Been a great few weeks overall.  Had a wonderful time down south even though the concert in the vineyard was cancelled.  Was supposed to see Hall an Oates with IceHouse as the starter.  Unfortunately the weather had other ideas.  It was still a great weekend ina country get away location with good friends and we had a great time of food and good wine.

Waist wise it wasn't to bad as had kept a track on Friday, but saturday was my off day.  Hey, a lifestyle eating plan is 80-90% good with a 10% space to be a little over.  Wasn't like i sucked down an unending supply of hamburgers.  Thou the gluten of Sunday from one did not go down well.

Back on topic.  Still going to Trent 3 times a week and he is really making me work now.  The "Welcome to the nice side of fitness" is well gone and he just pushes me all the time.  The cardio goes up and the weights go up, and I'm not complaining at all.

The topic of this is that i caught myself in the mirror today with no shirt and thought, hmm.  Not fat anymore, but not thin either.  The odd stage of maybe this is going to work, and there is now a huge difference, but not there yet. 

Maybe not next week, or even the week after, but the change so far, wow.  Its nice to take a little time and look hard in the old mirror and say, "you know what, not where i want to be, but bloody well done so far!.

I'm subscribing to the all the diets now (well ex gluten), but going to keep counting the cals.  Have a great app for doing that.

Using 'mynetdiary' which is semi free and very good.  Also thou I'm using 'myfitnesspal' for my friend and its also fantastic.  Will probably switch to it when my subscription runs out.

What I have found is that counting calories does work.  Its not hard, and what it really does is give you a damn good idea of what counts.  I no longer count most fruit and veg (which corresponds with most reasonable diets).  

What is do check is pasta (an non gluten can far worse than normal stuff).  The suggested serving on most pasta is horrific!  Also meats need quite some checking.  

Actually while protiens are worth checking as supermarkets often sell 4 portions but in reality its actually 6-7 standard ones its the CARBS that scare me. 

Not going to endorse carb free.  Thats silly but pure carb foods are really dangerous as you can eat far more than you should.

My other little odd one is oil's.

I will always endorse using olive oil, or other good vegetable oils, but say, watch it.  the cal count is huge x huge.  and it scares how much people use thinking its good for them.  It most certainly is good, but check how much you add.

Lets take a 50 gram dried pasta and 30 grams olive oil.  cooked that 200+cals for the pasta and 90+ for the olive oil.  Nothing else added.  Sure, throw in some low cal garlic, chillie and your good for a meal.  But I think if you saw what 50grams dried pasta is cooked you would be back in the bowl for more.  And suddenly your at 800+ for a meal. 

I'll stop now as i don't want to preach.  Just for me know what i eat and what gives the most value in falvour vs Cals has worked I'm down 6kg's and dropping fast.  Pants still 36, but a very very easy 36.  Shirts down to Large and fitting easy.

something along all the above is at least working for me.

lv

d

 Thanks so much for all the great inspiration.  It's really working.  Into month four now of the lifestyle update and it's becoming ingrained abit now.

Habits are improving all over the place.  I love going to the gym now as its just so enjoyable.  It does not hurt now that the results are becoming more and more obvious.

The news today on my blood pressure has made me really happy as its now down to the level where no medication is required.  When I first started it was at such a level that immediate medication would be normally called for.  Next test is my cholesterol, if that has come down it will be even better.

Overall it's just going so well.  Today we did a full cardio workout with heart monitor to work on keep my heart rate above 130.  First goal was to get it up to 155 on the treadmill.  Bloody Trent has gotten me fit enough that it was just sitting on 132 and not moving up.  The machine kept pushing the incline and speed up, but 132 it stayed.  Had to get to 12 on the incline before we even got near the target.

Next rowing machine again with heart monitor.  Row 250 meter hard, then rest until heartbeat is back to 130, or a minute.  Do five sets.  First set heartbeat won 1 sec before the minute!

It was great feedback to see just how fast my recovery time is now.  Trent is really happy with the progress I have made!

And did I mention I now fit and L size shirt.  My work clothes are now super baggy and really looking bad.  Will keep them for a while yet as its hiding the work in progress.  My old work shirts feel like tents now.  So stunning!

Have been trying the last 10 days to squeeze in abit of running between the gym sessions!  The esplanade in Cronulla has got to be one of the most pleasant of runs, (verified even when raining).  The plan was good, the achilles tendon not so good!

Seems somewhere in the last few years I've changed shape (wow, rocket scientist needed here to figure that out) and pronate when running.  opps.  

Trent had me stretching it a few different ways, and with a weekend away in wine country (again opps on the diet) I thought we had it cracked.  Alas not, next run on Tuesday (5.3km – wohoo) it was not happy.  So next session we did some really deep stretching with the roller.  Well one of them has you all folded up origami style and roll onto your hip!

I nearly hit the roof it was so painful, and the switch of the left side did have me yelping.  The really interesting bit is that I hadn't felt anything there before, no pain, no twinge.  But trust me it was damn sore.

Just done the stretches for Thursday and still sore, but amazingly afterwards everything feels abit looser and relaxed.  squeaky freaky!

 I did something very new to me yesterday.  Well probably the day before.  I brought a shirt which was not a XL.  Instead I brought a large.  The shirts I have have all started to get abit baggy.  Let’s not even start on the pants!

The good feeling on Friday was putting on the large shirt and it not just fitting but looking like it should be worn.  Been an incredible two weeks of change.  Shape just all changed.

And damn it feels good!

Bring on the next size down.  For some reason my trainer seems to think I can get down to an M size.  Not going to doubt him on this!

So it's now 3.x months in with the personal trainer at Activ8 and the rest of the team.  Time for a review I guess as well, since well my assessment on Wednesday to see if I'm as crap as fit as I was when i came back from the US.

Easy answer, not likely.  Didn't hurt I took out the full package and that was not cheap.  But then again when I lived in Japan and had to do all my first cancer the chemo stuff left me 8K USD out of pocket.  There was a huge refund, but it comes down to how much do you spend on your health.

My totally easy answer is as much as it takes.  Why because you can have huge amounts of money stashed aside for the things you want, but how can you spend any of it if you health is crap.

Even easier answer, every dollar/cent spent on your health is a good dollar.  It breaks down to even easier.  If you can't walk somewhere to see/do something, then your healthy is wrong.  I know.  I've had an underlying issue with Arthritis for so long it stopped me from many things.  Feck the cancer, this was actually the weekly issue.

Since working with my Trent (My PT from Activ8) i'm on the least amount, basically nil amount of arthritic  drugs ever. I still maintain a daily intake of some non medical druges, the best i have found is Procasmine from USANA.  Not cheap, and i won't advocate for them, but it seems to work for me.  I also know that losing a few kilo's and working all my joints in the right order is the best thing ever.

And that is why you need a PT.  An expert in how to work your body.  Its possible you can get crap ones, but lucky for me I didn't. 

He has me working out on some exercise and doesn't go off to answer some FB message or other, I can see him checking every move I make and looking from all angles to make sure I'm doing it correctly.  Ps.  his counting along with mind is Shite.  We just work it out that somewhere between it all it was a good effort!  And yes I work in banking but at 7 am my brain is not working.

So, do you get a personal trainer. My easy answer is yes.  If you hate going to the gym and been given a circuit to do, then get bored.  Chop and change.  Get a PT, they make it so much more interesting.  I never know what is going to hit me each time and I fecking love it. 

Photo's to come, but looking so much better for it.

With all this fitness and healthy stuff going on I've almost forgotten that I've brought a house, or apartment.  Take your pick. I call it a house as it will be home!

Lastest news is that work has restarted and they should have all the paperwork done by the end of the month.  hmm not sure of that as there is still a huge hole for the 2nd car park entrance.  But at least the weather is good now so things can move along.  The information before Christmas was a mid feb move in.  

As all my documentation is now in place i can go for an early settlement if i want, and will see how that pans out.  As I'm going back to NZ for a wedding on the 18th it could work out fine.

Might be able to come back to my own home, and then move in!  

The hardest bit of all of this has been that the boys have had to be away boarding down south.  They are back with breeder that I got Ranger from.  Its worked out really well as she only has Cavaliers so they are with 'friends'.  Its also alot better than a boarding kennel where they spend most of the time locked up.  At least here they have the whole day running around with other dogs in a huge yard, and for Ranger it will be home.  Tonto I do worry about as he has been abandoned once already.

I did go and see them late last year.  It was a moment of weakness really as I just felt so bad!  Tonto would not let me put him down for 20mins.  I stayed for an hour and at the end of which he was happy to go eat in his house so working on the idea that he had seen me enough, everything was good so food time!

The bright spot is that when this is all finally over both of them will come home permanently.  No rental, no moving, just home!  A worry was that Tonto was developing a grey fur on top of his eyes which is an age sign.  I'm hopeful that it was just abit of imagination, or if not when he come home to his easy and carefree life again it might go away.

When Tonto first came to me he was in the best shape ARK could give, but it had not been the best for him as he needs constant human attention.  In a few months and high quality food he had radically improved.  Now he is on his special diet he is even better.

Can't wait for them to come home.

For some reason there is a problem with my IPAD and wordpress and its releasing all the stories I wrote over the last few months in draft as if there were now.  Thats abit of mistake!

I've been writing in draft mode all my fitness stuff.  There was a damn good reason for it.  I wasn't sure i would be able to commit to it.  I did take out the full package and kiddies it wasn't cheap, but then nothing good in life really is.  I did work it out being cheaper than my chemo in Japan so hey take your silver linings were you get them.

That said it is worth every dollar and it makes me happy so we are done there.

Well gym wise anyhow.  I think the best description for Monday morning was running on a full tank of empty!  Everything just seemed so damn hard  Greg was great at trying to keep the motivation up, but it was obvious, batteries were flat.

Wednesday was a right off with a long night of work before and more work, didn't even make it.  So all excited and ready for a good showing this morning!  Well if exciting is considered stopping to catch your breath in between not puking then wohoo smashing success.  

For some reason the body was not willing, and the mind was taking far to much feedback from the body as well.  The boys were tried, but it was like the spark plugs were dirty!

Oh well, it happens.  Did have some good news on my seeing my shadow, (yes i know, odd thing to be looking for), it was sans belly.  Very surprising.  Spent a good few minutes doing shadow shapes to see if it was hiding around the corner!

Wow, its now ten weeks of 3 days a week with Trent.  So how does it feel 

Quick answer, damn good.  I'm looking 10 years younger and feeling good for it all.

Okay, firstly a big URL to follow

http://activ8fitness.com.au/

Well the body is a work in progress by the team at Activ8.  Been going there for 10 weeks now and its been a long journey.  Some progress has been made!

Did go from walking up the 7 flights of stairs and coughing out a lung to running up them twice just before Christmas.  My big issue right now is that I find I'm really missing it.  I need Trent to stand over me and push me to the point until i just want to puke.  

Who thought i would miss that!  Well i do!

Over the last few weeks I've been waking up and finding that umm my body isn't quite the same.  The huge belly i has shrunk, and still shrinking.  OMG is almost back to a little overweight look and there is so much more to do.

I've come to understand that I'm basically a very lazy person, I've gotten by using my brain muscle for work and look it would be dishonest to say its not done me badly.  I'm basically paid really well to make sure that brain of mine keeps coming up with new and cool ways of doing things.  Last year I pulled off a major new concept that went global and late this year another idea did the same.

Last thursday was the last full on PT session until Jan 9th as the guys at Activ8 are also taking  a well deserved break.  I do however find i am missing the tri weekly session alot.  Been walking km after km, some running in it and now also doing situps and pressups just to get a little of the feeling back.  Figured out that i need them so much to make me work it.

As I said, I'm lazy, but on my own.  When i work with them, its 120% and love it all the time.  Just with me i need someone to push me. 

And wow, how well have they done so far.  Not sure of the weight yet as no checks done, but its looking good.  If I break under 100Kg then i will be so happy.  Think i might be well on track for that and more.  My goal, down to 84kg and no stopping me.  New body by Activ8.  I'm in!