So… I’m going to be drawing this site to a close. Truthfully, I’ve not really been thinking of this place for about 12 months now and have merely made the odd token effort to post.
I’ve been giving some thought to what I should do, and the more I thought, the more I began to realise I simply have too much to try and keep up with, and I want to simplify my online life a little. This website is one place I can draw a line under and consign to the past. I also plan to wrap up foursquare and a few other things as well. Simplify, and enjoy more.
It’s been a great place over the 6 or so years, and in fact served as my project sandpit. I learned about domain names, hosting packages, WordPress, RSS, and a whole bunch of other things. I have learned a lot and I’m grateful for having had the time and opportunity to play around and even receive the odd comment now and then.
What’ll happen to this content? I plan to leave things as they are for a few months, perhaps until the end of the year, and then I’ll take it offline. In amongst a lot of chaff, I think there’s the odd little post that I want to hang on to and I’ll be keeping my little mitts on. The ones about getting engaged, married, and children are all special. I’ll also be keeping the Reading Lists I’ve kept for the past 5 years, as they’re kinda cool.
And so we reach the end part. The goodbye part. And the thank you part. For reading this, thanks. For reading other posts, thanks. Eyes on words are a real treat and I liked being able to punch out the occasional thing for you.
Farewell.
You should buy and read his new book. I will be.
So… it’s been yonks since I posted on the Lifestyle Reboot.
And that’s because I’ve fallen off the wagon.
There’s no single event or single reason to explain my failure, but I believe it’s a failure of willpower and strength. As my work days got busier and the home life got harder to fit in around it (par for the course with my job and ambition), I started falling back on old habits and taking shortcuts on food.
I was tired so I’d sleep too late and skip breakfast, then buy buttery raisin toast from the cafe near work.
I’d forget to make lunch so I’d grab ready-made sandwiches, full of fatty sauces and creamy dressings.
I’d grab chocolate bars in the afternoon for their sugar fix, because my body started the day poorly and was behaving poorly as a result.
Mostly, I’d just feel too tired to care, so I’d go with what comforted me – the good stuff.
Except it’s not good at all. It’s BAD for me, and I know it.
So what am I going to do? GO BACK TO BASICS. By doing these things:
- Forcing myself from bed at 6am every weekday, no matter what
- Eating a bowl of oats and fruit / muesli-type cereal
- Having a piece of fruit for morning tea
- Incorporating a 20 minute walk into a lunch break (by making sure I take at least that break!)
- NOT BUYING FOOD FROM SHOPS
- And getting back on to good water intake habits. (That’s half the problem I think.)
And that’s my plan. Do these things for 2 weeks, and then increase my goals to something closer to what they were at the beginning of this little project.
I need to break the cycle.
For those interested in stats, I honestly haven’t weighed myself for about 4 weeks, as I know I won’t like it. I suspect though that I’m probably sitting on about 102kg, if my clothes’ tautness is anything to go by.
If I get brave I’ll weigh-in and report back.
Randall is hilarious.
Firstly, I didn’t post last week. Time got away and all that. I did stick to my health promises though, just didn’t report on them!
Food
I stuck to the meal plan specified, barring te odd occasion where it just wasn’t feasible. What I did notice though, is that when I absolutely had to eat out or at other people’s houses, I found myself carefully considering exactly what I would eat! That hasn’t been a part of my thinking for years, unless on a diet. WIN!
I now drink 3 – 4 litres of water a day, and notice when it’s been a while between sips. Colleagues are used to me filling my water bottles of a morning and working my through them over the day, often with a refill.
I’ve decided I really like oats and banana for breakfast, and it helps get me through the morning. Chicken/tuna and salad is a good lunch, and an apple or celery a good morning/afternoon snack if I feel peckish. Dinner is still baked fish and some steamed vegies, though I am looking forward t a good steak on the weekend!
Confessions
- I am still not getting to bed as per my promise. It’s really hard, but I’m determined to keep trying. What is even more challenging and difficult is the broken sleep owing from a 10 month old cutting his teeth. Tough!
- I’ve had a few beers, but stuck to low-carb where possible. I’m not beating myself up though, as I only have 2-3 at a sitting
- I had ice cream on Saturday night, because it was so damned hot and I wanted some!
Lessons
- Fish is tasty
- Salad, when done right and with yummy dressing (low fat) is quite filling
- When I’m hungry between meals, I have a big gulp of water, and generally a few minutes later I’m fine
- It really DOES take about 20 minutes for your brain to recognise your stomach as full. Waiting for that time to pass sees me eat a normal sized meal and not an oversized one.
The Verdict
3 weeks ago I weighed 103.5kg. This morning, I weighed in at 99.4kg – a loss of 4.1kg in 3 weeks! Quite pleased with that, as it’s a healthy amount of weight to drop and not a super-crazy 10 kgs in 3 weeks or anything. I actually feel better about that, believe it or not.
Tomorrow morning, I start getting up at 5.30am for a 20 min power walk… wish me luck!