Weight Loss

Haven't posted on this blog for a very, very long time. Mainly because i've been too preoccupied with the little one (who is now not quite so little) she's approaching 17 months old already. Gosh time flies when you're having fun.

Basically in July 08 i decided that i'd had enough of my overeating and basic snacking for no reason. As a result I weighed myself and was disgusted with the result. I was 21st! That means over the space of five years 2003 - 2008 i'd put on at least 4 stone and lets face it even 17st isn't exactly healthy.

So Between July and November if been spending as much time as i could swimming and gymming. Currently i'm weighing in at 17st 5lb. Overall i'm happy with the weight loss to date, there's been a few times i've fallen off the wagon but overall i've continued to lose weight steadily. This month things seem to have tailed off and i'm really not behaving as i should, i've been eating all those things i've been avoiding and i've not been to the gym at all. So I've managed to convince myself thatif i post here and make this knowledge public, it might give me that push i need to try and behave myself.

So the goal for Christmas it to try and get my weight down to 16st 7lb. If i can get into the 16st bracket i'll be happy, but if i can get down to that target i'll be extremely pleased.

Only negative at the comments so far are:

1. The cost of new clothes! Going from a "tight" 42" waist back down to 38 means that those clothes that did fit now hang off me and need replacing! Same goes for all the shirts and tops etc.. XXXL was the only decent fit before, at the moment i can't seem to find a happy medium with the XL or XXL stuff, hell i've even got some older "L" tops that are close to being wearable.
2. The gym and swimming time is frustrating as it means that i'm missing time with wife and child (which annoys them as much as it annoys me). It's not so bad if i swim first thing in a morning before work, but i'm a late riser so getting up to do this is a real chore, and also means that i have to use the second car (which we're looking to sell very soon).
3. Missing all the naughty things. I couldn't confess to having cut the bad foods out of my diet entirely but changing the habits of a lifetime is very difficult. I struggle to walk past, Burger King, McDonalds, Greggs, Peters, KFC etc..etc... without getting a case of severe drooling. I've also always had a fascination with chocolate, so i'm finding avoiding anything Cadburys is virtually impossible. So i've taken to the "treat size" bags full of them. At least if i have one of them i've not deprived myself of something i crave, but i've also not gone completely overboard.
4. Events, Birthdays, Fireworks, Party's etc..etc.. i find myself unable to participate to the extent i used to previously. I'm now concious that everything i put through my lips be it drink or food, it impacts upon my target, and consequently i often find enjoying the moment to be much more challenging.
5. Holidays and Days off! God those times where we go away, similar to 4, how do you avoid food if you're sitting around doing very little? I seem to eat when i'm not doing anything else, therefore i'm finding that i have to make a great deal of concious effort NOT to eat when i have spare time.

Right i'll leave it there for now, but i'll post again soon, i'm going to try and keep a slight record of my weight loss here, whether it's a weekly or Monthly entry i'm not sure at the moment.

Long Weekend! Airshow and Wedding

Well just a quick update, was at a friends wedding on Saturday, was good to see people we hadn't seen for ages. My only bugbear was that due to the wife's op she's still banned from driving, which meant that i was completely unable to drink as i was forced to do the "driving thing". Ordinarily I'd have stayed locally and it wouldn't have been an issue, but with the baby in tow, and a family outing on Sunday i figured the best bet was just to get some kip in our own bed before the next day.
Bamburgh castle was fabulous, really nice and well suited to the civil ceremonies, the "Scottish invasion" was successful and kilts were worn by all the menfolk involved in the wedding (making me glad I wasn't!)
Congratulations to the pair, i really can't believe I've been married two years already, and there's a sprog in the cot. God that's flown over.
I'm too shattered to blog about what we did on Sunday with the family, but I'll say this. Sunderland International Air Show, 5 Adults, 3 Children (0-3) a picnic and a rising tide!
Here's one of the video's i took, it's a small clip from an F16 flypast that was jaw dropping.

Tired!

Oh so very tired... I really can't explain it either. Elliot is sleeping well (not that she wakes me up crying at night anyway) I'm getting plenty of sleep, i've been in bed far earlier than i used to be and i'm not working long hours. So i really can't get to grips with why i feel so drained.
I'm normally a very yawny person anyway, but things have been getting daft this last week or so.
I took a few minutes break this morning to get away from the computer screen but within a few seconds i was feeling like i was drifting away and almost asleep. I'm lucky i didn't fall off my chair. Thankfully no-one really noticed at all.
In between my spurts of wakefulness and tiredness i've watched another episode of dexter (hilarious monologging - if that's actually a word.. god i love Disney - and quirky humour.) And the final Episode of Heroes Season 1 was shown on Monday evening (Sci-Fi ftw!) and WOW! what an awesome way to end a series... quite literally with a bang.
Some friends have been trying to tell me how awesome Lost has been but frankly since Sky One got hold of it and Virgin stopped carrying Sky One, i've not really felt it's loss (no pun intended). I might try to get my hands on the DVD's but really don't know if i'll bother.



Just for those who have no idea what the hell Heroes is.. i reccomend you keep your eye on BBC2, i believe they are starting their First Season run this month (the 22nd is ringing bells with me)

Dexter

Well i've just been watching the pilot of a series called "Dexter" on FX, it's an interesting new series that was shown last year in the states, but has only just begun it's run in the UK.
It's a slightly offbeat series, personally i'd call it a dark comedy. If you've not heard anything about it at all try this the clip above is the american trailer for it.
It's all about a forensic scientist that has a slight problem... he's a serial killer, but not just any serial killer, he stalks killers himself and kills them before the police find them. I've only seen the one episode so far, and i dont want to spoil things by giving the plot away. All i will say is that the monologues and quirky script had me in stitches, very reminiscent of American Psycho.
I really do suggest you take a look if you get chance! Fab!

Do i feel any different?

This is one of those questions that EVERYONE seems to throw at me since Elliot's arrival. My initial response was pretty short and succinct. But I've had a few days to think about exactly what's happened so far and whether i really do feel any different now I'm a father.
Yesterday i changed my answer slightly, i told Dom (and i quote) "I've had nine months to get used to the idea of being a father, if i wasn't ready now i doubt i ever would be."
and I've spent the evening thinking upon that. I would guess the truthful answer to the question is quite simple, it's a one word response beginning with Y and ending with S, but that really doesn't quite get to the heart of the question. It doesn't even give people an answer that they can dissect or consider.
However It's deeper that that, much deeper, you see the answer I've been giving is No. And even now five days in i am still sticking to my guns and saying No, i feel no different at all. The fact is that i have felt the way i do today about Elliot since the day i found out she'd been conceived. I really can't be any more truthful than that. To expand on what i said to Dom, i think it's just a case of saying. No, I do not feel any different than i did before she was born. But i will freely admit that whilst i do not feel different, i do think differently.
I think more about what can i do that will make her or Billie more comfortable, i ponder upon what more i can do to help them both, i wonder what she will look like in 1 week, 3 months, 12 months, 4 years, her 18'th birthday.
I look into her eyes and i know that i am going to be the most weak willed father there is, no matter what she wants, she can have it.
But no, i do not feel differently, i felt this way since the second i was told we were having a baby.