Tuesday 27 August 2013

Last Friday

Well, the weekly weigh in drama continues unabated. But due to my strange life, I didn't sit at the computer until today, so here we are.

Life is fucking strange, isn't it?

My knee is sore again, so have hardly run in the past week. I have also eaten a lot of pizza, which has been that delightful combination of unhealthy and tasty. But that shouldn't affect these figures particularly. This Friday though, whole different story.

The knee thing will affect the experiment, as I don't think I will be able to do the training cycle fully, and I doubt I will be doing the crazy marathon I had in mind. You never know, but I doubt it. However I have really been enjoying the running (though I haven't been out in six days now, which is depressing me a bit) so will endeavor to keep up the extra miles.

Still haven't added swimming though.

Anyway, I digress. Kinda.

Profile 1 (normal person weigh-in)
15stone 13.4lbs (223lbs, US Fat Fans) (-2.4lbs I think, 5.4 overall)
32.8% fat (-0.5%)
39.1 water (+0.8)
37.4 muscle (0.3% drop!)
5.0 bone (0.2lbs drop)


Profile 2 (athlete, ha!)
15 stone 12lbs (222lbs, USFF) (fuck knows why - scales were not moved between weighings)
27.5% fat (-0.8%)
44.6 water (+1.1)
40.4 muscle (-0.3)
5.8lbs bone (same)

Somehow, I have lost in the region of 5lbs in a couple of weeks, while drinking heavily and snorting pizza. I think I have found the perfect diet...

Friday 16 August 2013

Round 2

And so the experiment continues.

I didn't manage an entirely sober week - in fact, I had just the one night without alcohol, but another night with just a very small amount. I had intended to do four runs since last Friday's weigh-in and only managed three, due to circumstances beyond my control. And you don't mess about with marathon training and try to catch the miles up another day - the run is gone, look to the next one. Don't encourage injury.

So I ran Sunday, and did about 80 minutes of ridiculous, huge hills, some of which were un-runnable, so we walked up as fast as we could manage. For the race we're training for, it's about time on feet; the 28 miles could take up for 7 hours, even if we're fit. It's a hard race, so I'm training Lily to pick her battles. No point fighting your way up a huge hill on mile four if you have 24 more miles of it afterward. Run smart.

Anyway, that was Sunday. Monday, I missed the group run for good reasons. Wednesday took a beginner up another huge hill, up some switchbacks which included some short walk breaks. Only perhaps a 30 minute run, but a good hard test.

Thursday, we ran one of the biggest hills in the area. Yes, there were walk breaks, but it's another hard one. No shame there. Also, walked the dog for 2-3 hours every day, including a huge one this morning.

So there has been exercise. No more than usual, really, but it's there. And slightly less alcohol, in fact over 1500-2000 calories less, I would say.

I'm stalling.

So, to the unveiling. Drum roll please, Z.

Profile 1 - non-athlete.
Weight 16st 1.8 lbs (-3lbs) (226lbs, US Fat Fans)
33.3% Fat (the same)
38.3 water (.5 improvement. .5 of what, though?)
37.7% muscle (1% drop)
5.2lbs bone (same)

Profile 2 - athlete
Weight: 16st 1.8 lbs
Fat: 28.3% (-.5%)
Water: 43.5 (-1)
Muscle: 40.7 (-1.4%)
Bone: 5.8lbs (-.4lb)

Hmmmm. I guess this was my control week then.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

I'm back

I took the dog round the village, I think he was just bored as he didn't seem desperate to cock his leg, though he did so, of course, during the walk.

Right, back to what I've eaten so far today.  I've used the Google calorie calculator, which I remember finding quite useful before.  iGoogle is vanishing in November, but that doesn't matter, it'll do for now.

Today, I've had muesli for breakfast, about an oz, 30 grammes, which is 2/3 of their suggested portion. But I'm only 2/3 of the average size of person.  I hate milky cereals, so only have a splash, enough to make it undry.  According to the calculator, it came to 141 calories.  For lunch, I had whole lots of cheese, Stilton, the local unpasteurised brie-style and Cheshire.  I guessed 1 oz of each.  I had two Ryvita and about a quarter of a Matzo cracker because I still had cheese left, some cherry tomatoes and some cucumber.  This was 412 calories.  Later, I had a couple of almonds, but the quantity doesn't go down far enough - however 1/16th of a cup is 33 calories, so that will do.  I also had some light beer, which seems to be 102 calories.  That makes 688 calories altogether and apparently I'm allowed 1639.  But it's not 4 o'clock yet, I have cake in the tin and dinner to come, so I think I'll use them.  However if, on average, I'm a hundred or two short of what I use, I suppose it has a gradual effect.

Waisting away

Well, I measured myself again for the first time since February, and I'm 34-26-36.  An inch off the waist.  And I weighed myself and I'm 8 stone 7, which is a pound less than the last time I looked, some time ago.

I'm not restricting what I eat at all, though being moderate in quantity.  Size 10 is on the big side, but I haven't tried an 8 yet, largely because I haven't been shopping for clothes recently.  I don't know why it is I'm still dropping weight, very gradually indeed (no health issues), but it has to be the overall quantity of food I think.

I may keep a food diary for a while, just to see what I seem to be doing right.  I can't remember what I did before, whether I used an app or what, but I'll have a look for one.

Today, usual present breakfast of - hang on, dog needs to go out.  I'll be back.

Friday 9 August 2013

It makes for disturbing reading.

Well, the scales arrived. I'm not totally sure about their accuracy, but I say that because I live in an incredibly old building and there are simply no flat surfaces. Tomorrow I will try them on the ground floor and see if there is any difference.

So, the scales purport to assess weight, body fat, total water/hydration, muscle mass, and bone density/volume or something.

I set them up as per the instructions; interestingly, there are two types of body profile you can choose: normal person, male or female, or athlete, male or female. An athlete is defined as someone doing 11 or more hours of intense physical activity a week. I'm probably only doing about five at the moment, unless you count dog walking, which it probably doesn't. We do walk quite fast though, and there are lots of hills...

I think I am somewhere between the two, so I set up a profile for each type, and the measurements are quite different.

Shit, too.

Anyway, I digress. This was always intended as a balls-out post, let it all hang out and hide nothing. So here we go.

First setting, as normal person:
Weight: 16st 4.8lbs (229, US Fat Fans)
Body fat: 33.3% (as perfect a third as you'll find. Who knew? This, of course, makes me obese)
TBW (water): 37.8 (this is actually 10 points below where it should be apparently, but as I have spent the first half of 2013 drunk, I think this is understandable)
Muscle: 38.7% (yay! This one is ok!)
Bone: 5.2lbs (this sounds incredibly low to me - and according to their ranges, it is, as for my weight it should be more like 7.5lbs)

Then again, as an athlete:
Weight: Same
Fat: 28.8% (4.5% better!)
Water: 42.5 (a lot better but still low)
Muscle: 42.1 (six percent below what is 'unacceptable')
Bone: 6.2lb (much better - still low though)

In a nutshell, I am fucking fat, and fucking muscular. Now to work on that fat part; gym sign up is at the weekend, probably Sunday, and Saturday I have a run planned for 60-80 minutes, I'll see how I go. Then next week, we swim, and run.

I have also just been shopping, largely with breakfast in mind. I bought a few tins of fish, and some smoked mackerel, plus some carrots, oranges, and eggs. I've found that on days when I get my breakfast right, everything else falls into place. My ideal breakfast is quite protein heavy, with a mackerel fillet or two, a couple of hard boiled eggs, and an orange. That really keeps me full and it's all stuff I like eating, and takes no preparation, as long as the eggs are cooked in advance. Having carrots around makes snacking easy too; I have bought some dark chocolate from Aldi, but it's the stuff where it's in five smaller bars, and they're very slim and small. Works for me.

So, that's the plan. Your thoughts?

Monday 5 August 2013

No change

There's still no particular change - that is, I'm not weighing myself and my clothes are still roomy.  However, I realise I'm becoming a bit casual and it would be easy to get into the habit of 'just one won't matter' whether it's chocolate biscuits or whatever, and sooner or later it will matter.  So I'm making every effort not to get into bad habits and am mostly successful.

As for exercise, I'm afraid I've got way out of cycling.  There always seems to be an excuse - and I never did start to enjoy it, even when I resolutely cycled most days.  I've been walking a lot recently though - we've been looking after friends' dog for ten days and it's meant a lot of extra exercise, some of it even for me.

Badgerdaddy and I haven't seen each other for a while, living at opposite sides of the country nowadays, but are planning to put that right before long.  Woo and hoo!

An experiment...

I just ordered some fancy-schmancy bathroom scales that measure bone density, weight, fat content and hydration - allegedly. They will be here end of the week-ish.

I'm about to sign up for a very, very tough off-road marathon - so I plan to map physical changes here, according to what the scales say. Could be fun, could be heartbreakingly awful. Soon find out.

I'll be doing 4-5 runs a week with perhaps four swimming sessions and occasional gym workouts (which will be mostly core focused, or occasionally hamstring), all being well, for the next 15 weeks.

Like I said, it could be fun.