Tony's "Grand Plan" Progress Diary

[tony7]

Managed another 45mins of cardio this morning - going well. Apart from the easter egg slip-up yesterday, food is also good. Need to go shopping though.

Hoping to be a smidgen under 13st 7lbs tomorrow... my sly mid-week weigh in this week was about 13st 7lbs but I wan't to use the Wii Fit as the authoritative weigh-in tomorrow...

Going to push some weights tonight. Also pushed weights on Wednesday but because of family visits on Easter Monday I missed that day so I'm one day short on Weights this week.

 

[tony7]

Today I was shocked to find, when I weighed in using Wii Fit, that I'd lost 4lbs over the last week !!!

That's weird. I was taken aback. I wondered if it was my clothing but that is the same as usual. The only slight difference was the time of day - mid afternoon instead of mid morning... but I'm normally heavier mid afternoon... weird.

I'll put it down as a proper loss but I'm not sure that next week will be much good.

So, according to Wii Fit I'm 13stone 5lbs... that's only 5lbs from my current target of 13stone.

Judging by the size of my persistent belly I think I'm going to return my target to 12stone 7lbs at least! If I've lost 4lbs this week and yet my belly looks as big as ever, I'm going to need to get quite low before I'm comfortable with the appearance of my gut.

There have been a few changes this week which may have accelerated the weight loss...

1) I've been using "My Fitness Coach" for Wii which is better than the Davina videos I've been using up to now - I did 45mins full-on cardio about 3 times this week, plus 30mins last Sunday and 30mins of Davina on Tuesday, so that's 5 workouts and 3 of them were high-intensity.

2) I've not been shopping this week so went most of the week without crisps at lunchtime and without muller lite yogurts for breakfast...

4) I didn't eat much today because I was working on something (actually skipped breakfast for the first time since 2008!)

5) I tried a more intensive weights routine this week too... I've upped the weight for my bench presses by 25% and reduced the number of sets to 4 or 5. Perhaps there's some muscle mass going on and that's eating calories?

Then again, on the downside, I did eat lots of chocolate this week (Easter and all) and I mean LOTS.....

Perhaps its just a flukey one-off weigh-in. I may actually put weight on next week, who knows....

Anyway, I'm going to update my slider and stats and reset my goals. Here's to another good week, hopefully!

p.s. Cherries are back in the supermarkets!!! Shame they cost £4 per small pack!

 

[tony7]

I'm still feeling a bit of a fraud over that last Wii Fit weigh-in - surely I'm not really 13st 5lbs, especially when my (quite dodgy) weighing scales in the bathroom say 13st 6lbs at best... well, next weekend will tell.

Loving the weather at the moment. Still walking at lunchtimes in the hot sun and noticing that I'm not sweating! Its great! I used to sweat whenever I went for a walk with my colleagues... but not a single drip any more!

Went to my dentist this morning - bearing in mind my whole diet started because of toothache I experienced in December 2008. I told her that the toothache had led to a 2stone weight loss! She laughed but was impressed, and she noticed the difference immediately. It should be helping my teeth too, far fewer sweet foods.

My lunch has evolved a bit - I'm still on tuna sandwiches with baked crisps, but now I like a low-calorie jelly and fruit. Nice. Still eating a full dinner in the evening though. Seems to work.

This week I've not been having porridge for breakfast, preferring cinnamon grahams instead (they're actually called "Cinnamon Somethings", but they used to be Grahams and that's how I like to remember them). I think there's a bit of Sugar in Cinnamon Grahams but its breakfast an I like it, so I'm sticking with it! Maybe I should drop the breakfast yogurt as a concession to the sugar... unsure...

A bit of a confession, diet-wise... Last week I had a few Jam Sandwiches for supper on a couple of evenings. Nothing too major - just 4 slices of bread, butter and jam ;-) Felt naughty, but it didn't seem to slow the weight-loss. I think it was just my bodies way of telling me it was hungry and I fed it - not overconsumption, but just enough (if you know what I mean).

Still got a flabby belly. Can't seem to shift it. I've been doing loads of Ab exercises in addition to the (now getting quite intensive) cardio 4 times a week. I think I need to get down to 12st 7lbs and maybe 12st to see the gut go.

I really didn't feel like getting out of bet at 6am this morning to run around the living room doing cardio for 45mins, but I did and I'm glad of it. Wednesday is my cardio day off, so that's nice - its worth it!

I've ranted enough now... sorry to bore!

 

[tony7]

Very disappointed this week. No weight loss according to my Wii Fit weigh-in :cry:

I have to say I have been extremely hungry lately. I've not changed my eating habbits but by dinner time I am starving! I've been trying to be good, but I guess sometimes I've eaten little snacks after dinner. Still, with 45mins exercise 4 times a week and 3 times a week weight training I should be losing weight... Perhaps my last weigh-in was just inaccurate (4lbs in one week was massive!).

Here's hoping this week I can get a couple of pounds off.

I've been on my own this weekend (family gone to visist relatives) and its a bit depressing to be honest. Yesterday I had 2 jam sandwiches and felt very bad for it afterwards. I've noticed that when I've not got anything to do I get hungry and start grazing. At leat there's not a lot of high calorie food in my cupboards, and lots of low-cal yogurt and jelly, but still it is overeating.

I just need to keep busy and away from the fridge!

Oh well, time for the same old boring breakfast I suppose. Gee great.

 

[tony7]

After my setback weigh-in on the Wii Fit on Saturday, I had an excellent diet and exercise day on Sunday. I did 1 solid hour of high intensity cardio (nearly killed myself ) and ate extremely well all day. I've even started to reduce carbs (not cut them out, but just cut down a little bit).

Anyway, its paid off because this morning my scales showed a couple of pounds lost. I'm not going to record my weight based on the scales (they're inaccurate anyway) but it is telling that I can feel better and weigh better when I exercise and eat better during the day. If I'm honest I have snacked a bit lately, so I'm not so surprised by Saturday's weigh-in.

So, I'm determined to have a fantastic week - eating well, exercising well, and no snacking.

I keep telling myself that this is "weight loss", not maintenance. It's not always going to be this strict. I know maintenance is not easy, but at least when I'm maintaining I can eat my whole allowance of calories in a day rather than eating below that allowance. Also, by then I'd like to have built a bit of muscle that will need feeding!

Here's to a (hopefully) good week!

 

[tony7]

Having a great week so far! My stagnation last week (weight wise) has led to a concerted effort this week. Fewer snack (none at all on most days) and healthier snacks where I do have them. Bought my first punnet of British Strawberries yesterday - they do taste so much better! Also, loving Jelly at the moment (sugar free of course!)

Had a sly mid-week weigh in on the inaccurate scales and it seems I (might be - depending on the accuracy) down to 13stone 2lbs! If so, that would be a fantastic loss for the week and really reflects my extra exercising and good eating with no snacks.

I've also upped the ante with my weight lifting, increasing the weight for each exercise gradually. Between bench-press sets I do ab-crunches in various configurations and I try to do 30 in each configuration, with 3 configurations, plus some reverses. Since I aim for 5 sets of 5 reps of bench-presses, this means I do 5 lots of ab crunches which, after a 30 minute workout, amounts to 475 separate crunches!! When I worked this out I was amazed - it doesn't feel like 475 crunches in a session! Doing this three times a week means I'm amassing an astonishing 1425 crunches (of various types) per week!

If that doesn't do something for my stomach, nothing will!

Actually, if I feel below the layer of fat on my gut the muscle is definitely coming along nicely!

Well, here's to another couple of days before my official Wii Fit Weigh-In! The cool thing this week is that if I can get down to 13stone 2lbs I will be EXACTLY 25! And we all know than a BMI lower than 25 is normal weight!!! That would be the first time in about 15 years....!!!

 

[kunster]

Youve made me a proud man ;-)

 

[tony7]

Thanks Kunster!

I started losing again this week, although not at the rate I had thought...

lost 2lbs this last week (mind you, I've been a bit bloated the last couple of days, so it may be a tad more than 2lbs really!)

So, I'm down to 13stone 3lbs... really just hovering about a BMI of 25 now (according to the Wii Fit, its something like 25.09!). I would like to see a couple of pounds off this week but with the bank holiday and all I'm not sure the diet is up to it. That said, I never compromise on the exercise (unless I'm ill or away from home and cannot practically do it - even then I'd like to think I could jog).

So, I'll put the exercise in next week and do my best with the food. Next Saturday could be that weigh in below BMI 25 - that would be something to celebrate! (No - not a fancy meal that edges the BMI up again, albeit briefly!)

Oh - by the way - I recently learned my daughter has hidden away one of her easter eggs. She'll never eat it (not a great fan of Chocolate) and now I know its there it teases me mentally! Part of me thinks I should just eat it (my daughter is happy for me to) to get it out of the house. Another part of me likes it to be there as a test of my willpower (but then one day, in a moment of weakness I may just eat it). A third part of me thinks I should throw it away (but what a waste). A fourth part of me thinks I should take a small piece at a time and savour it (this last option will never work! One taste and its all got to go I'm afraid).

For now I'll just leave it there... perhaps as a reward when I reach my target weight? Oh, I don't know.......................

 

[tony7]

Weighed in using Wii Fit on Saturday.... a 3lb loss since previous weigh-in - taking me to exactly 13stone and, for the first time in over 15 years, a BMI within the ideal range !!!!!!

According to BMI, I'm no longer overweight! Wow, I have to keep saying it to myself... of course, that's not to say I don't still look at my gut and feel 'oversized'

I've definitely got to lose this gut. It still sits around me like a bit of a spare tyre. Mind you, I did buy a new polo-shirt at the weekend and it was sized Medium - that's a first! I don't remember wearing Medium even when I was at university! I also think I need to go down to 34" waist trousers. Mind-you, the size of the trousers seem to bear no resemblance to the actual size of the waist - I might fit into 34" waist trousers but when I stick a tape measure around my waist there's definitely a few more inches on there.....

Anyhow, I've officially got another 7lbs to my original target. At this rate I may even make my original target date - May 25th! That's 2 weeks away. It'll take a concerted effort but to be able to say I lost 3 stone in 4 and a half months would be quite an achievement, so I'm going to push for it.

The weather is fantastic, really warm yesterday and today. We went to theme parks yesterday (Thorpe Park AND Chessington - don't ask, long story) but with the warm weather there are lots of young guys out there in various states of undress and I started to realise that weight-loss was not my only goal.. I really need to start bulking up soon. I'm conscious that I've not got my body fat down low enough yet though, so roll-on 12 and a half stone then we'll see what happens. It may take 12 stone, or even lower.

The one thing this weight-loss has taught me is that I can go on for as long as I want. Sure - it takes determination and a concerted effort, but if I want to lose more weight, I can just stick to it and keep going. Sure - sometimes the weight-loss stalls (or even reverses briefly!) - but I know not to become disillusioned and to persevere. The only thing between me and 12 and a half stone (or 12 stone, or 11 and a half stone, or whatever) is time and dedication. I know I can do it now!

I'm going to update my tickers now - lets see if we can manage another 7lbs in two weeks (big ask, I know!)

 

[tony7]

Managing to eat really well right up to evening time lately, but then at about 7pm I get real bad munchies!

Not such a problem I suppose if I manage to satisfy myself with jelly and muller-lite (or slimfast yogurt) but will prevent me losing the remaining gut if I cave in and devour my favourite raspberry jam sandwich on crusty white bread!

This morning I received my first batch of whey protein to supplement my weight lifting routine! I only ordered it yesterday afternoon so that's pretty good going!

It's "chocolate nut" flavour, so I put a scoup into my ready brek and had it for breakfast... it tastes real sweet! Actually, by the time I was finished with the bowl of ready brek I felt really quite sick!

If I take some three or four times a day it might actually stop the night-time munchies (can't imagine feeling like a jam sandwich after this stuff!)

Oh, if you've read this diary from the beginning you'll know my weight-loss was kickstarted by a pretty bad toothache I had in the first week of December 2008. Well, this last couple of days the toothache has returned :cry: and I've made myself an appointment to see the dentist tomorrow. It means I'm not eating so much solid food right now so it might help my short-term weight-loss goals! If my dentist hadn't warned me of the risks of putting off a dentist appointment I might live with the toothache for a few weeks until I've lost a load more weight! My instincts tell me this is an unhealthy approach to weight-loss

It's a molar right next to my wisdom tooth (at the very back) and it would really need an expensive root-canal. I think I might just ask for an extraction - its not visible from the front and I would be able to eat perfectly well without it. I already have the equivalent tooth on the other side of my mouth removed so I know what it's like...

 

[tony7]

The crappy (and often inaccurate) analogue scales show 12st 13lbs but my official Wii Fit weigh-in on Saturday indicated that my weight hadn't changed last week... well, the message was no weight-loss or gain, but the little graphic of a weighting scale showed a tad over 13stone. Anyway, I'll assume no loss since Wii Fit is my official guide.

This happened a fortnight ago too - I went a week with no weight-loss and then Wii Fit showed a loss of 3lbs the following week. Perhaps this will happen again? The other thing is that I started Protein shakes this week (a really awful chocolate-nut flavour that I can barely stomach!). Each shake is about 200 cals (almost 100% protein) and I have 2-3 per day, so that's up to 600cals in protein per day. I wonder if this could be reducing the rate of weight-loss... I hope not.

Managed 45 mins of solid cardio on Saturday and a 45 workout this morning too. Sticking to my cardio and resistance routines closely. Actually supplemented my weights bench this week with a lat pully and started a proper record of my routine. Will probably revisit the routine soon (this week?) and schedule it differently so I'm doing longer and more frequent resistence sessions.

 

[tony7]

I spent a long time yesterday planning my new resistance routine - taking resistance workouts from three times per week to four times per week, including a "pump" option for when I have more time or more inclination where I do 5 times per week. I account for different muscle-sets on different days and always ensure at least 48-hours recover (usually more). I have a variety of resistance exercises for each muscle so I can vary them cyclically.

All I need to do now is work out what weights I should be starting with for each exercise. Last night (despite my mother-in-law staying over, and my being late home trying to avoid her!) I did triceps and chest with some abs. It took a lot longer than I expected - mainly because I needed to work out the appropriate weight so that I could do the desired reps without premature failure, but also so that I was really feeling it in the targetted muscle so it wasn't too easy. Tricky balance!

Its also quite hard to ensure good form when you're tinkering with the weights - and when you're working out alone with no spotter.

Anyway, tonight is biceps and back so we'll see how we go.

Seem to have stopped losing weight. Wondering if its the protein shakes.... any ideas?

 

[tony7]

supposed to be moving to a 4-day resistance training model this week, but skipped yesterday evening due to a domestic incident and a dentist appointment... although I did manage to get a cardio session in during the morning...

Hoping to push some weights tonight but I have another appointment...

My wife is getting a bit pissy about all the exercise I'm doing - she's finding that I'm not that available in the evenings. In fairness, until now, the evening sessions have only been three times a week and only about 35 minutes per time. Now it'll be 4 times per week and possibly 45 minutes per time. I'd like to think I could balance exercise and time with my wife... how on earth do people fit all this stuff in?!

Also really worried about next week - we're on holiday in Wales for the week - what will happen to my exercise routine?! I can't take my weights to Wales! I can to Abs and Push-Ups I suppose.. perhaps I'll do lots of sessions before I go and lots when I get back. As for cardio -I'll probably try to go for a 30 or 40 minute run most mornings. Ho hum!

I don't seem to be losing much weight at the moment either....

 

[tony7]

Crikey - there are lots of diaries in here now (I'm sure there are more than usual) - I had to go to page 2 to find my diary and I only posted 3 days ago !

Anyway, weekly weigh-in takes me down to 12stone 12lbs so a nice loss this week . It seems a 2-3lb loss every fortnight is about right for me.

Monday is my official target date of 25th May 2009 and I am 5lbs off target which, considering I've lost over 37lbs since starting isn't half bad! And I'm not stopping - I'm looking to get down to at least 12st 7lbs in good time (about 4 weeks at the current rate of weight-loss) and then lower to about 12st.

I've been implementing my revised resistance training schedule to good effect. At least now I feel like I'm training all my muscles and not just the ones that are obvious to train. It should at least improve the composition of my body and appearance too.

Stomach still sticks out. Mind you, its been a feature of my waistline for about 15 years so its a bit much to expect it to reduce just like that. This is why I'm happy to move on to 12stone and lower if necessary.

I'm a bit worried about the coming week. We're off to Wales for a countryside holiday and I'm not at all sure how I'm going to be able to keep up my regime. I'll try to jog as much as I can and I'll take some dumbbells and weights to get some resistance training in, but this next week might be a bit of a right-off (I'm certainly not planning to over-eat, though, it'll just be exercise that suffers).

Hopefully it won't be a complete write-off because with it taking 2 weeks to see any loss I wouldn't want to jeopardise next week too!

Anyway, I guess I'd better update those old sliders! only 5lbs to my original target!

By the way, as you know I'm using "My Fitness Coach" on the Wii for my cardio training sessions in the mornings... well, this morning I felt like a 60 minute session and I wanted to increase the intensity a tad so on the menu I selected "increase difficulty"... well - crikey! She introduced about 5 different exercises each of them absolutely crippling! There was a "cross country" exercise, a "leapfrog" move and others! I have never produced so much sweat in any of my cardio workouts, and for a full 60 minutes too!

Needless to say I persevered through and apparently consumed somewhere over 400 calories in the hour! Wow! I think I'll keep this difficulty seeting for my 45-minute routines during the week!

 

[kunster]

Hi mate, not been around for a while -
Reasons for sustained weight -
1) Your actually putting on muscle mass due your new training program
2)Increase in calorie intake - Protein shakes in your case
3)When you get closer to your body's natural weight, progress slows down.

Most importantly now that your closer to your target, start using body measurements or get a body fat measurement to see your progress.

K

 

[tony7]

Cheers Kunster - always good advice.

The week in Wales was fantastic, especially given the weather. I even managed to shed some clothing and introduced my family to my slimmer look!

The week was a right-off exercise wise... I didn't do any cardio or resistance routines for 6 straight days. I did my best to stick to my healthy eating, although I enjoyed some extra treats a few times during the week (it was a holiday afterall). That said, I can't say I was very tempted by naughty foods most of the time, especially when the weather was warm.

A new niggling annoyance has arisen in this last week - I'm getting a bit fed up with people telling me not to lose any more weight. I've counted up 8 different people who all said it last week. Perhaps they're right and I'm getting too thin or perhaps they are just adjusting to my change from a 16 stoner to a 12 and a half stoner. I'm back on the resistance schedule this week so I should grow muscle and hopefully bulk up a little bit.

Oh, and there's my news - despite the lack of exercise and the slight de-focus on the eating front, last week was one of my best weight-loss weeks since I started Can you believe I lost 4lbs in one week?! I have no idea how or why, but I ended the week with a wii-fit weigh in on 12 stone 8lbs, that's 1 pound off my initial target weight and only 1 week behind schedule! I couldn't believe it!

I think I might know why though.... I stopped taking protein last week too.. each protein shake is about 150cals and I'd normally have 3 per day so 450cals of protein (and possible corresponding muscle gain) was lost last week, maybe explaining the massive 4lb drop in weight. Coupled with that, my metabolism is in a much more stable place right now so I probably consume more calories without thinking about it much more readily.

So, the plan going forward......... I'm gonna stick with the resistance schedule but I still want to lose this nasty gut that I have sticking out front (spare tyre - even after a 41lb weight loss!) which means I need to get down to 12 stone or less I suspect. So, I'm going to continue with the cardio and revised resistance routines. Healthy eating has become normal for me now so I don't need to try on the diet front (except occasionally to avoid too many treats). Revising the target to 12 stone with a target date of 25th July (I'm going away for a long weekend break that weekend, so that can be my next target and it just so happens to be 2lbs weight loss per 2 weeks). So, here's to another 8lbs weight loss in the next 8 weeks!

Hopefully I'll start to see some flattening of the stomach. If not, I'll be gutted because I am fed up of spending my life covering my stomach.

Some great changes that have happened in my life lately: I'm officially into size 34" waist trousers (from 38"-40"!); I take my t-shirts in size medium (from L-XL!); I no longer mind sunbathing without a t-shirt on in the hot weather; and I don't sweat as much in the heat any more!!

Just a shame about the comments that I've lost too much weight. Why can't people just be pleased for me and let me get on with it. My brother was much more positive. I think my wife is resentful. Funny how losing weight and sorting out your life can have weird unanticipated consequences isn't it?

 

[kunster]

Hi Tony, Would love to reply to your thread above but im bit tight on time, give me a pm and ill give you a email/number we can discuss your diet on.

Cheers

 

[tony7]

Weighed in on Saturday and I'm at 174lbs, that's a 2lb loss over the week and 1lb below my target weight!!

I've done it! I've reached my target weight and only 2 weeks behind schedule. That's a grand total of 43lbs lost in 5 months. It feels good!

Not finished yet though. Still got a belly! Don't want to be obsessive about it, but would rather like to lose it all the same. So, I'll have a think about resetting my target. For now, I'll just enjoy updating my sliders!

 

[tony7]

Not having a brilliant week... still managing my cardio sessions this week (thankfully) but skipped a resistance session and have been eating too many treats! My wife made me a whole batch of the most amazing cupcakes.... mmmmmm.... I wish she wouldn't, but they are nice!

Perhaps I'm just easing off a little bit this week to celebrate my meeting my target. Regardless, I'm not getting complacent and I am definitely planning of getting completely back-on-track!

 

[tony7]

As anticipated, I gained a pound this week

At least I know why. There's nothing like a weight increase to focus the mind though!

I think next week is going to be a good week!

At least I'm still at my target (just!) of 12 and a half stone.