My Road Back
- Thread starter Guy_Dudeson
- Start date
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
8.1g carbs per shake! Pretty good really!309 kcal for icecream is not a crazy amount if it was goodHow much is in the meal replacement shakes?
lol yeah my weigh in was still okay... I could easily have eaten three more on the way home, so looking at the bright side haha
And how much protein/fat?
Well done not eating more icecream on the way home! I find it awfully hard not to overdo it on sweets once I start.
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Day 18
16/4/2021
137.7kgs
Okay, so Mr Maxibon didn't do too much damage.
Banh mi for breakfast, and as it was quite a busy day, I didn't manage to get a proper break, so at 5pm I had two more of the same protein shakes.
Still off the booze, which is getting a little easier now the ball is rolling, I left work and stopped on the way home for dinner, deciding against the 200g of roast beef this time, instead choosing a kebab box with salad (so just the meat of the rotisserie and leafy greens and tabouli). But something weird happened: I got freaked out that I mightn't like the dinner I'd chose, so ducked over to the usual spot and picked up some roast beef and veg anyway (only 100g though)... and wouldn't you know it, it was all delicious and I ate the lot.
I don't know what I was afraid of, I've never met a meal I didn't like.
Double dinner is never good, but still a great many good choices on the day.
Day 19
17/4/2021
138.6kgs
Partially stupid eating, partially goop and fluid, I'd wager.
Off to work with a banh mi again, but this time had three of those protein shakes, which is probably too many. Won about $400 on the horses, so I treated myself to some foodcourt chicken, it was so-so (for real, when will I learn lol). At least this time though, having snacked so much on the way home I actually resisted the hot, greasy food, instead stopping off and picking up three low carb yoghurts.
That desire to just buy a hot dinner for the sake of a couch picnic at the end of the day was not tempting me like it has the last two weeks or so... Happy about that!
Day 20
18/4/2021
138.1kgs
Got to work at about 9:30 but didn't get a banh mi... so grabbed a chicken sandwich from the cafe. At lunch had the roast and veggies from work, which was chicken breast with pumpkin, carrot and potato... On the way home I grabbed some teriyaki chicken, then ate some low carb yoghurts when I got home.
Day 21
19/4/2021
136.8kgs
Whoa! Happy about that! Although won't be too surprised if it's over tomorrow. Maybe I was a little dehydrated? Anyway... Monday is sort of becoming a bit of a glutton day for me. I had two pieces of frozen fish around breakfast time, then some chicken kara;'age and a banh mi for lunch... over the remainder of the day I ate about 9 small tubs of low carb yoghurt. I kinda wish I'd shown more self control, but the choices weren't catastrophic, and again, only soft foods after 3pm, and low carb! It's a massive positive that I'm not feeling the need to eat a big savoury dinner at this point.
Still no desire to train though. Focus on the improvements and hopefully they'll keep coming!
16/4/2021
137.7kgs
Okay, so Mr Maxibon didn't do too much damage.
Banh mi for breakfast, and as it was quite a busy day, I didn't manage to get a proper break, so at 5pm I had two more of the same protein shakes.
Still off the booze, which is getting a little easier now the ball is rolling, I left work and stopped on the way home for dinner, deciding against the 200g of roast beef this time, instead choosing a kebab box with salad (so just the meat of the rotisserie and leafy greens and tabouli). But something weird happened: I got freaked out that I mightn't like the dinner I'd chose, so ducked over to the usual spot and picked up some roast beef and veg anyway (only 100g though)... and wouldn't you know it, it was all delicious and I ate the lot.
I don't know what I was afraid of, I've never met a meal I didn't like.
Double dinner is never good, but still a great many good choices on the day.
Day 19
17/4/2021
138.6kgs
Partially stupid eating, partially goop and fluid, I'd wager.
Off to work with a banh mi again, but this time had three of those protein shakes, which is probably too many. Won about $400 on the horses, so I treated myself to some foodcourt chicken, it was so-so (for real, when will I learn lol). At least this time though, having snacked so much on the way home I actually resisted the hot, greasy food, instead stopping off and picking up three low carb yoghurts.
That desire to just buy a hot dinner for the sake of a couch picnic at the end of the day was not tempting me like it has the last two weeks or so... Happy about that!
Day 20
18/4/2021
138.1kgs
Got to work at about 9:30 but didn't get a banh mi... so grabbed a chicken sandwich from the cafe. At lunch had the roast and veggies from work, which was chicken breast with pumpkin, carrot and potato... On the way home I grabbed some teriyaki chicken, then ate some low carb yoghurts when I got home.
Day 21
19/4/2021
136.8kgs
Whoa! Happy about that! Although won't be too surprised if it's over tomorrow. Maybe I was a little dehydrated? Anyway... Monday is sort of becoming a bit of a glutton day for me. I had two pieces of frozen fish around breakfast time, then some chicken kara;'age and a banh mi for lunch... over the remainder of the day I ate about 9 small tubs of low carb yoghurt. I kinda wish I'd shown more self control, but the choices weren't catastrophic, and again, only soft foods after 3pm, and low carb! It's a massive positive that I'm not feeling the need to eat a big savoury dinner at this point.
Still no desire to train though. Focus on the improvements and hopefully they'll keep coming!
Ok, that sounds good!
Dehydrated or not, your weight is clearly dropping and doing so pretty quickly. I'll bet that the lack of booze is a big help there!
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
It is! As much as anything, it's kept me from silly drunken mistakes... Also the physical nature of my job helps me burn calories, although today it made me really bloody hungry at the end of the day!
That alone can make a huge difference!
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Thanks y’all!
Although today was not a win lol.
Day 22
20/4/2021
136.8kgs (301.6lbs)
Cool! Positive sign!
I was on course for an absolute ripper today. Banh mi for breakfast, a meal replacement shake, then a small serve of chicken with hummus. As the last task of the day I did the most physical part of the job, it was about an hour of hauling heavy stock.
If I’d have held strong until the end of the day it would have been a slam dunk, but on the way home I ate three pork dim sums, then swung by the supermarket for some more low carb yoghurts... after all the heavy work I was bloody starving and made a bunch of stupid decisions.. chicken nuggets, cheese, cured meats, a bunch of stuff that wasn’t even in my mind until I saw them in the supermarket!
I have to stock up on those yoghurts from now on; the danger of over indulging on them is far lesser than the danger of visiting the supermarket after work when I’m starving.
I was in the lead and had one hand on the gold medal, only to slow down and snatch a bronze at the finish line!
I’ve just begun to avoid the food court temptation, it would be stupid to replace it with grab-and-go crap from the supermarket!
Although today was not a win lol.
Day 22
20/4/2021
136.8kgs (301.6lbs)
Cool! Positive sign!
I was on course for an absolute ripper today. Banh mi for breakfast, a meal replacement shake, then a small serve of chicken with hummus. As the last task of the day I did the most physical part of the job, it was about an hour of hauling heavy stock.
If I’d have held strong until the end of the day it would have been a slam dunk, but on the way home I ate three pork dim sums, then swung by the supermarket for some more low carb yoghurts... after all the heavy work I was bloody starving and made a bunch of stupid decisions.. chicken nuggets, cheese, cured meats, a bunch of stuff that wasn’t even in my mind until I saw them in the supermarket!
I have to stock up on those yoghurts from now on; the danger of over indulging on them is far lesser than the danger of visiting the supermarket after work when I’m starving.
I was in the lead and had one hand on the gold medal, only to slow down and snatch a bronze at the finish line!
I’ve just begun to avoid the food court temptation, it would be stupid to replace it with grab-and-go crap from the supermarket!
I agree that the physical labor probably made you too hungry to be sensible in the face of temptation but maybe it would also have helped to have a larger lunch, then maybe a shake 10 minutes before going to the grocery store or something? You clearly don't have to go super low calorie (yet) to lose weight and doing so anyway may make things too hard for the long run.
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
That is a great suggestion! I have been eating more substantial lunches, although I seem to be stuck in a continuous loop, and the lack of results over the past three days reflect that.
I'm still very much in the race lol, I've failed to make any additions to my journal because I continually procrastinate, telling myself I'll make it to the gym, then fall asleep watching The Sopranos.
I'm about to crash now, and am gonna try getting to the gym early tomorrow. And a big, four day journal entry awaits lol!
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Well, I have missed a few days but had some improvements along the way! The first couple of days I, as stated above, spent my evenings procrastinating, then fell asleep without making an entry here. And then once I've missed a day or two, I put it off as I have so much more writing to do lol... so now I have to log my whole week!
I'll keep the individual entries basic and go over the decisions and lessons at the end! But I will preface all of this by stating that I've had my best weigh in yet this morning: 136.7kgs... 100g better than the start of the week, but an improvement all the same lol.
Day 23
21/4/2021
137.6kgs
Missed the bakery, so had to get a chicken sandwich from the cafe again. Chicken with hummus around lunch time, then I made the same stupid ass mistake with the supermarket grab and go crap.
Day 24
22/4/2021
138.1kgs
Early to work again and got the same chicken sandwich. Same lunch and same supermarket stuff on the way home.
Day 25
23/4/2021
138.1kgs
As it was a Friday I could get into work a little later, and I did... managed to pick up my banh mi, and the same chicken and hummus for lunch. Picked up some fried crap on the way home... and also picked up a kebab box, which has mixed doner meat and leafy greens, along with grilled vegetables... this is probably the dinner I should be having henceforth. It's filling, cheap, a sensible size and has plenty of leafy greens (which have been lacking in my diet since I stopped eating salads for lunch). It's a little oily, but really, a way, WAY better option than the fried stuff from the supermarket.
Day 26
24/4/2021
Banh mi for breakfast and chicken with hummus for lunch. Straight home after work, and only had some tinned soup.
Day 27
25/4/2021
It was ANZAC Day, so pretty busy at work. Had my usual banh mi for breakfast and some roasted lamb with veggies for lunch. Felt pretty good after work so walked home, picking up another kebab box on the way home. Also had three low carb yoghurts after work. This is the archetype of the winning diet day going forward, including the 10km walk home.
What have I learnt?
A month in, it's time to take stock of what's worked and what hasn't.
Being brutally honest with myself, I think I'm having some bog standard gym anxiety (or "gymtimidation" as I always called it). The things I most enjoy at the gym is cardio, but my current weight will hurt my joints... it's hard for me to motivate myself to go and do something that's not only physically taxing, but also to an atmosphere that I find uncomfortable. I therefore think I'll start walking home from work again. It's an effective form of exercise and it's something I can do completely anonymously, at my own pace and in my own time. It's getting dark nice and early... it's just a much more relaxing way to exercise and it gets results all the same. Maybe when I lose some weight and can sustain some more gym-focused work, I'll reassess.
In terms of diet, I got a false sense of accomplishment from not craving hot dinners at the end of last week, and tried to fast track my "no dinners" thing. What ensued was something that started as very stupid snacking, and soon mutated into very stupid dinners. The kabab boxers from the doner shop is perfect for my current goals. I'm much better off just having a dinner that's appropriate for my diet than living in denial and grazing on anything and everything. The no dinner thing is something I hope to build to, but not for a while I guess.
Overall I think it was a break even week, but it was one that gave me some good lessons to go forward.
Tomorrow, I hope to eat a banh mi for breakfast, some chicken with hummus for lunch, walk 10km home, then eat a doner and salad box for dinner! I have four days left (until it's been a month) and if I can break below 135kgs, I'll be thrilled!
I'll keep the individual entries basic and go over the decisions and lessons at the end! But I will preface all of this by stating that I've had my best weigh in yet this morning: 136.7kgs... 100g better than the start of the week, but an improvement all the same lol.
Day 23
21/4/2021
137.6kgs
Missed the bakery, so had to get a chicken sandwich from the cafe again. Chicken with hummus around lunch time, then I made the same stupid ass mistake with the supermarket grab and go crap.
Day 24
22/4/2021
138.1kgs
Early to work again and got the same chicken sandwich. Same lunch and same supermarket stuff on the way home.
Day 25
23/4/2021
138.1kgs
As it was a Friday I could get into work a little later, and I did... managed to pick up my banh mi, and the same chicken and hummus for lunch. Picked up some fried crap on the way home... and also picked up a kebab box, which has mixed doner meat and leafy greens, along with grilled vegetables... this is probably the dinner I should be having henceforth. It's filling, cheap, a sensible size and has plenty of leafy greens (which have been lacking in my diet since I stopped eating salads for lunch). It's a little oily, but really, a way, WAY better option than the fried stuff from the supermarket.
Day 26
24/4/2021
Banh mi for breakfast and chicken with hummus for lunch. Straight home after work, and only had some tinned soup.
Day 27
25/4/2021
It was ANZAC Day, so pretty busy at work. Had my usual banh mi for breakfast and some roasted lamb with veggies for lunch. Felt pretty good after work so walked home, picking up another kebab box on the way home. Also had three low carb yoghurts after work. This is the archetype of the winning diet day going forward, including the 10km walk home.
What have I learnt?
A month in, it's time to take stock of what's worked and what hasn't.
Being brutally honest with myself, I think I'm having some bog standard gym anxiety (or "gymtimidation" as I always called it). The things I most enjoy at the gym is cardio, but my current weight will hurt my joints... it's hard for me to motivate myself to go and do something that's not only physically taxing, but also to an atmosphere that I find uncomfortable. I therefore think I'll start walking home from work again. It's an effective form of exercise and it's something I can do completely anonymously, at my own pace and in my own time. It's getting dark nice and early... it's just a much more relaxing way to exercise and it gets results all the same. Maybe when I lose some weight and can sustain some more gym-focused work, I'll reassess.
In terms of diet, I got a false sense of accomplishment from not craving hot dinners at the end of last week, and tried to fast track my "no dinners" thing. What ensued was something that started as very stupid snacking, and soon mutated into very stupid dinners. The kabab boxers from the doner shop is perfect for my current goals. I'm much better off just having a dinner that's appropriate for my diet than living in denial and grazing on anything and everything. The no dinner thing is something I hope to build to, but not for a while I guess.
Overall I think it was a break even week, but it was one that gave me some good lessons to go forward.
Tomorrow, I hope to eat a banh mi for breakfast, some chicken with hummus for lunch, walk 10km home, then eat a doner and salad box for dinner! I have four days left (until it's been a month) and if I can break below 135kgs, I'll be thrilled!
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Day 28
26/4/2021
136.7kgs (301.4lbs)
Best weigh in yet!
Monday was the usual glutton day, no real "junk" food, but overall three tins of soup, a banh mi, three pieces of frozen fish and two sushi boxes... spent the day doing laundry and cleaning the house. Also bought some memory foam insoles for my uncomfortable work shoes for my walks home.
I fully expect to weigh in at more than 138 tomorrow, but will try to nail five solid days!
26/4/2021
136.7kgs (301.4lbs)
Best weigh in yet!
Monday was the usual glutton day, no real "junk" food, but overall three tins of soup, a banh mi, three pieces of frozen fish and two sushi boxes... spent the day doing laundry and cleaning the house. Also bought some memory foam insoles for my uncomfortable work shoes for my walks home.
I fully expect to weigh in at more than 138 tomorrow, but will try to nail five solid days!
Looks like you've learned quite a lot in your first few weeks. The bike, the elliptical, and maybe the rower would be quite joint-friendly forms of cardio (swimming as well) but at your current weight walking 10 km is an achievement in itself and should burn quite a few calories.
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Yes, I love the rower! But it's gym itself I'm not keen on visiting just yet... I was always a keen user of the treadmill and the jump rope! In my glory days that is lol... Did my walk (which is acutally closer to 8km I now know) so it's a step in the right direction!
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Thanks! I'm happy with how things are so far! I'd simply reached the ceiling of the easy breezy first few weeks... Logged a great day today, so pretty happy!
Guy_Dudeson
Active member
Day 29
27/4/2021
138.7kgs (306lbs)
As expected... a little bloat from late eating, but collateral damage I'm willing to cope with to have my little Monday picnics.
Well, I hit every target I set myself for today. Banh mi for breakfast, chicken with hummus and baba ganoush for lunch, and a doner box with salad for dinner. At lunchtime the chef actually chucked some lettuce in without my asking as well, so I doubled up on the leafy greens!
According to google maps, my current walk home route is actually closer to 8km than 10, but it's a suitable starting point for me, and it's more important to get it done at least four times a week than upping the intensity too early.
Being able to look forward to my kebab box dinner helped massively in appeasing my cravings while walking past all the usual danger spots. No foodcourt or supermarket transgressions, as I could just remind myself that I had a proper dinner on the way. Although I did have one minor slip on the way home... about 2/3 the way through my walk, I was busting to find a restroom... the nearest shopping mall was about half an hour out of the way and at the time it didn't feel like "extra exercise", it felt like a pain in the arse lol.... So I stopped into a bar, ordered a half pint of hazy ale and used their gents... Crimeny, it was like liquid heaven lol.... first beer in four weeks.... and the music in the bar was just my type of thing! But, I quickly finished it and continued my walk!
I will proceed very carefully around this one... If I could just have one half pint of beer a day, that would be fine.
I also grabbed two low carb yoghurt pots from the supermarket.
I'm now at home feeling pretty happy about the fact that my exercise is done and I only have to worry about relaxing for the rest of the night.
If I weigh in above 138 tomorrow I'll be disappointed, but I'll know that on my current regime, results will come!
27/4/2021
138.7kgs (306lbs)
As expected... a little bloat from late eating, but collateral damage I'm willing to cope with to have my little Monday picnics.
Well, I hit every target I set myself for today. Banh mi for breakfast, chicken with hummus and baba ganoush for lunch, and a doner box with salad for dinner. At lunchtime the chef actually chucked some lettuce in without my asking as well, so I doubled up on the leafy greens!
According to google maps, my current walk home route is actually closer to 8km than 10, but it's a suitable starting point for me, and it's more important to get it done at least four times a week than upping the intensity too early.
Being able to look forward to my kebab box dinner helped massively in appeasing my cravings while walking past all the usual danger spots. No foodcourt or supermarket transgressions, as I could just remind myself that I had a proper dinner on the way. Although I did have one minor slip on the way home... about 2/3 the way through my walk, I was busting to find a restroom... the nearest shopping mall was about half an hour out of the way and at the time it didn't feel like "extra exercise", it felt like a pain in the arse lol.... So I stopped into a bar, ordered a half pint of hazy ale and used their gents... Crimeny, it was like liquid heaven lol.... first beer in four weeks.... and the music in the bar was just my type of thing! But, I quickly finished it and continued my walk!
I will proceed very carefully around this one... If I could just have one half pint of beer a day, that would be fine.
I also grabbed two low carb yoghurt pots from the supermarket.
I'm now at home feeling pretty happy about the fact that my exercise is done and I only have to worry about relaxing for the rest of the night.
If I weigh in above 138 tomorrow I'll be disappointed, but I'll know that on my current regime, results will come!