I feel very sneaky whilst buying Christmas presents for the girlfriend and having to keep everything hidden/secret from her.
It’s going to be so worth it though.
As much as I don’t want to admit it, that bodyfat assessment thing I did last week has been playing on my mind. I know that I’m carrying some excess weight, particularly around my middle, and it hasn’t shifted despite going to the gym 2-3 times a week for the last couple of years.
A combination of bad diet and a lack of enthusiasm to really burn the weight off has left it attached, which I’m disappointed at because I know both of those things can be easily amended. I don’t eat really badly, but I’m a sucker for a take-away once/twice a week. Also, when we cook at home, the girlfriend and I seem to have massive portions and never think to eat in moderation.
The sheer volume of heavy carbs doesn’t help: pasta, bread, potatoes. I have them at least once a day, and a hefty portion at that. A lot of cooking with cream is also a problem, and no doubt the sheer volume of beer that I get through most weeks is a bit of an issue.
I’ve been good recently at setting myself targets, notably the 200 sit-ups and 100 press-ups programmes. I’m enjoying testing myself each time at the gym against these programmes, and the progress I’m making may not be immediately visible physically, but it is in terms of improvement. When I started, I could only do 34 sit-ups in one go before giving out; today, I did 260 across 5 sets!
I’m determined to change my eating habits, and get on the protein/veg/fruits more often. Less drinking, less complex carbs, and a generally better quality of food going down my throat. The girlfriend’s been moaning about her weight recently, so hopefully she’ll be on board with this too.
And the exercise regime has got to step up too: 2-3 times a week, 45 minutes at a time has been just about enough to maintain my weight (and improve my fitness/strength somewhat), but I need to do more if I want to lose some. Running after work needs to become regular, as a supplement to more targeted exercises at lunchtime in the gym.
With that in mind, I’m going on a run when I get back from work, come hell or high water. My groin/hip should’ve healed itself by now, but I’ll be easing my way back in.
Here’s to turning over a new leaf and shedding that persistent bloody spare tyre!
I’ve got a real guilt trip thing going on right now. Last night, I was supposed to meet my girlfriend in a bar where she was out with a load of friends celebrating one of their birthdays.
But owing to my ultra-late night on Thursday and an extremely busy day at work on the Friday, I was exhausted by the time I got home. I figured that I could have a kip for an hour and then wake up at 8 to meet them there at 8.30ish, but it just didn’t happen.
My alarm went off every half hour from 8 till 9.30, but I just couldn’t face getting up and going out. She’d texted me to say that the phone signal in this bar was terrible, so she probably wouldn’t get any calls I made, but told me where it was.
So I wimped out. I texted her to say that I’d fallen asleep and was just too knackered to make it. I’ve no idea when she got the message, and how she took it.
It’s now coming up 11.30 this morning and I haven’t heard from her yet. I’m actually slightly nervous about whether she’s going to be pissed off or not. I probably would be if someone had blown me out like that.
She and a couple of friends are meant to be round here later on, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they “couldn’t make it”. Damn me for being out so late the night before on a work thing.
