My Choice

An important aspect for successful weightloss is decision making. It is not just enough to take that initial step and begin a diet. That is the starting point, but from everyday onwards success or failure will be determined on the choices that we make.

Today for example, I have been given several opportunities to break from my eating regime. One of the reasons I will be successful moving forward is the ability to say no. Resist temptation. Stick to what works. It isn’t an easy thing to do, but if the motivation and will power is really there, the right choices will be made.

Exhibit A. When I arrived at my desk this morning, I found a box of chocolates on my desk. One of my colleagues, bless her, bought them for me to say thank you for something that happened earlier in the week. She knows that I’m dieting but said I could keep them for a bad day. Now, in the early stages of dieting, I try to avoid shops for the very reason that I know I’m susceptible to chocolate. Being faced with a gift first thing in the morning, after a week of being very good was tough. However, I’m determined not to crack. The Heroes will stay in my cupboard for a while and I’ll blog again when the day comes that I tuck in.

My lunchtime choice. Soup vs Heroes. Soup won

Exhibit B. We have a communal lunch room in my office. Having spent the week avoiding the Peanut Butter Oreos and Biscuits, today a message came around about leftover buffet being available following an event. Sandwiches, bhajis, some sort of meat on a stick, mini-quiche. The sort of crap that even though you don’t really want to eat it, you find yourself compelled to eat platefuls of the stuff. I didn't. My choice.

Mmmm, leftovers. Must. Eat.

Exhibit C. No supportive photos on this occasion but trust me. A group of fundraisers came around with trays full of cakes and cookies. They put them in my face, saying it was for whatever good cause they are supporting. I stuck a pound coin in their collection bucket and but did not take anything from them. Well done me. Sticking to my diet and giving to charity.

There are various choices we have to make. Do I open that bottle of wine when I get home from work? Shall I pass on cooking and order takeout? Why don’t I have that second helping? Unless you are a child or infirm, the responsibility for what you consume on a daily basis lies squarely with you. I’ve never hidden away from the fact that I made myself a 24st man. The reason I’m dieting again this January is because of poor choices in recent months.

Graduation Day. Barely 21. Enormous. And I got much bigger than this

So thank you for the chocolates. Thank you for the leftover buffet. Thank you for the cakes. But no, my choice today is to politely decline. 

Off to a fast start

When taking the decision to lose weight, a lot of people want a quick fix. I'm not necessarily one of those people as I've been battling the bulge over a number of years so know that a long term commitment is required rather than instant gratification. That said, I was delighted by the outcomes of 5 days of sensible eating. For those who missed it, my first Wednesday Weigh-In of 2015 showed a 10lb loss in less than a week.

On any other week of the year, that sort of drop would cause all manner of alarm bells to go off, but immediately following Christmas and New Year it is acceptable. All those extra calories consumed from eating junk and excess drinking had to be eliminated, and a little bit of a detox to start 2015 has paid off. Where others may fall off the dieting wagon is when the next week is not quite so successful. And it won't be. If you lose 10lbs a week, every week, you probably need to see a doctor rather than count your calories.

I achieved my loss through keeping things simple. Porridge for breakfast. Soup for lunch. Whatever I fancied for dinner in a good sized portion. No snacks. No alcohol. Bread off the menu. Throw in a 5k run and that was my recipe for success.

Imagine 10 of these. Gone. From your weight. Happy days

Last night I found myself eating a little more for dinner than I have on previous nights, and helped myself to pudding too. The scales this morning remained friendly. All things in moderation, then back to my porridge/soup combination so far today. I know this works for me, and I have the willpower (when motivated) to stick to the plan. Until I can raise my fitness levels and bring more exercise to my routine, food control is my chief method for weight loss.

I won't have lost another 10lbs by my next weigh in. But if I keep good habits and don't steer too from the path that I have found successful, I won't be gaining. I've made a terrific start to wrestling back control of my waistline. The challenge starts here to back that up in subsequent weeks and months.

Workplace Temptation

Today was my first day back at work after Christmas. I had been looking forward to this as I thought it would be an easy way to stave off temptation from the bad stuff that surrounded me at home. How silly of me to believe that.

In my office lunch room I came face to face with a full box of Victoria biscuits and a multipack of peanut butter Oreo cookies. Are dieting cruelty goes, this was pretty harsh. Somehow I managed to resist, though my tin of chunky soup bought on the cheap from Lidl didn't really offer much of a safety net. It was edible enough, but 4 days into a diet and confronted with this, my will power was strongly tested.

What sort of dieting cruelty is this?

Thankfully the test was passed, though I've just eaten a bigger portion of chicken carbonara for my dinner than was probably advisable. I certainly feel pretty full tonight! On balance, it is better to have a bit more pasta than open up a can of worms by digging into biscuits. There is only one way that would end; badly.

Wednesday Weigh-In 6 August

Ok, so I'm writing this on a Thursday morning and therefore strictly speaking it is not a Wednesday Weigh-In, but the weight measurement was taken yesterday so same difference.

I've not yet reached the point where I want to suppress my appetite. Almost immediately after publishing last week's entry, I went in search of food and I've lacked the level of discipline I need to shift the extra lbs I'm currently carrying. The scales were pretty kind when all said and done, but if you take 2 five mile runs out of my weekly activity there would almost certainly have been a gain to report. As it is, there has been no movement.

No Score Draw

My foray back into the running world has been going well. After the first couple of runs I had tight thighs and quite a few aches and pains. The last two efforts have not resulted in anything other than sweat and satisfaction. It is becoming easier to run, maintain a decent pace and go for longer. On Friday and Tuesday night I managed just over 5 miles. I'd be lying if I said it was 5 unbroken miles as I did need to slow to walking pace periodically to catch my breath, but things are definitely going in the right direction. If I can manage 5 miles after barely a week back into training, I'm pretty positive that I'll be race ready for my next half marathon in October.

This week marks 6 years of wedded bliss. I'd like to pay tribute to my wife for putting up with me, my mood swings, my desire to get out of bed on a Saturday morning to abandon her and the boys to go running in a park, for supporting me over the years in my weight loss efforts and for loving me regardless of whether I was the 24 stone man who she moved in with or the 14 stone man who runs 13.1 miles for the fun of it. It takes a special sort of person to tolerate me, and I'm so grateful that I came to my senses all those years ago.

The Award Winning GKT

On Friday I attended my industry awards event, called the National Undergraduate Employability Awards. I was a finalist in the category for Outstanding Contribution to Work Experience, and having missed out in the previous two years it was a question of third time lucky. I picked up my award from Sahar Hashemi, co founder of Coffee Republic, and was also presented with a personalised bib for my little boy which reads 'When I Grow Up I Want To Do A Placement'. Having experienced more than a few setbacks in my career in recent years, it feels fantastic to receive some recognition.

#NUEAwards Outstanding Contribution to Work Experience goes to ...Graham Kaye- Taylor at Brunel Highly Commended to Tim Ward at Salford Uni
— ASET (@ASETOnline) March 7, 2014

Now, given that this is a dieting and weightloss blog, I'll skip further talk about the work side of Friday. I've got another blog for that should anybody be so inclined. Instead I want to talk about the suit. Back in January, I bought myself a new suit specifically with the Awards in mind. Having slimmed down last year I knew that my existing ones would be a little on the large side and so I invested during the sales.

I opted for a skinny fit mid grey suit, and I'd be lying if I said I was totally confident about wearing it. Having spent so many years plumping for an additional X on the label of my clothes to provide more give, the concept of figure hugging attire is a little alien to me. I've come to accept I can get away with slim fit shirts, but this was taking things to another level.

I'm still haunted by an experience of my suit trousers splitting down the bum on my way to present at a conference years ago. I had that in my mind for most of my journey into London, causing me to stand on the train and tube when seats were available. There were feelings of dread as I approached the venue in case something similar happened again. The trousers were predictably tight given their design, and I was highly conscious that one wrong movement could result in embarrassment. My calf muscles in particular felt restricted, having grown in recent months through running.

I needn't have worried in the end. The suit held firm and without wishing to sound hugely egotistical, I looked fantastic. Through the afternoon I had people showering me in compliments, many of whom would not have been aware about this blog but have met me at previous awards or in the line of work and could see the difference. The picture below shows the moment where I'm collecting my award. By way of comparison, the picture underneath is from the 2012 awards

Winner 2014 - complete with bib

Highly Commended 2012 - T-Shirt & Champers

Just for good measure to illustrate how far I've come, here is a picture taken at a wedding reception back in 2004.

Wearing my sumo fat suit

I'm not sure I'll ever fully believe that I'm slim. However, taking the occasional stroll down memory lane by looking at photos in my early to mid 20s serve up a very graphic representation of what I'm not. I'm no longer the guy who struggles to find clothes that fit, who breaks toilet seats or splits their trousers. Winning an award feels good. Winning an award whilst looking great feels even better.

Wednesday Weigh-In 26 February

The wobbles are over. To be honest they were over when I wrote last week's weigh in article as I'd already dispensed with the gremlins and recovered what all dieters need, namely control. I've been somewhat quiet on the blogging front over the last 7 days, at least with regards to dieting. Usually when I go for periods without writing it is because I'm in an unhappy place and don't want to face the music. This week it has been more a question of quietly going about my business, with a steely determination to claw back some of the gains of the past three weeks.

As it has turned out, I've wiped the slate clean. And then a bit more. I've gone sub 14 stone for the first time since I don't know when. Probably 20 years or more. Maybe even a little further back.

Yikes!

While I have been very focused on the job at hand and disciplined with food since the last weigh-in, I've not exactly been living off rabbit food. Last Thursday I bought my son a McDonald's for a lunchtime treat and had one myself. Twice I've enjoyed Truly Irresistible Sticky Toffee Pudding with plenty of custard, thanks to Co-operative and their deliciously tempting half price deal. I've kept away from bread during workdays but indulged in cheese on toast on both Saturday and Sunday. There was even a little bit of grazing on Sunday, but I've become quite comfortable with the idea of having one day a week where I'm picking at things to eat, so long as the remaining 6 I'm not.

This week's loss then has been achieved through control. I've laughed in the face of the biscuits and chocolates being offered to me at work by colleagues. I've kept away from snacks all week, with the exception of Sunday. McDonald's was eaten in sensible proportion, having a medium size wrap of the day meal. Years ago I'd have plumped for a super size meal with at least 1 additional item from the saver menu on top. The toffee pudding was a bit of a vice I admit, but then one night it was factored in as a reward for a 5k run in the morning, and replaced booze which I've quietly taken off the menu.

With all of my focus on my weight, I have dropped the ball somewhat on the exercise front. Beyond my parkrun on Saturday morning, the only time I've pulled on the running gear was last Wednesday night when I didn't go particularly far. Interrupted nights courtesy of the little man combined with a bit less energy from ditching the junk has meant I've not really been up for exercise. I'm acutely aware that the half marathon is less than 4 weeks away now so will have to put in some lengthy training runs between now and then, which means I'll need to fuel up. It was worth sacrificing a few miles in the last 7 days to help restore my sanity. Let's hope it sticks around for a while longer.

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Wednesday Weigh-In - 12 February

Last week I was positively laissez-faire about gaining 1 pound. This week I'm incredibly relieved that I replicated the feat rather than multiplied the damage. It appears that my idea of maintaining a healthy weight consists of stuffing my face like a lunatic for several days and then putting myself through 48 hours of detox ahead of a weigh-in. Not exactly a healthy way of doing things and certainly not a methodology I'm keen to repeat in future.

My Achilles Heel over the past week has been biscuits at work. Buy a pack with the intention to have an occasional treat, and before you know it the packet is empty. Repeat the next day. And the next. Over the weekend I didn't do myself any favours either, drinking more on Saturday night than I really needed to, and for no reason. Sunday I went to my mother's house and predictably ate to excess (Love your mother loathe her cooking) and while I did follow this up with an 8 mile run later that evening, it didn't take a genius to work out that I would be up against it for the weigh-in this morning.

So another pound gained. Alarm bells are not ringing yet as I've been fully aware of what I've been doing. I also know what needs to be done to reverse the trend. Cut out the extras and remain disciplined. Sounds so easy and yet the temptation is always there.

No great surprise

If I needed motivation to get back to it, the fact that I have just over three weeks until I attend an industry awards event should help restore food sanity. While I've always maintained this dieting lark is about being healthy, I'm allowed one day a year when vanity takes hold! I'm up for an award titled 'Outstanding Contribution to Work Experience' and having been a finalist in the same category the last two years without taking home the gong, I'd like to think that it will be a case of third time lucky. I've bought a new suit to reflect my smaller physique, and know I'll be in front of photographers and camera crews. You don't get many opportunities to feel like a rock star working in Higher Education, so when the chance comes along you want to make the most of it.

Two years ago I was 'Highly Commended', receiving a bottle of champers from Olympian Steve Backley which was nice. Last year I had much more important things on my mind than winning, as the Awards fell just a few days after my son was born and was still in special care following his surgery. This year, well we'll just have to see. Win or not, I want to look my best, just for one day.

Highly Commended - Close but no cigar!

So hopefully I've got my recent gorging out of the system now. A few weeks of being relatively good will mean I can head to the NUE Awards on 7 March looking good, feeling great and hopefully will have something to celebrate by the end of it.

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Wednesday Weigh-In - 5 February

The headline news this week is I've had my first gain of 2014. However, in the immortal words of Corporal Jones, 'Don't Panic'. The scales put me 1 pound heavier this week compared to last Wednesday, but I've no reason for concern. It may sound a bit defensive but what is a pound anyway? I'm using scales which round up or down to the nearest pound. It is a marginal gain at worst.

Up, but not down

I'll admit I've not been particularly diet focused, but then as I said last week I'm now in maintenance mode and so a little movement up or down from 14 stone is not unrealistic. There were a couple of cans on Saturday night ending dryathlon. There were fewer runs than the previous week. Yesterday was my wife's birthday and so I enjoyed a large slab of chocolate cake, rather than go for a 4 mile run the night before a weigh-in like the previous Tuesday. I'm certainly not blaming the gain on a nice treat!

On a more positive note, I feel slimmer. A belt that I bought back in October because my existing ones were too big is now in danger of being replaced having moved onto the last hole at the tight end. I'm also going to have to think about getting my wedding ring resized as my fingers are smaller than they used to be and it has been noticeably looser of late.

I'm feeling good on the running front. I've mapped out some longer routes for me to try out as I push my training forwards in the next few weeks. Yesterday I received a bunch of donations on my sponsorship page and I've recruited some colleagues to bake some wonderfully sugary badness for a Macmillan style coffee morning next month, with proceeds going towards the run. I'm looking forward to a bit of indulgence when that comes around.

Over the next 7 days it would be good to see that 1 on the picture above drop back to a 0. I'm giving blood later today so if I was so inclined could check the scales tonight for reassuring comfort. But I'm very happy with where I'm at right now. I'm not blase enough to say the weight can take care of itself, but so long as I don't do anything silly, my exercise will keep things in check.

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Going The Distance

Tonight I've had a bit of a psychological breakthrough in regards to my half marathon training. I'm not afraid to admit that up until this point I've been feeling a little nervous about how far I'll have to go. I've become comfortable doing 5km but the thought of doing that four times back to back with a sprint finish on top has filled me with dread.

Last September I competed in a 10k run, coming home in a respectable 56.38 but a fair chunk of that race was covered at walking pace, most notably that blimming great hill in the middle of the golf course. I wasn't fit enough to run the entire race and in the four months since I've not gone beyond my comfort of a Saturday morning 5k. With the half marathon just over two months away, I had to get out there and get some distance into my legs.

The problem is as a working dad, time is a precious commodity. It is unrealistic for me to run first thing in the morning as I need to get my youngest up and ready for nursery before getting his big brother ready for school. My lunch breaks are now restricted by the fact that I'm making up time that I lose first thing, due to not being able to leave the school gates until 8.40 at the earliest. After work I get home, get the boys fed, bathed and ready for bed. After that, I cook for my wife, who has a much more stressful day than I do, and then my choice is to eat at the same time or pull on the running gear.

So many reasons exist not to go out in the evenings. Fatigue. Hunger. The weather hasn't been entirely helpful for my motivation of late, though I have made it out a couple of times for half hearted efforts. Last night I hoped to run but the rain arrived and drowned my good intentions. Tonight, with clear skies above me I left my excuses at home.

To mix things up, I made a change from my usual route. Going past all those take away outlets was getting a little old, plus a new direction meant I would be unaware of how far I had run. My mind tends to play tricks on me when I see distance markers, even at the parkrun, meaning I suddenly feel weary or notice an ache or pain that wasn't there before. Running blind tonight meant that didn't happen. And when I got back to my driveway I stopped my app to be informed I had managed this.

Boo-ya!

Just under 10k in 52:30. Had I known I was at that sort of distance I'm sure I would have found an extra 100 metres on my way home just to take it up to a nice round figure! Still, I'm feeling pretty darn satisfied this evening. If I can do this on a cold Tuesday night after the little one kindly provided me with a broken night's sleep, then maybe this half marathon business isn't quite as scary as I had been thinking.

13 miles. 21 kilometres. This guy is starting to believe he is going the distance.

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Now is not the time to be Dappy

Have you ever thought what life would be like if you were to swap places with a TV character? You could find yourself running The Queen Vic, avoiding Dappy’s advances on Celebrity Big Brother or be twirled around the ballroom in the arms of Brendan Cole.

If I had the chance to switch into a role right now, I’d pick Sam Beckett. I’d want to go back in time, to put right what once went wrong. If Ziggy was dialling up percentages for me right now, I’d be told it would take a Quantum Leap for me to lose weight this week.

So what has gone wrong? I’m not quite sure I could put a trigger on it. All I know is I’ve resembled a pig throughout the weekend, and couldn’t keep my snout from the trough. I avoided alcohol as has been my plan for the whole of January, but I think a can or two would have been preferable compared to the amount of garbage I’ve consumed. Crisps. Toast. Chocolate Brazilnuts. The best part of half a tin of roses. It hasn’t been my finest hour.

And yet the weekend had started so positively. Despite the ground conditions remaining less than favourable, I chalked up another PB forthe 5k. A mere 2 seconds off, but considering the previous effort nearly killed me and I was feeling pretty fresh afterwards this time around suggests I’ve further room for improvement. But that was the high point of the weekend. The rest of it was all about eating junk.

Now is not the time to be dappy. There is plenty of work to be done this week. The plan is to get things back on track, get out for a few evening runs and grin and bear what the scales display on Wednesday morning. I’m not going to waste my time kicking myself for a slack weekend, as I can’t jump back into the past. When things don’t go according to plan, it is more important to focus on what you can change, rather than dwell on mistakes. Lots of spinach today then.

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Wednesday Weigh-In 8 January

Welcome to the first Wednesday Weigh-In of 2014! It feels like it has been ages since the last one, though in reality it has just been three weeks. On that day I proudly mounted the scales at the lightest I have been in my adult life as 14st dead. In the intervening weeks, Christmas happened and I well and truly let my hair down, with my 2nd January baseline putting me at 14st 11lbs.

In regaining some sense of diet control, I always expected to claw back some of the Christmas excess. I went back to work on 2 January giving the perfect opportunity to restore myself to a simple three meal a day routine, rather than dipping into food and snacks at any waking moment. I've been out running three times since Saturday morning clocking up just over 15 kilometres, which my app reliably informs me means I burnt an additional 1600 calories.

The result of which is pretty pleasing. In the last six days I've got back into 'Normal' territory according to BMI and moved in the right direction towards where I want to be with my weight.

6 days later, a much better morning view

Still a bit of work to do to get back to 14st, but I'm pleased to have dusted off the cobwebs and got the diet operational again. While it was good to relax for a couple of weeks, I feel so much better when I'm not indulging to excess. Let's hope I can stick with it.

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Winners Wear Yellow

My goal for 2014 came a little closer to reality today. You've probably already seen me mention the fact that I'm running my first half marathon in March (yes yes, just the once or twice!). Well, today waiting for me when I got home was a package that contained this.

Well a marathon man needs a snazzy vest

Yes, I am now the proud owner of my very own Shine running vest. And all it is going to cost me is one Saturday morning where I will be dragging my body round a circuit of just over 13 miles. That seems fair, right? The truth is I'm pretty indebted to the charity. They were a helpful ear when we had so many questions about Spina Bifida after my son was diagnosed with it during pregnancy. They made a difference to our family, and do so for many others who find themselves in similar situations. I'd say that was worth pushing myself physically and drumming up some sponsorship in return.

Having received my lovely new bit of kit, I decided to take it for a road test. Yes, I went out for a run last night too but that ended prematurely due to the weather, whereas this evening the were no rainclouds in sight. I went out and ran just under 4km before I came to the conclusion that running with partially weary limbs into a headwind was counterproductive. I walked for a bit, then got bored and picked up the pace again, running for a further 2km before a final stroll home. Shine have the hashtag #WinnersWearYellow - from tonight's efforts I'd say the vest is fit for the half marathon but I've got some hard graft to put in to get me ready.

As selfies go, this is not a keeper

One thing that struck me during my run tonight was just how many fast food joints there are nearby. I passed a kebab van, several fish and chip shops, a Chinese take away, lots of non-descript chicken/burger outlets, a McDonalds, a KFC, a Subway, pizza parlours, not to mention several Indian restaurants. No wonder we're turning into a bunch of fatties in this country with so many high calorie outlets in close proximity. There was a time when I ate McDonalds every lunchtime. I can also remember a time when I ate a kebab pretty much every night. If we are to believe that we are what we eat, it really isn't any great surprise that I was a 24st tub of lard. Nowadays all of the above are a rare treat, but well off my agenda until I've got back down to pre-Christmas weight.

Tomorrow will be my first Wednesday weigh-in for a while. I've little doubt that I will have shed some of the Christmas excess but quite how much remains to be seen. The bigger challenge right now is getting myself ready for 22 March and those 13 and a bit miles. I've got my vest. I've got my motivation. The question is have I got what it takes to get to the finish. Time will tell.

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In Praise of ParkRun

The first day of the 2014 version of the diet came and passed without too much difficulty. After the pretty horrible weather that saw out December and welcomed in January, I probably should have taken advantage of a dry evening and pulled on my running gear, but I listened to my body and decided otherwise. It is one thing going from the festive excess to a much more measured intake of calories, but it would be quite another to pound the streets in the dark. My body is going to be confused enough as it is without additional exercise on top.

So the half marathon training has been put on hold, at least for a couple of days while I settle back into diet mode, but Saturday will bring around my favourite time of the week. Long gone are the days of lie-ins or watching Soccer AM over a fried breakfast. Since July my venue of choice for a Saturday morning has been down at my local parkrun participating with several hundred others in a free timed 5 kilometre run. I've been doing this most weekends since July last year, and is probably no coincidence that my weight loss really took off from then onwards.

parkrun logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you've not heard of parkrun, the premise is pretty simple. Register once online, take your personalised barcode to any of their hundreds of events, and run. It is completely free to participate and you get your results by email or text later in the day. You can even chart your progress by going online to view all of your parkrun results and there are all sorts of statistics on there to get excited about if you're so inclined.

I was put onto parkrun by a twitter follower who had noticed I was blogging about running on a treadmill last spring. At his suggestion, I went along to see what all the fuss was about and I'd have to say that recommendation was spot on. I've met a terrific bunch of people who volunteer their time to put on the event every Saturday morning, without whom parkrun would not exist. Any reservations I may have had about turning up to one of these events as a complete novice were very quickly cast aside. Sure there are some serious runners who race off into the distance never to be seen again until the following weekend, but there is no stereotype that adequately describes a parkrunner. There are men and women well into their senior years, parents running with children or even pushing babies along in strollers. People like me looking to get fit and others making their way round in a more leisurely fashion, enjoying a bit of exercise on a Saturday morning.

I usually attend the Black Park event but because there are so many of these dotted around the country, you can indulge in a little parkrun tourism. I've been to the Bradford run on a couple of occasions whilst visiting family and the welcome you get there is phenomenal, with great support from the stewards, not least when you tackle the fabled 'Teeny Tiny Hill'

Having had parkrun recommended to me, I'm more than happy to encourage others to get involved. I've had a couple of colleagues join me from work before, my brother-in-law, a friend from the football club has come along with his sons and from a brief interaction on Facebook earlier today it looks like an old school friend will be joining me on Saturday morning.

If you are looking for something to get you more active in 2014, don't be afraid to give this a go. It doesn't matter if you're not Mo Farah, as you are only racing against yourself rather than the other participants. Who knows, you like me might find an inner runner inside of you that you never knew existed.

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