Archive for February, 2009

Ok, ok .. don’t give me grief, I am doing that myself. I was thinking I wouldn’t own up to everyone about my first serious break, but if I didn’t then this blog just rubbish. And my intention is to share more and more as I continue the process.

While I had a serious break today, I justified it with giving myself some treats for being so good and secondly that if I exercise more this week I’ll be able to burn it off. The problem with second of those is that I am scared I have really damaged my knee and may not be able to do too much and so I may be heading for a flat week.

I am a little out of control at the moment, I am snowed under work wise and am procrastinating like hell – see I am aware of it and still not doing anything about it. So I’ll have to give up my weekend to catch up – not good for work / life balance, but I have always been lousy st that.

So what did I eat, well this morning I have 2 toasted cheese sandwiches – the bad part is the bread, but then this evening I had a burger and chips with a bottle of coke – now that is bad

I am feeling so bloated and overfull it’s not funny. So much for enjoying those foods.

Anyway it’s not the end, it’s a momentary lack of judgement on my part. I’ll continue on as though nothing happened and work as hard as I can.

Tomorrow I am going to head down to the pool and do an aqua exercise class, then tomorrow night the band is playing which is a 3hrwork out for me behind the drum kit. And then Sunday I’ll head down the gym and do a weight and bike session to work the soreness out of the system from Saturday night. I even did an hour or so of exercise tonight playing table tennis in the office, I think they thought the fat guy could be easy pickings .. hahahahaha, never under-estimate a person based on size – they learnt their lesson. It was fun.

So there we are, I am almost happy that the first break is out of the way … onward young man!

Well here we are at day 27, with a bung knee, highly stressed out about a Bushfire benefit gig I am organising (one band short) and a load of work on my plate that has to be done within a week or so.

But I have now lost 13.2 kgs in just 27 days, my cooking is improving, but not up to scratch.

Weight 144.8kgs -2.7kgs
Neck 44cms no change
Chest 125.5cms -1 cm
Arm 33.5cms -0.5cms
Waist 146cms -2.5cms
Hips 135.5cms -2cms
Thighs 97.5cms -1.5cms

I am really struggling to find the time to write anything significant at the moment. Between a demanding work life, a child and looking after myself – cooking , cleaning, washing etc I seem to have run out of time, and I’m not sure where I am going to be able to find what I need.

The last few days have been tough, I’ve been constantly tempted to eat poorly knowing that I didn’t really have to own up to it – but I would have. I have some toast of Saturday morning as a pat on the back for losing over 10kilos in three weeks. So you could say that is my first break from the hardcore eating plan, but I see it is a small way to celebrate the acheivement so far.

Saturday night I played in the band and it was brutal, we must be the hardest working band once we’re on stage. We played three one hour sets with only 15 minute breaks between, being a little large and pumping the rythym from behind th drum kit I sweat from the time we start to well after we finish and have packed down. So I didn’t go to gym over the weekend, replacing it with a hard workout on the kit.

My son stayed over at his uncles place and was spooked by being in a different house, and told me in no uncertain terms that next time the band plays when he’s with me to have someone come over to our house to look after him .. hear you loud and clear little man! Boy do I feel guilty about that.

I have n incredibly busy 2 weeks ahead of me from a work perspective, but I need to keep up the exercise and eating plan, if I can get it all done I will be stoked.

Gotta go cook breakfast and get to the office and host a webinar .. soon.

19 days into a 300 odd day challenge and I am already 10.5kg lighter.

Not a bad effort, although this week I lost 2kg and I was really expecting a little more. I think what I really need to do is exercise harder than what I am, so I am upping it four days a week with sessions on both Saturday and Sundays

So here’s the new updates and I promise to be more active next week.

Weight 147.5kgs       -2kgs
Neck 44cms     -1cm
Chest 126.5cms     -2.5cm
Arm 34cms     -0.5cm
Waist 148.5cms     -1.5cm
Hips 137.5cms     -1.5cm
Thighs 99cms     0

Over Christmas took my 8 year old son to the Circus down at Mornington, it was a great afternoon, great illusions, clowns and aerialists

I think his favourite thing was seeing one of the clowns drag me on stage .. so there were two clowns on stage, and then proceed to put a Dreadlock wig on me and make me pretend to play drums, with only made the young fella laugh louder and harder.

I went to the supermarket this afternoon to pick up some last minute supplies, as I walked in the door two young children were playing and the little girl no more than 4 pointed at me, jumping up and down yelling to her brother and father “Here’s comes the fat man .. look, look!”

Ahh, from the mouths of babes .. I wanted to tell her that I’ve lost 8.5 kilos, but she would have kept yelling.

It didn’t really annoy me, what did was her fathers amusement. But he’s not alone in objectifying obese people and using them as objects of humour and ridicule. In the office just the other week a bunch of people were laughing about the woman who had bought two tickets on Jetstar and Jetstar had assigned he seats apart. That was funny, what wasn’t funny how the conversation and giggling went to the size of the woman.

We all make jokes at the expense of other people, we objectify, we humiliate, we vilify – I do it, I try not to, but I do. Maybe it’s time to stop, think and give due consideration and understanding to all.

Little victories are fabulous, the inspire, re-motivate and renew the vigour needed to keep going.

I have a few measurements that aren’t the norm.

I wrap my thumb and forefinger around the wrist of my other hand and how far apart they are. Well I’d estimate that has reduced a centimtre at least in the past 2 and a half weeks.

The other is laying in bed with my elbows on the matress and hands across my chest / stomach and seeing how close they get to touched, then intertwining, any further at the moment is getting too fsar ahead of myself.

But the improvements are there. I am into a pair of jeans I bought 6 months ago and have never worn, I wore a suit on Friday that I have only worn once ($1000 suit for $300 – had to buy it, even though it was a little tight), my staple pair of jeans are too big, my belt is too large and even some of my shoes are getting looser – go figure.

One of the key things I can sense is the shape of my stomach has changed, from just being a massive solid keg shape, it’s now getting a bit of a roll in it.

So change is taking place, I’d love to snap my fingers and be the shape of my younger brother, but in time all will be fine.

In the late 90’s I was collecting red wines, nothing too expensive, just good mid range wines

As I don’t like to drink on my own they have sat there untouched.

Today recording a Cooking with Al we needed to add some red wine, so we started opening bottles, we went through 9 bottles of Shiraz and they were all vinegar. It seems the spate of hot weather over the past fortnight has destroyed each of them. I now figure that the other 30 bottles are probably gone as well.

At least I wont feel guilty about not drinking them!

Yale and the dead bottles of Shiraz

So I am now 12 days in, I’ve resisted temptation, especially tonight wanting to join in the beer and pizza at work but I hung tough realising that for the small short term gain it would take too much effort to pay it back

A little disappointed, I was hoping for an extra kilo or so to come off, but 8.5 kilos in 12 days is pretty decent.

So here are the results of week 2;

• Weight 149.5kgs -3.3kgs
• Neck 45cms  -0.5cms
• Chest 129cms  -3.5cms
• Arm 34.5cms  -1cm
• Waist 150cms  -2cms
• Hips 139cms  -2cms
• Thighs 99cms  -5cms

Finally, here’s my first ever attempt a cooking from a recipe, it worked out an absolute treat.

The recipe can be found at Taste.com.au.

Here’s the latest 12 Second TV update;

And a photo of the Lamb Korma that I cooked last weekend;

Cooking with Al - Lamb Korma Curry