Come together

Wow, there is so much to say today. I've been training like a crazy person, and really enjoying it. Got the swimming sorted out, training with coach Vinnie on Monday nights and joined the local pool which looks to be the thing.

Got a computer for the bike so i can track my progress - cadence is an interesting element here. Proved today that i can go faster in a lower gear - think that's an important thing. Did a 40k a week ago and totally screwed it up - think i could do better now.

new programme for the gym is super hard but i can feel that it's the right thing to get results.

did a kayaking training session yesterday with Christian. that was perfect, i mean i can kayak well but it's a team event and Christian has never done it. what a good thing we didn't wait till the day to find that out.

On Friday i had a medical exam and everything came out good - better in fact than the one i did at the end of the transformation - see older post.

Amazingly (and i need to post about this later) i have grown a whole inch. all my life I've been 6'0" and today i stand a proud 6'1" now everyone thinks i was just confused but no this is real!

finally i have lost some weight. today i weigh in at 96.8, yes lots of water loss but still i am lighter so i will celebrate. On my new programme of fat loss i am on target this week for 98 so i need to drink 1.2 litres of water. more about that one later too.

Back to Blogging - Triathlon time

Hello WWW!

Haven't been here for ages, not sure why but i guess the lack of results - regression more like, has made me less than keen to re-live reality. So let's focus on some positives.

1. I have continued to be very active over the past 18 months - very active.
2. I have increased my lean body mass by an impressive amount (maybe not so impressive if you take the time into account but it justifies a little the lack of weight reduction)
3. i am in training for the Triathlon!! This has bumped everything up several notches.
4. I have realised that the biggest benefit to life now would be to drop some serious KGS. every KG i am down will be one less to lug around the course.

So now I'm back and will be posting details of my training, progress and weight loss on this important site! i will even put some pictures here for reference.

for now most of my thoughts will be on Triathlon related issues but that gives enormous scope.

Yours,

Chris.

Boot camp & Hip mobility & relaxed stretching

Hi Blog, sorry i haven't visited for such a long time. i guess i need to give an update, try to make it an honest one.

Finished the 12 week transformation at 93.5kgs. This is a bit far from the goal but i still feel that i did well. didn't manage to get my after pics done as i was away that weekend and well as i hit the booze and food hard that weekend i wasn't confident to take the pictures. I guess i should have done it anyway but it's done now.

Been to Australia for just over two weeks, that started out well, high levels of exercise and little food. But the second week the activity levels dropped and i started eating anything and everything. Also took way too much advantage of the cheap wine situation etc. but all in all not too bad.

Upon return i told myself that I'd do the following to get back on the horse:

• Join Bootcamp - to get someone else to whip me into shape and do a range of things that i wouldn't normally do.
• Buy a new set of scales - to measure myself at home rather than at the gym.
• Return to my old ways of eating while during the transformation

Well all good plans have their failings. Firstly the exhaustion of the two weeks away made it hard to start the bootcamp thing - motivation etc. Once i started it i found that a few things happened, firstly i was basically too hard and recovery was difficult and secondly illness, schedules and travel made it hard to commit. Then the riots in our lovely city put a further end to things.

Bought a set of scales but they don't work. This really doesn't help, i need to resolve this quickly.

We bought a BBQ in Australia and brought it back with us. We've used it everyday since getting back to cook up all sorts of things. This can be reasonably healthy living but tends not to be, plus we have tried to really enjoy it rather than just go through the motions. Topping this off I've had some travel and company functions that have had me eating like crap.

Pretty sad result at the end of the day! So best to look forward and see where we stand.

Stayed in a Hotel while away with a good set of digital scales. also, confirmed this by the new Gym's scales (joined another gym as bootcamp was cancelled and didn't want to lose momentum, plus it's close and i can ride my bike). i am 96.5kgs. This is just above my 'oh shit i've blown it and need to start the process again' limit. This might sound bad but i seriously thought that i'd be a lot over this limit. - plus it means i have to start again.

have started bootcamp again and i'm loving it plus i have the new gym so i can do a little extra in between like swimming intervals or just lifting heavy stuff.

and finally food! i am going to do a cycling of diet over the next 4-5 weeks going from fast to feast with some kito days in between. i know this is not the best way to approach things but i don't want to be a guy on a diet and feel that this will suit where i'm at today. Dieting hard again won't start till July. The goal is just to get below the 96 mark and stay there until we hit it hard again in July August.

so, after a long update i wanted to talk about the good stuff i've been doing. Firstly the bootcamp. This is awesome, when it was cancelled i tried to do my own workouts in the gym but they couldn't even come close. The bootcamp had high intensity, motivation, and most of all the variety in moving the body in different ways continuously. Much of the stuff i did this morning for example if i read it in a book and tried it i'd stop immediately because it doesn't feel good, but you can't do that at bootcamp. also, being in the park they have us doing stuff i used to do as a kid, the type of thing that back then you didn't give a second thought about but now almost kills you or just can't be done. This all really knocks the body around in unexpected ways.

After the first session i had a lot of back pain. what i came to realise was that the pain was from lack of hip mobility. having tight hips and working them too hard made for such uncomfortable siting or standing that i could hardly move. i tried a lot of stretching and some hip mobility drills. but i've come to realise that the movements at bootcamp that caused the pain are exactly the ones i need to do to reduce this problem.

The final thing i stumbled apon from listening to an interview was relaxed stretching from a Russian Kettlebell professional. i go hold of his book and it rang some pretty significant bells for me. basically he is saying that most of the flexibility issues i have is in my head and we need to spend time to resolve things through long drawn out stretching. I guess it's similar to yoga but it does work, so much so that i am hooked. at a standing toe touch i was able to hold my knuckles on the floor. Normally i can only just touch the toes and this is for a second, now i'm first knuckles to the floor for 20 seconds. i'm trying this with all stretches in combination with hip and shoulder mobility.

Creatine

Aaaah, that's better! yesterday i was a little down on the whole dieting and transformation thing. After 75 days of no booze, mega exercise and abstinence from the good stuff i had a spike in weight. This tipped me into the territory of wasting my time and that did not feel good.

However, and i can thank blogging for this, i was concerned that the creatine might have had something to do with the gain. i looked it up and read a lot of articles on the subject. Seems i learned two things, firstly that it will make one retain additional water (my suspicion) and secondly that i am not taking enough (was not aware of this at all).

So last night i got home and had another serving, was nice and generous later before bed also. got up and had another nice big spoon and went to the gym. all afternoon i'd felt pumped in my head and body knowing that the substance makes the muscles pump up and that's how i felt. so i was then very surprised when i hit the scales at the gym to see 94.4kgs. had to second check on another set of scales.

So now i've got fat loss and pumped muscles. Chrissy's on fire!

Worked out hard today, have a dinner tonight but will foam roll and stretch tonight ready for pushing things tomorrow. It's squatting day tomorrow! perfect.

aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

Gaining weight! what's up with this? i had an all time low of 94.2 kg and then the other day i get 97kg. That's just wrong!

Have i been eating too much - hell not that much, i understand if i don't lose but not gaining 3kgs in a week. Eating different? i have been taking protein and creatine - the purpose is for quick recovery and although they can help build muscle given the calorie deficit i'm in this is unlikely - plus you can't gain 3kg of muscle in a week.

I have to assume that the weight gain is related to the supplements, higher volume of activity (hardcore TT) and a bit more food. if so this should balance out towards the end of the programme.

Looking at the other evidence for fat loss/gain things seem to be in check. Last week i met someone i haven't seen since i was in Bali last year (just after my BFL 12 week transformation) who instantly said how much slimmer i looked. this is interesting because i should look about the same.

Clothes fit better and yesterday i threw out all my old pants. many that i'd been so proud to wear only a year ago. So let's stay strong and not lose focus.

Spanner in the works is that i am sponsoring a sporting event and have had to ask a friend to fly over and help. he's here the weekend i was due to start drinking - although i'd hope to wait one more week i guess i'll have to break this fast - i will need to be strong to keep the diet in check.

Yes Yes Yes!

I am now below the lowest point of last transformation!! This is a result that comes after a trip home for a funeral and our regional meeting. These two items would normally have meant an increased weight of at least 4kgs - maybe more.

Final 4 weeks begins on Monday i' going to do hardcore fat loss from the TT programs, i'm going to supplement with protein powder and creatine, i'm going to reduce my carb intake after lunch and i'm going to do ESE properly twice a week being careful to stick to calorific expectations when breaking the fast.

Tomorrow morning i'm going to do my photos and measurements - looking forward to posting that.

here we go!

Kicking off the first day of the 8th week i am feeling good about this process. I weighed in this morning at 96.5 kgs. i don't think i'll hit my original goal of 85 at week 12 but i am sure i'll be under the 90 mark making a great point for maintenance.

This week i have a big meeting in Singapore, but that's ok. i am not drinking so i'll keep the food to a minimum and i can still workout without missing any sessions. I will fast tomorrow as that is travelling day - dinner with the team to break the fast will be a good point. i leave late so i can still get a run in the morning. I'll follow up with a fast on Friday when i get back.

Then we start a new 4 week programme. i am going for the Hardcore fat loss because it has a 6 day routine. I feel that i need to really push for excellence over the next 4 weeks. i will start out easy but move for real progression over the four weeks - this includes the intervals.

i will do two ESE days each week also.

Saturday i take my next set of photos - i think the difference will be profound.

GOAL

Hit 97 on the scales at the gym today, that's the lowest those actual scales have ever registered for me! this is close enough for me to say that Goal 1 is achieved. It's late, but I'm happy with that. Now onto goal number two - get below 90. With 6 weeks to go this is going to happen - as Yoda says 'there is do or do not, there is no try'

Have to go to a funeral next week, travelling, visiting friends/family and the event itself will make it hard to stick to food things. But i will do it, no alcohol will be tough - then again no one said it would be easy.

Run Down

Last week was very hard. I started a new programme on Monday with the personal trainer - Buff Dudes. This was super hard work and i really hurt afterwards. When i go to the office i actually had to stop on the stairs to rest in order to get to the top - thought i might not make it at one point.

I did not do any other activity for the week until Thursday for the next workout. Can you believe that i still hurt from Monday's session - and i mean really really hurt not just a little muscle pain.

Thursday's workout was so hard i didn't finish. In fact i almost threw up - only seen this on TV previously. No working out for the rest of the week, only Golf on Friday and some kitesurfing on Saturday (minimal).

The feeling i had was like having low batteries. I was constantly exhausted and felt like i hadn't eaten enough food - not really hungry just like my body was out of fuel. I decided to give things a rest and refuel. i did no ESE for the week and tried to eat extra without going overboard. I think i did ok and didn't really exceed my calorie intake on any day.

This morning's workout was better but still not perfect. But i need to stay with it. So this week i will keep the calories down and stay active. Going to work out wed&fri maybe play golf tomorrow and surf on the weekend - thursday can be rest day.

I will also try to do some extra activity in the evenings - will at the very least go for a long walk. Food wise i will just stick to the plan and try to get one ESE in this week.

I guess this all happened because i was so drained from the week in Vietnam. When you reduce your calories and continue to workout in this situation there is no time for catch up. Question remains whether this is the best way to lose weight or if it has a negative effect. i was clost to getting ill from this but i think i have survived so i think i've cut it as close to the wire as possible.

RESULTS

Let the pictures tell the words rather than letting me type. Only one really important thing to note that the shorts I'm wearing in the after pictures are one size smaller - if i were in the old ones then the fat would be less pushed up and maybe the difference would be more striking.

This is 4 weeks into the 12 week transformation - with 8 weeks to go i think things are looking good. View the difference and try to multiply by three - that gives the mind's eye a view of what the end result will be.

Back and Ready to GO!

Got back on Sunday night. I've had a great week, no booze, minimal food, more exercise than I've ever had in one week, sunshine and relaxation. I even finished 4 books (certainly a personal best).

I had a workout scheduled with my personal trainer this morning otherwise i wouldn't have gone. Really exhausted even though i had a full day of just sitting yesterday. Workout was the Buff Dudes workout A - it was a killer, thanks CB.

i had promised to take some progress photos today but I've not had the chance. Will do it tonight however I'm not as happy with the progress as i thought I'd be - weighed in at 98.9kg this morning where i fully expected to be below 98. But let's keep things in perspective - my pants are not as tight, my wife's first comment when she picked me up at the airport was "wow you look skinny" and there is no way in hell that the past week didn't do anything but make me healthier. and 900 grams is not much, let's see what the wednesday weigh in is (could be some water weight issues).

So, looking back on the previous posts i thought I'd get things into even more perspective. Goals, it is now crystal clear to me that the singular goal is weight loss. This is only achieved through the things that become sub-goals, get fit, eat right, lift heavy, be active - so it's all on track.

I have 8 weeks to go on the transformation challenge - if i can do only as well as i have in the last 4 weeks then i would finish at under 90kgs. i believe i can do a little better than that so it's GAME ON.

Pictures to come tonight!

Dan John changed my life!

I am excited! I watched a video of Dan John a few days ago giving a seminar on O Lifts. He showed that even the stiffest of people can squat, and squat properly down to their heels. I got home that night and tried it - wow, I can squat properly.
If this is not exciting then let me explain. I live in Asia where everyone squats. If you can't squat then going to the toilet is difficult. I have never been able to do this without extreme discomfort and always believed that because i didn't do this as a child and continue on a daily basis that my legs, knees and ankles were no longer capable of squatting - WRONG.

So if you can't sit in a squat or have pain/difficulty in the squat rack then this video is a god send. If front squats or overhead squats are hard then you need to review your approach.

Additionally he explains the RDL properly and how it should feel. In doing them today along with Good Mornings this information really made sense.

I absolutely love the way he explains things, so simple, so clear, no bull shit. Check it out!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6529481301858251744#

Progress!

Well i feel that this transformation period got off to a shaky start but that now we are beginning to see progress.

Progress because i was 100 even on the scales yesterday - i won't hit 96 by next Monday but i will be in Vietnam that week and hope to weigh in at 96 when i return.

Shaky with the first two weeks being completely carb free. I did not like this and honestly feel that it did no good. I'm glad to be back eating healthy foods again.

I've got a personal trainer twice a week which really pushes things up a notch. I'm forcing him to stick to the TT programme but just having someone push you that little bit more in resistance and intervals is really good. He's also helping me with foam rolling and stretching which i really like and am beginning to see the benefits of.

Food wise i'm now comfortable with whole foods and intermittent fasting. i like some of the concepts out there like the paleo diet, cheat days/refeeds, protein at each meal etc. But i'm not getting bogged down with it. i combined some of this on Sunday by beginning my fast a noon on Saturday, working out really hard Sunday morning and then having a big BBQ on Sunday afternoon. In my mind it's like going on the hunt, tracking down the animal, wrestling with it for half an hour and then lugging the thing home for a feast - might not have any real nutritional or metabolic relevance but the thought process made it enjoyable. Plus i got a good cheat/refeed in that was high protein. Back to eating normal food today.

People have started to notice my weight loss, my clothes are starting to fit better and i can see a difference in the mirror. Upon my return i will post some before and after pictures - i'm actually looking forward to that.

Personal Trainer

Today i started with a personal trainer - the dude is very expensive so i hope with is worth it. After today's session i know that this just what i need.

As i'm in the TT Transformation No7 i need to stick with that programme - which PT Dude hates because it hit on his territory of being the know-it-all. But i don't care, the objective is that he helps me with form and motivation (pumping up the effort a little here and there). I also want him to help me with interval/intensive cardio with things other than the bike or treadmill. They have the TRX and Kettle Bells there which i'd like to use for that but also just someone pushing me really hard on body weight circuits would be good.

This morning he really got me going, this is truly good stuff. Because there was a lot of introduction etc we didn't get to the intervals but i was stuffed anyway. I am only going to use him for twice a week for a couple of weeks so i need to make the most of it. once i've completed the TT competition i might do a three month course with these guys.

i believe that the TT workouts are great but this will push me through to the next level.

Results are good to date. I know the scales don't say much but i have had some really good comments lately. Sunday someone i haven't seen since last year commented on how amazing i looked and yesterday three people commented on how much weight i'd lost, how fit i looked and how i'd lost the recent fat look - all these coming form very different perspectives. Also i can see a difference in the mirror - you'll have to wait till week 4 to see that.

TT Transformation #7

Well well, i had planned to do this 12 week transformation all on my own. Then Craig B. of TT launched another transformation contest so i had to join. This is great as it will give just that little more motivation to stick at it and to get the best results. Also the social aspect will help etc.

Down side is that i started on the 26th of December but didn't take my pics (see below) until the 1st of Jan, which means that essentially i have an extra week in the programme. but then this is good too, one more week will mean just that little bit more fat loss etc.

Today i weighed in at 102 kg a full 2 down from last Monday (again i only count the monday weight as relevant and all others are just a guide). as Monday the 28th was two days into my low carb diet i think that most of the water weight was already lost and therefore the 2kg i've lost since then is real weight loss. it should be, i've been spot on my eating and working really hard in and out of the gym.

Took my pics for the competition on the 1st. this is very sad for me in a few ways. firstly if i compare the pics to the beginning of last years 12 week challenge then there is no difference (eventhough i am almost 9kg lighter and much fitter). Secondly i just look so damn fat. When i watch 'The Biggest Loser' i always think of them as being much bigger than me. Also as i've lost some weigh i feel that i'm better than before (almost feel slim) as today i'm down at least 16kg from my heaviest - i can wear normal sized clothes etc. But in those pictures the truth is there and cannot be denied - i am very very fat.

All the more reason to stick at this 12 week challenge and shake this 'fat man' thing forever.

Back to it, 12 week challenge

I've been bad! I see that the last post was back in October so any idea that i've been tracking well is completely lost.

Yes i am over the 100, and i'm well ashamed of myself for that. No excuse for any of it.

But as of Saturday i am back on track and working on a new 12 week plan. This was to start 1st of Jan but as i've been particularly bad over xmas i thought it best to start a week early and avoid too much overdoing it at the new year.

so, 12 weeks. I have set myself three goals:

1. Get back to lowest weight from last time - don't know what i am today but lowest was 96kg. i think i can do this in 4 weeks and i'm taking the 30 day fat loss from TT for this as it has a four day work out which i will feel more comfortable with.
2. Get below 90kg. this is a great milestone and at 6 kg below the first goal i think it will work well for the four weeks. Buff Dudes and Hot Chicks for this one.
3. Finally, to be below 85kg at the end. Reformed Meat Heads for that one.

My nutritional plan is firstly no drinking of any kind. not a drop must pass these lips - make the reasons for this clear in many other posts. Secondly it's low carb and low cal. I will stick to three meals a day each of only 500 cal and no carbs. This i will combine with two ESE days per week. I know this is hard but i must be strong. If i hit my goal before the end of the 4 week period i will go onto a more healthy diet but maintain till the beginning of the next goal - this is a blitz process.

I intend to do a lot of additional cardio work, not HIIT because i have that with TT and it will kill you if you do too much. Also not tread mill, bike blah at the gym - four times per week is enough of that place. no, i will just do the walking the streets, playing with the kids, go shopping, clean the car type stuff.

Very important is that i've also given up televison - this will help with the above.

So, today is the end of day two of no carb. i haven't been too strict on the calories so far as i know the low blood sugar affects my moods, also haven't been working out too hard - that starts tomorrow. But come tomorrow i will be low cal, low carb and burning it like crazy. i will also begin a 30 hour ESE after lunch tomorrow. I will take the boy to the beach on Tuesday and not eat till the evening of that day.

I will also post regularly from now on - please if anyone is reading give me some support.

What are your Goals?

Firstly i weighed in today 1 kg down from Monday. Not much but it's something - i hope i can keep it off given the trip to China next week. Good workout this morning, I'm keeping it down on the weight and the sets for the following reasons. 1. It's mostly food that must be controlled to lose weight 2. Some exercise is what is important, if i hurt myself then i might miss even some. 3. Stress has been the major cause of weight increase in the past few months, therefore i need to reduce the stress caused by working out also. 4. i can build up the weight while concentrating on form.

I'm quite comfortable with the logic above and do feel good from my workout - even though they feel too short and don't push the limits like before. I worry a little that i'm not hitting that 11 in terms of effort in my workouts - with the BFL programme it was always about getting to that extreme and going beyond what felt physically possible - or in his words going with will power alone as strength had been exhausted. i guess i need to build up to that point again. This is to some extent the reason for the subject of this post.

Today while listening to a Podcast in the car i was hit with the question 'What are your Goals?' For some reason this seemed to hit home hard. I could answer quite easily - get down to 80kg by March and be fitter. But is this a good enough answer - i don't think so as it just looks short term and is quite shallow.

So what are my goals? i don't really know, i mean to be fit and healthy (in the context of this blog, obviously there are other life goals but lets keep to the subject). but to develop an action plan and monitor progress then goals need to be specific. define 'healthy' or 'fit', does it just mean healthier and fitter - because this can only ever be true to a point.

I don't have the answers, but I'm going to contemplate this point a lot over the next few weeks, and blog my thoughts in the hope of finalising a plan. for the time being i can focus on the goal at hand - get to 80kg by end of March and then to stay there.

I can then break it up that i need to be below 94 by year end and expect a tough 12 weeks from there to the end game.

Stress

It's been a while, a long while. i think that the subject here has been a topic before but it's been such a big part of my life in the past two months that i need to talk about it. Stress messes you up! Previously i would say that when the body goes into melt down then you know that you are stressing about something, sometimes you can't figure it out until the problem goes away and the pain also disappears - then you have an aha moment and realise what was stressing you out.

Well this time was different - i have been stressed out for over 6 weeks and i clearly knew all the things stressing me out but could only use the means at hand to deal with it without being able to stop the causes. Issues with clients, serious illness at home, lack of sleep, long flights with disabled children, money issues etc.

Methods of coping - lots of alcohol, comfort food, denial etc. the end result was of course putting on a lot of weight and feeling pretty low about myself. What i found interesting was how much this affects me and how it affects my wife differently. I put on weight and she loses weight under stress.

I am out of this period of stress now. I wound down with a weekend of rest and good food. No Alcohol since Friday night and a good workout this morning - also on ESE since lunch yesterday.

I weighed in today at 101.5 KG. while this is a long way from the June low it's only 3.5 kg from my hovering weight over the past three months. Pretty good considering the things I've eaten and the lack of exercise. But quite sad also that now i have to start again and it will be weeks before i get down to where i was! (and just between you and me i'm now obese again which is cause for depression) So, what to do about it.

I'm back doing TT workout. One issue I've had trying to get back into it is that i was hurting myself trying to get back to where i was. Even the hotel room workout proved too much for me. So I've started the TT for fat loss once again but at the Beginner level. What's more I'm doing only two sets and 10 mins interval. next week I'll look to moving up.

You really can't discount the beginner level - i am surprise how hard it was. Now I'm looking forward to moving through the whole programme again.

Diet wise i need to focus. I'm trying to do 2-3 ESE fasts per week. I have conferences, football trips, board meetings and visitors for xmas in the coming months. I really need to be focused otherwise it will all slip again. I've set out a plan which takes me back to end of March which is the beginning of this one year journey. I need to lose an average of 1kg per week to hit my target of 80kg by then. Need to be focused, lose each week and never have a gaining week!

Alcohol will play an important part in this. i will be off it from the new year till i reach goal, but also i need to keep it in check the rest of time.

Wish me luck!

Two Weeks Of Hell

This past two weeks has been the most incredible time of bad news, bad luck and bad experience. Let me put it down here to record it in its horribleness.:

• Started with putting my back out in the gym. After months of squats and dead lifts i could not believe that a rear deltoid raise would pull a muscle in my back.
• Then my oldest sprained his arm playing football at school.
• The winds were good all weekend so even though my back was hurting i went kite surfing - this ended in the need for some serious rescue - a 'fast as you can' 2km swim and then a run to the club to get the rescue boat. Some serious damage to the kite but got most of the gear back and am still alive. So seriously tired though - this lead to coming down with the full flu (not swine though)
• Monday i was so sick but had to meet some important clients. Got back from a very long drive to go to the hospital to see the doctor. as the boy's arm still hurt i took him to the doctor too. I was in no mood to have them x-ray and waste my time and money. Turns out it was broken so that had me looking like a bad parent.
• Then we all got sick, three boys, wife etc.
• A full weekend and some of looking after sick kids and the fun involved in that, just as they were getting better i had to go on a business trip - at last a chance to sleep.
• Two days into my conference i get a call, my second son's care giver had a stroke - she has not insurance, no money and is my total responsibility

Just when you think you have it bad some one or something let's you know that it can always be worse. I've been through three hospitals and had arguments with seven doctors - we are mentally and physically drained. But who are we to complain - we can walk and talk. It is a cruel world.

So, as this is a fitness and weight loss blog I'd better turn this into a fitness and weight loss topic. What has all this meant to my condition? well for the first 10 days i actually lost weight, not working out meant that i was less hungry - that combined with the illness etc.

At the conference i was good, skipped breakfast, had only the healthy snack options at coffee break and restricted what i ate at meals. Everyone commented on how much weight I'd lost - that was good confirmation.

BUT, as soon as the impact of someone you care for being struck down like this i went for comfort food. I had to rush back from Hong Kong to deal with the situation and when straight for Burger King. I want to say that after 6 months of eating healthy it was really hard to eat a Whopper - no wonder the world is fat if that is what we try to put forward as a meal. it was quite sickly but I'm not going to say i didn't like it - just that it was soooo big.

Then after getting home i went for all the comfort foods i could muster. Chocolate, potato chips, plus more crap. The result being that i put back the weight i lost in a very short time.

But Monday i started back the exercise and the diet. I'm off the booze for three weeks, started a new TT program and today I'm having an ESE. Yesterday i weighed in at 98 kg which is only 2 over my lowest of 96. So i think i have a good chance of coming out of this look even better.

Changes in the gym: I've reduced the weight (so that i can build up again) and I'm concentrating on form - for squats I'm trying to get really low which i could not have done before with the high weight (it is amazing how much more heavy things are when you get down). And I'm stretching after each session - putting most of my effort into the glutes and hips as this is sooo tight and needs work.

I will also not do intervals on weight days - i think this is better.

Moving Forward - somehow

I've been pretty bad this month. all the good intentions have been dashed completely with a lack of will power. I have had guests and taken a few business trips this month so that is part of my excuse - but it's only an excuse, the really reason for me being bad is that i have no willpower.

I've been boozing and mixing that with very bad eating. I've missed many fasts and even dropped the interval part of my training workout on most days. Last weekend for example i decided to do no activity at all - just rest.

On the up side i have done a few fasts and I've not missed any resistance training - i have gained some serious strength that i quite proud of. But best of all i seem to have lost some weight!! today i weighed in under 97kg and Monday i checked my body fat which read 27%. might be water or some other fluctuation but i feel that if i can just get through the weekend on track i will be heading in the right direction.

i really want to be below 95 by the time i go to Hong Kong - so the most important thing is to cut down on the wine etc. After all the drinking this week i am happy to have a few days off and eat some healthy food, plus getting some sleep will be a bonus.