I've been accused tonight of doing a fairly good impersonation of Mr Grumpy from the famous Mr Men series of children's books and it's fair to say it was a reasonable assessment of my demeanour. I'm having one of those periods in any weight loss journey where no matter how much I do right nothing seems to happen on the scales. The problem with this long term, is that it plays with my mind and I begin to lose faith in the process and fall into a binge-fest sooner or later. I'm stuck around 113-114kgs at the moment and can't bloody-well seem to find the 112's no matter how hard I try. I've been pretty good for the last week albeit there's been the odd poor moment and I've done a significant amount of exercise in an attempt to get the body shrink moving again but it seems to be to no avail.
Now I know what the experts will say and I'm sure you'll all agree. STAY OFF THE DAMN SCALES YOU MORON! Just get on once a week and be done with it. Yeah, yeah I know but I don't work like that. I'm an instant gratification sort of guy and at the moment I'm feeling very unfulfilled.
My grand plan of getting to 110kg by months end is shot to pieces and I'm pretty disappointed about it but life goes on.
OK time to assess some positives to pep me up and refocus all this negative energy.
1. I'm way ahead of the projected plan of a kilo a week. By that rationale I should be 120kg this week not 113.5 so I'm 6-7kg 's in front and that's a good thing.
2. My 46 inch waist jeans are now totally unwearable and I'm squeezing back into my 38's from years ago. They're a bit bloody tight but they'll get better soon I'm sure.
3. I've got some really positive comments regarding my success so far both on here and in person which is nice and motivating to hear.
4. My dodgy knee, while still looking like a overfilled water balloon, is actually feeling better than it has in a while and I think that will only improve with time.
Ok that's better, I think I just dropped a level or two on the grumpy bastard scale.
As for the other significant journey of my current existence. I am spending another fun-filled week immersed to the eyeballs in sport and once again life is pretty good. I was lucky enough to be the first journo on site when Darren Lockyer announced his retirement yesterday and if not for my dodgy IPhone I may well have been the first person to tweet the news. Ricky Ponting then dominated discussions in the office today after his retirement as Aussie cricket captain so now I'm just wondering if Matt Giteau or Chris Judd will make a shock announcement tomorrow to keep the monster news week going. I'm hoping to have two yarns in the paper tomorrow (both rugby league) which is the pay-off for all the free hours we interns give to the paper.
So with another big day following our Aussie sports stars to come tomorrow I'll bid you goodnight and retire to the boudoir (hang on that's a chicks room isn't it) make that bedroom and get my beauty sleep for the morning (god knows I need it).
Till we next meet.
P
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Success: A crap free weekend
Finally, a crap free weekend. I actually think I weigh less now than I did at the Saturday weigh in and let me tell you that is one for the books.
As you may be able to tell, staying on track over the weekend remains my biggest challenge. I seem to go pretty well from Monday until Friday afternoon and then "weekend Paul" takes over and knocks me back a couple of steps. Eating out, beers, entertainment all seem to add up to extra kilos to me. I'm aware other people can have fun weekends without the same results but I'm still learning how to achieve that.
This weekend though, was a different story. It helped that I had Friday and Saturday night at home but it was my maddening exercise filled weekend that really made the difference. I reckon I got in over 4 hours of exercise over the two days including my first group ride with the Brisbane Bicycle Touring Association. I've decided to dip my toes in the water of the cycling fraternity and see how I like it. My surgeon suggested cycling would greatly improve my chances of avoiding knee surgery again in the near future so its time to get started. I have to say it was fun and I'm looking forward to another one in the next fortnight. I'll definitely have to upgrade the bike though if I'm going to make it a regular thing.
I've decided to use the frustration of last week as motivation for this week and I'm aiming for a really big result on the scales next week. I'm determined to get under that 110kg total as soon as possible and set my sights on double figures. I know I've achieved a lot already but to be under the 110kg mark just seems like I'm really on my way to the ultimate goal.
It's pretty exciting to be within sight of the double figure weight mark. Between you and me I'll be doing a little happy dance the day I hit 99.9kg I can tell you. It seems like a lifetime since I was there so its full steam ahead with that goal in mind.
OK its time to crack into the ironing with my stint at the Courier Mail starting in the morning and Naomi's damn pleated skirts to iron. SO I'll leave it at that for tonight and catch up with you soon.
P
As you may be able to tell, staying on track over the weekend remains my biggest challenge. I seem to go pretty well from Monday until Friday afternoon and then "weekend Paul" takes over and knocks me back a couple of steps. Eating out, beers, entertainment all seem to add up to extra kilos to me. I'm aware other people can have fun weekends without the same results but I'm still learning how to achieve that.
This weekend though, was a different story. It helped that I had Friday and Saturday night at home but it was my maddening exercise filled weekend that really made the difference. I reckon I got in over 4 hours of exercise over the two days including my first group ride with the Brisbane Bicycle Touring Association. I've decided to dip my toes in the water of the cycling fraternity and see how I like it. My surgeon suggested cycling would greatly improve my chances of avoiding knee surgery again in the near future so its time to get started. I have to say it was fun and I'm looking forward to another one in the next fortnight. I'll definitely have to upgrade the bike though if I'm going to make it a regular thing.
I've decided to use the frustration of last week as motivation for this week and I'm aiming for a really big result on the scales next week. I'm determined to get under that 110kg total as soon as possible and set my sights on double figures. I know I've achieved a lot already but to be under the 110kg mark just seems like I'm really on my way to the ultimate goal.
It's pretty exciting to be within sight of the double figure weight mark. Between you and me I'll be doing a little happy dance the day I hit 99.9kg I can tell you. It seems like a lifetime since I was there so its full steam ahead with that goal in mind.
OK its time to crack into the ironing with my stint at the Courier Mail starting in the morning and Naomi's damn pleated skirts to iron. SO I'll leave it at that for tonight and catch up with you soon.
P
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Swings and Roundabouts
Hello all to the Saturday weigh in post. Before you say anything, yes, I'm well aware I've been a slack blogger this week and to be frank I have no excuse. I promise to up my rate of involvement this week.
So let's not beat around the bush. What are the numbers for week 12 of the Diary?
Well here they are.
Weight: 113.6kg which is a loss of a huge massive 500grams.
Gut: 116cm which remains stable from last week.
Mood: A wee little bit pissed off with myself.
As you can see it's not only my blogging that's been crap this week. I'm pretty pissed off with myself really because midweek I was already a couple of kilos down and looking at a really big result. But a couple of old demons crept into my head and my will-power took a brief holiday and before I knew it Saturday was here and the scales were my enemy.
On a positive note my grumpiness has resulted in a exercise filled Saturday so hopefully I can kick off this week like I did last week but keep it going for seven days this time. I put myself though another one of my home-brand circuit sessions this morning, then followed it up with a 25-odd-km ride this afternoon with a cycling group. I quite enjoyed the ride so I'll look to do some more of those in the near future.
It's the evenings that are my enemy at the moment. If you live alone you'll understand what I'm talking about. The nights are more often than not the time you have time to kill and historically food has been my best buddy during these times. I can do everything right up to and including dinner time and then lose my battle with the craving demons after that. And you can only go to bed at 9pm so many times to steer clear of the fridge before you feel like a later night.
So my plan for the coming week is all about structure.Tomorrow I'm going to set out my entire meal plan for the week and do my best to stick fast to the plan. It'll be a challenge though since recently I've been as good at sticking to my promises as Julia Gillard.
I really should have taken a photo today to share with you all. I reckon it is a real treat to see my not-so-athletic frame clad in lycra gear atop my mean machine treadly. What is most impressive is that I don't even own a lycra cycling shirt so I picked out a particularly tight shiny number from my 19-year-old collection and the ruse was complete. I reckon if I'm crap on the bike I may as well look the part. I think I'll skip the beach front rides though because locals may roll me back into the surf during a water stop.
Next week I'll be back peddling my wares and working for free for Uncle Rupert. You would reckon he's got a few bucks and may be able to flick a few my way sometime in the near future. I am looking forward to the week though because the Godl coast Suns build up will be really great to cover. I'm hoping to grab some good one on one interviews for some picture stories leading up to Saturday night.
I should probably do some Uni work this week as well or I may watch my GPA go into free-fall this semester. I'm heading into week 5 and have done sweet bugger-all thanks to my massive over-commitment to work experience and (oh yeah) a complete lack of motivation.
So tonight I've committed to again working from home in preparation for next weeks work at the Courier Mail. Of course that means channel surfing five different sports channels to stay on top of the current state of play in every major sporting competition is the country. I know what your thinking; poor bastard has to work on a Saturday night, but you know someone has to do it.
By the way if I'm in a tipping comp or fantasy league with you don't think I'm any better because I'm working in a sports department at a major Australian Newspaper. I still the same useless tipster I've always been and unlucky to boot. Bloody Joel Selwood!
Ok that's enough for tonight, I better get back to work and try to get the Raiders and Brumbies home.
P
So let's not beat around the bush. What are the numbers for week 12 of the Diary?
Well here they are.
Weight: 113.6kg which is a loss of a huge massive 500grams.
Gut: 116cm which remains stable from last week.
Mood: A wee little bit pissed off with myself.
As you can see it's not only my blogging that's been crap this week. I'm pretty pissed off with myself really because midweek I was already a couple of kilos down and looking at a really big result. But a couple of old demons crept into my head and my will-power took a brief holiday and before I knew it Saturday was here and the scales were my enemy.
On a positive note my grumpiness has resulted in a exercise filled Saturday so hopefully I can kick off this week like I did last week but keep it going for seven days this time. I put myself though another one of my home-brand circuit sessions this morning, then followed it up with a 25-odd-km ride this afternoon with a cycling group. I quite enjoyed the ride so I'll look to do some more of those in the near future.
It's the evenings that are my enemy at the moment. If you live alone you'll understand what I'm talking about. The nights are more often than not the time you have time to kill and historically food has been my best buddy during these times. I can do everything right up to and including dinner time and then lose my battle with the craving demons after that. And you can only go to bed at 9pm so many times to steer clear of the fridge before you feel like a later night.
So my plan for the coming week is all about structure.Tomorrow I'm going to set out my entire meal plan for the week and do my best to stick fast to the plan. It'll be a challenge though since recently I've been as good at sticking to my promises as Julia Gillard.
I really should have taken a photo today to share with you all. I reckon it is a real treat to see my not-so-athletic frame clad in lycra gear atop my mean machine treadly. What is most impressive is that I don't even own a lycra cycling shirt so I picked out a particularly tight shiny number from my 19-year-old collection and the ruse was complete. I reckon if I'm crap on the bike I may as well look the part. I think I'll skip the beach front rides though because locals may roll me back into the surf during a water stop.
Next week I'll be back peddling my wares and working for free for Uncle Rupert. You would reckon he's got a few bucks and may be able to flick a few my way sometime in the near future. I am looking forward to the week though because the Godl coast Suns build up will be really great to cover. I'm hoping to grab some good one on one interviews for some picture stories leading up to Saturday night.
I should probably do some Uni work this week as well or I may watch my GPA go into free-fall this semester. I'm heading into week 5 and have done sweet bugger-all thanks to my massive over-commitment to work experience and (oh yeah) a complete lack of motivation.
So tonight I've committed to again working from home in preparation for next weeks work at the Courier Mail. Of course that means channel surfing five different sports channels to stay on top of the current state of play in every major sporting competition is the country. I know what your thinking; poor bastard has to work on a Saturday night, but you know someone has to do it.
By the way if I'm in a tipping comp or fantasy league with you don't think I'm any better because I'm working in a sports department at a major Australian Newspaper. I still the same useless tipster I've always been and unlucky to boot. Bloody Joel Selwood!
Ok that's enough for tonight, I better get back to work and try to get the Raiders and Brumbies home.
P
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Welcome to the middle of the film (I mean week)
Greetings and salutations loyal readers.
Just back from dinner with a few mates after a fanatical fitness session earlier this afternoon. I set up a bit of a dodgy circuit in the garage and spent a tough hour sweating off the kilos. I'm fairly proud of the home-brand circuit stations that included the exercise bike, boxing bag, step-up stations and brick weight stations. I've managed a fairly heavy duty week on the fitness front and I'm looking forward to a positive result on Saturday.
I'm on the cusp of a pretty significant milestone at the moment of a with the "20kg loss" mark just around the corner. I'll be pleased if I can put up that number this week. I'm getting close to that 110kg mark as well which is also a particularly significant figure for me. It's the weight I was when I decided I had to lose weight around my 30th birthday. On that occasion I lost 28kg and got down to 82kg for a year or so. Unfortunately life challenges intervened and I fell back into my old habits. I think I'll be better this time because of that experience anyway. It is a little weird though that just as I reach such a significant milestone I get a reminder of how far is left to go on this journey.
Footy season begins tomorrow which for me is equivalent to December 25 (theres a name for that day isn't there). So as of tomorrow its all handballs, goals, the substitute rule (if you know nothing about this last reference then it proves I'm more fanatical than most) and hopefully more than 10 renditions of 'Tigerland' over the next 25 weeks.
So moving forward I can look forward to a constant mix of footy, study, free work and junk food cravings (yes there still here). But there's one thing I can be certain about, I'll be too busy to think about how busy I am.
I've more or less decided to get a new bike and crack into some more regular riding. I'm aiming to gain MAMIL status sometime this year so the sooner I get on the better I think.
Another nice side benefit today as I managed to get back into an old shirt I haven't been in for at least 3-4 years. I reckon by around 105kg I'll have a fair bit available to me. I am facing a dilemma though with respect to my TV work this semester. I'm certain I don't have a suit that fits so I'll have to figure out a way around that problem because I'm not investing in anymore (bowls of fruit) until I get near my goal weight. Seriously considering another Phuket sojourn at the end of the year though since I'll need at least 2-3 decent suits for the industry I'm entering. I figure they're around 70% cheaper there so if I buy 3 I can have a really cheap holiday.
OK that'll do for today I'm sure you all prefer the short posts anyway
Till next time,
P
Just back from dinner with a few mates after a fanatical fitness session earlier this afternoon. I set up a bit of a dodgy circuit in the garage and spent a tough hour sweating off the kilos. I'm fairly proud of the home-brand circuit stations that included the exercise bike, boxing bag, step-up stations and brick weight stations. I've managed a fairly heavy duty week on the fitness front and I'm looking forward to a positive result on Saturday.
I'm on the cusp of a pretty significant milestone at the moment of a with the "20kg loss" mark just around the corner. I'll be pleased if I can put up that number this week. I'm getting close to that 110kg mark as well which is also a particularly significant figure for me. It's the weight I was when I decided I had to lose weight around my 30th birthday. On that occasion I lost 28kg and got down to 82kg for a year or so. Unfortunately life challenges intervened and I fell back into my old habits. I think I'll be better this time because of that experience anyway. It is a little weird though that just as I reach such a significant milestone I get a reminder of how far is left to go on this journey.
Footy season begins tomorrow which for me is equivalent to December 25 (theres a name for that day isn't there). So as of tomorrow its all handballs, goals, the substitute rule (if you know nothing about this last reference then it proves I'm more fanatical than most) and hopefully more than 10 renditions of 'Tigerland' over the next 25 weeks.
So moving forward I can look forward to a constant mix of footy, study, free work and junk food cravings (yes there still here). But there's one thing I can be certain about, I'll be too busy to think about how busy I am.
I've more or less decided to get a new bike and crack into some more regular riding. I'm aiming to gain MAMIL status sometime this year so the sooner I get on the better I think.
Another nice side benefit today as I managed to get back into an old shirt I haven't been in for at least 3-4 years. I reckon by around 105kg I'll have a fair bit available to me. I am facing a dilemma though with respect to my TV work this semester. I'm certain I don't have a suit that fits so I'll have to figure out a way around that problem because I'm not investing in anymore (bowls of fruit) until I get near my goal weight. Seriously considering another Phuket sojourn at the end of the year though since I'll need at least 2-3 decent suits for the industry I'm entering. I figure they're around 70% cheaper there so if I buy 3 I can have a really cheap holiday.
OK that'll do for today I'm sure you all prefer the short posts anyway
Till next time,
P
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The not so short walk Part II
Hey folks, back again after a few blog free days.
Well its fair to say I'm coming off a much more sensible weekend than the last few so with a bit of luck and an ounce of hard work I will make a less of an indentation on the scales this week. I'm in a bit of an exercise zone at the moment. While I'm not entirely sure where the motivation is coming from I'm not complaining, just going with it.
Today I repeated my somewhat crazy trek of last week only this time in reverse. Now by that I don't mean I walked home from Uni backwards but rather I walked TO Uni this morning. I must have been dawdling the other day because this morning I did the 8 odd kilometre journey in 1 hour 25 mins and felt pretty good after. My classmates are very thankful that my campus has good access to showers I reckon.
As for my changing dietary habits well I feel that some of the old habits are slowly being condemned to the record books. My soft drink intake is down to just the odd can here or there and because I still haven't managed to develop much of a palate for the diet versions I mostly just steer clear of them all. I'm avoiding the grog as well for most of the week although as per my blogs of the last month I've tended to overdo it when I leave that rule at home.
I'm back at the paper next week for another fun filled week in sport. I'm really looking forward to this one because the Gold Coast Suns play their first AFL game on Saturday and the build-up will ensure lots of content is required for the paper. Hopefully I get the chance to cover a fair bit of AFL this week as I reckon it will be pretty exciting to be at the coal face for the birth of the competition's newest club.
It's back to the surgeon on Thursday to work out when my gammy knee will go back under the knife. I'll try to plan it to coincide with holidays but on the public system it's probably just a case of take it or leave I reckon. Time will tell I guess.
OK that's enough for now I reckon, I better get back to the hard work that is weight loss. If I'm going to get to that 110kg target by months end I can't afford any more blow outs.
Talk soon.
P
Well its fair to say I'm coming off a much more sensible weekend than the last few so with a bit of luck and an ounce of hard work I will make a less of an indentation on the scales this week. I'm in a bit of an exercise zone at the moment. While I'm not entirely sure where the motivation is coming from I'm not complaining, just going with it.
Today I repeated my somewhat crazy trek of last week only this time in reverse. Now by that I don't mean I walked home from Uni backwards but rather I walked TO Uni this morning. I must have been dawdling the other day because this morning I did the 8 odd kilometre journey in 1 hour 25 mins and felt pretty good after. My classmates are very thankful that my campus has good access to showers I reckon.
As for my changing dietary habits well I feel that some of the old habits are slowly being condemned to the record books. My soft drink intake is down to just the odd can here or there and because I still haven't managed to develop much of a palate for the diet versions I mostly just steer clear of them all. I'm avoiding the grog as well for most of the week although as per my blogs of the last month I've tended to overdo it when I leave that rule at home.
I'm back at the paper next week for another fun filled week in sport. I'm really looking forward to this one because the Gold Coast Suns play their first AFL game on Saturday and the build-up will ensure lots of content is required for the paper. Hopefully I get the chance to cover a fair bit of AFL this week as I reckon it will be pretty exciting to be at the coal face for the birth of the competition's newest club.
It's back to the surgeon on Thursday to work out when my gammy knee will go back under the knife. I'll try to plan it to coincide with holidays but on the public system it's probably just a case of take it or leave I reckon. Time will tell I guess.
OK that's enough for now I reckon, I better get back to the hard work that is weight loss. If I'm going to get to that 110kg target by months end I can't afford any more blow outs.
Talk soon.
P
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Confessions of a shrinking man
Ah Saturday morning again, scales again and most importantly less weight again.
Yep, despite last Saturday afternoon's punting and drinking session and a St Patty's Day marathon of Guinness pints, I've somehow managed to put up a negative number. Maybe I should do psycho walks more often.
So the numbers are: 114.1kg that's a loss of 1kg and 116cm which is down a couple there as well.
I'm planning on having some slightly less eventful, perhaps even boring weeks and hopefully I can find a bit of the consistency that's been missing over the past 4 weeks or so. Thanks for the upbeat positive comments regarding the newsy style post, maybe I'll have to consider a few more from time to time.
As for news from the other Smeato world, Uni's ramping up along with an ever increasing volume of free journo gigs. I reckon I just may be the most sought after journalist in Queensland at the moment considering I practically says yes to every request and never get paid. Yes, it does sound like fun doesn't it. Seriously though I'm not complaining. The experience is invaluable and I'm getting more confident of a decent job by the day.
Alrighty then, that'll do for now I better go do some washing, bugger it's raining, it can wait.
Talk soon
P
Yep, despite last Saturday afternoon's punting and drinking session and a St Patty's Day marathon of Guinness pints, I've somehow managed to put up a negative number. Maybe I should do psycho walks more often.
So the numbers are: 114.1kg that's a loss of 1kg and 116cm which is down a couple there as well.
I'm planning on having some slightly less eventful, perhaps even boring weeks and hopefully I can find a bit of the consistency that's been missing over the past 4 weeks or so. Thanks for the upbeat positive comments regarding the newsy style post, maybe I'll have to consider a few more from time to time.
As for news from the other Smeato world, Uni's ramping up along with an ever increasing volume of free journo gigs. I reckon I just may be the most sought after journalist in Queensland at the moment considering I practically says yes to every request and never get paid. Yes, it does sound like fun doesn't it. Seriously though I'm not complaining. The experience is invaluable and I'm getting more confident of a decent job by the day.
Alrighty then, that'll do for now I better go do some washing, bugger it's raining, it can wait.
Talk soon
P
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
One strange day!
I've decided to write tonight's post in news style with a touch of tabloid sensationalism. Hopefully it won't be too random to understand. Enjoy
Fat man completes epic journey
In a what can best be described as a complete brain explosion, 40-year-old university student, Paul Smeaton, today walked home from his uni campus in an apparent effort to "do some exercise."
The nine kilometre journey took Mr Smeaton 1 hour and 40 minutes and left the self proclaimed "fat bastard" feeling exhausted and confused.
The bizarre decision came after the man originally walked from his campus to the bus-stop before deciding to continue on up the hill a bit in an effort to avoid his afternoon workout.
The self-proclaimed fat bastard said he wasn't really sure why he walked all the way home when his original plan was merely to walk a few stops and get a sweat up.
"I'm not really sure why I walked all the way home," Mr Smeaton said.
"My plan was to walk a few stops just to get a sweat up".
The walk wasn't the only bizarre occurrence Mr Smeaton experienced on the day after he had earlier left home on his push-bike to ride to University.
With less than half the journey completed, the clearly unstable individual attempted an advanced kerb hopping manoeuvre on his bike only to find it way beyond his minimal cycling ability.
The bike performed a radical fishtail manoeuvre slamming into the concrete kerb and severely buckling his rear wheel.
Confused and dazed, Mr Smeaton chained the bike to the nearest solid structure and set off for the bus stop in an effort to make his 9am lecture.
Bus patrons were somewhat dismayed at the sight of the sweaty, podgy, lycra clad fool that boarded their bus while wondering why a man would wear such an outfit and carry a bike helmet all without a bike.
Mr Smeaton said despite the obvious problems the morning wasn't a total loss.
"I got two seats to myself all the way to the city," Mr Smeaton said.
"I'm not sure why but lots of people sort of looked at the spare seat then went and stood up in the aisle".
Mr Smeaton's 13-year-old daughter Naomi was at home to greet her father as he walked up the street.
"He just walked up the driveway and I said 'Where's your bike?'" Miss Smeaton remarked.
"He just said he'd had a stack so he walked home from Uni,"
"He's pretty weird".
Mr Smeaton indicated he was unlikely to repeat the feat in the near future.
"I don't reckon I'll do it again soon," he said.
"My dodgy knee's a bit sore."
When asked if this insane walk was the stupidest thing he'd ever done, Mr Smeaton was forthright in his reply.
"No way I've done heaps of dumb shit in my time," he said.
"Chances are I'll do something stupider next week."
Fat man completes epic journey
In a what can best be described as a complete brain explosion, 40-year-old university student, Paul Smeaton, today walked home from his uni campus in an apparent effort to "do some exercise."
The nine kilometre journey took Mr Smeaton 1 hour and 40 minutes and left the self proclaimed "fat bastard" feeling exhausted and confused.
The bizarre decision came after the man originally walked from his campus to the bus-stop before deciding to continue on up the hill a bit in an effort to avoid his afternoon workout.
The self-proclaimed fat bastard said he wasn't really sure why he walked all the way home when his original plan was merely to walk a few stops and get a sweat up.
"I'm not really sure why I walked all the way home," Mr Smeaton said.
"My plan was to walk a few stops just to get a sweat up".
The walk wasn't the only bizarre occurrence Mr Smeaton experienced on the day after he had earlier left home on his push-bike to ride to University.
With less than half the journey completed, the clearly unstable individual attempted an advanced kerb hopping manoeuvre on his bike only to find it way beyond his minimal cycling ability.
The bike performed a radical fishtail manoeuvre slamming into the concrete kerb and severely buckling his rear wheel.
Confused and dazed, Mr Smeaton chained the bike to the nearest solid structure and set off for the bus stop in an effort to make his 9am lecture.
Bus patrons were somewhat dismayed at the sight of the sweaty, podgy, lycra clad fool that boarded their bus while wondering why a man would wear such an outfit and carry a bike helmet all without a bike.
Mr Smeaton said despite the obvious problems the morning wasn't a total loss.
"I got two seats to myself all the way to the city," Mr Smeaton said.
"I'm not sure why but lots of people sort of looked at the spare seat then went and stood up in the aisle".
Mr Smeaton's 13-year-old daughter Naomi was at home to greet her father as he walked up the street.
"He just walked up the driveway and I said 'Where's your bike?'" Miss Smeaton remarked.
"He just said he'd had a stack so he walked home from Uni,"
"He's pretty weird".
Mr Smeaton indicated he was unlikely to repeat the feat in the near future.
"I don't reckon I'll do it again soon," he said.
"My dodgy knee's a bit sore."
When asked if this insane walk was the stupidest thing he'd ever done, Mr Smeaton was forthright in his reply.
"No way I've done heaps of dumb shit in my time," he said.
"Chances are I'll do something stupider next week."
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Old Friends
Short post tonight. Unlike last time I promised that, I'll stick to it tonight.
Massive boxing session this arvo in 30 odd degree heat. Think I probably lost a kilo or two in fluid and was absolutely spent at the end. It always feels that much better about an hour after you finish doesn't it. I'm slowly getting back into the exercise routine despite still lacking motivation. Tomorrow I will attempt my first ride to Uni. I'm not that excited about it but I'm sure it won't be as bad as I think. It's around 40-45 mins each way I'm guessing so it will certainly be a good workout. If you're reading this and you're in my lecture at 9 tomorrow you may want to give me a wide birth (I may be on the nose). I guess I could bring a towel and have a shower first but that would be too organised I think. I'm looking forward to the lecture again as our guest speaker is Andrew Lofthouse (Nine News anchor) (ex ABC for those outside Brisbane) so he should be good value. I'm sure I'll be calling him Lofty by the end of the lecture (probably only if I have a shower though).
Caught up with an old mate of mine from Kitchen Connection for lunch today. She's looking great and it was great to meet her two gorgeous kids for the first time today. Every time I see an old friend I wonder why we don't catch up more. It's fair to say I'm not really missing my old job at KC but I do miss some of the great people I used to work with.
OK, I promised a shorter post and I will deliver. In a nutshell I'm eating well and working out daily now so the results should be coming. I'll qualify that by saying St Patricks Day celebrations are yet to come (promise I'll try to hold back).
Talk soon
P
Massive boxing session this arvo in 30 odd degree heat. Think I probably lost a kilo or two in fluid and was absolutely spent at the end. It always feels that much better about an hour after you finish doesn't it. I'm slowly getting back into the exercise routine despite still lacking motivation. Tomorrow I will attempt my first ride to Uni. I'm not that excited about it but I'm sure it won't be as bad as I think. It's around 40-45 mins each way I'm guessing so it will certainly be a good workout. If you're reading this and you're in my lecture at 9 tomorrow you may want to give me a wide birth (I may be on the nose). I guess I could bring a towel and have a shower first but that would be too organised I think. I'm looking forward to the lecture again as our guest speaker is Andrew Lofthouse (Nine News anchor) (ex ABC for those outside Brisbane) so he should be good value. I'm sure I'll be calling him Lofty by the end of the lecture (probably only if I have a shower though).
Caught up with an old mate of mine from Kitchen Connection for lunch today. She's looking great and it was great to meet her two gorgeous kids for the first time today. Every time I see an old friend I wonder why we don't catch up more. It's fair to say I'm not really missing my old job at KC but I do miss some of the great people I used to work with.
OK, I promised a shorter post and I will deliver. In a nutshell I'm eating well and working out daily now so the results should be coming. I'll qualify that by saying St Patricks Day celebrations are yet to come (promise I'll try to hold back).
Talk soon
P
Monday, March 14, 2011
Idle time!!!!!
After my inspiring week in the workplace, today it was back to reality and the grind of Uni. Its going to be a bit of a weird year I think with a full time Uni commitment mixed in with my industry placements. I've found the motivation for the Uni work a bit hard to find so far but I'm sure assessment deadlines will cure that.
As for the journey, well I've been fighting back again after a Saturday blow-out. Remember that statement about enjoying a Saturday with no commitments and maybe catching a flick. Well they say idle time is the devils playground and I set about proving that point on Saturday. I'm not entirely sure why I came to the conclusion that a pub lunch and a few beers was a better idea but somehow I did. So a few beers turned into a thousand and the rest is history. While I didn't get back on the scales on Sunday I'm guessing at least half of last weeks good work was undone.
I've managed to be fairly good Sunday to today but it generally takes me half the week to get myself back to the same weight after an old fashioned gorge-fest. I'm a bit annoyed with myself about this one since it was unplanned and unnecessary. I'm happy with my philosophy of not avoiding events and celebrations but this wasn't one of those. I'm heading to the Gold Coast on Thursday for a St Pats day celebration and now I feel I'll have to hold back on the Guinness to protect myself from a very sad Saturday morning.
So if nothing else, the last month has proved that I'm human and flawed and this journey will take every bit of a year regardless of what the number on the scales reads. Every time I fall over and have to fight my way back I'm learning a little bit more about myself, my vices and what sort of lifestyle I need to lead. Life too short to live it fat and unhealthy (in fact it becomes shorter if you do) so I'm realising these days of extreme over-indulgence have to become a thing of the past.
I think a lot of this comes back to the personality traits I spoke about early in this blog. I'm such an all or nothing sort of guy and as much as I've committed to this process since January 1, unfortunately I equally commit to my bad days.
So the roller-coaster journey continues. Tune in next time, same bat time, same bat channel and find out whether my roller-coaster car is on an up or the down section. I'd like to give you a hint but to be honest even I don't know.
Till then.
P
As for the journey, well I've been fighting back again after a Saturday blow-out. Remember that statement about enjoying a Saturday with no commitments and maybe catching a flick. Well they say idle time is the devils playground and I set about proving that point on Saturday. I'm not entirely sure why I came to the conclusion that a pub lunch and a few beers was a better idea but somehow I did. So a few beers turned into a thousand and the rest is history. While I didn't get back on the scales on Sunday I'm guessing at least half of last weeks good work was undone.
I've managed to be fairly good Sunday to today but it generally takes me half the week to get myself back to the same weight after an old fashioned gorge-fest. I'm a bit annoyed with myself about this one since it was unplanned and unnecessary. I'm happy with my philosophy of not avoiding events and celebrations but this wasn't one of those. I'm heading to the Gold Coast on Thursday for a St Pats day celebration and now I feel I'll have to hold back on the Guinness to protect myself from a very sad Saturday morning.
So if nothing else, the last month has proved that I'm human and flawed and this journey will take every bit of a year regardless of what the number on the scales reads. Every time I fall over and have to fight my way back I'm learning a little bit more about myself, my vices and what sort of lifestyle I need to lead. Life too short to live it fat and unhealthy (in fact it becomes shorter if you do) so I'm realising these days of extreme over-indulgence have to become a thing of the past.
I think a lot of this comes back to the personality traits I spoke about early in this blog. I'm such an all or nothing sort of guy and as much as I've committed to this process since January 1, unfortunately I equally commit to my bad days.
So the roller-coaster journey continues. Tune in next time, same bat time, same bat channel and find out whether my roller-coaster car is on an up or the down section. I'd like to give you a hint but to be honest even I don't know.
Till then.
P
Saturday, March 12, 2011
An EPIC Week
While I bemoan the overuse of the term 'Epic' by the younger generation, I thought I would join the movement this morning to do ensure I do justice to the week that was.
I've been busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger this week but it has also probably been my most successful and productive week in a number of years so who's complaining.
Let me start with the most obvious subject, the journey. I made some big statements early in the week about getting back on track and dropping 4kg for the week. Well I'm pleased to say that even in a week where I was only home once before 8pm, I managed to maintain my discipline and eat well most of the time. I even managed to hold myself back last night from the sumptuous buffet offered up by the Broncos in the press box at Suncorp.
The result. I've managed to drop 4.1kg for the week and 4cm off the love machine fuel tank (or gut as its also known). A great result I think and its put me into uncharted territory again after a bit of a set back following the birthday week. I've got my sights firmly set on that 110kg mark now by the end of March. I've got around 18 days to achieve it so I'm sure I can get there.
I find myself living in a bit of a no-mans-land at the moment in terms of my wardrobe. I've never really been at this weight for any length of time hence I have few clothes that fit me right now. Everything in the wardrobe is too big and the old stuff I've been planning to reintroduce into the rotation is still a bit tight. It made this week at the Courier Mail a bit of a struggle with only two shirts I could legitimately wear without looking like I had a parachute or a Lance Armstrong work shirt on. Not that I'm complaining, it's a nice problem to have, I hope it continues. The good news is I have a fair few items in the XL range so in another 5kg or so I'll be comfortably back into those clothes. I seriously hope retro is fashionable again though because many of these clothes were purchased when Mary rode a donkey to a stable.
I'm learning to embrace hunger. A strange statement I know but before you yell at your monitor that I'm not eating enough, let me explain. I'm working on a philosophy of delayed gratification when it comes to my meals. I've added in a lot of fruit to my diet as snacks this year but I've said all along that I wasn't going to cut out all the treats I used to love but simply cut back on them. So when I do decide eat something that's not the best I delay it by 1/2 -1 hour and drink water during that period. I try to eat healthy meals as often as possible but what I find is that I often don't feel satisfied afterwards. I reckon its because that hunger feeling is sometimes more about a craving than anything else and when I don't feed it with saturated fat or sugar my guts get annoyed with me. So I've decided to embrace that feeling by imagining its my body feeding off my love handles in protest. I know its a little weird but it works for me. Hell, it may even be true.
This is a long journey so I'm confident the craving will decrease as the months roll on and my Adonis-like figure will begin to enjoy the wonderfully nutritious foods I now feed it.
Now the other good news for the week. The buzz work of the week is NETWORK. I've really begun to see the benefits of all the work experience I've been doing. I've initiated discussions about two jobs that haven't been advertised simply by creating a wider network of industry professionals I now know. I'm not sure whether either will result in me winning the position but it proves that its not what you know but who you know that's important. I'm also receiving good feedback from the organisations I'm working for so I'm very confident of landing a local job by years end if not before.
I've had few stories published this week but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's paper because I'm hoping to have my Liz Cambage story in. It contains some new information that hasn't been reported yet despite the high volume of media she's done this week leading in the the WNBL Grand Final. Yes, I know a lot of you have no bloody idea who Liz Cambage is so try this; think Lauren Jackson before you knew who she was and if you don't know Lauren Jackson then I can't bloody well help you! While the information isn't earth shattering it's important and it's always nice to get part of the story other journo's have missed.
My first night with the Broncos was enjoyable. I'm finding I can knock out a match report on the spot pretty easily now so I'm feeling more comfortable every time I do a game. The style required for the Broncos website is a little strange but I'll give them what they want. If you want to read my dribble from last night (2 separate articles) here's the link: www.broncos.com.au
So that's about that for the EPIC week that was. Pretty cool hey. With no great commitments now for the weekend I think I'll reward myself by taking in a flick and then I'll spend some time 'working from home'(which now means watching sport on the couch). See why I did all this... What was once considered lazing around being a fat bastard is now crucial background research for my career. Yes lads I know you're jealous.
Ciao' for now
P
PS. I interviewed 5 Olympians in one week, how cool is this job.
I've been busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger this week but it has also probably been my most successful and productive week in a number of years so who's complaining.
Let me start with the most obvious subject, the journey. I made some big statements early in the week about getting back on track and dropping 4kg for the week. Well I'm pleased to say that even in a week where I was only home once before 8pm, I managed to maintain my discipline and eat well most of the time. I even managed to hold myself back last night from the sumptuous buffet offered up by the Broncos in the press box at Suncorp.
The result. I've managed to drop 4.1kg for the week and 4cm off the love machine fuel tank (or gut as its also known). A great result I think and its put me into uncharted territory again after a bit of a set back following the birthday week. I've got my sights firmly set on that 110kg mark now by the end of March. I've got around 18 days to achieve it so I'm sure I can get there.
I find myself living in a bit of a no-mans-land at the moment in terms of my wardrobe. I've never really been at this weight for any length of time hence I have few clothes that fit me right now. Everything in the wardrobe is too big and the old stuff I've been planning to reintroduce into the rotation is still a bit tight. It made this week at the Courier Mail a bit of a struggle with only two shirts I could legitimately wear without looking like I had a parachute or a Lance Armstrong work shirt on. Not that I'm complaining, it's a nice problem to have, I hope it continues. The good news is I have a fair few items in the XL range so in another 5kg or so I'll be comfortably back into those clothes. I seriously hope retro is fashionable again though because many of these clothes were purchased when Mary rode a donkey to a stable.
I'm learning to embrace hunger. A strange statement I know but before you yell at your monitor that I'm not eating enough, let me explain. I'm working on a philosophy of delayed gratification when it comes to my meals. I've added in a lot of fruit to my diet as snacks this year but I've said all along that I wasn't going to cut out all the treats I used to love but simply cut back on them. So when I do decide eat something that's not the best I delay it by 1/2 -1 hour and drink water during that period. I try to eat healthy meals as often as possible but what I find is that I often don't feel satisfied afterwards. I reckon its because that hunger feeling is sometimes more about a craving than anything else and when I don't feed it with saturated fat or sugar my guts get annoyed with me. So I've decided to embrace that feeling by imagining its my body feeding off my love handles in protest. I know its a little weird but it works for me. Hell, it may even be true.
This is a long journey so I'm confident the craving will decrease as the months roll on and my Adonis-like figure will begin to enjoy the wonderfully nutritious foods I now feed it.
Now the other good news for the week. The buzz work of the week is NETWORK. I've really begun to see the benefits of all the work experience I've been doing. I've initiated discussions about two jobs that haven't been advertised simply by creating a wider network of industry professionals I now know. I'm not sure whether either will result in me winning the position but it proves that its not what you know but who you know that's important. I'm also receiving good feedback from the organisations I'm working for so I'm very confident of landing a local job by years end if not before.
I've had few stories published this week but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's paper because I'm hoping to have my Liz Cambage story in. It contains some new information that hasn't been reported yet despite the high volume of media she's done this week leading in the the WNBL Grand Final. Yes, I know a lot of you have no bloody idea who Liz Cambage is so try this; think Lauren Jackson before you knew who she was and if you don't know Lauren Jackson then I can't bloody well help you! While the information isn't earth shattering it's important and it's always nice to get part of the story other journo's have missed.
My first night with the Broncos was enjoyable. I'm finding I can knock out a match report on the spot pretty easily now so I'm feeling more comfortable every time I do a game. The style required for the Broncos website is a little strange but I'll give them what they want. If you want to read my dribble from last night (2 separate articles) here's the link: www.broncos.com.au
So that's about that for the EPIC week that was. Pretty cool hey. With no great commitments now for the weekend I think I'll reward myself by taking in a flick and then I'll spend some time 'working from home'(which now means watching sport on the couch). See why I did all this... What was once considered lazing around being a fat bastard is now crucial background research for my career. Yes lads I know you're jealous.
Ciao' for now
P
PS. I interviewed 5 Olympians in one week, how cool is this job.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi
Hey all,
There's not a lot to contribute tonight so I'll keep it short and sweet.
I've managed to string together a couple of really good days now so I may be getting back on track. I've found it easier when I'm busy and don't have time to sit around thinking about what I'm going to eat next. It's funny how much time I spend thinking about food. I guess when you've spent as long as I have killing time from one crap meal to the next it just becomes part of your day. So its great to have full days with a lot on my plate (metaphorical plate that is) because food becomes a less important part of the day.
That idea may be hard for people who haven't had a weight issue to understand but I think it's central to the problem for many of us. I've always had a poor relationship with food that was based around satisfying the taste buds first and the needs of my body second. It's a recipe for disaster in the long run and understanding that is the first battle but the harder one is overcoming it. I'm hoping the new direction I'm taking with my life will help me find a level of fulfilment that has been missing and I won't need to turn to junk food for that gratification.
Wow, that's all a little bit deep tonight, sorry about that but I think sharing those types of thoughts helps the whole process.
On the lighter side, I went to the final Brisbane Roar Press Conference today prior to Sunday's 'A' League Grand Final. I was really pleased that Matt McKay was there to talk to because the other good Aussie boys present were, Ange Postecoglou, Massimo Murdocca, Shane Stefanutto, Michael Theoklitos and Eric Paartalu. As you can imagine I needed help with the spelling for most of the lads but don't get me wrong, I'm as multicultural as the next bloke but the names are a journo's nightmare.
I ducked into Uni this morning for an early lecture before heading to the paper. I was keen for this lecture as Spencer Howson was the guest lecturer and I was keen to hear him speak. For those of you outside Brisbane, Spencer is the ABC local radio breakfast presenter and leads the ratings in Brisbane for his time slot. He's a QUT journo graduate and while I don't have any great ambition to have my own breakfast show I am very interested in broadcasting and wanted all the advice I could get. To prove how valuable he was, within 12 hrs of the lecture I have secured an audition for a presenting job on community radio (I dropped his name and it helped). He also gave me a lead on my dream job which I'll keep under my hat for now so not to jinx it.
Ok I promised a shorter post and I think I've failed somewhat so I'll go now and get some sleep.
Bye for now.
P
PS. Ten points for guessing the words that just showed up on my spell-check
There's not a lot to contribute tonight so I'll keep it short and sweet.
I've managed to string together a couple of really good days now so I may be getting back on track. I've found it easier when I'm busy and don't have time to sit around thinking about what I'm going to eat next. It's funny how much time I spend thinking about food. I guess when you've spent as long as I have killing time from one crap meal to the next it just becomes part of your day. So its great to have full days with a lot on my plate (metaphorical plate that is) because food becomes a less important part of the day.
That idea may be hard for people who haven't had a weight issue to understand but I think it's central to the problem for many of us. I've always had a poor relationship with food that was based around satisfying the taste buds first and the needs of my body second. It's a recipe for disaster in the long run and understanding that is the first battle but the harder one is overcoming it. I'm hoping the new direction I'm taking with my life will help me find a level of fulfilment that has been missing and I won't need to turn to junk food for that gratification.
Wow, that's all a little bit deep tonight, sorry about that but I think sharing those types of thoughts helps the whole process.
On the lighter side, I went to the final Brisbane Roar Press Conference today prior to Sunday's 'A' League Grand Final. I was really pleased that Matt McKay was there to talk to because the other good Aussie boys present were, Ange Postecoglou, Massimo Murdocca, Shane Stefanutto, Michael Theoklitos and Eric Paartalu. As you can imagine I needed help with the spelling for most of the lads but don't get me wrong, I'm as multicultural as the next bloke but the names are a journo's nightmare.
I ducked into Uni this morning for an early lecture before heading to the paper. I was keen for this lecture as Spencer Howson was the guest lecturer and I was keen to hear him speak. For those of you outside Brisbane, Spencer is the ABC local radio breakfast presenter and leads the ratings in Brisbane for his time slot. He's a QUT journo graduate and while I don't have any great ambition to have my own breakfast show I am very interested in broadcasting and wanted all the advice I could get. To prove how valuable he was, within 12 hrs of the lecture I have secured an audition for a presenting job on community radio (I dropped his name and it helped). He also gave me a lead on my dream job which I'll keep under my hat for now so not to jinx it.
Ok I promised a shorter post and I think I've failed somewhat so I'll go now and get some sleep.
Bye for now.
P
PS. Ten points for guessing the words that just showed up on my spell-check
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A few wobbles but I'm still on the bike
I'm ba-ack. Sorry I've been a bit aloof since the weekend but I've been a little busy.
To be honest, I'm still not totally back into the swing of things regarding the diet. I'm still finding it a bit hard to focus but at least today has been a good day. This morning I deliberately planned out everything I'd eat for the day and I've managed to stick to it to the letter. While that may seem like a small thing to many people it still proves challenging for me. Whenever I get hungry the first thing my body craves is junk. I'm beginning to realise that this battle is far from over despite my good first couple of months. So based on today's success I think I'll stick with the daily eating plan at least for the short term while I get back on track.
I've been pretty slack on the exercise front as well and have only done one 45min exercise bike session since my mojo moment on the punching bag. I'm not too worried about that at the moment though as this week is insanely busy so I'll just fit in a session where and when I can.
On the life front I'm back at the Courier Mail this week in my favourite section "Sport" and loving it. In general, all the staff are a great crew and are happy to offer my advice and direction which is invaluable to me at this stage. It looks like I'll have two yarns (articles for non industry people) in tomorrow's paper after being let loose at Broncos training today on my own. Got some good stuff from new coach Anthony Griffin and front rower Scott Anderson so wrote a couple of pieces.
The best news is I pitched a couple of ideas today to the editors and they were well received. As a result, tomorrow I'm interviewing Liz Cambage (the next world basketball superstar) about the WNBL Grand Final and more importantly the WNBA draft next month. I'm looking forward to knocking out some stories about a sport I'm really comfortable with. I've also got another couple of interviews planned tomorrow and Thursday with Duncan Free, Olympic Gold Medallist rower and and up and coming Aussie amateur boxer.
The days are long but it's what I love so I'm savouring every minute of it. Friday I'm covering my first Bronco's home game at Suncorp straight after working all day at the paper so it's looking like a 14-15hr day but it's all sport so what could be better. I'll have to be careful in the press box to avoid the deep fried treats that are offered up for the journalists as I have my usual Saturday morning weigh in to consider.
I know I made a big 4kg loss statement on Saturday but I'll be frank and say I may need divine intervention to fulfil that promise. So feel free to pray for me and I'll bust a gut at this end to get as close as I can.
It's a little weird how I'm feeling at the moment about my body. At around 118kgs I'm still way overweight but because of where I was 2 months ago I almost feel normal. Sometimes I have to remind myself how much further I need to go. I've begun to remind myself that the first time I ever lost a large amount of weight (around 28kg ten years ago) I began the journey at 110kg. With that in mind I'm still nearly 10kg heavier than what I agreed was too fat way back then. It's all about perspective I guess.
So as I enter month 3, the physical and emotional journey continues. As promised there has been good and bad days and I'm sure that will continue. But whatever happens I will stick fast to the commitment I made day 1. I'll do my best to post every second day and as a treat I'll post some of my written masterpieces during the week.
See you soon.
P
To be honest, I'm still not totally back into the swing of things regarding the diet. I'm still finding it a bit hard to focus but at least today has been a good day. This morning I deliberately planned out everything I'd eat for the day and I've managed to stick to it to the letter. While that may seem like a small thing to many people it still proves challenging for me. Whenever I get hungry the first thing my body craves is junk. I'm beginning to realise that this battle is far from over despite my good first couple of months. So based on today's success I think I'll stick with the daily eating plan at least for the short term while I get back on track.
I've been pretty slack on the exercise front as well and have only done one 45min exercise bike session since my mojo moment on the punching bag. I'm not too worried about that at the moment though as this week is insanely busy so I'll just fit in a session where and when I can.
On the life front I'm back at the Courier Mail this week in my favourite section "Sport" and loving it. In general, all the staff are a great crew and are happy to offer my advice and direction which is invaluable to me at this stage. It looks like I'll have two yarns (articles for non industry people) in tomorrow's paper after being let loose at Broncos training today on my own. Got some good stuff from new coach Anthony Griffin and front rower Scott Anderson so wrote a couple of pieces.
The best news is I pitched a couple of ideas today to the editors and they were well received. As a result, tomorrow I'm interviewing Liz Cambage (the next world basketball superstar) about the WNBL Grand Final and more importantly the WNBA draft next month. I'm looking forward to knocking out some stories about a sport I'm really comfortable with. I've also got another couple of interviews planned tomorrow and Thursday with Duncan Free, Olympic Gold Medallist rower and and up and coming Aussie amateur boxer.
The days are long but it's what I love so I'm savouring every minute of it. Friday I'm covering my first Bronco's home game at Suncorp straight after working all day at the paper so it's looking like a 14-15hr day but it's all sport so what could be better. I'll have to be careful in the press box to avoid the deep fried treats that are offered up for the journalists as I have my usual Saturday morning weigh in to consider.
I know I made a big 4kg loss statement on Saturday but I'll be frank and say I may need divine intervention to fulfil that promise. So feel free to pray for me and I'll bust a gut at this end to get as close as I can.
It's a little weird how I'm feeling at the moment about my body. At around 118kgs I'm still way overweight but because of where I was 2 months ago I almost feel normal. Sometimes I have to remind myself how much further I need to go. I've begun to remind myself that the first time I ever lost a large amount of weight (around 28kg ten years ago) I began the journey at 110kg. With that in mind I'm still nearly 10kg heavier than what I agreed was too fat way back then. It's all about perspective I guess.
So as I enter month 3, the physical and emotional journey continues. As promised there has been good and bad days and I'm sure that will continue. But whatever happens I will stick fast to the commitment I made day 1. I'll do my best to post every second day and as a treat I'll post some of my written masterpieces during the week.
See you soon.
P
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Back to the scales
Another Saturday, another weigh in and as expected the mountain has just got a little bit higher. I've clocked in just over 119kg which my regular followers will know is a gain of over 2 kilos from a fortnight ago. Don't panic though it's but a minor correction in an otherwise bullish market (one for the financiers from my vault of quality metaphors).
I've known from the start of this ambitious journey that February would prove a tough ask. I mean lets face it, numerous party's and the entire cheering section of the family visiting for around a week, it was never going to be pretty.
With that in mind, it's fair to say the post-celebration week has been a bit of a challenge. It's not surprising I guess, since I'm trying to change light years of bad habits. It won't happen overnight but it will happen!
On the positive side I found my Mojo today. You won't believe this but it was hiding downstairs in the garage. Yep it's true. There I was 30 minutes into a boxing session on the punching bag and I was feeling that familiar sensation telling me a beer and a pie was a better Saturday plan when the bloody thing revealed itself to me from behind the bag. And not a moment too soon either. Well 30 minutes turned into an hour and before you know it I felt like I was back on track.
So here's the deal. I predict a 4 kilo loss this week. That's right 4 bloody kilos and nothing less. It's time to get this train back on the tracks (metaphor alert!). By next Saturday morning the fat bastard WILL be back into uncharted territory, under that 116.9kg mark.
Medical Update: I had my GP visit this morning regarding the troublesome knee and apart from the brilliant Dr Barrett noticing my shrinking physique (ten points for the compliment) she has also referred me to my third orthopaedic surgeon. I've reached that critical point where my choice of surgeon has become more of a financial issue than a medical one. Sad but true, that even with full private health cover, the gap for my last knee op cost me $3500 out of pocket. The beauty of the new guy is that he consults as a private patient and operates as a public patient. What a scam! Why haven't I heard of this earlier? Maybe I would'nt be so poor if that was the case. So its looks like another recovery period is just over the horizon.
So let's forget the knee, the diet and the exercise for a moment to reflect on my upcoming career. Next week I'm back working in the Courier Mail sport so I though I should spend the weekend making sure I was well researched before stepping foot in the office. So here's the good part. I'm kicking back on the couch with a glass of Cab Sav, flicking between four sports channels (you beauty the Brumbies just scored), (fuck Giteau just hit the bloody upright with the easy conversion), and now I call this research! Does it get any better than this.
OK that's more than enough crapping on for a Saturday, let's chat again tomorrow.
Until then.
P
I've known from the start of this ambitious journey that February would prove a tough ask. I mean lets face it, numerous party's and the entire cheering section of the family visiting for around a week, it was never going to be pretty.
With that in mind, it's fair to say the post-celebration week has been a bit of a challenge. It's not surprising I guess, since I'm trying to change light years of bad habits. It won't happen overnight but it will happen!
On the positive side I found my Mojo today. You won't believe this but it was hiding downstairs in the garage. Yep it's true. There I was 30 minutes into a boxing session on the punching bag and I was feeling that familiar sensation telling me a beer and a pie was a better Saturday plan when the bloody thing revealed itself to me from behind the bag. And not a moment too soon either. Well 30 minutes turned into an hour and before you know it I felt like I was back on track.
So here's the deal. I predict a 4 kilo loss this week. That's right 4 bloody kilos and nothing less. It's time to get this train back on the tracks (metaphor alert!). By next Saturday morning the fat bastard WILL be back into uncharted territory, under that 116.9kg mark.
Medical Update: I had my GP visit this morning regarding the troublesome knee and apart from the brilliant Dr Barrett noticing my shrinking physique (ten points for the compliment) she has also referred me to my third orthopaedic surgeon. I've reached that critical point where my choice of surgeon has become more of a financial issue than a medical one. Sad but true, that even with full private health cover, the gap for my last knee op cost me $3500 out of pocket. The beauty of the new guy is that he consults as a private patient and operates as a public patient. What a scam! Why haven't I heard of this earlier? Maybe I would'nt be so poor if that was the case. So its looks like another recovery period is just over the horizon.
So let's forget the knee, the diet and the exercise for a moment to reflect on my upcoming career. Next week I'm back working in the Courier Mail sport so I though I should spend the weekend making sure I was well researched before stepping foot in the office. So here's the good part. I'm kicking back on the couch with a glass of Cab Sav, flicking between four sports channels (you beauty the Brumbies just scored), (fuck Giteau just hit the bloody upright with the easy conversion), and now I call this research! Does it get any better than this.
OK that's more than enough crapping on for a Saturday, let's chat again tomorrow.
Until then.
P
Thursday, March 3, 2011
One of those days
For those of you who have been on board the diary since day 1, you may remember a reference I made to the emotional roller coaster ride that is weight loss. Well today was was one of those seriously fast downhill sections. In fact this post birthday week has been a bit of a struggle on a number of fronts.
As I mentioned the other day, my knee is in pretty bad shape to the point where today I began to entertain the possibility of an early total knee replacement. It's inevitable for me in the long run but doctors are loathe to do them in patients under 50 due to the limited life span of the new joint. But unless I can get some relief in another way it almost feels like the only option available to me. I've pretty much been unable to do any exercise this week because of the pain so the weekend doctors appointment is becoming more critical by the day.
Adding to the frustration is my general lack of enthusiasm and will power this week, particularly today. I have eaten reasonably well since the weekend until today and I'm sure I'll pay the price at the Saturday weigh in.
I guess it just emphasises that this is a year long journey and is bound to have some speed humps along the way. I think with Uni beginning this week I've realised that this year is going to be tough. It seems all I'll be doing is study and working for free and while its all part of the grand plan, it does grind on you sometimes when you give up a great deal of free time to work for nicks.
It's not all bad though, I do enjoy a lot of the work and I feel like I'm having a few wins building a reputation that may lead to a job soon. I think I just need to find my mojo again tomorrow and get my head back in the game, after all this journey has 10 months to go.
This week has been an exercise in frustration though with respect to work experience. I signed up for a uni unit called "workplace learning" that gives credit for completing 80 hour internships. My grand plan was to use this angle to secure a broadcast internship for the semester as this is an area I'm particularly interested in. But today those hopes have been dashed as a four week negotiation with the ABC and 4BC radio both yielded no result. It means at this stage I have no internship secured and will now have to beg the Courier Mail to give me an extra week in sport to fulfil the unit requirements. This would be a good result for most students but I've already done over 300 hours for the paper and really wanted to experience broadcast journalism. I have a meeting next week with the 4BC news director so I guess I'll just have to wow him with my winning personality then.
OK enough whinging about life, work and study. Now I'll whinge about the weather. How bloody hot is it. It's March already and I ready for a cool change. Enough of these mid 30 days and 25 degree nights. Don't the weather gods realise I have no air-conditioning.
Right......OK...... now I'm feeling better. I've think I've got that massive sooky whinge out of my system, so it's time to bloody harden up and get back on the horse (I do love metaphors).
Time for a rabbit food Friday and hopefully a less than terrible weigh in on Saturday.
Bye for now.
P
As I mentioned the other day, my knee is in pretty bad shape to the point where today I began to entertain the possibility of an early total knee replacement. It's inevitable for me in the long run but doctors are loathe to do them in patients under 50 due to the limited life span of the new joint. But unless I can get some relief in another way it almost feels like the only option available to me. I've pretty much been unable to do any exercise this week because of the pain so the weekend doctors appointment is becoming more critical by the day.
Adding to the frustration is my general lack of enthusiasm and will power this week, particularly today. I have eaten reasonably well since the weekend until today and I'm sure I'll pay the price at the Saturday weigh in.
I guess it just emphasises that this is a year long journey and is bound to have some speed humps along the way. I think with Uni beginning this week I've realised that this year is going to be tough. It seems all I'll be doing is study and working for free and while its all part of the grand plan, it does grind on you sometimes when you give up a great deal of free time to work for nicks.
It's not all bad though, I do enjoy a lot of the work and I feel like I'm having a few wins building a reputation that may lead to a job soon. I think I just need to find my mojo again tomorrow and get my head back in the game, after all this journey has 10 months to go.
This week has been an exercise in frustration though with respect to work experience. I signed up for a uni unit called "workplace learning" that gives credit for completing 80 hour internships. My grand plan was to use this angle to secure a broadcast internship for the semester as this is an area I'm particularly interested in. But today those hopes have been dashed as a four week negotiation with the ABC and 4BC radio both yielded no result. It means at this stage I have no internship secured and will now have to beg the Courier Mail to give me an extra week in sport to fulfil the unit requirements. This would be a good result for most students but I've already done over 300 hours for the paper and really wanted to experience broadcast journalism. I have a meeting next week with the 4BC news director so I guess I'll just have to wow him with my winning personality then.
OK enough whinging about life, work and study. Now I'll whinge about the weather. How bloody hot is it. It's March already and I ready for a cool change. Enough of these mid 30 days and 25 degree nights. Don't the weather gods realise I have no air-conditioning.
Right......OK...... now I'm feeling better. I've think I've got that massive sooky whinge out of my system, so it's time to bloody harden up and get back on the horse (I do love metaphors).
Time for a rabbit food Friday and hopefully a less than terrible weigh in on Saturday.
Bye for now.
P
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Back to reality
The celebrations are over so it's back to reality and a more sensible diet. The last week was enjoyable but unlike similar periods in years past, I now realise it's a break from reality rather than reality itself.
With that realisation firmly in grasp I had a good Monday and I'm ready to resume shrinkage!
I tested out my new couch substitute last night while enjoying 'House'. I rode for around an hour and sweated buckets and while I can't say it's as comfortable as my Moran 3-seater, it certainly is a healthier option during TV time. The only downside seems to be my troublesome knee. It's pulled up pretty sore but I think that has as much to do with the amount of alcohol I consumed over the last week as it does the fitness session. Subject to how the knee feels tomorrow I plan to do the round trip to Uni on the bike which is around 40mins each way.
A final note on the knee is I'm booked in for the Doctor on Saturday again as it seems to be deteriorating fairly rapidly now. Based on previous experiences I'm sure I'll be back under the knife fairly soon to do a major clean out. I'll work on organising that for the break between Semester 1 & 2 as I expect it'll mean between 2 & 4 weeks on crutches again.
I'll take this chance to give a shout out to all those who attended my celebration on Saturday night. While these things are never without the little hitches (grumble grumble, damn amp!) overall I think a good time was had by all. Thanks for all the little pressies, I'll be spending gift cards till xmas I reckon which I'll enjoy immensely. Special thanks the sister-in-law Kathleen for the sensational cake both in design and yumminess, unfortunately there was half a cake left over and despite the best breakfast efforts of my brothers a large portion remains. Please contact me ASAP for sample pieces.
I will make another special mention today to a Uni buddy Eoghan (pronounced Owen) who couldn't make the party so took me to lunch at Kingsleys in the city today. A fine gesture indeed with mains averaging around the $50 mark and beer a required supporting act. I'm fairly confident my Carpetbag Eye Fillet stuffed with Alaskan King Crab is one of the best meals I've ever eaten and despite the price I've vowed to return. I haven't even mentioned the air dryed scallops with kaffir lime cream entre for fear you'll drool to death. Sorry I just mentioned it didn't I.
The Uni slog has begun with 3 lectures down and another tomorrow. This semester will be a real challenge with a much stronger focus on work experience meaning I'll miss plenty of classes in the pursuit of a job, but after all that's what it's all about isn't it. On that front I'm back in sport at the Courier on Monday and do my first Bronco's match next Friday at Suncorp Staduium.
So as you can see its busy times here in Smeato-land meaning I'll have to be doubly focused to maintain my positive lifestyle.
Talk Soon
P
PS I may have snuck a naughty sausage roll in on my way home from tonight's lecture. I know, I know, I guess that's another 20 minutes of exercise tomorrow.
With that realisation firmly in grasp I had a good Monday and I'm ready to resume shrinkage!
I tested out my new couch substitute last night while enjoying 'House'. I rode for around an hour and sweated buckets and while I can't say it's as comfortable as my Moran 3-seater, it certainly is a healthier option during TV time. The only downside seems to be my troublesome knee. It's pulled up pretty sore but I think that has as much to do with the amount of alcohol I consumed over the last week as it does the fitness session. Subject to how the knee feels tomorrow I plan to do the round trip to Uni on the bike which is around 40mins each way.
A final note on the knee is I'm booked in for the Doctor on Saturday again as it seems to be deteriorating fairly rapidly now. Based on previous experiences I'm sure I'll be back under the knife fairly soon to do a major clean out. I'll work on organising that for the break between Semester 1 & 2 as I expect it'll mean between 2 & 4 weeks on crutches again.
I'll take this chance to give a shout out to all those who attended my celebration on Saturday night. While these things are never without the little hitches (grumble grumble, damn amp!) overall I think a good time was had by all. Thanks for all the little pressies, I'll be spending gift cards till xmas I reckon which I'll enjoy immensely. Special thanks the sister-in-law Kathleen for the sensational cake both in design and yumminess, unfortunately there was half a cake left over and despite the best breakfast efforts of my brothers a large portion remains. Please contact me ASAP for sample pieces.
I will make another special mention today to a Uni buddy Eoghan (pronounced Owen) who couldn't make the party so took me to lunch at Kingsleys in the city today. A fine gesture indeed with mains averaging around the $50 mark and beer a required supporting act. I'm fairly confident my Carpetbag Eye Fillet stuffed with Alaskan King Crab is one of the best meals I've ever eaten and despite the price I've vowed to return. I haven't even mentioned the air dryed scallops with kaffir lime cream entre for fear you'll drool to death. Sorry I just mentioned it didn't I.
The Uni slog has begun with 3 lectures down and another tomorrow. This semester will be a real challenge with a much stronger focus on work experience meaning I'll miss plenty of classes in the pursuit of a job, but after all that's what it's all about isn't it. On that front I'm back in sport at the Courier on Monday and do my first Bronco's match next Friday at Suncorp Staduium.
So as you can see its busy times here in Smeato-land meaning I'll have to be doubly focused to maintain my positive lifestyle.
Talk Soon
P
PS I may have snuck a naughty sausage roll in on my way home from tonight's lecture. I know, I know, I guess that's another 20 minutes of exercise tomorrow.
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