I’ve been a wee bit tired today which I’ve put down to a combination of blogging to 0030 yesterday, adjusting to exercise and also adjusting to a new diet.
I forgot to mention in yesterday's Day 1 post that I weighed myself at the gym. I came in at a whopping 101.7kg, which is almost bang on 16st in old money. As I am 1.84m tall I either have to lose about 3st (over 20kg) or to grow to about 2.1m in height in order to have a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index). It’s currently at 30.1 and I should be in the 20 to 25 region.
I have had different advice on the frequency of weighing yourself (daily or once a week). I reckon I’ll go for the once a week option as I would be hoping to see progress, and it might be demotivating to see up and down fluctuations on a daily basis!
FOOD
Brekky – Three pieces of cooked ham, scrambled eggs, melon and pineapple. Half litre of water.
Lunch – Once again a big plateful from the canteen salad bar with small portions each of red and green peppers, cold ham, salami, roast beef, pickled herring, tuna, salmon, onions, blue cheese, raw mushrooms, two hard boiled eggs. Half litre of water. (I also had some beetroot before realising it was of course a root vegetable!)
By the way they have this stuff called Chilli Explosion at the canteen. It’s in a large pepper grinder type thingy and I use copious amounts of it after I’ve loaded up my plate!
Dinner - Went out with colleagues and had a 200g sirloin steak with green beans. Drank San Pellegrino with it! Really good.
Snacks – Two small bananas , a pear, 3 slices of parma ham, raw cauliflower
Drinks – Green tea. Loads of water. One bourbon and ice, two Stolichnaya and ice (with slices of lemon!)
So it didn’t take me very long into this venture to end up in a pub! (The justification of this visit was to watch the Man City v Liverpool match, so that’s ok then). While in there I followed Eugene’s advice of only having spirits and, if having a mixer, which I didn't, only using diet tonic water or actual water. Was a bit weird compared to sinking pints of Guinness, but on the whole it’s an approach I could get used to.
Still eating a lot of fruit! Susan reckons this might be too much (lots of sugars in them I presume), so I shall start cutting down, starting with breakfast tomorrow. Of course I still need my Five-A-Day, which up until now I got via the wonderful Magner’s Cider.
Quick question to everyone about tomatoes. As these are apparently a fruit (seeds on inside), should I cut down on these too?
I'm also worried about my egg consumption. Think I might be overdoing it a bit and piling up the cholestorol.
EXERCISE
As I was going out with colleagues this evening I only had 45 minutes available in the gym. I eschewed the weight machines and focused on the treadmill and bicycle. Based on Eugene and Susan’s feedback I checked out my optimum heart rate range for exercising, which turns out to be between 128 and 138 bpm. This knowledge had a direct impact on how I used the treadmill !
So, I used the treadmill first for 30 minutes. I walked 3km and burned 170 calories fast walking on a gradient of 4%. The reason for the walking was that whenever I sped up, my heart rate quickly jumped to 150+. I think this means that I have a bit to go yet to even get close to fitness!
In the remaining 15 minutes I jumped on the bike and burned 95 calories over 5.5km at level 4.
You might have noticed that I dropped a couple of levels from Day 1 on the bike. This is because I felt really tired after only one day’s exercise. Will be interesting to see how my body responds on Day 3.
Finally, I want to send my good wishes to my brother-in-law Neil who lives in Turks & Caicos. A car driver cut across him today and knocked him off his bicycle. From the photos it looks like the helmet and his face took most of the impact of his fall. In fact his helmet split in two so it’s a good job he was wearing one in the first place or it could have been very serious. Although drivers in Denmark are very aware of the cyclists they share the roads with, this incident has made me think twice of cycling to and from the office. Many in the medical profession jokingly refer to cyclists as ‘organ donors’ but unfortunately there are real risks for cyclists on any road, anywhere.
Good job, of course now you have started your routine it must become a habit, I would cut down on the fruit where possible, replace with tasty broccolli :) When I was in CPH I also went for Strongbow for my 5 fruits a day, oh those were the days.
ReplyDeleteThink I'll share my Food and Fitness now
Brekky
1 small organge juice, black tea, 3 slices of cold meat (small) with a green pepper and 1 spoon of scrambled eggs.
Lunch
4 slices of cold meat, green & yellow pepper, cucumber slice and 2 slices of unbuttered bread
Dinner
grilled sea bass with haricot vert & spinach/garlic
Snacks
2 litres of water, 1 tea
Gym
5 Klicks on the treadmill for 50 mins @ 400 Cals
Hi Frank,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fright for Neil, thank goodness he was wearing a helmet. I'm wary of cycling personally, unless on a bike track, but Melbourne drivers are possibly less respectful than Danish ones.
Australia has moved to 5 veg / 2 fruit recommendation per day, though eating fruit in lieu of anything like biscuits / cakes would still be better. I think the view is that the cholesterol in eggs is ok and a nutritionist I saw a few years ago advised I could have 2 per day. I'd always had banana on toast for breakfast at work and have switched to boiled egg to improve my protein intake. I'd only weigh myself once a week max, it's only one measure, no doubt the trainer will take your measurements (waist, hips, chest etc) and will track changes, as you begin to build lean muscle. Hopefully you are sleeping well at night, just make sure you have a break of a couple of hours between your workout and sleep time, it can overstimulate you in the evening and make sleep difficult. Keep at it!
Thanks @Eugene. Was talking to Brian at The Globe about you, where you used to get your 5 a day in CPH. He sends his regards. Quiz night tonight!
ReplyDeletePlease also keep posting your food and fitness details if you get the time and inclination. It's a really good guide for me.
Regarding the good habits, I reckon that it will be easier in CPH than it will be at home in GLA. Although I already have half a plan for this. Will let you know how it goes. Problems I see on the horizon are events which are intrinsically 'bad' when it comes to foodstuffs. I'm talking about a Burns Supper on the 25th January! Haggis, neeps an tatties. Blows a hole in the entire strategy!
@Susan. I've noticed that, like the Dutch, Danish drivers are very aware of where cyclists are and where they might be. On the main cycle tracks outside the centre I see no issues whatsoever. However I would have to negotiate some rush hour city centre traffic in the morning, which makes me nervous!
ReplyDeleteThe 5 veg/2 fruit recommendation sounds about right from what I've gleaned already. The advice on the eggs is also interesting. I can start reintroducing them in relative moderation!
I'm definitely in measuring mode now. It's funny how the same advice pops up from multiple sources at the same time.
Already had the overstimulation issue before sleep after the first day at the gym. At least it helped me stay up to write the blog post!