I jumped on the scales this morning to confirm to myself that this is going to be very difficult once again.
Last week was a great week up until Thursday night. On Thursday I headed up to Lancashire to a friends’ wedding and of course there was drink involved. Before I went I was 0.8kg to the good, this morning I’m 0.5kg to the bad.
So my first week hasn’t gone great but I think it’s going to force me to have a good long look at whether or not I should quit alcohol.
The concept behind my rewards system is pretty simple, I set a goal and if I make it then I reward myself with something I’ve wanted for a while, something that I wouldn’t normally buy myself but something that I definitely want.
This time round I’m rewarding myself for every 5kgs I lose, so that’s 6 rewards in total. They step up in cost and desire as I progress, hopefully keeping me focussed over the long time it’s going to take me to get to my ideal weight.
So what are they? Well:
For those who know me they’ll know I like camping and generally getting back to nature. Working in London can lead to you forget that life is not all about rushing around and acting all important. Last camping trip I started whittling a spoon. While it sounds like I should really get a pipe and slippers I actually really enjoyed something so simple that took so long. I haven’t finished the spoon yet and I have a feeling it will be pretty crap when I do so I think it will be good to find out how to do it properly.
Another outdoor-related reward. Cooking outdoors is great. Having to deal with the fact you only have a fire and it doesn’t have any heat settings on it is, again, a simple challenge but a great one. We already have a cast iron skillet but I fancy a couple of dutch ovens and a hanging rail so we can go overboard and cook some awesome meals this summer.
Something a little more suited to the city. Simply, I love Crumpler. It’s the functionality that impresses me. This reward is just a laptop bag upgrade where I get to flash a little brand, something I normally don’t care that much about.
I’ll be moving a little further away from the train station soon and that means walking a little further. I figure I might as well not walk but travel in style. It means I can be a little childish but get to work a little quicker too. It frivolous but thats kind of the point. Also, the weight limit on this thing is 100kg, which if I lose 20kg is where I’ll be.
I’m not sure about this one. I don’t think “European Break” really encapsulates what I want from this reward. Basically, I want to spend a lovely weekend with the wife. She’ll be helping me along and this is a reward for both of us. Plus, I love spending time with her, chilling out, relaxing and generally enjoying being married. Not sure where to go so if anyone has any ideas then let me know.
This was my ultimate reward last time and I never actually got it because I never actually reached my goal. When I talk bespoke suit I mean Savile Row bespoke suit. There’s something about the thought of being in a really well made suit, having the suit make me look good and also me making the suit look good. I’m trying to be modest but to be honest I reckon I’ll look pretty fucking hot in a suit.
So that’s it. If you see me tucking into a pie or drinking 7 pints of bitter just remind me what is at stake.
I hate calorie counting but I’ve found an awesome little app to help me do it.
It’s fantastic and since it’s on my phone I take it everywhere with me. A couple of things that make it stand out from everything else I’ve tried over the years:
I can’t recommend it enough and if you do give it a go then feel free to add me as a friend.
Sid.
It’s a necessary evil, calorie counting. I hate doing it but I always feel like I need to. It’s because losing weight is a simple balance, calories in must be less than calories out, SIMPLES.
I started to count calories today, using an amazing app call myfitnesspal. I’ll talk more about it later but for now… the results!
I didn’t make any effort to restrict diet and even snacked on things I shouldn’t have so only going over by 65 calories isn’t too bad. The more important thing is I think I’ve found a decent way to keep track of calories.
It’s time again that I make the effort to stop being fat.
Over the last couple of years I’ve put on around 20kg, roughly half of what I lost in the first place. It’s bloody annoying having to be so diligent in order to lose weight and keep it off but, hey ho, that’s what needs to be done. So the plan is the same as before, a big weight loss goal with smaller ones in between.
The plan this time is:
I’m going to break this into 5kg sections and reward myself at each 5kg loss. I’m going to aim to do it in 30 weeks, which means around a kilo a week or about a 9000 calorie per week differential.
I’ve pulled together a little tracker and I’ll weigh in each week, most likely on a Monday morning.
Wish me luck.