Completed Day 90 - Final photo and some lessons learnt

Okay, so time for the final reveal... Let's start with photos from Day 5:

I wish that I could say that I was sticking my stomach out for effect in this shot.

Looking distrinctly doughy

Day 90:

Certainly an improvement... sadly not on the hairline, but we can't expect miracles.

So, what have I learnt from this adventure? (my apologies in advance if some of these seem to be doused in cliche)

1. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing properly
2. We all need to take responsibility for our own actions
3. Vegetables for breakfast really is the way forward
4. Fruit is REALLY tasty and isn't just a substitute for sweet treats, it beats them hands down
5. It's hard to take a complimentary picture of yourself, particularly from a make-shift tripod
6. There is no magic moment when excercise becomes 'easier'
7. There are also no short-cuts, potions or contraptions that can be substituted for hard work
8. A sympathetic support network does wonders 
9. If you commit to something and give it the respect it deserves, others tend to welcome your desicions rather than dismiss them
10. 90 days really is a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things
11. Fad diets are an UTTER waste of time
12. If you want to do something badly enough, you can always find the time
13. Jumping rope is not just for little girls
14. Most people in the gym are nothing more than tyre-kickers
15. My spelling is much worse than I thought without spell-check
16. The harder you work, the more sleep you need
17. When it comes to booze, quality beats quantity every time
18. There are very few things in life that really need added sugar
19. I think that I'm finally done with smoking
20. When this is all done and dusted we'll still have Chad - he's going no-where.

All in all, this really has been a wonderful and enlightening experience, the lessons of which will stick with me for years to come. A friend texted me this morning and asked me what I'd had for my celebration breakfast this morning. I think that she was expecting me to say that I treated myself to waffles, a fry-up or bowl of coco pops. She was probably rather disappointed when I told her that I'd had wholemeal toast, spinach, grilled chicken and poached egg...

Patrick, a huge heart-felt thank you to you, it's really been great and I've learnt a huge amount from you. As a born sceptic, I was delighted by the lack of quackism and hollow promises, you've created something really great here.

And to everyone else, a massive congratulations. You've all been a great team and I'll miss the camaraderie we've had.

Here's to phase 2...

Day 90 - Final Weigh-in

Soooo..... I've just finished the final work-out and have completed the final weigh-in. Final stats look as follows:

Day 1 Weight: 95.6kg
Day 90 Weight: 83.3kg (- 12kg)

Day 1 SMM: 47.1kg
Day 90 SMM: 46.2kg (-1.1kg)
Day 1 Body Fat Mass: 13.9kg
Day 90 Body Fat Mass: 2.5kg (-11.4kg)
Day 1 Body Mass Index: 25.9kg/m
Day 90 Body Mass Index: 22.6kg/m (-3.3kg/m)
Day 1 Percentage Body Fat: 14.6%
Day 90 Percentage Body Fat: 2.5% (-12.1%)
Day 1 Waist-Hip Ratio: 0.83
Day 90 Waist-Hip Ratio: 0.78 (0.05)
Day 1 Visceral Fat Area: 97.8
Day 90 Visceral Fat Area: 43.5 (-54.3)


I should probably point out that I am aware that if my body-fat was really that low I'd probably be 6ft under, but I've been using the same hi-tec machine through-out so I'm hoping that the difference between the figures can still be considered accurate (for any weighing nerds out there the machine at the gym is the 'InBody 720 Body Composition Analysis' - fancy huh?).

I'll post a more philosophical post later with the obligatory before and after shots...

89.....

I can't quite believe that we're almost there, it's been quite a ride I must say. The last few days have been tough, I hiked a couple of time at the weekend, including Hong Kong's infamous 'Twins' which is 1,000 steps straight up.




Consequently I've had jelly legs for the last three days - not great when you have a lot of skipping to do! Everything else is going well. I've been getting a little nostalgic thinking that this extraordinary experience is soon to be over and I must admit I am feeling a little rudderless. Life is rather more straightforward when other people are setting your goals, dietry requirements and schedules for you. I guess that's why this is only phase 1.

Most people are asking me what I'm going to do to celebrate the end of this journey: 'Are you going to go out and get wasted', 'are you going to eat until you're sick?' 'which gutter are we going to find you in?'. Interesting how our priorities change and what we think of as suitable 'treats'. Everyone would probably think I'm a little strange if I said that i'm most likely going to celebrate by halfing my jumprope time and not worrying quite so much about what 170gms of fruit looks like.

Homework

I was interested to read Patrick's blog this morning regarding abs exercises and wanted to write something about that as well as our other gym-based homework assignment. 

Firstly, the gym; as I mentioned in a blog a while back, I'm relatively lucky that I have a gym close to home that I've already paid for. It's not so much that I think this is essential for getting healthy, I think that we've all seen that it's not at all, however, I find it the most conducive space to zone out of work/home stresses. There’s a good atmosphere, the floors are sprung and ‘the eye of the tiger’ is blasted out at just the right volume. HK apartments are also tiny small. Imagine if you were confined to your bathroom for your whole exercise routine and you probably get the picture.

What is clear is that a lot of people must just really like being in the gym, because they don’t seem to be working out much. Instead I’ve notice a lot of chatting by the water-cooler and general peacocking. What’s also clear is that the majority of guys in the gym would be roughly the size they are now whether they were working out or not – I’m guessing that genetics are involved! All I can say is what a waste of time and money…

With regards to the abs, I was pleased to hear that we should be looking for some alternatives as it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. There’s always a lot of equipment lying around at the gym, but in true PCP style I’ve been drawn towards the medicine ball. This strikes me as an honest tool for getting in shape. There are no ‘ab machine promises’ or new-fangled gadgetry to speak of, just a heavy ball that’s going to push you to failure. It seems to me that it fits in the jump-rope category of no-nonsense functional fitness. Consequently, here’s a link to some medicine ball ab work-outs. If you’ve got space to work out at home I guess you can substitute for something of similar size and weight – a paint pot, boulder, youngest child…

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/ultimate-medicine-ball-workout 

Day 82

I've just been beaten up by Nick J who suggested that I haven't been blogging sufficiently of late, so apologies if I have seemed at all aloof. Like many of you, PCP has become such a part of the routine, it seems that there's less reason to put pen to paper in these final stages. Like everyone else I have been wondering about life post-pcp, but I have a feeling that Patrick has it all sorted out so I'm not overly concerned. I have been trying to think what the next challenge might be, but this all rather depends on when it's appropriate to start - Patrick, are we going to be taking a break for a week or so to let the body recover or can we plan for something else relatively soon?

Yesterday I finally had to bite the bullet and go and buy some new clothes as the current batch just doesn't fit anymore. I have to say, this rather pleased me, as I now seem to fit into some clothes available in HK! (sample size here doesn't tend to be for 6ft 3" guys for some reason...). I mentioned to a few people that I'd be updating my wardrobe and the responses have been varied. There have been a few comments that irked me somewhat, mainly that this was the wrong time to be buying clothes as we'd all undoubtedly balloon again before too long. I guess that this has made me more determined than ever to ensure that everything is sustainable.

Exercises are getting tough, and skipping for 21 minutes has the effect of leaving me rather whacked for the rest of the routine. Consequently I've been hitting failure rather sooner than I'd like perhaps. I guess that failure is always good though right?

Is it possible that counting calories can start affecting other parts of your life?

Weigh-in

Weird... have utterly plateaued... Question Thread time!


Original Weight: 95.6kg
Weight (01/02/11): 94.7kg (-0.9kg)
Weight: (15/02/11): 90.7kg (-4.0kg)
Weight: (01/03/11): 87.5kg (-3.2kg)
Weight: (16/03/11): 84.4kg (-3.1kg)
Weight: (16/03/11): 84.3kg (-0.1kg)
SMM: 47.1kg
SMM*(01/02/11): 47.7kg (+0.6kg) *Skeletal Muscle Mass
SMM: (15/02/11): 46.7kg (-1.0kg)
SMM: (01/03/11): 46.2kg (-0.5kg)
SMM: (16/03/11): 45.6kg (-0.6kg)
SMM: (16/03/11): 45.6kg (-)
Body Fat Mass: 13.9kg
Body Fat Mass (01/02/11): 11.9kg (-2.0kg)
Body Fat Mass: (15/02/11): 9.3kg (-2.6kg)
Body Fat Mass: (01/03/11): 6.8kg (-2.5kg)
Body Fat Mass: (16/03/11): 4.6kg (-2.2kg)
Body Fat Mass: (16/03/11): 4.6kg (-)
Body Mass Index: 25.9kg/m
Body Mass Index (01/02/11): 25.7kg/m (-0.2kg)
Body Mass Index: (15/02/11): 24.6kg/m (-1.1kg)
Body Mass Index: (01/03/11): 23.7kg/m (-0.9kg)
Body Mass Index: (16/03/11): 22.9kg/m (-0.8kg)
Body Mass Index: (16/03/11): 22.9kg/m (-)
Percentage Body Fat: 14.6%
Percentage Body Fat (01/02/11): 12.6% (-2%) 
Percentage Body Fat: (15/02/11): 10.3% (-2.3%)
Percentage Body Fat (01/03/11): 7.7% (-2.6%)
Percentage Body Fat (16/03/11): 5.5% (-2.2%)
Percentage Body Fat (16/03/11): 5.5% (-)
Waist-Hip Ratio: 0.83
Waist-Hip Ratio (01/02/11): 0.82 (-0.01)
Waist-Hip Ratio : (15/02/11): 0.81 (-0.01)
Waist-Hip Ration: (01/03/11): 0.80 (-0.01)
Waist-Hip Ration: (16/03/11): 0.79 (-0.01)
Waist-Hip Ration: (16/03/11): 0.79 (-)
Visceral Fat Area: 97.8
Visceral Fat Area: (01/02/11) 93.1 (-4.7)
Visceral Fat Area: (15/02/11): 82.3 (-10.8)
Visceral Fat Area: (01/03/11): 66.3 (-16.0)
Visceral Fat Area: (16/03/11): 61.3 (-5.0)
Visceral Fat Area: (16/03/11): 60.5 (-0.8)