MyFitnessPal – Run Fat Boy

Jan 31st, 2023: Month in Review

Lets start with some amazing news! My son, the blonde boy in the middle of the picture won his schools house rugby competition today. There is nothing more special than seeing our shared love for the game of rugby but more than that my admiration for him as he excels me in life! Couldnt be prouder!

This month has been a real journey for me! Firstly its been good to have the weight coming off at a good a steady rate. I am proud of that fact, i am proud that for a month i have been able to stay consistent and see a downwards trend, but i am also aware that i cant have false hope, and what may be coming off can soon go back on and i will need to stay consistent for a long long time.

I started this month on Jan 1st at 119.7 kg, and i finish the month at 113.5 kg. Thats – 6.2 kg, thats – 13.6 lbs, and just shy of 1 stone!

Thats a lot of weight for one month! But its only one month, and i need to ensure that this continues into February.

When i look back over the month i have weighed in daily. I have tracked calories daily. I have walked and collected steps daily and i wanted to reflect over this post about the individual elements i did and where i am.

One of the elements i collect is my blood pressure. My blood pressure has not been good recently. I have been collecting my information with a withings blood pressure monitor and noticed i am consistently having high blood pressure. What i have noticed towards the end of the month and specifically after i have sauna blankets is that i have seen some good blood pressure readings!

The other interesting fact is that this month is my highest step count this year. I logged 634,242 steps in January 2023! Over half a million steps!

Not every day has been a great step day. You can see my weekends often dont meet my goals, but thats totally fine, and i deserve some recovery at points.

Sleep has been one of my bigger weaknesses. I am sleeping poorly and i dont fully recover each day. I feel that now, i feel tired, and my weight loss journey does improve when i get a good nights sleep. Thats something for me to try and improve over Feb.

One thing is for sure i am loving being back on DDP Yoga, especially after a days walking. My original intention was to do a DDP yoga session each day, but frankly i am so tired after work and walking that at points i just cant face it. I think thats fine, but its something for me to be aware off. I was great the first two weeks but my consistency did not pay of in weeks 3 and 4, but i have tried to be consistent in week 5.

My Calories and controlling my eating has also been a major contributor to the journey. I have ensured i stuck under 2100 calories a day. I have made sure i log my intake each and every single day. I have made sure to select the right choices and not nibble on everything.

At the same time i have continued to drive for a calorie deficit. My Net Calories have stayed way under the 2100 limit, which again is a factor for my body using its fat reserves! and i have some fat reserves!

I have logged every single thing i have eaten or drunk! Its given me some time to also reflect on how much tea i drink in a single day !

And similar to the DDP Yoga, i have tried to keep my peloton journey moving forward. Doing some weights or other mindfulness activity!

Its been a good month, but that does not lead me to be inconsistent! My next goal should be breaking into the 100’s kg mark. Get underneath goal 2 of 110 kg and slowly start to see the double digits in front of me!

I want to make a positive difference to my life, i feel unhappy mentally, but know i can turn that around with seeing the differences to what i wear and what i see in the mirror!

So 6.2 kg is the number to beat for Feb. Which means i want to aim for 107.3 kg. Now Feb is a shorter month, and there is a risk of my birthday also! So need to make sure i keep my eating and drinking on track!

Thats January done folks!

Jan 17th, 2023: Tuesday Meetings

First thing is weigh in, 115.4 kg -0.1 kg from yesterday. It’s funny with the weight being reduced, an interesting observation is that the fat mass % is increasing which is a bit weird. Given how structured and healthy i am eating AND the fact that i am adding a fair bit of activity in my life i would expect the fat mass % to be dropping. It may just be an oddity on the withings body cardio scales.

Looking at the table in Garmin the various analysis done does fell very out of wack

Today was a long day in the office, lots of doc writing and reviewing others information. But also, lots of calls and calls went on till late today.

Walking was as always positive, 32k steps and just over 16 miles walked. Although i ran into a few difficulties over the day as the belt kept drifting to the left. I need to spend some time to fix and address that.

Today was a little higher on calories than normal. Not a massive amount and i still stayed within the limits of my constraints.

But the net calories continue to be positive, with my activity helping me burn calories off throughout the day.

Tonight, after i came in, i still ended up doing both DDP Yoga and Peloton. Although DDP Yoga was just a stretch class, but still a 20 min stretch class which i need for walking, however the peloton weights class was tough. I am not 18 anymore…. that’s clear. I just cannot lift the same weights that i use too (today!), it’s going to be a journey but i will get there.

I know lifting weights is important. Lifting free weights burns calories because it is a form of resistance training, which causes muscle fibers to contract and break down. The body then needs to repair and rebuild those muscle fibers, which requires energy in the form of calories. Additionally, resistance training can increase muscle mass, which can lead to an increase in resting metabolism, meaning that the body burns more calories at rest.

I need to carry on both the free weight training and the body weight training and keep accelerating my body to burn calories!

Right, time for a shower and then bed and then the long Wednesday awaits!

Jan 12th, 2023: Another long one….

The last 3 days have been hard going, they have bled mostly into my evenings for a variety of reasons, but this has made it also extremely difficult to keep focused on my goals;

Tuesday – I am the chair for a non-profit and my evening was spent running a meeting for this

Wednesday – Late night work calls for my official job. Running from 9pm till late. That the challenge when you work for a Seattle based organisation

Thursday – Rugby coaches meeting, focused on some fundamental challenges the juniors section has.

Basically, each evening has been a balancing act. The other challenge has been winding down! My sleep was shocking last night, i woke up multiple times and was massively over thinking things, plus the weather was bad and the wind was howling. I also at points wake up worried that my little office at the end of the garden is going to get blown away and i will have to have an argument with one Neighbour, but thats another issue. Annoyingly i didn’t wear my watch last night as i feel asleep while charging it!

Down to business, my weight went up today, 116.6 kg , thats + 0.2 kg . Again i wonder if thats the poor nights sleep! and just poor day yesterday all round! i mean i was tired and unmotivated and felt a massive desire to eat!

I got back on form to DDP Yoga tonight, so almost complete of a week adding Fat Burner 2.0, and i also got my weights class in at peloton.

It was still a good day walking, almost 26k and 13 miles! But my legs feel a bit tired still. I look forward to Saturday and just unwinding a bit! Just letting the little legs of mine recover.

I have been off the sauna blanket also over the last few day. I just have not had the time in the day to factor that in.

On a separate note i did get a message from my sons school today saying that rugby training will resume next week, i lend my time to coach rugby at my sons school, and i love that interaction and coaching aspect!

I am hoping over the next few posts i can give some more context/reviews on some specific items. Its almost 2 weeks complete, and i think i should dive a bit deeper on some aspects!

Thanks for listening

Jan 11th, 2023: The next long Wednesday

As my late-night meetings kick in, i thought as i listen i would also type. Today i feel tired, i feel wavering discipline, and a little lost on motivation. And doing both my DDP Yoga and Peloton was actually hard today, just the motivation was difficult. In fact, with the Peloton i ended up not doing a strength class but a 10 min yoga class.

Let’s get to the numbers!

Today i clocked in at 116.4 kg that’s -0.3 kg from yesterday. And i was really chuffed to see the trend continue. But when i convert things to lbs and stone, i still feel miles away from my goals and i know it will take months vs weeks or days.

I reflected back last night on some of my original posts from August 2016. My original goal at that point was 95kg! and my first micro goal is 115 kg (to be clear for me meeting that first goal i need to be in the 114’s kg, just being in 115 kg is NOT good enough)

I carried on walking today, in fact i am still walking as i type this and expect to end up in the mid 20’ks by the end of the day but for now i am at 24k and just passing 12 miles. My shins really feel it today, and i have ended up rubbing them a few times today, i wonder if i am landing too hard on my feet and sending shock waves into my shins!

(Slight Update: Just finished my evening calls and i landed at 30k steps and just over 15 miles)

On the food side i have kept myself in good order, but i did have cravings earlier on in the day , around an hour after my protein shake and after my fast i was hungry again, which is something that has not typically happened for me! I am thinking that all the walking from the last few days and with the Fat Burner 2.0 DDP Yoga courses is making me more and more hungry and my body wanting the energy

The Net Calories are still good especially with the work that i am putting in, and also the fact that i am still not complete tonight i do expect this number to be adjusted tomorrow.

Today is nowhere near as high as low as yesterdays net calories, but thats because i have not walked as much and todays DDP Yoga was Energy 2.0 and i didn’t do a strength class but a peloton yoga class.

Overall, i feel pretty worn down today, less motivated then i have felt since the start, but a massive chunk of that is down to how tired i feel. Wednesday evening calls and walking add to that tired feeling, but i will recover over the next few days i hope!

I hope i can keep the trend going and maybe break into the 115 kg mark over the next week. Let’s wait and see!

Thanks for listening

Jan 9th, 2023: Frustration

With weight you must be aware and understand there will be ups as well as downs! And the last week i thought i figured it all out, i cracked the code that no one else could have ever cracked, i was losing weight at 0.2 kg a day, and if i just carried on doing all the things i was doing it would carry on forever!

Well, the inevitable came true…… 0.5 kg weight gain, which means today my weight is 117.5 kg.

Super frustrating as i felt i kept my calories to where i needed them to be over the weekend, but i had not been doing the walking which i do in the week. But over the last few days i knew that this would and will happen at points, i just need to keep moving forward.

I think one of the key aspects has been my troublesome sleep cycles, at the moment i am sleeping badly, going to bed super late and waking up early (well early for me). And the quality of my sleep is not great either, this is something i need to work on. I have always been a night owl (something one of my old friends use to call me), and the mornings have never been my best time, so i just need to figure out how to create a routine to give me the needed sleep and recovery for my body.

Being back at work means i get back to the treadmill desk again, which is always a great source of focus and commitment. I had a number of interruptions today, the roof on my office has been leaking, we thought we fixed it over the weekend but alas we did not and had to get a repair done.

Nonetheless it was a 26k step day today and 13 miles. I dont think thats bad for any day, let alone a fragmented one.

And with my DDP Yoga and Peloton complete just before midnight i feel like i have done my dues for today.

Calories In/Out

These have stayed controlled today, I have started to incorporate salads again more into my diet, this was something i slid away from over the past few years and little treats plus bad choices have snuck in.

One thing that was super wonderful today was my directs and i have all made a pact to lose some weight, so there was a few chats on weight and health today on our teams chat, some check ins on weight loss and just general motivation for me. I need it, and the support really does help. We are all learning, all have a concern we have been sat at home far too long, and all want to look better and feel better for the improvements in our health.

I hope tomorrow i get some good rest and more importantly i see the correct trend on the weight line again.

Thanks for listening

Jan 8th, 2023: Weekend

As i move into week 2, my life has pretty much returned to normal. This weekend was a great example of back to reality, as my son and i went to rugby early this morning. I coach a U12s rugby team, and my son plays in that team also. Its a great opportunity for me to share some experience with kids, and i love the fun and enjoyment they have for the game.

However, when i got home it was business as usual with the weigh in.

Today i am 117 kg spot on. The -0.2 from yesterday. So i feel i am in a trend of these incremental -0.2 kg losses.

Today i have kicked up the DDP Yoga and Peloton. I have moved on to doing a Fat Burner 2.0 whenever i have a free day, and increased my strength classes on the peloton to 20 mins. Its a small change, and maybe something i will stay on for a while but just want to increase things a little.

I love how good i feel whenever i have done DDP Yoga, and i kick myself for dropping off it a few years back, especially as i was progressing to more of the advance workouts. Now the intermediate and some of the beginner workouts feel challenging again.

On the peloton i have kept consistent with strength classes with the peloton guide. Just staying consistent here and keeping a streak is a positive thing also. My poor peloton bike continues to get dust on her, but my peloton weights are certainly getting some good use at the moment.

Calories In/Out

This is the one area i need to have my addictive personality work over drive on. Back in 2016 i wrote a small blog post about me making the wrong choices, my 20s and 30s were terrible for this, in fact i made some terrible health based decisions which i am sure will wipe years of my life, so ensuring i am eating sensibly is critical.

I have never used MyFitnessPal so consistently to collect data on my eating and drinking.

With all my evening exercise today i am leveling off at Net Calories

With the work week kicking in again, i am hoping i can do even better with walking and the desire to eat!

Weekends are much harder than weekdays, the urge just kicks in to eat.

So last job of my day is to get into the Sauna blanket for 30 mins and sweat it off! But i just wanted to update my daily check ins!

Hopefully i will see 116 kg zone soon! 1 step at a time.

Thanks for listening

Jan 7th, 2023: End of Week 1 Review

As we are now at the end of week 1, the first thing is to have a quick review of progress to date, and i guess assess how i am feeling, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Firstly, on the 6th of Jan i weighed in at 117.4 kg, that was 0.4 from the 5th. However today on the 7th my weight is now 117.2 kg, that’s 0.2 from 6th.

So lets dig into the 1st week of 2023 in a little more depth.

Weight

I started this week at 119.7 kg and finishing at 117.2 kg. Thats 2.5 kg. I am not too sure how i feel about this, i am aware that its a start, and its half way to my first goal. But i think i also wont see drastic drops (1kg drops) on a regular basis. I am happy with a steady loss mind you and feel good that its going down, but i also feel nervous that it will just stop.

I also kept an eye on other metrics for the body over the week

Intermittent Fasting

I have been doing intermittent fasting (IF) for a week. I am running from 20:00 to 12:00 everyday, and to be fair this does not affect me. I am comfortable in stopping eating at 20:00 and by the time i get to 12:00 i feel ready to eat or consume a protein shake. I think the key bit is that i STOP eating, i stop grabbing snacks while watching the TV and i am able to not think about eating or nibbling. I guess the other aspect is that i am exercising in the evening so distracted.

Calories In/Out

This week i have tried to hold , i have wanted to stay under 2,187 calories per day. The majority of my calories have come from a protein shake from Manual.co (Vanilla and Salted Caramel), and i have ensured i have consumed but also burnt calories also.

Below you can see my calories consumed, the only day i went over (and technically i dont think thats accurate, i just used a pre-made salad on Myfitnesspal, which i believe was much higher than what i ate).

The Net calories are critical, as that shows the adjusted amount with exercise and movement. Today was a low touch exersice day, but i have been mainly doing practical work at home, but nowhere near enough compared to the working week. I am also yet to do my DDP Yoga/Peloton today.

The consumption this week was as follows

Exercise

There are 3 main intakes this week on the exercise front

Walking – This week i have done over 115k steps and just shy of 60 miles. My left foot feels sore and a little tender. I am aware that this will impact my knees, calves, and feet. But its a critical element of me burning calories.
DDP Yoga – I have been just getting going on Energy 2.0 and building up to the real harder workouts. But DDP Yoga was magic for me in 2017 and i hope it can do its magic again in 2023. And i will try to keep it consistent to a workout a day.
Peloton – My new edition of my peloton guide, and weights has been helpful. I am not doing anything crazy. I am just doing 10 mins a day of some sort of strength training and trying to keep that consistency. Which i think i have.

Recovery

The sauna blanket is truly kicking into its own. Firstly, i know now i need to stay in it for 45 mins +, i also know i need it on its hottest level, and by achieving this i finally get to that sweaty moment that you need in a sauna, along with breath shortness and elevated heart rates. I originally started with myself laying on the floor, but have found a home on the bed!

As you can see it gets a bit grim inside the sauna blanket, but i am hoping its doing wonders for my health and recovery.

However, my overall body battery has fluctuated all week and i need to maintain recovery to a good order! I probably need to dig into this more, but i need to keep feeling fresh to maintain.

Overall, for Week 1

This first Saturday was probably my most unbalanced feeling with food. I felt hungry today. In fact when i ate dinner, i felt like i overate, even though i came inside the calorie count. I just didn’t balance it well OR the exercise in the day keeps me busy and distracted and thus the feeling of hunger does not get to me.

Emotionally i feel better this week, i felt quite low over the Christmas period. It’s not something people will see but a feeling inside, quite hard to explain really.

Physically i feel no different at all. I am still a big boy, and the goal for next week stays the same. Keep consistent!

Things i would like to see but don’t expect, i would like to see inside the 116 kg mark, i would like to keep the calories balanced, i would like to eat more salads to keep me feeling healthy and fuller for longer! Next week starts to bring in further classes in DDP Yoga such as Fat Burner 2.0, that’s more challenging than the Energy 2.0 class i am currently taking and certainly will get me burning more. Also, i want to try and incorporate a 15 min peloton class each day also.

On to week 2 of 2023! and hopefully 116 kg and goal 1!

Jan 5th, 2023: The long Wednesday

Firstly, let’s talk about weight as of Wednesday 4th Jan…. 118 kg that’s down 0.6 kg.

I am always cautious about weight as my weight fluctuates so much. I am talking kgs at a time. Although it’s going down i always worry about it having a spike in the next few days.

I generally try to weigh in first thing in the morning, normally straight after my morning bio break to ensure i have consistent baseline!

Wednesdays for me are brutal. Like really brutal, and they have been for some time. My work functions heavily in a US focus, and thus each Wednesday typically between 9pm – 12am i end up on a series of calls after my typical working day.

Now let me be clear, i love what i do, and i love my job, and i have no issues with late-night calls. The risk with Wednesday is that i don’t find time to do my exercise routines. I generally workout around 9pm or 10pm (basically when the kids go to bed), but that goes out of the window due to the calls.

The side effect on Wednesdays is that i try and walk extra miles.

Let’s break down my Wednesday, i typically work from 9am-5pm although today i had a call with my boss that wrapped up at 18:45. Within this window I was able to just focus and walk at the same time, lots to catch up from the holiday season. I spent a little time before chatting to my boss, to do Yoga and a quick test drive on a new purchase, a MiHigh Sauna blanket. I have been spending a fair bit of time on YouTube and the web looking at Saunas and the overall health benefits from them.

I was expecting to be a hot sweaty wreck after the sauna blanket, but that certainly was NOT the case, i was warm, but not hot, i didn’t get a sweat on, and i had the blanket at the highest level. I will have to see how this progresses over the next month. My habit i want to achieve here is a 4-6 times a week in the sauna blanket. I hope that this reduces risks on a whole series of things as well as aid recovery.

I will do a deeper review on this as the month progresses to share my thoughts.

When i finished I went back out to chat to my boss, then have dinner, and then do a quick 10 min strength peloton class before heading back out to work.

My treadmill desk continues to be a life saver for me, it keeps me moving, while the DDP Yoga continues to keep me stretching and making sure i develop flexibility.

Today was a 28k step day and 14 miles.

One of the hard things with walking so much is both friction on the thighs (chub rub as i lovingly call it) and blisters on the feet. I need to ensure i wear both socks and leggings when walking.

I am really happy with the consistency so far with Peloton, I ended up using the Peloton Guide and weights again. I want to see if i can continue to hit my daily streak.

My calories continued staying consistent. I dont feel rough or dizzy from what i am eating or drinking, and feeling good. My Calories today mind you was pretty low. I would say its the lowest this week (ignore the 12/31 results as i did not maintain everything i ate or drank on new years eve)

However due to all the activities today, Walking, DDP Yoga, Peloton, Sauna, my net calories were lower. Again, i don’t feel bad, i feel fine but it’s something for me to monitor and be aware off. Although myfitnesspal does not seem to capture my steps from Garmin connect to adjust.

According to Garmin connect which syncs from myfitnesspal and has all my data. I am in a calorie deficit, and that’s key for me. It’s a long way still to go.

Anyway, as i sit here at 01:22 on the 5th of January after my long wednesday, i think i should go to bed and chill out before my morning starts!

Thanks for listening

Jan 4th, 2023: Micro Goals

I have this major goal to get under 100 kg. That the master plan, but to achieve that its hard thinking about the long journey ahead. To help me keep focused and to keep encouragement i am going to break things down to 5 kg goals.

Goal 1: 115 kg
Goal 2: 110 kg
Goal 3: 105 kg
Goal 4: 99 kg

Ideally i would like to go beyond this and not only help improve my weight but maybe get a bit closer to what withings and others think my ideal weight should be. The NHS recommends i be something between 56.7 kg and 76.6 kg using the BMI calculator | Check your BMI – NHS | Your BMI result (www.nhs.uk).

So even if i get into the double digits, i will still be 15 kg away from what the NHS recommends! Thats scary! but i think i will be happy in the 90’s for now.

My weight as of the 3rd January was 118.6 k, that’s -0.1 from yesterday.

Its a long way from my first goal and i know it does not take long to change my weight upwards vs downwards. That slow progress is also important as it will help me keep it off long term.

Yesterday was also a big day in getting back to work, my normality. Work for me is always a blessing, i am fortunate to work for a great company, i do a job i love and am passionate about, and it has afforded many blessings for my family. However, i have an addictive personality and so i can get consumed in the work i perform which takes away from my physical health.

One of my blessings from my work is that i typically work from home, perhaps around 95% these days since the pandemic. I used to travel a lot, if i could really emphasize a lot it would still be an understatement. Working at home gives me a chance to work from my desk in my man shed. Back in 2016 i invested in a Lifespan Fitness TR5000 which really helped me in 2017 alongside DDP Yoga.

This is my current desk setup for home working. I basically work from start to finish walking with a few breaks in the day or when i am drinking a hot drink.

It’s been a super productive day back into the walking routine. I got over 11 miles under my belt and over 23k steps. This is a key contributor to supporting a healthy weight loss, but it needs to be supported by the yoga as i get super tight in the legs as time progresses.

Garmin Connect Steps Details end of 3rd Jan 2023

This evening i played with a new gadget, a Peloton Guide. This arrived today with 3 sets of dumbbells and a yoga matt. I wanted to get more into strength/resistance training. Tonight was my first play with it and its not to bad at all! Still a long way to go, and as long as it keeps me motivated thats whats key!

The food was balanced again today. I need to at some point in the next week take all my body measurements as i think thats another important element to track on this journey. i have not done that as yet.

The one thing i am happy about is my incorporation back of salads. I use to love eating salads, and it gave me so much joy doing so and i need to regain that consistent love of eating great plant based products with some good proteins in it.

My consumed and net calories still look good. Especially with the 2 Peloton classes and 1 DDP Yoga. They are not long classes that i am doing, but i am just trying to build up motivation and commitment to achieve more.

So onwards we go to that first goal. 115 kg is what i need to hit and achieve, slow and steady, and totally accountable.

Thanks for listening