Fat Loss Diaries: Week 1 Complete

 Good morning my friends.

The first week of my 12 week tracked fat loss phase is complete and I am here to share with you the ups and downs of the week, the things I did well, things I didn't do so well and what I have learned to bring into the next week. First things first, the scale loss from this week is -1.6kg. Although some of you may look at this and see a great week, for me this is merely a tracking tool and I am working towards this number being irrelevant to my emotions. It may sound silly, but when you're a person that has battled with their weight for so long the idea of being completely un-bothered by the number on the scale is actually the most desirable scenario! But you would be correct in saying that this was a successful week for enforcing good habits and sticking as closely, as life will allow, to my goals.

As discussed last week, my main goals were to get my 10k steps in every day, go to the gym three times and take my weekly progress pictures. I can confirm that I hit my step count every day, my average step count over the week was 11,430 steps. I didn't, however, get into the gym three times - I did two gym workouts (push and pull) and life got in the way of the third session. I did do two 5k runs which I loved so much, really feeling the running bug creeping in and I am here for it. But I feel the need to be totally honest that even I, as a fitness coach, can sometimes skip a workout. It is normal, it is acceptable. The important lesson to learn is not to make a habit of it. To make sure the next week, you enter the week with full intention of hitting your goals. Intention being a key piece of language in the world of fitness and weight loss.

If you want to be successful long term in regards to your fitness and weight loss goals, a lot of the things you do need to be done with intention. It's the subtle differences that can make all the difference. "I'm going to stay on track this week" needs to become "I'm going to go to the gym this week on Monday straight after work, Wednesday on my lunch break and Saturday morning as soon as breakfast has been made/fed to the children. I am also going to meal prep for Monday - Wednesday on Sunday evening after the kids are in bed and I will go shopping on Wednesday night to stock up nutritious groceries that will keep my eating habits in line with my goals for the rest of the week." Setting the time and place to a habit is more important than you might think and speaking to yourself with intention will drastically affect your mindset. It's the same when you walk into a gym environment or plan to do a home workout. If you just do the workout, then great you've moved your body. But if you walk into that gym with intention, then you are walking in to a different headspace. You are telling yourself that you are taking a positive step towards your goals, you will be lifting until failure on your sets, you will be getting the most out of your session.

That's how I've been looking at this 12 week fat loss phase anyway. Before now, I have been gradually losing weight but it has not been with the intent that I am feeling now. Yes, the scale weight has gone down since I had my son because I have been doing all the right things - eating intuitively in a mild deficit, walking A LOT, going to the gym - all of these things are engrained in me now anyway because this is a lifestyle choice. However, I have found my mindset change drastically this week because I am doing all of the things with intention. 

On my clients weekly check-in form, one of the questions I ask my clients is "overall, how do you feel like the week has gone". I want to answer that question each week on here as if I was checking in with my own coach. And I love this question because I get a true gauge on what mindset they are in and how they are feeling:

I am really pleased with how the week went even though I missed a gym session because:

1. I went out and walked on a day it was raining rather than just saying "oh it's raining, I'm not going to go".

2. I got to enjoy baking with my daughter without feeling guilt for consuming our treats but also factoring them into the week.

3. I found a new route to walk which contributes towards my goal of 10k steps a day and it is BEAUTIFUL (and we made friends with some cows).

4. I lifted my heaviest deadlift since having Ralph at 85kg for one rep.

5. I went on two runs and surprised myself both times by not stopping to walk on either of them

I have talked about this before but I think it's really important on a weight loss journey to celebrate the little wins as they tend to make up the small habits that give you big results when you are consistent with them long term. I absolutely love that I was able to lift 85kg. To some that will seem massive, to others they will be thinking that's lightweight baby. For me, it's proof that my strength is building postpartum and the consistency in the gym is paying off. For some context, pre-pregnancy I could lift 107.5kg for one rep and weighed about 65kg. So I still have some work to do to build my strength to that again but I am aware that when I was lifting those numbers, I was getting 7-8 hours solid sleep a night. At the moment, I am lucky if I get 5 hours of broken sleep. Sleep is so important for recovery.

I also think it's good to pick up on things we may have done that do not line up with our goals or identity. Self-analysis is important and we shouldn't beat ourselves up but instead learn from potential behaviours that leave us feeling deflated or annoyed. For example, I know that this week I need to prioritise my recovery as much as I prioritise the exercise. I can't get as much sleep as the average person at the moment. My son is nearly 8 months old and still co-sleeps and breastfeeds throughout the night. But I can work on making sure I stretch every morning and post workout/run to ensure I am preventing injury and to help with recovery. It's a small thing that I need to build into a habit that I know will benefit my longevity of life. After all, don't we all just want to live in a healthy body for as long as possible?

Sunday 20th October - 69.2kg

Progress photos:

Thank you for being here.

Love Amber, xo

AMBER PUTTOCK | FITNESS COACH (@amberloufit) • Instagram photos and videos

P.S. I have been raising money for Tommy's - the pregnancy and baby charity by walking/running 5k a day in October. So far I have raised an amazing £200 and walked/ran over 110km, but I am still holding out hope to raise up to £1000. It's not a charity I plucked out of thin air, it's very close to home having lost two babies during pregnancy in 2020 and the work they do needs to be funded from somewhere. Grateful for anyone who is able to donate or spread the word, my JustGiving fundraiser is below. 

Amber Puttock is fundraising for Tommy’s, the pregnancy and baby charity (justgiving.com)

Thank you