OPERATION BRIDAL BOD: The end result

(Left: September 2014. Right: April 2015)

The time has finally come to get married. Its strange to think that 18 months ago, the engagement ring was slipped onto my finger and now I have reached the moment where I will become a wife. Time has flown past and throughout my engagement, I have taken on the challenge to become a fitter and healthier individual in time to be a bride. I never thought I would remain dedicated to the challenge. Sure, there have been some slip ups along the way (you all saw my birthday dinner at Meat Mission) but what I learnt from this whole experience is that slipping up is OK. In fact, if I had made the decision to avoid bad food altogether, I would have given up on Operational Bridal Bod long ago. The fact that I have had bad days makes me what I am - a human - and human error kicks in at times.

Despite my up and down nutritional progression, fitness wise I have been pretty on it. I took my triathlon plan seriously and kept to the rota which has enabled me to reveal a stronger body over the months that I am incredibly proud of. I have actually come out the other end weighing the same as when I started but I look and feel far better.

In all it has, in my eyes, been a successful journey. No it has not been a body blitz from bloater to beach goddess but I have certainly made improvements. I can only aim for more improvement as I begin the journey into training for an Olympic distance triathlon. I'm really hoping the longer runs will trim down my physique and make it slightly leaner but I won't hold out hope for it. I was born to be curvy and I am for once, extremely happy with the state of my hips and bum. Result!

See you after the wedding!

Lipstick Runner.

OPERATION BRIDAL BOD: Food Hangover

I am a pig. A disgusting, junk food loading pig.

There I said. Hands up and confessing to a sin I have been carrying around with me for around six weeks yet cannot seem to budge it. My name is Sarah and I am an over indulger.

This binge has now led to a food hangover, which has been caused by weeks of eating out, drinking lots, turning to processed foods and impractical supermarket visits. My body is flooded with toxins.

It all started with my birthday weekend - the first weekend of April. I celebrated with dinner at Meat Mission in Shoreditch. We indulged in chicken burgers, fries, buffalo wings and beer. This was then followed the next day (Easter Sunday) with chocolate, afternoon tea and mojitos in the evening.

By the following weekend, I was spending time with members of the wedding party doing bridal things. We had lunch at a nearby pub where I consumed a burger which was taller than a pint of beer. Oh and then the next day, my family and I overate the wedding cake sample Mum kindly made for the weekend.

All this is just the start. It snowballed into eating out, binge drinking and takeaways. My birthday weekend was my slip up which has been hard to curb. My lack of attention with my diet has also etched into my training regime a bit and I have seen my focus swayed by working more hours or socialising with friends.

I'm ok about this dent in my plan. I have never been one to manage a smooth ride from start to finish for anything, so this is just a detour and more importantly, I HAVE A PLAN!

In comes James Duigan and his 'Clean & Lean' lifestyle. A concept where you listen to your body and provide it with the fuel it needs and not what the mind wants. I just so happen to have this way of living in a guide on my bookshelf and it has been sat there the past five years. I took it off the shelf this afternoon and after flicking through, felt really inspired by James story and his meal plans. He explains that to be fit and healthy, you need to cut the C.R.A.P (caffeine, refined sugars, alcohol and processed foods). The book itself seems pretty straightforward and so I am going to give it a go!

June is my body update and keeping this at the forefront of my mind will keep me focussed on giving this new way of eating a good old bosh. I'm hoping it might make my running times a bit faster too. *thumbs up*.

Lipstick Runner.

OPERATION BRIDAL BOD: Week 24

February has been hard. Since I started this body mission, it was the first time I had been faced with the scenario of being out of routine. You have probably noticed how all over the place I have been by the lack of blog posts and for this, I hang my head in shame.

I recently wrote a post on how I manage training with other duties in life (work, relationships, socialising), which can be read about here. Soon after writing this motivational piece on how you can make it work, my life started to get really hectic. It hit me after Christmas, especially with work. My time spent in the office has increased and instead of sticking to planned training agendas, I have turned to squeezing in what I can, where I can. Throw in the mad panic of planning a wedding and you have got yourself a right mixture of activities.

For my diet in this manic matter, I have tried my best to keep on the healthy path. At the start of the month, I headed up to Glasgow for a work trip and in the space of four days covered three cities throughout the north of England. The long days in meetings followed by lengthy train journeys and crashing in hotels threw my routine up in the air. On the first night in Glasgow, it had occurred to me there wasn't any places near my hotel to go and grab food so I ended up in the Premier Inn's restaurant eating a portion of triple cooked chips and greasy chicken wings. Not ideal...

By the second night, I knew I had to get some exercise in me regardless of how exhausted I was from back-to-back meetings. As soon as I got back to my room, I was in my kit and back outside and took on a four mile run around the city. Man alive Glasgow is hilly! It was however really nice to be somewhere different, weaving in and out of streets seeing where they would take me. By burning these calories, when I got back to the hotel I felt it was slightly more acceptable to endure the restaurant meals without greasy food in-fuelled guilt.

For the third night, I was in Manchester at another Premium Inn and by the time I arrived at 9pm, my enthusiasm to find somewhere decent to eat had waned and I was back in the restaurant eating yet more triple cooked chips and chicken wings. This time I did have a side salad if this makes it more acceptable?

When the weekend had arrived and I was back in London, I was feeling rather groggy. I managed to bosh out some small workout sessions but my relationship with my diet was a bit mish mashed. I'd start the day good and then by evening be binging on sugar. This might be linked to giving up chocolate for lent so my body was trying to source an alternative boost (which tended to be fruit, Angel Delight or Haribo).

After following this for a few days, I started to feel really irritated. Not only in myself but with others, work, exercise, the wedding etc...I decided an overhaul was needed and so I reintroduced VB6 (Vegan Before 6). You can read all about this foody method that I like to take here. I followed this routine a couple of years back to squeeze into a bridesmaid dress and it really worked! At the time I was also a vegetarian, so the idea of avoiding meat and dairy before 6pm was easy peasy. 

Today, I do eat chicken now and again (as you can tell with greasy wings being consumed) but it didn't really top the ease of taking the VB6 step. My diet was simple:

Breakfast: Soya banana smoothie or plain cornflakes with soya milk

Lunch: Soup with rough oatcakes and a soya yoghurt

Dinner: (after 6pm): Anything I bloody well liked! (within reason)

Snacks: Fruit or nuts 

When it got to the end of February, I was feeling much better in myself. My skin was clearer, I felt more alert and my stomach has flattened down a tad. Now we are in March, I am still following VB6 although I have relaxed my policy of 'no crap before 6pm'. For example, there was birthday cake in the office the other day and I didn't deny myself a small slice. Treating yourself on these rare occasions is important. It's something to perk you up and by having these tiny indulgences now and again, you are more likely to stick to a healthy eating routine.

Despite the ups and downs with the body, I have come out on top. So much so, that I thought I would share my triumph in squeezing into my wetsuit that arrived for the triathlon. Bring on week 28!

Lipstick Runner.

OPERATION BRIDAL BOD: Falling off the wagon

This post basically replaces my eight week update. Mainly because I am embarrassed to show the current results. I guess you could say I have slipped off the weight loss wagon. OK, maybe hurtled off it landing like a sack of crap on the floor. A heavy one at that matter.

My reasons? No reasons at all. Just excuses but ones that we all are guilty to at some point in the weight loss journey. When I began Operation Bridal Bod weight loss wasn't my main goal. It was physique. I wanted a strong, athletic body but one slim and toned to pull off a swanky wedding dress. My mind was set and driven and by week four, I was doing brilliantly (as you can see from the results HERE). My tummy was a lot flatter, I appeared slimmer and my skin was glowing. Hurrah! After a check up at the doctors, it was also revealed that I had lost 5lbs. Added bonus!

So what happened next is, well, life I guess. In the month that followed my routine became a bit misshapen. I wasn't training regularly, just fitting in odd runs and swims here and there, plus my eating habits got a little out of control. And then there was the alcohol consumption too.*guilty face*

The last few weeks have been very social for me. I have caught up with lots of former work colleagues which always results in eating out in the heart of Soho, gorging on all sorts of foods and sipping wine. I didn't just go for one odd meal. I went for four, back to back. Disgusting I know! From delicious Spanish tapas to Nandos to Honest Burger, I ticked all the unhealthy food boxes. *guilty face again*

Along with my restaurant picks, I have also let me hair down in other areas which can only really be described as binge drinking. I am not a big drinker. Never have I come home from work and cracked open a bottle of wine to unwind. Never have and probably never will. However, that doesn't mean I don't like a drop of alcohol from time to time. Or a gallon of gin. Combining a day at the races with a catch up with best friends was always going to lead to a haze of slimline gin and tonics. And that it most definitely did (plus the £53 I lost on bets). I got to wear a nice dress though which made a change.

There have however been some highlights amongst all this. I have completed two races - Cabbage Patch 10 and Tough Mudder. Both of which aren't a walk in the park (the latter especially!), these two events have helped to keep me focussed and I completed both of them in a far better time than I imagined. I even think for the first time, a race photographer papped me looking in a half decent state!

That said though, both events resulted in this:

*guilty face AGAIN*

Along with eating out alot, I have also found the sudden change in weather has had an impact on my foody habits. The UK has gone from mildy cold to absolutely freezing almost overnight! The heating in my flat is cranked up full notch, the slipper socks are out and my sports gear cupboard has rotated onto full leg leggings and base layers.

This instant change in weather has also had a damaging effect on my appetite. I literally cannot stop eating! It's like my body is never full. Work has been the worst. I am finding myself constantly picking at food and my willpower has been left back in Autumn. From the Hobnob biscuits in the cupboard, to birthday cake and mixed nuts left over from an event, I have spent 9am - 5.30pm munching down on food as if it was going to be taken away from me at any moment. This I think has been the hardest part and one I need to stop NOW!

So how do I rectify this? Well with my first ever wedding dress hunt taking place in two weeks, I need to think of something fast! Whilst I currently think that starving myself seems the only hope, I know I need to make changes that will carry on long term.

Weekly food shop - I need to make sure I am preparing my lunches to be healthy but hearty. By ensuring I eat a lunch big enough to fill me up, my snacking will hopefully ease up. At the moment I am eating small meals meaning I never feel satisfied and so turn to all sorts of bad snacks. By also stocking up the fridge with fresh fruit, I know that if I do want a snack, my options are not unhealthy.

Cut the sugar - I am literally cringing as I write this as I feel a little nauseous thinking about all the sugar I have consumed these last few weeks. Sweets, chocolate, cakes and so much more have been around me all the time. I think the turning point was when I bought a huge pack of Moam's for Halloween trick-or-treats. Not one knock at the door and a week later I had consumed the whole pack. *yet another guilty face*

Get focussed - I need to seek the goal again for what I am doing all this for. I must imagine I am walking down the aisle in eight months time, in a dress that I look fricking fabulous in. I need to see that if I carry on the way that I am, this will not happen. Making small goals in the lead up to this big goal will also help carry me through. For example, my small goal now is to get prepared for my first dress fitting and this means banishing the bloated belly.

On a final note, my week 12 aim is to be able to SHOW my results on here, rather than hide behind the *guilty face*.

Lipstick Runner.

OPERATION BRIDAL BOD: Week 4

Since my post on weight gain and getting body fit for my wedding, I thought I would give an update on my progress. 

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will see this new adventure started off pretty good in week one. I had conveniently booked time off work and found myself filling the days running, cycling and pursuing core workouts. It was brilliant! By week two, it was a completely different story as I was unfortunately struck down really poorly with flu (Training Update: Fighting Flu).

The last week however, I have been back out running and training is in full swing again. Knowing that I also have a huge challenge to face June 2015 with Blenheim Palace Triathlon (for more info see HERE) will be a great focus for Operation Bridal Bod. 

Anyway, visually seeing the results is what matters right? This is the first time I have monitored my body through pictures and I must say it really does motivate you especially when you SEE the results. Below is an overview of pictures from me at week one to where I am now.

As you can, the results are small but a great start! My stomach definitely feels and I think looks firmer and I think the combination of running, cycling and swimming is helping to strengthen my core. I can also see from the side that my stomach dips in and isn't so 'rounded' so to speak. I also think my arms look slightly thinner in the above pictures which makes me VERY happy!

From the back, I don't look much different. It's clear to see this is the part of my body where fat settles and gets comfy. I'm going to have to look into blitzing my lower back and sides where it tends to be stored and I think my Nike Training Club app is going to come in handy here, not to mention my weekly HIIT sessions.

In terms of diet, I haven't really changed much. I must admit during the flu, I was barely eating which will have definitely contributed to the change in my body. But during the time I have had an appetite I have kept to normal breakfasts and dinners but have changed my lunches to soups. A simple tin of Heinz tomato or mushroom soup followed by a Muller Fruit Corner is what I have followed and it does seem to fill me up surprisingly!

Despite eating the same foods, I have changed one thing and that is avoiding wheat. Not one slice of bread has brushed my lips and anything that I have had that is normally bread based, I have opted for spelt flour options. This form of flour tastes just the same normal flour and it is much lighter on the tummy. Below are a couple of 'spelt based' meal I have been having.

(Mozzarella, spinach and tomato spelt based pizza)

(Fajitas with Quorn Chicken Pieces and spelt wraps)

(banoffee ice cream spelt waffles from The Waffle House, St Albans)

Now I have managed to kick start the body make-over, my focus now is to well, stay focussed! I am one to fall off the band wagon very easily and so I need to keep up these results. You never know, at the next update I might have some abs to show off (*in her dreams*).

Lipstick Runner.

TRAINING UPDATE: Ticking over and planning dreams

I’m still injured and I am trying my absolute best to not let it get to me. There are days where I look outside at the summer sun and pine so bad to lace up and get running but realistically, this injury is worse than I thought.

It has been one month since Mizuno Endure24 and since my last Training Update, the pain in my right knee has definitely become more frequent and is making its show during runs sooner. Each weekend, I have attempted to head out for a jog praying I will be able to complete good distance (and by good, I am referring to at least 5K at the moment) but alas, I cannot even complete two miles before the familiarly strong, dull ache kicks in.

Of course, this does signal to me that something really isn’t right and I shouldn’t assume that it is just linked to my injury prone ITB. So as it stands, I am looking to seek some physio help for the very first time to learn what really is wrong with me and more importantly, how can I fix it!? I have also opted to pull out of Chippenham Half Marathon which I am GUTTED about but with it being just weeks away, I honestly feel like I won’t even be ready to shuffle 13.1miles, let alone run to my target pace of sub 8-minute miles.

Things haven’t totally gone to pot though. I have found that I am able to keep up cycling and swimming. Thank God otherwise I’d be going nuts! I cycle to work most days and I have managed at least two swims a week. During this period, swimming for me has been something I’ve discovered I'm actually fairly good at (sorry to boast). I have been heading to my local 25m pool and found myself to be one of the stronger swimmers in the lanes, even overtaking people! Wednesday just gone was also was an achievement for me as I reached the 800m mark in just over 25 minutes and to my surprise, I still had petrol in the tank.

So in all, whilst I cannot run and honestly feel like I have lost all signs of fitness in this field (I cannot remember the last time I ran over five miles) I have decided to start thinking about how I will start up again after I’m fixed.

Focus on my strengths

Before I was injured, I was dabbling in all sorts of distances. I love the challenge of getting those miles under my belt and building up endurance. My dream is to run London Marathon and I have tried a few half marathons to date to customise my body to distance running. Deep down though, I know I belong in the 5K/10K field. This is where I feel strong and dominant. I’m built for this type of running more so than marathons and so once I am able to get back out on road again, I will start to concentrate on these distances to build back up speed and strength. I cannot remember the last time I ran a parkrun (I’d say Christmas?) and my last decent 10K time was back in January so I am keen to find my feet again and get more involved in these sorts of races.

Set a challenge

Of course, if in October I get that much desired letter from Virgin London Marathon confirming a ballot entry, I will definitely, DEFINTELY switch to a training plan for this, no matter how fast or slow I am. However, as you may have noticed on my social media channels, I am incredibly curious to set myself another rather different challenge and that is in the form of a triathlon.

I just love watching triathlons on the TV. From the Brownlee’s storming it at London 2012, to the ITU World Championships (Jodie Stimpson, Non Stanford and USA’s Gwen Jorgenson are my faves) to just recently watching England dominate the singles and relay at the Commonwealth Games, I will watch it all, at home or on the go.

In the last six months, I have become more confident to dabble in this sport myself and now I have my shiny new road bike, all I need is a wet suit and I am good to go!

At the moment I am researching UK triathlon events and seeing which takes my fancy but I have decided to test the water and opt for a Super Sprint. The swim is the bit that daunts me the most so I want to start short and sweet. I’ve found Twitter a great help in learning more about this sport and have also picked up a copy of Triathlon Plus to get familiar with it.

Having this target for 2015 is what’s keeping me sane at the moment. Knowing that I have something to work towards and a project where I will start as a complete newbie does also reassure me for when I’m injury free and back on the road. I feel no pressure to beat any target and I thoroughly look forward to setting a new and very different challenge.

Weight Watcher!

As I am not running at the moment, I am noticing a erm…slight tum forming. I think this is due to me eating the same amount of food that I was consuming during the peak of my training. I need a food overhaul and VB6, which I blogged about in my last Fuel for Thought post, is definitely helping even if I may have slipped up this last week. But I have been working crap loads and when I am working long hours, I do reallllly struggle to maintain a routine.

As I am losing the luxury of high calorie burning through running, I need to ensure I cut my food intake and I have also decided to try and squeeze in core and glute strength exercises to keep the old bod toned (or close to being toned is more like it for me). Also, I get enough of my fiancé ‘casually’ mentioning ‘hey, why don’t you try and do some squats?’ so it’s safe to say my bum isn’t in tip top condition. Cheeky sod.

That's it for now but let’s hope next time, I actually have some ‘training’ to update you on. And maybe a perkier behind!


Lipstick Runner.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT: VB6

I don’t eat meat. Not to object from animals not having the right to live but merely because I don’t really like it. I never have. When I was a child I’d pick at chicken and Billy Bear luncheon meat (hands up if you would eat the ears, eyes, mouth first and then the face?) but that was about it. I became a vegetarian in my teens then tried meat again in my first year at University before slipping back into being a non-meat eater a year later.

I do however eat fish. I love fish – especially salmon, tuna steak and swordfish. I feel healthy when eating it and it is a key source of iron and Omega 3, which are vital nutrients that play an important role in my training.

Last year, I felt a bit podge. Not fat but definitely a bit heavier than normal and with my best friends wedding fast approaching where I needed to fit into a rather tight bridesmaid dress, I opted to try out VB6 for six weeks.

I’d read about VB6 (Vegan Before 6) in the late Zest magazine and then found it was featured in all sorts of women’s titles so it was obviously becoming the latest diet craze. It’s written by American food critic, Mark Bittman, who after learning he had developed diabetic and heart disease symptoms, founded the VB6 method for effective weight loss.

Mark was advised to become a vegan by his doctors and as a successful food journalist, this must have been a hard thing to hear. So, he decided to adopt a part-time vegan lifestyle by following all the rules during the day and then by 6pm, switching off and enjoying what he wanted in the evening.

I LOVED the idea of this. I could be healthy and strict at work and then go out after 6pm and indulge in evening meals out with friends, or hearty homemade dinners with my boyfriend. Also, being a non-meat eater, this sounded like an easy ride. So, I purchased Mark’s book, gave myself six weeks and got stuck in.

I’m not one to follow recipes in books. I am a skim reader so I read about Mark’s story and consumed all the scary facts about food (if you want to learn the harsh reality of some foods– you should also read Skinny Bitch) and then wrote up my own straightforward plan. This consisted of the following:

Breakfast: Oatibix with soya milk OR home-made granola with soya yoghurt

Lunch: Carrot sticks, cucumber and radishes with red pepper hommous

Snacks: fruit, fruit and more fruit OR nuts

This I found really easy to adapt to, as I like all of the above. It was also easy to prepare for work and cost effective. At 6pm, whilst I was craving vegetarian lasagne smothered in cheese, I did try to restrain from ‘binging on crap’ to put it bluntly. I made sure I ate a source of carb, whether it’d be salmon with new potatoes or quorn based spicy fajitas. I also made sure I treated myself to curb sweet cravings so hot chocolates or Angel Delight were normally my options.

By the time the six weeks was up, I must say I did feel amazing. I felt lighter, detoxed and definitely more energetic. My skin also was incredible – not a blemish in sight! More importantly, I fitted in my bridesmaid dress and felt bloody fantastic in it!

This program WORKS and that is coming from someone that can barely last a week on diets (I didn’t even get through two days on 5:2 which I attempted to support my Mother). I find VB6 a safe, healthy and manageable weight loss option. I didn’t actually lose a huge amount of weight (only 4lbs if I remember) but it was enough to get that zip up on the dress. I reckon if I had chosen to continue and make VB6 a full time eating plan, it would definitely be a successful weight loss journey.

At this present time, I feel like I have slipped back into my 'podge mode'. I recently took part in Insane Terrain and was snapped by the events photographer on the course. I did have a good gawp at myself in these pictures yesterday and did wince slightly at the rounded tum that has recently formed.  After also coming back from a short 5K run this evening, I even felt heavier and well, a tad sluggish.

I’m stocky and muscular but that’s my natural shape so nothing I can do about that. Despite this though, I know I can ensure this is maintained in the best way possible and that, for me, has to be through VB6. With my own wedding a year away, I may as well start as I should mean to go on - just in case the dreaded jammed zip happens with my own wedding dress!

Best go munch on a carrot then.

Purchase VB6 HERE.

Lipstick Runner.