Time to lose it

[WantoN]

protein shake replaces the cuppa tea or coffee break

Why? Coffee and tea with skimmed milk are very low calorie, and offer a temporary boost to metabolic rate because of the CNS stimulant caffeine. Protein shakes are unnecessary for your training levels, and just add calories through liquid.

muesli bar I thought was natural sugar like honey to make it stick together.

Sorry fella 99 times out of 100 these are not healthy. Simply simple sugars, dextrose and cheap, refined wheats. A few oatcakes with cottage cheese (or any of the plethora of possible toppings) would be great. Or a handful of fruit, and some mixed nuts (I have both )

yes I resist the temptation to lash it up with mayo

Respect! Have you considered Hellmann's Very Light Mayonnaise? It's very low calorie, and low fat at 12kcal per tablespoon. Mixed with tuna or in sandwhiches you don't notice the difference (I actually prefer it).

Otherwise, your diet is going well Just try to avoid heavy carbohydrate loading in the evening, and space your (very health) desert out from your main meal (2 hours would be great!).

Also, be careful of those 'healthy' cereals. You're doing well and you evidently are making healthier choices, but these cereals are often loaded with sugars/refined carbs, and are very high calorie.

Two small slices of wholemeal granary bread, and some scrambled egg / poached egg / sardines would be a superior choice

Ant

 

[Fuzz]

Thanks for the tips, today I have eaten better but missed the mid morning and mid afternoon breaks out completely (I missed the van in the morning as I was in the office and I was too busy to stop in the afternoon).
The dyno room (my office) was 35 degrees today so the water has been going in by the pint full.

Todays meals have so far been
8.00
Porridge and a glass of grapefruit juice

12.30
skinless chicken breast on wholemeal with lettuce and mango chutney
Bowl of fresh fruit pieces
Yoghurt coated cereal bar (yea I wont be buying any more of these, just got to finish what's in the cupboard)
Couple of cups of water

Pints of water at around 3 and 4pm

6.30
Main meal tonight was gorgeous
Orange beef stir-fry with broccoli and red pepper (According to the book I made it from, 24g Protein, 11g Carbs, 3.3g fibre, 7g total fat (2g saturated), 50mg Cholesterol, 1g salt.
Bowl of strawberries with pear and mango diet?? yoghurt (What the hell is diet yoghurt?)
Oatcake
Pint of water

Training will commence 9pm.

 

[burtie]

Maybe have something in between 8am - 12.30pm and also 12.30-6.30, maybe a nice boiled egg with some mixed nuts and a oat cake.

 

[Fuzz]

I can see the boss wearing that..

"Yea, I've just got to take 5 to boil an egg"

It has to be simple and to be fair I normally would have had something in between as you say, usually a sandwich in the morning and a snack bar in the afternoon.
Big fridge at work though so I could park something in there if I could think of something.
Maybe a bag of dried fruit or some dry roasted peanuts instead of those cereal bars.

 

[Fuzz]

Maybe I should have started on an easier routine

I haven't sweated this much since seeing that nympho in January.

 

[WantoN]

Maybe I should have started on an easier routine

I haven't sweated this much since seeing that nympho in January.

haha!

Doing well bud, shame about missing the morning meals but work can be restrictive. Preparation is the key. The meals you had were excellent but I'm sure you appreciate how important regular fueling is

I often cook a stir fry, I LOVE it. Yours sounded lush. But I make enough for the next days lunch, or snacks so all i have to do is get it out of the fridge and bung it in the microwave (can be eaten cold). Just remember stirfries are easy to tot up the calories by whacking olive oil in by the ladleful (est. 120kcal in a tablespoon ).

Dry roasted peanuts are a no go. The calorific content is mammoth. Go for unflavoured, unsalted mixed nuts. You get a variety of nutrients without additional crap. A small handfull will surfice. Tinned fish is a great way of getting in lean, good quality protein (just watch the stink if it's mackarel ). If you need a completely pre-prepared snack (oatcakes with cottage cheese no good for the boss?) Then simply making a 'half' sandwhich, or better yet half wholemeal pita, similiar to your excellent lunch choice.

You can pre-boil your eggs for the next day by the way

Dried fruit is ok, just watch the quantities. Much less filling with far more sugar, you'd be better off with something fresh, pre-packaged ones are available from Sainsburies for 2 for £2.

Well done on dropping the bars, and being willing to make necessary changes. You'd be amazed at how many people are incapable of doing this. The key is to make small, manageable, maintainable changes that you can stick to for (dun dun duuuuuuuun) the rest of your life.

Ant

 

[Fuzz]

Well what was my own week one was a bit of a disaster, I totally overcooked what I expected to be able to do and was pretty much sore all week from trying to complete it.
I finally got to train with my personal trainer last thursday and he sorted out my next weeks routine and weights.

So for the real week one (which also had it's issues)

3 sets, 10 reps

BB deadlift - 45kg
BB upright row - 30kg
DB bicep curl - 10kg
DB shoulder press - 7.5kg
BB Bicep curl - 20kg
BB Bench press - 40kg
DB Chest fly - 7.5kg *
BB Tricep extension - 15kg
BB Bent over row - 30kg
Lateral raise - 2.5kg *

BB = +10kg
DB = + 1.5kg
* = 15 reps


Eaten really well this week, although I think I wont buy those floor sweepings called oats so simple any more, I'll go back to the Scotts rolled oats I think.
Had them with sprinklings of blueberries and sultanas most mornings, or museli and mixed nuts on the others. All washed down with grapefruit juice or orange juice.
Not had a cup of tea or coffee all week, just water and oatcakes if I wanted a nibble.
Mind you it did all slip a little on Thursday and Friday night. Thursday was supposed to be a "sushi" night but ended up being a Chinese all you can eat buffet and Friday was a takeout Indian curry. Oh crikey and fish and chips at lunch time today actually.

I learnt a valuable lesson on Wednesday with being a procrastinating idiot though, came home from work, sat down and thought.. Ahh I'll train after tea, then it was, I'll train after I've had a shower, then I'll train at 9.00pm. By the time I actually got off my ass I was only half way throught the routine and noticed it was almost 11pm.
Totally kicking myself there. So no more of that.
More determination kicked in now..

The only annoying thing is I sit on my ass for a few years with nothing much to do and now I start this, all of a sudden I have a car to prepare for a trip to Germany in a month and a possible girlfriend in the making!
Life has never been so hectic.

 

[Fuzz]

Had another good week of food apart from Saturday lunch at the chip shop.
Although I did have half a roast chicken and small chips.
Been porridge every morning, making it less bland with blueberries / banana slices /walnuts and sultanas.
Totally cut out those cereal bars and replaced "nibbles" with oatcakes. God they are boring and dry.
Haven't had a cup of tea or coffee for about two weeks either, don't really miss it. If I feel like a drink I just pour a glass of water from the bottle machine. I like water anyway.
I think I need to cut down on the bread intake somehow though, Mid morning sandwich lunch sandwich and afternoon sandwich is probably no the best, even if they are all on granary.

Just used this link http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html
to do a body fat test.
Here's the info on me I just measured
177 Lbs
Waist 37"
Hips 37"
Forearm 12.5"
Wrist 7"
From that it gave me..
Your Results

You have 15.4% body fat.

You have 27.3 Pounds of fat and 149.7 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

This weeks routine was done in supersets
Chest fly 10kgs
Bench press 20kgs

Scaption 2.5kgs
Shoulder press 5kgs

Pullups (bodyweight) (81kg)
Narrow chest row 10kgs

Bicep curl 10kgs
Bent over row 10kgs

Deadlift 30kgs
Front raises 2.5kgs

Squats 5kgs
Pullovers 10kgs

All done for 12 reps and 3 sets

 

[tom_e]

Just used this link http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html
to do a body fat test.
Here's the info on me I just measured
177 Lbs
Waist 37"
Hips 37"
Forearm 12.5"
Wrist 7"
From that it gave me..
Your Results

You have 15.4% body fat.

You have 27.3 Pounds of fat and 149.7 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

Glad to hear its all going well for you but dont put too much trust in that site Ive just done mine and apparently Im 14.2% and if you look at my pictures I posted in the BB pics thread the other day you will see its wildly inaccurate

 

[Fuzz]

oh

Any better ones?

 

[tom_e]

oh

Any better ones?

Not that Im aware of the only relativly good way to measure bf% is with callipers or some very expensive water floating type test which is normally only avalible in specialist places, you could also post a picture up here or on a site like www.muscletalk.co.uk and people and normally give you a pretty good guesstimate.
At the end of the day you want to use a combination of the scales, how you look in the mirror and just generally how you feel to measure how your doing. Theres no point in something telling you your loosing bf% if you feel like crap

 

[Fuzz]

I'm not that fussed about it really, just thought it would be a good gauge to see any progress. certainly wouldn't spend money on getting it checked.

 

[Fuzz]

Had a really crap day at work and I was in such a rage when I got home....

Had a shower a bit of a chill and got stuck into the first set of deadlifts...

and a pulled a muscle in my back.

Now I have two cuts in the mat where I threw the weights down.

FFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

 

[-Ad-]

oh

Any better ones?

Just did myself and I'm apparently 14%

That's a load of rubbish as I can only guess I'm 18-22% as I have plenty of flab on me.

Keep it up and crack on with the weights. At first the weight went on easily, then nothing much around weeks 4-6, and after a rest week (not inc on diagram) I managed to pile on more than before Patience is the key, don't fret

Take a look at my progress below, the first 3 weeks were just sorting out my technique and seeing what I could manage. Now do essentially 5x5sets on all, with some being more like 6-8x5sets. Haven't done real weights for 2+ yrs becuase of a broken and (**** you NHS ) left clavicle, which is all perfect now.

The difference in the last 8 weeks since starting and sorting my diet has been amazing, I can actually see and feel muscles. Holiday will involve loads of swimming in the villas pool + interval training in the mornning heat, with a full x3 sessions a week (incorporating legs) and hardcore diet when I get back from France.

 

[Fuzz]

My trainer said he'd bring round the calipers next monday and take some proper measurements.
Apparently I'm a stats man.
Well yea, if I can't quantify what 'm doing is making any difference, I am either doing something wrong or I'm not trying/... I am not busting my balls for nothing!
Which also brings me onto the damned routine.
I've already said to him I want a clear concise routine laid out for each week.
I've come to Wednesdays routine, supposedly demoed by him with me on Monday and it's damn well different. I can't remember what we did on Monday so I took the whole lot and put it through the shredder. <insert more rage guy here>

 

[Fuzz]

Although I haven't seen his actual calculations, he muttered something along the lines of 20% BF

So in effort to cut down on whatever I need to cut down on to lose the flab quicker, I've cut out the bread.

Salad for lunch now instead.

I think the trainer got the hint I wasn't happy with the the way he was dishing out the routines.
He said I am a "stats man" I like my facts and figures and good clear direction of what he wants from me.
I guess that's why I'm an engineer.

So we are back on course, routines are getting easier and by the end of the week I can now actually feel / see the difference. By that I mean I can rep comfortably what I could only just about manage on the Monday... so naturally sneaking in another rep or two just to finish me off good and proper for the week.
I am still **** poor at pull ups and anything abusive with the abs makes me feel a bit queasy but meh..

8 weeks til holiday.

 

[Fuzz]

New toy.

Need to rearrange the speakers now before I poke the barbell through a cone.

 

[Fuzz]

Trainer came round late this week, so did some boxing moves with him.
Coordination in the moves is not my thing at all

 

[Fuzz]

UPDATE.
This is me as of September 09

Once I'd come back from holiday I thought about what I was actually getting for my money and to be honest it wasn't what I wanted. So that personal trainer was sacked.
I sat like a tub of lard again in front of the PC every evening after that until about December when I thought, This isn't right.. (It's been brewing a long time to be honest)
Mailed a few more professional outfits and now have a new trainer who is much more focused on what I am looking to achieve, is very structured and very knowledgeable.
Training started again last week...
Routine will be developed as we go.
This is not a "New years resolution thing" that will die out by February. As I said above, it's been something that has been brewing in my mind for a long time.

 

[Fuzz]

Time for the first piccy I guess.

Jan 2010