June 1st 2014 – Day 112
Day 1 Weight: 256lbs Day 1 Fitness: Nil
Day 112 Weight: 227lbs Day 112 Fitness: Above Average
Weeks 15-16
After a couple of stop start weeks my progress in losing weight stalled a little bit and moved down by a whole 1lb in 4 weeks. This is usually the bit where frustration and an attitude of 'what is the point' will kick in. I will start eating rubbish, stuff my face with chocolate and put all the weight back on again. It is not that I hadn't been doing any exercise, I had been going to the gym regularly.
A lengthy night out in town drinking plenty of beer, red wine, vodka and Jack Daniels, a great meal, some fantastic live music and leaving the last bar at 4.30 in the morning, led to a monumental hangover, my first in months. That inevitably led to writing off a day and a big attack of the munchies. I arose invigorated by a good sleep and a weigh in showing my weight had stayed the same. I took that as a very positive sign so after a light breakfast I set off on my bike to cycle to Southport and back with the Pier as my goal. I got to the Pier and felt fresh so I carried on towards Preston, stopping to turn round when I realised I had no idea where I was so thought it safer to retrace my route. By the time I got home I had ridden just over 40 miles in about 3.5 hours. The padded cycling shorts really did the business as remarkably I could still sit down afterwards.
For most of the following week I put in some long sessions in the gym and on one day walked to work and back in a bit of a roundabout way so it was not too easy, about 1.5 hours each way.
It was during this time I started to realise the progress I was making, 40 mile bike ride in one go? Not me? To think back to the middle of February when after 15 mins in the gym, on very gentle settings, I was slumped in a chair trying not to throw up with the gym instructor getting me to breathe deeply and take in water.
A few things happened that really started to boost the confidence and realisation that maybe, just maybe, I can do this if I keep focusing. I was doing some bench presses with dumbbells. Now, although I have increased the weights by 40% I was not approaching anything you could call a tough exercise. However, as I was working through my sets I was conscious of another guy coming to use the bench next to me. I could then here the grunts and groans as he started to push his weights. I swear, I could hear the sweat oozing from his pores due to the effort. When I had finished and sat up I looked across and saw that this guy was less than half my age and his weights were 4 kilo's lower than mine. In my head a did a lap of honour shouting yes, yes, yes! I had the urge to kiss someone but unfortunately Britain's Next Top Model hasn't been in for a while.
The day after I was running through some cardio exercises. I did a warm up of 2k on the rower in a little over 9 minutes at maximum resistance, I couldn't do 300m at setting 5/10 without stopping at the beginning of March. I immediately got on to the exercise bike and tried a new exercise. I chose the fat burn session which required me to get my heart rate up to 80% of its max, slow down and then bring it back up, the machine determining the resistance level as it measures your rate. I set off thinking this was too easy as the machine gradually increased the resistance. After ten minutes I was thinking the machine was broke as I was no where near the heart rate. I persevered and eventually the machine reached the maximum level of 20 and despite the burning in my legs and the sweat pouring out of me like water out of a kettle it took close to 20 minutes to reach the maximum heart rate. Again thinking back to March I could just about manage 10 minutes on level six. I finished that exercise and then did a quick 30 minute session on the treadmill and then 30 minutes on the cross-trainer both at Level 13. Despite all that I got up the next day without any aches or pains. It was then the penny started to drop that this really is working.
Flushed with success I went off into Snowdonia and had a walk up Moel Hebog that lies behind Beddgelert. It is not massively high but is fairly steep on the way up and almost vertical coming down the other side. It was a good exercise in seeing how my knees and toes coped on the way down and the answer is very well. It was a beautiful day and some of the views across Snowdonia were spectacular. The Ice Cream parlour in Beddgelert is worth a visit too.
The following day I got on my bike and rode from home to Otterspool Park via the Pier Head and Albert Dock, about 34 miles in total. Despite a mountain hike the day before a bike ride of that length was no problem. Okay it may not be very strenuous but this is me, lazy b.....d, we're talking about here. This is real progress.
The long walks and bike rides over the last couple of weeks have been solo efforts without music or podcasts for company. I need to test myself against the urges to stop, give in and go home. I only have what is in my head for company. The reason for doing this is that I need to know, when the time comes, if I will be mentally strong enough to continue when my feet hurt or I need a good sleep. The good news is I am now starting to think that it really is possible for a completely unfit, overweight lazy git to do this. The bad news is when left alone with only my own thoughts not a lot goes on in my head.
Where do the Proclaimers come in I here you ask? Well I don't I am just surmising you want to know why the Proclaimers are in the title of this latest ramble. You see, when I started on this programme I bought something called a Fitbit Tracker, a wrist band that measures the number of steps I take daily, amongst other things. Today it reported that I have walked 500 miles since I started and I am going to walk 500 more. (audience groans!)
However, here is a little pic that shows progress. A way to go but you have to start somewhere, 2 stone down, 2 to go.
Thanks for all the support and encouragement.
"Now if I was in your shoes
I might look at me and think
There's a fool
But I'm not in your shoes
And I don't have to play"
Please help keep me motivated by visiting Marks Just Giving Page
Day 112 Weight: 227lbs Day 112 Fitness: Above Average
Weeks 15-16
After a couple of stop start weeks my progress in losing weight stalled a little bit and moved down by a whole 1lb in 4 weeks. This is usually the bit where frustration and an attitude of 'what is the point' will kick in. I will start eating rubbish, stuff my face with chocolate and put all the weight back on again. It is not that I hadn't been doing any exercise, I had been going to the gym regularly.
A lengthy night out in town drinking plenty of beer, red wine, vodka and Jack Daniels, a great meal, some fantastic live music and leaving the last bar at 4.30 in the morning, led to a monumental hangover, my first in months. That inevitably led to writing off a day and a big attack of the munchies. I arose invigorated by a good sleep and a weigh in showing my weight had stayed the same. I took that as a very positive sign so after a light breakfast I set off on my bike to cycle to Southport and back with the Pier as my goal. I got to the Pier and felt fresh so I carried on towards Preston, stopping to turn round when I realised I had no idea where I was so thought it safer to retrace my route. By the time I got home I had ridden just over 40 miles in about 3.5 hours. The padded cycling shorts really did the business as remarkably I could still sit down afterwards.
For most of the following week I put in some long sessions in the gym and on one day walked to work and back in a bit of a roundabout way so it was not too easy, about 1.5 hours each way.
It was during this time I started to realise the progress I was making, 40 mile bike ride in one go? Not me? To think back to the middle of February when after 15 mins in the gym, on very gentle settings, I was slumped in a chair trying not to throw up with the gym instructor getting me to breathe deeply and take in water.
A few things happened that really started to boost the confidence and realisation that maybe, just maybe, I can do this if I keep focusing. I was doing some bench presses with dumbbells. Now, although I have increased the weights by 40% I was not approaching anything you could call a tough exercise. However, as I was working through my sets I was conscious of another guy coming to use the bench next to me. I could then here the grunts and groans as he started to push his weights. I swear, I could hear the sweat oozing from his pores due to the effort. When I had finished and sat up I looked across and saw that this guy was less than half my age and his weights were 4 kilo's lower than mine. In my head a did a lap of honour shouting yes, yes, yes! I had the urge to kiss someone but unfortunately Britain's Next Top Model hasn't been in for a while.
The day after I was running through some cardio exercises. I did a warm up of 2k on the rower in a little over 9 minutes at maximum resistance, I couldn't do 300m at setting 5/10 without stopping at the beginning of March. I immediately got on to the exercise bike and tried a new exercise. I chose the fat burn session which required me to get my heart rate up to 80% of its max, slow down and then bring it back up, the machine determining the resistance level as it measures your rate. I set off thinking this was too easy as the machine gradually increased the resistance. After ten minutes I was thinking the machine was broke as I was no where near the heart rate. I persevered and eventually the machine reached the maximum level of 20 and despite the burning in my legs and the sweat pouring out of me like water out of a kettle it took close to 20 minutes to reach the maximum heart rate. Again thinking back to March I could just about manage 10 minutes on level six. I finished that exercise and then did a quick 30 minute session on the treadmill and then 30 minutes on the cross-trainer both at Level 13. Despite all that I got up the next day without any aches or pains. It was then the penny started to drop that this really is working.
Flushed with success I went off into Snowdonia and had a walk up Moel Hebog that lies behind Beddgelert. It is not massively high but is fairly steep on the way up and almost vertical coming down the other side. It was a good exercise in seeing how my knees and toes coped on the way down and the answer is very well. It was a beautiful day and some of the views across Snowdonia were spectacular. The Ice Cream parlour in Beddgelert is worth a visit too.
The following day I got on my bike and rode from home to Otterspool Park via the Pier Head and Albert Dock, about 34 miles in total. Despite a mountain hike the day before a bike ride of that length was no problem. Okay it may not be very strenuous but this is me, lazy b.....d, we're talking about here. This is real progress.
The long walks and bike rides over the last couple of weeks have been solo efforts without music or podcasts for company. I need to test myself against the urges to stop, give in and go home. I only have what is in my head for company. The reason for doing this is that I need to know, when the time comes, if I will be mentally strong enough to continue when my feet hurt or I need a good sleep. The good news is I am now starting to think that it really is possible for a completely unfit, overweight lazy git to do this. The bad news is when left alone with only my own thoughts not a lot goes on in my head.
Where do the Proclaimers come in I here you ask? Well I don't I am just surmising you want to know why the Proclaimers are in the title of this latest ramble. You see, when I started on this programme I bought something called a Fitbit Tracker, a wrist band that measures the number of steps I take daily, amongst other things. Today it reported that I have walked 500 miles since I started and I am going to walk 500 more. (audience groans!)
However, here is a little pic that shows progress. A way to go but you have to start somewhere, 2 stone down, 2 to go.
Thanks for all the support and encouragement.
"Now if I was in your shoes
I might look at me and think
There's a fool
But I'm not in your shoes
And I don't have to play"
Please help keep me motivated by visiting Marks Just Giving Page
or TEXT code MPTC50 £amount to 70070 e.g. MPTC £5
You can also follow me on Facebook
For more information about the Princes Trust visit the website at www.princes-trust.org.uk
Mark
Looking Good!
ReplyDelete