⭐ See more weekly weight loss journey posts here
⭐ See key weight loss milestones here
I have PT sessions on Monday and Wednesday this week.
For Wednesday's gym session I'm introduced to something new. It is a very high up bar that I have to grab onto and dangle from. I then have to try to lift my entire body up.
A pull up
It's called a pull up - and apparently there are a few different variations of it that I can learn to do.
Me, swaying back and forth, attempting (unsuccessfully) to pull myself up.
Being suspended in mid-air, whilst swaying slightly back and forth, is mildly amusing and enjoyable - the lifting myself upwards is not so much fun. In fact, It's so hard that I just can't do it at all at the moment. It makes my hands hurt, my wrists hurt, the whole of my arms hurt and my shoulders hurt. Basically, it makes all of my upper body hurt.
An empowering exercise to work towards
"Well, perhaps that's one we can work towards..." says my PT doubtfully, as I make a hopeless attempt to lift myself upwards.
He tells me that pull ups are a great exercise to be able to do because they target the back, the arms and the core, all at once, helping to develop strength and mobility.
It is definitely one I want to work towards.
I somehow love the feeling of being suspended in the air with this exercise - and I can imagine how empowering it must feel to be able to lift your own bodyweight up and down with ease. So whilst I'm nowhere near being able to do this exercise at the moment, it is one I'm keen to improve upon and eventually conquer!
A diverse piece of machinery
This particular piece of machinery is quite diverse actually - it has loads of bits of ropes, wires, bars and things attached to it. If I were ever to buy a gym machine I think this is the one I'd go for, as there are seemingly endless possibilities for exercises you can do with it - you'd definitely get your money's-worth from this machine.
A chest sculpting cable fly
Here's me doing a cable fly exercise on the same machine. According to my PT, the cable fly exercise will 'sculpt the outer area of my chest and work into my arms'.
An update on my intention setting plants
In other news, the intention setting plants I planted in week 21 are now getting quite tall.
When I initially planted them, I threw lots of seeds into the pots, to give the best chance of at least something growing. Now that I have lots of mini-sunflowers growing, I'm wondering whether I should thin them out, to give just one or two a better chance of getting big. Or perhaps I should move the plants to bigger pots. I think I'm just going to leave them for now, and see what happens...
Weekly food diary
This week I have been eating...
Monday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Two poached eggs on brown buttered toast, with spinach.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. A bowl of plain natural yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Barbecue pork with lime and corn salsa.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.
Snack: Half a chocolate-chip shortbread cookie from the local bakery.
Lunch: Two poached eggs on brown buttered toast, with spinach.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. A bowl of plain natural yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Barbecue pork with lime and corn salsa.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two cups of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Two poached eggs on brown buttered toast, with spinach.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. A bowl of plain natural yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Italian meatballs and courgetti.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Thursday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.
Snack: Two pieces of brown, buttered toast with marmite.
Lunch: Mindful Chef's Lemon marinated salmon and puttanesca (one third of a two portion recipe).
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Italian meatballs and courgetti.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Friday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.
Snack: One piece of brown, buttered toast with marmite.
Lunch: Mindful Chef's Lemon marinated salmon and puttanesca (one third of a two portion recipe).
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Chicken milanese with rosemary pesto potatoes.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Saturday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Mindful Chef's Lemon marinated salmon and puttanesca (one third of a two portion recipe).
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. A bowl of plain natural yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Chicken milanese with rosemary pesto potatoes.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Sunday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Two boiled eggs with spinach. A small piece of leftover chicken from last night's dinner.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Honey and balsamic glazed chicken with potatoes.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
1. Italian meatballs & courgetti 2. Lemon marinated salmon & puttanesca 3. Barbecue pork with lime & corn salsa 4. Chicken milanese with rosemary pesto potatoes
Up next: 6 months later - before and after weight loss pictures.
Lisa
