A tough journey to regain a higher level of fitness and a lot less fat. a few months on and a few pounds lighter I want to share my story and offer hint's tips and recipes that helped me and set up a page where people can help and support each other with the same battle.
Sunday, 17 August 2014
Different roads, same destination
Finding someone to share and help you on your journey is a wonderful thing but what if the road is different even if the destination is the same?
Both my wife and I are on our weight loss and get fit journey, even though the destination is the same our approach is quite different.
My wife's approach is following the weightwatchers program. For her this works, for me it doesn't, My approach is totally different, my diet is far more primal, a high fat, high protein, low carb approach with cheat days.
For her weight watchers works, for me it doesn't, for those of you that don't know what weightwatchers is, here's a brief summary.
Each type of food is worth a certain number of points – you have a daily point allotment and as long as you stay within your point total, you should lose weight.
Now, Weight Watchers has both an online component and an in-person component, where you go to weigh in on a regular basis and have a group of people to help keep you accountable.
There are parts of the program that I like, the accountability part of Weight Watchers, and honestly I believe this to be the reason that it is successful for a lot of people. When you constantly surround yourself with people who are trying to better themselves and be healthy, it’s amazing what you’re capable of. I think accountability is such a strong factor when it comes to health and wellness, and Weight Watchers provides that in spades.
I’m also a fan of the fact that they make the entire eating process simple. I don’t necessarily agree with how that point system works, but I like that it simplifies the entire process
I do however have a few issues with the program.
Their point system, although recently updated, is still firmly planted in the old conventional wisdom “Whole grains are good. Fats are bad.” Some of their point values are very questionable. Pizza costs points, while toppings each certain points, too…regardless of whether or not it’s fresh chicken, broccoli, or processed sausage.
The point system factors in very little when it comes to the quality of the food. They’d rather you eat a bunch of whole wheat pasta or low calorie processed snacks than real food. I’m talking about stuff like steak and veggies, or eggs and bacon. Worst of all, they ALSO happen to sell boxes of heavily processed, low-fat “health” food (packed with sugar and/or preservatives) that many people gobble up because they’re convinced the point value will help keep them healthy.
My biggest issue with the program however is the focus is weight loss. Under the program, your body composition and overall health just isn’t valued as much as the scale, which is a dangerous mentality.
This is the main reason that I couldn't follow the program, i did at the start follow the points system, however it became apparent within a week that the program wasn't for me. The program was starving my body of what it needed to feed the muscles for the level of exercise i was doing.
The Primal approach is based upon the idea of eating the foods our bodies were designed for through thousands of years of evolution. These foods were available to early people through hunting and gathering [meat and fish, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables]. During modern times, advances in technology have made other forms of food available for consumption [grains, dairy, and processed foods], which are not as easy for our bodies to digest. The foods recommended in the primal diet generally provide our bodies with more efficient, long-lasting energy that also aid in burning fat
so how does it work in our kitchen, Quite well actually, certain foods are common, lots of veggies and fruit, but different approaches on meat, and fish.
I would be eating hundred's of Weight watchers points every week, for example.
A mackerel fillet is 17 points even though it's packed with good fats and omega oils
A slice of bread is 3 points, so for one fish fillet you could have 5 slices of bread.
Which one would you rather eat?
Diet soda is my biggest bone of contention, on the WW system it is free of points, it has been proved that it offers no benefits to weight loss and in many cases can be linked to weight gain.
Since my wife and i have different tastes in food there is very little in the way of conflict, i think it is more from her as i often get the response, " i didn't buy you any food at the supermarket since i don't know what you are eating at the moment"
If anything it can be complimentary for example when we have pork - i trim the meat very lean for her which gives me the nicer cuts - ie the ones with a layer of fat.
It doesn't matter what diet you follow, as long as it works for you, the most important thing is that we are there to support each other and hold each others hands when there is a little wobble.
Sony Lifelog and SWR10 Smart Band
One of the hardest things to do when you change your lifestyle is keeping track of what you are doing, the usual questions,
how much activity have I done? how many calories have I burned? am I eating too much? am I eating enough? how did I sleep last night?
Sony has come up with a solution with its Lifelog app and smart band.
The band cost £39.00 which was a half price offer when I got my Z2, this is a lot less than bands from Samsung and other fitness monitoring bands.
The Band.
The smart band consists of a silicon band and a core, its the core that's the clever bit, it is full of sensors and monitors what you are doing 24//7.
The band comes in two sizes so everyone should be able to find one that fits, it also comes in a rainbow of colours for the more fashion conscious amongst you. I use the fluorescent yellow, this is because if I catch the band whilst mountain biking and drop it, if its yellow I stand a very good chance of finding it again.
The core fits inside the band and operation is simplicity itself, once activated and paired with the phone, either via Bluetooth or NFC the band is active and starts recording, there is one button which switches between day and night mode, there is also the option of auto switch over at set times if you follow a set routine.
There is also a neat little function with the band, it can control other apps, either your music player or camera or many others, I use the music option, a short press of the button and a combination of taps on the band and the music can be played/ stopped, next or previous track selected.
The band also has a vibrate mode which can be set for various notifications. Since using the band I haven't missed a single call.
There is a smart alarm mode, which you set the latest time for an alarm and the band will monitor your sleep pattern and wake you when you are at the lightest sleep within your selected window, leaving you feeling more refreshed than if woken from deep sleep.
The band is also ip58 rated which means it will cope with the rain, swimming, showering or a bath, or a dirty, dusty environment, I work as an engineer at a factory producing furniture which as you can imagine is a hostile environment, lots of dust, heat, and greasy machines, the band copes with it all and when it gets dirty I just wash it under the nearest tap.
Core is charged via the standard micro usb lead, a full charge takes about 20 minutes and lasts 5 days.
I usually charge mine whilst driving the car, this way I don't miss out on any monitoring.
The App.
The Lifelog app takes all the information from the band and makes sense of it all.
When you first use the app an account is set up which has information such as your D.O.B. your height and your weight, this information is used to determine your stride length's and calorie burn.
It's worth measuring you stride length since the automatic mode guessed my stride length at over 3ft.
There are 14 aspects of your day to day life recorded.
These are shown below.
The overall screen show's a summery of the day,
the longer you watch videos the bigger the circle.
Sleep Logging,
once in night mode the app records your sleep cycle and the time spent in deep sleep and light sleep. and any waking time.
Since I do shift work and my body clock is in early mode I tend to wake up around 4-5am and go back to sleep if I don't have to get up.
On nights where I wake up feeling like I have had a bad nights sleep my deep sleep tends to be very short.
Calorie burn.
Everybody has a base rate of calorie burn, this is the energy used by your body just to stay alive.
the additional calories are burned by exercise that you do.
I have noticed that my biggest problem is I don't eat enough, this causes my body to go into starvation mode
and makes weight loss more difficult.
the steps are a good indication of the amount of activity you do. you should aim for around 7500 steps a day, Due to my job I spend a lot of time on my feet and easily beat this everyday.
I would recommend the band and app to everyone whether they are dieting, keeping fit or just living day to day.
the insights I have gained from the app have helped all aspects of my journey, I am sleeping better, eating better, exercising more, my wife also has a band and we regularly compare results, turning it into a mini competition as to who can do the most steps or walk the longest.
The alert function make it worth wearing alone, I haven't missed a single call since wearing the band, before I was always calling people back sometimes hours later.
The only draw back of the band is also one of its strengths - I wish the band had a display, even just a watch, on the other hand if it did I would be taking it off whenever it looked like I was going to get my hands dirty.
The Tech Stuff.
how much activity have I done? how many calories have I burned? am I eating too much? am I eating enough? how did I sleep last night?
Sony has come up with a solution with its Lifelog app and smart band.
The band cost £39.00 which was a half price offer when I got my Z2, this is a lot less than bands from Samsung and other fitness monitoring bands.
The Band.The smart band consists of a silicon band and a core, its the core that's the clever bit, it is full of sensors and monitors what you are doing 24//7.
The band comes in two sizes so everyone should be able to find one that fits, it also comes in a rainbow of colours for the more fashion conscious amongst you. I use the fluorescent yellow, this is because if I catch the band whilst mountain biking and drop it, if its yellow I stand a very good chance of finding it again.
The core fits inside the band and operation is simplicity itself, once activated and paired with the phone, either via Bluetooth or NFC the band is active and starts recording, there is one button which switches between day and night mode, there is also the option of auto switch over at set times if you follow a set routine.
There is also a neat little function with the band, it can control other apps, either your music player or camera or many others, I use the music option, a short press of the button and a combination of taps on the band and the music can be played/ stopped, next or previous track selected.
The band also has a vibrate mode which can be set for various notifications. Since using the band I haven't missed a single call.
There is a smart alarm mode, which you set the latest time for an alarm and the band will monitor your sleep pattern and wake you when you are at the lightest sleep within your selected window, leaving you feeling more refreshed than if woken from deep sleep.
The band is also ip58 rated which means it will cope with the rain, swimming, showering or a bath, or a dirty, dusty environment, I work as an engineer at a factory producing furniture which as you can imagine is a hostile environment, lots of dust, heat, and greasy machines, the band copes with it all and when it gets dirty I just wash it under the nearest tap.
Core is charged via the standard micro usb lead, a full charge takes about 20 minutes and lasts 5 days.
I usually charge mine whilst driving the car, this way I don't miss out on any monitoring.
The App.The Lifelog app takes all the information from the band and makes sense of it all.
When you first use the app an account is set up which has information such as your D.O.B. your height and your weight, this information is used to determine your stride length's and calorie burn.
It's worth measuring you stride length since the automatic mode guessed my stride length at over 3ft.
There are 14 aspects of your day to day life recorded.
These are shown below.
The overall screen show's a summery of the day,
the longer you watch videos the bigger the circle.
Sleep Logging,
once in night mode the app records your sleep cycle and the time spent in deep sleep and light sleep. and any waking time.Since I do shift work and my body clock is in early mode I tend to wake up around 4-5am and go back to sleep if I don't have to get up.
On nights where I wake up feeling like I have had a bad nights sleep my deep sleep tends to be very short.
Calorie burn.
Everybody has a base rate of calorie burn, this is the energy used by your body just to stay alive.
the additional calories are burned by exercise that you do.
I have noticed that my biggest problem is I don't eat enough, this causes my body to go into starvation modeand makes weight loss more difficult.
the steps are a good indication of the amount of activity you do. you should aim for around 7500 steps a day, Due to my job I spend a lot of time on my feet and easily beat this everyday.
I would recommend the band and app to everyone whether they are dieting, keeping fit or just living day to day.
the insights I have gained from the app have helped all aspects of my journey, I am sleeping better, eating better, exercising more, my wife also has a band and we regularly compare results, turning it into a mini competition as to who can do the most steps or walk the longest.
The alert function make it worth wearing alone, I haven't missed a single call since wearing the band, before I was always calling people back sometimes hours later.
The only draw back of the band is also one of its strengths - I wish the band had a display, even just a watch, on the other hand if it did I would be taking it off whenever it looked like I was going to get my hands dirty.
The Tech Stuff.
Compatible
- SmartBand SWR10 and Lifelog Android app support devices running Android 4.4 and later. Devices must support Bluetooth® 4 Low Energy.
Requirements
- Android 4.4
- Bluetooth® 4.0 Low Energy (BLE)
- Lifelog app
- Smart Connect app
- SmartBand host app
Indicators
- 3 LED
Optional accessories
- Wrist straps in 9 colours (sold separately)
Colours
- Black
Waterproof
- IP58 rated
Controls
- Life Bookmark key
- Media remote (tap function)
Connectors
- Bluetooth® 4.0 Low Energy (BLE)
- NFC pairing/connecting
- Micro USB (charging) only, no data transfer
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Myth busting
After a spot of web surfing there seems to be several snippets of information repeated continuously, this really annoys me, so here goes my attempt at busting the top 5 fitness myths.
Myth #1:
the most common advice seems to be Take diet pills to boost your effort.
It's so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don't fall for it. The 'magic pill' has yet to be discovered. Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your cash than to burn your calories.
Tip: Don't pop a pill-instead burn calories with exercise.
Myth #2:
Starve the pounds away.
Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it's also dangerous.
It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you'll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results.
Tip: restrict your input to about 500 calories below your output, Don't starve yourself - instead eat healthy small meals throughout the day.
Myth #3:
Do extra crunches to flatten your abs.
Everyone wants their midsection to look toned as we stroll down the beach, but excessive crunches aren't the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you'll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs.
Tip: Don't obsess about crunches-instead focus on fat burning.
Myth #4:
Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results.
I find it amazing the foods that are packaged as diet foods, zero fat, low calorie foods that contain lots of refined sugar and artificial ingredients that your body doesn't need. Diet soda's are the worst.
Tip: Don't eat packaged diet foods-instead stick with nutritious whole foods.
Myth #5:
Avoid all carbohydrates in order to slim down.
Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars.
Tip: Don't stop eating all carbohydrates - just reduce them and stick with wholesome carbs.
So to sum up
Cut out the junk.
Start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don't buy any more of it.
Eat whole foods.
Replace the junk food with the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, lean meats and fish and dairy. Clean eating really is that simple.
Give it a go, what do you have to lose?
Myth #1:
the most common advice seems to be Take diet pills to boost your effort.
It's so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don't fall for it. The 'magic pill' has yet to be discovered. Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your cash than to burn your calories.
Tip: Don't pop a pill-instead burn calories with exercise.
Myth #2:
Starve the pounds away.
Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it's also dangerous.
It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you'll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results.
Tip: restrict your input to about 500 calories below your output, Don't starve yourself - instead eat healthy small meals throughout the day.
Myth #3:
Do extra crunches to flatten your abs.
Everyone wants their midsection to look toned as we stroll down the beach, but excessive crunches aren't the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you'll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs.
Tip: Don't obsess about crunches-instead focus on fat burning.
Myth #4:
Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results.
I find it amazing the foods that are packaged as diet foods, zero fat, low calorie foods that contain lots of refined sugar and artificial ingredients that your body doesn't need. Diet soda's are the worst.
Tip: Don't eat packaged diet foods-instead stick with nutritious whole foods.
Myth #5:
Avoid all carbohydrates in order to slim down.
Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars.
Tip: Don't stop eating all carbohydrates - just reduce them and stick with wholesome carbs.
So to sum up
Cut out the junk.
Start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don't buy any more of it.
Eat whole foods.
Replace the junk food with the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, lean meats and fish and dairy. Clean eating really is that simple.
Give it a go, what do you have to lose?
Saturday, 2 August 2014
Key Lime Pie
The problem with dieting is sometime you just want to cheat, I have a cheat day once a week and this weeks cheat was a Key Lime Pie, this is how I made it.
Ingredients
55g (2oz) of butter
140g (5oz) of digestive biscuits
3 eggs, separated
405g (14oz) of condensed milk
Zest and juice of 3 limes
85g(3oz) Caster sugar
How it do it.
Start by crushing the biscuits, melt the butter and add this to the biscuits, place the biscuit mixture into a 7" tin to form and even base, chill for 15 minutes.
preheat the oven to 180C 160C for fan ovens or gas mark 4.
Separate the eggs, mix the egg yolks with the condensed milk and mix together for 1 minute
then stir in the lime zest and juice, pour the mixture over the biscuit base and transfer the tin to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until set. remove from the oven and allow to cool.
With a clean whisk, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks form then fold in the caster sugar,
pour the meringue onto the pie and spread out making peaks as you go, return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes until browned.
leave to cool and enjoy.
Ingredients
55g (2oz) of butter
140g (5oz) of digestive biscuits
3 eggs, separated
405g (14oz) of condensed milk
Zest and juice of 3 limes
85g(3oz) Caster sugar
How it do it.
 |
| melting the butter and biscuit mix |
 |
| crushing the biscuit |
 |
| Ready for the mix |
preheat the oven to 180C 160C for fan ovens or gas mark 4.
Separate the eggs, mix the egg yolks with the condensed milk and mix together for 1 minute
 |
| separated eggs |
With a clean whisk, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks form then fold in the caster sugar,
pour the meringue onto the pie and spread out making peaks as you go, return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes until browned.
leave to cool and enjoy.
 |
| Simple and delicious |
Why Mountain Bike?
I don't know what cycling is like in the rest of the world but here in the UK cycling is a nightmare.
I commute by cycle, my daily commute is 4.8 miles each way, this takes me between 15 and 25 minutes depending on the weather (I always seem to have a headwind only the intensity changes).
I regularly track my ride, and use a heart monitor to check calorie burn, this works out between 350 - 400 calories which I think is pretty good for something I have to do anyway.
So why mountain bike? in basic terms road riding sucks!
The road I use is a country lane, a typical British B road, and Car drivers are rude and impatient, in the 5 months I have been commuting I have been clipped by several cars and had so many close calls it doesn't bear thinking about. My bike is 800mm wide with the 500 - 1000mm clearance to the gutter and trees makes me 1300 - 1800mm wide, since the road is 5m wide when a vehicle is coming towards me there is not enough room to overtake - do the maths!!!
I regularly get overtaken on blind corners, on the crest of a hill or on a roundabout, I have been overtaken whilst indicating that I am turning right, and regularly have people pull out in front of me. why?
I average 17mph with peak speeds of 30mph+ this means in most cases waiting 10 seconds would be enough to complete the move after the corner/over the hill and in the clear, in a nice safe manor.
Road riding is far more dangerous than throwing myself down a hill inches from trees at speeds of 40mph+
I am not for one moment insinuating that all car drivers are like this, I get overtaken by hundreds of cars and its just a few that ruin it for everyone, Cyclist have a bad image since like cars a select few ruin it for everyone, jumping red lights, overtaking on the inside and generally poor riding.
maybe all we need is a touch more tolerance for each other and the world would be a better place.
My next issue with road riding is, it's boring, the road is the road, the weather changes, and the gradient varies but that's it, I know that the road tomorrow will be the same as it is today and the same as it was yesterday. The trails I ride vary considerably, dry and dusty today, wet and sticky tomorrow or slippery the day after, mountain biking is a dynamic sport, a total body workout every time, and the skills constantly evolve. If you are a road cyclist I urge you to take a turn off road and see what you think. If you cycle in a gym, my advice - get a bike and hit the woods that way you get fresh air as well, or maybe cycle to the gym, that way your warm up and cardio are done by the time you get there.
I wish my commute could follow the less beaten track, it might introduce an element of fun then.
Enough moaning, I am going out for a ride.
I commute by cycle, my daily commute is 4.8 miles each way, this takes me between 15 and 25 minutes depending on the weather (I always seem to have a headwind only the intensity changes).
I regularly track my ride, and use a heart monitor to check calorie burn, this works out between 350 - 400 calories which I think is pretty good for something I have to do anyway.
So why mountain bike? in basic terms road riding sucks!
The road I use is a country lane, a typical British B road, and Car drivers are rude and impatient, in the 5 months I have been commuting I have been clipped by several cars and had so many close calls it doesn't bear thinking about. My bike is 800mm wide with the 500 - 1000mm clearance to the gutter and trees makes me 1300 - 1800mm wide, since the road is 5m wide when a vehicle is coming towards me there is not enough room to overtake - do the maths!!!
I regularly get overtaken on blind corners, on the crest of a hill or on a roundabout, I have been overtaken whilst indicating that I am turning right, and regularly have people pull out in front of me. why?
I average 17mph with peak speeds of 30mph+ this means in most cases waiting 10 seconds would be enough to complete the move after the corner/over the hill and in the clear, in a nice safe manor.
Road riding is far more dangerous than throwing myself down a hill inches from trees at speeds of 40mph+
I am not for one moment insinuating that all car drivers are like this, I get overtaken by hundreds of cars and its just a few that ruin it for everyone, Cyclist have a bad image since like cars a select few ruin it for everyone, jumping red lights, overtaking on the inside and generally poor riding.
maybe all we need is a touch more tolerance for each other and the world would be a better place.
My next issue with road riding is, it's boring, the road is the road, the weather changes, and the gradient varies but that's it, I know that the road tomorrow will be the same as it is today and the same as it was yesterday. The trails I ride vary considerably, dry and dusty today, wet and sticky tomorrow or slippery the day after, mountain biking is a dynamic sport, a total body workout every time, and the skills constantly evolve. If you are a road cyclist I urge you to take a turn off road and see what you think. If you cycle in a gym, my advice - get a bike and hit the woods that way you get fresh air as well, or maybe cycle to the gym, that way your warm up and cardio are done by the time you get there.
I wish my commute could follow the less beaten track, it might introduce an element of fun then.
Enough moaning, I am going out for a ride.
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