Ok, I'm not quite back to "normal" yet but getting there. Gym is on hold until Monday morning and family are kind of keeping me under scrutiny, which means more food than I either need or want, but hey they mean well.
Not holding out much hope that this week is going to yield much progress. However, part of good habits is tracking the not so good figures, so as in all things integrity and honesty are the key.
Hopefully Monday sees me back in the groove and able to smash it so that's something to look forward to.
Ok, I'm outta here, will post tomorrow with the week 6 totals and update.
Upping the protein intake this week to see if it helps to alleviate the feeling of being hungry most of the time. Going to keep fats low and carb intake medium.
That may well mean backing off the cardio a little as I don't want the body to be screaming for instant energy but rather burning the ample fuel reserves I have stored.
Also started doing 100 push ups a day, in blocks of ten every hour or so. Why? Well it just seems like a little fun really.
Hi Tony, yes 26 more days to go and on the whole I'm fairly happy with how it's going although there have been days when my mental state has caused a few problems. Not so much with food but when my demons escape I get all my calories from a liquid source.
Finishing weight is a tough one. Ideally I'd like to have lost 2 stone by the end which means another 11lbs. That would bring me in at 300lbs (21st 6lb), that would certainly give me the motivation to carry on good habits and choices over the silly season. However, and I think that this is important. I am not going to get too down if I am short of that, equally I'm not going to get carried away with a greater loss.
Any Regrets? Oh heck yes. Certainly not preparing a structured exercise plan and a supporting menu has definately cost me results in both fitness and weight loss. Both training and food has been done on an ad hoc basis and this is absolutely sub optimal.
Also I think that 70 days continually was a mistake and looking back, and after talking to people who understand these things better than me, I think maybe splitting the time into focused tranches would have been more productive and manageable.
However, I have no regrets about doing it. By the end of day 70 I'm going to be fitter, lighter and eager to tackle something else. Tracking every calorie both expended and consumed, even on the bad days, has allowed me to reach a state where it's now considered normal and that in turn should mean that I never gain weight at all again, but continue to lose it until I reach an acceptable level. Continual monitoring means that I know when I'm about to consume too many calories and so it simply a choice then. Deficit or surplus.
Finally I am quite proud of the fact that every day so far has seen a deficit recorded and that the nightmare 10,000 calorie days that have blighted much of my adult life are a thing of the past. Although I am acutely aware that like my tendency toward alcohol abuse, they are always there in the shadows waiting.
When this is all over I shall do a review. A sort of what did I learn, what did I get right / wrong, where next, thing. Two reasons for that. First it will book end the preamble that started this whole thread and secondly there might be something that others can take from it.
Really hungry so ate 5 meals. Nothing big or heavy, a bagel here, some chicken there, pitta bread stuffed with salad and meat that sort of thing.
The exercise was courtesy of 60 min spin (27Km) and 50 push ups in 5 lots of 10. Couldn't manage 100 as my chest / shoulders were pretty sore from day 44's efforts and I have an upper body P.T session on Friday day 47.
No real exercise today unless you count trawling around The Potteries Centre filling the Grandkids Santa list.
Food was not really a concern as I was more focused on prepping Fridays offering. A Nigerian style Jollof with curried goat. 12 hours in the slow cooker will sort that bad boy out.
Well done @TheEdge949 I don't venture outside poker chat often but excellent to catch up with this and see you are still putting in the hard grind. I know how threads like this can motivate and keep you on track.
Need to shed a few pounds myself but cant seem to get beyond day 3.
Weight last week 311lbs Weight this week 309.5lbs Weekly weight +/- = - 1.5lbs
Running weight +/- = -18.5lbs
This is getting mundane, hard and I'm no longer motivated. This week saw days where I trained badly, trained well and days when I just didn't want to do anything.
I'm looking forward to completing this insanity and tackling something more in keeping with my advanced years.
Ok, that's a lie right there. I thrive on challenges and the more hardcore the better. People say age is just a number, it isn't, age is a mindset, an attitude, an outlook and I'm proof.
Most people say you can't gain strength after 55. Really ? I've increased all my lifts by massive amounts in less than 12 months and have ambitions to go heavier next year.
They say you can't do at 60 what you could do at 40. Rubbish, 20 years ago I'd be lucky if I could walk a mile, now I cycle 30 /40/50 Km regularly, hike in the hills of North Wales and open water swim. Next year will see a big improvement as I look to start a running programme.
As a famous fitness influencer says, "Don't quit when you're tired. Quit when you're done".
So with that in mind it's headlong into the final 3 weeks. I'm outta here, speak tomorrow.
So 2 days of ok deficits and it's becoming the norm now to just move more without necessarily training (Good Habits). Stuff like parking as far away from the shops as possible, taking stairs rather than lifts and escalators and simply creating the opportunity to expend calories.
The current colder weather also helps with this as when outside, one tends to move quicker and with purpose. Cold weather also increases the amount of calories that a body uses to stay alive which is why we often equate hearty carb laden food with winter. pies, stews, casseroles and the like.
On top of my disordered eating and largely staying clear of the alcohol means that the consumption isn't getting out of hand, so the need to do extra exercise isn't there.
So am I finding it easy to post a deficit every day ?.
Well not particularly. I have days when all i want is to slob out with biscuits, crisps, beer and takeaway is ok. The problem with me is that a day like that inevitably leads to another and then it's a case of what the heck I may as well just carry on and get back on the waggon next week or next month or..... Suddenly I've undone all the good work and it's back to square one.
It's simply a choice I have. I can eat, drink and lounge about all I want, it's not illegal, I'm an adult and millions do it. OR. I can stay in relative control, continue to get healthier and look ahead to further challenges and adventures.
Well slightly more food eaten than I really wanted and the macros were wrong too. Too many fats and carbs and definitely not enough protein. However almost a 1k calorie deficit so once more it's mission accomplished.
So with just 18 days of this challenge remaining and with Christmas on the horizon and my propensity to totally blow out food and drink wise, I'm considering putting a little something together to do on a daily basis in order to not allow my self to over do it calorie wise.
It's going to be a forum participation thing. I will post a list of 12 tasks and you guys can vote for the one I have to do the following day until I have done all 12.
We will call it " The 12 days of Ex Mass". Sounds like fun.
Getting a tad harder now as the temptations grow. Fought off the urge for bratwursts and beer at a Christmas market and walked straight into a mince pie and mulled wine.
So focused on just creating that deficit every day now so I'm constantly crunching my fitness pal just to track every thing.
Another deficit achieved and another day ticked off.
Out for a meal tonight so this is going to be a close thing between deficit and surplus. It's not so much the Jalfrezi that will scupper things, more likely the poppadums, chutneys, rice, naan breads and cobra.
Sorry for the abridged version but I've been a little hamstrung. Sufficed to Say Sat was a disaster with a SURPLUS of 625 Kcals whilst Sun saw a deficit of 1,437 Kcals.
So by far the worst week of the challenge so far and I've absolutely no desire to weigh in. I just want to get this over with. Trust me the next 14 days can't come soon enough.
Just need to finish, total it all, get the final result and then assess whether it's been worthwhile.
"Sufficed to Say Sat was a disaster with a SURPLUS of 625 Kcals"
A single day surplus is NOT a disaster, far from it. You are playing a long game (think of cash poker, one bad session is not a disaster) & the occasional bad day will do no harm at all.
We can get obsessed with these things, & that can be bad. I've spent a lifetime battling my weight, & I've made every mistake in the book, & that included getting mentally exercised over "a bad day".
@Essexphil is right too, now is the time to start considering the long-term strategy for when this short term challenge has ended. If you don't have a plan, you'll gradually creep back to where you were 3 months ago.
This is just the beginning. A year from now you'll be in great shape if you keep the discipline & patience you've exhibited on this challenge.
The nut worst thing you can do is say "challenge completed". With those of us who gain weight so easily, it's a lifelong battle, but one that's very satisfying when we can beat it.
This is what a normal day should look like and to be honest it wasn't that hard. Normal amount of food, normal amount of movement, nothing too taxing and a pleasant result.
Comments
Kcals expended 3,347
Kcals consumed 1,973
Calorie deficit 1,374
Ok, I'm not quite back to "normal" yet but getting there. Gym is on hold until Monday morning and family are kind of keeping me under scrutiny, which means more food than I either need or want, but hey they mean well.
Not holding out much hope that this week is going to yield much progress. However, part of good habits is tracking the not so good figures, so as in all things integrity and honesty are the key.
Hopefully Monday sees me back in the groove and able to smash it so that's something to look forward to.
Ok, I'm outta here, will post tomorrow with the week 6 totals and update.
Take care.
Kcals expended 3,629
Kcals consumed 2,948
Calorie deficit 680
Weekly Totals
Kcals expended 25,497
Kcals consumed 13,784
Calorie deficit 11,713
Starting Weight 328lbs
Weight last week 313lbs
Weight this week 311lbs
Weekly weight +/- -2lbs
Running total - 17lbs
Still on the emotional rollercoaster but it's getting better now. Here's to a great last 4 weeks.
Head down and just drive on.
Love to all, speak tomorrow.
Kcals expended 3,452
Kcals consumed 1,541
Calorie deficit 1,911
Upping the protein intake this week to see if it helps to alleviate the feeling of being hungry most of the time. Going to keep fats low and carb intake medium.
That may well mean backing off the cardio a little as I don't want the body to be screaming for instant energy but rather burning the ample fuel reserves I have stored.
Also started doing 100 push ups a day, in blocks of ten every hour or so. Why? Well it just seems like a little fun really.
I'm outta here, have a blessed day.
Speak tomorrow.
Kcals expended 3,310
Kcals consumed 1,528
Calorie deficit 1,782
Training was a leg session of 50 minutes incorporating, leg press, leg curls, leg extensions, hack squats, hip abduction and hip adduction.
100 push ups in 10 blocks of 10.
I'm outta here.
Speak tomorrow.
@TheEdge949
I think you are past halfway now.
Happy with progress?
Best guess of finishing weight?
Any regrets?
Hi Tony, yes 26 more days to go and on the whole I'm fairly happy with how it's going although there have been days when my mental state has caused a few problems. Not so much with food but when my demons escape I get all my calories from a liquid source.
Finishing weight is a tough one. Ideally I'd like to have lost 2 stone by the end which means another 11lbs. That would bring me in at 300lbs (21st 6lb), that would certainly give me the motivation to carry on good habits and choices over the silly season.
However, and I think that this is important. I am not going to get too down if I am short of that, equally I'm not going to get carried away with a greater loss.
Any Regrets? Oh heck yes. Certainly not preparing a structured exercise plan and a supporting menu has definately cost me results in both fitness and weight loss. Both training and food has been done on an ad hoc basis and this is absolutely sub optimal.
Also I think that 70 days continually was a mistake and looking back, and after talking to people who understand these things better than me, I think maybe splitting the time into focused tranches would have been more productive and manageable.
However, I have no regrets about doing it. By the end of day 70 I'm going to be fitter, lighter and eager to tackle something else. Tracking every calorie both expended and consumed, even on the bad days, has allowed me to reach a state where it's now considered normal and that in turn should mean that I never gain weight at all again, but continue to lose it until I reach an acceptable level.
Continual monitoring means that I know when I'm about to consume too many calories and so it simply a choice then. Deficit or surplus.
Finally I am quite proud of the fact that every day so far has seen a deficit recorded and that the nightmare 10,000 calorie days that have blighted much of my adult life are a thing of the past. Although I am acutely aware that like my tendency toward alcohol abuse, they are always there in the shadows waiting.
When this is all over I shall do a review. A sort of what did I learn, what did I get right / wrong, where next, thing. Two reasons for that. First it will book end the preamble that started this whole thread and secondly there might be something that others can take from it.
Great reply, very honest. I think you have plenty to be proud of.
Kcals expended 3,939
Kcals consumed 2,755
Calorie deficit 1,184
Really hungry so ate 5 meals. Nothing big or heavy, a bagel here, some chicken there, pitta bread stuffed with salad and meat that sort of thing.
The exercise was courtesy of 60 min spin (27Km) and 50 push ups in 5 lots of 10. Couldn't manage 100 as my chest / shoulders were pretty sore from day 44's efforts and I have an upper body P.T session on Friday day 47.
Ok I'm outta here, speak tomorrow.
Kcals expended 3,727
Kcals consumed 1,431
Calorie deficit 2,296
No real exercise today unless you count trawling around The Potteries Centre filling the Grandkids Santa list.
Food was not really a concern as I was more focused on prepping Fridays offering. A Nigerian style Jollof with curried goat. 12 hours in the slow cooker will sort that bad boy out.
Ok that's all there is, I'm outta here.
Speak tomorrow.
Kcals expended 3,534
Kcals consumed 2,419
Calorie deficit 1,115
Day 48 25/11/23
Kcals expended 3,117
Kcals consumed 2,389
Calorie deficit 728
Two for the price of 1 and not a very good 2 to be honest. However, it's still a deficit and that's what I'm here for.
Ok that's it. I'm outta here.
Speak later today with Sundays figures and the weekly totals.
Need to shed a few pounds myself but cant seem to get beyond day 3.
Good luck in your endeavours.
Kcals expended 3,353
Kcals expended 1,096
Calorie deficit 2,257
Weekly totals
Kcals expended 24,442
Kcals consumed 13,413
Calorie deficit 11,019
Starting weight 328lbs
Weight last week 311lbs
Weight this week 309.5lbs
Weekly weight +/- = - 1.5lbs
Running weight +/- = -18.5lbs
This is getting mundane, hard and I'm no longer motivated. This week saw days where I trained badly, trained well and days when I just didn't want to do anything.
I'm looking forward to completing this insanity and tackling something more in keeping with my advanced years.
Ok, that's a lie right there. I thrive on challenges and the more hardcore the better. People say age is just a number, it isn't, age is a mindset, an attitude, an outlook and I'm proof.
Most people say you can't gain strength after 55. Really ? I've increased all my lifts by massive amounts in less than 12 months and have ambitions to go heavier next year.
They say you can't do at 60 what you could do at 40. Rubbish, 20 years ago I'd be lucky if I could walk a mile, now I cycle 30 /40/50 Km regularly, hike in the hills of North Wales and open water swim. Next year will see a big improvement as I look to start a running programme.
As a famous fitness influencer says, "Don't quit when you're tired. Quit when you're done".
So with that in mind it's headlong into the final 3 weeks. I'm outta here, speak tomorrow.
Kcals expended 3,559
Kcals consumed 2,103
Calorie deficit 1,456
Day 51 28/11/23
Kcals expended 3,502
Kcals consumed 1,718
Calorie deficit 1,784
So 2 days of ok deficits and it's becoming the norm now to just move more without necessarily training (Good Habits). Stuff like parking as far away from the shops as possible, taking stairs rather than lifts and escalators and simply creating the opportunity to expend calories.
The current colder weather also helps with this as when outside, one tends to move quicker and with purpose. Cold weather also increases the amount of calories that a body uses to stay alive which is why we often equate hearty carb laden food with winter. pies, stews, casseroles and the like.
On top of my disordered eating and largely staying clear of the alcohol means that the consumption isn't getting out of hand, so the need to do extra exercise isn't there.
So am I finding it easy to post a deficit every day ?.
Well not particularly. I have days when all i want is to slob out with biscuits, crisps, beer and takeaway is ok. The problem with me is that a day like that inevitably leads to another and then it's a case of what the heck I may as well just carry on and get back on the waggon next week or next month or.....
Suddenly I've undone all the good work and it's back to square one.
It's simply a choice I have. I can eat, drink and lounge about all I want, it's not illegal, I'm an adult and millions do it. OR. I can stay in relative control, continue to get healthier and look ahead to further challenges and adventures.
Not really a choice is it.
Ok, I'm outta here, be well. Speak tomorrow.
Kcals expended 3,433
Kcals consumed 2,463
Calorie deficit 970
Well slightly more food eaten than I really wanted and the macros were wrong too. Too many fats and carbs and definitely not enough protein. However almost a 1k calorie deficit so once more it's mission accomplished.
So with just 18 days of this challenge remaining and with Christmas on the horizon and my propensity to totally blow out food and drink wise, I'm considering putting a little something together to do on a daily basis in order to not allow my self to over do it calorie wise.
It's going to be a forum participation thing. I will post a list of 12 tasks and you guys can vote for the one I have to do the following day until I have done all 12.
We will call it " The 12 days of Ex Mass". Sounds like fun.
Right, I'm outta here, Speak tomorrow
Kcals expended 3,269
Kcals consumed 1,901
Calorie deficit 1,368
Getting a tad harder now as the temptations grow. Fought off the urge for bratwursts and beer at a Christmas market and walked straight into a mince pie and mulled wine.
So focused on just creating that deficit every day now so I'm constantly crunching my fitness pal just to track every thing.
Ok, I'm outta here. Speak Tomorrow.
Kcals expended 3,190
Kcals consumed 2,057
Calorie deficit 1,133
Another deficit achieved and another day ticked off.
Out for a meal tonight so this is going to be a close thing between deficit and surplus. It's not so much the Jalfrezi that will scupper things, more likely the poppadums, chutneys, rice, naan breads and cobra.
Right that,s me done, I'm outta here.
Speak tomorrow.
Weekly totals
Kcals expended 23,290
Kcals consumed 15,563
Calorie deficit 7,727
So by far the worst week of the challenge so far and I've absolutely no desire to weigh in. I just want to get this over with. Trust me the next 14 days can't come soon enough.
Just need to finish, total it all, get the final result and then assess whether it's been worthwhile.
I'm outta here, Speak tomorrow.
I suggest a 14 day period over Xmas/New Year where you aim to have net zero calories in/out.
@TheEdge949
"Sufficed to Say Sat was a disaster with a SURPLUS of 625 Kcals"
A single day surplus is NOT a disaster, far from it. You are playing a long game (think of cash poker, one bad session is not a disaster) & the occasional bad day will do no harm at all.
We can get obsessed with these things, & that can be bad. I've spent a lifetime battling my weight, & I've made every mistake in the book, & that included getting mentally exercised over "a bad day".
@Essexphil is right too, now is the time to start considering the long-term strategy for when this short term challenge has ended. If you don't have a plan, you'll gradually creep back to where you were 3 months ago.
This is just the beginning. A year from now you'll be in great shape if you keep the discipline & patience you've exhibited on this challenge.
The nut worst thing you can do is say "challenge completed". With those of us who gain weight so easily, it's a lifelong battle, but one that's very satisfying when we can beat it.
Kcals expended 3,514
Kcals consumed 2,230
Calorie deficit 1,284
This is what a normal day should look like and to be honest it wasn't that hard. Normal amount of food, normal amount of movement, nothing too taxing and a pleasant result.
Outta here, speak tomorrow.