Well it's not a good result this week, I've regained the 1.2bs that I lost at last week's weigh-in. I'm really at a loss to explain why as I have been tracking everything as accurately as possible and I haven't exceeded my allowances. I've also exercised regularly - 3 times on the crosstrainer and 3 times with the kettlebell. All I can do is continue to track, continue to exercise and hope that next week's weigh-in result makes up for this week's dissapointment.
having mentioned my exercises, I feel quite proud of myself that I have now increased my press-ups from 5 at the end of each set to 6! I intend to increase this by one each week until I reach 20. I've also increased the reps I do with the kettlebell for the one-armed rows and the kettlebell presses from 5 to 10. I think I really do need to invest in a heavier bell as I think this one is a bit too light for me now I've got used to what I'm supposed to be doing with it. I can get a 12Kg one from Argos, But I am worried that I might find this a bit too light, after all the guy on the cubedwellerfitness site, that I got my kettlebell workout from, recommended men to start at 16Kg!
That's all for this week!
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Weigh-in - Week 42
Well I'm posting on time this week, which must mean that I have lost weight - 1.2lbs! I'm very pleased with that - it's not a big loss but, at the same time, it's big enough to be worthwhile. I could do with improving my average weekly loss to around 1.5lbs, as this is what I need to be doing to reach my, rather loose, target of about 15st 7lb by the time I go on holiday in August, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
This was made much easier by not having any food & drink related events to attend, so I was able to track correctly and ensured that I didn't overindulge - I was even able to have a couple of Scones with jam and Clotted Cream for my lunch on Saturday and still stay within my points allocation of 47 dailies plus 49 weeklies!
In fact this week was remarkably easy and I even managed to have 24 Weekly Points left over by yesterday, I don't normally have so many at the end ofthe week, so this is something of an acheivement.
My exercising has also been going well, although I did miss out my Crosstrainer on Thursday, which I took as a rest day (I normally have my rest day on Sunday). I still managed to do 3 days on the Crosstrainer and 3 days using the kettlebell. In fact I've amended my kettlebell routine slightly by adding 5 press-ups and 15-20 seconds of "the plank" at the end of each set. I'm really very pleased about doing the press-ups as, not so long ago, I could barely manage 1, never mind 5 at a time. Obviously, as time goes on, I shall add more reps to the press-ups and more time to the planks (I started at 15 seconds a tome and am now doing 20 seconds, so I'm already improving).
I've come to the conclusion that the 7.5kg kettlebell is already too light, so I'm going to be looking for a heavier one at the beginning of May. I'll probably go up to 12kg as I don't want to run the risk of hurting myself if I'm getting any of the exercises wrong. If anyone wants to see what I'm doing with the kettlebell, I posted a link to the beginners routine I'm following in an earlier post, but here it is again:
Beginner's Kettlebell Workout
It seems like a reasonably safe introduction to the kettlebell, so I'm happy to continue with it but if anyone has any suggestions of anything better, please feel free to comment here on the blog or in my thread on the WeightWatchers Men's Arena.
That's all from me for this week, so 'till next time just keep on losing!
This was made much easier by not having any food & drink related events to attend, so I was able to track correctly and ensured that I didn't overindulge - I was even able to have a couple of Scones with jam and Clotted Cream for my lunch on Saturday and still stay within my points allocation of 47 dailies plus 49 weeklies!
In fact this week was remarkably easy and I even managed to have 24 Weekly Points left over by yesterday, I don't normally have so many at the end ofthe week, so this is something of an acheivement.
My exercising has also been going well, although I did miss out my Crosstrainer on Thursday, which I took as a rest day (I normally have my rest day on Sunday). I still managed to do 3 days on the Crosstrainer and 3 days using the kettlebell. In fact I've amended my kettlebell routine slightly by adding 5 press-ups and 15-20 seconds of "the plank" at the end of each set. I'm really very pleased about doing the press-ups as, not so long ago, I could barely manage 1, never mind 5 at a time. Obviously, as time goes on, I shall add more reps to the press-ups and more time to the planks (I started at 15 seconds a tome and am now doing 20 seconds, so I'm already improving).
I've come to the conclusion that the 7.5kg kettlebell is already too light, so I'm going to be looking for a heavier one at the beginning of May. I'll probably go up to 12kg as I don't want to run the risk of hurting myself if I'm getting any of the exercises wrong. If anyone wants to see what I'm doing with the kettlebell, I posted a link to the beginners routine I'm following in an earlier post, but here it is again:
Beginner's Kettlebell Workout
It seems like a reasonably safe introduction to the kettlebell, so I'm happy to continue with it but if anyone has any suggestions of anything better, please feel free to comment here on the blog or in my thread on the WeightWatchers Men's Arena.
That's all from me for this week, so 'till next time just keep on losing!
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Weigh-in - Week 41
This week I'm happy to report a completely unexpected loss of 1.8lbs at this morning's weigh-in! Why, I hear you ask, is the loss so unexpected?
The answer, I'm afraid, is that I have really struggled to track over that last week AND I have struggled with my exercising too.
It all strated on Thursday, which was my 51st birthday! I really felt like having a day off the Crosstrainer, so I didn't bother with it at all. Then I was taken out for lunch by my lovely wife (who is walking on crutches at the moment following an operation on her knee) and my wonderful 12 year old son. Unfortunately lunch was at a Thai Restaurant and consisted of a rather nice all you can eat buffet, followed by a very fattening desert (chocolate pudding with bits of Crunchie bars in it).
Then, on Friday, I decided to skip the kettlebell routine as I was playing 9 holes of golf with my son and my brother-in-law. This was followed by a pint in the bar, then a lunch at my mum's. In the evening neither my wife nor I could be bothered to cook, so it was chicken & chips from the local chippie for dinner.
On Saturday I did at least manage to do the Crosstrainer and I think things were a little better points-wise, although I did have some beer in the evening.
Sunday was another bad day as my brother was in town, so we all went to my mum's for a slap up Sunday lunch to celebrate our birthdays - another one impossible to point.
Monday would have been ok, but for the nachos with cheese and jalapenos that I shared with my son in the cinema (The Pirates - it was very funny!). I did at least manage to do my kettlebell workout.
As you can see it's been a very difficult week and I am truly at a loss to understand how I could have lost weight after a week like that. I can only assume that, as I knew that most of the food wasn't going to help me, I must have subconciously been reducing my portion sizes to compensate.
As a result of this week's loss, I have now lost just over 50lbs and am at around the weight I was when I got married in June 1998. My next mini goal is to get under 17stones - I will be very pleased if I can do that by the end of May (and extatic if I can do it sooner than that)!
Also, as a result of this week's loss, the number of Activity Points that I earn for 30 minutes on the crosstrainer has reduced from 9 down to 8!
I'll report back again next week.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Weigh-in - Week 39
Good news - another 2lbs lost this week and I'm feeling pleased. I have to admit I was getting a little downhearted when everything was going so slowly at the beginning of the year, but now I seem to have had some good losses and no gains for the last few weeks. This 2lb loss puts me down to 17st 6.7lbs, which means I have been awarded another "Silver 7 Star", making 7 in all, a total loss of 49.2lbs! Oh, and my daily points allowance has just gone down to 47.
I'm now just 0.8lbs away from my next mini goal, which is 17st 6lbs - the weight I was when I got married on 1998!
As you will know if you've been keeping up to date with this blog I added in a "kettlebell" workout to my weekly schedule last Wednesday. I have to say my thighs were in agony on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so much so that I couldn't do another kettelbell workout until Sunday, although I was able to force myself on the crosstrainer on Thursday & Saturday (I even got a new personal best on Saturday). Luckily there is no pain from Sunday's workout, so I expect to be able to do the kettlebell every other day from now.
I also managed to get out for 9 holes of golf with my son on Sunday, we both played rather badly, but when I checked my scorecards on my iPhone I discovered that we hadn't actually played since April 9th last year - it's no wonder we were a little rusty. I'm hoping we can get out for another round on Saturday, but if not I'm taking a day off for my birthday next week and we'll get a round in then. I'm really very keen for William to play golf as often as he can as it is a great game and I think he has the potential to be quite good at it (certainly a lot better than me!).
I haven't added anything to me repetoire of recipes this week, so I've had to make do with the South American Chilli, Steak in Ale Stew and a couple of other of my staples. I have to say I really am eating a lot better than I was before I started my "diet". The food I'm eating is generally much more tasty, is definitely healthier and I am almost never hungy! This weightwatchers plan is to be recommended to anyone that enjoys their food.
See you all again next week after, hopefully, another good loss!
I'm now just 0.8lbs away from my next mini goal, which is 17st 6lbs - the weight I was when I got married on 1998!
As you will know if you've been keeping up to date with this blog I added in a "kettlebell" workout to my weekly schedule last Wednesday. I have to say my thighs were in agony on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so much so that I couldn't do another kettelbell workout until Sunday, although I was able to force myself on the crosstrainer on Thursday & Saturday (I even got a new personal best on Saturday). Luckily there is no pain from Sunday's workout, so I expect to be able to do the kettlebell every other day from now.
I also managed to get out for 9 holes of golf with my son on Sunday, we both played rather badly, but when I checked my scorecards on my iPhone I discovered that we hadn't actually played since April 9th last year - it's no wonder we were a little rusty. I'm hoping we can get out for another round on Saturday, but if not I'm taking a day off for my birthday next week and we'll get a round in then. I'm really very keen for William to play golf as often as he can as it is a great game and I think he has the potential to be quite good at it (certainly a lot better than me!).
I haven't added anything to me repetoire of recipes this week, so I've had to make do with the South American Chilli, Steak in Ale Stew and a couple of other of my staples. I have to say I really am eating a lot better than I was before I started my "diet". The food I'm eating is generally much more tasty, is definitely healthier and I am almost never hungy! This weightwatchers plan is to be recommended to anyone that enjoys their food.
See you all again next week after, hopefully, another good loss!
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
My Kettlebell Workout
For those that are interested the new workout that I did this morning can be found here:
http://cubedwellerfitness.com/2011/04/kettlebell-routines-beginner-workout/
I started off with 5 minutes on the crosstrainer to warm up then did:
10 x Kettlebell Swings
5 x Figure of 8 in each direction
10 x squats
5 x One Arm Rows each arm
5 x Floor press each arm
I repeated that 3 times then finished with a 10 second plank (pathetic, I know).
It didn't seem all that energetic in the video, but I was sweating by the end.
The guy in the video suggests that men should start with a 16kg kettlebell, but I was using a 7.5kg one and that seems like quite enough for me to be starting with. I think any heavier and I would risk injury if I was to get these exercises wrong - maybe I'll get a bigger one in a few weeks time.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Weigh-in - week 38
Well, after last week's small gain, I am very pleased to announce that this week I lost 2lbs, bringing my total loss to date to 47.2lbs!
It's a good loss for what has been a difficult week which included a Curry & Quiz night at the rugby club, which included a few beers and 2 portions of curry! I felt quite cross with myself later for having the extra curry, but I blame it on 2 things - 1. It tasted very nice and 2. I'd already had a few beers by the time the curry was served, which helped to reduce my weightwatchers resolve somewhat!
The Curry & Quiz night was, of course, followed by England v Ireland on Saturday afternoon, when, of course, there was more beer to be consumed followed by a very nice Hairy Bikers Chilli.
On Sunday I decided that it was time I thought about adding something more to my exercise routine of going on the crosstrainer 3 times a week, so it was off to Asda where I recalled seeing some Kettlebells at a resonable price. I bought the largest, which was 7.5kg for £12.00. When I got home, I finally laid the rubber matting, that I got a while ago from Costco, on the garage floor ready for some early morning exercise on Monday.
I started the exercise on Monday morning with 5 minutes on the CT to warm up and then attempted to folloow the instructions for a few kettlebell exercises that came on a single sheet of paper with the weight. I got on OK with it, but I'm not sure that I'm doing the Kettlebell Swing right and I do need to have a set routine to follow otherwise I'll just end up playing at it. Since yesterday morning I have found The Cube Dwellers Beginners Kettlebell Workout which I will try to follow for a while. The guy on there does suggest a 16kg kettlebell for a man, so I already feel a little inadequate! I'll try out this workout for the first time tomorrow!
Thankfully the Rugby is now over, so there are no more excuses for drinking too much beer for a while now, so hopefully my weight loss can pick up the pace a bit now - I'd really like to get back up to averaging 2lbs a week, but only time will tell if that will happen.
Good luck with your weight losses, I'll report back next week!
It's a good loss for what has been a difficult week which included a Curry & Quiz night at the rugby club, which included a few beers and 2 portions of curry! I felt quite cross with myself later for having the extra curry, but I blame it on 2 things - 1. It tasted very nice and 2. I'd already had a few beers by the time the curry was served, which helped to reduce my weightwatchers resolve somewhat!
The Curry & Quiz night was, of course, followed by England v Ireland on Saturday afternoon, when, of course, there was more beer to be consumed followed by a very nice Hairy Bikers Chilli.
On Sunday I decided that it was time I thought about adding something more to my exercise routine of going on the crosstrainer 3 times a week, so it was off to Asda where I recalled seeing some Kettlebells at a resonable price. I bought the largest, which was 7.5kg for £12.00. When I got home, I finally laid the rubber matting, that I got a while ago from Costco, on the garage floor ready for some early morning exercise on Monday.
I started the exercise on Monday morning with 5 minutes on the CT to warm up and then attempted to folloow the instructions for a few kettlebell exercises that came on a single sheet of paper with the weight. I got on OK with it, but I'm not sure that I'm doing the Kettlebell Swing right and I do need to have a set routine to follow otherwise I'll just end up playing at it. Since yesterday morning I have found The Cube Dwellers Beginners Kettlebell Workout which I will try to follow for a while. The guy on there does suggest a 16kg kettlebell for a man, so I already feel a little inadequate! I'll try out this workout for the first time tomorrow!
Thankfully the Rugby is now over, so there are no more excuses for drinking too much beer for a while now, so hopefully my weight loss can pick up the pace a bit now - I'd really like to get back up to averaging 2lbs a week, but only time will tell if that will happen.
Good luck with your weight losses, I'll report back next week!
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Weigh-in - Week 37
Apologies for my late posting this week, I guess I was a little disappointed with my small gain of 0.2lbs at my weigh-in yesterday. I should know by now that I'm going to have the odd gain, especially after having a few beers and a curry on Sunday when I watched England beat France in the Six Nations.
I suppose the reason I didn't post yesterday was that I was hoping to report a loss after a Sneaky Peak this morning - unfortunately the SP was an STS, so I guess I'll just have to accept it and move on.
This weekend is likely to be another tricky one - I'm going to a "Curry 'n' Quiz" night at the rugby club on Friday night and then it's England v Ireland to watch in the pub on Saturday afternoon, so lots of opportunity to consume excess Pro Points, if I'm lucky I'll Stay The Same at next week's weigh-in.
After this weekend there's no more excesses planned until Easter, when it's my birthday, so hopefully I'll resume the downward trend.
I'll report back next week, meanwhile good luck with your weight loss journey.
I suppose the reason I didn't post yesterday was that I was hoping to report a loss after a Sneaky Peak this morning - unfortunately the SP was an STS, so I guess I'll just have to accept it and move on.
This weekend is likely to be another tricky one - I'm going to a "Curry 'n' Quiz" night at the rugby club on Friday night and then it's England v Ireland to watch in the pub on Saturday afternoon, so lots of opportunity to consume excess Pro Points, if I'm lucky I'll Stay The Same at next week's weigh-in.
After this weekend there's no more excesses planned until Easter, when it's my birthday, so hopefully I'll resume the downward trend.
I'll report back next week, meanwhile good luck with your weight loss journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)