Chris is Still Too Fat

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 2014. Not an auspicious start to the week.

Exercise : 30 mins running. Really cold at +2C and breezy, so I kept an extra top layer on, plus gloves. Wallow in hot bath on return. Good old Winter Fuel Allowance !

ChrisITF

Sorry. Nearly forgot to report today.

Still on 170 lbs, folks.

Yesterday's data (Friday) :

Calories : 2111.

Exercise : 50 mins on bike.

Not too disappointed really, considering my slide towards comparative gluttony on food intake. Exercise pretty good overall but it is food that makes me heavier !

I think six days in a row for running is a personal record and my legs stood up to it pretty well, but perhaps I overdid it a bit and I will probably tone it down a bit in the coming week. See if I can get away without feeling so damned hungry because I cannot stand that for very long, especially with a kitchen just 3 metres away.

So at least I did not slip backwards, which after this length of time of intermittent vigilance it quite pleasing.

So bring on week 84. No, I am not giving up yet; not there yet !

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 1916.

Exercise : 25 mins running. That is 6 days in a row !

Supermarket trolley dash today.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Wednesday) :

Calories : 1944.

Exercise : 30 mins running in woods.

Nothing to do with weight loss but, researching ticket prices from London to Minneapolis for next week (just in case), I found one for £58 return plus £251 security and airport fees ! It was not an isolated one-off offer either. Totally balmy - both figures.

ChrisITF

First, a brief summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 1961.

Exercise : 30+ mins running. Definitely a gloves job yesterday.

Overall, somewhat better than of late although I seem to be slipping ever so slowly with the eating aspect. Not too bad though. Sunday's run was definitely exhausting and I am not sure I have fully recovered even now. Maybe find out in a couple of hours. Just continue as before really.

Threatened USA trip next week but, like last time, uncertainty reigns and I am not convinced it will happen. Not really bothered either way; USA in December, particularly the north, is not very enticing. I would be quite happy to stay in Hampshire !

Plodding on therefore.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Monday) :

Calories : 1905. At least a yogurt too far.

Exercise : 15+ mins running with Mrs CITF. Her first sortie for a while.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Sunday) :

Calories : 1714.

Exercise : 85 mins running. Tramped round my long route but decided I would detour round the stretch that had been turned into a swamp by the morning's heavy rain and snow melt, so it was about half a mile or so extra. Legs protesting this morning.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1711. Not too bad.

Exercise : 30+ mins running. Probably was a bit under-dressed for this, given it was only +4C, but had wallow in hot bath on regaining safety of home. However, I cannot stand running nearly fully dressed. Even wearing gloves irritates me.

Awoke to find a light snow covering outside. Today's run on hold for a while.

ChrisITF

Blame it on statistical variance if you wish but, to my slight surprise, I weighed in at 170 lbs once more this morning, folks. So that is a loss of 1 lb on the week. If anything, I would say it was a tad below 170 lbs but let's stick to integers.

Yesterday's data (Friday) for completeness :

Calories : 1936. I have a feeling of having forgotten something but it is a bad enough total to confess anyway.

Exercise : Nil. Even worse still. But the supermarket trolley round hardly counts as exercise and, on return home, the light was fading, it started to rain and I just could not be bothered to get out. There : I have said it.

Not been my finest week, I have to admit. Lost the plot marginally on food intake, though exercise with 5 out of 7 days active reasonable. I still find I am prone to niggling injury after I have done my longer runs. I had hoped that, by now, that would have been overcome. Just got to be patient with my ancient legs and everything else, I suppose.

Mrs CITF was critical of the cut of my trousers yesterday. These are my comparatively new ones of 38in waist girth that I bought not too long ago. 36in size beckons I suppose. Blimey ! I think I must have been in my 20s when that last occurred. So mute indications of progress continue.

And so on with week 83. When will this ever end ? I suspect probably never; I think I will always have to be careful not to resume my Michelin-man lookalike self. But to reach my goal, it would be nice to achieve this by next Spring. Note the (hopefully) not too optimistic estimate here. My project is drifting into the background of my life; the tactics to reach my goal are fairly well entrenched in my conscience, if not my stomach ! So I know when I have been naughty. The trick is to catch myself, like a child, before being naughty.

Right. It is past noon. What can I have for lunch ?

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 2031. Definitely slipping .. or slipped this week.

Exercise : 50 mins bike ride followed by another session of the heavier jobs in the garden executing instructions of Mrs CITF. Disposed of hundreds of festering apples; smelled like a sherry bodega.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Wednesday) :

Calories : 2011.

Exercise : 75+ mins running. Ignoring an achilles niggle, I plodded round my longer route and thoroughly exhausted myself. Worse, I was leaned on to help with the gardening in the afternoon. Slept well last night.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 1789.

Exercise : Nil. Went out shopping late morning and never managed to find time thereafter. Plus my right achilles tendon is giving me gyp again. I do tend to get carried away a bit, dashing off down the paths in the woods, and suffer the consequences later. I must remember I am 63, not 36.

Mixed week so far. Nothing really outstanding one way or the other. Seem to have shaken off the effects of my bug of last week and am back up to speed, if not down to weight. It will come.

Cancellation of my USA trip, a mixed blessing, has helped project continuity as I knew it would. But there is the possibility of another visit looming for early December. Or not, given the dire economic times through which we are living. Customers are disappearing fast ...

Still and sunny out there right now, but only +4C. Beautiful really, with the last of the autumn colours on display. Gloves and tracksuit bottoms today, I think.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Monday) :

Calories : 2124. Tripped up around 10pm last night with extensive snack. Soooo hungry and, yes, I know, I should have gone to bed like that.

Exercise : 75 mins running. And that was most certainly the reason for my hunger.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Sunday) :

Calories : 1759.

Exercise : 50 mins on bike. It has been a while since last on two wheels. Tyre still inflated and no punctures received. Probably only temporary.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1909. Thought I had done better than that but ...

Exercise : 30 mins running. First for a week and a right struggle. I very quickly lose fitness if I miss it out for a few days.

ChrisITF

.. reverse gear, folks, and now am 171 lbs once more. Not much of a surprise there then.

Quick summary of yesterday (Friday) :

Calories : 1861.

Exercise : Nil.

As a summary of the week one could say that it was a case of excessive food and no exercise. Bit like a good part of the UK population really and the result was predictable. QED.

Only excuse I can offer is being laid low with some bug during the week and never really venturing very far from the kitchen and all its delights. I think I caught this bug at last Sunday's Remembrance ceremony, it having been cold and windy and me inadequately dressed. However and further, it is a warning about what would most likely happen if I said 'sod it' and gave up my weight-loss project completely. Absolutely, definitely and positively cannot let that happen. So it is back to austerity and I started this morning with a run but I will remind you of this heroism tomorrow.

A one pound reversal is no big deal really; I know that. Well within the limits of experimental error with my elderly weighing scales, etc. The trend is still ever so slowly downward and I continue to be optimistic. My next USA trip, provisionally planned for the coming week, has been cancelled, courtesy of the current economic situation, subject last minute surprises (unlikely). So there is no convenient excuse to relax my guard for a while yet.

As if I would !

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 2143.

Exercise : Nil.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of a day best forgotten (Wednesday) :

Calories : 2470 (at least ..).

Exercise : Nil. Still not right and feeling weak. Bottom of trough reached now, I hope.

ChrisITF

First a summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 2317. Not good at all.

Exercise : Nil. Still poorly with some bug.

Week started OK on the food side but I have started to slide once more. Not feeling well and I have contract turmoil so that I do not know whether I am coming or going or sitting still. Supposed to travel to USA next Tuesday then I get a call saying possibly stand down. Cannot plan anything like that and so I retreat to the most supportive room in the house : the kitchen with all its goodies ! Not consciously, you understand, but in hindsight.

Never mind; it will pass. But for now my resolve is definitely limping.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Monday) :

Calories : 1889.

Exercise : Nil.

Have caught some bug and spent the day indoors sneezing. Anyway, it was absolutely dire weather here; poured with rain nearly all day. May have to give it a miss today too, but will see how things go.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Remembrance Sunday) :

Calories : 1657.

Exercise : Nothing specific, though walked with Mrs CITF to and from Remembrance Day ceremony by village green, with tea afterwards at son's flat. About 1 hour walking.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1659. Much better.

Exercise : 30 mins running.

ChrisITF

... again, folks. Same weight as last week, ie 170 lbs.

Booo !! But no surprise there as my attention wandered from the weary task of eating not very much and warmed to the much more pleasurable task of eating rather more than I should be doing.

Never mind. There is always the coming week in which to show that I still have it in myself to spring surprises. So here comes yesterday's data anyway for completeness' sake :

Calories : 2015.

Exercise : Nil. Complete day of rest.

Not very good is it ? Cannot even blame a family takeaway on this occasion either. In fact, the whole week has been a bit wobbly. Ran around quite a bit during the week but just as well that I did or we might be investigating a weight gain today.

On a more positive note, I just missed a TV programme this morning about Fat Club (not that it is regular viewing) but my eye caught the synopsis of what I had missed. Namely, that the subject had attended Fat Club before, lost 30 lbs, had a major relapse and had now come back for a second session having gained 60 lbs in the interim ! Wow ! Even for me that would be some binge. So you see, there is always someone worse off than oneself.

The most, in recent project historical times, that I have slipped back has been 4 lbs. So, while not proud of that, I think it shows that I am reasonably under control. And from memories of weight loss farther back in time, I know that the particularly tricky bit is to keep the weight off, once it is off. On the whole I seem to be managing this particular balancing act so far. Of course, all this would be totally academic only if I had not gained the weight in the first place. I hope you are all listening out there ...

But that is not yet good enough in itself and so I soldier on with week 81. Eat less; run more. What could be simpler ?

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Thursday) :

Calories : 2020. Not very good.

Exercise : 30+ mins running.

ChrisITF

Quick summary of yesterday (Wednesday) :

Calories : 1864.

Exercise : 75 mins running.

Busy, busy, busy in the woods yesterday. Two lots of soldiers on exercises, a large group of ramblers, all thick socks and walking sticks, and I ran into the middle of an orienteering competition. There were people running in all directions.

ChrisITF

First, a brief summary of yesterday (Tuesday) :

Calories : 1765. A teensy bit better, but 5 Rich Tea biscuits to finish the packet did not help ...

Exercise : 15 mins run only, with Mrs CITF. Then some gardening in the rear wilderness.

Bit of a mixed week so far; not as good as last week but a whole lot better than many of the immediately preceding ones. A repeat of last week's weight loss success would be so satisfying but I have probably blown it already, unless I starve myself. But that is quite contrary to my religious belief in the need to eat. So I won't.

Apart from that, I am in limbo once more with disruptive contract work approaching which makes the coming four weeks a period of uncertainty. Long term readers of these jottings will know that uninterrupted continuity is best to achieve regular weight loss. My occasional contract work makes this difficult. I might be able to get some clarification today on this score. Maybe not.

Meanwhile, it is on with the show.

Back tomorrow.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Monday) :

Calories : 1852. Better.

Exercise : 75 mins running. Much better.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Sunday) :

Calories : 2596. Lost the plot somewhat.

Exercise : Day off, and only had an hour's walk down into village to visit number one son with Mrs CITF.

Ah well; never mind. There is always today.

ChrisITF

Brief summary of yesterday (Saturday) :

Calories : 1790. Discovering an orphan chocolate muffin, lost on the kitchen working surface, was my slight undoing yesterday. I put it somewhere safe. Yummm !

Exercise : 30 mins running. Bloody freezing ! Had wallow in hot bath on return to safety, after getting rather cold helping Mrs CITF with garden-wilderness for a while.

ChrisITF

.. because I am back down to 170 lbs once more, folks ! That is a reduction of 2 lbs on the week and my BMI has now dropped to 23.8. It is one heck of a long time since I can vaguely recall managing that kind of progress. Blimey ! Only 9 lbs to go now.

For completeness' sake here comes the data for yesterday (Friday) :

Calories : 1988. Restrained share in the family takeaway evening meal broke the budget.

Exercise : 50 mins on bike. I finally gave up trying to repair the plethora of punctures and was rewarded with a tyre that stayed inflated for the required period. Both the 'new' tyre and tube are actually old ones so I never parted with cash for this improvement; Yorkshire through and through. No, I tell a lie. There is some Scots in there also.

As alluded to earlier this week, I cannot say why I seem to have managed a week of commendable control (almost) on food and exercise after so many of forgettable focus. Suffice it to say that it is clear to see the effects thereof and further support to my target parameters of 1700 cals daily and up to 1 hour of exercise similarly. What I need, of course, is rather more of the same, so here I go again.

On a seasonal note, we had absolutely no 'trick or treaters' last night. Things are looking up. But Mrs CITF was prepared for the anticipated onslaught with a specially purchased large bag of snack size Mars Bars as blackmail payments. Given my recognised partiality to a Mars Bar or so, I thought this a tad cruel; careless even, for, ominously, they are all still there in the fridge ...

ChrisITF