Sheila’s 8 Week Challenge and Breast Cancer Fundraiser

I am 45 years old and have always been fit with an athletic build. I have competed in two body building competitions and am a keen boxer and kick boxer.

In Nov 2005 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and on 5th Dec had a radical mastectomy with all the axillar lymph nodes removed. I had an 8 cm tumour and 16 positive lymph nodes. As the cancer was advanced I underwent a heavy protocol of chemo and radiation which left me pretty wiped out and as I did not have the energy to exercise I put on a hefty 10 kilos.

A few weeks ago I was looking through my wardrobe for something to wear for a social event and everything I tried on made me look like the Michelin man!

I ended up in floods of tears and decided to do something about it. I approached my friend Debbie Dixon who owns Health 2000 where I work as co-manager in Havelock. I explained my predicament to Deb and told her I wanted to make my weight loss attempts public and even try to raise some money for breast cancer.  At the same time I was also perusing the Peak Fitness website and approached Charissa with my goals.

With the help and support of Peak and Health 2000 the challenge is to lose 10 kilo by Dec 16th and you are welcome to sponsor me by the kilo or by donation.

Let the challenge begin!!!!

Sheila.

Here are Shelia’s assessment results:

Name:  Shelia Forrest-Winton

Occupation:

Age:  45

Test date 29th Sept   Body Fat % 40%   Weight 73.2 kg   Height 166cm   Metabolic Age 60 years   Water % 44.2%   Lean Muscle Mass 41.7kg   Bone Mass % 2.2kg

Week 1:

Well my first week was a fizzer as I had a horrible head cold and was unable to train! It’s very hard to stay motivated when you are feeling sick and snotty! I was all geared up for a week of pumping iron and my beloved boxing class but alas, it was as much as I could do to drag myself sniffing to work.

All was not lost though………..I realised if I was not exercising I needed to carefully watch what I was eating and drinking. I made sure I kept the sugar and starch to a minimum and topped up on the veggies and lots of fluids. My first choice of hydration being a good Pinot I had to watch my wine consumption as I knew I would not be burning it off!!! Seriously though I upped my water intake to about 2.5 litres a day and flushed the nasty bugs down the toilet!!!!
 
Come Monday I was back at the gym for an upper body session with Dwayne ( I am sure he punished me for my time off!). I had a great workout and felt much stronger for having rested.
 
My low point of week one was definitely not being able to train but I felt it was best to recover properly before I tried to exercise. At my age I would probably have pulled a muscle or worse!
 
The high point was realising I can be good with food if I put my mind to it. Very empowering the self control thing!
 
Here’s hoping for a good weigh in on Friday.

Week 2:

What a great week! After losing a week to a head cold I was determined to have a good week and that I did! I managed to get to the gym for two weights sessions, two boxing classes and half an hour on the treadmill! Phew, makes me tired just thinking about it!! I lost 400g which is not a lot but I am feeling as though my body shape is changing. I have been told that you cannot always go by the scales and sometimes it is better to judge your progress by how your clothes fit. I do however need to drop the 10 kilo’s as many people have come forward to sponsor me! Thank you so much to all of you who have sponsored or donated so far!
 
The low point of this week was definitely Saturday night. We went to a beautiful party and at this beautiful party was beautiful food! Arrrgh, the lemon meringue get’s me every time. I was very good though I only had a wee bit. Anything citrus is my downfall and I hope I can be back on track today! I find it hard at the weekends as my self control is not great. weekdays are different as I am busy with work. Any good tips on dealing with social occasions????
 
Week 3:

Yahoo!! Had a good loss this week. Things are definitely happening! It is such a high when your hard work pays off. I am finding the gym and everyone in it so motivational. Thanks guys for all your help. I am actually looking forward to exercise these days! Pretty good week for food too although found it hard to get anything low carb at the A & P show.The low for the week would have to be the poor food choices over the long weekend but I am back on track today. Just been for a walk on the farm and feeling good. Till next week.

Week 4:

It’s week 4 eek halfway there! I am going to have to step up my game I think! I am definitely feeling fitter but the weight loss is slower than I had hoped. I think I need to put some more cardio into the mix. I am not great at training after work so I will have to try and do some morning walks or classes. Not driving is a bit of a nuisance as I have to rely on my husband Lee to drive me into town from Tuki Tuki valley. Think I would spend more time training if I had my own transport. However not driving is my choice so I need to just suck it up and get on with exercising! High point of this week was feeling fit in the boxing class. I can skip continually for a minute now!! Love the boxing classes so much! Hoping for at least half a kilo off this week, maybe more!!!

Week 5:

Well here we are again, had a great week. I am finally in the groove I think. Food was easy now I am planning ahead and I managed to get to the gym 3 times and one pilates session so that was quite good. I have lost half a kilo this week so still need to step up the cardio I think. The down for the week was having to leave a party because I was too tempted by the food and also, I went to a work seminar and the only food available was all deep fried!!! As it was at 6pm and we had been told that healthy nibbles were available I did not eat before I went. The healthy nibbles were gone in a flash and I was still hungry so had a piece of pizza and two nuggets. Felt awful afterwards!! The upside of the week was all my scans came back clear so I have now been in remission for nearly three years Yahoo!!! No more excuses just have to stay on track.

Week 6:

Oh no!!! I have injured my back and been sworn off training for a week by physio!!! Bummer, had such a good week last week too. Well I must make sure I behave then and stick to the plan with my food. My weight has dropped again so at least something is consistent. It is such a buzz to see the scales moving in the right direction! Hopefully will have more to write next week.

Week 7:

Well I do not have much to report as I am still not allowed to exercise as disk is still unstable (bit like my mind at the moment!!). It is so frustrating, I am really missing the gym and my classes but it’s not worth the risk of my disc herniating again. Was flat on my back for 2 months last time ten years ago! I am getting so bored with chicken fish and greens but with no exercise this is about all I can eat to keep the weight off. I am determined not to let all the people down who have sponsored me. At least the official challenge for the cancer society does not end until the 31st Dec which still gives me 5 weeks. Hmmmm 5 kilos in 5 weeks……………..it can be done!!