The Final Post!

I’m a little teary about this being my last post. I was even a little nostalgic doing my last work out on Sunday so I put on a yellow t-shirt in homage to my ‘jump rope for heart’ school days.

I’ve needed a few days for all those endorphins to wear off so I can write something cohesive without punctuating every sentence with “Good job! Woo! [air punch]” or any other motivational outbursts I have found myself becoming somewhat inclined to these last few months. So (deep breath) here goes… These last 3 months have been among the most intense in my life. I don’t think I have been this committed to physical exercise – ever! However, I have also been incredibly fortunate to have gone through all this with a fantastic group. Guys you are truly an amazing bunch of individuals – THANKS Everyone!

Of course particular mention must go to Patrick and Chen (you man of mystery – reveal yourself! Any chance you can cameo in Patrick’s last weekly video? Come on, not even a walk on part?) for completely changing the way I think about diet and exercise and for making me a tad (just a tad) less cynical. Looking back over my posts I do note a hint of growing sentimentalism…maybe she’ll stick around for a while. I hope so. Indeed your workouts border on sadistic at times but they are effective and we are all walking proof of that. A huge thanks as well to the PCP ladies – Yeeman, Kristi, Shirley, Helen – for your ever entertaining blogs, comments and support. Please keep in touch! You’re all extraordinary and strong women and now look absolutely traffic stoppingly amazing. Meow! Gilles, thanks for kicking me out of bed every morning to make me face another PCP day, for putting up with all the impossible moods and keeping my spirits up and for being such a maestro in the kitchen. I won’t go on or you’ll get a big head (to match your new chest measurements). Oh god, something tells me I am going to be hearing about this outburst of gratitude for the rest of my life – “remember when you posted blah blah blah…” maybe the internet will be obsolete by then…

So here are the before and after photos:

ugh wide load, bloated and lethargic - Week 1

Day 91

And the regulation clothing shots:

I also retook my banner shots to see if there would be any difference come day 90….

 

My new stiletto legs!!

Now for a few little tid bits from my post-PCP life

1. 3kgs – The average amount of yoghurt consumed by Gilles and I in one week. I have now tried every available brand out there in HK and the BEST hands down is ‘Farmers Union Greek Style’ – be still my beating heart….YUM! I would choose you over ice cream any day.

2. I am no longer a social pariah. People are inviting me out again! However…

3. PCP has killed my alcohol tolerance – not that it was massive before but now I literally sniff wine and fall down. Great…au revoir social kudos.

4. My 2003 jeans fit me again!!! Woohoooo this is a major triumph. Why buy news jeans when I can fit into old ones.

5. Eggs and vegetables are my new breakfast…

6. Avocados – Our fruit bowl is now heaped full of them. Anything to avoid another encounter with Gilles without his morning avocado...

7. More vegetables and seafood – never would have thought I would crave these two things and yet the impossible has happened. Dinners at home look less like spag bol and now look like this (that was a celebratory wine btw…)

8. Snap out of it! Nothing gets me out of a bad mood quicker than exercise.10 mins skipping or a 30mins run isn’t a big deal at all. I will do everything humanly possible to keep up the exercise if only to avoid having to do the last 3 months again – ever!! Not only do I feel annoyingly energised but I haven’t been sick once during the program.

9. Running (wo)man – I discovered running by default when my legs launched a revolt against the skipping and it’s just what I need to clear all the junk out of my cluttered head. I’m not signing up for any marathons but never in a million years did I see this one coming.

10. I still and will always despise lunges….Even when I did the Day 11 workout on Day 90 I was cursing them.

11. 8mins abs – here to stay. Locked into my favourites on youtube.

12. I am flexible again! I haven’t been able to stretch like this since I was 19.

13. A mini health revolution – without even mentioning PCP, friends and colleagues have noticed I have changed my eating habits and look different and it’s having a knock on effect.

14. I love to blog! What to do when I can no longer ‘blog it out’?? Currently plotting my next blogging adventure…

Without a shadow on my conscious I am proud to say I did this - from beginning to end. The original goal was to get fit for my wedding which is now in only 5 weeks but predictably it has become about so much more (specifically - more cash since I now need to get my dress resized…ha!!).

Patrick and Chen your program is tough and unforgiving but it works and has changed my life. There were times when I cursed you both out loud and wanted to crawl up in a ball and give up in a blaze of Doritos but in hindsight I am so glad I didn’t. I love my new positive frame of mind and feel great in my new strong body. I needed a swift health kick up the bum to get me motivated and feeling good about myself again and this most certainly was it. Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!!! m(_ _)m

Congratulations everyone!! I hope you all go out and celebrate in a manner befitting this most awesome achievement. Good Luck!

Patrick - how about golden jump ropes for each of us graduates?

Tanya x

Day 91 - New beginnings (but not for the next 3 days....)

I'm still having a tough time letting it sink in. Are we really past the day 90 mark? Last week was a complete blur. Literally all the elements of the universe coverged to make what was probably THE most hectic week of my life and of course it had to be the last week of PCP - I guess somebody or something out there really wanted to test me. BUT I survived so if I can handle last week I can handle anything!!

Pics and final thoughts will be posted in my final blog in the next day or two but before then I just wanted to wish everyone a very heartfelt congratulations!!! It has been TOUGH  and emotional to say the least (and I have at times acted like a complete maniac) but how amazing that we all made it. I am completely elated (and so mightily proud of myself I must say...), everything seems to be falling into place and it's because the last 3 months have helped to put everything in perspective.

I admit I was anxious about not exercising for a few days but that lasted about a minute before I broke out in a celebratory dance. Not to mention the timing couldn't be better - I have friends arriving tomorrow and even though I won't be hitting the booze or gorging myself sick anymore it will be nice to rejoin the land of people where I don't have to decline an invitation and hence constantly convince everyone I am not fostering an eating disorder!! That's right people, you can lose weight healthily (it just takes a hell of a lot of hard work).

Day 45ers hang in there - you are doing tremendously and you will see how much it will be worth it once you come out of the other end. It really is life changing. OK so for what is not a last post this has become just a touch reflective and big picture so I guess the good news is that there'll be less of my musings in my next post!

BRAVO Everyone!!!! Now for the encore?

Day 84 - The stranded skipper

Our last PCP-lite day before the supersets start. I was planning to come straight home after work and do my skips in the park however, the weather had other plans and it started raining so I ended up at the gym instead. Unexpectedly here is part 2 of my gym observation - gyms are so bloody crowded!!!!! Do you think I could find a decent enough square of space where I should skip for 18 minutes and not hit anyone in the head. Nope. Impossible. Everywhere I looked someone was spread out on a a mat or crouched in deep conversation with a personal trainer. The boxing ring offered no possibilities either and the studios were packed with people spinning or engaged in some form of slo-mo calisthenics. Seriously?? You have got to be kidding me. I pay x amount a month to not even be able to find a measly patch of floor on which to skip? So I vote for a skipping zone in gyms. That's right enter and be whipped in the head at your own risk.

Off to a bad start, I decided to run instead, fine, I have confessed to enjoying running except - I forgot my headphones. No problem, I'll just borrow a pair - think again. I was informed I would have to BUY a pair for $50. Gah! I've become quite reliant on my music when I work out. It propels me along and distracts me enough to get through my fat burn so that it seems a lot shorter than it actually is. But the prospect of just me alone with my thoughts and footsteps was pretty awful. Perhaps I need to check out that meditation video Patrick sent around... How do people do this? Without sound I started paying more attention to my breath, the nagging in my calves...the timer.  Eventually I got through it but it seemed twice as long as it actually was!

With that out of the way, I decided to do 8mins abs. But had to circle the gym like I was waiting for a table at a foodcourt at Disneyland during school holidays. Mental note that when I build my dream house (it's good to dream right?) it must have a workout room (and a Japanese bath). I finally managed to stake out a spot and since I had no headphones I just cranked up my phone and shared the gang and the awesome 80s music with my fellow members.

So - that is just me blogging out today's  experience. Tomorrow will be a different story (and thank you Gilles for pacifying me with a delicious meal when I finally got home). Day 85? I'm ready for it!!!

New pics posted.

Day 83 - The final countdown

Day 83, the home stretch. I know I am supposed to be feeling energised and excited that the end is nigh but to be honest I am feeling tired, broken and a tad on the irritable side. My body also hates me and is teetering on the brink of a full scale revolt. EVERYTHING hurts and I am feeling about 80 years old at the moment. Tonight I plan to go to bed early and sleep it off so I can have a good positive final week and finish this thing on a high as I should. But it's not really the end is it? I've already started thinking about what I am going to do to maintain the results for the longterm and am actually a bit bummed that I know day 90 will be the "peak". I won't go on about the anxieties I am feeling about this - is being as neurotic as me about this???

I have been doing some workouts at the gym throughout PCP so this week's assignment wasn't a total surprise and I am did my workout there today since the weather in HK has been complete rubbish these last few days. I am always amazed at the crazies at the gym. Yes you do see some people doing some dangerous back breaking stuff down at the "muscle end" of the gym but I rarely hang out there. There's a tad too much grunting, postulating and general testosterone flying about in that zone so I usually do my workouts in the women's area where you are more likely to have to slalom around people balancing on bosu and yoga balls. In fact, it's a more of a sh1tfight to nab a sit up bench or a stretch mat rather than wait in line for a particular machine.

A while ago the topic of people noticing how much you can lift on a machine which caused much debate amongst the men but pretty much left me cold. I have to admit over all the years I have been a member of a gym I have never paid mind to how much someone can lift. Back in my ballet days (and I'm not promoting ballet as a healthy world at all - that's another thorny topic) the focus was all about being as strong as possible while being as lean as possible.Strength was needed to meet the physical demands however, at least for female dancers, bulk was considered bad - lean body and limbs = clean lines and a better more 'effortless' aesthetic. Which is great it you're a willowy ectomorph but no so great if you have stocky proportions and a tendency to put on muscle. But back to the gym. My overall observation is that yes, there are lot of people there who were making a real half-ar$sed attempt at exercise but that there are also quite a few genuinely fit people (who tend to go about their business pretty quietly). One guy who caught my eye (purely in the name of research Gilles. I swear!) was an older dude who was proportioned, lean and radiated health. He was also busting out pullups like there was no tomorrow - an ex-PCPer perhaps? A few other people also stuck out quite dramatically. The difference is that now I am pretty good at spotting the really healthy people i.e. the ones for whom it is a lifestyle, rather than confusing them with the pumped up peacocks and genetically gifted 20-somethings. Another comment made on Mark's blog really drove home which is the reliance people place on personal trainers. Personal trainers at least at my gym are a lot like hairdressers - most of the training session is spent blabbing with a bit of working out in between. The trainer I went to before PCP was always going on about my lack of fat burning exercise (which was right) but it's true - hardly any emphasis was placed on diet and now I understand one really can't exist without the other.

OK the clock is ticking and it's going to be a HUGE week. Good luck everyone. Make it count!!

Day 78 - No carbs for you!

Today we got our menus for the final two weeks and it appears I have been condemned to a future of no carbs after 2pm. So long risotto...

I haven't done my workout yet for today and plan to hit the gym after work tonight. I wish I had been stronger at getting up early but my body has really been putting up a fight these last two weeks. Tomorrow though I have no choice. It's shaping up to be a nasty day at work and with meetings and conf calls from 9 till 11pm I'll have to get it out of the way early or it ain't going to happen. Having said that I am blogging in my lunch hour at work - ahem!

Yesterday was our PCP-lite day with just skipping / fat burn. I'm still skipping but only a few days a week now instead of every day. I'd like to increase this for the last 2 weeks and will see how it goes but in previous attempts I've had to drop back since my ankles were giving me grief. Things might be different now though.

I've also discovered that I really like running which is a huge surprise because in the past I have despised it with a passion - probably because I was trying to sprint and usually ended up in a collapsed cramp addled heap. Yesterday after a less than satisfying day at work I headed to the gym , jumped on the treadmill and for 30mins just ran. It felt good to empty my head, breathe and let the day just fall away.

For those of you who like to run here are some current favourites on my running man list. There's more than 30mins worth here is you're feeling the juices flowing:
1. Hotel Song - Regina Spektor
2. The Fear - Lily Allen
3. Get Off - Dandy Warhols
4. Soldiers - You Am I
5. Even better than the real thing - U2 (also a great skipping song!)
6. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen (obviously)
7. This Modern Run - Bloc Party (for running nirvana)
8. I Predict A Riot - Kaiser Cheifs
9. Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
10. Ohh La la - Goldfrapp
11. Sinner Man - Nina Simone

I'm still working on my skipping list - still having some tempo problems!!

Day 76 - Just a perfect day, drink sangria in the park

Indulgence day....now we knew this was going to be a big one so Gilles and I decided to get the workout out of the way in the morning so it wouldn't be hanging over our heads. We also planned to get quite drunk which is not really conducive to exercise. Anyway this blog is not about exercise it is about FOOD!!!

It wasn't the most glorious day weather wise but we decided to go down to Stanley to a - this one's for your Jose - Spanish restaurant!! Yep, a spot of tapas, paella, decadent desserts and a bottle of icy cold white wine. Here are a couple of shots from our lazy indulgence, there was actually quite a bit more food involved but posting them all would be blog indulgence. We ended up staying for about 4 hours and were one of the last to leave the restaurant. Was it worth it? Abso-freakin-lutely!!!

View of Stanley Harbour from our table

MMMMelon & prosciutto and pan con tomate

Perfect paella

cheese glorious cheese - how I missed thee

Happiness!!

And the grand finale....

Molten choc orange volcano with
smoooth vanilla ice cream

oh yeah....

After this veritable feast I was truly content, whereas before I may have felt sickened. Not that we made a particularly unhealthy choice. Sure I could have gone for a burger, fries, cholesterol clogging sauces but that's really not my thing at least not anymore. Funny how my taste seems to have changed. It's so great to enjoy a meal knowing that your don't have to feel guilty about it because you've put in the hard work. The best part about it was that when I sat back at the end of the meal to pat my very full stomach instead of rolls I could feel my abs! It's definitely not for every weekend but now when I do happen to have a meal out I really REALLY enjoy it.

Let me introduce you to my lunch date Javier - Gilles' alter-ego. The mo is a stubborn leftover from a Magnum PI party we went to last night and now it refuses to go....I pray it will be gone before the wedding. Creep out!!!

Everytime I look at this it cracks me up. I have to say though Javier is ever bit the latin gentleman. After lunch we wandered around the flower markets and he loaded me up with armfuls of my favorite flowers - gardenias and peonies which now fill our flat with the heady smell of spring. You said it Lou Reed - Such a perfect day!!

I don't care what anyone says - every
girl loves  to get flowers!

Instant pick me up

Day 75 - I heart PCP?

We had been hearing rumours it was on the horizon and today it was officially announced - the third and final (pause for effect) INDULGENCE!!!!! Gilles and I spent a good 20 minutes throwing around some ideas as to where we should go and finally we have come to a decision (no French) and are going for an all out epic lunch tomorrow. More details to follow on the next post. Already I am rubbing my hands together in anticipation. It's gonna be amaaaaazing! Admittedly this week has been a bit rough. I've had a few days where I didn't stick to the diet - yes a few glasses of wine may have been consumed, I've had a few meals out and this evening I went to a b'day and had a piece of cake. I don't want to let myself go so close to the end but perhaps since I am starting to see some good results am being a little self-forgiving but after tomorrow's indulgence I plan to put the blinkers on until day 90 and try and get through all this with as many perfect close to perfect days as possible.

A few weeks ago I sent my blog link to my family to let them know what I have been up to. My mum was in HK when I was just starting all this. She's highly suspect of any and all diets so the weekly photos reassure her that I'm not wasting away into a shell. My sister made the observation that while it seems like it's proving to be effective it doesn't look like all that much fun. Of course she's right - let's be brutally honest. None of this is very fun at all, in fact some days it's an absolute nightmare. So what is it that keeps me going? Sure pride and accountability (since I have fessed up to a few people that I am doing this. I also don't want to get chucked out of the program. I got chucked out of enough when I was at school thanks.) but also because
- I like and need the structure otherwise I would have walked away long ago
- I feel so damn good - perhaps because we are now all natural drug addicts
- I have discovered a new love for vegetables and seafood (my Rick Stein book on complete seafood arrived today. Yay!). Now I actually crave fish - this is a first and I am sure would bring a tear to my ma's eye. All those years spent on trying to make me like fish...
- I have become somewhat hooked on pushing my body to its limit just to see what it is capable of
What I previously considered to be rigorous discipline and what to an objective outsider must seem like madness now just seems routine. Of course having an end date to all this does help immensely. Then I peek out and gingerly rejoin the real world but I'm quietly confidant that I can at least maintain the principles of regular exercise and a good diet. When you say it like that it seems so simple - and it actually is but somehow so many convenient excuses manage to get in the way. Basically what I am trying to say is that in the last 2 and a bit months I have learned to be a lot more honest with myself. I hope it stays that way.

I've been thinking a lot about the fact we only have 15 days left. This fills me with elation,  dread and sadness. The melancholy is probably because checking the PCP blogs has largely replaced the time I would have otherwise spent on facebook! But seriously, going through this with my group and seeing everyone struggle with same exercises, experience the same meltdowns and share in the various triumphs has been hugely reassuring and I'll miss that a lot. I've always needed structure and routine to be successful in diet and exercise so going it alone where it's just the voice in my head and not my weekly schedule or email from Patrick will be tough. What on earth is happening here? Am I in love with PCP? This is all sounding a bit like separation anxiety. Well that's enough musings for one evening - back to self-deprecating wry posts and food fantasies from tomorrow I promise. Let's hear it for indulgence day. Woooooo!!

By the way those FIVE 90 second planks were nasty. I actually thought I was going to pass out during plank no. 5. I now have a fair idea when I am approaching the minute mark (mainly because I start convulsing violently) but when I glanced over to my trusty stop watch I saw I had forgotten to start the timer - I almost burst into tears but vomited a vicious stream of profanities instead. Once composed I started my timer and did a super plank which must have been around 2.5 mins total because it very nearly killed me.

Day 71 -I dream of chocolate

I've been a bit slack on the blog this last week. After my emotional day 65 post I noticed that day 68 was eerily familiar but that I handled it much better. Quite amazing how quickly the body can adapt. Having said that my workout today was pretty mediocre. I just couldn't get it together, I felt clumsy and uncoordinated and felt like I was dragging my body through each exercise. I did my strength first thing in the morning and did my cardio later in the morning since we had a public holiday today. The plan was to go for a hike but it was so damn hot and I didn't want a repeat shutdown incident like last time sooooooo when a friend called up and suggested we have a long lunch (5 hrs to be exact) on a sunny terrace I was pretty quick to accept and given the crappy mood I was in after my disastrous workout, it was just what I needed.

I know we are supposed to be feeling a renewed push that the end is in sight but some days it is still remarkably hard to find the motivation to exercise. My body is crying out for a day off but on the flipside I am starting to become impossible if anything threatens to eat into my exercise time.

Recently I have found I am becoming increasingly restless in the evenings and my mind won't stop racing when I am supposed to be sleeping which means I am not getting as much sleep as I should. I have also been craving desserts which is very uncharacteristic - specifically chocolate - chocolate cake, chocolate tart, chocolate ice cream, chocolate fondant, a good old block of cadbury - you get the message. Where is this coming from? I have never had these cravings before. I would be more likely to demolish a pack of Doritos than gorge on chocolate so this is very bizarre.

Hoping I can turn this around tomorrow!

Day 65 - Lunge around the world in 90 days?

65 days later and I still hate lunges. Yesterday's leg sets were crazy bananas. I set the timer and started to lunge...10mins later I am STILL lunging. If I lined up all the lunges I have done since starting PCP I wonder where I would be - surely somewhere high on the Tibetan Plateau with the symptomatic nausea and lightheadeness to match. It took me twenty minutes to get through all of my leg reps and I swear I was not dawdling around in between. By the end my legs were a shaking mess and then of course straight after it was the shoulders. It was honestly a relief to get to the abs and I even managed to squeeze in a video date with our 8mins ab friend as well so that felt like an achievement.

I'll admit, on some off days I haven't managed to get through my entire sets - biceps and chest may have been abbreviated here and there but I have promised myself to never cut the legs or abs because they are the areas I need to work on the most. So far I've managed to hit all of the sets but was slightly terrified by Patrick's email of today telling us to keep going until failure....I am not looking forward to this. Legs are awful enough, I can't imaging lunging till failure. Maybe I should just forgo the bus and start lunging into work in the mornings? The horror...

Today was a major PCP diet fail of rather epic proportions. My old boss invited me out for lunch and since he was pressed for time we went to the Chinese restaurant downstairs for dim sum. I'm not sure how it happened but we inadvertently ordered almost everything fried on the menu. My digestive system is now in full scale revolt but it tasted oh so fine. I'm giving myself a pat on the back regardless for being pretty good up until this point but I guess I'll just have to be extra careful from now. I call it sub-conscious sympathetic indulgence - I hope you feel better now Gilles...

I still have tonight's workout to do when I get home and it looks like another killer. Are we seriously up to 90 second planks???

Update 8:45pm 4/5/2011: I would strongly suggest you not read this is you are yet to do your Day 65 work out!    
OK so I have just managed to scrape myself off the floor and wipe away the drool to write this addendum to my post. Oh my good god you cannot be serious!!! Today was by far the toughest yet for me. Chest dips - failure. Push - ups - failure, I had to slip in a set of 'lady' push ups. Biceps - I had so many freaky hulk like veins popping out everywhere by the last set I thought I was going to haemmorhage and die. Not to be dramatic or anything. 90 SECOND PLANKS?? I was crying proper baby tears by plank 3. Mehhh, I hurt.  Excuse me while I go lie down in a very cool and dark place and try and piece together my sanity. But on the plus side - my new skipping playlist rocks!! Skips were (almost) a delight - in retrospect...

Day 63 - Search & Rescue

With less than a month to go, I think I am finally being winched to safety out of the valley.  The last couple of days have been TOUGH physically and psychologically. Gilles is in France at the moment and it has actually given me some time to concentrate on getting my moods and routine back on track. I'm sure I'll really need to dig deep to get through this last stage but just knowing we are already 2/3 of the way through is a huge  motivator.

We're at the tail end of another glorious long weekend. Friday I watched the royal wedding sans champagne. I was pretty nervous but looks like our wedding will have absolutely nothing in common with Wills & Kate -  no overlap on the guest list, venue or dress.... phew.  Though apparently Kate Moss and Prince Albert of Monaco are also getting married in July so we're not in the clear just yet. I must make sure "our people" coordinate. Of course straight after my Mum (a die hard royalist) immediately called me for a fashion de-brief. Hilarious. She makes Joan Rivers seem like a sweet old dear.

I got up early this morning to go for a run around the racecourse instead of doing my skips. Out of all the cardio I am doing this is definitely the one which kills me the most. I try to keep a steady jogging pace but I'm pretty sure my heart rate goes above what it does when I skip or use the elliptical, sometimes I get a bit overexcited with the music I am listening to and break into a 'victory run' which doesn't help as I burn out after a few seconds, it must be all that adrenalin. I crashed the local running club by tagging along with their group for a while but all those wiry old guys are so fit so I dropped back. What is interesting is that I no longer get a crippling stitch which would usually kick in when I looked at my sneakers. I'm definitely no runner, my performance has always been abysmal, but seeing the evidence of progress has made me want to stick with it 1-2 days a week for now with skipping and elliptical on the other days.

Patrick's "red faced" email was interesting. I don't usually get this phenomenon usually I just sweat like crazy but after this morning's run I was flaming tomato red. Not sure if you can really see it in this pic but a few hours later and my skin looks really good!

OK, going to get out and soak up what sunshine is left of this fine day but before signing off I'd really like to know what people are listening to during their workouts. I'm building a few playlists and would be interested in what everyone's get off your butt and move song is.

Week 9 photos now posted.

Day 59 - Rebound

The last two days have been really touch and go. Probably the lowest point I have experienced yet on PCP. Up until now I have just accepted my workouts as part of my daily routine but yesterday I really really really wanted a day off - just one. After negotiating with my conscience for quite some time we came to a mutual agreement. We would revisit the rope. For the last week or so I have been doing most of my workouts at the gym using the elliptical for cardio which makes it impossible to finish everything in an hour as Patrick reminded us today. Then when you factor in showering...sauna... general faffing about it's quite a long and drawn out ordeal. Not really something I can manage on a daily basis before work

Yesterday I ventured back to my local park and took up my position on the astroturf, pumped up the volume on my ipod and started to jump - gingerly at first -but soon I found I fell back into my old rhythm with relative ease. I was unstoppable and so I just kept going and killed the 4x4. When I was done I was barely out of breath and there was no pain in my joints...no pain of course until I started the strength exercises. Good God they are getting crazy. What is surprising though is that I managed the planks - had I even attempted two consecutive one min planks a few weeks ago you would have had to stretcher me home. It's actually quite fascinating how quickly the body can adapt - it's like a ravenous baby bird gobbling up exercise and wanting more provided of course the mind is cooperating. As I mentioned, it has been a bit of a battle the last two days. Even though I remembered how great and satisfying it felt once I got started, getting motivated was once again a challenge today. For a variety of reasons I had to swap today and tomorrow's workouts (Sorry Patrick). Basically I had a few conf calls tonight and had to see Gilles before he left for France so I just didn't have the time to go to the gym or trek down to the racecourse to use the pull up bar so I ended up doing the Day 60 workout today and will do the Day 59 workout tomorrow morning at the gym (since of course I will be glued to the tele watching the Royal wedding tomorrow - HA!!! A forerunner to the real wedding of the year in July of course. By the way, if Kate has ripped off my dress I will be livid!).

So does this mean I am seeing the rope again? Not sure - even though the legs and joints are feeling good, I plan to keep my options open and continue to mix up the cardio with the elliptical or jogging. I think my legs appreciate the break and it was a relief to find that I am managing to keep pace with the rope with other forms of exercise.

So as the clock hits 12:01 I can officially wish you all a Happy Friday!! Bring on the weekend!

Day 57 - The Sweet Eggscape

What a great mini-break! Today I was back at the office and have a four day week to lift my spirits. If that isn’t good news enough, here in HK we have two more 4 day weeks to look forward to thanks to an abundance of holidays this year. That’s right people – 3 weeks of back-to-back 4 day work weeks. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to plan any holidays…so I’ll be spending them ALL in Hong Kong. Sadly, the first thing that comes to mind is “great, now I can work out when I want!!”. The biggest treat it seems I can give myself these days is the luxury of not getting up at 6 to do my exercises….

But anyway back to the Easter weekend! So much to report but I’ll stick to the good stuff. Most importantly, it was the hallowed INDULGENCE! [cue chorus of angels and heavenly light]. This Easter I decided to forego all chocolate (btw, nice timing on the indulgence Patrick. I am sure there were a few happy PCP bunnies out there this year) and roll it up into one hold-onto-your-tastebuds-and-pull-out-the-elastic-waisted-mum-jeans feast!! Gilles and I were a bit divided on this – I was favouring Spanish and he was gunning for surprise surprise – French. Then I figured I might try to play my ‘nostalgic for home cooking’ card as well which led me to bbqs and Japanese food – hmm, both largely PCP compliant – dammit! So in the end we went for French because as Roland rightly observed, that stuff will kill you so what the hell. I will confess this outright – I am pretty sure we blew our caloric quota by about a gazillion and then some. There was champagne, cheese, wagyu beef, a rainbow of heady sauces, a ‘bit’ of foie gras, desserts, digestif…    



Half devoured goat cheese concontion



Choices...choices...



 

Scallop topped with all manner of

decadence in a heart attack sauce 

Let there be - light Champagne!!! [recue chorus of angels...]


you get the picture…OH! and not a single EGG in sight. Ha! Oh my it was worth it even if I am to be condemned to PCP purgatory.The former foodie ghost of meals past has been resurrected from the dead and is back spreading the food love…I have been haunted ever since. I still love food, that hasn’t changed and I doubt it ever will, but now it seems I can appreciate a good meal every once in a while and not feel guilty about it because the regular exercise routine is there to fall back on. The question is whether I can make things stay this way after PCP. What was interesting is that I didn’t crave more, I was abundantly satisfied with what we had (albeit excessive) and could happily return to my chicken/fish & veggies for everyday which makes the sense of indulgence that much better.

On Sunday night, I took my friend for her last authentic HK experience before leaving - Sunny Paradise Spa & Sauna. It sounds a lot more suspect than it actually is folks. I figured she needed an experience she wouldn’t forget and I needed a massage to ease my PCP bruised and broken body. This place needs to be seen to be understood but in essence it gives the term ‘foot massage” new meaning…an army of ancient aunties hang from bars on the ceiling and dance nimbly around on your you back, cracking your spine with their toes and working out all those crippling knots.  It’s terrifying as all hell at first but completely rejuvenating. Now I feel like I can face another 7 days of PCP battering.

The weather has been amazing these last few days in HK. I had my fingers crossed it would hold out for the weekend and luckily it did. Yesterday a couple of friends and I decided to hike to High Junk Peak and then reward ourselves with a seafood meal at Po Toi O, a little fishing village at the end of the trail. Why it is called High Junk Peak I have no idea most probably because you need to be in an altered state to be crazy enough to clamber up this mountain. I suppose all the endorphins I am getting from PCP puts me squarely in that category now and so I dragged two unsuspecting companions along for the ride. It was the most perfect day for a hike but unforgivably boiling….we were completely hammered by the sun and now I have a lovely patchwork tan complete with backpack strap marks to prove it. Nevertheless I did notice how much fitter I am…the hike wasn’t easy but it was definitely easier. Usually I am the straggler at the back but somehow I seem to have developed mountain goat DNA and was the annoying perky person at the front yelling out ‘good job!’, 'you’re almost there’, 'you can do it!’ etc. These remarks were greeted with a stoney glare by one of my friends while the other flipped me the bird despite being doubled over in a stitch which I thought was pretty impressive but also fair enough – I would have done exactly the same to myself. My enthusiasm did fade a few hours in and by the time we finished the hike, I was back to my crabby self crying out for a shower and a diet coke. 

Looking back on our trail

At the summit!

We climbed that crazy hill!

It was really a great day out though and our best prize of all was the amazing seafood feast at the end of it all (and a taxi back to HK island…). Good job – woo!!

Picking out our fresh seafood lunch.

I realise I haven’t reported that much on the exercises….I swear I’m not trying to deflect – I’m still doing them and suffering. Today's leg sets were particularly grueling (Patrick you're a maniac!). I see my diet has barely changed this week. Gilles is back on proper food in the evening which actually doesn’t make me as jealous as I thought it would. I am strangely enjoying the light feeling of not having a full meal in my belly at night but I am also compensating by watching a lot of Asian Food Channel…

Week 8 photos are now up!

Day 52 - Kung Fu Diva

Thursday afternoon and it's almost Easter weekend. Hip hop hooraaaaay! I'm off for four days!

Yep, Four days of relaxation, hiking, catching up with friends, the long awaited 2nd indulgence and...PCP.

This morning I got up early and went to the gym to train. This is because *sigh* I am still on the elliptical for my cardio BUT this weekend I am hoping to do some hikes and runs instead. Good lord there are some crazy people at my gym - and it appears I have become one of them. I am convinced I am on the 'watch list' of obsessed regulars. Well I am not alone - every morning there is one guy who who rocks up in his comfort walking / business shoes, gets on the same elliptical, two down from me,  sets his level to max (not that I'm in anyone's business or anything...), puts his head down on the handles and goes hell for leather at FULL SPEED for 15mins until his glasses fog up - and then that's it. He's done. It fascinates me. In fact I see a tonne of people literally killing themselves on machines of all type. I guess the idea is to expend as much energy as possible and get it all over with in a shorter frame of time however, my PCP brain can see this is complete insanity! It can only end in a ball of flames.

I found today's work out REALLY tough. Excriciating actually. To my frustration I still cannot do pull ups so for now I have to settle with the inclines. Try as I might I just hang there limply like an orphaned orangutang. Wondering if I will ever have my epiphany moment. I have been using the TRX at the gym to do the inclines as there isn't a nice little bar that isn't conveniently positioned in front of a door (!).  Unfortunately I forgot my band today so I had to get a bit creative with the weights - sorry Patrick!

What I am lacking in pull ups I am starting to make up for in kung fu sit ups. Yes, they are a bit out of control and this morning I kept on crashing into the frame of the bars making a huge crashing sound on my descent not unlike a gong - high drama.

This weekend I have a couple of farewell drinks which should be interesting. I'll probably have a glass or two so I can send my friend off but she is clearly disappointed I won't be up for a huge one tonight and sees it like a kind of betrayal. I'm pretty sure I won't be tempted but it's funny how some people are being really supportive and others want to see you fall off the wagon in disgrace. Saturday, Gilles and I are planning our INDULGENCE!! We have a couple of ideas already as to where we will go. The whole idea of just going out to eat is so exciting. I can't wait!!!

Boooo I forgot I have to finish my homework...Not digging the extra curricular work Patrick. Just finding enough hours in the day to blog, do my workout and cook is a challenge but written Q&A? The dog ate my computer. Hope this is just a once off...

Day 50 - Bloated

That's how I am feeling today. All I want to do is curl up into a ball (after eating a giant bowl of spaghetti bolognese) and sleep for three days straight. I'm completely and utterly exhausted. 

This morning I woke up with mega cramps and have been outrageously cranky for the last few days. Nevertheless I managed to push through my strength training this morning and spent 30mins on the elliptical at the gym this evening then 8mins abs which I followed on my iphone. I figured that if I could get through all of this feeling as sluggish as I do, then tomorrow I will be unstoppable when I am back to my normal self. That's the theory anyway.

My ankle feels a LOT better but I don’t want to push it by getting back on it too early so the plan is to stick with the non-impact cardio and hopefully start jumping again after Easter.

The new workout format is a tad nasty - beefed up versions of each set! As agonising as the shoulders are I am learning to love them now that I am finally starting to see some changes. It's a bizarre fixation but I have always wanted a nice clean collar bone line as mine has been buried under several layers of insulation for many many years - seems they are finally floating back to the surface.

Week 7 photos are up! I don't see a massive change from last week but some of my clothes are feeling a bit loose so something is shifting.

Day 47 - Back on the blog

It's been almost a week since I last posted so before Patrick punishes me by taking away my last remaining carbs (which he'll probably do anyway...) I thought I should write something pronto. This last week was pretty hectic. Everytime I went to post, something (conveniently) got in the way. A big part of the problem was that I was a complete sloth for the better part of the week and ended up doing most of my workouts at night. Add to that cooking, conference calls and wedding planning and I have had almost zero time to sit down and just write...until now. Next week I am getting back into my morning routine. The days are just too short otherwise!

Today Gilles and I did our workout at the mini-muscle beach area in H.Valley racecourse. Yeah, definitely a bit of postulating and parading going on around there but it was great to workout outside in the sunshine. I felt so...dare I say it - healthy! However, I have discovered that I am not a social exerciser. I don't mind being around people when I work out - hooray I'm not a complete misanthropist - but I found myself getting really crabby when Gilles would speak to me in the middle of one of my sets. How does 8minsabguy exercise and talk??

It's hard to believe we are already over halfway and the group ahead has finished. I went through their blogs today and the change not only physically but in everyone's outlook by the end of the program is impressive. It's quite strange to think we are now the 'group ahead'. I guess there is no backing out now. So I guess this what it feels like to be an older sibling? Don't expect me to slip you any underage beers newbies!!

I think I have finally started to notice some changes but I guess only the week 7 photos will tell - fingers crossed. My flexibility is returning and I feel more fluid when I move around with a spring  limp in my step - unfortunately I can't shake the pain my my right ankle. All week I have had to do my cardio on the elliptical at the gym to avoid any impact. I am hoping I'll be back on the rope in a few days - I really don't want to get left behind :(

The strength exercises are starting to be killer - lunges STILL feel me with utter dread. Today was 25 per leg - C'mon! Seriously? It took me an absolute eternity to get through them. Fine for the weekend but an absolute pain in the a$$ on a weekday morning. Given I haven't been able to jump, my whole routine is taking absolutely forever to get through which is fine (it just means I have to be more organised). Even without the cardio my strength is now taking me about 40-50mins. Anyone else taking this long? I wonder if I am going too slow.

Abs...in a weird and twisted way, I love 'em. I don't even mind the plank that much - yet. Kung fu sit ups looked a lot scarier than they actually were BUT it's a struggle to not work up momentum and start swinging around. It was all I could do to not work up some height and hurl myself off the bar in a flying kick. I'll save that one for next time. I also might also need to get some gloves...sweaty palms and a chin-up bar are a disastrous  combination.

I can feel my core getting stronger and it's affecting the way I stand and generally hold myself. I feel so much more lifted and centred which in turn seems to affect how I hold my pelvis which in turn affects my shoulders and spine - or so it feels anyway. Could this be the famed tadasana????  Maybe, but whatever it is it feels good.

Day 41 - Moment of weakness...

Sunday night and instead of zoning out with a crappy movie I have decided to be productive and blog! It was a glorious weekend here in HK. Right now it's that perfect period just in between the Spring chill and the oppressive Summer heat. Fangoddamtastic! Pity it will only last another few weeks. Saturday Gilles and I were out and about and ended up having lunch in a cafe. I did my best with what was on offer ordering fish, brown rice and veggies but the rice was more of a risotto loaded up with a plethora of naughty goodies that was so tasty I couldn't stop eating. I was tempted to let loose with some shopping after that but these last few weeks I haven't been able to bring myself to buy any clothes. The truth is everytime I get close the voice in my head tells me to wait until this is all over and then I can shop for my NEW body. Completely narcissistic of course but in a way the ultimate indulgence (in the meantime I guess there are still shoes!).

Today we had some friends over for a bbq so at least we had control over the menu! It was grilled meat, veggies and bread so that was all pretty harmless. But the combination of good company, music, weather and food was too much to resist so when the rose started flowing I couldn't resist...then some friends showed up with Haagen Daaz...and it was boiling on the roof...and it was just a perfect afternoon and... gahhhh, I couldn't resist.  I'm not proud but man it was tasty and for the record Gilles was all holier than thou and resisted. Good for him! I did redeem myself by hitting the gym later in the afternoon to do my workout so that counts for something.

My achilles have been nagging at me for the last couple of days so I might need to give it a bit of a rest from the skipping. Is it possible to get tendonitis from skipping? Reminds me a lot of the pain I used to get when I was doing a lot of pointe work from ballet. I hope I'm not heading back down that road because that wasn't fun. Tonight I spent about 20mins rolling each of my achilles and calves over a tennis ball for a deeper massage (which I used to do back then as well) and it seemed to help. Tomorrow I think I'll turn down the tempo and hit the elliptical or treadmill before work. I wish it weren't the case - it really is easier to just do the skips in a blast and be done with it. Or maybe I should break it up into shorter sessions to give my tendons and calves a rest in between? Might need to get Partick's thoughts on that.

Finally, week 6 photos are in. I am starting to see some results on the abs but now I really want to zone in on the hips and butt. Come on body, lets get a move on!!!

Great weekend but now I am officially exhausted. Goodnight!

Day 38 - Egg Head

Right now I am wolfing down 4 eggs a day which is more that I would probably have eaten in a month pre-PCP!! I used to have to throw eggs out because they were still in my fridge loooong after the use by date. These days it's a completely different story. We have to buy the wholesale sized pack and even then we're back for more before the week is out. I feel like I am about to sprout wings and I swear my head is taking on a conical shape. I'm morphing. Is everyone just eating their egg whites boiled? I'm not into the whole raw strong man shake. An ideas how to liven up a bland egg white?

I'm pleased to say I am in a far better frame of mind. It really is a pendulum and the lowest point is usually after weekly photo posts. My knees and ankles have been complaining a bit the last few days so this weekend I might sub in 30mins on the elliptical or go for a power walk to give my joints a rest. Today during my workout I was feeling pretty strong. I still suffered a LOT but it felt good. The planks are really psychological but I find I have much more control and can get through them if I concentrate on my breathing it also helps to make the plank go much faster. Once again it's all about distracting my brain! Oh and the ski jumps...agonyyyy! Such a tiny little muscle causing so much pain. I might need some help cutting up my lunch tomorrow.

Speaking of lunch, today a met a friend and it was a complete PCP travesty - the best choice was ceasar salad so I pretty much violated every rule. I tried to make up for it tonight by being extra vigilant but I guess I need to be a bit more careful or creative.

Damn I'm tired can barely keep my eyes open. Definitely looking forward to a major sleep in this weekend!!

One step forward two steps back??

OK bear with me as this might turn into a bit of a rant. Today is ching ming festival here in Hong Kong which means a public holiday making for a nice little 4 day week. So far I've had a great day - I slept in, went shopping, went for a sauna after my workout, cooked a truckload of veggies and boiled eggs for my weekly eat-a-thon and am about to curl up with a book. All is all it's been a pretty good day however at the back of my mind I have been annoyed about my weekly photos and results so far. I know it's important to be patient but to be honest I am a bit frustrated that the weight seems to be falling off Gilles and he is morphing into some Greek statue (which I am THRILLED about definitely no complaints) but I am not seeing the same results. This is probably because my priorities are not the same as his because guys don't have to fight the hips and butt battle.  I can definitely see changes in my body but it's all in the wrong places - well not the wrong places but the parts which are a lower priority. It seems the part of my body which I REALLY want to change i.e. the bit which starts at my beer handles and extends down to my mid-thighs and includes a big section of butt, is not budging an inch. How come??? I need to understand what results I can expect from all this.  Is this going to be the last zone to change because my body is just too attached to this security blanket of blubber or do I need to just get over it because this is my body shape? I'm all for getting guns that look like I can punch you out but it would really be so much nicer to have a smaller bum.

This PCP business is a bit of a roller coaster. One day you feel great and the next it's like you're standing at the foot of a sheer cliff. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be in a better state of mind. I know I have to try and stay positive and that the results are slower to show on women etc etc I just hope I'm heading towards the results I am looking for! Sorry for the neurotic post all. I am sure I am not the first female PCPer to go through this. Just gotta hang in there.

Day 31 - My precioussss

Protein has become a precious commodity in our home so when it runs low, tensions thrive. This is exactly what happened yesterday when Gilles and I discovered we were low on muscle fuel. Neither of us wanted to mention it hoping the other wouldn't realise. In battle, tactics are everything and Gilles outmanoeuvred me this morning by leaving for work first and taking with him almost all the 'prots' in the house. I was left with an egg white and some sorry chicken scraps leftover from the wings I used to make stock with 2 days ago. FYI there is about 2% usable meat on those things. Gilles - you are a protein pilferer! I trust your muscles are thriving whilst I wither into this:

'My precioussss proteinsss'

Anyway moving on, I am a bona fide chest dip failure. I can barely bend my elbows. I think I managed to do 3 before collapsing in a heap but every millimetre counts so hopefully next time I'll manage to get through 4! This morning circumstances required me to reverse my exercise order so I did my strength exercises first but didn't get around to my skips. I was running late since I was storming around the house for 30 mins yellling "where are my prots?" when I could have been (a) skipping or (b) cooking a piece of salmon… So I plan to head out pronto and do my skips at the playground. I may even WATCH the 8 min ab routine (with my youtube screen enlarged) and psych myself up to do it for real. I want to see what all this cheese and leotard talk is about but I like the sound of it already.

This weekend, Gilles are I are away on a retreat for our wedding (long story…churches in France…we have do a course). Anyway, it's a weekend away thing and I'm not too sure we'll have any say in what we'll be eating but I will be packing my rope and exercise band!! Fitness on the go - love it.

One month down! That's something to celebrate. Chest dips anyone?

Day 28- Four Petit Fours

This is a pre-emptive blog! I have been quiet for the last few days because as I think I mentioned before I usually find it harder to find time to blog on the weekends with all the running around (and attempts to hang in there socially) however after seeing Patrick's email this morning I panicked. I also felt like a 5 years old in trouble bigtime, plus with Gilles blogging daily I feel like I am up against the class pet.  Back seat rebel!!!

Saturday was a great day. I got up early to do my exercises then went to do a really great yoga class which was fantastic for stretching out my stiff limbs. Then I met up with a friend and went for a massage and sauna at Sunny Paradise. The masseuses there walk on your back and though we were both pretty taken aback when we realised what was going on we emerged glowing and as relaxed as putty. Definitely a great way to spend a few hours. In my last blog, I mentioned that I was a bit stressed about how I was going to dodge all the food and alcohol on Saturday night. I was celebrating a friend's birthday as we ended up going to Tango, an Argentinian steakhouse right on Wyndhan street that was perfect for sober Sevens spotting. PCP-wise it was a pretty good choice and as we ended up sharing so I was able to nibble on a few slices of amazing beef and load up on grilled veggies (footnote: I also indulged in a glass of wine and a glass of champagne which didn’t make me feel nauseous but did give me more of a buzz than it would have a month ago. It also appears I still love champagne so looks like PCP hasn't flicked that switch to off just yet).

The exercises are going well and I am feeling really good with the skips. I have taken to doing them at the gym when I can and on Sunday once again had a whole studio to myself. With the concentration and the sprung floor I felt unstoppable and ended up skipping for 11 mins straight which took me just shy of my 1200 jumps. The day before I managed to do them in two sets but generally I am now quite comfortable doing 5-6mins straight and fitting in 600-700 jumps in that time. What has made all the difference is mixing up my jumps. I'll do a couple of hundred of the straight jumps then jump on alternate feet or hop on one foot. It seems to be a question of tricking my brain into concentrating on the foot combinations so that it doesn’t switch off and get bored. Hopefully this will last. I think my body is still treating all this as a novelty - something new to get used to.

Now for the INDULGENCE!!! Gilles and I were planning to head into central to find the best cheesecake in town but in the end, went to Zoe and got a selection of small cakes - yes we got 4 because they were tiny. Just on the larger side of petit fours alright? You see there's a knife there for perspective…it's a tiny knife by the way…

I dove straight into the chocolate mud cake which was divine (in fact I started hallucinating just by inhaling the heady aroma) then had to pull back when I realised I was at risk of peaking too early so I stopped to sample the rest of the cakes which was worth it because the banana banoffe pie was incredible!!! By the time I was back on the chocolate I felt pretty ill and couldn’t finish the tiny slice. I probably would have been happy with a few mouthfuls so that was interesting to observe as before I would have just pressed on without thinking. Seems like I have a much greater awareness of when my cravings are satisfied. Still, I was annoyed at leaving half a piece of cake on my plate!

I have posted my week 4 pics which I'm a bit disappointed by. I'm not really seeing much change in my body though I can't tell if I am changing and my perception is distorted. Some days I feel thinner and more toned and other days it's like I am going backwards. Weight-wise I seem to be back up half a kilo. Also I think I was ripped off! I didn't get my breakthrough motivational comment last week. In fact, no one has commented that I look any different at all (apart from the face fat observation at work) so I am wondering when the results will start to show. I can notice the changes in my fitness level as I can do more but the whole point is for it to show right? Grrrrr. Guess I need to hang in there...

Day 25 - Who's the Killjoy?

Looking at Patrick's email this morning it was like he had read me like a book. Feelin run down? Check. Having the impression the world is taunting you with fine food? Check. Being an emotional b1tch from hell? Well that's a very subjective question... In short, I am feeling a bit all over the shop. Let's hope these textbook symptoms also turn into textbook results.

I am filled with moderate self-loathing as I write this since I missed my skipping this morning. Of course my plan is to do them straight after work but having them hanging over my head for the whole day is absolute torture. This morning, however, was awful. I couldn't move. Gilles rolled in late after a work event last night and was probably suffering more than me but still I couldn't face the rope....Ironically I arrived at work later than I normally do when I have done all my exercises. Next week's goal is to hit 6am 5 days in a row. Really feel like I am fighting against my DNA here...

As I mentioned on my last blog I had a work dinner last night which I was sure was going to kick me off the wagon. It wasn't PCP perfect but I think I made the most out of the situation. Of course I had to avoid all the deep fried parcels of delectable goodies but there was plenty of other stuff to get excited about like prawns, chicken and steamed beef (sounds gross but wow this one was great. It was like a giant steamed beef patty with ginger, garlic etc in some (very likely) heavily salted soy sauce) and this may sound insane but hands down the best broccoli I have ever tasted (probably doused in uber salted chicken stock). I'm sure there was also some pork featuring amongst all that somewhere but I stuck to my quantities, avoided the carbs and ate what I could without inconveniencing anyone else too much (I hope!!!). I guess I'll have to be extra careful with the salt for the next few days, starting with my lunch today which is bordering on offensive. I was short on time when I got home last night so steamed some chicken and vegetables and chucked it in with some brown rice and lemon (an optimistic gesture in the hope of taste). Bleurch...I may as well go raid the stationery closet and chow down on a pile of manila folders. Eat your medicine...eat your medicine....

I have been immersed in PCP land to such an extent I didn't even realise the Sevens are happening this weekend and I'll be out on Saturday night! Oh man... I might have to cash in my indulgence chip tomorrow night.

Apologies for the crabby post but guess this process is equally about venting.  Let's hope tomorrow brings a better mood!

Happy weekend to all!!

Day 22 - Non-carbonated

Like flat cola. Diet of course. That's how I felt when I got our new menu plans. I too was shocked and appalled when I spyed the sans carbs requirement in the evening.

Goodbye my friends....

BUT looking at things positively I guess it's not so bad considering I was already down to 50 grams up until yesterday. So in some ways it's easier to have no carbs than have a pitiful spoonful of moreishness staring right back at me from my plate. I also see that my servings for breakfast and lunch are almost unchanged so - yay! However tricky situations are on the horizon. Not quite sure how I am going to handle my work dinner on Thursday night and the b'day dinner I have planned for Saturday. The work dinner is a triple whammy of (i) mandatory attendance (ii) a set menu and (iii) tranidtional Cantonese cuisine. Surely that has to be three strikes?? PCP diet going down in flames right there. I'll report back on that one. Whereas for the b'day dinner I am taking out a good friend for an overdue celebration. It has been planned for a while and I can’t really offer to take my friend out and then scale back the invite with a PCP compliant caveat i.e. let's celebrate!!!! (although I'm only going to watch you eat and not drink). Gah!!!! What to do?

I was pretty grumpy this morning when I got up to do my exercises. I'm suffering from pretty terrible cramps today. Surprisingly the skipping helped though by the time I got through my last set of squats I was balled up on the ground and needed to take a break so I plan to finish the rest of my exercises at home tonight. Gilles also bought me a more flexible band (pink!) so let's see how I face off with the dreaded da vinci's.

I thought I would post this pretty pic of last night's dinner courtesy of my personal chef (thanks Gilles). A vertiable kaleidoscope of goodness. Bon Appetit!

Hard to believe we are already on Day 22. Almost one third of the way there guys!