I have started a 6 Week Body Transformation, with a company called Elite Physique, where I aim to lose 20lbs!! I warn you, this is going to get gushy… {UPDATE: If you’d like to see who I got on read my Final Weight Loss here}

6 week body transformation - click here for weeks 1, 2 and 3 video diary with Mums' Days: http://www.mumsdays.com/6-week-body-transformation/

6 week body transformation

The plan is as follows:

1. Workout with Elite Physique 3 days a week (my sessions are at 6:45am)

2. On 3 of the other days workout for 50 minutes

3. Stick to their eating plan

Today is the 1st day of week 3 and the day of our third weigh in. I only lost 2 lbs last week but I’ve been much better at sticking to the plan this week, so I dared to hope for more this week and I lost 4 lbs, which I’m really chuffed with!

**6 lbs down 14 to go!**

1. Well being, early mornings and exercise

So far it has been all consuming, from the early wake ups, to planning and sticking (not so much here) to the diet and, although I’m feeling particularly tired today, I am loving it. I don’t mind the early mornings at all, there’s something amazing about being up at that time, seeing the new day before everyone else. The workouts are really hard and really good. The feeling I get as I’m driving home is literally close to euphoria, I’ve been feeling so incredibly lucky to be alive (after listening to Amy Winehouse on the way home), to have my wonderful family and their support, and to be able to do something life changing like this for them and for me. I’ve been on the verge of tears (who am I trying to kid? I was sobbing). So I’d say it’s been quite a powerful emotional experience!

Exercising on the other days is less easy to motivate myself to do, but I’m working on it!

2. The Diet Plan

The biggest revelation has been the diet. It’s great and I’m not hungry. Well, I am but at the right times, and it’s bloody easy to follow. My biggest problem and the reason I put on weight, was I simply ate too much (and drank too much wine) – I have an insatiable appetite and left to my own devices, I would eat the same portion as Mike, if not bigger when no one was watching. So having someone tell me what and how much to eat is amazing. I think it is the true power of what a program like this can offer; rules, peer pressure and competition replaces self-discipline!

Mike keeps telling me, often when he has a beer or a glass of wine in his hand, how proud and impressed he is of me…but it’s easy. It’s a game! And I get games. You just follow the rules and you’re onto a winner.

It’s Monopoly. You can’t collect £200 unless you pass go, so for the most part it removes the £200 from your mind. You’ll get your £200 when you’re entitled to it! The £200 in this case is obviously wine or chocolate or a Chinese or {insert your vice of choice here}. Therefore, I don’t feel deprived and if I do, I take myself off to bed and get some much needed zeds.

3. Sleep

Which leads me onto the other biggy for me… sleep! Ooh how I love it. Normally my day would go like this:

Reuben wakes at some ungodly hour, and I try and get him to sleep some more, dozing on and off in some horrific game of torture where I am rudely awoken by having my ribs crushed ever few minutes/seconds.

I’m tired all day.

Reuben goes to bed at 7pm. I’m beyond tired, have tea and I use food and drink to fuel me through a few more adult hours.

That last sentence is pretty crucial. So instead of going to bed, I use substances (food and drink that my body doesn’t need and so kindly pops into my saddle bags for later) to keep me awake until ‘bedtime’.

But recently, as I mentioned in How to Blog like an Athlete, I am getting my hiney into bed sometimes as early as 7:30/8pm. If I’m going to be up the next day at 5:30am to workout, I need to get enough rest (8 to 9 hours is the recommended amount –  hands up who’s managing that?!).

I should also point out here that the more you sleep the more likely you are to lose weight. Athletes, them again, get around 9 or 10 hours sleep and might up this by another 2 hours if they are competing (source)! And according to this infographic from Sleep Genius… sleeping less than 5.5 hours makes it 55% harder to lose weight and sleeping less than 6 hours makes you 25% more hungry.

That would explain a lot. I definitely feel hungrier, and colder for that matter, when I’m tired!

So, that’s it so far! if you would like to hear it from the horse’s mouth, you can watch my video diary’s for week 1, 2 and 3 below.

If you like what you see please do subscribe to my Youtube channel!

Have you ever tried a 6 week body transformation? What did you find worked for you?