My weight loss diary!

[MartynVRS]

I've recently got a Fitbit, helps massively, plus links up with my fitness pal so they tell each other everything. 

 

I'm drinking much more water, seems to work a bit.

 

Went to a Vending trade show with a mate yesterday, come away with 2 bags of sweets, crisps, chocolate. Ended up giving it all to the father in law :( Gutted lol, I did discover the brand 'nakd foods' they make bars/bags of food made of fruit but makes it tasty So going to get some of them for sweet treats. 

 

Steak for dinner tonight and some mango for after. 

 

I have access to cheap steak and mince so I do have other options apart from chicken.

[MartynVRS]

I ate bad last night. Had breakfast but had a long day in work then had to go and deal with PC issues for a family member meaning I didn't get home until 11pm so ended up having a pizza. I'm weighing every day and tracking what I eat as I'm also lactose intolerant but there's no set pattern to it. Other things can set it off too. I have the pizza with no issues this morning and since last Friday when i started noting weights I've lost 2kg. Only another 20kg to go

[CWARD]

Show me an example. This beats the current top of the range Fitbit for battery life alone. I want GPS too for proper tracking and you'll get almost a day out of this which is perfect for hiking where your out most of the day. My boss has the Fitbit and he barely gets 4hrs with GPS on. Also has HR monitor, lins to phone for notifications and you can download apps to it.

 

Not knocking the Vivoactive but you see a lot of them appearing second hand as they don't give the same level of feedback of some of the other Garmin watches. A full review of the Vivoactive is on DC Rainmaker who gives you a warts and all analysis of the device after actually using it for it was intending and he knows his stuff.

As you are wanting it for hiking then you may be more suited to a Garmin Fenix, which will last days between charges or something from their range more specific to this pursuit

 

I'm a Garmin fanboy and their watches have helped me track my progress and using the Garmin Connect website create training programs for me to follow. If you are serious about getting fit then they really are an invaluable tool to reach your goals. 

[MartynVRS]

I do a range of things. I cycle, kayak, walk. The old Vivoactive is a bit clunky now. The new Vivoactive HR shows promise but isn't out until May 1st. I have a Garmin 510 on my bike that's good.

[CWARD]

Have a look at the Fenix 3. Does all those things and whole load more and would replace your Edge 510 on the bike too. The have a version of the Fenix 3 with heart rate at the wrist too.  

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Hi Matt

 

Only just seen this thread for the first time, but I may jump in on it with you if you'll allow?

 

Just weighed myself at 21st 10lbs. I've not been below 20st since being a teenager, and whilst I do quite a lot of walking and generally eat quite well, I can really binge eat in the evenings when I've run out of things to do. Its really hard to keep busy after about 8pm and the kids are in bed etc. :(

 

Keep up the good work mate, I never seem to manage more than a week or so of being 'good'. :(

 

More the merrier! Good luck, it's tough! 

 

It's certainly a learning curve already, I've never taken an interest in the nutritional content of me food before so it's an eye opener. I think for me, the key is finding a balance that means I dont feel like I'm on a diet, I guess it'll come with getting in the habit of choosing healthier foods. I need to learn to eat smaller portions too! 

 

Tonight I've had a chicken breast in a pitta and scrambled eggs  Random but nice, I'm well under my calorie count though, even before it added the 500 calories I burnt at the gym and 500 calories I burnt walking the dog. I did have a bit of mango after though, I didnt eat it yesterday. 

 

Tomorrow will be tough, I'm off work so need to avoid snacking. I'll get up and go to the gym first thing then maybe **** off on the bike for a few hours. 

 

I might have found a sport, one of the old boys at work plays table tennis everyday, I'm going to see where the local place is and maybe give it a bash tomorrow with my brother. 

 

Thanks again for all the help/tips/advice and patience, like I say, it's a steep learning curve! 

[kilted]

It is a steep learning curve hence you take it one step at a time.

 

Don't try to lose huge amounts at a time as small adjustments to your intake are easier to manage.

 

I have made a concious decision not to watch the scales - I will see the results by clothes fitting better and looking in the mirror. Already finding that I need to tighten my belt a notch otherwise the trousers find their way down.

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Went table tennis on Friday night, had a right laugh and burnt 1000 calories in a little over a hour  

 

Managed to eat well Friday, weighed in on Saturday, lost another 3.6lb so total for 3 weeks is 7.6lb! Well chuffed had a treat last night, five guys and got totally smashed, back on it today. Tricky week ahead, I'm on lates which really ****s up my eating but we'll see how it goes. 

[MartynVRS]

This weekend I did some more walking. I'm walking mainly because it's low impact and it gives me chance to explore the area as I haven't lived here long. Sunday I went out on the bike, did almost 10 miles and it hurt in all the usual places. It also hurt in my feet but I have a feeling it's because I weigh more now. Will be a hard week for me too with it being crap weather this week, maybe even snow tomorrow.

[MartynVRS]

Kettlebell exercises are going well. Swings and squats mean my legs ache like I've done 100 miles on the bike. Going to do legs on alternate days, upper body every other day. Bought a Garmin scale which is handy for proper tracking of weight, fat and muscle. Not sure how accurate it is but says I'm about 40% muscle, 32% fat then the rest bone and water. Going to put effort during the week to work in muscle then aim on weekends to go for longer rides.

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Delayed update; 

 

Week ending 30th I lost 1lb, week ending 7th I lost another 1.5lb (I think) and last week I lost 2.8lb.

 

I'm really pleased, I'm in the habit now when I go shopping I dont buy biscuits/sweets/chocolate/bread snacks. If I want a snack I have a bit of cheese, I've reduced the sugar intake too. I like chicken so eat plenty of that and beef, I'm not hungry all the time either. 

 

Enjoying the gym, although this week I've not been, had awful shifts but made up for it with extra long dog walks at a good pace. 

 

Will be a tricky week this week, not only the lack of gym but I'm going to Belgium Friday for a Panos Pilgrimage so that wont help! I'll update at the weekend. 

[Phil-E]

Good work. Well done.

A couple of years ago I weighed just over 19 stone but managed to hide it well as I'm about 6' 7" tall.

Since then I did a low carb diet (very hard to do) and now eating healthily and no longer have a purely desk based job and now down to 16 stone.

I'm also trying to tone up a bit with some core exercises and weights.

[VRS Mike]

have you thought about getting a Fitbit? They seem to encourage you to do more. A friend of the Mrs never used to do any exercise whatsoever, now she's doing 15k + steps a day and actually going to gym classes, she's lost loads of weight without really trying.

[CWARD]

Nice one Matt, glad your sticking with it and ditched the sweet snacks. Once you get over that sugar craving it gets easier to stick with it.

[Mr Grumpy]

I've lost 2 stones in the last 2 months........i wouldn't recommend the diet though.......

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

have you thought about getting a Fitbit? They seem to encourage you to do more. A friend of the Mrs never used to do any exercise whatsoever, now she's doing 15k + steps a day and actually going to gym classes, she's lost loads of weight without really trying.

 

I've got a Fitbit Surge, totally agree, it has certainly been a massive help to me. An accurate idea of the calories I burn is a real help, I can see just how much effort it takes to brun off that cake It also helps to show me how lazy I am sometimes, if I get to the middle of the afternoon and I've done very few steps/calories, then it shows me I need to get off my arse and take the dog for a long walk. 

 

Nice one Matt, glad your sticking with it and ditched the sweet snacks. Once you get over that sugar craving it gets easier to stick with it.

 

I'm doing alright I think, I've reduced the sugar intake a fair bit, I have had a night or two where I really really wanted a bit of chocolate, instead of having it in the house I had to walk to the shop and earn it. I have noticed where I'm eating less sugar that my taste is changing, when I do have something sweet it takes REALLY sweet now. 

[MartynVRS]

Vivoactive HR arrived this week. Took ages for anywhere to stock an XL strap. Tracks pretty much everything plus there's loads of apps, widgets and clock faces you can install. There's an LCARS one so the watch face looks like a Star Trek workstation. Work has been flat out the last few weeks, going home this weekend to contemplate a few things so a good chance to get some walking in. I've been doing more kettle bell exercises but often it gives me groin strain so I have to take it easy. Weight is holding around the 110kg mark but it fluctuates daily. I'm starting to get stronger and an hour on a turbo/ exercise bike at a cadence at around 100 is OK for me now. Just need to translate that to the road.

[MartynVRS]

Weighed this morning and down to 108kg, fat down a little, muscle up a little. It's going the right way.

[Adenuf]

Love this thread, and well done Matt for being so positive.

 

I'm a bit roly poly despite regular gym sessions 3-5 times a week for the past 5 years, and plenty of walking too.

 

I've only ever concentrated on cardio however, and have been told that my routine is too samey now, and the old body has simply got used to it, and consequently I'm remaing fairly static in the weight dept.

 

Last night I hired one of the trainers at the gym to advise and show me all about weight training, and hopefully I'll start seeing some results for my efforts shortly.

 

Good luck to everyone in this non stop battle of the bulge,

 

Oh, as a footnote, the bloke I used last night told me that it's lack of exercise that causes most health issues, NOT being a bit portly.

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Another delayed update, last week I lost 1.8lb I think, taking me to a total of 1 stone 0.8 lb total loss, this week just gone I managed a loss of 3.4 lb! Massively chuffed with that, which on a week that included a meal out at an Italian restaurant shows even with a treat good results can be achieved. 

 

Gym is going well too, my mates introduced me to interval training when doing cardio, seems to work well, the time goes quicker too, legs felt like jelly when I finished the stair walker  

 

I did get a little carried away at the weekend, went to a party and got mullered so I really need to knuckle down this week and shed what I put on. 

 

Current weight: 23 stone 3 lb

Total Loss: 1 stone 4.6 lb

[Ade VRS]

Well done mate, keep up the good work.

[kilted]

Update on my progress - down one notch on the belt.

 

Quite a bit more to go but slowly seems to be working.

Edited 7 June, 2016 by kilted

[Eeeekkk]

Anyone with a fitbit, possibly Garmin too? check out something called Bounts. You get points based on your fitbit steps and can switch them for gift vouchers. I find financial gain a real motivator to round my steps up to 14 or 21k a day

[VRS Mike]

Anyone with a fitbit, possibly Garmin too? check out something called Bounts. You get points based on your fitbit steps and can switch them for gift vouchers. I find financial gain a real motivator to round my steps up to 14 or 21k a day

Seems too good to be true to me, have you actually received any vouchers?

[Eeeekkk]

At least 60 quid so far. I recently paid for the higher membership but you don't have to. The moneysavingexpert bloke worked out anything over 7k steps a day and you end up in profit because of the higher points.