Boxing day....

So Christmas day... went to Church at St Nicholas which is my old Church. I saw lots of family faces even after 14 years, and lots of new faces. One of the people I saw was an old teacher of mine a guy called Aubry, this man was amazingly influential in my life and after the service (led by Rev David Tudor) I went and spoke to him for 5 minutes. The man is still amazing!! After Church I spent some time with My God Mother and we drank and remembered old friends and family members now gone. Quite emotional, but very needed. Had lunch with the family, my mums cousin Phil and myself swapping stories over the table, strangely enough, more alcohol was drank. Helped clear the table, walked my dog for a bit, then headed out to see some friends later on.
Spent the evening with Oddness Blog (can be found under my blog lists on the right) and his lady, the discussion did ebb and flow most of the evening helped along with absinthe and port, I had an amazing time. We watched Dr who then argued about how the hell the time lords could come back. Very Geeky... drank some more port... ate cheese and crackers... then argued some more about Dr Who... all in all, it was as close to a perfect evening as I can remember. So this is a big shout out to Dan and Kelly... THANK YOU!! Thank you for understanding what is going on in my life, thank you for listening and talking... thank you for not judging, but most of all thank you for being my mates... The world would be better with more people like you two in it.

Last night I slept properly for the first time in ages, not sure if it was the fact I relaxed, or the alcohol, but whatever it was, I feel much better today.

I agreed to fix my granddad's bathroom today, so I got up early and started looking around and making lists of what I would need and started getting down to stripping some tiles. I had to take an old studded wall out and replace it with a new one and re-tile it. I figured 2 days and it would be an easyish job for me. As I edged around the bath to get access to the wall, the floor gave way beneath my weight. After closer inspection, I discovered the whole of the floor has been eaten away by woodworm... so I phoned an old friend who had done some work for me 10 years before on another property. True to his form and even after not hearing from me for 10 years he is dropping everything to come over... now that is service and friendship!! So if you need anyone for damp or rot or wood worm then give Sterling Timber and damp specialists a try. Jim is a top bloke!!

Other than that... life on the Rock seems to carry on pretty much as it always has, I do miss this place, no matter where I have lived or what I have done this will always be my home. It just took me 33 years to realise it.

Be Well

Another month has passed.... oops

Hello one and all..... sorry I am so rubbish at posting these days, life does just get in the way...

Anyhow, I am down south in the mighty county of Essex, enjoying spending time with old friends and family. This year more than ever I need it, I am not going to go into details here just yet, maybe never, but this month has been one trial after another.

Normally I would be going insane and running around trying to put all the pieces back together, but not this time. I just relax and let it wash over me, knowing, deep inside somewhere, the world will continue on no matter what I do or don't do, and there is someone around who if I leave it up to them they will make sure everything turns out alright, even if I disagree with it at the time.

I went to church yesterday, to a christingle service. An old church of mine, West Leigh Baptist Church, it was totally awesome, it hadn't changed much and there were some people there that I knew very well 14 years ago who i hadn't seen since. People I loved, no do still love, for the time hadn't changed my feelings towards them. 14 years is almost half my life, and theirs as well, however, we recognised each other, spoke, hugged and I have to admit to crying a bit as well. I am going to meet up with him and his family sometime soon. It will be awesome and emotional.

Whilst down here I met up with another old friend, a guy called Pip Wilson, check his blog out!! I knew this man 16 years ago, and we have spoke via email for the last 5 years after I got back in touch as I needed him... and he answered and was there for me. I am working on my emotional literacy, and he has provided some tools to help, and an amazing amount of support. I have to ask you, how would you react if after 11 years, some strange guy who you worked alongside for a couple of years suddenly gets in touch and says HELP!! Would you help? Or would you turn away? I would like to think I would help, but I am not sure... Pip didn't even hesitate... and for that Pip, I love you.

All in all this year has been VERY up and down... but I am still here.



To those that I know, I love you. To those I don't, I love you too....

I hope everyone has a great time this Christmas. Share the love between you all.

I wish you all enough....

Natal

For those of you that are into geeky things... take a look at project Natal by Xbox 360.. I heard about it a couple of months ago during E3 and forgot to post about it, it was recently bought back to my attention again.

So here is a link to the site http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/

and for those of you that really dont know what I am talking about, watch this trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qlHoxPioM

It makes wii look slow, cumberson and a little outdated... however, they have not said how much this little box of magic will cost...

A long time (again)

Hello people, sorry once again for the delay in my postings... I know I am terrible...

Anyhow, a brief overview of what has happened...

After the fight in October I trained immensley hard for the world championships in Ireland.. I enjoyed the trip, I lost in the quater finals by 1 point, which is not so bad for my first year competing. I made a lot of friends on the trip and would like to shout out to all of the peeps on the England team, with a special thanks to Kenn Forrest (now WKC world Champion) who is just the nicest bloke alive! I hope you are well.

On top of that work has been keeping me busy, along with an injured muscle in my back which keeps going into spasm and causing immense discomfort. It has kept me out of the gym and the dojo, I am hoping to return to it this week. With all this my weight has crept up to 21 stone 12 lbs, the heaviest I have been for a while, I know I will drop it again, and I will have to start soon, I want to compete in the WAKO and WKC opens in February I think. So weight has to go again and the exercise has to start again lol.

The Diet Plate now has a new site, which is up and running and now allows affiliate sign ups!! Come and earn money for nothing by becoming an affiliate!! Club Diet Plate forums are also up and running people, so please register and come and talk to us about your weight loss journeys and experiances, good or bad.


Say hi folks and let me know your alive...

22 October 2009

So here we are again, I keep looking back at this blog and thinking I should update it, but I always seem to forget, or something more important gets in the way.

So anyhow, the fight, I was really nervous and yet excited, I warmed up with my coach Steve Primrose and I had caught sight of my opponent earlier in the day whilst we were being checked out by the Dr. He was a big lad, taller than me and as broad as I am, but I wasn't worried. I smiled at him, he didn't return the smile.

I went and had a walk round Kelham Hall, its a gorgeous place to hold anything, weddings, business meetings, or as it turns out, Kick Boxing fights.

The fight was approaching close, warming up, I was moving OK, felt good, was really looking forward to the event. I walked through to the ring, loads of people was smiling and saying good luck. I pause outside of sight from the crowd, and wait there for the music to enter the ring, my choice had got lost somewhere so the DJ played Hammer Time. After about 40 seconds I walk over the ramp and around the ring, I can see some people I know, and a lot of people I don't know. I pause by the ring and Steve steps past me and opens the ropes. I climb through and acknowledge the crowd, bow, then the ref is checking out my feet, gloves, box etc. Then we are called into the middle and for the first time Kirk (Paull) and myself come face to face, we stare each other down, I cant really hear what the referee is saying.

Then we go back to our corners and the bell goes. I came out slow in the first round and paid for it. I lead with my chin on one shot and Kirk repays me with the hardest punch I have ever felt!! I did well to stay on my feet and get my guard back up, but I took a standing 8 count for it. That woke me up and I realised I needed to do something, so I started fighting back, Kirk won the first round and I won the next 2 rounds. The kicks and punches were finding there mark, all I can really remember about it was the look on Kirks face, and the blood.

It was a really great fight and my heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone that supported me, especially Evade and Lions Pride Gyms for all the training and support, but especially to Kirk Paull as well, he was a great opponent, and I loved our time in the ring together, he even bought me a drink afterwards!!

Kirk I wish you all the best for the future, and who knows, we may well get to meet again!!

Other than the fight, I have been working and dieting, I am looking good as yet again my body begins to alter shape!! All this training and dieting is really beginning to pay off, my body is becoming less wobbly and everything is firming up nicely! I even have a rib cage and hips!!

17th October

Ok, so it isnt yet, but it is a red letter day of sorts, this is my debut full contact kickboxing ring fight, which is being held in Newark!!!

I am so looking forward to it, with a little bit of nerves. Whichever way it goes, it will be an experiance, and then off to Dublin on 30th to compete in the WKC World Championships, I am looking forward to it so much!!!

I will be back over the next few days updating info...

Hope everybody is well and let me know if you want tickets (its about a 2hour drive from Essex and about the same from manchester)

So no excuses people!!!

MAI Open Championships

Hello folks, sorry I have not been around much recently I will trya nd rectify that. I am still training hard with Stephen Primrose of Lions Pride and also doing some Cardio work out at Evade. Many thanks too everybody at both dojo's that have helped me get ready building up to the world championships next month.

This weekend I took part in the MAI open and got a bronze model



The fight was ok, I did ok and enjoyed myself. My coach was happy as well (which is the main thing as I dont get beasted)

Once again thanks to al the help preparing... Dublin on the 30th October to take part in the 1st WKC World Championships.

FRONT PAGE!!!!!

Scans of The Glossop Chronicle, I made the front page this week and page 4!!!!

Many thanks to everyone that has helped me on this journey, especially Stephen Primrose of Lions Pride, Dave Breed of Evade, The Diet Plate, FieryPhoenix , Life PR, and of course my family for all the support and understanding about fussy eating and training...

Slim at Home Magazine

HTC Hero - More Zero than Hero

I have had my HTC Hero since July 28th, at first I was happy and giddy about it, spent a while playing with it and learning how the phone works. I have always been a Nokia brat for the last 10 years, so it was very different. The OS is simple enough and navigation is ok, I love most of the features.

I do have a few problems with the phone tho, these are:

Camera is terrible, being 5mp I expectead a lot better, no flash, no backlight, unless its very light, your not getting a picture!! (Nokia beats this hands down)

Battery Life is terrible, especially if you use wifi, I have killed my battery in less than 90 minutes uploading pics to Fbook using the orange internet connection. Even on standbye I have yet had it last over 24 hours with minor useage. HTC Claim 750 hours???? I think not.

Signal strength seems to be another issue with a much lower signal than any Nokia I have had, even no service yet put my sim card into the N95 or 96 I have and it shows nearly 4 bars...

Ringer volume is terrible as well, and it keeps turning itself off and getting louder and quieter because of the position of the volume control button o the phone. Music player is rubbish if you want to use the phones speaker, although not too bad if you use headphones, again every Nokia I have ever had is better, and my mates iPhone kicks the Hero here.

I have spent some time searching apps etc on the internet for this phone, and there is a few, however, most of the stuff I would like for social media and multimedia is not available, I would have expectead a lot more of the social and multimedia items to be part of the OS and tied into the phone much tighter, at the moment the only IM tied into the phone is google talk.

In Short, if you want a different looking stylish very clean touch screen smart phone for business then the HTC hero is fine (as long as you carry your charger with you) If you want a decent camera multi media phone, then leave this phone well alone, you will be very dissapointed.

Just for the record I am sending this one back to Orange as I am within the 14 days!!!

Update....

Hi folks, sorry I have been so remiss at posting... lots going on. Mainly, the internet and phone system at work has been down for nearly 3 weeks with next to no support from the company that supplies them. In the end I had to fix the issue myself. Not really what I am trained to do but luckily, not to different from the systems I know. Anyhow, long story short, we are back in business!!! Everything seems to be working. No thanks to talk talk enterprises.... I really would not recommend them as a supplier to any business. they mmay be cheap but having failed to return over 8 phone calls when directors have promised to call back always makes me wonder.

Anyhow... what have I been up to? Well I did the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride for a charity called EETEP. It was a great day and I enjoyed most of the ride (the last few miles into a headwind wasnt so much fun) but we did complete it. Here is a picture of Phil Booth (EETEP Chairman) and myself at the finish.



Other than that I have had the dreaded Flu... and survived... but it left me out of shape physically and drained. Just getting back into the training and diet now, weight has crept up to 301lbs (21St 7lb or 136.8Kg's) this is too high as I need to get down to 120kilos to compete properly. So a few changes to the lifestyle has to be made. I will get there, I always do. Just need to stay focussed.

On top of that the funds and sponsorship for the WKC World Championships has not come through as easily as I thought, so I have paid for a lot of the stuff I need personally. I still need to raise about a £1000 to get there and get the equipment I need and as such the TCS has set up a donations page for me to use. So if you would like to help me get to the World Championships and represent my country, please feel free to follow this link and donate anything to help the cause. There is more information here on LionsPride website.

Training tonight, which I am looking forward to and an interclub competition with Evade on Sunday. I have done some photo shoots for magazines and newspapers this last month for The Diet Plate the system I used to drop my weight from 36 stone!!! Like any diet, it only works if you stick to it, but I find this diet easier to stick to than any other diets I have tried and will forever be grateful to them.

Erm thats about it in a nutshell... I will be back more now I hope!!!

Pics from photo shoot

New Pics,

Hi folks I promise I will post and catch up, had to do some photos for a magazine article, and thought I would throw a couple up lol.

Fit?

You're Very Fit

Congratulations, you're totally fit and doing everything right. Keep it up. You have a high fitness level. It's likely that keeping active keeps you healthy and happy. You're doing great things for yourself and inspiring others. Be sure to keep challenging yourself so you don't get in a fitness rut!

Are You Fit?

Still going strong

Hello one and all. Sorry for the break, life got a bit hectic!! As is the way of life, I guess.

Anyhow, as the title says, Im still going strong and training hard. Work is going well and everything is falling into place, slowly but surely.

I have no idea what my weight is, but people have started commenting on the fact that I am losing weight again, so I guess I am. :o)

As mentioned previously I am training hard, very hard. Stephen Primrose is pushing me hard and we had a great training session on Sunday with Tawatchai Budsadee. A great time spent with an amazingly experianced fighter. Many thanks for your time and comments!!!

The Diet Plate is working for me again, and I am begining to get used to using it all the time once more.

I think I will weigh myself next Monday, just to see how I am going, I want to get to 115 kilos or 18 stone 1 lb or 253 lbs, although not near this yet, I dont imagine it will take me too long with the Diet and the training. I am looking forward to yet again buying a new wardrobe!!

Man its warm...

This morning was warm, actually no, it was damn hot. Woke up hot and bothered, had a shower, still hot and bothered, wearing shorts again today (once again, apologies for the legs, but they really are not my fault) and a t-shirt. Just glad we have no official visitors in the office today and I dont have to wear a suit.

Took the car today as I have to drive to Macclesfield tonight to train after work. Im looking forward to it, I know its going to hurt and burn, but that does not worry me half as much as not being ready for November. Stephen will make sure I am ready for whatever comes. Im glad I took the car, I just remembered why I insisted on buying a car with air conditioning (sorry planet).

Food wise, Im having some up and down days, I need to get a handle on that. I will, just takes a bit of will power and refocusing, but I will get there. It doesnt help that the rest of the house is full of chocoholics so there is always plenty of the stuff laying around tempting me, and yet again last night I failed :o( I dont know why I did this time, I just fancied it. Normally its for comfort, but this time I was calm and resonable and not angry, yet I still reached for it. I guess you cant be perfect all the time huh? My main meals are still under control by using The Diet Plate. Last night I had a jacket potatoe, with cheese (low fat) and some tuna. It was yummy :o)

I have started reading again, sounds like a strange statement, but I used to devour books, hungry for the escapism or the knowledge they contained, but over the past couple of years I have just not been able to sit down with a good book and get into it. I decided last night I was going to re-read one of my favourite books. Dan Millman's "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" which is a book which has helped me massively in my past. I was surprised at how easy I found picking it up and getting into it. I enjoyed it very much.

So today, no cycling (my bottom will be happy about that) but a serious training session tonight at Lions Pride (my legs wont be happy about that!) All in all, not a bad day.

I hope you are all well and life is giving you enough.

Stay safe.

June 1st...

Wahooo June and it feels like summer is here, (must be summer as I have shorts on. Let me apologise for the legs, its not my fault, God gave them too me!) still cycling, and training hard. Weekend was great fun, weather was good, fixed some PCs and xbox 360's, enjoyed a BBQ, did some more cycling. Oh, was messing about in a pond as well, trying to get a pump and filter working properly. All in all, very good.

At the BBQ, I had one drink (cider) and a burger in a bun and a sausage. It was enough and enjoyed the time with good company and friends. Fell off it a bit last night as I had some chocolate covered raisins, and a toffee crisp. Dam, still with the exercise and the amount I have eaten this week I don't think it will bother me overly. :o)

So back on the bike this morning and back into work, and back to not eating chocolate.

Catch you soon...

Thank God Its Friday!!!!

Hello one and all... I hope you are well.

Today is Friday, which is no bad thing, I can do with a break of the weekend, although I get this strange feeling I am not going to get one...

I trained last night at Lions Pride with Stephen Primrose . It was a hard session for me, with 9 mins running for warm up and then 10 rounds of skipping!! Stephen gave me encouragement (erm, Im not sure thats the right word for it however, but it got me through to the 10th round) from the sides and I worked through the time trying to listen to everything that Stephen was telling em to do. I think I did ok, I couldnt have trained much harder or pushed any further as when finishing I was light headed and nauseus and fighting not to pass out. Which I guess is when you know you pushed hard. Shower and home. Sleep, shower, cycle to work. I enjoyed the cycle, the weather today is great and I am hoping I will get a chance to cycle tonight after training, well if it stays nice anyway.

As far as food goes, I am eating little and burning weight off. The Diet Plate makes my portion control so easy!! Loving the burn, loving the feeling, loving the result!!!

Oh what a lovely day...

Hello, back again sooner than I thought... :o) So, yesterday, left work, cycled home (up a very steep hill, which left me gasping and my legs burning) jumped into my car and headed off to Lions Pride for what turned out to be a very intense training session.

Shadow Boxing warm up (3 rounds)
Core exercises, using Medicine Ball (3 rounds)
Basics and combination drills (12 rounds)

Stretching (yes lots of these... and man did I need it)

Shower, home....

Worked hard and enjoyed the session, got a bit frustrated with myself on a few occasions as I could not seem to get certain moves right, I guess they will come with more training :o)

Anyhow... awoke this morning, bit stiff, hot bath, and back on the bike... another couple of miles before work, its not far, but it is a start. This evening from work I am meeting Phil Booth (Chairman of EETEP) and we are heading out to clock some miles up. I forgot how painfull cycling can be on the rump when you are not used to it...

Food wise, obviously the trusted Diet Plate is getting another bashing, and I havent weighed myself this week deliberately as I want to use my size and feeling more than my weight as a judgement. I will however weigh myself every couple of weeks to keep some form of record.

Hope it stops raining before tonight...

Be Well

Day 7... or is it?

Hello once again people... today is Day 7 of the diet and fitness regime, or is it? OK, so it was a bank holiday over here in the UK (which means a long weekend) and the weather was nice for a change, which never happens, so the weekend was spent eating the wrong foods and drinking far too much, not overly bad, but more than I normally would.

I trained Thursday night at Lions Pride but didn't make Friday due to some timing issues. Saturday I didn't do a lot, although I seemed to be running around all over the place. Sunday I packed and emptied my flat (several hours of running up and down 3 flights of stairs with heavy boxes!!!) and then Monday I cleaned my flat (several hours of rubbing, dusting, polishing and hoovering!! How are housewives over weight?)

So I didn't train much over the weekend, apart from the packing and cleaning. I also snacked a fair amount as I didn't have time to cook (the oldest excuse in the book!!!). I spent some time Saturday evening with Stephen Primrose, my coach and friend and looked at the training that I am doing and the amount of time till the World Championships and I had to agree to step it up again, and be more commited and focused on what it is I wish to attain.

So Tuesday, Day 7 (or is it day 1) This morning I rode my bike for the first time in ages, I did a few miles around the town before heading into work, I now have a sore bum!

This evening I am cycling home, jumping into my car then heading over to Lions Pride to get beasted by Stephen. Tomorrow morning I will ride to work, then tomorrow evening I am out riding with a friend Phil, the guy who runs EETEP as we are trying to get used to riding before July 12Th and Manchester to Blackpool bike ride. Thursday will see me riding, swimming and training again.

I hope to update you some more before Friday anyway, so I hope this finds you all well and smiling.

Stay safe and well.

Hmmm... day two.

Well today is day two, day one went ok, except for a couple of biscuits that snuck there way in during a meeting :o( Oh well, at least that was all...

I had fruit for breakfast, apple, grapes, orange, melon. It was lovely, clean and refreshing. For lunch I had a healthy chicken and bacon sandwich on wholemeal bread. In the afternoon I had 4 biscuits :o(. For tea I had a jacket potato with some beans on them.

I did very little exercise yesterday, except playing with a Funkey Hula available now from The Diet Plate. It was great, and very funny, slightly painful as well, mind you it does say wear a heavy top to stop the wheels bruising you to start with, being one for instructions, of course I ignored that and was wearing a light weight thin summer shirt.. yip it definitely bruises!! Other than that it was a good work out.

Today I have skipped breakfast, grabbing an apple from the shops on the way into work as I was running late, there is nothing to eat in the office, which is just as well as I am quite hungry right now. I will nip out for lunch and grab something fairly healthy. Tea will be a couple of pieces of fruit on the way to the Dojo and I will probably end up grabbing a cereal/nut bar as well for energy, as well as some water. Water is great, it helps with hunger and stops you from getting headaches and dehydrated... My biggest 2 pieces of diet advice for people on the go, 1) The Diet plate for easy portion control. 2) Drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day whilst dieting. Its really that simple.

Lets get it started....

Those that have followed this blog, know that I go on and off, hot and cold, especially where diet is concerned. I spent a long time loseing weight (seems like my whole life) and I lost a significant amount over the last 3 years (more than most of you weigh I bet!!!).

So where are we at? I started this 'new life' back at the start of 2007. Then I weighed a massive 36 and a half stone (511 lbs). Using several different diet techniques over relatively short periods of time untill I found The Diet Plate, which I then stuck to rigidly, I dropped weight down to 19 stone 9 lbs (275 lbs) a loss of 16 stone 12 lbs (236 lbs)!!!! I hit that weight and decided I had reached a place where I was comfortable so would lay of the diet for a while. I have put weight back on over the period of a year, and at times have started dieting again for a few weeks here and there. I went back up to 23 stone (322 lbs) about 5 weeks ago and decided enough was enough, putting aside excuses like lifestyle, being busy, not enough time to shop properly and prepare food (yes I am as guilty as anyone for those) I decided to dust the plate off and start again. Today I weighed in at 21 stone 10 lbs (304 lbs) a loss of 18 lbs in 5 weeks, so thats ok. :o)

I am also involved with a charity called EETEP and have agreed to do the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride with them on July 12th (watch this space for sponsorship details!!!) which is a 60 mile ride through what I can only imagine to be quite hilly country... so I guess it is time to get the bike out and put the car away for a while. :o) (That will help with the environment as well :o) and the savings on fuel too...).

On top of that most of you will be aware that I qualified for the England Kick Boxing Team this year and on October the 30th the team and I are off to Ireland to take part in the World Championships!!! I have neglected my training recently due to several personal issues which have needed addressing, now things are addressed (not sure if that is gramatically correct) it is time to train hard. I have to step my training up from twice a week to at least 4 days in the dojo with Stephen Primrose and hopefully 2 days spent riding a few miles. This will up my calorie burn as well as using The Diet Plate to bring my calorie intake down, and yet keep the correct balance of food groups so I dont starve my muscles of much needed vitamins and minerals to help them recover.

Starting Wednesday 20th May, I will try and blog at least every other day. This helps me stay focussed more than anything else, as well as giving me a place to vent frustrations!!

I hope you are all well...

The Diet Plate, final cut.

The same video, but the final edit...



Again many thanks to developmedia for there help.

Is it just me or do I sound distinctly London????

Me at The Vitality Show 2009

The Video below is a first attempt. It was recorded at The Vitality Show 2009 in Earls Court Hall 2. Its one of the first pieces I have ever had to do and was nerve racking!!! However, it could be worse. In it I discuss how The Diet Plate works and my weight loss.



Many thanks to Developmedia (Ian and Kevin) for there very valuable time and assistance in shooting this film and putting it together.

The Vitality Show

Hello, I am back :o)

The Vitality Show was a great success, and a wonderful time as well. I got to meet lots of new and exciting people (and some not so new, but equally as exciting). I enjoyed the time I had there and I loved talking to people about thepsychology of eating and over eating, the diet plate and my success with the system. It was great. I am looking forward to the next exhibition, whenenver that will be.

Here are a couple of pics of the stand from vitality, it looked really good and I was pleased with the response.

The Vitality Show

Hello people.... I hope all of you are well.

The Diet Plate will be exhibiting at The Vitality Show in Earls court Hall 2. I am running the exhibition for them, so if you want to pop in and see us or come down to the exhibition for a massive saving on buying the system then please do.

Stay safe and I will post again once I am back.

Spring is here!!!

Yay... well it feels like it over the last 2 days... lets hope it lasts.

Have paid my deposit for the World Championships now, I am excited about it, we leave on the 30th October... I am a bit annoyed about the fact we have to pay (and its not cheap) to represent our own country in an international competition. We also have to pay for our training (even with the England coach's) our board, our equipment, even our countries uniform (tracksuit etc). All in all a poor show really...

Still... Im still going :o)

Anyone with any ideas for raising funds or sponsorship please get in touch!!!

Hope your all well.

My Birthday

Wahooo...... today (9th March) is my birthday... so I should be happy, joyous, excited... generally in a good place...

And I am in some ways, and I am not in others...

Looking back over this year, it has been an exciting time, I have had high highs, and low lows... but I guess the same could be said of every other year. Still... it could be worse.

This year I have:

got engaged to my best friend,
made the England Kickboxing team,
came third in the English open,
Held my weight steadyish,

so all in all a good year...

I smile looking back, and wait in trepidation looking forward. This year is a huge year in my life, if all goes well I will compete in the World Championships for my country, get married to my best friend, move house and sort out my finances... so a lot to look forward too. :o)

I cant wait....

I just want to take this moment to remember the people that I have lost this year, friends and family, you will always remain in my thoughts and my heart.

Midweek...

Hello all, what an exciting week so far!!!!

Firstly the weekend, I took part in the WKA English open. I made it to the semi finals and finished 3rd. I got a Bronze medal and picked for the England squad!!! Wahoo!!!



Then on Tuesday, I had a researcher from the BBC spend some time doing a camera test with me for a program they are doing on weight loss, they thought my story was great and I am waiting to hear if I made it into the program and if so when I have to go and do it for real!!!

Have lapsed on the diet these last few days, all the excitment and the tiredness, has done my me in, I think tis due to the adrenaline, loads of it on Sunday, as you fight and wait and fight and wait, then with the BBC again, I didnt think it was that bad till afterwards when I noticed my hands shaking lol...

I loved it...

Anyhow, will keep you informed as I know more...

Two days to go...

Hello all, sorry for the neglect of this blog, it has not been my main focus as of late. So I am going to update people quickly, and then after Sunday, I wil start writing in more depth once again.

Weight has come down a fair amount, not 100% sure what it is at right now, but I am back below the 300lbs mark, thanks to hard training and The Diet Plate. Training is hard and takes up a lot of my time now, but I am enjoying it.

This weekend is the biggest challenge I have faced in a long time as I am taking part in the WKA British Open. Its light contiuous, so no rests or breaks. It will be tireing and fun. For this particular event its kicks above the waist and punchs, no knees or elbows.

Anyhow.... hope to catch you all soon...

Stay well and safe

A week down the road....

How time flies when your having fun....

Or how time flies when your not.... strange reallly..

Anyhow, havent weighed myself today, I forgot if I am honest... Training is up and down like a yoyo, still having injury problems and my back is causing me grief yet again. Its unreal I can go two or three days without a niggle, then I will twist or lean over to get something and bang the pain is excrutiating.

I was feeling good yesterday, did some light training, nothing not even a twinge.. great I thought back to full training tomorrow. Last night in bed I lent over to reach something off of the bed side table and wham, pain shooting right up and down my back. The pain is so intense it takes my breath away, and I cant move. I have to literally drag myself around, using my arms and hands to turn myself over, not fun at all.

I got little sleep last night even after the pills. It hurts loads.... This morning I got up and went swimming, I did 62 lengths, not my normal to be fair, but my back was ok whilst swimming it was just getting out of the pool that it hurt. So non load bearing exercise seems fine. I am begining to worry now about the fight, as I am not 100% convinced I am going to be well enough to compete at this rate.

I have popped some more pills today and I am going to try and do some light training and boxing drills tonight, and see how I go. I am thinking perhaps a massage or a sauna may help as well.

Anywyas diet is going ok and I will weigh myself tomorrow morning now. So check back for an update...

A long way to go...

Hello, I know it has been a while since I last posted, but I have been on a rocky road... I have left myself in a right state. I had some personal issues that had to get sorted; all of my own making as well.... which meant the end of last year and start of this year saw my focus being diverted to other things. I then started training for the fight I have on February 15th, for which I have to be 266lbs, first training session of the year I pull a ham string, which left me hobbling around for about a week. I then caught the dreaded lurgy, which laid me down low for over a week...

All in all not a good start, what’s worse, I jumped off the diet and comfort ate for about a fortnight, having restricted myself over the Christmas period. I have piled weight on, over a stone in 10 days, and find my self back at 312lbs. Eating and sleeping patterns have been disturbed, no training... lol... all in all not a good start....

I went to bed early last night, laid there looking at the ceiling and started crying. It has been a long time since I laid there crying, and not something I would normally admit too. After a few minutes, I started laughing, my life is full of ups and downs, but its the ups and downs that makes life so much fun. I am not in a good way or anywhere near ready for a fight, however, I have just over 4 weeks, and I can do this. I have done it before and I would do it again, and I will succeed in doing it this time. It’s not easy and not even recommended to do what I am about to, there is a risk of injury as well.

I went through the house this morning and threw out all foods that weren’t fresh or organic. I dug The Diet Plates out of the cupboard, and started planning my meals for the week. At 6am, I headed down to the local pool and swam for an hour, averaging about 40seconds a length, so I did somewhere between 90 and 100 laps. My arms and stomach are sore, but movable, and I enjoy the burn. Tonight when I finish work I am heading for the dojo (Lions Pride @ Macclesfield) to train with Steve Primrose. That’s going to be hard; Steve will work me extremely hard and doesn’t take failure well... I am looking forward to it, and I am nervous as well. I hope the knee and hamstring hold up, I am sure they will.

So this is me, my New Year starts here, the 13th January. I am at my heaviest for a while now at 312lbs, and need to be 266lbs. so 46 lbs to lose, it will come over really fast with the training and diet over the first couple of weeks, and then it will slow down.

I am finally focussed on what I have to achieve and I am looking forward to the challenge....

Be Well

Happy New Year

Heres wishing everyone a great and prosperous 2009.

Be Back soon.

Merry Christmas

Just a short note, I will post longer next week. Just wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. Stay safe and be well, may this Christmas bring you happiness and joy and may 2009 be the best year of every ones lives.

Diet is going well and I look forward a good result in the coming weeks....

x

Another day Older...

Morning people.....
Right, this morning I over slept, so didn't train, didn't run, didn't do a lot really, took my pills and supplements. Chugged a litre of water and ran out of the door (OK after a shower and getting dressed) got into work and ran straight into a brick wall. OK not literally. Problems with systems and some changes we are doing is giving me a headache... not as much as someone else I am sure. So that's the day so far, which means I now have to train tonight :S YUK!!! Although hopefully I might have found a boxing coach, time will tell.

So bad start to the day.... Good news, a friend has completed her adoption of a beautiful young girl ! Wahoo.... and My Brother and his wife have had a beautiful little girl, arrived at 1:24am (19Th December) and weighs in at 7lb 9... Many Many congrats Bro.... :o)

I feel ethereal today.... hmmm I think I may blog later, dont really feel like it now...

Stay Safe

Feeling like poo

Hello, I went to bed early last night, was actually in bed for 9 band went to sleep about 10:30ish, woke up at 5:30am and got my stuff together for the day and headed out the door. Jogged for about a mile maybe just over, sprinted a hill and then jogged down to the swimming pool. Swam 50 lengths (25m pool), still feeling good... Got dressed, got home, shower, change of clothes and off to the bank. This is where it all went horribly pete tong (wrong). Walking down the road I started feeling, I dont know, stomach churning. THen my stomach cramped, not too hard at first, and I walked through it, then harder and harder the cramps came. I got to the bank and did what I had to then slowly made my way home, not feeling so great tho...
I took some pain killers and antispasmodic drugs which I happen to have lieing around... and walked quite slowly into work.
I'm sat here now, still not feeling great, and still suffering from the cramps, although they have abated they have left me feeling very sore and delicate. I have no idea why I had an attack like that, but I guess it will either fix itself or it wont. If I dont feel any better by this evening I wont train, if I do I will... simple, why complicate life?

So Christmas is fast approaching, and I have to make some decisions. I am sure it will be good whatever I decide. Looking forward to catching up with old friends and family I haven't seen and at the same time dreading it. I hope you all have a great time and stay safe.

Tis that time

YUK!!!! I hate having a cold... I don't normally get ill so I am a lot worse than most peeps when I do get a cold, I know this and I know I am terrible to be around when I feel like poo... so I shut myself away and veg...

Anyhow weigh in..... 21 stone 10 lbs, or 304 lbs or 137kilos, depending on what country you live in... all of them spell fat.... overweight... obese... Yes I am being harsh, but I have to be. I have a long journey to go and I am running out of time. I started training this week, properly training, running in the mornings, dojo in the evenings, and then wham...a cold... feel sorry for yourself time... stop training... sit on sofa feel sorry for yourself... eat chocolate, feel guilty for eating chocolate, feel sorry yourself... you get the picture....

So at the moment I feel sorry for myself... I hate myself, I don't know how long its going to take me to get my head straight, until my head is straight I am just playing at training... GRRRRRRR

I don't have a lot of time to be fair, February 15Th is fast approaching... too fast.. I know I will do it, I always do... I have set the dates of 1st Jan to be at 21 stone Maximum, and this is the day I am stopping smoking... so be warned..!!!
1st Feb I want to be at 19 stone maximum, tho 18 and a half would be better..

I ran again this morning, not very far as I ended up doubled up and coughing, cold air on the lungs when you have a cold apparently is not good... who knew? lol

A mixed bag today... at least weight is moving in right direction... even if it is slower than I would like...

Stay safe

The week before Christmas...

Well Kind of lol... the last full working week I should say... I think I am in the office on Monday next week as well... but then that’s it till the 5th January. Wahoo... a break, it is sorely needed.

So Christmas, that wonderful glittery (cold) festive (drink too much) time of the year where we get to have fun (see drink too much) and catch up with family members (who normally you wouldn’t spend 5 minutes in the same room) who we haven’t seen all year....

But it’s not all bah humbug... I love Christmas as much as the next person, if not more, ok I agree it has become overly commercialised and the media has turned it into a crazy shopaholics holiday, for that must have gift. Even taking all that into account I still love it. Even though this year I am on my own for Christmas day, I still love it. I love the fact that people smile at you, for no apparent reason, I love the fact that people are nice to you (mostly) for no apparent reason, it is still a time of good will towards all men (ok and women...) lol.

So how am I going to fair over Christmas dieting... I have already accepted numerous offers for 'Christmas drinks' as the locals refer to a right good knees up and party, and I am already beginning to wonder how I am going to deal with all the rich food and drink that is waved under my nose. Until the day comes I won’t know. I am planning on eating just before attending so hopefully I won’t feel like partaking in the food and hopefully not too many drinks. I have planned on changing my drink from vodka and coke to vodka and slim line tonic, hopefully this will help as well. (Also this means I can drink sparkling water and pretend I am joining in, clever huh?)

Training, the Bain of my life... smiles, ok so it’s not that bad. Found myself back in my old dojo this weekend, and to be honest as much as I loved it, I was also sad. I trained fairly easy, and did several rounds of sparing, didn’t get gassed (panting) which surprised my training partner after such a long lay off, and kept my wits about me. It was a good workout but one I am quite sore from, and I am now sporting a nice black eye as well. Happy Christmas.
I ran into work this morning which took me about 12 minutes it’s roughly a mile and a half so not too bad, and I am planning on running home afterwards as well. Tomorrow morning I am planning on jogging to the pool (about a mile and a half, uphill) doing 30-40 lengths and then jogging to work (about a mile and a half, with a 700 yard steep drop down) tomorrow evening I am getting picked up (hopefully) and going to train with Steve Primrose at Lions Pride. It has been a while since I have trained with Steve and I am both looking forward to it and dreading it in equal measures. As I am sure Steve is as well.

That’s about it for now....

Stay well

Bring it on

Hi folks, haven't stuck particularly well this week to the diet, too many guests and meals out etc... haven't trained hard either but at least I have done some...

Weigh in today 22stone... a loss of 1 lb from last week.

Fight is confirmed for 15Th February and I now have a massive 4 stone to shift or 56lbs. I will do it.
The match is being held at Stalybridge and is between Antony Parker and myself, we are boxing which Antony used to be the regional heavyweight champ, and I have no experience at, so should be fun.

Its all for charity, so please get in touch if you want to buy a ticket or want to donate and I will tell you how.

More to follow, along with hopefully some accounts of the new gruelling training schedule...

Be Well....

Weigh in

OK folks, here goes.... as you know (if you read this blog) I lost a massive amount of weight then lost something, maybe I did plateau or maybe I lost drive and vision... either way, although the weight isn't piling on I am now struggling again, so its decision time... I have decided this, it is time to get back on The Diet Plate.

This week sees me starting to build up to training again, and I cant wait. I need the focus and drive and determination it gives me to centre myself. I have a fight in February for charity (15Th) and I need to be at a certain weight to compete. This weight is 4 stone 1 lb from where I am now... so its time to dig out The Diet Plate again, and start putting in the hard slogs at training to shift this weight, as quickly as possible really... although crashing weight isn't a good idea, the sooner I hit the weigh in mark the sooner I can concentrate on regaining muscle and energy levels.

So whats my weight? 22 stone 1 lb (139.8 kg) or 309lbs.

I am sad at being here, OK so its a long long way from where I started, but I have been lighter as well....

I will be back.....

Grrrrr

Hello one and all.... OK so maybe the I'm Back comment was a bit soon lol... I have been back and out of hospital except a couple of brief visits, and I am doing OK, I am annoyed at the fact that nothing does what I tell it to anymore. I went swimming this week for the first time since the op, and I would normally do 50 lengths as a warm up, then go training. I crawled (and yes I mean on all fours) out of the pool after a miserly 30 lengths. I wouldn't mind but I didn't attack it, I just calmly and slowly did the 30 lengths, mainly breast stroke with 1 in 5 crawl lengths. What I would consider to be fun... it sucks. Still I guess its a challenge and I like them apparently... so just one more hurdle to overcome.
Steve (my coach) and Amanda have had a beautiful baby, and I have yet to make it round to see her, well I doubt they would have liked the flu bugs I have had... but now I am a bit better I will get over to see them all..
Steve fights this weekend in the contender Asia series, and I know he is looking forward to it, as I am at seeing him compete in it. It is the biggest Thai competition in the world to date...

Good luck Steve

I will weigh in on Monday :S Not looking forward to that at all...

Stay safe

I'mmmmm Baaaaaaaack :o)

Hello one and all... I am back finally....
The operation, well it went.... Nursing staff were great.. I woke up in recovery with a bloke called Shamus (Excuse the spelling) standing over me with a huge black eye... I jokingly asked, what hit you? He responded, you did... Apparently, I awoke earlier in some pain and whilst he was trying to give me drugs (I like him already) I punched him half way across the floor... (Sorry Shamus if your reading this) it then took 8 nurses to restrain me to the bed whilst I screamed and generally acted an idiot... Thankfully I don't remember any of that.
I was in a lot of pain (especially for a procedure I was told wouldn't hurt!!!) and ended up on 30mg of morphine every hour... which was fun for a couple of days. After finally seeing the surgeon who promised everything was fine, and could only attribute the pain to the amount of muscle tissue they had to cut through (apparently I have about 3x the normal amount of muscle) and a few days bed rest I was up and out. 2 weeks bed rest I was told... so I moved house 3 days later, decorated the new flat, went travelling round the UK... and generally done everything I was told not too... well except training... and that is beginning to do my head in as well. So I am now at the end of my time off andf still in some considerable discomfort, tho thankfully no where near as bad as it has been.
Today is my first day back at work and I am looking forward to actually doing something, rather than sitting around whilst everyone says are you OK? I have put some weight on and now I can actually move and don't feel too bad, I am going to start on the diet again.. I am up to a whopping 307lbs... so not good... I want to get down to 230ish... in an ideal world but have to be at 252 by February for a fight. Its going to be tough until mid December when I can start training again but better to start now than leave it till then.

Lets see... other than that... hello to all... stay safe in this world and take care.

The Phone Call....

came today at 15:30... it was the hospital... I go in tomorrow for my Gall Bladder op... Which is good, because it Will mean I can get back to training early in December instead of January. Which seeing as how I have a boxing match in Feb for charity, is no bad thing really...
I don't have a great history with anesthetics, so I am quite nervous about the op... but I am sure I will be fine...

I should be back by Monday at the latest... the op is Thursday, tho I have to go in Wednesday... and I should be out Friday if nothing goes wrong. Failing that, it will be Monday...

Stay safe one and all

Its a Monday... and I am ill...

I hate being rough.... it was a good/long/rough weekend... good friends fine wine (maybe too much) and food... at least I think there was food... I don't really remember eating to be honest except for a small pizza on Saturday night and a cooked Breakfast Sunday morning... so maybe I didn't overdo the food...I did overdo the wine, and combined with the dodgy eyes have been suffering a migraine now for two days.. and its getting worse.. I feel constantly sick and my head feels like it is in a vice and someone is tightening it...

Weigh in day... and I forgot, so will weigh in tomorrow.. nothing would surprise me, except a big loss... No training last week and none this week, but at least then I can start doing fitness training, although cant take blows... I knew not training was going to be hard... on me mentally as well as physically.. I have gotten used to eaten quite high calories and burning through them by training harder. This I need to stop again...

Mentally I am coping... just.. I need to get moved, get my life sorted and back on track and get preparing for both the Gall Bladder op and a boxing match in February... the fitter i am for both the better...

By coping, I mean surviving... well existing... OK I don't think I am gonna spend too much time trying to figure this out... it is a Monday after all and I haven't had much sleep... I know this as I am hallucinating... dam....

My eye hurts....

Well, three days after the LASEK surgery and my eyes feel like someone has rubbed grit into them... the lens is irritating my eye and it hurts..... lots... Vision comes and goes... some times its really sharp and great and in focus, but most of the time its blurry... I think its the lens.. tomorrow I will know as it comes out.

Other than that I am doing OK, I gained 2 lb this week... :o( and I can not train for a while now so I am worried about that.... but I am sure it will work out.

stay safe...

Here we go again.....

Today is Wednesday... I weighed myself Monday and I had lost wait for it.... drum roll... 1 lb.... go figure... I know why. The weekend was great, was a brilliant time with some brilliant friends. Went swimming on Saturday, if you can call aqua splash swimming.... more riding tubes and going round and round on the lazy river, than swimming but it was fun none the less.
I eat like a horse tho... lots of takeaways and fried breakfasts... I know I know I shouldn't have... still it was fun and i still lost weight.

The office isn't freezing today thankfully... its nice and toasty and warm :o) So that's a bonus. I haven't trained this week, I have been busy with work instead, which is not good... I have my eye operation on Monday morning and that will take me out for a while...
Then November 13Th I have my Gall Bladder operation. So that will take me out till December at least.

I have accepted a boxing match for charity in January against an old friend who used to be really good... lets hope he doesn't punch my head off!!!!

I hope you are all well.

Stay Safe

F F F F F F F F F Friday.......

Its F F F F F F F F Freezing in the office... I am sure there's a law against having to work in these conditions... the temperature is so low I cant feel my fingers whilst typing... thank god for spell checker....

Anyway today is Friday... and I am heading off early... as I have a train to catch. Its too cold up North so I am heading South for the weekend... hopefully to warm up a bit... I am looking forward to getting away from it all for a little while. A break is the right thing to be having now.. recharge the batteries slightly and away we go again... :o)

As far as diet goes, I am doing OK this week.. couple of hard training sessions and sensible eating should see me maintain the weight loss... :o) lets just hope I don't blow it over the weekend... I am not taking my plate with me so I wont be using that. To be fair I am not too worried, as I said before this weekend is for relaxing and catching up with some friends.

Lets just hope the trains run on time and there are no problems...

Have a great weekend and I will catch you all soon....

Stay safe

Weigh In

Following on from my post earlier, I have weighed in today at 137.6 Kilos, a total loss for the week of 3.4 kilos. Now that's a good start!!!!

Monday.....

OK its a Monday... which means weigh in day. So later on I will be weighing in. I'm not really nervous, I did really well this week, right up till the weekend. :o( Still could have been worse I guess.

Life is its usual hectic self for me at the moment, with an added twist... I need to move out of my house and find somewhere else to live. My marriage has broken down, it has done for some time, but we managed to remain friends and live together. The last few weeks it has been getting worse and worse and culminated yesterday in us having a chat and I have been asked to leave the house. I'm very sad at this, it means a lot that I cant live with my son (well OK step son, but I think of him as mine). On top of this there is financial issues as well, which needs to be sorted out. Its a shame it has come to this, but I guess it had to eventually.

So feeling down a bit today, and had a crap nights sleep.

Still life goes on...

Hope you are all well in cyber space....

Dam the Aneshetist

Dam dam dam.... I didn't have the op on Monday, as the aneshetist pulled it... I have to go to a different hospital to have it done... So my op is now scheduled for the 13Th November.

That aside, I weighed in on Monday at a massive 141 kilos, or 22stone 3lbs for the more traditional of you... so this week I have been looking at diet and exercise, and reworking my days so that I have a bit more control... I'm not saying it will work, but its worth a go, after shedding all that weight I am not about to climb back up there...

Anyhow, I hope you are all safe...

the last supper....

OK so that may be slightly melodramatic... but tomorrow I go into hospital for an operation. I am having my gall bladder removed, a fairly serious yet common enough bit of surgery. I am feeling nervous about it... I have had several operations in my life, and I have died on the table at every single one. I do not do anesthetic particularly well it would appear.
I have made the pre op nurses aware of this and it is written on my notes for handing in tomorrow morning as well. I have also requested a consultant anesthetist, so hopefully all will be well.

I have no idea what I weigh at the moment and I don't really care. I will sort that side out after the op. I hope to be back by Wednesday or Thursday... so take care everyone...

see you soon...

Dam..... what a week or 10 days lol

Yes I know I know, I suck at blogging... sorry all... its been a strange few days, well 10 of them to be precise...

I am going into hospital on Monday for an operation, so had my pre op this week... that was lots of fun.. not.

Had a fight on the 14Th, which got cancelled so trained hard for nothing, which was upsetting... to make it worse I got a fight on the 28Th and I cant compete now because of this operation on the 22ND. Following this op I have some more laser eye surgery on the 13Th October, which will effectively see me out of training for some time, probably till November/December, which means I probably wont be competing now till January.

As for weight, since the fight got blown out at the weekend, I haven't stopped eating, which is bad, very bad.. and as such I have gained some lb's.. not loads but enough that I notice it. I have decided that with the stress in my life at the moment not to worry about it this week. I am going to get the op and as soon as I know that's fine, as I cant train, I am going to strip some weight off and stop smoking, (yeah yeah I know again lol).

This time I have a date to work towards, and I think it will be OK. So be warned everyone that knows me and talks to me... I will be ratty as hell and then some :o)

Anyhow, I hope this finds you all well and look forward to catching up with you all soon...

Stay Safe

Tired, oh so tired..

Morning folks, God I am tired... it has been a hectic week. Remind me never to blog I am bored again....

Lets see... Thursday I decided to take the staff from work and shoot them... OK I didn't, but it did cross my mind... I decided that it was time to do a stock check, change the way we operate (In the warehouse) and change the Warehouse around. It started out fine, and 9 hours later it was finished. I missed training Thursday morning because I knew it was going to be a long job. The lactic acid that I still had in my thighs got burnt away fairly quickly throwing boxes (sorry, placing boss, honest) and moving palettes around... and I got quite the workout. Anyhow its all done. I headed home black from head to foot, and jumped into a hot bath to soak (after a brief shower to get the black off) listening to Amy Winehouse and Sarah McLachlan.

An hour later (yes an hour, I said soak and I am from Essex) I felt like the world was suffocating me. This black feeling invaded my own space and I was left wondering what the point to it all was. I have noticed over the last week, well to be fair over a lot longer than that, that my mood has altered, and I cant shake this feeling of dispare, foreboding its strange and worrying.


Friday arrives, I so don't want to get out of bed... my body aches, not working hard aches but flu like aches.. still I pull myself out of bed and go in to work. One of my work colleagues goes home ill within an hour of being there. I lasted till 1pm then said enough I'm going... so left work early. Saw a friend and then came home. Feeling tired and emotional, obviously I did the right thing of going to bed and paracetamol etc.... NOT!!! I Built a PC desk, went for a drive, ate a load of sweets... (AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH) the scary thing was I didn't want them, I really didn't... but feeling low, I reached for the sugar.... god I need help sometimes... Oh well... I then compounded the issue by not training and then eat a huge tea. So all in all a bad couple of days for the diet.

So now to this morning... wake up still achy, knowing I got a hard training session ahead of me this afternoon. Need to eat right and rehydrate my body as well as start it moving... so I go downstairs looking for suitable hydration and refreshment... walk past the fruit and the bottles of water, grab a cappuccino (which I haven't drunk in months) and spy my sons half eaten box of pringles... its OK there wasn't that many in them... honest :$
So now I am sat here wondering why I have firmly hit the self destruct button this week, and wondering if I am capable of stopping this relapse before it becomes a collapse? Why I have done this, and if i am really physically ill or if its a psychological aspect because I am feeling low....

Oh well, the pondering of a Thai Boxing fatty for you all to read....

Hmmmm

Hello... Wednesday, Midweek... OK so I am bored.... but shh don't tell the boss lol...

I trained yesterday twice, once at Evade (which is undergoing some major renovations and installing a fitness suite, whatever one of them is) and again at The Chi Centre in Macclesfield with Steve Primrose... both were very different but good sessions. Heavy pad work session at Evade, and lots of fitness training and conditioning with Primo... All in all today my body aches... not the excruciating build up of lactic acid I suffered a while ago after training at Beast Masters, but it aches, my quads ache and so do my forearms.

So training is back on track... wahoooo... well for this week anyway. Tom Cox, from Evade asked me to go to his lesson tonight as they are sparing, and I am going to try and make it, although I know the timing is going to be tight...

Food... well actually the food side is going OK, I did eat some stupid sugary jelly sweets yesterday, as I missed my evening meal and got hungry and snacked... Dam... Note to all diet followers out there, don't skip meals.... note to self... try harder and do better...
The Diet Plate portions are back on track and I am using the plate and bowl regularly, and I am feeling better for it as well. Just goes to show what balance of food does for your body.

September the 24Th there is a seminar in London by Dan Millman, at the mind body spirit festival, it costs £40 and that's without travel and sorting out digs for the night... :o( So as much as I want to go I guess I wont be... Would be great to meet the man and listen to what he has to say. His books have helped me no end. Especially the now much acclaimed Way of the Peaceful Warrior series...

A quick note of thanks to Claire for the advice and help and kind comments. You can read her blog here

Weigh in...

Hello one and all..... today is weigh in day.... I'm feeling OK tho have just realised I ate breakfast before weighing in... dam... oh well... enough excuses... today I weigh 299lbs which is a loss of 2lbs in a few days, which is great. Not quite a week... so I am pleased with it :o)

Smiles....

Training hard as well... very hard, only 2 weeks till the fight... and now I am getting nervous... don't feel well enough prepared, although I guess self doubt is natural.

Check out waiting for weightloss blog on my blog roll, its well worth a read.

How it hurts....

Is today really the 1st of September? Wow, how the year flies when your having fun.... or indeed when your not as well. :o(

Life is OK I guess, and I think I am doing OK on the diet, for some reason a massive sense of self doubt has started pervading into my life, and I have no idea why... not just for the diet, but in all aspects. This is very unlike me and is something I really detest.

So I need to sort this out and get a handle on it as soon as possible... Those that know me are aware that I suffered from severe depression over a number of years... and I am determined not to slide back into it... ways that I deal with this is to train harder, and after getting a telling off for not training hard enough, perhaps I should step it up... After all there is a competition on the 14Th September that I am fighting in, hopefully.

Will weigh myself tomorrow... so see you then...

Stay Safe

Another week down...

Ok folks... I am back, and I am back on the weight loss trail.... having spent some time in hospital, and being laid up I have gone back up to 301 lbs. Due mainly I think to inactivity and eating too much... well ok and the wrong foods... so weighed myself on Tuesday, and dug out the diet plates again and I am back on it...

Will get back into the habbit of posting as well I am sure...

So.... Stepping hill Hospital....

So, I was admitted to Stepping Hill Hospital Ward B3 on the 11th of August... its not a bad ward as far as hospital wards go. In fact if you ever get in there try and get moved to the balcony ward, its actually very pleasant lots of natural sunlight and the windows open!!!
This post is my diary of what happened in there... I wrote it whilst I was in hospital in a little notebook, a pretty pink colour, but then I was on morphine, it is bright and probably attracted me....

11th August
I was admitted to ward B3 in the morning. I was nil by mouth till 4pm then I had the lovely award of tea!!!


As you can see it is a great meal... Shepherds pie and a side serving of instant mash... absolutely no vegetables in sight.... not a single one.... when asked I got told that there was none left... So let me get this right... I am in an institute of health, protecting our well being and they cant even serve food that meets the basic survival requirements of our bodies?




It has too be said, the nurses were absolutely superb, they were professional yet caring, funny and kind. Tho to be fair I don't remember much of the daytime staff, due to the morphine running round my system.

12th August

The nights sleep was disturbed, not by anyone but by painkillers and by the fact that I was longer than the bed was... still it was comfy enough.. I finally became aware of the pain at about 6:30am. I asked for pain relief and was given morphine, the tablets that I normally take were promised to follow shortly, I finally got them at 10am.
Breakfast this morning was served, well dumped in front of me... it was weetabix and a quarter bottle of milk and a spoonful of sugar... literally.

I asked for fruit, however, that was not available...

My meds were changed from Morphine to Oromorph 10mg. It didn't seem to work as well when dealing the pain. I let the nurse know whose response was, well that's what your perscription has changed too. Apparently it is safer than breaking the skin with a needle...

Lunch was Sausage and Onion with Saute Potatoes, i had ordered it with baked beans, but guess what? No beans...

Anyhow, I had asked about my other drugs that were per scribed to me, Lanzoprazol and Diclofenac, as of yet still to receive these drugs... as the diclofenac is supposedly the best drug for dealing with this type of pain, I was a bit annoyed.

16:40 I finally got a jug of water, over 24 hours after being admitted to the ward!!! Wahooo. At this point I figured I was on a role so asked for pain killers... certainly 5 minutes. God life is good... however when I requested them again at 17:30 and told 5 minutes I was less enthusiastic. Finally at 18:30 I got my pain killers... it was superb, out of pain for a bit... I asked for morphine, the nurse looked like I had slapped her. It was far too much trouble... Which has to be said was unusual for the nurses on that ward, and was the only time one of them made me feel bad about asking for something.

However the relief was shot lived, I asked for more morphine at 20:15 and told I couldn't have it till 20:30 as it had to be 2 hours between. I asked another nurse at 20:30 who said I couldn't have it. I argued the toss and she went away to check. She came back and got the meds for me... thankfully... it was a bad day today. All the time today the staff made me feel like I shouldn't be here, or that I was too much trouble to deal with, at one point I even got the impression they didn't believe me about the pain I was in. Its horrible.

The Oromorph doesn't sit well with me and doesn't seem to be as effective, it doesn't seem to kill the pain either... Fortunately the night shift is on now... they are great.

13th August

Today is the day of my CT scan. I have been asking about it all of yesterday and was told there was some prep and that was it. Well Lynne (from the night staff) came and told me about the prep and she was great. Sinni (please forgive the spelling) put a cannula in. I had no breakfast as the scan was at 09:30. Jacky brought my lovely (Yeah right) tasting drink at 07:30 and explained the ct scan. I went and had a shower and got gowned up. I am not looking forward to the day staff today if I am honest.

I was wheeled down for the scan, gown a flapping... very uncomfortable feeling... and had the scan. Some very strange sensations flow through your body when they inject the die in, but its not unpleasant. The staff at the ct scan were great, and the nurses have been good on the ward today as well, although lacking in the drinks department as its now 12:15 and I want a brew!!!

Got my results from the scan at 17:45, the results were great, everything was fine except the gall bladder, and it had to come out. They wouldn't do it as an emergency op and I would have to be booked back in for that. So I get to go home and rest for a while, well once the Dr's have seen me tomorrow morning that is... Food on the ward was crap as always... went to canteen, it was crap there as well...

15th August

Woke up at 06:15 and wasn't in any real pain today, slight discomfort, and I am too remain on the tablets, but not agony, tear inducing pain like it had been. I went for a cigarette, had a shower, got dressed and packed my bags ready to leave. It6s very quiet on the ward at the moment but I know that wont last.

Think the nurses are getting annoyed with me asking about going home... anyone would think I don't want to be here...

Dr's came round at 07:30 and said I could go, but I they had to sort tablets out... finally broke for freedom at 09:30... the sun was gorgeous and I sat outside waiting for my lift to turn up smoking a fag and looking up at the ward that had been home for a few days...

Let me make this clear... this may be slightly moaning, but apart from one nurse, the nursing staff on that ward B3, were superb, especially the night staff... well done to all who work there I appreciate the job is not easy, especially with whinging gits like me...

Thank you all

Oooo what a lovely break...

NOT!!! Hello folks, how are you all? I am sorry I disappeared, however I have spent the week in hospital living on morphine. I was busy and unwell for a while then got rushed into hospital on August the 11Th with pains in the chest... Whilst in there I have had a ct scan x rays and ultra sound and I am fine. All apart from the gall bladder which has to come out. They said it will be about 2 months to the operation date. Have some pain killers (more opiates, NSAID's, paracetamol, anti spasmodic and amatriptalene) and go home and wait for us to write to you...

So that's what is happening at the moment. Still eating carefully, but not as active as I was. I haven't weighed myself in a little while, but I will do next Monday. Life is SO much fun...

I cant moan really, it could be a lot lot worse.

I hope to catch up properly this week, and will start to post again.

It keeps going and going....

Sorry all, hopefully will get to post soon..... work and training very hard at the moment....

Haven't weighed myself this week... although I have lost inch's of my waist and hips and gained them on biceps and chest... so I guess its muscle and toning... be interesting to see what weight is...

Anyhow, hopefully get to post properly soon...

Stay safe

Another day older.....

Hello one and all in cyber land..... :o) I hope today sees you feeling revived, happy, excited, and loved.... OK OK So it may be the last Day of the working week for me so perhaps that's why I am feeling so light and happy... or maybe it was today's training session....
Training at Evade today was great, I met Tom Cox first who said he was taking the class, always a little nerve racking as Tom has high expectations and trains like a demon!!! Then Amanda turned up and they decided she would take the class, I think all of us breathed a sigh of relief and a little disappointment, there's nothing like pushing yourself hard to find out what works and what doesn't. Still Amanda had no intentions of letting us slack at all!! She put on a first rate class with a very energetic workout. Good warm up and then straight onto pads, punching combinations and kicking combinations.... the work rate was high and I surprised myself by working through it... I might owe Dan my training partner an apology as one of the side kicks sent him back a few feet.... oops. Went out for a meal last night, had a piece of steak and the most gorgeous salad and fresh fruit for afters, so hats off to Mike Colin for the meal, I knew he was talented but I never realised food was one of his strong points.... And healthy as well!!!! He gave me a book to read, Simon Wiesenthal, Justice not Vengeance, so I plan on starting that this week as well... :o)

All in all a good few days.... :o)

Stay Safe all of you.....

Masters Class....

Well Today is a great day to die... well at least that's how I felt after training today... was a good hard basic work out, working on basic Punch's and kicks... fresh air strikes and combinations, then pad work. Good way to burn some calories and build up a sweat....
I love Evade and I love the instructors... Amanda took today's class. After training I went and found Dave Breed and asked about sparing, as I have a fight coming up. He sadly let me know that there is no sparring class at Evade anymore :o( However, they do spar in the Masters class and its about time I came along... So Wednesday, will see me turning up to a new class, full of more experienced people. Although I know some of them and have trained with most, I am quite nervous. And Excited.
Eating yesterday went really well, I didn't cheat, but did eat quite late. I have to stop eating at 9pm, as this does me (or anyone else) any favours what so ever. Portion control is in hand, and weight is striping off, although the scales only show a small loss each week (which all add up to a huge loss) the inch's are coming off. People are commenting again on the fact that I am once again losing weight. Which makes me feel good.... Couple with that with the sunshine and heat... the good news from Evade... and everything else wonderful in life.... And my world is pretty good today :o)

I hope all of yours is as wonderfull as well....
Stay Safe

Its another Monday.....

Mondays are great days aren't they? They just happily fit in between the weekend and the week... they take every ones hatred, and yet they hate no one, you can never avoid them and they always seem terrible, yet they are never as bad as we expect them to be.... I think I love Mondays...
Mondays for me is also weigh in day... this morning I weighed in at 293lbs... a loss of 3 lbs since last week..... this is great news :0) (Although I was hoping for 4lbs). Still it just means I have to work a bit harder....
Training this week should consist of...
Tuesday Freestyle martial arts lesson 1hour
Wednesday Fight training Steve Primrose 1 hour
Thursday Steve Primrose 1 hour Freestyle 1 hour
Friday Running 2 hours.

I am away this Saturday and Sunday, going to see friends in Essex, so I do not suppose I will train as hard as I would like, but I do intend to do some running whilst I am away, just for fitness and stress relief. I always feel 'off' now if I do not train.

On a slightly different note, could people please click the following link and register? Its to vote for funding for Lymm rugby club. This is to enable them to buy more land and develop the club further... It only takes a minute and I would appreciate it greatly...

http://www.joinourteam.com/index/mailafriendresponse?token=f17189477663b818b917a867a21f0afc

Thanks to all that vote....

Well I must be off now.... have a great day....

My body hurts.....

Hello folks.... how is life in cyber land? Good I hope....
I have stepped up the training as I said I would, however this has not been without problems. My body hurts, and I am suffering migraine type headaches as well. I am keeping myself hydrated, but I am burning through the energy in my body fairly quickly.
Today I rode 7 miles on my bicycle, then did over an hours intensive training in the dojo, had some porridge for lunch, and have drunk a fair amount of water to rehydrate my body. Tonight I am training with Steve Primrose who has just defended his world title last weekend (Well done Steve), in the hope of banging, cajoling and smashing my body into the type of shape it should be for my first full contact fight at the end of august.
I want to drop 21lbs from this weeks weigh in and I plan to do that using The Diet Plate and intensive training. Hopefully within the next 4-5 weeks, this will enable me to have 10 days or so walking around at that weight before I fight...

AAAAAGGGGHHHHHH

Smiles, sorry about that just had to yell.... Weighed in yesterday at 296lbs, a loss this week of 2lbs, which is better than I thought it would be. So pleased about that... :o)
Been training hard this week, after the misery of the news from the hospital I just decided that enough is enough, time to take charge back of my life, the Dr's said training will not make it worse, so threw myself into it.
I have been invited to fight in a competition on August 31st, and I am working towards that now. Its full contact which is what I want to fight in, so stepping the training up yet another notch and the dieting as well, as I would like to hit the 275lbs before I fight.... well ideally a week or 10 days before I fight, as the longer I can be walking around at that weight the better....

Anyhow, its in Manchester, so anyone who wants to come and watch just let me know....

Hospital :o(

Well went to see consultant bloke today... yes I have got gall stones and yes they will have to deal with that, probably by removing my gall bladder :o) Wahooo.... however.... (there is always a but isn't there?) The Pain I am experiencing doesn't sound like gall stone pain. So now I am waiting for a date to have a ct scan. The consultant doesn't like the amount of pain I am in or the amount of drugs I am taking, and is muttering about pancreaitus? No idea what that is and I am so not going to Google it to find out....

So that was today... made myself feel better by eating crap.... D'OH!!!! I am so going to pay for that I know.....

So all in all not a good day :'(

Short and sweet....

wahoooo 6lb loss this week :o)

DOwn to 298lbs so back below the 300lb mark.... 21st 4lbs

will post more on wednesday I think as I am really busy tomorrow....

stay safe

OUCH!!!!!!!!!

Hello folks, I am sat here today finding it hard to do anything....
I went training this morning and trained hard, maybe a little too hard... Amanda took the session at Evade and we did an average warm up, two rounds shadow boxing using Baz Rutten 2 minute boxing rounds. Then did his 28 minute round. Continuous exercise for that time. I did it, and finished it, but got to the point where my body doesn't feel like me, erm I don't really know how to explain it. I feel week, very week, slightly dizzy, cant concentrate. I know its just energy levels and I will be fine, but man do I feel bad right now.
Anyway... I think I will head off for a sauna later at Sun and Surf they have the latest Physiotherm FIR sauna there, and I could do with a bit of relaxation and pampering. Then a meal tonight of hmmm, I fancy fish actually.... so probably fish, veggies and some pasta I think... all measured out on my trusty plate. Then a bath and an early night... I forgot how much the training took out of me, and how much sleep my body needs to recover from serious sessions.
Stay Safe

The Day After....

Hello.....
Today I erm feel very achy..... Had a hot bath last night and generally relaxed. Did some stretching before bed, and slept really well.... cant help but think there is a correlation between exercise and sleeping on this occasion.
Anyhow, got up this morning, and oh boy was my muscles sore... It hurt quite a lot just getting from bed to the bathroom, but it made me smile. No I am not a masochist, but I know I worked hard and I am looking forward to training again tomorrow.
Before heading to work I went out on my bike for a couple of miles, just to get the muscles moving again and to try and break down the lactic acid, it seems to have done the trick.
Breakfast this morning was porridge, yummy :o) Which I used the diet plate bowl for. Again, so simple.

Training again....

Hi folks, went through my first training session today in quite a while.... Amanda took the class and was kind and easy on me..... not..... lol. She was great and the work out was hard, fast and furious for a good 40 minutes, before moving into self defence stuff. I do feel achy and tired, but is to be expected with the 5 week lay off. I'm just glad to be back at it, although I know I probably wont feel like that tomorrow!!!

Its amazing how fast your fitness levels drop, I am got frustrated with myself as my hands wouldn't move fast enough and I was fatiguing earlier than I would have normally. Thankfully its just a blip and I can get it all back in time.

Looking forward to a hot bath when I get in from work. Also I have my favourite meal tonight, chicken breast, new potatoes, sweetcorn, cauliflower and broccoli..... yum yum :o)

Seeing that has made me smile as less than 2 years ago I was a dedicated veggie dodger.... strange how things change....

Stay Safe

The Diet Plate Ad....

This was the first ad which the diet plate made. It was shown at the edinburgh festival on the big screen there.

Ok Ok so I got delayed.....

Hello one and all..... So I said I was going to get back on my diet and I didn't.... I know I know.... However, today is the day!!! Have weighed myself, so not good as I am back up to 21 stone 10 or 304lbs..... that's so not good..... and I have lost a lot of muscle mass as well due to the inability to train.

So today after the mental beating up of myself over the past 5 weeks, is the day it all stops and starts heading in the right direction.....

I am still on tramadol, ibuprofen, metabyle something or other and Amatriptalene, all to help control the pain I am suffering, which to be fair effects my brain somewhat and makes concentrating difficult. However I have had enough of blaming this for my problems and having read through Peaceful warrior again and readjusted my focus, and got myself psychologically ready, it is time to get it on!!!!

So how am I going to do this? Well for my diet I am using my trusted diet plate a simple portion control system. Its so easy.... I know I have said all this before but it really is.

How the plate works is simple.... here is a brief guide....

First use the guidelines on your plate to measure out your protein (in this case chicken) and your starch's and carbs (in this case potatoes sweetcorn and sugar snaps). Makes sure they do not go over the line, which they will do if you try to pile them too high!!!! Then fill the rest of your plate up with your 'free' vegetables. In this case its a small salad, carrots, green beans and courgettes.... as you can see from this picture it is an amazingly full plate of food.

Its that simple......

Along side this diet, I am going back to training at Evade a great martial art school with some very supportive staff (David Breed, Lee Price, Tom Cox and Amanda Quansah as well as some other amazing members of staff) who work with you understanding your personal needs and help motivate and push you to achieve everything you can be. As well as training at Evade I am beginning to train again with Steve Primrose the current World Champion. Which is both an honor and a privilege, as well as dam hard work as he keeps beasting me and pushing me harder and harder. So watch for some fantastic weight loss results over these next two weeks as my body gets used to training again and dieting.... After these first couple of weeks I expect it to slow down to a steady weight loss of between 4 and 5lbs per week depending on how well I stick to using the diet plate system and how hard I train.

Wish me luck folks.....

Ok.... so sometimes it can be hard...

Right.. after the last post, my health has not improved... in fact it has been a constant struggle. I am living on pain killers (Tramadol, Ibuprofen, antispasmodics and muscle relaxants, 27 pills a day!) and awaiting appointments to see a specialist.... The hospital think I may have Gall stones, but I have to go back this coming week for more scans and blood tests. So I will keep you up to date with all that happens.........
Whilst I have been ill and in pain I have left the diet well alone, and I have not been training... I have no idea what my weight has done in this time, I don't look any heavier although my muscle mass has diminished and I have lost tone. I have been very fed up by all the recent events, and I have not comfort eaten, but I have not been as good as I should have. I have also started smoking again... I am not proud of this or what I have become again.
So this is my pledge, tomorrow I start again on the diet... training may be difficult but I am going to do what I can. I am off work still, and have another 2 weeks sick note. So, this gives me time to train and work out a new regime and get back into it.

So watch tomorrow, I will post weight and measurements.....

Here we go again!!!!

Sorry for the break...

Hi Folks, sorry for the long delay in posting, why? well without going into too much detail, I have been ill with flu, got over that and spent a week in hospital, now I am away again, this time only in sunny Essex, just getting some rest and relaxation.... Hopefully I will be back to work on monday, and back to posting regularly.

I have been off the diet whilst ill, but dont think I have put much if anything on.... I guess we will find out when I get home and weigh myself.....

Hope you are all well....

Friday, and I am so tired.....

Hello folks, sorry for the delay in posting, I have been away all week at an exhibition in Birmingham. So hows life going? Lets see, apart from talking non-stop for 3 days (which is amazingly tiring) and being on my feet for 3 days, life has been good. Well when I say good I mean no different really....
I stayed at The Hilton Metropole adjacent to the NEC complex, I was quite excited about staying there as it was The Hilton, well let me tell you folks, save your money. I have stayed at far better Premier Inns. Firstly lets get something straight, the staff were superb, I mean it, absolutely first class. So no complaints there.
So what is wrong with the place? The decoration is old, well if it isn't then it hasn't been cleaned very well, and appears very dated. The price of the rooms was £174/night including breakfast and £199/night including dinner. I booked Breakfast for the first night and dinner for the second. The room was very basic, furniture appeared very cheap almost as if bought from MFI. The Bathroom was very small and the shower had next to no power. Still could be worse.
The first night I went to Millers Gastro Pub for a meal, well there was my first mistake, two of us ate, we had a bottle of wine and a three course meal. It came to £107, expensive yes, but not over the top. Well it wouldn't have been apart from one or two things. Firstly the food was (and I am being generous here) poor. Parts of the food was frozen and to be fair I have had better meals at a local pub who buy all there food from 3663 and is frozen and prepacked. I had a Goats Cheese starter with apple salsa, which I was really looking forward too. The goats cheese was great, the salad was OK... the salsa well, must be a new kind of salsa as after trying it and asking my friend to try it, we both agreed it was brambly apple sauce out of a jar!. We had bread and balsamic vinegar as well, the bread (both pieces) was so dry and hard it was difficult to eat it, the olive oil was nice the balsamic vinegar was cheap. The meal got worse and worse as it went on, and to be fair I am not going to list all of the problems here.
So bed and sleep, all good. Next day I wanted to check my emails, on there web site it says all rooms have high speed access, to be fair it does not say it is free, but that is what I took it as. Wrong to even access emails you have to buy 24hours access at £15. Good news, was at least it was fast. Breakfast at the Hilton was nice, service was good again. (I had mixed fruit and a piece of toast). Then I went to the gym, well tried. The gym there was poorly equipped and having spoke to some people that stay at lots of Hilton's, apparently this is the norm. The pool was great :) No faults there. The spa pools didn't work, the sauna was OK, but not very hot and the steam room stank, I don't mean smelled bad as some do I mean stank. The design must have an open drain somewhere, but now I know why there is never anybody in it. The meal that night was at the Broadway and is a buffet type thing (this is £32) the choices were again average, next to no vegetables tho, the dishes were quite bland and I found the choice very limited. However that being said it was a great deal better than at Millers. The Barbarians were staying that night at the hotel as well, and it was great to see them and talk to a couple of them. Next morning (day of checkout) I awake to find my bill pushed through the door, which was a surprise, I got charged for the meal at the Broadway (which was included in the room charge), 2 days worth of Internet access, the room charges were completely wrong and I had a second bill for another £114 which I still have not worked out, and it had another persons card details on it, in my name. The front desk apologised (and again the staff were great) although it took some time to sort out, finally the bill was made correct, I paid for everything I had and nothing was comped and no offer of anything was made, but after correcting the bill it was over £250 less. The scary thing was I was going to use the quick check out, if I had I would never have noticed the bill as I don't normally read them just pocket them for the accountant.
So all in all..... don't stay at The Hilton in Birmingham near the NEC. There are much better hotels available and at a cheaper rate. The Crown Plaza for one.

OK OK enough about The Hilton. The exhibition was good.
The food at The Hilton was terrible and as such I snacked a lot, and drank a lot of coffee and a fair amount of alcohol. I am dreading Mondays weigh in now. Still, these things happen in life and I am not naive enough to think it isn't going to. Its just recognising them and getting back on it as soon as you can, which is today. :)

The not smoking is going OK, although it has moments of difficulty. Especially I have found when surrounded by reps and drinking then them all disappearing outside. However, I am doing very well :)

I am tired, tho, very tired. I am feeling slightly depressed as well which is not helping but hopefully I can hit the dojo later and work through it. I am grading tonight and I could have done with some respite first, I am sure I will be OK, but grading at Evade is tough, well grading anywhere should be tough, after all we are not training to pick flowers....

Stay Safe folks.

Monday again......

Hello one and all....... Have a good weekend?

Its Monday.....today I weighed in at 292 lbs..... another 2 lb loss.... YAY Diet Plate I was really nervous I had put weight on this week as I had a killer weekend.... lots of personal discomfort and I ate a lot of things I shouldn't. Just goes to show, one day a week wont kill you, although that's not my advice as if I hadn't had a blow out I would probably have lost another couple of pound.

So, that's not bad..... the smoking..... I am doing OK with the not smoking, really don't miss it that much, well most of the time. There are times when it really plays on my mind but it is only a couple of times a day and if I can keep busy during that period then I can do the day....

So all in all good and good :)

Will catch you laters.....

Stay Safe

Its Saturday!!!!!!!!

Hello, once again...... I really am getting into the swing of this blogging thing huh? Lets see, training at Evade was great on Thursday, I trained with Dave Breed and he put us through our paces, with a good conditioning workout using weights, some self defence drills and then a blast on the pads to finish it off with. I loved the workout although it was hard, and I have been paying for it over the last two days with a huge lactic acid build up in my thighs.
In the office Thursday I met Simon the MD from PushOn a specialist online marketing company. It was a great meeting, I was really impressed with there attitude and portfolio. After that I had to put the finishing touches on a presentation I was doing for a meeting on Friday.... so after rewriting it at least twice, it ended up 52 pages long and midnight when I thought, that's enough.... Fell into bed and passed out, and strangely enough I don't remember thinking about smoking.....
So the morning of Friday, I was awake and ready to go.... slightly nervous and anxious as this meeting was important for me. Got a text from Steve Primrose informing me he had officially stopped smoking!!!! Great news!!! Keep up the good work mate.... The down side is Steve (King of the ring welter weight kick boxing world champion) Also trains me, the end of the message was want to train Sunday? For the first time ever I thought about this..... by Sunday he is going to be ratty..... this could hurt.... lol. Still he is professional and in both our busy lives I cant afford to miss a training session.... so I will let you know how bad it was on Monday...
So the meeting, it was fine, I did well remembered the main facts and had the figures at my finger tips when cross examined on several points, I think all in all I did well. Dr Ian Campbell was there and it was a privilege to spend time with and speak to the UK's leading obesity specialist.
Friday night was the tester.... went and saw some friends and had a drink.... they all smoke and I have to say so did I, however, I only smoked 3 cigarettes and only half of each of them... I hated the taste and I hate the smell, in fact it almost makes me nauseous. This morning was the worst, how could I have smoked for so long, my mouth felt horrible and the taste, well it was disgusting. I am convinced more than ever now that I will not smoke again.
So what on today's menu? This morning I had my usual breakfast of porridge, using The Diet Plate Bowl. I am out at a Charity event during the day today, so I will try and find a sandwich to eat for lunch, and try and stay away from the cakes on offer!!! This evening I will have an early tea Chicken Korma and rice from my local. I have a treat every Saturday, its not bad as I measure it out on The Diet Plate, I love this diet, eat whatever you want in the right portions. The tag line 'portion control made easy' is so honest and simple. If you want to try it then buy the complete weight management system (it works out cheaper than buying them singularly, like I did).
My thighs still hurt.... have I mentioned that? I took my dogs out for a walk this morning to try and break down the lactic acid, it has helped, but they still hurt....
Oh well, I probably wont get on tomorrow, so I will see you all Monday with the new weigh in.... fingers crossed....

Stay Safe

Bang Bang.... shoot me down.

Today is Thursday, its morning (approx 9am) and I am sat here in the office dieing for a cigarette.... has it only been 2/3 days? I feel better for not smoking, apart from the cough and sore throat which I am told will get better within a couple of months... The cravings are not too bad, but my temper has become shorter, much shorter..... so please bare with me if I rant, rave, threaten and generally act like an idiot....
So shoot me down... I am quite proud of my weight loss, it has been a long hard slog, self discipline, and self control have played huge parts, even self deprivation (OK a bit melodramatic, but that's how it feels). So can you imagine how I feel when I see someone of 70 stone losing half of it, because of surgery? Now don't get me wrong I am all for helping everyone, and for people becoming the best they can be. However for most people to get to that size they eat on average 16k+ calories a day, now to put that amount of calories into your body you have to train your body to take it, pretty much like an athlete trains to get fit, but in reverse. So as much as I feel sorry for them, I also feel they have to take some responsibility for there own actions..... Also someone has to 'enable' them to get to that size, normally a close personal friend/partner or family member. Why is this? Its simple, once a person gets too big to move and is bed ridden, then someone has to a)look after them and clean them and b) bring them food!!! So who is at fault? well its two fold, firstly it is the person for getting that big (yes I know genetics, environment, depression, money etc play a part) and they have to accept some responsibility. Secondly, it is the fault of the enabler, because as soon as they are bed ridden if you only bought them tuna or fresh food or no food, they would have to a) move to get it, meaning they would burn up calories, or b) go hungry meaning they would lose weight. Yes I know this sounds severe but its a fact. Yes it may sound like torture, but then what diet isn't?
Anyhow, that's enough ranting for now.... its now 9:30 and i have to go training at Evade. See you all laters....

Stay Safe

If loseing weight isnt hard enough, lets make things more difficult...

Well, this is not bad, its only Tuesday and I am writing!!! Maybe I can get back into the habbit of this blog thing.....
So today is tuesday, I trained at Evade this morning for 70 minutes, with Lee Price. A good session, working the bags and running. The shoulder stood up to the test (which when using 24 ounce gloves is no mean feat!!) although I did use Muay cream on it before and after training. My fitness level was slightly more worrying as I ended up gased very quickly, but it was hot and I was dehydrated slightly.
Having taken stock yesterday and today about where I want to be and what I want to do, I have decided to stop smoking, as of this morning, well last ciggarette was 10pm last night, so 15 hours in and so far I havent killed anyone :) Which must be a good thing. I will use this blog to keep you abreast of how I get on, warts and all...
Right so back to the diet....
This morning I had porridge, for those wondering I used The Diet Plate Bowl (its so easy, fill the bowl with dry porridge up to the red band, pour on 1/4 pint of semi skinned milk, heat in the microwave, and there you go 200 calorie serving!!) I then went training and then on to work. I didnt have time to prepare a sandwich for lunch so I had another serving of porridge, as lunch is allowed to be higher in calories I filled it up to the yellow line and then used 1/4 pint of milk. This worked out at just under 400 calories which is about right for lunch.
So onto the evening meal, which tonight as it is very warm, is going to be a chicken salad. I am looking forward to it. I am going to have chicken and an egg (which fits into the protein section of The Diet Plate), with croutons and new potatoes (these fit into the carb section of The Diet Plate) then I will have lettuce, radishes, cucumber, spring onion and pickled onions to fill the rest of the plate up.....
Dam I have made myself feel hungry..... Oh well.....

Hope to see you all tomorrow....

Stay Safe

Wow.... what a weekend!!!

Ok, so maybe the title gave it away, but I had a pretty good weekend. I went and watched a friend fight in a tournament in Liverpool which ment I was sat around for 14 hours doing nothing, although I didnt eat a lot. Sunday was a day of excess, we had the obligatory BBQ.... I ate and drank far too much, but even doing that when I weighed in this morning I was only 294lb, which is a loss of 1lb for the week. This is even better news as I only made training twice due to a shoulder injury, which has pretty much healed now so will test it out in the morning.
So even knowing I blew out on Sunday and have been pretty inactive I have still lost weight, ok only a lb, but its still a loss, the weight keeps moving in the right direction.
So, lets look at this, I weighed in at a massive 441lb over a year ago now. Now I weigh an overweight 294lb. Although still not at my lowest weight, (281lb's) I feel good, I have not piled weight on massively and I have proven I can eat and with my training regime keep my weight stable. I am working towards a target weight of 224lbs on diet with a realistic maintained weight of 238lbs. I look good now, but I will look great at that weight. I am working towards fighting again in competition and to do this I need to be about 30lbs lighter than I am now. So, more training, more The Diet Plate portion control, less drinking and more training. Did I mention more training?
Anyhow, thats all from me for this post. I am off to eat a chicken salad sandwich.....

Stay Safe

Back on Track......

Hello one and all.... Sorry for the days delay in this post, but the bank holiday got in the way. I have had a great week and I have trained extremely hard. Maybe too hard, as I am gaining more muscle, but my fitness levels have increased and my waist line is shrinking :) So all good there. I weighed Myself yesterday and found myself to be 295 lbs. Which is a 3lb loss in a week. Some people might tell you that's not enough, but it is. As long as you keep the weight shifting off, 1lb 2lb or 3lb is ideal. For some people like myself who are heavier then the larger amounts do drop off, but then it slows down. In my first week of dieting I lost over a stone, that was some time ago now.
I am happier with the low weight loss and training hard, as I can physically see my muscles getting bigger and my body flattening out and changing shape, it gives me heart. The fact I lost 3lbs is great as well. So obviously the new regime works well. Lets see if I can stick to it.

Stay Safe

Another list of excuses.....

Well another week down and another 'failed' week as far as I am concerned.... I have not lost any weight :( I am exactly the same weight as I was last week.... Now for the excuses, once again training has been poor. I have a new excuse for you..... I only have one plate which makes it difficult, obviously when it is in the dishwasher and I cant be bothered to get it out and wash it, it is useless..... So, maybe what I need is two plates..... this sounds like a resonable idea to me.
The breakfast bowl is easy.... the plate is easy to use when I actually use it.
When all is said and done its as simple as this, even using the easiest simplist diet tools available to myself (and I know they work as I have dropped 12 stone over a year) if I am not commited to using them, they wont work. So this is it, new week, new attitude, time to shift some pounds....
We will see how we go....

Stay Safe

Its Friday.......

Somehow that does not feel me with confidence or excitement.... Still could be worse, I could be working. However, next to no time to train this weekend.... Out 2 nights of it as well, so thats going to be tough. Eaten well this week, but again due to time constraints havent trained at all... well one session on Tuesday, not good enough really.

Still working through it all and hopefully next week will see a break and I can work harder on the training.

Monday is weigh in day so fingers crossed....

1 week in.....

Hello......... Well today is the 21st, and as such is weigh in day, I am slightly nervous as I have been to a few meals out with work..... Still that being said......... I have been good, although have not trained a lot.

Last week I weighed 300lbs, this week I weigh 298lbs :)

2lbs is the recomended weight loss per week, so Ia m happy with that especially as I know I could not stick to it for a few meals and have not trained....

All in all I am pleased :)

Catch you all soon.

Here we go again....

Hello one and all, once again I must apologise for the absence in posting, I will get the hang of this one day I am sure.

Lots has changed since last time I wrote, well work wise anyways. Work has moved premises, and that has caused us a little bit of stress!!! Changing a lot of our suppliers, and distributors at the same time has not made the problems any easier... But we are finally there and up and running.

Diet wise, well because of the move and stress and everything else, I have not been using the plate. Having gone from 32 stone to 19 stone then stopping using it and going back up to 22 stone I seem to be stable around the 21 to 21 and a half stone mark. Today I weigh 300lbs 6 ounces, however, this is not where I want to be, so once again I have dusted the plate off and have started using it.

For breakfast this morning I had my serving of porridge using the diet bowl, I drank about a litre of water between breakfast and lunch as well. Then for lunch I had some more porridge. Mainly because I was so busy I could not get out. Tea tonight is chicken, new potatoes, sweetcorn (all measured out on the diet plate), once measured it will get pushed to the side and I will fill the plate with spinach and carrots (again would have a wider choice, but haven't been shopping).
I am going to weigh myself every Monday and I am going to start adding a graph on the site (I will start this next week as with only 1 point its a bit of a waste of time). What hasn't helped with the move is the fact that I have had a break from training, so last week I started back and I am steadily building it up again, I did 4 hours last week training in Martial arts 3 hours at Evade and one hour privately with Steve Primrose (Kick boxing World Champion). I have started swimming again as well.although it was only twice last week due to time constraints.

Well that's me, 300lbs and a long way to go, still each journey starts with the first step (again).

Working in my sleep....

Well here we are again..... Work is hectic, very hectic... it is only Wednesday and I have allready worked over 34 hours :( Still it could be worse. I crawled home to bed at about 4 am on Tuesday morning, after starting work at 9am Monday morning.... FUN FUN FUN!!!

Still, whats life without work?

So anyhow apart from the work what else is new? Lets see, I am eating well, havent been training due to an eye operation, but will be back to it next week, although I cant take blows to the head for another month, so I have to be carefull.

Last weekend I went to a charity ball.... it was great fun dressing up and seeing the pics of myself with no glasses and looking a lot thinner, for the first time ever I am begining to see why my friends who have not seen me in a while dont recognise me!! I wouldnt if I had not seen me in a couple of years, or even a few months. Everyone keeps saying I look so young now.

I still have some ways to go with the weight, and the ball didnt help at all. Infact in one night I gained 7lbs!!! I ate carefully as well, not restricted but only had small bits, it must be the alcohol, so lesson learnt there, ok so it was the hard way, but I wont forget for next time.

I still love my plate, its still working, ok so its no magic wand, but its simple and easy and it works as long as I remember to use it!!!

Speak soon.

A Mothers Birthday

Hi Folks,
Today is my mothers birthday, and I really would have liked to have spent it with her, instead I spent it 300 miles away, but thats life I guess. So, why has it taken me so long to write? Well I had surgery on my eyes last week, and now I can see without glasses for the first time since I was 7!!! It is amazing, however, my eyes are still sore so this will fairly short.
The diet is going ok, tho it has been tough and I fell off the wagon last week and binged on the day after my operation, but other than that I have been behaving myself.
Training, it has been going ok, but I can not train for another week..... which has left me feeling depressed and out of sorts, I cant believe that 4 days without training would leave me feeling this way...... Still, thats how I feel and thats the only thing that has changed recently so it must be down to that. Still I have an apointment on Wednesday and hopefully they should say its ok for me to train again, although I cant take head traumas for another month, so no sparing or punching or kicking to the head :( No swimming either for another week.... still lots of time for running and bag work and some CV work in the gym. So its not all bad, just need to get through till thursday........

Anyhow, I will write soon....... be well all....

Oh check my other blog......

Another Year Older......

Hello, hello, hello......
Today is Tuesday 11th March, which means I am now 31!!!! It was a fun and yet sad weekend. My Birthday was on Sunday the 9th, my mum and grandad came up on the Friday and was supposed to be staying till Monday. Instead they left on Saturday due to ill health!!, never good. My bessie mate Ian came up on Friday and he stayed till Sunday night, was great to see him and take him to the Dojo he was impressed with my new found flexability and skill sets. (Even if he did take the micky out of me for the article in The Sun)
I got some great pressents for my birthday. I got a new kit bag, some new clothes a new baseball cap, some money, and the best is I get my eyes lasered so I can see again without glasses. Now this might not sound like a huge thing for you people out there that dont wear glasses or only have -2 or less eyesight, but being -7 and above means I wear glasses all the time, it also means those glasses cost me over £500 each time I change them and without them I cant see 7" in front of me, and thats not an exageration. So I am now allowed to have them done and I am going in on the 19th March for the operation....... wish me luck.

So how is the diet going? Well, it is going well :) I did not stick rigidly to it over the birthday weekend, although I was sensible. Other than that its going great. I had a full body work up done the other day and found out that I have 32 Kilos of fat left in my body and over 90 Kilos of muscle!!!! So still a little way to go, but not far, and somehow seeing the figures and percentages makes me feel better.

So training............ Last week as I was away a lot I only got to train on the Saturday. This week I ran on Monday, swam this morning, then had a sauna and jacuzzi (well it doesnt all have to be hard work) then spent an hour in the Dojo training. I have had a small jacket for lunch with some tuna on it. Porridge for breakfast. Not sure what I am going to do for tea yet, probably some sausages, with mash and cauliflower and carrots.

Hope you are all well.

A publication online

Hi folks, sorry it has been so long, but have just been working very hard and away at exhibitions... however I am back now and I promise to get caught up before next week.
However, there is an article about me in The Sun newspaper!!!!

I hope your all well.

Thank God For the Weekend

Its Friday evening, and its home time!!!! After an eventful week trying to sort out electrics, communications and IT in a new warehouse for a client, they also decided to change servers and registrars and hosting companies at the same time....... It was very very very very stressful..... still it is finished for now....
So the weekend :) time for parties and having fun, of course that's if your normal..... I have a meeting tomorrow morning, and a networking job tomorrow afternoon, on top of that I have the club competition on Sunday..... Then back to the grindstone on Monday..... oh thank god for the break....

So, back to my fun things, the diet is going OK, the stopping smoking isn't.... I have eaten a lot of protein this week tho as I did some muscle damage training and needed a quick repair for the weekend, lets hope it holds together. Training is slow but steady and although I haven't weighed myself I have moved a notch on my belt and feel better about myself again, so all in all not a bad job. I love the simplicity of this diet, and even took my plate to a friends house for a meal!!! That took some courage but as it turned out was great as they wanted to get one for a friend.

One of the charities that the diet plate is involved with is one called SHINE, please have a look at their web site and maybe donate or lend a hand!! There work is great and the children are wonderful (on a selfish note, it makes you feel better about yourself as well!!) In all seriousness watch this space, I am considering doing something fairly large and radical to help this charity, I am not divulging anything at the moment as it is in the planning stages and I want to be sure I can do it before I open my big mouth!!

Anyhow, I must be making tracks, be well all of you.

A wonderful sunny day....

Hello one and all. Today is a beautiful day, the sun is out and in the sun its quite warm, although freezing in the shadows!!!

The stopping smoking again is harder than I remember.... but I will get there. The diet is going better and I am happy with that although havent weighed myself yet. The back is okish and hurting less, so being the ever enthusiastic bloke I am I have upped my training again, after all pain is only natures way of telling you your alive!! (some mad bloke in a dojo told me that) Todays session in the dojo went well, with my flexability improving (even if the back did hurt a little) and my hand speed was good as well.

I am looking forward to the club competition on Sunday, a little nervous I admit, its not every day you strap pads on and allow someone to hit you (well ok the point is you dont let them hit you) and fight with them. Its so different from all the other things I have done, even comparing it to street fights and bar brawls is strange, as with them its very quick and very intense and generally all over in a few seconds or a minute, wheres as this will last all day and 2 minutes at a time!!! (Sparing has really shown me how unfit I am). I am thinking of going for a run tonight, so will let you know how that goes.

Lunch today was a small jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn, a little naughty but tasted very nice :) I trained for over 90 minutes so I guess it wont hurt.

Anyhow, must dash, I trust you are all well.....

Lapses relapses and collapses.....

Hello one and all. Sorry for the delay in posting here, it is for no other reason than the fact that I have had a slight relapse? lets be fair a total collapse..... So how, why and what happened? these are questions I am still asking myself, and I am trying to work through them.

Firstly, the training slipped as I picked up a back injury, hopefully nothing too serious although it has now been nearly a fortnight and it still hurts enough to stop me running and doing martial arts, and keeps me out fo the pool for a fair amount of time as well.

Secondly, the frustration of not training and the build up of resentment towards my body for getting injured, led to hightened stress levels and me reaching for a pack of 20 cigarettes, which then led to another pack and another.... so from not smoking for 4 months to smoking 5-15 a day depending on what I was doing.

Thirdly, I got annoyed at myself for smoking and started eating, at first not a lot, the odd chocolate bar, this rapidly led to eating chocolate everyday (this was so quick and sudden I still struggle to think about it).

Lastly the days I could train, the little I had smoked made my training slow, sluggish and hurt, which led to frustration and more cigarettes/chocolate.

So, where am I now? Well I have climbed back up to 21 stone in an amazingly short amount of time. So I feel bad about that, very bad. However, looking at it in a posititve light, I satrted at 32stone 4lb, so I still have lost 11stone 4lbs. Which is AMAZING!!!!!!!!

So what now to get me back on track? I know I can lose weight, so there is not that challenge anymore, I still cant fit into my Ted Baker shirts so there is an incentive. I felt better about myself when I was on the diet, so another incentive. I want to fight at semi pro level, so yet again another incentive.... What really motivates me to lose weight? Well 2 things really both quite shallow;
1) Vanity, I am gorgeous, but I could be better. I want people to look and say wow theres a fit bloke, not look and say yeah he is ok, bit heavy like (which is an improvement over a year a go where people would look and say wow he is FAT!)
2) Monetary gain, I still strongly believe that jobs and employees are fattest, especially now with insurance companies putting pressure on employers to maintain the health of there staff and increasing premiums for people that are overweight, and with the government increasing pressure on employers to look after the health of there staff. Both of which have a knock on effect to people suffering with obesity. It would be interesting to see if there is a study relating to earnings and BMI and unemployment and BMI, I would bet there is a correlation between the two.
So there is my motivation, both shallow admitedly, but are they? Think about it honestly for a moment, both have a massive imapct on quality of life and lifestyle, as stated earlier this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. I seemed to have lost focus on what it is I wanted to acheive and the reasons behind it. This week I am going to try and walk some more and maybe, maybe if the back is up for it run a bit more. I am going to see my Dr and try and stop smoking again. Also I am going to make a concerted effort to eat off the diet plate again and stop eating chocolate.


Start at Xmas 2006 32 stone 4 lbs.
Lowest weight 19 stone 12lbs
Weight now 21 stone.

LETS GET IT GOING!!!!!

Me at heaviest

Me Now

Party time..... I wish

Hiya people, well today is Friday again, (where did the week go?) Work is busy, amazingly busy and new challenges are presenting themselves everyday... Which stops me getting bored!!!
Diet is going ok, havent cheated this week, the plates are superb, the system is so simple to follow.
Exercise is finding a balance, I am not training every day now as with work restraints it was too much, I still train in the dojo 3 times a week (2 classes and 2 private session) and I run twice a week in the evenings. I swim 3 or 4 times a week in the gym and have also started includeing some cv work on the treadmills and cross trainers.

All in all, its cold and the weather is nasty, work is busy and stressful, the diet is going, and I am feeling on top of all of it (for now at least! lol).

Be Well

Monday Blues

Well hello,
Its MONDAY!!!!! Work is mental! Still it pays the bills so thats a good thing. Feeling cold today, very cold. Still have a cold as well, but working through it. Today I swam 20 lengths, spent 20 minutes in a steam room, jacuzzi and 20 minutes in a sauna. It wakes me up and charges me before work. So I arrive at work ready to face the mountain that awaits...

This weekend was a bit of a dissapointment, I spent all weekend working on call outs and domestic customers pc systems. I did not have time for training. Took dogs out for a walk which was good. A little dissapointed that I couldnt train, well I guess I could just didnt have time to, or chose not to anyways. The break wont do me any harm, although I dont want to get into the habbit of not training at weekends. Especially with the interclub competition coming up. I am fighting in it.

Other than that not a lot going on really, still sticking to the diet, thanks to the simplicity more than anything else.

Be Well all

ITS POETS DAY!!!!!

Hello one and all, its F F F F F FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!! or poets day, (Piss Off Early Tomorrows Saturday). What a busy week..... hectic infact, training hard as always and sticking to The Diet Plate weight management system. I weighed myself Wednesday and I had lost 8 lbs last week. So well on my way.

Training this week has been constent but not as intense as I would have liked due to some niggling injuries (nothing serious just muscle strains etc). Tuesday I swam and trained in the dojo for an hour. Wednesday I walked the dogs for 6 miles and swam again. Thursday I trained in the dojo for 75 minutes (a very intense training session). Today I am not training, just because of meetings and work I wont have the time needed. Still could be worse.

Anyhow, thats it in a nutshell up to today, I will post over the weekend when I have more time to compose my thoughts.

Be Well all

It burns..... How it burns

Hello cyber peeps.....
Today has been a good day, got up early, joined a local gym and went swimming, did 22 lengths. Not bad as I have not swam in a while. Then hit the steam room and the jacuzzi. Showered, dressed and in the office by 8:45am (a record for me!!!). Checked the systems over and off to the dojo at 10am. Had a very very hard training session, but worked well and controlled my breathing well (even with this infernal cold). My muscles burn, but in a good way. Taking part in an inter club competition in February which I am excited about.

Back in office for 11:30, flew through the work, interviewed a couple of nice people. Its been great. The only thing I have not done today is weighed myself (which I normally do every Tuesday morning).

Monday was a dull rainy day and I had a dull rainy face on for it, spent a long time trawling the net and gathering information for the company (which is OK, but it is a bit boring). Did not get to train on Monday, although I did fit in a good walk (which I got soaked for). Eat well, balanced low fat low carb food off of the diet plate, I can really see the difference in myself again now. Its strange even tho the weight comes off, some times you do not see the difference, other times weight doesn't come off and you can.... I know I am suffering from body dis morphism as I still look at things and think, I cant sit in that booth, or I cant sit in that chair, or I will never fit into that..... then I find out I do. It is a bit confusing at times, especially after rowing with friends because I am certain I cant fit. I still look in the mirror at times and see my old self looking back at me. It is exciting, yet slightly scary at times as well.

Sunday, spent today fixing PCs, went shopping for a bit, more new clothes..... Tried running but the knee was still giving me grief, so kept it short. Walked the dogs in the pouring rain, got soaked but enjoyed it immensely. Today I did eat very well, fruit for breakfast. Roast Chicken for lunch, vegetables, one Yorkshire pud and no potatoes (strangely I did not miss them either) served the meal on the diet plate so had proper control of the food going in. Dinner I had a low cal soup. Felt good and went to bed early....

Weekend hangover....

Hi All,
OK, so Tuesday I did not sleep very well, in fact not at all. I don't know why, was just restless.... Wednesday I didn't train and felt like crap all day, work suffered, health suffered. Never good. Stuck to the diet tho and all of a sudden it was Thursday and a lot better. Trained Thursday with Dave Breed, it was a good session and I enjoyed the class, we were doing grappling techniques and choke holds. It wasn't until later that day I realised that my body hurt quite as much as it did. Friday I didn't train, my calf muscles felt like they were on fire. Friday night we went out with some friends of ours to Hard Rock Manchester. I knew I was going to have an evening 'off' the diet.... and did I.... not so much with the food although I ate too much, but purely with the cocktails.... I would not like to try and work out how many calories I put into my body.
I knew this was going to happen, its not a failure or collapse it was an accepted thing, I could have said no, but I wanted to let my hair down and enjoy the evening. Saturday I started straight back on the diet again, with the hangover from hell as well. I don't advocate taking days off of the diet, but do be realistic and bear in mind this is a lifestyle change I don't really see the harm in it, unless of course you start taking a day of a week, which then becomes 2 days a week etc.

So that's where I am today, hungover, pissed off at myself for the cheat/day off but OK....

Tomorrow I will see if I can run again (my calf muscles still hurt at moment)

Be Well

The road to recovery...

Today is Tuesday, I feel better today. Had a long training session today, and a good walk yesterday (no running due to a niggling knee problem). Been eating well again, low fat, and on my plate as always.
It is amazing the difference, even if you eat exactly the same foods, just by eating the right quantities and portion sizes the weight comes off. I can lose 2-3lbs per week every week without exercising.
I do the exercise because I enjoy it, and this is not a diet for me, but a lifestyle change. I eat healthily, train hard, stopped smoking a while ago now. Its not easy, it never is, but it is worth it, my body is becoming firmer, my breathing is a lot easier, I don't have any where near as many 'off days'. I am more alert, both mentally as well as physically. In short I am loving myself, and my new body. I smile a lot more, that's the main difference I guess.
I highly recommend the writings of Dan Millman, especially the peaceful warrior series of books, it helped me change how I looked at things, and has definitely helped me stick to the new choices I have made.

Anyhow, will catch up soon. I hope you are all well in cyber space.....

A day of rest...

Today is Sunday.... weather is attrocious so no walking the dogs today, well not for long over the hills anyways. May go for a run later....
This weekend I have fallen off the diet really.... have eaten junk and lots of it.... its horrid when it happens, but I know why it happened and I am addresing that situation. It will be interesting to see how much damage I have done, I know I feel hmmm, slower? lethargic? and thats just from eating high fat content foods for 2 days???? How people that eat junk food on a regular basis cope with it I have no idea. They must have some form of super human body that cleans out fat quick.

Anyhow, thats where I am. It is kinda lonely, so if anyone wants to leave a comment, feel free.

Be Well

A Few days later.......

SO today is Friday......

Wednesday I had a private lesson, I trained so hard and so intently that I was physically ill afterwards. I dehydrated myself today as well, that was worse I think.
Thursday, still suffering the after effects of dehydration and training so hard, I woke up with a migraine, drank some water, took some pain killers and went back to bed. Slept most of the day. Did not make training.
Friday, long day in the office catching up. Did not eat very much today, had no appetite really. Still, could be worse. Diet is going well, training is as well. Dissapointed about not training Thursday, but will catch it up.

Hope your all well

New Year, New Goals

Welcome again folks, this is just my second post....... it has been a while since my first and last post. It is now January 8th. I took november and december off of the healthy lifestyle and enjoyed the festive season.... much to much.... As of the first of January I was 22 stone 2 lbs, I had gained a styone and a half by stopping training and eating rubbish of the holiday period.

So once more back onto the diet plate, training again, running, martial arts, and lots and lots of water. So I have been doing it for a week, trained everyday (not recomended if your not used to it) and eating healthy foods (low fat, low carb) and eating them on the diet plate (portion control). In this week I have lost 15 lbs, which is phenomenal, and to be fair not the healthist way of loseing weight either, its too quick. Still its a kick start, I dont suppose that for one second the weight loss will stay at that rate.

So today, I am 21 stone 1 lb. I will let you know what happens this week. Today I have done 75mins of kick boxing.

My Training schedule for this week is..

Tuesday 75mins Free Style Martial Arts (Class)

Wednesday 75mins Kick Boxing (Private Lesson, if you can afford them a much more intense form of training!)

Thursday 75mins Free Style Martial Arts (Class)

Friday 5 mile road running (This one is mainly level)

Saturday Bag Blast at home, 45 minutes of intensive bag work. (3 minute non stop punches and kicks with 1 min breaks in between)

Sunday Gentle walking over the hills with the dogs (if weather permits)

Monday Road Running 3 miles (mainly uphill)

Will let you know if I manage to stick to this schedule for more than a week.

Have fun, stay safe and be well.

Hello!!

Hello people, and thank you for stopping by. This site is about me and a journey that I am currently undergoing in my life....... The Journey from fat to thin.....
Its long and is not overly easy, but it is a great journey...
I am 164lbs lighter than I was and only have another 80lbs to go.

So how do I hear you asking?

Well I have tried many diets and yo-yo'd throughout my life to a massive 31 stone and 7lbs!!! 60" waist and 68" chest. This was not due to inactivity, as I train regularly at martial arts and in the gym. It was due to several injuries and not actually knowing what it was I was putting in my body, or how much I was putting in.
So after some consideration and some time and effort my life has changed a lot. The portion control was taken care of by the diet plate (you wont believe how much we all over eat!!!) and a regime of gentle exercise. Slowly but surely has bought the weight off. Thats it!!

No miracle cures, no overnight weight loss fads, a very sensible and realistic target. A little life changing and a whole lot of weight later!!

Anyhow, I will be back soon and post more.. in the mean time if you want to find out more you can go to www.thedietplate.co.uk or www.thedietplate.us and find out more info and buy one!! Trut me, after the thousands I have spent over the years, you will be glad you do!!!