Only two days to go until the moment of truth - I'll weigh myself!
I'm quite excited about it but have no real idea what to expect mainly because I have no start point to compare with. I know I was 11st 11lbs in late July and I know I gained after that but I don't know how much - could have been 12st 4lb, could have been 12st 10lb. I'm fairly sure I have lost weight though - my clothes, the mirror and energy levels tell me that.
I'm not even sure what I hope I'll see. On the one hand it would be great to be close to the late July weight - it would vindicate the recent changes in approach and be encouragingly in sight of goal - but there's also part of me that would like the weight to still be 2-3lbs over 12st as that would make Sunday's race time all the more impressive and so give greater promise of future improvement; although I suppose that would raise questions over the effectiveness of the changes I've made at least in terms of weight loss if not mental well being!
I'll carry on with the current approach whatever the numbers though. Sure, there have been times when I've gone overboard but I'm certain they'd have happened anyway. Most importantly though, dropping the rate of loss has made it easier to stick to target, I'm less obsessive about calories in/out and feel under far less pressure and the latter has (rather ironically as its counter to my views on my motivation and personality) made it easier to stick with things or get back on the horse.
After Friday's weigh in I won't weigh again until the 1st November and at that point I'll have a very clear idea of effectiveness in terms of loss in the previous 31 days.
In other news...
...did 7.1 miles with the running club last night. Hilly and sometimes rather brisk my legs certainly felt tired from the outset. Not sure yet if I'll run again today.
Showing posts with label Dieting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dieting. Show all posts
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Blip, Blip: the best laid plans of mice and men
There you go a bit of Robbie Burns in the post title!
The first 16 hours of yesterday went really well. Light breakfast and mid morning snack then wholefood salad shaker and fresh pineapple from Marksies for dinner on my way to a couple of meetings in Nottingham.
Then the wheels started to fall off.
The plan was that I'd leave Nottingham by 4.30 at the latest in time for a massage at 6.30, then running club at 7.45 and a couple of bowls of homemade minestrone when I got in about 9.20pm.
In the event the second client was nearly an hour late arriving and then the meeting over ran by an hour on top of that so it was gone 6.30 before I'd even left Nottingham. Massage and run were already scuppered.
The temptation to respond to that with a visit to a services to get something terrible to eat was strong, but to my credit I resisted that at least.
When I got in at a little after 8pm I had the planned 2 huge bowls of soup. Unfortunately I then also had 2 bowls of rice crispies and finished off the remains of the previous day's baguette before the eldest gave me the remains of the bag of sweets she'd bought earlier...
I don't adapt well to forced changes to plans!
Still, at least it was logged again and it comes out at maintenance level so perhaps it wasn't too bad for a forced rest day.
The first 16 hours of yesterday went really well. Light breakfast and mid morning snack then wholefood salad shaker and fresh pineapple from Marksies for dinner on my way to a couple of meetings in Nottingham.
Then the wheels started to fall off.
The plan was that I'd leave Nottingham by 4.30 at the latest in time for a massage at 6.30, then running club at 7.45 and a couple of bowls of homemade minestrone when I got in about 9.20pm.
In the event the second client was nearly an hour late arriving and then the meeting over ran by an hour on top of that so it was gone 6.30 before I'd even left Nottingham. Massage and run were already scuppered.
The temptation to respond to that with a visit to a services to get something terrible to eat was strong, but to my credit I resisted that at least.
When I got in at a little after 8pm I had the planned 2 huge bowls of soup. Unfortunately I then also had 2 bowls of rice crispies and finished off the remains of the previous day's baguette before the eldest gave me the remains of the bag of sweets she'd bought earlier...
I don't adapt well to forced changes to plans!
Still, at least it was logged again and it comes out at maintenance level so perhaps it wasn't too bad for a forced rest day.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Blip
During yesterday afternoon I'd considered my next blog entry and decided it was going to be on cooking. However, there's also a Pilates session to mention and also last night where I was bad; bad to the degree that would normally require a visit to a Hague Tribunal...so I better examine them instead.
First the initial 1:1 Pilates session.
In reality this was a massage on my lower back, my neck, my hip flexors and a piriformis stretch as well as a few minutes explaining what might be a good approach for me in the future. Overall it was good. Before the session I couldn't turn far to the right making driving dangerous, but afterwards (as now) my neck is sore but mobile. The back probably got worse afterwards but the groin, which wasn't painful before, does feel looser and is pain free.
Last night though I had a good old fashioned binge. There's a few things that conspired to create the conditions for it so its maybe worth mentioning them:
The weather - it was dull, windy and raining for most of the day. Distinctly autumnal if not wintry. Such weather makes me feel a bit down and gives me a significant craving for carbs.
Work - nothing terrible, just that a few things went wrong that were outside my control but where I'll need to pick up the pieces and formulate the apologies. That's a common feature of my job but one that occasionally gets me down a bit.
Eldest daughter - started high school recently and seems to be feeling forced into getting closer to a couple of vacuous girls from her old school who flitted between friendship and alot of mind games and online/offline bullying of her last year.
Home alone - OK, not quite alone, Charlotte was with me, but no restraining adult influence!
Disappointing meal - I'd made a cucumber and lentil curry to have with brown rice. In itself it was alright though it needed something with it to give some variety, and the rice timings I'd been blasé about leaving it a little undercooked and chewy. I felt a bit let down by it and didn't really feel satisfied, with the next options all being calorific and 'dirty'.
Bread - this can be such a danger for me and features in most of my episodes. Sue had bought a fresh baguette and crusty rolls (neither of which normally feature for us and I later they were for her work - oops) and left them on the side. They taunted me and once I'd given in to have just one it was like a feeding frenzy - think Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.
Rest day - even with the extra 250kcals a rest day can feel a bit restrictive and sometimes I can feel like rebelling against that. Plus, exercise forces me to be disciplined in a way a rest day doesn't.
(Any of these triggers sound familiar to anyone else?)
In isolation none of those cause a problem but put together they can do. And they did.
Overall I left myself with a sugar induced headache by 8pm and went over by 2000 kcals for the day.
In a way though, that's the silver lining to this particular cloud: I did, at least, enter what I'd eaten (after the event) and feel that I can put it behind me and get back to plan immediately. It might be a big blip but its still only a blip!
That's something isn't it?
First the initial 1:1 Pilates session.
In reality this was a massage on my lower back, my neck, my hip flexors and a piriformis stretch as well as a few minutes explaining what might be a good approach for me in the future. Overall it was good. Before the session I couldn't turn far to the right making driving dangerous, but afterwards (as now) my neck is sore but mobile. The back probably got worse afterwards but the groin, which wasn't painful before, does feel looser and is pain free.
Last night though I had a good old fashioned binge. There's a few things that conspired to create the conditions for it so its maybe worth mentioning them:
The weather - it was dull, windy and raining for most of the day. Distinctly autumnal if not wintry. Such weather makes me feel a bit down and gives me a significant craving for carbs.
Work - nothing terrible, just that a few things went wrong that were outside my control but where I'll need to pick up the pieces and formulate the apologies. That's a common feature of my job but one that occasionally gets me down a bit.
Eldest daughter - started high school recently and seems to be feeling forced into getting closer to a couple of vacuous girls from her old school who flitted between friendship and alot of mind games and online/offline bullying of her last year.
Home alone - OK, not quite alone, Charlotte was with me, but no restraining adult influence!
Disappointing meal - I'd made a cucumber and lentil curry to have with brown rice. In itself it was alright though it needed something with it to give some variety, and the rice timings I'd been blasé about leaving it a little undercooked and chewy. I felt a bit let down by it and didn't really feel satisfied, with the next options all being calorific and 'dirty'.
Bread - this can be such a danger for me and features in most of my episodes. Sue had bought a fresh baguette and crusty rolls (neither of which normally feature for us and I later they were for her work - oops) and left them on the side. They taunted me and once I'd given in to have just one it was like a feeding frenzy - think Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.
Rest day - even with the extra 250kcals a rest day can feel a bit restrictive and sometimes I can feel like rebelling against that. Plus, exercise forces me to be disciplined in a way a rest day doesn't.
(Any of these triggers sound familiar to anyone else?)
In isolation none of those cause a problem but put together they can do. And they did.
Overall I left myself with a sugar induced headache by 8pm and went over by 2000 kcals for the day.
In a way though, that's the silver lining to this particular cloud: I did, at least, enter what I'd eaten (after the event) and feel that I can put it behind me and get back to plan immediately. It might be a big blip but its still only a blip!
That's something isn't it?
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Saturday update
Thursday's run was tougher than expected and got progressively slower from the 3rd to 6th mile, and I didn't feel there was a whole lot I could do to prevent that. It was along the canal so flat barring the set of locks (pictured a few posts below) so it shouldn't have been difficult but it was still warm and sunny and I suspect (judging from the colour of my wee after!) that I was poorly hydrated.
Still, I've had enough bad runs not to be worried and overall 8.0 minute miles was OK considering I'm a little out of shape.
Yesterday included a trip to the physio to get some advice on groin, Achilles and back. It was to a new physio as the original is on maternity and her replacement has since left.
All in all she seemed to know little or nothing of the groin injury but tested my engagement of the core muscles and felt I engage them well and appear to have good strength and stability as a result. she also tested if my glutes 'fired' well and felt they did. Cautious optimism.
For the Achilles she could find no tenderness which suggested the stretching of the calves is helping but felt I had a hint of plantar fasciitis, but seemingly nothing too much to worry about.
For the back she massaged and found a fair bit of tightness but whether this was cause or effect it was impossible to say. Overall though she thought it was probably more to do with overstretching the piriformis (which figures as I'd been stretching 3 times a day rather than the prescribed once) and suggested I stick to a gentler stretch until that eases.
That all seemed a bit of a result but by lunchtime I had a little bit of groin pain, whether from the previous day's run or the manipulation at the physio I couldn't be sure but this got a little worse after 40 minutes on the cross trainer at the gym in the evening. The latter also seemed to trigger some Achilles pain which was present again this morning.
Diet wise Thursday was good again and yesterday was so so. I went over by 570 (or under by 430 depending how you view it) partly because I was home alone in the evening, partly because the bulgar wheat/quinoa based salad I made had more calories than I expected and partly because I used the http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/ estimate of calories burned on a cross trainer - which is only a third of what the machine tells me I've burned with the truth possibly lying somewhere between.
Importantly though, I logged everything meaning that know I'm still 56 under for the week!
Today I'll aim to go 'over' by about 500 again, mainly because of tomorrow's race, but can do so without a fear of what that will do to Sunday or Monday's weigh ins. In other words, its an example of how the focus on the process rather than the immediate results allows me to eat more sensibly relative to activities.
Not that a 10 mile run should really have me in need of doing anything special but recognising that I'm not in the best shape I suppose I feel I need to give myself every little bit of help!
So, today's plan is to tentatively restart the core stability work, go for a 3 mile jog with a few strides thrown in, go out for a curry early evening and make sure I drink water regularly throughout the day particularly as the forecast for tomorrow is disappointingly 21/22c and sunny.
Still, I've had enough bad runs not to be worried and overall 8.0 minute miles was OK considering I'm a little out of shape.
Yesterday included a trip to the physio to get some advice on groin, Achilles and back. It was to a new physio as the original is on maternity and her replacement has since left.
All in all she seemed to know little or nothing of the groin injury but tested my engagement of the core muscles and felt I engage them well and appear to have good strength and stability as a result. she also tested if my glutes 'fired' well and felt they did. Cautious optimism.
For the Achilles she could find no tenderness which suggested the stretching of the calves is helping but felt I had a hint of plantar fasciitis, but seemingly nothing too much to worry about.
For the back she massaged and found a fair bit of tightness but whether this was cause or effect it was impossible to say. Overall though she thought it was probably more to do with overstretching the piriformis (which figures as I'd been stretching 3 times a day rather than the prescribed once) and suggested I stick to a gentler stretch until that eases.
That all seemed a bit of a result but by lunchtime I had a little bit of groin pain, whether from the previous day's run or the manipulation at the physio I couldn't be sure but this got a little worse after 40 minutes on the cross trainer at the gym in the evening. The latter also seemed to trigger some Achilles pain which was present again this morning.
Diet wise Thursday was good again and yesterday was so so. I went over by 570 (or under by 430 depending how you view it) partly because I was home alone in the evening, partly because the bulgar wheat/quinoa based salad I made had more calories than I expected and partly because I used the http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/ estimate of calories burned on a cross trainer - which is only a third of what the machine tells me I've burned with the truth possibly lying somewhere between.
Importantly though, I logged everything meaning that know I'm still 56 under for the week!
Today I'll aim to go 'over' by about 500 again, mainly because of tomorrow's race, but can do so without a fear of what that will do to Sunday or Monday's weigh ins. In other words, its an example of how the focus on the process rather than the immediate results allows me to eat more sensibly relative to activities.
Not that a 10 mile run should really have me in need of doing anything special but recognising that I'm not in the best shape I suppose I feel I need to give myself every little bit of help!
So, today's plan is to tentatively restart the core stability work, go for a 3 mile jog with a few strides thrown in, go out for a curry early evening and make sure I drink water regularly throughout the day particularly as the forecast for tomorrow is disappointingly 21/22c and sunny.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Psycho-babble - AKA I have pink urine & don't know how much I weigh...
Seriously.
This risks being a highly self indulgent post. You have been warned.
As I get a few days into a bad nutritional week I begin to dread getting on the scales again. I just don't want to confront the 'damage'. It might sometimes even delay my putting an end to a bad episode or binge.
However, in the end I dismiss the feeling and confront the scales. Sometimes the damage is less than expected and sometimes more but in either case I then focus fully and carefully monitor the changing figures each day thereafter. There's always then a high as water retention and 'food in transit' are banished providing a swift but arguably false weight loss, followed by a more challenging period when the scales become less predictable or even. Or, at least that's how I thought it went.
This time getting back on the waggon was harder. I was carrying three injuries so the usual response of immediately upping exercise levels wasn't such an obvious outlet and I probably feared the scales all the more because of it. Moreover, I felt a failure.
So, rather than dismissing this scale phobia as emotional weakness, as I normally might, I sought to rationalise both the feeling itself and seek to see if it was an indicator of a wider problem.
After several hours of subconscious mental rumination I came to the conclusion that the previous approach was far from proven. I stuck to the usual approach because I told myself it was successful and felt secure in a structured and consistent response, but whilst I could rightfully claim to be (about) 45lbs lighter than my heaviest I'm also (about) 20lbs over my eventual target. Moreover, the previous approach should have had me reaching my target after about 34 weeks but here I am around 295 weeks on from starting my (if you'll excuse the nauseating expression beloved of those in the colonies) 'weight loss journey'...
My immediate response to this realisation was that I needed to take a radically different approach. Ditch calorie counting completely and totally clean up my diet perhaps?
But that was missing the point. Calorie counting works for me. Cleaner eating makes it work better perhaps but the bottom line is that calorie counting itself has always worked. What has gone wrong is that I haven't been able to stick to it for truly sustained periods.
That brought me back to the scales. For about 3 years now I've weighed if not daily then certainly very frequently. When I've been in the groove in terms of diet and exercise its been daily and when I've slipped up I've consciously avoided the scales.
When I considered this I realised the figure on the scales might have been a hindrance as much as help - if the numbers were kind I was tempted to treat myself to a day off which sometimes became a week, and if the numbers were harsh it was easy to feel demoralised and turn to food.
If the scales ever truly demonstrated it was simply a very approximate reflection of my adherence or otherwise to staying within calorie limits but in doing so they provided a potentially damaging distraction from the fundamental: the weight loss process itself.
This was dangerous, seditious thought and my conservative mind (I'd like to stress the very, very small 'c' there) retorted: if a major reason for losing weight is to run faster than surely the numbers on the scales ARE important? And how can I judge if I'm being successful or not if I don't know where I started or where I am.
There's merit to both points but the fundamental aspect is the process: if I consume 7,000 calories a week less than I expend then I will lose around 2lb. Whether I stand on a set of scales every day, every week or not at all won't make any difference to that. Process & time equals result and as long as I lived consistently by that maxim I would lose weight and get faster.
Ergo, I decided I wouldn't weigh myself until the end of the month but I would log my consumption and exercise fully every day and trust that that would deliver results away from the distraction and damage of the scales.
As a result I haven't got a clue how much I weighed when I got back on the horse, how much damage had been done or what changes there may have been in the first three days back - and that really does feel kind of liberating.
Oh, and the pink urine? I bought a bottle of beetroot juice...
This risks being a highly self indulgent post. You have been warned.
As I get a few days into a bad nutritional week I begin to dread getting on the scales again. I just don't want to confront the 'damage'. It might sometimes even delay my putting an end to a bad episode or binge.
However, in the end I dismiss the feeling and confront the scales. Sometimes the damage is less than expected and sometimes more but in either case I then focus fully and carefully monitor the changing figures each day thereafter. There's always then a high as water retention and 'food in transit' are banished providing a swift but arguably false weight loss, followed by a more challenging period when the scales become less predictable or even. Or, at least that's how I thought it went.
This time getting back on the waggon was harder. I was carrying three injuries so the usual response of immediately upping exercise levels wasn't such an obvious outlet and I probably feared the scales all the more because of it. Moreover, I felt a failure.
So, rather than dismissing this scale phobia as emotional weakness, as I normally might, I sought to rationalise both the feeling itself and seek to see if it was an indicator of a wider problem.
After several hours of subconscious mental rumination I came to the conclusion that the previous approach was far from proven. I stuck to the usual approach because I told myself it was successful and felt secure in a structured and consistent response, but whilst I could rightfully claim to be (about) 45lbs lighter than my heaviest I'm also (about) 20lbs over my eventual target. Moreover, the previous approach should have had me reaching my target after about 34 weeks but here I am around 295 weeks on from starting my (if you'll excuse the nauseating expression beloved of those in the colonies) 'weight loss journey'...
My immediate response to this realisation was that I needed to take a radically different approach. Ditch calorie counting completely and totally clean up my diet perhaps?
But that was missing the point. Calorie counting works for me. Cleaner eating makes it work better perhaps but the bottom line is that calorie counting itself has always worked. What has gone wrong is that I haven't been able to stick to it for truly sustained periods.
That brought me back to the scales. For about 3 years now I've weighed if not daily then certainly very frequently. When I've been in the groove in terms of diet and exercise its been daily and when I've slipped up I've consciously avoided the scales.
When I considered this I realised the figure on the scales might have been a hindrance as much as help - if the numbers were kind I was tempted to treat myself to a day off which sometimes became a week, and if the numbers were harsh it was easy to feel demoralised and turn to food.
If the scales ever truly demonstrated it was simply a very approximate reflection of my adherence or otherwise to staying within calorie limits but in doing so they provided a potentially damaging distraction from the fundamental: the weight loss process itself.
This was dangerous, seditious thought and my conservative mind (I'd like to stress the very, very small 'c' there) retorted: if a major reason for losing weight is to run faster than surely the numbers on the scales ARE important? And how can I judge if I'm being successful or not if I don't know where I started or where I am.
There's merit to both points but the fundamental aspect is the process: if I consume 7,000 calories a week less than I expend then I will lose around 2lb. Whether I stand on a set of scales every day, every week or not at all won't make any difference to that. Process & time equals result and as long as I lived consistently by that maxim I would lose weight and get faster.
Ergo, I decided I wouldn't weigh myself until the end of the month but I would log my consumption and exercise fully every day and trust that that would deliver results away from the distraction and damage of the scales.
As a result I haven't got a clue how much I weighed when I got back on the horse, how much damage had been done or what changes there may have been in the first three days back - and that really does feel kind of liberating.
Oh, and the pink urine? I bought a bottle of beetroot juice...
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
So far, so good.
I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things.
Yesterday I logged my food intake and stayed within target - in each case for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. In the evening I did my first run with the club in around 7 weeks. 5.4 miles ran at a very conservative pace with the slower runners but importantly no groin pain.
Not that I think I'm out of the woods on that front. Far from it - I still get the odd twinge and haven't done any core exercises since the 20th August - but its still progress and tomorrow I'll begin to do core exercises again. Bear in mind that the physio felt I would be ok to run and even race as long as I kept up the exercises, its just that I'm starting to keep up from tomorrow...
The back pain is no better nor worse than since Sunday. It feels tight when I first get out of bed but eases with movement and doesn't seem to impinge on running at all. I'm hopeful that it'll just get better slowly but on Friday I have a physio appointment to double check and get some advice on both back and achilles pain (did I mention that yesterday?). Whether I did or not, that's slowly easing too, presumably thanks to the calf stretching I've been doing the last few days.
I stuck to calorie target again today despite it being a rest day. That's good too.
Plan for the remainder of the week is to run again tomorrow, go to the gym Friday (but probably only for cardio) then rest once again on Saturday.
Are you impressed by my steady, level headed, conservative approach to getting back in the swing of things and not over stressing a recently injured and as yet not fully recovered body?
If so, then be content and read no further.
(As I've also agreed to run a leg of the Leeds Country Way relay on Sunday - a little over 10 miles cross country. Sorry.)
Yesterday I logged my food intake and stayed within target - in each case for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. In the evening I did my first run with the club in around 7 weeks. 5.4 miles ran at a very conservative pace with the slower runners but importantly no groin pain.
Not that I think I'm out of the woods on that front. Far from it - I still get the odd twinge and haven't done any core exercises since the 20th August - but its still progress and tomorrow I'll begin to do core exercises again. Bear in mind that the physio felt I would be ok to run and even race as long as I kept up the exercises, its just that I'm starting to keep up from tomorrow...
The back pain is no better nor worse than since Sunday. It feels tight when I first get out of bed but eases with movement and doesn't seem to impinge on running at all. I'm hopeful that it'll just get better slowly but on Friday I have a physio appointment to double check and get some advice on both back and achilles pain (did I mention that yesterday?). Whether I did or not, that's slowly easing too, presumably thanks to the calf stretching I've been doing the last few days.
I stuck to calorie target again today despite it being a rest day. That's good too.
Plan for the remainder of the week is to run again tomorrow, go to the gym Friday (but probably only for cardio) then rest once again on Saturday.
Are you impressed by my steady, level headed, conservative approach to getting back in the swing of things and not over stressing a recently injured and as yet not fully recovered body?
If so, then be content and read no further.
(As I've also agreed to run a leg of the Leeds Country Way relay on Sunday - a little over 10 miles cross country. Sorry.)
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Ouch
OK, three things to update about today: the run, weights and physio.
Actually, make that four: I continued my controlled eating throughout Thursday and Friday (though I, admittedly, went over my 1000 deficit target yesterday by nearly 400 but that was deliberate to aid recovery...).
The run. It was awful. Absolutely awful. Not from the perspective of groin pain though.
I set off and glanced at the Garmin after 1/4 mile and was at 9:15 pace so pushed a little harder. It felt tough though and the first mile still took 8:49 so I stopped for a stretch. Carrying on it felt somewhat easier at 8:22 and 8:25 with another stop just before three miles where I turned round but it still felt a good 30 seconds faster than that. Mile four was grim. It was like the end of a marathon: my legs felt dead and I couldn't help but slow. I stopped 3 times in the last mile and a half and slowed down to close to nine minute miles again.
I think it was down to two things. First up my hammies felt shot from weight training the night before and I was fairly knackered still overall (more on that later) and also I hadn't really ran for 16 days if you ignore the very slow plods with Beth.
The plus though was my beloved groin. Made a point of engaging the core and suffered no big ill effects during or after. In fact the feeling of stiffness I'd had in the adductors was eased by the run.
So, onto the physio at 8am yesterday morning. The regular physio went on maternity after my last visit in May and passed me on to a colleague (hence the trip to Harrogate). Unfortunately it was her last day yesterday and they'd lost all my notes. That made it a more difficult appointment but the upshot was she thinks a few things combined to bring back the pain:
Actually, make that four: I continued my controlled eating throughout Thursday and Friday (though I, admittedly, went over my 1000 deficit target yesterday by nearly 400 but that was deliberate to aid recovery...).
The run. It was awful. Absolutely awful. Not from the perspective of groin pain though.
I set off and glanced at the Garmin after 1/4 mile and was at 9:15 pace so pushed a little harder. It felt tough though and the first mile still took 8:49 so I stopped for a stretch. Carrying on it felt somewhat easier at 8:22 and 8:25 with another stop just before three miles where I turned round but it still felt a good 30 seconds faster than that. Mile four was grim. It was like the end of a marathon: my legs felt dead and I couldn't help but slow. I stopped 3 times in the last mile and a half and slowed down to close to nine minute miles again.
I think it was down to two things. First up my hammies felt shot from weight training the night before and I was fairly knackered still overall (more on that later) and also I hadn't really ran for 16 days if you ignore the very slow plods with Beth.
The plus though was my beloved groin. Made a point of engaging the core and suffered no big ill effects during or after. In fact the feeling of stiffness I'd had in the adductors was eased by the run.
So, onto the physio at 8am yesterday morning. The regular physio went on maternity after my last visit in May and passed me on to a colleague (hence the trip to Harrogate). Unfortunately it was her last day yesterday and they'd lost all my notes. That made it a more difficult appointment but the upshot was she thinks a few things combined to bring back the pain:
- I stopped doing the daily exercises a couple of weeks too soon
- I was probably not quite doing enough each week for maintenance
- Its likely that I'd got lazy on form and was treating it as a numbers game just to get through
- I'd possibly not engaged the core consistently through the last runs (where the pain came in)
However, she thinks its probably controllable again by going back to basics:
- Daily exercises for the next couple of months
- Maintenance of 3 times a week thereafter, increasing to 5 times a week if training volume/intensity raises e.g. marathon training
- Be mindful of form - always - starting with pelvic floor exercise before each set
She even thought racing could be OK too. I'm not as convinced of that though.
The discomfort hasn't completely gone and in order to race next week I'd need to feel daily exercises were eradicating this and that I could run on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday with a bit of zip. If I can't run a potential PB I don't see the point in taking the risk. we'll see how the week goes.
Lastly the gym. By Thursday evening my traps, lats, hammies were all very sore with some discomfort also in my calves, glutes, triceps and forearms. The new programme obviously works! Even yesterday I was still sore in lats and hamstrings so I pushed the weights back to today and opted for core, cardio and alot of stretching. Forty minutes on the cross trainer helped the hamstrings and ten minutes rowing certainly loosened the lats. Stretching also helped as my hamstrings were particularly tight.
Today I'll take Beth for a run, go to the gym and cook a curry. Champion.
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.
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.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
The joys of daily weighing...
...and this time it is a joy!
Weighed myself this morning after the first 24hrs back on track and the weight had plummeted to 12st 2.8lb - a one day loss of 4.4lb.
Obviously carrying a lot of food in transit and retaining some water. Ok its not fat loss for the most part but it makes the holiday gain a more manageable 5.8lb and already takes the target date down to the 8th October.
Suspect that in a week or ten days the target date will have fallen to late Sept or the first couple of days in October: far more sustainable. That might well mean I'll err on the side of keeping it up in 4 weeks...or maintain in three...
Decisions, decisions.
Weighed myself this morning after the first 24hrs back on track and the weight had plummeted to 12st 2.8lb - a one day loss of 4.4lb.
Obviously carrying a lot of food in transit and retaining some water. Ok its not fat loss for the most part but it makes the holiday gain a more manageable 5.8lb and already takes the target date down to the 8th October.
Suspect that in a week or ten days the target date will have fallen to late Sept or the first couple of days in October: far more sustainable. That might well mean I'll err on the side of keeping it up in 4 weeks...or maintain in three...
Decisions, decisions.
Monday, 9 August 2010
There no posts for 5 days then 3 come along at once...
I had planned to be at 11st by the ‘racing season’ or close to it. In other words by early September. At the moment my target date would be 24th October, though that could easily drop by a week or two if this week were to give a larger than normal loss due to water retention and food in transit issues being reversed - which is likely.
I wouldn’t be unhappy with that based on where I am now.
Training wise the groin is niggling and whilst I hope repeating what I’ve done before will fix it it’s certainly a risk and could easily be exposed by tomorrow’s club run – but if I don’t test it I’ll never know.
However, that means I ought to be looking to moderate demands over the next few weeks.
To manage rehabilitation there’s a few measures:
At present I’m due to do Birchwood 10k on the 22nd and then do the Paras 10, a tough 10 miler, 3 weeks later on the 12th September, then there’s another 2 weeks off until the Horsforth 10k. Then there would be another 3 weeks until Turbo X and Wistow 10 on consecutive weekends, Hellrunner 2 weeks later and the Abbey Dash 10k a fortnight further still.
However, if I dropped the Paras 10 the first longer run wouldn’t be until the 17th October meaning I could keep the long run mileage down to 8 miles or so for some time. That would be a big help in managing recovery. It would also mean 5 weeks of no racing after Birchwood and would fit nicely in terms of projected rate of weight loss.
That’s decided then.
However, what isn’t decided is whether the projected weight loss timetable is what I could/should be chasing. Thanks to Alison for putting that idea in the mix.
On the ‘yes’ side is the fact that there is no holiday or other distraction (barring August BH weekend) on the horizon; that it’s a time of year I tend to do well in in terms of weight loss; that reduced running will be more than offset by additional gym work.
On the ‘no’ side would be the less tangible thought that perhaps I ought to be chasing some sort of stability, maybe with a few weeks maintaining weight rather than losing or gaining. I’d expect that to happen in the 8 weeks or so before marathon training started and throughout marathon training but maybe I need to spread that 8 weeks into two 4 week blocks?
What I’m not prepared to do is maintain at current weight. I want to get closer to 11st 7lb at least. So for the next 4 weeks it’s definitely weight loss but do I then have a ‘breather’? Or adopt a 3 weeks on one week off approach kind of like a running plan, maybe with more calories available in cut back weeks? Or would having a pause when within 4 weeks of final goal be crazy and I should keep up the momentum? Or do I just stay flexible and make a call on it depending on how things are a month from now?
On this element I’m really not sure.
I wouldn’t be unhappy with that based on where I am now.
Training wise the groin is niggling and whilst I hope repeating what I’ve done before will fix it it’s certainly a risk and could easily be exposed by tomorrow’s club run – but if I don’t test it I’ll never know.
However, that means I ought to be looking to moderate demands over the next few weeks.
To manage rehabilitation there’s a few measures:
- Wear support shorts for the next month or so
- Do the daily core exercises
- Engage the core muscles throughout runs
- Cut back on long run distance
- Reduce racing/speed work
- Reduce overall mileage & number of runs
- Increase weight training intensity and gym cardio work to offset running reduction
At present I’m due to do Birchwood 10k on the 22nd and then do the Paras 10, a tough 10 miler, 3 weeks later on the 12th September, then there’s another 2 weeks off until the Horsforth 10k. Then there would be another 3 weeks until Turbo X and Wistow 10 on consecutive weekends, Hellrunner 2 weeks later and the Abbey Dash 10k a fortnight further still.
However, if I dropped the Paras 10 the first longer run wouldn’t be until the 17th October meaning I could keep the long run mileage down to 8 miles or so for some time. That would be a big help in managing recovery. It would also mean 5 weeks of no racing after Birchwood and would fit nicely in terms of projected rate of weight loss.
That’s decided then.
However, what isn’t decided is whether the projected weight loss timetable is what I could/should be chasing. Thanks to Alison for putting that idea in the mix.
On the ‘yes’ side is the fact that there is no holiday or other distraction (barring August BH weekend) on the horizon; that it’s a time of year I tend to do well in in terms of weight loss; that reduced running will be more than offset by additional gym work.
On the ‘no’ side would be the less tangible thought that perhaps I ought to be chasing some sort of stability, maybe with a few weeks maintaining weight rather than losing or gaining. I’d expect that to happen in the 8 weeks or so before marathon training started and throughout marathon training but maybe I need to spread that 8 weeks into two 4 week blocks?
What I’m not prepared to do is maintain at current weight. I want to get closer to 11st 7lb at least. So for the next 4 weeks it’s definitely weight loss but do I then have a ‘breather’? Or adopt a 3 weeks on one week off approach kind of like a running plan, maybe with more calories available in cut back weeks? Or would having a pause when within 4 weeks of final goal be crazy and I should keep up the momentum? Or do I just stay flexible and make a call on it depending on how things are a month from now?
On this element I’m really not sure.
I've had my ups and downs
Following on from the last blog, outlining the huge backwards leap I've taken in the last 2 weeks, I've been looking at my Results Graph on http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/.
It covers the last 20 months and resembles the profile of a series of Alpine peaks. A number of steady downward lines punctuated by sudden short upward spikes with precious little stability. It doesn't look much but each peak and valley tell their own story:
It covers the last 20 months and resembles the profile of a series of Alpine peaks. A number of steady downward lines punctuated by sudden short upward spikes with precious little stability. It doesn't look much but each peak and valley tell their own story:
- Starts off with 3 months of steady weight loss at the beginning of 2009 as I trained for the Paris marathon, losing 27lbs.
- Ten days of post marathon excess, a week of hard training then a month of limited training (as my legs recovered) mean comfort eating and half the weight goes back on.
- But that's OK as I have a new target and lose all of that and 3lb more in the 10 weeks leading up to the summer holiday in France
- Plenty of running in France off sets the foodie nature of the holiday to a large extent but a week of eating out and eating rubbish on the return means there's still a few pounds back on.
- Another consistent 8 weeks though that takes me to my lowest ever adult weight - 11st 7lbs - as I run well in a series of races and recognise weight loss as a major contributor to this and to potential future improvements.
- I've been ignoring ever worsening groin pain though and that and training fatigue leads to me taking a week off in mid October where I deliberately eat appallingly to 'get it out of my system'
- It doesn't work and with autumn giving way to the dark nights of winter, my 40th birthday imminent, the groin no better and a week's leave spent not away somewhere but sitting bored on the sofa I feel very down and try to find solace in food (as so often I do). That's just a vicious circle triggering more negativity and eating. Within a month I've put on well over a stone.
- But November isn't so bad. with the 40th out of the way I get back on track, despite running all but stopping and lose half a stone in the month.
- By the beginning of December I get the news that the groin injury will be long term and that Paris marathon will be a non-starter in 2010. I think 'f*ck it' and give up for December. Despite a few minor concessions to cutting the traditional excess at Christmas I still put on about 16lb in 5 weeks.
- With no Paris to aim for and no resumption of running on the horizon its difficult to get going in the New Year but a decent 15 weeks gets me slowly back to where i was at the beginning of December.
- I can't keep it up though despite running having resumed and switch off for 3 weeks and put 10lb on.
- Steady progress in June and good progress in July take me down to 11st 11lb and that feels so good and yet...
- Two and a half weeks on from that I've gone into gluttonous excess mode again when faced with feeling sorry for myself over the absence of holiday and worrying about a recurrence of groin pain.
And so the merry go round will start once again and later today I'll reassess my plans and objectives for the next couple of months.
Anyone else have a pattern like this or am I the only fruitcake at the WI show?
Monday, 2 August 2010
The week before last
Proved to be a pretty good week.
I'd set myself the target of consistency in diet and that's pretty much what I got. Result was that by Saturday morning the weight had dropped below 11st 11lb and I felt and looked leaner already. Really pleased with that.
I did go off the rails a bit on the Saturday at my parents Golden Wedding party (with non diet friendly buffet) but was back on track Sunday.
Exercise wise it had gone well too. A couple of trips to the gym to lift some weights, a couple of short swims afterwards, a decent paced club run in the pouring rain on Tuesday, a 5 mile run with Bethan, an easy paced 4 miles along the canal and then a 14 mile long run on the Sunday.
That was the furthest Bethan had ever run and my furthest long run since the autumn. Found it quite tiring though but not as bad as the previous week and certainly at a faster pace.
All in all a good preparation for the week of camping challenges ahead and the race I'd spotted while looking for things to do on holiday...
I'd set myself the target of consistency in diet and that's pretty much what I got. Result was that by Saturday morning the weight had dropped below 11st 11lb and I felt and looked leaner already. Really pleased with that.
I did go off the rails a bit on the Saturday at my parents Golden Wedding party (with non diet friendly buffet) but was back on track Sunday.
Exercise wise it had gone well too. A couple of trips to the gym to lift some weights, a couple of short swims afterwards, a decent paced club run in the pouring rain on Tuesday, a 5 mile run with Bethan, an easy paced 4 miles along the canal and then a 14 mile long run on the Sunday.
That was the furthest Bethan had ever run and my furthest long run since the autumn. Found it quite tiring though but not as bad as the previous week and certainly at a faster pace.
All in all a good preparation for the week of camping challenges ahead and the race I'd spotted while looking for things to do on holiday...
Monday, 5 July 2010
Better balance
Definitely a more balanced week.
Four trips to the gym, sticking to weight loss practises and fairly consistent running - albeit a few miles short on Sunday.
Monday
First day firmly back on the waggon. Went out for a short lunchtime run round the block three times from home. 2.9 miles with some strides.
Tuesday
Club 5k handicap in the evening. All told I did ok. Beat my handicap (albeit that it was possibly a bit high) and finished 11/38. Felt I was capable of more but warm weather, hills and little experience of pacing a 5k all caught me out - last mile being down almost at half marathon pace. Managed to limit the damage at the rather good club barbecue afterwards too!
Wednesday
Took the opportunity to do an easy paced 4 miles along the canal from Rodley. Easy paced but not easy - much too warm for that. The possible lower abs/groin unease I felt seems to have disappeared.
Thursday
Managed a brief lunchtime trip to the gym to do some weights but the planned speed session on the track had to be canned when work got in the way. May not have been a bad thing as it would have been 6 consecutive days running.
Friday
Was due to be a rest day but having missed the previous day's speed session I headed for the gym in the evening and did some weights.
Saturday
Ran with Bethan in the morning - a slow 4.5 miles - then cycled to the gym to lift some weights. In creased the weights again and for the first time got some slight DOMS in the back the following day!
Sunday
Ran round the course for the Pudsey 10k. I'd intended to run round it twice but after the first I decided to head to Eccup for the second 6 miles. By the time I'd got there I felt tired and stiff (didn't sleep well the night before) so skipped it. Probably over ate due to the big roast dinner but no binge and wont have truly gained from it. Pudsey is a very hilly course for a 10k though - nearly 700ft of climb.
Good results overall.
I measured myself on Saturday and have lost centimetres from everywhere compared with 4 weeks ago; weight was 4lb down (and fat percentage too) by the last time I weighed on Friday, enjoyed doing the weights and had a reasonable running week. Plus, I felt I already looked better and certainly felt better.
Making Wednesday an 'official' weigh in day alongside the family weigh in day of Saturday to help me stay focused throughout the week. Will post some results then.
Four trips to the gym, sticking to weight loss practises and fairly consistent running - albeit a few miles short on Sunday.
Monday
First day firmly back on the waggon. Went out for a short lunchtime run round the block three times from home. 2.9 miles with some strides.
Tuesday
Club 5k handicap in the evening. All told I did ok. Beat my handicap (albeit that it was possibly a bit high) and finished 11/38. Felt I was capable of more but warm weather, hills and little experience of pacing a 5k all caught me out - last mile being down almost at half marathon pace. Managed to limit the damage at the rather good club barbecue afterwards too!
Wednesday
Took the opportunity to do an easy paced 4 miles along the canal from Rodley. Easy paced but not easy - much too warm for that. The possible lower abs/groin unease I felt seems to have disappeared.
Thursday
Managed a brief lunchtime trip to the gym to do some weights but the planned speed session on the track had to be canned when work got in the way. May not have been a bad thing as it would have been 6 consecutive days running.
Friday
Was due to be a rest day but having missed the previous day's speed session I headed for the gym in the evening and did some weights.
Saturday
Ran with Bethan in the morning - a slow 4.5 miles - then cycled to the gym to lift some weights. In creased the weights again and for the first time got some slight DOMS in the back the following day!
Sunday
Ran round the course for the Pudsey 10k. I'd intended to run round it twice but after the first I decided to head to Eccup for the second 6 miles. By the time I'd got there I felt tired and stiff (didn't sleep well the night before) so skipped it. Probably over ate due to the big roast dinner but no binge and wont have truly gained from it. Pudsey is a very hilly course for a 10k though - nearly 700ft of climb.
Good results overall.
I measured myself on Saturday and have lost centimetres from everywhere compared with 4 weeks ago; weight was 4lb down (and fat percentage too) by the last time I weighed on Friday, enjoyed doing the weights and had a reasonable running week. Plus, I felt I already looked better and certainly felt better.
Making Wednesday an 'official' weigh in day alongside the family weigh in day of Saturday to help me stay focused throughout the week. Will post some results then.
Monday, 14 June 2010
Now the pressure is on
I should have hit my weight loss target a long time ago.
By late April to be precise.
Yet here I am in mid-June and its looking a long way away.
The last 3 weeks echo the results and sentiment of the entry below. I've done no core work, haven't been to the gym, missed a couple of runs, haven't logged what I've eaten, have eaten a number of very unhealthy meals and snacks and have even missed a couple of scheduled runs.
I could come up with a number of excuses/justifications: I had a cold for a couple of weeks, hay fever, felt stressed from work, didn't sleep well for a week, stayed away with work, stayed away on a farm for a long weekend enjoying cream teas, puddings and cooked breakfasts....but the truth is I've been a bit slack and let things stop me. Once something breaks my virtuous circle the wheels fall all too easily off.
I said in the entry below that I respond best when I have a target. I believe that's at its most accurate when the target is close and I have the pressure of being 'up against it'. That's true for far more than weight loss as I was the same with exams and still am with regards to work deadlines.
I'm up against it now. To get to 11 stones I'd be looking at early September, though I suspect I'll lose enough water and 'food in transit' this week that late August will be more accurate.
I have 3 things now helping me:
1) Running is going OK as I managed 13 miles yesterday with no ill effects.
2) Its now a family thing with joint weigh ins and measuring each week.
3) I've found the scales were set incorrectly so my body fat percentage was far lower than I'd previously thought.
The family approach looks like being a huge help and the scales settings mean that I may not now go for a target as low as 11 stones.
We shall see!
By late April to be precise.
Yet here I am in mid-June and its looking a long way away.
The last 3 weeks echo the results and sentiment of the entry below. I've done no core work, haven't been to the gym, missed a couple of runs, haven't logged what I've eaten, have eaten a number of very unhealthy meals and snacks and have even missed a couple of scheduled runs.
I could come up with a number of excuses/justifications: I had a cold for a couple of weeks, hay fever, felt stressed from work, didn't sleep well for a week, stayed away with work, stayed away on a farm for a long weekend enjoying cream teas, puddings and cooked breakfasts....but the truth is I've been a bit slack and let things stop me. Once something breaks my virtuous circle the wheels fall all too easily off.
I said in the entry below that I respond best when I have a target. I believe that's at its most accurate when the target is close and I have the pressure of being 'up against it'. That's true for far more than weight loss as I was the same with exams and still am with regards to work deadlines.
I'm up against it now. To get to 11 stones I'd be looking at early September, though I suspect I'll lose enough water and 'food in transit' this week that late August will be more accurate.
I have 3 things now helping me:
1) Running is going OK as I managed 13 miles yesterday with no ill effects.
2) Its now a family thing with joint weigh ins and measuring each week.
3) I've found the scales were set incorrectly so my body fat percentage was far lower than I'd previously thought.
The family approach looks like being a huge help and the scales settings mean that I may not now go for a target as low as 11 stones.
We shall see!
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
2 weeks on: everything changes yet stays the same
Lets start with the running. That's been going pretty well - aside from a few aches and pains.
Club runs on each of the last two Tuesdays have been good. We're just getting into the longest days of the year meaning 10 weeks or so of being able to run off road, usually around Eccup Reservoir. That's been good - far more pleasant than pounding the busy streets of north Leeds.
On the two Thursdays I've attended club speed training sessions. First one was on the fields at 'Bedquilts' and was 4 x 1.1 mile intervals. I was surprised and pleased by that. Firstly that I ran at what was easily at 7:15 a mile (despite weight) and secondly because it caused no pain groin wise. Last Thursday was on the athletics track at Carnegie, and consisted of some drills and then 15 x 0.25m intervals done at 5k pace (6:15 - 6:50 pace for the inervals). That was tough but enjoyable. Only downside was that the faster I go the more prone I am to run on the forefoot, and repeatedly going the same way round a curved track like that led to quite deep blistering around the ball joint, especially on the right foot.
Besides that I've done a run with Bethan, a couple of runs from home on a mix of public footpaths and pavements and two longer runs of 9.3 miles and 10.1 miles heading on trails and road around Adel, Harewood, Alwoodley and Bramhope. The poor old canal just hasn't had a look in! 25 and 30 miles in each of the last 2 weeks and looks like it'll be about 30 again this week.
All pretty much pain free. Last week's trip to the physio confirmed that my core stability is good
now. Whilst I can't neglect that, the focus now is to build up my left glute - which is far weaker than the right one (and as such an underlying injury risk with regards to groin injuries). A couple of weeks ago I was doing 20 - 30 exercises a day to strengthen glutes and core but the last week that's slipped a lot, initially through DOMS in my core and then through inertia.
The weight has been up and down. I've weighed as little as 12st 4lb and as much as 12st 10lb during the last 14 days, as I've struggled to maintain focus for more than a few days at a time. I've set myself an ambitious target of getting down to 11st by the weekend of 24/25 July when there is a family get together on the Saturday and the Pudsey 10k on the Sunday. At my lowest point that looked perfectly achievable but with a fortninght of not really getting anywhere it'll now be a challenge. Still, I do love a challenge!
Putting a date to the target will help. Previously I've only done consistently well when there's been a time limit - without one there's no great imperative to stick to limits. The other thing that I hope will help is having a few days off bread. Its always been an achilles heel for me - I can go into the kitchen and easily eat 5/6 slices of bread or toast, and when I do I tend to move onto something else for a mini binge. A week without should give a decent start.
Club run tonight and hopefully speed training Thursday but the next 4 days sees meetings in Barnsley, Poole, Bridgend and Nottingham as well as an overnight stay in Somerset, with Thursday's session being dependant on the traffic heading back from Bridgend.
Club runs on each of the last two Tuesdays have been good. We're just getting into the longest days of the year meaning 10 weeks or so of being able to run off road, usually around Eccup Reservoir. That's been good - far more pleasant than pounding the busy streets of north Leeds.
On the two Thursdays I've attended club speed training sessions. First one was on the fields at 'Bedquilts' and was 4 x 1.1 mile intervals. I was surprised and pleased by that. Firstly that I ran at what was easily at 7:15 a mile (despite weight) and secondly because it caused no pain groin wise. Last Thursday was on the athletics track at Carnegie, and consisted of some drills and then 15 x 0.25m intervals done at 5k pace (6:15 - 6:50 pace for the inervals). That was tough but enjoyable. Only downside was that the faster I go the more prone I am to run on the forefoot, and repeatedly going the same way round a curved track like that led to quite deep blistering around the ball joint, especially on the right foot.
Besides that I've done a run with Bethan, a couple of runs from home on a mix of public footpaths and pavements and two longer runs of 9.3 miles and 10.1 miles heading on trails and road around Adel, Harewood, Alwoodley and Bramhope. The poor old canal just hasn't had a look in! 25 and 30 miles in each of the last 2 weeks and looks like it'll be about 30 again this week.
All pretty much pain free. Last week's trip to the physio confirmed that my core stability is good
now. Whilst I can't neglect that, the focus now is to build up my left glute - which is far weaker than the right one (and as such an underlying injury risk with regards to groin injuries). A couple of weeks ago I was doing 20 - 30 exercises a day to strengthen glutes and core but the last week that's slipped a lot, initially through DOMS in my core and then through inertia.
The weight has been up and down. I've weighed as little as 12st 4lb and as much as 12st 10lb during the last 14 days, as I've struggled to maintain focus for more than a few days at a time. I've set myself an ambitious target of getting down to 11st by the weekend of 24/25 July when there is a family get together on the Saturday and the Pudsey 10k on the Sunday. At my lowest point that looked perfectly achievable but with a fortninght of not really getting anywhere it'll now be a challenge. Still, I do love a challenge!
Putting a date to the target will help. Previously I've only done consistently well when there's been a time limit - without one there's no great imperative to stick to limits. The other thing that I hope will help is having a few days off bread. Its always been an achilles heel for me - I can go into the kitchen and easily eat 5/6 slices of bread or toast, and when I do I tend to move onto something else for a mini binge. A week without should give a decent start.
Club run tonight and hopefully speed training Thursday but the next 4 days sees meetings in Barnsley, Poole, Bridgend and Nottingham as well as an overnight stay in Somerset, with Thursday's session being dependant on the traffic heading back from Bridgend.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
I am your weight loss God: praise me
When I weighed in on Monday I knew that I hadn't really put on nearly 11lb of fat and that the scales would probably show a marked decrease quickly.
By the same token I know that after 2 days I haven't really lost over half a stone of fat but the scales do say that's the weight lost, and I'm having that!
Pretty good really as I got in a 6 mile run yesterday but nothing Monday and on neither day did I really log properly - mainly because of the homemade vegetable/bean/tofu soup I'd made where I had no idea of calorific value or quantity consumed - but I knew it was clean eating and pretty much on track.
Also managed the physio's exercises again and worked out a programme of supplementary exercises from the two Matt Fitzgerald books, so very happy with that too.
Another hurdle today - back down that there London so no chance of a trip to the gym - but feeling positive all the same.
I'm feeling like one mean Martha far car.
By the same token I know that after 2 days I haven't really lost over half a stone of fat but the scales do say that's the weight lost, and I'm having that!
Pretty good really as I got in a 6 mile run yesterday but nothing Monday and on neither day did I really log properly - mainly because of the homemade vegetable/bean/tofu soup I'd made where I had no idea of calorific value or quantity consumed - but I knew it was clean eating and pretty much on track.
Also managed the physio's exercises again and worked out a programme of supplementary exercises from the two Matt Fitzgerald books, so very happy with that too.
Another hurdle today - back down that there London so no chance of a trip to the gym - but feeling positive all the same.
I'm feeling like one mean Martha far car.
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Great trip to the gym
Yesterday I had to haul myself to the gym. Had it been a month earlier and dark I probably wouldn't have managed it but the early evening sunshine coupled with a realisation that eating earlier in the day had left me with only 15 calories for the evening meant I made my way there.
It proved to be one of those really good sessions where once you get going you really feel up for pushing yourself hard so I did two tough 20 minute cross trainer sessions sandwiching an intense almost all out 8 minutes (2112m 'Henley' challenge on the Concept2) rowing.
Normally I go to the gym either first thing on a morning at the weekend or during a dinner break during the day about once a week. Going in the evening was fairly new to me but provided a couple of benefits.
Firstly I found it more motivating. At the times I'd normally go the gym is pretty quiet and there's a bias amongst attendees towards older exercisers. There are people in their 20s/30s but they are the minority. Last night not only were over half the cardio machines in use but (whilst there was still a range of ages) the bias was clearly towards those in their 20s/30s. That gave the place a real buzz - as well as giving some pleasant sights to look at!
Secondly, getting back after 7pm helped with controlling food intake. Exercising in the evening means I eat more food earlier in the day and then when I get back I have a recovery shake (NOT a euphemism!) then don't fancy a whole lot more beyond a small sandwich. I'd found similar things when doing evening runs with Abbey & Kirkstall so this could be a new approach I'll take from now on.
Today I'll do the physio exercises and some weights then tonight its a club run.
Finally, the scales yesterday said I'd put on 4.6lb in the 10 days I had off. I predicted this would largely be 'food in transit' and lo and behold 3.6lb of that had disappeared by this morning.
Very pleased!
It proved to be one of those really good sessions where once you get going you really feel up for pushing yourself hard so I did two tough 20 minute cross trainer sessions sandwiching an intense almost all out 8 minutes (2112m 'Henley' challenge on the Concept2) rowing.
Normally I go to the gym either first thing on a morning at the weekend or during a dinner break during the day about once a week. Going in the evening was fairly new to me but provided a couple of benefits.
Firstly I found it more motivating. At the times I'd normally go the gym is pretty quiet and there's a bias amongst attendees towards older exercisers. There are people in their 20s/30s but they are the minority. Last night not only were over half the cardio machines in use but (whilst there was still a range of ages) the bias was clearly towards those in their 20s/30s. That gave the place a real buzz - as well as giving some pleasant sights to look at!
Secondly, getting back after 7pm helped with controlling food intake. Exercising in the evening means I eat more food earlier in the day and then when I get back I have a recovery shake (NOT a euphemism!) then don't fancy a whole lot more beyond a small sandwich. I'd found similar things when doing evening runs with Abbey & Kirkstall so this could be a new approach I'll take from now on.
Today I'll do the physio exercises and some weights then tonight its a club run.
Finally, the scales yesterday said I'd put on 4.6lb in the 10 days I had off. I predicted this would largely be 'food in transit' and lo and behold 3.6lb of that had disappeared by this morning.
Very pleased!
Monday, 12 April 2010
A week off: the alternative view
It was a really good week last week but from a diet & fitness perspective it was more mixed, and has probably put my loose shedule back by a week or 10 days.
I went into the 10 days off buoyed by my weight dropping to 12st 6.0lb, and after the most recent run felt like fitness was markedly returning.
The plan was to really compound this by eating well and getting in plenty of exercise through running, gym, hill walking and maybe even a couple of swims. In the event it didn't go entirely to plan but its interesting to note what did happen and what the results were.
In terms of exercise I wasn't far out. By the Wednesday (six days in) I'd been to the gym 6 times, walked once and ran twice. Whilst I didn't go to the gym in the last 4 days I did manage one run and went walking twice.
That's not too bad, though what it doesn't show is that I got out of the habit of doing the physio exercises and missed them on 5 of the 10 days. That may or may not be connected to one of the factors that prevented my exercising more in the last days - that my injury seemed rather more sore than it has been of late.
The other, bigger factor is how I've felt in the last few days and that may well link more to diet.
Again, the plan was to eat cleanly throughout the time off as I'd managed it for the best part of the previous 6 weeks, and to track my eating as normal.
I managed that goal fully on Good Friday but on Saturday and Sunday I didn't track what I'd eaten though I did eat cleanly. Monday and Tuesday were a return to tracked clean eating but after that the wheels fell off a bit!
On the Wednesday evening we went out for a meal and over ordered. I have a thing about not wanting to send uneaten food back - especially if I've really enjoyed it - which left me to eat my curry, pretty much all of the side dish, 2 nan breads and a good chunk of the large side salad. When I got in I followed that up with 2 slices of my mum's fruit/nut cake!
That evening I felt really bloated and felt the same way the next morning and through much of the day, though I did eat cleanly again (the nan breads and cake were both made with white flour).
Friday saw a return to clean eating for the most part. Pub food in the evening doesn't lend itself to clean eating principles though I did forsake chips for new potatoes, didn't use the butter, and only drank water.
Saturday was when it really went to pot. Through the day was ok again but this time at the pub I had salted nuts and J2O, a couple of crisps, dumplings with the casserole and a huge toffee ice cream for pudding. When we got in I had a craving for buttered toast and also opened a box of fancy chocolates. Sunday was similar, cleanish through the day but buttered toast in the evening (following a baked spud with butter and cheese and streaky bacon) and then onto the chocolates again. Last night I was very bloated again and feel the same this morning.
I'm not sure whether the bloating is from large meals or is a reaction to 'unclean' foods, but other symptoms over the last few days have been lethargy, extreme tiredness on an evening, difficulty in waking up and cravings. Lessons to be learned eh?
As well as learning lessons the other plus is that I didn't quite get out of control in the way I have done in the past.
As well as eating clean 90% of the break, I went to ASDA yesterday and whilst the idea of buying chocolate bars flashed across my mind it was immediately dismissed and I've had no doubt that as of today I will be back on track.
The scales say I've put on 4.6lb in 10 days and the body fat percentage has risen. However, I'm confident that the apparent gain is largely 'food in transit' and will disappear this week - mostly in the next couple of days.
I went into the 10 days off buoyed by my weight dropping to 12st 6.0lb, and after the most recent run felt like fitness was markedly returning.
The plan was to really compound this by eating well and getting in plenty of exercise through running, gym, hill walking and maybe even a couple of swims. In the event it didn't go entirely to plan but its interesting to note what did happen and what the results were.
In terms of exercise I wasn't far out. By the Wednesday (six days in) I'd been to the gym 6 times, walked once and ran twice. Whilst I didn't go to the gym in the last 4 days I did manage one run and went walking twice.
That's not too bad, though what it doesn't show is that I got out of the habit of doing the physio exercises and missed them on 5 of the 10 days. That may or may not be connected to one of the factors that prevented my exercising more in the last days - that my injury seemed rather more sore than it has been of late.
The other, bigger factor is how I've felt in the last few days and that may well link more to diet.
Again, the plan was to eat cleanly throughout the time off as I'd managed it for the best part of the previous 6 weeks, and to track my eating as normal.
I managed that goal fully on Good Friday but on Saturday and Sunday I didn't track what I'd eaten though I did eat cleanly. Monday and Tuesday were a return to tracked clean eating but after that the wheels fell off a bit!
On the Wednesday evening we went out for a meal and over ordered. I have a thing about not wanting to send uneaten food back - especially if I've really enjoyed it - which left me to eat my curry, pretty much all of the side dish, 2 nan breads and a good chunk of the large side salad. When I got in I followed that up with 2 slices of my mum's fruit/nut cake!
That evening I felt really bloated and felt the same way the next morning and through much of the day, though I did eat cleanly again (the nan breads and cake were both made with white flour).
Friday saw a return to clean eating for the most part. Pub food in the evening doesn't lend itself to clean eating principles though I did forsake chips for new potatoes, didn't use the butter, and only drank water.
Saturday was when it really went to pot. Through the day was ok again but this time at the pub I had salted nuts and J2O, a couple of crisps, dumplings with the casserole and a huge toffee ice cream for pudding. When we got in I had a craving for buttered toast and also opened a box of fancy chocolates. Sunday was similar, cleanish through the day but buttered toast in the evening (following a baked spud with butter and cheese and streaky bacon) and then onto the chocolates again. Last night I was very bloated again and feel the same this morning.
I'm not sure whether the bloating is from large meals or is a reaction to 'unclean' foods, but other symptoms over the last few days have been lethargy, extreme tiredness on an evening, difficulty in waking up and cravings. Lessons to be learned eh?
As well as learning lessons the other plus is that I didn't quite get out of control in the way I have done in the past.
As well as eating clean 90% of the break, I went to ASDA yesterday and whilst the idea of buying chocolate bars flashed across my mind it was immediately dismissed and I've had no doubt that as of today I will be back on track.
The scales say I've put on 4.6lb in 10 days and the body fat percentage has risen. However, I'm confident that the apparent gain is largely 'food in transit' and will disappear this week - mostly in the next couple of days.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
I smell bacon
Yesterday I had a binge and this morning the tempting smell of other people's bacon cooking is wafting up from the kitchen.
Sounds terrible huh?
Its not so bad.
After 4 weeks of pretty much universally clean eating the bacon doesn't have too much effect on me and whilst last night I went overboard (a bowl of all bran, 2 wholewheat granary bagels and 2 bowls of granola, nuts, yoghurt and dried fruit) it wasn't anything like the chocolate and toast centred mini binges of the past. This morning's weigh in may be a bit on the high side due to 'food in transit' but by tomorrow it'll all be gone.
Weight loss wise things have slowed a little. Week one gave the huge loss of over half a stone, week two over 2lb, week three a fraction under 2lb and week four just over 1lb. I'm happy with that. I certainly look noticeably slimmer and clothes are looser. To some extent that's what its all about but I do want to lose 'weight' too - purely for the running times. I'm relaxed enough to feel I'm very much on the right track and it'll all happen in time though.
Running wise I've been sticking to the physio's limit of 5.5 miles, and no muddy trails but if anything I've been a little less frequent than her limits. I ran the day of the appointment on the 11th and 4 more times since. I'll also go out later today. The runs themselves have felt pretty good - no great advance in pace but I'm increasingly feeling comfortable with faster pace (if that makes sense?).
They don't seem to have caused any major pain either. I tend to be a bit sore afterwards but that has pretty much gone by the following day.
I've also been to the gym fairly regularly and have started to row again as a supplement to the cross trainer. I used to use the rowing machine a fair bit and actually owned a Concept 2 for a couple of years until 2005 but haven't done anything since. Again, it feels like progress - I'm doing something 'new' and pain free and its noticeably easier now than it was 10 days ago.
The physio's exercises have been mixed. There's one that I can't do - it requires a step I just don't have and there are a couple of others where I'm not certain that I'm doing them right as they feel strangely easy. I've missed 2 days where I should have done exercises but work/life got in the way - or more accurately I've allowed work or life to get in the way - but overall they have got easier and I've tried to add in elements of them to runs or walking (such as clenching glutes and core as I go) and doing some supplementary exercises I've found or have been told about on a few days. I feel like I'm a little stronger.
Its back to the physio tomorrow and I'll have a number of questions - what's the long term plan and prognosis, am I doing the exercises right, should I be feeling any pain during or post run, exactly when should I feel the correct muscles fire and does clenching them while active actually help? She's going to love treating me!
Lastly, we've also been walking in the Dales the last 3 Sundays. Nothing too arduous but enough to add a bit of variety to the exercise regime.
Last Sunday was climbing up Pen-y-ghent, which was surprisingly easy to climb (as in my legs felt no great challenge) but a bit hairy in the last bit when you literally climb on hands and feet up the last hundred metres of steep, wet, and occasionally loose stone with a significant drop behind you, all the time buffeted by quite a strong wind.
Sounds terrible huh?
Its not so bad.
After 4 weeks of pretty much universally clean eating the bacon doesn't have too much effect on me and whilst last night I went overboard (a bowl of all bran, 2 wholewheat granary bagels and 2 bowls of granola, nuts, yoghurt and dried fruit) it wasn't anything like the chocolate and toast centred mini binges of the past. This morning's weigh in may be a bit on the high side due to 'food in transit' but by tomorrow it'll all be gone.
Weight loss wise things have slowed a little. Week one gave the huge loss of over half a stone, week two over 2lb, week three a fraction under 2lb and week four just over 1lb. I'm happy with that. I certainly look noticeably slimmer and clothes are looser. To some extent that's what its all about but I do want to lose 'weight' too - purely for the running times. I'm relaxed enough to feel I'm very much on the right track and it'll all happen in time though.
Running wise I've been sticking to the physio's limit of 5.5 miles, and no muddy trails but if anything I've been a little less frequent than her limits. I ran the day of the appointment on the 11th and 4 more times since. I'll also go out later today. The runs themselves have felt pretty good - no great advance in pace but I'm increasingly feeling comfortable with faster pace (if that makes sense?).
They don't seem to have caused any major pain either. I tend to be a bit sore afterwards but that has pretty much gone by the following day.
I've also been to the gym fairly regularly and have started to row again as a supplement to the cross trainer. I used to use the rowing machine a fair bit and actually owned a Concept 2 for a couple of years until 2005 but haven't done anything since. Again, it feels like progress - I'm doing something 'new' and pain free and its noticeably easier now than it was 10 days ago.
The physio's exercises have been mixed. There's one that I can't do - it requires a step I just don't have and there are a couple of others where I'm not certain that I'm doing them right as they feel strangely easy. I've missed 2 days where I should have done exercises but work/life got in the way - or more accurately I've allowed work or life to get in the way - but overall they have got easier and I've tried to add in elements of them to runs or walking (such as clenching glutes and core as I go) and doing some supplementary exercises I've found or have been told about on a few days. I feel like I'm a little stronger.
Its back to the physio tomorrow and I'll have a number of questions - what's the long term plan and prognosis, am I doing the exercises right, should I be feeling any pain during or post run, exactly when should I feel the correct muscles fire and does clenching them while active actually help? She's going to love treating me!
Lastly, we've also been walking in the Dales the last 3 Sundays. Nothing too arduous but enough to add a bit of variety to the exercise regime.
Last Sunday was climbing up Pen-y-ghent, which was surprisingly easy to climb (as in my legs felt no great challenge) but a bit hairy in the last bit when you literally climb on hands and feet up the last hundred metres of steep, wet, and occasionally loose stone with a significant drop behind you, all the time buffeted by quite a strong wind.
Friday, 12 March 2010
The Mary Whitehouse philosophy AKA Keeping it clean
I said the weight loss was under way again and that I'd update soon didn't I?
Well, with my customary efficiency here's the update...er...several days later.
Without running to give me structure and discipline I'd been struggling not to gain weight again. Since October my weight had gone up through missing the expenditure of calories running gave and through the wallowing in chocolate fuelled self pity.
That maybe gives an insight into my character: one of all or nothing. Once running was off the agenda I went to pieces, and without some new philosophy to throw myself into I struggled to stick to doing the same old thing in terms of calorie control. Remember that, I'll return to it lower down.
I'd heard loosely about clean eating and was aware there were some adherents on weightlossresources.co.uk that had had some really impressive results - see JAG's blog from the followers list (I know, if I wasn't a Luddite and/or lazy I'd have linked to it) - but the wholesome white picket fences, bleached teeth and apple pie on Sundays American-ness of the presentation of cleaning eating websites put me off looking further.
Towards the end of February I decided to look a little more and on the back of that ordered a clean eating recipe book and 'Clean Eating for Men'. They weren't difficult books to read and the principles could probably have been covered in a few pages rather than being wrapped up within the schmaltzy overblown presentation present in the second book, though I recognise the author has a living to make and books will make far more than pamphlets.
However, the core principles were something that appealed and I decide to give it a go - if nothing else as a kick start for a few weeks.
I immediately loved it. The recipes proved to be really, really good and got me using some new ingredients as well as creating some interesting new dishes. The eating 6 smaller meals a day proved easier to accomplish than I'd expected and meant I never felt hungry; in fact I seemed to be permanently in a state of having either just finished a meal or was just about to start one.
As well as the regularity of eating changing there was also the requirement to increase the amount of protein eaten as well as an avoidance of processed foods wherever possible. This meant eating more fruit (dried and fresh) than I normally would, nuts and seeds, wholemeal granary bread and brown rice rather than their refined alternatives, lots of unadorned cereals, lots of lean meat, lots of peanut butter instead of spreads etc.
In fact one really surprising feature was that many of the clean, wholesome foods I've been eating lately are exactly the sorts of things I'd have previously avoided because their calorie count seemed too high: dried fruit, peanut butter, lean meat. Instead I'd have had low fat crisps, weight watchers 'cookies', diet pop and squash, awful tasting 'diet' spreads, lower calorie sweets etc, none of which offered much nutritional value or proved very satisfying.
Having been struggling to sleep for a few weeks I also dropped tea and coffee at the same time, so I'm caffeine free now.
So, for the last two and a half weeks I've eaten 95% clean, with the other 5% being a Horlicks light or Ovaltine light as a late evening snack most days.
The results have been impressive. Firstly its enthused me, second its got me feeling better, thirdly I'm sleeping better, fourth my overall health seems better, and finally I've lost weight well:
After a week I'd lost exactly 8lb and the body composition measurements told me virtually all of it was fat. Second week the loss dropped to 2.4lb, again virtually all fat, and after 3 days of this week its down another 0.4lb but I suspect I'll see a sudden drop over the next 2 days. Clothes are markedly looser and I look far slimmer.
Remember I said I was all or nothing, in terms of character? Well, far from a kick start I can see myself sticking to a clean eating philosophy permanently. There will doubtless be days where I won't or maybe can't stick to it entirely but I'll work round those but sweets, chocolate, biscuits and the like feel like things I can happily move to the 'no thanks, I don't' list just as I did with alcohol.
Well, with my customary efficiency here's the update...er...several days later.
Without running to give me structure and discipline I'd been struggling not to gain weight again. Since October my weight had gone up through missing the expenditure of calories running gave and through the wallowing in chocolate fuelled self pity.
That maybe gives an insight into my character: one of all or nothing. Once running was off the agenda I went to pieces, and without some new philosophy to throw myself into I struggled to stick to doing the same old thing in terms of calorie control. Remember that, I'll return to it lower down.
I'd heard loosely about clean eating and was aware there were some adherents on weightlossresources.co.uk that had had some really impressive results - see JAG's blog from the followers list (I know, if I wasn't a Luddite and/or lazy I'd have linked to it) - but the wholesome white picket fences, bleached teeth and apple pie on Sundays American-ness of the presentation of cleaning eating websites put me off looking further.
Towards the end of February I decided to look a little more and on the back of that ordered a clean eating recipe book and 'Clean Eating for Men'. They weren't difficult books to read and the principles could probably have been covered in a few pages rather than being wrapped up within the schmaltzy overblown presentation present in the second book, though I recognise the author has a living to make and books will make far more than pamphlets.
However, the core principles were something that appealed and I decide to give it a go - if nothing else as a kick start for a few weeks.
I immediately loved it. The recipes proved to be really, really good and got me using some new ingredients as well as creating some interesting new dishes. The eating 6 smaller meals a day proved easier to accomplish than I'd expected and meant I never felt hungry; in fact I seemed to be permanently in a state of having either just finished a meal or was just about to start one.
As well as the regularity of eating changing there was also the requirement to increase the amount of protein eaten as well as an avoidance of processed foods wherever possible. This meant eating more fruit (dried and fresh) than I normally would, nuts and seeds, wholemeal granary bread and brown rice rather than their refined alternatives, lots of unadorned cereals, lots of lean meat, lots of peanut butter instead of spreads etc.
In fact one really surprising feature was that many of the clean, wholesome foods I've been eating lately are exactly the sorts of things I'd have previously avoided because their calorie count seemed too high: dried fruit, peanut butter, lean meat. Instead I'd have had low fat crisps, weight watchers 'cookies', diet pop and squash, awful tasting 'diet' spreads, lower calorie sweets etc, none of which offered much nutritional value or proved very satisfying.
Having been struggling to sleep for a few weeks I also dropped tea and coffee at the same time, so I'm caffeine free now.
So, for the last two and a half weeks I've eaten 95% clean, with the other 5% being a Horlicks light or Ovaltine light as a late evening snack most days.
The results have been impressive. Firstly its enthused me, second its got me feeling better, thirdly I'm sleeping better, fourth my overall health seems better, and finally I've lost weight well:
After a week I'd lost exactly 8lb and the body composition measurements told me virtually all of it was fat. Second week the loss dropped to 2.4lb, again virtually all fat, and after 3 days of this week its down another 0.4lb but I suspect I'll see a sudden drop over the next 2 days. Clothes are markedly looser and I look far slimmer.
Remember I said I was all or nothing, in terms of character? Well, far from a kick start I can see myself sticking to a clean eating philosophy permanently. There will doubtless be days where I won't or maybe can't stick to it entirely but I'll work round those but sweets, chocolate, biscuits and the like feel like things I can happily move to the 'no thanks, I don't' list just as I did with alcohol.
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