Bank Holiday Toughness

The gym continues although it is still tough. Fitness levels are really low again so just walking on the treadmill is difficult! Burned 1060 calories though so no complaints.

Got to keep the exercise up and the weight down.

I Can Do It…!!!!

Begin again, again – Starting Weight

26st 04lbs

Let’s face it I knew it was gonna be bad, but, it’s still not as bad as it used to be.

Only one more thing to say really…

I Can Do It…!!!

Begin again, again

No shame in beginning again. At least I’m beginning again – right?

Been the gym and burned 700+ cals. Not sure about the blog right now. This is what I used to do though. I’d go the gym and then write a blog. So I came home from the gym and I’m writing a blog post. Can’t believe how long its been since I was last on my ‘journey to a healthier lifestyle’ haha. It’s all good.

A provisional stat:

I probably weigh about 26st. Can’t be bothered working it out in lbs and kgs. I’ll get weighed in the week.

Big shout out to Neil Birkett who is helping keep me accountable and (hopefully) me him 😉

Good to be back

Sounds Like A Plan

Hi guys,

How are we doing this fine and fancy Sunday evening? That good hey, I like it 🙂

Well, not much to report on the running front, but the food has been better. I wouldn’t say good, but, I would say better. I’ve sacumbed to the odd cake and piece of chocolate, but, overall, I’m happy with where I am. I’ve not been weighed yet, so I still need my new starting weight, but, I think I am just avoiding the inevitable, but, as a friend in work said (thanks Alec), I do need a starting point for motivation.

The biggest thing to tell you is that my liverpool half marathon training starts in earnest this week coming. Last week gone, I ran a little but there was no real plan, no real direction. Now I have one, so all I need to do, is do it…!!! Ironically tomorrow (Day 1) is supposed to be a rest day, but, I’m going to have a nice easy run anyway, just to get things underway.

Here’s a question for you…

Q: If my time last year was 2:49:57, what should be my target time for this year? Answers in the ‘Reply’ section below or on fb/twitter please 🙂

Hasta pronto,

Paul (Kracker)

“I Can Do It…!!!”

Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen

What a difference 10 months make

I’ve had my first run…

So, lets face it, I was never exactly ‘mighty’ in the truly mighty sense of the word, but, on the 25th March 2012, I did run the Liverpool Half Marathon in 2:49:57. That’s 13.5 miles or 21.7 kms. Pretty ‘fantastic’ in the absolutely fantastic sense of the word (even if I do sound like a broken record)!

“Why Paul, what’s changed”, I hear you say. Quite a lot it seems. I left the house tonight with a spring in my step, ready to ‘begin again’. Unfortunately my body was not in step with my head and that spring in the aforementioned step soon became a pain in my lower back. Gravity pulled my every increasing stomach to the floor, my back started to grow in pain and I felt like I did back at the very beginning of my journey in March 2011 – totally unfit. The run lasted 42 minutes and I’d covered 2.2 miles or 3.5 kms and I’d walked a fair chunk of it.

Look baby, the only way is up and that’s how I’ve got to think about it. I’ve started and that’s all that matters.

Time for me to put a proper training plan together if I have any chance of running the half marathon this year.

In other news…

• I’m gagging for chocolate
• I’ve got caffeine deficiency headaches and
• Non of my clothes fit

Apart from that, everything is just peachy 🙂

Adios amigos,

ps – A big thanks to Natalie from work, who, when I showed her my id badge in work today said, “oh yeah Paul you can’t half see you’ve put it on…” Lol 🙂

Paul (Kracker)

“I Can Do It…!!!”

Something to focus on

I was going to entitle this post, “Overcoming Apathy” as I am feeling quite apathetic at present, but, you know what, what’s the point? I’m either in this or I’m not. Yes, I’m finding it hard to get any momentum going, but, guess what, I’m blogging again, so that is momentum enough for now.

Right so…

A couple of things to focus on for the first quarter of 2013:

• Fancy Dress Party February 8th – It is my amazingly much better halfs birthday in Feb (a pretty big one too isn’t it Solly 😉 ) and we are having a fancy dress party. Yes you guessed it, I’m going as Shrek. Well let’s face it, it is an obvious choice, but, I wouldn’t mind shedding a few lbs before the day.
• Liverpool Half Marathon March 17th – So, if I train well for this ‘focus’, I’m definately going to lose some weight for the party 🙂  Hopefully, a good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless – Neil Birkett) is going to run it with me. Well, I say with, I mean on the same day and starting at roughly the same time, but in reality he will run a lot quicker than I will, but you get my point. If you see him, get him to make his mind up 🙂 

I’m going on my first run tomorrow. Wish me luck, it’s going to be sooooo hard to get this ball rolling.

And finally…

Not blog or me related, I just wanted to say a big “God Bless you Bonga…” to my biggest little boy Joel who goes to Ealing tomorrow on a work secondment. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Adios amigos,

Paul (Kracker)

“I Can Do It…!!!”

2012 Review

Let’s be honest, what is there to review. Well there was one thing, but, we’ll get to that later. Don’t worry. I’m not gonna be all down beat, but, I am gonna be honest.

2012 was a ‘healthier lifestyle’ and a ‘blogging’ disaster area. The lifestyle became increasingly more unhealthy and I posted a derisory total of 17 blog posts in the whole year – Nice! Obviously the blog posts were proportionate to the level of healthy input. Little or no healthy input = little or no blogging. Basically I started to hide away from everyone 😦

Anyhoo, time to come out from the shadows and boldly go where I’ve been before, get to where I got and go a little further – Come on…!!!

Let’s call this phase two – When I started the blog back in May 2011, I’d already been at the lifestyle change since March, I was already motivated and already getting results. This phase two is a bit different in that I’m blogging from day one. Back on day one in March 2011, I was (kind of) motivated, I didn’t have any results yet and I was finding it hard. Ditto for today, so bare with me as I find my way back to being super motivated with lbs of lossed weight and inches to show for it. In the beginning, I always said it wasn’t about weight loss it was about becoming healthier and I meant it when I said it. I still do mean it, but, dya know what, I really want to lose loads of weight as well 🙂

The Plan

Exercise – Well the plan is in development. I suppose the biggest change is that I’m not going to go to the gym as much as I did. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to exercise, but, it does mean I’ve bought a treadmill, a bike and I’m going to be running outdoors as much as I can.

Right here, right now in this tiny brain of mine, I want to exercise in some shape or form everyday. Now, I know that’s not going to happen (mainly because today is day two and I’ve not done any yet 🙂 ), but I will try and do something three to four times per week.

Food – This has to play a much more active part of how I progress, so watch this space, because historically, I find it really difficult to do. I’ve got to do it though, I will fail if I don’t.

Photographs & Projects – Yes I will continue with the embarrassing photos and I will continue with my little projects like ‘100 amigos’ for example. Oh btw, the recent photo on ther right is not recent at all. I’m kind of somewhere in the middle. I’ll sort an up to date one soon.

Let’s be honest – I don’t know where this is going to go, but, I did so well the last time I was focused I know I can do it. I’m not as heavy as I was in the beginning (although I’m pretty close – weight to follow) so I’m still on the right side of where I need to be.

But finally – There was one good thing to come out of 2012 as far as ‘healthy Paul’ was concerned. I did run the Liverpool Half Marathon in 2:49:57. What’s not to be proud of with that hey 🙂 In my wildest dreams I never thought I would do that and I did. Maybe I need to think about running iut again this year as a motivational starting point. What say you?

See you all again soon for an update of how I’m getting on. Let me know your thoughts and pass on any ideas.

Adios amigos

Paul (Kracker)

“I Can Do It…!!!”

And So It Begins – Again :-)

Happy New Year.

Hi peeps.

Well, it’s been a while since I tapped some letters on the keyboard to create a new blog post and I couldn’t think of a better time to begin again than January 1st 2013.

Time to get back on track. Get the ‘healthier lifestyle’ going again, lose the weight I’ve regained – don’t worry it’s not all back, just a wee bit 😉 – and get accountable again to the blogosphere.

I’ll fill you all in tomorrow, but for now, I just wanted to say…

I’m back…!!!

Adios amigos.

Paul ‘Kracker’

I Can Do It…!!!

328 lbs

Okay, so it’s not 297.5 lbs like September 2011, but, it’s also not 391 lbs like April 2011 either.

The bottom line is this, I weigh 30.5 lbs more than my lowest weight and 63 lbs less than my heaviest weight. I’m still on the winning side!

It was good to get back to my gym tonight. I don’t consider the gym near work my gym (even though it also is). Lakeside is my gym. I love that place so much. It’s been ages since I’ve been able (or made the time) to go there.

As I pulled in the car park, the sky was blue and there was a gentle breeze – lovely! I decided to go for a run by the beach, but, when I actually got to the beach, I just had to stop and enjoy the view for a few minutes. Plus, I’d eaten my tea just before going and consequently running was sooo hard. My guts were killing. When will I learn not to eat before exercise. Don’t tell her I said it, but, I blame Jan (the wonderfully wonderful much better half). She forced me to eat her amazing curry prior to leaving. I knew I’d regret it. It was amazing though 🙂

Right, got to go, but before I do, how are we all doing? Are we still winning too? Great, glad to hear it.

Adios amigos,

Paul (Kracker)

“I Can Do It…!”

This time last year I…

…did my first jog.

Well actually I called it a ‘joddle’ as it was more of a cross between a jog and a waddle. Come to think of it, not much has changed on that front – I still waddle 🙂

Anyway, it got me a thunking. That was a really significant day for me, a breakthrough day, a day I never thought I would ever see. Go have a read and look at the pictures I uploaded. I am one happy bunny.

That was a year ago today. It’s been just over a year since I started my blog. Just over a year since I started my ‘healthier’ lifestyle.

In the last couple of months I’ve had a few false starts at getting consistant again, plus one major achievement. Let’s face it, it’s not everyday you run your first half marathon, but, if running a half marathon is the pinnacle of my lifestyle change, I think I’ve missed the point don’t you?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all gone belly up (or should I say belly out:-)), but, I’ve not gone the gym nearly as much as I’d like too (or could do) and the control of my eating has gone, well, out of control really. I kinda eat what I want when I want it, with a lot of food beginnig with the letter ‘J’ and sounds like dunk.

Accountability has played a major part in my successes to date, so I need to get you all back on board with me. Will you come? Will you help me get things moving again? Thanks, I was hoping you would say yes!

Well, it’s Sunday morning and I’m off to church soon. I’ll post a 2012 starting weight tomorrow, which I reckon will be about 340 lbs *gulp*. No need for me to be too disappointed, it’s not going to be anywhere near 391 lbs, but neither is it going to be anywhere near 297.5 lbs which was my lowest last year prior to the winter kicking in, me getting a job and the struggles beginning.

I’m so pleased I’ve posted today 😀

Adios amigos.

Paul (Kracker)

“I Am Still Doing It…!”