Fighting the Apple

ToothlessFerret

ToothlessFerret

New member
I'm a 44 year old family man living in the UK. I have recently lost 47 pounds.

UPDATE II: You never stop learning do you. Taking responsibility for your health and fitness should be a lifetime commitment - not just a temporary diet. I hit my target weight - so I set myself new goals. First, I want to build up my muscle mass and then to reduce my body fat percentage.

  • My current programme still involves dog walking (it has to!), and some jogging, cycling, swimming - but it focuses now on gym. I aim to strength train three times per week, and to do cardio at least twice per week.
  • I now eat five or six small meals per day.
  • My most common breakfast is porridge oats with added almonds and honey. I ALWAYS have a breakfast.
  • I focus on eating plenty of protein - egg whites, cottage cheese, fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, cod etc), beef steaks, yoghurt, milk etc. I try to eat protein with most meals, before a workout (after a workout I have a milk and maybe a banana), and during the evening.
  • I try to eat starchy foods such as oats, cereals, wholemeal / wholegrain bread and pasta - mainly during the morning and early afternoon.
  • I still aim to eat five portions of fresh fruit / vegetable every day. I aim to eat a tomato and /or an apple every day. I try to eat a variety and colourful. I am always looking for new healthy foods to try.
  • I also eat nuts and seeds most days.
  • I still eat oily fish at least twice per week.
  • Drink - I very rarely drink coffee now. I drink plain tea (green, black or Rooibos), more plain water, and one or two fruit juices per day. I do still drink alcohol, but strive to keep it under control.

So thats just about it at the moment.
 
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Backlog - the past week...

20th June 2006

A very very active day today! More than normal. I had a short work day today, as I was on a training course. So I:

Warming up exercises - nothing too much, but included some sit ups.

Two mile run/jog in the forest on my 'regular route'. Wolfy (my young four legged exercise partner) had to stay at home - as he is having his 'little operation' today - it also means that I won't be able to run with him this week :( I do feel a little guilty...

Breakfast: All bran with a chopped banana and semi-skimmed - washed down with grapefruit juice and a green tea.

Cycled to work three or four miles by road (I must check). This involves cycling a long stretch of busy dual carriagewayed bypass - uphill! Its uphill until halfway - then downhill the rest! I hate that bypass!

Lots of fruit, two slices of wholemeal bread, and water for lunch. I usually have a fruit selection for my smaller daily meal - and usually include one nice tomato and an apple amongst other things...

Cycled home three miles - off road through the Forest - cross country style! It was a lovely afternoon. Part of the ride is alongside a small river within the forest - I often see kingfishers, foxes, deer, etc - Just a few rabbits today...

Picked up Wolfy from the vets - I feel bad :(

Took my younger daughter and her friend swimming at the local leisure centre - I swim really bad, and I am trying to teach myself how to breast stroke better through practise and watching others. Swam maybe a dozen lengths, and played with the kids.

Evening meal: Salad with wholegrain pasta, soya beans, wholemeal bread, and some cold tuna left over from yesterday. Followed by strawberries covered with a low fat yogurt .... Hmmmm Off I go.

21 Jun 2006

I ached when I got up this morning - so planned on taking it easier:

A few warm up exercises when I got up, including sit ups (too embarassed to say how few - oh all right, 12).

Breakfast - low fat multigrain muesli and a grapefruit juice.

Drink through day - mainly water and green tea.

Cycled 3.5 miles by busy road to work - up the hill, and dowwwwwnnnnn...

Lunch - fruit selection, and a large portion of cold wholemeal pasta and soya beans - left over from last night.

Cycled home off road - 3 miles through forestry.

Gentle (about 1 mile) dog walk with poor Wolfy (he has stitches from yesterday's operation)

Evening meal - Salad - with pasta, soya beans and a little ham. For dessert - a low fat yogurt.


22 Jun 2006 :

Warm up exercises including 13 sit ups.

Breakfast - All Bran with a chopped banana - Grapefruit juice.

Drove to work today, as I needed to get to a lesson straight afterwards. Kept extra active at work. I work in a power station - there are ten floors inside the boiler house alone - and no lift (elevator).

Lunch - small packed meal - organic honey sandwiches in wholemeal bread (3 slices), and a fresh fruit selection - including an avacado pear - and of course the usual tomato and apple, etc.

After work, I attended my first ever Tai Chi Chuan lesson.

Dinner: Fresh salad with canned sardines in olive oil, and some soya beans. Followed by a low fat yogurt. Washed down with a few glasses of French red wine.

Evening dog-walk, one or two miles.

24 Jun 2006 :

Oh dear, a naughty day really - have to have one now and again!

Breakfast: All Bran and a banana with an orange juice. No time for a warm up.

Cycled 3 to 4 miles by road to work.

Fresh fruit assortment for lunch, with two slices of wholemeal bread.

Cycled home 3 miles off road through the Forest.

Walked the dog down to the town centre - and (here is where I go wrong) where there was a French Market. Bought nice garlic stuffed olives, sun-dried tomatos, dried figs, mushrooms in oil, etc.

Main meal in the evening - I did a wholemeal spaghetti - added lots of the oily French goodies, canned chopped tomatos, and some naughty sauce. For meat, I steamed a pair of trout fillets (trout and spaghetti?). I ate rather too much to be honest. Followed by a low fat yogurt, and then by strawberries covered with low fat bio yogurt. Still, all scrumptiously nutritious.

Now it gets worse. Went down to the pub! I stayed out late - drank slowly but altogether had four or five pints of beer. Oh dear ;-)

24 Jun 2006 :

Warm up exercises and stretches - back too weak for sit ups.

Breakfast - low fat muesli

Jogging: ran my usual 2.5 mile route through the Forest - still without Wolfy.

Lunch: A little naughty - Mrs Ferret bought me a Chicken salad roll full of white bread and mayonaisse - I felt obliged to eat it ;-)

Dog-walking for over 1 hour.

Dinner: A salad based around tinned kippers. My salads typically include mixed leaves, tomato, cucumber, radish, spring onions, plus a variety of dryed/oiled and/or pickled vegetables. Sometimes also rice, potatos, or pasta. Sometimes with steamed asparagus, mushrooms, or barbequed corn on the cob. In todays case, it was a fairly plain salad. I DO use dressings - Italian, French, olive oil, pickles, chutneys, etc - variety is the stuff of salads...

Followed by yes, you guessed it - a low fat yogurt. I also had a nice honey sandwich in wholemeal bread.

I then drove to work for a 12 hour night shift :(
 
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Welcome. Sounds sensible to me. Your getting in lots of exercise so no worries about a little bit of badness. Congratulations on you weight loss thus far. Tell Wolfy HELLO!
 
Welcome.
Sounds like your doing great. Keep it up.
With all that exercise you need those calories!
Grats on the weightloss and good luck with meeting your goals. :)
 
Thanks for all of the encouragement! I am at a bit of a low at the moment - my weight seems to have settled at around 156 pounds at the moment, although I'm not too sure if thats a too bad thing. Target - either 146 pounds (I don't think that I should lose more than that - that was my weight at the age of 18!), or simply to feel and look really fit - the latter being the chief target - as I don't carry a pair of scales around with me to display the figure - I want to lose the remainder of my torso fat, and be able to enjoy running more, swimming more, cycling more, living more - being an active Dad more - and I'm getting there!

I'm at a low point not so much because of my weight settling down, so much as being in a certain amount of pain at the moment. I am working long night shifts, and my back is giving me a lot of pain - I can't presently 'enjoy' my fitness. I just started Tai Chi Chuan classes, and I can't practise - because of my back. My Tai Chi trainer has given me some tips on improving my posture, but so far it hasn't helped. Everone is asking me if I feel great since I lost the weight, and I have to lie ;) No, I do feel better - and my motivation to carry on is strong - I plan on joining a local gym next month - me, the beer/burger guzzler joining a gym!
 
Hi Ferret, and welcome to the forum!!

Congratulations on your weightloss so far and I'm sorry to hear your back pain is keeping you from 'enjoying' your fitness!

It sounds like you're working hard to reach your goals!!
:D
 
hi!

Good luck with your efforts. Strength training at the gym really helped me with back pain. I worked out like crazy before I got pregnant, and having strong abdominal and back muscles made a lot of difference while carrying twins. I figure, if stengthening those core muscles helped me under such extreme conditions, maybe it would help most anyone. Talk to a trainer about which machines will help most in strengthening your back and abs when you join the gym. :)
 
I started today halfway through a 12 hour night shift. Shift work is a recognised killer - shift workers are prone to gaining weight, and I certainly have done so in the six years that I have been working full shift at the power station. Problem is, that it leads to snacking habits, extra meals, and a messed up body clock. I did mess up a little today - as I did seem to end up with one extra meal - but not too badly, and any way, I did work hard.

After midnight I had a fresh fruit selection. Usual apple, tomato, plus clementine, apricots, etc.

Later in the morning around 4 am I had warmed up left overs from my vegetarian wholemeal spaghetti, with a few slices of wholemeal bread.

It was a very hard nights work, and I was glad that I had taken the car to work. My back was excrutiating - I wish that I had taken some pain killers.

7:30 am - drove home and slept.

Got up at 1:30 pm and had porrige with a little low fat bioyogurt for my 'breakfast'.

No exercise today at all - I needed to recover my back and energy for tonight's 12 hour shift.

Cooked our main meal while Mrs Ferret watched England play football in the World Cup. I had steamed tail of monkfish, and a little steamed tuna (?) with a large salad. No pasta, etc.


6:30 pm - drove to work. It was to be another very hard nights shift - my back wasn't quite as painful, but it was still weak.
 
Day starts halfway through a nightshift at work.

I have a fruit selection for my smaller meal.

Finish work at 7:30 am and drove home for a sleep.

3 pm breakfast: All Bran with semi skim and low fat bio yogurt. Grapefruit juice, green tea.

Took Wolfy to the vets, he recommends another 5 days no running or off leash for him.

Short gentle dog-walk (less than one mile).

Main meal: Tuna Salad followed by a low fat yogurt

Warm up exercises and stretches.

2.5 mile jog through the forest (without Wolfy).

Started a later night shift at 9:30 pm.
 
The day starts again in the middle of a busy night shift at the power station. Work really is demanding at the moment - I'm really looking forward to my next group of days off later this week. My work is quite physical, which is probably why I have found it quite easy to lose weight so far. Whenever I run up and down all those steps, I try and consider it as exercise instead of just getting from A to B.

I had a light meal around 2 am - a fruit selection: apple, tomato, apricots, small clementines, grapes, an avacado pear, and two slices of wholemeal bread.

Finished work at 7:30 am and drove home exhausted. Went to bed.

Got up at 3 pm had breakfast: All Bran cereals with semi skimmed milk and a chopped banana. Grapefruit juice and green tea.

Walked dog down to and around town - one mile plus.

Mrs Ferret made 'tea' (the main early evening meal) - Diced chicken fillet in Malayan Pineapple Sauce with basmati rice. I also added some rocket salad, barbequed mushrooms, and corn on the cob (basted in olive oil but not served with butter). Very nice change to the daily 'salad'. My portions for my daily 'main meal' are not small - I certainly don't starve myself. Oh, followed by a low fat yogurt of course.

Warm up exercises, stretches, daily Tai Chi practise.

A lovely evening, I jogged yesterday, so today I cycled: Cycled mainly on road (some green lane) I guess around 8 to 10 miles. Very nice.

Its now 9:15 pm, and I have to go to work - I'll update this entry tomorrow.
 
Day starts in the middle of a night shift at work. Another very hard physical shift.

For my smaller meal, I had a hard boiled egg, a low fat peanut butter sandwich (two small slices of wholemeal bread), and a fruit selection including apple, clementines, kumquats, grapes, tomato.

Finished work at 7:30 am and drove home to bed.

Got up at 2:30 pm.

Weighed myself - lowest weight yet! I am now weighing in at just under 11 stone! Todays weight was 152.5 pounds. I am unfortunately addicted to daily weighing - and I know how bodyweight goes up and down a few pounds or so each day. I'm adjusting my present actual weight down to 154 pounds :)

Breakfast: low fat muesli with some chopped banana and yogurt. Grapefruit juice.

Short gentle dog-walk under one mile. I wanted to go swimming today, but there really isn't time, as I am on a 12 hour shift tonight.

Warm up exercises - stretches, a little tai chi.

Main meal: Fresh mixed salad with barbequed lamb's liver, some cous cous, corn on the cob, etc. Very nice :) Followed by a low fat yogurt.

I really think that I do eat well - and certainly eat plenty. The reason that I became overweight wasn't because I was eating too much, so much as eating badly and snacking on fatty/sugary foods. I guess its the same for others. The exercise helps to - the great thing about exercise is - the healthier you get, the more fun from cycling/running/swimming you get - you start to appeciate your self.

Off to work in a little while: 6:30 pm :(
 
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Middle of a 12 hour nightshift. For my light meal I had two slices of wholemeal bread, a hard boiled egg, and a fruit selection - apple, tomato, kumquats, grapes, kiwi fruit.

It was a long shift, but an easier one than most of recent - time to lick my wounds. Finished at 7 am and drove home to bed.

Got up at 12:45 pm to my first of four days off - YAYYYY!!! the sun is shining, its a beautiful day :)

Had All Bran with yoghurt and semi-skimmed milk for breakfast. With green tea and an orange juice.

Warm up exercises - streches, and 30 crunches (I only just found out what a 'crunch' is by googling for it after seeing mentions of crunches here - I'm such a fitness n00b!)

Took Wolfy for a dog walk down town (circa 1 mile).

Had my weekly Tai Chi Chuan lesson - for one hour or so.

Snacked on prunes.

Shopped.

Main meal - Large salad with lamb's liver and barbequed portabella mushrooms. Had a frew large glasses of Chilean red wine... Followed by a low fat yogurt.

Took a bike ride - cycled maybe four miles mainly cross country.
 
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I'm drinking lots of green tea just lately. For years I drank cheap instant coffee with milk - oh, and lots of beer and port! As part of my lifestyle change, I switched to green tea, black tea, more water, fruit juices, and rations of red wine.

So here's my take on green tea:
  • I don't believe that it has any magic properties that burn calories - it is not a super potion.
  • It does have caffeine - although much less than coffee. Caffeine in smaller doses is probably good for you anyway.
  • It is a nice refreshing alternative to coffee. Coffee is often taken with milk or cream - more calories.
  • Tea does have some very good values - flavonoids - no evidence that they burn calories, but there is plenty of evidence that they protect you from a number of illnesses - it might not reduce weight - but it certainly is healthy!
  • Green Tea or Black Tea. Being English born before coffee drinking swept over from the USA, I grew up drinking black tea with added milk. Green Tea is sold as a healthier form - apparently its not true - both black tea and green tea have similar levels of antioxidants and caffeine! I prefer green tea now - but when I can't get it, a black tea is perfectly fine.
I don't drink green tea to lose weight - I don't believe that claim, I drink it as a refreshing healthier alternative to coffee.

Diary

Got up 8:30 am (nice to be on days again) - bright shiney day off!

Had a pre-exercise Alpen yogurt/cereal bar, and a fruit juice.

Exercise. Warm ups - stretches, Tai Chi practise, 30 crunches.

Exercise. Three mile run/jog - I took Wolfy today, but it was a little too hot for him, although I did take water and a foldable bowl. We ran through the forest.

Breakfast - All Bran cereal with semi skimmed milk.

Exercise. Short cycle ride - to doctors and town centre etc, maybe 1 mile or so - lovely day!

Inquired about gym membership :)

Exercise. Walked Wolfy - twice! At total dog walking of I guess around three miles.

Main meal: Chicken salad, with cold chicken breast, and new potatoes. Followed by strawberries and low fat yoghurt. Washed down with green tea...

A few large glasses of Chilean red wine during the evening - well ... it is the weekend after all.
 
red wine is good for your heart... long as you aren't overdoing it... it's ok :)

you've had a great day off - congratulations... enjoy the weekend
 
Thanks Maleficent, yes, I do like a drink - and I don't intend to totally give up that little pleasure in life! However, I have cut down an awful lot, and I'm actually quite proud of that. Now that I am exercising and getting fitter, I hate waking up in the mornings with that groggy dehydrated feeling.

Yes Smallerbytheday - I am enjoying this forum and finding it useful! Its interesting how different people, with different problems and targets are using different approaches to losing weight. This diary idea is great - not being a member of a weight loss group - it gives me somewhere to 'report' my progress :)
 
Snacking. I blame the majority of my weight problem on snacking (followed perhaps by enjoyment of copious amounts of beer and port ;) ). I try not to snack anymore - but even I am sometimes tempted - just recently I have caught myself snacking a little too often maybe on dried fruit - prunes, dried apricots, dried figs etc. Maybe I shouldn't buy them. If I snack at all, I would be better off snacking on fresh fruit - grapes, apricots, plums, satsumas etc.

Still - its all better I suppose than my old habits of snacking on chocolate digestives, custard tarts, brie cheese, and potato crisps (chips to you Americans).

Diary.

Beautiful sunny day off again :) - got up at 8:30 am.

Pre-exercise snack of a honey cereal bar and a grapefruit juice.

Exercise. Warm up exercises - stretches, tai chi, 34 crunches.

Exercise. Ran/jogged through the forest for 2.5 miles. I didn't take Wolfy as it was so hot.

Breakfast: All Bran cereal with semi skimmed milk. Green tea.

Exercise. Dog walk of around 1 mile or so.

Booked an induction at the local gym.

Went shopping - bought my first ever running shoes - COMMITMENT! I spent £49 so now I HAVE TO carry on the running/jogging!
While shopping, I succumbed a little. I bought and ate chicken salad sandwiches (with some mayo!), had one shortbread biscuit with my tea, and had a fruit smoothie! Oops. Still, it was a Marks and Specers fruit smoothie that promised that it represented one half of my recommended 5 fresh fruit and veg daily intake. I've become quite religious about eating at least five fruit and veg per day - I usually surpass it by a few portions.

Evening meal: Mrs Ferret wanted a chinese takeaway, and I wasn't going to eat my salad with them munching that away - but I did pick some of the lesser evils for my dinner - chicken and green peppers in black bean sauce, mushrooms, and boiled rice. Rather less calories than my usual order (lots of fatty sweetened meats, duck, fried rice, prawn crackers etc) I hasten to add! Followed by a low fat yoghurt, and I plan on washing it down now with a couple of lovely glasses of Portuguese red wine - well, it is the weekend after all ;)
 
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Almonds. The new addition to my diet! I have just been reading up on the values of almonds (in skins) - crikey, they're little nutritional superfoods! Some studies have even suggested that eating them daily can help me get into shape whilst slimming. Almonds, welcome to my dish...

Diary

Got up 8:45 am.

Breakfast: All bran cereal with organic almonds and a chopped banana - covered with semi skimmed milk. Grapefruit juice, green tea.

Exercise: Warm ups - stretches - tai chi - 34 crunches.

Exercise: Run. Two plus miles jogging through the Forest in my new running shoes - its another georgeous sunny day! Left Wolfy at home - its too hot for a snow loving husky to do this!

Exercise: Dog-walking - around one mile. Took Wolfy down to the river to cool down...

We then went shopping at a local open air sunday market - a very hot day for the UK - 32 c. Walking up and down for a mile in that heat with Wolfy is actually quite an exercise in itself! The market is full of nasty fast food - the greasiest burgers, cheese burgers, hog roast, doughnuts etc. I chose one of the healthier options:

Lunch (at the market): Baked potato with baked beans in tomato sauce (no butter or oil). 'Jacket potato' with baked beans is actually quite a healthy choice.

Snack: After returning home, had a few dried apricots and an apple.

Exercise: Took my younger daughter swimming. Spent 90 minutes there, but didn't exert myself swimming laps too much - my daughter was too demanding with my time for that - still, healthy exercise all the same, and a great cool off.

Dinner: Salmon Salad. I was a little greedy - two salmon steaks for myself, but well .... it is good food. Also had boiled potatoes, cous cous, and steamed green beans with the salad. Followed by a low fat yoghurt with plant sterols.

Evening drinks, oh dear, last night I ended up drinking the whole bottle of Portuguese red wine ... oh dear indeed. So green tea, water, and fruit juice for a few nights you naughty ferret!
 
wow a whole bottle of red wine. Ill pretend i have never done that. on the almonds you can grind them up in a food processor and it makes a passable flour. not that you would deep fry anything lol........
 
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