The great two month experiment...

Welcome to my great two month experiment (not in any way related to having turned 34 recently, oh no!!).... what is my grand scheme I hear no one ask?... it is a simple get fit and more importantly shed some body fat plan. Having been inspired by a magazine article (hmm, I know not the most auspicious place to begin) and partly also by the coming of lent the new plan has been hatched.

Essentially I will be eating a more substantial breakfast (mainly porridge or similar) and cutting lunch into two smaller meals eating four times a day rather than 3. Not sounding like rocket science so far is it? Well indeed thats because it isn't really, I will be reducing the carb intake in favour of protein and working a fair bit harder at the gym and with home weights. Trying to somewhat, and I hesitate to use the word,... no I really do hesitate... resculpt myself a bit. I have been putting off getting out the tape measure but that will be my main yardstick. Measuring key areas (i.e. waist, stomach, chest, etc.) and then measuring them again at the end of month one and then month two.

I will let you, my audience of mostly one (hello honey!) how it goes and what (if any ) revelations I come across. Oh, I have given up chocolate and taking the train to work for lent... an inspired duo I think you will agree.

My first experiment with chocolate flavoured protein powder as an appetite suppressing breakfast supplement was interesting... mixing half a 'dose' into my porridge was simple and almost tasty (given that I am not the biggest porridge fan thats not an indictment of the powder). On the way to work and while in work I felt stuffed full, so perhaps mission accomplished, this is only an 'n' of 1 experiment so far!! The rough idea is that the protein will make me feel 'fuller' at breakfast, that the protein will require a metabolism shift to be used as fuel helping reduce some male pattern glycogen stores, and also act as building material if I follow through my plan to get to the gym more.

See my plan??? Hmmmmmm... I know it does sound like bollocks... I am not exactly sold myself... just prepared to give an experiment a few weeks... or at least to the end of lent ;o) Hmm, perhaps I should have described my lent options as: cutting down simple carbs and giving up lazy forms of transport, hehehehe

Busy weekend

Well for a weekend it is certainly packed... started with 30mins ergo'ing, 20mins running at the club, then we went bowling (I did pretty well for the first bowl in two years, 167 & 171 - I had two turkeys, the first one with my first three balls!!). After that activity we bustled off to one of the best eateries in South Wales for a fab meal, and then dashed home in time to see England v Wales... which despite contriving to lose Wales came back to win!!

Then Yesterday saw more running (30mins this time), followed by 30mins or so off moderate weights work. The weights included some light load squats, which like the rest of the weekends workouts seemed not to aggrievate my recent groin injury (yipee). After the training we went to a local country park to walk our dog with a bunch of other rescue dogs.... by the time we got home we were absolutley battered. Watched Scotland lose to France and then had a quiet night in.

A fabulous weekend :o) And then today....

This morning I tried porridge for breakfast for the second day running, got to work early so popped into a branch of Starbucks for a coffee (I chose a vanilla latte), I had a MacDonalds for a quick lunch on the hoof, and then in the afternoon I had milkshake... and now I feel sick... my wife pointed out the calories involved in all that and I realised why!!! I feel like a small child that went to a friends birthday party, eat too much cake and drank too much fizzy pop!!! Its not nice!!!

Perhaps its some karmic revenge thing for having frequented two of the big bad chain stores in one day... I have been to niether for a very very long time. I had actually rather enjoyed the atmosphere in Bucks, sitting in a booth reading a paper before work felt very urbane. The same could not be said for my MacD's experience, since my last visit leather Bucks style sofas have appeared but the ambiance was far from urbane.

Tomorrow I will try not to make myself sick but will be trying my first ever protein supplement experience... as part of a fitness drive I am trying out a bit of diet modification (more of that tomorrow)...

Bright clear, hint of fine drizzle, beautiful February day.

Last weeks training

Training Log	Row	Stretch	Run	Ergo	Circuit	Weights	Cycle
Mon/28/1/08	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Tue/29/1/08	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Wed/30/1/08	.	Y	20mins	.	.	Medium	.
Thu/31/1/08	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Fri/1/2/08	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Sat/2/2/08	.	Y	20mins	30mins	.	.	.
Sun/3/2/08	.	Y	30mins	.	.	Medium	.