Well I have not one cotton-picking clue how this happened. Here's me, gingerly stepping on to the scales expecting a metaphorical 'tut-tut', along with telling me just how much damage I have done; and I am down to 17 stone 8 pounds! How do you do stunned silence in a blog post...? How about this...............
..........................................................!.........!....................!................!!!!!.....................!!!...................!!.....!. .................!..........!............................!!!!!!................!.......??!!!!?!.................................................................
Yep, that should just about do it.
I had a night out with one of my best friends (booze), and succumbed to a Chinese takeaway at the weekend. No swimming last weekend either. Strange, but I am not complaining.
One thing is for sure; I don't think I will get away with that regime for another week (and there may still be some residual effect on next week's weigh-in), but the badminton season starts on Friday, and I have had my usual training session tonight with Michael (never gonna make me sweat, no matter how hard you try) Wood. I think a relaxing swim will be in order on Saturday morning too. Exercise this week shouldn't be a problem then!
I truly hope I am over this dodgy period and regained my focus. I think I was a bit naive to think that the level of vigilance could be maintained, but I am well aware that it is these recoveries - rather than the easy times - which are the most important things to get me where I want to go. Let's keep it going.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Weigh in (12)
Bit of a sigh of relief when I got on the scales yesterday; to the decimal point I have broken even at 17 stone 10.6 pounds, and I will take that thank you very much!
It's been a funny couple of weeks all told, and I think - between you and me.......voice turned to a whisper...... - I've taken my eyes off the prize with regards to what I am trying to do here. What follows is going to sound like excuses; they aren't, as ultimately it shouldn't matter what happens to me. Healthy eating and exercise shouldn't stop. Like always, I will be honest enough to write them in this blog, and use them as - hopefully - lessons learned for the future.
Routine is often something which is decried; more often than not because it is closely associated with boredom. In the case of losing weight, routine is something I have depended on to get this far. Regular meals, based on similar content (salad, spinach ricey thing), regular exercise (Wii Fit, badminton), and regular posting on here. Lately, that routine has been disrupted; no more evident than in the fact I am posting less - and posting late - on here.
The disruption isn't always a bad thing (often quite the opposite), but the one thing that my established regime did not account for was the ability to be flexible:
August bank holiday for me is a longer weekend than most, as my company has an extra day off on the Tuesday. This led to more free time, and only a three day week; it sounds crazy but it knocked me out of my stride.
I visited my Mum. Now I love my Mum, and I really enjoy spending time with her. Having said all that, she is 82 years old and although mobile around the house, a visit to her can never be called relaxing as she likes to be pampered (and may I say, after bringing up six Blaydons, she is quite entitled to it!). Two things which happened over the last couple of weeks were firstly that one such visit was a particularly high maintenance one after a very tough working week leaving me fairly shredded. Secondly, I go through a routine of emptying Mum's fridge of all the things which are going to be out-of-date within the next week (replacing with new fresh goodies). Rather than throw this stuff away, I take them home with me; and in that bag of iniquity are several things that have no place in the house of......well.......me! One of which was an iced jam sponge, the entire of which went in one sitting.
Finally, I had a visit on Tuesday from one of my best friends. It is a rarity to see him these days as he is a big noise in research living in Switzerland with his wife and little girl. Now previous nights with Martin have resulted in extreme levels of alcohol, followed by extreme levels of poorliness (I will tell you about the 'Aberystwyth University' incident one day, if my stomach can take it). Although our tastes have matured - slightly - to a meal and a few beers over good conversation (yep, that really should be the other way round shouldn't it?!), it was still quite a step away from 'the plan'. I am not particularly guilty about it; Martin is a brilliant man, and it was a great night, but it is time to remind myself of what I am trying to do here.
When playing badders, if we slip behind in the match by too many points we say to each other 'ok, let's go again now'; it basically means 'we are better than this, let's get back in the game'.
So this is me......going again......
It's been a funny couple of weeks all told, and I think - between you and me.......voice turned to a whisper...... - I've taken my eyes off the prize with regards to what I am trying to do here. What follows is going to sound like excuses; they aren't, as ultimately it shouldn't matter what happens to me. Healthy eating and exercise shouldn't stop. Like always, I will be honest enough to write them in this blog, and use them as - hopefully - lessons learned for the future.
Routine is often something which is decried; more often than not because it is closely associated with boredom. In the case of losing weight, routine is something I have depended on to get this far. Regular meals, based on similar content (salad, spinach ricey thing), regular exercise (Wii Fit, badminton), and regular posting on here. Lately, that routine has been disrupted; no more evident than in the fact I am posting less - and posting late - on here.
The disruption isn't always a bad thing (often quite the opposite), but the one thing that my established regime did not account for was the ability to be flexible:
August bank holiday for me is a longer weekend than most, as my company has an extra day off on the Tuesday. This led to more free time, and only a three day week; it sounds crazy but it knocked me out of my stride.
I visited my Mum. Now I love my Mum, and I really enjoy spending time with her. Having said all that, she is 82 years old and although mobile around the house, a visit to her can never be called relaxing as she likes to be pampered (and may I say, after bringing up six Blaydons, she is quite entitled to it!). Two things which happened over the last couple of weeks were firstly that one such visit was a particularly high maintenance one after a very tough working week leaving me fairly shredded. Secondly, I go through a routine of emptying Mum's fridge of all the things which are going to be out-of-date within the next week (replacing with new fresh goodies). Rather than throw this stuff away, I take them home with me; and in that bag of iniquity are several things that have no place in the house of......well.......me! One of which was an iced jam sponge, the entire of which went in one sitting.
Finally, I had a visit on Tuesday from one of my best friends. It is a rarity to see him these days as he is a big noise in research living in Switzerland with his wife and little girl. Now previous nights with Martin have resulted in extreme levels of alcohol, followed by extreme levels of poorliness (I will tell you about the 'Aberystwyth University' incident one day, if my stomach can take it). Although our tastes have matured - slightly - to a meal and a few beers over good conversation (yep, that really should be the other way round shouldn't it?!), it was still quite a step away from 'the plan'. I am not particularly guilty about it; Martin is a brilliant man, and it was a great night, but it is time to remind myself of what I am trying to do here.
When playing badders, if we slip behind in the match by too many points we say to each other 'ok, let's go again now'; it basically means 'we are better than this, let's get back in the game'.
So this is me......going again......
Monday, 5 September 2011
Treaty Target
I know I know; I'm keeping you dangling. Honestly I didn't mean to, but blogging to me is always enjoyable, and therefore something I 'save for later'; and blow me if 'later' never actually comes! (Is it any wonder that I end up opening my birthday cards/presents on the day AFTER my birthday?!!).
What I was dangling you about - as if you didn't know! - is the treat I am to give myself once I reach the twenty-eight pound target. It is time to put you out of your misery by telling you something that very few people know; something which I have always wanted to do but never got round to.
SCUBA DIVING!!! (Of course now you'll all say that you had guessed that wontcha?! This I stress, is not to be confused with the act of throwing a cartoon dog into a swimming pool - Scooby Diving, or a very small person jumping into the noisy end of a brass musical instrument - Tuba Diving)
It's David Attenborough's fault, as I grew up with all his wildlife documentaries ringing in my ears. I loved them! The underwater programmes were always particularly amazing; I guess because the environment is about as alien as you can get; one in which us humans don't belong, and don't survive without help. The creatures that do live and belong there absolutely fascinate me, and there is nothing I would like better than to share their environment with them for real rather than on the small screen.
And what's the one creature above all else which I would like to see? The Great White Shark (I almost put 'Great White' but I can see some sarky bugger insinuating that I have a thing for the 'Great White Lobster' or something). I stress here that I am not oblivious to the potential possessed by a creature like this to.....how can I say this bluntly....errrr......EAT YOU. I intend to be inside a nice and sturdy cage; but how good would it be to see one of those majestic animals in action?
SO, treat number two is to book myself into a SCUBA diving course; some way away from swimming with sharks (unless they release one into the swimming pool for a laugh) but I have to start somewhere.
Slightly concerned about tomorrow. Had a bit of a binge on Saturday night, and I am not sure what the result will be. Two weeks of putting on weight will not be good. There will be mitigating circumstances which I will cover tomorrow (this is certainly becoming an inward journey..which is then outwardly shared!); pray for me!!!!
What I was dangling you about - as if you didn't know! - is the treat I am to give myself once I reach the twenty-eight pound target. It is time to put you out of your misery by telling you something that very few people know; something which I have always wanted to do but never got round to.
SCUBA DIVING!!! (Of course now you'll all say that you had guessed that wontcha?! This I stress, is not to be confused with the act of throwing a cartoon dog into a swimming pool - Scooby Diving, or a very small person jumping into the noisy end of a brass musical instrument - Tuba Diving)
It's David Attenborough's fault, as I grew up with all his wildlife documentaries ringing in my ears. I loved them! The underwater programmes were always particularly amazing; I guess because the environment is about as alien as you can get; one in which us humans don't belong, and don't survive without help. The creatures that do live and belong there absolutely fascinate me, and there is nothing I would like better than to share their environment with them for real rather than on the small screen.
And what's the one creature above all else which I would like to see? The Great White Shark (I almost put 'Great White' but I can see some sarky bugger insinuating that I have a thing for the 'Great White Lobster' or something). I stress here that I am not oblivious to the potential possessed by a creature like this to.....how can I say this bluntly....errrr......EAT YOU. I intend to be inside a nice and sturdy cage; but how good would it be to see one of those majestic animals in action?
SO, treat number two is to book myself into a SCUBA diving course; some way away from swimming with sharks (unless they release one into the swimming pool for a laugh) but I have to start somewhere.
Slightly concerned about tomorrow. Had a bit of a binge on Saturday night, and I am not sure what the result will be. Two weeks of putting on weight will not be good. There will be mitigating circumstances which I will cover tomorrow (this is certainly becoming an inward journey..which is then outwardly shared!); pray for me!!!!