So it’s week two and it feels like centuries since I smelled a chocolate brownie.
The food preparation is a pain but it’s clearly worth it. Once I carry the slightly smelly portions into work, I know I won’t have any risk factors of buying processed versions of what I need to eat to ensure my body repairs and removes this spare tyre.
I have been using Reflex Nutrition supplements ranging from a post-workout whey shake, to Omega 3 and Vitamin D tablets. I don’t know if it’s my body absorbing all the goodness, or just being thankful it’s not Brussels sprouts, but I am feeling less sluggish.
Generally everyone around me is being supportive, my girlfriend is motivating me by saying she won’t be the only one looking good on the beach this year. She says this whilst tucking in to some pasta and trying her best not to rub it in.
Push it to the limit
The sessions are not getting easier. My body is learning and adapting but still not repairing quick enough. Trainer Matt says it’s my sedentary lifestyle before this challenge and a good few years of a poor diet. He’s undoubtedly right but I push myself to my absolute limit and he still doesn’t look pleased. He tells me we are not here to be friends. He says If I want to, I can happily pay him to sit round my house and watch me become obese.
Harsh right? But it’s actually great motivation, and I love the challenge of getting all the reps done, or seeing him change a weight higher because he misjudged my capacity. The UP Fitness gym is technically advanced but to the untrained eye, it looks like a standard set up with an odd ‘track’ running down the centre and Santa’s sled left in the middle.
But Santa’s sled isn’t bringing gifts, it brings pain. They load this beast up with what seems like an easily portable weight and you sprint this down the track and back, that’s one rep. I watched a young woman before me push a much heavier version, and she made it look easy. But I could barely get a good pace going, and when I did, my legs would give way and I ended up worming my way to the finish line on my knees, struggling for every step. Embarrassing to say the least. I hate this sled and I doubt I will ever like it. One-hour sessions seem to last a lifetime at this stage.
On to the positive: even after just two weeks I am seeing a reduction in that tight T-shirt feeling across my belly, and a a few compliments from colleagues. Matt explains this is my body reacting to the no-carb, no-sugar lifestyle I now live. Everything is tailored to be beneficial, from the timings of my meals to the portions of protein – even my bedtime!
So I’m feeling sore and a bit sleepy from no carbs but seeing a genuine difference in my body is keeping me positive. Roll on week three!
