Slipped Up

This weekend I slipped up and fell off the dietary wagon.

The weekend started off OK. Friday was my first day off, which as I work nights meant sleeping most of the day followed by an evening of TV and I didn't pig out either, just had a bowl of porridge, two meat rolls and some rice pudding.

Saturday is where it started to go downhill. First off, I forgot to weigh myself in the morning which would be OK expect I also didn't fill in my diet diary, meaning I wasn't able to track my calories and I'm having trouble, as I write this, remembering what it is I ate. I believe I had porridge for breakfast andriod know I has lasagne and chips in a cafe in town but after this ny minds a blank. The only other thing I know for certain is that I went to the gym.

Sunday I did get on the scales and found I was 1lb up on Friday, so the effects were starting to show. After a week of porridge I decided to treat myself to a bacon, sausage and rossti bap (a concoction of my own making). Again I didn't keep a diary, but I know I didn't behave. First having pork pie and thick cut bread and butter at the folks and then pizza and desserts in the evening, all washed down with some pop.

Monday and after my weekends antics I was looking to get back on the wagon, especially as I had put on another pound since the day before. I started well and had my porridge but that's where it ended. After visiting the doctors to book myself in for my vaccinations, I walked back in to town and past a chip shop that offers cod and chips for just £3, an offer they've had for a while that I had wanted to try but haven't gotten round to. After checking the film times I decided to have the fish and chips, with the aim being to go to the gym after the cinema.

I then had a couple bags of sweets at the cinema and some pop, which left me feeling too bloated to go to the gym. So like an idiot I went home where I, after the bloated feeling had past, had another pizza.

So it's Tuesday and I'm 2lbs up on Monday and 4lbs up on a few days ago. I've been good so far and hope to lose what I've put on in a couple days, but I really need to get my shit together and stop being so self-destructive.

The Kenyan Mission - Update 2

9 weeks to go and my mission to lose 30lbs continues.

Not a bad week, I lost 2lbs fairly early in the week and had a run of 3-4 days at the same weight.

I've tried to be more active and since the start of this week I've aimed to do a minimum of 20,000 steps each day, which I'm finding an OK target on working days but a bit more difficult on my days off.

Problems with a broadband and my iPhone dying have meant I've not been updating this blog, but I do hope to be back on it now I have my new phone and my broadband should be repaired by the end of the week.

 

So my total loss so far is 6lbs, which means my current Kenyan Mission Goals are;

Primary      : 24lbs

Secondary : 34lbs

Tertiary      : 44lbs

The Kenyan Mission - Update 1

So 10 weeks until I fly out to Kenya and a week since I started my mission to lose 30lbs by the time I get on the plane and it's been a bit of a mixed week but overall a positive start.

I've lost 4lbs but it has yoyo'd between a 0lbs and 5lbs. My main ally this week has been a lack of funds, so I haven't bought the same crap I would otherwise snack on. It also means I haven't bought my daily post-work bacon and sausage baguette from Greggs, which as a night worker is my regular dinner.

I've kept my food choices fairly basic for most of the week. I've had porridge (Flavored with freeze dried fruit) most days for breakfast, which I've made with water and no sugar but a couple times I've added a sliced banana. I've had chicken, rice, peas and mushrooms for lunch and dinner a few times and couple times I've had the same but with fish instead of chicken. 

Although I've been quite good with my main meal choices this week I have also enjoyed some cherry pie, that was free in work, and some cinnemon swirls that I got for free, as well as some free Quality Street and Roses chocolates, so I do wonder what affect they have ultimately had.

I've also been quite good as far as drinks are concerned, I've had just 2 500ml bottles of pop all week, which is very good for me, and have been drinking a lot more water, making sure I've got a full water bottle when I've leaving home/work. As far as hot drinks go, I've been drinking herbal tea without milk and when I'm at home I'm drinking it without sugar but I must admit to putting a little sugar and sweetener in when I'm at work. I've still had my nightly Mocha at work, which only has the sugar from the chocolate in it.

Being more active has been one of my aims and this week instead of catching 2 buses to work, I've been walking to the bus station and catching the second bus. I have also made my return to the gym, after being good and going most days through out Christmas only to not have gone since New Years Eve. I have also started on some muscular endurance work at home using my dumbell's and Vipr, I plan on building on this so that I have a proper workout on work days and leave the gym for my days off, so to save time.

So my total loss so far is 4lbs, which means my current Kenyan Mission Goals are;

Primary      : 26lbs

Secondary : 36lbs

Tertiary      : 46lbs

The Kenyan Mission

11 weeks today, I will be enroute to Kenya, which I will be visiting for two weeks, during which I will be both volunteering at a children's home but also get a bit of a holiday.

With that in mind, I've started thinking where I'd like to be weight wise at the time of flying out and that maybe I should set some goals and what they should be.

My basic aim of this whole process long term is to shift a lot of weight, probably around 100lbs, but that is obviously not something that I will achieve in 77 days, so what should I aim to lose between now and March 24th?

Well I've got to be realistic with what I aim for, whilst at the same time I want to keep any weight I lose off, so I initially thought about a target of a 2lbs per week, as almost everything you read will recommended a 1-2lbs per week loss, which would be 22lbs (1st 8lbs) over the course of the 11 weeks. Then thinking about it, I thought why not aim to lose 2st (28lbs), which would only be another 6lbs and would take my weight down to 18st 1lb.

I finally decided to set my primary goal to 30lbs, as that would take me to below 18st, something I haven't been for a few years now, an something I think is achievable over 11 weeks. Although I don't want to lose the weight too quick, I have decided to set secondary and tertiary goals in 10lb increments.

So my Kenyan Mission Goals are

Primary      : 30lbs

Secondary : 40lbs

Tertiary      : 50lbs

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

So I've lost the extra weight I had put on pigging out over the New Year weekend, losing 8lbs since I wrote my first post on this blog a few days ago, so I now weigh in at 281lbs (20st 1lb). An early positive albeit all I have effectively done is go to the toilet.

I've did have a good couple days that I've only spoilt by having a bit too much cheese, that I have been adding to most meals, which I then failed to mention in my food diary, but have been making sure I keep active to counterbalance it, something I will have to keep up, not least because I've still got a little cheese to finish off.

I did have a bad day yesterday though. One of the good/bad bits of my job (depending on how you look at it) is that I have semi-regular access to free cake, something me and my work colleges take full advantage of. and last night was no exception. But I made it worse by buying some Amaretto Cream beforehand, as I knew there would be cake. Sure enough, come break time there I was with a bowl containing 3 slices of the not so thick cut (ok that's just an excuse) chocolate fudge cake and half of the 250ml tub of cream applied with spoon in hand. But something weird happened, I ate about half the cake and even less of the cream (it was extra thick, not runny at all) and I was feeling like this is just too much and instead of carrying on regardless, like have so many times before, and finishing it off, I laid my spoon down and thought 'No more'.

I hope it's turning point and I can go 2 steps forward and no steps back.

The Food Diary

In previous attempts to lose weight, I have kept a food diary, which I have found does help me lose weight, the problems only start again when I stop keeping the diary.

I used to keep my food diary in little pocket notepads but I have now opted to use and actual diary for 2016.

The aim is to write down everything you eat, logging the calories as you go and keeping a running total. Most food you buy these days will have the calorie content on the packaging in one form or another, you might just have to do some basic maths, and for the rest you can get the information online.

Initially just eating what you would eat normally and logging it, I've found that the numbers can be quite staggering and take you by surprise. But I have found I naturally start eating less or eat different foods and the calorie count comes down by itself. 

The next step is to set a calorie target and keep below it, there are various sources online that can help you determine what you calorie target is, based on your stats and what your aim is

Foodaholic

"Hi, my name is Chris and I'm a foodaholic"

Ok, maybe foodaholic is just an excuse and it would be more accurate to say 'My name is Chris and I'm a lazy fat shit who should get off his fat arse and stop stuffing his face with crap everyday', as my love of bad food plus my lazy disposition has resulted in me being morbidly obese now for about for over 10 years. 

Until 10 years ago, I was more active, I was working in jobs that were physical and I would go out regularly. Then I got a job in a call centre which, even though was better paid, meant I was spending my days sitting around and slowly my social life dwindled down to staying in. I left that job after 6 tears but not much has changed in the 4 years since leaving, which is more annoying as I had left to work in the fitness industry but that went pear shape after a couple knock backs early on, that resulted in me turning back to bad habits.

Quitting smoking has probably been one of the biggest factors in my weight gain. I tried to quit numerous times over a few years, each time resulted in me putting on weight that I never lost when I started smoking again. I recall being in the 15 stone region when I started at BT and shooting up to 16 something when I first tried to quit and just continually shooting up each time I ditched the cancer sticks. I finally gave up for good 6 years ago but by then I'd developed my bad habits, that still curse me today.

I've tried and failed to shift the weight a few times and although I've had some success in the past, it's only ever been temporary and it just ends up going back on. 

I've been trying again to lose the weight over the past few months but I have only had a little bit of success. I tipped the scales at 300lbs on 20th September 2015 and managed to lose 24lbs over 3 months, weighing in at 276lbs on 13th December 2015. But as always seems to be the case, I have since put 12lbs back on, weighing in at 289lbs this morning. Some of the weight gain is the result of me being an idiot and pigging out (instead of knuckling down with the diet like most people would do on January 1st) over the past two days, so hopefully I will lose some of that quick.

I've decided to blog my progress over the coming months, which I hope will help both me and anybody reading this. 

My aim is to lose the pounds but also to be happy and healthier. I also hope to regain my body confidence, which is something everybody should have, and with that in mind this is the first step. This is me on the 1st January 2016 with literally nothing to hide;

1st January 2016

I know it is not a pretty sight but I want this blog to be warts and all and there is no reason why anybody should be ashamed of the naked body. I only hope that this is the last time I look like this and I'll look completely different in a few months time.