The MAN v FAT Weight Loss Diaries: Valentine’s Day Massacre

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Another week of mixed news for our three guys who are giving us the warts and all experience of losing weight in 2023. Spring is just around the corner and our diarists are finding challenges are lurking everywhere…

STEVEN MASON

Week 6:

  • MyFitnessPal username: LiangMiUK
  • Starting Weight: 140.4KG / BMI: 35.81
  • Current Weight: 125.8KG / BMI: 32.08
  • Total Weight loss: 14.6KG (10.40% of weight)
  • Weight loss in the past week: 1.7KG

Achievements earned:

  • Biggest loser in week 1
  • 5% of total weight lost
  • 2nd biggest loser in week 2
  • Biggest loser in week 3
  • 2nd biggest loser in week 5
  • Achieved number 1 spot for weight loss % for current season for entire club week 5
  • Jean size dropped (40 waist -> 38 waist)
  • 10% of total weight loss achieved
  • Remained number 1 weight loss % for the club week 6

This has been one of the toughest weeks yet, a usual breaking point for prior dieting attempts. My body has plateaued hard and throughout the week saw virtually no weight loss until the last 48 hours. On top of not getting my 10% last week and even after postponing a Valentine’s dinner to ensure I have even a chance of getting the 10% award have been targets to achieve my goals.

Usually with all this going through my head, it would have broken me out of my diet as the craving really hit on me. Walking through the shops for simple weekly shopping there are Easter Eggs, hot cross buns and with Valentine’s during the week, just chocolate everywhere I turn. Without the help of my wife I surely would have caved in, the disappointment from the 10% goal and with the lack of apparent weight loss would have made me a victim to the chocolatey treats.

With the amount of temptation circling around like a vulture I still didn’t cave, Rallying around the pure determination that I want to hit the 10% this week. I have upped my evening walks from 2km to 5km and even revisited what I am eating to ensure I am hitting under the 1800 calories a day.

I am glad that I recognised in time that I needed to up my exercise and review my food before it was too late. I wouldn’t stand a chance of hitting the target without it. The next few weeks will be tough with Easter chocolate still around but hitting my 10% gives me renewed mental strength that I achieved my goal and can power through.

CORY HICKTON

After the last couple of weeks of bad habits creeping in and gaining most of the weight I lost three weeks ago, I set about trying to do things right this week.

Nutracheck (my weapon of choice for tracking) fired up again and I tracked and tracked. Even when I’d eaten things that I shouldn’t have, it was tracked.

During the main part of the week, I managed to keep within my lanes. Monday and Tuesday I was in a calorie deficit. Round the bend on Wednesday and I continued my good run. Thursday and Friday came and went without any problem… I just had to round the final bend over the weekend and I was on the home straight to a loss this week.

Alas, that final bend appeared to be too much! Even though I tracked everything, something didn’t work. I’ll admit to a little secret here, I weighed myself at home every morning so I could see through the week a few pounds had come off.

The weekend marked the start of half term with the kids. We spent the weekend out and about. Although I’d tracked the pasties and the crisps etc, I failed to track my coffees, a handful of nuts and a few other ‘little’ things.

After speaking to the wife about it, there were a number of things I’d not tracked through the weekend without realising. These little things amounted to around 3000 calories… more than another day’s worth. So much for being in deficit.

I didn’t realise all of this until after I’d been weighed and played football. Had I noticed before I probably wouldn’t have been in such a foul mood? When I got weighed, I was optimistic. I’d believed I had tracked everything and I was on track for a loss.

Of course, I had gained another 0.4kg. It was a real surprise at the time and it really pee’d me off. It also didn’t help that we got thrashed on the pitch too, so I was in a really bad mood once I finally got home.

After the conversation with the wife, I will be making every effort to track EVERYTHING this week. No matter how big or small, it will all be tracked. Even the milk in my coffee as I’ve never tracked that.

ANDREW SHANAHAN

I left you last week on something of a cliffhanger as we were waiting to hear whether we had won the cup. It seemed like a long-odds bet given that we’d lost 2-0 on the pitch. But as the results came in, we realised that with the weight loss scores added in – it was actually a 9-9 draw! This meant that we had to go down to the points scored by bonus goals – e.g. hatricks, 5 and 10%s and bonus goals. Amazingly, this left us 9-7 winners and the celebrations began! Scenes, etc.

Our team had also topped the weight loss league for the year and at the presentation ceremony we’ll get medals for that and the cup. It feels like a huge boost to our performance for the season ahead, especially as we’ve got a couple of new players and as we gel together we seem to be doing better on the pitch – even if we just lose by fewer goals it would be a massive help!

Following the Cup I’ve found myself swept up in a number of work projects that are close to completion. As I’ve seen in the past that usually means my food choices start to trend towards the convenient rather than the healthy. Why does being healthy require so much bloody headspace?

 

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