I’ve just completed 4 weeks of personal training. The differences are pretty damn amazing. I think the biggest thing for me, is the food that I’m eating.

The cravings are gone, I’m never hungry, and it’s a way I could eat permanently. I’ve removed just about all processed food from my diet. I’ve stopped eating bread, and grains/pasta/rice I’ve severely limited. I get most of my carbs from vegetables and fruit. There are a lot of other changes, but I won’t go into them all here. As a consequence my blood sugar has stabilised, and my doctor is actually starting to decrease my diabetes medication.

I have a lot more energy, and I’ve actually droped a couple of notches on my belt. I’m in a better mood all around, and finding that my down times are more productive. I suppose it helps I’ve put everything else on the back burner other than health and fitness right now.

So here is the cold hard numbers.

In 4 weeks:

• Lost 9.1 kg
• Lost 3.2 % body fat

I’m recovering from exercise faster, and actually look forward to exercising. Love the rush afterwards.

About 5 weeks ago I had reached a point in my own improvement plan where I wasn’t happy. I felt stagnant, and nothing seem to be going my way. I was just plain grumpy!

I decided that I needed more drastic changes in my health and fitness. One of the biggest problems I was having was I was hungry all the damn time. I try to lose weight and the cravings for food are so intense that I was distracted from anything else.

So I decided to speak to my endo. I’m a type 2 diabetic, and it had been a little while since I’ve seen my endo. So went and saw him. Lucky for me he is also a fitness nut, so I explained what was going on, and he suggested that I was now ready to try something more drastic. He wasn’t sure of my commitment up till now, and I could see he was still skeptical.

Basically he told me. If you do as I tell you to do, you won’t be hungry, your energy levels will be better, you will loose weight, and put on some lean muscle mass. If you are willing to put the effort in, I will help you.

He now has me eating 5 times a day. Doing 3 weight sessions a week, and interval training on 2 other days.

So what has happened. Well in the last 3 weeks, I’ve lost 7kg over all, 2% body fat, 3 notches on my belt, I’m never hungry, and the uncontrollable cravings I was once getting have now stopped. I feel renewed.

Conversation on Saturday went something like this.

‘What would you like to achieve?’,'I just want to be fitter, more energy, and be able to buy the clothes i like’.

‘No I mean something real, and tangible,’Well, I’ve always wanted abs. LOL’.

‘Well there you go, something real and tangible. You can do it if you really want to. And the commitment I’ve seen over the last few weeks, I really believe you can’,'really?’.

‘Yeah. I will help you all the way if you want!’,'Why the fuck not, lets do it!’

So lets see how I go. I haven’t been this motivated in a very long time, and fuck it feels good.

At the beginning of the year I made some promises to myself. Made a list of what I wanted to accomplish the next couple of years. I dealt with a major issue with my finances first, and then on the 1st of March started to work on the rest. I’ve broken it down in to three month lots, and stuck reminders up around my apartment.

I was staring at them this morning, and realised I’d not only already completed a couple of them, I was well on the way to most of the others. Plus 60% of the optional ones I set for myself are also done.

Main Goals were:

• 10kg Weight Loss
• One education cert
• Exercise 4 days per week
• Save $2000
• Sort out mental health
• Sort out apartment

- As of this morning I’m 9kg down, and 2.5 weeks to go. I didn’t realise cause i don’t really jump on the scales any more.
- Booked certification exam for next week
- Exercising regularly now, and loving it.
- Savings isn’t happening yet, as I needed to sort some other things out first.
- Been on a retreat, and getting some help (yes I’m not too proud to admit I needed it)
- The list of things (that didn’t involve money) that I want to do to the apartment are about 90% finished.

So I’m sitting here today, pretty damn smug and proud of myself.

Now to work out the next 3 months goals

I’ve had a few people ask me, how are my life plans, and other things progressing? I’m moving along quite happily.

• My health seems to be improving daily. I have more energy, I’m starting to sleep a lot better, and just starting to feel better all round.
• I’m still losing weight. It’s leaving at about 0.5kg-1.0kg a week on average. Some weeks more, others less. That’s about the speed I want to go. I want a lifestyle change, not something which goes away fast, only to return just as quickly. This isn’t ‘The Biggest Loser’ and never will be.
• I’m eating a lot healthier. I’ve reduced the amount of junk I eat very significantly, and swapped it for healthier organic meat, fruit and vege.
• Still cleaning out my house, but have made significant changes. Still more to do.

I wanted things to be permanent, not just a flash in the pan, so I’m taking my time, and doing things right the first time, so I don’t have to do them again.

I’m exercising nearly everyday, but rest when I’m feeling tired and out of sorts. I don’t want it to become a chore, I have to want to do it.

Financially I’m still getting there, and will be a longer term plan. It is taking a while to stabilise my income, and make sure I’ve got a buffer just in case things go south in the future.

I’m still getting use to spending more time on my own. I’ve some very good friends, and I’m seeing them regularly, and doing things which add to my life not just for the sake of catching up. I come from a large family, so having alone time is not something I am use to. I’ve always wanted a crowd around me, and to be invited to do things ‘all the time’. I’m finding I’m now spending more time on doing things that are helpful to me, and what I want in life. I have to admit it’s been a struggle. I feel guilty spending time and effort on myself. Like I don’t deserve it. I’ve always focused the majority of my energy on other people. Helping them to do things, and not much on myself. The guilt is because I feel selfish spending that time on myself. It’s a crazy situation to be in. I’m always suprised when people want to spend time with me, or do things with me. I will get use to it in time.

I must say, i’m getting much more done at home, and in my own personal development. I’m extremely proud of how far I’ve come in just over 2 months. I have momentum for the first time in my life, and it feels good.

Adz

Well I’ve started exercising more. At the moment it’s not really rocket science, seeing I’m so far overweight any extra movement will undoubtedly result in my losing some weight.

I’m starting to feel a little better. I’m consistently doing 10,000 or so steps per day, and in a month I’m going to ramp that up even more.  The only problems I’ve come across is chaffing. So this weekend going to look for some compression shorts or cycle shorts to help out in that regard. I’m in a fair bit of pain at the moment, and want it to stop.

Waist : 159 cm
Hips :  127 cm
Chest : 144 cm
Weight : 162 kg
Morning BGL : 9.8 (mmol/dl)

Holy fuck! I knew i had let myself go when I got back from overseas, but not by this much. It’s a frightening realisation when you look at the scales and tape measure, and the stark reality of how big you are starts to settle in.

Well I’m fat. The official term is morbidly obese. I’m fat enough that it’s killing me. The realisation is i’m eating myself in to an early grave. It’s hanging around my head today like a black cloud, and it’s actually making me depressed. I can see why it’s a battle for people to loose weight. It’s a dangerous loop that got you this way in the first place, and it’s that same loop that keeps you there.

One of my fears as I begin today, is most large people lose some weight, then give up, and put more on than they have in the first place. I would really love to see all the stars of ‘The Biggest Loser’ 5 years on, to see if the lifestyle changes they made have stuck. Or once they are back in to their old lives, with the familiar stress and fears, that they don’t revert back. I’m guessing one or two haven’t but the majority have.

There’s those scary figures below.

So what am I going to do today.

Physical Things:

• Go for a walk. Start to move myself more.
• Spend less time on the computer

Stress:

• Get help with the money situation
• Learn how to relax
• Spend more time with old & new friends.

They are things I can do today. I will be writing more about what I’m doing to change things in the weeks & months to come.

Waist : 161 cm
Hips :  128 cm
Chest : 146 cm
Weight : 163 kg
Morning BGL : 11.2 (mmol/dl)