Fat Loss Training - Week Two

Monday

Awake at 6am, drink my water, slide out of bed for bacon and eggs and fresh filter coffee.

During breakfast, I had a look back at my archived fitness records: I had weighed myself the day after I was awarded my black belt, and I weighed 63.8kg. At that point, I was probably the fittest I've ever been, and I was 4kg lighter than I am now. It gives me a clear idea of what to aim for as far as weight loss is concerned.

A little later and I start a weight training session. It is comprised of press-ups, triceps-dips, leg raises, front raises, side raises, squats, bar curls, isolated DB curls, and overhead presses. It takes me almost an hour (59 minutes and 26 seconds!) but I get it all done and manage the same amount of reps at the same weight as I did in June. Phew.

Also, I stepped on the scales this morning and was pleased to find that I had lost 600 grams last week. I was happy that I'd hit my first week's target.

After that, I head out onto the front drive in the sunshine with Martha. We set about working on the coffee table. Today she finishes painting the frame and then we screw the thing together. After filling the screw holes, a good sanding, a wash, and another fine rubbing down, we give it the first coat of stain. It's starting to look like something you might have in your living room. We call it a day after six hours in the sunshine. Lots of vitamin D today.

Predictably, on a hot Bank Holiday Monday, Lucy and I are going to have a few drinks in the evening! I enjoy a couple of beers with Martha while we play video games together, then I have one more with my dinner (while watching the last Black Sabbath gig on TV.)

3 beers, no junkfood, weight training

Tuesday

I cycle in to work, do lots of work stuff, and then cycle home again. After I've had a shower and strapped on my karategi, Martha joins me in the car and we head off to Tuesday night dojo.

With Sensei Gary away, Martha is in charge of the white belts and I take the rest of the class. I give the class a fast-paced drilling in Kihon, Kata and Kumite. Everyone gets stuck in and there is a great attitude in the club tonight.

After an hour, I take the advanced class and Martha joins in as a student. I must say, for someone who doesn't train regularly, her techniques, especially kicks, are rather impressive! She had forgotten her kata, however!

The rest of the class required some revving up, but I eventually got them up to speed and we did some kumite drills before finishing on the pads.

Back home for Lucy's homemade beef chilli!

No alcohol, no junkfood, Karate

Wednesday

You know the drill: 6:10 alarm, pint of water, out of bed, brekkie.

I cycled in to work and was the first to the staff room. I enrolled many lovely students today, but was caught up doing interviews and paperwork and stuff so couldn't get to the gym with James at 4pm as arranged. Instead, I turned up at 4:50 by which time James had finished and gone home!

So I had the gym to myself which meant I could blast some heavy metal (Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Meshuggah etc.) At the end of the hour, I still didn’t match the reps and weights from June, but I did better than I managed last Wednesday. Progress is progress.

I cycled home absolutely knackered! I started dinner for the family while having some sort of massive internal war with myself about whether or not to pour a beer. In the end, I managed to stick to water. Well done, me.

no alcohol, no junkfood, weight training

Thursday

6:10am, water, up, brekkie.

Today, I drove in to work with Lucy. It was a hectic day but I still found time for water, chicken and rice for lunch. We were supposed to go home at 5, but the demands of this time of year meant that we stayed until almost 6:30. We went home via Aldi.

At home, I did an hour of weight training. I'm pleased to report that I managed to progress a little and added a tiny bit more weight than Monday's session. Always moving forward!

However, I found myself sipping red wine while I waited for dinner!

Red wine, no junkfood, weight training

Friday

6:10, water, out of bed, breakfast.

On the bike and rode to work in a light rain. After a busy day at work, I cycled home ready for some Karate!

Tonight's session was run by Sensei Gary. We had some fantastically enthusiastic young people with us who trained hard and made some real progress. I even got to partner Sensei to demonstrate some one-step sparring. He is fast and strong!

Back at home, I drove the girls to pick up a Chinese takeaway. Thanksfully, my lovely wife had prepared some fresh plaice with chips and peas for my dinner! Of course, it was Friday, so I enjoyed a couple of beers too.

Alcohol, no junkfood, Karate

Saturday

Woke up, drank a pint of water, got up, made breakfast for Lucy and myself. 

This morning, I had two jobs - Add the first coat of varnish to my coffee table, and to fit a new bottom bracket to my road bicycle. It was a bright sunny morning so it was a joy to work outside. Poor Lucy had to go to work for enrolment.

Coffee table varnished.

It didn't take me long to get the first coat of varnish done, so then I got the bike up on the work stand and took the old bottom bracket out. It didn't appear damaged, but these are sealed units and bearings were probably cracked inside. The new bracket went in straight away and I soon had the bike tightened up and ready for a test ride!

I was relieved to find that the bike was now smooth and silent. It obviously was the bottom bracket, but the question remains: why did it only last 5 months?

The next few hours were devoted to housework: mopping the kitchen, ironing, bleaching the bin etc. 

Then, a bit of a disaster. I got ready to teach my afternoon Karate session at Shirley Village Hotel. I had a shower, put on my karategi, got my big kick pad, three pairs of spare gloves, focus pads and my water, mini-first aid kit and reward stickers. I lumbered outside onto the front drive...to suddenly realise that Lucy is using the car for work! In a panic, I called Sensei Gary who assured me that he was already at the dojo and ready to take over. Phew. 

I went back inside, dropped all my stuff, put my karategi in my backpack, jumped on my bike and cycled to the the dojo.

Happily, Sensei Gary saw the funny side and he delivered a high energy, productive session which helped all of our students get ready for the grading next month. Then I cycled home in the rain.

Later, Lucy made a wonderful chicken and pasta dinner and I drank beer.

Beers, No junkfood, Karate

Sunday

Alarm at 7am, drink a pint of water, slide out of bed for a massive bowl of muesli. With Jonnie away, Mark and James came round to my place for a 9am start to our weekly bike ride. Today, we headed on our Honiley Variation route which avoids all main roads and has some lovely views. We chatted along, did some no-pedal racing, did some silly sprints and James had a puncture. At Wilmcote, the chocolate cake was good and the coffee strong. We had a good chat with Jane, and then leapt back on to the bikes to head home via Jonnie's Shortcut. This is quite a lumpy route that takes us up and over the Purity Brewery site.

I'm pleased to report that the new bottom bracket worked just as it should and the bike was smooth and quiet throughout the ride. The lads let me win the sprint at the end too.

Back at home, I put the last coat of varnish on the coffee table before doing an hour of ironing. The I put the radio on to listen to the Hundred final whilst manning the barbeque.

As you might expect, listening to the cricket and barbequing chicken, for me, is quite impossible without a beer in my hand...

4 beers, 42 miles of cycling at 14.6mph, slice of cake.

In summary, the week has been a bit of a disaster with only 2 sober days! That's a lot of extra calories through alcohol. More positively, I have exercised for at least an hour everyday and have had no junkfood apart from one slice of homemade cake.