I believe that if i want to be healthy and have the energyto run a business, enjoy holidays as  a healthy social life then it must start with my own body.  To that end it is time to restarts and get on with it and stop making excuses.

Today was the first time that the scales were used since the start of the year.  Weighing in at 22 stone 2lb was a reasonably pleasant surprise.  That is some 310lbs, so it is not ideal but in all honesty the expectation was for a lot worse so in that sense it was a surprise.

I guess my first aim will be for a proper check in over this weekend after a beer session tonight which will be my last for some tiFeel free to use the comments to call me names or offer encouragement, both of which are needed.  If you want to join me in this journey and use thisis as therapy or reporting for yourself then feel free, its not exactly a weight loss forum but maybe it will help.

I will be using MyFitnessPal again to monitor my intake and measurements as well as posting them here on a regular basis.

What is your favourite music (or style of music) to work out to.

I ask because recently i came across an old (i think) Tony Robbins  - ‘improve your life’ audio program.  I make no reference to the program and its quality or whether it will really improve your life but within the program was an hours worth of workout music.  I find it very powerful but not like anything i would ever have used before, some of it sounds like it could be from a 70′s porn movie or TV themes or something but it is truly inspiring and positive.  In fact when i come to the end Im a bit sad as i fear the good emotions it seemed to bring will leave me.

Tell me what you listen to and why?

It all kicked off with the Rugby World Cup, an early start with breakfast in the local pub to watch the game.  Of course i was good, just a couple of poached eggs on one slice of toast with 2 rashers of fat removed bacon and another few gallons of tea.  There were visitors coming in the fternoon for an overnight stay and Mrs Hippi had prepared a buffet type dinner for us all with lots of lovely stuff on it and a lot of it healthy.  What was not healthy was the Scotch Eggs of which  2 full ones (4 half’s) were consumed with gusto, the 6 slices of granary French stick with real butter that seemed to slip down wonderfully, who can resist granary French stick?, not me it seems, and the three full slices of corned beef  that got devoured and that was on top of all the nice bits of salmon, chicken and salad that was consumed.

Then the evening consisted on probably around 8 pints of lager and around 6 Rum & Coke (diet coke of course) and i have a memory of eating a fresh cream doughnut around 4am!

Breakfast on Sunday was 2 croissants with real butter (oops) and a beautiful Sunday roast joint of pork for dinner, none of which was too devastating until the puddings came out, we only ever have dessert when we have visitors!  There was a choice of 3 one of which was bakewell tart and custard – oh oh it was irresistable and i proceeded to demolish a serving of that, but it was only a normal serving and just one at that!

Luckily the scales today (Monday) say I have not gained any weight but those of you with a memory will recognise this pattern after a weekend, scales say maintain on the Monday, you stay good on the Monday only to find that it bites you on the Tuesday with a considerable gain you were not expecting!  I don’t know why it is and hopefully it can be avoided this week.  does this happen to you, recognise any of these weekend patterns, did you manage to control your weekends better, why not let me know, please comment below if you have anything to add.

Hippi

Now you and I know it was really from the poor weekend I had but it is like a kick in the balls when you think you have gotten away with it just for it to come back and bite you.  Not that it will have too much of a negative effect, this diet is for the long term and cannot be thrown off by just one day’s glitch – Over the week it is hopeful that the overall trend will be down.

Fatty

Friday evening:

3 pints of beer followed by 4 slices of bread and cheese toasted!

Saturday breakfast:

Full Breakfast of 2 sausage, 3 bacon rashers, 2 eggs, 2 discs of Black pudding, 2 slices of toast, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Saturday Lunch:

Burger (very large handmade) with hand cut and coated fries, 2 pints of beer.

Saturday evening:

5 pints of beer, copious amounts of Pringles chips and several chocolate biscuits.

Sunday:

Barbecue with wayyyyy too much meat,  plenty of bread and no salad!

I feel blessed to have gotten away with it and hope it does not come back to bite me later.

Fatty

However so far basic counting calories is working for me.

We all know that if we consume less calories than we burn then we will lose weight, the science is as simple as it gets. What is difficult is counting calories, it becomes a bore checking packets, weighing stuff etc. That’s why MyFitnessPal.com is so good, just type in what you eat and its all done for you, just type in any exercise you do and it’s all done for you – it makes it really simple and its completely free, there’s not even any annoying emails!!

So in the last 3 days according to my Wii Fit I have lost 3lbs

I have also posted some pictures of my fatness

September Wii Fit Age

30 years

the last time i done it i was 64 so i expect a reversal soon

Most people who embark on a weight loss program tend to think that they will acheive what they need by diet alone.  Most of us who are obese will think that our diet will get us to the place where we can exercise without actually killing ourselves,  I even tell myself that still, kidding myself that I am capable of controlling my weight by diet alone.  Thats exactly what i have been doing over the years to get where I am today – Obesity!

Of course, if like me you are seriously obese, although you do have to be careful not to imjure yourself,  then exercise is even more important to be honest.  Exercise will not only help you lose weight faster but will also improve your health and mobility.  On the other hand if you are only a little overweight you will find dieting frustrating without exercise.

So if you are my size or bigger and assuming ou are able to walk then that should be your very first port of call.  getting up in the morning and walking 30 minutes at a pace that is slightly uncomfortable for you is a great place to start.  Swimming is also a fantastic way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.  All of which is what I’m doing.

I have recently been motivated to actually acheive lasting weight loss and have studied the subject and come to one inescapable conclusion.  We must make time for ourselves in life or we will acheive nothing, it is not an option to make time for exercise but it is a must – a real must.  Come on now, you can sleep an hour less, or go to bed a little earlier, what about that down time you have when you are watching soaps or some other pointless distraction.  You HAVE to become selfish, you cannot continue being a mother, father,husband, wife or whatever it is you see your main role as, effectively without taking time for yourself, and this time should be for exercise.

How this is working for me is that I get up 1 hour earlier than I used to and i literally grab a drink, stretch a little and put my dogs in the car and go walking, I walk as hard as is sustainable for a minimum of 30 minutes,  working a sweat and exercising my dogs at the same time, I’m back in my kitchen before I’m usually out of bed.  Funny thing is when i didn’t do this i would get up, make coffee, sit down and try to wake myself up, now i come back and get straight on preparing breakfast and lunchboxes etc, it actually makes my mornings more efficient and run smoother – i rarely leave in a hurry these days!

Several days a week I walk in my lunch break as well and try to go swimming on 2/3 nights on the way home from work.  With the exception of the Swimming these activities require no extra time to be found!  So far i think this is the secret, for too long I made excuses around time nd why i couldn’t exercise, I was only lying to myself and anyone else who would believe me - so far it has been a revelation.  Try It for yourself – I promise you can do it.

Fatty

Weight: 23 stone 2lbs
Height: 5 feet 10 inches
Neck: 19 1/2 inches
Chest: 53 inches
Belly: 58 Inches
Waist: 54 Inches
Thigh: 29 inches

These figures are horrifying to me, particularly the Thigh – at 29 inches is the same as my waist was at one time

NO MORE! – They Journey has started