Topic: The I'm a fat bastard and trying to lose weight thread aka JoeyC's skiving zone

[The G in Gerrard]

I fucking love biscuits!

Had a biscuit today for first time in months. Jammy Dodger was great. Custard creams used to be quality as well but keep away from that.

[Titi Camara]

Chocolate covered Hob Nobs are basically crack! They should come with a fucking warning label!

[Schmidt]

Chocolate covered Hob Nobs are basically crack! They should come with a fucking warning label!

I just took a break from my diet and bought a box of those Ikea oatmeal cookies that are two thin cookies stuck together with chocolate, absolutely destroyed them.

Shockingly, my progress has been a little slow this month. I lost just over another kilogram a couple of weeks back but then between work trips, injuries and a bunch of distractions (and cookies) I've largely just maintained the last few weeks. It's odd how the closer I get to a weight goal the harder I find it to stay motivated, you'd think being close to the finish line would really drive you on but if anything I seem to get complacent and stop. I'm traveling home in about a month and that falls on the date one year after I started my diet, so it'd be nice to lose the last 2 kg's before then and should be easily achievable if I stop fucking around.

[Grobbelrevell]

My training has been stopped altogether the last two and a bit weeks.

Went to the gym a couple of Thursdays ago and worked out, no issues, felt good. Went to bed absolutely fine. Woke up the next morning and my back was in bits, to the extent that I could barely move. That was the case for about a week, more or less stuck in bed, and then across the last week it's (very) slowly eased up to the point that I had maybe 80% movement back, albeit it still wasn't right and I still couldn't lift anything, nor run, jump, etc. I felt like it was moving in the right direction, at least. And then yesterday I've gone to Ikea (first mistake) and grabbed a few bits, nothing heavy, but it seems like the act of picking up a few pretty light boxes has absolutely done me in again, and here I am struggling to get out of bed once more.

Now, I've pulled my back a few times before, mostly at the gym, and every single time I've felt it go instantly and therefore knew what I'd done. On those occasions it took maybe a week to a week and a half of resting (no gym, no lifting, etc) and it corrected itself. This time just feels different, in that I genuinely don't know what I did, I certaintly didn't feel anything go, and it's been over two weeks now and I'm more or less where I started. To say that I'm frustrated would be an understatement, and it's all made worse by the fact that I'm due to fly to Nepal to do the Everest Base Camp Trek in less than 5 weeks now. I had a training plan all laid out and this has killed it dead. Where I should be ramping up distance and testing myself with back-to-back hikes, I'm laid in bed covered in Tiger Balm, chewing on Ibuprofen. Along with the worry of whether that lack of training is going to catch up with me on the trek, the overriding concern is whether I'm even going to get to a point where I'm fit enough to go.

A friend of mine recommended a physio/chiropractor that they'd used when suffering with back pain a while back, and I'm due to see him for an initial assessment tomorrow. I'm praying that he clarifies what the issue is here, and gives me some level of reassurrence around recovery steps and timeframe, because up to now I feel like what I'm doing currently isn't working.

[rob1966]

Could be a slipped disc, physio will confirm it.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

Definitely sounds like a slipped disc that is probably pressing on a nerve. Light exercise is still encouraged if this is the case, and a good chiropractor should be able to help at least relieve the pain.

[Grobbelrevell]

Could be a slipped disc, physio will confirm it.

Definitely sounds like a slipped disc that is probably pressing on a nerve. Light exercise is still encouraged if this is the case, and a good chiropractor should be able to help at least relieve the pain.

Well you were both correct! Saw the chiropractor today and he's confirmed as being a slipped disc on my left side.

Through a combination of him cracking my back a few times (which hurt like hell), a touch of acupuncture, and some specific stretches/movements, I came out feeling better than I went in. Mostly, if I'm honest, just pleased that he seemed confident in the diagnosis, along with the chances of (more or less) full recovery, and hopefully within the < 5 week timeframe that I have before flying to Nepal.

Booked in to see him again the next three Monday's, and getting stuck into the stretches he outlined (a few times daily), plus the general advice on how to move better in ensuring less load on the lower back. Some of it is a bit alien because the movements aren't natural to me, but if it helps then fuck me I'll stand on my head if necessary.

[Titi Camara]

Hope it sorts itself out buddy and you get to go to Nepal in the best shape you can

[Grobbelrevell]

Hope it sorts itself out buddy and you get to go to Nepal in the best shape you can

Thanks mate 

[rob1966]

Well you were both correct! Saw the chiropractor today and he's confirmed as being a slipped disc on my left side.

Through a combination of him cracking my back a few times (which hurt like hell), a touch of acupuncture, and some specific stretches/movements, I came out feeling better than I went in. Mostly, if I'm honest, just pleased that he seemed confident in the diagnosis, along with the chances of (more or less) full recovery, and hopefully within the < 5 week timeframe that I have before flying to Nepal.

Booked in to see him again the next three Monday's, and getting stuck into the stretches he outlined (a few times daily), plus the general advice on how to move better in ensuring less load on the lower back. Some of it is a bit alien because the movements aren't natural to me, but if it helps then fuck me I'll stand on my head if necessary.

Thought it might be, I slipped a disc a few years ago, it was agony. The valium I was given for 3 days was ace though, knocked me right out

Hopefully its a lot better now.

[Grobbelrevell]

Thought it might be, I slipped a disc a few years ago, it was agony. The valium I was given for 3 days was ace though, knocked me right out

Hopefully its a lot better now.

Nice! I could've done with some valium at various points! 

Thanks mate, it's getting there. Range of movement in my back is mostly there again now, more soreness at this point than excruciating pain accompanying every movement, which feels like solid progress.

Issue now is less the back directly, but more the sciatica nerve. No real issues for most of the day, but overnight and especially in the morning, it's agony until I get stretched out and moving again. Wouldn't mind that packing up pronto as well.

The chiro cracking your back and neck though. Christ Almighty. Thought I'd died on that table there. The sound of my own neck cracking will never leave me.

[El Denzel Pepito]

Coming up to the end of my 12th week now. 10.9kg down and sitting at 76.8kg. Around 72kg is the initial aim before I re-assess, so less than 5kg to go which should be achievable within the next 6-7 weeks or so if I remain consistent.  I'll be going over the 12-week timeframe most dieticians recommend for any form of severe calorie restriction so going to be mindful of that too. However, still within touching distance! Have started to work out and lift weights again to preserve some muscle mass as I know a fair bit of the weight I've lost is muscle as my cut has been fairly aggressive.

Ended up falling off the bandwagon re calorie control since this post... Had quite a few work and social trips booked which meant I ate and drank a lot more loosely. I could've made some better choices for sure but a couple weeks in I thought it may be better to use this period as a maintenance period of sorts to get my body to adjust to this level of body weight.

I've still done my best to track on MyFitnessPal and my current streak is 130 days, so still keeping up with the habit. My last few weeks since the above post have been as below, with some lower intake days mixed in with really high intake days:

W/C 4 July: avg of 1700 calories
WC 11 July: avg of 1800 calories
W/C 18 July: avg of 1950 calories
W/C 25 July: avg of 2200 calories
W/C 1 Aug: avg of 1750 calories
W/C 8 Aug: avg of 2000 calories
W/C 1 Aug: avg of 2200 calories

There were days I had a hefty meal out with colleagues at a restaurant that didn't publish their calories, so I just banged in 2000 calories on MFP. I believe some of those meals would've been closer to 1,200-1,500 but I rather way overestimate than underestimate and think I'm on target when in reality I'm not. The average of the above would be around 1,900 calories/day over the last 7 weeks, which is still around 100-200 calories under my maintenance calories, albeit 700 calories more than I was consuming for the initial diet phase.

Fluctuating between 75kg and 75.7kg at the moment, likely due to the fluctuating/higher carb intake too, but I haven't gained anything and I'm anywhere between 1-1.8kg down from the post above, so no damage done in reality. 75kg would mean I've lost 12.7kg from when I started the diet this year, and 22.5kg down from my highest back in mid-2020.

I'm away with the family for the upcoming bank holiday so will no doubt have a few crazy days again - plenty of 'rubbish' food and beer expected! - but I'm making up for that this week by keeping calories below 1,400/day at the very most, and will then stick to that again for another couple of months following that. Staying within the 70-72kg range is the aim for me in the medium-long term, so just need to crack that range now and also start lifting again.

[Spezialo]

Got 2 kettlebells other week. Had to order some wrist bands with some plastic guard in. they were bruising my outer forearms and killing when leaning against them.

get used to the weight for a while then ease off on the bands.

[Mahern]

Gone from 15.2 to 12.10 since July, watching calories on MyFP and doing the following:

20 x 25m swim x3 per week
15 Mile bike ride x1 per week
Referee x1 per fortnight
Walk Dogs 2.5 Miles x 2 per day
30 mins body weight exercise x 3 per week
1hr casual tennis or badminton x1hr per week

Sounds a lot more written out that way than it does on my calendar, on a busier day I might do 4 bouts of exercise if you include the 2 dog walks. I'm 53, so it can be done at any age, if you have the time and the mobility. My wife and I are now very much of the mentality use it or lose it, and try to make the most of our time.

Always with me, the key is to start doing something, anything., and build up to doing lots of different things, whatever you like. Once you see the scales start to move, which you should in a couple of days, that's all the motivation you need. And a good counter like MyFP keeps you on track.

[paulrazor]

As i said in the gym thread I have started with a personal trainer

was 19 stone after xmas, been stuck around that for ages. Its not a great weight at all but I have refocused and he has got me in the zone. 10 sessions booked, I have done 4 so far.

16 pounds off

Target is to get to 16 stone

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

As i said in the gym thread I have started with a personal trainer

was 19 stone after xmas, been stuck around that for ages. Its not a great weight at all but I have refocused and he has got me in the zone. 10 sessions booked, I have done 4 so far.

16 pounds off

Target is to get to 16 stone

Great job mate. The rate of weight loss will start to slow the more you lose, but don't let that deter you!

[paulrazor]

Great job mate. The rate of weight loss will start to slow the more you lose, but don't let that deter you!

thanks

It's.been slow and steady. 2-3 pounds a week.

3 weight sessions a week so muscle will be building

Been a steady loss so.far

Monday to Friday I watch everything food wise

Can't wait for cheat day tomorrow