The Love of Big Round Numbers

Image: mikeyarger (Flickr)

What is it about big round numbers that we love so much? New Year’s Eve 1999 was a special event only because it signified the ticking over of our calendar to a big round number, not because it was the end of the second millennium CE: that was New Year’s Eve 2000 (treated as just another party by most). Maths aside, we respond to such things.

And I’m no exception. I weighed myself this morning and my heart skipped a beat as it flickered at 99.9 for a second before settling on 100.0kg. And I got off and weighed myself a second time, just to be sure.

I have reached a major milestone in my weight loss journey: a Big Round Number. Exactly 100kg. There are now exactly ten of me to a tonne.

I have not weighed 100kg (220lb) since I was in my late teens. I’ll need to double-check exactly how old: it’s the kind of thing my mother remembers. I’m feeling a little self-satisfied (you understand) and quite a bit relieved, as for many years I have tried to do exactly what I am doing now – following the government- and medical-recommended weight loss methods, but have never come close and in each instance my stomach thought my throat had been cut. Yes, it may be the First Law of Thermodynamics at its most basic, but ease of compliance must not be overlooked.

Still, there’s a long way to go before I reach my target weight of 85kg, which the BMI chart insists is Overweight. I’ll reassess things when I eventually reach 85kg (BMI 26.8). Although it’s a lot closer than it was in February, it still feels a long way off. Bring it on.

Dukan Day 180: 41lb down

120/101/85

Today is my 180th day on the (modified) Dukan Diet and I now weigh 100.8kg. I have lost 18.8kg (41lb) in that time, which averages just over 730g/week and gives a BMI of 31.8.

The rate of loss is still slowing, which I put down to a combination of CrossFit converting fat to muscle, trying to find a new balance in my fat-protein-carb ratios to provide enough energy for the demands of CrossFit, and trying to keep on top of carb creep in everyday food management.

Although I am eating a ~80% paleo diet at home, I’m still buying my lunches and that often results in poor options due to the nature of the convenience foods near where I work. I expect it won’t be too long before I’ll bite the bullet and make my own lunches. That’s something I’ve been avoiding so far as I’m both lazy and don’t want to feel too obsessive about everything I put in my mouth.

Anyway, the weight loss is progressing steadily, I’m feeling fantastic, I’m getting fitter, and I’m increasingly feeling like a new person. I have not weighed this “little” since I was a teenager, so it’s a great feeling.

Buck Furpees

Image: mrtopp (Flickr)

I’m on holiday this week, so going anywhere in the evening was going to be a challenge. Still, after missing Monday’s session I was determined not to miss tonight.

There were just 4 of us doing the induction course. Dan and Paula were new faces for me, and Elisa joined in as a refresher after having been away for some time.

The warmup was to run 200m, and 3 sets each of 10x air squats and 10x pushups. I’m still doing knee-pushups, but I’m able to do more of them as time progresses. Looking forward to being able to do proper ones, as the others are a little embarrassing.

Weightlifting training was the Snatch, starting with the PVC pipe at the sternum, then just above the knees, and finally from the floor. And then onto the training bar. It’s another move I’m going to have to spend time practising, as it’s more complicated than it looks: to lift the bar past your knees you need to slightly straighten your legs and sit up (must not lift around the knees, and need to keep the bar moving vertically while maintaining form), then when it reaches above your knees you use your legs and hips to power the bar up (not your arms), and when it reaches your sternum you squat down quickly while moving your arms under the bar so the elbows lock the bar above your head, then you stand up. Trying to get all of those things happening in the right order and at the right time is a challenge.

Then it was time for the WOD (name unknown). It consisted of 3 activities, to take 9 minutes each:

• 3x Row 500m within 3 mins (the sooner you finish each, the longer you get to rest)
• 50x Wall Balls (I used a 7kg ball)
• 9 sets of 5x Burpees and 5x Pullups

I was happy with the rowing, averaging 2:30 per set (that 30 seconds between each was vital). The wall balls were very tough: I could only manage 5-7 reps at a time before I reached the starting edge of tunnel vision (had to sit down a few times), but managed 35 overall. And the trainer (Thong) scaled the final activity down to just 9 sets 3x Burpees, which was close to my limit at that point.

So I nearly managed to complete another WOD and gives me another workout to use to measure myself in the future.

And I believe I’ve finally earned the right to say: BUCK FURPEES!

Dukan Day 168: Mini Milestone

Image: Jason Rogers (Flickr)

120/101/85

The graph I use shows that July has been an erratic weight loss month for me. I’ve gone over this previously, but I put this down to allowing certain treats to become more than just treats. (It’s not a treat if you do it every day or every second day: it’s a habit).

Regardless, I’ve managed to end July 2.2kg lighter than when I started it, and now weight 101.3kg.

That’s a BMI of 32.0 and, for those in the UK, means I’m now just under 16 stone. I can’t remember the last time I weighed this “little”: judging by the few photos I have of the period, I suspect it was somewhere around my 21st — around the time I started university.

And university’s effect on waistlines is legendary across most cultures…