made more of an effort to get in all the meals and have carbs with each one and have done the same today. I will do my best not to worry if the scale goes up, I will use my clothes to judge if I'm getting pudgy or if I'm defining my shape with muscle. Won't stop me weighing in though ;-)

Tonight's workout was also not as planned. First up was the leg press, which I was looking forward to, due to my smugness from pressing nearly 300 lbs a few days ago. But I started with just 180 lbs and as soon as I started to push, my IT band at the top of my leg felt pulled and painful. So not a single leg press was done tonight. Disappointed. I managed most of the other exercises on the program ok, apart from the leg curl, as I don't have equipment for that. So instead I threw in 3 sets of lunges and 3 sets of Romanian deadlifts, no problem.

So altogether a fairly successful day, even if slightly modified from what was required. Tomorrow I finish the first week's training with shoulders and abs, then it's 3 days rest. It's New Year's Day tomorrow so I'll be having the folks round for a slightly reduced rerun of Christmas dinner, but no starters, no pudding and no chipolatas! So just Sunday lunch then really ;-)

As an aside, I have to mention this lady, Deb Arbs, pictured below. She's spent a couple of years TOTALLY transforming her body, and I'd like to share her results with you too. And can you believe she's 50?! I know! Amazing. And a totally nice gal too. Check her out at www.debarbs.com. The reason I mention her is because she posted this on the Jamie Eason Live Fit facebook page, and says that although this is not the program she has followed, she has checked it out and believes it is a really great program to get results. Here's to that.

Deb Arbs on Facebook

I wish everyone a great 2012, let's see what we can do!

Janice

Jamie Eason Live Fit Day 2

Another successful day on this new program is almost over. Today I've been a little sore on the front delts and in the centre of my chest, which is a good sign that yesterday's workout has hit some muscles hard and now they're building me some new bits on top!

The best news was this morning, the scale had dipped slightly, so I took a picture of the scale just to prove to myself that those lower numbers do exist and the scale isn't actually stuck! I've had a good day eating today so I'm hoping the scale will be the same tomorrow and that this wasn't a fluke!

Today's routine focussed on back and biceps, and as I had to take one of the cats to the vet in the middle I did it as a true split routine, back first then biceps an hour later. After last night's lesson when I realised that doing the split routine was so intense on the first muscle that the second half of the workout was SO much harder than it would be if done when fresh, I was glad of this break! Even still, three biceps routines in a row was very tough and I had to drop the weights as the routines went on, or I wouldn't have been able to complete the reps.

Only 2 more days of training on this week's plan, so you could say I'm half way through the first week already, it wasn't so bad! I won't speak too soon though... It's legs day tomorrow. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing if I can leg press the same 135 Kg that I did last week on my first attempt ;-)

Janice.

New Year, New Challenge!

Ok, so it's not quite the New Year yet, but this is definitely a new challenge... today I started the Jamie Eason 12 week Live Fit Trainer program. What is it you ask? Well, it's a 12 week (duh!) prescribed program of lifting weights and eating clean. You can find all the details by clicking here but here's a quick overview:

• Phase 1 - 4 weeks - introduces lifting weights, concentrating on 2 body parts per day in a split routine, for 4 then progressing to 5 days a week. Eating clean with suggested meal ideas and allowed foods list. This is the phase you're trying to build some muscle to work with.
• Phase 2 - 4 weeks - lifting 5-6 days a week and introducing some cardio back into the program but cut carbs slightly. This is the phase you're really getting the muscle packed in and sculpting your body, ready for the next phase.
• Phase 3 - 4 weeks - lifting 6 days a week plus cardio some days too, but the emphasis is on carb cycling (one week low, the next high), and although you may lose a little muscle on this phase you will also lose more fat to reveal those lovely muscles you built in the first 2 phases.

So that's it - simple! Follow the lifting routines, eat as required, total new bod! Gosh, sounds as easy as downing a bar of my favourite chocolate. Oh, except that's out for 12 weeks now.

As for the start of all these faddy (ha ha) programs (hopefully this is not just a fad!), I was required to take some 'before' pictures, so here is my slightly embarrassing set of front, side and beehind photos. I'm hoping that keeping myself accountable by looking at this picture regularly I will remind myself why I am doing this, and in moments of weakness I hope I can push through. So here I am...

Eek, I hate to even look at it myself but like I said, I hope for improvement. The tummy and love handles have to slim down as I know there are abs there just DYING to peek out, and overall I just want to get my body fat percentage down and muscle mass up slightly. I've been doing weights kind of randomly now for just under 2 months so I've already developed my arms & shoulders and the legs a little too. Just the rest has to follow now!

So that's me now, day 1 done - the lifting routine was actually tougher than I'd imagined, focussing on chest and triceps, but by the time I'd got to the triceps routine my muscles were already spent, so I found them really hard to complete! I think I'll probably have a little soreness tomorrow. As for the eating, I've done well, porridge with seeds, dried fruit and 2 egg whites for breakfast, a sweet potato protein bar then a turkey muffin, a protein shake with fruit after the workout and now I'm just about to grill some chicken and have some mashed swede with it. Lovely!

FYI starting weight this morning was 111 lbs dead. I have taken measurements but I won't bore you with them all now, I'll just (hopefully) wow you with the change in them over the next 12 weeks!

Janice. x