Hi folks. Once again I have been remiss in my duty to keep you all informed on my progress. Well , today I shall address that.
When last I posted, my bodymass stood at 118.3kg, and that was in mid-May. It's now late June. My weight? The last number I recall was on Thursday, 23/06/11, and I was 112.9kg. Which means I have officially reached and surpassed my first (admittedly unstated on this blog) goal of losing 20kg.
Huzzah!
Huzzah!
Huzzah!
However, it has not been without its ups and downs. I've had a few weeks where there was minimal loss, others where a case of gastro helped things a little, and so on. But overall the losses have been continuing.
To make things official, my next target is to reach a weight less than 100kg before my birthday, which as you may know is on 26/10. So, that means I have 4 months to lose 12kg. Should be doable, but there's a bit to happen in that time. I have other birthdays to celebrate, weddings to attend, and travel to partake in. It it my hope that these events won't cause any backsliding.
On a practical note, the amount of weight lost has not been without consequences. Nearly all my clothes are now comically large on me, to the point where they don't really look any good. I've had to buy yet another (smaller) belt. I've dropped from clothes in the 4-6XL (depending on cut and age) to 2XL. This puts me back into the mainstream range of men's clothing, something that I am immesely happy with. But it also mean that I will be spending lots of money in the weeks to come in order to replace most of my wardrobe... Sigh.
Anyway, time for dinner methinks. Enjoy life, my fiends.
PS: That wasn't a typo... :D
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Welcome to Vapourland
Holy crap! I didn't realise that it's been nearly a month since I last blogged. There's more than one reason for that; the two main ones are being busy, and being lazy.
So anyway, last time I blogged, I was 122.4kg, and that was on 14/04/11. Today is 16/05/11, and today's measurement was 118.3kg. So that's around 4kg over 4-4.5 weeks. This is a surprising result for me, because I actually thought that my weightloss had stalled over the last week or two. This shows me that I'm still shedding kilos at roughly the same rate. So I am happy. Total loss is now 16kg (approx).
I've had to work for it though. With Melbourne winter steadily encroaching, it's getting colder, and unexpectedly, I've been craving both soups and carb-heavy foods like pasta and potato. I guess the body wants warmth, either from warm liquids or from burning carbs. It's been taking a fair bit of self control not to indulge in lots pasta dishes several times a week. Hopefully as winter progresses, the desires will be easier to control.
Finally (for today), my trainer has shown his true colours - he's mad! Several times now he's pushed me to the edge of nausea. He just keeps upping the ante on me. Today for example, I was actually in danger of dropping a 20kg barbell on my head, because my shoulders were so fatigued that the right one pretty much gave out. He called a halt to the exercise right there; it was at the end of the session anyway, so it was a lucky save for me. And he's just going to get tougher as time goes on. Woe is I!
Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully it won't be as long between updates next time.
Stay hoopy, froods!
So anyway, last time I blogged, I was 122.4kg, and that was on 14/04/11. Today is 16/05/11, and today's measurement was 118.3kg. So that's around 4kg over 4-4.5 weeks. This is a surprising result for me, because I actually thought that my weightloss had stalled over the last week or two. This shows me that I'm still shedding kilos at roughly the same rate. So I am happy. Total loss is now 16kg (approx).
I've had to work for it though. With Melbourne winter steadily encroaching, it's getting colder, and unexpectedly, I've been craving both soups and carb-heavy foods like pasta and potato. I guess the body wants warmth, either from warm liquids or from burning carbs. It's been taking a fair bit of self control not to indulge in lots pasta dishes several times a week. Hopefully as winter progresses, the desires will be easier to control.
Finally (for today), my trainer has shown his true colours - he's mad! Several times now he's pushed me to the edge of nausea. He just keeps upping the ante on me. Today for example, I was actually in danger of dropping a 20kg barbell on my head, because my shoulders were so fatigued that the right one pretty much gave out. He called a halt to the exercise right there; it was at the end of the session anyway, so it was a lucky save for me. And he's just going to get tougher as time goes on. Woe is I!
Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully it won't be as long between updates next time.
Stay hoopy, froods!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Two months in
Hello again peoples.
Today's update is a bit of a milestone. By way of a fortunate accident, I discovered that today is exactly two months since my membership at the gym began. According to their records, I started attending on 18/02/11. So two months, or 8 1/2 weeks of attending the ym 4 days a week.
And my progress to date? Well, Saturday and today came in at the same figure (somehow): 122.4kg!
This is a bizarre feeling for me. Actually getting steady loss is awesome. The down side is that all my clothes are starting to look like parachutes on me, and I haven't had a chance to go clothes shopping yet. I've decided that I'm going to raid the op-shops (by raid I mean shop at, not steal from). That way if I end up dropping another size or two I haven't spent a fortune on clothes that are now too big.
To give you an idea of the scale of the amount of weight I've lost, when I left Townsville I had only one belt. I'm not sure what size it was exactly, but it would have been around the 130cm mark I reckon. I was consistently using the second last to last hole (in inner-most two holes) when dressing. That belt is now so large on me that I can remove it without undoing it... on the inner-most hole! I have had to buy a new belt, which when I got it I used the outermost hole. Now I am using the third hole consistently. Assuming that each hole is around 1inch from the nearest, that means I have lost no less that 5 inches (12.5cm) or so from my waistline. In two months! That makes me very happy.
But I don't intend to stop here/ I still have a long way to go before I get clost to my target. So happy hunting until then folks.
(PS: total loss since my "official" starting weight is 11.6kg)
Today's update is a bit of a milestone. By way of a fortunate accident, I discovered that today is exactly two months since my membership at the gym began. According to their records, I started attending on 18/02/11. So two months, or 8 1/2 weeks of attending the ym 4 days a week.
And my progress to date? Well, Saturday and today came in at the same figure (somehow): 122.4kg!
This is a bizarre feeling for me. Actually getting steady loss is awesome. The down side is that all my clothes are starting to look like parachutes on me, and I haven't had a chance to go clothes shopping yet. I've decided that I'm going to raid the op-shops (by raid I mean shop at, not steal from). That way if I end up dropping another size or two I haven't spent a fortune on clothes that are now too big.
To give you an idea of the scale of the amount of weight I've lost, when I left Townsville I had only one belt. I'm not sure what size it was exactly, but it would have been around the 130cm mark I reckon. I was consistently using the second last to last hole (in inner-most two holes) when dressing. That belt is now so large on me that I can remove it without undoing it... on the inner-most hole! I have had to buy a new belt, which when I got it I used the outermost hole. Now I am using the third hole consistently. Assuming that each hole is around 1inch from the nearest, that means I have lost no less that 5 inches (12.5cm) or so from my waistline. In two months! That makes me very happy.
But I don't intend to stop here/ I still have a long way to go before I get clost to my target. So happy hunting until then folks.
(PS: total loss since my "official" starting weight is 11.6kg)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
SuperNova Results (Belated)
Sorry I'm late with this post. I've been caught up with life, which is unusual for me because normally I don't have one. Or at least, not one worth talking about. But the last week has been fairly full on.
Saturday's results were the first high point. Weigh-in was 123.7kg. This made me tentatively happy since getting below 124kg means I have lost a minimum of 10kg since starting at the gym. Monday's result of 123.9kg confirms that 10 kilo mark has been hit. So happy me! On a down note, my weight has been the same since (it's now Thursday) which is a little worrying.
Diet has been a bit up and down over the past week, due to external factors. I went to Supernova on Saturday (a big pop culture expo - lots of geek stuff), and had a turkish bread for lunch. Lots of carbs. Sunday I had yum cha for lunch (my grandfather's 78th birthday). That is a very dangerous way of eating. Tiny portions, but it just keeps coming. Very bad. And because of work committments and visiting friends/relatives pretty much every day since then I've eaten out for lunch and dinner. Not really bad food, just probably too much in terms of quantity. So I've been naughty. Hopefully now that things are settling down for this weekend I can get back on track.
So yeah, I'm happy to have finally hit the 10kg loss mark. Only 24kg to go before I hit my first medium-term goal of 100kg. I'm also starting to notice a small amount of muscle definition, mostly on my legs, which is also good. On the flip side, I am paying the price of my dietary indiscretions... Mostly happy days.
Until next time folks, stay froody!
Saturday's results were the first high point. Weigh-in was 123.7kg. This made me tentatively happy since getting below 124kg means I have lost a minimum of 10kg since starting at the gym. Monday's result of 123.9kg confirms that 10 kilo mark has been hit. So happy me! On a down note, my weight has been the same since (it's now Thursday) which is a little worrying.
Diet has been a bit up and down over the past week, due to external factors. I went to Supernova on Saturday (a big pop culture expo - lots of geek stuff), and had a turkish bread for lunch. Lots of carbs. Sunday I had yum cha for lunch (my grandfather's 78th birthday). That is a very dangerous way of eating. Tiny portions, but it just keeps coming. Very bad. And because of work committments and visiting friends/relatives pretty much every day since then I've eaten out for lunch and dinner. Not really bad food, just probably too much in terms of quantity. So I've been naughty. Hopefully now that things are settling down for this weekend I can get back on track.
So yeah, I'm happy to have finally hit the 10kg loss mark. Only 24kg to go before I hit my first medium-term goal of 100kg. I'm also starting to notice a small amount of muscle definition, mostly on my legs, which is also good. On the flip side, I am paying the price of my dietary indiscretions... Mostly happy days.
Until next time folks, stay froody!
Monday, April 4, 2011
April Fool
So this week's weigh-in is a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, I haven't gained any weight despite a bit of naughtiness over the weekend (but honey-coated macadamias are just so yummy!). On the down side, my weight was the same today as it was on Saturday. I'm not sure what that means overall, but it was a little disappointing, considering the magnitude of the losses so far.
So what was the magic number? 124.9kg. Both 9am Saturday (before any food), and 4pm Monday (after a day's worth of food and drink. I don't know if that means my weight has plateaued, or if I've started adding muscle (I'm skeptical) or if there's another factor. Probably I've just hit a natural plateau which I need to break through. Or my body has adjusted to the exercises I'm doing and isn't being pushed as hard as it needs to be.
Regardless, I'm not going to let it get me down. It's just one week, and I've still managed to lose some weight. So I guess it's not really a bad week. I'm not even sure I have a word to describe it.
The other thing that has me bugged at the moment is my PT's food plan. For months (years actually) I've been a 2.5 square meal man. I say 2.5 because I don't usually eat breakfast, but I have at least two main meals a day. The rest is either a morning tea, or a supper or a midnight snack or a combination thereof. It's probably more complicated than that, but you get the idea. Since the move I've managed to get my food routine back under control most days. Now my PT wants me to change that again. He wants me to get into the "6 small meals a day" routine, with the right mix of protien, carbs and such at the "right" times. Now, I know that it's the accepted wisdom of the fitness/nutritional industries to do this, and I understand (some) of the reasoning. But to me it seems like more effort, fiddling around with extra food preparation and stuff, all to counter something that I've deliberately cultivated the self-control to combat; that is, hunger.
What also worries me is that at the moment I'm pretty confident that my daily calorie consumption is probably well below the recommented 2000cal/day. Eating more often (even small quantities) means that it will upset the delicate balance I've managed to achieve, and I don't know if it will be for better or for worse. Plus, it tends to make be feel uncomfortably full some days. Maybe I'm just being stubborn, as I usually am when someone wants me to change something I'm not ready to do. I guess the best things\ I can do is give it a shot for a little while, see if there is any merit in it. After that I'll make a decision.
PS: Thanks for all the positive feedback guys! It's appreciated.
So what was the magic number? 124.9kg. Both 9am Saturday (before any food), and 4pm Monday (after a day's worth of food and drink. I don't know if that means my weight has plateaued, or if I've started adding muscle (I'm skeptical) or if there's another factor. Probably I've just hit a natural plateau which I need to break through. Or my body has adjusted to the exercises I'm doing and isn't being pushed as hard as it needs to be.
Regardless, I'm not going to let it get me down. It's just one week, and I've still managed to lose some weight. So I guess it's not really a bad week. I'm not even sure I have a word to describe it.
The other thing that has me bugged at the moment is my PT's food plan. For months (years actually) I've been a 2.5 square meal man. I say 2.5 because I don't usually eat breakfast, but I have at least two main meals a day. The rest is either a morning tea, or a supper or a midnight snack or a combination thereof. It's probably more complicated than that, but you get the idea. Since the move I've managed to get my food routine back under control most days. Now my PT wants me to change that again. He wants me to get into the "6 small meals a day" routine, with the right mix of protien, carbs and such at the "right" times. Now, I know that it's the accepted wisdom of the fitness/nutritional industries to do this, and I understand (some) of the reasoning. But to me it seems like more effort, fiddling around with extra food preparation and stuff, all to counter something that I've deliberately cultivated the self-control to combat; that is, hunger.
What also worries me is that at the moment I'm pretty confident that my daily calorie consumption is probably well below the recommented 2000cal/day. Eating more often (even small quantities) means that it will upset the delicate balance I've managed to achieve, and I don't know if it will be for better or for worse. Plus, it tends to make be feel uncomfortably full some days. Maybe I'm just being stubborn, as I usually am when someone wants me to change something I'm not ready to do. I guess the best things\ I can do is give it a shot for a little while, see if there is any merit in it. After that I'll make a decision.
PS: Thanks for all the positive feedback guys! It's appreciated.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday Weigh-In
Hi folks. Just a belated update to record Monday's weight results. I actually wrote (typed?) this one down so I didn't forget.
So at 4:15pm on Monday 28/03/11, I weighed 125.9kg. This is consistent with my Saturday reading, which if you recall was either 125.8 or 126.8kg. I couldn't recall which it was. If it was the former, then the rise could just be a fluctuation due to the fact that I had eaten when I weighed in on Monday. If it was the latter, then it means I dropped even further over the weekend. I think the first is more likely.
As for my workout, I went for a mostly cardio session yesterday.
Warm-up on the treadmill for 10mins (24calories)
Exercise bike - target of 300 calories - achieved in approx. 30mins.
Rowing machine - 3 x intervals of 500m/1min rest. No calorie count available.
Treadmill - 15mins @ 5.6km/hr and varying incline (ranging fro 2.5 to 10% for 2-3min intervals). Approx 150 calories burnt.
Note that when calorie burns are stated, this is going off the calculated consumption provided by the equipment I am using, It uses an estimate based on weight, age and the exercise being performed. Actual consumption is certain to be different. At least this gives a guideline,
Gym again tomorrow, then PT on Thursday. Next (formal) weigh-in will be Saturday.
Until later folks.
So at 4:15pm on Monday 28/03/11, I weighed 125.9kg. This is consistent with my Saturday reading, which if you recall was either 125.8 or 126.8kg. I couldn't recall which it was. If it was the former, then the rise could just be a fluctuation due to the fact that I had eaten when I weighed in on Monday. If it was the latter, then it means I dropped even further over the weekend. I think the first is more likely.
As for my workout, I went for a mostly cardio session yesterday.
Warm-up on the treadmill for 10mins (24calories)
Exercise bike - target of 300 calories - achieved in approx. 30mins.
Rowing machine - 3 x intervals of 500m/1min rest. No calorie count available.
Treadmill - 15mins @ 5.6km/hr and varying incline (ranging fro 2.5 to 10% for 2-3min intervals). Approx 150 calories burnt.
Note that when calorie burns are stated, this is going off the calculated consumption provided by the equipment I am using, It uses an estimate based on weight, age and the exercise being performed. Actual consumption is certain to be different. At least this gives a guideline,
Gym again tomorrow, then PT on Thursday. Next (formal) weigh-in will be Saturday.
Until later folks.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
It begins
Greeting folks. I started this blog on the suggestion of a good friend of mine... At least, I am assume he's a good friend. I'll let him be the judge of that. Anyway, the primary aim of this blog is to track my health and fitness progress over the following months. On occasion, I might throw in a random post about nothing or even something in particular.
So, to begin. About 2.5 months ago, I relocated to a new city. On arriving there I decided that a new home, new job, new location etc. was a good place to start with getting my life together. And to make a fresh start on improving my overall health and fitness. As this happened months ago, there's a bit of a backlog, so I'll attempt to bring you up to speed.
Starting point
Finding a starting point is not easy, because I've been making gradual changes to my life for over a year. It started with me giving up on the crap I called lunch every day at work. By crap I meant pies, garlic balls and other fried "food" I purchased from the smoko van. It also meant reducing my fast food intake to maybe once or twice a week (if I was good). I changed my daily morning tea to two pieces of fruit and a single-serve yoghurt. Lunch became a sandwich or leftovers of the previous night's meal. Dinner was (usually) the good old Anglo-Saxon meat and three veg, or something like a risotto if I was feeling creative. Some months later, I started reducing the sugar in my diet. I stopped having it in my coffee. I changed to an artificially sweetened yoghurt, and (hardest of all) stopped drinking softdrink. At times I think this has made the biggest difference.
My exercise was very limited. I work in a sedentary job and drove to work every day. Most of my recreational activities were very limited in terms of aerobic benefit. Hard to work up a sweat while reading a book, no? I played no sport, and drove most places, even short distances.
So where was I at in terms of health and weight at this point? Truthfully, I don't know. I do know that at my heaviest I was bordering on the 140kg mark, possibly more. My clothes were entering the 5-6XL range. Not a good place to be. To be honest, I didn't "feel" that unhealthy. Climbing stairs and things like that were uncomfortable for me, and I was a heavy breather and sweater, though I think the last was due partly to the climate I lived in.
After the move
I moved south chasing a job, and thought to make some other changes as the same time. Some changes I didn't have any option on.
The first major change was that I didn't have a car. I had to walk and/or rely on public transport. As a result, I now get a minimum 20-30 minute walk every day, going to and from the train station or bus stop, plus whatever I need to walk on the other end. So I am now walking far more than I ever have in the past.
The second change is that I joined a gym. I joined the gym in mid-February. I attend the gym a minimum of three times a week, usually four times. I have one personal training session per week. We do a fairly balanced mix of cardio and strength training. My PT is working on a program for me, but I haven't got it yet.
Food wise, I almost took a step backwards. It is much easier for me to eat out here than it was in my old home, just due to availability. And it's not all bad stuff like MacDonalds, Hungry Jacks etc. It's restauraunts, cafes, pubs etc. So for a while I was not doing much good. Now I've settled down a fair bit, and am getting it back under control. Breakfast at work is approximately a half-cup of dry roasted mixed nuts. I don't have an exact measure, but it's a consistent amount. Lunch is a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a yoghurt. Dinner varies. I avoid snacks and dessert, or have more fruit for dessert if I am still hungry.
Progress
For the sake of this blog, I am going to say that my gym work began on Sunday, 20th Feb, 2011. I think it was a little before then, but this works as a good calendar tracking point.
On or around that date, I weighed myself at the gym. I was 134kg. This is to be my starting mark.
Today, on Saturday 26th March, 2011, I weighed in at 125.8kg (I think... I really should start wring these down). Take into consideration that when taking this reading I had not had anything to eat all morning.
My perferred method of gauging my true weight, for the purpose of this blog, is to record on Saturday morning and Monday afternoon. My "true" weight will be an average of these two figures.
So to date, my total lost has been approx. 8-9kg, with some margin of error and Monday's reading still to come. This has been over five weeks. Understandably, I am quite happy with this.
From here on in...
So now you are pretty much up to speed with things. I don't know how frequently I will be updating this blog, but I can pretty much guaruntee that it will be less frequently than daily. I will update with any major changes, setbacks or improvments as they happen. For now though, I think this will do,
Until next time folks, stay froody.
So, to begin. About 2.5 months ago, I relocated to a new city. On arriving there I decided that a new home, new job, new location etc. was a good place to start with getting my life together. And to make a fresh start on improving my overall health and fitness. As this happened months ago, there's a bit of a backlog, so I'll attempt to bring you up to speed.
Starting point
Finding a starting point is not easy, because I've been making gradual changes to my life for over a year. It started with me giving up on the crap I called lunch every day at work. By crap I meant pies, garlic balls and other fried "food" I purchased from the smoko van. It also meant reducing my fast food intake to maybe once or twice a week (if I was good). I changed my daily morning tea to two pieces of fruit and a single-serve yoghurt. Lunch became a sandwich or leftovers of the previous night's meal. Dinner was (usually) the good old Anglo-Saxon meat and three veg, or something like a risotto if I was feeling creative. Some months later, I started reducing the sugar in my diet. I stopped having it in my coffee. I changed to an artificially sweetened yoghurt, and (hardest of all) stopped drinking softdrink. At times I think this has made the biggest difference.
My exercise was very limited. I work in a sedentary job and drove to work every day. Most of my recreational activities were very limited in terms of aerobic benefit. Hard to work up a sweat while reading a book, no? I played no sport, and drove most places, even short distances.
So where was I at in terms of health and weight at this point? Truthfully, I don't know. I do know that at my heaviest I was bordering on the 140kg mark, possibly more. My clothes were entering the 5-6XL range. Not a good place to be. To be honest, I didn't "feel" that unhealthy. Climbing stairs and things like that were uncomfortable for me, and I was a heavy breather and sweater, though I think the last was due partly to the climate I lived in.
After the move
I moved south chasing a job, and thought to make some other changes as the same time. Some changes I didn't have any option on.
The first major change was that I didn't have a car. I had to walk and/or rely on public transport. As a result, I now get a minimum 20-30 minute walk every day, going to and from the train station or bus stop, plus whatever I need to walk on the other end. So I am now walking far more than I ever have in the past.
The second change is that I joined a gym. I joined the gym in mid-February. I attend the gym a minimum of three times a week, usually four times. I have one personal training session per week. We do a fairly balanced mix of cardio and strength training. My PT is working on a program for me, but I haven't got it yet.
Food wise, I almost took a step backwards. It is much easier for me to eat out here than it was in my old home, just due to availability. And it's not all bad stuff like MacDonalds, Hungry Jacks etc. It's restauraunts, cafes, pubs etc. So for a while I was not doing much good. Now I've settled down a fair bit, and am getting it back under control. Breakfast at work is approximately a half-cup of dry roasted mixed nuts. I don't have an exact measure, but it's a consistent amount. Lunch is a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a yoghurt. Dinner varies. I avoid snacks and dessert, or have more fruit for dessert if I am still hungry.
Progress
For the sake of this blog, I am going to say that my gym work began on Sunday, 20th Feb, 2011. I think it was a little before then, but this works as a good calendar tracking point.
On or around that date, I weighed myself at the gym. I was 134kg. This is to be my starting mark.
Today, on Saturday 26th March, 2011, I weighed in at 125.8kg (I think... I really should start wring these down). Take into consideration that when taking this reading I had not had anything to eat all morning.
My perferred method of gauging my true weight, for the purpose of this blog, is to record on Saturday morning and Monday afternoon. My "true" weight will be an average of these two figures.
So to date, my total lost has been approx. 8-9kg, with some margin of error and Monday's reading still to come. This has been over five weeks. Understandably, I am quite happy with this.
From here on in...
So now you are pretty much up to speed with things. I don't know how frequently I will be updating this blog, but I can pretty much guaruntee that it will be less frequently than daily. I will update with any major changes, setbacks or improvments as they happen. For now though, I think this will do,
Until next time folks, stay froody.
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