DustyRider

Sounds a strange title, but was an apt phrase that came to me as I went for a cycle ride this morning.

As I looked down at my front wheel, it was noticeable  how dusty and dirty my bike had become, while sat idly in the garage.

Why then am I out now on my bike, the answer is my weight. As has been written before I had surpassed my original goal to be 70kg when we go to the Lake District in September.

The week just passed, has seen me increase my calorie intake to around 1,700 kcal per day, where I am doing exercise such as badminton or climbing this has increased to around 2,200 to match calories burned. Well in my attempt to maintain my weight from a week ago, which was 69.5kg it seems that I have put on 0.5kg.

This was always going to be the second hardest part, maintaining a sensible weight. Having lost 13.5kg since January the 1st this year, I wanted to avoid going too far and having that gaunt, ill look often associated with people that have lost too much weight too quick, wether it be through self controlled diet or illness.

This morning I decided to avoid a lazy day, my options were, climbing, gardening or walking, then I remembered the bike, sat in the garage, gathering dust. The next decision was where to go, how far to go, what was the weather going to do, forecast was rain. After a bit of deliberation my mind was made up, cycle to Sonning, and along the towpath upstream towards the outskirts of Reading.

The journey was as follows; Recorded on my Suunto Ambit

This was a great choice, exercise, burning calories (571Kcal) and being amongst the great out doors.

Did it go to plan, well not really, it was all a bit on the hoof, but anyone that knows the area, will follow my description below.

Setting off from Earley in Reading, I made my way to Sonning via Shepherds House Hill, cutting down through to Sonning from the A4 Bath Road.

Thinking I could cut through the church yard, "No Cycling" so a quick U-turn and back on the road down to Sonning Bridge. Reaching the hump back bridge I turned off left onto the Thames Towpath to Reading, first picture opportunity, Sonning Lock

Here was first change of plan, on the gate, "No Cycling" oh well, this is not going to plan, but heyho, it was too nice to turn back, so I dismounted, and walked along the riverside, enjoying the morning greetings of those on the river, and dog walkers and other folk just taking a stroll, admiring the swans and boats moored up or cruising the river.....

Then after a little while I was passed by a couple of cyclists riding past, so perhaps the sign was meant only for the area by the lock, so I decided to get back on my bike and continue my journey on two wheels. What was surprising was just how many people were about, all doing their own thing.

As I came towards an opening I spotted an unusual way to travel on the water, looked dodgy to me.

and by total contrast they were followed by this 

shows the extremes quite nicely

Further on the activity on the land and water increased significantly, many people doing kayak or canoeing lessons, kayakers making their way up stream, lots of dog walkers and families with young toddlers or pushing buggies, fishermen, we were now in the shadows of the Suttons Business Park.

Coming to Horse Shoe Bridge, I crossed over the River Kennet, to continue on the Thames towpath, once again coming into a clearing called King's Meadow.

Now the skies were looking more threatening, I had heard about a new crossing over the Thames, set between Reading Bridge & Caversham Bridge, this was to be my goal.

Sadly the towpath is closed due to Bridgeworks and a helpful sign says"Find Alternative Route"

Knowing the area, my plan was to cross Reading Bridge and cycle over the new Bridge. No, that did not work, the new bridge is still under construction, and has no points of access, now I'm on the North side of the Thames, so I make my way through to Caversham Bridge and return to the South side of the Thames.

Now I am cycling through Reading on major roads, what a contrast to ten minutes ago. Cutting through to the Railway station, unrecognisable, what have they done, after living so many years in a town with a seventies look, it has all gone modern and large buildings wrapped in scaffold, shows how often I visit the town centre. 

Carrying my bike up the stairs, where none previously existed, I was on the forecourt of the station where a group of pickets, or strikers were assembled, no time fore them, in more ways than one.

Time to head home, roadway or towpath? As I cycled along King's Road, I opted to go down Gas Works Lane, past Blake's Lock Museum, over a small bridge spanning the Kennet into Newtown by Cholmely Road, along the towpath, under Horse Shoe Bridge, along to Sutton's Industrial Estate.

The remainder of the journey was home along roads, such as The Drive, and Church Road etc.

Five minutes from home the rain began, but too little too late to spoil what had been a great bike ride.

The moral of this story is, all that pleasure and exercise cost me was some calories and 100 minutes of my time. It also opened my eyes to see what is on my own doorstep, what's on yours?

Go out and have a look, it'll do you the world of good...........

and later on me and this wee fella will be going for a walk with my wife Sue

Beyond the goal !!!

Enjoying a meal with my wife Sue

This weekend I have tipped the scales at an amazing 69.5 kilograms, which is remarkably better than I had set out to do, at the start of the year.

Amazingly my target was to be 76kg before our holiday to the Lake District in September, but as it went so well before going to Scotland in April, the goal was changed, and this weekend I have hit that goal with weeks to spare.

The weight I am now, is comfortable and from now to the end of the year my goal is to maintain this weight until the start of 2016.

There are people that lose weight and become hooked into the obsession of losing weight, you know the people, that look gaunt and haunted, as if something more sinister is going on in their life.

Officially according to the BMI scale, I am overweight, but that model sets weight to ridiculously low levels in the opinion of many, including myself. My GP reckoned I was halfway there at my last visit in June, when I weighed 73kg, even though I was fully dressed with steel toe capped safety boots on.

My wife Sue has been an excellent companion and supporter of me through the weight loss, and she admires my focus and willpower, but it was achieved with her.

Going back to my GP a spin off to the weight loss is a lowering of my blood pressure tablets, although I will return next week to ensure the new reduced medication is hitting the right levels, it is very unusual for people that take high blood pressure tablets to come off them completely, but then that was never one of my goals.

So what is the secret to my weight loss? (13 kg in just over 7 months)

• Be honest with yourself
• NEVER miss a meal
• Count calories and learn where your big intakes come from (mine was snacks and drinks)
• Have a guilt free day at the weekend (mine is Saturday)
• Set realistic goals
• Know where the limits are

If you watch the calories and become more active, the weight will shift, quickly at the beginning, but more slowly later. There will be plateaus along the way and the occasional gain, and remember to live and enjoy life.

Like others before me, I have brought weights, skipping ropes etc you need to find what works for you. I have been playing badminton some weeks, as a stand in for someone who could not play, that is less gentle than is first thought. My main activity is indoor climbing at Reading Climbing Centre.

Climbing has been a very enjoyable form of exercise, and as the weight comes off, the more supple I become and the better I have learnt to climb. The strength to weight ratio has significantly changed, adding to a much more enjoyable climb.

So that's it in a nutshell, all I need to do is look over some figures of where I was in January and where I am now, and maintain it.

For the record this week, I have enjoyed an apple turnover (496Kcal) a magnum (250Kcal) and a can of Guinness; all of which were earned through hard work in the garden, and through climbing and badminton. 

Sadly there is no six-pack to show off; The drink only comes in packs of four LOL

This was my other secret to losing the weight recently, 

putting up a new fence and re-doing the patio in preparation for our "Summer House"

Thanks for reading. 

It also helps having one of these, to keep you occupied

Blue 

our infamous 

German Shepherd

@BluetheGSD

Going down in more ways than one.

A strange pattern has developed recently with weight loss, lose a bit gain a bit.

It resembles a bouncing ball, where each bounce goes up a bit less each time, as you can see from the graph above. The positive is that the overall trend is going in the right direction.

Weight loss is important, but the speed of weight loss is more important. To this day the overall thing that stands out to me, is how few people comment on how much I have lost. This is from those that see me daily, to others who, having met the other day in the pub for a drink, that I had not seen since January this year.

Pub? How can I be going to the pub and lose weight, truth is that these days it is a rare event. Also I have no fear in being too rigid, as the line in the Passenger song goes "Life is for living"

Going back to the trend, it is very much tied in with walking our dog Blue. Each week my wife Sue or I take turns in taking Blue out for his dawn walk, normally around 5:30 am and the weeks when it is my turn is the week that the weight goes down, and then the week when I am not walking him, it bounces up. Talking this through with Sue, it must be what kick starts me in the mornings, so a good tip is, if you want to lose weight, get yourself a dog and take them out for those early morning walks. They will enjoy it as much as you would.

Since we have come back from holiday, I have got a 13 week pass at the local climbing centre. My aim is to go 2-3 times a week. This is excellent cardio exercise, whether you are working out on the auto-belay or improving your technique in the bouldering area, wearing a heart monitor to check calorie burn, it only takes around 30 minutes climbing and there goes 300kcal.

That is how much I burn off but when you see others down there, they probably couldn't eat enough calories to match their exercise workouts. 

For me personally, it is more rewarding than going to the gym or running the streets. Though a word of caution if you climb, climb safely because pain and injury will severely restrict future activity. But join your local indoor wall climbing centre and have fun, no matter what age you are.

Over the last few weeks my wife has referred to me as her "skinny action man" and it is quite an endearing thought, but one that I seem to live up to. Down over 11 kg since the start of the year, continuing to climb, kayaking across Upper Loch Torridon on holiday and now there is one more string that I am looking to add to my bow.

When I say string, actually it is a rope, and this rope will be used to abseil down the iconic landmark that soars above Reading town centre, The Blade.

This abseiling event is for charity, a worthy cause in support of Naomi House Hospice. Where their residents face life's daily challenges with far greater need than most of us could imagine.

The event will take place on 28th June 2015  to find out more follow the link below............

Finally a shot of me in the Kayak

Liatach looms large over Upper Loch Torridon under cloudless clear blue skies

An early birthday present from Sue & Blue

Thank you for such a stunning special treat.

Holiday done and back

The holiday to Scotland was excellent, a well earned break, a bit cold at first but warmed up on the final day.

So back on the scales, after two weeks guilt free living, the damage to the waistline was zero.

I had gone away weighing 74 kg, putting on the one kilo the week before.

Our holiday included mainly walking, and an early birthday present; Kayaking on Upper Loch Torridon with a local adventure company.

Back to my daily routine, along with lessons learnt.

I now know what type of things will make me vulnerable to excess's so it makes it easier to avoid and control. The main lesson learnt over the last two weeks, activity does not have to be excessive, but proportional to consumption. On holiday there was no issues with sweets, beer, savouries, and most of all the need to count calories. But at no time did gluttony take over.

Have a reached my end goal?

No, at 74 kg I am still overweight, There is now my next target, to go to the Lake District in September weighing 70 kg.

To achieve this there will be a different strategy; Rather than losing a smaller amount each week, set my goal to approximately 8 weeks from now to lose 0.5 kg a week; Then maintain that weight, and weighing myself every two weeks.

Now we have entered into the better weather, and the need for small projects in the garden along with general gardening, should be sufficient activity combined with dog walking and climbing.

Below are my five top tips from what I have learnt over the last four months;

• Consult a Doctor, for advice, and follow what he says
• Eat less (Sounds obvious), but do you know what you are eating, a diary is a big help
• Begin exercise to boost weight loss, but do not over do it, variety is the spice of life
• Give yourself a "guilt free" day away from calorie limit, without  major excess's
• Set realistic goals and reward achievements

Getting ready for Scotland

When I started this blog, my aim was to be from 83 kg down to 78 kg before our holiday to the the Scottish Highlands in April.

As has been charted, that goal was achieved a little while back, but now with less than 2 weeks to go, I have weighed in at 73.5 kg

The weight is not coming off as quick as when I began, but there are a few reasons.

Ironically the more weight you lose, the fewer calories you are allowed to achieve weight loss, making it harder to continually reduce your intake.

The last two weeks I have had a cold / virus that has curtailed my ability to exercise, mind you last weekend I went for a bike ride the first time in ages, and wow that really burnt off the calories, see image below.

Climbing has tailed off a bit, until I can get this cough under control, but hope to give it a go this Monday.

The ability to have a guilt free day on a Saturday removes any monotony, but the biggest risk is those little extra bits in the evening, carry on resisting them really does make a huge difference.

So why the picture of the canoes at the top?

As a birthday treat, my wife has arranged for a sea kayak adventure with a local activity centre in Torridon, where I will get the chance to kayak for the very first time. The location will be around Shieldaig island, (pictured in the background of the picture or if the sea is not sufficiently friendly. it will be in Upper Loch Torridon.

So the next time I update this blog will be in May, and probably a little heavier after a two week holiday in the Highlands, where I will take a break from calorie counting, and enjoy the stunning scenery walks and adventures.

Where have I been, where's it gone?

In answer to the first part, where have I been?

Active, with a combination of raised activity comes less time at the keyboard, but getting out and about. Only a little bit more but as the days are getting longer, the dog walks are getting easier and longer.

In answer to the second part, where's it gone?

I weighed in at 75 kilo's on Saturday, which to me is amazing, that is a loss of over 7 kg in about 11 weeks, and learning a lot along the way. Such as;

• Be in control of what you eat, do not go without meals, and remember you are human, and a treat in moderation does not do any harm.

• Set goals both daily at longer term; But do not be a slave, only do what is sustainable, once I arrived at 76 kg it took three weeks to lose the next kilo.

• Exercise should be varied and enjoyable, there are subtle and aggressive ways to burn calories you will not and should not target just one; my activities have included indoor climbing, badminton, weights, aerobics, skipping (or as others now call it rope jumping), walking, gardening. 

How do I feel, much better, has it been easy, no, has it been worth it, without doubt. There was a few times where cakes or takeaways were an indulgent moment, but all were pre-planned.

How much more should I lose?

While I have a yearning to lose more weight, as I am still classed as overweight, I am keen to lose a smaller amount than previously without any specific targets, other than it would be nice to be around 72kg when we go to the Lake District in September.

We have all seen those that lose too much weight too quick, they look drawn and ill. Though not blessed with the physique or look of a model, I want to lose any more weight gradually.

The fact that few people have commented on the weight loss so far, means not only that I am not looking drawn, but more importantly a very comfortable outward well being.

My main support has been my wife Sue, who patiently helps work out the calories of all my meals and has passed on her nutritional advice. Who has also arranged for me to go Kayaking while we are in the Scottish Highlands in April.

She does tease me a bit about being action man, but I think that is more to do with my height LOL

I hope to have some good advice to share as I continue in my quest, in the near future.

Still no plateau

Weight this morning is 77kg from 83kg at the start of the year, which makes me feel both proud and much more comfortable with my body shape.

Now that others are noticing a difference, and the waist line is not as strained as previously, it is very rewarding, and certainly a lot more comforting, the feeling of well being.

This week has seen a slight shift in attitude, last week, I was unsure if my weight loss was too rapid and could not be sustained. So I began the honest calorie counting and calories burned while exercising. This highlighted on Monday, my food intake to exercise was out of balance, not enough calories were consumed for a day which saw me go for a climb straight from work for an hour. When all the relevant numbers were plugged in there was a shortfall of some 500 calories. Not good, so I looked to ensure that was not a trend to continue with.

By the end of the week, yesterday the balance was just right which saw me have

• a calorie goal of 1,610 
• Food intake of 1,936 caories
• Excerecise burning 350 calories
• Balance 24 calories

With the goal set by the App to loose 0.5 kilo's a week, a good recommended weight loss, my calories and exercise were in balance.

Last night my intake was slightly higher than expected, but this was combated by a 10 minute rope jumping exercise which provieded a 158 calorie burn for 10 minutes of exercise.

 


 This morning started with a walk for about an hour with our dog "Blue" as you can see from the image below the burn rate is less per minute, but six times the duration of rope jumping

The majority of the walk sits nicely in the moderate range of exercise, contrasting from the intensity of rope jumping.

Although we purchased our Suunto Ambit watch for walking in the Lake District and Scottish Highlands, the ability of changing what it displays is excellent for monitoring exercise, expensive but well worth the outlay, though I do use my Polar watch for work.

So in a nutshell it comes down to balance, if you eat a lot, you need to exercise a lot, if you eat less, there is no need to exercise a lot. But remember if you excercise a lot you need to eat accordingly to the amount you use up.

Now looking back at what my GP had told me, my goal should be to eat a little less and exercise a little more and the pounds (Kilo's) would soon start to drop off.

A good barometer of balance, if you are not craving for food or too weak and tired at the end of each day, you have probably got the balance about right.

Exercise this week has seen me, dog walking every morning for around 30 minutes each time, indoor climbing at Reading Climbing Centre, one day for an hour, 45 minutes of badminton, three 10 minute rope juming sessions and one 20 minute weight aerobic training, as well as normal movements encountered during a week at work.

When asked by my wife this morning what my ultimate goal for weight loss is, I replied to reach 75 kilo's as a target, and from there on in any weight loss would be coincidental with activity and life style.

Focus on heart beat

Although last week after a delay of one day, my weight had returned to 80kg, the same as the previous week, there was a period of reflection, and noting the takeaway meal the night before my weigh-in and a few other lapses in my diet, this week I decided that exercise was to be my best form of addressing the bulging waistline.

This week I have weighed in at 79kg, which I last weighed in October last year.

Having already in my possession a watch capable of recording heart beats per minute, and the newly acquired knowledge of heart rate target zones, my goal was to be more focused this week and give it a more concentrated effort.

Last Saturday having reached a bpm of 167, which was 3bpm above my recommended heart rate max it was clear as a novice that I was overdoing things and risked causing myself harm.

So now with a better understanding of heart rate zones and the refinement of calculation taking into account my resting heart rate I have started to formulate where I want the training exercises to take me.

Calculating my heart rate workout zone for 60 - 80% workouts

Base figure is 220 - 55 (My age, until May) = 165 =MaxHR

Resting heart rate is Pulse taken 3 consecutive mornings before getting out of bed 50/53/52

Thus given a RHR of (50+53+52)/3 = 52

This was taken direct from the wrist for a full minute.

Now using the formula % (MaxHR - RHR)+RHR= Target Zone bpm

60% * (165-52)+52 = 119.8 bpm

80% * (165-52)+52 = 142.4 bpm

With most advise relating to exercise and heart rate zone training, it is always advisable to check with the GP, if you have any medical conditions. As I am being treated for High Blood Pressure, I have arranged to visit my GP on Monday, to see if there are any limitations in relation to the exercise and heart rate.

Exercise saw me go climbing twice last week, and walking to work on a couple of occasions.

This week I will begin skipping, which will be tailored to the advice from my GP.

Wearing my newly acquired heart monitor "Polar Ft1" I walked our dog " Blue" at the weekend, walking him my bpm rarely got above 110, but when he lunged at a passing cyclist, after order had been restored my bpm had risen to 146.

so you could say while walking him, gives you an "Anaerobic workout as well as an Aerobic" workout.

There is a theory about carrying extra weight helps burn off more calories, through the harder work. One day last week I put 2x 2.5kg in my rucksack to carry to work. 

To replicate a journey I had walked a few days previous, interestingly on reviewing the results, there is only minimal differences, see below;

The most telling figure is 10% more Kcal, but that is also true of the distance, so 5kg of extra weight made minimal difference, but it felt a lot worse carrying it home in the evening.

NEWSFLASH

Today I visited my GP, the good news, medically there is no reason for any restriction on exercise, that is for me to know when I am at my limit, the advice was however different to what I had expected; It was all fine to exercise, but the intake needs to be reigned in, he went through a complex verbal calculation of how I was overweight by 100,000 calories, saying ideally for my height I should look to loose around 2.5 Stone, roughly another 14kg, he rechecked my weight confirming 79 kg but corrected me on my height as being 164cm not 162 as I had thought.

My food intake is in my opinion a healthy balance, except for the festive excess, though I will be more conscious of what I eat, to me the area I need to address is the physical activity.

I will not dismiss the Doctors advice but use it with caution, but by cutting down on the intake a little and taking more targeted exercise, I feel that it will take me to where I want to be.

My target remains the same to go on holiday in April weighing less than 78kg, the only question is now by how much more.

I do feel better for the consultation with my GP, who by the way is a smoker, but he is only giving good advice, as my Mum used to say, "Don't do as I do, do as I tell you" God rest her soul.

Next time I will have worked out a training plan, and share some food for thought.

Many thanks for reading, and remember ALWAYS speak to your GP before increasing exercise significantly, some damage may take a long time to repair.

Finally whatever exercise you take, it must be fun, a little pain is fine, but listen to your body!!!

Our "Blue" having a well earned rest, bless him!!!!

Is it all about timing?

This week there has been a strange turn of events, hence the title.

On saturday morning, my weight showed an increase of 0.75kg how could this be in a week where I have played badminton twice, and had a session of indoor climbing, and no notable changes of eating habits.

A little concerned, I looked at what was different. So just to confirm that my weight had increased, I weighed myself once more, Sunday morning back down now to 80kg as I was last week.

The conclusion was, Friday night we had Fish and Chips from the local chippy, Large battered Cod and a portion of chips with a refreshing bottle of Budweiser. There was no walk before weighing myself Saturday morning, but a sit around for a couple of hours after getting up, having had scrambled egg on toast.

Today before my weigh in, I had a 64 minute street walk with Blue commencing at 7.00am and weighed myself before breakfast. 

One further note after having had a prawn curry, rice and poppadoms, and a magnum for dinner the night before, a magnum for pudding, was hardly weight watcher's stuff. Then about 3 hours later a couple of tins of John Smith's beer while watching the Ender's Game on DVD.

Unpicking all of the above, it demonstrates one thing, the weight is a guide, not an absolute, and can fluctuate.

A new introduction that I am incorporating into my weight / fitness is a better understanding and use of MHR Maximum Heart Rate, which I will explain briefly.

MHR

A guide is taken from your age and sets zones for you to work in, there are a few variations but the most common is nice and simple; 

220 (Men) or 206 (Women) subtract your age, this will give your highest heart rate or sometimes referred to as MHR Maximum Heart Rate. The resulting number is heart beats per minute.

A worked example for me is

220 - (Age)    = MHR bpm     

220 - (56)       = 164 bpm

This is useful for targeting the right exercise to suit your needs, in my case burning fats.

I have a Suunto Ambit watch  that with the use of the heart monitor chest strap can demonstrate a lesson which I have learnt this week.

First off, know what your MaxHR is then you will be able to work in zones, essentially there are four zones dependant that can be divided into two parts, Aerobic or Anaerobic.

These are divided by % of Heart beats per minute and divided as work zones.

60% - 70%     Light activity

70% - 80%     Medium activity

80% - 90%     Hard activity

90% -100%    Extreme activity

These are mine as displayed on Movescount.(Software for Suunto Ambit watches)

Aerobic exercise will target the 60% - 79% which will burn off mainly fats

Anaerobic exercise will target 80% upward which will burn off mainly carbs / sugars

To better understand the impact there are many examples of Aerobics Vs Anaerobic work outs, both will lead to weight loss, because the use up energy in the body and result in weight loss where it is required.

Taking this deeper, what ever you burn off during activity you will use up the opposite during the next 24 - 48 hr recovery period.

In summary when doing aerobic exercise such as walking, running etc under 79% of your MaxHR you will burn off mainly fats, and during the recovery period, you will burn off the carbs and sugars that make up muscle. The opposite for hard intense training, operating 80% and above will predominantly burn up carbs/sugar from the muscles, but during the recovery period draw on the body fats reserves.

Using the understanding of how energy is drawn from the body, I have recorded two specific polar workouts, the first is more aerobic, walking our dog (Blue) 

Note; How the graph only reaches 129 bpm and the bar chart shows activity at the lower end.

Now we see an example of High Intensity workout for 17 minutes using dumbbell weights and doing press ups.

I will look further into the effects of each, but as most sources warn, consult your doctor before undergoing exercise especially if it is at the top end of your heart rate.

This week I will put together a work out schedule / programme and use this new information to do some targeted training.

Losing and gaining

One more week has elapsed, and this week has been a little tougher than the previous two.

Towards the end of the week I was not feeling like a person that had lost any further weight, so was rethinking my strategy. It was a week without badminton, and fewer steps had been recorded than those of the previous week.

For six mornings I have walked "Blue" our faithful German Shepherd, one day I was unable, due to an old operation causing some discomfort, activity at work was the usual amount of walking. A big difference was also there was no walking to work, this week I needed to use the car.

After returning from walking Blue this morning, it was time to weigh myself, which I do only once a week at the same time and on the same scales, 80kg 

The doubts I had of not losing any weight this week were wrong, this was far better than expected. 80kg  was my target for the end of April, now I have lost 1 kilo each week for the last 3 weeks.

From now forward until April my target will be revised, to lose 1 kilo a month, roughly half a lb a week. This will put my weight around 77kg when we go to Scotland for our holiday.

As I am a novice, and no expert, the following statements re merely my opinion and not medical facts.

The fact that I have only had one can of beer, a packet of "wheat crunchies" and a small bowl of peanuts in the evening means I have consumed very little snack calories in the evenings, remains a significant factor.

The meals we eat have been a good balanced diet of vegetables, pasta, potatoes, fish, one meat dish, eggs, various beans, milk cereal, remain a stable food intake.

• Main meal menu for the week

• Saturday
• Chicken and spinach pasta with salad
• Sunday 
• Roast lamb potatoes & veg
• Monday
• Tuna and Tomato Rice with Salad
• Tuesday
• Vegetarian home made (Sort of)
• Wednesday
• Colcannon Jackets, with smoked cod, egg  & beans
• Thursday
• Fish cakes (Smoked haddock and spring onion) Potato wedges with paprika
• Friday
• Vegetable and Bean bake, home-made, Salad and garlic bread

Lunch at work, one sandwich, a yoghurt, raisins, pre biotic drink, cereal bar and one or two pieces of fruit, and no extras purchased.

One other activity last week was indoor climbing at  Reading Climbing Centre

(Screenshot of part of their web page)

Progress was up on my visit the previous week. I spent an hour mainly in the bouldering area, with one successful "Send" on the Auto Belay Grade 5; This included a climb from base to top using Orange holds, followed by a climb down using any hold.

After a brief rest Grade 5+ was a challenge unconquered only ascending a third of it's height.

Improvement in my climbing is put own to a few things;

1. Improved weight to strength ratio; A little lighter, with same strength
2. Technical awareness; Making better use of foot positioning
3. Mentality; Improvement on approach, positive attitude and most importantly fun

Wisdom and warning

So as I have shared my progress my goals and ambitions, I am keen to keep this progress steady and achievable without taking risks, cutting corners or meals, which is hoped to be sustainable.

Though I am seeking more from my climbing as a hobby, I know that there is much to learn but already I am more self-aware, but the spin-off I wasn't expecting has been the positive "can -do" approach at work.

Over the next few days I will be working out some training exercise and  routines, not for body building, but toning. These will be needed in order to progress safely with climbing, as well as strengthening pull muscles, giving attention to antagonistic muscles equally.

Feel I may be a way off a six pack, both from my abdominal muscles and the Supermarket shelf's, sat nicely between the two at the moment!!!

Weight shifting (Slowly)

Time to tighten the belt.

One more week has passed, and the effort to loose weight is paying off, yesterday morning I tipped the scales at 81Kg, a loss of one more kilo.

The key word in the above statement is effort, you get nothing in life for free, somewhere somehow you have to pay. Just flipping that on it's head, you pay, if you do nothing, your health ultimately suffers, a warning I received a few years back, where an irregular visit to the GP sounded alarm bells.

I was the classic male person, over 40, very few health checks, a drinker, ex smoker and poor eating habits, but that was then and this is now. There were valuable lessons learnt, but old habits can return.

This week the loss of a kilo came from sensible eating of regular meals, good health food, apart from a couple of "treats" that were planed, but not rewards. Every day I walked the two miles to work and the return journey home. Three evenings upon arrival home, dropped off the work bag and went with my wife Sue for a walk with Blue, monitoring my steps with a Garmain Vivofit, each day exceeding 16,000 steps and once over 20,000 steps.

Monday night indoor climbing at Reading Climbing Centre for an hour, managing 75% of the auto belay and numerous easy routes in the bouldering area. As I am looking to improve my fitness and climbing skills, I am also reading a book "Learning to Climb" by Eric J. Hörst which gives a good all round approach to indoor climbing.

A good training / climbing session should require 30 - 60 minutes actual climbing, though most people are in the arena for longer, on account of belaying, observing and socialising. Although I am only half way through the book, so far, the quality of advice has been sound.

Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime, four games of badminton each session, meant not sitting at a computer lunchtime. Good for building reflexes and explosive movement, helps with hand eye co-ordination.

Then we come to fuel, food and drinks; Most meals have been a combination of fish, pasta, chicken vegetables and a little bit of meat. My wife Sue is an excellent cook, and has gradually introduced me to the finer culinary delights, Using various cook book recipes with a few spin offs to suit our palate, not one meal is missed. All our meals are sat at the dinning table, including breakfast cereal. The plates are left clean, no leftovers.

Those that may struggle with portions, it is worth while to spend a little time counting calories, I did this a couple of years ago, weighing and counting all my food intake. Now to be honest, we know the foods that are calorie heavy and eat accordingly, I was once told, if you wish to follow a healthy diet, buy a recipe book for those with diabetes, but never go without a meal to loose weight.

Can the weight loss over the last two weeks be sustained, I really hope so. This week is my turn to walk Blue, our German Shepherd, for his before dawn walk, so the day will start with a twenty minute stroll. You can't call it a walk, as it is "his time", and he likes to sniff the recent activity. Mind you if he had his way, upon sniffing a nearby cat, he would prefer that I could run like Linford Christie, truth is I run more like Agatha Christie.

This week coming there will be no badminton, so I am going to supplement this with a lunchtime walk, and maybe try doing some "star jumps" which do get the heart pumping.

Calculating my body mass index, I am still obese, and will remain so until my weight drops to 78Kg given that is only 3kg away, dependant on when I reach 80kg, that will be my next goal.

Finally, how do I feel, actually the main feeling of bloated-ness has dissipated, but the "podgy belly" reminds me when I glance my reflection, there is still work to be done. Mentally, I feel very good within myself, probably as I am doing this for me at my pace. 

One piece of sound advice, check with your GP on your medical condition, and visit at least once a year, so you don't cause any unnecessary harm or injury to yourself, and those people with family, don't exclude them and they will support your unselfish actions.

A good start

A loss of 1kg means I am off to a good start. Takes me down to 82kg

The week has seen a few changes, all with a view to shedding those unwanted pounds.

Last Monday, was the first time I attended in door climbing this year, a hobby that dropped off in August last year. We are fortunate to have an indoor climbing wall, Reading Climbing Centre.
I had a very poor attempt at the Auto-belay, but spent most of my session in the bouldering area. The extra weight gained and the lack of climbing were very evident. My plan will be to attend a minimum of once a week.

I will be there tonight, and tomorrow, I am booked in for a game of Badminton.


Every day I walked Blue, our German Shepherd, first thing in the morning. This is not extra, as my wife and I always alternate Blue's first walk each week.

The big winner was walking everyday to work, and back home at the end of the day. It is only a short walk of 25 minutes, but it is activity.

Food wise, there has been a steep tailing off, from snacks and beer, but not to the point of abstinence.

Fruit is part of my daily diet, trying a new one , "Sharon" fruit.

Reading through a climbing book, I purchased last year, I believe that one of the phrases looked at Weight to strength ratio; is a key area, the less weight, more activity, and targeted exercise will help maintain an interest and improve climbing technique and stamina. 

Due to the improved activity, it is only the "in-between meal snacks" that will be given up. The body needs fuel to run, now I am asking it to do more, the last thing I want to do is starve it.

I have checked my Body Mass Index (BMI) I am classed as "obese"

But let me put that into perspective, I can only alter my weight, there is nothing that will change about my height, to reach my "normal weight" 

To loose 17 kilo's to reach the top end of normal, is a goal that I do not believe is either achievable or healthy, in my opinion. About five years ago I dropped down to 76kg's and people were concerned with how I looked.

So my first target to be at or below 80kg before the end of April is on track.