Wednesday Weigh-In - 11 September

One week into this daddy day care gig and I think it is time to take stock of how things are going. Heading into my additional paternity leave there was several things that caused me concern which could have had a negative impact upon the diet. Firstly, losing my regular access to a gym. Secondly, losing a daily routine. Thirdly, boredom leading to the fridge.

On all three counts I have to say so far so good. I do miss the buzz of hitting the treadmill in my lunch break but I can't really say that I've been lacking in exercise. Like a geek I measured out the route to my son's school using the RunKeeper app, and it told me that it is 1.04km. Multiply that by 4 for two return journeys per day and multiply the sum by 5, and that means in a typical school week I will now be covering 21km on foot. With a pushchair no less. It is a different sort of workout to what I'd get through 20-25 minutes three times a week at the gym, but certainly not to be sniffed at. Throw in my regular 5k doing the Saturday morning parkrun, and an additional run I managed on Sunday to help with my 10k training, and you could easily argue I'm more active now than when in work.

Going from a regular routine of breakfast-work-gym/lunch-work-home to a blank page could have been challenging. As it has turned out, the lack of routine has just meant creating a new one. Getting both boys ready for the trip to school. Identifying windows to give baby his meals and tend to his medical needs. Picking up after school and getting the boys fed and ready for bed.

With all of that there has been little time for boredom. A spot of gardening, doing laundry and a bit of hoovering help pass the time during days when I've not organised anything else. I've had coffee mornings with a former housemate and former colleague. Pottering to the local shop and library. The only day where I've noticeably consumed more than usual was on Saturday when as usual I was famished after doing the 5k and plundered the Walkers multibag.

So with my initial fears allayed, how are things going on the diet front? Well, with boredom alleviated, and gym trips subbed for schoolrun on foot, I certainly wasn't expecting to gain weight over the last 7 days. The scales for the last two Wednesday mornings have told me I am 15st 10lbs. This morning they told me this.

So very close

The weightloss continues. I'm so close to my target of 15st 7lbs I can almost taste it. 40lbs down, 1lb to go. Another good week and hopefully I'm hitting that mark. So much of my motivation for losing weight this year has revolved around my boys. It would be a nice way to reach my goal with a little helping hand from the daily school walks with them both.

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The last 36 hours have provided a snapshot of the highs and lows of dieting. There have been some moments to be proud of, times when temptation has been given into, and times when the shackles are well and truly off. We'll think of them in a Clint Eastwood inspired analogy - quite simply The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Lets start with The Good.

I've upped my game somewhat in the exercise stakes. As regular followers of this blog will know, my secondary aim for the year beyond achieving target weightloss is to run a 10k race. This goal is getting closer to becoming a reality as I'm going to be joining a number of my office colleagues in participating in a run towards the end of September. I've got about three months to get myself conditioned and I've every intention of doing myself justice and not just finishing the race but also breaking the 1 hour mark.

Yesterday my plan for the gym was to reach 5k. This was achieved, though it did require slowing to walking pace several times to catch my breath. However, 5k was travelled and just inside half an hour, which at this stage I was very pleased about

Thursday's trip to the gym

I went back to the gym again today, and tried to see how far I could get without slowing down. I managed to run 3k straight before I needed a breather. As you can see, 5K was notched up again. It was probably not wholly advisable to duplicate the training on back to back days, and I may well pay for it over the weekend, but I am happy to have hit the mark again. Laterally thinking that is 10k run - but combining the two sessions and running them back to back rather than with a 24hr gap will be a challenge

Friday's trip to the gym. Same distance, a touch faster

The Bad came in the form of dinner on Thursday night. After a stressful day for my other half, I very quickly and without hesitation agreed to buy take out for dinner. Pizza Hut was ordered and it goes without saying I devoured mine. I've learned in my many efforts to lose weight that on the times when you do give into temptation, you can still do a bit to help yourself. Rather than have deep pan, I opt for the Italian base, and I tend to go for a pizza with spicy toppings. I do enjoy the taste of jalapenos, but they also serve a purpose of ensuring the damage is minimised by staying in the system for a shorter period of time. You know what I mean, and I'm not going to spell it out!

A treat after a rough day is not a bad thing. I'm not one of these people who justifies what they eat by the amount of exercise they undertake, but I imagine that 5k either side of an unhealthy dinner will provide a little more leeway than if I had just gone ahead and scoffed my face.

Yes, I had a lot more to eat than a BBQ dip

The Ugly is a reflection of where I'm at this evening. Left to my own devices, bar the company of my kids, I've cracked open a beer to round off a long and tiring week, after a long and tiring week the week before. One has already become two. How many more are drunk will determine just how ugly things become.

There is cold, and there is Damme Cold

Beer and pizza are not traditional friends of weightloss. The fact I've exercised a bit doesn't really excuse them, or make for a balanced diet. What damage is done we'll have to see come Wednesday for the next weigh-in. But for now, I'm going to say cheers, enjoy a cold one and then face the weekend where I hope to restore some level of order in my food and drink consumption.

Wednesday Weigh-In 26 June

My first weigh-in in two weeks and the results are positive. In the last fortnight I've managed to lose 3lbs taking me down to 16st 10lbs. At nearly the midway point in 2013, this means I'm the lightest I've been so far, and therefore back on track after several indifferent months. Over the last 4 weeks I've said goodbye to 10lbs which I'd gained since early March.

Last time they said this was 6 March

What makes this particularly pleasing is that over the last week I've spent 5 days overseas on holiday. I don't know about you but for me this usually means relaxing a little too much, eating and drinking more than necessary and coming home with a bloated stomach. I know that after my last overseas holiday, taking advantage of going all-inclusive meant that I returned a larger man than when I departed Stansted.

So what was different this time? Well, for a start staying in self-catering accommodation allowed for a certain amount of control in terms of consumption. Sure, I found myself eating crisps and chocolate things every day, and enjoyed 2-4 cans of beer a night, but there wasn't anything over the top. The main reason though why I feel I didn't gain weight came down to the holiday venue itself. We travelled to Disneyland Paris, and as anybody who has ever been before will know, there is a hell of a lot of walking to be done! It would have been interesting to measure out the distance between the car park and entry to the resort as simply doing that a couple of times a day would have racked up a few kms. Throw into the mix of either pushing around a pram weighed down by a 4 month old, plus a couple of bags, or carrying a cream-crackered 4 year old as a passenger, and I can say that I got a bit of a workout, even if it wasn't a full-on cardio session down the gym.

What was perhaps noticeable during the trip was that my stamina remained high throughout the stay. Rewind the clock to the start of the year when I was heavier and I'm not sure I'd have been able to get through the early starts, long days, lengthy drives, hours of pacing and getting up the next day to do it all again. My family needed me to be full of energy on this trip, and I met that challenge.

Despite getting back home late on Sunday night, I made myself go to the gym on Monday. It wasn't the most productive session I've ever had, but I was pleased to have the dedication to go, when fatigue was telling me to stay away. I'm going to have to up my game with the running side of things as it looks like I'll be joining a number of colleagues in running a 10k in late September. Three months to get ready, but so long as I physically hold up between now and then, I see no reason why I can't notch up this achievement.

So nearly at the half-way point in Year of the Diet, I'm feeling very positive. My initial goal to lose 41lbs and get down to 15st 7lb is looking reachable. I know I can get there and probably surpass the target before the end of the year, but equally I'm aware the demons are never far away. If I do the right things more days than I don't, and can keep up my exercise, I back myself to get the job done.

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Mind over malaise

So, after 'resting' the last couple of days to allow my leg a little time to heal, I was very much looking forward to attacking the treadmill today at the gym. My kit was packed in my bag and I'd even parked up next to the sports complex this morning to ensure that I would go. However, as the morning wore on, apathy and indifference began to enter my thoughts. Did I really want to do this today? Why not just pick things up again on Monday?

As I walked to my car I was still undecided. It was very much a question of take it or leave it. And I left it. Rather than go to the gym I headed to a well known supermarket chain to get a father's day card. I then drove back, parked in the exact same spot, and utterly disgusted at myself I took my gym bag out of the boot and did some training after all.

Dieting can be an easy thing when you're motivated. Making sure you stick to it on those days when you really can't be bothered are the ones that can decide how successful you will be. Today was a small moral victory, mind over malaise. Here's hoping that I won't have to fight with myself too often

Three Reasons to Feel Good

After my calf tightened up at the gym on Tuesday, I've spent the last couple of days away from the treadmill. As much as it has been a good chance to rest up, I've missed going. Rewind the clock to a few weeks back and I never thought I'd be saying that! My leg feels a lot better this evening though so I plan to squeeze in a little bit of huffing and puffing (aka running) tomorrow before the weekend kicks in.

The fact that I've dropped the physical part of my diet regime has not meant that I've given myself a green light to ignore the eating bit. I've added some fruit to my daily routine (who doesn't love peaches!) and enjoyed a fat free yoghurt with my lunch, but nothing that it going to substantially deviate from the three meal a day plan.

There was a brief moment of temptation at work today, when I was presented with a large box of Swiss chocolates from some very grateful students I've helped to secure jobs. These were very quickly offered to colleagues throughout the office and I'm pleased to say that I was able to keep my hands away from them. As my newest reader (big hello to Emma in Warwickshire) pointed out, this gave me three reasons to feel good. Receiving the chocolates in the first place was great, and a lovely gesture that was as unexpected as it was welcome. Secondly, in giving the chocolates to my colleagues, I was able to turn the tables and be the person providing the gift. And finally, I can be all smug and sanctimonious that I was strong willed and able to resist. Yay for me.

Would indulging in one chocolate have hurt my diet in isolation? No, of course not. Would one have led to another, and then probably more? Undoubtedly yes. I look forward to the day when I manage to find that balance where I can enjoy a treat and trust myself to leave it at that. Until then, I'm sticking to Plan A and abstaining from bad stuff wherever possible.

Wednesday Weigh-In - 5 June

Having been completely on the ball with my diet over the past 7 days, I would have been pretty annoyed if I hadn't seen positive movement on the scales this morning. I have to say I am pleased to have been rewarded for my efforts. Last week the scales read 17st 6lb. Today, well you can see for yourselves.

Going to start with a 16 next week!

All that talk about going back to the primitive was put into action. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. No alcohol. Barely a snack (I treated myself to a Smarties ice cream from the freezer on Sunday night for having got through the rest of the weekend intact). Add in more exercise than I'd done the previous month and the standard diet formula of eat less sweat more has proven very effective.

To move forward from here, I can't rest on my laurels. Proving I can stick to a diet for 1 week is fine in the short term, but my long term goal is still way off in the distance. I need to build upon this success and ensure I apply the same principles next week and the weeks to come. I know that it is unlikely I will replicate the same dramatic weightloss every time, but I'm motivated by the longer game rather than instant results.

Immediate challenges on the horizon present themselves in the form of a networking event this afternoon in London (will I have a drink, won't I? No chance to hit the gym today) plus my nephew has a birthday and I'm off to a BBQ and I've never yet been able to manage to ration myself sensibly when there are plates of charcoaled meat to consume.

However, enough about the future. I will take a moment or two to feel smug for meeting what I set out to achieve this week. The diet is back with a vengeance, and this time I'm not going to let things slip.

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Let's get physical

I'm a great believer in the basics of dieting. If you want to successfully lose weight there are two vital elements. Firstly, consume less and secondly, exercise more. I've made a good start to the former but to my shame it is approaching the middle of January and I'm yet to really contemplate getting off my rather large behind and burn some calories. This will change and I'll be donning my joggers in the very near future.

In 2007 when I embarked on my first diet, I was a 24st very unfit seriously obese man. At that time I was too embarrassed by my physique to step foot in a gym or be seen in a pair of shorts at the local swimming pool. But I was adamant that if I was going to reach my goals, I had to complement my change in eating habits with some good honest physical graft. That January I bought myself a sturdy exercise bike and for the next 4 months I sweated bucketloads using it three or four times a week. By the end of May, I'd lost 4st and signed up for membership at my local gym.

I'm starting 2013 in a different position to where I was 6 years ago. My level of fitness is well down on where I would like it to be but I'm not afraid to hit the gym. What I am lacking is motivation, or at least I was. A couple of days ago I receive a nice message of support from an old school friend who told me that he was looking forward to monitoring my progress. Knowing that he is a bit of a fitness freak I jested that I didn't expect to be running marathons like him but if all went well I'd look into the possibility of running in a shorter event later in the year. He then challenged me by saying that if I beat my weightloss targets, he would run a 5k/10k with me before Christmas.

Well, I'm not going to duck this challenge. I am going to meet it head on. I will shed the lbs and now I've got my motivation to get physical. This doesn't mean I'm going to hit the gym every day, or pound the streets night after night, but I have a focus and target to build towards throughout the months ahead. It is going to take time and sweat, lots of aches and pains, but in addition to this being the Year of the Diet, 2013 will be a year where I make a concerted effort to get fit.

If anybody has any tips about running, I'd welcome you sharing them with me!

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