Of late, I’ve been making a real effort to practice my third world squats. On occasions where I would normally bend down, stoop or sit for brief moments of time, I’ve been sitting in the third world squat instead.

Not only will this save my back in the long term, I believe it will have a positive effect on my squats in the gym as it will help to keep my hips loose and flexible.

Last night, I was making dinner and was squatting at the bin peeling an onion.  Emz glanced up and proclaimed how impressed he was that I could just sink into a squat and stay balanced – apparently I make it look easy!

As I was cleaning the flat yesterday, I made sure to squat down whenever I would normally bend or kneel and it’s gotten so much easier – I can sit in the squat now for around ten minutes which is great as I could only manage a minute or two when I first started.  It’s feeling so much comfortable now. I’m hoping to get to the point where I can stop and squat down wherever I would normally sit and to feel totally at ease and comfortable.

Does anyone else sit in the third world squat?

I had a fantastic session in the gym today. I’m *still* working to get my squats perfect so my weight is still a lot lower than it has been recently but I’m not giving up until I have this nailed!

We woke and had a nice lazy morning, drinking some green tea and coffee…

before heading off for a fasted session.

Last deadlift session I failed on my 5th rep at 110kg (242lb) so I was raring to hit 5 good reps. Thankfully, I managed it though I had to really grind out the last rep…

In the next week or two I’ll be attempting a new 1RM – the decision will be whether to bother with 127.5kg or go straight for the 130kg, which I failed on back in March.

I’m now off to rest my aching body, eat some home made dark chocolate almond butter (the recipe of which I will be blogging soon) and do some reading.

Have an awesome weekend friends

?2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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After bulking over the winter, I finally decided to take some progress pictures today. I’m a few weeks into my fat loss programme and I wanted to see where I’m at and I’m pretty happy with the progress so far.

Obviously, I’m not as lean as I was this time last year as I’m about 10lb heavier than I was then but I’d like to think some of that extra weight is added muscle.

I’m now in full on fat loss mode in preparation for my first summer in Swansea and hoping to be beach worthy – I’m calling it Mission Undressable

So this is where I’m at right now…

As you can see, there has been definite growth in the shoulders, biceps, glutes & legs which makes me very happy! Just need to melt away a little squish now so that I can really appreciate my emerging hot bod!

I’ll be re-taking these pics in about 6 weeks time so watch this space…

Anyone else on a mission to shed some fat for the summer?

On a final note, I got my 125kg deadlift last week…

130kg here I come!

?2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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I’m in a funk. I’ve stopped myself from many times from going full on Debbie Downer here, and so far so good, but I can’t keep it in any longer. I can’t recall ever feeling like this, I feel like I’m not connecting, not fitting in, not understanding anything that’s coming my way. I feel like I’m trying to walk in very thick sand.

I’ve lost the twinkle of hope, that passion for making things happen. That spark to stretch myself and try something new. All I want to do is retreat. And this has been going on for months.

I’m hesitant to even put this out there because, really, does the world need more words about sadness? Loss of hope? And then I realized that I know it will come back and this too shall pass, but I feel an itch to share, regardless of how vulnerable it makes me feel.

And you want to know the weirdest part about this funk? It has nothing to do with weight loss. I’m losing, and lately due to loss of appetite, rather rapidly (13 pounds in one week.) Normally I would jump for joy to see these numbers on the scale, but lately, I’m indifferent.

I have a few ideas as to where these feelings are coming from. For starters, I’ve become scared to try something new.

In the past four years I’ve tried a little bit of everything…design, catering, jewelry, clothing design, blogging, e-book writing, and a few more other things that I’ve forgotten along the way. Each time I start out with this hope of what I could become. I fall in love with the potential of a new business, a new idea, a smaller version of myself. I have great desire to “do big things”, but sadly, I’ve come to realize that I was more in love with the result rather than the process.

And because I believe everything in life is connected and related, I know that deep down, what I do and how I make a living has a lot to do with how I feel and care about myself. And somewhere along the line I never figured out or changed my perspective enough on any given thing/business/idea/project to fall in love with the process (a line I’m stealing from The Biggest Loser.)

And I want to get there. To be in the love with the process of taking care of myself rather than the result of being thin, or doing things because I love the action and not because its a defined direction or path.

I find myself worrying so much about things I do and don’t have control over. My mom emailed a quote to me recently,

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself
to be made a victim.
Accept no one’s definition
of your life,
but define yourself.”   – Harvey S. Firestone

The last line is the one that hit me the most “accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself”. I’ve come to realize that I haven’t defined who I am or who I want to be. I’ve been waiting on other people to tell me who I am, or who they want me to be or who I can be. That path can be very unsteady. I’ve realized, that I’ve been relying on my past experiences to define who I am.

These experiences from junior or high school where I never felt good enough…my clothes, hair, makeup, body, personality…always fell too short. In the days when opinion flowed out of mouths so freely, where everything on the outside was the measure of a worthwhile person, those days still linger too many years later.

I want to give myself permission to define who I am, who I want to be, and unapologetically become that person. I want to move forward even when fear starts screaming in my head. Fear that my efforts are lost, that they won’t get me anywhere, or that it’s pointless to  try.

Recently, I’ve had strong desires to start painting and illustrating again, a skill that I picked up in college and loved. I let it go because I didn’t let myself get good enough. I feared the work that was involved in getting good, I worried that I would spend all this time and never arrive. That I could never feed myself off of it. That it wouldn’t matter. That I’d never be good enough.

And the realization that I stopped doing something because I was both in love with and afraid of the result, rather than the process, knocks the wind out of me. And I understand deeply, where this trend pops up over and over again in my life.

Silly little things and the big stuff too. I’ve put so much weight in these imaginary outcomes, that I’ve stopped myself from ever starting or even being in the process.

What if I lose weight and I’m still ugly, or have a loose skin? What if people resent me? What if I get unwanted male attention? Why both lose weight?

What if I start painting, but never sell a print? What if I never wrap my own canvas? What if I’m never taken seriously? Why bother painting?

What if I never make a good living doing what I love? What if my businesses stop growing? What if I can’t keep up with the growth? What will I have to give up in order to make more income?

What if I start marketing my design…what if I fall short? or make a mistake? or ruin my reputation? What if I’m never credible? What if I fall short or miss a deadline? Why bother design?

And I do this with everything, cleaning, exercising, work, meeting new friends, staying in touch…on and on and on. I can play the “what if” game for so long that I wake up at 29 and realize that I stopped it all before it got good.

Update: This post is good timing for the Things I’m Afraid to Tell You series of blog entries that are making their way around the blogosphere.

I don’t want to start this blog out by saying “I’ve been sick”, because that’s just not fun. It’s April and like clockwork, I’ve got a stuffy nose, itchy ears, piles of tissues everywhere and a cough to come. I haven’t tasted or smelled food in days. Many, many days. It takes the fun out of eating. Lately I just eat because I’m hungry and I have to. That’s a concept!

Last week I started emailing my daily food and calories to my dear friend of a million years and it felt so refreshing to say to someone “guess what? I had two smoothies and a subway sandwich today” without a return comment about balance, or how I should be eating more of this or less of that. Sometimes that’s all I want, peace with imperfection and less justification.

I know that for me, as soon as I start creating rules and rituals about what I should and should not eat, I get into obsessive eating trouble. Not that I don’t aim to have better eating habits, it’s just that so often I find that I create them more out of the approval of other people rather than my own belief system which is balance and moderation.

And that’s that. Moving on.

Edit: And of course, after writing this I go and read this wonderful post by Andie from Can You Stay For Dinner? Her post is so good, and so well written that I want to go to Seattle and give her a parade. Read: The Weight Loss Dilemma. 

My favorite line:

“Please know that there is nothing wrong with eating as cleanly as one can. (If you do and if you strive to- I applaud you.) There is similarly nothing wrong with having Skinny Cow ice cream bars in your freezer beside organic frozen vegetables. (Tell me you have Cool Whip?) There’s nothing wrong with any of it and my bottom line remains: Judging others’ eating styles and deeming food choices as inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad’ only leaves us feeling and looking ignorant and unenlightened. 

The point of this post, as always, is to let you know that there’s middle ground. And also that I don’t want this blog to exclude anyone who’s hungry. My table serves Kit Kats and kale chips in varying amounts.”

Thank you Andie!

122.5kg in the bag

130kg here I come…

?2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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I’m having these moments where ‘m realizing and truly understanding that I’m in control. Not everything that happens per say, but of how I react, what my days look like. I can choose my next move. It’s all up to me, not the day, not my location, not time, not money, not the weekend, not next month or next year or when I retire…

Before moving to Floyd I had this vision of what my life would be here. I would work from home, spend my days being creative, creating a nice home, belonging to a community, going to the farmer’s market and green house, planting flowers and a garden. Creating my own little world.

We knew our expenses would be minimal and could choose a different life for ourselves. A life that wouldn’t require a nine-to-five schedule, a gray office or a long commute. A life where most of our time was spent living rather than working for someone else. We didn’t want our best days to start at 5pm on Friday and end at 11pm on Sunday.

And for the most part that is happening, yet, not totally. I haven’t given myself total permission yet (see my previous posts) to dive into the lifestyle that I was craving. The lifestyle that made me want to leave the metro and city behind. I’ve been so worried, scared and fearful of what bliss and control would look like that I’ve only skimmed the surface.

I hear the familiar voices in my head saying… what will people think? they will think I’m having way too much fun, that I’m not miserable enough, the I’m not responsible, or serious, or deserving of such a relaxed life. That I’m not contributing. That I’m lazy. That no one will get it or respect me. That I’m not legitimate or professional. 

That just needs to stop. Sometimes I have to say out loud, SHUT UP, WHO CARES! And then I get in the car and drive to the local garden center because I can. Because I choose to stop making excuses and worrying about who thinks it’s self-indulgent to take a break in the middle of the day to go flower and plant shopping. Who cares if I’m a plant killer or I don’t really need plants to exist. But to live, I do.

One of my favorite quotes is by Mother Teresa…

People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you;
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight;
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten;
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

I read this every single day. Because I want to be more like that. Do. It. Anyway.

Other stuff that is contributing to my sanity, gratitude and happiness lately? Less social media. I don’t get on twitter throughout the day anymore. I just can’t. It’s too much mind-clutter and I find myself frustrated with all those thoughts. They aren’t adding anything to my life. Less facebook, it’s the same. I go on, tell anyone who cares that I made a blog posts and I immediately log off. I worried that my online relationships would suffer, and perhaps they will, but I can’t worry about that.

Less email checking. I still check as soon as I wake up, but then I go away. I eat breakfast, alone, at the table or on the couch. No mouse in hand, not scrolling screens.

Being present. I never really understood this until recently. When I realized that my head space was consumed with worry, fears, thoughts, planning, on and on and on. I was spending time running words through my head, thoughts, and just plan craziness. And then I just decide in that moment to be there. It helps me to make a mental note of what I’m touching or smelling or physically feeling to help me zero in with the present. And once I’m there, all the mind clutter fades out.

More time outside. This morning I planted flowers, yesterday I mowed the lawn. The day before that I dug out a walkway. I need to be outside more than I ever thought. It clears my head and my heart.

I want my mornings to be spent with sweet basil and dirt.

And while a good chunk of my time is spent sitting in front of my laptop working, I like to know that I have these other foundations to keep me balanced. I believe that you can have your work, whatever it may be, and these pockets of bliss too. These moments when the TV, cellphone and computers are off and we do something just because it feels good. Because it makes us who we are.

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Yesterday I finished my day of eating with couscous and a salad for lunch, shrimp and vegetables (with homemade salsa and guacamole) for dinner and a drumstick ice cream for a treat. I was around 1,800 calories for the day and I did 35 minutes of push mowing and 45 minutes of walking/jogging for 2 miles. I burned 700 calories.

This morning I had a breakfast burrito with two scrambled eggs, salsa, and guacamole for 350 calories. Yum!

I do love magazines, I’m not gonna lie. I know the models are airbrushed and unrealistic, the information is regurgitated, but that doesn’t stop me from picking them up on occasion as a treat. I haven’t read Self in a really long time, and in a fit of needing inspiration I bought this, Health and Fitness when I was in WV the weekend before last.

I do find inspiration in them, just having them around the house, in the bathroom (haha I know) or the coffee table, it’s like a reminder of what I’m doing. Where I want to be.

Anyhow, the point of this is to share with you that the April issue of Self has (in my opinion) a really good and realistic weight loss plan.  I’ve tried a lot of diets in my pre and post blog. Some that require counting calories or restricting carbs and they all work, it’s just about consistency and for me, the more down to earth it is, the more likely I am to stick with it. As soon as I decide I can’t have something for the sake of weight loss, that’s all I want. Even if I don’t really want it.

The Drop 10 (and more, they talk about losing more weight) is pretty straightforward: 1,600 calories a day, with a 200 calorie treat a day that can be carried over to other days when you may need them more (like plus points with weight watchers), the only catch is that you can only stack 800 together at a time. So say, you are planning to go out for a celebration this coming weekend you can use up to 2,400 at one time and still lose weight.

They also provide a daily exercise plan, recipes and a check off list to keep track of your progress. And for those wondering, I wasn’t paid or asked to promote this magazine or plan, I just really liked how simple and doable it is. I think having structure with the principles of Brain Over Binge (breaking bad habits) will be a winning combination.

I’m traveling to WV again this weekend for a baby shower and plan to save some of my extra calories this week for that.

Today’s breakfast:

One Ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffin with less than 1 T butter, 1 T cacao (cacao!) bliss and a cup of strawberries: 367 calories

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You know, I kind of love the idea of exercise that gets something done in the process. And that’s why this year (after two years of living in this house) I’ve taken on our yard work as my new chore. Usually we just pay someone to keep up with the fast-growing grass, but it’s kind of expensive.  I have to tell you though that me and Josh are not “handy man” material. Computer people, yes, but not the do-it-yourself type.  I’m convinced that keeping up with the yard myself will help me with my weight loss goals. I don’t know many overweight landscapers or gardeners, do you?

Pushing this mower was hard work.

There is one big hill on our lot and its crazy steep. I chose the push mower for a few reasons, 1. its old school and I’m always nostalgic for times I never belonged to 2. it’s harder than a gas or riding mower 3. it’s cheaper 4. it’s easier. I honestly can’t imagine me and josh purchasing and storing gas. The thought of going to the gas station and putting gas in a container and then figuring out how to put it in the mower without the fear of blowing myself or the house up and then finding a place for it, is just not going to happen. 5. it’s better for the environment.

I did have the yard man do one round of mowing for me so that I could start fresh with short, easier to cut grass. I read a story recently  about a woman who stays in shape by push mowing her lawn for an hour every day. I can believe it. I looked up the calories burned and it’s anywhere from 450 per hour (for an “average” size person) and closer to 800 for me.

Not only will I be taking care of the grass, but I will be doing things like trimming these wild hedges. I’m not 100% sold on having bushes in front of the house, but I can’t think of anything better right now, and think they are fine for now.

My other project is building a new walkway in front of the house which I started digging out last night. Digging is hard work! And I used the old heavy step stones like weights, doing sets above my head several times.

This work makes me feel satisfied and happy in the strangest of ways. I love planning out my ideas for the yard and then getting my hands dirty and making them happen. This is such a foreign world to me. Growing up, my Dad took care of the yard and then after that I just lived in apartments where I had little more than a few potted plants.

Today, I’m planning a special trip to the local green house to get more plants! Pinterest is helping me gather my inspiration. Want to see?

My biggest inspiration is the yards I saw on the Venice Beach Canals in California. If you’ve ever been, you know what I’m talking about. It’s incredible what these people can do with a small space.

Click Photo For Source

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Click Photo For Source

Click Photo For Source

Click Photo For Source

Of course, I don’t have the California weather to support most of these plants, but I’m  inspired by the arrangements more than anything. Ah, I will live there, if only for a month, once in my life! That would be a good time.

If you’d like to see more of my outdoor inspiration in pinterest, you can view them here and here.

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Oh joy of joys! Our closest Vietnamese restaurant is now serving grilled pork vermicelli! This is heaven in a bowl and I could eat it every single day. Sauce droplets on my shirt or not, this is my top 10 favorite things to eat.

Luckily, it’s right next to the Oasis World Market where I can stock up on my own vermicelli and drinks like Mr. Brown’s Macadamia Nut Coffee. I love date night/day! Which consisted of Vietnamese food, Target and Home Depot. Nothing says romance like a trip to Home Depot for stepping stones.

Gah! I used to hate going to Lowes with my dad, now I actually want to go.

I have something else to share, but first…

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the comments on my last post. All of those words, and thoughtfulness are not lost on me. They are encouraging and confirm why I am still writing and sharing my life. We are not alone, is there anything more comforting than someone nodding along  and getting it?

I’m working desperately at letting the negativity roll off my back. Letting my skin firm up a bit. And stop waiting for other people to grant me permission to carry on. Why do I do that? It reminds me of this quote I read yesterday by Susan Satog,”Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.”  I want to be more like that, to take the rock out of my shoe and stop waiting for someone to grant me permission and tell me I’m worth it.

So what does the photo of my dining room table have to do with this? It’s kind of the point.

So often there are things I want to do for myself, little pleasures that I find so satisfying and pleasing, yet I won’t do them. I hear these horrible thoughts on repeat: you don’t deserve to sit and eat at a pretty table, what a waste of time, that seems really silly and insignificant, there are people starving and you are worried about a place setting?, etc. etc. etc.

And these thoughts are so frequent in my head, that I just don’t bother. I’m so consumed with what I assume others with think if I wear red lipstick, or paint my nails with glitter polish, or sit in the rain, or jog down the street, or eat a beautiful meal, or set a nice place setting, that I just don’t do it. And it’s me. No one else, just me. As if, my happiness is insignificant. Or that I don’t deserve to laugh and have a good time or enjoy myself in this short life.

What I know to be true is that by not doing, I’m serving no one. I’m not better to the world by leading a lesser life. To not take these opportunities that I have and my freedom and time, is such a waste. To sacrifice myself in a way that just doesn’t make sense because other people are worse off is helpful to who?

And worst of all, is when I indulge the fear that once I start doing all of these good and happy things, that’s when the bad stuff starts happening. That’s when the sky falls.

The fear that if I start making more money, or creating a healthy body, or live in a neat house…that’s when I will get cancer, or something terrible happens.

I do this in relationships more often than I should ever admit. I will push away as to say “I knew you wouldn’t like me anyway” as a way to prove to myself that I just don’t deserve to have people. I reject them before they can reject me. Before they can see just how flawed I really am. This happens over and over and over.

And the logic behind it is scary sad and backwards. That somehow living a less-than life is better than living my best life to prevent bad things from happening. And as I share this, I know how sad it is. I can feel it in my soul and tell myself, that this belief is so wrong in so many ways. But, to believe it, to feel the truth of what I know to be true enough to live it – that’s another story.

So while this may seem silly and material, taking time to make a place setting is a little-big deal to me. When I do these little things, to make effort to look nice, or shave my legs, or plant a bed of flowers…while it may look like this superficial or pointless action to some, at the heart of it for me, it is giving myself permission to enjoy and celebrate my life. To have a little happiness. Because the truth is, when it’s all said and done and I’m taking my last breath, no one will stand over me and thank me for not living my best life.

And that’s what being healthy looks like for me. It’s being self-aware and unapologetic. It’s being kind and giving myself full permission to say “yes I do deserve the effort”. I know that losing weight is calories in and calories out, it’s about eating less and moving more. That part is simple. The hard part is creating a new habit on the path of “I deserve better”. And that’s where my struggle has always nestled so comfortably. That is why I start and stop, try new things, read new books, do new DVDs, in hopes that they will convince me what I already know to be true: I’m worth the effort.

And by doing these other little happy things, like setting a place setting or making a nice dinner, I instill that belief even more. It becomes my reality.

Howdy blog readers! I know I’ve been a very bad blogger in recent months with very few updates so I’m not even sure if anyone is reading any more – to those that are *waves*

Life has been so busy in recent months since I moved to Swansea in October. I’ve also switched jobs whilst I’ve been here doing the same role but in a different department which means working more hours but no shifts which is awesome!

Can you believe it was ONE WHOLE YEAR last month that I eliminated grains and started intermittent fasting?  How time flies.  I still hand on my heart believe it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my health and it’s two fingers to those who claim this way of eating is not sustainable in the long term – you know who you are!

There have been instances over the last twelve months where I’ve included grains and for a few months at the end of last year, I reintroduced some gluten free grains (white rice, buckwheat) to see how my body coped but it really didn’t like them – I was sluggish and bloated and my bowels stopped working properly – so much for wholegrains being essential for healthy bowels  There have also been occasions where I have included gluten grains and had severe reactions – bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, mouth ulcers.

I also noticed back in October that I developed a small rash on my face, either side of my nose. It was red, itchy and angry looking and quite inflamed and it coincided with me eating quite a lot of gluten containing foods which was the prompt I needed to cut them back out.  The rash has never disappeared but it has reduced and is not so red and angry any more.

Something that has stuck in my head from a post I made last year was someone suggesting I get tested for coeliac disease as my symptoms apparently matched.  I’ve been doing some reading over the last few months and all of my symptoms point towards coeliac disease.  I’ve since read that there is a condition called dermatitis herpetiformis which is very common in those with coeliac disease and often affects the knees, elbows and face but the curious thing is that the rash is mostly symmetrical on the body – I have it on both sides of my nose!

I went to see my GP last week and on explaining my symptoms, he said he had no doubt at all that this is what was ailing me. He gave me a  form to get bloods checked but the downside to this test, having spoken to a gastroenterologist at work, is that I have to consume gluten for 6 weeks prior to testing.

I was prepared to do this to get a diagnosis once and for all and last Thursday, ate a single bagel. That same day I suffered with bloating and stomach cramps and extreme lethargy but apart from that, I was ok. I figured I could cope with these symptoms for a few weeks in the hope of getting diagnosed one way or the other.  However, on Saturday, side effects really struck – severe cramps, diarrhoea and rectal bleeding  The pain was so bad and the blood loss so great that I have decided I’m not prepared to put my body through this just to get it written on paper that I am intolerant to gluten.  A few days later, my entire mouth is sore and inflamed and it’s uncomfortable to eat and drink – it’s really not worth it.

I know now that gluten isn’t something I can indulge in when the fancy takes me – this is something I need to avoid for the rest of my life.

Training wise, things are going well. I’m recovering from a shoulder/neck injury though I’ve no idea how it occurred. The pain started a couple of days following a sports massage and has been present now for the last 4 weeks or so. The pain changes in severity and though I had a break from training for two weeks, I’ve since been back and been able to do some light pressing and it’s felt ok. However, there are good days and bad and today happens to be a bad day where I cannot abduct my shoulder or raise my arm above my head without excruciating pain I’m hoping to get an appointment with my sports therapist next week to see if he can help me out.

Apart from that, my lifts are still looking good though the break from training meant I had to build back up to my previous weights.  I deloaded my squats to work on my form as I was having problems with coming forwards onto my toes and my knees caving when I was fatigued.

I’ve since switched from low bar squats to high bar and my form has improved dramatically – in fact, I’d say I’m squatting the best I have ever squatted – hurrah!

As my shoulder/neck is injured at present, I’ve not gone for any new deadlift PR’s as the last thing I want is to make things worse. I’m still repping at 105kg though and I hope to increase that to 110kg in the next week or so.

In other news, I’ve finally given up my membership to Weight Loss Resources.  I’ve been a member for over 6 years and though I love the food diary and the help team, who are all amazing and so helpful, I really can’t deal with the closed minded, ignorant individuals that post there any longer. I feel sad to be leaving as it’s the end of an era for me and I’ve made some wonderful friends there.  However, I feel that it’s time to move on and stick to posting on forums with like minded people. I’ve also joined My Fitness Pal and have the app on my iPhone which makes it easy to keep track on the move.

I’m still in my cutting phase at the moment and am leaning out nicely though the scales aren’t really moving too much – proof that you should not rely on the scales but judge by how you look and how your clothes fit.  I’ll be hoping to take some progress pictures in the near future so watch this space!  However, here are a couple of recent pictures until then…

I’m really pleased to see some definition starting to appear and I just LOVE the width of my back dipping into a small waist – I do love that sexy “V” shape!

Here is the gluten free lemon meringue pie that I made for Easter (no chocolate was consumed)…

A picture of moi, glowing with health…

And finally, just in case you needed any motivation to deadlift…

?2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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