Dreaded Lurgy

Good news and bad for me tonight. Firstly the good - yesterday I managed to teach the first five tracks of RPM on Saturday morning and lasted through the entire Hi Performance class (yay me!). I was having a look at my blog and realized that I attempted my first post operative RPM class only TEN days ago. I've amazed myself by my comeback!

The other good news was that I managed to release quite a bit of shoulder spasm by using our vibrating massage machine on it (no, not THAT sort of vibrator) - my physio reckons that vibration at a certain number of hertz releases muscle spasms - I got stuck into it, then some "muscle mate' manipulation of my teres minor, a heat pack etc. I woke up this morning, tilted my neck and "CRACK!" released everything. I still have a bit to do but the improvement today was dramatic.

The bad news is that I've come down with a horrible cold and I am teaching RPM tomorrow for Leesa - the snotbag rides again! Today has been pretty quiet but tomorrow will be busy fitting in clients, RPM, school holidays and making some Precision Nutrition friendly meals. I've got trout, pecans and steamed veggies listed as one of my meals tomorrow. I always think "trout" has quite an air to it!

Best turn in now for an early night and hopefully will feel better in the morning.

Blogger Searches - one for Kek!

I have a Site Statistics program linked to my blog and often you can see where my blog comes up in Google search - I've had a few doozies lately, namely under....
"caning your athletes" and "big boobs and bikers".

I need to get out more...

Training Wheels Clipped On!

Today I participated in RPM today - wasn't my best class - never felt like I had the chance to warm up properly if you get my drift. The most exciting thing is tomorrow - I am teaching my old High Performance Class with Leesa - I am going to do the first 5 tracks and she's going to bring it home. I'm really looking forward to it though I feel pretty rusty right now. Tomorrow morning I will be up bright and early revising my tracks and trying to remember how to teach a class.

I also spent some time organizing my official "one on one" start at Fitness First. Officially I am going to start on the 4th August. The plan is to start work early and finish work early so I can still pick up the girls from school and be a mother. I am looking forward to doing more face to face coaching and am looking forward to doing some Biosignature work with Lisa and Rod (www.bodyworx.com.au) . I always marvel at how everything really does fall into place when you let it and how things evolve.

Hmm, what else - ready for a big grocery run and food prep Sunday, but apart from that weekend will be pretty quiet. I'm not complaining though, I love nothing more than curling up in my favourite chair with the Sunday papers and a hot cup of tea.

The Food Continuum

Had a great training session today - Shelley and I met up and did John's RPM class - I was able to thoroughly cane it for the first six tracks and then by Track 7, I thought I was going to be sick (in the best possible way). Had a few stops and starts during that track, but with Shelley's encouragement beside me, I was able to bring it home strong (and Shelley missed out on me giving her a complimentary dial turn!)

We had a great morning tea at the Vietnamese deli and got onto having a really interesting conversation about the point at which there is absolutely no benefit to cleaning up your eating more than you already have. I have to admit that when it comes to eating, my tastebuds absolutely rule - I am pretty adventurous in trying new things but if I don't like it, I simply won't eat it. My latest case in point - Vital Greens. A Greens supplement is a strong recommendation in the Precision Nutrition plan - I think the premise behind the supplementation is strong, but when it comes to application of the premise, I am just not there - WHY - because I can't stand the taste of Vital Greens. The dread factor in chugging down a drink with this puppy in it is high.

For me, I need to weigh up the risk/benefit with the Vital Greens - is my performance whilst taking it any better than when I am not taking it? How long do I need to take it for to determine the difference? I don't believe I have taken it long enough to notice a difference but then again I make a conscious effort to get in lots of veggies during the day and usually always have vegetable juice in the mornings. At this point I don't think trying to get past the taste is going to make me any healthier than I already am.

On the supplement side, I'm a bit of a zealot with what I will and won't take. When I was practising pharmacy, I got into evidence based complementary medicines, that is looking at naturopathic/herbal supplements and finding supported (and replicable ) studies that support their efficacy. If it has an effect on the body, positive or negative, it becomes a drug - interesting stuff (and many prescription drugs are derived from plants which is why I have a cackle when someone tells me they only take "natural" stuff) . I'm really interested in the idea of nutrition playing a supporting role in medicine. I take very few supplements and try to get most of my nutrition from food, though in order to get in good fats, I try to remember to take my fish oil.

We also talked about eating plans that take out major food groups on the grounds of "health". I think that as soon as whole food groups or macronutrients start disappearing from eating plans, said plan has morphed into a diet, and diets suck out the enjoyment of eating! Unless you are lactose intolerant, why completely eliminate dairy products? This doesn't mean licence to eat cottage cheese topped with yoghurt for every meal, but losing my yoghurt, cucumber and tomato salad that accompanies my tandoori chicken tonight in the interest of "health" takes away the inherent pleasures that the right accompaniments bring!

To me the notion of being in "good health" means having a healthy sense of balance between the ying and the yang so to speak - being overly obsessive about healthy is just as unbalanced as not giving a damn. It's all about finding the middle ground, not always sexy, but constant :)

What does "good health" mean to you?

Food Intake - for Jacque

In my last post Jacque left a comment about seeing what I eat on a daily basis for inspiration. I think my choices today reflect what a busy woman on the run (who didn't pack an esky today) eats - probably not "perfect" but the basics are there - protein with each meal, good fats, plenty of vegetables, starchy carb post workout etc etc.
Breakfast:
oats, whey and skim milk, V8 Veggie juice, Sydney Breakfast Tea
Workout:
RPM - Caned it :) 750ml water
Post Workout:
Vietnamese Prawn Rice Paper Rolls (3) with Shelley
Lunch:
Chicken Tandoori Salad from Sumo Salad with 1/2 serve of dressing, 1 small bottle Pepsi Max
Snack:
Leftover Smoked Salmon and an apple, green tea, water
Dinner
Tandoori Chicken, salad - tomato, cucumber, coriander and yoghurt, eggplant relish, saffron rice.
(I have an Indian friend who often does my RPM classes and she kindly made me a beautiful Indian meal).

one workout stronger

Today I passed another little milestone, I went on the elliptical for the first time since the surgery and surprisingly I felt fine. I only went at Level 5 and for five minutes, but the most important thing is that I did it! I also walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes at 6.3 km/hr - hard to believe that I was struggling doing 4.8km/hr two-three weeks ago.

I also saw the physio again and had my C6/C7/T1 vertebrae thoroughly mobilized as well as some pretty painful infraspinatus release. Ouch! The vertebrae mobilization seems to be really improving the shoulder range of motion which is a plus.

Hmm what else? Tomorrow Shelley and I are getting together and doing John's RPM class and I think Leesa is also going to join us. How is John going to cope with three female instructors in a row staring him down? I think he's going to love it :). We're going to follow up by going to Phuc Viet (Vietnamese Deli Cafe) afterwards and having some prawn rice paper rolls. It's really fun being able to participate together and push each other. The best part about today is that I don't have any ill effects from attempting to cane Monday's class. Once I get on that bike, I really want to feel that pedal stroke and put the resistance up. It actually feels uncomfortable riding with little resistance.

I'm tired tonight - time to go and watch Gordon Ramsay flame someone in one of his kitchens!

Game On!

Don't you just love the T-shirt Shelley got me from Vegas, baby, Vegas! Maybe that's one to wear it out to my next 'do at the Inlaws, who I don't think have noticed the increase in size of my beautiful chest yet. Yes, indeedy, I do love this shirt - just hilarious:) Miss Shelley and I met up today and did RPM together this morning and today's effort was definitely the best yet. I was able to catch up with all of my participants and show them my belly (I have had a "flat day" today) . I'm getting stronger and stronger with each ride - it's so exciting. We have another RPM "date" on Wednesday, followed by lunch - can't wait :) It's fun being able to participate together. Go and visit her blog, because she's the big bad Birthday girl today.

In the interests of nutting out more about Biosignature, we did each other's skinfolds after the class and Shelley took some photos of me. We have "coach" and "non coach" talk - firstly it was non coach talk:

"I can't believe my butt is sooo flabby" which I then had to change into "coach" talk - "this is my starting platform on my journey to get strong and kickbutt again!". aah, even coaches have their insecurities!

Did a big cook up tonight and made my own sushi rolls for dinner tonight which were very popular with the family and made chicken korma curry in my slow cooker, though you could easily do it in a casserole dish.

Chicken Korma:
2 big heaped tablespoons of Patak's Korma Paste
700g chicken breast, diced
1 big onion, chopped
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 -1/2 bag baby spinach
200-300g Natural Yoghurt.

Serves 6. Cook onion in a bit of water then dump everything in a casserole dish or slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 3 -4 hours.

Stats: 209.0 cals, 6.8g fat, 29.6g protein, 8.9g carbs Add a bit of rice to this dish and you have a terrific meal that not only tastes darn good but is also good for you

Friday

Am pleased to say that I was able to participate in another RPM class today and was a little bit better than I was on Wednesday. It's actually good checking out other instructor's classes - without "being under the pump" so to speak, you can evaluate their performance and your performance against theirs and take away both good and not so good experiences and hopefully roll the really good bits into your own teaching.

My weakness is definitely during the standing climbs and transition through to the seated position but I'm sure after another few weeks, I will iron this issue out.

On the whole recovery front, the chest is looking fantastic and the tummy is also looking a lot better and less swollen. It does tend to get swollen and hard at night, particularly after exercise, so I am just slipping into my compression garment and drinking plenty of water. The swelling I am sure is contributing to my weight gain. Three days of eating with more focus but no scale joy yet, that will come - failure cannot handle persistence :) I am happy with how the scar is healing.

My shoulder has improved a lot with the physio, but is still causing a bit of grief. My physio feels like there is more going on in there than should be, so I am booked in to see a Sports Doc up here and have also booked an ultrasound.

The RPM Milestone!

I reached a little milestone today - I participated in my first RPM class since before surgery! I was nervous and apprehensive before the class - would I be able to make it through the entire class, and I'm happy to say that I did (just!). I had to modify a few things - my transitions from standing to sitting were a bit nervous, but the best thing was that I was able to whack on a decent amount of load from the get go and even though I could feel my core working it didn't hurt. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm pretty unfit, but it's onward and upwards from here!

I also got a nasty little scale surprise this morning - seems like I have picked up a bit of weight over the past few weeks (2.5kg), so it's time to put that paddle in and start logging my food and being a bit more particular about my eating. The exercise side of things for me remains a huge privilege, so keeping my intake really clean is the best thing - even with plenty of exercise, you simply cannot outtrain an atrocious diet. Sadly the evening indulgence of Lindor balls will be disappearing for awhile.

My scale increase got me thinking about how people cope when they gain weight - some get all or nothing over it and other people pretend that it's not happening. After feeling a bit pissy about it, and formulating a quick plan of attack, I'm rather looking forward to tightening everything up again - perfect opportunity to come back fit and really fabulous!

treadmill slayer

Yeah, that's me, now slaying the treadmill at 6.0km/hr! I'm really pleased as it was only two short weeks ago I was struggling to do 4.5km/hr! After my stint on the treadmill I went into the RPM room and did Tracks One and Two. Needless to say I probably sounded like a seal with a snorkel after that little effort. Wow, have I lost fitness...BUT..I know what I need to do to get it back.

Tomorrow I will be participating in my first full RPM class. I will just do what I can manage and take it easy for the rest of the class - each workout is one step closer back to my previous level of fitness.

I saw the physio today and the shoulder is improving in leaps and bounds. I am due to start pilates in a few weeks and I may also get in the pool if I have time.

I have also made the decision to do some face to face training and nutrition work (I am also stitching up my PN licence) and will be based at Fitness First at Indooroopilly. It provides me with a "base" to work from and I'm looking forward to freeing other people from food jail.

What you may see on a comp prep eating plan from me?

I get heaps of questions, does a comp prep diet have to be hard? Be restrictive?

Here's what a fairly typical day could be like for one of my competitors.

Breakfast:
35g oats, 1 scoop whey protein, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 tablespoon sultanas, 1/2 banana

Snack:(post workout)
Crunchola 20g, Protein Crunch 1 scoop, 200g low sugar yoghurt, 100g raspberries

Lunch:
Turkey and Cranberry Salad with mixed leaves, cranberry sauce, carrot, tomato,cucumber

Snack:
Chilli Tuna Coleslaw - 2 tins of light flavoured tuna, 1 tbsp Sweet Chilli sauce, 1/2 packet of dry coleslaw mix

Dinner:
Beef/bacon red wine casserole with broccoli

Post Dinner Snack
1 tablespoon peanut butter, 2 tablespoons cottage cheese, 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder (mix together for a delectable gooey treat)

This day clocks in at 1495 calories 20 % fat, 42% protein 38% carb

Who said competitors had to live on tuna, protein shakes and lettuce leaves?

end of week wrap up

Wow, it's been a long week and not much blogging going on in my corner of the Universe. Things on the fitness front have been progressing, albeit slowly. I am up to walking on the treadmill at 5.6km/hr and yesterday I went into the RPM room and did a Track 2 by myself - I was huffing and puffing by the end of it - I have really lost quite a bit of fitness. The plan is now to attend RPM three times a week and sit up the back of class and do what feels good and ditch the rest. I estimate it will probably take about six weeks before I feel ready to teach again, but we will see.

Have had two shoulder treatments this week and am achieving much better range of motion. Still have to book in for MRI scan though! I have high hopes of being able to start training with weights again in 4 weeks.

It is amazing how much condition one can lose when you don't consistently exercise - I feel flabby and weak now, but know in the fullness of time, this will be a distant memory. I think achieving a fit body is akin to a small miracle unfolding - it is exciting to progress and get better and better.

Seems like I am PMSing with everyone else in blogland right now - had an unusually large sugar hit yesterday which has seen me pay for my indiscretions with an upset tummy and hangover type headache this morning. Sometimes an ugly eating episode can make you feel so glad you eat well the rest of the time. I feel ordinary now, but in another 48 hours I will be back to my old self. It takes three days to detox from a sugar blowout. I'm sitting here sipping a post dinner peppermint tea - I enjoyed grilled salmon and veggies - a favourite here.

Day Five, Day Six - One Workout Better

Day Five: "training" involved a walk around the block with my two girls doing a bit of "sightseeing".
Day Six: Shannon and I decided to meet up for coffee and chat and I made sure that I whipped into Fitness First and put in 25 minutes on the treadmill. I started off at 5.4km/hr but had to drop to 5km/hr. I am officially the "Treadmill Slayer" - over 5k/hr goal achieved! I had a ball catching up with Miss Shannon. After hubs picked me up we went looking at display villages for new house ideas and I did a lot of walking and going up and down stairs - definitely an active day had by all.
Eating: Have eaten really consistently all day :)

Thoughts about today: The hardest thing coming back from injury or illness is comparing your current self to your pre injury self - this happens to me all the time in the fitness arena. What has really hit home to me is to focus on celebrating the now and the milestones that you achieve in the current journey. Rather than thinking of myself teaching RPM HiPerformance, I am celebrating that I am one step further into my recovery and fitness than I was yesterday - after all, today I made my "treadmill slayer" goal. I had been thinking about when I would next compete, my next marathon, my next adventure race and realized that I had been thinking too big. It is just too much to think of right now - the same feeling I had when I was looking down the barrel of losing 30 odd kilos. It is amazing, however, how much progress you make when you break things into smaller chunks. Tomorrow I see the physio - I have a little less pain in the shoulder now, so things are looking positive there - still a long way to go, but yes, I am one workout better than I was yesterday.

Day Four -Fighting Back by Eating Well

Training today: incidental exercise around the house
Eating: oats, whey, veggie juice, milk, Sydney Breakfast tea
Meal 2: slim secrets bar and small banana
Meal 3: balsamic tuna salad - 2-3 cups mesclun leaves, cherry tomatoes, slice cheese, carrot, cucumber, tuna with 4 star balsamic vinegar. 1 slice Burgen pumpkin seed bread. bunch of grilled asparagus
Meal 4: 170g Dairy Farmers light yoghurt with1/3 scoop whey, 2 cups steamed veggies with cottage cheese
Meal 5: left over risotto and greens
Meal 6: ?

Am not as swollen today but not thrilled by the prospect of the exercise making the swelling worse. Tomorrow's plan is to hop on the spin bike and work those legs again. I knew the TT recovery would take awhile, but when you're actually doing the recovery, it seems like time is moving too slowly for my liking - yet I'm running out of time everywhere else in my life right now. Too weird.

In other news, I've been amazed by the influence of the blogging world. A few weeks ago, folks from Powerade contacted me, asking me if I would like to try their new sports drinks (pre exercise with caffeine, regular powerade and a recovery Powerade with protein) gratis. I took them up on the offer and sure enough a box of Powerade is gracing my desk right now. I'm looking forward to trying it when I'm training hard enough to warrant a sports drink.

Day 3 Back to Base and they call it "Swell Hell"

Today's training: 25 minute walk outdoors. Today I felt like I could walk a bit faster and I enjoyed being outside in the fresh air.
Eating:
Oats, Whey, tomato juice, skim
Stuffed Mushrooms x 2
Turkey,cranberry, tomato melt on Burgen bread
Stuffed Mushroom, half cup Special K (felt like something crunchy)
Risotto with chicken breast, mushrooms and steamed greens
Apple with smudge of cottage cheese.

Despite the exercise, I've been on a real downer today - the cause - what they refer to on plastic surgery forums as "Swell Hell" has set in. My poor old belly is very very swollen today. Apparently this can happen when one begins to exercise, though I don't really count going for a 25 minute amble, barely breaking a sweat, exercise. I certainly hope that lots of mushrooms help!

I am happy to announce however that I purchased my very first T Shirt bra in a 12 C. I remember trying on one in a 10 A and being embarrassed that I couldn't fill the darn thing as I think they give boobs a nice shape. I may think I look massive, but the mirror distorts the true image of your body. Taking a photo is way more honest - made sure I have the spin bike in the background for good measure.

Balsamic Tuna Stuffed Mushrooms

Balsamic Tuna Stuffed Mushrooms - Protein Packed Appetizers!

2 tins Greenseas Capsicum and Tuna 98% FF
250g Low fat cottage cheese
50 g grated reduced fat tasty cheese
10g Sharp parmesan, grated
3 shallots, finely chopped
4 star balsamic vinegar
9 large mushrooms

Drizzle mushrooms with balsamic and then fill with mixture of cottage, tuna, shallots. Top with cheeses and drizzle with balsamic again. Cook in 180 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

These little babies are really filling - 80 cals 2.7g fat, 10g protein and 4.2 g carbohydrate

Back to Base Day Two

Training today: Spin bike - moderate pace, easy to moderate load 15 minutes.
Walking around Uni of Qld and through Indooroopilly 20minutes.

Training Notes: Enjoyed the bike - felt the beginnings of a small glisten of sweat and felt like I could turn up the resistance further. Toyed with the idea of trying a standing climb but told my inner wild child to calm down a bit. Riding the bike felt really good, my core feels really strong and I almost fell into a trance like state as I got into a steady rhythm. As my physio is at UQ, I had a nice long walk from the Athletics Oval and up to the Biology Refec, which is very different from my University days. I always love being over at the Uni and have hopes of doing my Masters in Exercise Physiology one day.

Injury Update and Notes: Saw my physio, Louise, who seems to think that most of my pain is being referred from my tight thoracic spine and rib cage - a common problem in people with a lordotic posture (me!) - there is inflammation in the shoulder capsule, but we are going to treat the spine and see if the shoulder comes into line. After some pretty heavy joint mobilization, I was getting much better range through both a front raise and a full lateral raise, so I am cautiously optimistic. I may still have an MRI just to be sure.

Feelings: Have been feeling rather despondent about my majorly swollen belly and trying to fend off the "I feel fat" thoughts that have been creeping in. I find the best way of dealing with unhelpful feelings and thoughts is the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy style approach - basically proving the inaccuracy of such thoughts and feelings. In the case of "I feel fat", which we all know is not a feeling, I recommitted to eating well today - in my situation, if I'm eating really well, logic tells me that I cannot be overweight.

Food today: Not logged. Unless I need to do some uphill paddling, I don't log my intake too much these days. There is little point in me counting calories, the focus is on my healing and return to health. I am simply eating what I need to be satisfied and eating what is good for me.

Here's what I ate today:
Oats, Whey protein, tomato juice, 1/2 serve vital greens, skim milk, ice,
2 cups mixed veggies and cottage cheese melted on top
Sumo Salad - Thai Beef and a bite of bread roll
Bio Dynamic Yoghurt with raspberries, 1/2 wheyprotein shake
Mushrooms stuffed with tuna, cottage cheese, balsamic and capsicum finished with Parmesan.
Roasted Lemon Thyme Free Range Chicken
Small quantity of mashed spuds (prepped low fat), 2-3 cups of cauli, broccoli and carrots
2 squares Lindt chocolate.
2 Cups Sydney Breakfast tea with dash of milk
water!

It's all about me - back to "base" Day One!

Today I went one step further towards reclaiming my "normal" life with my first workout at the gym. I was actually pretty nervous, believe it or not, about what I would actually be able to do there. My goal is over the next six weeks is to return to a level of movement where I can start building a solid aerobic and strength base - around week 12 -13 post surgery. I have also decided to spring clean my eating and focus on some new dishes. I am taking this time to recharge and focus on myself, hence the title.

Today's training:
20 minute walk on the treadmill at 4.8km/hr (don't laugh, I tried 5km/hr and my belly didn't like it one little bit)
Shoulder/thoracic release tennis ball therapy
Pilates:
TVA /pelvic floor activation 16 full breaths
Telescope x 2
Side Lying Clams 1 x 8

I finished the workout feeling like I could do a lot more and decided that if I am finishing these rehab style workouts like this, then my progression is appropriate.

Eating:
Not dreadfully consistent at all today. Started off OK but was invited out to lunch and had little control over the menu. Dinner - Latina Pasta that has been sitting in the fridge for ages and expires tomorrow.
Breakfast:
Tomato juice
Oats, whey protein powder, skim milk
M2: Slim Secrets plus small banana
Lunch: small serving of Peking Duck, small serving Calamari, Pad Thai with prawns - ate slowly and stopped when full (about 1/3 of the serving)
Dinner: 1/2 a regular serving size of Latina Pasta and sauce - it's amazing that when you eat slowly and listen to your body you don't need as much as you think.

Needless to say I have a lot of veggies planned in tomorrow's menu. I ended the day feeling frustrated that my clean eating plans got waylaid, but in the whole scheme of things it is just one day. The secret is focusing on putting those good days together and creating some positive energy.

In other news, I'm off to the physio again for my shoulder. I have been having problems with my rotator cuff, pec minor and a tight thoracic spine (all common in someone with a lordotic posture such as yours truly). As rest has not improved it and physio hasn't been super helpful, I'm thinking of sending myself off for an MRI to make sure I haven't got a tear. There's one thing that really rattles me and that is carrying an injury. So fingers crossed I will get some good news tomorrow.

Tools for Success and Self Motivation

I thought I would post a few ideas that work well for me in regards to eating well. I often get told that "I eat well no matter what". For the most part, I do eat well, but like everyone else in the universe I will occasionally overeat for a multitude of reasons eg the food tasted so good etc etc.

But after the comp is over or the transformation is complete what steps can you take to make sure that you are actually living a lifestyle and not a diet? First of all check that the way you are eating is not similar to a diet.

Being really rigid about food choices and keeping a list of "SAFE FOODS" - diet mentality.
Seeking perfection - DIET MENTALITY
Being open to trying different foods and experimenting with what works for your body - LIFESTYLE mentality.
Going with the FLOW but being CONSISTENT overall - LIFESTYLE MENTALITY.

What helps me maintain a good LIFESTYLE:
1) Eating for flavour/taste. I recommend eating similar amounts of carb and protein with each feeding for most people, but the other evening, I craved risotto. So I made the risotto per the recipe which was mostly carbohydrate, but then decided to add some poached chicken breast to the end result which was delicious. The ratio of carb to protein was definitely not EXACT or PERFECT, but the end result was CONSISTENT - always a bit of carb/bit of protein. Next meal was heavier in protein and lower in carb - at the end of the day - JUST RIGHT.
2)As outlined above, CONSISTENCY, NOT PERFECTION. One or two off the plan meals won't make any difference, competing or not - if this were the case, then there would be no hope for any of us in maintaining or achieving a lean physique.
3) Acceptance of where you are and intuition. Knowledge is power - if you know you're going to experience a few eating wobbles whilst things smooth out, then they are less frightening than if you're back into the gym and clean eating with your teeth clenched and eyeballs popping, lest you make a "mistake". Be intuitive about what you want. If you're craving an English Muffin with honey, don't eat your way around it - have what you want and balance out the next meal.
4) Eat slowly and eat sitting down - no fail strategies here!

Knowing WHY you want to live lean and love life is always at the cornerstone of a good transformation plan. Having this internal motivation will keep you going when external motivation fades (except for a humungous leverage). Internal motivation, when properly encouraged is never going to leave you. You're no different on the post comp side of the fence as you are on the pre comp .Be prepared to be consistent, no matter what. Failure cannot handle persistence. In other words, if you stumble, keep going anyway.

Keep working towards a LIFESTYLE frame of mind. You will fit and free!

All up to me now

I went for my checkup to the surgeon today and he has given me the all clear to resume light training. I have never been so excited at the prospect of walking on a treadmill in my life! I can't wait to get back to full strength!