Six weeks in with #MyNine with GI Jess

I’m on the home straight with this program with just three more weeks to go. But I thought I would check in and let you all know how it’s been going.

My goal with this program was to get into a fitness routine and also work on that stomach of mine. I think it is that one part of my body that I would really like to see some changes.

The results in numbers:

Chest: From 93cm (11 July) to 90 cm (24 August) = 3 cm loss.

Stomach: From 94cm (11 July) to 90cm (24 August) = 4 cm loss.

Hips: From 93cm(11 July) to 91 cm (24 August) = 2 cm loss

Meanwhile my arms have gained 2 cm lifting all those weights! From 28cm (11 July) to 30 cm (24 August).

Weight wise there hasn’t been a huge shift but that was not my goal at all. I am perfectly within BMI range. Nevertheless I have lost 2 kgs. From 60 kg (11 July) to 58 kg (24 August).

If you look at the before and after photos it may not look very significant to you. But to me there is an essential difference: one is frumpy and unfit and the other is more streamlined and purposeful. Rome was not built in a day and this is the beginning of my journey.

So what did I think of the exercises?

I really enjoy having a routine. It seems to set me up well for the day. For the past 6 weeks I have been working out on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays and Saturdays.

The workouts have been brutal. I have really had to push myself. I still can only do one set of Commodos. But I can mostly do the rest. It may not be as nippy as Jess but it’s close enough.

I had to really dig deep when I saw a pattern of resistance to the type of exercises I found the hardest. It was the ones where I had to hold my body weight up. The commodos, the lateral walk (on your hands extended legs) with pushups and toe taps among other variations) – these were torture for me.

Looking deeper I know why these are so hard, not just physically. Being left a widow where you literally have to bare that weight alone is something I have had to learn how to do. And I have resisted it all the way! To actually submit to reality and stay the course through those exercises has also been a lesson in emotional strength.

I have pushed through and endured and now these last three weeks are going to be even more hectic as I see now Jess has exercises every day! Well, no pain no gain hey!

The one exercise that I really felt grounded me was the Yoga I did on Saturdays. She still made it very challenging but there was something peaceful within all the breaths in and out as you changed positions.

My favourite recipies from Jess:

The plan I’ve been using from her cookbook is as follows:

Monday: Fish, vegetables and dry fry pan chips (which is what I was previously doing)

Tuesday/ Thursday ( Alternate between Butternut, Cauliflower and Lentil Curry and Black Bean Salad (which also had a pepper and sweetcorn in which I heated up). These two I initially added mince to but was able to leave out the mince these past few weeks. I found doing one lot of this was enough to hold over for at least another meal but I kind of added a lot of butternut too. I put these over some spaghetti (because I was making that for Nicky) but rice is probably a healthier option. These are really filling, healthy and hearty meals.

Wednesday: Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry with Chicken and Spinach. This is easily my favourite meal. I really loved this and it was really tasty. Plus it’s super healthy. I will definitely be continuing this on Wednesdays.

Friday – Stir Fry (what I was doing before) But I see she also has an Asian stir fry with Tofu which I think might be interesting to try.

On weekends I still ate as normal but I cut down on quantities. I even started eating vegetarian sausage when Nicky had his borewors sausage. But I just cut down on the potatoes and kept the vegetables the same.

For weekday lunches I have been eating either salads or soup with bread. (What I was doing before)

For weekday breakfast I have mostly done a mixture of yoghurt, museli and fruit. I did try the oat and protein powder mixture a few times but it wasn’t really my thing except on those really cold mornings.

I really enjoyed my weekend breakfasts. On Saturdays I have been having Green Frittata which has broccoli, spinach, frozen peas and onion together with scrambled eggs. That really filled me up in the morning.

The protein pancakes were such a treat on Sunday. I really looked forward to them. They had oats, egg, protein powder, almond milk and banana. On top I would put blueberries and a little maple syrup. Yummy!

Added to this (because Nicky always likes baking, which is a bit unfair when I’m on a diet) and he really did not like Jess’s cupcakes or brownies. I liked them though. (He is fussy).

So we did Natasha’s cupcakes instead (from her book Snacked) and he gave that a 9 out of 10. Natasha uses honey and coconut flour with blueberries. So it’s still healthy.

For these last few weeks I see Jess has loaded a special “lean queen” diet with specifics for all meals. There is a three day meal plan, and it’s pretty simple and designed for a maximum fat shed. The protein she uses are chicken breast, tofu, white fish (haddock and salmon) and ostrich Carbs are sweet potato, basmati rice and loads of veg. I see she really likes broccoli, peas and blueberries. I like those too. The snacks listed are greek yoghurt, peanut butter and rice cakes. The breakfasts look quite filling (e.g. 2 eggs plus sourdough bread plus blueberries). I am going to see how much of this I can realistically do as I am enjoying the other recipes as well.

I have cut out sugar and now use Xylitol in my coffee/ decaf. I will continue with this until the packet runs out. I found cutting out sugar before not as bad as cutting out milk in coffee and I really didn’t like the almond milk there although cooking with it was fine. I did have the occasional block of dark cooking chocolate but I have (with a few slips) mostly stuck to not eating at night like I used to dip those rusks!

Overall I’m pleased that I have set up a new exercise routine and discovered some tasty and healthy new recipes that feel good for my body to take in.

At the end of the day we are just trying to keep ourselves in good physical condition so if that virus hits, we are in better shape to handle it.

GI Jess has continued to be my cheerleader checking in every week to see how I am doing. I have to admire her, pulling herself up away from a history of drugs and now committed to giving women BOSS bodies: Balanced, Optimal, Strong and Sexy. I really feel like I have increased my strength and come more into balance.

I like this quote from her:

“Make time for your health and wellness when you are young or you will have to make time for disease and illness when you are old.”

Vote for Jess from September for the Biogen Face of Fitness. You can read her competition entry here.

Check out Jess’s website here and you can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclaimer: I have been provided with the program in exchange for the posts.

If you found this post interesting please share it with your friends and remember to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and join our awesome group called Mommy’s Me Time.