Since Starting

Ok, so I've decided to record my progress on losing weight and getting fit.

First of all, the reasons for getting fit.  Do you need a particular reason to lose weight and get fit when you're over 18 stone?  I think not, although I do have several concrete reasons: both my in-laws passed away before they were 60 due to complications arising from diet and general ill-health, my mother passed away before she was 55, I have two kids who I do not wish to see the same of their parents and also: I would rather like to see a lengthy retirement.

So, at lunchtime on 25th January 2010, I nipped across to the Dundee International Sports Centre, grabbed an application form and signed up.  By 5.30 that night I was on the cycle machine 'peching' at level 6 after only 5 minutes.

I changed my diet and had lengthy alcohol free periods - both have been an immense struggle, especially when the football is on the telly or I head up to Brechin to take in a game at the Glebe.

Within a couple of months of starting, I'd moved on to take in some more weights work, with a start point of 32kg tricep extension and similar for seated chest press and lat pull-downs.  I struggled to do more than a handful of body-weight squats, was stuck on 10kg dumbell arm curls and struggling with 25kg on the preacher curls.

I kept up a regular regime at the gym until early June 2010 when I tweaked a nerve in my lower back, resulting in several weeks away from the gym.  This unhappily coincided with going away on holiday; my weight rocketed to 18 and a half stone by the middle of July.

Back to the gym in July and some hard work on the cardio was once more required to quick shift some weight.  By September I was again hitting the weights, this time fuelled with USN's superb Muscle Fuel and some cheap-ass Creatine from Holland and Barrett.

Roll on a few more months and despite a two week cheat at Christmas, I'm now down to 16 and a half stone, have almost doubled (59kg) my tricep extension, 39kg on the preacher, 86kg on the lat pull-down, 72kg on the seated chest press and can comfortably work sets of 17.5kg dumbell arm curls.  Rather than do basic squats, my current trend is to do two sets of Bulgarian Split Squats on each leg, first with two 7kg dumbells in hand, then body-weight only.