Official Start and Plan

Ok, this is my "official" start point.

This probably should have been my "intro" post, or my "plan" post, but here it is.

As you can see, I was 86.5kg when I started this little weight duel here. That was taken on the 3rd of September.

My plan is probably not that detailed, but I have some fairly good generic types of ideas. I don't think calorie counting, for example, is neccessary to a program such as this. The basic principles are simple - if you need to work out more, work out more. If you need to vary your workload to target different areas, then do that. Eat well and eat consistantly. I don't know, I'm not going to make more of a science out of it then that... not yet anyway.

For now though I've identified a few main goals for losing the weight:

1> Eat right / Eat better.

I'm never going to be a perfect eater, but I can do a lot better then what I have been. Junk foods and takeaways - they'll never be out of my life, but they need to be more a luxury, rather then "whenever I feel like it." My other big kicker is soft drinks, or 'sodas' as some may call them - I can probably stop that altogether, but I don't want to make that sacrifice if I can help it.

2> Do a little every day.

Simple yet effective. If you do a little piece every day, it turns an exercise like this into a "life choice". If you get used to taking the time out daily, it'll become easier when you are busy, and it won't seem such a chore to get out there and do something longer term - especially when you're tired.

3> Be consistant in your workouts - but don't rush yourself into it.

I'd love to just go nuts and exhaust myself every session. Trouble is, what I do today can affect how much I can do tomorrow. Not that it's an excuse not to push myself, but if I'm hurting more then just muscle pains - then I'm doing something wrong and if I need the time out, then I do.
I'm sure eventually I'll be able to not worry about this - bones aren't that old yet! But until then, just don't overdo it too much.

4> Sleep more / Stress less

Ok, I won't have any troubles with the stress side of things, haha. But I definitely need to sleep more - especially with these jobs we do and the long hours.

And that, is fairly well my plan. It's not too indepth and it's mostly just logical. It's the type of thing people always say they should do, but often don't do. Well, since this is a "challenge", that's my challenge to myself - get the simple stuff right... and only then do you look to start thinking like an athelete, or something.

The Rise and Fall

I took a photo on the 4th of September, and that put me at about 86.5 kg.
I went up by about a kilo during my little travelling stint, but now I'm on the downpath, and my latest photo is at 85.5 kg.

I've left my photo's at home today, so I will bring them in tomorrow and post them up. I don't have internet at camp - which is actually great... one less distraction which forces me to get out and go running..... or at least to get out and wander about aimlessly for hours. Especially now that I left my iPod back in Gladstone :(

So when I post tomorrow, I'll "claim" my first official kilogram of weight loss. That's one down, eight to go. Let's say it took me 35 days to lose the first one, and there's what, 112 to go..... hmmm, look's a little worrying when put that way!!

Haha, it doesn't sound like Amber is going that well anyhow, but I've got some good news. I had 5 days off just recently, and my "measure" of over 85kg was when I got home. I have weighed myself in under 84.5..... though, I won't officially claim that until I get another scale reading - which wont be for another week yet so I better keep up the good work! :)

Amber's Progress - September Results

Hello again!
Although I've been silent, I have been extremely active and busy, staying true and faithful to my program. Tonight's results aren't spectacular. But it is an improvement from the last post. Forgive the picture quality. My regular camera battery is dead and I had to use my iPhone instead.

I am at 149.4 pounds (67.8 kg), which is a loss of 1.8 lbs or 0.8 kg. Based on my calorie plan, I should have lost about 5 pounds over the month. This tells me that I've hit a plateau!

To overcome this hurdle (which I was expecting anyway), I'm going to have to really intensify my workouts. Thankfully, I have completely recovered from my shin split injury so there is nothing stopping me from revamping my workout program this week. The goal will be to burn at least 500 calories per session.

Here's to hoping for better results next week! 

Updates

Well I had better write something else Amber's going to think this is a free run!

I've obviously been in the process of moving - moving jobs, moving state, moving house etc... I've been based in 4 different towns in the last
Month while this challenge was 'active' , staying in about 7 different places. So thats my excuse for silence....

As for the challenge, it's definitely a slow start for me. I am not going the wrong way, which is a start, but I haven't lost anything worth a mention as yet.

There is time though, and hope! I spent about 2 hours gardening in the Queensland heat today, and still went for a walk after! doesn't sound like much, but I've got to start somewhere.

I'm also going to be living on a construction camp for most of the duration of the competition, which should give menthe advantage- it's set working hours, a free gym membership, and you don't have to waste time doing all those boring 'chores' like cooking your own meals or making you own bed- somebody does that for you!

So I figure that out of ire boredom I'll end up working out (if nothing else).

Anyway, in case you can't tell I'm tying from my iPad and my fingers are too fat for the keys, so I'll spare anyone more grammatical punishment, and sign off for the night!

Testing...1...2...3...!

I hijacked Amber's account, and gave myself permissions to post directly from my account, so just a quick test to see if it works - then more to come!

Progress Pic #2 - Amber

Well, I had originally planned to post my scale pictures every Monday. But as you can see from the picture below, I wasn't in a rush to post these not so thrilling results!

I have no explanation for how the heck I gained a pound in a week, especially considering how hard I worked.  I am careful about weighing myself at the same time on Monday's. So I can't blame time of day as the source of the problem. Hopefully, this was just a fluke (water weight, slight muscle gain, etc). It just seems a bit soon to see the numbers so out of whack.

Other than that shocker on Monday, I am still on track with my eating and workout regimen. And I weigh myself daily anyway. With the exception of the picture above, I've consistently been experiencing weight decline. 

Either way, I've got a grand head start on my competitor Daniel who is still busy settling into his new digs on the East Coast. 

Progress Pic – Amber

Here’s a scale shot to prove my starting number (Yes, it’s higher than what I originally said. Let’s just say that August wasn’t a very progressive month for me!)

(I am 151.2 pounds, or 68.6 kilograms)

I also took some before body shots. But I'm too shy to show them without the after pictures to compare against!

I plan to weigh in and report on progress every Monday evening.