Cinnamon quinoa porridge with sliced apple. Straight to the bin. Photo / Supplied
Cinnamon quinoa porridge with sliced apple. Straight to the bin. Photo / Supplied
Stacey Hunt loves wine, hates protein powder and has zero willpower. How hard could completing a gruelling eight-week fitness challenge be?
Despite having never stuck to a diet for longer than a few days, I miraculously returned for week two of the F45 challenge.
In all honestly, if I hadn't stupidly agreed to document this journey here there's a high chance one of those new Whittaker's Tip Top ice creams would have made its way down the hatch as I threw in the towel.
The second week in is still the detox phase so the meals were similar: lots of fish, eggs and greens.
The highlight was the introduction of choco coconut balls. When I say chocolate, however, I mean cacao powder and dates type "chocolate" - Whittaker's Berry Biscuit these things were not. But they were sweet enough to satisfy and a welcome break from snacking on celery.
This week also saw peanut butter back in my life ... you may laugh but it was the little things, okay?
After only one week of this challenge I realise how ridiculous these comments may sound but, for some reason, as soon as you can't have something it's all you want. So a week without all my usual foods felt like an eternity.
Cinnamon quinoa porridge with sliced apple. Straight to the bin. Photo / Supplied
Goldilocks would not approve. The three bears would not approve. I do not approve. Tasteless sludge is the only was to describe this culinary monstrosity.
Here are some of my dietary delights from week two
Breakfast: Turmeric and mushroom scrambled eggs Snack: Choco coconut ball Lunch: Kale and chicken wraps (don't be fooled by the word wraps, that's a kale leaf wrap, there are no carbs in there) Snack: Peanut butter celery boats Dinner: Veggie mash with grilled fish
This challenge loves the turmeric. Handy hint: don't get your nails painted white during these eight weeks, they'll wind up stained yellow.
The highlight is getting a deep, deep sleep
Things were looking up, however. The abandonment of coffee had become easier, I wasn't craving carbs and sugar anymore, my energy levels were up and I was sleeping like a log. In fact it was almost a case of "new body who dis?" because I slept so deeply I frequently woke up completely disorientated.
Then, there's the workouts
In week two the classes were still great and I found the more frequently I attended the more I felt I was making progress. They never get easier though - no matter how many burpees you've done in your life, they still suck.
The sessions really make you work. While you can adapt certain things down a level, there's no escaping the intensity. There's times where you find yourself wondering how the hell you're going to push that 20kg sled even one more centimetre, let alone complete the 45 seconds of pull ups you see coming up over the other side of the room.
You burn a decent amount of calories per class. If you use a LionHeart Monitor you can track exactly how many calories you burn and, for those competitive types, see how you track during each class against other members.
Calories burnt depends on the workout but this week, for example, saw me burn 545 calories in a cardio class and 456 calories in a resistance class.
The LionHeart monitors track your workout for you. Photo / Supplied
Confession time
Full disclosure, the plan was completely put to one side during the long weekend. A three day tramping trip in South Island didn't exactly tie in with the F45 menu of oven baked basil turkey and roasted vegetables. But I figured 25km days walking up and down hills with a full pack while living off freeze-dried tramping meals wasn't too detrimental.
The conclusion of the detox phase means coffee is close to making a return to my life. Good news not only for me, but for those who have to deal with me at work at 6am.
