April 20, 2012 9:39 PM HKT

Finished!

I feel great.  I wasn't able to read all the daily emails, and I was traveling a lot, and couldn't blog as much as some people, but I tried to follow the program as closely as I could.  In the end, I'm really happy I did.

I lost 6.2kg, which is awesome, and more importantly I fit into many of my old clothes, and have bought some new (much smaller) ones.  Also my blood pressure, which has been pretty high for a long time, was back within a normal range when I went to the doctor yesterday.  This all makes me feel great.

Overall, it was really educational for me.  Not just learning about nutrition and exercise, but also learning about how different my own body can be if I put the right things in it.

There are many great parts of PCP that I will take with me even now that the program is over.

Thank you to everyone so much for all your support!

April 8, 2012 9:45 PM HKT

Final week...

Wow I can't believe there is only 1 more week..  I'm back to Tokyo with my daughter for 10 days now, and it's been hard for me to follow PCP program here, especially jumplope exercise.  I'm trying to take a walk with my daughter as much as I can (push a stroller while jogging)instead.  

The cherry blossoms are at their best now here by the way - very beautiful!

All the best

March 28, 2012 10:37 PM HKT

Day 73

I've been doing ok.  Execise - trying to follow PCP menu most of the time, but I still go to the regular gym classes (boxercise & dance) a lot too.  Diet - since the menu is getting pretty small portion for evening-night time, I'm trying to eat slowly and chew well.  Not yet goal, just keep doing!!

March 21, 2012 8:38 PM HKT

Still here

Hi, sorry I haven't blogged in so long.  I am still here, trying my best.  I couldn't be very PCP over the weekend, as I was away in Japan for my cousin's wedding, and also got very sick while there.  I lost 1kg over the weekend because I was sick.  It's not the way I planned to lose weight.

Back in Hong Kong now and got back into the routine yesterday, and can hopefully stay on track.  I am down 6kg now from the start.  I can fit in my old jeans, which is great.  Still more to go, but I will keep trying.

March 12, 2012 10:15 PM HKT

Still here..

I missed one day work-out since I was not feeling well (a few days suffered from a severe migraine).  Even though when I exercised PCP program, I did treadmill (walking fast for 30 mins) not doing jumprope because jumping motion made my headache worse..

Diet part, I don't eat eggs and drink milk at all, instead I eat soybeans.  But I think I have still gained some muscle, especially noticeable in my shoulders.

However, after close to 60 days of the program, this routine is getting...routine.  It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything special or different anymore, especially diet-wise.  This feels like the "new normal" and I can definitely expect I will continue much of this lifestyle for much longer than another 30 days.

All the best for everyone!

March 4, 2012 10:02 PM HKT

Day 50

We are just past halfway now, and around Day 48 (I can't remember exactly which day), I was down exactly 5kg from the start.  I think the weight loss is happening a little slower than I hoped it would, but at the same time my husband commented that my back and shoulders look a lot stronger, and one woman who gives me massage sometimes also told me that I have lost weight.  So it is nice to hear those remarks.

V-sits are still pretty hard for me, so I have been doing some other ab stuff to make up for it.  Will try to find proper form eventually.

40 more days...can I lose another 3kg?  4?  I will keep trying.

February 27, 2012 9:32 PM HKT

Back on track

I came back to Hong Kong from a great trip in Niseko, Hokkaido.  After one week spending time there, honestly I coundn't follow complete PCP program (of course I did some work-outs in the house and skiing for cardio).

Now I need myself to get back on the track seriously again.  I went to boxercise class two days in a row and did PCP program - it took a time to finish all exercises, but managed cardio part well somehow (because of skiing on the mountain for 3 hours??)

Regarding the Diet, although it's getting hard (very hungry at night and especially after work out), the program says that eating a little by little like 6-7 times a day is the key, actually helping my hunger.  So I am trying to stick with that.

I'm not too worried about not sticking exactly to the program last week, but I am happy to be back on track, and look forward to the 2nd half of the program and beyond.

February 20, 2012 10:27 PM HKT

PCP from the mountains

Exercise - last week I worked pretty hard, but the last few days have been tough.  We flew to Niseko on Saturday, my daughter was really sick all day and I wasn't able to work out.  Sunday was also chaos and while I got some exercise hiking around out in the snow, I didn't get my PCP exercises done.  Today was better, I managed to get most of the workout in.  Hopefully I will be skiing at least 2+ hours each of the next 4 days so that will be my cardio and legs.

Diet - I have stayed as compliant as possible while on vacation.  Breakfast, lunch, and snacks have been fine, and out to dinner I am getting the portions right but I'm sure there is some extra salt etc in these restaurant meals.  

Sleep - I know it's an important part of the program, but I am frequently up until 1am, don't sleep well, and then have to get up early anyway.  I need to find a way to try to get more sleep.

February 13, 2012 10:11 PM HKT

Day 30

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while.  It's all going so-so.  I'm sticking with the diet pretty closely, and am still doing my own thing on the exercise front a lot, kickboxing classes etc, so I don't always do the exact PCP exercises every day.  But am trying to do as much as possible.

I cannot do V-Sits at all.  I just don't have the stomach muscles for it yet.  I need to build towards that.

Anyway, thanks to those that checked in on me.  Still here, plugging away.  

February 5, 2012 11:02 PM HKT

Day 22

I can't see a lot of changes in my pictures yet, but I have lost about 3kg since the start, and one pair of jeans fits much better than it used to.

This past week in a kickboxing class my energy level was so high, I had great endurance and felt really strong for the full hour.

Today I jumped rope for 10 minutes, then ran for 15 minutes, then did the exercises.

I feel like my body has been cleansed, not eating any processed foods for so long now.  It feels good.  Between the healthier diet and the exercise, I think my blood pressure is already starting to come down.  I will measure it this week.

Lastly, my husband wants me to add, GO PATS!
 

January 29, 2012 10:25 PM HKT

Making progress

Exercise has been going pretty well, though my muscles are pretty sore.  I have built some endurance on the jump rope and now can go about 10 minutes straight while listening to music and just jumping.  I think I'm definitely covering the 700 skips and then some extra too.  My legs feel fine now, and my shoulders get tired before anything else.

For push-ups, I am still on my knees.  Hopefully I can eventually do normal push ups, once my body is lighter and I build more muscle.

Diet is going okay.  My days are pretty busy and I haven't been so good about keeping to exact meal times.  Sometimes I find myself eating breakfast, then missing my morning snack and not having lunch until about 2pm.  So I'm not sure what that does to my metabolism but I will try to get a more consistent routine going.

Also, I have found that my skin feels/looks clearer.  I wonder if that is thanks to PCP or just a coincidence...

Hope everyone is doing well!

January 23, 2012 10:29 PM HKT

Day 9

Kung Hei Fat Choi.  Happy Chinese New Year.

I found an old jump rope I forgot I had, buried in a box in the closet.  It came free with a boxing video I ordered about 8 years ago.  I totally forgot I still had it, but it's awesome.  Very easy to use and I am up over 200 without tripping.  Endurance is still an issue but I am getting used to it.  I find my shoulders and other muscles also get tired from jumping.  Sit ups are also tough but I'm trying to do a few extra each time.

The diet is okay but I am pretty hungry a lot and have had an extra banana or apple or glass of soy milk for the last couple of days.

January 19, 2012 10:47 PM HKT

Day 5

Day 5, so far so good.  Exercises are going fine, I am pretty sore in the core, but the rest is okay.  My jump rope technique is pretty good because I used to do it a lot as a kid, but at the moment I am out of shape and have no endurance.  It's a work in progress.

Diet is alright.  I haven't been doing "half portions" per se, but have been mindful of just eating better and generally reducing portion size.  Also, I have tried to change my snacks.  Usually I would eat a lot of cookies or chocolates or other sweet stuff, but so far this week I have subbed in seaweed, yogurt, or less sugary crackers, etc.

January 15, 2012 10:41 PM HKT

Day 1

Well day one is finished.  It took a lot longer to get the photos uploaded than it did to do that workout.

I of course want to lose weight, but I really want to get healthier overall, including lowering my high blood pressure.

I know this will be hard but I am ready for the challenge.

January 15, 2012 10:30 PM HKT

Welcome to Your New Blog!