I'm Excited!

Had a bad weekend from a food perspective (but not as bad as last weekend and was a pretty good week). Weighed in today at 97.4 kgs today which is nicely down from the last official weigh in and only 1.4 from lowest weight.

Did workout A of the Original TT programme and it was awesome, added 5 lbs to each DB for everything - didn't think i'd make it but did everything but failed on the last set of the presses (still got 6 out). This is an amazing workout - i would never have thought i could be so exhausted from only two super sets.

Finished off with intervals on the Cross Trainer (just for a change as my knees hurt from the 12.5km run on Sunday).

I'm fasting today - again i feel awesome. Like on Friday but that fast failed because we had a last minute lunch with customers - doesn't matter as i still had 20 hours without food. Golf i only got 9 holes in but made it in 48 - very happy with that.

Only 4 days till we go on holiday - can't wait. I need/want to drop a few more kgs before we leave so will do two more fasts and work really hard. i absolutely intend to drop weight while on holiday - i think this is the holy grail of fat loss.

I will be completing the original TT mid holiday and will post some pics - stay tuned. Also after returning i do the quarter marathon so it's all good.

Awesome

Quick post today - just want to say that i feel Awesome! Did my TT workout with a full interval session (normally i would split the days) it's fast day so i was a little pissed at not enjoying b'fast but now i just feel pumped.

Got to go play golf this afternoon so that might drop me down a peg.

Roids??

Got a surprise today, i guess i am very naive about some things.


There are two big meat heads a the gym who are always there everyday that I've been there. They workout together. i always assumed that they didn't speak English.


This morning one was arriving so i held the door for him, "thanks for that" he said. Then he turned to me and said "After eight years of coming here i get a little fed up sometimes"


Not knowing what he meant i jokingly said "you mean it will take me eight years to look as big as you?
"

His reply surprised the crap out of me "no" he said, "it would take about two years, the steroids do the rest"


"oh really" i said.


"you start to bulk up after six months and you'd be really defined after a year" wow, i mean i had wondered how they got so big but i didn't really think they were on the juice. I guess they sell the stuff and he was giving me his sales pitch - i guess they just wait for someone to ask in the gym.


I don't want to get big and i go to the gym to be fit and lose fat so steroids are not on my radar. But if i was going to get big and wanted to look strong etc. then this would seriously be tempting. I mean we all like a short cut now and then. I've been going to the gym for 18 months straight now and at this rate it would take me another 10 years to look half the size of these dudes.

Anyway, that's not for me. had a good workout today but couldn't finish my last set of DB presses. Got the lot done with shoulder presses on a higher weight from last time so happy about that. I've cut my foot quite badly so i can't do anything other than the bike for intervals.


Had leftover chicken for breakfast - high protein was the intention. Will not have any form of snack including coffee till lunch time. Hoping to start to burn stored fat before lunch.

Binging begats binging?

Leptin was the answer given to my question of yesterday as to why we binge so much. Now I'm not sure that there is one simple answer but my research into Leptin has been enjoyable.


The Leptin diet is not rocket science - but interestingly it follows a lot of my poorly named Big Mac diet (I'm not gunna make millions with that) and some other things I've learned over the past few months. So what are the 5 rules of the Leptin diet - I'm glad you asked:


Rule 1: Never eat after dinner. Rule 2: Eat three meals a day. Rule 3: Do not eat large meals. Rule 4: Eat a breakfast containing protein. Rule 5: Reduce the amount of carbohydrates eaten.


Simple really, i won't bore you with the background to all these rules but one review made this statement: The Leptin Diet Means No Snacking. Isn't this the conclusion that I've been coming to? Isn't this the basis of the Big Mac diet? Doesn't this hinge on the Eat Stop Eat logic.


So, let's look at them quickly from my perspective. Give a long period between dinner and breakfast maximises the time you might burn fat and is a simple rule to prevent more fat being stored at this time. Have only three meals and don't snack (Big Mac Diet all over). Don't eat large meals (hmmm, maybe about the size of a Big Mac). Have more protein at breakfast - this is where I'm guilty, i like my fibre and have a high carb breakfast - but i do know the benefits of more protein and should return to my two eggs and on slice of toast b'fast. Finally, less carbs - well I've learned that this works but not cool to go 'no carb'.


So, i am not promoting the book above at all (i haven't read it and don't intend to). I'm just saying that any good idea has usually already been put in writing. I don't know if the hormone 'Leptin' is responsible for my fat or my binging but the rules of the diet are very much in line with my thinking.

What made me laugh was how many people on the web commented that 3,4&5 made sense but 1&2 were debatable. I mean when i read it i thought 1&2 made the most sense.

Anyway, it's fast day so i really shouldn't be thinking about food.

Off Track

Every month when submitting my report to Head Office there is a section called 'Off Track' - generally i hate this item and struggle to find things that are off track. But in my personal life i can certainly find a lot that is off track.

This week is clearly 'off track' in every way possible. if the path to success is a well made road then i'm off four-wheeling in a swamp.

Today i weighed in at 99.3kg. this is very close to the whole obese thing again - i need to get back 'on track' as soon as possible. So what went off track - EVERYTHING

I need some explanation - why do we get so far and then ruin it all with a week of stuffing crap into hour bodies. Yesterday was the worst - i ate and drank everything i haven't eaten for months and then topped it off with more crap. I did run in the morning but then felt like crap - constantly thirsty and hungry with zero energy. Funny thing also was that this morning i had about 12 zits - that constitutes acne. Is it possible that i have hit an estrogen peak and it's that 'time of the month'? All weekend i was acting like a woman - very strange.

So, to get back on track i need to be under the 96kg mark by the time we leave for our holiday. That is only 11 days away - can it really be done? i need to drop the 3kg of water weight plus 1.3 of real weight - i guess the only option is low carb and 30 hour fasts again. this got me down 4.8 kg in two weeks the last time - i have some obstacles though that i need to face. First is tomorrow evening - we have a function with alcohol (i guess i need to just make it minimal) then i need to take some friends to dinner next week (i guess again i can keep this clean - just need to plan where we go). Final hurdle is fibre - had some problems with this before and this time i need to avoid hurting myself - will have a vegita each morning (when eating).

So, low cal/carb tonight, fast tomorrow, keep it clean on the dinner function (just red wine), low carb Wednesday, Thursday stop at lunch and Friday fast. Then just keep it clean and keep active for the weekend and we should be doing well. two more 30 hour fasts next week and we'll hit that 95 mark.

TT is going great, i like this stuff. I'm sweating 3 mins into the workout and really feel like I've gone hard - trying to keep the increasing of the weight though. Doing the intervals after the workout is good too but i am still lost for what to do in the off days. Being used to working out every day now i'm not comfortable and feel like i'm slacking. Might just go and do some boring cardio or walk the streets.

Chin ups are now my major issue - just can't do enough. the assisted chin up machine is too far from the squat rack so i'm doing hangs instead.

Rules and Regulations

Well, it's now 5 days since I completed my 12 week challenge, started drinking again and went overseas. I thought I was doing well until just now when I wrote the last sentence. 5 days only, i feel like I've been on a roller coaster of binge drinking and pigging out for a month - only five days, holy @#$%

Today i weighed in at 98.5kg a total of 2.5kg (5.5 lb) in just 5 days. So, what did i do - many things but let's just look at the bad. After the doctors and a workout on day 1 i had a meal at the Irish pub with three pints of Guinness. Then i had wine with dinner, lots of crap'n cheese. Took it reasonably easy as i had to get up at 5 for the airport. (let's say 2,500 extra calories)

Day 2 was plane food, didn't eat it all and on arrival had a late meal of pork and rice (high cal obviously) at about 5pm. Later beer beer and wine before joining some friends at another bar for whisky and a late meal of sate. (let's say 2,500 extra calories)

Day 3 woke in hotel and had too much b'fast (not as much as fat Chris would have had but much more than usual these days). We had a reasonable lunch but some greasy appetisers so still up on that. Then dinner was over the top - soup, steak, wine, brandy, beer, whisky, beer, vodka,...(I'm guessing about 3,000 extra cals on that day)

Day 4, woke late, had a smaller b'fast and coffee, no real lunch. Then back at hotel i met my fat friend and we had a work out together - that was great. Then beer, beer, beer, white wine white wine before buffet dinner. didn't eat too much at dinner but had a fair few red wines. (I'd say only about 1,500 cals over the top).

Day 5 was travel home day, i made it fast day ESE. That worked well and even better than i thought it would. Not having the crap on the plane was really nice. Got back and went for middle eastern food which is healthy - had some chocolate when i got home that I'd got for the wife duty free (I'd say about 1,000 down from a normal day)

so, the total is 5,500 extra calories. they say that 3,500 equals 1 lb so let's call this 2. the rest is what we call 'BS Weight' and i contribute this to the following reasons - i pushed my weight down unrealistically for a good weigh in on Saturday, the returning glycogen holds more water, last nights meal was super salty making me hold even more water (was thirsty all night) and I've started doing a new workout programme that has my muscles really hurting (swollen). Altogether 5.5 lb makes sense.

Now the above is not meant to be excuses but in light of the facts the change is not too bad, i should not lose sight of my goals and keep at it. My current goal is to hit 94kg before i leave for my holiday. Let's see how i do at my offical weigh in on Monday.

Final note on alcohol. this has been an interesting experience, firstly going so long without and then spending a few days binging. i now have a final plan for this to take me to the end of the year - this is a big one. Never Wake with a Hangover Again (until Christmas) i can drink and i can drink what i like but it should not be crap for the sake of it and must stop before i get to the point where i will wake with a hangover.

ALRIGHT! Results

What a day! Hit the Doctor early this morning to get my blood work done, could have got there earlier to avoid the crowds but kept calm all the same. They took the blood and did the other usual checks so here they are first.

Blood Pressure: 117 over 71 - this is normal all the way and although i can't remember what mine was 12 weeks ago prior to that i had very high pressure. Even the nurse was excited by these results.

Resting Heart Rate - 50 bpm. This is a surprise, i have never seen it anything like this before. i couldn't get a feel for what is good from the net but i think this is excellent.

Weight!!! Official weight it 96.0 kg. that is almost 15 KG down. or exactly 32.6 lb. What a great job for 12 weeks, i could never have hoped for more than this and during the big plateau i was sure I'd never see a number like this.

We had breakfast after that and then took my second kid back to the hospital for an EEG, this didn't happen because the nurses would not listen to us - finally conceding and telling us to go home. But i got my blood work back:

Lipids - total cholesterol now 189, was 213. this is not fantastic in change but brings me from over to normal range. LDL dropped from 55 to 41 which is still normal but not good and close to too little. Finally HDL dropped also was 141 and now 133 which is still considered too high. All in all this result is better but not good, i assume it's the high fat diet of the last week. Let's check it again after i hit the goal.

Liver - my ALT is down from 49 to 24 which is super normal. this means that all liver stress was alcohol after all. this is great news, i do not have anything serious but must keep the alcohol in check.

got home finally and too the wife for a workout. we did a warm up by running / walking the stairs from the bottom to the top. we live on the 31st so this killed her - i loved it nice and easy stuff. then we topped it off with one of CB's body weight circuits. I've done one similar before but this one killed me - i guess it was the warm up we did.

Then for the photos, sorry this is not pretty but the result must be seen to be believed.

i think that this achievement is something to be truly proud of even though i know there is a long way to go. all these pictures are 'as is' no touch ups, no i am not sucking in my gut in the last one - i took one also with my gut sucked in just to be sure and can post this if you like.

No it's all about what to do in the future to continue the process. i will post one in four weeks from Bali, hopefully on holiday i can do something about the lack of tan.

Final note on this is how fat my back was, i never knew. You look at the other side and never think of the rest.

Last note, i went shopping for my trip tomorrow. i had to as i have no clothes that fit. i bought 36 pants!!! the girl looked at me and said, sorry we only have 36, i took them in defiance fully expecting to be giving them back in defeat. but they fit!! i will be wearing them next week.

We then went and got some 34 Levis - these are OK and i can move in them but you could still stay they are too small, these are now my bench mark jeans - if i ever get to the point where i can't put them on these i need to take serious action.

Yours, Chris.

Last Day

Well it's lunch time at the office, all the staff are in the canteen stuffing themselves so i thought i should occupy my time by posting something. Today is the last day before tomorrow morning's visit to the doctor and official final weigh in and photo shoot. Exciting times.

I am now 24 hours into my 30 hour fast. As I've been no-carb for the past week I know that once I'd metabolised the tuna salad I ate yesterday I know that I went straight to burning my own stored fat. I'm guessing that this started about 8pm last night and combined with this morning's workout i can feel the fat being used. This is quite outstanding - although i do not believe you could do this often i am glad I'm doing it today.

Also, Wednesday i weighed in at 96.8 AFTER a 30 hour fast and no carbs. Today after two days of eating a lot and only a few hours of fasting i weighed in at 96.4. Let's hope the trend continues for tomorrow's result.

I have also been reading up on how stress relates to weight gain and more importantly to difficulties losing weight. This does explain why i have a few fat friends that have lost a LOT of weight with Yoga. I mean I know that there is a physical strength element to Yoga but it certainly isn't high calorie burning activity. Reduce the stress and the fat can be used.

So, I am looking for ways to reduce stress. This needs to include all kinds of stress - work, family, exercise, etc. One element I'm changing relates to the half marathon goal, we decided after Thursday's run that we should change the goal, or at least return to the original goal of doing the 10k. What happened to lose our way was that at the first practise we managed the whole 10k and figured that we could build up to 20k. But we have not progressed at all and the half marathon seems more of a challenge with each run. Now it's clear that we can do it but what for? Neither of us want to be 'runners' so we have returned to the 10k goal but work on setting a reasonable time. Best time so far has been 1:05 so getting to under 50 would seem achievable but challenging.

Final thought that is on my mind is how to continue. I mean I have my training schedule all mapped out for the next 16 weeks but how do I stay focused and most importantly continue to lose weight?

I need some ground rules but I'm not sure what. OK, so I have the exercise - TT plus some running plus golf (decided that i will get serious with lessons and practise). Food, needs to be 'logical' but not restrictive so I think we keep the Big Mac concept plus Eat Stop Eat. Then comes alcohol?? This is coming back, is it really the only wild card? if so I must focus on this one.

I'm thinking two free meals a week (based on the 90/10 rule) these could be dinners with work friends or clients during the week or if that doesn't happen just a happy Sunday (like the old days). To keep the calories down i will stick to wine and whisky - wine because i really like it and usually expected to be enjoyed with work friends and the whisky as it has no carbs and is more low carb (plus i liked billy's idea that is was just more manly). Therefore, wine only with dinner - trying to limit the number of glasses, then if things kick on just stick with a glass of ice occasionally adding whisky. If I've already done that twice for the week then i decline any further offers, if i don't do it at all then i can make Sunday a good food/wine day. Wow, i think that works.

30 Hours Done

Wow, i must admit is was hard but not that hard. i did my fast from 2pm Monday afternoon when i finished my salad and chilled water until last night about 8pm (ok so it was just shy of 30 hours but the point is i missed three full meals and i think that is what counts).

Skipping dinner is the thing that i believe gives great weight loss but i also feel that it's the hardest thing as you have to sleep on an empty stomach. But once you get up then you can just forget about the fast and get on with the day. It was later in the afternoon when i started thinking about dinner that hurt, then i got stuck in traffic on the way home so all i was thinking about was that i should be eating.

Wife had made her chicken, plus she's thrown in some pork ribs so there was some good food to be had. it's quite lean provided you don't eat the juices (my son loves that so i leave it for him). But the big mistake was that she'd not bothered to make the salad. Being that hungry i wasn't going to cut things up for a salad i just went straight for the chicken etc. I ate way too much, could not stop, i knew that i should stop but just couldn't and this is BAD. For Fridays planned dinner i will make the salad myself the day before to avoid this issue.

so what's the result? today i weighed in at 96.8kgs that is fantastic - a full 14kg below my start weight. Now i know that this is partly due to no food in the system, water loss etc and will come back up while eating but i do have three more days including another 30 hour fast before final weigh in. If i can hold this number for the doctor's office then i'll be very happy - if i get below then that would be even better.

The 12 week pics are going to really tell the story. Wait for that one on Saturday!

for the longest fast

Well here i am at the 24hour point of my 30 hour fast. it was hard yesterday especially in the evening when a meal should have been enjoyed. But i got through - now it's starting to get to me. The staff are all having lunch and i know the cook even has something set aside for me, but i must be strong. If i just get to when they get back from lunch then we can do some work and it will be home time, maybe a coffee on the way and then back for dinner.

Wife is making her special chicken tonight - or as my son calls it 'mummy's chicken' which i can almost taste as i type. Got a few 'you lost weight' comments today and yesterday so that is the only thing keeping me going.

Bad news is that my fat friend has booked the buffet for us when we arrive, he's bringing his family so i can't back out as I've not seen them for so long. after all this work to have 'all you can eat' and free flow wine/beer is not my idea of fun. i guess I'll just have to show them how not to pig out too much while thinking of this as a free day.

i guess this is an example of how other people make you fat, if i was visiting a fit friend i expect they wouldn't even think of the buffet as a meeting place. so i guess i need to focus on fit friends both where i live and where i visit.

It's Official

It's now an official weight! 98.2kg (216 lbs) while it's the same as Friday's weigh in it is now official - this is the lowest I've been since Christmas 1998, i remember it well because we were at a friend's place in Byron Bay discussing how much I'd changed, well now I'm back baby and headed in the other direction.

This is also the last week of the 12 week challenge - after this the hard part starts but i still wanna go out with a bang. i am doing it all this week to drop an extra kg or two.

I've gone carb free since Friday morning, this hit me hard as it still did my workout Friday, golf on Saturday and ran 10k on Sunday morning. Then that familiar lethargic feeling set in, and i just could not move yesterday. But today the 'fat for fuel' has kicked in and i feel good.

Today i start the first 30 hour fast! i had lunch at 2pm (later than intended due to some idiot at work) and now will not eat until 8pm tomorrow night. This is going to be hard but i believe it will be worth it. Then i do another from Thursday through to Friday night.

Saturday is my visit to the doctor, then I'll have a body weight workout before my final pictures - stay tuned for that!

The tough part is that Sunday i go on a business trip to where my fat friend lives - possibly the person responsible for all these years of being heavy (not that I'm shallow enough to blame other people) - this will mean that my return to drinking will be like a frat party. I'm not sure how i will mange this but will do my best - it's only two days after all.

The great thing is that my friend is also trying to turn his life around and my transformation will become his inspiration (i hope).