So a full 28 weeks after my last post I am back. That’s over half a year!!!
I thought about why I stopped with my blog and have various reasons that I will come to – as well as reasons for why I have decided to start again now.
For some reason last night I decided to re-read my blog – there was a lot that made me smile and I felt quite sad how I had failed to continue with it. I finished the week after my boys golf weekend last April – maybe the successes of that weekend went to my head!
So what has life delivered for me since then….
Looking back over my blog a number of things stood out – obviously the diet as well as my gym sessions. The other constant was my wifes’ ongoing pregnancy. Thinking about the last six months that’s where I would like to start – partly because it has been a small yet significant part of why I have neglected this.
April and May as well as the early part of June saw my wife getting bigger and more pregnant. I continued with the fasting diet relatively well over this time as well as going to the gym but none of that now was my primary concern. I realised once the baby came my chances of getting to the gym may be limited so I carried on working out fairly hard – this picture is from May 28th, 6 weeks after my blog stopped. I may not have been writing about it but I was still working at it.
Brenda was off work all of June, part annual leave leading into maternity leave, this ‘nesting’ period generally meant slow walks into town, eating out, working in the garden and maybe watching box sets. She was having a planned C-Section on 22nd June, it really took the guessing out of the birthing process and everything was just working towards that date.
My son was born at 10:15 am and perfectly healthy. He and Brenda stayed in the hospital that night and were released late Tuesday. We now have 2 children and the dynamics of our lives have changed massively… as you can imagine.
When we had just one baby in the house, and you had a tough night, you could sleep at some point the next day – with a baby and a 4 year old that option is generally out of the question. Our daughter was great when young and slept through the night, most of the time, from 6 weeks old. My son however, now at 4 1/2 months, is still up for a midnight feed as well as various times for general comfort throughout the early hours. One or two nights like this is easily dealt with, but the cumulative effect after weeks and months is tough. I have likened it to what I imagine mild depression to be like. Suddenly you don’t want to exercise or diet!!!!! Sometimes all you want is to eat breakfast, a lunch out or a takeaway. Often the logistics of leaving your wife to look after both children so you can spend an hour or two in the gym is out of the question – and when you have missed one or two sessions it becomes easier to miss another than the pain of starting up again.
It hasn’t all been bad however.
Whilst my religious 2 or 3 fast days and 4 gym sessions have gone completely out of the window since June they haven’t disappeared entirely. I have still been in the gym on the odd occasion, and been for a few runs. I have also been picking up 2 or 3 fast days a fortnight. I may have gone a week here and there not fasting at all but have generally done something each week.
Also our general eating has been quite good. Whilst I say I have had breakfast most days it is usually with good choices. I no longer have butter on my toast, my eggs are poached not fried, our lunches out are usually to the Thai ‘place’ in Staines market enjoying a curry, takeaways are either kebabs (which used to be a fast day meal) or Japanese sushi. When we cook at home it has also been very healthy using ‘superfoods’ (thanks Jamie Oliver). I have mentioned how good a cook my wife is and she has been making some great dinners.
Of course, being the summer, we spent a lot of time in the garden BBQ-ing – I have intimated before how this is a great way to cook meat as the fat drips down into the fire – not poaching the meat in it.
We also planted a lot of veg in the garden… these have given us a multitude of good clean fresh veg.
So to recap – I haven’t been religious about the diet – but I haven’t been particularly bad either!!!
So why now to restart the diet – no reason really – better to start now than next week – In a way I wish I had started last week or last month but I had to be ready otherwise I wouldn’t have stuck it out like I want to. Oh, and in seven week I fly off to South Africa for a fortnight.
Previously I had been fasting on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Wednesdays and Fridays are market days so the Thai ‘place’ will be there – I don’t want to commit to fasting when it will be too hard seeing how I enjoy their food so much. So my plan will be 3 fast days a week, all working around work and family life. I may now fast over weekends, whereas I didn’t previously and may even do some fast days back to back. The way I’m looking at it…..
7 weeks till my holiday = 21 fast days
As far as exercise is concerned – I will try to gym as much as possible but sleep deprivation may get in the way – I have been running a couple of time recently – no more than two miles so far so less than 20 minutes – this will become my fall back option if I can’t take the gym as its much easier on the wife that I am not disappearing for hours. We are also walking lots – we have the bizarre advantage that my son doesn’t like his car seat so we tend to walk most places.
So after all that my new weigh in!!!!
Weight on April 22nd …. 15st 12.5lbs
Todays weight……. 16st 5lbs
So a 6 1/2 lb weight gain. Less than half a stone – not bad all things considered.
Of course weight isn’t everything and I am aware I have lost some toning but my previous topless and black shirts pics against my ones I have just taken show some slippage but nothing irreparable.
So here goes…. take two, my diet rebirth, getting beach body ready!!!
I hope you forgive me for disappearing and are happy to continue my journey with me once again.
Richard
My Weight Loss Blog 