Take it to the next level Markus

After the huge weight loss this last seven days I knew that somehow I had to start to vary things in the gym. It wasnt down to boredom or anything like that or even variety when I come to think of it. I specifically asked to try some new exercises in order to extend my capabilities. Lorena is a great coach and understands my scopes and limitations but today was a bit of a culture shock and if I am truthful it was a rude awakening.

I cannot imagine for one minute that losing this kind of weight is going to continue at this rate. Well I hope it does but I am not sure it will actually happen. The questions I am asking myself are things like will my metabolism change, will it continue to fall off if I maintain the exercise and diet together? The potential for the next eight weeks is huge. In reality it’s not about that, it’s about life change and becoming fitter, stronger and ultimately healthier. Things have changed over the last two weeks, things that i could never imagine would happen so soon. According to Mrs W I have stopped snoring. ( I  nearly put snorting then but realised the implications). I actually feel active and get out of bed feeling good. The life change is actually happening…. it’s happening now.

On day one of January Elaine took a picture of me in front of a white wall. Her intentions were good as I hate my photo taking (sounds a little odd coming from a photographer doesn’t it?). She wanted to build a collection of ten images over the span of the competition. This would show a dramatic change over time. It didn’t take long at all, looking at the three images now just makes me shudder. Not from looking at myself but looking at the dramatic change that is taking place. After all, if caterpillars can do it, so can I.

Jessie’s email reply was a real boost. I never even expected a reply as I reckoned his inbox must be full of messages; nevertheless a reply I received. I have started working with a stronger attitude and I can almost hear his voice coaching me along. This is the biggest motivation I could ever need. Throughout my training today I learned breathing techniques and mind focussing exercises that gave me an even more positive attitude. This is the attitude I want to carry forward with me through Leeds Largest Loser and in to the rest of my life. The sponsorship has been tremendous and I cannot thank you all enough. The current total is running at £358.13 which is amazing and I cannot thank you all enough.

I would normally have taken Saturday and Sunday off from the gym but having missed a day this week I am back at it tomorrow.

I am no longer afraid of the hard work, the results far outweigh the pain… after all, that’s what I set out to do. No Pain, No Gain.

Thank you Lorena & Jessie, you have been fantastic this week.

Thanks for reading

This definitely NOT me….

O.M.G.

I was a little apprehensive about this weeks weigh in. I don’t know the exact reason but there was just this little niggle that said it wont be as good as last weeks mammoth loss. Gary, one of the other competitors lost a serious amount of weight last week, in excess of my 12lbs to be honest. This really spurred me on and Friday I was back in the gym, doing everything I could to push myself and accomplish just that little bit extra. I did it and come Friday evening I wondered if I had done enough.

Two days were ahead of me that would normally have spelled fast food, snacks, Mars Bars for energy boosts and fizzy drinks. Two days where the gym was out of reach and my will power was going to be fighting a hard battle with my stomach. I am proud to say the battle was over by midday on Saturday, my will power had won on every level. My usual breakfast was had and lunch consisted of tuna salad with a healthy meal for tea when we got home. The same was repeated for Sunday too, no quick trips to the local 24 hour garage for a Twix and a packet of crisps. No quick body swerve to the local Greggs for a Cream Apple Turnover. No way Jose (no offence Jose) that was not happening.

So I emerged out of the weekend unscathed and ready for the hard work that lay ahead. By Wednesday I had worked my Yorkshire Noo-Noo’s off and Lorena convinced me to have a rest. She is a fantastic trainer and coach whom I have listened to and accomplished everything that she has asked of me. So Wednesday was a rest day but the diet remained and I actually started to feel quite full. The glasses of water were helping convince my stomach that it was actually full. Wednesday was the TV appearance and meeting Jessie was just the icing on the cake. It motivated me to move on to Thursday and prepare for the big weigh in.

The one thing that made me really doubt this weeks weight-loss was missing 3 days out of the last seven, I mean, really that basically suggests that I have only put in 57% effort this week and the prospects were pretty grim. Anyway I thought, (turning a little negative here) I had a massive weight loss last week. So what.

I was last in to the weigh in area. Having come straight out of the gym my shirt must have been holding a pounds worth of sweat so that was off in a flash, the trainers were kicked off and I jumped on the scale. I didn’t look, I dare not. It wasnt until Lorena screamed and said “Oh my goodness Mark” you have lost 19lb this week alone. Nah… Really? It was doubled checked against last weeks weights. Yes, it was correct. Nineteen pounds in one week. It must be working then eh? After announcing it to the group and sharing all our stories from the week we were introduced to last years winner Mark Higgins. Mark lost three and half stone in the ten week challenge which was a fantastic achievement. It wasnt until I had left Cookridge Hall and was heading towards the car that it struck me how much I had lost in two weeks…31 lbs …that’s over two stone already.

I texted Elaine who was eagerly waiting for my figures. There was one other person to email, Jessie. He told me to let him know my progress so I did what it said on the tin. Whoosh..email sent. At just before eleven I heard the familiar sound of my phone screaming “email received”. It was a message from my mentor in this programme, Jessie Pavelka.

The email just topped off my Thursday. As I enter another day in my journey I can see my goal and its a clear as it could ever be. I just have to work hard to get there.

Thanks for reading

The week that was, oh what a week….

When I started this challenge I referred to an American Fitness Coach & Motivational trainer called Jessie Pavelka. When I wrote that blog post I never thought for one minute that I would get to meet him, let alone sit and have a discussion about my fitness and the ongoing weight loss. Well it happened.

There is the proof. After the first meeting of “Team Cookridge” I mentioned the influence that this guy had installed in my fitness goal. I was really impressed that some of my team members actually knew who he was. One of them, Vicky Martins emailed me to ask if I had noticed that he was going to be presenting a TV programme from Cookridge Hall.  What? Are you serious? Of all the places in West Yorkshire that this could have happened it turns out to be the gym I train at. Well, never to turn down this offer I made enquiries and got myself on “The List”. A big thank you to Total Dance-Zumba, Leeds for this opportunity.

The requirement was simple, turn up at the gym 6:45am (yes, you read that right … in the A M).  Filming was to commence shortly after that time. It was all to be worth it. With coffee and a selection of Danish Pastries on offer I withstood my temptation and refused the sweet buns and opted for the healthy choice with a banana.

The filming was live and Jessie rehearsed cuts for the adverts and also the full items for the ITV Breakfast programme. All we had to do was look busy, exercising of course. How hard can it be? The hard work was given to the three people selected to talk about “Motivation Nation” . Phew, I was so glad that wasnt me.

During the filming I could feel my phone buzzing. These were the obvious texts saying things like ” Just seen you on TV you ugly Yorkshireman” etc etc… I am sure you get the idea. In between routines Jessie practised his routine, each time deciding which side of the room to make his entrance. I was stood in the corner so he made a joke on numerous occasions.

Above is a screen shot from the TV. You can just see me in the top left hand corner. Oh no…. I could never be a film star could I?

After the filming had completed we all got the chance to have a photo taken with Jessie. I wanted the photo for my blog but more importantly I wanted to talk to Jessie about my goal and my plan. I got both those opportunities quite quickly and managed a twenty-minute chat with him. This was more than I could ever have expected. Really, it was only two weeks ago that I had emailed Lee Veasey (one of Jessie’s clients) and that was a big bonus when he got in touch. This was up with the next level…what more could I want for motivation than actually meeting the man himself and talking face to face.

Jessie was very interested to hear my story and we discussed my possible involvement in something coming up in the future. Well, that was an offer not to be refused wasnt it? Thanks Jessie.

Also present at the event were the two Olympian Brothers Jonathan and Alistair Brownlee who are from Leeds. If Elaine wasnt envious enough knowing that I had met Jessie that morning, wait till she found out about the Brownlee brothers too… oh no, this wasnt going to be easy to explain.

After a succesful week of eating correctly and five out of seven days at the gym I am confident that the scales will tip the right way this evening. On that note, its time to go.

Thanks for reading.

It all begins……..Week 1

After the “Big Weigh In” I was a little bit disappointed, I mean after cutting back and trying hard to diet in the run up to this I really thought that I would have shed a couple of pounds since my initial weight check on January one. The answer, in a nutshell was a huge NO. I hadn’t lost an ounce. Realistically this didn’t mean a thing as the actual challenge started today, tonight, right here, right now (in the words of Fatboy Slim) .

As anyone would, I scoured the room looking round at the other contestants. When I think about it everyone else was doing the same too. I dread to think what was going through people’s minds, in fact I am not even going to suggest what people must have been thinking. We were each taken in to a side room to be weighed and our starting weight was revealed. The race was now on.

We were all introduced to the two trainers Charlotte and Lorena and advised that the official start date was Monday. It was then that Lorena announced to the group that she would be in the gym first thing in the morning and who would be joining her? Well, you all know me…never one to shirk an oppotunity. I didn’t hesitate in taking up this opportunity.

I was very happy with this decision, my whole frame of mind regarding this event has been positive from the start of November when I heard about it. I really want this, in fact I will go as far as to say that I want to win it.

So after pushing me to my limit I was sat down to discuss my diet. A sheet was passed to me with a list of do’s and dont’s. This, in all fairness was quite common sense with only a couple of items that needed attention from my current diet. Knock off the potato and stop eating porridge for breakfast. Thats great, I can do that………..I think.

This all seemed good until Sunday morning arrived and all that was available for a lovely breakfast was a banana and a small handful of Cashew Nuts (have you seen how much they cost). How on earth was I going to survive until lunchtime on a banana and a handful of  “shews” ? I suddenly began to feel like a Gorilla, let alone look like one.

The regime, as strict as it is, continued throughout the week. I worked hard and went swimming everyday with astonishing results….. yup !! I did what i said on the tin.

So that’s what I did……………….. 12 pounds from Saturday to Thursday. A week of Hard work.

Thanks for reading..come back for week 2

The BIG weigh in

It’s not really going to be like a Boxing match….the only resemblance will be that fact that we are all competing and we are all getting weighed. Oh, and its a team competition too. This week has gone well and like I said in previous posts I am afraid that confidence remains high that I actually have lost weight prior to commencement of this event. I know, it defeats the object but I am afraid medical reasons take priority.

Anyway, how rude that the big weigh in should be on a Friday… Its Fish & Chip Friday at Winterbourne Towers and it’s just not in the game is it. A little birdie tells me that after living off Homemade soup (which I will add is delicious) Porridge and other various “healthy” meals for the last three weeks that the F&C Friday wont be a problem this week. Yum

Ive been secretly warming up using the cross trainer at home just to get my bones and muscles in the same frame of mind as me. I am not too convinced they actually agree with my decision to enter this contest as this morning they are aching like a b***h. Wait until next week mmmm then they will really know the meaning of aching.

I received news last week that the venue of my gym for the next ten weeks has been changed. It’s not a hardship actually as it turns out I have been transferred to Cookridge Hall Health & Fitness. Yeah…thats not too shabby is it?

I quote “The pool area looks out on the grounds and is in part of the historic hall providing a stress free environment to enjoy a swim or relax after your workout. The pool is 20m long and we also have a children’s pool, spa, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Swimming lessons are available for all ages and if you want a break from the children we offer daily adult only swims.”  Oooh I cannot complain. I can see it now….0900am at Winterbourne Towers…”Byee Elaine I am just going to the gym for the day…see you tonight” lol….

Seriously, I am really looking forward to it. So tonight at 7pm I am attending the opening ceremony where my current “weight of heaviness” will be revealed to all. My great friend Karl is coming along with me as Elaine is working. I can’t thank Karl enough as he a strong guy and I’m going to need him to pick me up from the floor after I collapse with shock at my current weight. He might come in handy picking other people up too after they collapse from hearing my density ! Only joking.

So, back later with a report from tonight’s event.  Oh just one more thing can I take this opportunity to thank all of those who have sponsored me. The current total is £286.88 including gift aid. Please, if you can, sponsor me a little bit of money. Every penny counts and its such a good cause. Thank you.

The week of the run in….

Its here….The week before the big weigh in. Friday is the day it all kicks off. The LEEDS LARGEST LOSER weigh will take place at Wheatfields Hospice this Friday. Yes, that quick.

My preparation was supposed to be physcological only. All about getting in the frame of mind and setting it up mentally. I am sure you know where I am coming from here after all a 10 week plan of action is not something to be taken lightly.

So, I decided to change my diet on January 1st. I thought this might get me prepared and I could show my trainer the diet sheet and it would be a seemless changeover come the start of the event. What I had failed to consider was the fact that reducing calorie intact to 1500 from January one might actually have a massive impact on my weight prior to the start of the event. Yup !!

It has….! Pounds have been shed and the LLL weigh in hasn’t taken place yet. For my personal reasons I made a mental note of my weight (which I hasten to add, will not be displayed here)

Roll on Friday….

Just got more motivation…from a man in the know

I mentioned in earlier posts about Jessie Pavelka and his TV shows…Obese: A Year to save my life & Fat: The Fight of my life.  I draw real inspiration from the mentor and the TV programme.  They showed the whole series over Christmas and in light of my new goal and venture I took the liberty of downloading them and putting a big K next to them on the Sky Planner for keeping. I decided that these would be the perfect tools for motivation that not only show success but also failure too. They demonstrate  what happens when you fall off the horse and never get back on. In a more positive note they also show what happens when you stick to the plan and achieve your goals. The shows have given my such an insight of what is to come I almost know the episodes word for word. Not such a bad thing I can tell you… watch this space.

I took a particular interest in one of the participants, a great guy called Lee Veasey (pictured left after the event). Lee was a man-mountain at 34 stone before applying to go on the Sky One program.  This is text from an article from Ripley & Heanor News:-

The 30-year-old from Greenfields not only lost more than half his body weight during the filming of the Monday night show but he gained a possible career as a personal trainer. Slimmer Lee said he applied to the Sky producers because he wanted to start a family with wife Nicola, 28. He said: “When I turned 29 I was at that age where I thought I have really got to start thinking about other people.

“I thought if we have kids, when they get to two or three, I don’t really want to be in a wheelchair.” Lee applied for the show, hosted by personal trainer Jessie Pavelka, back in September 2010, after wife Nicola spotted an advert in the Sun newspaper. The series, which first aired on January 2 this year, challenged super size men and women to lose weight over the course of a year.

Camera crews began filming Lee in October 2010. A production team documented his fight against the flab until last November. Lee’s training schedule saw him hit the gym at William Gregg VC Leisure Centre in Heanor for two hours every day, five days a week.

“It was tough,” he said. “Just because it is so hard to fit that around your daily routine.” At his heaviest, the Aldercar engineer was 37-and-a-half stone, meaning he found simple tasks difficult. Even fitting into a chair at a restaurant was tough, he said. “I would sit down at the end of a day and my feet would be absolutely killing me.” Lee added. “It had such a big impact on my life. I was outgoing but it really restricted things that I could do because I was big.”

Now Lee says he has swapped the double-size dinners for a balanced diet and a regular workout regime. He is now a qualified personal trainer and is taking a course to become a fully fledged nutritionist. He said: “I’m carrying it on to help people who were in the same situation as I was. I’m hoping I can change their lives now.”

I decided to send an email to Lee to ask him about motivation and the mind-set of taking on this kind of challenge. My challenge, shorter though it is…is still long-term for me as It will not stop after the challenge. The idea in my mind is that it’s a life change and not just for 2014.

Last night I received a reply from Lee and I was completely gob smacked. How kind of someone I have never met to take time out of their day to do this for me….I want to share Lee’s words with you as they really motivated me and took me beyond feeling anything like this before.. Lee said…

Hello Mark

Sorry I haven’t been in touch sooner. It sounds like you are doing amazing buddy keep it up.

First of all, to stay motivated I was setting my targets and working towards them and then doing something to look forward to once I hit it. If you feel like your slipping sit down and write down your food plan and training plan and make sure you stick with it. Also believe in yourself.

2nd my thoughts were always I wanted to do better than anyone else on the programme and wanted to never let anyone down. Also loved the way I could get nicer clothes.

3rd be honest with yourself and defo be honest with your PT, if you are not they cannot help you as much as what you need them to. Plan your meals and training sessions. Fail to Prepare, prepare to fail. Very important. Also work hard and always push yourself.

Hope this has helped to buddy, and stay in touch and let me know how you are getting on.

Lee Veasey

So what other motivation do i need when the Icing is on the cake (Thats not a good expression under the circumstances). A message from someone who has been there, done it and worn the T-Shirt all with the best in the business?

I don’t think I do….Its already started.

Thanks for reading

Raincheck…Email has arrived

Its arrived………… the confirmation email has landing in my “Inbox”. Looks like Leeds’ Largest Loser has another competitor… Moi!

Since January one I have been trying to change things in the eating department. And despite letting go last Saturday I have done extremely well. With my daily diet cut to 1500 calories I thought I might feel super hungry in between meals. Maybe not so hungry though…..I found out that snacking on certain fruits is a big no-no in the dieting world as they are full to the skin of sugar

Yes…thats right…S U G A R … I don’t take sugar in tea, I don’t even take sugar in coffee either and as for breakfast cereal I am currently restricted to porridge. For clarification that is porridge made with water and no sweet topping. I am determined to stick to the programme one hundred percent and if this means dropping certain things then so be it. I shall conform. So its started…the dropping of certain items from the shopping list and also from weekly routine too. In amongst this list are the following:-

Mars Bars………one of the essential items whilst out taking photographs when hunger strikes… this is now a big no-no.

Coke (Coca-Cola) …although nice to drink it can actually strip paint and clean a coin for goodness sake. I mean, seriously why would you want this inside you anyway.  Just to clarify I don’t drink the stuff, well maybe a “diet” friendly version so it’s no real loss in the first place

Pizza…. This is my downfall I’m afraid to admit. I love Pizza…. Pizza and I have an affiliation you know. It stems back years when Pizza Hut was too close for temptation and a Medium Deep Pan with Tuna and Pineapple was Sunday tea every week. Living alone has it downfalls too you know?

Now as much as I had an affiliation with Pizza Hut my relationship with McDonald’s is slightly different. McDonald’s sits mid-table if the MW food league. It’s a take it or leave it food…very handy if you are caught short and need a munch but other than that it wont really be missed. Having said that the Chocolate Donuts are something else….Forget it Marcus!

Chinese…well, Wednesdays used to be a great day. Take-Away Wednesdays we used to call them. Now sadly removed from the 2014 calendar at Winterbourne Towers and never to return. Thats is unless I develop some ultra-thin body overnight as unlikely as it is.

So, as this blog entry draws to a close, the calories are being counted and the nerves are setting in for the big starting weigh in next week.

For now, that is all.

It’s real……

You know that feeling of sudden reality? The one that suddenly brings everything to the forefront and you realise that its is actually happening? Well today it suddenly struck me.

Up until now my donations have been online and as much as they are real it still feels surreal. I havent had my official sponsor form arrive yet but this is probably down to Christmas and New Year. Today, or should I say “Just now” this all changed. I received the mail, late as ever…since when has the postman arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon? In the post was a hand written envelope which I slowly opened. Slowly as I didn’t recognise the handwriting. Not that it would have made a difference if I had opened it fast…..Wonder why I did that?

Anyway, to cut a long story short…I got my first offline donation…. yeah ! Wow…it’s all suddenly become real. It’s happening…NOW

I don’t know why I am rambling on about this, its all been real for three days. I am on a pre-event changeover, just three weeks early that’s all. I have decided that the “annual” New Year diet will become my last as this year I am going to succeed. It will never happen again… after this year I will hit my target weight and I wont have to do it again…trust me !

It’s now taken on a whole new meaning with a slight glitch in the health department, but something that this challenge will change and kick it up its backside. So, for three days I have been eating sensibly and doing well. I am actually going to say that I am proud of myself. I got on the scale and weighed up…I was pleasantly surprised to see that over the last 18 months I have only gained eight pounds in weight….I was surprised to say the least. I think Elaine was more surprised than me.

Anyway…I am going in the right direction. I just don’t want to lose too much weight before the actual start of the event. So I have made a crucial decision, to change my diet but to limit the daily excersise…this way I wont shed excessive amounts before the event. ! Case closed.

Hope I made the right choice..after all, whats a couple of weeks.

14 days to be precise