Chris is Still Too Fat

Weighed in at 171 lbs this morning, FatFans ! That is another pound of flesh gone for good (I hope) and yields a BMI of almost exactly 24. Safely in the 'normal' weight category now I think.

Brief summary of yesterday (Friday) :

Calories : 1715. Nearly made it within budget. Nothing naughty to confess though.

Exercise : Nil. Not good. Work contract problems reared their head again big-time on Friday and put me right off getting out and about and just had to be sorted on this here PC - except they never were sorted satisfactorily. But that is another story. USA trip now in doubt, which would undoubtedly help my weight-loss project. We shall see.

Odd, isn't it ? A so-so week on exercise and diet and I lose weight. At other times my application is exemplary (OK then, .. better) and nothing happens ! I have just about given up trying to understand this. Main thing is that my weight is continuing to go down and at a faster rate than through the winter, it would appear. Cannot grumble at that.

So, 'only' 10 pounds to go to my target now of 161 lbs. Traditionally the hardest of course but I am more optimistic than I was through the winter when I occasionally tried hard but effectively stood still with weight.

So it is now a sprint to the finish line !

Stay with me, do.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 1729. Just overspent the budget by one Rich Tea biscuit.

Exercise : 30 mins running. Felt good and could, perhaps should, have done more.

Weigh-in tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Wednesday) :

Calories : 1754. Slight overspend with the customary yogurt.

Exercise : Nil. I actually stepped outside in my running kit to find it raining after all. I will put up with rain if it catches me out en route but draw the line at setting off in it.

Actually made two trips to the dentist yesterday and he has kindly invited me back for another jolly encounter in mid-June. Despite injection and other unpleasantness it did not affect my appetite; only the side of my mouth on which I chewed. But it did not help my resolve on the exercise front one bit.

ChrisITF

First a brief summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 2290. Naughty. Includes icecream and rather too much of everything else but with my brother visiting I refused to stick to carrots and celery (not that I ever did that anyway).

Exercise : 90 mins walk alongside the Basingstoke Canal with aforementioned brother.

Not much progress this week thus far, fatfans. Rather resting on my laurels for last week's triumphant progress. I can blame the weather also, for it has been rather wet, usually at the wrong moments, though with more resolve I could certainly have got out more. But what is life for, eh ? Surely not to make a penance of existence. So I don't. Much. No, put the past behind me and plod on.

Visit to dentist today has rather put me off an early morning bike ride and everything else; raining anyway. Broke tooth on Monday (on raisin bran flakes !) and not looking forward to reconstruction work, assuming it is possible. Lifelong dental cowardice difficult to throw off, so I do not bother trying.

What was it that Shakespeare's Macbeth said ? 'Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day'. Yes, I reckon he must have spent a lot of time at the dentist too.

Back tomorrow - if possible.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Bank Holiday Monday) :

Calories : 1756. Another (half) yogurt too far ..

Exercise : None. Are you kidding ? It was a dismal day down here !

Very disappointing. I sat for most of the morning in my running kit waiting for a break in the weather so I could get out but it was still raining come dusk !

On the bright side, I got rid of half the elderly cheese in the fridge by following Mrs CITF's handwritten schoolgirl recipe (1962) for macaroni cheese. With a garnish of cherry tomatoes, they seemed to like it and gobbled it up. I had the leftovers for breakfast just now. But what a complicated, fussy recipe ! And the mess !

Back to casseroles for me; they are easy by comparison. Still got one chunk of cheese left though ...

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Sunday) :

Calories : 1793. Miscalculation had me thinking I could just squeeze a yogurt into my day's gobbling. Too late. Wrong.

Exercise : 50 mins on bike in heavy drizzle and got comprehensively soaked, though it had temptingly ceased prior to departure. It was waiting for me to commit myself. Later 15 mins running with Mrs CITF when it had finally, completely stopped raining (no fool she).

So quite a reasonable day overall.

Back tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1974. Only bust the budget with a large glass of elderly milk. Cake all gone now but not guilty.

Exercise : 30 mins running. Far too warm for running really.

Much cooler today and wet also. Looks like a bike ride day.

ChrisITF

Weighed in at 172 lbs this morning, fatfans ! How about that then ?

Oh, Happy da-a-y !

Of course, there is always room for improvement. And that is what I seek. But I am getting way ahead of myself now, so first a recap of yesterday (Friday ) :

Calories : 1697. Phew ! I ducked takeaway last night and wistfully watched them all munching away. Still had a piece of that dratted cake though ...

Exercise : 55 mins out on bike.

As I was saying, there is room for improvement and sticking to my own rules would help ! But there you have it with human weakness in spades. Weight still going down though, if ever so slowly.

Culinary mistake this week - which you have doubtless spotted - was the purchase of a Tesco's celebratory cake for our wedding anniversary (hope you did not think I had baked it with all my free time). Very tasty; very naughty and a calorific disaster all round - especially bearing in mind that there are only three of us to gobble things up these days. It still is not finished either. Cake is in danger now of drying out somewhat and then I just know I will be the only one prepared to eat it !

I am still learning as a house-husband. Complaints department continues to be busy. Most vocal was the discovery (by others) that the sell-by date on the milk had gone historical by some 6 days. Aww .. shame ! So I removed the plastic band with the identical evidence on the 4 pints still awaiting opening in the fridge. Deep suspicion ensued and there is close to a milk consumption strike on my hands now (and I have just bought 8 pints more with SBD of 27 May !). You just cannot win. Though Mrs CITF seems to manage it when she is in charge of the catering. Ah well. Looks like I will have to swallow-a-pint-of-milk-a-day for a while which will make my 1700 cals budget possibly untenable. Could cut out the fruit juice, I suppose ?

You see, to me, the otherwise favoured option of pouring it down the sink is a non-starter. Multiply that attitude (i.e. pouring it away) and it is no wonder we, as a nation, chuck £Billions of food away each year. And I note two chunks of cheese sitting there friendless in the fridge with a SBD of 02 June approaching rapidly.

Macaroni cheese ! Of course. Thankyou.

And so to week 57 in the hope that I can get a further small weight improvement notched up before I travel to the USA.

Hope you are enjoying the good weather while it lasts.

Back tomorrow most likely.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 1964 and the cake is nearly finished.

Exercise : 30 mins running in the morning. Far too warm at around 18C. 30 mins walk in the evening down to the lake chased by a marauding air force of mosquitoes. Got bitten twice on the back of my head. Should have worn woolly hat rather than baseball cap.

Weigh-in tomorrow. Exciting innit ?

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Wednesday) :

Calories : 1931. Gotta eat that cake up ...

Exercise : only 30 mins walk in evening down to the lake.

Not my finest day of progress, I admit. Today will be better, I promise.

ChrisITF

First a brief summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 1781. Well .. it was our wedding anniversary yesterday and I had a smallish piece of celebratory cake. Unfortunately, there is rather a lot left ...

Exercise : 55 mins running. Took it fairly easy really, especially when I started to get tingling in the fingertips of my left hand as I neared home.

What was that all about then ? Incipient heart attack ? In fact I noticed it even after rest, later on yesterday. So on arrival home from my run, within two minutes I took my blood pressure and repeated every ten minutes for half an hour. Interesting results. Do not quite know how to interpret them. Anyone any clues ? Hopefully bog-standard normal recovery stuff.

1) 146 / 77 Pulse 107
2) 108 / 78 Pulse 77
3) 116 / 79 Pulse 71
4) 123 / 80 Pulse 64

Then I got bored and gave up. For comparison, my average resting BP is of the order of 135/87 and pulse of 54. And I am 62 with BMI of 24.3 !

No matter; feel fit as a fiddle and actually looking forward to weigh-in once more on Saturday (cos I had a sneak pre-view yesterday morning !).

Disruption alert : work trip to the USA coming up again, probably first week in June. Just when things were going fairly well, I thought. Never mind, it will give me a bit of pocket money I suppose for .. for, umm .. I cannot think of anything I actually want, except my young man weight back ! Plus a piece of that cake in the fridge . But she's in the kitchen now. Have to wait until she goes to work !

Only kidding.

Back tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Quick summary of yesterday (Monday) :

Calories : 1674. Includes an M&S chocolate truffle but within budget, surprisingly.

Exercise : 50 mins bike ride.

Back more fully tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Sunday) :

Calories : 1790. Thought I had stayed within budget, then remembered this morning a shortbread biscuit gobbled in moment of weakness.

Exercise : 15 mins running only. Lazy Sunday.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1757. Bust the budget with a couple of rich tea biscuits. Not too bad really.

Exercise : 30 mins running in the morning. Rather wet for the remainder of the day which put me off going out again somewhat.

One good thing I noted following Friday night's takeaway excess was that I had much more energy for my run yesterday; I was nowhere near as tired as I usually get afterwards either. OK, maybe I am getting slowly fitter but I cannot help thinking that strenuous exercise (for I usually make it so) on arguably inadequate sustenance is really expecting too much. Interesting though. I might try that again !

ChrisITF

Yup, still stuck on 174 lbs folks but not surprised at all. First, brief summary of yesterday (Friday) :

Calories : 2300 approx. including a takeaway meal which was way in excess of requirements (and delicious !). I could have ducked it and let the others get on with theirs while I sat stoically righteous with some fruit salad or whatever. But I am fed up with that kind of parsimonious stuff, to be honest. So there !

Exercise : 50 mins bike ride in the evening.

So a mixed bag once again taking the week as a whole. At least I did not gain weight which is sort of a smallish comfort. But I did not lose it either. It is a long drawn out battle this and my resolve wavers from day to day.

I came across a record of my weight for late April 2006 a couple of days ago. I got a nasty surprise : 230 lbs ! I had not realised that I had ever exceeded 226 lbs - which was bad enough. But there it is, in black and white ! Oh dear. I am so thankful that burden - oh yes - has been left behind. Never to return, I tell you. Honest.

You know it is summer when .. CITF puts his shorts on ! Well, last weekend it was definitely summer and I retrieved my shorts from the drawer wherein they had lain since probably last July. Hilarious ! They were at least 5 inches too big around the waist and totally inappropriate even for a totally unfashionable chap like me ! Off to recycling they went and a new pair purchased from M&S. Predictably, of course, it has gone much colder now. So in their bag they sit until the sun deigns to appear once again. But it is fair evidence of progress don't you think ?

So to the coming week. I have tried all the tricks I can think of apart from hiring a personal trainer to restrict me physically from eating etc. I know it is down to me and my own focus on the end result. What a day that will be !

I am not discouraged. I will just plod on regardless I suppose.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 1784 and a yogurt too far again. See also below.

Exercise : 30 mins running in high humidity just after the rain stopped.

Had to tramp round M&S yesterday evening (Open Day) so did not manage to get out on bike then as originally planned. Worse, there were free samples of wine, biscuits, crisps etc. These are, unfortunately, additional to the figure above nutritionally and I did not keep a count of the damage. Not too many though - people were watching ! It's only once a year .. or is it twice ? Hmm.

Weigh-in tomorrow. Oh dear.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Wednesday) :

Calories : 1700. Exactly.

Exercise : 1 hour bike ride in morning. Never managed to find time to repeat later.

Looks like the summery weather is over for just now as it is much cooler this morning and wet too. But I am happy with the change as it makes exercise a bit of a chore when it is too warm.

ChrisITF

First, a brief summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 1835. Blew the budget with a large, sweet, spotty banana late last night. What a beauty ! At least it was fruit. I am the only resident here who will eat such things. Conversely, I cannot eat them when they are green.

Exercise : 55 mins running, before it got very warm. I was back by 0930 hrs not feeling too exhausted really. Went out on bike at dusk for about 30 mins.

Food-wise I am slipping a bit again but the exercise aspect continues to be satisfactory. I seem to recover quicker these days too, which is encouraging.

I met a very fit looking 59 year old guy at the weekend who is much into marathons (he has done 20+) and triathlons. Respect ! Turns out he was just returning to running after a lengthy layoff due to heart surgery. Excuse me ? I thought he would have been almost immune given his previous exercise level. Seemingly not. It was a dismaying eye-opener - and it had given him a nasty surprise too. I suppose that another way of looking at it is perhaps that had he not been previously so fit and active he might have otherwise been dead by now. Yes, I will assume that more comforting thought and stick optimistically to my feeble body renovation schedule.

Back tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Monday) :

Calories : 1690.

Exercise : 1 hour on bike in morning. Never quite got round to a second sortie in the evening, despite good intentions.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Sunday) :

Calories : 1745 which was half a small yogurt over budget.

Exercise : 50 mins bike ride first thing. Then 15 mins running with Mrs CITF in the too warm sunshine. Finally, rounded off quite a good exercise day with another 30 mins on the bike at dusk.

The nightjars are back ! When I saw the first one I was so busy keeping it in sight that I literally rode into the rhododendrons at the side of the forest track ! Summer is definitely here.

Back tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1725. A Morning Coffee biscuit too far.

Exercise : 30 mins running. Just left it too late for a second sortie in the evening.

Hopefully today will be better as I have already been out on my bike. But that is tomorrow's secret really.

Back then.

ChrisITF

Weighed in at 174 lbs again, fatfans !

Not what I was hoping for but serves me right as I took my foot off the gas somewhat this past week. Anyway, brief summary of yesterday (Friday) for completeness' sake :

Calories : 1704. Bust budget (just) with a yogurt again, due to miscalculation.

Exercise : None whatsoever. Not good. Had opportunities but ducked them.

It has not been the best of weeks. I have been a little out of focus on the diet aspect, exacerbated by contractual work problems mid-week that rumble on. On the exercise front gradually lost momentum too - possibly for the same reason. But time is passing and the unfortunate storm in a teacup will soon subside. I do hope.

So, it's on with week 55 and with renewed application. Oh yes indeed. 173 lbs would do me nicely come next Saturday weigh-in. Yes; let's make it that, which should keep me on target for 161 lbs by end of August.

Back tomorrow with another exciting instalment.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 1806. One yogurt too far ..

Exercise : Walk of 90 mins in very warm woods which smelled strongly of pine and high summer. Too hot for the bike or running.

Once again, lost half the day to flat-sitting, awaiting roofer and a new tile. Played catch up the rest of the day but still managed to get out once anyway.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of a very stressful day (Wednesday) :

Calories : 2134 and plenty of comforting naughties. (Figure probably conservative).

Exercise : 30 mins runnning in morning. Never got out later despite good weather as very depressed.

Be careful what you put in 'confidential' emails. After yesterday I have decided there is no such thing as a confidential email; not when my business client forwards an email from me to another of my clients for comment !

I will get over it but my client might not ...

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 1675. Uncomfortable feeling I have forgotten something ...

Exercise : 50 mins bike ride in morning and another one of 30 mins at dusk. No nightjars still but a muntjac deer surprised me; not seen one of those in the woods before - usually roe deer.

Glorious couple of days made the exercise part of this week's progress no problem at all. If only I could say the same for the food intake ! This latter is not helped by the fact that I am currently house-husband (Mrs CITF is temporarily in gainful employment) and thus entrusted with preparing the evening meal and food shopping. Maximum temptation and maximum opportunity thus ! Oh yes.

Irritatingly, I keep running out of things. Yesterday it was broccoli and cabbage - she does like her greens - so I nipped into Waitrose while passing. But I came back with rather more than just that, the better to justify the diversion. I also realised that I had bought rather more milk than was needed or advisable, given the scarce resource of space in the fridge. Then I could not close the fridge door without playing rubic's cube with the inconveniently shaped contents. Hell's bells .. no wonder I delegate.

There is also the tyranny of the dish-washer - I hate the damn thing. Under strict instructions not to set it going without it being full (save the environment) I have to pack it to capacity with mucky crocks (having rinsed them all first) and then realise I need things out as the cupboard is bare. Too late; red hot ! Further, I had to explain (I couldn't) why a glass tumbler had had a centimetre shaved off its top while within the infernal machine. Could not find the bits either. One of life's mysteries indeed.

Despite best intentions, somehow I always seem to prepare too much food and this then converts to tempting leftovers in the fridge - currently some slices of roast turkey and a generous dollop of mashed potato - and you know how I hate to waste food by throwing it out. My new situation also demands decisions like 'what shall we have for tea ?' - which I had never really considered as problematic before. How women manage to combine a job and the home role in parallel is beginning to impress me. That, plus a general aversion to domestic tasks anyway, is not helping my comfort level. And we all know what CITF does when he is uncomfortable, don't we ?

No matter. My problem. So it's on with the day, despite the hour. Probably a run this morning but it had better be soon as the forecast I believe is for +24C later today.

0600hrs and she is stirring. Best get her a cup of tea. What a model husband am I !

Back tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Quick summary of yesterday (Bank Holiday Monday) :

Calories : 1706 and no real naughties.

Exercise : 55 mins run in morning (very warm it was) and 30 mins bike ride in evening.

Being a public holiday and a nice day, the woods were alive with people in the morning to an extent that I rarely see but in the evening around dusk I had the woods to myself. Still no nightjars yet but quite a few bats about. If only the nearby noisy M3 could be shut down occasionally ...

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Sunday) :

Calories : 1842. A sandwich too much.

Exercise : 15 mins run in morning with Mrs CITF and 1 hour on bike in afternoon.

Slipped up a bit these past two days but overall on target.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1831. I treated myself to a dollop of iceceam as a reward for a good week past. This averages out at 1678 cals per day for the previous week.

Exercise : 30 mins running in the morning. 45 mins bike ride in the evening on dusk. No nightjars.

ChrisITF

I weighed in at 174 lbs this morning, folks !

This is my lightest since 1980 or so. Smug is my middle name !

Quick summary of yesterday (Friday) :

Calories : 1686 and no naughties.

Exercise : 50 mins bike ride in morning and another of 30 mins around dusk. Still no nightjars.

Gotta go out in a few minutes, so have to be brief. Shows what sticking nearly rigidly to my own targets can do though. All I need is more and more of the same and I will be there. Not much else to say really (hardly woken up yet). Forgotten to get shaved too. Oh .. too bad ! Off out.

Back tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 1705. Oops ! Miscalculation of remaining budget.

Exercise : 30 mins running in early afternoon. The trick yesterday was to get out between periods of heavy rain, so I only managed it once.

The doctor was well impressed with my weight reduction at my annual MoT, as well he should be, and I was cleared for another year of messing about.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Wednesday) :

Calories : 1632.

Exercise : 1 hour bike ride in pouring rain at dusk. Nearly did not do any. Another all day session of flat-sitting for son where water coming through ceiling. So a very frustrating day.

Annual visit to medical man for personal MoT today. Having lost 40 lbs since last visit, I wonder if my weight will surprise him ? Will report back tomorrow.

ChrisITF