February is done and dusted

I weighed myself this morning and I'm now down to 117.2 kg. I've lost just slightly more than 10 kg since 11 January. Which I think is a very significant effort. This week I'm visiting Wellington, so my exercise is going to be reduced - no exercise bike to use. But if the weather stays fine, walking should be good - it is after all a nice hilly city. But if I'm honest, I'd be happy simply maintaining.

Overall for March, I want to get below the 115 kg mark and my hope of all hopes is to get below 110 kg by the end of April. I think 7.2 kg in two months is definitely achievable. I just have to stay focused.

60 kg down again

It was pleasing to see my scales hit 118.8 kg this morning, so I am back in the 60 kg club. That means the goal I set for February is now met, but I'm really pushing myself over the rest of the month. I'm taking a trip to Wellington for a week in early March and given that the last time I went I basically maintained, I want to look as good as I can for my friends and acquaintances up there. At present I'm 18 kg lighter than I was last visit. It'd be nice to make it to an even 20.

Brief update

So this morning I registered 119.8 kg on the scales. In truth, I was 120, but then I went for a pee. I'm happy to take the lower figure. So that's a mighty 7.7 kg lost since January 11. And 1.8 kilos since the first of the month.

So I have to recalculate my goal. I wanted to get back down below 120 kg by the end of February. Well, I've done that now. My next goal is 118.8 kg - getting back to that 60 kg mark. I wonder if I can get below 112 by the end of March.

January in review

It's now the start of February. My scales report I now weigh 121.6 kg, which is really pleasing compared to where I was at the start of the month - or rather, on the 11th and it marks a 5.9 kg loss.

I added a new weapon to my fitness arsenal in January with a weight bench. I'm trying to build up my pecs as my man boobs deflate. And hopefully I can build some nice shapely arms in the year to come.

I'm not expecting  as huge weekly or monthly losses this year as I enjoyed last year, but if I can enjoy 3.5 kilos a month and keep that consistent, I'll be a happy chap. Which means it'll be March before I start charting new territory in my journey. That's okay, though. My goal for February is to hit the 118.8 kg mark again.

Weigh-in: year 2, no. 2

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 
Last week's weight: 126.9 kg (279.8 lbs)
Current weight: 123.8 kg (272.9 lbs) 

Loss this week: 3.1 kg (6.8 lbs) 

Overall loss: 55.0 kg (121.2 lbs) 

Start BMI: 56.4  

Last week's BMI: 40.1

Current BMI: 39.1

Well, you can't say I haven't been dedicated to sorting things out. I feel quite reinvigorated with this result. I have upped my game when it comes to exercise and have been doing an hour on my exercise bike every day. In the kitchen I'm being as disciplined as before. So it's good to see all that hard effort paying off.

I don't think this is a loss rate I'll sustain. I'm reminded of when I first started this weight loss journey. In my very first week, I lost 3.6 kg.  The following week I only enjoyed a loss of 1.3 kg. But I'm really hoping that by the end of February, I will have once again met last year's goal of being down 60 kg. Then I will start this year's progress in earnest.

Old friends

I present Exhibit A and Exhibit B. A 10.7 kg gain in 8 weeks.

So this setback was a little worse than I thought. My last weigh-in shot was on 17 November. Everything seemed so promising then. Yes, it has been Christmas and New Year over the last month and a half, but to gain that much in two months, nearly 10% of my weight, is almost unforgivable.

Oh well, life often presents us with a cross-roads. And as I mentioned on Sunday, I am knuckling down. I'm back to being very careful with my food and as of Saturday, I have intensified my exercise regimen. I'm now doing an hour on an exercise bike, rather than (and sometimes in addition to) going for walks. I don't want to exhaust myself, but yeah. This is something that must be done. If I don't see a loss on Sunday this week, I will be going back on Xenical.

A recommittal

So my last post was back in October. I was down to 117.8 kg and then things went off the boil. Over the past two months, I have gained back 10 kg. This morning I weighed 127.5 kg. My BMI is back over 40. Those lovely 2XL shirts I had been wearing no longer fit, my 107 cm pants are too tight - I'm back to 112s and I feel disappointed in myself for backsliding too far.

I've been back to old habits with all the bad food, and that's taken me back to where I was at the end of August, so I really, really need to recommit. And today I have.

I know I can lose the weight. I've done so before. I'm visiting Wellington in early March for an arts festival, and I want to continue impressing my friends up there. So I want to be below 120 kg by the end of February.

That's 47 days to lose 7.5 kg

My overall goal for 2014 is to make it under 100 kg. Compared to what I achieved last year, it should be a bit easier. Famous last words, huh?

So in addition to the new habits, I took out my exercise bike today and I rode it for a good hour. Time to get back on the saddle in more ways than one.

I'll do an official weigh-in tomorrow morning.

Weigh-in 43

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 
Last week's weight: 118.8 kg (261.9lbs)

Current weight: 117.8 kg (259.7lbs) 

Loss this week: 1 kg (2.2 lbs) 

Overall loss: 61.0 kg (134.5 lbs) 

Start BMI: 56.4  

Last week's BMI: 37.5

Current BMI: 37.2

Well, it's good to lose a solid kilogram this week after  a couple of weeks losing just a few fractions of a kg. October has not been my best month, with just 3 kg lost over the past four weeks. I really should start getting used to this kind of loss, though. As I get smaller, the weekly losses should get smaller too - and I've known this will happen all along. On the bright side, my lower belly has toned up a bit. I think my skin was taking some time to recover from the weight loss.

Still, not a lot of people on a weight loss journey can say they lost even 3 kg in a month, so I really must count my blessings. I still think I can get under 110 kg by 2014 and I still think I'll hit the 150 lb loss mark before Christmas. It does feel really good to be down past the midpoint of class II obesity on the BMI scale. Being in the 250 lbs range is really pleasing too.

Weigh-in 42 : Goooooaaaaallllll*

*for 2013

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 

Last week's weight: 119.5 kg (263.5lbs)

Current weight: 118.8 kg (261.9lbs) 

Loss this week: 0.7 kg (1.5 lbs) 

Overall loss: 60.0 kg (132.3 lbs) 

Start BMI: 56.4  

Last week's BMI: 37.7

Current BMI: 37.5

Well I dreamt big and I followed through. I think I have achieved something I feel is quite remarkable over the past 10 months. At the beginning of this journey, I thought it would be a massive struggle. And it was for a while, but losing all this weight has been so much more easier than I ever thought it could be. And I haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary. Cutting the crap, increasing my consumption of vegetables and fruit and being a little more active.

So what happens now?

My journey is not yet over. I'm going to try and lose another 10 kg by the end of the year. I'd be happy with 8 and that will bring my total loss to 150 lbs under the old imperial weights and measures.  I'll reassess after that. But for now I'm going to allow myself a moment of joy and exhilaration. I feel like a mountaineer who has battled his way, step by unsteady step, up a steep incline. I have emerged from the cloud layer and I can see the peak before me.

Weigh-in 41

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 

Last week's weight: 119.8 kg (264.1lbs)

Current weight: 119.5 kg (263.5lbs) 

Loss this week: 0.3 kg (0.6 lbs) 

Overall loss: 59.3 kg (130.7 lbs) 

Start BMI: 56.4  

Last week's BMI: 37.8

Current BMI: 37.7

300 grams. That's all I lost this week. Frustrating since I can just reach out and touch that 60 kg mark. Like Elsa reaching out to the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Naturally I am disappointed. This week I was hoping to reach my goal for the year, but there's plenty of time to do that. I can't explain why the loss is so slight, either. I haven't consumed anything that would be off-plan - unless 10 mls of cough medicine each night is particularly calorific. Still, I'm not the first dieter to be greeted with disappointment at the scales, I won't be the last. 

So what must I do? Well, this week a lot of my spare time will be absorbed in study for an exam I have next Saturday. Likely at the expense of exercise. So maintenance would be acceptable and I'd be very pleased with anything more than half a kilo beyond that. I still think I can hit a 60 kg loss by the end of the month. 700 grams until I set a new goal. I hope I reach it this time next week.

Weigh-in 40

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 

Last week's weight: 120.8 kg (266.3 lbs)

Current weight: 119.8 kg (264.1lbs) 

Loss this week: 1 kg (2.2 lbs) 

Overall loss: 59 kg (130.1 lbs) 

Start BMI: 56.4  

Last week's BMI: 38.1

Current BMI: 37.8

I was sick this week. I still am a little bit. So I have had multiple packets of cough drops and Lemsip and honey drinks and I haven't been very active. And yet I have still lost 1 kg. I'm glad I didn't use being crook as an excuse for over-indulging. And now I find myself 1 kg from the target I set at the start of the year. This is extremely satisfying, but it is a dangerous time too. I mustn't be tempted into thinking I've done enough. There's another 35 kg to go. But it is very pleasing to come this far relatively quickly. 

I bought an XXL shirt and shorts yesterday, and they fit rather nicely. I think I'm at the point of being able to buy stuff in regular stores. There's a lot of stuff I need to send to the charity store now too. 

My progress to date

There's still much to be done. I'm not happy to take off my shirt and expose my shar-pei abdomen to the world. I still have man boobs and my lower belly looks like a deflated balloon. For all that, I'm much happier in my current state than I was nine months ago. When I reach goal, I may consider a tummy tuck. 

Weigh-in 39

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 

Last week's weight: 122.5 kg (270.1 lbs)

Current weight: 120.8 kg (266.3 lbs) 

Loss this week: 1.7 kg (3.7 lbs) 

Overall loss: 58 kg (127.9 lbs) 

Start BMI: 56.4  

Last week's BMI: 38.7

Current BMI: 38.1

Well here I am just 2 kg away from the target I set myself to achieve in 2013. It should take two or three weeks to meet it, but this makes me very happy. So what happens then? Well, after I hit 118.8 kg, I think I can start focusing on my final goal - another 35 kg away. I think 83.8 kg sounds like a good number to me. It is my hope that I can chip away at the first 10 kg chunk by the end of the year (I think 12 kg over the next three months is entirely achievable). 

Whatever happens, once again I'm going to break my weight loss down into phases. With milestones at 108.8 kg, 98.8 kg, 88.8 kg and at 83.8 kg. It is also my intention to start some strength training. 

I expect the pace of weight loss is going to get slower over the next year - as indeed it has already. But if I manage to maintain a 2.5 kg - 3 kg loss per month, my journey should be at its completion by Christmas next year. 

Weigh-in 38

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 

Last week's weight: 123.8 kg (272.9 lbs)

Current weight: 122.5 kg (270.1 lbs) 

Loss this week: 1.3 kg (2.9 lbs) 

Overall loss: 56.3 kg (124.1 lbs) 

Start BMI: 56.4  

Last week's BMI: 39.1

Current BMI: 38.7

My apologies for the missing scale-shot. I've misplaced my camera. I did take the photo this morning, so when I find it I will amend this post. 

It does feel really good to be just 3.7 kg away from the goal I set myself. October looks like it will be a good month.

My walks this weekend were a little longer than usual. I made my way up North East Valley and through the Botanical Gardens. Normally that's where I turn around and head back, but this time I carried on up through Castle Street to the university campus before turning back. This turned a 45 minute walk into a 75 minute one. Quite pleasant too. 

I must confess I did eat off-plan this evening when I went to a restaurant to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. There were lots of compliments from people who hadn't seen me in ages, but I indulged and had a beer with my steak and quite a rich self-saucing chocolate pudding. I'm not going to beat myself up about it. It was celebratory food and a treat. It might slow things down a little bit this week, but I have plenty of time to recover. 

Operation: Banana Split

I've been doing some calculations. When I started my journey, my basal metabolic rate - my caloric requirement to maintain a steady state - was 2,736 calories per day. It now stands at 2,186 calories per day. So it is now significantly harder to maintain a reasonable deficit. To that end, I have made a couple of changes.

First of all, as of today I am no longer having a banana with breakfast. I didn't seem to miss it this morning and anyway, 3 bananas a day was probably way too much. That's 105 calories per day. Secondly, I have changed the brand of wrap I have with my lunch, resulting in another 81 calories. That's around 1200 caloires a week. If 1 pound = 3,500 calories, that's about 160 grams of fat lost per week - after metrification. At least in theory. Hopefully it will work.Every little bit counts.

Weigh-in 37

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs) 
Last week's weight: 124.8 kg (275.1 lbs) 
Current weight: 123.8 kg (272.9 lbs) 
Loss this week: 1.0 kg (2.2 lbs) 
Overall loss: 55 kg (121.3 lbs) 
Start BMI: 56.4  
Last week's BMI: 39.4 

Current BMI: 39.1

Another successful week, with a good solid 1 kg lost. I'm now into the final five kg of my goal for 2013. I'm pretty certain that I'll hit 118.8 kg by the end of October - six weeks from now. After that I will be working on getting below 110 kg by the end of the year. 

If I can make it down to that point, it means I'll only be around 25 kg away from my ultimate goal of 80-85 kg. I mustn't get ahead of myself, but I'm expecting that last 25 kg to take longer than any other 25 kg chunk in my journey. But visually, each kilogram lost at that point will have a much greater impact, thanks to the "paper towel theory" of weight loss. It's a good day. I want there to be more good days.

Weigh-in 36

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs)
Last week's weight: 125.7 kg (277.1 lbs)
Current weight: 124.8 kg (275.1 lbs)

Loss this week: 0.9 kg (2 lbs)

Overall loss: 54 kg (119.1 lbs)
Start BMI: 56.4

Last week's BMI: 39.7

Current BMI: 39.4

I think my body took a little bit of a breather this week. Given that I lost 3.7 kg in the past fortnight, another 0.9 kg brings it to an amazing 4.6 kg lost in three weeks. So I think I'm still making a really good pace.

In fact, with just 6 kg to go until I hit 60 kg, I'm 90 percent towards my goal for 2013. Which is just great. So I'm on track to hit that in mid-to-late October. After that, I'm harboring a hope that I'll be under 110 kg by the end of the year. That would be truly amazing.  In addition to the amazing stuff I've already achieved.

Life is good.

Edit: I've used the term "amazing" three times in this post. Maybe wordsmithery is not my forte.

Weigh-in 35

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs)

Last week's weight: 127.5 kg (281.1 lbs)

Current weight: 125.7 kg (277.1 lbs)
Loss this week: 1.8 kg (4 lbs)

Overall loss: 53.1 kg (117.1 lbs)
Start BMI: 56.4

Last week's BMI: 40.1

Current BMI: 39.7

 

Another extraordinary loss this week of 1.8 kg, which takes me out of class III obesity (BMI of 40+) and into class II (BMI 35-39.9). I took the week off this week, and mostly fine weather allowed me the opportunity to take longer walks than I have been able to at work during lunchtime. With Spring now upon us, the days are getting longer and I'll be more comfortable about putting an evening walk into my regimen. I just feel so empowered about where things are going. Perhaps by the end of the year I'll find myself below 110 kg. Fingers crossed.

Weigh-in 34

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs)

Last week's weight: 129.4 kg (285.3 lbs)

Current weight: 127.5 kg (281.1 lbs)
Loss this week: 1.9 kg (4.22 lbs)

Overall loss: 51.3 kg (113.1 lbs)

Start BMI: 56.4

Last week's BMI: 40.8

Current BMI: 40.1

Well, that happened a little quicker than expected. I hit it out of the park with a 1.9 kg loss this week, which brings me down to 127.5 kg. I have now passed the 50 kg mark. This makes me incredibly happy and the goals I set for August are now achieved. I am a single kilo away from going under a BMI of 40 and into the Class II obesity range. Compared to the 16.3 BMI points I have lost to date, the next 5 points should be a doddle.

In terms of the non-scale victories, fashion-wise things are starting to change for me. I can now fit 112 cm pants, which are much more readily available - and cheaper - than the size of pants I've been wearing, well, since forever. I'm not quite at the point where I can be assured I fit something in every shop, but the Warehouse and Ezybuy offer clothes in my size. I bought a few short sleeved button-down 3XL shirts the other day at the Warehouse. $10 each. It feels so much better to wear clothes that aren't billowing out.

It is looking more and more certain that my 60 kg goal for the year will be met around Halloween. So what happens after that? Healthy BMI kicks in at 78 kg, but I'm going to try initially for a final target of 85 kg and see how i feel at that point. So that will be another 33 kilograms. I'd like to start doing some strength training as I start on my final push. That should help with my metabolism. And my looks. All this stuff is in the future, though, it's better to focus on my more immediate goals:

BMI<40
Get under 125 kg
Hit the 55 kg mark.

Weigh-in 33

Start weight: 178.8 kg (394.2 lbs)

Last week's weight: 130.3 kg (287.3 lbs)

Current weight: 129.4 kg (285.3 lbs)

Loss this week: 0.9 kg (2 lbs)

Overall loss: 49.4 kg (108.9 lbs)

Start BMI: 56.4

Last week's BMI: 41.1

Current BMI: 40.8

 

There's always a little self doubt when the week's loss sinks under 1 kg. Is this the new normal? Is my weight loss slowing down? The answer is, I don't know. I need more data. 900 grams is perfectly acceptable, I guess. But I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. And I sure as anything don't want to plateau before I make it into the sunlight.

 

That said, I am very happy to reach the 120s. And it is still August. Hopefully I'll lose at least 600 grams this week and hit the 50 kg mark by the end of the month. I also found this week that I can fit reasonably comfortably into 112 cm jeans. They are still just a little tight in the leg. There is enough give in them, and I think they are comfortable enough, though. I also tried on an XXL shirt from Threadless that I bought a couple of years ago. It didn't fit me then, but I'm pleased to say it does now.

I haven't posted any profile pics in months. Here I am now in the jeans and t-shirt.