Andrew is getting fit

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It’s funny but over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a few annoying things about losing a lot of weight.

• The first and foremost of these is that I’m so cold! I used to sleep with a window open in the middle of winter as I was always feeling hot. Now, I’m wearing vests under my shirts during the day because I’m cooooold.  And it’s not even winter yet.
• My wedding ring is loose and falling off my finger. It is in desperate need of a resize.
• My clothes don’t fit! This is a real problem for me. Pretty much 95% of my clothes are too big now. I don’t really want to spend more money on clothing as I’m still losing so I’m a bit of a baggy mess. Thankfully I have some jeans that fit (bought the wrong size by mistake years ago and much to my joy I’m finally wearing them!) and of course my running gear fits.
• People telling me I’ve lost enough weight. This is very annoying as well. Fair enough I’ve lost a lot but I’m still quite overweight by any objective measure.  I’m on a roll folks, stop telling me to stop!
• Let’s not talk about the floppy belly skin.
• People not recognising me.  I was at an alumni reunion on Tuesday and it was a really good night.  The only problem was so many of my former students didn’t recognise me.  Come on folks I’ve only lost 90 odd pounds and grown a beard since you last saw me!

Then again, why am I whinging complaining? All these things are aboslutely brilliant! Visible signs of success. They’re still annoying thought. How about you guys? Anything that particularly bugs you?

In other news, I’ve got a busy day ahead of me so I thought I would get a morning run in.  I got up at 5:00 AM got dressed and had a smoothie then headed out the door.  I did the same loop that I did in my night run the other day and I’ve reached the conclusion that I need to find another loop, especially while I’ve still got this annoying cold.  The first mile of the loop is uphill and it gets me really tired before I’ve even started to really run.  I think it was exacerbated today by my cold and lack of fuel.  I don’t think the smoothie was enough.

And did I mention that it was pouring down with rain?  One of my worries has been running in the rain but it’s no problem at all.  With my cap on I can run just fine.  The glasses haven’t been fogging up yet so it’s all good.

Two more days till my next 5K race!

Tags: Life, running by AndrewE
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I’m off to sunny Napier to spend the long weekend (it’s ANZAC weekend here in New Zealand) with some friends. I’ve packed my running shoes and my camera so look forward to full report next week.

Tags: Life by AndrewE
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About a year ago I had a conversation with my doctor that most people would dread.  He wanted me to think about taking drugs to reduce my cholesterol levels.  I refused as I thought I would try to decrease my cholesterol through modifying my lifestyle first. 

Last week I went for my cholesterol test and I got my results back today.  In my humble opinion they are fantastic!  I’m within the normal range on every count.

So how did I do it? I’m afraid that those of you looking for an easy solution are out of luck. I did it the hard way, by changing my lifestyle. I think I have 3 main tips that I will share:

1. Cut out processed foods.

I’ve learnt the hard way that processed foods are not good for me. Nowadays I focus on eating mainly natural foods, predominantly fruits and vegetables.  I’ve been a vegetarian for the last two years (just about) and this may have helped as well.

2. Exercise

I know this is a dirty word to many people but exercise has literally changed my life. I used to be a massive couch potato and now I’m running in races and getting the jitters when I can’t get my exercise in.  The funny thing about exercise is that the more you do the more you want to do.  It’s hard at first but once you get in the habit it’s annoyingly addictive.

3. Enjoy my treats in moderation

Life without treats is not worth living in my opinion. I still enjoy curly fries, chocolate cake and so forth. The key is that I enjoy them occasionally and in moderation. Before I started my healthy lifestyle I wanted quantity over quality.  I’d eat snacks and junk food every day.  Two litre bottles of Coke were part of my everyday diet.  Now I don’t drink fizzy drinks at all (water is so much better) and I have junk food rarely.

I think that if I can do it then anyone can.  It’s not easy and at times I have fallen off the wagon as it were but it is definitely worth it.  Today my cholesterol is normal and I feel very happy about that.

Tags: Life, Milestones by AndrewE
46 Comments »

In my previous post I posted some pictures that showed how I’ve changed physically. I also put another “before” picture in my About Andrew page.

I think that greater changes have happened mentally and emotionally.

When I was a bit younger and a lot larger I was famous for always smiling.  One of my friends went so far as to call me the Cheshire Cat as I always had a silly grin on my face.

However, I don’t think I was particularly happy.  Like the Cheshire Cat, sometimes all that was there was the smile with nobody behind it.  I think my smile hid a deep seated insecurity and I was probably rather depressed a lot of the time.

My life has changed quite dramatically since those days.  The most important change has been that I met a wonderful woman who became my wife.  Through her quiet example she taught me to be a better person.  Some of my friends think that she is the one who has ‘forced’ me to make all these changes in my life but that is not the case.  She just set the example and I decided it was a good one to follow.

Since I’ve become healthier through eating right and doing more exercise I’ve felt so much better about myself.  I know I’m not skinny or anything yet but like my fellow blogger Justtoofat, I find myself feeling skinny and you know what, it feels good.

She wrote on her blog:

Lately, I’ve been feeling so good about myself. I’ve been counting up the calories, eating (mostly) right, posting my food intake each day and exercising like a mad woman. I’ve even been taking expeditions to the far reaches of my closet, and returning with outfits that haven’t seen the light of day for years, only to find that many, many of my “skinny” clothes (if one can ever be forgiven for calling a size 22 skinny) are starting to fit again. And even though the scale hasn’t moved much in the last couple of weeks (I’m down a pound and a half from last week), when I’ve looked in the mirror recently, I haven’t seen a fat girl at all… rather, I’ve seen the new, healthier me.

And it’s funny, because I know that this change in attitude has translated to other aspects of my life as well. For example, I know that my walk has changed. The way I carry myself is completely different now. Whether it’s walking down the hall at work or passing another walker along the “loop” near my house, lately, I’ve been a little surprised myself by how easy it seems to make eye contact with other people, to smile and look them in the eye as I go by. The old me would have never had the courage to face other people in that way. Instead, I’d have searched the floor, or followed my feet to my next destination. I’ll tell you, it’s hard to carry around that kind of shame.

I can really identify with this (except I’m a guy not a girl. And I don’t wear dresses.)  I think how we feel about ourselves impacts tremendously on our happiness levels.  I feel a lot better about myself not just because I’ve lost weight but also because I’ve achieved (and am still achieving) lifestyle changes that I never believed would be possible for me.  I’m getting fitter than I have EVER been and I’m still improving.

I’ve proven to myself that I can do what I thought was the impossible and so I feel less need to have to prove myself to the world (if that makes sense).  I think I’ve made peace with who I am as a person.  Of course I still have off days and suchlike (boy there are a lot of things that annoy me!) but overall life is good.  Maybe this happens to everyone as a function of getting older and wiser and I hope it does.  Having said that I’ve been accused many a time of being hopelessly naive.

I will always I still have a cheesy grin but now I’m really happy.

Tags: Life by AndrewE
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It pouring down with rain today so I headed to the gym to do my run. Today’s schedule called for a 32 minute run. I did 5.55 km in the 32 minutes which translates to a 5:46 pace per kilometre (8:12 min per mile for the metrically challenged - there is a great calculator here). I did my 5K distance in 28:18 which I was pleased with. I’m always faster on the treadmill but I have to admit the runs outside are a lot more enjoyable.

I got to thinking while I was on the treadmill (as you do) and I think I’ve come a long way (More on this in a later post).

I used to be a couch potato (307 pounds in the photo) and now I’m a runner (225 pounds in the photo - 218 pounds today).

Tags: Life, OHR by AndrewE
30 Comments »

I was uploading my photos to flickr when I remembered that I had been to a wedding about this time last year as well.

Same glasses, same beard. Different everything else I think. Just in case you are wondering, the one on the left is the one from a year ago.

When I get braver I’ll release some more before shots.

Tags: Interesting, Life by AndrewE
24 Comments »

I went along to Round the Bays today.  Round the Bays has been an annual event in Auckland since 1972, when the Auckland Joggers Club initiated it. The first run attracted 1200 participants and has now grown to be one of the world’s largest fun-runs with an estimated 70,000 participants.

The run is 8.4km long over a flat course that follows the contours of Auckland’s harbour.

The course is really beautiful, and winds along the coast.

I walked this with my lovely wife. My original plan was to take the little monster my lovely daughter along and carry her in my baby backpack. But fortunately my wife’s cousin volunteered to babysit and all of a sudden that seemed like a much better idea.

We got dropped off near the start line about half an hour before the start. Unfortunately the marshals were on to sneaky buggers like us and we got sent to the back of the pack which was about 1km away.

Once we got going we started to meet up with people we knew and a group of us walked along for about 4 km. It was really nice as there was thousands and thousands of people walking and jogging. I never saw the serious runners as they were too far ahead of us.

About 4km into the race my wife really needed a pitstop and so joined the queue outside the bathrooms at Okahu Bay. Forty five minutes later she rejoined me. That is not a typo! It really took over 45 minutes for the ladies queue! While she was queuing the police and marshals had passed us closing the course so I thought we were going to come in dead last! I had sent all our friends on after waiting about ten minutes as I had figured that she wouldn’t be too long and we could catch up. Once she came out we decided that it would be good to try and catch up so we alternated bursts of running with some extremely fast walking and we caught up with them about 750 metres before the end. We did not finish last at all as we managed to pass a lot of people (with baby strollers and what not). In the end we took 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the course and considering the long pit stop involved we were ok with that.

It was a really great day. The atmosphere was brilliant and it was a lot of fun. It’s the first time I’ve taken part in an event like this and I’d definitely like to do it again.

Tags: Life, fitness by AndrewE
10 Comments »

Yesterday, I completed the Couch to 5K program. I started the program in mid January and now, in Mid March, I can run 5 km in a row.

Along the way I’ve done the following:

1. I ran at least 46.5 km. I didn’t start recording my distance until I got up to20 minute runs so I have actually run a little more.
2. I got bronchitis and didn’t let it derail me! In many respects this was the biggest change for the improvement for me. In the past whenever I’ve gotten sick I’ve used it as an excuse to return to my old habits i.e. overindulging in comfort food, giving up on the gym etc. I’m very pleased that I did not give up on everything when it happened this time. I really think that having this blog helped me stay on track and focused.
3. I’ve lost about 20 pounds.
4. I’ve been called a bastard. (Sorry Marshie, couldn’t resist!)
5. I’ve been called an inspiration.
6. I posed with a lot of butter!
7. I attracted a lot of strange people who are doing google searches for “naked fit men in the gym” with this post.
8. I’ve entered my first 5K race. Less than 2 weeks to go!
9. I’ve amazed myself and a few others I think. I never believed that I would be able to run and now I can.

I still find it really incredible how quickly our bodies can adapt to the various stresses we put upon them. I’ve learnt quite a bit about myself over the last few weeks and have a better appreciation of what I am capable of now.

I’d like to thank all of you who read my blog and have offered such great supportive comments and helpful bits of advice. I don’t think I could have done it without you. I’d especially like to thank my ever suffering wife who has had to put up with me being a bit obsessed and single minded about things lately. She has supported me in all my decisions and darling, if you read this, I love you.

Next week I start the One Hour Runner program!

Tags: C25K, Life, Milestones, fitness by AndrewE
19 Comments »

It is a gorgeous day here in sunny Auckland. Last night my baby daughter slept through the night. The first we heard of her was at 6:20am. This is unheard of and glorious.

This morning, my wife, daughter and I went off to the local farmers market and had a potter about. I bought a mini vegetarian pizza and a nutella crepe for breakfast and washed them down with a moccacino. And it was gooood.

Since then I’ve been out in the garden doing my lawns, watering my trees, weeding and general yard work while listening to an audio book on my ipod. It’s been very relaxing and peaceful even though I’ve been quite busy.

I’m about to head out to the library with the family as we are running low on books to read to the baby.

What does any of this have to do with getting fit? Nothing. It’s just a wonderful day and I thought I would share.

Tags: Life by AndrewE
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There is a great article here about “How to stop making excuses and start making changes.”

From the article:

Do any of these sound familiar?

“I can’t eat a healthier diet because …”

* I’m too busy to faff around preparing complicated meals
* I don’t like fruits/vegetables/”healthy” food
* I’m on a tight budget and can’t afford to buy diet foods

“I can’t lose weight because …”

* I’ve been fat all my life. How can I expect that to change now?
* I’ll have to buy new clothes
* I’ll be hungry all the time

“I can’t exercise because …”

* I’m too fat and unfit
* I don’t have any time
* I hate exercise and always have done.

This article shows you how to break through the mindset behind each of those excuses, giving practical tips on storming ahead with your new, healthier, lifestyle.

I thought it was rather interesting so maybe you will too. Go and check it out.

Tags: Interesting, Life by AndrewE
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