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

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