I had a revelation and it is so exciting,
With a calorie deficit diet if you feel you have eaten too much or made a mistake and you know what those extra calories were you can do something instantly to redress the balance, exercise...
A couple of weeks ago i had dinner booked with an auditor in Cape Town, as it was after hours and i wanted her to meet Ryan and Ethan i asked Shannon to book a table at our local Spur, the Spur rocks for kids and parents because as soon as we sit down Ryan buggers off to the well supervised play area and we can chill and enjoy a meal in relative peace.
Luckily the Spur have their full menu nutritional guide available on the internet so in preparation for the meal out i studied the list to find a combination of sensible items which would a. be more interesting than a daft salad to eat and b. not negatively affect my daily calorie deficit, in the end i enjoyed a starter of crumbed mushrooms with garlic sauce and a main of a 200g rump with pepper sauce, a baked potato with about 8g of butter and a little sour cream with a spoonful of mashed butternut and creamed spinach on the side, i drank coffee and water and that was it, 900 calories, added to my daily total i still came in below 2200 calories for the day so on a deficit level i was ok but mentally i could not help but think that 900 calories in one go after say 6pm was not a very good thing to be doing as some nutritionists advise for weight loss to make sure your evening meal is no more than 30% of your daily calorie intake so before we went to the restaurant i made a plan.
My plan was to make sure i was wearing shorts, t-shirt, thin hoodie and my trainers to the Spur, and after the meal drink an extra glass of water because on the way home i asked Shannon to pull over with about 2.5km to go, gave her my wedding ring, chain, phone and a kiss, exited the car and ran/walked home from there, i got in about 25 minutes later checked my calorie burn for the exercise and boom i had reduced the 900 calories i was worrying about by 360, i can live with an evening meal costing me 5-600 calories, 360 calories may look a bit high for only a 25 minute workout but remember i was running/walking a body of 150kg plus up the road.
No other diet i have ever been on has ever given me this amount of instant control over the weight i am losing, i am so happy i chose to cut calories and not carbs because waiting for that strip to turn purple showing that ketosis has kicked back in can be very painful...
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Meals - Week 11.2
Blogy blog blog time,
I want to chat about a chemical compound which on a molecular level is made up of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms held together in a covalent bond, no? Here's another clue, it's behavior changes in different environments such as the top of Mount Everest to the shores of Greenland, no? This substance is transparent and can absorb high amounts of ultraviolet and infrared light, still no? Ok all forms of life on planet earth depend on this liquid and without it most would perish to extinction...
I am of course talking about water... And in this instance good old regular tap water...
More importantly i want to focus on water, the body, fats and it's effect on a successful diet. The only liquids to pass my lips in the last 11 weeks are water, coffee, green tea, milk and that one time in band camp when i had 10 single malts, 2 beers and demolished all the peanuts, biltong and porridge in the house, no diet sodas (i lie i have had 1 can), no fruit juices and definitely no extra thick double malted Oreo and hazelnut praline shakes which are never any good because the Oreo bits get stuck in the straw making it a faff to drink. And the result of mostly drinking between 2 to 3 litres of water a day i am still seeing remarkable weight loss but more importantly fat loss, why is that? How does water team up with a balanced low calorie diet and help us shed the kilos but most importantly make that t-shirt fit better or enable us to wear that ill fitting pair of jeans consigned to the top of the cupboard a year ago? The effects of water on our bodies is astounding.
First of all water is needed to transport energy giving carbohydrates and proteins to our blood, when we urinate the water carries away toxins from our bodies, water keeps us hydrated and taxis nutrients to our cells, is free of fat, cholesterol and calories as well as being very low in sodium, and more importantly for us water aids fat burning, without enough water in our system our kidneys do not function properly and because the main function of a kidney is to filter blood and clean toxin free blood is quite important for life to exist the brain will pull in the liver to help out, due to the liver now having a part time job it didn't really want it finds itself torn between effectively metabolising fat which is it's proper day job to helping it's neighbour of sorts out with blood cleaning duties, so the moral of the story is in order to keep your liver in peak condition for fat burning both your kidneys need to be lubricated with plenty of water.
It's not only the kidneys which require plenty of water, the liver also requires plenty of H2O if the liver decides it does not have enough water to metabolise our fat intake it will do what we all do when we do not have the correct tools for a job and cut corners, make a plan, procrastinate a bit by storing the unmetabolised fat around the body, for the liver out of sight out of mind appears to be it's idiom of choice, and as with all with all biological fasts the body not only knows how to bulk up it's fat and carbohydrate stores for future use it can also store water for future use, i am trying to get my head around this but i think i am correct in saying that the body prefers to store water within a carbohydrate called glycogen and the storage facilities of choice are the muscle tissue in the ankles, face and stomach, when we start a diet by creating a calorie deficit the body initially looks to our glycogen stores for energy and as the glycogen burns it also releases the water it has been holding onto which generally attributes to the initial loss of water and that instant weight loss in the first two weeks when we find people telling us or us ourselves telling others that the reason is 'just losing water weight'.
There are studies or dietitians who also believe that drinking cold water can burn more calories than room temperature water, when we drink cold water our bodies create a thermogenic environment to warm the water, for the heat the body needs energy and calories are burned for energy therefore the more energy the body requires the more available calories it will burn.
Now there are nutritionists out there who say that drinking water has very little effect on weight loss but still maintain the health benefits of water cannot be ignored, i say to them for the obese any effect no matter how little on weight loss is a huge step forward for us so any advantage we can give ourselves over gaining weight has to be seen as a positive one.
How much water to drink? It turns out that there are guidelines within physics on the amount of water a person should consume on a daily basis and this is based on their weight, i cannot find the source of this equation but it is as follows:
Your weight (kg) multiplied by 0.033 = Water (litres) to drink per day
So my equation looks like this:
152.3 x 0.033 = 5.026 litres of water per day.
I currently drink between 2 and 3 litres per day, never any less than 2, one quick fire way of checking if you are adequately hydrated is to check the colour of your urine, if it is dark and yellow you may be dehydrated if your urine is clear or almost colourless then chances are you are in fact adequately hydrated.
Although i believe i am adequately hydrated i will now try to add an extra 2 litres of water to my day and report back if it made any noticeable difference.
Obviously as i lose more weight i will be able to reduce my water intake too.
My top tip to hydrating throughout the day is always have water at hand, for example i have 2 x 1 litre bottles, one is on my desk right now and the other in the refrigerator down stairs, i always aim to finish the first litre in the morning before lunch then the second one in the afternoon, when i get home i fill both bottles back up and put them in the refrigerator, then i drink 1/3 of a litre of water and go out for my walky runny thing, when i get back i drink another 1/3 and then during the rest of the evening i finish the remaining 1/3, on the downside i also wee every hour but i believe i am ridding myself of all the harm my food addiction has caused and flushing it down into the sewer where it belongs...
I want to chat about a chemical compound which on a molecular level is made up of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms held together in a covalent bond, no? Here's another clue, it's behavior changes in different environments such as the top of Mount Everest to the shores of Greenland, no? This substance is transparent and can absorb high amounts of ultraviolet and infrared light, still no? Ok all forms of life on planet earth depend on this liquid and without it most would perish to extinction...
I am of course talking about water... And in this instance good old regular tap water...
More importantly i want to focus on water, the body, fats and it's effect on a successful diet. The only liquids to pass my lips in the last 11 weeks are water, coffee, green tea, milk and that one time in band camp when i had 10 single malts, 2 beers and demolished all the peanuts, biltong and porridge in the house, no diet sodas (i lie i have had 1 can), no fruit juices and definitely no extra thick double malted Oreo and hazelnut praline shakes which are never any good because the Oreo bits get stuck in the straw making it a faff to drink. And the result of mostly drinking between 2 to 3 litres of water a day i am still seeing remarkable weight loss but more importantly fat loss, why is that? How does water team up with a balanced low calorie diet and help us shed the kilos but most importantly make that t-shirt fit better or enable us to wear that ill fitting pair of jeans consigned to the top of the cupboard a year ago? The effects of water on our bodies is astounding.
First of all water is needed to transport energy giving carbohydrates and proteins to our blood, when we urinate the water carries away toxins from our bodies, water keeps us hydrated and taxis nutrients to our cells, is free of fat, cholesterol and calories as well as being very low in sodium, and more importantly for us water aids fat burning, without enough water in our system our kidneys do not function properly and because the main function of a kidney is to filter blood and clean toxin free blood is quite important for life to exist the brain will pull in the liver to help out, due to the liver now having a part time job it didn't really want it finds itself torn between effectively metabolising fat which is it's proper day job to helping it's neighbour of sorts out with blood cleaning duties, so the moral of the story is in order to keep your liver in peak condition for fat burning both your kidneys need to be lubricated with plenty of water.
It's not only the kidneys which require plenty of water, the liver also requires plenty of H2O if the liver decides it does not have enough water to metabolise our fat intake it will do what we all do when we do not have the correct tools for a job and cut corners, make a plan, procrastinate a bit by storing the unmetabolised fat around the body, for the liver out of sight out of mind appears to be it's idiom of choice, and as with all with all biological fasts the body not only knows how to bulk up it's fat and carbohydrate stores for future use it can also store water for future use, i am trying to get my head around this but i think i am correct in saying that the body prefers to store water within a carbohydrate called glycogen and the storage facilities of choice are the muscle tissue in the ankles, face and stomach, when we start a diet by creating a calorie deficit the body initially looks to our glycogen stores for energy and as the glycogen burns it also releases the water it has been holding onto which generally attributes to the initial loss of water and that instant weight loss in the first two weeks when we find people telling us or us ourselves telling others that the reason is 'just losing water weight'.
There are studies or dietitians who also believe that drinking cold water can burn more calories than room temperature water, when we drink cold water our bodies create a thermogenic environment to warm the water, for the heat the body needs energy and calories are burned for energy therefore the more energy the body requires the more available calories it will burn.
Now there are nutritionists out there who say that drinking water has very little effect on weight loss but still maintain the health benefits of water cannot be ignored, i say to them for the obese any effect no matter how little on weight loss is a huge step forward for us so any advantage we can give ourselves over gaining weight has to be seen as a positive one.
How much water to drink? It turns out that there are guidelines within physics on the amount of water a person should consume on a daily basis and this is based on their weight, i cannot find the source of this equation but it is as follows:
Your weight (kg) multiplied by 0.033 = Water (litres) to drink per day
So my equation looks like this:
152.3 x 0.033 = 5.026 litres of water per day.
I currently drink between 2 and 3 litres per day, never any less than 2, one quick fire way of checking if you are adequately hydrated is to check the colour of your urine, if it is dark and yellow you may be dehydrated if your urine is clear or almost colourless then chances are you are in fact adequately hydrated.
Although i believe i am adequately hydrated i will now try to add an extra 2 litres of water to my day and report back if it made any noticeable difference.
Obviously as i lose more weight i will be able to reduce my water intake too.
My top tip to hydrating throughout the day is always have water at hand, for example i have 2 x 1 litre bottles, one is on my desk right now and the other in the refrigerator down stairs, i always aim to finish the first litre in the morning before lunch then the second one in the afternoon, when i get home i fill both bottles back up and put them in the refrigerator, then i drink 1/3 of a litre of water and go out for my walky runny thing, when i get back i drink another 1/3 and then during the rest of the evening i finish the remaining 1/3, on the downside i also wee every hour but i believe i am ridding myself of all the harm my food addiction has caused and flushing it down into the sewer where it belongs...
Friday, April 17, 2015
Exercise - Week 10.5
Cor spinning is tough hey!?!
Yes that's right, exactly 10 weeks after purchasing the fabled spin bike i took it for a spin last night, a day of serious inactivity sat at my desk spurred me on coupled with the fact that between me and you on Monday this week i'd put on 0.4kg over the weekend (amazing how a scare gets you going if you are feeling complacent), even though i put the slight weight gain down to the possibility of muscles developing from the running/waddling it still hit me hard.
So last night before my walk i opened the garage door, positioned the bike at the back so i was less visible to my neighbors to protect them from the gruesome sight that was to come, in front of the bike i put Ryans old high chair and popped my tablet on the tray, i found the beginners spin bike session i had favourited on You Tube, connected my Bluetooth speaker and positioned it behind the screen, hiked up the volume, made sure i was comfortable on the bike of death and hit play.
Aye well, wow, and as I previously stated cor, the guy in the video is cool, he is some mad, Nordic spin bike enthusiast, the backdrop is white and there are many colourful bars of progress digitally imposed on the screen around him, the music is just your bog standard garden variety banging gym Euro house, and he talks and motivates you as he takes you through the 15 minute workout, 15 minutes a doddle or so i thought, a man who is 150kg+ should not be seen on a spin bike, has no right to spin, this is intense cardio for goodness sake but i am prepared to give it a go.
The workout starts at low resistance, cycling at what must be 130 odd BPM, the Scandinavian crazy man cajoles you to add more resistance every now and then, reminds you to keep your shoulders loose and your bum in the back of the saddle, after 3 minutes the music drops it's BMP to say 110 and with increasing resistance added the loose shoulder but slower spinning goes on for another 3 minutes, as Mr Norway points out you should start to feel sweat building up on your forehead by now, keep breathing and feel those leg muscles work, as Tour de France man counts down the last 10 seconds of this section he announces it's now time to add even more resistance and get out of the saddle and work those upper leg muscles, apparently he will not tolerate it if your bum is swaying uncontrollably from side to side, you must keep your shoulders loose and continue to breath in through your nose like an actor in a decongestant advert and out through your mouth like an 1980's telephone pervert, with the BMP back at 130 and 2 minutes to go i am on the BOD (bike of death), my backside is all over the place, the breathing is making me dizzy and the frame of the spin bike is straining as it's feet rock from side to side, but i stay focused, from previous experience of stair masters, rowing machines and elliptical trainers it is at this point i tend to panic and start frantically looking for the time remaining read out, i find it and to my horror there are still over 7 total minutes of the 15 to go, i also spot his heart rate monitor reading 85bmp, i tap my watch and see mine is around 150, my mind races through all my stored expletives looking for an appropriate one to describe the situation i now find myself in but before i know it the Spandex Superman is counting down the final 10 seconds, so now my thoughts turn to 'what are we going to do for the last 6 minutes? The same again, please no not the same again' when the 2 minutes are up Norway's answer to Sir Bradley Wiggins (CBE) instructs me to get back in the saddle and to my absolute elation reduce the resistance and warm down...
What i found very professional about this video was with 13 minutes gone my new best friend from Oslo reappears and takes you off the bike to do some stretches, wishes you a great day and wanders off stage exit left...
Another milestone achieved, after the spin i guzzled some water and now warmed up fully and motivated from my 15 minutes with the bike i went out and completed my 10k steps for the day too...
Even today i am looking forward to hooking up with Norway man tonight for some more cardio abuse...
Remember i am 150kg+, smoke (for now) and haven't exercised in years so if i can do it anyone else can...
Good luck
Yes that's right, exactly 10 weeks after purchasing the fabled spin bike i took it for a spin last night, a day of serious inactivity sat at my desk spurred me on coupled with the fact that between me and you on Monday this week i'd put on 0.4kg over the weekend (amazing how a scare gets you going if you are feeling complacent), even though i put the slight weight gain down to the possibility of muscles developing from the running/waddling it still hit me hard.
So last night before my walk i opened the garage door, positioned the bike at the back so i was less visible to my neighbors to protect them from the gruesome sight that was to come, in front of the bike i put Ryans old high chair and popped my tablet on the tray, i found the beginners spin bike session i had favourited on You Tube, connected my Bluetooth speaker and positioned it behind the screen, hiked up the volume, made sure i was comfortable on the bike of death and hit play.
Aye well, wow, and as I previously stated cor, the guy in the video is cool, he is some mad, Nordic spin bike enthusiast, the backdrop is white and there are many colourful bars of progress digitally imposed on the screen around him, the music is just your bog standard garden variety banging gym Euro house, and he talks and motivates you as he takes you through the 15 minute workout, 15 minutes a doddle or so i thought, a man who is 150kg+ should not be seen on a spin bike, has no right to spin, this is intense cardio for goodness sake but i am prepared to give it a go.
The workout starts at low resistance, cycling at what must be 130 odd BPM, the Scandinavian crazy man cajoles you to add more resistance every now and then, reminds you to keep your shoulders loose and your bum in the back of the saddle, after 3 minutes the music drops it's BMP to say 110 and with increasing resistance added the loose shoulder but slower spinning goes on for another 3 minutes, as Mr Norway points out you should start to feel sweat building up on your forehead by now, keep breathing and feel those leg muscles work, as Tour de France man counts down the last 10 seconds of this section he announces it's now time to add even more resistance and get out of the saddle and work those upper leg muscles, apparently he will not tolerate it if your bum is swaying uncontrollably from side to side, you must keep your shoulders loose and continue to breath in through your nose like an actor in a decongestant advert and out through your mouth like an 1980's telephone pervert, with the BMP back at 130 and 2 minutes to go i am on the BOD (bike of death), my backside is all over the place, the breathing is making me dizzy and the frame of the spin bike is straining as it's feet rock from side to side, but i stay focused, from previous experience of stair masters, rowing machines and elliptical trainers it is at this point i tend to panic and start frantically looking for the time remaining read out, i find it and to my horror there are still over 7 total minutes of the 15 to go, i also spot his heart rate monitor reading 85bmp, i tap my watch and see mine is around 150, my mind races through all my stored expletives looking for an appropriate one to describe the situation i now find myself in but before i know it the Spandex Superman is counting down the final 10 seconds, so now my thoughts turn to 'what are we going to do for the last 6 minutes? The same again, please no not the same again' when the 2 minutes are up Norway's answer to Sir Bradley Wiggins (CBE) instructs me to get back in the saddle and to my absolute elation reduce the resistance and warm down...
What i found very professional about this video was with 13 minutes gone my new best friend from Oslo reappears and takes you off the bike to do some stretches, wishes you a great day and wanders off stage exit left...
Another milestone achieved, after the spin i guzzled some water and now warmed up fully and motivated from my 15 minutes with the bike i went out and completed my 10k steps for the day too...
Even today i am looking forward to hooking up with Norway man tonight for some more cardio abuse...
Remember i am 150kg+, smoke (for now) and haven't exercised in years so if i can do it anyone else can...
Good luck
Meals - Week 10.5
Hey good morning, i'm hiding in the world of blogs today, I've had my favourite breakfast, granola and strawberry yogurt, a fresh coffee is steaming away on my desk, i can feel the Friday vibe in the air all over the factory as my coworkers always seem to get a bit chirpier as the weekend crawls into view, quicker to say 'good morning' and have a certain spring in their step, the sun is out and table mountain looks as majestic as always...
And this morning i am extra chirpy (sickening isn't it) because i just weighed myself, i'm not going to kiss and tell just yet as I only report my weight once a month and also the weekend is here, so once the family breakfasts, lunches, nibbles in the afternoon are a fading memory i will weigh myself on Monday to see if the reading today was in fact accurate and my weight has regulated...
It is still blowing my mind that weight can be lost at similar rates to the media promoted, body beautiful, celebrity endorsed fad diets if the time honored tradition of reducing calories, eating smaller portions more often with a balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats is followed. As a serial lo carb dieter i always thought lo cal would be too mathematically difficult to follow and maintain, this is proving at the moment to be wrong, sure though there is maybe an argument that i am so big and have lots to lose that any diet plan at this stage couldn't fail to work and there is a possibility as i get closer to my goal weight of 85kg (on that day the heavens will open and a beautiful rainbow will descend unto me, toned and in my speedo, heraldic music will play and unicorns will whisk me away to the land of green ginger...), i digress, yes as i get closer to my goal weight there is an argument for hitting a plateau and i will experience the same frustrations as everyone else in Normalville and start living off cardboard, cloth and cabbage to get the last few grams off?
However my counter argument is that my main goal is not the weight loss, anyone can lose weight in a number of funky ways no my main goal is that magical place called Maintenance, when i get the weight down and the baggy Cantona is indeed baggy i want the new me to continue to be wear the baggy Cantona for many years to come, I could not in the past manage to maintain a lo carb for life attitude for more than 8 months at a time, for me it always gets a bit boring missing out on carbs for any extended period after goal weight, but i could very well see myself maintaining a diet of 2100 +/- 10% calories for life, for that i get a hearty diverse breakfast, a morning snack, lunch plus a snack, an afternoon snack, a dinner plus dessert of sorts and still have room for a midnight feast (for 'feast' read bran flakes with lo fat milk), i know this to be true and all you have to do is read through my first month of daily meal posts to see the range of foods i meticulously blogged about, the vast diversity of those meals and snacks fills me with confidence that when i do land at maintenance i'll be able to hang around for a very long time without temptation getting the better of me, in fact i just counted the items in my food diary to date an there are 340 different items i have eaten over the past 10 weeks in various combinations so for me surely maintenance will be breeze.
And so i go on, i am honestly not trying to preach, in fact i detest that type of dieter, the one who asks if you are on a diet and when you answer yes they say 'me too' and spend the rest of the conversation trying to convince you that their way is the best way and you are doing it all wrong, and so and so said this and studies have found this.... mer... at dinner a couple of weeks ago i was sat with a good friend of mine who is following a shake driven, protein powered, i am putting on weight but it is muscle type diet, the sort of diet that sponsors American Major League soccer teams say in Los Angeles to be more precise, a couple sat at another table announced they were lo carbing, banting, they came over and joined us, all 4 of us were in the honeymoon period of of our diets of choice and so pumped about the paths we had each chosen, a debate fired up with all off us throwing advice at each other, questions were raised and accusations dealt out and i took a moment and stepped back from the ensuing diet fest AGM and thought 'all 4 of us are overweight, each one of us has found a way to kick off the weight loss, for us the obese it doesn't matter at this stage of each of our respective journeys who is right and who is wrong, maintenance can wait, and reaching maintenance is a huge out of this world goal achieved in itself, the most important thing to remember is everyone around this table has taken a choice to become healthier and as i full well know how difficult a decision that is to make whatever works for you works for you'.
I will follow that sentiment up with this though, although i stand by my thoughts that evening i still and believe them to be true a food addict can only maintain their goal weight by switching to a well balanced, calorie controlled, portion size conscious way of eating when they get there...
Have a lovely weekend chubbers... x
And this morning i am extra chirpy (sickening isn't it) because i just weighed myself, i'm not going to kiss and tell just yet as I only report my weight once a month and also the weekend is here, so once the family breakfasts, lunches, nibbles in the afternoon are a fading memory i will weigh myself on Monday to see if the reading today was in fact accurate and my weight has regulated...
It is still blowing my mind that weight can be lost at similar rates to the media promoted, body beautiful, celebrity endorsed fad diets if the time honored tradition of reducing calories, eating smaller portions more often with a balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats is followed. As a serial lo carb dieter i always thought lo cal would be too mathematically difficult to follow and maintain, this is proving at the moment to be wrong, sure though there is maybe an argument that i am so big and have lots to lose that any diet plan at this stage couldn't fail to work and there is a possibility as i get closer to my goal weight of 85kg (on that day the heavens will open and a beautiful rainbow will descend unto me, toned and in my speedo, heraldic music will play and unicorns will whisk me away to the land of green ginger...), i digress, yes as i get closer to my goal weight there is an argument for hitting a plateau and i will experience the same frustrations as everyone else in Normalville and start living off cardboard, cloth and cabbage to get the last few grams off?
However my counter argument is that my main goal is not the weight loss, anyone can lose weight in a number of funky ways no my main goal is that magical place called Maintenance, when i get the weight down and the baggy Cantona is indeed baggy i want the new me to continue to be wear the baggy Cantona for many years to come, I could not in the past manage to maintain a lo carb for life attitude for more than 8 months at a time, for me it always gets a bit boring missing out on carbs for any extended period after goal weight, but i could very well see myself maintaining a diet of 2100 +/- 10% calories for life, for that i get a hearty diverse breakfast, a morning snack, lunch plus a snack, an afternoon snack, a dinner plus dessert of sorts and still have room for a midnight feast (for 'feast' read bran flakes with lo fat milk), i know this to be true and all you have to do is read through my first month of daily meal posts to see the range of foods i meticulously blogged about, the vast diversity of those meals and snacks fills me with confidence that when i do land at maintenance i'll be able to hang around for a very long time without temptation getting the better of me, in fact i just counted the items in my food diary to date an there are 340 different items i have eaten over the past 10 weeks in various combinations so for me surely maintenance will be breeze.
And so i go on, i am honestly not trying to preach, in fact i detest that type of dieter, the one who asks if you are on a diet and when you answer yes they say 'me too' and spend the rest of the conversation trying to convince you that their way is the best way and you are doing it all wrong, and so and so said this and studies have found this.... mer... at dinner a couple of weeks ago i was sat with a good friend of mine who is following a shake driven, protein powered, i am putting on weight but it is muscle type diet, the sort of diet that sponsors American Major League soccer teams say in Los Angeles to be more precise, a couple sat at another table announced they were lo carbing, banting, they came over and joined us, all 4 of us were in the honeymoon period of of our diets of choice and so pumped about the paths we had each chosen, a debate fired up with all off us throwing advice at each other, questions were raised and accusations dealt out and i took a moment and stepped back from the ensuing diet fest AGM and thought 'all 4 of us are overweight, each one of us has found a way to kick off the weight loss, for us the obese it doesn't matter at this stage of each of our respective journeys who is right and who is wrong, maintenance can wait, and reaching maintenance is a huge out of this world goal achieved in itself, the most important thing to remember is everyone around this table has taken a choice to become healthier and as i full well know how difficult a decision that is to make whatever works for you works for you'.
I will follow that sentiment up with this though, although i stand by my thoughts that evening i still and believe them to be true a food addict can only maintain their goal weight by switching to a well balanced, calorie controlled, portion size conscious way of eating when they get there...
Have a lovely weekend chubbers... x
Thursday, April 16, 2015
The Pants Project - Month 3
It's that time of the month again when a fat guy posts semi naked photos of himself on t'internet and i get over 300 hits...
Also this month on one persons advice i have added Month 1 for comparison purposes, except the new tattoo on my back i can't see much change but it's early days yet...
Also this month on one persons advice i have added Month 1 for comparison purposes, except the new tattoo on my back i can't see much change but it's early days yet...
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Exercise - Week 10
Aha, now we are on to the good stuff, in answer to what you are all probably thinking 'no' i have not given up, in fact i have progressed...
I am now sort of in a fashion doing something that loosely resembles running, i am in no way claiming to be the new Mo Farah and Usain Bolt your 9.58 second 100m is safe. But never the less i am beginning to self propel my immense body along the road at snail worrying speeds of up to 8km/h.
I am mixing up running with the walking so at first i set myself goals of running between lamposts or running from one block junction to another and so on, i started this exactly 2 months after i started the 10k steps per day goal, 4 reasons why, well number 1 is i need to start adding cardio training to my day, 2 is finding the time every day to walk 3-4km in one session is proving difficult so by adding the running i can half the time it takes to cover the distance i need to add to my daily routine, the 3rd reason is i am worried about saggy skin developing while my weight decreases so i need to do something to build or tone muscle and finally the 4th reason is i dream of the day i can go out and run a full 5km at a decent pace and not require the services of either a coroner or an ambulance and as with all things we have to start somewhere, some is better than none and to all the people i see sniggering at me as i wobble by at least i am trying.
So i have figured out a routine, i run for 100 paces then walk for 200 then run for a 100 paces and so on over approximately 2km, as the weeks go by i will increase the 100 paces ran by 10 at a time and similarly decrease the paces walked and see what happens.
Also following up on my last exercise post i had a word with myself and completed the 10k steps for the day and have done every day since. 10k steps even as a smoking unfit 150kg+ male is a doddle i promise you.
I am now sort of in a fashion doing something that loosely resembles running, i am in no way claiming to be the new Mo Farah and Usain Bolt your 9.58 second 100m is safe. But never the less i am beginning to self propel my immense body along the road at snail worrying speeds of up to 8km/h.
I am mixing up running with the walking so at first i set myself goals of running between lamposts or running from one block junction to another and so on, i started this exactly 2 months after i started the 10k steps per day goal, 4 reasons why, well number 1 is i need to start adding cardio training to my day, 2 is finding the time every day to walk 3-4km in one session is proving difficult so by adding the running i can half the time it takes to cover the distance i need to add to my daily routine, the 3rd reason is i am worried about saggy skin developing while my weight decreases so i need to do something to build or tone muscle and finally the 4th reason is i dream of the day i can go out and run a full 5km at a decent pace and not require the services of either a coroner or an ambulance and as with all things we have to start somewhere, some is better than none and to all the people i see sniggering at me as i wobble by at least i am trying.
So i have figured out a routine, i run for 100 paces then walk for 200 then run for a 100 paces and so on over approximately 2km, as the weeks go by i will increase the 100 paces ran by 10 at a time and similarly decrease the paces walked and see what happens.
Also following up on my last exercise post i had a word with myself and completed the 10k steps for the day and have done every day since. 10k steps even as a smoking unfit 150kg+ male is a doddle i promise you.
Meals - Week 10
Well the past 4 weeks have been a roller coaster,
I had a 2 week business trip to contend with which meant i had to negotiate some very tricky eating out options, for a food addict trying to stay focused when presented with a menu laced with unhealthy, large portioned, yummy treats is difficult to say the least especially if your dinner guests are 80kg, fit and healthy, a starter, main course polished off with a dessert is not just an offered choice but expected to be bought and paid for, it is equally challenging to try not to partake in the courses which sandwich the main, alcohol is also washed down liberally especially if the payer of the bill is not the guest but the supplier hosting i.e. me, which leads to all sorts of networking problems because in my experience great business connections are forged not only in the board room but also at the bottom of a bottle. However faced with such a challenge i saw it exactly like that a challenge, if you navigate the menu sensibly there are many items to be chosen which will not negatively affect the weight loss and portion size doesn't matter if the rules of eat slowly, chew the food, stop when you feel full and wait a minute or so after feeling full before piling another fork full in are followed. It is tough though, possibly the toughest of all situations any addict finds themselves in is the social get together. But stay strong, keep focused and always remember that the junk may look appetising but in reality it will most probably taste bland (especially chips) and just make you feel terribly guilty afterwards.
Also in the past 4 weeks i have had to navigate my 40th birthday (thank you), the cake, the 'go on it's your birthday, treat yourself' thoughts, the 'wayhay lets get wasted, it's a milestone birthday after all!'
Looking back on my food diary i did quite well on the day, my meals were as follows:
Breakfast: Strawberry yogurt and granola plus 30g of nuts, seeds and berries.
Morning snack: Apple/ginger booster juice plus a banana.
Lunch: Tuna pasta salad plus a handful of peanuts.
Afternoon snack: Apple
Dinner... cough... dinner, Shannon booked a table at our favourite Mexican restaurant, it is probably the best in Cape Town and a booking has to be made two weeks in advance to guarantee a table, they even call you on the morning of your booking to confirm you are still coming and send you a reminder sms, one thing i am starting to realise with calorie control is 'if in doubt give Mexican a shout', why?, well a tortilla is filling, corn tortilla is a healthy option, jalapenos, salsa, guacamole and small amounts of sour cream are lo-cal, chilli spices can raise the metabolism and all ingredients are fresh but also well balanced for protein, carbs and fats,
So my evening dinner was as follows:
3 x chilli poppers
3 Taco self filled with chilli beef, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and a little chedder cheese.
1/2 serving of 'go on it's your birthday' dark chocolate mousse
Drinks: Coffee and a large glass of water.
Total calories for evening meal: 856 calories
Total calories for the day: 2082 calories
I'll get on to Easter weekend later in the week... The evil choc fest that it is!
I had a 2 week business trip to contend with which meant i had to negotiate some very tricky eating out options, for a food addict trying to stay focused when presented with a menu laced with unhealthy, large portioned, yummy treats is difficult to say the least especially if your dinner guests are 80kg, fit and healthy, a starter, main course polished off with a dessert is not just an offered choice but expected to be bought and paid for, it is equally challenging to try not to partake in the courses which sandwich the main, alcohol is also washed down liberally especially if the payer of the bill is not the guest but the supplier hosting i.e. me, which leads to all sorts of networking problems because in my experience great business connections are forged not only in the board room but also at the bottom of a bottle. However faced with such a challenge i saw it exactly like that a challenge, if you navigate the menu sensibly there are many items to be chosen which will not negatively affect the weight loss and portion size doesn't matter if the rules of eat slowly, chew the food, stop when you feel full and wait a minute or so after feeling full before piling another fork full in are followed. It is tough though, possibly the toughest of all situations any addict finds themselves in is the social get together. But stay strong, keep focused and always remember that the junk may look appetising but in reality it will most probably taste bland (especially chips) and just make you feel terribly guilty afterwards.
Also in the past 4 weeks i have had to navigate my 40th birthday (thank you), the cake, the 'go on it's your birthday, treat yourself' thoughts, the 'wayhay lets get wasted, it's a milestone birthday after all!'
Looking back on my food diary i did quite well on the day, my meals were as follows:
Breakfast: Strawberry yogurt and granola plus 30g of nuts, seeds and berries.
Morning snack: Apple/ginger booster juice plus a banana.
Lunch: Tuna pasta salad plus a handful of peanuts.
Afternoon snack: Apple
Dinner... cough... dinner, Shannon booked a table at our favourite Mexican restaurant, it is probably the best in Cape Town and a booking has to be made two weeks in advance to guarantee a table, they even call you on the morning of your booking to confirm you are still coming and send you a reminder sms, one thing i am starting to realise with calorie control is 'if in doubt give Mexican a shout', why?, well a tortilla is filling, corn tortilla is a healthy option, jalapenos, salsa, guacamole and small amounts of sour cream are lo-cal, chilli spices can raise the metabolism and all ingredients are fresh but also well balanced for protein, carbs and fats,
So my evening dinner was as follows:
3 x chilli poppers
3 Taco self filled with chilli beef, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and a little chedder cheese.
1/2 serving of 'go on it's your birthday' dark chocolate mousse
Drinks: Coffee and a large glass of water.
Total calories for evening meal: 856 calories
Total calories for the day: 2082 calories
I'll get on to Easter weekend later in the week... The evil choc fest that it is!
Week 10 - Time to hit the scales
Hello again,
I've been so busy recently i have not had the spare time to justify blogging, as well as focusing on my weight loss and fitness i have been away on business and completed a couple of official ISO audits with Dekra, but now i am back i am going in with some hard facts to kick off my return, so here are the weight loss figures:
Weight 16/3: 156.6kg
Weight 15/4: 152.3kg
Weight lost in 4 weeks: 4.3kg
Weight loss total: 14.7kg
BMI 16/3: 48.3
BMI 15/4: 47.0
BMI week 10 improved by: 1.3
BMI total improved by: 4.5
BF% 16/3: 50.73%
BF% 15/4: 49.4%
BF% week 10 improved by: 1.33%
BF% total improved by: 4.57%
Weeks to go 52 out of 62
By losing 1 kg per week in the past 4 weeks i am ahead of my expected goal of losing only 0.5kg per week so i am happy and most of all i have not starved myself to get to 152.3kg, my next milestone is 150.3kg which will mean i have shed the first 10% of kg weight.
I've been so busy recently i have not had the spare time to justify blogging, as well as focusing on my weight loss and fitness i have been away on business and completed a couple of official ISO audits with Dekra, but now i am back i am going in with some hard facts to kick off my return, so here are the weight loss figures:
Weight 16/3: 156.6kg
Weight 15/4: 152.3kg
Weight lost in 4 weeks: 4.3kg
Weight loss total: 14.7kg
BMI 16/3: 48.3
BMI 15/4: 47.0
BMI week 10 improved by: 1.3
BMI total improved by: 4.5
BF% 16/3: 50.73%
BF% 15/4: 49.4%
BF% week 10 improved by: 1.33%
BF% total improved by: 4.57%
Weeks to go 52 out of 62
By losing 1 kg per week in the past 4 weeks i am ahead of my expected goal of losing only 0.5kg per week so i am happy and most of all i have not starved myself to get to 152.3kg, my next milestone is 150.3kg which will mean i have shed the first 10% of kg weight.
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