Day Off

I took the day off today and went to China town with my parents and my partner. We went our separate ways as my partner wanted to go with my dad to the maritime museum, while my mother wanted to have a look at Paddy's Market. She and I went for a walk around there and I managed to find myself a pair of sun glasses for $20. Quite stylish!

Mum and I had a good look around, but didn't really buy that much aside from the sun glasses. My mother got some freshly made turkish delight to take home, and my word, what a revelation it is trying that stuff when it is freshly made. Absolutely superb. Now I understand what the fuss is all about! Mum also got some fresh dates, macadamia nuts, and some pecans to bring home and scoff later. I'm looking forward to having some of those.

We met up again after a couple of hours and went for yum cha in Chinatown. It was a wonderful meal, although our timing was a little off and we arrived at the end of the session. We were able to get what we wanted, and had more than enough to eat. We decided during lunch that we would again separate and spend the afternoon doing different things as we didn't really want to go to the same places. Mum and Dad took off for a walk around the rocks and the botanical garden, while my partner and I took off to David Jones to check out the sale that is on there today. My partner got herself three pairs of shoes for work, and as they were substantially reduced in price, that was a good score.

Tomorrow will be a morning cardio session at the gym, and my partner is going to come along with me. I might get in some weights as well while we are there, depending on how much time we have. Dad and I are off to the Rugby League Grand Final tomorrow night at Telstra Stadium between Brisbane and Melbourne. It should be a great game, both teams deserve to be there and both have been playing extremely well in the lead up to the final. We don't really support either team, but we're looking forward to seeing the game as we have never been to a grand final before. I feel well rested and ready to go hard at the gym in the morning, and enjoy the afternoon and evening out and about.

Good Loss This Week

Another successful week, and I am particularly proud to have achieved this loss while my parents are here and my normal routine has been thrown out of whack a bit. Clearly the dessert last night did not affect things too much, and I am glad to still be on the downward track. Fantastic result really, I hope that things continue this way and next week I can knock off the short term goal. With the running that I am now including in my cardio workouts the weight seems to be falling off and some of the recent marginal weeks have been made up for. I feel great too, doing more active stuff around the city has really made a difference.

Well, today's post will be very short, we are about to head off to Manly right now so I will stop now. I have done well this week, and I hope to build on this loss for next week. A day walking around Manly should burn a few more calories, and the session with the trainer this morning clearly made some difference. Good to have her back and she seemed to be okay after her operation.

Keep well, and keep on top of your own fight with fat!

Wonderful Trip

The visit continues to go well. On Wednesday we took advantage of the weather and did the coastal walk along Sydney's south coast. My parents and I followed the same trip that I did with my partner from Bondi to Coogee, and the only variations this time were that there was no whale to be seen frolicking in the sea (bummer), and that the surf was much stronger this time (fantastic). My swim (I was the only one brave enough, or stupid enough, to go in the water) was great. I got punished by the waves, it felt like being in a huge washing machine and I was constantly getting knocked over and sucked under by the rip. I really love swimming in the sea when it is like that, and this was no exception. After about an hour I was almost completely exhausted, and the rest of the walk was quite difficult, but in a good way. I knew I had exercised well that day.

By the time we arrived in Coogee we were all really thirsty, and a bit hungry. We stopped at the first bar we came to and my folks each had two beers while I had a water and diet coke (I was good and hopefully will be rewarded on Friday). It was great to sit and chat for an hour or so while we all relaxed after what was a taxing walk. After the walk we were onto the bus, into Bondi Junction, on the train and then home. We met up with my partner on the return journey home - it turned out that we were on the same train but had no idea until we got off at the home station!

Today was a bit more of a laid back day. I didn't get to the gym until about 10:00, I think this was mostly because I was tired from the day before. Also my partner had a late start and didn't leave home until about 9:00 so I had time to chat with her, and also look after my folks before I got my act together and got to the gym. It was a great workout today, my best yet I think. I decided that I would try and get in excess of 400 calories burned in each of the 25 minute sessions, and sure enough I made it! Today I got through 441.9, then 427.8 for a total of 869.7 calories. On the distance front my stats were 3.44km, and 3.37km for a total of 6.81km. I was mightily stoked with that effort, my best yet.

On my return home my parents and I got ready and set out for town. We went to the Sydney gallery in the Domain and had a good look around at the art. I hadn't been there before and did enjoy checking out the collection. It is a lovely old building, but they have modernised it by adding in a lot of natural light and opening it up a bit. We spent a good couple of hours there and then met my partner in town after her conference had finished (at last). After that we had a stroll to our favourtie Opera Bar at circular quay, and we watched the sun setting by the harbour bridge. I had a couple of glasses of house red.

Dinner tonight was our extravagant treat for my parents visit. We went to Cafe Sydney and the food was spectacular. As was the view. It is above Circular Quay and so there is a panoramic view of Sydney's North Shore framed by the Harbour Bridge on one side, and the opera house on the other. It really did take my breath away, the best view of central Sydney we have seen from a restaurant since we have been here. We were wondering if the food coule live up to the view...we need not have.

The food was to die for. Our table had Tuna, Lamb, Spatchcock, and Roasted Snapper. We did not have entrees and that proved to be a good call. The mains were large, and filled me right up. The tuna was rare and I love it that way - super fresh so it just melted in my mouth. The lamb was also medium rare, and while hard to cut at times, again melted in the mouth. Maybe the cutlery could have done with a sharpen as the food was not tough at all! We also had dessert, my partner and I shared the Chocolate and caramel baked cream with fresh raspberries. It was out of this world! It's been a long time since I had anything like it, but I still reckon that this was one of the best desserts that I have ever had. We all reccomend this place, and it may be so good as to become a regular event when my parents visit.

Well, that's about it for now. I have the official wiegh in tomorrow and I am looking forward to it. I know I have done well this week with exercise and I don't think that tonight will hurt at all. My body seems to be ticking along well at the moment and I think that the session with the trainer tomorrow morning will have me in good stead come weigh in time. Check back tomorrow to see how I get on!

Knocked Off A Quick Workout

Up and at 'em early this morning. Straight down to the gym - I was so keen that I left the house without having my morning coffee shot! It was a good workout too. I had a nice meal of chilli in tacos last night and felt full of energy this morning. I hit the treadmill running and cranked out the first 25 minute session with no trouble at all. I decided to go hard on the second session and managed to crank out an 8 minute long running stint first on 10km /ph and then I put it up to 11 km/ph for the last two minutes.

I felt great running, and nothing was hurting. Everything still seems to be fine so apart from getting tired, it was great! On the calorie front I got through 388.2 in the first session, and 453 in the second (a new record for me!) giving a total of 841.2!!! On the distance front I went for 3.19km and then 3.54km for a total of 6.73km. I was stoked at that effort, and feel that I need it at the moment as the dieting will be difficult being out and about all day. Burning off a few calories before we take off will help, and of course the walking during the day will also help the cause!

Today our plan is to take advantage of the weather and head to Bondi for the walk to Coogee. I am sure that my folks will love it, the view is spectacular and the weather seems nice enough. We'll be heading off shortly, but I thought that a post before we take off is in order. I'll let you all know how it goes and what we get up to, but with any luck we will be body surfing in Bondi soon!

Busy Tuesday

The day started with a hiss and a roar very early. My partner is working in town at a conference at the moment and they seem to have some very early starts. I still made the effort to get up and make her a nice cup of coffee and had one myself. After dilly dallying watching the morning news I got my act together and hit the gym.

It was a good session today, I had my running shoes on and for the first time since the weekend my knee felt good. I got through the routine that the trainer has set for me, and I added in a lot more running today. It wasn't my best session ever, but I felt good having ground out over 700 calories prior to the arrival of my parents. The next few days will be a bit of a test in that I will be travelling with them and eating out while I show them the sights of Sydney.

After the session I took off home and found I was running late for the airport. I had a quick shower before dashing off to get the train to the airport. I will never be doing that again as I found out on the return trip home that it is cheaper to catch a taxi to the airport from my home than the train fare. For some reason it is inordinately expensive to catch a train to the airport - $14.00 one way for a five minute trip. Outrageous, anyway the return taxi fare was only $13.00 so I will travel in commodious luxury (if somewhat rushed in terms of driving style) next time.

Mum and Dad both looked great, and are both well. I didn't have to wait long for them to get through customs, the timing of my trip turned out to be perfect. They seemed to be impressed by the way that I look now. My mother was initially more interested in my long flowing locks (and the grey that is now in them) rather than my weight loss, but both were very positive about my apperance and how much weight I have lost. I think my mother just wanted to mother me initially, and after that she took a good look at what my appearance is now. It felt good to see them again.

I'm really looking forward to spending some time with them over the next week. We'll be able to explore some of the territory that I now know as a local here and I can show them some of the better beaches that I have come across. Dad is keen to get out there and go swimming, and he wants to do a lot of walking while they are here too. I will encourage this as walking in addition to my regular gym workouts will help me keep on top of things with the diet and weight loss! This is important, however, I will not let it get in the way of us having a good time. The main thing is to spend good quality time with them as we don't get to see them as much as we would like. I purcahsed tickets to the Rugby League grand final this weekend and am really looking forward to taking dad to the stadium. We have never been to a grand final so this will be a wonderful experience for us. Hopefully it will be a great game that we will enjoy.

They've both just gone to bed, and I am waiting for my partner to sms me and let me know that I should go and meet her at the station. She's been at the conference since about 6:00 a.m. and it is now 9:30 p.m. so that is a pretty long day for her. It'll be nice to have her home and she will no doubt want to crash and get in some quality sleep when she does get home. One more conference day and then that is over for her. She's taking Friday off so that we can do things with my folks. So far I have stuck with the diet, the only variations being two glasses of Moet to celebrate the arrival, and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner! Fantastic!

A Massive Walk on Saturday, and Good Start to the Week

Saturday was the action packed day that I had hoped for. My partner had staked out a walk for us to do over on the North Shore of Sydney and so at about 11:00 we took off for the ferries at Circular Quay and a few minutes later we were over on the north shore at Taronga. There is a zoo there, but we were more interested in exercise and our trip plan was to walk the track to Balmoral Beach. We might do the zoo some other time.

The trip was supposed to take two hours, and was meant to be for a distance of 8kms. There was an option of extending the walk to 12kms, but by the time we got to the optional part, we were more interested in finishing as the terrain was steep in parts, and there were a lot of steps so it was quite hard going.

The bushland was beautiful and there were some quite stunning views back towards the city from the track that we were walking on. In addition there was some wildlife about the place, the most remarkable being the water dragons that were sunning themselves on the path, and took off at great pace when we startled them by daring to use the track! They were quite quick and did look like something out of Jurassic Park. Nice to see so many of them so close to the city.

We were surrounded by Australian bush during the entire trek, and that saved us from getting sunburned. We were wearing hats, but did not think sun block was necessary, and we were proved correct. The federal government has been spending a bit of money on parts of the track, trying to prevent the bush from dying back, so we were forced to stick to the trail most of the time, and frankly given the cliffs and bluffs that were around, that was no hardship. On the walk we went through an old naval training facility that was opened in 1890 and then moved in 1998 to somewhere else in Sydney. They are restoring some of the old buildings, and it is a magnificent walk.

I'd say that the walk in terms of exercise was better than the walk we did the previous weekend, however it was not as stunning and the beaches were a bit of a let down. They were nice enough, but they were inside the harbour and so there were no waves at all. I like a beach with some action, and these were strictly boring beaches, but great for families as they are much less dangerous. There were several roped off or netted water areas on Balmoral Beach which I had not seen before. The nets were steel wiring, or more like cables, in some parts and I wasn't too sure why they were there. It didn't look like they were there for any serious reason as plenty of people were swimming way outside of the netted areas.

Our walk was strenuous and we were had it by the time it was done. We had moved at a cracking pace, and reachd the end well inside of the suggested completion time. My knee had been playing up on the downhill leg of the last part of the walk. The stairs that we were going down were quite big, and the shock wasn't going down too well. It was clicking and giving me a bit of pain, but once we finished it seemed to settle down. Hopefully all of this will be strengthening it and helping it to come right. Also, my partner's cousin who joined us managed to fall over on the track and skinned her knee so she didn't feel like pressing on too much more than what we had done to reach the end. My partner had streaked on ahead so I was left to help her cousin. I am pleased to report that I was quite the gentleman - I didn't laugh or anything! After I had stifled the laughter I even managed to enquire as to how she was - as you can imagine there were many jibes about my bedside manner needing improvement! Nothing serious happened to her I can tell you, and I think she was embarrassed more than anything else!

Balmoral wasn't the cafe scene that we were hoping for. The cafe that had been suggested to us was very expensive and so we decided to head for home. We caught the bus back into town, and the train from there. It was a good day, but we were all glad to get back home. I think next time we will try and choose a beach where there will be waves as our final destination as a couple of hours walking followed by an hour long swim is a magic way to spend the day.

Sunday was a bit of a dull day. My partner and I spent the day cleaning the house and getting ready for the arrival of my parents tomorrow. This place hasn't been this clean ever I think! We did some shopping and got a couple of DVDs, one of which was The New World with Colin Farrell in it. A very average film that I wouldn't bother watching again. I found it ponderous and very dull. It covered quite an interesitng story, but never managed to get to the essence of what was exciting about it - two civilisations meeting, and a love story of two people - Captain Smith and Pocohontas. If it wasn't for some of the historical aspects of the film it would have been a complete disaster. The acting was awful as well, particularly Farrell and his love interest. Talk about wooden. Not reccomended. My partner fell asleep, and she is a Farrell fan.

Today I have been to the gym and done the cardio workout given to me by the trainer. I didn't crank it up that much today as my knee was still a bit sore. I carcnked out over 300 calories for each session, and noticed that this felt very much like an easy workout. I remember it was only a week ago that I was wondering if I would be able to keep up with the workout that she gave me! Progress - good, all the time progress and I will make it to my goal. No workout with the trainer today, she's having an operation this week so apparently I may be on for Thursday and Friday but I wont worry too much, there'll be plenty going on with my parents here!

Keep fighting the good fight!

Weight Loss Continues...

Another week, another loss. This week I was 100g under the 1kg mark that I was hoping to achieve, but I still feel good about being officially recorded at 127.8kg (281lbs). It is great the weight is continuing to come off and there is less of me in the world! Also this week my body fat percentage has come down a bit and that is good news. I am still 2.2kg (4.8lbs) off the goal of 125kg that I had hoped to reach by the time my folks came to visit, but never mind. Since I last saw them I have still lost an impressive 17.2kg (37.8lbs) and it will be interesting to hear what they think.

More good news this morning was the fact that I was able to put in a very good showing on the treadmill this morning. I did the standard two 25 minute sessions, however I felt so good that while running I tried to do a bit more than usual, and succeeded. In the first session I did 3.14kms and increased it to 4.06km for the second session, making a massive total of 7.2kms for the session. The best so far by a long shot! On the calorie front I did 377.9 calories in the first session followed by a very pleasing 427.6 calories, a total of 805.5. I was so stoked when I got through the session that I decided to round it all off with 3 sets of 20 situps on the Swiss Ball to give my abs a bit of a kick!

I am tired now that I am back home, and am really feeling like I need my lunch! It was a bit of a slow start to the day as my body did ache from the clean and presses that the trainer had me doing yesterday. I think that my stomach is still getting in the way of me being able to properly lift the bar with perfect form and that puts a bit of stress on my back - I usually feel it the next day. I'll be keeping an eye on this, and upping my stretching at home as I think being inflexible does not help the cause either.

Well, thanks for checking up on me, and thanks for all of the positive comments that have been coming in. For the coming week my posts might be less than the usual daily post as my parents arrive on Tuesday. Until then I will keep the posts going, and then see how I get on while my parents are staying with us. Keep well, and keep up all the good work those of you that have started your own fight against fat.

Gut Wrenching Workout

Today was the mother of all workouts, to be sure. I have never been so exhausted since I started my fight against fat. It has been a torrid battle so far, and now it is also starting to become what could be referred to without too much hyperbole as "lengthy". Of course, it was always going to be lengthy, given the distance between my starting position, and my goal. But now being this far down the track I am really getting an idea of how far I have to go. However, dwelling on that is the road to rack and ruin (or the drive through at KFC or Mackers), and the most important thing is how far I have come since I started. Tomorrow will be the official weigh in and yet again I hope to have lost some more weight so that I am closer to my goal. I am certain that today's efforts will have assisted me no end in getting towards my goal.

It has taken me the majority of the morning to recover from the workout, to get enough energy to write this post. Today was a real workout, perhaps the benchmark for things to come as the trainer was discussing with me a new cardio routine that will incorporate running. She is hoping that I will be at 125kg tomorrow, but I am certain that I wont be. She did her level best to knock a couple of kilos off me today though! I just don't feel that much lighter, but given my progress over the last few weeks and the fact that I am following the same routines (except with more exercise) I am sure that I will have lost weight this week. Not many days to go until my folks are here, but I haven't given up all hope of being 125kg by that time. I have a big weekend of activity in front of me and I am looking forward to that.

Today I was bit late getting out of bed as I had stayed up late watching 'City of God' on SBS. I couldn't stay up for the whole film and videoed the end of it. I found it engrossing, shocking but the kind of film that I just didn't want to stop watching. Anyway, I had to finish it off when I got back from the gym this morning, and I ended up being at the gym just in the nick of time as I was sleepy today and it took me a while to get going.

The trainer was there and ready for me when I arrived. The workout started with me running around the gym 3 times before launching into clean and presses with 30kg barbell. After I had done the first 15 the trainer said she was mightily impressed as she thought that I would only be able to do 10. Next up were squats with dumbbells, followed by alternate dumbbell curls, and then dumbbell rows. Last of all were leg raises for my abs. This completed the first circuit and during the last set of squats I have to admit that I had to stop mid set to take a break as I thought I was going to throw up! I didn't, but it was a very near thing.

To finish off I had to do close grip incline bench press, followed by more dumbbell curls on the incline bench, and a set of press ups on the bosu. Again I had to do this for three sets and I am pleased to say that I made it though. It was the toughest workout I have done so far, I felt drained at the end of it and discussed this with my trainer. She told me that the new cardio workout is not designed to be done directly after a workout with her, and is too hard for that. I heaved a sigh of relief at this news and she suggested that I do 10 minutes and then head for home. Instead I did two lots of 25 minutes as per usual, but I alternated the speed between 6km/ph and 7km/ph only. That was a good idea as I still got a good sweat up but did not thrash myself too hard. The total calories today were 602.8. Not a bad effort I felt on the back of a hard workout.

I did my shopping on the way home and got some chicken for lunch, and will probably finish it off for dinner. I had a chicken salad at lunchtime and added in some tinned sweetcorn kernels with fat free italian dressing. It was pretty good, the grilled chicken making the whole thing come together. I guess I had better cook for my partner tonight, but this time I will add in some extras to make the salad all the better. Yum. Check back tomorrow for the official weigh in stats!

Hard Graft

It was a tough morning at the office this morning. My legs were sore from yesterday's efforts, and they felt like lead to begin with. The stroll to the gym was fine, but the problems started once I got on the treadmill. My legs were heavy, and they struggled through the first warm up phase of the workout! This did not bode well for the remainder of the cardio session. I decided that I would be lucky to make it through the workout that the trainer set, so apart from cranking the running phases up to 10km/ph, I decided to stick with the set workout today.

I made it through the first 25 minute session and felt okay at the end of it, just very tired and I was huffing and puffing so much I was getting a few strange looks from the other people at the gym! Never mind, you go there to workout and you do what you have to get through it. It aint a popularity contest or a fashion show. I took a bit longer than I usually do to get into the second phase as I had to mop myself with the workout towel and clean up the treadmill a bit.

Once I started the second session I knew that it was going to be a struggle just to keep going on the set workout. I struggled with the quick walking phases more than the running, however my MP3 player was there to save me with some excellent tunes today! I reckon that the music makes things a lot easier if you have a good song come on right when you are struggling! I managed to get through to the end, and added on 3 minutes of running for good measure. However, I really felt it today and just made it through the 3 minute phase. I really wanted to stop, but kept with it as I know it is doing me good.

In the end the workout wasn't as good as yesterday as far as the stats go. Today I did 3.12 km for the first session, 3.16 km in the second for a total of 6.28km. The calories were 373.2 for the first session, 377.4 in the second, a total of 750.6. Not a bad effort, but I did struggle. However, the most important thing to me about today is that even though I struggled, I stuck with it and did manage through the entire workout. I feel that is really important, and I feel good for having completed the workout. I considered doing some abs after the cardio, but I was far too tired for that.

The diet has been going pretty well. The featured photo today is of a wonderful salad that my lovely partner made for me the other night after she got home from work. This was a chicken and aspargus salad that she made. For an interesting variation she added in some peeled and sliced bits of orange that were a triumph. They really added to the flavour and taste of the meal. Let me know if anyone wants the recipe. I never thought that I would be into vegetables, but I have to say that I am really looking forward to the fish and salad that she has promised to make for me tonight. It should be great - there is a fresh fish shop near where she works and she thinks she can get us some wonderful fish for tonight. Yum!

Best Distance and Calorie Burn To Date

Yes, another good workout to start the week this morning. I'm not sure what it is, but when the weather is fine I feel more into my workouts and tend to do better. Today was no exception. For the first time I have broken through doing 3km in each of the 25 minutes sessions, and for the first time I have managed to get near a goal of 400 calories for a 25 minute session. Today I did 3.09 km in the first 25, and 3.2 km in the second for a combined distance of 6.29km! Not bad for me! On the calorie front I did 374 in the first session, and 395.7 in the second for a combined total of 769.7 calories - another personal best. I feel tired but good for having pushed myself. Today I ran at 10 instead of 9 during the running phase and as experienced yesterday, I felt a whole lot better for it - less crashing around and less impact on the joints.

The heart rate monitor showed me that I pushed myself quite hard, but I was not in any pain at any stage and the only effect I noticed was that I was sweating more than usual and the panting was a bit more pronounced. So, I think I trained safely and I should be able to back it up with another good session tomorrow. I hope!

I wore my old shoes today, the ones that gave me the bad blisters in the past. I put on a pair of socks that I thought I had lost (all of the new ones I purchased were in the wash). They are really thin socks, and only come up to the ankle so I hoped that they would allow me a bit more room in the shoe, and it seemed to work. My big toe hurt at times, but I kept going and it went away. They are good running shoes and helped me with the exercise today. I will try the new shoes again tomorrow. The walk home was a challenge, and I am glad to be back having had a bit of sun on the return trip, and being well into the chores that need doing around the house. Yep, another exciting day!

I hope that all of this hard work pays off, my parents are coming to stay with us for a week next week and I want to look my best for when they are here. It'll be a good trip anyway, we always love to have them stay with us. They live in New Zealand so we don't get to see them as much as we would like, but we do keep in regular contact and when they do come to stay, the absence and distance makes the stay that much more special. They are very supportive of me with what I am doing and I am really hopeful that they will notice a difference when I collect them from the airport. It'd be nice to be down to around 125kg by the time that they arrive, but that may be shooting a bit high. We'll see.

Well, that's about it for today. I think that I have earned the afternoon off, but I may get out for a stroll or to do some work outside. I need to work on my tan, so going for a bit of a wander in the not too distant future might be on the cards. My legs are a bit sore from the lunges yesterday so a bit more of a stretch may be in order. Good luck to you all with your own fight against fat!

Good Workout This Afternoon

The workout this afternoon went well. It was tough, but I managed to do well enough considering that it was on the back of a good cardio session this morning. The trainer informed me that she (in her words) "Felt like being a b*tch" and set about giving me a pretty taxing session today. I started off having to do dumbell lunges for the length of the gym and back again. After that it was into squats with the same dumbells, lifting them up above my head in a shoulder press movement. This was immediately followed by press ups where I had to hold the position with one arm, while using the other to open up my chest and twist around to the ceiling. They were quite difficult, and for some reason she assumed that I could do a lot more of this exercise than I can do for ordinary press ups. Finally I had to finish off with some ab work - leg raises on the floor. I did this routine for three sets.

Next up she told me that she was going to bash on my biceps (not her words, I guess she had had enough of whaling on my quads). First off I had to do pull ups from the floor with the bar resting on the squat rack and me pulling myself up using an underhand grip form the floor. I have done these before, but today she had raised the bar off the ground a lot more. They were tough. Next up were bicep curls with a barbell. I was to do 10 on my own, or try for 12 with her assistance. I managed to get through 10 on my own for three sets. I felt good about that. To round out the session she stretched my legs, and I also did another couple of sets of crunches and situps. It was a good session and I was really tired at the end of it.

The trainer told me that the purpose of the first set of exercises is to sap my energy so that it is totally gone. The purpose of the second set of exercises is to build muscle in the areas that I need to focus on. Today was obviously bicep day and I found it quite tiring. I think that I will try and work in a muscle development day on my own so that I can add to the effect of training with her. I will make sure that it works in with the regular sessions that I have with her, and she can give me some advice on what to do. I may also think about increasing my cardio workouts a bit more, probably instead of doing the weight lifting exercises to begin with, and maybe as well as in due course.

Well, that's about all I have that is fit to print today. It was a good day and I feel good now that I am back at home and hammering away at the PC. I'm also catching up on some housework and waiting for my partner to get home and see how her day went at work. Today she is doing exercise after work, she is walking across the harbour bridge and is supposed to meet her cousin half way, and then they will both catch the train home. Sounds like a nice idea (it was mine, lol) and they certainly have a great day for it. Catch you all tomorrow!

A Great Start!

One thing that can definitely be said for having a weekend where I don't go to the gym is that I am well rested come Monday morning. Although I was tired this morning, once I was up and had consumed my coffee shot, I felt great. My legs and neck were better, and I had no pain anywhere. The weather is still fantastic and I almost felt like skipping on my way to the gym. Had it not been for the fact that I would look ridiculous skipping, and there were other humans around, I probably would have!

Once I got to the gym I did my normal cardio routine, although I upped the running sections to 9km/ph as this is much more comfortable than running at 8 km/ph as the rhythm suits me more at that speed. I also put the speed up to 10km/ph at one stage and I think that in future I will make the speed I run at 10km/ph as it is very smooth and doesn't seem to be too stressful. 50 minutes of cardio done and I felt great, and had worked up a real sweat. I toyed with the idea of doing some extra work after the cardio, but then I remembered that I have my training session this afternoon at 2:00p.m, a mere 3.5 hours from now. I'm looking forward to it, and am hoping that I feel as good as I did after the cardio session this morning.

I forgot to mention in my posting from Friday that I finally figured out what the object that I have been describing very poorly is. The object I am referring to is what I previously described as a half sphere of a Swiss Ball with a flat bottom. It is in fact a "Bosu", or that is the brand name of the company that makes them, I'm not sure. When I was on my last press up using the said Bosu I noticed the name appeared on the flat underside of the object. If you want to have a look at what a Bosu is, click here. The woman in the middle of the screen is balancing on two of the things that I am made to use at the gym (otherwise known as Bosu). For my squats and press ups the Bosu is up the other way, ie the ball side is on the floor and my hands (or feet) are on the flat side. It makes things quite a bit more difficult, let me tell you! I do think that some exercises are performed much better on a Bosu, it makes you focus on other muscles and works them out as well as the ones doing the lifting.

So, now you'll know what I am talking about when I mention the Bosu! I feel good having 690.5 calories out of the way, and knowing that a session is coming up shortly. I am chowing down on my weetbix, flavoured with honey and coconut and I must say they are pretty good. I have always found that ordinary weetbix are a bit bland, but these ones are nice, still don't have much sugar in them even though the allegedly contain honey. The coconut and additional power of the bran make them a great start to the day. I like them! Don't forget to check back later to see how my afternoon workout went.

Wonderful Weekend Walk

Here it is, glorious Bondi Beach. This where myself, my partner, and her cousin went for our wonderful weekend walk, the best I have been on in many years. As you can see, it was a wonderful day weather wise, and the sea was in good shape.

We started the day by taking off at about 10:00 from home. It takes about an hour to get to Bondi and we decided to have a light lunch when we got there. We ate just above the section of the beach that you can see there and watched the younger surfers try and find a decent wave.

We then took off on the magnificent coastal walk. We were aiming for a 6km walk to Coogee Beach, and I had decided that Saturday would be a perfect day for my first foray into the water this season. I thought that Bondi was a little busy for me to swim at, and I didn't want to do the whole walk in wet swimming shorts. I thought that maybe half way into the walk would be the best time for the swim with plenty of time to dry off.

As we rounded the point of Bondi, where this shot was taken, we saw a large splash out to sea. As we continued to watch as we walked we realised that what we were seeing (it came up again and again) was a whale spout, and the splash of the whale frolicking just off the coast. It was too far out to get a decent photo of (blast!), but we did get a good look at it. It was really nice to see such a massive marine mammal near the harbour entrance to Sydney and near such a populated area. We did stop to watch it for a while before continuing on with our walk. The whale watching boat did follow it for some time and the people on the boat must have got their money's worth that day! We felt that we certainly did. For many of us it was the first time we had seen a whale from the coast.

About halfway we came to a beach called Bronte. I decided that the surf was the best I had seen at the two beaches we'd seen so far and that this was the place I would grace the surf with my new body! Okay, it is a bit soon for that kind of talk, but I did take the plunge. The surf was about 1.5 metres, and was breaking a short distance from the beach. The sets were regular and I spent a good 45 minutes body surfing the break with a few other keen swimmers. It was wonderful and I got one or two great rides, which wasn't bad considering I am massively out of practise. I was very impressed by the clarity of the water - I could see the bottom and well out to sea quite easily. It was magnificent and I will definitely be going back there. It would be a wonderful place to live if everyone else didn't already know about it and want to live there too!

I was able to shower, wash off the sand, and get prepared for the next half of the walk. It turned out to be a bit further than we thought, about 8kms in all and we were all glad when the end came. This was mostly because we got a bit more sun that we thought, and the swim in the buffeting surf had taken quite a lot out of me. The train ride home was a welcome event, as was getting in and having a nice light dinner. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Sunday was pretty good as well, nice and quiet. I had planned to hit the gym, but decided against it as I felt I needed a recovery day after the swimming and walking the day before. I am not sure why, but my neck and legs were really feeling it this morning. I feel as if I have recovered a lot and am looking forward to cardio tomorrow morning with the training session in the afternoon. I'm all set for the week and can't wait to get into it. I hope that you all had a great weekend too!

Good news! Another Loss!

Well, it isn't the same league as the weight loss I have come to expect each week, but given the missed training session earlier this week, and my partner's birthday, I am stoked to have continued on the weight loss track this week. I felt it was a bit touch and go, but it seems that the metabolism is now able to handle a day off and a change in diet (for the birthday) without going crazy and undoing all my good work. Sweet.

This morning the training session was pretty hard. Lots of leg work today, no running, but plnety of squats, lunges, and other difficult exercises for me to get through. My heart rate was right up, and I was exhausted at the end of the session. Thet rainer and I got onwell today, and she was pleased with my effort. She has okayed my plan of attending the gym to watch replays of rugby and rugby league games and suggested that walking for 90 minutes is a good idea. I will build this into my training routine, and she and I are going to attend a cycle class next week.

My partner and I have a big weekend planned. We are heading out for a walk of at least 10kms one of the days at the weekend (depending on the weather) and we will be joined by her cousin who wants to get fit and lose some weight too. I am also going to try to make it into the gym both days for a cardio session. I feel like getting stuck in this weekend, and it looks like the weather will be good. We're going to try and walk a couple of beaches and make the most of the sunshine while it is here. We started taking it for granted and then were taught a lesson!

Not much else to report, still going on the same track, if a little more slowly this week. The trainer said to me today that I should be 85kg. I thought that was a bit optimistic. 100kg is a good enough goal for now, at the beginning I was wondering if that was too far away. It is still a ways off yet, but I am sure that I will get there if I carry on with the exercise and being disciplined on the diet front.

Monster Workout Cut Short

As you all know, Thursday is the day that I normally have an hour workout with the trainer, and then I normally grind out 50 minutes of cardio. Today the trainer had me do an extra hard workout, with a lot of squats, deadlifts, and running. My heart rate was through the roof at some points, but I did manage to do it all and I felt good when I had finished. Tired, but good. I did stop once or twice, but completed all I was supposed to, and even did a few extra on some of the exercises.

After the workout I went to complete my cardio workout, and I found a machine that allowed me to workout for 30 minutes, instead of the usual 20 minutes (each plus the mandated 5 minute warm down period). I got stuck into it, and was even doing well, with 20 minutes having been knocked off the workout, when suddenly the treadmill stopped working and I nearly pushed myself right into the front readout panel. The power went off and all of the treadmills and TVs in the gym stopped working. It was pretty dangerous really, and I was fortunate not to be in the middle of a running leg when the cut happened.

So, aside from the danger, the power outage also wiped all of the stats that I normally keep for a record of the workout! Talk about gutted, I was really put out that this had happened and ruined my record keeping! Anyway, I sucked it up and went to start again for the remainder of the 35 minutes I had started. I barely got going again when the power cut out for the second time. I figured that this was a sign, and wasn't keen to press on when each time it cut out I was worried about falling over or hurting myself somehow. For the sake of 10 minutes, and already being really tired from the workout, I cut it short. Even after getting my things from the changing rooms, the power still wasn't back on indicating that there may be something serious that they need to repair down there. I didn't do it! I swear!

My partner's birthday yesterday went well. We went out for dinner and were joined by her cousin. Before dinner we went to a bar in a hotel on the 36th floor. It had amazing views of the city, all the way up the harbour, and of course over the bridge to the north shore. We arrived as the sun was setting and it was wonderful to be able to sit there, sip on some nice red wine and watch the sun go down. She really enjoyed it, and got stuck into the very nice cocktails which were conveniently priced as two for one! Great timing!

I must say that I had originally thought I might have a beer, but then I saw the wine selection they had. I went just for the house red, which was pretty good but not remarkably good. What was remarkable about the experience was the enormous glass that it came in. I have never seen anything like it and had trouble drinking out of it. I reckon that you could easily have kept a gold fish in there and it wouldn't have felt unduly contrained at any point in time. It did have the effect of magnifying the aroma of the wine and preserving it to be enjoyed during the entire drinking experience. It was a very nice place, and very busy. We'll definitely go back, a great way to see the city and have a nice wine at the same time.

After that we went to dinner, and it was a buffet style restaurant so my partner could indulge in as many prawns as she wanted. I shocked myself as I had allowed myself free reign at the buffet, but I retired completely full after only two goes at the buffet. In the past that would have been unheard of. I think that my stomach is not as big as it used to be and it takes less food to fill me up now.

My partner and her cousin put in a good effort, however they don't have the same issues that I do! We were surprised at the quality of food, not only was there a large selection but each dish was well prepared and kept well even though buffets are not normally ideal. There was also a dessert bar and I did have a couple of scoops of chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce. It was delicious and I don't regret it one bit! It remains to be seen tomorrow whether or not I will regret it, but I don't think I will. I know I wont be kilos down on last week, but I expect I will be around the 129kg mark. A little low on the workouts this week, and the birthday will have an effect, but all in all I feel good for having had a short break. This weekend, weather permitting, my partner and I are planning either a massive walk, or a massive bike ride, so I am expecting a big one next week. I'll keep you posted, and don't forget to check out my results tomorrow.

Sun is Shining, Weather is Sweet

Yes folks, back to normal today, although it is not quite your usual Wednesday for me today. My partner's birthday has interrupted the schedule a bit, but I did get up in time to make it to the gym this morning for my usual session. The figures were more or less the same as yesterday as I followed the same speed and incline variations as yesterday. I did find the workout easier than yesterday, but not as easy as previously. I think that doing the full workout after a training session with the trainer will be a real test tomorrow.

The workout results are, as usual, posted on the fighting phat web site which you can link to from the links section of this blog if you like. The total calories that I burned during the workout amounted to 662.5. Not bad for the day, but today being a special day will mean that the diet is out of the window. However, my partner will turn 30 only once, and provided that I don't go overboard it should be okay.

I got home and made poached eggs on toasted ciabatta with hollandaise sauce and smoked salmon for my partner. We had a coffee before the food, and while eating we had a bottle of Moet between us. Fantastic start to the day - wish I could have Moet every morning! No, I think that would probably send me to an early grave! It is nice stuff though, very good as a breakfast drink when the occaision calls for it.

This afternoon we are off into town for a walk around the rocks and a few coffees in some of the finer places in town. We are also going to check out some of the chocolatiers in town, and possibly sample some wine on our travels. We have dinner booked for later this evening, and will probably have pre-dinner drinks either at the opera bar (near the opera house and looking out towards the harbour bridge) or up on the 36th floor of the hotel where our dinner is booked. Apparently you get stunning views of the harbour and the city from up there. Should be nice.

Check back tomorrow to see how the evening went, and of course I will also be reporting on the session with the trainer. Friday brings weigh in day and I will be interested to see how I go this week.

Bad Weather Continues, But Phatfighter Rallies!

Sydney's shocking September weather continues today. Raining, wet, and miserable out there still, however there are patches of blue sky coming over. This morning I was all set to go to the gym (I even had my gear on and everything) and then the rain started coming down. It looked like it would never stop so I got out the Swiss Ball and the skipping rope again to do some exercise at home. I had been going for about 10 minutes when the rain broke and I decided to get cracking down to the gym and get into it. I got wet on the way, but not too badly.

I did the cardio routine that the trainer has set for me, and only increased it marginally during the running phases (I find it is better to run on 9km/ph rather than 8 or 8.5). I struggled a bit today, I don't think that the time was right to take a few days off from the normal routine. I struggle mostly with the walking phase of the workout, and I wondered for a moment if I was going to make it. I pushed myself, and did get through the workout, burning 665.6 calories today. I think it is important that I keep up with the routine and I will be making sure that I get into the gym tomorrow morning for another session. I wasn't able to wear the special socks today - I wonder if that accounts for the difference in the way I felt?!!!

Tomorrow is my partner's birthday. She's taking the day off work and it is my job to make her a birthday breakfast, to take her out for dinner in the evening, and generally pamper and indulge her for the rest of the day. For dinner we've chosen a nice restaurant in town that has a prawn buffet (prawns are her favourite), as well as a mixture of asian and indian cuisine on offer. We're looking forward to it, and will have a couple of drinks to celebrate. It is not every day that you turn 30 after all so there will be a bit of celebrating! All the more important that I get to the gym in the morning then!

I've also finally gotten a bit fed up with porridge all the time for breakfast. On the way home from the gym I got some Weetbix at the supermarket, as suggested by the trainer. I also got some chicken which I will have for lunch as well as the necessary ingredients for the breakfast tomorrow morning. Eggs benedict to be washed down with a nice espresso, and to round it all, an chilled bottle of Moet. Fantastic! Check back tomorrow to make sure I got to the gym again!

Bad Weather Continues

Well, the change back to training with the trainer on Mondays and Thursday hit a glitch today, the weather! The trainer and I spoke and canned today's session as it is too foul to get out and about with any degree of comfort. So, the session was canned, and I will be doing the usual Thursday and Friday session instead.

I have utilised the day around home doing housework and using my Swiss Ball to do a few exercises of my own. I am hoping that the weather will have turned tomorrow and I will be back into it. Regardless, I think that I need some treadmill time as the workout I did today was good, but a little limited without weights. I do like the ball however, it came with a chart of exercises to do and some of them are really good. Being housebound is not ideal, and it looks like things should turn around weather wise tomorrow.

So, not much to report today. A bit of a dud day, and they happen from time to time, you just have to cope with them as well as you can. I'm looking forward to getting back into it tomorrow.

Weekend Off

Yes folks, another weekend away from the gym. The weather outside is atrocious so we've been staying at home, taking in a few DVDs and doing work around the house getting it back into shape. The espresso machine has been working overtime and I feel as if I could be a full time barrista with the sort of fine coffee I am producing at the moment! Okay, that is probably boasting a bit much, but my partner certainly seems to appreciate my handywork on the espresso machine. Mind you, if she wants them to keep coming she has to say good things! A captive market in some respects.

I was feeling a bit antsy last night, a bit like I should be getting to the gym at the weekend, but today as I look outside at the driving rain, grey sky, and howling wind I realise that two days is not going to hurt me and I have another big week coming up. I am planning to introduce some more workouts into my week - weights wise. There are some areas that I want to work on that the trainer does not seem to work out and so I will do some extra weights on my own. These will not be too onerous to begin with, and I will make sure that they are not going to impinge on the workouts that I do with the trainer. I still need to be on top of my game for those. I figure that I will do additional workouts on Tuesday and Saturday at this stage.

The focus will be on my back, biceps, and calf mucles. With the exception of my back, these are not directly worked by the trainer and I want to emphasise these areas, especially my back as I have never really focussed on this area with the strength training I have done in the past. The rest of me is above average strength wise, but this area is not. So a bit of effort expended here will do me some good I am sure.

I'm looking forward to the coming week. Back to Monday and Thursday with the trainer. Also, I should be able to build on my running to date, adding a little bit here and there during the existing cardio workout. I wont do any sustained running at speed until I hit the 125kg (275lbs) mark as I think that to do so will be to invite disaster, but I can build up to running in the meantime with bursts of short duration during the existing cardio workout. Fantastic. It is so good to be in a frame of mind where I am actually seeking to increase workout intensity rather than avoid exercise.

Righto, that's about it for the weekend. Not much to reprot, but back into it tomorrow, rain, hail, sleet, snow, or shine! Bring it on.

Another Short Term Goal Reached

Fantastic! I am feeling really stoked, and really good about myself today! And this is in spite of having to cry off from the full on cardio workout today after the session with the trainer. That's right, today I couldn't make it all the way through the trainer's session and then on to the full new cardio workout. However, there was good reason and I think I did the right thing.

The reason that I couldn't do all of the cardio workout today was that I was tired from yesterday. I got up this morning and had sore legs from the workout, followed by the full session of cardio training that I am required to do. I made it to the gym on time, but I wasn't feeling 100% into it when I got there.

The trainer told me that today was going to be a hard workout day, and I wont tell you all of the exercises that she made me do, but the focus of it was clearly to get my heart pumping and there was no stopping at all today. I was back to running with weights again today, around the gym for 3 laps per set during the first series of exercises. The second set of exercises included more running around the gym, this time without weights, and mate that made a real difference. I felt like I was an olympic sprinter once I had ditched those dumbells.

The workout was good, although I did pull the trainer up on a couple of exercises that she was getting me to do that were just a waste of time in my opinion. I couldn't feel them working anything so I just suggested to her that I do the standard form of the exercise rather than using pulleys and benches and stuff. She agreed and noted that each variation I made to the exercise actually made it harder. So it seems that even when tired I am getting much better. She was positive today, and said that I worked out well. I sure felt like I did as I put as much effort into it as I could. At the end I was absolutely stuffed, which is how it should be. There was no way I could have done a full cardio session, but I did work in a walk for 25 minutes.

The trainer and I had a chat about my working out two days in a row like I have been. I had thought that it was for only a short period of time (while she had exams on) and asked when we would be going back to Mondays and Thursdays again. I feel that two days in a row is pretty hard, and it also leaves me absolutely shattered just before the weekend. This is dangerous because the weekend is when it is most easy to avoid the gym all together. I am happy to report that we've agreed to go back to Mondays and Thursday next week. My main interest in doing so is to get in a position where I will be able to put in a better effort after some recovery time for each workout.

The official weigh in stats have me past the most recent short term goal. I am stoked to not only be in the 120's, but to be well within that range by just a bit less than a whole kilo. This marks two weeks of quite substantial drops and I am sure that this wont continue for much longer, however I will take it while it is there. The measurements that I take are indicating that the weight coming off is now starting to come from my stomach area which is good, I hope that lasts as it is the area that I need to lose weight from the most. Hopefully when I get to the new goal of 125kg I will be much smaller around the middle!

I feel really good at the moment, and the best thing is that I feel that I am not missing out on anything, or going without things that I want. One of the best things so far is that I have been able to get back into clothes in my wardrobe that haven't fit me for about two years. My jeans have been dusted off and I can wear them without feeling uncomfortable at all. My leather jacket is still a tad taut around the shoulders, but pretty soon it will be fitting me well. I guess I should try my suits on one of these days and see how they are looking!

So, the long and torrid contest continues, but things are still going well. I hope to have more good news to report next week, and will of course keep you all updated on my exercise over the weekend, and if we head out on any expeditions around Sydney. I think that is unlikely as the weather is not that crash hot at the moment, but you never know! Until next time, fight the good fight.

One Monster Workout Done, One To Go!

The workout with the trainer was a bit of a shock this morning. I had to get up early and we had a pretty bad storm last night, so the weather today is shocking. Apparently Sydney reached its monthly rainfall figure last night, so there is plenty of water around. I wasn't really looking forward to the workout this morning, but I toughened up and ventured out into the tempest.

It was not a pleasant walk to the gym today. I nearly got blown over a couple of times, and made sure that I stuck to the footpath all the way there as everything was pretty muddy. By the time I arrived at the gym the trainer was already there and waiting, however I had to get out of my wet weather gear and get changed before I could workout today. Once ready I had a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill and we were underway.

Today was a slightly different workout to the usual ones. Today she was trying to get my heart rate up again, but this time she was using squats, deadlifts, and shoulder press to do it. The first exercises that I had to do with a barbell were front squats followed by deadlifts. Next was the usual step up onto a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, and these had to be curled and pressed above my head as I stepped up. Lastly I was to do crunches, emphasisng the oblique muscles by turning to one side on the upstroke. There were 15 reps per set, and three sets for this first cycle. I completed the entire cycle without stopping which made me feel really good.

Next we went over to the pull down machine and I was to do 15 pulldowns on 65kg (143lbs). Immediately after that I had to do tricep push downs on the pulldown machine at 25kg (55lbs). Lastly I was to do squats holding a weight balancing on the half Swiss Ball contraption, with the spherical side on the floor, and me standing on the flat part balancing. The trick with these was that the weight was a 15kg (33lbs) plate and as you squat down, the plate must come up, so this works your shoulders and back. Again it was 15 reps for 3 sets. At the end of this I was tremendously tired, but I was stoked that I had manged to get through with some time to spare.

Lastly I was taken to the stretching area. Here I had to do lie on my back and do leg raises, 20 reps, with my hands under my lower back, my legs straight, and raise them off the floor up to 90 degrees more or less, and then back down. Following on from this I had to turn over and position myself with the forearms on the ground, and raise myself up so that my forearms and feet were holding me off the ground while the rest of me was straight. This was a good way to finish the workout, and I did well right up to the end.

The trainer and I had talked during the workout about the cardio program she had given me. Apparently I am supposed to run and she not to worry about running, as long as my knee doesn't give me any trouble. It is still feeling better than it ever has so I think that running and working it out has been good for it. The trainer stretched my legs for me to end the session and then I was off to do the cardio workout. She suggested that I might like to walk instead of doing her plan, but I told her that I would stick with it.

The workout on the treadmill was intense coming on the end of the workout with the trainer. I wanted to do it, as I used to do the previous workout this way. I started on the first 25 minute session and stuck to the plan she gave me. At the halfway point I felt great and decided that I might take her up on the suggestion to run a bit more during the workout if I felt like it. During the second session, instead of warming down for the last nearly 10 minutes, I cranked up the pace to 9.5km/ph - my top speed! I did that for five minutes, and then rounded out the session with a 6km/ph warm down and I felt great. I was heartened to see that my workout result was 724 calories for the cardio plus whatever the workout with the trainer had burned. I suspect that is a lot because I get very tired during the sessions with her.

All in all a good day, but I am feeling it a bit. This is not surprising given the increase in intensity for my workouts. I was at the gym for just over 2 hours today, and am looking at doing the same thing tomorrow. It has taken me longer than usual to post this today as I have been a bit tired since this morning. Sorry for the delay folks! It is official weigh in day tomorrow, and I am hoping for a godo result. The trainer remarked on how I was looking like I had lost a lot of weight from around my face, particularly the chin area. It must be true because I was thinking that the other day and normally I am the last person to notice that I am losing weight. It was good to hear something positive, let's hope that it is reflected in my results tomorrow.

Daily Grind Ground Out!

Another day, another cardio workout done. Today I stuck with the routine that the trainer gave and did not add in any additional running or speed things up at all. I was feeling pretty good when I woke up this morning, and I didn't want to push things any harder than is called for the day after an increase in workout tempo. The good news is that my knee is feeling good, a little tight, but no pain at all, including on the walk to the gym. I am beginning to suspect that my knee is benefiting from the increase in activity that has gone on these last few weeks, and in particular from the running.

Today I did an extra ten minutes on the cross trainer at the end of my workout. I was feeling pretty good after the cardio and went to do my regular 3 sets of 20 crunches on the Swiss Ball. They went well today, and I was really tensing up the stomach muscles on each set, so hopefully they will start to improve as the rest of my body has. The cross trainer seems to be one of the more intense exercises around and I noticed that you get through calories on that machine quite quickly. In 10 minutes I did 173.3 calories. This made my total for the day (including the treadmill) 824.4 calories, which is an increase on the usual 600 or so that I have been doing. It feels good so far to be doing more than what I am used to.

I was speaking with a friend of mine yesterday, and he suggested that I get a heart rate monitor to record my workouts. This arose in connection with the rpm class that I did the other day, and my comments that there was no objective way to measure the intensity of the workout. The suggestion was to use the heart rate monitor to keep a track of performance. My friend suggested getting a polar heart rate monitor that includes a chest strap that you wear to get an accurate reading of your heart rate.

I had this in mind this morning at the gym and after I finished I went to the Rockdale Rebel Sport store to check out what they had. There certainly was a range, and there definitely was a range in price. The most expensive model was about $700.00! The least expensive was about $150 I think. The store has a helpful pamphlet about the product, so I took that for some reading during the rest of today. I will persue the material and see if I think it is a wise investment of not. It seems that you can spend quite a bit of money if you want to, however I am keen to avoid that at this stage. Toys like this are good fun, and I see that it can be linked with a pc to develop reports on your exercise and all sorts of cool geeky stuff like that! I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

Aside from that there is not much else to report. The local gas station now has a street advertising sign featuring Liz Hurley snacking on a massive ice cream on a stick. I was wondering exactly who they thought they were kidding, suggesting that Liz is an ice cream goddess. I've been thinking a bit about food advertising and the proportion of advertising on tv that is dedicated to it. It seems to be extremely high, one advertising segment in our area last night featured nothing but food, although I accept that this is a rarity. Most of the food advertising featured a link between fun and fast food, or love and fast food. I found this predictable, but interesting.

Fast food used to be a staple of mine, however it has now been nearly two months since I had any and I can't say that (apart from my craving for KFC now dealt with, which I think arose from the advertising campaign they have embarked on here) that I have missed it at all. The fact is that it made me miserable, not happy. It made me fat and unhappy, not sexy or fun to be around.

The advertising/marketing is, as usual, rubbish. The only thing that fast food provided for me at that time was something that I could have any time I wanted, it would almost always be the same each time I got it (quality wise), and it did taste nice at the time you ate it. To that extent it did 'feel' good, but didn't make me feel good because I knew it was bad for me, was making my weight issues worse, but still there were a million and one reasons to carry on eating it. So I did. To excess, so much sometimes that I would be uncomfortably full for a good couple of hours or so after eating. Disgusting I know.

I don't know if I have dealt with any underlying issues that there might be that make me eat to excess. I doubt it, I tend to do things that I like as much as I can, so I thought the challenge was to change my perception of what I liked, and take eating as much as possible out of the range of perceptions of good things I had. All I can say at this stage is that having a new approach to attempting to deal with the overeating has worked well for me so far. In the past I have tried to use willpower to go cold turkey with changes to diet and increases in exercise. Sometimes it worked, but eventually it didn't with me running out of steam or eventually feeling miserable again. This time I have purposefully avoided trying to do everything at once. You will recall that to begin with I was just trying to eat like a normal person, and avoid fast food. This worked well, and during that phase I introduced relatively low level of exercise. Again this worked well, and my weight has come down a lot. I know that this will end, and probably sooner rather than later. But, I feel great about what I have achieved so far and don't feel like I am missing out on anything.

My eating now seems more geared towards providing my body with something to power it through workouts, and on the weekend not worrying too much about things so that my partner and I can go out and have fun together. Food is no longer the sole focus, although it is still important. Before I used to think constantly about the next fast fix of fat, salt, and sugar. Now I don't really care that much until I start to get hungry. It is still important that I eat before I get too hungry as I can eat too much still, but nowhere near as much as before. It took me a long time to get that large, I think it will probably take a long time to get back to being the weight that I want to be, but goodness it feels good to have shrugged off the weight that was probably the worst for me, and to be able to fit into my clothes again. I'm talking about a lifestyle change, and a significant one. I have made a start, and made some good progress but I need to start thinking about the next stage after this one.

The next plan I think will be to introduce more and more tasty and healthy food into the diet, food that I might not normally eat, and to begin to keep more of an eye on quantity of food, and the type. For instance, if I have a sandwhich now I will have it with mayo or butter and not worry about it. I'll slosh the olive oil around now because I know I can and still lose weight. It is a great way to get me to eat the salad veggies that I need, and used to avoid like the plague. However, soon the time will come when weight wont fall off the way it has been and I will have to start looking at the extra things like olive oil, butter, and the tasty 'fat free' desserts. I am ready for it, and as I have said it took me a long time to get that fat, it will probably take me a long time to get rid of it too. My goals will need to change from being reached just about each month, to taking longer to get to, and requiring more effort to do so. I am committed to doing it because I firmly believe that if I don't, I'll be a diabetic before too long, and a heart attack waiting to happen. This healthier me should be able to triumph with that for motivation I hope!

New Cardio Routine

Late last night I checked my e-mail and found that I had received the new cardio routine from the trainer. I checked it out and it actually looked quite daunting. I have posted it on the fighting phat web site, and you can download it by clicking here if you like. Chief among my concerns was that for the first time I was being asked to walk in excess of 8km/ph, which is faster than I have ever walked. Frankly, I didn't think that I could do it, and this morning I thought "Why would I walk it?".

It seems to me that the main point is to go faster. The trainer has had me running as part of my workouts with her, and sometimes during those sessions I have been running for a few minutes at a time carrying weights - perhaps I am supposed to begin running as part of this workout as well? I decided before I took off for the gym this morning that if walking at that pace was not possible, then I should not be afraid to start running.

I got to the gym and felt great. My MP3 player was on a favourite part of its cycle for me and some good tunes were raising my morale for the workout! I made the most of it and got underway. The warm up cycle of the workout seemed to last a long time, and I might move to speed things up more quickly as I think the trainer is preparing the workouts for me on the basis that I am getting on the machine cold. This is not the case as I walk to the gym and do so at a fairly good pace to warm myself up.

That said, I found the rest of the workout great. I ran when it got over 7.5km/ph, and I ran well. I was able to keep good form while running, and avoid a lot of the heavy crashing that can cause injury. I am pleased to say that nothing hurt, and I felt quite proud to finally be able to run and not have to worry about breaking the machine! I was right, once the pace goes up to running speed the calories just fly by! You can download the latest version of my spreadsheet tracking my progress here. Today I broke through the 600 calorie mark and ended up with a total of 695 calories, meaning that I may start to aim for 700 calories per session with this workout. I even managed to clear 3km in one 25 minute session, my best result to date distance wise.

I got off the treadmill feeling great about what I had achieved this morning, and still feeling like it wasn't quite enough. I decided to do some additional weights, only a few light sets on some areas that I wanted to do some extra work on. I did some chest press, pull downs, and shoulder press. I finished off with three sets of 15 crunches on the Swiss Ball and I felt every one of them. I must have been doing something right because my abs were really burning at the end of each set so hopefully this marks the day that I can do crunches properly.

I got home and scoffed some oatmeal followed by yogurt. I'm feeling good, the weather is great, and the afternoon has just started! I got some wholemeal bread on the way home, so pastrami sandwhiches are the go for lunch today. I'm looking forward to it, and will tear into those soon! Let's hope I feel this good again tomorrow and can put in a big effort at the gym again!

New RPM Class A Success

Sorry for the delay in posting today. I'm not sure why, but my computer must be on a 'work to rule' or some go slow form of industrial action today! It has taken me ages to get in and be able to access blogger and make this post. In any event, I am here now and have the days events to report on.

It was good start this morning. The coffee that we purchased yesterday has all been ground up for the espresso machine. My partner and I sampled it this morning espresso style, sans frothy milk and it had a nice kick. It was tasty, strong, and had a very potent smell. It was very nice, and was a great start to the day.

I left the house with plenty of time to spare today. The RPM class was supposed to start at 9:45, so I left the house at 9:00 to make sure that I had plenty of time to set up my cycle and possibly have a bit of a chat to the instructor to get the inside goss on what the class was like, and if there was anything that I should look out for. I left with plenty of time to spare, and arrived at the gym by 9:30 and was rearing to go.

The class is held in its own room at our gym. It is a small, black room with fans, air conditioning, and there are rows of cycles all pointed towards a bike on a very small stage. The view in the room was non existent, and nothing like the photo I have posted today. That is the view (well part of it) from the platinum gym that I mentioned yesterday. Inside the RPM room at my gym there were a number of stereo speakers in the room and I could tell that it was going to be loud. I had a bit of a look around and then noticed that the instructor had arrived, and as no one else was there, I asked if he could show me how to set up the bike in preparation for my first RPM class.

He took me through setting up the bike and I wont bore you with all the details except to say that there was quite a lot to take in. One thing that I wasn't too impressed with was that the bike had a resistance control on it, but you could only turn it clockwise to make it more difficult, and anti-clockwise to release the pressure on the pedals. There were no numbers, or no 'objective' way to gague how difficult the setting is - no gears if you like. Also there was no readout so there was no way to keep track of calories being burned or anything like that. I figured that wouldn't matter that much as the class has a reputation for being difficult.

After being introduced to the bike by the instructor I got ready to get underway. The class was about 80% full so getting there early will be necessary if I am to continue with it. I forgot to ask how long the class was so when we started I had no idea how long I would be riding the bike. I figured it would be less than an hour due to the time that we started at. As it turned out I was right, the class went for 45 minutes.

In essence what happens is that the music comes on and you are told to pedal fast sitting down, or slower with more resistance standing up. There were slight variations on this, but that was the guts of it. The standing up parts were an emulation of hills, while the sitting down bits were supposed to resemble racing along the flat. The bike was set up like a road racing bike in terms of the handle bars and you could lean forward and get right into it.

Overall I found the class good. The instructor had told me to take it easy as it was my first time, but I found that I could handle the pace pretty well (and consequently am not sure if I had the resistance levels right when we are asked to increase the load). However, I was puffing and sweaty when the 45 minutes was up, and only had to rest out of time once during the class. So all in all I think it was a success. I did enjoy the class, it is preferable to riding exercycles in the gym ordinarily and I will probably build this in to my routine. I will take the instructor up on her offer to go along with her as that will probably give me an idea of whether or not I am pushing myself enough or not. However, my exercise tomorrow will be back on the treadmill to see how I get on.

After the class I did some weights. I wanted to do some work on my arms as they have always been a bit weak, so I went and did a light dumbbell workout. The gym was busy today so I decided to head back home after finishing that part of the workout. I went home via Rebel Sport at Rockdale and managed to find some more gym shorts that were on special. I got them without trying them on because they were the biggest ones in the shop. I was a bit worried about them fitting, however I tried them on when I got home and was surprised to find that the XL size fit me very well. I may get some more tomorrow.

My legs hurt during the class which was a good sign, and I tested the lightfeet socks today. They were very cool, and I noticed that the pain in my knee that was present on the way to the gym subsided, and then went away. I had no trouble with my blisters, and my feet felt really good when I got home. Too early to say if the socks are good, but this is an encouraging start. Let's see how they cope with the treadmill tomorrow!

The Best of Intentions...

Yep, I didn't make it to the gym today! Surprise, surprise I woke up late this morning and didn't have time to get there before we had to take off to get to Bondi today. The game last night was a bit of a fizz. My team lost, however it did not drive me to break the rules! I stuck with the diet coke and had a good evening (even if I did have a bit of a caffeine buzz on by the end of the night). I think that a loss will do my team some good at this point. They were getting a bit cocky really, so this should bring them back down to earth...with a crash!

So, up late and it ended up being a bit of a dash to the train. We made the 11:15 train into town and shot into Bondi Junction on a packed train. The Sydney Swans were playing today and the train was packed with AFL supporters off to watch the game. They seemed in a good mood so I take it that the local team is doing well. I don't watch the game myself, it doesn't make much sense to me and kicking a ball between two upright sticks doesn't seem that difficult.

We arrived at Bondi Junction not really knowing what to expect. We had hoped to get some more Heuheutenango coffee that we both like. We managed to find a shop that sold it by accident, we had called in to see if they knew where the mayan coffee shop was located. As an extra bonus, they also sold it cheaper than buying direct from the mayan coffee merchants! So, armed with coffee in hand we decided to check out the main mall in Bondi Junction.

This was my second mistake of the day! Once inside the mall, we virtually didn' come out until darkness was descending! It had been our intention to walk to Bondi beach, but once we discovered that the mall was at least four levels, and had so many shops that we were looking for that we just had to stay. On the bright side we made some good purchases, and we did walk a considerable distance during the day!

I decided that I had to get some new shoes. I discovered another blister on my foot last night and this indcates that I still have issues with my shoes. We went into a shoe store and I am now $190.00 poorer. They had better be pretty bloody good shoes for that kind of moolah! I guess I should add that I also got 3 pairs of lightfeet socks for blister prevention and moisture management! They sounded rather high tech, and as I was labouring under the pain of yet another blister I thought that I should give them a go. They boast 'seamless technology', 'padded protection', and 'arch support'. This all sounds good and I will let you know how I get on them tomorrow.

I was deligthed to find that there was a David Jones store at Bondi Junction. David Jones is a department store and they have a renowned food hall there, with all sorts of gourmet goodies on sale. I found some more coffee to try that claims it is enjoyed by the coffee elite. With that kind of claim I just had to put it to the test. My partner got some paella rice (a speciality of hers), an oil burner, and some smelly candles.

One of the highlights of the day was happening upon a branch of my gym in the mall. It was located on the upper levels and boasted a platinum club designation. I had no idea what that meant, and went in to find out what the fuss was all about. I soon discovered that my membership was not platinum and that if I wanted to work out there, I had to pay $5.00 to do so. If I wanted to upgrade, I had to pay an extra $10.00 per fortnight for the privilege. I decided to check it out and they let my partner and I in to have a look around and see what all the fuss was about.

Initially I couldn't swee why I would pay an extra $5 for a gym that looked the same as the one I went to, except for the absence of a swimming pool. However, on closer inspection I noticed a massive wall of windows with untold treadmills all facing the window. We went over and it was a revelation. Whereas I get to look at a wall with some televisions on it, the platinum club members get one of the most spectacular vistas in Sydney. The view is tremendous, looking out on the harbour over to the North Shore, Harbour Bridge, and to the City Centre. Worth $5.00 per visit? Not for me, but if I lived near that gym I would join like a shot. I bet that view would inspire some great workouts in yours truly! I must say that the staff were really helpful and looked after us well while we were there.

After trapsing around the entire mall we decided to have a very late lunch at the foodcourt. This was no ordinary foodcourt. Firstly the food was prepared by the vendors in full view of the public, and the food court seating area was huge, and surprisingly well furnished. There were tables and chairs like you would expect to find in fine restaurants (only missing the table cloths). Also, you could sit outside if you wanted, and you got a similar view to the one at the gym. It was most impressive. We shared Korean chilli BBQ chicken with rice and veg, and a dozen small falafels with hommus between the two of us. Laden with shopping it was time to take the train home and get ready for the coming week.

All in all it was a great day for the two of us. Truth be told I am not worried about missing the gym, all of the meandering through the mall more than made up for that. The diet has gone well this weekend, and I am looking forward to my first spin class tomorrow morning. I will let you all know how the socks handle it, not to mention my heart! I feel like I am heading into a good week of exercise and weight loss. For the first time I am actually looking forward to it. But best of all my plan for Friday night worked. I went past at least 4 KFCs today and did not feel like venturing into any of them, much less eating any of the Colonels produce. The craving has passed, fended off by a tactical roast chicken, spuds, and kumara (sweet potato). Hooray! Let's hope the week goes as well as it feels like it will!

A Day Off, and Promise Fulfilled!

Okay, so here it is. The photo of phatfighter. It's not the most flattering shot ever, but it isn't supposed to be. Rather it is meant to provide a record of what I was like, and track my progress from this point on. This should be a good start, and reminds me that I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be. At the same time I look at this and think how much better it was than when I started out on this fight against fat. It is inspiration for me to keep going.

I had a great night last night. My partner and I had a nice meal at home, the roast I made was pretty bloody good even if I say so myself! I prefected the potatoes, and the chicken was moist and tender. I did well, and most of all I managed to beat the craving for KFC! I haven't even thought of it today until just now writing this up! Yay, freedom from the temptation of that Colonel and his tasty chicken!

Tomorrow will be a more action packed day for us. We are going to head out to Bondi which is another beach around the Sydney area. It is a bit more built up (being closer to Sydney proper) than where we were last weekend, and we expect to be able to get in a good half hour walk from the train station to Bondi Beach proper, and the next beach Coogee. I'm also getting up and hitting the gym before we take off to get in some exercise and stretch the muscles a bit. I'm really looking forward to getting in there, this day off has treated me well!

It wasn't all roast chicken and diet mousse today however! The first day of Spring here gave us good weather, 26 degrees celsius. We took the opportunity to get outside and clean up the yard a bit. We also gave the house a good going over and everything is looking tip top. I did more than my fair share and I reckon housework is good exercise.

My team is playing again this weekend, so my partner, myself, and her cousin are venturing out to the local pub to see how they get on. The game doesn't start until about 10:00p.m so it will be another late night again tonight. Now that I have been to the pub a few times and stayed away from temptation, I am sure that it wont present any issues this week. I'm feeling good, and feeling on top of everything. Long may this last!

Fantastic Work Out, Great Result This Week

It was a monster workout this morning. I got up at 6:00 this morning to make my partner a nice coffee before she took off for work. I had my porridge for breakfast and had a short esrpesso myself to kick start the day. I had plenty of time to relax this morning as my workout was not scheduled until 9:00 so I made sure that I left for the gym with plenty of time to spare.

I arrived at the gym and started on the treadmill at about 8:45. I got through a light 15 minute workout concentrating on just warming up as I had been warned yesterday that the session would be tough. I was nearly finished by the time I saw the trainer arrive, and I went to the reception area to meet the trainer.

The workout today was designed to get my heart rate up. The trainer introduced a lot more running around the gym, this time I had to do laps of four. She also kept the resting time between exercises to a minimum. This meant a lot of work, and a lot of effort put in by me. I actually really liked it.

For the first of the running laps, I ran some with weights, but we switched to running without weights after the first two as it was slowing me down to a fast walk. Once relieved of the weights, I was suprised at how fast I wanted to, and did, run. I actually put in more effort than required a showed a fair bit of pace on the long straights down the sides of the gym. It felt good to stretch out and give it heaps.

The pressups with my feet on the ball were back, and I impressed mytself by cracking out 4 sets of 15 today. I wont bother listing all the exercises, but by the time I had finished I was extremely tired. The trainer said that she was impressed, particularly with how far I have come and how much she can already get me to do. While I haven't lost the most weight of all of her clients, I have given the period of time I have been with her, and have also, according to her improved a lot fitness wise. She has asked me to join her for a cycle class that they have at the gym so that she can see if my cardio can include these classes. She is also sending me the new cardio workout routine. I'm trying the class on Monday, and the two of us will sort out the class we attend together next week. Sounds good, and sounds like a lot of progress.

I was pretty tired and I wasn't sure if I should do the cardio or not. The trainer told me to just walk to warm down for 10 minutes, however once I got started I really felt like giving it a decent nudge. I did 25 minutes and managed to get through the 300 calories for the day and felt really good to have achieved that also today.

I then weighed myself under the 'official' conditions and have posted the weight on the site. I was 131.4 kg (289lbs) and was mightly pleased with that as it included my shoes and everything else. I am fast closing in on the next target and I think sticking with the diet has become quite easy. I spoke with the trainer about my craving for KFC and told her that I had thought I might roast a chicken tonight to see if that will get rid of the craving. She said that should be fine and I should definitely do it to see if it works. So, on the way home I got the chicken and everything else for dinner tonight and am really looking forward to cooking a wonderful meal for myself and my partner tonight.

Lastly, I must apologise for the absence of the promised photo today. My partner was in a rush this morning so she couldn't take the photo of me for the post today. I will organise it for tomorrow as I feel that it is important to have a photo record of what I look like now, to see the changes that take place over time. I'm looking forward to this weekend and will probably get into the gym tomorrow morning, while my partner and I will get out on Sunday for some fresh air and exercise out and about in Sydney.