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My 2011, Merry Christmas and a big thank you!

Posted on December 23, 2011
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2011 will, in a little over a week, be a distant memory for most of us. Copious amounts of turkey – and alcohol – will have been consumed by the end of the festive period – substitute that with goose, chicken, duck or pheasant if you are that way inclined – but if it was good enough for Henry the Eighth in the 16th century I see no reason why I should be any different! Turkey it is and to keep it regal, it will be a crown – stuffed! I digress!

As I write, I’m celebrating one of the most interesting and rewarding years I can personally remember as an adult, 2011 has been a real eye opener for me. It marks my first full year reviewing books and my second and most productive – certainly as far as results go – fitness year. Many of you will be aware of my decision to change my life in late 2009, my way of living, and although it was hard going initially I am now starting to see the rewards of all the hard work. It hasn’t been plain sailing, but then I never expected it would be, but I have somehow stuck to my goals and I feel a very different person to the one I was way back when.

It’s embarrassing to admit but in the dark days of 2009 I weighed 315lbs – that’s 22 1/2st to us brits – and with a blood pressure that was incredibly troubling I couldn’t see a way out. Something clicked – long story – and I knew I had to change my eating habits and the way I lived – looking back I seriously doubt I’d be alive to share this with anyone today and for the support I’ve …

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Good Morning San Francisco, it’s 7am and it’s a beautiful morning

Posted on September 11, 2010
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It’s been a very long week this week and I decided to take a well-earned night off from rowing in my gym and took time out to relax, read a book (Deadlock by Sean Black) and watch the very last big brother on Channel 4. Over the last few years, after being an avid Big Brother viewer I’ve been watching less and less – frustrated by an ever increasing amount of producer manipulation and the silly antics from Davina McCall.

With that in mind and the fact I’d given myself the night off I thought I had to watch at least some of the finale as it had at one time or another given me a few hours of entertainment over the years, especially Big Brother 5. I enjoyed it to a certain degree. It hadn’t changed, still contrived and predictable but in fairness the British public got it right – Brian Dowling was and is the ultimate housemate.

I woke up early this morning and I was out of the door by 7:05 am and on my way to the shops to collect a few essentials I couldn’t be bothered getting last night in the torrential rain and low level fog hanging over the mountain.

Now I’ve never been one to get sucked in to subliminal or clever marketing ploys, I am my own man. I know what I want and don’t need multi-million dollar commercials to tell me what that is. However, over the last few weeks a new Tropicana commercial has been airing, you know the one, set in the great city of San Francisco.

“Good Morning San Francisco, it’s 7am and it’s a beautiful morning”

If the Video fails to load then please visit the direct link to the Tropicana Video …

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High Blood Pressure and Weight Loss

Posted on August 3, 2010
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It truly is frightening how fast time goes. One minute you are wishing away a working week and within what appears to be a blink of an eye you are waking up to begin a new week. This is how my life has been over the last year or so, time certainly hasn’t stood still.

I remember when I began my weight loss journey, I was of course seriously overweight, I never considered the side effects of the excess weight or fat I was carrying. Looking back on it now I can laugh but it really was a serious issue I was unprepared for. I was very good at kidding myself. It’s all muscle, very little fat!

There were three main issues I can remember distinctly when I was a lump of lard; namely lower back pain when standing for a short amount of time, knees ached and perhaps more seriously headaches three or four times a week. I put the headaches down to lack of water intake and dehydration, I never for one moment thought it was my blood pressure. I was still able to play sport, despite my weight and this I believe aided my denial – not that I’m making excuses.

18 months ago my blood pressure (as far as I can remember) was 150 over 110. Which I understand is dangerously high and not at all healthy! High blood pressure (or Hypertension) can lead to strokes, heart attacks and heart failure and a risk of kidney disease and dementia – it is dubbed the silent killer.

Blood pressure is the force created by each beat of your heart pushing the blood around your body.

Taking my reading as an example 150/110 the first number is systolic pressure, when the heart beats, and …

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First Weight Loss target achieved

Posted on July 31, 2010
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A little over 18 months ago while watching “The Biggest Loser” – yes I did say “The Biggest Loser”!, I decided I had to do something about my weight. Despite the heavy slob that was me, I have always been fairly fit if not completely healthy!

When I say fit, not compared to what I was when playing a lot of sport but as and when the mood took me I could always go to the gym for a workout. Therein lies the problem, I didn’t feel like training and over the last five or more years weight ballooned.  For those of you who have read my blog before you may have noticed that 18 months ago I weighed 22 ½ stone or 315 lbs.

That’s not good at all! My first target was to get down to 16 stone or 224 lbs and despite years of kidding myself that I was a supreme athlete, capable of anything, I knew I would be facing an uphill struggle.

The first 6 months were ok, nothing amazing and progress was slow. I didn’t have a personal trainer; I had membership to a gym that gave me little enthusiasm to train. It’s all about re-educating yourself and that doesn’t happen overnight. When you put weight on, it means you are eating more calories than you are burning on a daily basis. My diet was shocking! Chips five days a week doesn’t make for a healthy mind or body. I can attest to that!

Slowly but surely I begin to cut down my food intake, exercise doesn’t really increase a great deal but at least I know I’ve made a positive start. That was a little over a year ago and the weight started falling. I needed new kit …

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My weight loss story and strive for fitness

Posted on July 21, 2010
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Approximately 5 years ago, maybe 6, I was a fit and very active person,  used to spend a lot of time playing sport or going to the gym – unfortunately things changed and I slowly but surely put on the pounds and as a result had less energy and time at the gym went out the window. Eating all the wrong foods didn’t help but perhaps more importantly I was eating in copious amounts!

Crazy really but I just didn’t get it. Weight goes on slowly, it sneaks up on you and by the time you’ve noticed it you are twice the man you were – and not in a good way! The sad thing is, it takes even longer to get off!

As I mentioned, my weight ballooned and my confidence and determination were in tatters. I was kidding myself; I don’t look “that” big do I?

18 months ago I decided enough was enough and believe it or not an episode of “Biggest Loser” (NBC) gave me the nudge I needed. A series that’s famous for showing how larger than life people can shed a huge amount of weight made me realise that I wasn’t being true to myself. When a 35 stone guy can get on a treadmill, do some gentle exercise and lose weight with careful eating I knew it was time to train. Bob Harper (trainer) inspired me, not that he ever knew that but he just did. He comes across as such a passionate, caring and no nonsense kind of guy.

Following a change in my eating habits and a return to the gym I have today gone from 22 1/2 stone (or 315 lbs or 142.88 Kg) to 16st 5lbs (or 229 lbs …

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