JULY 3 2012

June has been a sort of up and down month. I cheated a lot, but I managed to keep the amount of coke I drank down to a minimum. Yippieeee!

A few things hampered the diet. The wife and I went for a week's holiday and who on earth keeps to a diet when they are on holiday? Then there were a party or two, but as I said, all-in-all, I did not too badly and only picked up 0.5kg.

Of late it felt as if I was getting weaker by the day. Granted, I'm not living the most active life-style, but still. So I decided to get myself some dumbbells to pump a bit of iron. But then I got the flu that stayed with me for 2 weeks and as unfit as I am, I wasn't going to invite a heart attack by exercising while I'm not well.

While waiting for the flu to leave me, I read on a friend's FB post about an exercise program promoted by a Dr Mercola. Some of you might know of him, some of you not. You don't need much to use his exercise program, primarily a heart rate monitor to keep track of your heart rate. Here is the link to his program:   

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/06/26/10-minutes-of-exercise-yields-hourlong-effects.aspx.

Dr Mercola uses this program once a week and on two other days he does strength training, which is what I'm aiming for as well.

So yesterday I started the strength training, but I could feel my muscles and joints complaining. They aren't used to working so hard, so I decided that I should add some serious stretching exercises as well. You can Google them for charts. Most of them are common sense, but it's nice to work off a chart.

Current weight: 143kg.

I would like to shake another 13kg until my birthday in September. I only have 12 weeks left and hope the addition of the exercises will do the trick.

Wish me luck!  

JUNE 4, 2012

I have been not so faithful to the eating less part of the losing weight idea and this weekend I had a few beers. However I did manage to lose 0.1 kg. There are still 2 more events this month that could hamper my weight loss, but I've decided to stay faithful apart from those two days. After all, that still equates to 27 days of sobriety.

So, I was going to tell you what my measurements were this morning. They are as follows:

Weight: 142.3 kg = Total Loss of 6.5kg

Chest:    140 cm = Total Loss of 8 cm

Middle:  151 cm = Total Loss of 7 cm

BMI:       46.9    = Total loss of 2.2

All in all I don't think it is too shabby considering that I'm not doing any exercise or following a strict diet. So far cutting out alcohol and coke seems to do the job, but I know I'll have to start adding exercise.

I've taken before and after photos and will post them as soon as I've sorted them out.

MAY 28 2012

Today I've almost been 4 weeks into this pursuit to die healthy. I've been slightly sour at the scale for the last 2 weeks. The first week of abstinence of alcohol, soft drinks and snacks led me to lose 3.3 kg. Then the last 2 weeks were absolutely pathetic where I managed not to even lose 1.5 kg.

Today however, things are looking up again. These are the stats:

Weight: 142.4

BMI:        46.9

That gives you a weight loss of 6.4 kg and a drop in the BMI of 2.2 since I started. The idea is to get the BMI down to 24.9. That is a looooooong way to go - another 22!

So far it has not been too difficult to stay the course. It also seems that my stomach has shrunk a little. There are times I really feel like a beer and something illegal, like chips.

As Thursday is the end of May, I'm planning to take my measurements this coming Saturday. I can already feel there is one chin less and it is easier to look down without having too much cheek fat pressing into my eyes. Bending down to pick something up is still a challenge.

Have a great week and I'll tell you next Monday what the measurements look like.

May 14, 2012

Towards the end of April my wife and I agreed that I'm to fat now. Since starting this endeavor November last year to lose weight, I have gained another 3 kilos.

As I mentioned before I know what causes this weight gain and what I have to do to lose weight. However I've been indulging in all the stuff that makes life worth living and now I'm going to try and die healthy.

So Jinx and I agreed after a plea bargain (she pleaded and I bargained) that for the month of May I should cut out all that delicious stuff and tone down on the volumes of food.

We took pictures at the start (not very flattering ones!), took measurements around my chest and middle and weighed again to mark my progress.

These are the stats as of April 30:

Height:  174 cm (as if I was going to get taller)

Chest:    148 cm

Middle: 158cm

BMI:      49.1

As a last swansong I was going to pig out for the weekend and as Tuesday 1 May was going to be a public holiday, it was to be a glorious long weekend of over eating and drinking.

The actual abstinence from coke, alcohol and snacks would start Wednesday 2 May, so I decided to weigh myself again that morning. 149,1 the scale told me. That was my base weight to start from.

Since then I have not had one drop of alcohol, coke or a bite of a snack. Three squares a day with water and fruit in between. The result? On the morning of Monday 1 April the stats looked as follows: (We're going to measure the chest and middle only at the end of the month)

Weight: 145.8

BMI:      48.2

A few weeks ago I went for a 3km walk and the following morning my left knee hurt badly. I've done the walking three times a week and suddenly it complained - for obvious reasons.

I'll hold back on the walking to give the knee a change to recover until there is less pressure from above when I step on it.

As from Wednesday 2 May I've lost 3.3 kg in five days purely by cutting out the undesirables. I'm going to try and lose as much for this month as possible. I have my birthday in September and have a figure in mind, but for now that is where it is going to stay. The big thing for me is to get through this month.

I'm hoping to loose 10 kg this month and I know that at some stage I also have to seriously look at what I eat when I a reach a plateau.

But this morning the scale was not very kind to me. I've been very faithful this week, but only managed to lose 0,7 kg. That sucks! Jinx tells me the first week my body had a big shock and that for the next two weeks it might not lose as much, but form the forth week I would see dramatic improvement. I friggen hope so!

So the total weight loss for the last 2 weeks stands at 4 kg.

Thank Heavens the Festive Season is DONE!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life - again. As you can see by the topic of this post I am actually glad the festive season is over. Now we can get on with life. This is the time of the year that everything comes to a grinding halt and life hangs in limbo, waiting for the calender to slowly progrees to today.

Here in South Africa, a Monday is always a public holiday if the public holiday was on the precedeing Sunday, as was the case with the 1st of January 2012.

For two weeks we could tell ourselves we don't have to worry what and how much we eat and drink, what time we get up and what we do with our time. Now, however, once again every second counts - and every calorie.

I have been very fortunate. The last time I weighed myself was Monday 12 December and the scale told me I weighed 145.9kg. After two weeks of eating and drinking everything I should not, I weighed myself this morning again. This is going to make you sick, I know! 144.5kg! Its not right, I know.

I am very aware that does not mean I can now go and rest on my laurels. I still have to shake a few kilos and that job starts today. So, wish me good luck again. I am going to work out a little weightloss cum excersize schedule sometime and will let you know as soon as I'm done. For now I'll just be sticking to walking and volume control.

Cut out, add in and size down

This week so far has been nice to me - well, sort of.

My great addictions that stand between me and losing weight are: Soft drinks, beer, large volumes of food, no water and no exercise.

I realise that if I tackle each of these, weight loss will come all by itself. So this week, I have been making an effort to address each of these areas of contention. Have I been successful? Sort of.

Soft drinks: They contain so much sugar and add nothing to your body except weight. I'm a 2 litre a day guy and have done only 2 litres in 4 days. Not bad, me think. I know, I know. I have to cut it out completely!

Beer: Nectar of the gods. Beer contains so much calories that by having just a couple a week pushes your calorie intake for the week over the limit. So I'm trying to have one that has only 2,4% alcohol and 122kJ per 100ml. And of course way less of them as well.

Food: I have been trying to have only one sandwich at a time in stead of two. I include fruit and have more, but smaller meals. I tend not get hungry. When I am hungry, I over-eat. When I'm not hungry, I tend not to have so much.

Water: The elixir of life. Apparently you should drink at least two litres of water per day. This week it was hot, so it was easy for me to drink gallons. My wife is really jealous of me. If I don't change my diet at all, but just drink 2 litres of water per day, I can still lose 2 kgs a week. Unfair, I know, but I just don't do it. This week I have been faithful and I'll tell you the results just now.

Exercise: I saw this program on TV where they discussed how important proper breathing is. What has this got to do with exercise? They said most people don't breathe deep enough. On the spot I took a deep breath. Man, was I surprised. Everything inside me ached. I couldn't believe it! That is why you exercise - to force your lungs to open up a bit. Just half an hour everyday will work wonders. This week I have done a heck of a lot of walking - and deep breathing.

The sum total of tall this? At the beginning of the week I weighed 147.7kg. After just four days? 145.3kg! That is a smashing 2.4kg in just 4 days! I think I shall have a glass of water and a good walk to celebrate!

But the worst is still to come - the weekend! I love having a BBQ on weekends, with beer and snacks. But this weekend I going to try and stick to the successful recipe of the week. Wish me good luck - I'll frigging need it!

The Ease of Losing Weight.

For the last few weeks my wife and I have been watching programs on TV about overweight people.  The programs were Supersize VS Super Skinny, weight loss spas and programs about people who were super morbidly obese and Half Ton Mom and Half Ton Dad of the Channel 4 BodyShock series.

In the Supersize VS Super Skinny each of the participants were shown the amount of food they consume in a weak. Since I am definitely not Super Skinny, I shall be concentrating on the Supersize part of the job.

Not only were these people showing the amount of food they were consuming, but also the kind of food and the amount of calories. We have learned a lot about what to eat, what not to eat and in which volumes.

Also were shown various remedies and therapies to rectify the lifestyle habits of these people and it was as clear as daylight that mine was not conducive to a healthy body. As the saying goes, Healthy Body, Healthy Mind.

I dare any overweight person out there to tell me that they are really truly happy with the way they look. We are all envious of people who can walk into a shop and pick clothes from a shelf and just wear it! With many of these people the root of their weight problem is not just the food itself, but the psychological reasons behind it.

However, I also believe that overweight people have co-offenders. In the case of Billy Robbins it is his mother and fortunately she realized this. Accepting responsibly is often the most difficult to do. The reason is simple: responsibility demands action! It is easy to say "Yes, I eat too much", but a whole new ballgame to say "No, thank you, I've had enough."

If you are lying in bed and you are too fat to get up to go get you own food, THE BLAME LIES WITH PERSON WHO BRINGS IT TO YOU!!!!!!     

If somebody only feeds you a calorie controlled diet, YOU ARE BOUND TO LOSE WEIGHT!!

But in the end there is a fact that stands like an Everest above all other facts: It is NOT easy to loose weight!

So, the battle of the bulge rages on.

Oh, by the way, the scale still hasn't been kind to me.