Where to from Here?

Well I hopped on the scales this morning, to see how much weight I'd put on since depletion. I had hit my goal weight of 58kg prior to starting (depletion) and was 54.75kg upon completion.


I had my free meal after depletion, and have to admit, some little snacks here and there over the following couple of days...nothing major...steak fried in the pan the night of photo shoot and the next night for dinner (was sick of chicken)... a couple extra fat serves...oh...and a few glasses of wine over the week...didn't go berserko or anything. Sat on my dairy-air for over a week...huuuugh...it was nice.

So anyway, here's me thinking I've definitely put it all on again...and the verdict?...56.45kg!

Maybe it will take a little longer to put it back on? Anyone out there know a bit about post-depletion and what happens to your body and weight afterward? If you could give me the low-down, that would be great!

Ciao for now...and have a great Australia Day weekend!

Kerry :)

P.S. I'm booked in for my first step in the application process for Australian Defence Force...20th February...here I come!

Perfect Ending to a Perfect Day - Depletion - Day 8

(Click on images to enlarge)

Photos 1, 2 & 3: Front, back & side - Start Program 1 - Finish Program 1 - Finish Program 2

Image 4: Stats - Program 2 - weight & BF%

For me...the perfect ending was...a mouth-watering, tender, juicy steak served with a fresh garden salad lavished in balsemic vinegar and flax oil dressing....and finished off with a refreshing glass of wine!

One good thing about depletion is that the taste of everything (except chicken) after the fact, is heightened to such a degree, it's almost orgasmic!

I was so emotional this morning driving to my photo shoot (as I have said a couple of times now in other posts) thinking about where I started six months ago and how I felt back then...frumpy, unfit, lacking confidence...a ghost of the person I was 8 years ago, and wanting back so badly, the person I was. Even I can't believe the transformation, not just on the outside, but on the inside and how that transformation has touched so many other areas of my life and given me renewed vigour, hope and excitement in my life. And I'm so pumped about what this year holds for me, and also my family!

This morning I was riding on adrenalin, and was so pumped, I'm still on a high! The photo shoot was an absolute blast and I had a ball! It helps when you have a great photographer who knows what you want and is relaxed and professional. I hope the photos are as good as I think they are...I can't wait for result!

I have to admit, after little food (except cardboar...er...chicken) and very little water, the poses were hard to maintain and very taxing. But since I was on such a high, it didn't matter and it all came together wonderfully.

Lunch was great...some quality time just with Anthony...just the two of us. I didn't go overboard, and savoured every mouthful! It was like I'd never tasted food. Then it was off home to relax in front of the cricket on our recliners, and wait for Philomena to arrive (in-between stints on the PC of course).

So for any of you comtemplating depletion and professional photos, I would recommend both. Just the experience and to say that you did it is worth it, for all the hard work you put in (hopefully I won't have to eat my words if I'm disappointed in my pics). After all...it may just be your last opportunity.

Ciao for now...Kerry :)

Twilight Hours - Depletion - Day 8

It's 3:30am...I can't sleep!

Woke at 2:30am...gas...thirsty...need to go toilet. Couldn't go to back to sleep. Really annoys the hell out of me! The night my little girl is not here, and I can't even enjoy a full night's sleep.

I just finished watching the end of a movie. Still not tired (and I'm hungry). Have to start the day at 5am. What will I do to pass the time?....ho hum...not long to go now....Damn...these photos better be bloody good!...miss my little girl...we've only ever had 2 nights apart...okay, gotta go and find something to do...bye...

Thirsty Thursday - Depletion - Day 7

Damn...I'd love a hewwwwge glass of water right now! I didn't know how thirsty you could be on just 1 litre of water to last 24 hours. This is definitely the toughest day so far.

Here I was, thinking I was going great guns, and wondering....'What the hell is everybody talking about the feeling like crap, and having no energy?". And even reading Raechelle's comments only early this morning about feeling drained at about this time before her comps...well, it just went over my head. Well not long after, the penny dropped. I feel like I'm made of jelly...no skeleton or bones to hold everything together, and all my limbs are feeling heavy, and lifeless. But the worst is the thirst! My tongue feels like I've stuck it Clag glue...yuk.

Oh! And here's some more tips for those thinking about depletion:

1. The recommended 'complete Rest', is vitally important...even if you think you're going fine, you'll be shagged the day before!

2. Try to do depletion in winter when it's not so hot.

3. Try not to do anything physical the day before photos, and stay out of the sun...doing both increases your thirst.

4. Eat your chicken while doing something else...it helps to stop you thinking about how disgusting cardboard really tastes, and you've eaten it before you know it!

5. Sleep as much as you can...it helps fill the time, and you don't notice how thirsty you are when you're asleep!

Okay...time to put all my gear together and do my first check list. I only have one more meal of cardboard and then a refreshing glass of wine before bed (just the thought of it is making me delirious). I need to be up at 5am...make-up at 6am....hair at 7am...photo shoot...9am.

Ciao for now...Kerry :)

The Hungry Caterpillar - Depletion - Day 6

Today I've been hungry.

I don't know if that is normal, but that's just the way it is. I'm about to tuck into meal 5 for the day, and hopefully not wake hungry like I did this morning.

I was feeling okay until about 2pm, and I hit a wall. I had to go shopping for last minute things for my photo shoot, and was dragging my butt around, thinking I just wanted to go home. When I did get home, I crashed on the recliner, until my husband (rudely) yelled out my name and woke me. Wanted me to pass him the pruner-thingy (my mind is tired too) to cut some branches while he was on the roof cleaning the gutter (he really is a dear).

I headed back to the recliner, but had to pull myself out to get my next meal, bath Philomena and get myself ready to go for my final BF measurement before Friday. I can't get it done tomorrow night, as my usual gym PT doesn't work on Thursday nights, so it had to be today.

I may be tired...but I'm stoked! Why you ask?....My BF% is down to 11.6%! Woohoo!

I honestly didn't think depletion at this stage was going to show for much, but I was mistaken. So I leave you now to have my last meal of the day...down some more water to reach my 6 litres...relax and watch a movie, and psych myself up for tomorrow...protein/carbs in morning, and protein the rest of the day, and only 1 litre of water! I'll try and rest tomorrow, as Philomena is going to my aunts' place for a sleepover...hhhhhhhh...

Ciao...Kerry :)

Ho Hum - Depletion - Day 5

I was trying to find a photo to show the way I felt today. Now...it wasn't quite like this, but I couldn't resist this pic and captions...he...he...he...

Not a whole lot to report actually. Getting a little bit jittery since I'm not training...waiting...waiting...waiting...is it (Friday) here yet?

I have been checking out the before and after pics on IBO's site though, for recent additions. If you haven't checked them out lately, then you must. Wow...some fantastic recent transformations. Michelle P is knockout! Definitely model material...she is hot!

Okay...I should be in bed getting my beauty sleep. Lord knows I need it!

Ciao for now...Kerry :)

Goodbye Vegetables - Depletion - Day 4

Yes...sadly, I not long ago had my last plate of vegetables until Friday after photos. :(

The thought of carbs tomorrow has me excited, though, now I won't have anything to wash down my chicken. I might have wash it down with water, me thinks. I don't mind flax oil with my chicken either. I'm also on a winner with the peanut butter and chicken. You know things are desperate when you lick the spoon ever so slooowwly, to make sure you get every bit of that 1 tbsp of peanut butter!

At least the sweet potatoe will give me some relief, as I made sure I got the 'gold' variety, which is a little sweeter (should my feedback coach be knowing this? Well the type of sweet potatoe isn't emphasized, so I should be okay).

So I'm not trying to think of the next 3 days. In fact, I'm really looking forward to Thursday night and my one glass of wine before bed. I don't normally drink (alcohol), but in this instance I'm making an exception! Already know which one...it has to be sweet...'Brown Brothers' Moscato...goes down quite well I must say.

Okay...enough about the food already!

Tonight was my last gym session, and killer workout. Shoulder/biceps/triceps/abs. I went surprisingly well (I think having an afternoon snooze, helped), but I'm already feeling the fatigue after-effects. Though I couldn't complete sets on my 4th exercise on the biceps - just had nothing!

Anyway...that's all there is to report. Energy levels are surprisingly okay so far. Still need to work out what poses I want for my photo shoot....hmmmm...too much to choose from.

Ciao for now...Kerry :)

The Art of Subterfuge - Depletion - Day 3

Subterfuge: That to which one resorts for escape or concealment; an artifice employed to escape censure or the force of an argument, or to justify opinions or conduct; a shift; an evasion.

I've come to the realisation that depletion is really an art form.

On the whole it seems simple enough. And everybody says "it's only 1 week!". To me, it's 8 days (if you include the morning of photo shoot), and that can seem like weeks!

It's nearly the end of Day 3, and so far I've started to employ some little things to trick my taste buds. One of those tricks is to use every bit of information you can glean from the IBO library, the IBO forum, and your feedback coach to formulate a meal-by-meal survival plan. And to survive depletion, you have to plan ahead, but think only about the day ahead, and then you only think about the next meal. So instead of thinking about what I can't have, I've started to think more about what I can have to eat.

So, one of the things I've discovered is that chicken tastes like cardboard without salt, or anything added. It's also very dry and is difficult to eat by itself. Things that I have worked for me so far are:

1. Use pepper, garlic, chives (herbs) to change the taste of chicken or fish.
2. Eat your protein with a mouthful of vegetables to make it easier to chew and swallow.
3. Grill it (chicken), but make sure you don't overcook it, otherwise it's way too dry and chewy.
4. Use different vegetables like broccolini, cabbage, beans, bok choi, wombuk, mushrooms, dried mushrooms, snow peas, and brussel sprouts (yes...I have to admit...I love them!) if you're having a straight vege dish.
5. Use salad vegetables for a couple of your vege meals, instead of your 'standard' vegetables, to give your taste buds a change. And use salad veges like snow peas, capsicum, red onion, carrot (only a little) which have different and interesting flavours.
6. Use your fat allowances to further enhance (or hide altogether) the flavour of your meals...peanut butter with chicken or veges; sprinkle your almonds in with your salad; flax oil on a salad is nice (if you like flax oil that is). Don't forget, you can have other 'nut' spreads, not just natural peanut butter.
7. You can have protein powder (hope I'm allowed to say that...maybe check with your feedback coach first) in the first 3 days.

And in discovering all that, today I didn't feel like heaving my breakfast (just a couple of gags), and my next meal didn't seem so insurmountable. In fact, I was rather looking forward to the next meal to see how creative I could be!

Training went well, though I woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I managed to drag myself out of bed, and after breakfast toddled off to the gym. At first, all I could think about was how tired and sore I was. But once I got into it, like thinking about the food, I just took it one body part, and one exercise at a time. This morning I did chest/back/abs, and by the end of it I was pretty knackered. My abs were still hurting from yesterday, so I know I do have them.

Your head is definitely in a different space, as I was rather focused and tried not to make eye contact. Firstly, because I really wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone, and secondly, there's not alot of time between sets to talk anyway. I just wanted to get through it and get out.

So tomorrow is my last workout day, and the longest...shoulders/biceps/triceps/abs. But it's only one more day, and then I can just concentrate on the food, relaxing and getting last minute things organised for Friday. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will really test my resolve...NO VEGES, however I'm looking forward to the introduction of carbs!

Thank goodness for fat allowances....that's all I can say!

Ciao for now...Kerry :)

Pre-Depletion Results

(click to enlarge)

So here's my results so far (above).

Since the start of the second program I have lost a total of 18.5cm and 4.4kg. My total weight loss since starting Program 1 is altogether, 13.6kg. I am sitting on 13.8% body fat, so I am happy with that prior to depletion.

Ciao...Kerry :)

Depletion - Day 2

No...it wasn't pumpkin, but the expression on this one's face says it all!

That's basically how I felt eating chicken and vegetables this morning for breakfast. Didn't actually have a heave, but gagged quite a few times.

Chicken is so dry all by itself. Even the vegetables were a relief, as at least they had some liquid in them, so I had to eat them together just to help with the chewing and get it down my throat. However, chicken after that (breakfast) didn't have the same gagging effect, and I had salad vegetables for lunch with some flax oil, so it was much more appetising. So I'm trying work out some creative ways of having my fat allowances with my chicken and veges. How does this sound?...vegetables with natural peanut butter...chicken smeared with peanut butter...hmmm...I think that one is a winner - a bit like satay!

Today being such a busy day with wedding duties (I was running around like a mad chook in the kitchen), luckily I pre-prepared all my food, and took with me a 5L cask of water. So happily I downed enough water to keep me going (in-between running around like a mad chook). So glad it's over (the wedding). Drama, drama with the brother-in-laws' in-laws. Bride's mother is such a cow! Now listen to this...the parents of the bride didn't attend the reception. They had their own reception somewhere else without the bride and groom!!! Have you ever heard of anything like it?

Okay...back to depletion. Was at the gym at 7am (earliest they open on Saturday) and did shoulders/biceps/triceps/abs. What a killer workout! Depletion was the aim, and depletion it was. Luckily, I was so busy today I didn't have time to think about how trashed I felt. So after my posts, it's off to bed for a snooze...Philomena's already asleep - knackered, poor girl. Luckily she was fussed over at the wedding and also formed part of the entertainment.

Ciao for now...Kerry :)

Depletion - Day 1

Today was all about water. And lots of it. I cleared the shelves at Coles yesterday of 'Nobles' 10L casks, and a couple of 5L ones as well.

As I write this, I still have one more litre to drink before I hit the sack. My allocation is 6 litres up until Thursday, when I have to cut back to 1 litre.

Well...there's a couple of so-so results to report. Hopped on the scales and I've come back up to 58kg, which I should be happy about, considering I've reached my goal weight for this program. However, being 57.2kg last week, I was secretly hoping to get under 57kg. Oh well! Can't complain really. I've had a pretty good ride along the way.

The other so-so result is my Body Fat %. Five weeks ago I was 14.1%, and today I came out at 13.8% (skin calipers). I know...I know...it's still a loss, but again I thought it may be a little less, because I know I've lost fat off my tummy, hips and thighs. My measurements at the gym show a decrease as well in these areas in relation to BF, so should be happy shouldn't I? In the big scheme of things, my body is more toned when comparing my photos from week 6 and now. Again, mainly noticeable in the tummy, hips and thighs. I have gained size in my quads and calves though. Overall...I think I may surprise myself come Friday morning, and am looking forward to my photos.

I forgot to take my measurements this morning! I did get them at the gym, as I always do, but I only use the home measurements for my IBO program, so I'll just get that done tomorrow morning. Which reminds me...a busy, busy day. I have to be at the gym doorstep at 7am, right on opening time, as Anthony's brother is getting married at 11am. Anthony is best man, so we have to be there an hour early. I also have to get myself and Philomena ready (and if you know anything about getting toddlers dressed, and hair brushed, I'm sure you can understand why I may be a little stressed tomorrow morning). I also have to prepare my meals tonight for tomorrow, as tomorrow is my first day on depletion diet food. Chicken for brekky...can't wait (bluurrcchh...)!

So on that note...time to start cooking some chow, ironing, and downing that last 1 litre before it's nitey nite!

Ciao...Kerry :)

Depletion Week - Ready and Willing

(Click on images to enlarge)

Table 1: Photo Shoot General Preparation notes
Table 2: Weeks 9-12 Program incl. depletion
Table 3: Depletion week menu

Well...I am officially organised and ready to start come Friday.

With all the information there is about what to do for depletion, it all gets rather jumbled up in my head. I find it much easier to organise all the info so I can just look at it on a day-by-day basis and know what I need to do and when, so I don't miss anything or get anything confused.

Now, I've just gotta buy some more chicken, veges, water and other supplies to get me through (a bit anxious about what it's going to cost to drink 6 ltrs of Nobles/Aqua Pura water each day).

It's all good! Ciao for now...Kerry :)

Countdown to Depletion

Today is one week from start of Depletion.

I only realised that today, and thought OMG...so close...which means that the end of program 2 is only 2 weeks away, as well as my photos.

I've been psyching myself up for weeks now, and continually reading over the notes for preparation. I was initally freaked out by it - mostly the food and how restricted it is, especially cutting out all sodium! But, I think I've got my head around it now and have started planning it out...what I need to be eating and drinking on what days and what training and non-training I'll be doing leading up to the photo shoot.

So I'm now in the right headspace and looking forward to the challenge. More than anything I'm really keen to see what results come of it. I'm hoping to see my abs (I don't think a six-pack will be on the cards though), and I have lost a bit more fat of my tummy - that really annoying bit at the bottom! I just need to work out what poses I want for my shoot, and that's proving to be really difficult. I think I just need to stick with the K.I.S.S principle, and work with my strengths.

I will do my weigh-in, measurements and BF measurements next Friday before I begin depletion, so I know exactly where I'm starting from. Okay...now to get everything organised...food, hair, make-up, spray tan (yes...that's right), outfits (which I already have), etc.

Ciao for now...Kerry :)