Cycle 3 results!

Well, I did it!  I finally submitted my end results after the 90 day SSS plan.

I never really felt like I had an "end" to the plan as I had a week away in my final week (a month ago now) where I knew I would be eating what I wanted as I don't often get to enjoy my favourite restaurants back in Glasgow!  I therefore took my measurements, final photos and weight the Tuesday before we left for the wedding.  When we got back from Glasgow, I had put on 5 lbs (although I think this was possibly also water weight or something as it dropped by 2 lbs the next day!).

I thought I'd carry on to do 100 days on the plan, adding 10 more days when we got back to make up for it and get a great final result.  (I'd lost 20 lbs in 80 days but 21 lbs would be 1.5 stone exactly!)  Losing that last pound (or possibly more) would have been easy if we'd been at home and I'd given that final week my all in the last push but when we got back, I didn't quite have my heart fully in it any more.  With my parents visiting from abroad, trips out and also feeling rubbish for a week, I skipped workouts and followed the food approx 75% of the time.  I slowly lost the lbs again but after the 10 days I was a bit bloated and didn't feel like I'd done that "final push" to get my best result so I carried on as I was for a bit longer and until my bloating went down but I haven't worked out properly for a couple of weeks now!  (Which may explain my tiredness returning but I have been extremely busy organising my and Nik's parents' Ruby Wedding party!)

Anyway, last weekend, I felt good again so I re-did my measurements and photos.  My measurements were about the same but I still think the photos from before I went to Glasgow show a better result though so I'm sharing the best ones below!  In the front and side view, these were my 80 day results.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my results!  It took a LOT of effort but it was so worth it!  Not only that but I've just been contacted by the transformations team again, for the third time!  :)  I was featured on Joe's social media after cycle 2 so we'll see if I get featured again this time :D

So you can see that I lost 9kg (20 lbs) and 19.5" overall.  4.5" off both my waist and hips!

And as for the before & after photos:

I am delighted!  Such a difference in 3 months, so worth all the hard work and I feel great!

Looking at them now, even my posture is better - my shoulders are less rounded and I'm standing up straighter.  I have much less back pain now too, something I suffered badly with in the latter stages of twin pregnancy and for many months after the birth.

You can see I've still got a little hang over on my belly but to be honest, I never even thought it would shrink as much as this ever again!  You can now see my bikini bottoms again without my belly hanging down over the top!  It's obviously never going to be as it was before two babies made it home together and has a new wobbly quality.  Even more so since it shrank and got more wrinkly and squishy with the stretch marks but Priya loves to play with my belly, sticking her finger in my belly button and laughing when I squeal so I really don't care too much now that I'm healthier and fitter and my clothes fit again.

So, now I'm on my own.  I've received my "graduation report" from Joe's team and it outlines the proportions and weights of each food group I should be eating (if I want to continue losing body fat, which I chose as opposed to advice for bulking up or sustaining when you finish) with a reminder to not become obsessed and still enjoy food as well as advice on working out.  I am SO glad I signed up to this plan!

I plan to keep up both the weights and HIIT (since having a break I've noticed a difference in my energy already although I have been extremely busy!) but I'm thinking I'll do 4 HIITs per week and do the weight training over 2 weeks so 2 weight training days per week which will incorporate the HIIT so I have 3 rest days each week as I have been doing.  I think I'll keep doing monthly updates on my fitness to keep me accountable and motivated.  I would like to lose a bit more fat from my hips and thighs.

Rest Day Recipe inspiration for Cycle 2 and 3 - weight loss by Bex

So as part of Cycle 2 of my 90 day plan from The Body Coach, I was given a list of the foods I am allowed on a rest day or a training day and specific quantities.  Those are tailored as part of the plan according to my assessment form and therefore not for sharing.  The following recipes are just to inspire you if you're also on the plan and need ideas for what to make from the food lists, they don't contain quantities as they are different for everyone.

Of course, if you're not on the plan and you fancy trying them, just make up the quantities!

So, on rest days in cycle 2 we have very low carbs, high protein and high healthy fats.  Here are my favourite recipes for rest days using my list of suggested foods.  We choose one (or 2 for veg) from each group - cooking fat, protein, extra fat source, 2 veg, greens, spices (this is freer as they have no effect on the macros) and side sauce.

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake - I was sent a recipe for this from Joe but I've adapted it to suit my tastes more.

Ingredients:
Coconut Oil
Chicken
Mozzarella
Mushrooms
Onions
Broccoli
Salt & Pepper
Cottage Cheese
Chilli Flakes (optional)

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chicken until browned, in the same pan and oil, cook the mushrooms & onions.  Steam the broccoli until just cooked.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cooked chicken, broccoli, mushrooms & onions with the cottage cheese, half the mozzarella, a little salt & pepper and chilli flakes if you wish.  Tip into a baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven until golden and bubbling on top. 

Cheesy Mustard Chicken with peppers - this reminds me of a delicious cheesy sauce I once had in a restaurant which is lovely with potatoes.  Sadly I'm not allowed potatoes and cheese on the same day so I have this with my broccoli on the side.  The best thing about this is when it's freshly cooked in the pan, it's a gooey, cheesy, stringy mess - the closest thing to a pizza minus the carbs.  When it's reheated - it's much more saucy.  If I fancy having different veg in it, I make a bigger batch and use alternative veg for one of the measurements so I can have onions and peppers and mushrooms and more mushrooms.  It's a great one pan, quick rest day meal.

Coconut Oil
Chicken
Mozzarella
Mushrooms
Onions (red or white)
Peppers
1 tsp Mustard
Sour Cream
Broccoli

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Cook the onion & peppers and then add the chicken, when the chicken is almost cooked, add the mushrooms.  When chicken & mushrooms are cooked through, remove from the heat and add the mustard, cheese & sour cream.  Stir as the cheese melts.  Serve with steamed broccoli.

It also makes a good sauce for steak, just leave out the chicken and spread it over a lovely grilled steak instead:

Chicken Strogannoff

Coconut oil

Chicken breast

Onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed/chopped

Mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp Paprika

1 tbsp Thyme

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Black Pepper

low fat sour cream

1 chicken stock cube in 100mls water

Broccoli

Steak or Chicken Thai Curry

Coconut oil

Sirloin steak OR Chicken/Turkey breast

Aubergine

Onion

Thai curry paste

Low fat coconut milk

Fage yoghurt (?keep some for pud)

Sugar snaps/mange tout

Cashews

OR

Cheddar for pud

In a large frying pan, fry your meat in the coconut oil with some seasoning until cooked, remove from pan. Using the same oil, fry the onion until soft, add the aubergine and cook for about 5 mins before adding the curry paste, fry for 2 mins then add coconut milk and sugar snaps/mange tout. Add the meat back into the pan. Stir through your yoghurt for extra creaminess and serve.

Prawn & Pea Curry

Coconut oil
Onions
Chopped garlic
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
Tinned chopped tomatoes
Tomato puree
Stock cube in 150 mls water
Salt & pepper to taste
Prawns
Peas (approved by coach just a few times per week)
Yoghurt

Fry the onions in the coconut oil until soft, add 1 clove garlic and then spices, fry gently then add tomatoes, stock and tomato puree, bring to the boil and reduce to simmer, season to taste. Add the prawns and peas and cook until prawns turn pink through. Remove from heat and stir through yoghurt.

Add extra fat as preferred - I had cheese as a dessert. You could also have nuts in the curry or after.

(Serve with rice on a training day and adjust quantities as needed.)

Thai Salmon with crunchy seeds - another really easy one with minimal prep.

Salmon fillet
Thai curry paste
Seeds (I used a combi of pine nuts and sesame seeds)
Broccoli
Coconut/Olive Oil
Garlic
Lemon Juice

Preheat the oven to 180oC.
Place the salmon in an oven proof dish, top with curry paste and seeds. Bake in oven for 15-20 mins.
Microwave broccoli until cooked.  Fry the garlic in the oil and throw in the broccoli, tossing to coat.  Cook for 2-3 mins and serve with the salmon.  I can't remember what I did with my other veg allowance - I might have had a salad!

As for ALL of the greens, I love broccoli so mostly ate that as my green option but even so, it still got a bit dull so I had a couple of ideas to change it up a bit. Broccoli soup was awesome for when I didn't fancy a big pile of broccoli, particularly at breakfast or with my sausage bap. Simple to batch cook and freeze in pouches to take to work too.

I also LOVE broccoli fried in garlic. Steam it first in the microwave and then quickly saute it with some chopped garlic (I use frozen) and a little oil. Delish! (If I'd already used my cooking fat allowance for something else I just dry fried it with the garlic being careful not to burn it. It was still nice.

Broccoli Soup

Whatever your portion of greens is, multiply by however many you wish. I did a batch of 8.

8 x Broccoli, chopped
1.5L Chicken or veg stock
Salt & pepper to taste
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Add the broccoli, stock, chilli flakes and seasoning to a large pan and bring to the boil.  Simmer until broccoli is cooked through (appx 8 mins) and blend to your preferred consistency.


From what I could tell from the unofficial pages on Facebook, a lot of people had trouble thinking of breakfast recipes but as I don't mind having leftovers or random things for breakfast, I didn't mind eating anything.


Smoked Salmon with Avocado/Mozzarella Salad or Scrambled Eggs

Smoked salmon
Avocado or Mozzarella or Seeds (fat source) or divide and split them to have a mixture
Peppers (1/2 allowance)
Tomatoes
Red Onion (1/2 allowance)
Lemon Juice
Capers (unauthorised!!)
Salt & Pepper
Lemon Olive Oil

Mix everything together and dress with oil and lemon.  Serve with broccoli soup (see above).

Alternatively I'd have the salmon with scrambled eggs as the fat source and salad on the side.

90 Day SSS Plan - Cycle 3

I should have been finished cycle 3 on Saturday but I have chosen to extend it for 10 days (making it a 100 day plan rather than 90) to make up for the very naughty few days I had in Scotland - food, food, wine, food and NO workouts!  I did pack my weights but they never made it out of the roof box!

Cycle 3 has been HARD.  Not least because of our little holiday up north but also many other reasons.  Kalyan has been rather difficult these last few weeks, MAJOR tantrums (I suspect and hope it's teething related) meaning little rest, interrupted sleep, interrupted workouts and little to no food prep getting done.  I was FED UP!  I actually had a couple of meltdowns myself, one morning we were out wandering the village before 8am, none of us had eaten (they refused) and I was in floods of tears.  I just had to bundle them, semi-dressed, into the buggy and get out.  My amazing friend Holly, came to my rescue when I rang her for a chat, bless her - she bundled her 3 kids into her car and drove from the next village to find me and give me hug!  Just what I needed and then we made plans for later on after she got her twins to pre-school.  Another morning left me feeling useless and utterly exhausted by 9am so I managed to get us all (twins still in bibs and no socks on) out of the house again to pop-in where I pushed them into the hall, sat down and left them crying in the buggy while the lovely Lynda and Jane tried to comfort me (which set me off into floods again) and reassure me that they'd all been through the same thing.  Rose and her son took over trying to calm the twins while I had a mini breather before K eventually calmed down and P followed suit.  It's times like these I'm glad I have some amazing people nearby to go to since I have no family near.

I'll admit, until now I've loved the plan, I've been lucky that until recently, the twins had been sleeping really well and been mostly good-tempered and I always managed my workouts before they woke.  But a few days into cycle 3 I had had enough.  All of the weighing of every little thing was getting to me.  Tomato puree should be squeezed randomly into a bolognaise not carefully measured to the gram and don't get me started on the eggs!  I've had way fewer eggs this cycle as I just couldn't be bothered weighing out whole eggs and then my egg white portion just to make some scrambled eggs.  It was all just too much and I was getting irritable with it all.  The workouts are super hard with 150+ reps of 2 different exercises interspersed with HIITs.  I stuck at it though and mainly stuck to the food (until Glasgow) but had to abandon two workouts mid-way through due to K waking early and I missed a couple entirely due to a horrible virus.

I tried to catch up in the hotel gym when I had to go to Bristol for work but then we left for Scotland, an amazing wedding and a few days in my favourite old city with many favourite eateries to enjoy.  I wasn't going to miss out on such a rarity as getting to indulge in steak, Bread Meats Bread's awesome burgers (and a milkshake and poutine!) or some proper, fresh sushi or delicious fusion tapas.  Living down here in the country means our eating out is rather limited to (albeit lovely) pubs or Italian restaurants - there's just no variety like in Glasgow.  I also treated myself to a Krispy Kreme (Biscoff flavour, yum!), pate, moule frites, an ice cream...  I enjoyed my plan break shall we say!

Priya eating her chicken teriyaki in an altogether MUCH neater way than her brother!
(See below!)

Face out of focus but too good an expression with his first burger not to share!

Drinking the last of his ice-cream after tapas.  A trick his Granny taught him!!! 

Glasgow was a much needed change and a rest from the plan.  Sadly it coincided with my final week on plan so when I would have normally been giving a final push of effort to get a great final result, I was dong the opposite.  However, it has left me feeling motivated again (especially after an unsurprising 5lb gain in a week!) and back on the plan properly for a few more days.  I had managed to lose a total of 20 lbs (9kg) on the plan (I measured just before we left) and a fantastic 16.5" so hopefully I can continue and meet my goal of losing 2 stone in the next couple of months.  As it is, I've already lost 2 stone since July last year so I'm pretty thrilled with that!

After I've finished the plan, I hope to stick to the main principles but relaxing on the measuring.  I will be sensible, have many new recipes to draw on and will stick to the portions of exercise I enjoyed (cycle 2 was great for me with the weights but when life gets tough, I'll just get in my HIIT sessions which are so much shorter!)

Having had over a week without working out it's been tough to get back into it.  I finally forced myself today after a rest day back on plan food yesterday and I'm glad it's done.  I'll hopefully get back into my usual routine again now.  

Cycle 2 results - 90 day SSS by Bex

So, Cycle 2 - I've actually really enjoyed this cycle, even more than Cycle 1.  I found the food so much easier and hardly prepped at all in advance.  I started to remember the quantities of which foods I could have since I mostly stuck to the same ones as I had a few recipes I particularly enjoyed with a bit of variety.  I have started writing a post on my recipes for anyone who's looking for ideas!

I was so worried about the longer workouts (more than double the time in Cycle 1) but have loved catching up with my Netflix series while doing my weights.  It hasn't been easy by any means though.  I have definitely felt more tired on this cycle, maybe as I have to get up even earlier, maybe as I'm having more carbs and feeling sluggish as a result but I haven't had as much energy generally.  Nik has taken up more slack at weekends, feeding the twins and getting them sorted in the morning when I couldn't bare getting up at 5:50am on Saturdays so ended up working out while everyone else was getting up.  (Thanks hubs!)

I haven't missed a single workout though and have again been pretty good at sticking to the food on plan.  I have to admit though I have had more cheats this time, not least because we had a Baking Club meeting which I wasn't going to miss out on, although I was much more restrained than usual and just had baked turkey with my broccoli for dinner that night I saved my carbs for the cake!  (They were SUCH good cakes too!)  I've also felt the need for more treats and had a square of 85% chocolate on a few days, as well as a cheeky extra shot of honey or passionfruit curd in my yoghurt occasionally.

However, I have still managed to get great results and am delighted with my overall weight loss now of 1 stone (6 kgs) in 8 weeks!  Again, the photos show the big difference since the start.  I didn't want to share my side profile before as it was SO bad, but now that there is a much bigger difference (there was a noticeable change before but not to this extent), here it is... Eeep, scary biscuits sharing this!

Start of C1 - End of C2
(8 weeks)

Start of C1 - End of Cycle 2
8 Weeks

Although my inch loss doesn't really show much change, just 2.5 inches overall this time, I've lost 2.5" from my waist and you can see my stomach has now shrunk massively, I'm finally back in my old clothes!  I can't tell you how excited I am to be back!  It's like having a whole new wardrobe as I haven't worn these things for about 2 years!!  I'm enjoying my fun, colourful clothes again and enjoying getting dressed in the morning.

Fingers crossed for more improvement in C3!

If you're interested, you can read more about my whole weight loss (and gains) journey, where I shared lots of pics.

Body issues & weight loss since having twins

I've been reading back a bit on the blog recently, I wanted to see just how much weight I lost 4 years ago after our wedding, to see what weight I was then when I felt so healthy and comfortable in my clothes.  I was 12 stone 2 lbs at my lowest.  It took me 14 weeks to get to that weight, having lost 1 stone and 2 lbs.  I did it on my own sensible (still included cake) healthy eating and exercise plan including swimming, body pump and Pilates, I blogged every week with my food diary, exercise and weight and it kept me motivated and it worked.

Now that I am feeling good again having finally lost some weight 19 months after having the twins, I wanted to assess my goals as I'm now 2/3rds through my 90 day plan and want to keep going afterwards.  For now, I've been aiming at losing a couple of stone.  Ultimately I'd like to get back to around the 12 stone mark but for now, if I could even get below 13 stone I'd be delighted!  It's funny reading my shock of being over 13 stone back in 2012 when I got a kick start into sorting out my post-wedding weight gain!  And shocked again at being 14 stone when we were going through the stress of IVF and I turned to food as a comfort.  Who knew I'd end up at 15 stone after having the twins!!

I've found it really interesting reading back my old posts on the blog, I'd forgotten a lot about my weight and how I lost it and then gained it again.  I never realised quite how up and down it was!  It definitely goes with the ups and downs of life!  I'm hoping now I've found this plan and have managed to fit it in and enjoy it while also being a part time working mother of twins, I have proved to myself it can be part of my lifestyle and is definitely something I can maintain.  It's so much better to be feeling healthy and strong as well as feeling good in my clothes.  I hope this is it now and I can be a good example for my kids.  

I've decided to chart my weight here to show myself just how far I've come.  Looking up old photos (some of which have never before seen the light of the web) has been shocking and motivating!  It's quite interesting to see the drastic differences with the photos side by side as when it's happening gradually you don't always notice just how bad it's gotten!  Although I talk about my weight a lot in this post, I know that's just part of it - for me it's about being fit and healthy as well as comfortable in my clothes, it makes such a difference to my confidence and general happiness when I exercise and feel I have the balance right in general and not just on the scales.

Pre-wedding - 2011 - 161 lbs

Before our wedding, I don't really know how much I weighed.  I never really paid a lot of attention to it as I'd been a fairly steady weight and size since university.  I'd guess between 11 and 12 stone.  Size 12.

Me on Fraser Island, Australia 2004 - size 10-12
Weight 73kg (161 lbs) - I know because they wrote it on my hand when I bungy jumped in Cairns!

On my first holiday with Nik back in 2009.

It was only when I gained a lot of weight after our wedding that I knew I needed to keep an eye on it and make changes.

Dad and I on my wedding day

Post-wedding - March 2012 - 186 lbs 

I was shocked to find I was suddenly 13 stone 4 lbs around 8 months after we got married and a size 14-16.  I made changes to my diet and started doing a lot more exercise after being lazy for far too long.

Unhappy with my appearance in Feb 2012

May - June 2012 - 170 lbs

Before we found out just how difficult it would be for us to get pregnant, after almost a year of trying, I was at my lightest weight since being a student in my teens and early 20s.  Age 30, I had lost weight and was happy and comfortable with how I looked and felt at 12 stone 2 lbs.

On holiday in Sorrento, I can't wait to fit back in to my favourite dresses and skirts!

December 2012 

I still managed to be a happy healthy weight (although I don't know the actual number) after Christmas and LOVED my birthday dress that year.

30th Dec, my 31st birthday

November 2013 - 196 lbs

After 2 failed attempts at IVF and looking increasingly unlikely that it would ever work, I was 14 stone after months of stress and upset.  Despite needing to keep my body healthy for the IVF and a potential pregnancy, I just found it difficult to care about my weight and ate for comfort.

Pre-pregnancy - Dec 2013 - 181 lbs

I was just under 13 stone a few months before I got pregnant, back when it was all going wrong, but I'd started trying to get my body healthy again.

At my university 10 year reunion I felt pretty good about my body.

March 2014 - 185 lbs

I think I was around 185 lbs just before our successful IVF and then lost 8 lbs in the first 4 months with the horrendous sickness!

Right at the start of my pregnancy, at 4-5 weeks, we went to Thailand (having booked it thinking we'd need an escape when the IVF failed again!) and I was in pretty good shape considering.

Pregnancy - March - November 2014 - 

185 - 177 - 203.4 lbs

During the pregnancy, despite losing 8 lbs initially, I pretty much stayed the same everywhere except my huge bump.  In fact, I think my legs and arms were thinner by the end.  I was pretty healthy and loved my pregnancy once the sickness died down at 17 weeks or so.  I weighed 203.4 lbs at the end (14 1/2 stones), having put on 18.4 lbs over the whole pregnancy.

21 weeks

34 weeks

Post-pregnancy - November 2014 - January 2015 - 195 lbs

After having the twins, initially it was all just residual bump.  I even managed to wear some stretchy pre-pregnancy jeans sitting under the bump in November but I mostly wore my maternity jeans for comfort due to my Caesarian wound and big belly.  I had my amazing, gorgeous babies and I didn't care about how I looked for a long time.

November

I didn't weigh myself until January, about 2 months after the birth and I was 195 lbs so about 10 lbs higher than I'd been before the IVF which I was fine with.  Of course, after my section I hadn't been able to exercise, plus I had two newborns to cope with, was breastfeeding which made me hungry ALL THE TIME and it was winter.  We mostly stayed cosied up indoors and ate yummy things like mince pies with cream and lots of cheese.  Then Mum left to go home to Saudi and I did even less exercise and ate even worse as I was on my own with the twins all the time.

5 months after the birth (April)

June-July 2015 - 210.4 lbs!

By summer I was at my heaviest EVER weight at just over 15 stones (210.4 lbs) - more than when I had TWO babies inside me!

As a result of all the bad eating and lack of exercise, I ballooned and put on 15 lbs over spring and early summer.  I had no motivation to lose any weight and mostly wore baggy things to hide myself.  I was incredibly lonely that first year with no local friends to meet up with, I just trundled along, me and the twins taking it day by day.  I was a size 18-20 and wearing either maternity jeans or stretchy high-waisted trousers and massive tops due to my huge milky boobs!  (I never did get them measured but I reckon they were at least a G cup.  I had been a 36B before pregancy but then had to buy a 38DD when I was pregnant and just got XL stretchy nursing bras after that!)

Mum came back for a visit and then we went to Saudi and I managed to do lots of exercise there in the pool and lost 8 lbs.

It was in July that I discovered The Body Coach but I still didn't feel I was ready for that kind of commitment with the twins' sleep habits all over the place and knowing I was going back to solo parenting two (newly mobile) babies when I returned home.  Plus I was going to be starting a new job part time and just wasn't sure how I'd be coping with life generally.

August 2015 - 204 lbs - Jan 2016 - 204.6 lbs

My weight stayed around the same, fluctuating by around 2-4 lbs over the next few months.  I finally started getting back into exercise in 2016 when I became close to another mum from the twins' swimming class, she suggested we meet at a lovely local hotel pool where we ended up managing to get a good deal on day passes.  We would swim (and sometimes even gym first), then chat in the steam room and Jacuzzi afterwards.  It was wonderful and I finally started feeling better about myself.  I finally felt motivated to sort myself out and get fit again.

March 2016 - 203.8 lbs

By March I weighed 14 st 7.8 lbs and I felt ready to start The Body Coach 90 day SSS plan but we had a wedding to go to and Mum & Dad were back visiting so I knew we'd be going out to eat a lot, plus - Easter!  I bought Joe's first book and started making some of the recipes to see how I liked them and whether I thought I could stick to the plan.  I tried one of his youtube HIIT sessions and it killed me but I did it and it was only 20 minutes.  Once Mum and Dad left, I signed up.  I was pretty much back to the weight I was when I was 37 weeks pregnant and had to do something about it.

In full on spanx!

Minus the spanx!

April - May 2016 - Cycle 1

202 lbs - 195.8 lbs

I lost just 6 lbs, from 14 st 6 lbs to 14 st, in Cycle 1 of the 90 day SSS plan but lost 8 inches including 1.5 from my waist and 2.5 from my hips.  It was the before and after pictures where I noticed the big changes with my back rolls disappearing and stomach slowly but surely shrinking at last.  My old belts which I couldn't even get to touch round my waist last summer fit me again.

May - June 2016 

195.8 lbs - 190 lbs

On Cycle 2 I've noticed more changes as I've progressed and after 3 weeks on C2 (7 weeks into the plan), I tried on some of my old jeans for a night out at the cinema.  They fit!  I was delighted, so the next day, I tried some more of my old wardrobe.  My NON-stretchy trousers and jeans fit me again, I'm back in my size 16 clothes!  My size 20 trousers are now falling down, yay!  Not only that but I've also gone down another 2 holes on my belt too!  (My belts didn't even touch when I tried them around my waist last year!)

 June 2016 - 188 lbs

So here I am at 13 stone 6 lbs and I feel great!  It's funny how I was horrified to be 13 st 4 lbs four and a half years ago and yet now, I'm delighted to be this weight!  I never thought I'd be 15 stone but it happened and since then I've lost 22.4 lbs (1.6 stone)!  I do still need to keep getting fitter though and want to fit back into my "thin jeans" I wore when I lost weight in 2012.

I've just submitted my results for Cycle 2 and am awaiting my 3rd and final cycle to complete Joe's plan before I am off on my own.  Although I'm nowhere near my lowest weight of 12 stone 2 lbs, I'm definitely getting slimmer and more toned.  I've lost a stone in 8 weeks!

Start - End of C1 - End of C2
Start - 4 weeks - 8 weeks

I know I will never have the same body as before, no matter how much weight I lose.  I have crazy loose, saggy, stretched skin on my stomach which hangs down after carrying two babies at the same time for 37 weeks, followed by a Caesarian, plus my boobs have gone all flat and empty (and also covered in saggy stretch marks) after breast-feeding the twins for 15 months but I just need to remind myself of what an achievement those things were and how amazing my body is to have managed it!  Cheese alert!  Not to mention the amazing little people we now have bringing us joy every day!  I wouldn't be without them, whatever the cost to my body.

I will write more about Cycle 2 very soon.  Obviously as I have more muscle from the weight training, I weigh more than I would if I'd just lost fat, despite probably being thinner so I only use weight as a rough guide nowadays.  I'm trying to find my measurements from 2012 to compare.  (I wrote them on a scrap of paper which may or may not have made it here through the move.)   I know from which clothes I can fit into how I am doing and use them as my targets.  I also got a great idea from a friend of mine recently, she tried on her wedding dress on her 5th wedding anniversary.  Ours is in 2 weeks, I wonder if mine will fit!?

Here's to Cycle 3!

Update: