Thursday 12 August 2010

I'm quite pleased with myself

Sue and the girls went down to her parent's Tuesday morning (and come back tomorrow), leaving me 'home alone'. That's normally a danger for me but, so far, not this time.


I'm not good being alone, which is odd for someone who, since losing the crutch of alcohol, finds social situations hard work. As a result I've tended to go off the rails whenever I'm left alone.

I remember back in the mid 90s when Sue would go away each year to Robin Hood's Bay with her work I'd get a takeaway each evening - calling in at a restaurant and getting a takeaway with a couple of pints while I waited.

In following years it'll have been takeaways or the occasional meal out alone - a curry or a trip to a nice Persian restaurant. In the last couple of years she's gone away about 3 times a year to her parents during the school holidays and I've tried to control myself. Last time I went and got a job lot of ready meals from Marksies in the hope that would satisfy my desire for a 'treat' while she was away. It failed miserably. Very few ready meals are much of a treat with the low calorie ones the least appealing of the lot. Up shot being that I got two takeaways, biscuits, sweets, chocolate...

This time though I seem to be doing OK. On Tuesday I went to the gym and ASDA and had a lentil and tomato 'thing' (something I make that works as a soup base with added stock or can be had with pasta or rice - I suppose its nearest to a pasta sauce) when I got in; and yesterday I did the gym again and made myself sandwiches with the ever pleasant Burgens Soya & Linseed bread afterwards.

Weight wise a little more has dropped off so that I'm only a shade over 12 stones now - so that's my reward for being more disciplined. Well, its part of it. The other part is that I feel happier without the treats or perhaps I've given myself different treats (long session at the gym and more satisfying food).

On the gym front I got a new programme this week and did it for the first time yesterday. From memory it contains:

Squats on Smith machine
Bulgarian lunge
Shoulder press with dumbbells
Lateral pull down
Chest press with barbell
Face pull on cable machine
Plank
Pallof press
Leg press
Leg curl
Bicep curl with dumbbells

All at 3 x 12 rather than the previous 3 x 10.

I certainly found it harder work (even the rep increase on the old exercises like chest press) and have some soreness today. Good though. Also tagged on 40 minutes on the cross trainer.

Groin feels tight but I'm going to chance a run today (after opting out of Tuesday's club run). Fingers crossed.

1 comment:

Alison said...

Good on ya Rob! I think once you've found the self-discipline, it can feel better than the treats. I don't mean that in a puritanical, self-flagellation way (and yes, I know I'm mixing my religions); but rather in the sense that finding some control and positive decision-making powers can make you feel a hell of a lot better than a piece of cake. And it lasts too. For as long as you want it to. Which is not true of food!

Excited to continue reading about your weightlifting exploits too. Obviously :D