Or more to the point, too much of a calorie deficit. I need to be aiming for a deficit of around 1000 calories a day to hit my goal of 2lb a week loss of more, so 7000 calories a week. I'm already hitting 550-600 average through my biking and gym, leaving me 400-500 to find through diet.
Someone my size is looking at 2600 calories a day to sustain (verified through multiple sources), meaning I need around 2000-2100 a day to hit that 400-500 diet deficit.
Out of curiosity yesterday I ran a detailed calorie count on my daily diet (as it's almost identical each day) and most surprisingly it revealed I'm only eating 1100-1150 calories a day. Most definitely not enough. This may go part of the way to explaining the lethargy and lack of motivation in the last 2-3 weeks (which was when I changed the diet up a little, trimming it some more). I'm still going to hold my drinking habits responsible for the slow in weight loss too though.
Once you deduct my 550-600 average through activity, I was only absorbing ~600 calories a day. No wonder I've been having occasional difficulties with a couple of exercises, and no wonder I've had little daily energy recently.
My trainer has suggested I try upping portion sizes slightly rather than artificially forcing in another chunk of food somewhere, which should make things easier.
Anyone else found themselves eating too little and suffering for it?
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Week #25 (29/05/13)
Not expecting greatness this week. Since I've lost the running and walking, my motivation has evaporated. Combine this with much slower weight loss and I'm teetering on the edge of giving up at the moment. I'm not going to, I've worked too hard and too long to get to this stage, but the thought has entered my mind.
Weight: 17st 8lb (-1lb)
Chest: 44" (unchanged)
Stomach: 41.5" (-0.5")
Waist: 40.5" (unchanged)
Collar: 16" (-0.5")
Three gym sessions, a few days of biking, still sticking to the diet, and still only 1lb off and very little movement in the measurements.
That said, I really do know why. Let's just say my weekends have involved a steady increase in activity in my social life. During those 2-3lb weight loss weeks I was going out as well, but when I did go out I was exclusively drinking vodka & diet coke or vodka & soda water. These last two weeks have involved barbecues, with the according acquaintance of beer or cider. And we all know the calorie counts in those drinks.
So basically I either need to knock the drinking habits on the head (preferable at the moment, for financial reasons if nothing else) or watch what I drink when I do. Only got myself to blame really, and now I have to accept this.
I've got my 5k run this weekend so there'll be no partying whatsoever, and I'll be keen to see how that is reflected in next weeks measurements.
I feel I've reached my next milestone/millstone crossover point and it's time to up the game some more if I want to keep improving my position. I'm researching evening classes at the gym for off-nights, and I think it's time to get off my sleepy arse and get on with that morning swimming I keep talking about all year.
Many variations of the appropriate phrase here, "go big or go home", "nut up or shut up", but the sentiment is the same.
The Good:
- Cycling most of the time, weather permitting (it's been retarded here lately, 50mph gusts yesterday, blew me clean off my bike)
- Still keeping up with gym every other day, beating targets and setting new weight standards (was butterflying 55kg the other day, when only 2 months ago I struggled to complete a set at 20kg)
The Bad:
- Need to stop being a prissy tart about not being able to run, just get on with something else instead
- STILL NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER IN THE DAYTIMES
- Switched from muesli to granola for breakfast, in itself not a bad thing, but have noticed that my portion size has increased for sure
- My 5pm main meal has not been followed as tightly as I was in the past
Weight: 17st 8lb (-1lb)
Chest: 44" (unchanged)
Stomach: 41.5" (-0.5")
Waist: 40.5" (unchanged)
Collar: 16" (-0.5")
Three gym sessions, a few days of biking, still sticking to the diet, and still only 1lb off and very little movement in the measurements.
That said, I really do know why. Let's just say my weekends have involved a steady increase in activity in my social life. During those 2-3lb weight loss weeks I was going out as well, but when I did go out I was exclusively drinking vodka & diet coke or vodka & soda water. These last two weeks have involved barbecues, with the according acquaintance of beer or cider. And we all know the calorie counts in those drinks.
So basically I either need to knock the drinking habits on the head (preferable at the moment, for financial reasons if nothing else) or watch what I drink when I do. Only got myself to blame really, and now I have to accept this.
I've got my 5k run this weekend so there'll be no partying whatsoever, and I'll be keen to see how that is reflected in next weeks measurements.
I feel I've reached my next milestone/millstone crossover point and it's time to up the game some more if I want to keep improving my position. I'm researching evening classes at the gym for off-nights, and I think it's time to get off my sleepy arse and get on with that morning swimming I keep talking about all year.
Many variations of the appropriate phrase here, "go big or go home", "nut up or shut up", but the sentiment is the same.
The Good:
- Cycling most of the time, weather permitting (it's been retarded here lately, 50mph gusts yesterday, blew me clean off my bike)
- Still keeping up with gym every other day, beating targets and setting new weight standards (was butterflying 55kg the other day, when only 2 months ago I struggled to complete a set at 20kg)
The Bad:
- Need to stop being a prissy tart about not being able to run, just get on with something else instead
- STILL NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER IN THE DAYTIMES
- Switched from muesli to granola for breakfast, in itself not a bad thing, but have noticed that my portion size has increased for sure
- My 5pm main meal has not been followed as tightly as I was in the past
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Week #24 (22/05/13)
Mixed bag.
Weight: 17st 9lb (-1lb)
Chest: 44" (-0.5")
Stomach: 42" (-0.5")
Waist: 40.5" (-0.5")
Collar: 16.5" (+0.5")
Have to say I'm disappointed with only losing 1lb, but then I need to be objective.
Point - I've lost all my running. I was hitting 3-5k every other day, on top of all my other gym work.
Point - I've lost walking to work. This was an instruction from my physio as part of resting my knee. I've started cycling instead, but was only able to start that yesterday. Hence, 5 days without walking or cycling.
I guess at the end of the day a loss is a loss, but 1lb just seems very little when you factor in 4 hard gym sessions a week, and a very strict food/eating plan. My sister has lost more a week just by eating a little less.
My physio tells me to not place focus on the scales, especially as I introduce more weight work in my exercise, but it's hard not to.
On the plus side, that damned chest measurement has finally moved. I've been spending a bit more time on upper body at the gym and we've also started introducing boxing/bag work for more upper body effort too.
I'll try to remain positive, and just aim for a 2lb loss next week to hit that 2stone marker.
The Good
- Stuck to the diet/food plan very well, no bad nights
- Replaced walking with cycling, but a little late in the week
- Stepped up gym work to account for the loss of running (2k row time PB was 8:12 last week, by last night I got it down to 7:25)
The Bad
- Still no running
- Didn't start biking until yesterday
- Still not drinking enough!
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Physio #2
So I saw my physio today, and a couple of points to summarise:
Good
- I can start basic run training again in 1-2 weeks time.
Bad
- It's still pretty bad
- It's going to take minimum 6-8 weeks just to get back where I was. And let's admit it, I wasn't very far. A couple of 5k runs and that was it.
I'm going to hit up "Up and Running", a professional running centre in Milton Keynes tomorrow. They'll do a gait analysis and figure out what I need to best suit my retarded feet. After that, I spend 1-2 weeks walking, then slowly introducing short runs (like starting C25k all over again).
On the upside my physio said that it won't be the end of the world if I still do the 5k charity run next Sunday, she'll just have another week of "fixing" to do afterwards. She did suggest that perhaps distance running may not be for me, certainly not half marathon/marathon distances, but they've never been on the cards for me really. If I can do 5-10k runs on a regular basis, it'll be enough for me.
Good
- I can start basic run training again in 1-2 weeks time.
Bad
- It's still pretty bad
- It's going to take minimum 6-8 weeks just to get back where I was. And let's admit it, I wasn't very far. A couple of 5k runs and that was it.
I'm going to hit up "Up and Running", a professional running centre in Milton Keynes tomorrow. They'll do a gait analysis and figure out what I need to best suit my retarded feet. After that, I spend 1-2 weeks walking, then slowly introducing short runs (like starting C25k all over again).
On the upside my physio said that it won't be the end of the world if I still do the 5k charity run next Sunday, she'll just have another week of "fixing" to do afterwards. She did suggest that perhaps distance running may not be for me, certainly not half marathon/marathon distances, but they've never been on the cards for me really. If I can do 5-10k runs on a regular basis, it'll be enough for me.
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Fun & Games
Or more to the point, there's definitely a little too much fun going on. Saturday night drink related fun. Let's just say that through not feeling so self conscious when I go out these days, I've ended up going out a lot more. I'm still managing to lose the weight as we've seen in previous weeks, but I'm starting to wonder how much more I could lose if I stopped going out drinking every weekend.
On top of that, being old means I just get really bad hangovers. I really struggled at the gym today, couldn't actually finish my 2k row. I don't actually know if this is the hangover or not (I've done it with one before) or whether I'm just a bit under the weather this week with this throat infection. I did a 1.5k row at least, 15 minutes interval work on the bike and a pretty solid upper body workout. Oh, on a related note, on Friday I managed a new personal best for the 2k row, knocking it down to 7:47. Not bad eh?
My knee is still causing me issues, but physio is on Tuesday so here's hoping. My trainer told me about a running shop only a few miles away too (the one I was planning to go to is 30 miles away). I can't wait to get back to running & walking, I feel like I'm missing out on so much exercise right now.
On top of that, being old means I just get really bad hangovers. I really struggled at the gym today, couldn't actually finish my 2k row. I don't actually know if this is the hangover or not (I've done it with one before) or whether I'm just a bit under the weather this week with this throat infection. I did a 1.5k row at least, 15 minutes interval work on the bike and a pretty solid upper body workout. Oh, on a related note, on Friday I managed a new personal best for the 2k row, knocking it down to 7:47. Not bad eh?
My knee is still causing me issues, but physio is on Tuesday so here's hoping. My trainer told me about a running shop only a few miles away too (the one I was planning to go to is 30 miles away). I can't wait to get back to running & walking, I feel like I'm missing out on so much exercise right now.
Friday, 17 May 2013
One goal achieved
So if any of you still reading can remember back to my first post, one of the primary motivators for me starting on this journey was dis
covering I had "severe obstructive sleep apnoea". I stopped breathing during sleep, on average 55 times an hour.
I was placed on a treatment called APAP (Automatic Positive Airway Pressure), which is a facemask that blows high pressure air down your throat to stop it collapsing. For some people it's a life changing treatment and a positive force. For me it was horrific. A truly, truly unpleasant experience.
Well, half a year later and I saw my sleep doctor today for a review. Simply put he said he couldn't believe the progress I'd made in my health, my weight, and that I'd completely cured myself of my sleep apnoea and no longer needed APAP. Hell yeah!
In other news, I tried boxing for the first time on Wednesday night (well, my trainer decided we were going to do it, it's not like I asked). Suffice to say I have a new respect for boxers. My arms and shoulders are still screwed today. No progress on the knee yet, having to avoid all impact training. I did knock 17 seconds off my 2k row time though to try and make up for the loss of running (from 8:15 down to 7:57).
Also on Wednesday night I somehow got a nasty infection in my pharynx (I don't even know what a pharynx is, but that's what the doctor told me today). It's closed my throat up and hurts like a mofo. I'll be eating antibiotics like smarties though and hopefully it won't hold me up much.
I was placed on a treatment called APAP (Automatic Positive Airway Pressure), which is a facemask that blows high pressure air down your throat to stop it collapsing. For some people it's a life changing treatment and a positive force. For me it was horrific. A truly, truly unpleasant experience.
Well, half a year later and I saw my sleep doctor today for a review. Simply put he said he couldn't believe the progress I'd made in my health, my weight, and that I'd completely cured myself of my sleep apnoea and no longer needed APAP. Hell yeah!
In other news, I tried boxing for the first time on Wednesday night (well, my trainer decided we were going to do it, it's not like I asked). Suffice to say I have a new respect for boxers. My arms and shoulders are still screwed today. No progress on the knee yet, having to avoid all impact training. I did knock 17 seconds off my 2k row time though to try and make up for the loss of running (from 8:15 down to 7:57).
Also on Wednesday night I somehow got a nasty infection in my pharynx (I don't even know what a pharynx is, but that's what the doctor told me today). It's closed my throat up and hurts like a mofo. I'll be eating antibiotics like smarties though and hopefully it won't hold me up much.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Week #23 (15/05/13)... kinda
Can't do a full measurements update this week as I'm not at the office and that's where all my stuff is.
I did get to weigh though, and I'm at 17st 10lb, so only -1lb this week. Upside is I know exactly why I've lost less weight. I had ice cream at the cinema last Wednesday, then some friends came over Saturday and there were many beers at my place, curry at my place, many drinks in town, then kebab and chips at the end of the night Saturday night. I also visited my parents on Sunday and had a big dinner. So being 1lb down even after all that isn't so bad I guess.
Update on the knee - it's proper ****ed. Saw my physio yesterday and apparently I've really messed up a ligament that runs along the inside edge of my knee. Basically a mix of trying to do too much too quick, and bad posture when running. I'm on a complete running hiatus, and I've even been told not to walk to work. Pretty pissed off about the whole thing. Biking/rowing is acceptable, but I've been given some specific swimming exercises to do to try and help so we'll see how they go.
Physio says she thinks she can get me fixed in time for my charity run on June 2nd, but only if I do as I'm told. Fingers crossed.
I did get to weigh though, and I'm at 17st 10lb, so only -1lb this week. Upside is I know exactly why I've lost less weight. I had ice cream at the cinema last Wednesday, then some friends came over Saturday and there were many beers at my place, curry at my place, many drinks in town, then kebab and chips at the end of the night Saturday night. I also visited my parents on Sunday and had a big dinner. So being 1lb down even after all that isn't so bad I guess.
Update on the knee - it's proper ****ed. Saw my physio yesterday and apparently I've really messed up a ligament that runs along the inside edge of my knee. Basically a mix of trying to do too much too quick, and bad posture when running. I'm on a complete running hiatus, and I've even been told not to walk to work. Pretty pissed off about the whole thing. Biking/rowing is acceptable, but I've been given some specific swimming exercises to do to try and help so we'll see how they go.
Physio says she thinks she can get me fixed in time for my charity run on June 2nd, but only if I do as I'm told. Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Update
Just a quicky before tomorrow and the weigh-in. Had some cracking sessions on Thursday and Saturday, but buggered my knee up on Thursday so running/impact work is off the cards at the moment. It seems rowing and bike doesn't cause problems so I've been focussing on those for cardio.
Should've made it to the gym last night but finished late (I'm back at Uni this week, for the last time) at work. I've got Chris booked for tomorrow night, but I want to get some cardio in tonight at least before tomorrow morning. The one benefit to working at Uni is 3 miles walk each way each day, so that's upping things a bit if nothing else. And lots of stairs.
Results tomorrow!
Should've made it to the gym last night but finished late (I'm back at Uni this week, for the last time) at work. I've got Chris booked for tomorrow night, but I want to get some cardio in tonight at least before tomorrow morning. The one benefit to working at Uni is 3 miles walk each way each day, so that's upping things a bit if nothing else. And lots of stairs.
Results tomorrow!
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Week #22 (8/5/13)
So here we go...
Weight: 17st 11lb (-2lb)
Chest: 44.5" (unchanged)
Stomach: 42.5" (unchanged)
Waist: 41" (unchanged)
Collar: 16.25" (unchanged)
Weight continues to fall, inches continue to not move. I'm losing weight from somewhere, but it's definitely not my torso. I have noticed a continuing improvement in visual definition in my legs, so I'm probably losing it there. Chris tells me I should measure my arms too, but I kept forgetting and now I've got no reference to work from.
The Good:
- Losing 2 more pounds
- Taking nearly a full minute off my 5k time
The Bad:
- Accidently doing 2 "cheat nights", as noted in my previous post
- Getting stressed about the above, leading to a rather negative week
- Slacked off on hydration over the weekend, again
I'm not going to list only 2 gym sessions as a bad point. Taking Thursday off as a rest day was a deliberate choice, and I needed it. It was then a public holiday on Monday, meaning I had 2 days off between Saturday and Tuesday rather than alternating days as usual. I'm back to every other day now, doing Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday this week, and accordingly Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday next week.
Weight: 17st 11lb (-2lb)
Chest: 44.5" (unchanged)
Stomach: 42.5" (unchanged)
Waist: 41" (unchanged)
Collar: 16.25" (unchanged)
Weight continues to fall, inches continue to not move. I'm losing weight from somewhere, but it's definitely not my torso. I have noticed a continuing improvement in visual definition in my legs, so I'm probably losing it there. Chris tells me I should measure my arms too, but I kept forgetting and now I've got no reference to work from.
The Good:
- Losing 2 more pounds
- Taking nearly a full minute off my 5k time
The Bad:
- Accidently doing 2 "cheat nights", as noted in my previous post
- Getting stressed about the above, leading to a rather negative week
- Slacked off on hydration over the weekend, again
I'm not going to list only 2 gym sessions as a bad point. Taking Thursday off as a rest day was a deliberate choice, and I needed it. It was then a public holiday on Monday, meaning I had 2 days off between Saturday and Tuesday rather than alternating days as usual. I'm back to every other day now, doing Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday this week, and accordingly Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday next week.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Pre-Weigh
Been an interesting week.
Skipped out on Thursday after hurting myself a bit on Wednesday, wasn't a tough decision given how much things were an effort. Had a cheat meal Thursday night, wasn't a problem either. Ended up going out Friday night, was unplanned, didn't drink much (had vodka and diet coke only) so nothing heavy.
Been guilt tripping myself ever since.
Even though I hit 5k for the first time on Saturday and it was amazing, all I've focussed on this week was that I essentially had two cheat nights, and one less gym night. Until I hit the gym tonight I was feeling terrible, unfit, huge. I'd mentally backed myself into such a fat frame of mind I was convinced I'd gained masses of weight from one small takeaway.
Hit the gym tonight, was with my trainer again. He told me not to worry at all about having a night off, if I felt I needed it then there's no problem at all. I'd texted him about my 5k on Saturday and between Saturday and tonight he's convinced I'll still be seeing a loss tomorrow.
Just to be sure we did another heavy cardio session tonight, and I'm feeling it now! Was awesome though. Did another 5k and hit 34:02, a staggering 58 seconds improved on my Saturday time. Did a 2k row to go with it, then rounded it out with a 4k interval session on the bike.
I'm seeing him again Saturday and I'll be doing another food diary between now and then to review my eating, try and make sure I don't plateau with the losses/gains.
I need to just be patient, and not panic at minor setbacks. I've achieved more than I ever considered possible for someone of the size and activity I used to be. Just need to keep going, and keep pushing. I'm enjoying it every minute of the way, just gotta keep moving.
Skipped out on Thursday after hurting myself a bit on Wednesday, wasn't a tough decision given how much things were an effort. Had a cheat meal Thursday night, wasn't a problem either. Ended up going out Friday night, was unplanned, didn't drink much (had vodka and diet coke only) so nothing heavy.
Been guilt tripping myself ever since.
Even though I hit 5k for the first time on Saturday and it was amazing, all I've focussed on this week was that I essentially had two cheat nights, and one less gym night. Until I hit the gym tonight I was feeling terrible, unfit, huge. I'd mentally backed myself into such a fat frame of mind I was convinced I'd gained masses of weight from one small takeaway.
Hit the gym tonight, was with my trainer again. He told me not to worry at all about having a night off, if I felt I needed it then there's no problem at all. I'd texted him about my 5k on Saturday and between Saturday and tonight he's convinced I'll still be seeing a loss tomorrow.
Just to be sure we did another heavy cardio session tonight, and I'm feeling it now! Was awesome though. Did another 5k and hit 34:02, a staggering 58 seconds improved on my Saturday time. Did a 2k row to go with it, then rounded it out with a 4k interval session on the bike.
I'm seeing him again Saturday and I'll be doing another food diary between now and then to review my eating, try and make sure I don't plateau with the losses/gains.
I need to just be patient, and not panic at minor setbacks. I've achieved more than I ever considered possible for someone of the size and activity I used to be. Just need to keep going, and keep pushing. I'm enjoying it every minute of the way, just gotta keep moving.
Saturday, 4 May 2013
BOOM
Just did my first 5k, oh yeah!
So two weeks ago I did 2.5k, that was in 18:22. Last week I did 3.5k in 25:35, with a 2.5k time of 18:15 along the way. Today I was aiming for 4k, thinking I'd steadily progress. Well I hit 4k and had plenty left in the tank, so kept going! Final 5k time was dead on 35 minutes, with a 3.5k time of 24:48 and a 2.5k time of 17:47.
Yup, shaved a full 28 seconds off last weeks 2.5k time, and 47 seconds off 3.5k. That's if my maths are right, I'm buzzing right now and may be out slightly. What's interesting is my half way time shows I actually got faster in the final 2.5k, I kept edging the speed up as I found the run wasn't actually pushing me. Can you believe that? It was amazing!
Did an upper body session after the run, but the highlight was the 5k.
So two weeks ago I did 2.5k, that was in 18:22. Last week I did 3.5k in 25:35, with a 2.5k time of 18:15 along the way. Today I was aiming for 4k, thinking I'd steadily progress. Well I hit 4k and had plenty left in the tank, so kept going! Final 5k time was dead on 35 minutes, with a 3.5k time of 24:48 and a 2.5k time of 17:47.
Yup, shaved a full 28 seconds off last weeks 2.5k time, and 47 seconds off 3.5k. That's if my maths are right, I'm buzzing right now and may be out slightly. What's interesting is my half way time shows I actually got faster in the final 2.5k, I kept edging the speed up as I found the run wasn't actually pushing me. Can you believe that? It was amazing!
Did an upper body session after the run, but the highlight was the 5k.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Week #21 (1/5/13)
So we seriously hammered the interval cardio at the gym last night as a last push to try and make sure I met my target today (being under 18st by the end of April). Did a 4k run, 9k bike (with interval sprints) and then a 2k row at the end.
This morning I wasn't confident it was enough, so did something radical. Guess who ran to work this morning? That's right, me. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fast, but another 3k in the bag. Also my first time doing outdoor running, in the blazing sunshine, and it was AMAZING.
Weigh in time was meant to be 11am, but was literally buzzing this morning so couldn't wait. I had to know if I'd done it.
So here we go....
Weight: 17st 13lb (-3lb!)
Chest: 44.5" (unchanged)
Stomach: 42.5" (unchanged)
Waist: 41" (unchanged)
Collar: 16.25" (-0.25")
****ing YES! Target met!
So the goods and the bads again.
The Good:
- 3 more fantastic sessions with the trainer
- Stuck to the food plan perfectly all week, allowed myself one cheat evening as advised and it did no harm
- 3.5k run on Sunday, beat my 2.5k time by 6 seconds while doing it
- Incorporating heavy weights/low reps into my workout for strength gains alongside the cardio/fat burner weights
The Bad:
- STILL not drinking enough water, definitely need to get back on top of this as it's now affecting my digestion a bit, which is why I think my measurements haven't dropped this week
My pre-paid sessions with my trainer are now all used up, so sadly I won't be able to work with him as regularly as I was (I simply can't afford him that often). My hope is to keep up at the very least once a week though, and as we approach the run in June twice a week to keep up the training.
Goals
So a new goal, actually two goals for May:
1 - Drop 8lbs. This is my goal reduction. I very much doubt I'll be able to keep up 2-3lbs a week consistently, but 2lbs should be doable.
2 - Achieve a 5k run. I'm very confident on this one now!
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