UNDER 14 STONE GOAL REACHED

Hooray, party time, for the first time in years I have broken 14 stones and it feels good!!!

I've had a celebratory dried date to mark the achievement but no time for resting on my laurels or my fat backside, I've not been able to exercise due to my calf injury which at first was diagnosed as a partially torn Achilles but is now being talked of as a deep calf injury. anyways after 2 visits to the physiotherapy department at the local infirmary and 3 weeks of twice daily stretching its feeling a lot better, i know its not 100% sorted but i feel more confident to try and use my turbo trainer now, I've had a couple of goes on it but will do it daily now, 20 Min's at least just to get the heart going.

today is Great North Run day and i have a couple of good friends taking part so good luck to them, not sure i would like to fight through the massive crowds of runners there is there, 40000 runners getting in my way that wouldn't be fun! but saying that, this year i had signed up for the Sandbach 10k but had to pull out due to this calf injury, i have had it a while!! so i would like to attempt one of those next year as well as some cycling and who knows i may even apply for the great Manchester run.................................UPDATE..........................Ive just entered the BUPA Great Manchester Run on the 26th May 2013

Hopefully my friends can encourage me and give me some advice along the way, its only a 10k run, I've done 2 half marathons in the past from one extreme to another, Ripon while i was quite fit during my Army years, i finished that in 1hr 40, I also did the 25th Malta half marathon when i was 42 and very unfit, my training included one 2 mile run and a few days in the bars in Sliema, that played a big role in my very slow time of 2 hrs 30 Min's not helped by my calf injury!

 

so my next target is going be breaking 13 stone, that's not going to be an easy target but one I'm determined to do, being able to do that would obviously make running that 10k in Manchester a lot easier. hopefully the cycling on the turbo trainer(and outside if weather and time permit) will boost my weight loss, I've also got a fitness disc for the XBOX so I'm going to be busy sweating from now on.

BODY FAT %

When i started out on this adventure to make myself healthier and leaner i was quite shocked to see my body fat %, it was just over 30% meaning out of my total weight of 220lbs(99kg, 15st10lbs) 66lbs or 30kg or 4st 10lbs was FAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


this chart below shows how much body fat we should have for our size

 

well for the last few days my weight seems to be stuck at 14st 3lbs, BUT my body fat seems to dropping daily, when i first started the figure never seemed to move away from 30%, sometimes it would drop to 29% and sometimes it would rise to 32%, I've not been sure whether my scales are broke(due to the weight inflicted on them over the last few years) or whether they just don't work properly or indeed if the batteries are flat. having just been on them again after my tea a delicious weight watchers sweet and sour chicken mmmmmm i am convinced the scales are OK, the figure is reading 24%, now if I look at the chart above and i check along for my age group 25-35

OK 36-45, you'll see that I'm now in the average section, i don't care if this info is wrong I'm celebrating it as a slight victory, no battle is won and the war against bad health certainly isn't over. i definitely don't feel average, i still feel fat because i am, I've still got a lot of fat around my spare tyre and thighs but I'm noticing muscles in my legs i don't remember seeing before.

 

I've discovered i really like olives, i best behave and not have too many covered in delicious oily dressing from the farm shop, just a treat every now and then!!

KNOCK TO MY CONFIDENCE?

tried on some t shirts in TKMAX the other day, earlier i had bought a fleece for the indian summer we are about to have and was shocked that i could get into a size Medium, feeling all full of myself i browsed the sale rails(tight-arse) looking through all the M sized t shirts, found 3 i liked and went to try them on, entered the changeing area with a smile and took off my shirt and put on the first one, oh dear, it went on but was a bit like one of those spray on tops that hug the contours of the body, not a good idea and definately not a good look. off it came and on went the 2nd one, the same occurred, why am i not surprised! took it off and along came my smile with it, reluctantly i tried on the 3rd one and it wasnt as bad so i kept that one as i know i will get into that one soon enough without it cutting off my circulation, i swapped the other 2 for large sizes and headed for the checkout desk to pay.

what ive learnt is that although the t shirts i already have are now getting way too baggy to be anything but rags for work, i still have an enormously long way to go to get the body i want, the good points are my once ballooned stomach is now a lot flatter than it was and my chins are reduced to one, unfortunately the michelin tyre around my waist is proving hard to shift but ive got to keep telling myself ive only just begun this long journey towards a healthier me and along with it a slimmer body, i ceetainly know where the excess stones are on my body, upper thighs, waistline and moobs.