Time for some TLC

After misjudging a drop off on my last ride (about 6 ft instead of the 6" I was expecting ) the Whistle was sporting a wobbly front wheel about 10mm (3/8")
Being as I used to build my own wheels in the late 80's I decided to have a look and see what could be done, This was the first time I had ever tried with a 29er wheel and OMG they are so different to a 20" wheel, every little tweek of the spoke key makes a massive difference.
whilst she was on the stand I decided to give her the once over and all I can say is that after 1000 miles she is still in remarkably good health. a clean and a lube and she's good to go again, now if I can shake this cold I can get out and ride.




If you want to have a go at trueing your own wheels there are a couple of tips,
1. if the bike has seen a winter season, spray some release agent on the spoke nipples the day before.
2. take your time. if you have to tweek the same spoke 10 times it is better than over doing it the first time.
3. don't expect perfection, even top class wheels are only built to a run out of 0.2mm
4. you eye is very accurate and your fingers are incredible at detecting the run out, if you don't have a dial test indicator, don't worry you can feel down to a few microns.
5 take the tyre off and check the spokes inside the rim once you are finished. they maybe protruding inside the wheel after tightening, this will cause punctures.

First Cold

Well here goes, I have come down with my first cold since I started my get healthy life,
lets see how it compares with colds in previous years

Herbivore , Omnivore or Carnivore

A herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat a diet consisting of plant matter. a human herbivore is a Vegan.

An omnivore is an animal who's diet depends on a mix of both animal and plant matter. Human omnivores can be separated in to two groups vegetarians and meat eaters.

A Carnivore is an animal that has a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of meat. There is no human equivalent or a carnivore.

So which group should Humans fall into ?

This is an interesting question, so lets start by exploring the evidence,

Humans aren't physiologically designed to eat a diet that consists exclusively of meat. Fact !
Carnivores have a short digestive tract which reaches about 3 times the length of its body.
Herbivores have a long digestive tract which reaches about 12 times the length of its body.
Humans fall at about 9 or 10 times the length of the body, so as you can see this is towards the herbivore end of the scale.
Both humans and herbivores get their vitamin c from their diet, carnivores make it internally.
Humans and herbivores sip water, carnivores lap water up with their tongues, humans and herbivores cool their bodies by sweating, carnivores pant.
Humans and herbivores have little mouths in relation to their head size, carnivores mouths are larger for seizing, killing and eating meat.
Both humans and herbivores extensively chew their food, Carnivores swallow food whole, or with little chewing.

 

Humans lack the raw abilities to be good hunters, we do however have a very large brain for the size of our bodies, this means that we can make and use tools to assist with hunting.      

our bodies are also very bad at processing dairy foods and although we exclusively drink milk for the first few months of our life we can not survive on a dairy diet much beyond this. It is believed that spinach or collard greens contain as much calcium as cows milk.

 

so from the evidence above it would appear that we are herbivorous, HOWEVER it is not quite as simple as that.   

 

As intriguing as these arguments may be, the idea that humans are natural vegetarians has no scientific basis in fact, the human anatomy proves that people are omnivores.    

 

We obviously are not carnivores, but we are equally obviously not strict vegetarians, if you carefully examine the anatomical and physiological evidence   

 

Several human physiological features clearly indicate a design for eating meat, including our stomach's production of hydrochloric acid, something not found in herbivores. Furthermore, the human pancreas manufactures a full range of digestive enzymes to handle a wide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable.

 

 While humans may have longer intestines than animal carnivores, they are not as long as herbivores'; we also have a single stomach many herbivores possess multiple stomachs.

Human physiology defiantly indicates an omnivore feeder.

 

If humans were designed to be herbivorous we would have a different colon design, different teeth and a stomach with a pH specific to the digestion of plant matter.

another indication of requiring a mixed diet is our bodies reliance on animal products for certain nutrients namely Vitamin B12 which is not naturally occurring in plant matter. Animal products are also our bodies preferred source of protein.

History also supports the omnivore argument, considering that humans have been eating meat for about 2.5 million years.    

     

So the question remains where do humans fall in the herbivore, omnivore carnivore argument ??

clearly we are not purely carnivore , neither are we Herbivore, in fact the only reason that people can live a Vegan lifestyle is through the use of processed foods or supplements.

So we are Omnivores, the ideal situation is to eat a balanced diet a mixture of vegetables, fruit, animal products and meat.

Being vegetarian or a meat eater has less to do with do we need to eat meat, than should we eat meat, meat consumption comes down to ethical or religious reasons and personal choice, but the overwhelming fact is we need to eat animal products in one form of another.

 

 

Playtime

This weekend ride was more about spending quality time with my boy's than training hard, although as the trace below shows 2000 calories and 1350ft of climbing up hills is still a good work out !

 

I think everyone should do what they love and enjoy every moment whilst training !

 

When is Enough, Enough ??

When I first started my journey, I didn't have any idea where my final destination was going to be, but for any journey to start you at least need a direction and moving forwards is better than sitting still whilst you make up your mind where to go.



How did I get set my first heading ?

I looked at the BMI charts and seeing as my BMI was 32.5 i was officially obese 240 lbs and the middle of the health range was 160 lbs, i remember thinking to myself Not a Chance in Hell !! I'm only just overweight so there is no way i can lose 80 lbs.
We had some Body fat scales at home so i decided that was the way to go, with a body fat level of 34% and the healthy range starting at 25% that seemed like an barely achievable target of 190 lbs.
So my destination was set and my journey was underway.

The road is a long, hilly and difficult, hell if it was easy we would all look like movie stars right?
As the weeks went by I could see the end getting closer and my journey nearing its destination.
I reached 190lb and by body fat target of 25% my bmi was down to  25.8 so I was still in the overweight section but only just and muscle weighs more than fat so I'm ok or at least i thought, But was i happy ? well in one way YES, i reached my goal and looked and felt great, my energy was up my blood pressure down, life was more enjoyable, the comments from friends and colleagues (especially those who hadn't seen me in a while ) put me on a real high, I felt amazing (helped by giving up smoking somewhere in the middle ), and i want to share in fact its why i started this blog! I was losing weight and getting fit by doing something i enjoy, but in the back of my mind and in front of the mirror, i want more (or less depending on your perception).
i sat down and re evaluated my destination and i am currently working towards a weight of 168 lbs which will give me a body fat target of 15% ish and a bmi of 22.5 so maybe that original bmi target that i thought was the most unrealistic target wasn't actually that far off.
The problem i have is what happens when i get there ? when i have reached my second destination will i still look in the mirror and pinch more than an inch and think to myself Just a few more pounds ?

The difference between 30% and 20% body fat

Still have someway to go but I am getting there slowly. 

Don't believe everything you read.

Today my wife left a weight loss magazine laying around, I picked it up and started reading, I really couldn't believe what I was reading.
I am no expert, I am not a dietician, I am not a life coach I am not a nutritionist, I am a normal guy who stepped on the scales 6 months ago was confronted by a weight of 240lbs, I knew I had to do something.
If I had read the magazine back then I would have given up food, started on a pill and shake diet and probably given up 4 weeks later (adverts in the back of the magazine)
I could of course followed the advise and recipe's at the front of the magazine in which case I would have been eating a thimble full of lard sandwiches (white bread)  and sitting on the sofa watching exercise programs on the television.
Thankfully I didn't read the magazine!! I worked out the very simple fact that the only way to lose weight is eat less and move more.
By eat less I mean eat less calories, if calories in is less than calories burned you will lose weight period.
you don't need a pill, you don't need a shake, you just need good food and exercise.
I quickly worked out that processed foods were a mine field of hidden calories, mainly in the form of sugar, since I enjoy cooking it was easy to make the switch to single ingredient foods, this covers fruits and vegetables, meats and grains etc. As far as meat goes, chicken and fish are good and prime cuts of pork and beef are ok, the trick here is to see how much fat drips out of the meat during cooking, processed beef burgers give up almost 50% of their weight in fat.

I also worked out that one meal won't make you fat, having a cheat day works for me, although after a while, even cheat days aren't cheating, when we go out for a meal my favourite meal used to be a mixed grill and plate of fries, my current meal is a chicken breast burger a jacket potato and a side salad, not because I don't want to eat fat but because that's what my body is telling me it wants.

Move more, this was easy even walking to the kitchen to make a cuppa was moving more than I did. so getting out and enjoying the fresh air was a vast improvement.

By far the biggest challenge was staying motivated, I was lucky I have a fantastic support network around me and every time I had a moment of weakness I had someone nearby to get me back on track.

The point of this post is Don't believe everything you read, every ones path is different, what works for you won't work for your best friend.

To prove a point, I had a roast dinner today, I had a thai curry yesterday, I had spaghetti bolognaise the night before, I have never had a shake in my life and in 6 months I have gained a 6 pack lost almost 60 lb, can cycle 10 times the distance I could at the start, I have given up smoking, lowered my blood pressure, and still have time for my wife, my kids and a full time job.

 I sure won't be reading her magazines again.



 

Runtastic Mountain Bike v 1.3.2

As part of my return to cycling and get fit drive I decided that I should have a record of my exercise, using any of the modern smart phones this is a lot simpler than you could imagine.
Most smart phones have gps and a data connection and with the addition of an app can become a gps tracker and recorder.

Which app ?
there are numerous apps on the market, the best and most popular of these include, Strava, endomondo, cycletrack and runtastic.

I briefly used strava, and endomondo but a chance offer from runtastic meant that I could have access to the pro version of Runtastic free of charge.

The app is available in both the free trial version and the pro version and once installed you can link the app to your Facebook account, this enables you to sign up with ease without spending an age filling in forms.
the app has an installed size of 21.57MB but you can move the app to sd card which saves space on the phone storage.

Using the App.
The app will ask you to switch on GPS if you haven't already enabled it.
You are then ready to go.
press the  start workout button and the pro version asks if you would like to enable live tracking, I always select yes.
a 10 second count down gets you on your way.
the app keeps you updated on your progress at every mile.
telling you how long the mile has taken and what your current pace is, and as a bonus how many Calories you have burnt.

The live map on the lower half of the screen comes in very handy if you are exploring new areas and get lost as the map shows bridal paths and cycle routes.
The app will also pause if you decide that you want a photograph of your ride. photographs will be gps tagged and placed on your map for later viewing.






At the end of the ride the app is stopped by pressing a single button with a secondary conformation encase of accidental button pressing. A summary will be read out and a summary displayed with the option to enter any missing details, I have a stand alone HRM so I can enter these details into the summary and edit any details that are wrong, my HRM differs slightly on the calorie burned value, I use the heart monitor figure since this is the more accurate value since it know exactly how hard I have been riding.








The split table gives information about each mile travelled.



the graph page give a nice line graph of your speed throughout the ride. the shadow show's the extent of the climbs.










The grade page show how much of ride was up hill, downhill and flat, my ultimate aim would be to make the two graphs look the same,


 the final page shows an overview map of the ride with a different colour graph showing speeds.













Since the ride is also tracked live my wife can use the tracking to see exactly where I am, this add's a level of security for me since if I have a fall she can see that if my position hasn't changed for a while there is a good chance that i am on my back in a ditch somewhere ,

once completed the ride is automatically shared with facebook and uploaded to Runtastics web page for later viewing, the screen captures in The Ride section is are from the runtastic web page.

I would highly recommend this app to every rider it works very smoothly on my Samsung Galaxy Note, and gives me the chance to search through all my previous rides to see exactly how my fitness is progressing.

Return to Cycling

At the start of my Journey one thing became instantly obvious, I needed to move more !!
But How ? Walking - maybe. Running - No chance, my knee wouldn't take it (I have an old injury, I snapped my knee cap clean in two, this injury had troubled me for the last 30 years ). Cycling - I used to cycle, I used to race, I was good, I was stopped by injury.

Cycling it was. I had toyed with the idea in the past and even went as far as buying a bike, so what stopped me before ? well simply put - I did !, I am sure i'm not alone in still being a teenager in my head, the problem lay in the fact that I was not as good or as fit as I remember. This alone was enough to make me give up.

This time I was ready, I knew I was out of shape, I knew I was unskilled (well out of practice anyway, you never forget its like riding a bike as the saying goes) but mentally I was ready for it, I didn't care how bad I was this was it time to get fitter, time to lose weight.

Ride 1, I pulled the bike out of the shed, dusted it off and pumped up the tyres, a quick squirt of lube on the cables and chain and I was good to go.
I had decided that riding to work was the way to go, the ride to work was easy, I could do this I said to myself, downhill all the way, the ride home however was a different story, I think I almost died, my chest was collapsing my legs burnt and wouldn't take my weight, I was dripping with sweat and talking was out of the question.
That was a few months ago, now, on my new bike,  I can do the same journey whilst talking on hands free and wearing several layers to keep warm.

so what's changed in the cycling world and what's the same.

Changes.
Traffic.
The biggest change for me is how inconsiderate motor vehicle users are! my commute to work is a little over a mile, in 6 months I have been hit by cars 4 times, not seriously just being clipped by a wing mirror as they squeeze past instead of waiting. I have even had one lady, who was sat at a side turning, make eye contact, smile at me then pull out anyway! I caught up with her and when I questioned her the response was " yes I saw you, but my car is bigger you should have stopped! " What ? I was on the main road she was pulling out of a side turning.
Due to this, I decided that off road riding was the way to go, no traffic !!!

Technology.
Not as much as I would have thought, sure materials are better, build is better, but design is very similar, my racing bmx had a custom frame hand made out of titanium (thanks Dad, my dad worked in an aircraft factory and following an incident which involved a bunny hop over a hand rail and a 30ft drop the other side resulting in a broken frame, Dad said don't worry I can weld that, the guys at his work decided a new titanium frame would be a better idea ) in 1983.
tyres are stickier, brakes on the other hand are light years ahead - Hydraulic disc brakes with the stopping power to rival any car are on a different level to the side pull cantilever rim brakes I had in the 80's.

The Rider.
Back in the 80's the rider was a lean fit racer, who has very little fear and didn't even think about the consequences of hurting himself, when he returned, he was a fat unfit very out of shape couch potato, who is a coward who hates pain and thinks twice all the time.

So What's the same ?

The Bike.
 You never forget how the basic skills, after the first couple of rides you will be amazed at how familiar things feel, even after 30 years off the bike it feels like nothing has changed, this is what stopped me the first time, it felt the same and that lured me into thinking I was still as fit as I was as a teen.
Competitiveness.
By nature we are all competitive that doesn't change as you get older or out of shape, in a way it will be this competitiveness that will get you back into shape, remembering how you used to be will drive you harder than any thing else.

Experience.
One of the advantages to returning to cycling after a 30yr break is that your experience is still there, you start again as a born again cyclist with more experience than a complete beginner, you know to expect the unexpected and ride defensively as a result.
When you do get your fitness back, you’ll find you can beat the youngsters quite easily. Why? Because experience is what counts.
Passion:
Once a cyclist always a cyclist, as we get older our view point changes, when I was younger I was only concerned with being the fastest and winning (in my final race I came second WITH a broken knee - if I had listened to my body and the doctor instead of being so competitive I might have still been racing). Since I have returned I have found that my passion for the sport I once loved so much has returned very quickly, I still race my kids up the hills but I also appreciate the views in my new playground. My driving force as I get fitter is to finish every ride with a smile from ear to ear.


Final words:
Coming back to cycling after years off can be a shock to the system. For this reason, adjust to your new limits and keep positive.  Enjoy starting over again physically and using all your experience to guide you forward.
Most importantly Enjoy every turn of the pedals !!!

Body Fat, How much is too Much ?

Body Fat - We all have it, we all need it and most of us want less of it, but how much should we have ? and how can we use it to set our target ?

The chart to the right is from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and is one of the most commonly used body fat charts.
 As you can see, women have a higher body fat percentage relative to men for a given level. Women have more fat because of physiological differences such as hormones, breasts, and sexual organs. In addition, women need a higher amount of body fat for ovulation.


"Essential fat” is the minimum amount of fat necessary for basic physical and physiological health. We all have different shapes, sizes, and fat distribution profiles, but I think the chart above is a good starting point.
The limitation of the ACE chart is that while it takes into account gender differences, it does not take into account your age, which is why I included the next two charts.

In case you don’t understand how to read this chart, the age column is on the left, the body fat percentages are in the chart, and the colours represent Lean, Ideal, Average, and Above Average ranges. So if you are a 30 year old man, a body fat percentage between 10% and 16% is considered “Ideal” and between 18% and 22% is considered “Average”, and so on.

As you will have noticed as your age increases, your acceptable body fat increases as well.
the reason for this is older individuals tend to have a lower body density for the same skinfold measurements, which is assumed to indicate a higher body fat percentage. Older, athletic individuals, however, might not fit this assumption because their body density may be underestimated.

There are 3 types of fat: subcutaneous (under the skin), visceral (around the organs), and intramuscular (in between muscle, like a marbled steak). The amount of subcutaneous body fat you have may stay the same, but the visceral and intramuscular fat may increase as you age. For a visual representation of a given body fat level, you can check out this picture:

The most accurate method to measure body fat is with a body fat analyser this works by passing a low level electric current through the soles of your feet, since the different constituants of your body conduct differently the analyser can determine your Body fat, the levels of hydration and bone density.

How can this be used to set your goal ??
to give you an approximation of how much weight you need to aim for a simple calculation can be carried out, these figures are based on my own statistics and measurements.
I used a bodyfat analysier for the measurements.

my weight started at 107 Kgs ( 236 lb) my body fat was 34%  a simple calculation that's 37.45 Kg's ( 82.5lb's) of fat
a healthy maximum is 18-24...%.
a target of 89Kgs (196lb) would put me on the edge of the upper limit but at least gave me a starting point.

As my weight fell what this started to make more sense, my weight is now 82 Kg's (180 lb's)
my body fat content is 20.1%
So does the math work?

107Kgs @ 34%   = 37.45 Kg's
82Kgs @ 20.1%  = 16.5 Kg's
total fat lost         = 20.95 Kg's

actual loss 25 Kg's this is a discrepancy of 4 Kg's  this can easily be attributed to the body being smaller ( less skin and water etc)

So as a starting point and for setting a target it's close enough.

I have exceeded my initial target and have re evaluated my new aim is 15% a target that with hard work should be achievable.






to view full size image click here
http://www.healthygrad.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/body-fat-percentage-men-women.png

 

 

 

 

Logo

I have been playing around with a logo, what do you guys think ?

Why ?

If you are reading this you have already decided to take steps towards a new you, congratulations!
My question to you is WHY ?

To be fit !  Really ? you can be fit and fat, who is fitter an overweight sportsman or an underweight couch potato?

To be skinny ? Why? underweight is almost as bad as overweight .

To be Healthy ? this has very little to do with weight or fitness.

I stand by my reasoning that the journey you are about to undertake is 80% mental and 20 % physical !

 You need to find a reason to start and set a destination, the reason should be something that's important to you, mine was my children, I wanted to play games with my kids, I wanted to be able to keep up when the went on a cycle ride , I wanted to teach them and grow with them and most of all I wanted to be around for them, if my life style had carried on the way it was that wasn't looking very likely.
 Next you need to set a destination, not a simple target like I want to lose a few pounds, but a target for you to aim at properly, for me it is get down to 15% body fat and to hear my kids say those magic words, Dad slow down we can't keep up !!

That's half the mental battle sorted the other half is sticking to my target.

The physical side now, how do I achieve my target?

I personally hate the word diet - we are all on a diet! whether it a healthy, unhealthy good or bad it is still your diet.
It is a life style change. Change what you eat, change what you do, change who you are.

Firstly, look at what you eat.

Make a list of everything that you eat, whether that is a full meal or a chocolate button, watch the condiments some are very high in sugars,  write it down!
you will almost certainly be surprised at what you eat.

I was not only shocked I was horrified at what I ate, it was no surprise I was overweight.
not only they type of food but the quantity as well.

Now you know what you eat, change it.
Small changes are a good way to start, my first change was cut down on bread, I actually cut down from 8 slices a day to cutting it out during the week and treated myself to 2 slices at Sunday breakfast.
Don't eat sweets, if you want a snack grab an apple or some grapes, or maybe a banana.
If you eat pasta or rice, change the colour from white to brown.

Simple changes but I guarantee they will make a difference.
As you become more comfortable with changing your foods your body will adapt and you will no longer crave the pork belly slices, looking for lean loin steaks instead.


Change what you do.

I looked at my daily routine, get up, drive to work, sit at my desk all day, drive home, drive my wife to work, come home and go to bed, repeat routine the following day.

No activity and excess food not a good combination.

Again start small, find a way to travel your long journey, Run, Walk, Cycle, Swim the transport doesn't matter its the journey that's important. If you love it that's a bonus.
I weighed up the options and decided that cycling was my way, Due to an old injury (I snapped my knee cap in two) running was ruled out cycling has a much lower impact on the joints.

the first step was when? leave the car at home and cycle to work a journey of 1 1/2 miles each way.

a simple change but a very important one.

I don't think a miracle quick cure exists, the only way in which you will lose weight and get fit is eat less and move more, You should be working towards a calorie deficit of 400 - 500 calories a day this will give you a weight loss of 1lb a week, add this to the addition of exercise say an hour cycling in the valleys 1500 calories  approx. and you could easily see 2lb a week, this is a healthy weight loss.

Its not going to happen over night so stay focused and stay on the road.

The change of who you are will happen without you knowing as you travel along the hard road towards your destination, you will become a little self centred and make different choices sub consciously, I used to look out the window and think there is a cloud shall I take the car or cycle, now I look out of the window and think there is a cloud do I need a coat or a change of clothes.

The change will happen, you will not see it at first, then you will notice that in your head that you are not getting any thinner, you will think that everyone around you is getting fatter. you will remember how you were and doubt that you have changed, my advice keep a pair of your old trousers and put them on when you have doubts and see how big they are . Run up a flight of stairs and still be able to talk when you get to the top.

The most important thing is start the journey, head in the right direction, lose your way and find the road again but most of all ENJOY your Journey.

Whistle Patwin 1381D

Since this is my first proper mountain bike and my only point's of reference are budget bikes this review my be a little  obscured.

The Rider.
As part of my weight loss and get fit routine my beautiful wife purchased this £600 mountain bike to help me on my way. Back in the mid 80's I raced BMX coming second in the national finals with a broken knee. But almost 30 years of sitting on the couch had taken their toll and I needed to do something before I turned into a proper couch potato.

The Bike.
Whistle describe themselves as living the American dream, when the craving for adventure and high technology meet new products are born, a passion without barriers.
Whistle was originally called Colorado riders and as you have probably guessed, based on the banks of the Colorado river, the bikes are named after  Native American Tribes who made their homes along the river.

The Whistle Patwin is a 29er, that is the wheels are 29" instead of the usual 26" found on mountain bikes. There are lots of articles on the web arguing the advantages and disadvantages of the 26/29 debate which you can read at your leisure. Lets get on with the review.

The Frame.

Made of 7005 Aluminium the detailing of the hydro formed tubes and quality of welding is excellent, the high gloss paint finish is also superb and very easy to clean.
The frame offers a quick ride but does suffer from lateral flexing on high speed road sections which translates to a nice compliant frame when the going gets tough.

The Fork.

This is the Patwins Achilles heal, the fork is the lowest spec fork in the SR Suntour range, The ride is plush and there is minimum flexing but the rebound damping is non existent with the forks topping out when the front end is lifted.

Wheels.
The fast rolling kyte tyres offer plenty of grip when the going gets sticky, and their large volume casing takes the sting out of trail obstacles. The 6061-t6 rims attached by 32 spokes to the Shimano rm66 cup and cone hubs are very smooth and offer easy maintenance.

Drivetrain.

Smooth with a very light action, the 9 x 3 Shimano Acera shifters have never missed a beat, shifting quickly and precisely every time. There is a nice spread of ratios which never leaves you wanting more, low for epic climbs and high for road use.

Brakes.
With 160mm centre mount Discs and hydraulic callipers, the leaver shape is excellent and the action is not grabby but offers stacks of stopping power with beautiful modulation.





Components.

With a 700mm bar and a 90mm stem there is plenty of leverage available to help manoeuvre through the trees. the saddle is quite hard but is getting more comfortable as I lose the weight.









Per
Performance.
From the very first ride (well second after I had sorted the pedals ) it was clear that this is a well rounded bike, Inspiring confidence and encouraging me to push harder that I ever thought would be possible, as can be seen from the GPS traces I have regularly hit speeds of 50 mph through the woods such is the feeling of security offered by the 29er specific geometry and long wheelbase.

I would recommend this bike to anyone looking to start mountain biking or returning to cycling after a long break.

Finally

After being stuck on a plataeu for a few weeks and not getting anywhere fast, mainly due to my head being in the wrong place, the passing of my grandmother and a stressfull few weeks at work, I decided to reset the body have a couple of days off and try again this week I woke up this morning and felt good so it was with doubt i stepped onto the scales. How bad had my reset been ? how much extra would i have to lose to get back on track ?



The sight that greeted me was unbelievible, i even moved the scale to 3 different locations to triple check .....................

 

 

The last time my weight started with a 12 I was 12 !!!

I know its only just in the 12's but i will take it all the same

4 st

From 17st 2lb down to 13st 2lb, I make that 4 st !!!

Still a way to go maybe another 14lbs.

Tuesday Night

Tuesday Night

a Slight tweak of the standard loop, and I have found a fast down hill section , check out that maximum speed !!!

I am working on a way to hold my camera on the bike to enable video and a few photos.

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday Afternoon

Selsley

A visit to Selsley common and the best bomb holes in the area .

An Early Morning

Sat watching tv, my eldest (Nicky) and I were chatting and he expressed an interest in coming on a ride, due to it being a bank holiday and having plans it was decided that an early morning ride was the order of the day.

I lay in bed the next morning waiting for the sun to rise. as soon as I saw the glow of the sun I was out of bed and kitted up, hydro packs filled,

I woke up Nicky. he got dressed and we left, since it was his first ride in a long while we opted for a flat ride, At 5.39am there is little in the way of traffic and we cover 14.21 miles in 2 hrs,
We are home showered and fed before another soul stirs.

An Easy Ride

An Easy ride with my 12 yr old, it has reached a point where Daniel can no longer push me, no fault of his own, just a side effect of his size and age.

Evening blast to clear a headache

A late Evening blast to try and clear a really intense headache and it was too dark in the woods so I switched to the roads, An hour later I was feeling much better but the weather had turned so I headed home

Before and Now

I was looking through some photos at work and came across this picture



that's me in the back ground weighing in at 17 st +



















And me Now ! almost 4 st lighter, Looking at these pictures makes me wish I had take a few more Then pictures.

and me Now

Doctors Visit.

During a weekend at home, with the wife working. I spent the weekend sat on the sofa, Every time I stood up I found myself getting light headed for a few seconds. A quick self diagnosis and I thought low blood pressure.
since I had the heart monitor I hooked it up and sat down. it explained a few things.
My resting heart rate had fallen from about 70bpm to an average of 43bpm.

I decided a visit to my doctor was in order just as a precautionary measure. An appointment was made for Monday evening straight from work, I had 6 minutes to get from work to the surgery, tight but achievable since it was just over a mile from work.

I made it with seconds to spare and went straight in to the consultation room. I explained the symptoms and the doctor agreed, out came the sphygmomanometer and my blood pressure measured. I explained that since I had just cycled a 6 minute mile it would probably be high.
The result 105/65 at a pulse rate of 50 bpm.  The doctor looks at my records and asks last time we measured your blood pressure it was 140/90 what's changed ?

Well where do I start !!

1. I have given up smoking
 I was a secret smoker, I gave up 16 weeks ago, I knew that being determined on a strict diet I wouldn't reach for the snacks and put weight on, so it seemed like an ideal time to quit.

2. I have lost approaching 4 st
my diet has considerably changed.

3. I am exercising instead of sitting on my arse.

the doctor explained that the blood pressure and pulse rate were due to these changes
my lungs were double the efficiency without the cigerettes so I didn't need to pump as much blood to receive the same levels of oxygen.
I was only pumping the blood round 3/4 of the body mass.
I was getting fitter.

the doc and I had a good chat about the changes as he is a runner. we ended up exchanging recipes and I left with a much better understanding of everything.

change of weigh day

Due to holidays at work the Fat club weigh in has stopped for a while so I have changed my weigh day to a Monday morning, that way I can see how bad I have been during the weekend,
the next few weeks and the scales are still telling the same story, a nice healthy 2lb loss each week.

14 st
13 st 13lb
13 st 8lb
13 st 6lb
13 st 4lb

weigh in

Hitting the 3 stone mark was a big issue for me and left me feeling great, as I step on the scales this week what will I see ?   89 Kgs  ( 14 st ) another 2 lb loss and a step in the right direction.

Weigh in

I try to be good and stick to eating well and getting out on the mid week ride. This week the scales show 90 kg exactly that's 14 st 2lb.  Wow I have hit a big target for me  that's 3 st lost so far.

Fruit Oat Bars

For a healthy snack with no added sugar try these.


Ingredients.

2 Bananas
1/3 cup of apple sauce
3 cups oats
1/2 cup of Almond Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Cinnamon


Method

peal and mash the bananas, add all the other ingredients and mix well
if the mixture is too wet add a few more oats.

place the mixture on an oven tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 f  for 15-20 minutes.

cut the cooked mixture into bite sized bars whilst still hot.

Remove from oven and allow to cool, then Enjoy.

Now the taste test.

My two youngest children (Caleb 7 and Ethan 5 ) are my chief taste testers.
 they loved the bars, asking for another as soon as they finished the first.

My children don't like raisins or sultanas so I didn't add any, but I will try with other dried fruits next time I cook them.

How big is a pound of fat ?

If Like me you have always wondered how big a pound of fat actually is this may help .

The density of adipose tissue (fat) is 0.9196 kg/L.

So by doing a little math:
(0.9196 kg/L)(2.2046226 lbs/kg) = 2.027 lbs/L

So if you picture a 2 liter bottle of soda, it holds about 4 lbs of fat.

or more of a shock for me a stone of fat is the equivalent of 3 1/2
bottles of soda !!!

Tip 8

It's not going to happen overnight !
You have undertaken a massive lifestyle change so be patient.
The good target for weight loss is 2lb a week, this means if you are aiming to loose 40lb then its going to take 20 weeks minimum, that's without the minor set backs on the way.

Losing weight is 20% physical and 80% Mental, Stay focused and if you need help ask!!

Build a Six pack in Six weeks

Having looked at a lot of exercise routines that claim to give you a six pack in six minutes a day I started to dig a little deeper.
I didn't want a routine that just gave a six pack, my riding meant that I wanted to build my core strength.
I came across the A6W routine, a set of 6 targeted exercises that over 41 days will give you the muscle definition for that six pack.  It does take longer than 6 minutes a day but not much around 30 minutes should do it, and if your like me you will go from 6 sit ups being a struggle up to 400 + sit ups being easy.
Watch out for exercise 5 - it's a killer !!!

The Exercises.

 

 

 

The Plan.

Below is a timetable showing how many exercises should be done and on which days.

 

Day	Series	Rep­e­ti­tions
1.	1	6
2.	2	6
3.	2	6
4.	3	6
5.	3	6
6.	3	6
7.	3	8
8.	3	8
9.	3	8
10.	3	8
11.	3	10
12.	3	10
13.	3	10
14.	3	10
15.	3	12
16.	3	12
17.	3	12
18.	3	12
19.	3	14
20.	3	14
21.	3	14
22.	3	14
23.	3	16
24.	3	16
25.	3	16
26.	3	16
27.	3	18
28.	3	18
29.	3	18
30.	3	18
31.	3	20
32.	3	20
33.	3	20
34.	3	20
35.	3	22
36.	3	22
37.	3	22
38.	3	22
39.	3	24
40.	3	24
41.	3	24
42.	3	24

 

 

I Found that if I put the kids Dinner in the oven, that I could complete that days schedule in about the time it took for dinner to cook.

 

Does it work ?

 

YES, I now have a six pack and my core strength is higher than it has ever been, my next challenge is to get rid of the layer of fat that's hiding my six pack from view and to photograph the evidence.

 

 

There is a very good app for Andriod phones on the play store

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.caynax.a6w&hl=en

Green Tea

As you have probably heard Green Tea is said to have lots of health benefits attached to it much more than black tea this is (apparently) due to the processing. Black tea is processed in a way that allows for fermentation whereas green tea’s processing avoids the fermentation process. As a result, green tea retains maximum amount of antioxidants and poly-phenols the substances that give green tea its many benefits.

Here’s a list of some of its amazing benefits — benefits that you may not have been aware of.

1. Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.
2. Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.
3. Heart Disease. Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.
4. Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.
5. Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
6. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.
7. Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions
8. Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
9. Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.
10. Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.
11. Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

With this in mind I think its time to compare 2 of the teas available .
These are Twinnings lemon green tea and the same flavour from Tetley.

As you would expect both tea's are made the same way namely add boiling water and brew for 2 minutes.
The first noticeable difference is that the Twinning has the lighter colour and the stronger smell, but upon tasting the two it is infact the Tetley that has the stronger taste of lemon, the underlying taste being very similar.

I would recommend the Tetley over the Twinnings as in my opinion it has the better taste, and as a bonus is about half the price per tea bag.

Thai Green Curry

Thai Green Curry

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 Chicken Breasts
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Onion
300g Mushrooms
100g Rice
400ml Coconut Milk
Thai Green Curry Paste



Method
1. Slice the chicken into small strips. Heat a frying pan and add the chicken, stir until the chicken is cooked.

2. Dice the Vegetables and add to the pan. stir for a few minutes to soften the peppers and onion.

3. Add the coconut milk and a few large teaspoons of curry paste. stir to mix the paste throughout the milk.

4. Bring to the boil and add the rice, the rice absorbs the milk / paste and stops the curry being so runny.

5. Reduce the heat and allow the curry to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

6. Once cooked separate in to two bowls, serve and enjoy.

(I use a ceramic pan, that way I don't need to use any oil to cook the chicken or vegetables and they never stick)