I’m going to speed through today’s workout, breakfast and lunch so that I can do a proper post on my 12 Week Challenge goals.
My workout this morning was awesome. When I got to the gym, I started with a warm up on the treadmill, doing a walk and run session for just over 20 minutes.
After that, Max and I claimed a spot in the weights area and did a chest and shoulders circuit that involved a lot of supersets (back-to-back workouts that use the same muscles) and wore me right out. We managed to make it through the circuit two and a half times before I had to hop into the shower and get ready for work.
Breakfast and lunch today were both the same as yesterday, which makes photos a bit redundant, but this is my food diary, so here we go:
Carman’s muesli with a peach plus coffee and soymilk.
The last leftovers of Moroccan sweet potato and chickpea couscous salad, served over extra baby greens.
My snack today was an apple with peanut butter.
Dinner tonight was something special, but I’ll share that with you tomorrow! My priority today is getting my 12WC goals out into the internet so that I have a place to easily refer to them and also have some people out there that I feel accountable to (that’s you!). First though, a look at my numbers from yesterday:
I’m happy with that!
Alright, now the goal talk!
My goals are organised into a few categories. I’ve got my big, overall goal for the challenge, the goal I want to extend past the challenge, and person, physical, and performance goals that I’d like to achieve by the end of 12 weeks. I’ve tried to set goals that are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.
In addition to these goals, trainer Ben wants us to set a mini goal for each week that we can work toward that will contribute to us achieving our larger goals.
All of that gets a bit jumbled around in my brain, so I’ve made a table (have I mentioned I love tables?):
As you can see, I have some pretty aggressive goals. I think the most easily achievable are actually my performance goals (the running and pushups). I mean, with a bit of dedication and hard work, anyone can run a few kilometeres or bang out a bunch of pushups. The other goals will be a lot harder for me, most notably the whole lose 17kg thing. Seventeen kilos is equal to 37.4 pounds. In total, I have about 30 kilos or 48 pounds to lose, but that is obviously not an achievable goal in 12 weeks, so I have settled on 17kg.
So, losing 17kg in 12 weeks is equivalent to about 1.4kg (3.1lbs) per week. I did my math wrong in my other post (did the wrong kilo-to-pound conversion!) and a loss of 1.4kg each week will take a deficit of 10,908 per week or 1558 per day.
A deficit of 1558 per day. That is huge, particularly considering that my general goal for calories to eat each day is about 1600. That means that I need to burn over 3100 calories every single day through some pretty serious exercise, and I need to use my allotted daily calories to nourish my body and provide it with a variety of nutrients. Of course, although weight loss is generally a “calories in versus calories burned” equation, it is by no means an exact science, so I’m not depending on these number goals to bring me perfect results. Sometimes bodies love to drop fat and sometimes they hang onto it. I can only try!
(source)
Anyway, I’m not sure that I can quite reach that kind of deficit. It’s going to be hard, but I have set my goals and I want to do my absolute best to achieve them. What’s the point of aiming for a goal that you know you can easily reach? I have some pretty stiff competition in this challenge; there are over 60 people participating from my club alone, never mind the hundreds of other clubs throughout Australia. However, I’m going to do my best and would love your support as I work my way toward the finish line!
So there you have it. I think that each week I will re-post my overall goals as a reminder of what I’m working toward, as well as an update on my weekly goals, as these will be new each week. I’ll also do a recap of my workouts so that I’m accountable for what I have and haven’t done.
What do you think? Have you ever set yourself a very ambitious goal to reach? Did you succeed?
I hope you won’t be upset with me but I’m a little concerned about the losing 3 pounds a week thing :S Of course I have no qualifications whatsoever in this area so if your trainer says that’s okay just ignore me… I just wouldn’t want you to harm yourself in any way for the sake of this challenge. That being said I think you’ve outlined some great goals and I’ll be cheering you on
I would never be upset about something like that! Thanks so much for your concern. Normally I would say the exact same thing to someone who posted similar goals because generally, it’s considered best to cap weight loss at about 2 pounds/1 kilo per week.
However, sadly, I’m currently classified as “obese” (oh gosh that sounds awful) and I have a lot of weight to lose. From what I’ve been able to see with some research and talking to the pros, with so much extra weight, it is ok to aim a bit higher for initial weight loss for a set time period (ie the 12 weeks) under proper supervision.
After the 12 weeks I’ll (hopefully) have much less to lose and will drop down to a more moderate 1-1.5 pounds per week goal. And of course, my body may just say “no” to all of this I could end up losing just a pound or two per week anyway. I’m always happy to adjust my goals if my body isn’t handling the stress very well…staying safe and healthy is a high priority for me.
Whew…sorry for the essay. I just wanted to say thanks for your concern and for bringing it up- I really do appreciate it
I am so relieved you aren’t upset
I was just worried because it does seem like a lot of weight to lose in such a short time so I’m really glad that you have such a great attitude toward it and that your main goal is to be safe and healthy. Plus, you have the support of the pros so you’re in good hands!
Great goal, I believe that setting it out like this will really help you stay focused, because 12 weeks is a long time to stay motivated. Ditto what Lisa said…but you’re working with a trainer so I’m sure he’ll keep an eye on you
Thanks Jess! I think that you’re right, motivation will be tough to maintain, so I’ll need to revisit my goals often.
And yes, I’ll keep consulting with the pros; I’m not interested in injuring myself or getting sick
I love that your goals aren’t just about the weight loss or the money … there is so much more to be gained from being healthy and happy and comfortable with who you are.
Once I start goal setting again (less than two weeks now!) I will be aiming for 1kg a week for the first 10kg and then will see where things go from there.
Best of luck with it all.
Definitely; for me it’s most important to be confident and comfortable in my own skin. The money would just be a nice side benefit!
Very exciting about your goals! That sounds like a reasonable plan. Wishing you luck too