I've Joined The Gym!!!! First time at 37

[Darren McNeill]

Christ, when I wrote my age in the title then I felt quite old! 

Well, I am very big on journals for accountability, so thought the off topic part of the forum would be a good place to bare my soul on my latest personal conquest!  I am now at the point in my life where the money side is starting to look much better.... so I intend on making sure that when I finally hit my goals that I am in a position to try and make sure I am in a physical condition to do so, so exercise, healthy eating etc.  Of course this wont stop me getting hit by a bus or getting a terminal illness (That's pretty much out of your hands) but what I can at least try to do is get myself fit so if I am lucky to dodge the daily perils of life and actually get to a decent age in life then I am fighting fit and able to enjoy life.

Personally I have been gaining weight over the last few years.  My work has become less active and I am now at the point in my property journey where I run my business from my office and my car, so my physical exertions are getting a lot less!  It sort of came to a point a few weeks ago when I bought a size 16 neck shirt, and it was far too tight for my comfort... enough was enough.  I have always used my busy lifestyle as an excuse for not going to the gym, and now I dictate my own diary.  I have never stepped foot in a gym, so I decided that the best route for me was 1 on 1 with a personal trainer.  It turns out that there is one literally 2 minutes from my house, so over the last few weeks I messaged him and then last Tuesday I finally turned up at 7am and had my first session.  I am attending twice a week (Tue and Fri) and the session is 7am-8am.  This works for me as it allows me to then have a full day in work, plus my Mrs does not work on those days so I am free to not have to worry about getting the kids to school.

So.......

Tuesday... First Session.

F--- Me!  I haven't exercised properly for probably 20 years now.  Having a PT is definitely the right route to take.  The exercises we did started off gradually, and even the warm up absolutely killed me.  We got to a point where we were taking a walk to cool off and rest and I had to stop because my legs were jelly and my head light.  I felt like being sick (and really wanted to) put wasn't.  I hadn't ate before this session which is good and bad.  Good because I didn't vomit (nothing there) but bad because you need some food in you for energy for exercising.  My PT absolutely beasted me (well, it felt like it, but it was probably a very light workout for normal people).  The next day (Wed) I ached a little, but it was Thursday that was the most painful.  My god I couldn't walk down the stairs or get in the car without being in agony.  The PT had been working more my lower half of my body, and squats are what crippled my leg muscles!!  My word there was some pain.  Fortunately on Friday morning I was in an OK position and it wasn't hurting as much......

Friday.. 2nd Session

This session felt much better.  I didn't feel ill until close to the end of the session.  This time I had read up on what I should eat before a gym session.  As I do not have much time to eat I went for Greek yogurt and an apple.  These are digested easily and give the body a little bit of an energy boost, which I must admit I did feel whilst working out.  Don't get me wrong, I was a complete wreck again, but I could walk out of the gym and didn't feel dizzy, just exhausted.  This session was more upper body.  As I am typing 48 hours later my arms and shoulders are in complete agony.  I have used muscles that I did not think existed, and now lifting my arms is an incredibly painful experience.  What I have established is that your muscles ache after 24 hours, but for me personally the real pain kicks in at around 36 hours.  Yesterday I was fine all day until I got home.  Then around 5pm I could feel a much sharper pain, and it just got worse and worse.  Last nights sleep wasn't great as I could not get comfortable at all because my shoulders and arms hurt so much.  My legs however do hurt, but not at the same level.  I know that I probably have another 2-3 weeks of this pain, but also that it will start to get better.  I have muscles that never get worked and are now being put through some serious exercise!!

 

We also spoke about my food intake.  My issue is that during the day I eat fairly OK, but in the evenings I will snack and drink beer!!  I have had to log my food inputs and have made a more conscious decision to eat better (Although I have had weakness this weekend in the way of Chocolate HobNobs and the Mrs wanting a takeaway on Friday!).  My main actual goal is to simply get healthier, but we have set a target of losing 10kg in 10 weeks.... so I do also need to pull my finger well out of my bum (which is why my journal has been started).  Even if I have only one person knowing about this that is enough for me and my personal pride to get on with it!  So here is also my food diary for the week:

Food Diary

TUESDAY

08:30 - 3 boiled eggs

11:50 - 50g cashews

14:15 - Large bowl bran flakes

18:45 - Gammon, cauli cheese, new potatoes, green beans

18:45 - Greek Yog

18:45 - evening - 2 x 330ml San Miguel (last ones in the fridge, I was having those bad boys!)

 

WEDNESDAY

05:35 - 4 x Weetabix

12:30 - 50g whole almonds

13:45 - 4 boiled eggs. Small tin of tuna.

18:30 - Apple

20:30 - Fish, golden rice, peas and sweet corn. Greek yog

 

THURSDAY

06:10 - 3 x boiled eggs

10:00 - Apple

11:00 - Bowl of shreddies cereal

16:30 - Apple, half small tin tuna

20:00 - Sharwoods curry sauce, chicken breast, basmati rice. Greek yog.

 

FRIDAY

06:10 - Apple, Greek Yogurt

07:00 - WORKOUT

11:30 - Chicken breast, 2 boiled eggs

13:00 - Apple

16:00 - Apple

19:00 - Greek takeaway, 1/2 bottle Prosecco, 8 x choc hobnobs ☹️

 

SATURDAY

08:00 - 2 boiled eggs, gala apple

11:00 - Cooked breakfast with toast ☹️

14:00 - Apple

16:00 - Apple

17:00 - Small piece of cheese (15g)

18:00 - Spaghetti Bol, garlic bread. 

Choc ice, 10 hobnobs ☹️

 

 

 

So that's me and my new "project."  I am going to update each week and hopefully things will soon get much easier, as even typing this makes me want to cry at the minute! 

 

Darren

[Tiffany B]

Hey Darren,

WELL DONE on starting your fitness journey! I'm a qualified PT so I see this all of the time! It's tough, especially at the beginning, but you've taken the correct first step to get you started.

You'll soon figure out what works best for you with regards to your nutrition timing around exercise. Personally, I train first thing in the morning and I don't need/like any food in my body. I then eat breakfast when I get into work. Matt on the other hand, needs food pre-workout. Everyone works differently and you'll soon work out what is best for you.

Don't be sad about your 'hiccups' - it's called balance! Though if you are serious about 10kg in 10 weeks, you might want to portion control those yummy snacks a little more.

Good luck and keep us updated!! 

[Kent614]

From my journey - it is important to know the rules of the game, and the routes to success. 

I spent a long time trying to get into shape with zero results, and it wasn't until I learnt the rules of the game, and learnt how things work, that I started getting the results. I wasted a lot of effort with nothing to show for it.

Turns out the Golden Rules was simple : Calories Deficit 

Track your calories (I use myfitness pal app), manage yourself and discipline and control.

You can not out train a poor diet. 

[Darren McNeill]

Wednesday 15th May 2019

I will comment properly at the weekend as I want to keep this a weekly update, but this morning I have re-joined the MyFitness Pal app.  Anyone who is on the app feel free to add me:

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/how_long_will_it_last

Darren

[Darren McNeill]

On 5/14/2019 at 4:31 AM, kent614 said:

From my journey - it is important to know the rules of the game, and the routes to success. 

I spent a long time trying to get into shape with zero results, and it wasn't until I learnt the rules of the game, and learnt how things work, that I started getting the results. I wasted a lot of effort with nothing to show for it.

Turns out the Golden Rules was simple : Calories Deficit 

Track your calories (I use myfitness pal app), manage yourself and discipline and control.

You can not out train a poor diet. 

Followed the advice.  More in my post coming up, but thanks.  Kind of obvious really so no idea why I didnt start doing it!

Darren

[Darren McNeill]

Sunday 19th May 2019 - Week 2 completed

Well..... 3rd session was on Tuesday.  The first thing we did was weigh me.... identical... not a jot lost (91.4kg).  As you can imagine my PT couldn't get his head round it, then I showed him the previous food journal from the weekend.  His look of disappointment hit me like a hammer.  He didn't complain massively, but I knew that I had let myself down and him... so....... The MyFitness app was downloaded immediately and I decided to take this seriously.  I am quite a determined individual when I set my mind to it (which is why the property side of my life seems to be moving quite fast), so like anything I set my mind to I decided to absolutely smash this one out of the park. 

My next weigh in was Friday..... 89.6KG!!  Boooooom!!! 1.8kg lost in 3 days.  I have just been disciplined and incredibly boring with what I am eating.  Mainly protein with very little carbs during the day, then in the evening a balanced meal.  No Beer.  No snacks. NO false calories.

This weekend we went to the mother-in-laws and we did have a chinese.  I had sweet sour chicken and egg fried rice with a few chips..... didn't enjoy it.  Didn't enjoy the fact that I had wasted calories on that crap, and more importantly I didn't enjoy how it made me feel after.  Very sluggish and just generally crap.  I have noticed that I am feeling more energetic on my current eating plan.  Even on my training days when I have been absolutely beasted from 7am-8am, I can work until 8pm (which I have done on both Tuesday and Friday this week).  I feel tired near the end of the day, but not exhausted.  One thing that has become apparent to me is that my hunger levels have dropped massively.  I am also drinking gallons of water!  I now always have a pint of water with me at home or in the office and when in the car there are lots of bottles of water.

This week I have been told off twice by MyFitnessPal as I had only reached 1100 calories in the day (and this is after eating all day and my evening meal), so had to get something to tip me over the magic 1200 calorie mark.  It is a bit annoying as I wasn't hungry but did as I was told. 

I have also split my diary into sections of time, rather that "breakfast" etc.  My time segments are:

6am-10am, 10am-12pm, 12pm-2pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-6pm, 6pm-10pm.

I do still eat my tea past 8pm which I know isnt the best, so this might be something that I have to work on.  The problem is here that the Mrs works until 8pm 3 days a week, and the other days I am running round doing after school clubs etc

 

Here is this weeks log:

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

 

And finally here is my projected weight in 5 weeks if I continue:

 

Today I have just sat and had a look at all of the colourful graphs and pie charts that you get when you log food.  I have been eating a lot of eggs, and didn't realise the fat contect in them compared to the lean chicken that I have also been eating, so the eggs will now be trimmed back massively.  They are a decent snack for hunger but having looked at the fat content I am just going to have to cut them right back.  I have been purchasing the ready cooked portions of chicken (normally in a tray at 140g).  On Friday I purchased a number of chicken breasts myself and will cook them now in advance and take them with me during the day, more to see if it saves me any money.  I have also found that Aldi do some great "protein shots" at just 29p a packet which are a great mid afternoon treat.  There are loads of flavours so the next time that I am in I will be treating myself to some.  I have now also started looking at white fish as options and what vegetables I can have with them in the evening.

Thats it for this week.

[Tiffany B]

Hey Darren,

Sounds like you're doing really well - congratulations!

Especially well done on getting the water in, people don't realise that water is an assistant to SO many functions within the body. I personally drink around 3 litres a day. 

Just a couple of notes on what you've said above with regards to your nutrition. 

• It doesn't matter what time you eat your meals. I regularly eat between 8-9pm and there is no scientific proof that you should stop eating at 6pm or whatever they try and tell people these days. 
• 1200 calories isn't a magic number. This was brought around in the 80's-90's diet culture as a number that women should stick to to lose weight. Unfortunately (or fortunately - however you decide to look at it) every-BODY is different and requires a different amount of calories and split of macro-nutrients to function and to lose weight. This is easily worked out, and I'm happy to help if you like, but I will tell you right now that 11-1200 calories is incredibly low for you. It may be sustainable for a short amount of time, sure, but that is basically a crash diet which you will bounce out of and possibly come out the other side worse off. Your PT (if he is a good one) should be able to figure out the correct amount of calories for you, along with a start-off macro nutrient split for you to work towards.

I follow James Smith PT on Instagram, who is a straight-talking personal trainer who basically busts the bullshit in the fitness industry. Yes he can be a bit sweary and rude - but he gets his point across and he is very good. I also follow Courtney Pruce who is great at giving out the facts.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions at all - I'm happy to help!

[Darren McNeill]

12 hours ago, tiffany b said:

This is easily worked out, and I'm happy to help if you like, but I will tell you right now that 11-1200 calories is incredibly low for you. It may be sustainable for a short amount of time, sure, but that is basically a crash diet which you will bounce out of and possibly come out the other side worse off.

I am consuming 1500 a day, it was when I went to log a couple of times and it gave me the warning so I ate something to bring it up.  My appetite has just completely changed now.  Its like today, I have ate 2 eggs, 2 packs of 120g cooked chicken breast, 2 apples, 26g snack pack of nuts and a yogurt.  Just about to have my tea (Fish, cauli cheese and veg) and I am at 1,222.  I now need to get another 200 in really.  I am just not eating the crap, so I will make up the calories with some fruit or something.  Its quite hard to get calories in when you dont eat crap or drink beer! lol.

Darren

[Tiffany B]

Haha yes that is very true! If you need calorie dense stuff, take a look at things like an apple or banana with peanut butter or something.

I have protein bars/cookies so I can always manage to find an extra 200-250 cals when I need them

[Kent614]

 

On 5/14/2019 at 11:31 AM, kent614 said:

From my journey - it is important to know the rules of the game, and the routes to success. 

I spent a long time trying to get into shape with zero results, and it wasn't until I learnt the rules of the game, and learnt how things work, that I started getting the results. I wasted a lot of effort with nothing to show for it.

Turns out the Golden Rules was simple : Calories Deficit 

Track your calories (I use myfitness pal app), manage yourself and discipline and control.

You can not out train a poor diet. 

 

Another thing I track is steps. I target 12k steps a day every day, and take every opportunity to walk and move. Leaving the house earlier, walking to the station, getting off the bus a stop earlier, always taking the stairs and avoiding the escalator. I have a step tracker on my watch, and seeing my daily stats becomes a mental game - always finding an opportunity to steps to make sure I hit my target. Whatever gets measured - gets managed. 

In terms of overall calorie burn, maintaining high movements and a high number of steps throughout the day daily can have as much and more of an impact that hitting the gym for an hour x3 a week 

 

[Darren McNeill]

On 5/23/2019 at 2:42 AM, kent614 said:

 

 

Another thing I track is steps. I target 12k steps a day every day, and take every opportunity to walk and move. Leaving the house earlier, walking to the station, getting off the bus a stop earlier, always taking the stairs and avoiding the escalator. I have a step tracker on my watch, and seeing my daily stats becomes a mental game - always finding an opportunity to steps to make sure I hit my target. Whatever gets measured - gets managed. 

In terms of overall calorie burn, maintaining high movements and a high number of steps throughout the day daily can have as much and more of an impact that hitting the gym for an hour x3 a week 

 

I will keep this in mind.  Walked the kids to School and back the other day which I haven't done in years (It was a nice sunny morning).  This was after you had mentioned this.  I do have quite a static life now, I am either sat at a laptop, or sat at the wheel of a car.... that is it! lol.  I might look into a step counter, just as you mention it would become a bit of a game.  One of my other goals at the minute is to try and reduce my physical working hours so that I can do other things.  If I can get to a point where I can factor in a quick walk then that will all add up.

 

Darren

[Darren McNeill]

19.05.19 - 26.05.19 - Week 3 completed

0.9kg lost at this Fridays weigh in.  Unfortunately Tuesday's session was cancelled as my PT was up all night throwing up.  He looked really pale on Friday morning so must have been an awful bug.  Strangely enough because I missed my session on Tuesday I felt awful all week.  Really sluggish and a bit fed up.  There is a strange part that likes the feeling of the aching muscles after a session as you know you have done something, plus its a good reminder (The start weight was where I was in 2016.  I was 87kg in 2015, and I was still fat then! lol).  Just updated the app now so it has my proper starting weight.

This morning I ache from Friday.  It was the most brutal session that I have had so far.  Found out that an apple before my work out does not sit at all well!!  I was doing an exercise with a 6kg medicine ball where you do sit ups but it starts behind your head and you have to bring it to your feet.  As the stomach was being works the apple did not agree, and for about an hour after the gym I felt physically sick, like proper pukey!  So apples are now being missed before a session.  I think I will just stick to yogurt, it does seem to sit much better and I do get that energy boost that I need.  One thing I am finding difficult is to eat straight after a session, especially Friday when I felt sick.  I think it was about an hour and half until I was able to eat, managed to get 120g of chicken breast in me, but it was really difficult.  I may look at getting some form of protein shake just for that initial intake once I get home from the gym, then I can let myself settle before eating properly.  I have done a little research into the various stuff thats out there so might just give one a try.

The food intake has been ok.  Kept on with my normal foods and have kept within my calorie goals.... well, except Friday.  Friday I was out with my mate in Manchester boozing.  I made sure that I ate well and kept the calories down, and also had a gym session in the morning.  We went for food and I just had a filled steak and 2 eggs with nothing else.  Most of the alcohol was gin, but I did have 3-4 lagers as well.  On the way home I was weak, and ordered a mixed kebab which pretty much arrived when I got back to the house (despite me not actually remembering to order it!).  Me and the Mrs always split a kebab as its simply too large, and out of my half I only ate 1 half of it... so 1/4 of a kebab wasn't too bad I suppose.  Yesterday as I was hung over I didnt really eat much.  I was obviously a little rough in the morning, and then was really busy mid morning so it wasnt until about 1pm that I finally managed to eat something (Cooked chicken from Tesco which was so awful but I forced it down).  After that I had a "man's day" and built a fence in the garden, so again didnt really each much, couple of boiled eggs as I was in the zone.  By the time that we had tea I had only consumed 856 calories, and that included a big tea of chicken and veg.  I decided to boost my calories I would have a couple of Peanut cookies..... 7 later and 623 calories...... Annoyed with myself, zero will power once I start, which is why I cannot have treats.  I ate the first 4, then there were 3 left... so might as well finish them! That put me at 1,479 calories for the day, but they were wasted and it was a few hundred that I didnt need to consume that would have helped with Friday's binge.  Oh well, happened now and I regret it.

I also ordered some weights this week so that i can do a few home routines, mainly for strength building.  My right arm is really dominant so my left has been struggling with some of the sets that I have been doing.  Purchased a 2kg and 10kg set so that I can mix up the home routines.  Will probably order another 6kg set as well so I have some middle ground.

So thats my week... Just about to have my breakfast (2 boiled eggs!) and then I am off to do a tenant handover and take photos of 2 houses for rental listings.  Next Friday we go on holiday to France for 10 days, so that will be my biggest test... I am squeezing in a gym session Friday morning before we set off (but have asked for a medium intensity as I have a LONG drive).  Hoping my Tuesday weigh in is positive!

Darren

[Darren McNeill]

Tuesday 28th May 2019

Dang it. 0 weight lost since Friday.  Bit of a kick in the bollocks but trying to stay positive.  I haven't gained anything and I am definitely getting smaller as my clothes are feeling more loose fitting.  I know that you can change in size without the weight moving and I know that is happening as I can definitely see it and feel it.  When I was jogging today to warm up I could feel it within myself and I just felt better.

We have reviewed my intake this morning and my protein target has been increased to 150g per day.  I gave been averaging around 100g but some days have got to 150g.  Also asked my PT for examples of food that he eats so I can get some good ideas.  Yesterday I ordered some powdered protein and also some powdered fibre as I am not getting enough of the latter.  B&M have also got some protein drinks in at 80p each (PT picked some up yesterday) so i am nipping there on my way past this morning to clear the shelf.  I am struggling a bit as my hunger has massively decreased, so getting the calories in is proving to be hard work some days.

Also noticed how my habits are changing.  We went out for tea last night, I had fillet steak and veg, treated myself to a beer.... did not enjoy it at all... 4 weeks ago I would have smashed 4 of them without trying.

Staying positive!!

Darren

[Tiffany B]

Well done! Sounds like you're doing well.

Maybe keep a log of your measurements as well as your weight so you can see the trend in them both. You can log all if it in MFP too

 

[Darren McNeill]

Sunday 1st June 2019

A different update as I am sat by a pool in France with shockingly poor internet connection. We are away on holiday for a week and this has been a bit of a worry for me and my current progress.

My last weigh in was on Friday and I lost 0.4kg and down to 88.3kg. Total loss now is 3.1kg.

Last week I ordered some protein shakes and some fibre powder. They arrived on Tuesday so I have been using those now in my diet to increase by protein and fibre. I have found that if I use kettle water and add the fibre it dissolves in the long I quo’s. Then once cooled I add 30g of protein powder and I end up with a protein and fibre shake that gives me 26g protein and 15g of fibre. I simply was missing my fibre target every day but this gets me to my required 33g per day and I’m achieving over 150g of protein. I am still eating healthy and keeping calories under control....

.... until Friday and saturday this week. Friday was a 10 hour drive due to horrific traffic, so we had to stop at a pub type place. I was that tired I just ordered a burger and a beer....

Yesterday we arrived in France.... first day of the holiday... bottle of champagne and a few beers.... calories blown!!!!

Today I have been really strict again. I know i am going to drink (it’s a holiday) but I am planning on being as careful as I can all day to compensate for the luxury in the evening. I have got a little workout routine using bottles of water to keep me going, so if I can get away with not gaining I will be mega happy!

Darren

[Kent614]

When I know I am going to be drinking (which is probably too often), I do usually reduce my calorie intake from food beforehand to balance my calories. 

I do struggle having less food than usual, but on the positive side, I get drunk faster and it is cheaper as I do not need so much alcohol. 

I switched the beers to Gin and Tonic too.

 

[Darren McNeill]

Monday 10th June 2019

Morning!!  Had a great week on holiday, and came through the point that I had been dreading all week when I got up today... my first weigh in........

+0.5kg to 88.8kg..... all the 8's!!  Which, considering the amount that I have drank, then the crap that I subsequently ate whilst being under the influence, I think this isnt too bad a result!  When I got home yesterday I absolutely beasted myself with a weight routine upstairs.  I also downloaded an app called "8fit" that popped up on a site that I was browsing on.  Downloaded the app and it looks quite good.  Just exercises that can be completed at home (9 minutes each) that will add to my activity and calories burned.  It states 252cal for 9 minutes, which I am struggling to believe as they were not very intense, so taking that with a pinch of salt.  Also went for a walk with the dog and the kids last night (1.3 miles) and as its sunny this morning I am going to walk the kids to school with the dog (1.4 miles).  Nothing major but it all starts to add up.  I really need to be in work asap today after having so long off.  Got a tonne of catching up to do and a few new clients all looking for properties, so have to pay the bills.

I am hoping that by my Friday weigh in I can get back to my pre-holiday weight and then keep focusing on watching the calories and building the muscle.

Byeee!

[Darren McNeill]

Tuesday 11th June 2019

Mid week update.... I have lost the holiday weight and I am at my lowest yet!!  88.1kg!!  Absolutely over the moon when I weighed myself this morning 

Thats 3.3kg lost now which is 7.3lbs.  5.7kg to go!!!

[Darren McNeill]

Sunday 16th June 2019

I have been on my journey now for 1 month and 1 day........ although it does seem a whole lot longer than this!  I have some good news from this week in that I was able to loose more weight and I am now in at 87.5kg.

The bad news is that I haven't been as good as I should be this week, and have actually gone above my calories on 3 occasions!!  Yesterday (Saturday) was the worst.... I went to see my daughter in a performance and had to go alone (Mrs was in work... did take my son but he got bored and was collected) so was sat there on my own... ended up having a few pints... god they tasted good!).....  Not the best use of my calorie intake at all.

What I did do however whilst I was there (in the interval of course) was spend some time researching nutrients and the best way to get them inside me.  I came across an interesting article on how people mis-use protein supplements, and a few of the points resonated with myself.  I have been using them in the wrong way.  Yes I do need to increase my protein intake daily, but I have been using them to substitute real protein intake from food, rather than using them as a "top-up" to hit my goals.  The result has been that surprisingly enough I have been far more hungry, as I have been eating less!  Duhhh......  When I first started on my journey I was eating well (and lots!), hitting my goals and not feeling hungry.  Back then however my protein target was a lot lower so it was easy to hit, now it is 188g so a touch harder.  I had also increased the protein amounts in each shake to around 40g, which was adding more calories per shake and then reducing the amount that I have had through they day, so the result is that i have gone from days where I couldn't get enough calories because I was not hungry to most days where I am hungry most of the time and struggling to control the calorie intake.  Looking back it is kind of obvious really but this was something new and in my mind my protein intake from these was better than food, which is the opposite! lol.

As of today I have now planned in more protein rich meals in my day, and then once they are all planned in I have added in the shakes to top up to hit my goals.  This has resulted in 3 good meals, plus fruit snacks through the day, which should be much better and get me feeling full for longer.  I have also just ordered some Micellar Casein based protein for my evening intake.  I had been having a whey shake, but this is a more fast acting protein and ideally at night I need something that is more of a slow release for when my muscles are recovering........

And onto the gym sessions..... as I am typing this every muscle at the back on me is aching like I am an old man.  We had a brilliant session on Friday morning working on dead lifts.  I am not lifting the biggest weight in the world (70kg) but it definitely has woken up a lot of muscles!!  Also worked a lot on my arms and legs.  I knew when we had finished that it was a tough session as I was physically exhausted, and now I am definitely feeling it! lol.

I have also just ordered some 8kg dumbbells now for at home.  I have some 2's and 10's but I need something slightly lighter than the 10's for bicep curls.  The 10's are just too heavy to be able to complete multiple sets of 15, I simply get too tired, where as at the gym using 8's I can get to 3 sets of 15 reps and have a good arm workout.  Once this gets easy then I will just move to the 10's and then upwards, but I really need to work on the strength of my left arm as it is still much weaker than my right (so we do far more dumbbell work now).

That's it for this week.  Hopefully adding some more food to my intake and reducing the shake amounts will help me get back on track with my hunger levels and I can get some more positive weigh loss results this week.

 

EDIT - Forgot to mention... I had to throw away my belt this week and buy a new one as my jeans were falling down!  I had ran out of belt holes and was approx 1.5 belt holes short, so I purchased a new one (Small/Medium) and I am on the first belt hole... lets see if I can eventually work down a couple of those?

 

 

 

 

[Tiffany B]

Congratulations on the weight loss - and it sounds like your measurement loss is going down much quicker as well if you're needing new belts already!! Are you tracking your measurements as well as your weight?

I do find myself a bit worried about you being on a 1500cals target per day.... I don't know your height, but with your weight and age I would expect that calorie goal to be higher. Obviously we are very different people, but even my target is 1568cals with 158g protein per day.

Good idea on the night time shake, Casein is great for that. A perfect slower digesting/release protein for when you're sleeping.

Tiff x

[Darren McNeill]

On 6/16/2019 at 10:46 AM, tiffany b said:

Congratulations on the weight loss - and it sounds like your measurement loss is going down much quicker as well if you're needing new belts already!! Are you tracking your measurements as well as your weight?

I do find myself a bit worried about you being on a 1500cals target per day.... I don't know your height, but with your weight and age I would expect that calorie goal to be higher. Obviously we are very different people, but even my target is 1568cals with 158g protein per day.

Good idea on the night time shake, Casein is great for that. A perfect slower digesting/release protein for when you're sleeping.

Tiff x

No, I haven't been tracking measurements, they just are what they are.  I think id cheat and suck my gut in if I was measuring! lol.

Yes the calories are hard work some days, but on the whole I am eating 4 meals per day.  I have spent some time looking at meal prep etc and have made myself a few meals that work well:

* Chicken & Veg - 245kal (15g carbs, 3g fat, 39g protein) -  chicken (100g), veg and cottage cheese (100g)

* Chicken Omelette - 290Kal (6g carbs, 11g fat, 40g protein) - Chicken 100g, 2 eggs, 20g tomato ketchup

Still looking for other options at the minute meal wise so will continue to look.  I top up then on fruit during the day (apples and strawberries) and then have my main meal at night.  I have cut the protein shakes right down now to just a single one at bed time as I am achieving my protein goals from food, so that is really helping.  On a gym day though I am going to add a couple of extra shakes in there tho just to get the protein absorbed as quickly as possible. 2 shakes is only 230kal so worth it for the strength work that is being done.

I am also going to start working more on doing a lot more meal prep for the week as it can be a struggle some days, but my little cooler bag is always loaded now when I leave the house so food is always covered.

I cant wait until I can go up some more calories and have some larger portions but need to focus on getting the weight down to start with.  I am getting there and people are noticing more so on the right track!

Darren 

[Darren McNeill]

Tuesday 18th June

Had to share this one straight away......

 

Really pleased  with my morning weigh in (I weigh myself every single morning at the same time in the same place).  Still not half way on the target weight loss but the target may end up changing at some point depending upon how my body starts to look, especially when we are also focusing on building muscle at the same time, so I suppose if I was just purely losing weight it would have been much more than this.

After posting yesterday about the calorie deficit that I am on I thought that I would show my meal prep for today.  You will have to excuse the Tupperware as i have nicked it off the kids (as I personally used to moan about the amount of it we have in the house) but now I am a convert! lol.  I have prepped my 12pm meal and my 4pm meal, with the apples to be used as fillers at some point through the working day and the additional protein shakes as I am at the gym today (as I have now normally reduced these).  My total calorie output for the 2 chicken meals is just 490Kal!  That doesnt include my breakfast omlette or my tea for tonight.  I can now get 4 meals in, plus a dessert, plus fruit snacks for well under 1500Kal, and with a protein shake for night it comes in at just under 1500Kal for the day.

The biggest thing that made the difference was buying those little scales and weighing EVERYTHING.  That is what makes the difference, as you cannot guess weights.  It takes 2 seconds and makes such a difference when planning.  This is only my 2nd proper day of meal prep, and last Friday after the gym I was STARVING all day, but I wasn't as prepared... so lets see how today goes.

Darren  

 

 

[Tiffany B]

This food prep looks fantastic! Well done!

[Darren McNeill]

Tuesday 18th June 2019

Just got back from the Gym.  This was the poorest session that I have had and I feel really down.  Started off well, did 5 minutes on the bike and then 10 sprints... then the weight session I really struggled with at the start.  It was a 5 set routine and the first 2 sets killed me.  Got through the pain/exhaustion barrier and managed to get through this set then the following back sets but it felt really hard work today.  Normally I come out feeling pumped and in a great mood, today I just feel a bit feeble and pathetic. 

I said to my PT that I wondered if it was just a mindset thing as I felt like failure at the very start and just couldn't shake it at all.  I completed everything as mentioned and tbh probably did ok, might just be in my head...... might be worth me leaving the home routines for the rest of this week and then see how I do on Friday?

Darren

[tiberiusuk_gmail_com]

Good work Darren.

One thing I find that has a massive impact on my training, and something I know might impact you based on your hectic work schedule, is sleep.

I notice my best sessions tend to be after a more restful and fuller night's sleep, with no alcohol the night before.
Alas those days are few and far between, but it still makes a difference!