The problem with diets and people on diets is they only speak about the positives they are doing never the negatives, in my blogs i want to be as honest as possible, i need the people who read it to not only take some sort of inspiration away but also act as my conscience, you are the ones following my journey you understand the bold statements i have made and will be able to pick up on any hypocrisy within my musings and hopefully take me task for it.
Therefore yesterday i did no walking, no exercise, didn't hit my TDEE, i went to work, went home and sat in front of the tv all night, i did get an early night though which is a healthy thing to do i suppose.
Why no walking, i couldn't be bothered to be honest, and it is not like i didn't have the time available i just preferred not to.
This is the first time since i started this lifestyle change that i have not hit my daily goals (except when i had the Man Flu), so what is going on, am i at that point every dieter gets to when they see positive results and start taking their foot off the peddle, eye off the goal, i don't know.
I even heard myself procrastinating yesterday saying to myself 'do double tomorrow' and thought 'well i did 12000 yesterday so i have 2000 in the bank.'
I have already taken to also not blogging every day, but i think this is more to do with the initial excitement wearing off and now i am settling into a blog when i have something i want to share or say pattern.
Am i in a slump? I know from previous diets the first month goes quickly, steaming on, full of self motivation and then the slump happens, i become a bit complacent. The food side has not changed i am still on track with that, i just can't be faffed with walking about everywhere every day.
So by blogging about it I can reboot, re-assess and get back onto the matter in hand and that is my own personal fitness, tonight i am going to spin, remember the spin bike, blogged about all the way back in week one, well tonight i am jumping on it, going to spin for 30 minutes and see what happens. If i can't be bothered right now with keeping up the 10,000 steps every single day i have to substitute it with something else.
So i'll let you know how i got on tomorrow.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Meals - Days 34-36
I am gladly still losing weight, having lost just over 10kg in the first month i'd like to share a few best bets with you, i understand the initial week one weight loss of around 4kg was due to mostly losing water weight but the other 6kg is a different matter, i didn't lose the 6kg by eating a pack of salty bacon every morning, handfuls of macadamia nuts throughout the day, boiled eggs for lunch and a tuna, spring onion, mayo mixture at night nor did i lose the weight drinking specialised milk shakes or eating only cabbage soup, kale or porridge, i have taken no supplements or new age fat burners, CLA tablets or appetite suppressants and my stomach is still in one piece and has not been surgically altered to be the size of a banana. And i tell you this that i have tried all of the above at some point in my life and i sit here today blogging about my journey to go from 167kg to 85kg, which in my mind is proof to me at least that the weight loss concepts above are only short term solutions. And interestingly enough i am finding that i am shedding weight at the same rate as i did previously following the fad diets with similar amount of personal effort the only difference being my meals are more diverse, i am feeling a lot healthier and i am more positive about future goal weight maintenance.
I did in December last year decide that surgery specifically bariatric was my only hope and i had convinced myself and the doctor that 'i've tried everything doctor, and gave it my all but i cannot seem to shed the weight, once i even went to the gym for 56 days in a row sometimes twice a day, i've lost 30kg only to put 40kg back on, it is as if i am allergic to carbs and fats and it goes straight to my backside, stomach and thighs, being fat is ruining my life and i am suffering mentally from it all.'
After extensive research of the surgery i decided for many reasons the cons outweighed the pros and had a word with myself, faced some home truths and eventually accepted the fact that i am a food addict and just like any other addicts i would have to face reality, make serious lifestyle changes and stop blaming everyone or everything else but me for my current condition.
So here are some best bets i have realised since i started this weight loss lifestyle, i understand that some maybe just me specific but i also understand and maintain that honestly and trust me if i can do it anyone can, i am very serious about this, i class myself as the bench mark obese guy and out there are many like me, there has to be, my situation cannot be unique. My best bets are for us, the morbidly obese they may not be of interest to anyone of a smaller size, they may not work but i am convinced the following is working for me and can work for anyone who is huge in size.
Best bets:
1. Portion control, reduce your portions to 25% of the original size you are used to eating, none of this size of a deck of playing cards, dice dimensions or a plate with guides on, just simply follow my golden rule that you can within reason eat whatever you like as long as visually you can estimate the size of the portion is smaller than what your pre-lifestyle change food addict would eat.
2. Stay away from anything which you know to be obviously unhealthy, it is not rocket science to determine that a pie is full of bad fats or a fizzy drink has too much sugar, anyone who is 167kg has to have a fair idea of the foods we ate and the amount we of those foods we ate contributed to our current size and simply cut them out and replace with healthier options.
3. Eat slowly, don't wolf food down without chewing it properly, enjoy every mouth full, satisfy your food addiction by savoring every 'hit' each morsel gives you.
4. Eat breakfast, if you can mix it up, try smoothies, granola with yogurt, all brans or bran flakes with semi skimmed milk, a piece of fruit, every fat person can surely relate to the issue of missed breakfast then by 10-11am meals that should be classed as lunch are consumed followed by a normal lunch at 1 o'clock?
5. Eat at 2/3 hour intervals, keep your metabolism interested, have breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner even add an evening snack if you feel you have too.
6. Do not starve yourself, why would anyone do this especially a food addict, if you are hungry and it is at least 1 hour since you last ate and you are at least 3 weeks into your new regime, eat, no matter what time of the day, yes it is advised to lose weight avoid eating after 8pm but if your hungry and it is affecting your mental state therefore becoming detrimental to your overall weight loss regime have a snack, if you are lying in bed trying to get to sleep but hurting over mental hunger get something into your stomach, just make sure a late night snack is not stupid, half a cup of bran flakes with a splash of milk, an apple or a handful of unsalted nuts/raisins eaten individually does the job just fine, a chocolate bar, toast or chocolate biscuits does not.
7. Drink water, plenty of it, use it for hydration, cleansing and also filling your stomach between meals, i have 2 x 1 litre bottles i fill every night with tap water and put in the refrigerator for the following day, it takes me 60 seconds to prepare, 1 minute of filling water bottles is not much to sacrifice for a day of positive weight loss, even if you are in the anti tap water camp you can buy water and if like me buying water every day is a hassle, expensive and puts you into contact with purveyors of unhealthy food you can now buy reusable water bottles which have carbon filters built into them and they are not expensive and in some the filter is good for over 300 refills, if you have a water dispenser in the fridge, fill it and use it, when you are wandering around the kitchen opening and closing cupboards looking for a food fix have a glass of water, 3 mouth fulls of water from a 3rd off a glass does wonders for your appetite as well as all sorts of advantages for your skin, internal organs and weight loss.
8. Do not miss out, if you are invited to a party, eat, don't sit watching others at the buffet table while you sit punishing yourself mentally, it will make you sad and again this situation you find yourself in if not dealt with correctly could affect your over all weight loss, if there is a buffet set yourself a limit of the amount of items you can allow yourself to eat, when setting that limit always imagine what your unhealthy obese self would have demolished and eat at least 25% less, i went into this in more detail in a previous blog i limit myself to 3 items off the buffet, it helps. If your out and about and everyone you are with fancies some fast food join them, visualise what you used to eat, for me it would be a xlarge burger meal with a shake and an extra side, reduce this to a small burger, small fries, small water or at a push a small shake, for me eating a 32cm pizza in one go takes no effort at all, if the family wants pizza sure no worries but now i eat 1/4 instead of the whole thing. Meeting the in laws for a breakfast again no problem, instead of the hungryman breakfast where everything is doubled up served with chips have the early bird breakfast of 1 sausage, 1 bacon, 1 egg, a couple of mushrooms and a piece of toast, i've taken to having oatmeal porridge or fruit with yogurt and granola because sometimes it tastes better than a greasy fry up but i have to my recollection had one early bird type fried breakfast in the past month ( i used to have 1 a week, now 1 a month, 25% less.)
9. Keep healthy snacks in the house, i buy large 1kg bags of fruit, nut and seed mix from a factory shop i dispense them into a small dish that holds about 30g when i want a snack, have fruit available cold apples out of the fridge are great so are hard pears, bran flakes, simple biscuits like rich teas (marie biscuits) and only have 2 occasionally instead of half a packet a night, popcorn is a great low calorie snack, pop it yourself or even buy the microwave ones, i do, calorie wise they are not so bad but there is maybe an argument that chemically they are not good for you and i only eat popcorn 2 or 3 times a month, but we are 167kg a lot of damage has already been done, concentrate on that when we are 100kg, instead of eating the whole bag share half with someone else or put half in a zip lock bag/tupperware for a later date. If all you have in the house is junk then all you will go to when you are feeling down and hungry is junk, there is a fair amount of junk available in my house because i have small children and a partner who is of a healthy weight, by junk i mean my version of household junk such as white bread, chocolate biscuits, crisps, mini chedders, ice cream, sweeties that kind of thing which is no crime but to have an alternative available to me does really help.
10. Stay away from diet sodas, from what i have read and i may go into more detail about his in the future, diet fizzy drinks do more harm than good, they can effect you mentally due to the fake sugar tricking your brain into thinking it is getting sugar only for it to find out you pulled a fast one on it ending up with your brain looking for revenge by increasing your sugar cravings and laughing like a bond villain as you freak out and drink more and more diet soda, it is not refreshing and does little to quench a thirst and some studies are coming out that show it actually adds weight especially mass to stomach and waist areas. If you are to have a diet soda and i have in the past month, 1 can, do just that drink it in total moderation if you have to but make sure that it is 1% of the liquid you are consuming, have a can a month on a hot day for a change up in texture and flavour, to be honest i don't miss it but i am no saint i used to drink a litre a day, but a can every now and then is enjoyable.
I hope this helps, it has helped me to blog about it, get it down in writing so i can read it back and see how far i have come, just to reiterate i am reaching out to the obese here, the guys and gals like me, with 50%+ body fat, i understand that my best bets do not appeal to everyone and also some may disagree with them which is fine, but us obese food addicts need to start somewhere, all i can say is from my experience the above points are helping me, i have a history of failed diets following others advice, not every diet out there can be followed by a food addict without any mental strain, we are only losing weight after all there is no point making ourselves miserable while we are at it, we are after all miserable enough about the whole obese situation to start with.
In addition to my best bets, please also consider reading my previous blogs about BMI, BMR, calorie deficits and METs to give yourself even more ammunition for your battle with food addiction.
Good luck and never forget if i can do it anyone can!
I did in December last year decide that surgery specifically bariatric was my only hope and i had convinced myself and the doctor that 'i've tried everything doctor, and gave it my all but i cannot seem to shed the weight, once i even went to the gym for 56 days in a row sometimes twice a day, i've lost 30kg only to put 40kg back on, it is as if i am allergic to carbs and fats and it goes straight to my backside, stomach and thighs, being fat is ruining my life and i am suffering mentally from it all.'
After extensive research of the surgery i decided for many reasons the cons outweighed the pros and had a word with myself, faced some home truths and eventually accepted the fact that i am a food addict and just like any other addicts i would have to face reality, make serious lifestyle changes and stop blaming everyone or everything else but me for my current condition.
So here are some best bets i have realised since i started this weight loss lifestyle, i understand that some maybe just me specific but i also understand and maintain that honestly and trust me if i can do it anyone can, i am very serious about this, i class myself as the bench mark obese guy and out there are many like me, there has to be, my situation cannot be unique. My best bets are for us, the morbidly obese they may not be of interest to anyone of a smaller size, they may not work but i am convinced the following is working for me and can work for anyone who is huge in size.
Best bets:
1. Portion control, reduce your portions to 25% of the original size you are used to eating, none of this size of a deck of playing cards, dice dimensions or a plate with guides on, just simply follow my golden rule that you can within reason eat whatever you like as long as visually you can estimate the size of the portion is smaller than what your pre-lifestyle change food addict would eat.
2. Stay away from anything which you know to be obviously unhealthy, it is not rocket science to determine that a pie is full of bad fats or a fizzy drink has too much sugar, anyone who is 167kg has to have a fair idea of the foods we ate and the amount we of those foods we ate contributed to our current size and simply cut them out and replace with healthier options.
3. Eat slowly, don't wolf food down without chewing it properly, enjoy every mouth full, satisfy your food addiction by savoring every 'hit' each morsel gives you.
4. Eat breakfast, if you can mix it up, try smoothies, granola with yogurt, all brans or bran flakes with semi skimmed milk, a piece of fruit, every fat person can surely relate to the issue of missed breakfast then by 10-11am meals that should be classed as lunch are consumed followed by a normal lunch at 1 o'clock?
5. Eat at 2/3 hour intervals, keep your metabolism interested, have breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner even add an evening snack if you feel you have too.
6. Do not starve yourself, why would anyone do this especially a food addict, if you are hungry and it is at least 1 hour since you last ate and you are at least 3 weeks into your new regime, eat, no matter what time of the day, yes it is advised to lose weight avoid eating after 8pm but if your hungry and it is affecting your mental state therefore becoming detrimental to your overall weight loss regime have a snack, if you are lying in bed trying to get to sleep but hurting over mental hunger get something into your stomach, just make sure a late night snack is not stupid, half a cup of bran flakes with a splash of milk, an apple or a handful of unsalted nuts/raisins eaten individually does the job just fine, a chocolate bar, toast or chocolate biscuits does not.
7. Drink water, plenty of it, use it for hydration, cleansing and also filling your stomach between meals, i have 2 x 1 litre bottles i fill every night with tap water and put in the refrigerator for the following day, it takes me 60 seconds to prepare, 1 minute of filling water bottles is not much to sacrifice for a day of positive weight loss, even if you are in the anti tap water camp you can buy water and if like me buying water every day is a hassle, expensive and puts you into contact with purveyors of unhealthy food you can now buy reusable water bottles which have carbon filters built into them and they are not expensive and in some the filter is good for over 300 refills, if you have a water dispenser in the fridge, fill it and use it, when you are wandering around the kitchen opening and closing cupboards looking for a food fix have a glass of water, 3 mouth fulls of water from a 3rd off a glass does wonders for your appetite as well as all sorts of advantages for your skin, internal organs and weight loss.
8. Do not miss out, if you are invited to a party, eat, don't sit watching others at the buffet table while you sit punishing yourself mentally, it will make you sad and again this situation you find yourself in if not dealt with correctly could affect your over all weight loss, if there is a buffet set yourself a limit of the amount of items you can allow yourself to eat, when setting that limit always imagine what your unhealthy obese self would have demolished and eat at least 25% less, i went into this in more detail in a previous blog i limit myself to 3 items off the buffet, it helps. If your out and about and everyone you are with fancies some fast food join them, visualise what you used to eat, for me it would be a xlarge burger meal with a shake and an extra side, reduce this to a small burger, small fries, small water or at a push a small shake, for me eating a 32cm pizza in one go takes no effort at all, if the family wants pizza sure no worries but now i eat 1/4 instead of the whole thing. Meeting the in laws for a breakfast again no problem, instead of the hungryman breakfast where everything is doubled up served with chips have the early bird breakfast of 1 sausage, 1 bacon, 1 egg, a couple of mushrooms and a piece of toast, i've taken to having oatmeal porridge or fruit with yogurt and granola because sometimes it tastes better than a greasy fry up but i have to my recollection had one early bird type fried breakfast in the past month ( i used to have 1 a week, now 1 a month, 25% less.)
9. Keep healthy snacks in the house, i buy large 1kg bags of fruit, nut and seed mix from a factory shop i dispense them into a small dish that holds about 30g when i want a snack, have fruit available cold apples out of the fridge are great so are hard pears, bran flakes, simple biscuits like rich teas (marie biscuits) and only have 2 occasionally instead of half a packet a night, popcorn is a great low calorie snack, pop it yourself or even buy the microwave ones, i do, calorie wise they are not so bad but there is maybe an argument that chemically they are not good for you and i only eat popcorn 2 or 3 times a month, but we are 167kg a lot of damage has already been done, concentrate on that when we are 100kg, instead of eating the whole bag share half with someone else or put half in a zip lock bag/tupperware for a later date. If all you have in the house is junk then all you will go to when you are feeling down and hungry is junk, there is a fair amount of junk available in my house because i have small children and a partner who is of a healthy weight, by junk i mean my version of household junk such as white bread, chocolate biscuits, crisps, mini chedders, ice cream, sweeties that kind of thing which is no crime but to have an alternative available to me does really help.
10. Stay away from diet sodas, from what i have read and i may go into more detail about his in the future, diet fizzy drinks do more harm than good, they can effect you mentally due to the fake sugar tricking your brain into thinking it is getting sugar only for it to find out you pulled a fast one on it ending up with your brain looking for revenge by increasing your sugar cravings and laughing like a bond villain as you freak out and drink more and more diet soda, it is not refreshing and does little to quench a thirst and some studies are coming out that show it actually adds weight especially mass to stomach and waist areas. If you are to have a diet soda and i have in the past month, 1 can, do just that drink it in total moderation if you have to but make sure that it is 1% of the liquid you are consuming, have a can a month on a hot day for a change up in texture and flavour, to be honest i don't miss it but i am no saint i used to drink a litre a day, but a can every now and then is enjoyable.
I hope this helps, it has helped me to blog about it, get it down in writing so i can read it back and see how far i have come, just to reiterate i am reaching out to the obese here, the guys and gals like me, with 50%+ body fat, i understand that my best bets do not appeal to everyone and also some may disagree with them which is fine, but us obese food addicts need to start somewhere, all i can say is from my experience the above points are helping me, i have a history of failed diets following others advice, not every diet out there can be followed by a food addict without any mental strain, we are only losing weight after all there is no point making ourselves miserable while we are at it, we are after all miserable enough about the whole obese situation to start with.
In addition to my best bets, please also consider reading my previous blogs about BMI, BMR, calorie deficits and METs to give yourself even more ammunition for your battle with food addiction.
Good luck and never forget if i can do it anyone can!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Week 4/5 - Time to hit the scales.
As i was 'dying' with Man Flu i didn't record my results last week so really the new results represent the last 2 weeks of my new lifestyle, also you may notice my BF% has nearly doubled, this was due to a mistake with the formula, i was subtracting the age portion from the BMI portion when i should have been adding them together, so the real equation for me looks like this:
(1.2 x BMI) + (0.23 x age in years) - (10.8 x gender) - 5.4
57.96 + 8.97 - 10.8 - 5.4 = BF% 50.73%
N.B. gender values are Male = 1 and Female = 0
Weight last week: 159.1kg
Weight today: 156.6kg
Weight lost week 5: 2.5kg
Weight lost total: 10.4kg
BMI last week: 49.1
BMI today: 48.3
BMI week 5 improved by: 0.8
BMI total improved: 3.2
BF%
BF% last week: 51.69%
BF% this week: 50.73%
BF% week 5 improved by: 0.96%
BF% total improved by: 3.24%
Weeks to go - 56 out of 62...
(1.2 x BMI) + (0.23 x age in years) - (10.8 x gender) - 5.4
57.96 + 8.97 - 10.8 - 5.4 = BF% 50.73%
N.B. gender values are Male = 1 and Female = 0
Weight last week: 159.1kg
Weight today: 156.6kg
Weight lost week 5: 2.5kg
Weight lost total: 10.4kg
BMI last week: 49.1
BMI today: 48.3
BMI week 5 improved by: 0.8
BMI total improved: 3.2
BF%
BF% last week: 51.69%
BF% this week: 50.73%
BF% week 5 improved by: 0.96%
BF% total improved by: 3.24%
Weeks to go - 56 out of 62...
Exercise - Day 33
As you may have read in 'Meals - Day 33' i contracted the debilitating and possibly near fatal Man Flu,
Between 5th and 12th of March not a lot of exercise took place, i slept more than i walked, when not sleeping i sat around feeling sorry for myself and became a veritable recluse only venturing out of the safety of my home for visits to the pharmacy to try various combinations of over the counter remedies in the hope my life could be spared.
It was a bit mental to be honest, on the 5th at 1500 hours my step count was 257! It if the count had not been so tragic the whole situation would have been funny.
The only helpful thing to come out of those 5 or 6 mostly bedridden days was the fact that i was able to monitor my BMR and TDEE (see blog Meals - Day 9 for more info), during this period of inactivity i still wore my fitness watch which was able to track my heart rate and level of METs, and sure enough it was kicking out figures of a daily total calorie burn of around 2900.
I am back on the horse now, well back in the trainers, my step count is back up over 10k per day, the family are once again enjoying outdoor excursions together and last night i started a light weights regime working on my arms by doing 6 reps of 20 baby bumps, basically the technique involves me lying on my back and whilst holding baby Ethan in my hands i then proceed to lifting him up to a straight arm position and then lowering him until i feel the strain on my biceps, holding this position for 2 seconds then repeating.
Don't worry no babies where harmed in this workout in fact baby Ethan appeared to really enjoy it with huge smiles and cute little noises, my only worry was Ethans propensity to vomit all over me whenever he comes near me which would have proved disastrous to my calorie intake if he had 'got me' when in such a vulnerable position. I wonder if their is a way of calculating calories in baby vomit?
Between 5th and 12th of March not a lot of exercise took place, i slept more than i walked, when not sleeping i sat around feeling sorry for myself and became a veritable recluse only venturing out of the safety of my home for visits to the pharmacy to try various combinations of over the counter remedies in the hope my life could be spared.
It was a bit mental to be honest, on the 5th at 1500 hours my step count was 257! It if the count had not been so tragic the whole situation would have been funny.
The only helpful thing to come out of those 5 or 6 mostly bedridden days was the fact that i was able to monitor my BMR and TDEE (see blog Meals - Day 9 for more info), during this period of inactivity i still wore my fitness watch which was able to track my heart rate and level of METs, and sure enough it was kicking out figures of a daily total calorie burn of around 2900.
I am back on the horse now, well back in the trainers, my step count is back up over 10k per day, the family are once again enjoying outdoor excursions together and last night i started a light weights regime working on my arms by doing 6 reps of 20 baby bumps, basically the technique involves me lying on my back and whilst holding baby Ethan in my hands i then proceed to lifting him up to a straight arm position and then lowering him until i feel the strain on my biceps, holding this position for 2 seconds then repeating.
Don't worry no babies where harmed in this workout in fact baby Ethan appeared to really enjoy it with huge smiles and cute little noises, my only worry was Ethans propensity to vomit all over me whenever he comes near me which would have proved disastrous to my calorie intake if he had 'got me' when in such a vulnerable position. I wonder if their is a way of calculating calories in baby vomit?
Meals - Day 33
You may be asking where have i been? Speculation has reached epic levels, 'has he fallen off the wagon and into a huge box of sausage rolls?' 'as usual the fat guy gives it all the large talk for the first 2 weeks then loses interest!' 'Did TBC lose so much weight so quickly he doesn't have the energy to even type out a blog?' 'has he decided fat is the new thin?' and so on but the truth is way more devastating than that, please allow me to tell you the dark tale of the poor dieter who got the dreaded Man Flu!
Man Flu exists, it has been proven (sort of, by random unqualified people on the internet), the virus can only be contracted with those with the XY chromosome i.e men and in no way can the severity of Man Flu be compared to normal flu which is a far less aggressive strain of flu which only targets those with the XX chromosome namely women, in fact in every unsubstantiated study it has been unofficially proven that women are in fact immune to the hateful, debilitating and near fatal strain of Man Flu only men are susceptible to contracting.
Wednesday the 4th of March, I remember that fateful day as if it was yesterday, the itchy nose and throat, the general miserableness of my behavior and the all telling sneezes, immediately i self diagnosed myself (as all men are qualified to do) with the onset of severe Man Flu, and as expected the following day i was man down, bedridden, shivering and contemplating who would attend my funeral, Shannon was informed immediately of my condition and reminded of it constantly for the following 6 days, potions were hastily provided; tablets, hot drinks, sprays, pillows were fluffed and the bedroom sealed off for obvious bio hazard reasons, TV remote controls were provided and an ad placed in the local paper warning others to leave me alone and only make contact with me if they had genuine messages of condolence, support and empathy.
I soldiered on for 6 long days, regularly drifting in and out of consciousness, sleep was my only friend and Man Flu was my nemesis.
Fortunately i made it through, i am now feeling much better but the legacy of Man Flu is still with me, the odd snotty nose, mild feverish moments during the day and my ears are constantly blocked. I am just happy i am still around to tell you the tale.
One thing i didn't do was feed the flu, i couldn't remember if you feed a flu and starve a fever so i prompted for the safer option to starve the fever, i kept up my 6 meals a day, managed to get plenty of fibre and other nutrients into my body, i raised my carb intake by 10% and made sure i was eating plenty of fruit for vitamin C, my only let down was i didn't drink my daily 2 litre plus of water per day and possibly the fact i was eating more after 7pm due to sleeping most of the day but even then i stayed away from anything with a high fat content.
I am back now, back on my meal plan proper and happy that i didn't let my food addiction get the better of me when i was at my lowest.
Regular service has been resumed.
Man Flu exists, it has been proven (sort of, by random unqualified people on the internet), the virus can only be contracted with those with the XY chromosome i.e men and in no way can the severity of Man Flu be compared to normal flu which is a far less aggressive strain of flu which only targets those with the XX chromosome namely women, in fact in every unsubstantiated study it has been unofficially proven that women are in fact immune to the hateful, debilitating and near fatal strain of Man Flu only men are susceptible to contracting.
Wednesday the 4th of March, I remember that fateful day as if it was yesterday, the itchy nose and throat, the general miserableness of my behavior and the all telling sneezes, immediately i self diagnosed myself (as all men are qualified to do) with the onset of severe Man Flu, and as expected the following day i was man down, bedridden, shivering and contemplating who would attend my funeral, Shannon was informed immediately of my condition and reminded of it constantly for the following 6 days, potions were hastily provided; tablets, hot drinks, sprays, pillows were fluffed and the bedroom sealed off for obvious bio hazard reasons, TV remote controls were provided and an ad placed in the local paper warning others to leave me alone and only make contact with me if they had genuine messages of condolence, support and empathy.
I soldiered on for 6 long days, regularly drifting in and out of consciousness, sleep was my only friend and Man Flu was my nemesis.
Fortunately i made it through, i am now feeling much better but the legacy of Man Flu is still with me, the odd snotty nose, mild feverish moments during the day and my ears are constantly blocked. I am just happy i am still around to tell you the tale.
One thing i didn't do was feed the flu, i couldn't remember if you feed a flu and starve a fever so i prompted for the safer option to starve the fever, i kept up my 6 meals a day, managed to get plenty of fibre and other nutrients into my body, i raised my carb intake by 10% and made sure i was eating plenty of fruit for vitamin C, my only let down was i didn't drink my daily 2 litre plus of water per day and possibly the fact i was eating more after 7pm due to sleeping most of the day but even then i stayed away from anything with a high fat content.
I am back now, back on my meal plan proper and happy that i didn't let my food addiction get the better of me when i was at my lowest.
Regular service has been resumed.
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
Exercise - Day 22
Cape Town at 43 degrees Celsius was for a brief period the worlds hottest city yesterday, it is a simple fact of meteorology that when the wind doesn't blow in the Cape of Storms the mercury hits record heights, Tuesdays temperature was also Kapstaads hottest recorded day for over 100 years in light of that fact i didn't take a lunch time walk yesterday, Noel Coward may have sung about 'mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun' but this expat was staying put in his office with the fan on surrounded by empty bottles of chilled water, no way was i lugging myself around in that heat if i had braved it and gone out i may well of been writing todays blog from a hospital bed having to over hear doctors and nurses referring to me as a daft tourist...
Luckily though after 6pm the temp dropped and with still no wind on the cards it was perfect weather to hit the beach with the family for a stomp, we walked the opposite direction to last time past the rock pools full of kids armed with small nets and buckets, we strolled past the locals who are in the know sat round their portable tables adorned with brightly coloured table cloths and picnic fair and watched the sun disappearing over Robin Island after it's long day of baking Cape Town to a crisp.
The period just after sunset on the beach is magical, photographers refer to is as 'The Golden Hour' because the light reddens and softens giving everything a rose tinted spectacle look to it.
So we walked 4km, i hit my step goal for the day, walking in the soft sand gave my upper legs are well needed workout, Ryan got soaking wet, Shannon looked hot in her white cap, big sunglasses, pink top and shorts and everyone had a fun time,
Apparently this constitutes exercise, i find this very appealing as exercise to me in the past has always meant near killing myself with a heart rate of 180bmp on a stair-master in a smelly gym!
Luckily though after 6pm the temp dropped and with still no wind on the cards it was perfect weather to hit the beach with the family for a stomp, we walked the opposite direction to last time past the rock pools full of kids armed with small nets and buckets, we strolled past the locals who are in the know sat round their portable tables adorned with brightly coloured table cloths and picnic fair and watched the sun disappearing over Robin Island after it's long day of baking Cape Town to a crisp.
The period just after sunset on the beach is magical, photographers refer to is as 'The Golden Hour' because the light reddens and softens giving everything a rose tinted spectacle look to it.
So we walked 4km, i hit my step goal for the day, walking in the soft sand gave my upper legs are well needed workout, Ryan got soaking wet, Shannon looked hot in her white cap, big sunglasses, pink top and shorts and everyone had a fun time,
Apparently this constitutes exercise, i find this very appealing as exercise to me in the past has always meant near killing myself with a heart rate of 180bmp on a stair-master in a smelly gym!
Most people picture exercise to be like this...
...when sometimes it can be like this!
Meals - Day 22
Shhhh be careful, don't talk about this too loudly they might hear you!!!
Advertisers know i am on a diet, i don't know how they found out but they know, i know they know and once i have finished todays blog they will know i know they know...
I am not paranoid either, food adverts are all over my daily life all of a sudden, huge billboards are starting to appear like shining gateways of joy on my route to work, big juicy burgers with fresh lettuce and gleaming tomato slices jump out at me from every advertising hoarding, vans and trucks drive along side me tempting me with crisps, fizzy drinks and chocolates, the advertisers have even stooped as low as putting sign toting people on street corners with pointy arrows to guide me to fast food relief.
And it is not just in the real world either, the virtual world online is stalking my every move, when i check my gmail i have to make a choice of reading my inbox or salivating over a banner ad for fish and chips, i read the daily news which is super imposed over and next to the latest sweet pastry based combination that shouldn't work but it does fad (fish paste stuffed eclairs anyone?).
Even social media is out to get me, my buzzfeed is littered with posts such as 'top 10 things to do with chocolate' or 'pies to try before you die', facebook keeps suggesting fine dining restaurants to me and twitter's latest campaign is directed at promoting the latest food blog account.
It's a minefield out there for us food addicts, any dieter who can resist the natural urges to fall to their knees, stuffing a sausage roll into their mouth whilst screaming 'I can't take it anymore, you win, what is the point of trying' is a saintly hero in my books, but i keep resisting the cravings, i will get through this, yes the fish and chips in the ad look like the creation of a master chef or the cheeseburger has award winning looks but at the end of the day in reality the fish will be full of bones, the batter will fall off, the chips will be greasy and over salted and the burger will look like it has been sat on for an hour so right now i would rather eat something a bit more appealing.
Like yesterdays meals which were as follows:
Breakfast: Strawberry smoothie with granola.
Mid morning snack: Biltong plus a pear.
Lunch: Low GI mushroom, pepper & cheese macaroni plus a handfull of trail mix.
Afternoon snack: Apple at 3pm, single slice peanut butter sandwich at 5pm.
Dinner: Peanut satay chicken with oriental stir fry.
Dessert: Caramel swirl cheesecake.
Drinks: 3.5 litres of water, 2 coffees and 1 green tea.
Total calories: 1872 calories
Advertisers know i am on a diet, i don't know how they found out but they know, i know they know and once i have finished todays blog they will know i know they know...
I am not paranoid either, food adverts are all over my daily life all of a sudden, huge billboards are starting to appear like shining gateways of joy on my route to work, big juicy burgers with fresh lettuce and gleaming tomato slices jump out at me from every advertising hoarding, vans and trucks drive along side me tempting me with crisps, fizzy drinks and chocolates, the advertisers have even stooped as low as putting sign toting people on street corners with pointy arrows to guide me to fast food relief.
And it is not just in the real world either, the virtual world online is stalking my every move, when i check my gmail i have to make a choice of reading my inbox or salivating over a banner ad for fish and chips, i read the daily news which is super imposed over and next to the latest sweet pastry based combination that shouldn't work but it does fad (fish paste stuffed eclairs anyone?).
Even social media is out to get me, my buzzfeed is littered with posts such as 'top 10 things to do with chocolate' or 'pies to try before you die', facebook keeps suggesting fine dining restaurants to me and twitter's latest campaign is directed at promoting the latest food blog account.
It's a minefield out there for us food addicts, any dieter who can resist the natural urges to fall to their knees, stuffing a sausage roll into their mouth whilst screaming 'I can't take it anymore, you win, what is the point of trying' is a saintly hero in my books, but i keep resisting the cravings, i will get through this, yes the fish and chips in the ad look like the creation of a master chef or the cheeseburger has award winning looks but at the end of the day in reality the fish will be full of bones, the batter will fall off, the chips will be greasy and over salted and the burger will look like it has been sat on for an hour so right now i would rather eat something a bit more appealing.
Like yesterdays meals which were as follows:
Breakfast: Strawberry smoothie with granola.
Mid morning snack: Biltong plus a pear.
Lunch: Low GI mushroom, pepper & cheese macaroni plus a handfull of trail mix.
Afternoon snack: Apple at 3pm, single slice peanut butter sandwich at 5pm.
Dinner: Peanut satay chicken with oriental stir fry.
Dessert: Caramel swirl cheesecake.
Drinks: 3.5 litres of water, 2 coffees and 1 green tea.
Total calories: 1872 calories
"WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!!!"
Tuesday, March 03, 2015
Exercise - Day 21
I was out of office for most of yesterday afternoon running errands here, there and everywhere so hitting my 10k step count for the day was easy and passed with no real effort.
So after work last night there was no real need for me to go out for a walk, or was there?
Sat on the bed reading my fitness app stats for the day i could see i had indeed hit 10,000 steps but my activity minutes were very low for the day, below the 30 minutes of light to moderate activity per day recommended by The American Heart Institution.
How does my app know that i have not completed enough activity minutes for the day? By measuring Metabolic Equivalents (METs)...
What are METs?
A MET is a unit representing the amount of oxygen used by the body during any physical activity, 1 MET is equal to the amount of oxygen used by the body whilst in a sedentary state of lying in bed and surviving for 1 hour, to calculate how many calories burned by 1 MET we have to go back to my blog Meals - Day 9 and calculate our Basel Metabolic Rate (BMR).
My BMR as i am right now is 2991.51 per day and to find my BMR per hour i divide that figure by 24 hours
2991.51/24 = BMR 124.65p/h
So with a sedentary MET of 1 the amount of calories i burn per hour being alive and doing not much else are 124.65 calories.
For me to work out my BMR per minute i divide BMR p/h by 60 minutes:
124.64/60 = BMR 2.08p/min
I now know i burn 2.08 calories per minute in a sedentary state.
So now i go about my daily business of getting dressed, brushing my teeth, commuting, working, walking etc i move out of sedentary and into categories such as:
Light intensity activities.
Moderate intensity activities.
Vigorous intensity activities.
Luckily for us Dr Bill Haskell from Stanford University in the USA devised a basic chart which shows the various METs and to which activity they are associated with:
Light intensity activities such as;
Sleeping: 0.9
Watching television: 1.0
Writing, desk work, typing: 1.8
Walking, 2.7km/h on level ground, strolling, very slow: 2.3
Walking, 4km/h: 2.9
Moderate intensity activities;
Bicycling, stationary, 50 watts, very light effort: 3.0
Walking, 4.8km/h: 3.0
Calisthenics, home exercise, light or moderate effort: 3.5
Walking, 5.5km/h: 3.6
Bicycling, 16km/h, leisure, to work as pleasure: 4.0
Bicycling, stationary, 100 watts, light effort: 5.5
Vigorous intensity activities;
Jogging, general: 7.0
Calisthenics (e.g. push ups, sit ups, pull ups, jumping jacks), heavy, vigorous effort: 8.0
Running jogging, in place: 8.0
Rope jumping: 10.0
There are many other categories from ironing clothes to mountaineering, gardening to deep sea diving, use a search engine and search for "The Compendium of Physical Activities Guide" for an extensive .pdf file available for download.
So how many calories am i burning when completing tasks or exercises on the activities guide? I multiply my BMR/min by the minutes i spend in the activity zones for example if i was to walk for 30 minutes at a consistent speed of 4.8km/h i would calculate my calorie burn as follows:
(2.08 BMR/min x 3.0 MET) x 30min = 187 calories burned per 30 minutes of walking.
Back to the matter in hand, my activity minutes, i could see i was 17 minutes short at 1800 hours last night, so i went out took a good 30 minute walk with Ryan, i even did a bit of running!!! (a very small bit mind!), i'll save that story for another day.
So after work last night there was no real need for me to go out for a walk, or was there?
Sat on the bed reading my fitness app stats for the day i could see i had indeed hit 10,000 steps but my activity minutes were very low for the day, below the 30 minutes of light to moderate activity per day recommended by The American Heart Institution.
How does my app know that i have not completed enough activity minutes for the day? By measuring Metabolic Equivalents (METs)...
What are METs?
A MET is a unit representing the amount of oxygen used by the body during any physical activity, 1 MET is equal to the amount of oxygen used by the body whilst in a sedentary state of lying in bed and surviving for 1 hour, to calculate how many calories burned by 1 MET we have to go back to my blog Meals - Day 9 and calculate our Basel Metabolic Rate (BMR).
My BMR as i am right now is 2991.51 per day and to find my BMR per hour i divide that figure by 24 hours
2991.51/24 = BMR 124.65p/h
So with a sedentary MET of 1 the amount of calories i burn per hour being alive and doing not much else are 124.65 calories.
For me to work out my BMR per minute i divide BMR p/h by 60 minutes:
124.64/60 = BMR 2.08p/min
I now know i burn 2.08 calories per minute in a sedentary state.
So now i go about my daily business of getting dressed, brushing my teeth, commuting, working, walking etc i move out of sedentary and into categories such as:
Light intensity activities.
Moderate intensity activities.
Vigorous intensity activities.
Luckily for us Dr Bill Haskell from Stanford University in the USA devised a basic chart which shows the various METs and to which activity they are associated with:
Light intensity activities such as;
Sleeping: 0.9
Watching television: 1.0
Writing, desk work, typing: 1.8
Walking, 2.7km/h on level ground, strolling, very slow: 2.3
Walking, 4km/h: 2.9
Moderate intensity activities;
Bicycling, stationary, 50 watts, very light effort: 3.0
Walking, 4.8km/h: 3.0
Calisthenics, home exercise, light or moderate effort: 3.5
Walking, 5.5km/h: 3.6
Bicycling, 16km/h, leisure, to work as pleasure: 4.0
Bicycling, stationary, 100 watts, light effort: 5.5
Vigorous intensity activities;
Jogging, general: 7.0
Calisthenics (e.g. push ups, sit ups, pull ups, jumping jacks), heavy, vigorous effort: 8.0
Running jogging, in place: 8.0
Rope jumping: 10.0
There are many other categories from ironing clothes to mountaineering, gardening to deep sea diving, use a search engine and search for "The Compendium of Physical Activities Guide" for an extensive .pdf file available for download.
So how many calories am i burning when completing tasks or exercises on the activities guide? I multiply my BMR/min by the minutes i spend in the activity zones for example if i was to walk for 30 minutes at a consistent speed of 4.8km/h i would calculate my calorie burn as follows:
(2.08 BMR/min x 3.0 MET) x 30min = 187 calories burned per 30 minutes of walking.
Back to the matter in hand, my activity minutes, i could see i was 17 minutes short at 1800 hours last night, so i went out took a good 30 minute walk with Ryan, i even did a bit of running!!! (a very small bit mind!), i'll save that story for another day.
Meals - Day 21
3 weeks in already, time flies when your not eating buns...
For the whole of last year i felt terrible, extremely unhealthy, i couldn't sleep properly normally waking up 4 to 5 times a night and experiencing madcap lucid dreams, my pillow would be soaked wet through and stink like a damp towel, at one point Shannon bought me a special anti bacterial pillow from a local pharmacy and waterproof pillow protectors. I would and could sleep for up to 12 hours in one go and wake still feel grotty and tired, at times i would spend all day in bed slipping in and out of consciousnesses but this made no difference to my energy levels. My mood swings were shocking, i was always down in the dumps and physically i was experiencing hot flushes, sweating profusely to the point i had to carry tissues around to mop my brow and neck and my hands and fingers would swell up and become painfully itchy.
The sleep issue i put down to a stressful year in business, we had opened a new division which came with the usual 'will it be as successful as the data shows' thoughts, a large supply contract to a good customer in transition was being negotiated and i had an unfortunate falling out with another large customer constantly playing on my mind. The constant tiredness i explained as part of my diagnosed depression and anxiety which i will explain in greater detail sometime in the future. The hot flushes i thought were being caused by a serious long term bout of severe man flu and the swollen hands and itchiness i couldn't pin down but it was explained to me that it could have been an allergic reaction to something maybe the chemicals i put in the swimming pool.
As the symptoms worsened the more angry about the whole situation i got, i could see it was affecting the whole family and i decided once and for all go and see the GP, be as open and honest about my issues as possible and try and get a diagnosis.
At first the GP thought i maybe had TB and suggested a chest x-ray and he also recommended i see a physician for further diagnosis, woo hoo i thought hoping i had a curable disease which was the answer to all my problems including my weight issue, what if all these years i have been carrying around a medical issue which has made me feel and look like this, it wasn't to be, the physician diagnosed me with possible sleep apnea, at first i was dubious and heartbroken i didn't have a one pill fixes all problem, the physician booked me in for a sleep study and 2 weeks later i found myself in hospital with a number of monitors strapped to me recording heart rate, breathing and the oxygen levels in my blood, wow my lifestyle had landed me in hospital! The results of the study showed i was stopping breathing up to 60 times an hour and my blood oxygen level was at 55%, severe sleep apnea was diagnosed.
3 weeks later i was back in hospital to trial a ventilator to ease the apnea, so now my lifestyle had led me to having to sleep with a machine to aid breathing, when the realization that i would have to use this machine for the rest of my life dawned on me and a friend asked me 'how my oxygen machine was working out' to say i was embarrassed and ashamed with myself is an understatement, it was at this point i took the signs as the final straw and decided to man up and take my food addiction on in the correct manner once and for all, i put this change in thinking down to many things like personal vanity, being pragmatic about my many medical conditions, standard of happiness within the family unit and the fact that the ventilator had indeed made a difference by finally regulating my blood oxygen levels which in turn gave me the get up and go to realise my failings and do something about it, hence the change in lifestyle.
There are many reasons i chose to take on this epic journey to better health and at some point over the next 50 odd weeks i will cover them all but number 1 was the final push that the feelings and thoughts plus proper diagnoses of sleep apnea brought on.
I had to rush off at 1130 yesterday so i missed my prepped lunch and had to improvise so Mondays meals were as follows:
Breakfast: Homemade granola with blueberry yogurt.
Mid morning snack: Sour cherry & apple juice booster plus a banana.
Lunch: Beef strips & jalapeno wrap with guacamole, sour cream & salsa.
Afternoon snack: Trail mix plus a bowl of bran flakes with semi skimmed milk.
Dinner: Chicken & calamari vegetable pilaf.
Desert: Baked apple.
Evening snack: Small portion of popcorn.
Drinks: 3.2 litres of water, 4 coffees.
Total calories: 1946 calories.
Monday, March 02, 2015
Week 3 - Time to hit the scales
Well well well, i was freaking out about todays weigh in, it is not that i have been eating outwith my set parameters but as i am 160kg+ i understandably still feel big, fat and uncomfortable but look below it seems i had nothing to worry about and i am happy i am losing the weight nice and slowly, for the record though my last weigh in was 4 days late on the Thursday instead of the Monday:
Weight last week: 161.1kg
Weight today: 159.1kg
Weight lost week 2: 1kg
Weight lost total 7.9kg
BMI last week: 49.4
BMI today: 49.1
BMI week 3 improved by: 0.3
BMI total improved by: 2.4
BF%
BF% last week: 34.11%
BF% this week: 33.74%
BF% week 3 improved by: 0.37%
BF% total improved by: 2.89%
Weeks to go 58 out of 62...
Weight last week: 161.1kg
Weight today: 159.1kg
Weight lost week 2: 1kg
Weight lost total 7.9kg
BMI last week: 49.4
BMI today: 49.1
BMI week 3 improved by: 0.3
BMI total improved by: 2.4
BF%
BF% last week: 34.11%
BF% this week: 33.74%
BF% week 3 improved by: 0.37%
BF% total improved by: 2.89%
Weeks to go 58 out of 62...
Exercise - Days 18, 19 and 20
It's official i am according to my fitness app a Weekend Warrior, 30,980 steps Saturday and Sunday, my weekly total Monday to Sunday last week was a foot blistering 97,074, in the space of one month i have added 50,000+ steps to my weekly routine, for a man who is still carrying around 160kg+ i think this is a great effort and i am proud of myself for keeping the walking going.
On the app i use it allows me to compare my data next to a demographic of choice of others using the app which for me is Male, 35 to 44 years, Obese, last weeks 97,000 steps was 189% more than the median average of guys my age and size, even compared to Male, Any age, Any size i am clocking up an extra 61,000 steps rated at 180% more... I walked 77km in total, for 77,000 metres i lugged this massive pile of fat, muscle and bones around, my feet are killing me...
Get a fitness app, it can give you a great boost if you think you are not doing enough and it also stops you for doing too much and if you are lazy like me this data is greatly appreciated.
On Saturday i dropped my car off at the car wash this time and walked home accompanied by Ryan on his bicycle, the walk is about 4km so Ryan did really well, sort of, well he did but as expected i carried his bicycle the last 1.5km because his legs were hurting, however a small weights workout never did anyone any harm.
We are very lucky, for 3 years the main arterial road feeding traffic in and out of our area was a nightmare due to road works specifically the building of dedicated bus lanes for the new Rapid Transport System, the diggers, tractors and fag smoking propped up on shovels staring at cell phone screens construction crews have gone but they have left a fantastic landscaped walk hosting urban art right up the middle of the bus lanes which hits a distance of 5km, safe and not taxing at all (remember if i can do it at 160kg then anyone can)...
Here are some photos of our ride/sherpa-esque walk/hike back home from the car wash...
On the app i use it allows me to compare my data next to a demographic of choice of others using the app which for me is Male, 35 to 44 years, Obese, last weeks 97,000 steps was 189% more than the median average of guys my age and size, even compared to Male, Any age, Any size i am clocking up an extra 61,000 steps rated at 180% more... I walked 77km in total, for 77,000 metres i lugged this massive pile of fat, muscle and bones around, my feet are killing me...
Get a fitness app, it can give you a great boost if you think you are not doing enough and it also stops you for doing too much and if you are lazy like me this data is greatly appreciated.
On Saturday i dropped my car off at the car wash this time and walked home accompanied by Ryan on his bicycle, the walk is about 4km so Ryan did really well, sort of, well he did but as expected i carried his bicycle the last 1.5km because his legs were hurting, however a small weights workout never did anyone any harm.
We are very lucky, for 3 years the main arterial road feeding traffic in and out of our area was a nightmare due to road works specifically the building of dedicated bus lanes for the new Rapid Transport System, the diggers, tractors and fag smoking propped up on shovels staring at cell phone screens construction crews have gone but they have left a fantastic landscaped walk hosting urban art right up the middle of the bus lanes which hits a distance of 5km, safe and not taxing at all (remember if i can do it at 160kg then anyone can)...
Here are some photos of our ride/sherpa-esque walk/hike back home from the car wash...
Ryan rode this hill under the bridge 4 times...
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Meals - Days 18, 19, 20
The weekend has come and gone, for me i think i controlled my eating the scales will tell me yes or no later.
I am getting the hang of this portion control story though, when out at the weekend all i have to do when i order a meal is stay away from obvious fatty foods like chips and burgers and even then i am getting myself into the habit of picturing what the chubbier me would have ordered one month ago and going for less helpings or smaller portions, two weekends ago i even had a McDonald's, granted i didn't munch my usual large quarter pounder cheese deluxe meal with a strawberry milkshake and a side of 6 nuggets plus an extra dip nope i had a kids meal (without the box or the plastic toy although the toy was a clockwork eyeball so in hind sight i wish i could have got one instead of having to share Ryans) the meal consisted of a simple cheese burger and small fries with water for the drink, now i worked for McDonalds for 10 years prior to coming to South Africa so i am no stranger to the humble cheeseburger or three but for the first time since possibly my first ever cheeseburger i savored every mouthful, i ate it in as many as 10 bites which has beaten my personal best for eating one in the most bites by 9.
My only gripe was the pickle was not in the middle and the re-hydrated onions were over to one side so i didn't get the 'full flavour experience in every bite' (quote courtesy of my old Franchisee.)
On Saturday we took Ryan and Ethan to the Community Carnival, a festival of food, drink and fairground rides, after queuing a total of 1 hour for two rides which once going lasted 3 minutes tops it was time to have a munch, we wandered around the stalls promoting their own countries such as India, China, Bulgaria but plumped for Germany, bratwurst roll with sauerkraut and mustard, the Germans sure know how to make a decent sausage and as i once said to my bemused flatmate "you know me mate, i'm a hard man to please with a sausage" Maaaaatron, much sniggering followed that comment!
Imagine my shock when i logged the bratwurst roll into my meal diary and saw one bratwurst registering at 300 calories, one roll at 308 calories and the sauerkraut plus mustard rounding off the total by an extra 20, i didn't beat myself up over it because i know full well the previous festival 2 years ago i had 2 plus a beer before heading off to Holland for many croquettes and appleflappens...
Portion control, it doesn't have to be this hard...
Fridays meals were as follows:
Breakfast: Homemade granola with strawberry yogurt.
Mid morning snack: Triple berry smoothie plus a pear.
Lunch: Low GI spaghetti with spinach and pesto plus 6 small rice cakes.
Afternoon snack: Apple at 3pm and 1 slice peanut butter sandwich at 5pm.
Dinner: Low GI roasted red pepper, lean bacon, chicken and baby marrow pasta.
Desert: Amarula cheesecake.
Evening snack: Bran flakes with semi skimmed milk.
Drinks: 2.6 litres of water, 2 coffees and 1 green tea.
Total calories: 1828 calories.
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