First Target Broken

I forget to mention...I'm currently weighing in at 147.6kgs which is past the first target I set myself of 148kgs...OH YEAH :oD

So, time for a new target. I'm going to put down 127kgs as my next target. This is 20 stone and another three stone. If I've done 3 stone in 6 weeks, I'm hoping it will be just another six weeks and I'll be down to this new target...fingers crossed.

BJ

42.5lbs lost....WOOHOO

I think the title says it all. I had my weigh in last night and I had dropped a massive 4.8kgs since my last weigh in, which means I have lost a total of 19.4kgs, or 42.5lbs or 3st 0.5lbs depending on which you prefer :o)

This is fantastic for me, I've NEVER lost this much weight before and I feel on top of the world. This just continued to inspire me to keep this up and drop to my ideal weight.

I've also managed to survive Christmas. I new it was going to be hard and it was. Sitting at the dinner table on Christmas day watching everyone eating their lovely Christmas dinner with all the things I just love to eat was hard, but, I did it. I sat there and had my chicken soup and joined in the fun. Same at tea time and on boxing day. I would never say to anyone that it wasn't easy, but it is possible to stick to your guns and not join in with the food and drink. I felt so good when I woke up yesterday knowing I had got through Christmas sticking to my food packs.

We are going to my wife's parents for tea on new years day, but this is something I'm sure I will be able to deal with given I've got through Christmas.

To say I'm pleased that I've lost just over 3 stone in 6 six weeks is an understatement, I could not be happier. I've also found some old 36" waist shorts I wore over 13 years ago. It is now my aim to get into these again. When they fit and will know I am fit again and have reached my target weight.

So hear is to 2008, a year in which my life is going to change in many ways....all for the better as well.

Happy new year to all and speak again in 2008.

Regards

BJ

Twas the day before Christmas..)

Seasons greetings to anyone who is reading this blog.

I've not had a chance to post until now, so I thought as it was Christmas Eve I would sit down and give the blog an update.

Things are still going REALLY well.  The weight is continuing to come off week on week.  I've now lost over 16Kgs and its still going.  The weight lose has slowed down from the 7lbs per week when I started to 5lbs per week.  That is still great, but I've started to do more walking and this week I lost 4lbs in just 3 days.  This is a real reason to do MORE exercise to up the rate of weight lose.

I'm still not feeling hungry...the problem is a mental one.  My mind craves foods which I see on TV or I see the family eating.  I have been really good and not succumbed to any of these temptations although it has been very hard at times.

Christmas has been proving to be a tough nut to crack.  What with all the adverts on TV and friends and relatives coming round or us visiting them.  I never really noticed how much food was a part of Christmas.  It's not until you stop eating that you realize just how much of Christmas it is.  This does make you feel like an outsider, someone who is just with people watching while THEY eat.  This has been very hard at times, but I'm proud to say I've stuck to my guns and not joined in with the eating.

This afternoon with be another tough time.  We usually go around my sisters for the afternoon/evening and there are nibbles and sweets in easy reach for everyone to have.  I've been preparing myself for this by digging out some photos of me before I started this program.  I have printed them out and put them in my office.  I look HUGE compared to how I look now.  Below are a couple of photos.  The first is from the start of 2007 and the second is from today.

As you can see, there is a real difference, which even I am noticing now.  I'm just feeling so much better in general.  I wish I had done something like this years ago...

I reckon I've got another four months of this and I should be right down to my ideal weight.  This is the first time EVER I really believe I can do it.  I'm needing to wear all my old clothes that I had grown out of and I'm even needing to buy new ones.

Well, that is about it for now.  I hope you have a great holiday and I'll post another update after Christmas.

BJ

10 Days in

Wow, what a 10 days this has been. I've been feeling really good. Had some bad times when I have craved certain foods, but downed some water and I'm back on track.

I have stuck to the rules completely. I have had nothing but water and 4 packs per day for the last 10 days. I am REALLY noticing the weight coming off now. I could be wrong as the scales at home are not as good as those used at the meetings we have, but I could have lost a further 6 Kgs since my last weight in. If I have its going to be amazing :o)

I've also been out walking more this weekend. I invested in some proper walking boots and went for a long walk with my wife and kids. It was great and I really enjoyed it. I've also been out and cleaned up all the leaves from the front of the house and got things looking neater. Its almost like I'm looking for excuses to do things which I think will make the weight come off faster (I've even hoovered the whole house), which is new for me ;o)

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow (Monday) to see officially how much I have lost. I'll post again tomorrow with how much....fingers crossed.

BJ

Start of a Lighter Life

Well, I'm now three days into my Lighter Life program, which means I have not eaten a single piece of food for three days now.  Instead, I am surviving on four Lighter Life food packs every day and a minimum of 4 litres of water.

I have to say that I am finding the water hard at the moment.  I started well and was able to drink almost 4 litres, yesterday I was down to 2.5 litres and today I've only done 1.5 so far.  I really need to drink but having a bad history at drinking during the day, this is proving to be a little hard, but something I am hoping to conquer soon.

Today is also the first day in which I have felt hungry.  I think because I have not been drinking as much, my stomach has felt empty and therefore the demons in my head have been out to play, trying to get me to eat something.  I have resisted and I'm really pleased I have, but it has been a hard day.

It may be just my mind playing tricks, but I do feel better already, and I think my shape has already started to change.  I'm not sure if I have lost anything at the moment as I will wait for the weigh in tomorrow at the Lighter Life session to check that out, but I do feel different.  Its the feeling different and wondering how I will feel with all my weight lost which is pushing me on at the moment.  This program could not be easier in that you only eat what is in the packs and that's eat, not counting calories or points, so if I am going to succeed at anything, then this should be it.

I'm really keen to see if I have lost any weight tomorrow, and also to see if I am in ketosis, which is the state the body enters once it has been on a very low calorie intake for more than a couple of days.  This state should shut down my feelings of hunger and give me a sense of well being.  This is the key state to be in to loose weight.  I certainly hope this is the case.

So, that's about it for this entry, I'm still positive and really looking forward to the meeting tomorrow evening to see how things are going.  This is not going to be an easy process due to the habits you build up over a long time.  But, with the counseling and support you get from the group, and with the support I am getting from my great wife Alison and the rest of the family I will succeed.

Post again soon.

BJ

First steps to a lighter life...

So, I attended an information meeting with my local Lighter Life councilor on Thursday 19th October. The councilor weighed me and then got me to watch a DVD about lighter life. The DVD contained information about the program and and stories from successful members of lighter life. There were a LOT of people and they had all lost a significant amount of weight.

The DVD was really good and I recognized a lot of what people were saying in me, like how I like stress with food etc.

Anyway, the program looks really good and the counciling is an important part of it. It provides you with strategies and mechanisms to deal with things like stress without turning to food. It uses CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to help remove the dependencies you have on food and how you link food to many situations in life.

Once the DVD was finished I was able to have a chat with the councilor an ask any questions I may have had. It was a really good session and I feel ever more convinced that this program is for me.

I have been given a medical form which I need to get filled in by the doctor and then I get get started. The next intake is on the 12th November, so I'm looking forward to that a lot.

The councilor said that within the first 8 weeks I should loose approx 3 stone :o)

That sounds great to me so I'm looking forward to starting even though I know the program will be tough.

Fingers crossed...

BJ

And now for a Lighter Life

Well, I can honestly say that since I last posted to this blog things have not been going so well. I did join the gym, attended for a week and then had to fly off for work. That totally screwed my routine and I've not recovered since.

I met up with an old friend a week ago and he told me about Lighter Life. He had tried this weight lose program and had lost over 4 stones. He has sent me all the info and having read it through I have my first meeting with a counselor on Thursday 18th October.

The basic idea behind the program is that you completely remove normal food from your life. It is basically a Very Local Calorie Diet, like 500 per day. You pay £66 per week and Lighter Life sends you all the food packs you need every week. You don't have to think about food at all, you just eat the four food packs per day you are sent and that is it. It sounds like other VLCDs, but they also provide counseling as well to help you understand why you have issues with food and to provide support. You attend a meeting every week to get support from a group of other men/women who are also on the programme.

You are only able to join the programme is you have a BMI of over 29...LMAO, I'm currently running at 49, so that is not a problem. You also have to have a checkup from your doctor before you can start and then every four weeks just to make sure things are ok.

I know this sounds drastic, but I'm desperate now. I just cannot go on being the size that I am. I am missing out on so much with my kids and its killing my confidence. I know this is going to be VERY VERY hard, but this is a real chance for me to loose this weight and then have counseling on how to keep it off. I would not say I am addicted to food or anything, I just don't seem to be able to manage my intake of it, so anything that helps me to not need to think about it is going to be a bonus.

Lighter Life say that you should loose around 1 stone per month. I have around 14 stones to loose, so 14 months on the programme should if all goes well see me at the weight I want.

I actually feel really excited at the moment. This really could be what I need to get the weight off and fast. I think I need to see results fast to keep me motivated. Once I see continued results, I think I'll find it much easier to stick to it.

I'm going to use my blog as a diary of how I get on. So heres to a new me

BJ

Long time no post

So, over five months since my last blog....what has happened. Well, not much really, apart from loosing all the good work I did at the start of the year.

Work has been really busy, lots of travel etc and that's really screwed up all my efforts. So, I'm almost back to where I was when I started this journey back in January.

So, having lost all I've done I'm now back to try again. This time I'm joining a Gym as well as just the eating habits. Since the last post in February I didn't move my weight. I was doing exactly the same things but the weight just was not moving. This I think didn't help with the motivation and helped me go back to my old ways. That is why this time I'm going to join the Gym as well. I am hoping that the extra activity as well as eating habits will help.

So, I'm planning on going to see the Gym today and get an appointment to start. I'll let you know how it goes.

BJ

Tough week...

This has been a tough week. I had an appointment at the start of the week to see the specialist who is working out why I have a raised ALT count in my liver. I had an ultra sound scan about 2 weeks ago and the doctor doing the scan seemed pleased with what he saw, I took this to mean everything was ok. Well, I was wrong. The specialist told me the results showed that I did in fact have what is called a "Fatty Liver".

This means my liver is storing fat rather than expelling it and if this does not change over time, it will cause damage to the liver. At the moment I don't have any damage and the doc thinks that because I am carrying pounds on the outside, its not helping my liver. At the moment, the only treatment is to loose weight and see if that reduces the ALT level. I now have an appointment in six months time to see if my weight lose is working.

Hearing this put me in a crap mood and also made the diet far more serious than just getting into smaller jeans or looking better. I now have to lose weight to maintain my health so I've felt under much more pressure this week.

I have however lost another 3.6 pounds which I'm really pleased with. 360lbs is now my new target. If I can hit that, then I'll really feel that my new eating habits are working. I'm not even working out yet. I have a reclined bike I need to set up which I'll do when I get back from South Africa next week.

So, for now, things are still going ok, but I really need the weight to keep going the way it is so I can get rid of this fatty liver.

BJ

Weigh in day arrives....

WOW, is all I have to say. I've been really good this week, but didn't think I would have had such a successful week as I have had. I've just weighed in and I'm down to 366.4lbs :O)

That's a total of 6.4lbs in one week. I am SOOOO pleased.

I'm also picking up an exercise bike today as well I can use at home. I almost don't believe I've lost the weight. I've tried SO many times before, that this almost feels like a dream....and I've not lost the weight really.

Still, I stand on the scales more than once and always take the highest reading, so I must be loosing the weight and that's what I need to keep telling myself.

I've got a really bad cough at the moment (man cough of course) which is making me feel crap, so once I've got rid of this I can start to knock out some miles on the bike which should help a great deal.

I am planning on joining the gym, but, at the moment, I'm too embarrassed because of my weight, so I'm aiming to get down to 350lbs and then look at joining....silly I know, but that is how I feel.

Well, that's about it. Feeling really pleased with myself and looking forward another great week.

BJ

So.....hows it going....

It's been a while since I posted last. I've been to Miami on business for a week and the last week has been so busy catching up I've not had a chance to post.

I was really worried about keeping things going while I was in Miami. I did however go for the healthy options and stick to smaller portions. The day after I got back I did a weigh in.....and was very disappointed. I weighed more than when I started on my new life style.

Needless to say I was extremely disappointed...wanted to give it all up etc. etc.

Anyway, I then didn't weight until my weigh in day on the Sunday, and, to my surprise I had actually lost another 2 pounds, so must have been carrying water etc from the flight.

That gave me a huge boost and really set me up to carry on.

It's now Wednesday and I've had another sneaky weigh in....I was 374.2lbs on Sunday 14th January, and I am now 370lbs. The weight is coming off at a nice steady pace and I'm so pleased. When you see weight coming off like that or even feel just a little better in your clothes, it is just such an incentive.

I'm going to start to exercise more now as well by using a gym bike in the house to really keep things moving forward.

Well that's it for now and I'll try and keep the posts coming a little more regularly.

BJ

So far so good....

Well, its day four and I'm feeling great. The empty feeling I've been getting has started to get less and less. No milk, bread etc is going well and I'm feeling happy on the low calorie intake I'm on. I'm on about 1800 calories per day at the moment and drinking water/eating fruit if I feel hungry between meals.

Even though I should have left it a full week, I did another weigh in this morning. The scales say I'm down to 375.4, which is fantastic as it's already 3.2lbs down.

So, at the moment things are going really well, I'm not craving anything and already starting to feel better in myself. Now that could just be psychological, but I don't care :o) as feeling good like this is helping with the motivation.

I must say that I don't think I've ever felt so motivated to deal with my weight as I do now. Some of this could be down to the realization that its not just about the outside but the inside of your body too. I had some blood tests recently which showed some elevated readings which are normally associated with drinking....hick!!....but I don't actually drink....anyway, I've been for some more tests and whilst the final results are not back, it could be that I have what they call a "fatty liver". This makes the liver inflamed and can raise the readings I have had.

Hearing those words "FATTY LIVER" really did hit home and made me realise that it really isn't just about how you look, its the damage your doing on the inside. My cholesterol was ok, but I need to the loose the weight even more now because of this possible "fatty liver".

So, all in all I have some good motivation to keep this new lifestyle going and achieve my goals.

Well, that's it for another post. Catch you later.

BJ

Day two...

Well, day two. Woken up with a really bad headache today and feeling really empty. I had the same breakfast as yesterday (176cals worth of Corn flakes and semi-skimmed milk). That took the empty feeling away, but the headache will just not go.

My mind is also playing tricks on me today. Even though I feel empty, not so much hungry, just empty, but I keep thinking..."you cant eat what you want anymore....you cant eat what you want anymore". It's not like I'm craving anything, just physiological.

Still, I'm working today so emails and phone calls etc etc are keeping me from thinking about it too much, it's just when I sit back for five minutes.

Lunch today was a bowl of Tomato soup and a plain bread roll (no spreads on it at all). Once I was done I then remembered that one of my goals was not to have any bread....felt stupid then that I'd had the roll, still, only one roll...

Been drinking water today but finding that hard. As I start to drink my stomach just feels really full, but I'll keep drinking it anyway. Felt hungry this afternoon so had a banana which sorted me out.

Well, back to work, catch you later.

P.S. I did a sneaky check of the scales this morning....even though I promised myself I wouldn't and its only been one day!!!!! still, 0.6 lbs down from yesterday WOOHOO, just another 150 odd to go...

First thoughts...

Well, I'm kinda three quarters through my first day. Not a great achievement yet, but today has been a real day of deep thought. I've been really good today, had 175 calories worth of cornflakes for breakfast and a small roast beef dinner. I also got the bike out and went for a ride with my wife and children and been drinking loads of water. All this has been great, but I have been thinking a lot about the challenge ahead.

I'm back to work tomorrow and my weight has really started to effect how I think about work. My job involves performing presentations to people every week. I've never had a problem with this in the past, but over the last 18 months to 2 years, my increasing size and lack of self esteem has been taking its toll. I've on many occasions seriously thought about not leaving the house, or catching a flight, just because of the anxiety has been so great.

I've got those feelings today, but, because of the change in life style I'm making I feel better able to cope with it.

My big worry is when I am away from home again. I fly to the US on Saturday 6th and its whilst away that I've always had problems eating the right stuff. I normally end up just eating whatever crap is easily available. This time around I'm going to work much harder to eat healthy...

Something I didn't mention in my first post was the diet I'm on which a lot of bloggers seem to do, well, I'm not following a diet as such. As I said in my original post, this is a life style change and I'm really just going to change my eating habits and content. So I'm cutting out bread (which I eat by the ton), dairy (as I drink a mountain of semi-skimmed milk every week), sugar, salt etc. The kind of stuff we all know we should watch but then ignore and get stuck into a very large jam doughnut :O)

Hmmmm, that actually sounds like a diet, so I suppose I'm just not using the D word and want this to last forever rather than a few weeks ;o)

Well, that's it again. Sorry for the long posts but I'm just getting used to putting down my thoughts and activities into the blog. I'm sure I'll get more concise as time goes on.

Thanks for reading