Great news Jake. My first slowed my my riding, my 2nd virtually stopped it. Get your racing and goals achieved while you can [emoji12]

Lovely news Jake, a pigeon pair is it?

 

@

 

Andrew, huge effort there to blow away so many kilos from what is a small frame and that can make it harder or at least appear to be harder.

WD

 

I'll take comfort from your attack on your weight as I try to emulate it within my frame which is basically big and bugger all muscle to speak of as well. Plus there is the problem I'm getting old (as we are all doing of course, it just seems more in your face as 60 nears)

I have fallen off the wagon. However, this week we have cause to announce that our 2nd child is due in September. And the more I think about it the more excited I become. So, yes, I have had a drink.

 

Brilliant news, Jake. Congratulations to the three of you   

I have fallen off the wagon. However, this week we have cause to announce that our 2nd child is due in September. And the more I think about it the more excited I become. So, yes, I have had a drink.

 

congrats jake...time to get a tag along buggy thing for the bike

 

Congratulations Jake. What marvellous news. That is worth a drink or two

 

@ Luc - short (5'7) and fat (92kg) with a small frame and no muscle to speak of.

 

Currently 11kg down from my heaviest, and aiming to get to 75kg. 

 

congrats on that andrew...apart form the booz what was your way to shed a massive load like that...ps am similar build weight (closer to you former weight) and wanting to get closer to where you currently are and aim to be

 

ps have done that once before myself, I once weighed closer to 110 kg ! came down to 72 kg ! which was a bit too far...was in my 30s. in my 40s I slowly have crept back up with kids, family and WORK ! dragging me away from keeping from keeping fit ! though have no excuses now

I've lost the weight by:

1. Knocking off the grog;
2. Buying (and using) a waterrower; and
3. Being mindful of what I eat and a half hearted nod at the 5:2 diet - which means around every 3 or 4 days I have around 600 calories.
4. Drink lots of water (am doing so)

Strangely now I am not half drunk every night (or at least most nights) I eat less, and am more conscious of the choice of food I eat. My weight loss started when I stopped drinking - 137 days ago now or 4.5 months.

 

The waterrower is a terrific exercise for me - it is effective for weight loss without much effort (actually probably more effective with less effort given your most efficient use of fat stores are at 60-70% of MHR), but it also gets you stronger and fitter if you push it along (as I do a couple times a week).

 

This evening for instance my wife wanted to watch a DVD, and I was bored, so I jumped on it for 45 minutes and listening to tunes via Spotify & IEM's. It's great for turning off the lights and just rowing as you feel. I found after around 7 -8 songs I was ready to stop and low and behold 45 minutes had gone with 430 cal burned. 

 

I usually try and do 1/2 hour on it first thing in the morning - say 5.30am or 6am - and if I feel like it another 1/2 hour when I get home or before bed. 

Edited March 14, 201511 yr by Tom.Stopforth

well done andrew

 

I always find interesting  to learn of what people do. 

 

in my 30s to loose what I did. it was pretty much exercise every day about an hours worth.. either jogging, bike ridding, indoor cricket, indoor soccer, floor exercises on weeknights. also walked on weekends about 2 hours at a time. 

 

my diet at the time was muesli for breakfast. only ate fruit during the day...came home had a simple lunch/dinner...small piece of meat, size of palm of hand, steamed vegies. one slice of bread that was it. no alcohol during the week. 

 

I still used to splurge on the weekends...  

 

but still the weight literally fell off.

 

I wonder sometimes if I can do the same again...just matter of setting an hour aside everyday...rest will take care of itself I think...and staying away from snacking which I do way too much of these days.

Plus there is the problem I'm getting old

 

it just seems more in your face as 60 nears)

 

Mate, just wait until 60 recedes into the distance.  

 

But it's best to party on and have fun anyway.

@@Tony M

Might test you on that party idea... this Chrissy break if we get organised and get down to Adelaide for hopefully two weeks.

@ yes all OK here, thanks for asking, just watching the Kj intake, am not 'off the grog' but have limited myself to a 6 pack per weekend, which is working well.

Sunday night weigh-in tonight. It might not go well, went to an 80's thingy last night, complete with Brian Mannix, Scott Carne and the guy out of Real Life.

@@Jake congrats and I hope it all goes to plan.

Well, I wouldn't be too worried if all you are drinking is a 6 pack in the weekend. Well done reliving the 80's. I bet you are feeling better for it as well.

 

Cheers

well done andrew

..........

 

I wonder sometimes if I can do the same again...just matter of setting an hour aside everyday...rest will take care of itself I think...and staying away from snacking which I do way too much of these days.

 

 

Thank you. Very kind of you to say so.

 

Oh you can do it again if you want to badly enough. Our eating & exercise habits are mostly that - habit - and, while hard to change, are able to be particulalry if you don't have to contend with the grog attacking the resolve. It's really about choice and how you want the rest of your life to look like.

 

I needed to give up the grog for my mental health; no ifs or buts about that. After 41/2 months my brain is finally settling into some sort of ceasefire with itself, with the mood stabiliser I am on (escitalopram) doing a very good job, by and large, of limiting the frequency of the despair and deep melancholy I am prone to, and it occurs, improves my resilience. I don't have to contend with the hypo manic episodes anymore, with that particular joy being squarely linked, in my case, to alcohol consumption.  That alone has been the greatest gift I given myself  (and my wife) in this life.

 

The rest (weight loss, the ability and motivation to exercise etc) is just a positive side effect to the improvement in my mental health, which was and is the primary motivator for me no longer drinking.

Edited March 16, 201511 yr by Tom.Stopforth

Thanks guys. Hopefully the hospital will have wi-fi and I can update from my bed, if not it will be a few days off the air for me.

 

best of luck with it JK2

 

looking forward to some eloquently descriptive narrative of the nurses so that we can all know youre OK

 

Sun night weigh in-

95kg.

So, it has gone, weekly so far, 99-97-97-95.

Losing taste for certain junk foods and still enjoy a beer but drink much slower and as discussed, a lot less.

Avoiding all bakery products except 'less-wheat bread' (gluten free is just weird), cheese, chips (hot and cold) etc. Not doing myfitnesspal as religiously now I know what to avoid...again....

Get my cholesterol results back on Tuesday as well so that will be interesting.

Edited March 15, 201511 yr by Darren69

1 kg a week weight loss is perfect. Well done.

@@Darren69 you are doing well, a kilo a week is good stuff. Now that the initial excitement and everything has begun to die down it's simply a matter of keeping the mindset and continuing with the good work.

Yes, very true, same as most things in life, the key is to keep going when the honeymoon period finishes and it's all gone out of the press.

It's not hard once, as many have said, one breaks the habits. You aren't hungry or anything and I think my tummy has don't the shrink-thing a bit too so that helps as it doesn't take as much to feel full.

I still reckon the six pack per weekend has been the best thing though, just a billion less Kj's, clearer head, feel better, sleep better etc.

I wonder how my body was processing the carton per weekend before?? Amazing.

Think about things like Bathurst etc, there will be three or four hoons here, we will start around 9 ish and pretty much drink a carton each through the day along with a tonne of chips, party pies etc, haha, the wheelie bin is full of amber glass at the end of it. I wonder how the body processes days like that.

Still off the beer, feeling way more "level" little pot gut just got up and left !

Job done.

Cheers.

Matt

Putting extra funds into PSE 144's and AE 18's, happy birthday.

Much happier which people notice

Well done guys. I'm proud of you for having the resolve to change how you choose to live your lives. Pat on the back from me, FWIW.

Well you inspired all of us wowsers to take up the challenge @ , it's us who thank you.

I know I am feeling better every day.

Daz

Now all I have to do is get me some of that old timey religion and my journey from the dark side will be complete....

 

https://youtu.be/_RfUj09pWfM

Edited March 18, 201510 yr by Tom.Stopforth

Oh I done found that...

...just the other morn....

Hey guys. Well you got me started so i'm gonna check in also. I was a habitual "its the weekend drink a bottle of wine" guy with occasional addition consumption. Pretty modest or a reasonable amount depending on your perspective. Two weeks in and i had one glass of white with friends during that time. generally my methodology was to simply fill my wine glass with soda water instead of the vino tino" Its even goes ok with cheese. Blue cheese, Yum.

What i have been surprised by is the impact on nervous tension, mood and general get up and go. I'ts not like i'm a new person or anything but i definitely feel like i am cruising through the day siignificantly better overall. Its kind of annoying in a way but the evidence seems pretty clear that i should be an occasional one drink person at the most. I even like people more and feel more tolerant. The random "dad " jokes haven't gone however.

Great reading all the comments from other people. Thanks for inspiring me to give this a go in my own small way.

Yes, having alcohol to take the edge off also seems to sharpen it later on. It's a double edged sword. Heehee, that's almost as good as a Bill Shorten 'Zinger'.

Edited March 19, 201510 yr by Darren69

Hi Darren,

I hope this gives you some encouragement - here is my not so regular tracking of my weight loss efforts from Jan 2014 to today. 

As you can see there are times when I "over-track" and also times where sometimes I put on weight however if you look at the trend it is "over the long term" decreasing towards my goal of sub 80Kg.

I am 180cm tall, average build and usually very active.  Since my skiing accident in Feb 2015 and current prostate issues I have gone from "very active" to "sedentary" so my current goal is to keep my weight loss going or at least stabilise around 80-82Kg.  In May (post surgery/recovery) when I'm able to resume my normal lifestyle I don't want to have to climb the weight-loss mountain again.

The 1st 10Kg or so were relatively easy.  You have to keep your focus on the long-term and not become dispirited when you go off track or wobbles occur - they are normal for most people.

Keep going.

Regards

Frank

 

Looking good Frank.

 

I am on the final part of my quest and down to 74KG.

I went from 125KG  to 80KG in 8 months, but since then I have been a bit lacking in focus and then just went to 75KG in 6 months following. I have now re-committed and am now 74 and on my way to 70 where I will be happy to have reached my goal.

It is also a lot more than just weight loss, it's finding inner strength that was unknown to me.

 

To everyone here on the quest, keep looking for that strength every time you are tempted to fall of the wagon. You CAN DO IT