So, anyone who knows me knows that I have been a yo-yo dieter for years. I’ve paid for personal trainers, eaten ‘clean’ and been a regular gym goer for over 5 years but my biggest issue to losing weight is the fact that I love cake, I mean, I LOVE CAKE and biscuits and all things sweet, hence this the reason for writing this blog. But no matter how much I love these things I would also like to be fit and healthy too. (DISCLAIMER HERE GUYS, the blog will still continue to publish tasty treats and delicious tasty morsels, I will sample them and then give the rest away, my love of baking will always be there!)
So back last June, I signed up to the 90days SSS plan from The Body Coach, also known as Joe Wicks. The plan is based on good food, massive portions and staying away from the weighing scales for 4 weeks at a time. Now at the time I signed up he had amassed thousands of followers on instagram using the hastag #leanin15 and his snappy recipe videos (Check him out!), which has lead onto some amazing things for him- including a book deal with, Lean in 15 and what I can only imagine is hundreds of thousands of new followers and signups to the 90 days plan. I honestly feel so happy for this guy, he was a humble personal trainer in London and now is a global fitness star, who from what you can see in his videos, seems like a proper decent bloke.
So, back to my experience of the plan. Back in March I was hype for the plan, which comes in three cycles- Cycle one, The Shift, which contains low carb meals with carbs after exercise, which is only 20-30 mins 4 times a week. Cycle two, The shape – carb filled training days and low carb rest days which some serious exercise. Finally comes Cycle three, The sustain, which is still a total unknown to me.
I successfully finished cycle one which some great success, I don’t remember how much I lost but I was so happy with my results, then the other half moved to Germany, work was hell and I completely fell off the wagon.
Matters only got worse when I moved to Germany, discovered how amazing German food is and ate most of the things I made for this blog. My pretzel addition became serious and after a trip back to the UK for Christmas I felt that I needed to make a change.
It taken a while but after paying for the plan- a not cheap £147- and after realising that I only had 4 months until my lovely friends wedding where I am a bridesmaid with my dress purchased, January was a great time to start over. This time with the help of the other half who is seriously helping me to stay on track and is just being amazingly supportive of my crazy meals and expensive shopping bills.
So cycle one:
The meals are massive but seriously tasty. These two were some of my favourites along with the incredible Go-go-green smoothie (YUM) and turning the RCO (reduced carb oatmeal) into a smoothie which was revolutionary to my breakfasts, this I will miss in cycle two.
The exercise was simple and easy- 20/30 minutes of High intensity interval training – also known as HIIT. Youtube is full of amazing videos with HIIT sessions but I like to do most of mine on a spin bike 30 seconds as fast as you physically can with 30 seconds rest for 20 reps. Done. Then you get to reward yourself with a lovely meal with carbs.
The results- so after 5 weeks (one more than planned as I was sick for a week) I am 12.5 inches down, and 5kg lighter. I am so happy so far and can’t wait to smash cycle two for real this time.
As I write this post I am on day two of cycle two and am rocking a wonderful set of T-rex arms after smashing an epic arm and chest workout which included no less than 100 bench presses. German volume training, masses of carbs, Bring. It. On.
R x
Rachel Bakes 