Tiredness causes sleeping

I've been really tired this week and so haven't managed to get to the gym which I'm unhappy about. But I have managed to keep up with avoiding temptation and sticking to eating healthy foods.

Weight: 19st 6lbs 0oz
Waist: 47 inches

I have managed to lose another pound and it all counts so I shouldn't be too disheartened.

Breaking habits

Week 4 is all about identifying unhealthy habits and then analysing the events leading up to them each day to detemine the cause. There are several habits that I have identified in this way already which makes me feel quite please with myself. The two main things that were adding to my unhealthy eating were snacking on chocolate at work and getting takeaways at home. Both of these I have completely removed from my life.

The chocolate snacking was a result of not having any healthy alternative at work which I solved by buying a small fridge (which is under my desk) and filling it with fruit.

The latter was that on days when I was really busy I would get home tired and go with the easiest option which was to get a takeaway. This had the added problem of costing me money. I solved this by buying a healthy lunch such as a baked potato or salad for lunch at work and then I only needed a small sandwich at home.

So feeling very please with myself I move into week 4 well ahead of my target. My back is better now so I am going to reintroduce my trips to the gym and hopefully get things moving quicker.

I am actually quite excited with the thought of getting to the end of the 12 weeks and being ahead of the 4 inch goal.

Stress

I'm quite stressed at the moment for various reasons. In the past this would be the time I turned to unhealthy foods like pizza, burgers and chocolate as comfort food. I can't do this which is unfortuately not helping the stress but I am resisting dispite how hard it is. This is mainly due to the fact that everything is going so well. I really feel that this time I am actually doing something I can stick to.

Weight: 19st 7lbs 0oz
Waist: 47 inches

Here are some graphs of my progress so far:


As you can see things are going well.

Be gone you evil cake

A little disappointed with myself. Possible due to the combination of back pain and pain killers I gave in to a piece of birthday cake last night. Though I think that I shouldn't kick myself too much about it. The gradual approach of the fatmanslim program seems to allow for a few moments of weakness. As long as in general I keep things going and don't let things like this dishearten me too much I should be ok.

Just by writing this I am feeling better, not about eating the cake but about keeping going and not letting this one moment of weakness affect my ultimate goal.

Hurt back

It's the start of week 3 and I very pleased with my progress. I am well ahead of the targets for the program.

Weight: 19st lllbs 8oz
Waist: 47 4/8 inches

Week 3 is all about increasing activity. I have already started doing this by going to the gym and walking more than usual. I haven't being going as much as I would have liked but I plan to increase that this week. Unfortunately I have hurt my back. Nothing major, just a pulled muscle. I have been told to take it easy by the doctor. I think it a little unfair that I can walk the northern part of the Pennine Way and not have a problem, but as soon as I start trying to loose weight something like this happens!

Oh well, I'm not going to let it stop me. So I can't do as much exercise this week, well I'll just have to make up for it next week. As long as I keep watching what I eat I'll continue to go in the right direction.

Weekends

I find that weekends are the hardest when it comes to temptation. Two whole days at home. Since removing unhealthy things from the house being at home is not too much of a problem. However, going into the city is quite hard. Wandering round trying to find something to eat that isn't full of fat is a nightmare. It's no wonder so many people are overweight. Luckily I found a local sandwich shop that did a very healthy baguette.

I'm obviously doing something right as it's paying off.

Weight: 19st 11lbs 0oz
Wasit: 48 3/8 inches

Feeling great

Feeling really good today, awake and full of energy which is odd for a Friday.

The changes I have made have already started making a difference.

Weight: 20st 3lbs 12oz
Waist: 48 6/8 inches

It's not much but it's a start.

Resisting temptation

This week is all about resisiting temptation and once you start actively thinking about it there are a lot of temptations. On my way home I walk past a fish and chip shop, a kebab shop and a burger place. All pumping luring smells of tasty food out into the street. I thought as I passed the kebab shop, "mmm, I could really fancy a kebab, but no I'm losing weight so keep walking". And I did keep walking. As I moved away from the shop I realised that had I not been trying to avoid unhealthy food I wouldn't have wanted to eat a kebab! As unhealth foods go they are probably my least favourite. So why I ask did I feel like one now? The answer is, that I didn't really. It was all in my head. My body is so used to getting what it wants when it wants that the fact that I am telling it NO is causing it grab at the first thing it sees. "What are you doing?", it's saying, "are you trying to starve me to death!" By resisting temptation I am teaching my body that it doesn't need unhealth food to live.

My body is trying other ways to get me to give in as well. I find that I sometimes feel like I have less energy as a result of me having less food. It's saying "your not feeding me therefore I have no energy". What it has to learn is that it is carrying all the energy it needs as excess weight. Once I start ignoring the signals my body is currently sending me, I feel full of energy and much more awake.

End of week one

It's the end of week one. I am a little dissappointed that I haven't lost any weight, but I have made the descision to change which I think is half the battle. Although I'm not on target yet, I think the things I've discovered about myself and the changes I have made so far are good.

I didn't feel very well yesterday afternoon / evening. Possibly due to a slight detox, maybe even some of it was psycological. But I slept much better last night and today feel nice and awake, better than I have in a while. So something must be working.

The journey begins

So here I am. A 28 year old man.

Weight: 20st 5lbs 12oz
Waist: 49 inches
(actual measurement, not trouser size)

I have been trying without much success to lose weight for the last 4 or 5 years. I have lost a stone here and there but always put it back on some of it at least. I have decided that enough is enough.

I have signed up to the Fatmanslim program online. A service designed especially for men for helping guide you though losing 4 inches off your waist over a period of 12 weeks.

This is day 6 and I am starting this blog to chart my progress and to add another incentive to lose the weight.

DAY 6

I have been writing a food diary since day 1 and I realised that despite my best efforts I have been eating complete rubbish! So on day 6 i am making a conscious to change. I have removed all unhealthy food from the house (except the cheese which I just remembered, will get rid of that tonight). I pre chopped a load of salad vegetables this morning for making healthy sandwiches for lunch. My little fridge at work is stocked with apples for an easy hunger fix. So I'm not tempted to wander down the corridor for chocolate and crisps.

Things are definitely changing for the better :-D