Week 22 – In the lands to the North, I’m still losing weight!

Hey there!

I just spent 5 days in a little town called “Wyong” on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It’s not very far north, but it’s about an hour and forty minutes north of Sydney. I was running a training program there and had a ball working with the great people in the class.

I had to create a little flexibility with the break times in order to remain remotely close to my eating schedule. I didn’t always eat on time, and I didn’t get out to exercise this week (that’s 3 weeks now), because I was somewhat tired after the days of training, but I still managed to shed some weight!

In fact, now I weigh 94.8 kilos ( 208.56 pounds)! That’s a loss of 1.2 kilograms this week (or around 2.5 lbs) in a week where I didn’t actually exercise. Pretty cool, huh?

So, what did I learn this week that might help you? Drink lots of water. Get the sleep you need or you won’t have the energy to do what you need to do. Stick to your plan and the results WILL come. Oh yeah, and have fun and enjoy what you do, even if you don’t like the work. Make it fun and your attitude will add to your results.

Well, just a quick entry this week, but I do believe I’ll have some really interesting and useful news for you next week with the launch of a FREE service that will be incredibly useful to those of you who are working to lose weight. It’s going to knock your socks off (and that’s good for losing about 10 grams straight up!)

If it happens earlier, I’ll let you know via the blog, but until then…Be well and be who you want to be!

Till next week,

John.

P.S. I’m thinking about adding some video to the blog….we’ll see what happens (literally!)

Week 21 – Still sick, but still on target!

Howdy wide-eyed spectators,

It’s Thursday morning again and I’ve just hopped off the scales to chart my progress. I lost more weight this week. I am currently down to 96 kilos ( 211.2 pounds) and 18.25% body fat. I am surprised, frankly, because I didn’t do any exercise this week (apart from a very small amount of rock-climbing yesterday) and I’ve been finding it hard to fit all my meals in. I didn’t visit the gym this week at all (again!). I figure it’s better to be over this flu (or whatever it is) before I go back to cardio and early mornings.

I suppose a rest for a fortnight is a good way to shake up the routine and avoid the adaptation response. At least that’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it!

Not much to say this week. Things have been ultra-stressful for a while now. A few rays of sunshine poked through the clouds these last few days, but I’m still waiting for the chickens to hatch, if you know what I mean. If I can suffer this much stress (as I have over the last few weeks) and still lose weight, then NOTHING can stop me from reaching my goal.

And if I can do it (and I have and am still doing it), then YOU can do it TOO! So, what excuse are you going to wheel out to explain why you can’t start today? Because I’ll tell you now that if you decide you’re going to make a difference in your life, then there’s only one person stopping you from having what you want, and we all know who that is. … … … It’s you. (Just in case you were waiting for me to tell you!)

But the great news is that YOU are also the perfect person to make things happen in your life the way you want them to be.

So what are you waiting for? Christmas? New Year? Your Birthday? The expiry date of your pizza coupons? Don’t make yourself wait any longer. Just do something. And make it something that will make a difference to your life (in a positive way).

Alright. I better get myself into the shower and ready for the day. I’ve got a BIG seminar coming up on the weekend on building an internet business. Early days and late evenings. Few food breaks. I’d better get planning and cooking. I’m going to find out how to make protein bars and make sure I keep eating healthy.

Till next week,

John.

Week 20 – Sick and Tired – Yep, actually sick and it made me tired!

Hi gang!

I had no energy this week. I noticed it early on, about Monday. I got up late (here in New South Wales, Australia, last Monday was a public holiday) and had a birthday and a stack of family things happening, so I thought I’d give the gym a miss. I woke up early on Tuesday, but just didn’t feel up to going. I’d developed a sore throat and swollen glands. I thought I’d catch up on Wednesday, but again, wasn’t feeling so good and Today (Thursday) my throat is worse, and it’s gone to my chest. I don’t feel good and as soon as I’ve done this, I’m going to go and lie down (it’s 5:30am here).

Now, I weighed in this morning and I’m down to 96.7 kilos ( 212.74 pounds) and 19.15% bodyfat. I’m moving closer to my goal every week. If you check my chart, you’ll see the line gradually moving down, and that’s one of the things that keeps me going. I have 6.7 kilos to go and 3 percentage points of body fat to lose. I’m so close I can taste it!

This week is going to be interesting. I’m going to need to cut back on my calorie intake, so that my reduced activity, while I get over this cold, still allows me to burn fat. That’s OK, because at my current calorie level, and eating six times a day, I still feel like I’m eating way too much. But I know I’m not, because I’m still losing bodyfat. I like it!

I found a little key that makes the whole process easier. My wife mentioned that I always seem to be cooking, and that’s because I’m eating every three hours. I found it useful to have some cold turkey, or chicken, in the refrigerator so that I could make a sandwich easily and take care of a meal like that. But what I did yesterday was the best move so far. In the morning, I took one of my recipes for Chicken Stir Fry and multiplied all of the ingredients by four. I then weighed and measured them out and cooked four servings all at once. Then I took ziploc baggies and weighed out and sealed the four portions and put three of them in the freezer. The one that was left, I ate. This meant that I didn’t have to cook for the next three meals. The meals were ready, weighed, portion controlled and macronutrient balanced. It was a good thing.

The next step is to cook maybe three or four dishes at one time and then I can have variety throughout the day. I just open the freezer and reach for a ziploc bag of whatever food I fancy. By the way, in case you’re wondering, there were a total 650 grams of lean chicken breast in the four meals, 600 grams of cooked brown rice (which I cook in bulk and then keep in the refridgerator) some mushrooms, broccoli, corn and peas. I also added some sauce to taste. I stir fried the meal using canola oil from a spray can (to reduce usage) and seasoned with a little salt. Voila! Tasty, nutritious and pretty darn cheap! The chicken cost me $AUD9.99 per kilo.

I hope you find this useful. By the way, I’ve written an online calorie calculator, and a food database with over 7000 food items. A meal planner is working, but I want to personalise it so that each user doesn’t erase the last user’s stuff. All of this will come online soon, but I found out that the server it’s going on doesn’t support PHP (the language I wrote it in). Now I have to learn Javascript so that I can make it work. Great. I can’t wait. Is my enthusiasm showing?

Ok, time to suffer in private. It’s a good thing to know that colds and flu will go away in a relatively short time, and then I’ll be back in the gym, building the muscles that will help to burn more fat. Maybe I’ll have a ‘coming out’ party for my abs. Or maybe not. You never know.

Till next week,

John.

Week 19 – A little late, but takin’ care of business!

G’day mate!

I’m out in Regional New South Wales again, organising builders and kitchens and plumbers and paint colours to rebuild after the massive house damage we suffered at the hand of a faulty water pipe joint (which happened to be in the roof). It turned out to be almost $AUD40,000 dollars worth of damage.

I have good news on my progress. I am down to 97 kilograms (213.4 pounds). My wife and I went to a Rivers store to buy some clothes for our kids, and I couldn’t resist the $19.95 blue jeans they had on sale. I grabbed a size 40 from the shelves, thinking they might be ok, because I used to be a size 42, and I had to go back and get a smaller pair. I ended up with a size 38! As you might guess, I’m wearing them now, and will probably keep them on as much as possible. As I look down my front as I type, I am just so pleased at the progress I’m making. My stomach is smaller, my legs are really showing how well I’m going and I think my butt is even getting smaller! (Who knows? It’s round the back and a little hard to see! I also don’t have a lot of pictures of my butt from before, to compare. Go figure.)

I also went from a size 44 shirt to a size 42 and the countdown is still going. I so know I am going to reach my goal. It’s inevitable.

I have to say, if you haven’t already checked out Tom’s amazing weight loss program, then you better get on over to my website and have a real good look. If you’re serious about weight loss, then there’s no better way.

Something special is coming up soon. Should be up by next week. Check back then. It’ll be worth it.

Till next week,

John.

Week 18 – Steady as she goes, captain.

Heading through some bumpy terrain at the moment. To say that I’m under lots of stress right now would be like saying that the Grand Canyon is a slight depression.

Things are hard, but they could be harder. This is where it gets interesting. I thought back over the last few days and found that I’d missed a number of meals. Some people eat with stress and I do that sometimes, but sometimes I just don’t eat. Neither response is useful.

So…I’m working hard to make sure that I stick to my three hourly eating schedule. I think my results this week echoed the state of my efforts. Mind you, I did lose body fat. My BodyFat percentage dropped to 19%. My weight remained the same. That means that I built lean body mass and lost body fat! Alright!

I’m working hard three times a week with HIIT cardio training (semi-fasted) and this makes me feel very good during the day. Exercise is unlocking energy that I never had before. It’s now translating into my everyday life, as well. I don’t puff as much when I head up the stairs, and I find myself running and not out of breath. Nice.

I still have to get back to the gym for weightwork, though. I’m thinking of implementing a Monday-cardio, Tues-Weights, Wed-cardio, Thurs-weights, Fri-cardio regimen. We’ll see.

Alright, faithful readers. I’m off to fight the good fight. Again. At least I’m winning.

Till next week,

John.

Week 17 – Breezing towards the goal-line

Howdy spectators!

Today is an interesting day. I weighed myself and checked my bodyfat percentage and (Tada!), I lost weight again! I lost another kilogram this week. That’s 2.2 pounds for the metrically challenged, and a total of 13.1 kilograms, or 28.8 pounds of weight loss over the last 17 weeks.

I revised my goal a couple of weeks ago. My original goal was to achieve a weight of 95 kilograms. That meant I had to lose 16 kilograms. I’ve lost 13, and I’ve reassessed my weight and body fat percentage. I also changed my measuring stick. I decided I’m going to shoot for 15% body fat instead of some arbitrary weight. When I did the calculations, it worked out that I need to be 90 kilograms to achieve 15% body fat, and that’s if I don’t put any muscle on. So my new goal is 15% body fat with a total body weight of 90 kilograms.

Then I’ll reassess again.

I have to tell you, I’m kind of excited about the fact that I’ve found something that actually does what it promises. Who would have thought that I’d be eating so much food (in fact, I probably eat 2-3 times what I used to eat) and be removing the fat from my body in such a healthy way. I always used to think that you had to starve to lose weight. In fact, the most successful weight loss I had before this was when I went to hospital for five days with a stomach infection and lost 9 kilos. Of course, I put it all back on, and then some!

This time, the weight is staying off. I can’t tell you how good that feels.

OK. my current weight is 97.7 Kilograms ( 214.7 lbs) and I have 19.6% Body fat. It was a real boost to break through the 20% mark. 15% is now really reachable, and I know I’ll get there. It’s just a matter of time, discipline and trust.

If you’re facing a challenge at the moment, you can beat it. You just have to stick at it. If you’re feeling a little down, then try this website:

www.(put your name in here).youaremighty.com

for example, I’d put www.john.youaremighty.com

Make sure you have the sound on and up (or headphones) when you do.

Till next week,

John.

Week 16 – The Sky is Falling…about $AUD30,000 worth!

Hi Faithful readers!

What a week! I went on a bit of a trip, around three hours from Sydney, into regional New South Wales. I had to do a bit of work on a house that we picked up rather cheap down there. I had a bit of work to do on the house and then we hoped to rent it out.

When I got there, I was kind of surprised. The floor was covered with a kind of grey, lumpy material. It turned out to be roof insulation. That was because part of the ceiling had fallen in. That was because a plumbing fitting had cracked and had been running in the ceiling for about, well… maybe a week or so…

Luckily we’re insured.

Surprisingly, I was able to keep up my eating schedule and eat the right things because I planned pretty well before leaving. It’s amazing, what you can do with a loaf of rye bread, some chicken, some turkey and some low-fat mayo! Yeah, yeah, I know, low-fat mayo is loaded with sugar, but before I started this program, I was hooked on butter, and I gave it up cold turkey 17 weeks ago….or is it that I gave it up for cold turkey…Whatever, All I know is that I don’t eat butter anymore, if I can help it.

Now, I did get home on Friday night, but my internet connection has been down more than kurt cobain’s fan base and I only just got onto the net. In case you’re wondering, it’s Sunday night and about 20 mins to 7pm.

My current stats come in at 98.7Kgs and 21.3% Body fat. This was measured late on Saturday night because that’s when I actually hit the door with enough time to spare to get on the scales and whip out the calipers. So I’m not absolutely convinced about the weight measurement. If it’s true then I’ve gained 300 grams this week, but if you do the math, I’ve gained lean body mass (muscle) and lost fat. That’s a good thing. If it’s not true, then I figure I just didn’t lose anything this week.

I kept to my exercise schedule as much as I could with all the travel and absolutely freezing cold weather. I was out running on the road in a little country town called “Murrumburrah” when it started to rain and it cut my workout short at about 20 minutes. I stayed at my brother’s place. It’s the old T & G Barnes Stores. I didn’t workout on Friday morning because it was so bitterly cold outside. I didn’t do any weight training this week, but I did paint the bathroom and do some other heavy lifting and renovation work. It probably didn’t come close to what I normally do, but I’m working to make it a workable priority. I’m heading down to Nowra in the week to come, and staying in a hotel room there, so I’ll have to be creative to get my exercise in. The place I’ll be staying at has a pool, but with the weather being what it has been, I think I’ll be running around my hotel room instead!

Sorry again, that the blog was late in being updated. I’ll have a challenge with that again this week, but we’ll see what I can do the make it happen on time.

Here’s a parting thought for the week: I can only do what I can do, but every time I do what I can, I get better at it and can do a little more. Every incremental improvement compounds over time and before long I am performing at a level that I never thought possible. Yesterday’s impossible is already today’s commonplace. Who knows what promise tomorrow may hold? Live your life to the fullest.

Till next week,

John.

Week 15 – Cardio, cardio, cardio … and more stress

It’s Friday….I should have updated the blog on Thursday…Sorry about that. I just didn’t have time. Things have been going a little haywire with my extended family. Suffice it to say that it just hasn’t been fun. This has also caused me to miss out on meals, or to delay them, which threw out my schedule as well.

On the upside, I did my three mornings of fasted cardio this week, and I’m using the demo track from the Cardio Coach website to test it out. I think I like it. I’m getting an absolutely massive HIIT cardio workout and feeling pretty amazing.

I DO however think that I lost some lean body mass (read muscle) this week, because the figures seem to indicate it. So, I guess I need to feed the exercise with a minor calorie increase, AND I need to get back to the gym to do WEIGHT TRAINING.

It’s kind of interesting, because I really enjoy weight work, and I really don’t enjoy cardio, but I seem to be able to drive myself to do what I don’t enjoy and not able to find time for the work I DO enjoy. There’s something strangely Freudian about that!

Well, in case your interested, I’ve lost 12.6Kg (27.72lb) so far and I feel much better for it. In fact, I feel like a new person. This last week has seen the shedding of 0.7 of a Kilogram ( about 1.54 pounds) and I feel a little relieved because it’s been a pretty awful week. By the way, it doesn’t show any sign of getting much better, but I’ll do whatever I can to make it incredible. Sometimes just being alive is enough, and some days you could give me a gold bar and it would be the wrong size and shape. I guess that’s just part of being human.

No pictures this week, but I’ll see if I can get some organised for next week’s blog entry. That way you can get a look at where I’ve come from and where I am now. I know one thing for sure. I’m never going back! Now I know how to make my body be what it can be, why would I do anything else?

Be cool, be well, and know that everyone has problems, just like you, only different, and that means, to some degree we understand.

Till next week,

John.

Week 14 – Is the week over yet?

Man….what a week. To say it’s been a little tough would be an understatement. I’ve experienced so much stress this week, I’m kind of looking forward to the weekend, even though I know the problems won’t go away, at least I’ll get a rest from them (wishful thinking).

Anyway, to keep you up to date with my weight loss progress, I can declare that I am currently at a weight of 99.1 kilograms and a body fat of 21.3%. I’ve revisited my goals and have decided that my new goal is 90 Kilograms. This should bring me to a body fat of about 15%, which will be extremely cool. Already at 21%, I’m seeing muscle definition that I haven’t seen for years….and I LIKE IT!
I’ve also been doing a lot of work with the amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat in the foods I’ve been eating and I think I’ve been eating a little too much. I think. Maybe.

I wrote some software to calculate how many calories might be a good idea, based on accepted calculations, and it’s available for free from the following link: http://www.realisemypotential.com/weightloss/Calorie_Calc.exe

I hope you find it useful, but remember, it’s for entertainment purposes only!

Funny thing, that, because my body has been telling me I’ve been eating too much as well. I haven’t felt like eating all of the portions I’ve been preparing. You have to listen to your body!
I also haven’t been sleeping enough. Usually about 4 or 5 hours a night. I don’t suffer from insomnia, I just like to keep working and doing things as long as I can. I usually wake up with my head on the desk and decide it’s time to crawl into bed.

So….some new resolutions for the next week.

1) I’ll get more sleep. I’ll just have to decide to go to bed at a reasonable time.

2) I’ll count my calories more accurately. I wrote a spreadsheet to help me create meals with the right values.

3) I’ve been doing HIIT cardio, but haven’t been able to get back to the gym to do weight training. I’m going to MAKE the time. The cardio is making me feel good, and it’s doing wonders, but I NEED to put the power of muscle to the task of burning the fat.

Hmmmmmmmmmm…….now it’s time to eat!

Till next week,

John.

Week 13 – It’s a strange world, Isn’t it?

It IS a strange world. I took my weight and body fat measurements (using calipers, like I always do) about 5 times this week, just to make sure. I got the same results each time. I guess that means they’re accurate. Or just plain stubborn. Anyway, It would seem I’ve gained Lean Body Mass (LBM) this week. Which is kind of weird considering my low calorie intake. Now, I have been going to the gym, and working the weights as well as doing cardio, but I didn’t expect this. Weird.

The figures say I’ve gained 0.6 of a kilo (1.3 pounds). They say it’s made up of an LBM gain of 1.96Kg (4.3 lbs) and a Fat loss of 1.36 Kg (3 lbs). I find both of these a little hard to believe, but how can I argue when the measurements come back the same each time I do them? You can check the figures yourself, if you like.
IF it’s true, then that’s fantastic! It means I built more muscle, which will burn the fat even more effectively, and I had a lot of fat loss, which is, in itself, wonderful.

IF it’s not true, then it means I gained 300 grams this week, which I can live with as my meal timing for a few days was rather haphazard.

Anyway, it’s not something I’m going to worry over. I’m just going to keep on refining what I’m doing and enjoy the success that I’m receiving along the way, as well as planning for the success I’m heading for in the long term.

My original goal was to reach 95 kilos by the 16th of August. I didn’t reach it. That’s really OK, though, because I DID reach 99 kilos. And if you reach for the stars, you rarely come up with a handful of mud. And I also know that the other four kilos isn’t hard to reach. Because I just lost twelve which is, needless to say, three times the amount left to go.

I’m becoming more convinced of the LBM increase, though, because I have noticed that my calves seem to be increasing in bulk (I have genetically good calves in both definition and size, well…for a man, of course!) and my belly is noticeably smaller. So, who knows?

With an LBM increase, I should lose weight even faster in the coming weeks, so I’m really looking forward to seeing my progress.

OK, enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do YOU think about me? Just kidding! Actually, I liked that line as an intro to (yet) another request for you to leave a comment. The blog statistics tell me people read this stuff, but it would be nice to know that there are real people out there and to get some idea as to what they (you) think.

OK, time to sign off for the week. Oh, and sorry for being a day late in updating the blog. I had a little trouble fitting everything that I had to do yesterday. I also put the first beta version of my free weightloss assistant software out to a few beta testers. I’ll let you know when it’s ready for general consumption and I’ll put the download link up on the blog.

Thanks for being there and keeping track,

Till next week,

John.