Saturday, February 25, 2012

1% PER WEEK WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE - end of week 8

Aaaah, that's better. After a big week, focused on diet, meat/fish/chicken with low density vegables (sic) for most meals and more exercise I can report pleasing results. I'm catching up with the 1% weight loss chart.



This is definitely something I'm finding a tougher assignment that I'd originally bargained for. It doesn't just happen. It requires focus and attention.



I read all these adverts on the internet saying how easy it is to peel off the weight using X, Y of Z diet program. I'm tempted to try them out but believe eating sensibly from the top of the Hourglass.


Hourglass is the most sensible thing to do.
I believe that cutting our bread, biscuits, cake and chips is an essential part of my weight loss strategy. I'm not as pure as the driven snow, but almost, and I feel better for it.



I see adverts in chemist shop window for powders that contain over 30% sugar and bars with about as much energy content as Mars bars and cherry ripes. Why anyone would be buying food from a chemist shop is beyond me. You can't buy pharmaceuticals in a grocery store!



But there again chemist shops sell just about anything to make a buck; - shoes, soap and all manner of confectionery ... The prescriptions are expensive because the chemist shop cartel is protected by the Commonwealth Government.


But I digress. I'm pleased with this week's progress. I've done three good weight training sessions (which I think is helpful) and been on the stepper a number of times as well as running most days.


I've been able to run every day because of my new shoes - well about three months old - Sketcher's Shape shoes. They've thrown me on to the balls of my feet and pretty much eliminated Achilles pain and got rid of all calf pain. They look strange and they weight so much it feels like running in clod hoppers, but it's enabled me to run more than I have for several years. Until the Shape shoes I was tearing calf muscles every second month and putting up with Achilles tendonitis. Gone.


Michelle from across the road recommended them. They cost $100. You'd reckon the podiatrist I went to should have known about them, or the running shoe shop.



If you suffer from Achilles, calf and knee pain, I recommend you get a pair and see whether they are the right sort of shoe for you.



The stepper has been important because I can exercise like buggery without out stressing my legs.




I do have to report some heel pain - hence more time on the stepper.




But I can tell you one thing, (and the anorexic community won't like me saying this) 'nothing tastes as good as thin feels'.




In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned; eat from the top of the Hourglass and exercise like buggery.



John Miller

Saturday, February 18, 2012

1% Weight Loss - End of Week 7

Hmmmmm.


Here's the result





I have to tell you, I thought I'd done better than that this week. Blew out a bit on Valentine's Day but after that stayed on the straight and narrow.


But I look thinner. I feel better. I've got more energy.


However, that doesn't deflect attention away from the fact that the gap between intention and reality is getting larger. I'll just have to be more focused and work harder this week.


I'm certain that getting rid of wheat flour from my diet is a good thing.


And I'm now more convinced than ever that the way to eat is from the top of the Hourglass. If you had meat/fish/chicken and two or three veg (none of which contain over 100Kg/100gms) for every meal you'd continue to lose weight.


Meanwhile the dietecians, (including fat guru Garry Egger) and the supermarketeers are encouraging you to eat cereal for breakfast. The problem with cereal in this country is that most of what we think of as cereal is in fact flour baked up into small, funny shaped biscuits masquarading as cereals.


The NH&MRC recommendation for cereal intake for men is 12 - 24 slices of bread a day for chrissake! You're not going to get thin eating a loaf of bread a day, particularly if you lather it with butter and peanut butter.


What's pleasing is that this week is my 5Km running time started coming down - from 33 minutes to 31.27. Now a 5Km time of 31.27 is nothing to blog about. A good time would be twice Ron Clarke's worlds record of 13.16. My run is on the Stromlo Park track and it's not flat, but 31.27 is miles away from 26.32.


But I'm heartened. I'm getting fitter and can run every day. Until I bought my 'Shape' shoes I kept tearing calf muscles and Achilles tendons. They're very heavy, but that's a small price to pay for being able to run every day. If you've got sore Achilles, calves and knees I'd recommend you get a pair and see how you go. Mine cost $100 from Sketchers at DFO.


One thing I do enjoy doing is exercising with my little running mate, Honey, wonder dog from Canberra. She's loves running. You can join Honey on her Facebook site:


http://www.facebook.com/people/Honey-Miller/


While I'm running she's just walking briskly and cantering - or chasing kangaroos. Maybe George Orwell was right - four legs is better than 2!


In the meantime stay tuned.


John Miller

Saturday, February 11, 2012

1% PER WEEK WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE

Hi, John Miller here.

At the end of week six here are the results of the 1% per week weight loss challenge:

I spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Adelaide but ran every morning with my mate, Richard and kept a handle on what I ate. Richard is the fittest man in Australia over 65. He's been running for an hour a day in the Adelaide Hills for close on 40 years. It shows.



The belt is in a notch, so that's good. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.



Not so good is I'm still behind the target and this week it eased out by 0.1 of Kg.



This forthcoming week will have to be the week of the catch up.



I'll up the exercise to include not only a morning run but 30 minutes on the stepper before tea.



Plus, you may have read that weight training helps with fat loss. They say that long after the weight training session has ended the body keeps burning energy. So this week I'll get in three weight training sessions, come hell or high water.



In the meantime, stay tuned, highly tuned and eat from the top of the Hourglass and exercise like buggery!



I'll report back next Sunday.



John Miller

Sunday, February 5, 2012

FIVE WEEKS REPORT

Well, soon after a rush of blood at the start of the 1% weight loss program, Christine and I drove up to Brisbane and back for about 10 days to see my daughter Lisa, her husband Ian and the two little fellas.

Blame the drink! Blame the interruption to the routine.

I've fallen behind and at the end of 5 weeks here are the results. There was no result for week 2 as I was still away and (deliberately) left the scales of justice at home.

I'll report back at the end of next week.


In the meantime stay tuned, highly tuned and go to http://www.fitandhealthyonline.com/ for the back to work special offer.



John Miller