Its progress Jim...

Hmm..

Trying to regularly do this, sometimes it is not so easy is it? I mean, I get up, I work out, have breakfast, shower and head off to work. I come home after work, and make dinner, and sometimes I think about posting here. Most of the time, I forget to do so. But, I need to do it. I need to hold myself up honestly and say “yes, I did what I planned” or “No, I did not get there” The whole point of these posts atm, is to hold myself accountable, and exposing myself to ridicule, if I do not follow through with what I plan.

I can safely say, this week I have been working hard, and getting results. My gut is shrinking, as is my weight, which is perhaps not quite what I was expecting. But, my muscles are also expanding, which is what I wanted. I can honestly say, I am seeing results.

My belt is now consistently back in a hole further in, than what it used to be. My legs are getting bigger, and my shoulders are filling out my shirts better again. I just need to keep at it, and keep working to achieve the results I want. Buying a bigger set of dumb bells is the plans for this week end, as a part of achieving this, seeing as I am now up to the heaviest dumb bells I have at present. And I need to keep eating the right foods, to keep growing the right body parts, and not growing the wrong things...

Progress?

Ok, so I am getting back on track. Today I did my full leg workout, making use of the heaviest dumb bells I have atm. This is a good thing! I am not at the point where I need to rush out and buy the heavier dumbbells, but it is starting to get close. I also walked most of the way home tonight. Not all the way, but then, we did stop for the ribs special tonight... Ribs... belch

Wednesday, I expect I am going to be using the biggest dumbbells on several of my upper body exercises as well. This will also be A Good Thing!! Tomorrow it is just abs day. Which is painful enough, but not as bad as leg day. Tomorrow my legs will be killing me, but, the results WILL be worth it. I have decided they will, therefore they will. That is how it goes does it not?

Sadly not, which is why I am putting myself through this constant pain, to get the body I desire. And, it is working, though of course, never as fast as we want..This morning, when I weighed myself, I had dropped 2 kgs. Now, while that may not be entirely the result I am aiming for, I can guarantee that I have lost fat, which is a very good thing. Now I just need to make sure that I do not loose anymore weight while I am trying to build up. I am upping my food intake, while trying not to increase my carbs too much. I am working on trying to increase the protein intake, to encourage the building of muscle, rather than the building of fat deposits. Hopefully, by not increasing my carb intake, it will encourage my body to continue the fat utilisation/relocation/absorbtion, and all will be good. We can but hope!!!

Oops

Hmm.. Well, that was rather effective, wasn’t it? I had a rather big night on Saturday, then take the rest of the week to get back up to speed. I did manage to do my 3 walks home minimum this week (4) and 3.5 last week (One was only part way), so things are not totally lost, and I have worked out 3 times in the mornings, but I am only now starting to get back up to speed... Note to self, remember such things can totally stuff up plans!!!

Anyway, other than self inflicted steps backwards, life on the whole is good. I had been feeling like the exercise kick is getting results, even if I cannot really see them yet. I have noticed that my waist line is starting to shrink back into shape again. I can tell partly because I am starting to need to go back in one hole in my belt. Not all the time, but often enough that I can tell it is working. Also, a couple of my tshirts are starting to feel tight around the shoulders again, as they should. When they are tight around the shoulders and have room around my gut I will be really happy!!!

So, plans for next week? At some point, I need to lash out and spend some money on a new set of dumbbells (as I mentioned in my last post. I am starting to integrate my current heaviest pair into my workouts, so once they start to not be a stretch, I will need to look at going up a weight again. I really do not fancy spending the money, but, if I want to change the way I look, build more muscle and improve my fitness, I am going to need to spend money. Considering that they do not wear out in a hurry, I think I can justify the expense...So long as I use them of course!!!!

A quickie after a yummy dinner out that did not fit the plan!

After this morning’s workout, I am proud to announce I am about to start using my heaviest dumb bells. This is a BIG DEAL! For two reasons. First of all, the fact that I am going up in weights means that my workouts are having an effect. Secondly, it also means I am going to have to consider buying a new pair of dumb bells. Which I have to say, is not fun. The bigger the dumbbells, the more expensive. The next ones are going to hurt the bank balance.

But seriously, have you ever thought about how much money we spend on looking good? I have to say, the money I have spent trying to look good over my life is quite obscene! What with gym memberships in the past, hair cuts, clothes that I think look good, skin care and hair care products, and the like, you really sometimes wonder what is the point? I mean, surely I have better things to do with my money? Having said that, the money I spend is nothing compared to the money some people spend. The idea of regular facials for example. Who really has the money for that? And regular professional hair colouring? Mind you, I am never really going to need to worry about covering grey hair. Mine is going to all fall out before then!

Now, having said that, I do think my workout/reshaping program is worthwhile, and good value for money. I also suspect that the next dumbbells I buy will probably be the last ones I buy for quite a while. I was thinking about this while working out this morning. I want to see what I look like when I get comfortable using this next set of dumbbells, which I have yet to buy. I have this feeling, when I have been using them for a few weeks, and am using them in most of my exercises, I will be starting to have the sort of body I want to have. If that is the case, I probably wont be rushing out to get a bigger pair anytime soon...

Time will tell!!!

Another cold walk home

Well, another day, another walk home. I pushed myself walking home tonight. I am not sure if it was just because it was cold, or because I just wanted to get home, or what, but I got home the fastest I have walked in ages.

I also did my abs this morning, so I have been a good boy today.

Walking home tonight, I realised that my belt is going to need to go in another hole now. This is a good thing. My pants were hanging low as I walked. Not rapper homeboy low, but low enough to make you realise your shape is changing. Thankfully, my butt is too big and round to let them fall far, but it still feels odd and not entirely pleasant when they are loose at the top, but fitting me elsewhere just fine. But, this is a good thing.

On another topic...

My Dr is suspicious I am suffering from low testosterone. I had a blood test that came up fairly low. I had to have another one last week. I am still waiting for results. If it turns out low again, I expect we will be discussing supplementation. I am kind of hoping that will turn out I need extra. It will make my work in changing my shape much easier. Steroids here I come? Maybe!!!

Monday, cold out!

Ok, so day 2, what news? Well, I did manage to walk home. All the way... This is a good thing. I also did a leg workout before work. I think my legs will hate me tomorrow ;-)

But seriously, the old no pain no gain thing does carry some truth. If you do not overwork muscles to exhaustion, you will not get them growing as fast as you can. The trick is the work to exhaustion, then stop. Allow them to recover, then rinse, lather, and repeat....

So, will it work? Will my body respond to the reshaping?

Stay tuned!!

More body thoughts..

Two posts in one day... Aren’t you all lucky? Actually, more likely, I am just working out things in my head, and I need to put then in writing to make sure it all happens, and make sure I commit to them. If you tell the world you are going to do something, and you don’t, you end up looking like a goose, which I know I do not like doing, not that I can speak for anyone else..

Well, today, when I went up to the shops, there was someone selling bathroom scales for $20!!! Needless to say, I bought some.. The results were not pretty. 107.5 kgs. That is almost the heaviest I have ever been, and the heaviest was earlier this year, when I topped out at about 112kgs. Needless to say, this is something I plan to fix.

First thing of course, was upping the exercise. I have taken steps to start on that, as discussed earlier. The next thing is to get serious about the diet. No more carb laden morning tea breaks (sob!). Less beer (ouch!) Less carb laden meals generally. Suddenly I feel like Garfield the cat (“I never met a calorie I did not like”) Seriously, what is it about us loving the stuff we should not be eating, if we are serious about controlling our weights? It is enough to make you turn to drink (he says, swilling some beer!)

Just so you understand where I am coming from, by the way. I am one of those tall guys who never had to worry about their weight, except if they wanted to increase it. I was 70kgs when I was 20. (I am 2 metres tall!) It took about 5 years to get up to 90kgs, with lots of exercise, and eating, trying to lose my natural very skinny look, and gain some bulk and muscle, and generally not look like I could blow over in the wind.

Fast forward 20 years, and I am now almost 110kgs. The weight itself would not be a problem, if it was not for the fact that most, if not all, of the last 15 kgs is fat. So, now I need to work on converting the fat to muscle, and muscle in the right places. Does the fact that my shoulders and arms are telling me tonight they feel used and abused indicate that I am making progress? I hope so! I would so hate to be doing all this work, only to find out that none of it is working..But, as I have learnt previously when trying to change my body shape, do the work, and the results will come. It is just that the results always take so long to happen. Will I stay motivated long enough to get the results I want, that is the $64 question!!

Me? FAT?????

Ok,new blog post time. Some hard facts time, too. I am out of shape. Significantly. Out of shape as in fat. Ok, not fat as in “get thee to Jenny Craig you are about to have a heart attack” fat, but more “I have never seen you this fat before” fat.

Needless to say, I am not terribly happy about this state of affairs. I have started working on doing something about it, but these things take time. I have decided tho, I do want to be seriously in shape by the time summer comes around. By in shape, I mean, run round shirtless showing off shape. Buff. Happy with the way I look, drawing looks from people checking me out, instead of just being the anonymous overweight guy walking round that I currently am. Last summer, I was starting to approach this shape before I stopped working out, and to be honest, I do miss the attention. Being as tall as me does tend to make one eye catching anyway, this tall and in shape? Eye catching assured!!!

So, what am I doing about it? Well, in accordance with my blog title, I have decided enough is enough, life is not a rehearsal. I have started back on the weights in the morning about a month ago. That is starting to get some results. I have also started to walk home from work on an irregular basis. That has to improve. Not irregularly. I need to walk home at least 3 times a week. I accept that sometimes it is not possible, or practical to walk home, but I have now made a goal. Walk home 3 times a week minimum.

So, that covers step 1 and 2. (Step 1, admit the problem, step 2 work out what you are going to do) Step 3, the doing it and step 4 sticking to it are going to be harder. After all, we all know people who have started a weightloss/body reshaping program who quit it within 2-3 months, or less. Hell, I have been guilty of it too, many times. But, I do have everything (well, pretty much) I need to get into this seriously. I have a bench, free weights and time to do it most days. I just need to work to keep the motivation going. So, that is where this blog comes in.

I am going to try to make an effort again blogging. I am going to outline what steps I have done, what steps I am working on, or towards, as I move to my goal of a “beach body”. Hopefully, a bit of public humiliation, or the threat of it, will help me to keep the motivation up, as I work to get my body into a shape I am happy with. If I stop blogging on this, and you notice, post some feedback and I will receive it, and hopefully I will be motivated to get back into it, either the blog or the working out, whichever I have stopped doing!!! (Or both even!)

Scandals...

Ever wondered what it is with the "right" side of the political spectrum and scandals? I mean, really, no one does a good sex scandal like the rightist polical parties do... Currently we are watching a bunch of them in the USA. Sandford is a pretty good one. But he is not the only one atm, there is also Ensign, and others... And that is before we get to all the gay ones. Other countries also tend to have the politcal sex scandals on the right side (Profumo anyone?)

I wonder if it has anything to do with the concept of liberty they supposedly subscribe to. All those personal freedoms they claim to aspire to. But, then, when you add a political theory supposedly about personal freedoms, and add in the current obsession for courting the religious groups. Suddenly you have a group that believes in personal freedoms, trying to reconcile with a group who is all about personal morality. You just know it is not going to work. And sure enough, all that happens is people try to hide what they are doing, but then of course, these sort of things always have a habit of showing themselves and coming out into the open... And, when they come out into the open from politicians claiming to be upright moral types, you just know it is going to get ugly, messy, or just plain farcical. Or, all of the above!!

Random thoughts

Hmm... It has been a while since I last posted here hasn't it?? The last time, we were still watching that crazy thing called the American Elections, watching breathlessly as we hoped that hope might actually triumph over a tired old jaundiced view of the world, that seemed to offer more of the same. We were wondering what the world was coming to, as the dreaded GFC continued to wend its way through the financial centres of the world, wreaking havoc on the importance that people felt they had, and generally making good old fashioned virtues like thrift, and living within your means, suddenly become sensible again, and debt suddenly becoming this toxic thing that no one wanted to touch with a 20 foot pole, or even a 30 foot Litvak ;-)

These days.. Well, some of those things have changed. We now have the unlikely situation of a coloured man elected to the role of the "Leader of the Free World" as some people still breathlessly refer to the US President. We have a Govt in Australia that seems to be doing its best to back pedal on all its good green policies. We have sports stars getting caught up in sex scandals again. We still have a GFC wreaking havoc in the world....

Hmm.. OK, maybe somethings have not changed that much..

So, what can we do?? Well, to be honest, one of the reasons I have not posted much here, is sometimes I wonder, what can we do? I mean, I am just one voice, not a particularly well known one, just one more crying out in the wilderness for something to change, for people to learn to treat each other with a bit of respect a basic human decency. For the media organisations of the world to realise that reporting is about more than just jumping on the latset band wagon and flogging it till it falls over dead like the proverbial horse, then move onto the next thing. And for Governments to realise that governing is about more than just winning the news cycle, that we elect them to do something for us as a nation (hopefully) or at least, to try to make a difference in the world for good or bad (and depending on which side of the political fence you sit, my good may be your bad). And for sport stars to realise, that just because they are adored by millions, given more money than they deserve, simply because they do something well most of us struggle to even do at all, and usually look good doing it, does not give then the right to treat other people as if they were trash, just because they can. Yes, women (and more than a few men) are going to throw themselves at you, but that does not give you the right to treat them as if they were trash, then hand them over to your mates for them to do the same. When that sort of thing happens, there is no way that anyone can honestly say that consent was obtained by all those involved. It does not matter if consent was obtained by one or 2, when you are dealing with a group situation tag teaming on one woman, every man needs to make sure that woman gives consent to them. I still do not understand why some people do not get this...