PROGRESS UPDATE (week 19): Personal Trainer Project Summary

Right, back to blogging again. I didn't even realize I haven't posted anything for such a long time! Want to hear my excuses? No? Didn't think so.

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The 4 month long project with my Personal Trainer Sanna ended a week ago when I did the last fitness level tests and got the results of my latest Body Composition Analysis. The fitness level test results in squats, sit ups / crunches and push ups had improved again and were on a good level. PP Ergo cycle test gave similar results as well as the fitness test I did with my Polar heart rate monitor. Excellent stuff, ongoing improvement!

And then there was the Body Composition Analysis, which I have started to hate lately. This time my weight had gone down as much as it had gone up the previous time, but the most worrying and annoying thing for me is that my body still seems to be eating the gained muscle mass instead of my fat. I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating that feels since I have been working really hard at the gym. I guess I just have to work even harder... Sigh.

Weight: -1,4 kg / -0,5 kg / -2,0 kg / +0,9 kg / -0,9 kg = -3,9 kg in total
Body fat percentage: -1,8 % / -4,2 % / +0,7 % / +0,3 % / +0,6 % = -4,4 % in total
Body fat mass: -2,2 kg / -4 kg / +/-0 kg / +0,5 kg / +0,2 kg = -5,5 kg in total
Muscle mass: +0,8 kg / +3,4 kg / -2,0 kg / +0,3 kg / -0,9 kg = +1,6 kg in total
BMI: -0,4 / -0,2 / -0,6 / +0,3 / -0,3 = -1,2 in total 

In other words the four months results could have been better, especially for someone with very limited patience. But: the most important result was that I have gone from a couch (well, more like computer chair) potato to someone who exercises 5-7 times a week. Exercise has really become a daily routine and it doesn't feel like something I have to do anymore but something I really want to do, every day. I absolutely love going to the gym, pushing myself there and feeling absolutely wiped out afterwards. LOVE. IT.

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Personal Trainer's support was really important especially in the beginning and during the frustrating sick leaves. Sanna also kept changing things up in our mutual training sessions so I got to learn a lot of new tricks for using new and effective equipment and generally getting the most out of my training sessions. In addition I got good pointers for revamping my diet and planning a well balanced weekly training program for myself. I honestly don't think I would have gotten this far just by myself.

Thank you Sanna for kicking my butt and showing me the way to healthier life!

PROGRESS UPDATE - (Week 16) Banging My Head Against The Wall

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I bet you can guess why I decided to add a quote like that to my blog post? Yeah. I had another Body Composition Analysis last week - and another one this week, mostly to check if the results from the previous analysis were really as bad as they were. You see, I was expecting to get really good results since I had finally had several active workout weeks after the sick leave in early September and had managed to follow my workout program as planned.

When I saw the first results, it looked like it was good news since I had lost another 2 kg in the past three weeks. Wrong! The next thing I noticed was that my body fat percentage had gone up. Whatta...? I had lost 2,0 kg but my fat percentage had gone up? Oh no, that could only mean one thing: I had started to lose my muscle mass! Nooooooooo! I had worked so hard add the gym to gain muscle mass and all of a sudden I had lost 2,0 kg of it. That if something was disheartening. 

I guess both me and my Personal Trainer were hoping that the first results were just some technical or momentary glitch but unfortunately that wasn't the case. This week the results were even more confusing - the muscle mass loss had stopped probably thanks to all that extra protein I had added to my diet but I had suddenly gained 500 grams of fat? Even after burning over 3000 kcal last week just by working out? So... not... cool.

Weight: -1,4 kg / -0,5 kg / -2,0 kg / +0,9 kg = -3,0 kg in total
Body fat percentage: -1,8 % / -4,2 % / +0,7 % / +0,3 % = -4,7 % in total
Body fat mass: -2,2 kg / -4 kg / +/-0 kg / +0,5 kg = -5,7 kg in total
Muscle mass: +0,8 kg / +3,4 kg / -2,0 kg / +0,3 kg = +2,5 kg in total
BMI: -0,4 / -0,2 / -0,6 / +0,3 = -0,9 in total

So, my dear body has figured out that it's an excellent idea to use the muscle mass I have gained instead of all the excess body fat. There is plenty of fat left in my body, all 30 kg of it. Why, for the love of God does my body decide to use my muscles instead of all that fat? WHY? Both me and my poor Personal Trainer are baffled. My Basal Metabolic Rate is more or less 1800 kcal and I eat about 1600 - 1800 kcal per day. So that should already be OK. Plus I workout 5-7 times a week, burning around 2500 - 3000 kcal per week. According to which logic am I not getting rid of my fat mass? Apparently that would be the very own logic created by my body...

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After these latest results I really didn't know should I laugh or cry. I felt (and still feel) like I'm banging my head against the wall. Have I not eaten enough? Am I eating wrong food after all? Why was it working before but it's not working anymore? Should I go back to easier workout routine? Am I running too much? Am I not running enough? Sigh.

The contract with my Personal Trainer is on its last stretch and when I look at the results I can't help but feel a little disappointed. But then again, when I think about how exercise has become a daily routine for me and how I just ran 11 km with a reasonable pace last weekend I realise that I have come a long way. That lazy girl who didn't work out for weeks or months is a thing of the past, thanks to this project. Now I enjoy exercising. I enjoy going to the gym and that burning feeling in my muscles. I love the feeling at the end of a long run, when I have reached a new goal I set for myself. I enjoy going for those long boring Nordic walks, because I know they are a bit easier workout sessions but still help me burn fat (eventually, I hope). OK, I still hate the interval running training, though...

Oh yeah, one more thing, just to make it perfectly clear:

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 Sooner or later I will find a way.

PROGRESS UPDATE - (week 12) Finally!

It was time for another one of those dreaded Body Composition Analysis things yesterday and I had been mentally preparing myself for another disappointment. My weight isn't really going down, but then again I do feel there's a difference since some of the clothes I wear have started to feel looser and baggier. Also, when I summed up my last week's workouts I realised that I had burnt 2700 kcal in total by exercising. That made me realise that I really shouldn't stare too much at the kilos the scale is showing but keep working out and being active and trust that eventually I will get there. Every single workout session burns calories and fat and improves my fitness level.

And then the results: I guess it really pays to be pessimistic - yesterday's analysis showed considerable improvement. Here are the most important figures from 24 August and 24 September results compared to 2 July starting figures (the first figures show the progress after 2 months and the second figures show the progress of last month alone):

Weight: -1,4 kg / -0,5 kg = -1,9 kg in total
Body fat percentage: -1,8 % / -4,2 % = -6 % in total
Body fat mass: -2,2 kg / -4 kg = -6,2 kg in total
Muscle mass: +0,8 kg / +3,5 kg = +4,3 kg in total
BMI: -0,4 / -0,2 = -0,6 in total

In addition, the fitness level tests (restHR, crunches, push ups and squats) showed that I had moved from average range to good.

After staring at the figures and graphs at home I was absolutely amazed to notice that my fat percentage had dropped twice as much during just one month compared to the progress in the first two months. Even better with the gained muscle mass: over four times as much muscle mass gained! Wow. My Personal Trainer has definitely found the right mix for me now - especially if you consider that I spent one week in bed because of the bronchitis and had to start slowly after the sick leave.

I was so pleased with the results that I had to toast myself with a lovely glass of freshly pressed apple-celery-cucumber-kale-broccoli-ginger juice, seasoned with spirulina and wheat grass powder. (I can so hear some of you go "Ewwww!" right now... Trust me - it tastes better than it sounds. Or looks!)

I have to say the graph that made me the happiest was the one showing my body fat percentage being within the healthy range for the first time since the beginning of July. Back then it was nearing the obese range, which was a major wake up call. That one result right there is why I'm really doing this: to be healthy. 

All in all, I'm very pleased with the results and determined to keep going. I would love to see similar or even better results in next month's analysis!

PROGRESS UPDATE (week 8) - Frustration Overload

Gutted. Frustrated. Annoyed. Dangerous times for my motivation and determination...

It was time for another Body Composition Analysis on Friday before another training session with the PT. I tried to stay realistic but I really had my hopes up, considering the amount of exercise I have done in the two months' time and also sticking to my healthy (enough) eating routine. Anyway, remember my first progress update? Yeah well, forget about that one. Completely. The time of the month (if you know what I mean) and the bloating it causes made the analyzer think it was new muscle tissue, not just some extra fluid in the body. ARGH.

So, the two actually comparable Body Composition Analysis results showed that I had lost 1,4 kg from the beginning of July. Woo-frigging-hoo, that's 1,4 kg in 9 weeks or so, miserable 156 grams per week. Oh yeah, and get this: according to the results I have only gained 1 kilo of muscle tissue in the same time. 111 grams per week. *The crowd goes wild* And get this: while I had lost 1,9 % of body fat and gained 200 grams of muscle in my arms I had lost 100 grams of muscle tissue from my legs! What the hell? I have done a gazillion squats, I have walked and jogged... and I get this? I mean... seriously?! What the hell does my body want me to do to let go of the fat and build more muscles? Is it punishing me for treating it so badly before that now it has decided to hold all the fat as hostage or something? Dear body, I'm really really sorry, my deepest apologies. Let's cooperate now, please!

Considering the disappointing results it was time to bring out the big guns. Sanna made a new gym programme for me in more or less five minutes and informed me that some weeks I'll need to hit the gym as many as four times. Bring it on! After the initial disappointment and feeling somewhat depressed I'm now more determined than ever. Extra jog or walk some evening? Sure. Add more weights at the gym? Got it. Do some additional abs training at home every morning? Why not. Let's make this happen!


I am an "I want it all and I want it now" type of person so I was hoping to see proper progress in a very short time. Ha. Ha ha. Yeah right, as if that would even be possible, considering the total fat mass I'm carrying and also wanting to complete this project in a healthy way, not by starving myself for 7 months. The slow progress and my non-existent patience are not a good combination, but I'm trying my best to keep my motivation up and just push myself even more.

Let's end on a more positive note - my overall fitness level has surely improved, otherwise I would have not been able to jog a full hour yesterday, including steep uphills. And - I have gained 800 grams of muscle tissue on my mid body and 100 grams per arm. So... are those... muscle outlines?!

(Apologies for the blurry picture.) 

Back to the gym to pump that iron!