My attempt at 'getting fit'

Decided I'd throw up one of ye olde Fitness Logs.

I've no willpower at all, but I'm gonna chance my arm anyway. My main reason for making this thread is to, most likely, embarrass myself into keeping it up if I feel I'm flopping.


My plan is to get to a significantly higher level of fitness, to lose as much excess fat as possible (there's a lot) and generally look and feel better by January 1st 2011 (I'll make up little goals for myself on a monthly or weekly basis also, to try to avoid getting bored).


Currently, I'm:

Age: 21 (June birthday)
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 19st



I do pretty much nothing physically. Visit the gym the odd time and chance my arm in there but I suck hard when it comes to Cardio work. I don't mind weights, i usually stick to machine weights, but I don't hate them. I'd rather lift weights than run on a threadmill, but obviously I'll have to start doing a lot, lot more cardio-orientated stuff soon.


My plan is to build myself up slowly. I'm a very reclusive person and I've nothing better to do with my time, so I've no excuse.

Tomorrow is the day i plan to start trying to control the old diet. If anyone who may be reading this knows of any (very simple) healthy meals, please do let me know. At the moment, cereal, bananas/apples, and basic sandwiches are all I can think of to occupy my poor little mouth, but obviously the monotony of eating the same two or three foods will be a bit crap, and is likely to push me back to junk food, so if anyone does know of any simple, healthy foods that can be gotten in supermarkets do let me know. Apparently chicken is supposed to be pretty good for you, so I'll look into that (im sure there are some bad-for-you chicken foods out there, too).


I'm thinking of looking at that Couch25K program, too. I do't know if I even got the name of it right, but it's supposed to be for people who want to start running properly, but dont have any experience at all. Something along those lines.

Out from that, I hope to just hit the gym regularly, make it up as I go along, and hope for the best. I'm on a FAS course at the moment, and I don't like being around people, so i can't use the gym in the evenings and instead opt to use it in the mornings (at about 06:30 when they open) before my course. The course is over in about seven weeks, and then I'll be able to jump into the gym properly, but up until then, I'd like to at least work on the diet side of things.


I plan to update this daily.

gavney

best of luck dude!

I'd recommend throwing up some more precise goals. Also, I'd go for short term goals (with long-term in mind). Personally I find that focusing on long-term goals leaves too much room for "ah, I'll do it next week". If it's short term, then you know that next week may be too late!

e.g. "In the next 3 weeks I want to be able run 10km on the treadmill in 55mins" is better than " I want to get fit within the next 6 months".

Saying "I want to get fit" leaves room for kidding yourself, as you may change what "fit" means in your mind. This may all just be the way I see it though, other people's minds may work completely different

Again, best of luck!

Cheers Gavney.

I'm gonna try and come up with something over the weekend. I'm absolutely abysmal at cardio stuff (i can go for like, 7 minutes at a decent pace on a cross-trainer, then I get off it and die a death), so I think I'm gonna try and get up to 15 minutes at a decent pace on that by two weeks from now. It's a pretty simple goal, and probably something most others could do in their sleep, but in all the time i've been on a cross trainer, I never once stayed on longer than ten minutes, and even that was at a moderate enough pace.


I appreciate your comment and suggestion. Makes sense. Thanks a lot.


Yesterday I ate:

08:00 - 1 Bowl Crunchy Nut (They're ludicrously tasty!)
11:30 - Ham Sandwich (with water)
14:00 - Ham Sandwich (with water)
17:30 - 3 sliced Apples and 3 sliced Bananas (with Orange juice)


I'm actually just out of the gym a half hour ago. I tend to stick to machine weights and delve into 'free weights' every once in a blue moon. Today i did something akin to this;

(Cardio)
Cross-trainer: 7 mins
Recumbant Bike: 5 mins

(Machine Weights)
Pec Deck: 5 x 5 at 75kg
Lat-Machine: 5 x 5 at 40kg (I usually do this twice, with a varied grip)
Lex Extension: 5 x 5 at 35kg
Military Press-type machine: 5 x 5 at 35kg
Machine where you are seated and pushing outwards: 5 x 5 at 35kg
Abdominal twist-like machine: 5 x 5 at 25 kg (twice - both directions)
(I'll update this later with the actual machine names)

(Free Weights)
Tricep Extension: 5 x 5 at 6kg (twice, both arms)
Bicep Curl: 5 x 5 at 8kg (twice, both arms)

(Cardio)
3 mins on threadmill - 1:30 walking at 5km, 1:30 running at 11km

Then off home with me.






I must admit, it feels good to write this stuff down. Makes me feel like I'm actually doing something worthwhile. Cheers Boards, and thanks a lot again Gavney for the kind words. It's very much appreciated.

gavney

Good stuff! Sounds like you have set some realistic and worthwhile goals there. I personally find that I progress with cardio in a really short space of time as opposed to weight training. Like, if I'm struggling with a 20min run on week 1, if I keep at it, I can be sailing through a 50 min run in 3 weeks. I think it takes longer to see results with weights (maybe just me)

As for you diet - is that what you would typically eat? Or is it a crash diet? Are you sure it's enough to keep you going?

Personally, I wouldn't have the energy to even get to the gym with that diet! Just be careful you don't burn yourself out, you'll end up resenting your diet and exercise, and eventually give up. You can have a healthy diet that's also very satisfying - plenty of people on here who could give you tips.

celestial

Hey dude,

Good luck, and I'd suggest - actually strongly advise - you to do some reading on nutrition/food asap - check out the stickies at the top of the forum!

gavney

Thanks again for the kind words guys.

gavney wrote: »

As for you diet - is that what you would typically eat? Or is it a crash diet? Are you sure it's enough to keep you going?

Just in relation to the above, i suppose you could call it a 'crash diet' alright. I usually stuff my face with all kinds of crap. Pretty much anything to keep my hands and mouth busy (hence I'm 19 stone).

The diet on the first day was a bit severe it may seem, but to be honest, i wasn't that hungry throughout the rest of the day. I wasn't starving myself, or anything, you know. Felt grand (though in saying that, that's just day one, I'm sure I've plenty of Cadbury still floating around inside me).


Today, my food intake was;

06:00 - Bowl of Crunchy Nut (Ludicrously tasty!)

(Hit the gym, as detailed in my prior post. I had intended to have another bowl of Crunchy nut when I came back (ludicrous) but didn't feel too hungry, which surprised me as I'm ususally starving upon exiting the gym)

11:30 - Ham/Lettuce Sandwich (with water)
14:00 - Ham/Lettuce Sandwich (with water)
17:30 - Spuds, Chop, Brussels Sprouts (with Orange juice)


And that's me for today. I'm hoping that I can keep this routing up for two weeks (eating, hitting the gym). I reckon if I can do it for a solid two weeks, of hitting the gym every day and eating similar to what i have yesterday and today, then I'll be over the difficulty of most of it and able to keep my sleeping pattern in sync with my gym visits. My sleeping pattern is what's giving me most hassle, but I reckon if i keep getting out of bed at 6am and into bed at 10pm, then my body will have no choice but to adapt. It's just difficult looking at the ceiling for an hour at night and then having to fight my way out of bed in the morning. But it must be done.



In relation to what you said about progress, gavney, I've found that I am not too bad with weights. I don't really progress on with them much as such, as in I'm still using the same amount of weight now as i was two months ago, but Im still finding it challenging, so won't go too much higher, as I don't want to hurt myself (and knowing my luck, just when I decide to take the whole fitness thing seriously, an injury is exactly what I'd end up with, to put me off it all!).

Cardio, on the other hand, has seen... what's the word for opposite of progression? When I first started visiting a gym, i was able to go for 10 minutes on the treadmill alternating between running and walking. I've tried to replicate it lately and find it very difficult (not that I found it "easy" before, but "do-able").

I'm gonna focus on a cross-trainer related goal at first, as I'm obviously heavy and don't want to beat my feet or shins up too much, and I reckon the cross-trainer and bike are the best for the moment, with short bursts on the treadmill for good measure.



Celestial, I'll take a look at the nutrition/food sticky now and see if I can make sense of it.

Well today i ate:


09:30am - 1 Bowl Crunchy Nut (Followed by Gym, from 11am to 1pm)
14:30pm - Plate of Corned Beef, Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Bread
20:00pm - 1 Bowl Rice


My gym routine went as follows (spent longer in it today than normal, as I didn't have to go anywhere after)


11:00am - Saturday 16th January 2010

(Cardio)
Recumbant Bike – 15mins

(Machine Weights)
Pec-Deck – 5 x 5 at 75
Shoulder Press – 5 x 5 at 35
Chest Press – 5 x 5 at 35
Leg Extension – 5 x 5 at 35
Leg Curl – 5 x 5 at 35
Lat Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40
Bicep Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40

(Cardio)
Treadmill – 20mins (Approx 12mins at 5/6km – 8 mins at 11km)

(Machine Weights)
Pec-Deck – 5 x 5 at 70
Shoulder Press – 5 x 5 at 30
Chest Press – 5 x 5 at 35
Leg Extension – 5 x 5 at 35
Leg Curl – 5 x 5 at 35
Lat Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40
Bicep Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40
Rotary Twist - 3 x 15 at 25 (twice, both directions)

(Free Weights)
Bicep Curl: 5 x 5 at 8kg (both arms)
Tricep Extension: 5 x 5 at 6kg (both arms)

Skuxx

All the best with this, i hope you get some of the results you are after!
Reading this made me think of myself as a lot of what you said in your first post is exactly the same as myself! (eat whatever comes to hand, hit the gym but go maybe 3 or 4 times and thats it for another 6 months)

I'm 20, 5"11 and just over 13 stone! I know that I'm not morbidly obese or anything but I do have a high percent body fat which is really bugging me!
I've decided that I'm going to start some proper work towards getting rid of it, eating properly and getting some regular exercise!

Anyway I hope that you stay motivated to get to your goals and that hopefully I will be albe to do the same!!

Cheers Alan. If you haven't already, you should seriously consider setting up a log on here. They're quite good. When you're writing about what you did earlier in the day or yesterday, it really makes you feel like you have accomplished something (to me, that is; not wasting another day moaning about being a fat prick but doing nothing about it!).

Hope you are able to come up with something fitness wise, though on the bright side, at 13stone, you've a 6 stone head-start on me!




Well, yesterday my day looked like this;



Food-wise:

10:00am - 1 Bowl – Crunchy Nut
14:00pm - 2 Bananas, 1 Apple, 1 Orange
18:00pm - Spuds, Cabbage, Chops – Water
21:00pm - 2 Yogurts



And Gym Wise:



12:30pm Sunday - 17th January 2010


(Cardio)
Recumbant Bike – 5mins


(Machine Weights)
Pec Deck - 3 x 10 at 50kg
Shoulder Press - 3 x 10 at 20kg
Chest Press - 3 x 10 at 20kg
Lat Pulldown – 3 x 10 at 20kg
Bicep Pulldown – 3 x 10 at 20kg




(I really phoned it in yesterday. Forgot my botttle of water and had no money on me (I don't bring money to the Gym) so I left after about 15-20 mins. Something is better than nothing though I suppose.)


Will update later with today's effort.

Agent J

I highly recommend the couch to 5 k plan.

I would also recommend cycling as well as much as possible. Use it as a commute as much as is possible so it fits in with your day rather then using it as an extra.

I was close to your starting weight this time last year and i know how much of a pain it is to get going. But trust me, once you lock down a routine and find what works for you. You will not regret it. Take on board as much information as you can from websites, books, podcsts etc but set your bs detector to full. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Agent J

Agent J wrote: »

I highly recommend the couch to 5 k plan.

I would also recommend cycling as well as much as possible. Use it as a commute as much as is possible so it fits in with your day rather then using it as an extra.

I was close to your starting weight this time last year and i know how much of a pain it is to get going. But trust me, once you lock down a routine and find what works for you. You will not regret it. Take on board as much information as you can from websites, books, podcsts etc but set your bs detector to full. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Hey Agent J.

I have a bike, but the only place I go at the moment is a FAS course and the Gym, both of which only take a few minutes to walk and I wouldn't trust leaving abike at either location.


I still haven't looked at the Couch To 5k plan just yet. Will look more into it tomorrow evening. I've heard it's supposed to be great though, yeah.

Can i ask you, how long did it take before you started to stick to the routine and enjoy it? Cos it's still kinda new and fun to me at the moment (although im less than a week in) but I can see it wearing off and becoming a drain some time soon, sadly.


Well, today's food intake was:


Monday - 18th January 2010 06:10am 1 Bowl – Crunchy Nut 11:20am Ham & Lettuce Sandwich – Water 14:00pm Ham & Lettuce Sandwich – Water 17:00pm 2 Bananas 20:30pm 1 Bowl – Rice




And today's effort at the gym included:


07:00am Monday - 18th January 2010


(Cardio)
Recumbant Bike – 20mins


(Machine Weights)
Pec-Deck – 5 x 5 at 75kg
Shoulder Press – 5 x 5 at 35kg
Chest Press – 5 X 5 at 40kg
Lat Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Bicep Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Tricep Extension: 5 x 5 at 6kg (both arms)
Bicep Curl: 5 x 5 at 8kg (both arms)



(These are posted from an Excel sheet, so they may look a little odd if you try to quote my posts, but I think they're still OK to just look at, in Firefox they are, anyway).


5 Days without giving into the temptation of sweets. God I miss you, Mr. Haribo Kid! In saying that though, I do hope I can keep this up.

Agent J

As some one who recently had their bike stolen i empathise. The guys over the cycling forum can give you plenty of information about securing locking a bike somewhere and what lock to use if you want.

Anyway.

That is always the way with new things. You hit it with a burst of enthusaism which eventually tapers off. You need to find the small things which will motivate you in the short term from week to week. Long Term goals are great but holding focus for an idea weight 12 months from now or whenever is productive for the short term.

As soon as you as you start seeing and feeling results then the routine will seem much less of a chore and much more of just how you live your life.


"You can't measure what you dont monitor"

I started to weigh myself once a week at roughly the same time on the same day. I would use the same electronic scale in the gym and pay the 1 euro for a print out of weight/height etc. That would then get stuck to the door in my room. This was my target to beat for the week. Next week would come along and i'd replace it. I wish id kept some of the older ones now that read 18st +... . I found it motivating to see the numbers go down week on week.If they didnt(Which will happen) they i would resolve to fix that next week.

I'd say after about 2 months for me the enthusaism dried up a little. I started setting myself larger targets. I'd cycle 100-150km+ on a day just to see if i could do it. Same with running. Start slow and then set a marker to beat.

After about 6 months or so nothing i had fit anymore.I had to buy new clothes because the belts i had wouldnt hold up anything i had anymore.

Couple of other tricks i tend to use.
- I pack a bag for the gym and bring it into work. When i get home the Gym means a right turn from the train station, A left turn is to my house. If i turned left i wasnt going to the gym that day no matter what i promised myself. I also didnt have the excuse of having to go home to get my gear..

-Set goals. Set realistic goals.couch to 5k is a great one. Once i ran 5k for the 1st time i felt great that i had managed it. Then i went 6k.. 7k.. etc. (Then i sat on my ass for about 6 weeks over christmas but anyway)

-Gym is grand but vary it up a bit routine wise if you find yourself getting a bit bored. Try something new.

- I use Gym time/running as a chance to catch up on some podcasts or audio books. It just makes sense to double up on this time productivity. Hell a few times in the gym when im on the bike i read college notes or books. Dont try it on the treadmill though

(If i might recommend a podcast i found helpful to me http://www.fat2fitradio.com/ )

-Be honest with yourself. If you mess up (and you will), realise that its ok just get back to it.

Anyway. Thats just some waffle out of me. As with everything you will read/hear on this subject. Take from it what works for you.

Sangre

KKV, keep up the good work.

One small bit of advice would be to ditch the Crunchy Nut in the mornings. They are probably one of the worst things you could have. They're full of sugar and can cause insulin spikes which just results in you getting hungry.

Try porridge (with small bit of honey/jam/raisins etc.,) or no-added sugar muesli. Both can be delicious (and a bit sweet). After a while you wouldn't even be able to stomach something as sweet as CNC in the morning.

Depending on your portion sizes you don't seem to be eating that much. Being hungry is the not the solution. It will cause you to binge. At your weight, changed food habits and exercise will result in great weight loss without being hungry. If you need to snack during the day try nuts, fruit, natural yoghurt, seeds etc.,

Hey again guys.

Today I screwed up food wise, badly.


Agent J, I'm beginning to really like you! You talk a lot of sense and I appreciate you (and everyone else) taking the time to help me out and offer advice.

Regards to the podcast thing, I've never heard of fat2fitradio before, but I'll check it out (tomorrow evening, as I'm gonna head to bed now and plan to be in the gym for 6:30am). I actually bring an MP3 player with me, cheap one i got in Argos, and listen to music. I find, personally, that upbeat heavy rock music ('This Fire Burns' by Killswitch Engage, for example) seem to really get me going when I'm on the treadmill.

For everything else though, I find music just drags the process out longer and longer. It's really annoying. I've noticed, though, that when I bring up WWE Wrestler Interviews (im into WWE) and just listen to the guys talking, the time shoots past. So I will definitely be checking out that fat2fitradio link. Should be interesting.


I'll admit though, one of the reasons I am enjoying going to the gym in the morning, sad as it may sound, is because If i get to a cardio machine for about 7am, there's some cartoon on RTE2 that I just find hilarious. I don't really listen to it, but watch it muted, and the cartoon is just so ridiculous. I don't want to find out it's name though, because it's a great motivation to get out of bed. I know, It's a bit silly, but it's great.


I haven't looked into the Couch To 5K thing yet either. Will most likely do so on Thursday, and try to work into it for next week.

Can i ask you, in regards to:

Gym is grand but vary it up a bit routine wise if you find yourself getting a bit bored. Try something new.

Do you have any suggestions?


Personally I don't mind the gym in the mornings. It wakens me up and I feel like I've accomplished something with my day for going. I know myself that I will not go in the evening (too many people) so if I don't go first thing in the morning, I may forget about it.




Sangre,

I'm actually a little curious about my portions myself. I'm certainly not starving myself, that much is for sure. I haven't felt hungry yet. Most of my over-eating has been done out of boredom over the years, and with very little exercise, the weight has piled on. I'll weigh myself in the morning. This day last week I was 19stone. I don't like the thoughts of weighing myself in the morning, because if it's over 19 I'll hang myself, and if it's still 19 exactly, I'll feel like I wasted a week.


Porridge is a bit of a stretch for me. If it doesn't go in the microwave or the oven, I can't cook it. Would Weetabix be an OK substitute? The reason I tend to opt for Crunchy Nut is because I find them (ludicrously) tasty, and they don't make me feel full or bloated or anything (If i feel that way, I'll generally do nothing in the gym) and porridge, weetabix, fry-ups even, all seem to be very filling foods. I'll chance my arm with Weetabix in the morning, as I imagine they'd be better than Crunchy Nut?


But yeah, my portion sizes leave me a bit miffed, too. I don't know if I'm eating too much or not enough really. As I say, I don't feel too hungry, so that kind of makes me feel like maybe I could be eating less, but judging by people's reactions to my food intake, I'm guessing my portions must just be huge in comparison to others?!


Is there any kid of way of figuring out if you're being over the top with your portions? My food is never comically stacked or anything. My ham sandwiches, for example, are just two slices of wholemeal bread with a singly layer of ham in them. My spuds/chops on the other side, are done by my dad, and his portion sizes are always on the bigger side (or at least they seem to be, I don't know what amount other people generally eat!?).



Confusing.




Today's food looked like this:


Tuesday - 19th January 2010
06:10am 1 Bowl – Crunchy Nut
08:30am Ham Sandwich – Tea
11:20am Ham Sandwich – Bottled Water
15:30pm Chips, Burger, Egg – Tea
20:00pm Roast Spuds, Spuds, Chicken, Stuffing – Water


I feel like I blew it there. I met a person in town and went to get something to eat with them (Hence the Chips, Burger, Egg with Tea) but after eating that I feel I shouldn't have had the 8 o clock meal. Bleh. One meal too many, and neither are really any good for me. I need to get my hands on some fresh fruit again. I'll pick some up on Thursday, as I'm pretty busy tomorrow so won't be able to eat much anyway.

On the plus side, however, I've done a week without any chocolate, crisps, haribo or any sweets really. A miniature accomplishment in itself in my opinion, as there is a Bag of Salt & Vinegar Tayto staring me in the face every time i walk into the kitchen.




This morning's gym routine was...


07:00am - Tuesday - 19th January 2010

(Cardio)
Cross-trainer: 10 mins

(Machine Weights)
Lat Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Bicep Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Chest Press – 5 X 5 at 40kg
Shoulder Press – 5 x 5 at 30kg
Pec-Deck – 5 x 5 at 75kg

(Free Weights)
Bicep Curl: 5 x 5 at 8kg (both arms)
Tricep Kickback: 5 x 5 at 6kg (both arms)
Lateral Raise: 5 x 5 at 5kg (both arms)



The gym was handy enough. 10 minutes on the Cross Trainer was not the most fun in the world, and I was sweating pretty heavily afterwards. I'll build myself up by 30 seconds a day, to the 15 mins for next week (my short goal).

Today I incorporated a new little exercise into my routine. The lateral raise with the free weights. Used to do it last year around the house with my crappy little weight set but hadn't done it in months (due to time restraints mostly). Boy, did I feel it today, though. My shoulders felt like they were gonna blow up. Will definitely be doing it again. Might start to spend a little less time at the machine weights. I'll mooch around the net and my gym and see what else I can throw in to mix things up. I definitely feel like my arms are getting a bit firmer, though, which makes me feel like Im not wasting my time, so that's a good thing.



Right, off to bed with me. I'll consider weighing myself tomorrow and see how it goes down (or up!).


Take it easy guys, and thanks again for the kind words of encouragement and advice. Hopefully someday I'll be able to do the same for others. I should've started a fitness log on here a long time ago.



'night all!

gavney

Deleted User wrote: »

Porridge is a bit of a stretch for me. If it doesn't go in the microwave or the oven, I can't cook it.

You can cook porridge in the microwave, that's what I do, cause it's a pain to cook in the pot (although it tastes a bit better from the pot IMO).
Just add enough water to just cover the oats, and stick on high for 2 mins (I think, it may be longer, can't remember)


I think you need to change your attitude to what's good and what's bad. I mean, I get the impression you feel that having a burger was worse than having a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes. But IMO, it's the other way around. There is alot of fat in a burger, but there's also lots of good stuff, and you need red meat. Obviously, I wouldn't suggest a burger for breakfast! Nor would I suggest having one more than once a week (max!), and if you're having one, try have it grilled rather than fried (IMO it tastes the same either way, but grilled is healthier). There's alot of good stuff in a burger and a lot of bad. But a bowl of crunchy nut gives you hardly any good and a fair bit of bad.

There seems to be alot of misunderstandings about what is good and what is bad. You NEED to eat a certain amount of food everyday, otherwise cravings kick in - and that's when you reach for the chocolate bars and chips, cause they are immediately satisfying.

Like, I have 4 sisters, and of course I've seen them over the years obsess with diets etc.. and I've seen them go up and down in weight. They are always asking how I stay slim, even when I'm going through periods of little exercise (and not eating as well as I have been recently). I try to explain to them that I NEVER let myself get hungry, so I rarely have cravings for crisps, chocolate etc... But they don't listen, they always end up falling for the trap of stupid diets like eating 2 bowls of Special K and one other tiny meal during the day. Then they inevitably fall off the wagon for the simple reason that it's UNSUSTAINABLE.

I think you should really have a good hard think about that word "unsustainable". To me, it's responsible for alot of diets failing

To be honest, if you take away the chips, your diet today was better than the other diets posted by you. Of course, your burger may have had unhealty toppings as well? which id get rid of.

Why don't you for a couple of days, give the following diet a try. It's based on your original diet, but with alot of changes. It will require a bit of home preparation to cook some of the stuff (which you will have to bring to college/work), but once you get used to it, it's easy.


08:00 - 1 Bowl Porridge (with teaspoon of sugar) 1 banana, glass of OJ
11:30 - Ham Sandwich (with water), glass of LOW FAT milk
14:00 - Low fat yoghurt (try Yeo Valley ones if you can find),
17:30 - 1 apple, 1 grilled chicken fillet (with NOTHING on it)
20:00 - Stick in a dinner here. Make sure it's tasty Nothing wrong with having a steak for example - just don't throw chips in the mix.
as well. Or if you really want to avoid having a big meal - maybe just some more Yoghurt and some nuts?

I really advise you to give that diet a try, just for a couple of days. You might find you don't even WANT the bag of crisps

Balls. I wrote out a reply and Firefox crashed


To recap;

I'll give that diet a shot for next week (will need to get some of the contents of it). I don't know if you're saying my diet is unsustainable, but it doesn't seem too bad to me, personally. I feel a little hungry the odd time, but usually before i get something to eat anyway.



I missed the gym yesterday and today. Yesterday because it was raining heavily and today because I was up late last night (had a busy day) and was still wrecked tired this morning. I know I'm gonna be up late again tonight, but I hope I'll be able to summon the effort to get up to the gym. I won't go if I get any less than six hours in bed.


Yesterday I ate:


Wednesday - 20th January 2010
08:00am 3 Weetabix – Warm Milk
11:20am Half Ham Sandwich – Bottled Water
14:00pm Half Ham Sandwich – Bottled Water
17:30pm Ham Sandwich – Tea
21:00pm 4 Yogurts


I admit, i was a bit hungry last night (so i ate the 4 yogurts) but I was unusually busy yesterday, so I didn't really notice until I got home.

To catch up with myself (as Boards was down).


Food:

Thursday - 21st January 2010
07:45am: 3 Weetabix – Warm Milk
11:20am: Ham Sandwich – Bottled Water
14:00pm: Ham Sandwich – Bottled Water
17:30pm: Mince Meat & Spuds – Water
22:30pm: 2 Yogurts


Friday - 22nd January 2010
05:50am: 2 Weetabix & Warm Milk
08:20am: 1 Piece Of Toast With Slice Of Ham - Tea
11:20am: Ham Sandwich – Bottled Water
14:00pm: Ham Sandwich – Bottled Water
17:00pm: Mince Meat & Spuds – Water



Gym:

06:30am: Friday - 22nd January 2010
(Cardio)
Recumbant Bike – 10mins

(Machine Weights)
Pec Deck - 5 x 5 at 75kg
Shoulder Press - 5 x 5 at 40kg
Chest Press - 5 x 5 at 40kg
Lat Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Bicep Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Leg Curl – 5 x 5 at 40kg
]Leg Extension – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Rotary Twist - 3 x 10 at 35kg (twice, both directions)

(Free Weights)
Bicep Curl: 5 x 5 at 8kg (both arms)
Tricep Kickback: 5 x 5 at 6kg (both arms)
Lateral Raise: 5 x 4 at 6kg

Agent J

Reguard to the Gym thing.

Whatever works for you. I used to time it so i could catch an episode of the simpsons on the bike.

Ah, see, I don't want to be in the gym if it's packed (the Simpsons are usually on at about 6pm, right?). If I go up in the mornings, there's only two or thee others sods in there with me, and I usually have the Machine Weights area to myself, which means I can take my time or hurry about and no one gets in the way or anything. Great bit of freedom.


The place I go to the gym (Aura) also have a swimming pool and are doing swimming lessons starting next week (or the week after... hmmm) and I am thinking of sticking my name down. From what I understand, swimming is supposed to be good for you if you want to lose weight and get in shape. It'd only be a half hour lesson, and probably very relaxed, but I could always hang around for an hour afterward messing about anyway if I wanted to.



Anyway... I've been putting off reading up on the fat2fitradio mentioned on the previous page, and the Couch To 5K plan. I'll do both tonight before I get into bed.



Today's food intake was:


Saturday - 23rd January 2010
10:00am: 3 Weetabix – Warm Milk
13:00pm: Pork Slice, Roast Spuds, Carrots, Peas (One of those microwavable LiDL Dinners) (Followed By Gym)
18:30pm: 3 Apples, 3 Bananas, 1 Pair (Sliced On A Plate)
EDIT: Just feeling a bit peckish, so... 23:30pm: 2 Yogurts



Gym

15:30pm: Saturday - 23rd January 2010

(Cardio)
Treadmill – 10mins (Approx 5 at 11km and 5 at 6km)
Cross-trainer: 10mins + 6 mins (took a break between)

(Machine Weights)
Pec-Deck – 5 x 5 at 75kg
Shoulder Press - 5 x 5 at 40kg
Chest Press - 5 x 5 at 40kg
Lat Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg
Bicep Pulldown – 5 x 5 at 40kg

(Free Weights)
Bicep Curl: 5 x 5 at 8kg (both arms)
Tricep Kickback: 5 x 5 at 6kg (both arms)

(Cardio)
Recumbant Bike – 5mins


So overall did about half an hour of cardio today. Did 16 minutes in total on the Cross-Trainer, but was knackered after 10, so had to take a short break before ploughing back in. By next friday my goal is to do 15mins on the Cross-Trainer at a decent pace without getting too lazy. I don't seem to progress much with cardio work at all.

Ravage1616

Well done So far! I'm pretty much in the same boat as your self, same height and weight.

I've got my diet under control sine Christmas and starting to notce the difference it has made.

Been going to gym last 2 weeks now, very similar to what your doing and the pounds are staring to drop for me, 12 pounds since the last week of December . After reading your Log think i'll have to through one up myself. Keep it up!!

Ravage1616

Ravage1616 wrote: »

Well done So far! I'm pretty much in the same boat as your self, same height and weight.

I've got my diet under control sine Christmas and starting to notce the difference it has made.

Been going to gym last 2 weeks now, very similar to what your doing and the pounds are staring to drop for me, 12 pounds since the last week of December . After reading your Log think i'll have to through one up myself. Keep it up!!

I'll tell you, I think this is a great thing to do (The logs). Just writing down what you did makes you feel like you're doing something worthwhile. And if any other members throw in a bit of help or advice then it gives you something to think about.


Personally, I reckon my eating could be better, but I'm gone over a week without any Crisps/Chocolate/Sweets/etc. and personally, I think that's quite good.

The weighing scale in my gym is the one I usually stick to, and according to that, I've dropped about 4lbs in the last week. However, i tried another weighing scale aswell and it said i was down 2lbs. So I think I'm just gonna ignore weighing myself from now on. It'd be too frustrating to think you're after losing a stone, and then another scale tells you you're after gaining half a stone. Maybe once a month or something.


You could try the C25K plan, too, if you're going to the gym. I plan to start it tomorrow and see how I get on. It's here:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

And some boardsie advice for me was given here;

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=64137377#post64137377



Every time I hear about the C25K Plan i hear good things, so hopefully it will do me sme good. I don't do enough cardio

I skipped the gym today, by the way. Leg is a little sore and I think from now on I'm gonna take a day off from the gym every week. It gets boring otherwise.

Ravage1616

I found the first 2 weeks the hardest for the cravings of crisps and other junk food, But seem to be over that now haven't had any in 3 weeks, Just the odd diet coke!

I'm just sticking to the one Scales, every Saturday morning when i get up for work i weight myself, but think from next month I'll do it fortnightly!

I'm considering the C25K plan, the brother is big into his running and he's at me to start with him now! But also thinking of starting StrongLifts 5×5 next month. Preferring the weights over the cardio! I've been going to the gym 5 days a week now myself, can find it boring myselfbut just got to keep thing of my goals!!

Off to start my own long!

That stronglifts 5x5 looks interesting. Thanks for linking to it. I much prefer weights myself, but i reckon cardio is kinda important to me as, though I despise it, I believe it's better for losing weight than weights, and it makes me break a sweat, and exhausts me a lot quicker (a sure fire sign that I need to do more of it).



Today's food intake was:

Sunday 24th January 2010

13:00pm: 2 Weetabix - Warm Milk
17:00pm: Spuds, Roast Spuds, Cabbage, Stuffing, Steak - Orange Juice



And as I said earlier, no gym for me today. Up early in the morning for it though, so off to bed before half ten tonight with me.

Gillwill

Hey,

I read all your fitness blog and admire your commitment and honesty:)

You seem to be consuming ALOT of Orange Juice. What quantity are you having at a time??

Thanks Gillwill. I'm usually taking Orange Juice at about half a pint to three quarters of a pint at a time. It's "100% Pure Orange Juice" but it does seem very sweet/sugary. It's lovely though. I do tend to drink a pint or two of water after every noted Orange Juice though.



Today I ate;

06:00am - 2 Weetabix (warm milk)
08:15am - 1 Pear, 1 Banana - Tea
11:30am - Half Turkey Sandwich (Water)
14:00pm - Half Turkey Sandwich (Water)
18:30pm - Spuds, Roast Spuds, Cabbage, Steak (Orange Juice)


(Note: The "Turkey" mentioned above is the sliced 'Smoked Turkey' you get in supermarkets for sandwiches, not the proper stuff)


And my Gym effort this morning was:


(Machine Weights)
Pec Deck - 5x5 at 75kg
Shoulder Press - 5x5 at 40
Chest Press - 5x5 at 40kg
Lateral Pulldown - 5x5 at 40kg
Bicep Pulldown - 5x5 at 40kg

(Free Weights)
Bicep Curl - 5x5 at 8kg
Tricep Kickback - 5x5 at 6kg
Lateral Raise - 5x5 at 5kg

(Cardio)
Workout 1 of Couch 2 K5 Program;
"Brisk five minute warmup walk. Then alternate between 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes"

To me, walking was 5.5km and jogging was 9km. I was in bits after it. Never spent so long on a treadmill. Literally limped out. My right leg took a beating. Ah sure, it's an uphill fight. Can't wait to see if I can last this for the entire nine weeks. I hope I can.

Today's food intake:


Tuesday - 26th January 2010
06:00am - 2 Weetabix & Warm Milk
08:20am - 1 Pear, 1 Banana, 1 Apple – Tea
14:00pm - Turkey Sandwich – Water
17:30pm - Spuds, Cabbage Chop – Water
20:10pm - 4 Pears - Orange Juice


Gym

07:00am Tuesday - 26th January 2010

(Cardio)
Workout 1 of Couch 2 K5 Program (Walk = 5.5km, Jog – 9.0km)
"Brisk five minute warmup walk. Then alternate between 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes"

(Free Weights)
Bicep Curl - 5x5 at 8kg
Tricep Kickback - 5x5 at 6kg
Lateral Raise - 5x5 at 6kg



Cardio didn't seem too hard today, though I did practically limp away from the treadmill. I got over it a lot quicker today than I did yesterday. Hopefull I can keep saying the same for the rest of the week!

gavney1

Deleted User wrote: »

Balls. I wrote out a reply and Firefox crashed


To recap;

I'll give that diet a shot for next week (will need to get some of the contents of it). I don't know if you're saying my diet is unsustainable, but it doesn't seem too bad to me, personally. I feel a little hungry the odd time, but usually before i get something to eat anyway.



.

Hey, yeah, sorry if I'm being a bit nazi-ish. Your diet really wouldn't be enough to keep ME going, but everyone's different.

Looks like ur doing very well, so congrats and keep it up!

No, I appreciate your input Gavney. It's always good to get some decent feedback and constructive criticism.


I skipped the gym today. Was wrecked tired. For some reason, I seem to be able to get up and get out of bed with about 5-6 hours sleep. But if I get a decent nights sleep (8+ hours) then I can't get out of the bed at all. Weird.


That's two wednesdays in a row I've skipped the gym, but i'm still going a majority of the time (5 in every 7 days on average?) so I'm not gonna kill myself over it.


Today's food intake was;


08:00am - 2 Weetabix - Warm Milk
14:00pm - Ham Sandwich
17:00pm - Spuds, Peas, Chops
22:00pm - 3 bowls Crunchy Nut (i know, two bowls too many, but i was still a little hungry after the first, and when I finished the second I thought I may aswell just finish the box off, as i'll be sticking to weetabix in the mornings anyway).


For some reason, plenty of Haribo cravings today. Didn't cave in though, thankfully. I don't know how long I can last though, haha.

I've found that the best way to battle such cravings is to change perspective on the whole weight-loss thing.


When I'm hungry for something like a bag of Haribo, I usually think to myself "ah, sure I've always been a fat bastard, a few sweets won't do any harm", and I'd usually give in. But I've noticed, when I think about me actually weighing a few stone less, and the change that people's bodies are actually capable of, it makes me realise just how much more substantial the whole thing is, and I realise that it wouldn't be worth hindering myself.

There's plenty of chocolate around the house and two vending machinces where I do my FAS course packed with sweets, but I refuse to touch them on the grounds that, if I allow one piece of chocolate to pass my lips, I know that my change in eating will be dead and buried in a matter of days and I'll be back to my old ways.


Anyway, I'm just rambling now.


Will be at the gym in the morning, to Couch 2 5K my ass off.

Today's gym effort;


C25K Workout 1
"Alternate between 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes"


(Free Weights)
Tricep Kickback: 3x10 at 6kg (both arms)
Bicep Curl: 3x10 at 9kg (both arms)
Lateral Raise - 5x5 at 6kg



and foodwise:

06:00am - 2 Weetabix (Warm Milk)
14:00pm - Ham Sandwich
17:00pm - Roast Spuds, Stuffing, Cabbage Chop - Water
22:30pm - 2 Yogurts

Cravings got the better of me today. Just finished a box of Cadbury's "Fingers". Bah.

I'll punish myself in the gym tomorrow for it. Good thing is, they tasted like crap, so I hopefully won't be too keen on them again for a while, though I still think my two weeks without sweets isn't too shabby. Better than nothing.


Was mad for a bag of Haribo today, too, but didn't give in.


Today's food looked like:

06:00am: 2 Weetabix - Warm Milk
11:00am: Half Ham Sandwich - Water
14:00pm: Half Ham Sandwich - Water
16:00pm: Roast Spuds, Cabbage, Stuffing Chop - Water
17:15pm: Box Of Cadbury's Fingers - Tea


That'll be all for today, as I reckon I'll be in bed by 7 or 8. Really need to find some more evening time activities to keep myself from getting bored (and thus eating crap). Wednesdays and Thursdays are days I feel I usually do best, and those are the days when I'm out of the house most (Photography course for an hour and a half on a Wednesday and hang out with a girl I know for three or so hours every thursday).

I don't have too many friends, but I'm gonna see if I can set up a game of bowling for a monday, tuesday or friday though.

I was mildly considering the cinema too, only it can be expensive and there's literally not one film been released in the last year I was even remotely bothered watching.



Today's gym effort was (pretty good in my opinion)

(Cardio)
Workout 1 of Couch 2 K5 Program (Walk = 5.5km, Jog – 9.5km)
("Alternate between 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes")

(Machine Weights)
Shoulder Press - 5 x 5 at 40kg
Lateral Pulldown - 5x5 at 45kg
Pec Deck - 5 x 5 at 75kg
Chest Press - 5 x 5 at 40kg

(Free Weights)
Tricep Kickback - 5x5 at 6kg
Lateral Raise - 5x5 at 6kg
Bicep Curl - 5x5 at 9kg



Edit; Also weighed myself today in the gym a few times (to get a proper average, though the scale didn't seem to budge much in either direction). I've been using this scale for a long time and this will be the only one I use. According to it, I'm down 7lbs from when I started (two weeks ago, and it's actually coming in at 8lbs, but I'm only gonna measure my weight in half-stones, so I'm not misleading myself, or reading the scale too incorrectly). Not too shabby. I feel pleased with myself for that. Feel disappointed with myself for the Fingers though. One balances the other. Clean start tomorrow!

Today's gym:

(Cardio)
Recumbant Bike – 30mins
Workout 1 of Couch 2 K5 Program (Walk = 5.5km, Jog – 9.0km) (Preceeded and Followed by 5 min walk)

(Machine Weights)
Pec Deck - 1 x 12 at 75kg
Shoulder Press - 1 x 12 at 40kg
Chest Press - 1 x 12 at 40kg
Leg Curl – 1 x 12 at 40kg
Leg Extension – 1 x 12 at 40kg


A total of 60 minutes of cardio. Not something I expected I'd ever do, so I'm pretty happy with that. I was killed after it though. Never sweated so much!


Food today;

Saturday - 30th January 2010
13:00pm: Pineapple Chunks – Half Tin
17:30pm: 3 Weetabix – Warm Milk
21:30pm: Half Pepperoni Pizza


Admittedly, I could have opted for something healthier than half of Pizza, but it was handy and I was hungry. Looking back over my day, I didn't really eat all that much today.

I'll need to pick up some fresh fruit soon though. None in the house.